News had reached his ears that they planned to distribute mixtures alongside Route One and Route Twenty-two to kill the vegetation there. Depriving ambushers of cover was a good idea, he thought. But this was the loveliest country on the earth. Sorrow and war lay all over it, true, but the sickness of sorrow had never before penetrated the land itself. He didn't like to see it poisoned.
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The protagonist is aware of a plan to spray chemicals along Route One and Route Twenty-two to eliminate the vegetation, which could help the military by removing cover for ambushers. He understands the strategic advantage but grapples with the moral implications of such an action. The beauty of the land and its history weighs heavily on him as he contemplates the consequences of introducing poison into this cherished environment.
This internal conflict highlights the tension between the necessities of war and the preservation of nature. The land, despite being marred by sorrow and conflict, has so far remained untouched by the darkness of war in a physical sense. The protagonist finds it troubling that beautiful locations, which have endured through time, might be harmed by the very actions intended to create safety and security.
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