Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 61 A tragic victory

The hill fortress was blasted to the ground, and countless dwarves, mixed with mud and rocks, rushed down, much to the delight of the Crusaders.

Just as they were pondering how to breach the enemy's city walls, the catapults smashed the fortified city to pieces. Now they didn't even need to think about attacking from below; whoever slipped down was killed as easily as slaughtering a chicken.

The griffins also took flight, landing amidst the chaotic battle formation of the great elves, disrupting their ranged attacks.

Although the Silver Pegasus effectively intercepted them, the Griffins were least afraid of being surrounded. They were more than capable of handling such a chaotic battle. As long as they held onto the Great Elf tightly, their mission was accomplished.

The attack on the northern highlands was not going well. Even though the Crusaders intercepted the centaurs in front of the fortress, a large number of enemy troops still managed to harass the halberdiers from below. Meanwhile, the high elves on the highlands took advantage of the terrain and defended layer by layer, causing great losses to the soldiers of the Kingdom of Elton.

The Red Tree front consisted of only a few cavalry regiments led by Conrad, which were caught in a pincer attack by the Red Tree warriors and the Unicorn Legion. They were forced to cut off even the space to charge back and forth, and the entire legion suffered more than half its casualties and was in dire straits.

However, Lloyd was also in dire straits. At least five thousand Red Tree warriors had fallen in battle, almost wiped out. Even he, the marshal, was covered in blood, clinging to his broken sword.

What distressed him even more was that the collapse of the hill fortress was a devastating blow to their strategic deployment.

Isildur's army has been stationed here until now, strengthening its defenses, isn't it all to gain an advantage in the decisive battle by taking advantage of the terrain? The hill fortresses have played a crucial role in everyone's confidence in the final battle.

Now that the fortress has been destroyed by enemy catapults, that confidence in victory has vanished. If we're really talking about a decisive battle in the open field, where doesn't matter? Why waste so many days?

This was a strategic failure.

The cavalry charged once again with great momentum, but the redwood warriors had already established their footing, using the fiery roots of the fire tree to restrict the enemy. Then the unicorns surrounded them and began to strangle them.

This tactic of restricting and strangling has been used many times and is indeed very effective against cavalry, rendering their ability to charge a distance after attacking completely ineffective.

After this clash ended, the cavalry legion was reduced to less than 300 men.

Conrad's armor was shattered into pieces, his lance was broken, and he was shirtless as he surveyed the remaining troops.

Once this troop strength threshold is reached, every subsequent charge may be a one-way trip; even the most fearless heart cannot withstand the cruel reality.

He wasn't a one-track-minded commander. Raven ordered him to lead the knights to storm the command post, mainly to distract the enemy's elite troops.

The strategy was also successful; level 5 and 6 units were all positioned there, and the central fortress, thrown into chaos, couldn't be immediately relieved. Otherwise, the Crusaders alone wouldn't have had it so easy. Simply put, if the unicorns had counterattacked and applied blindness, the dwarves and archetypes could have recovered, and the outcome would have been completely different.

It was just tough on the cavalry regiment.

Seeing the cavalrymen with broken arms and legs, yet still raising their lances, preparing to launch a final charge.

Conrad stopped them: "Brothers, we have done what the Marshal ordered us to do."

"It's time to retreat!"

The cavalrymen obeyed orders and reined in their horses, returning to their camp.

Upon seeing this, Isabel hurriedly led her unicorn army in pursuit.

"Conrad, you still call yourself a knight? You just slunk away like that? That's laughable."

"If you've got the guts, fight me for dozens more rounds, and I'll tear you bastards to shreds!"

Isabelle was truly enraged. As the commander of the Holy Unicorns, she was usually aloof and a saint of the forest. Now, she had been driven to curse and pursue them, demonstrating the depth of her hatred for this cavalry legion.

With no target to charge at, the Fearless Knights were no longer immune to slowing effects. Isabel, meanwhile, used her mastery of the four elements to unleash a slowing spell and a speed boost, gradually closing the distance between the two forces until they were about to catch up.

