《Arc of Fire》 Chapter 1: Script Murder? No, It’s Time Travel! When Wang Zhong saw the silvery-haired girl in military uniform before him, his first reaction was to think it was a COSPLAY from some hardcore military-themed anime game that wasnt pandering to otakus. Usually, hed take a second look at such a sight, but the vibrations of the floor and walls interrupted his appreciation. "What the hell is that? he asked loudly, only for the dust falling from the ceiling to float into his mouth. The beautiful girl in front of him shushed him and whispered, Tank! Wang Zhong was stunned, Tank? He scratched his head, trying to figure out what was going on. He first tried to recall the events leading up to now, but couldnt remember anything besides getting drunkah, it was almost Chinese New Year, and hed had a drink with some friends. Could it be that his friends had dragged him to a murder mystery role-y caf while he was drunk? And then he just happened to run into this beautiful girl and they started a game together? Wow, what luck, better add her on WeChat first. Wang Zhong reached into his pocket for his phone, but instead of finding it, he pulled out a document.The document cover felt very sturdy, like it was made of leather. Wang Zhong was impressed; the shop was pretty good, with realistic settings and props. Then he opened the document and was stunned by the photo inside. Whats going on? Thats not me in the photo! It was only then that Wang Zhong btedly realized something all the people around him had inmon: they were all fair-haired, blue-eyed foreigners. Where are my friends? Did they leave me behind to y a murder mystery game with strangers? Could it beits not a murder mystery game, but but that Ive traveled through time? Wang Zhong just briefly considered this possibility, but immediately dismissed it. One must believe in science; this was definitely a prank by his mischievous buddies, damn it, ying me for a fool. The resentment that had just begun to build dissipated after another nce at the beautiful girl before him; damn, this was even better, he definitely had to connect with the foreign beauty on WeChat. His prankster buddies were probably hiding somewhere, watching the joke unfold. Well, Ill add the beautiful girl on WeChat, and thatll wipe the smiles off their faces! Just then, the rumbling sound grew closer, and the vibrations in the walls and floor became more pronounced. Wang Zhong noticed two small windows by the wall he was leaning against. They were ced high up, with sunlight nting through them. They seemed like basement light wells; Wang Zhong had a ssmate who moved to Beijing after graduation and always lived in such basements, often sharing photos on his moments, asionally ying with various prison cell jokes. He tiptoed a little, drew closer to one of the windows, and peered out. He saw a pair of military boots near the window. For a murder mystery game, isnt this a bit too realistic? He was puzzled when suddenly more pairs of boots appeared. It felt like there was a toon passing by outside. What in the world? The next moment, Wang Zhong saw the source of the trembling and rumbling C tank tracks. The murder mystery caf not only had a toons worth of actors but also got hold of a tractor? Thats not right, is it? Wang Zhongs breath quickened; he vaguely felt that he truly might have traveled through time. So, that rxed, carefree, unconcerned mood vanished instantly. He retreated and took another look around the basement room. Aside from him and the beautiful girl, there were four males, all with Northern European faces. Everyone was wearing the same style of military uniform, mainly khaki with a somewhat drab green cor section. Three of the men were holding rifles, which Wang Zhong thought looked a lot like the MosinCNagant. The rifles had bays fixed, and one of the bays was stained red. Wang Zhong looked several times at that red stain, thinking that it couldnt have already been used to kill someone, could it? The remaining man held a weapon that looked a lot like the Finnish Suomi submachine gun, his uniform slightly different from the others, with two V-shaped marks on the sleeve. "Sergeant? Wang Zhong tentatively asked. The submachine gun man looked at Wang Zhong, What, do you need a diaper? The men allughed but quickly subdued their voices. The girl turned her face away, embarrassed. Wang Zhong: Diaper? The sergeant nced at Wang Zhongs crotch. Wang Zhong looked down and discovered he too was wearing a khaki uniform, and the color of his crotch was noticeably darker, spreading out radiantly. He felt it, and sure enough, it was wet! "This isnt my pee! Truly, it wasnt! Im freaking out here! Wang Zhong, though hed never been on a battlefield, did not think he was the type to wet himself at the first sign ofbatprobably. No, definitely! The pee also felt mostly dry, it definitely wasnt fresh, so whos was it? Wang Zhong suddenly remembered the document in his hand and hurriedly flipped it open. The photo in the document was of a young and handsome guy with a frivolous smile, obviously also with a European face, next to which was all in a script that Wang Zhong had never seen before, somewhat resembling Cyrillic. Astonishingly, Wang Zhong understood their meaning. It was then that Wang Zhong realized that from the beginning, everyone had been speaking a foreignnguage, but he understood it as if it were Chinese. Wang Zhong found his name next to the photo: Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, and there was a prefix before the name, which tranted into Chinese might mean something like sir or excellency? By now, the rumble of the tank had moved away, and gunfire could still be heard in the distance. At that moment, the sergeant with the submachine gun spoke up, The gunfire is about one or two kilometers away from us, definitely the forces of Duke dimir still resisting. We should cross through enemy territory and join up with the duke. After finishing, the sergeant turned to Wang Zhong, Your Excellency, what do you think? One of the soldiers mocked, Why ask him? Be careful he wets his pants again! From now on, his nickname will be Pissypants Rokossovsky. "Shh! Careful the count doesnt settle the score with youter and lock you up! another soldier said, although his warning to hisrade was unequivocally delivered in a sarcastic tone. The sergeant seriously said, The count is ourmander, of course, we need his agreement. Count, what do you think of what I just said? Wang Zhong thought to himself, what can I think? Ive onlymanded troops in a game; Im aplete outsider. It seems like nodding is all I can do now. Normally, this is when the cheat would activate. Come out, Deep Blue. The next moment, Wang Zhongs perspective shifted to an overhead view. What the heck? Have I be some kind of satellite spirit? Is there really a cheat? Unfortunately, most of the satellite view was dark, with only the basement they were in clearly visible. He then realized this was the familiar overhead perspective from the real-time strategy games he knew so well. With years of experience ying real-time strategy games, he immediately recognized that the highlighted figure in the view must be himself. This satellite view even had an interface; that thing in the top right corner of the view must be the unit tabthe symbol of the forces under hismand. Currently, inside the unit tab, there was only a solitary unit: Wang Zhongs consciousness immediately noticed a tag that read: Lieutenant Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. Well, the only unit is myself? What happened to me being themander? Just then, Wang Zhong heard a girls voice and hurriedly switched his view back to himselfit seemed the switch was as easy as a mere thought. The girl said, I think Sergeant Semyon is right, Alyosha, lets do that. Alyosha, the nickname for the name Aleksei of the body he inhabitedRussians typically used nicknames only with close associates. With acquaintances, they would use the patronymic, which in this case was the lengthy middle name Konstantinovich. Wang Zhong said, Wait a moment! The enemy just passed by; its not good to act rashly. Lets wait here for a while. In reality, Wang Zhong wanted to buy time to understand the cheat. If they started moving, who knew what dangersy ahead and they wouldnt be able to properly examine the cheat. The sergeant hesitated but eventually nodded, Then we wait a bit. Be careful not to be discovered by the Prussians. The Prussians, that must be the name of the enemy. There definitely is no country named Prussia on Earth; I must be somewhere other than Earth. Wang Zhong once again entered the overhead perspective, and his first attempt was to focus his attention on the girl in the room with him; sure enough, her name popped up: Ludm Vasilyevna Malyukhova, Captain, Prayer Hand. Huh? Whats a Prayer Hand? Wang Zhong had assumed the girl was a medic. He focused on the term Prayer Hand for a second, but no further exnation appeared. What the hell, this cheat is wed. Although he could clearly see Ludms designation, she did not appear in the unit tab list. Reluctantly, Wang Zhong shifted his attention to the other four people. Sergeant Zakayev and then a lengthy string, Private First ss Semyon and then a lengthy string, Private Ivan and then a lengthy string, Private Yuri and then a lengthy string. The sergeant was a submachine gunner, and the rest were riflemen. Wang Zhong also wanted to check their ammo situation but, unfortunately, there was none. Having determined he couldnt glean more from these people, Wang Zhong turned his attention to the house beside them. He could see through the roof of the house they were in, and through the floors of the first and second floors to the basement. He thought whether he could switch the disy to other floors, to get a better look at the ground floor situation. But it was useless. He then tried to view the situation of his own people who were engaged in distant fighting, but he was unable to do so. Could it be this cheat is merely a change of perspective, and Im actually seeing the same information that my eyes can see? To verify this, Wang Zhong switched back to his own perspective, stood up, went to the window, and looked outside. Maintaining this position, he switched to the overhead view, and then noticed that thendscape outside had appeared. He saw a street, no, half a street because he could only see the buildings across from their basement. However, this view was much clearer than with his own eyes. With his natural vision, he could only see the ground floor of the buildings, not even knowing how many floors there were. But with this overhead view, he could see even the rooftops clearly. This cheat still had some merits. Just as Wang Zhong was appreciating the cheat, he heard footsteps. Hearing footsteps from an overhead perspective was as if the sound wasing from heaven. Wang Zhong realized it was because the footsteps wereing from above his head; his hearing hadnt switched to the overhead perspective. No wonder the gunfire still sounded so distant. He switched back to his natural perspective and saw that everyone in the room was looking at the ceiling. Wang Zhong also looked up to see that the ceiling was made of wood, and someone was currently stepping on it with heavy boots, producing a loud thumping sound. Then someone spoke in a foreignnguage he couldnt understand. If he had to say, it had a bit of a German feel to it, but Wang Zhong couldnt be sure. Ludm murmured softly, Prussians! At that moment, Wang Zhong saw a crack in the ceiling and had a bold idea. Just now, with my own eyes, I could only see the opposite buildings first floor, but after switching perspectives, I could see up to the second, third, and even the rooftops. Could it be? He decided to give it a try. Chapter 2: The First Subordinate Wang Zhong carefully picked up a stool and ced it under the crack, then tiptoed onto the stool. That way, he just managed to bring his eyes close to the crevice. Then he switched to a birds-eye view. With the birds-eye view, he could see everyone in the basement staring at him dumbfounded. Wang Zhong didnt bother with the others and directly switched the view to the first floor. This time the switch was sessful. Wang Zhong actually couldnt see anything through the crack, but after switching views, he had a clear view of the entire room on the first floor. The entrance led directly into the living room, with stairs to the second floor on the left, and two doors leading to other rooms. Wang Zhong couldnt see the other rooms, but he had aplete view of this one, including the enemy soldiers with their heavy footsteps.There were two enemy soldiers, dressed in ck military uniforms, helmets with spikes on top, reminiscent of the German helmets from World War I. Wang Zhong focused, and sure enough, information about the enemy appeared, but there were no names or affiliations, just the type of soldier: both were riflemen. The two soldiers clearly werent very alert, one was rifling through drawers while the other took a bite from the bread on the table, then scrunched his face and spat it back out. He cursed under his breath, which Wang Zhong didnt understand. However, Wang Zhong was feeling quite good about himself at the moment, after all, having a cheat made one feel different C it invariably gave him more confidence. Just as Wang Zhong was about to switch back to tell everyone the situation upstairs, the soldier eating the bread threw the bread away and headed toward the doors to the other rooms. He left Wang Zhongs field of vision. No matter how hard Wang Zhong tried, he could no longer see him. Wang Zhong heard someone beside him hiss. He switched back to the birds-eye view of the basement and saw a private by the door with his finger to his lips; he must have been the one who had hissed. Immediately afterward, Wang Zhong also heard footsteps, and they were noting from upstairs. The soldier who had just left the field of vision was moving down the stairs to the basement! Wang Zhong hurriedly returned to his normal vision and whispered, Two riflemen, one upstairs looting, the other onese down. The sergeant looked at Wang Zhong, and it was clear from his expression that he did not believe him. It made sense, after all. Peering through such a narrow crack anding away with so much information would make anyone skeptical. Whats more, Wang Zhongs predecessor had just embarrassed himself by wetting his pants. Put yourself in the other persons shoes; he would not trust someone on the battlefield who had just wet himself. By now, the enemy had reached the door. Upon finding it locked, he began to smash at it with the butt of his gun. The banging on the door made Wang Zhong tense up. He felt that it would be better to have a weapon in hand under such circumstances, so he drew his pistol. Nobody noticed Wang Zhong pulling his gun, as everyones attention was fixed on the main door. After a few hits, the enemy outside stopped. Just as Wang Zhong thought the enemy might be giving up, anguage he did not understand came from the other side of the door. Ludm, hiding in the corner, whispered, He said the door can only be locked from the inside, he knows were in here, and hes telling us toe out. The sergeant clicked his tongue, No choice now, we have to break out. He nced down to check the chamber of his submachine gun. "Xiemiao, move away from the door; Ill shoot the enemy through it! Wang Zhong thought to himself, how could this be okay? There was another enemy upstairs. If you fire, youll draw them all here. He stepped forward, grabbed the sergeants gun, and whispered, No! Use the bay! Theres another enemy on the first floor! We hide against the wall in the blind spot of the doorway, Ludm goes to open the door, act scared, try to pull the enemy in, and Xiemiao will stab the enemy from the side. The sergeant stared at Wang Zhong, even ncing down at his crotch. Clearly, he was hesitating whether or not to listen to a coward who wet himself on the battlefield. The enemy was still loudly demanding an answer. A secondter, he gestured for the others to hide. Seeing the sign, Ludm shouted something in the enemysnguage, and the voice outside suddenly quieted down. Then, the enemy responded in a much softer tone. Ludm: Im going to open the door. The sergeant pulled Wang Zhong aside into the blind spot next to the door. Xiemiao, closest to the door, gripped his rifle with the bay attached tightly. Wang Zhong pressed himself against the wall, trying hard to make his breathing less noticeable. To tell the truth, Wang Zhong was very nervous, his palms sweaty, barely able to hold his pistol steadily. He had to hold his gun with his left hand, rubbed his sweaty palm vigorously against his clothes, and then switched back. Damn, he didnt know if his cheat had any enhancement to personalbat; if not, then without any enhancement, he was just a nk, and facing the enemy would mean certain death. Ludm adjusted her uniform, and perhaps because she was European, she really was voluptuous. Despite having a delicate face, her figure was incredibly curvaceous. She continued to respond to the enemy while moving to the door to grab thetch, and finally, she looked at the sergeant. That look didnt go to Wang Zhong, the nominalmander, indicating that even now, Ludm still saw the sergeant as the one calling the shots. The sergeant nodded, and Ludm immediately pulled the door open,pletely disregarding Wang Zhongs opinion. Wang Zhong couldnt see the enemy from his angle, but he had the birds-eye view; a quick switch would reveal the enemys eyes widening. After all, Ludm was genuinely attractive. Ludm reached out to grab the enemys rifle, pulling him into the room. The enemy came in without any resistance. Chapter 3: The First Subordinate (2) Semyon made a split-second decision, lunging forward with the bay aimed at the enemys nk. The enemy let out a ghastly scream. Ludm was quick on her feet, smothering the enemys mouth with her hand. But it was toote. From the first floor came another enemys query, Gas wrench? In a moment of desperation, Wang Zhong said to Ludm, Scream! You scream! Ludm immediately let out a piercing scream as if she was being sexually assaulted. Wang Zhong saw the enemies were stunned because he hadnt done anything yet, he was even a bodys length away from Ludm with a rifle between them. Semyon stabbed several more times, and the fiercely resisting enemy finally stopped moving. Immediately, Wang Zhong said to Ludm, You lie on the table, hold on to this dead bastard, and keep screaming to lure the second enemy down.Ludm did as she was told. Just as Wang Zhong was about to issue an order to Semyon, he saw Semyon had already hidden beside the door. This birds-eye view was pretty convenient, literally keeping an eye on all directions. The second enemy appeared at the door and upon seeing Ludm, he outrightughed: Wow, to death or glory, huh! The lust-driven enemy didnt even notice the bloodstains on hisrade and walked straight into the room. Semyon shouted and lunged forward with his bay. But this enemy was quick, dodging the thrust and grabbing a helmet to smash it onto the overextended Semyons head. Semyon screamed in pain, likely pierced by the spike on the helmet. Damn, could that spike reallye in handy like this? The enemy yelled out, pulling out a dagger and stabbing it into Semyon. From his birds-eye view, Wang Zhong clearly saw that Semyon was no longer moving. Shifting his focus didnt provide any exnation. Private Ivan lunged with his bay, striking the enemy in the heart. The enemy stared at Ivan, his mouth agape, but said nothing. Maybe because Wang Zhong had been watching everything from this birds-eye view the entire time, it felt surreal to him until he switched back to his own eyes and smelled the thick scent of blood. Ludm: Are there any more enemies? Wang Zhong: With all thismotion and no inquiry, there should be none. As he spoke, Wang Zhong went to the door to check outside and found that outside was also a basement, not the corridor he had assumed. In this room, a staircase against the wall led to the ground level. Wang Zhong: We should head to the rooftop first, to assess the surroundings. This cheat of his needed a field of view; getting to the rooftop would probably light up the surroundings. He turned around to look at the people in the room and saw everyone staring at him. The sergeant said, No, we leave directly. Do you want the enemy to spot us on the rooftop? Ludm stood up from the corpse: We already lost one person luring the enemy down here for a surprise attack. If you had just opened fire, sergeant, wed all probably be dead by now! The sergeant shook his head: This was just blind luck, a greenhorn who wets himself on the battlefield wont get lucky every time! We should leave now before the enemy notices us! Vasilyevna,e with us, well ensure you get back to the allied forces and return to your unit! Wang Zhong was momentarily confused before realizing that Vasilyevna was Ludms patronymic. Russians address someone of general acquaintance or higher status with their patronymic, and it is impolite to call them by their first name alone. Well, maybe not Russians, since this isnt Earth, but clearly, the people here followed the Russian convention. Ludm hesitated, then said, No, I support the Major. The sergeant shook his head, Then theres nothing I can do, were going! With that, he pushed past Wang Zhong who was standing at the doorway, clutching his submachine gun as he headed for the stairs to the first floor. The two privates followed him. In the blink of an eye, the room was left with only Wang Zhong, Ludm, and three dead bodies. Ludm looked regretful. Wang Zhong: You can still catch up with them. Ludm bit her lip and looked at Wang Zhong: No, I think in our current situation, the chances of survival with either side are not high. Wang Zhong: Youre right. He took a deep breath and turned towards the corpses. He picked up Semyons gun and handed it to Ludm: You need something to defend yourself; can you shoot? Ludm took the gun and proficiently checked the chamber, then looked up at Wang Zhong: I scored higher than you in shooting, Major, dont you remember? "Oh, is that so? Wang Zhong mused internally, what kind of pure loser had he reced. After salvaging another rifle, several grenades, and some ammunition from the other two bodies, Wang Zhong decided to move out. He moved stealthily up to the ground floor, promptly switching to the birds-eye view. It was then that he noticed in the upper right-hand corner of his field of vision, aside from himself, there was another badge, focused on the new badge it read: Captain Ludm Vasilyevna Malyukhova, Divine Arrow. So, people who would follow his orders would be added to the badge? And what in the world was Divine Arrow? Wang Zhong switched floors and suddenly realized he could see the basement as well. Could it be that, like in real-time strategy games, this cheat allowed him to see through the eyes of the troops under hismand? This was indeed convenient, as gainingmand over more troops would widen his field of vision. Regardless, he now had a soldier under hismand. And such a beautiful girl at that. Wang Zhong cautiously moved to the second floor and discovered that it had been hit by artillery; there was arge hole in the wall facing the street. Ludm: We were originally on the second floor, but before we could destroy the enemys tank, we received a direct hit from a shell, and the entire Divine Arrow squad was reduced to just myself. Chapter 4: The First Subordinate (3) Whats the Divine Arrow team? Ludm: Sergeant Zakayevs infantry battalion was supposed to be covering us nearby. Our team, including the infantry battalion, is under yourmand, Colonel! But you got so scared by that shell that you pissed your pants and scurried into the basement to hide! So thats why Sergeant Zakayev doesnt want to be under mymand, Wang Zhong thought to himselfit made sense. Wang Zhong looked at Ludm: Trust me, I have I am no longer who I was before! Indeed, he was no longer the same person. The cowardly wimp must have been scared to death, and I die in another world probably due to drinking, I guess, and then I end up in this cowards body. It doesnt matter, whats important is whates next. After calming Ludms emotions, Wang Zhong was about to turn around to survey the situation when he suddenly remembered something very important and continued to ask Ludm: We err Asking Ludm which country he belonged to now seemed inappropriate. It might even cost him the little bit of trust he had just gained and lose his only subordinate.Forget it, survivales first. Wait a minute, if its about survival, wouldnt surrendering also be an option? After all, Im a Chinese person, theres no need to fight to the death for