I'm not a lord

Chapter 298 Lure the snake out of its hole
In Hafen, Lynn not only gained the loyalty of the city's ruling class, but also received a valuable supply of provisions.

With the complete thawing of the Jinghe shipping route, the navy of Golden Deer Fortress has been mobilized, and warships flying the Golden Deer flag can occasionally be seen sailing past the docks of Hafen.

Lynn was finding it increasingly difficult to obtain supplies by water, and the muddy roads were also causing great obstacles to land transport.

Moreover, Baihe Territory and Tuanliu County have already entered the spring planting season. It is impossible for him to mobilize a large number of farmers to transport supplies over long distances at this time, as that would be tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst.

If 10,000 farmers are mobilized to transport supplies, their fields will be abandoned, and there will be almost no harvest this autumn and winter.

In order to ensure that these 10,000 farmers could live to see the next autumn harvest, they would need to be fed with the surplus grain of even more farmers.

This means Lynn will lose the tax revenue of 20,000 or more farmers, which is roughly equivalent to the entire Torrent County's annual fiscal revenue.

He's not that arrogant yet.

Putting aside taxes, transporting grain and supplies by land still posed considerable risks, as Black Fir Territory lay just north of Turbulent County.

The Earl of Blackwood is a staunch supporter of Golden Deer Fortress and could send troops to harass the supply lines at any time.

With only 500 soldiers remaining in Turbulent County, it is almost impossible for them to protect the long road passage.

Whether considering cost or safety, Lynn could not possibly transport supplies by land.

With both water and land routes almost completely cut off, this batch of supplies to Hafen City is of particular importance.

In the military camp north of the city, Lynn hosted a rather lavish luncheon for mid- to high-ranking officers in the army, as well as the delegation from Hafen.

The ordinary soldiers below also received a share; their lunch included two glasses of wine and enough bread and meat to fill their stomachs.

After being on edge for more than half a month, these soldiers need to relax a little.

Given the alcohol content of ale in those days, a mere two cups wouldn't get anyone drunk, and it wouldn't cause any unrest in the army.

After the luncheon, Lynn returned to work, sitting on a small stool and reviewing official documents and military intelligence from various places. He asked, "Victor, at the current rate of consumption, how long can our current military rations last?"

Victor was well aware of the rate at which military rations were being consumed and the remaining stock. He immediately replied, "Including the consumption of soldiers and warhorses, we can still last for about six months. Cities and manors throughout Oakshire have voluntarily donated food and fodder, greatly replenishing our army's supplies."

Lynn's record in Oakshire was too outstanding, and his army did not commit any offenses, so the local bullies were naturally willing to submit to him.

Of course, this is also thanks to Golden Deer Castle's voluntary withdrawal.

Laszlo and his mother Anna have yet to send troops to support Oakshire, which is bound to disappoint the local forces that still support them.

To protect themselves, these local bullies had no choice but to pay Lynn 'protection money' even if they were unwilling.

Lynn carefully reviewed the military intelligence sent by Turbulent County and said, "I have already discussed with Mayor Daniel that our army will rest and recuperate for a period of time north of Harfen City, which will also allow us to get through the muddy spring season."

The muddy roads in early April were even more difficult to traverse than the icy roads in March.

In particular, those twenty-odd bronze mortars would often get stuck in the mud after only a few kilometers, and even six or seven draft horses couldn't pull them out, which seriously slowed down the march.

But if Lynn wants to continue his legend of taking down the castle quickly, he can't do without these mortars.

Ironically, the Jinlu County in the northwest is still full of castles.

Although the first two Dukes of the Marshland demolished most of the large castles, they built nearly two hundred small castles on their territory.

Moreover, as the war progressed, the court cavalry of Golden Deer Castle also began to develop a 'tolerance' for the roar of cannons.

They found that this thing was difficult to destroy the city walls and battlements directly; at most, it could damage some wooden towers or watchtowers.

Faced with artillery fire, they already knew to withdraw the crossbowmen from the towers and to direct their soldiers to take cover behind the battlements.

Therefore, Lynn simply decided not to leave and to rest for a while first, since he didn't lack military supplies anyway.

He also wanted to wait and see what Golden Deer Fort would do next.

According to the latest intelligence, László has issued a large-scale conscription order, recruiting noble knights and civilian militia from all over the swamp territory.

With such a commotion, there must be more to come.

