Jiang Kai was currently in a very difficult position. His troops had already retreated, yet the Grand Marshal was now ordering him to send a detachment back to Late City to blow up the arsenals. Furthermore, blowing up arsenals wasn’t even the Combat Zone’s responsibility; it fell under the jurisdiction of the High Command. Arsenals were directly subordinate to the High Command, and Combat Zone Commanders had no authority to interfere with their production or management.
“I don’t care what method you use! Even if you have to send a suicide squad, blow up the arsenals, the chemical plants, and the automotive plants over there! Especially the arsenals and their warehouses! They must be destroyed!” the Grand Marshal ordered over the phone.
“Can’t we just dispatch bombers to destroy them?” Jiang Kai asked.
“No! The arsenals’ primary equipment and warehouses are all located deep underground!” the Grand Marshal replied.
When the arsenals were originally constructed, they were built underground specifically to protect against enemy bombing.
“I see… but there are still a lot of weapons in those warehouses. Why do the warehouses need to be blown up too?” Jiang Kai asked, catching onto the detail.
“There aren’t many weapons, just recent production batches. Regardless of how many weapons there are, we cannot allow them to fall into Allied hands! If they use our own weapons against us, our negligence would be a massive offense!
“Dispatch a detachment back immediately! Immediately! Even if it’s a suicide squad, blow them all to hell!” the Grand Marshal reiterated forcefully.
“Yes, sir! I will dispatch a detachment immediately!” Hearing the gravity in the Grand Marshal’s voice, Jiang Kai realized the situation was critical. The arsenals absolutely could not fall into Allied hands. With the Eastern Spirit Empire’s resources, the Allied forces could produce virtually any weapon they needed.
“Good. That’s all. Call me back once they’re destroyed!” The Grand Marshal hung up after Jiang Kai’s confirmation.
What Jiang Kai didn’t know was that inside the Grand Marshal’s office, the Left General (Commander of the Army) and the Right General (Commander of the Air Force) were also present.
“I’ve ordered Jiang Kai to blow them up. Sigh! If His Majesty finds out there are still so many weapons in those warehouses, he’ll execute our entire families nine generations deep! Damn it, Dongxian is pressing us incredibly hard for delivery!
“They previously ordered 2,000 tanks, 1,200 of our Empire’s Type-09 fighter jets, 4,000 armored vehicles, 500,000 rifles, 20,000 heavy machine guns, and countless rounds of ammunition! We never reported this contract to His Majesty! If His Majesty finds out, we’re completely finished!” Grand Marshal Tang Long said to the Left and Right Generals.
“If Jiang Kai sends troops back, won’t they discover the massive stockpile of weapons there?” Left General Ma Zhenling pointed out.
“Indeed. But our Air Force can’t destroy them from above; those weapons are all stored in underground bunkers!” Right General Luo Xin added.
“I estimate that by the time they get back there, the Allied forces will likely have already arrived. The detachment sent to blow up the arsenals probably won’t make it back alive. If they do, we’ll just deny everything! If Jiang Kai actually reports it to His Majesty, we’ll claim complete ignorance! His Majesty cannot know about this!
“Also, we need to quickly requisition a batch of weapons from the northern arsenals! His Majesty could order a military expansion at any moment! If he does, and we cannot supply enough weapons, His Majesty will be furious!
“According to our Empire’s military regulations, our weapon reserves must be double the amount currently equipped by active forces. We’ve blown up quite a few bases recently. If His Majesty demands equipment now and we can’t produce it, he will kill us!” Grand Marshal Tang Long said, his voice laced with anxiety.
“Let’s just hope the situation in Late City doesn’t reach His Majesty’s ears. If His Majesty finds out, he will absolutely not spare us!” Left General Ma Zhenling said worriedly.
“He won’t find out. I’ve already ordered the Western line forces to retreat rapidly. To the Allied forces, Late City is a massive, juicy piece of meat; it’s impossible for them not to march there! Jiang Kai’s forces have already retreated quite a distance. As long as they manage to blow up those arsenals before the Allied forces arrive, we’ll be fine.
“It will take time for the detachment to travel back and rig the explosives. I estimate that by the time they finish, the Allied forces will have arrived, and that detachment will undoubtedly be wiped out. Right now, my only concern is if the subordinate troops report the stockpile to Jiang Kai, and Jiang Kai reports it to His Majesty. His Majesty would definitely investigate! Therefore, we must present a unified front: we know absolutely nothing about the situation there!” Tang Long declared.
“Then… what about the delivery to Dongxian?” Luo Xin asked.
“Exactly. According to the contract, we have to deliver the goods on the 20th of next month! We originally planned to transport them from the Central Combat Zone to the Western Combat Zone, and we even promised a cut to the Commanders of both zones! Now that the weapons and equipment are gone, Dongxian will definitely demand answers!” Ma Zhenling added.
“General Ma, you will travel to Dongxian tomorrow. Ostensibly, you are going to negotiate the deployment of their troops to our country. But in reality, you will negotiate the cancellation of our previous contract. We will refund their deposit in full!
