Afghanistan's winter was very cold, yet the piercing chill did not halt the march of war. It was hard to tell whether the British were too incompetent or the Russians too formidable.
In the last month of 1889, the Russian Army captured Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, and Qah-e-Qaran one after another, and a fifth of the Afghan Region's territory changed hands.
Even the Wakhan Corridor and Herat, where the British Army had concentrated heavy forces, were on the brink of collapse, at risk of being overrun at any moment.
Opening the window, a cold wind howled through. Gazing at the swirling snowflakes, General Patrick shuddered.
The ghastly weather of minus ten degrees was just too unfriendly for the British Army; Britannia had never seen such cold days.
To say nothing of going out to battle, even while staying in a heated command post, General Patrick felt the wintry wind cut to the bone.