Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 64 The Defensive Mariette Tower

In the woods outside Whitestone City, an army of griffins is quietly lying in wait.

Earl Acker Griffinson led his legion to arrive first. Although the allied army was large, it was easy for news to leak out, which would be detrimental to his subsequent strategy.

If you ask him what his strategy is, it's simple: hasn't someone already demonstrated it?

"Launch Baishi at night, lure the troops to surrender, and then concentrate your forces to defeat them."

Although Su Mu's tactics were simple, they were indeed very effective. At this time, White Stone City was in an even worse situation. Presumably, as soldiers of a human castle, they were unwilling to go down the same path as the Kyle family.

He had already made contact with the city through thieves and merchants, and was just waiting for the royal army to arrive so he could immediately raise his flag and rebel.

Ak was somewhat annoyed with Whitestone City. The last time he sent a receiving legion, they were completely wiped out. Everyone said that they were too hasty and had forced the Kyle family to rebel.

A bunch of fools, all Maggie's newly acquired lackeys. Kyle clearly harbors rebellious intentions; otherwise, how could he have so quickly assembled a powerful army and even dug a tunnel all the way to Longlet Castle? Once he has subdued White Rock and returned to the city with his military might, he will immediately arrange Maggie's marriage to Heim, a member of a collateral branch of the family.

In this chaotic world, it is the men with strong armies who should be in power. Maggie is powerless to control the complex situation, and this is for Garfield's own good.

The military meeting was held in a tent, without even turning on the lights. Everyone barely managed to assign tasks for the siege by the moonlight.

"When the appointed time arrives, the sharpshooter squad will launch an attack from the forest. This time, we will enter through the east gate again. Although the gate has been reinforced after the last attack, it will be difficult to repair it in a short time. With someone coordinating from the inside, it will be the perfect place for a surprise attack."

If Longletburg were to send troops, they would advance from the south and west. If Kyle were a normal person, he would concentrate his forces on these two sides.

Griffinson also has a huge advantage: the Griffin Legion can fly over the fortress and directly enter the city to attack. If there are reinforcements, they can quickly take down the city walls.

This time he brought over 600 griffins, 400 archers, and 500 halberdiers, making him a formidable force.

During the last Battle of Longletburg, his core Griffin Legion was out on missions and was unaffected. In addition, with nobles coming to join him recently, he expanded his legion using the existing troops, resulting in a rapid increase in his strength.

"It's a pity the sharpshooters lack a commander, otherwise they would be even more formidable!"

Everyone is aware of the patriarch's worries. There are many skilled archers, but few can truly excel. Last time, a treasure was found, which, if bestowed upon our commander, could enhance the archers' abilities. But that hateful Ouling ruined the plan.

At this point, the crowd erupted in curses, and Su Mu was also mentioned in the process.

"I heard that Cangmu Town is developing well, with log production reaching a new high, and it has private trade with refugee camps."

"He really hit the jackpot last time. Taking advantage of Locke Kyle's absence, he secretly contacted the city's defenses and easily captured Whitestone City. This guy's strength is average, but his luck is really good. He took over the largest forest in the Marquisate as soon as he appeared, and he just happened to use Orling to defeat Isildur's vanguard. Then he took advantage of the situation to capture Whitestone City. He really seized every opportunity."

The crowd was making a lot of noise, mostly belittling and mocking Su Mu.

After all, the kingdom revered titles, and he, a person without a title, was only promoted to hero by luck, so naturally he was not valued by everyone.

Ak Griffinson was somewhat dissatisfied: "One thing can be considered lucky, but if everything is done at the right moment, can it still be considered lucky? I think you are blinded by jealousy."

"Rul Kai, you were the first to have contact with Nasumu, tell me the details!"

A round, fat man squeezed out of the crowd, his whole body covered in fat. This guy had just joined Griffinson, and Acker had put him in charge of the timber business, which he was doing quite well.

"Gentlemen, Su Mu was originally a production supervisor at Cangmu Forest Farm. He certainly had some ability, but not much. He got to this position by relying on a relative of his."

