Hu Hao stood there, watching Wang Yao’s troops retreat from the front lines, feeling much more at ease. He knew the Allied fighter jets would undoubtedly spot their tank units, but as long as they retreated into the forest, the Allied forces couldn’t possibly find them all. As long as they hid well, the Allied Air Force would have a hard time spotting them. This was especially true for fighter jets, which had limited ground-attack capabilities.
Seeing them safely in the woods, Hu Hao turned his attention back to the tasks at hand.
Right now, Hu Hao needed to cultivate officers—his own officers. There were very few veteran Regimental Commanders left, so he desperately needed young Battalion and Company Commanders!
The training regiment he had established currently only had a little over 500 men. They were still studying there, though Hu Hao hadn’t visited them today.
He had taught them basic combat requirements and tactics, but it wasn’t enough. If placed in the army right now, these men could serve as Battalion Commanders at best, definitely not Regimental Commanders!
An unknown amount of time passed before a staff officer walked over. “Hao-ge, the Allied fighter jets arrived. They didn’t spot many of our tanks. About twenty tanks were exposed and destroyed, but casualties are minimal. The crews of the exposed tanks bailed out in time and successfully escaped!”
“Good. Keep an eye on those fighter jets, and watch out for any Allied stragglers; don’t let a single one slip away. Also, order the infantry battalion that accompanied the tank units to sweep the battlefield and collect the weapons. Notify the engineering units to select a site and dig pits to bury the Allied dead.
“Furthermore, separate the officers ranked Major and above. Bury them individually, erect tombstones, and ensure our side properly marks and registers them!” Hu Hao instructed the staff officers.
“Hao-ge, why go through the trouble? Burying them all together in a mass grave is generous enough, why separate them?” several staff officers asked, looking at Hu Hao in confusion.
“This is about battlefield ethics. Setting aside the severity of their crimes, they were officers and deserve the treatment of officers. Although the Allied forces might not extend the same courtesy to us if we fell I believe that once they learn of our actions, they might also start burying our fallen individually. Some things just need to be done. They are already dead; there’s no point in holding onto grudges. Just bury them!” Hu Hao smiled.
“Hao-ge, you are truly benevolent and righteous!” Hearing Hu Hao’s reasoning, the staff officers didn’t press the matter further.
Hu Hao lit a cigarette and continued scanning the officer roster, selecting candidates for the training regiment. He had to give them a crash course to ensure they were at least competent as Company or Battalion Commanders.
As for Regimental and Division Commanders, they couldn’t be produced through training; they had to be forged in the fires of real combat. Hu Hao needed to observe their battlefield performance before promoting them to those ranks. For now, those positions would remain vacant.
“Someone! Contact Xiao Quan, Li Jingsong, Wu Kexiao, Ye Zifeng, Bo Gang, Lu Guangsheng, Zheng Longjiang, Li Jiahang, Liu Shuyi, Dong Qipeng, and Weng Tao! I want a video conference with them!” Hu Hao ordered.
“Yes, sir!” the staff officers immediately complied.
They quickly contacted the respective engineering units to set up the secure communication channels for the meeting.
Hu Hao sat there thinking for a moment. He circled a list of names and handed it to a staff officer. “Make a copy of the names I’ve circled. Send them a notice: they are to report to Daman City in five days for a one-month training course!”
“Yes, sir!” the staff officer immediately went to execute the order.
“Hao-ge, it’s ready. The connections are established, and everyone is present!” an engineering staff officer reported.
Hu Hao nodded, gathered his notebooks, and headed toward the meeting room. “Senior staff officers, come with me!”
Hearing the order, the senior staff officers grabbed their notebooks and followed him inside.
The moment Hu Hao walked in, the commanders on the video screens began greeting him as “Hao-ge.” Hu Hao took the head seat, while the other senior staff officers sat down around him.
“I’ve called this impromptu meeting to make some operational deployments. It will be brief. Xiao Quan, Li Jingsong, you both know about the situation in Late City, right?” Hu Hao asked.
“We know! I really didn’t expect them to have so many weapons stashed there. Tell me, why didn’t they just issue those weapons to us earlier?” Xiao Quan immediately complained.
“Why would they give them to you? Those weapons weren’t meant for our troops. I’ve heard rumors about this. The Grand Marshal and his faction were planning to export them abroad. The delivery date was approaching, but we intercepted them! It’s our lucky break!” Li Jingsong interjected.
“Oh? Such a thing actually happened? The country is in this state, yet they were still exporting weapons to other nations? Are they sick in the head?” Hu Hao looked at Li Jingsong in confusion. The others also stared at Li Jingsong’s screen.
