I'm not a lord

Chapter 339 Newlyweds and Enemy Situation

The second Tuesday in mid-August is both the annual harvest season in the North and Lynn's wedding day.

The people of Dievas generally believe that Tuesday is the day of 'growth,' symbolizing a stable and prosperous marriage.

In ancient Eastern terms, this would be considered an auspicious day for marriage.

That afternoon, in the fields outside Jinlubao, a large number of people put down their farm work and gathered on both sides of the road, gazing longingly towards the west side of the road.

A few minutes later, a wedding procession of hundreds of knights appeared at the corner of the road and distributed freshly baked bread to the onlookers on both sides of the road, which immediately aroused enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

In the middle of the wedding procession is the luxurious horse-drawn carriage carrying the bride.

This carriage is six or seven meters long and is pulled by five tall white horses. The exterior is covered with a large area of ​​bright gold cloth, while the interior is decorated with precious jewels such as amber.

Incidentally, this wedding carriage is quite old; it used to be used by the Duke of the Marsh for his wedding.

The marriage procedures for nobles were complex and cumbersome.

Since nobles mostly owned their own fiefdoms and castles, the groom's family had to send a wedding procession to the bride's castle to pick her up when they got married.

Marriages among nobles were often accompanied by political and military alliances.

To demonstrate his strength and sincerity, the groom will make brief stops at manors and villages along the way, distributing food to the people and taking the opportunity to announce the marriage alliance between two families.

Chloris came from a distant royal family after being married off, and her family had already lost their territory.

For this reason, Lynn specially arranged a palace castle as her maternal home and sent her personal guard cavalry to serve as the wedding procession.

Katarina, dressed in a festive red dress, sat in the carriage. She secretly lifted the curtain and saw a large crowd of onlookers who had come to see her.

Then she turned to look at her daughter beside her, and squeezed her daughter's hand tightly, saying with a joyful expression, "Chloris, the people outside are calling your name. It seems they all like you very much, Princess Chloris."

Katarina, as a mother, breathed a sigh of relief as her daughter's wedding proceeded as scheduled.

As someone who's been through it all, she had long seen that her daughter and Lynn were doing things that could only be done after marriage, and she was terrified that Lynn would take advantage of her daughter and then turn his back on her.

Now that her only beloved daughter is about to get married, Katarina has finally fulfilled a long-cherished wish.

What pleased her even more was that Lynn had publicized the marriage extensively before the wedding and stirred up public opinion, so that the people of the Marshland would accept her daughter.

Chloris smiled without saying a word; she knew perfectly well why the people were cheering.

More than an hour later, the carriage arrived outside Golden Deer Castle, crossed the land bridge, and arrived at the brightly lit and decorated ancient castle.

Lynn led a large group of guests to wait at the castle gate and personally helped Chloris, who was wearing a gorgeous blue dress, down from the carriage.

At this time, there were no fixed colors for wedding dresses; blue, red, gold, or white were all acceptable. However, the wedding dresses of nobles generally used more luxurious fabrics and decorations.

Chloe's skirt, for example, features multiple layers of fabric and is decorated with numerous gold floral embroidery patterns.

The two were already considered an old married couple, and this wedding was a case of getting married first and then getting married later.

However, when her eyes met Lynn's, Chloris still lowered her head shyly, somewhat afraid to look at her husband.

As the couple entered the castle gates hand in hand, the band, which had been preparing for some time, immediately began playing their wedding music.

The entire Golden Deer Castle was filled with joy for a time.

After the wedding procession, the classic wedding ceremony naturally begins.

The hall of Golden Deer Castle was packed with people, and some shorter guests craned their necks to try and get a better look at the newlyweds on the stage.

Logically, the fathers of both the bride and groom should serve as witnesses to the wedding.

But Lynn was all alone, and Chloris only had a mother, so only Katarina and a few of Lynn's close friends served as witnesses at the wedding.

After reciting their wedding vows, the newlyweds exchanged tokens of their affection.

Lynn presented Chloris with a longsword inlaid with gold thread, symbolizing his intention to protect her honor and territory.

Chloris reciprocated by giving Lynn a dagger, symbolizing her willingness to assist the man's political and military operations.

When both parties raised their tokens of love, a long and enthusiastic round of applause erupted from the audience, marking the successful conclusion of the wedding.

