I'm not a lord

Chapter 295 Unstoppable
The battle at the border fort ended quickly.

The battle officially began in the afternoon and was over before evening.

The setting sun cast its rays on the broken walls and ruins of the border fortress, turning the bricks and bloodstains a dark red.

The ruins of the western tower were still emitting wisps of black smoke, which blended with the fiery clouds on the horizon, making it seem as if the entire castle was burning silently.

Scribe Victor jogged up to the east wall and reported the results of the battle to Lynn:

"My lord, the prisoners have all been counted. There are a total of 457 people. We have seized more than 200 sets of chainmail, more than 90 crossbows, hundreds of longswords and spears, more than 100 warhorses, as well as some food, money and clothing. Our casualties are only 15."

The new Duke of the Marshland, László, is quite willing to spend money, deploying a force of five hundred men, along with a large number of warhorses and weapons, to this castle.

Clearly, he had high hopes for this border fortress, hoping to slow Lynn's advance as much as possible.

But Lynn had the bronze mortar.

For such a backward feudal knight's castle, cannons were far too overpowered.

The siege was completely one-sided; after two volleys of fire, the morale of the defenders collapsed.

The soldiers guarding the city wall threw down their weapons and fled down the wall, with only a few officers with strong wills able to resist stubbornly despite their fear.

However, the number of officers was too small to cover an entire section of the city wall.

With the cover of a hail of arrows from the barbarian archers, the infantry of Baihe Territory captured the eastern wall in a single charge, and then began to take prisoners.

Since the castle was surrounded on all sides, the garrison inside had nowhere to run and could only obediently raise their hands in surrender.

The war went much more smoothly than Victor had anticipated, to the point that he still finds it hard to believe.

While Victor was reporting the results, Lynn was observing the two towers on the city wall that had been bombarded by cannon fire. He simply nodded and calmly replied:
“Scan the prisoners, release all the new recruits from the local area, and give them three days’ worth of rations.”

Lynn could naturally foresee the course of the war. This was the first time artillery had been used on the battlefield, and it would be too embarrassing if they couldn't even take down a backward old castle.

The unknown is always the most frightening.

For these defending soldiers, artillery was a completely new thing, and the roar of the cannons brought them endless fear.

What broke down this border fortress was not entirely artillery shells, but more so the fear in the hearts of the defenders.

However, the destructive power of the cannon was somewhat beyond Lynn's expectations.

Even if the main structure of the castle tower is made of wood, it shouldn't be destroyed by a single volley of fire.

After careful inspection, Lynn discovered that the tower's wood was somewhat old, and the shells had just hit the tower's beams and pillars, causing such terrifying damage.

Victor's gaze followed Lynn's, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. After a moment, he replied, "My lord, Baron Joseph is already identifying the prisoners. What should be done with those court cavalry from Golden Deer?"

Of the more than four hundred prisoners, fewer than thirty were Golden Deer Fortress court cavalrymen, all of whom were dressed in relatively ornate armor and robes, making them quite easy to identify.

After a moment's thought, Lynn instructed, "Lock him in the castle dungeon for now, and deal with him later."

The captured local recruits were the best propagandists; they could spread Lynn's fear of artillery fire while also spreading his leniency and grace throughout Oakshire.

With them acting as mouthpieces, the entire Oakshire will soon know that the great Earl of White River not only treats prisoners well but also promises not to engage in any looting in the area. If the garrison surrenders, there will even be preferential policies such as exemption from next year's taxes.

what is this?
Isn't this a saint?
In a world where everyone is competing to be the worst, if someone suddenly jumps out and says they're not going to compete anymore, and even says they should treat ordinary serfs in war zones kindly, that's definitely the behavior of a saint.

For Lynn, releasing prisoners had another major benefit: it saved on military rations.

The amount of grain he could mobilize this time was extremely limited, and he had to be careful with every penny of food. Only the captured elite court cavalry were able to enjoy the treatment of prisoners of war.

Victor quickly accepted the order and left.

Before nightfall, more than 400 local prisoners left the border fort one after another, gradually disappearing into the night with their rations in their hands.

There are several abandoned villages around the border fort, so the prisoners of war are not worried about not finding a place to stay. They can spread the news in just a few days.

