Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 63 Strong Wind
The vassals and lords from various regions are already heading towards Whitestone City, gathering along the way and gradually forming large armies.

This village has dozens of spearmen, that town has dozens of archers, and some farmers have been gathered from the wilderness. The most powerful lord leads hundreds of griffins—this is the current state of the expeditionary force.

Small villages and towns, to put it mildly, didn't have much fighting power. For example, Kuraki's earliest guard consisted of only a few dozen spearmen, which was the strength of most small towns.

After all, in peacetime, most villages and towns without financial resources are unwilling to maintain an army in order to save expenses. When the timber war broke out, they found it was too late to protect themselves. Various resources were sky-high in price, and it was said that a single log cost 5000 gold on the black market, and the price was still rising.

Some established towns, having had a large number of soldiers drawn away by the kingdom's legions, needed to remain to defend the city, so they naturally couldn't muster many troops.

This is all Locke Kyle's fault, that traitor. If he hadn't attacked Longlet Castle, everyone would still think the Hilling Plains are peaceful. Now nobody thinks that way anymore; no matter what, you have to keep some soldiers at home.

Su Mu also dispatched troops, and on the way they encountered the armies of the surrounding nobles, so they joined forces.

This was to be expected, since there were only a few official roads in the Xilin Plain, and such a righteous matter as attacking White Stone City should be widely publicized.

Su Mu brought 150 Earthbows and 150 Shield Soldiers. Putting aside the quantity, their quality almost overwhelmed everyone present.

Although he had a large army, the kingdom determined status by noble titles. The town's nobles maintained their previous attitude: currying favor with the high-ranking nobles, winning over the middle-ranking nobles, and belittling the low-ranking nobles. A town mayor like him, without a title, was like a rootless duckweed, always at risk of being replaced, so naturally, few people associated with him.

His only notable achievement was his surprise attack on Whitestone City, which led the nobles to seek advice on how to breach the city's defenses and the location of its treasury.

OK!

Asking questions is fine, but there should be some reward, right? Where did your aristocratic spirit go? This is an exclusive and top-secret item!

1 raw stone, 200 gold coins, 4 spearmen, 3 archers...

The nobles could still afford to make such a small contribution.

"Mayor Sumu, do you know where the enemy's city walls are weakest, making it the best place to storm first?"

Su Mu glanced at the skinny baron in front of him. It seemed there was a dog hole in the east of the city during the siege, which might be a good place to launch a sneak attack. So he whispered the instructions to the baron.

"Any news about the logs and stones on the other side?"

I haven't even found any resources myself, and you think you can plunder them on your second trip into the city? Dream on. Su Mu can only draw the route between the mine and White Stone City, hoping to plunder some resources.

"Does the Magic Guild possess any unique magic?"

Looking at the young, promising, and ambitious village soldier, Su Mu pointed him in the right direction. At least he had someone to ask for reliable information.

By the end of the day, they had made a fortune just from the Q&A fees.

He was still wondering why the usually lazy nobles had suddenly become so energetic and enthusiastic, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

In the evening he finally heard the news that the Garfield family had promised that anyone who contributed to suppressing the rebellion would be recommended to the kingdom for a reward.

What rewards or honors require approval from the kingdom?
Titles and fiefs!
These are the two things that nobles value most, and normally no matter how much gold or silver you have, you simply cannot obtain them. Now that chaos is beginning to emerge, there is an urgent need to encourage initiative in various regions, which is why the restrictions have been relaxed.

Upon closer examination, Garfield wasn't simply trying to get the nobles to compete with Griffinson for credit. After all, the rebellion and the capture of the city had been quite an ugly affair. If Whitestone City wasn't punished swiftly, and the kingdom held her responsible, she, as the heir to the marquisate, would be in a very difficult position!

Even Su Mu was somewhat tempted by this reward.

However, he knew that his foundation was still shallow, and even if he conquered it, he would not be able to cede White Stone City to him, so he decided to proceed according to the original plan.

His men stayed in another camp, fearing they would be corrupted by the nobles.

Su Mu personally arrived at the military camp, where the noise had subsided and the place was now orderly. The leaders of the various troops sat down in two rows, actively discussing tactics.

He was assigned to the middle position in the long row on the left, which wasn't exactly shabby.

"Garfield has sworn an oath of family honor to guarantee the land allocation; all you need to do is play your best."

"I heard that Knight Commander Conrad, the Sword of the Kingdom, will be passing through the Hillin Plain. If we can perform meritorious service, we might be able to get the Knight Commander to report to the Parliament. That way, our fiefdom will be secure."

"Let's talk about how to attack the city first; it's too early to discuss the credit now."

Finally, someone with a clear head raised the crucial point.

Yes, Whitestone is an isolated city, and Locke Kyle is universally hated. But did he really think Longlet Castle was an easy target? Without a large number of lives lost, this city simply couldn't have been taken.

Although Su Mu caused a lot of damage to the city wall before he left, it should have been repaired by now.

The nobles are certainly not fools, but they are too greedy and overly optimistic about the situation. Let them fight it out.

Su Mu sat there, listening to their discussions, arguments, and reconciliations, and the cycle repeated itself.

He's getting no nutrition at all, and he's almost asleep.

The military meeting soon ended, and to his surprise, a baron came to visit him.

