The Emperor watched Hu Hao's broadcast in utter disbelief. He had always considered Hu Hao to be an incredibly shrewd, calculating individual. He couldn't fathom why Hu Hao would commit such a seemingly suicidal blunder. Infuriated by the sheer stupidity of the act, the Emperor cursed him as an arrogant, reckless fool—a Numbskull.
Grand Marshal Luo Xin, desperate to defuse the situation, urged them to contact Hu Hao immediately. It was better to demand a direct explanation than to sit around speculating. The Crown Prince looked to the Emperor for authorization.
"Put it on speaker!" the Emperor commanded, his face dark with fury. "I want to hear him explain this!"
"Yes, Imperial Father," the Crown Prince quickly dialed the secure connection to Hu Hao's headquarters. The moment the call connected, he activated the speakerphone.
"Greetings, Headmaster!" Hu Hao's voice echoed through the command center.
"Hu Hao, His Majesty and the senior generals of the Ministry of Defense are all present. We are confused by the video you just released. Why on earth would you publicly broadcast such a thing? Aren't you deliberately provoking the Allied High Command?!" the Crown Prince demanded.
"Ah? Provoking them? Maybe a little! A little provocation won't hurt anything!" Hu Hao replied breezily, entirely unconcerned.
"How can it not hurt anything?! Our absolute priority right now is to recuperate and consolidate our forces! We must prepare for the apocalyptic Allied offensives that will come when the dry season arrives! By deliberately provoking them now, you risk triggering a premature, massive retaliation!" Tang Long yelled, seizing the opportunity to attack.
"Hu Hao, that was General of the Left, Tang Long," the Crown Prince clarified.
"Oh. If they want to retaliate, let them come! They've already invaded our country; what difference does a video make? If I didn't post the video, would they suddenly decide to stop fighting?!" Hu Hao retorted, entirely unfazed by Tang Long's reprimand.
"Hu Hao, how can you be so incredibly shortsighted?! Your 1st Group Army has barely finished its initial reorganization! You are critically short on experienced officers! How can you dare provoke the Allied coalition right now?! If they mass overwhelming force to crush your enclave, how will your raw recruits survive?!
"The Empire places immense hope in your army! Your recent liberation of several major cities has provided a massive boost to national morale! Why jeopardize everything by deliberately taunting the enemy?!
"By doing this, you are painting a massive target on your own back! Oh, this is Luo Xin, by the way!" Luo Xin added his voice, his tone urgent and frustrated.
Luo Xin valued Hu Hao immensely; he had even offered to resign his position as Grand Marshal for him. But Hu Hao's reckless, immature behavior in this instance deeply unsettled him.
"Relax. It's pouring rain every single day. How the hell is he going to mass overwhelming force in this mud?!" Hu Hao dismissed their concerns.
"Hu Hao, how can you be so incredibly dense?! This isn't just about whether it's raining right now, or whether they can mass troops immediately! By broadcasting that video, you have publicly humiliated and infuriated the Allied High Command!
"The moment the rainy season ends, they will direct their absolute fury at your sector! Why can't you think ahead?!
"Ah?! Have a few minor victories gone to your head?! Are you truly that stupid?! Your behavior right now is no different from an arrogant, reckless fool! An absolute Er Leng Zi" the Emperor finally exploded, his voice echoing furiously through the speakerphone.
He was disappointed that Hu Hao still failed to grasp the catastrophic political and strategic consequences of his actions.
Meanwhile, in Xinqiao City, Hu Hao froze the moment he heard the phrase "Er Leng Zi."
It had been years—a lifetime ago—since anyone had called him that nickname. Back on Earth, his eldest brother, Zhang Debiao, had given it to him. Later, his commanding officers in the PLA had affectionately adopted it. As he rose through the ranks and became a legendary general, very few people dared to call him "Er Leng Zi" to his face.
And after his brother Zhang Debiao died... no one ever used it again. The Emperor's furious insult instantly snapped Hu Hao's mind back to his previous life.
"Hu Hao! Hu Hao?! Answer me!" the Emperor demanded, hearing only dead silence on the line.
"Laozi is a numbskull! My nickname is Er Leng Zi! So what if I am?! So what if I posted a damn video?!" Hu Hao suddenly roared back, referring to himself as "Laozi". He immediately slammed the phone down, terminating the connection.
In the Imperial Capital, the Emperor and the generals stared at the disconnected phone in absolute shock. They were completely paralyzed by Hu Hao's explosive outburst. Not only had he dared to refer to himself as "Laozi" in the presence of the Emperor, but he had actually hung up on the Sovereign!
Back in the Xinqiao City command post, Wu Kexiao and Weng Tao had initially wanted to laugh when they heard Hu Hao proudly declare that his nickname was "Er Leng Zi." But their amusement vanished instantly when they saw Hu Hao slam the phone down in a fury.
He grabbed his pack of cigarettes, his face a mask of grief and rage, and stalked toward an empty conference room. "Do not disturb me!"
SLAM!
Hu Hao violently slammed the door shut behind him. He collapsed into a chair, lit a cigarette with trembling hands, and stared blankly at the wall as tears began to stream down his face.
"Er Leng Zi... hah... Big Brother," Hu Hao whispered softly, the tears flowing freely now.
"Big Brother... Monkey... Big Bear... Monk Jing... Monk Li! Sigh! If you brothers were here with me... Laozi could conquer this entire damn planet! Would I have to suffer this suffocating, humiliating bullshit?!
"The Emperor? The Grand Marshal? The Crown Prince? Ma Zhenling?! Fuck them all! Compared to you brothers, they aren't worth a damn fart! Hah... Er Leng Zi... Er Leng Zi!" Hu Hao leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, a bitter, broken laugh escaping his lips.
