I'm not a lord

Chapter 182 The Earl of Black Shirt
Lynn naturally wanted to take down all three hundred cavalrymen, including the one hundred knights sent by Golden Deer Fortress.

This would eliminate some of the Marsh Duke's watchdogs, facilitating future expansion, and also allow them to capture some expensive warhorses and weapons.

Especially warhorses, which are exactly what Lynn lacks most right now, without exception.

In the Battle of Lushuihe, most of the fine warhorses in the Baihe River basin perished under halberds and spears.

Currently, the 150 cavalrymen under Lynn's command are mostly second-rate horses, usable but not of high quality, and certainly not as good as the cavalry that have entered Sanhe City.

To continue expanding outwards, infantry alone is certainly not enough; the development of cavalry must also be prioritized.

However, there are no well-known horse farms within the Marsh Duchy.

If Lynn wanted to acquire a large number of high-quality warhorses, he either had to rely on merchants to import them from the Grassland Duchy, or he had to seize them from the existing ones.

The two duchies are currently at war, and the warhorse trade has been largely cut off, making plundering clearly more efficient.

Intelligence is paramount in any war.

Lynn patiently ordered Leon to gather as much intelligence as possible about the cavalry.

This was easier than I had imagined.

The main problem was that these cavalrymen were too arrogant, running rampant in Sanhe City. They always paid no heed to brothels or taverns, causing the citizens to complain bitterly.

Leon simply sent two drunkards to the tavern to befriend the knights, and he easily obtained a large amount of useful information.

"The commander of this cavalry force is the Duke of the Swamp, the Earl of Blackwood, who is the Duke's brother-in-law. This shows how much the Duke values ​​Three Rivers City."

In the military camp in the northern part of the western suburbs, Lynn was not surprised after receiving the intelligence.

Given the importance of Sanhe City, the Duke will certainly send a high-ranking nobleman to oversee the city in order to protect it.

The Duke's eldest son, László, had already joined the army on the eastern expedition, making his brother-in-law, Earl Blackwood, the most suitable candidate.

It's quite a coincidence that Black Shirtland and White River Territory are practically neighbors.

The two territories are separated by a north-south trending mountain range, which is where Lynn discovered high-quality limonite.

This mountain range is named for its continuous towering peaks, with an average altitude of nearly two thousand meters. It has an extremely high forest coverage, with vegetation mainly consisting of coniferous forests of various colors, such as pine and fir trees.

Due to its high altitude and complex terrain, the interior of the mountains is sparsely populated and almost impossible for long-distance marches.

This mountain range also serves as a natural boundary between the two territories.

So far, no lord has ever crossed this mountain to attack the neighboring country.

This time, the Earl of Blackwood's support for Three Rivers City also involved first heading west to Golden Deer Castle, and then traveling east along the River Stillness, making a long detour before finally arriving at Three Rivers City.

Even so, the march took much less time than crossing mountains and valleys, and the supplies along the way were more plentiful.

After reading the secret letter, Lynn placed it in front of the second and third sons and analyzed it:
"Judging from the current situation, although this cavalry unit is not very disciplined, its equipment and combat experience are not bad, and it should be stronger than the lancer unit under the church."

Military discipline was rarer than courage and loyalty for feudal knights.

These knights were used to being local tyrants in their own fiefdoms, and it was already quite an achievement for them to be able to assemble and march when summoned by their superiors. It was impossible to expect them to be as disciplined as a standing professional army.

Moreover, they are reinforcements this time, sent to save Sanhe City, so their attitude is naturally high and mighty, and it wouldn't be surprising if they did something in the city.

After reading the secret letter, the second brother, Hugh, rubbed his hands excitedly: "We can try to lure them out of the city and then wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

The day before yesterday, when this cavalry passed through the western suburbs of Sanhe City, the second brother personally led scouts to investigate.

Just by looking at the imposing manner of those warhorses as they walked, the second brother could tell they were fine horses.

He personally had no shortage of high-quality warhorses, but his cavalry was lacking.

In those days, feudal knights would use all the money they earned to arm themselves. Whether it was armor, weapons, or warhorses, they would choose the limits within their means, so the quality would naturally be excellent.

The third brother, Yang, read the secret letter twice, but his opinion was completely opposite to that of the second brother:

"No, they should be allowed to stay in the city. The supplies that three hundred cavalrymen consume every day are far beyond what the current Sanhe City can afford."

Lynn concluded: "Both of your strategies are not wrong. These cavalrymen are newcomers and full of high morale. With a little enticement, we might be able to lure them out of the city. However, considering the overall situation, the third brother's strategy is more suitable."

While affirming the third son, Lynn also made sure to comfort the second son.

