I'm not a lord

Chapter 195 Occupying Sanhe City (Large Chapter Paying Off Debts)
That evening, the third brother led his three hundred soldiers in three boats and sailed south downstream.

Everyone wore chainmail helmets, covered with long black hooded robes, and carried weapons such as spears, longswords, and heavy crossbows.

Lynn's task for him was to cooperate with the defecting guild members in the city to seize key locations such as the docks, granaries, and city hall, and then take control of the entire city as quickly as possible.

According to Lynn's battle plan, the third brother will arrive in Sanhe City tonight, secretly infiltrate the city, and make his move before dawn.

While the third brother set off, the second, fourth, and young Soward rode south to catch up with the main force soldiers who had set off earlier.

This force will advance south along the widened forest trail, blocking Count Blackwood's retreat route by land.

Lynn has always had a big appetite.

If we can completely defeat Count Blackwood's three hundred cavalrymen, it will greatly benefit the development of our cavalry.

However, the western suburbs of Sanhe City are flat, and it would be difficult to achieve a complete victory with only eight hundred soldiers.

Just in case, Lynn will personally lead 1,400 reserve soldiers south tomorrow, aiming to devour all the chips on the table.

The Duke of the Marsh specially dispatched three hundred cavalrymen; wouldn't it be a disservice to their kindness not to eat them?
As the third brother led his soldiers onto the ship in an orderly fashion, Kunno, who was in charge of the defense of Sanhe City, was preparing to enjoy his dinner.

There was indeed a shortage of supplies in the city, but the shortage did not affect him, the councilor, nor the three hundred soldiers of the militia.

There was a dedicated tavern next to the military camp, subsidized by the city council, where you could enjoy relatively high-quality food and drinks for a small amount of money.

For the past two weeks, in order to stabilize the situation in the city as much as possible, Kunno has basically been living and eating in the military camp.

As the leader of the guild, he could certainly sense the undercurrents within the city, knew that some guild workers were preparing to cause trouble, and even guessed that some handicraft industries might have secretly sided with Earl Baihe.

But what could he do?

Most of the militia members came from middle-class families in the city, that is, artisans.

You can't exactly send your own people to fight your own people, can you?
If he were to actually issue the order to suppress the guild, the militia would probably turn around and suppress him, the guild leader, first.

According to Humphrey's four-step method, Kuno should be considered to have reached the third step, which is the stage of knowing that action should be taken, but only being able to claim that there is nothing that can be done.

To put it bluntly, given the current state of Sanhe City, he's already doing his best to maintain urban order, guard a few city gates, and prevent more serfs from flooding into the city.

After all, his position as regimental commander was practically a figurehead. There weren't many officers who were truly loyal to him, and he could only command no more than a hundred soldiers.

Why is it that the power to appoint and dismiss militia officers is in the hands of parliament?
These days, city council members have been discussing how to save the city.

Despite repeated discussions, they still couldn't come up with a feasible and definite solution.

Or rather, all the councilors knew very well that the best way to save Three Rivers was to pledge allegiance to the Earl of White River to the north.

As Lynn said, White River Territory has food but lacks talent, while Three Rivers City has talent but lacks food.

The two were a match made in heaven.

Lynn's actions have not yet damaged the city's core, nor have they created a blood feud with the city's middle class.

The minor disagreements that happened in the past are not worth mentioning, and there is still room for everything to be resolved.

If Sanhe City takes the initiative to kick out the Marshland Duke who is standing in the middle, the two sides can have a passionate love affair that goes both ways.

As for what will happen in the future, or whether it will lead to the Duke of the Swamp's furious retaliation, such worries are meaningless.

Everyone needs to fill their stomachs first before they can have the energy to think about the future.

Even if the situation turns bad in the future, we can just surrender to the Duke of the Marshland, right?
Cities have always maintained a flexible bottom line; living in the present is the right way to live.

Besides, the Duke is currently engaged in a French kiss with the thick walls of Amber Harbor, so whether he can take the crown of the North or return unscathed is still uncertain.

But which of the councilors dares to be the first to speak up?
Mayor Jürgen and Bishop Rothegi were both staunch supporters of the Duke, and outside the west gate of the city were Count Blackwood's three hundred cavalrymen. The entire city had been loyal to the Duke for over a hundred years.

If the mayor and bishop don't take the lead, then the councilors can only remain silent.

Since the city's higher-ups dare not take action, the only option left is for the citizens below to stage a special act of overthrowing the higher-ups.

Kunno sat in a small tavern next to the military camp, and couldn't help but smile bitterly as he thought about what might happen in the city next.

As the commander of the militia, he was caught in the middle and in the most awkward position.

