I'm not a lord

Chapter 194 Carrying a knife but not an umbrella on a rainy night

The fact that the grain purchased by the merchants was intercepted by the Duke of the Valley halfway was just one of the bad news received by Three Rivers.

Although he was mentally prepared, Jürgen still couldn't help but clench the letter tightly when faced with the undeniable facts.

This means that his last trump card for bargaining with Lynn has also become ineffective.

In reality, long-distance commercial transportation is too uncertain these days, and failing to purchase grain is the norm.

Cities, passes, and ports in various places all have their own merchant groups. Why should Sanhe City be allowed to transport grain over long distances so easily? Don't they want to make money?
Even if the Duke of the Valley doesn't intervene, there's a high probability that other forces will step in to intercept the grain from Three Rivers City.

Otherwise, the city council wouldn't have accepted Lynn's many demanding requests, and even tolerated the city's merchants colluding with Lynn.

The hope is not high, so the disappointment is also not too great.

What worried Mayor Jürgen the most was the constant stream of battle reports coming back from the front lines in the Crown Territory.

Although the secretaries under the Duke of the Marsh always embellished their battle reports, frequently mentioning how many royal soldiers had been killed.

Battle reports can be deceiving, but the front lines cannot.

The Duke of the Marshland arrived at the gates of Amber Harbor in late April, but it is now mid to late June.

No matter how the battle reports are embellished or concealed, one thing cannot silence the gossip in the North.

That is, in the nearly two-month siege, the Duke of the Swamp still failed to break through the walls of Amber Harbor.

Before the siege began, all the factions in Sanhe City had high hopes for the Duke.

After all, the Duke's achievements in the Crown Territory were too brilliant.

He cleverly captured River Bend Fortress, decisively defeated the King's army, massacred the city of Koren, and persuaded more than a dozen cities to surrender, attracting heroes from all over to join him.
It is said that the army gathered under the Duke of the Marsh numbered over 30,000, making it the largest army in the history of the Northern Kingdom.

Its military strength even surpasses that of the legendary army that the first King of the North used to defeat the Wildlings, and also exceeds the total population of Amber Harbor.

However, the result was quite disappointing.

For over two months, they haven't even managed to breach Amber Harbor, let alone breach a section of the city wall.

The fortification of this city that never falls is beyond everyone's imagination.

In the city hall office, Jürgen sat in his chair, looking at the urgent letters sent back by the grain merchants, and then glancing at the battle report that had just been sent back from the front lines that day. He almost cursed out loud.

You can't use this stuff, give me my money back!
Mikawa City is not only under heavy economic pressure for the sake of the Marsh Duke's ambition to become king, but now it is also under tremendous military pressure.

Earl Lynn of the White River to the north is eyeing the area covetously and making constant underhanded moves.

The Duke of the Valley to the south is also beginning to stir.

With two major powers simultaneously serving a small city like Sanhe, how could Jürgen possibly withstand it?
Even more critically, as news of the Marsh Duke's setbacks at the front spread, the atmosphere in the city became noticeably turbulent and unpredictable.

The city of Sanhe has been loyal to the Duke of the Swamp for over a hundred years, and this has long been a habitual practice.

Although the past six months have been unlucky, and the city has suffered multiple blows, not many citizens have had the idea of ​​betraying the Duke.

Despite his many faults, the Duke at least did not openly interfere in the city's internal affairs and largely protected the safety of the citizens' property.

But in the last two weeks, the wind direction in the city has clearly changed.

Earl Blackwood's indulgence of knights' rampant tyranny in the city has led to widespread discontent among the citizens towards the Duke.

The soaring grain prices in the city exacerbated the economic burden on the citizens, making them even more resentful of the instigators of all this.

Yes, it was Lynn who maliciously inflated grain prices.

Isn't it you, Duke of the Swamp, who can start a war?
If you hadn't destroyed the wealthy Crown Territory and provoked a war with the King and the other two Dukes, would Three Rivers City have been unable to buy food?
If you hadn't taken away all the elite troops from the territory, how could Lynn have occupied White River Territory for so long and cut off Three Rivers City's food supply?

You take the taxes paid by Sanhe City and suck the blood of the people. Instead of saving the city, you send a bandit noble like Earl Blackwood to occupy the city, making the city's situation even worse!
You have made the city no longer prosperous, and you have also harmed the interests of all citizens.

Why should we be loyal to you?

Although Jürgen was sitting in the city hall, he could faintly hear the silent shouts of the citizens outside the window.

The power of a city lies not in the nobles at the top, nor in the few powerful figures in the city council, but in the will and determination of all its citizens.

On the continent of Dievas, city dwellers were among the first to awaken.

They knew they had to take up arms to protect their property, and they knew they had to pay the price with their courage and their lives.

"The air of the city makes people free" is not an empty slogan, but a right they fought for.

Why would nobles and the ruling class of a city fear the common people?
It's because these citizens actually had weapons and armor.