a country whose name I dont even know. Maybe Wang Zhongs expression gave away his thoughts, because just then, Ludm said: If youre thinking of surrendering to the Prussians, Ill shoot you first! Well, that options off the table. Wang Zhong thought to himself that hed better take it one step at a time. He crawled to the edge of therge hole andy down, peeking out from the edge while switching to an overhead view. Boy, the entire fan-shaped area aheads terrain had been lighted up. Of course, some buildings higher than the second floor still blocked the view, leaving patches of shadow. Within the area Wang Zhong could see, enemies were disyed. Wang Zhong even spotted Zakayevs squad. They were moving along an alley, with the enemy right in front of them. Then Wang Zhong watched as they encountered the enemy, not even having time to think about what reaction to make. There was a half-track armored vehicle among the enemy; its machine gun immediately opened fire, and the leading sergeant was knocked down in the first burst without even firing a shot. The two privates following the sergeant tried to run but were caught by the tracer bullets from the machine gun and fell to the ground. The squad was wiped out just like that. At this moment, Wang Zhong heard Ludms anxious voice: The gunfire is close, whats going on? Wang Zhong: Sergeant Zakayev is dead, theyre all dead. They happened to run into the enemys half-track armored vehicle. Ludm fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, So what do we do? She didnt even question how Wang Zhong knew all this. Wang Zhong observed the east in the overhead view, since Sergeant Zakayev headed east, he guessed the friendlies must be to the east. About three blocks away, Wang Zhong spotted friendlies inbat. He couldnt see too far from the overhead view. The problem was there were a ton of enemies on the route, along with at least ten tanks and armored vehicles. After watching for a while, Wang Zhong found that although there were many enemies, the buildings significantly obstructed their line of sight. As long as he could maintain the overhead view, it was possible to sneak through. The keyy in two points: first was whether he could control his movements in the overhead view. After all, this system didnte with a mouse; he couldnt really move troops with a click like in real-time strategy games. Wang Zhong targeted himself and thought about having the figure lying on the ground move a bit. To his surprise, as soon as the thought emerged, his body really moved, and he even felt the tactile sensation of his body scraping against the floor. Feeling these sensations in the overhead view was quite strange, and Wang Zhong felt a strong dizzinessit was likely because his brain hadnt adapted to the condition, causing the dizziness due to the mismatch between physical sensations and visual perception. Simr to the principle of some people getting dizzy from 3D games. Wang Zhong moved again and ended up too dizzy to bear. He had to give up on moving himself while in the overhead view. But could he move Ludm? He tried to use his powers on Ludm, attempting tomand her with his mind, but it was to no avail. Suddenly, Wang Zhong realized he had done something stupid: Damn it, why use my mind? Just give the order out loud. "Ludm, he said, do you see the window on your right hand? Go over there and look outside, be careful. Ludm eximed: How can you see behind you? "Just had an impression. Go! Ludm moved to the window, and so Wang Zhong gained a view of the back of the room. This works! Thenter on, let Ludm provide the view up front, and Ill follow behind! Wait a second, wouldnt it be too ungentlemanly to let the girl take the lead like this? After a brief hesitation, Wang Zhong shamelessly chose the option that gave him a higher chance of surviving. He said: Ludm, I think I know the way. Youre a good shot, you take the lead, lets get moving. Chapter 5: Injured So, Wang Zhongs small squad set off like this. If I have to say, a grown man having a young girl take the lead does feel a bit embarrassing. But thest time I fired a rifle with live ammo was during military training in college, where I fired a total of five bullets and missed the target with one. If I were to go in front and encountered the enemy, even if I shot first, theres a high chance Id miss and then most likely just be an easy target. Wang Zhong watched Ludm from an overhead perspective, and at this time, he could tell she was very well-endowed, her form heaving with her movements, clearly visible even from above. But right now, Wang Zhong was not in the mood to be distracted, focused intently on the enemys movements. After all, this was a battlefield, and anypse in concentration could be fatal. Ludm squatted at the corner, cautiously peeking out. Wang Zhong instantly gained aplete view of the other side of the corner, and he could even see the first floor of the building directly opposite Ludm. Thanks to this view, Wang Zhong spotted enemies on the left, probably because it led to the citys main thoroughfare.He wanted Ludm to move right, so he tried tomand her with his mind, but it was no use. Thereupon, Wang Zhong called out softly, Ludm! The girl turned back, and Wang Zhong pointed to the right, Go right! There are no enemies on the right! Its not that Wang Zhong didnt want to give the order quietly; its just that he didnt understand tactical hand signals, nor did he know if the hand signals in this world were the same as those on Earth. Ludm turned to the right, and Wang Zhong immediately followed, the two of them moving one after the other to the next intersection, fortunately without encountering any enemies. The girl stopped at the intersection, looked back at Wang Zhong with suspicion, How did you know there were no enemies this way? Wang Zhong casually brushed it off, I guessed. Ludm frowned, Guessed? Do you realize how bad it would be if we ran into enemies? Wang Zhong, I know. This time, go left. He had already mastered the skill of speaking in an overhead view, though the disorientation still made his head spin, but it wasnt as severe as before. Thus, even as he conversed with Ludm, he had already confirmed there were no enemies on the left and, incidentally, the sound of gunfire wasing from their left as well. Measured in terms of the cardinal directions, that would be the east. This meant that the chances of running into friendly forces if they moved east were very high. Ludm stared at Wang Zhong for a second before ultimately following the order and crouched as she crossed the street corner. Wang Zhong immediately switched back to his natural visionhe still couldnt navigate while using the overhead view, as it made him extremely dizzy. With his natural vision, Wang Zhong ran to the street corner and peeked out, just in time to see Ludms retreating form. Although the girls figure was tempting, the limitation of this perspective was too great; Wang Zhong switched back to the overhead view without any attachment, being watchful of the surroundings. Just as he switched back, he saw a jeep driving down the alley behind him. He immediately crossed the corner, narrowly avoiding the jeeps field of view in the nick of time. However, moving his own body while in the overhead view brought on an intense dizziness that assaulted his brain, forcing him to exit the overhead perspective as he leaned against the wall and began to retch. He heard footsteps behind him and immediately turned and raised his gun, only to find Ludm running back towards him. "I saw you werent well, so I came back The girl looked concerned, Your face is pale, what suddenly happened? To Ludm, it seemed that Wang Zhong had turned pale out of the blue. Wang Zhong, Im fine! Despite feeling dizzy, he didnt forget about the jeep, so he immediately peeked his head a tiny bit outside, then switched to an overhead view. The jeep was indeed making its way along the street; there were three people in the vehicle, with the driver unarmed, a sergeant in the passenger seat with a submachine gun, and what appeared to be an officer in the back, wearing arge cap. Wang Zhong, Jeep, hide quickly! Immediately after, Wang Zhong noticed that there was no open building on either side of the alley; it was definitely toote to hide. So he made a split-second decision to change orders, No, hand grenade! While saying this, he switched back to his natural vision and took out a hand grenade, unscrewing the cap at the end Suddenly, he changed his mind and handed the grenade to Ludm beside him, You throw it! Wang Zhong had never thrown a hand grenade in his life; if he did the throwing, he might just make things worse. The enemy had submachine guns, and at such a close distance, if the first wave didnt kill the enemy, both he and Ludm would probably be done for right there. Ludm, with a speechless expression, I havent thrown it many times either. After all, Im a prayer. Not like shooting and horse riding, which I often practiced at home. Wang Zhong, Still better than me, just poke your body out and throw it when I say. As he spoke, Wang Zhong switched to the overhead view again. Wait a second, shouldnt I vacate the corner? But there was no time left. The jeep was almost upon them, and Wang Zhong shouted, Now! Ludm leaped out from the corner with an agile step, raising her hand. Wang Zhong saw something arcing towards the enemys vehicle. But the thing didnt explode right away! Ludm had thrown it as soon as she pulled the pin! Wang Zhong watched as the sergeant in the passenger seat aimed the submachine gun at Ludm! In a moment of desperation, he poked his head out and yelled, Look out! The enemy was also tense, and upon hearing the shout, they immediately swung their guns around and fired at Wang Zhong. By the time Wang Zhong ducked back, it was a fractionte, and his shoulder felt as if it had been hammered. Immediately after, the submachine gun bullets rattled against the bricks at the corner of the wall. The next moment, the grenade exploded. From an overhead perspective, Wang Zhong clearly saw the firing sergeant blown off the vehicle, while the driver mmed into the steering wheel, passing out. The hat of the officer in the back seat flew off, and it was unclear whether he was dead. The uncontrolled car charged straight towards Ludm! The girl, nimble as a hare, lightly leaped to dodge. The jeep thus crashed into the civilian house by the road. Wang Zhong exhaled in relief and ordered, Pick up that sergeants submachine gun, while switching back to normal vision to check his wound. His shoulder was a red mess, and upon tearing it open, he found a bullet had left a scar as wide as a finger. The moment he saw the wound, searing pain struck Wang Zhongwhat happened to adrenaline preventing pain? Wang Zhongs first instinct was to search for a medical kit to see if it contained morphine or simr drugs. He did find a medical kit, but upon opening it, he only found bandages and a packet of powdered substancebeled sulfanmide. In war movies, medics often poured powdered substances into wounds in emergency treatments, but Wang Zhong didnt know if this was sulfanmide and didnt dare to sprinkle it, instead using the bandages to wrap his still-bleeding arm. Its said that the brain secretes substances to numb itself against pain, perhaps that mechanism was at y because after Wang Zhong bandaged his hand tightly, the pain significantly subsided. Ludm approached with the submachine gun, and immediately noticed Wang Zhongs arm, Youre injured? Wang Zhong: No, Im just wrapping it for fun. He didnt know why he felt the need to be sarcastic. Ludms expression grew noticeably calmer, It doesnt look too serious. Wang Zhong: Did you get the submachine gun? What about the ammo? "Got it all, Ludm patted the ammo pouch slung across her waist. Wang Zhong nced at it. The way the ammo pouch was slung gave off the feeling of the German army. He took a closer look at the captured submachine gun; indeed, it closely resembled an MP40. Noticing Wang Zhongs gaze, Ludm said, Im not very good with this, you should take it instead. Im more confident with bolt-action weapons. Wang Zhong pointed at his shoulder, Does it look like Im in any condition to shoot a gun? In reality, any strong use of his arm caused his shoulder to throb with a pain like knife cuts. Ludm sighed, tightened her grip on the submachine gun, and muttered, Ive only ever seen the Prussians use this kind of gun. Luckily I understand theirnguage to know which part is the safety Wang Zhong: Lets move, the grenade explosion and car crash have probably already drawn the enemys attention. Ludm took a couple of steps forward, then turned back to look at Wang Zhong, Shall I help you? Wang Zhong stood up, I was hit in the arm, not the leg. Lets go! A momentter, the two-person team that was Wang Zhong and Ludm had moved on to another intersection. Ludm peeked out, and Wang Zhong saw that about two hundred meters north of the intersection, both sides were engaged in fiercebat. Soldiers in khaki uniforms upied avish building, firing a barrage of weapons from the windows down to the street. The ck-d soldiers were scattered on both sides of the broad east-west main road behind various types of cover. Wang Zhong spotted two burning tanks on the street, presumably destroyed by the khaki-d forces anti-tank firepower. But oddly enough, Wang Zhong looked around and couldnt pinpoint the location of the anti-tank guns. As he wondered, Ludm turned her head. Immediately, Wang Zhong lost most of his field of viewthe system he was using only provided a vision in the direction the eyes were facing, much like the vision mechanism in hardcore real-time strategy games like Men of War. Ludm called out to Wang Zhong behind her, Come quick! We just need to cross the street, and we should be able to link up with our allies! Wang Zhong: You go ahead; Ill catch up immediately. Ludm: Alright, Ill scout for enemy fire for you. This conversation I let you cross because I made sure there were no enemies! Before Wang Zhong could voice hisint, Ludm stood up and dashed across the street. Once assured she was safe, Wang Zhong switched back to normal vision and began to move. Now his view was severely limited to himself; hed lost control over the battlefields overview, and inner unease set in, with a nagging fear of being hit by a stray bullet. Better a short pain than a long one! Wang Zhong steeled his heart and sprinted, bolting out of the intersection and across the expansive street. Ludm was hidden behind amppost, vigntly holding the enemys submachine gun. No sooner had Wang Zhong reached her than the door of a shop on the street corner swung open. A soldier in khaki uniform poked his head out, Quick, get in! Wang Zhong patted Ludm on the shoulder, Lets go! With that, he was the first to rush into the shop, with Ludm closely following. Chapter 6: Accident After barging into the room, Wang Zhong let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps because he had put his mind at ease, his wound began to hurt. So he yelled with full breath, Medic! Immediately, a female medic appeared, Whos calling? "Me, me! Wang Zhong raised his left handthe right one was injured and couldnt muster much strength. He could raise it, but it would hurt. The female medic rushed over and swiftly tore off Wang Zhongs sleeve, skillfully unraveled the bandage, Who did this dressing? Wang Zhong, I did it myself. It was an emergency. We had just blown up an enemy jeep, and we didnt know when the enemy would hear it ande over. The female medic, This is horribly done, and you havent disinfected it, its already starting to fester. Expect a fever. The good news is the bullet went through. As she spoke, she took out a packet of yellow powder and sprinkled it all over Wang Zhongs wound.Wang Zhong screamed in pain. The female medic teased, Dont scream, your girlfriend is watching. Originally observing the outside, Ludm immediately turned her head upon hearing this, Im not his girlfriend. I am a prayer hand, part of the 55th Divine Arrow Group, but my Divine Arrow was destroyed by a tank. When Ludm said this, she nced at Wang Zhong, hesitated briefly before adding, I narrowly escaped under themand of Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov. In reality, right after Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky had been bombarded by a tank, he had fled pell-mell into a basementliterally in a most undignified scramble. By saying this, Ludm was preserving Wang Zhongs dignity. Realizing this, Wang Zhong surreptitiously closed his legs, which he had spread apart, fearing someone would notice the stain on his trousers. The pee wasnt his; it was best if it went unnoticed. The officer who had just let the two in frowned slightly, Colonel Rokossovs battalions defensive area is two blocks away. Has this battalion already copsed? Wang Zhong recalled the scene he had witnessed from the second floor; it seemed there were no khaki-d troops left resisting nearby. So he answered, Yes, my unit has disintegrated. The reason for the disintegration, of course, was the sight of theirmander ignominiously taking cover, which would make any unit fall apart. The questioning officer cursed and fiercely rubbed his stubbly beard. Ludm nced at Wang Zhong and said, The enemys assault was too fierce; there was nothing we could do. Wang Zhong remembered, Ludm called him Alyosha, which was a nickname for Aleksei. If the custom in this country was simr to that of Earths Russia, calling each other by nicknames implied they were rtively close. Perhaps Ludms assistance in covering for him was due to this rtionship. Wang Zhong felt slightly dejected. He thought he had already won the girls trust. Ludm continued, I need to rejoin my unit. My squad has been dispersed across the entire 79th Division, there must still be some of myrades alive, and I want to join them. "Youre just in time, the stubbled officer said, Monk Yeca Neikos squad just lost their prayer hand. Ill get someone to take you there, Stepan! A burly middle-aged man appeared, Sergeant Major, did you call me? The stubbled one pointed at Ludm, Take this captain to Monk Yeca Neikos squad, shes a prayer hand. The burly man nodded, Follow me. Ludm stood up, gently cing her hand on Wang Zhongs shoulder, Alyosha, youre wounded; go and rest properly. If I donte back, take care of my parents for me. This girl obviously knew the peeing colonel quite well. Even though Wang Zhong didnt even know the name of the country they were in, with no patriotic fervor, as a man, with the girl preparing to face death so bravely, he couldnt possibly show cowardice. "No, he said, Ive only got a light injury; I can still fight. Ludm seemed surprised and stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds before smiling sweetly, Not this time. If youre worried I might think less of you, rest easy. I couldnt possibly look down on you; you got injured trying to save me. Indeed, Wang Zhong had shouted to draw attention when he saw the enemy aiming at Ludm, which got him hit. Ludm went on, If you remove yourself from the front lines now, no one will hold it against you. Leave honorably, and after youve healed, give those Prussians a taste of their own medicine! After speaking, Ludm turned decisively, giving the burly man a nod, Lead the way. The two then left. The stubbled Sergeant Major snapped his fingers, Xie Na, finish dressing the colonels wounds, and find a stretcher bearer to take him to the rear. Wang Zhong, No! I can be evacuated, but first I need to report the intelligence Ive gathered to To whom? Wang Zhong didnt recognize anyone. Wait a second, his identification seemed to have the unit number on it, but he hadnt remembered it in the rush. Before he could reach for his ID, the stubbled man said, Do you mean to tell Duke dimir? Wang Zhong, Yes! Ive juste back from enemy territory, and en route, I killed a high-ranking officer in a jeep! Actually, Wang Zhong didnt know why he was trying so hard to stay at the front line; his original n was to survive in this chaotic world, and to achieve that goal, he should have been safely evacuated to the rear. Perhaps it was Ludms performance that had stimted him. Or maybe he just didnt want to leave Ludm alone on the front line. When he had a moment, Wang Zhong checked his vision and found that on the interface of his cheat, Ludms soldier tag was gone; he had be amander with no troops under him again. Just as Wang Zhong was feeling conflicted, Bearded Guy spoke up, Okay, technically speaking, you are a Lieutenant Colonel, and we have no choice but to follow your orders. Anton! Another decorated private entered the room: Present! Bearded Guy: This is Lieutenant Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, take him to themand center. "Carry him there? asked the private in surprise. Wang Zhong stood up on his own, pushing away the medic who was still trying to wipe the bloodstains off him: I can walk. Private: Please follow me. Following the private to the backyard, Wang Zhong realized that an opening had been made in the courtyard wall; from the looks of the edges, it was clearly intentional. "Did we make this hole? he asked the private. "Yes, the duke ordered it to be made, the private answered with evident pride. The duke has experience in civil wars; he said it would help connect the defense areas. We worked all night to break through these walls. Of course, the Prussians also helped a lot, with their bombs! While talking, the two passed by a crater five or six meters in diameter, with the surrounding buildings half-copsed. "See the spire ahead? Saint Maria Cathedral, they say its a building from six hundred years ago, built of huge stones, even 155mm heavy artillery cant do anything to it! Now its the dukes headquarters! Wang Zhong looked toward the spire the private was pointing at, then noticed that there was no cross on top of the spire; instead, there was a sun emblem. This really wasnt Earth; even the religions were different. Five minutester, Wang Zhong arrived in front of the cathedral. The guiding private saluted the sentries at the door and then announced loudly the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. A lieutenant immediately came out from the cathedral: The Colonel has arrived? The duke is waiting for you. Wang Zhong furrowed his brow slightly; the duke is waiting for me? The private saluted Wang Zhong: Im heading back now. Wang Zhong took the opportunity to learn the militarys way of saluting and imitated it: Thank you, I wish you good luck from here on out. The private walked away without looking back. Wang Zhong followed the lieutenant who hade to receive him into the cathedral. Although most of the sky outside was covered in gunpowder smoke, sunlight still shone through the stained ss windows, coating the interior of the cathedral in ayer of sacred light. The lieutenant led Wang Zhong through the chapel, into the sacristy at the back. The sacristy had now been transformed into amand center, covered with at least six radios and eight telephones as far as the eye could see. The kind of tick-tick-tick telegraph sound thats often heard in old war movies filled the room. A huge map of the citys defenses hung on the northern wall. The map was covered with arrows indicating enemy attacks. Duke dimir stood with his hands behind his back in front of the map. The lieutenant snapped to attention with a salute: Sir, Count Rokossov has arrived. Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows; they used titles of nobility here rather than military rank? Duke dimir turned to Wang Zhong: You are still alive, thats great, the Crown Prince personally sent a telegram ordering me to ensure your safety. The Crown Prince? Wang Zhong briefly recalled the equipment he had seen used by both parties on his way here, clearly that of World War II level armies; how was there still a Crown Prince? Had World War I not happened? It could be; there was a notion that the end of World War I was actually just an indefinite ceasefire, and that World War II and World War I were essentially the same war. Duke dimir turned to his aide: Arrange for forces to escort the Colonel back to Yekaterinburg immediately. Wang Zhong: Wait! I came to report on the situation at the front! Duke dimir didnt listen to Wang Zhong, continuing to give orders to his aide: Also, get the Colonel a new pair of trousers that fit. My tailor should have enough cloth. Wang Zhong looked down, then realized that the water stains were actually quite clear; people had just pretended not to notice earlier. This made his ears instantly burn hot, even though the stains were not his doing. Just then, a shrill whistling sound came from the sky. Duke dimirs face changed dramatically, and he roared with all his might: Its naval artillery! The next moment, the roof was pierced by a 381mm heavy artillery shell. Chapter 7: First Encounter with Divine Arrow What does it feel like to take a direct hit from a 381mm shell up close? At any rate, Wang Zhongs thoughts were severed in an instant. For the ten or so seconds after the shellnded, it was impossible to think at all; his whole head buzzed violently, as if ten thousand church bell towers were tolling simultaneously right beside his ears. In a daze, Wang Zhongs subconscious convinced him that he was surely deaf, because apart from the buzzing noise his brain conjured up from the shock, he couldnt hear anything else. But he wasnt deaf, and with a sharp ringing in his ears, about eighty percent of his hearing returned; he could faintly hear screamsing from not too far away. Wang ZhongLieutenant Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky struggled to rise from the ground, ncing at what remained of themand post building. More than half of the entire sacristy had copsed, and the remaining structure bore obvious cracks. The fallen ceiling buried nearly all of the telephones and telegraph machines, and themunications troops, as well as the staff officers who supervised them, were almost entirely wiped out. The telegraph sounds that had filled his ears just moments ago were reced by screams.Dazed by the st, when Wang Zhong saw a staff officer desperately scraping his severed hand out of the rubble, he sharply realized he should check for injuries on himself. It seemed he wasnt injuredapart from the arm that was already wounded. Wang Zhong was astonished; at that moment, his brain finally seemed to function again, and cold sweat btedly trickled down. Did he just narrowly dodge the Grim Reapers scythe? He looked beside him and saw the duke, pressed down by two guards, lying on the ground. The guards must have been sacrificed, covered in blood. Staggering over, Wang Zhong pulled the guards aside and found the duke beneath them, his head bleeding and at hisst gasp. "Duke dimir! Wang Zhong shouted loudly, Ill find a medic for you right away! "Dont bother, hurry up and go! The duke managed a few words before wincing in pain, it took him a long while to continue, If the battleship can shell us, it means it means the navy didnt stop the enemy, this city is indefensible! With that, the dukes head slumped, and he passed out. Just then, the medic finally arrived. He was a burly soldier, who roughly pushed Wang Zhong aside and checked the dukes pulse. "I need to perform cardiac massage on His Grace, the duke, right here! Wang Zhong took a step back, giving space to the medic. Thats when he heard someone calling him: Lieutenant Colonel! What do we do next? Wang Zhong turned in confusion, looking at the person who had spoken. The man had one less stripe on his epaulette than Wang Zhong, a captain with reddish-linen hairWang Zhong might have been stunned by the st, because the thought that popped into his mind was that in Japanese games, this hair color mostly belonged to the protagonist. The red-haired captain repeated his earlier words: Lieutenant Colonel! What do we do next? Wang Zhong pointed at himself, Youre asking me? Captain: Yes, youre the highest-ranking officer Ive found! Wang Zhongs gaze instinctively shifted to the duke, observing the sturdy medic performing CPR on him, seemingly with no hope of revival yet. He turned back and said, Look for someone else, there must still be survivors. Captain: Ive already looked! Ive been searching ever since the shelling, for twenty minutes now. Wang Zhong frowned, finally realizing he hadnt been dazed for just a minute, but had been unconscious for at least twenty minutes. No wonder the duke was already in bad shape when he came to; he had been lying under the two guards, bleeding out for so long. Wang Zhong: Uh, Im a bit dazed, lets rify the situation. How many people have you gathered so far? In truth, what Wang Zhong most wanted to ask was Whats the name of our country, which should have been on his ID, but he had forgotten to look, preupied with finding out his own name and neglecting the name of the country. It wasnt a good time to pull out the ID to check nowgiven the urgent circumstance. The captain answered, Ive rallied the staff for logistics and the field hospital. Most of the guard battalion has fled; themunicationspany too, we cant get in touch with any assigned units at the moment. Wang Zhong frowned: The guard battalion fled? Captain: The battalionmander of the guard battalion is probably killed by the st; I havent found any other officers, given the current situation Just then, the medic trying to save the duke gave up the resuscitation and stood up, shaking his head to the sergeant beside him. The sergeant eximed, All is lost, the duke is dead, all the senior officers have been wiped out! Now only the Duchesss male pet and the Crown Princes piss brother are left! Run for it! Wang Zhong, not sure where his decisiveness came from, bellowed, Catch him, execute by shooting! The soldiers nearby instinctively followed Wang Zhongs order, but hesitated after capturing the man. The sergeant kept shouting, Are you crazy! What Im saying is the only way out! Look at the lieutenant colonels pants, hes pissed himself! Lets capture these high-ranking twats and surrender to the Prussians! Wang Zhong even looked down specifically to make sure that he hadnt opened the gates during the bombardment. The sergeant was still moring, and the soldiers holding him were clearly hesitant. Wang Zhong suddenly realized that if he did not make a swift and decisive statement, the troops might disband. Once the troops were gone, his fate would be in others hands; he could only control his destiny if he had the troops. Drawing his pistol, his shoulder wound began to ache. He could only clench his teeth, raising the pistol at the still-shouting sergeant. Before firing, he didnt hesitate at all, but his first shot went awry, only knocking the sergeants hat off. He fired a second shot, but it only hit a distant wall. Apparently, shooting at the head from this distance was too difficult for someone attempting to fire a pistol for the first timeespecially with an injured shoulder. So Wang Zhong took a few steps forward, closing the distance while he shifted his aim to the chest, and at a distance less than three meters, he fired three shots in session, abruptly silencing the shouts of the officer. When he had blown up that truck full of Prussians, Wang Zhong hadnt personally pulled the trigger. This was the first time that Wang Zhong had fired at a person, and also his first kill. Wang Zhong felt unexpectedly calm, perhaps because he had seen too many dead and had grown ustomed to it? He lowered his gun and said to the soldiers who had restrained the officer, You did well. I will take over themand and lead everyone home. One of the two soldiers said, My home is here, in this city. Wang Zhong was startled for a moment before he remembered that these people were defending their homnd. He didnt even know the name of the country yet. If he had only wanted to save himself, he could have just taken off his uniform and hidden away as an ordinary person. After all, he wasnt an officer, nor was he from this country; he had no obligation to fight for it. While Wang Zhong was thinking this way, he suddenly remembered Ludm. If he ran away and this troop fell apart, what would be of Ludm? Wang Zhong had no loyalty to a country whose name he didnt even know, but he knew Ludm, and the girl was still fighting. He wanted to see Ludm again, to tell her he wasnt a coward, to wash away the negative impression left by his pre-transmigration cowardice. Thus, Wang Zhong made up his mind, and he said to the local soldier, Youre right, this is our home. The German devilsthe Prosen devils want to take it from us, and we will never agree! Nima, that was a close call almost saying German devils; those Prussians in their ck uniforms did indeed have a Germanic vibe. Wang Zhong turned to the captain and asked, Whats your name? "Sergei Nikyevich Romanov. Wang Zhong asked subconsciously, Are you from the royal family? The captain looked puzzled, No. The surname of the royal family is Antonov. Wang Zhong, I know. Its just that the artillery has left me deaf, and my hearing isnt too good. He made a random excuse and continued on the real issue, Try to restoremunication with the front line, organize personnel to rece the positions of the guard battalion, gather soldiers who are willing to continue fighting. Perhaps because Wang Zhongs voice was a bit loud, a fair amount of debris and dust fell from the ceiling. Wang Zhong looked up at the sky and asked, This ce isnt safe anymore, is there a more robust building nearby? Sergey, There is a bank building nearby made of concrete, and its still rtively intact. Wang Zhong, Lets move there. After saying that, he strode away from the swaying sacristy. The chapel outside was also bombed into a mess; the colorful stained ss that had impressed Wang Zhong before the bombardment was now shattered on the ground. The bank building was already empty; the guard battalion had set up machine gun positions here, but no one was manning them. Wang Zhong looked back at the two soldiers following him and ordered, Set up the machine guns. The two soldiers immediately went to do so. At that moment, intense gunfire came from a distance, signalling that the Prussians were attacking. Wang Zhong, Im going to the roof. No sooner had he spoken than he sprinted up the stairs, taking them two or three at a time straight to the rooftop. Since there were no railings on the roof, Wang Zhong had to lie down near the edge and raise his binocrs to observe. He was actually just pretending to use the binocrs; changing his viewpoint to an overhead view was much clearer! First he verified the troop markers on the interface, and found that there was only one new markerbeled Remnants, hovering his attention over it revealed the following exnation: A mob consisting of the field hospitals doctors and nurses, logistical department menials, as well as Honor Guards and the military band, who had never seen a battlefield, might be more adept at blowing trumpets than fighting. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue. Even though they were just remnants, Wang Zhong still gained their field of vision, but all the views were superimposed together without any specific indication of who they came from. As for control, he didnt have any way at all; even for Sergey right beside him, he couldnt issuemands by thought alone; he had to speak them aloud. However, with the external aid, Wang Zhong could clearly see the battle unfolding just a block away. The Prussians were advancing along the main east-west thoroughfare of the city. The khaki soldiers were resisting by relying on a sturdy five-story buildingyes, the very same building Wang Zhong had seen during their escape. The sergeant who had brought Wang Zhong tomand must be in some building on the south side of that structure. He didnt know where Ludm was Just as Wang Zhong had this thought, he witnessed a scene that took himpletely by surprise: a rocket fired from a window of a two-story building, trailing a long plume of smoke, crossed the entire street and hit a Prosen Tank that had juste into view. The tank immediately stopped moving, mes spewed from the top hatch, followed by tank crew members engulfed in mes jumping out and rolling on the ground to extinguish the fire. Subsequently, the tanks ammunition detonated, throwing the turret high into the air. Bazooka? RPG? Wang Zhong checked the distance and felt something was off; the rocket had flown over a thousand meters. With this distance, aside from whether rockets like the Bazooka could shoot that far, just aiming was a big issue. From this distance, the tank was just a small point, especially in aplex urban environment. At that moment, a word came to Wang Zhongs mind: Divine Arrow. The Divine Arrow was actually a missile? And Prayer Hand was actually a radio operator? Chapter 8: Evil Spirits in the Smoke To confirm this, Wang Zhong, who was lying beside him, asked Captain Sergey, Is Divine Arrow a kind of rocket? "Yes. Wang Zhong continued to confirm, Guided by prayers? "The prayer givers pray to God, and then God guides it. Sergey seemed to be making an effort to make his voice sound more devout, but he failed. By now, Wang Zhong had already determined that Divine Arrow was a kind of radio or wired guided weapon. It was just that the world might have developed again after the destruction of civilization, and modern people were unable to decipher the ancient technology used to make Divine Arrows. As an experienced yer of War Game: Red Dragon, he immediately realized how important this kind of anti-tank missile was under the current circumstances. Wang Zhong, Sergey, send someone to get in touch with the Divine Arrow team. That should be Monk Yeca Neikos Divine Arrow team. Ludm had joined Monk Yeca Neikos Divine Arrow team, and Wang Zhong remembered clearly that Monk Yeca Neikos team had lost their prayer giver, which is why Ludm had been urgently added to the group.Captain Sergey, Understood. Wang Zhong continued to observe the front line. After losing their tanks, the enemy did not stop their attack. The Prussians used mortars tounch a smoke screen, blocking the Divine Arrow teams view, and then a second tank, pushing the still-burning wreckage, charged forward. Wang Zhong was impressed, The enemy is very experienced. Captain Sergey, Didnt you notice? There is an iris flower symbol on the enemys sleeve, which is proof they took part in the Carolingian campaign. Wang Zhong had no idea what the Carolingian campaign was, and he didnt dare to ask in case it wasmon knowledge in this world. But Carolingian C there was a Carolingian dynasty in the history of the Earths Franks. Could it be that in this timeline, France was also steamrolled by the Germans, no, by the Prussians? And now these attacking Prussian troops, were they veterans who had participated in steamrolling through Carolingian? While Wang Zhong was pondering this, he saw the group that had justunched Divine Arrows leave their original position, apparently nning to move forward, to get past the smokescreen. "What the hell? Wang Zhong muttered under his breath, Advancing forward can indeed bypass the smokes barrier, but by doing that, youll be just two to three hundred meters from the tanks. The tanks could even hit you with their machine guns! "Huh? Captain Sergey made a puzzled sound, I didnt think to move forward? Wang Zhong, Not you! Monk Yeca Neikos team is moving forward, its too dangerous! Stop them! Captain Sergey looked puzzled and nced in the distance where he could only see a bunch of buildings,pletely unable to see Monk Yeca Neikos team. In fact, without an overhead view, it was impossible to get such detailed front-line intelligence from the rooftop because most of the view was blocked by buildings. Captain Sergey, I dont even know where they are. How did you see them? Wang Zhong shut his mouth. It would be rather troublesome to exin the use of an external helper, and hed have to be careful in the future to only issuemands without telling others why he was giving those orders. At this moment, Wang Zhong had already confirmed through the overhead view that Ludm was indeed thereher figure was too good to miss, and with that silver hair, she could be easily recognized even from an overhead perspective. The current priority was to stop the Divine Arrow team from making a deadly mistake, but there was no way to contact them now. Just as Wang Zhong was worrying, Sergey said, Ive contacted the artillery group in the rear; the artillerymander wants to speak with you. Wang Zhong switched his view back and took the handsetonly then did he notice that at some point, the signalman had run the telephone line up to the rooftop. "This is Count Rocossov speaking, go ahead. He almost blurted out This is Wang Zhong! "Count Rocossov? Why are you inmand? The voice on the other end was very surprised, Its over Wang Zhong was very astonished; from the information the duke had revealed before, the Count Rocossov he was portraying was a friend of the Crown Prince, yet these people expressed their opinion of Count Rocossov so bluntly "Duke dimir is dead, killed by the Prussian Battleships bombardment. Weve suffered heavy losses. If youre calling to make light of our predicament, you might as well hang up now. "No, wait a moment. Im calling to tell you that the Prussians are about to reach our artillery position, and I can still provide you with one round of support. After that, youll have to fight without artillery support. Wang Zhong immediately zoomed his view to the farthest distance, which from such a height made it feel like looking at satellite images on Google Earth. Then something unexpected happened; there were troop icons on this satellite map. At Wang Zhongs location, there was a symbol with a rectangle and an X, representing infantry, while on the east side of the city, there was a marker for artillery. The marker was now green, and Wang Zhong felt like he had their vision. He zoomed in for a closer look and, indeed, he had the artillerys field of view. Was it because he was on the phone right now? As Wang Zhong was studying his own exploit, the person on the phone said, Give me the coordinates, and Ill shoot the shells as far as I can. Then you guys just have to fend for yourselves! At that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly noticed that there were still quite a few smoke bombs at the artillery position. A n suddenly struck him. Wang Zhong, Do you have smoke bombs? There was silence for a second on the phone, and then the reply came, Yes. What about it? Wang Zhong, Ill give you coordinates, shoot all the smoke bombs over there. Since the Prussians used smoke to obscure the vision of the Divine Arrow team, allowing their tanks to engage at a distance they excelled in, we could do the same. Using smoke topletely strip away vision, then let the infantry charge and engage the enemy in meleebat. During meleebat, the direct firepower of tanks would be useless. Of course, this would also prevent the machine guns from being effective, but the machine guns would be targeted and taken out by the enemy tanks anyway. The only question was whether the front-linemanders couldprehend the meaning of this round of smoke and seize the opportunity to counterattack. However, Wang Zhong didnt care about that much; his actual goal was to save Ludmif the enemy tanks vision waspletely stripped by the smoke, they naturally wouldnt be able to fire at the Divine Arrow team which Ludm was part of. Wang Zhong adjusted his field of view; his overhead perspective came with coordinates, which he then reported. Unbeknownst to him, Captain Sergey beside him was staring with wide eyes, his mouth agape. After Wang Zhong gave the coordinates, the other side repeated them and then reconfirmed the order, Fire all the smoke bombs at these coordinates, right? Wang Zhong, Right, fire them all. Dont use live rounds; this coordinate is right at the tense spot between the enemy and us, lots of the shells will fall on our own men. Smoke bombs arent very lethal; as long as youre not unlucky enough to be hit directly, they wont cause injury. "Understood. After firing these smoke bombs, well have to retreat. The enemys machine guns have surpassing fire thats already reaching us, you get that? "Got it! Fire! From the other end of the phone came the roar, Fire! Then the call was hung up. Wang Zhong used his overhead view to try to see the effect when he heard Sergey ask in surprise, You just called out the coordinates like that? Using just a telescope? "Yes, Wang Zhong replied nonchntly. "But they all say that you scored zero in every military subject! Captain Sergey said. Wang Zhong thought to himself, what a coincidence? That suits me just fine; Im a person with no military knowledge anyway, so I wont have to worry about giving myself away in the future. As he thought this, the smoke bombs came down. In an instant, the entire block, both enemy and ally, was engulfed in white smoke. Even Wang Zhongs overhead view was covered so tightly that he could see nothing. What happened next depended on whether the front-line infantrymand was cowardly or not. Wang Zhong had just this thought when he heard through the dense smoke a deafening war cry, Ura! Chapter 9: Hooray! Time rewound a little. When Colonel Ivan Panzhyevich Yegorov, themander of the Third Rear Amur Group, saw the tank destroyed by the Divine Arrow, he immediately cheered, Well done! The staff officer from the nobility, Pavlov, frowned. But Yegorov didnt care about that. One could tell from his name that he was not on the same page as the nobility. The nobility liked to be meticulous when naming, and they would never choose amon name like Ivan. Ivan Panzhyevich Yegorov was of peasant origin, ascending to the rank of colonel through his merits in the Civil War and the Winter War. It was said that if it werent for the Civil War and the subsequent purging that almost wiped out the noble officers, Yegorov would never have be a colonel of the regiment. The staff officer Pavlov, also from the nobility, had looked down on Yegorov from the beginning. When the war had just started, he even attempted to rece Yegorov inmanding the troops but was rebuffed. Not only that, to avoid listening to Pavlovs nagging, Yegorov went to the front lines, leaving the nearly hollowed-out regimental headquarters to the noble gentlemen. He had thought that the noble gentlemen wouldnt daree to the front lines, but to his surprise, Pavlov actually followed him there, murmuringints and picking faults even more than before.Later, the Prussian Armys attack proved that Yegorovs experiences from the Civil War and the Winter War were indeed effective, significantly reducing the casualties of the troops. However, Yegorovs experience couldnt negate the gap between the two sides inbat experience, weaponry, and battle preparations. Most of the Third Rear Amur Group were new recruits, and they had not prepared for the outbreak of war at all. In fact, the entire Empire was unprepared. The Imperial Chancellor had assured in a broadcast just the day before the war broke out that war would not happen and that the Prussians were targeting the West. Considering the rushed response to the battle, Yegorov was already content with the oue. He raised his voice and shouted to the rookies, Dont be afraid! Just crouch behind the wall and shoot, you dont even need to aim! The enemy is human, too, theyll be scared when bullets whiz by their ears! Keep cocking the gun, keep firing! Dont think about anything else! As he spoke, not far from him, a Maxim machine gun was firing intensely. Suddenly, a shell hit the sandbags in front of the machine-gun position. The explosion instantly swallowed Yegorovs following words. The hastily constructed fortifications couldnt withstand the tank gun. With its stand and wheels for movement, protective tes, the entire machine gun, weighing dozens of kilograms, was lifted like a toy and overturned on the ground. The upper half of the machine gunner waspletely blown away, and the ammunition bearer had his shoulder sheared off, exposing the white bone. Screams filled therge room. "Stop yelling! Yegorov roared, Sukabule! Assistant gunner! Get the machine gun back in action! As he said this, Yegorov peeked out and saw the second tank turning the street corner. "Hmph, the second Divine Arrow will take care of you! As he spoke, Yegorov looked hopefully in the direction of the Divine Arrow team, then realized that smoke had already obscured the entire street. The Prussians used smoke to cut off the line of sight of the Divine Arrow team, while ensuring the tank had visibility to fire. The enemy indeed hadbat experience. Yegorov looked towards his rookie subordinates. Most of the new recruits were not cowards, as the conscription area of the Amur province for the Third Rear Amur Group was known for its tough folk. Before enlisting, eight or nine out of ten had probably taken part in fights against neighboring viges over water sources; they were notcking in courage and ferocity. Unfortunately, courage and ferocity were useless on the battlefield. No matter how tough one was, they couldnt go up against the tanks machine guns and cannons. Right at that moment, Yegorov heard the whistling of shells in the sky. As an old soldier, he immediately judged that the impact area was nearby. Not only that, but he also discerned that the shells wereing from behindfired by their own side. "Sukabule! Yegorov cursed, The damned nobility wants to tten us together with the enemy! Get down! Yegorov himselfy t on the ground, carefully supporting