Chapter 215: His Majesty’s Ruthlessness

Upon receiving His Majesty’s call, Jiang Kai immediately brought up Hu Hao. When His Majesty asked if this was the same Hu Hao who had annihilated four Allied corps at Bopa City, Jiang Kai replied instantly, “Yes, Your Majesty, that is him! He was previously reported for privately conscripting troops, but if he hadn’t replenished his forces, how could he possibly have annihilated four Allied corps?!

“Your Majesty, I have stated before that this man is a brilliant talent! If given sufficient troops, he is entirely capable of rapidly stabilizing the current situation. The Southwest Combat Zone’s defensive line was designed by him! We held it for over 20 days, and the Allied forces never managed to breach it!

“We did suffer casualties, but the Allied casualties were far greater! I was even considering that if we let them continue their assaults, when the opportunity arose, I would ask Hu Hao if we could launch a counter-offensive to reclaim some lost territory!

“But I never imagined the forces on the Eastern and Western lines would collapse! With both my flanks suddenly exposed, I had no choice but to retreat!”

Jiang Kai stood there, speaking to His Majesty with a tone of distress.

“Mm, I know. He is truly a capable young man. However, he is now surrounded. Can your forces launch a rescue operation? Even extracting him alone would suffice!” His Majesty asked.

“Your Majesty, he still has Air Cavalry at his disposal. I ordered him to evacuate alone last night, but he refused! He stated he must remain with his troops and cannot abandon them! Therefore, he refused to leave!

“From last night until now, his forces have wiped out another Allied corps! Furthermore, the Limaguo 11th Corps is approaching, and Hu Hao claims he can wipe them out too! But once he does, he won’t have many troops left. He currently has no way to deal with the Mara Empire 1st Corps.

“He will likely be forced to mount a desperate defense in Late City. Sigh… Your Majesty, this retreat has cost me a great general!” Jiang Kai complained bitterly.

“Mm, an outstanding young man. To know not to abandon one’s troops… sigh, how many generals in our Empire have abandoned their men?! Very well. As long as he makes it out alive, inform me. I will make a special exception and promote him to Lieutenant General, and you will give him the designation for a full corps!” His Majesty sighed.

“Thank you, Your Majesty! I truly hope he can carve his way out! However… sigh… Your Majesty, I have a request!” Jiang Kai said.

“Mm, speak!” His Majesty replied.

“I request Your Majesty’s authorization for Hu Hao to conscript troops in the Late City area! I have promised him a corps designation; I request you allow him to replenish his forces locally!” Jiang Kai pleaded.

“Conscript troops directly?” His Majesty asked.

“Yes! Just enough to reach 60,000 men! He has to face the Mara Empire 1st Corps! The 1st Corps is incredibly formidable; if he doesn’t have sufficient troops, he simply won’t be able to hold them off!” Jiang Kai explained.

“Very well. Tell him he is authorized to conscript up to 60,000 men. The total size of his force must not exceed 60,000! Not a single man more! I am only agreeing to this because of his combat ability and his meritorious service to the Empire. If he conscripts more than authorized, I will penalize him severely!” His Majesty agreed after a moment of consideration.

“Yes, Your Majesty! I will inform him immediately!” Jiang Kai was ecstatic. He desperately wanted Hu Hao to have sufficient troops; with enough men, Hu Hao’s forces could truly fight!

“Mm. You are quite fond of this Hu Hao, I see,” His Majesty chuckled.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. I highly admire this man. He knows how to fight, he is daring, he is intelligent, and he is calm and decisive. He is a born general! I intend to cultivate talents like him.

“Especially now, with the Eastern Spirit Empire facing invasion. Relying on us old men isn’t enough; we must rely on the younger generation!” Jiang Kai admitted honestly.

“You have done well. Your heart is entirely dedicated to the Empire. Unlike some people, who only consider their own interests! The Empire is in this state, yet they still only care about their own pockets! Sigh, since they want interests, I will give them interests! Let’s see how long they can keep gorging themselves!” His Majesty said darkly.

“Your Majesty… about that… why haven’t the promotion channels been opened yet? The soldiers in the lower ranks are full of grievances! If this continues, morale will plummet, and we won’t be able to command them in battle!” Jiang Kai steeled himself and asked.

“Previously, the resistance was too great. Now, they want me to open the channels, but I refuse! I want to see just how much confidence those insatiably greedy fools actually have!

“The Eastern Spirit Empire will not fall! We still have vast territories, we still have countless citizens, and we still have massive armies!

“But having soldiers is useless without generals! We need generals who actually know how to fight! I want to see if the generals currently in power are true generals!

“I told you before: protect the capable ones! You were the first to request I open the promotion channels, and I know your heart is entirely dedicated to the nation!” His Majesty revealed.

