Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 89 Counterattack Strategy
Su Mu marched at a rapid pace and arrived near Qiangnu Town in two days.

They passed through several villages, all of which had been massacred, leaving only scorched earth and corpses.

The Earthbow searched the village, but found no survivors, and many corpses, no taller than an adult's waist, had been completely charred.

Many people were hung from the eaves or from giant trees before they died, the ropes not tied too tightly, and they were subjected to a curse that could not be untied, meaning they were all burned alive.

"These beasts! Do they even deserve to believe in nature?"

No wonder Orling was so furious. Even if the forces of Hell came, their cruelty would be at most this level. The heroes of the bulwark committed slaughter without any moral boundaries.

However, when a war reaches this point, it's a matter of life and death, and there's no morality to speak of.

Such acts of slaughter can deter many towns that are unwilling to surrender and will fight to the death. Of course, it may also have the opposite effect, causing the defenders to know that the city will fall and fight to the bitter end.

Witnessing the tragic plight of the human civilians, all the soldiers were filled with rage and only had the thought of revenge left them, which greatly boosted their morale.

"Reporting, sir, Baron Eugen has sent a messenger."

"Bring them in."

A scout handed his horse to a soldier and entered the tent alone. Without bothering with pleasantries, he stated his purpose directly.

"Lord Eugen has led his army to the west side of Qiangnu Town. He hopes that Kuraki Town can join him in attacking from the east and west to relieve the siege of Qiangnu Town."

Eugen reacted quickly, immediately leading his troops out to war after returning to Rock, and even arriving at Strongbow Town ahead of time.

"What's the situation in Qiangnu Town now?"

"This is bad. We're surrounded by two armies. To the south is the centaur and archel legion led by Hirel, numbering a thousand. To the east is the combined forces led by Kyle, which are even more numerous and densely packed."

Although Su Mu had anticipated a large number of enemy troops, he had not expected so many.

It seems that Isildur has definitely reinforced Ivo's forces and is determined to spread them throughout the heart of the kingdom, causing chaos in the valleys and plains.

A thousand centaurs are indeed formidable, but with Su Mu's current strength, he is not afraid. He is more concerned about Kyle's troops.

What types of troops did Locke Kyle bring with him to the siege?

"The main force consisted of spearmen that Kyle had gathered from various places, as well as dwarves assigned to him. He also recruited wolf riders and orcs in the south of the valley, and even some nomads and ironmen."

With such a mixed force, isn't he afraid of a significant drop in morale on the battlefield?

As if sensing Su Mu's doubts, the scout hurriedly explained: "Locke always uses different troops to attack cities, and he basically doesn't mix troops from more than three factions. In addition, he seems to have a morale-boosting artifact, which allows him to barely maintain his position."

"What's the situation inside Qiangnu Town? How long can it hold out?"

"The city is mainly defended by sharpshooters, and the spearmen have been almost all wiped out. If the enemy breaks through the city walls, there will be no chance of survival."

If there's any weakness in Isildur's army, it's definitely the lack of a formidable flying unit. If the enemy had brought Silver Pegasus, Strongbow Town would probably have been breached long ago.

Su Mu arrived at the battlefield in haste, and what he lacked most was intelligence. Eugen arrived first and actively gathered information, making up for this deficiency. As a result, Su Mu also gained a general understanding of the battle situation.

"Tell Baron Eugen that I will lead my troops out at dawn tomorrow. I will feign an attack on Hiller, and then focus on meeting up with him on the western front to jointly annihilate Kyle's forces."

Hirel's centaur legion was naturally the main vanguard, but they were too fast to catch up with. Although Su Mu could send out the wild griffins first, their numbers were too small to inflict enough damage, and they were more likely to be restricted from flying and surrounded. If they lost their flying units, they would face even greater difficulties in the subsequent battles.

Therefore, he believed that the army should advance steadily, using the Earth Bow's powerful ranged capabilities to deter the centaur legions. If the enemy refused to submit and insisted on a direct confrontation, then the shield infantry would take care of them; Su Mu couldn't be happier if the enemy made a foolish mistake.

If Hirel is unwilling to launch a direct attack, then drive away the centaur legions and join Baron Eugen in besieging Kael's forces. Dealing with these slow-moving creatures can be a matter of attrition.

In this way, Eugen can hold off the enemy to the west and achieve a righteous two-on-one victory.

"I'll go back and report to Baron Eugen right away!"

After the scouts left, Ouling suggested, "Should we contact Qiangnu Town and inform them of our plan so that there can be a backup in the city?"

After thinking for a moment, Su Mu shook his head and said, "We need to let Richie draw some fire so that Hillel and the others will become greedy when they see that Qiangnu Town is about to be breached. Otherwise, given his personality, he might retreat."

