The Emperor was incandescent with rage. Not only had Hu Hao dared to refer to himself as "Laozi" in his presence, but he had actually hung up the phone! He demanded to know what Hu Hao's intentions were. But after speaking with Wu Kexiao, the Crown Prince had no choice but to end the call, leaving the Imperial Court in a state of confused fury.
"Hu Hao is certainly proving his capabilities, isn't he? His subordinate generals are more terrified of disturbing him than they are of disobeying the Crown Prince of the Empire," Tang Long sneered, fueling the fire.
"General Tang, given the current crisis, is this petty instigation really necessary?" Luo Xin warned him sharply.
"What do you mean, petty instigation?! The 1st Group Army only recognizes Hu Hao! They disregard His Majesty and they disregard His Highness! Isn't that cause for extreme alarm?! Hu Hao dares to call himself 'Laozi' to His Majesty's face! Does that not warrant our absolute vigilance?!
"We simply asked him to explain the strategic rationale behind his video broadcast! Was that unreasonable?! Yet he explodes in rage and disrespects the Sovereign! Tell me, Luo Xin: does Hu Hao hold any reverence in his heart for His Majesty or the Crown Prince?!" Tang Long demanded, his eyes fixed on Luo Xin.
The Emperor's expression was a storm of conflicting emotions. He remained silent, the sting of Hu Hao's words piercing his pride.
"Your Majesty, Hu Hao must be severely punished for this insolence!" Tang Long stood up and bowed formally, pressing his advantage.
"Sit down. The Crown Prince just informed Wu Kexiao that we expect a return call the moment Hu Hao emerges from his conference room. We will wait. I require an explanation," the Emperor ordered, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Hmph. Who knows when that call will come? He might not even be in the conference room; he might just be ignoring us!" Tang Long muttered. The other generals exchanged uneasy glances, wondering why Tang Long was so relentlessly determined to destroy Hu Hao.
Meanwhile, in Xinqiao City, Hu Hao sat alone in the conference room, slowly regaining control of his emotions. The sudden wave of grief had been overwhelming. The Emperor's insult had triggered visceral memories of his past life, of his fallen brothers—Zhang Debiao, Monkey, Big Bear, Monk Jing, Monk Li. He had stood by their hospital beds and watched them die, one by one.
"Sigh." Hu Hao let out a long, shuddering breath and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve.
A few minutes later, he opened the door and stepped out.
"Hao-ge!" Wu Kexiao, Weng Tao, and the entire command staff were waiting anxiously outside. They practically shouted his name when he appeared.
"Why are you all standing around out here?" Hu Hao asked with a faint, tired smile.
"Hao-ge, the Crown Prince called while you were inside. He demanded to know why you hung up and why you used the term 'Laozi'," Wu Kexiao reported nervously.
"I said what I said. So what?" Hu Hao scoffed dismissively.
"Exactly! I wanted to curse him out myself! Damn it, who do they think they are, interrogating us like that?! Hao-ge, don't fear them! If they dare touch your family, we rebel! To hell with them!
"Give the order right now! I'll dispatch the Special Operations Regiment to extract your parents immediately! Once they're safe here, the Imperial Court can't touch you!" Wu Kexiao declared fiercely.
"Enough of that. Are the troops in position? Good. Let's focus on the battle. I'm going to show the Allied High Command what happens when they challenge Er Leng Zi. They're all going to die!" Hu Hao said, his voice cold and hard.
"Yes, sir!" the two Corps Commanders snapped to attention.
"After nightfall, the Special Operations Regiment will initiate the sabotage operations. In the past, I always tried to keep a low profile to avoid the Emperor's paranoia. To hell with that! From now on, I operate in the open! I want maximum casualties in Tonglong City! Oh, by the way, has Vostok responded to my broadcast? It's been almost an hour," Hu Hao asked a communications officer.
"Report! No response yet, Hao-ge!" the officer replied.
"Fine. If he won't pay the toll, we take the supplies by force! That entire logistical artery belongs to us now! Did he really think he could just march through my territory for free?!" Hu Hao sneered.
Wu Kexiao and Weng Tao stared at him, stunned by the sudden, drastic shift in his demeanor. Hu Hao had completely abandoned his cautious political maneuvering; he simply didn't care anymore.
"Hao-ge... shouldn't you return the Crown Prince's call? General Wu said they're waiting," Weng Tao suggested tentatively.
"No. I'm not calling them. I'm sick of playing political games with a bunch of incompetent cowards. It's exhausting!" Hu Hao shook his head adamantly.
"Understood," Weng Tao nodded.
Just then, a comms officer approached. "Hao-ge, Commander Jiang Kai is on the secure line!"
