Herodotus stood outside the gate of the government hall, waiting quietly, and the grass under his feet was trampled on one shoe print after another, as if he was very anxious.

"Your Excellency!"

A young voice broke his anxiety, and Virgil's graceful smile was behind him.

"What are you waiting for?" said Virgil with a smile, "Our advantage is so obvious, those people have no reason to refuse." ”

"After such a warm reception yesterday, I am sure that they have all felt the power of Rome and have been impressed by it!"

"I hope so. Herodotus nodded, then smiled bitterly, "But waiting is always unsettling and scary. ”

Virgil smiled slightly, then stood beside Herodotus, looked at the brown door together, and waited quietly for the result.

"We should trust our Caesar, don't we?" asked Virgil calmly, "Caesar, blessed by the gods, possesses wisdom beyond our imagination. ”

"But I am troubled by his usual generosity. The middle-aged man sighed faintly: "And he's still so young and impulsive!"

"With all due respect, Lord Herodotus. But I am on the same page with Caesar on this matter. Virgil objected: "It is now more important for Rome to show its generosity and mercy than to how sharp our sword is." ”

"This, I think, is also the reason why Caesar Weishenme will hold a competitive competition, not a military parade, right?"

"You still seem to be a republic?" laughed Herodotus.

"I won't do anything inciting, fanatics will always end badly, calm thinking and judgment, summarizing and reflecting on past experience, is the task we should strive to complete, and it is also our original duty. Virgil frowned: "In this regard, I support the ancient Roman kingdom, the era when the king ruled the country and the senators perfected the country, and then the Rome of the Senate era did not have the mind to rule Shijie." ”

"So, we need a good Caesar. Herodotus reluctantly agreed with Virgil's view: "Caesar with a sufficient heart." ”

"No, it's not just us. Virgil seemed to understand something: "It's everyone, they all need a leader, a Caesar who can tolerate Shijie!"

......................................................

In the solemn and sacred government hall, the white marble stepped seats were full of people, dressed either gorgeous or heroic, and they even wore long swords, sitting in their seats slightly cramped.

And where their eyes met, on the white high-backed chair under the crimson golden laurel banner, Theodore sat upright, dressed in a delicate black and red armor, a purple cloak covering the upper ends of his arms, draped behind him.

"I'm sure you all know why you're here, so there's no need to repeat too many polite words and rhetoric, let's get straight to the subject!" Diodore beckoned, "So, feel free to speak, you're welcome, if there's anything you want to say." ”

"I have only one question!" said a teenager who stood up and said tepidly, "what have you decided to do with our territory?, or should I ask you - what are you, the respected leader of the Romans, going to do with us outsiders?!"

An exclamation of surprise came from the crowd, but it quickly calmed down, and then looked nervously at Theodore's face.

In all fairness, what he said was what everyone wanted to ask the most, but asking this sentence so quickly also caught everyone off guard.

Doesn't that mean there's no room for manoeuvre?!

"I'll correct you a little bit about your problem. Theodore looked at him and whispered, "First of all, you are not the first to pledge allegiance to me, Haringos and Talboa were earlier than you, and now they have become one of our members very smoothly, and among my subordinates, there are also Talboyas and Harlingos in the army, of course, they are all Romans now!"

"Everything in Caesarea, which is also in Talboa, or is being built, also has its own citizens' councils, trade unions of all trades, schools and all kinds of basic welfare facilities, and there is not much difference in taxes. Theodore said word for word: "Although Caesarea is my earliest city, it has no privileges, and there is no oppression of other cities. ”

"This is not what I want to ask, I believe in your kindness, and for the people you rule, your kindness and generosity we have seen so much. The boy remained "unrelenting" and once again emphasized: "But what will you do with us, these families in our original domain? Will you confiscate our property and land, and demolish our castle? Or will you be merciful and generous enough to keep it all and pay you the corresponding wealth and food every year?"

The question became more acute than the original, and everyone began to curse the boy in their hearts--isn't that a vain question?!What fool would allow anyone else to share his reign?!

The lords who were willing to come were mostly the kind of people who had no ambition - or their power did not allow them to think anything wrong, and they only hoped to keep the family fortune, and then slowly squeeze into the political club of Rome, which was several generations later.

The key task now is to keep his family from turning into a pile of crushed powder in the anger of this young man!

Although they do have a very powerful Liliang when they join forces, enough to fight against this adult (at least they seem to be able to do so), they also had this fantasy when they came, but they were soon shattered by the arrival of the two people!

Brenus, and Ultok!

