Chapter 151: If They Want to Arrest Me, Let Them Come Do It Themselves

The staff officers in the command center looked at Hu Hao nervously. They were worried that Hu Hao would actually be disciplined, which would spell disaster for the division’s troops.

Xiao Quan was also furious. He was furious at why the High Command refused to look at Hu Hao’s troop conscription based on the actual circumstances. They hadn’t even come to investigate and were already talking about taking Hu Hao away. Could Hu Hao leave?

If Hu Hao left, what would happen to this division? Who could control these troops? Even if Jiang Kai came personally, it wouldn’t work. The brothers in this division only submitted to Hu Hao. If Hu Hao left, the division would descend into chaos.

“I think I should call the Commander and tell him that this matter must be considered based on the actual situation. They can’t just make a decision on a whim. This concerns the lives of tens of thousands of brothers and the civilians behind us. They can’t act so recklessly!” Xiao Quan said, looking at Hu Hao.

“That’s right, Hao-ge. Let’s all go and talk to them together. They can’t punish you. If they punish you, what happens to the civilians behind us? Are they just going to abandon them? How is that acceptable?” a senior staff officer chimed in.

“Right, let’s all go together!” the other staff officers shouted in agreement.

“It’s useless. What’s the point of saying all this now? If the High Command was going to consider the actual circumstances, they would have sent someone to investigate. Let them investigate!” Hu Hao said, sitting there.

“Hao-ge, are you really just going to abandon us?” Xiao Quan asked.

“Abandon you? How could I? I said I’m going to continue commanding you. Of course, the prerequisite is that you listen to my command. If you don’t, then forget it!” Hu Hao stated, standing there.

“Motherfucker, what kind of bullshit is this?!” Xiao Quan cursed.

Meanwhile, at Headquarters, Jiang Kai sat across from Tang Junjie.

“Tell me, Commander, is Hu Hao here yet? Or do we have to go invite him personally?” Tang Junjie asked, looking at Jiang Kai.

“If you have the guts, go invite him yourself. He’s not coming!” Jiang Kai replied coldly.

“What did you say? Well then! Is Hu Hao trying to mutiny?! He dares to disobey orders from the High Command! Who gave him that kind of nerve?! Ah?! Does Hu Hao still have any respect for His Majesty? For the High Command?!” Tang Junjie stood up, feigning fierce indignation as he pointed at Jiang Kai.

In reality, he was overjoyed. Hu Hao refusing to come made things much easier—it just added another crime to his list. A few days ago, Hu Hao had fired three shots at him, and he hadn’t forgotten it. He had specifically requested to lead this team to arrest Hu Hao personally. Once Hu Hao fell into his hands, he could deal with him however he pleased.

“You haven’t even investigated the matter clearly, and you want to pull my officer away. We are fighting a war on the front lines right now. If you take the commanding officer away and something goes wrong, will you take responsibility?” Jiang Kai asked, looking at Tang Junjie.

“That is none of my concern. Hu Hao violated the laws of our Empire, and he must be punished!” Tang Junjie sneered.

“The matter hasn’t even been thoroughly investigated. You heard a few rumors and immediately came to arrest him. Isn’t that going a bit too far? What proof do you have that Hu Hao conscripted troops privately? You’re just coming to arrest him on any random pretext?” Jiang Kai retorted.

“You are mistaken. We didn’t act on mere rumors; someone filed a formal complaint against Hu Hao. Mu Zhifu, the Commander of the Central Combat Zone—you know him, right? He reported it to the High Command and insisted that Hu Hao be severely punished. That’s why the High Command sent us. I imagine Commander Mu wouldn’t lie, would he? As a Combat Zone Commander, I think his words warrant our full attention!” Tang Junjie told Jiang Kai.

“What? Mu Zhifu reported him?!” Jiang Kai was deeply shocked.

He himself hadn’t known about Hu Hao’s private conscription, so how could Mu Zhifu know? He was still unaware that Hu Hao had crippled Mu Zhifu’s youngest son a few days prior.

“Therefore, Hu Hao’s refusal to come constitutes defying orders. I believe it is time we arrest him. What do you say, Commander Jiang?” Tang Junjie asked.

“If you want to arrest him, go arrest him!” Jiang Kai said unhappily.

He was still trying to figure out how Hu Hao had offended Mu Zhifu. Logically, Mu Zhifu shouldn’t have done this. Hu Hao was defending Late City, a place where Mu Zhifu had massive investments. Hu Hao holding the front line was highly beneficial to the Mu family.

“Alright. But Hu Hao won’t run away tonight, will he?” Tang Junjie asked with a smile.

“The soldiers under my command do not desert! Hu Hao will not run!” Jiang Kai stood up and declared.

“Haha, let’s hope so. I will head over there tomorrow during the day to investigate Hu Hao. You can tell him to be ready!” Tang Junjie said.

He secretly hoped Hu Hao would flee. That way, his family would have even more leverage to deal with Jiang Kai, since Hu Hao was a highly valued subordinate of his.

