Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 192 Siege
The ghostly warhorse galloped across the snow, leaving behind a trail of black wasteland, filled with the aura of decaying cursed power.

Ullr and his army of terrifying knights advanced steadily, surrounded by a large number of lich kings and vampires. Screaming ghosts and hollow ghosts filled the sky, and skeleton warriors dragged their heavy bodies toward Bearhold.

Due to the sheer size of the legion, the undead army did not move very fast, especially in the snowy terrain, which slowed their progress.

At this moment, a ghoul named Tori, who was all skin and bones and had thinning hair, walked up to Ullr and reminded her Death Knight: "Bear Keep is extremely vulnerable. As the vanguard, Twilight Vampire Duke Tullion will surely be able to easily capture the city and obtain the beacon tower."

Knowing his personality, he'll likely abandon us and try to claim credit with the Undead Grand Duke alone. Perhaps we should hurry, and you, sir, should take the Dread Knight to Bear Keep.

"If you appear, even if he's unwilling, the credit will go to you. Otherwise, the other side will surely use this surprise attack to deceive the Duke and claim the credit for themselves!"

Uller remained calm after hearing this, and did not order the Dread Knight to speed up. He simply said, "In large-scale military operations, orders must be strictly followed and cannot be changed frequently."

No matter what the enemy's situation is, I will lead this army of death to crush them, and they will have no chance to resist.

As for the vanguard, if they can seize the initiative, they will naturally be credited. Even if they don't achieve anything, it doesn't matter. What I want is final victory, not a race to seize territory.

Upon hearing Uller's reply, Tori was clearly surprised and stood there awkwardly.

"You have been asleep for too long and are unaware of the situation of the ancient ruins. If it were just an ordinary object, that would be fine, but this is the beacon tower that the Grand Duke of the Dead has been longing for, the key to breaking the seal on the ruins."

Tullion will surely steal the credit, overshadowing your crucial role in commanding from the center, and then…

Uller interrupted her, asking in return, "It seems Stuart enjoys these petty tricks and underhanded deceptions?"

Looking at the Death Knight's icy expression, Tori trembled and replied, "Since we awoke from the grave, we've only known that the ruins are places of deception. Whoever can lie the most, whoever can deceive more people, will be more favored by the Grand Duke of the Dead and receive the blessings of the gods!"

Tori thought the Death Knight was unaware of the state of the ancient ruins and wanted to explain in detail, but Ullr ignored her and rode off on his warhorse.

“If you had deceived Stuart in the past, you would have been sealed in a rock cave and never seen the light of day again.”

War isn't won through flattery or currying favor; it's won through real battles!

"Intrigue and trickery are ultimately minor paths; only power remains the eternal theme!"

Uller's right arm was shrouded in ghostly flames, and a colossal thunder sword was corrupted by darkness, transforming into a three-meter-long blade. When it was gently placed on the ground, blood gushed out, a truly gruesome sight.

He rode his warhorse a few steps forward, stood atop the snow-capped peak, and gazed into the distance.

Although the situation at Bearhold is not visible, Tullion's Soulfire has disappeared, indicating that the raid was unsuccessful and that the enemy has a strong force guarding the city.

Uller carefully reviewed the process of pursuing Wayne and heading to Bearhold.

He didn't waste a moment and rushed over without stopping. The clash between Su Mu and the Esidor army was undeniable, and the intelligence of their retreat was also transmitted by the Spirit of Deception. Even if Su Mu's entire army grew wings, they wouldn't be able to fly back.

It's possible that Su Mu has hidden troops in Bear Fortress as a precaution. Or perhaps Ouling in the northwest made a feint and then returned to Bear Fortress ahead of time to garrison it.

Kuraki's forces were already small, and if he hesitated further, he would likely suffer a crushing defeat, a cardinal sin in warfare. In fact, Isidore's strategy of besieging the enemy's stronghold and attacking reinforcements was precisely to eliminate the human kingdom's fighting force first. If Sumu dared to divide his troops to defend the area, he would have no chance of fighting back.

Uller had studied Kuraki's lord, who had grown from the lord of a small town to the de facto ruler of the plains. While he seemed to win every battle by surprise, his tactics were actually very steady. Even when the situation was against him, he would still fight with all his might like a lion hunting a rabbit.

