I'm not a lord

Chapter 358 The Kingdom's Horse Administration

Otto III's plan seemed very simple: use himself as bait to lure Lynn into a trap.

“Leave five thousand men at River Bend Fort, plus myself. If Lynn wants to come, let him come. Once he deploys all his forces to River Bend Fort, your attack on Mirror Iron Territory will be much smoother.”

As for River Bend Fortress, this castle is built on an island in the middle of the river. Once the ice melts, it will be surrounded by water. How could the pitiful armed merchant ships of Three Rivers City and Golden Deer City possibly defeat the hundreds of modified warships of Amber Harbor?

As Otto spoke, he walked to the window, looked down at the magnificent castle below, and a sinister smile crept onto his lips.

If Otto could really lure Lynn over, it would be killing two birds with one stone, or even three birds with one stone.

This could draw Lynn's forces away, relieve pressure on Mirror Iron Territory, and even give them a chance to annihilate Lynn's main force along with him at River Bend.

"Without control of the Quiet River waterway, Lynn will be helpless against the fortified River Bend, and his army will face food shortages and attacks from both sides."

I still have a 10,000-strong army in Coron that I can mobilize at any time. In terms of sheer numbers, Lynn and Vasa combined are no match for me. If I get the chance, I'll definitely wipe them out too!

In the end, Otto slowly opened his arms, embracing the magnificent landscape outside the window, as if the entire North was already under his control.

Otto was indeed arrogant, but he certainly had the right to be arrogant.

With the army he had deployed in the North, he was already able to completely overwhelm Lynn and Vasa on paper.

Whether it was infantry, cavalry, or navy, he believed he was far superior to his opponents, and that the Crown Territory's war potential far exceeded that of the Valley Territory and the Swamp Territory.

At the same time, Otto was the king of two kingdoms, and if necessary, he could even mobilize tens of thousands of troops from the Kingdom of Rui.

Tristan knelt down on one knee at the opportune moment, his knee striking the floor with a crisp sound. Then he raised his head, his voice deliberately tinged with excitement:
"It is my lifelong honor to follow a wise and visionary king. After this war, Your Majesty will surely become the sole king of the North. Any usurper will only meet the same fate: death!"

"Haha, good, well said, Christian, you truly are the young man I have the highest hopes for." Otto laughed as he turned around, bent down, and helped Christian up.

Otto then picked up the silver wine jug on the table and personally poured a full cup of hot wine for his beloved general.

"Go, Christian, take Mirror Ironhold for me, and conquer the rebels' last strongholds, White Eagle Hold and Golden Deer Hold. This winter, we will drink our victory wine at Golden Deer Hold and hunt in the forests north of Golden Deer Hold."

I will also give you the richest territory around Golden Deer Fortress, and then you can write to your brother, humiliate him, and utterly crush him into the mud!

Christian took the glass and drank it all in one gulp, then replied boldly, "As you wish, my most beloved Majesty, I swear that I will wash away the shame you have suffered with the blood of the traitors, and I will offer their heads and their families to you!"

Two days later, Christian led 10,000 Northern New Army soldiers away from their garrison by the River Bend, then crossed the Tranquil River southward and marched westward along the flat riverbed, heading straight for Mirror Iron Territory.

As native forces in the North, Lynn and Vasa had spies whose skill level was no less than Otto's, and the army's movements were quickly relayed to them.

"Brother, that damned mad dog Otto has reinforced his troops in Mirror Iron Territory again!" Damian reported to his elder brother Vasa as soon as he learned of the military situation.

It was midday, and Duke Vasa of the Valley was taking a break from his busy schedule to make a baby with his newly acquired lover in bed.

Upon hearing his younger brother's voice, he didn't even have time to put on his pants. He grabbed his cloak, wrapped it around himself, and rushed out of the bedroom, shouting, "How many people are here?"

"It's said there are 10,000 men, the same new army Otto recruited in Amber Harbor last year. The commander is Earl Christian, who is said to be very trusted by Otto." Damian stomped his foot on the wool carpet angrily, his mouth practically bubbling with impatience.

Damian was used to his brother's behavior; after all, it's normal for men to have mistresses, and he did it too.

Moreover, he and Vasa's wife and children were currently in White Eagle Fortress in the rear. Being on the front line was too stressful, and he really needed a woman to relax.

