Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 58 The Mindset for Progress

The core manor of White Stone City is now surrounded by halberdiers.

Mead hesitated outside the manor, not immediately barging in.

The Kyle family members were fighting abroad, so it was impossible for them to bring women with them. But it was clear that Kyle knew White Rock City was not safe and had already arranged for his children and others to leave, waiting for the situation to become clearer.

However, there are several noblewomen and young ladies from collateral branches in the manor. They are not valued, but are stuck there because of their status.

In the past, conflicts between nobles were not so deadly as to affect their families. But Kyle's crime of treason was different; if caught by the kingdom, he would surely die, and his entire family would be enslaved.

During the day, someone reminded him that Lord Kuraki was still unmarried and didn't even have anyone to take care of him in Whitestone City.

Although this was said indirectly, the meaning was already quite clear.

If we're talking about who in the castle could catch the lord's eye, it seems to be only Natha Valentine, the fiancée of the second son of the Kyle family, this renowned lady.

Her fame stemmed from her lineage. Natha was the third in line to the Valentine family. Her two older brothers died young, and her father died on the battlefield. Therefore, whoever married her would inherit the Valentine title, and their children would be the heirs to the title.

Although the Kyle family originated from Longlet Castle and were the lords of Whitestone, they were not granted a title. So old Kyle arranged this marriage for his second son, which was originally scheduled to take place after the New Year, but it has been delayed due to this rebellion.

Su Mu's words and insights within the city clearly indicate that he is a shrewd and powerful new-style military leader, but he is frustrated by the lack of a noble title or status.

People like Lord Kuraki have extremely strong self-control. They may not value beautiful women, but they are definitely interested in expanding their power.

There are plenty of fair-skinned and beautiful noblewomen in the manor; wouldn't it be easy for a victor to vent their frustrations with a casual remark? Yet Su Mu didn't mention it at all. Such a lord definitely has greater ambitions.

After much thought, Meadows concluded that the person who had reminded him was Miss Valentine.

Besides, what Zakri said was true; his surrender was genuine. How could he gain Lord Kuraki's trust?
Personally capturing Guido was one thing. In reality, Guido's defeat was largely due to his own actions. Having done such a thing, there was no going back; it was better to be even more decisive.

"Open the door!"

Mead led his halberdiers into the manor and arrested everyone who was to be arrested, leaving the remaining women and children untouched.

"Where is Miss Valentine? Take me there!"

A maid, trembling, led Mead to the inner courtyard.

After passing through the long corridor with the pool, we finally arrived at Valentine's room. Since she was not yet married to Kyle's son, she had her own courtyard.

Pushing open the door, one sees a noble lady dressed in a light green dress and wearing a pearl necklace, curled up on the edge of the bed. Her arms are wrapped in transparent fabric, and a bouquet of fiery red flowers adorns her chest. The lace trim along the bodice is exquisitely curved, highlighting her milky white skin.

Several maids were so frightened that they hid behind the bed, secretly watching the soldiers who had broken in.

“Come with me, Miss Valentine!”

Natasha looked at the halberdier captain and said, "I seem to be in a bit of an inconvenience like this. Could you wait for me to change my clothes?"

Mead said meaningfully, "You look even more beautiful and charming like this, miss!"

Natasha understood his meaning. Her eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly concealed it and followed Mead out of the courtyard and into the carriage.

The carriage moved quickly, and Natasha was taken to a quiet courtyard, surrounded by strong guards. They were imposing and dignified, and looked even more robust than the Kyle family's personal guards.

There were no maids or stewards here, only a spacious room with a long dining table and a soft bed behind a curtain.

As a young lady from a noble family, she understood how serious the crime of rebellion was. Even though she was only the fiancée of the Kyle family, her fate depended on the judgment of the general who occupied Whitestone City.

If they say she is innocent, then she is innocent; if they say she is guilty, what can a mere baron do?
That's why she came here in person.

But to her surprise, after waiting all night, not even a fly flew into the entire yard, let alone anyone.

Natasha could only fall into a deep sleep, her beautiful dress wrinkled and crumpled.

The next day, a young man dressed in loose robes walked into the courtyard and immediately saw Valentine lying on the bed. He instantly understood what had happened.

Su Mu glanced behind him: "I need one or two maids to serve me tea and water, not a noble lady who occupies my bed!"

At this moment, Natasha also woke up. Hearing Su Mu's evaluation, she felt ashamed and hurriedly got out of bed, apologizing repeatedly.

However, Su Mu ignored her and simply waved his hand, instructing his men to send Valentine back.

