I'm not a lord

Chapter 330 Awe-inspiring in the Northern Border
Before the people arrive, the sound comes first.

Lynn was still on his way when news of his glorious exploits in Perch City had already reached Golden Deer Fortress.

Along with his achievements came his resounding slogan of "Saving the North".

In a secret room at Golden Deer Castle, Count Gae's three-man Count group reunited.

The eldest count, with his goatee, tugged at his beard, his old face scrunched up as if he'd been constipated for four days, and asked, "What...what should we choose next?"

The bald count, who rarely spoke, tentatively suggested, "How about we break out of Golden Deer Castle and then seek refuge with Samuel, the Duke of the Meadows to the west?"

"Break through? No, absolutely not!"

Count Gae rejected the idea without hesitation, saying, "Regardless of whether we can break through successfully, even if we do manage to break through to the grassland territory, we will never have our current status and titles."

Lynn did indeed lead his troops south to save the North, but he left behind nearly five thousand troops to monitor Golden Deer Fort.

With only a few thousand soldiers in the castle, it would be extremely difficult for Count Gae and his men to break through successfully.

Moreover, the families of these soldiers are also in the castle, and bringing them along would severely slow down the march.

But if you don't take your family with you, what's the point of breaking through?
Are we all going to the grasslands to become isolated and alone?

Moreover, the grasslands have always been known for their poverty, and the local minor nobles have to rely on regular raids to barely make a living.

Count Gae and his ilk are used to the comforts of the wealthy Marshlands. If they go to the Grasslands, will Samuel continue to indulge them? They probably won't even get the treatment of a baron.

The bald count, looking impatient, asked loudly, "Then what do you suggest we do? Are we really going to surrender to Lynn?"

"Keep your voice down, I can hear you!"

Count Gae's temper flared up instantly, and he said with a look of utter disappointment, "How could I have known that those Southerners would be defeated so quickly? That was more than 20,000 troops, all nobles from the Southern Border, yet they were kicked to death by Lynn and Vasa like wild dogs!"

Due to a lack of intelligence, Count Gae only knows that the Southerners have been defeated and that Leiner has died in battle. He still believes that Lynn has crushed the entire Southern invaders in one fell swoop.

The bald count suddenly asked, "I heard that even Count Reiner was killed by Lynn. Now Otto shouldn't stand by and watch anymore, right?"

The goatee-bearded count sneered, "You still want to count on Otto? I've figured it out now. He just sent those two counts to their deaths. All he knows is to stay in Amber Harbor and train his troops. He has no intention of providing any support. By the time he sends out his troops, the corpses hanging at the gates of Golden Deer Fort will be dried up by now!"

With Count Reiner's death on the battlefield, many intelligent people in the North realized that Otto had deliberately sent those two counts to weaken the North's inland forces.

Neither Count Reiner nor Count Harvey were Otto's confidants, and the troops they commanded were disorganized and lacked cohesion.

But these impoverished nobles from the South were extremely eager for territory and titles, so Otto went along with it, dangling a carrot in their face to lure them into a deadly battle with the native forces of the North.

Regardless of which side wins, Otto will not lose out, and may even have the opportunity to reap the benefits.

After all, the inland regions of the North did not belong to Otto, and he would find it difficult to command those greedy and impoverished nobles.

With Reiner defeated and killed, and Harvey retreating in panic, Otto is the biggest winner, aside from Lynn who gained great prestige.

As for Count Vasa of Mirror Iron, although he also gained prestige, his stronghold of Mirror Iron Territory was ravaged by the Southern Army, and his troops suffered heavy losses, so it is hard to call him a winner.

Count Gae sighed and concluded, "Otto will send troops sooner or later, but we can't wait any longer. There are already many soldiers in the castle complaining about why they don't surrender to Lynn. They also want to be heroes who save the North."

Lynn's slogans were very enticing, and he had never committed any offenses in the Marshlands, and he had accepted all the court cavalry who surrendered.

For many of the garrison at Golden Deer Castle, they would much rather follow a great lord and win endless glory than the young and ignorant Duke of the Marsh, Olg.

In the North today, driving out the people from the South is the main theme.

