I'm not a lord

Chapter 176 King Maurice

In fact, even before Rotegi made his decision, a small number of serfs had already attempted to escape into the city of Mikhe.

Since the monastery estate was unwilling to provide them with enough food or support them in replanting wheat seedlings, they naturally had to find new ways to make a living.

Under the influence of the priests, Lynn had become a monster who ate children alive.

Many serfs dared not go to Baihe Territory, but they could go to Sanhe City, which was nearby.

They figured the city's gentlemen might be willing to give them a job.

But compared to the unmarked and easily flooded Baihe territory, Sanhe City truly had a roof.

"Guard the city gates and strictly prohibit unauthorized personnel from entering the city! Especially the serfs in the western suburbs!"

Every morning, Kunno, the commander of the city's militia, would personally inspect the camp and repeatedly instruct all the militiamen to keep a close watch on the city gates.

Although he did not go to the manor in the western suburbs, he knew that a large number of serfs had been plundered, and he also knew what kind of things a penniless serf could do.

If these serfs were allowed to enter the city, the city's security level would inevitably plummet.

Despite Kunno's tight defenses, the lid of Three Rivers City seemed very sturdy.

In the past two days, soldiers have captured and repatriated hundreds of serfs.

Although a few escaped and infiltrated the city, their numbers were too small to cause any real trouble.

But Kunno was only one person, while Three Rivers City had three city gates and a port.

He might be able to patrol the most important West Gate at all times, but he couldn't control the other city gates.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the militia only has about 300 people; the factions within it are far more numerous than those in the city council.
Bishop Rothgier didn't even need to spend money; he could persuade the guard at the North Gate to open the city gates with just words.

Even Westgate and Quinno couldn't hold it.

The city's markets need fresh vegetables and meat every day, which must be transported in from outside the city.

The church in the city needs to be renovated, which requires transporting wood and stone from outside the city, as well as a large number of workers.

So, are you going to let them through or not?

What could Quinno say when the other party presented a permit stamped by the mayor?

Given the church's status and power, there were countless ways to send serfs into the cities.

In just one day, thousands of serfs and their families poured into the city, exceeding one-tenth of the city's permanent population.

The consequences are self-evident.

That very evening, rows of serfs knelt and begged in the streets of Sanhe City.

These serfs were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces were emaciated, and many of them had young children with them, making them look very pitiful.

The following morning, Kunno received dozens more reports of theft and robbery.

Some serfs felt that making money by kneeling was too slow, so they simply resorted to stealing and robbing.

"Rotegi, stop your foolish behavior immediately!"

At the city council meeting that morning, Quinno could no longer contain his anger and suddenly stood up to publicly criticize him by name.

“Unfounded accusations only reveal your ignorance and rudeness.” Rotegi simply sat in his seat, coldly watching the militia commander.

Yes, he did it all.

But so what?
I am a bishop, and I have a large number of faithful believers in the city and even in the city council. What can you do to me?
As Rotegi spoke, his fellow members of the 'outsiders' faction rose to their feet, condemning Quinno's baseless accusations.

The councilors from the 'City Insider' faction were naturally not to be outdone, and they also stood up to support their leader, Kunno.

Chaos erupted inside the parliament, and the level of profanity skyrocketed.

Although these attendees were all respectable people from Sanhe City, if you wanted to win an argument, you couldn't maintain your dignity.

Mayor Jürgen looked at the increasingly familiar bustling scene and found it noisy.

Ever since Lynn began raiding the western suburbs, the same scene has played out every day in the council.

The members of parliament didn't feel tired, but Jürgen was somewhat exhausted.

The main problem is that Lynn only engages in plunder and trade embargoes, seemingly with no intention of launching a full-scale attack on Sanhe City. He's just being annoying and mediocre.

Unfortunately, the city council couldn't do anything about him.

The local rural areas have no shortage of food or meat, and they can survive without urban goods for a short period of time, so blocking the Baihe River will not have a significant impact on them.

As for looting, Lynn's cavalry are well-trained, well-equipped, and swift as the wind, and they also have fortified camps as an escape route.

Given the vast, flat terrain of the western suburbs, they couldn't win in a fight or stop the enemy, so they could only concentrate their forces to barely defend the few remaining manors.

It was precisely because of Lynn's existence that the already significant conflict between the two factions in Three Rivers City was completely ignited.

Mayor Jürgen was caught in the middle, pleasing neither side.

He couldn't afford to offend the church-led faction outside the city.

After all, the church controlled most of the land and population in the western suburbs, provided the city with food and meat for daily consumption, and was the largest landlord in the city, with astonishing wealth and deep roots.

