Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 24 Alexander
Despite his preparations, he was still hesitant and struggling with his thoughts, and had not made a final decision.

Theoretically, he had enough power to compete for the qualification of emperor, but declaring himself emperor was not something that could be done casually. There were many things to consider.

For decades since he entered the political arena, Vespa has always been a cautious and steady person who does not like to take risks, and he is therefore highly praised. Proclaiming himself emperor can be said to be the boldest move. Now he is really hesitant and does not know whether he should do it.

So until now, he has been prepared for both situations and is ready to deal with any emergency at any time.
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With a clear goal and an urgent situation, the group rode at full speed, traveling day and night to Egypt.

It took them more than a week to get from present-day Palestine to Cyprus, but it only took them three days to get from Cyprus to Alexandria, the most prosperous port in Egypt.

Alexandria is undoubtedly one of the most prosperous ports in the Mediterranean world. It is the meeting point of the Eastern and Western worlds and has been extremely prosperous since ancient times.

Orville and his companions arrived at night. The port was brightly lit and there were endless ships docked, with no end in sight.

He raised his head, stood on the side of the ship and looked into the distance, shocked at the super-large lighthouse that was a hundred meters high.

He has always doubted whether it was possible to build a 120-meter-high super-large lighthouse in the ancient times more than 2,000 years ago. Putting aside the problems in his previous life, the Lighthouse of Alexandria in this world is indeed of such an astonishing height under the protection of magic and various supernatural powers.

Tia and Berenice were also surprised at first at the prosperity and wealth of Alexandria, but they soon came to their senses.

Berenice acted out of royal upbringing and the requirement to remain calm in the face of emergencies, while Tia was simply on guard.

She hunched her body slightly, with a cold light flashing in her eyes, and looked at the city as if facing a great enemy.

Orville joked, "What's wrong? Brave general, you're not so nervous even when facing thousands of bandits. Is this city so alarming to you?"

But Dia nodded seriously: "Let alone thousands or tens of thousands, even fifty thousand or a hundred thousand elite soldiers are not as terrifying as this city. Luxury and corruption are the ultimate enemies of mankind. A strong warrior can defeat a thousand people, but he may be defeated by a pot of fine wine from the East. I have seen many such cases in Rome. So I have to remind myself to be cautious when facing this city. The Ptolemy family is the best example."

The ancient Mediterranean world was not as wealthy as the Eastern world. Egypt was rich in precious luxury goods such as gold, fine wine, textiles, etc. In addition, most luxury goods from India flowed into Rome through the port of Alexandria. This commodity distribution center in the Mediterranean world was the richest place, but also one of the most corrupt and decadent places. It is even worse than Rome in this respect.

Ancient Egypt has long since perished, and it is now ruled by the Greeks under Alexander the Great.

Ptolemy I, the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, was a general under Alexander. He was said to be the illegitimate son of Alexander's father and Alexander's half-brother. He and several of his successors were all great emperors, but the successors were not. The keywords surrounding this family were often "corruption", "degeneration", "debauchery", "sensuality" and other bad words. Although the future Romans might also be infected with these habits, the Romans who had just conquered the Mediterranean world had not fallen into the abyss so quickly and still emphasized simplicity and virtue.

This is the concept of people in this era, and it is good to have such moral values, at least it is better than having no morals at all. Orville believes that many rulers of this dynasty are actually remarkable outside of their private lives, but he will not argue with Tia, but just nod to show understanding and approval.

The ship was flying the flag of the Roman army and was not stopped or harassed. After informing the guards of their purpose, the group had an incredibly smooth journey. That night the Governor of Egypt placed them in a suitable residence and formally received them the next day.
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The news of Emperor Galba's death was also spreading in Egypt, and the Governor of Egypt was also prepared for Tiya's arrival, so the next day he summoned most of his capable men to hold a formal meeting with Tiya to discuss issues related to this matter.

Egypt was also waiting for a price, and whether it could be persuaded depended on the situation, but Tiya should be the first to arrive, and the German Legion and Emperor Otto were too late to come. When they arrived, Tiya had already finished the discussion.

Orville had no reason to attend such a meeting, so he did not attend. Berenice knew that it was useless to be a mascot in such an occasion, and it would only make people look down on Vespa's authority, so she did not follow. Now Tia was explaining various issues to them by herself, and she was full of confidence, so Orville was not too worried.

Alexandria is a prosperous city. He brought enough money with him before he came out, which allowed him to buy many interesting things. Now that he has this opportunity, he will definitely take a good look around.

Of course, he did not forget his personal protection work - he went against his usual practice and called a dozen Roman soldiers to follow him as his guards, promising to reward them later.

He already had a good relationship with these sailors, so this small favor would be no problem with Tiya's consent.

It's not for showing off, it's like writing "I am a Roman" on your face. Less than a year ago, a massacre against the Parvi people broke out here.

Alexandria was one of the Parphi settlements, but obviously the rulers here were Greeks, and there were also many Greek immigrants. The Parphi people at that time had conflicts with the Greeks, and there were some bloody massacres on both sides. When the news of the Parphi rebellion reached Alexandria, another tragedy occurred here. It is said that the river water was dyed red. Considering the tens of thousands of deaths, this should be true.

Although Orville has a mixed-race appearance, it won’t hurt to be careful. It would be interesting to die here and capsize in the gutter.

Under the protection of the soldiers, he happily prepared to start his stroll from the bustling area of ​​​​the Town Hall Square, but found that the place was crowded with people inside and outside, and they seemed to be watching some ceremony.

It is almost human nature to join in the fun, but Orville is a person who doesn't like to join in the fun and hates crowds. He is not going to join in the fun and just wants to buy what he needs.

But the Egyptians and Greeks around them saw that they were all wearing very conspicuous armor, and one of the centurions was following Orville, so they thought that Orville was a supervisory official sent by the Romans.

(End of this chapter)