I'm not a lord

Chapter 360 Public support is available
In the northern border at the end of March, the chill had not yet completely faded, and the morning frost would still condense into a thin layer of white frost on the ancient stone walls of Three Rivers.

As dawn broke, soldiers wrapped in sheepskin coats opened the west gate and climbed the city wall to begin their day's guard duty. Their breath would condense into a brief fog in the cold air.

Although most of the snow on the city wall had melted, a small amount of snow remained huddled in the shadows of the battlements, making a soft "crunching" sound when soldiers stepped on it.

A thin layer of mist floats on the wide surface of the Jinghe River. Standing on the city wall, you can occasionally see early-rising fishermen rowing their small wooden boats by.

Ever since Lynn discovered the salt mines in White River County, Three Rivers City has added a new item to its foreign trade: salted river fish.

This trade product, possessing the attributes of both meat and salt, was popular in grassland and valley territories where resources were relatively scarce.

With the rapid development of the salted fish industry, a large number of fishermen from surrounding cities began to flock to Sanhe City with their families, which directly increased the permanent population of Sanhe City by thousands.

Many of the fishermen came from Perch City in the Valley Territory, a city famous for its fishing industry, and some of the young and strong fishermen were recruited into the trading fleet of Three Rivers City.

As the sun rose higher, a soldier with sharp ears heard a sound coming from the west. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Hey, is that the sound of horses' hooves? Did you hear it?"

His companion nudged the soldier's shoulder with his elbow and grinned mischievously, "Where were you gallivanting off to yesterday? Didn't you hear the news? His Majesty the King's cavalry is scheduled to set off today, and their garrison is in the western suburbs."

The cavalry corps led by Hugh, the second brother, was originally stationed on the south bank of Golden Deer Lake. After receiving orders from Lynn, they moved their garrison to the western suburbs of Sanhe City. Today, they are ordered to march eastward.

The soldier with the pointed ears immediately understood and replied, "So, the two kings of the North are finally going to officially start a war?"

Unexpectedly, his companion immediately moved half a step to the side, with a look of disgust on his face, as if he wanted to sever all ties with him.

The soldier was taken aback: "What do you mean by this?"

"I need to stay away from you, I'm afraid your dirty blood will splatter on me."

As he spoke, his companion took another half step, and said with a look of disdain, "I think you really don't want to live anymore. Where are there two kings in the North? Just like there can't be two suns in the sky at the same time, His Majesty Lynn is the only king of the North! You are clearly His Majesty's subject, yet you say Otto is also a king. In my opinion, you might get beaten to death in a dark alley one night."

Sanhe City belongs to Baihe County, and Lynn started his business in Baihe County. So, roughly speaking, the citizens of Sanhe City can be considered Lynn's fellow townsmen.

Now that someone from his hometown has become the King of the North, the people of his village are naturally proud of him, and as a result, Lynn enjoys a high reputation in Three Rivers and White River County.

Furthermore, Lynn brought a great deal of wealth to Three Rivers City, which further deepened the citizens' admiration for him.

"A slip of the tongue, just a slip of the tongue." The pointy-eared soldier quickly realized his mistake, apologized repeatedly, and patted his chest, swearing, "My loyalty to His Majesty is like the waters of this tranquil river, flowing forever!"

His companion then returned to his original position and tentatively asked, "So, do you think His Majesty can continue to win this time?"

The pointed-eared soldier declared righteously, "Is that even a question? His Majesty will definitely win. Has His Majesty ever lost a single war in all these years?"

"Hmph, that's more like it." His companion snorted twice, looking smug. "His Majesty represents orthodoxy and justice, and justice will surely prevail. Otto, that brutal and shameless usurper, is not worthy of the Northern Crown!"

While vigorously enhancing its military hard power, Lynn did not forget to engage in soft power activities such as united front work and pre-war propaganda.

From the court to the fields, the people of the Marshlands have been following the war that will decide the fate of the North, and they all believe themselves to be on the side of absolute justice.

After all, Lynn's slogan was very loud, "Let the North be the North of the Northmen," a slogan that perfectly suited the mindset of the people of the North.

In people's simple understanding, the North belongs to the people of the North, and justice will inevitably prevail over evil.

But in reality, if you trace back two hundred years, the people of the North today were people of the South; the true people of the North were those blue-haired, blue-eyed barbarians.

