I'm not a lord

Chapter 164 I Allow You to Continue Dreaming (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Little Tiger Who's Very Sleepy)

Hugh, the second brother, was the first partner Lynn recruited and the person he trusted most.

The two had worked in the same mercenary group and had a life-or-death bond.

When Lynn was away fighting, he could entrust his family to his second son for protection.

vice versa.

Lynn was certainly aware of his second brother's abilities.

Unlike the third brother, who was a natural-born military talent, the second brother excelled in unconventional tasks such as reconnaissance, guerrilla warfare, assassination, and interrogation.

He is not suited to command a large army.

That's why Lynn had him put in charge of training the wasteland scouts.

This is certainly not because his abilities are only suitable for being a coach, but because he has not yet found a stage where he can truly shine.

Under the bright moonlight, the two talked about the past, from their mercenary days to the present, and were both very emotional.

Finally, Lynn picked up the flask and poured a glass of smooth, refreshing apple-flavored mead for the second son:

"There's something I need you to do for me."

Now, Lynn has finally set up the perfect stage for the second son.

The second brother picked up his glass, downed it in one gulp, let out a burp, and replied, "What is it?"

Lynn poured himself a glass and drank it all in one gulp: "Plunder."

What he wanted his second son to do was simple: lead the cavalry to sweep through the many manors in the western suburbs of Sanhe City and disrupt the local farmers' spring planting.

Yes, upon closer examination, this matter is indeed somewhat inhumane.

But this is war.

A trade war is still a war, and it's quite possible for it to escalate into a hot war.

In order to win the final victory and to give an account to his loyal subordinates and soldiers, Lynn had to stop at nothing and win the war at the lowest possible cost.

According to the intelligence provided by Leon, Lynn knew that the remaining grain in Three Rivers City would most likely last until this autumn harvest.

Sending people to sabotage the city's granaries is impractical.

These granaries were controlled by grain and brewing guilds, and were considered private property of merchants and craftsmen, so they were very well secured.

If too few spies are sent into the city, there's no way to take over the granaries; if too many are sent, the operation is likely to be exposed prematurely.

In comparison, disrupting agricultural production in the western suburbs of the city is relatively easier.

Due to the extensive infiltration by the refugee rebels last year, there are still about 20,000 farmers remaining in the western suburbs of Sanhe City.

These peasants were all dependent on wealthy merchants or the church, and were essentially no different from serfs, paying their land rent through unpaid labor and corvée labor.

The main force responsible for protecting these farmers included fifty urban militiamen who blocked the land roads, plus about three hundred church-armed men.

That's right, the Church of the Three Saints in Three Rivers City also has its own armed forces.

Over the past century, the church has amassed a great deal of wealth through land acquisition and real estate speculation.

It could be said that the church was the largest landowner and landlord in Sanhe City.

The priests would use this wealth to recruit landless knights or to select strong and healthy men from the peasantry as soldiers.

These armed forces were responsible for protecting the church, monasteries, and farmland outside the city.

Overall, the army's combat strength and equipment level were not bad, and it also included about thirty regular knights.

It was precisely because of its vast wealth and armed forces that the church was able to sit at the table in Three Rivers and obtain two valuable council seats, and even have the right to run for mayor.

Perhaps in a few decades, a high priest will be elected mayor of Three Rivers City.

Of course, in Lynn's view, both the militia and the church army were utterly useless.

The former had long been corrupted by the affluent life in the city. Although their equipment was excellent, their combat effectiveness was very worrying. Moreover, they were all infantry, and their battlefield mobility was very poor.

Although the latter included some professional noble knights, their mentality was very similar to that of mercenaries; they were the type to clock in and out, and it was unlikely that they would be expected to serve the church wholeheartedly.

Lynn would certainly not choose to launch a direct assault on a city unless absolutely necessary.

This will only unite the various forces within the city to fight against him, this outsider.

Given the current military capabilities of Baihe Territory, launching a direct assault on Sanhe City would be far too risky.

What Lynn needs to do is, like with the trade embargo, sneak in but not fully.

Currently, his plan is to first have the third brother, Yang, lead the infantry to break through the city militia guarding the road exits and firmly occupy the two roads leading to the western suburbs of Sanhe City, and then release the second brother, Hugo, this vicious dog.

The second brother will lead all of Lynn's cavalry, totaling more than 150 riders, to completely disrupt spring farming in the western suburbs of Sanhe City and uproot the city.

They will abduct the farmers' livestock, trample the newly sown fields, and burn down the houses on the estates.
In short, it's about making it difficult for farmers to cultivate their fields properly.

Of course, Lynn wouldn't completely wipe out this valuable workforce.

Your land and homeland were indeed destroyed by bandits.

But you can go to Baihe Territory to find a new way to make a living!

Lord Lynn, the lord of White River Territory, has shown great compassion and will provide all farmers who come to White River Territory with free land, seeds, and housing.

If you're willing to sign a 'serf loan,' you can even mortgage a portion of your future harvest in exchange for free farm tools and livestock!

Lynn now has the surplus grain from last year's six baronies in his hands, enough to support even 20,000 people.

The city council was hoping to rely on its food reserves to survive until the fall harvest, and then receive life-saving food from the suburban farms, wasn't it?
I'll make sure you can't get a single grain of food from outside the city!
Lynn wanted to give the citizens of Three Rivers a psychological expectation: either bow down and beg for mercy from the esteemed Earl of White River and buy food and raw materials at high prices, or live in constant fear of a food crisis.

In addition to hunger, some citizens will also suffer the double blow of unemployment, mainly the workers of the brewing guild.

