I'm not a lord

Chapter 257 The Eve of the Chaotic Battle
"Lothair must have lost his mind. In order to fight against Otto, he actually wants me to send troops as well."

Lynn almost burst out laughing after reading the Duke of the Marsh's handwritten letter at the castle gate.

It should be noted that the war with Lothair is still ongoing.

His troops, which he had sent to Turbulent County, were besieging the last remaining fortress.

Once this castle is conquered, the most central, richest, and most delicate lands of the Marsh Duchy will be completely open to him.

At this point, Lothair actually asked Lynn to send troops to help fight Otto. Isn't that just wishful thinking?
It's good enough that Lynn didn't continue his westward advance.

Having said that, he placed the letter back in the hands of the scribe Victor and walked straight into the castle.

Victor quickly caught up with Lynn, saying as they walked, "It is said that Lothair has also sent envoys to both the Dukes of the Valley and the Grasslands. He intends to gather the strength of the entire North to fight a decisive battle against Otto in the South."

"It seems that Lothair has a serious lack of confidence in his own forces, and is actually hoping that these mortal enemies will send troops to help him. I still prefer his previous arrogant and unruly self." Lynn's tone was slightly wistful.

Just a few months ago, the Duke of the Swamp was the strongest contender for the Crown of the North, with a vast army of elite soldiers and a continuous stream of victories in the Crown Territory, seemingly poised to become the new King of the North.

But the two defeats at Amber Harbor seemed to have completely broken his backbone, and now he had to ask his mortal enemies for reinforcements.

Is the Duke of the Swamp too weak?
Or was Otto putting too much pressure on him?

"According to intelligence from the royal court, Otto, who occupies Amber Harbor, has begun to expand outwards. It is said that he is constantly recruiting troops from the southern border, and his forces may have already exceeded 10,000."

Victor's worst fears came true. Otto completely copied the strategy of the first King of the North two hundred years ago, using rewards and titles as bait to recruit impoverished nobles from the South.

These people were like hungry sharks that had smelled blood, scrambling to swim from the South to the North.

Lynn's view on the situation in the royal territory was relatively optimistic:
"The North is not the North it was two hundred years ago. Although the nobles of the Crown Territory lost a battle in Kolen City, their military strength was not greatly reduced. If they can truly unite under the banner of Lothair, they should be able to hold out against Otto for a year or two without much trouble."

The nobles of the Crown Territory may be unrefined, but their size is undeniable.

The population of the entire royal territory accounts for more than half of the entire northern territory. Now that the Duke of the Swamp has been raised as a temporary figurehead, it should be able to hold out for at least a year.

Otto will need time to recruit troops from the south, and winter will arrive in just over two months, forcibly creating a truce of at least three months.

"I hope so."

Victor had spent several years at university in Amber Harbor and traveled throughout the various territories of the Royal Territory in his spare time. He had very little confidence in the insect nobles of the Royal Territory.

That evening, Lynn hosted a small dinner party at the castle for Leon, Chloris, and his mother.

Chloe made a special effort to dress up and groom herself.

With her long, flowing golden hair pulled back, the young princess, dressed in a pristine white gown, was radiant and captivating in the candlelight.

“Your Excellency, please allow me to thank you again for protecting my mother and me.” She gracefully walked up to Lynn with her wine glass in hand, then tilted her head back and drank the half-glass of wine in one gulp.

As she put down her glass, she noticed that Lynn was staring intently at her exposed chest, and an alluring blush instantly appeared on her face.

Chloris inherited her father's drinking capacity; she could drink ten glasses of wine without feeling drunk at all.

But faced with Lynn's aggressive gaze, she felt strangely dizzy for the first time ever.

Lynn felt no embarrassment whatsoever; he was simply admiring his new 'collection'.

Chloris offered herself up, so how could he refuse?

The main reason he declined the marriage proposal was that the timing wasn't right.

Then Lynn clapped his hands, and immediately a barbarian maidservant came forward with a tray.

He opened the red velvet box on the tray, and inside was a pure gold necklace inlaid with three sapphires.

Previously, Lynn had successively captured five baronial territories plus Three Rivers, and also cleared out more than ten monasteries and churches in the western suburbs of Three Rivers, naturally seizing a large number of expensive jewels and ornaments.

