Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 442 Anger

Dino led his army back to the hilltop stronghold, his face grim.

Several transport officers were killed by him under some pretext of delay, and their heads were hung outside the camp gate as a warning to the troops.

There's no way around it; you have to find some excuse for a defeat. You can't just say you couldn't win, or you'll lose all morale and how will you fight next time?
In fact, Dino also reflected on his actions and realized that he had been somewhat careless and had not made sufficient preparations for the river-sea battle. Kenway had caught him off guard by using the Demon Hunter Crossbowmen, which delayed the landing of the ships.

If it weren't for Su Mu, the Golden Dragon's immense power would have been enough to suppress the enemy's ranged attacks, making the battle much easier once the main force reached the city. Unfortunately, all their efforts were in vain.

Elton's two armies must have communicated in advance, otherwise they would not have been able to arrive so promptly. It seems that Elton wanted to lure them into attacking so that he could launch a brilliant counterattack.

If that's the case, the other side probably has a backup plan.

Dino has contacted Lloyd, warning him to be careful about Kuraki's situation. Because Lloyd has concentrated his forces to attack the valley, his troops have moved south, leaving the defenses relatively weak.

With too many troops, Giethoorn was difficult to manage, so Dino launched the initial attack. The original plan was for Lloyd's main army to arrive, capture Giethoorn, and then join forces with the Imperial army to occupy the valley, but this outcome was unexpected.

"That Su Mu is really a troublemaker!"

Dino, seething with anger, smashed the table with his fist, startling the guards outside the tent.

He's been losing control of his emotions more and more lately; there's just been too much going on, too many defeats, a stark contrast to his initial unstoppable offensive. Lloyd said Elton had grown during the war, that the battles weren't easy, and Dino, who initially dismissed it, is now starting to believe it.

However, he believed that the defeat was not solely due to his personal reasons. Elton knew how to set aside personal grudges and fight together, but that dragon knight had not yet arrived on the battlefield. He was really arrogant.

Orofel Senye is another hero of the Green Forest tribe. As elves, their strength is beyond doubt, but they are extremely arrogant. Even towards other elves, they are haughty and look down on everyone.

That makes sense, though. As yet another newly appointed dragon knight, Orofel certainly has every right to be proud.

Countless heroes have entered Dragon Cliff, and most of them remain there forever. They have come to comprehend the mysteries of dragons, gained the dragons' approval, and will never again acknowledge other races.

To some extent, dragon knights are beings on the same level of life as dragons, and that indifference is ingrained in their very bones.

Regardless, this campaign was initiated by the Elders, and Orophier even said that his Golden Dragon Army still needed to wait for a secret treasure, and would be a few days late in arriving.

Originally, Dino and Lloyd didn't really need so many golden dragons, but with Su Mu joining in, the two sides became evenly matched, and Orofel's army became extremely crucial.

"Send a message to Orofel, tell him that Sumu has joined the battle, the situation at the front is dire, and he must come to our aid immediately!"

Relatively speaking, Lloyd, the frontline marshal, didn't really have much command authority over Orofel. However, Orofel valued Sumu highly and, knowing that Sumu had killed the legendary hero Somra in Silvertop City, had always wanted to challenge him.

Dino guessed that Orofel was also one step away from becoming a legend, and would likely need to undergo some kind of special trial before he could reach that level, which was why he was so interested in Su Mu.

Instead of giving him orders, it might be more effective to inform him of Su Mu's whereabouts.

Rather than using this provocation tactic, Dino would rather Su Mu hadn't appeared. Now there are too many variables, and things might not be going well.

"Reporting, sir..."

"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and panicked? Can't you be a little more composed about something?"

"My lord, news has come from Marshal Lloyd that the Kuraki Legion has broken through the three fortresses in the southern part of the hills and is heading towards the river pass. They may very well join up with the enemy in the valley. Please be careful!"

"What? Didn't Su Mu bring troops to Yangjiao Town? Why would he attack Qiuling Village?"

Dino was also shocked by the news. He no longer cared about reprimanding the messenger and hurriedly went to the map to carefully examine Kuraki's marching route.

