bookrandom Chapter 1373 It’s saved!
Chapter 1373 It’s saved!
"Defend? What will you defend with? Will you use the corpses of your soldiers to fill the cannons of the Federation?" Igor stood firm.
Chaos erupted instantly in the council chamber as the pro-war and pro-retaliatory factions argued fiercely, accusing each other of being cowards or madmen...
The sounds collided and echoed in the cold stone chamber, filled with despair and resentment.
The generals who supported holding out to the death emphasized the fortress's strategic importance, the soldiers' morale, and their last hope for reinforcements. Their voices were fervent, but their convictions were weak!
The ministers who advocated retreat repeatedly emphasized the vast disparity in strength, the inevitable defeat, and the necessity of preserving their forces, their tone somber and realistic.
Shahar sat on the cold throne, his head throbbing with pain.
Igor's words were like an icicle, piercing through his last shred of hope and making him see the enormous risks and hopeless outcome of clinging to the past.
Kornev's words were like a venomous snake, coiling around his heart, using words like "utterly defeated," "worthless," and "utterly doomed!" to stimulate his paranoid nerve.
He didn't want to run away; that would be too humiliating, too much like being a stray dog. He couldn't accept that Slavia had become a place name that needed to be attacked to be reclaimed under his rule.
His gaze swept over the ministers, who were arguing heatedly, and finally settled on Kornev's scarred face, which was contorted with excitement.
The almost fanatical, resolute determination to die for glory that Kornev saw was twisted into a symbol of morbid power in Shahar's heart, which was filled with fear and despair at this moment.
"Enough!" Shahar slammed his hand on the armrest, his voice hoarse but carrying a sense of desperation.
The argument stopped abruptly, and everyone looked at him.
Shahar slowly stood up, looked around at everyone. His face was ashen, but deep in his eyes burned a kind of desperate, mad flame.
"General Kornev... is right."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice not loud, yet it sent a chill down Igor's spine, even though Shahar hadn't yet uttered his next words.
But it had already made him feel despair, utter and naked despair...
"Retreat? Where can we retreat to? If we retreat any further, behind us lies an endless icy sea and an eternal winter—a true dead end! We have nowhere to retreat!"
He seemed to be convincing himself!
"The Everwinter Fortress is our last foothold! It is the last banner of the Slavs to fly!"
He took a deep breath, as if drawing strength from it: "Prince Igor, I understand your concerns."
"But if we retreat now, morale will completely collapse, and we... will truly be finished."
"Only by embracing the determination to die, and putting ourselves in a desperate situation, can we survive! With our flesh and blood, we can build an insurmountable wall for the enemy! Let Xiao Ce and Han Da see what the indomitable spirit of the Slavs truly is!"
Igor gave a wry smile upon hearing Shahar's words; to him, they were nothing but self-deception...
Shahar's gaze was fixed on the howling blizzard outside the council chamber, his voice carrying an almost self-hypnotic fervor.
At that moment, he also heard Igor's bitter laugh: "Igor, I know you think I'm just fooling myself!"
Igor's face darkened, and he quickly shook his head, saying, "I wouldn't dare... Your Majesty! I know you must have your reasons..."
Shahar nodded: "You're right! General Kornev is right. Only by fighting here can we let... let those 'divine messengers' who are watching us see our worth! See our determination to resist! A miracle... perhaps will be born in this despair!"
"You need to understand that our current hope lies with that mysterious man. The reason he sought us out was to see if we dared to oppose the Xiao Kingdom within the Federation! He wanted us to dare say no to the Xiao Kingdom..."
"If we lose even the will to resist, when their army arrives, perhaps... they won't be willing to help us anymore..."
Igor was about to say something after hearing what Shahar said, but Shahar interrupted him!
He waved his hand sharply, issuing the final, unquestionable order: "Issue my decree! Abandon all illusions! Rely on the Everwinter Fortress and defend with all your might! Every stone, every inch of land, must be paid for with the blood of the East Asians! General Kornev! I hereby appoint you to take full charge of the city's defense! Prince Igor, you are responsible for coordinating logistics and supplies, and you must ensure... hold out until the very last moment!"
