Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 18 Intermediate Governance Techniques

The Pegasus descended from the sky, but it was anything but graceful.

Broken wings, torn horse legs, and an elf covered in blood.

"It's bad, Druid! We were ambushed outside town and suffered heavy losses."

Hillel's smug expression instantly turned to astonishment. He hurriedly looked out of the town and saw a unit of spearmen rushing towards the forest. Although they were somewhat disorganized, they were indeed the Kingdom's troops.

"You're scared like this by just a few riflemen? What are you all good for?!"

Enraged, Hillel kicked the messenger to the ground. The messenger struggled to his feet, pointed at the sky, and exclaimed, "It's not just spearmen! How could they possibly hit people flying in the sky? There are even more terrifying enemies!"

Hirel looked closely and saw a dense burst of holy light on the horizon, bursting open beneath the clouds. It instantly blasted several Pegasus horses that had not yet left the battlefield into ashes, scattering blood and flesh like flowers in a terrifying scene.

"Sacrifice!"

Seeing this, Sirel was utterly puzzled. How could a priest from the Light Order be sent to fight when the small town of Kuraki was attacked? This was a standard level 5 soldier, an extremely rare existence even in the kingdom.

Looking at the reinforcements, they were scattered and numbered no more than a hundred, with extremely ordinary combat capabilities.

If we can take down the tough nut of the Earth Bow, and then lead the remaining troops down the mountain to charge the spearmen, we can guarantee that they will not return alive.

But the enemy also has elite troops; the presence of the priests is like a sword of Damocles hanging overhead, constantly threatening them. Moreover, unlike ordinary ranged units, priests are flawless even in melee combat; compared to them, centaurs are simply weaklings.

He surveyed the battlefield and saw that only a dozen or so of the enemy's Earthbowmen were still holding out; the rest were wounded and barely clinging to life, though not dead. Oling's quiver was empty, forcing him to fight the centaurs head-on with his dagger, his body already riddled with wounds.

Only Su Mu remained steadfast, raising his heavy sword to guard the pass, and none of the centaurs dared to challenge his might.

He's just an ordinary hero! Once we kill these soldiers and surround Su Mu, we can easily torment him to death.

Just give them another half an hour, no, a dozen minutes, and they might be able to wipe them out.

pity!

With a "thud," the fist smashed the boulder to pieces, and Hillel was filled with resentment.

"Druid, the enemy army is closing in. We urge you to make a decision soon!"

Having said that, Pegasus called for the remaining troops to retreat towards the forest. After all, they weren't under Hirel's jurisdiction; they had come hoping to scavenge some resources, but unexpectedly encountered a priest, so running away was the best way to save their lives.

This action enraged Hillel so much that his leopard-like face contorted with rage. These guys were good for nothing and good for making things worse.

But after his anger subsided, he quickly assessed the strength of both his own and the enemy's forces and ordered the centaurs to retreat together.

Although the battle on the hillside was nearing its end, if they were delayed any longer, and the spearmen and priests arrived, none of them would be able to escape. There was no need to lose their lives for a few sharpshooters; the lives of heroes were far more precious.

However, he did not order a direct retreat. Instead, he ordered the centaurs to launch a strong attack before retreating, otherwise the enemy would take the opportunity to counterattack.

Seeing the centaur's attack intensify, Earthbow lamented, thinking he was about to perish here.

Su Mu shouted, "Our reinforcements have arrived! The centaurs are trying to escape, stop them!"

Hearing this shout and seeing the billowing dust outside the forest, the Earth Bow suddenly gained strength, and its fighting spirit soared.

The centaurs were just trying to scare the archers. Seeing the archers' desperate stance, they lost their will to fight and retreated towards the mountain path.

As expected of a level 1 unit with high agility, and with the added boost of speed, it can run far away in the blink of an eye.

But turning your back to the shooters comes at a price.

The Earth Bow unleashed another rain of arrows, pinning the fleeing centaurs to trees. The rest abandoned their armor and weapons, daring not to linger.

Ouling took the last two stone arrows from the soldier's quiver, aimed them at the leopard running across the mountains, and they came hurtling down like lightning.

Hirel sensed the threat and tried to dodge, only to find that no matter where he hid, the arrows could always spot him. He decided to save the sure-hit arrow for the druid; since he dared to visit Kuraki, he should leave a gift.

