Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

Qin Cang took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, a complex expression flashing across his eyes. He knew of last night's events, and he also knew Liu San's character. He was a ruthless veteran, a ruthless warrior who had fought countless bloody battles and never showed mercy to his enemies. But Xiaohu was a young, energetic recruit, still a bit of a scholar. While he was a capable marksman, his understanding of the cruelties of war was far inferior to Liu San's.

At that moment, Xiaohu strode over, his face pale, his forehead still bloodied from last night's scrape. But he gritted his teeth, his eyes stubborn. He'd obviously heard Liu San's accusations. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to remain calm, his voice trembling. "Brother Liu San, you can't say that! The prisoner couldn't resist anymore. He was already so wounded, should he be shot again? He's a life, too!"

Liu San turned his head abruptly and glared at Xiao Hu, his eyes nearly spitting fire. "Human lives? You're talking about human lives with the enemy? Xiao Hu, let me tell you, on the battlefield, there's only life and death, no humanitarianism! If that guy hadn't died last night, after his wounds healed, would he still be able to raise his gun and fire at us again? Do you dare to say he wouldn't?"

Xiaohu gritted his teeth, his lips turned pale, his Adam's apple rolled a few times, but he couldn't say a word.

Qin Cang looked at the two of them and finally spoke, his voice low but full of majesty: "Enough."

Liu San took a few deep breaths, and Xiaohu's face turned even paler, but they both kept their mouths shut and waited quietly for Qin Cang to speak.

Qin Cang's gaze slowly swept over the two of them, his tone calm but with a hint of unquestionable meaning: "Xiao Hu, I understand how you feel. You're still young and haven't experienced much bloodshed on the battlefield. You still have a little respect for life in your heart, which is a good thing. But Liu San is right, the enemy is the enemy, and he won't be grateful to you just because you let him go."

Xiaohu opened his mouth, as if he wanted to refute, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Qin Cang looked at Liu San again and continued, "Liu San, you are also a veteran and know the cruelty of war, but you also have to understand that we are human beings, not killing machines. Not all enemies will turn against you if you let them go."

Liu San snorted coldly, his face filled with dissatisfaction. "Captain Qin, that's easy for you to say! Can you guarantee that every enemy you let go won't come back to retaliate against us? Do you dare to gamble with the lives of our brothers?"

Qin Cang's gaze suddenly became sharper, and his aura instantly became as sharp as a knife, making the air around him seem to freeze for a moment: "Liu San, don't you understand what I said?"

Liu San's lips moved a few times, his eyes were complicated, but he finally closed his mouth, clenched his fists tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

Xiao Hu lowered his head, his face full of struggle. He knew Qin Cang was speaking for him, but he also understood that Liu San wasn't completely unreasonable. He hadn't fully grasped the true nature of war, but if even the most basic human nature was abandoned, how would he cope? He didn't know, and was even a little confused.

Silence spread among the three of them. The sound of soldiers sorting out corpses came from all around, mixed with a few low sobs. The whole camp was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.

After a long while, Qin Cang slowly spoke in a low voice: "This matter ends here. In the future, when encountering similar situations, everyone must obey orders and not act on their own."

Xiao Hu took a deep breath, raised his head, looked at Qin Cang, and said in a hoarse voice: "Captain Qin, do you also think... I was wrong?"

Qin Cang looked at him, his eyes revealing a hint of complexity, and he sighed softly: "Xiao Hu, the battlefield is not as simple as you think. You have to learn to distinguish when to be soft-hearted and when to be decisive. Otherwise... you will die."

Xiaohu's expression changed, and finally he gritted his teeth and nodded heavily: "I understand."

Liu San, however, remained unconvinced and snorted coldly, "Humph, being soft-hearted on the battlefield will lead to death sooner or later."

Qin Cang glanced at him and said nothing more. Instead, he turned and walked away, continuing to command the soldiers to clean up the battlefield.

Xiao Hu stood there, his hands slowly clenched, his heart still churning with complicated emotions, while Liu San spat fiercely, glared at him fiercely, and said coldly: "I hope you can live longer than me, kid."

The night was dark, and the wind blew through the camp, stirring up dust and bringing a chill. Inside, the firelight flickered in the darkness, illuminating the tired yet resolute faces of the soldiers. The tension from the battle had not yet fully dissipated. Everyone carried wounds, some deep and some shallow, their bodies weary and their hearts heavy.

Qin Cang sat on a rock, quietly polishing his gun. His eyes were cold, his features hardened by the sharpness of a knife. His brows were furrowed, as if lost in thought. In the distance, Liu San, with his back to him, sat on another rock, a cigarette suffocating his lips. His eyes were dark, and his fingers tapped his knees with a hint of irritation. The air between them seemed to be covered with an invisible frost. They remained silent, neither of them speaking.

Xiaohu stood aside, pacing back and forth, hesitant to speak. Ever since their argument that day, the relationship between Qin Cang and Liu San had grown noticeably colder. Normally, they worked in perfect harmony, understanding each other's intentions almost without words, but now, neither was willing to initiate a conversation, not even eye contact. Xiaohu watched, feeling anxious.

He hesitated for a moment, finally took a deep breath, walked to Liu San, and whispered, "Brother Liu San, don't be angry."

Liu San ignored him and continued to stare into the distance. He slowly took a puff of cigarette, the fire in his eyes flickering.

Xiaohu gritted his teeth and continued, "I know you're doing this for everyone's sake and you're worried I'll make a mistake, but Captain Qin isn't targeting you... He's the captain, the one making the decisions, and he has to consider everyone's situation."

Liu San finally reacted. He sneered and exhaled a puff of smoke. His voice was low and full of dissatisfaction: "He considers everyone? Haha, he is so high and mighty, sitting there giving orders, while it is us who make the mistakes! Xiaohu, don't be fooled by his calm appearance. How many brothers in the team have lost their lives because of his decisions? But has he ever regretted it?"

Xiao Hu was startled by these words and quickly whispered, "Brother Liu San, you can't say that. Captain Qin is not that kind of person!"

Liu San turned his head abruptly and stared at Xiao Hu with a sharp gaze, as if he was looking at an innocent child: "Then tell me, did he miss it? Does he feel guilty?"

Xiao Hu was speechless for a moment. He didn't know how to answer because Liu San's question was full of emotions, and he himself didn't have an answer.