I'm not a lord

Chapter 319 Heading South to Capture the Thieves
"Gae, good news! Lynn seems to be gathering troops in Hafen, and there are rumors that he himself is about to head south to Hafen!"

Inside Golden Deer Castle, Count Gae, who was in charge of the castle's defenses, received some rare and exciting good news.

After a moment's thought, he immediately understood the crux of the matter and exclaimed with delight, "Hafen City? Isn't that place near the River Quiet? Does this mean that Lynn is indeed being held back by those two Southern Invading Armies?"

“That’s for sure. If Lynn loses this war, he will inevitably be forced to compromise with us!” The goatee-bearded count was also overjoyed, and even rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Now, these swamp lords no longer care about the conflict between the North and the South; they only want to exploit this conflict to achieve their own interests.

Of course, if Lynn were to compromise and grant all three of them the title of true earls of fiefdoms, then they could certainly stand firmly on the side of the North.

They can talk, and they can be patriotic.

Count Gae suddenly stood up, slammed his hand on the table, and said, "Send an envoy! Send an envoy immediately to make contact with Lynn. Now is the perfect opportunity to negotiate!"

Without the Duke of Olge's permission, Gae unilaterally negotiated with the enemy in private.

This was no ordinary overstepping of authority, but there was nothing that Olga and the others could do about it.

The young duke had long been sidelined, completely unable to intervene in the castle's defenses, and no one would bother to ask for his opinion.

An hour later, the two envoys left Golden Deer Castle by small boat and traveled by water to the enemy camp located on the east bank of the lake.

In the military camp, they subtly made their request to Lynn.

If Lynn were willing to grant Canyonshire and Oakshire to the three court earls, they would be willing to hand over Golden Deer Fort, honor Lynn as the new Duke of the Marsh, and garrison the frontier for him against the invading forces from the South.

After hearing the messengers' message, Lynn sat back in his chair, his face as still as a lake, and calmly replied:
“Go back and tell Gae that I am indeed heading south to Hafen and will lead the entire Marshland forces to fight against the southern invaders. If he is interested, he can also send a force to join the battle. I can guarantee that he will receive honor and spoils fairly.”

He then chuckled and continued, "As for whether or not to grant the territory, we'll discuss that when I return from Hafen. By the way, my main force will continue to besiege Golden Deer Castle. If Gae doesn't believe me, I suggest he leave the dark castle and experience the high temperatures outside."

Lynn didn't hide anything, directly revealing his subsequent itinerary and plans, and decisively rejecting the requests of Count Gae and his group.

The two envoys were unable to make a decision and could only return to Golden Deer Castle to report the situation.

After two days of back-and-forth, Golden Deer Castle did not send troops to support them, but hoped to send several envoys with Lynn south to witness the war between the North and the South.

Lynn readily agreed, knowing full well what Earl Gae was really thinking.

You just want to see me lose so you can make exorbitant demands, don't you?

Very well, I will crush the invading army from the south right in front of the envoy and utterly shatter your illusions!
Thus, the war that would determine the ownership of the swamp territory took a rather bizarre turn.

The two sides in the war are actually relying on the outcome of another war to determine the direction of negotiations.

But this is actually quite reasonable.

After all, Lynn could not take Golden Deer Castle by force in a short time, and the defenders of Golden Deer Castle were unable to fight back due to limited manpower. The two sides were locked in a stalemate, and an external variable was needed to break the balance.

The Southern Invading Army of Earl Leiner was this variable.

At this moment, Count Reiner is unaware that he is about to become the dice on the gambling roulette wheel.

He led his army westward along the narrow plain on the south bank of the Tranquil River. His vanguard had already reached the opposite bank of the river from Hafen, and the outline of the city could be seen across the vast Tranquil River.

Moreover, his army was expanded and replenished during the march.

Large numbers of people in the North, affected by the war, lost their homes and lands and were forced to become thieves and bandits.

Some gathered in the mountains and forests, while others simply joined the Southern Invading Army.

This is not surprising, since both sides use the same language, with only slight differences in accent, and there is no barrier to communication.

Furthermore, the lower-class serfs did not have any sense of the South or North; they were ordinary people oppressed by the nobles, who did not even consider them human in their eyes, and naturally had no sense of national identity.

With their homes destroyed and the nobles who should have protected them fleeing their territories, these serfs, in order to survive, are helplessly swept up by their cruel fate, transforming from victims into perpetrators.

But just when things seemed to be going very well, Count Reiner was once again at a loss. He summoned several trusted generals and asked, "What do you think we should do next?"

