Hu Hao sat there, calculating that it was impossible for only the Allied 7th Corps to attack his defensive line. He expected more enemy troops to arrive.
“Are you saying the Allied forces will send more reinforcements our way?” Xiao Quan asked, looking at Hu Hao.
“Yes, right behind us is a heavy industrial city. How could the Allied forces ignore a city like that?
Therefore, they definitely plan to take Late City this time. That is their ultimate goal. Once their attack stalls here, they will undoubtedly send reinforcements!” Hu Hao nodded.
“That complicates things. We only have one division. Even if we count the reservists, that’s only about 40,000 men.
Most of them haven’t touched a weapon in a long time. If the Allied forces bring in reinforcements now, our casualties will be massive.
Furthermore, my father’s army is also pinned down by an enemy corps. The reinforcements they can spare for us won’t be much!” Li Jingsong said from his seat.
“Your father can send us reinforcements? Let me tell you, we should be glad if we aren’t the ones sending reinforcements to him. We can’t rely on others for this. If we do, we’ll die even faster.
Chief of Staff, Deputy Division Commander, I have an idea. Listen to this. We’ll assemble our own powerful strike force. We’ll take 120 main battle tanks, over 100 helicopters, and our armored infantry to form an assault unit. First, we’ll lay an ambush!
When the Allied forces bring in reinforcements and the opportunity presents itself, we’ll wipe them out!” Hu Hao said to the two of them.
“What? Assemble a strike force?” Li Jingsong looked at Hu Hao in surprise. They were currently supposed to be on the defensive.
“Exactly. Offense is the best defense. The Allied forces just arrived here; they definitely aren’t familiar with our surrounding terrain. Come, look here!” Hu Hao turned around and pointed to a massive forest area on the opposite bank of the river, near Santong County.
“We’ll ambush our troops here first, then wait for the chance to take them out. If the timing is right, our forces will strike directly at the Allied rear and cut off their retreat.
Then, we’ll use our heavy strike force to smash straight into their ranks. At that point, the Allied lines will fall into chaos.
Coupled with the Air Cavalry slaughtering them from above, I guarantee that once we deploy, the Allied forces will be in for a nightmare!” Hu Hao stood there, pointing at the map as he explained to Li Jingsong and the others.
“But you just ordered the troops to pull back. Now you want to send them out again?” Xiao Quan asked.
“If I didn’t pull them back, would the Allied forces let their guard down? Wouldn’t they send units into the forest to search?” Hu Hao said as he sat down.
“But if we head over now, won’t the Allied forces still notice?” Li Jingsong asked.
“We’ll cross from here, using another bridge 30 kilometers downstream. Our troops are garrisoned there as well. Our forces will cross in the middle of the night, using trucks to transport the armored vehicles.
We won’t drive the tanks. Tank treads will leave tracks on the road, which the Allied scouts would definitely spot.
We’ll use heavy transport trucks to haul the tanks over and lay low in the area. Once the opportunity arises, we’ll charge straight into the Allied rear!” Hu Hao explained.
“Alright, I’ll go!” Li Jingsong nodded after hearing the plan. Hu Hao looked at him in surprise.
“I’ll go. If not me, who else? Hao-ge, you can’t go; we need you here to command.
Xiao Quan has to help you handle the logistical matters, so I’m the most suitable choice. Besides, if you just sent a regimental commander, would you really be at ease?” Li Jingsong said, looking at Hu Hao.
“Damn, I’m going to have to look at you in a new light!” Hu Hao was genuinely surprised. He had originally wanted Li Jingsong to go, but worried he wouldn’t dare. After all, they would be operating behind enemy lines where trouble could erupt at any moment. Furthermore, Hu Hao was also concerned about Li Jingsong’s ability to command.
“Of course. Like I said, since there’s no way back, we might as well charge forward! Leading this strike force out will also give me the chance to learn a lot, right?” Li Jingsong said proudly.
“True. However, I still doubt your commanding abilities!” Hu Hao nodded, looking right at him.
“Don’t I have you? We’ll communicate via satellite phone. As long as you tell me how to fight, I’ll execute your strategy. I won’t mess around! I know my own limits, and I won’t ruin your plans!” Li Jingsong said from his seat.
“Alright, you’ll go. I’ll give you two men. First is Bo Gang from the 1st Battalion of the 4th Tank Regiment.
That kid has no problem commanding armored units. Then there’s Ye Zifeng, Commander of the 1st Regiment. He’s solid at commanding infantry.
With those two by your side, I’ll feel much more at ease!” Hu Hao thought for a moment, then nodded at Li Jingsong.
“That settles it then. When do we set out?” Li Jingsong asked with a smile.
“Tomorrow night. I’ll need you to lay in ambush there for about a week. I’ll write down a list of things you need to pay attention to,” Hu Hao replied.
