I'm not a lord

Chapter 180 Baihe Territory Can't Turn the Tables

The so-called 'kill Lynn' was just a rash remark made by the Duke of the Marsh in the heat of the moment.

Before today, he had no idea that Lynn was also involved with that bastard king.

However, he doesn't have the time to completely kill Lynn right now.

After dismissing the envoy from Amber Harbor, he dismissed the nobles in his tent and ordered his servants to spread out a map of the Northern Kingdom on the table.

Although he was in the eastern part of the Crown Territory, he never relaxed his attention to the city of Three Rivers, which was hundreds of kilometers to the west.

That place was his only reliable escape route, and Mayor Jürgen was someone he had been cultivating and grooming for a long time.

Although the Duke believed that this escape route was unlikely to be used, since Amber Harbor was already destined to be his.

But something is better than nothing.

Besides, Lynn's problem will eventually need to be resolved, and it would be better to resolve it in advance.

For the past week or so, Jürgen has been sending urgent letters to the Duke.

His words were extremely earnest, practically begging the Duke to help Sanhe City.

Thanks to the relay stations set up by the Duke of the Marshland along the route, these letters were able to be delivered to him steadily and safely.

Based on information from various sources and his own speculation, the Duke believed he had fully grasped Lynn's entire strategy.

Lynn first occupied White Bear Territory, then occupied Shallow Beach Territory, and after accumulating strength for a year, he conquered the remaining four baronies.

The next step is naturally to take over Sanhe City, the key waterway, and open the gates to blockade Baihe Territory.

This would allow Lynn to completely open up the situation, expand in any direction, and even unite with the Duke of the Valley to the south to completely lock down the Duke of the Swamp's army within the Crown Territory.

The Duke examined the map on the table, frowning as he put himself in Lynn's shoes, feeling that Lynn's every step was both fast and steady.

Even if it were him, it would be difficult for him to do better than Lynn.

Due to a lack of information, the Duke was initially somewhat puzzled.

Where did Lynn get such a large number of longbowmen?

Where did they get such a huge amount of gold coins that could arm a thousand soldiers?
A skilled longbowman cannot be put to use without three years of rigorous training, so the noble knights of the North prefer to use the easier-to-master crossbow.

Not to mention the equipment costs for a thousand soldiers; even the cheapest chainmail alone costs at least ten gold coins.

With those two rotten territories, White Bear Territory and Shallow Beach Territory, it would be quite an achievement to arm three hundred men even if we put in our best effort.

Now, after seeing King Maurice's letter of peace and the urgent letter from Three Rivers, the Duke's doubts finally received a relatively reasonable explanation.

Perhaps from the very beginning, Duke Herman of the Valley and his illegitimate son Maurice were in cahoots with Lynn.

Those longbowmen were most likely mercenaries that Maurice had recruited from the south.

The golden shields and equipment needed to arm the soldiers were provided by the Duke of the Valley and transported into the White River basin under the cover of merchant ships.

That's why, as soon as Lynn started to gain momentum, the two of them couldn't wait to give him all sorts of official titles and positions.

They can even offer high-ranking positions like Royal Executive Officer.

As for Maurice's declaration that the Duke of the Marshland had violated the law of treason, the Duke found it laughable.

Do you have the prestige and power of the first King of the North to dare to use the Rebellion Act?

It's really hilarious.

Duke of the Marshland then realized that if they followed this line of reasoning, the mystery would only grow larger.

When did they begin plotting? Before the previous king passed away?
Was the mysterious death of the former Baron of White Bear Territory also orchestrated by them?

From the very beginning, they had their eyes on the unique terrain of the Baihe River basin and anticipated my subsequent military plans.

And who leaked the whereabouts of Roman from the Cold Wind family?
Did Earl of Coldwind and his eldest son really not participate in it?

In the end, the Duke of the Swamp shook his head, suppressing all his doubts.

There's no point in thinking about these things now.

What he needs to do is not to raise more questions, but to solve the problems at hand.

Just then, the eldest son, László, strode into the tent and handed over a piece of parchment with ink still wet: "Father, the letter is finished."

The Duke of the Marshland glanced at it carefully and ordered, "Send it to Golden Deer Castle urgently so that your mother can send troops as soon as possible."

Golden Deer Fort is currently under the command of his wife, who has the authority to mobilize the military forces remaining in the territory.

The Duke did not bring all the military forces from his territory with him on this eastern expedition.

To protect his stronghold, he kept most of the noble knights who owned fiefdoms at home.

It was these same nobles who suppressed the rebellion of refugees in Sanhe City last year.

Of course, with the continuous centralization of power by three generations of dukes in recent decades, there are not many powerful nobles who own large fiefdoms in the duchy anymore.

After a brief deliberation, the Duke concluded that the only armed forces his wife could currently utilize were the hundred court knights remaining at Golden Deer Castle, plus a little over two hundred fief knights.

