Hearing the officers casually mention that Hu Hao was likely to be promoted to full Colonel very soon left Liang Wanyu utterly stunned. She had already been shocked to see him wearing a Major’s insignia—achieving field-grade rank so quickly was practically unheard of.
To discover that he was actually a Lieutenant Colonel, and that a promotion to full Colonel was already on the horizon, was mind-boggling. Furthermore, his relationship with Zone Commander Jiang Kai was clearly extraordinary. He had apparently saved the General’s life, which explained why he wasn’t the least bit afraid of offending him.
“Are you really that incredible?” Liang Wanyu asked, still struggling to process it all.
“Incredible? Ha. I’ve been chased like a stray dog for over a thousand kilometers. How is that incredible?” Hu Hao laughed self-deprecatingly.
“That wasn’t your fault!” Xiao Quan interjected immediately. “If the command structure had listened to you from the very beginning, things would be completely different right now! Let’s just hope we actually follow your plan today. If we do, we might finally get a moment to breathe. Motherfucker, being relentlessly hounded by the Allied forces makes it impossible to even get a decent night’s sleep!”
“Exactly! We need to wipe them out today!” Li Jingsong nodded firmly. “If we annihilate this vanguard of several hundred thousand troops, let’s see if the Allied coalition still has the guts to chase us! And if they do? We devour them too!”
“Devour them? It’s not going to be that simple,” Hu Hao sighed, shaking his head. “I’m telling you, the Empire is in massive trouble. The Allied forces aren’t just from one nation; it’s a coalition of over a dozen countries.
I have a very bad feeling about this. The scale of the nations involved in this war is unprecedented. This might be a complete global reshuffling. Every nation in the Central Region is in danger.
Look at the reality: the citizens of the Central Region enjoy the highest standard of living in the world. Meanwhile, the global population has exploded, but the available resources remain the same. The population growth over the last few centuries has completely spiraled out of control. Just look at the families you know—who doesn’t have several children? Over a few generations, the numbers become staggering. Who wouldn’t want to invade and take our resources?” Hu Hao explained, looking at the officers.
“Are you saying… the Allied coalition’s ultimate goal isn’t just to conquer our Empire?” Li Jingsong asked, a chill running down his spine.
“Why would they amass an army of millions just to conquer one nation? If they divide the spoils of a single Empire among over a dozen coalition countries, what would each nation actually get?” Hu Hao asked pointedly. Li Jingsong thought about it for a moment and slowly nodded in grim realization.
“Don’t go spouting wild theories!” Liang Wanyu scolded him gently. “You act like you know everything! If people didn’t know better, they’d think you were some grand strategic mastermind!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll shut up,” Hu Hao waved his hand dismissively. “Anyway, the food should be here soon. You guys head back to your units. Tell the brothers: if we don’t fight today, no one survives. We must annihilate the Allied vanguard in front of us.”
“Understood, Hao-ge! We won’t interrupt your reunion any longer. We’re heading back!” The Colonels chuckled, standing up and dusting off their uniforms.
Hu Hao shook his head with a bitter smile as he watched them go. Once the officers had left, Liang Wanyu turned to stare intently at him.
“What?” Hu Hao asked, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze.
“Honestly… are you really Hu Hao? The Hu Hao I remember from the academy was just a silly, reckless boy,” Liang Wanyu said, a soft smile on her lips.
“I’m still a silly, reckless boy,” Hu Hao replied flatly. “Look, you really need to leave now. We’re launching an offensive very soon, and I won’t have the time or the ability to protect you.”
“No! I’m going with you!” Liang Wanyu insisted stubbornly. “I need to let the people of the Empire see how valiantly our frontline soldiers are fighting! Capturing footage of us launching a counter-attack—especially a proactive offensive—is incredibly significant!
It will prove to the citizens that the Imperial Army isn’t just being chased and beaten by the Allied forces! We are capable of striking back! Broadcasting this footage will massively boost national morale!”
