The sky that had been overcast all night finally cleared at the moment of dawn, the golden light of dawn washed the whole shijie, Theodore entered Caesarea with the army returning victoriously in the morning glow, Herodotus, who had already prepared in advance, had already prepared a day before the welcome, and the citizens stood on both sides of the central avenue early, waiting with flowers and wine, and when the army entered Caesarea, the earth-shattering cheers resounded throughout the city!

The victory of the Roman legions once again gave the people a great sense of honor and pride, and the mighty army was the most impregnable wall of Rome. The townsfolk had already learned of the coalition's triumph when Theodore had entered Haringos, and were eagerly discussing what the future of the North would look like.

A solid alliance is not only an absolute military union, but also a prerequisite and guarantee of peace, the smooth and safe passage of trade, without fear of malicious tariffs and "legal raids", farmers can farm with peace of mind, merchants can travel in all directions, lords can reduce unnecessary military defenses, and excessive taxes can be reduced and reduced, which is a good thing for everyone.

But the welcome ceremonies were only a little lively before they disappeared, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Antonio, whose hair was almost plucked out by himself, immediately locked the gold and spices that Theodore had brought back into the treasury, and took a small portion of it, and rewarded Theodore's "royal merchants" in the name of Caesar, especially the grain and ore merchants, as well as the material merchants, who had contributed greatly to the construction of Caesarea.

Although there was no salt and iron official system like the Han Dynasty, Theodore also had a large number of "royal merchants" who were responsible to him These people could get the most favored treatment within the territory under the jurisdiction of Rome, and they were much more competitive than the civilian merchants, and even could be protected by the Roman army when needed, and they also had their own obligations, for example, Rome needed a large amount of iron ore, and these merchants had to be responsible for buying it, even at a loss (which rarely happened), and they had to contribute to the construction of national projects (such as city walls).

Even if grain production is reduced in a famine year, the state treasury will definitely release a large amount of grain, and these people will also respond, calling for more "patriotic businessmen" to act together, resist malicious hoarding, etc., similar in function to state-owned enterprises, but most of the years are still to fight for more interests for the country, and a considerable part of their income must be handed over to the state treasury, which can be regarded as a condition for high-standard treatment given to them.

In the halls of Caesarea castles, silver candlesticks are lit, lights flicker back and forth in a slightly enclosed environment, vague reflections are reflected on the smooth marble floors, and the walls are covered with Roman-style mosaics -- mostly legends about gods or heroic deeds of great men. Some of the painters of the Caesarea Academy are drawing pictures of the knightly charge during the defense of Severcro based on the dictation of the soldiers, and it is believed that they will soon be seen on these frescoes.

Easy-looking servants walked in and out of the corridors on either side of the hall with huge wooden trays, serving colorful delicacies, and musicians played soft and moving music on harps in the second-floor corridors above the hall, soothing and relaxing.

Flavius the High Priest, Mesimus, the Minister of War, and his deputy, the Instructor Quintus, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Antonio, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chancellor Domitius, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Councillor Herodotus, the de facto "prime minister" of Rome (although Rome does not have the position of prime minister now, Herodotus is clearly no longer the prime minister of the prime minister). Then there's Theodore Julian, half-reclining on a couch that resembles a chaise longue, chatting with a glass of wine and eating a relaxed meal, accompanied by the incense of lavender and the plucking of the strings.

In fact, this is a Roman-style banquet, in order to take care of the habits of those guests from all directions, and in order to save himself some trouble, Theodore has always held banquets according to local customs, this time they are all outsiders, and naturally it is the most suitable pure Roman style.

Unlike the usual large-scale banquets with dozens of people, the scale of this time can be said to be very small, but the gathered guests are all the most talkative, and the most able to exchange opinions, Theodore is equivalent to before the formal government council meeting, under the guise of the banquet, first held a small "high-level meeting", to ensure that his next jihua will not be subjected to possible large-scale resistance.

Although Theodore was confident in his prestige and majesty among the Roman people and among the many "wise men", he could not be careless and maintain even the superficial absolute unity, because only an absolutely united government could give the people a sense of security, and a stable and stable life was what they wanted.