"what!"

With a scream, Hillel transformed back into human form, two arrows piercing his thigh, the wounds so deep that bone was visible.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and used his leopard-like agility to dodge vitals; otherwise, given Orling's high attack and damage, he would have been in considerable trouble. Even so, his mobility was significantly reduced, and he could only hurriedly retreat by mounting the centaur's back.

"A cowardly mole dares to transform into a leopard?"

Ouling yelled a few times, but it aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain.

Su Mu regrouped the remaining troops and immediately went down the hillside to seize the medical tents that the enemy hadn't had time to pack up; these were valuable items.

Not long after, the spearmen, led by Forrest, entered the forest, accompanied by the masked man from the refugee camp, Eagle Dove. The priest was nowhere to be seen.

Forrest jogged up to Su Mu and was the first to reach him: "Sir, reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!"

He supported Su Mu's arm. Although Su Mu was covered in blood and looked frightening, there were no fatal wounds. Forrest breathed a sigh of relief.

"I informed the refugee camp of your proposed plan, and Eagle Dove personally led the team here. Those priests were his most trusted guests, and thankfully they made it back in time!"

Eagle Dove stepped forward: "Actually, we arrived a little earlier, but we discovered the Pegasus' movements, so we decided to ambush them. We'll use our victory to pressure the centaur forces, which will be much more effective. I hope you don't mind."

Su Mu wiped the blood from his face and said calmly, "I can still hold out!"

Looking at the remaining Earthbow and the centaur carcasses scattered across the mountains, Eagle Dove sincerely praised, "After this battle, you will soon be famous in Longlet Castle!"

Su Mu shook his head indifferently. He didn't want these empty titles. If possible, he would rather preserve this hard-won army.

But this is the inevitable fate of the military: live on the battlefield, die on the battlefield, and those who survive become stronger!

[After an exceptionally fierce battle, we achieved a glorious victory!]

Centaur -312, Centaur Chieftain -40, Earth Bow -32, Healing Tent (captured), Gold +800, Mystic Magic Scroll +1
Castle faction reputation +100, Bastion faction favorability -500, Refugee camp favorability +100

During the subsequent looting, they also plundered some wealth from the enemy corpses, and surprisingly, they even found a magic scroll—a rather delightful find. Unfortunately, Su Mu doesn't currently possess a magic book, so he'll have to make a trip to Longlit Castle when he has the chance.

Of course, the battle was so fierce that Su Mu gained a deeper understanding of heroes.

No one has ever achieved such dazzling results in the early stages, fighting against an enemy several times their size, persuading troops that weren't even allies to come to their aid, and even gaining legitimacy for power in Kuraki Town. Your understanding of governance is far more profound!

Attack +1, learn Intermediate Governance Technique
Intermediate Governance Skill: The special abilities of your appointed talents are enhanced by 200% and they gain a designated attribute master, occupying 2/4 of the seats. Learns the intermediate magic, Aura Observation.

Intermediate Aura Observation (Aura Magic): Observe the aura of a person/army, identify the loyalty and characteristics of a person, and have a better way to guide the promotion of talents (can add status to a person to increase the chance of being promoted to hero/those who have already become heroes can gain more insights in battle), and can judge the exact number of troops.

Evaluation: Heroes can command troops, marshals can dispatch generals, and I can command all heroes!

Fortunately, the Aura Observation Technique is my innate magic; otherwise, it would have been really awkward if I couldn't learn it without a magic book.

The power of governance skills began to manifest gradually. While ordinary heroes could enhance the abilities of their units, his intermediate governance skills could directly boost the hero's attributes, and he could choose freely. The bonus value was his own attributes.

For example, Forrest's attack is only 1, but it becomes 3 after being boosted by the Governing skill, and he receives a 3-point bonus when leading troops. Of course, if a hero's spell power is relatively low, spell power enhancement can be chosen. The effect might not be immediately apparent in the early game, but its terrifying power will become clear once the heroes are all guarding the four corners of the land.

Sumu (Governor): Attack 2, Defense 1, Spell Power 3, Knowledge 3.

Charm 75, no elements.

Characteristics: Management, rationality, command.

Skills: Intermediate Governance (Forrest, Orling), Basic Earth Magic

At this point, there is no doubt that Kuraki Town is the true lord; this reputation has been earned through battle!
(End of this chapter)