Hu Hao, accompanied by his personal guard detail, walked slowly through the pulverized urban center of Santong County.
The scene was nightmarish. The mangled, ash-covered bodies of thousands of Allied soldiers lay strewn across the rubble in grotesque postures. The vast majority of them had died with blood spilling from their mouths, a testament to the inescapable concussive overpressure of the subterranean blast.
In the distance, sporadic gunfire echoed through the ruins as Ye Zifeng’s infantry methodically executed any remaining survivors. Meanwhile, thousands of Imperial soldiers were busy scavenging the wreckage, collecting usable weapons, ammunition, and stripping the corpses of their looted cash and valuables.
“Hao-ge, we need to bury these bodies,” Ye Zifeng said, walking up beside Hu Hao. “There are thousands of them. In this tropical heat, they’ll start rotting and stinking up the entire county by tomorrow morning.”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Rat-tat-tat!
Before Hu Hao could answer, the heavy, rhythmic thud of tank cannons and machine-gun fire erupted from the southeast, near the city limits.
Hu Hao didn’t flinch. He knew exactly what it was. Liu Shuyi’s recon posts had called in earlier, reporting that the Allied Corps in Daman City had finally dispatched a medical extraction and security convoy toward Santong. The convoy was roughly the size of a single Regiment.
Currently, that Allied Regiment was driving straight into Bo Gang’s massive armored ambush. With the sheer combat power of an entire Armored Brigade under his command—supported by heavily entrenched mechanized infantry—Bo Gang’s victory over a single unprepared Regiment was a certainty.
“Leave the bodies. Let the Allied forces clean up their own mess,” Hu Hao ordered calmly.
“Let the Allied forces clean it up?” Ye Zifeng asked, surprised.
“Yes,” Hu Hao nodded, clasping his hands behind his back as he stepped over a massive fissure in the concrete, littered with shrapnel and body parts.
“But Hao-ge… do you really think they’ll dare to come back here? We just ambushed the single Regiment they sent to investigate! If they want to retrieve these bodies, they’ll have to send at least another full Division, and honestly, I don’t think they have the courage to do that anymore!” Ye Zifeng argued, following closely behind.
“They’ll come. We’ll leave them a message. We’ll tell them to come collect their dead, but they are forbidden from arriving before 06:00 tomorrow morning. If they arrive even a minute early, I’ll devour them too,” Hu Hao stated matter-of-factly.
“Uh… Hao-ge… alright. Honestly, following your orders hasn’t steered us wrong yet,” Ye Zifeng nodded, deciding not to question the unconventional psychological warfare.
“Have you heard any news regarding your family?” Hu Hao asked gently, changing the subject.
“Ah? Oh. No,” Ye Zifeng stopped walking, his expression darkening. “When we were retreating through Nanlin City, I spent days asking the refugees. I even plastered missing posters all over the city walls. I still haven’t heard a single word. Fuck,” he cursed softly, shaking his head.
“No news is good news, Ye Zifeng. As long as you haven’t seen a body, there is still hope. Once the situation stabilizes, you can expand the search,” Hu Hao patted his shoulder comfortingly.
“I know. I won’t stop looking. If they’re alive, I want to see them. If they’re dead, I want to see their bodies. Phew,” Ye Zifeng forced a strained smile and quickly looked away, trying to hide his grief.
“Hao-ge! Call from Tank Commander Bo Gang!” a radioman sprinted over, breaking the somber silence.
“It’s Hu Hao,” Hu Hao answered the phone.
“Hao-ge! The Allied reinforcements are completely broken! Hahaha! I unleashed a massive concentrated volley and instantly vaporized over half their armor! The surviving Allied tanks actually tried to form a line and trade fire with us! With the sheer volume of 120mm cannons we have, I just ordered a rolling barrage! They have nowhere left to run!” Bo Gang roared gleefully over the radio.
“Finish them off quickly. Once the battlefield is swept and the loot is secured, we initiate the full tactical withdrawal,” Hu Hao instructed with a smile.
