I'm not a lord

Chapter 289 Different Races on the Continent

László declared himself the new Duke of the Marsh, which was to be expected.

Isn't it normal for the son to inherit the family business when the father dies?
Moreover, most of the swamp territory is still under Laszlo's control, so he has the right and the ability to call himself a duke.

Furthermore, Lothair had already centralized the core territory, and the most powerful local nobleman, the new Earl of Blackwood, was László's cousin. No other nobleman could interfere with László's succession.

But as soon as Yang heard that Golden Deer Fort was recruiting new soldiers, he immediately sat up straight.

"Two thousand new recruits? Can you confirm this information?"

According to past intelligence, Golden Deer Fortress could mobilize between 1,500 and 2,000 troops, including 1,000 court cavalrymen who had been withdrawn from the Crown Territory.

Although their numbers were small, they were all highly mobile cavalrymen who had been through several rounds of war and had rich combat experience, making them very difficult to deal with on the battlefield.

If Golden Deer Fortress were to recruit another two thousand soldiers, it would be able to completely free this cavalry force from its siege duties.

By spring, these cavalrymen might cause a lot of trouble on the battlefield.

Lucas was aware of the seriousness of the situation, and he replied truthfully:

“I interrogated more than a dozen prisoners, and they all said that Golden Deer Fortress was recruiting new soldiers. These prisoners who attacked Turbulent County were the ones who were left over. The strong ones were all taken away by the court officials. Moreover, two thousand new soldiers is a conservative estimate. I think the scale of Golden Deer Fortress’s recruitment this time is very likely to reach four thousand.”

With the land frozen and trade halted, the difficulty of gathering intelligence in Tuanliu County has increased exponentially.

If Yang hadn't captured these desperate prisoners who had no other choice but to plunder, he might not have been able to find out about this important military intelligence until next spring.

Upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and exclaimed in amazement, "Recruiting four thousand new soldiers in one go, wow, what a grand gesture! Golden Deer Fortress is truly wealthy."

As a military commander, Yang was well aware of how terrifying a money-devouring beast the army, especially the full-time army, was.

He currently only manages two thousand men, and the amount of food and military pay he consumes each month is already staggering.

Turbulent County has not yet undergone agricultural reforms and is unable to support this army.

The soldiers' food, uniforms, equipment and other supplies were transported by boat from Baihe Territory last year, and sleds would arrive in Turbulent County every week with supplies brought from Baihe Territory.

Even so, Yang's two thousand men still lived a meager life that winter. Due to a lack of meat, they could not train every day and could only train for two days and then rest for one day.

In contrast, Golden Deer Castle recruited four thousand new soldiers from bankrupt serfs with a wave of its hand.

It should be noted that the swamp territory also did not carry out agricultural reforms, and its agricultural production efficiency was quite backward, with a yield per acre perhaps only half that of the Shirakawa territory.

Furthermore, the western region of the Marshland was ravaged by the Duke of Meadows last autumn, which will inevitably lead to a significant decrease in agricultural output.

The reason Nalaso was able to recruit soldiers on such a large scale was simply because he had a substantial fortune.

Duke Lothair of the Marshland had previously launched an expedition to the Crownlands, but he hadn't taken a single grain of food or a single gold shield from Golden Deer Fortress; he had plundered everything from the royal domains.

"I will send this intelligence to Baihe Territory immediately. You should return to your post today and continue guarding the border." As he spoke, Yang picked up his pen and began to write.

Although he had been promoted to commander of the Turbulent Legion, apart from him, there was only one quartermaster in the army who could write official documents, and he was personally responsible for all correspondence with Baihe Territory.

“I understand.” Lucas saluted and turned to walk toward the door, but he was quickly called back by Yang.

"Wait, there's something else." Yang had been so busy training new recruits lately that he almost forgot about something important.

He then instructed Lucas, "The weather has been nice these past few days. Take five hundred new recruits to the border to garrison and let them practice long-distance marches. It'll be a good opportunity for them to see some blood."

The thousand new recruits have completed their basic drills and it's time for the next phase of training.

If it were autumn, Lynn would definitely take these new recruits into the forest to hunt, which would not only train their various abilities but also let them become familiar with the lord's face.

This isn't possible in winter.

Moreover, these new recruits will be going to the battlefield by the end of February, so they need to familiarize themselves with the atmosphere of the killing field beforehand.

