I'm not a lord

Chapter 357 Otto uses himself as bait
The knight, carrying a letter stamped with Lynn's seal, set off from the westernmost part of Canyonshire and sped westward along the county's wide road.

Every 60 or 70 kilometers, the rider would change horses at a roadside inn and continue westward at full speed, delivering the letter to Golden Deer Castle in less than two days.

The letter arrived at Golden Deer Castle and remained there for less than half an hour before being immediately handed over to another knight.

The knight, also riding a swift horse, delivered the letter to Oakshire on the north bank of the Quiet River as quickly as possible.

Upon arriving at Harfen in Oakshire, local officials had already prepared boats for crossing the river.

In March, the Jinghe River was indeed covered with large, terrifying ice floes, making it virtually impossible for ordinary merchant ships or transport vessels to pass.

However, as temperatures drop late at night, the drifting speed of the ice floes slows down significantly, or even stops altogether, making it possible for small boats to cross the river.

The knight carrying the letter boarded a small boat covered with iron in the early hours of the morning and, with the help of an experienced boatman, successfully crossed the Tranquil River.

After crossing the river, the knight's pace slowed down considerably.

The valleys are mountainous, and the roads are far less navigable than those in the marshlands. In addition, melting snow creates large areas of mud, making the local transportation situation extremely worrying.

Several days later, Duke Vasa of the Valley, who was stationed at Iron Castle, received Lynn's letter.

Do you really think Lynn's reinforcements will arrive on time?

After reading the letter, Vasa turned his gaze to the officials below him.

“Last year, even before we had taken Golden Deer Castle, Lynn was willing to personally lead support for us, and he will definitely come this year as well.” The first to speak was Evan, the diplomatic chief of the Valley Territory, dressed in a black priest’s robe.

This person made several trips to the Marshland Territory, attended Lynn's wedding and coronation ceremony, and had several face-to-face conversations with Lynn.

At the same time, Evan also had a deep understanding of the military situation in the Swamp Territory. He was very clear that even if the armies of the two territories were combined, they would still be no match for Otto in terms of troop strength.

Otto is clearly going to launch a full-scale attack on Mirror Iron Territory, which will inevitably leave the defenses of Crown Territory vulnerable.

If Evan were in Lynn's position, he certainly wouldn't care about the lives of his southern allies, but would instead mobilize his main forces to march eastward straight for the Crown Territory.

This would both allow for territorial expansion and provide an opportunity to force Otto to return to the aid of his allies, thereby indirectly relieving their predicament.

The price to pay is that Mirror Iron Territory will be reduced to scorched earth, and Duke Vasa of the Valley will suffer heavy casualties in his troops.

But Evan wasn't Lynn; he had to offer advice from his lord's perspective. Therefore, he could only say nice things to appease Vasa's anxious heart.

Vasa trusted Evan completely, and Evan's analysis perfectly aligned with his thoughts, so he nodded repeatedly.
“Your analysis makes a lot of sense. Lynn now considers himself the King of the North, and he has an obligation to help me, a fellow nobleman of the North, defeat Otto. Moreover, once the Vale falls into Otto’s hands, Lynn’s Marshland will lose its terrain advantage. From all aspects, he will send reinforcements in April. We just need to hold on and wait for the Quiet River to reopen to navigation.”

At present, Earl Harvey of the Southern Territory is leading an army of 15,000 to launch a fierce attack on Mirror Iron Territory.

The Southern Invading Army was divided into several units, which penetrated deep into the territory along natural valleys. They built bridges when they encountered ravines, besieged castles when they encountered castles, and also built strongholds and supply depots along the way, clearly intending to take down Mirror Iron Territory by force.

Although the Vasa had long implemented a scorched-earth policy within their territory, the people of the South were very well prepared.

They actually conscripted a large number of civilians from the royal territory to transport grain and fodder, which was unprecedented for them.

It is evident that high-intensity, prolonged wars can indeed force those in power to implement institutional reforms.

Otto began preparing for the war as early as last autumn, not only preparing enough food to feed 40,000 troops for a whole year, but also equipping them with laborers and livestock for long-distance transport.

To coordinate these laborers, livestock, and supplies, he even recruited many bureaucrats with church backgrounds from the southern border, demonstrating his determination to take over the Mirror Iron Territory.

Faced with the enemy's well-prepared approach, Vasa was helpless and could only divide his troops to guard the strategic castles in various places, while concentrating his core elite cavalry at Iron Castle.