According to the customary law of the mainland, Lynn and Chloris are now considered a legally married couple.

Next comes the much-anticipated feast.

As evening fell, countless oil lamps and candlesticks lit up inside Golden Deer Castle, and all five restaurants within the castle were filled with invited guests.

Military officers, civil servants, manor stewards, and prominent figures from the wealthy merchants' territories of the autonomous city were all gathered together, seated in different restaurants according to their status.

This wedding was not only a joyous occasion for Lynn and Chloris, but also an excellent forum for these carnivores to socialize.

The banquet lasted until nearly nine o'clock. Most of the guests left satisfied after eating and drinking their fill, and stayed at Golden Deer Castle nearby.

Although the castle is not very large, it is much larger than the baron's castle in River Marsh County, and can easily accommodate several thousand people.

At this moment, the newlyweds have returned to their bedroom on the top floor of the castle's main building.

After escorting her daughter and son-in-law to their bedroom, Katarina waited outside the door until she heard a rhythmic sound coming from inside that made her blush before quietly leaving.

This is considered the final step in the wedding ceremony, where elders confirm that the newlyweds have performed the act of continuing their bloodline.

Nobles always prioritized the inheritance of power and territory, and producing offspring was always the ultimate goal of marriage.

This step symbolizes the physical completion of the wedding ceremony and signifies that the marriage has officially taken effect.

"Madam." On the soft, white bed, Lynn skillfully took Chloris's hand.

“My lord.” Chloris narrowed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling.

As for the specific scenarios that follow, they will not be shown due to the laws of the North.

The next day, Lynn unusually did not get up early.

He entangled with Chloris for a while longer, and by the time he finished dressing, she had already skillfully summoned a maid to clean up the mess.

By the time Lynn finished breakfast, the main castle building had been restored to its former appearance.

Chloris has always been in charge of managing household affairs within the castle, and both of them have long been accustomed to this lifestyle.

After tidying up briefly, Lynn went to his office and ordered the court steward, Carol, to summon Victor and Caleb. Carol came from a small band of horse bandits and was originally Lynn's captain of the personal guard.

As Lynn was about to become king, he was promoted to Grand Steward, mainly responsible for the daily security of Lynn and his officials.

Congratulations on your marriage!

"Congratulations, Your Excellency, on your marriage to the princess!"

The two greeted him with smiles as soon as they arrived.

"Please sit down, Carol. Go get some light wine." Lynn waved his hand with a smile, gesturing for the two to sit down as he said, "The wedding is in the past. Now it's time to talk about other important matters."

“Now all of the North knows that I have married the princess of House Urenis, and that I have an equal right to claim the crown of the North with Otto. So, of course, I should claim the throne and compete with Otto for the legitimacy of the North.”

Lynn never hid anything from these trusted advisors.

Besides, everyone in the North knows his ambitions, so there's no need to hide them anymore.

When it's time to declare oneself king, one must declare oneself king.

Lynn's current earldom not only hinders his personal advancement but also the advancement of his subordinates.

Because Lynn was only an earl, his brothers could at most become barons.

If he doesn't improve, how can his brothers improve?

Once Lynn is officially crowned king, and all the meritorious officials are promoted and ennobled, the Swamp Territory will surely become more united and stronger.

Foreign Minister Kalebo spoke first: "According to diplomatic procedures, it is necessary for Your Excellency to inform the major powers in the North before declaring yourself king, especially the Grasslands in the west and the Valley Territory in the south. They are now your allies, and even in order to maintain the alliance, you must inform them first."

In name only, the King in the North is the only ruler of the entire North, the only sun for the people of the North, and has the right to claim all the lands in the North.

However, the tradition in the North has always been that duchies rebel against royal lords. Even if Lynn becomes king, it does not mean that he will automatically become the Earl of Mirror Iron and the Duke of Meadow.

The group remained allies and continued to team up to run a large-scale dungeon called 'Southern Invaders'.

"Well, you can handle this matter. Both of them have objections to my marrying the princess, but they dare not say it outright due to the situation. They can only remain silent about the matter of me becoming king."

Lynn wasn't afraid of Vasa and Samuel complaining, since their territories were relying on the Swamp Territory's food to survive until next autumn's harvest.

Furthermore, Vasa fears the Southern Army of the Royal Territory and relies on Lynn's military support to protect his territory.

