I'm not a lord

Chapter 321 A Counter-Strategy, Encirclement

With a large number of troops and ships gathering in Winder City, Lynn's 'small' actions naturally reached the ears of Earl Leiner.

Although Reiner lacked an intelligence network while playing away from home, he and his scouts were by no means blind or deaf.

Boats were coming and going on the Jinghe River, and they all seemed to be heading to the same place. Surely they couldn't all be merchant ships?

Moreover, urgent military intelligence also arrived from the east: Count Vasa of Mirror Iron had taken over a medium-sized autonomous city on the retreat route of the southern invading army ahead of Leiner, and built a defensive line around the city.

Inside the makeshift military tent, as Reiner listened to his subordinates' report on the military situation, he slammed his fist on the map and roared, "These idiots from the North are definitely trying to surround us from both sides on the south bank of the Jing River!"

Reiner's anger stemmed not from the impending encirclement, but from the fact that his main force was marching too slowly, covering less than ten kilometers a day for the past week, which gave the enemy an opportunity.

The culprit slowing down the march was none other than the loot the soldiers plundered along the way.

Due to insufficient horse-drawn carriages, many soldiers simply carried the looted items on their backs, each carrying about ten kilograms. How could their marching speed be fast under such circumstances?
But he couldn't say it out loud, so he could only keep his anger inside.

After all, these southern invaders came for the money, and making them abandon their loot would be worse than killing them.

Even as commander-in-chief, Reiner dared not order his soldiers to abandon their spoils, for if this caused a mutiny, even he would not be able to suppress it.

A trusted general approached Reiner, offering reassurance and advice:

“My lord, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Count Vasa’s forces are not many, probably only four or five thousand. We just need to gather our forces and bypass the city he’s stationed in. He certainly won’t dare to come out of the city to intercept us.”

Leiner's main force currently has more than 10,000 troops, more than 70% of whom are impoverished nobles from the Southern Territory.

Although these impoverished nobles had varying levels of weaponry and equipment, their fighting spirit was extremely strong in their pursuit of wealth and status.

In contrast, Count Vasa of Mirror Iron had at most five thousand troops, and had just undergone a long forced march. He could only occupy an abandoned city before daring to confront Leiner.

With 5,000 troops against 10,000, there was no significant difference in individual soldier quality between the two sides. In a real battle, it would be almost a one-sided affair.

Reiner snorted and said, "How could I not see through Vasa's little scheme? He just wants to use the city to hold us back. What I'm really worried about is Lynn on the other side of the Quiet River."

His current location is just across the river from Winder City. If he leads the main force to continue retreating eastward, Lynn can cross the river by boat at any time and retaliate against him.

Furthermore, Lynn's troops were not hampered by the large spoils of war, and their marching speed must have far exceeded that of Leiner's.

But if he stops here, he will only get deeper and deeper into the encirclement, and then he will be surrounded by angry Northerners on all sides, and he won't be able to escape even if he wants to.

Although Reiner was confident in the army's fighting capabilities, he was not so arrogant as to make an enemy of the entire northern inland region.

Earl Lynn of White River, Earl Vasa of Mirror Iron, and Duke Samuel of the Grasslands—if these three forces joined forces, it wouldn't be difficult for them to muster 20,000 troops.

After all, these local forces are fighting on their own home turf, and can fully mobilize the nobles and conscripts in their territories.

Several trusted generals understood Reiner's predicament.

If they wanted to retreat quickly, their marching speed would be too slow; if they wanted to bypass the city, they feared a sneak attack from Lynn behind; if they stayed put, they would be trapped in an even more serious encirclement.

It seems like no matter what you do, it's wrong.

A young general suddenly stepped forward and said, "Sir, there is another way."

"Tell me quickly!" Reiner's eyes lit up. This young general was promoted from the army after he came to the North. He was not only brave and daring in battle, but also quite resourceful. He won several small-scale skirmishes quite well.

The young general looked up at the map and slowly said:
"The enemy wants to surround us in this narrow riverside plain. We can also adopt the same strategy. You should contact Count Harvey as soon as possible and ask him to lead his troops westward to join us in encircling Count Vasa of Mirror Iron."

