When Liu Yuzi first suggested that Hu Hao might take over Jiang Kai’s position and become the Commander of the Southwest Combat Zone, the Crown Prince was skeptical. But after hearing Liu Yuzi’s explanation he understood.
He realized that if Jiang Kai truly intended to leave for the capital, he would definitely make arrangements here beforehand. He would never allow the position of Southwest Combat Zone Commander to fall into someone else’s hands.
“You’re right. You are absolutely right! I never expected Jiang Kai to have such a scheme! Regardless of whether he gets promoted to Grand Marshal or not, he will definitely promote Hu Hao! Hu Hao knows how to fight; his troops are Jiang Kai’s trump card!
“Furthermore, Jiang Kai will earn a reputation for nurturing his subordinates. If Jiang Kai leaves and Hu Hao becomes the Combat Zone Commander… since Hu Hao was elevated by him, regardless of Hu Hao’s true character, he will be permanently branded with Jiang Kai’s label. He will definitely support Jiang Kai! Sigh!” The Crown Prince stood there, sighing heavily.
“Jiang Kai managed to become a Combat Zone Commander; he cannot be an idiot. He would never just hand over his Commander position to an outsider. As for his family members, none of them currently possess the qualifications to serve as Combat Zone Commander.
“And Sun Qinxue, despite everything, is not a member of his family. Given that, it’s better to elevate a commoner! Give him command of a corps and make him the Combat Zone Commander. This way, Hu Hao only officially controls a single corps.
“Meanwhile, Jiang Kai still has several other corps stationed in the Southwest Combat Zone. Combined with Hu Hao’s forces, even if Sun Qinxue had a falling out with Jiang Kai, Jiang Kai wouldn’t have to worry about Sun Qinxue causing any real trouble.
“Jiang Kai might look like an honest, straightforward man, but to become a Commander—and to have held the position for roughly twenty years—it’s impossible for him not to possess ruthless methods!
“I dare say Jiang Kai knows exactly why you came here! He’s just pretending not to! Right now, you must show goodwill toward him and toward those officers who have achieved merit. You must solidify your position as Crown Prince!” Liu Yuzi advised.
“Mm, I know what to do. I will communicate with the Grand Marshal!” the Crown Prince nodded.
“That is good. Your Highness, we are in chaotic times! You need powerful, capable supporters! Those military aristocratic families are not necessarily powerful supporters, but those generals who actually know how to fight are!
“The Empire has been invaded! We need those capable generals to step forward! As for the aristocratic families, let those who deserve to perish, perish! There will always be new people to fill their places!” Liu Yuzi continued.
“Mm, exactly!” The Crown Prince nodded, then sat back down, deep in thought over what Liu Yuzi had said.
…
Meanwhile, on Hu Hao’s end, the Air Cavalry had caught up with the Allied tank division once more.
“Damn it! They’re back!” Several Allied soldiers cursed loudly upon spotting the helicopters in the distance. They immediately manned their heavy machine guns and fired at the approaching aircraft.
“Rat-a-tat-tat!” Heavy machine gun fire tore through the sky toward the helicopters.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” The helicopters retaliated, launching rockets at the armored vehicles and tanks below.
“Form a defensive perimeter! Hurry! Form up!” the Tank Division Commander roared. Currently, they were strung out in a single line, making them easy targets for the helicopters to destroy one by one. If they formed a circular perimeter, their heavy machine guns could engage the aircraft no matter which direction they attacked from.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Right at that moment, the sound of explosions echoed from ahead of them. At first, they paid it no mind, assuming the Air Cavalry was attacking there as well.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” However, as more and more vehicles exploded, the soldiers turned to look in that direction.
“It’s Eastern Spirit tank units! They actually have tank units here! We’re finished!” an officer screamed in sheer terror upon spotting the Eastern Spirit tanks charging rapidly toward them from the distance.
“Hurry! Destroy those tanks!” the Tank Division Commander roared. However, he knew they were doomed. Targeted by both Allied Air Cavalry and tank units, escaping was impossible.
Eastern Spirit tanks were already more advanced than Kabuguo’s. Furthermore, the enemy had over 100 main battle tanks, while they only had roughly 100 tanks and armored vehicles combined! How could they possibly win?!
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” As more and more of his tanks exploded, the Division Commander gave up on commanding. Directing them was useless now. The Eastern Spirit firepower was simply too overwhelming.
Moreover, the Air Cavalry was still attacking their soldiers from above. Even if they wanted to fight back, they no longer had the strength. Surrendering was also out of the question; the Eastern Spirit forces didn’t take prisoners because they had slaughtered Eastern Spirit civilians.
Therefore, seeing the vast majority of his tanks blown to pieces, the Division Commander closed his eyes in agony, drew his pistol, and put a bullet through his own head.
