I'm not a lord

Chapter 366 Otto, scrambling and stumbling

Should I run away now?
Arnaud's first reaction was to abandon his position and title and slip away from River Bend Castle.

The intelligence failure directly led to the defeat in the naval battle, and Otto would inevitably launch a purge afterward. Arno's fate remained uncertain as he stayed at River Bend.

Even if Otto shows leniency and doesn't blame him, Lynn's massive land and sea forces will soon surround River Bend.

At that time, the castle located on the island in the river will be surrounded on all sides, and probably not even a bird will be able to escape.

When the city falls, Arno will most likely die as well, since he betrayed his former master, the Duke of the Marshland, and joined Otto in the South. He will inevitably face retribution from the Northerners.

Arnaud stared at the spies in front of him, a doubt creeping into his mind: even if he wanted to escape, where could he possibly go?
There are only a few forces in the North. He has already betrayed Lothair and is about to betray Otto. What force in the entire North would be willing to accept him?
Or is it a long-awaited return to the Southern Territory?
For a fleeting moment, Arno really wanted to go back to the Southern Territory.

His homeland was in the southern border, where his family's former fiefdoms, cemeteries, and castles were located, but they had become the property of others.

Should we go back and take a look?

Just then, a spy suddenly asked worriedly, "Boss, what should we do now?"

These spies were all old comrades from Arno's time as a mercenary leader; they were very close and could talk about anything.

It was precisely because they were reliable enough that Arno sent them to Lynn's territory to gather intelligence.

"How to do?"

Arno gave a wry smile and continued, "To be honest, I'm a bit lost right now. I definitely can't stay in River Bend anymore, but I don't know where to go."

Otto's army of five thousand men was stationed in River Bend Fortress, and his spies and confidants were everywhere.

Otto must have already been informed that these spies had entered the castle.

Arnaud did want to escape.

But if Otto catches him while he's on the run, he'll be doomed.

Of course, many of these five thousand soldiers were old acquaintances of Arno, and if he used these connections, he would still have a certain chance of escaping the castle.

But even if they do manage to escape, where should they go?
We can't really cross the North and then sail across the ocean to the South to start all over again, can we?

Arnaud was reluctant to part with his brothers in the North, and even more reluctant to part with the hat of a court count on his head.

However, his hesitation did not last long, and soon someone made the choice for him.

"Count Arno, His Majesty requests your immediate presence in the main hall for a meeting!"

With Otto's personal guards coming to invite him, there was no need for Arno to hesitate any longer.

Arno arrived at the main hall of River Bend Castle, escorted by two rows of armored guards.

As soon as he entered, the dozen or so generals sitting on both sides of the long table all looked at him, many of them with obvious hostility on their faces.

Otto sat in a high-backed chair at the end of the long table, raised his head, his gaze piercing like a sword, and said in a cold voice:

“Arno, I think you need to give us a reasonable explanation. Perhaps you don’t know yet, but the core reason why Neil’s fleet suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Lynn is that Lynn’s fleet was equipped with a new type of cannon, and until today, we were completely unaware of the existence of this cannon!”

boom!
In the end, he even slammed his fist on the armrest of the seat in anger.

Just over ten minutes ago, Otto's light cavalry stationed on the south bank of the Jing River brought back intelligence from the front lines.

Thanks to the clear weather in early spring, these cavalrymen witnessed the disastrous defeat of the Nielsen fleet and saw the powerful Franz van der Rohe cannons.

Otto was shocked to learn of Neil's defeat and his first reaction was to send someone to "bring" Arno over.

"Bring Arno here! Don't let him escape!"

After issuing the arrest order in a fit of rage, Otto quickly convened an emergency meeting of the generals in the castle to discuss follow-up strategies.

Upon learning the truth, these generals quickly blamed Arnaud for the defeat.

They already looked down on such a treacherous person who repeatedly betrayed others, and they resented that he was able to gain Otto's favor and appreciation.

Now that Arnault has made a major mistake in his intelligence work, how can these generals not be filled with righteous indignation?
Faced with Otto's questioning and the murderous glares of the generals, Arno's heart pounded, but his face showed no sign of panic.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have no intention of running away, and I can indeed give you and the generals a reasonable explanation."

After saying that, Arno gestured for the spies to enter the hall.