As far as Lynn knew, more than one-tenth of the citizens of Three Rivers relied on the brewing industry for their livelihood.

While these people may hate Lynn, the culprit, for losing their jobs, they will certainly also hate the inactive city council.

The brewing industry was just the first domino to fall. When the guilds realized they could no longer obtain sufficient and cheap raw materials from the White River basin, the entire city descended into chaos.

Thousands of angry citizens will direct their anger at the city council.

They can't reach Lynn, but the councilors really do live in the same city as the citizens.

What will happen is obvious.

After all, the citizens really did have armor, longswords, and crossbows.

Lynn, of course, knew that the city council, led by Jürgen, was certainly looking forward to the Duke of the Marsh's court knights.

He hoped that the Duke would take action and eliminate this audacious traitor.

He was actually gambling.

The Duke of Gamblers could not conquer Amber Harbor and could not be crowned King in the North.

If the Duke is indeed crowned king, then we should gamble that he will not be able to consolidate the power of the Crown Territory in a short period of time, and may even have to send out the court knights to suppress bandits and quell rebellions.

Or perhaps the Duke of Gamblers Valley, the Duke of Meadows, or even foreign powers could prevent the Duke from ascending the throne.

It's normal to take a gamble. After all, Lynn isn't a god. He's in a remote area like the White River Valley, where he can't get enough reliable information or fully understand the future of the North.

Of course, even if Lynn loses the bet, he won't be afraid.

In another half month, with the spring planting season over, he will greatly expand his army. He only needs to hold Baihe Territory and wait for the situation to change before making his move.

But no matter what, Lynn will not bow down to Three Rivers City, and he will definitely keep the city firmly in his hands.

Regarding the iron issue, with the iron mines in Chixi Territory, there is absolutely no fear of trade blockade.

The problem of cloth is indeed difficult to solve, but if all else fails, there's always smuggling.

Life will always find its way.

While trade between the two sides was indeed blocked on the surface, those money-grubbing merchants would certainly find it hard to resist the temptation of huge profits.

Nothing in this world is difficult if you have a salary!

While drinking, Lynn explained his entire plan to the second brother in detail.

The second brother immediately patted his chest and said, "Hey, big brother, I don't understand complicated things either, but I get it when you say I should plunder farms and monasteries."

Lynn poured him another glass of wine and repeatedly instructed him: "Okay, I trust you to handle things. I will have the third brother cooperate with you. You must be careful not to get too attached to battle. There is no need to fight head-on with the church's cavalry. Although they have more than 300 people, there are only about 30 knights in total, which is not enough to take care of 20,000 farmers."

Of course, if fighting is unavoidable, there's no need to be afraid; just fight. These knights are all wandering knights hired by the church at great expense, so their fighting spirit won't be too strong.

But you must always remember, you bear the most important mission in Baihe Territory. Your primary objective is not battle, but to prevent the enemy from even having a hot bowl of porridge.

Upon hearing that he was about to receive the most important task, the second brother's relaxed gaze instantly turned serious: "Big brother, don't worry, I guarantee I'll take care of these things for you!"

Lynn put her arm around his shoulder: "I've never doubted your abilities. Go for it and make the whole city tremble before your name!"

After encouraging his second son, Lynn returned to the bedroom and recharged Jacoba as well.

Although Yagna had become a mother, she was actually only eighteen years old. She hadn't seen Lynn for almost a month, and after their intimate moment, she still clung to him like a vine.

"Lately, I feel like I'm dreaming, and everything in front of me seems unreal."

Lynn held her close and whispered softly near her burning earlobe, "What feels unreal?"

"Your wishes are coming true so fast, and your territory is expanding so fast. Every day when I wake up, I feel like I'm just starting to dream."

Jagna was the daughter of a baron, and on the night she decided to serve Lynn, all she wanted was to use Lynn's power to take revenge on her stepmother.

She was mentally prepared for a long struggle.

It may take two, three, five, six years or even longer, but she can wait.

Because she is still young, she has enough time to wait for Lynn to grow stronger and then reclaim the family's homeland.

But Lynn took over Shallow Beach Territory without bloodshed in just over six months.

In the next six months, he actually annexed four baronies in one go, and each one was much larger than the Shallow Beach Territory.

While Yagna was pleasantly surprised, she also felt a slight sense of fear and lingering apprehension.

These four new territories can no longer be covered by her name.

Instead of intervening militarily, the Duke of the Marsh sent a secret envoy to acknowledge Lynn's special privileges and grant him control over the entire White River region.

Of course, the Duke only made a verbal promise and did not make any formal written guarantee.

But this was already unbelievable to Yagena.

This indicates that the Duke has temporarily compromised with Lynn.

Jacqueline had met the Duke himself at Golden Deer Castle and heard countless tales of his deeds.

In her view, the Duke, who valued power and land above all else, was incapable of compromise, and should not have compromised so readily, even given the situation in the North.

Things took a completely unexpected turn.

Perhaps it was because the man holding her possessed a strength that even the Duke could not ignore.

As a witness to the flourishing development of White Bear Territory, she did indeed see Lynn's strength rapidly expand.

But all of this happened too fast, far beyond her comprehension.

She did not witness the battle on the banks of the Green Water River firsthand; she only heard descriptions of the fierce fighting from some laborers guarding the supplies, and glimpsed a corner of the victory in Lynn's letters.

She preferred to believe that everything that began that night in the bathroom was a magnificent and magical dream.

With this thought in mind, Yagena lowered her head and reverently kissed Lynn's chest with her soft lips:
"My lord, if it's all a dream, could you please let me never wake up?"

"As long as you don't want to wake up, I allow you to remain immersed in the dream."

(End of this chapter)