Chapter 261: Obtaining Intelligence

Hu Hao sat at the table, announcing that it was time to discuss their strategic direction for future expansion.

The commanders immediately grabbed their notebooks, ready to take notes. They knew the upcoming directives would dictate their operational focus for the foreseeable future.

“Moving forward, our primary directions for expansion will be the west and the east. To the south, we will only secure Tianyu Province and a portion of Tianjin Province. We will not occupy the south completely,” Hu Hao stated.

“Why can’t we take it completely?” Li Jingsong and the others asked.

“The Allied forces rely on those coastal areas for troop landings. If we occupy them, they will attack us relentlessly. We don’t even have a navy; we simply cannot hold coastal cities. Furthermore, as long as we don’t threaten those ports, they won’t fight us to the death. In the near future, they might even pivot their invasions toward other nations within the Central Region.

“Those cities serve as crucial logistical hubs for the Allied forces to stockpile supplies. We can launch raids to seize those supplies, but we cannot afford to garrison the cities permanently. However, we can certainly launch operations to rescue the trapped civilians. That won’t be an issue!” Hu Hao explained.

“Understood!” The commanders nodded, acknowledging that defending coastal cities without naval support was a losing battle.

“Therefore, during the rainy season, your units will spread out and slowly infiltrate the surrounding territories. When you encounter Allied forces, assess the situation. If you can wipe them out, then attack.

“Once the rainy season hits, it will be incredibly difficult for the Allied forces to mass heavy troops to attack us. But for us, attacking them will be much easier. We are locals; we know the terrain and which areas are passable. Plus, we need to train our troops and officers, which means we need combat experience.

“Simultaneously, we will expand our controlled territory. As for the Mara Empire’s 1st Corps, we will keep them around as a whetstone to sharpen our men. Your regimental commanders are still inexperienced, but they are improving. We must acknowledge that!” Hu Hao instructed.

“Agreed. They are inexperienced, but their capabilities are steadily growing. Tonight, the Mara Empire’s 1st Corps will launch a joint assault with their two newly arrived infantry divisions.

“Our regimental commanders were quite anxious and asked me for advice. I told them I had no special tricks; they just needed to fight according to the defensive principles you laid out, Hao-ge. Still, organizing the defense against a combined arms assault will be a severe test for them. Tonight will be a fierce battle in Yonghe City,” Bai Ye reported.

“If it’s a fierce battle, then so be it. Fierce battles forge strong soldiers and capable commanders, as long as the casualties remain controllable. My Special Operations Regiment isn’t fully trained yet. If they were, I wouldn’t even let the enemy launch their attack!” Hu Hao snorted coldly.

It was true; his Special Operations Regiment needed more time. He estimated a minimum of six months—three months of grueling physical and tactical training, followed by three months of real-world combat experience—before they could independently execute intelligence gathering, deep reconnaissance, and other specialized missions. They weren’t ready yet.

“Hao-ge, does this mean we will be fighting active campaigns during the rainy season instead of just training?” Li Jingsong asked.

“Yes. We will also cap our recruitment at roughly 400,000 troops. Without enough officers, recruiting more is pointless. Besides, with the rainy season approaching, if we conscript all the young men, who will farm the land?” Hu Hao nodded.

“Mm. We’ll focus on external operations to expand our territory. Fortunately, we still have a massive stockpile of ammunition. If we had to rely on the Air Force for airdrops, who knows when we’d be resupplied.

“However, Hao-ge, if we defeat the 1st Corps and continue expanding westward… the Allied forces currently attacking the Western Combat Zone might fall back to engage us. The distance is only about a thousand kilometers; they could easily redeploy,” Xiao Quan pointed out.

“They won’t. No matter how many they send, we will devour them. Fighting in the rainy season favors us. Our people are adapted to this climate; they are not. Not everyone can handle the extreme heat and humidity!” Hu Hao shook his head confidently.

“That’s good to hear. But if we proceed with this training and expansion plan, we’re going to face a severe shortage of junior officers!” Ye Zifeng brought up the lingering issue.

“Manage as best you can for now. Once the officers currently training here at headquarters are ready, I will send them to your units. For the second phase, I will pull 1,500 low-ranking officers with combat merits from your units and bring them here for intensive training. Once they graduate and return to you, they will be promoted one rank!” Hu Hao promised.

