Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 426 Steadfast Strategy
Su Mu and his men returned to Cangmu, leaving some troops in Langlit Fortress to prevent the situation in western Cangmu from spiraling out of control.

In fact, the heartland is now out of control. The Congress has announced to the world that Prince Gaunt has been bewitched by the undead, instigating a rebellion, committing horrific tragedies, and spreading false information about Cloud City.

In the Congressional announcement, the fallen city in the clouds was merely an illusion created by evil magic and was nothing to fear.

But what one sees with their own eyes is often convincing.

The entire kingdom was in low spirits, shrouded in gloom; even the troops at the front lines wore sorrowful expressions. The kingdom's elite forces, sent to suppress the rebels, performed particularly poorly.

This time, Parliament made a tough decision, drawing powerful heroes from the High Court to command them, and thoroughly inspiring the fighting spirit of the nobles, who would be granted higher titles and rewards if they could quell the rebellion.

Characters like Sir Swift, Duke Peter, and some rising stars have all been given important roles.

Previously, Congress could suppress emerging talents based on seniority and lineage, but now it can only delegate power and let them take the lead.

The existing mechanisms have been almost completely destroyed. If we don't inject fresh blood, we might not even survive this stage.

But it's only a chance. The five burning altars, seemingly in the real world, are actually connected to a special void world and cannot be destroyed at all.

Gaunt himself led the undead legion in a massacre, and supported the Crimson General, continuing to wreak havoc in the heartland, plunging the kingdom into chaos.

At this time, Isildur, seeing the chaos in the kingdom, began to have ulterior motives.

Scouts report that a large army of fortified troops has amassed to the east of the valley, seemingly eyeing the Witcher Marshal's new legion. Over a hundred golden dragons have appeared on the cliff face, causing widespread panic.

Inside Kuraki's parliament hall, the main generals gathered to discuss the next steps.

"The northern border is under strict guard, with guard posts set up at various checkpoints. Utilizing the highest level of surveillance from the Cloud Eye, any unusual targets that infiltrate the northern border will be immediately eliminated!"

Wayne had put a lot of effort into the north, targeting the highly deceptive undead by deploying a thorough network of thief informants and sentries, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free.

In any case, the most important city in the North right now is Silvertop City. The original nobles of the North are either dead or wounded, so they will not disobey the ban. Instead, they want to recuperate.

In this way, targets coming from the north will be extremely conspicuous.

It is said that the army of the undead has become rampant on the borders of the Arcane Empire, but has yet to infiltrate the northern territory, which is inseparable from Wayne's strict defense.

Su Mu was quite satisfied with the bandits: "Very good, you did a good job!"

He then asked Cedros, "How is the research progressing in Silvertop City? Is any further assistance needed?"

"Everything is making way for that big deal, and we've seen some progress."

The deal between Silvertop City and the Church of Wisdom could not be made public. It wasn't that they didn't trust the generals, but the matter was to be kept secret, and it was best not to publicize it before the final result was announced.

"Then Silvertop City will continue to focus on defense, protecting the northern territory, and also monitoring the situation of the ancient ruins in the east. If any abnormalities occur again, we will notify you immediately."

"Yes!"

With war raging, Su Mu does not intend to make any rash moves in the north unless absolutely necessary. As long as he can defend the northern border, that would be the greatest achievement for Sederlos.

Su Mu shifted his gaze to Goode, and the Knight Commander immediately reported on the recent battle results.

"The Wind Erosion Knights have expanded to a hundred men and are patrolling around Bear Fortress, hunting down any stray skeleton guards."

After contacting the town mayors, we ambushed the enemy several times, striking a blow to their morale. The ancient ruins have temporarily stopped sending out scattered troops, but their focus seems to have shifted elsewhere.

Although Goode spoke of it lightly, one could imagine the difficulties involved.

The skeleton army spread out and fought guerrilla warfare, which was extremely destructive to villages and towns. Goode went all out to encircle and annihilate them. With the speed and strength of the Wind Erosion Knights, a few people could defend a village.

The heroes of the ancient ruins naturally thought of a countermeasure and wanted to regroup a certain size of troops to severely damage the Wind Erosion Knights.

However, Goode was prepared. He used the thieves' intelligence network, the Cloud Eye's surveillance, and the cooperation of the villages and towns to hide and sabotage the enemy's surprise attack, causing the ancient ruins' conspiracy to fall through.