With you and Harvey joining forces, our army will easily surpass 20,000. Capturing a city garrisoned by only 4,000 to 5,000 men, and already in ruins, shouldn't be too difficult. Even if Lynn launches a surprise attack from the rear before the city falls, we won't be at a disadvantage in terms of numbers and will still have a chance to win, perhaps even a chance to crush these two major Northern forces in one fell swoop!

The more Reiner listened, the more obvious his smile became. As soon as the young general finished speaking, he couldn't wait to praise him: "Good, very good, your strategy is excellent, I completely agree with your opinion!"

Several generals present also showed their delight, with the most senior veteran shouting, "This strategy is brilliant! Harvey's goal is to occupy the entire Valley Duchy, and Count Vasa of Mirror Iron is the current master of the Valley. As long as you keep your pre-war promise, he will definitely assist us with all his might."

However, some generals expressed concern: "The only problem is that Harvey's troops suffered considerable losses in the previous siege of Iron Castle, so he may not be able to provide much assistance."

Reiner laughed and said, "Hehe, it's okay. Harvey always likes to exaggerate the damage. As long as he can see the benefits, this bastard will pounce on it like a dog that has smelled fresh dung, drooling."

He and Harvey had clashed many times in the Southern Territory and were very familiar with each other's character.

The two have the most in common: they are both willing to take risks.

Just like in this war, they all risked their lives and fortunes for that prestigious ducal title.

Now that he has the opportunity to take down both Lynn and Vasa, two formidable rivals, in one fell swoop, Reiner is convinced that Harvey will not miss this golden opportunity.

If they can eliminate these two counts from the North, they will have a very good chance of taking over the Swamp Territory and the Valley Territory!

To be on the safe side, Reiner sent multiple groups of messengers eastward, since there was still Count Mirror Iron between him and Harvey, and there was a high probability that the messengers would be intercepted on the way.

But it didn't matter; Reiner wasn't afraid of the news leaking out.

If Count Mirror Iron were to back down and obediently give way, it would play right into Reiner's hands.

He could safely retreat to Mirror Iron Territory and merge with Harvey, where he would be backed by the Crown Territory, thus securing an invincible position where he could attack or retreat at will.

Indeed, the light cavalry sent by Count Mirror Iron quickly intercepted the relevant letters and sent them, along with the prisoners, to the city of Perch.

The city of Pikeperch, named after its fishing industry, is a renowned pikeperch producing area in the middle reaches of the Tinh River. This type of pikeperch has delicate flesh, a delicious flavor, and few intramuscular bones. It can be eaten fresh by steaming or boiling, or preserved for a long time by pickling, giving it high trade value.

The city also grew and prospered due to its thriving fishing industry and related trade, and became a medium-sized autonomous city directly under the Duke of the Valley.

Unfortunately, the autonomous city was looted by the invading army from the south, and the entire city was destroyed by a fire. The residents either died in the war or fled to other places.

When Count Vasa of Mirror Iron led his troops to the city, they found only eight households among the ruins.

In his grief, Vasa quickly reorganized the city's defenses and dispatched a large number of light cavalry to gather intelligence, which resulted in the interception of important information.

“Brother, Reiner and Harvey are trying to encircle us from the east and west. We have too few troops, and the defenses of this Pikesburg are too dilapidated. Our current situation is too dangerous. Should we retreat for the time being?”

Damian, Vasa's half-brother and illegitimate son, was in charge of military intelligence. As soon as he received this intelligence, he had second thoughts.

“No, I’ve already promised Lynn that I will defend Perch City and we absolutely cannot let those damned Southerners escape!” Vasa sat in a blackened chair, gazing at the ruined city outside the window, and righteously rejected his brother’s suggestion.

Damian stood behind Vasa and said urgently, "Brother, Lynn, that ambitious man, is just trying to use this opportunity to weaken our forces. He is definitely eyeing the crown in Amber Harbor. If we suffer too many losses, he is very likely to become the final victor!"

"A crown? That's still too far out of reach for Lynn and me." Vasa shook his head, then stood up, turned to his brother, and said seriously.

"Also, don't forget that the Valley Territory is currently being ravaged by two invading armies from the South. If we just let them go so easily, how will I have the face to rule the Valley Territory in the future?"
As the new guardian of the Valley Territory, I must utterly annihilate the enemies invading my territory. To do so, I must be prepared to sacrifice my life! Only in this way can I gain the support of the nobles, the army, and the people. Do you understand?