Of course, none of this matters. The people of the wilderness have already obtained identity verification in Baihe County, and can participate in farming and marry freely.

A few people from the western suburbs have even become merchants. They use their broken but understandable common language to buy cheap small commodities from Sanhe City and then bring them back to the western suburbs to sell to their fellow tribesmen.

In Lynn's territory, the people of the past and the people of the present are quietly merging.

“You know my cousin, right? He’s a crew member on a ship. He’s been locked up in a shipyard in the north for training for the past two months. He was only allowed to go home the day before yesterday. He also told me that the merchant ships in Three Rivers City are all equipped with cannons, the kind the king used to attack Golden Deer.”

"Can this cannon really be mounted on a ship?"

"Of course! According to my cousin, the iron shells fired from large cannons can sink a ship directly!"

"Really? Does that mean Otto is already doomed to lose?"

"That's why I said justice will prevail! Can those old wooden ships in Amber Harbor withstand the King's cannons? It's unlikely!"

"I really envy your cousin! I also want to board a warship and participate in this great war!"

"Who wouldn't want that? But His Majesty has ordered us to protect the city. To the south, Mirror Iron Territory has Otto's 20,000 troops. Without our protection, the citizens will be too scared to sleep!"

"Well, there's really no way around it, but if we look at it this way, we should be considered as having participated in this war, right?"

Just as the two soldiers were engaged in lively, theoretical discussions, a low voice suddenly came from behind them: "Chatting so early in the morning? Are you guys very free?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the two soldiers' hair stood on end. Turning around, they met the deadly gaze of Kunno, the militia commander.

"Do you even realize that Sanhe City is currently at war? With your lax and lazy attitude, the enemy has already stormed into the city gates and you probably still won't have realized it!"

"We're sorry, Commander, we promise we'll never do it again!"

"You're all forbidden from eating lunch today. And now, run two laps around the city wall right now!"

"Yes!"

After watching the two soldiers jog away, Kunno walked to the city wall and placed his hands on the battlements.

Below the city wall, a large number of cavalrymen were passing through the morning mist.

With their heads held high and chests puffed out, they approached the city wall, then turned north and continued along the main road outside the city.

According to the plan, the cavalry would bypass the city of Sanhe and head towards the ferry crossing northeast of the city.

A pontoon bridge has been built across the White River. After crossing the bridge, the cavalry will head to the battlefield in the Crown Territory.

Kunno carefully observed the radiant cavalrymen and couldn't help but sigh softly. As a man of the North, how could he not yearn to personally participate in this unprecedented and magnificent war?

However, the militia of Sanhe City did not receive orders to go to the front line; their mission remained to protect the city and the surrounding area.

Based on the population size Lynn currently controls, if we estimate it according to the recruitment limit of 15 per 100 people in the classical agricultural era, he should be able to mobilize an army of more than 70,000 people.

But Lynn remained restrained throughout.

He not only did not recruit soldiers on a large scale, but he was also unwilling to use the militia forces of various autonomous cities.

Lynn always believed that wars in the agricultural era should have as little impact on agricultural production as possible.

Otherwise, why would he go to such great lengths to develop military technology? He wanted to gain a technological lead and then defeat a much larger enemy force with a smaller army.

This is why Lynn insisted on winning control of the Tranquil River waterway, using ships to transport supplies and provisions, which would save manpower to the greatest extent and protect the territory's agricultural production.

In classical times, human labor was the key factor determining agricultural output; no matter how fertile the land was, it was all for naught if no one cultivated it carefully.

Similarly, the operation of a city also depends on people's skill and wisdom.

The clothing, weapons, and rations of the frontline troops all required support from the city's artisans.

The reason why Kunno's militia stayed in the city was to maintain its normal operation and provide a continuous supply of supplies to the front-line troops.

He knew very well that once the king's navy could defeat Otto's navy, the enemy forces in the southern Mirror Iron Territory would not be able to reach Three Rivers City at all, and the militia in the city would not be considered to have participated in the war.

In April, the Jinghe River is in its spring flood season, and the river level rises sharply. Without a reliable fleet of boats, it would be impossible for the troops to cross the river.

"How enviable!"

Even though she could understand it in her heart, Kuno still envied the familiar faces in the cavalry legion.

The Cavalry Legion was formed by Lynn after unifying White River County. Its initial core consisted of a small number of noble cavalrymen from White River County, plus church forces from Three Rivers City.

