"Will we end the Paratu Civil War?" Colonel Marx Bern knocked on the long table and asked heavily: "Or will we move towards a larger all-out war?"

The meeting room fell into a long silence, and Colonel Bern directly pulled off the curtain of the elephant who was silenced in the meeting room. When the dark future that intentionally or unintentionally avoided was clearly revealed before his eyes, the Monta officers were both angry and powerless.

"What can we do?" The colonel who spoke first turned angry and said: "The root of the disease fell thirty years ago, and it had long been a terminal illness."

The magnetic voice sighed helplessly, and said sincerely: "Col. Bern, I understand your concerns, but... the Monta Army is not the United Provincial Army. What determines this is not whether we emulate their will, but that we do not follow their strength."

The owner of the magnetic voice looked a little lonely, but his tone was still extremely calm: "We can only face the reality that from ancient times to the present, our homeland has not been a self-sufficient land. In the past, we lived with the empire; now, our republic survives with the Union Republic."

The owner of the magnetic voice continued: "For the Republic of Monta, forcing the United Nations to get rid of the United Provinces is like ripping off half of its body - even without considering feasibility - the cost is much higher than participating in a full-scale civil war. So as soldiers of the Republic of Monta, we can only obey the best interests of the Republic. That is, joining the winner's side and obtaining the best margin for the Republic of Monta - even if this behavior is humiliating, it is something we must do."

The conference room was still quiet, and the officers attending the meeting smoked their pipes even harder, but this silent attitude itself meant that they had been faintly convinced by the owner of the magnetic voice.

After a moment of pause, the owner of the magnetic voice looked at Colonel Bern and asked hesitantly: "Or, what are your plans to turn the situation around?"

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Colonel Bern.

"No." Colonel Bern simply replied.

The light of the candle became dimmer.

For the senior officers present, the idealistic light that was still emitting when they first left the ivory tower had long dissipated on them, and their passion was washed away by the trivialities of bureaucracy. But they still vaguely remembered how strong pride they had swear to become a soldier in the defense alliance.

However, seeing that the great covenant finally became a piece of paper, leaving only cold considerations of interests. Although no one would admit it, everyone felt a kind of sorrow from the bottom of their hearts.

"But, even if only the interests of the Republic are considered." Colonel Bern pulled the iron ring on his finger: "We should not let the Unionists win too easily."

The others quickly understood what he meant.

"It's useless." The colonel who spoke at first looked disdainful: "Even if the Seventh Legion does not join the war, the remaining old, weak, sick and disabled Alpad will not be able to withstand the joint attacks between the Unionists and the Vanes."

The colonel who spoke first knocked his pipe hard and said in a muffled voice: "After all, whether the Unionists win good looks or ugly wins is not up to us, but from the Paratus. The Paratus have fought with themselves for several rounds. Now, even if they put the Paratus on both sides of the Jinliu River together, they cannot be the opponent of the United Provinces. What's more, how old is Alpad? Maybe one day he will die. Once Alpad dies, who else can take the lead in the military government of Paratus?"

The colonel who spoke at first became more and more regretful of the iron and the more he spoke, he finally smashed his pipe and asserted: "Don't think about counting on the Palatus, the Palatus army has long been left without successors - time is on the side of the Union. It is better to count on the Palatus to the Venettas to send troops and work head-on with the Union. If that is the case, the Union may lower their heads."

Hearing his colleagues say that the Palatou Army was no successor, Colonel Marx Bern once again remembered the brave and aggressive Captain Paratu that he met at the Steel Fort.

If Alpad's officers were of the same level - no, half - and less than half - as long as one quarter - or even as that person can grow up - the outcome is probably impossible to assert.

The confession of the imperial spy captured in the steel castle flashed through Colonel Bern's mind.
Chapter completed!