I'm not a lord

Chapter 146 Lord of the White River
The next morning, Lynn sent people to carry the bodies of little Bogdan and the two Green Lake Knights to the foot of the castle, and tacitly allowed the defenders in the city to go out of the city to collect the bodies.

The burqas on these corpses are the best identification cards, and their coats of arms are exactly the same as the flags hanging on the city walls.

Of course, Lin En didn't want to attack the Green Lake Castle unless necessary.

There are estimated to be fifty or sixty defenders in the castle, fully equipped with weapons and armor, and equipped with several crossbows or steel crossbows.

Within a distance of more than ten or twenty meters, even plate armor can hardly block crossbow arrows.

For Lynn, launching a strong attack would definitely allow him to capture the castle, but it would cost more soldiers' lives.

He didn't like this meaningless siege.

Because the defenders could not expect reinforcements in a short time, the castle had become a dead end, and the result of defending it was death.

Lin En knew that Baron Bogdan of Green Lake Territory in the city was no fool and he would definitely be able to understand the current situation.

In order to make the defenders in the city surrender with peace of mind, Lin En offered relatively generous conditions and sent envoys to negotiate.

As long as the city gates are opened proactively, all the defenders can save their lives.

If they wanted to leave, Lin En also promised to let them leave the White River Basin safely, and they could also take away a small amount of property so that they would not fall into poverty.

Those who were willing to stay could not retain their fiefdoms and serfs, but could only obtain the status of freemen and part of the property.

Of course, Lin En will promote capable people as appropriate and provide them with generous remuneration that matches their abilities.

The knights who abandoned darkness and joined the light at the shallows last year are the best example.

These conditions apply not only to the Green Lake Territory, but also to the three baronies to the south.

The fierce fighting has basically come to an end.

Negotiation is essential if the entire Baihe River Basin is to be acquired at the best cost-effectiveness.

In order to improve the efficiency of the negotiations, Lynn selected a dozen captives to serve as messengers and ordered them to carry his oral and written messages south to contact the three baronies in the south in advance to prevent the serfs from escaping as much as possible.

Lin En doesn't care much about the rentiers and middle-level management cadres in the territory.

If you want to run away, then run away. There are plenty of people who will do it if you don’t want to.

There are many good comrades in this world who are eager to make progress.

Last night, a village chief came to the military camp to pledge his loyalty, hoping to gain the new master's appreciation.

It was different for serfs; land without cultivators was worthless.

Lynn didn't want to end up with three empty baronies.

What he lacks most now is population.

In order to make the prisoners fully understand his intentions, Lin En specially opened a small negotiation class in the military camp.

In class, a brave captive asked in confusion, "My Lord Earl, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to retain the baronial fiefdoms of Heron Territory and River Marsh Territory?"

These captives were all conscripts, that is, the management class of the territory. They had lived in the Baihe River Basin for generations, and their roots were in the territory. Without the manor and serfs, they were nothing.

Lynn spared their lives and promised to preserve their positions and family property in exchange for their loyalty.

These captives have all received one-star ratings certified by the panel, and most of them have loyalty levels exceeding sixty points. This time, they are even given the honorific title of "Count".

I can only say that the "name" is really useful.

The titles of the second son of Earl of Cold Wind and Baron of White Bear saved Lynn countless troubles.

Now he has used the Duke's name again, claiming to be the Earl of Baihe authorized by the Duke, which makes him more intimidating.

Facing the captive's doubts, Lin En said seriously:
"These were the conditions before the war began yesterday. Now that the battle is over and all the knights of the White River Alliance are dead, how can they still deserve these generous conditions?

"It is out of generosity and kindness that I am willing to tolerate their disobedience! I am the Earl of White River, the sole master of the White River Basin. I simply want to reclaim the land and population that originally belonged to me!"

The conditions offered to the envoy yesterday were just a means for Lin En to sow discord. He never thought of fulfilling them.

"Understood, Lord Earl!"

The group of prisoners nodded in agreement and left one after another.

Escorting them south were three hundred soldiers led by the fourth brother, Joseph.

The Chixi Territory in the south has lost its baron and all its knights, and will be unable to fight back against this ferocious army.

As for how to pacify the territory and the serfs, the fourth brother had learned a lot from Lin En, so it was natural for him to do it easily.

