When Hu Hao suggested that Jiang Kai urgently reorganize the command structure of the frontline troops to prevent the chaotic, piecemeal fighting that was causing massive casualties, Jiang Kai hesitated.
“Is that even possible right now?” Jiang Kai asked, frowning. “Trying to untangle and reorganize over two hundred thousand men on an active frontline in such a short amount of time? We have units from a dozen different corps completely mixed together, plus the massive influx of raw reservists. A reorganization of that scale usually takes days to sort out!”
“Commander, you need to think about the bigger picture,” Hu Hao smiled, leaning forward. “These soldiers on the line right now? They have survived the meat grinder. They are veterans now. And exactly how many troops does your Southwest Combat Zone actually have left? If you have no troops, do you think High Command will still value you as a full General?
Furthermore, these combat-tested veterans are the absolute core of any real army. They have actual combat experience—that is more valuable than anything else! At the very least, their psychological resilience is leagues beyond any fresh recruit who hasn’t seen the elephant.
If you use this opportunity to formally absorb these raw reservists into our surviving veteran units right now, it will be immensely beneficial for the future restructuring of your Combat Zone!”
Hearing this, the surrounding staff officers stared at Hu Hao, their mouths slightly agape.
“Good! Good! You are absolutely right! How could I have missed that?! These men are the only true soldiers we have left!” Jiang Kai’s eyes lit up as Hu Hao’s true meaning clicked.
Absorbing the reservists directly into his veteran-led units under the guise of an temporary frontline reorganization would instantly boost the combat effectiveness of his command. If he waited for High Command to formally restructure the army, who knew when the new units would actually be combat-ready? More importantly, doing it now meant Jiang Kai was effectively drafting those hundreds of thousands of reservists directly into his own Southwest Combat Zone.
The staff officers in the bunker looked at Hu Hao with newfound respect. There was a very good reason the Zone Commander valued this young officer so highly.
“Someone get over here!” Jiang Kai barked. “Issue orders to every Corps Command element on the line! If the Corps Commander is alive, order him to summon every surviving Regimental Commander immediately!
Temporarily assign all reservists under the direct command of those Colonels. Every Colonel will be assigned a specific sector of the riverbank to defend. Hmm… how many Regimental Commanders do we actually have left?” Jiang Kai asked, turning to his Chief of Staff.
“I don’t know, sir. We haven’t been able to run a proper tally yet. However… I suspect the number is quite low,” Sun Qinxue replied grimly.
“Mmh. Have them run the tally immediately,” Jiang Kai said, rubbing his temples. He looked back at Hu Hao, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the logistics. “Hu Hao, tell me. How exactly should we execute this reorganization?”
“First, tally the surviving Regimental Commanders,” Hu Hao instructed smoothly. “Issue a satellite phone to every single one of them. Assign them new, dedicated comms channels that report directly to this Zone Command bunker.
Simultaneously, based on the number of Colonels we have, divide the frontline riverbank into specific defensive sectors. If we don’t have enough Colonels to cover the line, then temporarily promote your surviving Lieutenant Colonels to act as Regimental Commanders.
Commander, if you are short on Colonels, you absolutely must utilize your Lieutenant Colonels. You have to remember: the Lieutenant Colonels who survived this slaughter have earned enough merit to be promoted to full Colonel anyway. Using them as temporary Regimental Commanders to absorb and control these reservists into your Combat Zone is an incredibly profitable move.
I did some quick math,” Hu Hao continued, outlining his plan. “The Southwest Combat Zone, along with the remnants of the other Zones, is holding a frontline stretching roughly twenty-five to thirty kilometers. The Southwest Combat Zone has seven corps designations, plus the three corps from the other Zones. That’s ten corps in total.
If we divide the reservists evenly, each corps designation can easily absorb over ten thousand men. If the other Combat Zones want their share of the troops, let them have them. But our primary objective is to secure the vast majority of these reservist soldiers under our command. What do you think?” Hu Hao asked, looking at Jiang Kai.
