Chapter 99: Outsmarting Them

Hu Hao stared at the captured tactical maps, his brow furrowed in deep frustration. The critical flaw in his brilliant victory was their total lack of broad-spectrum intelligence. They still had absolutely no idea where the main body of the Allied coalition was located, or even if there was a massive main body operating in this specific operational theater. They were completely blind beyond the immediate county borders.

“Hao-ge… what if we just extract the tanks and leave the helicopters? We could just abandon the infantry ordnance and retreat now while we still have the element of surprise?” Bo Gang suggested, noticing Hu Hao’s anxiety.

“Are you joking? We bleed to capture this massive logistical haul, and you want to just abandon it?!” Hu Hao glared at him, clearly annoyed by the suggestion. He crouched back down and continued studying the map intently.

“The most likely staging ground for the Allied main body is Xike City,” Hu Hao deduced, tracing a line on the map. “There might be a secondary force in Jinpu City, but it’s a relatively small urban center with limited strategic value, so they likely wouldn’t station a massive garrison there. Xike City is the primary threat.

Radioman! Contact Ye Zifeng immediately! Tell him to specifically question the refugees pouring out of Daman City: find anyone who originally fled from Xike City and ask them if they saw a massive concentration of Allied troops there!” Hu Hao ordered rapidly.

“Yes, sir!” The radioman instantly began relaying the orders.

“If a massive Allied force is stationed in Xike City, a standard marching column would take roughly six hours to reach our current position. A forced march could cover the distance in four hours,” Hu Hao calculated aloud.

Bo Gang crouched beside him, listening intently to his Division Commander’s tactical analysis.

“If the Corps Commander in Xike dispatches reinforcements, their primary objective will be to relieve Daman City. They wouldn’t dare march blindly into our teeth here in Santong without knowing our strength. The most logical response would be to dispatch a single Division to probe our lines.

Motherfucker… if I can figure out a way to set another trap and annihilate that Division… assuming their Corps consists of standard four-Division strength, they would only have three Divisions left,” Hu Hao muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.

“Wait, wait! Hao-ge, did you just say you want to set a trap and annihilate an entire Division?! Here?!” Bo Gang grabbed Hu Hao’s sleeve, completely stunned.

“Ah? What’s the problem?” Hu Hao blinked, looking at Bo Gang in confusion.

“Hao-ge! A full Division is over ten thousand men! How the hell are we supposed to trap a force that size?!” Bo Gang demanded.

“We use our brains and formulate a plan! If we don’t outsmart them, how else are we going to wipe them out?” Hu Hao shot him a look of absolute disdain.

“But Hao-ge… trapping an entire Division?! Is that even physically possible?! What if they just march ten thousand men straight into Santong County and force a direct engagement? Are we supposed to launch a frontal assault against a force that massive?!” Bo Gang pressed, his anxiety spiking.

“Motherfucker, there are a million different ways to trap an enemy! Why are you panicking so much? Seriously. Fine, fine, go handle your own duties!

If you’re really that terrified, then pull your tanks out of the base and disperse them into the surrounding forests immediately! Dawn is rapidly approaching. The absolute second the sun comes up, the Allied forces are going to launch massive aerial reconnaissance flights! The moment their spotter planes locate a concentrated armored formation in this base, they’ll call in a massive strategic bombing strike and wipe us off the map! Move!” Hu Hao snapped, shooing Bo Gang away.

“Hao-ge, you said you were going to teach me! Teach me how to fight!” Bo Gang insisted stubbornly.

“I just told you to disperse your armor into the forest to avoid aerial detection and bombardment! That is teaching you how to fight! Did you honestly think of that yourself?!” Hu Hao yelled at him.

“Ah… right. Good point, Hao-ge! Hold on, I’ll go radio the tank commanders right now!” Bo Gang realized the imminent threat of daylight bombing and immediately scrambled to relay the orders. It was true; he hadn’t even considered the necessity of concealing his massive armored force from the sky. Evading destruction was indeed a critical component of warfare.

Once Bo Gang left, Hu Hao sat down directly on the concrete, staring blankly at the map spread out before him, lost in deep tactical thought.

