I'm not a lord

Chapter 260 Then play music and then dance

Two days later, Otto officially launched his campaign from Amber Harbor, with his sights set on Tot, the city once held by the Duke of the Marsh.

Even before he set out, his trusted troops had already swept through the area around Amber Harbor, and even crossed the River Quiet to conquer several baronial territories south of the riverbank.

However, the Duke of the Marshland was no longer in Thoth City; he retreated westward and went straight back to River Bend Castle.

This castle was the first fortified city he breached during his attack on the Crown Territory last year. By poisoning the Earl of the River Bend, he easily took the castle and established it as his core base in the Crown Territory.

At this moment, most of the earls and barons from the Crown Territory have gathered in River Bend Castle; it is truly a gathering of sages and immortals.

The Duke of the Marsh's main task every day was to receive these nobles and arrange camps for the troops they brought.

In the evenings, he would hold banquets non-stop, basically a small banquet every two days and a large banquet every three days, and the wine in the River Bend Fort was almost all drunk up.

In short, it's all about continuing to play music and dance.

At tonight's banquet, Arno, the leader of the Power Mercenary Group, leaned against the windowsill, gazing at the silent river flowing under the moonlight, his voice inexplicably tinged with sadness:

"I seriously doubt that these nobles can truly unite on the battlefield?"

During the year that they conquered the Crown Territory, Arnault was arguably one of the biggest beneficiaries.

He successfully transformed from a mercenary leader into a general under the Duke, and the size of the Power Mercenary Group expanded again and again, from more than 1,500 people to an astonishing 5,000 people.

Of course, only one-third of these five thousand people were adult male mercenaries capable of fighting; the rest were family members accompanying the army, prostitutes, or merchants.

But it is still a powerful armed force.

Furthermore, the mercenaries' equipment level has also leaped several levels, from two people sharing a set of half-body armor to each person having a set of full-body armor, making them quite intimidating when they are out.

One can only say that this wealthy Crown Territory is truly a nurturing place.

In addition to the dual improvement in status and power, Arnaud also made a close friend, namely Count Coldwind.

Both served the Duke of the Marshland, were of similar age, fought side by side for a year, and cooperated closely in the assassination of Lynn, naturally developing into close friends over drinks.

Earl of Coldwind, having been plied with plenty of wine by the nobles of the royal domain that evening, was also leaning against the railing, enjoying the night breeze. Hearing Arno's question, he grinned and said:
"There's no doubt that those idiots in the banquet hall could never unite; some of them have already secretly sided with Otto."

Earl of Coldwind has been in the royal territory for over forty years, how could he not know the nature of these colleagues?
Ultimately, he himself was a despicable traitor.

The Earl of Coldwind's family has stood strong in the royal territory for two hundred years, truly a family with deep roots.

If it weren't for him acting as a guide, the Duke of the Marshland could have easily marched to the gates of Amber Harbor.
In other words, the fact that his illegitimate son Maurice fled to the Southern Territory indirectly cleared his name considerably.

As for the Duke's two subsequent failed sieges, these had little to do with Earl Coldwind.

"There's another traitor? Then how are we supposed to win?" Arno was somewhat confused.

Although the Power Mercenary Group has upgraded its equipment, mercenaries are still mercenaries. They still have shortcomings such as lax discipline and cowardice. Only a small number of veterans who have followed Arno for many years can be considered elite.

In his view, his mercenary group was already unreliable enough.

But these nobles gathered under the Duke of the Swamp were not even as good as mercenaries; they were not only disorganized, but also included traitors.

How is this fight going?
Earl of Coldwind chuckled: "Hehe, you don't need to worry about that. We may not be strong, but Otto's side won't be much stronger either. The army he recruited from the Southern Territory is just a bunch of noble troops, all after the territory and titles. They're no different from the people in the banquet hall. If a real fight breaks out, it's hard to say who will win or lose."

Nobles, after all, play a game of outdoing each other in terms of being the worst.

Previously, Duke Lothair of the Swamp was only slightly stronger, yet he was able to trample the entire Crown Territory underfoot.

With the Duke's prized court cavalry largely withdrawing from the battlefield, the main military forces of both sides reverted to traditional nobles, inevitably leading to a competition of who was worse off.

Arnaud glanced back at the nobles clinking glasses in the hall, and suddenly remembered the rising star in the west. He asked curiously:
"Speaking of which, how come Lynn's army is so resilient? I heard that he single-handedly took over thirty castles in Turbulent County. How did he train his army?"

