Hubert was explaining to William the strategy he had specified, but the Duke of Rodrigo had a different opinion, and he rode up to William and said: "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate for our army to directly attack the capital city of Norway, Trondheim, where the climate is very cold, and many of our soldiers are not well adapted to the cold climate there, and Trondheim is the capital of Norway, which is well defended, and is not suitable as a landing place for a large army. ”

Trondheim is located in the middle of the west coast of Norway, at the junction of the Nieder River and the Trondheim Fjord.

In 997 A.D., King Olaf I of Norway built the city and made it the capital, because the kings of the past dynasties were crowned here, so the name of the city was later changed to Trondheim, which means "throne, coronation" in Norwegian, and Herm means "home", which together means the place of coronation.

"So what do you mean? Mistress Rodrigo. "William is noncommittal, it is true that as William's rule continues to expand, many soldiers in his army are from warm regions and are not adapted to the cold climate of the Kingdom of Norway, but this is not a serious problem, to deal with this low temperature, just prepare for the cold.

"Your Majesty, the minister recommends that you march to Oslo, where it is most advantageous for a large army to land.

The city of Oslo is located in the southern part of the Kingdom of Norway, and the entire city is bordered by the winding Oslo fjord, with the towering Holmenkollen Mountain in the background.

Because of its proximity to the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, due to the prevailing westerly winds and the warm currents along the coast, the city of Oslo has a typical temperate maritime climate, with a relatively mild climate, with a minimum temperature of minus 3 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of no more than 22 degrees, which will not have any adverse effect on our soldiers. The Duke of Rodrigo had a good idea of Oslo and confidently described to William the advantages of landing in Oslo:

"The most important thing is that the city of Oslo not only has a superior climate and environment, but also has an excellent geographical advantage, it is close to the territory of the Norwegian prince Olaf, and it is directly opposite the island of Zealand and Jutland in the south of the Kingdom of Norway, and it is extremely convenient to occupy this city, whether it is north to Norway or south to Denmark."

After listening to the description of Duke Rodrigo, William also felt that it made sense, Oslo was the capital of the Kingdom of Norway in the future, although it was only built for less than eight years, but both the port facilities and the town construction were very complete.

In addition, 75% of the area around Oslo is forest and arable land, and the city is surrounded by large areas of arable land, which is protected by high mountains and dense forests, occupying the city of Oslo, William is extremely convenient in terms of collecting supplies or cutting down trees to build camps and equipment, and even William can directly use the dense trees around Oslo to build ships.

Seeing that Duke Rodrigo had a different opinion, and William still had some agreement, Hubert was immediately angry and immediately objected: "Your Majesty, according to Duke Rodrigo, occupying the city of Oslo means that it will be attacked from both sides by Prince Olaf of Norway and the Danes, which is not advisable for our army that has not yet gained a firm foothold.

Trondheim is not only the capital of Norway, but also its superior port conditions, it is located at the mouth of the Nidelva River on the west coast of Norway, on the south shore of the Trondheim Fjord, on the southeast side of the Norwegian Sea, and is an important port in central Norway.

Unlike Oslo, which was founded a few years ago, the port conditions of Trondheim are more perfect, and it has developed handicraft industries such as shipbuilding, timber, paper and fish processing, which is conducive to the transportation of soldiers, equipment and materials and the local recruitment of strategic materials. ”

Duke Hubert devalues Rodrigo's description of Osland's superiority and claims that the city of Trondheim is more advantageous, and then proceeds to refute Rodrigo's other argument about the climate:

"Moreover, the temperature in the city of Trondheim is not low, the port belongs to the north temperate oceanic climate, prevailing east wind and southeast wind, and less fog, is a rare year-round ice-free port in the Kingdom of Norway, its annual average temperature is about minus 6 degrees in winter, the lowest temperature is about minus 16 degrees, the average summer temperature is 19 degrees, the highest temperature is about 37, and the climatic conditions of Oslo are not comparable."

Duke Hubert spoke reasonably, causing William to nod frequently and praise: "Very reasonable, Lord Hubert, I also agree with your point of view, it is the best choice to directly cross the sea to capture the capital of the Kingdom of Norway, Trondheim."

At this time, King Magnus II of Norway was critically ill, and the princes were ambitious, and his brother-in-law Gudo was entrenched in the north. Kloving, in the south, his brother Prince Olaf and the Danes are eyeing the Norwegian throne, and the city of Trondheim is also in fear, and they have long been unwilling to fight. As soon as our Norman army lands, I'm afraid the city of Trondheim will surrender without a fight.

Even if there were one or two tough battles to be fought, would my Norman warriors be afraid?

Take control of the city of Krondheim and its King, Magnus II, and the Norwegian nobles, and the situation will be extremely favorable to us. ”

The debate between the two men had been limited to the advantages and disadvantages of geographical conditions, but William's concern was on political considerations, and the direct capture of Trondheim, the capital of the Kingdom of Norway, and the capture of the king would certainly be a great blow to the morale of the Norwegians, which would be extremely beneficial to the Normans' advance into Norway.

"Your Majesty is wise, and it is indeed the best duty for our army to march into the city of Trondheim." Duke Hubert bowed slightly, and said with a triumphant smile on the corner of his mouth.

But the next moment, William's next game made his mood like a roller coaster, one after another.

"However, Duke Rodrigo's statement is not unreasonable, this time it is not only our side that has the idea of attacking the Kingdom of Norway, there are Prince Olaf and the Danes in the south of the Kingdom of Norway, and even the Swedes may fish in troubled waters.

But don't let these guys take advantage of our life and death with the Norwegians to steal the fruits of our victory from behind.

I decided to let Duke Rodrigo land in Oslo alone with his Second Legion and some Viking mercenaries and capture the city.

With Oslo as its base, the Second Army can flank Prince Olaf's army in the north, contain the Danes in the south, and deter the Swedes in the east who are trying to fish in troubled waters. ”

William spoke eloquently about his plans, and it was clear that he had prepared for the Norwegian battle plan: "What do you think, Lord Hubert? ”

"Your Majesty is wise, and we are naturally willing to obey your orders and carry out your battle plan without hesitation." Duke Hubert resolutely bowed his head.