Hu Hao received Jiang Kai’s call and fooled him into thinking his troops were already retreating, albeit moving very slowly. Hearing this, Jiang Kai immediately ordered Hu Hao’s troops to pick up the pace, as the Allied forces coming from the west would definitely attack Late City.
“I don’t care what method you use, pull your main force out immediately! I already told you about the equipment—if you can’t take it, blow it up! Once you get here, I will replenish your losses!” Jiang Kai said over the phone.
“Yes, I understand. I will issue the orders right away!” Hu Hao replied, merely playing along.
“There’s one more thing. I need you to dispatch a unit to Late City. Mm, a regiment should do. Take enough explosives and blow up those arsenals and warehouses!” Jiang Kai continued.
“What?” Hu Hao froze for a moment before shouting back.
“I said, order a regiment to head back immediately. Go back to Late City and blow up those factories!” Jiang Kai repeated the order.
“Holy shit, blowing up arsenals is our job now? What about the people at the arsenals? Aren’t they part of our military too? Where are they?” Feigning ignorance, Hu Hao immediately started cursing.
“Now is not the time to discuss this. Order your troops back immediately.” Jiang Kai didn’t want to let Hu Hao continue, knowing full well how nasty Hu Hao’s cursing could get if left unchecked.
“No, Commander. Sending my troops back now is sending them to their deaths. I can’t do that. You want me to send my own men to die—tell me, how can I issue such an order?” Hu Hao retorted.
“It’s not a suicide mission. The troops you send might still make it back. Tell them to move quickly. You must blow up the arsenals and warehouses! Especially the weapons in the warehouses,” Jiang Kai insisted.
“There are still weapons in the warehouses?” Hu Hao pressed.
“The Grand Marshal says there are. I don’t know the exact amount, but he claims it’s not much!” Jiang Kai replied.
“Not much?” Hearing this, Hu Hao turned to look at the densely packed helicopters behind him. Just this one warehouse likely held over 300, and there were several more warehouses just like it.
“Mm, that’s what the Grand Marshal said. His point is that not a single weapon can be left for the Allied forces, otherwise they’ll use our own weapons to invade the Eastern Spirit Empire,” Jiang Kai explained.
“Well, the Grand Marshal sure has high political awareness. I just want to ask, why weren’t they blown up earlier? Telling us to blow them up now—isn’t this just screwing me over? Commander, I’ve earned you a lot of merit! Why are you always screwing me over?” Hu Hao complained over the phone.
Hearing this, Jiang Kai rubbed his head and said in frustration, “I don’t want to either. But your troops are the closest to Late City right now. Hurry up and send men to blow up those arsenals! Remember, you must destroy the equipment and the warehouses!”
“Fine, I’ll send people now. But this is the last time!” Hu Hao said before hanging up.
“Motherfucker, this is ‘not much’? Then what the hell counts as a lot?!” Hu Hao cursed, looking at the helicopters.
“Hao-ge, what do we do with all these weapons?” Huan Xingtao asked from behind.
“Hao-ge, call from Division Commander Bai Ye!” A communications officer handed another phone to Hu Hao.
“Hello, this is Hu Hao. What’s the situation on your end?” Hu Hao asked as he took the phone.
“Hao-ge, our recon units spotted an Allied vanguard force in a village about 15 kilometers ahead. It’s roughly a tank regiment and an armored regiment. They are currently resting in the village, and we don’t know when they will advance,” Bai Ye reported.
“Good. Do not engage this unit. Have our scouts continue pushing west to locate the Allied main force. Leave this vanguard for Li Jingsong to handle. His division in Muqiao City will have no problem dealing with them. We’ll use this vanguard to draw out the Allied main force!” Hu Hao instructed.
“Understood!” Bai Ye nodded.
Hanging up, Hu Hao turned to his staff officers. “Call Wu Kexiao and the other two infantry division commanders. Tell them to look for Air Cavalry pilots. For every one they find, send them to me. By the way, have they sent the tank crews over yet?”
“Report, they have already set out! But Hao-ge, as you know, it’s quite a distance! It will probably take them a few hours to get here!” a staff officer replied.
“We still have Air Cavalry pilots who fly transport helicopters, right? Have them go pick them up immediately! Pick up the Air Cavalry pilots and heavy machine gunners first! Hurry!” Hu Hao ordered.
