Chapter 244: Thoroughly Confused

After giving the regimental commanders in Yonghe City their instructions, Hu Hao let them get back to deploying their defenses. He didn’t criticize them for their initial mistakes.

He knew exactly what they were currently capable of. These men had been company or battalion commanders just days ago. They hadn’t been promoted to regimental commanders because their skills had reached that level, but simply because Hu Hao had no other qualified officers available!

Therefore, Hu Hao was actively using this battle to temper them, hoping they would rapidly develop into competent regimental commanders, and eventually, competent division commanders!

After finishing with the commanders on the front line, Hu Hao immediately turned his attention to assigning tasks to the officers studying in the command center. He gave them a hypothetical scenario: defend Yonghe City with a single division and hold the line for five days.

The enemy remained the Allied 1st Corps. Victory would be defined as preventing the Allied forces from fully occupying Yonghe City by the fifth day, or successfully annihilating the equivalent of two Allied divisions. Hu Hao ordered them to formulate a defensive deployment plan based on the training manuals he had provided and the current intelligence regarding Yonghe City.

Hearing this, the officers stared at Hu Hao in sheer dismay.

Hu Hao insisted they start working on it. He didn’t demand a perfect plan; he simply wanted them to force themselves to think critically. Armed with Hu Hao’s materials, the officers gathered around the tables and began brainstorming.

When night fell, the 1st Corps deployed two tank regiments and one armored infantry regiment to launch an assault on the outskirts of Yonghe City. Li Nan and the others countered fiercely with infantry guns, rocket launchers, and heavy machine guns.

After a full night of fighting, the Allied forces hadn’t gained a single inch of ground. They lost over 30 tanks, more than 50 armored vehicles, and suffered several hundred casualties. Furthermore, Hu Hao explicitly forbade the Eastern Spirit artillery from targeting the advancing tanks; instead, he ordered them to continuously bombard the Allied infantry encampments in the distance.

Moreover, that very night, Li Nan and the others managed to deduce the sector where the Allied command center was located and ordered a concentrated artillery barrage. While they didn’t manage to completely destroy the command center structure, the shelling killed numerous staff officers.

The Eastern Spirit artillery also inflicted heavy casualties on the Allied soldiers digging the communication trenches. Through these relentless barrages, the artillery crews in Yonghe City gained invaluable hands-on experience, becoming intimately familiar with operating their howitzers in combat conditions.

By dawn, Kelly stood at the observation port of his command center and helplessly ordered his troops to withdraw. He finally realized that taking Yonghe City with his current forces was going to be incredibly difficult!

His only option now was to wait for the infantry reinforcements to arrive. Once they did, he could launch a full-scale general offensive against Yonghe City!

“I completely fail to understand this opponent. Who exactly are we fighting? Last night, he could have easily used his artillery to bombard our advancing assault force, but he didn’t. Instead, he ordered his guns to shell our encampments. Yes, that caused over a thousand casualties, but wouldn’t destroying two of our tank regiments have been a much greater achievement for them? And a far more crippling loss for us?

“And then there’s the bombardment of our command center last night. I assumed they would keep shelling it relentlessly, but they only fired one barrage and then stopped. I have no idea what they are trying to achieve!” Jasman was thoroughly confused by the enemy’s tactics.

At times, the enemy commander seemed like a brilliant strategist. At other times, he seemed incredibly foolish, actively choosing not to wipe out the Allied forces when he had the perfect opportunity to inflict maximum damage.

“I’m equally baffled. I honestly don’t know whether to call our opponent foolish or brilliant!” Kelly admitted from his seat.

Their engineering units were currently rushing to construct a secondary command center. Their current location had been exposed; it was no longer safe. They had to relocate. As soon as the new facility was ready, they would move immediately.

“Sigh, this entire battle is just a confusing mess!” Jasman stood up and sighed deeply.

“We will resume the assault tonight to continue testing their firepower. Tomorrow night, once the infantry reinforcements arrive, we will launch a combined arms offensive, push into the city, and wipe them out. They’ve delayed us here for days already!” Kelly stood up, his resolve hardening.

“It will be difficult,” Jasman shook his head.

“Difficult? I don’t think so. Our opponent is clearly inexperienced. He will make mistakes!” Kelly chuckled, sounding more confident.

“I wouldn’t be so sure! Let me ask you this: do you actually know how many troops are inside the city right now? Or what types of units they have?” Jasman challenged him.

“Regardless of what units they have or how many men, we still have to wipe them out, don’t we?” Kelly countered.

“True. But I am not optimistic about our upcoming offensive. I really am not!” Jasman shook his head grimly.

He had a constant, nagging sense of unease. They still hadn’t managed to identify the enemy commander. All their intelligence continued to insist that the defending force belonged to Li Jingsong.

