"If we extract divisions from our other garrisons to launch an offensive against Hu Hao, and Hu Hao manages to annihilate that strike force... the cities we stripped of their defenders will be completely vulnerable!" Vostok explained his strategic dilemma to Vitali.
"But if we do nothing to check his expansion, and he launches his own offensives... those cities are still vulnerable! Furthermore, allowing him to operate unchecked means he's successfully training even more combat-effective units!
"This man is utterly terrifying! He's terrifying because we genuinely don't know how to counter him strategically! Yes, we could request massive reinforcements from the rear staging areas, but trickling a single corps here or there won't make a dent. And if we request a massive, multi-corps redeployment, the logistical strain on our own supply lines would break us!" Vostok groaned, staring at the map in frustration.
"I see. So... you're saying that every garrison near Hu Hao's expanding perimeter is currently in extreme peril. Yet, we cannot order a general retreat to shorten our lines either.
"Even if our spoiling attacks only manage to eliminate a fraction of his forces, it would be a strategic necessity!" Vitali finally grasped Vostok's grim calculus.
"Exactly! For now, we are forced into a passive defensive posture. I ordered the Mara 1st and 14th Corps to fall back to Liangchuan City for this precise reason. Have they completed their defensive fortifications?" Vostok turned to ask Vitali.
"Their lines are established. They are currently waiting for Hu Hao's inevitable assault. However... strangely enough, Hu Hao hasn't attacked yet!" Vitali reported.
"It's only a matter of time. Hu Hao will attack!" Vostok waved his hand dismissively and sat down heavily, his eyes never leaving the map.
"Supreme Commander, based on current intelligence, conquering the Eastern Spirit Empire is becoming a monumental task. Our current troop deployments might not be sufficient.
"We have reports that the Eastern Spirit Empire has conscripted an army of over six million men! Furthermore, their Emperor just authorized a massive wave of merit-based promotions for frontline officers. While we don't know if these new generals are actually capable, a few brilliant tacticians are bound to emerge from a pool that large!
"Adding to our woes, the aristocratic families who were previously negotiating surrender terms have completely severed contact. I suspect they are terrified of the consequences," Vitali analyzed the deteriorating situation.
"Hmph. It doesn't matter if they severed contact. Even if they truly surrendered, we wouldn't have let them live very long anyway!
"Someone must have advised the Emperor; he would never have conceived of such a ruthless, brilliant political maneuver on his own. However, you must admit, his tactic was incredibly effective. The aristocratic families are genuinely terrified. They know that if they attempt treason now, the Eastern Spirit commoners and their own soldiers will tear them limb apart," Vostok sneered, harboring nothing but contempt for the treasonous Eastern Spirit aristocrats.
"True. But regardless, we will likely require massive reinforcements. We must conquer the Eastern Spirit Empire! It is the cornerstone of the Central Region! Once the Eastern Spirit Empire falls, no other nation in the region possesses the strength to resist us. We will easily conquer the entire domain!" Vitali stated firmly.
"The Sovereigns of the Allied nations are currently convening in a grand summit to determine our next strategic phase. Simply attacking the Eastern Spirit Empire is insufficient; we possess far too many troops to focus on a single nation.
"However, breaking the Eastern Spirit Empire will remain our primary operational objective!" Vostok declared.
Vostok turned his attention back to the map, his mind constantly churning over how to eliminate Hu Hao. Hu Hao's expanding enclave was a thorn in the Allied coalition's side for two critical reasons: first, the territory was rich in vital mineral resources; second, if Hu Hao continued to expand, he would directly threaten multiple primary logistical arteries supplying the Allied front lines. Vostok could not allow that to happen.
Meanwhile, Hu Hao spent the morning touring the defensive lines and training camps in Gunan City with Wu Kexiao. The veteran units were resting, while the raw recruits continued their grueling drills.
Returning to headquarters around noon, Hu Hao immediately went to sleep. He didn't wake until past 4:00 PM.
He immediately ordered the Special Operations Regiment to eat a heavy meal, pack their combat rations, and check their weapons. The massive convoy rolled out toward Tianyu City.
They halted in a small town roughly ten kilometers from their objective. By then, night had fully fallen, and the torrential rain showed no signs of letting up.
During the drive, Hu Hao utilized the encrypted vehicular comms system to brief the entire regiment.
"Tonight, the Special Operations Regiment will infiltrate Tianyu City! We will deploy in three waves, four hours apart!
"Your mission is every single operative must return with four Allied arm patches. If you are forced to discharge your firearm, your quota doubles to eight! I want you using your knives!" Hu Hao ordered, emphasizing stealth and close-quarters lethality.
The first wave consisted of nine companies totaling 1,080 men. The second wave consisted of eight companies totaling 960 men. The third wave comprised the remaining eight companies, also 960 men.
Upon dismounting in the staging town, which was already secured by Wu Kexiao's troops, the first wave immediately dispersed into their designated infiltration sectors, marching through the mud and rain toward Tianyu City. Driving was impossible; the engine noise and headlights would alert the Allied sentries long before they reached the perimeter.
