Vostok told Schliemann he hoped he could hold out for five days!
“Five days… Supreme Commander, are there other movements planned?” Schliemann asked.
“There are!” Vostok replied over the line.
“That’s good. Five days… if you don’t require us to attack, just defend, there shouldn’t be a problem!” Schliemann felt much more at ease upon hearing this!
“Good! You must ensure the safety of our warehouses and railways. If those are breached, we’ll be in deep trouble. Right now, Hu Hao’s artillery bombardments haven’t caused much damage, and whatever is broken can be easily repaired.
But if Hu Hao’s troops actually reach them, it won’t just be a matter of repairs anymore. Therefore, you must hold Tonglong City for me!” Vostok shouted into the phone.
“Yes, sir!” Schliemann nodded!
“Alright, we’ll leave it at that. Your troops can transition to defense tonight! Do not initiate any attacks!” Vostok instructed.
He didn’t want the pressure on Tonglong City to be too great. Previously, he hadn’t decided whether to launch a siege against Hu Hao’s forces. It was currently the rainy season, making a siege incredibly difficult, especially regarding the immense strain on logistics.
Because of this, he had been hesitating. But after hearing Schliemann’s report, he knew he couldn’t let Hu Hao continue to run rampant. It was time to eliminate Hu Hao, even if it meant paying a massive price.
After hanging up the phone, Vostok stood there in thought for a moment before turning to Vitali. “Order the troops retreating from the central front to immediately march toward Gunan City. I want them at the gates of Gunan City within five days! Sever Hu Hao’s territory in two and wipe out his forces east of Gunan City!
Simultaneously, have our other units begin applying pressure on Hu Hao’s forces to ensure they cannot continue expanding their territory. Once their territory expands, dealing with them will become even harder!”
“Yes, sir. However, if we mass several corps to deal with Hu Hao, we’ll have to transport their ammunition via alternative routes. Right now, we can only bypass an entire province and use road transport to deliver the ammunition.
Shipping a single batch this way will take a very long time! I estimate we can only mobilize five corps to head toward Gunan City!” Vitali explained to Vostok.
“That’s enough. Five corps is enough. Combined with our surrounding forces, that’s nearly ten corps in total. I refuse to believe we can’t chew up his meager forces with that!” Vostok nodded.
“Yes, sir!” Vitali immediately turned and left to mobilize the troops.
Meanwhile, inside the city, Hu Hao, armed with his assault rifle, was leading the Special Operations Regiment soldiers in a relentless forward assault. He was having the time of his life!
“Brothers, see that residential complex ahead? There’s definitely a big fish in there! Look over there—there’s a sizable guard unit, and wounded soldiers are being carried inside. I reckon it’s at least a division-level command center, and it’s doubling as a hospital!” Hu Hao, currently standing on the seventh floor of a building, observed the Allied positions through his binoculars. Spotting the situation in the distance, he immediately spoke into his headset.
“Report! Hao-ge, a call from your big brother!” Zhao Yang approached with a phone. Hu Hao was reluctant, but he took it anyway.
“Brother!” Hu Hao answered.
“You brat, are you on Qingnian Avenue?!” Zhang Debiao demanded, watching the drone feed.
“How did you know?” Hu Hao asked, startled.
“Nonsense! You guys have pushed nearly two kilometers down Qingnian Avenue! Fall back immediately! Fighting like that is too dangerous!” Zhang Debiao ordered.
“It’s not dangerous! We’ve already wiped out all the enemies behind us. I even brought two regiments of regular troops along to fight with us!” Hu Hao quickly defended himself.
“What do you know?! The Allied forces have stopped attacking! They’ve fallen back to their rear defensive lines. Do you really not understand what that means?!” Zhang Debiao scolded over the phone.
“They transitioned to defense? That’s impossible! They have three or four corps here. Even with the fresh recruit units that just reinforced us today, we only have about three corps total. Why would they stop fighting?” Hu Hao asked, looking at the situation ahead.
“Exactly. Why would they?” Zhang Debiao countered.
“I get it. They have a follow-up move!” Hu Hao replied.
“Correct. The Allied forces might already be mobilizing troops, preparing to sever our forces!” Zhang Debiao nodded and told Hu Hao.
“Then we have to fight even harder, brother! Brother, I’m attacking this place not just to create an opportunity for the Eastern Spirit Empire’s forces, but also to train our troops!
Eight divisions of fresh recruits entered the city today. As long as they see blood and learn how urban combat works, it will be immensely beneficial for our army’s future!” Hu Hao explained.
“Hmm, that’s true. We have far too few veteran units. Here’s the plan: I will immediately mobilize one tank division and two armored infantry divisions from our vicinity and send them advancing toward Guyi City, northeast of Gunan City.
At the same time, I’ll pull two armored divisions, one tank division, and one artillery division from Xiao Quan’s forces and have them enter Nanlin City immediately. This way, we’ll form a pincer movement against Dingze City from the left and right.
