I'm not a lord

Chapter 356 Lynn's Well-Intentioned Lie
"Your Majesty, please look! This is the striped field in Short-tailed Sheep Village after the use of heavy plows. In previous years, it would take ten people five days to work on this land, but now five people can finish it in three days! The serfs all say that these new farming tools are a precious gift that you have brought them. This year, the serfs are much more enthusiastic about spring plowing than in previous years!"

The village head of Short-tailed Sheep Village was brimming with barely suppressed excitement. He then pointed to several large mounds of earth beside the strip of land.

"And this, this is the composting method that County Chief Dieter taught us to make. Since last fall, our village has been paying attention to collecting all kinds of excrement, and now even five-year-olds know to go to the toilet."

The wind on the west bank of Golden Deer Lake carried the chill of early spring. Accompanied by County Magistrate Dieter and the local village head, Lynn walked along the ridges of the fields. His boots were covered with mud and not-yet-melted snow, but this did not hinder his observation of this vibrant land.

The village is named after its abundance of short-tailed sheep.

This is a unique breed of sheep native to the North, characterized by its short, almost invisible tail and its thick wool that can withstand the harsh winter winds.

In the North, these short-tailed sheep are used for both meat and textile production. The lambs, which are five or six months old, have tender and delicious meat, while the wool of the adult sheep can be spun into cloth.

However, their wool is rather coarse and can hardly be called cashmere. The fabric woven from it is rather rough and is usually made into low-grade winter clothing or carpets.

Compared to wool fabrics produced in the North, the nobles of the North preferred the high-quality, fine woolen fabrics imported from the South.

For example, at the coronation ceremony held at Golden Deer Castle last year, both new and old nobles chose to wear woolen gowns.

It is worth mentioning that there are more than a dozen villages in the entire swamp territory called "Short-tailed Sheep Villages," and this type of sheep is a native breed that was domesticated by the desert people.

After inspecting the farmland, Lynn called the young county magistrate to his side and praised him with a smile: "Dieter, you've only been in office for half a year, and you've done a great job in preparing for spring planting in Short-tailed Sheep Village. That's not easy."

Lynn's voice was quite gentle. He glanced at the serfs still working in the fields and continued, "The situation in the two villages was also very optimistic. The foremen from all over praised you, saying that you were approachable and could go deep into the fields to explain to the serfs how to use the heavy plow."

I can see that you've put your passion and effort into your work as county magistrate, and you've taken on the corresponding responsibilities. You've done a very good job.

Then Lynn asked, "By the way, you're from White Bear County, right? Which class were you in at the official school?"

The county magistrate, named Dieter, was flattered and replied excitedly, "Your Majesty, I am a graduate of the first class, and you even taught me the language of the barbarians. This is an honor I will remember for the rest of my life!"

Dieter is only in his early twenties. Three years ago, he was just the son of the governor of White Bear County, hoping to inherit his father's position.

Later, because of his basic literacy and arithmetic skills, he was recruited into a school by Lynn and received more systematic training as an official.

Dieter still remembers that Lynn personally taught them the Wilderness language, instructing them to read various words in the language.

After graduating, he happened to be in charge of teaching new agricultural techniques to the thousands of relocated people in Shallow Beach County when Lynn unified White River County.

He performed his duties as steward quite well, communicating fluently with the people under his jurisdiction in the local language and successfully promoting agricultural technology, helping the people establish themselves in the area.

When Lynn conquered the swamp territory, Dieter was promoted again and directly appointed as the head of a county.

Although Xi'an County is located on the west bank of Jinlu Lake, it is still within the territory of Jinlu Prefecture. Agriculture and animal husbandry are very developed within its borders, and it has nearly 10,000 households. In ancient times, it was considered a "prominent county" in the East.

Lynn patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Good lad, keep up the good work, and don't let me and my family and friends down."

"Yes, Your Majesty! I swear on my life that I will never fail your expectations!" Dieter was so excited by the praise and encouragement from the person he admired that he almost fainted, and his voice was choked with emotion.

Lynn helped him steady and turned her gaze to the interior of the village, where she could vaguely see rows of wooden fences and hear the bleating of sheep.

"Come on, take me to see the sheepfold in the village. I've heard that the wool and cloth here are very popular in Jinlu City. I'd also like to see how the locals spin and weave."

The group walked along the newly repaired path into the village. Along the way, they could see villagers drying wool outside their houses. The snow-white wool, hung on wooden racks, looked like fluffy white clouds under the warm spring sun.

