I'm not a lord

Chapter 294 Bronze Cannons Dominate the Battlefield
In the southwest corner of Turbulent County lies a small autonomous city called Winder City, which roughly means 'corner' in the common language of the continent.

If you leave this city and drive a few kilometers northwest, you'll reach the bend in the Jinghe River.

The population of Winder has hovered around two thousand for most years, and it is home to the majority of the county's merchants and artisans.

When Lynn launched a major offensive against Turbulent County last year, the city offered no resistance, obediently surrendering the bronze key that symbolized the city's power and swearing allegiance to the new lord.

Thus, the city was fortunate enough to escape the ravages of war and maintain its status as an autonomous city, although the lord who paid taxes changed.

Although small, Windermere is fully equipped, with not only stone city walls but also a dock that can accommodate more than a dozen boats at the same time.

In mid-March, Yang arrived at the city's dock on time with a large contingent of soldiers and hundreds of laborers, and directed the military and civilians to unload the grain and supplies as quickly as possible.

Logically speaking, a lord's army should not be allowed to enter an autonomous city at will.

But in Lynn's territory, he has the right to interpret all legal provisions. If he says it's okay to go in, then it's okay to go in. If you disagree, you'll have to shut up.

"Your Excellency, all twenty transport ships have arrived safely, and none of the supplies have been damaged."

Mayor Leon of Sanhe City personally accompanied the ship to supervise the operation. During the operation, he skillfully directed the fleet to avoid numerous ice floes, ensuring the successful completion of the transport mission.

Yang dismounted, glanced at the ships moored at the dock, and replied calmly, "Thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency Mayor. I will report the relevant situation to the Earl in detail."

That afternoon, the quartermaster and local officials he brought with him counted the supplies, and the conscripted laborers loaded the supplies onto horse-drawn carts and transported them to the granary dozens of kilometers to the north without stopping.

While waterways can save a lot of manpower and resources, the last few dozen kilometers still have to rely on land transportation.

Young had already built a granary on the border of Turbulent County, which he intended to use as a forward base for attacking Oak County.

He brought laborers and draft horses from all over the county to barely meet the transport capacity.

The main problem was that those twenty-odd bronze mortars were too demanding on draft horses. Each cannon weighed nearly 500 kilograms, and even with wheeled bases, it would still take three to four strong draft horses to pull them in order to achieve the desired transport speed.

The next day, after the supplies were loaded and unloaded, Yang led his army and laborers north, while Leon led his fleet downstream back to Sanhe City.

With the Jinghe waterway about to be fully thawed and open to navigation, this navy had to temporarily retreat to the shipyard in Sanhe City in order to preserve its strength.

When the supplies escorted by Deng Yang arrived at the forward camp, the major legions of this expedition finally gathered together.

Inside the military tent in the center of the camp, Lynn, holding a baton, stood in front of the map and explained the military situation to the generals:

"According to the intelligence gathered so far, the enemy is employing a defensive strategy in Oakshire. In a nearly 50-kilometer-wide no-man's-land, at least 15 castles, manors and towns are garrisoned with large numbers of enemy troops."

Golden Deer Castle did create a large no-man's-land in Oakshire, but only evacuated serfs, food, and livestock; the castles and manors in the area remained heavily guarded.

The marshland territories did not have counties under the county level, but instead used 'manors' as the basic administrative units.

Apart from a small number of managers, the vast majority of the population on the manor were serfs who had no personal freedom.

In the Swamp Territory, small manors govern thousands of serfs, while large manors can have tens of thousands of people, more than the population of a single county in the White River Territory.

Large estates would inevitably have walls to defend against external enemies, as well as towns for commercial activities.

“The enemy has built a relatively strong defensive line centered on these strongholds. Small castles are garrisoned by 60 or 70 men, while large castles, manors and towns are garrisoned by hundreds of men. Once a stronghold is attacked, other strongholds can quickly provide support. These strongholds can also block reconnaissance and advance routes, making it impossible for our army to detect the enemy situation in the rear.”

As Lynn explained, he used his baton to mark the exact location of each outpost on the map.

This map was drawn by him using cavalry reconnaissance and the lord's panel. The number of stronghold garrison troops may vary, but the location is absolutely accurate.

To be fair, the defensive line built by the successive dukes of the swamp was quite formidable.

