I'm not a lord

Chapter 203 Lynn is unmarried, I have a daughter

After capturing Three Rivers, Lynn finally escaped the predicament of lacking diplomatic talent and channels.

Back in March, he had just taken control of all six baronies in the White River region and wanted to establish diplomatic relations with other nobles, but found that he didn't have a single reliable channel.

Therefore, they could only entrust Leon to use the channels of their business partners, and they had to do it secretly to avoid being discovered by the city council at the time.

After all, his foundation was too weak at that time, and his talent pool couldn't keep up.

In the increasingly chaotic North, the importance of diplomacy cannot be overstated.

If Lynn hadn't contacted the Duke of the Valley immediately, and then through the Duke of the Valley, connected him with the royal family, how could he have obtained the prestigious titles of Earl and Royal Executive so quickly?

Although both titles are rather nominal, they do have the backing of the royal family and thus carry some weight in the Northern Kingdom.

It can be said that the Earl of Brun, whom the royal family sent to Three Rivers, did indeed help Lynn.

Count Brun's visit legitimized Lynn's identity and territory, reducing the psychological burden on the nobles of Three Rivers to pledge allegiance to him, and indirectly contributing to his successful takeover of Three Rivers.

Having gained a deeper understanding of the role of diplomacy, Lynn naturally attached greater importance to it.

The day after he captured Sanhe City, he sent messengers to the entire northern border to announce that Sanhe City had changed hands.

This would allow him to gain more potential allies and also deter the Marsh Duke in the Crown Territory.

It could even incite further rebellions in the Marsh Duchy.

Now, Lynn will have access to the connections and channels of the wealthy merchants in Sanhe City, and he has finally gained control of his voice.

With just a word from Lynn, his 'true voice' could be heard throughout the entire Northern Kingdom.

These days, businessmen are natural-born diplomats, with ships, people, and extensive networks of connections.

More importantly, it doesn't cost any money!

Lynn doesn't need to pay for a large number of diplomatic messengers himself; he can simply have merchants deliver messages when needed.

Since they were going to trade anyway, they might as well deliver the letter while they were at it. Plus, with the autonomous city's flag as cover, the safety factor would be much higher.

Of course, Lynn would also build a diplomatic department that is loyal only to himself, and recruit or train eloquent diplomatic officials.

For example, there was Priest Kalebo, who had once visited White River Territory and had a hearty drink with Lynn.

This guy also promised to recommend a group of outstanding monastery graduates to Lynn.

But there's still no definite answer.

Lynn specifically sent a letter to Count Brun, the royal envoy, to Caliber, but there was still no response.

It is now the end of June, less than a month since Earl Brun left White River Territory.

Lynn guessed that he should have just left the Valley Duke's White Eagle Castle not long ago, and was still some distance away from the Grassland Duke's Gray Wolf Castle.

The vast territory and complex situation of the Northern Kingdoms provide a perfect stage for diplomats, but also significantly prolong their travel time.

The Earl of Brun departed from Amber Harbour in early summer, and by the time he had finished his tour of the three duchies, he would probably not return to the capital until late autumn.

And just as Lynn had predicted.

Bren had just left the Valley Duchy by boat and was heading up the Quiet River to Wolfsburg, thus completely missing the major news of the change of allegiance in Three Rivers.

Ten days later, the merchant ship that departed from Three Rivers City anchored at the autonomous city closest to White Eagle Fortress.

The messenger hurriedly disembarked and traveled overland to White Eagle Fortress, located in the central mountains.

Due to the rainy season, the mountain roads are muddy and difficult to navigate, and there is also the risk of natural disasters such as mudslides and landslides.

It wasn't until mid-July that the messenger delivered Lynn's diplomatic documents to the Duke of the Valley.

Before the messenger arrived, the current Duke of the Valley, Herman, was standing by the window, anxiously observing the increasingly severe rain outside the castle.

More than two hundred years ago, the first duke chose to settle in this strategically important mountainous region.

Through the efforts of two generations of dukes, White Eagle Castle gradually transformed from a simple stone watchtower into the most fortified stronghold in the North.

none of them.

At this moment, torrential rain was washing over the castle's mottled and old exterior walls, and a series of rumbling sounds came from the deep valley, which resembled the scars on the earth.

