Li Jingsong urged Hu Hao not to go into the city. The troops currently attacking weren’t Hu Hao’s division; they were Li Jinghe’s. If Hu Hao went in, there was no guarantee he could effectively command them. Therefore, Li Jingsong’s advice was to stay put.
Hearing this, Hu Hao thought for a moment and realized it made sense. After all, he truly didn’t know if the officers and soldiers inside would actually listen to him.
“But we have no idea what the situation is like up front! Wait, drones! Where are your division’s drones?! Launch the drones immediately! Hurry!” Remembering the drones, Hu Hao immediately ordered Li Jinghe to deploy them.
“Understood!” Li Jinghe was on the phone, but a staff officer behind him heard the order and immediately ran off to launch the drones. Meanwhile, Hu Hao climbed back into the command vehicle. It was still stiflingly hot inside.
Within minutes, the drones were deployed. Hu Hao stood watching the monitors as the drones flew over Santong County, providing a clear view of the firefight below.
“I knew it! Chief of Staff, look! They were hiding inside the collapsed buildings earlier, making it impossible for our soldiers to find them one by one!
“Then, the moment they received the signal to attack, they launched a massive counter-offensive! This is a last-ditch fighting method. If we hadn’t secured the perimeter, and if we only had a small force here, they might have actually broken out and escaped! But they can’t escape now; our troops are everywhere!” Hu Hao explained to Li Jingsong.
“Oh, you can fight like this too?” Li Jingsong nodded as he watched the screen. Allied soldiers were swarming everywhere.
However, judging from the footage, the enemy soldiers looked incredibly exhausted. Having hidden for an entire day, coupled with a lack of logistical support and food, their current state was understandable.
Yet, these Allied soldiers were fighting with sheer desperation, charging recklessly toward the Eastern Spirit forces. Fortunately, the Eastern Spirit troops had secured the high ground earlier, allowing them to rain fire down upon the charging enemy. Otherwise, such a massive, chaotic charge would have thrown the entire formation into disarray and forced them into brutal hand-to-hand combat—a highly disadvantageous situation for the attacking force.
“Of course you can. This is their final gamble! The Allied commander is a master tactician, which was evident from their initial offensive. If they hadn’t been completely ignorant of our true strength, our defensive line might have genuinely fallen! Remember this tactic! It’s incredibly useful in desperate situations!” Hu Hao instructed Li Jingsong.
“Understood. By the way, Hao-ge, how did you know they would fight like this?” Li Jingsong asked curiously.
“Urban warfare, or street fighting, is the most difficult type of battle for an attacking force! Every step forward requires paying a steep price! Earlier, you guys said our offensive was proceeding ‘very smoothly.’ That’s simply impossible! Even if the Allied forces only had a few thousand men left defending the city, pushing through them quickly would be incredibly difficult!
“If urban defenses are arranged properly, they can bog down massive enemy forces! Previously, at Langcheng, we had absolutely no defensive arrangements; we just watched the Allied forces march right in!
“If we had prepared Langcheng’s defenses properly back then, given the hundreds of thousands of troops our Combat Zone had stationed there… as long as we had sufficient supplies, holding the city for half a year would have been no problem! And if the Allied forces wanted to swallow us, they would have to pay a price several times greater than our own!” Hu Hao explained.
“Oh? How should the defenses be arranged then?” Li Jingsong asked.
“Utilize the buildings and the sewer systems! Those serve as ready-made cover and communication trenches! Furthermore, the city has air-raid shelters! Whether the enemy uses artillery bombardment or infantry charges, every step they take forward would cost them dearly!
“However, the Allied forces facing us probably couldn’t pull it off effectively. This city is simply too small. As long as we divide and encircle them properly, they are doomed. Furthermore, there are too few air-raid shelters here; they simply can’t hide all their troops.
“Rather than just waiting to be blown to pieces by our artillery, they prefer to fight to the death, hoping to drag as many of our men down with them as possible. Sigh, the 89th Division’s casualties tonight will likely exceed 5,000! You guys…!” Hu Hao shook his head in frustration.
“Hao-ge, we didn’t have the experience! How were we supposed to know they would fight like this?!” Li Jingsong quickly defended himself.
“Alright, the tank units have moved in; things should improve now! Li Jinghe, order the infantry: protect the tanks! Do not let the Allied soldiers get close! They are definitely carrying satchel charges and anti-tank grenades!
“Do not let them charge our tanks! Have the heavy machine gunners on the tanks sweep the area! The infantry supporting the tanks must prioritize picking off those charging soldiers!” Hu Hao yelled out the door to Li Jinghe.
“Understood!” Li Jinghe immediately picked up the phone to contact the frontline Tank Regiment Commander.
“Hao-ge, you’re like a god! How do you know how to fight every kind of battle?!” Li Jingsong asked in awe.