Earl of Coldwind picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and then replied, "Who knows? Maybe the northern barbarians really aren't afraid of death? I've heard that those barbarians worship the God of War and believe that they can be reborn under the God of War's protection after death. Lynn must be driving the barbarians to attack the castle for him."

This is the most reasonable guess that Earl of Coldwind could come up with.

The lives of the famine victims are not lives, so wouldn't it be perfect to use them as cannon fodder?

According to the battle report sent from Golden Deer Fortress, the army attacking Turbulent County did indeed have a large number of wastelanders among them.

Those pitifully small castles in Turbulent County can always be breached if you're willing to sacrifice lives.

Arnaud tilted his head back and drained the last drop of wine from his glass, remarking with emotion:

"Lynn's expansion speed is too fast. In just one year, he has occupied White River Territory, Three Rivers City and Turbulent County. Give him another year, and he will probably invade Golden Deer Fortress."

Arnaud actually envied Lynn from the bottom of his heart.

Both of them started as bandits and mercenaries, but he debuted more than ten years earlier and is still only the leader of a large mercenary group.

Although Lynn is a newcomer who has only emerged in recent years, he has taken advantage of the chaotic situation to develop rapidly and leave him far behind.

Arno was willing to serve the Duke of the Marshland just for the title and the land.
Lynn had both of those things.

Comparing yourself to others can really make you angry.

Earl of Coldwind snorted coldly upon hearing this: "That's the end for him. The Duke's eldest son has already returned to Golden Deer Castle with the court cavalry. They should be able to hold out for a few more years. As long as the Duke can defeat Otto, the situation in the North will still be under control."

Although he spoke toughly, Earl Hanfeng secretly regretted his actions.

If he had known Lynn would develop like this, he should have strongly urged the Duke to completely suppress the boy last year.

Now things are really going well. Lynn has completely gained momentum and can even send out several thousand troops to forcibly take over dozens of castles of various sizes, completely driving the Marsh Duke's forces out of Turbulent County.

What decisiveness, strength and ambition this is!

Earl of Coldwind even had a feeling that even if Duke of Swampland really defeated Otto, he might not be able to guarantee a win against Lynn.

The main reason is that Lynn's record is too brilliant. He has won one battle after another in the past six months. His army is not only large in number, but has also proven to be capable of fighting tough battles.

Anyone would find such a formidable opponent troublesome.

“I think it’s hard to say. Assassinations won’t work on him, and militarily no one can stop him. How long can the thousand cavalrymen that László brought back hold out?”

This is not Arnaud trying to boost the morale of his enemies while diminishing his own.

Arno had a poor impression of the Duke's eldest son, László, finding him inexperienced and impulsive, while Lynn, on the other hand, was visibly cunning and experienced. Arno had confirmed that the assassination attempt on Lynn had ended in complete failure.

It is said that the group of assassins he sent out were all arrested by the Sanhe City militia, and then they completely disappeared. By now, their graves are probably overgrown with weeds.

"What shall we talk about?"

Just as the two were chatting, Duke Lothair of the Marsh walked to the windowsill with a wine glass in his hand, a smile on his face, looking like he was in a good mood.

Upon seeing the Duke, Earl Hanfeng's bitterness instantly turned into joy: "Your Grace, that lad Arno hooked up with a beautiful young baroness last night, and he was just bragging to me about it."

War inevitably creates widows in large numbers.

There are plenty of widowed noblewomen in this River Bend Castle, and with Arnaud's status, it wouldn't be difficult for him to seduce one or two.

"Baroness? Not bad, but even though women are wonderful, one shouldn't overindulge in alcohol."

The Duke of the Marshland was indeed in a great mood tonight, and even had the leisure to joke with his subordinates.

Currently, more than 80% of the nobles in the Crown Territory have gathered under his banner, and his military strength has rapidly expanded to more than 15,000.

Moreover, these nobles all brought their own provisions to the fort, literally meaning "dry provisions." Wagons carrying grain, beer, and dried meat had already filled the fort's grounds.

These armies required neither the Duke of the Marsh to prepare food nor to allocate additional wages from him.

It can only be said that this feudal aristocratic army also had certain advantages.

Of course, as Count Coldwind said, this army cobbled together by nobles from various places was unreliable, with numerous factions and members harboring their own ulterior motives.