Oakshire has flat terrain with no natural defenses, so they artificially created a large number of strongholds and castles.

Some castles were built on raised hills, making them difficult to attack from their elevated position.

If Lynn had fewer troops and had to remove his bronze mortars, this battle would have been much more difficult.

But he came prepared this time, with not only well-trained troops and ample supplies, but also more than twenty bronze mortars, enough to blast open these troublesome tortoise shells.

He then issued the latest operational orders.

Joseph the Fourth Prince's two thousand infantrymen and Soward the Younger's two thousand barbarian archers led the charge, carrying ten mortars, straight toward a large castle garrisoned with several hundred troops to the west.

The third son, Yang, led 1,500 men to attack a small castle in the northwest, also carrying ten mortars. He left a battalion of 500 soldiers to garrison Tuanliu County to ensure the safety of the rear and the supply lines.

Hugo's cavalry corps was responsible for reconnaissance and sweeping operations along the way to ensure the safety of the army's flanks.

As for Commander Lynn, he worked alongside Joseph, the fourth brother, and directed the battle from the center.

The army of nearly 7,000 men set off the following day and arrived at their designated battle positions two days later.

Joseph, the fourth brother, rode his horse around the target castle for a while, then returned and reported to Lynn:
"This castle is called Border Fortress. It is said that it was built by the first Earl of Oak to defend against the Earl of Turbulent Waters. It got its name because it was built on the border of two territories. I just walked around the castle. There are two round towers and a main tower. There are patrol paths on the walls and a moat outside. The defenses are quite tight."

Towers were attached to the city walls, similar to the gate towers of ancient Eastern cities. They were usually strongholds that combined observation and defense capabilities, and they also had firing ports to allow crossbowmen to fire at enemy troops swarming the city.

Lynn was directing the artillerymen to set up positions when he heard this. He squinted at the towers on the city wall for a while and ordered, "As is customary, ask the garrison for their opinion first. If they are willing to surrender, spare their lives."

Soon, a group of loud-voiced soldiers rode up to the outside of the moat and shouted into the city: "Listen up, garrison troops! You have been abandoned by that son of a bitch, Laszlo!"
Golden Deer Castle will not send a single reinforcement to support you, and the surrounding castles and manors will not care about your lives. As long as you are willing to pledge your allegiance to the great Earl of White River, the Earl is willing to pardon all your crimes and guarantee your safety!

There was a commotion on the city wall, followed by the angry roars of the defenders.

"Heh heh, Lynn, that bandit leader, wants us to surrender. Brothers, do you think we should surrender?"

"He's dreaming! Our hometown and loved ones are right behind us, who dares to surrender?"

"That's right, he will plunder our villages and rape our wives. Anyone who dares to surrender, I'll smash their head in right now!"

"You sons of bitches, you bandits, don't even think about getting through until you breach this castle!"
Although Lynn's artillery position was nearly two hundred meters away from the city wall, he could still hear the roars from the wall very clearly. He was prepared for this.

Several soldiers from the White River Territory outside the moat continued to shout: "Brothers guarding the city, you can rest assured that Earl White River will not plunder your villages, much less rape your wives!"
Even last autumn, the Earl's army only collected half of the wheat in Turbulentshire. You live right on the edge of Turbulentshire, so you should know very well what's happening in the east!
The Earl knows the importance of the planting season. He has come to rule Oakshire, to make you free citizens! He will only defeat those who oppose him, and all who pledge their allegiance to him will receive forgiveness and redemption! And will be exempt from taxes for the coming year!

This slogan was naturally prepared by Lynn in advance.

The primary task is to attack the enemy's territory and win over the hearts and minds of the people.

Therefore, he had long ago strictly ordered his soldiers not to plunder local villages unless the villagers launched an attack.

What he wanted was a complete Oakshire, with its population of over 100,000, not just a dilapidated territory.

After hearing the soldiers' slogans, the city wall fell noticeably silent.

Most of the soldiers in this border fortress were recruited locally, and they were willing to fight to the death to protect their hometown and loved ones.

But if the enemy really forgives them, then what reason do they have to fight?
For the lower-class serfs of that era, there was no such thing as national or ethnic identity.

All they sought was 'survival'.