Cold sweat beaded on Jiang Kai’s forehead. He realized Sun Qinxue’s previous speculation had been entirely correct! His Majesty was reshuffling the deck! He was purging the useless aristocratic military families!

If those aristocratic families couldn’t win battles, the enraged soldiers would eventually rise up and kill them! Previously, His Majesty had likely wanted to open the promotion channels, but the High Command faction had adamantly refused. Now, while many subordinate generals were begging His Majesty to open the channels, His Majesty was the one refusing.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I have made proper arrangements for all the capable talents under my command,” Jiang Kai replied.

“Good. I intend to drag this out for another month! I want to see how many members of those aristocratic military families are left standing then! Didn’t they want general positions?!

“They constantly recommend their own descendants for promotion, whether they are capable or just useless second-generation heirs! Fine, let them be generals! My Eastern Spirit Empire will not fall! With loyal officers and soldiers like you, it will not fall!” His Majesty declared boldly.

“But, Your Majesty, if this continues, the capital will be in grave danger!” Jiang Kai warned urgently.

“There will be no danger. My Imperial Guard has already established a defensive line! I have issued strict orders to the Royal Family members commanding them: anyone who dares to retreat will be executed! Just one month, Jiang Kai!

“This morning, the Grand Marshal and the Left General proposed transferring you to the Eastern Combat Zone! I refused! They still try to deceive me! Hmph! Sending you to establish a defensive line in the East… isn’t that just hoping you’ll suffer a catastrophic defeat?!

“If you transfer your forces from the Central Plains to the East, who will defend the Central Plains Combat Zone?! Them?! Do they take me for a fool?! They want to eliminate you! Jiang Kai, do not disappoint me! Bring glory to the Empire!” His Majesty instructed.

“Ah! Yes, Your Majesty! Rest assured, if anyone wants to march on the capital through my sector, they will have to step over my dead body!” Jiang Kai declared. He hadn’t known the Grand Marshal and Left General had actually proposed transferring him to the East.

“Mm, I am currently very satisfied with you. As for that Hu Hao… he has a habit of privately conscripting troops. I would be much happier if he didn’t do that. However, I will let it slide this time.

“Let him conscript. As long as he can defeat the Allied forces, I will give him as many troops as he needs! I need a talent capable of commanding the entire army, a talent capable of leading our Eastern Spirit forces to victory! However, he must be completely loyal to me and to the Empire!” His Majesty stated firmly. Hearing this, Jiang Kai knew His Majesty was warning him to keep Hu Hao on a tight leash.

“Yes, Your Majesty! I will speak with Hu Hao and ensure he understands how highly Your Majesty values him!” Jiang Kai immediately reassured him.

“Good, that is all. Hold your ground in the Central Combat Zone! Defend it for me! As long as you can hold your sector, let the others thrash about! I want to see how long they can keep up this farce! To think they’ve ruined my Empire to this extent… they all deserve death!” His Majesty’s voice dripped with murderous intent.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Jiang Kai didn’t dare say another word. After hanging up, Jiang Kai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Sun Qinxue stared at him intently.

“We are incredibly lucky! Thank god we relinquished so many general positions when making our recommendations earlier! Otherwise, we’d be in massive trouble!” Jiang Kai told Sun Qinxue.

“What is it? Was our guess correct? Borrowing a knife to kill an enemy?” Sun Qinxue asked immediately.

“What do you think?! His Majesty is dissatisfied with the current situation, but he still believes it’s controllable! Therefore, he refuses to open the promotion channels, forcing the descendants of the aristocratic families to the front lines! I suspect His Majesty’s thought process is:

You wanted these positions? Fine, take them! But now that you have them, you must fight! Retreat, and you will be executed!” Jiang Kai explained.

“Sigh… but… what about the suffering civilians? Doesn’t His Majesty consider them?” Sun Qinxue asked.

“What threat can the civilians pose to His Majesty? It’s the aristocratic military families that pose a threat! The Grand Marshal… hmph, he’s in massive trouble this time! Even the Crown Prince might be implicated!” Jiang Kai sneered.

“Wait, wait, wait! Repeat exactly what His Majesty just told you! Everyone, out!” Hearing Jiang Kai’s words, Sun Qinxue’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately ordered all the staff officers out of the room. He needed Jiang Kai to tell him everything so he could analyze it properly.

“Mm, everyone out!” Seeing Sun Qinxue’s serious expression, Jiang Kai realized something might be wrong and ordered the staff officers to leave. Soon, only the two of them remained in the office. Jiang Kai then relayed his entire conversation with His Majesty word for word. Upon hearing it, cold sweat broke out on Sun Qinxue’s forehead.

“What are you so afraid of? I was terrified while I was on the phone, but what are you afraid of now? I just repeated it to you, and you’re scared?” Jiang Kai asked, completely bewildered by Sun Qinxue’s reaction.

(End of Chapter)