Bright Sword: This unit is really ruthless

Zhang Ling looked at Zhao Gang's departing back, feeling mixed emotions. He knew that he had to find a balance, a way out between revenge and humanity.

The next morning, Zhang Ling got up early and called all the soldiers together. He stood on the high platform, looked at the young faces, and said in a deep voice: "Brothers, I had a dream last night. I dreamed that we defeated all the devils and drove them out of Daxia. I dreamed that our country was prosperous and strong, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment."

The soldiers were so excited that their blood boiled and they shouted: "Defeat the devils! Defend our homeland!"

Zhang Ling pressed his hand and continued, "But I also dreamed of some terrible things. I dreamed that we became devils like the devils, we burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. I dreamed that our country became a hell on earth, and the people were suffering."

The soldiers suddenly became quiet, and they all realized the meaning of Zhang Ling's words.

Zhang Ling took a deep breath and said, "Brothers, we can't become devils! We can't forget who we are! We are Daxia soldiers, we are the people's soldiers! Our mission is to protect the people, not to kill innocent people!"

"Battalion Commander, we understand!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

"Okay! Starting today, we will change the way we fight. We will convince people with virtue and reason. We will let the devils know that we are not beasts, we are a civilized army!"

"Conquer people with virtue! Conquer people with reason!" the soldiers shouted again.

In the following days, Zhang Ling led the soldiers to change their fighting methods. They no longer killed innocent people, but treated the prisoners as well as possible. They no longer burned, killed and looted, but helped the people rebuild their homes.

Their actions won the support of the people and frightened the devils. More and more people joined their team, and more and more devils chose to surrender.

......

A month later, Zhang Ling received an order from his superiors to lead his troops to attack Ping'an County, an important stronghold of the island army.

Ping'an County is strategically located and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The island army stationed a large number of troops here and built strong fortifications.

Zhang Ling carefully studied the topographic map of Ping'an County and formulated a bold plan.

He decided to split his troops into two groups, one to feint an attack on the city gate to attract the attention of the island army, and the other to go around the back of the city and launch a surprise attack on the island army's granary.

After the plan was formulated, Zhang Ling immediately summoned all the soldiers and explained the plan in detail.

"Battalion Commander, this plan is too risky!" Xu Erniu said worriedly.

"Yes, battalion commander, if we are discovered by the Japanese, we will be finished!" another soldier also said.

Zhang Ling looked at the soldiers and said in a deep voice: "I know this plan is risky, but we have to take the risk! Only in this way can we take Ping'an County at the lowest cost!"

"Battalion Commander, we believe in you!" the soldiers said in unison.

"Okay! Let's take action tonight!" Zhang Ling said decisively...

As night fell, Zhang Ling led the soldiers to quietly leave the camp and head towards Ping'an County...

In a forest five miles away from Ping'an County, Zhang Ling stopped and said to the soldiers: "Brothers, success or failure depends on this! Remember, we are fighting for the people! Fight for victory!"

"For the people! For victory!" the soldiers roared in a low voice.

Zhang Ling took a deep breath, pulled out the pistol from his waist, pointed it in the direction of Ping'an County, and shouted, "Charge!"

The soldiers followed Zhang Ling and rushed towards Ping'an County like a tiger descending from a mountain...

Zhao Gang took a deep breath and exhaled a thick smoke ring. The smoke seemed particularly erratic under the light of the fire, just like Zhang Ling's mood at the moment. He knew what Zhang Ling's "change" meant. War would change a person, especially someone like Zhang Ling who carried a blood feud.

"Captain Zhang, I know you can't let go of the people who died tragically in Nanjing, and you can't forget the sight of your family being murdered by the Japanese. But we can't be blinded by hatred, we..."

"Political Commissar Zhao," Zhang Ling interrupted Zhao Gang, his tone as cold as a knife tempered with ice, "I know what you want to say. I understand the big principles, but tell me, who will avenge those civilians who were slaughtered by the devils, those women who were abused by the devils? You told me to be merciful, but ask those dead souls, do they agree?"

Zhang Ling stood up suddenly and kicked the stone at his feet, sparks flying everywhere. His scarlet eyes stared at Zhao Gang, as if he wanted to devour him.

"I was already dead when I crawled out of Nanjing! Now the only thing keeping me alive is hatred! Only by chopping these beasts into pieces can I comfort the souls of the dead!"

Zhao Gang was silent. He knew that any words would be pale and powerless at this moment. He smoked silently, the firelight reflecting his solemn face. After a long time, he slowly spoke: "Captain Zhang, I know the pain in your heart, but you also have to understand that we can't become what we hate. We..."

"That's enough!" Zhang Ling interrupted Zhao Gang again. He turned around, his back to Zhao Gang, and said in a terrifyingly low voice, "Political Commissar Zhao, you don't have to say anything more. I know what I'm doing, and I know what I'm going to do."

After saying that, Zhang Ling walked into the darkness without looking back, leaving Zhao Gang alone sitting by the campfire. He looked at Zhang Ling's receding back and sighed deeply.

In the following days, Zhang Ling became even more silent, and he devoted all his energy to training and fighting. He became even more ruthless and merciless to the enemy, and every battle was like a bloodthirsty beast, biting the enemy crazily.

The soldiers all felt the change in Zhang Ling, and they were both in awe and worried. They were in awe of Zhang Ling's bravery and decisiveness, and worried that Zhang Ling would be swallowed by hatred and eventually lose himself.

