Kelly clutched the telegram from the 14th Corps, his eyes scanning the brief message.
"Good! Excellent! Their vanguard tank division is only twenty minutes away! The main body of the corps will arrive within an hour!" Kelly exclaimed, a massive weight lifting from his shoulders.
"Thank god we held out. Twenty minutes... we can survive twenty minutes. I was honestly terrified we wouldn't make it. We barely have 15,000 combat-effective troops left. Sigh," Jasman sagged against the map table, relieved.
"The Eastern Spirit troops attacking us today were clearly hardened veterans, and their tactical flexibility was astonishing. A force like that would be considered elite in any nation's army.
"To think Hu Hao forged such a unit and wields them so effectively... he is truly terrifying," Kelly admitted, a newfound respect for his opponent mingling with his dread.
"Indeed, Commander. Once the 14th Corps arrives, I strongly advise against rushing to push deeper into the city. We should adopt a methodical, step-by-step approach. Slowly infiltrate and secure blocks one by one. In truth, as long as we survive until the rainy season ends, we will have the strength to annihilate Hu Hao's forces.
"Our primary objective here is no longer to capture Late City immediately, but to contain Hu Hao and prevent him from expanding in other directions. We shouldn't seek a decisive battle; we should force him to come to us. With the 14th Corps here, holding this perimeter for two months will not be an issue!" Jasman proposed a revised, highly conservative strategy.
"Mm. My only concern is... can we hold out for two months? I still don't fully understand how my corps was defeated so soundly! A heavy corps, reinforced by two infantry divisions, reduced to this state in less than two days!
"Was it my incompetence, or is the enemy truly that overwhelmingly powerful? I've replayed every decision in my mind. Our tactical deployments were sound. In fact, I spotted several minor command errors on their side, but we lacked the strength to exploit them!
"My greatest fear isn't failing to take Late City; it's that the 14th Corps will march right into the same meat grinder. If we miscalculate again, will our combined casualties be even more catastrophic?" Kelly confessed his deep-seated anxieties.
Jasman fell silent, pondering Kelly's words. After a long moment, he looked up. "Now that you mention it... our command decisions were sound. So why did we lose so badly?"
"Timing. Our timing was always slightly off! We had fleeting opportunities, but we lacked the immediate strength to capitalize on them before they vanished. Furthermore, our complete lack of intelligence regarding the enemy's true capabilities blinded us to those opportunities until it was too late," Kelly concluded.
"Report! The Eastern Spirit forces are retreating! They are pulling back across the entire sector!" a staff officer burst into the room, his voice trembling with excitement. Just moments ago, they had been preparing for a desperate last stand.
"What?! Retreating?!" Kelly stared at the staff officer, then slowly turned to Jasman.
"Terrifying..." Jasman whispered, his eyes wide.
"Damn it all! If our tank division had arrived just ten minutes earlier, we could have launched a devastating armored counter-charge right into their offensive formations! We could have shattered their lines and reclaimed massive swaths of the city!
"Their troops have been fighting for hours; they must be exhausted! And right when we're about to get the heavy armor needed to crush them, they slip away! Damn it!" Kelly roared, slamming his fist onto the map table.
He had just been formulating a plan to use the incoming vanguard tank division to spearhead a desperate counter-attack, hoping to break the Eastern Spirit assault and stabilize their perimeter. But before the tanks even arrived, Hu Hao had perfectly anticipated the threat and withdrawn his forces intact.
"Defensive positions! Order the men to fortify their lines immediately! We cannot underestimate this opponent!" Jasman shouted to the staff officers.
"A master... we are fighting a true master," Kelly muttered, staring out toward the ruined city.
…
Far away from the blood and mud of Yonghe City, in the Hu family's ancestral home in Huaizhong Province, a different kind of conflict was taking place.
Hu Hui stood sullenly in the courtyard. His father, Hu Xingjun, sat panting heavily on a stool, gripping a thick wooden switch. He had just finished thrashing his youngest son soundly.
Hu Hao's mother, Wang Xueying, stood nearby, wiping tears from her eyes. If she hadn't physically restrained her husband moments earlier, the beating would undoubtedly still be ongoing.
"You little brat! Ah?! You have absolutely no skills, but when it comes to causing trouble, you're number one! Since you were a child, I can't even count how many times your teachers called me in. It's one thing to embarrass me, but now you want to drag your brother down too?!
"You ah?! Your brother is on the front lines, risking his life to earn that General's star, and you pull a stunt like this to smear his name?! I'll beat you to death, I swear I will!" Hu Xingjun roared, his anger flaring again.
He gripped the switch and tried to stand up for another round, but Hu Hao's grandfather grabbed his arm and yanked him back down. "Enough! Who's fault is this? Isn't it your responsibility as his father?!"
"I never spoiled him!" Hu Xingjun shouted defensively.
"Shut your mouth! You absolutely spoiled him!" the old man barked.
