Chapter 266: The General Offensive Begins

The Crown Prince warned Tang Long not to get played by Ma Zhenling, especially since Ma Zhenling was a staunch supporter of the Second Prince.

“I won’t. I know exactly what he wants. He just wants to secure control over a few more corps. I will personally block his appointments. You have nothing to worry about!” Tang Long assured him confidently.

“Secure control over a few more corps? Ha! Grand Marshal, use your brain! How many corps do you currently control? How many does he control? If he gains control of a few more corps, you won’t even need to worry about Jiang Kai; Ma Zhenling will be strong enough to pull you down himself!” the Crown Prince smiled bitterly.

“What?” Tang Long froze.

“Stop obsessing over Jiang Kai. Jiang Kai might just be a decoy. The real danger is right beside you. You know perfectly well that Ma Zhenling is the Commander of the Army. The only step up for him is Grand Marshal.

“As for Jiang Kai… yes, he might be a candidate to replace you. But think about it: would the Vanguard Generals and the Generals of the Left, Right, and Middle agree to that? Wouldn’t they be worried about an outsider taking control? You shouldn’t be solely focused on Jiang Kai; you need to watch the men standing right next to you.

“Take Ma Zhenling, for instance. He supports my Second Brother. He desperately wants to put Second Brother on the throne. If Ma Zhenling secures the Grand Marshal position, wouldn’t his support for Second Brother become infinitely stronger? So, Grand Marshal, wake up!

“Yes, you must be wary of Jiang Kai. But do not underestimate Ma Zhenling. He is an old fox!” the Crown Prince warned explicitly.

“I understand. I will be far more careful!” Tang Long finally absorbed the gravity of the Crown Prince’s words. When viewed from this perspective, Ma Zhenling’s threat was far more immediate and dangerous than Jiang Kai’s.

If Ma Zhenling became Grand Marshal and subsequently placed the Second Prince on the throne, he would undoubtedly purge Tang Long and his entire clan!

“Furthermore, your smartest move right now is actually to support Jiang Kai. If Jiang Kai wins battles, a portion of that glory naturally belongs to you as the Grand Marshal.

“As long as you actively support him, His Majesty will see it. Your contribution won’t be ignored. You get credit, Jiang Kai gets credit. Most importantly, if you are seen as the Grand Marshal who steadfastly supports a victorious frontline commander, how could Imperial Father casually replace you?” the Crown Prince offered a brilliant counter-strategy.

“Yes, I understand. But he is currently a Viscount!” Tang Long objected, still hung up on the noble titles.

“If Ma Zhenling pulls you down, Imperial Father will give him a Viscount title too!” the Crown Prince retorted.

“Ah!” Tang Long finally grasped the insignificance of his fixation. He had placed far too much importance on a mere title.

“Look at your recent actions. You’ve become the scapegoat for everything. The blame that should have fallen on other generals has all been pinned on you. Think carefully about why that happened!” the Crown Prince concluded his lecture.

“I understand!” Tang Long nodded heavily. As he reviewed his recent interactions with Ma Zhenling, a sickening realization dawned on him: he had likely been played by the General of the Left all along.

Meanwhile, at Hu Hao’s headquarters, it was approaching 5:00 PM. Hu Hao was busy drafting operational directives for his various units.

“Hao-ge, our forces in Yonghe City are fully prepared. The logistics department is currently distributing rations. The men should all have a hot meal by 5:30 PM!” a staff officer reported.

“Excellent. Still no movement from the Allied forces?” Hu Hao nodded without looking up.

“No movement, sir. Our observers are watching them closely. Everything is quiet,” the staff officer shook his head.

“Tell the observers to watch closely for when the enemy troops eat. Make sure the regimental commanders know this: if the Allied forces eat early, it means they intend to attack early.

“The Allied commanders believe they have accurate intelligence now. They think our forces in Yonghe City are minimal. They will undoubtedly launch a massive general offensive. Furthermore, we’ve stalled them here for days; they’re likely running out of patience!” Hu Hao analyzed the enemy’s mindset.

“Yes, sir! I will transmit the warning immediately!” The staff officer hurried off. Hu Hao returned to drafting his documents, wanting to finish them as quickly as possible.

Around 5:40 PM, the staff officer returned. “Hao-ge, observers report the Allied forces are currently eating their rations!”

“Good. Inform Wu Xunqi and the others. The Allied offensive will begin within the hour. Order all infantry to take cover in the deep bunkers. The enemy is going to unleash a massive artillery barrage!” Hu Hao ordered.

“Yes, sir!” The staff officer ran off again.

Hu Hao set his pen down, thought for a moment, and walked out into the main command area. He noticed that the regimental commanders undergoing training were currently eating their dinner while huddled around the tactical maps, debating various scenarios.

