Hu Hao received a call from Jiang Kai, who informed him that he had been appointed Commander of the 1st Group Army, granting him control over 300,000 troops, and that he had been promoted to the rank of full General.
“Are you serious?” Hu Hao asked immediately, skeptical.
“Hao-ge! Hao-ge, look at this!” At that moment, a staff officer rushed over, holding a telegram.
Hu Hao took it and read it carefully. It contained the official appointment decree, the order to establish the Group Army, and the directive to leave all Chief of Staff positions vacant.
Furthermore, the telegram ordered Hu Hao to submit a list of officers eligible for promotion to general rank. These newly promoted generals would fill the positions of division commander and above!
“Holy shit. It’s real?” Hu Hao muttered, staring at the telegram. At the bottom was the signature of the Emperor himself: Ling Longjing!
“Haha, believe me now? I told you, kid, you were destined to be a general!” Jiang Kai’s booming laughter came through the phone.
“No, Commander, this order is far too sudden, isn’t it? There was absolutely no warning! And wasn’t it supposed to be Lieutenant General? How did I jump straight to full General?” Hu Hao asked, still staring at the document in bewilderment.
“Hehe, I don’t know the exact details either. But I heard that His Majesty held an Imperial Assembly today, heavily criticized the Grand Marshal, and then brought up your name, proposing your promotion to full General.
“The Crown Prince and Tang Long opposed it, and Ma Zhenling opposed it as well. But the Fourth Prince and the Commander of the Air Force, General of the Right Luo Xin, strongly supported your promotion. And so, you were promoted!
“I haven’t managed to uncover all the specifics yet; you’ll have to wait for more news from me. But regardless, you are now a full General and a Group Army Commander! And His Majesty granted you the immense authority to nominate your own division and corps commanders! This is incredibly significant!
“You have no idea how many Combat Zone Commanders envy you right now. Do you understand what it means to be able to nominate your own generals?” Jiang Kai asked with a chuckle.
“I understand. Thank you, Commander. However, Commander, my promotion might not actually be a good thing for you,” Hu Hao said after a moment’s thought, deciding to warn Jiang Kai.
“Not a good thing? How so? Your promotion is fantastic news for me!” Jiang Kai asked, surprised.
“With my promotion, if you ever transfer to High Command to serve as Grand Marshal, the position of Southwestern Combat Zone Commander definitely won’t go to one of your people.
“Furthermore, judging by His Majesty’s decision to promote me to Group Army Commander so rapidly, you probably shouldn’t set your sights on the Grand Marshal position anytime soon. His Majesty won’t let you have it!” Hu Hao analyzed the political implications.
“Is that all? Haha, you kid, you actually have a conscience! Good! But let me tell you, this is still a good thing for me. Of course I know His Majesty is trying to pull the rug out from under me.
“But the truth is, I never had any desire to be Grand Marshal anyway! I’m perfectly content with my 600,000 troops here. Kid, I know exactly what His Majesty is thinking, and I’m not worried about the future.
“But what about you? Sigh. How are you supposed to form a 300,000-strong army? That’s what I’m worried about. And weapons, I’m worried about that too. Yes, the Air Force can airdrop supplies, but how much can they realistically deliver?! Sigh. I was just thinking I need to find a way to reopen a supply corridor between us!” Jiang Kai said, his tone shifting to genuine concern.
“Don’t! If you reopen a corridor, you’ll be sent straight to High Command!” Hu Hao immediately warned him.
“Ah?” Jiang Kai was startled.
“Think about it. If you open a corridor, yes, I am an independent Group Army Commander, but could I really refuse your orders? If you needed help, could I really refuse? What would His Majesty think of you then? Do you think he’d let you control 900,000 troops on the central front?
“Within two months, His Majesty would transfer you away. I’m fine out here on my own. As long as His Majesty allows me to form the army myself, everything else is manageable. I’ll figure it out. But the moment we link up… think about it. His Majesty would order me to hold the central front. If I’m holding the central front, where do you go? Straight to a desk at High Command!” Hu Hao explained his reasoning.
“Hiss! You’re absolutely right! I hadn’t even considered that!” Jiang Kai inhaled sharply.
He had indeed been considering launching an offensive to link up with Hu Hao’s forces. He hadn’t realized that if they merged, there would be no role left for him on the central front. He would undoubtedly be ‘promoted’ to High Command, and the Southwestern Combat Zone would likely fall under someone else’s control.
“Commander, don’t worry about me. I’m doing perfectly fine here. If I manage to build an army of 300,000… hehe, if the Allied forces attack you, I’ll hit them from behind. If we coordinate like that, the central front will be absolutely secure!” Hu Hao reassured him with a laugh.
“Mm, alright. It’s just tough on you. Normally, a promotion to full General requires a formal ceremony in the Capital. But since you are encircled and actively engaged in combat, it will have to be a simplified affair.