“Run a tally of every surviving officer holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and above immediately! Make sure Hu Hao is on that list; he is a Lieutenant Colonel as well,” Jiang Kai ordered his staff officers, nodding emphatically.
“Yes, sir! I will have them begin the tally right now!” Sun Qinxue nodded.
The Chief of Staff clearly understood the stakes. The reservists were an invaluable resource. If they could successfully integrate them into the Southwest Combat Zone’s command structure tonight, the Zone’s overall combat strength wouldn’t suffer a catastrophic drop.
The Southwest Combat Zone originally had 330,000 troops. There were currently over 100,000 reservists on the line. Adding the 100,000 wounded veterans currently recovering in hospitals—who would eventually return as battle-hardened soldiers—the Southwest Combat Zone’s actual combat effectiveness would arguably be higher after this brutal campaign.
“Commander, your food is here!” a guard interrupted, carrying over a steaming bowl of noodles topped with two eggs.
“Here, here, you eat it! You brilliant kid, I truly never expected you to come up with such a perfect solution!” Jiang Kai laughed, looking at Hu Hao with immense satisfaction.
His appreciation for Hu Hao was growing by the minute. In Jiang Kai’s eyes, Hu Hao was a rare gem: a commander with both unparalleled bravery and brilliant strategic acumen. It was a tragedy the promotion channels were sealed; if they were open, Jiang Kai would have made Hu Hao a General without a second thought.
“Thanks. I won’t stand on ceremony then; I’m starving! But remember, you still owe me an apology! I let it slide today because I know you’re under an insane amount of pressure, but don’t think I’ve forgotten it!” Hu Hao said, taking the bowl and immediately digging in.
“Ah? An apology? Oh! Right, right, I remember. Yes, I do owe you an apology. I won’t do it today, but next time. Next time, I will formally apologize to you!” Jiang Kai nodded, recalling his threat against Hu Hao’s family the previous day.
“Mmh,” Hu Hao mumbled around a mouthful of noodles.
“By the way, you mentioned earlier that if we had enough combat-capable troops, we could launch a counter-offensive. How exactly would we fight that?” Jiang Kai pressed, eager for more tactical insight.
Hu Hao waved his hand frantically, gesturing for Jiang Kai to stop asking questions so he could focus on eating. He was absolutely ravenous.
“Oh, right, right, right! Eat first, eat first!” Jiang Kai laughed, seeing Hu Hao devouring the food.
“Report! Commander! Air Force Command confirms they will execute strikes against the designated bridges! However, they stated that bombing the captured airports will be exceedingly difficult. The Allied forces have established air superiority patrols over those facilities; any strike package attempting to reach them will be heavily intercepted. They estimate the probability of success is low,” a senior staff officer reported, handing Jiang Kai a telegram.
“Understood! As long as they can destroy the bridges, it’s enough!” Jiang Kai nodded. He sat back down and returned his attention to the tactical map.
Hu Hao ate ravenously, not even caring that the broth was scalding hot. Within minutes, the massive bowl of noodles was completely empty.
“Ah… much better,” Hu Hao sighed, setting the bowl down. A staff officer quickly stepped forward and cleared it away.
“You were saying about a counter-offensive? Did you mean that once we destroy those bridges and critically disrupt their supply lines, we immediately launch an attack?” Jiang Kai asked, picking up where they left off.
“Mmh. But… sigh. You know as well as I do whether the Empire’s Division Commanders actually have the guts to lead an offensive,” Hu Hao said bluntly. “If we push back, the Allied forces will simply retreat and fortify the cities they’ve captured, forcing us into a siege.
And if our Army has to launch urban assaults, we will face massive casualties. You know how brutal urban warfare is. The Allied forces took heavy losses trying to dig us out of Langcheng.
