I'm not a lord

Chapter 269 Marriage and Diplomacy

Inside the military camp in the western suburbs, Lynn looked around at the generals below him, his gaze finally settling on two blue-haired young men to his left:
"Soward, Hafdan, I hereby appoint you two as deputy commanders of the Wilderness Legion."

Upon hearing this, the two quickly stood up and replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

In Lynn's army, ten men formed a squad, fifty men formed a company, and five hundred men formed a battalion.

With the army rapidly expanding, the battalion level was no longer sufficient, so Lynn established a legion above the battalion level.

The size of a legion is not fixed; two battalions can form a legion, and four battalions can also form a legion.

As for this newly established barbarian legion, it consists of eight battalions totaling four thousand soldiers. Including the auxiliary soldiers who accompany and care for the soldiers, the total number will approach four thousand five hundred.

The vast majority of soldiers in this legion were barbarians, and for the sake of command convenience, the lower-ranking officers could only be barbarians as well.

Previously, Lynn had considered mixing Wildling recruits with Rui recruits to form a new legion, but after careful consideration, he abandoned the plan.

To ensure the army's combat effectiveness, organizing the barbarian soldiers into a separate legion is clearly a more reasonable choice.

Every advantage has its disadvantages. With thousands of energetic young men from the wilderness gathered together, there is an inevitable risk of them causing trouble.

“Each of you will command two thousand soldiers, and I will personally serve as the overall commander of the Wilderness Legion.”

Lynn's solution was to take on the role of legion commander himself, with both deputy commanders being trusted acquaintances.

This is why Xiao Hafdan, who was originally in charge of the iron mine in the deep mountains of Chixi County, was able to rise to the top and become the deputy commander in charge of two thousand soldiers.

Lynn's gaze settled on the two young vice commanders, then he said solemnly:
"Your next task is to train the soldiers in the River Marsh County. By next spring, I want to see a loyal and reliable army of barbarians, and four thousand brave and fearless elite soldiers. Do you understand?"

River Marsh County Castle is considered Lynn's stronghold. The fact that the Wilderness Legion was stationed in River Marsh County shows that Lynn attaches great importance to and is wary of this legion.

After all, the vast majority of soldiers in this legion were selected from tens of thousands of captive barbarians. The elite of the nine barbarian tribes were gathered here, and they were all newly surrendered people, so we had to be wary of them.

The placement of this army in Kawanuma Prefecture was also due to considerations regarding food and fodder supply.

Kawanuma Prefecture has now built the largest granary in the entire territory, where half of the territory's surplus grain is stored.

Providing supplies to the local militia can save some manpower and resources.

"I understand!"

Both young men stood ramrod straight, especially young Hafdan, who had just enlisted. His movements and mannerisms were a complete copy of young Soward's, as if he were afraid of displeasing the lord and being kicked back into the mine.

Hafdan Jr. was a few years older than Soward Jr., but he was far less imposing than the latter.

You have to know that Little So was trained by Lynn. He has also experienced several brutal wars and has waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood at a young age. How could his aura not be strong?
Xiao Su had no objection to Xiao Ha's meteoric rise to fame.

Little Ha's two younger sisters are also in Lynn's court, and are said to be quite favored, so it's quite normal for them to be promoted.

Moreover, of the seven hundred old desert militiamen under Xiao Suo's command, more than four hundred came from the Gaoya tribe.

With the help of these veterans, Xiao Ha will be able to easily gain a foothold in the newly established legion.

As for commanding battles, that's left to the lord or other high-ranking generals to arrange. The deputy commanders below only need to train the army and discipline the soldiers.

In the previous Battle of Turbulent County, Soward Jr. had always been under the command of Young, and he himself was only the executor of the strategy rather than its creator.

Lynn was quite satisfied with the attitude of the two deputy commanders and ordered, "You will now take your soldiers to River Marsh County. The new recruits recruited in each county will be assembled within a week, and you must start training immediately."

After the two men left to carry out their orders, Lynn turned his gaze to the fifth brother, Andrei, on his right: "Andrei, I appoint you as the commander of the reserve legion, responsible for training new recruits and protecting the territory."

"Yes, sir." Andrei accepted the appointment calmly, his expression unchanged.

In terms of authority alone, he did not receive any promotion.

He was previously in charge of training new recruits in Baixiong County, and he still plays in the mud with the new recruits now.

But he was not dissatisfied with it.

Someone had to be responsible for training new recruits and guarding the territory for the eldest brother, and he was the most suitable candidate.

