Chapter 180: The Crown Prince Arrives

Back in Santong County, Hakes, Abusai, and Ren Kefu had been sitting in silence. It wasn’t until a staff officer reported that the vanguard of their reinforcements had departed and was expected to arrive in three hours that they finally exchanged glances.

“Sigh, just three more hours. I think we can finally breathe easy!” Hakes sighed heavily.

“Indeed. It’s just a pity that our three corps are reduced to this. There are bodies everywhere outside, and the Eastern Spirit forces are currently sweeping the battlefield.

“The loot our soldiers captured here… they didn’t even get a chance to send it home before it was confiscated by the Eastern Spirit troops!” Abusai remarked.

“With the few troops we have left, even after we go back and replenish our numbers, God knows when we’ll recover our combat effectiveness. Furthermore, we didn’t gain a single benefit from fighting this battle! We didn’t even capture any Allied weapons!

“The only thing we got was grain, and that was just commandeered as military rations. Damn it! I had a corps of over 60,000 men, and now I don’t even have 4,000 left! I don’t even know how I’m going to explain this to our Emperor. I have failed His Majesty the King!” Ren Kefu lamented.

“Mm, we have ourselves to blame for this. We launched the attack without knowing the true situation of the Eastern Spirit defensive forces, which led to this catastrophic defeat. We must bear this responsibility!” Abusai nodded.

Hakes, however, remained silent. After all, the battle that led to their encirclement had been under his command, so he bore the brunt of the responsibility. However, as long as the Kabuguo forces could break through to Late City, he figured his merits would offset his failures.

Right now, he was just praying for his troops to arrive quickly so he could relax. The Eastern Spirit forces were still bombarding them. While every shell wouldn’t necessarily kill someone, the probability was still dreadfully high.

Santong County had been bombed so thoroughly that it was unrecognizable as a county town. Not a single tall building remained; everything was reduced to low rubble. The soldiers could only hide beneath the debris, praying to the heavens for good luck and a chance to survive.

“Say, do you think the Eastern Spirit forces will lift the siege and retreat once our reinforcements arrive?” Hakes suddenly asked.

“They definitely will. They might even leave very soon. The Eastern Spirit forces definitely have scouts out there; otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to encircle us like this,” Ren Kefu replied without hesitation.

“Mm, they definitely will. For them, completely annihilating us isn’t a necessity. They’ve already crippled our three corps, and holding their defensive line is their primary mission.

“Right now, they don’t have many troops left. From what I’ve seen, it’s a little over 10,000, definitely less than 20,000. However, their artillery is still incredibly formidable! Your Kabuguo reinforcements must take that seriously. They must prioritize destroying the Eastern Spirit artillery, by any means necessary!” Abusai added.

“Exactly, they must destroy the artillery first. Sigh, I’m actually quite curious. Didn’t you engage in a counter-battery duel with the Eastern Spirit artillery earlier? How do they still have so many cannons?” Hakes asked, recalling the earlier events.

“Think about it. Their defensive line is backed by their own country! The Eastern Spirit Empire is incredibly wealthy; do you think they lack cannons?! All they have to do is ship more cannons to the front lines, and they can bombard us just the same!

“This is Eastern Spirit territory. We traveled from afar, but they didn’t. They can transport weapons and ammunition to the front lines far faster than we can.

“Otherwise, why do you think our Air Force never bombs their industrial cities? Why do our troops never destroy the factories when attacking cities? We need those industrial enterprises to produce wartime supplies for our own forces,” Abusai explained.

Hakes nodded in understanding. It was true; the Eastern Spirit Empire possessed a massive arsenal of weapons. It was entirely possible they had simply brought up new cannons.

“In other words, moving forward, if our Allied forces want to advance further, we will have to pay an even steeper price! The generals of the Eastern Spirit Empire will slowly learn how to fight. Our current opponent is a truly formidable figure!” Hakes said, looking at the two of them.

“Mm, he is incredibly formidable. I expect he will be heavily promoted. Our opponent… Li Jingsong, son of Li Tianyuan, Commander of the Southwest Combat Zone’s 27th Corps. He’ll likely rise to prominence very soon,” Ren Kefu nodded.

Meanwhile, the ‘Li Jingsong’ they were speaking of was currently sitting at the entrance of a tent, fanning himself with his hat in one hand and holding a bottle of ice water in the other. He took a sip every now and then, squinting against the blinding sunlight outside.

“Motherfucker, how much longer do we have to wait? I wonder how many of those Allied bastards we’ve blown to pieces in the city! They’re so utterly useless, they don’t even dare show their faces!” Li Jingsong cursed as he stared into the distance.

