Chapter 48: Find Hu Hao

When Jiang Kai learned that the relief forces in Dingkang Province had been carpet-bombed and could no longer come to their rescue, his mind went completely blank. He had no idea what to do. He sat in his command vehicle, thinking desperately, when Hu Hao suddenly crossed his mind.

He immediately ordered Chief of Staff Sun Qinxue to contact Li Tianyuan. The message was clear: if Jiang Kai was not speaking to Hu Hao on a direct line within twenty minutes, Li Tianyuan would be stripped of his command.

“Commander, I delivered the message to Li Tianyuan,” Sun Qinxue reported, having personally made the call.

“What did he say?” Jiang Kai asked, having regained a shred of composure.

“He said he would find him immediately and connect you with Hu Hao as quickly as possible,” Sun Qinxue replied.

“Good,” Jiang Kai nodded.

“Commander… what good will finding Hu Hao do?” Sun Qinxue asked, looking at him skeptically. “The enemy bombers are absolutely decimating us right now. Even if he somehow manages to bring his remnant forces here, what difference will it make?”

“I don’t know why, but my gut tells me Hu Hao has a way out,” Jiang Kai said quietly. “Do you realize that last night, before the enemy even dropped their paratroopers, Hu Hao had perfectly predicted their exact operation?

Now, the Allied forces have dropped a second wave and completely trapped us. I don’t know if Hu Hao will be willing to help us, but I am certain he has a plan. The problem is, we don’t know where he is.

Sigh. Yesterday, I actually wanted to fight for him. I wanted to select a few of our best field-grade officers for a battlefield promotion to Brigadier General, and I wanted to see if I could secure a star for Hu Hao. With a commander like him in my hand, we would have far more options in future battles. But the Grand Marshal categorically refused.

There is one piece of good news, though. We might not have the opportunity now, but there will absolutely be an opportunity in the near future.”

“Then it’s simple,” Sun Qinxue said. “We find Hu Hao and order him to formulate a breakout plan.”

“It’s not that simple. I already screwed him over once by ordering his men to cover the rear,” Jiang Kai smiled bitterly. “Though… perhaps I didn’t actually screw him over. In the end, I think he played me.

At the time, I thought it was strange that Hu Hao agreed to the rearguard mission so easily. And then, completely against all expectations, the Allied forces didn’t attack them at all. Bizarre, isn’t it? Hu Hao agrees to stay, and the Allies magically stop fighting.

Was it just luck? I don’t think so. I think he anticipated that the Allies wouldn’t attack. Furthermore, why are Li Tianyuan and the remnant forces retreating along a completely different route than us? Does Li Tianyuan actually have the guts to openly defy a designated retreat route on his own?” Jiang Kai asked, looking pointedly at Sun Qinxue.

“Didn’t they say their forces got scattered?” Sun Qinxue countered.

“Hmph. Scattered? Langcheng is the capital of Tianyu Province. It is the 27th Corps’ home turf! How the hell could they get lost in their own backyard? And even if they did get scattered, they could still reorient and march toward our designated route. Have you heard even a whisper that they intend to rejoin our column?

They absolutely knew our route was going to be blocked. And there is zero chance Li Tianyuan figured that out on his own; it had to be Hu Hao. In fact, I suspect their claim that they don’t know where Hu Hao is is a complete lie. Hu Hao is right there with them. They are retreating as a fully organized, cohesive unit! They never scattered at all,” Jiang Kai deduced with chilling accuracy.

“Mmh. That’s actually highly probable. But what if he insists he can’t find Hu Hao? What do we do then?” Sun Qinxue asked anxiously.

“Then prepare for the complete annihilation of our army. The two of us will either die in combat or become prisoners of war. Just listen to the bombers outside. They haven’t stopped. Tell me, after a full day of this, how much of our army will actually be left?” Jiang Kai said grimly.

“Understood. I will press Li Tianyuan to find Hu Hao immediately!” Sun Qinxue snapped to attention.

Far away, in the safety of their civilian convoy, Li Tianyuan and Li Jingsong sat in the back of their scavenged car, chain-smoking in heavy silence.

“Dad, Hu Hao specifically told us not to reveal his location or our route. Now the Zone Commander is demanding to speak with him. Sigh… Dad, we can’t do it. If we force this issue, Hu Hao will never help us again. Absolutely never. And if we cross him, the two of us will never command troops again. The men will frag us. Dad, you have to think this through. We really cannot give the Zone Commander Hao-ge’s number,” Li Jingsong pleaded.

“I know that! Do you think I don’t know that?!” Li Tianyuan snapped, glaring at his son.

“Good! As long as you know. Last time, I was the one who managed to convince Hu Hao to stay and lead the men as the rearguard. But what happened? Zone Command ordered us to stay and die, and Hu Hao simply told the men from the neighboring provinces to desert and go home.

If we drag Hu Hao back into this now, he will immediately order the remaining soldiers to scatter and go home too. And before they leave, they might just put a bullet in the back of our heads so no one can report them as deserters. Father, think very carefully about this,” Li Jingsong warned.

“Mmh. Call Hu Hao. Ask him what he wants to do. Just ask for his opinion. Do not pressure him. Now that the Zone Commander is pressuring us, it’s perfectly reasonable for us to ask Hu Hao for his stance, right?” Li Tianyuan said, nodding reluctantly.

