Hearing the staff officer report that another four Allied corps were on the way, Jiang Kai was plagued by a massive headache. If the other defensive lines couldn’t hold, then holding his own line would be meaningless. Eventually, they would still have to retreat. If they didn’t retreat, they would fall into a massive encirclement.
“Damn it! If we keep retreating, these provinces will also be lost. How much more land can the Empire afford to lose? And now His Majesty still wants to pursue the issue with Hu Hao? Tell me, what is His Majesty thinking?” Sun Qinxue stood there, speaking to Jiang Kai with obvious displeasure.
“Let’s not talk too much about His Majesty’s affairs. Talking won’t change anything. We need to start thinking about our own escape route. If the other units can’t hold their defenses, what good is it if we hold ours? Won’t our troops just have to retreat anyway?” Jiang Kai said, sitting in his chair.
“Retreat again? If we retreat again, the morale of the entire army will collapse! The last time we retreated, it was because we were unprepared and lost a battle. But now, we’ve successfully held the line. If we retreat again, what will the soldiers think? What will the junior officers think? Will they even follow us into a retreat?
“I dare say that if we retreat now, our troops will completely scatter. How many men do you think you’ll actually be able to take with you?” Sun Qinxue stood there, questioning Jiang Kai.
Hearing this, Jiang Kai let out a sigh, entirely unsure of what to do. They had finally managed to piece together some semblance of military morale. If they retreated now, that morale would truly shatter, and trying to piece it back together again would be incredibly difficult.
He didn’t know if he should remind His Majesty to perhaps drop the investigation into Hu Hao. After all, Hu Hao was a general who actually knew how to fight. If Hu Hao was investigated, the morale of the entire army would crumble, and the regimental commanders wouldn’t remain so obedient. In fact, those young master generals would die even faster.
“Commander, General Tang is here to see you!” At this moment, a staff officer walked in from outside and reported to Jiang Kai.
“Mm, show him in!” Jiang Kai nodded.
Hearing this, Sun Qinxue gave Jiang Kai a strange look. Sun Qinxue thought Tang Junjie had already left for Hu Hao’s sector. He hadn’t expected him to still be here.
“I warned him. I didn’t want the situation to worsen. If he went, it would be a dead end. Hu Hao and his subordinates definitely wouldn’t let them return alive!” Jiang Kai told Sun Qinxue.
Sun Qinxue remained silent but nodded in understanding.
“Commander Jiang, my father asked me to convey his gratitude for your warning. However, Hu Hao must be dealt with. If Hu Hao goes unpunished, then other officers and soldiers in the Empire will follow his example, and the Empire will be in grave danger!” Tang Junjie saluted Jiang Kai and stated firmly.
“Oh? Does that mean you want him brought here?” Jiang Kai asked.
“That would naturally be best. But you said yesterday that Hu Hao is unlikely to come. Therefore, I would like to request that you deploy your Military Police to Bopa City to arrest Hu Hao and bring him back!” Tang Junjie smiled at Jiang Kai.
“What did you say? You want me to send men to arrest Hu Hao? Impossible. I will not send anyone!” Jiang Kai said, looking at Tang Junjie with a hint of anger.
“Commander Jiang, I believe you are well aware that Hu Hao is your subordinate. If he conscripted troops privately, you must also bear responsibility. If Hu Hao escapes, His Majesty will certainly hold you accountable. Therefore, this matter is your responsibility. We need to see Hu Hao here and interrogate him regarding this matter!” Tang Junjie stated.
“What exactly are you implying?” Hearing this, Jiang Kai stood up, deeply displeased, and stared coldly at Tang Junjie.
“Now, Commander Jiang, please calm down. I merely meant that Hu Hao is your subordinate, which is a fact. You failed to properly discipline your subordinate—you must at least admit that, correct?” Seeing Jiang Kai’s anger, Tang Junjie quickly tried to smooth things over.
“What fault are you talking about? You haven’t even investigated the situation on Hu Hao’s end, so on what basis are you claiming he is at fault? Moreover, you haven’t even verified if the allegations are true. Why are you so certain? What evidence do you have? Can you simply investigate our senior generals on the front lines based on a single person’s accusation?!” Sun Qinxue interjected from the side.
“Exactly. What exactly did Hu Hao do wrong? On what grounds are you making these claims? You haven’t even investigated clearly, yet you want to arrest Hu Hao? On what grounds? It is the duty of your High Command’s law enforcement department to go to Hu Hao’s sector and investigate!” Jiang Kai immediately added.
He was starting to regret warning Tang Junjie that morning. He should have just let him go; then Tang Junjie would have learned firsthand how the word ‘death’ was written.
“Well… isn’t Hu Hao’s sector dangerous? Furthermore, if the allegations are true, then we absolutely cannot go. Think about it: the nature of Hu Hao’s actions is extremely severe.
