I'm not a lord

Let's translate Chapter 212: What is a surprise?

With the eldest son of the Duke, László, and the Earl of Coldwind taking the lead, the other generals also gained confidence and expressed their opinions.

The Duke of the Marshland convened the meeting with the intention of hearing the generals' true thoughts.

As the army grew larger, morale also declined, and he believed it was necessary to carry out ideological unification work before the next war.

In the end, when he did the math, he found that nearly 70% of the voices advocated staying in the Crown Territory and attacking Amber Harbor again.

These included his eldest son, Laszlo, Count Coldwind, and Arno, the leader of the Power Mercenary Group.
Forget their old stronghold, Golden Deer Fortress; they only want Amber Harbor!
Is this reasonable?

That's quite reasonable.

The Duke of the Marsh originally had a base of more than three thousand court cavalry.

Most of the generals from this unit believed that they should return to Golden Deer first to protect their property and families.

However, in the past year, the number of troops under the Duke of the Marsh has expanded significantly.

Even though a large number of soldiers fled during the retreat, the number of soldiers stationed in Tote still exceeded ten thousand.

The extra soldiers came from various places, including bandits, horsemen, and mercenaries, as well as local nobles from the Crown Territory.

They weren't originally from the Marsh Duchy, so naturally they weren't too concerned about the safety of Golden Deer Castle.

For them, making big money by raiding with the Duke was the real business.

Once the duke is crowned king, their leaders, big and small, might even be able to snag a noble title and launder all the wealth they've plundered—that would be true success.

Guarding Golden Deer Castle? What does that have to do with them?
The local noble faction, led by Earl of Coldwind, was particularly opposed to continuing the retreat.

They were originally vassals of the royal family, but they voluntarily betrayed the royal family and joined the rebel Duke of the Marsh.

If they retreated to Golden Deer Castle with the Duke, they would inevitably lose their territory, and Golden Deer Castle would not be able to grant them any more land or people, which would mean they would lose everything.

"I will announce the follow-up plan tomorrow. That's all for tonight. Thank you all for your hard work."

After completing the preliminary investigation, the Duke of the Marshland announced the adjournment of the meeting.

The outcome of the meeting was entirely within his expectations.

Next, the Duke needed to speak with the key commanders of the court knights and persuade them to stay and continue fighting.

After the meeting, on the way out of the city hall, the eldest son, László, couldn't help but ask, "Father, what are you really thinking?"

Laszlo is shallow and can't keep a secret; today he was the first to speak.

There was no way around it; the allure of the Northern Crown was simply too great.

He didn't want to regret it in the future. He had to consider whether this was his only chance in his life to become the first in line to the crown of the North and ultimately complete the grand undertaking of unifying the North.

This is a dream that has been passed down for four generations of the Swamp family for over a hundred years.

If they continue their retreat this time, using the route through the Earl of Mirror Iron to retreat back to Golden Deer Castle, it will be extremely difficult for them to launch another massive offensive against the Crown of the North.

Before heading east again, they must at least deal with Lynn, who is entrenched in White River Territory.

Given the terrain of the White River basin, coupled with Lynn's formidable strength, conquering White River Territory and Three Rivers City might be even more difficult than taking Amber Harbor.

Staying in the Crown Territory is certainly risky, but at least it preserves the possibility of challenging the Crown.

As for Lynn, let him keep making trouble.

The dozens of castles, large and small, in the County of Turbulent Streams alone would keep him busy for a year and a half.

For our side, if we can eventually capture Amber Harbor, then everything else will be fine.

Our core troops were unharmed; those who died were just cannon fodder that could be found anywhere.

If one attack fails, try again!
Even the hardest iron rod can be cut through after being heated several times.

Maurice is the lowest of bastards, with no foundation or prestige in the Crownlands. Even if he wins a small victory, how many people will he be able to win over?

As long as his father's court knights are all present and accounted for, Maurice will be forced to stay in Amber Harbor and wait to die.

In conclusion, László still believes the advantage lies with him.

Duke of the Swamp turned his head and glanced at his eldest son, replying indifferently, "Tomorrow, you will come with me to have a heart-to-heart talk with those generals and persuade them to stay and continue fighting."

The Duke had a longer-term vision than his eldest son and had long been prepared to remain in the Crown Territory for an extended period.

Last year, despite the risk of dispersing his forces, he drew a small number of troops from the court knights and ennobled a group of nobles in the newly occupied territories.

