Chapter 102: Ren Kefu’s Caution

Once Hu Hao gave the orders, the entire city of Santong echoed with the thunderous roar of rolling demolitions. The combat engineers systematically dropped the designated buildings using high-explosives, sending massive plumes of concrete dust into the sky.

Thankfully, the surviving civilian population had heeded Hu Hao’s warning and evacuated toward Bopa City earlier that morning. Had they remained to watch their hometown being purposefully destroyed by their own military, it would have broken their hearts.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The controlled demolitions continued with expert precision. The combat engineers executing the operation were the exact same veterans who had wired and dropped the buildings during the desperate retreat from Langcheng; they were intimately familiar with urban demolition.

Meanwhile, Ye Zifeng’s teams descended into the labyrinth of sewer mains beneath the central plaza and the drainage culverts beneath the public park, packing them with hundreds of pounds of military-grade explosives and densely packed iron sand. Above ground, excavators tore into the soil of the surrounding parkland, digging massive trenches. Once the engineers packed the trenches with explosives, they carefully buried them, packing heavy boulders over the charges before covering them with earth. Finally, they dragged stolen tombstones over the disturbed soil to complete the grisly camouflage.

Wiring a trap of this magnitude took several grueling hours.

During this time, the massive Allied Corps finally arrived at the outskirts of Daman City. However, much to Hu Hao’s surprise, the Allied columns didn’t push straight through the city toward Santong; they halted completely within Daman City.

“They stopped?” Hu Hao frowned deeply when the report came in.

“Yes, Hao-ge. Liu Shuyi’s forward observation posts confirmed the entire Allied column halted and established a perimeter inside Daman City. Based on the sheer volume of armor and transport vehicles, Liu Shuyi estimates it’s undeniably an entire Corps-level deployment,” the radioman reported.

“Mmh. They stopped. It’s likely just a temporary halt to regroup. Look at the time; it’s just past 13:00 hours. They’ve been marching since dawn; they’re probably halting to eat,” Hu Hao deduced, glancing at his watch.

“That’s highly likely. But… what if they don’t advance today?” Ye Zifeng asked nervously, standing beside him.

“That would be even better! If they don’t come today, we just keep hauling the loot back to Bopa! Honestly, all I really need right now is time! If we manage to successfully extract every last crate of munitions from this base, a massive weight will be lifted off my shoulders! I’d have zero tactical pressure!” Hu Hao laughed, relaxing slightly.

Meanwhile, inside the sprawling University City campus in Daman City, Lieutenant General Ren Kefu, Commander of the Limaguo’s 7th Corps, stood in grim silence before the pulverized ruins of the dormitory blocks.

The Imperial Army had already excavated the mass graves and buried the Allied corpses scattered across the campus grounds, but the crushed, mangled remains of hundreds of Allied soldiers were still clearly visible protruding from beneath the pancaked concrete slabs.

“They used armor-piercing rounds. They systematically destroyed the structural load-bearing pillars of every single building. Furthermore, based on the bodies we’ve found, it appears our infantry never even made it out of the dormitories. The entire Regiment was completely bottled up and slaughtered inside these buildings,” the Corps Chief of Staff analyzed grimly, standing beside Ren Kefu.

Ren Kefu’s jaw tightened. He remained silent, his eyes fixed on the horrific devastation.

“Report! General, the vast majority of the Corps has successfully entered the city limits and established a perimeter. The men have initiated meal preparations. However… the city is practically a ghost town. The only civilians remaining are a handful of elderly residents. We attempted to interrogate them regarding the events of last night, but they all feigned ignorance and pretended they couldn’t understand us!” a staff Colonel jogged over and reported.

“Did you deploy interpreters?” the Chief of Staff asked sharply.

“Of course we did, sir. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to communicate with them at all,” the Colonel confirmed.

“If they refuse to speak, execute them. Why keep them alive? They’re just wasting rations,” Ren Kefu ordered flatly, not taking his eyes off the rubble.

“We already executed them, sir,” the Colonel nodded.

“The enemy commander is incredibly cunning. To orchestrate a raid of this magnitude so deep behind our lines takes immense audacity,” Ren Kefu finally spoke, a note of dark respect in his voice.

