Time will always provide the answer.
While Wei Jing was agonizing over whether it was right or wrong, a decision was reached in just over a month.
As the war between the two sides intensified and no more new incense could be transported from the northern border, the incense in the army became increasingly scarce, and the soldiers began to show signs of something amiss.
Without medication to control it, their pain began to intensify dramatically.
The pain was like a raging fire, unbearable for them, even worse than before, and they even experienced hallucinations, scratching their skin until it was ulcerated and bleeding profusely!
The day the incense was completely gone, the entire camp once again became a living hell.
If it was just an ordinary hell before, it is now a hell of asuras!
It's a scene you take one look at and never want to see again.
Everyone was clamoring for that spice, even just a whiff of it would be enough!
Suddenly, Wei Jing's boots were grabbed.
He looked down and saw a young soldier he had once praised who had lost a leg. He was so thin that his cheeks were sunken, veins were bulging on his forehead, his eyes were bloodshot, and drool was dripping from his mouth.
He was like a demon crawling out of hell, constantly clinging to him, his hands bearing bloody scratches.
He said, "Deputy General Wei, please let me smell the incense, just one whiff, I'd be willing to die for it!"
Wei Jing was shocked!
He felt as if he were immersed in ice, his body was chilled to the bone, yet he was powerless to resist.
So he went to Wei Zhi again, wanting to ask him what to do.
But he happened to overhear his conversation with his generals.
Since these wounded soldiers were no longer useful and had become addicted to indara incense, turning into complete cripples.
Let's just deal with them all at once.
Set them on fire and burn them to ashes!
Wei Jing was incredulous and rushed into the tent to refute him, but the soldiers looked at him with extreme dissatisfaction. It was Wei Zhi who pulled him out.
Wei Jing was anxious to explain, but his usually gentle and kind older brother actually slapped him hard!
His face showed a coldness and ruthlessness he had never seen before, even mixed with a hint of disappointment.
He sighed and began to explain.
"Second brother, do you know what you're saying? Those wounded soldiers are just a burden to us! They need medicine and rations every day, and they used to boost morale, but now they look like neither human nor ghost, which will only frighten the healthy soldiers who are still fighting bravely. Who will bear this responsibility?"
Wei Jing's eyes were bloodshot, and he refused to agree no matter what.
“But brother, don’t forget, it was you who gave them the incense! When you gave it to them, didn’t you know it was addictive? If you knew, why did you give it to them in the first place!”
Even now, he can't forget Wei Zhi's helpless smile, his hands behind his back, and his expression of compassion for humanity.
Those gentle eyes held a deep sympathy and sorrow for the soldiers.
"I know they won't live much longer, so why can't I let them have a happier and more comfortable last period of their lives? And how do you know that because they don't have the incense of Indra, they are reunited with their families in a hallucination and return in triumph?"
"Second brother, I've said before that being upright is a good thing, but being too upright and inflexible is utter foolishness!"
Wei Jing fell silent, but fortunately Wei Zhi assured him that he would discuss the matter with the generals again and try to avoid killing the wounded soldiers.
He believed it.
However, as he tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, he heard someone shouting that there was a fire!
Realizing the situation was dire, they rushed to put out the fire, but flames were shooting into the sky, making it clear that it was premeditated!
He heard screams and shouts coming from inside the tents. Some people were desperately trying to climb out. He could even see the panic in the young soldier's eyes and his determination to survive.
Wei Jing subconsciously reached out to pull him out, but was instead pulled hard by Wei Zhi behind him.
With a loud crash, the tent collapsed in front of him!
The wailing inside intensified, but soon, all sound ceased...
The fire burned for an entire night.
By the time dawn broke the next day, all the wounded soldiers had already turned into a pile of corpses...
Wei Jing was incredulous. He knelt down and looked at the devastation before his eyes, unable to believe that they had died just like that, disappearing without a trace!
He wanted to save them, but he was powerless to do so.
The group of soldiers arrived from not far away.
It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but they, dressed in their gleaming armor, knelt on the pile of ashes, weeping bitterly.
For the sake of these wounded soldiers who died unexpectedly, or perhaps for their hidden and unfathomable thoughts...
The cruelty of the battlefield is never limited to the front lines; it is equally true in the rear.
Wei Jing was becoming numb when he heard Wei Zhi whispering in his ear.
"Second brother, things in this world don't always go as you wish. They are no longer of any use, and they no longer want to live. It's better to end it like this. The army will give them much higher compensation than others, enough for their wives, children and elderly parents to live a stable life. So you don't need to feel sad for them."
"Everyone has their own destiny, and the battlefield is always unpredictable. Perhaps one day we will both die on the battlefield, or perhaps our fate will be the same as theirs, ending in a fire..."
Ultimately, Wei Zhi's words proved prophetic.
He survived the fire, but died on the battlefield.
Perhaps it was after his death that all the previous disagreements, or other reasons, vanished with Wei Zhi's passing.
Wei Jing had no choice but to pick up his father's legacy and continue to serve the country, fighting bravely against the enemy and earning his own reputation.
He did not forget Wei Zhi's teachings.
But he never forgot the things he did that he couldn't understand, things that were extremely cruel yet were called right!
As he achieved great success, those soldiers who had once looked down on him gradually began to smile at him, even praising him for doing a much better job than Wei Zhi.
At such times, Wei Jing would always recall the image of them kneeling on that pile of corpses, weeping in anguish.
He just felt disgusted.
Even though the entire camp had long since burned to the ground, he could still remember the strong scent of tamarisk in the air when the wind blew by.
It has a very strange taste.
Looking back now, it seems like it was formed from congealed blood...
So how could he not hate this fragrance? He absolutely loathed it!
Thinking of this, Wei Jing's eyes sharpened again.
He drew the soft sword from his waist and pointed it straight at the spice vendor's throat, his eyes bloodshot.
"I'll ask you one more time, where exactly did you take your sister-in-law? Hand her over right now!"
Before the spice merchant could even finish speaking, trembling, Qingfeng burst in from the backyard.
"General, Miss Hua Cui, come quickly to the backyard!"
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