Hearing the Grand Marshal’s flimsy excuse, the Crown Prince immediately rebuked him for his “foolishness.” When General of the Left Ma Zhenling attempted to smooth things over by suggesting it was merely a “misunderstanding,” the Crown Prince forcibly swallowed his rage.
Turning to one of his royal guards, he ordered, “Go procure a copy of this broadcast immediately!”
“Yes, Your Highness!” The guard bowed and hurried out of the conference room.
“General Hu Hao is now a full General of the Empire. Leaking his detailed intelligence in this manner is a catastrophic breach of security and severely compromises our counter-offensive plans.
“His Majesty is not yet aware of this. When he finds out, his fury will be terrible to behold! I strongly advise you all to tread carefully.
“Hu Hao explicitly stated on the phone that he must not find out who authorized this. I don’t need to explain what the consequences will be if he does!” the Crown Prince warned the High Command generals coldly.
“It truly is a misunderstanding, Your Highness! Our only intention was to publicize his achievements to boost national morale!” the Grand Marshal defended himself instantly.
“Mm. Since it’s a ‘misunderstanding,’ I expect you to draft a full explanation. As for the promotion list Hu Hao submitted, approve it in its entirety without further review.
“I leave the review of the lists from the other Combat Zones to you. I must contact Hu Hao and attempt to placate him. If his anger is not contained, the fallout will be disastrous for everyone!” The Crown Prince stood up abruptly.
He had never despised the Grand Marshal as much as he did in this moment. The sheer incompetence and blatant politicking were exhausting.
He and Hu Hao had shared a nominal student-teacher bond from the academy. However, due to the political struggles between Tang Long and Jiang Kai, Hu Hao had been pushed toward the opposing faction.
But today, the Emperor had explicitly instructed Hu Hao to communicate directly with the Crown Prince, effectively bringing Hu Hao into his own fold.
If managed correctly, this meant Jiang Kai’s faction could potentially become a source of support for the Crown Prince. Yet, on the very first day, the Grand Marshal had to pull a stunt like this, jeopardizing everything.
Suppressing his fury, the Crown Prince turned on his heel and strode out of the conference room, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.
Once the door closed, Luo Xin remained seated and spoke flatly. “Grand Marshal, behind closed doors—what you did was underhanded. It borders on treason.”
“What did you say?! How dare you accuse me of treason?!” Tang Long slammed his hand on the table and stood up, glaring furiously at Luo Xin.
“I said what I said. Everyone in this room knows exactly why you did it. It’s despicable,” Luo Xin also stood up, meeting the Grand Marshal’s glare without flinching.
“I have already explained: it was purely for propaganda purposes! Did His Majesty not promote Hu Hao specifically to boost morale?!” Tang Long insisted stubbornly, playing the fool perfectly.
“Ha! Boost morale? Did you really need to explicitly mention his annihilation of the Mara Empire’s 43rd Corps and the Limaguo 11th Corps? Publicizing his destruction of the first three corps and the capture of the two division commanders would have been more than enough.
“By including those specific recent battles, you don’t even need to be an Allied commander to figure out his location. A child could deduce that Hu Hao is currently in Late City!
“His Majesty ordered Hu Hao to form the 1st Group Army right under their noses. By broadcasting his exact location and his terrifying combat record, do you honestly think the Allied forces will just sit back and let him build an army?!
“Your excuses are useless against me. When His Majesty finds out, he will undoubtedly demand an explanation from you,” Luo Xin finished speaking, pushed his chair back, and prepared to leave.
“The Air Force promotion list has been approved in its entirety. They are warriors who have bled for the skies. They may be commoners, but in every battle, they lead the charge from the very front!”
With that, Luo Xin turned toward the door.
“Hold on, General Luo! The Army’s promotions still require your signature!” Ma Zhenling stood up to stop him.
“Send the finalized list to my office. I will sign it then,” Luo Xin replied without looking back. The two Vanguard Generals of the Air Force stood up and followed him out of the room.
As the door clicked shut behind them, Tang Long was visibly trembling with rage. This was a terrible sign. Luo Xin had previously at least maintained a facade of respect and compliance. Now, he was openly defying the Grand Marshal.
If Luo Xin dared to act like this while Tang Long was still in power, what would happen if he lost his position? The implications were terrifying.
“Grand Marshal, please sit down. Do not let anger cloud your judgment. It is merely a misunderstanding, as we said. Once it is properly explained, everything will be fine,” Ma Zhenling offered a placating smile. Tang Long sat back down heavily, his mind racing.
“Grand Marshal, it truly is just a misunderstanding. I will personally contact Commander Jiang Kai and ask him to explain the situation to Hu Hao. I am confident it can be resolved smoothly. After all, Hu Hao still answers to Jiang Kai!” Ma Zhenling continued smoothly.
“No. I will contact Jiang Kai myself and explain the situation,” Tang Long shook his head firmly.
“Haha, that works too!” Ma Zhenling chuckled.
“Let us proceed with the review. We must finalize the list of Major Generals and Brigadier Generals today and submit it to His Majesty. We need to implement this as quickly as possible. If we continue to drag our feet, His Majesty will lose his patience!” Tang Long ordered, shifting focus.
“We will review them, yes. But Grand Marshal, how do you intend to handle the remaining four Group Army Commander positions? We still do not know His Majesty’s true intentions regarding them.
