Upon seeing this content, Dingle froze, his expression completely frozen. For a moment, he felt as if a violent explosion had occurred in his brain, which even caused a buzzing sound in his ears.

He stared intently, the words on the letter seeming to float in his vision:

'Perhaps I'm truly insane, which is why this thought even crossed my mind. I understand that if I were to voice this idea, many would see me as a traitor to the nation, and the first person to rush out and hang me would undoubtedly be the Emperor.'

'However, I swear on my own integrity that I, Dürrenschfeld, whether in life or as a ghost, will never betray our nation.'

"And today, in this time of crisis, I am gradually realizing what I truly stand for—without a doubt, it is our people. Similarly, I firmly believe that every Goth should consider their people as the most important thing above all else."

We must acknowledge one fact: no single great hero can represent an entire nation.

"He can only be a member of the nation. If he places his personal will above the nation's and claims to represent our entire nation, then that is certainly a wrong idea. Because no one can guarantee that a hero will remain a hero forever; no one can live forever. The present future of the nation is a cause that every Goth must strive for throughout their life."

Therefore, now that our nation is facing this calamity that must be resolved as soon as possible, its future must be the top priority, and ending this war peacefully is undoubtedly the best choice at present.

"But now, to end this war peacefully, we must hope that the Yan people have the will to end it. However, I don't know what the Yan people will do after Enzos's battle. If my objective is achieved, the Yan people will face terrible casualties. Perhaps they will consider the upcoming losses and be forced to end the war, which is exactly what I want to see. I hope so."

"But I must say, I am very worried right now, because to achieve the vision I seek, besides the Yan people, we ourselves need to make much more effort, the most crucial aspect of which comes from the enormous challenges within our own nation."

"I believe this challenge can be attributed to the hardline 'war faction' led by the Emperor. Please forgive me for using the term 'war faction' to describe some people in the current regime. To some extent, this term might seem to divide our regime, but that is absolutely not my intention. Therefore, I must explain this to you clearly enough to avoid misunderstanding for you and many others."

At this moment, upon seeing the adjective 'pro-war faction,' Dingle, besides still experiencing tremendous inner turmoil, unconsciously began to feel heavy-hearted.

"I can confidently say that once this battle concludes, regardless of the outcome, the Emperor will choose to continue the war. Negotiations of any degree are a disgrace to him, and he absolutely cannot tolerate them. That's why I use the potentially ambiguous term 'pro-war' to refer to the Emperor's current regime."

"In the face of this crisis, I firmly believe that continuing to prolong the war with a hardline stance will only drag our nation and country into an abyss. Regarding this calamity brought about by our overseas colonial plans, we have made an unbearable mistake—the greatest lesson the Empire is currently suffering. We must change, and now, indeed, the time has come for change."

'But as these thoughts gradually took shape in my mind, I realized that I didn't have enough time. I was about to lead my troops into a final battle against the Yan Kingdom. In these past few days of contact and communication with you, I've realized that you are different from the other officers under my command. I sense that you might share similar thoughts, so I will have a detailed discussion with you. After that discussion, it will determine whether this letter will be delivered to you.'

"If you have received this letter and read this far, then you will be undertaking the final task I entrust to you. It is arduous and difficult, requiring immense sacrifices and likely to be condemned afterward, even potentially seen as a betrayal of the nation, becoming a source of shame. Because in its final moments, it possesses a profoundly subversive nature."

"But please understand, it concerns the future of our nation and country. And this contemplation of the future is not something every Gothic person can deeply grasp; most people spend their lives blindly following others—that is an undeniable fact."

'Now, please read carefully and remember every word I have said...'

Upon seeing this, Dingle's expression turned solemn, his eyes fixed on the long passage below. Just then, a series of footsteps came from the stairs.

"Sir, dinner is ready. We've made some meat soup," the soldier said, looking at Dingle who was leaning against the window reading a letter.

But Dingle did not respond; he remained engrossed in reading the letter, as if he had not heard a sound.

Under the dim light, the soldier could see that Dingle's face was particularly solemn, which made him feel inexplicably nervous.

"Sir, you go ahead with your work. I'll come and get you later," the soldier said tactfully in a low voice, then turned and went downstairs.

As soon as he stepped down, another soldier asked him, "Why didn't the colonel come down?"

"He's busy, let's eat later." The soldier rubbed his nose and found a stool to sit down.

"The colonel has had a gloomy face ever since he came down the mountain, and he hasn't spoken to us. What's wrong with him?" a soldier at the post station asked, frowning.

“He hasn’t recovered from the battle yet, has he? After all, this battle was another heavy blow to the colonel; he’s experienced far more blows than we have,” a cavalry lieutenant escorting Dingle down the mountain said, shaking his head.

"Why do you say that?" the post station soldier asked, puzzled.

The lieutenant lowered his voice and continued, "The colonel came from Port Brulo. Since the Yan people entered the country, he has participated in almost every battle against them. But as you all know, we have lost almost every battle, although this is not due to the poor command of our officers. And this most recent one, if we had to say, can only be considered a Pyrrhic victory."