I'm not a lord

Chapter 223 Simultaneous War

With Lucas's first strike and slaying of the castle lord, the siege, which lasted only half an hour, came to an end.

According to Lao Sanyang's rough estimate after the war, the small castle at their feet caused more than thirty casualties to their side.

The Lucas squadron, which was the main force in the siege, suffered more than half its casualties, and the barbarian archers responsible for providing cover lost more than ten men.

The twenty-two garrison soldiers inside the castle were all wiped out, with only two ordinary soldiers surviving and becoming prisoners.

The casualty ratio looked alarming, but it was better than the third brother had anticipated.

Before the war began, he had expected to lose at least fifty soldiers to take down this damned castle.

Perhaps it was because their own equipment was good enough, perhaps it was because the barbarian archers had strong enough suppressive power, or perhaps it was because Lucas led his soldiers in a fearless charge.

In short, the actual situation was much better than Yang had expected.

“Lucas, you have done a great job this time. Today I will ask the Earl for credit, and you will be rewarded with a medal.”

Yang stood on the top floor of the castle and patted Lucas on the shoulder to encourage him, while also comforting the brave young man who had charged into battle.

At the same time, he was deeply moved: "My elder brother is indeed my elder brother. He never misjudged anyone. This Lucas is truly a rare warrior. If he hadn't been the first to climb the castle, our army would have suffered countless more sacrifices."
Lucas's plate armor had three dents, and he stared blankly at the corpses being carried away downstairs.

During the attack on the castle, he knew no fear and was completely unaware of being struck by crossbow bolts.

All he knew was to climb that damned castle and slaughter those damned enemy soldiers; he even ignored his comrades-in-arms fighting alongside him.

It wasn't until the war horns stopped, until he saw his comrades who had eaten with him that morning turned into cold corpses, that he finally realized he had lost them forever.

Lucas and his comrades fled from their hometown to Three Rivers City, and were then personally led back to White Bear Territory by Yang, after which they joined the army together.

The bond between them needs no further explanation.

Yang stood beside Lucas, his voice low and powerful: "Bury your sorrow in your heart, carry their wishes and move forward, that is what you must do."

He was able to understand Lucas's emotions.

Back then, he and three companions joined Lynn's bandit gang.

Little did they know that the bandits' entrepreneurial journey would be far more arduous than they had imagined.

In just one year, he was the only one left alive out of the four.

Some died from the crossbow bolts or lances of the nobles, while others perished under the longswords of the monastery guards.

Brutal battles and wars will take every life equally.

The saying "One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand" is no exaggeration.

“Yes, I understand.” Lucas did not shed tears; he had already cried all his tears when his hometown was destroyed.

His belief in revenge gave him boundless courage and motivation.

Looking up at the still-high, scorching sun, he said, "Let's take a break. We'll continue our journey today."

As long as people are willing to sacrifice lives, such a small castle is completely incapable of stopping the army's advance.

But this siege was undoubtedly brutal.

With no way to retreat, the defenders had no choice but to fight to the death.

The attacking side received a death order and had no choice but to charge forward at all costs.

In order to save time, Yang did not stop to manufacture large siege weapons, nor did he consider using time-consuming siege tactics such as tunnels and fire attacks.

If every castle is made this complicated, it would probably take one or two weeks to take down a single small castle, and the complete occupation of Turbulent County would be a long way off.

Speed ​​is of the essence in warfare; delay can lead to unforeseen consequences. This is a principle that every outstanding general knows.

Yang's current strategy is simple: use overwhelming numerical superiority to completely crush any castles that dare to resist, turning all the stubbornly resisting enemy troops into spoils of war hanging on spears.

This will indeed come at a heavy price, and the number of soldiers killed or wounded will inevitably exceed the number of enemy soldiers killed.

But this is unavoidable; sometimes, to achieve strategic goals, it is necessary to sacrifice soldiers.

On the day the castle was breached, Yang led his main force south, taking with him the heads, flags, and warhorses of the defenders, which could serve as proof of their identities.

He wanted to demonstrate to the garrison of the thirty-odd castles in Turbulentshire a determination, a determination to conquer every single one of them.

At the same time, he also needed to instill fear among the defenders, using captured heads and flags to tell them: surrender or die.

This might inspire some of the defenders to fight to the end, but it will definitely remind many more that there is still the option of 'surrender'.

