Chapter 100: An Allied Corps?!

Upon waking, Hu Hao immediately headed toward the armory warehouses to personally oversee the massive logistical extraction.

“Hao-ge! Division Command just relayed an early warning radar alert! They’ve detected an unidentified aircraft inbound on our current vector!” a radioman yelled, sprinting over to Hu Hao.

“ETA?!” Hu Hao barked.

“Twenty minutes! It will be over our heads in twenty minutes!” the radioman replied breathlessly.

“Order all forces into deep concealment immediately! I want every single vehicle camouflaged or hidden under structural cover! Furthermore, halt all outbound logistics convoys! Tell the transport trucks to reverse back into the warehouses and shut the doors! Move!” Hu Hao roared.

Instantly, the entire base was thrown into a frenzy of controlled chaos. Drivers scrambled to reverse their heavy transport trucks back into the cavernous hangars. Infantrymen rushed to throw camouflage netting and cut foliage over any remaining armored vehicles exposed in the courtyards. Radiomen frantically broadcasted the concealment orders to all scattered elements across the county.

“Motherfucker… they’re moving faster than I thought,” Hu Hao muttered, staring up at the clear morning sky.

“Hao-ge! The recon detachment deployed toward Xike City just called in! They have visual confirmation of a massive Allied mechanized column advancing north toward our sector!

They spotted the vanguard roughly 15 kilometers outside of Xike City, just past Tulai Town! Their current marching vector puts them on a direct path to Daman City!

The detachment couldn’t ascertain their exact total strength, but they confirmed the column is absolutely massive! It’s definitely much larger than a single Division; the highway is completely choked with Allied armor as far as the eye can see!” a radioman reported urgently.

Hu Hao’s eyes hardened. He immediately demanded a tactical map and began studying it intently.

“Good. Let them come. Has the civilian evacuation in Daman City concluded? Contact Li Jiahang and ask him!” Hu Hao ordered.

“Yes, sir!” The radioman quickly established a link with Li Jiahang.

A few minutes later, he looked up at Hu Hao. “Hao-ge, Li Jiahang reports that the vast majority of the civilians have successfully evacuated. However, there are a handful of elderly residents who flat-out refuse to leave. They say their children were murdered in the purges, and they have nothing left to live for. They intend to stay and die in their homes.”

Hu Hao paused, a heavy silence settling over him. He slowly nodded.

“Tell Li Jiahang to pull his Battalion out of Daman City. Order him to execute a full tactical withdrawal and retreat directly to our fortified lines back at Bopa City!” Hu Hao commanded.

“Understood!” the radioman acknowledged, relaying the retreat order.

Hu Hao returned his attention to the map.

“Hao-ge! I heard the Allied main body is advancing!”

Bo Gang jogged over, having just woken up.

“You’re awake?” Hu Hao glanced at him.

“Your radiomen just woke us up to relay the concealment orders regarding the inbound recon plane. I heard the chatter,” Bo Gang explained.

Just then, Ye Zifeng jogged over as well. “Hao-ge, the Allied reinforcements are inbound?!”

“They’re inbound. We don’t have a concrete headcount yet, but the forward recon elements estimate it’s significantly larger than a Division. I suspect it’s a multi-Division thrust, likely three to four Divisions. There is no way an Allied commander would dispatch a single Division after we just completely annihilated one in a matter of hours!” Hu Hao stated grimly, his eyes scanning the map.

“Then… Hao-ge, what’s our next move?” Ye Zifeng asked nervously.

“Hao-ge! Secure line from Zone Commander Jiang Kai!” a radioman interrupted, handing the satellite phone to Hu Hao.

Hu Hao took the receiver immediately.

“Greetings, Commander. This is Hu Hao.”

“Hu Hao, do you have a moment? If you have the time, I need you to return to Zone Command headquarters immediately. We just received highly classified intelligence indicating an entire Allied Corps is currently maneuvering toward your sector!

