Chapter 243: Completely Wrong Assumptions

When Li Nan turned to Bai Ye for advice, Bai Ye chuckled and replied, “I have no opinion. I’ve watched you all discuss defensive deployments all day, but not once have I heard anyone analyze the Allied forces.

“What will their next move be? When will they attack? You all know Hao-ge. When he fights, he calculates the enemy’s moves before making his own arrangements.

“But look at you. You sit here discussing how to defend every single square inch of the city. With that mindset, your troops will never be enough. You’ll probably need Hao-ge to send you two more divisions just to cover everything you’re worried about!”

“Ah?” The regimental commanders stared at Bai Ye in shock. They genuinely hadn’t considered what the Allied forces might do.

They had been entirely focused on whether they had enough troops to defend specific sectors if the Allied forces attacked there, and what to do if they didn’t. They hadn’t spared a single thought for when the Allied forces would attack, or what kind of force they would deploy!

“Mm. We really haven’t discussed that yet. Personally, I believe the Allied forces will definitely attack tonight.

“As Hao-ge said yesterday, they are anxious to capture Late City, so they won’t waste the night. But whether it will be a full-scale assault, I’m not sure. I don’t dare make that call on my own. We need to discuss this together!” Wu Xunqi said, looking at his fellow commanders.

“I think they will launch a fierce assault. They are a heavy mechanized force; they can’t just sit here indefinitely. They are an offensive unit by nature!” another regimental commander argued.

“They are the 1st Corps. They have their pride to uphold!”

“It will be a fierce assault. They likely aim to take our position within two days, so they will commit heavy forces to the attack.” The regimental commanders immediately began debating.

Meanwhile, Hu Hao had just returned to the command center. As he walked into the main hall, he heard them discussing the Allied forces’ potential moves. Glancing at the auxiliary screens, he noted that the Allied forces were currently engaged in earthworks.

“Ha!” Hu Hao chuckled upon seeing the Allied forces digging trenches.

“Hao-ge, they are currently discussing the likelihood of an Allied attack tonight. Do you want to step in and give them some guidance?” a staff officer suggested.

“No, let them discuss it. You all can discuss it too!” Hu Hao shook his head, gesturing to the officers seated in the command center.

“Hao-ge, I think they are right. The Allied forces will definitely launch a heavy assault tonight!”

“Agreed!”

“I disagree. Their current troop strength doesn’t give them an overwhelming advantage over us anymore. Yes, they have more troops, but we have over 40,000 men inside the city. If they launch a massive assault, their casualties will be staggering. We are fighting from within a city; we naturally hold the geographical advantage!”

“Right. I don’t think they’ll launch a fierce assault!”

“If they don’t attack fiercely, how are they supposed to capture Late City? Their objective is Late City. If they allow us to tie them down here, how will they explain that to High Command?”

The officers in the command center erupted into a loud debate. Some argued for a heavy assault, while others argued against it. Neither side could convince the other.

Hearing their arguments, Hu Hao sat down, picked up a stack of documents, and began reviewing and approving them. Once finished, he handed them to the staff officers for distribution. The officers debated for over ten minutes before noticing Hu Hao working silently. Their argument gradually died down as they turned their attention to him.

“Keep discussing! Go on, keep discussing. The debate was just getting good. This is exactly how you arrive at clear conclusions. But remember, don’t just blindly insist on your own viewpoint. You need to find evidence to refute the opposing argument. Use the intelligence we’ve gathered to support your stance!” Hu Hao encouraged them without looking up.

He then pointed to the large screens behind him, urging them to base their judgments on the actual situation on the ground.

“Then Hao-ge, what is your opinion?” one of the officers asked.

“I’m not sharing my opinion right now. Discuss it amongst yourselves. When the fighting actually starts, I’ll step in and make adjustments!” Hu Hao smiled and returned to his work.

The officers had no choice but to turn back to the large screens and observe intently.

The number of officers in the command center had swelled significantly. Various units had been sending their officers over throughout the day. Like the first batch, the newcomers had each been issued a sleeping mat, a pillow, and a thin blanket. They were currently seated on the floor.

However, they were resourceful. They had requisitioned numerous desks from the university classrooms and arranged them around the perimeter of the room, providing them with spaces to sit, discuss, and take notes.

Hu Hao worked until nearly 6:00 PM. Through the video feeds, he saw that the Allied forces had begun eating dinner. His own troops were also preparing their evening meal.

“Bring everyone in!” Hu Hao ordered his staff officers. The staff quickly ushered all the officers to gather around.

Ten minutes later, Hu Hao established a video link with Li Nan and the others.

“Hao-ge!”