Although he could mobilize nearly 10,000 troops, these troops were scattered throughout the Valley Territory and belonged to various nobles. At present, the troops stationed in Mirror Iron Territory numbered less than 5,000, and he had no choice but to passively take the beating.

Damian glanced at his brother Vasa, then looked around at the core generals present, and loudly encouraged them: "Last year, even though you weren't in Mirror Iron Territory, we were able to defend the Iron Fortress and repel the enemy. This year, with you here, there's no reason why we can't defeat the enemy again. Even if that bastard Otto comes in person, the continuous mountain ranges of Mirror Iron Territory and the high morale of our warriors will be able to completely defeat him!"

Despite his refined appearance and dashing long blond hair, Damian is an undisputed martial arts fighter who always charges to the front in battle.

He wholeheartedly believed in his elder brother, and even though Lynn ultimately did not send troops to support him, he firmly believed that his brother could defend the glory of Mirror Iron Territory and Valley Territory.

"Very good, Damian. If everyone could be as spirited as you, we would surely win this battle!"

After drinking the "chicken soup" cooked by his two trusted confidants, Vasa's blood was also boiling.

He couldn't help but think: "Isn't he just Otto? Just defeat him and that's it! If we're lucky, we might even be able to bury him forever in the mountains of Mirror Iron Territory!"
Even in the worst-case scenario, if all the outer outposts are lost, there is still a sturdy iron fortress to defend.

This formidable castle, nestled in the Mirror Iron Mountains, is the culmination of generations of earls' efforts. Not only are its walls towering high, but the mountainside was also hollowed out to construct large granaries and armories, making it an extremely difficult fortress to conquer.

Furthermore, there is a large number of reinforcements from Lynn to the north that can be expected.

Vasa has heard that Lynn has been expanding his army on a massive scale during the winter. With both sides working together, they will surely be able to repeat the great victory at Bass City!

In short, as long as we hold on, there's always a way!

At this moment, Otto III is still stationed at River Bend.

When he received the battle report from the front lines sent by Earl Harvey, he picked up a freshly baked hazelnut tart and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing as he made a disdainful remark:

“Vasa is now like a cowardly squirrel in winter, shrinking into a tree hole full of nuts at the sound of birdsong. Where has his courage gone from last year’s duel with Herman?”

A young general in his early thirties stood beside Otto and bowed, praising him: "Your Majesty, you are the only legitimate king of the North. You are like the sun that hangs high in the sky forever. All rebels will avoid your power and sharpness and dare not meet your dazzling light."

This man had long, wine-red hair, a broad build, a rugged face, and wore military uniform. At first glance, he looked like a fierce nobleman, but he could utter extremely nauseating flattery.

Otto stuffed another crispy biscuit into his mouth and grinned, "Tristan, have you been reading a lot of chivalric novels written by bards lately? These soft words are perfect for fooling sentimental young widows."

The young nobleman named Tristan chuckled and replied, "As expected, no one can fool His Majesty's keen eyes. The winters in the North are long and tedious. I have indeed read a few novels about the South."

"What do you think of the military intelligence Harvey sent?" Otto wasn't very interested in those chivalrous novels that only deceived young girls and widows, so he quickly changed the subject and started talking about serious matters.

In the fictional world constructed by chivalric novels, there will always be a handsome, dashing, and young knight who travels to various places, winning championships in various tournaments and the hearts of noble ladies.

Once his fame spreads, the knight will gain the favor of a duke or king, distinguish himself on the battlefield, and eventually be granted a large and rich territory, where he will fall in love with a noble lady and live happily ever after.

In the real world, most of these handsome knights would die in the brutal and bloody tournaments, and the few who escaped would most likely die on the battlefield.

Knights who are good at fighting generally don't fit the aesthetic standards of noble ladies. A tough guy like Tristan, who is the second son of a baron, can scare a lot of young ladies to tears just by the few conspicuous scars on his face.

It is worth mentioning that Tristan left home at the age of sixteen to join Otto's army. He has repeatedly made military achievements through his martial skills and luck, and has now been promoted to Earl of the Court and is in charge of 10,000 new troops in the North.

Otto had already promised him a grand scheme: if he could eliminate Lynn and Vasa, Tristan would be granted a wealthy earldom, surpassing his father and brother.

