I'm not a lord

Chapter 271 The Duke's Fall

“This Vasa, his ambitions may not be any smaller than mine.”

Although Lynn's words were somewhat of a joke, they were actually a compliment to Earl Mirror Iron.

Is it shameful to be an ambitious person in this chaotic North? Not at all.

As a nobleman, if you don't have any ideas and ambitions, you won't even know how you died when you die, and you will easily become someone else's food and stepping stone.

Earl Mirror Iron has been accumulating power for decades, finally waiting for the chaotic world he desired. Now, he has made a stunning move, not only driving out Earl Tin Rock but also defeating the Duke of the Valley. His ambitions are certainly not small.

Previously, Lynn might have thought that Earl Mirror Iron's intention was to occupy the entire Vale Duchy and use it as leverage to negotiate with the new king of the North, with the aim of replacing the Duke of Vale.

Judging from the current situation, Count Mirror Iron's ultimate goal may be the same as Lynn's: to seize the scepter and crown in Amber Harbor.

That's why he's wary of even his allies.

However, Lynn couldn't really blame Vasa for this, since he was also on guard against him.
We're all the same; no one has the right to judge anyone else.

Moreover, this is quite reasonable; it was originally a superficial alliance where two ambitious individuals each got what they wanted.

Lynn needs minerals from Mirror Iron Territory, while Vasa needs grains from White River Territory. They have frequent trade relations, but they are not bound by marriage at all. The establishment of diplomatic relations is only a matter of a few months. Isn't it normal for them to be wary of each other?
During his inspection of the various territories, Lynn did use the panel to explore for minerals, and he did find quite a few.

Coal mines are the most abundant feature of Baihe County and Tuanli County, with several shallow coal mines discovered.

However, finding a mine doesn't necessarily mean it will come in handy.

Given the current population density, forest area, and level of handicrafts in Baihe Territory, burning charcoal is far more efficient, convenient, and cheaper than burning coal.

If coal is not desulfurized beforehand, ironware made from it will become brittle and crack, and using it for heating can easily lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Why did humans only begin large-scale coal mining during the Industrial Revolution?
That's because all the trees had been burned, forcing them to mine coal.

The steam engine, which was invented later, was initially intended only to extract groundwater from the ore deposits, making coal mining more efficient.

Aside from coal mines, Lynn couldn't find any other usable mineral deposits; they were either too small or buried too deep.

The resources in Baihe Territory are actually quite abundant, with open-pit high-quality salt mines and limonite mines, as well as a sizable bitumen mine, all of which are easy to mine.

As for other mines, forget about them.

Therefore, in order to expand its military, Lynn had no choice but to continue to maintain good relations with Vasa.

Who told this fellow to have so many high-quality iron mines in his territory? Now that he has occupied Tin Rock Territory, he also has copper and tin mines.

Similarly, Vasa had to grit his teeth and continue cooperating with Lynn for the sake of food and beer.

Who told Lynn's territory to have such high grain yields?

As long as they do not threaten each other's core interests, both sides should continue to maintain this 'ambiguous' alliance and will not easily break off relations.

Kalebo sat in the soft chair in the study and analyzed, "My lord, in terms of strength alone, Vasa is currently far inferior to you, and the population south of Jinghe is also far smaller than that in the north. As long as you can take Golden Deer Castle next year, Vasa is no match for you."

This was not an exaggeration by Callebo.

Previously, the Duke of the Swamp was already powerful enough to force the other two dukes to form an alliance in response.

If Lynn can take over the entire duchy, coupled with his advantages in system and technology, as well as the addition of tens of thousands of wild people, his strength will only be greater than that of the previous swamp duke.

At the same time, Count Mirror Iron could at most occupy the Valley Duchy in the south. In terms of population and military strength, it was far inferior to Lynn in the north. Its only two advantages were its rich mineral resources and the terrain advantage of its crisscrossing mountains.

However, the production capacity of limonite in Baihe Territory is steadily increasing, and by next year it will no longer need to rely on iron ingots from the south.

Moreover, Lynn has cannons, which can compensate for some of the terrain disadvantages and prevent him from being helpless when attacking the castle built on the mountaintop.

During the day, Kalebo also accompanied Lynn to visit the foundry. Through the blueprints drawn by Lynn, he had roughly grasped the strategic significance of artillery.

Lynn leaned back on the cushion and laughed, "That's hard to say. Vasa is a proper earl, so he should have a more flexible bottom line when dealing with noble affairs. Through this battle, I estimate that many small and medium-sized nobles will be willing to pledge their allegiance to him. As long as he can accept these nobles, his military strength may expand rapidly in the short term."