“Furthermore, four Group Army Commanders are essentially equivalent to four Combat Zone Commanders. Who do we promote, and who do we reject?
“My office has been flooded with calls from officers requesting to visit my home. I imagine you have experienced the same?” Ma Zhenling asked, watching Tang Long carefully.
“Do you have any suitable candidates?” Tang Long countered.
“None. None of them possess sufficient actual combat command experience. His Majesty explicitly stated that Group Army Commanders must have proven combat records and real experience.
“His Majesty mentioned Li Tianyuan, but given his advanced age, I seriously doubt he is a viable candidate for such a strenuous command!” Ma Zhenling shook his head.
“Exactly. He cannot serve as a Group Army Commander. He is simply too old!” Tang Long agreed readily. Age was the perfect excuse; he desperately feared Jiang Kai’s faction gaining any more power.
“Mm. And what about your candidates?” Ma Zhenling pressed.
“I have none either! Sigh! His Majesty’s requirements are simply too high. I know exactly what he is thinking. He wants us to submit a joint list of candidates so he can approve or reject them all at once.
“Meanwhile, Hu Hao’s list is processed entirely independently. Do you see? The promotion channels appear to be open, but in reality, they are only open for Hu Hao and Jiang Kai’s faction. The rest of the Combat Zones are still forced to wait!” Tang Long grumbled bitterly.
“His Majesty has played this hand masterfully! Haha!” Ma Zhenling chuckled drily.
“Elder Ma, do you think we should visit His Majesty tomorrow and petition him to approve the promotion lists for the other Combat Zones first?” Tang Long asked, turning to his colleague.
“Do you honestly think that is possible?” Ma Zhenling replied, returning his gaze.
“Then how long must we wait?!” Tang Long snapped, his frustration boiling over. The pressure he was facing was immense. The entire military apparatus was blaming him for keeping the promotion channels closed, blaming him for the needless deaths of countless clan scions. He was suffering in silence.
“We wait. A few more days, perhaps! I doubt His Majesty will delay it much longer. Given the current state of the Empire, how much longer can he afford to wait? Let us finish reviewing these lists first!” Ma Zhenling advised calmly.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince had just settled into the back seat of his armored car. He immediately pulled out his secure satellite phone and dialed Hu Hao’s number.
“Greetings, Principal!” Hu Hao answered, his tone still respectful.
“Mm. Hu Hao, I have investigated the matter. It appears High Command made a severe miscalculation. Their intention was genuinely to publicize your achievements and boost morale, but they failed to realize the intelligence implications of such a detailed broadcast.
“I have already reprimanded the Grand Marshal and his staff severely! I ordered them to draft a formal self-criticism!
“You see, they… ha, they have never truly experienced frontline combat. They thought they were simply highlighting your glory, completely neglecting the necessity of operational security!” the Crown Prince explained smoothly, covering for High Command.
“I see. Thank you for investigating the matter, Principal. But, Your Highness, is the Grand Marshal literally a pig?!
“I am trying to build an entire Group Army here! By leaking my exact location and troop strength, how am I supposed to do that?! The Allied forces are going to redirect massive reinforcements to wipe me out immediately!
“Especially now that they know I’ve annihilated so many of their corps! Do you think they’ll just let me sit here? Furthermore, Late City is a critical strategic objective for them. By holding it, I am literally a thorn in their throat! Damn it!” Hu Hao cursed vehemently into the phone.
His anger was genuine, though slightly exaggerated. He was genuinely furious that the Grand Marshal would stoop so low as to use military intelligence as a political weapon. However, the actual impact of the broadcast on his operations was minimal; with the rainy season imminent, the Allied forces would struggle to mass significant reinforcements against him anyway.
“I understand your frustration. As I said, I have reprimanded him severely. However, the broadcast is already out. You must be extremely vigilant and prioritize security. You must ensure the 1st Group Army is formed successfully. Use every resource at your disposal. If you need anything, call me directly.
“Furthermore, I will order the Air Force to deploy two additional fighter divisions to the Central Province. Their sole mission will be to secure the airspace above your operations. This is the maximum support I can provide at this moment. For everything else, you must rely on yourself!” the Crown Prince promised warmly.
“Thank you, Principal! I understand. For now, our sole focus is recruiting and building the army!” Hu Hao replied.
“Excellent. Notify me immediately when you have good news!” the Crown Prince said.
“Yes, sir!” Hu Hao shouted affirmatively.
The moment the Crown Prince ended the call, his amiable expression vanished, replaced by a mask of cold fury. He stared out the window of the armored car.
Hu Hao’s 1st Group Army wasn’t just a military asset for the counter-offensive; it was the crucible where the Emperor intended to forge the next generation of loyal Imperial commanders.
The Crown Prince intended to select young scions who were loyal specifically to him to serve under Hu Hao. Once they returned, they would be perfectly positioned to take command of the Imperial Guard. With the Imperial Guard firmly under his control, his brothers’ ambitions would be entirely neutralized.
But the Grand Marshal’s petty sabotage jeopardized everything. If the 1st Group Army failed to form, the Crown Prince’s plan to cultivate his own loyalist officers would evaporate. No other unit in the Empire possessed Hu Hao’s combat capabilities or offered such a perfect training environment.
“Inform Liu Yuzi to wait for me at my residence!” the Crown Prince ordered his head guard in the front seat. He hadn’t returned home all day.
(End of Chapter)