These spies also possessed exceptional mental fortitude, managing to describe the actual situation clearly and accurately even in the face of such a large-scale event.

After listening to the spies' account, Otto's expression softened considerably. He then asked, "Arno, what are your thoughts on the subsequent battle?"

Otto didn't really believe that Arno would betray him.

Indeed, Arno has a history of betrayal and is notorious in the North.

But it was precisely because of his terrible reputation that Otto dared to use him.

Aside from Otto, what power in the North today is willing or able to take him in?
From this perspective, Arnault had no reason to betray him at all. If he betrayed him again, he would not only gain nothing, but he would also lose his position, title and wealth.

Now that Arno had presented a plausible reason, and the spies' statements were entirely self-consistent, Otto's last remaining doubts vanished.

However, this cannot change the fact that the battle is about to collapse.

With the defeat of Neil's fleet, Otto also had to face a major decision.

Should they stay and defend River Bend, relying on the castle to fight Lynn in a decisive battle?

Or should we evacuate River Bend Fort and leave only a portion of the army to hold it to the death?

Regarding this issue, Otto's generals were divided into two factions: most advocated retreat, while a small number believed they should hold their ground.

He was also unsure about this, so he wanted to hear Arnaud's advice.

Arno knew immediately that he had been cleared of most suspicion by Otto, and his heartbeat quickly calmed down. He then slowly analyzed the situation:
“Your Majesty, based on my understanding of Lynn, after defeating Neil’s fleet, he will inevitably lead his army and fleet to besiege River Bend.”

"Although your navy has lost its fighting capacity, your army has not suffered any losses. The 15,000 troops inside and outside the castle are already prepared for battle. Relying on the fortified River Bend and the surrounding small and medium-sized castles, you may well be able to defeat Lynn." This was exactly what the 'steadfast faction' wanted to hear. Most of their generals were young and ambitious, advocating for the annihilation of Lynn outside River Bend. Their gazes toward Arno suddenly held more approval and admiration.

No sooner had Arnaud finished speaking than a middle-aged general from the 'retreat faction' stood up to refute him, pointing at his face and shouting sternly:

"You brat, you're clearly Lynn's spy, trying to assassinate His Majesty! Lynn's army exceeds 20,000 men, and is equipped with a large number of ships and cannons, enough to surround River Bend Castle on all sides and continuously bombard the castle with cannons. If something happens to His Majesty, can you take responsibility?"

If River Bend were a large castle located on land, these generals wouldn't be too afraid of Lynn's more than 10,000 troops.

The principle of 'surrounding with ten' also applies to the continent of Dievas.

With 15,000 defenders, a fortified castle, and a large number of friendly troops who could come to their aid, why would they be afraid of an enemy force of less than 20,000?

The problem is that River Bend is located on an island in the middle of the Tranquil River, surrounded by the river on all sides.

In an era without firearms, such a castle would have been virtually impossible to breach by external forces.

But Lynn not only gained a naval advantage and control of the river, but also acquired a number of new ships equipped with cannons.

Lynn only needs to send his fleet to surround River Bend Castle completely, and then bombard it day and night with cannons. The defenders and the city walls probably won't be able to hold out for long.

At that time, Otto III would be trapped, either dying amidst cannon fire and chaos, or becoming a prisoner of Lynn.

With the king captured, there was no need to continue the war, and the entire Crown Territory would fall into Lynn's hands.

In response, Arno calmly replied, "Of course, as the King of the North and Rui, Your Majesty bears the great mission of unifying the North. You should not be embroiled in a long and tedious siege. I believe Your Majesty only needs to appoint a brave and loyal general to guard River Bend. I think everyone here should be willing to fight for Your Majesty."

Arno then looked at Otto, lowered his head slightly, and suggested, "Your Majesty, I believe Count Schulz is the most suitable candidate. He is highly respected in the army, and officers and soldiers alike are willing to follow his orders."

Count Schulz, the middle-aged general who had just spoken out against Arno, was a veteran general under Otto and was currently in charge of 10,000 new recruits from the North.

Otto remained silent, only glancing at Schulz in quiet contemplation.

In fact, Otto sought Arnaud's opinion because he wanted the latter to help him out of this predicament.