Lynn moved into the main tower of the castle, where the army cook served him a simple but filling dinner.

Just as he picked up his spoon to enjoy his dinner, Victor came again: "My lord, the captured court cavalrymen wish to see you."

Lynn put down his spoon and instructed, "Choose two representatives and prepare two dinners for them as well."

Before long, two young prisoners were brought up by Joseph, the fourth brother. Their armor and robes had been stripped off, leaving them in white and gray military uniforms.

This item is made of several layers of linen and is warm enough for the transition from winter to spring.

The two prisoners first introduced themselves and thanked Count Baihe for pardoning them.

When the cook brought out the dinner, the two were dumbfounded. Why was the food they were given the same as the food in front of the Earl?

It always consists of a bowl of fragrant hot porridge, a small dish of pickled vegetables, two slices of ham, and a glass of light and refreshing ale to accompany the meal.

For a knight, this food might not seem valuable, but on the front lines of battle, such a dinner is more precious than gold.

Lynn waved to the two of them and said, "Sit down and eat. It's just some simple ingredients from the military, definitely not comparable to the lavish dinner at Golden Deer Fortress."

The two prisoners of war were extremely grateful, and one of them replied with gratitude, "Your Excellency the Earl is far too generous to us. This food is hardly something we prisoners are entitled to. We are content with just black bread."

However, their actions spoke louder than their words; they both sat down and raised their glasses to pay homage to the Earl.

Lynn raised his glass in return, smiling as he asked, "Your status as prisoners is only temporary. Once I take Golden Deer Fortress, would you be willing to pledge your allegiance to me?"

These court cavalrymen were all battle-hardened veterans and were among the best available soldiers.

Once the entire Swamp Territory is taken over, Lynn will inevitably select the elite from these cavalrymen and incorporate them into Hugh's cavalry legion.

Faced with Lynn's blatant offer of conscription, the two prisoners exchanged glances, and one replied, "Wolf is right, you are indeed kind and generous."

Due to their status, they did not directly answer Lynn's question, but their attitude was clear. They were still loyal court cavalrymen to Duke László of the Marsh, and their families were under László's control.

If Laszlo disappeared and Golden Deer Castle changed hands, they would certainly be willing to pledge allegiance to the new master of the Marshlands.

It doesn't matter who you serve in the army for, you're still a soldier.
With a monthly salary of only two or three gold shields, why risk your life?
They were not feudal knights, nor did they have any territory that needed to be protected at great personal risk.

As for Wolf, whom the two prisoners mentioned, he was the leader of the defeated soldiers who passed through Sanhe City last winter.

Lynn took a small sip of his ale and asked, "I had dinner with Wolfe. Is he alright now?"

One of the prisoners replied truthfully: "Lord Wolf and his entourage of soldiers are all safe and sound. They are currently stationed in several castles west of Golden Deer Castle on the orders of Duke László."

Wolf was a general who had survived the night of the River Bend rebellion and had passed through Three Rivers unharmed.

László naturally dared not entrust such a defeated leader with important responsibilities, so he could only assign him to a non-lethal and leisurely post.

During dinner, Lynn gave the two prisoners some instructions:

"I do not demand that you pledge allegiance to me now. You only need to keep an eye on these prisoners and persuade them not to have any thoughts of escaping before the war ends. After the war ends, I will give everyone a choice."

“We understand, Your Excellency.” The two men naturally nodded in agreement.

They had come on behalf of the prisoners to sound out Lynn's intentions, and seeing that Lynn was willing to treat the prisoners well, they felt reassured.

The following morning, Lynn left a squadron to garrison the border fort and personally led the main force westward, heading straight for a large estate to the west.

At the same time, he divided his forces into two groups, ordering his fourth son, Joseph, to lead a thousand infantrymen and five hundred archers south, carrying five cannons to sweep away several small castles in the south.

After traveling only a few kilometers, the third brother from the north sent good news, claiming that he had captured the target castle and was continuing to attack another small castle in the north according to the plan.

Everything was proceeding as Lynn had planned before the war.

In the following week, his three armies swept through the 50-kilometer no-man's-land that László had deliberately created, capturing a total of sixteen castles, manors or towns, taking more than 3,000 prisoners of war, and seizing countless supplies and provisions.