“Mayor Sumu, I am Zoran Weber, the lord of Wright City in the west. Eugen told me about your idea, and there are no problems. The abandoned lair has long been unmanned; you can simply lead your troops there to occupy it.”

But I must warn you, this place has become a nesting ground for wild griffins, and they are extremely territorial; there may be conflicts!

When Zoran introduced himself, Su Mu was a little stunned. It wasn't until Zoran mentioned the griffin's nest that Su Mu realized this man was his neighbor to the west. Old Deng's efficiency was truly impressive! Wright City was an agricultural city with little industry; it only had guard towers and a market. It maintained its rule by collecting fees from the surrounding special buildings.

They had some troops, but not many, and were currently stretched thin. Eugen spent a little money, and Zoran readily handed over the lair.

Although Zoran knew nothing about training soldiers, he was very clear about the intricacies of the nobility.

The fact that Su Mu, a small town mayor, could receive a personal message from Eugen, a newly noble marquis, shows just how extraordinary the power behind him is.

Those fools kept asking about the situation in Whitestone, while this guy had already conquered it once and even indirectly relieved the siege of Longlet Castle. Maggie, wanting to reclaim power, naturally needed to rely on such a hero with shallow roots but capable fighting skills.

Although he doesn't have a title or fiefdom now, he'll probably receive the rewards he deserves soon.

Faced with Zoran's overtures, Su Mu naturally wouldn't refuse. After exchanging drinks with his neighbor, he received another 10 griffins.

Although their numbers were few, they were genuine Tier 3 soldiers. He touched the griffins' steel-like wings, extremely excited. However, since they had only been trained for a short time, the griffins were clearly not very obedient.

Su Mu wasn't going to tolerate that. He picked the most robust one, flipped over and jumped onto the griffin's back. Under the cover of his magical power, the griffin soared into the sky.

"Roar!"

Unlike the usual clear and melodious bird calls, the roar of a griffin when angry is like thunder, deep and extremely intimidating.

These creatures that soar in the wind are quite proud.

Su Mu was not afraid at all. His body seemed to be stuck to the back of the griffin. No matter how it flew up and down, or soared through the clouds, Su Mu remained very steady.

The most thrilling moment was when the griffins darted under the dilapidated stone bridge, almost touching the surface. Su Mu swerved to the side, moving to the right, and barely avoided a collision.

This enraged the Earthbows, who drew their bows and aimed, ready to teach the griffin a lesson if it made any dangerous moves.

"It's alright, this little guy is very spirited, I like him!"

About half an hour later, the exhausted griffin finally landed, grabbed a stream and drank voraciously, making "whooshing" sounds as it drank, clearly exhausted.

Does this little guy have a name?

“Mayor Sumu, it’s the most unruly of the griffins. It doesn’t even listen to the griffin trainer, so we call it the beast.”

"His body hasn't fully developed yet, but he's already more robust than his companions, so naturally he's a bit arrogant. I just checked from the air, and his control over the wind is also superior."

Soaring through the fierce winds. From now on, you'll be called Gale, and you'll be my personal mount!

Su Mu looked at Lie Feng and was quite satisfied.

The others, including Zoran, were somewhat bewildered. Everyone else chose docile and obedient mounts, but this guy picked the fiercest one. Even the griffin trainer couldn't train it properly; could it really be tamed by brute force alone? If that were the case, griffins wouldn't deserve to be a level 3 unit in the castle.

Griffins are willing to fight if given enough food and a safe haven. They are quite intelligent and almost see themselves as mercenaries, relying on human power for survival.

But using it as a mount isn't so easy.

Humans and griffins have a long-standing friendship that has allowed them to gradually tame the birds; it's not something that can be done by simply riding on one.

Ignoring the doubts of the crowd, Su Mu patted Lie Feng's wings in a friendly manner.

The gale was utterly exhausted. It had thought it was only carrying one person, but the flight became increasingly heavy, almost like a small mountain behind it. Even the strongest creature couldn't carry a mountain!
Therefore, it felt that Su Mu was playing tricks and was not fair at all. It was still sulking, tilting its head arrogantly and flapping its wings to indicate that it should not be disturbed while it was drinking water.

"Hahaha, that's unique!"

Su Mu smiled and didn't seem to care.

Only Ouling showed a thoughtful expression. Only he could understand that when it came to observing potential troops or heroes, the lord was second to none. If Su Mu set his sights on someone, there was no one who wouldn't grow into a star. He understood the power of governance better than anyone.

This griffin may seem wild and unruly now, but it's likely that it's been disturbed by the pent-up energy within its body and is forced to release it. Su Mu rode the Gale and circled in the air, casting earth magic to increase its weight, which would allow it to release the pent-up energy.

The griffin is too inexperienced, and it seems no one has taught it how to channel its magical power. If this continues, it may very well lose control.

With Su Mu's attack, Lie Feng is not far from becoming the Griffin Commander.

If we could add another hour to the mountain fortress, the future would be limitless!

Having received his new mount, Su Mu was in high spirits. He pulled Zoran back to the camp to discuss trade matters, and both host and guest enjoyed themselves.

But at this moment, Zoran mentioned another name: "The Baron asked me to bring you a message, Ruhr Lang. I heard that he will also be participating in this expedition."

After Rex's death, he aligned himself with the Griffinson family, taking over their timber business.

Su Mu's face instantly turned gloomy.

"You've got the path to heaven but you're barging into hell!"

(End of this chapter)