However, if we actually manage to annihilate the several corps currently trapped on our side of the river, the Allied coalition won’t be able to easily mass enough forces to launch another major offensive anytime soon. They would be forced to pause and consolidate.
But… ha… saying it is easy. Commander, you know the reality. Do the Imperial Generals have the courage to fight? And more importantly, who will lead them? It certainly won’t be you.
I’m guessing that once the main relief forces arrive and secure the line, High Command is going to relieve you of your operational command. So… forget it. Sigh,” Hu Hao concluded, waving his hand dismissively.
Jiang Kai nodded slowly. He knew Hu Hao spoke the bitter truth. It was a golden opportunity, but whether the Empire could actually seize it—and whether the newly arrived aristocratic commanders had the courage to fight—was a massive, unresolved question.
“True enough,” Jiang Kai agreed softly.
“Is there anything else? If not, I’m heading back,” Hu Hao said, standing up.
“No, that’s all. I won’t see you out,” Jiang Kai said, rising from his seat.
“No need,” Hu Hao grabbed his cap and walked out.
He drove his jeep back to the 27th Corps’ staging area. When he arrived, he was immediately surrounded by over twenty officers—the surviving Regimental Commanders and Lieutenant Colonels of his corps.
“Hao-ge! Zone Command just issued an order! Every Regimental Commander is to take command of a thousand men and hold a one-kilometer stretch of the defensive line! Did you know about this?” one of the Colonels asked urgently.
“Yeah, I know. I’m the one who suggested it to the Commander. Why? Is it a bad idea?” Hu Hao asked, nodding.
“I knew it! Why else would the Commander suddenly remember us?” the Colonel laughed. “Hao-ge, here’s the thing. You’re an absolute god of war. You need to talk to the brothers for us. Tell them to distribute themselves evenly among our regiments. Can you do that?
If we let them choose, every single one of them is going to flock to you! None of them will want to follow us!”
“Ah, I see. Fine. Just call out the Battalion Commanders that belong to your regiments. Take them, and take your Company Commanders too. Won’t that solve the problem?” Hu Hao suggested.
“How many Battalion and Company Commanders do you think are actually left?! It’s mostly just enlisted men now, and the vast majority of them are from your 87th Division! Come on, Hao-ge, cut us a little slack here!” the Colonel pleaded.
“Alright. Let’s do this… where is the Corps Commander? Where did he go?” Hu Hao asked, looking around.
Hu Hao was beginning to take a more active role in the army’s leadership. He didn’t want to see any more soldiers die meaningless deaths on the battlefield; he felt a growing responsibility to do what he could to protect them.
“Why do you want him here?” the Colonels asked, their tone immediately souring. They still harbored deep resentment toward Li Tianyuan for his earlier failures.
“Ha, let it go, brothers. I saw Li Tianyuan fighting like a madman on the frontline today. The man is almost sixty years old, and he was in the mud risking his life. He didn’t disgrace his rank as a Corps Commander today. I want him here simply to bear witness as we evenly divide the remaining forces of the 27th Corps. Is that acceptable?” Hu Hao explained, knowing exactly why they were hesitant.
Hearing this, the Colonels relented and nodded.
Li Tianyuan was quickly called. Under his observation, Hu Hao and the officers quietly assembled the surviving veterans. Out of the entire 27th Corps, only about 1,200 veterans remained.
Relatively speaking, that was actually a high survival rate compared to other units. They systematically divided the veterans among the officers; each Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel was assigned roughly 130 veterans. These 130 veterans would serve as the core NCOs and junior officers when they went to absorb and organize their allotted thousand reservists.
Following Zone Command’s orders, the newly formed regiments then selected their designated defensive sectors. By unanimous agreement among the Colonels, Hu Hao’s regiment was placed in the exact center of the 27th Corps’ line. Their reasoning was simple: if things went south, they wanted Hu Hao in the perfect position to reinforce any of them at a moment’s notice.