Upon receiving the Emperor's summons, the Crown Prince rushed from High Command to the Imperial Palace. The military headquarters was situated adjacent to the palace grounds, so the journey took only twenty minutes.
"Look at this intelligence report. The Allied forces have detached two entire corps and are marching them toward Late City!" The Emperor handed the document to his son the moment he entered the study.
"I am aware, Imperial Father. I just received the flash report as well. The Mara Empire and the Holy Ancient Empire are each redeploying a corps," the Crown Prince nodded as he took the paper.
"Mm. It seems Military Intelligence is finally doing its job and keeping you informed," the Emperor noted, slightly pleased.
"Imperial Father, Hu Hao is in genuine peril now. Two fresh corps... and the Holy Ancient Empire's 7th Corps is their Imperial Guard. Their combat effectiveness is terrifying. Now that they know exactly where Hu Hao is and what he's doing, I fear he won't be able to hold!" the Crown Prince expressed his grave concern.
"This is the masterpiece your dear father-in-law created. To put it mildly, it was gross dereliction of duty. To speak plainly, it borders on treason!" the Emperor sneered, his displeasure palpable.
"I reprimanded him severely yesterday. His actions have created massive obstacles for the formation of the 1st Group Army. If Hu Hao fails to establish his army, it will cast a long, dark shadow over our plans to form the subsequent Group Armies!" the Crown Prince agreed.
"Hmph. He did it intentionally," the Emperor scoffed.
The Crown Prince remained silent, not daring to defend Tang Long on that point.
"Imperial Father, what do we do now? Hu Hao is beyond our reach. Even if we mobilized forces to rescue him, they wouldn't arrive in time!" the Crown Prince asked, shifting the focus.
"Rescue him? Rescue is impossible. We can only rely on Hu Hao's own capabilities now. Let us hope he does not disappoint us. As for the Grand Marshal... how do you intend to handle him?" the Emperor asked, his gaze piercing.
"Handling him right now... might not be wise, would it?" The Crown Prince's heart skipped a beat, but he held his ground. Despite his intense frustration with Tang Long, he still needed to protect his primary political backer.
"Indeed, the timing is poor. We have no suitable replacement. Jiang Kai is locked in combat on the central front; we cannot recall him. Ma Zhenling is an old fox. Now that Hu Hao is firmly in your camp, Ma Zhenling would undoubtedly target him even more aggressively than Tang Long did!" the Emperor agreed, analyzing the board.
"I spoke with the Grand Marshal yesterday. I made it absolutely clear that he is forbidden from targeting Hu Hao in the future. Hu Hao is a symbol of the Empire now; we cannot allow that symbol to fall.
"Furthermore, the successful formation of the 1st Group Army is paramount to the Empire's survival. Once Hu Hao's forces are established in Late City, they pose a massive flanking threat to the Allied forces pushing our central and western fronts. This threat alone will force the enemy to blunt their offensives!" the Crown Prince explained his reasoning.
"Mm. The 1st Group Army is indeed critical. Hu Hao's argument yesterday against opening a supply corridor was brilliant. By remaining isolated, his forces act as a strategic magnet, terrifying the Allied commanders and deterring them from massing against our main lines.
"And if they divert massive forces to deal with Hu Hao, it provides our central and western fronts the perfect opportunity to launch counter-offensives and reclaim territory!" the Emperor nodded approvingly.
"Mm. The Grand Marshal also conceded the point. He claimed the broadcast was a regrettable oversight and swore it would not happen again," the Crown Prince added, offering a slight defense for Tang Long.
"Mm. Let it rest for now. However, issue an order: the Tang clan must immediately deploy their two reserve corps to the western front. If they refuse to fight, then their scions will vacate their positions!" the Emperor commanded coldly.
"Yes, Imperial Father! I believe he will agree. He has no choice!" the Crown Prince nodded.
He understood the Emperor's intent perfectly. This was both a warning and a punishment. The message was clear: If you want to play politics and cling to power, then send your own sons to the meat grinder and see how many survive. Without an army, your power is an illusion!
"Have you informed Hu Hao of the approaching reinforcements?" the Emperor asked.
"Not yet. I received your summons the moment the intelligence arrived, so I came straight here," the Crown Prince replied.
"Contact him immediately. His situation takes precedence. I have no other pressing matters; I simply wanted to ensure you were aware of the intelligence and to discuss the Grand Marshal," the Emperor dismissed him.
"Yes, Imperial Father. I shall return to High Command and contact Hu Hao at once!" The Crown Prince bowed and hurried out.
