Yu Xiangyang's appearance was exceedingly ordinary. His hair was shaved short to three millimeters, making him look like a simple, obedient recruit in a basic training camp.
His height was neither tall nor short, and he wore a plain officer's uniform without any insignia.
If Jiang Ye hadn't seen his photograph beforehand, he might have doubted if this person was indeed Yu Xiangyang.
Yu Xiangyang looked at Jiang Ye, snapped to attention, and saluted. "Yu Xiangyang reports to the commander as ordered! Please give your instructions, Commander!"
"Sit," Jiang Ye said, gesturing to the chair opposite him.
As soon as Yu Xiangyang sat down, Jiang Ye offered him a cup of tea. Yu Xiangyang quickly stood up again and accepted it with both hands.
"You've only been in my military system for a few days, and I entrusted you with command of several divisions because I saw you had some skill in warfare. However, you've betrayed my trust. You concealed too many circumstances, which is why I recalled you to ask what you were thinking," Jiang Ye said, taking his seat.
"May I ask what aspect the Commander is referring to?"
"Don't play dumb! Killing surrendered enemies, forcing prisoners of war onto the battlefield, executing those who failed to complete combat objectives, concealing battle situations, conscripting young men as battlefield laborers, plundering town banks to secretly fund military expenses – do I need to list these things one by one?" Jiang Ye's face showed anger.
"If the Commander is referring to these matters, I believe I have done nothing wrong," Yu Xiangyang replied, his expression calm. "These methods are all for the purpose of defeating the Gantt army and achieving the Commander's military objectives."
"I explicitly emphasized the need to reduce casualties on both sides of the war and to avoid victory through widespread slaughter. Prisoners of war and civilians in enemy territories were to be treated humanely. These were the red lines I set beforehand, and all troops understood them. Why didn't you?" Jiang Ye was annoyed.
"Commander, forgive my bluntness, but I believe this is the ultimate benevolence of Duke Xiang of Song. Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to our own army. Throughout history, no territorial expansion has ever occurred without rivers of blood. You hope that a policy of appeasement can convert the enemy, but this will only give them time to regroup. I am a local. My grandfather's generation participated in the war against the Gantt army. I understand the situation on this planet. The only way to eliminate the Gantt army is to swiftly annihilate their fighting strength, to eradicate them in large numbers without mercy. The only place enemies should exist is in history books, not in reality," Yu Xiangyang stated.
"Foolish!" Jiang Ye rebuked. "Our army's goal now is not to defeat the Gantt army on one battlefield, but to unify the entire tropical region! You acted on your own cleverness, causing rivers of blood and widespread public resentment. Hasn't the unification of Wheeler Star become an empty promise? You are a Leileu, and you have a blood feud with the Gantt people. I can understand your emotions, but you cannot let your emotions interfere with the great cause of planetary unification!"
"Commander, the only way to unify Wheeler Star is to kill all who resist," Yu Xiangyang said, his face unchanged. "You are too idealistic about our planet's situation. You haven't witnessed children strapped with bombs shouting 'Long live!' and detonating themselves in the city center. Nor have you seen Gantt farmers squatting in the fields, throwing grenades at our passing troops. My father once interrogated a Gantt prisoner of war. The prisoner carried a dagger, given to him by his own mother before he went to battle. She told him, 'If you are captured by the Leileu, commit suicide with this dagger immediately. Our whole family will be proud of you. If you falter and become a prisoner of the Leileu, I will disown you.'
"If you believe that bloody suppression will incite Gantt resistance, then you are gravely mistaken. If the Gantt army is not thoroughly annihilated, the Gantt people will only believe they have another chance to fight, and that would be the true source of endless trouble," Yu Xiangyang said.
"I cannot communicate with you. Your thinking is entirely constrained by your homeland's brutal history," Jiang Ye shook his head. "First, go and familiarize yourself with our overall plan for the Gantt region. You will then understand how much trouble you have caused."
"Commander, I know your plan, but I believe your plan will not work."
"Whether it works or not is not for you to decide."
"You built military bases, but the Gantt army dismantled them one by one, and the defending soldiers were slaughtered. I am brutal, I am bloody, but I forced the Gantt people to submit. I made the Gantt army fight amongst themselves and completely crushed the will to resist among the local populace. I captured twenty thousand square kilometers of Gantt territory." Yu Xiangyang paused. "My words may not carry weight, but my actions prove my theories are correct."
Jiang Ye listened with helplessness. He knew Yu Xiangyang was a man like Bai Qi; even if he had buried 400,000 alive, Yu Xiangyang wouldn't have batted an eye, perhaps even celebrating with drinks.
"You are superstitious about violence and shortsighted. Your talent for warfare is brilliant, but your bloodlust is unbearable," Jiang Ye shook his head repeatedly. "I possess weapons that can level Wheeler Star instantly, but I do not use them. If I adopted your methods, my army would have already swept through the tropical regions of Wheeler Star. Do not think that because you have achieved some victories, you are invincible. My generals may not possess your skill in troop deployment, but they can achieve your results, albeit at a greater cost and with more time. There is nothing remarkable about that.
"Your methods can achieve victory on the battlefield, but they undermine our war's legitimacy and our foundation. This is a grave mistake. Our purpose here is to unify Wheeler Star as peacefully as possible with minimal casualties. This is the truly skillful operation, the true test of strength. I do not seek the gain or loss of a single city, but rather enduring stability for millennia."
"I am telling you these words now, and I know you will not listen. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. But it's alright. You just need to observe. Watch how my troops handle the Gantt army. By this time next year, we can discuss who was right and who was wrong."
"You will temporarily withdraw from your troops. Someone will take over your command of the front-line forces," Jiang Ye said. "I have reviewed your record. You only have knowledge of surface combat, but no knowledge of space warfare. The units you previously served in had very primitive weapons and combat systems. Therefore, I wish to arrange for you to study at the Jiang Ye Star Military Academy for one year. After a year of study, you can return to my forces and take up a position. Are you willing to accept this proposal?"
"I am your subordinate, and I must obey your orders," Yu Xiangyang said.
"I know you must obey orders. I am asking about your thoughts," Jiang Ye looked directly at him. "You can speak your mind."
"I do not believe you can resolve Wheeler Star in one year with your so-called peaceful methods. In the end, there will still be a need for widespread killing," Yu Xiangyang said. "You have the resources, you can afford to wait a year. If, after a year, you decide to resort to killing, I hope I can still be on the battlefield."
"After a year, you will be a major general under my command, and of course, you can be on the battlefield," Jiang Ye nodded. "If any of my other generals committed such acts, they would have been executed by now. I am not executing you; instead, I am sending you to study and promoting you. I hope that through the study and reflection of the coming year, you will understand your identity and realize what you should be doing."
"Yes!"