I'm not a lord

Chapter 379 A general who can't beat dust isn't a good commander.
As the morning sun began to illuminate the northern lands, the clanging of chisels echoed from the western walls of River Bend.

Lao Sanyang stood at the edge of the breach in the city wall, inspecting the work. Under his feet were the lime lines that the craftsmen had drawn the day before.

Lynn's task for him was to complete the repairs to the city wall within two weeks.

This nearly ten-meter-wide gap, blasted out by artillery fire, is the core of this repair work.

Yang held several yellowed, old parchment pages in his hand; these were blueprints of the city wall construction seized from inside the castle.

Engineering work was, of course, also part of the war effort. Projects such as building city walls, digging trenches, setting up camps, building dams to store water, and digging canals to divert water were all essential courses for commanders.

In classical times, a general who couldn't beat dust could never become an excellent commander.

Throughout the long history of warfare, some commanders have even made their mark on history by demonstrating exceptional skills in combat.

For example, Marshal Vauban of France participated in the renovation of more than 300 fortresses.

It can only be said that although civil engineering is tough, it is definitely a profession with extremely high potential.

Yang is still a beginner in the field of gravel removal. The last time he participated in an engineering project was when he followed Lynn to build a gravel road through the forest in White River Territory.

Therefore, he cherished this opportunity to repair the city wall and went to the construction site early in the morning to inspect it.

Of course, as the current supreme commander of River Bend Fortress, Yang has the authority to mobilize manpower and resources inside and outside the castle. His personal command can also speed up the repair process of the city walls.

Yang's gaze swept over the busy crowd below the city wall.

Hundreds of prisoners were being guarded by soldiers as they carried rubble up the city wall. They were wearing only a thin linen garment on their upper bodies and had to use their backs to carry the rubble up the collapsed city wall.

Castle construction has always relied on locally sourced materials, and these stones blasted down by cannon fire, after being selected, will become the main materials for filling the gaps.

The manpower used was naturally 'locally sourced'; the people moving the stones were prisoners of war from River Bend Fort, and the people supervising them were soldiers from the First Legion with long swords at their waists and whips in their hands.

If any prisoner tries to stop and slack off, he will immediately be whipped on the thigh, leaving a bloody welt.

Lynn had promised to treat the prisoners well, and he did indeed keep that promise.

However, his understanding of 'kind treatment' might differ slightly from the 'kind treatment' these prisoners perceived themselves to be.

In Lynn's view, sparing these prisoners of war to live was already quite generous; he even mercifully gave them a way to exchange work for food.

Once the walls of River Bend Fort are repaired, most of the prisoners of war will be transported to White River Territory.

Iron mines and smelters in Chixi County will continue to expand their production capacity this year, creating a severe shortage of miners, loggers, and charcoal burners. Similarly, asphalt and salt mines in Baixiong County also need more workers.

Even if another 10,000 or 20,000 prisoners of war came, Lynn could easily accommodate them.

He wasn't afraid of these prisoners of war causing trouble. After all, the overseers in these mining areas were all from the wilderness. They didn't understand the common language of the mainland very well, but the force with which they wielded their whips was by no means light.

"The transport team is too small. Send another two hundred prisoners of war, and quickly!"

Yang had no good feelings towards these Northerners who were acting as lackeys for the Southerners, and with a single order, he ordered two hundred more prisoners to be brought in to carry stones.

Not far from him, a dozen local stonemasons from Hewanbao were squatting at the breach, repairing the city wall with lime mortar and stones.

These artisans were also prisoners of war, but because of their skill, they were able to maintain a semi-free status.

Once the city wall is repaired, they can leave on their own and go home.

Stonemasons are not a rare breed in the North; they can be found in towns and villages alike.

As for the local blacksmiths of River Bend Fort, they have already been forcibly conscripted into the army.

Just then, Lucas jogged over to Yang's side, first pounding his chest with his right hand and shouting "Loyalty! Steadfastness!", before reporting, "Commander, the towers and gate towers on the west city wall have been completely destroyed by cannon fire, and reconstruction will require a large amount of timber and stone."

"I'll give you four hundred prisoners of war, and you'll also be in charge of the carpenters in the castle! Go to the forest to the north to cut down and transport timber. I'll give you ten days to repair the city gate tower and the tower!" Yang waved his hand and allocated another four hundred prisoners of war.

