Chapter 268: No Retreat

Hu Hao continued to lecture Long Yagu and the other junior officers. Seeing them hang their heads in shame, he softened his tone slightly.

“Why are you hanging your heads? I am not reprimanding you. I told you: I allow you to make mistakes. However, you are only allowed to make the same mistake once. The commanders on the front lines right now are also only allowed to make the same mistake once.

“Take my order to retreat earlier, for example. If I hadn’t issued that order, they probably wouldn’t have even considered falling back! Why not? Who decreed that fighting a battle means you absolutely must hold the forwardmost trench line?

“You must unchain your thinking. Do not be constrained by rigid dogma. By falling back slightly, we drew the enemy into a much more disadvantageous position. Why wouldn’t we retreat? Look at the result: they charged in, and in a single wave, we annihilated their air cavalry and destroyed over half their vanguard tanks. They still have armor, but it can’t advance because the streets are choked with their own burning wreckage.

“Meanwhile, we hold the high ground and the superior terrain. Tell me, how are they supposed to fight us now? It doesn’t matter how many men they send; we will slaughter them all!” Hu Hao concluded. Hearing this, the officers finally raised their heads, their eyes gleaming with understanding.

“Remember this: I allow mistakes, but never repeat them. You must understand that every mistake you make is paid for in the blood of your brothers!” Hu Hao said solemnly, his gaze sweeping over the young officers.

“Yes, sir!” they responded firmly. Satisfied, Hu Hao turned his attention back to the main screens.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“Brothers, counter-attack! Damn it, they’re still trying to push forward! Wipe them out!”

The frontline officers, seeing the Allied forces reeling from the devastating ambush, were overflowing with confidence and aggression. The surviving Allied soldiers were currently pinned down behind the burning wrecks of their tanks and the rubble of collapsed buildings, not even daring to raise their heads.

“RPGs! Blast those wrecked tanks and armored vehicles! Flush them out!” the officers roared. If the Allied soldiers didn’t break cover, the defenders couldn’t shoot them.

Watching this unfold, Hu Hao smiled broadly. He knew the frontline troops had found their confidence and their morale was soaring!

With high morale and confidence, the rest of the battle would be much easier. The soldiers would use their heads, actively devising creative ways to eliminate the intruding enemy forces!

“Hao-ge, it really looks like there’s no danger left. The Allied forces are completely bogged down!” Mo Qin observed, standing behind Hu Hao.

“Of course they are. Fighting an urban battle? Relying on a single heavy corps to capture a city and annihilate us? Is that even possible?” Hu Hao chuckled.

“Then… Hao-ge, if you were commanding the Allied assault, how many troops would you need to take this city?” Mo Qin asked thoughtfully.

“One corps!” Hu Hao answered without hesitation.

“Ah?” Mo Qin was thoroughly confused. Hu Hao had just stated that a single corps couldn’t possibly take the city, yet now he claimed he could do it with just one corps.

“Every battle, every tactical situation has a corresponding method to crack it. There are countless variables, but the core principles remain the same. Once you find the right method, victory is achievable regardless of the circumstances. Take defensive warfare, for example.

“If I had been commanding the defense of Lang City with 300,000 troops… ha! Even if the Allied forces brought a million men, I would have stalled them for over a month. And even if my 300,000 troops were eventually wiped out, I guarantee I would have inflicted at least 500,000 fatalities on the enemy. I mean fatalities, not just casualties!” Hu Hao told Mo Qin, his eyes glinting.

“Hao-ge, teach me!” Mo Qin pleaded instantly.

“Ha! What do you think I’m doing right now?” Hu Hao laughed.

“Oh! Right!” Mo Qin nodded eagerly.

Hu Hao sat back down and continued to observe the battle. He simply watched the regimental commanders issue their orders without interfering. They knew how to fight now.

His initial order to retreat had sparked their creativity, teaching them the fundamental principle of urban defense: neutralize the enemy’s heavy fire support and strip their infantry of armored cover.

Meanwhile, the Allied artillery units were experiencing a nightmare. No matter how heavily they pounded the suspected defending artillery positions in Yonghe City, the enemy guns stubbornly continued to fire. While the sheer density of the Allied barrage had likely destroyed some defending guns, the counter-battery fire remained intense and was already systematically targeting the remaining Allied artillery regiments.

“This is impossible, Commander! We’ve already lost four entire artillery regiments! And they are still firing at us! If this continues, our entire artillery force will be annihilated!” Jasman reported frantically to Kelly.

“Order the remaining artillery units to fall back immediately! Hook up the guns and run! Abandon the excess ammunition if necessary, just get out of there!” Kelly ordered without hesitation.

“Yes, sir. But… what about the infantry forces currently inside the city? Should we order a general retreat?” Jasman asked, signaling a staff officer to relay the artillery withdrawal order.

“What do you think?” Kelly asked through gritted teeth.

