I'm not a lord

Chapter 277 Otto III's Northern Conquest

The winter winds swept indiscriminately across the northern regions.

Earl of Coldwind was imprisoned in a small cell at the top of the tower, where the windows could not be sealed, and there were only a few frozen, rusty iron bars.

His once flowing blond hair was now covered in scabs and mud, the ends frozen stiff like broken reeds. His cheeks were sunken so that the outline of his cheekbones was visible, and his lips were as dry and cracked as farmland in a drought.

Whenever the howling wind, carrying snowflakes, rushed into the room, he would try his best to curl up and pull his two thin linen clothes tighter to protect the little warmth left in his body.

"Huhu."

Count Coldwind trembled as he stretched his hand out in front of him and breathed on his knuckles, which were frozen purple.

But the white mist was torn apart by the draft as soon as it emerged from her lips, and the last bit of warmth in her lungs was also swept away.

He helplessly pressed the back of his head against the cold stone wall, trying to squeeze out a bit of warmth from the bricks and stones, but he only felt the biting cold seeping down from the top of his head, making his temples throb.

In the corner of the cell, there was a pile of dry grass used for warmth, but it had long been frozen into ice by the wind and snow.

He looked up at the window; snow was falling from the leaden sky.

Snowflakes were swirled by the wind, crashing against the tower with a mournful sound, much like the screams of noble cavalrymen falling from their horses during the decisive battle north of Koren.

"Damn Otto."

Earl of the Cold Wind gritted his teeth and cursed, but his teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

In that decisive battle, he was in charge of commanding five thousand noble cavalry on the right wing. He fought valiantly until he was exhausted, but unfortunately fell from his horse and was captured.

His eldest son, Connor, was also taken prisoner and imprisoned in the cell next door.

Just then, several footsteps approached from afar. Count Coldwind stiffly turned his head to look at the cell door, only to see the food delivery slot below the door open, and two pieces of black bread, hard enough to be used as hammers, were thrown in.

"This is today's food."

The jailers only lingered at the door for a moment, and after confirming through the observation window that Earl Coldwind was still alive, they left to distribute food to the other prisoners.

This tower was originally a prison belonging to the Amber Harbor City Hall, and now it holds local nobles from the royal domain who refuse to submit to Otto.

Earl of the Cold Wind did not get up to pick up the two pieces of moldy black bread that were as hard as rocks. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had never eaten such inferior food.

The reason he has been able to persevere until today is entirely due to his relatively strong physique and good physical condition, which allows him to endure the strain.

The footsteps of the jailers gradually faded into the distance, and another gust of cold wind swept into the cell, carrying icy snowflakes that slapped against Earl of the Cold Wind's face.

He coughed violently, so loudly that it seemed he was about to cough his lungs out of his chest.

Just then, footsteps sounded at the door again, and then the door opened, and a tall, middle-aged nobleman wearing gleaming plate armor walked in.

The man looked down at Earl of Coldwind, his tone full of regret: "Why bother? If you had pledged allegiance to the great Emperor Otto earlier, you could have retained some of your earl's dignity. You wouldn't be in this situation now, only able to quench your thirst with snow water and fill your stomach with black bread."

Otto did not completely destroy the captured local nobles, such as Earl of Coldwind, but gave them a choice.

Those willing to submit had to sign an unequal treaty.

The main contents of the treaty were to hand over most of the territory, marry off the daughters to impoverished nobles from the south, and even send the sons with inheritance rights to monasteries.

In other words, even if these nobles were willing to pledge their loyalty to Otto, they could only gain some privileges for the last generation, and their remaining territories would still fall into the hands of outsiders after their deaths.

Those who refused to submit, such as Earl of the Cold Wind, would be imprisoned in the tower and subjected to torture.

They either died painfully under the ravages of the wind and snow, or obediently signed the unequal treaties following their defeat; there was no other way.

Just as Victor had guessed at the River Marsh County meeting, Otto had too many Southern nobles to enfeoff, and he simply couldn't leave much land for the local Northern nobles.

Otto's decision not to kill the prisoners outright was not due to any great mercy, but rather because some of the southern nobles pleaded for their lives.

They were all of noble birth, spoke the same language, and believed in the same gods, so they all had some degree of sympathy for each other.

Of course, this sympathy was limited to the nobility.

In the eyes of most nobles, only nobles could be considered human beings; the serfs and other lowly people below the nobility were not even considered human beings.

