I'm not a lord

Chapter 100: Swallowing Mountains and Rivers (First Order Request)

"Welcome home, Third Brother."

Lynn opened her arms and gave the third brother a warm hug on the dock.

The last time the third brother returned to White Bear Territory was in June.

At that time, the White Bear Territory was extremely poor. The salt transportation road had not yet been opened, the dock was dilapidated, and the north side of the castle was bare.

Now that the salt transportation road is unobstructed, it can bring in at least 500 gold coins for White Bear County every month.

The dock was renovated and two large salt warehouses were built.

There are several more hydraulic workshops on the north side of the castle. The rotating water wheels and the black smoke coming out of the chimneys indicate that the White Bear Territory is thriving.

"I'm sorry, brother. I should have come back earlier, but I was delayed by something."

The third brother felt very guilty. He thought he had failed in Sanhe City.

If we could make friends with some captains who own ships, we could transport the refugees to the White Bear Territory earlier, and we wouldn't have to bring back only 600 refugees.

Lin En put his arm around the third child's shoulders and encouraged him, "How can this be called delay? You've done such a great job!"

He knew that the third brother would definitely be able to surprise him.

Six boats carrying six hundred refugees also safely escorted the blacksmith Eric's family to the territory, and also brought Leon's money for buying salt.

The third brother successfully completed the three tasks this time and did not let Lin En down in his cultivation and trust.

Lin En immediately arranged for people to bring all 600 refugees off the ship.

The refugees were dressed in rags and looked pale.

Fortunately, most of them are young people with good physical fitness. They can still stand after getting off the boat. As long as they are recuperated for a period of time, they will be the best labor force. Maybe some qualified soldiers can be selected from them.

As it was almost dusk, Lynn was not in a hurry to check their quality.

He gave orders directly to old Albert to relocate the refugees to Manors No. 1 and No. 2 near the castle.

Since July, many residents have built new stone houses, and the vacant mud houses are just right for accommodating these refugees.

There is no shortage of food and salt in the White Bear Territory nowadays. The refugees have traveled a long distance and are malnourished, so they need to rest for at least a week before they can continue.

The third brother also brought two of Leon's subordinates. They were going to build a small trading post in the White Bear Territory and were responsible for delivering messages and intelligence.

In fact, Leon had originally planned to purchase a small paddle boat and dock it in White Bear Territory to facilitate subsequent communication between the two sides.

It’s a pity that it’s hard to find a boat in Sanhe City now, so the plan has to be shelved for the time being.

Lynn set up a sumptuous banquet in the castle to entertain the triumphant third brother and the two guests who came from afar.

After the banquet, Lin En brought the third child into the study. Leah brought a pot of warm honey cider, and the two sat opposite each other and talked at night.

It was mainly the third brother who spoke, and Lin En was responsible for listening.

"Brother, most of the refugees I brought with me came from the Crown Territory. According to the intelligence I gathered from various sources, the Duke of Swampland's recent offensive has been very fierce.

He invaded the Crownlands in early July and captured River Reach by early August.

Among the refugees was someone from the Earldom of River Bend. According to him, the Earl of River Bend might have died in an assassination. Of course, the authenticity of this matter remains to be confirmed.

But what is certain is that the main force of the Duke of Marshland has already crossed the Riverbend Castle and penetrated deep into the heart of the Crown Territory."

Lin En had been to the River Bay Castle that the third brother mentioned.

The castle was built on an island in the center of the Jing River at a bend, firmly blocking the Jing River's channel and connecting it to the riverbank with a retractable pontoon bridge. It was a renowned and sturdy fortress. Its interior was constantly stocked with enough food for 500 soldiers for two years, earning it the reputation of being "unbreakable."

More than a hundred years ago, when the first King of Conquerors divided the three dukes, he ordered the construction of River Bay Castle on the western border of the crown territory, hoping to rely on this fortress to resist possible rebellion by the three dukes.

The Earl of Riverbend has a close relationship with the royal family and has maintained marriage alliances for generations. He is the royal family's most loyal watchdog.

Now that the fortress has fallen into the hands of the Duke of Swamp, he can ensure that his retreat is safe and he can move forward with confidence.

Lin En chuckled and said, "It's often said that the strongest fortress is often breached from the inside. The Duke of Swamp is also a cunning assassin.

Although he said it with ease, Lin En felt a little nervous inside.

If the Duke of Swampland really marches straight into Amber Harbor and is eventually crowned the new King of the North.

Then Lin En can only choose to run away. Going to the southern border to develop may be a good choice.

But the possibility of this is very, very low.

Riverbank Castle is only the first checkpoint on the way to Amber Harbor, and there are several tough large castles behind it.

The Duke of the Swamp can't just cheat all the way through and speedrun, right?

And what about the Duke of Meadow and the Duke of Valley?

The third brother continued, "Brother, the other two dukes have also recently sent troops, and they are mainly attacking the western part of the Dukedom of the Swamp.

However, because the Duke of the Swamp had built several castles along the river in advance, the two dukes were temporarily unable to invade the heartland of the Duke of the Swamp, nor could they threaten the Duke of the Swamp's lair.

It is said that the Duke of the Vale has also sent a force into the Crownlands, but their purpose is not yet clear."

The borders of the three duchies are all surrounded by natural barriers, either large rivers or mountains and swamps. They are easy to defend but extremely difficult to attack.

The Duke of Swampland had been planning for the throne for a long time and had begun to renovate the border castles five or six years ago.

Now that the castle has a natural barrier, the local nobles' troops can effectively resist the attacks of the two dukes.

"It seems that the Duke of Swamp and his main force will not be able to return in the short term. He is determined to seize the throne and will definitely not give up the victory he has achieved."

Lin En combined multiple pieces of information and came to a relatively reasonable conclusion.

The third brother nodded and suggested, "Leon and I agree. Big brother, we should attack the Shoal Territory as soon as possible, then rest for a while and observe the movements of the three dukes. If they don't cease fire, we will continue south and occupy the entire White River Basin."

After listening to the third brother's advice, Lin En couldn't help but teasingly said, "It seems that your trip to Sanhe City has not only broadened your horizons, but also increased your appetite."

He immediately looked at the third brother's panel and found that his intelligence had increased again and reached the [C-] level.

Intelligence is a comprehensive attribute, not the IQ in the traditional sense.

People with [C-] intelligence do not necessarily have higher IQs than those with [D+] intelligence.

This attribute is mainly reflected in whether one has a profound understanding of things and whether one has broad knowledge and vision.

"I just feel that this opportunity is rare." The third brother scratched his head a little shyly.

He also knew that his plan was very crude.

It was like drawing a house with only the shell, without any details, but he still felt that he should offer advice to his elder brother.

The window for transformation for this bandit group is very short, and they must seize the opportunity of this war.

There are only four chapters today, and I will continue to update tomorrow. Anyway, I won’t just waste my time writing 4,000 words a day, and there is no need to worry that I will run away or finish the book. I will continue writing until it is completed.

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(End of this chapter)