Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 96 Auxiliary Army

Everything went on as usual for the next two months, and Orville's life proceeded in an orderly manner following a certain routine.

In the morning, he inspected the army for training, went back to the Flavi Mansion for a family lunch at noon, handled business in the afternoon, read with Tia, or went shopping with Domitia. If there were other chores, he would do them after dinner in the evening. His life was quite relaxed and he was quite content as long as he was not fighting.

During these two months, he also managed to get some money through legitimate means. The hotel business was slightly better and the income was higher. His fleet traveling between Egypt and Palphi also took time to come and give him some money, but compared with the huge military expenditure, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Until the Herod family received his letter, that was all he could do. Orville could only hope that the other party would act faster and not slow down his military actions.

Nothing major happened in Rome during this period. The sudden change in Gaul had indeed caused some people to feel uneasy, but Aurelian's farewell ceremony effectively suppressed this feeling of uneasiness. The residents of Rome could occasionally see large groups of soldiers in neat uniforms arriving in Rome, and after reorganization they were sent to the front line.

After Aurelian arrived, the Gauls' behavior did indeed become more restrained, which reassured the people of Rome. They believed that the problem would eventually be resolved and that Pax Romana would continue to be maintained.

Aurelian was not in a hurry to attack the Gauls, but calmly watched the situation in Narpan Gaul. He might be waiting for the best opportunity to kill them with one blow, or he might simply think that the people under his command were not proactive enough. It depends on each party's understanding. In short, the battle line is basically stable now, and the Gauls have not interfered with the province of Narpan Gaul.
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After waiting for another month in a slightly uneasy mood, it was already May and reinforcements from neighboring provinces had arrived at the designated location one after another.

The three legions transferred from the Danube have arrived at Placentia, a transportation hub in northern Italy, and can be transferred to Germany and Narpan Gaul at any time, waiting to set off after the army is completely assembled.

The troops from Spain and North Africa have also been partially mobilized. It is worth mentioning that the person responsible for mobilizing the Spanish army was Orville's former comrade-in-arms, Vespa's confidant Ulpius Trajan, who was also the father of Trajan, one of the Five Good Emperors.

Orville wanted to see the "bathhouse owner" Trajan when he was young, but Trajan was only 11 years old now, not old enough to join the army with his father, so he could only feel a little regretful.

Six of the original eight legions have now been assembled, and nearly 20,000 of the original 40,000 auxiliary troops have arrived, so it can be said that they have taken shape.

At this time, Vespa showed his sense of responsibility as an emperor. It would stand to reason that with so many troops, the amount of food consumed by the people and horses would be astronomical, and it was inevitable that heavy taxes would be levied from the surrounding areas. This was also a customary and tacitly accepted thing. Generally, troops would not be assembled near the capital for this reason, but Vespa tried his best to curb this situation.

He took out a large amount of grain from the granaries in Sicily and Rome, which were known as the granaries of Italy, and then mobilized warships and civilian ships to transport the grain. A small amount of grain was transported directly to the port of Marseille (Massilia) to supply Aurelian's tribe, and more grain was shipped to the port of Genoa in northern Italy, and then transported all the way from the Via Pastumius to Placencia.

Therefore, the surrounding people did not have any major objections to this army and reluctantly tolerated their stationing near their towns.

Vespa has always been cautious in making plans. He will not take action until the army is ready, so he has to wait until the army is in place and the overall situation is basically in place before he can make any decisions.
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As Orwell waited anxiously, the response from the Herod family finally arrived, and it came with the Egyptian troops. The eastern provinces did not need to send legionnaires to Gaul, their soldiers would be sent directly to the Danube legion station. These soldiers were auxiliary troops of the Kingdom of Egypt, and they were fulfilling their obligations as allies of Rome and sending troops to fight bloody battles.

Gaining the favor of Rome and ensuring its semi-independence from the shadow of this empire has been Egypt's basic policy in recent years. The current Egyptian regent Berdinos also understands this very well. He knew the situation in Gaul when he was in Rome. It is obvious that Rome needs auxiliary soldiers now.

So after returning to Egypt, he sent 15,000 auxiliary troops to assist the Romans in fighting in Gaul, and also brought a lot of food with the army. It can be said that they provided their own food, soldiers, weapons and equipment to fight voluntarily.

This was a big plus for the Romans. If they just gave money, the Romans might think that these Egyptians were cowardly and afraid of war, but if they gave both money and people, they would be qualified allies.

The cost of governing Egypt is not low. Egypt has shown enough obedience and value. After weighing the pros and cons, the Romans will not use force against Egypt. It is not impossible to maintain this vassal state. There will not be much difference when it is used, and there will be no need for a life-and-death fight within the city of Rome for the fat piece of Egypt.

The Herod royal family was also an ally of Rome. Considering that he had just finished a war and the people's livelihood was in decline, the city of Rome actually understood his difficulties. According to the city of Rome, sending thousands of people over as a formality to show loyalty was acceptable, but they could choose not to send anyone over when the time was right.

After all, Palphi is a small country. Although it is relatively wealthy, it is not on the same level as Egypt. So it’s fine if it’s about the same.

However, this time, the Herod royal family brought over 7,000 people at once, showing their loyalty even more than the Egyptians.

This was the result of Orville's letter to Herod Architas II, in which he not only asked the King of Parvi for help and bought land and blacksmiths from him, but also revealed this opportunity.

There is no doubt that Parphi is now very short of food. After Vespa came to power, he did not forget the contribution of the Herod royal family. He asked Egypt to sell several batches of grain at a low price, and the Herod royal family would occasionally buy grain themselves, but overall it was really a drop in the bucket.

The rebels were mainly composed of farmers and poor people from all over the country. They refused to be tied to the land and rose up in rebellion. Agricultural production was seriously affected. Even if there was no harvest due to the war, a 60% to 70% drop in agricultural output was unavoidable.

The Herod royal family was not poor, but the gold and silver in the royal treasury were limited, and they could not spend money endlessly to buy food. They could not do charity like this, so they had to find a way to solve the problem before a second famine occurred.

This method is to send some people to Rome to serve as auxiliary troops. Although they do not receive salary, they are provided with food and accommodation.

(End of this chapter)