Honor is always the ultimate pursuit of a knight, and the younger one is, the more one longs to wear the halo.

In the North today, who wouldn't want to be a hero?

The bald count looked at his two companions and asked helplessly, "According to you, we only have the option of surrendering now?"

“I really don’t want to admit it, but that’s the truth. Surrender is our only dignified option,” Count Gae sighed deeply.

Then he looked at the bald count, his voice heavy, “Of course, we can also use the name of the Duke of the Marshland and the walls of Golden Deer Castle to continue resisting Lynn, but as time goes by, the soldiers will begin to oppose us, and some may even sneak over the walls at night or simply open the gates to let Lynn in. You know what will happen to us then.”

Few soldiers are determined to fight a war they are destined to lose.

If Lothair were still alive, perhaps the soldiers would still be willing to die with him.

But young Olger clearly lacked that charisma and influence, not to mention Gae's trio.

For the three court counts, including Gae, surrendering at this point might allow them to receive some compensation from Lynn and make a relatively dignified exit.

But if they don't want to be dignified, there are plenty of people willing to help them be dignified.

The bald count sighed as well, "Alas, if I had known it would turn out like this, I should have surrendered last month. I should have been able to keep my count title then. Now that I've surrendered to Lynn, I'm afraid I won't even be able to get a baron title."

Lynn left Golden Deer Castle for the south in late May.

It's only mid-June, and he has already swiftly and decisively wiped out Earl Reiner's army of ten thousand men.

It can only be said that Reiner's defeat was too swift, completely disrupting the entire plan of the Gae trio.

They now deeply regret their actions.

If Lynn had surrendered when he besieged Golden Deer, they might have been able to join the war against the Southern invaders, wash away the shame of surrender, and perhaps even gain the title of 'Hero of the North'.

If we surrender now, we won't even be able to eat shit while it's still warm.

Count Gae slowly rose weakly: "Once Lynn arrives at Golden Deer Castle, we'll talk to him again and try to secure as many benefits as possible."

The goatee-bearded count stood up and asked, "That's the only way. But what should we say to the Duke?"

The young Duke Olger was lying on the bare lap of a beautiful, fair-skinned maid, who was cleaning his ears with a small stick.

When the three counts arrived, Olger ordered the maid not to stop, and replied sarcastically:
"Surrender to Lynn? Do you really need to ask me for my opinion on this? Once you've made up your mind, no one in Golden Deer Castle can stop you." Having realized he was being sidelined, Org had completely given up. Since no one listened to him anyway, he figured he might as well enjoy his last few good days.
As long as he remains in Golden Deer Castle, he is the undisputed Duke.

If I can't mobilize the army, can't I mobilize my maids?
Previously, Olger had been strictly controlled by his mother Anna, and there were many things he wanted to do but could only watch helplessly. Now he finally got to enjoy himself.

Count Gae's gaze swept over the maid's pale thighs, then he bowed and said, "My lord, you are the Duke, the sole master of Golden Deer Castle. Such important matters must first be approved by you."

Olger laughed and cursed without restraint: "Heh, you only thought of me when you were burdened with responsibility and infamy. I didn't know that Count Gae, who is known for his toughness and tenacity, had such a cowardly side."

He certainly lacked the ability and experience to be a duke, but he was by no means a fool; he understood many things after a little thought.

Moreover, he knew very well that if he really opened the gates and surrendered, the three court counts could retain some of their titles and benefits, but the best outcome for him, the duke, would be life imprisonment.

By then, let alone the white thighs of maids, even sleeping with a fat pig as a pillow at night would be a luxury.

Count Gae was not annoyed, but calmly replied, "My lord, if you are willing to continue resisting, then we have no objection and will always follow you."

Org rolled over, finding a more comfortable position, his back to the three counts, his clear voice echoing in the room for a long time:

“Very well, let’s do it this way. In the name of the Duke, I order you to protect Golden Deer Castle for me. I remember you all swore to my father and brothers that you would protect the Marshland family to the last moment. You don’t want to be branded as traitors, do you?”

The three counts exchanged glances, then took their leave in unison.

That evening, a small boat sailed away from Golden Deer Fortress, and the messenger disembarked and went straight to the enemy camp on the east bank of the lake, delivering a letter to the enemy general Joseph.