Earl of Coldwind coughed for a while, leaning against the wall and panting heavily. He tilted his head, looked at the high and mighty Southern nobles, spat out a mouthful of thick blood, and asked disdainfully, "Does loyalty or disloyalty make a difference?"

These days, without banks or payment apps, assets can only exist in the real world.

The main wealth of nobles consisted of their lands and their population.

According to the conditions offered by Otto, even if Earl of Coldwind were willing to pledge allegiance to him, he could only retain a territory the size of two knightly districts, his fifteen-year-old daughter would have to marry a nobleman from the South along with the right to inherit the territory, and his eldest son Connor and another younger son would have to be sent to a monastery in the South to become monks.

What's the difference between this and being dead?

It's just a matter of dying sooner or later.

Moreover, the knighthood that has been preserved cannot be realized immediately; it can only be realized after Otto has completely eliminated the enemies in the North.

Before this, Earl of Coldwind could only stay in the prison, at most the conditions of confinement were slightly better than they are now.

The nobleman from the southern border who came to persuade him was Earl Maison of the Kingdom of Rui, a senior minister under Otto.

He retorted, "Living is everything. You're a defeated man; it's already a miracle you've survived. What makes you think you can ask for more?"

Earl of the Cold Wind gently closed his eyes, his voice barely audible: "Let's talk about it after you've completely conquered the North. The North isn't as easy to conquer as you think."

If he were to pledge allegiance to Otto now, it would be tantamount to betraying the entire North and becoming a lackey of the invaders from the South.

If the Northerners were to drive out Otto in the future, Earl of Coldwind would be utterly disgraced.

If he continues to resist, although he will die, there is a chance that the family line will be passed on.

Coldwind Territory is located in the northwest of Crown Territory. It has not yet been conquered by Otto. His wife and youngest son still live in the castle, and he has a certain degree of control over the territory.

It was just a pity that his eldest son, who was captured with him, had to suffer torture before he died.

Earl Maison slowly shook his head: "What a pity, we could have sat at the same table and enjoyed fine wine together."

He then left the cell, closing the door behind him. Shortly after, he returned to the palace in Amber Harbor and had lunch with Otto III.

Otto was in a very good mood today. He stuffed a big mouthful of grilled steak into his mouth, then drank more than half a glass of red wine in one gulp, before asking, "Is that Earl of Coldwind still unwilling to submit?"

Earl Meissen frowned and joked, "I regret to inform you that I had intended to bring him to meet you, but he seems to prefer the taste of snow and black bread."

As Otto's son-in-law, the Earl of Meissen was entitled to joke in front of the King.

His daughter married Otto's eldest son when she was nine years old, and was destined to become queen.

In the Southern Territory, early marriage among nobles is the norm.

Many young nobles were betrothed even before they were born, and would get married as soon as they were old enough to understand things.

Young couples usually grow up under the same roof after marriage, and only become husband and wife in the true sense when they reach physical maturity, which can be considered as childhood sweethearts.

It is said that couples in this model tend to have fewer conflicts after marriage, which is conducive to maintaining the common interests between the two families.

Otto put down his wine glass and said to his in-law, "I have captured three counts from the North, but none of them are willing to pledge allegiance to me. What did I tell you before the expedition? I said that the nobles of the North are indeed more stubborn."

Although Otto had conquered half of the Crown Territory, he always maintained a sense of awe for the North and the people who lived on that land.

This reverence naturally stems from admiration for the first King of the North.

“After all, you haven’t truly been crowned King of the North yet. Once you put on the crown, I believe these people will spontaneously kneel at your feet and cry out their allegiance to you.” Earl Meissen seized the opportunity to urge Otto to be crowned as soon as possible.

Once Otto is crowned king in Amber Harbor, he will become the supreme ruler of both kingdoms.

When he passes away, the Earl of Meysen's daughter will become the queen of both kingdoms, and may even become the empress of an empire.

What an honor this is!

Otto poured himself a full glass of wine, then gently shook his head: "It has nothing to do with the crown. It's mainly because we haven't completely conquered this country, and we haven't made the people of this land understand what fear and authority are."

Earl Meissen frowned and asked, "Are you talking about Lothair?"

“Lothair?” Otto picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said dismissively, “He is no longer a threat. In the North, the only ones who can truly threaten us are Earl Lynn of the White River and Earl Vasa of the Mirror Iron.”