The trend of centralizing power in the North was started by the last three Marshland Dukes. It is precisely because the current Marshland Duke has initially completed centralization that he has the strength to contend for the crown in the North.

The nobles were well aware that if they could centralize power and control the population and resources, the military strength of their territories would inevitably increase dramatically.

The reason Count Mirror Iron was able to muster two thousand cavalry was because he had already achieved initial centralization of power in his territory and could exclusively enjoy the profits from iron mines and farmland.

However, both the Duke of the Marshland and the Earl of Mirror Iron retained a small number of powerful nobles in their territories, and the centralization of power was not thorough.

Take, for example, Earl Blackwood, who died in the western suburbs of Three Rivers. His territory was located north of Turbulent County. His eldest son still relentlessly harasses Turbulent County, but his third son has managed to thwart it all.

Lynn also pursued centralized power, but his strategy was more radical. He completely eliminated the feudal knight class in his territory, and all land and people belonged to the single lord. The county officials were all appointed officials dispatched by him.

This is his bottom line, which he absolutely cannot back down from.

For this reason, there was no room for maneuver between Lynn and the other nobles in the duchy; whichever territory he occupied, he would resolutely eliminate or exterminate the nobles there.

The nobles of the duchy are unlikely to surrender to him voluntarily, but will instead resist to the bitter end.

This is also what Lynn hoped for: the backward class that is unwilling to change should be completely eliminated, and the more you struggle, the more excited I become.

As for Count Vasa of Mirror Iron in the south, he has room to maneuver.

If he were willing to acknowledge the nobles' ownership of their lands and people, he could use the momentum of his great victory to subdue many nobles and obtain the resources and troops they provided.

The advantage of doing this is that it allows for a rapid expansion of power in a short period of time, and it may even allow them to seize the entire duchy faster than Lynn.

The drawbacks are also obvious: it is impossible to fully mobilize all the resources of the newly occupied territory, the ownership of the troops under its command is unclear, and their combat effectiveness is questionable.

The Duke of the Swamp is now playing this game in the Crown Territory. In just two or three months, he has assembled an army of over ten thousand, all of whom are professional warriors with noble backgrounds.

Even if he could defeat Otto and be crowned King of the North in Amber Harbor, how would he deal with the rapidly growing local nobility?

If he is unwilling to be suppressed and manipulated by the nobles, he will have to spend a lot of energy and time dealing with them in the future, and it is not impossible for war to break out again.

Throughout history, how many emperors or kings have died as a result of the policy of "reducing the number of princes"?

This is actually somewhat similar to the Eight Gates in Naruto, where burning one's life essence grants strength far exceeding that of ordinary individuals, but afterwards results in extreme weakness.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. But even so, some people cannot resist the temptation and choose to take this shortcut.

Given Lynn's understanding of ambitious individuals as a 'species,' there's a good chance Vasa will drink this sweet poison.

Forget about this and that, let's experience being a duke first!

After a long period of contemplation, Kalebo nodded and replied, "Your Excellency sees further than I do. If Vasa were willing to relinquish centralized power, he might become the de facto Duke of the Valley this year. Herman's best outcome might be to escape the territory."

Having spent over forty years in the Duchy of the Valley and more than twenty years in diplomatic work, he knew very well the nature of the lower and middle nobles in the Duchy.

In fact, most of the minor and medium-sized nobles in the North are pretty much the same: typical opportunists who bully the weak and fear the strong.

Duke Herman of the Valley is weak, so they dare to defecate on the head of a dignified duke.

Now that Earl Mirror Iron has suddenly risen to power, they can instantly switch allegiances and fawn over him.

"That's hard to say. Wolf Fortress might lend Hermann a helping hand."

Lynn walked slowly to the windowsill, listening to the howling wind outside, and continued, "It's getting colder and colder in the North. The Duke of Meadows may not be willing to send troops. In any case, send someone to contact Herman as quickly as possible and tell him that if he really has nowhere else to go, he can come to White River Territory. I am willing to protect him."

The Duke of Sanctuary Valley was Lynn repaying a favor to him.

His inherent right to claim rights may come in handy in the future.

Besides, it's still uncertain whether he'll even come. The Duke of the Grasslands in the west would certainly be willing to accept him; after all, he's one of the three great dukes, and he shouldn't be so lacking in connections in the North.

“Yes, sir.” Knowing that the night was over, Kalebo rose, bowed to Lynn, and took his leave.

Lynn pondered for a while in the study before returning to her bedroom to continue her unfinished work.

