Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 357 Departure (4k)

The grand, glorious and honorable triumphal ceremony was once again held as scheduled in the Eternal City.

The parade, which stretched for several kilometers from the Temple of Jupiter in the city center to the suburbs outside the city, was very eye-catching. The officers participating in the parade changed into their ceremonial armor and wore medals forged with gold and silver to show their honor. Even ordinary soldiers tried their best to make their armor shiny so that they could look radiant at the triumphal ceremony without losing face.

There were bands, parade teams, sacrifices (sacrificial animals), trophy display carts, and so on. Even the captured foreign soldiers were half-forced to wear their own national costumes or armor, and were dressed up to look strong and tough. Needless to say, the nobles who were escorted here were all tied up with conspicuous shackles and dressed up as if they were participating in a victory parade.

Coupled with the emperor's generous distribution of spoils and the accompanying festivals, the triumphal ceremony made the entire city boil, and the ceremony brought a lot of romanticism to this world in the late classical period.

Orville rode in the same carriage as Tia and attended the triumphal ceremony side by side, which indicated that their status was equal at this moment. Although it did not conform to the hierarchy within the army, it conformed to the status order within the family, so this statement was acceptable, after all, there had never been such an example before.

For the first time, he wore the specially made golden bronze armor and stood in the front, enjoying the respectful looks and cheers of the many civilians below. Orville certainly couldn't say he hated it, but he didn't feel that his life value had been decisively realized. He just felt that it was similar to the previous times, with no essential difference.

This time, it was Tiya who took the lead in offering tribute to Jupiter and reporting the results of the battle, because Tiya really understood those religious rules while Orville seemed confused, but Orville was also pulled over at the other party's strong request. Compared with the other party's piety, Orville's attitude was more limited to doing some superficial ritual work, and he could not be called a believer at all. After all, he himself did not fully believe in Roman polytheism or monotheism.

He followed the entire ceremony in a daze, and then came the usual celebrations and banquets. After all, Orville was one of the protagonists, and even though he didn't like noisy occasions, he still had to participate. Due to the special time, the celebration was held at night, and the two returned to the mansion very late to rest.

During this period, Orville had been observing the other party's behavior intentionally or unintentionally. It was obvious that Tia did not connect the issue of her succession to Orville, which meant that she subconsciously did not regard Orville as a threat to herself. This should mean that not only did she not think so, but the emperor also did not tell Tia about his considerations. Things were not yet very bad.

After heaving a sigh of relief, Orville took advantage of the opportunity when both parties were free and asked Tia: "You know best about my father's recent physical condition. When I went to see him today, I felt that he was in a very bad state. Do you know what's going on?"

If he remembered correctly, Vespa's cause of death in the last world could barely be attributed to an infectious disease, but it was obvious that Vespa's symptoms now did not seem like an infectious disease, and he had been in poor health for several years.

Orville's knowledge of medicine and diseases is probably only at the level of common sense. At most, he knows how to deal with skin injuries because of his experience after traveling through time. It is obviously impossible for him to accurately diagnose diseases inside the body and prescribe the right medicine.

Therefore, this matter can only be solved with the help of medical means of contemporary doctors.

Upon hearing this, Diya was also worried and sighed, "I am also troubled. The doctors haven't come up with any suitable solutions. I have studied medicine for several years, but it is obvious that it is difficult to achieve anything without sharpening the sword before the battle. I can't see the reason."

He frowned deeply. Although Vespa was somewhat suspicious of him, it was completely human nature. If Orville were in his position, his suspicion would probably be even greater. Generally speaking, Vespa still regarded him as his son, and Orville regarded him as his father, but the bond between father and son could not compare to that between biological father and daughter.

He and Vespa had more or less true feelings for each other, and the other party was very good to him and helped him a lot. Now that the other party was seriously ill, putting aside the relationship of interest, Orville felt bad.

He still didn't believe it and asked, "Is there no other way? All the methods have failed?"

"If anything, the medicines from the Palfi people can alleviate the symptoms, but given my father's current physical condition, it's already a stretch for him to take one dose a day. If he gets weaker, I'm afraid the doctor will have to reduce the dosage, which will make the situation even more troublesome."

In short, it is normal that Vespa is a little weak and cannot be replenished.

". Got it. I'll think about it later and see if I can find some other alternatives. In the meantime, you have to be prepared. Do you understand me?"

"I understand," Tia said, not completely blindly. "Some guys in the Senate have a lot of opinions about me. They are united around Nerva. He is of high seniority and has a high reputation. When my father was healthy, it was difficult to touch him. Now I can only let him do what he wants."

I don’t know what would happen if the real Nerva encountered this situation in history, but there are indeed some differences between the two sides now. Now it may be limited to arguments, but it is hard to say after Vespa’s death.

"What does Nerva himself think? Does he want to usurp the throne or something else?"

"He is a little older than his father. I don't think he has a very obvious ambition for the throne. However, judging from the current situation, he is likely to be nominated as the emperor. He will have to choose an heir for himself later, because he is not a gifted person and his health is not much better than his father's.

As for who he will choose later, Aurelian would probably be a good idea, since he is young and strong, has a good family background, and has enough prestige and ability. "

"understood"

In Orville's opinion, Aurelian's military strength is beyond words, at least it exceeds that of most military tyrants or military talents, and he can also get a good position in history, otherwise he would not be jokingly called Jupiter's trumpet. If he is also hostile to Orville, Orville should at least think about how to deal with him and his army.

