Conditions

"This..."

Leiden's purpose caught Count Roberts somewhat off guard, leaving him troubled and even annoyed. By his expectations, the western main force should already have been wiped out by the East Africans.

After all, from the very beginning, Count Roberts had concluded that East Africa had first eliminated the main British force in the west, then continued eastward to surround Shaokui.

This was not without basis. From the outset, Count Roberts had believed that East Africa possessed vast forces, though their exact numbers were unclear. Intelligence on East Africa was simply too difficult to obtain, and this lack of intelligence was an important reason for the British army's repeated defeats.

Moreover, the western main force had long lost contact with the General Headquarters in Shaokui. This was also a key reason Count Roberts had concluded that the western main force had been eliminated by East Africa.

In reality, the Allied western main force had been surrounded so tightly by East Africa that not even water could seep through, while East African cavalry patrolled the outer perimeter to prevent members of the British western main force from fleeing east. Even if they truly slipped through layer upon layer of checkpoints, they would have been unable to contact Count Roberts upon reaching Shaokui. Before the war, Shaokui itself had been encircled by East African forces, and entering the city through such a vast army had been virtually impossible.

Seeing Count Roberts' difficulty, Leiden said, "Your Excellency, there is no need to feel guilty. Although your western troops have not been completely eliminated by our army, they have been pinned down by an equal force. Once our troops in Shaokui move west, destroying them will be as easy as turning over one's hand. We may not even need to act; before long, insufficient