Jasman received reports from his frontline division commanders confirming that the Eastern Spirit troops currently engaging them were fresh units. It was glaringly obvious they weren't the same exhausted soldiers from the previous night's brutal fighting.
"Are our assault forces ready?" Jasman asked a staff officer beside him.
"Report! The forces are assembled. They are currently moving toward the front lines via the communication trenches. However, the Eastern Spirit artillery is pounding our occupied sectors again. Our staging areas are taking heavy casualties!" the staff officer reported anxiously.
"There is nothing we can do about that right now. We must figure out how their artillery is deployed. How can they possibly absorb so much counter-battery fire and keep shooting?!" Jasman ground his teeth in frustration.
He stood by the observation slit, watching the distant city. Soon, the crescendo of gunfire echoing from the ruins swelled dramatically. He knew his forces had launched their assault.
Following Kelly's desperate directive, they had to push at least three kilometers deep into the city today, regardless of the cost.
Inside the city, the Allied forces surged forward the moment they reached the front line. Simultaneously, Hu Hao's artillery, guided by forward observers, intensified its bombardment on the contested sectors.
"Hao-ge! Hao-ge! The Allied forces have launched another major offensive within the city!" a staff officer shouted as he ran into Hu Hao's office.
"Mm. They're attacking? Good!" Hu Hao nodded calmly.
He handed the tactical manuals he had just finished drafting to the staff officer. "Have these typed up and printed. Distribute them to the junior officers."
Hu Hao stood up and walked out into the main command center. The junior officers looked at him with profound reverence. Earlier, Hu Hao had predicted the Allied forces would send reinforcements; shortly after, intelligence confirmed two corps were en route.
Then, Hu Hao had predicted the Allied forces would launch a desperate, fierce assault today to expand their foothold; and right on cue, the Allied forces were throwing themselves into the meat grinder.
The officers parted, allowing Hu Hao to stand before the main tactical displays.
"They've committed roughly two divisions to this assault. And they've abandoned their heavy equipment... no, it's not that they abandoned it. They simply don't have any left!" Hu Hao observed, analyzing the live feeds.
"That makes our job much easier! Their standard infantry equipment is inferior to ours!" Mo Qin commented from behind him.
"Wrong. This makes them much harder to fight. They are fighting for their lives now. Their commander likely realizes that if they don't secure a deeper foothold today, they face total annihilation.
"Therefore, they are fighting with the desperation of cornered animals. Their morale, fueled by the sheer will to survive, is incredibly high. When facing an enemy with nothing left to lose, you must crush them with overwhelming, terrifying force immediately. Otherwise, they will drag you down with them!" Hu Hao corrected Mo Qin, raising his voice so the other officers could hear.
The junior officers nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the lesson. They might not fully grasp the psychological nuances yet, but they memorized the principle.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The screens showed the defending artillery continuing its relentless bombardment, tearing bloody holes in the advancing Allied ranks. Yet, the Allied soldiers didn't falter; they charged blindly through the explosions, desperate to close the distance.
In Yonghe City, the defenders had positioned numerous heavy machine guns on the upper floors of the surviving high-rises, pouring withering fire down into the streets. The Allied infantry, unable to advance down the main thoroughfares, scrambled through the rubble and hugged the walls of the buildings, trying to flank the ground-level defensive positions.
"Infantry guns, aim for the corners of those buildings! They're using them for cover! Blast them out! RPG teams, fire on any elevated positions that look like sniper nests! Damn it, there are so many of them!" a defending battalion commander roared.
He was tasked with holding two parallel streets, and the Allied forces assaulting his sector numbered at least a full battalion.
"Contact the frontline commanders. Tell them: if a position becomes untenable, execute a fighting withdrawal. Remind them that our primary objective in this phase is the systematic destruction of their effective fighting force. Taking a bite out of them now is perfectly fine," Hu Hao instructed a staff officer.
"Yes, sir!" The staff officer immediately relayed the orders.
Hu Hao watched the screens for a few more minutes, then sat down. He refused to micromanage the frontline tactical decisions; his role was to steer the grand strategy. How the regimental commanders executed the fighting withdrawal was entirely up to them.
The combat remained incredibly intense. Both sides suffered casualties, but the Allied forces were bleeding far more heavily. They were the attackers in a dense urban environment, and Hu Hao's artillery showed absolutely no signs of relenting, continuously pounding their advance routes.
"Sigh," Hu Hao sighed softly after watching for a while.
"Hao-ge, what's wrong? Is the frontline situation deteriorating?" Mo Qin asked immediately.
"No, they're fighting brilliantly. I'm just wondering if the Allied commander realizes the futility of this assault. Is the horrific price they're paying worth it? They don't have many troops left.
"If they continue this meat grinder, they'll be lucky to have 20,000 combat-effective troops left by nightfall. How are they supposed to survive another night? More importantly, how are they supposed to hold out until their reinforcements arrive in three days?" Hu Hao mused aloud.
"Should we just annihilate them now?" Mo Qin asked eagerly.
