I'm not a lord

Chapter 333 Go and take down the black collar for me

In early July, the North officially entered its traditional rainy season.

However, the sun still shone brightly on Black Fir Territory on the west side of the mountain range, as if all the moisture was blocked by the continuous, towering mountains, and all the rain poured down on White River Territory on the east side of the mountain range.

Of course, the locals all know that the rainy season in Black Shirtland is a week or two late.

The rain that's meant to fall will eventually fall.

On the rugged mountain path of the Earl's territory, two knights were leading their warhorses side by side along the narrow mountain road.

The young knight behind asked as he walked, "The Duke has already surrendered to Lynn, and Golden Deer Castle has fallen into Lynn's hands. He will soon become the new Duke of the Marsh. Do you think the Earl will surrender?"

Both knights belonged to Earl Spico of Blackwood and had accompanied him on numerous raids on Turbulent County under Lynn's rule, making them a key force in the Earl's territory.

However, as the situation in the swamp territory underwent a dramatic change, these once loyal and valiant knights began to consider their own way out.

The middle-aged knight leading the way sighed, "In the North, I doubt anyone hates Lynn more than the Earl. In my opinion, he will surely live and die with his family castle, just like the Duke of the Valley in the south."

Count Spico of Blackwood's father, aunt, and cousin all died because of Lynn, and he has a blood feud with Lynn.

Most of the knights in the territory believed that Spico would fight Lynn to the death.

Of course, choosing this path would most likely result in certain death, as Duke Herman of the Valley has already set a precedent.

The young knight sighed and said, "Lynn's envoy is already on his way. If the Earl refuses to surrender, what will come next will not be an envoy, but the army of White River Territory."

The middle-aged knight smiled wryly and said, "Do you dare to persuade the count to surrender? I certainly don't."

The mountain road fell silent, with only the crisp sound of horseshoes clattering against gravel.

After a while, the two passed through a scenic valley. The young knight gazed at the wildflowers blooming on the hillside and said softly, "I am not afraid of war, nor am I afraid of death, but I would rather die in the war against the Southerners than die in this Black Shirtland."

A flicker of pain crossed the middle-aged knight's eyes, and his voice immediately deepened: "We are but the lowest of knights; where we die is not something we can decide."

Last year, the former Earl of Blackwood led several hundred cavalry to relieve Three Rivers, which was threatened by Lynn, but almost lost his entire army.

In that devastating war, most of the knights of Black Shirtland were killed or wounded, with only a few lucky ones escaping the enemy's pursuit and returning to their territory.

The middle-aged knight was one of the lucky ones, but from then on, he never smiled again, because he witnessed the deaths of Count Black Shirt and many of his comrades.

However, he did not hold a deep grudge against Lynn because of that war.

He has lived for nearly fifty years and has experienced too many conflicts and wars.

But war always results in death.

The North is never short of war and conflict. Even if the Earl and his comrades did not die in that war, they would have died in countless wars that followed.

If this middle-aged knight were to hate his enemies after every defeat, he would probably have countless nemesis throughout the North.

The next moment, the scenery ahead suddenly opened up, and a blue stone castle surrounded by mountains appeared in their sight.

A rare glint appeared in the middle-aged knight's eyes, and his tone became cheerful: "Blackwood Castle is just ahead. Let's see how the Earl decides."

For most of the barons and knights of Blackwood, the not-so-grand Blackwood Castle was their sacred place and home.

They all spent their carefree youth in this castle, and many of them even met their wives at the castle's banquets.

As one of the few powerful earls in the Marshlands, the nobles of Blackwood are proud of their status and position. They will fight to protect Blackwood Castle and are willing to shed blood for its master.

When the two knights arrived at Blackwood Castle, they found that most of the nobles in the territory had already gathered in the castle.

The two then began to chat and reminisce with their fellow travelers, and servants would occasionally bring them cool ale freshly drawn from the well.

The castle resounded with the hearty laughter of noble knights, a scene that looked no different from any noble gathering in the past.

For some reason, everyone seemed to feel that a thick, non-existent dark cloud was hanging over the castle, and the smiles of many nobles also showed obvious signs of being forced.

