Young Eustace wondered about his father's decision: "Father, why did we let those two guys go?" ”

"Do you think I look like a jailer for the Duke of Normandy?" The Count of Boulogne did not answer the question directly, and only after the eldest son shook his head did he continue, "William paid us the gold only to let us block Robert of Flanders for him, are we servants who have been bribed by some glittering trinkets?" The Duke of Normandy and we'll pick it up; The Duke of Normandy needs to catch mice, so let's go put the mouse trap? ”

Eustace was still a little puzzled: "But what good is it for us to let Roger and Ralph go?" ”

The Count of Boulogne stared at his son meaningfully: "Someday you will inherit my title, and ruling is not as simple as a few swings of the sword on horseback, especially in this current situation." Why do you think William would pay us? ”

"Because he needs us." The earl's eldest son replied without thinking.

"Yes, he needs us, he needed us when he was in Hastings, but what did he do with us when he didn't need me anymore?" The count's face was still full of resentment.

"So, we can't let his enemies completely defeat?" Eustace was a proud knight, but he was not stupid, and after saying this, there seemed to be some realization on his face.

"Yes, but it's easy to say, and it's not easy to do well. Eustace, you know the dangers of the sea, the wind can change at any time, and many of the most skilled sailors have perished in the belly of the fish in such cruel changes. Our family has ruled the land for six generations, and we've seen many powerful kings and lords die in unpredictable storms, but do you know why we're still here? The Count seemed to remember something, but soon looked at his heir.

"Because we have overcome all enemies." Once again, the young knight looked proud.

"Foolish, have the Capets conquered all their enemies, and why are they still kings?" Pointing to the land to the west, the Count of Boulogne answered the question, "for no matter how the wind changes, there will always be more important enemies to face." ”

Seeing his son's puzzled look on his face again, the Count continued: "Whether the Danes, the Normans, the English, the Germans, the Franks, or our cousins in Flanders, they never lack enemies in their eyes, and we don't care whether the ships anchored in our harbor belong to the Danes or the Franks, they may only regard this deserted beach as a dock to shelter from the wind, the world is too big, and there will always be more land worthy of robbery and conquest, but for us this is the safest land in the world. Before our family, the counts who ruled the territory were still trembling day and night at the viking rage, but for us, whether the Danes or the Normans, they were nothing more than passers-by, who went to plunder and slaughter elsewhere, and we entertained them, William needed our port as much as his ancestors, so they allied themselves with us, and why should we refuse? As long as those kings and lords are at war elsewhere, we will always be allies to all, and only those who always want to conquer us, like Robert of Flanders, are our real opponents. ”

"So we don't let those two go to Flanders?" Eustace said.

"That's right, even if Roger doesn't care about the hatred of his father being killed by Robert, we can't make that opponent in Bruges stronger, and what better place for them than Brittany at this time?" The Count lifted up a wine glass, and seemed to see the boundless glint of blood in the grape color, "Ralph is a fool, but he is a rich fool, and we certainly can't let him leave the Brittany family business and go to Robert for nothing, and Brittany, where the bloodshed has only just begun." ”

Godfrey and his brother Baldwin suddenly entered, and the Count didn't mind that the two sons heard what he said: "Before we let Ralph go, Brittany and Normandy might have temporarily halted the army, but now with Roger and Ralph, it's different, for Ralph's idiot, he just wants to take back that woman, and with Roger here, he'll definitely drag the whole of Brittany to war." As for William, he has no choice now, if everyone sees that Brittany harbors traitors in Normandy and goes unpunished, his prestige and Norman prestige will be trampled on the ground, so ...... May the Lord bless them. ”

"Father, and the English?" It was Godfrey who asked the question.

The Count of Boulogne, somewhat pleased with the second son's acuity, replied, "I have not seen King Edgar in battle, and I have heard that he is a young conqueror, and if so, why should he refuse to fight his enemies in other people's land?" Especially this young man has not lost a single time so far, and at this age, if such an achievement does not make him arrogant, it also shows that he is a formidable figure like the Duke of Normandy, and no matter what it is, he will not let go of this opportunity. ”

"So we shouldn't be completely on the side of the Normans?" The voice still belongs to Godfrey.

"Yes, the princes of the north today are like small boats sailing in the night, with treacherous storms on all sides, and ships are wrecked and people die between good and bad. The dice haven't been thrown yet, so how dare I bet on everything? ”

"And how are we going to explain this to the Duke of Normandy?" Young Eustace asked suddenly.

"Duke William is a smart man, he knows who his enemy is, so he won't ask this question, some things don't ask, we are still allies, if one day he asks about today's events, it will only be because - he wants to do something to us." The Count sighed, as if remembering the unpredictable future, and suddenly said unsatisfactorily, "Aren't the original Bretons allies of the Normans, and the Duke of Alain even died to protect William's inheritance, but how did William repay his descendants when he became an adult?" He poisoned Conan and executed two of Havis's sons. If William had asked us about it one day, we would have to break the net. ”

The three sons of the Earl glanced at each other, and although it was difficult to truly understand their father's instinctive reverence for the Duke of Normandy, they all thought: how will those terrible characters fight next?