But Li Jingsong was a division commander. Even if he had somehow been promoted to corps commander, he would only control a single corps. Jasman absolutely refused to believe that the force holding Late City and its surroundings amounted to merely one corps. If that were true, it would be an insult to his own tactical acumen.

Meanwhile, Hu Hao had momentarily set aside the situation in Yonghe City. He was currently touring the nearby military units. Several divisions were now gathered around Daman City.

Hu Hao planned to redistribute them. He would station two tank divisions and two infantry divisions in Late City. In Bopa City, he would deploy one artillery division, one infantry division, and one tank division.

In Daman City, he would keep two infantry divisions, one artillery division, and one tank division. Currently, none of these divisions had official commanders; they were all led by acting regimental commanders. Hu Hao ordered these regimental commanders to focus on managing and training their troops. Any specific deployment orders would be issued directly from his central command.

By the following morning, Hu Hao received news that the two Allied infantry divisions had arrived outside Yonghe City.

Li Nan and the other acting commanders instantly grew tense. Hu Hao had warned them that once the Allied infantry arrived, a general offensive would follow. That morning, they frantically hailed Hu Hao on the comms.

“What’s wrong?” Hu Hao asked as he connected the video feed, looking at the anxious regimental commanders.

“Hao-ge, the Allied infantry has arrived!” Liu Yichuan reported urgently.

“I know. I saw it,” Hu Hao nodded calmly.

“That means they’ll attack this afternoon! Hao-ge, what are your orders?” Liu Yichuan pressed.

“I have no orders. Fight well. If they launch a general offensive, then let them. Your job right now is to analyze their offensive tactics and adjust your defensive deployments accordingly. Like I said, I allow you to make mistakes!” Hu Hao told them.

“But the pressure is immense! There are tens of thousands of troops here, and only a dozen of us to command them. I feel like there are holes everywhere!” Li Nan admitted, looking overwhelmed.

“It’s fine. As the battle progresses, you’ll figure out how to fight. The dozen of you need to discuss things thoroughly and plan your deployments together! Go get ready. They won’t give you much time. I estimate they’ll launch their attack by 7:30 PM at the latest!” Hu Hao said firmly.

The regimental commanders nodded, taking a deep breath. Hu Hao cut the connection and turned to the officers in his command center. “You are all simulating command of the Yonghe City forces. Are you running your war games on the map? Is the sand table ready?”

“It’s ready! We’ve set it up over there!” a staff officer reported. Hu Hao had previously ordered them to construct a detailed sand table of Yonghe City for the officers to use in their simulations.

“Good. Begin your war games. Everyone must participate!” Hu Hao ordered.

“Yes, sir!” The officers immediately gathered around the sand table.

Hu Hao had stipulated that each officer would simulate commanding one regiment. This meant they had to plan their defenses using the mindset and resources of a regimental commander. While they began their exercises, Hu Hao stood aside, keeping a close eye on the live battlefield feeds.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Capital, at the High Command headquarters, Grand Marshal Tang Long held a formal petition to open the promotion channels. Over the past few days, several more generals under his command had “sacrificed themselves”—which, in reality, likely meant they had been shot by their own mutinous soldiers.

After consulting with the other senior generals in High Command, Tang Long had gathered all their signatures on the petition. With the document in hand, he made his way to the Imperial Palace. Passing through numerous heavily guarded gates, he finally arrived at the Emperor’s study.

After the guards announced his arrival, the Emperor granted him entry. Stepping inside, Tang Long noticed that the hair at the Emperor’s temples had turned stark white. Just a few days ago, there hadn’t been a trace of gray. The stress was clearly taking a heavy toll.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!” Tang Long knelt on one knee, placing his right hand over his chest in a formal salute.

“Rise. What bad news do you bring me this time? The last time you were here, it was to report the collapse of the eastern and western fronts and demand a retreat on the central front. What disaster is it today?” the Emperor asked wearily.

Tang Long stood up, and a guard immediately brought him a chair.

“Your Majesty, this time it is not directly about the front lines, though it is related. We currently face a severe shortage of generals on the front. If we wish to expand our forces, we simply do not have enough qualified commanders to lead them!” Tang Long stated directly.

“Oh? Go summon the Crown Prince and the other Princes,” the Emperor ordered a guard standing nearby.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The guard bowed and hurried out.

“Your Majesty, we absolutely must open the promotion channels now. Otherwise, our Empire will soon be bereft of generals. We must prioritize the promotion of talented officers from common backgrounds!” Tang Long pressed.

“We will discuss it shortly. Also, inform all the senior ministers of High Command to gather here!” the Emperor instructed Tang Long, nodding slowly.

“Ah! Yes, Your Majesty!” Tang Long was inwardly elated. Previously, the Emperor had always rejected the proposal outright. Calling the High Command ministers to the palace meant he was finally seriously considering opening the channels.

(End of Chapter)