Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 3: Lancers
In the afternoon, several guards were stationed at the forest farm to closely monitor the activity inside the workshop.

There are no problems with people coming and going, but if there is timber being transported, they will come up and question people in detail.

Su Mu had no intention of resorting to such petty tricks. The quantity of timber couldn't be hidden from those who were interested; since they dared to take it, there must be an inside man. Su Mu didn't believe that he could bribe everyone with just a few silver coins after only a few days in office.

About two hours later, a bloated fat man slowly walked into the tent, bringing more than a dozen thugs with him. He waved for them to go and count the timber in the open.

This group of people were extremely arrogant. They lifted the cloth covering the items and ordered the carpenters to help carry them, and no one dared to resist.

The fat man plopped down in a chair after entering, looking at Su Mu with an arrogant expression: "Engineer Su, I won't waste any more words. You know the old rules, right? I heard your harvest this time was good, and the adults are quite satisfied. From now on, 700 wood per day is enough."

Hearing this, Su Mu laughed inexplicably: "How much did you say?"

The fat man cleared his throat: "700 logs, not a single one less. Don't think I don't know how much you can harvest every day. I've seen everything that happens in this forest."

That's outrageous! It's like demanding 70% of the daily timber harvest. In the end, even with increased productivity, the amount handed over to the town is actually less. No wonder nobody's willing to work hard.

Su Mu didn't waste any words: "The forest farm will no longer hand over timber. Go find the person behind you. Whoever wants timber, come and get it from me in person."

The fat man suddenly stood up, pointing at Su Mu: "You! You! Arrogant and ignorant. Do you think you can represent the forest farm? A mere production supervisor, the forest farm owner will replace you tomorrow."

After saying that, the fat man stormed out and ordered his men, "Get me 700 pieces of ebony. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed!"

Upon hearing their leader's words, the thugs became excited, forcefully shoved the carpenter aside, and pushed their cart to haul away the logs.

Suddenly, a long sword was placed on the fat steward's shoulder, drawing blood from his neck.

[Thug: Attack 0, Defense 0, Damage 0-0, Health 1, Speed ​​0, Small size.]

Element: None
Comment: These lowlifes, their only useful skill is stealing.

Su Mu glanced at the thugs on the field. They were a bunch of low-class guys who couldn't even meet the minimum standard of a level 1 soldier and only dared to bully civilians.

No matter what, Su Mu is a newly promoted hero. Although he is a non-combat type governor, his life essence has changed, so dealing with dozens of thugs is still easy for him.

The fat man trembled, his words becoming incoherent: "Don't...don't be impulsive, let's talk this out...it's not like I'm taking these pieces of wood, it's not worth it!"

Su Mu swung his sword horizontally and slapped the fat man's face hard, knocking him to his knees, teeth chattering everywhere.

"Go back and tell your master that someone has already bought the timber. If they are not satisfied, they should go find the buyer!"

The fat man scrambled away, and the other thugs, seeing their leader get a beating, naturally fled in terror.

Before leaving, the fat man made a slurred threat, but Su Mu ignored him completely.

The real trouble was yet to come; how could a wolf easily spit out the food it had eaten?

Cangmu Forest District is just a small place, but its power is deeply entrenched and has close ties with Langlit Castle. Fortunately, Su Mu has already made preparations, and the people from the Timber Guild should be in the council hall by now.

Su Mu set off immediately for the council hall, but someone was one step ahead of him.

The moment he stepped into the hall, more than a dozen fully armed soldiers surrounded him, their spears arrayed, ready to kill him on the spot if he resisted.

Su Mu's eyes flickered slightly as he recognized the origin of this elite team.

Spearman (Castle Tier 1, Level 1 Unit): Attack 4, Defense 5, Damage 1-3, Health 10, Speed ​​4, Small Size.

Element: None
Barricades: Ignore the charge of cavalry (various races' cavalry series). Evaluation: Well-trained pikemen are the foundation of human empire rule.

The unadorned runes on their spears were engraved on their armor. Years of training had made the spearmen fearless and courageous, and they would not back down even when facing cavalry charges.

Don't underestimate them just because they are the lowest-level units in the castle. Even in the entire world of heroes, they are among the best of the level 1 units in many factions.

The gunmen surrounded Su Mu, and a burly man stepped out from behind him, took off his helmet to reveal his true face, and was none other than the captain of the Cangmu Town Guard.

"I don't know who you've hooked up with, but if you want to get by in Kuraki Town, you have to follow the rules."

“Don’t think you’re special. Cangmu Forest Farm has a history of several decades, and many people have come and gone in every position. If you don’t listen, the production supervisor will be replaced tomorrow, and your body will be eaten by rats in the sewers.”

Captain Wood looked at Su Mu with a calm expression, as if he were looking at a mouse.

The so-called grudge between the two might only be something Su Mu needs to consider. In Wood's view, the lucrative positions should be filled by his own people, and Su Mu was just getting in the way.

It was one thing for Su Mu to have powerful backers before, but now that he's lost them, he still dares to occupy a position—he's courting death!

Surrounded by spearmen, Su Mu showed no fear: "We have timber and rules, but we don't follow any forestry rules. We follow the rules of Langlit Castle and the Kingdom of Elton."

Wood laughed heartily upon hearing this, bending down to whisper in Su Mu's ear, "You, a peasant from a small town, are thinking of the castle lords and the kingdom's nobles."
Don't be naive. They talk about chivalry and sharing life and death, but aren't they all thinking about filling their own stomachs first?

You think that just because you found someone from the Timber Guild, you have a powerful backer?

Do you know where the timber that was handed over to the authorities went? Who is buying these things?

Su Mu's pupils contracted slightly as he glanced intently at the guard captain.

Wood stepped forward and gently patted Su Mu on the shoulder: "Don't be naive. I was young once too. I also thought about making a name for myself, but the nobles won't give you that chance."

Once the owed timber is handed over, we'll pretend this never happened, and all our previous grievances will be wiped clean.

You're very good at managing the forest farm, I'll recommend you to continue as production supervisor. Wouldn't it be better if we all made money together?

Su Mu looked at the burly man in front of him, feeling somewhat unfamiliar with him.

I initially thought the other party was just a ruthless black glove, cunning, domineering, and deceitful. But now it seems that he does have some brains to occupy the position of guard captain in the Cangmu Forest Area.

But that's it.

Su Mu brushed the other person's hand away and said, word by word, "The trend is unstoppable, the times are about to change, and timber will be everything!"

This is not Sumu's original statement, but rather a remark made by the Chancellor of the Esidor Empire (Barrier) during the Timber Wars.

Wood's smile froze, his anger and embarrassment vanished instantly, and he prepared to resolve the issue in the most primitive and violent way.

"Spearman, kill him!"

The spearmen obeyed orders without question, raising their spears to thrust downwards.

But then came an urgent shout from behind: "Stop! The master of the Timber Guild wants to see him!"

(End of this chapter)