These two Grand Dukes obviously want to befriend Julian, and if they dare to do so, they will probably not get any support and help, and they will end up being broken one by one -- who can guarantee that there are not one or two cartilage boys among these people, shamelessly kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy and then telling this lord everything he knows?!

No one can guarantee it, so I have to make compromises.

"Huh. Theodore smiled suddenly, startling the group, and began to lament for the bold boy.

"I'm curious, you're going to ask that?"

"I knew that after I said that, I probably wouldn't be able to make it out of this quaint and clean hall alive. The young man was very calm, exuding a look that did not change his color when Tarzan collapsed in front of him, and he bent down, his voice still clear for everyone to hear: "But please also forgive my family, they are insignificant in front of your liliang!"

"But that's the question we have to ask. The boy straightened up: "Please tell us what your will is!"

Theodore looked at the young man's figure and smiled: "I, give you two choices!"

"I can understand your concerns, after all, you still don't really understand what Roman rule is like, so I can understand all sorts of things, either agreeing or being forced to helpless. ”

"So I give two options. Theodore stood up, walked to the middle of the two rows of white marble steps, looked at the "adults" on either side, and curled the corners of his mouth.

"You can keep your territory, your privileges, and your castle. But you must be loyal to me, to Rome, to be a vassal of Rome, to allow the priests of Rome to spread doctrine in your lands, to accept Roman jurisdiction, and to pay forty percent of the annual tax to Rome!" Theodore said with a little lightheartedness: "Of course, in return, we will send agricultural scholars to help you improve your farmland, and to instruct your farmers on how to make the harvest better and the cattle fatter." ”

"When Rome declares war on foreign enemies, you must send your knights to join and be under unified command. Theodore took a breath and said in a deep voice, "And the Roman army will also patrol your territory to protect the caravans and eliminate the bandits." ”

"What about the other one?" the boy asked, "what is the other option?"

"The other option is a bit harsher than this. Theodore smiled undeniably: "Stop all your privileges, hand over your castle, of course, Rome will pay a portion of the gold." The manor under his name can be retained one-third, and thirty percent of the annual tax is paid, and the army is not allowed to be retained, but the nobility can be retained, but it is not allowed to interfere with the management of the territory. ”

"Also in return. Theodore opened his arms as if to take everyone into his arms: "You can have the right to run for office, to join the army, this is my promise to all of you, I am Caesar, I will do what I say!"

Everyone began to hesitate - it was obvious that the first choice was more beneficial to themselves, but it seemed to be more like a bait, and although the latter seemed to be at a loss, it seemed that the wealth in his hand could gain the favor of this lord, and it would be more helpful for the development of the family in the future?

Is it for the present, or for the present? That's really a question.

Theodore slyly curled the corners of his mouth - if he only came up with a plan, although these people would pinch their noses and admit it, but I am afraid that they would not agree too much with themselves, and now they left the choice to themselves, which is equivalent to their own choice, and people will always think that they must have earned after making a careful choice.

Now, of course, the situation is -- in any case, it was Theodor who earned it.

The construction of Talboa and Haringos alone has already overwhelmed Rome, and with the formation of new legions, it is good to obtain a large number of territories and populations at once, but if the locals are not benefited, it is impossible to make them yearn for Rome.

People are always real people, and their first thought is almost always whether they can get any benefits immediately after what they have paid. If not, why should I pay?

A little favor can buy them off, but it will be a long process to actually naturalize them - because they are so real.

In Theodore's opinion, these little lords estimated that the first option was more likely to be chosen—people were always obsessed with what they had in their hands, so that Rome would not only receive a large amount of tax revenue at once, but also not have to bear the corresponding infrastructure construction, and after the outbreak of war, it would also receive one or two wings of heavy cavalry foreign aid, why not?

Of course, it doesn't matter if someone chooses the second one, Rome can also have an extra territory, or earn.

"You can go back and think about it slowly, and you don't need to be in such a hurry about it. Theodore smiled and sat back in his seat: "Of course, please don't take too long, so that we both lose patience. ”

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"They're gone?"

In the study, Theodore and Herodotus sat facing each other, silent, except for a candle flickering.

"Your wisdom is amazing! Caesar. Herodotus had an expression of extreme admiration: "Rome is strong because of your presence!"

"Don't say that, Herodotus. Theodore flipped through the book in his hand, not knowing which famous author's book it was: "Just get to the point!"

"Most people have chosen the first option you proposed, which is very good. Herodotus nodded: "We will get the first tax in a month, which is very important for Rome now!"

"It's hard for us to have a fight with the orcs in the short term, but we can't be careless, and it's best if we can do it later. Theodore still flipped through the book, as if he didn't care much: "You say, most people?"