“My lord, we have almost occupied the entire Oakshire and built a defensive system based on the castles we have captured. Most of the manors and boroughs in the area have also pledged their allegiance to you. Now it is Laszlo and Anna who should be anxious. The longer our army stays here, the more anxious they will become. We can wait for them to make the first mistake.”

Victor wholeheartedly approves of Lynn's wise decision.

As the war progresses, the battle lines in Baihe Territory have become very long. If they continue to advance towards Golden Deer Fortress, they may be cut off from their retreat by the enemy and thus fall into the enemy's encirclement.

Now it's a contest of who loses their composure first, and which side makes fewer mistakes.

Lynn then turned to the military intelligence from the southern Vale Territory: "The war has also started at White Eagle Keep. Considering the overall situation in the North, I hope this war ends as soon as possible."

For the past six months, Count Vasa of Mirror Iron has kept White Eagle Castle surrounded like an iron barrel.

However, Duke Herman of the Valley refused to surrender and vowed to live or die with the castle.

Vasa was equally helpless and could only launch a strong attack on White Eagle Castle in the spring.

Without bronze cannons to aid them, Mirror Iron Territory had few options against the castle built on the cliff face and could only resort to sheer manpower.

It is easy to imagine that this siege, which will determine who will inherit the duke's throne, will be extremely bloody and brutal.

Lynn was hoping that Earl of Mirror Iron could free up more troops to resist the southern invaders, and did not want this cheap ally to suffer heavy losses at White Eagle Keep.

Herman's attitude was too firm, and even his daughter Hela couldn't persuade him. Lynn had long given up trying to change this stubborn mule's mind.

Victor frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said with regret, "It's already April. Although there is no definite intelligence yet, the Southern Army in Amber Harbor should have already begun to move."

The first to be impacted will inevitably be the minor and middle-ranking nobles in the western part of the Crown Territory. Unfortunately, both our armies and Earl Mirror Iron's are tied down, making it difficult to provide support to these regions.

Lynn put down the military intelligence report in his hand and sneered, "I already gave these nobles a chance last winter, but they were unwilling to seize it. Their lives are no longer our concern."

In fact, Lynn had hesitated between the two paths of eastward and westward expansion. To this end, he even ordered Foreign Minister Kalebo to send multiple envoys to the Crown Territory in order to win over these remaining minor nobles.

If they were willing to hand over their territory, Lynn could guarantee them a stable and wealthy life.

However, they did not cherish this hard-won opportunity and rejected the offers from Baihe Territory.

Only a few nobles were ambiguous in their attitude, but ultimately they could not make up their minds.

Since that's the case, Lynn can only let them fend for themselves.

The main Crown Territory is truly indefensible, just like Oakshire where he is currently located, and can only be defended by various castles.

However, in the face of the Southern Army, the old noble castles could not provide much defense. Rashly sending troops into them would only be giving the enemy more credit for their war effort.

"Now, the only purpose of these nobles is to buy more time for you and Earl Mirror Iron, and hopefully their attitude will be as resolute as it was last winter, so that they can at least resist the southern invaders for a little longer."

When asked about this, Victor also expressed some helplessness.

As a fellow Northerner, he hoped that Lynn could help these nobles and, incidentally, also gain a relatively prosperous foothold in the Crown Territory.

But there was no other way; the nobles of the North valued their lands more than their lives, or rather, their lands were their very lifeblood.

Of course, the southern invaders have no regard for kinship; with their locust-like style and shark-like appetite, they will surely crush and devour these stubborn nobles.

According to news from Amber Harbor, most of the captured royal nobles, including Earl Coldwind, died tragically in their cells, never bowing down to Otto until their deaths.

Victor now hopes that the remaining nobles of the royal domain can all be as resilient as Earl Coldwind.

After discussing the situation in the North with Victor, Lynn gave his latest instructions: "Write this down and draft a letter of greeting for Count Mirror Iron, and also find out about the battle situation at White Eagle Keep."

Two more official documents were drafted and sent to Kawanuma Prefecture and Mikawa City, reminding Andrei and Leon to be vigilant about defenses along the Shirakawa River.

Currently, the defense of Lynn's core territory is mainly the responsibility of the fifth brother, Andre, and Mayor Leon, with Leon also having to obey Andre's wartime command.

One thousand high-quality new recruits, plus a thousand militia and armed citizens in Three Rivers City, and two thousand new recruits from the wastelands under Little Hafdan's command, constitute the entire defensive force of White River Territory.

With its advantageous terrain and sturdy city walls, it should have little problem withstanding an attack of around 10,000 men.