He had just started a family, had a beautiful wife by his side, and was looking forward to a peaceful life.

Lynn stepped down from the main seat, approached the fifth brother, and said with a smile:
"Don't think that training soldiers is an easy job. The thousand new recruits I'm handing over to you are the best of the best, handed over to you from various counties and from among the refugees. You have to train them all into elites who can take on ten men each."

In the past six months, Leon has recruited a large number of peasants who fled from the royal territory for Lynn in Three Rivers City, totaling around five thousand people.

These days, the physical condition of farmers who can travel across mountains and rivers to escape to other territories is unimaginable; those who are slightly weaker are eliminated halfway through.

Just like Lucas, who shone brightly in the Battle of Turbulent County, this young man was born a refugee. He harbored a bellyful of anger and resentment, and turned these emotions into spiritual nourishment for climbing upwards. He has now grown into a top general under Lynn's command.

The thousand new recruits that Lynn handed over to the fifth brother were mostly from refugees, with a small number being strong local farmers from the White River Territory.

Lynn had high hopes for these new recruits and planned to give Lao Wu about half a year of training.

In the future, he plans to use this unit as a basis to form a heavy infantry force fully equipped with plate armor.

"Brother, don't worry, I guarantee I can train them into the most elite soldiers, the kind who can face cavalry charges and scale city walls without batting an eye."

Andrei was a rough man, and his definition of elite soldiers was very simple: if you're not afraid to die, you're an elite soldier.

Anyway, he's the kind of person who's fearless, so he just uses himself as a template to train these new recruits hard and that's it.

Lynn patted his good friend on the shoulder and said, "The new recruits have already assembled in the military camp. Take them to River Marsh County. The military camp there has been arranged for you. Oh, and remember to bring your wife to River Marsh County. While you're training the soldiers, don't forget to train your wife too. Next year, you have to give birth to a son to play with my son."

By stationing Lao Wu in Hezawa County, he could provide timely support to Sanhe City, monitor the 4,000-strong barbarian army, and maintain a deterrent effect on the newly surrendered barbarians in the counties of Baihe Territory.

Kawanuma Prefecture had the largest population and the largest area among the six prefectures of Shirakawa Territory, and it also had a large granary, so supporting these troops was not a problem at all.

The fifth brother replied sternly, "Understood. Mission accomplished. Soldiers must be well-trained, and sons must be born!"

Hearing this, the second brother, Hugo, and the fourth brother, Joseph, couldn't help but laugh.

Lynn glared at the two of them and said, "What's so funny? You two have to get married this year and have a few sons and daughters as soon as possible, even illegitimate children are fine."

On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. The brothers will frequently go to the battlefield in the future, and there is a chance that they will meet with unexpected misfortune.

Lynn urged them to have offspring as soon as possible, mainly because he hoped that their business and wealth would be inherited.

In the past, everyone was a bandit, living a precarious life. What could a son inherit?
Will he inherit the long bills he owes at the tavern, or the noble pursuers who are hot on his heels?
Now that everyone has become successful and their families are wealthy, it would be a great pity if they died without anyone to inherit their wealth. The fourth son is alright, though; Lynn knows he has several mistresses in Sanhe City, and one of them might even be pregnant with his child.

The second brother was a quiet type, always either with Lynn or with the soldiers, and there was never any sign of a woman around him.

Joseph, the fourth brother, put away his smile and said seriously, "Big brother, I was just about to tell you that the president of the Sanhe City Brewing Guild wants to marry his daughter to me. If you agree, I will hold the wedding this month."

Although Joseph was a warrior, he was a warrior with brains; otherwise, his leadership qualities would not have been second only to the third brother among his brothers.

After more than a year of training, his attribute rating rose to three stars, and all his abilities have increased significantly.

The president of the Brewing Guild is a veteran councilor of Three Rivers City. Before Lynn took over Three Rivers City, he was already one of the city's business tycoons.

Today, with the abundant grain supply of Baihe Territory and the vast market of Jingtie Territory to the south, the brewing guild's business is booming.

Privately, the chairman would regularly send Lynn expensive gifts every month, which could be considered as paying protection money.

Now, he has gotten involved with the fourth brother, Joseph, and even wants to become in-laws, clearly wanting to find another powerful backer for the family's wealth.

The fourth brother also knew that this matter was quite sensitive and that he had to seek the eldest brother's opinion first.

After a moment's thought, Lynn nodded slightly: "That's good. I agree. We'll hold the wedding in the western suburbs, and I'll officiate."

In any era, wealth and power are always twins, intertwined from birth.

