Hearing Tang Long dismiss the counter-offensive as a suicide mission, the other generals stared at him in astonishment.
Everyone knew Tang Long was utterly devoid of tactical competence, but his talent for cutthroat political maneuvering was undeniable. The only person in the capital who could out-scheme him was Ma Zhenling, and Ma Zhenling had already been forced into early retirement!
"General Tang, what are you talking about? Hu Hao's Group Army is formally under your administrative umbrella as the General of the Left! The Empire desperately needs the Army to produce some battlefield results! Don't you think it's highly inappropriate for you to be throwing cold water on your own forces' achievements?" Liang Kuan, the Air Force General of the Right, asked with a mocking smile.
"I am not throwing cold water! I am being realistic! Look at Hu Hao! He's a reckless youth! Does he even understand grand strategy?! He thinks that just because he blew up a few bridges and bottlenecked the supply lines, he has the Allied forces trapped?!
"Are the Allied forces truly that easy to defeat?! If they are, why hasn't any other Combat Zone managed to reclaim a single inch of territory?!" Tang Long retorted, glaring at Liang Kuan.
"That is a question you should be asking yourself and your Army commanders, General Tang! Why hasn't any other force produced results?! Jiang Kai and Hu Hao have produced results! Therefore, I trust their tactical judgment completely!" Liang Kuan shot back effortlessly.
"Hmph. I refuse to believe a boy whose beard hasn't even fully grown in can orchestrate a theater-wide strategic victory!" Tang Long sneered.
Internally, however, he was deeply alarmed. Hu Hao's meteoric rise to prominence was terrifying. If Hu Hao's prestige continued to snowball, taking him out when the political climate eventually stabilized would be nearly impossible. Tang Long was desperate to end the meeting so he could return to his estate and strategize with his faction on how to orchestrate Hu Hao's downfall.
"His Majesty has arrived!" a staff officer at the door announced. The generals instantly rose to their feet.
"I assume you have all seen Hu Hao's latest broadcast? He has successfully destroyed critical railway and highway bridges along the Tonglong City corridor! The Allied logistical flow to the central front is currently halted! Furthermore, Hu Hao has publicly wagered that he will maintain this blockade for fifteen days!
"Therefore, our unprecedented opportunity on the central front has arrived! What are your assessments?!" the Emperor announced briskly as he strode toward his seat at the head of the table.
"Your Majesty, I strongly advise against this! I do not believe this is a genuine strategic opportunity! The situation surrounding Hu Hao's enclave is highly volatile. I refuse to believe the Allied High Command will simply sit by while he attacks Tonglong City! Vostok has already accepted the wager and is undoubtedly massing overwhelming force! I fear Hu Hao will be utterly crushed at Tonglong City, leaving our counter-offensive exposed!" Tang Long immediately stood up and voiced his opposition.
"I formally support the counter-offensive!" Luo Xin stated loudly, ignoring Tang Long.
"I also support the counter-offensive!" Liang Kuan stood up. Several Navy Admirals also rose to voice their support.
However, the two Army Generals of the Vanguard—Ma Xiongwei and Yu Hongyu—remained seated, looking nervously at Tang Long. They didn't dare break ranks with the General of the Left.
The Emperor trembled with rage. He couldn't understand if Tang Long was genuinely blind or simply malicious. Regardless of whether Hu Hao ultimately held Tonglong City for the full fifteen days, the supply lines were currently severed! Any offensive launched right now was guaranteed to achieve some tactical gains!
"Order Commander Jiang Kai to immediately initiate aggressive probing attacks against the Allied central front! Simultaneously, instruct Hu Hao to provide real-time updates regarding the Tonglong City blockade directly to Jiang Kai and myself! My objective is the total annihilation of the Allied central army!" the Emperor commanded, his voice brokering no argument.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Luo Xin acknowledged immediately.
"Your Majesty...!" Tang Long attempted to protest again.
"Not another word!" the Emperor snapped, cutting him off instantly. "If you, Tang Long, are too cowardly to fight, then I will fight this war myself!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Tang Long bowed his head, his eyes burning with silent fury.
Meanwhile, in Xinqiao City, Hu Hao was intensely studying the strategic map.
"Report! We have successfully deployed two infantry divisions, one artillery division, and one armored division to both the western and southwestern approach vectors of Tonglong City! All conventional units are in position!" Wu Kexiao announced, entering the command post.
"Report, Hao-ge! The Special Operations Regiment cannot fully infiltrate the city until nightfall. Tonglong City is swarming with Allied troops; infiltrating during daylight is impossible," Dong Qipeng reported.
"Understood. It is currently 5:25 PM. Synchronize your watches. The general offensive commences at exactly 8:00 PM! The Special Operations Regiment will initiate infiltration 30 minutes prior!" Hu Hao checked his watch and issued the final timetable.
Wu Kexiao, Weng Tao, and Dong Qipeng immediately synchronized their timepieces.
"You two, proceed to your respective forward command posts. You each command one assault vector. I will coordinate the theater from here," Hu Hao ordered the two Corps Commanders.
"Yes, sir!" Wu Kexiao and Weng Tao saluted and departed Xinqiao City with their command staffs.
Hu Hao turned back to the map.
"Da Peng, come here," Hu Hao called out to Dong Qipeng.
"Hao-ge?" Dong Qipeng stepped up to the table.
"Look at our operational footprint. By pushing east toward Tonglong City, we've created a very narrow, exposed salient. Although we secured Jifeng City and Jiliang City today, the Allied forces still have a full corps heavily entrenched in Tianxi City, right on our southern flank.
