From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 358 Trigger

The battle aboard Pyla IV lasted another month.

As time went on, the remaining imperial troops, lacking supplies and reinforcements, were in dire straits, and more and more troops began to surrender in an organized manner.

Among these surrendered imperial troops, most surrendered to the federal army that was fighting against them, but a small number of imperial troops chose to surrender to the refugee camp in Atlas.

Neither the ground troops nor Amber and others had anticipated this situation at first.

Because the ten refugee camps set up by Atlas are only for refugees devastated by the war, providing them with food, clean drinking water and a shelter.

So after receiving the news from the ground forces that "a platoon of Imperial infantry had disarmed themselves near the camp", Amber and others became confused.

The practice of taking in refugees has already caused dissatisfaction among the Federation. If they take in Imperial soldiers, they will probably be regarded as a thorn in the eyes of the Federation forces.
Based on such considerations, Amber and others decided not to hastily accept these surrendered soldiers at first, but only to provide some basic material support so that they would not face a humanitarian crisis due to shortage of supplies.

However, when the platoon leader of the Imperial infantry platoon knelt in front of the head of the outpost base, almost begging him to accept his troops, the head of the outpost base, who was also the commander of a synthetic battalion, the Roma, still sent an application to the Hermes.

After the follow-up communication between the commander of the combined battalion and these imperial soldiers, Amber and others finally understood why the opponent's platoon leader would rather kneel down and beg Atlas than surrender to the federal army with his men.

Because the latter is organizing the "harmless treatment" of the surrendered imperial soldiers. In other words, they are shooting the surrendered imperial soldiers on the territory of the empire on various charges.

After the "surrender wave" that occurred a while ago, nearly 40% of the remaining Imperial troops on Pyla IV have surrendered to the Federation Army. If this trend continues, it would be just around the corner for the Federation ground forces to completely control the planet.

But soon, some scouts discovered during their close approach and reconnaissance behind enemy lines that the federal army did not provide the surrendered soldiers with the most basic resettlement according to the Treaty of Telares.

Instead, they were taken directly to a secluded place and shot in batches. Finally, they were buried in a pit or thrown into the camp's incinerator as fuel.

These are even considered relatively "rule-abiding" practices.
Some troops whose military discipline had basically become a formality, after accepting the organized surrender of the enemy in front of them and completing the disarmament, could no longer conceal their long-hidden brutality.

The "target shooting" game where you chase and I run away, the "gladiator" game where ten people fight for a knife and a can, the female soldiers fall into their hands and have to endure the bestiality of these federal soldiers helplessly.

When this news spread among other participating imperial troops, many people began to wonder whether they should surrender to the opposing federal army.

Some people finally chose to fight to the end, while others looked to the other side at the "battlefield angels" who had been sheltering refugees and providing humanitarian assistance.
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"I still can't understand why the federal army did this. This is completely different from the impression I have of the federal army. They really have no bottom line."

On the Hermes, Cliffs looked at the report sent back from the ground and spoke seriously, with a hint of shock and disbelief in his eyes.

On the other side of the holographic screen was Randall, who also came from the Federal Navy. His expression was similar to that of his junior. In his opinion, the actions of these federal ground forces were indeed a bit excessive.

"It's very simple. From a material perspective, the Federation ground forces on Pyra IV cannot afford the material supply of these surrendered imperial troops for a long time. 40% of the troops surrendered, which is conservatively estimated to be more than a dozen brigade-level combat teams. The additional rations for to people will be affected. The supply level of the Federation ground forces themselves may be affected."

In response to their questions, Amber said, "Although the Federation has recruited a large number of civilian fleets to assist in the transportation of supplies, you should know that this war is not just started in this place. Pella IV and even the entire Pella Galaxy are just an unimportant point on the long battle line.

If the Federation wants to maintain the supply of materials on such a huge front, it must carefully calculate all transportation capacity, so every transportation of materials is the result of careful calculations by the Logistics Department.

Although the Federation may increase the supply of materials to Pella IV due to the appearance of prisoners, at least before the next batch of transport ships arrive, the Federation forces on Pella IV will need to use limited materials to supply their own troops and the extra prisoners. "

Hearing Amber's answer, Randall nodded thoughtfully, and then said:
"Now it seems that the federal troops on the ground do not intend to share supplies with the prisoners?"

"That's right~ and this also involves another level of problem." Amber knocked on the table with her knuckles.

"If you two were commanders of the Federation, and you were enraged by the Empire's invasion and followed the fleet to join the counterattack, and led your troops to fight fiercely with the Empire on this planet, with heavy casualties.
In this situation, the enemy who had fought with you to the death suddenly disarmed and surrendered. They came to your camp with a large number of soldiers who were hungry due to shortage of supplies.

Then, in the coming days, nearly half of your rations will be divided, and the food standards of your soldiers will be reduced a lot. Under such circumstances, will you be willing to accept these enemies who pointed guns at you yesterday?"

Randall and Cleves were silent, but their behavior let Amber know the answer in their hearts.

The atmosphere in the communication channel between the three people became a little depressing, and after a moment it was Cleves who took the initiative to break the silence.

"Boss, I still don't understand. Isn't the Federation afraid of provoking resistance from the Empire's soldiers by doing this? These are not civilians, but soldiers who have been trained in combat."

"The federal soldiers hope that these imperial soldiers will rebel, so that the last trace of guilt in their hearts will disappear."

Amber shook her head. Although Cleves and Randall were professional soldiers, they had never experienced a meat-crushing battle of such intensity and duration.

Moreover, compared with the navy's combat environment, the ground forces face what can be described as "hell", and the pressure on front-line soldiers far exceeds that of other arms.

“Besides, these imperial soldiers will only surrender after they voluntarily disarm. The moment they take off their combat exoskeletons and weapons, they have actually become a group of lambs to be slaughtered.

Do you expect these soldiers who have lost their will to fight to use their bodies to fight against enemies wearing combat exoskeletons or power armor?"

"So what should we do now? Take in these imperial soldiers?" Randall asked this key question.

"If I just planned to bring you here for show, I might refuse to take them in." Amber smiled and continued in a self-deprecating tone:

"But unfortunately, we are not here for show, and you should know this after following me for so long.
So as long as these surrendered soldiers voluntarily disarm and agree to be inspected and monitored, the Atlas Group agrees to accept their surrender. "

(End of this chapter)