Hu Hao raised the megaphone, addressing the massive crowd of civilians blocking the school gates. They were terrified of the Allied forces returning and refused to let the Special Operations Regiment leave.
"Fellow citizens! Listen to me! Think about the people in Tianjing City and Nanli City! They are still living under the Allied occupation! They are suffering the exact same horrors you just survived! They are praying for us to arrive! By blocking us here, you are delaying their rescue!
"Right now, at this very second, the Allied butchers might be slaughtering the civilians in Tianjing City!
"You must understand that more than half of our Eastern Spirit Empire has already fallen to the invaders. The Empire desperately needs soldiers to fight! We are soldiers. We have a sacred duty to defend this land and its people!
"Truthfully, none of us want to march into the meat grinder. But we must. Who else will fight if the soldiers of the Empire refuse?! We fear death just as much as anyone else! But if we don't fight, even more innocent civilians will die! Look around you! Entire cities, populations in the millions, have been utterly exterminated by the Allied coalition!
"If any of you wish to avenge your fallen families, you are welcome to join our ranks! A conventional infantry division will be arriving shortly to garrison this city.
"You can speak with them about enlisting! But right now, I beg you: please clear the road! We have combat orders! We must march to kill the enemy and save our people! I ask for your understanding!" Hu Hao's voice, amplified by the megaphone, rang with raw sincerity.
The civilians listened, the truth of his words slowly sinking in. Reluctantly, the crowd began to part, clearing a narrow path down the center of the street.
"Thank you! Thank you all! Please, have faith in the National Defense Force! I swear to you: unless every last man under my command falls in battle, we will never surrender a liberated city back to the Allied forces!
"They will only retake this city over our dead bodies! And we will march over their dead bodies to reclaim the rest of our occupied homeland! We ask for your continued support! Thank you!" Hu Hao stood tall atop the APC and delivered a crisp, formal salute to the crowd.
"Young man, I see you're wearing the rank of a full General! Who exactly are you?!" a civilian shouted from the crowd.
"I am Hu Hao, Commander of the Eastern Spirit 1st Group Army! Rank: Full General!" Hu Hao announced proudly.
"Well spoken, General! Kill the invaders! Avenge our people! And count me in! I want to enlist and fight!" a middle-aged man roared from the crowd, his face flushed with emotion.
"Thank you! To tell you the truth, most of the soldiers in my army were ordinary civilians just like you a few months ago! Why did we pick up rifles? Because we realized that if we didn't, our families would be slaughtered by the Allied butchers! To survive, and to protect our loved ones, we had no choice but to fight back!" Hu Hao replied.
"Good! I'm joining too!" a young man shouted from further down the street.
"Excellent! We welcome you! Unfortunately, we don't have the time to process your enlistment right now! As I said, a conventional division will arrive shortly; they will handle your registration!
"We must depart for the next objective! Please, I ask everyone to maintain order in the city! Do not panic or riot! We are all Eastern Spirit citizens, and this is still a warzone! We must stand united!" Hu Hao urged. The civilians nodded in agreement.
Hu Hao saluted the crowd one last time, then dropped down into the APC hatch and ordered the convoy to move out.
As the armored column rumbled through the parted crowd, the civilians began to wave.
"Salute!" Hu Hao roared from the commander's hatch.
"SALUTE!" Every operative sitting in the open hatches or visible through the APC viewports snapped a crisp salute to the civilians. The crowd waved back even harder, tears streaming down many faces.
Less than twenty minutes after the Special Operations Regiment departed, the vanguard of Wu Kexiao's 106th Corps arrived in Tianyu City. They immediately began the grim task of clearing the thousands of Allied corpses from the streets and securing the perimeter. Many of the local civilians enthusiastically pitched in to help.
Simultaneously, the arriving troops secured the city's primary granaries. The Allied forces hadn't yet managed to transport the stockpiled grain back to their own lines. The Eastern Spirit officers immediately ordered the granaries opened. They instructed the civilians to present their identification cards to receive emergency rations. Given the widespread starvation caused by the Allied occupation, the immediate distribution of 30 pounds of rice per person—regardless of age—was a massive relief operation.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Capital, the Emperor had just arrived at his office in the Ministry of Defense.
"Your Majesty! Glorious news from the 1st Group Army! Last night, General Hu Hao's forces successfully liberated Tianyu City! They are currently engaged in active combat operations to liberate Tianjing City and Nanli City! The offensive is in full swing!" a senior staff officer reported excitedly.
"Oh?! He liberated another major city?! Let me see!" The Emperor hurried over to the massive strategic map, located Tianyu City, and triumphantly shaded it red.
"Incredible! Hu Hao now controls a territory nearly the size of an entire province! Excellent! Truly excellent!" the Emperor beamed, looking at the expanding red zone.
"Imperial Father, what is the good news?" the Crown Prince asked, entering the office and seeing the Emperor's rare smile.
