I'm not a lord

Chapter 346 Lynn's University

At the same time Lynn arrived in White River Territory, Otto, located in Crown Territory, also left the rebuilding city of Tot.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest intelligence, Lynn is heading towards White River Territory, but he is not leading a large army, less than a thousand men. His next move is still unknown."

Otto also relied on merchants and mercenaries from various regions to build a fairly efficient intelligence network, and continued to extend his reach into the swamp territory.

Meanwhile, he had been keeping an eye on Lynn's movements, and when he learned that Lynn was about to arrive in White River Territory, his first reaction was to lead his troops westward.

The garrison at River Bend Fortress numbered only a thousand men. If this place were to fall, the most vulnerable heartland of the Crown Territory would be exposed to Lynn's army.

Therefore, Otto must react if Lynn in the west makes any unusual moves.

As he led his army of over ten thousand westward, intelligence from the swampy region continued to pour into his hands.

"According to information obtained by spies from the Marshland, it can be confirmed that Lynn's army is indeed equipped with a new type of weapon, which is cast in bronze and called the bronze mortar. It is said to be able to fire large stone projectiles and cause relatively serious damage to the city walls."

Lynn deployed this weapon during the sieges of Oakshire and Golden Deer, with astonishing results. Many small and medium-sized castles had their towers and walls destroyed, forcing the defenders to surrender.

The person in charge of intelligence gathering in the swamp territory is Arno, the former leader of the Power Mercenary Group.

He was indeed destined for a life of hard work, first recruiting new soldiers for Otto, and then shouldering the heavy responsibility of intelligence work after the recruitment was completed.

But only Arno is truly capable of handling this task. The Power Mercenary Group has been active in the Three Rivers City area for a long time, and he still maintains a considerable network of contacts and intelligence within the city.

After extensive research, Arno had grasped the general situation of the bronze mortar and identified several craftsmen involved in its casting.

However, these craftsmen have now been transferred to Chixi County by Lynn through administrative orders, which prevents Arno from obtaining more specific information and from kidnapping one or two craftsmen to reproduce this weapon.

Otto was furious upon hearing this and complained, "Bronze mortar. Where did Lynn get all these new gadgets from?"

As early as Amber Harbor, a merchant revealed to Otto that Lynn had developed some new agricultural tools and planting techniques in White River Territory, which led to a rapid increase in agricultural output in White River Territory.

This also solved a major mystery in Otto's mind: how Lynn was able to support an army of tens of thousands with just the White River Territory.

The appearance of the bronze mortar explains why Lynn was able to advance smoothly in his attack on the Marshland, with the castle hardly hindering his progress.

However, this information cannot explain why Lynn was able to master so many new things.
Logically speaking, the North's technological level should be inferior to that of the South, which has a large population and is constantly at war.

The larger the population, the easier it is to accumulate technology and experience; and the more frequent the wars, the faster the military technology advances.

But Lynn possessed technology far surpassing that of the Southern Territory in every aspect, which greatly puzzled Otto.

At the same time, he was also worried that Lynn might come up with some new tricks to catch him off guard on the battlefield.

The unknown is always the most frightening.

Arnaud offered timely words of comfort:

"Your Majesty, you need not worry too much about this new weapon. As far as I know, the bronze mortar is not very destructive. Its shells are only effective against small and medium-sized castles, and have not been very effective against the heavily fortified Golden Deer Castle."

This thing is more for intimidating first-timers. As long as His Majesty's army knows about the existence of this weapon in advance and makes preparations, it will not cause great chaos.

Moreover, this weapon is not suitable for field battles. The intervals between its stone projectiles are long, and the projectiles are slow and have little destructive power, making it almost exclusively suitable for siege warfare.

Arno wasn't too surprised by Lynn's various 'miracles,' after all, he was one of the witnesses to Lynn's rise to power and was already quite used to such shocks.

Furthermore, he conducted a detailed and in-depth investigation into the specific power of the bronze mortar, and even sent his trusted confidants deep into the swamp territory to gather intelligence.

Arno was initially taken aback, but after a deeper understanding, he believed he had figured out the true nature of the bronze mortar.

The shells fired from this thing fall from the sky, and their trajectory is a parabola, much like an ordinary person throwing a stone into the air. It's not difficult for a normal soldier to dodge them.

