I'm not a lord

Chapter 248 The Weak, Pitiful, and Helpless Duke of the Swamp

Tote, a city 60 kilometers west of the capital Amber Harbor in the eastern part of the Crown Territory.

Nearly half a month has passed since that nightmarish morning, yet Duke Lothair of the Marshland is still huddled in the city, licking his wounds and rallying his remaining troops.

He was like a small, pitiful, and helpless puppy whose hind leg had been crushed by a carriage.

It is no exaggeration to say that the blow that morning was devastating for Lothair.

The night before, he had made heavy sacrifices and finally managed to breach the walls of Amber Harbor. He was preparing for the final harvest and had already begun to fantasize about wearing the crown and commanding the whole country.

His soldiers also dreamed of getting rich overnight and being granted fiefdoms, as if Amber Harbor were a treasure trove of Ali Baba with its doors wide open, where they could take whatever they wanted.

But as the dawn's sunlight illuminated the darkness, Lothair and his soldiers' beautiful dream was forced to end.

They saw flags and ships rising on the sea, and they had to engage in close combat with the landing Rui Kingdom army in the narrow alleyways.

How could the Duke's army, which had just woken up from a dream and was extremely relaxed, be a match for Rui's army?

The battle had only been going on for half an hour when it became a one-sided affair, with large numbers of Duke's soldiers, their pockets bulging with treasure and their trouser pockets unfastened, being kicked to death on the roadside like stray dogs.

The Duke of the Swamp had clearly occupied half the city, and was only a few hundred meters away from the crown he so desperately wanted, but he was forced to evacuate the city.

Because his troops were too scattered, fewer than two thousand of the defeated soldiers managed to escape Amber Harbor alive.

Including the more than 1,000 men who remained at the main camp outside the city, the total number of troops who were able to retreat with him to Tote City in his haste was no more than 4,000.

Compared to the more than 10,000 troops that set out from Tot, full of vigor and spirit, plus several thousand auxiliary troops, they were severely weakened.

The elite imperial cavalry force of four thousand men also suffered heavy losses, with preliminary statistics showing that less than fifteen hundred men survived to reach Tote City.

This force was the absolute core that Lothair brought out from the duchy, the foundation of his livelihood, but now more than half of it has withered away.

In addition to the losses in the army, Lothair's spirit and confidence also suffered a heavy blow.

He had a smooth life and had never tasted failure, but he suffered repeated setbacks in just six months.

For proud and arrogant people, repeated failures can even drive them to madness.

However, Lothair's heart had already been tempered by time and become strong enough.

After resting for more than ten days, he regained his usual composure and began to carefully consider his future path.

In the Tottenham City Hall, Lothair convened his first high-level meeting since the defeat.

Compared to the last meeting, the number of delegates was less than half.

Some died on the battlefield or in dark alleys, while others chose to escape the ranks in the chaos and disappear without a trace.

Those who stayed to share the hardships with Lothair were undoubtedly absolute loyalists.

"The past is the past; we must look forward."

Lothair set the tone for the meeting from the very first word.

Don't dwell on the previous crushing defeats; they're meaningless.

Below the stage, Earl of Cold Wind looked around and, seeing that no one spoke, stood up and said:
“I think we should leave Tot City first. It’s too close to Amber Harbor. At full speed, we could get there in two days. It’s too dangerous.”

In a sense, this crushing defeat at Amber Harbor actually had some benefits for Earl Coldwind.

The Duke of the Swamp suffered heavy casualties among his court knights, so he had no choice but to rely on local nobles such as Earl of Coldwind.

The more devastating the Duke's defeat, the higher the status and influence of Earl Coldwind and others within the organization will rise.

Lothair nodded in agreement with Count Coldwind's suggestion: "I agree with that. If none of you have any objections, we can turn west tomorrow."

Lothair is far from being at its end.

He still had over four thousand men under his command, and he could gather more remnants along the way during his retreat, so raising six thousand men shouldn't be a problem.