"Sigh," Hu Hao sighed heavily, taking the receiver.
"This is Hu Hao. Greetings, Commander."
"Mm. What's gotten into you today? I heard you referred to yourself as 'Laozi' in front of His Majesty and hung up on him! What happened?!" Jiang Kai asked urgently.
"Are you surprised I lost my temper?! I post a single video to launch a psychological warfare campaign, and suddenly everyone is screaming at me that I made a mistake! Did any of those armchair generals in the capital actually analyze the strategic implications of that video?!
"I explicitly stated my intent to sever the Tonglong City supply line! And they call me an idiot! They call me an 'Er Leng Zi'! Fine, my nickname is Er Leng Zi!
"But did they stop to think about the consequences of me severing that line?! If the supplies stop flowing through Tonglong City, what happens to the Allied armies on the central and eastern fronts?! Do they just eat dirt?!
"Why aren't they preparing a massive counter-offensive to capitalize on this?! Instead, they call to interrogate me! You have 600,000 troops on the central front! Calculate the numbers, Commander! If their logistics collapse, and you launch a full-scale offensive against their starving troops... how much territory could you reclaim?!
"Furthermore, if we annihilate their veteran forces now, how long will it take them to train replacements?! If they send raw recruits against us next, we'll slaughter them effortlessly!
"If you crush the Allied armies on the central front, your entire sector is secure until the next rainy season! You could redeploy your forces to support the other collapsing fronts! But does anyone in the High Command actually think about grand strategy?! NO!" Hu Hao roared into the phone, his frustration boiling over.
"Wait... hiss! You're actually confident you can sever their primary logistical artery?!" Jiang Kai inhaled sharply, the strategic brilliance of the plan finally clicking.
He had received a frantic call from the Ministry of Defense ordering him to mediate the crisis and convince Hu Hao to apologize to the Emperor.
"You'll see the results tonight! I'm so sick of this! I spend every waking hour trying to orchestrate a defense for this Empire, and not a single general in the capital is thinking about an offensive! It's all just 'defend, defend, defend'! Defend until when?! Until we're all dead?!
"And they have the audacity to call me an idiot?! I'm an idiot who has annihilated hundreds of thousands of their elite troops!" Hu Hao continued his tirade.
"Alright, alright, Hu Hao! Calm down! Don't get agitated!" Jiang Kai pleaded, realizing how furious Hu Hao truly was.
"Commander, do you know how exhausting it is for a general who actually wants to fight?! The competent commanders are starved of troops, while the incompetent cowards hoard entire corps and flee at the first sign of the enemy!
"I built this army from the remnants of a single division! And I'm the only commander in this entire Empire who has reclaimed a single inch of occupied territory!
"Yet His Majesty and that parasite Tang Long constantly scrutinize my every move, paranoid that I'm going to rebel! Does this Empire even need me to rebel?! If it weren't for me, the Eastern Spirit Empire would already be a footnote in history! Do I need to rebel to watch it fall?!" Hu Hao yelled.
"Calm down! Please, calm down! I understand you're angry!" Jiang Kai tried to soothe him.
"Commander, I'm done communicating with the Imperial Court! If they want to brand me a traitor, let them! If they want to acknowledge my victories, let them! I refuse to play their political games anymore! If I were in the capital right now, I would have executed Tang Long myself!
"I don't have the time or the patience for their pathetic scheming! From now on, the only game I play is war!" Hu Hao declared fiercely.
"I know, I know! If you were in the capital, half the aristocratic families would be dead by now! I know your temper; you wouldn't tolerate their incompetence for a second! Remember how you used to curse me out when I was your superior?!" Jiang Kai chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood.
"Sigh. Whatever happens, happens. I've lost all hope for the High Command. I'll fight my own war.
"Commander... can I ask you a favor? Could you please ensure my parents are protected? I'm deeply worried the eastern front is going to collapse," Hu Hao asked softly, his anger fading into exhaustion.
"I will! You have my word! We will hold the line, and we will launch the counter-offensive you suggested! I will explain your strategy to His Majesty! And if the eastern front truly begins to collapse, I will personally dispatch a team to extract your parents! You have nothing to worry about!
"But please, Hu Hao, calm down. Don't speak in anger. We are still generals of the Empire, and we must maintain a baseline of respect for His Majesty," Jiang Kai urged.
"Understood. Is there anything else, Commander? If not, I have a battle to fight tonight," Hu Hao asked dismissively.
"Could you... could you please just call the Crown Prince back? Once you've calmed down? Let me mediate this for you!" Jiang Kai pleaded.
"No. If he calls me, I won't answer. I'm done playing games with them. It's exhausting, and I have a war to win!" Hu Hao refused adamantly and ended the call.
(End of Chapter)