himself with both hands so as not to liepletely t, while he opened his mouthnew recruits didnt understand this and would probably be stunned into stupidity by the heavy artillery! As he spoke, the shellsnded. But the sound of the explosion was small, as if a three-hundred-pound fat man had let out a fart. Yegorov looked up in confusion and saw white smoke pouring in through the window. Outside, he could faintly hear the sound of Smoke Bombs hissing. Why Smoke Bombs? Staff Officer Pavlov also voiced his confusion, Why Smoke Bombs? That doesnt make sense! I never learned about this at the Suvorov Military Academy! Suddenly, Yegorov pped his thigh andughed heartily, Brilliant! Pavlov was shocked, Whats going on? Yegorov paid no attention to the staff officer and belted out at the top of his lungs, Brothers! Grab your weapons! Follow my charge, and chop down anyone in ck uniforms! Ura! By this time, the smoke had already filled the room, and it was impossible to see people just a few meters away. Yegorov drew the saber that had been with him for many years, and without caring whether anyone was following, he shouted Ura as he took a strong step and jumped out the window from the second floor to the ground. When hended and felt the numbness in his feet, he continued to shout, Amur Group! Charge! If we lose the hand-to-handbat, we will beughed at by women for a decade! Ura! The new recruits might not understand modern warfare, but they knew how to fight with weapons. So, a thunderous shout of Ura echoed to the skies. Suddenly, figures appeared in the smoke ahead, and Yegorov swung his sabre with all his might. The sh was technically perfect, cutting only through the skin and flesh without getting stuck in the bone, just gliding over it. The sh severed the trachea and the artery at the throat, a not-sorge wound but deadly. The soldier in ck clutched his neck and fell. Yegorov kept moving forward. The smoke obscured visibility, which was fine since enemy recognition was unnecessary in this situationanyone approaching face-on would definitely be an enemy, just chop them down. "Anyoneing face-on is an enemy! Yegorov yelled, Even if you chop the wrong person, theyre deserters! Kill them! In the midst of the chaos, he heard engine noise and charged toward it, straight up to a tank. With a leap, he was on top of the tank. Unfortunately, Yegorov had no idea how to operate the Prussians damned contraption. So, he pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, and stuffed it into thergest hole on the tankthe barrel. There was a muffled ng, but the tank showed no response. Yegorov didnt care. Ack of response meant it wasnt loud enough, so he called out behind him, Grenades! Give me grenades! Someone from within the smoke tossed up a belt with four grenades attached to it. Yegorov shoved them one after another into the tank barrel. Just then, the tanks hatch unexpectedly opened, and a Prussian Army officer poked his head out. With arge cap and headphones across the head pressing down on the cap, the moment he saw Yegorov, he raised his submachine gun Yegorov didnt have time to draw his sabre, so he used the grenade as a club, smashing it into the officers face and promptly pulling the pin before shoving it into the tanks hatch. The Prussian officer shouted something, but Yegorov couldnt understand. A sh inside the hatch, and the officer immediately shut up. Yegorov took his submachine gun and tore off the Iron Cross from his cor. "Ura! Yegorov shouted. Chapter 10: Out of the Blue On Wang Zhongs side, he could only hear the shouting of Ura but could not see anything, leaving him panicking. After a while, he realized, I just wanted to cover the advance of the Divine Arrow squad and protect Ludm. The purpose has been achieved when the smoke was deployed. He immediately shifted his attention to Yeca Neikos squad where Ludm was, noticing that the squad had stopped advancing. A muscr man was leaning against the wall, attempting in vain to observe the situation through binocrs. Wang Zhong guessed that this man must be Monk Yeca Neiko. Ludm was leaning against the wall, still holding that rifle. At that moment, Captain Sergey beside Wang Zhong said, Contact with the third rear Amur Group has been restored. Wang Zhong had no idea which group the rear Amur Group was, so he asked, Is it the group thatunched a counterattack in the smoke? "What? Captain Sergeys voice wasced with confusion.Wang Zhong: Didnt you hear the Ura shouts? He had thought that the battle cries had reached the location of his physical body. Sergey: What Ura shouts? So, it turned out that he could hear sounds significantly loud ones from his birds-eye view. No wonder the sound of guns and cannons was so clear when overlooking; Wang Zhong had previously thought it was something he was hearing in person. He had never been on a battlefield and couldnt tell how close or far the sounds of gunfire were. Wang Zhong: Never mind, hand me the phone. He switched back to his normal perspective and took the receiver from Sergeys hand, This is Wang Count Rokossovsky speaking, go ahead. "Count Rokossovsky? Wheres the Duke? The person on the phone had a loud voice that hurt Wang Zhongs ears. "The Duke is dead, the enemys naval artillery destroyed the headquarters just now, and most of the staff are dead too. Now, I am the suprememander, Wang Zhong said, trying to sound more authoritative, thinking it would help to assert control over his subordinates. The person on the other end asked, Who ordered the Smoke Bombs? Wang Zhong: I did, why? "Good job! Weunched a counterattack, routed the enemy facing us, and took out at least one of their tanks and two armored vehicles! That was an excellentmand, Your Excellency the Count! No, my lord! Wang Zhong nced at Sergey, who couldnt make out the words from the other side without the receiver and only returned a confused look to Wang Zhong. The person on the phone continued toy on thick praise, My staff officer says hes never heard of such a thing at the Suvorov Military Academy! Count, lets have another round of smoke, and we can keep holding! Wang Zhong frowned, No more smoke left, the enemy is nearly at our artillery positions; that was theirst round of supportive firing. From now on, we can only rely on ourselves. On the other end of the phone, the loudmouth who had just been givingvish praise suddenly fell silent. A secondter the voice asked, The artillery has beenpromised, does that not mean we will soon be surrounded? Wang Zhongs heart skipped a beat. He hadnt thought of this at all just now, as the situation was too sudden, and he was too eager to cover Ludm. Another voice came through the phone, But thats the very person who just led us to a brilliant counterattack, how could he have not thought of this? Sorry, I really hadnt thought of that. Wang Zhong could only keep a straight face, trying hard not to let Captain Sergey see any ws. Being surrounded was not a joke; an army that is cornered can only die slowly even if it continues to resist. Although Wang Zhong thought surrendering was not a problem, considering the mood and current situation, it was already toote to even mention surrender. He could only pretend to resist, fight valiantly, and then consider other options. Wang Zhong switched to the overhead mode and then noticed an additional military badge; he focused on the badge and could see its description: The third rear Amur Group, mostly made up of new recruits, but the main nonmissioned officers had participated in the Civil War and the Winter War. Internal war? Winter warfare? Wang Zhong really wanted his Golden Finger to exin these two terms, but unfortunately, the Golden Finger ignored him. In addition to gaining a soldiers token, Wang Zhong also obtained the vision of the Third Amur Group, which greatly expanded the visible range. Thats not right, considering the size of a group, isnt this range a bit small? Wang Zhong: Has your groupsuffered many casualties? "Yes, the loud voice from the other end fell quiet, Most of our group is made up of new recruits, many of whom havent gone throughplete training. These kinds of recruits usually dont survive the first hour on the battlefield. The good news is, theyre all seasoned soldiers now. This counts as good news? Wang Zhong used everyones eyes to observe the battlefield, and at this moment, he noticed something. After the enemy facing the Amur Group retreated, there seemed to be no troops behind them. Could the routed enemy have led the subsequent echelons away as well? Wang Zhong checked again, more carefully this time. In the meantime, the Amur Groupsmander on the phone was saying, Heres what well do: well pull back to our starting positions and let the engineers leavendmines and trip wires in the areas weve taken "No! Wang Zhong interrupted him, Youve just encountered a gap in your front, and I require you to abandon your current defensive line and continue to attack. Command will catch up with you, and if contact with other groups can be established, they will follow as well. There wasplete silence on the other end of the line for a good second: Advance towards the enemy? Thats bold! But I like changing ns! While the loud voice was talking, Wang Zhong also heard someone mumbling, This defies logic! At a time like this, we should be pulling back, reorganizing the defense line! Blind attacks are a one-way ticket to death! Wang Zhong thought: Its not a blind attack, I can see very clearly with the help of an external advantage; there are only sporadic soldiers in front of you, and no organized enemy forces. Strike hard in one go, and then find a way to return to our lines. Upon further deliberation, as the attackers, the enemys subsequent echelons probably didnt expect to be attacked. Wang Zhong wasnt versed in military matters, but he knew in mercenary warfare, the element of surprise, catching the enemy off guard, sometimes proved decisive. Maybe this could be worth the gamble. Rather than being surrounded, its better to break out and then figure out a n. Once Wang Zhong was sure that there truly were no organized enemy forces in front, hemanded in a firm tone: I, Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, order the Third Amur Group to advancenot just forward, but towards due west. Do you understand? "Understood. Just from the response on the phone, Wang Zhong could picture a robust Russian man readying himself for action. Then, almost as if possessed, he said, Now repeat my order back to me! What the hell, why make someone repeat it? The aftereffects of watching too many epic battles? But there was no hesitation on the other end; they immediately repeated Wang Zhongs orders word for word. Wang Zhong: Good, begin now. We must act swiftly, and we must act fast! After hanging up the phone, Wang Zhong was surprised to find that he had lost the vision of the Third Amur Group. So, its only when I can directly converse with them that I can see their vision? But the soldiers token on the interface was still there, implying that as long as the troops epted mymand, they would appear on the token. As Wang Zhong was examining the Golden Finger, Captain Sergey by his side said, Theres a problem. That is, there are many critically wounded in the field hospital; they definitely wont be able to keep up with us, this With seriously wounded in tow, not to mention breaking out, moving at all would be an issue. Wang Zhong pondered for a moment, then said: Give me paper and a pen; I want to write a letter to the enemymander who will take over. Sergey: You n to leave them behind? Wang Zhong: Taking them with us, we definitely wont be able to get out. Recruit volunteers from among the nurses to stay behind and care for the wounded, and let those lightly injured who can move join us in the breakout. "Dont argue anymore, the enemy isnt a beast. Thats what Wang Zhong said. Chapter 11: “Military Prodigy Prosen Empire military side. Lieutenant General Von Dietrich, Commander of the 25th Prussian Infantry Army Group and a Lord, watched the smoke rising from the city with suspicion. His headquarters were on a small hill outside the city, which afforded an excellent view, even allowing visibility of the battleship Emperor Friedrich on the distant sea. For this reason, he could clearly see the smoke now spreading through the city streets. After a brief moment of thought, the Lord sought his Chief of Staffs opinion, Is there white poison gas? The Chief of Staff shook his head, I havent heard about that, phosgene isnt this white. Lord Von Dietrich pinched the binocrs in his hands, his fingers nervously twiddled the knobs on the binocrs, a habitual action when he was thinking. The Chief of Staff said, Could it simply be smoke? "Smoke from the defenders? Lord Von Dietrich clicked his tongue, Then they wouldnt be able to utilize the firepower of the machine guns or exploit the range advantage of the Divine Arrows! In the Carolingian Campaign, we used smoke bombs to cover our tanks as they charged through Divine Arrows effective range, smoke is the attackers good friend, the defenders nightmare!The Chief of Staff shook his head, Maybe the enemymander is ayman? Lord Von Dietrich shook his head, The enemymander is the experienced Duke dimir; he has receivedprehensive military education and would not make such a basic mistake While speaking, a staff officer rushed in, This is bad! Lord Von Dietrich said, Start with report! The staff officer immediately stood up straight, heels clicking resoundingly as he saluted, Report! Lord Von Dietrich was still not satisfied and scolded, As an officer, no matter how urgent, one must act in an orderly manner, the subordinates are watching. Do you understand, Captain Hoffman! "Understood! Lord Von Dietrich then nodded contentedly, Good. Now, whats the matter? "Division 54 reports via wireless that the Ante Empire hasunched a counterattack, theyve already lost contact with the 353rd Regiment under theirmand. Fugitives have appeared near the division headquarters! Lord Von Dietrich was stunned, A counterattack? The war has only been going on for two days, and were already at the foot of Ronied? Everywhere weve gone, Ante Empires troops have copsed like a house of cards, do they still have the morale to mount a counterattack? The Chief of Staff reminded, You just said the enemymander Duke dimir is quite capable. "Right, I did say that! The Lord turned towards the map. "But if the enemy has the morale and organization tounch a counterattack, why not retreat instead? I mean, breakout to the rear? "Even if they face our attack and manage to breach the defensive line, they cant escape. From here to the border is a march-in of a million-strong army! While speaking, he forcefully tapped the area between Ronied city and the border line on the map with his cane, repeating, A million-strong army, do you understand? Even if His Graces forces were to break out entirely, only doom awaits them! After speaking, he stared at the map for a few seconds, then shook his head, No, it cant be an offensive. Its just a counterattack, an attempt to shake our formation and create a chance for them to withdraw. "General Hohtes Armored Troops will soonplete the encirclement of Ronied. This is a futile move. As he spoke, the Lord looked at the anxious staff officer: Order Division 54, immediately dispatch someone to steady the scattered regiment, find the dispersed regimental headquarters no, I will speak with Division 54 myself. Is the telephone line connected yet? "Not yet, Your Excellency, weve only just learned the location of the 54th Divisions headquarters, and themunication vehicle has just been dispatched. Themunications officer immediately replied. Radiomunication requires decryption, which leads to transmission dys, and theres a high probability that wireless could be intercepted by the enemy. Telephone is much safer andmunication quality is iparable to wireless, butndlines must beid, which can only begin when both ends have stopped moving. Lord Von Dietrich waved his hand, Alright, use the radio then, I want to speak with Division 54. After speaking, Lord Von Dietrich took the lead toward the door. The staff officer at the door hurried to open it, then stood up straight, his chest puffed out proudly as he watched the Lord leave. In the adjacentmunications room, themunications officer bellowed into the radio handset, Rhein Rhein, respond if you hear me! "Rhein was the call sign of the 54th Division. After several calls, the officer handed the handset and headset to the Lord, Its connected, Brigadier General Haussen of the 54th Division. Lord Von Dietrich grabbed the items and cleared his throat, This is Von Dietrich, whats the situation on your end? "I dont know, the situation is chaotic, lots of fugitives. General Haussens voice was intermittent and filled with static, The fugitives say that Antonovs Guards haveunched an attack; some say that the Eastern Holy Church has dispatched its pdins. Lord Von Dietrich frowned, Get to the bottom of it as fast as you can! I believe its a limited counterattack by the enemy! "But Your Excellency, the enemy used heavy artillery tounch smoke bombs. Theres no wind now, and the ground is enveloped in smoke; nothing can be seen. Using so many smoke bombs for merely a probing attack doesnt make sense. Dietrich looked outside the window; even from themunications room, he could see the thick smoke rising from the city. Lord Von Dietrich raised his voice, No, no, attacking at this time doesnt make sense! Its just a defensive counterattack! Where could he be attacking to? Behind us are countless Prosen troops! "But Lord the enemy the fugitives whats going on? Von Dietrichs brow was tightly furrowed, Brigadier General Haussen! Brigadier General Haussen! Theres gunfire on your end, whats happening? However, all he got in response was static noise. Dietrich handed the headset and microphone back to themunications officer, Eliminate the malfunction as soon as possible! Themunications officer immediately checked the radios own status, and then the hand-cranked generator before reporting, Lord, there are no mechanical failures. Lord, Then keep calling! Themunications officer did not dare to dy and immediately shouted into the microphone, Rhein Rhein, please answer if you hear this! The Lord began to pace in themunications room, tapping his palm with his cane as he walked. After a while, the Lord took out his pocket watch and nced at it, Its been five minutes, whats going on? "It might be that RheinI mean Division Fifty-Fourhas experienced a mechanical failure. But Themunications officer hesitated. Lord, But what? "But the division headquarters has several high-powered radios, its hard to imagine them all failing at the same time. The Lord pursed his lips, his face gradually darkening as he ordered, Division Fifty-Four may have run into trouble, our estimate of the enemy situation may have been too optimistic. Where is the Army Group reserve now? "They have already reached Shulsherfka. Lord, Isnt that still over ten kilometers away from us? Why is it moving so slowly? The Chief of Staff replied helplessly, Traffic jam. The road conditions within the Ante Empire are worse than we imagined. The operation n took highways to be modern roads with asphalt surfaces, but theyre justpacted dirt roads in reality. "The road capacity is very low, and its also hard on the vehicles. "So the motorized troops are all stuck on the road. The Lord made a face as if he had eaten something disgusting, Theres always a problem on the battlefield, if not here, then there, but its always somewhere. Is there any way to contact Division Fifty-Four now? Keep calling! Thest sentence was addressed to themunications officer, who quickly picked up the microphone and continued the mechanicalbor. The Lord looked at the other staff. The Chief of Staff spoke up, The Army Groups reconnaissance battalion has cavalry, we could consider sending them. The Lord pointed his cane out the window, Even though were outside the city, Division Fifty-Four has already entered it. Just then, themunications officer who was still trying to make contact suddenly stopped calling and said, I have an idea. We can call the Armored Troops assigned to support our attack. There are radios in the tanks. Lord, Next time remember to say report first. "Report! "Dont make up for it now! Ive already heard your suggestion. Lets do it that way. Do you know the frequency for the Armored Troops? Themunications officer nodded, Of course, we have heard the Armored Troopsmunications before. "Then call them. Themunications officer leaned in close to the microphone again, This is Eagles Nest, this is Eagles Nest, calling themander of the Armored Troops. The Lord continued his pacing, his cane tapping against the palm of his left hand. "Your Excellency, were connected! Themunications officer, pleasantly surprised, passed over the headset and microphone. The Lord took the items for the second time, I am Lord Dietrich, who am I speaking with? A voice with poor Prosen came from the other end, Its your Antean grandpa! What followed was all in the Anteannguage. The Lord, being a member of a distinguished family, spoke not only Prosen but also Carolingian and Antean. In fact, before the outbreak of the war, there had been considerable contact between the courts of Prosen and Ante, which is why a non-aggression treaty had been signed. Thus the Lord understoodpletely the others cursing, and then asked in Antean, with virtually no ent, So, are you an Ante soldier? You wouldnt be speaking from the headquarters of Division Fifty-Four, would you? The person at the other end was clearly unprepared for this situation and fell silent. After a moment, the voice responded, I dont know which division this headquarters belongs to, I cant read your Prosen characters! Anyway, there are plenty of maps and documents here, all captured; naturally, there will be staff members who understand yournguage to study them closely! The Lord furrowed his brows in frustration and decided to extract more information, asking, Brave Anteanmander, may I know your esteemed name? "You think I would disclose that information to you? Go to hell! Clean your neck and wait for it; I dont understand your writing, but I can read maps! I know where your headquarters is located! Just you wait! Lord, Wait! Antean officer! He called out several more times, but the only response was the hiss of static. The Lord turned to the Chief of Staff, Have the Guard Battalion, the Reconnaissance Battalion, and the Special Battalion ready forbat. Bring the tanks from the headquarters to the hilltop to prepare for the enemys attack! The Chief of Staff nodded, Understood! The Lord looked towards the thick smoke that now shrouded a quarter of the city area and clicked his tongue, Duke dimirmands like this? But as I recall, during the joint military exercises between our two countries, the Duke was quite a stickler for rules "To take down one of our division headquarters and initiate this counterattack, the person behind it is a military genius! Chapter 12: Through the Times of Yesterday Colonel Yegorov smashed the radio with the butt of his gun, and then told the soldiers around him, Stop looking. Gather all the papers and send them to the back. "Wait a minute! Staff Officer Pavlov stopped the soldiers who were about to throw various documents into the basket, pulling out one of the papers, This document contains the unit number. This is the 54th Infantry Division of the Prosen Twenty-fifth Army Group, which participated in the Carolingian Campaign; the divisions crest has an iris, which is a mark of participating in the Carolingian Campaign. Yegorov: But we still crushed them! The idea of Duke Aleksei turned out to be quite reliable; we really made it to the enemys division headquarters without any obstructions! Pavlov corrected him: Its a count, and you shouldnt preface a title with a name, you should at least use a patronymic, call him Count Konstantinovich. Yegorov waved his hand dismissively: Im just a rough man, I dont understand all your twists and turns! The counts order was to attack and advance, lets continue. Pavlov eximed in shock: Continue the attack? We have already emerged from the smoke; stumbling upon a division headquarters was unexpected for the enemy! Now they are prepared! And youve just Yegorov: I was just bluffing them! Come look! Yegorov pointed at the enemys map and said: The enemys headquarters is here, on top of the hill, overlooking the entire city of Ronied. It also controls the highway into the city and can hit the railway that passes through the city. The enemy must think were going to attack here! "But the order we received is to break out, that is, to move to the backeastward. We have to take this side road out of the city. I know this