I'm not a lord

Chapter 336 Lynn's Wedding Invitation

In July, a light drizzle fell, and the wide dirt road east of Jinlu County was bustling with traffic.

An army marches on its stomach.

Serfs from all over the country escorted the wagons, transporting loads of grain and supplies along the road to the east.

These serfs were conscripted from various manors in Golden Deer County, and the horses and carriages they used were their private property.

In the past, serfs had to participate in corvée labor on the manor during the summer, and the summer corvée labor often lasted for more than two months. Transporting grain was a simple task that they were very good at.

This time, however, the journey was a bit long, requiring the grain to be transported from Golden Deer County to Black Fir Territory.

It was said that this batch of grain was intended to be supplied to the army, which surprised the serfs even more.

In the past, when the swamp lords went on expeditions, most of their military rations were collected locally, even for the palace cavalry. There was no such thing as conscripting serfs to transport grain over long distances.

The losses during long-distance grain transport on land were too great. People and horses ate and chewed the grain along the way, and for every 100 kilometers transported, losses accounted for more than 20% of the transported volume.

But this was an order from the new duke of the swampy territory, and although the serfs were puzzled, they dared not disobey.

Moreover, the Duke provided all the grain, and the serfs had no other expenses besides spending some time on it. July was not the busy farming season, and it was just that the continuous rain was a bit annoying.

During the midday break, the serfs gathered under the shade of the trees by the roadside, ate some of their own dry rations, and naturally sat on the ground chatting.

"Has anything like Golden Deer Fortress attacking Blackwood Fortress ever happened before?"

"I can assure you, it never happened."

"Golden Stag and Blackwood have been related for so many years. If Golden Stag hadn't changed owners, how could they have started fighting?"

Although they were the lowest-ranking serfs, they were still very concerned about what was happening above.

Nominally, these serfs belonged to the manors directly under the Duke of the Marshland and were considered servants of the Duke.

It is normal for a servant to know and speculate about his master's movements.

In their memory, Golden Deer Castle and Blackwood Castle had always had a good relationship, and the Marshland Dukes and Blackwood Earls had been linked by marriage for generations.

But as the duchy changed hands, the connection between the two families naturally ended.

Now, Golden Deer Castle has directly launched an attack on Blackwood Castle, and the Marshland has once again ushered in a large-scale civil war after decades. How could the serfs not feel deeply moved?
Just then, a serf asked, "Speaking of which, what do you think of the new duke?"

Although Lynn has not yet called himself the Duke of the Marsh, in the eyes of the serfs he is already the duke of the Marsh.

In the North, each territory corresponds to a fixed title. Whoever occupies that territory is equivalent to wearing that title, at least that's how the serfs perceive it.

One of the serfs replied, "How would we know? We've never seen him."

Judging people by their appearance is the norm in society. As serfs in the Swamp Territory, especially in the core Golden Deer County, it is not difficult for them to meet the Duke of the Swamp Territory in person.

It is a tradition in the Marshlands for the Duke to personally inspect the estate.

Every spring and autumn, barring war, the Duke would take his family on an inspection tour, visiting the estate and spending the night there.

During this process, the serfs would usually run to the roadside to watch the Duke's heroic figure, while the Duke would ride on horseback and wave to the serfs in a generous manner, and occasionally he would pick some serfs to ask about the production situation on the estate.

After all, this swampy territory only had a population of about a million, which was less than a large county in later times. The 'distance' between those in power and ordinary people was not that far.

If those in power want to avoid being misled by their subordinates, the best way is to leave the castle and personally go to the 'mortal world' a few times, and incidentally punish a few inhuman subordinates to win the favor of the serfs.

During the Duke's tour, some ambitious serfs even mused, "This is what a real man should be like."

A young serf said, “I heard that the new duke is going to establish a county on our estate, and then we will have the opportunity to escape serfdom and become free people, and we will also have our own land.”

These words immediately caused a sensation among the serfs, for becoming a free citizen was the dream of most of them.

After gaining free citizen status, they can not only break free from the constraints of the manor, but also freely pursue their favorite professions and jobs.