“However, the news of your promotion will definitely be broadcast to the entire army tonight, and likely to the entire Eastern Spirit Empire as well. I suspect His Majesty intends to hold you up as an exemplar to inspire the commoners to fight harder!” Jiang Kai shared his assessment.
“I know. It’s fine. I lived in the Capital for five years; I’m thoroughly sick of the place anyway!” Hu Hao laughed.
“Haha! Oh, right, one more thing. The Imperial Palace will be contacting you shortly. His Majesty wants to speak with you personally via video link. He has things to say. Be very careful with your words. Don’t boast or speak out of turn. We can joke around, but with him just listen. If he asks you a question, think it through carefully before answering. If you arouse his suspicions, you’ll be in serious trouble.
You must remember His Majesty is over fifty now. He is actively paving the way for the Crown Prince. If you misspeak and he perceives you as a threat, he will eliminate you. Do you understand?” Jiang Kai warned him gravely.
“Mm. You be careful as well, Commander. You still don’t know if His Majesty views you as a threat or an asset right now, so watch your back!” Hu Hao reciprocated the warning.
“I know. As long as I don’t set foot in the Capital, there’s nothing he can do to me. The Southwestern Combat Zone is my army!” Jiang Kai chuckled confidently.
“Alright then. Thank you for your support, Commander!” Hu Hao said sincerely.
“Mm, what are you thanking me for? I told you long ago: you are a born general. To others, chaos is a crisis; to you, it’s an unparalleled opportunity! By the way, if you run into any insurmountable difficulties, tell me. If you need anything, ask. If I have it, I’ll find a way to get it to you,” Jiang Kai offered.
“No need. Whatever I need right now, I need in massive quantities, quantities you couldn’t possibly provide. I’ll just take it from the Allied forces!” Hu Hao laughed.
“Haha, good! You kid, you’ve got guts to say you’ll supply yourself from the enemy! Speaking of which, is the Mara Empire’s 1st Corps still attacking Yonghe City? You actually managed to hold them off for three days?” Jiang Kai asked, clearly impressed.
“Mm, they’re still fighting there. The Allied forces just brought up two more infantry divisions from the west. It’s highly likely they’ll launch a general offensive against Yonghe City tonight. If Yonghe City falls, the Allied forces can drive straight through and directly assault Late City.
“So, tonight is going to be incredibly tough for our troops. Fortunately, you told me to replenish my forces earlier, and I managed to recruit about 20,000 refugees in Late City. But I suspect tonight will still be a brutal fight. With so many Allied troops, even if we stop them, our casualties will be enormous!” Hu Hao lied smoothly.
He couldn’t tell Jiang Kai the truth; if he did, Jiang Kai would immediately become suspicious of his true troop strength. Claiming he had merely recruited some refugees was the safest cover story.
“Mm, you absolutely must hold them off. And now that His Majesty has ordered you to form your own Group Army in Late City, things will be much easier for you. Even though His Majesty ordered you to leave the Chief of Staff positions vacant I suppose that’s to be expected.
When it comes to the military, His Majesty will never fully trust anyone. I suspect the Chief of Staffs he sends you will be clan scions. You’ll need to manage your relationship with them carefully. More importantly, you must order your subordinates not to assassinate them, or you’ll be in massive trouble!” Jiang Kai advised.
“Clan scions as my Chief of Staffs? At every level?” Hu Hao asked, feigning surprise.
“What do you think? You are a commoner general commanding 300,000 troops. Do you really think His Majesty would feel secure without them?” Jiang Kai retorted.
“Mm. I doubt he trusts those clan scions much either. But he needs them, and he needs us to fight amongst ourselves!” Hu Hao chuckled. He understood the Emperor’s game perfectly.
“As long as you understand. His Majesty will never fully trust us frontline commanders. Even my forces will be receiving an influx of clan scions soon. I’m certain of it. So, just deal with it. Besides, you are the Commander. What are you afraid of? If they make you unhappy… knowing your personality, they definitely won’t have a good time. Just make sure you don’t kill them!” Jiang Kai warned.
“Alright, I understand. Don’t worry, Commander!” Hu Hao promised.
“Good. We’ll leave it at that. I expect His Majesty will contact you very soon. Think carefully about what you’re going to say! Congratulations, Hu Hao. The foremost among the commoner generals!” Jiang Kai offered his final congratulations before hanging up.
“Thank you, Commander, and thank you again for your support!” Hu Hao replied with a smile.
After the call ended, the staff officers in the command center immediately snapped to attention and saluted Hu Hao: “Greetings, General! Commander Hu!”
“What are you all doing?” Hu Hao asked with a laugh.
“Hao-ge, you’re a general now! A full General!” The staff officers grinned at him. Mo Qin was especially thrilled; with Hu Hao promoted to full General, his own promotion to a general rank was only a matter of time.
(End of Chapter)