little path; itll lead us through arge thicket. By the time we rush out, itll be nightfall, and we can retreat via the small path under the cover of darkness!Pavlov: Are you sure thats what the count meant? Maybe he wanted to break out and fight to the death. Yegorov: How could that be! We wouldnt have brought the field hospital then. Trust me, the count definitely wants to break out and survive; its just that he happened to discover the breach at the front. "But Yegorov ced his hands firmly on Pavlovs shoulders: Listen! I really dont know the counts intentions, but I do know mine! Im not nning to die here! The Prussians are indeed hateful, and I want to thrash them too! "But how can I beat them if Im dead? Pavlov: Youre just afraid to die, you have no sense of honor! "What? Pavlov: I tell you, if the chain with the army hadnt died, he would have sent you to the tribunal by now! The charge would be cowardice and surrender! "But I remind you, ording to the regtions, if the militarymander shows any signs of cowardice or surrender, I as the staff officer have the right to strip him ofmand! Yegorov, in a burst of anger, grabbed the staff officer by the cor: What did you say? Where were you when I was smashing Prussian heads with a grenade just now? And you dare say Im showing cowardice and surrender? Pavlov: You chose the escape route! As the two were at daggers drawn, the sound of a car engine came from outside the door. ** Lets rewind the time a little bit. Wang Zhong led the remnant troops of the headquarters and the field hospital unit on their departure. Before leaving, he had Captain Sergey dispatch messengers to convey the message to the other troops under the duke to prepare for a breakout from the fronteastward. Whether the message could be delivered was beyond Wang Zhongs control. In any case, Wang Zhong led the group on their departure, and he was at the forefront. Soon the troops entered the smoke created by the rear artillery. By this time, the smoke had dispersed quite a bit, and the obscuring effect had decreased, which increased visibility within the fog. However, the scope of the fog had also spread. Wang Zhong walked along the main street for quite a while and was still within the fog. The white expanse looked very much like the game Silent Hill, half of the horror atmosphere of which owes to the thick fog that envelops the setting of the story. Fortunately, Wang Zhong had a top-down perspective, but sadly, he couldnt keep it on while walkingthe disconnect between cognition and vision would instantly make Wang Zhong violently sick. He could only walk a few steps before stopping to change his viewing angle. This behavior greatly astonished Captain Sergey, who he felt might start getting suspicious if it continued. But without looking from an overhead view, there was no way to remain on guard against the enemy. With the naked eye, one could only see a few meters around, and if one were to run into the enemy unexpectedly, a burst from a submachine gun could end his journey right there. Wang Zhong could only reduce the frequency of his stops and endure the dizziness that came with using the overhead view while moving as much as possible. As he was struggling with this issue, the group finally emerged from the smoke, and immediately a Prussian-abandoned jeep at the roadside caught Wang Zhongs eye C it was the same model that Ludm had blown up with a grenade. Wang Zhong made a snap decision and said to Sergey, Lets go, get in the car. Take two guards with us, well drive straight ahead! Sergey, Are we just driving away? Whos going tomand these troops? We dont have any walkie-talkies! Wang Zhong, We just need to keep following the road, there wont be any problems. Besides, in case of an emergency, we can always send someone back with orders. After a moments consideration, Captain Sergey nodded. Wang Zhong then asked, You can drive, right? Wang Zhong didnt know how to drive himself, mainly because he didnt see the need to learn in the current situation C if there was no rush, he could take the subway, and if he was in a hurry, he could just hail a cab through DiDi. Captain Sergey, I often drive for the Duchess. Leave it to me. Wang Zhong remembered something that the sergeant who had been shot had said C wasnt this Captain Sergey the Duchesss gigolo? Forget it, why do I care about that! Wang Zhong got straight into the car, Drive! The two guards were agile and jumped into the back of the jeep in an instant, without even opening the rear doors. Sergey got into the drivers seat, started the car and barely drove a few paces when he eximed, The feel of driving this is so smooth, much morefortable than our domestically produced Lada cars! Lada cars, indeed, that ssic Soviet automobile brand whose poor performance had be a part of Soviet jokes. As Captain Sergey drove through the devastated city, hemented with a hint of sadness, Such a beautiful city. I quite liked that coffee shop, often apanied the Duchess there. Wang Zhong followed Sergeys gaze and noticed that only the iron sign hanging toward the street from the coffee shop remained intact; the shop seemed to have suffered a hit from artillery fire of 152 millimeters orrger. Passing by the front of the coffee shop, one could see that the inside was almostpletely destroyed, with coffee pots and the like in shambles. Sergey gritted his teeth, Damn Prussians! Wang Zhong pursed his lips; truth be told, he still didnt harbor much hatred for Prussians C after all, it wasnt his country or his homnd that was invaded. Up to now, his goal was still to survive the war. At that moment, soldiers in khaki uniforms began to appear alongside the road, looking as if they had just been through a fierce battle. There were quite a few corpses in ck uniforms lying among the buildings lining the streets and roads. It seemed Wang Zhong had caught up with the attacking vanguard of the Third Amur Group. Just then, a roar came from a building ahead: "What did you say? Where were you when I was smashing a Prussians head in with a hand grenade just now? You dare use me of cowardice and surrender? "But you chose the route of escape! Wang Zhong patted Sergey on the shoulder, Stop in front of that building! The one where people are arguing! Chapter 13: Conserving Strength to Better Eliminate the Enemy Captain Sergey parked the vehicle in front of the building, and Wang Zhong hurried down with brisk steps, took a couple of steps, then remembered something important, turned around, and said to Sergey following him, Give me your pants. Sergey reacted as if facing a great enemy, No way! If I do that, I wont have anything to brag about in front of girls anymore! Wang Zhong put on a stern face, This is an order! Itll affect the morale of our troops, and if morale copses, well only be able to meet in a prisoner of war camp. Wang Zhong actually thought that meeting in a prisoner of war camp wouldnt be such a bad thing, but given the current situation, he couldnt bring himself to say Lets surrender. He could only struggle for a bit. Sergey was still ying tough, I think us exchanging pants in public could also have an immeasurable impact on morale. Wang Zhong looked around, No one is paying attention to us, right now theyre more worried about the enemy, hurry up, it will only take a few seconds to switch! "Youre the one whos done! Im ruined! Sergeyined while taking off his pants, and Wang Zhong also unbuckled his belt to take off the pants with Alekseis authentic signature. Underneath the military trousers were boxer shorts, and realizing this, Wang Zhong let out a huge sigh of relief.However, just at this moment, a group of officers came out of the building. The officer at the front was a Lieutenant Colonel, just like Wang Zhong, and he was stunned by the scene before him. The staff officers behind the Lieutenant Colonel were even more dumbfounded, their mouths open in an O shape. Forcing himself to look nonchnt, Wang Zhong slipped into the pants he had switched for. Sergey was a bit shorter than Wang Zhongs current body, so he had to try his best to pull up the waistband. Afterpleting the change of clothes, Wang Zhong put on a stern face, What were you arguing about just now? I could hear you from a great distance! "Ah? The questioned Lieutenant Colonel looked at Wang Zhong, blinked his eyes, and asked tentatively, Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky? Wang Zhong, Its me. Dont you recognize my voice? I recognize yours, Colonel Ivan Panzhyevich Yegorov of the Third Rear Amur Group. The main reason Wang Zhong remembered such a long name was that the dog tags had the unit number and the name and rank of themander written on them. Also, because of the Golden Finger, Wang Zhong knew that the people he encountered were from the Third Rear Amur Group, and with both pieces of information, he could naturally infer that the man before him was Colonel Yegorov, themander of the Third Rear Amur Group. Before responding to Wang Zhong, Yegorov took a moment to nce at Captain Sergey, who was still putting on his trousers, his gaze lingering on the water stains for a full second. Wang Zhong stepped forward, blocking Yegorovs line of sight, Lieutenant Colonel, even though we hold the same rank, Ive been entrusted by the Duke tomand the entire force, I am your superior. Yegorov hadnt reacted yet, but the staff officers beside him saluted. It was then that Yegorov had his realization and stood at attention to salute, You were a Count all along, I should be saluting you. Wang Zhong mimicked the gesture and returned the salute, What were you just debating about? Yegorov answered, Just now, my staff officer Pavlov was insisting that we directly attack the enemys army group headquarters marked on the map we captured, iming that we should go and die! The staff officer stepped forward, Thats not right! What I said was that we should fight bravely to thest moment. Thats the enemys Corps Command, and our valiant fighting might change the situation on the battlefield to some extent! Wang Zhongs first reaction was no, absolutely not! He didnt even understand the name of his own country yet, let alone feel any sense of loyalty. Before Wang Zhong could speak, the staff officer Pavlov continued, If Colonel Yegorov insists on fleeing, we can only consider it an act of treason and hand him over to the Tribunal! Wang Zhong frowned slightly, Did I just hear a term that should not appear in this context? The Tribunal? Another way of saying a military courtroom? Yegorovs tone was clearly hesitant, filled with an air of bravado, The Tribunal! Hmph, where are all those judges who strutted around peacocking before? Theyve run off without a trace first! Wang Zhong was shocked; he had absolutely no idea about this Tribunal or the judges these two were discussing. Could it be something like the military police? Due to hisck of knowledge, he chose to keep his mouth shut and listen some more before speaking. But Yegorov turned the conversation towards Wang Zhong, Let His Excellency the Count say it! His Excellency the Counts intention must certainly be to retreat through the small path. Wang Zhong was startled. There was a small path? A way to retreat? That was wonderful news! But no, he had to restrain himself, not to let others see any ws. Wang Zhong looked sternly at the two officers. What should he say? Clearly, Yegorov knew of a small path that could be used to retreat to the rear, so he should support Yegorov. But this staff officer named Pavlov had a resolute look, obviously prepared to embrace a noble death. Just as Wang Zhong was struggling with what to say, he suddenly remembered the opening scene of Patton, his favorite movie: General Patton standing before the American g, delivering a long speech thatsted several minutes. Though Wang Zhong couldnt remember the exact words, he could recall the general idea, so he said out loud, Major Pavlov, you are very brave, and your courage is admirable. The staff officer stood tall and proud, adopting the pose of a victor. Wang Zhong, But, through the ages, no victory has been won purely by shedding blood and sacrifice! To achieve victory, it is not enough for us to shed blood and make sacrifices alone, we must also make the enemy bleed and sacrifice! "We must make the enemy bleed more than us! Wang Zhong paused, as if to emphasize his words, giving others time to digest them. But in fact, he had forgotten what to say next. He vaguely remembered a line about cleaning our tracks with the enemys blood, but felt that using it directlycked persuasive power. Hence, Wang Zhong began to improvise, You just said that by attacking the enemys Corps Command, we might disrupt the enemys arrangements, dying their advance by a day or two. "I can only say, you have overestimated the role of one regiment, and you have overestimated the role of a Corps Command! "Across the entire front, the enemy has hundreds of divisions in action, dozens of Army Groups attacking! Whats the use of just disrupting one Army Group? "No, it is useless! A more effective approach now is to send these soldiers, who have endured the first wave of fire, back to the rear to regroup, to resist the enemys attacks more effectively! "Preserving our fighting force now is to better annihte the enemyter, to make the enemy bleed and sacrifice until the dayes when we return the fire to their own country, and let them defend their homes! Good, this is the moment, time to use Pattons famous line! Wang Zhong paused to gather his thoughts and then dered emphatically, And then, what we must do is crush their skulls under our boots, and clean our tracks with their blood! Major Pavlov stared at Wang Zhong for several seconds before relenting, Alright, youve convinced me. Even though Ive seen you change your wet trousers, youve still convinced me. Come on, do you really have to bring up that wet pants incident? I didnt pee them! Damn it, look at the mess that coward got me into! Oh my God, if I get a chance, Im going to kick that cowards ass so hard! Chapter 14: Maps Whileining inwardly, Wang Zhong kept a straight face, Everyone has their first time on the battlefield. Well see, Major Pavlov. "Report the situation now. Have we encountered any resistance from the enemy? Actually, Wang Zhong was guessing that observing from an overhead perspective might be more useful than Colonel Yegorovs direct reports. But formalities still had to be observed, just like those who cheated in games before transmigration yed along to some extent. And listening to the report might also provide some intelligence that he couldnt discern from the overhead view. Yegorov: We havent encountered anyrge-scale resistance. The enemy is in disarray, and many of their units dont understand whats happening and are retreating along with the ones that are already in retreat. As he spoke, Yegorov rubbed his nose, If you ask me, these Prussians are not as tough as the Manheimers in the winter war! They were able to defeat the Carolingians before because the other side was even weaker! Wang Zhong said, We should always assume the enemy is capable. Did you just say you found a map? "Yes, this is the enemys division headquarters! Weve captured their maps and documentspletely! Yegorov pointed toward the building behind him, Come over and take a look!With that, he turned and walked inside. Seeing this, Staff Officer Pavlov immediately said, Yegoroves from a peasant background; he can be a bit crude. "I dont mind, Wang Zhong said bluntly. He himself came from a working-ss family and had many rural kids in his ss during high school. He really didnt mind such things. Or rather, transmigrator Wang Zhong didnt have the same snobbery as the nobility of this era. Upon entering the room, Wang Zhong immediately noticed therge map on the wall, which was exactly what he needed right now! His overhead view was too limited and he had no idea about the overall situation. And on the map, there were country names, and only now did Wang Zhong finally realize that the khaki uniform he wore belonged to the Ante Empire. Wang Zhong didnt know which part of the the Ante Empire was located in because the wall map was only a regional one. Looking at the ce names on the map, it appeared to be a province of the Ante Empire, with the western edge bordering the Prosen Empire, the point of departure for the Prosen Armys offensive. Simrly, by the ce names, Wang Zhong learned that the city they were currently defending was called Ronied, with the sea to the south of the city, from which the enemys naval artillery shelling hade. The Duke had also mentioned, The navy failed to stop the enemy, before his passing. The only question was whether the sea to the south was a rgeke like the ck Sea or a real ocean. He still needed to obtain a world map as soon as possible. However, being in the military, and amander at that, he should be able to ess maps rtively easily. There should be no need to worry about thatprobably. Yegorov had already started exining: This is the enemys deployment map. Their military symbols are simr to ours, as the nobilitymunicated a lot in peacetime. Look here, this symbol, doesnt it look just like themand symbol on our side? Pavlov said irritably, That is themand symbol. Our country uses the abbreviation HQ to represent headquarters, and the enemy does the same. Additionally, this eagle symbol here represents the Army Group Command. Yegorov: Thats right. He looked up at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong studied the map for a moment. He would often y military games, such as the strategically focused and mildly hardcore Hearts of Iron, and more tactical, hardcore board games like the SGS series, and so on. When Wang Zhong was in elementary school, there was a reader interactive section in Tank & Armored Vehicles magazine that simted historical battles. It regrly published historical battles along with abbreviated situation maps, allowing readers to cut out the maps, plot their own ns, and exin each step in writing. After receiving letters from readers, the editorial department would select some of the more feasiblebat ns and have professionalsment on them. Wang Zhong always participated in this interactive column, but his bat ns were never adopted. However, by taking part in this activity, he had acquired basic map recognition abilities, which were further enhanced by his experience ying military games. Wang Zhong quickly finished assessing the deployment of the Prosen forces on the map and murmured, The enemy has left many gaps in their pursuit of speed. In modern warfare, there are no strict front lines. In Hearts of Iron, a term coined by a yer for a certain type of division is Line-filling Division, which essentially aims for the ultimate cost-effectiveness ratio with the sole purpose of filling gaps in the front to prevent small enemy detachments from slipping through. Even with Line-filling Divisions, there were still gaps on the battlefield, especially in the World War II era where the area a division had to cover greatly increased, leaving plenty of gaps through which to slip. In thetter part of World War II, the Soviets summarized their mode of attack as inundating the German defense lines in a deluge. The Germans, with their high military quality, could often hold their ground at certain strongpoints for a long time, while the Soviet strategy specifically targeted these points, intending to surround but not attack them, cutting off the supply lines behind these strongpoints. After considerable study, Wang Zhongs confidence surged, I might actually be able to slip through the enemys gaps and get back to our side. He turned to Yegorov, Did you just mention a small path? Yegorov immediately pointed at the map, Yes, right here. The Prussians did not mark it in detail on the map, so I think there might not be any enemy presence on it. Besides, there are forests nearby for hiding from enemy aerial reconnaissance. Wang Zhong, Good, are you familiar with this road? "Im from around here, Yegorov said. Before I joined the army, I often drove ox carts loaded with goods on this path. "Ox carts! Pavlov snorted, Slow and stinky. Yegorov, Not every peasant can afford a horse, and were no Cossacks. Wang Zhong, Continue, are you sure we can get back to our lines this way? "Of course. Leave it to me. But theres a problem, arent we supposed to be in full retreat now? Wang Zhong was at a loss for words; he didnt know. Seeing Wang Zhong silent, Yegorov sighed, Then its dicey, not knowing how far back wed have to retreat to encounter friendly forces. During the civil war, I experienced such a massive defeat, copsing over a thousand miles at a time, stopping only when the enemys logistics couldnt keep up and they couldnt pursue any further. Wang Zhong actually wanted to ask about the civil war, but it seemed to bemon knowledge in this world, so it was awkward to bring it up. Just then, Captain Sergey burst into the room, saluted, and reported loudly, The monks of the state religion have caught up! Pavlov was overjoyed at the news, Great! There may be Hymn Monks! Wang Zhongs brows furrowed tightly. Hymn Monks? What the hell is that? Chapter 15: What to do when a teammate sends help without saying a word, urgent, waiting online. The new term made Wang Zhong frown. Previously, the prayer hand appeared to be a radio operator responsible for guiding missiles; now what in the world was a Hymn Monk? However, judging by the reactions of the people around him, this seemed to bemon knowledge, so Wang Zhong didnt dare to ask. They had just mentioned the Tribunal, who knew if its duties included executing those possessed by strange otherworldly spirits. He had to behave like a person from this world and not give himself away. But Wang Zhong remembered that he had another question to ask, so he inquired, Are Monk Yeca Neiko and his Divine Arrow squad among these monks? Sergey hesitated, Uh, I didnt ask. Maybe you should ask the priest directly? Before he had finished speaking, a tall, brown-haired male entered the room, followed by a bunch of soldiers. Their military uniforms were khaki as well, but the style was different. If Wang Zhong were to describe it, his own group outfitted forbat wore training uniforms, while this group donned dress uniforms better suited for asions with a strong sense of ceremony.The group entering wore shoulders adorned with sun-based motifs, which reminded Wang Zhong of the sun emblem on the cathedral roof at the dukes headquarters. It seemed these men were the monks of the national religion. The first to enter, the brown-haired male, asked, Who is themander here? He looked back and forth between Wang Zhong and Yegorov. Wang Zhong remembered that he and Yegorov were both lieutenant colonels, and he could onlymand Yegorov because of the trust from the duke. Actually, there was no such trust; the duke only had time to tell him to run fast. Not thinking much about it, Wang Zhong stepped forward and said, I am. Duke dimir has entrusted me with themand of his troops. The brown-haired man frowned, Howe youre only a lieutenant colonel? At this moment, a man behind him interjected sharply, Did His Grace the Duke transfermand authority with a written order? Wang Zhong turned to look at the speaker and saw a man wearing a greatcoat cap, which sported blue edging. "Judge, now is an emergency situation. To ensure the functioning of themand core of the troops, we can spare the red tape, the brown-haired man turned to re at the person who had interrupted their conversation. Judge it seemed these two were from the Tribunal after all, the Tribunal, the blue edging on the greatcoat capsWang Zhong clicked his tongue, quietly shelving his thoughts, and silently noted down to be careful about what one says in the presence of someone with blue edging on their greatcoat cap. The blue-capped man bowed slightly, Apologies, Bishop, sir. He then took a step back, scrutinizing Wang Zhong with eyes that appraised like one would value a live pig. Forcing himself not to pay attention to that gaze, Wang Zhong addressed the Bishop: I am Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov, and I am themander of these forces right now. Bishop Stepan Aleksandrovich Polok saluted Wang Zhong, My respects to you, brave Count. I am Stepan Aleksandrovich Polok. I have brought thest contingent of monks; we have some Divine Arrows left, which should be able to destroy quite a few of the enemys tanks! Wang Zhong: Is it Monk Yeca Neikos Divine Arrow squad? Bishop Stepan seemed surprised: You know Monk Yeca Neiko? Wang Zhong: I know their prayer hand Ludm; she was originally one of my soldiersmy prayer hand, but our Divine Arrow squad has been wiped out, leaving only her without any Divine Arrows. Bishop Stepan: I see. I will make sure Monk Yeca Neiko takes good care of Miss