“Hey, are you out of your damn mind?! That’s a propaganda problem, not a frontline problem! What the hell is a young girl doing trying to charge into an urban combat zone?!” Hu Hao immediately flared up, cursing at her.
“Did you just curse at me?!” Liang Wanyu raised her voice, pointing a finger at him.
“So what if I cursed at you?! Hey! You guards! Drag her back to the rear immediately! Have you all lost your minds?! Do you think a battlefield is a playground?!” Hu Hao yelled, his voice rising even higher.
“You… you… I am not here to play! I am here on an official mission from High Command! I need to show the entire nation the brutal reality and absolute heroism of the frontline!” Liang Wanyu argued vehemently.
“Stop making excuses and get your ass back to the rear!” Hu Hao ordered, his face dark with fury.
“No! I am not under your command! Your only order is to guarantee my safety! I am executing a direct mission from the General Staff!” Liang Wanyu screamed back, her temper flaring.
“The General Staff is entirely comprised of incompetent straw bags! If you listen to them, you’re going to die a very fast death!” Hu Hao roared.
“You… you… just wait until I report you!” Liang Wanyu pointed at him, trembling with anger. By calling the General Staff “straw bags,” he was effectively calling her grandfather a straw bag! And what did that make her? The granddaughter of a straw bag?!
“Enough! Stop pretending you belong here! Listen to me, Young Miss. This is truly not a place for you to play war correspondent! Please, just go back to Lingcheng! I am begging you! I am just a lowly officer; if anything happens to you, I absolutely cannot bear the consequences! Can you please understand that?
Please don’t make this impossible for me! Besides… if you die here, do you know how many of our classmates would be heartbroken?!” Hu Hao pleaded, entirely exasperated.
“What about you?” Liang Wanyu asked, staring at him.
“Of course I’d be heartbroken! That’s exactly why I’m telling you to leave! Urban combat is chaotic and incredibly lethal! I genuinely cannot guarantee your safety! If I’m forced to constantly watch over you, I won’t be able to effectively command the assault. And if I can’t command properly, my brothers will die!
This war has absolutely nothing to do with you! Why are you insisting on being here?! Because of your stubbornness, even more of my men might sacrifice their lives! Is that what you want?! Sigh… forget it. Just go back. You truly do not belong here!”
Hu Hao was at his wit’s end. He didn’t know how to convince her. If he spoke too harshly, it felt wrong because she was a young woman and an old friend. But if he spoke too softly, she completely ignored him! Dealing with the stubborn temper of an aristocratic heiress was more exhausting than fighting the Allied forces.
“But I need the footage!” Liang Wanyu looked at him, her expression turning pitiful.
“Sigh. Listen to me! When we launch the offensive, the Zone Commander will absolutely deploy observation drones to monitor the advance! You can just copy the feed directly from the drones!
During a desperate defense, we don’t have the time or resources to launch drones, but during a planned offensive, they’ll definitely be in the air! You can get all the high-quality, comprehensive footage you need from the safety of the command bunker! Seriously, go back!” Hu Hao reasoned with her.
Liang Wanyu paused, thinking it over. She remembered the guards who had already sacrificed their lives just to escort her this far. She also knew that Hu Hao was the primary tactical commander for this sector; he would undoubtedly be leading the charge from the absolute front. If he was distracted by trying to protect her, it truly would jeopardize his command and cost the lives of his men.
Realizing the weight of her presence, Liang Wanyu finally nodded.
“Good. That’s the right choice,” Hu Hao sighed in immense relief. “I’ll tell you the truth: if I had any way to escape this meat grinder, I would have run a long time ago. Do you know something? I don’t even dare to introduce myself to the new reinforcements anymore. Do you know why?”
“Why?” Liang Wanyu asked softly.
“Because I’m terrified. I’m terrified that the moment I get to know someone, the moment I learn their name… the shooting starts, and they’re gone. Ha. Who dares to make new friends here? The only friends I have left are the veterans who survived Langcheng with me. I don’t dare learn the names of the new recruits.
