As Hu Hao entered the command center, the regimental commanders deployed to Jinhe City were already waiting on the communication screens. Seeing him, they immediately offered crisp salutes and greeted him.
"Mm. Are your defensive lines fully established?" Hu Hao asked with a smile.
"Report! Deployments are complete. As per Headquarters' directives, we have established four concentric defensive lines in and around Jinhe City. Furthermore, we have successfully evacuated the remaining civilian population to secure areas further behind the lines. The city is now fully militarized!" one of the regimental commanders reported promptly.
"Good. Very good! Commander Xiao Quan should arrive at your position in roughly an hour. Once he arrives, he will assume overall command of the sector. However, he will not micromanage your tactical engagements.
"How you fight the battle on your specific lines is entirely up to you. But rest assured, we possess more than enough combat power to annihilate the enemy forces approaching you. The reason I am granting you this tactical autonomy is to cultivate your independent command capabilities and harden your troops through live-fire combat.
"Therefore, do not let the pressure paralyze you. Use it as motivation. I want you thinking constantly, how do I maximize enemy casualties while minimizing my own? You must anticipate their every move and prepare counter-measures!" Hu Hao instructed the officers.
"Yes, Hao-ge! We will not disappoint you!" the commanders replied in unison.
"Mm. Do you foresee any specific difficulties?" Hu Hao asked.
"None! With preparations this thorough, what difficulties could there be?!" one commander laughed confidently.
The others nodded in agreement, displaying high morale.
"Excellent. If you encounter any unexpected issues, call me directly or contact the staff officers here at headquarters. They will relay your messages to me immediately."
Remember, there is one absolute red line—you must control your casualty rates!
"However, 'controlling casualties' does not mean avoiding combat. We are an army, and we are at war. If we don't fight, we die! You must use your brains. You must devise creative, flexible tactics to inflict maximum damage on the enemy while preserving the lives of our brothers. I abhor pyrrhic victories!
"Under my command, there is no such thing as a pyrrhic victory. There are only decisive victories! I will never accept a battle won by simply throwing bodies at the enemy. We cannot treat the lives of our soldiers as expendable currency," Hu Hao lectured them sternly.
"Yes, sir!" The commanders nodded gravely, taking his words to heart.
"The rainy season is imminent. This presents both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the Allied logistics will collapse, paralyzing their ability to launch major offensives. The disadvantage is that our own mobility and operational tempo will also be severely restricted.
"You must demonstrate your true capabilities now. All of you currently hold the rank of 'Acting' Regimental Commander. Fight well in the coming battles, and I will remove the 'Acting' from your titles. Perform exceptionally well, and I will promote you to Division Commander. You all know we have numerous general-officer vacancies right now.
"But if you perform poorly, you will either remain an 'Acting' commander forever, or you will be stripped of your command entirely! If you lack the capability to lead, do not lead our brothers to their deaths!" Hu Hao laid out the stark reality of their situation.
"Yes, sir!" the commanders roared, their determination hardening.
"Mm. The Holy Ancient Empire's 7th Corps is projected to arrive at your perimeter this afternoon. As long as your deployments are solid, you will hold them. Honestly, if it weren't for the need to train your units, I would never have allowed them to march this deep into our territory; I would have annihilated them en route. Seize this opportunity!" Hu Hao concluded.
"Yes, sir!" the commanders shouted.
"Good. Return to your posts and prepare for contact," Hu Hao nodded, and their feeds winked off one by one.
Hu Hao sat down and turned his attention back to the massive tactical display of Yonghe City. His forces were still pressing the offensive, and they were fighting brilliantly. The relentless pressure had forced the Allied forces to begin a fighting withdrawal.
The Mara 1st Corps desperately wanted to hold their ground, but their casualties were simply too high to maintain a cohesive perimeter across the sector they had captured. They were slowly being compressed back toward the city's edge by Hu Hao's advancing troops.
"Hao-ge, if we keep this up, we can definitely annihilate them by early afternoon!" a staff officer remarked, standing beside Hu Hao.
"Annihilate them? That's no longer possible," Hu Hao shook his head. He checked his watch. "Order the frontline units to halt their advance immediately. Execute a coordinated, organized withdrawal. Fall back to the second defensive line!"
"What?! Retreat now?!" The staff officer, and several others nearby, stared at Hu Hao in shock.
"Yes, retreat now. It is 11:00 AM. The vanguard of the Mara 14th Corps could arrive at any moment. Our frontline troops have been fighting intensely all morning. If the 14th Corps slams into them while they are exhausted and out of position from the offensive, the line might break.
"Since we can't guarantee holding the ground against fresh reinforcements right now, we withdraw, consolidate our lines, and fight them later. As I've said, our primary objective is training, not immediate annihilation. If I wanted them annihilated, I would have done it last night. Issue the orders!" Hu Hao commanded.
