Major General Kesma, Commander of the Kabu Kingdom's 37th Corps, was deeply anxious. Hu Hao had already annihilated several Allied corps commanders, and his terrifying reputation preceded him.
Although Kesma currently commanded two full corps—his own 37th Corps and seven additional divisions assigned to garrison the Tonglong City sector—he still lacked confidence. Every Allied commander knew that facing Hu Hao with a single corps was essentially suicide. Kesma had more than double that, but given Hu Hao's track record, even overwhelming numerical superiority didn't guarantee victory.
"Commander, do not worry. High Command will absolutely not allow this city to fall. This isn't Yonghe City; this is Tonglong City, the beating heart of our logistics!" his Chief of Staff reassured him.
"Report! The Supreme Commander is on the secure line!" a staff officer interrupted, handing Kesma the receiver.
"Supreme Commander! Kesma reporting!" Kesma snapped to attention.
"Has Hu Hao's vanguard appeared in your sector?" Vostok asked without preamble.
"Yes, Supreme Commander! Several of my outer perimeter security outposts have already been surrounded and attacked! I have forbidden my main forces from sallying forth to relieve them, fearing Hu Hao has laid ambushes along the approach routes! He is a master of asymmetrical ambushes. I have ordered any surviving outposts to conduct tactical withdrawals back to the city!" Kesma reported rapidly.
"Good. Consolidate your forces within Tonglong City and prepare for a decisive battle! Hu Hao will not dare to fully encircle you; he will likely concentrate his assaults from the west and southwest. You must hold the line!
"I have already positioned a reserve corps to your rear. The moment your frontline begins to buckle, I will commit them to support you!
"Tonglong City is absolutely vital. It is not only the primary supply artery feeding our frontline offensives, but it is also the central nexus connecting our eastern theater operations! Therefore, I do not care how many casualties you take, you must hold that city! Is that clear?!" Vostok issued his absolute command.
"Yes, Supreme Commander!" Kesma dared not argue.
"Mm. If you require specialized equipment or munitions, submit the requisitions immediately. Furthermore, do not let Hu Hao's reputation paralyze you. Yes, his defensive capabilities are formidable, but an offensive operation requires entirely different tactical skill sets! A strong defense does not automatically translate to a strong offense!
"His army is primarily composed of raw recruits! He cannot possibly annihilate two entrenched corps, and he certainly wouldn't dare commit his entire Group Army to your sector! Hold your ground with confidence!" Vostok attempted to bolster Kesma's morale.
"Yes, Supreme Commander!" Kesma replied dutifully.
Internally, however, he scoffed. If Hu Hao's offensive capabilities are so weak, then how do you explain the five Allied divisions he annihilated in the past twenty-four hours?!
But he kept those thoughts to himself. He hung up the phone, his expression darkening.
"Hmph. He orders us to hold the line. Why not deploy the Mara Empire's elite corps? Why not the Holy Ancient troops? Why is it always us who have to bleed?" Kesma sneered bitterly.
"Commander, complaining won't change our orders. We have fortified the city. If Hu Hao genuinely commits to a massive siege and we cannot hold, we simply request the reserve corps! We will survive this," his Chief of Staff urged calmly.
"Mm," Kesma nodded, turning back to his defensive preparations.
Meanwhile, at the Allied Supreme Command Headquarters, Vostok was fraught with worry. He hadn't expected Hu Hao to actually possess the audacity to strike directly at Tonglong City and threaten their primary logistical lifeline.
"Supreme Commander, I fear the situation is more complex than a simple siege. What if Hu Hao's objective isn't to conquer Tonglong City, but merely to bypass it and sabotage the railways and bridges along the supply corridor?!
"Our logistics are incredibly vulnerable! My recommendation is to immediately mobilize several corps from the eastern theater and launch a massive counter-offensive against Hu Hao's flank! We must force him to recoil and abandon his thrust toward our supply lines!" Vitali proposed, standing behind Vostok.
"Launch a massive counter-offensive against Hu Hao?! Do you know how much materiel an offensive of that scale consumes?! Our supply lines are already stretched to the breaking point supporting the frontline siege! Where exactly are we going to conjure the ammunition and fuel required to sustain a multi-corps offensive in the rear echelon?!
"Have you been briefed on the resolutions passed at the Joint Summit?" Vostok countered, changing the subject to the broader strategic picture.
The 'Joint Summit' was the first grand assembly of the Sovereigns of all the Allied nations participating in the invasion, currently being held in the Mara Empire to determine the grand strategy for conquering the Central Region.
"I've heard rumors. What were the official resolutions?" Vitali asked, his interest piqued.
"Three primary resolutions. First: upon the conclusion of the rainy season, specifically on December 22nd of this year, the Allied coalition will launch an apocalyptic, theater-wide general offensive to entirely subjugate the Central Region! Every participating nation is required to commit troop quotas proportional to their population.
"Second: regarding the civilian populace of the Central Region. Prior to total subjugation, widespread, indiscriminate massacres are strictly forbidden. Localized executions are permissible to maintain order.
"The High Command fears that leaving millions of rotting corpses in the streets will inevitably trigger catastrophic plagues that will decimate our own armies! The projected timeline for total conquest is one year. Therefore, for the next year, massacres are halted. If executions occur, the bodies must be properly buried with quicklime!