Even the invincible army of the Marsh Duke could not break through the walls of Amber Harbor, which the city's inhabitants had bravely supported.

Jürgen looked at the two letters on the table and felt increasingly uneasy.

He always felt he should do something.

But what can he do?

Should we ask Earl Blackwood to leave? Or should we conjure up a pile of grain out of thin air? Or perhaps we should fly to the White River Territory in the north, stab that damned Lynn to death with a single sword strike, and then open the White River Territory's granary full of grain?

He can't do any of these things!

Just as Jürgen was feeling lost as usual, Bishop Rothegi hurriedly entered his office:

“Jürgen, we need to find a way to appease the citizens. My priests have sent word that there has been unrest within several craft guilds.”

In the past two weeks, food prices in the city have remained high, and citizens who were already facing unemployment pressure have gradually had their savings emptied.

Although Lynn transported grain into the city twice, it mainly consisted of oats, which were fed to warhorses, with only a small amount of wheat and rye as a supplement.

This did not alleviate the city's food crisis; instead, it exacerbated the conflict between the citizens and the knights.

The grain purchased from Baihe Territory is paid with the taxes paid by the citizens. Why should it be given priority to supply you arrogant and domineering foreign knights?

This was still Lynn's open scheme, but Jürgen couldn't refuse.

Even a small amount of food is still food, and more food is always better.

Even before the food crisis began, the city council had already implemented collective control over the city's grain reserves.

The current grain reserves can last for about fifteen days, but Jürgen still hasn't been able to find a reliable source of food.

Even if Lynn had laced the food with potent poison, they would still have to swallow it with tears in their eyes.

Jürgen's eyes darted around, regaining some of their luster, and he asked with a wry smile, "So what do you think the citizens are planning? A forced attack on the granary? Burning down the city hall? Or besieging the mayor's residence?"

"Anything is possible, so I think we should not only appease the citizens, but also bring Count Black Shirt's army into the city, just in case."

Rotegi also sensed the impending crisis and pinned his hopes on Count Blackwood's cavalry to resolve the problem.

“That’s not a good idea. Rushing to bring cavalry into the city will only provoke the anger of the citizens and cause them to act prematurely,” Jürgen immediately shook his head and rejected the idea.

Although he occasionally falls into a daze like a capybara, as mayor he is very familiar with the nature of the citizens.

The citizens' patience was very limited, and they really did have weapons and armor.

With a sharp blade in one's heart, the desire to kill arises spontaneously.

Never doubt the courage and determination of the citizens.

"What should we do?" Rotege paced back and forth, growing increasingly agitated.

"How about we leave the city? Let Count Blackwood protect us on our way to Golden Deer Castle?" Jürgen had a sudden inspiration and immediately wanted to start the conversation.

It must be said that moisturizing is indeed a very good solution.

Although it cannot resolve the crisis in Sanhe City, it can at least save the lives of the two of them and their families.

However, the consequences of using Kerun are also very serious.

Mayors and bishops who abandon their cities in times of crisis may save their lives, but they cannot save their political lives. Once the citizens discover their disappearance, their years of accumulated authority and connections will be destroyed in an instant.

"No! I can't be a sinner, and neither can you!"

Without a second thought, Rotterjee rejected the idea outright.

Just kidding, he studied hard for twenty years and painstakingly built up his influence in the church before finally climbing to the position of Bishop of Sanhe City.

Wouldn't running away mean burning all the hard work of the past few decades to ashes?
Putting aside everything else, he couldn't even protect the few churches in the city. Some angry, non-religious citizens would definitely smash them all to pieces.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Jürgen could only shrug.

While the two were staring at each other in the city council, Lynn was making final strategic deployments in the castle in River Marsh County.

After stir-frying over high heat and simmering over low heat, it's time to reduce the sauce over high heat.

Lynn was willing to spend more than three months managing Sanhe City because he knew the power of the citizens.

Are we going to launch a full-scale attack on Sanhe City with just over a thousand professional soldiers at our disposal?

What's the difference between that and courting death?
With the addition of the manor in the western suburbs, Sanhe City was no less powerful than the unified Baihe Territory in terms of both population size and overall strength.

Not to mention that there are a large number of skilled and physically strong senior craftsmen in the city.

They can both create wealth and protect it with weapons and armor, making them the kind of talent Lynn currently craves most.

A head-on confrontation would only unite all forces within the city, making it more difficult to capture, and would also lead to the deaths of many of these valuable talents.

People will do anything that could cost them their lives, but nobody will do anything that loses money.

Lynn hated losing money more than anything in his life. What he needed was a relatively complete Three Rivers City, not a dead city like Cologne.

Therefore, he chose to use various means to divide the internal factions of Sanhe City, constantly infiltrate them, and then try to take over the entire city from within.

To Lynn's delight, the overall situation in the North was completely on his side.