Prayer Hand. Hmm? Could it be that the Bishop has some strange misunderstanding? Wang Zhong was toozy to correct it, considering one of the reasons he took action was to ensure Ludms survival; it would be good if she received special care. "So we Wang Zhong was about to continue when he was interrupted by the Bishop. Bishop Stepan: Were going to counterattack the enemy, right? For some reason, the Bishop looked full of anticipation. Wang Zhong hesitated for a moment, Uh, this Bishop Stepan clenched his fists: We must show the Prussians our spirit, tell them our homnd of Ante will not be easily defeated! Wang Zhongs mouth hung open, why were these people so eager to rush to their demise? "No, please, calm down, he snapped back into the conversation, Were advancing because the enemys defenses ahead are weak; they did not anticipate an attack. Our current position is the enemys division headquarters, and this division is certainly in chaos; we can easily jump out from their encirclement. As Wang Zhong spoke, Bishop Stepan looked at him with a significant expression, as if viewing him as a problem. After Wang Zhong finished, Bishop Stepan raised his voice: Jump out of the encirclement? Isnt this a counterattack? "It is a counterattack, of course, it is, look around! Wang Zhong spread his hands, Weve taken down the enemys division headquarters, isnt that a counterattack? Counterattacking and breaking through are not in conflict. We need to retreat to our next line of defense and then join the defensive operations. Bishop Stepan turned his head to exchange nces with the two Judges. Wang Zhong always felt something was off about these three. When the Bishop looked at Wang Zhong again, he asserted decisively, This is desertion! Wang Zhong, Its a tactical retreat to preserve our forces for a better chance at annihting the enemy. Bishop Stepan, That sounds like an excuse! Wang Zhong, No, no, listen to me. If we hold onto thend but lose the people, well end up losing both. By preserving our forces and appropriately giving up somend, we can achieve victory and keep both the people and thend! That was the instructors reasoning, which Wang Zhong directly borrowed for his argument. Bishop Stepan red at Wang Zhong, This is unquestionably an act of treason! His Majesty has just issued an order; thend of the mothend is sacred and invible! Everyone must fight to the veryst moment! Wang Zhongs scalp tingled. Fight to the veryst moment? The mothendsnd is sacred and invible? Damn it, I only learned the name of the country by looking at the enemys map, and to me, its just a name on a map! I am Chinese! And its an order from His Majesty the Emperor, damn it, Ie from a country that has always advocated, When the king enfeebles himself through righteousness, who will dare to be unrighteous? Even the emperor cant order me to go to my death! Wang Zhong, Impossible. Launching a do-or-die attack under these circumstances would be a senseless waste of our living forces! We will counter-attack, but that might be a year from now, or even two, three yearster! What we need to do now is to retreat, trade distance for time, and establish a new defensive line! Bishop Stepan red at Wang Zhong, as if the appreciative expression that was there earlier never existed. Momentster, he darklymanded, Judge Shaposhnikov, arrest the Countno, were about tounch an assault, and probably no one will be able to escort the Count. We must enforce martialw, and for the crime of desertionexecute him by firing squad, now, immediately! Wang Zhongs head genuinely tingled. Did this idiot understand the consequences of executing a military officer on the battlefield? Huh? It seems I executed a deserter too But the problem is, Im not a deserter! The Judge called Shaposhnikov smiled as he opened his holster At this moment, Wang Zhong was exceedingly nervous, with countless thoughts shing through his head: Should I give Yegorov an order? If Imand Yegorov to shoot these people down, will he listen? What if I order him to strafe these Monks? What would the oue be? Wont I still end up getting shot? Suddenly, he remembered something. Before the shells fell, Duke dimir was nning to evacuate Wang Zhongthat is, Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovskybecause Because the Crown Prince made a phone call to the Dukes headquarters. Huh, it seems I do have connections above? At that moment, Shaposhnikov drew his pistol. Yegorov immediately stepped in front of Wang Zhong, his right hand almost lifting the captured submachine gun Wang Zhong restrained his gun, and dered loudly, Bishop Stepan, it seems you are not well-informed about who I am. I am a dear friend of the Crown Prince, and if news of my execution reaches the Crown Princes ears Having said that, Wang Zhong then thought self-deprecatingly: What am I doing? Threatening someone about to nobly embrace death; how can this be effective? Theyre about to die; why would they care what the Crown Prince thinks? But Bishop Stepan clearly hesitated. So, this bastard didnt really want to die after allthats what Wang Zhong initially thought, but then he noticed that Bishop Stepan nced at Yegorov and the submachine gun in his hand. Did Stepan just fear Yegorov and his submachine gun? Just then, Bishop Stepan yielded, Fine, but I will record everything, document who it is that wants to abandon our sacrednd, defying the Emperors orders! In that instant, Wang Zhong seriously considered whether to take advantage of the chaos in battle to shoot these bastards dead covertly, to avoidter trouble. After all, it was still uncertain just how solid his rtionship with the Crown Prince was; acting decisively now could prevent prolonged troubles. Moreover, Wang Zhong always felt a sense of discordance emanating from these three, especially the Bishop, whose initialvish praise and subsequent turn of face both seemed like an act in a y Just then, a pleasant female voice came from the doorway: Report! Wang Zhong turned his head, expecting Ludm, but instead saw a strange girl with ck hair braided in pigtails hanging behind her neck. "I have just received a message from the Argesukov Hymn Choir; capable troops are to head to Shepetovka immediately, where Duke Meishikin is organizing the defense! Wang Zhong had no idea where Argesukov was, nor did he know anything about Shepetovka, but he quickly countered, We can make it! "This is the troop that has defeated the Prussian Army, prating one of their division headquarters, with experience inbat and victory, which will surely benefit the defensive operations substantially. The Bishop looked a tad disappointed, If that is the case, then theres no helping it; organize the retreat, Count. Chapter 16: Square Shoe Nails and Round Shoe Nails Wang Zhong once again sized up the girl who had brought the orders, noticing that she seemed to have some Eastern descentwhich made sense. If the Ante Empire was an alternate dimension version of Tsarist Russia, it would likely have many Eastern people living within its borders. However, the girls eyes werent ck, which considerably reduced the sense of Wang Zhong finding a familiar face in a foreignnd. Upon closer inspection, the girls ck hair also wasnt purely ck. Moreover, as if corresponding with the Eastern features, the girls figure was drastically different from Ludmsit was likeparing heaven and earth. Of course, this was mainly because Ludm was quite voluptuousthe nurse who had bandaged Wang Zhong before was also quite curvy. Perhaps the females among the Ante People tended to be fuller figured. Wang Zhong: Are you a Hymn Monk? The girl looked at Wang Zhong with confusion, but after seeing his rank, she immediately stood at attention and saluted: Lieutenant Colonel! I am thest survivor of the Ronied Hymn Choir, Hymn Monk Sufang Batu Wendusu. The name Batuvindasu sounded very Mongolian; surely, this girl had Eastern heritage. Wang Zhong: You said youre thest survivor?"Yes, the church where the headquarters was located came under heavy artillery fire. The Hymn Choir was in a building next to itI heard that this was what happened. I survived because I had been sent out with Monk Yeca Neikos Divine Arrow squad, she exined. Wang Zhong: I was at the scene when the shelling happened. His Grace was killed, and the entire staff of the headquarters andmunications team were all wiped out; your colleagues from the Hymn Choir must have been inside. A shadow fell across the girls face; her long eyshes drooped as she cast her gaze to the ground: They I hope they went to heaven without any pain. As she spoke, the girl made a gesture in front of her chest. Wang Zhong had not paid attention when he saw people making the gesture before, thinking it was a cross, but now he realized it was not a cross at all, but an inverted triangle. It was a close call that he noticed; otherwise, making the sign of the crosster might have given him away. At that moment, Bishop Stepan stepped between Wang Zhong and the girl, asserting in a loud voice: Theres no time to lose; we must depart at once! Shepetovka is far from here. If we walked, it would take days, and thats if we could even arrive! Wang Zhong red furiously at this manwho had just been about to execute himand recalled the sense of discord he had previously felt about himabout them. During World War II, at the start of Operation Barbarossa, Germany deployed arge number of fifth column agentsspiesinto the Soviet Union to sabotage and disrupt the actions of the Soviet military. Could these people be doing the same? Wang Zhong thought again about this mans wariness towards Yegorovs submachine gun. That reaction It almost felt like he was treating Yegorov as an enemy on alert. At that moment, Wang Zhong had a stroke of inspiration, recalling a scene from the movie The Brest Fortress and decided to repeat what he saw: I want to see the sole of your shoe! The soles of our countrys shoes all have round anti-slip studs, but the Prussians studs are square! If youre an undercover spy, the shoes youre wearing might just be from the Prosen! In the movie, a Soviet officer used this tactic to bluff a German spy; in reality, there was no difference between the two sides shoe studs. But thinking they had overlooked this detail, the German spy let his guard down and exposed a weakness, after which justice was swiftly served. Wang Zhong simply thought to give it a try. Bishop Stepans face remained calm, and he said indifferently: Alright, look if you must! Afterward, I will also want to see your shoe studs. Then, he leaned on the table and lifted his foot for everyone to see the studs. Square. The bishop stiffened. Yegorov aimed his submachine gun at the bishop and demanded, Exin yourself, Your Excellency. At that moment, Hymn Monk Sufang spoke up, When you think about it, its very strange. Bishop Stepan should be taller. But you, you do look a lot like him The other Monks also showed hesitation: Indeed, the bishop should be taller. Wang Zhong: Have you been with him the entire time? "No, we were following the third Amur Group as ordered by you, the count, serving as guides for the field hospital and the headquarters, Your Excellency. The bishop joined us midway But he does indeed look exactly like the bishop! Wang Zhong also drew his gun, Thats because the Prosen people carefully selected someone for infiltration and destruction. And I guess hes also in disguise. Someone, throw water on the bishops face! Yegorov immediately untied his canteen and said, This canteen of mine contains alcohol, which can remove waterproof makeup! After he finished speaking, he unscrewed the cap and took a swig, with the scent of alcohol wafting out the moment he opened it. Then Yegorov poured all the water from the canteen over Bishop Stepans head. The first to dissolve were the eyebrows, with the ck of the eyebrow pencil melting and running down the bishops cheeks. Suddenly, Bishop Stepan grabbed something from the table and hurled it at Shaposhnikovs gun! By then, Wang Zhongs gun was already drawn, andpared to thest time he executed deserters, his hand was much steadier this time. Two shots rang out, and Bishop Stepans movements slowed; his arms spread outward as he pitched forward. Yegorov clicked his tongue, No wonder they picked a fight like a pair of fools just now, turns out he was a Prosen spy! Judge Shaposhnikov said, We discovered a Prosen spy before the war started. We were torturing him when the war broke out. Prosen bombers dropped their bombs. If not for that, we would certainly have destroyed the Prosen spywork in the city of Ronied! Wang Zhong had not forgotten the scene of the bishop exchanging nces with these Judges. He spoke out loud, Just now you also drew your gun on me, how can I trust that you are not another spy? Think about it, you dont even know that I have a close rtionship with the Crown Prince. Suspicious, very suspicious. Wang Zhong turned to ask the other Monks in the room, Have these two Judges been with you the whole time? "No, they joined us together with the bishop, the Monk said, backing away to clear the line of fire, making sure not to get caught in the crossfire when Yegorov swept the area with his gun. Only Sufang still stood at the doorway, cluelessly. Suddenly, Shaposhnikov grabbed Sufang, using him as a human shield in front of himself. While the act of taking a hostage captured everyones attention, the other Judge drew a pistol that closely resembled a box cannon and aimed to shoot Wang Zhong. Although Sufangs upper body was restrained, his legs could still move. At the critical moment, heunched a kick, hitting the wrist of the second man precisely and sending the bullet flying, brushing past Wang Zhongs hat. "Judge Shaposhnikov pressed the gun against Sufangs forehead, Stay put! Then he began to speak in Prosen. Yegorov opened fire, taking down the fake Judge who was not holding a hostage with a short burst from his submachine gun. The spy holding Sufang hostage started shouting something in a panicked tone. Wang Zhong took a step forward and said, Calm down, you wont escape. Youd better surrender! The spy burst intoughter, Taking away thest Hymn Monk wouldnt be too bad, ah? We know exactly how poor your countrys wireless technology is! It seemed like the enemy was about to tear up the ticket! In a moment of quick thinking, Wang Zhong shouted, Long live the Prosen Empire! The enemy, caught off guard, paused, Huh? In that brief moment, the gant Yegorov had already rushed forward, using the barrel of his submachine gun to force the gun away from Sufangs temple, then fired point-nk at the enemys head. The spys head burst open, leaving arge gory hole, looking much like a watermelon that had been smashed open with a hammer for 40 cents. Chapter 17: “I Guess,” “I Judge,” and “I’m Sure The battle ended before Wang Zhong even had time to react. Yegorov stepped forward, stepping on the fake Judges hand and bent down to feel his neck. "Dead, Yegorov spat on the enemys back after dering, You initiated this sneak attack after tearing up the non-aggression treaty, and then you y these dirty tricks! Wang Zhong: Search their bodies, see if there are any valuable documents on them. "How could there be? They are spies sent here to sabotage, so their documents and IDs are definitely forged! Despite his grumbling, Yegorov still nodded to the nonmissioned officers below him, signaling them to start searching the bodies. Wang Zhong then turned to Sofya: You area Hymn Monk? Since Wang Zhong had never heard of the term Hymn Monk, he subconsciously asked again for confirmation. Sofya snapped to attention: Reporting, yes, sir! Wang Zhong waved his hand: Dont be so stiff, at ease. Can you contact uhOriginally, Wang Zhong wanted to mention the ce name, but he had forgotten the long namethat was the trouble with being transported to a Western-style world. The peoples names and ce names were all long. This was especially true in a setting reminiscent of Russia, which doubled the length. While Wang Zhong was blocked by the ce name, he made a quick decision to switch to a birds-eye view, zooming out to the farthest point, and then satisfyingly noticed a veryrge ce name in the distance called Argesukov, which seemed to be a city. He assumed that must be where the Ante Military Region Command was located, and he seemed to have some recollection of the name, so he decisively said, Can you get in touch with the Hymn Choir in Argesukov? Sofya: Not now. Wang Zhong: How aboutter? Perhaps the people of this time and space all knew what Hymn Monks were, so everyone in the room surprisingly looked at Wang Zhong. But Wang Zhong had no time to worry about that. He needed to understand the situation, right? Recing the count who seemed to be useless, probablycking in military knowledge, he should be able to bluff his way through. Sofya: As long as I have a simple altar and the necessary utensils, and time to conduct mass, I can make calls. But they may not always be heard, so I need to repeatedly call out. Wang Zhong: But you dont need to do anything to hear others calls, correct? "I need to concentrate, said Sofya. So its best to have a peaceful environment. I heard the call while I was resting just now. Wang Zhong: Understood. He summed it up: Hymn Monks were like human radios, requiring time to set up to receive messages, and sending messages was even more troublesome, requiring a stable rear position. Meaning, they couldnt make use of the Hymn Monk for the time being. Sofya looked at Wang Zhong: Do youneed me to do anything? Wang Zhong: Besides chanting hymns, what else can you do? "I can shoot, said Sofya confidently. My father was a hunter. He taught me to shoot roe deer when I was young. Wang Zhong turned to Yegorov: Give her a gun, she might be somewhat useful. His order was executed immediately. Wang Zhong: Yegorov, whats the situation with the troops? "Restocking and resting. Also, Ive dispatched scouts along the road to conduct reconnaissance. We should wait for their return. Upon hearing about the scouts, Wang Zhong immediately switched to a birds-eye viewthen thinking it wouldnt look right to just stand there spacing out, he switched back, walked to the map, put on a show of examining it, then switched back again. This way, to outsiders, he was intensely studying the mapspacing out. But no one knew that he was actually spacing out, right? Wang Zhong confirmed what he could see in his current field of vision. From his birds-eye view, it really felt like ying a real-time strategy game. The area outside his vision was covered in ayer of fog of war, only dim buildings and terrain visible, shrouded in a veil of grey. The areas within his field of vision were colored and much brighter. Wang Zhong quickly discovered several independent vision areas around the main force, and upon closer inspection, indeed they belonged to the reconnaissance troops dispatched by Yegorov. In other words, the mechanism of my cheat allows me to gain the vision of the entire unit as long as I can speak with the leaders of the subordinate units. Not far from the main force of the Third Amur Group, heading eastward, a small path diverged from the main road, nked on both sides by birch foreststhough Wang Zhong couldnt recognize the birches. He had only ever seen them bare of leaves in winter in a music video, never this lush and verdant type. But Golden Finger came with a guide that floated the words Birch Forest above the trees. Why does Golden Finger insist on telling Wang Zhong these are birch trees? Perhaps because in this world, two lovers also carved their names in a birch forest? Wang Zhong brushed aside these irrelevant thoughts and observed the advancing scouts, who had somehow acquired horses and were now galloping along the pathway without encountering any Prussians. Meanwhile, on the eastern highway, the scouts hadnt gone far before they came upon a Prussian supply station, which seemed hastily guarded, with only a few guards present. Machine guns were mounted at the checkpoint, but the two gunners stood by their weapons drinking coffee. Clearly, the enemy had not anticipated an attack on this supply station. A group of enemy soldiers, even without weapons, were busy constructing sentry posts and vehicle barriers. Inside the supply station, there were plenty of trucks! Wang Zhong: Yegorov, assemble the troops. The voice of Yegorov sounded surprised: Now? We should wait for the scouts to return with their report Wang Zhong: Were moving east to As he spoke, he switched back to his own perspective, then realized that the map in front of him still hadnt marked the supply station. Damn it, how do I exin to people how I knew the supply station was there? The next moment, Wang Zhong had an idea, and he said to Yegorov, The Prussians are very rigid in warfare. They must have constructed supply stations at the rear. I guess it should be here! He picked up thepass beside the map and stuck its point where he had seen the supply station. Wang Zhong: The enemy certainly thinks our target is their Army Group Command, so the supply station is likely to be poorly defended. Staff Officer Pavlov frowned: Is this your conjecture? No, I saw it with my cheat. Wang Zhong, with a stern face: Yes. In battle, you must make decisions on the fly. Theres no time to argue with you. Yegorov, gather the troops! Yegorov saluted and went out. Pavlov still looked puzzled: Whats the point of attacking a supply station? Wang Zhong: Tomandeer vehicles. Dreaming of outrunning the enemy on foot is foolish; we need to escape using the enemys trucks. The front-line enemy units might not have that many trucks, but their supply stationsdefinitely for transporting supplies! Blow up the supplies, and the trucks can transport troops. Pavlov kept shaking his head: No, no, this goes against all militarymon sense! Such a ridiculousbat n would score a zero! Wang Zhong sternly replied: This is a battlefield, not a test. Sufang: Hes right! Wang Zhong looked at Sufang quizzically: Why are you still here? Sufang: The Hymn Monk should be with the highest-rankingmander on site, thats what the manual says. Wang Zhong curled his lip and nced subconsciously at Sufangs chest, then he remembered Ludms fullness. He had a question and asked: Monk are most of them women? Sufang: About half and half, butpared to the military, there are indeed more women. Why do you ask? Before Wang Zhong could answer, Yegorov came in: The troops are on the move; we should go too. "Leave a liaison officer to tell the field hospital and logistics units following us where we are going, Wang Zhong said. Yegorov: I have already arranged it. Chapter 18: The Singing Sounds Like Bright Spring Sunshine Wang Zhong nodded, then strode out the door. Outside, he turned around and added, Bring all the maps, and the documents too. Get on our jeep. It wasnt that Wang Zhong didnt want to walk with the soldiers; mainly, he would get dizzy when he walked with this perspective. Although riding in a vehicle could also make him dizzy, it happened more slowly, and he could monitor the overall situation from a birds-eye view for a longer period. Upon stepping outside, Wang Zhong saw that Captain Sergey was already waiting in the jeep. "Youre pretty quick with your actions. Sergey cracked a wry smile, If I sit in the car, no one will see my trousers. So that was the reason. Wang Zhong got into the car and turned to Yegorov, saying, You get in too. Yegorov replied, I need to be where the messengers can find me. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, Take an Ante Army g and tie it to the car. Tell the messenger corpsmander to look for the jeep with the army g.As they spoke, Yegorovs guard had already fetched a g, promptly inserting it at an angle on the rear of the vehicle and securing it tightly with a few turns of a strap. The base color of the g was white,yered with a blue X cross in the middle, and at the top, the pattern was a double-headed eagle. My goodness, the St. Andrews Cross gbined with the Double-headed Eagle emblem, thats quite bold. Yegorov looked at Wang Zhong with suspicion, Why must you bring me along? Of course, because I can have the troops view bymunicating with you! Wang Zhong reasoned that if he just drove away, he would immediately lose sight of the third detachment of the Amur Group. Therefore, Yegorov had to get into the vehicle. But he couldnt disclose that reason, so Wang Zhong began to make up an excuse, As amander, of course, you need to be at the very front of the troops at all times, to personally inspect the terrain where battles may ur. Sergey looked at Wang Zhong sideways, as if he had much to say. Indeed, a newbie who had just wet his pants, now suddenly so brave and even keen to scout out the front, anyone would find it strange. Yegorov clicked his tongue, That doesnt sound like something a noble lord would say. The noble lords never go to the front lines; they only draw lines on maps. I experienced that during the civil war. Wang Zhong replied, Im not quite the same as others. It was only because there was no one present who knew the original count that he could bluff so audaciously. Just as he thought that, Sufang spoke up, Thats not right. I heard that Count Rocossov was a frivolous scoundrel who always looked down on themoners and only came to the troops to get a military uniform so he could go back to St. Ye Katerina Fortress and brag to the nobledies. "They also say that the Count never appears on the training grounds, not even for the morning drills. Wang Zhong broke out into a cold sweat and could only parry with, That was then, Ive metamorphosed. I mean, bombarded into transformation by the Prosen artillery. Sufang looked at Wang Zhong, Really? You do seem quite different from the rumors; youre not frivolous at all Wang Zhong interjected, I must remind you, I am your superior officer, themander of this unit. "Ah! Sufang eximed, Indeed, I shouldnt speak ill of you. At this point, Yegorov had already gotten into the car and looked at his staff officer Pavlov, saying, Youd better note with us. In case were strafed by an enemy ne and killed, well still have you tomand the troops. Pavlov nodded. At that moment, Yegorovs guard moved to get on the jeep, but Sufang beat him to the punch and slipped into the rear of the vehicle first. The guard questioned, Is there enough room? Wang Zhong dered, We dont need a guard; you stay with Staff Officer Pavlov. Having the birds-eye view and the whole armys perspective indeed made it harder to encounter enemies. Wang Zhong and Ludm could have crossed back to their own lines without firing a single shot if they hadnt been spotted by the enemy while fleeing through the city, or if the military jeep hadnt chased after them from behind. Wang Zhong snapped his fingers, and Captain Sergey immediately understood, releasing the clutch, engaging the gear, and stepping on the gas. The captured jeep roared as it shot forward. The Amur Group had already begun moving out, and the jeep drove past the troops heading west. Wang Zhong had just pped his head when he realized the army g hed nted on the jeep was having a good effect; seeing the g charging ahead first, with Colonel Yegorov sitting in the vehicle, the troops morale soared, and they began to shout Ura! The cry of Ura suddenly spread throughout the entire column, and everyone looked at the jeep charging ahead with fervent eyes. Amidst the chants of Ura, a booming voice shouted, Yegorov! Lead us in thrashing those damn Prussians! Yegorov shouted, Remember, ourmander is the great Count Rocossov! It is the Counts orders that have brought us such great sess! Although Wang Zhong was in a birds-eye view, his hearing was unaffected, and he heard Yegorovs words loud and clear. At the same time, he also clearly heard that the cheering of Ura stopped abruptly after Yegorov had shouted. It seemed that Count Rocossov had already gained an infamous reputation among the soldiers. Wang Zhong switched back to the original perspective just in time to hear Yegorov shout, What are you doing? Dont stop cheering! Look, the Count is right here, charging ahead with me! "Yegorov! Wang Zhong spoke up, Let everyone sing a song, something they like, something that can boost morale! Yegorov was in a fix, A song both you and everyone likes, Im afraid there isnt one. Wang Zhong frowned, What about a military song? "No one likes military songs, Yegorov said frankly, what the soldiers like are well, rather crude things. Wang Zhong insisted, Then lets have something crude! Yegorov agreed, Alright! Petrov! You start, sing The Girl from the Neighboring Vige! The Girl from the Neighboring Vige? That didnt sound like a proper song at all. Singing such a song at this time, wouldnt it actually undermine morale? Or should I recite a segment from War General of the Three Kingdoms? At that moment, Sofya suddenly started singing. As soon as Wang Zhong heard the tune, a chill ran down his spine; wasnt this Katyusha? Legend had it that during World War II, when the Germans yed Katyusha on a phonograph on their position, the Soviets heard it and became so enraged that they mounted a charge, took over the position, and captured the phonograph, with all the German soldiers there being gunned down. Sofya sang, It was the perfect time when the pear blossoms were in full bloom It really was Katyusha! After Sofya sang the first verse in soprano, the soldiers marching seemed to have agreed upon it, joining in unison, singing the chorus together. Katyusha stood on the steep bank Her song was like the bright spring sunshine Katyusha stood on the steep bank Her song was like the bright spring sunshine! With the song, even Wang Zhong could feel the rising morale. By this point, the jeep had overtaken the very front of the column, bing a true pathfinder. Wang Zhong directed, Theres a slope ahead, drive up it. I want to have a look at the terrain. Chapter 19: “Perhaps This is The Complexity of Humans After the jeep climbed to the top of the hill, Wang Zhong said to Yegorov, Stand in a conspicuous ce. Sufang, unfurl the banner, and make sure others can see clearly that its our army g. Sufang looked bewildered, as if she didnt understand why Wang Zhong was emphasizing the army g so much, but she still unfurled the g. Wang Zhong jumped out of the car and, holding a pair of binocrs, came up beside Yegorov. He raised the binocrs to look into the distance. Atop the hill, he could barely make out the enemys supply station, but even at the highest magnification on his binocrs, the view wasnt clear. That wasnt a problem for him though; a simple switch, and everything became crystal clear. However, Wang Zhongs attention wasnt on the supply station, but rather on a moving patch of terrain not far from the hill they were on. It was the reconnaissance soldiers retreating after surveying the supply station. Wang Zhongs orders to unfurl the g and have Yegorov stand in a clear ce were all to avoid being mistaken by the recon squad for a senior Prosen officering to inspect. Dying at the hands of ones own army was the most valueless death in this war. The reconnaissance squad should have been able to see the army g by now. Wang Zhong switched back to normal vision and patted Yegorov on the shoulder, The scouts are back, go greet them. Yegorov, also holding binocrs, looked puzzled when he heard Wang Zhongs words. He nced at the distance and then at the binocrs, You saw the scout team?I saw them, from a gods perspective. All Wang Zhong could do was fob him off, Their camouging skills need to improve. Yegorovs brows twisted as if he were trying to unravel a knot, and at that moment, arge figure emerged from the forest in front, holding a Prosen-standard submachine gun, Freeze, hands up! Yegorov: Grigori, put the gun down. The towering man raised his eyebrows in scrutiny, recognizing Yegorovs face before lowering the gun, Whats going on? How did youe to be here? Yegorov: Forward reconnaissance. Also, just now the count noticed you from hundreds of meters away and criticized your disguise! Wang Zhong was embarrassed; he had only made up a casual excuse, not expecting Yegorov to take it seriously. The man called Grigori muttered, Count? Which count? He examined Wang Zhong closely, Dont recognize him, arent we under themand of the Duke? Wang Zhong: The Duke perished under the enemys naval bombardment. Now Im inmand of you. Report on the reconnaissance. Grigori: The Prosen bastards werepletely off guard; we got close to a couple of edge sentries, and they didnt detect a thing. Wang Zhong switched to an overhead view, but found the supply station enshrouded in the fog of war. It seemed he had to lift the binocrs to his eyes to dispel the mist of distance. He switched back to normal vision, preparing to lift the binocrs, but saw several Ante Army soldiers crawl out from the underbrush and stand behind Grigori. With an expectant look, Grigori waited, and so Wang Zhong asked, Did you bring in the two sentries? "No, we wanted to interrogate them, but they tried to shout, so we slit their throats. Grigori gestured across his neck, indicating that this gesture seems to be universally understood across multiple universes. Wang Zhong nodded, then lifted the binocrs and switched views again. This time, the enemy supply station lit up. Indeed, it was still in that peaceful years state, and no one seemed to have noticed the Ante Army g on the hill. Wang Zhong put down the binocrs and turned back to Sufang, Roll up the army g, no need to keep it disyed. He turned to Yegorov, Were nning a surprise attack on this supply station. Should we have our troops stop on the reverse slope behind the hill, gather a hundred experienced veterans, and concentrate as many submachine guns and hand grenades as possible into their hands? Yegorov nodded vigorously and immediately turned to give orders, while Wang Zhong looked at Grigori, Are you the reconnaissance team leader? "Yes, ColonelMy Lord Count. Wang Zhong: After the assault team assembles, you will lead them in attacking the supply station. Do you feel confident? Grigori smiled, A hundred men is too many. Its easy for the enemy to detect us. Ten men armed with submachine guns and grenades would suffice. I have five men here, with two submachine guns. If you can find me another five men, eight submachine guns will be enough. Wang Zhong: What if I say you cant damage the vehicles and fuel? We need the enemys vehicles for our retreat. Grigori: Retreat? I thought we were going to keep attacking, to wreak havoc on the enemy. Wang Zhong: No, we can go to our deaths, but we must die with more value. In this situation, if our small force continues to attack, its like soap bubbles under the sun, vanishing instantly without any impact on the overall situation. Grigori: But tounch an attack just for the sake of retreating I bet your staff officer screamed at that. Wang Zhong: All my staff have died. Just then, as Yegorov came back having finished giving orders, he chimed in, Staff officer Pavlov did indeed let out a scream. He paused, his face turning stern, I request to lead this assault team. Wang Zhong: No. It wasnt that Wang Zhong was sparing of his talents; rather, Yegorov could open the field of vision at his side. If Yegorov bit the dust,mand would go by default to Pavlov in the rear, and Wang Zhong would be limited to what he could see, significantly reducing his awareness of the battlefield situation. Yegorovs brow furrowed in preparation to protest, but Grigori spoke up, The battalionmander just wants to kill the enemy with his own hands. Actually, I, being more familiar with the terrain, would do the job better than him. My Lord Count, I advise against the change. Wang Zhong: Yegorov, stay here. Yegorov was indignant. Suddenly recalling the question Wang Zhong had just posed, he demanded, You havent answered the Counts question from earlier! Is it possible not to destroy the vehicles and fuel? "Yes, but it will take a bit longer, considering we can no longer use explosives. Well need to stealthily take out a few sentries and get our people into positions where they can wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop. Its not a big problem, Grigori confidently exined. Wang Zhong: Alright, Ill give you ten men, all selected from veterans with experience in the Winter War or the Civil War. By this time, Yegorovs orders had been carried out to the letter. A group of soldiers, brandishing submachine guns, ascended to the mountaintop. The captain leading them saluted and reported, Sir, we dont have that many submachine guns, mainly because our casualties have been too severe, and many of the nonmissioned officers who carried them are dead. Yegorov: Theres been a change of ns. Sergeant Major Grigori only needs ten submachine guns now, and also five people with stuffed homes. Whoever is willing to take on this mission, step forward. The group of men who had climbed the mountain were volunteers to begin with. Upon hearing his words, they unanimously took a step forward. Wang Zhong said to Sergeant Major Grigori, You pick the men yourself. Same for the guns. You have ten minutes, then set off. "Five minutes will do! said Grigori before walking over to the volunteers. A sergeant took the initiative to speak up, Ill go, Corporal Grigori. Grigori: Hmph, I thought you were dead, kid. Wang Zhong looked at Grigoris military rank, puzzled, Corporal? "When this guy was in basic training, I was a corporal, said Sergeant Major Grigori. Just then, a youngnce corporal called out, Sergeant Major, Ill go! "Not you, Grigori shook his head, youre not married yet. You need to keep your life. It seemed as if to preempt further volunteers, Grigori swiftly picked the remaining men, Thats enough, the rest of you disperse! Go back to your homes! Wang Zhong: No, the rest will be the second echelon. If Grigori, you cant take it down, they go in. If you seed in capturing the depot, fire a signal re. Give him a signal pistol. Taking the signal pistol, Grigori gestured grandly to the assault team he had selected: Grab your weapons, fast! At that moment, an original member of Grigoris scouting team asked, What about us, Sergeant Major? "Petrov, you stay back. We need someone familiar with the situation to lead the second echelon. The rest of you, follow me. Also, leave all the grenades. The Count is worried about setting off the fuel and ammunition inside, so we cant use them. Just unload them to lighten our load and move fast. "Dont carry too much ammo either, just two magazines each. If we cant take them down with two magazines, more probably wont help. As he spoke, Grigori tossed his grenade pouch on the ground and pulled two magazines from his ammo carrier to hand to a soldier nearby. Following that, Grigori swiftly led his light-equipped force into the bushes. Wang Zhong stood on the mountaintop and once again struck the pose of lifting his binocrs. Cut to the birds-eye view. He could clearly see the movements of Grigoris separate unit, which, aside from not being under his control, was just like a real-time strategy game. He watched Grigoris squad move towards the depot and soon felt a soreness in his arm. Well, holding up an arm for too long does cause it to ache! He had no choice but to put down the binocrs, and as a result, the lit area of his birds-eye view shrank abruptly. Nheless, he could see the field of view for Grigoris squad moving towards the enemy. Wang Zhong waited patiently. ** To those around Wang Zhong, he appeared to be gazing off into the distance in a daze. Sitting in the back of the jeep, Sofya looked at Wang Zhong, puzzled. She couldnt help but nudge Sergey, who was sitting in the drivers seat, Captain, does the Count often stare off into the distance like this? Sergey: I dont know. Before today, I had only seen him at balls. He Sergey trailed off. Sofya: What about him? "Err Sergey deliberated for a moment and spoke in a hushed voice, Hes uneducated. The Duchess really dislikes him, saying hes like a monkey in heat, only capable of speaking monkey talk. After a seconds hesitation, Sergey added, Today he wet himself on the battlefield and then forcibly took my trousers to wear. Sofya was shocked, What? But when the Monk regiment and I were looking for you guys, all I heard was praise, saying the Countmanded effectively and caught the enemy by surprise. "Ludm from the Divine Arrow squad even said he was very brave, leading just the two of them through enemy territory and saved her life! Sergey spread his hands, Maybe Thats theplexity of people? Chapter 20: Wrath Wang Zhong didnt hear Sergey speaking ill of him, nor did he hear the news about Ludm that he was so eager to know about. His attention was entirely on the stealth squad. The squad spread outpletely. With the aid of his external device, Wang Zhong could see everyones name and rank, which reminded him of a war game he had yed called Warrior of War, except that he couldnt inspect their equipment. However, unlike Warrior of War, where he could take control of a single soldier, Wang Zhong couldnt do that; he could only watch the soldiers advance. Grigori led three men, sneaking into the depot from the location where they had taken out the two sentries earlier, and then headed straight for the fuel storage. Next to the fuel, two Prussians seemed to be counting the inventory. Grigori charged forward, taking advantage of the enemy looking down at their list to end one with a dagger. The other had just time to look up before a dagger pierced his throat. Grigori then sent one man to check the fuel area for any overlooked enemies, and with the remaining two, used the cover of trucks to approach a group of Prussian devils chatting together. At that moment, the second group also moved, targeting the sentry by the machine gun. The sentry was killed and dragged into the bushes before he could even cry out.This group then made their way to the people by the machine gun and the guardhouse, readying their submachine guns. The third group circled to the only wooden house at the corner of the fuel depot. That was when Wang Zhong suddenly noticed something: the enemy used to be highlighted in his overhead view, but now they werent! He thought about it and considered a possibility; switching back to normal vision, he lifted his binocrs. After switching back to the overhead view, the enemies were highlighted againDamn it, the enemies would only be highlighted if I could see them myself! Not only that, enemies previously not disyed inside the wooden house were now visible too, probably because there were windows. Golden Finger assumed Wang Zhong could see inside through the windows, so it highlighted the enemies. Wang Zhong could already imagine himself sitting in a jeep, charging at the front lines in the future. Brainlessly highlighting enemies, even those inside buildingsif the enemy constructed bunkers in the future, a nce from Wang Zhong would highlight the machine gunners inside. All hidden bunkers would be nowhere to hide! Wait a minute, wasnt this ability particrly suited for a tankmander? By sticking his head out of the turret, he could light up all the enemies Unfortunately, Wang Zhong didnt have a single tank in his possession at the moment. As Wang Zhong was lost in thought, the battle erupted. Grigori, the sergeant first ss, was the first to strike, spraying a barrage of bullets at the enemies who were gathered together, idly chatting. The Prussians were caught off guard and, clearly being second-line troops equipped with bolt-action rifles, didnt stand a chance in such close-quarterbat against submachine guns. The noise of gunfire caused the Prussians at the entrance to turn around,pletely unprepared for the Ante soldiers who suddenly emerged from behind them; a burst from a submachine gun spun two Prussians by the machine gun to the ground. The guards at the guardhouse managed to scatter and three survived, but their weapons were ced far away! One of the Prussians wielding a shovel charged forward, only to be taken down by the second submachine gunner. On the house side, a scout kicked open the door and sprayed bullets inside, killing the officers and service soldiers immediately. However, the attacking paratroopers were apparently too excited, and ran out of bullets quickly. As one was changing his magazine, an enemy emerged from the toilet, shouting and stabbing him with a bay. The paratrooper slumped and was pushed out of the doorway, at which point another paratrooper at the window opened fire, taking the Prussian down. The fight ended rtively cleanly. Grigori rushed to the woundedrade, but from Wang Zhongs perspective, he could tell that the man was dead. When Wang Zhong had previously ordered the third battalion of the Amur Group to attack, quite a few men must have died, though he didnt see it. Now, having witnessed a soldier sacrifice his life following hismand, Wang Zhong was filled with mixed emotions. Coming from a peaceful era, he might need some time to get used to the job of sending others to their death. But Grigori seemed ustomed to the death of hisrades. He just felt the fallen paratroopers neck, then tore off his dog tags, stood up, took out a signal pistol, and fired a red reHongers signalinto the sky. Wang Zhong switched back to normal vision, Yegorov, have the troops advance, take over the depot, and seize the trucks. After speaking, Wang Zhong got into the jeep. Captain Sergey asked, To the depot? "No, wait until Yegorov has issued the orders, said Wang Zhong. To ensure his field of vision wasnt deprived, Yegorov had to stay with him. If they managed to get their hands on field telephones in the future, it wouldnt be so troublesome. However, the Prussian spy had said that the Ante Empires radio technology was rtively poor, and indeed, Wang Zhong hadnt seen a single field telephone since he had been there. The enemy seemed not to have such devices either. Yegorov quickly finished issuing his instructions; turning around, he found Wang Zhong looking at him and asked, Should I continue to follow? Wang Zhong: Yes,e on up. Yegorov climbed into the car with a look of reluctance. At this time, the Third Rear Amur Groups vanguard had already started up the mountain from behind the reverse slope. Wang Zhong: Lets go. Sergey stepped on the gas, and the vehicle charged forward like a bull that had been waiting to fight. The wind that met them unfurled the g on the car. ** A private of the Third Rear Amur Group, Ashmi, asked the sergeant walking beside him, Sergeant, did the count really piss himself? His usual practice of leading the charge doesnt seem like that of a coward. The sergeant nced at the distant g and clicked his tongue, The battlefield is a ce where people can transform. Maybe after he pissed himself, he became brave. At that moment, a private walking in front interjected, On the battlefield, demons choose their champions. My neighbor was a gentle and kind man before the civil war. After he returned, he changed, and in summer, the temperature around him would drop several degrees for no reason! "The vige priest said he might be possessed and even conducted an exorcism ceremony. The corporal jumped in shock, Then isnt that bad for us? "What do you know! A person who is possessed keeps winning battles. Two hundred years ago, Suvorov was possessed. It is said that he killed two hundred Carolingian heavy cavalrymen all by himself! While saying this, the private rubbed his nose, Just you watch. I think the count is going to rise high into the clouds! Following him, our casualties will definitely be fewer than other units. Think about it, we have already left the encirclement, while our brother units are still fighting to the death inside it! The corporal uttered an Oh in response. At this time the sergeant said, Dont think too much, were just ordinary soldiers. As long as we survive, everything will be fine. Youre almost through the first day, rookie, be happy. "Hmm, the young corporal nodded his head. ** Sergey drove the car all the way to the station and parked it in front of the little wooden house. Wang Zhong got out of the car and surveyed the house, This looks like a farmhouse. What happened to the people who lived here? The house was ratherrge and even had an attic, big enough for arge family. Grigori had a grim expression and did not reply. Sofia said, They probably fled because of the war. Many people have run away since the fighting started. Finally, Grigori spoke, No, this family didnt leave. Wang Zhong had a bad premonition but still suppressed the feeling and asked, Then where are they now? Grigori dropped a Follow me and turned toward the backyard. Wang Zhong caught up with Grigori, and Yegorov and Sofia also got out of the car to follow. Captain Sergey stayed in the car as if his behind were glued to the drivers seat, Ill just stay here and watch the car. Grigori led Wang Zhong into the backyard towards a small wooden hut. The hut emitted a strong odor that reminded Wang Zhong of when he was a child visiting his hometownback then, the rural areas in the north still used outhouses, and the stench was the same when you got close to one. The foul stench and swamp gasbined into a nauseating smell. His ominous premonition grew stronger. Grigori opened the door, then stepped aside, The owners of this house are here, have a look for yourself. Wang Zhong pinched his nose and took a step forward, only to see an entire family, from old to young, all in thetrine, with traces of bay wounds on their bodies; two adult females had even been stripped of their clothes. Upon seeing what was in the pit, Sofia turned around and ran to the side of the house, holding onto the wall