Jiang Kai was completely unprepared for the Crown Prince’s arrival. He hadn’t received any notice until His Highness was almost at the door. However, Jiang Kai knew perfectly well what the Crown Prince’s purpose was— to supervise the battle.
“Holding this line won’t be a problem. My troops have already begun taking the initiative to attack the Allied forces. There’s also a recent development I haven’t reported yet—from last night until now, we have successfully crippled three Allied corps.
“The remnants of those forces are currently surrounded by our troops in Santong County. They don’t have many men left; out of three corps, I estimate only about 30,000 remain. We’ve practically completely annihilated them. They definitely don’t have any combat effectiveness left and will have to withdraw from the offensive. That leaves 11 Allied corps attacking us, and I am confident the Southwest Combat Zone’s troops can hold them off!” Jiang Kai sat there, briefing the Crown Prince on the current situation.
“Oh? There’s such excellent news? Why wasn’t this reported to me earlier?” The Crown Prince put down his water glass, pleasantly surprised.
“The battle is still ongoing. We intend to completely annihilate those three corps, but an Allied reinforcement corps is rapidly approaching. Since the battle hasn’t concluded, we couldn’t send an official report.
“Your Highness, I estimate achieving complete annihilation will be difficult. We don’t have many troops in that sector. As you know, Your Highness, the order to expand our forces was only issued yesterday afternoon. Before that, we only had 330,000 men. Therefore, we are fighting with the troops we currently have; the expansion has only just begun!” Jiang Kai explained.
“Excellent! Excellent! To hear such good news the moment I arrive—truly excellent!
“Imperial Father told me earlier that the only defensive line he wasn’t worried about was yours. If your defensive line were to fail, it definitely wouldn’t be your fault; it would likely be because the other defensive lines collapsed!” the Crown Prince said joyfully.
“I wouldn’t dare claim that. However, our officers and soldiers will certainly fight with their lives on the line to prevent the Allied forces from stepping over our positions!” Jiang Kai replied humbly.
“Mm. By the way, who is the commander that launched the counter-offensive against those three Allied corps? I want to see exactly what kind of figure this frontline commander is, to be capable of leading a counter-offensive for the Empire!” The Crown Prince suddenly asked.
“Congratulations, Your Highness! This man is a recent graduate of the Royal Command Academy—he is your student! His name is Hu Hao, only 23 years old this year. He just arrived in our Combat Zone and currently serves as the Commander of the 27th Corps’ 87th Division! He is the one commanding the battle!” Jiang Kai replied with a proud smile.
“Oh? A recent graduate? 23 years old, Hu Hao… that name sounds familiar,” the Crown Prince pondered for a moment before remarking.
“He’s the one the High Command wanted to investigate for privately conscripting troops. I need to explain this: his single division was facing an attack from three Allied corps. Having no other choice, he recruited patriotic youths from the refugees to help defend. Furthermore, this young man possesses immense talent and is incredibly formidable at command.
“Therefore, last night, when the time was right, Hu Hao immediately launched a counter-offensive! The enemy originally had nearly 100,000 troops last night, but now, it’s a miracle if they even have 30,000 left. This was all achieved during last night’s battle.
“Now that it’s daytime, our troops are exhausted, and the Allied forces have reinforcements arriving. Our troops cannot attack rashly, fearing an Allied counter-charge might breach our defensive line. That would be disastrous,” Jiang Kai explained.
“Oh, I remember him now! He’s the guy who crushed Zhang He’s grandson, Zhang Liangqiang’s, testicles back in the academy! I never expected him to possess such ability. It seems that in times like these, audacious people can indeed be useful!” the Crown Prince remarked.
“Yes, that’s him!” Jiang Kai nodded. However, he felt a twinge of displeasure inwardly. That wasn’t Hu Hao’s only achievement.
During the counter-offensive at Nanlin City, Jiang Kai had submitted a detailed report of Hu Hao’s merits, explicitly stating that Hu Hao was the primary contributor. Yet, the Crown Prince actually knew nothing about it.
“Mm, not bad. I need to see this man for myself. He is certainly extraordinarily audacious!” the Crown Prince continued.
“A man of immense talent, possessing both courage and strategy!” Jiang Kai quickly added.
“Oh, true,” the Crown Prince thought for a moment and nodded.
“By the way, could you have him come here? I want to see what my formidable student looks like in person,” the Crown Prince requested.
“That might be difficult right now. Hu Hao needs to command at the front lines; he cannot leave his troops! Furthermore, an Allied reinforcement corps is approaching. If Hu Hao leaves his defensive line now, I’m worried a crisis might occur! If that happens, we’ll be in massive trouble!” Jiang Kai quickly deflected.
“Mm, alright. Then find an opportunity later. See when he’s available and have him come over. I truly want to see what this Hu Hao looks like,” the Crown Prince smiled.
“Understood!” Jiang Kai nodded.
“Then that’s all for now. I’ll leave things here to you; I won’t interfere with your command. If you need any assistance from my end, just ask!” The Crown Prince stood up.
