I'm not a lord

Chapter 113 Killing and Punishing the Heart

Around six o'clock in the morning, the sky began to turn pale.

The sun slowly rose, its golden light dispelled the mist and gradually illuminated the entire shallows area.

In front of the castle, the dozens of white military tents became more and more eye-catching in the morning light, like a sudden white stone forest.

As the fog dissipated, Flora on the city gate tower could see the enemy clearly.

She glanced at the soldiers holding spears and ready for battle, as well as the longbowmen in the back ready to attack, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Where on earth does this army come from?" she whispered to herself, her voice trembling slightly.

She counted them briefly and found that there were at least a hundred enemy soldiers outside the city wall.

Just by looking at how skilled they were at setting up camp, you could tell that these were no mere conscripts, but real professional soldiers.

In the Duchy of the Swamp, there are very few people who are capable of producing so many professional soldiers.

Either a duke or earl, or the leader of a large mercenary group.

The three oared ships docked at the pier answered some of Flora's questions.

But at the same time, it brought her more doubts.

"Sir, please look!"

At this moment, the maid beside her screamed.

Flora looked in the direction the maid pointed and saw a majestic golden deer flag slowly rising in the military camp.

Then she looked closely and saw that the tunics worn by the spearmen were also embroidered with the golden stag coat of arms of the Duke of the Moor.

"Is this the Duke's army?"

Flora's heels were trembling and she almost fainted on the city gate tower.

Why did the Duke's army suddenly appear in the Shoal Territory?

The shield tax for the shallows was paid, and the war tax was not delayed.

Apart from complaining about having to pay next year's taxes in advance, you haven't done anything to offend the Duke, right?
Even if the Duke really wanted to punish me, couldn't he just send an envoy?
Does Lord Qiantan dare to attack and kill the envoy?
What does it mean to send troops directly over?
Do you really want to destroy Qiantan County?

"Who the hell are you?"

"Is it the Duke's army? Why did they suddenly attack our Shoal Territory?"

"Where's the messenger? Why not send a messenger in?"

Seeing the army below the city display the golden deer flag representing the Duke, there was a burst of noise on the city wall.

However, although the defenders in the city were panicked, they did not open the city gates to surrender, nor did they leave their defensive posts without permission.

Lin En, who was in the center of the camp, remained silent. He stood on a small hill and carefully observed the castle's defensive structure and the thick black smoke rising above the castle.

The castle in the Shallows Territory is very small. The main building of the castle is directly connected to the east and north walls. The total height is close to fifteen meters, forming a closed defense circle.

In the entire castle, only the south and west walls are relatively short and easy to attack. The only iron lifting gate is located on the south wall.

A three-meter-high wooden fence was set up outside the city wall, and a trench was dug, connecting it to the outside world through a suspension bridge.

This kind of castle is not expensive to build, but its defensive effect is very good. It can hold out for a while even against an attack from an enemy force ten times its size.

If Lin En chose to attack by force, and ordered the second brother and five other armored knights to take the lead in climbing the city wall, assisted by the remote suppression of the barbarian archers and three heavy crossbows, and then added a hundred refugee soldiers, there would be a chance of breaking through the castle.

The price paid was heavy casualties among the refugee army, and there was a high probability that several old brothers would be injured or killed.

Whether you are a bandit or a lord, you have to pay attention to the input-output ratio.

It would undoubtedly be a losing proposition to capture this castle at the cost of more than a hundred troops.

Lynn decided to outsmart the opponent rather than attack with force.

Not only kill people, but also destroy their hearts.

Raising the golden deer flag representing the Duke of Swamp was part of his heart-breaking plan.

When you go out, your identity is given by yourself.

When Lin En was hanging around in the south, he forged many flags and robes of the Duke of Valley and the Duke of Meadow, and he also used forged vests to swan around many times.

There are no facial recognition systems these days. With a flag and a burqa on, who can tell your true identity?

Of course, Lynn didn't think that he could trick the castle gate open with just a few flags and burqas.

These local lords still had the necessary vigilance, and even if it was really the Duke's army that came, they would only watch politely and see them off.

If you want to enter the city, they will let an envoy in first, and only after checking the seal and confirming the identity will they open the city gate.

"Sir, I think we can try a strong assault. There are only twenty defenders in the castle, and we can't defend against attacks from two directions at the same time. I am willing to be the vanguard!"

The person who volunteered was none other than the young refugee Lucas.

During this month, he received rigorous training from Lao Wu and stood out in the training, becoming one of the ten team leaders of the refugee army.

In the squad leader competition, he was awarded a set of plate armor by Lin En himself because of his outstanding performance.

Thanks to the high salary he earned from military service, his mother and sister lived a life of ease and comfort.

Lucas longed to kill the enemy and make meritorious service in order to repay the lord's great kindness.

He also knew that only by going through the baptism of bloody battles could he grow into a true warrior.

He still holds on to that seemingly distant dream of revenge.

"Not urgent."

Lynn patted Lucas on the shoulder and signaled him to calm down.

Comrade Xiao Lu was indeed very brave and could possibly scale the city walls, braving the defenders' arrows and stabbings. However, the 100 refugee soldiers lacked combat experience and would likely collapse in the face of a brutal siege. They were only adequate for besieging the castle and frightening the defenders.

