Li Jingsong sat there wondering if Hu Hao’s blatant defiance of the Commander’s order would end badly. Hu Hao, however, just shrugged and asked indifferently, “Are they going to shoot me?”
“Well, no, not that. You’ve technically performed with merit. It’s just… I’m worried your future promotions will be a mess,” Li Jingsong said, shaking his head.
“Forget about promotions. At most, I’d make Colonel. You think a commoner like me is ever becoming a Brigadier General? That’s a pipe dream. I’ll just keep fighting—either I die on the battlefield, or I finish my five years and see how the world looks. If the situation changes, I’m retiring,” Hu Hao said, waving a hand dismissively.
A few hundred meters ahead, the Allied forces had also stopped fighting. They knew the troops facing them were lethal, so they didn’t dare launch a charge. The two sides settled into a tense standoff.
The soldiers who had come with Hu Hao pulled out their steamed buns and began to eat. The remnants of the 28th Army watched them hungrily; they hadn’t brought any food, and many had ditched their rucksacks during the chaos.
“Brother, you got any more? I’ll trade you this for one,” a soldier said, holding out a handgun toward one of Hu Hao’s men.
“Tch. Keep your piece. They’re lying all over the ground,” the soldier replied with a look of disdain. He reached into his pack, pulled out a bun, and tossed it over.
“Thanks, brother. Thank you! We haven’t eaten since before dawn. I’m starving!” the man said, catching the bun gratefully.
“Heh, you should thank our Hao-ge. He knew there wouldn’t be a hot lunch today, so he made us prep these early. Otherwise, we’d be in the same boat as you,” a nearby soldier added, tossing a bun to another straggler.
“Thanks! So Hao-ge is the one who was charging at the very front earlier?” the soldier asked.
“That’s him. If there’s a problem we can’t solve, Hao-ge shows up and handles it,” the men said proudly.
Hu Hao and Li Jingsong sat in the shell of a framed building, using the shadows for a brief respite from the scorching tropical sun. Most of the walls had collapsed, leaving only a concrete skeleton.
“Dammit, it’s been an hour,” Hu Hao said, checking his watch. It had been sixty minutes since the phone call, and the relief still hadn’t arrived.
“Should be any minute now,” Li Jingsong added, also checking the time.
“If they don’t show up soon, the enemy will attack. Then we’ll be stuck in it again,” Hu Hao said, peeking carefully at the Allied lines. He saw no sign of an imminent assault.
“They aren’t moving yet,” Li Jingsong noted, peeking out as well.
“They will. They want to cut our units apart once they get deeper into the city. It’s noon; they’re likely finishing their own rations and resting. Give them thirty minutes, and they’ll launch the next wave,” Hu Hao said, sitting back down in the dirt.
“Should we call and ask?” Li Jingsong asked, sitting beside him.
“Ask what? Calling the Commander now is just looking for a lecture,” Hu Hao rolled his eyes. He pulled out a cigarette, handed one to Li Jingsong, and lit it.
“I told you—once the shooting starts, you’d find a reason to smoke. How is it?” Hu Hao grinned, seeing how naturally Li Jingsong took a drag.
“I was young and foolish back then, wasn’t I?” Li Jingsong joked with a small smile.
“Relief! The relief is here!” someone shouted suddenly.
Hu Hao stood up, staying low as he moved toward the edge of the ruins to look back. “Finally! Brothers, pack it up! The moment they take over the line, we’re out of here!”
Within ten minutes, the fresh division arrived. Hu Hao’s men prepared to withdraw, but a Brigadier General from the new unit intercepted them.
“Who gave you permission to retreat? Stay right where you are! Direct order from Zone Command—you are to assist us in holding this position!” the General barked, seeing Hu Hao’s men moving toward the rear.
“Excuse me?” Hu Hao looked at Li Jingsong, then at the Brigadier General. The other soldiers stopped and looked at Hu Hao for direction. “You’re telling us we can’t rotate out?”
“I am. You’re staying to help us hold!”
“Bullshit!” Hu Hao roared. “Ask these men when they last had a meal. It’s almost 3:00 PM. We’ve been in the dirt since dawn. You expect them to fight on an empty stomach?”
“He’s right! We haven’t eaten!” “We held the line so you could get here, and now you want us to stay?”
The remnants of the 27th and 28th Armies began to jeer.
“No food? Where is your logistics detail?” the Brigadier General asked, surprised.
“What logistics? This is a war zone! You have a problem, take it up with Zone Command or your own General. Don’t block our path. Let’s go, boys!” Hu Hao turned to leave.
“I’d like to see you try!” A Major General stepped forward, hands behind his back, blocking the way.
“You want to make something of it?” Li Jingsong stood up, matching the officer’s rank.
“Who do you think—” The Major General stopped mid-sentence as several other 27th Army Generals and Brigadier Generals emerged from the ruins, surrounding him.
“Move,” Li Jingsong said coldly. Hu Hao smiled and led the way past the stunned officer. The relief commander realized he couldn’t bully a group that had as many stars as his own staff.
They returned to their APCs and drove back to their city bunker, joined by the remnants of the 88th Division. The 28th Army soldiers split off to find their own regrouping point, many of them shouting thanks to the 27th as they parted ways.
Back at the bunker, the men finally had a chance to eat and rest. Hu Hao sat on his mat, chewing a bun and washing it down with water. Li Jingsong sat beside him.
“By the way,” Li Jingsong said between bites. “We have to head to Zone Command. I got a call on the way back—the Commander wants to see both of us.”
“Fine. I’ll take a nap first, then we’ll go,” Hu Hao said.
“A nap? Now?” Li Jingsong stared at him.
“The Commander is busy right now anyway,” Hu Hao said, leaning back. “Listen to the artillery out there. It’s much heavier than it was at noon. There are planes everywhere—the Allies have brought in their bombers. If you drive over there now, you’re just asking to get strafed. I’m not dying in a car. We wait for a lull.”
“Hao-ge, General, we made some fresh soup. Have some!” a soldier said, bringing over a bucket of meat broth.
“Now we’re talking! Give me a bowl,” Hu Hao said, pulling out his mess tin. Li Jingsong took some as well.
“See that?” Hu Hao whispered as they ate. “The men are starting to accept you again. Don’t seek death by doing something stupid.”
“What do you mean?” Li Jingsong asked.
“If you hadn’t come back to save them, they wouldn’t even give you water, let alone soup,” Hu Hao noted.
Li Jingsong looked at the soup and then at the soldiers. It was true; this morning, they had treated him like a ghost. Now, they were including him in their meager comforts. “I understand. I won’t let them down again.”
“Good. And listen—keep this to yourself. In a war, the man with the most loyal troops is the one who really calls the shots. A General with 60,000 men on paper is useless if he can’t make them move. Look at your father—he’s the Corps Commander, but right now you command more effectives than he does! He can only get things through you. So value these veterans. They are your only real currency,” Hu Hao whispered.
Li Jingsong nodded gratefully. “I hear you.”
After finishing his soup, Hu Hao handed his tin to a soldier to be washed and lay down on his mat.
“General, take this. We can make room,” Huan Xingtao said, bringing over an extra straw mat and placing it next to Hu Hao’s.
“Thank you, soldier,” Li Jingsong said, settling in.