"Your Majesty! No! This..." Igor tried to make a final struggle, tears streaming down his face.
"Excuting an order!"
Shahar interrupted sharply, his voice carrying an undeniable coldness.
He sat back wearily on his throne, closed his eyes, as if escaping the despairing reality, or as if devoutly praying for a miraculous miracle to happen.
At this moment, Shahar was also conflicted; although he had given the order...
However, he had absolutely no idea how to stop Han Da's unstoppable army...
After Kornev heard Shahar's words...
His scarred face flushed red with excitement, and his eyes blazed with an almost fanatical light. He suddenly knelt on one knee, his knee slamming heavily onto the cold stone slab with a dull thud.
He clenched his right fist and slammed it against his sturdy breastplate with a resounding "thud," a powerful and determined sound carrying the weight of a do-or-die resolve.
"Your Majesty is wise! Kornev is willing to shed his last drop of blood for Your Majesty! The Everwinter Fortress is the burial ground for me and my men! If the barbarians of East Asia want to cross this wall, they will have to step over the corpses of all of us! We swear to live and die with the fortress!"
His vow echoed between the stone walls, filled with a tragic grandeur of facing death without fear.
In stark contrast to Kornev's impassioned speech were Prince Igor and other ministers who advocated for retreat.
They seemed to have all their strength drained away in an instant; the color drained from their faces, leaving only a desolate despair. Igor staggered, his already hunched body appearing even smaller, the last glimmer of light gone from his cloudy eyes, leaving only bottomless weariness and a sorrow of utter despair.
The ministers beside him also deflated like punctured balloons, their eyes glazed over, some even trembling slightly, unable to bear this final, devastating decision...
They had given up all hope...
Looking at the despairing expressions of Igor and the others, Shahar's initial madness of giving up completely subsided, transforming into a cold, self-destructive calm.
He stepped down from the throne, his steps unsteady yet resolute, and walked to Igor. There was no anger in his voice, only a weary pity: "Igor... and all of you..."
His gaze swept over the ashen-faced ministers, then he said wearily, "I know your concerns, I know you are acting for the country and its people, wanting to preserve the last vestige of Slavic vitality... Your thoughts may not be wrong. I also know that my decision may be wrong..."
He paused and continued
“But my mind is made up. This Everwinter Fortress is my final resting place.”
"I've been defeated all the way... and I've been on the run the whole way... It's so humiliating! No Slavic emperor has ever been as frustrated as me!"
As Shahar spoke, a resolute glint suddenly appeared in his eyes: "If the Slavs perish, I shall die with this city, I have no face to live on. But you... need not be buried with them."
Upon hearing this, Igor and the others abruptly raised their heads, staring at Shahar in disbelief.
Shahar continued, his tone strangely calm: "Take your families, take the necessary valuables, and go."
"While the allied forces haven't finished encircling us, leave via the hidden paths to the north or east. Go deep into the ice fields, or cross the sea... survive. The Slavic memory... needs to be carried on. This... may be the last thing you can do for this country."
He waved his hand, as if dispelling the last vestiges of tenderness: "Go, this is my... final decree."
"His Majesty...!"
Upon hearing Shahar's words, a hoarse, tearful cry burst from Igor's throat.
The old minister suddenly straightened his hunched back, as if he had been instantly injected with an incredible power.
His cloudy old tears surged forth, flowing down his deep wrinkles, but the despair in his eyes was replaced by a burning, almost sacred flame!
Shahar's words just now really provoked him...
He fell with a thud, even more heavily than Kornev, his forehead hitting the cold ground with a dull thud.
When he looked up again, his forehead was red and swollen, mixed with stone chips and tears.
"Your Majesty! This old minister is foolish! This old minister is cowardly!"
Igor's voice trembled violently with excitement and sobs, but he spoke with unusual strength: "This old minister only saw cold numbers, saw the inevitable defeat... but forgot that the Slavic spirit is not about how many broken bodies can be preserved, but about an indomitable will!"
