Chapter 73: The Counter-Offensive Begins

Hu Hao gathered the temporary Regimental Commanders to outline their tactical approach for the upcoming assault. Because this was a proactive offensive—and specifically, urban combat—meticulous coordination was essential. Li Jingsong stood by and listened quietly, only speaking up if Hu Hao asked him a direct question.

Meanwhile, back at Zone Command, Liang Wanyu and the surviving war correspondents were ushered into a secure bunker separate from the main command center. The room was lined with monitors displaying live feeds from the military’s observation drones.

Liang Wanyu and the other reporters sat in silence, processing their footage. The Propaganda Department had deployed 10 correspondent teams to the frontline, totaling 30 people. Of those 30, 13 had been killed in action. However, the surviving members had managed to recover their fallen colleagues’ cameras, ensuring the footage wasn’t lost.

There was no time to mourn. They immediately began reviewing and editing their material.

Liang Wanyu sat at a terminal, carefully scrubbing through her footage. She deliberately cut out every single shot that clearly showed Hu Hao’s face. She remembered his request not to let his grandparents know he was on the front lines, to spare them the worry.

Furthermore, he was incredibly young, already held the rank of Major, and fought with an almost terrifying lethality. If she broadcasted raw footage of him slaughtering the enemy like that, it would undoubtedly draw massive, unwanted attention to him from both the military brass and the public. To protect his anonymity, Liang Wanyu painstakingly scrubbed him from the official reel.

She compiled all the clips of Hu Hao into a separate, private video file. She intended to keep this one for herself. As the thought crossed her mind, her cheeks flushed bright red. She quickly glanced around the room, relieved that no one was watching her.

It’s fine, she reasoned with herself, trying to justify it. I’ll show it to the rest of our classmates eventually. It’s not like I’m keeping it just for me.

By the time Liang Wanyu finished her edits, Hu Hao and his officers had finalized their assault plan. After distributing the tactical assignments, the Colonels dispersed to brief their respective regiments.

Hu Hao gathered the two Battalion Commanders under his direct command. After a moment’s thought, he ordered them to fetch their Company Commanders as well. He held a quick briefing with the junior officers, detailing their specific vectors of advance.

Once the meeting concluded, the Company Commanders returned to the trenches to relay the orders to the men.

“Hao-ge! The tanks and APCs are prepped! Fueled and fully loaded with ammo!” He Jizhong jogged over and reported.

“Good. We wait for the signal. The engineers should have the pontoon bridges finished soon,” Hu Hao nodded.

“Hao-ge, here you go,” another veteran jogged up, carrying Hu Hao’s heavy tactical backpack.

Hu Hao took it, set it down next to him, and leaned back against the trench wall, lost in thought.

The frontline was eerily quiet. Everyone knew the counter-offensive was imminent. It was finally their turn to attack. Fear was a palpable presence in the trenches; anyone who claimed they weren’t terrified was a liar.

However, the veterans were noticeably calmer. The newly appointed Second Lieutenants moved methodically through the ranks of the reservists, inspecting their gear and offering quiet corrections.

“Tighten your helmet strap. It’s fine if it’s loose now, but the moment we move out, it needs to be secure!”

“Leave the heavy rucksacks here for now. Just check your ammo and web gear!”

“Go find a new helmet. Yours has a bullet hole through the brim. You’re a lucky bastard, you know that?”

“It’s not mine! I scavenged it!”

“Then scavenge a better one!”

The new Platoon Leaders didn’t quite understand it themselves. Back when they had first broken out of Langcheng with Hu Hao, they wouldn’t have given a damn about the gear of some random conscript. They wouldn’t have bothered checking anything. But now, for some inexplicable reason, they felt an overwhelming urge to guide and protect these new men.

“Hao-ge,” Zhao Haibin walked over and sat down beside him.

“Is your unit ready?” Hu Hao asked.

“The boys are sorting it out,” Zhao Haibin sighed softly. “Ha… Hao-ge, the mentality of the men has shifted drastically over the last few days. I don’t really know how to explain it. Have you noticed? It feels like the brothers became completely cold and numb overnight, yet at the same time, they’ve become infinitely more compassionate toward each other. It’s a bizarre contradiction.”

“We are human beings. We are creatures of emotion, not machines,” Hu Hao replied, staring out at the river.

“Yeah. We’re human,” Zhao Haibin nodded slowly.

“The brothers have matured,” Hu Hao continued. “They’ve realized that on the battlefield, the man standing next to you is your absolute lifeline. He is the brother who will take a bullet for you, so you have to protect him. But… they are also terrified. They are terrified that in the blink of an eye, that brother will be gone. That’s where the contradiction comes from—the fierce desire to protect, warring against the paralyzing fear of loss.”

Zhao Haibin thought about it for a moment, realizing Hu Hao had perfectly articulated the heavy feeling in his chest. He nodded silently.

“They’re good men. These veterans are incredible. They figured it out on their own, didn’t they?” Hu Hao smiled, looking at Zhao Haibin.

“They really did. We didn’t even have to order them to do it. They just naturally started checking the recruits’ gear and explaining the basics of urban combat to them. These reservists haven’t seen a day of training in years.

