Hearing Vitali’s analysis of Hu Hao’s forces, Vostok was utterly stunned. He stared at Vitali. “By that calculation, Hu Hao has eleven corps over there?! How is that possible?! Does Hu Hao really dare to expand his forces without authorization? Isn’t he afraid their Emperor will have him executed?!”
“I don’t know if he’s afraid or not, but Hu Hao definitely has a massive number of troops! No less than 600,000, possibly even more!
Actually, the most terrifying part is yet to come. Supreme Commander, have you considered this: during this recent period, Hu Hao’s forces have been engaged in constant combat with our troops. Our forces have suffered catastrophic casualties, while Hu Hao’s casualties are undoubtedly far lower than ours.
Think about it. How many veteran troops does Hu Hao have under his command now? Furthermore, according to intelligence from our operatives, among Hu Hao’s generals, only Li Jingsong comes from an aristocratic family. The rest are all commoners.
This means that every general Hu Hao has promoted is likely capable of fighting wars. And the junior officers below them know how to fight as well! Combine that with a massive veteran force… Supreme Commander, tell me, how many of our troops would we have to sacrifice, and how much time would it take to eliminate Hu Hao on the battlefield?!” Vitali sat there, looking intently at Vostok.
“Damn it! If this keeps up, Hu Hao’s army will transform into an elite fighting force! And Hu Hao’s own command abilities are already formidable! This won’t do. We must find a way to eliminate him quickly!” Vostok nodded, his expression grim.
“Eliminating him on the battlefield will be difficult. However, throwing them into internal turmoil… is still entirely possible!” Vitali smiled.
“Internal turmoil?” Vostok looked at him, slightly confused.
“Exactly. Internal turmoil. We’ve received word from Tang Long that their Emperor has begun to grow wary of Hu Hao!” Vitali smiled at Vostok.
“Wary?” Vostok looked at Vitali, who nodded in confirmation.
“Oh, that’s good! That’s very good!” Vostok nodded along, a smile forming.
“I plan to have Tang Long start attacking Hu Hao politically, urging their Emperor to strip Hu Hao of his military authority. Even if he can’t strip his authority, he can turn Hu Hao and the Emperor into mortal enemies! Without their Emperor’s acknowledgment, tell me, would Hu Hao still find it so easy to control his troops?
As long as Hu Hao loses his iron grip on his army, the rest will be easy to handle. Furthermore, Hu Hao’s raid on Tonglong City was clearly an attempt to create a strategic opportunity for the Eastern Spirit Empire’s central front troops. Thank goodness Tang Long delayed their ammunition delivery!
Otherwise, our losses would have been catastrophic. Right now, the majority of our troops have already withdrawn, leaving only three corps behind to hold off Jiang Kai’s forces.
It is now impossible for Jiang Kai to continue pushing south; our forces have established solid defensive lines. As for the troops attacking Gunan City, we still need to carefully consider whether or not to proceed with the offensive!” Vitali explained.
“Tang Long! Haha! Oh man, I truly never expected the former Grand Marshal of the Eastern Spirit Empire to actually defect to your Mara Empire!” Vostok shook his head with a laugh.
“Hmph. With a character like that, I don’t know how he ever gained their Emperor’s trust in the first place. But one can imagine that their Emperor isn’t exactly a good bird either!” Vitali sneered.
“Hmm. How about this, can you pass a message to Tang Long? If I recall correctly, Hu Hao is from Huaizhong Province, right? His family is still there. Have Tang Long instigate their Emperor to execute Hu Hao’s family, forcing Hu Hao to turn against his Emperor!
To be honest, I’d rather have Hu Hao surrender and serve us than deal with scum like Tang Long. Tang Long has zero actual ability, but he’s incredibly skilled at screwing over his own country!
Hu Hao, on the other hand, is a brilliant commander. With our Allied forces invading the Central Region, if Hu Hao became an officer for your Mara Empire or our Holy Ancient Empire, it would be like adding wings to a tiger!” Vostok smiled at Vitali.
“Excellent idea. Forcing their Emperor to kill Hu Hao’s family would definitely make Hu Hao sever all ties with him. In fact, their Emperor doesn’t even need to be the one to do it; Tang Long can do it himself!
When necessary, we can have Tang Long deploy assassins to kill Hu Hao’s family. That will achieve the exact same result!” Vitali smiled back.
“Acceptable. Force Hu Hao to break with their Emperor. Besides, serving an Emperor like that truly isn’t worth it for a man like Hu Hao!” Vostok nodded in agreement.
“Then I’ll send someone to pass the message. I’ll tell him to hurry up; this must be done before the rainy season ends.” With that, Vitali stood up.
They figured that since they couldn’t defeat Hu Hao on the battlefield, stabbing him in the back was the next best option, and it could yield excellent results.
…
Hu Hao remained entirely oblivious to all this. Currently, he was leading the Special Operations Regiment toward Guyi City. Allied vanguard forces—two tank divisions—had already been spotted in Dingze City.
Hu Hao’s forces had already occupied Guyi City, located south of Dingze City. Hu Hao was heading there to direct the battle to eliminate the forces in Dingze City. Traveling with Hu Hao were one tank division and two armored infantry divisions, rapidly advancing to reinforce Guyi City.