“Indeed. Our vanguard Division was simply too careless. They failed to establish an adequate security perimeter, and the Eastern Spirit forces brutally exploited that opening,” the Chief of Staff agreed.

“Order the 2nd and 3rd Divisions to finish their meals, rest for exactly thirty minutes, and then immediately march on Santong County. We had a Regiment stationed there guarding the Imperial military base, and we need to ascertain their status. Emphasize that they must advance with extreme caution!” Ren Kefu checked his watch. It was already 14:00 hours.

Cooking a hot meal for tens of thousands of men took time. The soldiers absolutely despised the dry, tasteless field rations. Given the massive stockpiles of flour and rice they had looted from the Imperial cities, the men preferred to take the time to bake fresh bread or boil rice. As a commander, Ren Kefu understood the importance of morale and didn’t strictly enforce the consumption of field rations when fresh supplies were abundant.

“General, if we grant them an hour to cook and eat, they won’t begin their march until 15:30 hours. Assuming standard caution, they won’t reach Santong County until after 17:00,” the Chief of Staff calculated.

“That is acceptable. Order them to deploy forward recon elements to inspect the military base tonight. I strongly suspect the armory has already been completely destroyed.

Chief of Staff, I want your honest assessment: is there truly any tactical value in pushing toward Santong County right now? The Imperial commander is clearly not a fool. Based on the brutal efficiency we’ve witnessed here, our adversary is highly intelligent and possesses a deep understanding of mechanized warfare. He absolutely will not allow us to secure those munitions.

Furthermore, our three-Regiment relief column was likely ambushed somewhere along the highway between here and Santong. But look around… this entire region is flat, open terrain! Where exactly could they have established an ambush capable of annihilating three Regiments?!” Ren Kefu turned and asked his Chief of Staff.

“General, it’s difficult to say. If we were fighting on our own soil, there would be countless geographic choke points to exploit. But here in the Eastern Spirit Empire, the only viable locations for a massive ambush are the urban centers.

However… successfully ambushing a heavily armored column inside a city requires an incredibly sophisticated deployment. Our troops are equipped with the absolute finest armor our domestic industries can produce! It shouldn’t be possible for an Imperial force to annihilate them so swiftly and completely!” the Chief of Staff argued, still struggling to comprehend the tactical reality.

“You’re absolutely right. The ambush likely occurred in one of the small civilian towns dotting the highway between Santong and Daman. Our adversary is brilliant. It is incredibly rare for the Eastern Spirit Empire to produce a General who actually understands the brutal realities of war, and it is our misfortune to have encountered him!

So, tell me, given the extreme danger, should we continue our advance toward Santong?” Ren Kefu pressed.

“General, you’ve clearly already made your decision. There’s no need for me to state the obvious,” the Chief of Staff smiled faintly.

“Indulge me. I want to hear your logic,” Ren Kefu smiled back.

“Very well. We absolutely must advance. If we halt our push, we allow the Imperial forces to dictate the operational tempo and maintain their operational depth. If they are permitted to maneuver freely across this sector, our supply lines will never be secure.

Furthermore, this is their home turf. They possess an intimate knowledge of the terrain and the road networks. If we allow them to dictate the terms of engagement, they will inevitably find another vulnerability and exploit it with catastrophic results,” the Chief of Staff analyzed sharply.

“You’re too modest! I’ve already told the Joint Command I intend to recommend you for a Corps command of your own, yet you still try to hide your brilliance from me!” Ren Kefu laughed, pointing a finger at him.

“Well… General, since you insist…” the Chief of Staff rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed.

“Continue. I need your full assessment.”

“Our grand strategic objective remains the capture of Late City. If we allow massive Imperial forces to operate freely in this sector, they will pose a critical threat to our rear echelon once we inevitably lay siege to the city.

While the majority of our coalition’s 10-Corps thrust hasn’t fully deployed to the front lines yet, our 7th Corps has already arrived in theater. We can choose to temporarily delay crossing the river, but we must secure and pacify this bank of the river first!

