I'm not a lord

Chapter 162 Battlefield and Diplomacy Both Flourish

The Valley Duchy is crisscrossed by mountains.

Inside White Eagle Castle, located in the central mountains of the territory, the current Duke of the Valley, Herman, is receiving a messenger who has traveled from afar.

The messenger, introduced by his most trusted court earl, claimed to be carrying important letters from the White River Valley that would have a significant impact on the situation in the North.

The court count, also known as the 'grand baron,' usually did not have any fiefdoms. They mainly handled court affairs for the king or dukes and other high-ranking nobles, and were considered close confidants and advisors of the high-ranking nobles.

Trusting his close advisors, Hermann took the time to meet with the envoy.

But the surprise this letter brought far exceeded my expectations.

"You mean, a rebel army suddenly emerged in Lothair's territory and occupied the entire White River basin? You're not kidding?"

Herman glanced at the letter first, then stared at the messenger with suspicion.

The Lothair he mentioned is the current Duke of the Marsh.

Both were dukes, of equal status, and had always been at odds, so they naturally addressed each other by their first names.

The messenger was Leon's most trusted steward, who usually managed the black market for his boss and had seen a lot of the world.

This was his first time speaking with a nobleman of Duke rank, and he was understandably nervous, but he still managed to steady himself and replied respectfully:
"Your Excellency, I would not dare to joke with you. Just a few weeks ago, Lord Lynn defeated the White River Alliance, composed of four barons, and occupied six baronies in the White River region. This is an indisputable fact."

It's highly likely that Sanhe City has already imposed a trade blockade on the Baihe River basin, and more accurate information should reach you in a few days.

The fact that this lowly messenger was able to maintain his composure in the face of the Duke of the Valley's questioning and stare was truly remarkable.

"Wow, interesting, very interesting. An unknown nobody dares to impersonate a baron and manage to pull off such a big feat."

The Duke of the Valley read the letter carefully with great interest, then ordered his attendants to take the messenger away to rest. He then looked around at the two rows of officials in the hall and asked,
“Do you recognize the name Lynn? It doesn’t sound like someone of noble birth.”

The middle-aged court count, who had acted as the introducer, quickly walked to the Duke's side and whispered:
"My lord, do you still remember the powerful bandit gang called the 'Iron Dough' that once existed in your territory?"

The most distinctive feature of this group is the iron masks they wear. They also frequently rob manors, caravans, and monasteries under your name. You once assembled troops to wipe out this band of horsemen at the end of the year before last.

After a moment's thought, the Duke of the Valley became even more puzzled:
"Iron Army? I remember now, there was indeed such a band of bandits, but didn't you say you had completely wiped them out?"

The count could only say, somewhat embarrassed:
"My lord, we did indeed kill many bandits in that battle, and the Iron Army disappeared as a result, which is why I believe they have been wiped out."

Of the four territories in the North, the Valley Duchy has always had the worst security, with thieves and bandits roaming everywhere.

However, the bandits in this area generally lack cohesion; when things are going well, everyone is like a dragon, and everyone takes the lead.

When faced with a tough opponent, one should shrink back and protect one's companions in front of one's body.

Generally speaking, such hastily assembled teams will scatter like birds and beasts after just one major loss, and their original banner will be abandoned.

The Duke of the Valley smiled knowingly:

"So you mean that Lynn, the one who wrote me the letter, is the bandit leader you let escape?"

"The probability is not low; these two have very similar styles of doing things." The Earl was very familiar with Lynn, or rather, with the personality of that bandit leader.

This person is exceptionally capable, bold yet meticulous, and completely disregards any notion of aristocratic dignity.

He robbed merchants, priests, and nobles alike without hesitation.

Over the years, he killed a number of nobles, enough to be counted on two hands.

What's most despicable is that this person has been using the name of the Duke of the Valley for years to swindle and deceive people, and there are quite a few who have been deceived.

The nobles, having reached their limit of tolerance, united to launch several sieges against him, but he always managed to escape.

In the end, it was only through the personal intervention of the Duke of the Valley, who dispatched an elite personal guard, that the bandits were finally defeated.

The count, as the person involved, knew very well that he had only killed a group of insignificant bandits, while the real bandit leader had already led his core members across the Quiet River to escape to the Marsh Duchy.

But what does this have to do with the Earl?

The neighbor is the one who suffers; all he has to do is report his victory and collect his reward.

But no one expected that this escaped bandit leader would pull off such a horrific act in the neighboring territory.

It was truly eye-opening.

