Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 233 Barbarians Enter the City
Things like smuggling definitely cannot be discussed openly. Firstly, the content of the Senate's discussions will be recorded in the minutes and made public to the citizens. Secondly, other senators will definitely ask for a share of the profits, so it is better not to talk about it.

What Orville brought up was the "exploration and development" that the Vikings demanded. He spent some time bragging about how excellent the Vikings' navigation skills were, and how they could move freely in the rough North Sea with frequent storms and tsunamis, etc. He then led the topic to the Indian trade route, hinting at the possible benefits that these people might bring.

He proposed to grant the British provinces and Vikings a tariff preferential policy for fifteen to twenty years, exempting them from tariffs during this period, with the aim of developing the local economy, promoting trade flows, and strengthening economic ties between Britain and the mainland.

At the same time, he also showed the Senate his construction achievements in Britain - "Report on the Province of Britain", which clearly listed the natural resources and human resources of Britain, so that all the senators could have a basic understanding of the situation of this island country.

The number of senators who supported or opposed this request was obviously much smaller than before, because in the eyes of many people, things in such remote areas were not worth excessive concern and had little to do with them.

When Orville was giving a speech on the stage earlier, he could clearly see that many of the elders were absent-minded, and many were blatantly slacking off and dozing off. It was not his turn to take care of this situation, so he could only simply complain in his heart.

Finally, after he finished speaking, the Senate reluctantly passed his proposal. Although it was obvious that he was pursuing personal gain, it was understandable to give some financial preferential policies to the newly conquered provinces. What's more, Orville was a person with connections, and the people of Vespa's faction would support Orville even for the sake of showing their stance, so the matter was passed.

After solving these two issues on the first day, Orville's basic goal in Rome was achieved. He sat quietly in his seat waiting for the meeting to end, then went to his manor in the suburbs, where he settled all the Vikings.
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"So, what is your impression of this city?" After arriving at his manor, Orville asked the other party how they felt after moving here.

Ivar replied: "I heard that this is a very huge city. It is indeed very prosperous and crowded. But when you think about it, the city is packed with more residents than the total population of the North. It's no wonder."

In Ivar's knowledge, a city with a population of 30,000 to 50,000 is considered large, while the population of Rome exceeds one million. When the number reaches a certain level, people will lose their concept of it. Ivar is probably in this state at the moment, and he has no clear concept of what a million people is.

Orville chuckled: "If you need anything, go find the officer I assigned to you. He will help you solve unimportant problems directly, and will notify me as soon as possible about anything that requires my decision."

In fact, the most suitable person for this job is Stilicho. Because he is of Germanic mixed blood, he has a faint sense of closeness with these people. He also knows how to deal with these barbarians, and can speak Frankish, the most common Germanic barbarian language.

However, Stilicho was currently helping Orville manage the legion, so it was inappropriate to ask him to do such a small task, so he had to find someone else to do it. Orville chose Trajan as the affairs officer because he had become somewhat familiar with the Vikings during this period and could speak a few words of their language.

Originally, Orville was worried about Trajan's mood. After all, although Harold Godwinson was the mastermind, the Vikings were also the ones who indirectly killed his father. Unexpectedly, Trajan got along well with these people. There had been no problems for so long, and the Vikings also liked this young and active guy. Ivar continued, "There is a problem that needs your attention. Some of my men want to go into the city to take a look."

Orville didn't let them enter the city at first, but just let them stay quietly in the manor. After all, these people were basically a group of barbarians in every sense of the word. He thought it was better to have less trouble than more, but this was not a long-term solution after all. A big city was so close but they were not allowed to get close. Everyone was more or less dissatisfied.

He himself didn't know how long he would stay in Rome. Three or two weeks would be fine, but three to five months would be a bit too inhumane. This manor was empty except for the accommodation and the training ground. If these active and nosy Vikings were to be stationed here for three to five months, they would be so bored that they would start robbing people indiscriminately on the road.

He thought about it and did not force these people to stay in the manor: "How about this, you can take turns to go out to Rome to play, but the number of people at a time cannot exceed 50, and you need to go out under the supervision of my men.

You must be careful about your words and actions. This is not Britain. The civilians are very sensitive to foreigners other than Romans. If you annoy the residents here, I will be in trouble. In short, normal shopping and sightseeing are fine, but don't do anything illegal or I will have people keep an eye on your men.

But apart from the travel restrictions, we will treat you well. The various delicacies in Rome alone should be enough for you to enjoy for a while. As long as your material needs are not too excessive, I will try my best to meet your needs. "

Orville specifically emphasized the issue of military discipline to Ivar. The Romans were now more sensitive than ever before because the previous tyrant Vitellius had entered Rome with his German friends. Although it did not cause any major humanitarian disaster, it also annoyed the residents of Rome.

If Ivar and others behaved any more "untidy" in Rome now, they might be taken advantage of by people with ulterior motives and cause some political turmoil, which was something Orville did not want to see at all.

"Please rest assured that you will not be disappointed. We can handle the matter well and will not cause you any trouble."

Ivar was well aware of this, and he knew what would happen if his men were not restrained, so he gave Orville a letter of guarantee.

Orville waved to his attendant again, and he commanded a group of soldiers to pull in several sealed boxes. After opening the boxes, many weapons and equipment that were polished to a bright shine and greased to prevent rust were neatly laid out inside.

(End of this chapter)