Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 352 National Mourning
In the capital city of Elton, many high-ranking officials gathered in the parliament hall to formulate the next military strategy.

Kenway the Witcher was attacked by a golden dragon, and the new recruits suffered heavy losses. However, thanks to their previous arrangements, they were able to inflict some damage on the enemy. Although they did not lose too many high-level troops, they also killed a significant number of Isildur's flying units.

Next, we wait for the cavalry to arrive as reinforcements, then begin probing the hills and gradually reinforce the plains to set up a defensive line.

It must be said that Kuraki made a great contribution to the defense during this period.

Although the undead's interference caused Isildur to be overwhelmed, Black Cliff was able to resist for a month in isolation and even drive away the attacking undead, which shows that Marquis Sumu had put in a lot of effort.

"Tell Su Mu to hold on for another month. Reinforcements will arrive then, along with generous military supplies. He can have anything he wants!"

The final decision was made jointly by the higher-ups, but the military officer in charge of relaying the orders was a little uneasy. They had agreed on a month, but now it was another month. Wasn't this just making a fool of the marquis?

If they could provide some resources, that would be fine, but instead, they're using the entire nation's resources to support Kenway. Kuraki is clearly being used as a shield, and given Su Mu's personality, he might not tolerate it.

But this was the only option, since the second prince went to the trading city and made things worse, leaving everyone in an awkward position.

In the end, the Speaker, together with the major nobles, borrowed a huge sum of money from the Trade Treasury at extremely high interest rates, mortgaging more of the resource-rich lands in the hinterland, which temporarily alleviated the financial crisis.

The eldest prince disappeared without a trace, and the second prince, having lost his political rival, was initially full of vigor and ready to make a big splash and demonstrate his abilities. However, he stumbled as soon as he made his move. The trading city taught him a lesson: the royal name was no longer very effective, and if he insisted on going his own way and disregarded the interests of everyone, no one could command him.

These are just businessmen; what about the nobles and high-ranking heroes behind them?

After this incident, the second prince became much more obedient, consulting with the council before making decisions and so far, he hasn't encountered any further problems.

Without his interference, Congress resumed its high-speed operation.

They subdued the Arcane Empire in the north and persuaded the Emerald Kingdom to wait until Kenway had trained its elite troops. Then, with the combined strength of the three kingdoms, they would press on the hilly region and were not far from recapturing the Fal Forest.

"Now we're just waiting for Gwen to bring good news!"

The ministers exchanged glances, their faces beaming with satisfaction. The kingdom had escaped a seemingly hopeless situation, and their contribution was indispensable.

But at that moment, a diplomat rushed in, looking flustered.

"Not good! Not good!"

"The Arcane Empire's army is pressing in, besieging Winterfell. Court ministers have been detained, the Knight Commander's fate is unknown, and the North has temporarily lost contact with the outside world."

Upon hearing this news, all the members of Congress wore expressions of disbelief, and the entire hall fell silent.

After a long silence, someone finally asked, "The Arcane Empire hasn't said anything more? They're just launching a direct attack like this?"

"The tower issued a declaration of war, stating that our generals have abducted innocent civilians and harmed the people of the empire. They have magical images as evidence and have submitted them to the Continental Federation for notarization."

The congressmen looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.

The kingdom's generals were too busy avoiding battle to possibly massacre the citizens of the Arcane Empire. Even the most resolute general, Conrad, agreed to Gwen's request, prioritizing the greater good; how could he possibly go back on his word?

Just as everyone was arguing, someone revealed the cruel truth: "The Arcane Empire never intended to ally with us from the beginning. They were just using the peace talks as an opportunity to lower our guard and make it easier for them to launch a surprise attack and seize Winterhold."

The Knight Commander is in danger!

This is actually a very obvious thing, but no one dares to say it out loud.

The alliance was spearheaded by the high command; virtually all the nobles agreed, and court ministers even personally went to the front lines to negotiate peace. Now, with the Arcane Empire turning against them and launching a surprise attack, who will bear the responsibility?
What's more troublesome is that the Knight Commander also has more than 700 cavalry legions, which are the kingdom's elite. If they are destroyed by the Arcane Empire, how will we fight them next?
Given the already fragile alliance, would the Emerald Nation still be willing to help Elton after he has provoked two great empires?

The alliance of the three kingdoms has turned into a one-against-many situation; this joke has gone too far.

"Immediately investigate the Knight Commander's whereabouts and do everything in your power to rescue Conrad."

"Regardless of whether Winterfell is captured or not, we cannot rashly declare war on the Arcane Empire, or we will only face certain death. If they want the North, let them have it; we don't need the resources or anything else, just let them release the people."

"Don't make a fuss for now. Send another delegation to negotiate with the Arcane Empire. If they try to force us, it will only let Isildur succeed. They definitely don't want a powerful opponent to appear in the south. There's still room for negotiation."

Ultimately, the Speaker made the final decision, and the members of the House pooled their wisdom to pass the resolution.

At this time, we must endure humiliation and bear the burden, and we must not fall out with the Arcane Empire, otherwise Elton will not be far from destruction!

……

Su Mu stood atop Silver-Top City, gazing at the distant snowfield.

Upon receiving news of congressional talks, he was not pleased, but rather deeply worried.

The Arcane Empire, with its wolfish ambitions, has long harbored the desire to devour the Northern Territory. How could it possibly negotiate so easily and cede a large amount of resources?

Is it realistic for a sheep to negotiate with a wolf, offering to give up its pasture and demanding food?

Congress is clinging to wishful thinking, always believing that relying on others is worse than relying on itself.

