I'm not a lord

Chapter 168 Things in the city are always so bad.
Old Yang's plan for plundering Sanhe City was simple.

Generally speaking, the simpler the plan, the more feasible it is.

The forces he can currently mobilize include his own 300 infantrymen, 100 barbarian archers, and more than 150 cavalrymen under the command of the second brother.

Once Lynn's orders were delivered and Hugh had arrived, the third brother immediately issued the order to send troops.

He personally led his infantry and archers, splitting into two groups, and traversed a twenty-kilometer-long forest trail to attack the militia of Sanhe City stationed at the exits of the two roads.

They are still using the same tactics as last year when they attacked the shallow waters.

A small number of elite scouts launched a night raid on the watchtowers and garrison, opening a passage for the main force.

The professional militia of Sanhe City numbered only about three hundred. Their main tasks were to protect the city and the docks and maintain public order. Only fifty men were stationed at the road exits, plus a small number of church armed personnel, bringing the total number to no more than one hundred.

Mayor Jürgen gave them an order to prohibit anyone from entering or leaving the passageway in order to prevent smuggling.

Therefore, the garrison only set up simple watchtowers and roadblocks, and did not make much preparation for the large-scale attack by the enemy.

Under the combined assault of the third scout's sneak attack and overwhelming force, the defending army quickly collapsed and surrendered control of the road.

That evening, the third brother completely cleared the two forest trails and occupied the exits of these roads in the western suburbs of Sanhe City.

Further ahead, there are endless plains and farmlands.

On wide plains, the infantry's poor mobility becomes obvious, and they are very vulnerable to being pursued by cavalry when outnumbered.

Although the enemy forces were few in number, the church's armed forces included a relatively regular cavalry unit.

The third brother knew, of course, that the next battlefield would be the main stage for both sides' cavalry.

When it comes to looting, cavalry are the real experts.

Without annihilating the enemy cavalry's manpower, his infantry were only fit to hold their camp.

After opening the exit, he sent troops to sweep through the manors and villages near the road exit, while simultaneously dispatching hundreds of serfs from the River Marsh Territory to dig trenches, install fences, and build camps at the exit.

What he had to do was to build two solid fortified camps within enemy territory before Sanhe City could react.

With the camp as cover, Hugh's cavalry could plunder enemy territory with peace of mind, and could also go out during the day and return at night, with ample and safe rest time.

In addition, the presence of a camp ensured that the road behind it remained unobstructed.

This way, not only can we obtain a continuous supply and support from our rear territories, but we can also safely transport the people, livestock and supplies we plunder back to our territories.

That's killing three birds with one stone.

The only difficulty lies in defending the camp.

Therefore, the third brother made many preparations in advance.

Small defensive fortifications such as barricades and fences have already been built and only need to be transported by horse-drawn carts; the metal parts needed to build the camp have also been arranged for blacksmiths to forge in advance.

That very night, the two camps were already taking shape.

The camp had wooden arrow towers at its four corners and its moats were filled with sharpened birch logs, giving it a certain degree of defensive capability.

When it gets light tomorrow, we can open the door and let the second child out.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jürgen was having dinner at home.

Although the food shortage crisis in the city was gradually becoming apparent, it did not prevent the city's upper class from continuing to enjoy themselves.

Jürgen held prominent positions such as mayor, chairman of the city council, and head of the fur guild, earning multiple high salaries and substantial illicit income. His total annual income was no less than that of the former baron of the Marshland.

His home was naturally quite grand.

Located in an affluent area in the north of the city, the three-story detached villa has more than ten servants, and even the daughter's cats and dogs are taken care of by dedicated staff.

Jürgen's dinner tonight is quite lavish.

With the arrival of spring, his family's dining table has been graced with a variety of upscale dishes that evoke the spirit of spring.

The main course is freshly baked white bread, the main dishes are lamb stewed with spices and asparagus cream omelet, the soup is spinach and lettuce lamb soup, and the dessert is a raspberry fruit tart with puff pastry.

There are three types of wine to accompany the meal: locally produced mead, ale, and expensive wines from the South.

Ulgen himself was a devout Trinitarian, and as he was having his pre-dinner prayers with his family, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the window.

"dad."

His youngest daughter opened her eyes with worry, her pale green eyes filled with an anxiety beyond her years.

In recent weeks, the situation in Sanhe City has been turbulent and unpredictable.

Even this fourteen-year-old girl, who had always been pampered in a greenhouse, could sense the unease permeating the city from the servants' whispers and her father's furrowed brow.

Jürgen was upset that his evening prayers had been interrupted, but he smiled and reassured his wife and daughters: “Don’t worry, just wait for me a moment.”

But upon hearing the urgent military news from the western suburbs, his forced smile instantly crumbled.

"Is this Lynn a devil? How dare he!"

