"After your troops surrendered, there were still over a thousand resistors in the city. Who were these people?" Jiang Ye asked.
"They were the disciplinary troops, sent by Gante to supervise our brigade. Nominally under my command, but in reality quite independent. I asked them to lay down their arms and help the civilians evacuate with us. They, in turn, demanded I continue fighting and open the armory to distribute guns to the schools in the city, letting students go to the battlefield." Cecil said, "I asked Yu Xiangyang if he needed me to lead a team to take them down. Yu Xiangyang personally commanded the mechanical soldiers to quell the unrest. We provided the intelligence."
"Is your unit helping civilians evacuate the city?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Yes, our weapons were confiscated, but our structure remains. Yu Xiangyang is directing the work of my various companies."
"What is the status of the evacuation of personnel from Ivry City?" Jiang Ye asked.
"It was quite chaotic when I arrived. Over a million people, still in a war zone, making evacuation extremely difficult. Yu Xiangyang dispatched military spacecraft and transport planes to evacuate people. The civilians were all vying for priority positions, with one spot fetching tens of thousands of yuan. They publicly executed seven or eight scalpers in the square, yet people still tried to profit. Order in the city was also quite chaotic. Yu Xiangyang issued batons to students and had them patrol the entire city. However, many students were also distrusted. When I arrived, two students who had stolen a car had just been shot on the street," Cecil said.
"How long have you been in Ivry City?"
"Sir, I am a native of Ivry City. I only left for three years in between. I've spent my entire life there," Cecil said, puffing out his chest.
"Then, how about this: you go back and report to Yu Xiangyang. You are familiar with the local situation, and you can help. Do whatever Yu Xiangyang needs you to do, and try your best to ensure the personnel evacuation goes smoothly without causing any trouble," Jiang Ye smiled. "As long as the evacuation of Ivry City's personnel is successfully completed, you will have atoned for your past deeds, and your position as brigade commander can be considered."
"Thank you, sir! I will do my utmost, no matter the cost!" Cecil trembled with excitement.
"Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No... yes... no more," Cecil's gaze flickered.
Jiang Ye, who had already taken steps towards the door, suddenly stopped and looked at Cecil intently. "If there is, speak."
Cecil shook his head. "No more. I guarantee I will complete the tasks assigned by you, sir."
"You're a brigade commander, after all. There's no one else in this room. Don't be indecisive," Jiang Ye said sternly.
"There is a situation that I don't know if you are aware of. If you choose to use me in the future, I may have an obligation to report it to you."
"Speak."
"Yu Xiangyang... executes prisoners of war."
"Executes prisoners of war?" Jiang Ye's expression changed. "Did he kill your soldiers?"
"No, my troops did not resist, and he treated us very well. I only heard this through rumors. Some of the troops who had previously engaged Yu Xiangyang in battle were buried alive by Yu Xiangyang's forces after they were defeated and surrendered. Many of them," Cecil lowered his voice. "I heard that in the area of Longshan, half a division was buried alive."
A look of shock flashed across Jiang Ye's face. He nodded. "I will send people to investigate. If you have any information, you can report it to me, but this matter must be kept strictly confidential."
"That is for sure, that is for sure," Cecil bowed repeatedly. "I will go back to work for Yu Xiangyang. If this matter is exposed, I won't survive. I am your loyal subordinate! I know you dislike killing, and if Yu Xiangyang kills prisoners of war, he is being disloyal to you. That's why I felt I should tell you."
Jiang Ye nodded and turned to leave the room.
The corridor was empty. There were originally two guards at the end of the corridor, standing guard twenty-four hours a day. Yesterday, Jiang Ye felt it was unnecessary and had moved their posts further away.
After walking dozens of meters, Su Yueming caught up and walked beside Jiang Ye.
"Do you have any other arrangements for this Cecil?" Su Yueming asked.
"No arrangements. He's just a minor figure," Jiang Ye shook his head. "I don't like him."
"You don't like him?"
"Yu Xiangyang saved his life, and he comes to report Yu Xiangyang."
