Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 358 Shock to the Government and the Public
The Northern delegation had just completed negotiations with the Arcane Empire and brought back Court Minister Gwen, but the captured generals were not released. They emphasized that these were crucial pieces of evidence and that the matter would be reported to the Federation if necessary, requesting that everyone witness the proceedings.

"That idiot Brody is a complete idiot! He not only failed to defend the border city, but also gave the Arcane Empire evidence to start a war. He's more trouble than he's worth!"

Gwen cursed and swore, her face full of anger. He had been imprisoned in Winterfell for the past few days, and it hadn't been easy for him either. He was fed simple meals every day, his magical powers were restricted, and he was constantly worried about being sent to the guillotine.

However, the Arcane Empire was prepared to leave a suitable negotiator behind, and the delegation had eased the situation; Somra was prepared to release a hero as a gesture of goodwill.

After all, Gwen's status is high enough, and she doesn't have much combat ability, so she is a relatively suitable character.

"What a pity for Conrad, sigh!"

Gwen looked back at the snowfield and shook her head helplessly.

Deep down, he truly didn't want Conrad to die in battle. Even if he were captured, the kingdom would do everything in its power to rescue him. No amount of resources or treasures would be too much to ask for the Knight Commander's return.

But the Arcane Empire was determined to kill them and would not leave such a brave and skilled general behind.

"Without Conrad, Isildur will probably be in even greater trouble. The young generals in the country are unruly and no one can control them. The kingdom is going to fall into chaos!"

Gwen was clearly aware of the domestic situation. Generals like Mkla and Sumu had a good relationship with Conrad, and there was a past favor between them, so he could barely control them. Now, without Conrad's mediation, and with Parliament unwilling to avenge the Knight Commander and continuing its policy of appeasement, a mutiny was likely to break out.

Just as Gwen was looking worried, a small, silver-white troop approached from afar.

The delegation thought the Arcane Empire had gone back on its word and was going to hunt them down, so they all sped up and fled in haste.

But the other party was faster and caught up in no time; it turned out to be Kuraki's thief.

The thieves took out a wooden box containing a head. The thief leader also relayed Sumu's words, instructing Gwen to report to Congress.

Gwen opened the box, glanced at the severed head, and nearly threw the wooden box away, her face turning deathly pale.

"It's all over! It's all over!"

"Let's go! Forget all the supplies and baggage, travel light, quickly leave the Northern Territory, and return to the Parliament!"

If before they were only worried that the Arcane Empire would renege on its promise, now the other side is definitely furious, having completely misunderstood the Congress's intentions. Once they catch up with them, it will be a massacre.

Gwen was sweating profusely. If Su Mu had launched the war any earlier, he might have really been sent to the guillotine.

The situation is already like this; it's not something he can decide alone. Let's send it back to Congress and let the Speaker and the others worry about it.

……

The magnificent and solemn parliament hall was filled with the most powerful nobles in the entire kingdom, yet they sat there silently as if silenced.

Everyone stared at the box at the end of the stone table, inside which lay a bloodstained human head, its face contorted in a grimace, filled with resentment and surprise, as if it had never imagined its end would be like this.

Indeed, if they really encountered the legions of a human kingdom and captured such a big fish, they would at least negotiate for a ransom and exchange him back, right? How dare they? Surrounded by enemies on all sides, they still dared to kill a general of the Arcane Empire. Do they really want their country to perish?
Not only Brucan thought so, but the nobles in Parliament also shared this view at this moment.

How dare Su Mu do that? He defied the Congress's orders, insisted on launching a surprise attack northward, and even beheaded the enemy's air element master. The most outrageous thing was that he sent him back to the Congress.

What does he mean? Doesn't he know that the Congress went through so much trouble to ease tensions with the Arcane Empire, and now all those efforts have been in vain?

The Arcane Empire has lost a great general and over 2 reinforcements. They will certainly not let this go easily. If they launch a full-scale attack, the entire northern border may fall. They might even be more aggressive and march south into the heartland, directly attacking the capital.

Even if Su Mu ignores all of this and insists on avenging the Knight Commander, Cang Mu's territory is adjacent to the Northern Border. Can he really withstand the Tower's wrath?
"He's gone mad! Su Mu has gone mad!"

This was the consensus among all the nobles. No one thought that a rational person would do such a thing. A madman caused the whole thing to be lost. The question is, what should be done next?
“We will immediately issue a statement to sever ties with Kuraki, saying that this matter was decided arbitrarily by Marquis Sumu without consulting the parliament, and that his actions are tantamount to treason!”

"Who would believe that now? Would the Arcane Empire believe it? They'll only think that Congress used negotiations to lower their guard so they could launch a surprise attack. Besides, now that we've cut off the Arcane Empire's reinforcements, they probably won't even bother to negotiate."

