The adjutant's words plunged the general into a long silence, only broken when the third round of artillery fire echoed across the wilderness, pulling his thoughts back to reality.
That made sense. Unless an opposing army and its government were absolute beasts, it was rare for anyone to carry out a massive, unprovoked massacre of lower-ranking soldiers at the end of a war.
Often, simply to display "benevolence" and "mercy," these defeated troops were released and sent back to their home countries. Not only did this spare the victor the rations needed to feed prisoners, but it also dealt a psychological blow to the losers. If you could defeat them once, you could defeat them twice. Over time, who among these defeated soldiers would still be willing to turn back and fight to the death?
Chapter 173