"We currently only have a single division screening Tianxi City. It's an incredibly dangerous deployment. If that Allied corps punches north and severs our line at Xinqiao City, our entire vanguard—including the forces attacking Tonglong City—will be encircled and annihilated!" Hu Hao explained, tracing the vulnerable salient on the map.
"Exactly! Hao-ge, I've been wondering about that! Why did you bypass Tianxi City to attack Tonglong City?! It leaves our flank completely exposed! It's incredibly reckless!" Dong Qipeng asked, voicing the concern that had been gnawing at him.
"Hehe. Look closer," Hu Hao chuckled cryptically.
Dong Qipeng frowned and stared hard at the map, trying to decipher the hidden strategy.
"I don't see it," Dong Qipeng finally admitted, shaking his head.
"Sigh. Think about our deployments. How many troops do I currently have staged here in Xinqiao City? How many do I have in Jifeng City?" Hu Hao prompted him with a smile.
"You have two divisions in Xinqiao City, one division in Jifeng City, and one division screening Tianxi City. That's a total of four divisions in reserve," Dong Qipeng listed the deployments, still utterly confused.
"Do you see it now? Look closer!" Hu Hao stared at him, exasperated.
"No! I'm telling you, I don't get it! Just tell me!" Dong Qipeng threw his hands up in defeat. The staff officers standing nearby chuckled.
"Laugh it up! Did any of you geniuses figure it out?!" Dong Qipeng snapped at them good-naturedly.
"Hao-ge... those four divisions in reserve... they are all armored divisions! And you have an entire Air Cavalry division staged nearby as well!" Long Yagu, one of the staff officers, pointed out with a grin.
"Haha! Look at him! You're supposed to be my classmate! How did you miss that?!" Hu Hao laughed, pointing at Long Yagu to shame Dong Qipeng.
"So what if they're armored divisions?! What does that mean?!" Dong Qipeng remained stubbornly oblivious.
"It means Laozi is going to devour the Allied corps in Tianxi City! Hehe," Hu Hao grinned viciously.
"Devour them?! Now?! Hao-ge, that's a full, entrenched veteran corps!" Dong Qipeng stared at him in shock.
"I need them to come out of their fortifications! My armored divisions haven't had a proper live-fire exercise yet! This is the perfect opportunity to train them! Four armored divisions with full Air Cavalry support... hmph! I don't care how many troops they have; I'll devour every last one of them! My only fear is that they won't take the bait!" Hu Hao declared, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"Hao-ge, are you sure they'll actually sally forth?" a staff officer asked skeptically.
"Not in the next day or two. They're terrified of us. But... what happens if the situation here becomes critical?" Hu Hao tapped Tonglong City on the map.
"Ah! I see! Once we start inflicting catastrophic casualties on the Tonglong City garrison, the Allied High Command will undoubtedly order the Tianxi City corps to relieve the pressure!" the staff officer nodded in realization.
"Exactly. It's a classic 'Make a sound in the east, strike in the west' maneuver. Or 'Lure the snake out of its hole.' Call it whatever you want.
"The ultimate objective is annihilating the Tianxi City corps in the open field! Once they are destroyed, our southern flank is completely secure, and we can resume our push south without resistance!
"Furthermore, the railway line connecting Tianxi City and Xiuyang City feeds directly into Tonglong City! If we secure that line... hehe. Imagine how much loot we can plunder from those supply trains!" Hu Hao laughed, outlining his multi-layered strategic trap.
"I understand now!" Dong Qipeng finally grasped the brilliant, ruthless design.
"Hao-ge, so the assault on Tonglong City is just a feint? The real objective is Tianxi City?!" Long Yagu asked, seeking confirmation.
"Wrong! Both objectives are real! I am using the genuine threat to Tonglong City to force the Tianxi City garrison out of their fortifications! If they refuse to sally forth, they remain a dagger pointed at our supply lines, blocking our southern expansion!" Hu Hao corrected him.
"Understood!" Long Yagu nodded thoughtfully.
"Instruct the commanders of those four armored divisions: maintain absolute vigilance on the Tianxi City garrison! The moment they sally forth, unleash hell! Once they are broken in the field, we immediately occupy Tianxi City!" Hu Hao ordered the staff.
"Yes, sir!"
At 7:30 PM, the torrential rain continued to pound the earth.
Tonglong City was plunged into absolute darkness. The massive searchlights the Allied forces had erected along the outer perimeter had all been systematically blinded by Eastern Spirit anti-aircraft fire earlier in the day.
The Allied garrison knew the Eastern Spirit assault was imminent, but they had no idea when the hammer would fall. They huddled in their trenches and reinforced bunkers, gripping their weapons tightly, waiting blindly in the dark.
"Slow down! Watch your step!"
In the pitch-black, rain-swept night, hundreds of operatives clad entirely in black, carrying massive tactical backpacks, silently infiltrated the outskirts of Tonglong City.
They had spent the daylight hours meticulously mapping their infiltration routes, identifying the weak points in the Allied perimeter where sentry coverage was sparse. The blinding rain and the destroyed searchlights provided the perfect cover for their silent insertion.
"Sector secure. Move up!" a Squad Leader whispered into his throat mic after ghosting into the lobby of a ruined commercial building. Dozens of operatives immediately flowed into the structure behind him.
"Map," a Platoon Commander ordered softly.
Two operatives held up a heavy, light-blocking tarp, creating a small tent. The Platoon Commander ducked underneath, clicked on a red-lensed flashlight, and quickly verified their position on the tactical map.
"We are at the designated insertion point. Initiate dispersal! Two-man teams! Maximum four teams per high-rise! Proceed to your assigned overwatch positions immediately! Use suppressed weapons only. If necessary, use blades! Move!" the Platoon Commander issued his final orders. The operatives nodded silently and melted into the darkness.
(End of Chapter)