When Hu Hao received the intelligence from the Crown Prince regarding the two incoming Allied corps, the staff officer beside him grew extremely anxious.
Hu Hao, however, was completely unfazed. In fact, he welcomed the arrival of more Allied troops. The more enemies he faced, the more real-world combat experience his newly forming units would gain.
"Hao-ge, I have Commander Xiao on the line!" the staff officer reported, handing the phone to Hu Hao.
"Xiao Quan, this is Hu Hao. How many troops have you managed to recruit in your sector?" Hu Hao asked directly.
"As of last night, we've recruited roughly 20,000 men. About 5,000 of them are young men with no prior military experience, but the rest are all veterans!" Xiao Quan replied promptly.
"Excellent. Take the division you previously formed, plus 10,000 of your new recruits, and march them to Jinhe City immediately. Hand over command of your current sector to Li Jingsong!" Hu Hao ordered.
"Hao-ge, are Allied forces moving toward Jinhe City?" Xiao Quan asked, immediately grasping the implication.
"Yes, an entire corps. I also just ordered three newly formed divisions to deploy to Yonghe City. Combined with your forces, you will have a full corps under your command in Jinhe City. You will take personal command there and train that corps into a fighting force!" Hu Hao confirmed.
"Understood! I will march immediately. However, Hao-ge, I'll need senior officers to help command the new divisions!" Xiao Quan pointed out.
"I will contact Li Jingsong. He will manage your old sector for now. Later, his forces will also be deployed to Yonghe City. He needs to gain experience commanding in that meat grinder as well.
"The Allied forces are sending another corps to reinforce Yonghe City. These incoming enemy corps are the perfect whetstones to sharpen our forces. If we manage this correctly, we can use them to train five, perhaps even all seven of our corps!
"I haven't permanently assigned any of you to specific corps or divisions yet. I won't finalize the organizational structure until the troops are fully trained and tested.
"Right now, Bai Ye controls six divisions, with four more arriving soon. Once they are somewhat cohesive, I will transfer some of them to Ye Zifeng's command, and then pull more troops from Ye Zifeng's sector...
"...and if you manage to train your forces in Jinhe City quickly, I will transfer some of them to Li Jingsong, and you will take over his sector.
"As for Jinhe City, I'll eventually hand it over to Wu Kexiao. Our forces must remain highly mobile and flexible. The absolute priority right now is elevating the overall combat effectiveness of the entire 1st Group Army!" Hu Hao explained his fluid command structure.
"Yes, Hao-ge! I will mobilize my forces immediately!" Xiao Quan replied, understanding Hu Hao's intent.
Hu Hao hadn't yet distributed the official unit designations or finalized the chain of command. High Command had granted him the authority to form seven corps, comprising 43 divisions, plus 7 independent regiments and 16 independent battalions.
Hu Hao held all these designations closely. He refused to assign them until the troops and their prospective commanders had proven themselves in combat.
After finishing his call with Xiao Quan, Hu Hao returned to his planning.
Meanwhile, in the Allied command post outside Yonghe City, Chief of Staff Jasman woke up to relieve Kelly for the day shift.
To his surprise, he found Kelly sitting in the exact same spot, chain-smoking and staring blankly ahead.
"Commander, you should rest. You look exhausted!" Jasman urged gently.
"I can't sleep! The situation is a nightmare! We just received word: two more Eastern Spirit divisions entered Yonghe City.
"In just the past few days, Hu Hao has moved four fresh divisions into the city, completely independent of the original garrison. And they aren't marching; they're all arriving in armored transports!" Kelly rubbed his bloodshot eyes, his voice heavy with fatigue.
"What?! Two more divisions?! That's impossible! The intelligence said he only had one corps! If this is true, he has a full corps inside Yonghe City alone!" Jasman was stunned.
"Yes. We were completely deceived," Kelly nodded grimly.
"This is unacceptable, Commander! We must request massive reinforcements immediately! We must annihilate Hu Hao's forces now! If we don't, he will become an existential threat to the entire Allied invasion! He must be eliminated, the sooner the better!" Jasman pleaded anxiously.
"I already spoke with the Supreme Commander. Sigh. Typhoons have formed off the coast. Within two to three days, torrential rains will blanket the Eastern Spirit Empire and the rest of the Central Region. The rainy season has arrived," Kelly sighed again.
"What?! So soon?!" Jasman panicked.
"The two corps currently marching to reinforce us will likely encounter the heavy rains before they even reach the battlefield. Tell me, how does Hu Hao have such absurd luck?!