A few days later, news of Pike Place traveled downstream and reached Amber Harbor, the easternmost point of the North.

Otto III was having lunch when he heard the news.

“Leiner is dead? What a pity, he died a little too young.” Otto put down his wine glass and gestured to the valet beside him to pour him another glass of wine.

In Otto's plan, Reiner and Harvey's 20,000 troops should at least hold out until this autumn.

But it was only early summer when news of Reiner's death reached Amber Harbor.

With Reiner dead, his ten thousand soldiers will inevitably collapse, and Harvey's ten thousand men will also be unable to hold out alone, and will inevitably have to retreat back to the Crown Territory.

Arnaud put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and said:
"It was Lynn again, Your Majesty. I told you long ago that this man is your only major enemy in unifying the North. Once he is eliminated, the entire North will belong to you."

Arno's current status is that of a court count, personally appointed by Otto, and he is responsible for recruiting and training the army for the new King of the North.

Otto also promised him that if he could unify the North, he would be given a real earldom in the future.

Arnaud was skeptical of the king's promise, but he didn't have many other options and had to accept the job for now.

“I will get rid of Lynn sooner or later, but not now. Your task now is to recruit as many soldiers as possible. I will take care of the rest.” With that, Otto picked up his wine glass and calmly took a sip.

Reiner and Harvey's defeat was entirely within his expectations.

Otto had studied the North for decades, and he knew very well how difficult the inland regions of the North were to conquer.

Every king of the North throughout history has longed to truly rule the North, yet the three duchies have remained steadfast.

Otto had no illusions that he could accomplish in a short time what no one had been able to do for the past two hundred years.

Because he was mentally prepared for a protracted war, he trained an army in Amber Harbor that would be loyal only to him.

Arno was only responsible for recruiting and training new soldiers from the Crown Territory. Once the soldiers completed their training, they would be immediately assigned to the trusted nobles that Otto had brought from the South.

Through this plan, Otto stripped Arno of his military power without bloodshed.

The several thousand members of the Power Mercenary Group were dispersed to different units and were no longer the formidable mercenary group that dominated the royal territory.

Arnaud must have had his grievances, but Otto didn't care.

As a noble king, isn't it normal for him to keep a wolfhound with a bad temper?
If the wolfhound is willing to lower its head, then there will still be meat bones to eat.

If a wolfhound hisses at its owner, it will only become meat bones for other dogs.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to complete your mission." Although Arno was not yet full, he still chose to get up and take his leave.

Since January of this year, Arno has traveled throughout the Crown Territory, recruiting a total of 20,000 new soldiers for Otto.

The vast majority of these new recruits came from bandits and mercenaries from various places. As the royal territory gradually stabilized, they lost their means of survival and were forced to join Otto's forces.

Following Lynn's system of military organization, Otto divided the 20,000 new recruits into five legions, each with a total of 4,000 soldiers.

The basic organizational structure of the army was also copied in its entirety: a battalion of 500 men, a company of 50 men, and a squad of 10 men.

Otto's thinking was simple: since Lynn was able to rise to prominence and keep winning, he should just copy him.

In order to govern the Crown Territory well, Otto even wanted to emulate Lynn's local county system.

However, since he had granted half of the royal territory to nobles from the Kingdom of Rui, he could only conduct experiments in his own directly controlled territories first.

That afternoon, Otto III attended a royal council meeting held at the palace.

"My lord, your generals have come to me for money again, but the national treasury can't even produce a hundred gold shields. Perhaps you could allow me to resign as Minister of Finance?"

As soon as the meeting began, the finance minister appointed by Otto poured out his grievances to him.

While an army of 20,000 might seem impressive, the amount of money it consumed was astronomical.

The mere provision of weapons and armor for these soldiers completely emptied the already meager treasury of the Northern Kingdom.

Furthermore, since they are professional soldiers, these 20,000 people need to receive a fixed salary every month, which is a bottomless pit.

Otto only managed to initially pacify the Crown Territory at the beginning of this year, and the first tax revenue of the year will not be collected until the fall. The national treasury currently has no money to support the army.

(End of this chapter)