Joseph, the fourth son, currently commands nearly two thousand soldiers and is one of Lynn's most prominent core generals. He holds a top position in the territory, so it's not unusual for him to exchange power for economic benefits.

As long as it's within a reasonable range and doesn't affect the normal operation of the territory and the army, Lynn naturally turns a blind eye.

The fourth brother is definitely able to grasp this balance.

As for Lynn personally officiating the wedding, it was mainly to ensure fairness.

Previously in Baixiong County, he had officiated at the wedding of his fifth brother, Andrei, so he would definitely help out at his fourth brother's wedding as well.

"Thank you, elder brother!" The fourth brother was overjoyed and very excited.

Lynn turned to look at the second brother and asked, "The fourth and fifth brothers are both married. The sixth brother told me that he will marry the sister of the county magistrate of Canglu County next year. What about you? When do you plan to get married?"

The two schools that Lao Liu was in charge of were both in Canglu County. This guy had the advantage of being close to the water, and naturally he got together with the sister of the local county magistrate, Oleg.

They're already preparing for the wedding, which is expected to take place sometime next spring.

"Brother, why don't you arrange it for me? I don't know many women, and none of them are suitable for marriage." The second brother looked a little hesitant.

The second brother wasn't a novice either; when he was a bandit, he frequented the city's red-light districts quite often.

However, he has been too busy lately, focusing all his energy on building up the cavalry force, and has no time to meet decent young women.

"How are old Albert's daughters? He has two more daughters waiting to get married. I saw them at old Albert's house yesterday; they are both quite pretty."

Just as Lynn was speaking, old Albert, who was supervising the construction site, suddenly sneezed.

Since following Lynn, the Albert family's fortunes have steadily improved.

Both father and son became county magistrates, and both have promising futures with ample room for advancement.

A few years ago, when old Albert’s eldest daughter got married, she could only marry the son of a local blacksmith.

Now, his two youngest daughters are of marriageable age, and suitors are flocking to his door, but little did they know that the lord had set his sights on them.

The second son thought for a moment and then asked a crucial question: "How old are his two daughters now?"

Lynn joked, "What, you want to marry both of them? I don't think it's impossible."

The second brother repeatedly refused: "No, eldest brother, one is enough, that's more than enough."

"The older one should be fourteen years old."

"Fourteen? Big brother, that's way too young!"

"Fourteen years old is not young at all, it's just right, and you can have a baby next year."

Girls in the North mature remarkably early; by fourteen, they're considered grown women ready for marriage. If they're still unmarried at seventeen or eighteen, they become the subject of gossip.

After settling the marriage arrangements for the two brothers, Lynn then assigned them the task of training soldiers.

It is already early December, and the temperature is hitting new lows every day. Rivers and lakes are beginning to freeze, making it unsuitable for military operations.

Before next spring, Lynn's army will enter a brief period of dormancy and work hard to improve its strength.

"Fourth brother, your army has grown to four battalions of two thousand men. I appoint you as the commander of the Baihe Legion. Your task is to unite this force into a cohesive unit."

The composition of the two thousand soldiers in the Baihe Legion was diverse, including local farmers from Baihe Territory, migrants from elsewhere, former church armed forces from Sanhe City, and even a small number of local militia.

Without proper preparation and training, this unit will be unable to engage the enemy head-on on the battlefield.

Of course, these soldiers have a good foundation, and as long as Lao Si trains them properly, they can become the backbone of the army.

"Second brother, your cavalry force will remain at five hundred riders and will not be expanded for the time being. Your next task is to continue to hone these cavalrymen. By next spring, I will equip them with full sets of plate armor."

Cavalry units are far more expensive and require more resources than infantry units. What Lynn lacks most right now are high-quality warhorses and skilled cavalry.

Maintaining a scale of 500 people is already quite an achievement.

To expand the size of the cavalry, two major problems must be solved: manpower and horse supply.

The finest warhorses in the North all come from the same region: the westernmost Grassland Duchy.

Coincidentally, just after Lynn finished assigning military tasks, his Foreign Minister, Kalebo, completed his diplomatic mission and returned safely to the Western Suburbs Palace.

"My lord, on this trip I visited the Duke of Meadows' Wolf Castle on your behalf and delivered your personal letter to him. His attitude was rather ambiguous, and I think we cannot rule out the possibility that he has already made peace with the Golden Deer Castle."

Regarding your trade requests, he only approved a portion; on this trip, I brought back three hundred fine warhorses for you.”

Kalebo's destination was precisely the Grassland Duchy.

(End of this chapter)