If the enemy forces are too numerous, Lynn can return from Oakshire to provide reinforcements without too much trouble.

Wait, reinforcements?
Lynn suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.

"I know! I know how to lure the army out of Golden Deer Castle from its shell!"

Lynn suddenly raised his voice, startling Victor, who was taking shorthand notes. He was forced to put down his quill and look up to ask, "Sir, what have you thought of this time?"

“I will wait another one to two weeks in Laszlo. If there is still no sign of troops coming from Golden Deer Castle after that, then we will retreat eastward and spread rumors that the Southern Army is about to attack Three Rivers.”

As Lynn spoke, he stood up from the small stool.

He turned and walked to the map, resting his chin on his right hand, his eyes scanning the map: "I have roughly guessed Golden Deer Castle's intentions. Laszlo's mother, Anna, is shrewd and cunning; she is currently the true master of Golden Deer Castle."

Given her personality, she is definitely waiting for Otto's southern army to attack White River Territory, which would force me to retreat, and she would then take the opportunity to send troops to pursue and kill my army, and seize back Oakshire and Turbulent Stream Counties.

"Since that's the case, then I'll just give her the chance!"

Lynn's understanding of Anna came partly from his casual conversations with Jacoba, and partly from his own speculations.

Jagna entered Golden Deer Castle as the daughter of the Baron of Shallows and served as Anna's handmaiden for a period of time, thus getting to know Anna closely.

Although Lynn had never met Anna in person, he had been exchanging barbs with her from afar since last year, and had gained a deeper understanding of his opponent.

Anna's military strategy emphasizes stability. Last year, she transferred her own brother, the former Earl of Blackwood, to Three Rivers City. She had no intention of defeating Lynn; she only wanted to prevent Lynn from taking over Three Rivers City.

In the subsequent battles of Turbulent County and Oak County, she always sought a cautious approach. Faced with Lynn's large-scale invasion, she only sent a small number of troops to garrison the city for defense, simply delaying Lynn's advance and never considering a strategic decisive battle.

This aligns with the mindset of a woman in power who doesn't want to take risks, much less risk losing everything.

To lure such an extremely cautious enemy out of her shell, you have to use heavy bait, and the kind of bait that looks like it has no hidden hook.

What bait could be more tempting than the promise of annihilating Lynn's army?
Having been around Lynn for so long, Victor had also gained some knowledge of military strategy. After a moment of contemplation, he quickly grasped the key points and exclaimed in delight, "Sir, this plan is truly brilliant!"

But he quickly realized something was amiss: "But a simple rumor shouldn't fool that old woman Anna, and she'll definitely send someone to verify it."

Lynn smiled confidently and patted the map, saying, "No, you don't understand. The military situation is urgent. Where would she find the time to verify? Does she really want to send a spy from Golden Deer Fortress to Three Rivers City to gather information? By the time they get there, our army will be far ahead, and she will miss the real opportunity."

Victor then asked, "What should we do if she continues to stay holed up in Golden Deer Castle?"

Lynn's smile widened: "Isn't that even better? If she still refuses to take the bait, then we'll turn around and attack Canyon County in the southwest. At that time, who will submit to a cowardly ruler? Even her closest subjects will abandon her."

Last winter, Duke Herman of the Valley, knowing his forces were inferior to Count Mirror Iron's, still personally led a large army to quell the traitors; the reasoning behind this was the same.

Lynn was the one in charge, so he knew exactly what was going on.

Suppose he is currently in River Marsh County, and Otto's army has already surrounded Mikawa City. If he does not send reinforcements, not only will the citizens of Mikawa City betray him, but even his own soldiers will complain.

Sanhe City was the first to be betrayed; who will be next?
If even the lord is unwilling to protect the city he is loyal to, then why should the city and the army serve him?
This is a very simple logic.

As for why Lynn wanted to lure the tiger away from the mountain, the logic is even simpler.

The waters of Golden Deer Lake have melted, and Golden Deer Fortress, located on the island in the middle of the lake, is not something that can be easily conquered by manpower. He is not insane, so it is impossible for him to launch a direct attack on that fortified city.

Therefore, the enemy troops must first be lured out of the castle.

Just as Lynn finalized his plan, the young duke at Golden Deer Castle flew into a rage.

"Useless! They're all useless! The city of Hafen surrendered without any resistance. What use is it for me to protect these citizens who have no courage or loyalty? Even a dog would wag its tail at me!"

(End of this chapter)