On the bright side, however, the Duke of the Swamp has at least regained a reasonably large army, and if he commands it properly, this army may well be able to put up a fight.

Because Otto on the other side wasn't much stronger either.

The three chatted idly on the windowsill for a while, and soon the conversation shifted from women to business.

“Otto has already amassed tens of thousands of troops in Amber Harbor, and he should be launching an attack soon. But we can’t rush things. I plan to spend about half a month reorganizing these nobles and let him be smug for a while.”

Lothair had already regarded the two men in front of him as his confidants, and would consult their opinions on important decisions.

Moreover, his eldest son and a group of veteran officials had all returned to Golden Deer Castle, leaving him with few close associates to share secrets with.

Earl of Coldwind immediately agreed: "My lord, this is an absolutely wise choice. We must lure Otto out of Amber Harbor. If we fight in the open, we will undoubtedly have the advantage."

Arno then suggested, “Otto has never lived in the North, and his nobles are neither familiar with the terrain nor necessarily adapted to the climate. Therefore, I would prefer to postpone the decisive battle until the end of November or even December.”

As a native of the South, Arnaud was acutely aware of the climatic differences between the two places, and he found it difficult to adapt to the long, cold winters during his first two years in the North.

The harsh winters of the North are the perfect weather weapon for Southerners who are used to mild winters.

“A very good suggestion.” Lothair was quite satisfied with their responses.

Count Coldwind and Arno were essentially speaking his mind. He also wanted to have a showdown with Otto in the wilderness in December, preferably with some snow and wind to add to the excitement.

From an overall perspective, neither Lothair nor Otto can afford to drag things out, and a large-scale decisive battle between the two sides is inevitable this year.

The former fears the endless stream of hungry sharks from the South; if it drags on until next spring, who knows how many Southern nobles will flood into the North.

The latter was held hostage by the recruited nobles.

Otto lured the impoverished nobles of the South to fight for him with territories and titles, so he couldn't remain holed up in Amber Harbor forever.

The nobles' surging desires can devour everything.

If Otto falters in battle, the nobles wouldn't mind replacing him with a different leader.

We're all here to get promoted and make a fortune, not to play house with you, kid, in Amber Harbor.

Moreover, the grain reserves in Amber Harbor couldn't sustain the feeding of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.

Having finalized the overall strategic plan, Lothair then inquired about the military equipment situation with Earl Coldwind: "How's the situation at the blacksmith's shop? Can the plate armor be forged?"

Lothair did not come away empty-handed from the devastating Second Battle of Amber Harbor; he seized a batch of plate armor from the Southern soldiers.

This type of armor is significantly superior to chainmail in terms of defensive capabilities.

The disparity in equipment was also one of the reasons for Lothair's crushing defeat.

While the North was still widely using outdated chainmail, soldiers in the South had begun to be equipped with plate armor on a small scale.

War undoubtedly promotes the spread of technology.

As soon as Lothair withdrew to River Bend, he summoned his best blacksmiths to study the captured plate armor and ordered them to forge it as soon as possible.

In fact, he also knew that Lynn's army was equipped with an advanced armor similar to plate armor, but he did not have any finished products on hand.

"The blacksmiths all believe it can be made; they should be able to forge a sample within three days."

Earl of Coldwind was in charge of this matter. His blacksmiths were all recruited from various autonomous cities in the royal territory, bringing together the best blacksmiths in the entire northern region.

Plate armor is not technically complex; it's more about upgrading the concept of armor manufacturing.

As long as there are finished products, these skilled blacksmiths will be able to replicate them sooner or later.

"Very good, I look forward to your results."

After encouraging his two trusted confidants, Lothair turned back to the banquet hall and continued to toast with nobles from various places.

The nobles in the North are all fond of drinking, and he must rely on the fiery alcohol to win them over.

The Duke of the Valley, far away at White Eagle Castle, was also hosting a grand banquet, though on a much smaller scale than at River Bend Castle.

After being thwarted twice by Lynn, the Duke of the Valley realized that the alliance between the Earl of White River and the Earl of Mirror Iron was unshakeable, and he had to and could only rely on his own strength to deal with the rebellious nobles in his territory.

To this end, he used every trick in the book, offering countless preferential terms, and finally won over several local nobles.

Tomorrow, the Duke of the Valley will lead his troops eastward, attempting to eliminate that even more damned Earl of Mirror Iron before the damned winter arrives.

(End of this chapter)