“Sigh, it was from before the war. Moreover, these weapons weren’t… never mind, Hao-ge, I’ll tell you privately next time. This isn’t the right place to discuss it!” Li Jingsong quickly covered up. He had originally wanted to explain that these weapons were smuggled goods, hidden from His Majesty and kept off the High Command’s official ledgers.
“Alright. We have three main topics for this meeting: officer selection and appointments, troop expansion and training, and the livelihood arrangements for the civilians in our sector. We must resolve this last issue.
“Otherwise, we’ll run out of food by next year. We have to plan ahead.
“Since everyone agreed not to retreat and to continue fighting back, we need to consider how we fight and what we fight with. We can’t just fight until we run out of food; what’s the point of fighting then?” Hu Hao stated. The officers nodded in agreement.
“Hao-ge, we’ll follow your lead! Just tell us what to do, and we’ll do it!” Li Jingsong said.
“This still requires collective brainstorming. We can always find solutions together. My own perspective is ultimately limited. If there are flaws in my plans, or if you have better suggestions, you must speak up.
“We are all doing this to survive and to avenge our families. If not for that, what are we doing here? Retreating would be much easier. If I just led you all in a retreat, our chances of survival would be much higher!” Hu Hao looked at them.
“Hehe!” The officers chuckled knowingly.
“Now, let’s discuss the officer situation. We have a severe shortage of officers, and this simply won’t do. Since we intend to counterattack, we need massive troop numbers, and massive troops require officers.
“Therefore, cultivating officers is our top priority. I plan to expand the training regiment. We will select 1,000 officers from the lower ranks to be trained as Company and Battalion Commanders. Deputy Company Commanders and Platoon Leaders are also eligible for selection.
“Additionally, if you have promising candidates, recommend them for training. We will use the upcoming rainy season to conduct a crash course for our talents. The goal is for them to learn while fighting in the subsequent battles. Only then can our forces continue to grow.
“As for Regimental and Division Commanders, there is no way to train them in a classroom. They require ample combat and command experience. Once they prove themselves capable, I will train them individually!” Hu Hao explained. The officers nodded.
“I will distribute the selection list shortly. Bai Ye, Bo Gang, Li Jingsong, Xiao Quan, and Wu Kexiao—once you receive the list, you have five days to send those men to me. You must also submit your own recommendations. The training will last one month. This upcoming month will be exhausting for you, as pulling so many officers will definitely impact your units. Therefore, you Division Commanders will have to personally inspect the subordinate units more frequently!” Hu Hao instructed.
“Hao-ge, I… I’m not a Division Commander yet!” Wang Yao quickly chimed in.
“Neither am I!” Dong Qipeng added.
“Me neither!” Li Jiahang echoed.
“You guys will just manage those troops for now. I’m not asking you to command them in battle yet, so why are you itching to be Division Commanders? Even if you had the guts to accept the title, I wouldn’t dare give it to you! For now, your role is temporary management. Once your capabilities improve, I will naturally transfer you to the combat units!” Hu Hao chuckled.
“Don’t worry, Hao-ge. Being tired is fine. We actually have something to strive for now; we’re happy no matter how exhausted we get!” Xiao Quan said.
“Exactly! No matter how tiring it is, we can handle it!” Weng Tao nodded in agreement.
“I’m only sleeping three or four hours a day, but I’m thrilled. As long as we can hold the line, we will definitely fight our way back home in the future!” Lu Guangsheng declared.
“Mm, good. Motivation is good. There’s one more thing: you all need to expand your forces!” Hu Hao continued.
“Expand again?!” The officers stared at Hu Hao in shock.
“It’s a necessity. Let me outline our near-term targets. Within the next two months, we will form six tank divisions, five Air Cavalry divisions, three artillery divisions, two anti-aircraft divisions, six anti-aircraft regiments, fifteen infantry divisions, and eight engineering regiments!
“Furthermore, the Special Operations Regiment will be expanded to 3,000 men under my direct command! I will also establish a Guard Division, also under my direct command. Listen well, all of you: right now, we only have division-level units. Who among you eventually becomes a Corps Commander will depend entirely on your performance in battle!” Hu Hao announced.
“That many troops?! Do we even have enough cadres for that?” Li Jingsong asked, stunned.
“We don’t have them right now, but once we set up the framework, we will! Besides, right now, not every unit needs to be fully combat-ready immediately!” Hu Hao smiled reassuringly.
(End of Chapter)