At this time, William was sitting upright at his desk, patiently listening to Osborne's report, nodding his head in agreement from time to time.

"Your Highness William, thanks to the completion of the pontoon bridge in Bonnières, we have been able to collect a navigation tax of more than sixteen,000 pounds of silver per month from merchant ships sailing to and from the Seine, and in spite of the great expendum spent on the expansion of the army, the increase of officers, the purchase and replacement of equipment, etc., in the last few months, there is still a surplus of twenty thousand pounds of silver.

It is to be expected that the fiscal surplus will continue to expand as Liss and Waxon are gradually brought under your control. Steward Osborne said happily.

"Hmm!" William nodded slightly and said, "That's good news, Steward Osborne."

To tell the truth, if it weren't for the serious shortage of officers at all levels in our army, the 8,000 regular field regiments in my hands would have been at least doubled, so that it would be more certain to defeat Kay and the others and take all of Normandy! ”

Knock knock knock... Knock knock knock...

Just as Steward Osborne was about to respond to William, there was a knock at the door.

"Lord Duke, I'm Surkov, the leader of the hussar squadron, and I have something to ask you for!"

"Come in, Surkov."

Surkov cautiously pushed open the door and walked in, handed over a scroll of letters in both hands, bowed and said, "Lord Duke, two brothers and sisters are coming to see you, and they have brought a letter with them!" ”

"Oh?" William took the parchment letter and spread it out to read it.

"Naples!" William scanned the contents of the letter with a glance, and when he read 'Naples,' William's face changed drastically, and his hands trembled.

"Whew! ... Whew! After reading the letter, William gasped sharply, his chest rose and fell, turned his head to stare at Surkov, and said hurriedly: "Invite those two brothers and sisters in, go quickly!" ”

"Yes." Surkov couldn't help wiping the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly turned away.

"Young Master William, what's wrong with you, has something happened to you? You wouldn't be so anxious. Steward Osborne asked.

"It's my father's coffin, and my father's coffin has been found, in Apulia, Naples, southern Italy!" William calmed down and nodded in response.

"Is it my lord, Lord Robert? Is this true? Steward Osborne trembled with emotion.

"This is the leader of the Norman mercenary group in Apulia, William. Morality. The letter from Ottwell to me, I need to summon the two siblings to be sure. William handed over the letter and shook his head slightly.

Osborne's butler took the letter, read it for a moment, and said: "I'm afraid it's true, this commander William and his mercenaries are both Normand, and William's father, Tancred, is also a minor nobleman in the Duchy of Normandy, so he won't lie about this matter." ”

After a few efforts, Squadron Leader Surkov led the two siblings, Caesar and Emma, and turned to leave.

"Caesar. Morality. Outwell, Emma. Morality. Altwell, I have met the honorable Duke William! The two said in unison.

William looked at Caesar and Emma, looked up and down for a while, and saw that the two brothers and sisters were extraordinary, nodded slightly and said, "Compared to you, the two are the two brothers and sisters of the Ottwell family, tell me what you are looking for me?" ”

"Dear Duke, we have been entrusted by our father Tanrred and our brother William to send you that letter, and we have come to pay your allegiance to you!" Caesar said respectfully.

"Very well, I accept your allegiance." William nodded in agreement and said, "Tell me what strengths and advantages you have?" ”

"Returning to the Duke, I had previously served in my brother's mercenaries, and I once led an infantry to ambush the flank of the Byzantine army, and defeated the opponent at the last moment." Caesar recounted his exploits.

"Hmmm! It seems that you are not only good at strategy, but also a patient and good at grasping the warplane.

Judging from your record, you are good at flanking, grasping the fighters to directly tear apart the enemy formation. William nodded slightly and commented.

"Lord William, you are so discerning!" Caesar praised.

"Come forward and get down on your knees!" William stepped forward, drew his sword, and said solemnly, "Will you be loyal to me?" ”

"Yes, Lord William!" Caesar fell to his knees and said respectfully: "I will always be loyal to you, I will always be honest with you, and I will stand by your side whenever you need it!" ”

William held his saber in his hand, and gently tapped Caesar's swords three times, and said:

"The enemy is strong, fearless!

Be bold and faithful, worthy of God!

Geng Zheng said bluntly, I'd rather die than die!

Protect the weak, no wonder the heavens!

This is your oath, keep it in mind! Canonized as a knight! ”

Caesar looked up at William and solemnly swore an oath: "I swear to be kind to the weak;

I swear to be brave against **;

I swear to fight all wrongs;

I swear to fight for the unarmed;

I swear to help anyone who asks me for help;

I swear not to harm any woman;

I swear to help my brother knights;

I swear to be sincere with my friends;

I swear that I will die for what I love! ”

"I now canonize you as a knight, and grant you a manor estate near Fort Vernon." William took a bag of grass from his waist and handed it to Caesar.

"Yes, His Highness William." Caesar stretched out his hands and respectfully took the bag of dirt from William's hand, stood up, and said.

"Caesar, I now appoint you as the commander of my personal guard heavy infantry, and after you have made a meritorious service, I will order you to command a cavalry alone!" William patted Caesar on the shoulder and commanded.

"Thank you, His Highness William!" Caesar said gratefully.

"Master William, you haven't told me how you want to arrange the little girl!" Emma blinked her eyelids and said with a smile.

"Alright Emma, talk to Lord Duke!" Caesar glanced at Emma and said.

"Well, my dear brother Caesar!" Emma put away her frivolous appearance, lifted her long skirt with both hands, and saluted William respectfully, and said:

"His Royal Highness William, all the military, diplomatic, financial and espionage networks in my brother's mercenary group are all handled by me, hehe, I'm amazing!"

"In that case, Emma, you will first be a courtier and secretary under my command, and handle official documents for me." William arranged.

"Yes, His Highness William." Emma said with a smile.

"Caesar, Emma, I have received the letter from your brother, and tomorrow I will go to Apulia in southern Italy with my personal guard, and you will accompany me as my guide!" William commanded.

"No, His Highness William, you must not be suspicious, it is still a war zone between the Holy See and Byzantium, you can't go anyway!" Steward Osborne persuaded.

"Steward Osborne, I've made up my mind, you don't need to dissuade me anymore! The affairs of the territory will be left to you and Sir Hubert to discuss. William shook his head and said resolutely.