Sigh… Hao-ge, if you were our Division Commander… or Corps Commander, or Zone Commander… how incredible would that be? Maybe our brothers wouldn’t have to die in such staggering numbers,” Zhao Haibin lamented softly.

“Why are you talking about that? It’s impossible, so drop it. I’ll be satisfied as long as I can keep as many of our brothers alive as possible. Promotions? Wealth? In the face of death, those things are completely meaningless,” Hu Hao said, cutting him off.

“Mmh. I know. Anyway, the brothers trust you implicitly. We’ll follow you anywhere,” Zhao Haibin affirmed.

“Just rest for now. If you’re tired, close your eyes. We probably have another ten minutes before the crossing begins,” Hu Hao said.

Zhao Haibin nodded, knowing the engineers were still finalizing the massive pontoon network down at the river.

About 5 minutes later, a massive roar filled the sky behind them. A massive swarm of Imperial attack helicopters swept over their positions, heading straight for the opposite bank.

“Air Cavalry. They’re softening the beachhead,” Hu Hao observed.

“Where the hell were they yesterday?! If they had been here, we wouldn’t have taken so many casualties!” Zhao Haibin asked, frustrated by their late arrival.

“They probably just arrived with the reinforcements. Our Southwest Combat Zone’s organic Air Cavalry regiments were completely wiped out during the defense of Langcheng,” Hu Hao explained.

“Hurry up! The bridges are secure! Begin the crossing!” the combat engineers screamed from the riverbank.

Hearing the order, Hu Hao stood up. He looked down and saw that numerous broad pontoon bridges now spanned the width of the river.

“Brothers! Mount up! Prepare to cross!” Hu Hao roared.

The soldiers instantly scrambled into the waiting tanks and APCs. Hu Hao climbed into the command hatch of a designated infantry fighting vehicle.

“Establish communications with all our vehicles!” Hu Hao ordered a comms operator inside the APC.

Because Huan Xingtao and his old squad members had all been promoted to Platoon Leaders, they were now commanding their own vehicles. Hu Hao was accompanied by a dedicated team of radiomen.

“Yes, sir!” The radiomen rapidly tuned the comms array to the pre-established frequencies.

“Hao-ge, the command net is active!” a radioman reported.

“All Battalion Commanders, report your status! Once your units are fully mounted and ready, sound off!” Hu Hao ordered into his headset.

“Understood!”

“Copy that!” his two Battalion Commanders replied immediately.

A moment later, Hu Hao’s satellite phone rang.

“Hao-ge! The assault order has been issued! Zone Command just gave the green light! Move out!” Li Jingsong yelled over the line.

“Copy,” Hu Hao hung up. About a minute later, both of his Battalion Commanders reported their units were ready.

“Move out!” Hu Hao commanded over the radio net.

The driver immediately threw the APC into gear and rumbled toward the pontoon bridges.

Hu Hao popped out of the top hatch, manning the heavy machine gun position. He kept his eyes locked on the far bank, terrified that the Allied artillery might suddenly open up and obliterate the crowded bridges. However, until the moment their tracks hit the opposite shore, the enemy guns remained dead silent.

Hu Hao’s conviction solidified. They were absolutely out of ammo. If they had even a single crate of shells left, they would have fired it at the exposed bridges.

Hu Hao’s regiment successfully crossed the river and linked up with the rest of the Division on the far bank. Once the formation was secure, Hu Hao slid back down into the APC.

“Hao-ge, the Division command net is active! The Division Commander transferred operational control of the frequency to you!” the radioman reported.

“Good,” Hu Hao nodded. He grabbed the primary handset.

“Brothers! Listen up! We have successfully secured the far bank. We are currently less than 5 kilometers from the outskirts of Nanlin City. We will reach the urban perimeter in approximately ten minutes.

Formation: Tanks take the vanguard! APCs follow in tight formation! Vanguard tanks, keep your optics locked on the city skyline! The moment you detect any possibility of Allied sniper or anti-armor fire from a building, you blow it to hell! Do not hesitate!

APC drivers, maintain strict spacing! When the vanguard tanks fire, you halt and use them for cover! Do not advance blindly!

Tank gunners, listen closely! If you take fire, you immediately return fire with the main gun! If you suspect a high-rise building is harboring enemy troops, even if you don’t see them, you put a high-explosive shell through the floor! Bring the building down if you have to! I guarantee you there are Allied soldiers hiding in there!”

“Understood!” The Regimental Commanders across the division immediately acknowledged the orders.

“Furthermore! The moment our column enters the city limits, all infantry inside the APCs—excluding the driver and the heavy machine gunner—will dismount! You will advance on foot, utilizing the armor for cover!

You must sweep every single building along your vector! Do not advance past a structure until you have absolutely verified it is clear of enemy combatants! Maintain a steady, methodical pace! Do not outrun your armored support, and do not break formation with the main column!

As per the tactical map, each Regiment is assigned a specific avenue of advance. If your Regiment successfully breaks through the enemy line and pushes deep into the city, you will assess the tactical situation. You will either continue your push inward, or you will pivot laterally to flank the enemy and relieve pressure on adjacent Regiments! Do you understand?!” Hu Hao barked his final instructions over the net.

The Regimental Commanders responded with a unified roar of confirmation.