Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 39 Night Raid on the Mountain Fortress
The oil lamp was lit, illuminating Ivan's young face.

He put down the gauntlets with a slight tremor, stared at Su Mu, and said happily, "I knew I wasn't wrong, you are indeed capable."

Su Mu was quite wary, so he stepped back and asked, "You sneaked into the camp so late, don't you know the kingdom has a sacred territory decree?"

In short, each nobleman was a relatively independent vassal, responding to the lord's summons, but each had their own army. If anyone trespassed on another's territory, the nobleman had the right to kill them.

Of course, things usually don't turn out that badly, but there are laws to follow.

Ivan hurriedly explained, "I noticed you looked strange during the day, and I guessed you didn't want to waste your time here, so I wanted to invite you to come with me to explore the camp."

My brother is at the camp, keeping a close watch, so I had no choice but to sneak in at night. I meant no harm.

After saying that, he turned around and found that he was not carrying any weapons except for simple protective gear.

However, Su Mu did not trust the Argyle family, and after checking them again with his Qi Observation Technique, he felt relieved.

Ivan Argyle (Raging Flame Knight): Attack 1, Defense 3, Spell Power 1, Knowledge 1.

Element: Fire.

Characteristics: Bold, impulsive, arrogant.

Defense Technique: Reduces the physical attack damage received by troops by 5%.

Comment: It is said that those who can control their anger will have a colorless armor of flames surrounding them when their anger reaches its peak.

The other party certainly didn't mean any harm; they were just a bit impulsive.

"I've heard about your deeds from them, Lord of Kuraki Town, who previously defended against a centaur army and killed over 400 enemies."

However, everyone says it was all thanks to your subordinate, Ouling, and that you were just hiding behind the scenes reaping the benefits. What I saw today makes me think those rumors are untrue.

Su Mu knew he had indeed hit me too hard, but Ivan was thick-skinned and unharmed. If this man could grow up, he would definitely be a leader with outstanding defense.

Seeing that Su Mu did not refuse, Ivan continued, "I noticed that your archers are equipped with unusual equipment, so they must be elite soldiers who have undergone elemental baptism."

Although I command the Crusaders, their numbers are small and their offensive capabilities are weak. If your archers join in, a mere scare will drive away the fleeing dwarves, and everyone will know the fortifications are just a bluff.”

Ivan gestured wildly as he described his plan, but Su Mu watched coldly from the sidelines, offering no response whatsoever.

"Are you done talking? If you're done, go back now, I want to sleep!"

Su Mu began to shoo people away. Ivan stood there stunned, then said, "I misjudged him. I thought Lord Kuraki was a hero, unlike those spineless people outside, who could solve the kingdom's problems."

Hearing the other party's sarcasm, Su Mu remained calm: "I did intend to investigate, but I didn't want to take you with me. Your recklessness and impulsiveness, coupled with your self-righteousness, will only ruin things."

I don't want to be stuck on this hill, surrounded and killed by the dwarves.

"you!"

Ivan made a move to leave, but turned back at the door: "Fine, if you're willing to scout the camp, what's the point of distinguishing between primary and secondary tasks? I'm worried about the kingdom, so I'll follow your orders."

Looking at Ivan, who seemed "concerned about the country and its people," Su Mu smiled, but the smile quickly faded.

Two marquisates and numerous noble knights are not as responsible as a young man.

Yes, Shirin and Kucao had a conflict of interest, and people were also dissatisfied with Salman's arrogance and domineering attitude.

But what time is it now? The Kingdom Legion is about to engage in a decisive battle with Isildur. Any advantage gained in small battles can be accumulated. Once the Northern Dwarves are repelled, will the Northern heroes in the Legion be able to focus on their own interests?
If the Northern Dwarves were just a smokescreen from the beginning, where were their vanguard?
This cannot be judged by mere speculation; one must have actually fought a real battle to have the right to speak.

There are certainly dangers, but people are counting on the Kingdom's army. Who else can they count on?
Su Mu became serious and pointed outside the tent: "Let's go!"

Ivan slapped his thigh and left in frustration, but as he stepped out of the tent, he heard: "Go and prepare the troops. We'll meet in the woods below the hill!"

Upon hearing this, Ivan was overjoyed and hurriedly went to gather his troops.

……

In the jungle shelter, Sumu's troops met up with Ivan's crusaders.

