Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 472 Counter Encirclement

Su Mu and his comrades advanced all the way, and instead of studying diligently after taking power, they stabilized the security of various regions, cracked down on the fleeing rebels, and completely quelled the unrest in the city.

It took longer, but the results were excellent. With food to eat and work to do, and without being coerced, who would want to join the rebels?

Once the foundations of a bloody regime are destroyed, it will be difficult for it to achieve anything further.

On a hilltop cliff, Gunter lashed out at the Blood Marshal.

"What? You can't catch anyone, and there are a lot of blood slaves who have escaped? What are you doing?"
A group of superhuman soldiers could let ordinary people escape? All that training for nothing!

The Blood Marshals looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound. But this couldn't go on forever; the eldest prince's anger would only grow, and they might very well become the Lich God's dinner.

“Prince, it’s really not our fault. All the commoners have been strictly disciplined and kept in special areas.”

However, due to the recent rapid migration and constant travel, only ordinary people could be assigned odd jobs. The humans appeared docile, but would flee as soon as they left the camp. Even the bloodthirsty thugs, who were supposed to be under supervision, were running away and were completely out of control.

If the enemy continues to chase us like this, I'm afraid we won't make it!"

In fact, Gaunt knew some things. The Crimson Rebels had grown up by forcibly conscripting a large number of soldiers. The lower-level thugs were already very dissatisfied, but the previous mass killings and rewards had kept most of them in check.

After all, treasure and women were things that the originally lowly people could not touch, especially in this era of war and chaos, where if they didn't kill, they would be killed; they had no choice.

Since the kingdom launched the siege campaign, the various rebel armies have suffered repeated defeats and are no longer able to accumulate troops as before. They cannot capture cities or obtain anything, and their morale is extremely low.

Without the spread of small groups of bloody rebels, a few main forces simply cannot assemble a large-scale legion.

The emergence of a significant number of deserters at the grassroots level is a sign that the situation is nearing collapse.

"All blood slaves are afflicted with a blood curse, and those who escape are skinned alive and displayed to the public."

Distribute some of the treasure we captured last time among the lower-ranking soldiers, and tell them that a big job is coming soon!

Upon hearing this outrageous demand, even the ruthless Blood Marshal thought Gaunt had gone mad.

Ordinary people simply cannot withstand the blood curse. If they cannot advance to a higher rank within a few days, their blood will evaporate and they will become a dried-up corpse.

Without these blood slaves, who will do the chores? Will the bloodthirsty thugs do it? Without their oppressors, they'll probably become even more violent.

As for the treasure, it's been so long since the last looting that there's practically nothing left. If this wave of looting can't keep up, there's a risk of a mutiny.

Some of the Crimson Marshals are already considering an escape route. Could such a large-scale massacre be for the purpose of consecrating necromancers? Perhaps Gaunt is already preparing to abandon the Crimson regime.

After all, Gaunt was the chosen one of the Lich King, not the chosen one of the Crimson Legion. He used every means to amass liches, which instilled great fear in the Crimson Legion.

With a wave of his hand, signaling the Crimson Marshal to go and prepare, Gaunt unfolded the map and set his sights on the northern border.

He went to Horeng Town to verify, and there really were relics of light there. He never expected that the place he had randomly chosen would actually benefit Peter. What incredible luck!

To be honest, he was furious. When he was the eldest prince, he tried every means to uncover the kingdom's heritage, but he got nothing. Instead, he became a spirit of the dead, and after having no more needs from the angels, he led humanity to unearth their ancestral legacy—it was utterly ridiculous.

Fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on him, yet he had no choice but to accept it.

"What good will it do to dig it out? Even if we have Cloud City, it won't make a difference!"

Gaunt was still unsure what Peter had unearthed, but given the intensity of the light emanating from it, it was highly likely to have a deep connection with angels, which instilled a sense of fear in him.

However, according to the Undead Grand Duke, humans are temporarily unable to build Cloud City. Due to the history of Elton, the building lacks key components, and even if they gather enough materials, they cannot build it.

This is very likely information revealed by the deceptive artifact, but Stuart has lived for a long time and may know some secrets. Actually, Gaunt is also puzzled; given the return of the cursed tide and the fact that other nations have successively recovered their level 7 barracks, why haven't the humans?

The person most likely to know the truth was his father, but unfortunately, he was half-dead and permanently lost in the unknown world, thus ending many royal lineages.

Gunter once wanted to be a loving father and son, to turn the tide and save Elton. But now he only wants to destroy everything.

"Pass down the order: after the troops have regrouped, move north. We will first engage in a decisive battle with the Silvertop City legion to break through the kingdom's encirclement."

"Since you dare to leave the fortified city, don't blame me for being impolite!"

His gaze shifted to the other side of the map, where the gray arrow was also pointing north. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be able to join forces with the Crimson Army in a few days to fight against the enemies of Silvertop City.

Since the other side is seeking stability, they will push forward quickly and concentrate their main force to wipe out one of their units.

……

On a high peak near the snowfield, Rhodes rode his Nightmare and gazed northward.

The vast expanse of white snow could not obstruct his vision.

Where did Gunter go?

"The Crimson Rebels are feigning a retreat and heading north. They will likely encounter the Silvertop City forces in about three days."

"Pretending to retreat? I think he was really being chased all the way. If he doesn't flee north, he has nowhere else to go. If Su Mu catches him, he'll be dead!"

By now, while Rhodes harbored even greater hatred for Sumu, he acknowledged the enemy's strength. He realized that neither of their individual legions could likely defeat Sumu; they would have to unite and fight a decisive battle.

Therefore, he specifically contacted the Undead Grand Duke and summoned both Katheri and Ullr, using Gaunt as bait to concentrate the main force of the undead to wipe out the Silvercap City's troops.

Of course, Gaunt volunteered, willing to draw the most intense firepower and make certain sacrifices.

Otherwise, Rhodes would still be unwilling to show himself. Su Mu's troops were simply too powerful, and he had to remain hidden unless he was absolutely certain of success.

To this end, he even made a special trip to the fortress to ambush an elven ranger and frame Elton.

Since they want peace, they naturally have to break the contract and increase Kuraki's strength.

The attack scene was staged to resemble a cavalry raid. If the elders were to investigate, they would most likely suspect Kuraki. Even if divination were used, the conclusion would still point to Kuraki.

Interestingly, even the ancient empire of Isildur was so deeply corrupted; no wonder calamity befell their homeland.

Rhodes took a human head out of the box. The neck was severed at the root, but strange roots spread from the blood vessels on it, connecting to the pool of blood in the box.

The handsome elf's face was bald, his nose and mouth gouged out, and his remaining eyes were also corrupted by the curse, gathering on the top of his head.

Rhodes forcefully gouged out the tender eyeballs, and with a agonizing roar, he pressed the eyeballs into his empty eye sockets, where they emitted an eerie, scarlet light.

[Stolen Flame (Temporary Skill): Conceals the army's movements, making them unclear; +15% evasion; if speed exceeds 20, the army becomes somewhat undetectable.]

A very powerful and practical ranger skill.

"Now, it's mine!"

(End of this chapter)