Vostok was currently fuming with anger, and Vitali was just as livid. They had originally intended to mass troops and besiege Hu Hao's forces. Making that decision had been difficult enough, but now, Tonglong City was falling! How could the two of them not be enraged?
"Supreme Commander, we might no longer be able to besiege Hu Hao's forces. This is not good news at all. Just look at the fighting in Tonglong City.
We know full well what Hu Hao's troops are capable of in urban combat. If our forces fight him there, we'll suffer heavy losses. And right now, the Air Force can't help us either. Sigh!" Vitali said, standing before Vostok.
"You're worried about that? I'm worried about what to do with our troops on the central front!" Vostok lit a cigarette and sat down. His anger had mostly dissipated; staying mad wouldn't change anything now.
"The central front troops?" Vitali's heart skipped a beat. He knew they were in trouble!
"Four bridges have been blown up, and the highways have been destroyed in several places. They are completely impassable. The railways are even worse, blown up in multiple sections. Repairing them will take at least a month. Tell me, what will our frontline troops do? In a month, they'll be reduced to eating grass roots.
Furthermore, ammunition. The most critical issue is ammunition! We're not talking about ten thousand or tens of thousands of troops; we're talking about hundreds of thousands! If they don't have enough ammo, I worry that Jiang Kai, the defense commander of the central front, won't just sit idly by. He'll definitely launch a counter-offensive!
I plan to have our central front troops move south and give up some territory. We'll deploy the troops around Hu Hao's perimeter. Once the rainy season ends, we'll wipe out Hu Hao's forces first. We cannot let him continue to be so arrogant!" Vostok declared from his seat.
"They have to move south! If they don't, people will die. The hundreds of thousands of troops on the front lines are the elite forces of our nations. Even if they aren't considered elite anymore, after fighting so many battles, they are veteran units who know how to fight.
If these troops are swallowed up by the Eastern Spirit Empire , it will be a massive blow to our nations!" Vitali immediately said to Vostok. Over 300,000 troops on the central front belonged to the Mara Empire. If those forces were wiped out, the Mara Empire would suffer a catastrophic loss.
"That's not even the main issue. If the central front troops are wiped out, it will be completely impossible for us to break through the Eastern Spirit Empire's defensive lines from the center.
At the same time, the Eastern Spirit Empire could transfer a portion of their central front troops to other defensive lines. Especially once Hu Hao's territory borders the defensive zones of other Eastern Spirit Empire units, he alone could hold the central front.
Tell me, do you think we can conquer the Eastern Spirit Empire before the next rainy season? I see no possibility of that. We absolutely must preserve these troops.
Moreover, we have to eliminate Hu Hao first! If we don't kill Hu Hao, I fear that fully occupying the Eastern Spirit Empire will be extremely difficult. Hu Hao has already destroyed our logistical supply line on the central front.
Now look at the western front. Hu Hao's forces are only 500 kilometers away from the western supply line. Given his character, I bet he'll attack it. Can you imagine the consequences if the supply lines for both the central and western fronts are severed?" Vostok sat there, looking at Vitali with deep concern.
"Yes, we must eliminate Hu Hao. However... however, recent resolutions seemed to dictate that we directly attack the Eastern Spirit Empire's main forces. There was no plan regarding Hu Hao. If we mobilize massive forces to deal with him, how will we explain this to the other nations?" Vitali nodded as he listened.
However, remembering the previous resolutions—which mandated the destruction of the Eastern Spirit Empire's main forces, not a local force controlling a single region like Hu Hao's—he immediately voiced his question.
"For our Allied forces, Hu Hao's army is the Eastern Spirit Empire's main force. In my eyes, none of the other units, including Jiang Kai's, are considered main forces. You and I both know the combat capabilities of the Eastern Spirit Empire's military. Yet just look at Hu Hao's unit—how many of our troops have they wiped out?
Without eliminating Hu Hao's forces, taking down the Eastern Spirit Empire will be far too difficult!" Vostok stated firmly.
Vostok placed immense importance on Hu Hao. He never expected that a previously obscure general would cause him so much trouble.
"Then, we'll order the central front troops to move south now. They shouldn't hold the line there anymore. If Jiang Kai's forces counterattack, we won't stand a chance. We must retreat before the Eastern Spirit Empire's troops can react. We should have them prepare now and start loading the supplies. What do you think?" Vitali pondered for a moment before asking Vostok.
"Yes, issue the order. We can no longer send logistical supplies up there. We cannot allow another incident like Nanlin City to happen. Order our troops to withdraw immediately!" Vostok thought for a second, nodded, and told Vitali!
"Understood!" Vitali nodded and immediately went to execute the orders.
Meanwhile, Vostok had his staff officers play the two videos Hu Hao had previously recorded. He sat alone, watching them intently. Vitali returned after instructing the staff officers outside to begin mapping out retreat routes.