“Hao-ge! The civilians are currently out there butchering the corpses!” Wu Xunqi reported, jogging over.

“Ah? Butchering the corpses?” Hu Hao blinked, momentarily pulled from his strategic planning.

“Yes, sir. They’re hacking the Allied corpses to pieces with whatever they can find. They seem particularly focused on decapitating them,” Wu Xunqi nodded grimly.

“Sigh. Tell them to stop. We don’t have time for this. Order your men to urge the civilians to evacuate immediately! Tell them they must flee to Bopa City right now!

Inform them that the moment the sun rises, the Allied coalition will undoubtedly dispatch a massive retaliatory force to this sector! When they arrive, they will launch an absolute bloodbath! Tell the civilians to abandon any hope of staying here safely; they must run for their lives!

Also, sweep the civilians for anyone with prior experience piloting helicopters! If you find any, bring them here immediately! Furthermore, secure the aviation fuel depots on the base; we need to refuel those choppers before we can fly them out! And where are those heavy transport trucks I ordered you to find?!” Hu Hao fired off a rapid string of orders.

“We’re still searching the city, sir! We’ve managed to secure a few, and they should be arriving at the loading docks momentarily!” Wu Xunqi reported.

“Good. Go handle it,” Hu Hao waved him off.

He stood up, ordered the radioman to collect the maps, and walked over to the base of a massive shade tree near the edge of the compound. He sat down, leaning his back against the thick trunk.

He realized his current operational tempo was completely unsustainable. Relying entirely on Zone Command for strategic intelligence was a fatal flaw; if he waited for High Command to warn him of enemy movements, he would be slaughtered before he even knew what hit him. He desperately needed to establish his own dedicated, autonomous intelligence network.

As Hu Hao sat there planning, he noticed his three radiomen struggling to keep their eyes open, their heads bobbing as exhaustion overtook them.

“Hey, Xiao Li. Get Liu Shuyi on the line. Once you connect me, the three of you can catch some sleep,” Hu Hao said softly to the radioman nearest him.

“Ah! Hao-ge, I’m sorry! I’ll connect him right now!” Xiao Li jolted awake, looking incredibly guilty for dozing off on duty.

“It’s fine. I’m exhausted too. We just need to hold on a little longer,” Hu Hao smiled gently. He knew the men had been fighting non-stop all night. He just needed to finalize these last few deployments before he could allow himself to rest.

A moment later, Liu Shuyi jogged over.

“Hao-ge, what are your orders?” Liu Shuyi asked, crouching down beside him.

“Can your men still push through?” Hu Hao asked, noting the dark bags under Liu Shuyi’s eyes.

“Hao-ge, whatever orders you have, we will execute them. Just give the word,” Liu Shuyi promised fiercely.

“Mmh. I need you to detach a platoon and deploy them far south, toward Xike City. I don’t want them engaging the enemy; their sole objective is to establish deep-cover observation posts along the primary highways connecting Xike City to Daman City.

It is highly likely the Allied Corps stationed in Xike will dispatch reinforcements. Have your men conceal themselves in the forests overlooking the roads and monitor all traffic. The absolute second they spot a massive troop movement, they must radio it in. Can you handle that?

Furthermore, dispatch another small element toward Jinpu City to do the exact same thing! Just hide and observe! And tell them: if they spot any Allied bomber squadrons or fighter wings inbound, they must report it immediately!” Hu Hao instructed.

“Understood, Hao-ge! I’ll organize the deployments right now! We’ll commandeer civilian vehicles to get them into position quickly; the men can take turns sleeping in the cars on the way down. We’ll get it done!” Liu Shuyi nodded firmly and stood up.

“Good. Emphasize to them that any critical intelligence must be patched directly through to me!” Hu Hao reiterated.

“Yes, sir!” Liu Shuyi saluted and jogged off.

“Get some rest,” Hu Hao told Xiao Li and the other radiomen.

“Thank you, Hao-ge,” the young soldiers nodded gratefully, immediately curling up on the grass and falling asleep.

Hu Hao leaned his head back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. Around the base, some soldiers had retreated into the nearby woods to sleep, while others were operating massive forklifts, frantically loading crates of rifles and ammunition onto the scavenged transport trucks to be hauled back to Bopa City.

