Chapter 114: Stop Babbling

Hu Hao’s smoking displeased Tang Junjie greatly, prompting him to confront Hu Hao directly.

However, Hu Hao remained indifferent. He puffed on his cigarette and looked at Jiang Kai, silently asking what the meaning of this was—was even this being micromanaged now?

“I say, Hu Hao, just put it out. I’ll give you a whole carton later!” Jiang Kai said, looking at Hu Hao.

“Just two more puffs!” Hu Hao said, taking another drag.

“Hu Hao, aren’t you being too arrogant? Your Commander is here, and a Vanguard General from High Command is here. Yet you smoke so brazenly without any hesitation. Do you have any respect for them at all?” Tang Junjie demanded once again.

“Tell me, did I offend you?” Hu Hao sat there and asked Tang Junjie.

“Smoking in front of me is offending me!” Tang Junjie replied.

“Is that so? You should have said that earlier. How am I supposed to know if you don’t say anything? Right?” Hu Hao said.

He took one last drag until he reached the filter, then crushed it out in the ashtray beside him, smoke still drifting from his mouth.

“You!” Tang Junjie pointed at Hu Hao, furious to the point of speechlessness.

“Alright, alright, the cigarette is out. Hu Hao, help me take a look at the defense map. Someone, pull up the defense map!” Jiang Kai ordered at this moment.

“Wait, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” Tang Junjie called out to halt the process, looking at Jiang Kai.

“Not appropriate? How so?” Jiang Kai asked Tang Junjie in confusion.

“Hu Hao’s rank is Colonel. In a major campaign like this, he shouldn’t be privy to detailed deployments. What do you think, General He?” Tang Junjie asked, turning to He Jingzhong.

Upon hearing this, Hu Hao immediately stood up, grabbed his helmet, and turned to leave!

“Hey, Hu Hao, Hu Hao! Hey, wait!” Seeing Hu Hao leaving, Jiang Kai quickly stood up, ran over, and pulled him back.

“I am excusing myself!” Hu Hao told Jiang Kai.

“Excuse yourself, my ass! Wait a minute, I called you here specifically to look at our defensive measures. If you excuse yourself, what did I call you here for?” Jiang Kai said anxiously while holding onto Hu Hao.

“No, are you crazy? Where did you dig up this ancestor?” Hu Hao whispered to Jiang Kai!

“Aiya, stop talking. Let’s go!” Jiang Kai pulled Hu Hao back and made him sit down.

This made Tang Junjie a bit unhappy.

“Uhm, Staff Officer Tang, Hu Hao is an outstanding talent in our forces, and he possesses unique insights regarding deployments. I think it’s perfectly fine to let him take a look.

General He, as I mentioned before, Hu Hao provided a highly valuable operational plan for our previous counterattack. I believe his competence is unquestionable, and his loyalty to the Empire is absolute!” Jiang Kai explained to the two of them.

Meanwhile, all the staff officers in the command post were watching Tang Junjie and He Jingzhong!

“Hmm, Staff Officer Tang, what is your opinion?” He Jingzhong looked up at Tang Junjie and asked.

“I believe rules are rules. Since he isn’t qualified to know, he shouldn’t know!” Tang Junjie stated.

Hu Hao was completely baffled. He didn’t know what enemy of his had offended Tang Junjie. Logically speaking, this shouldn’t be happening. This was his first time meeting him. Tang Junjie was a high-and-mighty Lieutenant General working in High Command, while he was just a Colonel. The gap between them was immense; their paths shouldn’t have crossed at all.

“Alright, alright, Lao Jiang, I won’t look. This is boring! Oh, and watch your back, don’t get sniped by your own soldiers!” Hu Hao said, preparing to leave. Since they wouldn’t let him look, he didn’t want to say anything more here.

“Wait a minute! Staff Officer Tang, what exactly do you mean by this? This is the command post of our Southwest Combat Zone, and I am the Commander of the Southwest Combat Zone.

Deployments are a matter for our Southwest Combat Zone. Who I allow to see them is none of your business!” Jiang Kai stopped Hu Hao and began reprimanding Tang Junjie.

“You?” Tang Junjie was caught off guard by Jiang Kai’s reprimand. He Jingzhong was equally surprised; he hadn’t expected Jiang Kai to dare scold Tang Junjie in front of so many people.

“What about me? You are a staff officer from High Command’s Strategy Office. You’re here to assist us in setting up our defensive line, not to dictate how we set it up.

In the Southwest Combat Zone, my word as Commander is final! Pull up the defense map!” Jiang Kai ordered the staff officers.

“Yes, sir!” The staff officers immediately retrieved the defense map from the safe, unrolled it, and hung it on the board behind Jiang Kai.

Tang Junjie’s face turned green with anger, but he held it in. Hu Hao was utterly perplexed—what kind of drama was this?

“Come, Hu Hao, take a look for me. I’ve marked the Allied forces, their potential movement directions, and the locations and strength of our own troops. Take a look and tell me if you spot any issues?” Jiang Kai said to Hu Hao, holding a pointer.

Meanwhile, a few senior staff officers beside Jiang Kai pulled out their notebooks, ready to take notes. Hu Hao walked up to the map, pulled out a cigarette without even looking back, and lit another one.

