Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 159 Bad News

[Month of Mighty Troops: This month, the production of all troop types at level 3 and above (including level 3) will be increased by 50%, and building damage will be increased by 50% (potentially causing direct damage)]

As Su Mu and his men marched north, they happened to be there during a new astrological month.

After a difficult month of calamity, we welcome a month of strong troops, greatly increasing the production of high-level units. However, building damage will increase, and buildings may even be destroyed, which will put the lord's development strategy to the test.

Ordinary lords are even reluctant to recruit troops this month, lest their battle structures be completely destroyed, resulting in a net loss. Larger cities, however, possess special magic and methods to ensure the integrity of their extraordinary structures.

Generally speaking, large cities that have existed for decades have adequate protective measures. The kingdom has only a handful of truly famous cities, as many that were not adequately protected have long since disappeared in war and natural disasters.

Su Mu, however, was not too worried, not only because of the architect Forrest's presence, but also because both Kuraki Castle and Langlit Castle had been fortified and there were early signs that would avert many disasters.

The only downside is that soil fertility seems to remain suppressed, potentially leading to a prolonged food shortage. The scarcity of log resources has increased again; in international trade, logs have been driven up to 4000 gold per log, a truly alarming price.

Until magicians or priests develop new methods, the price of logs will remain high.

Driven by the terrifying profits, the trading city even extended its reach to the border forests, only to be discovered and dealt with by Wayne beforehand. Otherwise, the seeds of future trouble would have been difficult to sow.

"They really don't know what's good for them. Next time I go back, I'll definitely expose a few of their resource-rich areas and see if they dare to ask for anything again!"

Ouling berated the nobles, pointing out that the area actually contained several stone mines and windmills, and even gold mines, all controlled by the wealthy tycoons behind the trading city. They were used to being domineering, and even with the intervention of the judges and priests, they still tried to use underhanded tactics after Su Mu reclaimed the forest.

"Use the Savage Horn to stockpile some wild beasts and give them some trouble!"

This level 1 treasure has been unused for a long time. Su Mu was too lazy to pay attention to the other party anyway. If the nobles in the heartland continue to be aggressive, then next time it won't just be low-level beasts.

The prosperity of the inland cities is all thanks to the valiant resistance of the frontline troops. But these people are greedy and don't consider the big picture at all. They relentlessly exploit the Xilin Plain and Valley. They are truly pig-like teammates.

These things seem absurd and unbelievable. But if you read through the history of magic, you'll understand that human desires and selfishness have always been the dominant forces, especially in the chaotic times at the end of a nation's history, when there are even more people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Some people can unite, but others must be eliminated; otherwise, no matter how many or how powerful the heroes are, they will only get bogged down in the mire and be unable to move forward.

Maggie sighed. In her old days, she would have endured it all. But now she felt more and more that she had to give a strong counterattack to protect the interests of the territory: "The nobles in the heartland are interfering in the forest farms by relying on the resource land management rules. This was originally a policy of the kingdom to encourage joint management, but now it has been exploited."

Once the Bear Fort crisis is resolved, we can free up resources to send more troops to the western region, stationing them in the forests to deter troublemakers.

She used to have lofty ambitions, wanting to take care of the other nobles and serve the country. Now she has completely lost those thoughts. Being able to protect her own little territory is already her limit, and she can no longer care about the lives of others.

"Unfortunately, the kingdom has allowed these people to act recklessly, and sooner or later it will suffer the consequences!"

In fact, the backlash has already begun. Raven's position is unstable because the forces in Congress are getting impatient with his excessive spending and failure to drive the enemy out of the border.

Faced with Maggie's complaints, Su Mu rarely expressed his opinion: "The kingdom's original intention was good. During the war, a stable and powerful commodity control center was needed. However, the kingdom's control was decreasing day by day, and it was impossible to get the great nobles behind it to give up their profits."

The more this happened, the more the kingdom wanted to establish seemingly rigorous and perfect systems, forgetting that all systems ultimately depend on people to manage them.

The trading city is like a meticulously functioning machine, running smoothly and methodically for too many years. Now it's outdated and malfunctioning; simply having Congress issue orders is utterly ineffective. Often, well-intentioned strategies are implemented in a way that's baffling at the grassroots level, causing losses at each level and demoralizing the population.

Hearing Su Mu's insights, Maggie fell into deep thought. She was merely somewhat dissatisfied with the current situation, without dwelling on it too much. Now, thinking back, the kingdom's current state was indeed one of helplessness and inability to resist; the fact that it was putting up such a difficult fight was already a decent result. It was only thanks to the wisdom and courage of Raven, Conrad, and others that it had barely avoided collapse. Confused and helpless, Maggie even felt that the kingdom was beyond saving.

Su Mu gazed into the distance, facing the rising sun, his expression surprisingly relaxed: "Don't be so pessimistic, there's always hope. The kingdom is corrupt, but without destruction, there can be no construction. The human race still has heroes like the Knight Commander."

No one, not even a great legendary hero, can turn the tide on their own. They need like-minded comrades and steadfast followers to find light in the darkness.

The Knight Commander approves of me, and I have the same trust in you, Forrest, Orling, Ivan, and Wayne. You can then nurture your own promising newcomers to govern and rule the territories, while they continue to search for successors.

In this way, one person tells ten, ten tell a hundred, and eventually millions; starting with marquises, eventually a single spark can start a prairie fire.

At this point, a light appeared in Su Mu's eyes. However, after thinking about it carefully, he added, "In the magical world, perhaps gods can truly control everything with their own power, but we haven't become gods yet, have we?"

Listening to Su Mu's comforting words and looking at his imposing figure, Maggie had a fleeting impulse: perhaps the person before her was truly Bai Yu's savior.

Even if it weren't true, she was willing to follow Su Mu forward.

[Loyalty +2, further understanding of governance and management]

Just then, several ominous reports arrived from the front.

"Rhodes returned to Winterfell, announced his succession to the dukedom, and sent pursuers to capture Philip and Gabe. They are fleeing south, heading towards the vicinity of Bearhold."

"With Duke Salim dead, Norton was leaderless. Isildur, upon learning this news, launched a siege and, after several days of fierce fighting, completely captured Norton. He also pushed the Firewood Forest into the Northern Territory, forming an encirclement of the southern hills."

"A fierce battle has broken out at Bear Fortress, with nearly ten thousand skeletons launching an attack, which was held back by Chief Argyll. However, a wizard has taken Soya hostage and tied him to the front lines, and the two sides are currently locked in a stalemate in front of the city."

"Lloyd has received reinforcements from the Empire, reportedly mobilizing 100,000 troops to march straight at the Kingdom's army. The front lines are in grave danger!"

None of these news reports are good, especially the fall of Norton, which has opened a breach in the North. Isildur can bypass the city to the north and attack the hills from the rear, making Raven's defenses seem pointless.

"Saliman died at the worst possible time!"

One can only lament the kingdom's unfortunate fate. Despite this, Su Mu remains steadfast in his plan and continues to send troops toward Bear Fortress.

First, resolve the Argyll family issue and stabilize the plains region. As for Gabu's escape south, he might still be carrying the Salman family's beacon towers; perhaps we can reclaim them.

The more chaotic the northern border became, the more he needed to demonstrate the strength of Kuraki Castle in order to suppress any signs of unrest.

As for the overall strategy of the kingdom, we can only provide support to the north if the opportunity arises, and there is nothing else we can do but rely on Marshal Raven.

The most crucial element, of course, is the rapid development of troops and the economy.

Hopefully, these words will offer Maggie some insight.

(End of this chapter)