“Hao-ge!” The regimental commanders greeted him as soon as he appeared on the screen.

“I listened to your earlier discussion, and I intentionally remained silent. I am telling you now: your conclusions were wrong. The Allied forces will not launch a heavy assault tonight. Furthermore, I asked you to locate their command center. Have you found it?” Hu Hao asked.

“Report, Hao-ge. We have not found it. We have no idea where the enemy established their command center. They wouldn’t make it easy for us to find, would they?” Liu Yichuan replied.

“And what about you all?” Hu Hao turned to look at the officers in the command center. They all shook their heads.

“Mm.” Seeing that none of them had an answer, Hu Hao sighed helplessly and nodded. He then addressed the entire group.

“I told you last night to consider their artillery, specifically their anti-aircraft regiment. Think about it: where would they deploy their anti-aircraft guns? The obvious answer is around their logistics depots, their command center, and their field hospitals. They don’t need anti-aircraft guns on the front lines.

“Because if our Eastern Spirit Air Force deployed bombers, the Allied command would undoubtedly detect them and scramble their own fighters to intercept. While our bombers might manage to strike their frontline combat units, the bombing run wouldn’t last more than a few minutes before they were forced to retreat.

“However, if even a single bomb landed on their command center or their logistics depot, their losses would be catastrophic.

“Therefore, they absolutely must deploy their anti-aircraft regiment around their command center. If we launch drones at night and fly them over the Allied encampment… the moment a drone enters the airspace above their command center, they will undoubtedly shoot it down with anti-aircraft fire.

“If a drone flies over their supply depot, the drone itself can usually identify it visually. Command centers, however, are notoriously difficult to spot from the air at night. But we can use their own anti-aircraft fire to pinpoint it. If one drone gets shot down in a specific area, it might be a coincidence.

“But if we send several drones from different directions toward that same area and they all get shot down… that confirms their command center is located within that sector. The exact coordinates can then be deduced based on the terrain and surrounding environment!” Hu Hao explained to Liu Yichuan and the others.

“That makes perfect sense! Anti-aircraft guns are always stationed near command centers and depots!” The officers nodded in sudden realization.

“Exactly! Why didn’t we think of that? We were just staring at the map trying to guess!” Li Nan agreed, nodding vigorously.

“Furthermore, your conclusion that they would launch a heavy assault tonight was also incorrect. Your reasoning—that they are the 1st Corps, that they are a heavy mechanized unit, that they are desperate to capture Late City—was fundamentally flawed.

“It is precisely because of those factors that they cannot launch a heavy assault tonight. First, they are an offensive, heavy mechanized force. If they planned a massive assault, why would they waste time digging communication trenches?

“They are a heavy mechanized force, which means they dread catastrophic casualties in urban combat. That is exactly why they are digging communication trenches! Furthermore, heavy mechanized units avoid urban warfare unless absolutely necessary.

“Judging by their construction of communication trenches and the nature of their unit, you should have realized: they are waiting for reinforcements. Specifically, infantry reinforcements. Tonight, they will only deploy tanks to bombard us from a distance, launching probing attacks to test our firepower.

“If you had analyzed the intelligence further, you would know that the nearest Allied forces are over 300 kilometers away. Since those reinforcements are infantry, there is no way they will arrive tomorrow. The earliest they can reach Yonghe City is the day after tomorrow.

“This means the 1st Corps will limit themselves to probing attacks tonight and tomorrow night. This is exactly why they are digging communication trenches, and why they spent the entire day digging defensive trenches—to minimize the devastating casualties our artillery can inflict on them.

“Additionally, your decision this afternoon to bombard their communication trenches in an attempt to halt their progress was also a mistake. You barely killed anyone!

“If you truly wanted to inflict casualties, you should have ordered the artillery to bombard their defensive trenches! Those trenches are just piled earth; a concentrated artillery barrage would have killed a significant number of soldiers. But you didn’t do that. Instead, you bombarded the communication trenches. The communication trenches are being dug by excavators! How many soldiers do you think you killed?” Hu Hao reprimanded them.

The regimental commanders stood in stunned silence. They hadn’t realized that their previous assessments and decisions had been entirely incorrect.

“However, you did well in one regard: you actively discussed the situation. Through discussion, you learn more. That is commendable. Given your lack of experience, reaching this level of analysis…

“…I am satisfied. Continue your discussions tonight. Remember: our primary goal here is to train the troops and to train yourselves! Use your brains! Think critically! I am not demanding that you annihilate them on a massive scale. I am demanding that your tactical decisions and strategic judgments are correct!” Hu Hao concluded.

“Yes, sir!” the regimental commanders nodded emphatically.

(End of Chapter)