Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 66 Hidden Purpose
After capturing Malitta, Sumu and Zoran sped up their march and soon caught up with the allied forces.

Zoran lamented his losses to his acquaintances, and everyone assumed that they had also encountered setbacks, so they all laughed at them for overestimating their abilities.

It's best to keep quiet and make a fortune in this kind of thing; Zoran knows the ropes too well.

So the army accepted the losers and marched toward Whitestone.

The distance wasn't too far to begin with, and with the increased marching speed, the allied forces quickly approached their destination, but then came some bad news along the way.

"What? Griffinson led a surprise attack on White Rock, was tricked into surrendering, and then the Griffin army suffered heavy losses?"

"How could that be? The Griffin unit is a flying unit, capable of both offense and defense, and can come and go freely. Even if there are ambushes inside the city, they can still escape alive."

Several nobles discussed the matter in the camp, but they couldn't figure it out.

But after hearing the specific details, Su Mu was utterly speechless.

Well, you're just copying homework, huh? Do you think Locke Kyle is stupid? If he keeps falling into the same trap, then there's no point in him rebelling anymore; he might as well just find a wall and smash his head against it.

Griffinson had his reasons. "My griffon army comes and goes like the wind. With the momentum of the kingdom's army's great victory, isn't it a piece of cake?"
However, he overlooked one problem: the Kyle family had a unique unit capable of controlling griffins, and White Rock City was their doom.

"Seal Ivan."

Su Mu had already witnessed this on the ancient battlefield. At that time, it was not suitable for the opponent to perform well. Ivan was too slow, making it the perfect time for the enemy to walk into a trap. And that's exactly what happened to Griffinson.

It seems that Maggie and Baron Eugen are overthinking things. Griffinson needs at least ten more Locke Kyle to control the Marquessland.

When Su Mu and his group arrived outside White Stone City, they saw the castle army riddled with wounded and sick soldiers, and the griffins numbered less than 100.

"I want revenge! That despicable Kyle, he's utterly vile, bringing in foreign soldiers, his heart is wicked."

Ak Griffinson roared in his tent, clearly mad with rage. What difference would it make if they all defected to the Walled City and rebelled against the Kingdom? He'd be willing to turn Kyle into a vampire baron if it meant victory.

The only good news was that Kyle was in a hurry. As soon as the griffon army entered the city gate, he detonated the seal on Ivan, severely damaging the griffon legion, but also scaring away the halberdiers and archers who were preparing to cooperate outside, leaving only a few warriors behind.

Su Mu glanced at the tents of all sizes outside the camp, as well as the heroes from all over the country, and temporarily put aside his desire to fight.

If Griffinson had suffered even greater losses, he might have harbored evil intentions.

"What should we do? Our army has suffered heavy losses, and White Stone City seems to be planning a counterattack. There are still thousands of dwarf warriors inside the city, which will be difficult to conquer."

"It would be better to prepare for a long siege and fight a protracted war. Without supplies, the enemy will be defeated sooner or later."

"I heard that a big shot from the Kingdom's front lines is coming to Longlet Castle. If we can't take it after a long siege, isn't that a bit bad?"

The nobles were arguing again. When it comes to war, it really doesn't work without a powerful figure who can keep things under control.

Griffinson, however, was eager to take on this role: "Your constant arguing isn't going to solve anything. The Kyle family is already at its end. If we commit all our forces, we're guaranteed to destroy White Rock City. If you all trust us..."

The nobles immediately stopped arguing and looked at Ak with enigmatic smiles. A few of them were already whispering amongst themselves.

"He led so many griffins and got beaten up like this. How dare he be the commander?"

"If you ask me, even if you just tied a donkey up and blew the bugle, it wouldn't have come to this."

Ak's face was full of anger, but he couldn't say much. After all, his sneak attack had backfired, and his goal of establishing his authority had gone in the opposite direction. Even the newly recruited nobles were starting to have ulterior motives, not to mention the others.

The military meeting ended in discord, and the nobles returned to their own camps.

At night, a mysterious person sneaked into the camp and was taken to Sumu's tent.

Su Mu was quite speechless. Was the tradition of Elton to visit at night?
By the light of the lamp, he could see the other person's face clearly; it was none other than Baron Cher Lake, one of the previous allied forces.

“Mayor Sumu, Baron Eugen asked me to ask you if you are willing to command this siege. If you are willing, I will secretly help you persuade the nobles to obey your orders.”

Well done, Eugen. He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. No wonder so many people opposed Griffinson during the day; there were spies lurking in the shadows.

