freenovelworld Chapter 200: All trash, generous treatment
Chapter 200: All trash, generous treatment
"This doesn't even include some lightly wounded soldiers who can no longer fight, and..."
The person in charge stopped talking halfway, his eyes filled with fear, and he didn't dare to continue.
Sun Chuanfang, whose mood had already fallen to the bottom, didn't care about these things anymore and waved his hand slightly.
"Go on, I want the most authentic data."
"Also... there have been a number of incidents of lightly wounded people escaping over the past few days..."
The person in charge gritted his teeth, not daring to look him in the eye, and reported in a low voice.
"They all said... they all said the Independence Army's artillery fire was too powerful. The two sides didn't even have a chance to meet before they were cut down on horseback. If the fighting continues like this, no matter how many people there are, they won't be enough to withstand the bombing. It's just a waste of lives."
"fart!"
Sun Chuanfang, who was already extremely annoyed, became even more furious when he heard this. He glared with red eyes and shouted angrily in an extremely violent manner.
"Reinforcements are on the way. You dare to spread such rumors and disrupt the morale of the army at this time? You deserve to be killed!"
"Pass the order down! Anyone who dares to spread this kind of talk that's detrimental to the stability of the military will be shot immediately. No mercy!"
In fact, he knew the enemy's firepower configuration better than anyone else, and he also knew that the soldiers were not lying, but at this critical moment, everyone was on edge, relying on their last bit of morale to hold on.
If negative talk is allowed to spread within the camp, not only will deserters appear in the hospital, but the front lines will also be thrown into chaos, with no one left wanting to fight.
"Also, notify the patrols and supervisory teams to increase their vigilance. If any deserters are found, they will be shot without questioning!"
Sun Chuanfang hardened his heart and ordered that at this critical moment, some drastic measures must be taken. Talking and negotiation would not be enough to control those old soldiers.
However, this incident did serve as a wake-up call for him, and instantly gave him a brilliant idea.
Since the number of casualties caused by this operation has far exceeded what the superiors can tolerate and bear, why not find a way to cleverly classify these deaths as deserters?
After all, the dead can't speak, so just find a remote corner, dig a big hole, and bury them.
As for the desertion, there is no trace to be found and it is difficult to track down. At that time, all they have to do is make up a story and claim that thousands of soldiers took advantage of the chaos to escape in the middle of the night. Even if the higher-ups want to verify this astonishing number, they probably have nowhere to start and are helpless!
This plan is fucking perfect!
"Reporting to the Governor, the 19th Division's position has been attacked again by the enemy. They have broken through the blockade and the enemy mechanized forces are completely unable to stop them."
The signalman came hurriedly from the rear, reporting breathlessly.
"The 19th Division is calling for support and hopes to receive a response from its brother units."
"Inform the 21st Division to penetrate from the flank and resist the enemy's advance. At the same time, expedite the digging of trenches. Mechanized units must not be allowed to enter the position again!"
Sun Chuanfang frowned and made arrangements with a very haggard look on his face.
After fighting for so long, he still had no way to defeat the enemy tank brigade. Every time there was a positional battle, there would be a situation where people from all over the place would ask for help.
Although the superiors have sent news that a batch of anti-tank mines can be transported over, given the current war situation, it is still unclear whether they can wait until that day.
"Report, news has come in from the 16th Division's position that the enemy's 15th Division launched a frontal bombardment. The artillery fire was too intense. Although they didn't launch a ground attack, they still suffered over 500 casualties."
"Five hundred casualties from just the shelling?"
Sun Chuanfang's mouth twitched slightly, and he turned around and said in disbelief.
"Are the entire 16th Division useless? They were hiding in trenches and bunkers, yet they still caused 500 casualties. Call their division commander. I have to ask him what's going on in his head!"
……
On the other side, in the direction of Muye, the position of the Fourth Army of the First Corps.
Army commander Zhang Beifa was hiding in the trenches at the front line, smoking a cigarette and bragging to a group of soldiers.
In the past two days, although the enemy troops from Zhili Province had the advantage in numbers, they had no chance to break through their blockade line. They could only stay in the opposite position and watch them eat and drink delicious food with envy.
"Look, what is contrast, what is comfort, what is a young master soldier!"
Zhang Bei's arms were bare, his muscular upper body was covered with sweat, and he had no airs of a commander at all. He squeezed into the trench and chatted with the group of soldiers.
"You guys are really enjoying yourself. You have food, drinks, cigarettes, and even fruits and watermelons specially brought in from Donglu Province. Your life is much better than that of some high-ranking officials."
"The Feng faction across the way didn't even give us wages, let alone food. I heard from soldiers who surrendered that the food they eat every day is worse than pig food. It's simply not a life for human beings."
"Sir, we don't have any objections to the food and drinks, but it's too hot here. Can you give us something to cool us down?"
In the crowd, a soldier who surrendered from Feng's faction grinned foolishly.
This guy was quite smart. He knew he couldn't beat the opponent, but he didn't fight to the death. With the idea of joining the enemy if he couldn't beat them, he didn't leave during the charge and stayed.
He knew very well that his chances of survival would be greater if he stayed in the Independence Army than if he escaped at this time. Although the surrendered soldiers were not given military pay or organized into a unit, they were treated as cannon fodder and left to resist at the first blockade line.
But relatively speaking, even in the first blockade line of the Independence Army, the chance of survival is greater than in the Feng faction. After all, their artillery fire is fierce, and many times the enemy retreats directly halfway through the charge, leaving them no chance to shoot.
Moreover, although the independent army did not pay, their food standards were high. They had meat, vegetables, and white flour buns for every meal, and even cigarettes and soda. Occasionally, they could even get some chicken legs to eat. With this food standard, if they were in the Feng faction, even platoon-level officers would not be able to get it.
"It's a bit troublesome to cool down the heat. Our place is too remote and the transportation line is too slow. We can't get ice at all."
Zhang Beifa scratched his head, thought about this question for a moment, and responded with a smile.
"How about this? I'll ask the kitchen to make some mung bean soup at noon. Add some sugar to make it sweet, which will also help to cool you down."
"Hehehe, add more sugar, it's better to drink it with more sugar."
The boy kept laughing foolishly. He didn't expect that the commander of the independent army would be so easy-going. The other party would seriously consider and implement the opinions put forward by him, a surrendered soldier.
If this happened in the Feng system, let alone mung bean soup, the person who made this request would be lucky if he was not slaughtered and made into soup.