Roughly an hour later, Ye Zifeng arrived at the base, leading a group of over a hundred middle-aged men.

“Hao-ge! Hao-ge!” Ye Zifeng called out softly, seeing Hu Hao asleep against the tree. He knew Hu Hao was exhausted, but this was too important to wait.

“Mmh? You’re here?” Hu Hao’s eyes snapped open instantly, and he stood up.

“Hao-ge, I brought the men you requested! They are all discharged veterans who previously served in the Imperial Air Cavalry or Armored Divisions! They know how to fly the choppers and drive the armor!” Ye Zifeng reported proudly, gesturing to the men behind him.

“Excellent! Absolutely excellent! Come with me, let’s head to the armory!” Hu Hao was thrilled.

“Listen up, brothers! This is our Division Commander, Hao-ge! He’s the tactical genius who orchestrated tonight’s massive victory! When it comes to war, Hao-ge is an absolute god!” Ye Zifeng proudly introduced Hu Hao to the veterans.

“Greetings, Hao-ge!” “Greetings, Division Commander!” The veterans saluted respectfully.

“No need for formalities. Come with me. We have a massive haul to extract, and we need your expertise,” Hu Hao smiled, leading them toward the cavernous aviation hangars.

When the Air Cavalry veterans saw the pristine rows of latest-generation attack helicopters, their eyes lit up. They immediately swarmed the aircraft, ordering the Imperial infantry to help tow the choppers out onto the tarmac.

They quickly located the aviation fuel depots and began rapidly refueling the gunships. Hu Hao knew absolutely nothing about aviation logistics, so he delegated the entire extraction operation to Ye Zifeng.

Soon, the deafening roar of turbine engines shattered the quiet dawn. The first attack helicopter lifted off the tarmac, carrying several of Hu Hao’s infantrymen in the troop compartment to ensure the pilots flew directly to the designated coordinates in Bopa City.

One by one, the massive gunships lifted off and formed up in the sky, heading back toward the Imperial lines. Meanwhile, the former tank crews began firing up the engines of the pristine main battle tanks stored in the adjacent warehouses.

“Hao-ge, what are your orders regarding this massive surplus of tanks?” Bo Gang jogged over and asked.

“Extract them all back to Bopa City. We don’t have nearly enough trained crewmen to man them effectively right now, so there’s no point in keeping them deployed here. Send them back to the rear!” Hu Hao ordered.

“But Hao-ge… didn’t you just say we were going to set a trap and annihilate the incoming Allied relief force?” Bo Gang asked, confused.

“Are there Allied reinforcements coming?!” Ye Zifeng, who had just walked over, immediately asked upon hearing this.

“Mmh. Undoubtedly. But even if they do come, we don’t necessarily need a massive armored formation to trap them! For now, your absolute priority is ensuring the complete evacuation of the civilian population! Get them moving!” Hu Hao instructed Bo Gang.

“Understood!” Bo Gang nodded, finally accepting the order.

Having delegated the extraction logistics, Hu Hao walked back to the shade tree, sat down, and immediately fell back asleep.

Before he knew it, it was past 08:00 hours. The sun was fully up. Hu Hao slowly opened his eyes and squinted at the bright sky.

“Hao-ge, you’re awake?” a Captain asked, noticing him stir.

“You’re the duty officer right now?” Hu Hao asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, sir. The extraction of the helicopters was completely successful; they are all safely back at Bopa City. The personnel from Division HQ arrived to assist with the transfer. The surplus tanks and APCs have also been extracted.

However, we are still struggling with the logistical supplies. We’ve successfully transported the vast majority of the critical munitions, but there is still a massive stockpile of grain in the silos. We simply don’t have enough heavy transport trucks to move it all quickly,” the Captain reported concisely.

“Where are Bo Gang and Ye Zifeng?” Hu Hao asked, standing up and stretching.

“They finally went to sleep about an hour ago, sir. They were practically dead on their feet. I managed to get about two hours of sleep last night, so I took over the duty watch. Should I wake them, Hao-ge?” the Captain offered.

“No. Let them sleep,” Hu Hao shook his head immediately.