While the fortified castle protected generations of dukes, it also inadvertently limited the expansion of the dukes' authority.

White Eagle Fortress is nestled deep in the mountains, and during the rainy season, the mountain roads become muddy and impassable, making it difficult for messengers to deliver messages for months at a time. Urgent military orders are even more difficult to reach the borders of the territory quickly.

Natural geographical barriers often caused the duke's decrees to lag behind changes in the situation, forcing lords to make decisions on matters large and small on their own.

Over time, these lords developed the habit of acting independently.

As the power of lords in various regions grew, this trend became increasingly irreversible.

During the reigns of the Duke of Hermann's grandfather and father, attempts were made to strengthen central authority by enacting decrees limiting the size of lords' private armies.

However, the decree had barely left White Eagle Castle when it immediately became worthless, a piece of paper used by lords everywhere to wipe their messes.

The more fatal blow is the transformation of the economic structure.

The Valley Duchy is mostly mountainous and hilly with extremely infertile soil.

The Duke's directly controlled territories were only slightly better off, with the annual grain production barely enough to feed the army and serfs.

However, some local lords discovered rare mineral deposits in their territories, and their economic conditions even surpassed those of the largest and most populous ducal territories.

Take Count Mirror Iron as an example. He made a fortune by exploiting the abundant and high-quality iron ore resources, minting currency and expanding his army, completely disregarding the Duke of the Valley above him.

When the Duke of the Valley attempted to impose additional taxes on the Earl of Mirror Iron, the Earl dared to openly defy the order.

Other lords followed suit, investing the taxes that should have been paid to the duke into expanding their territories, castles, and hiring private soldiers.

This led to an increasingly dire situation in the Valley Duchy.

The successive dukes did want to follow the example of the marsh dukes in the north and establish a centralized government, but they were short of funds and simply couldn't muster many troops.

How can you centralize power if you have no money and no army?

The nobles below were also forming cliques and engaging in self-serving activities. It would be easier to get them to unite and fight against foreign enemies.

However, asking them to help suppress other nobles is out of the question.

The current Duke Herman certainly wants to restore the family's glory, but he is equally powerless to do so.

Duke Lothair of the Marsh has now surrounded Amber Harbor.

The next time we hear news of him, he might already be crowned king.

The thought of his arch-enemy sitting on the Amber Throne, wielding the whale horn scepter and commanding the North, while he himself was stuck in this old White Eagle Hold wasting his remaining years, filled Herman with anguish and he could not stop sighing.

He couldn't even put much resistance on his arch-enemy.

Last autumn, he finally managed to assemble an army to attack the Marsh Duchy, but was met with numerous obstacles from the castles.

The nobles under her command would plunder a few times and then call it quits, showing no intention of fighting for Herman's castle.

By this year, these nobles were no longer willing to fight for him.

He repeatedly issued conscription orders, but received very few concrete responses.

What else can Herman do? Can he just lie here in White Eagle Fortress and drift through life?
Or they might pin their hopes on a miracle, such as the sudden death of their arch-enemy Lothair, as only in this way could they prevent the Marsh Duke's forces from unifying the North.

Just as Herman was gazing at the pouring rain and lost in thought, a servant knocked anxiously on the door: "Your Grace, there is an urgent letter from Earl Lynn of White River!"

"Count Shirakawa?"

Herman took the letter with a puzzled look, opened it, glanced at it twice, and was speechless with astonishment.

Lynn actually captured Three Rivers City? And even with Lothair sending reinforcements?
A miracle really happened?
Hermann's hands trembled as he held the letter as if it were a priceless treasure.

After reading the letter over and over again three times, an extremely bold idea suddenly popped into his mind.

According to Kalebo, who had visited the White River Territory, Lynn apparently was not yet married.

My eldest daughter just turned sixteen this year and is still unmarried.

How could there be such a coincidence in this world?
Herman became more and more excited as he thought about it.

But he wasn't the first nobleman to want an alliance with Lynn.

Just as he was devising a grand plan, Count Mirror Iron's envoy arrived in Mikawa City, hoping to meet the esteemed Count Shirakawa.

(End of this chapter)