As evening fell, the noble knights entered the castle hall and sat in order of rank. The current Earl of Black Shirts, Spico, appeared before everyone for the first time.

The young count entered through the main door, his face grave as he walked across two rows of long tables to the head seat reserved for the count.

After Spico sat down, he looked around at the noble knights present. He could see that the flickering candlelight illuminated their uneasy faces.

“My most trusted vassals, you should all know why I have summoned you today. Yes, Golden Deer Castle has changed hands. The one who rules that castle is no longer the Marshland family we know, but a lowly commoner who doesn’t even have a surname!”

Spicco's words were startling and quickly set the tone for today's noble meeting.

Clearly, he was unwilling to acknowledge Lynn's ducal status, much less to bow down and pledge allegiance to the new master of Golden Deer Castle.

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Spico was very satisfied, and after a pause, his tone became even more impassioned: "In my life, I will only be loyal to one family and one banner, and the same goes for the Black Shirt Earl's territory. I hereby solemnly declare that as long as I am the Black Shirt Earl, the Black Shirt Earl's territory will never submit to that lowly commoner!"

clap clap clap!
The baron sitting in the front row led the applause, which grew louder and louder until all the noble knights present began to applaud, and the applause gradually became more unified.

As the applause gradually subsided, a smile finally appeared on Spico's face: "I believe that you are all willing to fight for Blackwood Territory, for Blackwood Castle, which has stood for two hundred years!"

The atmosphere below the stage became heated and exciting, with many knights even clenching their fists and striking a pose as if they were determined to fight Lynn to the death.

Then he abruptly changed the subject and said sternly, "You have all heard that the Northern Territory has abandoned its beliefs and surrendered to that lowly commoner! I know that some of you may abandon your beliefs for various reasons, and I will not blame or punish anyone."

The Marshland Territory retained only two powerful earls: the Blackwood Territory, which was surrounded by mountains, and the Northern Territory, located in the far north.

The reason why successive dukes retained the Northern Territory was quite simple: to guard against the barbarians in the wilderness.

Like the Blackwood Territory, the Northern Territory is barren and sparsely populated. Such a lordship not only cannot threaten the Duke, but also serves as an outer barrier for Golden Deer Castle.

Spico concluded by emphasizing:

"The castle gates will not be closed tonight. Those who wish to leave may decide for themselves, and I swear I will not stop them."

But starting tomorrow, as long as there is even one warrior in the castle who can wield a sword, the castle gates will never be opened again!

Spico learned from the lesson of Golden Locker Castle's surrender, and he understood the necessity of unifying the people's hearts and minds before the war. But he was not a god, nor could he manipulate people's hearts.

Therefore, he could only let those who were unwilling to fight alongside him leave on their own, so that those who remained would be loyal to the death and would at least not open the gates to surrender when the enemy attacked the city.

Late that night, as expected, many noble knights left the castle with their squires and disappeared into the boundless darkness of the mountain range.

Spico kept his promise and did not set up any barriers, allowing those who wanted to leave to go.

The next morning, the young knight saw the middle-aged knight again in the hall, which was noticeably emptier.

The middle-aged knight asked in surprise, "You didn't leave?"

"In fact, I'm still very confused. I don't even know why I didn't leave." The young knight's smile was tinged with both bitterness and naivety.

He was able to inherit the territory and title because his father died in the war in Sanhe City.

Perhaps it was for revenge? The young knight gave himself an ambiguous answer.

He then asked curiously, "Why did you also choose to stay?"

The middle-aged knight snorted and shook his head: "I just don't have anywhere I want to go."

Spico re-entered the hall and glanced around, finding that only a little over twenty noble knights were willing to stay.

Including the attendants and the Earl's personal guards that these people brought, the total defensive force of Blackwood Castle would not exceed one hundred and fifty men.

He sighed softly, thinking to himself: Blackwood Fortress isn't that big, 150 men are enough. As long as everyone can unite to fight the enemy, we'll make that damned Lynn lose a thousand men at the walls!

Spicco only planned to defend the castle with this small force and would not conscript any more serf soldiers.

In the brutal siege of castles, untrained serfs are actually a destabilizing factor, potentially affecting morale and depleting already scarce food reserves.

Spico then delivered an inspiring speech, which completely ignited the fighting spirit of these noble knights.