"He is loyal to you."
"Loyalty or not, this person is a turncoat. If he were truly loyal, he would be loyal to Yu Xiangyang, not me," Jiang Ye snorted coldly. "Regarding the matter of Longshan executing prisoners of war that he mentioned, have Commander Ma send some secret troops to investigate. If there are any clues, report them to me. Do not spread it around."
"Understood," Su Yueming nodded.
Jiang Ye suddenly stopped, hesitated for half a second, then knocked and entered his son's room, showing a fatherly smile.
Su Yueming silently withdrew and returned the way she came, meeting Cecil at the corridor turn.
"Brigade Commander Cecil, please wait. I have something private to discuss with you," Su Yueming said.
Cecil was startled. He didn't recognize Su Yueming, but he knew she was close to Jiang Ye and was a deity not to be offended. He nodded repeatedly.
Su Yueming opened the door to a spare office, and Cecil obediently followed her in.
"Are you certain about Yu Xiangyang executing prisoners of war?" Su Yueming asked, closing the door.
"I am certain. He definitely executed prisoners of war," Cecil nodded. "It's just a matter of how many."
"You told the commander that it was hearsay. How did it become certainty?" Su Yueming's eyes narrowed.
"Before I came, I became quite familiar with several regimental commanders under Yu Xiangyang. Those regimental commanders were chatting privately, and I happened to overhear them. They were discussing the execution of prisoners of war, saying that they had captured too many prisoners a few days ago and didn't have enough guards. Some of the prisoner-of-war camps had many people escape at night, so Yu Xiangyang secretly ordered those prisoner-of-war camps to be buried quickly to avoid further complications."
"Besides you, who else knows about this?"
"Probably very few people know. Only Yu Xiangyang and a few officers under him know. I might be the only outsider who knows about this," Cecil said. "There's also something else I didn't dare to tell the commander directly. This matter is pure hearsay, and it's too significant, so I didn't dare to speak of it casually."
"What is it?" Su Yueming's brow furrowed.
"A few days ago, Yu Xiangyang was fighting. The reported number of enemy forces annihilated was two divisions of Gante's army, and six divisions and two reinforced brigades were routed. However, the actual battle results were far greater. In the Longshan area alone, five divisions of Gante's army were wiped out, and at least ten divisions were routed," Cecil said.
"You mean, Yu Xiangyang underreported the battle results?" Su Yueming was confused. "False reports always exaggerate the results, why would anyone downplay them?"
"I don't know, and I can't figure it out. The matter is too bizarre and of great importance, so I didn't dare to say it," Cecil looked perplexed.
"You told the commander today that Yu Xiangyang might execute prisoners of war, and the commander asked you to report any information. You should not report it anymore. Bury this matter, forget it from now on, don't tell anyone, and don't inquire about it," Su Yueming sternly cautioned.
"Why?" Cecil was taken aback. "Does the commander mean...?"
"It's not the commander's intention. I'm reminding you in my personal capacity to save your life," Su Yueming said. "Yu Xiangyang is the frontline commander right now, and he's in the spotlight. The commander values him highly. Yu Xiangyang's execution of prisoners of war is for the sake of the campaign and to implement the commander's decisions. This is the greatest loyalty. With this loyalty, nothing else matters. The commander is in a good mood today and is letting you off the hook. If the commander's mood sours later and he remembers that you're holding onto such a secret, do you think you'll survive?"
Cecil broke out in a cold sweat and bowed repeatedly. "Thank you! Thank you for saving my life! I understand! I don't know how to repay you!"
"Just remember it. There will be time for that. I'll contact you if needed. Let's go," Su Yueming opened the door.
Cecil nodded and left.
Su Yueming closed the room door, found a number on her phone, and dialed it.
"It's me. I have a task for you. Send someone to keep an eye on Cecil. If he mentions this to anyone, or sends someone to investigate Yu Xiangyang's execution of prisoners of war, kill him. Yes, make it look like an accident, like falling from a building. If Cecil behaves himself, don't touch him."