This is certainly not just because the nobles were afraid of being beaten. They were used to the old methods of dealing with internal affairs and always felt that they were effective. They believed that by forming alliances and counter-alliances, no single power would be allowed to become too strong.

But the nobles overlooked a fundamental factor: if they weren't powerful enough, no one would pay them any attention. All checks and balances are based on a basic balance of power; even the worst-case scenario requires the ability to overturn the table.

If Elton cannot demonstrate such capabilities, neither Isildur, the Arcane Empire, nor any other power will give it a second glance.

Do humans value piglets raised in pigsties? No matter how much they cry out, it won't change their fate of being slaughtered.

In fact, including Sumu, Conrad, and Murak, they had carefully studied the current situation after the Battle of Sunset. To say that Elton could truly fight the enemy single-handedly was indeed difficult. But no matter how difficult it was, they had to keep fighting.

Ailton's only hope is to seek peace through war, and to survive through war.

If they don't demonstrate their power, no one will likely let them off the hook.

Since Congress has chosen to back down, this is the only option. Now that the Knight Commander has withdrawn from the turbulent North, Su Mu hopes he will remain on the plains to help him train a powerful cavalry.

Previously, Kuraki's abilities were truly not up to par.

But through continuous battles, his merits and power accumulated rapidly, and the resources needed by Congress were just around the corner.

Once the equestrian training ground is built, he is confident that he can quickly amass a cavalry force. When combined with the warhorses trained by Goode, they will be a major asset for Kuraki.

Although Kuraki had nothing to offer the Knight Commander, Conrad, with his selfless attitude, would definitely be willing to help those who were on the front lines defending the country.

Moreover, Silvercap City was built, firmly anchored on the edge of the North, blocking the passage from Frosthold to the Plains.

As long as the enemy cannot conquer this place, there will be a chance to reclaim the northern lands in the future, which is also an attraction for the Knight Commander.

Conrad must have been very dissatisfied with being forced to back down this time, but he is not the kind of person who breaks the rules.

Since that's the case, let Kuraki make the arrangements and fulfill the Knights' wish.

Su Mu looked down and saw countless clouds drifting by, which showed how high this place was.

Watchtowers: Watchtowers can expand the visibility around the town.

Resources required: 1000 gold coins, 5 logs, 5 stones.

Special Effect (Advanced Civil Engineering): Expands the detection range and provides research topics for Cloud Eye (Cloud Eye progress 200/1000). Possesses Level 1 True Sight, capable of detecting basic camouflage/concealment effects.

Additional resources: 5000 gold coins, 10 logs, 10 gems, and 1 of each rare resource.

After advanced civil engineering work, the watchtower's height was increased again. Moreover, it wasn't just a simple increase in height; a special cloud was created to envelop the watchtower, making it impossible for the enemy to spot the tower, yet they could see it clearly.

Besides the watchtower, there is the crucial Wisdom Wall.

[Divine Mirror Wisdom Wall: Grants each visiting hero +1 Knowledge;]

Resources required: 1000 gold coins, 5 primal stones.

Special Effect (Advanced Civil Engineering): Enhances the mage's research ability, increases the speed of all research projects by 50%, and has a 10% chance to automatically cast Magic Mirror when defending a city.

Additional resources: 15000 gold, 15 primal gems, and 5 of each rare resource.

The Wisdom Wall is one of the most unique structures in the tower. For example, the Void Throne has a Void Wisdom Wall, which can obtain the Wisdom Chest to store the knowledge and special abilities of heroes, making it quite powerful.

Silvertop City is defensively oriented, so it has chosen a special magical countermeasure. This 10% chance can be very helpful if the opponent is a high-magic power like the Arcane Empire.

When Congress sought an alliance with the Arcane Empire, Su Mu already considered the Tower a potential enemy. The empire to the north had never been a benevolent force, and it was necessary to be wary of it.

Standing a thousand meters above the ground, overlooking the entire silver city, Su Mu nodded in satisfaction.

The new city is finally starting to take shape, and it's time for Cedrus to get some experience.

If there is no war in the North for the time being, let the astrologer meet with Liliana and go to the hills to cause trouble.

Just as he was planning his future strategy, he was summoned to an emergency meeting by his personal guards.

When Su Mu entered the Internal Affairs Hall, he found that Maggie, Forrest, Sedloss, and even Ivan had arrived.

Each of them had a somber expression, kept their heads down and remained silent, not even daring to look at the lord.

Finally, Ivan spoke up: "The Arcane Empire, under the guise of peace talks, seized Winterfell and destroyed all its defensive forces."

Congress said the situation was unclear and not to make a fuss, and sent a delegation to negotiate in hopes of stabilizing the Arcane Empire.

Marshal Raven secretly sent a message: a messenger arrived at Bear Fortress, warning us to be vigilant against the enemy to the north. This is a matter of great importance, so I have come to report to you personally.”

Su Mu swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Where is the Knight Commander?"

Logically, since they had already agreed to peace talks and the kingdom's army was gradually withdrawing, the other side shouldn't have gone so far.

But seeing the silent expressions on the faces of the generals, Su Mu roughly guessed the outcome.

Finally, Ivan said in a deep voice, "The commander of the Arcane Empire is the Genie Somra, who led tens of thousands of high-level troops to attack the city, and the defenders of Winterfell were completely wiped out."

According to scouts, Conrad's head has been severed and placed in a sealed box, to be brought back by court officials to warn the courtiers of Elton what the consequences of opposing the Arcane Empire are!

"Clang, clang!"

The table and chairs tipped over, and Su Mu's vision went black as he barely managed to grab the wooden handle.

He remained silent for a long time.

(End of this chapter)