Back at the command center, Hu Hao stood before the tactical displays, reviewing the surveillance footage from the past few days while Bai Ye explained how the Allied withdrawal had caught him entirely off guard.
Hu Hao remained puzzled by the withdrawal itself. The Mara 1st Corps—the Mara Empire's elite Imperial Guard—and the 14th Corps were formidable forces. For them to simply cut and run, abandoning their siege of Yonghe City, made very little strategic sense to him.
"Hao-ge, is it possible they withdrew because the Allied coalition couldn't send reinforcements to support them?" a senior staff officer suggested.
"Impossible. Mobilizing a few corps might be difficult during the rainy season, but sending a few divisions is perfectly feasible. Their infantry can march just fine on the paved highways. The primary logistical hurdle is heavy transport, since the rail bridges are down and can't be repaired until the dry season...
"But truck convoys using the highways are more than sufficient to resupply and reinforce smaller tactical units. No, it wasn't a logistical failure that forced their retreat," Hu Hao shook his head, rejecting the theory.
"Hao-ge, my regimental commanders are furious! They're begging for permission to launch a general offensive and hunt them down! It's humiliating to just let them slip away! If we had known they were faltering, we would have attacked earlier and annihilated them!" Bai Ye said, his frustration evident.
"Annihilating the 1st Corps right now would be a massive strategic blunder," Hu Hao corrected him sharply.
"Ah?" Bai Ye looked at him, confused.
"If we annihilated the Mara Imperial Guard, the Mara Empire would immediately divert every single unit currently attacking the western front and hurl them directly at us in retaliation! How exactly would we defend against that?!
"We've only just finished recruiting our forces, and the vast majority are still undergoing basic training! The time for annihilation will come, but not yet.
"Speaking of which, notify your regimental commanders to begin compiling their after-action reports immediately. Also, give me an exact count: how many of your regiments have now experienced actual combat?" Hu Hao demanded.
"Report: thirty-two regiments have been blooded in the Yonghe City defense," Bai Ye replied promptly.
"Excellent. That's roughly six divisions' worth of combat veterans. I've already transferred over twenty veteran regiments from your command over the past few weeks.
"Here are your new orders: retain fifteen of those veteran regiments to form the core of your own Corps. The remaining seventeen veteran regiments will be immediately reassigned to the other Combat Zones to stiffen the green units.
"Your 2nd Corps will consist of five infantry divisions, plus a direct-reporting Artillery Regiment, Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Guard Regiment, Engineering Regiment, Logistics Regiment, and Communications Battalion. In total, you will command roughly six divisions' worth of manpower.
"Each of your five infantry divisions will be anchored by three of the veteran regiments. The remaining slots in each division will be filled with the newly conscripted recruits. I will personally appoint the new Division and Regimental Commanders.
"Once your Corps is fully formed, commence intensive combined-arms training immediately. I expect your entire Corps to be fully combat-effective before the rainy season ends, with a specific focus on urban warfare capabilities. Do you understand?" Hu Hao outlined the massive reorganization.
"Yes, sir! But Hao-ge... we're really just going to let the 1st Corps run away?" Bai Ye asked, still stinging from the perceived insult.
"Why are you so impatient? There will be plenty of opportunities to kill them later. Focus on training your men first!
"As for the other veteran regiments you're detaching: prioritize filling the immediate vacancies, then deploy the rest to Xiwan City. Transfer eight veteran regiments to Xiwan City, five to Gunan City, seven to Xike City, and any remaining to Nage City," Hu Hao ordered.
"Understood!" Bai Ye nodded.
"Furthermore, all vacant Company, Battalion, and Regimental Commander positions will be filled by appointments from this headquarters. I will transmit the roster for the next cycle of the Officer Training Academy shortly. Ensure those men are sent here immediately!" Hu Hao added.
"Understood. Hao-ge, does that mean the first batch of officers has completed their training?" Bai Ye asked eagerly.
"Almost. They just have their final exams left. The assessments begin tomorrow," Hu Hao confirmed.
"Excellent! With over 3,000 newly trained Company and Battalion Commanders integrating into our ranks, our combat effectiveness will skyrocket!" Bai Ye said, visibly relieved. The lack of competent junior officers had been his greatest headache.
"I will convene a staff meeting tonight to finalize the officer assignments and the new training schedules. I'll have someone notify you of the time," Hu Hao said.
"Understood. Hao-ge, one last question. What is our long-term plan for the Mara 1st Corps?" Bai Ye couldn't let it go. The enemy's escape felt like a personal failure.
"Once your Corps is fully trained and combat-ready, you will go and annihilate them," Hu Hao promised.
"Yes, sir!" Bai Ye grinned fiercely, his frustration vanishing.
"Alright, that's all for now," Hu Hao ended the call.
Hu Hao spent the next hour reviewing the remaining surveillance footage. Satisfied he had gleaned all he could, he moved to his private office and began sifting through the intelligence reports forwarded from the other Corps Commanders.