Upon returning to his office, he immediately dialed Hu Hao's secure satellite phone.
Hu Hao, meanwhile, was still absorbed in drafting tactical manuals. It was a tedious task, but he was the only one with the necessary knowledge to write them.
"Hao-ge, it's the Crown Prince!" a staff officer interrupted, handing him the phone.
"Oh!" Hu Hao took it immediately.
"Greetings, Principal. This is Hu Hao," he answered.
"Hu Hao. What is the situation on the front lines?" the Crown Prince asked directly.
"I was just about to report to you, Principal, but I thought it might be too early to disturb you. Last night, the Mara Empire's 1st Corps launched a massive assault on Yonghe City using four divisions.
"The fighting was incredibly brutal, but we managed to repel their attack. Thus far, we estimate we have inflicted roughly 20,000 casualties on the enemy. Our own losses are likely comparable!" Hu Hao reported, deliberately and massively inflating his own casualties. He needed to justify the 'losses' from previous, unreported engagements to secure the necessary pensions and replacement quotas.
"Excellent! Truly excellent fighting! The 1st Corps is the Mara Empire's Imperial Guard. They are ferociously capable. They tore through our western front without breaking a sweat. To inflict such heavy casualties upon them... you have fought magnificently!" the Crown Prince praised him, genuinely thrilled.
"Thank you, Principal. However, my primary issue right now is manpower. We only managed to recruit around 10,000 men yesterday. I've already rushed them to the front lines in Yonghe City. If I hadn't, the line might have broken. The Mara artillery is devastating, and they have so much of it!" Hu Hao complained smoothly.
"Mm, you must accelerate your recruitment efforts!
"Also, I have some terrible news. Through deep-cover channels, we have learned that the Allied forces have detached two corps—one from the central front and one from the western front—and are marching them directly toward Late City!" the Crown Prince delivered the grim warning.
"WHAT?!" Hu Hao roared into the phone, feigning absolute shock and fury.
In truth, he had anticipated this. Any competent Allied commander would realize he commanded far more than a single corps. To eliminate the threat he posed, massing overwhelming force was their only logical move.
"Damn it all! I knew it! If my intelligence hadn't been leaked, they would never have mobilized such a massive force! They wouldn't have known I was forming a Group Army here! Now that they know exactly where I am and what I'm doing, did you really think they'd just let me be?!" Hu Hao cursed vehemently, playing the part of the betrayed commander perfectly.
"I understand. The damage is done, and I reprimanded High Command severely yesterday. You must focus on finding a way to survive this. Oh, regarding the Air Force... I have already issued the orders.
"Two fighter divisions are currently redeploying to forward airbases near the central front. Once they arrive, they will contact you directly. You will have tactical control over them to secure your airspace!" the Crown Prince offered what little concrete support he could. He knew Hu Hao was justified in his rage, but he couldn't undo the Grand Marshal's sabotage.
"Thank you, Your Highness. But... this is a disaster. I was planning to recruit a few more divisions and then completely annihilate the 1st Corps. I never imagined they'd send two more entire corps! Damn it to hell!" Hu Hao continued his tirade.
"Keep me informed of any developments, no matter the hour. The 1st Group Army is the vanguard of our military expansion; both His Majesty and I place immense importance upon your success!" the Crown Prince urged.
"Yes, Your Highness," Hu Hao replied curtly. After a few more brief exchanges, the call ended.
Hu Hao stood up and walked over to the massive map of the Eastern Spirit Empire dominating one wall of the command center.
"Right on schedule," he murmured with a faint smile.
"Hao-ge? Two corps are coming?" a staff officer asked anxiously, stepping up beside him.
"Mm. Two corps, approaching from two different directions. One is definitely heading straight for Yonghe City. The objective of the second corps is still unclear. It could be Jinhe City, or it could be Bopa City.
"However, Jinhe City is the more likely target. It's closer to their main supply lines, making logistics easier for them," Hu Hao analyzed calmly.
"That's terrible news! Two fresh corps! Can our troops handle that? They aren't fully trained yet, and we still don't have enough officers!" the staff officer fretted.
"What are you afraid of? Their timing is perfect! I was just worrying about how to find enough live-fire targets to train the men properly. Since they're volunteering, we'll use them as our whetstones!" Hu Hao declared confidently.
"But combined with the Mara 1st Corps, that's three entire corps!" the staff officer reminded him nervously.
"I am aware. Get Xiao Quan on the line immediately. I need to speak with him," Hu Hao ordered. The prospect of facing three Allied corps didn't worry him in the slightest; in fact, he welcomed it.
(End of Chapter)