He has some say in the city council, but not enough.

He had some influence among the urban class, but not much.

Let him stick with Mayor Jürgen and other high-ranking officials through thick and thin. He's not willing to do it. Who the hell wants to go down with that bastard Bishop Rotterge?
He was afraid that if he stood firmly on the side of the citizens, he would be purged in the future because of his status as a councilor.

It is blocked at both ends.

Just as Kuno was looking worried, the tavern waitress brought him a plate of dinner.

"Sir, your dinner is ready."

The food and drinks on the plate were quite plentiful, including a glass of ale, a bowl of vegetable soup, half a roast chicken, two pieces of black bread, and some jam.

Kunno picked up the bread and skillfully spread rose-red jam on it.

Anyway, since things have come to this, let's eat first.

After finishing a piece of hard bread that was difficult to swallow, he picked up the soup bowl to clear his throat, only to find a yellowish-brown note hidden at the bottom of the bowl.

He didn't even have time to drink the soup; he put down the bowl and grabbed the note.

By the dim candlelight in the tavern, he could barely make out a line of small print on the note: Do you want to save the city?

Save the city?

Kunno was stunned for a moment, then realized the meaning behind the note.

He quickly got up and ran towards the back kitchen of the tavern, trying to find the waitress from earlier.

But after running two steps, he returned to the table with a flushed face, gulped down the bowl of vegetable soup, and then swallowed the piece of bread that was stuck in his throat.

About fifteen minutes later, Kunno, led by a female waitress at the tavern, braved the light drizzle and walked through a maze of dimly lit alleyways to a two-story building.

Upon going upstairs and opening the door, one finds a square table with a candle lit on it, illuminating the faces of the people around it.

The two militia captains, Marcel of the grain guild, key figures from several craft guilds, and even the head of the brewing guild who was also a city councilor.

At the same time, Kunno heard steady and powerful footsteps behind him, which he knew immediately belonged to a highly skilled swordsman.

Kunno calmed himself, raised his hands to his ears, and gave a composed yet confident smile:

"I came here to save the city."

The sound of rain outside the window gradually became indistinct.

Kunno knew perfectly well that at this time, she couldn't be too obsequious, as that would only lower her own value.

No matter what, he was the commander of the militia, responsible for the defense of the city gates and docks, and in control of the passages in and out of the city.

The city's west gate was also under his control; only he could keep Earl Blackwood out of the city.

Of course, one shouldn't be too arrogant, or one might easily get hurt.

Moreover, he has completely figured it out, and now he has two paths to take.

They could either abandon their status and flee, or stay and seek refuge with the esteemed Earl of Shirakawa.

He was unwilling to accept the former, and he lacked the right connections for the latter, and it was also difficult for him to swallow his pride.

But now a golden opportunity is before him, and he must seize it.

Marcel glanced at Quinno up and down, his tone indifferent: "I think you should know very well who we are working for and why we asked you to come here."

In fact, Marcel didn't really want Quino to join the team.

The power structure of a city is only so big; every time an old councilor disappears, the city council gains an empty chair.

But Kunno's authority is too important; if we don't win him over, we might ruin Count Baihe's important plans.

Therefore, on this night when the uprising was about to take place, Marcel made his move.

After a moment's thought, Kunuo calmly replied:
"It is an absolute honor to serve the esteemed Earl of White River and the Royal Executive. As you all know, I have no intention of being an enemy of the Earl, and the militia has never had any direct conflict with the Earl."

Even when councilors from outside the city pressured the mayor to send the militia out of the city to fight, it was I who led the rebuttal of their absurd proposal.

The reason I stand here is because I cannot tolerate the actions of the faction outside the city, and I am willing to dedicate my abilities, loyalty, and influence to Earl Shirakawa.

As he said these words, Kunno couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate.

The main reason he refused to lead the militia out of the city was his dislike of Bishop Rothgi and the church behind him, and of course, he also wanted to protect the valuable militia force.

Little did he expect that his unintentional act would become his most valuable asset today.

As Kuno said, in the three months since the conflict between Three Rivers City and White River Territory turned sour, the militia had not had any direct conflict with Lynn.

The fighting outside the city was carried out by church forces, and the ships that raided White River Territory were merchant ships under the jurisdiction of the council; they had nothing to do with him, the militia leader.

More importantly, Kunno did not make things difficult for the group of merchants who were flirting with Lynn, allowing these traitors to move freely within the city.

Everything in the city council is transparent to those who hold a certain position in the city.

It was precisely because Quinno never directly opposed Lynn that Marcel and others believed he could be won over.

After a brief but efficient negotiation, the two sides finally reached an agreement.