After they left, the envoy from Green Lake Territory arrived at the military camp and started talking nonsense:
"My Lord, Baron Bogdan is deeply grateful for your generosity and kindness, but please understand that he is still deeply grieving the loss of his eldest son, and it may take some time for him to recover."

"boom!"

Lin En raised his hand and slammed the table, interrupting the messenger's chatter and issuing an ultimatum:

"Shut up! Go back now and tell Bogdan that if he continues to resist, he and the defenders will be destroyed. I will give him two more hours to make a decision. If you don't open the door before noon, you will have to bear my wrath!"

Then he stopped looking at the silent messenger and shouted outside the tent, "Lucas!"

The next second, Lucas, the captain of the refugee army, stepped into the tent and knelt on one knee: "Sir! Please give the order!"

Lin En issued an order in front of the messenger: "I order you to reorganize the troops and start the siege after noon!"

"Roger that!"

Lucas's resolute face was filled with excitement, as he felt that he finally had the chance to repay his master's kindness.

Fortunately, Lucas and the hundred refugees had never fought a serious battle since they formed an army last September.

In the shallows, they were responsible for setting up chevaux de frise and monitoring the castle.

When they arrived at Green Lake Territory, they still set up chevaux de frise and monitored the castle.

In yesterday's exciting battle, they still didn't get a chance to play, and could only squat outside the castle to intimidate the defenders.

This made Lucas very frustrated. He joined the army not for the fixed salary, but to establish merits, get rewards, and climb up as far as possible.

Even if he was given the most dangerous siege mission, he would be happy to do it.

He firmly believed that with his strength and good luck, this small and dilapidated Green Lake Castle would not only fail to take his life, but would instead become a stepping stone for him to climb up.

Being the first to break into the enemy line, beheading the general and seizing the flag, either one of them is a great achievement!

When Lucas caught a glimpse of the Green Lake envoy in the corner of the military camp, he unconsciously moistened his cracked lips with his tongue. A cold light flashed in his green eyes, like a hungry and ferocious wolf.

It’s better to just stand firm!

You must persevere and never surrender!
The messenger was terrified and stumbled back two steps. He said in panic, "My lord, I will return and report the truth to Baron Bogdan! Please be patient! I will persuade the Baron to surrender to you!"

"roll!"

Naturally, Lin En would not show any good face to the Green Lake Castle which was already in his possession.

After driving away the messenger, he ordered his soldiers to prepare for the siege.

During the days of besieging Green Lake Castle, the carpenters accompanying the army never stopped for a moment.

Not only did they build chevaux de frise to surround the castle, they also used prefabricated components to construct more than a dozen siege ladders. Although these were very crude, the Green Lake Territory Castle across the way was not a fortified city.

More than a dozen ladders were firmly fixed on the battlements, allowing the soldiers in plate armor to climb up with shields on their shoulders. Two hundred barbarian archers were lined up below to suppress the fire. The castle was sure to be taken down.

Lynn always makes multiple preparations and never hangs himself on one tree.

After the messenger brought back Lynn's tough attitude, the fortress in the middle of the castle suddenly became a mess.

An old and experienced knight ran up to Bogdan and shouted, "Sir, surrender! He is the Earl of Baihe, appointed by the Duke. There is no shame in surrendering!"

"What a bullshit earl! He can become an earl just by saying he's an earl? He can't even produce the Duke's autographed charter. He's clearly lying!"

The one who held opposing views was naturally Bogdan's lover Floren, and a group of his servants also joined in the clamor.

Floren is not just the Baron's favorite. His family has been thriving in the Green Lake Territory for a hundred years. It is itself a powerful knight family in the local area, owning nearly six hundred serfs.

If it was just an ordinary knight family, his sister Flora would never have married the former Baron of the Shoal.

Floren and Lynn had a blood feud, and knowing that surrender would mean death, and that his family's land and population would be taken away, he wanted to perish together with them.

At this moment, the soldiers' loud slogans were heard outside the castle, and the group of people's faces suddenly changed.

A knight shouted urgently, "Sir, if you don't surrender now, it will be too late! The coalition forces have been completely annihilated, and the Duke is far away in the Crown Territory. No one can save us. Do you want everyone in the territory to be buried with you? Does it matter whether the Earl of White River is real or not?"