“Hu Hao!” Tang Junjie shouted from behind. Hu Hao turned his head to look at him.

“Put the cigarette out!” Tang Junjie demanded.

“If you can’t stand the smell, get out! Goddammit, I haven’t slept a combined six hours since the day before yesterday, and you’re here babbling at me.

Do you think I’m like you, able to sleep whenever I want and eat whenever I want?” Hu Hao cursed at Tang Junjie over his shoulder, then turned back to the map.

“You—Hu Hao, are you rebelling?” Tang Junjie pointed at Hu Hao and shouted loudly.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Suddenly, several gunshots echoed through the command post.

Tang Junjie stood there, dumbfounded. Hu Hao had fired the gun.

Hearing Tang Junjie still yapping, Hu Hao had directly drawn his pistol and fired several shots in Tang Junjie’s direction, the bullets knocking Tang Junjie’s hat clean off!

Tang Junjie stood there blankly. He had just seen Hu Hao draw his gun, followed by bullets flying toward him and knocking his hat off. His mind went completely blank!

“How insolent!” He Jingzhong stood up and yelled at Hu Hao.

Hu Hao simply holstered his gun, turned around, and went back to studying the map.

“You, you, you!” He Jingzhong pointed at Hu Hao, furious to the point of speechlessness. He hadn’t expected Hu Hao to ignore him completely.

“Jiang Kai, can you control your subordinates or not?!” He Jingzhong yelled. He then noticed that the floor was a bit wet. Looking down, he realized Tang Junjie’s pants were soaked, and liquid was still dripping down.

“I say, Lao Jiang, are you trying to get the brothers killed? Setting up the defense line like this—not a single one of the brothers will survive!” Hu Hao took a drag of his cigarette, acting as if what just happened had nothing to do with him.

“Ah!” Jiang Kai finally snapped out of it. After Hu Hao fired, he had also been stunned. Hu Hao actually dared to draw a gun and shoot at a Lieutenant General.

“What do you mean ‘ah’? Spreading the troops out like this—do you think the Allied forces will be so predictable?

Do you think if you deploy a certain number of troops here, they will send an equivalent force to attack? Won’t the Allied forces concentrate their strength?

It looks like you’re defending everywhere, but in reality, you won’t be able to hold a single point! How did you come up with this defense?” Hu Hao pointed at the map and criticized Jiang Kai.

“Hu Hao!” He Jingzhong shouted loudly from behind.

“Can you shut the fuck up? So what if you’re a Full General? So what if you’re a Lieutenant General? Will it kill you to keep your mouths shut?

I’m fucking exhausted, yet I still have to plan your defensive lines for you.

If it weren’t for the civilians, I wouldn’t care if you all died! Damn it, do you really think being a general means you know how to fight?

With generals like this who piss their pants at the sound of gunfire, how can you command battles on the front lines?

Shut up, do you hear me? Believe it or not, I’ll blow your brains out!” Hu Hao roared at He Jingzhong.

He Jingzhong was stunned. The several Major Generals who had come with him also stared dumbly at Hu Hao. They had thought He Jingzhong was about to unleash his fury on Hu Hao, only for Hu Hao to unleash a tirade on them first.

“Hu Hao, you… aiya, why did you have to shoot?” Jiang Kai finally realized the gravity of the situation.

“Hey? You there, Tang Junjie, right? How exactly did I offend you? Tell me the truth, don’t play games with me.

If I didn’t offend you, why the hell are you targeting me at every turn?

I’ve known you for less than ten minutes, yet it seems like you came specifically for me. Fine, since we aren’t discussing the defense map anymore, let’s discuss our issue.

Tell me, how did I offend you?” Hu Hao dropped the pointer and ignored Jiang Kai, walking straight up to Tang Junjie to confront him.

It was only then that Tang Junjie realized he had wet his pants. He felt an overwhelming sense of shame, followed quickly by rage.

If it weren’t for Hu Hao, he wouldn’t have made such a fool of himself. If word of this got back to the capital, how could he ever take over his father’s position in the future? This was a permanent stain on his honor. At that moment, Tang Junjie wished he could bite Hu Hao to death.

“Don’t look at me like that! Speak up, we’re all men here. Why have you been targeting me from the moment I walked through the door?” Hu Hao pressed on.

“Hu Hao, stop your nonsense. He isn’t targeting you; he just doesn’t like you smoking,” He Jingzhong yelled at Hu Hao.

“Is that so? It’s that simple? Do you think I’m an idiot, or is there something wrong with your head?” Hu Hao stood there and retorted, looking straight at He Jingzhong.

“Aiya, Hu Hao! Chief of Staff, quick, get Hu Hao out of here, hurry!” Jiang Kai saw that the situation had spiraled completely out of his control.

He had originally called Hu Hao here hoping he could act as a shield to block some flak.

While Hu Hao did block the flak, he also planted a massive landmine in the process! Now, Jiang Kai wanted to cry but had no tears left.

“Ah, right, right!” Sun Qinxue finally snapped out of it as well, quickly grabbing Hu Hao and pulling him outside.

Hu Hao shot Jiang Kai a meaningful look, smiled, and left. Jiang Kai, on the other hand, was left staring after him in a daze!

(End of Chapter)