Bright Sword: This unit is really ruthless

Zhang Ling looked up and saw a large green watermelon field in front of him. The field was dotted with plump watermelons, which looked particularly tempting under the scorching sun. Seeing these watermelons, Zhang Ling couldn't help but feel a little relieved. The recent war was extremely intense, and the brothers in the army were exhausted from the high-intensity combat. Now these watermelons can just quench their thirst.

Zhang Ling turned to Li Yunlong and said, "Yunlong, let's go over and see if the villagers are willing to sell watermelons. Let's buy some watermelons to cool down the brothers."

Li Yunlong nodded and said, "Okay, Commander, the brothers are all thirsty, and this watermelon comes at the right time."

The group quickened their pace and soon arrived at the edge of the watermelon field. Sitting at the edge of the field was an old farmer in his sixties, wearing a straw hat and holding a small knife, slowly peeling the watermelon in his hand. Seeing Zhang Ling and his group coming over, the old farmer squinted his eyes and smiled, then stood up and greeted them, "Comrades from the People's Liberation Army, it's so hot, come and have some watermelon."

Seeing his fellow villagers so enthusiastic, Zhang Ling also smiled. He walked forward, bent down slightly, and asked politely: "Uncle, are you selling these watermelons? We want to buy some to cool down our brothers."

The old farmer smiled and waved his hand. "These watermelons are grown by ourselves. Usually we sell them in town for a little money. Since you PLA soldiers want to eat them, you can pick whatever you want. It's my treat."

Zhang Ling felt warm at heart when he heard this. He knew that these fellow villagers had a hard time, and growing watermelons and selling them for money was one of their livelihoods, so he couldn't take advantage of them. So Zhang Ling said sincerely: "Uncle, we appreciate your kindness, but these watermelons are also grown by you with great effort, so we can't take them for free. How about this, you tell us a price, and we'll buy a few more trucks."

Seeing Zhang Ling's insistence, the old farmer stopped refusing and said with a smile, "Well, since you don't want to take it for free, then let's calculate it based on the market price. How much do you want?"

Zhang Ling thought for a moment and pointed to a wheelbarrow next to him. "Uncle, please load one for us. We have many brothers, so we can share it with everyone."

The old farmer nodded and smiled, "Okay, you guys take a rest first, I'll install it for you right away."

As he spoke, the old farmer skillfully began to pick watermelons from the field and put them on the wheelbarrow one by one. Zhang Ling and Li Yunlong also helped to move them. Soon, the wheelbarrow was filled with more than a dozen large watermelons, each of which was big and round and looked very tempting.

The old farmer wiped his sweat off his face and said to Zhang Ling with a smile: "Comrade from the People's Liberation Army, these watermelons are all good and sweet."

Zhang Ling nodded, took out a wad of money from his pocket and handed it to the old farmer, "Uncle, this is the money we give you, please count it and see if it is enough."

The old farmer took the money and said, "Comrade PLA, you don't need to give me so much money. Just enough to buy a few melons will be enough."

Zhang Ling smiled and waved his hand, "Uncle, you're welcome, these watermelons are worth the price. Take them, we can't let you suffer a loss."

Seeing Zhang Ling's firm attitude, the old farmer stopped refusing and said gratefully: "Thank you, the People's Liberation Army is really our relatives."

Zhang Ling nodded, his tone was somewhat sincere, "Uncle, it is our duty to protect you, please take care of yourself, and if you need anything, just come to us."

The old farmer nodded repeatedly and watched Zhang Ling and Li Yunlong push the wheelbarrow away.

When they returned to the camp, the soldiers were immediately excited to see Zhang Ling pushing a cart of watermelons and gathered around him. They hadn't eaten something so refreshing for a long time, and watermelon was a rare delicacy for them.

"Commander, where did you get these watermelons?" a soldier asked with a smile, his eyes fixed on the watermelons on the wheelbarrow.