Quinno will join Earl Lynn of White River's camp and do his best to help the Earl take Three Rivers City.

If he succeeds, he will retain his position as a member of parliament and the hereditary head of the militia, and will also receive an additional piece of land outside the city.

The church will naturally pay for this land.

According to the agreement, the church's influence in Three Rivers City will be eradicated, the monastery and its lands will be confiscated, and all of the church's privileges will be stripped away.

Churches inside and outside the city can be preserved as appropriate to meet the needs of some religious citizens.

Kunno was extremely satisfied with these conditions.

Not only do they retain all their rights, but they can also eliminate the vile influence of the church—it's practically perfect.

Although he had never actually met Count Shirakawa in person, he was already eager to serve the Count.

Moreover, his task was not difficult: to guard the city gates and water gates, prevent any personnel from entering or leaving, and remove the docks and the city's defensive forces.

With everything settled, Marcel ordered paper and pen to be brought, and made the following request:
“Very well. Now write a letter of allegiance, expressing your loyalty to the Earl and your contempt for the traitor Lothair.”

Kunno did not hesitate and immediately wrote a clear letter of allegiance, signed his signature at the end, and affixed his personal seal.

Although the title King Morris bestowed upon Lynn was merely an empty title, the prestige behind it was truly invaluable.

According to the people in the room, Duke Lothair of the Marsh had become a traitor who should be sent to the guillotine.

After accepting the letter of allegiance, Marcel then asked Quinno to write a letter to his wife.

"To ensure your loyalty, we need to take your wife and son hostage. Is that alright?"

Marcel has already risked his life. If Kuno betrays him, hanging his body on the city wall will be the best fate for his whole family.

"no problem!"

Kuno remained undeterred.

As the saying goes, once the thought of surrender arises, one suddenly feels the vastness of the world.

In the end, he successfully carried out his betrayal.

But he did not believe he had betrayed anyone.

Most of the people present shared the same thought as him.

betray?

What a joke! We were just protecting our city from the ravages of war. How can that be called betrayal?
Only the mayor and the bishop have ever sworn allegiance to the Duke of the Marshland. What does that have to do with us good citizens?
The reason why Mikawa City chose to ally with the Duke of the Swamp was simply because he could protect the city's autonomous status.

But where was the Duke when the city faced a serious crisis?
Since he failed to fulfill his obligations, he has no right to blame the city for its betrayal.

As night deepened, Mayor Jürgen dragged his weary body back to his residence.

Although he didn't do much that day, and even the daily meetings were canceled, he still felt very tired.

Seeing the delicious-smelling food on the table, Jürgen made the same choice as Kuno in the tavern.

In short, let's eat first and talk about other things later.

At the dinner table, his wife asked with concern, "How is the situation in the city right now?"

"It's alright, nothing special," Jürgen mumbled as he ate his soft white bread.

His wife then asked two more questions: "How long will the food reserves last? Will Golden Deer Fort be able to provide any aid?"

“You don’t need to worry about these things; they can always be handled.” Jürgen was getting impatient. He and the city council had sent letters to Golden Deer Castle several times, requesting the Duchess to provide some food aid to Three Rivers.

The answers they received were always perfunctory, clearly indicating that Golden Deer Castle didn't have much surplus food either.

During dinner, Jürgen recalled his argument with Bishop Rothegis earlier that day.

The two argued for a long time about whether to run away; he advocated running, while Rotegi did not want to run.

After arguing for a long time without reaching a consensus, the matter was eventually dropped.

After much deliberation, Jürgen decided to give up completely.

Anyway, with Earl Blackwood watching outside the city, that bastard Lynn can't cause any trouble.

With the Kuno and militia guarding the city, protecting the city gates and docks shouldn't be a problem.

As for the few merchants who colluded with Lynn, their influence in the city was limited, and they couldn't cause any trouble.

What, you mean grain?

I have enough food at home for two months, enough to last until the new grain comes to market in the fall without any problem!

As for the lower-class citizens, those who can't get food will definitely leave on their own!
Cities have always restricted the influx of serfs, not the outflow of urban residents.

Let them do their best to benefit them; they can go to Baihe Territory, as long as they don't cause trouble in the city.

Jürgen even decided to issue a letter to all citizens through the city council tomorrow, encouraging them to leave the city to find a way to make a living.

After dinner, he played with his daughter for a while and then went to bed.

All worries will disappear with sweet dreams.

Compared to Quinno, who has reached the third step in terms of mindset, the mayor is probably still at the first step of Humphrey's four-step method.

This means believing that nothing has happened and declaring that the situation is still under control.