“Commander Jiang, you should mobilize your troops immediately and arrest Hu Hao!” Tang Junjie insisted, maintaining that Hu Hao was guilty.
“If you want him arrested, go arrest him yourself. I bear no responsibility in this. I do not accept Commander Mu’s accusation; he has no direct evidence either!” Jiang Kai retorted. There was no way he could send men to arrest Hu Hao now.
If Jiang Kai sent men to arrest him, the junior officers would find out and mutiny. They were in the middle of a war; if something like that happened, the entire defensive line would be thrown into peril.
“Commander Jiang, we are the Military Police, and we are holding you directly responsible for this. As for Hu Hao, you must personally order him here. Our time is limited. I hope Commander Jiang will not make things difficult for us. His Majesty is also paying very close attention to this matter right now. I believe you, Commander Jiang, cannot be unaware of that!” Tang Junjie immediately brought up His Majesty to pressure Jiang Kai.
“His Majesty is asking you, he cannot ask me. Alright, I have other matters to attend to. You may leave. You handle Hu Hao’s situation however you see fit; our Headquarters has no objections. Now, I must deploy the defenses. The Allied forces have reinforced their numbers, and I need to readjust our deployments!” Jiang Kai immediately dismissed Tang Junjie.
“Commander Jiang, this matter cannot be delayed. I hope you will take this seriously!” Tang Junjie said, slightly angered.
During their earlier phone call, his father had explicitly forbidden him from going to Hu Hao’s unit, warning that he might truly die there. His father had told him to force Jiang Kai to find a solution, as Hu Hao was his subordinate.
“Commander, phone call from His Majesty!” At that moment, a senior staff officer approached Jiang Kai with a satellite phone.
Jiang Kai immediately stood up, took the phone, and answered, “Hello, Your Majesty!”
“Jiang Kai, four more Allied corps are heading your way. Can you hold the line?” His Majesty’s voice came through the phone.
“I just received the news. Right now, I am still not certain. Furthermore, last night, several other Combat Zones suffered massive defeats and are currently retreating. If they don’t stabilize their defensive lines today and continue retreating, our troops will be isolated at the very front. That would be extremely dangerous,” Jiang Kai spoke carefully, deliberately avoiding saying outright that if the others continued to retreat, his troops would have to retreat as well.
“I have already issued strict orders forbidding them from retreating! Whoever retreats, I will have them shot! You must also find a way on your end. You are authorized to replenish your forces by conscripting reservists from the rear cities. Increase your strength to 600,000 men first. Can you hold?!” His Majesty’s voice carried a hint of frantic urgency.
This was the first time Jiang Kai had heard such anxiety in His Majesty’s tone. Even when they had lost so much territory before, His Majesty hadn’t been this anxious.
“Your Majesty, I… we are facing 13 Allied corps! Three of those corps are in Hu Hao’s sector, and one of the newly arrived corps might also be heading toward him.
“Our remaining forces have to face 600,000 Allied troops. Our left and right flanks are not secure either; the other units are retreating. Even if we hold the line, it will be useless!” Jiang Kai stood there, his voice filled with difficulty.
He had no solutions, and quite frankly, no hope. However, he still brought up Hu Hao, hoping His Majesty would show leniency. Although Hu Hao had caused him trouble, he had to admit that if they were to hold their ground here, he would still have to rely on Hu Hao.
“I just told you, I have already ordered them not to retreat! Your troops are also forbidden from retreating! You must hold the line! If you fail to hold it, I will have you all shot!
“Also, regarding that Hu Hao: investigate him immediately! This man must be dealt with! Especially at a time like this, we absolutely cannot afford to be lenient. This man is overly bold and reckless; he actually dared to violate Imperial law. I don’t care how good he is at fighting—I dare not use a man like him, and I cannot use a man like him!” His Majesty revealed his true thoughts to Jiang Kai.
“What? Your Majesty, you misunderstand! He is not the type of person who harbors ambitions! He’s always wanted to be a deserter, he just wants to stay alive! If he privately conscripted troops over there, it was only to survive! Your Majesty, you truly misunderstand. Hu Hao could never harbor disloyalty! He is just young and ignorant, Your Majesty!” Jiang Kai finally understood. His Majesty was genuinely worried that Hu Hao would lead a mutiny with his troops. Jiang Kai immediately rushed to defend him.
“Young? He is a graduate of the Royal Command Academy! It’s impossible for him not to know the penalty for private conscription. Since he knew, he must bear the consequences!” His Majesty remained resolute in his decision to punish Hu Hao.
“Your Majesty, I will speak the truth. If you punish Hu Hao, the entire combat force of the Southwest Combat Zone will immediately collapse! Hu Hao has achieved immense merit for the Empire!
“Moreover, his conscription of troops this time was solely to defend against the Allied invasion. If he is punished, I will no longer be able to control the officers and soldiers below me!” Jiang Kai voiced his deepest concern, hoping His Majesty would reconsider carefully.