246: Battle of Hongdu

After his defeat, Xiang Wentian was ultimately forced to bow his head and admit his mistakes under Zhang Lei's peerless martial prowess and Jiang Xin's unfathomable pressure, finally acknowledging the fact that the Xijiang Province Hongdu Military Region was to be merged into the Red Alert Legion.

Subsequently, filled with humiliation and shock, he hurriedly left Longxing City without lingering for even a moment.

After seeing off this uninvited guest, Jiang Xin quickly focused his energy on the overall campaign to reclaim Hongdu. After repeated simulations with the Staff Department, the final general offensive plan was officially finalized!

The scale of the forces deployed for this general offensive was unprecedented, totaling a massive force of seven brigades and one division! This included four absolute main brigades of the Red Alert Legion, as well as the newly reorganized Mixed Brigade One, Mixed Brigade Two, Yao Ke's Divine Sword Brigade, and the Hongdu Independent Division formed from the original forces of the Hongdu Military Region. The total strength exceeded sixty thousand men!

The campaign deployment was as follows: the four cities surrounding Hongdu—Jiangzhou, Yuanzhou, Raozhou, and Lingchuan—corresponded to the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast directions of Hongdu. The four main Red Alert brigades stationed in those areas would serve as the primary force, attacking the northern, western, eastern, and southern urban districts of Hongdu respectively.

· The Divine Sword Brigade would assist in the attack on the Western District.

· The Hongdu Independent Division would assist in the attack on the Northern District.

· Mixed Brigade One would assist in the attack on the Eastern District.

· Mixed Brigade Two would be deployed in the Southern District for coordinated operations.

Aside from the already liberated Qingshan County, Zhongling County, and Jiancheng County, the core and most densely populated areas of Hongdu—the Economic Development Zone, the High-Tech Zone, and the Old City District—would become the most tragic and critical main battlefields of this campaign.

Reclaiming Hongdu was of immense significance! This was the first time since the apocalypse began that humanity had launched a full-scale reclamation campaign for a megacity with a population exceeding thirty million! Hongdu was also a heroic city carrying a profound history! Successfully reclaiming it would be like a shot of adrenaline, greatly boosting the confidence and morale of all survivors struggling to exist in the apocalypse across the country and even the world!

Kyoto

Inside a heavily guarded office in the Kyoto Base.

Xiao Weihua, the highest official of the National Government, held the "General Planning Report for the Battle of Hongdu" personally submitted by Jiang Xin. As he flipped through it carefully, a look of uncontrollable relief and joy gradually appeared on his face.

“Good! Excellent!” He lightly tapped the report and instructed the confidential secretary beside him, “Comrades Jiang Xin and Zhang Lei are truly the pillars of our Hua Country and the hope of our nation! Immediately pass down the order: in the name of the National Government, telegraph all major survivor bases nationwide. The heroic unit of Xijiang Province—the Red Alert Legion—is about to launch a full-scale reclamation operation for the heroic city of Hongdu! Require each base to actively publicize this; we must ensure all citizens know about this to inspire the people's hearts and gather our strength!”

“Yes, Chief!” The confidential secretary took the order solemnly and left quickly. Soon, this news spread like wildfire to every major base across the country. Countless survivors were inspired and prayed... The Red Alert Legion could be said to have gone all out this time; aside from the necessary base defense forces, almost all masters had rushed to the front lines.

Jiang Xin personally took command, responsible for directing the battle in the Northern District; Zhang Lei led the Western District; Li Ang was in charge of the Southern District; and Chen Hao took the Eastern District. There were more than twenty Third-Tier Masters accompanying the army!

Northern Line: Qingshan County Command Post

The atmosphere was tense at the Qingshan County Base, which served as the bridgehead connecting to the Northern District of Hongdu. The 1st Brigade of the 1st Army of the Red Alert Legion from Jiangzhou was making a forced march toward this location. Meanwhile, the vanguard of the Hongdu Independent Division, which had already completed its re-equipment and possessed high morale, had begun to exchange fire with zombies on the outskirts of the Northern District.

Inside the temporary command center, Jiang Xin sat in the main seat with a steady expression. Over twenty high-ranking officials from the Legion and the Independent Division, including Tanya, Lu Qinian, and Governor Wu Changming, sat on both sides, their gazes focused on the electronic sand table in the center.

“Everyone,” Jiang Xin began, his voice clear and calm, “according to the summary of all our current reconnaissance methods, one piece of good news is that we have not yet detected any super Third-Tier Corpse Kings like the ‘Phoenix City Twin Giants’ within the urban area of Hongdu. However, this is also bad news—it means there are likely multiple ordinary Third-Tier Corpse Kings of relatively equal strength within Hongdu. Without an absolute king to rule them, they act independently, and we cannot trigger a Zombie Tide to destroy them all at once.”