Zhang Ling smiled and said, "Just now when I was inspecting the terrain, I happened to see some watermelons grown by a fellow villager. We bought a truckload of them and gave each of us one to cool off."

The soldiers cheered and helped to carry the watermelons down. Zhang Ling found a big knife and cut a big watermelon himself, revealing the bright red flesh, juicy and fragrant.

"Come on, come on, everyone come and eat!" Zhang Ling shouted loudly with a long-lost smile on his face.

The soldiers rushed forward, each holding a piece of watermelon, and began to eat happily. The sweet watermelon juice seemed to wash away their fatigue. Everyone joked with each other while eating, and the camp was instantly filled with laughter.

Li Yunlong took a bite of the watermelon and exclaimed: "Commander, this watermelon is so sweet. You are really our benefactor!"

Zhang Ling smiled and patted Li Yunlong on the shoulder. "This is not my credit. It's all the kindness of my fellow villagers. You guys have worked hard all the time. Today is a good time to relax."

Zhao Gang also came over with a piece of watermelon and said with a smile: "Commander, this is a big deal. A truckload of watermelons is enough for us to have several meals."

Zhang Ling smiled and said, "We brothers work hard all day, so we should enjoy ourselves a little. Besides, watermelon is the best way to quench your thirst in this hot weather."

The soldiers were eating with their mouths full of juice and their faces were filled with satisfied smiles. Zhang Ling looked at them and felt relieved. The days on the battlefield were too tense, and it was rare to have such a relaxing moment. He hoped that there would be more smiles like this, so that everyone could find a little happiness in the difficult environment.

Suddenly, Zhang Ling's eyes swept across the distance and saw a young soldier sitting alone, eating watermelon silently with his head down. He looked a little lonely, which was out of tune with the cheerful atmosphere around him.

Zhang Ling's heart moved, he walked over, sat next to him, and asked softly: "Xiao Wang, why are you sitting here alone? Why don't you go eat with everyone else?"

Xiao Wang looked up at Zhang Ling, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and then he whispered: "Commander, I... I'm just not used to joining in the fun."

Zhang Ling smiled and patted Xiao Wang on the shoulder. "Xiao Wang, I know you are usually introverted, but you are a member of our big family. Don't isolate yourself. We are all brothers. There is nothing that we can't share together."

Xiao Wang was silent for a moment, and finally nodded and whispered: "Thank you, Chief. I just... I just feel that sometimes everyone is so close, but I always feel a little out of place."

Zhang Ling's heart was slightly shaken. He knew that Xiao Wang was a new soldier who had just joined the army and was still unfamiliar with the life on the battlefield. He reached out and held Xiao Wang's shoulder, with warm concern in his tone, "Xiao Wang, we are all brothers who share life and death on the battlefield. No matter when you came, everyone will treat you as one of their own. If you have anything to say, just say it out loud, don't keep it in your heart."

Xiao Wang felt Zhang Ling's concern, and a touch of emotion flashed in his eyes. He whispered, "Commander, I understand. Thank you. I just... sometimes I think of my family and feel a little sad."

Zhang Ling felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He knew that the soldiers on the battlefield all had their own concerns and thoughts. As a commander, his responsibility was not only to lead them in battle, but also to care about their inner world. He whispered, "Xiao Wang, we are all fighting on this land to protect our families and our country. You are not alone, we are all together."

Xiao Wang nodded.

Li Yunlong accidentally broke a watermelon and was punished by Zhang Ling to do 100 push-ups.

The hot afternoon sun was still scorching the earth. Although the soldiers had just enjoyed a big watermelon meal and their morale had recovered, the hot weather still made them feel a little tired. Zhang Ling was standing aside, looking at everyone's smiling faces, feeling a little comforted.

Li Yunlong ate the watermelon while jokingly chatting with other soldiers. He was holding an uncut watermelon in his hand, ready to cut a few more pieces to share with everyone. For a moment, the camp was filled with a relaxed and happy atmosphere.