As Dieter walked, he explained that the Short-tailed Sheep Village was next to Golden Deer Lake, making water transport convenient. Merchants from Golden Deer City would regularly come by cargo ship to buy wool.

The situation is similar in several lakeside villages nearby, where agriculture and animal husbandry are equally important, and almost every household raises a flock of short-tailed sheep.

During the off-season, the women in the village also weave cloth from wool and sell the semi-finished products to merchants who come to buy them.

Relying on this locational advantage, Jinlu City, located on the eastern shore of the lake, has gradually developed into the largest wool textile center in the northern inland region, and its low-end wool fabrics sell well in the northern inland region.

While the woolen fabrics of the South are indeed silky and delicate, they cost more than six times the price of the woolen cloth native to the North. City dwellers or some lesser nobles with limited funds still prefer the cheaper local fabrics.

As for the lowest-ranking serfs, they couldn't even afford to buy coarse wool cloth. They would usually slaughter a sheep, peel off the skin with the hair on, sew it up a little, and that would be a sheepskin coat that could get them through the winter.

“Your Majesty, look, that’s the village’s sheepfold.” Dieter pointed to the wooden fence ahead, which was crowded with white and gray figures. “The ewes get pregnant in winter and give birth to lambs in April or May. The lambs are at their fattest and most delicious in autumn.”

West Bank County is considered one of the top five wealthiest counties in the Marshland Territory, and under Dieter's careful management, it has widely adopted the most advanced agricultural technologies.

If all goes well, this autumn will bring an unprecedented harvest here.

After inspecting West Bank County, Lynn continued his westward inspection over the next few days, eventually reaching Canyon County at the western edge of the territory.

The further west you go, the farther you get from Golden Deer Fort, the lower the population density becomes, and the villages along the way become increasingly sparse.

Fortunately, officials in various regions have been doing their best to promote agricultural technology, and the whole country is a delightful scene of "vibrant life and thriving growth".

At the westernmost edge of Canyon County, Lynn stood on a sloping hill near the riverbank and pointed west: "Once we cross the river, we should be in Samuel's territory."

Robert, the county magistrate, explained:
"Your Majesty, for the past two or three decades, every autumn, the Duke of Grassland would lead his army across the River Tranquility and plunder the Valley County. His cavalry carried almost no provisions or supplies, and wore little armor. They ran faster than the wind, and often the army from Golden Deer Fortress had not even arrived before he had already crossed the river and fled with his spoils. However, last year was an exception; the bandit nobles of Grassland were unusually quiet for a year."

Robert wasn't a local. Last summer, he was the magistrate of Shallow Beach County, but Lynn's transfer order sent him and his family to become the magistrate of Canyon County. In a way, Robert was practically a veteran of Lynn's service. Shallow Beach was the first territory Lynn conquered by force, and it was only by using Jacoba's claim that they managed to deceive the then-Duke of the Marshes, Lothair.

Robert had four sons. His eldest and second sons stayed in White River County to inherit the family business, while the other two sons had studied at school and were now either county magistrates or tax collectors. It could be said that the whole family was tied to Lynn's chariot.

When Robert first arrived in Canyonshire, after learning about the local situation, he was worried that the Duke of Meadows would come to take advantage of him, and he was so anxious that he could hardly relax until December.

Victor stood behind Lynn and said disdainfully, "His Majesty's reputation has already spread throughout the North. Even if Samuel were given two more longswords, he wouldn't dare to invade Canyon County in the first year of His Majesty's coronation."

Lending a nobleman a longsword is akin to throwing a glove in a man's face—both are forms of extreme humiliation.

Last year, Lynn humiliated the then Duke of the Marshland, László, by "borrowing a sword." The young and arrogant duke, unable to bear the humiliation, led his troops to rashly charge Lynn's infantry formation, ultimately perishing on the battlefield.

Samuel had long established his reputation as a bully who preys on the weak. The reason he dared to raid Canyon County and Birch County, which was also adjacent to the River Still, was simply because he relied on the mobility of his light cavalry and the fact that the Duke of the Marsh was too weak to attend to the steppes.

Now Lynn commands an army of 20,000. Although he cannot fully occupy the vast grassland territory in a short time, it is not a problem for him to march straight to Wolf's Fortress and force Samuel to become a wandering duke.

"Samuel is able to consider the big picture, has the entire North in his heart, and will not harass allies at crucial moments." Lynn's assessment of Samuel was much more tactful.