The territories of these new nobles were mostly located in the northwest of the Crown Territory, and they suffered two major blows in the early stages of the war: army raids and peasant exodus.

After a year of rest and recuperation, production in the region has recovered to some extent.

With a little pressing, it can even provide a small amount of surplus grain.

Moreover, the territories of nobles such as Earl of Coldwind can also provide supplies and soldiers.

The Quiet River, flowing gently from west to east, divides the Crown Territory in two.

Nearly two-thirds of the area north of the Tranquil River is firmly under the control of the Marsh Duke.

With this newly expanded territory, the Duke of the Swampland has a certain foundation for long-term warfare.

"Yes, father!"

Even with his low sensitivity, László could understand the Duke's implied meaning.

Under the bright, mercury-like moonlight, the Duke of the Swamp couldn't help but look his eldest son up and down once more.

He felt that the boy was indeed good-looking, with a tall and strong physique, worthy of being his son.

For noble families, having offspring was naturally a means of "selling" them, and the better their appearance, the more popular they would be.

Appearance, family background, wealth, inheritance rights—all bargaining chips can be used to enhance one's appeal.

In the Northern noble matchmaking market, László would clearly be among the most popular single noblemen.

The Duke of the Swamp had originally planned to marry his eldest son to Princess Chloris, thus securing an unquestionable right to the throne for his family.

Given the current situation, it will be very difficult for László to marry the princess in the short term.

In order to create a more favorable diplomatic situation for himself, the Duke of the Marshland decided to "sell off" his eldest son ahead of time in order to find him a suitable father-in-law.

I heard that Earl Mirror Iron has a young daughter who is not yet married?

Although she was only the second daughter of the count, there was not much else to choose from at this point, so she could just make do.

For the Duke, there are two main benefits to winning over Earl Mirror Iron.

One reason was to ensure an escape route, allowing the Duke of the Marsh to use the route back to his stronghold, Golden Deer Castle, at any time.

Secondly, it can serve as a check on Lynn and Duke Herman of the Valley.

Three days earlier, the Duke of the Marshland had sent an envoy to the Mirror Iron Territory. In his letter to the Earl of Mirror Iron, he briefly mentioned the marriage alliance between the two families.

If Count Mirror Iron also shares this interest, then the marriage will most likely proceed.

Two days later, the Duke of the Swamp was still on horseback on his way to Mirror Iron Territory, while the Duke of the Valley had already arrived in Three Rivers City in a great hurry.

“My Lord, it is an honor to be summoned by you again as an envoy.”

In the newly built temporary palace on the western outskirts of Sanhe City, the envoy, Priest Kalebo, bowed respectfully to Lynn, his old back bent at an angle lower than ninety degrees, almost burying his head between his legs.

Caleb's admiration for the Earl of White River was like a tranquil river, flowing endlessly.

His last visit to Baihe Territory was in May of this year.

At that time, Lynn had just conquered four baronies and was busy consolidating his newly occupied territories.

How long has it been? Lynn has already taken over Sanhe City, and his population has nearly doubled!
Even a demonic bear that has just awakened from hibernation wouldn't have such a good appetite, would it?
On the way here, Kalebo had completely figured things out, and there was no longer any confusion or hesitation in his heart.

His purpose in making this trip to the White River Territory was singular: to make Lynn, this newly emerging nobleman, a good son-in-law of his duke.

With one side having a legitimate claim and the other having an army, it's practically the perfect 'strong alliance'!
"Get up. I happen to have some top-quality apple mead from Baihe Territory. Would you like to have a few drinks with me?"

Lynn sat in the main seat, smiled and waved his hand, and immediately a servant brought out a full set of wine bottles and utensils.

The so-called palace where he was staying was built on the site of a monastery estate that had been partially burned down.

The main purpose of the palace was to garrison troops, and incidentally, to provide the Earl with a relatively decent residence in the western suburbs of Sanhe City.

"Thank you for your generosity, sir!"

Kalebo was a seasoned diplomat, so he knew exactly what the bottle of mead meant. Overjoyed, he immediately stood up to express his gratitude.

Lynn was willing to drink with him as soon as they met, which was naturally out of consideration for their past relationship and because she thought highly of him.

After sitting down, without saying a word, Kalebo downed two glasses of aged mead with a high alcohol content.

After finishing his drink, he said without changing his expression, "My lord, the first thing I want to do during this visit is to congratulate you on taking Three Rivers City on behalf of the Duke of Valley. At this moment, your reputation and bravery have spread to every tributary of the Quiet River, and the bards in the kingdom are singing your praises!"