Wu Kexiao, Ye Zifeng, Lu Guangsheng, Li Jinsong, and Weng Tao had all reported significant progress. Their forces had advanced over a hundred kilometers in their respective sectors, securing almost every small town and county seat along the way. They had deliberately bypassed the major cities, effectively encircling the large Allied garrisons trapped within them.
Hu Hao read the reports, then walked over to the massive strategic map on the wall, carefully cross-referencing the data.
"Damn it... they must have realized how massively we've expanded. Training Officer!" Hu Hao suddenly yelled, staring at the map. The major cities controlled by the Allied forces were now entirely surrounded by his own troops.
"Sir!" The Chief Training Officer sprinted into the office.
"Give me the exact numbers! What is the total troop strength under the command of those seven Corps Commanders?! Give me the figures as of today!" Hu Hao demanded.
"Report, Hao-ge! According to the latest census, our total troop strength currently stands at 578,843 men!" the Training Officer reported crisply.
"How many?!" Hu Hao spun around, staring at the officer in absolute shock.
"578,843 men, sir! The reports came in yesterday! Corps Commander Lu Guangsheng commands over 70,000 men; Weng Tao has 80,000; Wu Kexiao has over 70,000. The other Corps Commanders all report roughly 70,000 men each!" the officer rattled off the numbers.
"That still doesn't add up to nearly 580,000!" Hu Hao quickly did the math in his head.
"Yes, sir. But when you add in the garrisons stationed here in Daman City, Late City, Boba City, and the surrounding towns, that's another 70,000 men!" the Training Officer explained.
"Holy shit... no wonder!" Hu Hao rubbed his temples, a mixture of awe and exasperation washing over him.
He had severely underestimated their recruitment speed. In less than a month, they hadn't just met their quotas; they had blown past them! He had authorized them to over-recruit by a maximum of 25%, and they had evidently hit that exact ceiling!
"No wonder the Allied forces pulled back. Their intelligence must have finally realized we're sitting on a massive army! They're retreating to consolidate and wait out the rainy season!
"But damn it, this won't work... I don't have the authorized military establishment for this many men!" Hu Hao muttered, staring at the map.
"Hao-ge, we're mostly commanding raw recruits right now. Why do we need the official establishment slots? We haven't even finished organizing the current chain of command!" the Training Officer asked, confused by Hu Hao's concern over bureaucratic red tape.
"What do you know? We need the legitimacy to field this many troops! And the only way to get the Emperor to authorize a massive expansion of our official establishment is to prove we need the troops to hold territory!
"We need to capture a few major cities! Once we control significantly more territory, the Emperor will be forced to grant us the establishment slots we need to garrison them!" Hu Hao explained his political strategy.
"It's time to go on the offensive," Hu Hao declared, his eyes hardening as he looked at the map.
He had originally planned to limit offensive operations to his Special Operations Regiment. But now, realizing the sheer size of his army and the political necessity of securing official authorization for them, he had to deploy the conventional forces as well.
He needed to capture major cities to demand more establishment slots, which would allow him to legally recruit even more troops before the rainy season ended. It was the only way to build an army capable of surviving the inevitable Allied counter-offensive.
"Notify all officers currently enrolled in the training academy! The final examinations will commence tomorrow morning!
"Every single officer must participate! They will utilize the tactical sand tables. They are to select any of the county seats or major cities currently occupied by the enemy as their objective!
"For a county seat assault, they must coordinate 15 regiments. For a major city assault, they must coordinate 50 regiments! They are to organize their own command structures and conduct a full tactical wargame!
"The opposing force parameters are as follows: For a county seat: The Holy Ancient 7th Corps. They must execute one offensive and one defensive simulation. For a major city: A combined force consisting of the Mara 1st Corps (Heavy Armor), the Mara 14th Corps (Infantry), and the Holy Ancient 7th Corps (Mechanized Infantry). They must execute one offensive and one defensive simulation!
"They will elect their own Supreme Commander, Corps Commanders, Division Commanders, and Regimental Commanders. The headquarters staff and I will roleplay the Allied commanders! The exams begin tomorrow!" Hu Hao barked out the parameters of the massive wargame.
"Ah?! Hao-ge, you're commanding the opposing force?! How are they ever going to win?!" the staff officers gasped in dismay.
"They don't necessarily have to win! I am evaluating their ability to coordinate combined-arms maneuvers and execute complex command decisions under pressure!
"Those who demonstrate exceptional capability will be immediately promoted to Colonel and given command of a regiment! Those who show strong competence will be promoted to Major or Lieutenant Colonel and given a battalion! Those who perform adequately will be commissioned as Captains.
"If a former field-grade officer performs poorly, I won't demote them immediately, but they will be placed at the bottom of the promotion roster for future combat assignments!" Hu Hao laid out the stakes.
"Yes, sir! We will notify them immediately!" the staff officers scrambled to relay the orders.
"Wait! Tell them they have until 11:00 PM tonight to submit their chosen objectives, their command rosters, and their unit compositions!
"Furthermore, for a county seat assault, they are limited to three artillery regiments and one air cavalry strike. For a major city assault, they are limited to six artillery regiments and three air cavalry strikes! Everything must be finalized by 11:00 PM!" Hu Hao added the final constraints.