Including the knights' squires and servants, the total number was around a thousand. These soldiers were all well-trained, well-equipped, and had high-quality mounts. They were an elite force capable of long-range field battles, and their combat power was far superior to that of conscripts who could only be used for defense.

If Lynn hadn't seized the six baronies in the White River region, the Duke could have mobilized about sixty more fief knights.

As for now, the Duke of the Swamp has only a thousand soldiers left to defend his stronghold and suppress Lynn.

Even if we send them all out, there's a high probability we won't be able to take that damned White River Territory.

The Duke was well aware of this, having toured the White River basin many times, and was deeply impressed by its isolated terrain.

“Father, sending only a hundred fief knights may not be enough to defeat Lynn.”

Laszlo glanced at the map, his face showing worry.

The terrain of the Baihe River basin is clearly easy to defend and difficult to attack.

It is known that Lynn has at least a thousand combat-ready soldiers and has defeated the alliance of four barons. Sending these hundred knights would most likely be ineffective against Lynn.

They might even give Lynn warhorses and weapons for free.

Unfortunately, the Duke appointed László's uncle as the commander, and only assigned him one hundred knights from various territories.

These knights are strong in battle, but difficult to command.

László was so worried that he was afraid his dear uncle would never return.

The Duke of the Marsh addressed his eldest son in an admonitory tone:

“I did not expect to defeat Lynn with this small force. I let your uncle lead the troops because he is experienced, calm and composed, and can understand my intentions.”

My task for him was not to defeat Lynn, but to cooperate with the local army of Three Rivers City to protect the city and its suburbs, prevent Lynn from continuing to plunder the manor on the western outskirts of the city, and at the same time defend against attacks from the south.

Even if Duke Herman of the Valley is incompetent, he can surely muster an army by summer; after all, he is a duke.

More importantly, this opportunity allows us to strengthen our control over Sanhe City.

In the past, due to the treaty signed with the city, we were unable to send troops loyal to us to garrison Sanhe City.

But now the city council has taken the initiative to ask us for help, and the citizens will correspondingly be less resistant to the military. We must not miss this opportunity.

There were some reasons that the Duke did not explicitly state.

As the saying goes, it is easier to invite gods than to send them away.

Once these hundred fief knights enter the city, it won't be so easy for them to come out again. They will have to rely on the city for food, clothing, and other necessities, and they will have to stay there until Lynn is completely wiped out.

In the future, the Duke might even try to replace this cavalry with resident court knights, allowing the city to support a professional army for him, in order to alleviate the economic pressure on his direct territories.

However, he wouldn't tell his eldest son everything, but would let him slowly come to understand the deeper meaning.

László listened with increasing delight, his furrowed brows quickly smoothing out, and his gaze towards his father filled with respect and admiration.

"Now I finally understand why you're not in a hurry to wipe out Lynn! The more ferocious he is, the more likely Three Rivers City will become dependent on us. In the future, when we attack White River Territory, we can also bring Three Rivers City completely under your rule!"

By the way, once you defeat Lynn, you can also make White River Territory your direct domain, eliminating the need for hereditary noble rule over these lands!

"I'm glad you understand."

The Duke of the Marsh smiled with satisfaction. “Once we conquer Amber Harbor, I will give you a powerful army. You will bring back Lynn’s head for me and plant my flag throughout the entire White River region.”

This was the first time the Duke had given permission for his eldest son to lead an army into battle.

This made László, who had just come of age, extremely happy, just like when he received his first pony at the age of seven.

He could no longer suppress the smile on his face, and when he walked out of the military tent with the letter in his hand, even his steps were light and unsteady.

The Duke of the Swamp looked at his eldest son's swaying back and shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

László is indeed outstanding, physically strong and highly skilled in combat, and his understanding of military affairs is among the best of his peers, but he still lacks in terms of temperament.

Fortunately, the eldest son is still young, and has enough time to continue to hone and refine his skills.

Judging from the current situation, Lynn doesn't dare to directly attack Sanhe City, but only dares to plunder the poor serfs in the western suburbs. This shows that he has a certain strength, but has not yet grown to the point of being completely uncontrollable.

Isn't this the best whetstone in László?

The Duke was not afraid of his eldest son failing; in fact, he hoped his eldest son would encounter some setbacks, since he, as the father, could guarantee his son's safety.

After conquering Amber Harbor and consolidating the resources of the Crown Territory, he will have plenty of time and resources to wear down Lynn.

As long as the White River channel is continuously blocked to prevent the Duke of the Valley from sending more troops and resources in, and reinforcements are sent to firmly defend Three Rivers City, Lynn will be locked up within the White River Territory.

With only tens of thousands of people in Baihe Territory, they can't cause any major upheaval!

While the closed terrain of Baihe Territory is indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack, it also limits the expansion of forces within the territory.

Because outsiders can also use this terrain to block it off.

The Duke of the Marsh was convinced that his loyal and experienced brother-in-law would be able to keep Lynn firmly under control.

(End of this chapter)