Then his deep gaze turned to the west, as if it could penetrate the thick palace walls and hundreds of kilometers of mountains and rivers, and see the two powerful enemies in the northern inland region.

“Lynn? Vasa? These two are just counts. Even if they take advantage of the chaos to conquer some territories, they can’t possibly threaten us. Besides, the two most warlike armies in the North have been routed. How many troops can they possibly recruit?” Count Maison was very puzzled.

In the short term, human resources are a non-renewable resource.

The time required for human growth is fixed. No matter how talented a person is, it takes nearly twenty years for them to grow from an infant into a warrior.

Now, Lothair's court cavalry has dwindled, and the nobles of the Crown Territory have either died in battle or been captured.

With such a limited population in the North, and a very small number of nobles who have received professional training, it is unlikely that a capable and battle-hardened army could be assembled in a short period of time, even if the internal power structure were reorganized.

At least that's how the Earl of Meissen saw it.

Otto put down his wine glass and said seriously, "In the Southern Territory, I have heard a lot of rumors about Lynn and Vasa. Now I can be sure that the armies under their command do not rely on traditional noble cavalry."

Especially Lynn, his army actually has a large number of barbarians. Did you know that this kid actually used barbarians to form a longbow army and won several victories against the Duke of the Swamp!

He may even pose a greater threat to us than Lothair. Our war with Lothair has ironically helped him; now he has conquered vast territories, further increasing his power.

Otto's intelligence work was exceptional; while recruiting an army to fight the Marsh Duke, he also made sure to gather intelligence on the North.

He had heard of Lynn's name in the South, and when he arrived in the North, he went to great lengths to gather information about the Earl of White River.

The more Otto learned about it, the more alarmed he became.

Lynn's political and military ideas were quite advanced, completely following the path taken by the two major authoritarian powers in the South.

Otto had long considered Lynn as his greatest threat in the North.

"A longbow unit composed of barbarians? But aren't longbowmen supposed to be trained from a young age?" Count Maison was somewhat confused.

Longbowmen are a standard troop type in the Southern Territory, and the nobles of the Southern Territory are well aware of their prowess.

With its long attack range, high damage, and simple equipment requirements, it is simply the perfect ranged unit.

The only drawback is that the training period is too long, requiring training to begin from the age of seven or eight.

It was precisely because the longbowmen were so formidable that the blacksmiths of the Southern Territory devised plate armor, which offered superior protection, to replace the outdated chainmail.

As the technology for manufacturing plate armor gradually spread, the influence of longbowmen on the battlefield finally declined.

Otto replied, "The only reasonable explanation is that the northern barbarians live by hunting and practice archery from a young age."

Earl Maison looked troubled: "Tsk, with the equipment level of our army, these longbowmen are really a problem."

Plate armor is certainly useful, but it's a bit expensive.

Those who went on expeditions to the north were all impoverished nobles. If they had all been equipped with plate armor, they wouldn't have fallen on hard times, would they?
Many of the expeditionary force members were still wearing chainmail; once they arrived on the battlefield, they would only become easy targets for longbowmen.

Otto forked the last two pieces of steak from his plate, stuffed them into his mouth, and said as he chewed:
“When we attack River Bend next spring, Lynn will definitely attack Golden Deer Fortress. And Vasa seems to have already occupied the entire Valley Duchy. His heavy cavalry force is not to be underestimated. If we want to completely conquer the North, we have to defeat these two.”

Otto was intimately familiar with the terrain and power distribution of the North, and the Grassland Duke, who was only fit to be a bandit, had already been automatically excluded from his list of threats.

Upon hearing this, Earl Maison understood everything, and he also understood why Otto was so eager to send envoys to win over Lynn and Vasa.

This is clearly a degradation. What kind of king sends envoys to recruit two earls and promises them the title of duke?

Now it seems we really have no choice but to recruit them; these two have practically become dukes.

The terrain in the northern interior is quite complex, with natural barriers everywhere, making it much more difficult to conquer than the vast Crown Territory.

If the three major forces in the interior were to unite, it would be quite difficult for Otto to launch an attack.

After Otto had eaten and drunk his fill, he stood up and ordered, "This afternoon you will come with me to the cathedral. The coronation ceremony must be held as soon as possible. Once I become the true King of the North, it may be easier to win them over. If necessary, it would be fine to let them be dukes for the time being."

(End of this chapter)