Most importantly, we still have no concrete intelligence regarding the total Imperial troop strength mobilized for this counter-offensive! Therefore, our Divisions must slowly and methodically compress the operational zone, pushing the Imperial forces steadily back toward Late City.

We must force them to choose—either commit to a decisive, pitched battle against us now, or fall back entirely to Late City where we can encircle and annihilate them later!” the Chief of Staff concluded his strategic overview.

“Exactly!” Ren Kefu nodded emphatically. “The absolute primary reason the initial Allied vanguard suffered such a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Imperial Army a few days ago was pure arrogance! They underestimated the enemy! They genuinely believed the Eastern Spirit troops were entirely incapable of fighting!

But look at the devastation around us. Do you still believe they can’t fight?! When they finally seize an opening to strike back, do they look incompetent?!

The only reason our coalition’s invasion has progressed so rapidly over the last month is because the Eastern Spirit Empire was caught completely unprepared! But they are awakening! They have an astronomical population, vast industrial wealth, cutting-edge weaponry, and thousands of young, ambitious officers! A brilliant commander was bound to eventually rise from the chaos!

If we allow this specific Imperial commander to continuously secure victories and consolidate his power, he will inevitably be given command of even larger armies, and the coalition will face a truly existential threat!

Therefore, our immediate strategic imperative is to apply relentless, suffocating pressure! We must force the Imperial Army into a decisive engagement and systematically crush their combat effectiveness! By doing so, we can fully secure the vast resources of the Eastern Spirit Empire and use their own wealth to fund our continued conquest!

If we act recklessly now and walk into another trap, it will bring disaster upon our Corps! Our home nation cannot afford to absorb such staggering losses!” Ren Kefu declared with profound gravity.

“Indeed. Your strategic vision is flawless, General,” the Chief of Staff agreed respectfully.

“Enough flattery. Issue the orders. Tell the 2nd and 3rd Divisions to commence their march toward Santong County at 15:30. Emphasize that they must not advance aggressively! They must move with extreme caution!

Their primary objective is to positively locate the Imperial forces and ascertain their exact numbers before committing to any engagement! We must bide our time. We will not launch the final assault on Late City until the full weight of the coalition’s 10-Corps thrust has arrived in theater!” Ren Kefu finalized the orders.

“Yes, sir!” the Chief of Staff saluted and hurried off to coordinate the deployment.

Back in Santong County, Hu Hao was relentlessly driving his logistics teams to load the remaining munitions onto the transport trucks and haul them across the river to Bopa City.

He was agonizingly waiting for intelligence updates from the recon elements monitoring the Allied Corps.

To ensure the safety of his forces, Hu Hao had ordered the entirety of the 87th Division—including the newly conscripted recruits from Daman City—to completely evacuate the urban center of Santong. He had concealed them deep within the dense forests flanking the western perimeter of the city, adjacent to the military base.

He refused to garrison a massive force inside the military base itself; he knew the Allied aerial reconnaissance and ground scouts would prioritize investigating the base first.

“Hao-ge, the recon elements still haven’t reported any movement from the Allied Corps. They are still sitting in Daman City. It’s almost 15:00. If they don’t advance today, hasn’t all the work we did wiring the city been completely wasted?” Ye Zifeng asked anxiously, walking over to where Hu Hao was sitting in the shade.

“If they don’t come today, they will absolutely come tomorrow. They cannot afford to ignore us. The entire purpose of their deployment is to locate and destroy us! Now that they know we are operating in this sector, do you honestly think they’ll just ignore the threat?

Especially knowing we possess the capability to launch deep strikes behind their lines! They are terrified! You have to look at the broader map! Once the Allied forces secure Santong County, they are practically on the doorstep of Late City! The only obstacle remaining between them and the oil fields is our garrison in Bopa City.

Bopa City is located on the opposite bank of the river. Will they dare launch a massive amphibious assault across that river without first thoroughly securing this bank and confirming our troop strength? Absolutely not! Therefore, Santong County is the mandatory staging ground for their final assault on Late City! They have no choice but to march into this trap!” Hu Hao explained, his confidence unwavering.