I'm not a lord

Chapter 249 Entirely Conquering Turbulent County

"Your Excellency, what beautiful archery skills you possess!"

In late September, in the forests northwest of White Bear County, Elder Hafdan of the High Cliff tribe praised Lynn's archery skills.

Lynn put down his compound shortbow, looked at the large wild boar that had fallen in the distance, and smiled, "To you wild people, my archery skills shouldn't be considered impressive."

Old Hafdan quickly replied, "My lord, you are too modest. There may be warriors in our tribe who can shoot accurately, but when it comes to arm strength, no one can catch up with your heel."

To kill the wild boar, Lynn fired four arrows in quick succession, all hitting their target and nearly piercing the boar's body, preventing the resilient prey from escaping back into the bushes.

Just as the two were talking, the count's personal guards rode forward and dragged the wild boar away to deal with it.

Wild boar meat during its autumn mating season is extremely gamey and almost inedible without long-term stewing with plenty of spices.

Lynn, along with old Hafdan and other local nobles, continued to venture deeper into the forest, hunting animals with their precise and powerful archery skills, reaping considerable rewards.

This autumn hunt is not only a military training event, but also a window for Lynn to demonstrate his military strength to the wasteland people.

The thousand new recruits were divided into twenty small square formations, arranged in three tightly packed concentric circles. Using spears, bone whistles, horns, gongs and drums, they drove the prey within a few square kilometers toward the center.

Such large-scale team hunting requires excellent coordination between military formations.

Once a large gap appears in the circle of the military formation, the prey that has been painstakingly driven together will escape in large numbers in an instant.

Fortunately, these new recruits had undergone rigorous training from the fifth brother, Andrei, and did not make any mistakes during the hunt, demonstrating excellent performance.

During halftime, Captain Carroll of the Royal Guard personally prepared roasted whole deer, using a two-year-old fawn as the main ingredient. The deer was coated with butter and honey, stuffed with spices and apples, and roasted with the finest oak as firewood, creating a fragrant and delicious dish.

Old Hafdan sat cross-legged on the cashmere carpet, devouring tender venison ribs, and remarked:

"The Earl's army is truly astonishing. If Augusta of the Rift Valley dares to march south, then nothing awaits them but thunderous destruction."

At first, old Hafdan was very nervous when facing Lynn, and he was very timid and afraid of offending the Lord of the White River.

After getting to know him more often, he discovered that this young nobleman was actually quite approachable and gave off a friendly and gentle vibe.

Therefore, he gradually relaxed.

If the top leader is approachable, the subordinates can't always be on edge.

However, old Hafdan's admiration for Lynn only grew stronger.

The recruits who participated in this hunt were only new recruits who had been training for two months, yet they were already able to command with strict discipline and maintain perfect formation. The aura they exuded made old Hafdan's heart pound with fear.

It should be noted that the great Lord of the White River still commands thousands of battle-hardened veterans.

With such a terrifying army, let alone one Rift Valley Tribe, they could easily overrun ten Rift Valley Tribes like plowing a field!

It was only because Augusta was still hiding in the wasteland that the Lord of the White River spared his life for the time being.

It's laughable that he actually wanted to invade Baihe Territory from the south; he's like a naive doe jumping into a hunter's trap!
Lynn, also sitting cross-legged on the carpet, took the plump deer leg handed to him by Captain Carol of the Royal Guard and casually asked, "Does Augusta really want to head south?"

Old Soward from the Lowlands sat to Lynn's right and replied with absolute certainty, "Augusta has already conquered three tribes and is now taking action against the remaining three. He will be able to unify the wasteland as early as this year."

The arable land on the wasteland is too limited, and the winters are extremely harsh, making it impossible to support many people. Augusta will surely launch a large-scale invasion southward after conquering the other six tribes.

Old Soward had always kept an eye on the movements in the wasteland and frequently sent trusted confidants there to gather intelligence, thus keeping abreast of the latest developments in the Rift Valley.

Old Hafdan suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, isn't there a war god in the Rift Valley?"

"Yes, and it's a woman." Old Soward nodded.

"Goddess of War? A woman?" Lynn asked, slightly puzzled.