"He's too young. It's simply unbelievable. I thought my opponent was an old veteran, or at least middle-aged. I never expected him to be such a young punk.
Tell me, if this man is allowed to mature and take control of the Eastern Spirit Empire's military, who could possibly defeat him? He calculates every single step!" Vostok said, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he stared at the frozen image of Hu Hao on the screen.
"Indeed. However, I wonder if that person of ours inside the Eastern Spirit Empire can kill Hu Hao. We promised him that as long as he eliminates Hu Hao and Jiang Kai before our next offensive, we would spare the youths of his family.
Furthermore, we offered to let them settle in the Mara Empire. Right now, it seems like there's been no action!" Vitali remarked.
"He's a good-for-nothing. And you guys actually dare to keep someone like that around? If it were me, I'd execute someone who'd sell out their own country on the spot!" Vostok sneered.
"He still has his uses, doesn't he? Besides, we need him to stand up and oppose their Emperor. That's the only way to dismantle the Eastern Spirit Empire from the inside. Our Emperor's intention is to prepare for two scenarios.
If we can swiftly resolve the situation with the Eastern Spirit Empire, then keeping him is useless. But if we can't end it quickly, he might be of great help. Right now, we just have to wait and see if he can kill Hu Hao and Jiang Kai!" Vitali smiled as he sat there.
"He doesn't have the capability. First, Hu Hao is currently surrounded by us. The army Hu Hao commands now was practically built by him from the ground up. To kill Hu Hao? Hmph, even if the Emperor of the Eastern Spirit Empire wanted him dead, it would be impossible. Who would dare go to Hu Hao's territory to assassinate him? Isn't that just courting death?
As for Jiang Kai, that's even more impossible. The central front relies on Jiang Kai for defense. Unless the Emperor of the Eastern Spirit Empire is an idiot, would he dig his own grave?
If Jiang Kai is killed, what happens to the defense of the central front? You guys are just wasting your efforts; it's completely impossible. If you suggested assassination, that might be possible, but trying to kill them through the Eastern Spirit Empire's Emperor is out of the question. Even if Hu Hao and Jiang Kai rebelled , the Emperor wouldn't dare kill them." Vostok looked at Vitali with disdain.
"That is true. But there's no harm in keeping him around. It's not like we've pushed to the Eastern Spirit Empire's capital yet ; there's no rush!" Vitali thought about it and nodded.
"Actually, there is a better method. We could utilize his influence within the military. Plus, his family's troops are on the western front, right?" Vostok asked.
"Yes, on the western front. His family controls nearly five corps over there!" Vitali nodded.
"Have him open the gates on the western front, then let him lead his troops in a retreat. Once he's near the Eastern Spirit Empire's capital, have him rebel and eliminate the Emperor.
When that happens, the Eastern Spirit Empire will become entirely fragmented. At that point, it will be much easier for our forces attacking from other directions. The probability of success for this plan is much higher!" Vostok explained to Vitali. Vitali listened and pondered the idea!
"I will report this to our Emperor and have our intelligence agencies see if they can order him to do so! If he actually goes through with it, the Eastern Spirit Empire will be completely finished !" Vitali said, looking at Vostok!
"Hah. Sigh. What a good-for-nothing!" Vostok muttered with a sigh.
"If they weren't all good-for-nothings, we wouldn't have dared to invade the Eastern Spirit Empire, would we ?" Vitali smiled at Vostok.
"Haha!" Vostok burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, on Hu Hao's side, Hu Hao was currently monitoring the frontline combat situation. Although there weren't many Allied troops left—only about forty to fifty thousand men stalling his army's advance within the city—they were now fighting desperately. With every step forward, Hu Hao's forces had to trample over piles of Allied corpses!
"Reinforcements are coming!" Hu Hao remarked after watching for a while.
"Reinforcements?" Staff Officer Long Yagu heard this and looked at Hu Hao.
"Yeah. Look at them fighting to the death. That means they have something to rely on. If reinforcements weren't on the way, they would have broken and fled by now, rather than resisting like this.
Call Wu Kexiao and Weng Tao. Order them to deliver ammunition and rations into the city as fast as possible. What comes next is a war of attrition. At the same time, order both of them to have all units that haven't seen combat fully prepared to enter Tonglong City and engage at a moment's notice!" Hu Hao instructed the staff officer beside him.
"So, there's no chance to take control of all of Tonglong City?" Dong Qipeng asked, standing there and looking at Hu Hao.
"No. Our soldiers have been fighting for a long time; they are exhausted. The Allied troops might be tired too, but they are fighting for their lives. If we push any further, things might go wrong.
Also, inform Wu Kexiao and Weng Tao that the troops can halt their offensive. Tell them to rest, regroup, and establish defensive lines. Now is their chance to start wearing the Allied forces down!" Hu Hao continued issuing orders to the staff officers behind him.
(End of Chapter)