Chapter 253: Hao-ge is a Full General

After Hu Hao hung up the phone, the staff officers in the command center immediately crowded around him, offering their enthusiastic congratulations. Hu Hao laughed along with them.

“Hold your congratulations for now. His Majesty will be speaking with me shortly. Quick, mess up the conference room! Make it look chaotic! And find me a set of tattered, ruined uniform! You all need to change into ragged clothes too!” Hu Hao barked orders at the staff officers.

“Ah? Hao-ge, you’re a full General now. Is it really appropriate to wear rags?” one of the staff officers asked hesitantly.

“You don’t know shit! If we don’t look like we’re in rags, how am I supposed to wring benefits out of them? We are completely encircled! We have to rely on them to air-drop supplies, understand?!” Hu Hao scolded them.

“But don’t we have the arsenals? We’re already looking for workers to resume production, aren’t we?” another staff officer pointed out.

“No, we don’t. They’re destroyed. We blew them up earlier, remember? We are critically low on ammunition!” Hu Hao glared at the officer meaningfully.

“Oh! Right, right, right! We blew up the arsenals! We have nothing left!” the officer immediately caught on, nodding vigorously.

“Don’t let anything slip! Otherwise, I’ll send you all to the front lines to fight the Allied forces with bayonets!” Hu Hao threatened them with a grin.

“Understood! Crystal clear!” the staff officers laughed and nodded.

“Hurry up and get it done! Oh, and transmit this document to all the division commanders: Xiao Quan, Li Jingsong, Ye Zifeng, Wu Kexiao, Bai Ye, Lu Guangsheng, and Weng Tao!” Hu Hao ordered, handing over the telegram he had received from Jiang Kai.

“Yes, sir!” the staff officers immediately set about transmitting the orders.

“Damn it, this isn’t enough. I have seven key commanders here, but this only authorizes five Lieutenant Generals. That won’t work. I need to demand two more slots!” Hu Hao muttered to himself, reviewing the telegram.

The order stated he could nominate five corps commanders—which naturally meant five Lieutenant Generals.

However, the order also stipulated that the Group Army Chief of Staff position must remain vacant. What was he supposed to do with Xiao Quan and Li Jingsong? He couldn’t just not promote them! But he also couldn’t justify denying promotions to any of the other five core commanders. Therefore, Hu Hao decided he would simply demand more slots. Whether His Majesty granted them was another matter, but he had to try!

While the staff officers scrambled to execute his orders, the officers studying in the command center had also heard the news. They were thrilled to learn that Hu Hao had been promoted to full General and was establishing the 1st Group Army.

They all understood that Hu Hao’s rapid ascent meant their own promotions were imminent. Many of them had been mere Second Lieutenants just days ago; now, they were likely on the verge of becoming Majors or Lieutenant Colonels.

More importantly, the path to becoming a general was now wide open. Fighting under Hu Hao guaranteed combat merits. With the promotion channels finally unlocked and Hu Hao acting as their patron, he would undoubtedly elevate those who possessed both combat merits and command capabilities to the rank of general.

“What are you all just standing there for?” Hu Hao chuckled, looking at the beaming officers.

“Greetings, Commander!” the officers saluted and shouted in unison, their faces glowing with excitement.

“You’ve all heard? Haha! Alright, I won’t waste words. Remember this, brothers: study hard and fight hard! There are no military clans here. Whoever has the capability gets promoted.

“If you lack capability, don’t blame me for leaving you behind. We all crawled out of the piles of the dead together. We all have combat merits. Now, it’s a competition of pure skill!” Hu Hao encouraged them.

“Understood! Thank you, Hao-ge! We promise to study hard!” the officers shouted back enthusiastically.

“Mm. Get back to work! Don’t worry about your promotions. I will take everything into consideration. From this point forward, regardless of your current rank, every single one of you has the potential to become a general under my command!” Hu Hao promised.

“Yes, sir! Congratulations, Hao-ge!”

“Congratulations, Hao-ge!”

“Congratulations, Hao-ge!”

The officers showered him with sincere congratulations. Their respect and admiration for Hu Hao were absolute—something no other commander possessed. They might show superficial respect to Jiang Kai, but their true feelings were known only to themselves.

But for Hu Hao, their loyalty was genuine. He was the one who had led them out of the slaughterhouse. Seeing him rise to the rank of general brought them immense, genuine joy.

“Hao-ge, Huan Xingtao is on the line!” a staff officer called out with a grin.

“What’s he calling for? Isn’t he in Late City?” Hu Hao asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know, but he sounds extremely happy. I can hear him laughing over there!” the staff officer replied.

“Oh? Hello, Huan Xingtao. What’s up?” Hu Hao took the receiver.

“Hao-ge! I heard you’re a full General now! You’re a Group Army Commander!” Huan Xingtao’s ecstatic voice boomed through the phone.

“Holy shit, how did news reach you so fast?” Hu Hao laughed.

“Hao-ge, I’m the commander of the Guard Division! The troops guarding your command center are my men! If I didn’t know about this, what kind of Guard Division Commander would I be?” Huan Xingtao laughed proudly.

“Alright, alright, I get it. You’re the division commander, and your promotion to Major General is guaranteed. You bastard, you just called to remind me of that, didn’t you?” Hu Hao scolded him affectionately.

