I'm not a lord

Chapter 317 Everyone has their own agenda
"What's going on? What's going on?!"

Upon hearing the rumbling sound coming from outside the castle, the three court counts could no longer sit still and stood up in alarm from their chairs.

They left the secret room and hurried up the stairs to the city wall, where they encountered two soldiers who had come in a panic to deliver a message.

"Sir, it's cannons! The enemy is attacking the castle with cannons!"

The soldiers' eyes were filled with fear and unease; they thought the enemy was about to launch a siege.

Based on the experience of the defeated troops in Oakshire, whenever the cannon fire ceased, the enemy would launch a tidal wave of attacks, with infantry and archers working together to besiege the city.

"Quick, to the city wall!"

Count Gae quickly led his two old companions up the steps. Just as they reached the east gate of Golden Deer Castle, they were met with the enemy's second volley of fire.

More than a dozen shells came hurtling through the air with a terrifying whooshing sound, instantly smashing more than ten holes into the tower on the east gate.

Splinters flew everywhere. Although the two soldiers were frightened, they instinctively shielded Count Gae with their broad backs, blocking the splash damage from the artillery fire.

When the roar subsided, Count Gae surveyed the devastated East Gate. The tower was riddled with holes after two rounds of artillery fire, but fortunately it had been reinforced before the battle, preventing it from collapsing.

The battlements near the tower were also damaged, and an unfortunate soldier was hit in the back by a stone while retreating. He was lying on the ground with a visibly dented back and looked like he was going to die.

Count Gae ascended the east gate, his face ashen as he gazed at the opposite shore of the lake. There, on the eastern bank of Golden Deer Lake, more than twenty bronze mortars were lined up in a row, with wisps of white smoke rising from their barrels.

Behind the artillery were rows of fully armed soldiers and colorful military flags fluttering in the wind, creating a truly impressive sight.

It was as if, at any moment, these soldiers would roar onto the land bridge and launch a desperate charge against Golden Deer Fortress.

The middle-aged court count with a goatee surveyed the devastation on the city walls, scratching his head in confusion: "What exactly does Lynn mean by this? Didn't he just send a letter urging surrender? And now he's bombarding the castle right after delivering the letter?"

Although the defending troops were somewhat disheveled from the shelling, their losses were not too severe because they had been mentally prepared and had taken timely evasive action.

It is clear that the information from Oakshire was correct.

These cannons sound terrifying, but their power is not enough to directly penetrate the thick city walls and gates; they are simply more destructive than catapults.

Moreover, the artillery has firing intervals, and each time the stone projectiles are reloaded, it takes several minutes.

From the perspective of this court count, the enemy gunners on the other side of the lake had already begun cleaning the cannons and reloading them.

However, he did not fully understand the artillery firing process and could not comprehend the function and significance behind these steps.

To avoid being hit by cannon fire, Count Gae and two old men withdrew from the city walls.

These cannons have a range far exceeding that of bows and crossbows, capable of hitting the city walls from a distance of nearly 500 meters. They are incredibly powerful, and unless our side also equips itself with a batch of cannons, there is virtually no way to counter them.

The only way to destroy these cannons is to send troops across the land bridge and attack the enemy lines.

But given the weak forces of Golden Deer Fortress, they would probably be riddled with arrows by the enemy's barbarian archers halfway there.

The goatee-bearded count kept asking as they walked, "Are we just going to leave like this? What if the enemy suddenly attacks the city?"

Count Gae scoffed, “Count White River is just urging us to surrender as soon as possible. He only wants to scare us with cannons. He will never easily attack the castle. Even if he does attack, we don’t need to be afraid. With the two thousand soldiers in the city, we can definitely hold out for a year or two.”

This was not due to Count Gae's blind confidence, but rather because he had the confidence to defend the castle for a long time.

Golden Deer Castle has an exceptionally advantageous location.

Because the island in the middle of the lake is narrow, even if the enemy forces crossed the land bridge under a hail of crossbow bolts, they could only deploy their troops and siege equipment outside the east gate.

In other words, although Golden Deer Fortress was heavily besieged, it did not need to worry about the enemy launching attacks from all directions; it only needed to hold the east gate.

With two thousand soldiers guarding a gate, it is enough to withstand an army of thousands.

Moreover, the castle has no shortage of food and water, and the surplus grain in the warehouse is enough to last until the end of next year.