The northwest corner of the Crown Territory is currently occupied by nobles appointed by him, and he also has established local forces such as Earl of Coldwind under his command. By piecing together these forces, he might be able to assemble an army of tens of thousands.

The Crown Territory was indeed incredibly wealthy. Even after a year of war, it could still squeeze out an army and food supplies.

Otto III is currently still stationed in Amber Harbor, presumably tallying his rich spoils of war.

But he couldn't possibly leave Lothair by his bedside; sooner or later he would send troops to attack Tot.

For Lothair, this place was not a place to stay for long; he had to continue his westward retreat to find a relatively safe place to reorganize his army.

Seeing that his suggestion had been adopted, Earl Hanfeng continued to advise: "My lord, I think you should send a large number of envoys as soon as possible to contact the nobles on the south bank of the Jing River."

They, like me, certainly wouldn't accept a king from the South. If you can gain their support and endorsement, you might be able to attack Amber Harbor again.

Based on the reliable intelligence I've gathered, it's highly likely that the bastard Maurice has fled to the South. In the entire North, only you are worthy to wear the crown, and only you are capable of raising the banner against the invaders from the South.

Earl of Coldwind spoke with great passion, for what he least wanted to see was the Duke of the Marsh abandon his crown territory and retreat to Golden Deer Castle.

After the nominal king Maurice fled to the south, the Crownlands were already in disarray.

If no banner were raised to unite the local nobles, they would inevitably be defeated one by one by Otto III.

Otto's base is Rui and the Southern Territory.

He could not possibly retain all the fiefdoms and titles of the Northern nobles intact.

Otherwise, what would he use to reward his nobles and soldiers?
A new king brings a new court; even the kids in Amber Harbor understand this principle.

Those willing to follow Otto on his expedition to the North at this time would undoubtedly be incredibly hungry for fiefdoms and titles, and only tangible noble titles could satisfy their insatiable desires. It is foreseeable that, in order to consolidate his position, reward his army, and purge the Northern nobles who refused to submit, Otto would continuously recruit more troops from the South and attempt to replicate the feats of the first King of the North two hundred years earlier.

The local nobles of the Northern Kingdom transformed into the barbarians of yesteryear, forced to unite and resist the invasion from the Southern Kingdom.

Therefore, there must be a banner that can be accepted by all parties.

Although Lothair killed many local nobles on the battlefield in Cologne earlier this year, this is not an insurmountable conflict.

These days, nobles are as fickle as chameleons; as long as it serves their fundamental interests, making peace with their enemies on the battlefield is no big deal.

Lothair rested his chin on his hands, thought for a moment, and then said in a grand and solemn tone:
“I have already considered this point, and I basically agree with your view. I will stay, not to fight for the crown, but for the entire Northern Kingdom.”

The opportunities that Earl of Coldwind could see, Lothair could naturally see as well.

In fact, two nobles from the territory that are separated from Tote City by only a river have already sent envoys to contact him and express their intention to cooperate.

By leveraging the power of these local nobles, the Duke of the Marshland still has a chance to contend for the throne.

However, these powers did not belong to him, and their use would inevitably face many constraints, unlike the court cavalry which he could command with ease.

It would be impossible for the Duke of the Marsh to lead these nobles westward to attack Three Rivers, which was occupied by Lynn.

These powers can only be used to protect the Crown Territory and the interests of the local nobles.

Upon hearing this, Earl of Coldwind exclaimed excitedly, "My lord, we will forever remember your fearlessness and bravery, and our army and forces are always at your command!"

The local nobles sitting behind the count also stood up in unison and expressed their respect with enthusiastic applause.

After the applause subsided, Arno, the leader of the mercenary group who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke:

“According to Earl of Coldwind, the nobles of the Crown Territory will all gather under the Duke’s banner, so wouldn’t the Duke be the de facto king? So why not just call yourself king now? Otto is king, and you should be king too.”