“Hehe, just a gentle reminder, Hao-ge. Am I really getting a Major General star?” Huan Xingtao asked eagerly.

“If you don’t train my Guard Division properly, I’ll demote you back to Second Lieutenant!” Hu Hao threatened with a laugh.

“Don’t worry! If anyone dares slack off in training, I’ll shoot them myself!” Huan Xingtao promised fiercely.

“Alright, I’m busy. Just remember: train my troops well!” Hu Hao ordered.

“Understood! Get back to work, Hao-ge!” Huan Xingtao hung up cheerfully.

“Hahaha! I’m going to be a Major General!” Huan Xingtao shouted triumphantly in Late City.

“Screw you! We all came from the same squad! Hao-ge is a full General, you’re a Major General… what about us?” He Jizhong immediately complained, glaring at Huan Xingtao.

“It’s only a matter of time! What are you in such a hurry for? Think about it: two months ago, you were just a grunt. Now you’re a regimental commander, a full Colonel! What more do you want?” Huan Xingtao retorted.

“Exactly! Old He, you’re too greedy! Colonel is already incredibly fast!” Sima Xuankong chimed in.

“That’s true. But why do you get to be a Major General?” He Jizhong grumbled.

“Because I was the Squad Leader! I outrank you. Got a problem with that?” Huan Xingtao grinned smugly.

“Damn it! I knew I should have fought harder to be Squad Leader!” He Jizhong sighed, nodding in defeat.

“Hehe, relax. It’s only a matter of time. Think about it, brothers: Hao-ge is a full General now. As long as we fight hard, who can possibly outrank us? But we must earn combat merits. Otherwise, how can Hao-ge justify promoting us without the other brothers objecting?

“As long as we have the merits, no one can steal our promotions!” Huan Xingtao encouraged his former squadmates.

Meanwhile, Li Jingsong was currently inspecting the newly recruited soldiers. He had learned the hard way that he needed to integrate closely with the lower ranks.

Only by establishing strong bonds with his men could he ensure they wouldn’t shoot him in the back. If he made minor mistakes, familiar soldiers would be more forgiving. But if he remained aloof and unfamiliar, a single command error could lead to his own troops turning their guns on him. The fear of mutiny was so pervasive that some generals didn’t even dare step outside their command centers.

“Chief of Staff! Chief of Staff!” a staff officer shouted, running toward Li Jingsong.

“Mm? What’s the matter?” Li Jingsong stopped and watched the officer approach. Noticing the bright smile on the man’s face, he relaxed slightly.

“Chief of Staff! Hao-ge has been promoted to full General! We are forming a Group Army!” the staff officer shouted excitedly, waving the telegram Hu Hao had just forwarded.

“What? Hao-ge is a full General?” Li Jingsong was momentarily stunned.

“Yes! Look, it’s the official decree from His Majesty, forwarded from Hao-ge’s headquarters!” the staff officer yelled.

Li Jingsong practically snatched the telegram and read it rapidly.

“Hahaha! Excellent! Outstanding! Hao-ge is a full General! We belong to the 1st Group Army now!” Li Jingsong burst into ecstatic laughter.

He knew exactly what this meant. With Hu Hao as a full General, his own promotion to Lieutenant General was guaranteed. He was already a Major General; moving up one rank was absolutely certain!

“Hao-ge is a full General?!”

“Is it true?!” The veteran soldiers nearby erupted in cheers as the news spread rapidly among them.

Li Jingsong immediately pulled out his satellite phone and dialed Hu Hao’s number.

“Hao-ge! You’re a full General?!” Li Jingsong asked the moment the line connected.

“That’s what the paper says. But I don’t have time to chat right now. The Palace just sent a notification; His Majesty wants to speak with me via video link shortly. I have to go. We’ll talk later!”

In the command center, Hu Hao was frantically changing clothes while a staff officer held the phone to his ear. He was swapping out his entire uniform—jacket, trousers, and even his boots.

The “uniform” they had found for him was beyond repair. It was riddled with massive holes, and the fabric hung in shredded strips. The staff officers were also hurriedly changing into equally ragged attire. If they didn’t all look the part, the ruse would be exposed!

“Alright! I’ll wait for your call! Make sure you call me! Haha! Full General Hao-ge!” Li Jingsong shouted cheerfully. He knew Hu Hao was incredibly busy, but his joy was irrepressible. His promotion to Lieutenant General was secured.

The Li clan would now boast two Lieutenant Generals, significantly elevating their status and power among the aristocratic military families.

After changing into the ragged uniform, Hu Hao scooped up a handful of dirt and ash from the floor, squeezed his eyes shut, and smeared it violently across his face. Not satisfied with just one smear, he rubbed it in vigorously, even using the filthy sleeve of his jacket to spread the grime until he looked thoroughly authentic.

“Hao-ge… aren’t you taking this a bit far?” a staff officer asked, staring at Hu Hao’s blackened face.

“Nonsense! All of you, do the same! Hurry up! If we don’t look desperate, how am I supposed to wring benefits out of them? Move!” Hu Hao barked.

“Alright! For the sake of benefits, we go all out!” Several staff officers crouched down and began aggressively smearing dirt and ash on their own faces.

(End of Chapter)