The wilderness people had their own primitive polytheistic beliefs, worshipping not only natural gods such as the sun, moon, and thunder, but also human gods such as the god of war and the god of death.

During battles, the barbarians believed that after death they would enter the temple of the god of war and return to the human world at a specific moment.

Therefore, the people of the wilderness considered dying on the battlefield an honor and being ashamed of clinging to life and being afraid of death.

Lynn's mountain scout unit, recruited from the wastelands, played a crucial role in the battle to capture Shallows Territory.

However, the image of this so-called 'God of War' is not very aesthetically pleasing.

When Lynn was learning the language of the Wildlings from an elderly scholar, he saw a copy of a Wildling mural. The war god in the mural looked just like Xing Tian, ​​naked and headless, with his face on his belly and wings on his body.

However, in any case, the image of this god of war should be based on a male body and has nothing to do with women.

Old Soward curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Sir, that War Goddess should just be a rather brave female warrior. I guess Augusta deliberately praised her to boost morale and intimidate the enemy. A female War Goddess is more likely to motivate young men."

“Occasionally, one or two female warriors from our wilderness tribes will emerge. My mother was able to beat my father to his knees and beg for mercy back then!” Old Hafdan spoke with great pride when talking about his mother.

The Northern Kingdom is, of course, not lacking in female warriors.

According to Jagna, the Duchess of the Marsh was quite a fighter.

Lia was also accompanied by two female bodyguards who were said to be from a mercenary group and were highly skilled.

However, due to their inherent physical disadvantages, women on the battlefield remained extremely rare, and even their strength was limited to the female sphere.

After exchanging a few words, Lynn lost interest in the topic of the Goddess of War and changed the subject to something else: "Hafdan, how many traitors have you caught in your tribe recently?"

Old Hafdan's face was full of embarrassment as he replied, "Uh, about eight or nine people. I hanged all those bastards in front of the whole tribe."

The Gaoya tribe had a total of more than 8,000 people. Half of them went to the iron mine, half stayed in the salt mine, and 400 were transferred to the army by Lynn.

There were also many people from the lowlands helping to refine salt at the salt mine, and these people would naturally report everything they saw and heard to old Soward.

Old Soward knew, which meant Lynn knew too.

Although both tribes voluntarily joined Baihe Territory under the leadership of their chieftains, they were by no means a monolithic entity.

Augusta's ideology of "unifying the wasteland and returning to the homeland" has a strong appeal among the young wasteland people, so it is not surprising that some 500,000 people and collaborators have appeared within the High Cliff tribe.

If the High Cliff tribe were still in the wasteland, they would have been completely swallowed up by Augusta of the Rift Valley tribe through an internal traitor.

Even after the entire High Cliff tribe migrated south, these traitors maintained close contact with the Rift Valley tribe and continuously reported the situation in the south to Augusta.

Every week, old Hafdan manages to find some traitors who betray information or members of the Spirit Rift who are trying to return to the Wastes. Once caught, they are hanged in public.

Lynn took a bite of the venison leg, thought for a moment, and then gave instructions:

“It’s normal for there to be disagreements within the tribe, and not all the barbarians can adapt to life in the south. However, I don’t think it’s necessary to condemn them all. Once you’ve captured them, hand them over to the county magistrate of White Bear County. I will arrange for them to be taken to the iron mine and forced to work to calm their restless hearts.”

Old Hafdan immediately nodded and said, "Sir, I understand. Everything will be done as you wish."

Actually, he was also having this problem on his mind.

They were all young men he had watched grow up; he would feel it was a pity if they all hanged themselves.

But if we don't deal with it seriously, it might cause even worse consequences and leave a bad impression on Lynn, which could then affect his own progress and that of the entire clan.

The High Cliffs didn't want to be miners for life, and Old Hafdan was extremely envious of the Lowlands' bumper harvest this year.

"besides."

Just as Lynn was about to give further instructions, the clerk Victor strode up to him with a parchment scroll in hand.

"My lord, here comes the latest military intelligence from Turbulent County."

Seeing the joy on Victor's face, Lynn showed off the juicy deer leg in his hand: "I'm not available, you can read it."

"Yes, my lord."

