Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 316: Compassion does not command troops
Kumamoto Division Headquarters

"Division Commander, we only have enough rations for one meal," the statistician reported to Division Commander Kumamoto.

"Divide this meal into three portions," Commander Kumamoto said angrily.

Originally, the Kwantung Army sent thirty aircraft to provide support, which could cover the military trains escorting supplies.

The supplies had already been loaded onto the trucks, but then the airport was bombed. Not only were the original planes gone, but the thirty planes borrowed from the Kwantung Army were also lost.

Although Commander Shinozuka urgently borrowed ten more aircraft from the First War Zone, most of them were needed to deal with the crisis in Taiyuan, and only three could escort the military trains.

However, those damned Eighth Route Army guerrillas have sabotaged the railway again, making it unrealistic to rely on military trains to deliver supplies in the short term.

Therefore, the North China Expeditionary Army planned to use other methods for ground transportation.

But the Kumamoto Division Commander knew that other ground transportation methods wouldn't be so easy either, and the Eighth Route Army would definitely obstruct them.

In other words, the army will likely have to rely on meager airdrops to survive for the foreseeable future.

"Division Commander, if this continues, the army will be underfed and will lack the strength to fight," the statistician replied.

"Being too weak to fight is better than being starving," the Kumamoto Division Commander said angrily. "Anyway, the Eighth Route Army isn't attacking us, so we don't need to fight."

The statistician, upon hearing this, wanted to say that the reason the Eighth Route Army wasn't attacking was because they wanted to starve them to death.

After all, our army is huge, and the limited daily airdrops cannot solve the fundamental problem.

The statistician didn't say it aloud, but instead said, "Division Commander, there's another big problem."

"What's the problem?" asked the Kumamoto Division Commander.

"The military trains haven't brought any supplies, so our wounded are out of medicine," the statistician said tactfully.

The lack of medical treatment means something that needs no further explanation.

Without antibiotics like sulfonamides, infection of such battlefield wounds would likely be unavoidable.

Not to mention, many of the wounded also need to undergo surgery.

In other words, these wounded soldiers will likely end up following in the footsteps of the more than three thousand wounded soldiers before them.

"Baka, baka, baka!" The Kumamoto Division Commander jumped up like a madman and roared, "Send a message to the Commander and tell him to airdrop more medicine!"

These are seven or eight thousand wounded soldiers, and they are all excellent soldiers.

They had already abandoned more than 3,000 men, and now they had to abandon another 7,000. The cost of this non-combat casualties was something the Kumamoto Division Commander simply could not afford.

Let alone him, even the commander couldn't afford it; it's almost a brigade.

The statistician said helplessly, "The number of transport planes is limited, and their carrying capacity is also limited. If more medicine is distributed, then the amount of food will be reduced accordingly."

Under normal circumstances, a qualified commander should prioritize saving uninjured, healthy soldiers.

If even regular soldiers can't be guaranteed a place, and the fighting capacity is lost, then the consequences...

The statistician didn't think about it any further; otherwise, he would have a mental breakdown.

Not long ago, we were able to revive ourselves with the reinforcement of thirty aircraft from the Kwantung Army, but now we have been brought back to square one.

Let alone tens of thousands of troops in crisis, just abandoning these seven or eight thousand wounded soldiers would be an unbearable price to pay.

"Didn't the Chinese invent a form of torture to treat their lack of medicine?" Commander Kumamoto recalled this and said, "They convert battle wounds into burns to prevent infection, and then treat the burns later."

This treatment method is called torture because it is even more terrifying than torture.

That is to use a red-hot iron to burn the wound in order to kill bacteria.

Normal skin cannot withstand this kind of pain, let alone having this branding iron burned onto a wound.

Upon hearing this, the statistician felt a chill run down his spine: "Division Commander, I'm afraid the wounded soldiers won't agree to this. Such torture is worse than letting them end their own lives."

A red-hot branding iron is used to scald the wound; this is a disinfection method used only in the military police's torture chambers.

It disinfects the victim while subjecting them to further torture.

Many people cannot bear this immense pain, and it would not be surprising if they died from the agony.

"Tell them that our Bushido spirit can withstand all suffering!" Commander Kumamoto clenched his fist. "They are the Emperor's most loyal guards. Let them see pain as a baptism of life! Once they get through this, they will all undergo a transformation!"

"Division Commander, I'm just a statistician." A statistician can't do such a cruel job.

The statistician also did not believe that the Bushido spirit could withstand such inhuman suffering.

"You may leave." The Kumamoto Division Commander did not reprimand the statistician for his cowardice.

"Hai." The statistician withdrew.

The division commander summoned all the medics and said, "Take the soldiers' battle wounds and make them look like burns. Save as many as you can."

Upon hearing this, the military doctors looked at each other, completely bewildered.

How can a battle wound turn into a burn? Are you suggesting using a red-hot bayonet to scald the wound?

