Hu Hao sat across from Jiang Kai, earnestly urging the Zone Commander to stress the gravity of the situation to His Majesty and the High Command. This was no longer just about the fall of a nation; it was the extermination of a people. The Allied coalition’s horrific massacre of the civilian population was undeniably a systematic campaign to secure “living space” for their own citizens.
“Are you saying the Allied forces are massacring our civilians specifically to empty the land for their own people?” Jiang Kai asked, looking up at Hu Hao, his brow deeply furrowed.
“Yes. That is their absolute primary objective,” Hu Hao confirmed. “Think about it. The Central Region is the only fertile, resource-rich landmass. The other four regions are almost entirely composed of unforgiving mountains or frozen tundra. Their agricultural resources are critically scarce, yet their population growth has been explosive and entirely unchecked.
To secure enough arable land and living space for their starving populations, they must eradicate our people. That’s the brutal reality. Furthermore, think about it politically: why would the citizens of those nations willingly throw their lives away in a massive invasion if they weren’t promised a tangible reward? The promise of fertile land is the only thing driving them.
This war is a desperate measure by the coalition governments to alleviate their massive domestic pressures by directing the unrest outward. Truthfully, the entire Central Region is in extreme danger. It’s not just the Eastern Spirit Empire; any moderately prosperous nation in our region is likely facing an imminent invasion.
The Empire must recognize the true nature of this threat immediately. I can guarantee you with absolute certainty that in the provinces the Allied forces have already occupied, widespread massacres are currently taking place. The Empire must launch immediate, aggressive counter-offensives across all fronts!
Even if we only liberate a single city at a time, we save the civilians trapped inside. But the rural areas are the most critical. Our farmers are undoubtedly the coalition’s primary targets. If they want our land, what’s the easiest way to take it?
Slaughter the farmers. Once the land is empty, the coalition nations can simply migrate their own citizens to settle it. The only reason the massacres haven’t fully engulfed the rural areas yet is likely because the Allied forces are still actively engaged in combat with us; they simply don’t have the spare troops to deploy into the countryside to execute the purges. We have to strike now!” Hu Hao explained, nodding emphatically at Jiang Kai.
“You’re absolutely right. We can’t keep lying to ourselves,” Jiang Kai sighed, nodding slowly. “The coalition didn’t invade us just to secure favorable grain and oil exports. The Empire already exports massive quantities of both every year; theoretically, those nations could have simply purchased what they needed. Why launch a full-scale war? Because they need to externalize their domestic crises. Extermination is their only solution.”
“Commander, our troops must be redeployed immediately. We need to scatter our forces across the region. Even if a unit can only protect a handful of civilians, it’s a victory. We can no longer afford to sit passively in defensive trenches,” Hu Hao urged.
“The Allied forces likely won’t be able to launch another immediate assault against our sector; their staggering defeat here means they need time to rally reinforcements and rebuild their supply lines. We must use this window to spread out and counter-attack!
The newly arrived reservists must be integrated into our active units immediately. Forget about formal training for now; as long as they know how to pull a trigger, that’s enough. We’ll train them on the march.
Once our units reach their designated deployment zones, they must initiate localized offensives. The Allied forces have occupied our cities, which means they’ve stationed garrisons inside them to execute the purges. By dispersing our forces, we can hunt down those garrisons and disrupt their massacres!” Hu Hao proposed.
“I understand your tactical logic, but a massive strategic redeployment requires direct authorization from High Command. I submitted a comprehensive report detailing the massacres to His Majesty and the Grand Marshal late last night. I assume they are currently holding an emergency war council to determine our next course of action,” Jiang Kai replied, rubbing his tired eyes.
“Even so, you must continue pushing these operational concepts up the chain of command!” Hu Hao insisted. “Commander, our absolute priority must be protecting the civilians! Since our forces in this sector still possess high combat effectiveness and high morale, we just need to absorb the reinforcements and move out!
Our units must disperse and actively strike Allied strongholds. We need to launch guerilla campaigns to sever their logistical arteries—blow their bridges, collapse their tunnels, mine their highways and railways, and sabotage their captured airports! We cannot allow the Allied coalition to rapidly mass hundreds of thousands of troops against a single point ever again.
Furthermore, if possible, we should proactively infiltrate the occupied territories and wage an asymmetric war behind their lines. The goal is simple: we must completely shatter their operational tempo. We must prevent them from easily organizing another massive, unified offensive. If they consolidate their forces again, it will be incredibly dangerous for us!” Hu Hao stressed the need for an aggressive, decentralized strategy to stall the coalition’s momentum.
“Mmh. What other suggestions do you have? Tell me everything,” Jiang Kai nodded, motioning for him to continue.
Hu Hao proceeded to outline the tactical concepts he had been developing throughout the night. He detailed specific deployment zones for the scattered units and proposed radical methods for rapid troop expansion. He even suggested that frontline commanders be granted the authority to independently recruit and conscript local survivors to rebuild their units, provided they reported the numbers to High Command and requested the assignment of commissioned officers to manage the influx.
Jiang Kai listened intently, taking notes, though he didn’t explicitly confirm or deny any of the proposals. Hu Hao spent nearly half an hour laying out his comprehensive strategic vision.
Just as he was finishing, Jiang Kai’s secure phone rang. It was His Majesty.
Hu Hao sat quietly and waited. However, the bunker was relatively quiet, and he could clearly hear both Jiang Kai’s responses and the Emperor’s resonant voice echoing from the receiver.
Hu Hao was immensely relieved to hear the Emperor officially order Jiang Kai to establish a hardened defensive perimeter in the current sector and confirm that massive waves of reservists were being routed to reinforce the Southwest Combat Zone.
