Hu Hao stood at the firing line of the Late City armory's testing range, shouldering the massive 12.7mm anti-materiel sniper rifle. He aimed first at a derelict armored personnel carrier, then at a reinforced concrete bunker wall situated 500 meters downrange.
He test-fired both standard ball ammunition and specialized armor-piercing incendiary (API) rounds. The results were spectacular.
Even the standard rounds punched clean through the thick concrete walls with devastating kinetic energy. When he switched to the API rounds and targeted the APC, the heavy bullets sheared through the vehicle's armor plating at 500 meters with ease. Any crew inside would have been instantly liquefied by the spalling and overpressure. Hu Hao was absolutely thrilled.
With the Group Army transitioning to an offensive posture, this weapon was a game-changer. He couldn't manufacture self-propelled artillery or truck-mounted rocket launchers yet, but these heavy sniper rifles offered a terrifying alternative.
When paired with the upcoming 7.62mm designated marksman rifles, they would be an absolute nightmare for the Allied forces in urban combat. The marksmen would systematically assassinate the Allied officers, paralyzing their command structure, while the heavy snipers would punch through their fortified cover and shred their light armor.
After completing the test firing, Hu Hao returned to his makeshift quarters in the armory conference room to sleep, leaving the senior experts to finalize the manufacturing process. With mature blueprints, modern machining equipment, and ample raw materials, setting up the assembly line for the heavy rifles was a straightforward task for the seasoned engineers.
Hu Hao ordered an initial production run of 300 heavy sniper rifles. He intended to equip the Special Operations Regiment and Wu Kexiao's 106th Corps first. Eventually, he planned to distribute them across the entire Group Army, allocating a few heavy snipers to every infantry company to provide organic anti-armor and anti-fortification capabilities during urban assaults.
The following morning, the prototypes for the 7.62mm designated marksman rifle were ready. The armory's testing personnel ran them through a battery of rigorous trials and found zero defects. The materials science was sound, and the machining tolerances were flawless.
That afternoon, Hu Hao personally test-fired the 7.62mm rifles and, completely satisfied, authorized immediate, unlimited mass production. He even claimed one of the first production models for his personal use.
The armory staff respectfully requested that Hu Hao officially name the two new weapons systems.
Hu Hao designated the 12.7mm heavy sniper rifle as the "Late City Sniper Rifle," honoring the armory where it was manufactured. He designated the 7.62mm marksman rifle as the "Daman Sniper Rifle," honoring the current location of the 1st Group Army Headquarters.
With the production lines humming, Hu Hao urged the workers to manufacture the weapons as quickly as possible.
On the third day, the first batch was ready. Hu Hao packed 300 Late City Heavy Sniper Rifles and 1,000 Daman Marksman Rifles into a convoy and drove straight to Santong County.
Upon arrival, he immediately distributed 100 heavy snipers and 300 marksman rifles to the best shooters in the Special Operations Regiment, ordering them to familiarize themselves with the new weapons systems immediately. He left an additional reserve stockpile at the Santong County base and loaded the rest of the rifles back into the convoy, intending to deliver them to Gunan City.
However, before heading to the front lines, Hu Hao had to return to Daman City to handle a mountain of administrative work.
He finalized the curriculum for the second cycle of the Officer Training Academy, instructing the staff officers to utilize the video recordings of his previous lectures and emphasize practical tactical wargaming. He also had to personally review and approve the roster of officer candidates for the upcoming cycle.
By the time he finished the administrative backlog, it was already the next day.
That evening, Hu Hao ordered the 3,000 men of the Special Operations Regiment to mount up in armored personnel carriers, and the massive convoy rolled out toward Gunan City.
The torrential rain continued unabated, but the primary highways in this sector had not yet been destroyed by the war, allowing for rapid mechanized movement. The convoy was accompanied by hundreds of heavy transport trucks loaded exclusively with ammunition; they didn't need to transport grain, as Wu Kexiao's forces had secured ample local food supplies.
The convoy arrived in Gunan City shortly after 6:00 AM.
Corps Commander Wu Kexiao and his subordinate generals were already waiting at the headquarters to receive him. Before Hu Hao's command vehicle even arrived, the vanguard elements of the Special Operations Regiment had dismounted and flawlessly secured a massive perimeter around the headquarters.
"Commander Wu... these soldiers... they are absolute elites! What unit is this?!" a Colonel standing next to Wu Kexiao gasped, watching the Special Operations Regiment deploy with terrifying, silent efficiency.
"I'm not sure. But given their bearing, this might be the rumored Special Operations Regiment Hao-ge has been training personally!" Wu Kexiao stared at the silent, lethal soldiers, genuinely intimidated. He had never seen troops project such an aura of sheer, suppressed violence.
"Greetings, Corps Commander Wu. I am Major General Dong Qipeng, Commander of the Special Operations Regiment. Hao-ge's vehicle is approaching now," Dong Qipeng said, stepping out of the shadows and approaching Wu Kexiao.
"Ah! You're Hao-ge's academy classmate! But... you... you feel completely different now!" Wu Kexiao recognized him, but was taken aback by Dong Qipeng's profound transformation.
"Hehe. How am I different? I'm exactly the same!" Dong Qipeng chuckled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.
Everyone who knew Dong Qipeng from his academy days noted the chilling change in his demeanor. Even Mo Qin had commented on it. Between the relentless, brutal combat training and the internal cultivation techniques Hu Hao had imparted, Dong Qipeng now radiated a palpable, dangerous intensity even when standing perfectly still.
"Hao-ge is here!" Brigadier General Zhao Yang called out, spotting the approaching command vehicle.