“I’m afraid they won’t be able to hold out and will be wiped out. If that happens, it will be difficult for the enemy to defend the city with thousands of soldiers.” “What are you afraid of? Even if Qiangnu Town has a main camp and protective walls, they have been bombed to pieces by now. If Sirell thinks he can withstand our attack with leaky walls on all four sides, he’s laughing his head off.”

Oling agreed. With the current power of the Earth Bow combined with his Advanced Soul Arrow Technique, he wasn't afraid of the enemy defending the city. Even if the Arrow of Vengeance was destroyed after only one attack, it would be a lesson that Hillel would never forget.

After deciding on this plan, the soldiers were told to rest and prepare for the battle at dawn.

……

As the evening clouds faded, the soldiers who had been attacking the city walls of Qiangnu Town slowly withdrew, having successfully held out for another day.

Many sharpshooters remained steadfast on the defensive towers, keeping a close watch on the departing enemy troops, fearing they might launch a counterattack.

Believe it or not, this centaur force actually did something similar a few days ago. Relying on their high-speed charge, they launched another assault on the city walls while the soldiers on the walls were relaxed.

Fortunately, Baron Eugen arrived from the west with a group of men, providing distant support and harassment, which prevented Sirél from succeeding.

But the enemy wasn't afraid of Eugen's reinforcements at all. Kyle's legions to the west were growing larger and larger, seemingly endless. Recently, they were even able to attack the city walls while fighting Eugen.

If this continues, Qiangnu Town may not be able to hold out.

"What on earth is Longletburg doing? The plea for help was sent out long ago, and they've only sent this few people so far? Does Maggie intend to wait until we're all dead before sending a large army?"

The speaker was Jayne Richie, the eldest son of the Richie family. A few days ago, when he saw Eugen leading the nobles to provide support, he was initially very pleased and praised them. However, seeing that the Baron was unable to lift the siege, his attitude turned sour.

Deep down, Jayne did not approve of Maggie as the heir to the marquess, especially after the assets he had jointly invested in with Griffinson at Longlet Castle were confiscated, which fueled his anger.

"All she does is fight amongst herself. She was ruthless when she killed Griffinson, but now that it's her turn to defend the territory, she doesn't utter a sound. What kind of marquis is she?"

Despite such blasphemous words, the city lord Dean did not reprimand his son, allowing him to vent his anger in front of everyone.

In truth, he was also somewhat worried, because the Richie family had indeed had some business dealings with the Griffinson family in the past. Although this purge did not target them, the confiscation of properties in the city was a warning.

Dean was afraid that Maggie would disregard the overall situation, so he only arrived to provide support after Qiangnu Town had been breached.

However, as an old nobleman, he gradually put aside his suspicions after seeing Eugen lead the people to his aid. Maggie would not take such a big risk to hand over Strongbow Town to Isildur.

"Where are the troops from Kuraki Town?"

"Reporting to you, sir, it is said that Baron Sumu has retrieved the archer tower and waterwheel and will be arriving soon."

Upon hearing the scout's words, Jayne flew into a rage: "He, Su Mu, came to provide support just for the resource sites and barracks? He might as well come and collect our corpses when we're all dead!"

"You bastard, don't talk such stupid things. Right now, the only thing Qiangnu can count on is them!"

This time, Dean didn't indulge his son and gave him a scolding.

If we're talking about relying on Eugen for relief, he's definitely not reliable. The most capable fighter in the nearby towns, and perhaps even the most capable fighter in Langlitburg right now, is none other than Sumu.

He knew the current situation in the marquisate; no one was able to send troops.

Therefore, Dean specifically offered the Archer Tower as a reward, and even went so far as to send an envoy to Cangmu Town to contact Valentine, a former impoverished nobleman from the south, hoping to get Sumu's support.

After all, losing an archer tower only meant a slight reduction in manpower; he still had many businesses to recruit more soldiers. If Isildur were to breach the city, it would mean utter ruin and the loss of everything. Dean understood the difference between what mattered most.

"Father, how can you expect anything from them? They're all a bunch of wolves with ulterior motives!"

Jayne snorted and turned to leave the city wall.

Although Dean's expression remained unchanged, his heart skipped a beat. Logically, the reinforcements from Kuraki Town should have arrived nearby, and regardless of whether they fought or not, they should have at least sent a message. Now, there was no movement from the east. Could it be that they were simply sitting back and watching the two sides fight?

He shook his head and quickly suppressed the thought.

For now, no matter what, they can only defend the city to the death. He believes that given the key location of Qiangnu Town, Langlit Castle will definitely not give up on them.

(End of this chapter)