Although the Allied forces hadn’t attacked Guyi City yet, he needed to establish his defenses in advance.
Meanwhile, the troops that had previously departed from Late City and Jinhe City had arrived in Nanlin City—the very place where Hu Hao’s team had discovered the Allied forces committing a massacre. The troops in Nanlin City were now threatening Dingze City from the west.
“Hao-ge! Hao-ge, Commander Jiang wants to speak with you!” As Hu Hao slept in a vehicle, Dong Wenjun woke him, holding out a phone. This was the satellite phone Zhang Debiao had sent over for Hu Hao to communicate with the outside world!
“Oh? Hello, Commander!” Hu Hao lay there, took the phone, and answered.
“Sigh… Hu Hao, this time… this time, I’ve truly let you down!” Jiang Kai’s first words were an apology.
“The central front counter-offensive failed?” Hearing this, Hu Hao sat upright.
“Sigh. The ammunition didn’t arrive until noon yesterday. By the time we distributed it to the troops, it was already afternoon. The Allied forces that needed to retreat had already retreated and formed new defensive lines.
Right now, although my troops want to attack, an offensive wouldn’t yield any significant gains. Conversely, my troops’ ammunition supply is currently being choked by High Command. If the Allied forces discover I don’t have much ammunition, attacking would be suicide!” Jiang Kai sighed heavily over the phone.
“You command an entire Combat Zone, yet you still don’t have enough ammunition?!” Hu Hao was even more shocked.
“I have some, but it’s not enough! I can’t just consider offensive operations; I must also consider defense! I can’t just throw all my ammunition onto the front lines. If I do, and resupplies are delayed, it will lead to a total rout, and the entire central front will be in jeopardy!
Hu Hao, I’m truly sorry. I really did my best. Over the past few days, I don’t even know how many times I called the Emperor, or how many times I called High Command!
As of this morning, my troops have wiped out roughly three Allied corps. But the vast majority of the Allied forces successfully retreated, and they might threaten your position soon. Damn it!” Jiang Kai spoke with profound helplessness!
“What the hell is wrong with the Emperor?! Is he getting senile?! If he can’t do the job, he should step down and let the Crown Prince take over! Damn it, such a golden opportunity, ruined just like that!
And that Tang Long! Don’t you guys even suspect that he might be crazy?! Choking the ammunition supply at a critical time like this?! Is he a general of our Empire, or a general of the Allied forces?!” Hu Hao yelled into the phone, his anger boiling over.
“Hmm?” Jiang Kai was momentarily taken aback by Hu Hao’s words!
“Commander, originally, if we had coordinated our attacks and wiped out the Allied forces on the central front, tell me, wouldn’t we have been able to reclaim at least five provinces?! Combine that with the massive veteran forces we would have gained…
There’s no way the Allied forces could easily swallow those five provinces back up! The war would have dragged on, dragging right into the rainy season in March of next year! Although the rainy season in March isn’t as severe, it still has an impact!
As long as we bought enough time for the Empire, the Empire would still have a glimmer of hope! But now, thanks to Tang Long’s sabotage, what is there left to fight for?!
Why do you think I refuse to answer the Emperor’s calls?! Why do you think I refuse to answer High Command’s calls?! They are single-handedly burying the Empire’s every chance of survival! What the hell are they even thinking about right now?!
Worrying about rebellion?! Are they insane?! Even if someone successfully rebelled right now, could they hold off the Allied attacks?! Sigh. Commander, I don’t want to care about their petty bullshit anymore! I’ll just focus on killing the enemy, and leave it at that!
As for Tang Long, the Emperor, and the rest… they can do whatever they want. They can do whatever the hell they please! I’m washing my hands of them!” Hu Hao declared to Jiang Kai.
“Hmm, bear with it for now. Hu Hao, over the next few days, I will bring your family over to my side. If the opportunity arises, I will send them to your territory. I have a feeling Tang Long might make a move against your family. If you continue to butt heads with the Emperor, Tang Long will definitely strike!” Jiang Kai warned Hu Hao.
“He wouldn’t dare!” Hearing this, Hu Hao sprang to his feet, instantly smacking his head against the vehicle’s roof.
“There is nothing he wouldn’t dare do! Why do you think Tang Long can still sit in High Command? Do you think it’s solely because he’s the Crown Prince’s father-in-law? Tang Long is an incompetent fool! What does an incompetent fool rely on to secure a seat in High Command?
He relies on being the Emperor’s loyal dog! Whoever the Emperor dislikes, he unleashes his dog, Tang Long, upon them! Do you understand?!” Jiang Kai explained over the phone.
“Hiss… Tang Long… damn him!” Hu Hao ground his teeth.
“Contact your family. I will bring them over to my side first!” Jiang Kai offered.
“But if you do that, you’ll be in trouble! Won’t the Emperor suspect you?” Hu Hao asked.
“Let him suspect me. Truth be told, I’ve given up hope. This time, I have truly given up hope.” Jiang Kai revealed his true feelings to Hu Hao.
(End of Chapter)