It was simply too hot. The heat was driving them insane. When Li Jingsong had been hiding in the forest earlier, it was somewhat tolerable because of the shade.

But here, the terrain was completely barren. Even with the tents, the temperature inside was terrifying; it was pure torture. Many soldiers had dug shallow holes in the ground and covered themselves with leaves; standing out in the open was simply unbearable.

As for the armored vehicles and tanks, the soldiers had draped camouflage netting over them and piled leaves on top. The crews inside left the hatches open and kept ice water nearby, hoping to cool the interior down a bit.

Despite their efforts, many soldiers still suffered from heatstroke. There was nothing they could do; they just had to endure it.

“Chief of Staff, a call from Hao-ge!” a communications officer approached Li Jingsong and handed him the phone. Li Jingsong immediately took it.

“Hao-ge, are the Allied forces making a move?” Li Jingsong asked.

“They are. Around 4:00 PM, have Bo Gang’s armored vehicles mobilize. I reckon the Allied forces inside the city will notice. You need to make some preparations as well—specifically, preparations to retreat. However, it should only be for show, a display for the Allied forces to see.

“I suspect the Allied forces in the city are in contact with their reinforcements. You need to put on an act to harden the reinforcements’ resolve to rescue them. But don’t move just yet. I’m worried that once the fighting starts on our end, we won’t be able to look after you.

“Remember: if Bo Gang can’t hold them off, retreat immediately! Fall back across the river! However, I estimate that’s highly unlikely. Once the Allied vanguard realizes their main force is under attack, they’ll likely turn back to reinforce them and attack us instead. But it’s hard to say right now, so prepare for both scenarios,” Hu Hao instructed over the phone.

“Understood! If Bo Gang can’t hold, we retreat! If the Allied vanguard doesn’t come this way, we maintain the encirclement and continue bombarding them!” Li Jingsong confirmed.

“Exactly! The Allied reinforcements are almost here. Stay safe!” Hu Hao said.

“Understood!” Li Jingsong nodded, and Hu Hao quickly hung up.

…

Meanwhile, at Jiang Kai’s headquarters, a stranger had arrived. He wore a bright yellow formal suit, and even his trousers and shoes were yellow!

“Your Royal Highness! I truly never expected you to personally come and supervise the battle!” Jiang Kai stood respectfully, addressing the man who was currently observing the defensive map with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Your sector has fought exceptionally well. Initially, I didn’t need to come. But considering that right now, your Combat Zone is the only one in the entire Empire capable of winning battles…

“…and coupled with the fact that you are facing attacks from so many enemy corps, Imperial Father was worried and ordered me to come! My brothers have been dispatched to the other Combat Zones as well. By personally coming down to supervise the battles, we Imperial Princes hope to help the Empire’s troops quickly stabilize the defensive lines. We cannot continue retreating!” The Crown Prince turned around and smiled at Jiang Kai.

The Crown Prince wasn’t old, and he possessed a very bright, sunny demeanor. In truth, he was only thirty-three years old, quite young. Furthermore, he had been designated the Crown Prince since birth, so he carried the natural, commanding aura of a supreme ruler!

“Thank you, Your Royal Highness. Please rest assured regarding our sector. His Majesty strictly ordered us to hold the line for two months. I have already sworn a military pledge: we will succeed, or we will die trying,” Jiang Kai replied.

“Please, sit, Commander Jiang! I am only here to observe. As long as you do not retreat, I will not interfere with your command. Although I am the Principal of the Royal Command Academy, when it comes to actual military command, I am certainly inferior to you. We must rely on your expertise for such matters, Commander.

“Before I came, Imperial Father told me that across the entire Empire, Commander Jiang’s command is the only one worthy of praise, the only one that hasn’t tarnished the prestige of our Eastern Spirit Empire! Imperial Father also repeatedly emphasized that I must not interfere with your command. I am fully confident leaving the frontline matters in your capable hands!” The Crown Prince gestured for Jiang Kai to sit.

Jiang Kai waited until the Crown Prince sat down before taking his own seat.

“His Majesty praises me too highly. The other generals of the Empire are also capable of fighting. It’s just that the Allied forces attacked very suddenly, and we were psychologically unprepared, which led to the current situation. I firmly believe our defensive lines will soon stabilize,” Jiang Kai replied humbly.

“Mm. Are you facing any difficulties here right now? Before I arrived, I heard the Allied forces prepared fourteen corps to attack your defensive line. Imperial Father recently authorized you to expand your forces to 600,000.

“Although it is a bit low, we simply don’t have many generals left right now. I hope Commander Jiang can utilize these 600,000 troops effectively to hold this position.” The Crown Prince picked up a glass of water and smiled at Jiang Kai.

(End of Chapter)