At this point, Laszlo and his mother Anna's strategy of delaying the issue by establishing a stronghold completely failed, and the most tender heartland of Oakshire had been completely opened to Lynn.

That evening, the three armies converged at a large manor.

Lynn held a small military meeting with his core generals.

"Laszlo's tactics were outdated. Constructing defensive lines with small strongholds was only suitable for the era of noble territories and was not suitable for large-scale legion warfare at all. This has been proven in the Crown Territory over the past two years."

Only large autonomous cities can stop the army's advance. Even if we don't have bronze mortars this time, it will just take us a little longer.

"Gentlemen, you must not become complacent or arrogant because of the results of the past few days. Golden Deer Fort will definitely adjust its strategic deployment, and the final battle is just around the corner."

Lynn summarized the results of the past few days and used them to warn his generals against blind confidence.

Oakshire is not without large municipalities, but that city is located in the southern part of the county along the river, and it does not have elite troops from Golden Deer Fort stationed there. It only has a small number of urban militia for self-defense, and its strategic influence on the county is almost zero.

Lynn could have completely ignored the city's militia and focused on conquering the garrisoned castles and manors first, then dealt with the city later.

Given the inherent weakness of the urban class, he will most likely be able to take over that well-defended autonomous city without firing a shot.

This is actually a major characteristic of the aristocratic feudal era. The location of large autonomous cities hardly takes into account military function, but is only oriented towards commerce and handicrafts. Therefore, most of them are built on flat riverbank areas, which cannot guard strategic terrain.

Castles intended for military purposes are mostly small in size, capable of housing at most a few hundred soldiers, and are of little use against legions of several thousand men.

Therefore, in the real medieval Western Europe, it was common for thousands of troops to easily advance hundreds of kilometers into enemy territory and sweep through countless castles and cities.

Castles could not stop an army of this size, and municipalities and citizens dared not stop them either, so they could only "welcome the king's army with food and drink".

Of course, Lynn's success this time was also due to the bronze mortar and the media campaign.

The mortar instilled fear in the defenders, and the prisoners he deliberately released spread that fear to other strongholds and estates.

For the next three days, Lynn's three armies hardly experienced any significant battles.

At each stronghold, the local garrison would open the city gates and surrender, while the Golden Deer Palace cavalry, who were supposed to be on duty, would have already abandoned their posts and fled.

Some local manors and villages even sent envoys to Lynn to surrender, begging the great Earl of White River to protect them and help them complete their spring planting.

Most of the core management of the manor, namely the stewards and managers appointed by the Duke of the Marsh, also fled back to Golden Deer Castle, as the people below were naturally unwilling to fight to the death.

For these plantations, Lynn usually first promoted a group of stewards from the local plantation owners and ordered them to temporarily manage the local serfs.

Meanwhile, intelligence from the front lines had already reached Golden Deer Fort.

“Mother, your choice was completely wrong. You not only caused me to lose vast territories and people, but also needlessly sacrificed an army of several thousand men and a large amount of weapons and armor! I should never have listened to you in the first place!”

László was furious; for the first time, he truly lashed out at his own mother.

If things had gone according to his original plan, he wouldn't be in such a pathetic state.
"This is neither my nor your fault. Who knew that Lynn would possess such terrifying weapons from hell? If he didn't have those damned bronze mortars, he wouldn't even have been able to take the border fortress!"

Anna also had something to say. She had no idea before the war that Lynn's army was equipped with weapons like mortars. The responsibility for the defeat did not lie with her, but with the spies who were gathering intelligence.

Laszlo was too tired to argue with his mother anymore, so he went straight to the point and asked, "Now you have no reason to stop me, right? If I continue to cower in Golden Deer Castle, all those manors, castles, and boroughs below will leave us and become Lynn's vassals and power!"

He was skeptical of his mother's defensive strategy before the war, and the facts have thoroughly proven him right.

A dangerous enemy like Lynn should be resolutely kept out of the territory from the very beginning.

Now things have gotten really bad. Lynn has been winning battle after battle and releasing prisoners to spread rumors, and the entire Oakshire is almost out of Golden Deer's control.

If you give him another half month, he'll probably be at the gates of Golden Deer Castle. At that point, how will László still have the face to continue being the Duke of the Marsh?

(End of this chapter)