Jürgen suddenly realized that Lynn always managed to pinpoint the most fatal flaw in Three Rivers.

From wantonly inflating grain prices, imposing trade embargoes at the slightest disagreement, blocking river channels with iron chains, to this latest raid on a farm in the western suburbs.

Every action Lynn took was like rubbing salt into the already festering wounds of Three Rivers.

The entire city was in so much pain that it broke out in a cold sweat and even rolled on the ground in agony.

Upon hearing the military report, Jürgen didn't even dare to eat dinner. He rode his horse to the city hall and immediately issued an order to summon all members of the city council.

Before long, all twenty members of parliament had arrived.

Many people still had butter, jam, or lipstick marks on their lips, looking quite disheveled.

Inside the city hall, the councilors stared at each other blankly until Jürgen finally broke the awkward silence:
"As you all know, Lynn of Baihe Territory sent troops to launch a surprise attack on the western suburbs, and the remnants of the militia stationed at the key points have fled back to the city."

The burly grain guild leader gritted his teeth and said, "Lynn's decision to send troops at this time is clearly intended to disrupt the spring planting in the western suburbs. His intentions are utterly sinister! If I can capture him, I will definitely..."

Apart from the Church of the Three Saints, which owns more than ten large manors, the Grain Guild is the largest landowner in Sanhe City, and most of the grain stores in the city are also owned by the guild.

Lynn is not just sabotaging spring planting, he's practically rubbing salt into the Grain Guild's coffers!

The thought of his land and farmers being ravaged made the chairman's heart bleed, and he wished he could devour Lynn's heart and liver.

The black-robed priest from the church tapped impatiently on the round table: "His intentions are not hard to guess. The question now is, what should we do?"

The church estates were all located near churches and monasteries outside the city.

To protect these hardworking egg-laying "hens," the church deployed a certain amount of armed force in every church and monastery.

However, these pampered church soldiers were clearly of little use in the face of organized and premeditated large-scale looting.

The black-robed priests were naturally also worried about their own church property.

However, he is quite well-mannered and doesn't shout like Chairman Shuoshu.

As he finished speaking, all the councilors' eyes turned to Kunno, the commander of the city's militia.

Kunno was in his early thirties, tall and strong, wearing an iron helmet, a longsword at his waist, and chainmail. His dark green robe was embroidered with the emblem of Three Rivers City. The position of commander of the Three Rivers City militia was usually hereditary, and Kunno had taken over the position from his father.

It is said that his great-grandfather was a baron in the western suburbs of the city who obtained the hereditary position of commander by donating land and people to the city.

This situation is not uncommon in the North and even throughout the entire continent of Dievas.

The city possesses enormous wealth but lacks the protection of armed forces, yet it dares not purchase military services from mercenaries for an extended period.

After all, mercenaries these days are all about whoever pays them the most, so their reliability is questionable.

Nobles generally valued martial prowess, loyalty, and integrity, yet they still had to painstakingly manage their territories, barely managing to maintain their equipment and warhorses with the money they earned.

Therefore, some of the lower and middle-class nobles chose to actively move into the city.

The city provides funds and equipment, while the nobles contribute manpower and military strength, working together to maintain the city's long-term stability and security.

Over time, these nobles settled in the city and gradually integrated into it, becoming what is known as the 'urban nobles'.

Although Kunno's great-grandfather donated the baronial title, his family still retains a sizable piece of land in the western suburbs, from which they receive a stable income every year.

Therefore, Lynn's deployment of troops to the western suburbs also offended Quinno's core interests.

"My soldiers have detected that the enemy is not advancing towards the city, but is building a camp at the road exit. It is highly likely that the enemy intends to use the camp as a base to garrison the western suburbs of the city for a long time, and to continuously send troops to plunder manors and disrupt spring planting."

Kunno had been summoned by the Duke of the Marsh, and his military knowledge was clearly far superior to that of the councilors present.

Based on the limited information brought back by the fleeing militia, he was able to guess most of the enemy's main objectives.

However, these analyses cannot solve specific problems.

Faced with the doubts of the members of parliament, he had to provide a clearer solution.

After a moment's thought, Kunno crossed his arms and continued:
“We do not yet know the total strength of the enemy forces, but Lynn was able to mobilize thousands of troops in the Battle of Greenwater River. I estimate that the number of enemy troops this time will not be less than eight hundred, exceeding the combined strength of the militia and the church.”

He then shook his head with a troubled expression. "The enemy's equipment and fighting spirit are no less than those of the militia, and they also have a large number of longbowmen. With our current strength, it is almost impossible to break through the enemy's camp."

The head of the grain guild nearly roared, "So you mean we can only obediently endure his plundering? By autumn, when he's eaten all the grain in the granaries, we'll all starve to death!"

