章節 51: Prisoners
Despite all the preparations, there was no battle, which might seem boring to others, but for Qin Chuan and the soldiers
They knew that once the battle started, bullets and shells would be beyond human control, and any bullet or shrapnel could take their lives
The surrender of the British at Tugla surprised Qin Chuan and the others. After counting, they found that over two thousand British soldiers had surrendered—almost match
The captured trucks numbered five hundred, and each one was loaded with gasoline, ammunition, or food. These supplies were originally intended for Mezzili, but because Tenggetengel was occupied by the Germans, they were stalled at Tugla.
In addition, they captured fifteen "Matilda" tanks, and they also discovered a warehouse full of supplies within the city of Tugla.
In terms of supplies, the British could be described as "extravagant." These supplies and provisions were several times more than what the Germans had. The Germans even found vegetables, wine, and ice among the supplies—something unimaginable in the desert during this era, especially in wartime.
This also reflected the "pampered" nature of British officers and highlighted the exploitation of colonies by the British worldwide.
However, every coin has two sides: troops accustomed to luxury often lack quality and fighting resolve. This is easy to understand—when one has a good life waiting, they naturally fear dirt, fatigue, and especially death. As an old Chinese saying goes, "One thrives in adversity but perishes in comfort."
The British troops at Tugla were a complacent unit. They believed that Tenggetengel was still surrounded by the British, so they had no defenses at all. It was said that when a German unit stormed the city, they found many British officers drunk at a party... By the time they opened their eyes, they were already facing German soldiers.
As for the captured equipment and supplies, the Germans took what they could and burned the rest along with the warehouse in Tugla.
The issue of British prisoners was more troublesome... The German forces were deep behind enemy lines and couldn't escort the prisoners back. If they brought them along, it would create a series of problems, such as the prisoners consuming large amounts of food and water, and significantly slowing down the march.
There was also a risk involved, as the prisoners could revolt at any moment, especially during battles between the Germans and the British.
So the Germans preferred to execute the prisoners, just as they had done before.
Qin Chuan saw an officer leading a company of riflemen escorting a group of terrified British prisoners out of the city... The German soldiers were even using British Enfield rifles to save their own ammunition.
"My God, that's over two thousand prisoners!" Qin Chuan said, "Are they going to execute all of them?"
"We have no choice, do we?" Werner shrugged.
"No, we do have a choice!"
Qin Chuan noticed Colonel Slein not far away, discussing something with a few German officers while holding a map. He immediately walked over.
Werner realized Qin Chuan's intention and hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was too late.
"Colonel!" Qin Chuan stood at attention in front of Colonel Slein, but did not salute.
In this regard, the German army had already reached a consensus—they only saluted their superiors indoors or in safe places. Saluting outdoors or during combat only made them targets for enemy snipers.
"Oh, Sergeant!" Colonel Slein nodded when he saw it was Qin Chuan and asked, "We meet again. What is it?"
"Yes, Colonel!" Qin Chuan glanced at the British prisoners being escorted out of the city and asked, "Colonel, I want to know how we are going to handle these prisoners!"
"You know the answer, Sergeant!" Colonel Slein's face showed a hint of displeasure, but he still replied, "We have no choice. These men will be our enemies the moment they pick up a rifle. We can't keep capturing them over and over again. If we do that, we're only capturing a bunch of rifles that are useless to us!"
In a way, Colonel Slein was right.
It was clear that Germany and Britain were two different countries, making the "humane treatment of prisoners" approach used in civil wars difficult to apply... The British would never pick up guns to fight alongside the Germans, and neither would the Germans.
So after capturing prisoners, they either had to be sent to concentration camps or turned into corpses, ensuring they could never become enemies of the German army.
Since the Germans couldn't send the prisoners to concentration camps, they had no choice but to opt for the latter.
"Why don't we release them, Colonel?" Qin Chuan asked.
"Sergeant!" Lucas, standing beside him, responded angrily, "The Colonel has already said that these British will become our enemies the moment they pick up guns. They might even reveal our situation to other British troops..."
Colonel Slein raised his hand to stop Lucas from continuing. He took Qin Chuan aside and said as they walked, "Sergeant, I respect your compassion, but you must understand this is war, and we must consider our own interests..."
"But Colonel!" Qin Chuan replied, "I am considering our interests!"
Colonel Slein gave him a disapproving look. "I don't see how releasing these British troops benefits us!"
"No, Colonel!" Qin Chuan said, "I believe this might be key to capturing Tobruk!"
Colonel Slein looked at Qin Chuan in confusion, not understanding the connection between the two.
"Let me put it this way!" Qin Chuan continued, "As we advance, we may capture many towns like Tenggetengel and Tugla, and we will likely capture many British soldiers. If we execute all the British soldiers who surrender, we are essentially telling the British not to surrender because surrender means death. Tobruk is a British stronghold... What does the Colonel think will happen there?"
Colonel Slein was taken aback. He hadn't considered the issue of prisoners from this perspective.
"The British at Tobruk will definitely fight to the last moment!" Qin Chuan continued, "Because they know that failure or surrender means death, and their only option is to fight to the bitter end. On the other hand, if we release the British soldiers who surrender, they will tell everyone, including the troops defending Tobruk... that surrendering means survival, and resistance only leads to death. In that case, they will have little will to defend themselves, and the British resolve to resist is already weak..."
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