Capítulo 1825: Chapter 1742: A City That Once Witnessed Glory
It started to snow again near Furnace Fortress, but this ti the snow was light, and there seed to be no discernible clouds in the sky. So everyone knew that such a snowfall would actually stop in a few hours.
The Pri Minister of the Ice Cold Empire stepped out of the underground bunker in this weather and breathed in the fresh air; this kind of air was indeed refreshing, and the cold temperature invigorated the mind.
“Sir… the latest news… the 12th Corps is likely facing grave danger.” An officer walked out of the bunker, approached the Dwarf Pri Minister, and reported in a lowered voice.
“What do you an by likely?” The Pri Minister of the Ice Cold Empire looked at the other party and instinctively asked this question. In fact, after asking, he roughly guessed the reason.
Sure enough, the other party imdiately replied: “Because communication was disrupted, we only intermittently received telegrams from the 11th Corps… The telegram ntioned that the 12th Corps seems to have collapsed.”
“So, when can the 11th Corps break through to Furnace Fortress?” the Dwarf Pri Minister continued to ask a question he was very concerned about.
Because only if the breakthrough troops reached Furnace Fortress could they continue to hold out here. In the past few days, they had already lost several districts, and if this continued, the place they were in would soon beco the front line.
“Sir, I believe… they might never get here.” The officer hesitated for a mont, then expressed his opinion in a very soft voice: “They are extrely exhausted, lack reinforcents, and are critically short of ammunition… They could collapse at any ti.”
The Pri Minister remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded and gestured for the other party to return: “I understand, you go back first, I’ll stand here for a while.”
He was actually prepared to die in battle here, so nothing that happened would surprise him. However, he did not expect that the opponent’s progress seed to be much faster than he had anticipated.
The surrounding snow was left uncleared because the troops reported that areas with cleared snow would be subjected to airstrikes and artillery fire from the enemy; therefore, the Dwarf Troops no longer cleared the snow around their bunkers.
Walking on such snow was quite comfortable, with a soft feeling like stepping on cotton. Due to the war, a layer of black ashes fell on the originally pristine white snow.
These were ashes left after various things burned and exploded, drifting down with the wind, covering the snow, making it appear filthy.
However, new snowfall would soon cover these blackened patches, leaving the world pure white once again.
Feeling a bit cold, the Pri Minister tightened his overcoat with his hands. He looked at the battered Furnace Fortress before him, his eyes full of nostalgia.
This was once the most glorious city of the Dwarves; it witnessed the era when Dwarves influenced the entire Eastern Continent, and it was also the greatest spiritual totem in the hearts of the Dwarves.
Now it had turned into the most brutal battlefield, the streets and alleys filled with rubble and debris. Ancient buildings had collapsed, and newly built structures were already in disrepair.
The soldiers left here were fighting desperately, while the remaining civilians in the ruins were struggling to survive. Smoke pervaded the horizon, entangled with the snowflakes, obscuring the view.
Here, the Dwarf Pri Minister, who once thought he would definitely be rembered in history, sighed heavily. He had assisted the King of the Ice Cold Kingdom in defeating one formidable enemy after another, ultimately establishing a new, united Dwarf Empire.
Together, they once again witnessed the rise of the Dwarves, waging a war against the Elves to the south, nearly capturing victory.
At that ti, he even believed that the Ice Cold Empire had beco a world power, no longer needing to act according to the whims of other races; they had stood up.
But now all had turned into bubbles, the once seemingly invincible empire he established had beco unstable, approaching its end.
As he stood here reminiscing about the past, a Dwarf General wearing a military coat approached from behind. Chief of Staff Larb looked at the pensive Pri Minister and chose to remain silent, waiting.
Hearing the sound behind him, the Pri Minister turned around, looked at Larb, and showed a wry smile: “Is there sothing you need from ?”
Larb organized his thoughts and then spoke: “According to reliable information, the Tang People have launched a counterattack in the south, and Dalkas might… be in danger.”
“We fought for ten days and took so many places… lost them all in two days?” the Pri Minister asked carelessly.
Larb sighed with so embarrassnt and shook his head: “Marshal Xie Ke has done his best; we simply cannot defeat such a powerful enemy.”
“Perhaps we should have chosen another path long ago, a dignified path. If so, at least our people wouldn’t have to suffer the current hardships.” The Pri Minister didn’t ntion surrender, but Larb knew he was talking about surrender.
Sadly, it’s too late to talk about surrender now; they’ve already missed the best opportunity. They have few bargaining chips left, and surrendering now might only ensure their own lives.
But if they surrendered at this mont, they’d bear the charge of treason, and no one wanted that stain on their na, so they all chose silence: after all, what is death? Clench your teeth and endure it.
“Sir, we now need to carefully consider the battle plan to continue defending Furnace Fortress. Our forces are already limited, and now supply lines are about to be cut; everything is advancing in the worst direction,” Larb continued to remind.
The Pri Minister nodded; he knew what the consequences would be if this continued: resistance would soon collapse, and perhaps in a few hours or a few days, the Battle of Furnace Fortress would reach its conclusion.
“What does Marshal Balov think?” He couldn’t co up with any good counterasures, so he asked Larb.
Larb shook his head: “The Marshal has no better solutions either; he just promises to defend to the last mont according to orders. If the troops lose control, he has no way out.”
“I hope Your Majesty can continue to hold on in the south, at least he’s not in this encirclent,” the Pri Minister found a comforting angle for himself, then walked towards the entrance of the underground bunker.
The guard at the door saluted; about less than 30 ters from where they stood, there was a huge snow-covered crater.
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