“There must be a way. First, we need to concentrate our troops, especially our cavalry. The enemy will definitely be cavalry-led raids on farms. On the wide plains, only cavalry can defeat cavalry.” As he spoke, Kunno turned his gaze to the two black-robed priests present.

Speaking of cavalry, only the church in the city of Three Rivers has a sizable cavalry force.

This force consisted of about thirty lance squadrons, with thirty heavily armored knights and seventy squires, all equipped with fine warhorses and armor.

Regardless of their combat strength, their equipment is already at its maximum level.

Kunno only had a group of infantrymen at his disposal, and he had been eyeing these cavalrymen for a long time.

However, the church kept a close eye on these cavalrymen and did not allow the militia to get involved.

The black-robed priest simply replied, "The church's army will naturally prioritize the protection of church property and the safety of church personnel. If the enemy dares to attack the manor owned by the church, the church will certainly retaliate firmly."

The implication was clear: the church would not simply hand over its heavily invested cavalry force to the militia for nothing.

Get something for free? Don't even think about it!
All eyes turned to Kunno again.

He sighed and continued, "There are other options, such as expanding the militia. To face an opponent of the size of Baihe Territory, we need at least six hundred standing troops."

Mayor Jürgen personally rejected Kunno's proposal:
“Impossible. Do you know how much more money it would cost to support another three hundred people? This year we have to pay the Duke’s war tax and exempted the brewing guild from taxes. The city’s budget has already been reduced.”

This statement was endorsed by the vast majority of members of parliament.

In reality, although Kunno appears to be the hereditary leader of the militia, he has extremely limited influence within the group.

The city council was very wary of him, the hereditary leader, fearing that he would usurp power and become a tyrant. Therefore, it not only restricted his power but also cultivated a large number of officers loyal to the council within the militia.

Kunno's proposal to expand the militia has immediately raised concerns among Jürgen and other members of parliament.

Even if the enemy has already reached your doorstep, it is not a reason for you to expand your army on a large scale!

Who knows if you'll use this opportunity to increase your influence and control over the militia, and the city's budget can't support such a large standing army.

What else can Kuno say?

He could only helplessly pull up his helmet, using the shadow to hide the disappointment in his eyes, and silently sighed to himself:

Things in the city are always so terrible!

This is the awkward thing about cities: they can't do without the protection of the military, but they also have to be wary of the military seizing power and usurping authority.

At the same time, the city's power is not centralized and is divided among numerous interest groups within the council.

Even with a considerable armed force, it is impossible to centralize military power.

After a period of urgent consultations, the lawmakers, setting aside Quinn, finally came up with a temporary solution.

Armed merchant ships continued to blockade the Baihe River basin, strictly preventing enemy forces from attacking ports and docks downstream.

The militia should assemble on the west side of the city to prevent enemy attacks. In case of emergency, they should quickly leave the city to provide support.

The church's armed forces were still under the command of the church itself, protecting the churches and monasteries in the western suburbs and trying to limit the enemy's looting of farms in the western suburbs.

The city council will immediately send a letter of appeal to Golden Deer Castle, requesting the Duchess to send troops to support Three Rivers.

With spring planting over, the noble knights remaining in various places should be willing to obey the orders from Golden Deer Castle.

If we can get two hundred regular knights, even if we can't annihilate the enemy, we can still push them back to Baihe Territory.

As for the farmers who might be robbed, the city council is completely powerless to help.

The city itself is short of food; how could it possibly let farmers in?

Moreover, Sanhe City couldn't implement a scorched-earth policy, as it was still relying on the autumn harvest from the western suburbs farm to save its life.

After the meeting, Jürgen wrote a letter overnight and sent his most skilled captain with a messenger upstream to Golden Lock Castle.

Of course, he also didn't forget to send an urgent message to the Duke of the Marshland, who was far away in the Crown Territory.

Sanhe City is the Duke's only way out; he can't possibly ignore it.

Under the same night sky, the Duke of the Marshland was also writing a letter.

Recently, he led his army eastward like a bulldozer, and cities along the way either surrendered or were razed to the ground.

As he drew closer to the crown, nobles, mercenaries, and bandits from all over flocked to him, and the total number of his army exceeded six thousand.

This was the result of his careful selection; some truly hopeless bandits were granted 'legal plundering licenses' and sent out to restrain the nobles who remained loyal to the royal family.

While achieving successive military victories, he also developed a close relationship with the royal family of Amber Harbor.

He kept sending messengers to persuade King Maurice to surrender, but the conditions he offered didn't change much, and even decreased somewhat.

Of course, Maurice would still retain his dukedom if he surrendered.

In fact, even after winning all the way, the Duke of the Marsh still holds a certain awe for Amber Harbor.

He hoped to persuade Amber Harbor to open its gates through persuasion rather than sending troops to launch a direct assault.

(End of this chapter)