In his view, unconventional tactics can be used occasionally on the battlefield, but if one relies solely on opportunistic methods to fight, defeat will eventually come, and then there will be no hope of redemption.

If Su Mu isn't that kind of commander, then it's highly likely that Orling will cross the western border to intercept the undead forces and return to defend Bear Fortress.

But it doesn't matter. Whoever returns to defend will have few troops. As long as the Death Knight army arrives, the siege will be utterly crushed. He has confidence in his army. About half a day later, the undead army finally arrived at the battlefield. They could see the wasteland surrounding the castle and the dense aura of water magic at a glance.

Tori dug around in the dirt, trying to find any remaining remains, but she couldn't even find a bone fragment.

"The enemy was very cautious, leaving no resurrectable corpses. It seems the war didn't last long, and Tulian was defeated. Considering the arrows and craters scattered all over the ground, it's highly likely that it was Kuraki's elite Earthbow unit."

Although Tori is a ghoul, she has been resurrected for a long time and is considered a veteran undead in the ancient ruins. She is very familiar with various tactics and weapons.

Seeing the one-sided battlefield and recalling her earlier advice to the Death Knight, she couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. She glanced furtively at the Death Knight, thankfully Ullr didn't seem to care about such trivial matters.

"Even if Tulian underestimated the enemy and acted rashly, he brought troops baptized by the air element, which, with the added speed boost, could reach the city in one turn, yet the enemy's walls remained completely undamaged. It seems that Orling's ranged units are extraordinary!"

Uller's analysis of the situation was very accurate; he saw the key points at a glance.

He brought siege engines with him this time. In fact, Tori and another lieutenant are both heroes with advanced elemental proficiency and have mastered the earth-shaking magic, which is enough to deal with Bear Fortress.

Moreover, he also possesses powerful water elemental magic, enabling him to coordinate with the Dread Knight for a charge attack.

"Send a few men to the city and tell Ouling that as long as they hand over the beacon tower and the Argyll family members, they will be spared!"

Tori obeyed the order and led several terrifying knights to the front lines to deliver a message.

Meanwhile, Uller commanded his army to surround Bear Castle, with soldiers in the east, west, and south, leaving only the north side undefended.

Uller knew that Sumu was rushing back to reinforce the city, which was the source of Orling's confidence in defending the city.

But precisely because of this, the enemy will have a sense of complacency. What if they can't hold the city? Should they break through from the north of the city and find the main force to come back to reinforce them?

The soldiers are fleeing in disarray, pursued by terrifying knights. If they were to join forces with Su Mu's troops, it would be a complete mess.

“Oling! Our Death Knight has said that as long as you hand over the beacon tower and the Argyll family, you can leave! We are only following orders, don't be ungrateful!”

Ouling stood on the city wall, observing the enemy's situation.

The dark, overwhelming army of undead was unlike the low-level skeletons of the past; this time, most were high-level units. Especially noteworthy were the hundred or so terrifying knights at the front, like the personal guard of death, their power unfathomable.

However, he was not intimidated by the enemy. Instead, he actively deployed his soldiers for defense and used his newly mastered intermediate-level spirit cannon technique to mount crystal ballistae and ordinary ballistae on the city wall and aim them at the enemy.

"Very well, the beacon towers are truly useless to us. Take them if you want. Retreat a few miles, and I'll send troops to hand them over!"

In reality, both sides' coaches knew exactly what they were thinking.

Even if he surrendered the beacon towers, the enemy army would still arrive and wouldn't let Xiongbao go. Since the enemy had surrounded the city on three sides with one side open, he might as well divert most of the troops from the north city to resist on the east.

Just as Tori and the Death Knight were about to retreat, crossbow bolts were fired.

The giant crossbow bolt pierced the bodies of the Death Knights, pinning them and their horses to the ground. However, a terrifying thing happened: the ordinary ballista failed to kill them. The Death Knights emerged from the ghostly flames, glaring angrily.

Ouling felt as if he were being watched by a terrifying gaze, and some familiar characteristics were beginning to fade from his memory.

This is going to be tough!

(End of this chapter)