I'm not a lord

Chapter 118 Thunder, Rain, and Dew, All Kindness

After witnessing the suicide of Flora and Henrik, Lynn met with four surrendered knights including Bova again in the castle hall.

"I have seen your loyalty."

This wasn't just 'seeing' in the literal sense, because Lynn could really see their loyalty.

Bova's loyalty is as high as 99 points, and the other three knights are not much worse, two are 80+, one is 90+, and their attribute values ​​are all one star. There is nothing particularly outstanding about them, and they are just average.

It is normal to have high loyalty. These three people all turned against their own side at the critical moment, and their hands are stained with the blood of the previous lord. In addition, Lin En has a special identity.

Currently, the legal basis for Lynn to rule the Shoal Territory comes from the fetus in Yagna's belly.

Although it sounds abstract, he is indeed exercising the power of the lord as the lord's father.

This is what's so fucked up about the feudal system.

There must be a "reason" for going to war, and there must also be a "reason" for ruling a territory.

This provided convenience for Lynn, but also put shackles on him.

Logically speaking, since he accepted the loyalty of these knights, he had to protect their rights and status.

These knights all had their own fiefdoms and serfs in the Shoal Territory. The largest knight had nearly four hundred serfs, while the smallest had more than two hundred.

But Lynn is going to break these 'shackles' now.

"You have resolutely abandoned the usurper and supported the orthodoxy, and have always remained loyal to the Shoal Family. This quality is truly commendable."

Hearing Lynn's words, the four knights, including Bova, showed expectant expressions.

The new master is about to spread his grace!

All the heavy psychological burdens we carried before and the betrayal at the critical moment are worth it!
Only the second brother standing behind the chair knew: whenever the eldest brother started to be polite to others, there was a high probability that he was going to chop people or cheat them.

Lin En sat high in the main seat, taking in the expressions of the knights. A smile played on his face. "To commend your loyalty, from today on, I will confiscate all of your fiefdoms and subjects."

The expressions of the four people in the audience suddenly changed. They never expected Lin En to do this.

We have not only made contributions, but also worked hard. You want to confiscate our fiefdom as soon as you take over the territory?

You are not afraid of us.
Except for Bova, the three knights exchanged glances, but found that they really did not seem to have the confidence to resist.

In the past, in the Shoal Territory, if the baron announced that he would confiscate the fiefs of all the knights, they would definitely unite to resist the baron's "tyranny".

Even if half of the eight knights could fight back, it would be enough to give the Baron a hard time.

Therefore, the two sides can always maintain a delicate balance.

The knights provided military support to the barons, and the barons granted the knights privileges on their own fiefdoms.

But Lynn was different. He was not the Baron of the Shoal, and he was not as weak as the previous barons.

He had at his disposal a truly powerful and loyal army.

These knights of the Shallows Territory had already witnessed the power of this army.

Just yesterday morning, this army captured three knight manors in succession in a very short period of time.

It is foreseeable that even if all four people present rebelled, the new master would find it easy to deal with them.

Lynn gave the four knights enough time to fully consider the consequences.

At the same time, he could also see that the loyalty of three of them was plummeting.

He had no doubt that if the Duke sent troops to attack the Shoal Territory at this time, these three would most likely choose to lead the way. However, Lin En did not care about the short-term fluctuations in loyalty.

He has plenty of ways to make them go back up.

Lin En's eyes swept over the four knights with different expressions, and then said:

"Your territories were inherited from your fathers or grandfathers. I know you are reluctant to give them up, but you can rest assured that I will provide you with a compensation that you cannot refuse.

I will soon form an army in the Shallows Territory, and you and your attendants can join this army.

The annual grain production of your respective territories can only be converted into forty Northern Gold Shields. This money is not only used to support your family, but also to provide salaries for your servants.

And I will provide you with a salary of no less than this amount. If there is a war in the future, you will have the right to share the spoils. At the same time, I will also provide you with weapons, horses and armor.

You will receive no less than the gold shields you already have, but you won't have to worry about managing your territory. The only price you need to pay is to hand over your territory and serfs."

As for these four knights, Lynn had already figured out how to arrange them.

Except for Bova, the other three are not very old, and they are in their twenties and have one-star ratings, which can be considered as useful talents.

Lin En will soon recruit an army of more than 300 people in the shallows.

The squires of these knights can serve as grassroots officers or soldiers, and they themselves will be transferred to the second-in-command and become members of the cavalry unit.

The dozen or so cavalrymen led by the second brother were all old buddies of Lin En when he was a horse bandit. They were treated very well. The salary plus the physical goods they received every month could be converted into at least two Northern Gold Shields.

Incorporating these three knights into the group would just help to eliminate their "knightly bad habits".

As for Bova, he is really too old, so let him be a senior security guard in the Shoal Castle.

His son, the young man who had previously delivered the message to White Bear, was actually a promising person.

Lin En will incorporate him into the new army of Qiantan and let Lao Wu train him well. Whether he can really become a useful person depends on his luck.

None of the four knights present dared to object, and they could only choose to hand over their territory and serfs obediently.

Besides, the conditions offered by Lin En were not bad at all. He only paid two gold shields a month, and the company also covered the loss of war horses, armor and weapons. Even the court knights of the Duke of Swamp would only receive such treatment.

Lin En took out the contract he had prepared long ago and asked the four people to sign it, thus completing the reorganization of the existing armed forces of the Shoal Territory.

Except for Bova, the loyalty of the other three has not returned to its original high level.

But it doesn’t matter, the second brother will teach them how to behave.

After the army was reorganized, Lynn's busy life had just begun.

That afternoon, he summoned Robert and other shallow ford stewards to the castle.

"I have reclaimed all the fiefs of the eight knights. From today on, all the land and population of the Shoal Territory will obey my orders."

As soon as Lin En opened his mouth, the managers were shocked.

The knight enfeoffment system is the underlying logic of feudal territories.

Can this be discarded just like that?

Without the knights, who would protect the Shoal Territory? Who would respond to the Duke's call for conscription?

But Lynn's shock to them had just begun.

"I'll give you one night to pack your bags. Tomorrow you need to go to White Bear Territory. There, you will learn what real farming is."

(End of this chapter)