Tang Long wanted Mr. Wu to report to his superiors, instructing the Allied forces on the western front to prepare for an offensive in advance. When the time came, Tang Long would open the defensive lines.
Hearing Tang Long’s proposal, Mr. Wu felt it was feasible, but he couldn’t make any guarantees. He needed to report a matter of this magnitude to his Emperor. The Emperor would then consult the frontline commanders to determine if such an operation was viable!
Mr. Wu departed quickly, telling Tang Long to await his news!
Around 10:00 AM, Chief of Staff Vitali received a call from the Emperor of Mara at the Allied command center. After concluding the call, Vitali sought out Vostok.
“Supreme Commander, I just received a telegram from His Majesty. Tang Long might head to the western front tomorrow. Tang Long’s intention is for us to prepare an offensive against the western front within five days. We are to drive straight in from the west and attack Dongling City, the capital of the Eastern Spirit Empire!
His Majesty wants me to ask for your opinion. Can we execute this offensive?” Vitali told Vostok after clearing the staff officers from Vostok’s office.
“Within five days?” Vostok asked, shocked.
“Yes. Tang Long claims this is a golden opportunity. He says that although there are over a dozen corps stationed around Dongling City, they are all useless troops. Furthermore, we don’t need to worry about supplies. There are massive stockpiles of supplies on the western front that we can use!” Vitali nodded.
Hearing this, Vostok walked over to the large map in his office.
“It won’t work. We don’t have enough troops. We currently only have 600,000 troops on the western front. Of those, 200,000 must keep an eye on Hu Hao. Attacking Dongling City with only 400,000 troops… the probability of success is simply too low.
Furthermore, if we launch this attack and their Emperor manages to flee under the cover of his troops, our entire force of several hundred thousand will be annihilated!
Additionally, it is currently the rainy season. Although Tang Long claims he will provide us with supplies, our troops will be fighting a brutal war! Whether those supplies will be enough is unknown, and whether they can be delivered to the front lines is equally uncertain.
Moreover, even though the dozen or so corps surrounding the capital might lack combat effectiveness, look at the provinces surrounding the capital! There are massive numbers of troops training there. As long as they block our line of attack, we’ll be finished. We wouldn’t even be able to rescue our trapped forces.
The most critical issue is the western front supply line! Hu Hao’s forces are already threatening us! If we attack their capital, and Hu Hao pushes west, we will lose contact with our troops on the western front!
This is simply too dangerous; we cannot do this. If Tang Long insists we proceed, I’d even suspect it might be a trap!” Vostok analyzed, standing before the map and pointing at various locations with his baton.
“But this is a rare opportunity!” Vitali argued.
“It looks like an opportunity, but it’s a dead end. No, we cannot fight like this!” Vostok stated firmly.
“Then if we are to attack, how much time and how many troops do we need?” Vitali asked.
“We need at least half a month! Half a month from now, the rainy season will have largely stabilized, and the sun will come out every day, allowing our air force to operate!
Furthermore, if we reinforce the western front now, they will simply consider it a normal troop movement. If we truly intend to strike directly at Dongling City, we must prepare at least one million troops! 300,000 to keep an eye on Hu Hao, and the other 700,000 to launch the offensive against Dongling City! Only then will we have a chance!
If we fight the way you described, our troops will be marching to their deaths! Furthermore, the Eastern Spirit Empire’s forces will undoubtedly launch counter-offensives! We need half a month to mobilize eight corps to the western front!” Vostok explained.
“Do we really need that many troops? And half a month?!” Vitali exclaimed.
“We do! This operation requires our air transport units to provide logistical support to the front lines. Concurrently, we must also prepare bomber and fighter squadrons for the western front!
Think about it; over 1,000 kilometers! Even if we encountered zero resistance, the march alone would take roughly three days! Furthermore, attacking the capital… even if the Eastern Spirit Empire’s troops don’t put up a fight, it will still take a day! It’s completely unrealistic to expect them to flee without firing a single shot.
Four days! In four days, the Eastern Spirit Empire’s forces in the north and on the central front could all launch support operations to defend their capital!
That is when we will need blocking forces! Deploying a corps to secure each key location will require several corps! Furthermore, if possible, we must also launch pinning attacks against the Eastern Spirit Empire’s forces on the central and eastern fronts. This requires even more preparation! Therefore, attacking the Eastern Spirit Empire’s western front in five days is far too risky, and there is no need to take such a risk!” Vostok explained in detail.
“Then… shall I reply to His Majesty as you have outlined?” Vitali asked.
“Mhm. Ask him if Tang Long can remain on the western front for a while longer. As long as he can hold on for half a month, our troops will be ready!
Even if the Eastern Spirit Empire suspects us, they won’t suspect a direct attack on Dongling City. I won’t just reinforce the western front; I will reinforce the eastern front as well! This will completely mask our true objective from the Eastern Spirit Empire!” Vostok instructed. Vitali nodded in understanding.