He remembered his life on Earth. The name "Er Leng Zi" had struck terror into the hearts of his enemies. He had never lost a battle. Enemy generals would abandon their armies and flee the moment they heard his unit was taking the field. Entire nations trembled when they learned he was deploying against them.
And now? Now he was trapped in a tiny, occupied enclave on an alien planet, desperately trying to build an army from scratch just to carve out a chance of survival.
And for that chance of survival, he had to endure the constant, paranoid suspicion of a cowardly Emperor, navigate the treacherous political schemes of aristocratic generals, and fight a desperate war of annihilation against an overwhelming alien coalition.
"Fuck them all. From now on, I only do what pleases me. If they piss me off, I'll make sure none of them ever smile again! Er Leng Zi? Fine! I'll be Er Leng Zi! Come at me! Laozi will dig a pit and bury every single one of you!
"Er Leng Zi was famous on Earth for digging pits for his enemies! Let's make that name famous on Planet Yuanling too!" Hu Hao wiped the tears from his face, his eyes hardening with cold, absolute resolve.
Back in the Ministry of Defense, the dial tone echoed loudly in the stunned silence.
"He... he... he... OUTRAGEOUS!" the Emperor finally erupted, pointing a trembling finger at the phone. No one had ever dared to hang up on him! And to refer to himself as "Laozi" directly to the Emperor's face?! It was unthinkable treason!
The generals remained dead silent, terrified of the Emperor's wrath. However, the Crown Prince and Luo Xin exchanged worried glances. They were both confused and deeply anxious. What had just happened? Hu Hao had been perfectly calm moments before!
"Your Majesty... something is wrong. Hu Hao's emotional state completely fractured!" Luo Xin pointed out carefully.
"What do you mean, wrong?! What could possibly be wrong?! He dared to call himself 'Laozi' to my face! He possesses unparalleled audacity!" the Emperor raged.
"Exactly! He dared to claim superiority over His Majesty! This man must be executed for high treason!" Tang Long slammed his hand on the table, eager to capitalize on the disaster.
"Your Majesty, please, consider the context! I believe Hu Hao suffered a severe emotional breakdown! Did you not hear him? He said his actual nickname was 'Er Leng Zi'! We... we never knew he had that nickname! Perhaps it holds some deep, personal significance? We haven't even given him a chance to explain his strategy!" Luo Xin pleaded, trying to inject reason into the chaos.
"Contact him again! Ask him if he intends to declare himself the Supreme Emperor!" the Emperor commanded the Crown Prince, his fury unabated.
"Yes, Imperial Father!" The Crown Prince quickly redialed the number. A communications officer answered.
"Where is Hu Hao?! Put him on the line immediately!" the Crown Prince demanded.
"Report! Our Commander has locked himself in the conference room! He explicitly ordered that no one is to disturb him! His emotional state is incredibly unstable!" the terrified officer replied.
"Tell him to pick up the phone! This is the Crown Prince! I am calling from the Ministry of Defense! Tell him to answer immediately!" the Crown Prince ordered sternly.
"Your Highness... our Commander is genuinely unstable right now! We have never seen him like this! Could... could you perhaps wait a while?" the officer pleaded.
"Give me the phone!" Wu Kexiao's voice suddenly came over the line.
"Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince! I am Lieutenant General Wu Kexiao, Commander of the 106th Corps. I sincerely apologize, but Commander Hu has suffered a severe emotional episode. We do not know what triggered it. He has barricaded himself in the conference room, and we absolutely dare not disturb him!" Wu Kexiao explained respectfully but firmly.
"Mm. General Wu, I am familiar with your record. Your forces fought exceptionally well yesterday. However, what exactly is wrong with Hu Hao?! How dare he speak to His Majesty in such a manner?!" the Crown Prince demanded, glancing nervously at his father.
"We honestly don't know, Your Highness! He was perfectly fine a moment ago! He just suddenly snapped!" Wu Kexiao replied, genuinely confused.
"Fine. When will he be available?" the Crown Prince asked.
"I cannot say, Your Highness. We dare not question the Commander's personal affairs! However, the moment he emerges, I will inform him that you called!" Wu Kexiao promised.
"Very well." The Crown Prince ended the call and looked at the Emperor.
The Emperor's fury had cooled slightly, replaced by confusion. Hearing Wu Kexiao confirm Hu Hao's sudden, bizarre breakdown made him pause. What exactly had triggered it?
"Your Majesty, I distinctly recall that Hu Hao's demeanor completely shifted the moment you used the term 'Er Leng Zi.' His final words were an aggressive confirmation that it was indeed his nickname! We had no prior knowledge of this," Luo Xin reiterated his observation.
"It seems you are correct," Ma Xiongwei, the General of the Vanguard and Ma Zhenling's eldest son, nodded in agreement.
"Er Leng Zi? Is that actually his nickname?" The Emperor frowned, looking around the table.
"He certainly seemed to embrace it," Tang Long muttered, reluctantly admitting the bizarre fact.
"This... sigh! But even if I called him his nickname, what right does he have to explode in rage?! Ah?! And to refer to himself as 'Laozi' in my presence?!" the Emperor demanded again, his pride still deeply wounded.
No one dared to answer. No one could fathom a defense for that level of disrespect.
Crucially, Tang Long realized this was the perfect opportunity to pour gasoline on the fire. It was his mission to destroy Hu Hao, and Hu Hao had just handed him the perfect weapon.
(End of Chapter)
Translator's Note:
Laozi is a modern slang which mean"Your father," or "I" (used arrogantly or roughly). It is a self-proclaimed, often vulgar, pronoun used by men to assert superiority, anger, or contempt, similar to "who's your daddy?" in English, but used to refer to oneself.