“Simultaneously, in exchange for their troops reinforcing us, we are willing to offer them 400 main battle tanks, 200 fighter jets, and 1,000 armored vehicles as compensation! This matter ends here!” Tang Long instructed Ma Zhenling.
“Alright. But will Dongxian’s Grand Marshal agree to this? They’ve always desperately wanted us to export these weapons to them! When they placed their initial order for 500 main battle tanks, rifles, machine guns, and fighter jets their King had to agree to cede a disputed territory in the northwest to us before our His Majesty would even agree to the sale!
“Furthermore, His Majesty explicitly stated back then that these weapons could not be exported to neighboring countries, as it would increase the threat to our own nation! We signed this current contract behind His Majesty’s back! What if their Grand Marshal leaks this to His Majesty? What do we do then?!” Ma Zhenling asked, pointing out the severe risks.
“Give him 500 million personally! That should settle the matter! If he continues to pursue it, the losses will outweigh the gains for him! Without us, they can forget about ever getting their hands on our country’s weapons again!” Tang Long sneered coldly.
“Good. I imagine 500 million is a massive fortune for Dongxian’s Grand Marshal. He will remain silent!” Luo Xin nodded in agreement.
“Right now, the only difficult variable is Jiang Kai. Grand Marshal, what are your plans for this man? If His Majesty truly promotes him to replace you… not only will your family be in massive trouble, but it will also spell disaster for the Crown Prince!” Ma Zhenling looked at the Grand Marshal with a knowing smile.
Seeing Ma Zhenling’s smile, Tang Long felt a surge of disgust. He knew Ma Zhenling supported the Second Prince; the Second Prince was married to Ma Zhenling’s eldest granddaughter. If the Grand Marshal was ousted, the Second Prince, backed by Ma Zhenling, would gain massive influence within the military.
However, Tang Long also knew that Jiang Kai’s rise wouldn’t be good news for Ma Zhenling either. Who knew which Prince Jiang Kai would support? Coupled with Jiang Kai’s impressive military merit, he commanded significant respect among the grassroots troops. Therefore, Ma Zhenling didn’t want Jiang Kai to rise either.
“Jiang Kai currently enjoys His Majesty’s support. He controls 600,000 troops, and this recent retreat was explicitly ordered by His Majesty himself! We simply can’t find an opening to eliminate him right now!
“We need to plan this carefully. I originally thought the fact that his subordinate, Hu Hao, privately conscripted troops would be enough to incur His Majesty’s wrath against Jiang Kai. Who would have thought His Majesty would let even that slide?! Therefore, we must bide our time and wait for an opportunity. Besides, Jiang Kai isn’t an idiot. What influence does he have in the capital?
“A mere Combat Zone Commander wanting to take over the High Command?! Relying solely on the troops he currently controls? Hmph! He won’t come! Not unless his forces undergo further massive expansion! Only then might it be possible!” Tang Long snorted coldly.
“That might be true, but Jiang Kai ultimately has His Majesty’s backing! Further expansion isn’t entirely out of the question! Moreover, I heard the Crown Prince utilized this supervision trip to build a significantly closer relationship with Jiang Kai! The Grand Marshal’s calculations are truly profound!” Ma Zhenling smiled, continuing to needle Tang Long.
“That is a testament to the Crown Prince’s wisdom! Furthermore, Jiang Kai has rendered meritorious service to the Empire. What is wrong with the Crown Prince building rapport with a meritorious general?” Tang Long retorted, though his irritation deepened.
He knew Ma Zhenling was only saying this to disgust him. Every general in the High Command knew Tang Long and Jiang Kai were at odds. Now, the Crown Prince—the Grand Marshal’s own son-in-law—was actually cozying up to Jiang Kai! Wasn’t this a massive slap in the face to his father-in-law?!
“Mm, no problem at all! No problem at all! The Crown Prince is naturally wise! It’s just that he seems to lack a bit of respect for his father-in-law! Haha!” Ma Zhenling laughed as he stood up.
Among the three of them, Ma Zhenling was the oldest, approaching seventy. He couldn’t hold the position of Left General for much longer; in a few years, he would pass it on to his son.
“Ma Zhenling, with a formidable enemy at our gates, I believe we should act together! Only then can we protect our mutual interests! If Jiang Kai truly manages to take power, it won’t be good news for the Second Prince either! And your position as Left General might not remain secure!” Tang Long stood up as well, staring at Ma Zhenling as he prepared to leave.
“Well then, you two chat! I’ll leave you to it!” Luo Xin immediately stood up and excused himself.
As the Commander of the Air Force, he neither supported nor opposed anyone. Although he was aware of the friction between the two of them, he had no desire to know too much!
“Mm. I will inform you if there’s any news!” Tang Long nodded to Luo Xin.
“Alright. Grand Marshal, Left General, have a good chat!” Luo Xin nodded and exited the Grand Marshal’s office. Once Luo Xin closed the heavy doors behind him, Ma Zhenling walked over and sat in the chair next to the Grand Marshal.
“We join forces and eliminate Jiang Kai!” Tang Long stared intently at Ma Zhenling.
“Deal. But I want the designations for two corps! Two corps, belonging to the Ma family!” Ma Zhenling nodded, looking at the Grand Marshal with a calculating smile.
(End of Chapter)