It turned out that what the man had said was not false, just as Barton had indicated.
Because just on the second day, General Panxing received an urgent telegram from the government of Minnesota, reporting a large presence of Australasia Army forces in the Newfolden area.
By the time General Panxing called an emergency meeting, two hours had passed, and no one could be certain where the Australasia Army had gotten to or what their objective was.
The worst part for the Western Front Army was that General Panxing had committed most of his 100,000 troops to the front lines, leaving only about 15,000 reserve troops available.
Now, these 15,000 had to delay the onslaught of the Australasia Army, creating an opportunity for the troops on the front lines to retreat.
Yes, General Panxing made the decision to retreat without hesitation.