Even after drinking, Callebo didn't hold back; he started by flattering her.

He then ordered his entourage to bring up two small boxes.

The box, though small, felt quite heavy, with even the latches made of pure silver.

Kalebo stepped forward, took out the keys and opened them one by one, and a dazzling golden light instantly burst out from the boxes.

Lynn looked closely and saw that the first box contained a complete set of pure gold tableware, with exquisite patterns engraved on the plates, bowls, wine glasses, and knives, and a luxurious and grand design.

The second box contained a belt made entirely of gold, with more than ten gemstones of various colors inlaid on the buckle. When the box was opened, it was dazzling with light and color.

When nobles exchange gifts, they certainly can't just give gold coins or gold ingots; that would be too embarrassing.
The Duke of the Valley presented two chests of gold artifacts this time, and the craftsmanship was quite superb, showing that he had put a lot of effort into them.

"It's a very nice gift. Please thank Duke Hermann for his kindness."

Lynn accepted the two boxes of gifts without hesitation.

Although goldware is valuable, it is nothing to the ducal family that has stood for two hundred years.

It can only be said that the gift is small but the sentiment is deep.

The Duke of the Valley was the first major nobleman to recognize the Earl of Lynn's status and the first to establish friendly relations with the White River Territory.

From the perspective of spheres of influence, Lynn currently has no real conflict of interest with the Duke of the Valley.

Accepting the gift signifies his willingness to maintain a friendly relationship with the Duke of the Valley.

Seeing that things were going well, Carebo's confidence grew. He took a smaller box from his attendant and said mysteriously:

"My lord, this is not the entire gift, and it is only the least valuable part of it. Next, I will present you with a surprise more valuable than the entire city of Sanhe! A surprise gift beyond imagination!"

“Kalebo, you’ve successfully piqued my interest. Open it and let me see.” Despite saying this, Lynn picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and calmly watched the lecherous priest’s performance.

Among the things the Duke of the Valley could offer, Lynn could think of a few gifts more valuable than those from Three Rivers.

His stronghold, White Eagle Fortress, is certainly one of them.

But the Duke of the Valley wouldn't abandon his entire stronghold.

Even if he wanted to cut it, it wouldn't be convenient for Lynn to get it.

Aside from White Eagle Fortress, the rest are nothing more than territory or claims.

Although the Duke of the Valley was in decline, he still had a large area of ​​directly controlled territory.

However, this territory is relatively barren, transportation is very inconvenient, and no valuable mineral deposits have been discovered yet. It is barely enough to defeat Sanhe City.

As for the so-called claims, the Duke of the Valley can only offer the claims of the entire duchy.

Most of the earls under his command were unruly and disobedient.

Even if a claim is made, it still takes a great deal of effort to purge the nobility before it counts.

After a moment's thought, Lynn quickly guessed the approximate range of gifts in the box.

Kalebo inserted the key and unlocked the box, but didn't rush to open it.

"My lord, I would like to have you open this surprise gift yourself!"

After saying that, he walked to the long table and respectfully placed the box gently in front of Lynn.

"You're being so mysterious, how much of a surprise could there be?"

Lynn smiled and reached out to open the small wooden box.

Lying in the box was a rolled-up, yellowed parchment.

He then took out the parchment and used a knife to pry open the ribbon binding the paper.

The next second, a scroll slowly unfolded before him.

The painting depicts a half-length portrait of a young girl with slightly wavy brown hair, fair skin, wearing a light pink dress, holding blue flowers, and a serene and gentle smile on her lips.

It was nothing more than a portrait of a beautiful girl, yet in Caleb's words, it was more valuable than the city of Three Rivers.

Lynn had already guessed the identity of the girl in the portrait.

However, he looked puzzled:

"This is the surprise? I don't understand at all. Kalebo, translate for me."

Caleb, still feigning mystery, asked, "Your Excellency, what do you think of this girl?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? She's just an ordinary girl, isn't she? What's the surprise? I don't understand." Lynn simply played along with his act.

The two went back and forth, until finally Kalebo got impatient and couldn't help but translate the so-called surprise:

"The surprise is that the Duke of the Valley wants to marry his most beloved eldest daughter to you. The Duke currently has no legitimate male heir. If you marry the girl in the painting, you will be the first in line to the duchy! That's the surprise!"

"Oh, so this is the surprise! I understand now." Lynn suddenly realized.

(End of this chapter)