I'm not a lord

Chapter 328 Chasing Death and the North
On a country road a dozen kilometers east of Pike-perch City, Hugo was leading more than sixty soldiers in a bloody battle against the enemy.

Pursuit is actually a high-risk physical activity.

The enemy did indeed flee in defeat, but they did not completely lose their will to resist.

Even a rabbit will jump up and bite when cornered. If the pursuer keeps pressing on, the defeated enemy may regroup and launch a counterattack.

Moreover, the Southern Invading Army's organization had not completely collapsed, and some minor nobles were still able to command their trusted troops.

Some experienced nobles would even set up ambushes to attack pursuers. If they could successfully eliminate a group of pursuers, their chances of escaping would increase.

In a sense, this might be considered one of the few advantages of the noble alliance.

Hugh, under Lynn's orders, led two thousand lightly armed cavalrymen in pursuit of the enemy.

During the pursuit, as the enemy troops scattered and fled, his cavalry also unconsciously dispersed.

By noon, he had only about sixty riders left.

A pursuit force of this size would naturally arouse the interest of the enemy.

A force of two hundred defeated soldiers from the southern border ambushed a village by the roadside, attempting to wipe out Hugh's sixty riders.

But this time they ran into a tough opponent.

In small-scale skirmishes, individual combat prowess often determines the course of the battle.

Hughes was not only exceptionally skilled in combat, but the sixty cavalrymen he commanded were also elite soldiers.

Upon seeing the enemy troops emerging from the houses on both sides, Hugo was both surprised and delighted: these defeated soldiers not only did not flee, but dared to ambush our army?
court death!

He dismounted and drew his longsword at the same time, shouting, "Hans, you take thirty men to take charge of the left flank and the warhorses, I'll take charge of the right flank!"

"Received, Commander!" Hans is currently the captain of the cavalry regiment, in charge of fifty impoverished nobles from the Crown Territory.

Oh, they shouldn't be called fallen nobles anymore; they are now regular cavalry under Lynn's command, enjoying the generous benefits of the cavalry.

As for the cavalry battalion where Hans was located, it was directly commanded by Hugo, who was now not only the commander of Lynn's cavalry regiment, but also the commander of the third battalion of the regiment.

Hans won the group championship in the previous military competition and was promoted directly to cavalry company commander.

However, his position is 'provisional', meaning that if he fails to perform his duties in subsequent battles, he could be dismissed at any time.

The majority of the cavalry in the Third Battalion were from impoverished noble families. These men were extremely eager for positions and titles, and if Hans was unwilling to take them, there were plenty of others who would.

"Chavisa, you lead the squad to protect the warhorses, the rest of you follow me, dismount, and intercept the enemy!"

Hans, with his extensive combat experience, immediately dismounted and fought on foot, ordering his squad leaders to gather their horses together for protection.

This is considered a standard tactic for cavalry when encountering an infantry ambush: dismount and form ranks on the spot for foot combat.

Compared to infantry, cavalry's greatest advantage has always been mobility and impact, but in villages with complex terrain, both of these abilities are difficult to utilize.

Moreover, the enemy was well prepared this time. The vanguard consisted of chainmail infantry armed with spears and longswords, while the infantry following behind carried ranged weapons such as crossbows.

However, this group of enemy soldiers did not have many crossbows, not even a handful. These crossbows were very heavy and a burden when fleeing. Many soldiers from the southern border discarded them first.

The battle was one-sided from the very beginning.

In the noble army system of the continent of Dievas, what kind of people would become infantrymen?
Of course, only those who cannot become cavalrymen would become infantrymen.

Cavalrymen are inherently more noble than infantrymen. Their wartime wages are several times higher than those of infantrymen, and their mortality rate is also lower. After all, they are faster when running away and are less likely to be caught by the enemy.

If given a choice, who would be so foolish as to choose to be an infantryman?

In most cases, the infantry consisted of urban militia or mercenaries, or the lowest-ranking squires under the command of noble cavalry.

In this southern invading army, those who were reduced to serving as infantrymen were basically the most destitute and fallen noble descendants. These people usually had to trace their lineage back two generations or more to find their proper noble ancestors, and they could no longer be considered true nobles.

Therefore, in most cases, the individual quality and equipment level of infantrymen are often far inferior to those of cavalrymen. Even if they abandon their warhorses and fight on foot, cavalrymen can still crush infantrymen.