“Division Commander! Division Commander!” The Allied soldiers nearby rushed over upon seeing this, but their commander was already dead.
“Damn it! Hurry, fire! Fire!” one of the officers yelled. Just as he tried to stand up, a massive hole blew through his chest, and he was thrown backward. A hail of heavy machine gun fire swept through the area, courtesy of the Air Cavalry above.
“What the hell are those Air Cavalry bastards doing?! They can leave now! Leave it to us!” Watching from his command vehicle in the rear, Bo Gang cursed furiously. His troops had completely taken control of the battlefield, but the Air Cavalry showed no signs of leaving.
“Battalion Commander, be careful they don’t shoot you with their autocannons!” a staff officer chuckled.
“Bullshit! Let them try! I’m the one who captured those helicopters for them! If they dare shoot me, I’ll go take those helicopters back!” Bo Gang retorted instantly.
“Hehe, they belong to them now; it has nothing to do with you anymore. But their Air Cavalry is truly formidable against tanks! Look at them using armor-piercing rounds with their autocannons—one shot, one kill!” his Chief of Staff laughed.
“Ignore them! Order our troops to finish them off quickly! Their tanks and armored vehicles are all gone! What are they going to fight us with? Bayonets?!” Bo Gang grinned!
“Yes, sir!” The staff officers immediately ordered the troops to accelerate the attack.
“Once we’re done here, we still have to head to Santong County! Our forces are going to assault the city and completely annihilate the Allied forces there! This time, our troops are going to swallow four entire Allied divisions! Now that feels amazing! Following Hao-ge truly is the best! If he says swallow them, we swallow them!” Bo Gang laughed.
He was incredibly proud. Even his Regimental Commander didn’t have as many tanks as he did right now! He currently commanded over 100 tanks, while Regimental Commander Bai Ye commanded less than 40. Bai Ye initially had over 80 tanks, but over 40 had been destroyed during the defensive battles!
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
“Rat-a-tat-tat!”
“We surrender! We surrender!” In the distance, the battle raged on. Many Kabuguo soldiers were screaming their surrender.
However, the Eastern Spirit soldiers paid them no mind and simply kept firing. They would never allow them to surrender. If they accepted their surrender, wouldn’t the civilians they slaughtered have died in vain?!
Since entering the Eastern Spirit Empire, the Allied soldiers had done nothing but loot and kill. To Hu Hao’s troops, these people could not be spared. Killing them was avenging the civilians!
Meanwhile, Lu Guangsheng had led his troops to the outskirts of Nage City. The Allied forces inside the city knew their troops had been attacked in the distance, so they had deployed their defenses.
However, no matter how they deployed, they were only a battalion of roughly 600 men, whereas Lu Guangsheng had brought over 4,000 troops, supported by tanks and armored vehicles.
“We’ve spotted Allied forces guarding the intersections!” a staff officer reported to Lu Guangsheng.
“Attack them head-on! We want the civilians of Nage City to see us slaughtering those beasts head-on! Charge in! Kill any Allied soldier you see!” Lu Guangsheng ordered his staff officer.
“Yes, sir! Charge!” the staff officer yelled.
Soon, Lu Guangsheng’s troops fanned out and surged toward Nage City. In the distant high-rises, civilians were watching the approaching forces!
“Are those our country’s troops?” a young man holding a standard pair of binoculars asked as he stared into the distance.
“Judging by the flags, they seem to be. But who knows for sure? I hope they are! Those damn beasts!” The young man lowered the binoculars, and another young man beside him immediately snatched them up to look!
“I hope it’s our country’s troops, otherwise we’re all going to be killed!” a girl murmured from behind them.
Dozens of young people, all looking like students, were hiding in this room. They were covered in dirt, their eyes filled with helplessness. The girls, in particular, had fear and despair etched into their gazes.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Right at that moment, explosions erupted in the distance.
“It’s our country’s troops! It’s our country’s troops! They’re firing on the Allied forces! Look, it’s our country’s troops!” the young man with the binoculars shouted excitedly.
Hearing the explosions, the other youths immediately rushed to the window, staring in the direction of the blasts. It wasn’t just them; all across Nage City, civilians were looking in that direction. Although many couldn’t see the actual fighting, they cautiously made their way to the intersections, desperate to see what was happening.
“Our country’s troops are here! We’re saved! Our country’s troops are here!” Inside a high-rise building, a young man leaned out the window and roared at the top of his lungs toward the streets below. The civilians on the ground looked up at him.
“It’s our country’s troops! They’ve come to save us! Our country’s troops have come to save us!” the young man continued shouting, tears streaming down his face.
(End of Chapter)