Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 314 Downward
Most countries in the ancient world were basically able to ensure self-sufficiency in food because the land could only support so many people. The situation in Greece was relatively special because it was a maritime civilization and trade accounted for a relatively large proportion of its production and life.

During the Hellenistic era, the Greeks successfully conquered a large number of vassal states and colonies. These areas continuously provided blood supply to mainland Greece. Over the past few hundred years, mainland Greece has gathered a population that exceeds the carrying capacity of the local land, and can only support so many people through trade.

Now those places that supply blood to Greece are busy being drained by the Romans. Of course, not many resources will be allocated to Greece. The downward trend of the economy is obvious, so Mithridates was able to gain an unexpectedly large number of supporters because the locals were indeed dissatisfied with the Romans.

This dissatisfaction is now showing a growing trend. It is a time bomb that may explode at any time. Of course, Orville is pessimistic about their outcome. They do not have a strong enough army or a large enough population base, and they are so close to the Roman mainland. It is very difficult to resist such a powerful country.

This is probably the case for Orville, who is always thinking about all sorts of things, but for Cleopatra, these days are quite busy.

It can be seen that her family has a high status in Greece, and she herself is quite good at making friends, so she has to attend various entertainments and social activities here.

Cleopatra thought this was normal, but of course she couldn't help complaining, after all, it was really tiring.
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By the third day, Orville and Cleopatra had roughly finished their tasks, and they took some time to visit the various buildings in Athens.

As the pearl of the Aegean civilization, Athens is undoubtedly a distinctive and magnificent city. Although it has some signs of decline, it is still one of the trading ports in the eastern Mediterranean with a huge population of hundreds of thousands. Although the various facilities look a bit old, one can still see the glory of the past.

Orville and Cleopatra were touring the city in a horse-drawn carriage, so there was time for small talk.

"So, did you come to any conclusions here?"

The carriage was designed to be spacious enough for two people to sit face to face, but it was not very spacious. Orville was very close to the other person and could smell the special perfume on the other person.

Cleopatra nodded and admitted, "It is a bit. I have reached an agreement with the locals. Some poor people will be thrown to my side as garbage. I provide them with a way to make a living. It is a win-win situation. It has been a long time since a large number of Greeks have poured into Egypt."

Just like the Vikings going out to rob and explore and the Greeks in the past opening up colonies all over the world, when the population exceeds the normal carrying capacity, they will find a way to let some people leave, otherwise these people will be consumed in war or internal friction. In contrast, going out to explore at least offers some chance.

Egypt is not a bad place. There must be many people who want to leave because they can't make it in their home country. If they can go to places like Egypt, Syria, and Marseille, they will definitely not want to go to the Kingdom of the Bosphorus (near present-day Crimea), Iberia, or any other more remote places.

"I thought you would resist more Greek migration. After all, isn't your plan to bridge the gap between the two groups and unite the Greeks and Egyptians in Egypt itself?"

"That's right, of course. I admit that this will hinder my plan a bit," Cleopatra spread her hands, "but I can't let these people starve to death, can I? Your emperor won't care about such things, and as the successor, I should take on this responsibility. Besides, these people are indeed useful, and if I make good use of them, I won't lose much."

"Okay." Orville did not refute the other party. The facts are indeed similar. The emperors of all dynasties are biased, favoring the mainland and ignoring the provinces. The difference between provinces and mainland itself shows that this country is far from being a country that treats everyone equally. He turned his head and carefully observed the scenery outside the window. He did not continue to delve into this topic. Cleopatra crossed her arms and glanced at him from time to time.

Orville's observation skills were still fine. This was obviously a sign that he had something on his mind, so he simply asked, "If you have any ideas, you can share them with me directly. I won't have a big problem with you even if you scold your father. I'm afraid my tolerance and understanding are stronger than you think, and my mind is not that narrow."

This seemed to give Cleopatra some confidence. After taking a deep breath, she said word by word: "I have an idea. You might as well listen to it."

"Of course, I'm listening now."

"Where do you think the future of Egypt will go after your reforms?"

"It will become more like a normal country, but let's not shy away from saying it is a normal country under the control of the Romans. That is for sure, and the Romans are not charitable people."

"Then why not go a step further and combine the two into one."

Now it was Orville's turn to be surprised. He looked at Cleopatra in surprise, his eyes were quite strange: "If this came from my mouth or any other senator in the Senate, I wouldn't be surprised. But you are the king of Egypt. Is there any benefit for you to merge the two countries?"

"As long as I don't care about the family's interests, this matter doesn't matter to me. The wealth and power I have are enough for me to do most of the things I want to do. As for what happens after I die, I don't care at all."

"So how do you want to make this happen?"

Cleopatra stared at Orville, with a rare bit of possessiveness and aggression in her eyes: "Marriage, a marriage between you and me."

Orvel frowned slightly when he heard this: "You know I've been married to Tia for a long time. Roman law clearly stipulates monogamy, and this cannot be shaken."

He and Tia were two outliers in the Roman Empire society. Only a very small number of the imperial nobles did not have affairs or mistresses. Most people acquiesced to this situation and even enjoyed it. On the contrary, Orville and Tia had always abided by the law and moral norms and nothing had happened to them. They could be said to be typical people who kept themselves clean.

Because of this, Orville had a good impression of Cleopatra, but he definitely did not want to marry her, and he was not even interested in being her mistress or lover.

(End of this chapter)