At this moment, a cavalry legion rushed out from the human camp to meet Conrad and the others who were returning.

Their lances, ignited by dazzling flames, charged towards the unicorn legion's belly. Another scuffle ensued, but it bought Conrad and his men time to safely return to their camp.

At this moment, Raven's personal guard, a group of warriors wielding burning fire swords, slowly approached. They were numerous and extremely imposing.

Fearing she would find herself in Conrad's situation, Isabel launched a counterattack, using a magical trap to bring back the unicorn army.

The Brilliant Spear did not pursue, letting the enemy leave. They guarded the south side of the camp, unmoved as mountains.

Isabel flew to Lloyd's side and said angrily, "Conrad only has so few men left. We didn't manage to wipe him out. If we had a flying unit to cooperate, I guarantee he wouldn't even have any ashes left!"

Lloyd shook his head: "The cavalry regiment has less than three hundred men going back. Given the current situation of the Kingdom of Elton, he has no usable troops at all. With just one general, he can't make a fuss."

The core of this battle was the hill fortress; my original plan was to rely on its extensive defensive network to defeat it piecemeal. Unexpectedly, the Kingdom of Elton possessed a hero specializing in magical projectiles, and the enemy also went all out, casually discarding 15 magic scrolls. One can only say that Elton's fate was not yet sealed, and the kingdom's luck remained.

Isabel gazed at the crumbling fortress, where legions clashed in battle. The combination of Crusaders and Griffins was indeed stronger than the Dwarves and Silver Pegasus, and the battle was gradually becoming one-sided.

Of course, this was also related to the destruction of the fortifications, the burial of the archers, and the injuries sustained by many dwarves.

Lloyd, of course, wouldn't stand idly by and let this situation continue. Just now, a group of withered tree guardians rose from the back mountain and joined the central defensive line. The treants, with their extremely high health and defense, were better suited for positional warfare; even if they were hit twice in succession, they could barely hold on.

“Isabel, lead the Unicorn Legion across the mountains to meet the soldiers on the north slope.”

"All legions, move toward the central defensive line in an orderly manner, and then withdraw to the south after assembly!"

His commands were sent to the heroes on all fronts, and everyone was deeply moved.

Isabel was the first to object: "So what if they destroy a fortress? We have more troops than them to begin with. Even if it's a battle of attrition in the field, we will wear them down."

The situation is still unclear; it's not time to retreat yet!

Lloyd sighed, and magic echoed in his eyes as he instantly created a miniature map in front of him, placing all the battlefields within it.

"Although the north slope is difficult to defend, it is not easy to fall in a short time. On the south side, we defeated the Knights and have the initiative. But the key point is still the hill fortress. The enemy has gathered the Crusaders and Griffin Legions and is killing the fallen dwarves with unstoppable momentum."

Currently, my reserve troops can barely hold on. Once they break through, they can head north to support the Halberdier Legion.

The great elf stationed on the high ground will be isolated and helpless, left only to await his death!

Isabel's voice softened considerably, but she still retorted, "If they launch a fierce attack on the north slope, we'll gather our legions on the south side and pursue them. The Unicorn and the Deadwood are still strong; they might not necessarily lose!"

Lloyd pointed to the high slope to the north: "Without the hill fortress, the north slope is the highest point in this area. Even if we send troops now, by the time we get there, their archers and priests will have already occupied this place."

Even with our numerical advantage, we couldn't win against two high-archer squads, especially when we were fighting from below.

Take a close look at where the priestly legion has gone.

Isabel had been so focused on the pursuit that she hadn't observed the battlefield situation. Now, she saw that the Light Priests had advanced to the vicinity of the northern highlands, casting powerful spells to provide long-range firepower suppression for a large number of halberdiers.

