After hanging up the phone, Hu Hao looked at his classmates with a bitter smile.
“Brothers, we’re up again. And you officers, you might have worked in the staff department before, but now that you’re here, you’re going to the front lines. I hope you recover your physical stamina over the next few days.
The intensity of war is high. Being like this won’t cut it. Look at how pale and plump you are, then go outside and look at my other officers.
They’re all tanned dark and lean. It’s not that I, your Division Commander, lack sympathy for you, but we all have to go to the front. No one can hide from this damn war!”
Hearing this, the officers lowered their heads.
“Sigh, you guys sleep here for now. As for me, I still have things to do when I get back. If you need anything, come to the command post and find the staff officers or me. I probably won’t be sleeping tonight!” Hu Hao stood up as he spoke, his smile wry.
“Hey, Haozi, you’re just going to let us sleep here?” Wang Yao asked, looking at Hu Hao.
“Huh? Where else would you sleep?” Hu Hao paused at the question, shooting a look back at him.
“Aren’t there any private rooms or something?” Wang Yao asked.
“Fuck me, you still want private rooms? You should be glad you aren’t sleeping in a pile of corpses. Do you know that in the month or so I’ve been here, I haven’t slept in a private room once?
At first, I slept in bomb shelters alongside dead bodies. Then came the retreat. Over in Langcheng, thousands of people slept in underground defensive bunkers.
When we fell back to Dingkang Province, we slept out in the open. Later, while defending against the Allied offensive, we slept in the trenches.
Roll over, and you’d be lying next to a brother’s corpse! It’s actually pretty good here. Seriously, all my subordinate officers are sleeping in the trenches right now.”
Hearing Wang Yao’s complaint, Hu Hao immediately laid it all out for him.
“Holy shit, really?” Wang Yao looked at Hu Hao in disbelief.
“Hah, brothers, let me tell you: whether you’re my classmates or graduates from other academies, once you reach the front lines, forget about comfort. I haven’t showered in two days. In this weather, two days!
Back in Langcheng, I went a whole week without a shower. Not because I didn’t want to, but because we lacked the means. So, don’t count on those luxuries.
Remember one thing: on the front lines, surviving beats everything else! Staying alive is king!” Hu Hao stood there and addressed the officers.
“Yes, sir!” the officers replied, immediately standing at attention.
“Hao-ge, High Command just sent a briefing. They’ve spotted eight Allied corps potentially heading toward our defensive line. The Commander is asking if you have time in the next couple of days to visit High Command?” At that moment, Li Jingsong pushed open the door and walked in, holding a telegram as he spoke to Hu Hao.
“Mhm! Your father just called me. I promised him I’d head over tomorrow afternoon.
As for the Commander, make it tomorrow night. I’ll go to High Command tomorrow night and come right back once it’s sorted. Damn it, another fierce battle!”
“Yeah. Eight corps, that’s nearly half a million troops. The casualties this time probably won’t be light either,” Li Jingsong nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Wang Yao and the others stared at Li Jingsong and Hu Hao. They hadn’t expected the Major General who just walked in to be delivering a telegram to Hu Hao, let alone calling him “Hao-ge”. It was clear that Hu Hao truly was the Division Commander.
“Alright, brothers, I’m heading over to the command post. Rest up. Oh, bring those packs of cigarettes over here!
Pass these out to the guys. And make sure you recover your stamina over the next few days. We’re fighting again soon!”
“Ah, oh!” Wang Yao was a bit dazed, his emotions a tangled mess. They hadn’t really processed the fact that they were going into battle. Even though they knew they were coming here to fight, they hadn’t expected it to happen so fast.
“Alright, I’m out! Get yourselves settled. You’ll receive your notices tomorrow!” With that, Hu Hao left. Li Jingsong followed him out.
Once they reached the courtyard, Hu Hao stopped and looked back at the house whose door had just closed.
“Hao-ge, what’s wrong? Not happy about the reunion?” Li Jingsong asked upon seeing his expression.
“No, just feeling a bit emotional. You know a lot of my classmates are in there. They thought that by coming here, I’d set them up with cushy jobs—roles away from the front lines.
But where in our forces right now do we have jobs that avoid the front lines? Sigh, they still think it’s peacetime!” Hu Hao shook his head with a sigh and continued walking forward.
“That’s normal, don’t worry about it. Once they hit the battlefield, they’ll understand everything naturally without you needing to say a word. Didn’t you bring them here hoping to keep them safe?
If they went to other units, they might die even faster. Following you, at the very least you won’t screw them over, so their chances of surviving are higher. They’ll understand!” Li Jingsong smiled and consoled him as he walked alongside.