“Reportedly, Tang Long has been ordered to inspect the western front for an indefinite period. His Majesty believes Tang Long is so anxious because all of his sons are currently on the western front, presenting a perfect opportunity for them to escape,” Vitali explained to Vostok.
“I see. That makes things easier. Have Tang Long continue to hold the line on the western front. As for his sons, that’s easy to handle. Don’t we have intelligence operatives in Dongling City? Have them provide cover for his sons! Disguise them and keep them safe. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?” Vostok suggested!
“Alright. I will reply to His Majesty exactly as you have proposed. As for how His Majesty makes the arrangements, that will be their affair!” Vitali agreed. Vostok nodded in approval.
That evening, Mr. Wu arrived at Tang Long’s mansion once again. In the study, Mr. Wu relayed the Emperor of Mara’s response to Tang Long.
“Are you certain you can protect my family?” Tang Long asked, looking at Mr. Wu from his seat.
“Absolutely. Please rest assured, General Tang. I possess at least that much capability!” Mr. Wu promised.
Hearing this, Tang Long considered it for a moment and nodded. Seeing Tang Long nod, Mr. Wu departed immediately.
Mr. Wu exited through the back door of Tang Long’s mansion. The moment he stepped outside, someone immediately began tailing him from a distance. Upon reaching his destination, the tail spoke softly into an earpiece and promptly left. At another location, someone immediately laid eyes on Mr. Wu!
Roughly an hour later, inside Ma Zhenling’s home, his second son, Ma Xiongjin, entered his study. Ma Zhenling was currently reading a book.
“Father!” Ma Xiongjin called out upon entering!
“Mhm. Why did you run over here? Had another argument? I’ve told you before: if it’s really that bad, just marry her and bring her home! Why all this sneaking around?” Ma Zhenling scolded his son mildly.
“It’s not about that! Besides, do I dare marry her and bring her home?! You know perfectly well what my brother-in-law is like—he’s no pushover! If he found out I brought another rival in love home for his sister, wouldn’t he come knocking on my door looking for a fight?!” Ma Xiongjin complained as he sat down and poured himself a glass of water.
“Even Wanyu knows about your affairs! As a father, aren’t you embarrassed?” Ma Zhenling teased his son.
“Don’t even mention that wretched girl! She’s blackmailed me several times using this already!” Ma Xiongjin waved his hand dismissively.
“Hah, you!” Ma Zhenling shook his head with a laugh.
Just then, Ma Xiongwei returned. As the eldest son, Ma Xiongwei lived with the patriarch, while Ma Xiongjin and the third son, Ma Xiongkai, lived separately and only returned when there was business to discuss.
“Second Brother is back too?” Ma Xiongwei asked with a smile upon seeing Ma Xiongjin.
“Eldest Brother! Just got back?” Ma Xiongjin stood up and greeted him.
“Indeed. Sigh… High Command is a complete mess right now. Hu Hao and Jiang Kai harbor massive grievances against Tang Long and High Command! His Majesty can’t do anything about those two, so he just glares at us generals in High Command and scolds us!” Ma Xiongwei sat down with a bitter smile, gesturing for Ma Xiongjin to sit as well.
“Tang Long is going to inspect the western front?” Ma Zhenling asked.
“Mhm. However, the position of General of the Left hasn’t been officially stripped from him yet. So, I don’t know what’s going on right now. It’s likely a show put on for Hu Hao and Jiang Kai.
Truth be told… hah… Tang Long is a complete incompetent fool! Claiming Hu Hao is amassing troops to build his own power base is one thing, but to claim Hu Hao will rebel?! Any idiot knows that’s impossible!” Ma Xiongwei shook his head with a bitter laugh.
“It’s impossible for him to be stripped of the General of the Left position! Only one of Hu Hao or Jiang Kai can return to take over the Grand Marshal position. Tang Long is a loyal dog by His Majesty’s side, and because of this loyalty, he will not be permanently demoted!” Ma Zhenling analyzed.
“Is that so? Loyal to His Majesty?” Ma Xiongjin interjected immediately.
“Hmm?” Ma Zhenling looked at Ma Xiongjin.
“Father, I came over precisely to discuss Tang Long with you! Today, we discovered a Mara Empire spy—someone we’ve been keeping an eye on for a while—appearing at Tang Long’s mansion! And he appeared there twice today alone! We don’t know if he visited previously. This individual entered our radar a few days ago, and we have confirmed he is a Mara Empire spy!” Ma Xiongjin reported.
“What?! Are you certain?!” Ma Zhenling stared at his son in shock.
“Yes, I am certain. Here are the photographs. This is the person this ‘Mr. Wu’ met with. We have already captured this man, and he coughed up Mr. Wu. I also have surveillance footage of Mr. Wu and audio recordings of his phone calls. We are certain he is a Mara Empire spy!” Ma Xiongjin produced an envelope containing numerous photographs and a computer disk.