Hearing the staff officer report that the frontline division commanders were facing a massive Eastern Spirit garrison, Ketonli immediately asked about the status of the other assault columns.
"We don't know yet, sir!" the staff officer replied nervously.
"Then go find out!" Ketonli barked.
"Yes, sir!" The staff officer scrambled away.
Ketonli pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and walked over to the tactical map. He snatched a pencil from a nearby staff officer and began marking the map.
"At least four artillery regiments. Assuming standard deployment of one artillery regiment per division, that means there are at least four divisions defending the city! But if they have four divisions, why didn't they hold the first defensive line? And what about their tank division? Where are they?" Ketonli muttered, a cigarette in one hand and a pencil in the other, glaring at the map.
"Kelly's reports mentioned that the Eastern Spirit tank and air cavalry units never engaged them in Yonghe City either," Janlis noted from behind him.
"Why wouldn't they hold the first line? If I remember correctly, when the Mara 1st Corps assaulted Yonghe City, Hu Hao's forces also yielded the first line almost immediately. Then they transitioned to urban combat. And Kelly's own after-action reports stated his casualties were 'incomprehensibly high,' correct?" Ketonli asked, turning to Janlis.
"Yes, sir. That matches the official combat logs High Command provided us," Janlis confirmed.
"Do you know what that means?" Ketonli asked grimly.
"What?" Janlis was lost. He had no idea what Ketonli was driving at.
"It's a trap. It's Hu Hao's signature trap! He purposely abandons the perimeter to lure our forces into the dense urban terrain. Then, he uses specialized urban combat tactics to bleed us dry while minimizing his own casualties. Kelly described his losses as 'incomprehensible.' Isn't that terrifying?
"And now, he's doing the exact same thing to us! Hu Hao lured us in, invited us to attack, and now he's dug in for the defense. If we don't attack, he'll eventually counter-attack on his terms. Damn it!" Ketonli cursed, slamming his pencil down.
"What?! He'd dare attack us? I thought his primary objective was defending Late City!" Janlis asked, struggling to keep up with the tactical leap.
"Forget the other Eastern Spirit units. Just look at what he did to the Mara 1st Corps! No, we cannot stay here. If we stay here, we're just waiting to die. Hu Hao has set the stage perfectly, and we walked right into it! Someone, contact the Supreme Commander immediately!" Ketonli roared at the communications staff.
"Contact the Supreme Commander? To request a withdrawal?" Janlis asked, stunned.
"Exactly. We withdraw immediately. If we don't, this entire corps might be annihilated. To hell with Late City! That's the Mara Empire's prize, not ours!" Ketonli spat.
"Commander, I have the Supreme Commander on the line!" the communications officer called out, holding up the receiver.
Ketonli practically snatched the phone from him.
"This is Vostok. Ketonli, you've arrived at Jinhe City. What is the situation?" Vostok's voice crackled over the line.
"Report, Supreme Commander! I am officially requesting authorization to execute an immediate tactical withdrawal!
"My forces just launched a probing assault into Jinhe City. I have discovered that Hu Hao has laid the exact same trap here that crippled the 1st Corps in Yonghe City!
"He abandoned the outer perimeter to lure us into the dense urban terrain, where he intends to bleed us dry in close-quarters combat. They control the vast majority of the city, while our foothold is minimal. To expand our perimeter, we will have to pay an exorbitant price in blood.
"Furthermore, based on the volume of enemy counter-battery fire, I estimate Hu Hao has no fewer than four infantry divisions garrisoning Jinhe City. That is excluding any armor or air cavalry assets he holds in reserve!
"Given that they hold the tactical advantage in the urban environment, completely conquering this city would require a sacrifice far greater than the total annihilation of my 7th Corps," Ketonli delivered his bleak assessment without hesitation.
"You just launched your first assault, and you're already demanding to retreat?! What do you think the Mara 14th Corps, which just arrived in Yonghe City today, will say?! How will the Mara Empire and the other coalition nations view our Holy Ancient Empire's forces?! Hm?!
"Do you know how hard I fought to secure this deployment for you? And you want to just pack up and run?!
"Do you know what lies beneath Late City? Oceans of oil! Do you know what surrounds it? Massive iron, copper, and coal deposits! And you want to retreat?!" Vostok demanded, struggling to contain his fury.
"Supreme Commander, I understand the strategic value! But the Eastern Spirit forces here are terrifyingly effective! Must I sacrifice my entire corps just to prove a point?! The Mara Empire committed massive forces and failed; what makes you think my single corps can succeed?!" Ketonli fired back.
