Dingle wanted to refuse, but his incessant coughing made it difficult for him to speak, while Harris forcefully dragged him back into the makeshift stone house.
The stone house was a temporary addition to the existing fortifications, but even so, it took a lot of effort from the soldiers. After all, the temperature in the mountains was much colder than inside the military base, and almost all the water sources were frozen. In the past two days, the soldiers not only had to build fortifications, but also had to use a lot of manpower to cut down trees to obtain firewood. Horses also had to be used to transport ammunition into the mountains. Almost everyone was exhausted and cold.
All of this was due to Dingle's strong recommendation. Although the direct commander of the infantry division was Verri, he adopted all of Dingle's suggestions, and at this moment he was leading another team to scout suitable ambush points.
After bringing Dingle back to the stone house, Harris picked up firewood and put it in the crude fireplace to start a fire, while Dingle just sat on the stool coughing incessantly.
In fact, his cough hadn't gotten better since he rushed from Wilton to Heinrich. During those eight days, he had endured too much cold wind, and the even colder weather after arriving in the Enzos Mountains made his cough even worse.
Even at night, coughing would cause Dingle to feel waves of pain in his chest, but now, as the flames ignited and he felt the heat, Dingle finally calmed down.
“Heinrich, it’s really hard to hold on,” he said suddenly.
Harris, who was getting the kettle, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then snapped the lid off the kettle and placed it beside the fireplace before asking:
Why would you think that?
Sitting against the wall, Dingle looked up, his face still flushed with the sickly redness left from coughing, and slowly said:
"Because our enemy is the Yan Kingdom, and their army has completely crushed us."
Upon hearing this, Harris frowned, a surge of anger rising within him. He said coldly, "To be honest, we only lost once, in the Battle of Macedonia."
“Once is enough.” Dingle said with his eyes half open. As his body gradually felt the warmth of the stove, he suddenly felt sleepy.
"Hmph, we have eight army groups, more than 2.6 million troops, and more than 3 million in reserves. What makes you think our army can't defeat these Yan people?!" Harris's voice grew colder.
"Advanced weaponry is difficult to overcome with manpower alone, not to mention... no one knows how many people the Yan Kingdom will send to our country. Having lost control of the sea, we are now completely on the defensive," Dingle said.
Upon hearing Dingle's words, Harris, with a cold face, picked up some firewood and threw it into the fireplace. The flames exploded with a "bang," and he then said:
"After eliminating the Yan people entering the country, we will gradually gain the initiative."
"Perhaps, but what is certain is that if the Yan Kingdom people cross the Enzos Mountains, then this war... has essentially come to an end." Dingle rubbed his sore eyes, trying to shake off his drowsiness.
“You’re too pessimistic. That’s not like a soldier!” Harris suddenly looked up and glared coldly at Dingle.
Dingle gave a tired smile and said, "I'm already being very optimistic, Harris."
"Otherwise, why would I have kept urging General Brewster to use the Enzos Mountains as a battlefield?"
Harris frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Dingle lowered his arms, rested his head against the wall, and said slowly, "Because this is the last place we can stop them."
“The Pokamiya province is a plain, with no good terrain to give us an advantage. Without terrain advantage, it is difficult for us to resist the Yan Kingdom’s army. The weather has little effect. No, it should be said that it has a greater effect on us. The Yan Kingdom’s marching speed is so fast, which means they have rich experience in winter warfare. I think the winters in their country are probably much colder than here.”
After hearing this, Harris fell silent, his expression growing increasingly cold.
Dingle closed his eyes, his nose felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't even smell anything. He then whispered:
"Compared to the Enzos Mountains, the Heinrich military base is not the best position. If the Yan people continue to launch fierce attacks, the probability of it being breached is not small."
"If we can't defeat the Yan people in the Enzos Mountains, then I don't know where else we can defeat them."
"This is our best battlefield, and perhaps... our last battlefield..."
Dingle murmured, but Harris did not respond. He just silently watched the stove, mechanically breaking firewood and stuffing it into the fire. The flames crackled and popped, and his face was flushed red by the light. The scar on his forehead, which had not yet scabbed over, gradually began to ache slightly.
After a while, Harris suddenly said, "If this is the most suitable battlefield, then I will risk my life to wipe out these damned Yan people here."
"Even if it means mutual destruction, I am willing to do it."
There was no answer, only soft snoring.
Harris looked up and saw that Dingle was leaning against the wall, having fallen asleep sometime earlier.
"You bastard..."
Harris rolled his eyes, dusted the ashes off his legs, and got up to walk over to Dingle.
"Hey, this isn't the time now..."
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