“Yes, Your Highness. You must be tired; please go rest. We have already prepared your accommodations, ensuring both safety and comfort!” Jiang Kai stood up as well.
“Thank you for your trouble!” The Crown Prince nodded, then headed outside. Jiang Kai and the generals of the headquarters respectfully escorted him to the main entrance.
“Sigh!” Watching the Crown Prince’s vehicle drive away, Jiang Kai let out a heavy sigh.
“What is his true purpose here? Simply to supervise?” Sun Qinxue asked, standing beside Jiang Kai.
“Supervising is the official reason. As for what’s actually going on, I don’t know either. He arrived far too suddenly; there was absolutely no prior notice from His Majesty!” Jiang Kai shook his head.
“But… sigh, forget it!” Sun Qinxue started to say something, but stopped himself.
“If you have something to say, say it!” Jiang Kai urged.
“Mm. How is it possible that the Crown Prince didn’t even know who Hu Hao was? Logically speaking, in our last report regarding the counter-offensive at Nanlin City, Hu Hao was listed as the primary contributor! Furthermore, Hu Hao is his student! How could he not pay attention to him?
“We are in the middle of a war! As the Crown Prince, isn’t it highly inappropriate for him to be completely unaware of the generals who have achieved such great merit?” Sun Qinxue asked.
“Perhaps he hasn’t seen our report yet,” Jiang Kai said, though he wasn’t certain.
“Impossible. Our reports go to the High Command, and the High Command distributes them to both His Majesty’s and the Crown Prince’s desks. It’s impossible for him not to have seen it!” Sun Qinxue immediately shook his head. There was another sentence he didn’t say aloud: Perhaps he never even bothered to look at it.
“Forget it. Let’s not dwell on the Crown Prince’s affairs. I suspect he won’t take the initiative to interfere with us here,” Jiang Kai said.
“Are you sure? Commander, don’t forget whose daughter the Crown Princess is!” Sun Qinxue reminded him.
“He… would he actually dare do something like that?” Jiang Kai looked at Sun Qinxue in profound shock.
“Whether he dares or not, I don’t know. But I do know this: if the Grand Marshal’s position cannot be secured, do you honestly think the Crown Prince’s position can be secured?!
“He’s been the Crown Prince for over thirty years! And now we’re in chaotic times. Without the backing of the military, do you think his position as Crown Prince is guaranteed?
“Also, why did His Majesty send him here, instead of the other Imperial Princes? The Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fifth Prince are all incredibly formidable figures who have always coveted the throne. The only area where they couldn’t compete with the Crown Prince was the military.
“The military is controlled by the Grand Marshal, and the Grand Marshal’s daughter is the Crown Princess! Think about it!” Sun Qinxue warned.
“That’s unlikely, right? If he offends me, wouldn’t he just be creating more trouble for himself? Although I might lack talent, I am still a Combat Zone Commander, and I hold 600,000 troops in my hands! That’s something the other Commanders cannot compare to!” Jiang Kai reasoned.
“True, the other Commanders cannot compare to that right now. They might not dare reduce your troop strength. But His Majesty could easily authorize the other Combat Zone Commanders to expand their forces too! When that happens, how much influence will you really have left?
“Commander, you truly cannot afford to be careless about this. A single moment of carelessness could cost you your life. Hu Hao’s previous advice that you shouldn’t go to the High Command… I feel it was absolutely correct. Right now, this isn’t just about resisting the invasion.
“His Majesty is already over fifty years old. Who knows how many years he has left? Maybe one year, maybe thirty. It’s impossible to say. Right now, His Majesty might support you…
“…but the Crown Prince must guard against you! With the Grand Marshal backing the Crown Prince, the other Princes have no chance. But if you go to the High Command, holding so many troops… do you think the Crown Prince wouldn’t worry about you being recruited by the other Princes? Furthermore, you and the Grand Marshal are clearly meant to be rivals now! You two are the only ones holding the title of Viscount! I don’t even know what His Majesty’s true intentions are by doing this!
“Why is he elevating you? Is he trying to build you up, or set you up to be killed? We simply don’t know right now! Therefore, it is best to be extremely careful!” Sun Qinxue continued to remind Jiang Kai.
“It seems we truly need to be careful now…. Fuck, as generals, not only do we have to worry about fighting on the front lines, but we also have to worry about all this political scheming in the rear! How are we supposed to fight a war like this?!” Jiang Kai cursed, then turned and walked back inside with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Commander, one more thing: we absolutely cannot let the Crown Prince see Hu Hao! I sense that the Crown Prince definitely harbors no goodwill toward Hu Hao. Otherwise, since Hu Hao is his student, he should have naturally valued him.
“And since Hu Hao has helped you, it’s impossible for the Grand Marshal not to hold a grudge against him. Therefore, my suggestion is dont let Hu Hao come here! Let him stay on the front lines and fight. The Crown Prince definitely won’t dare go to the front lines. I’m terrified that if Hu Hao comes here, the Crown Prince will find some excuse to execute him!” Sun Qinxue hurried after Jiang Kai and advised.
(End of Chapter)