My XX deal with Sister Nero

What you say is better than what you sing!

Tony snorted in his heart. Declare war? If he really wanted to declare war, wouldn't the Celtic tribes around the British province support him? Besides... Tony didn't like to fight such an "unjust" war. At least... you have a reasonable reason for the war, right?

Just because he took a fancy to the neighbor's cow, he beat up his neighbor once and beat him up again. This... Sorry, Tony still has to have some shame.

"But... why should I help you?" Tony smiled at Kedor and said slowly: "Although I am still young, I also know that the most important thing between countries is interests, right? My Roman Empire helps you defeat the Kingdom of Ulster, and you can get the corresponding population and land. What about us? What can we get? In other words, how can we recover our costs?"

"We...we can give money." Cador subconsciously looked up at Tony and said cautiously.

Give money? That's really straightforward.

Tony shook his head and said, "Mr. Kedor, I suggest you go back and have a good chat with your Queen to confirm the situation first."

"This... I understand." Kedor gritted his teeth and said.

From the tone of it, it seems that the Roman Empire is not unwilling to help them attack Ulster, but...it requires them to invest enough money themselves.

Tony finally breathed a sigh of relief after Cador left.

Sufficient benefits? This was just his excuse. According to Tony's plan, he would leave Londinium for the Iceni Kingdom the day after tomorrow at the latest, and then return directly to Rome. Unless he could give me an answer within two days, otherwise... the next time he wanted to see me, it might be after the war on their side was over.

……

"What is the origin of His Highness?" Not long after Tony left the Magic Association, in an office inside the Magic Association, a young magician looked at the white-haired and bearded magician standing in front of him, frowned and murmured.

Chapter 688: The End of the Iceni Kingdom

When Tony came to the Magic Association and asked the magicians if there was anything that could be used to fight against magicians, everyone in the Magic Association was shocked. Everyone's first reaction was that they might have offended this young prince in some way. Only when they fully understood the cause and effect of the matter did they breathe a sigh of relief. After all, the existence of the Holy Church was almost public information to the Magicians' Association.

Since Your Highness wants to deal with the Holy Church, that's easy.

At this moment, the Holy Church is not a behemoth entrenched in this world like it will be two thousand years later, but... the Magic Association is not as huge as it will be in the future. To put it bluntly, both are in the growth stage now, and for some reasons, there are still some conflicts between the two sides.

Since His Highness wants to deal with the Holy Church, I will help in any way I can!

It's just that His Highness can't come here to learn magic, and I... don't have much to give or receive from His Highness to fight against the magicians of the Holy Church. So for His Highness, the only way may be to let His Highness discover and understand his own origins by himself.

As for the origin of His Highness, the magicians of the Magic Association are also very curious. They are curious about the origin of this existence who can almost be called the Son of the Plane.

……

After sending Kedor away, Tony returned to the Governor's Palace and called Vitellius to ask him about the current situation of the First Legion of Odeni.

When Tony first built the Odney First Legion, his idea was to make this legion a pure hot weapons legion, with guns and cannons. However, when it came to actual operation, Tony found that this was simply impossible.

The first problem Tony faced was saltpeter.

There is no major saltpeter producing area in Europe. The most important saltpeter mines are either in South America, India, or in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In any case, they are not within the territory of the Roman Empire. Therefore, Tony can only choose to use the most primitive method of making saltpeter while building an ocean-going fleet to go to India to purchase saltpeter or saltpeter mines.

After solving the problem of saltpeter, the second problem Tony faced was that he... could only make a matchlock gun at best.

He doesn't even know how to make a flintlock!

Moreover, there is a very troublesome problem with the matchlock gun, which also exists in the muzzle-loading cannon he invented, that is, current technological means cannot produce seamless steel pipes.

As we all know, gun barrels and cannon barrels in modern weapons are made of seamless steel pipes, because only seamless steel pipes can withstand the huge pressure generated inside at the moment of firing.

In the Roman Empire era, not to mention seamless steel pipes, even the modern standard of cast iron technology could not be achieved. Even though the Roman Empire is now using the technology of tempering steel a hundred times under Tony's promotion, the only way to make gun barrels that can withstand such high pressure is to thicken the tube wall. Only in this way can it withstand the huge pressure generated during firing.

