I'm not a lord

Chapter 199 The Sanhe City Redevelopment Plan (Bonus Chapter for April Monthly Tickets)

The tense and exciting chase lasted from morning until afternoon.

According to statistics, less than one-tenth of the more than three hundred riders under the command of Earl Blackwood ultimately escaped.

Only a small number of enemy soldiers died directly on the battlefield, at most two or three out of ten.

Most of the enemy's deaths occurred during the pursuit.

Since these enemy troops were all feudal knights with their own territories or manors, there was almost no possibility of them surrendering.

To reduce risk and save time, the second, third, and fourth brothers in charge of the pursuit simply ordered the prisoners to be executed on the spot.

The bloodstains of men and horses stretched westward from the battlefield, with a total length exceeding twenty kilometers.

The several monasteries and estates located in the southern part of the western suburbs are still under the control of the Church of Three Rivers, and are nominally considered to be allies of the cavalry under Count Blackwood.

The church soldiers inside the manor naturally noticed this extremely fierce and bloody pursuit.

But they didn't dare go out to meet their allies; they just closed the manor gates and trembled with fear.

Are you kidding me? The Duke of the Swamp's brother-in-law has lost so badly, wouldn't it be suicide for us little Karami to go out rashly?
The vast majority of the fleeing cavalry did not choose to seek refuge in the manor.

They all knew very well that with the fall of Three Rivers and the death of Earl Blackwood, these manors would soon fall into the hands of Earl Lynn of White River.

Hiding in the manor only slightly delays death; it's not much different from walking into a trap.

If you really want to survive, you have to keep running west. As long as you haven't been caught by nightfall, you can be considered to have escaped death.

As the pursuit gradually came to an end, Lynn finally arrived late with the general reserve team.

Prior to this, he had already learned the good news of his side's great victory.

Sanhe City has now completed the capture of the city's high-ranking officials. All fifteen councilors who had not sided with him have been captured, and none of them have escaped. The entire city is now in his hands.

Earl Blackwood was killed on the spot, and his cavalry scattered like birds and beasts. Most of the warhorses and equipment became Lynn's spoils of war, including at least four hundred warhorses, which were exactly what White River Territory needed most.

As for our own casualties, they are still being tallied.

It is certain that the number of casualties was not high, and the casualty ratio was frighteningly good.

At first glance, the results in these two directions seem to have nothing to do with Lynn.

The battles at the North Gate and West Gate were commanded by Lao Sanyang and Kunnuo, the militia commander, respectively.

The occupation of the city's main buildings and the arrest of the mayor, bishop, and councilors were respectively overseen by two merchants, Marcel and Leon.

The main credit for the great victory over Count Blackwood in the western suburbs belongs to the second son, Hugh, while the secondary credit goes to the fourth son, Joseph, who commanded the operation on the spot.

Overall, the second brother should be considered the MVP of the Battle of Sanhe City, because he undertook the most difficult task and even charged to the front line, which can be described as risking his life.

If we look at it that way, then isn't Lynn just a sitting duck who wins without lifting a finger?
Without doing anything, he effortlessly conquered the more than 7,000 people of Sanhe City, plus nearly 20,000 people in the manor outside the city, and also gained countless riches, warhorses, and weapons and equipment.

What else could this be but a case of someone who wins without lifting a finger?
But Lynn wouldn't think so, nor would his men who fought for him.

If it weren't for Lynn's orchestration, his overall command, his extensive expansion of the territory, and his dedicated training of the army, how could we have achieved such a resounding victory today?
Moreover, the heroes of this war were far more than just the soldiers on the battlefield.

Their armor, equipment, and supplies all depended on the support of various industries in the Baihe Territory.

This victory can be considered a victory for the entire White River Territory, and the best reward for Lynn's hard work in building the territory for more than a year.

As he led his troops to occupy an abandoned manor in the heart of the western suburbs, the black marketeer Leon happened to be escorting Bishop Rothgi and other high-ranking church officials over. Lynn had no intention of launching a direct assault on the remaining four manors.

If we send troops to surround the area and then display the prisoners like Rotegi, we should be able to frighten these manors into opening their gates and surrendering.

And so it turned out.

After throwing Rothge, who was bound tightly, outside the manor and howling twice, the abbots of the monasteries were terrified and obediently opened the gates to swear allegiance to the esteemed Earl of White River.

The bishop has already been captured alive, so why risk his life?
Moreover, Lynn offered these monasteries very good conditions, guaranteeing the residents' livelihoods and providing the landless serfs residing in the monasteries with necessary food and tools.

These serfs lost their homes in the war of plunder, but fortunately they still had some food reserves, enough to last until this autumn.

As for the serfs who had no grain reserves, they either went to the city to make a living or ran away to Baihe Territory early on, where they are now building new homes.

Lynn started the previous raiding war, so he should clean up his own mess.

Currently, these four manors house over 10,000 local serfs and more than 7,000 displaced serfs.

Lynn had already planned out a resettlement strategy long ago.

Local serfs remained in their homeland, while displaced serfs were relocated to the White River Territory.

Nowadays, all sectors in Baihe County are short of manpower.

There was a shortage of farmers, ironworkers, and papermakers, and the military was even more lacking.

By assigning these serfs to various industries, a work-for-relief program could be implemented, thus resolving the dilemma.

The military, in particular, is most short of personnel.

Lynn currently has nearly 2,500 troops, but that is still far from enough.

Now that he has occupied Three Rivers and killed the Duke of the Marsh's brother-in-law, it is as if he has completely broken ties with Golden Deer Castle.

This war is just the beginning; a series of wars inevitably await him in the future.

Lynn planned to expand the army by at least a thousand men, mainly recruiting from the local citizens and serfs of Three Rivers, and also incorporating the three hundred soldiers under the church's command.

According to the agreement he reached with the merchants and craftsmen's guilds before the war, Mikawa City under the rule of Count Shirakawa would be able to maintain its status as an autonomous city.

However, autonomous cities can exist in various forms.

Full autonomy, semi-autonomy, and semi-autonomous and semi-feudal systems.
Moreover, Lynn only promised to grant the city autonomous status, but did not promise to retain the land in the western suburbs of the city.

In the past, under the rule of the Marsh Duke, the autonomous territory of Three Rivers City not only included the city itself, but also encompassed this vast expanse of high-quality farmland in the western suburbs.

Lynn would naturally no longer grant Three Rivers City such great power; the entire western suburbs would be brought under his direct rule, and all monasteries and manors would be gradually abolished.

He even plans to 'slightly modify' the city's autonomous privileges and unique laws.

Of course, all of this must be done gradually.

Lynn's ultimate goal was to seize the population and resources of Three Rivers City for his own use, in order to expand his war potential.

That evening, he did not rush into the city, but instead set up camp in an abandoned manor in the central western suburbs and hosted a banquet for representatives from various parts of the city.

This banquet was not only a chance for city representatives to meet their new masters, but also a spoils-sharing event for the city's new elites.

(End of this chapter)