The meeting room fell silent immediately after these words were spoken.

Arnault's words may seem unconventional, but upon closer examination, they make a lot of sense.

While the title of Duke of the Marshland was of great importance and had a strong appeal during the civil war in the North, it was somewhat insufficient when facing wars between nations.

Only by proclaiming himself king could he represent the entire North and nominally overpower Otto III, who was the invader.

Moreover, even if you don't wear the title of king on your head, Otto will wear it sooner or later.

The reason he's still holed up in Amber Harbor is probably because he's preparing for his coronation ceremony. He's determined to use the title of King of the North to reconquer the North.

The Duke's eldest son, László, led the response: "Arno is right, Father, you should be crowned king immediately!"

But Earl of Coldwind poured cold water on the idea at this moment: "Coronation? There's no crown, how can there be a coronation?"

Only those who can be crowned king in Amber Harbor Cathedral, wearing the crown of the North and holding a whale horn scepter, are permitted to be crowned king; this was the rule set by the first King of the North.

This is considered an ancestral charter of the Northern Kingdom.

This is not a principle, but a belief held by the royal nobles.

All the kings of all time followed this procedure, even the illegitimate son Maurice, he went through the whole process in a proper manner.

The Duke of the Marsh cannot meet any of these three rules, so how can he be crowned king?
Anyone who dares to break the ancestral rules will lose their head!

Arnaud spoke again: "So it's not a coronation, but declaring oneself king. What, do you have to have some kind of crown and scepter to be a king?"

He was born into a fallen noble family in the Southern Territory. He chose to become an outlaw because he despised the rigid rules and regulations among nobles. After committing too many crimes, he eventually fled to the Northern Territory and founded the Power Mercenary Group.

A local nobleman immediately retorted, "If you don't understand, then don't speak! The sanctity of the throne cannot be defiled!"

"Sacred? What's so sacred about the throne? Things soaked in stinking blood are called pig offal!" Arno retorted, arguing back with these conservative local forces.

Duke Lothair of the Marshland had been silently observing the reactions of everyone present, and finally he gently tapped the table to end the argument:

"The throne is undoubtedly sacred, and I will not overstep my bounds until Amber Harbor is recaptured and the crown and scepter forged by the conquerors are reclaimed."

As he finished speaking, the meeting came to an end.

Lothair then discussed the selection of envoys with Earl of Coldwind and others, and finalized the first batch of nobles to be won over.

That evening, he summoned his eldest son, László, to his bedroom and instructed him: "Take a thousand court cavalrymen, disguise them as merchants and guards, and immediately return to Golden Deer Castle by merchant ship."

The Duke of the Marshland had to prepare for two possibilities: he wanted to fight for the throne, he also wanted to protect his stronghold, and in particular, he couldn't let Lynn's power continue to expand.

Since the local nobles of the royal territory will all be at his disposal, these court cavalrymen will have to be transferred back to protect their home base.

He can give Lynn the Turbulent County.

But further west would lead to his core territory, which he couldn't simply give to Lynn for nothing.

With the brave and skilled eldest son stationed at Golden Deer Fortress, plus a thousand elite court cavalry, defending the core area should not be a problem.

Moreover, there is still war potential to be tapped within the duchy; at least another thousand men can be squeezed out.

Laszlo complained, "Why is this so troublesome? Can't we just go through Mirror Iron Territory? Isn't Count Mirror Iron quite close to us?"

Lothair said seriously, "Vasa is an ambitious man who cannot be trusted. It is too dangerous to go through Mirror Iron Territory. You must listen to me on this matter."

"I understand, Father." Laszlo lowered his head, instantly softening into an obedient bunny.

Lothair forced a kind smile and gently patted his eldest son's shoulder: "Protect the castle, protect the territory, and protect yourself and your mother. Remember, when you encounter problems, you should first consult your mother. She has the experience you lack most."

(End of this chapter)