"Hu Hao's forces just liberated Tianyu City! Look! His territory is expanding rapidly! There have been rumors circulating among the populace that the military only knows how to hide behind defensive lines and refuses to fight back!
"We must broadcast this victory immediately! The people need to know that the National Defense Force is actively bleeding the enemy and reclaiming our homeland!" the Emperor declared.
The other senior generals of the Ministry of Defense had also arrived for the morning briefing. They listened to the news of Tianyu City's liberation with varying expressions.
"Your Majesty, we must prioritize establishing a secure supply corridor to Hu Hao's forces! Given his proven tactical brilliance, if we can integrate his army into the broader command structure, he could lead our combined forces to reclaim even more territory!" Grand Marshal Luo Xin stated firmly.
"Mm. But his forces are still largely comprised of raw recruits undergoing training. Simply surviving in the enemy rear is a monumental achievement. Asking him to launch a massive offensive to punch through to our lines right now is likely beyond his current capabilities," the Crown Prince cautioned.
"I understand that, Your Highness. What I am proposing is that the moment the rainy season ends and the corridor is opened... I am willing to resign my position as Grand Marshal. The Air Force will fully submit to Hu Hao's command!" Luo Xin declared, shocking the entire room.
"What?!" The Army generals stared at Luo Xin in absolute disbelief.
"General Luo... your loyalty to the Empire is profound. I am deeply moved," the Emperor said, genuinely touched by Luo Xin's selfless offer.
"Your Majesty, I am an Air Force commander; I am fundamentally unsuited to the position of Grand Marshal. The Empire desperately needs a brilliant Army tactician in this role to coordinate the massive ground offensives required to reclaim our territory!
"Your Majesty, the true challenge has not yet arrived. The dry season will bring apocalyptic Allied offensives! Therefore, before the rain stops, we must bring Hu Hao to the capital to assume control of the Ministry of Defense! In terms of strategic vision and tactical brilliance, not a single general in this room—perhaps not a single general in the Empire—can match him! Your Majesty must elevate him!" Luo Xin urged passionately.
The Emperor remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the Army generals. He noted with deep disappointment that not a single Army general offered a word of support for Luo Xin's proposal. It was glaringly obvious they did not want Hu Hao anywhere near the capital or the Grand Marshal's baton.
"Mm. We will consider it. Hu Hao is still very young. While he has won stunning victories, placing the entire weight of the Imperial Armed Forces on his shoulders might be premature. We must ensure he is truly ready for such a burden," the Emperor finally said, providing a diplomatic deflection.
"Your Majesty's caution is prudent! While Hu Hao possesses tactical skill, he is erratic and has committed severe violations of Imperial Law! Illegally conscripting a massive private army is treason!
"Furthermore, the issue regarding the Late City armories... yes, he provided an 'explanation,' but it is incredibly flimsy and unsatisfactory!" Tang Long interjected immediately, eager to sabotage Hu Hao.
Tang Long was desperate to see Hu Hao eliminated. He knew Hu Hao was aware of the massive, illegal weapons hoard Tang Long had secretly stockpiled in Late City before the war. If Hu Hao exposed that hoard to the Emperor, Tang Long would be executed for embezzlement and treason. Therefore, Tang Long had to destroy Hu Hao's credibility—or better yet, get him killed—before that secret was revealed.
"Mm. He has already explained the situation with the armories. We will not pursue the matter further at this time. Hu Hao is fighting for his life behind enemy lines; if he needs to restart those factories to supply his men, we must accept it as a battlefield necessity," the Crown Prince defended Hu Hao, subtly rebuking Tang Long.
"Your Highness, that may be true, but the fact remains: we have zero oversight over his operations! We don't truly know what he is planning!
"I have received intelligence indicating his conscripted forces now exceed 400,000 men! Think about it! How did he recruit and arm 400,000 men so quickly?! He controls a massive army and an independent military-industrial complex! If he harbors warlord ambitions, the Empire is facing a catastrophic internal threat!" Tang Long continued his vicious attacks.
"General Tang, the greatest threat to the Empire is the Allied coalition, not Hu Hao! Hu Hao is currently shedding blood to kill our invaders! I honestly do not understand your motives!
"For days now, you have done nothing but slander a frontline commander who is winning battles! Hu Hao was formerly your subordinate! Instead of supporting him, you are actively trying to orchestrate his execution! What exactly is your agenda?!
"Do you know how rare it is to find a brilliant general in this Empire?! General Tang, the Empire is on the brink of annihilation! We desperately need men like Hu Hao! Are you truly suggesting His Majesty should execute our best commander and ensure the fall of the Empire?!" Luo Xin exploded, unable to tolerate Tang Long's blatant, self-serving sabotage any longer.
"Grand Marshal Luo! I am speaking out of loyalty to the Empire and His Majesty! If Hu Hao declares independence and fractures the Empire, who will bear the responsibility for ignoring the warning signs?!" Tang Long roared back, glaring at Luo Xin.
"I DARE!" Luo Xin roared back, his voice echoing through the command center.
(End of Chapter)