The war waged by the Duke of the Marshland devastated Crownlands, the richest territory in the North, and exacerbated the food crisis.

Then King Maurice exerted his power and successfully blocked the Duke's army outside Amber Harbor.

All of this helped Lynn accelerate the process of dividing the city's power.

Perhaps this is a case of when the time is right and all the world lends a hand.

Of course, the meticulous Lynn had also made two preparations.

First of all, the food crisis in Three Rivers City was inevitable, regardless of whether the Duke of the Marshland quickly took Amber Harbor.

Because the Crown Territory is completely rotten, it will be unable to provide food to other regions at least this year.

The core area of ​​the Marsh Duchy was also harassed by multiple armies, making it difficult to export grain.

Even if Morris failed to stand firm and lost the capital, Amber Harbor, allowing the Duke of the Swamp to be crowned king, the Duke would still struggle to provide sufficient food for Three Rivers.

The city of Sanhe, lacking food, could not garrison too many troops. Even if the Duke wanted to send a large number of troops to support the city, it would be difficult for them to hold Sanhe for an extended period.

By the end of July, when the city's food supplies were exhausted, Lynn's newly recruited thousand soldiers were just beginning to gain combat strength. Together with the existing veterans, they could form a professional army of more than two thousand men.

At that time, Sanhe City had at most three or four thousand people left due to the food shortage, plus more than ten thousand serfs in the suburbs, which would greatly reduce the difficulty of a direct assault.

Lynn could easily capture this waterway hub by sending out a well-organized army, or he could build a large number of siege engines to break through the city walls.

In short, both territories and cities need population to support them, and people need to be well-fed and watered in order to exert their strength.

In a context of food shortages, whoever has sufficient food will have absolute control.

Six rural territories that had completed agricultural reforms and a large number of skilled farmers were the foundation of Lynn's confidence.

The favorable overall situation only allowed him to achieve his goal ahead of schedule.

Through merchants like Leon and Marcel, Lynn quickly won over several major craft guilds in the city within the past two weeks.

Although the workers were also awakened citizens, their thoughts were relatively simple.

They just wanted to survive and keep the wealth they had earned through their labor.

Is there anything wrong with this? Absolutely nothing wrong!

Since the Duke of the Marsh took the money but did nothing, they would naturally look for other powerful backers.

Looking across the entire Northern Territory, only Earl White River can currently protect them.

Lynn promised these craft guilds that he would provide the citizens with large quantities of cheap food, guarantee that their products would be sold in White River Territory, maintain the city's high degree of autonomy, and exempt the city from all taxes for the first two years.

When it comes to making empty promises, who can beat him?

Tempted by the delicious aroma of the flatbread, the blacksmiths, leatherworkers, and other craft guilds were the first to defect, promising to cooperate from within and without to help Lynn take over Three Rivers City and, incidentally, eliminate the incompetent mayor and city council.

At this very moment, Leon and the merchants are still trying their best to win over other forces within the city.

But Lynn didn't want to wait any longer.

He already had enough cards in his hand to win decisively and cleanly take over Sanhe City.

The advantage lies with him; delay could lead to unforeseen changes!
As dusk fell, the Earl held a grand military review in the castle hall.

"Raise!"

"Here!" The third brother stood at attention and stepped forward.

"I order you to lead all your soldiers to sail to Three Rivers City tonight and take this damned city for me! Someone will meet you at the dock. Have you memorized the code?" Lynn's voice echoed throughout the castle hall.

"I've got it all. I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

"Hugo! Joseph! Soward!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The second son, Hugo, the fourth son, Joseph, and the new generation of wasteland leader, Soward Jr., stepped forward one after another.

"I order you to lead your soldiers by land to Sanhe City, block the roads on the western outskirts of Sanhe City, and do not let Earl Black Shirt escape!"

"Yes, sir!" the three men replied loudly.

Lynn sent out all the veterans he had on hand in one go.

Due to the lack of food for the crew, the armed merchant ships of Sanhe City had long since ceased operations, so the Baihe River was unobstructed, and there was no need to worry about the city sending troops to attack Baihe Territory by water.

Moreover, Lynn has already dispatched a thousand new troops from White Bear County southward, and they will arrive in River Marsh County tomorrow.

In addition, four hundred newly recruited barbarian soldiers from the High Cliff tribe are undergoing training in River Marsh County.

With a total reserve force of 1,400, Lynn is far from having played all his cards.

He would lead the general reserve team out at dawn.

In the castle hall, Lynn picked up an oak barrel and personally poured wine for the generals.

"Next time, we will drink fine wine together at the City Hall of Sanhe City!"

Lynn and his generals enjoyed a glass of red wine.

Once the wine in the silver cups was empty, the generals left the castle one by one and quickly led their troops into battle.

At the same time, a light drizzle began to fall from the gloomy sky.

The rainy season in the North has come earlier than usual this year.

(End of this chapter)