Reiner's confusion stemmed from a lack of information.

With limited troops and a lack of foothold and intelligence network in the north, he had only two options to obtain intelligence: torture prisoners or send out light cavalry to conduct reconnaissance.

However, to his north lay the vast Jinghe River, and to his south, continuous mountain ranges, making it extremely difficult to obtain intelligence.

With the deliberate blockade by Earl Lynn of White River and Earl Vasa of Mirror Iron, Reiner is now completely unaware of the enemy situation a hundred kilometers away.

All he knew was that Lynn was besieging Golden Deer Fortress and Vasa was besieging White Eagle Fortress, and he had a chance to take advantage of the chaos.

However, he was unable to ascertain the specific movements of these two armies.

If they abandon the siege, or have already captured their target and launch a pincer attack from the north and south, wouldn't our situation immediately take a sharp turn for the worse?

A trusted general suggested, "My lord, we have already penetrated deep into the northern territory. If we return the way we came, most of the soldiers will be unwilling to give up. Why not follow the original plan, cross the Tranquil River to the north, and try our luck in the Swamp Territory?"

The general had previously suggested to Leiner that they cross the Tranquil River to the south and take the opportunity to attack the western suburbs next to the city of Sanhe, but the plan failed due to the strong defenses of the western suburbs.

Later, on Earl Harvey's advice, Leiner led his troops westward and won a decisive victory in the chaotic Valley Territory, which turned the tide of the war.

During their westward advance, Leiner's army amassed several dozen ships, mostly small assault vessels, which were just enough to meet their needs.

There aren't many ships on the waters of Hafen to the north, making it difficult to cover the vast waters of the Tranquil River.

If Leiner simply sends out a feint, he should be able to cross the river and head north relatively easily.

Another trusted general, however, was more cautious: "Sir, we are not clear about the situation on the north bank of the Jing River. The risk is too great. Returning by the same route will at least prevent us from being surrounded. Moreover, Harvey's attack on Iron Fortress failed, and it is said that he lost many elite troops. He is no longer able to interfere with our operations."

In mid-May, Harvey lost his composure and launched a full-scale attack on Iron Fortress, which ended in a disastrous defeat. He was forced to retreat and recuperate, a fact that is now beyond doubt.

Before setting out from Amber Harbor, Leiner and Harvey reached an agreement before the king to divide the north and south banks of the River Quiet.

But agreements are rigid, but people are flexible. Reiner has expanded his army through development, and even if he were to claim territory on the south bank of the Tranquil River now, Harvey would have little power to intervene except to complain to Otto III.

"I've made up my mind. I'll retreat eastward for a while first."

In the end, Reiner chose to play it safe.

His current position is too dangerous, and he is facing a serious lack of intelligence. It is indeed the best choice to retreat and observe the situation in the North.

But he no longer has that chance.

That evening, the rearguard sent an urgent report that a large number of elite cavalrymen carrying blue flags with iron pickaxes had appeared in the riverside area to the east.

The rearguard clashed with the cavalry, suffering over a hundred casualties.

Reiner was enjoying his freshly cooked hot pea porridge when he heard this and almost dropped his spoon. He asked in great surprise:

"A pickaxe? How could it be a pickaxe? Isn't that the emblem of Count Mirror Iron? Isn't Count Vasa currently besieging White Eagle Fortress? Where did this pickaxe banner come from?"

The blue pickaxe and shield emblem is the heraldry passed down through generations of Count Mirror Iron, symbolizing the inexhaustible supply of high-quality iron ore to Mirror Iron.

Leiner didn't understand. Logically speaking, the Mirror Iron Territory's forces should be concentrated at White Eagle Fortress and Iron Fortress. How could they suddenly appear behind him?
White Eagle Fortress is located in the heart of the Valley Territory, nearly two hundred kilometers from the riverbank.

Iron Castle was completely besieged by Harvey, and the garrison inside the city had no chance of breaking out and advancing westward.

A messenger from the rearguard anxiously replied: "My lord, we have fortunately captured a prisoner. According to the prisoner, Vasa has already captured White Eagle Fortress and is mobilizing troops from all over the country to attack our army."

That cavalry unit carrying pickaxe banners was Vasa's elite personal guard, numbering around a thousand, and they had circled around to our rear along the mountain valleys!

"Oh no! This could be the worst-case scenario!" Reiner, ignoring the pea porridge he had just taken a sip of, put down the bowl and strode to the simplified map.

