The Emperor was immensely pleased by Hu Hao's words. He had never considered the perspective of the common people before. The soldiers in the army were essentially commoners; they would never willingly surrender alongside the aristocratic families. If they surrendered, their own families might be slaughtered by the invaders.
Therefore, not only would the soldiers refuse to surrender, but if the aristocratic families attempted treason, the soldiers might just rise up and kill them first!
With this realization, the Emperor now knew exactly what to do. He didn't need any further prompting from Hu Hao.
He was deeply grateful to Hu Hao for offering this strategy. Just moments ago, he believed the Empire was beyond saving. He hadn't expected that a single idea from Hu Hao could avert the immediate threat of national collapse. In fact, if the Emperor played his cards right, they might even be able to halt the Allied invasion entirely.
Feeling a surge of gratitude, the Emperor asked Hu Hao if he was facing any difficulties on the front lines.
"I am facing every kind of difficulty right now. Unfortunately, Your Majesty cannot directly assist from the capital. We are severely short on manpower and still haven't managed to recruit enough troops!
"We are also lacking weapons, ammunition, and facing countless other logistical nightmares. Furthermore, the rainy season is upon us. It's time to plant crops. We have a massive refugee population, and we don't know when—or if—we can break out of this encirclement.
"Therefore, we need to organize the refugees to farm. That way, we secure military rations, and the refugees won't starve. But buying agricultural seeds requires money.
"Additionally, I don't know what to do about the orphans. There are countless children wandering the streets here. They need to be gathered and cared for, but we lack the funds. All of this requires money!
"Finally, with the constant fighting, I must focus entirely on commanding the troops. The local civil officials fled long ago, leaving no one to manage the civilian population. I have no idea who to appoint. I was hoping Your Majesty could dispatch civil officials to manage the refugees!" Hu Hao stood and listed his problems.
In his mind, Hu Hao was calculating his moves carefully: state the problems first. If the Emperor could solve them, great. If the Emperor couldn't, then the authority to handle them would naturally fall to Hu Hao.
"Mm, that is a serious issue! However, we cannot physically reach you through the encirclement, so I cannot deploy officials there. How about this: I will issue an Imperial Edict granting you the authority to appoint local civil officials within the encircled zone. Just remember to submit the official roster to the capital later. Will that work?" the Emperor asked, pondering the situation.
"Ah, I cannot do that, Your Majesty! Imperial law strictly forbids the military from interfering in local civil administration!" Hu Hao immediately stood up and protested.
"Sit down. I told you earlier, there is no need to stand. The law is the law, but didn't I just say I will issue an Imperial Edict? I will announce it to the entire Empire. That gives you the legal authority to appoint officials within the encirclement.
"As for funds, the Imperial Treasury still holds some reserves. I will allocate 1 billion to you immediately for civilian relief and agricultural seeds. You arrange the procurement!
"Also, annihilating an Allied corps warrants a reward. I am granting you 100 million to distribute among your soldiers!" the Emperor said, gesturing for Hu Hao to sit.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I thank Your Majesty on behalf of the people!" Hu Hao saluted sharply.
"Sit down and speak. Sit down!" the Emperor urged again, noticing Hu Hao was still standing.
"There is one more pressing matter. I must ask Your Majesty how to resolve our ammunition shortage. With the rainy season here, airdrops are impossible. The planes cannot take off in these storms, and the thick clouds make navigation a nightmare. Right now, we are fighting almost entirely with captured enemy munitions.
"Your Majesty, Late City has an armory. We blew up the specialized equipment before we retreated, but there are still general machinery plants intact. I want to hire engineers and attempt to jury-rig an ammunition factory. If I don't, my forces won't be able to hold the line much longer!" Hu Hao explained his most critical bottleneck.
"Oh? You can find the personnel to build an ammunition factory?" the Emperor asked, surprised.
"I don't know yet, but we have to try. The raw resources are here; it just depends on whether we can pull the manufacturing together!" Hu Hao shook his head.
He had to resolve the armory issue step-by-step. He didn't want to leave any political vulnerabilities for the future. While the ultimate fate of the Empire was uncertain, he needed to ensure his actions were legally sanctioned now to avoid giving his enemies ammunition.
"Mm, granted. You are authorized to establish ammunition and light weapons factories!" the Emperor agreed after a brief moment of thought.
Hu Hao looked at the Emperor in genuine astonishment.