Many of them were old acquaintances who had drunk with Kunuo before.

Now, these acquaintances who were once far inferior to him have risen to high positions in the cavalry regiment, and several of them have become company commanders with the title of honorary knight. How could he not be envious?
But staying behind was also part of the war, and Kuno had no choice but to accept this order.

In Baixiong County, the northernmost part of Baihe County, a boy from a remote village, about ten years old, carries a hoe and walks barefoot into a field.

His blond-haired father was tilling the field.

“Dad, I heard from the old folks in the village that the king is going to start another war.” The boy followed behind his father, bent down, and skillfully used a hoe to break up the large clumps of sticky black soil turned up by the heavy plow.

It's that time of year again for spring planting, and father-son pairs can be seen working together in the vast fields of Baixiong County.

Typically, the father would control the draft horse and drive the heavy plow to split the land that had been dormant all winter, while the son would follow behind, breaking up large chunks of soil.

In the deserted village of Manor No. 6, however, the scene is quite different, with fathers and sons generally having very different hair colors.

This manor was built by order of Lynn himself, specifically to house new families formed by the union of male runaway slaves and widows from the wastelands.

Old Matsko turned to look at his eldest son, who was becoming increasingly skilled at farm work, and a gentle smile appeared on his face: "Perhaps? But that has little to do with us. Our king will always win the war, and we farmers only need to focus on our farming."

Old Matsko is actually only in his early thirties this year. The reason he has been promoted to the 'old' generation is naturally because he named his son, a barbarian, Matsko as well.

According to the tradition on the mainland, if there is a young Matsko, there must naturally be an old Matsko, just like old Albert, the former steward of White Bear County.

Old Ma is very satisfied with his life now.

He was originally an undocumented slave from Three Rivers City, but was later lured back to his hometown by Lynn's policies, and was fortunate enough to be assigned a pretty and charming deserter wife and a cheap deserter son.

After several years of hard work, Lao Ma's family has gained two new members: his wife gave birth to a healthy pair of twins, a boy and a girl.

Old Ma's farmland yielded bountiful harvests year after year. He sold the surplus grain to buy draft horses, heavy plows, and a considerable number of geese and sheep for his family.

Life is getting better and better.

After working for more than half an hour, little Matsko wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, stopped and asked, "Father, in a few years, I also want to join His Majesty's army. Will you allow it?"

Old Ma was taken aback at first, then squinted and replied, "Join the army? You're still too young."

"I'm eleven years old this year, and I can join the army in three more years! The pride of the Lowlands, Lord Soward served the king at the age of fourteen!" As he spoke, the pony strained to tilt his head upward, as if this would make him grow taller quickly and meet the army's recruitment standards.

Soward the Younger in the Lowlands was a true legend among the Wildlings. He had distinguished himself in battle, earned Lynn's trust, and was promoted to vice commander of the Wildling Legion. His fame had long surpassed that of his father, Soward the Elder.

“Soward is the chieftain’s son, but you are just a farmer’s son. You are not the same.” Old Ma certainly did not want his eldest son to join the army.

Although they were not related by blood, he loved this son of a deserter very much.

Moreover, he had just obtained the right to cultivate twenty acres of wasteland from the county last year, and the family still needed the eldest son as a source of labor while his second son was still young.

War always results in death.

It is true that His Majesty the King has never lost a battle, but that does not mean there have been no casualties.

Of the first few hundred men from Baixiong County who joined the army, six or seven out of ten have died on the battlefield. The lucky ones were able to return to their hometowns with their bodies intact for burial, while the unlucky ones could only be left with cenotaphs.

Although the king was very generous in providing compensation to the families of fallen soldiers, once a person dies, they cannot be brought back to life.

Old Matsko's former brother-in-law also joined the army, and now he has a new brother-in-law.

Young Matsko was unconvinced by his father's doubts. He rolled up his sleeves and showed his father his slightly bulging biceps:
"He has blue hair, and so do I. He is very strong; he can hunt in the forest when he is ten. But I am not weak either; I can help my father plow the fields when I am ten! There is no boy my age in the village who is stronger than me! Why can't I join the army?"
The villagers all say that the king will one day defeat all the nobles of the North and even cross the sea to conquer the South. I want to go with the king and see the scenery of the South. White Bear County is too small; I'm already tired of it!

(End of this chapter)