In this way, apart from the unicorns who might be able to reach the north slope before the enemy climbs the mountain, the other legions simply cannot keep up. However, a single unicorn legion would be nothing more than a sitting duck against halberdiers, archers, priests, and griffins.

If they are pinned down by the enemy, they may even face annihilation.

Seeing this, Isabel broke out in a cold sweat and dared not boast anymore.

"Alas, one wrong step leads to many more."

"We lost the Battle of the Luxembourg Hills!"

When he said those words, Lloyd seemed to age several years in an instant.

His strategy wasn't wrong; if the hill fortress still stood, even on mountainous terrain, troop movement would be as easy as traversing flat ground. The three lines of defense could support each other, allowing for piecemeal attacks. He had prepared several high-level earth elemental heroes to repair the walls in time. However, he hadn't anticipated the enemy's sudden and fierce attack, giving them no chance whatsoever.

This is also related to the configuration between factions. Castles have two ranged unit types, and their shooting ability will be greatly reduced once they encounter high walls for defense. But who would have thought that the hill fortress would be breached? Not only could support not be provided, but the enemy also led two ranged units to approach the northern highlands. Once the enemy occupied the high ground, their archers could fire down from above, making it impossible to attack.

Lloyd had initially noticed the priests' movements, but he didn't understand why they would take such a risk. Once their main force was mobilized to the north slope and charged down from above, both ranged legions would be annihilated. It wasn't until the devastating catapults leveled the fortress that he realized what was happening, but it was too late.

"At this point, there is no point in resisting any longer; the other side has seized the strategic initiative."

The longer we drag this out, the worse it will be for us. We should take advantage of the fact that we still have our forces and retreat proactively.

Isabel then agreed: "Many of the reinforcements sent this time were deployed to the valley, so the advantage on the main battlefield wasn't that great. It's truly unexpected that the fortress would be destroyed like this."

The elders have decided that a large number of Tree Men and Silver Pegasus will be added next month, at which point we can proceed cautiously.

Lloyd nodded, feeling slightly better.

Isildur's greatest advantage is actually its strong national power. While the human kingdoms might have a greater supply of low-level soldiers, Isildur is more capable of conquering cities and capturing strongholds.

This retreat could have allowed us to return to Gilda, the main city of the Far Forest, and use the plains as strategic depth.

There are still a large number of people in this area, and suppressing them has taken a lot of effort. If these soldiers could be freed, their strength would also be enhanced.

"It's settled then! Let's get out of here first."

"The Deadwood Guardians and the Unicorn Legion will hold the line, while the Great Elves will provide cover from behind. The echelons will withdraw in an orderly manner."

……

Raven's command post had now moved to the north, and the previously tense battlefield on the north slope suddenly became more relaxed.

A large number of halberdiers moved into the high ground, followed by sharpshooters, and finally successfully occupied the highest position.

"The enemy is retreating!"

Several heroes who had been injured and forced to retreat squeezed to the front, overjoyed.

"Marshal, I am willing to lead the Crusader soldiers to pursue the deserters."

"General, the cavalry legion can still fight. We will make sure they can't escape from here."

Raven frowned, carefully observing the battlefield situation. After a long while, he said, "The enemy has three legions of reserve forces to support them. Apart from the central castle being at a complete disadvantage, the rest of the area is not yet at its wits' end."

If we pursue rashly, we risk falling into an ambush.

"Pass down the order to each legion commander to maintain their formation, only pursue a small portion of the enemy's retreat, and not to pursue them too deeply."

Everyone moved towards the central fortress; we had to take down this portion of the dwarven legion and the accompanying Dryad Guards!

After saying this, Raven rode his horse toward the ruins of the fortress. The other heroes looked at each other and could only follow the marshal.

The battlefield was too chaotic. Even with treasures that could directly transmit orders, some heroes, seeing the enemy army in defeat, wanted to gain more merits, only to have the enemy stop and launch a counterattack, resulting in heavy losses.

"Nonsense, does Gabe Salman have any brains at all?"

If you continue to disobey orders, you will be court-martialed!

