A fierce wind was blowing, and although the doors and windows were tightly closed, the howling wind could still be heard outside, as if someone was pounding on the windows.

Dingle leaned against the window, his face solemn, his heart churning with turmoil.

Wolfgang, seated in his chair, remained calm as he continued, stuffing fresh tobacco into his pipe:

"Fortunately, the Emperor didn't see it. The special forces handed the note to Bowerman first, and Bowerman covered it up. The Emperor is still unaware of it. However, after that, Bowerman was worried that the assassins hiding in the Royal Castle would continue to carry out assassinations, so he made up an excuse, saying that there might still be Nemesis's accomplices in the Royal Castle."

"That's why the Storm Special Combat Force has taken full control of all security within the Royal Castle, and the Emperor..."

At this point, Wolfgang took a drag of his cigarette, shook his head, and said, "Ever since the results of the Battle of Enzos were delivered, the Emperor... has been in a state of rage. Coupled with the constant riots and incitement of the people by those rebels, this has made the Emperor very anxious."

"Although the Emperor was not harmed in the assassination attempt at Bellasso, his mood was clearly off after that day. In addition, Bowerman's statement that there might be more assassins in the Royal Castle further agitated him."

"This resulted in everyone inside the royal castle being placed under close surveillance, not only because the Emperor feared someone might be colluding with assassins, but also because..."

At this point, Wolfgang let out a heavy sigh.

"Why?" Dingle keenly sensed that a great change had occurred within the Royal Castle after the results of the Battle of Enzos were delivered.

Wolfgang took the pipe from his mouth, looked solemnly at Dingle, and said:

"It's still because of the Battle of Enzos."

"Within the military today, the general consensus is that...it was a very unsuccessful battle."

"You may not fully understand what the complete annihilation of the Sixth Army means."

Dingle's face darkened, and he was about to speak when Wolfgang interrupted:

"Dylan rose from a low-ranking soldier to the rank of general through countless battles, and his Sixth Army, like him, was a forged iron-blooded legion that was tempered by countless battles."

"The title of 'backbone of the empire' is not just empty boasting. In our army, the Sixth Army is an extraordinary force. Yet now, even the Sixth Army has been forced to choose a suicidal strategy of fighting to the death with the Yan people. That largely indicates..."

Wolfgang stopped talking, but Dingle quietly continued:

"The gap is huge, and it is difficult to match."

Upon hearing this, Wolfgang's expression turned somewhat somber:

"At the post-battle debriefing meeting on the Battle of Enzos, most of the military, except for the Emperor, held a generally negative attitude."

“They don’t dare say it outright, but I know what they’re thinking.”

"If the Battle of Enzos has not ended this war, and the Yan Kingdom continues its invasions, then... given the Empire's current state, we will be dragged down by this war..."

Upon hearing this, Dingle's heart sank. He couldn't help but recall what Dylan had said earlier, and the sense of panic that permeated every city he passed through on his way back to Salibia.

Wolfgang went on to say:

"Actually, you can't blame them for thinking that way. After all, the facts are right there. Since the Yan people officially launched their invasion, although it hasn't been long, they have already fought several battles, each of which was a large-scale battle, with an exceptionally large number of troops and resources deployed."

“In the past, we might have fought one large-scale battle like this once a year, but now we have fought several in a month, which has put a lot of strain on the army. And the most important thing is that every battle has ended in a crushing defeat.”

Wolfgang put down his pipe and wearily rubbed his face:

"This is a crushing defeat that can no longer be concealed. Everyone, whether in the army or among the civilians, knows that we are constantly suffering defeats. The Yan people are advancing with their army all the way, and we are retreating step by step. One army after another is defeated when they go to meet us."

"The turmoil from the previous battle has not yet subsided, and news of the next defeat is already on its way."

"We lost too quickly and too many people died. The civilians will only question our army. After all, we have always brought victory in the past. But they don't know that only the soldiers who fought against the Yan people can understand the extent of the enemy's military strength."

"And those anti-Party members are taking the opportunity to cause trouble and slander the Emperor's regime. In the past, such inflammatory remarks would have been laughable, and no young person would have been fooled."

"But at this point in time, I have to admit that it has indeed affected a lot of people, otherwise the Bellazo assassination would not have happened."

Dingle said in a deep voice, "That's true. In fact, I saw some leaflets on the streets on my way to Salibia."

"And...it doesn't seem to have been issued by the Kosovo rebels..."

Wolfgang rubbed his fingers together: "Yes... the Kosovo rebels are just a broad term. We can't tell our people that we haven't resolved the historical issues yet, and that the small countries we conquered before haven't completely submitted."

"If the empire continues to prosper, these problems will gradually be resolved and will never be brought to the forefront. It's just that this war has dragged us into the quagmire, making them sharp and difficult to deal with."

"At the military headquarters, the thinking of some people also changed under the influence of many factors. At the post-war debriefing meeting that night, we unanimously agreed that blocking the mountain road to Enzos would not end the war."

"The Yan people are very well prepared, which is why they have been advancing so rapidly. So even if their route is temporarily cut off, it can only hinder them for a while. Once they open up a new route and continue to advance, we will still have to face their strong invasion."

"Based on the continuous defeats on the battlefield, the contradictions within the country that cannot be resolved in the short term, and the concerns about the enemy's strong military strength, some people have proposed that negotiations with the Yan Kingdom should be held as soon as possible. The ultimate goal of the negotiations is a ceasefire, and to achieve this goal, a certain degree of compromise can be made."

Upon hearing this, Dingle's eyes narrowed, and he pressed for an answer:

"And then? What did the Emperor say?"

Wolfgang crossed his legs, exhaled a smoke ring, squinted at Dingle, and said:

He was shot dead on the spot.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of knocks sounded on the door.

The two of them turned their heads to look at the same time.