Even Jürgen himself was a devout follower of the Trinity Church.

As for the faction within the city, led by militia leader Kuno, he couldn't afford to offend them either.

Kunno is alright; he's just a reckless brute. He was sent out by the city to draw fire.

However, the city has a powerful figure like the president of the brewing guild, as well as a group of craft guilds to back them up.

Although these workers belonged to the lower and middle classes of the city, they all kept armor at home and were ready to go into battle immediately in case of war, displaying an abundance of martial spirit.

However, these workers were only willing to defend the city in the narrow sense, and were unwilling to leave the city to fight for the serfs. Moreover, most of their martial spirit was vented on the urban ruling class.

Sanhe City has a history of worker riots, and the mayor's mansion alone has been burned down three or four times.

As long as Jürgen hasn't lost his mind, he won't completely offend this faction.

As for the refugees who were allowed into the city, it was a secret deal made between Jürgen and Rothegi.

The western suburbs were ravaged and tens of thousands of serfs were displaced. It is impossible for the city to bear no responsibility whatsoever.

The city currently has three months' worth of food reserves. If we could feed an extra thousand or so people, we could manage without triggering a riot among the artisans.

In short, the citizens suffered, and Ergen carried the blame.

Isn't the mayor just someone who's used as a scapegoat?
The city faction naturally understood this principle, so Kunno didn't criticize the mayor who released serfs into the city, but instead pointed the finger at the culprit, Rotegi.

Of course, Rotegi also had something to say:

"A bunch of sons of bitches, what right do you have to blame me? The source of all the disputes and conflicts is that Lynn! It's all because of that damned devil! You cowards don't dare to deal with him, so you only know how to target your own people!"

Then let me ask you, haven't you ever eaten wheat, pork, and mutton grown in the western suburbs? Shouldn't the city and its suburbs help each other in times of difficulty?

Kunno was prepared for this and retorted righteously:
"Of course you should be blamed, you damned pedophile and sodomite! Weren't you enjoying it when your church was buying up properties to rent out at high prices and buying up land to sell grain at high prices? Now that you've only suffered a little loss, you're already busy driving serfs to the city."

They're all smiles when they're making money, but when they lose money they suddenly want to go to the city. Is there really such a thing as a free lunch?

Both sides exposed each other's shortcomings and attacked each other's weaknesses, which naturally led to a long and passionate exchange of insults.

Some of the overly excited councilors even started fighting amongst themselves, turning the city council into a veritable octagon. Watching all this unfold, Jürgen felt like he was going crazy.

Where's the Duke of the Marshes?
Please help me, Your Grace!
Even if you're busy conquering Amber Harbor, you should at least squeeze some knights out of Golden Deer Castle to come over, right?
Save your loyal city of Sanhe!
While the members of Congress were exchanging friendly blows, the Duke of the Marshland was facing a huge problem.

His vanguard had reached the outskirts of Amber Harbor and, as planned, began sweeping through the surrounding area.

But the area was already deserted; there was no grain or livestock left, not even a single piece of thick wood.

Duke Lothair of the Marsh learned that King Maurice had ordered a scorched-earth policy in advance for the area around Amber Harbor.

It is said that Maurice sent a large number of royal knights to forcibly relocate people from house to house, and those who resisted were punished for 'treason'. The fire in the suburbs burned for three days and three nights.

Now, all the manor villages and towns within a 15-kilometer radius of the city have been cleared out.

The population, food, and livestock all entered the city, while houses, forests, and fields were all burned down.

The Duke of the Marsh's army will be unable to obtain food supplies nearby, nor will they be able to gather wood to assemble siege equipment.

If he were to force a siege, he would have to transport supplies and large timbers from the rear.

The Jinghe River has already thawed, and with the replenishment from the melting snow in early spring, the water volume is sufficient for large ships to navigate.

An even more serious problem is that the Duke of the Marsh has no control over the 'water control' of the Quiet River.

The average width of the Jinghe River near its estuary in the lower reaches exceeds one kilometer, far surpassing that of inland rivers like the Baihe River.

Amber Harbor, the capital, is the largest port in the North, boasting a large number of warships and armed merchant ships.

Normally, these ships are used to deal with large, organized pirate gangs at sea.

Now, they only need to burrow downstream of the Jing River to firmly occupy the river surface.

The Duke of the Marshland not only had control over the waters, but he also had to worry about the royal navy launching surprise attacks on his camp.

Since the waterway was impassable, he had no choice but to transport grain and timber by land.

That efficiency is a million miles worse than that of waterways.

Once the timber arrives from the rear, and the craftsmen assemble it into heavy machinery such as catapults, siege towers, and battering rams, it will probably be a month later.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Amber Harbor, the Duke of the Marshland discovered an even more fatal problem.