It is said that Lynn in the north went even further, officially and formalizing the concept of lovers, creating something called "court lovers."

Now the nobles of the North and even the South will have to follow suit.

Vasa was stunned upon hearing this, exclaiming in disbelief, "Another ten thousand? Has Otto gone mad? Does he really not want the Crown Territory anymore? If I were Lynn, I would have gone straight to attack River Bend!"

Previously, Earl Harvey of the Southern Territory had led an army of 15,000 to launch a fierce attack on Mirror Iron Territory.

Including Christian's 10,000 reinforcements, Otto has poured 25,000 troops into Mirror Iron Territory alone, more than Harvey Galena's troops last year.

Vasa was really ready to curse now.

His Iron Territory has nothing left but rock-hard iron ore. The people and other supplies have long been evacuated to the rear. If the army comes in, they won't be able to plunder a single grain of wheat. Why would Otto make such a fuss?

Damian gritted his teeth and said, "Otto has clearly gone mad. With 25,000 men pouring into Mirror Iron Territory, the supply of military provisions alone could wear him down!"

But Otto was clearly well-prepared this time. As early as last year, he had built several granaries in Luyuan Territory, east of Mirror Iron Territory, and stockpiled a large amount of grain and fodder plundered from various places. It should not be a problem to supply 25,000 soldiers in the short term.

Furthermore, once Christian successfully occupies the Mirror Iron Territory according to Otto's plan, he will be able to sustain the war effort through warfare in the subsequent conflicts.

The Valley Territory is only so big; its people can't all just shrink into White Eagle Castle.

The new recruits Otto recruited were vicious mercenaries or bandits; it wouldn't be surprising if they were starving and resorted to cannibalism.

From another perspective, it seems that the Valley Territory can still plunder quite a lot of military supplies.

"Damian, we are the ones who can't afford to waste this time. The enemy has more than 20,000 men. With the limited forces we have, the best outcome is to hold the fortress to the death. But the morale of our soldiers is always limited. If this goes on for too long, some cowards will open the gates and surrender!"

Vasa paced back and forth barefoot on the carpet, but he could no longer feel the cold; instead, he felt a surge of heat burning rapidly in his heart.

The consequences of holding out to the death have already been demonstrated by the former Duke of the Vale, Herman: utter defeat. The morale of the defenders will gradually drop to zero during a prolonged siege, eventually forcing their commander to open the gates and surrender, or even surrender voluntarily. Although Vasa is now the Duke of the Vale, he has not achieved the same level of centralized control over the territory as Lynn. He only managed to ascend to the throne through numerous marriage alliances.

Nobles from various regions are willing to acknowledge him as the leader of their respective regions, but they may not necessarily do their utmost to help him defeat powerful enemies.

Once Vasa is besieged in the Iron Fortress for an extended period, these nobles will surely teach him what it means to be abandoned by everyone.

Similarly, he could not abandon Iron Fortress and retreat westward, for Mirror Iron Territory was his stronghold and the foundation upon which he depended for survival.

Having lost the iron mines that contained boundless wealth, how would he support his army, and how would he deter those nobles who were all treacherous?

Marriage is merely a condition for forming an alliance, not an insurance policy that locks in the covenant.

After circling the carpet a few times, Vasa suddenly looked up at his brother Damian and asked, "How is the situation on the River Tranquility now? Will Lynn's army be able to cross the river?"

Before Damian could reply, Vasa answered his own question, "I know even if you don't say it. How could the ice floes on the Tranquil River melt so quickly? In previous years, the river would still be covered with ice floes right now, and you could only cross it by small boat in the early morning."

Vassa paused, then asked, "By the way, where is Lynn now? Has he arrived in White River Territory? And what about his troops? Have they all arrived in White River Territory as well?"

Damian finally caught up with his brother's train of thought and quickly replied, "According to reliable intelligence, Lynn seems to still be on a spring inspection tour of the Swamp Territory. As for his army, Hugh's cavalry should be arriving soon."

Vasa grabbed a bronze candlestick from the table and began hacking at the air in front of him, roaring almost furiously, "Damn it, what time is it? How can he still be in the mood for inspection? Where's Evan? Go and call Evan over! Write to Lynn immediately and tell him to come to White River Territory as soon as possible! Even if he can't support me, he should at least do something!"

