Otto was actually just trying to scare the Duke of Swabia. According to history, King Louis actually had no such idea at all, and the Duke of Bavaria succeeded him in the end.
The reason why Otto said this was to make the Duke of Swabia afraid and gain more benefits for him.
Throughout the ages, no matter whether it is a big country or a small family, changing heirs will bring turmoil.
How could the Duke of Swabia not understand this?
"Seriously, how did you know that my father wanted to change his heir?"
Before Otto could answer, Count Ansbach also noticed something was wrong and frowned and replied.
"I can understand His Majesty the King's desire to get rid of the Principality of Saxony. Those Saxons are not easy to control. The local nobles are all respectful on the surface, but in fact they don't take His Majesty the King seriously at all.
It is understandable that His Majesty the King is old and does not have the energy to deal with the affairs of the Principality of Saxony. However, given the status of the Principality of Saxony in the kingdom, it would be more appropriate to hand it over to the Duke of Bavaria for management.
However, this time the Principality of Saxony was handed over to the Grand Duke of Franconia, and His Majesty the King may have some other ideas."
Obviously, Count Ansbach was speaking for Otto.
Count Ansbach's political rival in the principality, Count Constance, would definitely not let the Duke of Swabia listen to Otto and Count Ansbach's instigation at this time. If this made the Duke of Swabia have some inappropriate thoughts,
The Principality of Swabia, now greatly weakened, cannot withstand any war.
"This is actually understandable. The Principality of Bavaria is too far away from Saxony and is beyond reach. The Principality of Franconia is close to Saxony, which naturally makes the local nobles of Saxony worry and makes management easier.
We can't just let those damn Saxons do whatever they want."
Count Ansbach glanced at Otto, wanting Otto to speak. Otto shook his head slightly.
He just wanted the Duke of Swabia to fight for the interests of the entire principality and its nobles, and he didn't want him to compete for the throne of the East Frankish Kingdom.
"What Count Constance said makes sense, maybe I thought too much." Otto chuckled and began to give up.
"However, the strength of the nobles of the principality has been greatly damaged in this war, so the Duke still has to think about it for everyone."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Duke." Seeing that Otto no longer said anything about the heir to the kingdom, Count Constance breathed a sigh of relief, and followed Otto's words and began to persuade the Duke of Swabia.
Advising the Duke of Swabia to fight for everyone's interests and compete for the throne is not the same thing at all. When it comes to matters related to one's own interests, even political opponents can be ignored at this time.
"Your Majesty the Duke, because of this war, many small nobles in the principality have incurred debts and are on the verge of bankruptcy. The territories in the northern part of the Alps are basically owned by owners. Even if you are a lord, you may not have much land to compensate them.
Your Majesty, we still have to ask for more benefits from His Majesty."
Seeing that his nobles had reached a consensus, the Duke of Swabia was not satisfied with the distribution of benefits, so he went back to talk to King Louis.
At the dinner celebrating the victory in the war, Otto learned of his reward.
"As for the Count of Neuchâtel? This is a bit too much." After learning the news from Count Ansbach, Otto was extremely angry.
What kind of compensation is this? The Count of Neuchâtel is adjacent to the Argau Territory. In this war, the Count of Neuchâtel and his army chose to side with the Kingdom of Lotharingia, and they fought with him.
Two adult sons died on the battlefield together.
Today, the Count of Neuchâtel has only one underage child as lord. With the strength of the Argau, it is only a matter of time before Neuchâtel falls into the hands of Otto.
"Well..." Count Ansbach was also a little dissatisfied and embarrassed. "The Duke said a lot of good things to you, but it seems that His Majesty the King is not very satisfied with you, so he only rewarded you with a sum of money and some trophies.
There is no land reward at all. In Neuchâtel, the Duke will compensate you privately.
Did you offend His Majesty the last time you met His Majesty the King?"
Offend King Louis?
Otto thought about it and realized that he and the other party had only met once, so how could he be so malicious towards him?
Otto shook his head. "How is it possible? I have only met His Majesty once, so how can I dare to offend His Majesty?"
"That's really weird." Count Ansbach also frowned. He didn't make much contribution in this war, but he gained two enclaves of baronies in the lowlands.
Otto's military exploits, not to mention thunderous, have made everyone know that there is such a number one figure in the kingdom. Even in the Kingdom of West Francia, Otto is relatively well-known.
But Otto only received this small reward, which is indeed a bit unjustifiable.
"That is indeed a bit strange." Count Ansbach thought again and shook his head. "Perhaps His Majesty thinks you are too young, but don't be sad. The final reward has not been announced yet and is still in the discussion stage.
Your Majesty, please rest assured that if His Majesty really treats you badly, he will give you adequate compensation in the area around Aargau."
In fact, Otto doesn't care about rewards. Initially, he only participated in this war to gain reputation, but now this goal has been achieved.
However, since he accidentally managed to get some decent military exploits, it would be a big loss if he couldn't get any actual benefits.
Of course, if King Louis was really unhappy with him and didn't give him enough benefits, Otto wouldn't mind. Anyway, the other party didn't have a few more years to live. It would make everyone feel that the kingdom had wronged him, which would be beneficial to him.
future expansion.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Duke, for me." After Otto figured it out, he didn't bother to worry about it, and began to prepare to build relationships with other nobles.
This banquet was attended by two nobles from the Frankish Kingdom who were involved in the war. It was a rare opportunity, and it would not be a loss to have a few familiar faces.
As the banquet came to an end, the main event came, which was the post-war rewards from the two kingdoms.
In fact, when it comes to the banquet, the parties involved already know the specific reward, and there are no surprises. Only a small number of lucky people or unlucky ones will end up with more or less rewards due to the exchange of interests.
The nobles and kings began their own performances. The two kings showed their generosity and generosity, and the nobles showed their loyalty and gratitude.
Watching this boring drama, Otto curled his lips and felt bored. Of course, this was because he knew that he had been busy in vain these past few months.
Otherwise, he is now one of the many hard-working actors.
"Baron Otto." As King Louis called his name, Otto took a step forward, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head respectfully.
"Baron Otto showed amazing courage in this war and is a worthy warrior of the kingdom. You used your sword and the blood of your enemies to prove your loyalty to me and the kingdom.
Now, I, Louis, in the presence of the gods, in the name of your lord, King of the East Franks, grant you the land of Nevers and the title of Count of Nevers."