I'm not a lord

Chapter 348 Hunting and Army Expansion

In mid-November, Lynn and several chieftains of the Wilderness went hunting in Shallow Beach County, north of White River County.

A thin layer of snow had already accumulated in the forest in early winter, and it made a rustling sound when you stepped on it.

The guards and villagers participating in the hunt walked through the forest, carrying various equipment, and many of them had their noses red from the cold.

Although the weather has been rather harsh these past few days, it presents an excellent opportunity to hunt two northern species.

"Sir, our men entered the forest a week in advance and found tracks of moose and red deer, and even drove the prey into an oak forest in the northwest."

The chieftain of the High Cliff tribe, Lao Hafdan, volunteered to be the guide for this hunting trip, while the young men of his tribe were responsible for searching for and gathering the prey.

Both moose and red deer are social animals, with each group having its own territory. Both animals are adept at running through the forest, and only experienced hunters can find their exact location based on remaining tracks.

Hunting activities of medieval nobles had similarities to military campaigns.

First, scouts, or hunters, are sent out to find the prey's tracks. Then, soldiers continuously narrow the encirclement, driving the prey into a designated area. Finally, the nobles step in to deliver the fatal blow to the prey.

Two years ago, Lynn would use group hunting opportunities to train soldiers. The earliest soldiers from White Bear County and Shallow Beach County were fortunate enough to receive his personal training.

While today's hunt also served as a training ground for soldiers, it was more of a social occasion for Lynn and the chieftains of the wastelands.

At noon, Lynn and his group finally arrived at the designated hunting grounds.

Just as old Hafdan had said, a moose and red deer of various sizes gathered in the oak grove, which was neither too big nor too small.

These two types of deer look very similar, except that moose are usually a size larger than red deer.

Furthermore, the two types of deer have very similar living habits. They forage in high-altitude areas during the spring and summer, and migrate to low-altitude areas to reproduce during the cold autumn and winter. This is also the best time to hunt moose and red deer.

What's even more ingenious is that both species of deer prefer to forage in less dense secondary forests.

Secondary forests generally refer to forests that grow naturally after being damaged, the most typical example being forests that are formed again after being logged by humans.

The plants in this type of forest are usually short and have a strong vitality, producing tender shoots that deer love to eat.

The nobles and wildlings of the North are aware of this habit of deer and will deliberately cut down tall trees in certain areas to create secondary forests in order to attract large deer.

The woodland where this hunt took place was the exclusive hunting ground of the Barons of Shallow Beach throughout history.

In the productive North, moose and red deer are considered to be valuable in their entirety.

Its meat is edible, and its thick fur in winter is the best raw material for making winter clothes. Its blood and antlers can be used in medicine, and are said to have aphrodisiac effects.

"As usual, this time we will only hunt adult male deer that are dark brown!"

After saying this, Lynn led a squad of personal guards and several clan chiefs into the forest. On horseback, they drew their bows and fired arrows in rapid succession. In an instant, a large stallion deer that was fleeing in panic suddenly stopped and then rolled to the ground.

Deer typically mate in the fall, and the female deer is usually pregnant with fawns, making her an unsuitable prey. Ultimately, the adult male deer have to carry the entire load.

Not satisfied with hunting a deer, Lynn rode his horse around the oak forest and found another buck half an hour later.

With a 'whoosh', the stag collapsed with a mournful cry.

Old Hafdan followed beside him, exclaiming, "Sir, your archery skills are becoming more and more exquisite. Not only do you hit the target with every arrow, but you also avoid the back and head, only hitting the eyes or abdomen. It's truly amazing."

"Yes, even if I had another thirty years, I still couldn't develop archery skills as superb as yours."

Old Soward from the Lowlands arrived shortly afterward and also began flattering Lynn.

Old Ha and Old So also had some success on this trip, but they did not participate in the deer hunt. Instead, they used the short bows of the Wilderness tribe to shoot some small animals such as foxes, hares, and grouse.

The remaining clan leaders were much the same, echoing each other while also presenting Lynn with their respective catches.

Noble hunting was strictly hierarchical, with only those of the highest status typically qualified to hunt large animals such as deer, bears, and wild boars, while those of lower status could only hunt small to medium-sized animals.

This set of rules is applicable in both the East and the West.

