Munitions Empire

Chapter 465 452 will act like a dog?

"Dead?" Standing on the open ground at the entrance to the village, the platoon leader frowned as he watched his soldiers carry the breathless, and in some cases stiff, bodies of women to a secluded spot for burial. "Were they killed by a woman with a rock?" he asked the squad leader who walked over.

The squad leader nodded, gave the platoon leader a cigarette, lit one for himself, and then snapped his lighter shut, exhaling a cloud of smoke: "Bashed to death with a stone. The flesh was a mess... hard to look at without feeling queasy."

"We don't need to bother with that damned bastard anymore; our mission is to eliminate all the bandits we encounter," he said as he watched two soldiers, with the help of the locals, carry a body out of the village.

From within the raincoat wrapping the body, a dirt-covered arm dangled down, trembling slightly with the steps of the soldiers.

After a puff of smoke, the platoon leader seemed still somewhat agitated, turned his gaze away, and said to the squad leader, "The orders from above are clear, no prisoners, no need for trials, leave no... survivors! Every bandit, kill without discussion!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Understood! They're no longer human, no different from wild beasts," the squad leader said with another drag of his cigarette, nodding. "These people don't have any decent weapons, should we confiscate them?"

"No need," the platoon leader instructed. "Leave them for the villagers, tell them that troops will come later to collect these weapons, just have them keep them safe for now."

"Got it," the squad leader said with a slight nod, then noticed the platoon leader staring behind him. Turning around, he saw an old woman in tattered clothing approaching them.

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The old woman held out her hands, in her palms was a bloody silver ring: "Thank you for avenging my child, this is the only thing of value I have left..."

"We didn't come for this," the platoon leader waved his hand, cigarette between his fingers. "You will live lives as people should, no more hunger, no more being bullied."

The woman stood there dumbfounded, unsure what to do. Her eyes were bone-dry, without any tears left to shed.

She just stared blankly at the two men in front of her, as if she couldn't comprehend what they were saying.

"We're late..." the squad leader pulled out a piece of bread from his pocket, stuffed it into the old woman's hands, and closed her fingers over it. "I'll go check over there."

After speaking, he saluted the platoon leader and without looking back, walked towards the few who were distributing food to the villagers who were about to starve to death.

"Ah... wuwuwu..." Finally, jolted back to reality, the old woman broke down weeping, feeling the agony that half a year of life had branded onto her.

She knelt on the ground, holding the bread and the blood-stained silver ring, crying uncontrollably, inconsolable by anyone who came by.

A few months earlier, her son had died, and just now, she had witnessed her daughter-in-law ravaged and killed by others.

Her young grandson had died of illness during the days when the Zheng Country military occupied Dongwan Island when the island was in chaos and all the doctors were conscripted by the military.

A family of four, who once could barely get by with a few acres of good farmland, had been shattered in just half a year.

How could she not cry? How could she not feel wronged? She didn't know who these men were or why they had come. She just felt a pure hatred, wondering why these people only arrived after she had nothing left...

The disdain was clear on the 1st Battalion Commander's face as he twitched his lips and shifted the position of his crossed legs, wary of getting his boots dirty. Unlike the ordinary soldiers, officers of the Great Tang Group above the battalion level wore long boots instead of high-topped leather shoes.

The adjutant standing next to him could hardly hold back his laughter, seeing the predicament; it was clear that the City Lord was well-practiced in begging for mercy. He probably had exercised it frequently and might even have "participated in actual combat."

"I'm asking you a question! Have you wronged anyone?" the 1st Battalion Commander said, looking down at the City Lord kneeling at his feet.

"It was others! It was the bandits outside the city! It has nothing to do with me! Nothing to do with me! I'm just the tax collector..." the City Lord hurried to absolve himself of any blame.

"That's not for you to decide! Someone will interrogate you later, and whether you're guilty depends on your previous conduct," the 1st Battalion Commander responded noncommittally.

"It's really not my fault! I, I was just greedy, greedy for some money..." the City Lord continued to plead, "General! Spare my life! I am willing to offer all that I have improperly taken..."

"Don't try to bribe me with money! I am not like you! If you really haven't done anything too troubling, you can also choose not to die," the 1st Battalion Commander said in disgust, but he knew there were orders to spare the City Lord's life so he could help deceive the authorities of Zheng Country.

So, he unwillingly showed the kneeling Lord of the City a way out, "Can you be a dog?"

"Yes! Yes, I can! I am your dog! Your dog!" the City Lord nodded rapidly, eagerly clinging to this last lifeline.

Seeing him like that, one could guess that if necessary, he could immediately start barking a few times to prove his loyalty as a dog.

"If you want to live, remember two things, I'll only say them once!" the 1st Battalion Commander stood up, "First! Obey! Do the tasks you are given!"

"Certainly! Certainly!" the City Lord hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Second!" the 1st Battalion Commander was already walking towards the exit, "You're not my dog! You don't deserve to be my dog! Someone will come to be your master, don't give them a reason to kill you!"

"Yes! Yes, sir!" Knowing that at least for today he would not have to die, the City Lord once again kowtowed, watching as the commander of the 1st Battalion left.

Walking out the door, the 1st Battalion Commander looked at his adjutant, "When will the supply of goods be complete? When will the subsequent military troops come to take over? We need to hurry, to the next island!"

The adjutant nodded, "The arrival of subsequent troops on the island will take time... Our supplies also need replenishment. You may not expect it, but the things we've lost the most...are only food, candy, tents, and raincoats."

The 1st Battalion Commander paused in his stride, then nodded, "Push them! Make them as fast as possible."

"Alright," the adjutant nodded, "It's good that we came."

"Yes, it's good that we came," the 1st Battalion Commander nodded and walked away without looking back.

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Happy Birthday! I still owe everyone 3 updates... haha.