The quick-witted guards arrived at the same time and presented him with a candlestick.

Reiner's gaze swept across the map, his face gradually turning ashen.

After learning the situation, the trusted general who rushed to the scene analyzed it with a worried expression:
“My lord, Vasa’s army is more familiar with the mountain paths than we are, and can indeed circle around to our rear without making a sound. Now our retreat has been cut off. We either turn around and break through the blockade to the east to Mirror Iron Territory, or we can only cross the river to the north to the Swamp Territory.”

This is the disadvantage of playing away from home.

Count Vasa of Mirror Iron was a local, and his army was entirely recruited from the Valley Territory. Naturally, they were familiar with the local terrain and could walk through the complex mountains with their eyes closed without getting lost.

On the other hand, Count Reiner, unfamiliar with the terrain, could only advance along the plains along the banks of the Quiet River, while the complex mountainous terrain to the south was a forbidden zone that he dared not easily venture into.

"We can't cross the river, we have to turn back!" After thinking for a long time, Reiner decided to retreat eastward, a decision he considered wise.

Although the situation south of Jinghe is not good, Count Vasa's forces are limited. As long as Leiner is careful, breaking through the blockade will not be difficult.

He knew virtually nothing about the situation on the north bank of the Jing River, but Lynn had recently won a great victory at the Sami River, and the fighting power of his army was truly awe-inspiring.

Furthermore, Count Vasa of the Mirror Iron has already taken White Eagle Fortress, so who knows, Lynn might have already taken Golden Deer Fortress as well?
Crossing the river rashly would be too risky and would completely cut off any way out.

Reiner really didn't want to face Lynn, that tiger, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go after Vasa.

"Sigh, if I had known the situation in the northern inland was so complicated, I would have stayed in Mirror Iron Territory and joined forces with Harvey to besiege Iron Fortress."

Faced with this situation, Reiner felt deep regret.

He never expected that the nobles in the northern inland areas would be so powerful and troublesome.

Logically speaking, he and Harvey each led 10,000 troops westward, and their troops were mostly armed forces of nobles from the southern border, making them formidable in combat. The northern nobles along the way should have either surrendered with courtesy or fled at the mere sight of them.

Leiner had assumed he could easily take control of the Marshlands and become the new Duke of the Marshlands.

Unexpectedly, he had to retreat in disgrace before he had even set foot in the swampy territory.

He was completely overwhelmed by Lynn's massive forces and glorious achievements.

How can a mere earl command nearly ten thousand professional soldiers at any time? Is this a legitimate earl?

She'd be a supermodel even in the Southern Territory, right?
Besides Lynn, Count Vasa of the Mirror Iron is also incredibly powerful.

His stronghold, Iron Fortress, with only a thousand or so soldiers left behind, was able to withstand the fierce attack of Earl Harvey's nearly ten thousand troops.

He even had the strength to take White Eagle Fortress, thus completely unifying the power of the Valley Territory.

Faced with the heavy blow of reality, Count Reiner finally gave up his illusions and prepared to withdraw to Mirror Iron Territory or Crown Territory before making any further plans.

As for how to explain to Otto III, Reiner had already thought of an explanation: Your Majesty, it is not that our army is incompetent, but the enemy is simply too strong. Why don't you give it a try?
The following day, without hesitation, Reiner led the main force to retreat eastward, with the rearguard becoming the vanguard and the vanguard becoming the rearguard.

Within two days, Lynn received information about the movements of this invading army from the southern border.

At this time, Lynn had already left Golden Deer Castle and headed south, and was about to arrive in Hafen.

Accompanying him south were his second brother Hugo's cavalry legion of one thousand riders, five hundred palace cavalrymen who had just surrendered to him, and five hundred civilian militiamen contributed by Golden Deer City.

Troops from all over the swamp territory are also continuously heading to Hafen, and about a thousand people have already gathered.

Lynn immediately understood Earl Reiner's intentions; the kid wanted to escape!
But would he let this big fish escape?

"Pass on my order: all troops shall march toward Winder City in Turbulent County, and all ships shall also assemble there!"

Lynn's plan was simple: he would cross the Tranquil River to ambush Reiner and wipe out this reckless Southern Invaders.

This northern heartland isn't your southern playground, where you can come and go as you please? Don't even think about it!
Earl Vasablin of Mirror Iron received the news in advance and is currently traveling through the mountains of the Valley Territory.

"Full speed ahead! We must block these bastards' retreat! Let them know that the valley will bury all enemies!"

(End of this chapter)