In ancient Eastern times, the phrase "chasing the deer in the Central Plains" was often used to refer to the struggle for power. The phrase "chasing the deer" originated from this, and being qualified to hunt deer meant having a noble status.

Lynn then surveyed his guards' spoils, a satisfied smile spreading across his face, and said, "We've had quite a hunt today. Please come with me back to the castle for drinks and meat!"

To be able to serve as Lynn's personal guard, one must be quite skilled in riding and archery.

The young men followed their lord around, spending their days either discussing classic battles or honing their martial arts skills, afraid of being outdone by their comrades.

Today, given the opportunity to go hunting in the forest with Lynn, the guards naturally all rushed to join in, much to the dismay of the small animals in Shallow Beach County.

However, this flat forest has already been included in the reclamation plan for the next few years. If they don't hunt now, they will have to hunt in the future. Baihe County needs more farmland now, not exclusive hunting grounds.

When they heard they were going back to the castle, the guards cheered.

Hunting may be fun, but nothing beats sitting by a warm fireplace, sipping mulled wine and enjoying a delicious meal.

As evening approaches, the temperature in the forest will drop sharply after the sun sets, making it an unsuitable place for humans to stay.

As evening fell, Lynn and his men returned to the riverside castle in Shallow Beach County in a flurry of activity. After unloading their equipment and game, they went to the hall to drink warm mead.

As for the various prey, experienced chefs and cooks naturally took care of them.

Two hours later, old Hafdan himself brought out a large plate of steaming hot roast meat.

"Sir, this is a wild-style charcoal-grilled moose tenderloin, marinated with honey, salt, and spices, and served with wild raspberry sauce made this fall."

White Bear County and Shallow Beach County are now the two largest settlements of the Wildlings, and naturally, there are many Wildling cooks in this castle.

This roasted pork tenderloin combines the Wildling cooking style with various spices from the South, and the aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water.

Then the maids brought out several more dishes of wild game, including sausages wrapped in fat from the belly of a red deer, a whole roasted grouse, and venison and deer blood stewed with spices.

These wild game share a common characteristic: they are extremely high in fat, making them a major cause of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In the North, fat is a rare and expensive ingredient. From nobles to serfs, everyone prefers high-fat foods. Without some fat on their bellies, they not only can't sit firmly on their warhorses, but they also have a hard time surviving the harsh winter.

"The food on the table owes a debt to all of you, and I know you're all eager to savor it!" Lynn rose, smiling as he raised his glass to the clan leader and guards present, then gave the order, "Let's eat!"

The long dining table was immediately bustling with activity. The way the several elders of the barbarian tribe ate was, needless to say, quite unusual. After all, barbarian tribesmen have no concept of tableware.

The guards were all pretty much the same; the more refined ones used daggers to cut the meat into small pieces, then grabbed them and stuffed them into their mouths, while the less refined ones just gnawed on large chunks of roasted meat.

In the North, only a few nobles in Amber Harbor are accustomed to using knives and forks to eat meat. In the inland areas, both nobles and commoners prefer to eat with their hands.

While enjoying the roasted meat and wine, Lynn kept talking with the clan leaders.

He hosted this barbecue dinner not just to treat everyone to meat and drinks.

Currently, Lynn's Wilderness Legion still maintains a size of four thousand men. The purpose of this hunt with the clan chiefs is to recruit another two thousand Wilderness soldiers, thereby increasing the size of the legion to six thousand men.

Incidentally, the Wildling Legion is now the main force responsible for the defense of White River County. The three legions of the second brother Hugo, the third brother Yang, and the fourth brother Joseph are currently fighting a pacification war in the Swamp Territory, suppressing rebels in the newly occupied territories.

Baihe County comprises seven counties, each inhabited by a large number of people, ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands.

Apart from the more than 10,000 desert dwellers who mined salt and iron ore in the two mines, most of the remaining desert dwellers were allocated houses and farmland.

Under the careful guidance of the officials, these people have gradually become accustomed to farming life and have even had their first harvest this autumn.

Lynn used the Wildling Legion to defend White River County in order to inspire the Wildlings to fight for their homeland.

They were no longer a hunter-gatherer community in the wilderness, but rather farmers who settled in Baihe County.

With the decisive battle against Otto imminent, Lynn needs more brave and skilled Wildling soldiers to protect White River County, the front line.

Most of the male wild people who hunt year-round are agile and skilled in archery, which allows them to maximize their tactical role in defensive battles.

