Chapter 171 Unlimited Kindness Can't Save Anyone
"Control them all. Anyone who dares to resist will be shot on the spot!"
"Yes! Lieutenant General!"
Following Gion's order, several navy officers immediately took ropes and tied the man up.
The two sailors who had been beaten for no reason were feeling aggrieved. When they heard the order, they ignored the pain in their bodies and immediately rushed forward to join the kidnapping. They hoped that the unruly people who took advantage of the chaos to attack them would jump out and resist. Unfortunately, these people were notoriously spineless. When they met someone who really dared to take action, they were more obedient than dogs.
"There's no need to tie up that little brat."
"Yes, I saw that he stayed where he was and did not join the riot."
Seeing the little boy cowering in the corner in fear of the musket, the two navy men spoke up to defend him.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant General, I didn't handle it well."
Peng En, who also had a bruised face, got up from the ground, walked to Zhiyuan and said with his head down.
"Major Peng En! Didn't the Marine Recruit Camp teach you how to deal with pirates who use civilians as hostages to threaten the Marines to give up resistance and surrender? "
Gion was very angry at this time and his tone was very rude.
"Report to the Admiral, Chapter 3, Article 2: When pirates use civilians as hostages to threaten the navy to give up resistance, the commanding officers can take various measures according to the actual situation: negotiate to stabilize the situation, delay time to find an opportunity to rescue, etc. Remember, the only thing you cannot do is lay down your weapons and believe that the pirates will be honest!"
Peng En honestly recited the contents of the book word for word, and then continued:
"But, but Admiral, these people are not pirates. They are civilians oppressed by pirates. They..."
"Snapped!"
Gion slapped him directly on the face with a crisp slap. The scene suddenly fell silent. The marines all looked at the tips of their shoes tacitly, while the unruly people buried their heads in their knees, fearing that this angry female general would vent her anger on them and directly order everyone to dismantle.
"Tell me, how did they behave like innocent civilians just now? Do they think they can use pirates' methods to threaten our navy with their own lives just because they are civilians? How is this different from what I said about pirates threatening the lives of civilians?"
"If we hadn't arrived in time, were you prepared to let your men be beaten to death along with you? As a commander, are you worthy of your men's trust and their families with your foolish behavior?"
"If you are really beaten to death, tell me what will happen to these people who killed the navy!"
Peng En's pupils trembled.
If the three navy men were really killed, this group of people would either be shot dead on the spot by the vice admiral who arrived later, or they would be convicted as pirates and imprisoned in Impel Down. With their ordinary people's physique, they would not even be able to survive the disinfection ceremony of Impel Down, which was basically no different from being killed on the spot!
Peng En turned his head and looked at the two wounded soldiers. Both of them avoided his gaze and were unwilling to look at him, but the disappointment on their faces could no longer be concealed.
Even the other few people who arrived later had the same emotion. They chose to be navy not only out of justice, but also for a living. Their lives are lives too. Perhaps they are not afraid of dying heroically in the battle with pirates, but if their commander insists on letting them be beaten to death by the mob, no one is willing to accept such a miserable death!
"Are you more awake now?"
"Unconditional kindness and self-sacrifice are not only meaningless! In the end, not only will you not be able to save anyone, but you will also kill yourself and your subordinates in vain. This is a stupid act that brings shame to justice!"
"When this mission is over, submit your own self-reflection when you submit your mission report back to the headquarters! If you still don't realize your mistakes, I will suggest that the headquarters arrange for you to return to the recruit camp for retraining!"
"Yes! Thank you, Lieutenant General!"
Peng En responded loudly. He was awakened by a slap in the face. At this time, he also realized from the looks of all his teammates around him how stupid he had done.
"Go back and think about it carefully!"
"The rest of the people will be divided into two teams to take turns guarding them. Tomorrow, all of them will be taken away by the branch's warships and go through the normal trial process. Remember to also record the crime of assaulting a naval officer!"
"Yes! Lieutenant General!"
After saying this, Zhiyuan handed the rifle in his hand to someone next to him, then turned around and walked out.
Peng En felt that it was a bit of an eyesore for him to continue staying in the hall, so he picked up the sword that had fallen on the ground and the medal that had been stepped on by countless footprints, and walked out with a dull expression.
Little Glasses sighed as he looked at Peng En's lost figure, but he did not chase him. Instead, he turned around and said to everyone:
"There are nine of us. You two have just been seriously injured. Go get some medicine and get some rest. The seven of us will take turns guarding tonight."
"Yes, you two should go and rest."
Several others nodded in agreement.
"Stop it, brothers. These ungrateful bastards just took advantage of the chaos to beat us up and wanted to kill us!"
"Yeah, all the monkeys who stole peaches and kicked in the crotch have been involved! I almost regretted it for the rest of my life. Let us two brothers stay and watch over it. We want to see who dares to play tricks. It's a good opportunity for us to settle our personal grudges!"
The two marines who were beaten up insisted despite the pain. Among the civilians who overheard the conversation, several middle-aged men could not help but shrink back.
"Alright, stop messing around, go apply the medicine quickly, look at how swollen your face is, don't wait until tomorrow when there are young female marines among the people coming from the branch, and you think that the elites from our headquarters are all idiots."
The man with glasses said in a teasing tone a reason that they could not refuse, and instantly controlled the two of them.
"Hahaha, right, right, don't lower our appearance level."
The two were finally persuaded and left the hall, supporting each other.
"What a bunch of bastards! Luckily I tried my best to protect my lower body. I didn't even have a girlfriend yet, and I almost ruined her."
"What sympathy do such thugs deserve? It hurts me so much, Captain Peng En is really..."
"What? Why are you pushing me all of a sudden?"
The two marines were complaining as they walked. Just as they walked a short distance out of the door, one of them saw Peng En standing on the side of the road, looking like he was waiting for them. He hurriedly nudged his teammate with his elbow, signaling him to stop talking.
"I'm sorry! I almost hurt you all. I betrayed your trust in me!"
Peng En walked up to the two men, apologized sincerely, and was about to kneel down. Seeing this, the two men hurried forward and held him on the left and right.
"Hey, Captain, don't be like this! In fact, we have already forgiven you in our hearts!"
"Yes, we have forgiven you. I was just a little angry just now. Now I think you are an extremely kind person. I think there is nothing wrong with being kind. The wrong ones are those who have ulterior motives and take advantage of others' kindness!"
"Really? Are you really willing to forgive me?"
Peng En's whole body was shaking, tears welling up in his eyes.
One of them rolled up his sleeves, shook the black cloth bandaged on his forearm, and said with a smile:
"Of course it's true. After all, we have always been the beneficiaries of the captain's kindness!"
"You guys! Ugh!"
Peng En excitedly hugged the two of them in his arms and burst into tears, venting all the depression and sadness in his heart.
"Ugh, let go! Captain Peng!"
"You're holding me too tight! Huh, I can't breathe, ah! I'm dying~ I'm really dying! Asshole Captain! I don't even have a girlfriend! I can't just die like this!"
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