Both sides were surprised by how quickly the other had assembled his troops. In fact, Ivan had left during the day without taking his troops back to camp, instead stationing them outside. Su Mu, who also had the idea of ​​a night reconnaissance, had already notified Ouling to prepare the Earth Bow. "Do you have a map of the dwarves' defenses?"

Ivan patted the griffin beside him, then pointed to his own head: "They're all here!"

In truth, the nobles had not been entirely without attempts to probe the enemy's defenses; the first few groups had sent troops up the mountain, only to be repelled by the enemy's arrow towers. In the world of heroes, the dwarves' forging and fortifications were as renowned as their drinking, so no one wanted to engage in any more pointless expenditures.

Ivan only suggested probing again because he felt that the opponent's defensive will was not strong and he had noticed that the dwarves were retreating in an orderly manner.

As we traveled along the mountain path, we traversed steep cliffs. Fortunately, both the Earth Bow and the Shieldbearer were baptized with earth magic, so their feet felt firmly planted on the ground and they wouldn't fall off.

Crusaders, with their superior attributes, can navigate the edge of cliffs with ease.

Ivan glanced at Sumu's troops a few more times, his concern growing stronger. He had initially only wanted a ranged force to assist the Crusaders' attack, but now it seemed uncertain who would ultimately help whom.

After walking about four or five hundred meters, we finally arrived at a point where the terrain connected. What should have been a stone wall was now dilapidated, with mud flowing down and no one maintaining it.

"The earth shook!"

This was attacked previously, using earth magic. The breach in the main battlefield has been repaired by the dwarves, but this remote part of the city wall is left unattended, which suggests that the enemy has given up on it.

"Stay close, shieldbearers first!"

This is not to underestimate the Crusaders. Shield bearers can hold up their shields to defend against ranged attacks, while the Crusaders can advance from the flanks. If the passageway weren't so narrow, Su Mu would definitely have set up this formation. For now, they can only form a long line, and will expand further when they reach an open area.

They sneaked into the outer city of defense and finally encountered the first wave of enemies.

High up in the tower, a great elf spotted the intruders, rang the alarm bell, and fired at Su Mu and his companions.

The arrows from the arrow tower are specially enhanced with magical power, enabling them to rapidly unleash multiple crossbow bolts from the defenders, making them extremely powerful.

The shield bearers immediately raised their giant shields, using their unit characteristics to defend against the archers' attacks.

The spell arrow pierced the giant shield, pinning the shieldbearers to the ground. However, thanks to their superior vitality and defensive capabilities, they managed to survive.

Su Mu no longer concealed his intentions and took out the treatment tent to treat the wounded soldiers.

He gave Ouling a wink, and the latter immediately drew his bow and aimed at the archers on the arrow tower, shooting down both guards with a single arrow each, sending them plummeting from the tower, which was dozens of meters high.

Ivan was dumbfounded by this incredible skill. The two were at least 400 meters apart, and the archer before him was even more accurate than a ballista. His opponent was definitely a powerful hero. He thought to himself, recalling the story of Kuraki Town.

Su Mu didn't give him a chance to think, and directly commanded, "It's your turn to charge!"

Ivan did not refuse and began climbing with his crusaders.

As the alarm bells rang, the dwarven legion joined the battle, a group of dwarves wielding heavy hammers and arriving in a furious frenzy.

Suddenly, roars came from all directions, as if hundreds or thousands of people were howling.

Looking at the hundred or so dwarves approaching and the lights gradually drawing near behind them, even Ivan, with his courage, felt his palms sweating.

Without saying a word, he charged into the enemy first, and the Crusader guards, naturally wanting to protect their master, followed him.

Looking at the defensive fortress behind the dwarf, Su Mu sighed inwardly. As expected of a famous craftsman on the continent, even he couldn't see how many people were hidden inside under the cover of the spell runes.

Judging from the scale of the crowd, there are probably over a thousand people.

He looked up at the arrow tower. After all, Ouling was not a catapult; he could only kill the archers inside, not destroy the tower enhanced by magical power.

After the two great elves were shot dead, the arrow tower was still intact, but no one replaced it. Such an important and powerful defensive building was short-staffed. Was the fortress really waiting to fight them in the open?

It seems Ivan was right; the other side is preparing to abandon their fortifications and retreat in an orderly manner.

He waved his hand, signaling the Earth Bow to unleash its full potential.

"Destroy them!"

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(End of this chapter)