Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 81 The mastermind behind the scenes
Perhaps it can be said to be a blessing in disguise. In any case, Vespa's plan was finally agreed upon by the senators, which was to expand five more legions on the basis of replenishing the losses of the Germanic legions to maintain the suppression of the Gauls.

Of course, Orville only learned about these things later from the servants who came to report. He did not stay in the conference room to listen. After confirming that it was safe outside, he immediately left the conference room and headed towards the Theater of Pompey to meet up with Domitia and Belisarius to continue watching the show.
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As soon as he sat down, Domitia looked at him in surprise, because Orvel's upper body was almost wet with sweat: "What's wrong with you? Why are you sweating all over? It feels like you have been chased for three or five blocks."

Orville could only smile bitterly: "I encountered a little unexpected situation, so I ran a little. Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

Domitia was so engrossed in the drama that she didn't want to argue with Orville about it. She just hummed and said nothing more, continuing to concentrate on watching the drama.

At this time, Orville turned around and got a little closer to Belisarius and instructed him: "From today on, the security personnel of the royal residence will be doubled. When Domitia or I travel, at least 15 more guards should be arranged. They must be fully armed and wear armor, not plain clothes. At the same time, pay attention to the food, personnel flow and other things in the residence. There are barbarian assassins infiltrating the city."

Belisarius looked a lot more nervous: "Judging from your state, are you saying there is one nearby?"

Orville waved his hand and said, "It's okay. The situation around here should be resolved, but you still have to pay attention. I will discuss this matter with my father later. Just do as I say about the mansion. He will definitely agree."

As he spoke, his expression gradually became somewhat subtle, as if the matter was a little complicated.

A group of armed barbarians, without even seeking cover, walked into the most prosperous area of ​​Rome in broad daylight, and even rushed into the meeting hall of the senators.

First, how did they enter the city of Rome? Second, how did they know that the senators were meeting there today? That was a backup location, and they usually didn't hold meetings behind the Theater of Pompey.

On the whole, there might be some internal problems, and there might be a mole lurking among the Roman high-level officials.

This was the initial judgment, but it was soon overturned by Orville himself. Since the insider had the ability to send more than a dozen people in so brazenly, why didn't he send a few more people? Why didn't he make his plan more thorough? These people had the strength to fight, but the plan was to hack and slash their way into the meeting room. How could it be possible with hundreds of guards on standby at any time?

On second thought, this seemed to be a play, and the person behind the scenes did it on purpose. Orville thought further about who would benefit from this attack, and found that the person who might benefit the most was his adoptive father.

Many senators originally did not want to spend money to expand the army, but after being frightened like this, they agreed. The plan of the Flavian royal family was smoothly implemented, and it seemed that his adoptive father Vespa benefited the most, and he did have the ability to do so.

After weighing the pros and cons, Orville simply chose to keep quiet and play dumb. He would know what Vespa wanted to do sooner or later, so there was no need to be anxious or too curious.

The play did not last long. Orville thought for a while before the actors began to take their bows and leave. Domitia stretched contentedly at this time, with a comfortable smile on her face. It was obvious that she was enjoying it.

Orville got closer to her and asked, "What do you want to do next?" Domitia frowned and thought, "I heard that the recent gladiator competitions around here are quite exciting. How about going there to have a look? Since we're already here, why not have a taste of it all at once?"

Orville refused without even thinking: "If you want excitement and blood, then I think you will have plenty of opportunities to experience it in person later. It's better for you to stay away from these things for now. I can basically agree to anything except gladiatorial combat and beast fighting."

Seeing Orville's big reaction, Domitia wondered, "Do you hate gladiator games?"

"If you like blood and excitement, the Roman Empire has countless fronts waiting for new soldiers to join. Going there to pursue excitement and honor can be a manly act. A group of people sitting in the audience and watching people fighting to death below is a bit psychopathic."

Some people feel like they are at home after going to the battlefield, but Orville always felt uncomfortable on the battlefield. Wars in the cold weapon era were also very bloody. Scenes of broken limbs and blood all over the ground could be seen everywhere. Medical tents were often filled with wounded with bloody wounds and maggots. The scenes of massacre after the city was captured made people feel physically uncomfortable. Having seen too many of these scenes during the war, Orville did not like gladiatorial contests.

In his opinion, this kind of competition is more of a way for civilians who have never been to a real battlefield and are looking for excitement to find excitement. Most people who have been to the battlefield don't think that breaking limbs, spurting blood, and chopping off people's heads is fun.

There were also Roman authorities who thought that common people liked to watch gladiatorial contests, so they made them large-scale, with hundreds of people fighting to the death with blood all over the ground and intestines flying everywhere. As a result, these Roman citizens felt physically uncomfortable and said that these things were too extreme.

Domitia nodded hesitantly. Although she didn't quite understand what Orville said, she also knew that everyone had different preferences.

"Then it's up to you to decide where we're going next. You can even take me to do something new. Rome is mostly about dramas, car races, and gladiatorial contests. To be honest, I'd get bored of that to some extent."

After thinking for about half a minute, Orville told Belisarius, "Let's go to the nearest guard camp first and transfer dozens of guards from there to follow me out of the city. I'm going to my farm in the suburbs. There may be risks along the way and I need more guards to protect me."
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With two royal family members leaving the city and an assassin attacking the Senate chamber just now, it was natural to require some guards. Orville's request was approved smoothly, and a group of people rode directly to Orville's farm in the suburbs.

Since Domitia wanted to see something new, Orville could satisfy her requirements. He might lack other things, but he always had a lot of new things.

Unable to fully trust these guards from different systems, Orville placed them in a house and took Belisarius and Domitia to the weapons testing site.

"Didn't you say you wanted to see something new? This should be fresh enough. Let's try it out and see how it works. I think you'll find it interesting. I haven't tried the new ones carefully, so you can try the smaller ones first."

Orville handed Domitia a bow and indicated that she could try to draw the bow.

(End of this chapter)