Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 458 Arriving in time
The battle in the hills resulted in significant losses. The Golden Dragon and the Bastion Army inflicted considerable damage, with both the strongest swordsman and the Arcane Prayer suffering casualties.

Thanks to Maggie, Forrest, and Su Mu's reincarnation, 400 of the strongest swordsmen and 650 Arcane Prayers remained after the war. Relatively speaking, the Arcane Prayers had less health and were easier to be resurrected.

As the scale of war expands, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain unscathed combat unless the situation is exceptionally overwhelming. Reincarnation also has its limits, and after multiple reincarnations, the soul gradually weakens until it can no longer be reborn.

Units like the strongest swordsmen have been resurrected multiple times during the war, making it difficult to sustain them in the future.

However, it was precisely because of their tenacious resistance that the battle was won. It can be said that Ivan and his strongest swordsman deserve the greatest credit for this victory.

But the war had not yet ended; the undead besieged the plains once more, and Longlet Castle was in dire straits.

Sumu originally planned to put aside the hinterland first and completely subdue Esidor before making any moves, but now he can only retreat to provide reinforcements and give the stronghold a breather.

Otherwise, carrying the momentum of a great victory, breaking through the Canglan Canyon and sweeping across the Far Plains, they might truly be able to reverse the tide of attack and defense.

However, Su Mu did not completely give up the idea of ​​attacking. He ordered part of the River Valley Legion to be stationed east of the hills, keeping a close eye on the Canglan Canyon and putting pressure on the enemy.

Although the terrain of the canyon is steep, it is difficult to station a large number of legions, so Lloyd did not choose to retreat to Canglan, but instead launched the war in the hilly area.

Even if the fortresses occupy this place, without a large army stationed there, they will live in constant fear and will find it difficult to sustain their position.

For now, maintain the status quo. Once he has freed himself from the heartland, he will surely launch another attack on the fortress. Even if he doesn't attack, he must put pressure on the Far Plains to prevent Isidor from rashly sending troops.

After a night of rest, Su Mu and Ivan used the portal to return to Longlit Castle. As the siege gradually took shape, the magic array that restricted void magic began to take effect, and Su Mu and his group were only able to return a portion of the legion.

"Commander, take stock of the troops. How many soldiers arrived via magical teleportation?"

"Strongest Swordsman 150, Arcane Prayer 100, Gold Elemental 50, Gale Griffin 100!"

"Oling, Ivan, and Maggie are among them!"

The dark sky had already enveloped the entire city; if it had been any later, it was doubtful that all these people would have been able to be teleported over.

As is well known, troops can cast sealing magic after besieging a city, preventing teleportation through time portals.

Su Mu was aware of the critical situation, but the battle in the hills had taken a heavy toll, and the generals were basically at their limit; even if they were to be summoned, they would be exhausted. After much deliberation, he decided to rest for one night and make preparations the next day.

The worst-case scenario is that Longlet Castle is besieged, and Su Mu and his group are teleported to another city, then quickly arrive at the battlefield through the government's logistics system to exterminate the undead. However, in that case, Longlet Castle would likely be destroyed, with all the free citizens within the city slaughtered by the undead, unleashing an even stronger undead calamity.

Fortunately, Wayne and Sidelos lived up to expectations and successfully intercepted Rhodes' army, buying them valuable time to transfer their troops.

"Your Grace, you've finally arrived!"

A bandit, whose body was hidden in a black robe, emerged from the shadows at some unknown time, his excitement palpable.

Wayne led the thieves to set up defenses in the city and stabilize morale. There weren't many guards in Longlit Castle, and some of the fickle families were unreliable, so they had to use some tough measures. Otherwise, a riot would break out before Su Mu and the others even arrived.

He approached Maggie and handed her a blood-stained list: "Some nobles colluded with foreign enemies or appeased without resistance; I have taken them all down. The situation was urgent, and I did not have time to inform you, Madam. Please forgive me."

Although Maggie has purged several waves of nobles and replaced them with more reliable officials, human nature is the most unpredictable thing. When there is no war and they are well protected, naturally no one has any ulterior motives. But once a crisis occurs and there is no hope of rescue, some nobles will choose the chance to live.

“You did the right thing. If they can’t live and die with Longlitburg, then they’re not worth training!” Maggie glanced at the list without raising any questions. Even though some of them were talents she had her eye on, and others possessed considerable potential, and she was even prepared to recommend them to Su Mu, none of that mattered anymore. In times of war, nothing was more valuable than loyalty.

Even if you don't have enough ability, as long as you are loyal, you are worth training.

Longlet Castle, being a major city in Elden with a rich history and a complex, deeply entrenched nobility, is quite different from a newer city like Kuraki. Maggie, in her personnel decisions, considers political balance and seeks to win over more nobles to her cause.

But this time it was different. As the eldest prince of the kingdom, Gaunt personally established the Crimson Reich, which had a strong impact on the nobles below.

After all, Elden has seen several battles for the throne throughout its history, and no one can say for sure which prince will ascend to the throne in the future. The current King of Elden has been conspicuously absent from public view; perhaps, as Gaunt suggests, it is due to treacherous ministers obstructing the royal family and plotting against them?

It seems quite reasonable for the eldest prince to lead the Crimson Army to attack Parliament, eliminate treacherous officials, and restore the glory of the royal family.

Many upper-class nobles naturally understood what was going on, but the village and lower-ranking nobles had no access to the core of power and naturally did not know who was telling the truth, making them very easy to be misled.

"The eldest prince took the royal prophet's sword and issued a blood-red prophecy that he would lead the vengeful angels to sweep away evil, kill the treacherous ministers, and restore the kingdom to its former glory."

Upon hearing this news, Kuraki's hero was somewhat speechless. No wonder Marshal Kenway didn't get the treasure symbolizing the kingdom; it turned out that the Prophet's Sword had been stolen by that traitor Gaunt.

No wonder the people below can't distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous. The combination of the eldest prince, the prophet's sword, and the blood angel's vengeance sounds more like the orthodox one.

"Even so, don't humans understand the consequences of their city being breached by the undead?"

"The enemy's commander is cunning, advancing alongside the Crimson Army, and a portion of the undead legion is disguised as human troops, making them difficult to distinguish."

This declaration of legitimacy truly struck at the heart of the lower-class nobility.

I was wondering why the situation in the heartland was getting worse and worse. Was the Kingdom's army so weak? Now it seems that Gaunt is actually quite cunning.

In such chaotic times, some people, even those at the very core of the royal family, are using the banner of loyalty to the king and protection of the country. What would the nobles and commoners, who have long been oppressed, think as they witness their nation being humiliated to the extreme, unable even to protect their most basic needs?
There's a reason why the Crimson Legion keeps growing stronger. Even if you regret joining, it will be too late by then.

For ordinary people, it is indeed difficult to discern the truth and avoid being swayed.

"Boom!"

A tremendous roar echoed throughout the city as the skeleton army began its attack on the west side of the city, where a large hole had been blasted open by catapults. The guards of Longlet Castle were frantically gathering there, trying to plug the breach.

Despite the traitors and deceivers, there were far more steadfast castle soldiers. Spearmen and skeletons clashed, archers displayed superb archery skills, and griffins intercepted ghosts and vampires in the sky. Even under the command of low-level heroes, they did not retreat.

The Brotherhood's rousing war songs echoed through the city, inspiring the human army.

"Longlitburg's true strength lies within them!"

"Ouling, teach them a lesson!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)