The newly commissioned officers stood outside the holding room, watching in stunned silence as convoy after convoy of heavy transport trucks rumbled past the command building toward the underground hospital.
They knew they were being deployed to a combat zone, but seeing the sheer volume of casualties with their own eyes—truckload after truckload of bloodied, groaning men—was a deeply sobering shock.
But what shocked them even more were the convoys that followed the ambulances. These trucks weren’t heading for the hospital; they were driving toward the temporary morgues. They were piled high with the bodies of fallen soldiers. Many of the dead weren’t even wearing uniforms; they were still dressed in civilian clothes. Some of them had likely been conscripted only a day ago. But regardless of what they wore, they had died fighting as soldiers of the Empire.
“Salute!” a perimeter guard roared as the trucks carrying the dead rolled past.
Shhhk! Every single soldier in the vicinity—from the marching infantry patrols to the scurrying staff officers—instantly stopped what they were doing, snapped to attention, and delivered a crisp, solemn salute to the fallen.
Wang Yao and his classmates felt a heavy, suffocating knot form in their stomachs. When they had received their commissions, the reality of war had still felt somewhat abstract. But standing here, watching the endless parade of the dead and dying, the brutal truth finally hit them: they were on the front line. The meat grinder was real.
Once the convoys passed, the young officers filed back into the holding room in grim silence. Just hours ago, during the drive from Corps HQ, they had been laughing and joking, bragging about the glorious victories they were going to lead and how they would earn the undying respect of their men.
But witnessing the true cost of war made them question everything. If they were ordered to charge the front lines tomorrow, would they survive? Could they actually make it to the end of this war alive?
“I want to know where Haozi is right now,” Wang Yao muttered, staring at the unlit cigarette in his hand.
“Yeah. Me too. Let’s go to the command building and ask. I saw the Division Commander standing out front earlier. If we ask him directly, do you think we’ll get yelled at?” Mo Qin agreed, nodding slowly.
Wang Yao immediately stood up, ready to march out the door.
“Hey, wait! Let’s think this through!” Dong Qipeng quickly grabbed Wang Yao’s arm. “If we piss off the Division Commander on our very first day, we’re going to be in massive trouble! This is the frontline; insubordination here isn’t a joke!”
“I just want to know where Haozi is! We all know he’s deployed to the 87th Division; we literally saw a video of him fighting on the front line! Since we’re here, we have to go see him! If the Division Commander gets pissed off, so be it! I’m not afraid! I’ll go alone; you guys stay here. If he throws me in the brig, you guys can vouch for me later!” Wang Yao argued stubbornly.
“Stop arguing. I’ll go. Both of you sit down,” Mo Qin stood up, pushing Wang Yao back.
“What do you mean?!” Wang Yao scowled.
“You have the shortest temper out of all of us! If you go over there and start demanding answers, you’ll definitely offend the Division Commander! Let me handle it. Give me that pack of good cigarettes you’ve been hoarding,” Mo Qin demanded, holding his hand out.
“I… you…!” Wang Yao spluttered, insulted by the accurate assessment of his temper.
“Hand them over,” Mo Qin insisted.
Grumbling, Wang Yao dug into his pocket and produced a pristine pack of premium cigarettes—they cost over 50 credits a pack. The boys had been saving them for a special occasion, only rationing out a single cigarette each during the long drive.
“Wait here,” Mo Qin slipped the pack into his pocket and confidently walked out toward the main command building.
As he approached the entrance, a sentry immediately stepped into his path, blocking the door.
“Halt. Who authorized your presence here? State your business, and I will request permission for you to enter,” the sentry ordered strictly.
“I… I would like to speak with the Division Commander. I’m one of the newly commissioned officers who just arrived. I just wanted to ask him a quick question,” Mo Qin explained politely.
“I’m sorry, sir. If you do not have a direct summons, you are not permitted to enter the command center. That is military protocol. As an officer, you should know this,” the sentry replied without blinking.
“I understand, I understand. But could you please just pop inside and ask the Division Commander if he has a moment?” Mo Qin pleaded.
“The Division Commander is not here,” the sentry stated firmly.
“Listen, soldier… I literally just saw the Division Commander walk through these doors a few minutes ago! He was standing right outside reading a file! How can you look me in the eye and lie to me?” Mo Qin’s temper flared slightly, feeling like the sentry was just brushing him off because he was a junior officer.
“The Division Commander is not here. The officer who was standing outside earlier was the Chief of Staff,” the sentry clarified calmly.
“Ah? The Chief of Staff? The Major General is the Chief of Staff?!” Mo Qin blinked, completely confused. How could a Major General be a mere Chief of Staff?
“Yes,” the sentry nodded.
“What’s all the commotion out here?”
Li Jingsong stepped out of the command center, frowning at the noise.
“Greetings, Chief of Staff!” the sentry instantly snapped to attention and saluted.
“Greetings, General! Chief of Staff!” Mo Qin hurriedly saluted as well, realizing the sentry hadn’t been lying.
“What is it? Are you one of the newly arrived replacement officers? I apologize, but you’ll have to continue waiting. The Division Commander hasn’t returned yet, and he likely won’t be back until tonight. If we can’t finalize your unit assignments tonight, we’ll process them tomorrow morning. Go find somewhere to rest; there’s no need to be so anxious,” Li Jingsong told Mo Qin kindly.
“Yes, sir! But… I’m not here about our assignments, sir. I was hoping to ask you about someone,” Mo Qin quickly pulled out Wang Yao’s premium cigarettes. “Here, Chief of Staff, please, have a cigarette!”
“Oh? Good brand,” Li Jingsong smiled, accepting the cigarette. Mo Qin immediately pulled out a lighter and lit it for him. “Alright, who are you looking for? If he’s in this Division, I know him.”