He reached out and patted his second brother, Hugh, on the shoulder: "Don't be impatient. Now that this cavalry has entered Sanhe City, I will never let them leave. During this time, you will lead the cavalry to patrol the abandoned manors in the western suburbs to prevent serfs from returning to replant. Also, try to avoid conflicts with the enemy as much as possible."

Lynn now reviews more than half of the financial documents he handles every day, and most of them are related to the military.

A professional infantryman consumes an astonishing amount of supplies every month.

This includes basic necessities such as food, meat, and wages, as well as supplies of weapons and armor, and relatively high-end foods such as eggs and cheese.

If soldiers don't eat their fill, they can't do their daily drills, and their fighting spirit will plummet.

As for the attrition of cavalry, that goes without saying.

The warhorses of the Northern Kingdom are extremely pampered. They disdain ordinary hay and mainly eat high-protein oats. After strenuous exercise, they are given goose eggs and chicken eggs as a supplementary meal.

According to the data Lynn had, the food consumption of one warhorse was normally enough to feed four to five professional soldiers.

The cavalry that has entered Sanhe City this time appears to be only one hundred knights, but they will bring at least five to six hundred warhorses.

For a proper feudal knight, it was the norm to carry two warhorses, and their squires and servants would each have at least one mount.

In other words, nearly three thousand professional soldiers poured into Sanhe City all at once.

This was several times more destructive to the city than the destruction caused by the more than one thousand serfs.

Sanhe City is currently facing a severe food shortage. How can we feed these extra thousands of picky eaters?

Lynn guessed that the reason these soldiers acted so recklessly in the city was not only due to military discipline issues, but also possibly because they had the tacit approval of the city council.

Since the city council simply cannot provide enough food for people and horses, the citizens will have to suffer for now.

This was exactly what Lynn wanted.

He wasn't afraid of the Duke of the Marsh sending reinforcements; he was afraid that there wouldn't be enough reinforcements.

In those days, feudal armies didn't have a logistics system; they ate wherever they went.

Lynn was eager for the Duke to send another hundred fief knights to Three Rivers.

At that time, he won't even need to take action; Sanhe City will naturally descend into serious chaos.

As for now, Lynn just needs to wait patiently for a while longer before he gets the fighter jet he wants most.

War is not a matter of fighting randomly, but rather about seizing the most advantageous opportunity to send troops.

This way, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort and minimize our own losses.

Lynn only has a little over a thousand soldiers at his disposal, and he can't afford to suffer serious losses, so he has to be very careful with his resources. "Brother, I'll do whatever you say."

The second brother always obeyed his elder brother's every word.

Since his elder brother told him to be patient, he would be patient.

After giving the order, Lynn set off back to River Marsh County.

He had planned to hold a mass wedding at the end of April, but Old Sowad was busy settling his people and fellow tribesmen from the High Cliffs tribe. He was busy in the north of the territory and would not be able to reach the southernmost River Marsh County until mid-May.

Lynn will be holding a mass wedding for young Soward with a group of officers as agreed, and he needs to go back to make preparations beforehand.

A week passed quickly.

During this time, following Lynn's orders, the second brother led his cavalry to continue rampaging through the western suburbs of the city, while also taking the opportunity to recruit some serfs who had defected to the White River Territory.

Earl Blackwood, who was stationed in the city, actually led his troops out of the city to try to engage in battle. He even brought along 150 cavalrymen from the church, forming a huge cavalry force of more than 400 men.

However, the second brother's entire crew was lightly armed, wearing only the lightest leather armor. As soon as the wind picked up, they immediately fled, giving no chance to engage in battle.

After several attempts, Earl Blackwood grew tired of dealing with him and simply stationed himself in the western suburbs of the city, occasionally sending scouts to survey the area around Lynn's military camp.

Faced with this situation, Mayor Jürgen could no longer sit still.

He, accompanied by Bishop Rothgier and several councilors, went to the temporary horse farm in the western suburbs to discuss military matters with Count Blackwood.

“My Lord, this can’t go on.”

Jürgen has been under tremendous pressure lately.

Not only do they have to reconcile the sharp conflicts between the two factions of councilors within the city council, but they also face personal attacks from the general public outside the city hall.

Whether it was the western suburbs being plundered by Lynn, or the city being ravaged by serfs and foreign troops, he, as the mayor, had to take the blame for all of this.

Now that the Duke of the Marshland's reinforcements have arrived, the citizens still have to bear the cost of the army's expenses.

If they can't produce any more results, Jürgen's mansion in the city will probably be lost.

Count Black Shirt stood under the stable brushing his horse's mane, not even glancing at Jürgen, and asked indifferently, "So, what advice does the mayor want to give me?"

