Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 64 The plan begins

After these words were spoken, not only Tia, but even Vespa became interested. This problem was also a headache for him, but it was not time to solve it yet.

Since Orville brought it up, it must be something that is possible, so there is no harm in listening to it.

"Our post station system and road system are very developed. We can take this opportunity to extend them and set up terminals in large cities. Since there are rest stops and transfer stations on the road, why can't there be special travel stations? I found that so far, it has been very difficult for people in the empire to study or travel. The process is very irregular. We already have the Mediterranean Sea, which can make this process more controllable.

Think about what this can bring. Customs clearance, travel expenses, food expenses, transportation fees, service fees, a decent trip will cost at least tens or hundreds of dinars, which can improve our financial situation. In addition, I calculated that even if it only has three stops, that is, from Rome to the port city of Brindisi, and then directly to Athens, if this route wants to be maintained, at least hundreds of people will be needed to work full-time. Sailors, coachmen, guards, hotel staff, all of these need people to do it, and we can settle a lot of people.

Not to mention those that are too far away, we can completely extend this route to ports such as Ostia, Naples, Taranto, and then further to Apollonia, Rhodes, Cyprus, Ephesus and other Greek cities. This should ease the situation.

The retired soldiers shouldn't have much resistance, this is completely voluntary, there are always people who want to make a living. And after all, this is working in the Apennines or Greece, it's better than arranging them to places like Gaul, Spain, North Africa, and Lusitania (Portugal), right?"

Tia had an expectant look on her face, and was obviously completely convinced. She was really not good at thinking about this aspect. Orville was good at making big promises, but Vespa had his own thoughts.

"If we only do this in a few big cities, it's good, but if we expand it to the national level, this income or the job opportunities for a few hundred or a few thousand people is really a drop in the bucket and won't help much. If we want to promote this model throughout the empire, it's too difficult, from a business perspective."

"We only need to control the major cities that we can control. As for the rest of the places, we can cooperate with the locals or organize the Romans to go there to start businesses. We don't need to do it ourselves. As long as we can send people there by sea or land, that will be the minimum success.

We have to take it step by step. If we can make Roman veterans accept going to other places in the Apennines or Greece, then they may be willing to go to southern Gaul or North Africa in the next step. If we can let them serve tourists, then it is not impossible to let them participate in the management of mines, road maintenance, fire protection and public security in the future.

I think what we need now is to set a precedent and create possibilities. It is important to let a small number of people leave Rome and seek life in the wider world. A few thousand people may not sound like a lot, but if you count their families and the people they bring with them, there must be tens of thousands of people, which is not a small number. ”

In fact, Orville didn't think so much. His fundamental purpose was to persuade Vespa to invest in him, and resettling retired soldiers or anything else was just a side job.

However, he did feel that there were too many people in Rome, and it was suspected to be too urbanized, exceeding the level that the land could normally provide, so it would be a good idea to take this opportunity to evacuate the population.

Vespa closed his eyes and thought for a while. "If you can persuade those stubborn people to leave Rome and work somewhere else, that would be great. I am willing to personally provide you with 300,000 dinars, and I will also help you solve the land problem of the hotel.

The first places to implement your ideas are Rome, Brindisi, Ostia and Athens. If you can prove that you can really do this, the rest of the work will be handed over to you. You will be responsible for continuing to promote it, but the funding will come from the treasury, and the elders will also support your ideas. "

What he meant was that Vespa himself supported Orville, but the senators needed to see results first. Only after this first step was done could they talk about the rest.

Orville felt that Vespa was just counting the accounts. He must know how much money he had in savings. The people who managed the accounts were all Vespa's confidants. He must know that even if his 300,000 dinars were added, there would still be a lot of space.

In other words, Orville had to find a way to attract investment or make money to make up for the missing money, which was also a test. Vespa didn't mention the split at all, and the subtext was that it was up to Orville. Rounding it off, Orville got 300,000 dinars for free, which was probably the living expenses for his children. He was greedy for money but actually quite generous.

"I understand. I will do my best."
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After getting the gold coins from Vespa, Orville began to think about the remaining financial gap.

Although borrowing money from Tia could solve the problem, Orville knew that this was a test from Vespa, and it would be meaningless to solve the problem in this way.

One afternoon, after Domitia finished her class, Orville called her over.

"My dear sister, do you know anything about jewelry?"

She didn't know why the other party suddenly asked such a question, but there was no need for Domitia to lie: "It's okay. I have been living in Rome and have been exposed to some things. I can't be called a master expert, but I should be able to explain a little bit. What's wrong?"

"That's enough. I have something here. Can you help me take a look?"

Seeing Orwell's mysterious and evasive look, Domitia's curiosity was aroused: "What are you doing? Are you playing tricks on me? Take me to see it!"

Orville led Domitia to his room, and Domitia frowned as soon as she entered the villa.

"What the hell is this? It's such a mess, like a warehouse."

The Romans' decoration concept is minimalist. Not much furniture can be placed in a room, so it is very empty. Orville is not used to this, and he is too lazy to run around the rooms.

So there were bookshelves, desks, lockers, weapon racks, and sand table maps in his room. The whole room was very full. In the eyes of the Roman upper class, only a warehouse would be piled with so many unrelated things.

"Everyone has different habits. Don't force it. I'm from the Eastern Province. Please allow me to have some quirks. This is not the point."

After dealing with Domitia for a few words, Orville dug out a plain-looking wooden box from the locker.

Domitia took the box, opened it and found a very beautiful and exquisite pearl earring inside.

“Do you think this thing is precious?”

(End of this chapter)