The Duke of the Valley reconfirmed the contents of the letter and summarized them:

"The year before last... last year... hmm, the timing does match up. So, this Lynn is the leader of the Iron Drum Bandits? He robbed caravans, burned churches, and killed nobles on my territory, and now he wants me to grant him an earldom? Heh heh."

Even the Duke couldn't help but laugh at the end.

He had never seen anything like this before.

Although Lynn had once burned, killed, and looted on his territory, he was now poking a hole in the Duke of the Swamp.

Both morally and logically, he should lend a hand.

The three dukes of the Northern Kingdom do not get along well with each other.

The main reason is that the resources produced in their territories are difficult to be self-sufficient, and they must rely on trade to complement each other, which naturally leads to friction.

Historically, they fought many large-scale wars for territory and population, which only subsided slightly in recent decades.

In this battle for the throne, the Duke of the Valley naturally coveted the throne and feared that it would be taken away by his mortal enemy, the Duke of the Swamp.

But unfortunately, he was simply not up to the task.

The terrain of the Valley Duchy is fragmented, with high mountains and deep valleys everywhere, and there is not even a road that runs across the entire territory.

This sowed the seeds for the rise of local powers.

As mineral resources in various regions were gradually exploited, some local nobles who had become wealthy began to disregard the authority of the duke.

A prime example is Earl Mirror Iron in the eastern part of the territory.

This count owned the largest iron mine in the North and became incredibly wealthy by selling iron ingots and ironware. His annual income was even higher than that of the Duke of the Vale.

After becoming wealthy, Earl of Mirror Iron quickly recruited soldiers and, relying on the advantages of his army and the terrain, openly rebelled against the Duke's rule.

The land tax that should be paid is paid or not, and occasionally, when he is in a good mood, he will offer a little to the Duke of the Valley, just to appease him like a beggar.

He was completely uncooperative with military service, and no matter how many messengers the Duke sent to urge him, Earl of Mirror Iron ignored them.

The trade ban was ignored, and Count Mirror Iron continued his trade with Three Rivers City, continuously supplying high-quality iron ingots into the enemy's territory.

Successive dukes had considered dealing with these 'rebellious traitors'.

However, due to limited resources, they found themselves unable to win after a few attempts, and eventually began to give up.

If we can't control it, then we won't!

Duke Hermann's father earned the nickname "coward" after his death because he couldn't control the counts under his command.

Generally, historians will give a short and clear nickname to a great nobleman after his death to summarize his life and deeds.

This is somewhat like the Eastern concept of a posthumous title; once it's established, it's very difficult to change. A good nickname will be remembered for generations, while a bad nickname will be infamous for eternity.

For example, the former Lord of the North was nicknamed "the one who died without an heir" because he could not have a son.

If the current Duke of the Swamp fails to claim the Northern Crown, he will likely be given the nickname 'The Usurper' after his death.

But if he were to actually win the crown, historians would naturally defend him, and he would certainly receive a flattering nickname after his death.

This is the last thing Hermann wanted to see.

In his view, even if his illegitimate son Maurice continued to be king, it would be better than his arch-rival, the Duke of the Marsh, winning the crown.

It's better to lose to both sides than to lose alone.

Therefore, Hermann contacted Maurice early on and agreed to attack the Duke of the Marsh from both the east and west.

Let's deal with this formidable enemy first, and then we can settle things with the other two later.

Unfortunately, the main nobles under Hermann's command were largely disobedient.

In the latter half of last year, he finally managed to assemble an army, but due to the time limit for service, he could only lead this army to carry out armed parades on the border and, incidentally, rob a group of farmers of their winter food rations.

Right now, he wants to regroup his army and work with Maurice to launch a fierce pincer attack on the Duke of the Swamp.

However, the nobles under his command all said they were busy with spring plowing and had no desire to fight.

What else can Hermann do?

His directly controlled territory was too small and barren, so he could only watch argali and snow leopards baring their teeth.

They couldn't afford to keep a large number of court knights as henchmen like the Duke of the Marsh, nor could they afford the high-priced services of mercenaries.

With no money in my pocket, I can only give up.

Fortunately, White Eagle Fortress was built on a mountain, with a rugged terrain and enough food reserves to last for three years, so there was no worry about rebels or enemy troops breaking in.

"Bring me paper and pen. I want to bestow upon Lynn the title of Earl of White River!"

After careful consideration, Hermann decided to award the title of Earl to Lynn, who was suspected of being a bandit leader.

Regardless of who Lynn really is, as long as he can hinder the Duke of the Swamp, he is Herman's good ally.