He pointed to his gaunt chest, his voice filled with a tearful resolve:
"Your Majesty! You say you will live and die with the Everwinter Barrier!"
"You said this is the last flag that the Slavs will fly!"
"This old minister...how could this old minister retreat?! How could he be so afraid of death as to flee alone when Your Majesty and the nation need loyalty and courage the most?!"
He struggled to his feet, his body swaying, but his eyes remained as firm as a rock.
"This old minister, Igor Vasilyevich! I am willing to use my frail and aging body to light the last glimmer of light for Your Majesty!"
"I am willing to use this burning passion to stain the walls of Yongdong Fortress red! As long as Your Majesty is here, this old minister is here! If the fortress falls, this old minister will surely take the first step before Your Majesty and return to my homeland!"
"This old minister...swears to fight to the death with Your Majesty, with General Kornev, and with all the soldiers who hold fast...without any second thoughts!" His final vow was filled with tears and blood, and resounded with unwavering resolve.
Behind him, the previously dejected ministers and officials had actually heard Shahar's words: letting them go had touched a nerve...
I am now deeply moved by Igor's sudden, life-burning loyalty.
The despair on their faces gradually faded, replaced by a resigned yet equally tragic resolve.
They all knelt down, and though they did not speak, their tightly pursed lips and straight backs showed that they shared Igor's choice!
They all knelt down and said to Shahar, "Your Majesty, I am not someone who is greedy for life and fearless of death; we have never feared death..."
"Yes, Your Majesty, we won't leave! We will live and die with Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, we will live and die with you!"
Shahar looked at Igor, who was kneeling before him, tears streaming down his face but with an unwavering gaze, and then at the ministers behind him who had changed their attitude!
The icy, despairing stagnant water in his chest seemed to have been plunged into a scalding hot iron, stirring up an indescribable sorrow and a trace of morbid comfort.
He opened his mouth and was about to say something.
Just then, the heavy stone doors of the council chamber were suddenly pushed open!
General Kornev, who had just been ordered to go out and arrange defenses, returned with a complex expression on his face, a mixture of extreme tension, disbelief, and a lingering ember of ecstasy!
He practically rushed in, his voice urgent, high-pitched, and excited: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Urgent report! They're outside the city... they're outside the city!"
Shahar was interrupted and frowned in displeasure: "Kornev! What's the matter that you're so flustered? Didn't I tell you to arrange the defenses?"
The last shred of feigned calm in his heart was shattered by this sudden intrusion, and his tone was irritable, even a little tense.
"Could it be that those bastards from the Federation have attacked?"
Kornev took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his excitement, quickly shook his head, and then knelt on one knee to report:
"Your Majesty! It's...it's the Divine Messenger! Another squad of Divine Messengers! They...they've broken through the Allied Forces' blockade and just arrived outside the fortress! The leader claims...he carries an urgent secret letter from their master, ordering you to be presented to His Majesty immediately!"
"what?!"
Shahar was struck dumb, and he sprang up from his throne!
The tragic resolve to be buried with the fortress was instantly replaced by immense, unbelievable ecstasy and a rekindled, almost greedy hope!
His bloodshot eyes widened as he stared intently at Kornev:
"You...what did you say? Divine messengers...a new divine messenger squad? Secret letters from the masters of those divine messengers?!"
He almost doubted that he was hallucinating!
Just as he was sinking into the deepest despair and resolved to fight to the death, the mysterious and unpredictable reinforcements, who seemed to have forgotten him, appeared...
It actually appeared? And it even brought a secret message?!
"Quick! Quick!!"
Shahar's voice was shrill and distorted with extreme excitement, and his body trembled uncontrollably: "Kornev! Immediately! Bring them in right now! No! I, the Emperor, will personally greet them! Lead the way!"
He disregarded his decorum, and even ignored Igor and the others who had just sworn to live and die together, and stumbled toward the door.
He couldn't stop shouting, "We're saved! We're saved! The real reinforcements have arrived!"