"My lord, they are only two thousand warriors from our tribe. You don't need to be so polite. Even if it were four thousand, our tribes could manage to muster enough."

Upon hearing that Lynn was going to expand the Wilderness Legion, several clan chiefs immediately became restless and volunteered, wishing they could also squeeze themselves into the legion.

The reason is simple: these clan leaders are just jealous.

Despite having the smallest populations among the nine tribes, the Lowlands of Old Sovard and the High Cliffs of Old Hafdan, relying on their early arrival, crammed their best young men into the Wilderness Legion.

Their eldest sons both became deputy commanders in the legion, enjoying extremely high status in the military.

Old So and Old Ha, thanks to their sons' status, gained influence with the lord and became the heads of the nine tribes of the wilderness.

“We’ll temporarily conscript two thousand warriors. If we send too many, it will affect the cultivation of the fields next year. You don’t want another famine in the tribe, do you?” Lynn politely declined the enthusiasm of several tribal chiefs.

On the one hand, he was afraid that agricultural production would be disrupted; on the other hand, he couldn't afford to support so many full-time soldiers at the moment.

These tribal chiefs not only wanted to improve their tribe's status among the nine tribes, but were also envious of the farmland allocated to the soldiers, as well as the wages and various spoils of war sent home.

In Baihe County, joining the army is an extremely desirable career choice. Not only does it grant your entire family the status of free citizens, but you also receive a substantial salary regularly.

Although there is a risk of dying in battle, the families of soldiers who die receive generous pensions and gifts during holidays, truly making it a case of one person serving in the military and the whole family enjoying good fortune.

Faced with sufficient gains, death no longer seems so terrifying.

Moreover, the barbarians were not very afraid of death. They worshipped the God of War and believed that after death, their souls could enter the God of War's temple, and they would just live in a different place.

After Lynn politely declined, the faces of the several clan leaders clearly showed disappointment, while old Soward and old Hafdan showed a fleeting look of joy.

The two were naturally afraid of having their voice among the wasteland diluted. They didn't want to rebel against Lynn; they simply wanted to enjoy the feeling of being superior.

Back in the wilderness, the lowland and high cliff tribes suffered a lot of bullying from other tribes due to insufficient population.

The situation has now reversed, and thanks to their close relationship with Lynn, the two of them have turned their lives around and are now singing together, which is incredibly satisfying.

However, they didn't think as deeply as Lynn; they simply believed that their own daughters had put in the effort.

They had a significant advantage in starting from the beginning, sending their son and the warriors of their tribe into the army, and each of them also sent their daughters to Lynn's court.

The later tribes were not so lucky. Their warriors could not join the army, and their daughters could only be sent to a few palaces in White River County, instead of being sent directly to Lynn's side.

Little did they know that Lynn thought the two pairs of sisters were too young and didn't have the appetite to try them yet.

After agreeing on the military expansion, Lynn and the clan chiefs drank and chatted, and the noise in the castle hall continued until late at night.

Lynn had always been a good drinker, but he couldn't refuse the patriarchs' hospitality and ended up getting slightly tipsy.

Supported by the palace steward Carol, Lynn returned to his bedroom on the top floor of the palace. As soon as he opened the door, two beautiful young women from the wilderness, radiating warmth, greeted him.

The fireplace in the bedroom was burning hot, but the body of the desert girl under her white veil was even hotter than the fire.

Lynn had just tasted the deer blood and was immediately filled with excitement. He lay down on the large bed, put his arms around one of them, and asked while kneading them, "Who are you? Oh, and you, which tribe are you from?"

The two girls nestled in his arms, responding shyly in turn.

Upon hearing this, Lynn immediately understood: they were all the clan chief's daughters; these old guys were certainly willing to spend money on them.

However, both girls were quite well-developed, better than the sisters old Hafdan had sent. The old guys were quite savvy.
The following afternoon, Lynn arrived at White Bear County, the northernmost part of White River County.

Compared to last year's war of the barbarians, Shirokuma County has undergone a complete transformation.

Vast grasslands and forests were reclaimed into strip fields, felled trees were used to build houses, and the stripped bark was sent to paper mills that were expanded several times over.

Currently, this paper mill, which is even larger than the White Bear County Palace, has become a major source of income for Lynn, and almost all the paper sold in the Northern market comes from here.

(End of this chapter)