"Understood. But... will the regimental commanders actually retreat?" The staff officer pointed at the screens, knowing the frontline commanders were blood-drunk and eager for the kill.
"Tell them it is my direct order. They are to fall back immediately, even if Kelly himself is standing right in front of them, begging to surrender!" Hu Hao stated flatly.
"Yes, sir!" The staff officers immediately began transmitting the mandatory withdrawal orders.
"Hao-ge, I have Combat Staff Officer Wang Yao on the line for you!" a communications officer reported, holding a headset.
"Mm?" Hu Hao frowned, glancing at Mo Qin. Mo Qin shrugged, indicating he had no idea what it was about.
"This is Hu Hao. What is it?" Hu Hao took the headset.
"Hao-ge! I want to fight in Jinhe City! Can you give me command of a regiment? If not a regiment, a battalion?! I need to get to the front lines!" Wang Yao practically shouted through the earpiece.
"Are you sick in the head?! You called me on a secure command channel just for this?!" Hu Hao snapped, annoyed by the interruption.
"This isn't a small matter, Hao-ge! I don't want people saying I got a Brigadier General star just by sitting on my ass at headquarters while everyone else bled for theirs! Hao-ge, please, let me go!" Wang Yao pleaded desperately.
"I can let you go. But can you control that explosive temper of yours? Can you promise me you won't immediately start picking fights and arguing with the other commanders?!" Hu Hao demanded.
"I promise, Hao-ge! If I start a fight with anyone, you can drag me back here in chains and demote me to private!" Wang Yao swore immediately.
"You mean that? Because if you get into a screaming match out there, I don't care who started it or who's technically right. I will hold you responsible!" Hu Hao warned him.
"Deal! If I argue with anyone, I automatically lose, and I'll gladly accept the demotion!" Wang Yao agreed without hesitation.
"Fine. Jinhe City needs armored support anyway. You will immediately take command of two independent tank regiments and deploy to Jinhe City. Once you arrive, you will coordinate closely with the infantry regimental commanders. Fight smart, fight hard, and do not cause trouble for me!" Hu Hao ordered, relenting.
"Yes! Thank you, Hao-ge! Don't worry, if I cause trouble, you can have my head!" Wang Yao cheered, ecstatic.
"Mm. The official deployment orders will be transmitted shortly," Hu Hao said, handing the headset back to the communications officer. He then turned to a nearby staff officer. "Draft an order: Wang Yao is to assume command of the 4th and 7th Independent Tank Regiments and deploy to Jinhe City immediately."
"Yes, sir!" The staff officer hurried off to process the paperwork.
"Report! The withdrawal orders have been transmitted. The frontline commanders acknowledge and are executing the withdrawal now!" another staff officer reported. Hu Hao nodded, his eyes fixed on the Yonghe City display as the blue icons of his troops began slowly falling back.
"Hao-ge, is something bothering you?" Mo Qin asked, noticing Hu Hao's intense focus.
"No. I was just thinking about the enemy commander... Kelly, right?" Hu Hao mused, leaning back in his chair.
"Yes, Kelly. A member of the Mara Empire's royal family," Mo Qin confirmed.
"He's actually quite capable. His tactical deployments throughout this engagement have been textbook perfect. It's almost a pity he ran into me.
"His initial probing attacks, his shift to infantry-heavy assaults supported by armor, and his stubborn defense once he secured a foothold... tactically, he didn't make a single mistake. His only fatal error was a strategic one: he severely underestimated our troop strength because his intelligence was flawed," Hu Hao analyzed, offering a surprisingly generous assessment of his opponent.
"Then a man like that cannot be allowed to live!" Mo Qin stated coldly.
"Ha! Killing him isn't that simple. Unless he makes a catastrophic blunder, capturing or killing him will be incredibly difficult. Even if our frontline troops hadn't withdrawn just now, he likely would have managed to escape. The personal guard detail for a royal family member commanding an elite corps is no joke.
"The Mara Empire clearly values him highly, otherwise they wouldn't have given him command of the 1st Corps. He is a genuinely capable commander," Hu Hao noted.
"Hao-ge, we have to find a way to capture him alive!" Mo Qin urged.
"Ha! Impossible. Not right now, anyway. If my Special Operations Regiment was fully trained, I would absolutely launch a decapitation strike to capture him and use him as leverage against the Mara Empire. But... not today," Hu Hao sighed, standing up. His Special Operations troops were months away from being ready for a mission of that caliber.
Meanwhile, inside the besieged command bunker in Yonghe City, Kelly and Jasman sat in grim silence. Aside from their personal guard detachments, every single soldier under their command was engaged in brutal combat on the front lines.
"Report! Flash telegram from the 14th Corps! Their vanguard tank division is roughly twenty minutes away from Yonghe City limits!" a communications officer shouted, sprinting over to Kelly.
Kelly snatched the telegram, his eyes scanning the brief message hungrily.
(End of Chapter)