In Yonghe City, the remnants of the Mara 1st Corps, reinforced by the newly arrived 14th Corps, were launching a ferocious assault against Hu Hao's defensive lines.
Having received word that the Holy Ancient 7th Corps in Jinhe City was facing imminent annihilation, Kelly had issued a 'fight or die' order to his troops. They had to expand their perimeter. If Hu Hao wiped out the 7th Corps and redeployed those victorious forces to Yonghe City, the Mara forces would need sufficient operational depth to survive the inevitable counter-offensive!
"General Kelly, at this intensity, our casualties are going to be astronomical. While our armor losses remain acceptable, our infantry is bleeding heavily!" General Felke, Commander of the 14th Corps, warned Kelly from their shared command post.
"I am acutely aware of that! But you know the situation in Jinhe City. Hu Hao is currently obliterating the Holy Ancient 7th Corps. The 7th Corps might not have been fully manned, but they still fielded nearly fifty thousand men!
"The moment they arrived, Hu Hao trapped them with a devastating artillery barrage, forcing them into a desperate urban battle! If the 7th Corps had managed to secure a larger perimeter initially, they wouldn't be facing total annihilation right now!
"Tens of thousands of elite troops, wiped out in less than half a day! Think about it: if we don't carve out enough operational space now, how will we survive when Hu Hao shifts his Jinhe City garrison here to reinforce the defenders?
"Even if we can't hold out indefinitely, we must secure enough space to survive until our own reinforcements arrive! Right now, the 7th Corps is dying before their relief force can even reach them!
"Therefore, heavy casualties are an acceptable price to pay for survival. And frankly, I refuse to believe Hu Hao's troops aren't bleeding just as heavily! Are his men immortal?!" Kelly argued vehemently.
"I understand your logic. But... if we continue to expend men at this rate, our combined corps won't last more than a few days!" Felke agreed reluctantly.
"Are you suggesting we halt the offensive? That we just stop fighting?" Kelly demanded, his eyes narrowing.
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm asking if we could perhaps slow the tempo. We need time to fully assess the tactical situation. How does Hu Hao have so many troops?! He was just a Corps Commander a month ago! Do you have any idea how massive his army actually is?!" Felke asked.
"He cannot possibly command more than three full corps. I am certain of it. He has roughly one corps deployed here against us, and another corps engaged in Jinhe City. According to the intelligence Ketonli relayed before the communications blackout, those are almost entirely raw recruits Hu Hao just conscripted!
"His elite units—his tank divisions and air cavalry—are undoubtedly massed in Late City. After all, Late City is the strategic prize he must defend at all costs. By grinding down his forces here, we force him to commit more of his reserves from Late City.
"Once we fully secure Yonghe City, our next objective is Meilin City, right in his rear. From there, we push directly on Late City. Yes, annihilating his forces here is proving incredibly difficult, and we are paying a heavy price...
"...but you cannot deny that we are also inflicting massive casualties on him! By bleeding his army here, we guarantee that our eventual push on Late City will encounter far less resistance!" Kelly explained his grand strategy.
"Mm. Could you perhaps suggest to Chief of Staff Vitali that High Command deploy more forces to Jinhe City? If we can keep Hu Hao's forces pinned down there, preventing them from reinforcing Yonghe City, our advance on Late City will be much faster!" Felke proposed.
"We don't need to suggest it. I guarantee you, both the Chief of Staff and the Supreme Commander will mobilize forces on their own initiative. The corps facing annihilation in Jinhe City right now is the Holy Ancient Empire's Imperial Guard. Do you think Vostok will simply let that go? He will be desperate to avenge them and destroy Hu Hao!
"Haha! The total destruction of the 7th Corps is a massive blow to the Holy Ancient Empire. Yes, we must worry about Hu Hao redeploying his troops here eventually, but as long as Vostok rushes fresh meat into the Jinhe City meat grinder, our flank will remain secure!" Kelly laughed callously, perfectly content to let his allies bleed if it benefited his own campaign.
"Mm, that's true. The annihilation of the 7th Corps is a massive provocation. The Holy Ancient Empire's pride won't tolerate it," Felke nodded in agreement.
"Therefore, we must maintain our offensive momentum! We must shatter Hu Hao's lines! Even if we can't achieve a rapid breakthrough, we will grind them into dust!
"Eventually, their lines will break. The Allied coalition possesses vastly superior numbers overall. How many troops can Hu Hao truly mobilize?
"Many of the cities under his nominal control have been depopulated; he might not even be able to recruit enough men to fill his ranks! Furthermore, he is entirely surrounded by our forces. I want to see exactly how long Hu Hao can hold out against this immense pressure!" Kelly declared with unwavering determination. Felke nodded, his resolve hardening.
Outside their bunker, the deafening roar of artillery and the endless chatter of gunfire continued to tear through the night. The brutal slugfest raged on.
