Seeing the storm clouds gathering over Daman City on the drone feeds, and receiving Lu Guangsheng's report that torrential rain had already hit his sector, Hu Hao immediately began issuing a flurry of deployment orders.
Once the staff officers had taken down the initial set, Hu Hao continued, "Order Wu Kexiao to mobilize two divisions and march them to Jinhe City. Order Ye Zifeng to mobilize two divisions and march them toward Jinhe City as well to link up with Xiao Quan's forces.
"Simultaneously, order Wu Kexiao's remaining forces to launch an offensive toward the southeast! The Allied forces have several major logistical hubs in that direction supplying their frontline units. I want those stockpiles captured!
"Order Ye Zifeng's remaining forces to launch an offensive toward the southwest! All our units are to push forward. Our strategic objective for the rainy season is to expand our perimeter outward by 300 kilometers in every direction, except north! I don't care how many troops the enemy has in our path. By the time the rains stop, our borders must be pushed out 300 kilometers!"
Hu Hao stood before the map, his voice ringing with authority. The staff officers frantically transcribed his commands, presented them for his signature, and immediately dispatched them to the respective Corps Commanders.
"Hao-ge... is this our big opportunity?" Mo Qin asked, standing beside him.
"It is. I've been waiting for this rain. If we manage this correctly, we will have an army of over 400,000 hardened veterans by the time the dry season returns. When that day comes, I don't care how many corps the Allied forces throw at us; we will crush them all!" Hu Hao smiled confidently.
"But fighting in the rainy season is going to be incredibly difficult for us too," Mo Qin pointed out, not fully understanding Hu Hao's optimism.
"It will be difficult for us, yes. But it will be an absolute nightmare for them. They are not adapted to this climate. Furthermore, their entire strategic focus has been pushing north. Their rear echelons and supply lines are overextended and vulnerable. The mud will paralyze their heavy armor. As long as we infiltrate slowly and bleed them constantly, they will be utterly helpless against us!" Hu Hao explained his logic.
Mo Qin thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
At approximately 7:30 AM, the defending forces in Yonghe City launched a massive, coordinated general offensive against the Mara 1st Corps. The ferocity of the sudden assault caught Kelly completely off guard and threw his already fragile defensive lines into chaos.
"Damn it! They barely attacked last night, and now they launch a general offensive first thing in the morning?! What the hell is Hu Hao thinking?!" Kelly's voice was hoarse from exhaustion and stress.
He was incredibly frustrated. His corps was bleeding out, and he still had no clear picture of his opponent's overall strategy.
"Report! The 3rd Division urgently requests reinforcements! Their sector is being hammered by three entire Eastern Spirit regiments! They are on the verge of collapsing! Casualties are catastrophic! The enemy is deploying armored personnel carriers to spearhead their infantry assaults!" a staff officer shouted, holding a ringing phone.
"Report! Our RPG teams cannot get clean shots! The enemy APCs are heavily escorted by dismounted infantry! The moment our gunners stand up to aim, they are cut down!" another officer reported frantically.
"Hold the line! Pull one regiment from the strategic reserve immediately and reinforce the 3rd Division's sector! They must hold out until nightfall! Tell them they must survive until evening!" Kelly roared.
"We don't need to hold out until evening. Noon should be sufficient. The previous timeline was based on the extreme heat slowing down the march, but with the cloud cover, the 14th Corps should be making excellent time.
"I suspect Hu Hao also realizes what the approaching rainy season means. He probably didn't anticipate the storms arriving today. He's launching this desperate offensive to annihilate us before the 14th Corps arrives, hoping that news of our destruction will cause the 14th Corps to halt their advance!" Jasman analyzed the situation rapidly.
"Exactly! We just need to hold until noon! They will reach us by then! Send an urgent flash to the 14th Corps! Tell them to accelerate their march! They must reach us as quickly as humanly possible!" Kelly ordered immediately.
"Yes, sir!" The communications officer relayed the urgent plea.
"Report! The 1st Division is requesting reinforcements! They are under massive assault and suffering horrific casualties!" another staff officer shouted over the din of the command bunker.
"Deploy one regiment from the reserve to their sector! Absolutely no retreat! Not a single step back! I don't care how many men die, they must hold the line!" Kelly bellowed, desperation edging into his voice.
"Yes, sir!" The staff officers frantically relayed the orders to the crumbling front lines.
"Hu Hao is panicking. He must be. He likely just received intelligence that our reinforcements are inbound. Why else would he launch such a reckless, costly assault now?
"Furthermore, the torrential rains are coming. Given the cloud cover, it will likely hit us by this afternoon!" Jasman observed, staring up at the bunker ceiling as if he could see the sky.
"I agree. He probably just learned about the 14th Corps. He likely thought our annihilation was inevitable, which is why he didn't press the attack last night.
