Chapter 232: Live Battlefield Instruction

The three acting commanders quickly confirmed that there was still no sign of an impending attack.

“Recall everyone!” Hu Hao ordered a staff officer beside him. The staff officer immediately understood; Hu Hao wanted all the officers participating in the training program to gather.

“Hao-ge, is something wrong?” Liu Yichuan asked, observing Hu Hao.

“Mm. Let’s not get into that just yet. Tell me, where do you estimate the Allied main force is located right now? How far is their camp from Yonghe City, and in what direction?” Hu Hao asked.

“Well, based on the headlights we spotted earlier, they advanced along the highway. They stopped about ten li from here, and all their lights went dark once they reached that area!” Li Nan immediately reported.

“Pull up a map of Yonghe City and the surrounding 20 kilometers!” Hu Hao ordered his staff.

“Yes, sir!” Instantly, the numerous small screens displayed the requested map.

By this time, the officers who had been outside began to file back in. They took their seats on their mats, their eyes fixed on Hu Hao.

“First, I want you to make an estimation. Estimate where the Allied main force has set up camp based on your experience. I want everyone here to formulate their own hypothesis about the enemy’s location!” Hu Hao instructed Wu Xunqi and the others before turning his attention to the officers in the command center.

“Yes, sir!” the officers nodded in unison.

“Hao-ge, based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, the Allied forces are likely camped in the forests and farmlands northwest of Yonghe City. There are three small towns in that area, and the civilians have mostly fled.

“I estimate their soldiers are sheltering inside those abandoned buildings, while another portion of their force might be hiding in the forests.

“Additionally, I suspect their artillery is currently constructing firing positions. As for exactly where, we can’t be sure. Howitzers have a long range, which gives them a massive area to choose from!” Wu Xunqi reported.

“Is the area really that massive? Think about it carefully!” Hu Hao challenged.

“Ah?” Wu Xunqi was slightly taken aback. To him, the potential area seemed vast.

“The Allied corps includes a dedicated artillery division. This division consists of three howitzer regiments, one anti-aircraft regiment, and one infantry regiment. Their anti-aircraft regiment must be positioned to cover their command center and the main body of their infantry. Meanwhile, their artillery regiments must be placed where they can strike any sector within Yonghe City. Calculate the area again!” Hu Hao prompted.

“Yes, sir. I will recalculate immediately!” Wu Xunqi replied.

“Is everyone here?” Hu Hao asked, glancing at the staff officer behind him.

“Most of them. We haven’t done a headcount, but judging by the mats, I’d say nearly everyone is present!” the staff officer replied. Hu Hao looked back and saw that the mats were indeed full. Every officer had their own mat, complete with a neatly folded thin blanket.

“Hao-ge, Liu Yichuan, Li Nan, Wu Xunqi, and the rest of you—listen closely. I want to ask you: why haven’t the Allied forces launched an attack yet? They’ve been constructing their artillery positions for nearly three hours now.

“Logically, since this is a plains region, setting up artillery positions shouldn’t take that long. Furthermore, they currently hold absolute superiority. As soon as even one artillery position is ready, they could begin shelling the city. So why haven’t they fired? Why aren’t they attacking?” Hu Hao addressed the three acting commanders first before turning to the seated officers.

The officers fell silent, deep in thought. “As commanders, you must understand your opponent. You need to know how they think.

“You must study their past battle records, their unit history—essentially, you must grasp any and all information available about the enemy. You must have a clear picture in your mind.

“Previously, they launched their probing attack earlier than I anticipated. Now, they are delaying their main assault longer than I expected. Why?” Hu Hao questioned the room.

“When commanding on the front lines, any abnormal behavior from the enemy warrants your immediate attention. They don’t launch attacks early or delay them without reason. Something has forced their hand.

“Take their premature probing attack, for example. They wanted to test our firepower and numbers. However, this also revealed a critical piece of intelligence: they are extremely anxious to capture Late City. They’ve undoubtedly received strict orders to secure the city as quickly as possible. Yet now, they are delaying. Why?