But when he got to the bedside, he found that the little girl had already fallen asleep, hugging her pillow.

Three days later, Lynn arrived at the foundry in the western suburbs and witnessed the cannon's 'unearthing' firsthand.

The 22 bronze mortars, which had been cooled down, were dug out of the ground by the craftsmen and neatly arranged on the flat ground.

Linus, the guild leader of the foundry, jogged up to Lynn with obvious excitement on his face: "Sir, after checking with water, a total of thirteen cannons have no cracks."

Thirty clay molds were made, and thirteen cannons were eventually produced. This success rate was quite remarkable, exceeding the average success rate of thirty percent for large castings.

This was the first time the foundry guild had ever made a cannon, and the subsequent polishing process was quite simple, so there was no chance of any more problems.

Therefore, Linus can declare that the Foundry has successfully cast thirteen bronze mortars, achieving a great breakthrough from nothing to something!

Lynn also inspected the cannons and praised them, "Linus, you did a good job this time. Start the polishing work immediately, and load these mortars onto the ship after all the procedures are completed."

The artillery test firing wouldn't be conducted in a crowded and conspicuous place like the western outskirts of Sanhe City. This thing is one of Lynn's biggest secrets, and it's always better to keep it a secret for as long as possible.

"My lord, I have already told the craftsmen to keep quiet. They will never reveal the technology for making this cannon."

Linus was also very savvy; before construction began, he worked on the craftsmen's mindset, asking them to keep the Count's name a secret as much as possible.

However, this matter could not be completely kept secret. Sanhe City was a large commercial hub, and many nobles had spies within the city. Some merchants were even already exchanging glances with other nobles.

By next year, once Lynn brings the cannons to the battlefield, news of their existence should spread throughout the entire North.

"The General Union has prepared rewards for the artisans, and you can take them to collect their due pay tomorrow."

Lynn was never stingy with rewards for those who could generate profits, especially skilled artisans.

The skilled blacksmiths who went from Sanhe City to Chixi Territory to forge armor earned more than double what they used to, and they also received gifts during holidays.

Now that the foundry guild in Sanhe City has caught up and successfully produced the mortar, Lynn naturally rewards them handsomely.

As for the bounty, it will be paid by the Sanhe City Council. The council pays the money, and Lynn enjoys the good reputation. It's a win-win situation.

"I thank the adults for their generosity on their behalf!"

Linus was so excited that he bowed very low, almost kneeling before the lord.

Although both are engaged in metal-related work, the status of the foundry guild is far lower than that of the forging guild.

People these days can live without bronze bells, candlesticks, or silver wine cups, but they cannot live without ironware.

Farmers needed sturdy and durable agricultural tools, while nobles needed finely crafted weapons and armor.

Among the many craft guilds, the foundry guild might only be slightly stronger than the leatherworkers guild.

If it weren't for the fact that the latter's workshop was so awful, the foundry guild would probably be at the bottom of the list.

Now, Lynn has created a demand for cannon casting out of thin air. If the cannons perform well on the battlefield, the casting guild can be associated with the military and turn its fortunes around.
Lynn reached out and helped Linas up, patting the middle-aged craftsman on the shoulder and saying, "You must lead the guild forward. The casting of bronze cannons cannot stop. This batch of bronze cannons is just the beginning, and you must increase the success rate. As long as you work hard, I will continue to give you orders."

Twelve bronze mortars are not enough; Lynn needs more 'truth'.

Linas sniffed and replied with a firm gaze, "Yes, sir, we will absolutely not let you down!"

Two days later, the artillery pieces were finished being polished.

Lynn personally escorted the artillery to River Marsh County aboard a transport ship.

The bronze mortar was not difficult to operate; it simply involved loading gunpowder, compacting the gunpowder, loading the shell and fuse, and finally igniting it to fire.

As for where to fire, that depends entirely on the artilleryman's experience.

There's no systematic ballistics these days, so even if Lynn had a cheat code, he couldn't build a mathematical and physical system from scratch.

The most important thing in a discipline is accumulation. It requires the research and hard work of countless genius scholars, and there is no way to achieve it quickly.

But Lynn was able to provide a large number of stone projectiles and gunpowder, and selected a group of clever soldiers to practice artillery firing techniques in an artillery camp in the forest.

After the successful test firing, the soldiers would fire several shots every day and continuously analyze the patterns of the shells' impact points.

While the artillerymen practiced firing their cannons, Lynn was not idle either. He handled military and political affairs during the day and fired cannons inside the castle at night.

(End of this chapter)