"We'll see how the situation develops by tonight. But Yonghe City is secure. General Bai Ye and the regimental commanders know exactly what they're doing. There's no real danger there anymore," Hu Hao said, standing up.
He knew the Allied commander had panicked. To ensure their own survival, they felt compelled to launch this desperate offensive to secure a larger defensive perimeter.
However, if they had known beforehand just how horrific their casualties would be, they likely would have chosen to retreat instead. But now, having committed so heavily and suffered so terribly, retreating might not even be an option; the resulting rout would be catastrophic. Soon, the initiative would shift entirely to Hu Hao's forces.
Hu Hao was currently debating whether to launch a general counter-offensive. If he did, he could undoubtedly wipe out a significant portion of the 1st Corps. However, if he destroyed the 1st Corps too quickly, the approaching 14th Corps might lose their nerve and halt their advance at Liangchuan City instead of marching into the Yonghe City meat grinder.
If that happened, Hu Hao would be forced to launch an offensive against Liangchuan City to destroy them, which was strategically disadvantageous. He wanted the enemy to come to him.
Hu Hao returned to his private office to review the influx of reports. Most pertained to the ongoing recruitment drive, but there was also an update from Lu Guangsheng's sector.
After Hu Hao had severely reprimanded him previously, Lu Guangsheng had completely changed his tactics against the Vaal Kingdom forces. He no longer sought decisive, set-piece battles. Instead, he had fragmented his forces—including his armor—into highly mobile strike groups. They launched relentless guerrilla attacks, hitting the Vaal Kingdom's 2nd Division and fading away before the enemy could retaliate.
As a result, the Vaal Kingdom's 2nd Division was now trapped in a nightmare, their strength whittled down to less than 10,000 men. They were paralyzed—unable to advance and terrified to retreat.
By mid-afternoon, Hu Hao returned to the main command center. The battle in Yonghe City was still raging.
"What are our casualty figures looking like?" Hu Hao asked the staff officer beside him.
"Report: casualties are acceptable, Hao-ge. The units currently engaged are preparing to rotate out. The two fresh divisions that arrived this morning are ready to relieve them.
"Since the assault began this morning, the Allied forces have managed to push roughly one kilometer deeper into the city. However, they paid a massive price for that ground. We estimate they've suffered at least five or six thousand casualties today alone. If they keep this up, the Mara Empire won't have a single combat-effective unit left by tomorrow evening!" the staff officer reported confidently.
"Hao-ge, shouldn't we just wipe them out now?" Long Yagu asked from the back.
"Why should we wipe them out?" Hu Hao countered.
"They barely have any troops left! If we mass four infantry divisions for a concentrated counter-attack right now, we could easily annihilate their entire force inside the city. And based on my calculations, their reserve force outside the city is likely less than a single division!" Long Yagu argued.
"Mm. Your numbers are likely accurate. But now is not the time to annihilate them. We still need them for training! Furthermore, if we wipe them out now, the Mara 14th Corps will likely halt their advance and refuse to enter the trap. Then how are we supposed to train the rest of our forces?" Hu Hao explained his broader strategic vision.
"Oh... but what if they suddenly decide to retreat? I mean the 1st Corps. Given their catastrophic losses, it's entirely possible they'll cut their losses and abandon the siege!" Long Yagu pointed out.
"If they retreat, they will fall back to Liangchuan City. If that happens, it's the perfect opportunity for our troops to practice large-scale offensive operations. That wouldn't be a bad outcome either.
"However, as long as we don't launch a general counter-offensive, the 1st Corps will not retreat voluntarily.
"If they retreat, they have to give up 300 miles of territory. Do you think they'll swallow that humiliation easily? They know perfectly well that if we control those 300 miles, our recruitment pool expands massively. They aren't stupid!" Hu Hao stated confidently.
"Oh! I see," Long Yagu nodded, his understanding deepening.
"Hao-ge, the frontline units are preparing to execute the rotation. The Allied forces will likely notice the lull in firing," a staff officer reported.
"Do not rotate all nine regiments simultaneously! Do it in phases. Let the enemy think our forces are exhausted and our lines are thinning! Give them a glimmer of false hope!" Hu Hao ordered immediately.
"Yes, sir! I will coordinate the rotation schedule with the frontline commanders now!" The staff officer grabbed the phone to relay the instructions.
"This assault of theirs... it's practically suicide. I truly don't understand their thinking. Do they really believe I don't have my tank division and air cavalry waiting in the wings? Sigh," Hu Hao shook his head, genuinely perplexed by Kelly's desperation.
He understood the Allied forces' objective—securing a larger foothold—but their reckless disregard for casualties baffled him. They had to know that even if they miraculously captured the entirety of Yonghe City, they stood absolutely zero chance of pushing on to Late City without being annihilated by his pristine armored reserves.
Meanwhile, back in the Allied command post, Jasman stared at the horrific casualty reports from the morning assault. He slumped in his chair, a profound sense of despair washing over him, and let out a long, shuddering sigh.
(End of Chapter)