More importantly, the taxes and corvée labor that free citizens have to pay will be reduced, and as long as they can accumulate enough wealth, they may even have the opportunity to become knights in the future!
But an elderly serf poured cold water on everyone's hopes:
“Becoming a free man? That’s not necessarily a good thing. Does anyone remember what happened more than 20 years ago? I remember that the Duke seemed to have implemented a similar policy, where serfs could buy the status of a free man and land with money.”

Immediately another old serf chimed in:
"I remember this very clearly. That ransom was no small sum. It would take ten years' worth of harvest from one acre of land to buy ownership of that one acre. Moreover, you had to buy sixty acres of land at once to obtain the status of a free man. Who could afford that money? The steward of my estate even tried to force some wealthy serfs to buy land, which even resulted in a death!"

In the North, it wasn't that no lord didn't discover problems such as low work efficiency and low productivity among serfs.

But few lords were truly willing to set the serfs free.

On the one hand, they lacked the means to manage a large number of free citizens, and on the other hand, they feared the social risks that an excessive number of free citizens might cause.

Even if serfs were to be freed for various reasons, lords would still try their best to squeeze all the property out of them.

After all, in their eyes, serfs were equivalent to property, or even movable property that could be traded on the market. Letting them go would be a loss, so they had to make back their investment from the serfs.

The moment the topic came up, the previously excited serfs fell silent.

In their eyes, it doesn't matter who becomes the lord, and they will all exploit them to the death.

Just then, a passing soldier suddenly stepped into the crowd, took off his helmet, and asked with a smile, "That's not necessarily true. Do you know about what happened in Turbulent County?"

Several serfs asked in unison, "Turbulent Flow County? What happened there?"

The young soldier replied with pride, "I am from Turbulent Stream County. My manor was transferred to Red Eagle County last year. Half of the serfs in the manor have now become free citizens, and each serf family has been allocated at least a hundred acres of farmland."

Redhawk County was the first county established in Turbulent County. Its first county magistrate, Finn, came from White Bear County, where Lynn had made his fortune. After taking office, he resolutely implemented Lynn's policies and recruited many new soldiers from the local area.

These new recruits were later incorporated into the command of the third brother, Yang, which is the origin of the name "Turbulent Legion".

An elderly serf immediately questioned, "Really? You're not lying to us, are you?" The soldier curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Why would I lie to you? You'll see the benefits in a while. However, there are certain requirements to become a free man. According to our county magistrate, the lord despises lazy people. As long as you don't shirk your duties, it's easy to become a free man."

Upon hearing this, the serfs, who had been lying low, instantly became excited again. They surrounded the soldiers and kept asking, "Good brother, tell us quickly, what exactly are your demands?"

In an attempt to extract information from a soldier, some serfs even took out their treasured dried meat from their waistbands and stuffed it into his arms.

Although the soldier looked helpless, he was secretly delighted. He said, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you now. Listen carefully."

At the forefront of the grain transport convoy, Lao Sanyang was leading two battalions of troops at top speed toward Black Fir Territory.

He had just received news that two barons from the Black Shirtland fiefdom wanted to surrender to the esteemed Duke of the Marshland, offering to hand over their lands and castles in exchange for their lives.

Yang is currently unsure whether this is an enemy plot, but he will not miss this golden opportunity.

Therefore, he selected the most elite infantry battalion, along with the newly formed light cavalry battalion, to form a thousand-strong force to serve as the vanguard, determined to capture the two baronies as quickly as possible.

Both territories are located on the western border of Blackwood Territory, bordering Golden Deer County. If they can be captured, they will be the best forward bases, where food and military supplies can be stored, and where subsequent troops can safely enter.

Two days later, Yang successfully took over the two castles and learned about the latest situation in Black Shirtland from the surrendered baron.

“Count Spico abandoned almost all the castles in his territory and concentrated all his forces in Blackwood Castle. This is one of the reasons why we surrendered. Since he abandoned our territory and castles first, we will no longer fight for him. We are willing to accept any punishment, only asking that Count White River treat our families and the people in our territory well.”

Both barons were very frank, and their reasons were quite convincing.

Yang reassured them, "As long as you are sincerely loyal, you will surely be forgiven by the Earl. I will arrange for soldiers to escort you to Golden Deer Castle now. As for the territory and the people, you don't need to worry. My army has brought food with them this time. Unless necessary, I will not requisition a single grain of wheat from Blackwood Territory."

