They knew the soldiers were about to embark on a dangerous mission in order to protect them.

Sage was stunned, not expecting the civilians to donate whatever was left. The hundred thousand soldiers were similarly touched by this gesture. It was true they were starving, but they could not bring themselves to the food.

"Thank you all for the kind gesture, but we're short on food right now. What are you all going to eat if you give us whatever is left? Please take them back. Don't worry. We'll be sure to make it back.”

"You shouldn’t think like that, ma'am,” a young man said, "How are the soldiers going to fight on empty stomachs? We'll have a million tons worth of food when you win this fight, so we can handle starving for a few days. We won’t die just yet. Plus, we'll distribute our remaining food equally, so we won't have any problems over the next few days. Please let our men eat or we won't get up!"

As the crowd remained on their knees, Sage's tears welled up. She knew how impor