Among the ranks, some soldiers from the Northern Territory began to tremble faintly. They gritted their teeth, hatred blazing from their eyes.
Webber's hand paused as he inspected his musket. He clenched the barrel in a death grip, and at last, scorching liquid spilled uncontrollably from his reddened eyes, sliding down his weathered cheeks and dripping onto the frozen ground.
Tommy's voice grew ever more impassioned. "Those lords and ladies in the Royal Capital, living behind lofty walls and deep within their palaces, once arrogantly said, 'The Saurons' havoc is confined to the Northern Territory. What does it have to do with us in the south?' And what happened? Three years ago, the Saurons smashed through the border defenses and drove straight in. Everywhere they passed, prosperous towns became ruins, thriving streets became ghostly wastelands!"
"Some people in Field Territory watched the fire burn from across the river back then, saying, 'That is a matter for the north. It has nothing to do with us.' And what happened? Two years ago, the Saurons' iron hooves trampled through Field Territory's borders. Countless Field families were destroyed, wives and children scattered. In the fields, only crows remained, pecking at the corpses!"
"This proves that in this world, there is no such thing as 'it has nothing to do with me'! Today, you think the flames of war are far away, so you can cede five cities in exchange for peace. Tomorrow, you will find that the enemy wants ten! By the time you look around, the enemy will already be at the gates, and you will have nowhere left to retreat, no cities left to yield!"
"The prosperity and stability Carnford enjoys today were bought with the blood and lives of tens of thousands of soldiers, through battle after battle, sacrifice after