Chapter 222: Keeping the Enemy Alive

Hu Hao continued to explain that he would remotely command future battles, allowing the subordinate commanders to learn the way of combat.

“Commander, there’s a matter I need to bring up,” Xiao Quan interjected, turning to Hu Hao. “Previously, Commander Jiang mentioned that an Allied corps was heading our way. You passed the intelligence down, but how should we fight them? I’ve been studying the Mara Empire’s 1st Corps’ march route.

“Based on my projections, they will pass through Yonghe City on our flank, then move toward Meilin City, then Jinhe City, and their final target is Late City. Shouldn’t we engage this force?

“It’s the 1st Corps of the Mara Empire—undoubtedly a formidable unit. If we fail to stop them, we’ll be in serious danger!” 

“Alright. Since you brought up the 1st Corps today, let’s discuss it in detail. This ties directly into our future strategy and our troop training plan!” Hu Hao stood up and addressed them.

“Strategy? Troop training plan?” The officers looked at Hu Hao, completely bewildered.

“Tell me, everyone: should we wipe out the 1st Corps?” Hu Hao sat back down, smiling as he scanned the room.

“Well, of course we should! How can we develop our forces if we don’t eliminate them?” Li Jingsong replied instantly.

“Exactly. If we don’t wipe them out, they’ll become a threat to our security here!” Xiao Quan nodded in agreement, and the other officers echoed the sentiment.

“Any differing opinions? I’d like to hear some different perspectives!” Hu Hao smiled.

“Commander,” Ye Zifeng said thoughtfully, “if we annihilate the 1st Corps, there won’t be any enemy forces blocking our retreat north. If that happens, Commander Jiang will definitely order our troops to fall back!”

“He’s right!” The other officers suddenly realized the implication.

“Just thought of it? Haha!” Hu Hao laughed.

“So we can’t wipe them out? If we do, we’ll be forced to retreat with no excuse to stay!” Xiao Quan nodded in realization.

“Are there any other reasons? Use your brains, everyone. You are all senior officers of our army now. While most of you aren’t generals yet, the forces you command are no smaller than a division!” Hu Hao encouraged them with a smile. The officers began to ponder.

“Commander, I feel that keeping them around has its benefits. But what if enemy forces from other directions encircle us? We’d still be in danger!” Li Jingsong offered after a moment.

“That’s a valid factor to consider. Keep going!” Hu Hao nodded.

“But wiping them out is bad, and not wiping them out is also bad,” Ye Zifeng reasoned. “Then we must make them manageable. As long as we can control their offensive capabilities and ensure forces from other directions don’t launch a massive siege against us, I think we have a chance!”

“Good direction. Continue!” Hu Hao nodded, quite satisfied with Ye Zifeng’s analysis.

“Another point,” Wang Yao chimed in, “if we don’t wipe them out, we can use them to train our troops. Just as the Commander said, we need training. We can use the Mara Empire’s 1st Corps as our sparring partner.

“And as Division Commander Ye just mentioned, they need to be manageable. This means we can train our forces under controlled conditions. We can suppress the 1st Corps while simultaneously allowing our own troops to develop!”

“Mm, exactly. That’s what I was thinking!” Hu Hao nodded.

“There’s more!” Hu Hao added.

“More?” The officers stared at Hu Hao.

“I said earlier, this involves our overarching strategy!” Hu Hao reminded them. The officers fell into thought once more, and even the senior staff officers in the meeting room began to ponder the question.

“I really can’t figure it out. Can any of you?” Xiao Quan smiled wryly at Hu Hao, then turned to the other officers, who shook their heads.

“Think about it. The rainy season is approaching. Now that the Allied forces know our army is here, do you think they want to wipe us out?” Hu Hao asked. The officers nodded.

“They want to eliminate us, but the rainy season makes marching incredibly difficult. With the 1st Corps already here, the other enemy units won’t rush their march.

“They won’t immediately mass several corps against us. If we manage to hold our ground against the 1st Corps in a prolonged stalemate, the enemy command will begin to doubt our combat effectiveness. They’ll assume we aren’t that strong.

“As a result, they might only send two or three corps to attack us. The bulk of those forces would likely advance from the east, with perhaps one corps pushing up from the south.

“When that time comes, all we need to do is hold off those corps and use them to train our men. Once our officers and soldiers are fully trained and ready, we’ll devour them all!