It's just a count's title, but they've already given it to him!
Hermann didn't care what his nobles thought; those bastards had never respected him as duke.

After writing the letter, the young duke wrote another letter to the illegitimate son, King Maurice, requesting that the royal family also bestow upon Lynn the title of earl.

The more disgusted Herman could be with the Duke of the Swamp, the happier he would be!
However, all he could offer Lynn was a title.

It can be said that they provided all the support except for aid.

But his demands were by no means low; he hoped that Lynn could launch an attack on Three Rivers as soon as possible and completely cut off the Duke of the Swamp's retreat.

At the same time, Lynn actually went to war with Three Rivers City.

The only difference is that Sanhe City is the attacker, while he is the defender.

Just as Lynn had predicted, after his negotiations with the Sanhe City Council broke down, the council indeed sent a large number of ships to plunder the White River Territory.

That's how businessmen are these days: they push buyers to the limit when acquiring goods, and they inflate prices to the sky when selling them.

If others are unwilling to accept harsh conditions, then they will resort to forced buying and selling, or even outright robbery.

Relying on the city's powerful waterways, they ruthlessly exploited the minor nobles in rural territories.

They call themselves businessmen, but they're more like robbers than robbers themselves.

Most pirates active at sea are actually merchant ships in disguise.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to earn some extra money while doing business?
Lynn was all too familiar with the nature of these wealthy merchants from the municipalities; he had intercepted many of their goods back in the Valley Duchy.

Therefore, he began to build iron chains as soon as he occupied the river swamp territory, and now they have come in handy.

Three thick iron chains stretched across the White River, blocking all the armed merchant ships from the Three Rivers City from entering the River Marsh Territory.

These iron chains are only one part of the defense system.

Both ends of the iron chain had bunkers and barracks set up by Lynn to prevent the enemy from landing and destroying the chain.

On the riverbank south of the iron chain, Lynn also set up several watchtowers and observation towers along the river.

The soldiers in the fortifications would monitor the river day and night, and if they spotted any enemy activity, they would immediately light a smoke signal and blow a sharp bone whistle.

Upon receiving the warning, the soldiers stationed at the camp would quickly rush to the riverbank and annihilate any enemy troops attempting to land.

In just two days, the territories of the River Marsh annihilated more than fifty enemy soldiers who had landed and captured a large number of weapons and equipment.

Unfortunately, they failed to capture the armed galley.

The captains of Sanhe City are very shrewd. They only send a portion of their crew ashore each time, and they will turn around and run away as soon as things go wrong.

But no matter how cunning they were, none of the crew members who landed on land could escape.

Two days later, no armed merchant ships dared to enter the river marshland again.

These vessels dared to patrol the river south of the territory to prevent smuggling merchant ships from entering and leaving the Baihe River basin.

In the early stages of the war, Lynn undoubtedly won a great victory.

He wasn't even in the River Marsh Territory right now, but was inspecting spring planting in the Green Lake Territory to the north.

His officers and soldiers had gradually matured, and with the excellent command abilities of his third and fourth sons, he could easily control these semi-professional merchant pirates.

When the bad news reached the city of Sanhe, Mayor Jürgen did not fly into a rage.

By reviewing and summarizing everything that had happened in the past few weeks, he realized that something was very wrong with Lynn and Baihe.

Jürgen convened the council members and analyzed in the parliament: "Is this Lynn really a bandit leader? He is too familiar with Three Rivers City. He knows we are short of food and he knows what means we will use to retaliate against him. He can even build iron chains to block the river in advance. He is coming for us!"

The head of the grain guild asked anxiously, "We understand all of this, what other options do we have now?"

“The only way is to blockade the territory and strictly prohibit smuggling. We can’t possibly send the militia to attack the River Marsh Territory. With only three hundred men, it’s hard to say whether they can even reach the River Marsh Territory,” Jürgen said helplessly.

The black-robed priest of the Three Saints Church suggested, "How about mobilizing the citizens to attack the River Marsh Territory? It shouldn't be too difficult to gather a thousand armed citizens and militia members in the city, right?"

Jürgen immediately rejected the idea: "I cannot mobilize the citizens. According to the city's laws, they only have an obligation to assist in the defense of the city."

This is the limitation of cities: armed citizens are similar to conscripted soldiers in feudal territories, barely enough to defend the city, but completely unreliable for external attacks.

Three Rivers City was originally home to some mercenary groups, but these seasoned soldiers were currently fighting alongside the Duke of the Swamp in the Crown Territory.

For a moment, Jürgen felt helpless.

(End of this chapter)