Unable to control the waterways, he will be unable to completely surround Amber Harbor.

Even setting aside the Tranquil River waterway, Amber Harbor could also be reached by sea, obtaining food, supplies, and manpower from other coastal territories.

As for sending troops to conquer the royal family's territories along the coast, that's not out of the question.

Given the Duke of the Swamp's current power, wherever he goes, most of the minor nobles and lords will surrender on the spot.

But that also takes time, at least one month, and at most two months.

Since the attack on Coron in February, it took the Duke of the Marsh more than two months to finally advance to the gates of Amber Harbor.

He certainly understood the simple truth that delay can lead to unforeseen changes.

The nobles who remain loyal to the royal family, the other two arch-rival dukes, the many cities in the Crown Territory that have surrendered to him, and Lynn, who has occupied the White River Territory and launched a plundering war against Three Rivers City—these are all potential time bombs that could explode at any moment.

Even the army under the Duke of the Swamp had thunder.

We deployed troops last June, and it has been almost a year now.

Even the most loyal court knights began to feel homesick, not to mention the local nobles who had fought alongside the Duke for a long time.

To bolster his influence, the Duke recently took in a group of bandits, brigands, and armed refugees, totaling over two thousand.

This group has extremely poor military discipline.

If the situation turns even slightly wrong, these people might spread rumors in the military camp, causing even greater chaos.

But the Duke couldn't do without these people.

Now that the ordinary farmers outside Amber Harbor have all entered the city, we can't very well use his most precious court knights as cannon fodder to fill the moat.

Considering all the difficulties, for a moment, the Duke of the Swamp even considered retreating, going back to deal with that damned Lynn first, and eliminating any worries before making any further moves.

But he was unwilling to accept it.

The crown and throne were right there in Amber Harbor, seemingly within easy reach.

Having put in so much hard work and effort to stand out in this long race for the throne, and only one step away from crossing the finish line, who can resist such temptation?
Anyway, the Duke of the Swamp is no good.

What else is there to say? Just fight!

He led his eldest son and the main force to a village three kilometers west of Amber Harbor.

The village was naturally burned down, but at least some ruins remained, which could be renovated and made habitable.

This must be the worst camp the Duke of the Swamp has ever stayed in since he went on his campaigns.

But an even greater temptation lay before him, and he quickly regained his composure and issued a series of military deployments.

First, he sent a troop back to the rear cities and ordered those cities to immediately send a large number of laborers to transport food, supplies, and timber to the front lines.

Secondly, he dispatched several small forces, arranged in a fan shape, to sweep through the area surrounding Amber Harbor.

Perhaps there are villages that weren't burned down?
The Duke of the Marsh did not expect these troops to gather food or people.

Even a mud house that wasn't burned down would have a main beam, which was made of high-quality wood and could be used to make siege weapons.

He then dispatched Earl of Coldwind, ordering him to lead the local nobles who had come to join him in setting up a defensive line along the banks of the Tranquil River to prevent royal troops from landing and attacking the supply lines.

Finally, the Duke of the Marshland, still hoping for the best, sent several waves of envoys to Amber Harbor.

In fact, just by looking at the devastation around Amber Harbor, it was clear that King Maurice had made up his mind to resist to the end.

Scorched earth policies are not only about attacking the enemy, but also about attacking oneself.

This is a self-destructive tactic that inflicts a thousand damages on the enemy while also inflicting two thousand on yourself.

Implementing this tactic requires not only a firm resolve from those in power, but also a resolute will to resist from all residents of Amber Harbor and the surrounding area.

All of this may have stemmed from the horrific massacre that took place in the city of Koren.

But the Duke of the Marsh had no choice.

Without massacring the city, he couldn't vent the anger of his soldiers; without massacring the city, he couldn't easily persuade the subsequent cities to surrender.

He had thought he could also force Amber Harbor to open its gates and surrender through intimidation.

But now it seems that this great city, founded by the first conqueror king, will not easily kneel down.

For over two hundred years since its founding, no one has been able to breach Amber Harbor.

That very afternoon, the Duke of the Marsh's messenger entered the royal palace, perched on the cliffs of Amber Harbor, and was received by the current King, Maurice.

“Go back and tell Lothair that the crown is on my head, and if he wants it, he can take it himself.”

Unlike his hasty retreat from the northern suburbs of Cologne, Morris is now full of confidence and self-assurance.

The gaunt king, over forty years old, sat on his throne, draped in a long black robe, wearing a pure gold crown, and holding a scepter carved from whale horn, looking like a true king.

(End of this chapter)