“Yes, sir!” The staff officer hurried off to relay the orders.
“Motherfucker, if these weapons are used well, god knows how much territory I can control!” Hu Hao muttered, looking at the helicopters.
Even now, he hadn’t tallied up the exact number of weapons. It was impossible—there were simply too many, and of too many varieties. He would have to wait for Xiao Quan to return to conduct a proper inventory.
“I’m leaving things here to you, Huan Xingtao. Remember, once Xiao Quan gets back, transport the ammunition to Daman City first. Wang Yao!” Hu Hao called out.
“Here!” Wang Yao walked over.
“I’ll tell you the hiding spots for the tank units. Go to the tank warehouses. Once our soldiers start driving the tanks out, tell them where to go first!” Hu Hao instructed Wang Yao.
“Yes, sir!” Wang Yao nodded.
“Alright, I’m heading back to the command center. Damn it, with the main forces retreating so fast, the Allied forces will definitely pursue aggressively. Fighting well now will buy us a lot of time! And expand our territory!” Hu Hao said as he walked.
Soon, Hu Hao was in his vehicle, racing back toward the command center. Knowing he had so many weapons gave him a boost of confidence. His priority was to buy his troops more time—time for training and conscription!
As Hu Hao’s vehicle sped toward the command center, he saw many civilians retreating along the road with their families in tow. He remained silent.
He knew it was because the soldiers had failed, forcing these civilians to constantly flee. If they could win battles and hold the line, the civilians wouldn’t run; they would stand behind the army!
“Hao-ge, call from Li Jiahang!” A staff officer handed him the phone.
“Mm.” Hu Hao took it.
“Hao-ge, we’ve spotted Allied forces crossing the river! They are crossing at the 27th Corps’ main positions. We haven’t determined if they’re marching toward us yet! They just finished building their pontoon bridges!” Li Jiahang reported.
“Mm, keep an eye on them. If they don’t head this way, don’t provoke them for now. They might not realize our troops haven’t retreated yet, so they might not come here. Of course, if they do, we’ll crush them!” Hu Hao instructed.
“Yes, sir!” Li Jiahang replied.
Hu Hao put the phone down. The Allied forces were now pushing behind his defensive line. This meant Hu Hao and his troops would soon be surrounded. He honestly didn’t know if his troops could carve a bloody path out of here.
Sitting in the car and looking up at the starry sky, Hu Hao pondered his situation. He had embarked on a path he never envisioned when he first arrived on Planet Yuanling—independent development and expanding his own forces.
If he mishandled this, the Eastern Spirit Empire would brand him a rebel, while the Allied forces would view him as a thorn in their side. After all, his troops were now operating right in the middle of enemy-controlled territory, threatening the Allied invasion’s logistical supply lines and occupation plans.
Hu Hao remained silent for the rest of the drive back to the command center, his mind racing to find a way to break this deadlock.
Upon arriving, he went straight to the maps, pulling out the maps for Tianhe, Dingkang, Tianxiang, Anxi, Longxi, and Jinxi Provinces.
Hu Hao’s forces were currently located at the junction of three provinces: Tianxiang, Dingkang, and Tianhe.
To the west were the three western provinces: Anxi, Longxi, and Jinxi. Jinxi Province was to his northwest, effectively behind him, but massive Allied forces were currently attacking the Western Combat Zone troops there.
Meanwhile, in Longxi Province, Allied troops were moving toward him—the very forces Bai Ye had just spotted. They had pivoted from Longxi to head in his direction.
Hu Hao studied the maps of these six provinces, carefully plotting his direction for expansion. The staff officers behind him didn’t disturb him, letting him sit quietly and think.
“Hao-ge, Hao-ge, call from Division Commander Bai Ye!” a communications officer whispered, bringing the phone over.
“Mm.” Hu Hao took the receiver.
“This is Hu Hao.” He checked his watch and realized it was already past midnight. He had been sitting there for nearly two hours.
“Hao-ge, the Allied forces are moving. They are heading toward Muqiao City. Also, we’ve spotted the Allied main force just leaving Luotang City. It’s an entire corps, though our scouts report they aren’t at full strength!” Bai Ye reported.