“He’s a classmate of mine. He arrived at the front about a month before we did. His name is Hu Hao. He’s a Major in this Division. We heard he was deployed to the front lines, and we just wanted to check on him and see how he’s doing,” Mo Qin explained eagerly as Li Jingsong took a drag.
“Who?! Hu Hao?! He’s your classmate?!” Li Jingsong’s eyes went wide with shock.
“Yes, sir! We were in the exact same class at the academy! We even shared a dorm room! Chief of Staff, if you could just tell us which Battalion he’s commanding, we’d love to go visit him!” Mo Qin nodded enthusiastically.
“Hahaha! So you boys are graduates of the Royal Command Academy?” Li Jingsong laughed heartily, looking at Mo Qin with sudden interest.
“Yes, sir!” Mo Qin confirmed proudly.
“Alright, well, you’ll just have to wait. You’ll see him tonight. But let me correct you on one thing: Hu Hao isn’t a Major anymore. He’s a Full Colonel. Furthermore, he isn’t a Battalion Commander. He is the Commander of the 87th Division! Go back and wait with your friends. Hu Hao is currently leading an operation in the field; he won’t be back until later tonight!” Li Jingsong chuckled, feeling a sudden surge of warmth toward these young officers simply because they were Hu Hao’s friends.
“What?! A Full Colonel?! Wait… the Division Commander?! How is that possible?! A Colonel commanding a Division?! And… and… he was literally just a Major a week ago!” Mo Qin stammered, absolutely flabbergasted. The General’s words completely shattered his understanding of military hierarchy.
“Who is Hu Hao? He is our Hao-ge! Motherfucker, if the Imperial High Command actually functioned properly and opened up the promotional tracks, Hao-ge would definitely be a Major General by now! Hell, he’s more than qualified to command an entire Corps!” Li Jingsong stated with absolute, unwavering conviction.
“Holy shit… Haozi has climbed that high?!” Mo Qin muttered, his brain struggling to process the information.
“Go back and wait,” Li Jingsong smiled, turning back toward the door. “Staff Officer Ye!”
“Here, sir!” a Captain sprinted out of the command center.
“Take these new officers to the mess hall for dinner. Also, round up some blankets and sleeping mats and bring them to the holding room. They’ll likely be sleeping in there tonight!” Li Jingsong ordered.
“Yes, sir!” the Captain nodded.
“Wait, Chief of Staff… are you certain the Hu Hao you’re talking about is the Division Commander? The Hu Hao I know is in his early twenties, about my age! Are you sure you aren’t talking about a different Hu Hao who’s in his forties or fifties?!” Mo Qin asked desperately, terrified there had been a massive misunderstanding.
“Hahaha! Go ask literally anyone on this base who Hu Hao is! I have urgent matters to attend to. Your final assignments will be handled by Hao-ge when he returns tonight!” Li Jingsong laughed, waving dismissively as he walked back inside.
“Yes, sir! Thank you, Chief of Staff!” Mo Qin saluted the retreating General, his mind completely reeling. He walked slowly back to the holding room, looking entirely dazed.
“Did you find out anything?!” Wang Yao and the classmates immediately swarmed him the moment he walked through the door.
The other junior officers in the room watched enviously. Having a personal connection inside the Division would make their integration into the frontline units so much smoother.
“Say something! What happened?! Did something happen to Haozi?! Is he dead?!” Wang Yao demanded, grabbing Mo Qin’s shoulders.
“Shut your damn crow’s beak! Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth!” Dong Qipeng yelled at Wang Yao.
“Well, he’s not saying anything!” Wang Yao defended himself, pointing at the still-dazed Mo Qin.
“What’s going on, Mo Qin? Just tell us,” the other classmates pressed gently.
“Would you guys believe me if I told you… Hu Hao is currently a Full Colonel?” Mo Qin looked up at them, his eyes wide.
“Ah?! A Colonel?! How is that even possible?! It’s only been a week since he made Major! Did he skip two entire ranks and become a Regimental Commander?!” Wang Yao scoffed, refusing to believe it.
“No. He’s the Division Commander,” Mo Qin clarified slowly.
The entire group of classmates stared at Mo Qin in absolute, dead silence.
“What the hell kind of garbage intel did you gather?! Making Colonel in a week is already completely absurd, but Division Commander?! Are you insane?! Give me my cigarettes back!” Wang Yao yelled, convinced Mo Qin was messing with them.
“I’m telling you, he’s the Division Commander! The Major General told me himself! The Major General is the Chief of Staff; the guards literally called him ‘Chief of Staff’!” Mo Qin defended his report defensively.
“Yeah, right! You got totally played! Use your brain for a second! Since when does a Colonel command a Division while a Major General serves as his subordinate Chief of Staff?! That makes absolutely zero sense! You’re an idiot!” Wang Yao crossed his arms, utterly dismissing the idea.
“But that’s exactly what he said! He even told me I could ask anyone on the base!” Mo Qin argued.
“He was just screwing with you because you asked stupid questions! Now hand over the cigarettes and let’s divide them up. Motherfucker… what kind of Major General screws with junior officers like that?! What a jerk!” Dong Qipeng sighed, agreeing with Wang Yao’s assessment.
“Yeah… you’re probably right. I definitely got played,” Mo Qin sighed in defeat. The logic simply didn’t hold up. He pulled the premium cigarettes out of his pocket and began handing them out to his friends.
…
Meanwhile, completely unaware of his classmates’ disbelief, Hu Hao had just arrived back in the ruined urban center of Santong County.
Ye Zifeng had just called him via satellite phone, reporting that the devastation inside the city was far more horrific than they had initially anticipated, and that very few Allied soldiers were actually left alive to execute. Hearing this, Hu Hao decided to personally inspect the aftermath of his trap.