After stepping out of his vehicle, Kelly met up with his Chief of Staff, Jasman. The two began walking together across the open ground. Kelly’s very first words to Jasman were that Yonghe City would be a tough nut to crack.
“Of course it won’t be easy. If it were an easy fight, would they have sent us?” Jasman chuckled.
“What, you were expecting this? We suffered over a thousand casualties in our first probing attack alone! We lost over 30 tanks and more than 50 armored vehicles in less than twenty minutes!
“The Eastern Spirit forces’ firepower is genuinely terrifying. It’s just a pity they lack good commanders. If they had capable leadership, the Eastern Spirit army wouldn’t be so easy to defeat!” Kelly remarked, looking at Jasman.
“Who says they don’t? There’s one right in front of us. The commander we’re facing now is undoubtedly the same one who annihilated four of our corps previously, and the same one who wiped out another two corps between last night and today. It has to be the exact same person.
“Although we still don’t know his identity, I can say with absolute certainty that they are all the same man!” Jasman frowned as he spoke.
“Are you sure? The same person?” Kelly frowned as well.
“I’m certain. There aren’t many capable generals in the Eastern Spirit Empire, and I’ve studied this particular opponent. He likes to hold his cards close to his chest. He won’t reveal his trump cards until a critical moment, and when he does, it means he’s going for a decisive battle.
“That’s how he fought all his previous battles. He’s someone intimately familiar with warfare. Even now, I can’t figure out who it could be. Before the war, the Eastern Spirit Empire heavily promoted a lot of ‘young talents,’ but from what I can see, those young talents are nothing but empty reputations. There might not be a single truly capable one among them.
“But this guy in front of us… I have no idea who he is!” Jasman took out a cigarette and lit it.
“Isn’t it Li Jingsong?” Kelly asked immediately. The Allied command had previously believed that the defense of Bopa City was orchestrated by Li Jingsong and his 87th Division!
“It can’t be Li Jingsong. I’ve looked into his background. He’s just a playboy. If you told me he was good at womanizing, I’d believe you. But telling me he’s good at warfare? That’s a joke,” Jasman laughed, shaking his head.
“Then I don’t know who it could be. But according to our intelligence, the 87th Division is Li Jingsong’s unit!” Kelly pointed out.
“And what if Li Jingsong is dead? Is it still his unit then? Could the current division commander be someone completely new? We simply don’t know! With so many Eastern Spirit generals dying recently, isn’t it entirely possible that Li Jingsong is dead too?” Jasman looked at Kelly.
“That’s true. I have heard that many Eastern Spirit generals were killed by their own soldiers. It’s entirely possible this Li Jingsong you mentioned was shot by his own men too! It’s very possible! Haha!” Kelly chuckled.
“According to High Command’s orders, we need to completely control Late City within three days. From the looks of it, that’s impossible!” Jasman stated.
“Well, it’s not entirely impossible. We still don’t know how many troops are stationed here in Yonghe City. If their numbers are small and we can take this place tonight, our forces can resume the advance tomorrow!” Kelly replied thoughtfully.
“Impossible. We won’t take this place tonight,” Jasman shook his head.
“Why is it impossible? If their numbers are small, we are more than capable of wiping them out!” Kelly looked at Jasman in disbelief.
“Do you really think that’s likely? Even if there aren’t many troops here, what about Meilin City right behind it? What about Jinhe City? Do they have troops there too? By the time we reach Late City, there will definitely be defenders waiting. That means if we want to attack Late City, we have to conquer these three cities first.
“You said it yourself: our first probing attack resulted in over 1,000 casualties. Even if their numbers are small, if we launch a full assault, suffering 3,000 casualties would be perfectly normal, right? Three cities—that’s 10,000 men gone.
“And once we reach Late City, they will undoubtedly fight to the death. Our casualties there will be even higher. Plus, can we really conquer the three cities blocking Late City in just three days?
“As I said, this Eastern Spirit commander is the same one from before. He trades space for time, using space to inflict casualties on us. Once our casualties exceed a certain threshold, he might launch a counter-offensive!” Jasman explained.
Kelly stood there, processing Jasman’s words. After a moment, he nodded. “You’re right. I was being too optimistic. Our opponent is a skilled general, and right now, I don’t even know what his ultimate goal is!”