"Succeed or fail, you must fight! You absolutely cannot retreat! If you retreat now, all the concessions I negotiated for us will be rendered void!" Vostok argued, trying to force patience into his voice.
"What concessions?" Ketonli asked, his interest piqued despite the danger.
"One-third of Late City and all surrounding resources!" Vostok revealed.
"That much?!" Ketonli was genuinely shocked.
"Why else do you think I deployed you there? Your 7th Corps excels at urban combat, and you are heavily mechanized. You don't necessarily have to conquer the city yourself, but your corps must remain a constant threat on that front! Otherwise, I have no leverage to negotiate with the Mara Empire!
"We aren't the only nation eyeing that prize. If it weren't for the rainy season, you'd be seeing a lot more than just one corps marching on Jinhe City right now!" Vostok explained the brutal political reality.
"But staying here means risking total annihilation at any moment! Supreme Commander, how about this compromise: I halt the assault on Jinhe City, but I disperse my forces to garrison the surrounding county towns.
"This maintains an aggressive posture and fulfills the political requirement, but the towns provide a crucial buffer zone. My forces will be secure. Even if Hu Hao launches a sortie against us, the open terrain between the city and the towns will allow us to inflict heavy casualties on him!" Ketonli proposed a more survivable alternative.
"I strongly prefer you hold your ground. I know what the Mara Empire is planning. If they fail to take Late City, they will be forced to surrender even more of the spoils to us. Having your corps actively threatening Jinhe City maximizes our leverage!" Vostok countered.
"But if my corps is annihilated, the Holy Ancient Empire loses everything!
"Supreme Commander, you aren't here. You don't see the reality on the ground. Hu Hao commands far more than a single corps! It's entirely possible he commands three full corps!
"And while he holds Late City, he has intact arsenals! He can produce whatever weapons he needs, and we can't guarantee he isn't conscripting more men every day! In the long run, Hu Hao is an existential threat to this coalition! He is a brilliant general!
"But in the short term, we simply lack the means to destroy him—certainly not during the rainy season, when we can't mass our forces!" Ketonli argued passionately, desperate to save his men. If he couldn't defeat Hu Hao, his only option was survival.
"Fine. Withdraw your forces to the surrounding county towns. However, your mission parameters remain unchanged: you must posture to attack Late City, and you must prevent Hu Hao's forces from linking up with the Eastern Spirit forces on the central front!
"Simultaneously, you must prevent Hu Hao from recruiting in your sector. Since you cannot win a pitched battle, I authorize a tactical withdrawal. But you are absolutely forbidden from leaving the Jinhe City administrative region!" Vostok finally relented, realizing that losing the 7th Corps entirely would strip him of all political leverage.
"Yes, sir! Thank you, Supreme Commander! One last question... does High Command have any subsequent plans to deal with Hu Hao?" Ketonli asked.
"Whatever plans we formulate are irrelevant until the rainy season ends. Nothing can be executed now!" Vostok replied curtly.
Ketonli nodded, offered his formal farewells, and hung up the phone.
"We're withdrawing to the surrounding towns? Immediately?" Janlis asked eagerly.
"No, not immediately. Hu Hao still has his artillery and tank division. A daylight withdrawal under fire would invite catastrophic casualties. We wait for nightfall.
"Once it's dark, the infantry withdraws first, followed by the artillery and APCs. The tanks will form the rearguard. We must conceal the withdrawal from Hu Hao for as long as possible. Once the firefight dies down, order the vanguard tanks to pull out of the city limits, and then we execute the general withdrawal!" Ketonli outlined the plan.
"Understood. And for right now?" Janlis asked.
"Order all units to halt the offensive immediately. Silence the artillery. Tell the frontline troops to hold their current positions and wait for nightfall!" Ketonli commanded.
"Yes, sir!" Janlis nodded in profound relief.
Meanwhile, in Hu Hao's command center, Hu Hao watched with satisfaction as his RPG teams systematically demolished the Allied-occupied high-rises. It was highly effective; the Allied forces were thoroughly suppressed.
"Hao-ge, the front line is stable! We've suppressed their advance. It seems the regimental commanders learn quickly!" a senior staff officer reported happily.
"Don't relax yet. The Allied rear echelons haven't fully committed to the city. Have you noticed something? The Holy Ancient 7th Corps clearly specializes in urban combat! Their tactics are vastly superior to the Mara 1st Corps!" Hu Hao observed, his eyes narrowed as he studied the enemy's movements on the screens.
(End of Chapter)