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"Ransom with gold?!With all due respect, Caesar doesn't need it at all! As long as you make such a request, they will never dare to refuse, I can guarantee that. ”

After hearing Theodore's statement about "buying all the castles and lands of the lords and lords of Rome at a high price with gold", Antonio reacted with a little excitement: "You have just won a brilliant victory with your allies in Rome, and now no one dares to touch the edge of the Roman legions! ”

"Ah, I can vouch for that. Foreign Minister Virgil sipped his wine and agreed, "As far as the information gathered so far can prove that the rich landowners are still waiting for your summons in their own territory." Wealth, land, castle or tenant farmer in the name of the castle are absolutely whatever you want, they will give you absolutely anything. ”

"You don't understand what I mean, especially you Antonio. Theodore chuckled softly, "I'm not just trying to unify Rome's territory, I'm trying to consolidate Rome's rule." ”

Herodotus seemed to understand Theodore's approach, and echoed: "Caesar should mean that Rome needs to win over the local gentry and nobles to make Roman rule more solid. At the same time, to take back their army and the same privileges as the Emperor of the Soil, to free the tenant farmers in the name of Rome, to bring all the land together, and to profit from it for the Roman people of Caesarea!"

Theodore nodded happily and took a sip of the wine in the glass: "What's more, I don't want war to ignite on the land of Rome, the price is too heavy, and we can't afford it! Death, ruins, famine and pestilence, which is not enough to destroy a dynasty?!"

"I see what you mean by the smoothest possible means to get Rome to complete the integration, and at the same time use the original place shili to establish a new order. Antonio bowed his head deeply: "But this fee is still too expensive, after all, there are more than fifty, maybe it can be reduced?"

"Little favor can't win over others, Antonio. Theodor had a good appetite, and after eating the pork chops on his plate, he took a piece of grilled fish soaked in honey: "I want them to be completely loyal and obedient to Rome, and to do their duty for her prosperity and strength." ”

"Every time we talk about conscientiousness, we always think of our legions, the legions of Rome. Herodotus toasted in the direction of the Minister of War: "The legions of Rome are the guarantee of everything!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Herodotus. Mehemus smiled lightly and gave a toast in return: "Those great guys have already gone home to reunite with their relatives." ”

"Our war is not over, gentlemen. There's still a long way to go. Theodore said in a deep voice, "We need more and more comprehensive troops, more good officers, more legions—one legion is not enough to achieve what I want to achieve!"

"If we integrate the divided lands, we will have more troops. "Registering all the farms and gathering a sizable number of militia on time for training would provide the legion with a large base of recruits to deal with the possibility of war at any time," Mehemus said. ”

"Very haode idea, Mehemus. Theodore looked at him with a smile and said, "This time we have thought of working together - to draw up a detailed jihua, which we will soon bring to a public discussion at a meeting of the Council of Ministers." ”

The Minister of War tapped the corners of his mouth: "Yes, my Caesar, everything will be done according to your will." ”

"What about the officer's problem?" Quintus asked, "Even if we promote all the veterans to officers, we still don't have enough officers to serve, and not to mention that training the militia requires many veterans to take care of it. ”

"I intend to open another academy in Caesarea, a military academy. Theodore said casually: "Promote the veterans and generals who have distinguished themselves in the war as teachers, and train true professional soldiers for Rome!"

"Shocking answer, Caesar. Quintus replied, "Who, then, are you going to be a student with?

"No, no, no, I'm not that narrow-minded, don't you think we should get more Roman people involved in this sacred cause?" Theodore blinked, "Teach them, train them, let them accept the Roman way of thinking, and believe in the great god of war Mars!

"Are you sure they won't refuse, or can they really be so desperate?"

"They will!" Diordo asserted: "When resistance is useless, seizing every opportunity to climb up is the only option these people can think of!"

"Gentlemen, let's have a toast to Rome. Long live Rome!"

"Viva Rome - !!!"

(First of all, thank you for the reward of the ice slag tea children's shoes~, every reward is exciting.)

Children's shoes who like this book, go to the post bar to bubble up, and I can't see anyone all the time!)