Wang Yao sat there, consumed by agonizing pain. He found it incredibly difficult to accept what Hu Hao had just told him. Yet, he knew Hu Hao was telling the truth; Hu Hao would never lie to him about something like this. Just then, a knock came at the door. Hu Hao called out for them to enter, and Mo Shui pushed the door open.
“What’s wrong?” Mo Shui immediately asked upon seeing Wang Yao sitting there with his head bowed.
“Close the door!” Hu Hao ordered. Mo Shui complied, then walked over and looked at Wang Yao.
“Well, Mo Shui, I just told Wang Yao… his hometown has fallen. He doesn’t know if his parents managed to escape. And… you… your side too…” Hu Hao stumbled over his words, unsure of how to break the news to Mo Shui.
“I know, Hao-ge. My hometown fell over twenty days ago,” Mo Shui replied, his head lowered.
Hearing this, Hu Hao looked at him in surprise, wondering where Mo Shui had gotten the information.
“Haozi, it was in the intelligence logs. I saw the records left by the previous staff officers. I saw them. I’ve known for a long time. Sob… Fuck!” Mo Shui covered his face with his hands and cursed through his tears.
Hu Hao walked over, pulled Wang Yao up, and pulled both of them into a tight embrace.
“Haozi, will we ever see our families again?! What the fuck is going on?! I’d rather die myself than have my family suffer the horrors of war! Seeing so many civilians slaughtered… I don’t even dare to imagine what they’re going through!” Mo Shui buried his face in Hu Hao’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.
Hu Hao didn’t know how to answer him. How could he possibly know if Mo Shui’s family was still alive? In this time of war, with the Allied forces relentlessly slaughtering Eastern Spirit civilians, the fate of their families was unknown to anyone.
Therefore, Hu Hao could only hold them tightly in silence, hoping to offer them some small measure of comfort.
It took nearly ten minutes for the two of them to finally calm down.
“Sigh… We’re on the front lines killing the enemy, protecting the civilians behind us, yet the other troops couldn’t even protect our own families!” Wang Yao muttered, leaning against the wall.
“Mo Shui, you’re in charge of intelligence. I authorize you to establish a special reconnaissance unit immediately. Their sole objective will be to locate the families of the officers and soldiers in our ranks. Start with the officers first; searching for the families of all the soldiers would be too massive an undertaking right now. But if you do locate them, you must find a way to protect them or bring them here to us!” Hu Hao instructed Mo Shui.
“Yes, sir! I will establish it immediately!” Mo Shui replied firmly.
“Select the personnel from within our own ranks, especially from among the soldiers whose families are also missing. They will be highly motivated to search for their own families as well!” Hu Hao added.
“Understood! By the way, Haozi, what about your family? Do they need protection?” Mo Shui asked.
“He’s right! Haozi, with the things you’re doing right now, once the High Command and His Majesty find out, your family will definitely suffer!” Wang Yao looked up at Hu Hao, suddenly realizing the danger.
“Sigh. If we have enough manpower, put them under protection. Or, once our situation here stabilizes, you guys can help me bring them over,” Hu Hao sighed heavily.
“Alright. Leave this matter to me!” Mo Shui promised.
“Report! Li Jiahang has arrived!” a staff officer called from outside.
“Alright!” Hu Hao replied, then turned to his two brothers. “Don’t be so pessimistic. As long as they’re still alive, we will definitely find them!”
“Mm, you go ahead and handle your business, Haozi. I’m heading out too; I’m the Operations Officer, after all!” Wang Yao nodded. Hu Hao opened the door and saw Li Jiahang standing in front of his desk.
“Where’s your situational awareness?! Can’t you fetch a chair for him?!” Hu Hao reprimanded the staff officers nearby.
“Hehe, I just got here!” Li Jiahang smiled at Hu Hao. A staff officer immediately brought a chair over!
“How’s the conscription going?” Hu Hao asked Li Jiahang.
“Hao-ge, you specifically ordered us not to recruit too many! If you want more, forget 12,000—we could easily recruit a full 21,000 men right now!” Li Jiahang reported.
“Mm, the reason I restricted your recruitment earlier was because I was worried the Commander might come for an inspection. If we recruited too many, how would we explain it? However, you can resume full-scale recruitment now. Begin training the new recruits immediately!” Hu Hao instructed with a nod.
“We can recruit freely again now?” Li Jiahang asked, confused by the sudden change.
“Our defensive line has been ordered to retreat!” Hu Hao replied. Li Jiahang’s eyes widened in shock.
“Mm, exactly the reaction I expected. Yes, the higher-ups ordered us to retreat. But Li Jingsong, Xiao Quan, and I have decided: we are not retreating!” Hu Hao declared, looking at Li Jiahang.
