Kelly and Jasman observed the sporadic firefights from the ruined building for a while longer before retreating to their underground command bunker. The Eastern Spirit forces were only committing roughly two regiments to these localized probing attacks; Kelly's battered corps was still capable of holding the line against such a small force.
Upon returning to the bunker, Jasman immediately found a quiet corner to sleep. Kelly, however, remained seated before the tactical map.
He stared at the map of Yonghe City. Thus far, they had managed to push roughly three kilometers into the city center. However, Yonghe City was massive; the main urban sprawl spanned over fifteen kilometers in diameter!
The muffled thump of artillery and the continuous clatter of gunfire echoing from the surface couldn't distract Kelly. He sat there, his mind racing, desperately trying to formulate a plan to annihilate the defending forces. Even with his severely depleted strength, there had to be a way. He just hadn't found it yet.
Before he knew it, midnight had arrived. Kelly noted that Hu Hao's forces still hadn't escalated their attacks or committed additional troops.
His confusion deepened. He knew Hu Hao still possessed significant forces within Yonghe City. Why wasn't he attacking? It was incomprehensible. This was a golden opportunity to crush the 1st Corps. It simply didn't align with the profile of the brilliant commander who had allegedly annihilated several Allied corps.
"Damn it, what game are you playing?" Kelly muttered under his breath.
He couldn't fathom his opponent's reasoning. He refused to believe Hu Hao was an incompetent commander who simply failed to recognize the opportunity. So why wasn't he attacking?
Once the Mara 14th Corps arrived tomorrow evening, this golden opportunity would vanish forever.
"Commander, perhaps their troops simply lack the will to fight. We've engaged many Eastern Spirit units; their combat resolve is generally quite weak," a senior staff officer suggested tentatively.
"Do they look like they lack combat resolve to you?! Do not compare Hu Hao's troops to the rest of the Eastern Spirit Army, or we'll all end up dead without even knowing how! After suffering such horrific casualties today, have you still not realized what we're facing?!" Kelly snapped, glaring at the officer.
"Yes, sir. But... why would they squander such a perfect opportunity? Any competent general would seize this chance to strike, even if their own forces were depleted! Because once our reinforcements arrive, this opportunity will be gone forever!" the staff officer countered, genuinely perplexed.
"Yes... why indeed?" Kelly nodded slowly. He couldn't understand it either.
On the surface, the combat continued. The Eastern Spirit artillery sporadically pounded the Allied-occupied sectors. Even if the shells didn't inflict direct casualties on the dug-in troops, they systematically demolished the surviving buildings, ensuring the Allied forces would have less cover when the defenders eventually counter-attacked.
Exhaustion finally overtook Kelly, and he dozed off in his chair. When he awoke, the sky outside was already growing light. Checking his watch, he saw it was nearing 6:00 AM.
"Damn it... he really didn't attack," Kelly muttered, standing up.
He walked out of the bunker to stretch his stiff limbs in the cool morning air. Looking up, he noticed the sky was blanketed in a distinctive, scale-like pattern of white clouds.
"Cirrocumulus clouds... a massive storm is coming," Kelly realized instantly. Just yesterday, the sky had been a clear, brilliant blue. Today, the "mackerel sky" signaled a drastic change in the weather.
"Contact the 14th Corps immediately! Tell them they must accelerate their march! If the torrential rains hit before they arrive, the roads will become impassable!" Kelly barked at a nearby staff officer, his brow furrowed in deep concern.
The rhythmic popping of gunfire continued from the city. The Eastern Spirit forces had maintained their localized, two-regiment probing attacks throughout the entire night.
"Report! The casualty figures from last night's holding action have been compiled. We suffered over 2,000 casualties since nightfall. Approximately 100 of those were killed by artillery fire," a staff officer reported, handing Kelly the ledger.
"Mm. Acceptable losses. Do we have any estimate on the casualties we inflicted on the Eastern Spirit forces?" Kelly asked.
"No, sir. We remain largely blind regarding their tactical situation," the staff officer admitted.
"Report! Urgent flash from Military Intelligence! Reconnaissance flights have detected another two Eastern Spirit divisions approaching! However, they haven't entered Yonghe City yet; they have just arrived in Meilin City, directly behind Yonghe City.
"Air reconnaissance strongly suggests they are mobilizing to reinforce the Yonghe City garrison!" an intelligence officer sprinted out of the bunker and shouted the report.
"WHAT?! Two more reinforcing divisions?!" Kelly was utterly stunned. He snatched the telegram and scanned it rapidly.
"Damn it all! And they're mechanized infantry too?! Where the hell are they getting all this heavy equipment?! Late City's arsenals can't possibly be producing this much armor this quickly!" Kelly roared in frustration.
He hadn't anticipated Hu Hao moving even more reserves from the rear. By this calculation, even after the 14th Corps arrived, the Allied forces would not possess a decisive numerical advantage.