"Yes, sir! I guarantee the mission will be completed on time!" Lucas saluted again and jogged away.

If Yang is the general contractor for the Hewanbao restoration project, then the team leaders under him are the subcontractors.

This project was both a task assigned from above and a good opportunity for the officers of the First Army Corps to further their studies.

Everyone has a first time. You get better and better at applying ash the more you do it. Once you have the valuable experience from your first time, you can definitely apply it next time.

Even with the midday sun high in the sky, the clanging sounds from the city walls continued unabated.

Lynn, along with Victor and several other officials, also came to the city wall to inspect the work.

After circling halfway around the city wall, Lynn arrived at the east wall of River Bend Castle.

He stood beside a relatively intact battlement, gazing through the pre-drilled firing holes at the calm river flowing eastward, and chuckled, "Whatever Otto's ideas are, we'll just stay in River Bend Fort, fix the walls, and quietly watch his show."

Just half an hour ago, Lynn received the latest military intelligence from the south bank of the Jing River.

The 20,000-strong army led by Earl Harvey and Earl Tristan has left Luyuan Territory and is advancing rapidly on the south bank, seemingly heading directly to Dawa Town to meet up with Otto.

Victor stood beside Lynn, also admiring the magnificent river view, and replied, "Your Majesty, Otto's army left in Luyuan should not exceed five thousand men. Vasa will certainly not be able to suppress his ambition to seize Luyuan."

“Let him be. My messenger to the south should have delivered the message by now. Harvey will definitely not give such a large territory to Vasa for nothing. As long as we don’t send troops south, these two wolves will fight each other to the death.” Lynn leaned on the wall, the refreshing river breeze blowing through his dark brown hair.

Lynn was in a great mood, as everything was proceeding according to his pre-battle predictions.

Although Harvey and Tristan retreated hastily, they did not forget to leave a defensive force in Luyuan territory.

Without external interference, it would be unrealistic for Duke Vasa of the Valley to take over Luyuan territory in less than a year and a half with his limited forces. Lynn only needs to focus on keeping an eye on Otto in Dawa Town.

Even if Otto's two forces successfully join forces, their combined strength would only be slightly over 30,000, posing no significant threat to Lynn at present.

Moreover, Otto has lost most of his warships, and without control of the waterways, the difficulty for him to obtain food and supplies will be greatly increased.

Lynn is now in control, and his rear base is very secure, providing a steady stream of supplies and troops.

He wasn't in a hurry to attack; he had plenty of time to wear Otto down.

The one who couldn't afford to drag things out wasn't him, but Otto.

According to intelligence provided by prisoners in Amber Harbor, Otto had borrowed a considerable amount of money at exorbitant interest rates from merchants in Amber Harbor and the Southern Territory.

The longer the debt drags on, the greater the repayment pressure on Otto will be.

Furthermore, the changes in the North will indirectly affect the situation in the South.

As Otto becomes increasingly entangled in the swamps of the North, his powerful enemies in the South will naturally begin to stir, and the flames of war will spread to his homeland, the Kingdom of Rui.

Thinking of this, Lynn turned around and ordered, "By the way, Hawke's fleet can stop patrolling upstream of River Bend Castle. Have him deploy all his ships to the waterway between River Bend Castle and Dawa Town. If Otto is found to be regrouping his fleet or trying to transport grain by ship, have Leon's main fleet attack and sink all of Otto's ships!"

Although Lynn's fleet held a significant advantage and completely controlled the Tranquil River waterway west of River Bend, its fleet was relatively small and had to coordinate with the army.

Moreover, even a centipede with a hundred legs does not die easily; Otto's fleet was not completely wiped out. As long as he tries his best to piece it together, he can still organize some warships. Lynn must maintain some 'strategic respect' for this.

Lynn currently doesn't have enough ships to control the wide river east of Dawa Town.

But it doesn't matter, as long as Otto's grain transport waterway to the west can be cut off.

The following day, Lynn left River Bend and patrolled westward along the Quiet River, eventually arriving at the confluence of the Coldwind River and the Quiet River.

Affected by ice jams and spring floods, this low-lying area has been turned into a vast expanse of water.

The Cold Wind River, flowing from north to south, branches into several channels at its confluence, pouring clear meltwater from the ice and snow into the Still River, while also flooding large areas of land.

This area also marks the dividing line between the middle and lower reaches of the Jinghe River.

It is precisely because of the replenishment of water from the tributaries that the Jinghe River can be widened here.