“Damn right we’re not retreating! Motherfucker, when does the retreating end?!” Li Jiahang immediately began cursing.
“I have a mission for you right now: move our division’s troops into the forest east of Bopa City and establish defensive positions there. I will also detach a regiment from the artillery division to set up firing positions there and assist you in guarding that sector!” Hu Hao ordered.
“Consider it done! I’ll head out immediately! We’re not retreating! Not a single one of our soldiers wants to retreat anyway! If we keep retreating, where are we supposed to retreat to?! How much land does the Empire even have left to give up?! We will fight them right here! Even if we die, we will take them down with us!” Li Jiahang said passionately.
“Calm down. Come here!” Hu Hao gestured toward the map, and Li Jiahang followed.
“Your troops will establish a defensive line at Jukou Town, roughly 30 kilometers east of Bopa City. The defensive line will form a U-shape, primarily focused on guarding against Allied forces approaching from the east. You don’t need to worry about the river; the Allied forces won’t dare cross there. We have other troops guarding it!” Hu Hao detailed the deployment.
“Understood. Just here, right? Are there any other locations?” Li Jiahang asked, nodding.
“No. With your current troop strength, you can’t hold an extended defensive line. Head there immediately!” Hu Hao ordered.
“Alright. Is there anything else?” Li Jiahang asked again.
“That’s all. I will handle the specific combat operations. For now, just go and dig your defensive fortifications!” Hu Hao shook his head.
Li Jiahang quickly departed. Hu Hao sat down, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, panic had gripped Bopa City and Late City. Many people who had fled previously had returned after seeing the Eastern Spirit forces successfully hold the line for so many days.
But now, rumors were spreading that the entire defensive line was about to retreat. Countless civilians began packing their belongings once more, preparing to flee.
Hu Hao had also received reports of this and had issued orders to his subordinates: do not stop the civilians. Let them flee. Even Hu Hao himself didn’t know if they could actually hold this position.
Consequently, a massive exodus began in Late City. Many factory workers dropped their tools, abandoned their factories, and fled! Even the workers at the arsenals had begun to run!
“Hao-ge, we just received word! The workers at the Late City arsenals are fleeing!” Mo Shui ran up to Hu Hao and reported. It was already dusk.
“What did you say?! The workers are fleeing?! What about the management? Have they fled too?!” Hu Hao shot to his feet.
“They fled even earlier! Once the workers found out, they started fleeing as well!” Mo Shui quickly replied.
“Huan Xingtao! Mobilize my Guard Regiment! Proceed to Late City immediately and secure all the arsenals and chemical plants there! Remember: do not let the workers destroy the equipment! Aside from that, if they want to run, let them run. But they cannot take anything from inside the factories!” Hu Hao roared toward the door.
“Yes, Hao-ge!” Huan Xingtao rushed out from an adjacent room. He was now the Commander of Hu Hao’s personal Guard Regiment, and his subordinate Battalion and Company Commanders were all former members of Hu Hao’s original squad!
“Hurry!” Hu Hao ordered. He then began pacing excitedly around the command center. He hadn’t expected such a perfect turn of events! Although the workers and management had fled, Hu Hao wasn’t worried. His only concern was the equipment still intact?
If the equipment was intact, finding workers would be easy. With the massive influx of refugees, recruiting workers would be simple. Hu Hao was confident he could even find workers experienced in arsenal production.
A massive number of refugees fleeing from the South and Southwest had congregated in his sector. Seeing Hu Hao’s troops establishing defenses in the various cities had put their minds at ease, and many had temporarily settled in the areas Hu Hao controlled, no longer wanting to run. However, the local residents of Bopa City and Late City were mostly fleeing.
“Ha, securing these arsenals changes everything!” Hu Hao was ecstatic.
“Hao-ge, call from the Commander!” a communications officer brought the phone over.
“Hello, Commander!” Hu Hao answered immediately.
“Hu Hao, order your troops to retreat immediately! Immediately! The Allied forces on the Western line are currently pursuing the retreating Western Combat Zone troops! The Western Combat Zone forces couldn’t hold; their entire line has collapsed! I estimate the Allied forces will crash into your rear by tomorrow afternoon! Your troops must retreat right now!” Jiang Kai urged frantically over the phone.
“What?! That fast?! Commander, my troops aren’t ready yet! They haven’t even familiarized themselves with the new equipment and weapons!” Hu Hao feigned shock, desperately looking for an excuse not to retreat!
“Forget about the equipment! I’ll resupply you later! Retreat immediately!” Jiang Kai roared.
(End of Chapter)