I'm not a lord

Chapter 300 A Pretense Becomes Real, War on Three Fronts

"Do you think Lynn really retreated this time, or is he deliberately spreading rumors to lure us into a trap?"

Faced with a major strategic decision, Anna was undecided and consulted with her eldest son, László, and several key military commanders.

A young general in plate armor immediately replied, "It's highly likely they really retreated. The light cavalry at the front have already sent back intelligence that Lynn's soldiers stationed in several castles in northern Oakshire have retreated, and they left in the dead of night. Moreover, the retreat was quite hasty, leaving behind a lot of food and supplies."

Most of the generals shared the same idea as László: since the enemy had come to their doorstep, they should certainly strike back decisively, otherwise, where would the face of the Swamp Territory be?

Seeing Lynn's current disheveled appearance as he hastily retreated, these generals were even more eager to mount their horses and give chase.

With someone taking the lead, the remaining generals also expressed their opinions, only the young Duke of László remained silent, feigning profundity.

He had already spoken with the generals, so there was no need for him to make a personal statement at this time, lest he displease his mother and ruin the subsequent pursuit plan.

Seeing that Anna was still hesitant, the oldest court count present stood up and said, "Madam, we must always be vigilant against an enemy as cunning as Lynn. However, if we do not pursue him when he retreats, not only will the people of the various regions be disappointed in Golden Deer, but even the soldiers in the army will harbor resentment. Please make a wise choice, Madam."

The generals present all respected Anna as their matriarch and were willing to accept her de facto regency, since the new duke was indeed somewhat young and lacked experience in ruling the territory.

But at this critical juncture, if Anna truly continues to stand still, these generals may have to consider changing their allegiance.

"I understand what you mean. Since you all agree to pursue, let's do it this way."

Anna ultimately couldn't defy the will of the group.

The army had already left Golden Deer Fortress, so some things were no longer up to her, a woman alone.

Even after deciding to pursue them, Anna remained as cautious as ever.

She first sent out several light cavalry units to lead the charge, and only after confirming that Lynn's main force had retreated eastward did she lead the core of the court cavalry at a steady pace toward the north of Oakshire, continuously recapturing the small castles that had been lost along the way.

When the army from Golden Deer Fortress arrived in the area, the manor that had previously surrendered to Lynn quickly switched sides.

Managers and estate owners from various places cried out to the army about Lynn's tyranny, claiming that they had no choice but to surrender to the enemy due to threats and oppression.

Anna couldn't blame them too much, so she sent envoys to appease the various manors and ordered the stewards who had fled back to Golden Deer to take over the manors as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Lynn, who was leading his army in a slow retreat, had received news that the enemy was pursuing them.

“Very good, they’ve taken the bait.”

Lynn was in high spirits after hearing the intelligence report from the scout cavalry.

Riding on horseback, he pulled out a simple map and quickly located the enemy's current position.

Currently, his main force is located 30 kilometers east of Hafen and is retreating at a relatively slow pace.

The enemy's core forces were located about fifty kilometers north of Hafen, two to three days' journey from Lynn.

Feigning a retreat is a skill in itself.

The slightest misstep could easily trigger turmoil in the army, leading to a large number of soldiers deserting in disarray, and ultimately turning a feigned retreat into a real rout.

Once an army shows signs of collapse, it is impossible to regroup the soldiers and restore their morale in less than two or three weeks.

At that time, the enemy only needs to send out lightly armed cavalry units to launch a surprise attack, and the retreat will quickly turn into a major rout.

That would be easier to capture than 'ten thousand pigs'; soldiers who have lost all morale can easily surrender in droves.

However, Lynn's army was already highly disciplined, and the lower-ranking soldiers were unaware of the truth behind the retreat. In addition, he intentionally controlled the speed of the retreat, so the main force was still able to maintain a relatively orderly formation.

"It's really not easy to lure this old tortoise out of its shell. This time we must crush them in one fell swoop and take over the entire swamp territory."

Victor was even more excited. He had carefully compared the troop composition and combat capabilities of both sides and was full of confidence in this strategic decisive battle.

As for the old tortoise he mentioned, it was naturally Ms. Anna, whom he had previously praised.