Jiang Xin paused, his finger tracing over the dense clusters of buildings representing the Northern District on the sand table: “Therefore, our only tactical choice is to fight steadily and advance step by step. Using the armored units and Mecha Units as the spearhead for the assault, with Third-Tier Masters stationed at key nodes, supplemented by a large number of Evolvers forming clearing squads, we will clear the zombies block by block and building by building. The air units will be responsible for fire support and reconnaissance, and will continuously broadcast rescue signals, doing our utmost to search for, rescue, and transfer every survivor.” The operational plan was quickly confirmed; although the process was destined to be full of difficulties, it was the most stable method with the lowest potential casualties under the current circumstances.

Western Line: West Suburb Base

The West Suburb Base had now become the core forward base for the attack on the Western District. Inside the base, tanks and armored vehicles roared as soldiers conducted their final pre-battle checks.

Dressed in a brand-new Red Alert Legion uniform that still couldn't hide a trace of his rough, wandering air, Yao Ke was currently both excited and somewhat at a loss.

Yao Ke found Zhang Lei, who was checking a map, scratched his head, and said with a hint of nervousness: “Big brother... this... truly commanding such a large modern force to fight a war... I... I'm a bit unsure of myself!” Although he could manage a group of a hundred thousand people in the apocalypse, commanding a modern, highly coordinated brigade-level operation was an immense pressure for this young man with little education.

Zhang Lei looked up at his younger brother, a gentle smile appearing on his face as he patted his shoulder firmly: “Xiao Ke, don't be nervous! Everyone has a first time. I was also crossing the river by feeling the stones at the start, learning as I went! Don't worry, the brigade Chief of Staff is a veteran sent by the Legion. Just follow him and learn well—watch more, ask more, and be less impulsive. With time, you'll naturally gain experience!”

Hearing Zhang Lei's encouragement, Yao Ke breathed a sigh of relief, then became excited again, his eyes gleaming: “Brother! That fight you had with that guy named Xiang a few days ago was too awesome! That Fire Qilin, that Black Tortoise! My god, it was practically like a deity!”

“Alright, enough flattery,” Zhang Lei interrupted him with a laugh, his expression turning serious. “Organize your troops, check the equipment, and keep the communications clear. The order for the general offensive could be issued at any time; don't drop the ball at the critical moment!”

“Yes! I guarantee I won't drop the ball!” Yao Ke immediately straightened his back, gave a decent salute, and turned to run toward his troops, trying his best to put on a dignified appearance.

Eastern Line:

On the outskirts of the Eastern District, Mixed Brigade One and the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Army of the Red Alert Legion had completed their final assembly before the attack. Several chinook transport helicopters and hind attack helicopters circled in the sky, emitting a massive roar. Inside the cabin of one chinook, several core figures of Mixed Brigade One were sitting together.

Li Mu looked through the porthole at the massive army formation below and said with emotion, “Old Yan, to be honest, who would have dared to think we’d be riding in these big guys to fight a war? It’s truly impressive, and it’s even better for fighting zombies!”

Yan Shi crossed his arms and agreed in a gruff voice, “You bet! This thing is much more satisfying than the bows and spears we used at the university!”

At that moment, a Second-Tier Evolver team member nearby seemed somewhat dissatisfied and muttered in a low voice, “Bosses, we’ve been risking our lives with the Legion for months, and only now did we get assigned armed helicopters. Look at those guys with the surname Luo in Mixed Brigade Two; they haven’t been here long, and they’ve got armed helicopters and new equipment. The treatment is just too good!”

Hearing this, Yan Shi frowned and glared at the man, his tone carrying a reprimand: “Put away those petty thoughts! In the future, stop starting friction with the people from the Second Brigade! They brought their own assets to the table! A large base of thirty to forty thousand people with complete light weaponry—that’s solid capital! What were we at the start? A ragtag bunch! Over ten thousand students and civilians, holding wooden sticks and homemade longbows to build the Lingchuan University Base! The fact that the Legion could give us a regular brigade designation right from the start is already a huge favor and trust! Otherwise, with a group of college students like us who haven’t had formal military training, you want to be regular army? You’re dreaming!”

Li Mu also added in a serious tone, “Old Yan is right! Don’t spend all day complaining and comparing this and that! If you want to compare, compare who kills more zombies on the battlefield and who earns greater merit! The original Hongdu Military Region had five or six hundred thousand survivors and a much thicker foundation of regular troops, yet they’ve only formed one division now. We should be content with what we have today and be grateful! If you’re so dissatisfied, why don't you become the Commander-in-Chief of the Legion?”

After being lectured by his two superiors, the team member’s face instantly turned red, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak further. Other team members in the cabin who originally had similar thoughts also put away their petty ideas, their gazes becoming determined. They understood that if they wanted to win respect and better treatment, they could only prove themselves with strength and military merit in the upcoming bloody battle!

The gears of war had begun to turn slowly. The sixty-thousand-strong army was like four giant steel pincers, slowly closing in from four directions, their target aimed straight at the heroic city—Hongdu!

(Thanks to book friends 'Reading Too Fast' and 'Earth-Shattering Fire Dragon' for the gifts. If possible, please leave a good review for this book, thank you.)