“Got it!” Li Jingsong nodded.
“In that case, hand those blueprints over to Xiao Quan to handle. We won’t need all those tanks for our defense here anyway, so you can take a portion with you!” Hu Hao said from his seat.
Following that, Hu Hao began discussing the defensive deployments with Li Jingsong and the others. Such a massive number of troops needed to move into the trenches soon. The trenches were still under construction, but progressing quickly due to the abundance of heavy machinery in the area.
They discussed through the night until the sky began to brighten. Meanwhile, over in Daman City, it was 6 AM. A series of booming explosions echoed outside the city, startling the Allied soldiers onto their feet. They grabbed their rifles and rushed out. Ren Kefu was also jolted awake. He immediately stepped out of his room, demanding to know what was going on.
“Report! We don’t know yet. We aren’t sure what exploded!” a staff officer came over and replied.
“It was obviously a bomb, what else! Go find out where it happened and why it detonated!” Ren Kefu shouted. Since the initial blasts, he hadn’t heard any follow-up explosions or gunfire, leading him to believe it might be an isolated incident.
“Yes, sir!” The staff officer immediately went to investigate.
About ten minutes later, he returned and reported to the Corps Commander: “The explosion happened in the northwest corner. It was a time bomb. Furthermore, a few dozen meters from the blast site, we found a white cloth. Written on it was a message telling us to go clean up the remains of our own troops!”
“What?” Ren Kefu froze for a second.
“It’s referring to our forces that were stationed near Santong County yesterday evening!” the staff officer reminded him.
“Are there no Eastern Spirit Empire troops left over there?” Ren Kefu asked.
“We don’t know yet, but we will be deploying drones for reconnaissance shortly!” the staff officer replied.
“Good, send them out immediately. I want to know exactly what our forces encountered over there,” Ren Kefu ordered. The newly awakened Chief of Staff was also standing behind him.
After the staff officer left, Ren Kefu sat there, fuming with anger. The Chief of Staff behind him knew exactly why he was mad. The Eastern Spirit Empire had wiped out two of their divisions, yet they didn’t even bother cleaning up the battlefield, instead leaving a message telling the Allies to do it themselves. This was blatant humiliation!
“Commander, we still need to go take a look. We need to see exactly how our troops over there were bombed. What kind of explosion could cause the total annihilation of two entire divisions?” The Chief of Staff stood there, advising Ren Kefu.
“I know. Oh, right, the reinforcements coming for us this time belong to the Mara Empire’s 11th Corps. They probably won’t arrive for another week.
Notify our troops to stay disciplined. Keep the forces right here in Daman City and don’t make any rash moves. We don’t even know who our opponent is right now!” Ren Kefu instructed the Chief of Staff from his seat.
“Understood. However, the Mara Empire’s 11th Corps isn’t from our nation. Will we be able to get along?
Furthermore, once the 11th Corps arrives, they will definitely act as the main vanguard. If they enter Late City first, the resources inside will likely end up in the Mara Empire’s hands. We might just be left with the scraps.” The Chief of Staff voiced his concerns.
“I know. I originally wanted to request our own nation’s 11th Corps to come. But High Command refused, stating that the 11th Corps’ marching route was already fixed and wouldn’t be changed. Instead, they pulled the Mara Empire’s 11th Corps from the rear. Damn it!” Ren Kefu cursed.
The Allied forces weren’t exactly a monolithic entity either. Although they had an agreement to divide the conquered lands equally later, the current offensive involved securing massive resources from these cities. This included the wealth of the common citizens and the grain reserves in each city. Whoever grabbed it first got to keep it, and the profits involved were no small sum.
“Then what should we do? Just watch them eat all the prime meat?” the Chief of Staff asked from behind.
“No, this might actually be for the best. We don’t even know who our opponent is yet. And whoever this opponent is, they aren’t easy to deal with.
So, even if the Mara Empire’s 11th Corps pushes forward, they might not gain any cheap advantages. Let’s just wait and see how the situation develops!” Ren Kefu replied.
“Yes, sir!” Hearing this, the Chief of Staff could only nod in agreement.
Meanwhile, Hu Hao had no idea that another Allied corps was already on its way. Although he had guessed as much, he had no concrete intelligence to back it up. Right now, he had just summoned those academy officers.
Last night, Hu Hao, Li Jingsong, and Xiao Quan had agreed not to assign this batch of officers to the frontline units just yet. They originally planned to form a training regiment, but with battle imminent, there was no time.
Instead, they would serve as staff officers in the command post for now. Once the fighting started, they would be dispatched to wherever commanders were needed. Therefore, Hu Hao sent someone to notify them that starting today, they would be helping out at the command post, which was conveniently short on manpower anyway.
(End of Chapter)