Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 52 Shocking Change
After returning to the town, Su Mu ignored everything else and focused solely on infrastructure development.

Even though news was flying around every day, such as the Kingdom's army winning another great victory, or Isildur reinforcing its troops, or the devastation in the valley.

Unless clear news of the kingdom's complete defeat is received, he will remain stationed in Cangmu, accumulating troops and developing his strength.

The situation is clear: the frontline legions are at a standstill, and Isildur is holding out in the hills, relying on fortifications and looking for an opportunity. But the kingdom's commander-in-chief, Raven, is a steady veteran who is not giving the enemy any chance.

Although Isildur had the advantage, they did not have the power to destroy the kingdom. They were still constantly deploying troops and waiting for the right opportunity.

"Wait and see what happens."

This was the enemy's strategy; they believed they could achieve something by sending troops deep into the heart of the kingdom.

Elton, of course, would not sit idly by and wait for his doom. He once again rallied nobles from all over the country, using the marquesses' territories as their base, to organize a powerful resistance.

Since losing three towns, the people in the valley have begun their counterattack, repelling several waves of centaur attacks. However, the enemy's use of treacherous officials to control other humans has caused some chaos.

Upon seeing the intelligence, Forrest roared, "A bunch of idiots! Do they really think they can rule humanity by relying on alien races? They'll be used and discarded soon enough!"

Su Mu had expected this: "After doing such a thing, they naturally have no other choice but to rely more closely on the barrier, which is what Isidor wanted to see."

How much longer until we can enter the Magic Guild?

Forrest pondered for a moment: "It will take about another week!"

Because of the special expansion of the buildings, the construction of the Magic Guild will take longer, but it will yield greater benefits.

Su Mu wanted more than just that one magic spell; he wanted to collect more historical materials. This process was naturally generated by the building, drawing upon the mysterious knowledge stored in the void—something outsiders couldn't control, so there was no way to rush it.

Just as the group was discussing leading troops north next week to guard against a surprise attack from White Stone City, they suddenly received an urgent intelligence report.

"Longletburg has fallen!"

"what?"

"Can you say that again?"

Forrest grabbed the messenger's clothes, his face full of disbelief.

"It's true! The remnants of Longlet Castle have already fled in all directions. The Marquisate has been breached by the enemy, suffering burning, killing, and looting. Even Lord Rex has been killed!"

"How is this possible! This..."

No wonder everyone was surprised. The Kingdom's army was still undefeated and was at the forefront of the battle against Isildur. There weren't even any bandits in the Shirin Plain, let alone anyone who wanted to attack Langlit Castle, who would have to cross these buffer zones.

But in Kuraki Town, not even a thief has been seen recently, let alone Isildur's army.

"They are dwarves! They dug a tunnel from the top of White Rock City directly to the castle gate."

I heard that during the last northward expedition to support Duke Salman, Longlet Castle reached an agreement with him to help with the transshipment of resources, but the troops have not yet returned. As for the main force, most of them have been assigned to the legions.

The castle was left undefended, and the enemy seized the opportunity to attack, thus conquering it in a single assault.

Since the kingdom's legion marched from the Xilin Plains, the nobles in this region contributed the most troops, as their rear remained undisturbed. However, Langlit Castle, as the center of the marquisate, still retained a certain defensive strength, with at least a thousand retainers. In addition, there were sorcerers from the magic guild within the city, as well as noble knights who had been granted titles. Without a large force, it would be absolutely impossible to conquer this formidable city.

Unexpectedly, Rex, overconfident and complacent, took advantage of the chaos to curry favor with the Salman family, resulting in the Salmans destroying his homeland.

"White Stone City? Didn't we warn them long ago that there was something unusual happening in White Stone City?"

"It is said that Griffinson sent troops to remove Kyle from his position as lord of the city, but the enemy rioted and slaughtered the entire squad. They also launched their plan ahead of schedule and marched on Longlet Castle with the dwarves."

Kyle had been planning this for a long time, and Griffinson's provocation made him think he had been exposed, so he moved up his plans.

Upon hearing this, Su Mu covered his head, feeling like cursing.

How can you win with such a bunch of incompetent teammates? Su Mu even thought the Kyle family did a good job, getting rid of these parasites would be beneficial to the kingdom.

Of course, this is just a thought. If Longlit Castle falls, the Hilling Plains will immediately descend into chaos.

Unlike the Valley, they were aware of Ivo Kane's sneak attack and were prepared. Although the scorched-earth policy resulted in significant losses, they only needed to defend the city.

Langlit Castle, a crucial military stronghold on the Shilin Plain, was so easily lost due to betrayal by its own men.

Everyone would think that the kingdom was not far from its demise!
"What should we do? Go rescue Longletburg?"