This expressed the thoughts of most people present.

Indeed, not many people believe that Lynn is Earl Baihe.

For one, he had no charter;

Secondly, the Duke did not send any messengers to inform the baronies.

But Lynn's title of Earl could provide the surrenderists with a way to lay down their arms.

Rather than surrendering to a baron or a horse bandit, surrendering to an earl is obviously more acceptable to them, even if the title of earl is not real.

Baron Bogdan of Green Lake Territory stood in the center of the castle. He stared blankly at his men who were divided into two factions, completely undecided.

It wasn't until he saw his daughter-in-law appear at the edge of the crowd holding her young grandson that he finally made up his mind.

Although it would be satisfying to resist to the end, it would also mean that everyone would be buried with him, including his most beloved grandson and the first heir to the family.

His eldest son had died fighting for the territory, so he had the responsibility and obligation to raise this grandson.

"Open the gates, we surrender"

After saying that he wanted to surrender, Bogdan's heart, which had been boiling since last night, suddenly calmed down.

As soon as I thought of surrender, I felt that the world had widened.

Most of the defenders in the fort also breathed a sigh of relief.

Barons, earls, dukes and the like are too far away for them.

The only thing they care about is their own life and the life of their families.

Although the enemies outside were fierce, they at least gave them a way to survive.

Only Floren and a few of his closest associates showed expressions of disbelief, with Floren even roaring in despair:

"My lord, how can you surrender? You are a baron, don't you want to avenge your eldest son? You..."

But Bogdan just waved his hand lightly, and immediately two knights knocked Floren to the ground.

At this time, a mere lover can naturally sell it at any time.

Before noon, the Green Lake Castle opened its gates and surrendered. From Baron Bogdan down, everyone tied their hands and walked out of the castle.

Lynn personally untied the ropes for the old baron and invited him into the military tent.

Bogdan sat on a small marching stool, looking up at the majestic man on the main seat, but inexplicably he did not feel much hatred in his heart.

The gap in strength between the two sides is too great.

He was just a former baron who had lost his territory, but his enemy was the second son of the earl who commanded a powerful army. There was no hope of revenge at all.

As for the hatred for seizing territory, it is a matter of the survival of the fittest, and there is no question of whether it is a hatred or not.

The enemy spared the lives of his entire family, which was already considered merciful.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you could command such a powerful military force, you would of course expand outward.

"grown ups."

Bogdan opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know where to start.

Lin En looked at the old baron with a hunched back, and a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"Don't worry, I won't go back on my word. I will escort you and your family safely to the southernmost Hemarsh Territory. You are free to decide where to go next."

Lin En is not afraid that Bogdan will hold a grudge.

Why would people care about the hostility of ants?

He even wanted to thank Bogdan for being willing to open the door and surrender.

The baron's initiative to surrender out of the city was of far-reaching significance to this battle.

Lynn did not need to waste time and lives in the insignificant Green Lake Castle. He could also use this surrender as a template to extend it to the other three baronies.

I wonder how much trouble this will save him.

As for escorting Bogdan's family to the River Marsh Territory, of course, they were to be used as "living exhibits" to show Lynn's broad mind to the three baronies in the south.

As long as you are willing to open the door and surrender, you can definitely save the lives of your entire family!

Killing these lords was indeed a pleasure, but they had other uses for Lin En.

After the battle with Green Lake Territory, it was no longer possible to develop quietly and secretly.

It would be better to just make your reputation bigger.

Lynn wanted to use these people as his living trumpets to announce to the Dukedom of the Swamp and even the entire North that a powerful new force was rising in the White River Basin.

The owner of this force is not Roman, the Baron of White Bear, nor the second son of Earl of Cold Wind, but Lin En, the Lord of White River!

Lin En wants to enter the political arena of the North under his real name, not a stolen vest.

As for his origins, let those interested dignitaries investigate it themselves.

Lynn hopes to attract potential partners, including but not limited to merchants, municipalities, other local nobles, and even the king and duke of the North.

The location of the Baihe River Basin is too important.

If they could capture Sanhe City to the south, it would mean cutting off the Duke of Swamp's retreat back to his old nest, Golden Deer Castle.

The other two dukes and the northern royal family, which is being ravaged by the duke's army, should be very interested in the emerging power of Baihe.

(End of this chapter)