Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 252 Alexander
If Antonis' current position must be classified into factions, he should be considered a Berdinus faction rather than a Ptolemaic faction, because it was Berdinus who had always given him benefits rather than the nominal puppet monarch Ptolemy.

However, despite this, even if he had a vested interest in Berdinus, Berdinus was not his lord nor his biological father. He could understand why Orville disliked Berdinus. After all, the tyrant was a eunuch and it was impossible for most people to like him.

If Orville avoided the question and did not openly talk about his dissatisfaction with Berdinos, Antonis would probably be extra vigilant, because he would know that Orville was hiding something from him and there might be a conspiracy behind it. But like now, Orville explained the matter openly, and Antonis could feel a little more at ease.

His expression eased slightly, and he said to Orville, "It is true that Berdinos is a very controversial person, but he is indeed beneficial to the rule of our empire. With him, we can collect enough gold and silver in Egypt to subsidize our finances, mobilize enough troops to serve us, and obtain enough wheat to feed the citizens of Rome. This person is necessary, and we should be able to reach a consensus on this point."

In fact, if Egypt no longer existed, it might be beneficial to the rule of the Roman Empire, because the ruling ability of a vassal state is ultimately inferior to that of a province. However, Orwell was not here to argue about political policies with the other party, but just nodded slightly to show that he agreed with the other party's point of view.

"Indeed, before the emperor's additional orders come down, my purpose here is at most to purchase goods and recruit scholars. I will not do meaningless and redundant things. You can rest assured about this. I am a person who is afraid of trouble."

After giving the other party such assurance, Antonis felt a little relieved. He raised his glass to toast Orville, and Orville also raised his glass in a relaxed and happy manner in response. The atmosphere of the first communication between the two sides was very enjoyable, and they seemed to be colleagues who got along well with each other.
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A few days later, in Orville's base, Ivar and Orville sat opposite each other and had a simple lunch together.

He suddenly asked Ivar with some curiosity: "In your opinion, how does the city of Alexandria compare to Rome?"

"It's more commercial than Rome. You can see people selling goods everywhere. But I always feel that the people here are not very friendly, although the Romans are not very friendly either. And I recently went to the towns further south and saw that the situation in the two places is very different.

Although Rome is very different from the surrounding towns, it is only the size of the towns that is different. What I saw in Egypt is not just the size of the towns, but there are differences in all aspects, and it seems that even the races are different. "

Ivar's keen observation made Orville nod his head repeatedly: "The actual situation should be like this. I agree with your idea. Do you know what the full name of Alexandria should be? Alexandria is next to Egypt. From the perspective of the people in Alexandria, they do not live in Egypt in the narrow sense, but in a city-state near Egypt. This is an Egyptian city dominated by Greeks. It is a very subtle place."

Alexandria next to Egypt and Alexandria in Egypt, the difference of one letter represents a world of difference. The identities of both sides are different. Alexandria is a colonial city controlled by the Greeks, while Egypt is a kingdom of the Egyptians. Ethnic conflicts have been plaguing this country since hundreds of years ago. Although there have been some improvements until now, the problem has not been fundamentally solved.

The Ptolemaic royal family was incapable of completely Hellenizing Egypt, nor was it able to completely Egyptianize itself, and was stuck in this awkward situation, hindering the country's development. At least Orwell believed that this was an important reason why Ptolemy surrendered to the Roman Empire without a fight - places like mainland Greece, Seleucus, and Syracuse had at least fought with the Romans, even if they lost. However, the most powerful Egypt chose to surrender directly to the Romans, or to put it more nicely, "become a friend of the Roman Empire."

Ivar added, "In addition, I discovered another problem when I was observing the city. The Egyptians have very poor military discipline and quality, even those troops called the Royal Guards. The only ones who are okay are some retired veterans who are mercenaries. Although they are old, their arrows are still sharp and they are not easy to deal with. Apart from these people, I think my 500 warriors can defeat at least 1,500 Egyptian soldiers on the front battlefield, and they can also maintain their organization. If you are going to fight these people, there shouldn't be many technical problems."

It is said that Rome originated from Greece. The logic of the two civilizations is different, but there are also similarities. For example, now, the Greeks are far ahead and have already implemented some kind of inheritance law for the Praetorian Guard.

In the first hundred years of Ptolemaic Egypt, many talented people emerged and the succession to the throne was relatively stable. However, this was not the case in the following hundreds of years. The struggle for the throne was fierce, and palace assassinations and even civil wars were common. Under such circumstances, the 3,700-man Ptolemaic Guards were the most powerful and decisive force. Whoever controlled these people could control the palace, and whoever controlled the palace could easily control the kingdom.

Due to the reliance on the Guards, the Guards have a great influence on the current succession to the throne. It is not to the point of monopolizing power, but it is no exaggeration to say that they are deeply affected.

In fact, among the current politicians in Egypt, the most important one is undoubtedly Berdinos, and the second most important person is also relatively certain, that is, the commander of the Guards, Achilles (not Achilles, but simply a historical figure). Cleopatra was driven out of Egypt largely because of him. With the commander of the Guards on the side of Berdinos, it was not realistic for Cleopatra to overturn the table and start a civil war in Egypt.

"I will not interfere with what you do in Alexandria or nearby. In short, your army must always maintain combat effectiveness and readiness, and can be deployed when I ask you to. There are too many potential enemies here. If we don't deal with them swiftly, there may be more trouble."

"Don't worry. I have the ability to control my men. They have been with me and my father through thick and thin and can faithfully obey orders. In addition, there are daily limits on drinking and traveling for everyone. I can get everyone into combat mode within two hours."

"That's good, keep it like this."

Ivar is a clear-headed person. He will get things done without much instruction when communicating with him. His loyalty may depend entirely on interests, but when there is no conflict of interest, Orville is more at ease with him.

PS. I don't know much about this. Achilles may not be the commander of the Guards, but the commander of another army. Here, it is necessary for the plot, so let's assume that he is the commander of the Guards.

(End of this chapter)