That afternoon, a letter filled with Vasa’s endless resentment was sent from Ironforge and delivered as quickly as possible to Lynn’s location—Birchshire.

The situation in the North was constantly changing, but that did not prevent Lynn from inspecting the territory as planned.

While war is important, the development of territory should not be neglected.

He had now reached Birch County, north of Canyon County.

"Your Majesty, this is the No. 2 breeding farm in Birchshire. The farm is staffed with two master grooms and forty grooms who will ensure that purebred, high-quality warhorses breed together. Every stallion and mares is marked and has its own name, and the mating records are kept in detail."

The person responsible for introducing Lynn was Baron Ully, the head of the Birchshire Stud Farm.

Birchshire has always been the horse-breeding ground for the Marsh Dukes, and half of the warhorses ridden by the four thousand court cavalry came from there.

Baron Ully's previous fief was in Birchshire, and his family had been grooming horses for the Duke of the Marsh for generations, making them arguably the most knowledgeable people about warhorses in the territory.

Before Golden Deer Castle surrendered, Baron Ully had already wisely chosen to be pragmatic. After submitting to Lynn, although his family lands were confiscated, he retained the title of Third Baron, gaining the same rank as the three Earls, Gae.

When Lynn was crowned King in the North, Uri was promoted to Baron First Class, and his family received an annual title allowance.

Lynn always treated these technical talents with great care; he couldn't give them territory, but he would certainly provide them with plenty of monetary compensation.

Baron Uli is now the Royal Stable Master, also known as the King's Chief Stableman.

He had the authority to manage all the royal family's horse farms and was also responsible for formulating national policies on the breeding and mobilization of warhorses. His salary and status were quite high, almost second only to the core ministers in the Royal Council.

Accompanied by Baron Ully, Lynn arrived at a small stable in Breeding Farm No. 2.

Soft, warm straw had been laid out in the stable, and a dark brown stallion was gently sniffing the rump of a white mare.

The white mare frequently rubbed her rump against the stallion's head, her body constantly wriggling, and slapped the stallion's head with her tail, like a shy bride about to consummate her marriage.

A few minutes later, the brown stallion seemed to smell a familiar scent and eagerly pressed its forelegs onto the mare's snow-white back.

The stallion then found the right spot and thrust in, while simultaneously shaking its hindquarters rapidly, completing the final mating in just over ten seconds.

After mating, the two horses circled in the pen, the mare running in front and the stallion chasing behind, seemingly still wanting more.

Baron Uli, who was quite familiar with horse mating, explained with a smile:
"Your Majesty, our warhorses mate between March and April. These horses are quite similar to humans. After mating, the stallion will prevent other stallions from contacting the mare, and the mare usually only gives birth to one foal at a time. However, the gestation period is one or two months longer than that of humans. If all goes well, little Kelly will give birth to a healthy and high-quality foal next March."

Kelly is naturally the name of this mare, and Baron Ully knows the best mare in the stable like the back of his hand.

Lynn watched the 'horse film' with great interest, then asked, "I heard that in order to ensure the superior qualities of warhorses, grooms often force them to breed in close proximity?"

Baron Uli explained, “Inbreeding is indeed a way to breed high-quality warhorses. For example, Kelly’s foal last year was born to her grandfather. However, we also often select high-quality foreign stallions to mate with local mares. Kelly’s mate this year was brought from the grasslands.”

Unlike humans, horses do not reject inbreeding.

For experienced horsemen in the North, in order to ensure that certain superior traits of warhorses can be passed down, they do deliberately breed warhorses across generations, such as the strange combination of grandfather and granddaughter.

However, with repeated inbreeding, mares may occasionally give birth to offspring that are weak or prone to illness.

At this point, it is necessary to introduce superior external genes to prevent the decline of the breed of warhorses in the breeding farm.

"In terms of breeding warhorses, Birch County has always been inferior to Grassland Territory. It is said that many wild horse herds live in the vast desert west of Grassland Territory. The nobles of Grassland Territory often venture deep into the desert to search for wild horse herds and bring the strongest stallions back to their territory to mate with the local mares. This way, they can always produce the best warhorses."

Baron Uli knew nothing about concepts like genetics, but as a skilled groom with a family tradition of breeding, he knew exactly how to raise high-quality warhorses.

The Uri family deserves half the credit for the former Duke of the Swamp being able to build a powerful court cavalry force.

(End of this chapter)