Although he had never actually seen the novel cannons that Lynn had put together, their combat record was truly terrifying.

Otto didn't want to be trapped in River Bend, but he couldn't bring himself to lead the escape.

At this point, a suitable person is needed to speak on his behalf, to explain the pros and cons to the generals and to propose a reasonable solution.

Now it was Count Schulz's turn to be embarrassed.

How could he not know that staying to defend the city would be fraught with danger?

In Schulz's view, the river bend fort should not have been defended at all, given the loss of control over the river.

By simply abandoning this useless castle, we can save a large number of precious human resources.

Schultz originally wanted to suggest retreating to the rear city of Cologne, and waiting for Count Tristan, who was attacking Mirror Iron Territory, to withdraw his troops. Then, the two sides could join forces and form an absolute advantage in terms of military strength over Lynn.

It's not too late to settle the score with Lynn then.

As long as we can defeat Lynn's main army, the entire North will be ours to conquer. Why bother about the gain or loss of a single castle?
Judging from this, Schultz knew that His Majesty the King was unwilling to hand over this formidable fortress to Lynn.

River Bend Castle's geographical location is too important; abandoning the castle would be tantamount to abandoning hundreds of kilometers of land west of Coron.

Otto had only become King of the North last winter, and he clearly couldn't afford to lose face like that; he wouldn't be able to explain himself to the nobles and municipalities when he returned.

Schulz didn't want to be the scapegoat, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, he couldn't refuse Arno's suggestion and Otto III's expectant gaze.

He can't very well admit in public that he is neither brave nor loyal, can he?

Even though he was extremely unwilling, Schulz could only bite the bullet and reply, "If Your Majesty can give me your trust, then of course I am willing to defend Your Majesty's castle with my blood and sacrifice!"

At the same time, he sighed inwardly: Oh well, let's just consider it as repaying His Majesty for his kindness and support over the past few decades!

Schulz's background was similar to Arnault's; both were born into impoverished noble families and had to rely on their strength and courage to earn a chance to rise above their circumstances.

Arnaud chose to flee to the North as a mercenary, while Schulz joined the Otto family's court forces and achieved success in their respective fields.

Upon hearing this, Otto's face immediately lit up with a bright smile, and he reassured him, "Schultz, I will leave you with five thousand elite soldiers and a large amount of weapons and armor. I have already ordered Tristan to withdraw from Mirror Iron Territory. You only need to hold out for three weeks!"

River Bend Fort wasn't very large; five thousand soldiers were enough to cover all four walls.

Otto's plan was to lead 10,000 soldiers back to the city of Coron in the rear, in order to lull Lynn into a false sense of security.

Once Lynn's troops were exhausted from the long siege, he and Count Tristan flanked them from both sides, while Count Schulz inside the city launched a pincer attack from both inside and outside.

If Count Schulz fails to withstand Lynn's offensive, Otto can continue to build up the defenses in Cologne, while also supporting Count Tristan's retreat from Mirror Iron Territory.

Although that city was also by the river, it wasn't surrounded by water like River Bend, so it wasn't too afraid of Lynn's fleet.

In short, Lynn's army is now strong and well-equipped, riding the wave of a great victory, and possesses a large number of powerful artillery pieces. Otto simply doesn't have the courage to confront Lynn head-on.

If you can't beat them, then you can only run away, right?

Although Otto had a smile on his face, he was cursing inwardly.

His original plan was to crush Lynn in the naval battle, seize control of the Tranquil River waterway, and then divide and surround Lynn's land forces.

Now, Mayor Neil, on whom he had placed high hopes, is missing and his fate is unknown, so he can only retreat in a panic.

This perfectly illustrates the saying: what should have been a leisurely and effortless affair is now a hurried and frantic scramble.

However, Otto was not discouraged. He believed that he still had the strength to fight Lynn, and even had the upper hand in terms of troop strength and absolute combat power.

It was simply that he had been too greedy before, wanting too much and too little, which caused his forces to be scattered, giving Lynn an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Currently, Duke Vasa of the Valley has been rendered 'paralyzed' by Count Tristan's troops.

Even if Tristan led his army to retreat, Vasa would only be able to stay in his territory and lick his wounds for a short period of time, and would never dare to lead his army to attack.

(End of this chapter)