Under Hugh's command, the cavalrymen worked in groups of four to five, coordinating their attacks and gradually advancing.

In an instant, the sounds of battle echoed throughout this medium-sized village in the valley.

Hugh took the lead, relying on his sturdy plate armor and agile movements, and charged into the enemy ranks with his sword.

He ducked to dodge the thrusts of two spears, then swiftly closed in on the enemy soldier, and with a swift swing of his longsword, instantly took the life of one of them.

His cavalrymen also fought bravely, quickly decimating the enemy's vanguard.

With the vanguard of the enemy forces quickly routed, the remaining enemy troops scattered like birds and beasts.

They were already demoralized and defeated soldiers, and only thought of taking a gamble because they saw that there were few of them. They were not mentally prepared to fight a tough battle at all.

Soon, forty or so dismounted cavalrymen chased after a three-digit number of enemy soldiers, turning the entire village into a bloody killing field.

Hugo also specially assigned a small team to remount and hunt down the fleeing soldiers who were trying to escape the village.

Infantry can only contend with cavalry when they are in formation. In such a one-sided pursuit, they are no different from scarecrows used by cavalry to practice thrusting. The cavalry can basically kill them with one spear thrust.

These cavalrymen, now back on their horses, circled the village, charging at any fleeing soldiers and stabbing them with their lances – a scene of extreme cruelty.

Half an hour later, the battle in the village gradually came to an end.

Hugo searched the entire village but couldn't find any trace of the original inhabitants, who must have fled long ago.

Nearly a hundred enemy corpses were found, and most of the remaining enemy soldiers were taken prisoner, while a few escaped by chance.

"We'll rest here for half an hour, then head back to Perch City. This is our limit." Hugo leaned against a collapsed farmhouse wall, pulled the stopper out of his leather water bladder, and drank the last drop of water.

It was around 2 p.m., and most of the cavalrymen were still eager to continue the pursuit.

Unlike noble armies that calculate military merit based on captured spoils, Lynn's troops could also calculate merit based on enemy soldiers killed or captured.

The more heads they cut off from the Southern Border, the higher their chances of receiving a medal. Encouraged by victories and titles, these cavalrymen seemed to have inexhaustible energy.

If the rewards are right, they might even dare to attack Amber Harbor.

Humans may have no limits, but warhorses do have their limits.

Their warhorses had traveled all night and then pursued the enemy at full speed. They were now truly at their limit, and many of the horses were panting heavily, visibly exhausted.

Meanwhile, in a grove of trees southwest of the village, a group of defeated soldiers from the south were attempting to ambush their pursuers.

However, the fate of these defeated soldiers was even more tragic.

They ran into barbarian archers who were skilled in fighting in the mountains and forests.

The only group of barbarian archers who went south with Lynn this time was a large company, but Karula also came to the Valley Territory with this company.

Unfortunately, she was in this hundred-strong pursuit team that had been ambushed.

For the first time, the defeated soldiers from the southern border felt the oppressive power of the 'God of War' on the battlefield.

In an effort to eliminate this blue-haired woman, they used every means at their disposal, even sending more than a dozen people together, only to be completely crushed under her feet.

On the battlefield in the forest where the smoke of battle had cleared, two company commanders respectfully asked, "God of War, should we continue to pursue the enemy?"

"Why are you asking me about this? I'm an instructor, not an officer. You can decide for yourselves." Karula was just here in the Valley Territory to broaden her horizons.

Her role was that of a military instructor, and she was very discreet, never interfering in military affairs.

Besides, she hates trouble and doesn't want to get involved in these trivial matters.

If Lynn hadn't given the order before the war began, she wouldn't have followed the army to chase the fleeing soldiers. Why not stay in Perch City and drink? She had seen cartloads of oak barrels in the enemy camp with her own eyes.

Her biggest fear now is that if she gets back late, all the good wine will have been drunk by the troops left in the city.

After a brief discussion, the two squadron leaders decided that it was still early and they would continue the pursuit into the mountains to the southeast. They would not be hampered by their warhorses and would be able to move more freely in the mountains.

As the troops pursuing the fleeing soldiers returned to Perch City one after another, Lynn ordered that the captured food and wine be made available to the soldiers, allowing them to drink and celebrate their victory to their hearts' content.