Tristan dropped his fawning smile and said seriously, "Your Majesty, the situation is clear enough. Vasa now intends to use the castle and mountains to resist your army. Once the ice floes on the Tranquil River have completely dissipated, Lynn may even send troops to support him."

As Otto's trusted lieutenant, Tristan was not only good at flattery, but also very skilled in military campaigns; otherwise, Otto would not have entrusted him with 10,000 new troops.

Otto then asked, "How are the preparations going at Amber Harbor?"

Tristan immediately responded: "Mayor Neil just sent a letter saying that a hundred warships and three thousand sailors are ready and waiting for the Tranquil River to thaw completely before he personally leads the fleet upstream to assist His Majesty in blocking the Tranquil River waterway!"

Amber Harbor is very active in this war that will determine the fate of the North.

On the one hand, the city council and the city's wealthy merchants have collectively betrayed the former king Maurice and completely sided with Otto. To avoid being purged after the war, they now have no choice but to bet on Otto.

On the other hand, Otto offered substantial rewards to the merchant class of Amber Harbor, promising them trading privileges in the middle reaches of the Tranquil River after the war.

Both morally and logically, Amber Harbor must respond to Otto's expectations.

“At crucial moments, Neil and the Amber Harbor City Council are reliable. With the ships from Amber Harbor, I can already imagine Vasa’s face, which is even uglier than crying.”

With that, Otto put down the military intelligence report in his hand and then wiped the crumbs off his hands.

As long as he can block Lynn's route south to support Vasa, the Valley Territory will be his for the taking.

Otto turned to his most trusted young general and ordered, "Go and prepare. Two days from now, you will lead your troops to Mirror Iron Territory. I will order Harvey to assist you. You must work together to take that damned Iron Fortress before June!"

With a few casual remarks, Otto stripped Count Harvey of his command over the front-line troops and promoted Tristan to the position of commander-in-chief.

Harvey must have had some reservations about this, but he couldn't object.

After all, Count Reiner and Count Harvey, two non-direct descendant generals, suffered a major defeat last year, even losing Count Reiner and nearly 10,000 troops.

Otto was willing to give Harvey a chance to prove himself, and Harvey had to kneel down to express his gratitude. How could he dare to oppose the king's order?

Tristan had followed Otto for over a decade, having been personally promoted by Otto from the bottom, making him a true loyalist among loyalists.

Such an easy opportunity to make a name for oneself, if not given to one's own people, are we going to let outsiders reap the rewards?
Tristan was overjoyed at the King's gift, but he had to pretend to be worried and said, "Your Majesty, if my troops leave, there will be less than five thousand men left in River Bend. If Lynn abandons Mirror Iron Territory and leads the main force to attack River Bend, won't you be in danger? According to the intelligence brought back by Arno, Lynn can now mobilize more than twenty thousand troops."

As the snow gradually melted, Arno's spies also revived along with Spring Bud, and began frantically spying on Lynn's military technology and troop deployments.

These spies were all old recruits trained by the Arnogan mercenary leader, and their loyalty and dedication were beyond question.

Back when Arno served Duke Lothair of the Marshlands, these old comrades were even willing to assassinate Lynn for Arno's sake.

However, being a spy is extremely risky. In the past year, Lynn's officers have indeed eliminated quite a few spies, which has saddened Arnaud greatly.

Despite the heartache, in order to make a name for himself under Otto, Arno had no choice but to sacrifice his brothers' lives.

In response to Tristan's concerns, Otto smiled and waved his hand confidently, saying:

“From Three Rivers to River Bend, we’ve already collected all the available grain along the way. What will Lynn eat if he brings an army of ten or twenty thousand? Of course, he could use boats to transport grain, but Neil has already blockaded the river around Three Rivers. How will he transport grain? Surely he can’t send tens of thousands of poor serfs to transport grain by land?”

That's over a hundred kilometers of travel. I don't even need to send many cavalry. Just have Neil's sailors land on the north bank of the Jing River, and they can easily cut off Lynn's food supply. I'll wait for him here at River Bend Fort. I'm just afraid he won't dare to come!

Scorched earth policy, who doesn't know how to do that?

If enemies can plunder the people under their rule, why can't Otto, as king, do the same?

Otto had already thoroughly exploited the vast territory west of River Bend Castle last autumn and winter, extorting not only the serfs but also the nobles who had been enfeoffed in various places.

If Lynn really dares to bring 20,000 troops, the food supply alone will be a major problem.

(End of this chapter)