"But Jasman... I cannot shake this profound sense of unease. I don't know where it's coming from. I just feel like... why have our deductions been consistently wrong? Is Hu Hao deliberately feeding us false intelligence? Or is his army genuinely far more powerful than we can even comprehend?" Kelly confessed his gnawing doubts.
"I don't believe we're wrong this time. I feel it in my gut. Think about it: if his army was truly overwhelming, why didn't he attack last night? That was his absolute best opportunity to destroy us! He only committed two regiments! Why?
"Either he was so confident of victory that he felt no need to rush, or he only just learned about our reinforcements and panicked, launching this morning assault in a desperate bid to finish us off!" Jasman argued forcefully.
"I pray you are right! But I remain uneasy. I cannot identify the flaw in our logic, but the sheer number of miscalculations we've made makes me doubt everything!" Kelly rubbed his temples wearily.
"Our past errors merely prove that Hu Hao is an exceptionally cunning opponent. It also proves that our strategic imperative to eliminate him is absolutely correct. If we let him live, he will become an unstoppable plague upon our coalition!
"If Hu Hao secures this region and expands his army to seven corps... the cost to defeat him later will be astronomical. More importantly, his position here doesn't just threaten our central and western fronts; it threatens the vital logistical arteries supplying our planned offensives into the Eastern Command and Eastern Continent Nations!
"Our invasion forces destined for those nations are currently massing along the coast. The moment the rainy season ends, they will push west.
"But if Hu Hao builds a Group Army here... if he pushes his forces just 1,300 kilometers to the west, he could sever those critical supply lines entirely!" Jasman pointed out the horrifying strategic implications.
"That... I don't worry about that particular scenario. There is no way Hu Hao's forces can push 1,300 kilometers west. It's impossible. Supreme Commander Vostok would never allow such a massive threat to remain unchecked in our rear," Kelly shook his head, dismissing the nightmare scenario.
He didn't want to think about the post-rainy season strategy. He just wanted to survive the day.
"It's not impossible. Sigh," Jasman muttered, unconvinced.
"Our only priority right now is holding the line. Throw everything we have into the defense! I refuse to believe Hu Hao's forces can completely annihilate us in a single morning! As long as we hold until noon, our reinforcements will arrive, and we will launch our counter-attack!" Kelly declared, forcing resolve into his voice.
"Understood. I will manage the tactical deployments," Jasman nodded, turning back to the map.
…
Meanwhile, in Meilin City, the two fresh Eastern Spirit divisions didn't even pause to disembark. They ate their prepared breakfasts inside their armored transports while the columns continued their rapid march toward Yonghe City.
The sky remained heavily overcast, blocking the brutal sun. While the ambient heat was still oppressive, the lack of direct sunlight made the march bearable. The Eastern Spirit soldiers and officers knew the heavy rains were coming; they had to reach Yonghe City before the roads turned to impassable mud.
"Hao-ge, our forces are pressing the attack hard. The Mara 1st Corps is fighting desperately to hold their ground; they are refusing to yield an inch!" a staff officer reported. Hu Hao was currently studying a regional map, planning the rotation schedule for his units.
"Mm. Expected. If they retreated now, all their bleeding yesterday would have been for nothing," Hu Hao nodded without looking up from the map.
"But Hao-ge, if we keep attacking so fiercely, what happens when the Allied reinforcements arrive?" the staff officer asked worriedly.
"Have the two divisions in Meilin City begun their march yet?" Hu Hao asked, glancing up.
"Yes, sir. They are on the move. But Hao-ge, those are entirely raw recruits!" the staff officer reminded him.
"That's not a problem. Are our current casualties acceptable?" Hu Hao asked.
"Yes, sir. Casualties are within projected limits. General Bai Ye has personally moved to the forward command post to oversee the offensive," the staff officer reported.
"Excellent," Hu Hao nodded in satisfaction, returning to the map.
"Expanding 300 kilometers in every direction... that means we'll essentially control the territory of two entire provinces! Perfect!" Hu Hao muttered to himself, tracing lines on the map.
"Hao-ge, are we really going to conduct major offensives during the rainy season?" the staff officer asked, incredulous.
"What, do you think we're going to take a three-month vacation? If we don't use the rainy season to expand our territory, we'll be choked to death in this tiny pocket! If we stay confined here, the Allied forces will simply mass several corps, smash through our center, and divide us! We must secure strategic depth!" Hu Hao explained his grand strategy.
Meanwhile, in Lu Guangsheng's sector, the torrential rain was coming down in sheets. He had just received Hu Hao's new orders: abandon the guerrilla tactics, finish off the Vaal Kingdom forces immediately, and prepare to push south!
(End of Chapter)