***
However, in Jinhe City, the gunfire and explosions were noticeably tapering off. The Eastern Spirit forces had systematically shattered the 7th Corps' defensive perimeter, isolating the surviving Allied pockets into disconnected kill zones. The Eastern Spirit infantry was now methodically clearing the trapped remnants.
"Commander! Commander, wake up!"
Inside a ruined building deep within one of the surrounded pockets, roughly a dozen Allied officers were huddled around Ketonli, who lay motionless on the concrete floor.
Earlier, when he had led his personal guard out of the bunker to join the fighting, Ketonli had been struck by several stray bullets almost immediately. His men had desperately dragged him back into the cover of this ruin. Now, he was unconscious, bleeding heavily, and his officers were frantic.
Slowly, Ketonli's eyes fluttered open. He looked weakly at the faces of his subordinates.
"Don't... don't crowd around me. Get back... back out there. Command... command the troops!" Ketonli gasped, cradled in the arms of a Division Commander. A massive pool of blood had already formed beneath him. Two medics were desperately trying to stem the bleeding, but it was futile; several of the wounds were fatal.
"Commander!" Several of the battle-hardened officers openly wept, seeing the life draining from their leader.
"Why... why are you crying? We are soldiers. We fought... we fought for our people. If we hadn't invaded, our... our people back home would have starved to death. Yes... yes, we slaughtered countless Eastern Spirit civilians...
"But... but we had no choice. We... we are soldiers. We had to serve... the interests of our own nation. My life... and... and your lives... being taken... taken by the Eastern Spirit army... it's... it's only fair.
"We killed... we killed so many... so many of their people. It's only right... that we pay... pay with our lives..." Ketonli choked out his final words, a sense of karmic justice settling over him, before his eyes rolled back and he fell still.
The two medics immediately checked for a pulse.
"Commander! COMMANDER!" the medics cried out, realizing he was gone.
The officers bowed their heads, the sound of their weeping mingling with the distant gunfire. They knew their Commander had sacrificed himself.
After a long minute of mourning, one of the officers stood up, his face set in a grim mask. "Let's go. Get outside. We shouldn't be hiding in here."
The remaining officers gripped their weapons and marched back out into the rain. The two medics stood, offered a final, tearful salute to Ketonli's body, grabbed their medical bags and rifles, and followed the officers out to die with their men.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battle continued, but the 7th Corps was rapidly disintegrating. Many soldiers had exhausted their ammunition entirely. Lacking even grenades, they fixed bayonets to their empty rifles, preparing for the inevitable end.
"KILL!"
Not far away, the Eastern Spirit soldiers continued their methodical advance, pouring fire into the ruined buildings. Several Allied soldiers, screaming war cries, charged out with fixed bayonets, only to be cut down before they could take more than a few steps. They collapsed into the mud, their eyes wide with unfulfilled vengeance.
Roughly twenty minutes later...
"Regimental Commander! Commander! We found a body here! It has Lieutenant General insignia!" an Eastern Spirit soldier shouted.
Regimental Commander Zhou Tianyi sprinted over. He looked down at the corpse of a Lieutenant General lying amidst the rubble. The blood pooling beneath him had already begun to coagulate. Curiously, someone had taken the time to wipe the mud and blood from the General's face and straighten his uniform before abandoning the body.
"Somebody get me a radio! I need to call Hao-ge immediately!" Zhou Tianyi ordered.
"Yes, sir!" A radioman rushed over and established the connection.
"Hao-ge, Regimental Commander Zhou Tianyi requesting to speak with you!" a staff officer reported to Hu Hao in the main command center.
Hu Hao nodded and took the receiver.
"This is Hu Hao. What is the situation, Zhou Tianyi?" Hu Hao asked.
"Hao-ge, we've recovered a body bearing Lieutenant General insignia. We suspect it might be the Commander of the 7th Corps. It looks like his men tried to clean him up and make him presentable before they died, but we can't confirm his identity yet!" Zhou Tianyi reported loudly over the ambient noise of the mop-up operation.
"A Lieutenant General? Have an engineering unit photograph the body and transmit the images to headquarters immediately. I will cross-reference it with our intelligence files," Hu Hao instructed.
"Yes, sir! Hao-ge, if it is their Corps Commander, how should we handle the remains?" Zhou Tianyi asked.
"Secure the body for now. If we confirm his identity, bury him separately and mark the grave clearly," Hu Hao ordered, showing a degree of respect for his fallen opponent.
"Understood! I will have the engineers transmit the photos now!" Zhou Tianyi acknowledged before hanging up.
"Hao-ge, did they kill the enemy commander?" a staff officer asked eagerly.
"We don't know yet. We need to verify the identity first; we don't want to celebrate prematurely. But... it's a pity if it is him. I felt he was a far more formidable and intelligent opponent than Kelly. He was a true talent," Hu Hao remarked with a slight, regretful smile.
"Who cares if he was a talent?! If he's dead, he deserved it! Only the gods know how many of our innocent civilians he and his corps slaughtered!" the staff officer spat venomously.
"Mm," Hu Hao nodded in solemn agreement.
(End of Chapter)