Janlis stared at Ketonli in shock, unable to process the realization that they were trapped. He had never imagined that marching into Jinhe City would mean they couldn't retreat!
"Damn it! What is Hu Hao's objective?! What does he want?! Playing cat and mouse with an entire corps?! Where does he get this arrogance?! He's entirely surrounded by Allied forces, yet he dares to play games like this! Is he not afraid of dying?!" Ketonli muttered to himself, pacing restlessly.
He was completely unprepared for this sudden tactical reversal. However, he no longer harbored any doubts about Hu Hao's capability. A commander who had annihilated so many Allied units was undeniably brilliant. What Ketonli couldn't figure out was why Hu Hao was employing this specific, convoluted strategy.
"Commander, could you be misjudging the situation? Perhaps we're just imagining his strength. Maybe he simply doesn't have the combat power to annihilate us, and that perfectly timed bombardment was just a coincidence!" Janlis asked, clinging to a desperate hope.
"A coincidence?" Ketonli stopped pacing and stared at him. Janlis nodded tentatively.
"Hmph. In war, there is no such thing as a coincidence!" Ketonli spat, tossing his cigarette butt onto the damp concrete floor and immediately lighting another.
Outside the bunker, the chaotic scramble continued. Masses of surviving Allied soldiers were still pouring into the city limits, desperately following Eastern Spirit officers into the subterranean shelters to escape the apocalyptic bombardment ravaging the fields behind them. Conspicuously, the Eastern Spirit artillery remained entirely focused on the staging areas and did not drop a single shell into the urban sectors.
"What does he want?" Ketonli stared blankly, his mind racing. He had to understand Hu Hao's true objective.
"Commander, our casualties are catastrophic. What are your orders now?" a Division Commander arrived, his uniform soaked in mud and rain, looking to Ketonli for direction.
"Establish defensive perimeters immediately. Do not initiate any offensive actions! Do not attack! Until I figure out what Hu Hao is playing at, we hold our ground. Hu Hao is watching us right now; I guarantee he has his eyes fixed on this sector!" Ketonli ordered.
"But... but Commander, we barely have any combat-effective troops left! If we just dig in here and Hu Hao launches a massive assault, we'll be slaughtered! We have to either retreat or request immediate reinforcements!" the Division Commander pleaded.
"I will handle the issue of reinforcements! Your only concern right now is holding the line! Do not give Hu Hao the opportunity to annihilate us! Go execute your orders!" Ketonli barked, his patience fraying.
"Yes, sir!" The Division Commander snapped a salute and hurried away to organize the defense.
"What is Hu Hao planning? Does he want to annihilate us? If he has the power to annihilate us now, why didn't he just crush us the moment we arrived?" Ketonli muttered, resuming his pacing.
The other officers watched him in silence, not daring to interrupt his intense concentration.
"Report! The Eastern Spirit soldiers are holding their positions on the defensive line! They are simply waiting for us to attack!" a staff officer reported.
"Hold our positions. Do not attack!" Ketonli reiterated.
"Yes, sir!"
"Commander..." Janlis began slowly, a horrifying realization dawning on him. "Is it possible... is it possible that Hu Hao's primary objective is simply to fight us? To use our corps as a live-fire training dummy to harden his own troops?
"Think about the tactical errors his forces made earlier. They retreated without demolishing the high-rises, allowing us to secure the high ground. And I recall reading Kelly's after-action reports: he noted that the Eastern Spirit troops initially fought like raw, uncoordinated recruits, but their tactical cohesion and combat effectiveness improved dramatically as the battle dragged on!
"Commander... does Hu Hao intend to use actual combat to rapidly elevate his army's combat effectiveness?" Janlis asked, staring at Ketonli in horror.
"Damn it!" Ketonli froze, his eyes widening as all the contradictory pieces suddenly snapped into place. Hu Hao was using the elite 7th Corps as a whetstone!
"Get the Supreme Commander on the line immediately! I must speak with him!" Ketonli roared at the communications officer.
"Yes, sir!" The officer scrambled to dial High Command.
"Is... is that truly his objective?" Janlis asked, still struggling to accept the sheer audacity of it.
"What other explanation fits every single fact?! Look at the soldiers we're fighting! They're older men, clearly recalled reservists and veterans. They have basic training, but their actual, cohesive combat power... hmph! It's virtually non-existent!
"Hu Hao is deliberately plunging them into a meat grinder to forge them into a hardened army! Only the gods know how many troops he actually has hidden away! The only reason he hasn't annihilated us is because he needs us as sparring partners!
"No wonder his tank divisions and air cavalry haven't made an appearance! They are undoubtedly staged right here in the city, held in absolute reserve, ready to intervene only if his green infantry lines begin to collapse!
"Look at the bombardment! If we hadn't attempted to retreat, he wouldn't have launched that massive barrage! Damn it all, every single piece of intelligence we received was a lie! High Command's assessments were completely fabricated! We have absolutely no idea how massive Hu Hao's army in Late City truly is!
"It's definitely more than two corps. It could be three! Hell, it might be five! For all we know, his entire 1st Group Army is fully manned and operational!" Ketonli ranted, a mixture of awe and terror gripping him.