Victor unfurled the scroll and began to read it aloud in perfect pronunciation.

The military intelligence was simple: the second brother, Hugh, and the third brother, Yang, had basically occupied the entire Turbulent County, with only one large castle and one small castle still putting up a stubborn resistance. It was only a matter of time before they were taken over.

The two small cities within Turbulent County have also sworn allegiance to the esteemed Earl of White River and presented him with bronze keys symbolizing their ownership. From this day forward, the vast lands and over 30,000 inhabitants of Turbulent County will be completely under Lynn's control.

Old Soward had been diligently practicing the common language of the continent, so as soon as Victor stopped, he couldn't wait to say in the wild people's language, "My lord, congratulations on conquering another territory!"

"My lord, congratulations!" Although old Hafdan didn't understand what had happened, since old So had congratulated him, he naturally had to do something in return.

Lynn smiled and replied, "Turbulent Stream County is about the same size as White River Territory. I will be going there to inspect it soon. You will need to keep a close eye on the northern wasteland."

This statement is, of course, a slight exaggeration.

After Lynn's comprehensive reforms, White River Territory's development level has now risen to the top in the entire North, far surpassing the barren Turbulent County.

However, if we only look at the population, the number of counties in Tsururi County is indeed not much different from the six counties in Shirakawa Territory last year.

With careful nurturing and cultivation, the overall condition of Tuanliu County will surely be completely transformed by next autumn.

In order to plan the construction of the new territory and to let the local people meet their new lord, Lynn naturally had to go to Turbulent County. He could also scout out the situation further west and make preparations for the subsequent war.

The war season in the North will last until early December, with more than two months to go. Lynn will not be satisfied with just Turbulent County.

He doesn't really need any more talent right now.

From the Crown Territory to the Valley Duchy, intellectuals from all over came to join him, and with the addition of a large number of outstanding students from the official schools, the talents of the surrounding areas were almost under his control.

Old Soward was very conscientious and immediately declared loudly, "My lord, if Augusta dares to march south, our lowland tribes will swear to protect your territory with our lives!"

The lowland tribes have largely assimilated into the White River Territory; the safety of the territory is the safety of the tribe, and the wealth of the territory is the wealth of the tribe.

For the sake of his people's better life, for the bright future of his sons and daughters, and for his many unborn children, Old So would risk his life to protect the territory.

With Old So taking the lead, Old Hafdan was naturally not to be outdone: "The High Cliff tribe will also swear to protect their territory to the death!"

The Gaoya tribe is still a long way from being integrated into the territory, mainly because those two mines need to be mined by someone, and there is currently no other large labor force besides the Gaoya tribe.

But if Augusta really led several tribes south, wouldn't that bring in a workforce?
Gaoyabu was also freed from the mining business and happily picked up a hoe to farm.

Farming is such a wonderful thing!

Given the terrifying fighting power of the White River Territory, Old Hafdan couldn't be happier for Augusta to head south as soon as possible.

"I will take all one thousand new recruits who participated in the hunt with me."

But what Lynn said next completely baffled both clan leaders.

Old Soward stared wide-eyed, his face full of doubt, and asked, "Sir, do you mean that only our two tribes will be left to protect the northern part of the White River Territory?"

"good."

Lynn nodded slightly, then turned to look at the equally bewildered old Halfdan and instructed, "You must make sure to deliver this message to Augusta, let him know that White River Territory is vulnerable, tempt him, and urge him to head south as soon as possible."

The two clan leaders were not fools, and they quickly understood Lynn's intentions.

Old Hafdan patted his chest and guaranteed, "Sir, rest assured, even if I send someone disguised as a spy, I will still get this message to Augusta!"

Old Soward exclaimed, "Sir, your plan is brilliant! With Augusta's wolfish greed, he certainly won't be able to resist the temptation of this bloody piece of meat."

Lynn's plan was actually quite simple.

Show the enemy weakness to lure them into attacking.

Expeditions to the wilderness are too arduous and yield little reward. With the current strength of the White River Territory, it is difficult to launch a long-distance war of this scale.

But since Augusta covets the wealth of the White River Territory, this matter becomes much easier to resolve.