Lynn selected a batch of jewelry from these pieces to carry with him, which he could use to reward the women who brought him pleasure, as well as to reward meritorious civil and military officials.

This necklace was found in a monastery, and it is said to be a relic donated to the monastery after the death of a noble nun.

Lynn picked up the necklace, held it up to Chloris's chest, and said with narrowed eyes:
"This afternoon I felt like something was missing from your chest, and now I know, it's a necklace as beautiful as you. Come closer, let me put it on you."

Chloe blushed, pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped forward, obediently lowering her head to let Lynn put the sapphire necklace on her fair neck.

If this necklace were in the royal palace in Amber Harbor, it would only rank in the middle among her many dazzling collections.

However, in her haste to escape, she forgot to take her treasured jewelry with her.

Tonight, at the banquet, she and her mother couldn't even bring out two suitable necklaces.

Lynn put the necklace on the princess, his fingertips gliding smoothly over her soft skin. Then he stepped back, looked her up and down, and nodded with a smile: "Not bad, doesn't this look much better?"

"Thank you for your kindness, sir."

Chloris looked up, her eyes slightly dazed; it was the first time she had ever been so intimate with a man.

But Lynn interrupted her reverie with a commanding tone: "Rest well these two days. You will be leaving White Bear County with me the day after tomorrow. Don't worry, I will arrange the safest and most comfortable accommodation for you."

Chloris's eyes cleared instantly; she realized the meaning behind the order.

War may be on the horizon.

She replied earnestly, "As you wish, my lord."

Nothing happened that night. After the bumpy journey, Chloe and her mother slept soundly, feeling a long-lost sense of security in Lynn's territory.

The next day, Lynn got up early, had breakfast, and then took County Magistrate Albert Jr. on a tour of White Bear County.

The feudal manor system still has deep remnants in this land, and the manors still retain the sturdy manors built by knights.

Upon arriving at Manor No. 1, south of the castle, the local residents, led by their headman, had already begun their day's corvée labor. Little Albert explained to Lynn, "Currently, all the manors are being renovated and fortified. In the event of war, the residents can take their food and livestock and hide there. Given the barbarians' level of weapon manufacturing, they won't be able to breach these manors in a short time."

This was also a tradition of the knightly era; when faced with danger or war, the people would collectively hide in castles and manors.

Although the manor was far less fortified than the castle, the wooden fence, which was over three meters high, and the crossbowmen and spearmen standing on it could still cause considerable trouble for intruders.

If it can hold out for a while until reinforcements arrive, the manor will have fulfilled its mission.

Little Albert casually picked up a newly forged spear and continued:

"With the four thousand barbarians from the salt mine, White Bear County currently has a population of just over ten thousand. The expanded castle and seven manors can fully accommodate all the people. With bows, crossbows, and spears, I am confident that I can hold out against the Rift Valley Tribe's attack for half a month."

White Bear County, as Lynn's 'birthplace,' has the best development momentum among the six counties of the White River Territory.

Not only did the population grow significantly, but agriculture and handicrafts also developed in tandem and flourished.

With its water-powered forging hammers and a large number of skilled blacksmiths, White Bear County was able to meet all of Lynn's army's needs for spears and bows.

However, this territory, which has been developed with great difficulty, is about to be ravaged by war, and will inevitably suffer certain losses as a result.

What Albert Jr. had to do was to minimize the loss as much as possible, especially to avoid population loss.

In the North today, population is the most important resource.

To this end, he expanded the castle, dug trenches, and fortified the manor, all in order to protect the lives of his people. At the same time, he also had to keep tens of thousands of barbarians in White Bear County, a task that was no less arduous.

After Lynn toured the manor, Andrei, the fifth son who was still immersed in the joy of his wedding, hurriedly arrived.

Lynn didn't blame him too much for this, but simply instructed the fifth brother:
"I will be heading south with a thousand new recruits tomorrow. You and a hundred instructors will stay behind to assist Albert in defending White Bear County. You only need to hold out for three days."

In order to completely hook Augusta of the Rift Valley, Lynn had to take the thousand new recruits with him, leaving only one hundred veterans to serve as instructors for the new recruits.