"Let's just talk to her family. See if we can offer them money to... take care of the problem. Xiao Hui isn't even eighteen yet! He's just a child himself; how can he be a father? We can't let him ruin his life with a forced marriage!" Wang Xueying pleaded through her tears.
"You shut up too! This is your fault! You spoil him rotten every single day! Do you think her family is stupid?! If Hao'er wasn't a General, maybe money would work. But now they know her baby's uncle is a full General of the Empire! Do you think they'll just let that go?! They'll fight to the death to keep that child and force this marriage!" Hu Xingjun yelled at his wife.
"You stupid brat!" Wang Xueying turned her frustration on Hu Hui, smacking him on the arm.
That very morning, Hu Hui's girlfriend, Zhao Jingru, had arrived at the Hu family home accompanied by her parents. They announced she was pregnant and demanded to discuss marriage arrangements. The entire Hu family had been utterly blindsided.
When confronted, Hu Hui sheepishly admitted the child was his. The situation instantly became a massive headache. The girl's family was aggressively pushing for an immediate wedding. Under Imperial Law, the legal age of marriage was sixteen. Hu Hui was nearly eighteen, making a legal marriage perfectly viable. Zhao Jingru and her family had effectively cornered them.
Hu Xingjun was furious. He hadn't even begun to consider marriage arrangements for Hu Hui. He had always assumed that when Hu Hao returned, his newly powerful eldest son would easily secure a highly advantageous match for his younger brother.
There was no rush; Hu Hui could easily wait a few more years. Furthermore, Hu Hao himself was still unmarried. For the younger brother to marry before the eldest was a significant loss of face for the family, especially while Hu Hao was fighting a brutal war. Hu Xingjun felt he was failing his eldest son.
"Sit down and talk! Beating him won't solve anything! Why didn't you discipline him earlier?!" Hu Hao's grandfather reprimanded his son.
"Sigh! It's useless! They know Hao'er is a General now! Even though this little brat is useless, they know his brother will take care of him and his new family! Oh, this is a disaster! If you weren't my own flesh and blood, I'd strangle you myself!" Hu Xingjun slumped back onto the stool, pointing the switch accusingly at Hu Hui.
Hu Hui kept his head bowed, remaining silent. The beating didn't bother him much; the pain would fade in a few days. But the core issue remained. Truthfully, he genuinely liked Zhao Jingru and wanted to marry her. But his father was adamantly opposed, so he dared not speak.
"Speak, you little brat! What do you intend to do?!" Hu Xingjun demanded, his anger spiking at his son's silence.
"Then... let's just get married. What other option is there?" Hu Hui mumbled defensively.
"I ughhh...!" Hu Xingjun raised the switch again.
"Sit down!" the grandfather commanded sharply.
"Dad! Why are you scolding me?! You're the one who spoils him!" Hu Xingjun yelled at the old man.
"I never had to beat Hao'er! Hao'er was always obedient! Hm?!" the grandfather glared at him.
"Fine, fine! You're the best! Happy?!" Hu Xingjun muttered, lowering the switch.
Hu Hui covertly shot a pleading glance at his older sister, Hu Jing, silently begging her to intervene. Hu Jing immediately shook her head, terrified of drawing their father's wrath.
Hu Hui glared at her. Hu Jing pointed a warning finger at him, then pointed significantly at their fuming father. Hu Hui rolled his eyes and resumed staring at his shoes.
"Sigh. We have to tell Hao'er. This is a massive family matter. He is the eldest son; he must be informed," Hu Xingjun finally said, rubbing his forehead.
"Can't we really just offer them money? Whatever they ask, we'll pay it!" Wang Xueying suggested again.
"Money?! Are you an idiot?! Do you think money can solve this?! They want the connection to a General, not a pile of cash!" Hu Xingjun snapped.
"Then... what if we ask Hao'er to pressure their family?" Wang Xueying tried another angle.
"Are you insane?! They live in the same county! Do you want our family to be completely disgraced?! Do you want Hao'er's reputation ruined by bullying commoners over his brother's mistake?!" Hu Xingjun roared.
"That girl... why did she have to latch onto our family?" Wang Xueying muttered resentfully.
"It's your precious son's fault, not hers!" Hu Xingjun retorted.
"Mom, that's not fair. I always planned to marry her! I was going to drop out of school and start a business with her anyway!" Hu Hui finally spoke up to defend his girlfriend.
"You shameless brat! Zhao Jingru is in the top ten of her class! She could easily test into a top university! Why would she ever drop out to run some petty business with a slacker like you?!" Hu Jing scoffed, unable to stay silent.
"Shut up! This doesn't concern you!" Hu Hui waved her off dismissively.
"You've got some nerve! Is that how you speak to your older sister?!" Hu Xingjun raised the switch threateningly.
"We must find a way to contact Hao'er and ask him how to handle this. Sigh. Truthfully, Hao'er probably won't know what to do either! It's a difficult situation for him to judge from afar. But we still have to tell him," the grandfather concluded with a heavy sigh.
"But how? He's on the front lines! How are we supposed to reach him?" Hu Xingjun asked miserably.
(End of Chapter)