If Hu Hao ran, Jiang Kai would have no way to explain it to the High Command and His Majesty. Jiang Kai, naturally, knew exactly what Tang Junjie was thinking. He sat back down as Tang Junjie offered a cursory greeting and left.

“Commander, they are clearly targeting you!” Chief of Staff Sun Qinxue said, looking at Jiang Kai.

“Let’s put that aside for now. Go investigate and find out how exactly Hu Hao offended Mu Zhifu. Is Mu Zhifu sick in the head? Hu Hao is helping him defend Late City, yet he goes and reports him! Even if he wanted to report him, now is not the time. He should have at least waited until after this battle!” Jiang Kai ordered.

“Understood, I’ll go ask around right now!” Sun Qinxue nodded and left the room.

Jiang Kai picked up the satellite phone on his desk, intending to call His Majesty, but hesitated. Right after Tang Junjie had arrived to explain the situation, Jiang Kai had called His Majesty. His Majesty had explicitly stated that such a precedent could not be set; no matter how capable Hu Hao was, if he violated Imperial law, he had to be dealt with.

“Sigh!” Jiang Kai sighed deeply. Inwardly, he blamed Hu Hao for failing to live up to expectations. How could he make such a rookie mistake on this matter?

After sitting there and thinking for a while, Jiang Kai felt he still needed to plead with His Majesty, to guarantee that Hu Hao had no ulterior motives and merely wanted to hold the defensive line. After the call connected, the imperial guard handed the phone to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, it’s Jiang Kai. I want to plead for leniency regarding Hu Hao. Your Majesty, Hu Hao truly only conscripted troops privately to hold the defensive line. He has no selfish motives!” Jiang Kai pleaded immediately.

“Whether he has selfish motives or not will only be known after an investigation. And defending the line is not an excuse. If everyone acted like him, wouldn’t the Empire descend into chaos? Anyone could find an excuse to conscript troops privately. This is absolutely unacceptable!” His Majesty replied over the phone.

“But this matter must be judged based on its specific circumstances. Hu Hao is facing an attack from two Allied corps! Two corps! Over a hundred thousand men! And Hu Hao only has one division. Without sufficient troops, how could he possibly hold off the Allied forces?

“Furthermore, according to the combat reports just submitted, Hu Hao has annihilated nearly 70,000 enemy troops. To continue their assault on Late City, the Allied forces have mobilized the Kabuguo 21st Corps to push toward Hu Hao’s position. If Hu Hao weren’t capable, Late City would have fallen long ago. Your Majesty, please show mercy!

“Hu Hao has achieved many great merits for the Empire. Even now, holding Bopa City with just a single division of regular troops is a massive accomplishment. Also, the plan to counterattack the Allied forces and bomb their supply depots was entirely Hu Hao’s idea—”

“Enough, speak no more of this matter!” Before Jiang Kai could finish, His Majesty cut him off, refusing to hear anymore.

“But—” Jiang Kai wanted to keep trying.

“No ‘buts’. Hu Hao may have merits, but he failed to cherish them and committed such a rookie mistake. I have seen Hu Hao’s file. He is a graduate of the Royal Command Academy. It is impossible that he didn’t know doing this was illegal. Yet he still did it, which proves he dares to show contempt for the laws of our Empire! If a person like this is not punished, then anyone will dare to do the same!” His Majesty said strictly.

“Does he absolutely have to be dealt with?” Jiang Kai asked, his voice tinged with sorrow.

“We will speak again after the investigation is clear!” His Majesty said, then hung up the phone.

“Sigh! You’re just terrified of a rebellion, aren’t you?” Jiang Kai muttered with a sigh as he put the phone down, then sat there, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, within Hu Hao’s unit, the news that Hu Hao might be investigated had immediately spread. Many regimental, battalion, and company commanders heard the news, and the entire division was buzzing with discussion.

“Motherfucker, we only had one division! How were we supposed to hold the positions?! If we hadn’t conscripted those troops, this place would have been breached long ago. Are the higher-ups blind?!” a Battalion Commander roared inside his Regimental Command center.

“Exactly! Without the troops we conscripted, holding this place would have been a pipe dream. We would have been completely wiped out in the very first wave of attacks. Motherfucker, the higher-ups aren’t considering the reality we face on the front lines at all!” another Battalion Commander agreed.

“I don’t care anymore! My family is trapped in enemy-occupied territory. I support Hao-ge! Whoever the fuck dares to take Hao-ge away, I’ll kill them! What can the High Command do? They can’t just watch the Allied forces invade us while investigating their own people!” the first Battalion Commander shouted.

“That’s right! I’m with Hao-ge too! Most of us veterans in the 87th Division are from Tianyu Province. Motherfucker, our hometowns are occupied, and we can’t even go back. And now they actually want to take Hao-ge away?! I will never accept this!” Wu Kexiao, Commander of the 2nd Regiment, cursed as he sat nearby.

(End of Chapter)