According to Lloyd's intelligence, Kuraki also had another legion advancing from Black Cliff to attack the southern stronghold. So, Kuraki split his forces into two groups. What was the enemy's objective?
Dino carefully examined the map and quickly identified the target after the two armies converged.

Canglan Canyon!

Su Mu actually wanted to enter the Far Plains and launch a surprise attack on the city of Esidor?

"Is he crazy?"

Even though Dino already valued Su Mu highly, he never expected the other party to arrange the march in this way. There are dozens of county towns on the Far Plains, and now the heroes of the Elder Council have arrived in the forest, along with various field camps heavily guarded. Does Su Mu dare to charge through? Would the Elton Council dare to let him do so?

The more impossible it seemed, the more panicked Dino became. The large number of troops indicated the importance of this place; if Su Mu managed to break through and cause trouble, it would be disastrous.

Not to mention the matter of Isildur seeking refuge, even development and resource gathering will become very difficult. At that time, the national power advantage that the walled city prides itself on will no longer exist.

"We can't let him regroup. We can't defeat them in the river battle, but surely the hills can stop them? Even without Su Mu here, I don't believe we can't stop them with those heroes like Cang Mu!"

"Pass on my order: immediately mobilize a large army to march north and join Marshal Lloyd first, annihilate Kuraki's troops in the mountains, and let him become arrogant and conceited!"

The messenger had only been gone a short while when he returned, his face even more grim this time.

"A large number of boats have been dispatched from Yangjiao Town and are heading east along the river. They are almost at the outer ferry crossing!"

Dino instantly left the camp and stood atop the cliff, looking down below.

Hundreds of boats raced upstream, passing through the broken, thorny defenses, and were about to reach the outer ferry crossing.

The ships were adorned with bright flags, bearing the coats of arms of various noble families, including Kuraki, Takaba, and the stag, creating a magnificent and spirited spectacle.

Even with the golden dragon circling in the sky, the ship continued to forge ahead.

When did humanity acquire such courage?

……

On the hilly front, looking down over towering peaks, a fortified village was completely destroyed, with flames and the sounds of fighting everywhere.

The strongest swordsman, clad in thick armor, is like a ruthless machine, relentlessly pursuing the routed enemies in the streets.

With their lightning-fast bodies and rapid acceleration, no one could escape their pursuit.

These fortified towns were originally outposts for outer defense, but the dwarven craftsmen strengthened their fortifications, making them even more difficult to attack.

However, with Forrest's cooperation and the attack of high-level catapults, the city walls were quickly destroyed.

The greatest strength of the hill defense line is that it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Its characteristic is that even if a passage into the city is bombarded, only a very small number of warriors can be sent to break through, and more troops cannot be deployed.

Unless you use a flying legion or special magic.

This time, Ivan selected a battalion of elite swordsmen from among the strongest, and they stormed through the narrow passage, forcefully repelling the defenders and allowing more soldiers to rush in.

Forrest, possessing advanced earth elemental mastery, used Reincarnation to revive the fallen swordsman.

Of course, given Ivan's various abnormal skills, the guards of these strongholds were actually unable to inflict much damage on the strongest swordsman.

With Lloyd Cup moved to the south, his journey was unimpeded.

However, if they want to reunite with the Duke, they will likely face strong resistance from the enemy.

But Ivan was never afraid. Looking at the shattered city and the defeated enemy, he became even more ambitious.

"If Lloyd is killed on the way to ambush them, the Duke will likely be disappointed!"

Hearing Ivan's arrogant words, Forrest simply shook his head and said nothing more.

That's just how the Flame Knight is; he doesn't submit to anyone except the Duke.

But he also had the right to be proud. If the dragon knights didn't come out, the stronghold probably wouldn't have a good way to deal with the strongest swordsman.

Their legion also had the responsibility of drawing the enemy's attention to prepare for the final battle.

Isn't Ivan's arrogance a form of provocation?
The strongest swordsman hung the corpses of elves and dwarves on the city wall, the branches were the arms of the withered wood warriors, and the walls were covered with Elvish writing in the blood of the bastion soldiers.

"eye for eye!"

(End of this chapter)