"Mm," Dong Qipeng nodded and moved to the side of the road.
Hu Hao's vehicle rolled to a stop, and he stepped out into the rain.
"Greetings, Hao-ge!"
"Hao-ge!"
The assembled generals snapped to attention and saluted crisply.
"At ease! Thank you for waiting out here in the rain," Hu Hao smiled warmly, returning the salute.
"It's no trouble at all, Hao-ge. You're the one who's been traveling all night! Please, come inside. I've arranged quarters for you; have some breakfast and get some rest!" Wu Kexiao urged, gesturing toward the headquarters.
"There's no need for rest; I slept in the APC on the way here. We'll eat and immediately begin reviewing the tactical situation. Dong Qipeng, have the men stand down and get some rest!" Hu Hao ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Dong Qipeng saluted and moved to relay the orders.
"Please, right this way, Hao-ge!" Wu Kexiao led him inside.
"A massive ammunition convoy is trailing right behind me. Wu Kexiao, your 106th Corps is going to be the tip of the spear for this offensive. You have the option to push south or east.
"However, I know that neither you nor the majority of your subordinate commanders have ever orchestrated a multi-division offensive before. That is precisely why I came here. I will personally oversee this operation and guide you through the process until you find your footing," Hu Hao explained his presence as they walked.
"Yes, sir. I apologize for my incompetence. I know I'm making you worry, Hao-ge," Wu Kexiao smiled sheepishly.
"Nonsense. We all know where we started. A few months ago, you were commanding a single regiment! You handled that perfectly. Now, you're commanding an entire Corps—over 70,000 men! The logistical and operational complexities increase exponentially. It's completely natural that you feel overwhelmed initially," Hu Hao reassured him.
"Hehe. That's the honest truth. When I was a Regimental Commander, I thought being a Corps Commander would be glorious and easy. Now that I'm actually sitting in the chair, I realize it's a nightmare! Offense, defense, logistics, officer training, troop morale, civilian administration... it's endless! I actually miss the simplicity of commanding a regiment!" Wu Kexiao laughed, shaking his head.
Hu Hao chuckled in understanding.
They soon arrived at the 106th Corps combat operations center. The 106th Corps officially comprised the 430th through 434th Divisions. Hu Hao took a seat at the main conference table, joined by Wu Kexiao and the three officially appointed Division Commanders. The remaining two divisions currently lacked commanders and were being directly managed by Wu Kexiao.
"Hao-ge, please, have some breakfast," Wu Kexiao offered as staff officers brought in trays of steaming food.
Hu Hao nodded, grabbed two steamed buns, and walked straight over to the massive strategic map covering the far wall.
Over the past few weeks, the 106th Corps had successfully expanded their perimeter, pushing roughly 100 kilometers south, 150 kilometers east, and 120 kilometers southeast.
Directly south of Gunan City lay Tianyu City. To the southeast lay Tianjing City. To the east lay Nanli City.
Intelligence indicated that Tianyu City was garrisoned by a single Allied division. Tianjing City and Nanli City were each held by two Allied divisions.
Hu Hao chewed on a bun, his eyes scanning the map. Wu Kexiao and the three Major Generals quickly gathered around him.
"Our forces have encircled all three of these cities. Are there still Eastern Spirit civilians trapped inside them?" Hu Hao asked, pointing at the map.
"Yes. And it's a strange situation, Hao-ge. The Allied forces have largely ceased their indiscriminate massacres. They still execute people, of course, but the wholesale slaughter has stopped.
"Consequently, there are still massive civilian populations trapped inside those cities. The Allied garrisons have established strict curfews and shoot anyone attempting to flee on sight.
"However, refugees still manage to slip through the cracks. Because our forces weren't originally deployed in this sector, the civilians here were completely overrun by the initial Allied invasion before we could reach them. So yes, the cities are still packed with our people," Wu Kexiao reported grimly.
"Oh? Massive civilian populations?" Hu Hao looked at Wu Kexiao, his eyes sharpening.
"Yes, massive. When we captured the smaller county towns during our initial push, we annihilated the isolated Allied regiments garrisoning them and liberated tens of thousands of civilians.
"Because we're actively fighting the invaders, civilian recruitment in this sector is incredibly easy! Hao-ge, if you hadn't ordered us to strictly cap our troop strength, I wouldn't just have 80,000 men right now! I could easily have recruited 180,000, or even 280,000!" Wu Kexiao stated proudly.
"Sigh. We must adhere to the official establishment authorized by the Emperor for now. Furthermore, we simply don't have the officer corps to command that many men! Look at your own Corps; you're still missing two Division Commanders! What use is a mob of 300,000 armed civilians if there are no officers to lead them? It would be chaos," Hu Hao sighed, shaking his head.
"Hao-ge... does that mean we're just going to blindly follow every order from the Imperial Capital forever?" Wu Kexiao asked in a hushed tone, voicing the unspoken question shared by many in the Group Army.
"We will follow their orders for now. But... if they attempt to issue blindly suicidal or utterly incompetent strategic directives... we will ignore them," Hu Hao stated softly, his eyes locked on the map.
Wu Kexiao nodded, a small, fierce smile playing on his lips.
"Tianyu City. I will personally lead the Special Operations Regiment tonight and annihilate that Allied division.
"Tomorrow evening, we will assault either Tianjing City or Nanli City; I will make the final determination after assessing the aftermath of tonight's operation.
"Once those cities are secure, the 106th Corps will continue its expansion to the east and south. And once the next batch of officers arrives from the academy, we will resume mass recruitment and training!" Hu Hao declared, his finger stabbing the map at Tianyu City.