The goatee count then asked, "What if winter comes? When the lake freezes, the enemy can launch an attack from all directions, and our warships will be frozen and unable to protect the lake."

Count Gae sneered upon hearing this: "Winter? Does Lynn really have the patience to wait until winter? Putting aside the terrifying damage that the harsh winter cold and blizzards inflict on soldiers, how could Otto of Amber Harbor tolerate Lynn until winter?"

The winter freeze is almost Golden Deer Castle’s only weakness, but the harsh winter and snow can make up for the season’s shortcomings.

Throughout the history of the North, no commander has ever dared to launch a war in the depths of winter; the 'Winter General' could wipe out his army without the enemy even lifting a finger.

The goatee-bearded count nodded slowly in agreement, then asked, "So what should we do now? Should we continue negotiating with Lynn?"

The three of them had already descended the city wall. As soon as they landed, a piercing whistling sound came from above, followed by the rumbling of cannonballs hitting the ground.

One cannonball even hit the stables next to the city wall, smashing a large hole in the roof, and the neighing of warhorses rose and fell.

The three counts instinctively pressed themselves against the wall, their thighs trembling and their knees buckling.

Solid stone bullets are indeed not very destructive, but we can't just let the enemy keep bombing us like this!
The whistling sound of those cannonballs was far more terrifying than that of a catapult, comparable to the roar of death as it reaps souls.

If the enemy keeps firing stones, the garrison inside the castle won't get a good night's sleep.

Moreover, towers, battlements, and even the main building where the Duke resides will all be destroyed, with conspicuous holes smashed everywhere.

Count Gaël led his two old companions back to the secret room, and after taking their seats, he stated his position directly:
"Why not negotiate? Of course we should continue to keep in touch with Lynn. The conditions he offered are by no means his bottom line. We should defend the castle while testing his limits and try to negotiate the best possible terms!"

Count Gae was undoubtedly one of Lothair's most loyal subordinates, but his loyalty was only valid for Lothair, not for the current Duke of the Marsh, Olge.

After a period of contact, Count Gae realized that this young man lacked the ability and qualities to become a qualified duke, and was by no means a wise ruler who could be fully entrusted with his duties.

Given this, why doesn't he try to secure the best possible price for surrender? The principle of "every man for himself" resonates with the values ​​of most people in any era.

Count Gaët was not alone; he had a wife and underage children, and he had to be responsible for his family.

The other two earls exchanged glances, and the Earl with the goatee slowly said, "We are willing to follow your arrangements in this matter. We all have families and cannot be buried with a castle that will eventually die."

Seeing that his two old companions were completely devoted to him, Count Gaël nodded in satisfaction:

“Well, we can’t rush this. If Lynn withdraws his troops due to pressure from the east, we can’t miss the opportunity to rebuild Golden Deer’s prestige. I will adjust our negotiation strategy according to the situation and try my best to secure a real noble title for us.”

In short, the advantage lies with him.

What Count Gae sought was to secure his and his old comrades' position and wealth in the newly established marshland.

At the very least, the army he now commands should maintain relative independence, and ideally, possess one or more genuine earldoms.

He had long been dissatisfied with his title of 'Court Earl' and dreamed of becoming a real earl.

“A real noble title, that’s a good thing!” Earl with the goatee also started daydreaming.

In this northern land, how many can resist the temptation of territory and titles?
However, Earl Goatee then looked worried: "But I heard that Lynn's White River Territory has not granted a single fiefdom to a nobleman. Given his stingy nature, is he really willing to cede his territory to us?"

Count Gae stroked his thick, brown beard and analyzed with confidence:

"Hehe, this matter is not up to him! I just received news this morning that two armies from the southern border have invaded the Valley Territory. One of the armies is even rapidly advancing westward along the south bank of the Jing River, and it is said that its strength exceeds 10,000."

If this army were to cross the River Stillness and invade Canyonshire or Oakshire, Lynn would likely have to beg us to surrender and even offer us his territory!

Although Lynn had surrounded Golden Deer Fortress, his forces were ultimately limited and could not achieve a complete encirclement, and he also lacked naval power.

At present, Golden Deer Fort can still obtain information from the outside world by waterway, and can even go to a few autonomous cities to purchase some supplies.

