Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 31 Proclaiming Emperor
In Syria and Parvathy, all the troops that could be mobilized were moving towards Caesarea. Vespasian's plan was known to everyone. The two most important provinces, Egypt and Syria, chose to side with Vespasian. The governors of many other small provinces also chose to follow suit and sent troops over. This was their statement of their stance.

Everyone had to place a bet, and they chose to support Vespa.

Taking this opportunity, Vespa fulfilled his promise. He first asked a governor to give him Roman citizenship, and then immediately held an adoption ceremony according to Roman etiquette.

Nobles had to obtain permission from the high priest to adopt a child, and once appointed, the high priest's position was valid for life. Since Rome did not have full-time clergy, all clergy were selected from the civil service system. It happened that a governor who came here had served as the high priest, and he issued permission to Vespa on the spot. From then on, Orville had to call Vespa dad.

His name was also changed accordingly, to Orville Flavius ​​Vespasianus, a fairly decent Roman surname, but the name was a bit weird.

He could also choose to keep the last name Tyrion, but he had no attachment to the last name, so he did not choose to keep it. From today on, he was a member of the Flavius ​​family.

This decision surprised all those who knew about it. They began to secretly wonder what Vespa's plan was. But the most surprised person was probably Tia, who suddenly had a younger brother for no apparent reason.

After waiting for almost two weeks, the main army was assembled in Caesarea, and important officers were basically present. The main force of the army headed for Egypt, preparing to rent ships there, land in Italy and take Rome directly.

In fact, if he only wanted the position of emperor, sitting quietly in Egypt might be the best choice. With the world's granary in his control, Rome would soon be so hungry that it would have to send troops to attack. They had an absolute home advantage, but Vespa wanted more than just the position of emperor. He was now eager to restore order.

If this war drags on for a long time, Rome's rule over the provinces will begin to loosen. Now there are not very optimistic news coming from Asia Minor and Gaul. If we delay for a while longer, they will really take action. Besides, there are other powerful neighbors outside the border who are eyeing us covetously.

The local governor is capable of dealing with any of the forces alone, but now most of the powerful governor's military forces are invested in the war, and the defense on the border is actually very weak.

Everything seems calm now, only because everyone is waiting and watching. Once the civil war becomes protracted, Rome will definitely be besieged. This will be very dangerous in the case of central instability. The Roman hegemony that took more than 600 years to establish is at risk of disintegration at any time.

That's why Vespa decided to declare himself emperor, and even prepared to cross the sea to fight and go on an expedition. Orville's words were only a small part of it, and he had a clear plan in mind. No matter who it was, only by quickly ending the chaotic situation could the rule of Rome continue to exist. Since he was the most suitable, he should do it.

After heated discussions among several legion commanders, it was finally decided to continue the Palphi War and maintain a strong military presence here.

Excluding the three legions in Egypt and the two elite legions guarding the Syrian border, Vespa could now mobilize seven legions and a number of scattered battalions sent by small governors from various places.

After a long consideration, Vespa decided to take five legions away, leaving two complete legions and reorganizing these battalions on the spot, integrating them into several complete legions, and continuing the war with this as the basic base. If there is any movement in Syria, they can also go north to support the border. The commander-in-chief is Tiya. He deliberately left Tiya here to prevent himself from encountering any accidents. This is a very reasonable choice. This place also needs a general with sufficient prestige to take care of it.

The annual task assigned to them was simple: consolidate the existing achievements and move forward steadily, completely isolate the Holy City, and wait for news from Vespa. Once the situation there was stabilized, immediately launch a general attack on the Holy City. Reinforcements from Vespa would arrive soon.

The two sides complement each other. Vespa, who had just ascended the throne, must have an unstable foundation. If he wins this war, he can hold a triumphal ceremony, which will greatly stabilize the people's hearts and increase his prestige. Once the troops that have suppressed the rebellion are free and the garrisons in various provinces return to their garrisons, those ambitious people who are waiting for an opportunity will consciously stop.

The plan is clear and the next step is to see whether the implementation process goes smoothly.

At the end of January of that year, Vespa led five legions and a large number of auxiliary troops, totaling more than 50,000 people, on a mighty march to Egypt. The governors of the eastern provinces all obeyed Vespa as the Roman emperor and provided him with soldiers and money. Rome's two vassal states in the eastern provinces, Egypt and Parvathy, also recognized the emperor's authority and provided soldiers, food, money and ships to support his sea expedition.
-
Tia and Orville were left in Palfi to continue fighting. There was still some time before spring, so Tia was naturally busy reorganizing the new troops and was very busy. Orville was also not idle and was also recruiting soldiers, but not in the name of the country, but in the name of individuals.

In addition to the military expenditure allocated by the national treasury, Vespa also left a large sum of wealth in the governor's palace in Caesarea before leaving. Part of it was his own spare property, and the other part was the money he earned after arriving here.

Selling prisoners of war, distributing spoils of war, accepting bribes, extorting money. Vespa was a very realistic person in this regard. Apart from not withholding soldiers' salaries, he accepted all other means of making money.

It cannot be said that this is morally corrupt. This was the case in ancient society. Now part of the money has gone into Orville's hands and is being used in the name of family members.

Of course, Vespa's cronies were keeping an eye on him, telling him not to squander the money and enjoy himself. He was only using it to recruit people to deal with the war.

He had not accomplished anything and did not have the military qualities to command a legion in combat, so it was naturally impossible for him to be promoted to be an officer in a formal legion. Orville was only responsible for recruiting and training auxiliary troops to fill the manpower gap.

For the locals, this was a very good job. The 600 men trained by Orville last time received good reviews. Old Trajan, who commanded the 12th Legion, said that they were "smart", "obeyed orders" and "not so afraid of death". This was a relatively high evaluation for the Luo Xie Army.

After hearing this, Tia was very satisfied and asked him to continue to be in charge of this matter, as they were in need of manpower at this time.

Orville didn't find this a difficult task, so he went directly to Philippi to find King Architas II.

(End of this chapter)