In this small hut, Su Mu gathered his men for another military meeting.

"Have you sent people to train at the guard towers and the archer towers?"

"As you instructed, people were sent in early this morning. They are all young people who have wandered from other towns and villages. They are enterprising and have little connection with Baishi City."

A total of 21 spearmen and 18 archers were acquired.

Su Mu, a mid-level Earth Elementalist, personally cast the "Gathering Sand to Form a Tower" spell to create an archer tower. Combined with the 50% production boost from the base camp, he recruited 18 archers in one go. Although he wasn't an architect, the "Gathering Sand to Form a Tower" spell was linked to his Earth Elemental level, and it just so happened to be cast in White Stone City.

"Alright, how many civilians and merchants are left in the city?"

"There are basically only a very small number of people left, and seven or eight out of ten merchants have fled."

"I heard that Locke Kyle has retreated from Longlet Castle with a large amount of supplies and is heading towards White Rock City. His halberdier brigade and dwarves should have suffered minimal losses."

Su Mu took out a map and looked at the distance from Langlit Castle to White Stone City. Even with a tunnel, it would take at least 5 days.

Old Kyle may have heard that Whitestone City was besieged, but he could never have imagined that the city would fall so quickly. The enemy might even be planning to launch a coordinated attack from within and without to defeat Sumu.

Now!
Leave him an empty city; hopefully, Locke won't vomit blood.

"Pack your bags, we're leaving tomorrow!"

Su Mu wasn't blinded by victory. Locke had captured Langlitburg, and no matter how stupid Rex was, his army was definitely strong and well-equipped. With his small force, he simply couldn't hold out.

They besieged Whitestone City to relieve the danger to Longlet Castle. Now that their objective has been achieved and they've even gained some good results, they should know when to stop.

"Have Mead gather as many halberdiers as possible who are willing to follow us. Those who are unwilling to follow will not be forced; their weapons and armor will be confiscated, and they will be dismissed."

"Captain Mead has already counted that a total of 78 halberdiers are willing to join Kuraki and follow us back to the forest."

Upon hearing this news, Su Mu nodded in approval; the surrender rate was already quite high.

"Well done, Mead!"

Putting aside the minor matter of Valentine, Mead, the commander of the halberdiers, was quite capable.

However, Su Mu possesses the ability to observe auras, which allows him to discern a person's potential and development. Compared to Forrest and Orling, Mead still lacks a bit of talent.

Of course, not all of his subordinates could be formidable heroes; at least not right now.

Since the other party is determined to surrender, we should accept them and nurture them well. As for their future prospects, that depends on their individual efforts.

Having arranged everything, Su Mu led his army to withdraw from White Stone City. Before leaving, he destroyed the last remaining chance for Jushachengta, as he couldn't leave anything for Locke Kyle.

Seeing the army of Kuraki Town withdraw, the people in the town panicked, fearing an invasion by bandits. As a result, many people wavered and followed the main force away.

The entire city became extremely desolate.

……

After several days of arduous travel, the dwarves emerged from the tunnel, discarded their tools, and began to drink heartily from their wine jugs.

A middle-aged man clad in iron armor shook off the dust, gazed into the distance, and saw the distant White Stone City utterly peaceful.

Because they traveled in secrecy, their communication was not very efficient.

The Kyle family's capture of Longlet Castle resulted in the seizure of vast market resources and the killing of Rex. The Marshal of the Isidore Empire praised their achievement, promising to send a large force to support them.

I heard that the battle at the Kingdom's front is not going well, and it is highly likely that they will not be able to hold out.

With this achievement, as long as they can establish themselves in White Stone City, they can basically sit back and wait to be granted a title.

As for the towns surrounding Whitestone City, they had basically been wiped out once, with some dying and others fleeing, leaving no decent forces left.

And so, with a joyful heart, Locke Kyle finally arrived at his city.

But when he saw the state of White Stone City, he was completely dumbfounded.

The dilapidated city walls, ruined houses, desolate markets, and deserted streets, even the training buildings are empty. Is this still the prosperous and powerful White Rock City of two weeks ago?

He knew that someone was attacking the city, but the enemy's forces were not that strong, so in theory, it should be able to defend well.

But now...

"Kuido!"

The angry roar startled the vultures beside the city wall, sending them flying and leaving only a few decaying skulls hanging high on the wall.

Locke felt a sudden dizziness and fell off his horse. A group of people rushed to help him up.

The shouts mingled with the cawing of crows, making the scene even more tragic.

(End of this chapter)