“Just use your brain more! Fighting a war is a battle of wits! Weapons and equipment don’t solely determine victory or defeat. Furthermore, everything around you can be utilized!
“If I were defending inside a city, I could hold out for at least a week, even if you attacked me with an entire corps! However, it seems our opponents aren’t particularly skilled at urban warfare either!” Hu Hao remarked, watching the drone footage.
“Mm, I believe you!” Li Jingsong nodded. Hu Hao had used a mere 40,000 men to cripple—or rather, completely annihilate—four Allied corps! That level of ability was something very few people possessed!
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The thunderous roar of tank cannons echoed from within the city.
Hu Hao knew that with the tanks moving in, the Allied forces inside were finished. Once the tank regiment fully engaged, any remaining Allied hopes were dashed.
“Order them to finish off the remaining enemy troops quickly! The air-raid shelters are definitely packed with their wounded! We take no prisoners! Their hands are stained with the blood of our civilians!” Hu Hao instructed Li Jingsong.
“Hao-ge, call from the Commander!” a communications officer suddenly called out, handing the phone to Hu Hao.
“Oh?” Hu Hao took the phone.
“Hello, Commander! This is Hu Hao!” Hu Hao answered with a cheerful greeting.
“You’re awake? Why do I hear explosions on your end? What’s going on? Did the Allied reinforcements arrive and attack your positions already?” Jiang Kai asked.
“Ah, oh, no! It’s like this: I was actually just about to report to you! I ambushed the Kabuguo 32nd Corps earlier! I completely annihilated them and killed their Corps Commander! We even recovered his body!
“Right now, we are currently attacking the remnants in Santong County! There are the remnants of three corps inside. Including their wounded, I estimate there are around twenty to thirty thousand men left!” Hu Hao reported.
“What did you say?! You completely annihilated the Kabuguo 32nd Corps?! And killed their Corps Commander?!” Jiang Kai roared into the phone, utterly shocked.
Hearing his shout, the staff officers in the headquarters all turned to look at him.
“Hehe, yes, sir! My troops are currently sweeping the battlefield!” Hu Hao chuckled.
“Is this true?! Do not falsely report military merit! That is a grave offense!” Jiang Kai asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
“I guarantee it’s true! I’ll send the Corps Commander’s body to you later! Also, the other Corps Commanders here are currently surrounded by us. Once we finish them off, I’ll send them all to you together!” Hu Hao promised.
“Good! Good! Excellent! Hahaha! I truly never expected this! You actually wiped out the reinforcements too! This means your defensive line is completely secure now!” Jiang Kai laughed uproariously.
“It’s secure for now, but my troops suffered heavy casualties! I need to replenish my ranks! I’ll be arranging for conscription over the next few days. Otherwise, when the next wave of Allied forces arrives, I won’t be able to hold them off!
“Also, Commander, I urgently need all types of weapons—tanks, artillery, helicopters, you name it! Commander, can you arrange some for me?” Hu Hao immediately started asking for supplies.
“Don’t worry! For your corps, I will definitely allocate 300 tanks, 1,400 armored vehicles, and 3 Air Cavalry regiments totaling 120 helicopters!
“As for infantry weapons, there won’t be any problem either! Good! Excellent, kid! You’ve truly done me proud! This means our defensive line basically has no major issues left!” Jiang Kai declared.
“Thank you, Commander!” Hearing the promise of so much heavy equipment, Hu Hao was ecstatic. Heavy equipment was exactly what he needed right now! He had plenty of infantry weapons, but if the Commander was willing to send more, even better!
“No need to thank me; you earned it! I previously swore a military pledge to His Majesty that our defensive line would hold for two months! Judging by the current situation, there shouldn’t be any major problems. As long as the other defensive lines can hold, ours is perfectly fine!” Jiang Kai said.
“How are the other defensive lines holding up? Do you know?” Hu Hao asked.
“How else could they be? They’ve stabilized for now, but the troops are just being sent in wave after wave, only to be slaughtered! Motherfucker, I don’t even know how they’re commanding their battles!” Jiang Kai grumbled irritably.
“Let’s not talk about the other units. By the way, I have something important to tell you. Hold on a second!” Jiang Kai carried the phone into an adjacent meeting room, closed the door securely, and sat down facing it!
“Hu Hao!” Jiang Kai said once he was settled.
“I’m here, Commander. Go ahead!” Hu Hao replied.
“Someone has arrived here to supervise the battles! He might want to see you!” Jiang Kai revealed.
“Supervise the battles? And he wants to see me? Who is it?” Hu Hao asked, utterly perplexed.
“Your Academy Principal! His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince!” Jiang Kai stated.
“Ah? Oh. He wants to see me? Why does he want to see me?” Hearing that the Crown Prince had arrived, Hu Hao couldn’t help but ask.
(End of Chapter)