William paid a visit to Berland, Duke of Provence. Morality. Bosso, after revealing his identity and the edict of Henry I of the Kingdom of France, the Duke of Berlante readily agreed to let him go, and said that William would liaise with the countries and princes along the way.

"The Duke of Belland was a nobleman of integrity, diligence, patience, and gentleness, and when I went in to ask for an audience with the Duke of Belland, he was still diligently dealing with his courtiers, and was not annoyed by my harassment, but welcomed me kindly.

Although he was a duke, he did not pay much attention to the lavish pleasures of food and clothing, and even wore a modest linen robe when he met me.

I believe that under the leadership of the Duke of Berlande, the Duchy of Provence and the House of Bosso will prosper. After William left the Duke's Palace, he couldn't help but comment.

"Not necessarily, it seems that the Duke of Provence is an introverted and shy person, and when he met us, he didn't dare to look at me directly, and always looked at me secretly with a red face.

He may be able to handle the affairs of the Duchy of Provence and have some noble vassals who are loyal to him, but he is likely to be unable to handle the relationship between vassals and deal with complex foreign affairs.

Maybe in the future, the Duchy of Provence will be attacked from all sides! Emma said with a twist of her right index finger, looking at William with a smile.

"It's immoral to speak ill of people behind their backs, Emma!" William glared at Emma and shook his head slightly.

"Alright, well, I've lost to you, my upright duke." Emma raised her hand in surrender, looking like a ghost elf, and said with a smile.

"We are about to enter Italy, and we will have to pass through the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Tuscany and the Duchy of Pisa before we reach the Papal States.

We have to hurry up, it's been almost two months since we came out, and we can't waste any more time. William simply ignored Emma and rode straight away.

"Blame me?" Emma said with a slender index finger pointing at Joan's nose and grinning.

Then they set out on their way, and when they crossed the border between the Duchy of Provence and the Republic of Genoa into the Republic of Genoa, Caesar rode to William's side and said:

"Your Highness William, I have just received a letter from my brothers, William and Drago, saying that they are already waiting for your arrival in Rome in the Papal States."

"Hmm." William nodded slightly and said, "There is still about half a month or so to reach the city of Rome in the Papal States, so let your brothers wait patiently." ”

"Yes, His Highness William!"

"By the way, Caesar, you should be familiar with the Italian region, tell me a little bit about Italy." William asked with some curiosity.

"Yes, His Highness William." Caesar nodded in response, "The Italian region has not been unified since the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, and most of Italy, including the northern and central regions, is now under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, in addition to the aristocratic republics such as the Republic of Genoa, the Republic of Pisa, and the Republic of Venice on both sides of the Italian coast.

In addition to the Papal States, the princely states of Capua in the south of Rome and the region of Naples further south were under Byzantine rule.

Now the Papal States and the Holy Roman Empire have joined forces with the Byzantine Empire to fight for this part of Naples.

The Norman mercenaries led by my brother William and Drago were in Apulia, fighting for His Majesty the Holy Roman Emperor and His Majesty the Pope. ”

"Very good, Caesar. Tell me how big your mercenary group is, and how much is your combat effectiveness? William asked.

"At present, the mercenary group of the Ottville family has a thousand backbone members, and can summon up to 3,000 mercenaries to participate in the battle at any time. Caesar puffed up his chest and said proudly.

"The Outville family is a great talent, not only because of the talent, but also because of the great situation in the Italian region of Naples.

In the future, I will rely more on you Ottwell family. William did not hesitate to praise and praise.

"Don't dare to be, His Highness William." Caesar said modestly.

William and his party continued to move forward, and when William passed by the port of Genoa's capital, he couldn't help but show a look of envy on his face as he looked at the extremely busy harbor and the ships coming in and out.

"Caesar, this city is so prosperous in commerce and so much in port throughput that it can collect a lot of taxes." William looked at the busy port and couldn't help but show a look of greed and envy.

"His Royal Highness William, this is a natural thing. The Genoese controlled trade in northern Italy, south-west France, Spain, and North Africa, and were arguably the largest trading power in the western Mediterranean. Caesar explained.

"Caesar, tell me whose hands are the trade in the Mediterranean?" William touched his chin, pondered for a moment, and asked.

"In addition to the Eastern Mediterranean, which is controlled by the Republic of Genoa, the Republic of Pisa controls trade in the Central Mediterranean, including Rome, the Republic of Venice controls the trade rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the foreign trade of eastern Italy, Hungary, Byzantium and other regions is controlled by Venetian merchants." Caesar, who had always been well-informed, replied.

"Caesar, are you the Outville family interested in being my agent in Italy? Whether it's weapons, armour, wool textiles, or other handicraft products sold in south-central Italy, you're in charge.

At the same time, some of the goods, books, craftsmen and talents I need are handed over to you to help me collect.

The benefits are many times higher than being a mercenary. William smiled at Caesar and spoke.

"We do, His Highness William!" Caesar patted his chest and promised, "As long as you need us anywhere, our Wirtel family will come to help you!" ”

"Good! I'm looking forward to it. William nodded in response.

After staying in Genoa for two days and procuring a large number of supplies, William and his party continued their journey south, passing through the county of Lucca in the Duchy of Tuscany and reaching outside the city of Pisa.

William didn't know much about the city, but perhaps the most impressive thing about it was the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in his previous life.

Out of curiosity, William entered the city of Pisa with a part of his companion cavalry to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the Middle Ages.

However, this was destined to disappoint William, and it was the autumn of 1036, and the earliest construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was still in August 1173, and there was not even a shadow of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.