"Yes, yes, it's disgusting. There have been so many incidents of these rear-echelon troops blowing themselves up, the situation on the ground was indescribably grim," Commander Stanford nodded repeatedly. "We already had a lot of prisoners, hundreds gathered together, and with a few suicide bombers mixed in, almost half of them would die."
"Are you two saying it wasn't your troops who killed the surrendering soldiers, but the Gaunt military's rear-echelon troops carrying out suicide attacks? They double-crossed and blew up the prisoners?" Cen Yemeng asked.
"Some were killed by the explosions, but the key is that with so many self-detonations, the soldiers on the ground became terrified. The psychological pressure was immense," Commander Liu said. "Think about it, war itself is a high-pressure situation, and the soldiers are in a frenzy. Then, after the battle, prisoners are gathered together, and suddenly there's an explosion. Who could handle that kind of shock?"
"I can understand the situation of the grassroots soldiers," Commander Stanford interjected. "The battlefield is chaotic, and there's a shortage of personnel everywhere. If the prisoners are mixed with bomber-types, the soldiers guarding them would definitely feel it's easier to just kill them all. If they themselves get blown up, it's not worth the risk. Sometimes it's just chaos. The prisoners are gathered peacefully, and suddenly a rear-echelon troop shouts 'Long live Gaunt!' and then detonates. The prisoners panic and scatter, and the guards outside see it's a rout and start firing wildly, killing anyone who moves."
"This situation is hard to avoid," Commander Liu nodded. "We can only blame the Gaunt military for their insane methods, even killing their own people and absolutely refusing to take prisoners."
Cen Yemeng frowned.
She could understand the situations described by the two commanders.
As a commander, a ruler on a map could move armies, but they couldn't see the actual battlefield or feel the tension of the fighting soldiers. Everything seemed like mere data changes.
But on the battlefield, the people fighting were living beings with emotions and thoughts, and they would inevitably adapt and do things spontaneously. These were reasonable and unavoidable.
"I want to reiterate, our own soldiers did not kill surrendering prisoners. The ones who killed them were the newly incorporated local troops from Leleliu," Commander Liu stated. "The Leleliu people have a deep-seated hatred for the Gaunt military. Historically, the Gaunt military has attacked the Leleliu region many times, and each time they invaded, they massacred many people. Therefore, many of the lower-ranking Leleliu troops have strong emotions and desire revenge, which is difficult to restrain."
"Yesterday, a company commander from a Leleliu unit told me that his own father was killed by Gaunt artillery fire back then. It happened to be the anniversary of his father's death, so he ordered the killing of prisoners. The soldiers under his command were ruthless, quickly rounding up a batch of Gaunt prisoners and taking them to the river, where they were all executed within minutes," Commander Stanford nodded. "Situations like this, seeking revenge for a father, are hard to stop. The hatred between the two regions is too deep."
Cen Yemeng's brow furrowed. "I understand the local people's mindset given the deep-seated historical enmity between the two regions. However, Wheeler Star will be unified in the future, and the various regions will become one big family. This kind of vendetta cannot continue, otherwise, when will the cycle of revenge ever end? Your job is to try your best to stop it, to minimize such incidents. I will speak to Jiang Ye on your behalf. He has a temper, and when he scolds you, it's out of urgency, not directed at you personally. Don't take it too much to heart. You are all veteran generals; don't resort to sleeping pills after a scolding. That's not the demeanor of a veteran general."
"Thank you, Commander!" Commander Liu said quickly. "Your subordinate understands!"
"We ask for your help, Commander," Commander Stanford also stated. "We are already working hard to reduce similar incidents."
The military doctor found the testing kit and handed it to Cen Yemeng.
Cen Yemeng thanked him and turned to leave.
Back in the room, Jiang Ye was still quietly reading.
Cen Yemeng climbed onto the bed, opened the testing kit, took out a long black tube, and handed it to Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye began the self-test. The process was a bit complicated, requiring saliva and a finger prick for blood.
Cen Yemeng sat beside him and recounted the conversation she had just had with the commanders.
"I know all of this, and I understand," Jiang Ye sighed, shaking his head. "I am indeed anxious. The hatred between the people of Leleliu and Gaunt regions is so deep. In the future, after unification, will they be able to sit down together and develop their economy? If these generals in command don't pay attention and allow casualties to escalate, it will create obstacles for future development, and the hatred might even be passed down. I'm thinking about problems decades or even centuries ahead, which is why I'm anxious."
"You are thinking correctly, but reality is not just on paper. Similar incidents are unavoidable. These veteran generals have been with you for many years. It's cruel to scold them to the point where they can't sleep at night! The war is still ongoing, and if the veteran generals leading the troops don't get enough rest, it will affect the upcoming campaign operations," Cen Yemeng persuaded gently.
"You are right," Jiang Ye sighed deeply. "I will apologize to them at the meeting tomorrow. I did scold them a bit too harshly."
Jiang Ye handed the test tube back. Cen Yemeng inserted it into the testing kit. After a few seconds, a series of readings appeared on the surface of the kit.
"You are indeed stressed. Your hormone secretion is a bit disordered," Cen Yemeng said. "I'll ask the military doctor to brew you some herbal soup to regulate it."
"Okay," Jiang Ye nodded. "Thank you, my wife."
"It's no trouble for me, as long as my husband is healthy," Cen Yemeng picked up the testing kit and left.
Jiang Ye continued reading. Reading before bed had become his habit; it calmed his mind and allowed him to absorb knowledge.
After reading a dozen pages, Cen Yemeng returned, holding a steaming large mug filled with dark herbal soup.
Jiang Ye took it, blew on it, and drank it slowly.
Cen Yemeng got into bed, sat beside him, and also picked up a book, "Post-War Group Psychology."
"It's so bitter," Jiang Ye frowned. "Can I add sugar?"
"Drink it obediently. You're not a child anymore," Cen Yemeng said without looking up.
Jiang Ye turned to look at his wife's book. After a moment, his eyebrows suddenly lifted. "By the way, how much of Old Yi's second novel has been written?"
"More than half. When I was on the exile planet, I used to sneak her manuscript and follow the updates every week," Cen Yemeng chuckled. "The second part has many explicit descriptions. It might need to be rated when it's published, only available for adult purchase and reading."
Jiang Ye recalled some past events, his face flushed slightly, and he quickly drank his medicine to cover it.
"Oh, and our son knows you're very busy. He hasn't contacted you recently, but he's talked to me a lot," Cen Yemeng closed the book.
"How is he doing now?" Jiang Ye asked.
"He's doing very well, absolutely thriving," Cen Yemeng said with pride. "In the midterm exams, he got first place in the entire school. Later, there was a joint exam for five cities and eighteen schools, and he came in third. He said he studies more than ten hours a day and has gone through several boxes of test papers."
"Our son is indeed intelligent and diligent," Jiang Ye sighed. "I heard that his intelligence is inherited from his mother."
"Yes, I'm very smart, so our child is smart too," Cen Yemeng smiled. "With such a smart child, should we have another one?"
"After I finish my medicine," Jiang Ye nodded.