The sudden shout startled even Davis, who turned to look at Tacino.
"We can't hold out in this situation. How can we possibly defend it? They're about to storm this place. How can we not retreat?!"
"Not retreating is tantamount to waiting to die! This is incredibly foolish! They're sending us to our deaths!"
Tachino's pale face was covered in sweat, and he waved his arms excitedly, shouting repeatedly:
"Harris said before he left that if we were breached from one side and couldn't stop them, we should be prepared to evacuate. Now you've all seen it, let alone the people guarding the Heinrich military base, we probably won't even make it through tonight!"
"Then shouldn't we be evacuating? Why are we stubbornly holding on here? What are we persisting in? If everyone dies, the military factory will fall too! What's the point of stubbornly holding on and being slowly killed off here?!"
"......."
Tachino shouted louder and louder, even becoming somewhat hysterical.
However, his questioning was not stopped by Davis. Davis just looked at his young subordinate quietly, but his eyes revealed deep disappointment and sadness.
"Enough! Tachino! How dare you think of deserting at a time like this!"
"What you should do is stand with us, hold this place, and eliminate every enemy that breaks in. That is your duty as a soldier. Have you forgotten the oath you took on the day you joined the army?!"
Davis did not speak to stop him, but an officer named David sternly stopped him from shouting.
Tacino ignored him and walked over to Davis, grabbing his arm and continuing to admonish him:
"It's really time to evacuate. We can't hold out any longer. Many people have already died. We need to preserve our strength. If we evacuate now, we can still get away. If we wait any longer, it will be too late."
At this point, his voice was extremely low, and his eyes even held a pleading quality. He spoke in a whisper that only Davis could hear:
"Uncle, please... give the order to evacuate us."
He never revealed it to outsiders, but Tachino was indeed Davis's nephew. Two years ago, Davis's sister, who lived far away in Salibia, was worried that her son was in too much danger on the battlefield, so she sent him a letter asking him to take his son with him and give him a safe clerical job at the Macedonian military factory.
Davis believed that men should go to the battlefield, and only through the tempering of iron and blood could they become qualified warriors. Although Davis was somewhat reluctant to ask for his sister's request, he eventually agreed. After all, his sister was a widow with only one child, and it was not unreasonable for her to take a clerical job, which would also allow her to contribute to the empire.
But now, at this critical juncture of life and death, Davis has to admit that it was a mistake.
Tacino doesn't understand what it means to be a soldier, nor can he truly grasp that every inch of the country's territory must be protected. As he said, the military factory might indeed fall tonight, but does that mean that holding on at this moment is stubborn and wrong?
If that were the case, then perhaps the small, nearly exhausted garrison should have been withdrawn when the Kosovo Empire's army attacked Salibia more than a decade ago.
But if we had done that back then, where would the Delt Federation be today?
The month he spent defending Salivia was the most difficult battle of Davis's life. Surrounded by overwhelming forces, out of ammunition and supplies, and with almost everyone wounded, he refused to yield an inch.
Other generals could make strategic retreats, but he couldn't and wouldn't, because he knew that if he gave up one step, there would be another. Even if the enemy stepped over his corpses to enter his city, he had to be prepared to shed blood.
If every soldier did this, then no matter how powerful the enemy was, they would surely bleed to death. Davis believed this idea must be correct because it had already been proven.
The Kosovo army dared not pay any more price, so they eventually withdrew. As a result, more than a decade later, this continent only has the Delt Federation as its sole nation.
Those imperial warriors of yesteryear did just that, which is why the empire, rising from countless sacrifices amidst iron and blood, became so incredibly powerful.
The Battle of Salibia, which took place more than a decade ago, remains vividly clear in Davis's memory, and the stubbornness he displayed back then has carried him to this day.
With a ferocious expression, he grabbed Tacino by the neck, a man much taller and stronger than himself, and roared:
"Tacino! If you're still a soldier of the Empire, don't beg me like a coward!"
"Your father... no! Your ancestors made far more sacrifices than we do today!"
"Their blood has stained almost every inch of the land you stand on! Now that the damned Yan people have come here, it's time for you to sacrifice yourselves!"
We may all die, but no one will ever be defeated!
"Tacino! You can choose to be a brave warrior and die for the Empire, or you can choose to be a coward and be killed by me now!"
At this point, Davis angrily punched Tacino in the face.
Tacino staggered after being punched hard, still looking at Davis, but the pleading look on his face gradually disappeared.
"Yes, sir, I understand!"
"I obey your orders!" Tacino shouted excitedly, covering his reddened cheek.
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