He was prepared to fight Lynn to the bitter end.

News of the series of events in Blackfurion quickly reached Golden Deer Keep and Lynn's ears.

Lynn was reviewing diplomatic documents drafted by the Foreign Office and commented, "A mere small castle, with a garrison of less than two hundred men, can't cause any trouble."

This was not because Lynn underestimated the enemy, but because most of the Swamp Territory had already been pacified by proclamation, and Blackwood Territory was the only force that resisted to the end, destined to be isolated and helpless.

Moreover, Lynn could understand that there would always be some tough nuts to crack in any territory.

Moreover, the current Earl of Black Shirt has a blood feud with him for killing his father, so it would be strange if he didn't resist to the end.

Look at the Northern Territory; it surrendered cleanly and decisively without firing a single arrow.

The Earl of the North was thus able to retain his title and a portion of his property, making it a win-win situation for everyone.

Foreign Minister Kalebo stood obediently in front of his desk and analyzed:

“My lord, the terrain of Blackwood Fortress is very similar to that of White Eagle Fortress in the Valley Territory. Both are built on mountains. A forced attack would result in heavy casualties. Furthermore, Naspico deliberately released some weak-willed vassals before the war, making it almost impossible to persuade them to surrender.”

Got it. White Eagle Fortress is known as Little Black Fir Fortress; both are mountain fortresses that are easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Count Mirror Iron besieged White Eagle Castle for more than half a year, suffering more than four figures in casualties, before finally exhausting the will to resist of the city's defenders and forcing Duke Herman of the Valley to commit suicide by self-immolation.

Kalebo's analysis overlooked one point: the mountainous terrain hindered the transport of military equipment. For example, the cannons that Lynn forged were difficult to transport into the deep mountains.

"It doesn't matter if they don't surrender now. Just send a force to besiege them for a long time. After six months to a year, the collapsing defenders will open the gates and surrender on their own."

However, Lynn said she didn't care.

After conquering the entire Marshland, Lynn's shortage of troops was greatly alleviated, and he now had the strength and confidence to besiege a castle for a long time.

According to the military principle of "surround it if you have ten men," he only needed to send an army of two thousand men to completely surround Blackwood Fortress.

As for military supplies, a mere two thousand people are no problem at all.

Although Black Fir Territory has rugged terrain, it is not far from the most prosperous Golden Deer County. The two regions not only share a large area but are also connected by a smooth road. The only problem is that it will take more effort to transport grain into the mountains.

After saying that, Lynn handed the documents back to Kalebo and instructed, "I have read these drafts. They are very well written. Make copies and send them to Iron Fortress and Wolf Fortress as soon as possible."

After the southern invading forces withdrew, Count Vasa of Mirror Iron returned to his stronghold, Iron Castle, and began to construct border defenses.

He was clearly terrified by the overwhelming force of the Southern Territory people, and he couldn't even care less about the White Eagle Fortress he had just captured. All he could think about was how to make his stronghold even more secure.

However, Lynn estimated that Vasa would soon declare himself the new Duke of the Valley.

As for Samuel, the Duke of the Grasslands of Wolf's Fortress, he had indeed previously assembled a force of over a thousand men to support Earl of Mirror Iron.

But the war was over before he even reached the city of Pikes.

The bandit count, who was usually a master thief, returned to Canglang Fortress empty-handed, leaving with a sullen mood.

Lynn's diplomatic document will likely add fuel to the fire for Samuel.

He is about to publicly declare himself King of the North.

This is a step Lynn must take; without it, he cannot launch a counterattack against Otto III with an attitude of absolute justice.

Moreover, he already met all the conditions to become king.

He had an undeniable claim to the throne and an army to defend it. The atmosphere had reached a point where if he didn't declare himself king, he would be letting down his loyal supporters.

After Kalebo left to carry out his orders, Lynn sent someone to summon the third brother, Yang.

Yang has also been very busy lately, no less so than Lin En. His Turbulent Legion has undergone a major expansion, with its authorized strength increasing from two thousand to five thousand.

But Lynn wanted to give Yang more responsibility, so he went straight to the point: "Yang, go and take down the Black Shirt Collar for me."

(End of this chapter)