"Yes, my lord."

Lucas accepted the order and left, while Yang continued to bury himself in writing official documents.

Two days later, the document was promptly delivered to Lynn's desk.

After reviewing the official documents, Victor analyzed, "Any county in the heart of the Marshlands would have a population several times that of Turbulent County. For Laszlo, supporting these four thousand troops should not be a problem."

The total population of the North is estimated to be between five and six million, a figure Victor made while studying in Amber Harbor based on the scale of salt imports.

Since most of the land and population were scattered among various nobles, population statistics in the North could only rely on this unreliable data.

Of these five million people, more than three million reside in the Crown Territory.

This is why the Crown Territory was able to support a large number of non-productive noble cavalry and urban nobles.

With a permanent population of 8,000, Sanhe City is already one of the largest autonomous cities in the northern inland region.

There are at least four cities of similar size in the royal territory, and the population of the royal capital, Amber Harbor, is over 30,000 every year.

The remaining two million or so people were divided among the three duchies, with the population size from largest to smallest being: the Marshland, the Valley, and the Grassland.

Especially in the heart of the Marshlands, centered around Golden Deer Fortress, the population density of this region is almost catching up with that of the Crownlands.

This is due to both the flat terrain of the region and the meticulous construction by successive marsh dukes.

This region has four county-level administrative units, each with a population of over 100,000. The 'Golden Deer County,' where Golden Deer Fort is located, even has a population of over 200,000.

In contrast, the impoverished Tuanliu County has a population of less than 30,000, a stark contrast.

Lynn tapped the table lightly with his right index finger, staring at the official document, and said:
“Four thousand new recruits are by no means the limit for Laszlo. At this time last year, the Marshland Territory still had to support four thousand court cavalry. Now, nearly three thousand of them have perished in the Crown Territory following Lothair. If he were willing to empty the warehouses, the vacant cavalry slots and salaries would be enough to support ten thousand infantry.”

This statement has a bit of a hellish joke about it, but it is an indisputable fact.

Previously, Lothair had used all the wealth of his territory to support a full four thousand court cavalrymen.

Although fewer than two thousand of these cavalrymen could be considered heavy cavalry, the remaining cavalrymen still needed to be equipped with one or two warhorses to maintain the army's mobility. The cost of maintaining one warhorse was enough to support at least two full-time infantrymen, and they could also be equipped with chainmail and helmets, making them far from being pure cannon fodder like conscripted serfs.

To put it simply, if László were to use his entire budget for next year, it would be enough to support 10,000 infantrymen.

Victor sighed, "Even though the adults have carried out a comprehensive transformation of the White River Territory, the sheer size of the Swamp Territory is undeniable. Whether it's population size or food production, the Swamp Territory surpasses the White River Territory."

Despite Lynn's current imposing momentum, suggesting he could sweep through the Swamplands next year, the Swamplands are actually much larger than White River Territory and Turbulent County combined.

If he can truly take over the entire swamp territory in one fell swoop during the spring and summer, it would be equivalent to accomplishing the feat of a snake swallowing an elephant.

This may also be one of the reasons why Duke Samuel of the Meadows advised Lynn to stop.

In the eyes of this old nobleman, if Lynn really fought with Laszlo, the war would inevitably drag on for a long time, and if both sides were to suffer heavy losses, wouldn't that benefit Otto from the South?
Lynn put down the official documents, a relaxed smile on his face: "The size of the Swamp Territory is the reason why Laszlo is unwilling to surrender. In his eyes, we might be the prey."

Previously, Lynn had released a group of court cavalry who were returning to Golden Deer via Three Rivers.

He sent a letter to Golden Deer Castle through Wolf, the commander of this cavalry unit, hoping to use Lothair's death to persuade the 'remaining forces' of the Marshlands to surrender.

Without a doubt, László, who inherited his father's property and lands, flatly rejected Lynn and even sent a messenger to Lynn with a highly humiliating reply.

In the letter, László contemptuously called Lynn a shameful and despicable traitor, a lowly thief and bandit, and an evil representative who undermined the noble feudal system.

In his letter, he even berated Jacoba for betraying the Duke, hurling insults at the former court lady, using every vile and derogatory term imaginable, practically cursing Lynn and Jacoba's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Clearly, neither László nor his widowed mother were willing to surrender to Lynn.

