At this time, William's question did not stump Prime Minister Ladolph, but he stepped forward and said: "Back to Your Majesty, the whole Kingdom of France has long been tired of the incompetent rule of King Henry I, and the rebellion of the French princes before is the best proof that they urgently need a strong monarch to rule them. ”

"Prime Minister Ladolph, you have been said these flattering words, and I don't know the virtues of those princes? Tell me about the French nobles who have fallen on our side. William was unmoved by Prime Minister Ladolph's plan, and said with a light smile.

"Your Majesty, the situation in the Kingdom of France is indeed the same as I said, most of the princes are tired of the rule of Henry I, but the long civil war has made the French princes also feel unbearable, and finally last year Henry I and the princes reached an agreement and unconditional peace.

However, the contradiction between the two sides will not be eliminated here, and they are dissatisfied with Henry I's Thibault, Duke of Champagne. Morality. Blois, Duke of Burgundy, Robert Robert. Morality. Burgundy, Count of Bourbon, Alchambeau. Morality. Bourbon, Count of Auvergne. Morality. The four princes of Auvergne are willing to join us and support you as the new King of France. Prime Minister Ladolph stated to William.

"Oh? These four princes are not so simple to support me, tell me what conditions they have proposed! William then asked.

None of the princes who can become a local lord are simple characters, as the so-called no profit is not early, they will only act according to the trend of interests, and they will not be able to do anything at all without sufficient benefits.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the Duke of Champagne Thibault has proposed that you transfer the Archdiocese of Reims to him after you have taken the throne of Farasi, and grant him the Count of Sens, the direct domain of Henry I, both of which he claims to be de jure territories of his Duchy of Champagne and deserve them.

Robert the Duke of Burgundy also made his claim to the county of Bourges, a direct domain of Henry I, and you will need to grant him the county of Bourges.

The Count of Bourbon wants to get the title of Duke of Bourbon, and the Count of Auvergne wants to get the title of Duke of Auvergne, both of whom want independence from the Duchy of Aquitaine, and they need your support. Prime Minister Ladolph nodded.

"As I expected, these princes have put forward their conditions, and only if they are satisfied, the princes will be on my side." William touched his bearded chin with his right hand, nodded in agreement: "The conditions of the Count of Bourbon and the Count of Auvergne can be considered, independence from the Duchy of Aquitaine is not a bad thing for me, and it is acceptable to grant them the title of duke, and there is no territorial loss for me."

But the Archdiocese of Reims is the coronation of the King of France, if the Archdiocese of Reims is granted to the Duke of Champagne, will I have to go to his domain to hold the coronation when I am crowned?

The Duke of Champagne already had three territories, and if he were given a crown of the Count of Sens and a territory of the Archdiocese of Reims, the prince who was surrounded by Paris would sooner or later become disobedient.

Prime Minister Ladolph, go and restore Thibaud, Duke of Champagne, who can exchange the Countate of Chartres for the Countdom of Sens, and as compensation I can grant him the southern half of the Countdom of Bourges and the Countdom of Blois. Exchanging a piece of Chartres, an enclave of Normandy and Paris, for half of Sens and Bourges is already the best reward for him.

As for the Duke of Burgundy, he can get the northern half of the county of Bourges near the Duchy of Burgundy, and I also support him in capturing the Duchy of Burgundy. The county of Burgundy of the House of Ivrea. William pondered for a moment and replied to Prime Minister Ladolph.

"Your Majesty, you have thought very well, and if you have fully agreed to the demands of these princes, Paris and Orléans will become the real Île-de-France, an island surrounded by the French princes.

Nor would we lose out on the Counts of Bourges as a reward for the payment of two dukes, and the Counts of Sens for the Counts of Chartres near Paris, Orleans, and Normandy. Ladolph nodded in agreement, "It's just that if these four know your request, there will probably be a repetition." ”

"It doesn't matter, I can grant you the right to bribe them, and there are gold coins to open the way, and I guess these poor dukes and counts will not refuse to agree." William waved his hand and said with a smile: "By the way, in addition to these four, what about the four Duke of Flanders, the Count of Tours, the Duke of Aquitaine and the Duke of Toulouse, what are their intentions?" ”

"Your Majesty, Jooffroy III, Count of Tours, is still a minor, and everything is left to his mother, the Duchess of Burgundy, Emungard. Morality. Hosted by Anjou. Because you have seized the title of Duke of Anjou and most of the lands, the entire House of Anjou is very hostile to you, and the Count of Tours will side with Henry I.

The same is true of Baldwin V, Duke of Flanders, who always wants to reclaim the realm from my Norman kingdom and therefore will not join our side.

The Duke of Aquitaine, on the other hand, made too harsh conditions, and demanded that after you were crowned King of France, grant him the crown of the Kingdom of Aquitaine and transfer the Duchy of Toulouse to him.

The Duke of Toulouse, for his part, did not respond in the slightest to our contact, and neither joined nor objected. Prime Minister Ladolph replied.

"That is to say, Baldwin V, Duke of Flanders, and the Count of Tours will oppose us, and the ambitious Duke of Aquitaine may join Henry I's side, which is not unlikely, after we have agreed to the independence requests of the Counts of Bourbon and Auvergne." William thought for a moment, then concluded.

"That's true, Your Majesty, but the Duke of Aquitaine can still woo him, as long as you make peace with him, don't let him oppose you, and wait until you take the throne of France before slowly concocting him." Prime Minister Ladolph nodded approvingly and suggested.

"It doesn't matter, I can summon His Majesty Ferdinand I, an ally of Spain, to join the war, so that the Duke of Aquitaine and the Duke of Toulouse can be dragged down, and there is no need to make a false deal with him, which will lay the hidden danger for the future civil war." William shook his head slightly and refused.

The Duchy of Aquitaine was so large that since William VIII became Duke of Gascony and Aquitaine, the Duchy of Aquitaine had formed a system of multiple states and a monarch, and its territory was the largest among the French princes at that time, including the whole of southwestern France.

Therefore, in William's opinion, the best option was to divide the Duchy of Aquitaine into three after this battle, divided into the Duchy of Poitou, the Duchy of Aquitaine, and the Duchy of Gascogne, and at the same time let Bourbon, Auvergne, Marsh and Limousin, which were not part of the de jure territory of the Duchy of Aquitaine, become independent and weaken the Duchy of Aquitaine.