He achieved great success in this battle; the spoils he brought into the city had piled up into a small mountain, and he captured thousands of prisoners of war.

The only two regrets are that Count Reiner and the three thousand-strong army that sneaked away in the middle of the night have not yet been captured.

After taking stock of the spoils, Lao San Yang said with a hint of regret, "That Leiner is really cunning. He had already prepared for defeat before the battle, and he withdrew his core generals and troops overnight, taking almost all the gold and silver coins with him, thus avoiding the risk of total annihilation."

The most valuable thing is definitely the money itself. The currency of the continent of Dievas is all real gold and silver, which is valuable no matter where you put it.

"After all, he is capable of being a commander of an army, so his abilities must not be too bad. This old fox must be hiding in the mountains to the south. I took into account the mountainous terrain of the Valley Territory and specially brought a large group of barbarians here. However, the probability of catching him is not much higher. It depends on luck."

As he spoke, Lynn glanced briefly at the list of spoils.

He was more interested in the prisoners from the southern border than in the various scattered spoils of war.

With just a little interrogation, he was able to extract a wealth of intelligence about Amber Harbor and the Southern Territory from the prisoners.

After extracting all the intelligence, they can be thrown into the mines to work as miners, maximizing their value.

Although these prisoners were all excellent soldiers, Lynn had no intention of recruiting them into the army.

The North and the South are now mortal enemies. Allowing people from the South to join the army would be going against their own base, and in severe cases, it could even damage the morale of the army. It would be a losing proposition.

Moreover, Lynn has now raised the banner of 'saving the North,' and all his subsequent actions must align with this slogan in order to gain greater prestige and legitimacy.

Lynn looked up at the already darkening sky outside the window and ordered, "Send someone to summon Vasa. I need to negotiate the distribution of the spoils with him as soon as possible."

After completely defeating Leiner's forces, Lynn did not intend to stay in the Valley Territory for long.

There's also Golden Deer Castle to the north waiting for him to deal with.

Before long, Count Vasa of Mirror Iron was brought before Lynn.

"The preliminary tally of the spoils is complete. This is yours. Check it now, and if there are no problems, we'll finalize the matter before the dinner."

As Lynn spoke, he handed Vasa a list he had personally drafted, which included nearly 40% of the spoils and prisoners of war in the city.

In terms of distribution, Lynn took into full consideration the hard work of Count Mirror Iron and made an absolutely fair distribution plan.

“I trust Earl White River’s fairness and generosity. I won’t check this list; just follow it.” Vasa was very cooperative and handed the list to the black-clad priest Evan beside him without even looking at it.

Due to his outstanding diplomatic work, Evan has been transferred to Vasa's side as a court advisor.

In fact, many spoils of war and prisoners of war are still being escorted back to the city.

However, neither of them mentioned it again, clearly indicating that whoever captured the prisoner would be the one to claim it, since both sides had sent a large number of soldiers to participate in the pursuit, which could be considered a fair competition.

“In that case, please join me at the banquet, Earl of Mirror Iron. The soldiers below are eager to enjoy the victory celebration.” Lynn stood up and gestured for him to join them.

"It is my honor to attend the banquet with Count Shirakawa."

After saying that, Vasa pretended to be stunned for a moment, then looked guilty and said, "Speaking of which, I should call you Duke of the Swamp. You are now the only master of the Swamp Territory. The title of a mere earl is not worthy of you."

Lynn smiled knowingly: "I should be calling you Duke of the Valley. No one in the Valley dares to disobey you now."

"Don't make fun of me. I'm almost losing my title as Earl of Mirror Iron. My Iron Fortress is still surrounded by the Southerners, and the fate of my wife and children is unknown." Vasa sighed deeply as he spoke, looking as if he had aged two years in an instant.

"You can rest assured about that. Leiner has already been defeated, and the other southern invading army will certainly not be able to hold out for long. I think they will completely withdraw from the Valley Territory next month."

Lynn offered words of comfort, but refused to mention sending troops.

Comforting people doesn't cost money, but sending troops to help Vasa reclaim the Mirror Iron Territory requires a huge expenditure.

Mirror Iron Territory has been thoroughly exploited by the Southern Invaders for several months now, and there's probably no profit to be made from it. Lynn naturally wouldn't do something that would lose him money.

(End of this chapter)