For these reasons, the muskets and muzzle-loading guns made by Tony not only had a short range and low power compared to the firearms he expected, but were also difficult to load and had certain requirements for the climate and environment. It was precisely because of these reasons that Tony had to give up his idea of ​​a pure hot weapon legion and defined the muzzle-loading guns and muskets he developed as auxiliary weapons. The main force of the Odeni First Legion... was still the traditional Roman heavy infantry.

It’s just that compared with other Roman legions, Tony’s side pays more attention to cavalry.

"Your Highness, the current improvements to the matchlock gun... We have only installed a sight for aiming above the barrel of the matchlock gun according to your Highness' instructions. At the same time, the Gunpowder Manufacturing Bureau is also developing the trigger system according to your Highness' instructions." Vitellius stood in front of the desk, slightly bent over and reported to Tony.

Although he was not clear about the specific working process of the trigger, Tony at least understood one thing, that is, whether it was the future flintlock or percussion rifle, or even the various bolt-action semi-automatic rifles that came later, the trigger system could be said to be one of the core systems of the entire firearm.

"So as for the trigger system, have you made any corresponding progress?" Tony said, supporting his chin with both hands.

"This..." Vitellius wiped the sweat from his forehead in a panic and said, "Your Highness, it is our incompetence. We...can't make the so-called spring that Your Highness mentioned."

"...Okay." Tony scratched his head. The spring could not be manufactured...either it was a material problem, or he could only think of other ways to find something to replace the spring. Well, no matter which one it was, there was no rush to make this thing, so he could talk about it later.

In short, under Vitellius's governance, the British province developed well overall. In addition, at Tony's instruction, Vitellius also specially sold a batch of weapons and armor to several Celtic tribes in the north, giving them enough strength to resist the attacks of the Picts from Caledonia.

……

After resting for a day in Londinium, early the next morning, Tony took Jello and a makeshift guard and set off for the Iceni Kingdom in the north of Londinium, intending to meet his future mother-in-law.

Compared to two years ago, the Iceni Kingdom has completely declined.

When Tony first came to Ventalosnum, the city walls were still quite tall, and the soldiers on the walls were still quite energetic. In addition, the Iceni Kingdom at that time had 80,000 troops. Tony always regarded this country as the overlord among the many Celtic tribes in the north. However, after the death of Prasutagus, this once dominant kingdom inevitably came to an end.

When Decianus annexed the Iceni Kingdom, he defeated the Iceni's 80,000-strong army. Later, the Iceni Kingdom ceded half of its territory to Tony in order to seek asylum, making it impossible for the Iceni Kingdom to support 80,000 troops now. At present, the Iceni Kingdom has only a mere 10,000 troops.

In addition to the reduction in the number of troops, the entire Iceni Kingdom was also severely devastated by Decianus. The originally tall city walls now have a lot of damage. Tony can even see at a glance that there are traces of later human repairs in many places.

This kingdom doesn't have many years left to live.

But even so, those former nobles were thinking of usurping the highest power of the kingdom in this final event. This is simply... a little difficult to understand.

Chapter 689: The Future of the Iceni Kingdom

"Long time no see, Your Highness." Outside the city of Ventalosnum, Queen Boudica of the Iceni Kingdom stood at the city gate with a group of nobles and ministers, and bowed slightly to Tony.

"Ah, long time no see, Your Majesty." Tony waved at Boudica casually.

Tony used to call Boudica "sister" because she was older than him. But after Boudica betrothed Princess Ryan to Tony, it didn't feel right.

Princess Ryan is Boudica's daughter and Tony's fiancée. According to the seniority, Tony should call Boudica mother-in-law. However, in order to win over Tony, Boudica had expressed her position before, saying that they should discuss seniority separately in the future and it was okay for him to continue calling her sister, but Tony... couldn't bring himself to do so.

Tony felt it was weird to call her mother-in-law, and calling her sister... that didn't seem right no matter how he thought about it, so in the end Tony decided to keep the original title and call her Her Majesty the Queen.

Anyway, this is definitely correct.

"Your Highness..." Of course Boudica also noticed the unnaturalness in Tony's tone, but she didn't say much about it.

Under the leadership of Boudica, Tony and his party stepped into the city of Ventalosnum.

"Not bad. Compared to last time, this city is much cleaner and tidier." Walking on the streets of Ventalosnum, Tony looked at the street under his feet curiously and nodded subconsciously.

When Tony first came to this city, Ventalosnum gave him the feeling of returning to his hometown during the Spring Festival in his previous life. The capital of the Iceni Kingdom is more like a village surrounded by walls than a city.