Hu Hao stood before the main screen, watching the live feeds from the concealed cameras the engineers had planted around Yonghe City. In the distance, the blurry silhouettes of the Allied encampment were visible. He watched for a while, then sat down and resumed writing.

Less than half an hour later, a thunderous roar erupted from the speakers. The Allied artillery had opened fire. Over a dozen artillery regiments simultaneously unleashed a devastating bombardment on Yonghe City. The junior officers in the command center instantly dropped their food and stood up.

“The offensive has begun!” one officer muttered.

They were all deeply invested in the defense of Yonghe City. They had all run simulations of this exact scenario. While their simulations might not have been perfectly comprehensive, they were desperate to see how the actual battle would unfold compared to their predictions, and if there were discrepancies, they needed to understand why.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

RUMBLE…

The Allied artillery barrage was incredibly dense, relentlessly pounding the western and northern sectors of Yonghe City. The intense bombardment caused numerous high-rise buildings to collapse, and massive fires quickly erupted throughout the targeted areas. However, the defending troops were already safely tucked away in deep bunkers and subterranean air-raid shelters.

“Hao-ge, the Allied artillery barrage has commenced!” Li Nan’s face appeared on one of the communication screens.

“I see it. Are the troops secure? Is everyone in the shelters?” Hu Hao asked.

“Yes, sir! Aside from the forward observers, everyone is underground!” Li Nan confirmed.

“Good. They will likely maintain this bombardment for at least twenty minutes. Continue your preparations!” Hu Hao ordered.

“Yes, sir!” Li Nan nodded, and his screen went dark. Hu Hao remained standing, watching the feeds.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The relentless explosions quickly shrouded the entirety of Yonghe City in thick smoke and dust. The long dry season had left everything parched; the incendiary and high-explosive shells easily ignited raging infernos across the cityscape.

“How many of their troops do you think we’re killing?” Kelly asked Jasman as they watched the bombardment from their forward command post.

“We’ll definitely kill some. However, my primary concern is counter-battery fire. We’ve deployed a massive amount of artillery for this barrage. If their artillery targets our positions, we could suffer significant losses!” Jasman replied worriedly.

He had initially opposed Kelly’s plan to utilize such a massive artillery concentration against Yonghe City. However, Kelly had argued that a sudden, overwhelming bombardment would inflict heavy casualties and severely disrupt the defenders’ deployments, paving the way for a rapid armored breakthrough.

Furthermore, Kelly had prepared for counter-battery fire. If the city’s artillery opened up, the Allied guns would immediately shift targets to engage in an artillery duel. As long as they could suppress the defending guns, the infantry and tanks could safely storm the city!

“Do not worry. They do not possess as much artillery as we do. We simply need to provide covering fire for our infantry’s advance. Once our infantry overruns their artillery positions, we’ll finally discover why our previous bombardments failed to destroy their guns!” Kelly stated confidently.

“Understood,” Jasman nodded.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The distant explosions were music to Kelly’s ears. His corps had endured two days of relentless, pinpoint artillery strikes from the defenders, suffering five or six thousand casualties without being able to effectively retaliate. It had been incredibly frustrating. Now, watching his own guns pound Yonghe City to rubble, he finally felt a sense of vindication.

“Report! Infantry units are fully prepared for the assault!” a senior staff officer reported, stepping into the observation bunker.

“Report! Our tank divisions and the two mechanized infantry divisions are also in position and ready to advance!” another staff officer followed closely behind.

“Order them to advance immediately! Furthermore, order the two newly arrived infantry divisions to follow the armored vanguard and execute the assault plan!” Kelly commanded.

“Yes, sir!” The staff officers saluted and rushed off to relay the orders.

Soon, the Allied tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry began surging out of their staging areas and communication trenches. Like a tidal wave of steel and flesh, they pressed toward Yonghe City from the west and the east.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

At that exact moment, the artillery units concealed within Yonghe City finally retaliated. They unleashed a furious counter-barrage directly at four of the Allied artillery positions.

The Mara Empire’s 1st Corps possessed ten artillery regiments. However, Yonghe City only housed four artillery regiments, meaning they could only target four enemy positions simultaneously.

“Contact the artillery! Suppress the enemy guns! Do not let them fire!” Kelly roared the moment he saw the counter-battery fire erupt from the city.

“Yes, sir!” A staff officer sprinted to the communications terminal.

Within minutes, the intensity of the incoming fire from Yonghe City noticeably decreased. The Allied forces had redirected eight of their artillery regiments to engage in a brutal counter-battery duel, successfully suppressing the defenders’ guns.

The remaining two Allied artillery regiments continued to provide covering fire for the advancing infantry. The vanguard tanks also opened fire, blasting the man-made defensive fortifications dotting the city’s perimeter.

“Quick! Get out here! The Allied forces are advancing!” a forward observer shouted into his radio as he spotted the massive armored columns less than a kilometer from his position.

(End of Chapter)