Victor then said, "My lord, most of the people within the swamp territory support your coronation, and all the necessary ceremonial items for the coronation have been prepared."

After a moment's thought, Lynn asked, "What is the exact time of the coronation?"

Kalebo had already prepared a response, saying, "November would be the most suitable time. Firstly, it would allow us to notify all the relevant factions, and secondly, it would ensure that their envoys can attend the coronation ceremony on time."

Secondly, it relates to military matters. It is said that Otto of Amber Harbor was shocked and enraged upon hearing of your marriage to the princess, and has begun to gather troops to invade White River Territory. If you, my lord, can repel or even defeat Otto, you will gain immense prestige that will aid your coronation.

Despite the current prosperity of the swamp territory, the crises it faces are only increasing.

Lynn's ultimate ambition to marry the princess is common knowledge, and Otto of Amber Harbor cannot help but feel threatened from the west.

According to available intelligence, Otto has recruited a new army of more than 20,000 people over the past six months.

This new army is a professional army modeled after Lynn's, stationed outside Amber Harbor for regular military training, and looks quite capable of fighting.

In addition to this new army, Otto can also mobilize a large number of armed forces in the southern border region.

The two southern invading armies that had previously invaded the Valley Territory have retreated to the royal territory and been reorganized under the command of Earl Harvey. It is said that their numbers exceed 15,000.

If Otto and Harvey join forces to invade White River Territory, then Lynn will face an enemy army of nearly 40,000 men.

This is probably the largest army in the history of the North, bar none.

"Tomorrow, Soward will lead the Wilderness Legion back to White River Territory. Including the troops left behind in White River Territory, there will be about five thousand people in total. This does not include the militia force in Three Rivers City. If necessary, I can also personally lead three thousand cavalrymen to support White River Territory."

Over the past few weeks, Lynn has been busy reorganizing the Marshlands and preparing for the wedding, but he has not relaxed his intelligence gathering on Amber Harbor.

After learning the size of Otto's army, Lynn immediately devised a countermeasure.

His plan was simple: defend and counter-attack.

It should be noted that even with the wealth of the Swamp Territory and the agricultural reforms that had taken place in the White River Territory, Lynn only dared to maintain a professional army of just over ten thousand men.

Let's count the troops under his command:

The second son, Hugo, led a cavalry regiment of three thousand men.
The three old men, Yang's, five thousand-strong Turbulent Legion;
Joseph the Fourth Prince's 2,000-strong White River Army;
The fifth brother, Andrei, led a 1,000-man garrison.

There's also Lynn's 500-man personal guard and his 4,000-man Wilderness Legion.

This is the main field force that he can mobilize at any time.

In contrast, Otto easily recruited over 20,000 professional soldiers and had to support tens of thousands of impoverished nobles who came from the south to seek refuge with him.

How could the Crown Territory, which had just experienced war, possibly support so many professional soldiers who weren't engaged in production? It must be very difficult!
This doesn't even include the various nobles that Otto granted fiefdoms to.

Lynn dared to expand his army only after abolishing all the feudal lords on his territory and establishing a relatively efficient bureaucratic organization to collect taxes.

Otto did not centralize power in the royal domain; the nobles he appointed also required a large amount of social resources.

Clearly, the current Wangling regime cannot afford to support such a large armed force.

This is also the main reason why Lynn chose to defend and counterattack. He only needs to strengthen the defenses now to prevent the enemy from breaking into his territory and looting. After a while, Otto's army will naturally collapse.

Of course, Otto could also draw funds and supplies from the southern border to support the army.

According to the intelligence gathered by Lynn and Chloris's account, Otto also had many enemies in the Southern Territory.

Otto's kingdom of Rui needs to guard against many hostile forces that are eyeing him covetously, so it is unlikely that he would open up support to the Northern Kingdom.

Moreover, the Southern Territory has the illegitimate son Maurice, an unstable factor who could suddenly return like lightning one day, leading an army to land in the royal territory and betray Otto.

Therefore, what Lynn needs to face is nothing more than a broken Crown Territory and an army that appears strong but is actually weak, which is disproportionate to the territory's strength.

Holding on is victory!
On that very day, Lynn received urgent intelligence from two directions.

One of these clues came from the royal domain: Otto had indeed sent troops.

(End of this chapter)