"Even if he had three full corps right now, if the weather held, we could mass overwhelming force and crush him. But the rains are coming!
"When the rainy season ends, he will have had months to train and equip a full Group Army of seven corps. Imagine the price we'll have to pay to defeat him then! Hu Hao is not like the other incompetent Eastern Spirit generals. Using a single corps to cripple us proves his extraordinary capability! The Supreme Commander knows this is a disaster, but his hands are tied by the weather!" Kelly took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"Even in the rainy season, we must find a way to eliminate him! We need to mass at least five corps and crush him!" Jasman insisted.
"It's easy to say 'mass five corps.' Yes, marching in the rain is difficult but not impossible. But what about logistics?! How do we supply them?! We can scavenge for food locally, but what about ammunition? Are we supposed to have men carry artillery shells on their backs through the mud? Is that even possible?" Kelly asked, staring at Jasman.
Jasman deflated, nodding helplessly before sighing and sitting down.
"But the immediate danger is even more pressing. Our corps is in grave peril right now," Kelly continued softly.
"Peril? Oh... right. Two more divisions arrived. Our forces suffered catastrophic casualties last night. Yet, Hu Hao's tank division and air cavalry haven't even engaged us. If they launch a counter-attack now, we're in serious trouble!" Jasman realized the immediate tactical threat.
"Exactly! What I don't understand is why he hasn't attacked us with his armor yet. He clearly has a tank division inside Yonghe City. If he had launched an armored sortie last night, or even this morning, could we have stopped him?
"And he has two divisions of air cavalry! Damn it, it's terrifying to even think about. Therefore, I have ordered our troops to launch a fierce, all-out assault on Yonghe City the moment they finish breakfast. We must push our remaining forces into the city!
"Only by fighting in the urban rubble can we mitigate the threat of his tank division. Furthermore, we must secure a larger foothold to prepare a staging area for the incoming 14th Corps. I've been thinking... Hu Hao's refusal to counter-attack might mean he's waiting for our reinforcements to arrive. If that's true, it's truly terrifying.
"Therefore, we must secure a significant portion of Yonghe City immediately. We need a secure perimeter large enough to accommodate operations for two full corps!" Kelly explained his desperate strategy.
"That... is a very real possibility. Hu Hao might not consider our crippled corps a serious threat. His forces haven't suffered any significant defeats yet. Holding his armor and air cavalry in reserve to ambush our reinforcements... that sounds exactly like something he would do!
"I believe we must warn the Holy Ancient Empire's reinforcements as well. They must be extremely vigilant against armored and aerial ambushes. This is clearly Hu Hao's preferred tactic!" Jasman agreed, a chill running down his spine.
"Mm. We must warn them! But Jasman... do you realize the horrific casualties we will suffer by launching a fierce assault today? We lost over 20,000 men last night. If we continue this meat grinder, we might not have much of an army left by the time the 14th Corps arrives!
"Sigh. But if we don't assault today, I fear both we and the 14th Corps will fall into an even deadlier trap. We are caught in an impossible dilemma!" Kelly rubbed his temples, overwhelmed by the strategic puzzle.
"We must attack. There is no other option. We have no idea where his armor and air cavalry are currently stationed. If they are lurking nearby, waiting to strike our reinforcements, both corps will be doomed. We must press the attack. Even if we suffer, we will inflict casualties on his forces as well!" Jasman argued firmly.
"That was my conclusion as well. The orders have been issued. I'm going to lie down for a bit. Wake me if anything critical happens," Kelly said, pushing himself up from his chair.
"Understood. Rest well, Commander," Jasman nodded.
Kelly retreated to a small side room and collapsed onto a cot, desperately needing sleep.
Jasman walked over to the observation slit. The cacophony of gunfire and explosions echoing from the city hadn't lessened since the previous night. The brutal urban combat raged on without pause.
"Report! The Commander of the 1st Division just radioed in. He believes the Eastern Spirit forces they are currently engaging have been rotated! The units they fought last night likely suffered heavy casualties and were withdrawn!" a staff officer reported, holding a transcript.
"Oh? They rotated fresh troops into the line? Are they the newly arrived reinforcements?" Jasman asked sharply.
"I asked that as well, sir. They cannot confirm it yet. However, I contacted the 2nd and 3rd Divisions, and they both reported the same thing: the enemy units facing them have definitely been swapped out for fresh troops!" the staff officer confirmed.
(End of Chapter)