Forrest and Orling both looked at Su Mu, awaiting the lord's decision. Actually, at this time, Kuraki Town desperately needed to rest and garrison troops and begin construction, but that idiot Rex had made everything difficult.

“The town’s construction has hit a bottleneck. Even if we stay here, it won’t help. Instead of waiting, we should take action.”

After thinking for a moment, Su Mu gave his answer.

"But not to Longlet Castle, we're going to White Rock! To raid the Kyle family's ancestral home."

"While you're at it, have your spies look for Baron Eugen and see if he's still alive?"

Even if Longletburg is captured, not all heroes will necessarily be captured; some specific details must be heard from the people in the city.

Although Eugen is a lecherous and greedy man, regardless of his true intentions, he does do his job once he takes the money, and his relationship with Kuraki Town is not bad. If the Marquisate really falls into chaos, we might be able to get some information from him.

Without further ado, Su Mu mustered his troops and set out with 150 Earth Bows.

This is a surprise attack, looking for an opportunity. If the other side has someone left behind, he doesn't plan to launch a full-scale attack, so 150 men are enough.

……

On the great river, ships clashed in close combat, and the battle between the two sides was deafening. However, Ivo Kane, the commander-in-chief, remained completely unmoved.

Although the enemy is skilled in navigation and has excellent pursuit abilities, if he does not want to fight and wanders along the edge of the riverbank, the enemy has no way to deal with him.

The reason he feigned weakness and pretended to board the ship to escape was because his reinforcements had arrived, and he could launch a major attack.

As the fog of war dissipated, a large herd of silver pegasus charged out from behind the sails, blotting out the sky and terrifying the human soldiers.

The firefight lasted less than half an hour before the other side could not hold out. Their sails were set on fire, their decks were pierced, and they all fell into the water.

At this point, Ivo stopped giving orders and let his men do their part. He picked up a crystal ball containing battle reports from the front lines.

"Excellent! The dwarves' passage connects to Longlet Castle; let's join forces with Whitestone City to take it down!"

Upon seeing the fall of Longlet Castle and the flames engulfing the entire town, Sirell was overjoyed and clapped his hands in delight.

Ivo, on the other hand, remained calm, as if everything was under his control.

"The Eltons want to stall, little do they know that we want to do the same. The reinforcements from the rear have not been sent to the front lines; they have all gone south to the valley, preparing for a major counter-offensive."

Dozens of small towns, three or four castles, and even the territories of marquises and earls—I'd like to see how long the valley nobles can hold out.

Looking into the distance, the fleet had been utterly annihilated, and a small riverside town on the shore was completely burned to the ground, filled with carnage of centaurs and raging silver pegasus. Their iron hooves crushed men to pieces, and their wings tore women into pieces, tossing them into the inferno.

During this period, the valley adopted a scorched-earth policy, resisting at every turn, which caused great trouble for the bulwark legions. The originally natural races have now become extremely violent and desperately need a massacre to vent their rage.

“We all revere nature, and warfare is part of the empire’s strategy. Why kill innocent people? Instead, we should select those who surrender and then govern them.”

Ivo felt a pang of pity upon witnessing this scene.

But this time, Hillel retorted, "You were born in the Sacred Grove, so you naturally don't know how the centaur warriors in the stables survive. Dwarves and wood elves often die in the wild forest because they don't receive the favor of nature."

What were they going to war for? The call of the empire was certainly the main reason, but they were also motivated by the desire for promotion and glory.

So many of their comrades have been killed these past few days; perhaps one of those nameless centaurs was a surviving warrior's uncle, nephew, or close relative. If this hatred isn't released, it will only fester and fester, making them mentally unstable and incapable of fighting bravely.

"If we were to exchange the morale of a small town of humans for that of the centaurs, I would believe that this would be truly for the sake of the empire!"

Hirel usually disliked contradicting Ivo, but as the hero who controlled the centaurs, he knew the morale of his troops. Seeing that the soldiers' anger had reached a certain point, he knew he had to vent it. How could the lives of those lowly people compare to those centaurs? Even if they were all slaughtered, as long as victory was achieved, it would be worth it.

Ivo's idea was good, but their base was the Barrier race, and they had to win first before considering what to do next.

Even if the River Valley family is wiped out, as long as they conquer Elton, there will naturally be more people who will come to join them, and they will be even more obedient.

Although Hillel's words were rude, he was still family. Besides, Field Marshal Lloyd had given the same instructions, and Ivo didn't want things to get too awkward.

However, this only deepened the valley's hatred towards them, and it seemed that only severe punishment could be used in the future.

Good, let Elton's men see that only by following them can they get meat to eat!
"Pass down the order: the soldiers may take all the loot they have. After a day of rest, follow me to conquer Xiliu County!"

"Order!"

(End of this chapter)