“Maybe.” Hu Hao nodded.
After Hu Hao and the others arrived at the command post, they began discussing troop deployments. Hu Hao sat down and started mapping out the current unit positions. Their division’s orders from above were to block the Allied forces outside of Bopa City. However, to successfully halt them, they needed to establish a defensive line spanning over 200 kilometers.
“Currently, facing us is the Limaguo’s 7th Corps from the Allied forces. We’ve already wiped out three divisions from this corps. As long as we don’t make any major mistakes, they stand no chance of penetrating our defenses.
I have at least that much confidence. But my concern is that we’re facing more than just the remaining two divisions of this corps. I’m worried other corps will be sent as reinforcements.
You all know that right behind us is Late City. And what kind of place is Late City? It’s one of our nation’s heavy industrial hubs.
Not only does it produce all types of fuel, but it also manufactures weaponry and equipment. Therefore, we cannot lose this place. Hah, even though we know we can’t lose it, it seems High Command hasn’t even considered this.
Until now, our single division is the only force garrisoned here. Tell me, High Command is just a joke!” Hu Hao remarked while drafting blueprints.
“Don’t even mention it. Our frontline troops are basically suicide squads. Those guys up top are probably sipping red wine and playing cards somewhere right now!” Li Jingsong said to Hu Hao.
“Hah, even you’re saying that?” Hu Hao chuckled, looking at Li Jingsong.
“That’s exactly what I used to do. Thinking back on it now, it’s so fucking despicable. The country is in this state, and they’re still playing around!” Li Jingsong smiled bitterly.
“Chief of Staff, I’m handing this over to you. Have our artillery set up like this tomorrow. We captured quite a few artillery pieces this time, right? Have we found the artillerymen?” Hu Hao handed his blueprint to Li Jingsong, who took it and began to examine it.
“What the hell is this?” Li Jingsong asked immediately, unable to make sense of it.
“An artillery position!” Hu Hao told him in exasperation.
“Haha, the artillerymen are ready. We secured a hundred 120mm howitzers this time, along with over thirty 150mm guns. Combined with our existing artillery regiment, I reckon our artillery strength is pretty solid!” Xiao Quan laughed upon seeing Hu Hao’s expression.
“Oh, an artillery position. I thought it looked like one. But something’s off.
They’re spaced so far apart, and they have to be covered from above. How are we supposed to fire?” Li Jingsong asked Hu Hao.
“Haven’t you guys noticed? With our previous artillery units, as soon as they moved up, the Allied forces would wipe them out immediately, either with counter-battery fire or by deploying bombers. Our artillery was clustered tightly and exposed in the open, making it extremely easy for the Allies to destroy.
So, we’re placing the artillery inside bunkers now. Our cannons can all be pushed. When firing, push them out.
When not firing, use vehicles to pull them back in. Over a distance of 300 meters, an artillery bunker is only 4 meters wide. I’d like to see what methods the Allies still have to destroy our artillery on a large scale.
As long as they don’t take out our cannons, we can slowly grind them to death.” Hu Hao sat there, speaking to Li Jingsong and Xiao Quan.
“Hmm, let me see!” Hearing this, Xiao Quan set down his work and picked up Hu Hao’s blueprint to inspect it.
“You know, if we arrange it like this, the Allied forces would likely waste a ton of ammo trying to destroy us. I don’t think they’re that wealthy and overbearing, are they?” Xiao Quan nodded as he observed the diagram.
“I’m leaving this to you. You must have these artillery positions set up within three days. I’ve marked all the locations and distances for you.
Make multiple copies of the blueprint now and distribute them to the artillery company commanders so they can build according to spec. Also, if we don’t have enough excavators ourselves, requisition them from the city,” Hu Hao instructed Li Jingsong.
“Understood. Don’t worry, leave it to me!” Li Jingsong took the blueprint and immediately handed it to a staff officer behind him, instructing him to make copies on the command post’s machine.
“There’s one more thing. Relying solely on defense isn’t a viable strategy; we need to assemble our own counter-offensive force. I don’t know how many Allied troops are coming this time.
They say it’s the 7th Corps, but I refuse to believe it’ll just be the remaining two divisions of that corps attacking us. If that were truly the case, I wouldn’t even need to utilize our defensive lines—I could just wipe them out directly on the opposite bank!” Hu Hao said to Li Jingsong and the others from his seat.
Hearing this, they stared at Hu Hao in astonishment. They had only just learned that during his recent expedition to the opposite bank, Hu Hao had annihilated three Allied divisions. Bringing back such a massive haul of weapons and wealth left no room for doubt.
(End of Chapter)