"Commander, the Supreme Commander is on the line!" the communications officer announced, handing over the receiver.
Ketonli took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves as he waited for Vostok to speak.
"This is Vostok. Ketonli, what is the situation now?" Vostok asked from his office in the Imperial Capital.
"Report, Supreme Commander. Our forces have suffered catastrophic losses. Earlier, when I attempted to execute the authorized tactical withdrawal, Hu Hao's artillery launched a massive, creeping barrage to seal off our escape routes. To survive the bombardment, the remnants of my corps were forced to flee directly into the urban sectors!" Ketonli reported, struggling to keep his anger in check.
"Damn it! How is this possible?! How does he have so much artillery?!" Vostok demanded, clearly shocked.
"He possesses the equivalent of at least two full artillery divisions! Furthermore, Supreme Commander, I have uncovered a critical strategic reality that you must be made aware of immediately.
"Have you ever wondered why Hu Hao hasn't deployed his armored divisions or air cavalry, despite possessing them in abundance?
"We only just realized the horrifying truth: Hu Hao is using our elite corps as live-fire training dummies! The troops currently holding the line against us, and against the Mara 1st Corps in Yonghe City, are almost entirely raw recruits and recalled reservists! They possess basic training but zero actual combat experience.
"He deliberately allowed us to secure small footholds in the cities specifically to force these grueling, close-quarters engagements. His goal is to rapidly harden his green troops in the crucible of urban combat!
"Based on this strategy, I conclude that Hu Hao's total troop strength far exceeds our initial estimates of two corps. It is highly probable that his 1st Group Army is already fully manned!" Ketonli delivered his terrifying deduction.
"Impossible! His appointment as Commander of the 1st Group Army was only announced recently! There is absolutely no way he could have recruited, equipped, and organized that many troops in such a short timeframe!" Vostok dismissed the idea immediately.
"Supreme Commander, nothing is impossible for this man! Think about it: where are all the refugees from the conquered provinces fleeing? They are pouring into Hu Hao's territory! Do you have any idea how massive his potential recruitment pool is?!
"Furthermore, analyze his actions! Why did he launch a devastating bombardment only when my forces attempted to retreat, yet spare the urban sectors we occupy? He doesn't want to annihilate me with artillery; he wants me trapped here so his infantry can fight me!
"My corps is shattered. A massive portion of our supplies and ammunition was destroyed in the barrage. Retreat is no longer an option. If we try to run, he will simply resume the bombardment until we are wiped out! Even if a fraction of my men managed to escape to a nearby town, we wouldn't have the strength to hold it against his inevitable pursuit!
"Hu Hao's sole objective is training his massive army of raw recruits! He lacks elite, hardened infantry, and he is using us to forge them!" Ketonli laid out the brutal logic.
"I see... What do you propose? How do we destroy his forces?" Vostok asked, his tone sobering as he considered the implications. He intended to contact Kelly immediately after this call to compare their assessments.
"I have no viable offensive options. I formally request an immediate deployment of at least three full corps to reinforce my position. We must encircle and crush Hu Hao's army before his training is complete! If we allow these raw recruits to become hardened veterans, the force required to defeat him later will be astronomical!" Ketonli pleaded.
"Impossible. Mobilizing and deploying three corps during the rainy season is logistically unfeasible. Even if the men could march through the mud, we cannot transport the necessary supplies and heavy equipment to support them," Vostok rejected the request flatly.
"Then, Supreme Commander, prepare to collect our corpses. My corps cannot hold out here indefinitely. The Mara 1st Corps in Yonghe City is in the same predicament. Hu Hao dictates the pace of this battle. Because his goal is training, he will force his troops to experience both offensive and defensive combat!
"I am forced into a purely defensive posture, praying my men can withstand his relentless assaults.
"Furthermore, Supreme Commander, consider the broader strategic picture. Once Hu Hao's massive army is fully trained and hardened... do you honestly believe he will just sit in Late City? He will push east and west! When that happens, what becomes of the vulnerable supply lines feeding our frontline offensives?
"Supreme Commander, regardless of the logistical nightmares, you must mass forces and encircle Hu Hao now! He must be destroyed!" Ketonli warned with desperate urgency.
"Mm. I will take your assessment into deep consideration," Vostok replied, a chill running down his spine. If Ketonli's deductions were accurate, multiple Allied corps were currently operating with exposed supply lines that Hu Hao could sever at will.
Furthermore, defeating Hu Hao after the rainy season would be a monumentally bloody task! However, Vostok maintained his composed demeanor over the phone.
"Commander, I reiterate my plea for reinforcements! We must have support, or my corps will be annihilated! If the 7th Corps falls, Hu Hao will have a clear path to link up with the main Eastern Spirit forces on the central front! If that happens, destroying him will become nearly impossible!" Ketonli begged.
"Hold your position. I need time to analyze the intelligence you've provided and consult with the other commanders before making any strategic deployments. Dig in and hold Jinhe City at all costs," Vostok ordered before ending the call.
(End of Chapter)