As the sun was about to set, Dingle and his cavalrymen emerged from the Enzos Mountains and arrived at the post station at the foot of the mountains.
The soldiers stationed at the post station were devastated upon learning of the battle, and a messenger immediately sent the message to Salibia. However, Dingle did not give the messenger the letter that Dylan had given to Von Palen; he intended to deliver it to Salibia himself and hand it to Von Palen.
Here, Dingle also received the latest news about the Fifth Army, which was expected to arrive in Pariston in four days.
But this news did not excite or delight anyone, because the battle was over. Their late arrival had almost led to the annihilation of the Sixth Army, leaving them with no choice but to perish together with the enemy. Therefore, upon hearing this news, the cavalrymen who escorted Dingle out of the mountains were all filled with anger.
But apart from them, the soldiers at the post station all breathed a sigh of relief, and the weight on their hearts was lifted. Although they had paid a heavy price, at least they had achieved a good result.
The collapse undoubtedly blocked the road below the pass completely and dealt a heavy blow to the enemy. The more people they attacked the pass, the more people died. Some soldiers even fantasized that the collapse had buried all the enemies in the ground.
The best outcome would be for the enemy to be forced to withdraw from the country after losing this large force. Even if the outcome is not so good, the enemy still has other troops in Suenham province, but after this heavy blow, they will not be able to rebuild a large army in a short time. Moreover, with the roads cut off, they simply cannot lead a large army out of Enzos.
Therefore, regardless of the outcome, it can be basically confirmed that the enemy will no longer pose a threat in the short term, and the empire may even be about to launch a counterattack through this battle.
The idea had basically appeared in the minds of every soldier, but Dingle didn't think about it at all, nor did he communicate with the soldiers sitting around the stove. He took the oil lamp and went up to the second floor of the post station alone, leaning against the window and looking at the heavy snow falling outside.
The snow was falling heavily and showed no signs of stopping. Under the silent gaze, Dingle unbuttoned his military uniform and took out the letter Dylan had given him from his inner pocket.
Opening the envelope and taking out the letter, Dingle looked at its contents in the dim light, and the first paragraph made him pause.
"If you're a man of your word, you should be dead by now. If you're not, you should still be leading your soldiers against those bastards. You know, those guys are unbelievably strong. I've never fought against enemies like that before. Damn it, they shouldn't have come here! If I could, I wouldn't want to fight such terrifying creatures. Okay, enough rant, let's get down to business."
Seeing this, Dingle looked bitter. He had indeed broken his promise, but General Dylan had already died in battle. Perhaps when he wrote this letter, he did not expect the pass to be breached so quickly, thus forcing him to implement the final battle plan.
Dingle sighed and continued reading the next paragraph:
"First, I must admit that I don't have much confidence in the upcoming battle. This is not because I'm afraid of the Yan people, but simply because of the current situation. Those Yan bastards have seized control of our seas and our Suenham province. I even have to defend the Enzos Mountains with a death wish to stop them, and they've forced us to this point in just one month. I can hardly believe such a thing could happen in our country, but it has actually happened."
'Is there any army in this world stronger than ours? Don't tell me about the Saharan. When our army reaches the continent of Leon, I will personally remove the crown from Isabella's head, turning her from an empress into a woman. Well, I no longer have that chance. The enemy we face now has plunged the empire into a tremendous crisis, so severe that it could potentially lead to the collapse of our nation.'
'I must emphasize that this is absolutely not an unrealistic or dangerous statement; it could actually happen.'
Seeing this, Dingle nodded unconsciously. If anyone still thought that the threat posed by the Yan Kingdom was not that great after these battles, then he must be a complete fool. The words that Dylan had said to him before he left had already shown that the empire was not as stable as it seemed on the surface, and all the things that were happening now were proof that the empire was already teetering on the brink of collapse.
He then looked down.
"I believe that continuing to fight the Yan people with our consistent mindset, especially within our own borders, will have unbearable consequences. First, you must understand that the empire's rise was achieved through these wars, but today, I must admit that we are also bearing the costs of war. What those costs are, I think you understand. Most importantly, today's empire can no longer bear the consequences of defeat as it did before. Because we are no longer the struggling Kingdom of Golt, but a vast empire ruling over the entire continent of Salisno, with countless citizens."
"Twelve years of fighting, countless lives were lost. It was the blood and sweat of these heroes that allowed us to expand our humble dwellings into the palace we see today. How can we now watch it crumble?"
Upon seeing this, Dingle bit his lip, his expression turning serious.
'If the day truly comes when the palace collapses, I think the heroic souls who died for their country will roar in despair. No, absolutely not, we must not destroy all of this.'
'But how can we stop this from happening? The only thing I can think of is negotiating with the Yan people, but given our current situation, we might have to surrender to them. Perhaps only in this way can we hope to end the war.'
'My God, before the Yan people set foot on our borders, the word "surrender" didn't exist in my dictionary. But now, this thought fills my head. Maybe I've really become weak, using the country and its people as an excuse.'
"But regardless, I believe this is the only solution. Although it's humiliating, this is the reality; our nation, which rose to power through war, is now suffering because of it."
"But this by no means represents my denial of the Emperor. Over the past twelve years, he has led the people to rise to power, single-handedly creating the Delta Federation we know today. I am grateful for everything he has done, I respect his character, and all citizens of the Empire must acknowledge that he is the greatest hero among us Goths!"
'But in today's empire, we are no longer heroes of war; we have become slaves.'
Yes, we are all now slaves to war.
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