“Once we have that many elite troops, why should I fear how many forces the Allied coalition rallies against me? At that point, they won’t be attacking us—we’ll be attacking them!

“Furthermore, imagine if we wiped out the 1st Corps right now. The Allied command isn’t stupid. If we can destroy the Mara Empire’s 1st Corps, they will immediately deploy at least five corps to surround us before the rainy season even begins, with even more reinforcements following behind. Our pressure would be immense.

“Therefore, the 1st Corps serves several purposes: as a training dummy for our troops, as an excuse to give Commander Jiang so we don’t have to retreat, and as a decoy to confuse the Allied forces about our true strength.

“When facing a decisive battle where you want to devour your opponent, and your opponent wants to devour you, you give them a little taste of sweetness to draw them out. That makes them easier to fight.

“We apply the same logic to the Allied forces. We show them hope, not terror. We’ve already annihilated so many of their troops.

“Think about it. If we wipe out the 1st Corps now, wouldn’t they be terrified? Would they even dare to advance north without ensuring our complete destruction first?

“So, we give them a little taste of success to make them underestimate us. What we need most right now is time!” Hu Hao concluded.

“Mm, that makes sense. Our strength is still insufficient; we shouldn’t provoke so many enemies into attacking us all at once!” Xiao Quan nodded, and Li Jingsong and the others agreed.

“Commander, what about my side? Should we wipe out those two Vaal Kingdom divisions? They’re mobilizing tonight and might launch an attack!” Lu Guangsheng stood up to ask. 

“Use the infantry to train your new recruits, and use them to train your tank units. Treat those two divisions as your playthings. Just remember one thing: keep our casualties low.

“You can rotate your troops in and out of combat. None of our current uniforms have armbands or epaulets anyway. Just send them up. Delay them for as many days as possible. If you truly can’t hold them back anymore, then wipe them out. It doesn’t matter!” Hu Hao said casually.

“Understood!” Lu Guangsheng nodded with a smile and sat back down.

“Also, the 1st Corps might arrive at Yonghe City this afternoon.

“Xiao Quan, deploy two infantry regiments immediately. Bo Gang, send one tank regiment. Head to Yonghe City right away. Bai Ye will lead a tank division to reinforce you.

“At the same time, the divisions I just transferred from Ye Zifeng’s command will also move toward your position. Your objective is simply to hold them off for a day, using Yonghe City to establish a defensive line.

“We will fight them in urban combat. The more elite a force is, the more they dread urban warfare. We will use the city streets against them. As you know, our country lacks natural geographic defenses; it’s mostly plains. To defeat the Allied forces in the future, urban combat will be unavoidable.

“So, we start with urban combat. Once you reach Yonghe City, blow up any buildings in the west that need to be blown up to establish defensive fortifications. I will personally take command of that battle. Just get the troops there!” Hu Hao ordered Xiao Quan.

“Yes, sir. I will deploy them immediately!” Xiao Quan nodded.

“Now, we must address the issue of city administration. We have many refugees here now.

“As you know, the rainy season is coming, which is also the time for our country’s grain planting. To manage the cities, I plan to establish a Military Administrative Council. We will select personnel from our ranks who previously worked in local administration.

“They will staff the Military Administrative Council and organize our citizens to farm the land.

“I also have a task for all of you. Many citizens have fled. Once our situation stabilizes, every division must cultivate 20,000 mu of land. This is mandatory. You can select soldiers with farming experience to manage those fields exclusively, and during peak harvest or planting seasons, the rest of the troops will pitch in.

“In theory, 20,000 mu of land is enough to sustain one division. Since many people have fled, our troops will till the abandoned land first. If the citizens return and want their land back, we will find new plots for them.

“However, try your best not to occupy the land of the citizens who are still living here. They need to farm their land too!” Hu Hao instructed.

“We’re farming?” Many officers stared at Hu Hao in shock.

“Yes. If we don’t farm, what will we eat? Where will we get our grain? Steal from the citizens? There have to be citizens around to steal from in the first place. Look at how few people are left here. We can’t let our soldiers starve to death next year, can we?” Hu Hao replied.

“But aren’t we supposed to be fighting? Where will we find the time?” Xiao Quan and the others protested. They had never heard of an army being ordered to farm!

(End of Chapter)