A medic cautiously said, "Division Commander, turning a battle wound into a burn is extremely painful; few can endure it. Even if the wound is disinfected and becomes a burn, without follow-up medical treatment, there's still a risk of infection. Even if it doesn't become infected, burns still need medication. Without medication, burns..." Division Commander Kumamoto interrupted, "Turning a battle wound into a burn at least allows them to hold on a little longer. The North China Expeditionary Army's ground forces are already supplying us. As long as we hold on, there's still a chance."

The medics looked at each other in bewilderment. Even the military trains couldn't transport them all, and even if ground troops could be brought over, it wouldn't be a short time, not to mention the enemy's harassment.

Even if these battle wounds turned into burns, the wounded soldiers probably wouldn't have survived this long.

Rather than letting the wounded suffer such torment before they die, it's better to give them a quick death now.

Of course.

The wounded soldiers haven't reached the point where they need a quick and painless death yet, so the military doctors dare not say it aloud.

Previously, they had already done something utterly atrocious by making those three thousand wounded soldiers commit suicide.

I really can't get over the mental hurdle of doing it now.

We are military medics, doctors, people who save lives, not people who send them away.

"Baka! What are you standing there for? Since you're doctors, you have a way to save people!" Commander Kumamoto roared.

"Yes, Division Commander." The medics could only accept the order from Division Commander Kumamoto in the end.

The division commander quickly convened a meeting with the relevant Japanese officers, instructing them to encourage and boost the morale of their wounded soldiers!

Many of these Japanese officers felt that Commander Kumamoto's method was too cruel, and that it would have been better to just send the wounded soldiers away.

They left, which saved us food.

But in the end, they all accepted the orders from Commander Kumamoto, just like the medic.

Soon, the Kumamoto Division's camp was filled with screams like pigs being slaughtered, along with the unpleasant smell of burning flesh.

Many wounded soldiers came to their division commander, Kumamoto, and knelt down, weeping, "Commander, please don't let us suffer such torture! We can't take it anymore!"

"Baka! Stand up, all of you!" Commander Kumamoto roared. "You are all His Majesty the Emperor's most trusted warriors. Are you all going to betray His Majesty's trust in you? We, the soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire, have never been scared to death or cowardly. Hold on!"

"Division Commander, you might as well just kill us," the wounded soldiers trembled. "Without medicine, we're just a burden!"

"Baka! I won't allow you to talk about your burdens. You are all the most outstanding soldiers in the Empire!" The Kumamoto Division Commander's tone became even sterner. "As long as you hold on, I will definitely be able to bring you all back alive."

After saying that, the Kumamoto Division Commander ordered that all the wounded soldiers be sent back.

What happened next did not surprise Commander Kumamoto.

Most of the wounded soldiers watched as their comrades were branded by red-hot bayonets, the excruciating pain causing them to faint—a truly gruesome sight.

The wounded soldiers began to end their own lives voluntarily.

This was actually exactly what Commander Kumamoto intended; he had been putting on an act all along.

Compassion does not command troops!

The condition of these seven or eight thousand wounded soldiers is deteriorating. Without medicine, they will only suffer more and more, becoming a burden to the army.

In other words, these wounded soldiers ultimately could not be saved.

Knowing the outcome sooner rather than later, it's better to make a decision sooner.

Of course, the previous methods could not be used to send away so many wounded soldiers.

After all, they haven't reached that point yet; asking them to commit suicide wouldn't be easy.

By turning battle wounds into burns, the immense pressure drove them to commit suicide. Although this method was cruel, it was clearly effective.

Moreover, this way, the problem of military rations can be solved in a timely manner!

The division commander called over the cook and instructed, "The rations are ready now. Hurry up and cook. Once the troops are well-fed, we'll be ready for battle soon."

Upon hearing this, the cook's eyes widened as he looked at Division Commander Kumamoto: "Commander, where are the rations? Could it be these soldiers who committed suicide...?"

The cook was surprised that the division commander wanted him to cook the corpse.

"Get it done quickly." The Kumamoto Division Commander didn't say much more.

"Yes, Division Commander." The cook finally nodded and left.

The army only has one meal left, which will be changed to three meals. After these three meals, they will basically be close to their doom.

Commander Kumamoto made a decisive decision at this critical juncture, ordering his troops to quickly have a full meal so that they would still have a chance to fight.

The division commander of Kumamoto summoned all the operations staff and Muto Juichi, and said solemnly, "I don't think we can hold out for long with just outside help. In the end, we have to get out of this predicament on our own. I'm ready to fight our way out."

"Fight back?" Muto Juichi asked suspiciously, "We're out of food now. The soldiers aren't well-fed and have no strength. How can we fight back?"

"Food will be provided to the soldiers soon, and our current task is to quickly figure out how to launch an attack as quickly as possible and bring back the tungsten ore." The Kumamoto Division Commander suppressed his doubts.

……

(End of this chapter)