The generals glanced at the distant battlefield, feeling rather helpless. Salman was ineffective on the front lines, but unexpectedly, he was quite fast in pursuit. Using multiple magical speed-boosting techniques, the Crusaders managed to catch the Silver Pegasus, which hadn't yet fled.

Given the combined strength of both sides, the Crusaders should have won a decisive victory. However, the opposing Silver Pegasus forces stopped retreating and instead engaged in combat. After a cloud of dust cleared, the Unicorn Legion arrived and unleashed a massacre. Had it not been for the valiant efforts of Suliman's personal guards, Gabu would already be beheaded.

Even so, nearly four hundred Crusaders died, which ironically emboldened the enemy to resist.

"What a waste!"

No one knows how this family, with its timid eldest brother and foolish second brother, managed to establish itself in the North. If old Salman were to pass away, could the ancient family continue?
Raven hurriedly dispatched the priest legion to provide support, which finally drove back the unicorns and the silver pegasus legion.

After this incident, the generals became cautious and dared not pursue the enemy any further.

About an hour later, Lloyd finally managed to gather the remnants of his army, but the hill fortress had collapsed behind it, preventing the dwarf legion from escaping and leaving them completely surrounded.

Lloyd glanced at the scene from afar, then ordered his army to retreat and enter the mountains and forests.

This dwarf army could only be abandoned and given to Elton.

As Lloyd and his army withdrew, the dwarven legion fell into despair, dropping their heavy hammers and surrendering under the pressure of survival.

Spare my life, and I can repair the city walls!

"I'm far more capable than your laborers; I can forge weapons! Spare my life!"

But they were met with merciless heavy swords, and the dwarves fell one after another.

Wailing, begging, and cursing were all in vain; that's how cruel racial war is.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Elton has a long-standing rule that animals under the wheel are not killed, and the dwarves seem to fall short of this rule, so they deserve to die.

The massacre continued until evening, with piles of corpses so high that even a resolute general felt nauseous upon seeing it.

Too many people died. Some were so badly injured that even the first aid tents couldn't save them, and they had to be given a quick death.

In this battle, several cavalry regiments suffered heavy losses, with some barely managing to muster a single unit. The Crusaders and Griffins also suffered nearly half their casualties. The halberdiers fared better, with most killed by Archetypes, and suffered virtually no further losses after capturing the northern slope.

The archers and priests are the most complete legions. The human archers are good at snowballing in advantageous situations, not only with high chasing efficiency but also low losses.

Even so, at least 10,000 soldiers from various branches of the army died. More than 20 heroes perished, nearly a third of the army.

On such a bloody battlefield, even if you are a legend or a powerful lord, you can only become a casualty and be buried here forever.

But these sacrifices were not meaningless. The Isildur Empire suffered even greater losses. On the main battlefield, especially during the encirclement and annihilation that followed, Lloyd's Legion suffered casualties of at least two-thirds, or even more than 20,000.

Even with the strength of the Isildur Empire, this was an absolute and utter defeat.

This is why Lloyd, seeing the situation was not going well, made arrangements for a backup retreat in advance; otherwise, the entire army might have been wiped out.

But no matter what, this was a glorious victory that will be recorded in history.

Raven raised the Vulcan sword high, and a giant flame shot straight into the sky, illuminating all the soldiers with its fiery cloud.

"victory!"

"Long live the Kingdom of Elton!"

The resounding voice echoed throughout the heavens and earth, leaving Elton with hope for life.

In the year 206 of the New Wood Calendar, the first battle of the Timber Wars took place, known as the Great Victory of Lusen. Marshal Elton Raven led the Kingdom Legion to victory over the Isidore Legion, killing more than 24600 enemy soldiers and 35 heroes.

By holding off Isildur's army in the hilly region, they bought time for the kingdom's heartland, including the plains of Shirin, and preserved a crucial spark.

At this point, the timber war had reached its climax!

(End of this chapter)