At that moment, Jasman emerged from the bunker, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Seeing Kelly glaring at a telegram, he immediately asked what had happened.
"Read this. Two more mechanized divisions just arrived in Meilin City. Intelligence predicts they will reinforce Yonghe City soon," Kelly handed him the paper.
"Impossible... two more divisions?! Just how massive is Hu Hao's army?!" Jasman gasped, reading the report in disbelief.
"Damn it!" Kelly cursed into the morning air, profoundly depressed by the unending stream of bad news.
His elite 1st Corps had been battered to the brink of collapse, yet Hu Hao was still casually pouring fresh troops into the meat grinder. He had expected this deployment to be a glorious, straightforward campaign. Instead, he had walked into a nightmare.
Since landing in the Eastern Spirit Empire, the 1st Corps had never faced a truly formidable opponent. Now, they were bleeding out against an enemy whose true strength remained a complete mystery.
"Perhaps Hu Hao is literally recruiting men off the streets and sending them straight to the front lines! It's entirely possible he's actually running out of troops, which is why he's relying on these raw recruits! If that's the case, as long as we strike fast and hard, we can still crush him!" Jasman theorized desperately.
"Strike fast?! Look at the sky! Do you think we're going anywhere 'fast' now?!" Kelly pointed upward.
Jasman looked up and blanched at the sight of the mackerel sky.
"The torrential rains..." Jasman's face drained of color.
"Hu Hao's luck is absurd! Absolutely absurd! Damn it, what the hell were our intelligence agencies doing?! How could they completely miss the emergence of such a terrifying commander?! If we just had one more week of clear weather, we could annihilate him! We could absolutely crush him!" Jasman raged, his voice echoing over the ruined city.
"Commander, complaining won't change the weather. We must impress upon the 14th Corps and the Holy Ancient 7th Corps the absolute necessity of a forced march. If they don't arrive before the roads turn to mud, we are doomed. But as long as our forces remain entrenched here, we can continue to pin Hu Hao down!" Jasman advised, trying to salvage the situation.
"I have already issued the orders. Sigh. I truly never imagined we would be beaten this badly," Kelly sighed heavily.
Meanwhile, at Hu Hao's headquarters, Hu Hao had also just woken up. He stepped into the main command center to review the situation in Yonghe City. He noted that the Mara 1st Corps hadn't launched any counter-attacks during the night; they had simply absorbed the localized probing attacks from his own troops. The sporadic fighting was still ongoing.
"Mm?" Hu Hao suddenly frowned. "Elevate the drone cameras. I want to see the sky!"
He immediately turned and jogged out of the command center. Stepping outside, he looked up and smiled broadly. The sky was blanketed in cirrocumulus clouds; the bright blue of the dry season was entirely gone.
"Hao-ge! Lu Guangsheng just called! Torrential rain just hit Nage City! A massive downpour! All offensive operations there have been suspended!" a staff officer sprinted out of the building, shouting the news.
"It's here! The rainy season is finally here! Excellent!" Hu Hao pumped his fist in elation. As long as the rains had arrived, his forces would have the critical breathing room they needed to expand and train.
"Hao-ge, the drone feeds are adjusted!" the engineering officer called out from inside. Hu Hao immediately hurried back in.
"Hao-ge!"
"Hao-ge!"
Seeing their Commander so ecstatic, the staff officers couldn't help but smile and cheer as well.
"Even the heavens are on our side! The rainy season is here! Haha!" Hu Hao laughed loudly. The junior officers joined in his laughter, the tension in the room evaporating.
Looking at the drone feeds from Yonghe City, Hu Hao saw the same mackerel sky. He knew the rain might not hit there until the afternoon, while his own headquarters might see rain by late morning.
"Contact the regimental commanders in Yonghe City. Order them to launch a fierce, general offensive immediately following breakfast! I want them to hit the 1st Corps with everything they have! We need to make the 1st Corps scream for help, forcing the 14th Corps to accelerate their march and blindly rush into our trap!" Hu Hao commanded.
"Yes, sir!" The staff officers immediately began relaying the orders.
"Contact Commander Xiao Quan. Tell him to push his forces to Jinhe City at maximum speed!
"Simultaneously, order the two reserve divisions currently staging in Meilin City to advance into Yonghe City immediately!
"Order Li Jingsong to mobilize two divisions and deploy them to Xiwan City, ready to reinforce Yonghe City at a moment's notice!
"Order Lu Guangsheng to finish off the Vaal Kingdom forces as quickly as possible, then prepare his forces to push south! He is to capture as many cities as possible and aggressively expand his recruitment drive!"
Standing before the massive map, Hu Hao rattled off a rapid succession of strategic orders, shifting his armies across the board to capitalize on the shifting weather.
(End of Chapter)