Even if it hits someone, it will only kill one or two people, so it's not a big deal.

River Bend is one of the best fortified cities in the North, with a reputation comparable to Golden Deer. The garrison is composed entirely of soldiers from the South, so they are unlikely to surrender like the garrison at Golden Deer. A mere bronze mortar is not enough to blast open the gates of this castle.

Otto rubbed his temples in frustration and ordered Arno, "I need to see the actual bronze mortar as soon as possible. If I can't get the actual one, detailed blueprints will do."

The actual objects and blueprints? You make it sound so simple. Where am I supposed to get these things for you? Arno lowered his head and rolled his eyes, but obediently replied, "I understand, Your Majesty."

Otto followed up with, "This mission should be given the highest priority. How can we fight them if we don't know the specifics of their weapons? Also, what about the plate armor I ordered you to collect? Haven't you gotten any of it yet?"

Arnaud lowered his head even further and replied, "Please give me a little more time, Your Majesty. I will certainly be able to give Your Majesty a satisfactory answer."

Otto, however, was still unwilling to let him go, emphasizing, "Arno, I have high expectations for you. Otherwise, I would not have granted you the title of Earl despite the opposition and criticism from other nobles. Everyone knows your past identity and what you have done. If you want to clear your name, you must win more honors than others."

Arnaud killed the Duke of the Marsh and then surrendered River Bend Castle to Otto.

But this did not bring him much merit or honor; instead, it became an indelible stain on his history.

For noble knights who value honor, betrayal is always the most unbearable disgrace.

Even though Arno did indeed make great contributions to Otto's unification of the Crown Territory, he still had to bear the infamy of betraying his former master.

Otto may have seemingly rewarded him with a count's title, but in reality, he was putting Arno in a very difficult position.

Wherever he goes, he has to endure people's criticism and insults.

What's even more outrageous is that the count title Arnaud received had the prefix 'court,' meaning he had a title but no fiefdom.

For this empty title, he even relinquished his military command of the mercenary group.

Otto even promised him a bright future, saying that if he could unify the North, he would be promoted to a full-fledged official position.

Arno didn't really trust Otto, but he really had no other choice but to live under the protection of the new king of the North.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. No matter how harsh Otto's words were, Arno had to put up with them.

He replied with a hint of helplessness, “Your Majesty, please be patient. Lynn has been blocking information about these weapons and has also centralized the craftsmen involved in their manufacture for management. I need more time to gather more accurate information. However, I have discovered that these craftsmen are currently living in Chixi County, which is separated from your territory by the Baihe River. If you can send troops to attack Chixi County, you will be able to immediately seize these craftsmen and various new types of weapons and armor.”

Otto looked at Arno, who was kneeling on one knee, and waved his hand, saying, "You can go down now. I will consider your proposal."

Does he not want to take over Chixi County? He simply can't!

It seems that Chixi County is separated from the Crown Territory only by the Baihe River, but on the other side of the river in Chixi County is the Conqueror Mountains, which stretch for hundreds of kilometers.

Given Otto's current logistical support capabilities, it was simply impossible for his army to cross mountains and rivers to attack Chixi County.

As for sending a small force northward along the riverbank where the mountains meet the river, the deceased Earl of Leiner did indeed attempt that.

However, Lin En had already turned Baihe Territory into an impregnable fortress, and a small army could not even cross the river, let alone invade Chixi County.

Moreover, without capturing Sanhe City, the troops that rashly march north are at risk of having their retreat cut off at any time, making it a completely risky and gamble-like tactic.

Otto is currently still implementing Earl Harvey's strategic plan, proceeding cautiously and steadily, and can only take over the Valley Territory before considering the Swamp Territory to the north.

Of course, Otto did receive some good news as well.

Count Harvey is leading an army of 20,000 towards Mirror Iron Territory, and is preparing provisions along the way.

It was called preparation, but in reality it was just forcibly purchasing grain at extremely low prices.

This year, the Crown Territory has enjoyed favorable weather, and all territories and manors in the southwest region have reaped a bountiful harvest.

Through Earl Harvey's sustainable and resource-intensive approach, the 20,000-strong army raised enough food to feed 40,000 people for a whole year.

The price was social unrest in the southwestern part of the royal territory, with a small number of nobles and serfs fleeing the land.