In his eyes, Samuel had largely achieved the principle of "a wise man knows when to yield," not using his status as duke to forcefully interfere with Lynn's unification of the Marshland, and also doing his best to restrain his disorganized subordinates, preventing the bandit nobles from the grasslands from wandering into the Marshland.

Lynn gazed at the still frozen upper reaches of the Quiet River and instructed, "Victor, write me an invitation and have Leif from the Foreign Office take it to Wolf Keep. Tell him I'll be waiting for him in Birchshire. If he's free, he can come to Birchshire. I'll be warming up the best mead for him."

Lynn could name all the outstanding officials under his command.

Leif had made several missions to the Meadowlands and had always completed them successfully, reportedly even giving Duke Samuel of the Meadowlands a hard time.

That night, Lynn spent the night in a border castle on the east bank of the Tranquil River.

The castle was built sixty years ago to defend against the bandit nobles of the grasslands. It is neither too big nor too small, and can accommodate two or three hundred people.

Just as Lynn was sitting by the fire, instructing his guards on military tactics, a fast horse suddenly came from the east.

"Your Majesty, Otto's armies from Kolen City, River Bend Fortress, and Luyuan Territory have been mobilized simultaneously. Count Harvey has already engaged in fierce fighting with Duke Vasa of the Valley in Mirror Iron Territory. The Duke of the Valley requests that you send reinforcements to support him!"

Upon hearing the urgent military news, Lynn immediately ordered his guards to bring a map.

After glancing at it twice, Lynn asserted, "Otto is really patient. He knows I have been crowned king, but he still doesn't attack Three Rivers City. Instead, he continues to launch a strong attack on Mirror Iron Territory. He is determined to take down the weaker Vasa first before coming to fight me."

In fact, both Kolen City and River Bend Fortress are located on the north bank of the Jing River, and most of Otto's 40,000-strong army was deployed in the northern region.

But Lynn, based on his experience and intuition, judged that Otto still did not want to have a large-scale conflict with him.

Otto clearly understands the principle of picking the softest persimmons to squeeze. After his two armies invaded Mirror Iron Territory last year, he is determined to fight this difficult mountain territory again this year.

Victor examined the map and murmured, "Vasa's forces are still too few. With the wealth and manpower of the Valley Territory, it is already very difficult to put together an army of 10,000. However, the Jing River has not completely thawed yet. The ice floes in both the upper and middle reaches have not completely thawed, making it difficult for boats to cross the river."

Victor's implication was that the Swamp Territory's army was currently unable to support Mirror Iron Territory.

March to April is the most dangerous time of year in Jinghe. Ice floes of varying sizes float on the river, and if a boat hits one, it may leak water from the bottom of the boat or even be destroyed and people may die.

These days, there are no bridges that can be fixed to the Jinghe River, and it is absolutely impossible to build a pontoon bridge when there is floating ice.

Last year, Lynn encountered a rare mild winter in the North. Taking advantage of the time difference between the dissipation of the ice floes upstream and midstream, he rushed to transport a batch of food and supplies, successfully ensuring the army's logistics.

However, the northern region is quite cold this year, and it will be at least until the end of March, or even the beginning of April, before normal navigation can resume in the middle reaches.

Lynn frowned and analyzed, "Otto calculated this time difference, which is why he mobilized his troops in advance and launched a strong attack on Mirror Iron Territory through the still snow-covered mountain roads."

Even if the Jinghe River were to become navigable now, Lynn would most likely not send reinforcements to support Vasa.

Assisting Vasa in resisting Otto was like the Calabash Brothers saving their grandfather—it was utterly useless.

If Lynn wants to achieve his goal of defeating Otto within two years, the best and only way is to take the initiative and capture the crucial River Bend in one battle.

To this end, Lynn has concentrated his main forces in White River County, and the conversion of the armed merchant ships has been underway for several months, with cannons now being installed.

Once the Jinghe River is fully navigable, his land and naval forces will set off eastward simultaneously.

As for Duke Vasa of the Valley, Lynn could only wish him good luck and hope he could delay Otto for as long as possible.

However, Lynn still ordered, "Write to Vasa and tell him that as long as we can hold out until mid-April, a large number of reinforcements will arrive in Mirror Iron Territory. Tell him to hold on!"

In Lynn's view, this was absolutely a white lie.

Give Vasa some hope so that he can hold on a little longer.

Once the war breaks out at River Bend, Otto will naturally withdraw his troops from the front lines to reinforce River Bend, at which point the predicament of Mirror Iron Territory will be resolved.

(End of this chapter)