I've worked with him for some time now, always following the same routine, doing nothing of note. It wasn't until he found a skilled lumberjack and promoted him that the timber business gradually grew and expanded.

Ak asked, "Is that Forrest? I heard that he's in charge of both finances and construction in Kuraki now, and he's doing a really good job."

Is there any way to win him over? People have their desires: wealth, titles—I'll give him double what Su Mu can offer!

Upon hearing this, Ruhr's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Forrest's skill level was originally average, but later he was influenced by some evil force and suddenly became a hero. He exploits carpenters every day, and countless people have died from exhaustion and suffering. I heard that there is an altar in the forest that was erected by this man."

The nobles all cursed Forrest, condemning him for lacking aristocratic spirit and for inhumanely exploiting the carpenters.

Ak could only shake his head. In his view, exploitation was a minor matter, but he was always uneasy about those who weren't his own people. He would find an opportunity to take over Cangmu and send people to occupy the most lucrative forest farms, then the family's resources would increase even further. The rapid development of Cangmu Town was indeed suspicious. After he finished dealing with his subordinates, he would definitely send someone to investigate what their secret was.

"Alright, let the Griffin unit rest for a bit and set off at dawn."

"By the time the allied forces slowly crawl over here, they'll only be able to watch us celebrate from the city walls!"

……

The combined forces on Su Mu's side sped up their march, as everyone was tempted by the rewards promised by Garfield.

The nobles also joined forces to form more powerful armies, and the initial scattered and disorganized soldiers were gone. Even the peasant armies were organized into unified battle formations and commanded by specialized commanders.

During this period, some unpleasant things also happened.

The nobles in the allied forces wanted to recruit Kuraki's archers and shield bearers, saying that unified command would be more efficient. To be honest, they were somewhat envious of this elite force.

Su Mu didn't want to get entangled with them, so he directly took out the appointment given to him by Eugen. He had a special mission to lead the army to complete the task on his own and was not under anyone's command.

Seeing that it was impossible to do it openly, they secretly sabotaged him by giving him only a small portion of military supplies and intelligence, and by preventing him from attending core meetings.

Su Mu was even happier now. He used to have to attend meetings with a bunch of idiots every day, and he had to barely maintain some relationships with them. Now he didn't have to go anymore and was happy to have some peace and quiet.

Besides, he wasn't without access to information.

Just as the Earthbow was resting in the wilderness, a messenger approached the camp and was led into Sumu's tent.

"My lord, I am an investigator from Wright City. Lord Zoran has asked me to bring you a message."

It is said that on the northwest side of the marching route, the aurora borealis shone a few days ago, making it seem as if a magical land had appeared, with a mysterious tower vaguely visible.

Upon hearing this news, Su Mu immediately became interested and inquired carefully, "What exactly does the tower look like?"

"Layer upon layer, with the aurora gathering at the top, and the surrounding people can occasionally hear solemn training slogans."

After thinking it over, Su Mu quickly identified the type of special building.

"Defense Marit Tower!"

"I never expected to meet you here!"

This is where the advantage of numbers becomes apparent. While the nobles on each side may not have large armies, their information network is absolutely extensive. They come from all regions of the Xilin Plain, their territories are scattered across every corner of the map, and they also rule over the peasants in the countryside.

We will be aware of any unusual activity in the surrounding area immediately.

"What are the plans of the noble alliance?"

"Some troops have already been sent out to scout ahead, but they haven't returned after entering the aurora. The main force has now halted and is considering countermeasures."

There were guards at the entrance, but whether they were out-of-control soldiers or a test for Mariette himself was unknown.

"If we can capture it in one go during this period, that would be great. But if the defending forces are too strong, there's no need to fight to the death. White Stone City is more important."

Although buildings that increase attributes are very rare, the key to the Marquisate right now is to capture Whitestone City. A strong attack on the defenders of Marit Tower would result in heavy losses, which would be a losing proposition.

"Yes, sir, I will convey your message to Lord Zoran."

After thinking for a moment, Su Mu added, "But if the time is right, I am willing to join forces with Wright City to conquer this place."

(End of this chapter)