“Because their initial probing attack cost them dearly, and they failed to gather the intelligence they sought. Consequently, they have adopted a cautious approach.

“At night, we are the defenders, and they are the attackers. The darkness favors our defense. Since they still don’t know our true strength inside Yonghe City, they dare not fight a night battle. They want to wait until dawn tomorrow. Why?

“Because during the day, they will be able to visually assess our troop numbers and deployments. Furthermore, our rocket launcher squads constantly relocating in the dark created the illusion of a massive defending force. They believe attacking at night would put them at a severe disadvantage!” Hu Hao explained.

The officers nodded, furiously condensing Hu Hao’s analysis into their notebooks.

“So, what are the Allied forces doing right now? You need to figure that out!” Hu Hao pressed.

“Hao-ge, they are resting and recuperating!” Li Nan quickly answered.

“Exactly. They are resting. The days here in the Eastern Spirit Empire are brutally hot; resting properly during the day is a pipe dream. After marching all day, they must be utterly exhausted. They could continue attacking tonight, but their combat effectiveness would be severely compromised. With so many factors against them, their commander made the smart choice to delay the attack until tomorrow morning, negating all those disadvantages. But what about us? What can we do?” Hu Hao asked.

“What can we do? Charge out and slaughter them? That won’t work, Hao-ge. We don’t have enough troops. Unless… unless we order Division Commander Bai’s forces to launch an assault!” Wu Xunqi suggested, looking at Hu Hao.

“That is one option—having Division Commander Bai lead a tank charge. However, it’s not the most effective strategy. We’d end up suffering heavy losses just to inflict casualties on them.

“They also possess tank units, and they are currently resting. Since this is a warzone, it’s impossible that they haven’t set up defenses and deployed scouts. Sending our tanks out now would simply force a decisive, head-on battle!” Hu Hao chuckled.

The officers nodded in agreement. They knew the Allied forces would be prepared. A charge by Bai Ye’s tanks would kill many enemies, but many of their own tanks wouldn’t return, resulting in mutual destruction.

“So, what should we do? They want to rest, right?” Hu Hao asked, scanning the room.

“Artillery! We use artillery, just like during the defense of Bopa City! We use artillery to force them back!” an officer in the command center raised his hand and suggested.

“Yes, artillery! Bombard them! Once we find their location, we shell them relentlessly. Even if we don’t kill them, we’ll scare them half to death!”

“Artillery is the best option. Our artillery positions are different from theirs. We can even trick the Allied guns into firing!”

“Mm, just like at Bopa City. We use our positions to bait the Allied artillery, then counter-attack and wipe them out!”

The officers in the command center began to chime in eagerly.

“Exactly. Artillery. If we can’t kill them, we’ll terrify them. As long as our shells land where they are resting, we will inflict casualties. That way, they won’t get a wink of sleep.

“Furthermore, their artillery will inevitably return fire. If you can pinpoint their artillery positions, and you take your calculations a step further, you can determine the exact sector where the Allied command center is located!” Hu Hao revealed with a smile.

“Calculate the location of their command center?” Many officers stared at Hu Hao in shock.

“That’s right. Use your brains!” Hu Hao smiled. The officers immediately fell into deep thought.

“Hao-ge, should we shell them right now?” Li Nan asked, visibly excited.

“Mm. Make sure our soldiers are well-hidden and get some rest. When we fire, the Allied forces will undoubtedly retaliate. In fact, they’ll be thrilled. They’ll think they’ve discovered our artillery positions and the size of our artillery force. They will absolutely use their own guns to counter-attack and try to wipe out our artillery!” Hu Hao smiled at Li Nan.

“Hehe, we’ll bait them into firing, then keep shooting and wipe them out!” Li Nan laughed.

Hu Hao chuckled, then added, “Find a way to locate the Allied command center. We are going to bombard it. Whether we kill them or not doesn’t matter; the goal is to scare them.

“Make them fight us properly. I don’t want to wipe them out too quickly—you all still need them for training!”

(End of Chapter)