The third brother believed that if they could capture four or five more castles, the defenders of other castles would surely choose to surrender or simply abandon their cities and flee.

Paying the price of one or two hundred, or even two or three hundred, soldiers for this is well worth it.

Often, war is like a gamble, calculating the casualties of soldiers.

The final winner can only be determined when one side can no longer sustain losses and chooses not to bet.

Looking at this small 'casino' in Turbulent County, there's no doubt that the third brother, or rather Lynn, has a much stronger stake.

Moreover, because of the army's strict discipline, the chips won can be quickly converted into more troops.

That night, the third brother left behind a full squadron of fifty men to guard the castle, while he led the main force to set up camp outside another castle to the south.

If the entire Turbulent County is viewed as a Go board, then these castles are the Go pieces placed on the board.

The pieces belonging to the Duke of the Swamp cooperate with each other, connecting points into lines, and then covering the entire board with lines, firmly controlling the whole board.

Lynn's orders to his army were to capture all these pieces and use the same method to control Turbulent County.

The next morning, the third brother, as always, first sent men to persuade the castle lord to surrender, and showed him the half-rotten head of the previous castle lord and his sword broken in two, along with two surviving prisoners.

The lord of the castle still chose to remain loyal to the Duke of the Marsh.

Then there's nothing more to say, just do it!
The third brother followed the same method, with armored infantry charging and climbing, while barbarian archers provided ranged suppression.

The powerful and resonant bugle call once again echoed across the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Finn, who set out from River Marsh County, led a thousand serfs into the battlefield.

Under the protection of soldiers, the serfs took out the sickles and other tools they had brought and began to harvest the wheat fields that were not yet fully ripe.

This unripe wheat was mainly used to supply warhorses and draft horses for the army.

Following Lynn's orders, these serfs were only allowed to harvest half of each strip of land, leaving the rest to the local serfs.

As the fighting in Turbulentshire intensifies, Lord Lothair, Duke of the Marsh, has also returned to the outskirts of Amber Harbor.

Less than a month later, the Duke was 'visiting' this great city again, and his feelings were quite complicated.

He was deeply disappointed by the unsuccessful first siege, and the tenacious resistance of the soldiers and civilians inside the city made him uneasy.

The defenders continued their scorched-earth policy and held the city at all costs. Above the city walls, one could see narwhal flags fluttering in the wind, as well as a large number of fully armed soldiers standing ready for battle.

To be honest, the Duke of the Marshland was at a loss when faced with Amber Harbor, which was as prickly as a hedgehog.

In the last siege, he didn't use his most elite court cavalry; most of the fighting involved sending cannon fodder troops to wear them down. Now, he doesn't have so many cannon fodder at his disposal.

Most of the local nobles who had come to him also dispersed.

The vast majority of people are watching to see the final outcome of this war.

The Duke of the Marshland realized early on that he had no way out.

Indeed, as long as his four thousand court cavalrymen remain, he will most likely be able to retreat safely back to Golden Deer Fortress.

But what happens next?

All the nobles of the Northern Kingdom were already aware of the army's formidable fighting power.

Once he retreats to Golden Deer Fortress, he will face attacks from all sides from now on.

The vast majority of nobles would unite, and as long as he lived and his army survived, their alliance would not be broken.

What awaits him is an endless war with no peace.

Even if he wins one, ten, or even a hundred games, can he keep winning?
The answer is obviously no.

He was not immortal, nor were the palace cavalry under his command.

Moreover, he had already suffered a major defeat in Three Rivers City, and Lynn's sudden rise to power occurred in his territory.

In short, the Duke of the Marsh has fallen into the trap he himself has woven.

In his view, the only way to break through this encirclement is to concentrate forces on one point and break through Amber Harbor.

He can turn everything around as long as he takes off that damned crown.

"Laszlo".

In the newly erected military tent, the Duke of the Marsh summoned his eldest son.

"Father, I'm here!"

"Pass on my order: command the craftsmen to assemble siege equipment as quickly as possible! I will begin the siege in one week!"

The Duke of the Marshland dared not send his elite troops to attack the city with only rudimentary ladders.

Attacking a small castle is completely different from attacking a large city.

The former only needs to use superior forces to overwhelm the enemy with lives, and it can always be breached.

Large cities are different; it's basically impossible to take them down by simply throwing lives at them.

