Hu Hao observed the situation in Tonglong City and knew the opportunity had passed. He couldn't press the attack; if they kept pushing, his scattered forces would easily find themselves at a disadvantage once the enemy reinforcements arrived!
Therefore, he immediately ordered his troops to halt their offensive and prepare to establish defensive lines!
After issuing the orders, Hu Hao walked over to the map and surveyed the areas under their control. The situation around Xingqiao City was highly precarious.
To the east, Xingqiao City and Tonglong City formed a long, continuous strip. If the middle was severed, they would be in serious trouble. Tianxi City wasn't an issue; Hu Hao had already made preparations there.
As for the north, Hu Hao was currently unsure if the Allied forces would retreat, nor did he know if Jiang Kai's troops would dare to attack. If Jiang Kai didn't strike, Allied troops would inevitably sweep down from the north.
North of Xingqiao City was Menghe City, and further north was Tianhe City. Currently, only small detachments were stationed in these two places; the Allied forces hadn't deployed large units there yet.
"Order Bai Ye to mobilize two armored infantry divisions and their reserve units, and dispatch them to our location immediately!" Hu Hao instructed the staff officer beside him.
"Yes, sir!" The staff officer immediately went to relay the order. Next, Hu Hao picked up the microphone, connecting to the command center in Daman City. At this moment, the officers there were also watching the large screens!
"Brothers, I want you to analyze whether the Allied forces will move south. I'm talking about the Allied troops on the central front—roughly 600,000 men. If I recall correctly, their organization consists of 14 corps.
However, their units aren't at full strength. They've suffered heavy casualties and haven't replenished their ranks yet. I want you to analyze when they will march south and where they will launch their attack against us!" Hu Hao spoke into the microphone, addressing the officers of the Training Regiment.
"Once you've thought it through, write it down and hand it to my staff officers in the command center. They'll forward it to me!" Hu Hao stood there and stated.
"Yes, sir!" The officers nodded.
They could see Hu Hao commanding from here, and they could also hear what Wu Kexiao and Weng Tao were saying in their respective command centers. Therefore, they were fully aware of the entire frontline command process!
Hu Hao put down the microphone and stared at the map.
At around 3:00 AM, the Allied reinforcements arrived. It was a mechanized infantry corps—the 18th Mechanized Corps from the Ku'an Kingdom of the Southern Region!
"The 18th Mechanized Corps from the Ku'an Kingdom. They're actually here. If my memory serves me right, this unit was stationed in Nanliang Province. To think they made it here, and so fast?" Hu Hao frowned after receiving this information from the frontline commanders.
"Record a video for me. Hmph. Damn it, trying to swallow my troops?" Hu Hao sneered.
"Yes, Hao-ge!" An engineering staff officer immediately hurried over to the previously set-up camera, and Hu Hao walked over to stand in front of it!
"Ready, Hao-ge!" the engineering staff officer said after turning the camera on.
"General Vostok, you aren't asleep yet, are you? I'm guessing you're awake. Your troops in Tonglong City have been thoroughly beaten by me, yet you still managed to transfer the Ku'an Kingdom's 18th Corps all the way from Nanliang Province!
Sigh, you are quite ruthless. You were already preparing to attack our forces, weren't you? Otherwise, there's no way this 18th Corps could have reached us so quickly. Am I right?
Furthermore, if you want to attack my position and force our troops to retreat to Xingqiao City, you wouldn't dare send just a single corps. You know full well that I can swallow that corps whole.
So, you must have more troops on the way, right? I'm guessing another two or three corps. Also, isn't it about time for your attacking forces on the central front to retreat? Are they planning to head my way to squeeze my living space?
You must be thinking exactly that, and I hope you are!
If your troops come here to fight me, then the Eastern Spirit Empire's central front will be safe. That will make your goal of securing a swift victory over our nation far less easy!
Also, let me remind you: the remaining forces you plan to send against me had better not attack. Otherwise, I will chew them up until not even scraps are left. Be good and just leave them around Tonglong City. You and I can take our time fighting here. But if you dare to attack anywhere else, you better consider the consequences! I'm warning you, don't make a mistake!
Oh, by the way, those troops in Tonglong City are garbage. Good thing your reinforcements arrived quickly. Otherwise, I would have swallowed your two-plus corps in Tonglong City tonight. You probably already know that I only committed a little over a single corps!
So, the Ku'an Kingdom's 18th Corps isn't enough. Keep sending reinforcements. If you don't, I reckon Tonglong City will still fall into my hands tomorrow or the day after!" Hu Hao sat there, taking a drag from his cigarette, speaking with immense smugness.
After he finished speaking, he immediately had someone broadcast it. Hu Hao's video instantly appeared on the First Army Group's propaganda accounts. Many people who were still awake saw the video immediately and began leaving comments.