Although these autonomous cities in the swamp territory nominally submitted to Lynn, they still retained considerable autonomy, and the black market merchants in the cities took the opportunity to make a fortune from the war.

Count Gae is now pinning his hopes on the two southern invading armies putting enough pressure on Lynn to force him to make concessions in the negotiations.

It was common practice throughout the continent of Dievas for powerful nobles to appoint nobles in border regions to defend against foreign enemies.

This is somewhat similar to the Jiedushi (military governors) in the late Tang Dynasty in the East. In order to better defend against foreign enemies in the border areas, they were forced to divide their territories, establish military nobles, and delegate local administrative, military, and judicial powers.

In ancient times, when communication was limited, this was undoubtedly the most efficient military policy; the only problem was that it could easily lead to division.

In Count Gae's eyes, this was a win-win situation.

By granting noble titles, Lynn gained the surrender and loyalty of the garrison at Golden Deer, thereby acquiring ownership of Golden Deer and the entire Marshland, as well as an army capable of effectively defending against external enemies.

The garrison commanders, led by Count Gae, were granted real titles and territories, while retaining the relative independence of their army.

The only loser might be the young Duke of the Marsh, Olge.

His titles and territories will become Lynn's spoils of war, while his body will become a pledge of allegiance for Count Gae and others.

If he's lucky, he might be able to save his life, but he'll spend the rest of his life in long and lonely house arrest.

But at this moment, Olger was unaware of the schemes of the three court counts. He was indeed too tired, and after drinking two glasses of strong wine, he fell into a deep sleep, undisturbed even by the sound of cannon fire.

In the military camp on the east bank of Jinlu Lake, Lynn sat in a chair, his right hand supporting his chin, studying the military intelligence on the table.

This intelligence came from Lao Sanyang, who was stationed in the western suburbs.

The military intelligence report was quite concise, mainly recording the movements of two invading armies from the southern border.

Count Harvey is currently conquering Mirror Iron Territory, capturing several small castles in succession. Only a few medium and large castles, led by Iron Castle, are still putting up a resistance.

Count Reiner then divided his forces into two groups, one of which headed north along the left bank of the White River, intending to cross the river and invade the heart of the White River Territory.

The other route crossed the Jing River to the south and rapidly advanced westward along its south bank. Two small riverside cities had already fallen victim to their attacks, and the entire cities had been reduced to ruins.

The scribe Victor, burdened with the important task of compiling history, was recording recent major events with his pen, while simultaneously offering a lengthy analysis:
“My lord, Harvey’s intention is very clear: to first capture Mirror Iron Territory and then take over the entire Valley Territory. Reiner’s intention is less clear, but I think his main target should be White River Territory.”

“My view is completely different from yours. That army that marched north along the Baihe River was just to distract me. Reiner’s main force is the unit that is active on the south bank of the Jinghe River.”

As Lynn spoke, he stood up, looked at the map behind him, and picked up a pen to mark the movements of the two southern invading armies on the map.

His judgment was not based on accurate intelligence, but purely on his intuition derived from rich experience.

While Baihe Territory was indeed wealthy, its defenses were impenetrable. Even if Count Leiner gathered all his forces for a strong attack, he would find it difficult to break through the Baihe defense line.

Moreover, if the troops that marched north along the river were his main force, his retreat route could be cut off at any time by the garrison of Sanhe City and the western suburbs.

Based on the overall assessment, this is most likely a pawn that Reiner deliberately separated to distract Lynn.

Meanwhile, the enemy force on the south bank of the Jinghe River had a wide range of options. They could either cross north to harass the war-torn Swamp Territory or continue burning, killing, and looting in the Valley Territory. Their retreat was also secure, as they could retreat back to Mirror Iron Territory along the route they had come from at any time.

Lynn glanced at the map and chuckled softly:

“This Earl Reiner, oh, and Earl Gae of Golden Deer Castle, are both cunning foxes, both fantasizing about maximizing their profits, especially the latter, who actually wants to become a real earl and shamelessly asks me for Canyonshire as his territory.”

Count Gae didn't even write the letter himself, but instead had a messenger sent to Golden Deer Castle deliver it, leaving no room for doubt.

Victor put down his quill, rubbed his aching wrist, and said, "I suspect that Gae already knows about the Southerners' movements, and he will likely use this to blackmail you in the upcoming negotiations."

(End of this chapter)