Lynn looked at the map, pondering the next marching route, and chuckled softly:

"That old tortoise is still cautious. Even when pursuing, he doesn't dare to send out the palace cavalry alone. Their marching speed is not fast. I think Anna is planning to watch us leave the country so that she can take back Oakshire without firing a single arrow."

Having clashed with Anna many times, Lynn naturally came to understand his opponent's character.

Anna, as a woman who had long governed Golden Deer County, valued stability and would never take risks if possible.

Furthermore, her combat style was also full of a woman's 'petty-mindedness'. She wanted to punish autonomous cities such as Hafen, but only dared to send out a fleet to blockade the port, and easily prevented the soldiers on the fleet from disembarking to fight.

They wanted to cut off Lynn's land transportation lines, but they only sent a small number of noble cavalry led by Earl Blackwood.

Faced with the castles and manors scattered throughout Turbulent County, these small groups of cavalry were merely scratching the surface, and they couldn't even plunder the local villages.

Under Lynn's orders, large numbers of militia were organized in the four counties of Turbulent County. These militia were able to defend against small groups of enemy troops by using the manor walls during wartime. If enemy cavalry were to be separated from their own forces, they could occasionally achieve some success.

At present, Anna has been pursuing but not completely pursuing, seemingly only thinking about reclaiming territory and unwilling to have a direct confrontation with Lynn's main force.

Victor laughed along, his smile tinged with flattery: "The lord has already prepared even more tempting bait for them on the way. Even if Anna doesn't take the bait, her eldest son Laszlo and the soldiers below will not be able to resist the temptation."

For Anna, a temporary regent who was bound to relinquish power, neither political achievements nor military exploits could sway her.

She would eventually have to hand over the power to her eldest son, and the officials and generals who submitted to her were only temporarily obeying her.

Given this, she would naturally prioritize stability; as long as she could smoothly transfer power, she could fulfill her mission.

This was precisely why she had been preventing her eldest son from fighting Lynn.

Unlike Laszlo, who was young and ambitious but lacked prestige, Laszlo had little influence in his territory. Gaining military merit was the fastest way for him to improve his prestige, and he would never easily give up the opportunity to pursue the enemy.

As for the soldiers below, they not only coveted military merits but also longed to acquire wealth on the battlefield. Apart from their fixed salaries, their greatest economic gain came from battlefield spoils; a simple chainmail could be worth several months' wages, and a fine warhorse could be worth several years' income.

After all, the swamp territory's army didn't have the concept of handing over spoils for redistribution; spoils were considered personal wealth.

From the soldiers' perspective, they thought, "We picked those up. If we just left them on the road, nobody would want them. Why should we hand over supplies that we found by our own skill?"
Lynn put away the map and nodded slightly: "Pass on my order to slow down the march and abandon more food and supplies along the way."

Previously, the various units had deliberately left behind a lot of supplies and several un-demolished military camps during their retreat, with the aim of luring the enemy to continue their pursuit and creating the illusion of a hasty retreat.

This time, Lynn plans to increase the dosage of the medicine. Once he defeats the enemy, these supplies will return to him intact, and may even generate some interest.

Soon, the various legions that were retreating in batches received Lynn's orders.

Among them, the third brother Yang's methods were the most decisive.

"They deliberately damaged the axles of several carriages and abandoned the carriages and all the goods inside on the roadside."

Yang's Turbulent Legion was responsible for covering the rear, and they left behind the most supplies.

With an attitude of going all out, he even slowed the march to less than ten kilometers a day, just so that the enemy could catch up as soon as possible.

Over the next three days, the distance between the two armies rapidly closed to less than twenty kilometers.

Anna was no longer able to fully control her advancing army. A few soldiers made a fortune by picking up weapons and equipment, which naturally made the other soldiers envious, so they kept pushing forward.

This optimistic yet greedy sentiment quickly spread from the lower-ranking soldiers to the high-ranking officers, and the entire army was like a car with wheels that had no brakes, speeding eastward on a solid, flat dirt road.

That evening, László and Anna had dinner together at the military camp where Lynn had used.

The young duke, holding a roasted goose leg in his bare hand, said with a smile, "Mother, you don't need to worry. Lynn has undoubtedly retreated this time. Not only are grain and supplies scattered everywhere along the way, but even the camps haven't been dismantled yet!"
Intelligence from various locations confirms this; reports everywhere say that the Amber Harbor army is about to arrive at Three Rivers City. Even if Lynn is unwilling to retreat, he will be swept along by the soldiers, and this retreat is gradually turning into a rout. This battle will undoubtedly be another glorious victory for our army!