If the Allied forces send troops, we can split their attention. As for you, you need to train your troops quickly, then extract five divisions from them to form a mobile strike force. Send them rapidly to reinforce our position in Guyi City and hold off any Allied forces that might attack Gunan City from there.
The remaining forces in Tonglong City will hold the line! If necessary, you can abandon the city!” Zhang Debiao instructed Hu Hao.
“No way! We can’t abandon it!” Hu Hao yelled immediately.
“Why not?” Zhang Debiao paused, confused by Hu Hao’s vehement reaction.
“Brother, I made a bet with the Allied Supreme Commander! Whoever retreats within half a month loses a hundred million!” Hu Hao rubbed his head and confessed.
“Are you insane?! You bet on something like this?!” Zhang Debiao cursed at Hu Hao.
“I’m short on cash, brother!” Hu Hao claimed.
“Who are you trying to fool?! I checked our accounts; we still have over a billion in there! What exactly are you trying to do?! Stop trying to trick me!” Zhang Debiao yelled back.
“Hehe. There are a lot of supplies in Tonglong City. It’d be a shame not to rob them!” Hu Hao chuckled. This was indeed one of his primary objectives.
He had ordered the Special Operations Regiment to blow up those bridges specifically so the supplies shipped from the south would be concentrated in Tonglong City, making them easy pickings for him!
“You brat, I knew you had an ulterior motive! Is there a lot?” Zhang Debiao laughed and asked.
“Are you kidding me, brother? The food, drink, and daily necessities for a 600,000-strong frontline army—do you think that’s a lot? The ammunition alone is an unimaginable amount!” Hu Hao replied quickly.
“Hmm, then rob them! If you don’t, you won’t be able to sleep at night!” Zhang Debiao thought for a moment before agreeing.
“Mhm, rob them! Don’t worry, brother, we are prepared over in Gunan City. However many they send, we’ll swallow them whole! We definitely won’t have any problems!” Hu Hao nodded repeatedly.
“I’ll mobilize some troops from Daman City and some from Li Jingsong’s side to form another strike force as a reserve. When necessary, we’ll deploy this force to intercept any troops coming down from the north at a moment’s notice. This will ensure Gunan City remains secure!” Zhang Debiao told Hu Hao.
“Alright, that’s settled then!” Hu Hao said.
“Don’t push too far forward!”
“I know!” Hu Hao hung up the phone before Zhang Debiao could even finish.
“Damn it, they actually dare to plot against me? Defending here while attacking from Dingze City?” Hu Hao cursed as he stood there, observing the situation in the distance through his binoculars.
“Notify our troops to bring two fresh recruit divisions over! We’ll attack from three nearby streets! Laozi is going to play you to death! You think you can just stop fighting whenever you want?!” Hu Hao told Zhao Yang.
“Yes, sir!” Zhao Yang immediately contacted Wu Kexiao, conveying Hu Hao’s demand for a fresh recruit division!
Over ten minutes later, ten regimental commanders from the fresh recruit divisions arrived at Hu Hao’s location. Hu Hao designated their attack routes and directions, instructing them to halt their advance once they reached the intersection of Qingnian Avenue and Zhanqian Road.
After ensuring the regimental commanders had memorized their orders, Hu Hao sent them back and ordered the Special Operations Regiment to deploy personnel to protect them.
“Brothers, we’re playing a big game today. Follow my lead and charge. We’re going catching big fish!” Hu Hao announced through his headset.
“Understood!” The Team Leaders nodded. By now, they were completely won over by Hu Hao.
During the previous attacks, Hu Hao had personally issued orders. At first, they didn’t understand his commands, but once the fighting started, they realized that Hu Hao had unknowingly taken control of the entire sector’s tactical situation, completely surrounding the Allied forces with the Special Operations Regiment.
Along the way, the 400-plus Special Operations soldiers led by Hu Hao had surrounded and hammered at least three Allied regiments, leaving the mop-up operations to the regular infantry that followed!
“Let’s go! Downstairs!” Hu Hao swapped a fresh magazine into his assault rifle and began reloading his empty ones. Once ready, all the Special Operations soldiers assembled on both sides of the street!
“Move out!” Assault rifle raised, Hu Hao led the charge, sprinting down the street. Meanwhile, the snipers constantly shifted their firing positions to provide cover for the advancing troops.
“Damn it! Why is there still a firefight going on here?! Whose troops are stationed there?!” In the command center, Schliemann spotted muzzle flashes on the drone feed—a firefight erupting less than a kilometer from Zhanqian Road on Qingnian Avenue. He immediately shouted in alarm.
Their command center was located right beneath Zhanqian Road in the underground transit station. The current combat zone was less than two kilometers away from his command center. How could Schliemann not be anxious?
(End of Chapter)