In the eyes of the high and mighty Duke of the Marsh, they were nothing more than the lower class of society who provided taxes and soldiers.

They were well aware of this, and therefore would never show any favoritism in the struggle between nobles.

Does it matter who rules you?
They were all serfs; how could they possibly concern themselves with their master's affairs?

Moreover, most serfs were unwilling to leave their hometowns.

They have houses, farmland, and social connections that have lasted for generations in their hometowns. If they go to a foreign land rashly, how will they establish themselves and survive?
Moreover, as those soldiers said, the spring planting season will begin in the North in April. If they abandon their farmland and flee their homes at this time, will their whole family starve in the winter?
They had heard about the situation in Turbulent County to some extent, since they were neighboring territories and it was normal for them to have interactions.

Lynn's army did not loot extensively last fall, and some locals who had been hiding in Oakshire gradually returned to Turbulent County.

If people could continue to live a peaceful life of planting in spring and harvesting in autumn, who would want to leave their hometown?
Just as the morale of the troops on the city wall was wavering, an armored general dressed as a knight reacted and loudly retorted, "Bullshit! Do you think we would believe a bandit? He's just a bandit, and he wants to act like a saint?"

Another general chimed in, "In autumn, the fields are full of grain, so he can indeed refrain from looting. But now it's spring. If he doesn't plunder, what will his army eat? Don't be fooled by this bandit!"

The local garrison soldiers suddenly realized what was happening, and soon a chorus of curses erupted from the city walls again.

Joseph, the fourth son, asked, "Sir, it seems the attempt to persuade them to surrender has failed. What should we do next?"

"Let's fire first, but be careful of the outer encirclement, don't let a single enemy soldier escape." With that, Lynn waved his right hand, and the artillerymen pushed up ten mortars at once and opened the waterproof wooden boards covering them.

They had already completed the initial calibration work, targeting the two circular towers.

As the cover was lifted, the defenders on the city wall naturally noticed these novelties.

"What kind of weapon is that? I've never seen one before!"

"It looks like a bronze bell from a castle?"

"This isn't a weapon; it's probably a military musical instrument, like a horn."

Clearly, the defenders, who had never seen a mortar before, couldn't figure it out.

But Lynn will soon show them what the truth is.

"fire!"

At his command, the artillerymen lit the fuses in unison.

Moments later, all ten bronze mortars roared simultaneously, their shells whistling as they crashed into the border fort's towers.

The crisp sound of bricks and wood shattering mingled with the cries of the defenders. The top of the tower on the west side of the castle collapsed, and rubble and wood chips poured down like a torrential rain, instantly engulfing the patrol path on the city wall in dust.

In the ruins of the tower, the surviving defenders opened their eyes to find only broken walls and the mangled bodies of their comrades.

These defenders either scrambled to the corner of the wall, clutching their heads and trembling, or simply fled the tower without looking back.

The defenders on the city wall also scrambled to flee downwards, howling and screaming as they ran: "Devil! This is an attack by the devil!"

They were all terrified by the salvo of the ten mortars, and their hard-won fighting spirit vanished in an instant.

The soldiers of Baihe Territory outside the city were equally dumbfounded. Most of them had no idea that the mortar existed, let alone witnessed its power in a siege.

Upon seeing this today, most of the soldiers, after their initial shock, instinctively began to cheer and jump for joy.

In the eyes of the enemy, this terrifying weapon is undoubtedly a devil.

But to our own people, this thing is a miracle!

With a thunderous roar, the enemy's heavily fortified tower collapsed, saving so much effort in the siege and sparing so many soldiers from casualties during a direct assault on the castle.
"Haha, look! This is the consequence of not pledging allegiance to Earl Shirakawa. The gods have sent down divine punishment!"

"I heard that this thing was made by Count Baihe, so it shouldn't be divine punishment."

"Who cares? Long live the great Earl of Shirakawa!"

"Yes, long live the great Earl of Shirakawa!"

The soldiers outside the city were overjoyed, while the defenders inside the city were filled with despair.

But Lynn calmly gave the order: "Load the shells, keep firing, and smash the other tower to pieces!"

Soon, another round of cannon fire rang out, and the two towers of the border fort were completely destroyed. The number of soldiers on the city wall was reduced to less than one-tenth, with most of them only thinking about escaping the devil's gaze.

(End of this chapter)