"Hu Hao, I place immense trust in you. The Empire currently lacks capable generals, and you are the finest we have. I have high expectations for you, and I trust you will not disappoint me! Focus on killing the enemy. Whatever you need, I will provide it!" the Emperor smiled, seeing Hu Hao's surprise.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I guarantee the enemy will bleed!" Hu Hao stood up once more to declare his resolve.
"Sit, sit down! Hu Hao, you must rapidly expand your forces over there. I need you to draw and hold the enemy's attention; that is the Empire's best hope. Originally, I considered transferring you to one of the primary defensive lines...
"But I know your character. You would never abandon your brothers in arms. When you stated your preference to remain there, I agreed. A man who refuses to abandon his brothers will not abandon the common people. I am deeply gratified," the Emperor said warmly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Mm. Are there any other difficulties? Oh, by the way, I heard your younger brother is about to get engaged?" the Emperor asked casually.
"Ah, yes. Sigh. My brother is foolish. My father called me at noon today about it. I told him that since the situation has already progressed this far, there's no other choice but to finalize the engagement. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the face to return home in the future!" Hu Hao nodded, maintaining a frustrated tone.
Internally, however, Hu Hao was deeply shocked. He hadn't expected the Emperor to be monitoring his family's domestic affairs so closely. It proved the Emperor wasn't entirely at ease with him. Bringing this up now was a thinly veiled warning!
"Mm. The Royal Family will send a gift to express my blessings. You are fighting for the nation on the front lines and cannot manage your brother's wedding yourself. I must do my part to express my gratitude.
"Crown Prince, I leave this task in your hands!" the Emperor instructed the Crown Prince beside him.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Actually, Your Majesty, Headmaster... I have a personal request. My younger brother struggles academically. I was hoping to enroll him in the Royal Command Academy. However, no reopening date has been announced yet. If the academy resumes classes, could he be granted admission?" Hu Hao asked.
"That is easily arranged! I grant your request. The Crown Prince will handle the details!" the Emperor smiled, clearly pleased by the proposition.
"Not a problem. When the academy prepares to reopen, I will have the admission notice delivered personally!" the Crown Prince echoed with a wide smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Headmaster!"
"Good. Is there anything else you require?" the Emperor asked kindly.
"Report: nothing further. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!" Hu Hao stood up.
"Very well. We will conclude our call here. It is late; get some rest," the Emperor and the Crown Prince stood up as well.
"Yes, Your Majesty! Farewell, Your Majesty, Headmaster!" Hu Hao saluted. The Emperor smiled, nodded, and stepped away from the camera with the Crown Prince.
Hu Hao grabbed his cap and walked out of the conference room. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, he cursed under his breath: "Damn it!"
He lit a cigarette and walked into a smaller, private briefing room. He sat heavily in a chair just as a staff officer brought in a cup of water.
"Close the door on your way out. Unless there is a catastrophic emergency on the front lines, do not disturb me!" Hu Hao ordered, taking a long drag from his cigarette.
The staff officer nodded and quietly shut the door.
Alone in the room, Hu Hao began to dissect the video conference. He couldn't quite grasp the underlying meaning of the Emperor's sudden call. It felt like the Emperor had left many things unsaid.
"Wait. Both the Emperor and the Crown Prince had been crying!" Hu Hao suddenly recalled. Their eyes had been red, and their initial smiles had been strained and forced. It was only toward the end of the call that the Emperor's joy seemed genuine, and the Crown Prince had repeatedly glanced at his father before his own mood lifted.
"What went wrong?" Hu Hao analyzed the sequence of events.
"What made them happy? Right... the aristocratic families! The aristocratic families must be plotting to surrender! The Emperor must have believed the Empire was doomed, which is why he was crying!
"The strategy I offered earlier gave him a weapon to prevent their treason. It might even terrify them into abandoning the idea entirely. No wonder!" Hu Hao's mind raced as the pieces clicked into place. He hadn't realized the full political context until now.
"It's for the best. If they surrendered, I'd be screwed too. If they hold the line, we all still have a fighting chance!" Hu Hao rubbed his temples and chuckled dryly.
However, the Emperor's intimate knowledge of his family affairs still gnawed at him. To alleviate the Emperor's suspicions, Hu Hao had been forced to volunteer his younger brother for the Royal Command Academy—effectively offering him as a political hostage in the Imperial Capital.
Right now, the only leverage the Emperor had over him was his grandparents, parents, and younger siblings.
The Emperor's message was a clear warning: If you dare step out of line, or if you dare surrender, your family will suffer the consequences.