In June 1036, the scorching summer sun shone on the land of the Counts of Evreux in Normandy, and the sparkling Seine was still as busy as ever.

A group of thirteen Norman mercenaries stepped into William's Barony of Vernon with three wagons, led by a handsome twenty-two-year-old man with brown hair, and a nineteen-year-old girl with long brown hair over a shawl.

These two people are so similar in appearance, they both have these brown curls and blue pupils, they look like brother and sister.

"Caesar. Morality. Ottwell, ahead is the castle of William, the new Duke of Normandy, and don't forget what your brother, Lord William, the Norman mercenary leader of Southern Italy, has told you! A tall Norman mercenary captain rode up to Caesar's side and offered his respect.

"Got it, Captain Hugg!" Caesar nodded.

Caesar's family, the House of Ottville, was the family that gradually conquered southern Italy from 1035 onwards.

Tanrred of Outville was a weak baron in the Duchy of Normandy, whose land and resources could not support his 12 sons and two daughters with his two wives.

His eight sons went to Italy to "pan for gold", the first of which were the eldest William and Drogo. During the long war with the Byzantine Empire, the William brothers were in great power. William was chosen leader and became Count of Apulia and Calabria. After William's death, Dragoo became a direct vassal of the HRE Emperor.

Of course, now William and Drogo are still two mercenary leaders, and they have not been canonized as Duke of Apulia.

Here Caesar. Morality. Outwell was the fourth Duke of Apulia, after Duke Humphrey, Robert Brown. Morality. Outwell.

At the Battle of Civitata, Humphrey's younger brother Robert Humphrey. Giscard was extremely valiant, falling off his horse three times and re-mounted three times to fight.

After Humphrey's death, Robert became the leader of the Ottville family, and the Normans conquered Italy into the Robert era. Robel was a warrior, rapidly expanding his family's fiefdom and marrying the Lombard nobility of Salerno (thus eventually Salerno), which was approved by the Pope.

In 1059, Pope Nicholas II made Robert Duke of Apulia, Calabria and Sicily, and Robert pledged allegiance to the Pope. Also knighted was Richard of House Dengot (Rainaf's nephew).

Robert had a vast territory, but there were still Byzantine defenders in the peninsula, and Sicily was still occupied by the Saracens.

In 1059, Robert began to consolidate his territory and eliminate the remnants of Byzantium, and Taranto, Brindisi, and Reggio were reconquered.

With the papal support, Robert invaded Sicily in 1061 with his youngest brother, Roger. After taking Palermo, the capital of Sicily, Robert awarded Roger the Count of Sicily.

In 1071, after a three-year siege, the last Byzantine stronghold in Italy was captured by Robert's army.

After 1081, Robert again went to war with Byzantium. Robert led an army of 1,300 Norman knights to storm Constantinople and defeat the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I at the Battle of Durazzo, which was the first time Robert defeated the emperor of the "Roman Empire".

While Robert was at war with Byzantium, a fire broke out in the Italian backyard. Robert's ally, Pope Gregory VII, was besieged by the HRE Emperor Henry IV in a castle near Rome.

In 1084, Robert's army advanced on Rome, Henry IV fled, and Robert defeated the emperor of the "Roman Empire" for the second time. Rescuing the Pope, Robert sacked the city of Rome even more devastation than the Visigoths who destroyed the Western Roman Empire.

Robert, who returned to fight in Byzantium in 1085, died of a cold.

Robert was a great warrior and conqueror. Despite the extreme numerical inferiority of the Normans, Robert conquered all of southern Italy and Sicily with his wise leadership, full of passion, and brave battles, and his insatiable desire for conquest even led him to invade Byzantium.

Robert spent his entire life at war, without consolidating his vast principality, and his Norman nobility was unruly and ambitious.

"Really, I don't know why our father Tanfred and brother William value this Duke William so much that they asked us to serve under his account!" The girl flicked her sleeves, frowned slightly, and complained.

"Well, my dear sister Emma, stop complaining, maybe there is something remarkable about this Duke William, and seeing is believing." Caesar waved his hand, shook his head helplessly, and said.

Caesar was a little helpless about his half-sister, she always looked like a ghost, but her playful face was unpredictable, no matter how Caesar guessed, he couldn't understand Emma's mind.

"Maybe my father wants to diversify his investment, after all, he is still a little baron in the village of Outville on the Cotentin Peninsula in the Duchy of Normandy, and half a year ago, Duke William defeated the Archbaron of Rejeke, who ruled the Cotentan Peninsula, which shocked the whole of Normandy!

I think my father, Tancred, asked us to play for Duke William, and I didn't think he was optimistic about him. Caesar added.

"Humph! Are we all pawns of our father's nonsense? Who sent our eight brothers and sisters to Naples, Italy, to work as mercenaries? Now when it's useful, it reminds us! Emmanu grumbled.

"At the beginning, our father also had a hard time, and with the little barony in the village of Ottville, which was not much bigger than the knight's manor, he could not support our fourteen brothers and sisters, so my father had to make us go to Naples, Italy, to pan for gold.

Fortunately, our older brothers Willem and Dragou have already established themselves in Italy, and we have not suffered much since we followed! Caesar tried to argue.

"Humph!" Emma playfully stuck out her tongue, turned her head away, and said, "That old fellow, let's die in Normandy!" ”

"Hey! Caesar sighed helplessly, and rode his horse to follow.

The captain of the Hugh mercenaries who followed them looked at the noisy siblings without saying a word, he was not a vassal of the House of Otterville, and had no obligation to discipline them.

Bang... Rumble... Bang...

A series of horses' hooves came from the front, and a team of light cavalry of up to thirty men appeared in front of Caesar and Emma in half-body plate armor.

"Royal!" One of the leading cavalry officers rode forward, looked at Caesar vigilantly, and said, "I am the leader of the light cavalry squadron under the command of Lord William, who are you?" Why the proximity to Fort Vernon? ”

"My brother and sister have been entrusted by my father and brother to visit Lord William, and this is a letter from my brother to Lord William, as long as Lord Duke reads this letter, he will receive us!" Caesar took out a letter, handed it to the officer with both hands, and said.

"You wait here, I'll go and tell the Duke."

Saying that, the leader of the light cavalry squadron left twenty light cavalry guards Caesar and others, and took ten light cavalry to ride back to Fort Vernon.