Not wanting to suffer unnecessary losses, the ancient ruins temporarily ceased their operations.

However, Goode could see clearly that the ancient ruins were not afraid of him because of this small loss of troops. It seemed that the enemy's main force had been transferred to other areas to do something more important.

They didn't want to tackle Kuraki, that stubborn and unpleasant rock, for the time being.

"No need to guess, Gaunt is leading his undead army, especially the Lich King, to wreak havoc in the heartland, causing the nobles to suffer repeated defeats."

"It's not just Gaunt who gained the ability to burn altars; it seems several others were also blessed by the artifacts." Since the undead can use the passage to teleport to the heartland, it's not hard to imagine that the instigator of this must be an ancient ruin.

If it's difficult to break through Kuraki, then use a springboard to jump out and frantically accumulate troops.

"Should we reinforce the rear? If the undead continue fighting like this, the situation may get out of control later on!"

The generals looked at the Duke, all showing expressions of worry.

Last time, when Ivan surrounded the ancient ruins, they tested each other and learned that the other had the abnormal skill of stealing fire, so they were extremely wary.

After all, their skills are enhanced by governance techniques. If the enemy were to exploit this and steal their key skills, it would be disastrous.

According to Ivan, the enemy they fought last time was probably only at a beginner level; if he had advanced, he would likely be even more difficult to deal with. As for Prince Gaunt, although he received the blessing of the Burning Altar, according to reports from scouts at the front, he hasn't actually grown any stronger.

If Kuraki were to concentrate his forces now on the undead army, he might be able to extinguish their arrogance and suppress the rebellion at a relatively low cost.

Furthermore, the heartland is the most important region of the kingdom, and given the current situation, without support, the situation will likely deteriorate rapidly.

After thinking for a long time, Su Mu finally shook his head: "I have helped the Congress many times. I can't always be the one to step up and act as a firefighter when something goes wrong."

This disaster was a complete misstep by Congress, a stupid joke they created, and I'm not going to clean up their mess anymore.

Kuraki's job is to handle the crucial matter that will determine the course of the battle; he can't be led by the nose.

When these words were spoken, some people agreed, some felt relieved, and some clenched their fists in approval.

From its inception to the present, Kuraki was indeed initially short of troops, passively taking hits and adopting a strategic defensive posture. There's not much to say about that; circumstances are beyond our control.

But now that we're in a duchy, it's too frustrating to have to make up for the mistakes made by some incompetent teammates.

Su Mu now fully understands that being constantly led by others and remaining passive is not a solution.

Even if the undead could pose an unprecedented danger and grow stronger in the heartland, he would still push forward the war according to the established goals. Besides, human warriors are not so fragile; when their own life and interests are involved, they will unleash a strong resistance, and the heartland will not be so easily flattened.

Su Mu unfolded the magic map and slapped his palm onto the hill.

"Isildor has occupied the hills and gradually encroached on the Far Forest. They have also been sending divine golden dragons. If they want to expand, they must cross the Cangmu."

The war over timber was never truly over, and it was Isildur's suppression that allowed the domestic situation to deteriorate to this point.

"Currently, the Northern Arcane Empire is exploring the ruins, while the Emerald City and the Wildlands are watching from the sidelines, hoping to reap the benefits. There are few other external threats."

"The Witcher Marshal is training his troops in the valley, and I'm gathering new strength. This is absolutely the best time to drive Isildur out of the hills!"

"Some might say that if it weren't for this rebellion farce in the heartland, this would indeed be the best time, but now it might not be."

I don't see it that way. The battlefield is always full of uncontrollable factors. Even without the instigation of the undead, there will be other unexpected events. If we keep letting these unexpected events lead us, we will only be dragged down by the stronger Isildur.

We must proactively create opportunities!

Su Mu looked around at everyone.

"Everyone knows that the heartland is in turmoil and unstable, and Lloyd is even tempted to take over the valley."

If we could cooperate with the Witcher Marshal at this point and work together to dig a pit for the stronghold, do you think he would fall for it?

The generals looked at each other, their eyes gradually brightening.

This is both a crisis and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to make the composed Lloyd reveal a weakness, but now it might be.

"But the Witcher Marshal was directly appointed by Speaker Quentin. Would he agree to join forces with us?"

Forrest then stepped forward, his face resolute.

"His ability to become a marshal was not entirely due to his status as a witcher; he was indeed capable and had a heart for his country."

"Let me give it a try!"

(End of this chapter)