It was clear that His Majesty finally understood the stakes— they could not allow the Allied forces to advance another inch. Yielding territory no longer just meant losing land; it meant the absolute extermination of the citizens living on it.
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Kai walked back over to Hu Hao.
“Hu Hao, I have taken note of all your tactical suggestions. They are excellent. Head back to your unit for now; I will finalize the deployment orders shortly, and you will simply execute them when the time comes.
By the way… for this next phase of operations, I intend to assign you command of an entire Division. What do you think?” Jiang Kai asked, watching Hu Hao closely.
Hu Hao was caught completely off guard.
“Commander, I am currently a Lieutenant Colonel. Even if you secure me a field promotion to full Colonel, I still wouldn’t have the required rank to command a Division. I’m not a General. How could I possibly act as a Division Commander?” Hu Hao asked, eyeing Jiang Kai suspiciously.
“Why couldn’t you? The promotion channels haven’t been officially opened yet, but they will be eventually. As long as your tactical command commands the absolute respect of the men under you, you can lead a Division. Tell me: do you have the courage to take the command?” Jiang Kai challenged him.
“Of course I have the courage to take it. But Commander, do you truly believe the aristocratic Generals will simply accept this? To my knowledge, Imperial military law explicitly dictates that a Division can only be commanded by an officer holding the minimum rank of Major General!” Hu Hao pointed out the blatant illegality of the proposal.
“Ha! There is no such ironclad law. Besides, these are extraordinary times, and they require extraordinary measures. Go back to your men and await your orders,” Jiang Kai dismissed his concerns with a wave of his hand.
“Understood,” Hu Hao replied, still deeply skeptical, but he saluted and left the command bunker.
Stepping outside, he noticed Liang Wanyu was no longer there; she had likely already departed for the airport to catch her flight back to the Capital. Pushing the thought aside, Hu Hao made his way back to the park where his unit had bivouacked.
When he arrived, he found the veterans awake but utterly lethargic. Having exhausted themselves in a frenzy of bloodlust the previous day, they were now experiencing a profound, hollow emptiness. They didn’t know what to do next, nor did they know where to find more Allied soldiers to slaughter to slake their thirst for vengeance.
“Hao-ge, did you send her off?” He Jizhong asked, standing up as Hu Hao approached.
“Mmh. I sent her off,” Hu Hao nodded. He walked over to the large tree and sat down in the dirt. Zhao Haibin, Huan Xingtao, and several other officers quickly gathered around and sat beside him.
“Hao-ge, the morning rations should be here soon. What are our orders? What do we do next?” Zhao Haibin asked.
“We’ll likely be ordered to deploy to the surrounding smaller cities to establish defensive garrisons. That’s what the Commander indicated when I spoke with him,” Hu Hao said, pulling out the pack of cigarettes he had smoothly pocketed from Jiang Kai’s desk and passing it around.
“Deploy to other cities? We’re stopping the offensive?! We aren’t fighting anymore?!” Zhao Haibin asked, his eyes widening in alarm.
“Of course we’re still fighting! How could we possibly stop?! Motherfucker, if we stop fighting, the civilians who died yesterday will have died for nothing! Think about the populations of the provinces we abandoned… we’re talking about two to three hundred million people! If we don’t fight back, what do you think is going to happen to them?! We absolutely must continue the counter-offensive!” Hu Hao stated fiercely.
“Exactly! We have to fight! If we don’t, their deaths are meaningless! Fuck… I never in my life imagined I would ever actively want to go to war. But this is different. This time, we have to strike first!” He Jizhong nodded, his jaw set in cold determination.
Just then, Major General Li Jingsong stumbled over, looking utterly haggard and broken. He slumped down next to Hu Hao, reached over, and wordlessly plucked the lit cigarette straight from Hu Hao’s mouth.
Hu Hao didn’t react; he simply pulled out another cigarette and lit it for himself.
“I hate myself. Brothers, I truly, deeply hate myself,” Li Jingsong rasped, his voice trembling. “Before all this… I always felt so superior. I was an aristocratic General. I thought I was inherently better than everyone else. I thought the common people existed solely to generate wealth for my family.
But now… I hate myself. I hate myself because I am completely utterly powerless to protect them. Motherfucker!” Li Jingsong choked out.
“You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?” Hu Hao asked, looking at Li Jingsong’s bloodshot, sunken eyes.
“How could I sleep?! I close my eyes, and all I see are the children. The women. The elderly. I… I can’t sleep. I really can’t sleep,” Li Jingsong shook his head violently.
Zhao Haibin and the other veterans lowered their heads in grim silence.
“Motherfucker! Those Allied animals… how could they pull the trigger?! An infant… a newborn baby… and they just put a bullet in its head! THEY ARE FUCKING ANIMALS!” Li Jingsong suddenly screamed, his face contorting in absolute agony as the memory overtook him.
Hu Hao reached out and gripped Li Jingsong’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly.
“How could they do it?! They were just children! They didn’t understand anything! Why did they have to die?!” Li Jingsong broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into his hands.
Hu Hao didn’t try to stop him. He knew the Division Commander just needed to let the agony out.
Hearing Li Jingsong’s anguished cries, the crushing weight of the trauma finally broke over the rest of the camp. Veterans who had been sitting in numb, hollow silence began to quietly weep. As the grief spread, more and more soldiers broke down, their sobs echoing through the ruined park.
Hu Hao sat amidst the weeping men, listening to the collective heartbreak of his brothers, and could only offer a long, silent sigh to the heavens.