Hu Hao personally led Dong Qipeng and a single company toward the city limits. They marched in absolute silence along the flooded highway. A ten-man squad walked point, Hu Hao and the main body marched in the center, and a twenty-man rearguard secured their flank.
Halting roughly 300 meters from the Tianyu City checkpoint, Hu Hao's unit melted into the dense, rain-slicked brush lining the highway.
The Allied forces had established a fortified checkpoint illuminated by glaring searchlights. Through the rain, Hu Hao could clearly see several sentries in ponchos standing behind sandbag barricades, scanning the dark highway.
"All units, hold your positions. Do not move until I give the command over the tactical net!" Hu Hao whispered into his throat mic. The entire regiment was equipped with short-range personal comms.
"Understood!" the Platoon Commanders acknowledged softly.
Hu Hao drew his combat knife and turned to Dong Qipeng. "See the guardhouse? There's a substantial reserve force inside. It's early, so we can still hear them talking.
"We need to neutralize the exterior sentries silently. Using firearms is fast, but the noise will alert the entire garrison and compromise the infiltration of the other companies! We maintain noise discipline for as long as humanly possible!"
"Understood!" Dong Qipeng and the others nodded.
"Hold your positions here. I will neutralize the exterior sentries. Once the perimeter is clear, we breach the guardhouse together! The moment we secure the structure, you immediately occupy the roof and upper windows to establish a kill zone! If they send a QRF (Quick Reaction Force), we slaughter them!
"Furthermore, by causing a localized disturbance here at the main gate, we'll draw their attention and provide cover for the other companies infiltrating through the softer sectors!" Hu Hao outlined the tactical plan.
"Ah?! Hao-ge, you're going in alone?!" Dong Qipeng asked, alarmed.
"If I don't go, who will? Are you confident you can take them all out silently?" Hu Hao countered. Dong Qipeng fell silent.
Hu Hao checked the chamber of his suppressed pistol and ensured his rifle was slung tightly across his back. Then, he drove the pristine, gleaming blade of his combat knife deep into the mud, twisting it until the steel was completely coated in thick, black grime. The standard-issue Eastern Spirit combat knives were polished to a mirror finish; a single stray beam from the searchlights would reflect off the blade and give him away instantly.
With his weapon readied, Hu Hao slipped silently into the drainage ditch running parallel to the highway and began low-crawling toward the checkpoint. Moving through the flooded ditch was faster than crawling through the brush, and the torrential rain masked the slight splashing sounds of his movement.
Within five minutes, Hu Hao had closed the distance to the sandbag barricade. Two Allied sentries stood just on the other side, their rifles resting on the sandbags.
Hu Hao surged upward like a coiled spring. With a flick of his wrist, his mud-caked knife buried itself to the hilt in the throat of the sentry standing further away.
Before the closer sentry could even react or comprehend what had happened, Hu Hao clamped a hand over his mouth and violently twisted his head, snapping his neck with a sickening crunch.
Hu Hao lowered the dead man silently to the ground, then sprinted over to the first sentry. Grabbing the hilt of his throwing knife, he executed a brutal, twisting slash, nearly decapitating the man. As the body slumped forward, Hu Hao slid his foot underneath it, cushioning the fall and preventing any noise.
He quickly scanned the perimeter. Two elevated guard towers flanked the checkpoint, each manned by a single sentry. However, both sentries were staring out into the dark fields, completely oblivious to the silent slaughter directly beneath them.
Hu Hao retrieved his knife and began scaling the ladder of the nearest tower.
As he reached the platform, the sentry turned, assuming it was his relief. Before the man could speak, Hu Hao clamped a hand over his mouth and drove his knife upward into his heart from behind.
"Hey! What's going on over there?!" the sentry in the opposite tower called out, noticing the sudden movement.
Hu Hao ripped the knife free and hurled it across the gap. The blade buried itself deep into the second sentry's chest.
"Fuck!" the dying sentry gasped, struggling to raise his rifle and fire a warning shot.
Hu Hao instantly drew his suppressed pistol and put a bullet cleanly through the man's head. He then crouched low on the tower platform, unslinging his assault rifle and aiming it directly at the door of the main guardhouse.
"What was that noise?!" Several Allied soldiers burst out of the guardhouse door, weapons raised.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Hu Hao dropped them with pinpoint, suppressed fire the moment they stepped through the doorway.
After five men fell dead in rapid succession, the remaining soldiers inside panicked and refused to exit. Realizing the shooter was elevated in the guard tower, they smashed the windows and prepared to return fire.
Hu Hao immediately vaulted over the railing of the guard tower, hit the ground rolling to bleed off the momentum, and scrambled behind the sandbag barricade. He leveled his rifle at the guardhouse walls.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Hu Hao knew exactly where the Allied soldiers were taking cover inside the structure.
(End of Chapter)