William had told Emma that he would send a standing army to support Sicily and Apurua of the House of Outville, but now William and Normandy were in a situation that did not allow him to act rashly, and he had to think twice.

Ever since William defeated King Henry I of France, his enemies have not given up against William, and for the year they have been lurking in the shadows, sharpening their minions, annexing the surrounding territories to expand their power and connect with all the allies they can contact.

Even after all they did, a group of people led by Henry I still couldn't match William's military strength, and in desperation, they even sent assassins to assassinate William and his nobles.

Fortunately, William had long been aware of the safety of ginseng for himself and his ministers, not only did he have a large number of guards to protect him, but he also had someone to prepare and taste the daily food, and every day when he went to bed, William would choose one of the more than 30 rooms to rest, so that the assassins would not have a chance.

William dared to confidently say that even if Henry I used all the gold coins in his treasury and private coffers to ask the Assassins to assassinate William, he would be able to guarantee that no Assassin would come close to him, and no one would be able to hurt him a single hair.

What is really worrying is that Henry I targeted William's noble generals and officials, who were priceless treasures in William's heart, and most of the strength of Normandy was supported by these loyal nobles, without whom William's rule would have been in the air.

Therefore, under William's care, even if their security forces are not as good as William's, the nobles above the baron level each have about ten personal guards to protect them, and the personal safety of high-ranking nobles such as viscounts and earls is even more important to William.

Counts such as Count Hubert and Count Adolf, as well as Viscounts Jeanne and Viscount Farle Osborne, had as many personal bodyguards as a half-company, and some even exceeded an entire company.

In addition, in order to ensure the safety of their diet and prevent any nobles from being threatened by poison, William also had special people to cook their diet, all of whom were court cooks or apprentices sent by William, and they were all people that William could trust.

These palace chefs were all trained by Osborne's butlers, and they were all in charge, and it was feasible for Osborne's stewards to let these chefs secretly pass on some information or something.

......

After bidding farewell to Emma, William summoned Osborne's butler and asked him about any news about His Majesty the Pope.

As an old minister who assisted the fourth duke in charge of the court, Osborne's butler not only overtly controlled the finances of Normandy and the Duke's Palace, but also held an intelligence agency directly responsible to William.

The name of this intelligence agency has been established since the time of Duke Richard, and it has been passed down to today for nearly 70 years, and its tentacles and heritage are not comparable to the intelligence agencies of Emma and Hubert.

"Steward Osborne, do you know why His Majesty Pope Benedict IX is so unusual? What else has he been doing these days? William's face was solemn, and he looked at Steward Osborne in front of him and asked.

"Master William, according to the information I have received, His Majesty Benedict IX has recently become infatuated with an Italian maiden, and the two of them often date and have a very close relationship.

This Italian maiden is no simple one, and she seems to be taking advantage of Benedict IX's infatuation with her to arouse his ambition and desire for conquest.

In the past year, His Majesty Benedict IX's abnormal behavior is due to the fact that His Majesty Henry III of the Holy Roman Empire is caught in the war of succession of the Duke of Bavaria and cannot exert influence on the Holy See, and on the other hand, it is also due to the rapid growth of power in the hands of His Majesty Benedict IX, which makes him proud and stretches out some undeserved desires and ideas, and the influence of this Italian girl is also an important reason. ”

Steward Osborne knew the ins and outs of the matter as if he were in charge, and told William: "This information was specially collected after hearing the letter sent by Count Caesar. ”

"Thank you, Steward Osborne." William looked at Osborne with a look of relief and said, "Then do we have any countermeasures, can we send a standing corps to intervene in the Dao war, you can say it for me to refer to it in detail." ”

"Yes, Master William. It seems to me that it is not advisable to send a standing army into the whirlpool of the Holy See and the Italian princes, which will inevitably draw away my Normandy energies and render us powerless against the enemies with bad intentions.

To King Henry I, they have been waiting for the right moment, and as soon as we show a flaw or a weakness, they will pounce like crocodiles, vying to tear at the territory and interests of Normandy. Steward Osborne shook his head and offered his opinion.

"Then what about Count Caesar's request for troops, he and his family are about to take southern Italy and Sicily into the future Norman kingdom, and we can't ignore it." William looked at Steward Osborne and asked.

"Our standing army and noble armies are absolutely immobile, but you can recruit a large mercenary army and order your noble generals to lead them to support Apurua and Sicily." Steward Osborne gave his plan and recommended it to William:

"The Swiss mountain people are brave and warlike mercenaries at the same time, and these Swiss people come from poor mountain areas and can recruit a large number of mercenaries for a little money.

These Swiss mercenaries form companies from the countryside and their families, and their level of discipline and unity is not comparable to that of ordinary mercenaries, and I think you have experienced the courage and skill of Swiss mercenaries before.

When you swept away the Alençon rebellion, Captain Daniel and his mercenaries did a great job!"

"Well, such mercenaries do need to be recruited." William nodded and commanded:

"So, Steward Osborne, you can contact the head of the regiment in Graubünden, Switzerland, and ask him to help us recruit a large group of Swiss mercenaries at a good price.

In addition, I think that the mercenaries of Spain, the mercenary crossbowmen of Italy and Genoa, etc., can also recruit some, such as cavalry, which is the strength of the Castilles, plus the cover of the Italian and Genoese mercenary crossbowmen and soldiers, and then form them into battle formations, so that they can completely fight with the Pope's army. ”

"Yes, Your Highness William, just call me for the job of recruiting mercenaries." Steward Osborne nodded in agreement, then put his right hand on his chest and bowed down.