As the mayor closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, the entire city quickly fell silent, with only the faint drumbeats of raindrops tapping on the bluestone slabs.

At the break of dawn, three large ships filled with soldiers arrived at the docks of Sanhe City.

The person who greeted him at the dock was none other than Leon, the black market merchant.

After the well-trained soldiers occupied the entire dock, Lao San Yang stepped off the ship and naturally asked, "What's the situation now?"

Leon bowed slightly: "My lord, the situation is very favorable to us. The militia leader, Kunno, has sworn allegiance to the Earl, and the city gates and streets are under our control."

Although Leon could be considered a relative of the emperor by marriage, he also controlled most of the foreign trade of the White River Territory.

However, when facing military generals like the Third Prince, he deliberately adopted a very humble attitude.

In his letters, his sister Lia repeatedly emphasized that he must respect the generals under Lynn's command.

These men were Lynn's good brothers who had followed him through thick and thin, and they could freely enter and leave the castle and drink and chat with Lynn.

More importantly, these generals all held real military power.

In the increasingly chaotic Northern Kingdom, wealth, status, and honor are merely illusory forms of power; only a genuine army holds true power.

Only when a false power is attached to the military can it be transformed into reality.

In Leah's view, although her brother Leon was not bad in status, he was still a little behind Lynn's most trusted generals.

Her position as a mistress was not secure, because Lynn never actually promised to make her his official mistress.

Therefore, she hoped that her brother could find a way to maintain good relations with these generals in order to consolidate their family's position in Baihe Territory.

Of course, this relationship cannot be too intimate; a certain degree must be maintained, otherwise it may arouse Lynn's suspicion.

Leon, while not exactly obedient to his intelligent sister, was at least quite compliant with her advice.

At least the younger sister can spend every day with Lynn, making it easier for her to understand the Earl's intentions.

While reporting on the situation in the city, Leon also produced an extremely accurate map of Three Rivers City, along with a bright oil lamp.

The map marks key buildings such as granaries, armories, city halls, cathedrals, and mayor's residences, and also includes the locations of our own troops.

This map was naturally made by Lynn, and with his loyal follower Leon by his side, he could clearly see every blade of grass and every tree in Three Rivers.

The third brother, Yang, had already memorized the city map. After taking a close look and finding no problems, he immediately gave the order: "Let's begin! Take over the entire city as quickly as possible!"

Lynn had already made strategic plans before the war and distributed them to Leon and the grain merchant Marcel.

It wasn't that he liked micromanagement, but rather that these businessmen really knew very little about military affairs and needed detailed command.

At the same time, Lynn also granted the third son the power to be resourceful and adaptable, allowing him to handle all affairs in the city with full authority.

The capture of Sanhe City was divided into three steps.

The first step is to occupy the dock to secure an escape route and prevent anyone from escaping by boat.

The second step is to occupy the city walls and gates to ensure that we can trap the enemy and prevent Count Blackwood from entering the city to provide support.

The third step is to occupy all the major buildings in the city, eliminate or capture twenty councilors, and seize supreme power in the city.

It looks simple, and it really is.

With a large number of inside agents, including militia, it would be incredibly easy for the third brother to take over Sanhe City.

Lynn spent more than three months laying the groundwork, and the third brother was just there to inspect the results on behalf of his eldest brother.

For him, the challenge was not capturing cities, but maintaining military discipline.

His three hundred soldiers were all hot-blooded young men who had spent half their lives in the countryside and had never seen the prosperity of the city.

If these young men were to accidentally take even a needle or thread from the citizens of the city, it would damage the reputation of Earl Shirakawa.

However, in daily drills, the third brother cared most about military discipline.

Soldiers may not be strong enough, and their martial arts skills may not be so proficient, but military discipline must be strict enough.

For infantrymen, discipline is life itself.

At the third brother's command, a raging fire broke out on the dock.

As the flames dispelled the pre-dawn darkness, the people waiting for the signal sprang into action.

In the military camp, Regiment Commander Kunno, who hadn't slept all night, was the first to see the signal.

He immediately summoned his two trusted captains: "Make your move!"

The two captains led their men in two separate groups, one heading to the west gate to take control of the city gate closest to Earl Blackwood.

The other group turned back to the military camp and ruthlessly killed their sleeping comrades.

Two captains with close ties to the church died in their sleep, and about fifty city defense militiamen were killed.

Quinno had pre-arranged the watch order and completed the pledge of allegiance to Lynn.

After dealing with his comrades, he ignored the increasingly noisy city and quickly climbed the west gate city wall to prepare for the onslaught.

While the infighting among comrades was unfolding in the military camp, workers from several major craft guilds, led by grain merchant Marcel, also mobilized.