“This Sumu is incredibly stupid. Doesn’t he care about the kingdom at all? Our situation was already extremely precarious. First, he launched a surprise attack on the Emerald Kingdom, and now he’s attacking the Arcane Empire, offending all our potential allies. I think the biggest traitor has already emerged. Sumu wants to destroy Elton.”

Upon hearing this, Congress fell silent. It seemed that Su Mu didn't need to rely on Congress at all; even if he acted recklessly, he could still overpower his opponents. This time, the 2-strong Arcane Empire reinforcements were completely annihilated by Kuraki, who even killed the only flying magic master.

In truth, everyone was not stupid, and they had begun to speculate about how the hilly region had been breached. They deeply resented the Arcane Empire's duplicity and, now, their killing of Conrad as a form of intimidation, naturally made no one feel any goodwill towards the Tower.

If not for the circumstances, we would have already gone to war with them.

Although Su Mu's actions were somewhat outrageous, he did indeed vent everyone's anger, and some nobles were even quite excited.

"In my opinion, what can we do now that we've already done it? Since they don't believe us, we should just be upfront with them and say that anyone who invades our territory will be punished. This way, we won't end up pleasing neither side, and at least we can gain Kuraki's support. If the Marquis is really confident of winning, the Arcane Empire might not dare to invade again."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you really think that winning a battle through a sneak attack will allow you to challenge the Arcane Empire? The Tower can easily send out hundreds of thousands of troops to occupy the Northern Territory. How will we defend it then?"
I think we should suppress this matter for now, make Su Mu compensate with a large amount of resources and apologize to the Arcane Empire. If he is unwilling, or if he truly intends to rebel, then use the Earth Spirit to prohibit all of Cang Mu's production and recruitment, and see if he obeys.”

"It's foolish of you to say that. Su Mu killed more than 20,000 Arcane Empire troops in one battle. Do you think he would listen to you and apologize? Would the Arcane Empire agree to a half-hearted apology?"
Moreover, banning earth spirits is a tactic used against the Isildur Empire. To do this to a marquis with such distinguished military achievements would surely chill the hearts of all warriors.

In the grand hall of Parliament, members of parliament actually started arguing and shouting insults at each other, almost coming to blows.

Clearly, some people felt that Su Mu had gone out of control and needed to be punished as a warning to others; otherwise, it would be difficult to command the other troops.

Gwen suddenly spoke up: "Aren't you afraid of really forcing Sumu to rebel? With the forbidden spirits and no army, if he leads his army to join Isidore, the hills will be completely routed!"

It was only then that everyone remembered that the hill defense line had only held out for a little over a month thanks to Kuraki's defense, and the Congress had even added another month of defense time for the sake of the Witcher Marshal.

The problem of being surrounded by enemies, which they had been considering, actually put Kuraki himself to the greatest end, which is quite something.

"I still suggest that Kuraki be punished, otherwise if all the generals in the future act like him, then the authority of the Diet will be completely lost."

"What authority does Congress have now? Is it still trying to pat itself on the back? I think we should just go all out. If we support Su Mu, we can at least gain some reputation. Otherwise, the people's morale will really collapse."

"Punishment? Who will you send to punish? I'm not going to risk it. Kuraki even took on the Arcane Empire, what's the point of relying on your weak spearmen? What a joke!"

Just as the two factions were about to start arguing, Gwen intervened.

"I suggest we put it aside for now and wait and see how things develop."

If we can set aside our disputes with the Arcane Empire, why can't we be more tolerant of our own people?
If we win, we'll reward them handsomely to win them over; if we lose, we can try to make amends later!

Gwen, true to her old ways, hit the nail on the head, speaking directly to everyone's thoughts.

Since the situation is still unclear, it's better to stall for time. If Su Muzhen manages to defeat the Arcane Empire, then the Congress will naturally be able to hold its head high.

The Speaker nodded and instructed, "Send someone to Marquis Sumu and tell him that the Parliament supports him and also wants to avenge the Knight Commander. The talks are just to delay the other side. If he can defeat the Arcane Empire, he will be granted another piece of territory in the North."

To emphasize the difficulties Congress faces, our hearts remain with him.

After saying that, he whispered something to another subordinate.

One could faintly hear the words of those who sent envoys to negotiate with the Arcane Empire, and how their generals were too powerful to control and were constantly being dispatched.

It seems they're betting on both sides, trying not to offend either side before the outcome is revealed.

Raven, also in the Capitol, watched a group of duplicitous nobles leave in anger.

They really need someone like Su Mu to keep them in check. Their status is earned through war, not through any schemes or tricks.

For beasts like the Arcane Empire, you have to teach them a lesson they won't forget.

This is especially true for those cowardly guys in Congress.

(End of this chapter)