“Understood! Don’t worry, Hao-ge, I’ll wipe this Regiment out within the next thirty minutes!” Bo Gang promised confidently.
Hu Hao chuckled and handed the phone back to the radioman.
“Tell the brothers to accelerate the scavenging. Once the trucks are loaded, we fall back. Fuck me, I haven’t had a proper shower in days,” Hu Hao complained to Ye Zifeng.
“Understood!” Ye Zifeng immediately relayed the orders to his platoon leaders.
…
Meanwhile, inside the 7th Corps Command Center in Daman City, Lieutenant General Ren Kefu had just received the horrific news: the medical extraction convoy he had just dispatched had driven straight into a massive ambush and was currently being annihilated.
Ren Kefu slumped into his chair, so consumed by rage and disbelief that he was physically speechless. The entire command staff was walking on eggshells, terrified to even breathe too loudly.
“General… we have completely lost contact with the medical convoy and its security escort,” the Chief of Staff whispered, confirming the inevitable.
Ren Kefu simply waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to hear it.
“Report! General, we just received an urgent encrypted transmission from Coalition Joint Command! They are demanding an immediate explanation as to how the 7th Corps suffered the catastrophic loss of three entire Divisions in less than twenty-four hours!
Furthermore, they are demanding the specific unit designation of the Eastern Spirit force responsible for these attacks!” a senior staff officer nervously approached with a decoded telegraph.
“How the hell am I supposed to know what unit they belong to?! Damn it! I’ve lost three entire Divisions, and I still don’t even know my opponent’s name! And you want me to explain how I lost them?! I don’t even know how I lost them! What exactly am I supposed to tell Joint Command?!” Ren Kefu finally snapped, screaming at the senior staff officer.
The officer flinched and stared at the floor, absolutely terrified.
“Leave the report here and return to your post. I will handle it,” the Chief of Staff intervened gently, saving the officer from Ren Kefu’s wrath. He then sat down next to the General.
“General, I have been analyzing the operational timeline. It is undeniably clear—our opponent is a master strategist. From the moment our vanguard Division set foot inside Santong County yesterday, they were doomed,” the Chief of Staff said quietly.
Ren Kefu remained silent, his jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ached.
“The Eastern Spirit commander anticipated our every move. He knew we prized the Imperial munitions stockpiles above all else. He calculated that we would dispatch a relief column to Daman City.
And most terrifyingly, he perfectly predicted that we would deploy two full Divisions to investigate the anomaly in Santong County today! He knew exactly what we were thinking before we even thought it!
This opponent is far too dangerous, General. We must request immediate reinforcements from the Joint Command! If we don’t, capturing Late City is completely impossible!
If this phantom commander can effortlessly annihilate three of our Divisions in a single day, then our remaining two Divisions pose zero threat to the massive defensive line protecting Late City! For the sake of the grand strategic offensive, we must request massive reinforcements!” the Chief of Staff implored him.
“I know. But what I cannot comprehend is how he anticipates our every move! Who is this man?!
And furthermore… the commander garrisoning the Late City defensive sector must be an Imperial Corps Commander! If he wasn’t a seasoned Corps Commander, he wouldn’t possess this terrifying level of strategic foresight!
Damn it! The Eastern Spirit High Command clearly understands the critical strategic value of Late City’s oil fields, which is why they stationed an elite, fully-strength Corps there to defend it!” Ren Kefu analyzed, his paranoia completely blinding him to the truth.
“Mmh. It is highly probable they deployed an entire Corps. A trap of this magnitude could only be orchestrated by a cunning, veteran fox,” the Chief of Staff agreed.
Neither of them could possibly fathom that their “veteran Corps Commander” was actually a newly promoted 20-something Colonel commanding a single, under-strength Infantry Division composed primarily of raw conscripts.
“Have our intelligence networks managed to uncover the name of this Imperial Corps Commander yet?!” Ren Kefu demanded.