They already possessed weapons and even armor in their homes, and the various guilds were extremely united.

Once the chairman decides to start an uprising, he can immediately mobilize all the workers in the entire guild.

Their mission was to seize buildings such as granaries, churches, city halls, and armories.

At night, these places are usually guarded by only a few people, so the workers quickly succeeded and completed the task within half an hour.

When they take action, they also spontaneously try to calm other citizens down.

They shouted the slogans Lynn had prepared for them: "With the Earl of White River here, there will be food; with the Earl of White River here, the city will remain autonomous!"

Sanhe City has only a few thousand residents, and they all know each other very well.

Seeing that the workers had not committed any acts of burning, killing, or looting, the unsuspecting citizens simply stayed at home and watched the situation unfold.

Moreover, this slogan is indeed very effective.

In just one sentence, the city not only guaranteed food for its citizens but also ensured that it could maintain its autonomy in the future, providing a high level of security.

As for Leon, he joined up with the third brother and led two hundred elite infantrymen straight towards the wealthy district in the north of the city.

The mayor's residence and the homes of some of the city's high-ranking officials are located in this area.

This affluent area also has its own independent defense force, which is not under the jurisdiction of the city's militia.

But Leon was fearless.

He had Yang's two hundred elite soldiers behind him, and Lynn's strong support.

The rain is getting heavier.

The fire burning in Leon's chest grew even stronger, and he gripped the letter in his hand even tighter.

That was sent to him by the third brother on Lynn's behalf.

The letter contained only two lines: Go for it, I've got your back. If you succeed, I'll recommend you for mayor.

Initially, Lynn planned to incite Leon to start an uprising in the city and make him the tyrant of Three Rivers.

But as things developed, the path of tyranny was no longer suitable.

One reason is that Leon's power and influence are relatively weak. He is just a black market merchant without a seat in parliament and cannot gather many followers in the city.

On the other hand, naturally, some forces within Three Rivers City took the initiative to curry favor with Lynn and agreed to pledge allegiance to the esteemed Earl of White River and the Royal Executive.

Therefore, Lynn naturally had to change his plan, from a forced attack to a coordinated attack from within and without.

If we take this path, we must guarantee the rights of the defecting forces; it would be inappropriate to support a usurper to the throne.

But for Leon, the tyrant was a beautiful dream, while the mayor represented a more practical interest.

Besides, there's nothing wrong with being mayor. Compared to black market dealers in the gutter, becoming mayor is already a huge leap forward.

Sanhe City wasn't very big; after passing through a few streets flickering with firelight, you arrived at the entrance to the wealthy district.

Leon took the lead, leading a small squad of soldiers at the head of the column.

The dozen or so guards at the entrance were still confused about what was happening inside the city, but when they saw a group of menacing men in black, they instinctively drew their longswords.

The leader shouted urgently, "Stop! If you take another step forward, we'll draw our swords!"

Leon removed his cloak to reveal his identity, and at the same time, he strode forward, pulling out a gold coin with his left hand:
"Take this gold coin and pledge your allegiance to me, or I'll use it to pay for your funeral!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning exploded in the sky.

The pale lightning illuminated Leon's fat face, which was both extremely excited and extremely ferocious, and also the portrait of the first King in the North on the gold coin.

The head guard stumbled in fright. He couldn't understand why this black market merchant would dare to bribe the guards in the wealthy district, nor could he understand what Leon was trying to do.
But Leon had lost his patience. He drew his longsword and shouted, "Choose quickly!"

Along with his words, there was a series of crisp sounds of longswords being drawn from their sheaths behind him.

In the rainy night, glints of cold light flickered.

A little further away, the third brother was personally leading his soldiers, carrying spears, into the wealthy district.

The guard chief finally couldn't hold back anymore.

He only earns a fixed salary of five gold coins a year, why is he risking his life?
"I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you!"

As the leader dropped his longsword, the other guards also surrendered.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jürgen was finally jolted awake by his wife shaking him.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Wake up! Something's happened in the city!"

Hearing his wife's piercing scream, Jürgen instantly snapped to attention, rushed barefoot to the window, and saw flames rising fiercely in the direction of the harbor.

At the same time, he also heard hurried footsteps and shouts coming from outside the mansion.

"Run! Run quickly! To the west gate!"

Jürgen didn't have time to care about anything else. He didn't even change out of his pajamas. He picked up his drowsy daughter and ran outside.

But as soon as he stepped out the back door, he saw the black marketeer Leon waiting outside.

Leon pointed his sword forward, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Long time no see, Mayor."

(End of this chapter)