I’m terrified of the grief. I’m terrified of watching someone I just spoke to die right in front of my eyes. So… please. Go back. Go back to Lingcheng. This place is not meant for you,” Hu Hao smiled bitterly.
“Oh! Right, I almost forgot. I have some news,” Liang Wanyu said, suddenly remembering. “Wang Yao, Dong Qipeng, and the others… they might be deployed to the front soon. Before I left the Capital, I saw a drafted decree from High Command. They are planning to mobilize all officers who graduated from the military academies within the last two years to reinforce the frontline units. When your corps are reorganized, they’ll likely be sent to join you.”
“Ah?! They’re sending them here?! Are they insane?!” Hu Hao gasped, staring at her in shock.
“It’s not their choice. It’s a direct order from High Command,” Liang Wanyu explained.
“Right, of course. Listen… couldn’t you use your family’s connections to help them? I know your background is incredibly powerful,” Hu Hao asked urgently.
“I managed to protect the few female classmates in our cohort. But there are simply too many male graduates for me to shield them all. My family’s influence only extends so far, and those boys don’t have any political backing of their own,” Liang Wanyu replied, looking distressed.
“Oh God… they’re dead. I’m going to have to burn joss paper for every single one of them,” Hu Hao groaned, slumping back against the trench wall in despair.
“Don’t talk like that! Why are your words always so incredibly pessimistic?! They haven’t even arrived yet, and you’re already digging their graves!” Liang Wanyu scolded him sharply.
“What do you know?! Sigh… if they get assigned to our Southwest Combat Zone, they might actually stand a chance. We have hardened veterans, and our surviving Colonels actually know how to fight!
But if they get assigned to any of the other Combat Zones… hmph. Motherfucker. They will be led straight into the slaughterhouse by those incompetent Division and Corps Commanders! Those ‘Generals’ don’t know the first thing about tactical command!
Listen to me,” Hu Hao leaned forward, his expression dead serious. “Since you can’t protect them from being deployed, you must use your influence to get them assigned to the 27th Corps! If you can’t get them into the 27th, the 28th Corps is acceptable!
If even that fails, you absolutely must ensure they are assigned somewhere within the Southwest Combat Zone! Do you understand?! I am begging you. If they go to any other unit, they will die horrific, meaningless deaths. Here, at least they’ll have veteran NCOs to guide them, and our Colonels will keep a close eye on them!”
“Oh? You’re begging me now? You certainly weren’t begging when you were screaming at me to get out!” Liang Wanyu raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in her eye.
“Hey, come on! One thing has nothing to do with the other! And I’m not begging for myself; I’m begging for the lives of our classmates! Will you do it?!” Hu Hao asked, waving his hands dismissively.
“Fine. But you owe me a massive favor,” Liang Wanyu stated firmly.
“Done!” Hu Hao nodded without hesitation.
“I want to go to the front lines!” Liang Wanyu declared instantly.
“You…!” Hu Hao glared at her, realizing he had walked right into a trap.
“Hahaha!” Liang Wanyu burst into laughter seeing his exasperated expression.
“Ha. Very funny. But seriously, drop it. Stop trying to go to the front. You need to leave,” Hu Hao sighed, shaking his head.
“Is there anything else you need me to do for you?” Liang Wanyu asked, her smile softening as she nodded her agreement to leave.
“Mmh. Actually, yes. Here,” Hu Hao reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a crumpled, dirt-stained piece of paper. “This is my grandparents’ phone number. I haven’t been able to call them in over ten days. Could you please call them for me?
Tell them I am perfectly fine, and that I am not on the front lines. You must emphasize that! Tell them I am stationed safely in the rear echelons, but because I am assigned to a classified logistical mission, I am strictly forbidden from contacting the outside world. Do you understand?” Hu Hao instructed her carefully.