Suddenly, with a crisp sound of "snap", the watermelon in Li Yunlong's hand slipped from his hand and fell heavily to the ground. The watermelon instantly split open, the juice splashed everywhere, and the bright red flesh scattered all over the ground.

The laughter in the audience stopped abruptly, and everyone looked at Li Yunlong. Li Yunlong stood there, stunned for a moment, with an embarrassed look on his face. He didn't expect that he was careless and actually smashed the watermelon he bought with great difficulty.

Zhang Ling frowned when he saw this scene, and walked forward, saying with a reproachful tone: "Li Yunlong, what's wrong with you? This watermelon is the result of everyone's hard work, why are you so careless!"

Li Yunlong's face flushed, and he hurriedly explained: "Commander, I...I really didn't mean it, it was just that my hand slipped and I didn't hold it firmly..."

Zhang Ling's eyes revealed a hint of severity. He knew that Li Yunlong was a careless person, but today's situation was special. These watermelons were to boost morale and could not be wasted easily. He said in a deep voice: "Li Yunlong, whether it was intentional or not, the watermelons have been smashed. This is not a trivial matter. I must teach you a lesson today."

Li Yunlong looked at Zhang Ling's expression and knew that something was wrong. Although he was a little dissatisfied, he did not dare to refute. He could only whisper: "Commander, I know I was wrong. You can punish me however you want."

Zhang Ling glanced at Li Yunlong coldly, then said in a deep voice: "Since you know you are wrong, I will punish you by making you do 100 push-ups. When you are done, you can come back to eat watermelon."

Li Yunlong couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this. Although one hundred push-ups was nothing to him, it was a bit embarrassing to be punished in front of everyone. But he knew that this was Zhang Ling setting rules for him and also warning other soldiers not to be careless.

"Yes, Commander!" Li Yunlong agreed reluctantly, and then walked to the open space and started doing push-ups. While doing it, he muttered to himself: "It's so unlucky. Why did I have to go wrong in front of the Commander?"

When the soldiers saw Li Yunlong being punished, they couldn't help but laugh, but no one dared to show it too obviously. After all, they knew Zhang Ling's rules and they couldn't tease their companions at such a time.

Zhang Ling stood aside, his face still serious, but he was not that angry in his heart. Li Yunlong was his right-hand man, and he usually performed well in battle, but sometimes he was too casual. This punishment was more to teach him a lesson.

As Li Yunlong completed push-ups one after another, the soldiers gradually regained their relaxed atmosphere. A few people couldn't help but make jokes. One soldier said with a smile: "Brother Yunlong, you have to be steady and don't drop the watermelon again. We are all counting on you."

Another soldier replied, "Yeah, Brother Yunlong, one hundred push-ups is not enough. We will give you some more later."

Li Yunlong smiled wryly while doing push-ups, saying, "Don't gloat over other people's misfortunes. If it's your turn to drop the melon next time, let's see what you can do!"

Zhang Ling's mood eased a little as he listened to the soldiers' jokes. He knew that such punishment would not only make Li Yunlong remember the lesson, but also allow everyone to find some relaxation in between tense battles.

Finally, Li Yunlong finished doing 100 push-ups and stood up, sweating profusely. He walked to Zhang Ling, panting, and stood straight, with a hint of stubbornness in his voice: "Commander, I have finished doing 100 push-ups. Do you have any other instructions?"

Seeing Li Yunlong so serious, Zhang Ling felt a little reluctant. His expression softened, and he nodded and said, "Okay, since you have completed the punishment, this matter ends here. But you have to remember, if you make a similar mistake next time, I will not let you off so easily."

Li Yunlong nodded heavily, his tone firm: "Commander, I remember, I will never do it again."

Zhang Ling showed a satisfied smile and patted Li Yunlong on the shoulder, "Okay, go ahead, don't keep everyone waiting too long."