Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 327 Balance
Finn is not a person who is keen on adventure, which is the difference between him and Ivar. But almost a year after Ivar left, he still figured out the trick based on some details.

The Romans did not seem to want them to understand the world. They wanted to keep the island as it is. The reason was not complicated. The Romans were now concentrating their efforts on the British province. They were too busy dealing with the barbarians in the west and north. Understanding the world often meant integrating into the world. Integrating into the world was a kind of progress for them. They would acquire new agricultural technology, metallurgical technology, military technology...

As the locals became stronger, it would be more difficult for the Romans to control them, and at the same time it would be more difficult for the Vikings to maintain their military lead. The result might be that the Roman balance of power in Ireland would fail, which was exactly the possibility they had always been wary of.

Therefore, keeping the locals in a subtle state of ignorance was a necessary evil. The Romans did not want the locals to open their eyes to the world yet, so they were very stuck on things related to this.

The map is a kind of representation. Finn had not traveled to Rome to study like Alfred, so he had no concept of Europe or the known world in his mind at first. But fortunately, he was smart enough and took some time to figure out the problem himself.

The local clans were complex and intertwined, and Finn used both soft and hard tactics to convince about half of them, who agreed to pay a blood tax to the Romans, while the rest were still waiting and watching.

Finn did not try to persuade these people anymore. Time would tell who was right and who was wrong. After the target was confirmed, they immediately organized people to head to Britain. There were about two thousand people. Considering that they could only summon ten or twenty thousand real warriors with all their efforts, this number was not small.

Most of them will stay in the British province to help the Romans build the city walls, while a few will travel through mountains and rivers to the south. Finn actually does not plan to go to Rome for a "pilgrimage". He has a clear understanding of his own side and knows that the current Emperor Vespa is not a person who seeks fame and glory. If they go to Rome, they will not get any substantial rewards, because the emperor may not even look down on the little strength on their side.

In comparison, Orville also wants the loyalty of his people to be useful. If he can fulfill the expectations of His Royal Highness the Prince, he will naturally receive corresponding rewards. Not to mention how high a position he can get in the empire, as long as he maintains the status quo in Ireland, he can satisfy Finn and others. This should not be a fantasy.

Belisarius, the governor at the time, could certainly see through Finn's thoughts. As long as the locals were willing to show respect, he didn't mind giving them directions. After a little hesitation, he accepted these auxiliary soldiers and put forward his own suggestions - don't go to Egypt first, go directly to Rome, don't go to the emperor, go to Thea, the consul and heir, to discuss the matter.

Finn did not know the details of the relationships within the royal family, and only had a general understanding of each person's personality, but he was always a person who listened to advice. Although Belisarius had punished rebels harshly, because he strictly controlled his subordinates and almost never exploited the local people, his reputation here was actually quite good. After weighing the pros and cons for a while, Finn chose to accept Belisarius' advice and go to Rome first.

There were about three to four hundred people in the entourage. These people dressed like barbarians certainly could not move around freely in the local area, so someone was needed to manage them. Finn did not know any high-level officials within the empire, so the only person he could ask for help was Belisarius. Belisarius knew the other party's purpose, but he did not object to it, so he readily agreed to help.

For him, it was a good thing that the barbarians were willing to bow their heads, it was a good thing that he could supplement his less wealthy manpower, and it was also a good thing that they went to Rome to express their obedience. There was no need for him not to help. Through the channels provided by the governor, the group successfully boarded a transport ship to the other side of the strait and prepared to go to Rome by land.

Due to the long journey, it would take at least two months just to reach Rome. Obviously, it would take a long time for Finn and others to achieve their goal. However, they finally took a step forward, which was much better than taking a step back or stagnating.
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Turning our attention back to Egypt, Orville once commissioned the astronomer Hypatia to oversee the correction and drawing of the Egyptian map. Now it is time for preliminary acceptance. Overall, he is quite satisfied.

In this era, there were no airplanes or satellites, not even hot air balloons. Surveying and astronomical technologies were also very backward, so drawing maps was an extremely difficult task. Orville never asked Hypatia to draw maps as accurate as modern ones, as long as they were generally acceptable. Judging from this requirement, Orville was quite satisfied with Hypatia's achievements.

Due to political fluctuations and staff shortages, Hypatia has now drawn a map of the Nile Delta and its surrounding areas with reasonable accuracy. Just as Orville required, the specific locations of farmland, water conservancy facilities, roads, towns, mines, ports, lakes, etc. were marked. Orville was very satisfied with her results, as this was the information he wanted.

Check how much farmland is being used, how many roads are still in operation, how many water sources can be replenished, and where there are places to expand farmland.
The Ptolemaic dynasty must have organized many similar mapping projects, but the most recent one was almost a hundred years ago. In such a long period of time, although the world has changed a lot, it is certain that there have been major changes. Orville wanted to determine the current situation, and from this point of view, Hypatia did a very good job.

He was always generous to those who had made contributions. Since Hypatia had helped him, Orville would give corresponding rewards - boxes of silver coins were transported over to fund the reconstruction of the great library. In addition, Orville also hired Hypatia as the governor's adviser with great fanfare. This was considered a special honor and received a great response among scholars.

If a scholar of Ptolemy's level had been awarded, they would certainly have no objection, after all, his status and contribution were there. But now that Hypatia, an unknown young female scholar, had obtained such a status, they were a little dissatisfied, and there were many people gossiping about her.

Orville was not actually angry about the incident itself. He had already developed resistance to it. It was common for rulers to be framed. He had already developed a big heart and could ignore everything.

But he was still somewhat dissatisfied. He hated people who were jealous of others' talents and liked to gossip behind others' backs, so he sent someone to give a message to the astronomer Ptolemy. The other party also cooperated with the rectification, which slightly corrected the local atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)