If they were really asked to storm the castle, they would most likely be there to give performance rewards to the defenders.

The knights and servants in the city are all real professional soldiers. Their personal strength and equipment level are far beyond the reach of the refugee army.

After all, this group of refugee soldiers is still a little weak and needs more training. Lin En has enough patience to wait for them to grow.

As for now, he was waiting for Bova to appear.

We are also waiting for the elite troops in the north to complete their mission and join us at the castle.

The two hundred soldiers led by the third and fourth brothers are the real army capable of fighting.

Bova was on his way on horseback.

He was woken up by his son who was on night watch at around five o'clock and learned that black smoke was burning in the castle.

This means that the castle has been attacked and needs support from the knights of various fiefdoms.

Bova was stationed at the southern end of the Shoal Territory.

According to the prior arrangement of Regent Flora, if there is any change in the territory, he needs to rush to the castle as quickly as possible.

Another knight who was also stationed at the southern end of the territory had to quickly head south to ask for help from the Baron of Green Lake.

At the end of September, the Shallows Territory and the Green Lake Territory finally reached an alliance, forming a defensive alliance. If one side was attacked from outside, the other side would be obliged to send troops to rescue.

As soon as he saw the black smoke, Bova immediately understood that it must be the White Bear Baron in the north who had taken action!
He put on his armor, mounted his horse with his son and three attendants, and headed towards the castle.

It was dawn when he was less than two kilometers away from the castle, and then he saw the Golden Deer Flag flying under the castle.

Several men hid in the grove at the edge of the field, observing the situation. His son muttered, "Father, this looks like the Duke's army."

Bova was delighted: "It must be the Duke's army. Do you know the relationship between Miss Yagena and the Duchess?"

The son asked in return, "Who doesn't know that Miss Yagena is the Duchess's maid?"

"Isn't that right? The young lady must have asked the Duke for reinforcements!" Bova vowed.

The three attendants exchanged glances, and one of them asked, "Sir, who should we help?"

Under the feudal system, honesty and loyalty were scarce commodities.

The upper nobility was able to rule the lower nobility, ostensibly by relying on feudal obligations, blood ties, oaths of allegiance and other face-saving things.

But in the final analysis, it all comes down to strength and fists.

The reason why these baronies in the White River Basin paid the high shield tax and war tax was because the Duke of the Swamp really had a large army?

If the Duke of Swamp's army were to be completely annihilated in the Crown Territory, the nobles of the Duchy would inevitably become disloyal and would no longer pay taxes as readily as before.

The fact that Flora, the regent of the Shoal Territory, can lead the young baron and command the knights is closely related to her good lover Henry.

Henryk is the current chief knight of the Shoal Territory. He has close ties with several fiefdom knights and is the top military leader in the territory.

Now that the castle was surrounded by the Duke of the Swamp's army, there was no need for Bova to do any ideological work, as his three servants were already ready to betray the Regent.

Although Miss Yagena is a woman, she is not qualified to inherit the Shoal Territory.

But judging from the current situation, she must be hanging out with a powerful man, perhaps even a favorite of the Duke.

Now that the young lady wants to take back the family property, we must lend a hand!

At this moment, a sharp-eyed attendant exclaimed, "Sir, look to the northwest!"

Bova looked up and saw a column of black smoke rising from the northwest of the territory.

This means that the Knight's Manor in the northwest of the territory has also been attacked and needs support.

"Can't wait any longer!"

Bowa's thoughts were boiling, and he instantly understood the current situation in the Shoal Territory.

There are four manors in the northern part of the Shoal Territory, all of which are garrisoned by knights. The manor where Henryk is stationed is located in the north of the territory, not far from the four watchtowers.

If the enemy wanted to attack the manor in the northwest, whether from the north or from the dock, they would have to pass through the manor where Henry was stationed first.

There was no smoke where Henrik was, but black smoke was rising from the northwest.

What does this mean?
This means that Henrik has most likely been killed by the White Bear Baron!
The efficiency is so amazing, it must be the Baron’s father, Earl of Cold Wind, who took action!

The army surrounding the castle was again under the banner of the Duke of the Moor.

The powerful armies of the Duke and the Earl came to serve a small shallow shoal county. No matter how clever Flora was, she could not escape death this time!
Powat stood up suddenly, turned around and walked towards the mount behind him.

His son and three attendants followed closely behind him, not wanting to be left behind: "We'll go with you!"

"No, you guys stay here, I'll go alone!"

Bova climbed onto his horse, his eyes determined.

He has a bold idea.

Going directly to the Golden Deer Banner would not go wrong, but it would also mean that you would not be able to make any more contributions.

When it comes to rewarding people for their merits in the future, he will probably not get much reward based on the little information he handed to Baron White Bear.

But if he could sneak into the castle and wait for an opportunity to open the gate and let the Duke's army in, it would be a great achievement that no one could erase.

Bova is almost forty years old, which means he is halfway into old age according to the average life expectancy of the knight class.

All he could leave for his son was a small knight's territory.

This territory is not only barren, but also has a small population, and can only afford to support three servants.

Now that the wealth is right in front of you, if you don’t seize it now, when will you?
(End of this chapter)