Even a powerful figure like the Duke of the Swamp could only proceed cautiously and steadily.

During the last retreat, in order to prevent the remaining equipment from falling into the hands of his illegitimate son, Maurice, he had to order all the equipment to be burned.

Now he has to remake it.

Fortunately, he was well-prepared this time. In order to obtain a sufficient amount of high-quality timber, he completely demolished the large houses in Tot and the two surrounding cities, and conscripted more skilled carpenters from the city and rural territories.

The Duke then issued orders to several generals, commanding them to divide their forces into multiple groups to clear out all enemy troops and loiterers around Amber Harbor.

This time, Lothair is determined to win.

Moreover, the rainy season has ended, and he has four months to conquer the city before the cold winter arrives.

As for Amber Harbor, under Mayor Neil's overall command, preparations for battle had already been made.

Over the past two weeks, the city militia has expanded its recruitment, absorbing a large number of homeless migrants from the suburbs.

The self-organized citizen armed forces have also been expanded, with the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the city council now exceeding eight thousand people.

In addition, there are still 700 mercenaries brought from the South, and another 800 volunteers from the South are on their way by boat.

In terms of military strength alone, the city is indeed slightly inferior to the Marsh Duke outside the city.

But Neil had already figured it out: the Duke of the Swamp's forces were only composed of his court cavalry; the rest of the army was just there to make up the numbers and was nothing to be afraid of.

Moreover, they have the city walls to rely on, as well as the entire city and supplies and manpower from the sea as backup.

All the city councilors, including Neil, were convinced that if they could defeat the Duke of the Swamp once, they could certainly defeat him a second time.

Even if the Duke of the Swamp could besiege the city for a year, there would be no way he could break through the city gates.

Amber Harbor remains the same city that will never fall.

Maurice, in the palace, also felt good.

"If I were Lothair, I would have gone back to Golden Deer Castle long ago, yet he still dared to attack the city? He's just courting disaster!"

Maurice sat on the throne, sipping the seasonal wine that had just been brought from the South, feeling quite relaxed.

In his view, Duke Lothair of the Marshland was already courting death.

Even with their strongest initial attack, they failed to capture Amber Harbor the first time. How could they possibly succeed the second time? It's like dancing on the edge of a sword!
Although Earl Brun, who was serving as the royal envoy, had not yet returned, Morris could guess that the Duke of Meadow, the Duke of Vale, and Earl Lynn of White River should have already sent troops to the Marsh Duchy.

None of these three could simply sit idly by and watch the Duke of the Marsh don the crown.

"A bunch of ambitious fools, go ahead and fight! Exhaust your blood and lives in the war, for only I will be the ultimate victor!"

After downing another glass of wine, Maurice was already fantasizing about restoring his family's glory.

The facts were not much different from his conjecture.

Lynn's more than three thousand elite troops have launched a fierce attack on Turbulent County.

Upstream on the Jing River, the Grassland Duke, nicknamed "Horse Bandit," had also assembled his army.

He led over two thousand wolf-like cavalrymen from Canglang Fortress, heading straight for Jinlu Fortress.

The only exception was the most incompetent Duke of the Valley.

Recently, Duke Herman of the Valley received two pieces of bad news in succession.

One reason was that Lynn rejected the marriage proposal and even demanded an exorbitant dowry of 20,000 gold guilders and numerous privileges.

Secondly, Earl Mirror Iron in the eastern part of the territory has been making frequent unusual moves. Reliable intelligence indicates that this ambitious man, who has been hiding for many years, is finally unable to hold back and is about to make his move.

To be honest, both pieces of bad news were within Herman's expectations.

Arrangements between noble families usually require multiple rounds of negotiations, and given the long distances between the two sides, it's normal for the process to drag on for a year or two.

As for Count Vasa of the Mirror Iron Territory, Herman had long known that he harbored great ambitions, so it was perfectly normal for him to take advantage of the chaos to raise an army.

The problem is, even if Hermann could have foreseen all of this, what could he have done?
One of the saddest things in the world is knowing that disaster is coming, but having no power to resist it.

Hermann locked himself in his study and pondered for three or four hours before finally making up his mind.

“Kalebo! Go tell Lynn now that I agree to his first two demands. If he attacks Mirror Iron Territory immediately, he can have my eldest daughter, 20,000 gold shields, and the spoils of war at his disposal!”

(End of this chapter)