“Excellent. Once your trained officers return, our command structure will flow much smoother, and combat operations will be far easier to coordinate!” Ye Zifeng nodded in relief. The group then moved on to discuss logistical details.

…

Meanwhile, at the Mara Empire’s 1st Corps headquarters, Kelly and Jasman had just received a transmission from Allied High Command.

“Hu Hao. Twenty-three years old. Stationed right here in Late City. And he’s a full General? That promotion is absurdly fast. If a twenty-three-year-old kid can make full General, the Eastern Spirit Empire must truly be running out of capable men!” Kelly sneered after reading the intelligence report, handing it over to his Chief of Staff.

Jasman read the document carefully, his brow furrowing.

“He may be young, but if this intelligence is accurate, our opponent’s combat record is extensive. He has wiped out a staggering number of our forces. More importantly, we can deduce from this that Hu Hao is currently in Late City.

“Their Emperor actually ordered him to form an entire Group Army right under our noses. Either this Hu Hao is genuinely a military genius, or his Emperor wants him dead!” Jasman concluded.

“What makes you say that?” Kelly asked, puzzled.

“Think about it. They broadcasted the news of his promotion, detailing his combat merits. That allowed us to pinpoint his location in Late City, and we now know his objective is to form a Group Army. Won’t Allied High Command immediately dispatch forces to eliminate him?

“Furthermore, the intelligence indicates he previously commanded only a single corps. It seems the defending force inside the city isn’t large at all—likely no more than three divisions. Ha! Don’t you see? By broadcasting this, they’ve painted a massive target on his back!

“Plus, the report highlights that he’s a commoner general. Do you think the aristocratic military clans of the Eastern Spirit Empire will stand for that? This broadcast is a deliberate setup to send Hu Hao to his grave!” Jasman explained with a smirk.

“You’re right! They’re basically roasting him over an open fire! Is this how they treat their most meritorious commanders?” Kelly realized.

The broadcast had laid Hu Hao’s entire background bare. They had been agonizing over the identity of the enemy commander, assuming it was Li Jingsong. Now they knew the truth.

“Exactly. The Eastern Spirit Empire’s military clans want him dead. Hu Hao must have offended some very powerful people!” Jasman concluded confidently.

“Well, if that’s the case, we have a very real chance of taking Yonghe City tonight! Damn it, that Hu Hao completely tricked us!” Kelly cursed.

He deduced that Hu Hao didn’t have many troops in Yonghe City. If Hu Hao previously commanded one corps (roughly 60,000 men), and had at least two divisions defending Bopa City to the south, then Yonghe City couldn’t possibly hold more than four divisions.

This deduction was coincidentally accurate—Hu Hao indeed had fewer than four divisions stationed in Yonghe City. However, Kelly and Jasman failed to realize that Hu Hao’s total forces far exceeded a single corps.

“If we don’t take it tonight, we will definitely take it tomorrow. With so few troops, how can he hold out? He needs time to form his Group Army, and we won’t give it to him.

“Still, our opponent is a formidable character. He used a token force to deceive us and stall us for days. If we had known, we would have ignored this place and marched straight on Late City!” Jasman sighed.

If Hu Hao’s forces were truly that small, they could have bypassed Yonghe City entirely, seized Late City, and forced Hu Hao onto the defensive.

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll wipe them out! Tonight, with the infantry reinforcements, we will finish them!” Kelly growled through gritted teeth.

Outside, the thunderous roar of artillery continued. The Eastern Spirit artillery was still bombarding their trench lines, causing a steady stream of casualties.

If not for the need to minimize losses and conceal their positions, Kelly would have already ordered a counter-barrage. During tonight’s general offensive, he planned to unleash his artillery to suppress the enemy guns, allowing his infantry and tanks to storm the city rapidly.

“We must wipe them out and reach Late City before the Vaal Kingdom’s forces do. If tonight’s assault falters, we’ll bypass the city entirely. We’ll dispatch a tank division to drive straight through and assault Late City directly,” Jasman agreed.

They were tired of being tied down. Their objective was Late City. Once they captured it, their mission was complete. They could leave Hu Hao’s remnants for other Allied units to mop up.

(End of Chapter)