Both barons were taken aback. They had hoped that Yang could control the soldiers, collect some grain from Blackfurter, and avoid any killing.

To their surprise, Earl Baihe would transport grain directly from Jinlu County, which greatly exceeded their expectations.

While there will indeed be losses when transporting grain by land, Lynn is currently wealthy and powerful enough to afford the food supply for a mere 5,000 troops.

Moreover, the army's combat distance is not far, only a little over 100 kilometers, so the losses are not significant.

After taking control of Golden Deer Castle and the surrounding estates and palaces, Lynn acquired all the wealth accumulated by the previous Dukes of the Marshlands.

There wasn't much floating wealth among these properties. After all, in the past, the Duke of the Marsh had to support four thousand court cavalrymen and a large number of local castle garrisons, and most of the currency and taxes collected were distributed to the soldiers.

Amid the chaos caused by the change of power in the Marshlands, some stewards of manors and palaces absconded with funds.

However, the grain stored in each warehouse did indeed end up in Lynn's hands.

This batch of grain was newly collected last autumn. It was not only large in quantity but also of high quality, and was fully capable of supporting the war expenditure of 5,000 soldiers.

In fact, even without this batch of grain, Lynn could have transferred grain from Baihe Territory.

He has opened up the waterway, allowing transport ships to sail directly from the docks in River Marsh County to Golden Deer Fort.

In short, Lynn is now flush with cash. He not only wants to deal with the rebellious Earl of Black Shirt, but also to win over the hearts and minds of the local people. He wants both land and people!

After being reassured by Yang and seeing the grain trucks following behind, the two surrendered barons were finally able to report to Golden Deer Castle with peace of mind.

Since they surrendered voluntarily, they can at least earn the title of Honorary Knight.

With the small subsidy that comes with the title and the little cash they carry, it's not difficult to support their families.

Of course, they could also choose to join the army; Lynn's cavalry was still in the process of expansion.

After securing the forward base, Yang immediately dispatched light cavalry to scout the enemy's situation.

Indeed, as the two barons had said, Count Spico of Blackwood had truly abandoned all the small castles in his territory, seemingly determined to defend the only Blackwood Castle to the death.

This also coincides with the intelligence Yang received before setting off.

Therefore, he quickly mobilized his troops.

"Lucas, you will lead your large force into the mountains immediately to surround Blackwood Fortress. You must remember that you cannot be hasty when marching. You must first scout the terrain and the enemy situation before advancing, and you must wipe out any enemy troops you encounter."

“Yes, sir!” Lucas stood at attention and pounded his chest.

Although this young refugee still holds the position of battalion commander, his title has been promoted to third-class baron, and his salary and benefits have also increased accordingly. The battalion he leads is also the absolute elite of the Turbulent Legion.

Yang then dispatched multiple troops to occupy castles, cities, and manors throughout Blackfir Territory.

He knew very well that his mission was to completely take over this earldom, and the officials who followed up would immediately take over these settlements and implement the new policies promulgated by Lynn.

Just as Blackfir Territory was engulfed in war, envoys from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived at Iron Keep and Wolf Keep respectively, and presented each of the two native nobles of the North with a gold-embossed wedding invitation.

"Marriage? Our Earl of Shirakawa has finally decided to get married?"

Count Mirror Iron was not surprised at all when he saw the wedding invitation.

Given Lynn's status, he should have gotten married long ago. The reason he's been dragging it out until now is simply to marry a wife of higher status.

Count Mirror Iron also had a guess in his mind about who the bride would be.

It's either the beloved eldest daughter of the former Duke of the Vale, Herman, or the daughter of Lothair that Lynn captured from Golden Deer Castle.

Although both former dukes of the North are dead, their fame and titles will live on through their bloodlines.

In Mirror Iron's opinion, the most suitable thing for Lynn to do if he wanted to secure his position in the Marshlands was to marry a female descendant of the Marshland Duke.

As for Hermann's eldest daughter, Count Mirror Iron hoped that Lynn could be handed over to him for disposal, as this would be most suitable for both parties.

(End of this chapter)