Hu Hao's family desperately needed to contact him. Hu Hui's situation left them with no choice; they couldn't simply refuse the marriage. They were all locals, living in the same county. If the Hu family refused to take responsibility, the scandal would undoubtedly spread across the entire Huaizhong Province.
Hu Xingjun could accept losing his own face, but he couldn't bear the thought of tarnishing Hu Hao's newly minted prestige as an Imperial General.
Zhao Jingru's family was acutely aware of this leverage. Furthermore, since Zhao Jingru was genuinely pregnant, her family's absolute priority was securing the marriage commitment before anything else.
With Hu Hao serving as a full General, Hu Hui's future was practically guaranteed to be bright. No one was a fool; if there had been no child involved, the negotiations might have played out very differently.
Feeling overwhelmed and suffocated at home, Hu Xingjun grabbed his car keys and drove straight to the local military depot. The depot officers had visited them previously, assuring the family that they were available to assist with any difficulties. Now, Hu Xingjun intended to take them up on that offer; he needed to call his eldest son and ask for guidance.
If Hu Hao couldn't offer a solution, he at least needed to be informed. The child was already on the way; the marriage had to be arranged immediately.
As soon as Hu Xingjun parked his car at the depot, a sharp-eyed officer spotted him and hurried over.
"Mr. Hu! What brings you here today? If you needed anything, a simple phone call would have sufficed, and we would have come straight to you!" the First Lieutenant greeted him warmly with a crisp salute.
"Ah, hello there. I... I was wondering if it's possible to contact Hu Hao—my eldest son—from here? We have an urgent family matter, and I need to inform him," Hu Xingjun explained anxiously.
"An urgent matter?" the Lieutenant's expression turned serious.
"Yes, very urgent!" Hu Xingjun nodded emphatically.
"It is possible, sir. However, the procedure requires us to contact High Command first. High Command will then notify General Hu. If General Hu approves, he will initiate the call to our depot's secure satellite phone. We cannot call him directly; we don't have his secure number.
"Frontline commanders utilize encrypted satellite communications, and General Hu's specific frequency is highly classified!" the Lieutenant explained politely.
"I understand. Please, could you contact High Command for me? It truly is an emergency!" Hu Xingjun pleaded.
"Of course, sir. Please come inside. I will inform the Depot Commander immediately!" the Lieutenant smiled, gesturing toward the main building.
Hu Xingjun was ushered into a comfortable reception room. Shortly after, the Depot Commander—a Lieutenant Colonel—arrived. He greeted Hu Xingjun with respect and immediately initiated the contact protocol with High Command.
High Command received the urgent request and, recognizing the priority flag associated with General Hu Hao's family, immediately forwarded it to the Crown Prince's office.
The Crown Prince approved the request without hesitation and instructed his staff to notify Hu Hao, providing him with the secure number for the Langhe City Military Depot.
At that moment, Hu Hao was intensely focused on the tactical displays for Yonghe City. The Allied 14th Corps had finally arrived at the city limits, and Hu Hao's forces had successfully completed their tactical withdrawal to the secondary defensive lines.
"Hao-ge, urgent flash from High Command. Your family has requested immediate contact. The message includes the secure satellite number for your hometown's military depot," a staff officer reported, handing Hu Hao a slip of paper.
"What? They actually sent the depot's number?" Hu Hao was pleasantly surprised.
He had wanted to contact his family for a long time but hadn't found the opportunity to navigate the bureaucratic channels required to secure the depot's number. His recent promotion and the ensuing chaos of forming the Group Army had pushed it further down his priority list.
"Yes, sir!" the staff officer confirmed.
"Mm. Keep a close eye on the feeds here. I need to make a call," Hu Hao instructed. He took the paper, walked into his private office, and picked up the secure external satellite phone.
He quickly dialed the number.
"This is Liu Jun, Commander of the Langhe City Military Depot," a crisp voice answered almost immediately.
"Commander Liu, this is General Hu Hao. My family requested contact. Please put them on," Hu Hao stated formally.
"Yes, General Hu! Your father is right here," Liu Jun replied, immediately handing the receiver to Hu Xingjun.
"Hao'er? Is that you, Hao'er?!" Hu Xingjun practically shouted into the phone the moment he grasped it.
Hearing his father's voice, a wave of emotion washed over Hu Hao. Memories from this life, intertwined with the fading echoes of his previous two lives, surged to the surface.
"Dad. It's me. What's wrong? Has something happened?" Hu Hao took a deep breath to steady himself, forcing a calm smile into his voice.
"Nothing's wrong! Nothing's wrong! We just miss you! We saw the news; you're a full General now! High Command sent officers here to tell us! We saw footage of you fighting on television! You must be careful, Hao'er! Please, keep yourself safe!" Hu Xingjun's voice cracked, tears streaming down his face as he frantically poured out his worries.
"I know, Dad. Don't worry, I'm perfectly safe! By the way, did High Command process the exemption quota? The one keeping our relatives off the front lines?" Hu Hao asked, a warm smile spreading across his face, though his own eyes were pricking with tears.