They praised Hu Hao's troops for fighting beautifully, marveling that they managed to wipe out so many Allied soldiers in just one night.
"Report! Hu Hao just released a video!" In Vostok's command center, a staff officer rushed in to report.
"Play it!" Vostok demanded immediately. Soon, he saw Hu Hao speaking on the screen, complete with subtitles in the languages of the Southern Region. Vostok was furious.
"He's incredible. To think he knew we prepared roughly three corps to attack him, just based on the fact that the Ku'an Kingdom's 18th Corps wasn't stationed nearby. Furthermore, he actually guessed that we were withdrawing our attacking forces from the central front. Impressive!" Vitali remarked as he sat there, watching Hu Hao on the screen.
"He has to die! He must die! This is infuriating! And that Kesma, he's too useless! Otherwise, would it be Hu Hao's turn to act so arrogantly? Huh?!" Vostok jumped to his feet in agitation, pointing at Hu Hao on the large screen.
"Supreme Commander, please calm down. Our troops didn't fight well; there's nothing we can do about that now. However, Hu Hao only has so few troops. Even if it becomes a war of attrition, we can grind him down!" Vitali tried to placate Vostok.
"Damn it, I'm not mad because he's arrogant! He's arrogant because we fought poorly. Look closely at what he's saying! He knows our next step, and even several steps ahead! Isn't that terrifying?!" Vostok said to Vitali.
"Supreme Commander, are you saying he's anticipating our moves?" Vitali's expression turned serious as he looked at Vostok.
"He told us not to even think about attacking him. Tell me, do we attack or not? If we attack, Hu Hao might already know and have a trap waiting for us. If we don't attack, we just let him keep acting so arrogantly and even expand his territory. Tell me, can we allow that?
And what about the other two corps we prepared for the offensive? Do we commit them to the attack? Hu Hao wants them to enter Tonglong City. We still have nearly 100,000 men inside the city—more troops than Hu Hao has.
Yet Hu Hao actually said we need to send more reinforcements his way. Damn it, why are his troops so good at fighting?" Vostok paced back and forth.
Right now, he felt that no matter what move he made, it fell perfectly into Hu Hao's calculations. Fighting a war like this was terrifying, because if the enemy knew your objectives, they were undoubtedly prepared!
"Supreme Commander, how about this? The three corps we prepared earlier will all enter Tonglong City to pin down Hu Hao's forces. Then, we'll have our troops moving south from the central front begin to press down on him.
With so many troops, I refuse to believe Hu Hao can swallow all of them!
Additionally, we still have forces stationed in Tianxi City and Liangyuan City. We can order them to launch a covert attack on Xingqiao City. As long as we cut off the connection between Xingqiao City and Tianjing City, Hu Hao's troops will be completely surrounded by us. I simply don't believe that Hu Hao's meager forces are enough for our massive army to kill!" Vitali suggested after a moment of thought.
"Are you certain Hu Hao hasn't kept his eyes on the troops in Tianxi City? Tianxi City directly threatens Xingqiao City; there is no way Hu Hao isn't guarding against that. This unit cannot act rashly. Hu Hao already has an entire division over there watching our corps. The moment they move, Hu Hao will know immediately!
If they are to act, they cannot act alone. It requires a coordinated operation!" Vostok stopped pacing, studied the map, and replied to Vitali.
"What if we have the forces in Tonglong City, Tianxi City, Liangyuan City, and the troops coming down from the central front all move simultaneously? Do you think that would work?
If the central front forces are mechanized, they can press down on Hu Hao's location in three days. We only need the troops in Tonglong City to hold out for four days!" Vitali proposed. Hearing this, Vostok nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll go make the arrangements! By the way, do you intend to reply to this video?" Vitali stood up and asked.
"No reply. I'm going to sleep now. The affairs of Tonglong City are not significant enough to reach the desk of the Supreme Commander!" Vostok immediately stated.
He wanted to use this silence to tell Hu Hao that Tonglong City was just a trivial place to the Allied forces; success or failure there didn't matter. He hoped to strike a blow to Hu Hao's soaring confidence.
"Understood!" Vitali nodded.
As the sky gradually brightened, Hu Hao, the command center, and the frontline soldiers began preparing to rest. The Allied forces in Tonglong City had also been fighting all night. Even the Ku'an Kingdom's 18th Corps had been marching the entire night without a break.
Tonglong City fell into a brief period of tranquility. Meanwhile, to the west and southwest of the city, many civilians began fleeing.
Although the heavy rain continued to pour, it couldn't stop the civilians' determination to escape. Many drove cars, taking various backroads to flee toward places like Xingqiao City and Nanli City. Along the way, Hu Hao had even deployed troops specifically to guide them and maintain traffic flow.
(End of Chapter)