You must solidify your defensive lines immediately! I have already contacted your Corps Commander and ordered the rest of the 27th Corps to maintain high readiness to reinforce your position!” Jiang Kai’s voice was tense.

“An entire Allied Corps is pushing toward my sector? Are you certain it’s just a single Corps?” Hu Hao asked sharply.

“Yes, the intelligence confirms it is a single Corps,” Jiang Kai stated firmly.

“Commander, that is tactically impossible. The Allied coalition would never dispatch a single Corps to launch a localized offensive against our sector. While I’m not saying your intelligence is entirely fabricated, it is undeniably incomplete!

Why would a single Allied Corps dare to launch a frontal assault against the Southwest Combat Zone?! They absolutely know we just completed a massive internal reorganization and absorbed hundreds of thousands of reinforcements!

Furthermore, we just executed a massive, highly successful counter-offensive and completely shattered their vanguard! They are not going to blindly charge into our prepared defenses! Unless they mass a concentrated force of at least five or six Corps, they will not attempt to breach our fortified riverline!” Hu Hao argued passionately, completely dismissing the flawed intelligence.

“Are you implying the Allied coalition is orchestrating a massive, multi-Corps strategic offensive across the entire front, rather than a localized thrust against your specific sector?!” Jiang Kai asked, his heart skipping a beat as he realized the terrifying implications of Hu Hao’s logic.

“Absolutely! Think about it, Commander! Would an Allied General blindly throw a single Corps into a meat grinder they know is heavily fortified?! It’s tactical suicide!” Hu Hao replied vehemently.

“Your logic is sound. I will order our aerial reconnaissance wings to immediately expand their search radius and intensify their sweeps across the entire Combat Zone! Simultaneously, I will issue a general alert ordering all units to prepare for a massive, theater-wide defensive engagement!

However, regardless of their grand strategy, that specific Allied Corps is undeniably maneuvering toward your position as we speak!” Jiang Kai warned him.

“Is the Corps advancing from Xike City?” Hu Hao asked quickly.

“Yes. It’s advancing from Xike City. It’s Limaguo’s 7th Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General Ren Kefu. But… wait, how did you know they were deploying from Xike City?!” Jiang Kai asked, suddenly suspicious.

“Ah… I deployed some forward recon elements across the river,” Hu Hao smoothly deflected, not wanting to explain the unauthorized massacre he had just orchestrated deep behind enemy lines.

“Mmh. Since you are already aware of the threat, you must hold your sector at all costs!” Jiang Kai ordered before abruptly hanging up to deal with the broader strategic crisis.

“I fucking knew it was an entire Corps. Motherfucker,” Hu Hao cursed as he handed the phone back to the radioman.

“Hao-ge, we need to fall back! Let’s abandon the grain! We’ve already successfully extracted a terrifying amount of heavy weaponry and munitions; that’s more than enough!

Besides, we also secured a massive haul of cash tonight! We haven’t even tallied it all up yet, but based on the sheer volume, I’d estimate we looted tens of millions of credits from those Allied corpses!” Ye Zifeng urged, desperate to retreat before the Allied Corps arrived.

“Tens of millions?!” Hu Hao blinked, genuinely surprised by the figure.

“Easily! Every single one of those Allied bastards had thousands of credits stuffed in their pockets, not to mention the gold jewelry and watches they looted from our civilians! We’ve bagged it all up, but we haven’t had time to count it properly!” Ye Zifeng confirmed eagerly.

“Mmh. As tempting as that is, we cannot retreat. If we completely abandon the far bank, the Allied forces will push straight up to our riverline defenses. We will lose all operational depth, and we will be completely blind to their movements!

Furthermore, if we retreat, we’ll be forced to blow the bridges to secure the river. If we blow the bridges, how are the surviving civilians trapped in the other occupied cities supposed to escape to the Empire?! We cannot retreat!” Hu Hao declared firmly, shaking his head.