There were muddy streets, low and dilapidated buildings, and even in the nearby alleys, Tony could occasionally see the poop left behind by some unknown creatures.

Tony is not a germaphobe, but the sanitation conditions in this city... Tony really felt a little uncomfortable at that time.

Compared with two years ago, the city's sanitation has improved significantly.

The gravel road on the ground can effectively prevent the city streets from becoming muddy when it rains. The originally low and dilapidated buildings around are now a little cleaner than before. As for the alleys... although there is still a lot of domestic garbage, at least Tony has not seen any poop along the way.

Under the guidance of Boudica, Tony came to the chief's longhouse located in the center of the city of Ventalosnum.

"Your Highness, what is the matter that brought you here this time?" After the host and the guests took their seats, Boudica waved away the nobles and asked Tony.

Tony came to the Iceni Kingdom this time. Although he informed Boudica in advance according to international practice, he did not directly tell her the reason for his visit.

"Ah... it's like this, Your Majesty. I... I will be getting married soon." Tony scratched his head and finally could only utter this nonsense after trying for a long time.

"I heard about this." Boudica frowned and said with a strange look, "Your Highness came here... to ask the Iceni Kingdom to prepare a generous gift for Your Highness?"

"That's not what I meant!" Tony waved his hands quickly. "What I meant was... well, there's always a first come first served order. I was engaged to Princess Ryan before, so logically speaking, the first person I should marry should be Her Royal Highness, but..."

At this point, Tony smiled a little embarrassedly: "It's just that the person I'm going to marry this time..."

"I understand." Boudica nodded: "It can't be helped. After all, Ryan is still young and not old enough to get married, right?"

Having said that, Boudica certainly understood Tony's intention. To be honest, she didn't care at all whether her little daughter was the first or second marriage partner of the prince, because it was just an empty title. The only thing she cared about was whether Tony loved her daughter or not.

As long as Tony loves Princess Ryan, everything is fine.

To put it more cruelly, if Tony and Nero get married first and this causes Tony a psychological burden, causing him to be partial to Princess Ryan in the future, then Boudica will not only not object, she will probably really give a generous gift at Nero and Tony's wedding!

Tony, who didn't understand what Boudica was thinking, felt even more embarrassed when he saw her being so sensible. "Well, Your Majesty, if you need any help from me, just let me know!"

Go ahead, although this sounds grand, it is essentially just a polite remark. In the world where Tony lived in his previous life, no one would take the phrase "go ahead" seriously. Even if someone did, it would at most be asking someone for a small favor. After all, after thousands of years of development, everyone is a "civilized person" and everyone has to have some shame.

But in this era... people have not yet evolved into "civilized people".

When Boudica heard Tony's promise, her eyes lit up!

Just ask? In other words, as long as I ask, His Highness will help me solve the problem within the scope of his ability?

"That's right, Your Highness. I'm sure you know that after Your Highness dealt with Decianus, His Majesty Nero and I had an agreement that half of the land of the Iceni Kingdom would be given to Your Highness as a gift, and the other half would be left to Ryan, allowing her to become the next queen of the Iceni Kingdom." After sending away the maids in the room, Boudica stood up and walked to Tony, half-knelt in front of him and whispered.

"Well, the king knows."

"But, Your Highness may not know that after the end of that war, many nobles in this country have been secretly colluding with each other. Some of them seem to be influenced by external forces and want to seize the title of the throne of the Iceni Kingdom. If they are allowed to obtain this title, then, Your Highness, this will not be a good thing for you..." Boudica looked at Tony seriously and said cautiously.

Boudica spoke very tactfully, at least there were some things she didn't want to say explicitly.

Princess Ryan inherited the Kingdom of Iceni, which means that after Princess Ryan, her children, her and Tony's children will obtain the inheritance rights of the Kingdom of Iceni. In other words, at that time, the entire Kingdom of Iceni will not only belong to the Iceni royal family, but also to the Claudius family of the Roman Empire.

If, if these nobles really succeeded in usurping the throne, it means that the Iceni Kingdom may be able to break away from the control of the Roman Empire at any time. To put it bluntly, this country will definitely no longer belong to the Claudius family!

Chapter 690: Indian Gods?

She knew that Tony was not stupid. In fact, Tony had a vision that a child of his age shouldn't have. When talking to him, at least... don't treat him as a child.