“We cannot retreat. If we pull back now, launching another assault later will cost us even more lives. We must order the troops to establish defensive lines within the city sectors they currently hold. We need to request reinforcements. Our frontline casualties are catastrophic!” Jasman advised.

“Then order them to dig in and establish defensive perimeters! Damn it! How are their troops this capable?! They truly are Hu Hao’s men. They truly are the force that annihilated several of our corps!” Kelly cursed bitterly.

He had never anticipated that within an hour of breaching Yonghe City, his forces would suffer such horrific losses. Their original plan was to use their armor to ‘divide and conquer’ the defending forces. Instead, the moment they entered the dense urban terrain, their forces had been divided and conquered by the defenders. The Allied units were now fragmented across several city blocks, pinned down and unable to support one another!

“Draft a telegram to High Command. Inform them that we have engaged Hu Hao’s main force in Yonghe City. We estimate their strength to be at least one full corps. Their combat resolve is incredibly tenacious. In our attempt to secure the approach to Late City, we have suffered severe losses.

“Furthermore, in order to decisively eliminate Hu Hao, I formally request the immediate dispatch of at least one additional infantry corps to our sector. If High Command can spare more, send them. I don’t care where they come from, just send them!

“I strongly recommend they reinforce my position. I am certain Hu Hao is physically present in Yonghe City, personally commanding the defense. The force engaging the Vaal Kingdom’s troops is likely just a single division meant to delay them! If High Command sends me one more corps, we can annihilate Hu Hao’s forces completely and prevent him from forming the 1st Group Army!” Kelly dictated rapidly. A staff officer furiously took notes.

Once finished, the staff officer presented the draft to Jasman, who reviewed it quickly and signed it.

“Hu Hao must die. If he lives, our entire invasion plan for the Eastern Spirit Empire will face insurmountable difficulties. Right now, he only commands a single corps. If we allow him to form a Group Army of seven corps… I cannot even fathom how many troops we would need to mass to defeat him!” Kelly told Jasman.

“Agreed. We must strangle Hu Hao in the cradle, regardless of the cost. This man might genuinely be a military genius of the Eastern Spirit Empire. Damn it! We assaulted with four divisions and got beaten this badly!” Jasman cursed.

“Report! The 2nd Infantry Division urgently requests reinforcements! Their entire armored escort has been destroyed! The surviving infantry are currently taking cover behind the wrecked tanks, suppressed by overwhelming enemy fire. Casualties are massive! They desperately need support!” a staff officer sprinted into the command post.

“Order them to fall back slightly and establish a defensive perimeter within the city blocks they currently hold! They are absolutely forbidden from retreating out of Yonghe City! Contact the 4th Mechanized Division; order them to detach an armored regiment and dispatch it immediately to reinforce the 2nd Division’s position and assist in establishing their defenses!” Kelly commanded rapidly.

“Yes, sir!” The staff officer hurried off.

“Tonight’s casualties have far exceeded our worst estimates. Damn it. This is definitely where Hu Hao’s main force is concentrated.

“But wait… judging by the incoming fire, their tank division hasn’t even engaged yet! Damn it! They haven’t committed their armor!” Kelly suddenly realized, staring at Jasman in shock.

“They must be waiting in reserve nearby, waiting for the perfect opportunity to annihilate us!” Jasman paled as the same realization hit him. They knew from intelligence reports that Hu Hao possessed armored units.

Yet, despite the intense fighting, they hadn’t seen a single defending tank. Nor had they seen Hu Hao’s air cavalry—the same air cavalry that had supposedly devastated the Limaguo 11th Corps.

“Damn it! We must adopt a strict defensive posture immediately! And press High Command for those reinforcements!” Jasman urged anxiously.

“He’s commanding a single corps against our heavy mechanized assault, yet he still holds his armor in reserve?! He hasn’t even played his trump cards yet! Damn it! Where did this Hu Hao even come from?!” Kelly roared in frustration.

“We must hold our positions inside the city. If we retreat into the open field, and their hidden tank division launches a counter-charge… it will be a slaughter. We barely have any armor left after tonight’s urban bloodbath!” Jasman warned.

“Mm. We hold the city sectors at all costs!” Kelly agreed, his heart heavy with dread.

The urban environment restricted the mobility and firepower of armored units. But if they retreated onto the open plains, especially since the 1st Corps’ air cavalry had just been wiped out, the defending tank division would be virtually invincible on the flat terrain.

Meanwhile, at Allied High Command, Supreme Commander Vostok read Kelly’s urgent telegram and passed it to his deputy, Vitali.

“It seems Kelly has run into a genuine nightmare. I know the man; he is incredibly proud. He would never send a desperate request like this unless he was facing complete disaster.

“I recommend we dispatch at least one corps from our rear echelon reserves to reinforce him immediately. Perhaps even two corps!” Vitali suggested after reading the report.

(End of Chapter)