Although Otto also felt sorry for the loss of population, he believed that it was a necessary price to pay.

Keep in mind that he is fighting a war with a heavy debt, and starting next year, he will have to repay the principal and interest to the merchants.

Without tangible results and spoils, how will he repay his debts?
However, the North is a bit colder this year. It's only early November, and snow has already fallen in most places, making the already bad roads even more difficult to travel.

"Give Harvey the order to stay on the outskirts of the Valley Territory and not to venture deep into enemy territory. Wait until next spring to launch a large-scale war."

Faced with the current situation, Otto had no choice but to order Harvey to stop.

After arriving in White River Territory, Lynn made a brief inspection of the western suburbs and Three Rivers City before heading straight to Heron County.

The official school in Canglu County has not been relocated, but it looks empty inside.

While accompanying Lynn on a school inspection, Timo, the sixth brother, said half-jokingly and half-complainingly, "Big brother, all the students have gone to the swamp with you. Now there are more teachers than students in the school. You'd better help me recruit another batch of students."

Lynn patted his sixth brother on the shoulder and replied, "You can rest assured about that. I have already ordered the county magistrates of the Swamp Territory to take charge of student recruitment. A batch of students is already on their way and should arrive next week."

These newly recruited students naturally came from the local power structure of the swamp territory, including families of local stewards and estate managers, as well as families of urban merchants.

They had all received basic education, were qualified to study at the civil service school, and became civil service reserve officers.

This was also one of Lynn's methods of winning over the local power elites, so that these students could get new jobs when he conquered new territories in the future.

"Speaking of which, since all your court officials have moved to Golden Deer Castle, shouldn't this school move there too?" Timo asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time.

In response to Timo's confusion, Lynn smiled and explained, "The court and the school are two different things, and Golden Deer Castle is just my temporary residence. My future capital will most likely be located in Three Rivers City."

Therefore, the schools in Canglu County will not only not be relocated, but should also continue to expand. I plan to move the schools to the western suburbs next year, next to Sanhe City, and upgrade them into universities.”

If one wants to settle down in a remote corner, then Golden Deer Castle is indeed a very good place to go.

The castle, located on an island in the middle of the lake, was truly easy to defend and difficult to attack. Lynn only managed to force the castle garrison to open the gates and surrender after he had captured most of the Marshland and repelled the southern invaders.

If he really wanted to launch a direct assault on this castle, he would probably lose 10,000 to 20,000 men before he could even reach the castle's battlements.

Golden Deer Castle was indeed too remote, too far from the densely populated Crown Territory. Lynn's mind, being in the entire North, would naturally not establish its capital in the western part of the North.

Geographically, Three Rivers is located in the very center of the North, making it a crossroads of the North. Having the capital here makes it easier to extend influence throughout the entire North.

From Lynn's perspective, his future capital city has only two options: either Three Rivers or Amber Harbor.

Of course, the more likely scenario is actually a 'dual capital system,' which means establishing two capitals simultaneously: one to control the domestic territory and the other to expand outwards.

Once Lynn has conquered the entire North, he will definitely try to conquer the South in the opposite direction.

The Northern Territory was too small a stage, with only a few million permanent residents, which was far from enough to satisfy his appetite and ambition.

"Sanhe City as the capital? A university established?" These two bombshell announcements completely stunned Timo. He asked in a daze, "If this school is to be upgraded to a university, who will be the university's president?"

Lynn smiled slightly and asked in return, "Besides you, who else is qualified to be the principal?"

"Me?" Timo pointed at himself. "Dude, you're kidding me. How could I be the president of a university?"

For Timo, a scholar, university held an insurmountable sanctity.

He studied diligently day and night at the monastery school, hoping to one day qualify for university studies.

If it weren't for his family's decline and Lynn's sudden appearance, he might already be studying at Amber Harbor University.

He was only in his early twenties, and it was already a struggle for him to be the principal of the official school, as many of the students were older than him.

Becoming a university president? Timo wouldn't even dare to dream of it.

Lynn said in a tone of appointment, "You should have confidence. I have made my decision. You are the first president of the first university I founded. What you need to do now is to prepare yourself mentally for the position of president, and also consider the name of the university. After all, this university will stand for a hundred or even a thousand years, so it can't be without a good name."

(End of this chapter)