Instead of playing the emotional card with him, it would be better to explain the interests involved clearly.

"I have also heard a little about your country." After thinking for two seconds, Tony said with a serious look, "It's just that I am a little confused. Don't the nobles in your country know what they are doing?"

Boudica understood Tony's subtext.

Who is Tony? He is a prince of the Roman Empire, Nero's favorite brother, and the future heir of the Roman Empire. He is the most noble person in the entire Roman Empire and even the entire European continent. Except for the Parthian Empire, which may choose to confront Tony head-on, for the rest of the people, at least in Britain, he is absolute. These nobles want to usurp Boudica's throne, which is basically equivalent to snatching something from Tony that should belong to his children.

Tony's words were very simple. He was asking Boudica, "Don't these nobles know?" On the surface, they were provoking Boudica, but in fact, they were provoking Tony.

"Of course they know." Boudica nodded and said, "But Your Highness, I have said before that some of these nobles seem to have been influenced by some foreign forces."

External forces? Tony was stunned.

The concept of external forces is very vague. All supporters outside the Iceni Kingdom can be called foreign forces. Among these countries, there are only a few who can convince the nobles of the Iceni Kingdom.

"The Senate..." Among those who have the ability to persuade the nobles of the Iceni Kingdom to rebel, the most likely one to do so is the Senate.

After Caesar, the Senate was determined to restore the republic, but from Caesar to Caligula, the Senate did not find a suitable opportunity until Caligula was assassinated. They supported Claudius to come to power. This was the closest time for the entire Senate to restore the republic, but... they eventually lost this opportunity.

Later, Agrippina the Younger joined forces with the Senate to assassinate Claudius, giving the Senate hope again. However... things did not go as they expected, and Nero eventually came to power and firmly established his position as the head of state. In order to counter Nero and to regain power from the Senate, the Senate decided to support Tony and fight against it.

But for some reason, Tony doesn't like the Senate, which led to the Senate's initial support for Tony, and now they want to assassinate Tony. Last year, they even teamed up with the Templar Church to assassinate Tony.

And now, the Senate has enough reasons to interfere in the internal affairs of the Iceni Kingdom. Its purpose... may be to weaken Tony's power from the side, right?

"It seems... I really need to meet those nobles for a while." Tony murmured, touching his chin.

……

At almost the same time, on the west coast of India.

"The weather is getting hotter and hotter." About ten kilometers away from the west coast of India, a wooden sailboat was sailing slowly with the hard work of the rowers. A middle-aged man with long golden hair wiped his neck hard, muttered while looking at the sun in the sky.

"Jackraven" is the flagship of Tony's ocean-going fleet. This ocean-going fleet has only one purpose, which is to go to India to find saltpeter mines.

As long as there is enough saltpeter mines, even if Tony's muskets and muzzle-loading cannons are not as powerful as later guns and cannons, but at least in this era, these things... can already shock other countries.

"Captain." Just as the middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his neck, a young man suddenly came up behind him and said, "Captain, according to estimates, we should reach the Indian coast around this afternoon. Then we can go ashore and ask someone carefully where the saltpeter that His Highness wants can be found."

"Can we get there in the afternoon?" The captain nodded and said, "Okay, everyone, work hard. After the ship docks, take a good rest for two days, and then look for that saltpeter."

"Yes!" Hearing the captain's order, the young man nodded excitedly.

After drifting on the sea for several months, these crew members would occasionally get off the ship to eat something and feel the land when passing through several small islands or other countries, but... they were already bored of staying on the ship.

Now, they were finally approaching their destination.

However, just as the ship was about to reach its destination, a sharp-eyed sailor suddenly pointed at the sea level not far away and said to the captain on the deck: "Captain! Captain! Come and see what that is?"

"Ah? What what?" Hearing the words of his subordinate, the captain subconsciously turned his head to look in the direction of the sailor's finger.

Not far away on the sea, a little girl with short white hair was standing on the sea level, looking at the Roman fleet led by the Jackdaw with curiosity.

???

Rubbing his eyes subconsciously, the captain looked at the girl standing on the sea level with some surprise.

This is the sea! There is no human habitation and no rocks in the sea for dozens of kilometers. How can this person... this person walk on the sea level? !

"Hello~" Just when the captain was a little dazed, the short-haired loli jumped onto the deck of the Jackdaw, stood in front of the captain, and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello... hello." The captain subconsciously took a half step back, looking at the loli at a loss.