"Third: the post-war territorial division of the Central Region! Currently, eighty-seven nations are participating in this coalition. Territory will be allocated via a lottery system based on national population. The baseline is one hundred million citizens. A nation receives one lottery 'ticket' for every hundred million citizens. Nations with populations between fifty and ninety-nine million receive one ticket. Nations with populations under fifty million receive nothing!
"Once the territory is partitioned, all Allied militaries will withdraw from the Central Region. The Central Region will be completely demilitarized. The surviving native populace will be reduced to agricultural serfs, forced to farm the land and export the grain back to our respective nations!
"Furthermore, the entire railway network of the Central Region will be interconnected to facilitate the massive exportation of grain!" Vostok summarized the brutal, imperialistic resolutions of the Joint Summit.
"Mm. A population-based lottery system. That seems equitable," Vitali nodded approvingly.
"Equitable? Hah! You have no idea the political nightmares this will spawn! Mark my words, this planet will never know peace!" Vostok sneered cynically.
"Why is it inequitable?" Vitali asked, confused.
"It looks equitable on paper. But what if a nation draws a landlocked territory in the center of the continent? They must transport their grain via the railway network, which passes through territories controlled by other Allied nations!
"What if those nations refuse transit rights?! If they are allied, it's fine. But what if they are historical enemies?! Do you think they'll allow their rivals to transport millions of tons of grain through their borders?! It will trigger massive internal wars within the coalition!
"Furthermore, they decree that all militaries will withdraw once the conquest is 'complete.' I ask you: when will it truly be complete?! Will the people of the Central Region ever truly stop resisting?! If massive rebellions erupt, who is responsible for suppressing them?!" Vostok pointed out the glaring flaws in the plan.
"Did the summit not address that?" Vitali frowned.
"They failed to reach a consensus! Some nations demanded the right to station permanent garrisons in their newly acquired territories. Others proposed forming a permanent, multi-national 'peacekeeping' force specifically designed to crush rebellions. And a radical faction simply demanded we exterminate the entire population of the Central Region to permanently solve the problem!
"How could we possibly exterminate them all?! The Central Region has a population exceeding ten billion! It would take decades!
"We have already slaughtered tens of millions, and countless more have died as collateral damage. Our soldiers are already growing numb to the slaughter; many are suffering severe psychological breakdowns! They are human beings, not machines! Only absolute psychopaths could execute ten billion people!
"And think about the consequences! Once those blood-soaked, traumatized soldiers return to their home nations, do you think they will simply integrate back into peaceful society?! It's a disaster waiting to happen!" Vostok vented his profound anxieties.
"But... without the grain from the Central Region, our own people will starve! We can survive without their oil, but we cannot survive without their food! If our citizens starve, they will overthrow our governments!" Vitali argued the grim necessity of the invasion.
"Exactly. We need the grain. We have no choice," Vostok sighed, turning back to the map.
"So... regarding Tonglong City. Are we truly just going to wait for Hu Hao to attack? What if he ignores the city and simply destroys the bridges and railways?" Vitali returned to the immediate tactical crisis.
"We have garrison units stationed at every critical bridge and railway junction! Hu Hao cannot simply waltz in and destroy them!" Vostok replied.
"Supreme Commander, those are company-sized garrisons at best! They will be annihilated by Hu Hao's operatives in minutes! We absolutely must launch a spoiling offensive to drive his forces back from the supply corridor!" Vitali insisted.
"I know that! But as I just said, an offensive requires massive logistical support! Do we currently possess the stockpiled munitions to sustain it?!" Vostok challenged him.
"We... we must find a way to squeeze the supplies from elsewhere! I propose we deploy two full corps! Their sole objective will be establishing an impenetrable defensive screen along the primary approach routes to our bridges and railways! They will garrison the smaller towns along the corridor and physically block Hu Hao's advance!" Vitali proposed urgently.
"Mm. If we must squeeze the supplies, we will squeeze them. However, I am deeply concerned that diverting those supplies will severely anger the frontline commanders. But since you are so adamant about this strategy, we will execute it!" Vostok nodded, a cunning glint in his eye. He had deliberately guided the conversation to this exact point, forcing Vitali to propose the solution.
"Excellent! The frontline logistics cannot be compromised!" Vitali agreed immediately. The Mara Empire currently had over 600,000 troops deployed on the central and eastern fronts. If those supply lines failed, his countrymen would starve.
"Good. Then you will oversee the mobilization of the two corps and the reallocation of the necessary supplies! Establish that defensive screen immediately! Hu Hao's forces are currently bogged down securing the outer towns, so you still have time to interdict them before they reach the primary arteries!" Vostok ordered, formally delegating the massive logistical headache to Vitali .
"Ah... yes, sir!" Vitali blanched slightly, finally realizing he had been played.
Vostok hadn't refused to deploy the troops because he thought it was a bad idea; he had refused because he knew diverting supplies from the frontline would infuriate the commanders there—the majority of whom were Mara Empire generals! By manipulating Vitali into proposing the plan, Vostok had ensured that when the Mara generals inevitably called to scream about their dwindling ammunition, Vitali would be the one forced to answer the phone.
"Hurry up and deploy those troops!" Vostok urged him, hiding a small smile.
(End of Chapter)