Li Jingsong sighed helplessly, picked up the satellite phone, and dialed.

“Hello? This is Li Jingsong. I need to speak to Hao-ge.”

In the bus up ahead, Zhao Haibin heard the request and immediately handed the phone to Hu Hao.

“What’s the situation?” Hu Hao asked, taking the receiver.

“Hao-ge, Zone Command just gave my old man a death order. They demanded he find you. The Zone Commander wants to speak with you personally in twenty minutes. What should we do? Let me state for the record: my dad has not sold you out! We just want to hear your thoughts. If you say no, we won’t say a word. My dad will just take the fall and get forced into early retirement,” Li Jingsong said rapidly.

“Holy shit, you’re trying to blackmail me!” Hu Hao chuckled.

“No, I swear I’m not! I wouldn’t dare! I’m fully prepared to let my old man get stripped of his rank and sent to a retirement home! How is that blackmail? I just want to know your stance—do you want to talk to the Commander or not?” Li Jingsong asked earnestly.

“Talk to him about what? I’m a Major, and he’s a full General. What could we possibly have to say to each other? Sigh. It’s obvious—he wants me to figure out a breakout plan. But I’m not even there! How am I supposed to know the tactical situation well enough to plan a breakout?

Or worse, he wants us to march our remnant forces into the meat grinder to help them break out. Tell me, do you think our brothers will agree to that? We barely managed to escape with our lives. You want to order them back into an active war zone? What soldier in their right mind would agree to that?

Listen, Division Commander. Look at the state of the Empire right now. Who wants to risk their life for this? Give us one good reason to die for them! Without a single valid reason, you expect the men to throw their lives away?

The death payout is only 100,000 credits. Once that money is paid out, that’s it—the soldier’s life is closed out. What can a family even do with 100,000 credits? A soldier can save that much from his basic salary in five years! So tell me, how do you expect the brothers to fight? What possible justification do I have to order them to charge?

Mmh? Division Commander, it’s not that I, Hu Hao, refuse to fight. It’s that I have absolutely no way to convince my brothers to follow me back in. And as a single Major, what difference can I possibly make on my own?” Hu Hao spoke calmly, but his words resonated deeply with the soldiers listening around him. It wasn’t that he was a coward; it was that charging back in alone was meaningless suicide.

“But Hao-ge, the Zone Commander asked for you by name! Can you just… help me out here? Just talk to him on the phone. Whether we fight or not, we can figure that out later. Can you just do that?” Li Jingsong begged. He really didn’t want his father’s career to end in disgrace.

“Division Commander, if I talk to him, and he orders me to fight, what do I do? Can I say no? Do I want to face a firing squad for insubordination? But if I say yes, do my brothers want to face a firing squad from the Allied forces? You tell me: what am I supposed to say?” Hu Hao replied evenly.

The soldiers on the bus stared at Hu Hao, their eyes full of grim agreement. They absolutely did not want to go back. Hu Hao had spoken the exact words they held in their hearts. The Empire treated them like disposable idiots, but they weren’t going to play the fool anymore.

“Alright. I’ll… I’ll think of something. Sigh,” Li Jingsong conceded, realizing the impossible position he was putting Hu Hao in. This was not a decision Hu Hao could make for everyone.

Hanging up the phone, Li Jingsong looked at his father and slowly shook his head. Li Tianyuan sighed deeply.

“Call Zone Command. If they strip me of my rank, so be it. If we actually tried to force these men back into combat, we wouldn’t even be able to protect the junior officers from our own family. These men are hardened veterans. They know exactly how to deal with officers they hate. This is the tragedy of the Empire. The absolute tragedy of the Empire!” Li Tianyuan lamented. He then ordered his staff officer to call Zone Command.

Chief of Staff Sun Qinxue answered the call.

“Chief of Staff, we truly cannot find Hu Hao. We have no idea where he went. Our forces are completely scattered, and we have no way to contact him. Chief of Staff, I genuinely have no options left!” Li Tianyuan pleaded the moment the call connected.

“I don’t care what methods you have to use—you will get Hu Hao on the phone! I know exactly what you’re playing at! You just don’t want to risk your men, and you’re terrified of a mutiny! But you need to remember that we have over two hundred thousand troops trapped here!

Do you think you can just walk away from this when the reckoning comes? Our entire army is pinned down. Your forces are part of the Southwest Combat Zone! Wherever you are, you are required to mobilize and support us! If you do not come, every single one of you will face a firing squad!” Sun Qinxue roared into the receiver.

“Chief of Staff, even if you execute me, there’s nothing I can do! The troops are scattered! How am I supposed to rally them?!” Li Tianyuan protested miserably.

“The Commander wishes to speak with you!” Sun Qinxue suddenly said, seeing Jiang Kai holding out his hand for the phone.

“Li Tianyuan. This is Jiang Kai. Let me make this absolutely clear: I know you are retreating along a different route. You will divert your forces and march to my position immediately. Order every single one of your units to converge on us. Any unit that fails to arrive will be classified as deserters and executed on the spot!

Furthermore, tell Hu Hao this: If he refuses to come, that’s fine. Clearly, Hu Hao doesn’t care about his own life. But does he care about the lives of his family? Ask him: Does he think I, Jiang Kai, lack the means to deal with his family?!” Jiang Kai threatened with absolute, ruthless severity.