Chapter 1684: The Outcome Has Been Decided
Chapter 1684: The Outcome Has Been Decided
The last bit of diesel was poured into the generator, and two dwarf soldiers carried the empty fuel barrels out of the engine room. After a brief blackout, the incandescent bulb hanging above the command center flickered back to life once more.
Under the dim light were faces filled with panic and tension. These dwarf officers knew that their final fate was probably upon them.
Seated in his place, General Moss was gazing down at the brazier before him, where various documents had been reduced to ashes.
The room was filled with a choking, burnt odor, yet that couldn’t mask the other scent called despair.
The chief of staff approached, bringing even more disheartening news: “General… Number 14 King’s Avenue has fallen… Our people are holding back the Tang Army at Building 13… but I fear they won’t hold on much longer.”
The place where they were was essentially King’s Avenue, namely Number 5. It’s fair to say that the frontline now was only a few buildings away from where they were located.
The Tang Army could attack at any moment, and the previously reserved Command Center No. 3 was of no use: it was attacked by the Tang Army first, so Moss had no choice but to remain in Command Center No. 2 to continue directing the battle.
Moss sighed, speaking with a tone of regret: “I see… It seems in the end we didn’t get what we were waiting for… Never mind, no need to say more. You’d better take the men and break through.”
A few days ago, he even felt a bit excited, believing that the Tang Army was already at the end of its rope and about to collapse on its own. But things did not develop as he had speculated, and now he didn’t even know what was happening outside the encirclement.
The chief of staff shook his head hopelessly, showing no intention of breaking through: “General… you know, a breakout is unlikely to succeed… We’ve long lost hope, haven’t we?”
Upon hearing the chief of staff’s words, Moss could only offer a pretense of a relaxed consolation: “Perhaps, but you should try. The last communication indicated that the forward units of the 6th Corps were less than 21 kilometers away from us…”
“That was two days ago… no, that was three days ago. General, they can’t possibly hold on in place for that long.” The chief of staff shook his head, holding no hope for this notion.
The previously stated distance of 21 kilometers by the 6th Corps seemed likely to be false to him. If the Tang Army truly allowed them to advance to that position, they should have covered the remaining 21 kilometers.
But in fact, no units of the 6th Corps had entered Eternal Winter Port. They were defeated somewhere unknown, and never reappeared.
“I know, but there is still a glimmer of hope,” Moss nodded, acknowledging the chief of staff’s statement, yet he was reluctant to extinguish hope, so he persisted.
If they attempted a breakout, they might be able to split and let some people escape. As long as they could evade search and pursuit, escaping 21 kilometers wasn’t entirely impossible.
If even a few could return to the 6th Corps’ controlled area, at least these people could deliver the news of the 4th Corps’ desperate resistance to Binghan the First.
The chief of staff thought otherwise. He bluntly stated: “You know, our few thousand men probably can’t even break through the Tang Army’s positions to the east. Breaking through 20 kilometers is an impossible mission.”
In recent days, new troops clearly appeared on the Tang Army’s positions, and their equipment seemed different from the 1st Corps of the Great Tang. Based on intelligence analysis, those fighting in the city now should be the Imperial Paratroopers.
For dwarfs, breaking through the paratroopers’ defenses head-on was almost impossible. Not to mention running 21 kilometers after breaking through.
Speaking of which, is it just about running 21 kilometers? There’s probably more to it, right? The 6th Corps is almost certainly not standing still; each kilometer they retreat means an extra kilometer for the breakout forces to cover. The chief of staff was very aware of these risks.
So, he suggested: “Using these forces on defense, we might hold for another day, at most a day, that is our limit.”
“One day… what use is that,” General Moss thought of the flyers sent by the Tang Army and showed a bitter smile.
He had been smiling bitterly lately, for he always encountered things that left him at a loss: the news of the dwarf’s defeat was actually told to him by the Tang Army.
Although he instinctively still believed that this was just a propaganda tactic by the Tang Army, more than two days had passed and there was no news from the Ice Cold Empire’s 6th Corps, making him increasingly suspect that the messages printed on those flyers might be true.
Of course, the Tang Army also had no interest in staging a coup de grace, nor did they have any obligation to show the flags of the 6th and 5th Corps to the surrounded dwarves for verification.
“General! General!” Just as Moss was immersed in his pessimistic smirk, the sergeant responsible for receiving telegrams suddenly shouted with excitement near the distant radio: “We… we’ve received a telegram!”
The communication that had been cut off finally miraculously resumed. They had received an encrypted message from their station, indeed using their encryption method.
“What?” Moss quickly stood up from his position and walked to the radio, grasping the telegram abruptly, lowering his gaze to read it.
The lighting was indeed somewhat dim, forcing him to lean very close. However, soon he handed the telegram to the chief of staff beside him, as if his soul had been lost, and walked back alone to his seat.
The chief of staff saw the content of the telegram, which was an order for them to continue holding the position and fight to the last soldier.
The problem was, it mentioned nothing about when reinforcements would arrive, nor did it address anything concerning the 6th Corps. It didn’t even offer an explanation or describe the situation outside the encirclement.
Anyone with a tiny bit of sense should infer that the Tang Army flyers were telling the truth: the 6th Corps had likely retreated, and there would be no hope of rescue for the encirclement at Eternal Winter Port.
Tossing the telegram to the ground, the chief of staff walked to Moss’s side, gritting his teeth and suggested: “We can still hold! For another two days… no, three days! Maybe there’s a chance.”
Moss shook his head: “There won’t be any chance, we’ve lost, Eternal Winter Port will soon be taken by the Tang Army. Once it is utilized, everything will be over… this war has already determined its winner and loser.”