Balof was covered in dust when he arrived. The car he was traveling in was attacked by an armed helicopter, and all the vehicles escorting him were lost.
About dozens of guards were killed in the battle, and the guard captain was also wounded, with a bandage on his head. A bullet from a heavy machine gun penetrated the roof of his car and almost hit Balov in the thigh.
Facing the cold world, he stood at attention and saluted, maintaining the etiquette that a noble officer should have: "Your Majesty! You shouldn't be here."
"Is the situation serious?" Binghan I looked at Balov and then at Larbu. He realized that the problem was serious and asked reluctantly.
"Your Majesty...the 11th and 12th Group Armies failed to successfully break through. They have been trapped by the Tang Army and there is no hope."
"This situation is indeed not good... So, how many days can they hold on in the encirclement?" Binghan I asked.
"You may not understand that they are finished. The latest news we got is that the 12th Army has surrendered and the 11th Army has completely collapsed. And this... was news a few days ago." Larbu said truthfully.
Binghan I was stunned for a moment, and then asked dissatisfiedly: "Why don't I know such important news?"
"We sent a telegram to your temporary headquarters, but the interference was serious, and we are not sure whether you received our message or not." At this time, the prime minister opened his mouth to answer Binghan I's question.
Chief of Staff Larbu continued to add: "Furthermore, Your Majesty, we did send a signal corps to inform you two days ago with news, but by that time you had already left your headquarters, and no one knew where you were at that time.
"
Thinking of this, Binghan I felt a little embarrassed: At that time, he went to see the Pot River on a whim, and then headed north with great interest, insisting on returning to his great Ironforge.
The delay of more than two days on the road, coupled with the electromagnetic interference from the Tang Army, caused him to miss a lot of news, so that he did not know about the 11th and 12th Group Armies until he returned to Ironforge.
In fact, this is not his fault, because even Xie Ke, who has been waiting in his headquarters, actually knew the news not much faster than Binghan I.
"It doesn't matter. As long as Marshal Balov's Western Army continues to hold on in Ironforge for a few days, Marshal Xieke's troops can retake Anrich. We can still fight this battle." Binghan I finally accepted it.
Despite the fact that the 11th and 12th Group Armies were destroyed, he was still confident.
It’s no wonder he has so much confidence, because he still has the Eastern Front Army, Xie Ke, and Anliqi who can be recaptured soon...
"Your Majesty, I think you may be disappointed." Balov said: "The defense line here in Ironforge may collapse at any time. Within a few days, this place... where you are standing will become the front line.
Already."
After a pause, he continued: "Besides, you'd better take a look at this. If Tang Jun didn't lie, maybe the Anliqi battle you were looking forward to ended two days ago."
As he spoke, he handed a leaflet distributed by the Tang Army to Binghan I. On it was a blurry black-and-white photo due to poor printing quality, and some brief content: Darkas has been occupied by us again.
,Xie Ke failed...Who will it be next time?
On the back of the flyer was a simple map. An encirclement of Ironforge had been formed, and several huge dazzling arrows pointed at the few remaining urban areas.
"This is their deception tactic... This must be their deception tactic. On the day I left the temporary headquarters, someone sent by Marshal Xie Ke told me that their troops had arrived at the outskirts of Anliqi."
"This is not true..." Seeing that no one spoke, Binghan I staggered back and muttered with a pale face: "You must have been deceived..."
"Some of the officers we sent to collect supplies have returned, as well as the signal soldiers who have dispersed. They have brought back some news." Although there is no definite news about the Eastern Front Army, facts cannot be deceived, so Balof is calm.
He spoke of what he knew to be true: "The Porter River defense line has been breached by the Tang Army."
"Some Tang Army reconnaissance troops have appeared east of the Porter River, and the road south is no longer safe." Larbu continued: "Some of the defeated troops who escaped the Porter River are saying that the Tang Army has occupied Dal.
Cass...combined with the leaflets distributed by the Tang Army, maybe this news is indeed true."
"They occupied Darkas? This is impossible... Hahaha, it must be those deserters who are greedy for life and fear of death. In order to shirk responsibility, they made up such a lie!" The somewhat hysterical Binghan I felt that he had caught the flaw,
He retorted desperately: "Marshal Xieko is in Dalkas, he is there! How could Dalkas be lost... Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Just after he kept waving his hands, the room suddenly became quiet for a few seconds. No one spoke. Everyone just looked at Binghan I with a smile on his face.
The slightly embarrassed Binghan I smile gradually faded, and then he realized that nothing seemed impossible: the Eastern Front Army might really be finished, otherwise it would be unlikely that a large number of Tang troops would appear in the area east of the Pot River.
of.
Then, in the next second, he realized that returning to Ironforge might indeed be an unwise decision: he seemed to have returned to the cage and sent himself into an enemy circle.
But now, it was too late for him to leave: he could neither take a large number of troops from Ironforge to protect him going south, nor could he flee south alone and hand his life over to others.
Therefore, he has no escape route now: either surrender here or die here... There is no third way available.
"In short, Your Majesty, I can promise you to stick to it until the last moment..." Balof looked at his Majesty the Emperor and solemnly promised: "The rest of the matter can only be decided by you."
"I recently consulted an expert from the Ironforge Medical School, and he gave me a lot of suggestions. If you need it, I have some medicines he prepared for me." When the prime minister talked about this, Binghan I
I don't know why I feel myself trembling.
"You may no longer need a staff. Those staff officers, officers and non-commissioned officers can all take up arms, and they can at least be organized into a battalion." Larbu made a suggestion: "I apply to go to the front to fight for the empire.