White Bear County currently houses over two thousand lowland scavengers, and he couldn't be sure if there weren't Augusta's spies among them, so the charade had to be carried out completely.

These days, to truly keep secrets, you have to fool even your own people.

Only two clan chiefs, County Magistrate Albert, and the fifth brother Andre knew about Lynn's plan. All of them had a loyalty rating of over 95 and were quite meticulous in their actions, so there was no chance of any major mistakes.

The fifth brother immediately stood at attention: "Big brother, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Although it was just a combat mission to protect the territory, it was enough to motivate Andrei.

His older brothers were all able to lead troops in the field, while he stayed behind in the territory to teach new recruits. He always felt a sense of resentment about this.

On the surface, the number of invaders might reach tens of thousands, but the fifth brother, Andrei, only had a hundred instructors and about a hundred local militiamen to maintain order.

But in his eyes, the people of the wasteland were still just chickens and dogs; tens of thousands of weak chickens added together were still weak chickens!
Lynn then inspected several manors and reaffirmed the entire battle plan with Elder Soward of the Lowlands tribe.

The following day, he led a thousand new recruits south by land, accompanied by Chloris, who had put her hood back on.

When passing through Green Lake County, Lynn settled Chloris and her mother in the local castle.

Green Lake Castle is built right next to the lake, boasting some of the best scenery in the territory, and is located in the middle of the six counties of White River Territory, making it almost unaffected by external enemies.

The castle's former owner, Baron Bogdan of the Green Lake, had long since fled to Golden Deer Castle, and the castle had been vacant for more than half a year.

However, Lynn designated all the castles in the six counties as his own palaces, with maids always on hand to clean and maintain them, so he could move in at any time.

Upon entering the castle, Queen Katharina was immediately captivated by the beautiful lake view outside the window, and even dared to ask Lynn to lend her the best-located former baron's bedroom for a temporary stay.

Lynn stood on the castle balcony, his gaze lingering on the still-charming former queen, and smiled, "While I was away, Chloris was the owner of this castle. You should ask for her permission."

If Chloris's intelligence and drinking capacity were inherited from her father, then her beauty must have been inherited from her mother in the Southern Territory.

After receiving Lynn's promise, a bright, girlish smile appeared on Katarina's face: "Thank you for your generosity!"

She didn't have as many complicated thoughts about her daughter; she simply felt that the beautiful scenery of Green Lake Territory reminded her of similar hometown landscapes.

Compared to her easygoing mother, Chloris was clearly less interested in the scenery of Green Lake Territory.

After learning about Lynn's arrangements, she realized that the castle was her birdcage.

Until the opportune moment arrives, she will most likely have to stay in this seemingly beautiful but actually cramped castle.

Although she had guards and maids brought from Amber Harbor, the defense of the entire castle was in Lynn's hands.

Lynn left behind twenty personal guards to protect the castle, and also to keep an eye on Chloris and her daughter.

Indeed, Chloris's loyalty has reached over seventy points, but her identity is too sensitive, and Lynn would never relax his surveillance and control over her.

Three days later, Lynn led his army to the southernmost county of River Marsh, where Joseph, the fourth brother, had been waiting for a long time.

Lynn immediately issued the order: "Fourth brother, these thousand new recruits are yours. Take them to the military camp in the western suburbs of Sanhe City for continued training. Be prepared to go to the battlefield at any time."

“Understood, brother.” Joseph replied, equally eager for battle.

He already knew the latest battle situation in Turbulent County to the west.

The second son, Hugh, and the third son, Young, have joined forces to breach the last castle in the county and completely occupy the entire Turbulent County.

The two of them became stars in taverns and among bards, and everywhere people were talking about the two outstanding generals under the command of Earl of White River.

With his brothers becoming famous in the North one after another, how could Joseph, the fourth brother, not be envious and jealous?
And now, his chance to make a name for himself is fast approaching.

Lynn patted the fourth brother on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Once we have completely conquered the barbarians, I will hold a larger-scale award ceremony, and I will prepare a noble and prestigious title for you."

As territories and power expanded, medals became insufficient to recognize outstanding generals.

(End of this chapter)