Xu Erniu looked at Zhang Ling's increasingly thin face, and his heart was filled with worry. He tried to persuade Zhang Ling several times, but was forced back by Zhang Ling's cold eyes.

That night, Xu Erniu secretly found Zhao Gang and told him his concerns.

"Political Commissar Zhao, the battalion commander...he has been in a very bad condition recently, I am worried about him..." Xu Erniu said hesitantly.

Zhao Gang patted Xu Erniu on the shoulder and comforted him: "Erniu, I know you are worried about Captain Zhang, and I am worried about him too. But what we can do now is to believe in him and support him."

"But..." Xu Erniu wanted to say something but was interrupted by Zhao Gang.

"No buts, Erniu. Captain Zhang is a strong-willed man. He will definitely be able to overcome the demons in his heart." Zhao Gang said in a firm tone.

......

A week later, the independent regiment received an order from its superiors to attack Ping'an County occupied by the island army.

Ping'an County is an important stronghold of the island army in this area. The city walls are high and thick, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After receiving the order, Zhang Ling immediately called a meeting of the soldiers to discuss the battle plan.

"Comrades, Ping'an County is an important stronghold of the island army. We must take it!" Zhang Ling stood in front of the map, pointed to the location of Ping'an County, and said in a firm tone.

"But the walls of Ping'an County are high and thick, easy to defend but difficult to attack. How can we break through it?" asked a soldier.

Zhang Ling showed a hint of sneer on his face and said, "I have a way."

......

The next night, Zhang Ling led an elite team and secretly sneaked into Ping'an County.

They used the cover of night to avoid the island army's patrols and successfully blew open the city gate.

"Come on!"

Following Zhang Ling's order, the soldiers of the independent regiment poured into the city like a tide and engaged in fierce street fighting with the island troops in the city.

The battle was extremely brutal, both sides were bloodthirsty and blood flowed like a river.

Zhang Ling held a big knife in his hand and moved back and forth in the hail of bullets as if he was in an empty space.

Every time he swung his sword, a Japanese soldier would fall down.

He was like a god of death from hell, reaping lives one after another.

Suddenly, a bullet pierced Zhang Ling's left arm.

"Battalion Commander!" Seeing this, Xu Erniu rushed to Zhang Ling and supported him.

"I'm fine." Zhang Ling gritted his teeth and said while enduring the severe pain.

He took a rifle from Xu Erniu and continued shooting.

At this moment, a Japanese officer raised a samurai sword and slashed at Zhang Ling.

Zhang Ling was unable to dodge and was slashed on the right leg by the Japanese officer.

"Ah!" Zhang Ling let out a scream and fell to the ground.

At this moment, he fell in a pool of blood, surrounded by the corpses of devils. In the distance, he could faintly hear the shouts of soldiers and the desperate wails of devils...

Zhao Gang took a deep breath of cigarette, exhaled gray smoke rings, and said in a heavy tone: "Zhang Ling, you have been too murderous recently. Have you forgotten the original reason why we joined the army?"

Zhang Ling stared at the dancing flames, his eyes flickering, and he said nothing. How could he forget? The hesitation at the beginning of the journey, the fear of the future, the longing for his family, all of these were vivid in his mind. But more than a year of cruel war forced him to change. He had seen too many comrades sacrificed, too many civilians died tragically, and the hatred in his heart grew like weeds, swallowing up his original kindness and warmth.

"I know you've been through a lot and carried a lot," Zhao Gang's voice slowed down a bit, "but we can't be blinded by hatred. We are the people's army, we fight to protect the people, not to kill."

Zhang Ling raised his head suddenly, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Political Commissar Zhao, I understand everything you said! But you don't understand! You don't understand! Only by killing can we deter these beasts! Only by killing can we protect our people! Only by killing can we survive!"

He grabbed Zhao Gang by the collar and said emotionally: "Tell me, how can we win without killing? How can we protect the people behind us? Tell me!"

Zhao Gang did not resist and let Zhang Ling grab his collar. He looked at Zhang Ling calmly, his eyes full of understanding and helplessness.

"I know you are feeling bitter, but have you ever thought that if you continue like this, what's the difference between you and those beasts?" Zhao Gang's voice was low and powerful, like a heavy hammer hitting Zhang Ling's heart.

Zhang Ling was stunned, and his hands slowly loosened. He sat down on the ground dejectedly, covering his face with his hands, groaning in pain.

Zhao Gang patted his shoulder and sighed softly: "Zhang Ling, I know you feel bad, but you must hold on. We will definitely win this war! But we can't lose our humanity and become the person we once hated the most."

After saying that, Zhao Gang stood up and left, leaving Zhang Ling alone sitting by the campfire, letting the firelight illuminate his confused and painful face.

After a long time, Zhang Ling raised his head and looked at the starry sky, his eyes gradually becoming firm.

"Perhaps, Political Commissar Zhao is right. I cannot lose myself, and I cannot become a machine that only knows how to kill." He murmured to himself, "I have a more important mission. I will lead my soldiers to defeat the invaders and build a new Daxia, a new Daxia without oppression, exploitation, and equality for all!"

......

The next morning, Zhang Ling got up early and called all the soldiers together.

"Brothers, I have an important news to announce!" Zhang Ling stood on the podium, looking at the soldiers below with sharp eyes.

"After careful consideration, I have decided that we must change the way we fight!"