“But Hao-ge, we only have a single Division! We physically cannot hold ground against an entire Allied Corps! We don’t have the combat mass!” Ye Zifeng argued anxiously.

“Heh. Who says we don’t have the combat mass?” Hu Hao smirked, looking at Ye Zifeng.

“Hao-ge… we literally only have the 12,000 men of the 87th Division. How do we fight a Corps?” Bo Gang asked, equally confused.

“Only 12,000 men? What about the massive conscription drive we ran yesterday?! Are those recruits not soldiers?!

Between the refugees you drafted in Daman City and the reservists Li Jingsong drafted in Bopa City, we recruited over 30,000 men! That’s the equivalent of three full Infantry Divisions! Add that to our active-duty force, and we effectively control four Divisions!

The Limaguo’s 7th Corps just lost an entire Division to us tonight. Assuming a standard structure, they only have four Divisions left! Therefore, strictly in terms of manpower, we are evenly matched!” Hu Hao explained, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

“Hao-ge, please don’t joke around! You know exactly what those recruits are like! They haven’t had a single day of organized training! We can’t deploy a mob of angry civilians into a pitched battle against an elite Allied Corps!” Ye Zifeng protested, horrified by the suggestion.

“Haha! You said we didn’t have the numbers, so I gave you the numbers! Relax, I have absolutely no intention of deploying raw recruits to the front line,” Hu Hao chuckled, his expression quickly sobering into deadly seriousness.

“You aren’t deploying them?” Ye Zifeng and Bo Gang stared at him, bewildered.

“Come here,” Hu Hao motioned for them to kneel down, unrolling the tactical map on the concrete.

“The Allied Corps deployed from Xike City this morning. Based on standard mechanized march speeds, their vanguard will reach Daman City by approximately 14:00 hours. From Daman City, it’s roughly an hour and a half to our current position in Santong County.

Assuming they don’t halt to establish a perimeter in Daman and simply push straight through without stopping for rations, they will reach Santong by 15:30 hours. It is currently 09:30. That gives us exactly six hours. Six hours is more than enough time for me to prepare,” Hu Hao calculated with chilling precision.

“Prepare for what, Hao-ge?” Ye Zifeng asked, a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Prepare to devour them,” Hu Hao said casually, sitting cross-legged on the concrete.

He pulled out his crumpled pack of cigarettes, tossed one to Ye Zifeng, one to Bo Gang, and lit one for himself.

He took a slow drag and looked at them. “Let me ask you a question. The Allied 7th Corps is advancing with four remaining Divisions. How many of those Divisions do you think their Corps Commander will deploy here to Santong County to investigate the massacre?”

“Uh… one Division?” Ye Zifeng guessed hesitantly, entirely unsure.

“Two Divisions?” Bo Gang offered, trying to read Hu Hao’s expression.

“Did either of you actually use your brains to arrive at those answers?” Hu Hao sighed, realizing they were just blindly guessing without applying any tactical logic.

“Hao-ge, how are we supposed to know what the Allied Corps Commander is thinking?! We can’t read his mind! How could anyone possibly predict exactly how many troops he’ll send?!” Bo Gang defended himself indignantly.

“You predict it by using your brain! Think about the tactical reality! We literally just annihilated an entire Allied Division in a matter of hours! Do you honestly believe their Corps Commander would be stupid enough to dispatch another single Division into the exact same meat grinder?!

Absolutely not! If they move, they will move in overwhelming force! They will deploy in pairs! Therefore, two Divisions will garrison Daman City to secure their supply lines, and two Divisions will march on Santong County!” Hu Hao explained, exasperated by their lack of strategic foresight.

“So I was right! Two Divisions!” Bo Gang cheered happily.

“Piss off! Blindly guessing the right answer doesn’t mean shit if you don’t understand the logic behind it!” Hu Hao glared at him.

“Heh heh! Just joking, Hao-ge, just joking!” Bo Gang laughed, shrinking back slightly.