Large ocean-going vessels departing from Amber Harbour can only sail this far; heading further west, they must switch to shallower inland vessels.

Victor, mounted on his horse, explained to Lynn: "Your Majesty, most of the confluences of rivers in the North look like this. In spring and summer, they turn into wetlands and swamps. Due to the influence of spring ice, the course of the confluences can even change every few decades. They are not suitable for settled life at all, but only for short-term grazing."

Mikawa Castle was able to be built at the confluence of rivers because the land beneath the city was relatively solid and its higher elevation protected it from the effects of river ice.

Simply put, due to the influence of the northern climate, ice floes accumulate in the lower reaches of rivers or at their confluences in the spring, forming what is known as 'ice dams'.

This can cause the river to overflow, and if the geology at the confluence is relatively soft, the heavy river ice may also damage and reshape the river channel.

Although Mikawa Castle is also located at the confluence of the Shirakawa and Jeongwa rivers, the city is built on a sturdy platform overlooking the river, which effectively avoids damage from the river ice.

Furthermore, the right side of the Baihe River is bordered by the towering Conqueror Mountains, and the geological conditions at the confluence are solid, making it difficult for the river course to change.

It is precisely because of this unique geographical advantage that Sanhe City was able to develop into the largest autonomous city in the northern inland region, with its trade status second only to Amber Port at the mouth of the Jinghe River.

Victor then added, “Going upstream along the Coldwind River leads to Coldwind Valley, the former fiefdom of Earl Coldwind. I’ve been there before. The land in the valley is very fertile, with large areas of high-quality pasture. The local people are skilled at raising dairy cows. However, they face the threat of cold northern winds in winter, hence the name Coldwind Valley.”

As a university graduate who had traveled extensively throughout the Crown Territory, Victor was intimately familiar with its geography and culture.

It was precisely because of these rich past experiences that he was able to stand out among many talents and become the chief secretary trusted and valued by Lynn.

Finally, Victor sighed softly, "It's a pity that Otto sent troops to Coldwind Valley last year to forcibly requisition food and supplies, causing many local people to flee their territories. Moreover, the nobles he appointed there had already abandoned their territories and fled before the war."

Speaking of which, Coldwind Valley has a deep connection with Lynn.

He not only used the name of the second son of Earl of Coldwind, but also misappropriated the reputation of Coldwind Valley when promoting various new agricultural technologies.

This place was indeed a rich territory of the royal domain, and that's why Lynn used it to 'deceive' the simple people of White Bear County.

Old Albert, for example, once believed Lynn's well-intentioned lies, thinking that technologies such as composting and heavy plowing originated from Coldwind Valley.

Now that Coldwind Valley has become Lynn's territory, if the officials from White Bear County were to investigate, they would know that Coldwind Valley is no different from the former White Bear Territory, and there is no such advanced agricultural technology at all.

However, this little thing is no longer important.

Standing on a small hill on the riverbank, Lynn gazed into the distance and commented, "The location of Coldwind Valley is not bad. To the east, it can rely on the Coldwind Mountains as a barrier. Although this mountain range is not as towering and precipitous as the Conqueror Mountains, it is at least a natural defensive line that can be used."

Then he issued another order: "After Joseph occupies Coldwind Fortress, order him to recruit soldiers on the spot as soon as possible, and have Leon prepare transport ships. The recruited soldiers should be sent to Golden Deer Fortress for training. Once six thousand new soldiers have been recruited, Andrei's three thousand reserve troops can be transferred to the front line."

Replacing veterans in the rear with new recruits ensures sufficient garrison troops in the rear, while also using veterans who have undergone long-term training to compensate for casualties among frontline troops.

This was also a basic strategy that Lynn established at the beginning of the army's formation: to prevent soldiers who had not received systematic training from being rushed to the front lines.

This would also maximize the training ability of the fifth brother, Andrei, allowing him to always have soldiers to train in the rear.

The only minor regret is that Andrei will likely have few more opportunities to lead troops on the front lines in combat.

In response, Lynn gave him some compensation and arranged for his eldest son Albert's marriage to Andrei's daughter ahead of schedule.

That afternoon, just as Lynn was preparing to return to Riverbeam, Riverbeam sent a messenger to report that an envoy sent by Duke Vasa of the Valley was traveling down the river from Three Rivers and was about to arrive at Riverbeam.

(End of this chapter)