Vasa did indeed have his eye on the crown in Amber Harbor, and he possessed the ability and insight to match his ambition.

With great power comes great responsibility; those who possess power must also bear corresponding responsibilities.

On the day he breached White Eagle Castle, the former Duke of the Valley, Herman, committed suicide by self-immolation, and he transformed from a usurper into the sole ruler of the Valley Territory.

If he wants to secure his hard-won territory, he must protect it.

Once a usurper comes to power, he will inevitably bear greater and heavier public and psychological pressure. If he backs down or becomes cowardly now, his future fate will only be more miserable than Hermann's.

Vasa knew perfectly well that Lynn was using him as a pawn, but did he have a choice?

He had only one path before him: to hold out in Perch City and block the invading army from the south.

As long as the city stands, he will live; if the city falls, he will die. He has no way out!
Damian lowered his head and thought for a long time before replying softly, "I understand."

Vasa sighed, waved his hand, and said, "Good that you understand. Now go and call Evan over."

Before long, Evan, dressed in a black priest's robe, strode into the temporary office.

Vasa ordered, "Evan, you must immediately take a ship to Winder City and find Lynn himself. Tell him clearly about our current situation and demand that he send troops as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir, I'll set off immediately." Evan had visited Lynn on behalf of Earl Mirror Iron many times and had reached several diplomatic agreements with Lynn, possessing ample diplomatic experience.

Before Evan arrived in Winder City, Lynn had already learned about the specific situation on the other side of the river.

A messenger sent by Leiner chose to travel by water, but was caught red-handed by patrol boats from Three Rivers.

In the mayor's residence in Winder City, the clerk Victor presented a summary of recent intelligence reports with both hands, and asked, "Sir, Vasa's current situation is somewhat dangerous. Should we send someone to inform him?"

The mayor's residence has been requisitioned by Lynn and converted into a temporary command post, and his entire secretarial team has moved in to assist him in handling various military and political affairs.

With military affairs becoming increasingly busy, Lynn was already considering forming a dedicated staff team to handle miscellaneous military tasks such as food supplies, ordnance supply, and intelligence analysis.

At that time, military and political affairs can be handled by separate departments, which will also reduce the burden on secretaries such as Victor.

However, with the military situation urgent, even Lynn is working non-stop and simply doesn't have the time or energy to reorganize the secretarial team. They can only temporarily make things difficult for the existing secretaries.

Lynn was drawing a map of the south bank of the Jing River when he heard this. He put down his quill and asked with a smile, "There's no need for that. Vasa must have intercepted the relevant military intelligence as well. Even if that's not the case, wouldn't he send an envoy to urge me to send troops?"

“Indeed, Vasa is as anxious as a warhorse that has been locked up for half a month, just hoping that your army can cross the Tranquil River.” Victor laughed as well.

Lynn took the military intelligence report and, while reviewing it, asked, "How is the troop assembly progressing?"

Victor opened the small black leather notebook he always carried and slowly replied:
"Currently, the army gathered near Winder City is close to seven thousand men. Your army consists of one thousand cavalrymen from the Cavalry Legion, about one thousand former court cavalrymen, two thousand men from the Turbulent Legion led by Commander Yang, and the remaining troops come from various autonomous cities and manors, plus a group of impoverished nobles from the Crown Territory."

Lynn had done everything in his power to gather these seven thousand soldiers.

His main force is still besieging Golden Deer Fortress, and he also needs to leave a group of troops to defend his old stronghold, White River Territory.

Lynn nodded slightly and instructed, "This war is an excellent opportunity for us to expand and reorganize our army. You should pay special attention to those impoverished nobles of the Crown Territory. They are excellent sources of cavalrymen. If you find a suitable general, recommend him to me as soon as possible."

Once the Southern Invaders on the other side of the river are defeated, Lynn will return to take over the stubbornly resisting Golden Deer Fortress and officially claim the Marshlands for himself.

After that, he would reorganize the domestic affairs, expand the army, and prepare for the final battle with Otto III.

Through this war, Lynn can not only build up his prestige, but also screen out troops from diverse backgrounds.

Whether they are civilian militia, manor conscripts, or impoverished noble cavalry, they will all become his source of new recruits.

Especially those impoverished nobles from the Crown Territory, they were born to be excellent cavalrymen.

(End of this chapter)