The count was in his early fifties, with thick, golden hair like a lion. He was a large man, a head taller than Jürgen, and his voice was as loud as a bronze bell, making Jürgen's ears ring.

Jürgen took a half step back, suppressing his discomfort, and replied, "I think you might try attacking the military camps north of the western suburbs. It is because of the existence of those two military camps that the serfs in the manor cannot work in peace, and the citizens in the city cannot sleep peacefully."

"No."

Count Blackwood refused outright, without stopping the brush in his hand.

Before Jürgen could reply, Bishop Rothegis, standing behind him, jumped out and shouted, "But His Majesty the Duke sent you here precisely to eliminate that Lynn, didn't he?"

The count merely glanced at the bishop: "Wrong. The Duke's orders to me were not to eliminate Lynn, but to protect Three Rivers City."

That murderous glance immediately made Rotegi retreat in fear.

Jürgen continued, "But the city of Three Rivers simply cannot support so many knights and warhorses. Right now, the city's food supply is only enough for one month."

He didn't mince words and directly pointed out the current difficulties facing Sanhe City.

"Shall we leave?" The count turned his head away from the two of them and gently stroked his beloved horse's back.

This question immediately silenced Mayor Jürgen and Bishop Rothegi.

Although Earl Blackwood failed to capture Lynn's swift and elusive cavalry, he was at least able to preserve his remaining four manors.

It is clear that these three hundred cavalrymen were indeed able to intimidate Lynn.

In such a critical moment, Jürgenvan could not allow Count Blackwood to leave.

Earl Blackwood continued to stroke his beloved horse, and slowly said, "I have two suggestions for you. First, immediately purchase grain from other regions, as much as there is."
Secondly, try to mobilize the city's civilian militia, or hire mercenaries. If you can muster a thousand armored soldiers, I can try leading them to attack the northern military camp.

Earl Blackwood was indeed a military strategist. He knew that Lynn's camp was high and deep, and backed by roads and forests, making it extremely difficult to attack.

Even if he could command three hundred church soldiers and three hundred city defense militia, plus his three hundred cavalry, it would be difficult to break through those two fortified camps that were mutually supporting each other.

A forceful attack will only result in one outcome: a crushing defeat.

Upon hearing this, Jürgen's expression became quite complicated: "Your Excellency, we have tried everything before. Your suggestion is good, but it is difficult to implement in practice."

If the city council can accomplish these two things, there is no need to seek help from the Duke of the Marsh and Golden Deer Castle.

Buying grain?

In the North right now, food is almost more valuable than money. Where can we buy enough food to feed tens of thousands of people?
Baihe Territory still has a large amount of surplus grain from last year, but that bastard Lynn refuses to sell it!
As for the military, that's even more unrealistic.

The citizens' anger is so intense that it's almost burned down the city hall, and they have no reason to fight for the city council.

The mercenaries all followed the Duke of the Swamp to the Crown Territory to make their fortune; even money couldn't buy them.

Earl Black Shirt simply shook his head: "Then there's nothing I can do. With the troops I currently have, I can at most help you defend the city."

Bishop Rothgier turned his head and rolled his eyes twice:

Bah! Defending the city, my foot! Because of your three hundred men and six hundred horses, you've almost eaten up all of Sanhe City's food supplies! Before Lynn can even launch a general offensive, the city will have to surrender to him!

But he dared not say these things directly; he could only keep them to himself.

As Mayor Jürgen and several councilors embarked on their disappointing journey home, Robert, the mayor of the northern shallows county, was welcoming a large influx of new serfs.

The past two weeks have been a bit nerve-wracking for Robert.

First, nearly four thousand people from the wilderness traveled south through Qiantan County, and then a large number of people from lowland tribes settled in Qiantan County.

As arranged by the lord, these thousand lowland tribes' wastelanders will settle in Shallow Beach County, and Robert will be responsible for allocating land, houses, food, farm tools, and livestock to them.

Robert had prepared these things in advance, but when it came to actually distributing them, he was still in a flurry of activity, since he didn't understand the language of the Wild People.

Fortunately, a group of students from the school in White Bear County came to help, which helped Robert settle the refugees.

To be honest, Robert still harbored some wariness and fear towards the wastelanders.

Fortunately, these villagers were all quite well-behaved and did not cause any trouble for the time being.

Robert is still troubled by the population imbalance in his territory.

There were too many blue-haired deserters, and their language and customs were vastly different from those of the locals.

Unfortunately, Lynn conscripted a large number of young men from Shallow Beach last year, which greatly worried Robert. If the barbarians rioted, he feared his term as county magistrate would be over.

Today, about five hundred serfs arrived in the Shallows Territory. Most of these serfs were young and strong, and could effectively supplement the local population, which was lacking in young and strong men.

(End of this chapter)