These past few days, László has been leading the court cavalry in a full-speed pursuit. If Anna hadn't intentionally controlled the speed, he would probably have caught up with Lynn's rearguard by now.

Anna took a small sip of the mead from the local estate and said with a troubled expression, "It's always better to be cautious."

Currently, there is still a distance of more than ten kilometers between the two armies, which is roughly a day's march distance.

With this ambiguous distance, the war remains controllable; as long as one side is unwilling to engage in a decisive battle, they can simply control the speed and maintain distance.

However, if the distance is reduced to within ten kilometers, then a decisive battle will be inevitable.

This distance is no longer ambiguous; one side only needs to march quickly to catch up with the other within a day.

If that unit had maintained its scattered formation during the retreat, it would have been relentlessly pursued and could very likely have been annihilated.

Under such circumstances, even if Lynn's side is unwilling to fight a decisive battle, and even if Three Rivers City is really under siege by the southern invaders, they will definitely try their best to gather their troops and prepare for a decisive battle.

Because battle was already unavoidable.

The same logic applies to Golden Deer Fortress, especially since the soldiers below are already blinded by greed, just waiting for a chance to strike it rich.

László was the embodiment of the soldiers' will. He took a bite of the tender goose leg, chewed for a moment, and swallowed it whole, shouting loudly with a mouthful of greasy taste:
“Mother, in this situation, we need even more boldness and courage. The enemy is like a roasted goose, just waiting for us to reach out and enjoy it!”
Just as you taught me before, Otto has created the best opportunity for us. We must seize this opportunity to take back Oakshire, Turbulentshire and Three Rivers in one fell swoop, and let the whole North hear the voice of Golden Deer again!
Then, like my father, I will raise the banner of the entire North, lead the North against those sons of bitches from the South, and restore the glory of the North!

László's declaration was undeniably passionate, and a magnificent vision appeared before his eyes that even his father had never seen.

In his visions, he wiped out Lynn, defeated Otto, unified the North, became the first member of House Swamp to wear the crown of the North, and led the family to new heights.

Everyone must have dreams, and László is one of the most dream-loving people.

"Hey"

No one knows a son better than his mother, and Anna certainly knew what her son was thinking.

But she couldn't refute it now, and could only let out a barely audible sigh.

At the same time, she felt increasingly uneasy, as if something was wrong.

But she could no longer stop the army's advance; everything was hurtling toward the unknown.

Under the same starry sky, Lynn was also having dinner, but the atmosphere in the military tent was even more tense.

Just that evening, he received an urgent military intelligence report from Sanhe City.

He kept telling people the wolf was coming, and then the wolf actually came.

The Southern Army from Amber Harbor launched its attack in mid-March, splitting into two groups to head straight for White River Territory and Mirror Iron Territory.

Since the fortress of River Bend had fallen due to a rebellion the previous year, the two armies from the South were able to travel unimpeded upstream along the River Stillness and through the Crown Territory.

Although some local nobles along the way had not submitted to Otto, under the threat of tens of thousands of troops, these minor nobles could only cower in their family castles and dared not send troops to obstruct the enemy.

Harvey and Reiner, the two commanders of the Southern Territory, tacitly ignored these castles. They didn't linger in the Crown Territory and had no interest in clearing out these minor nobles for Otto.

Their army was only focused on 'gathering' provisions and manpower, leading bandits, refugees, and bankrupt serfs westward.

According to the urgent military intelligence from Three Rivers, Leiner's army was less than 150 kilometers away from Three Rivers.

At their marching speed, they would reach the vicinity of Sanhe City within a week.

Lynn received more bad news than that. In Turbulent County, the Earl of Blackfir seemed to have received reinforcements, and his offensive suddenly intensified, reportedly ruining spring planting in more than ten villages.

To the west, Anna and László were also in hot pursuit. Given the current difference in the marching speed between the two armies, they would catch up with Lynn within two days.

At this moment, Lynn found himself in a perilous situation, surrounded by enemies on three sides.

(End of this chapter)