Orville continued to remind the other party: "What is the situation of the Guards? Can you control it after so long?"

"Let me put it this way. If I ask them to follow me to fight against foreign enemies or rebellious warlords, they will fight for me without hesitation and even die for me. But if I ask them to follow me to fight against the elders, it may be a bit difficult. The bond between the two sides comes from the sacred Latin culture."

Tia was talking about the Latin patron-lord system. Most of these guards were born in certain cities, towns and villages in the local area. Tracing back to their roots, their families were all protected by certain senators, and the senators were their patrons. This was a relationship with a long history. The patron was the spokesperson for the interests of the protected, and the protected also needed to fulfill their obligations to the patron. This contractual relationship was probably even stronger than the contractual relationship between the emperor and the soldiers.

If there is room for maneuver, they will obey the emperor's orders, but if there is a conflict between the emperor and the elders, they will probably give priority to listening to their patrons.

Orville also understood this logic, and there was no good way to deal with it. Either he had to abolish the patron saint system subtly, or he had to use a drastic reform to make the other side change its appearance.

"Then, be prepared to fight the Praetorian Guards and Aurelian. During this time, you should be careful in Rome and try to win over as many friends as possible. I think my father will help you do these things. If necessary, a war is unavoidable.

This is a war between the royal family and the elders. Many people will be involved, but it shouldn't last too long. Father will find a way to prepare you in the coming time. I can't stay in Rome for too long. It's hard for me to be of much use here. Egypt or the eastern part of the empire is a more suitable place for me to play. I will help you prepare there.

Belisarius of Britain can be trusted unconditionally. Although he married a barbarian princess, he is undoubtedly a Roman, and the most loyal and reliable one. I am not familiar with the new governor of Gaul and the people in Germany. Father will tell you what to do, but the locals in Gaul can be trusted a little and used. We have common interests with them. They will only live worse after the elders take power. Use this to persuade them with emotion and reason.

I will find a way to help you solve the Iberian issue. I will try my best to keep that side neutral. Although that side is the territory of the Senate, they have gained a higher status under my father's rule. The local people should be able to distinguish the importance of things."

Orville asked himself if he was a qualified political animal at all. A considerable number of people in the Senate were old foxes who were good at wielding power. Not to mention that Rome was the opponent's home court, so he could not gain any advantage. Therefore, he did not plan to waste time with the opponent here. It would be a good choice to go back to Egypt directly.

That place has basically become his home ground now, and it is there that he can give full play to his abilities.

Tia listened carefully to the information Orville shared with her and nodded seriously to show her approval.

Orville held the other person's hand, giving him some confidence through physical contact: "It's okay, things will be resolved the way you expect."
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The emperor continued to appoint Orville as the governor of Egypt. Although in principle the position of governor should be changed every few years, Orville was related to the emperor after all, so this behavior only attracted a little criticism and did not pose a serious problem.

After the triumph, before the verdict on the Pontic and Greek people came out, Orville took his army back to Egypt.

He probably knew what Vespa's plan was, which was nothing more than to revoke all privileges, eliminate some of the local nobles and replace them with his own people and bureaucrats, and at the same time require the surviving nobles to send more hostages to help the local area to Romanize a little bit, and at most add some small manpower and military requirements.

None of this has anything to do with Orville. If anything, it is a benefit - once the so-called successors represented by Mithridates fall, the value of the Ptolemy family will increase again. Cleopatra only needs to re-participate in Greek affairs as a savior and give small benefits to gain higher prestige and influence. The higher the status of the other party, Orville can also reap some benefits, provided that he can control the other party.

Generally speaking, Orville did not gain much from this war, and neither did the Romans. However, the war brought another contradiction to the surface. For the first time, the emperor and the Senate had a dispute over the issue of Tia. The result seemed to be that both sides took a step back, but in fact the emperor still got the advantage.

I don’t know how long this slight advantage can last, and Orville should make plans for the future.

Before leaving, Orville left Ovid in Rome. The emperor listened to his advice and revoked his exile. Ovid was grateful, not to mention that he had a deep hatred for the elders of Rome. After returning to Rome, he continued his favorite creations on the one hand, and on the other hand, he turned himself into a mouthpiece to cheer for the emperor's family. When he had time, he often used words to spread news to promote the emperor's authority and legitimacy.

Even though he does seem unreliable, this kind of person is exactly the kind of talent that Orville needs at this stage. Vespa knows many celebrities in the political and business circles, but he does not know many of these literati and is not very interested in making friends with them. Ovid can fill this gap.

Because of his high reputation and high status in the literary world, he was able to meet many writers in Rome. Many of them also wanted to find an opportunity to serve the emperor. On the one hand, this behavior itself was profitable. On the other hand, Orville now controlled almost half of the publishing industry in Rome. Most people who worked in literature wanted to establish good relationships with publishers, which was related to their own interests.

With these people providing volume, Vespa felt a lot more relaxed. He still couldn't compete with the entrenched elders in terms of voice, but at least he could get around them and the situation had improved.

It took about ten days to return to Egypt by expedited transport. The first thing Orville did after landing was to learn about the changes that had taken place in Egypt during this period of time.

Overall, the situation was relatively smooth, and the rebels were suppressed by Cleopatra using borrowed armored cavalry, but something unexpected happened in Nubia in the south.

(End of this chapter)