My door is open. There are only two kids at home. All the adults are out working. Come on over!

Currently, the wilderness dwellers in the territory are mostly distributed in the four counties in the north.

Lynn only needs to transfer these thousand new recruits to the western outskirts of Three Rivers City and, with sufficient intelligence blockade, keep Augusta, who is far away in the wasteland, in the dark. Incidentally, he can also strengthen the defense of Three Rivers City to prevent the Duke of the Swamp from launching a full-scale attack on Three Rivers City.

The Baihe Territory still has a high-quality road running from south to north through the entire territory, and a thousand new recruits can reach the northernmost Baixiong County from Sanhe City in four days by forced march.

Even if Augusta led a massive invasion with seven tribes of barbarians, the fortified White Bear County Castle could easily withstand the attack for four days.

Once reinforcements arrive, we can launch a two-pronged attack from both inside and outside the enemy's camp; the scene will be truly magnificent.

The northern wilderness is always a ticking time bomb. Although it's too weak to kill anyone, its constant presence is certainly a nuisance.

By taking this opportunity to defuse the bomb, Lynn will be able to free up more energy and manpower to deal with more difficult enemies in the future.

He had a premonition that Otto III would be able to conquer the Crownlands by next year at the latest, at which point he would face immense pressure from the South.

Before that, he needs to prepare as much as possible for the impact and for the struggle for control of the North.

After eating and drinking their fill, Lynn and the two chieftains continued hunting in the forest.

After shooting an arrow through a deer, Lynn talked about the more than six hundred newly surrendered barbarians.

"Hafdan, how are the new Wastes doing? How many of them have Rift Valley spies among them?"

Lynn's voice wasn't loud, but it was accurately picked up by Carula, who was 300 meters away.

Karula's special ability allows her to blend perfectly into the autumn bushes, and coupled with the powerful hearing granted by her racial traits, she can clearly hear the conversation between several people even from more than 300 meters away.

Upon hearing this, she felt a pang of anxiety. Could it be that she had already been exposed?
Carula had no desire to be Lynn's enemy, much less to carry out that bullshit plan to assassinate Lynn.

After gaining a basic understanding of Lynn and White River Territory's strength and current situation, and having stolen a few bottles of good wine from old Hafdan, she had long since forgotten about the Rift Valley Tribe in the north, which could only brew horse urine wine.

She's not a deserter, not even human, so why should she work for that bastard Augusta?

The reason he was willing to help the Rift Valley Tribe fight was mainly for those few bottles of cheap liquor.

After seeing a corner of the dazzling world in the south, she felt her horizons had been broadened.

Since there is an endless supply of fine wine in Baihe Territory, why doesn't she switch allegiance and serve Lynn instead?

However, her previous identity was somewhat problematic, and she had no way to get close to Lynn.

“I have placed them separately in a mining area, surrounded by my people. So far, we have not discovered any spies from the Rift Valley.”

Soon, Karula heard old Hafdan's reply and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She is indeed exceptionally strong in individual combat, but she is by no means an invincible true war god.

The title of God of War was merely a pretext used by Augusta to boost morale.

Karula was able to emerge unscathed from the tribal war mainly because she was physically strong, and the barbarians' weapon-making skills were rather poor, consisting of stone spears and bone arrows that couldn't break through her defenses at all.

But after arriving in Baihe Territory, she realized the power of iron weapons and armor.

Hafdan's household contained two sets of chainmail and several iron weapons bestowed upon him by Lynn.

The composite bow in Lynn's hand, equipped with steel armor-piercing arrowheads, made her feel even more threatened.

If that arrow had hit her, it would have at least left a bloody hole, if not pierced through.

Given that man's superb archery skills and keen senses, if she were to approach rashly, she would surely be met with a barrage of arrows and a combined pursuit from the guards.

As for using the bone bow to ambush Lynn, she gave up on it after only two days in White River Territory.

That bone bow was so huge that standing up to draw it was no different from being a live target.

What Carula is thinking about now is how to approach Lynn in a reasonable way, and also to let this great nobleman from the south see her abilities and entrust her with important tasks.

Only in this way can she fully enjoy the fine wines and delicacies of the Southern world.

(End of this chapter)