Through this letter, he completely abandoned the idea of ​​surrendering, and now he is recruiting new soldiers on a large scale, his intentions are very clear.

Surely he can't be saying he's going to take these newly enlisted soldiers to the Crown Territory to seek revenge on Otto, can he?

Victor suddenly suggested, "If you were to marry Princess Chloris now and declare yourself the rightful King of the North, there might be a chance to win over László."

Lynn, however, smiled and retorted, "Didn't you advise me not to become king just a few days ago?"

Victor looked somewhat embarrassed and muttered, "Hasn't the situation changed again?"

If Lynn wants to become king, he must first take over the entire swamp territory; otherwise, given his current size, it would be rather laughable for him to declare himself king.

However, if you want to subdue the swamp territories, you must first become king, which is a vicious cycle.

Lynn leaned back in his chair and said, "Don't even think about it. Laszlo and his father Lothair are cut from the same mold."

If he truly respected the Urenius royal family, why would he have rebelled with his father? The only way to deal with such a person is to utterly defeat him on the battlefield and make him beg for mercy.

As the saying goes, what cannot be obtained on the battlefield can be even less obtained at the negotiating table.

László has just inherited his father's title and territory, how could he possibly hand it over so easily?
Moreover, Lynn was an enemy who had betrayed his father, so it was even less likely that he would surrender.

“A war with Laszlo is indeed inevitable.” Victor was well aware of his lord’s thinking.

To completely defeat Otto and the other nobles of the North, one must first expand one's own strength.

The swamp territory is Lynn's best target, with its fertile land and dense population, which are essential resources for expanding his power.

Whether for the purpose of defending the North or for the purpose of seizing the North, this Swamp Territory is indispensable.

From a strategic perspective, Lynn could not accept the existence of a formidable enemy eyeing him from behind; how could he tolerate someone snoring beside his bed?

After discussing some rather heavy topics for a while, Lynn put the official document into his drawer and then asked, "Speaking of which, how's your collection of the strange races on the continent coming along, which I asked you to collect?"

After witnessing Karula's formidable skills, Lynn once suspected that this barbarian woman was not human.

The main reason is that her [Resilience] trait is too conspicuous, and Lynn has only ever seen such an extremely powerful positive trait on her.

[Strong and resilient - less prone to injury, resistant to severe cold, and significantly increased lifespan]

These are characteristics that seem impossible for humans to possess—being immune to injury, cold, and having a significantly extended lifespan. This is just too abnormal.

After returning to the castle from the military camp that day, Lynn gave Victor an order to collect information on the strange races that had ever appeared on the continent of Dievas.

Due to the lack of papermaking and printing technology, books were especially precious in those days.

An ancient parchment manuscript containing ancient legends can easily fetch hundreds of Northern Gold Shields on the market, almost enough to buy a fine warhorse.

Even at sky-high prices, these books were still in short supply. Nobles or scholars who were fortunate enough to collect them would carefully hide them in their homes and they would almost never be seen again.

But for Lynn, none of this was a problem. With a single administrative order, any collector in his territory would have to obediently hand over their treasures.

Of course, he didn't take it by force; he would return it after copying it.

"I have had people collect a lot of ancient books on this subject from the churches and bookstores in Sanhe City, and they are currently being organized."

When talking about these strange races, Victor was clearly very interested, having learned about them during his studies in Amber Harbor.

Anyone would be curious about a race that resembles a human but is not.

The cathedral in Amber Harbor also boasts the most extensive library in the North, and it was in the cathedral's library that Victor learned about its contents.

"As far as I know, there have indeed been many non-human and strange races in the history of the continent, but this all dates back to more than two thousand years ago. According to the records of the Three Saints Church, a massive war broke out on the continent at that time, and both the southern and northern borders were plunged into endless war for hundreds of years. It is said that even gods participated in that war."

During the war, several races allied with humans: the elves who lived deep in the forests, the mistfolk who lived along the coast, the stone whisperers who roamed the mines and caves, and the centaurs who lived on the edge of the forests.

Based on his past experiences and recent findings, Victor identified four strange races that had once allied with humanity.

After a moment's thought, Lynn asked, "Since there are allies, there must also be hostile forces, right?"

Victor immediately replied, "At present, we only know of two: the Ashmin and the Siren. The former live in volcanic areas, while the latter roam the deep sea. But whether they were allies or enemies, these races disappeared after the war, and there have been few written records since then."

(End of this chapter)