“Therefore, we shouldn’t expect to take this place in three days. Capturing Late City before the rainy season arrives would be an excellent result in itself. Furthermore, Corps Commander, I strongly suggest you request His Majesty to deploy a pure infantry corps as reinforcements.
“We are a mechanized force; urban warfare is not our strong suit. If we fight them like this, we will definitely be the ones taking the losses. Having a pure infantry corps advance under the cover of our firepower would be far more effective!” Jasman advised.
“Requesting reinforcements now? No, His Majesty won’t agree. We are the Imperial Guard; we’ve always been invincible. Requesting reinforcements before the real fighting has even begun will definitely displease His Majesty and the High Command” Kelly shook his head, refusing to request reinforcements so soon.
“But once we suffer massive casualties, you’ll have to request reinforcements anyway. By then, we will have lost so many of our elite troops. Tell me, is it worth it?” Jasman pressed.
“Let’s fight a bit first and see how it goes. If there truly is a massive Eastern Spirit force here, then we’ll have justification to request reinforcements. Right now, we don’t know anything for sure; it’s all just speculation. I feel it’s better to wait!” Kelly compromised.
He didn’t want to call for reinforcements. The 1st Corps was the most powerful force in the Mara Empire. If other units found out they had asked for help, they would be a laughingstock. The 1st Corps had its pride.
“Very well. However, are you planning to attack tonight?” Knowing Kelly’s reasoning, Jasman nodded and shifted the topic.
“Yes. I want to launch another probing attack tonight to force them to reveal their firepower. Our artillery is currently setting up positions. Once they are ready, we’ll bombard Yonghe City, then use our tanks to cover an infantry advance to determine exactly how many troops are in the city!” Kelly confirmed.
“You’re in a hurry, aren’t you?” Jasman observed.
“I have to be. You know how the daytime heat affects our soldiers; they can’t handle it. We have men suffering from heatstroke every single day. This kind of non-combat attrition is a major headache. If we don’t utilize the nights to attack, are we supposed to attack during the day?” Kelly argued.
“Fair enough. However, Corps Commander, I advise against attacking tonight. At night, the enemy is hidden while we are exposed. It makes it even harder to locate their positions. I suggest we wait until dawn to attack. That still gives us four or five hours of combat time before the heat sets in,” Jasman proposed.
“Isn’t tomorrow morning a bit late?” Kelly checked his watch. It was only past 11:00 PM; waiting meant delaying for another five or six hours.
“I believe waiting is the better option. Our soldiers have been marching all day. The night air is cool now; let them rest. Tomorrow morning, they’ll have more energy to engage the Eastern Spirit forces.
“Most importantly, when we attack during the day, our soldiers will be able to clearly see the enemy. That’s when we’ll be most effective! We cannot advance recklessly, and we certainly cannot underestimate our opponent. Therefore, caution must be our priority!” Jasman explained.
“Alright then. We’ll let the men rest. They are indeed exhausted!” Kelly agreed after a moment’s consideration, accepting Jasman’s proposal.
“Report! The command center has been set up!” a senior staff officer approached and informed them.
“Let’s go to the command center!” Kelly said to Jasman, and the two headed toward the newly erected structure.
Their command centers were constructed using prefabricated concrete slabs reinforced with steel rebar. As soon as the troops arrived, the engineering units would dig trenches and quickly assemble the command center using the prefabricated slabs and pillars. The process was incredibly fast.
When they arrived, the staff officers were busy laying out maps and documents.
…
Meanwhile, back at Hu Hao’s headquarters, Hu Hao was still writing his training manual. By the time he stood up to stretch, it was already past midnight. He checked his watch—it was 12:30 AM.
Frowning, he walked out of the command room and ordered a staff officer to connect him to the three acting regimental commanders in Yonghe City.
“Hao-ge!”
“Commander!”
“Hao-ge!”
The three of them still weren’t quite used to calling him Commander, so some used his title while others stuck to “Hao-ge.”
“Just call me Hao-ge from now on. Isn’t it a hassle? Just use Hao-ge. Now, tell me, is there any movement from the Allied forces? It’s past midnight, and they haven’t done anything?” Hu Hao asked, dispensing with the formalities before demanding an update.
(End of Chapter)