Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 3 Myths and Laws

"How old are you this year?" Tia asked suspiciously, staring at Orville's obviously young and immature face.

Orville had changed into a standard military uniform. Only then did he understand what Tia meant. Orville had a mixed-race appearance and it was hard to tell which nationality he was from. There were many such people in Rome. After changing into the same clothes, the usual strange and contemptuous looks were reduced a lot, and the people around him became more friendly.

"Twenty years old is old enough to serve in the military according to Roman law."

"Your customs allow a twenty-year-old to be governor?" Tia was surprised.

"I didn't deceive anyone. I am indeed a mixed-blood descendant of the nobility, and I am considered to have a small fortune. People like me can't stay in the current Holy City. They didn't intend to stop the Romans from outside, but only wanted to rely on the Holy City, the strongest city on the east coast, to defend it. Sending me here and dividing my property in the city is a good thing that kills two birds with one stone."

Orvel's tone was very flat when he spoke, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him, which made Tia look sideways and look at him deeply.

"We will set out next. We will return to Caesarea first. The army needs to rest after the hard battle. Then you will follow me to pacify the pirates in the port of Joppa. The pirates there are harassing our wheat trade line. We must solve the problem before they interfere with the food supply of the big city."

"Joppa Harbor?" Orville raised his eyebrows. "I've been there. It's a good place for pirates to hide. The coastline is full of reefs and cliffs. But for a fleet of a certain size, it's not a good port. There's no place to hide from the storm. It's not a good place now. It's the time when the black north wind blows."

The original owner was quite familiar with the surrounding environment and could tell everything about it.

"Black North Wind?"

"A magical reaction that sometimes occurs on summer evenings. Some of us believe it is the wrath of a sea monster, Poseidon. It is said that the beautiful Andromeda aroused the jealousy of Poseidon's wife and was imprisoned in this place until Perseus rescued her and..."

"I've read the myths, and they're all the same old meaningless stories of heroes saving beauties and origins. I'm tired of them since I was a child," Tia said with little interest. "There will be storms here in the summer. Is the news accurate?"

"You can ask someone else. I don't know the exact time, but it happens a few times every year, that's for sure."

"Very good, I'll remember it. This should be of reference value." Tia waved to Orville, and he tactfully withdrew.

After Orville was a little further away, Tia finally reacted and muttered in a low voice: "Is he adapting too quickly?"
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Military life was quite boring to Orville. After spending a few days with him, he could feel that although Tia didn't like him, she didn't have much hostility towards him and still treated him impartially.

Now they are not on the front line, so there are not many things that need the commander to deal with. Orville follows Tia every day to take notes and occasionally acts as a tour guide, which is a good treatment for a prisoner of war.

He was probably the most idle and least nervous person in the entire military camp, so he had plenty of time to observe the things around him. After observing for a few days, he felt that the Palfi people's defeat was not unfair.

Tia was a very restrained person in her daily life. Although she had plenty of time to cook a decent meal every day, she always ate standard military rations - hard dry bread, drinks made of fruit vinegar and water, and boiled fat sprinkled with salt. Occasionally, there would be some local fruits and vegetables. This was the case for three meals a day, and the supply was sufficient.

Considering that this thing is standard equipment for every soldier, and looking at the situation in the Holy City where Orville has to pay out of his own pocket to purchase military rations, he is now very convinced that this war cannot be fought at all.

Calculating the outcome and gains and losses of the war, Meier was not far from the port city of Caesarea, and they arrived at their destination in a few days. Caesarea was a newly built city after the Roman conquest. The city's architectural style and planning logic were completely different from the surrounding cities, and it was protected by thick city walls and a navy. During the chaotic period when the Roman garrison collapsed, the city was not captured by the Parvi people, and now it has become the Roman command hub in this area.

The soldiers, who were originally a little nervous, immediately relaxed after entering the city. Tia gathered these people in the square and gave them a few symbolic words of reprimand, asking these rough guys not to cause trouble in the city. Then she ordered people to bring up a dozen heavy boxes filled with silver coins, which were the soldiers' salaries.

Despite the noise, these soldiers were well disciplined and received their wages quickly. Apart from Tia and Orville, there were only a dozen young men left on the field who were hesitant and dared not step forward.

Orville has normal emotional intelligence and can see the innocence of secret love, but the same cannot be said for the real person.

Tia looked at them with hopeful eyes, was stunned for a moment, then said with relief: "You want to take the initiative to move the boxes, not bad! Then go ahead, return the things to the warehouse and get an extra dinar each. If anyone asks, tell them it was my idea."

Most people left dejectedly, but a few were in a good mood. After all, one silver coin was not a small amount and was equivalent to a day's salary.

Orville touched his empty pockets, looked at the busy streets outside, and asked in a low voice: "Can I join in the glorious labor?"

"No, this place is not safe, which means you don't have the opportunity to spend money, and don't have to think about making money."

"You have the final say, sir." Orville gave up very simply, "Where are we going next?"

"Governor's Mansion, change clothes and rest for a few days, replenish your belongings, maybe take a bath and hold a party or something."

"May Rome win, may the sun god bless you. This is a very good arrangement. I wanted to experience your bathhouse since I was a child."

Orville betrayed his beliefs without hesitation, and Tia rolled her eyes directly. She still couldn't accept Orville's strong adaptability.
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The so-called rest did not last long. Orville enjoyed a hot bath and a normal hearty dinner, and the next morning he was dragged to the library in Caesarea to look for books on local laws and geography.

"All food that has an owner and grows on land needs to be taxed. Does that mean that fruit trees and mushrooms growing on trees that have no owner do not need to be taxed?"

"Yes, sir." Orville nodded repeatedly.

Tia frowned and thought: "Next sentence."

"It starts as food, ends as food, and needs to be taxed."

Orville translated sentence by sentence, and spent the whole morning to get a general idea of ​​the Palphic people's tax laws.

(End of this chapter)