He looked at the baron before him and vaguely remembered him. Cher Lake was a lord near Longlet Castle, mainly engaged in trade. His family had many descendants, and through marriage alliances, they naturally had many allies.

Despite his lack of strength, Cher may not be a strong candidate, but if he were to rally support, he could garner a large number of votes.

The question now is whether or not to lead the troops to attack White Stone City.
Su Mu sat in his chair, pondering for a long time, before finally refusing: "It's not a good time to act. The army has just suffered a defeat, and morale is low. Rashly assembling the army to attack the city will only backfire." Cher said somewhat anxiously, "But you made a promise to Baron Eugen..."

Su Mu was somewhat displeased: "Don't worry, the Griffinson family won't steal our credit. War is not child's play; we need to be absolutely certain before we act, and once we do, it's a matter of life and death!"

These words were extremely chilling, and Baron Cher immediately dared not speak and could only retreat.

When Su Mu was the only one left in the camp, he fell into deep thought.

Everyone has their own selfish motives, even Baron Cher, who just arrived. Although he seems to be siding with Maggie, he actually has his own ambitions for glory. This kind of allied force is nothing but a rabble. They might cheer each other on when things are going well, but if it really comes down to a fight, they will collapse faster than anyone else.

If the nobles of Longletburg were like this, what about Locke Kell? What were his ulterior motives?
Isildur was defeated at the front; he should have known he couldn't hold this isolated city. Why then did he remain there, waiting to be besieged by the army? To be loyal to Isildur? That's a joke.

What are the Kyle family's goals?
If we can see through the enemy, then this battle will be much easier to win; otherwise, a direct assault will result in too many losses.

He stepped out of the tent and looked at the sturdy White Stone City in the distance, which looked like a dead city no matter how you looked at it.

"Ouling, send some clever scouts to scout around and see if there's any movement!"

"Send a group of troops north with me to see if our allies have arrived yet."

"Yes!"

……

Inside White Stone City, various troops are assembling in a flurry of activity, moving large quantities of resources.

Chests of gold were unsealed from the council chamber, and carts carrying logs and stones left large craters in the cobblestone road. The Kyle family's accumulation over the years was no small fortune.

Moreover, this attack on Longlet Castle resulted in the killing of many nobles and the seizure of a great deal of resources, all of which were transported back to the city.

The property of several surrounding towns was also gathered here, filling the square.

However, all of this was merely a pledge of allegiance.

Locke Kyle looked at the mysterious figure in front of him, draped in a thick mage's robe, with great respect.

"My lord, this is all the resources that White Stone City has accumulated. Please use your magic to take us away."

The mysterious man glanced at the resources scattered around him, somewhat dissatisfied: "We've only accumulated this much timber and stone, and the rare resources are pitifully scarce. If it weren't for Mober's son's plea for me to come, a piece of trash like you would have died here."

Locke bowed his head, not daring to refute: "You are right, sir. I will definitely work hard in the future and do my best for the empire."

The mysterious man waved his hand dismissively: "When you get there, listen to Mo Bo's son and try to atone for your crimes."

Locke hurriedly agreed, though he didn't know what crime he had committed. Perhaps his crime was not taking down the marquis's territory on his own.

People under the eaves have to bow their heads.

The mysterious figure walked to the center of the square and began to chant: "Spirit of the ancient earth, wanderer of the void, I summon you to traverse thousands of miles of barren land, descend upon the gate of time and space, and carry the lost believers back to the land of refuge!"

His voice was loud and vast, resonating with the earth. Mounds of earth and stones flew up and floated in the air, gathering more and more until they finally solidified into a magnificent gate.

[Time Gate (Level 4 Magic, Earth): Allows you to travel through the Time Gate, select an occupied castle, and consume 200 movement points.]

Advanced Earth Elemental Mastery Bonus: Allows free return to the destination and reduces movement point consumption; enables the transport of resources and a large army (not exceeding 1). If in enemy-occupied territory (areas where the boundary marker does not belong to your side), there are requirements regarding city level and resources.

The mysterious man seemed slightly disappointed.

Using a portal to escape was a disgrace to him; why bother subduing the Kyle family and launching a sneak attack on Longlet Castle?

This advanced city is precisely what we need as a transit point.

Imagine what would happen if the kingdom's army were defeated and retreated, only to be suddenly confronted by a large army?

Elton is probably going to disappear from the map soon, what a pity!
However, this is a long-term war, and temporary victories or defeats are insignificant.

He slowly walked through the portal and stepped into a new battlefield.

(End of this chapter)