"They did! They processed everything! Everyone at home is fine; you don't need to worry about us! Your mother, your grandparents, and I... we just miss you so much. We worry about you every single day.
"Your mother, your brother and sister, and I have all moved back to the ancestral village. We aren't staying in the city anymore. With the war... you never know what might happen," Hu Xingjun explained.
"Mm. Listen to me carefully, Dad. If the Allied forces ever threaten to overrun Huaizhong Province, gather the entire family and flee north immediately. Head toward the Imperial Capital, but do not enter the city itself. Bypass it and continue heading north. Remember that.
"I cannot send troops to escort you right now; my forces are entirely committed to the front lines. But... sigh. Just remember my words. If the enemy approaches, take the clan and run north!" Hu Hao instructed urgently, his tone deadly serious.
"Ah... alright. I will remember," Hu Xingjun agreed, recognizing the gravity in Hu Hao's voice. He knew his son, as an Imperial General, possessed a far clearer understanding of the war's trajectory than anyone else. If Hu Hao said to run north, they would run north.
"There is... one other thing. It's about your brother," Hu Xingjun hesitated, shifting to the reason for his call.
"Xiao Hui? What did he do now?" Hu Hao asked, bracing himself.
"That little brat... he got himself a girlfriend. And... well, the girl is pregnant with his child. Now that her family knows you're a General, they are absolutely relentless. They are demanding an immediate marriage. What are we supposed to do?" Hu Xingjun spilled the disastrous news.
"What?! Pregnant?! How old is Xiao Hui?! He's still a child himself! And he's going to be a father?! Oh, my god," Hu Hao groaned, massaging his temples.
"Exactly! I just thrashed him within an inch of his life! I was so frustrated I couldn't think straight, so I came to the depot to see if I could reach you," Hu Xingjun sighed.
"Her family is forcing the marriage?" Hu Hao asked, trying to grasp the situation.
"They are! First thing this morning, seventy or eighty people from her clan marched right up to our front gate! Our whole village thought it was a turf war; everyone grabbed their tools and rushed out!
"Then we find out it's because your idiot brother knocked up their daughter! Her family declared that if your brother doesn't marry her, they'll have the baby anyway and raise it themselves to shame us!" Hu Xingjun recounted the chaotic morning.
"Beat him! Beat him half to death!" Hu Hao roared instantly, his temper flaring. He stood up and paced the room.
"Hao'er, I already beat him! But that doesn't solve the problem!" Hu Xingjun pleaded.
"What... what is Xiao Hui's stance on this?" Hu Hao asked, forcing himself to calm down.
"He wants to marry her! He claims he loves her. And honestly, I saw the girl today... she is quite pretty. And according to your sister, she's actually a top student!
"I don't understand how a girl with such good grades ended up with our useless brat! Is she blind?! Your brother is a notorious troublemaker who barely attends class! What could she possibly see in him?!" Hu Xingjun ranted, genuinely bewildered.
"He agrees to the marriage? Then... then just let them get married! What else is there to discuss? He's legally old enough under Imperial Law!" Hu Hao sighed in exasperation.
"Sigh. But what about you? You aren't even married yet, and he's tying the knot! As your parents, allowing the younger brother to marry before the eldest... it's a massive loss of face for us! People will talk!" Hu Xingjun voiced his deepest concern. Hu Hao was over five years older than Hu Hui.
"Face? What does face matter when things have reached this point? Just let them get married. If Xiao Hui genuinely cares for her, what else can we do? By the way, is Xiao Jing still at home? Did she not return to school?" Hu Hao asked, changing the subject.
"No, she's still home. The Empire is in chaos right now; no one dares send their children away to school. It's safer here in the village!" Hu Xingjun confirmed.
"Oh. How are Grandpa and Grandma doing?" Hu Hao asked warmly.
"They're doing well. Very well. They just worry about you constantly, especially your grandmother!" Hu Xingjun replied.
"Mm. Next time you come to the depot, bring Grandma with you. I'll arrange a video call so she can see I'm alright," Hu Hao promised.
"I will!" Hu Xingjun agreed eagerly.
They chatted for a few more minutes before Hu Hao asked him to hand the phone back to Commander Liu Jun. Hu Hao gave the Depot Commander a few specific instructions regarding his family's security before finally ending the call.
Driving back from the depot, Hu Xingjun felt a massive weight lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't spoken to Hu Hao in over half a year. Hearing his son's voice, and confirming he was safe and confident, brought him immense comfort.
Back in his office, Hu Hao could only smile bitterly. He knew his younger brother well. Hu Hui had been spoiled rotten since childhood. This kind of reckless behavior wasn't entirely surprising.
Stepping out of the office, Mo Qin immediately approached him. "Hao-ge, is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," Hu Hao shook his head dismissively.
He walked back into the main command center and focused his attention on the tactical displays for Yonghe City and Jinhe City.
The Allied reinforcements had finally reached Yonghe City. The reinforcements destined for Jinhe City had not yet arrived, but Hu Hao knew they were close.
Just a few minutes after Hu Hao sat down, the heavens opened up outside his headquarters, unleashing a torrential, deafening downpour.
The rainy season had arrived in full force.
(End of Chapter)