“Not yet, General. We’ll need to formally request Joint Command to leverage their deep-cover espionage assets within the Imperial Capital to acquire that level of classified roster information. It will take time,” the Chief of Staff replied.
“Mmh. Tell them it is an absolute priority. This man is clearly one of the very few Eastern Spirit Generals who actually knows how to wage war. We must know his name!” Ren Kefu ordered firmly.
Roughly an hour later, the sun completely set.
Under the cover of darkness, an endless convoy of heavy transport trucks and commandeered civilian vehicles rumbled down the highway connecting Santong County to the pontoon bridges at Bopa City. The trucks were groaning under the immense weight of the looted grain, munitions, and heavy weaponry.
The APCs were packed tightly with the tens of thousands of newly conscripted recruits. While these men hadn’t received formal Imperial training yet, they were all former reservists; they knew how to hold a rifle and follow basic orders.
Hu Hao, Ye Zifeng, and Bo Gang stood near the city limits of Santong County, watching the massive logistical train roll out. Tonight’s haul was astronomical. Not only had they secured the Imperial armory, but they had also scavenged a massive amount of pristine Allied weaponry and vehicles from the two annihilated Divisions.
“Hao-ge, based on the sheer volume of this convoy, it’s going to take us until well past midnight to extract everything across the river,” Ye Zifeng noted.
“Mmh. Just keep them moving. You two head back to Bopa City and manage the unloading. I’ll remain here and oversee the rearguard,” Hu Hao ordered.
“Are you joking?! You’re the Division Commander! If anyone is staying behind to supervise the rearguard, it’s the infantry commander! You and Bo Gang head back to HQ; I’ll hold the line here!” Ye Zifeng immediately protested.
“Exactly! Hao-ge, you need to return to the command center! Ye Zifeng and I can easily manage the sweep here!” Bo Gang agreed emphatically.
“Piss off! What the hell is a Tank Commander going to do on rearguard duty?! Besides, Hao-ge explicitly said the Allied forces wouldn’t dare attack tonight! The perimeter is secure! Let me handle it!” Ye Zifeng shoved Bo Gang aside.
“Fine, fine. Ye Zifeng, you hold the rearguard. We still have recon elements deployed observing Daman City. If the Allied forces somehow muster the courage to march out tonight, you execute an immediate tactical withdrawal!
I need to return to HQ anyway; we just conscripted tens of thousands of troops and secured enough weapons to arm a Corps. I need to formally integrate them into our combat roster and distribute the supplies!” Hu Hao agreed, realizing his administrative duties required his immediate attention.
“Understood, Hao-ge! Leave the cleanup to me!” Ye Zifeng saluted.
Hu Hao nodded. He pulled out his satellite phone and dialed Liu Shuyi.
“Captain Liu, this is Hu Hao. Order the forward recon detachment currently monitoring Daman City to rig a timed explosive near the city limits. Set the timer for exactly 06:00 tomorrow morning.
Fifty meters in front of the explosive, I want them to stake a massive white banner into the ground. Paint this exact message on the banner: Come to Santong County and clean up your own corpses. We’ve already left.
Once your detachment sets the trap and the banner, order them to fall back. Have them rendezvous with Ye Zifeng’s rearguard and cross the river around 02:00!” Hu Hao instructed.
“Yes, sir! I’ll have them set it up immediately, Hao-ge!” Liu Shuyi confirmed enthusiastically.
“Good,” Hu Hao hung up the phone.
“Hao-ge… are you seriously ordering them to come clean up the bodies?! Do you actually think they’ll have the balls to march back here tomorrow?!” Ye Zifeng asked, completely bewildered by the psychological tactic.
“Don’t they have reconnaissance drones? Before they march a single soldier out of Daman City tomorrow, they will send a drone to scout the highway and Santong County!” Hu Hao smirked.
“Oh! That makes sense! Since we’ll be completely gone, their drone won’t be shot down. If the drone survives the flight, they’ll know the trap is empty and the sector is secure!” Ye Zifeng realized, finally grasping the brilliance of the psychological manipulation.