as she vomited violently. Wang Zhong clenched his fists in silence. Because of recent history, Chinese people naturally abhor such acts of massacring civilians, and Wang Zhong felt the same. Before he traveled through time, when he saw a photo of a certain entity bombing a hospital, he was filled with rage, itching with hatred. And now, the feeling was the same. Before Wang Zhong could express his emotions, Yegorov punched the wooden wall of the outhouse, shattering the nks and bruises appearing on his fist at a visibly fast rate. "Those damn Prosen bastards! Wang Zhong patted Yegorovs shoulder, One day, we will bring the war to their shores. Just wait and see, one day! Even Wang Zhong hadnt realized that at this moment, his goal in this world had shifted slightly. Of course, for the moment, it was just a slight, negligible shift. Chapter 21: Make a Night Escape Wang Zhong took a couple of deep breaths before he finally loosened the tight grip of his fists and said to Yegorov, Have them buried. Yegorov replied, Digging graves will take time, and we coulde into contact with the following Prosen Army at any moment. My suggestion is to blow up thetrine. After we take the fuel, were going to demolish this entire station anyway. Just add a few more explosives. Wang Zhong nodded, Lets do that. After saying this, Wang Zhong didnt want to see the tragic sight again and turned to leave, when Su Fang asked, Is that a child? Wang Zhong turned back once more, following Su Fangs gaze, and indeed saw a small figure. Yegorov cursed, Those bastards, they drowned him in the shit. Wang Zhong couldnt bear to look any longer and turned away from thetrine, entered the cabin through the back door leading from the yard, and headed straight for the map on the table. Unlike the map seized from the earlier Prosen division headquarters, this one did not show the positions ofbat troops but was marked with supply lines, stations, and transport units. For a moment, Wang Zhong considered following this map to disrupt the enemys supply lines, which could potentially throw them into great chaos.But in the end, the urge to survive prevailed. Wang Zhong ordered, Pack up the map and documents, they might be usefulter. Have the troops board the vehicles, and engineers, arrange the explosives as quickly as possible. Suddenly, Wang Zhong remembered something and wondered if there would be enough soldiers who knew how to drive, so he asked, Can we find enough drivers? "Most people have driven tractors back home, and others were part of the local transport teams in their viges, no problem, exined Yegorov. Wang Zhong nodded. At that moment, Pavlov rushed in, gasping for breath, but without pausing to catch his breath, he said, Are we really going to make a run for it in cars? The roads must be full of Prussians by now! "The branch road were taking doesnt have any, Wang Zhong answered. "No cars now, but eventually, well have to join the main road, and itll definitely be swarming with Prussians! Pavlov was right; although the Third Rear Amur Group had found a gap, being in enemy territory, it wouldnt be surprising to encounter the enemy at any time if they traveled along the road. Given the limited strength of the Third Rear Amur Group, it seemed they would be quickly wiped out. Wang Zhong paced a few steps inside the cabin and suddenly noticed the nting sun outside the window. He immediately looked at his watch and was surprised to discover that it was already seven in the evening. The sun had not yet set at seven, which indicated that they were at a considerably hightitude, and it was also summertime. Having had no experience of living north of the Yangtze River before his journey through time, Wang Zhong didnt know when the sun set in the northern summers, so he asked Yegorov, How long until it gets dark? Yegorov also checked his watch and said, Sunset is in an hour, and it will bepletely dark around eight-thirty. After a brief moment of deliberation, Wang Zhongmanded, Set up a simple defense, well wait here for the logistics troops and the field hospital to follow. The logistics unit has more drivers, and we can drive away more trucks. Yegorov countered, But wouldnt that make us even more vulnerable on the road? Wang Zhong smiled slightly, We are driving Prosen military vehicles with Prosen crosses on the outside. Well turn on the lights at night, and theyll think we are one of their own. Having heard the tales of volunteers using vehicle lights at night to deceive the American forces, Wang Zhong decided to put it into practice himself. Pavlov protested loudly, What if we get caught, then were done for? Wang Zhong retorted, I will be in the first vehicle leading the way. If were done for, Ill die first. After saying that, he regretted it; he had meant to prioritize his own survival, but impulsively, he had shown off He could only hope that the enemy would be really that negligent. Thinking it over again, Wang Zhong felt unsure, so he added, Also, assign someone brave who speaks Prosen with me in the first vehicle. He will handle any inspection by the Prussians. Pavlov raised an eyebrow, Cant you do it? Wang Zhong replied, Should I be able to? "No, you are a Lord after all! Are nobles of this era expected to speak Prosen? At that moment, Su Fang said, I can speak Prosen. Ill ride in the same vehicle as Lord Rocossov and take the lead. Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief; even if there was trouble, at least he would face death alongside a beautiful woman. He told Yegorov, You ride in the first vehicle too, bring along Grigori and their sabotage team, all armed with submachine guns. If any real trouble arises, we can still catch the Prosen bastards off guard. "Great! Yegorovughed, seemingly very fond of taking the lead in a charge. ** At the same time, Lord Von Dietrich was pacing back and forth in his own headquarters. Whats going on? Why hasnt the attacke? Has the scouting squad from the 54th Division arrived yet? Themunications staff officer replied, Not yet, sir. Weve been maintaining radio contact with them continuously, but their jeep broke down, and the road conditions in thebat zone are atrocious. Dietrich asked, What about the armored units? Have we made contact? "Weve made contact with apanymander at the front, the staff officer said. He has lost contact with the armored toon assigned to the 54th Division. It could simply be a radio failure in the toonmand vehicle, of course. Dietrich sneered. An armored toon out of contact, plus the thick smoke from the heavy artillery bombardment, and the enemy hasunched a localized counterattack. These Ante People are prepared for a fight to the bitter end. But weve been waiting so long, where are they? Saying that, Dietrich moved to the window of the stone manor that served as the headquarters, looking out at the four tanks of the headquarters direct tank toon on alert in the garden. The Armored Troops were ready for action, with their vehicles engines running. But the attackers werete. Dietrich demanded, Call the Air Force, I want air support! "Lord, sir, the chief of staff spoke up, it will be dark in an hour, and even if the Air Force mobilizes and arrives, they wont be able to see anything. Lord muttered a curse and continued pacing the room. At that moment, an explosion suddenly came from the distance. He rushed to the window to look in the direction of the sound and saw a ball of orange fire rising from the ground. The chief of staff also leaned over, recognizing the location of the rising fireball at a nce. Looks like the forward supply depot has blown up. An Ant Air Force bombing? But theres no sound of engines. Dietrich roared, Idiots! The enemy weve been searching for is there! Damn it, the threats on the radio were a feint, a diversion! Deploy the troops immediately! The chief of staff said, The reserves are stuck on the road, remember? Right now, the only forces we have on hand that can be deployed immediately are the Army Groups air defense and reconnaissance units. Should we send them? Dietrich swore, No, this is the enemys all-out counterattack. Sending so few troops might lead them into a trap. Tell the reserves to hurry! ** Wang Zhong nced behind him when he heard the explosion. Wow, thats quite dramatic. His vehicle was at the very front of the column, and the bombs, set with timed fuses by the engineers, had exploded after the entire convoy had set out. So now he was at least a kilometer away from the supply depot, but the fireball created by the explosion still looked impressively huge. It was almost like a nuclear explosion. Although Wang Zhong had only seen images of nuclear explosions in documentaries. At that moment, Captain Sergey, who was driving, said, Why does it have to be me driving this first vehicle? Cant you find someone else? Wang Zhong replied, This is me trusting you. Actually, it was because Sergey, as a nobleman, spoke both Prosen and Carolingian. Sergey cursed, Damn it, what kind of suicidal orders are these? Driving with the headlights on, on a main road! Were definitely going to be spotted and then riddled with submachine gun fire. Sufang said, Even I, a girl, am not afraid. Why are you so scared? At that moment, Sufang was squeezed into the same spot as Wang Zhong. The girl was t in front but had a big backside, which squeezed Wang Zhong right up against the side of the driving cabin, next to the door. In another context, Wang Zhong might have enjoyed it, but right now he had switched to an overhead, birds-eye view and wasnt in the least concerned with these things. Wang Zhong had another reason for going first: to use Golden Fingers highlighting functionenemy soldiers within his line of sight would be directly highlighted. This way, Wang Zhong could be warned of the enemy from distances of two kilometers or more. At that moment, the sky was gradually darkening, and the average person might have a visual range of five or six hundred metersanything further would be pitch ck and invisible. But Wang Zhongs Golden Finger vision wasnt much different from daylight. He thought the Golden Finger could be very useful in night battles, too. Just then, Wang Zhong heard Yegorovs voice: Turn left at therge white por ahead, and youll be on the small road. Wang Zhong spotted therge white por and the left turn onto the small road, which extended northeastward, nked by thickets on both sides. There wasnt a single Prosen person on the road. Chapter 22: Night March After driving on the path for a while, Wang Zhong switched back to his original perspective to catch his breath, only to find himself letting out a massive yawn just as he did so. Weariness seemed to be waiting for just this moment to strike, washing over him and seizing his brain. Wang Zhong vigorously rubbed his face, but this did nothing to wake him up. Damn it, just when I need to rely on my own hacks to alert me of the enemy, why do I feel sleepy now? However, weariness didnt care about Wang Zhongs thoughts; it weighed on his eyelids like a thousand pounds. His consciousness drifted uncontrobly, and in his daze, Wang Zhong suddenly remembered something his father, who had fought in the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, said: "Your dad might seem heartless, having gotten used to the death of severalrades and still able to eat and sleep on the battlefield. Could it beam I the same, soon getting used to the battlefield? Wang Zhong fell into a deep sleep.He had no idea how much time had passed. When he opened his eyes again, Su Fangs face filled his entire field of vision. Only then did Wang Zhong realize he had fallen asleep on Su Fangs shoulder, drooling on her, and had wet arge spot on her chest. He hastily wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said apologetically, Sorry! Su Fangughed, Youre actually apologizing to me for this? When the rumors paint you as an even worse noble. Wang Zhong followed Su Fangs lead, What kind of noble am I in the rumors? Su Fang shrugged, You know like those bad nobles. By the way, are youAre you and that Ludm lovers? Wang Zhong was shocked, Ludm? Why would you bring her up? "Because you were murmuring I hope Ludm is alright in your sleep. I heard it quite clearly, the girl said. Wang Zhong made an evasive reply, Shes a beauty; I wouldnt want her to be spoiled by the Prussians. "Oh, I see, Su Fang said, her voice carrying a somewhat self-deprecating tone. On the drivers seat, Sergey hesitated to speak. Wang Zhong asked again, How long did I sleep? Su Fang replied, A few hours, I guess. Dont you have a watch of your own? Only then did Wang Zhong remember, and he lifted his sleeve to check the time. It was two oclock in the morning. At that moment, Sergey said, Count, there are car lights on the road ahead! Wang Zhong looked up ahead and indeed saw a long queue of lights in the distance. He immediately switched to an overhead perspective, and all the vehicles on the road ahead were highlighted: they were all enemies! As Wang Zhong observed the enemy, his body felt the jolt of the brakes. He quickly said, Dont panic! Braking will only draw attention. Just drive past, and well stop when we get close! The jolting from braking stopped. Sergeys voice came through, tense, Damn it, youre insane! Wang Zhong ignored him and continued to observe the enemy. Most of the cars on the highway were empty on their return trip, some still carrying the wounded and dead. A car had only one driver, some were apanied by a mechanic. Large groups of Prosen soldiers were resting by the side of the road, with many campfires burning, showing no concern at all for the possibility of air strikes or artillery fire. Upon careful consideration, since the enemy was moving forward with car lights on, a few campfires were rtively inconsequential. Sergeys voice trembled, Are we really going to drive past? They are all Prussians! Wang Zhong switched back to his naked eye view and knocked on the rear window of the driverspartment. Yegorovs face immediately appeared on the other side of the window, What is it? Wang Zhong instructed, Tell the troops, theres a Prosen checkpoint ahead. Get ready; once a fight breaks out, disembark immediately. Before that happens, no rash actions. You move only when I fire a shot; otherwise, hold your position. "Understood. Yegorovs face disappeared. Wang Zhong pulled out his pistol to check it, then concealed his hand in the shadow of the car door. By now, Prosen soldiers had appeared on both sides of the road, surrounding bonfires, eating canned food, and not even bothering to nce at the truck on the road. Wang Zhong caught the scent of the canned food, and his stomach growled loudly. Damn, he should have snatched something to eat while waiting for the logistics troops and field hospital. Looking out came a blocky object and said, Ive got somepressed biscuits, want some? Without a word, Wang Zhong grabbed it and crammed it into his mouth. At that moment, the truck finally reached the busy roadside, where a Prosen nonmissioned officer, holding a submachine gun, stood in the middle of the road, his right hand raised high. Wang Zhong recognized the gesture; when he was young, traffic police on the road used this signal to stop cars. Sergey stopped the truck, breathing so heavily that Wang Zhong could hear him. It could have been Sergey infecting him, as Wang Zhongs own breathing started to quicken. He stared at the Prosen officer, trying not to look at the submachine gun on his waist. However, the officer had no intention of checking the people in the truck, or even shining a shlight into the cabin; he simply turned to watch the supply columns retreating on the main road. The enemy had never expected to encounter Ante Army members riding in their own military vehicles here! Wang Zhongs gaze followed the enemy, but he quietly flipped the safety catch on his pistol back onif it had fired by ident in this situation, that would have been extremely unlucky. Unlike Wang Zhong, whose concerns were beginning to ease, Sergey seemed to be increasingly tense, breathing as heavily as an ox. Just as Wang Zhong worried that Sergey might snap any moment, thest supply truck passed the intersection. The traffic-directing officer immediately turned around, making a hurry up gesture. Wang Zhong smiled and nodded. Sergey started the truck and drove onto the main road. He nearly followed the returning convoy in turning left until Ludm reminded him in Prosen, Were heading to the front lines! Turn right! Instantly, Sergey jerked the steering wheel hard to the right. The Prosen at the crossroads burst outughing, and someone shouted something that Wang Zhong couldnt understand. Once far from the crossroads, Wang Zhong asked, What did the enemy just shout? Rushing back to find mommy? Ludm replied, Basically, they were making fun of him. "I just slipped! Sergey protested, My palms are all sweaty, I could barely grip the steering wheel! Suddenly, Sergeys voice dropped, as Prosen soldiers appeared again by the roadside. This group of Prussians sat around bonfires, eating canned food, and even drinking alcohol they must have scrounged from somewhere. The truck soon entered a small town where even more Prosen soldiers were roaming. Wang Zhong reviewed the road from above and directed Sergey, Follow this main road straight ahead; its clear sailing! Sergey was too tense even to respond. Then they drove straight into the center of the town, into the central square. Wang Zhong barely caught sight of a mound in the center of the square before realizing, as they got closer, that it was a mountain of corpses. These bastards had actually killed all the townspeople?? This was just too extreme; Wang Zhong was so shocked by the enemys brutality that he was speechless. Ludm covered her mouth, struggling to stay silent. Only after leaving town did the girl burst into tears. Wang Zhong patted her shoulder; at that moment, his goals in this world subtly shifted. He was not a citizen of the Ante Empire and had no fondness for feudal dregs like emperors and nobles. But the Prussians massacre of civilians crossed a line for him. He looked forward to using his overhead view to teach the Prussians a lesson they would not soon forget. Chapter 23: Deteriorating Injuries However, the first problem Wang Zhong had to face was the growing urge to sleep. He didnt know if it was because he was close to Su Fang, butte at night, Wang Zhong began to sweat profusely, and the breath he exhaled was frighteningly hot. As his body heated up, his brain also became as slow as if it had been filled with lead. In a daze, Wang Zhong wondered if he had a fever. He remembered the wound on his shoulder. He vaguely recalled someone saying the wound was in very bad condition and that he would likely develop a fever soon. Who said that again? His mind was too foggy to remember. His consciousness gradually blurred, and he finally fellpletely into a deep sleep.When he opened his eyes again, the scenery shing by the window indicated that the convoy was passing through a small town. In a haze, Wang Zhong heard Prosen speech and immediately snapped awakehis head still foggy, of course. His first instinct was to draw his gun, but a slender hand held down his weapon, Dont worry, they just said be careful ahead, enemy-upied zone. Because his body felt so awful, it took Wang Zhong a moment longer than it should have to realize that the enemy-upied zone mentioned by the Prosen devils was our armys controlled area. He looked at his watch, but it took him a full second to understand the time: 3 a.m. It was only three in the morning, but the eastern sky was already turning pale, and Wang Zhong, the southern spud, had never seen the day break so early. Wang Zhong stared eastward for a few seconds before he remembered to switch to an overhead view to be vignt of his surroundings. Before he could switch, Su Fang said, You have a fever, its because of the wound, isnt it? The mobile field hospital is right behind us and they didnt even give you any penicillin. Wang Zhong, They didnt have the chance, theyve mostly been chased around by the enemy. When he spoke, the airing out of Wang Zhongs mouth was scorching hot. When he was silent, he didnt notice, but speaking made Wang Zhong feel thirsty, so he reached for his water bottle, only to find the broken strap. Then a water bottle with the cap already off was handed to him. Su Fang, Drink more. Sorry, I didnt realize you might be dehydrated. "Thank you, Wang Zhong took the water bottle and took arge gulp. Perhaps because he was feverish, he felt like a sponge, absorbing the water as soon as it entered his mouth. After guzzling water, Wang Zhong felt much better, and he switched to an overhead view, confirming that there were no enemies ahead. Thats when Su Fang said, You should get to the rear to recuperate as soon as possible; you look very pale. Wang Zhong, But only after weve escaped danger. After that, Wang Zhong saw four tanks stationed on a hillside in the overhead view. He instinctively cried out, Stop! The jolt from the braking almost made Wang Zhong vomit, and he was already feeling very ufortable, almost as if his brains were being shaken to a pulp. The good news was that the tanks on the hill were not enemies. The tanks of the Prosen Empire were painted gray, much like those of another German army in a different timeline, while the ones on the hill were all khaki. Dont the countries in this timeline understand the concept of camouge? These khaki tanks seemed muchrger than those of the Prosen Empire, aside from the main turret armed with a short-barreled gun, there were two smaller turrets in the front, looking as if they grew a weird pair at the front of their bodies. This design looked somewhat familiar to Wang Zhong. The Soviet T28 multi-turret tank? Wang Zhong had driven that in War Thunder, noting its standout feature of thin armor but good firepower, with the 45mm gun having decent pration and damage. cing these things on top of a hill Suddenly, Wang Zhong realized something much more critical: they were sitting in a German truck! Wang Zhong, Turn off the lights, turn them off quickly! Signal the vehicles behind us to do the same too! Friendly fire is amon urrence on the battlefield, especially when using captured equipment. In the autobiography Tigers in the Mud by the German ace tank operator Otto Carius, he mentioned that the armored troops unanimously agreed the T34 tank was too good not to use, so they had no qualms about using captured tanks for themselves. Despite painting huge iron crosses on the tanks, they still got taken out by theirrades. It was after that when old man Carius abandoned the idea of getting a T34 for himself to drive. Wang Zhong didnt want to die by friendly fire. He asked Su Fang, There are our tanks on the hillside ahead, can you get in touch with them? Sufang looked ahead with suspicion. Although the eastern sunlight was bing more apparent, visibility on the ground was still less than five hundred meters. They couldnt see any tanks at all, and even the distant hills were only silhouettes. There was no trace of tank tracks to be found. Sufang, You must be delirious with fever, right? Wang Zhong, Can we establish contact or not! He was sick now, feeling terrible, so his temper was a bit bad, too. Sufang shrank his neck and replied, Then I need time to perform Mass, and I also need to see if there is a Hymn Monk on the other side. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, realizing that they would have to think of another method. "The tanks should have radios; we have captured radios, lets try to see if we can call them, he said. Sergey, We do not know themunication frequency of the tank units, nor do we know their agreed-upon codes and radio call signs. They wont believe us with the current situation on the battlefield. Wang Zhong leaned on his forehead, feeling a headachebut this was probably not because of the difficult problem before him, but because he was running a fever. In such a state, Wang Zhong made a decision that the usual him would definitely not have made. He said, Tie a white g and the Ante Army g to our vehicle; let everyone get out of the car. You get out, too, Sufang. When it gets lighter, well drive forward. If we sessfully make contact with the tank units, well fire a signal re. Sergeys face turned green, Do we both really have to go? Cant someone else do it? Cant others make contact with the tank units too? Wang Zhong simply didnt hear Sergeys words. He was feverish, feeling as if his brain might start boiling at any moment. After waiting a few seconds without a response, Sergey sighed and said with a sob in his voice, Alright, alright. Sufang, How do I get out? Should I climb over the two of you? Sorry, thats a bit Wang Zhong opened the door, but when he tried to get out, his legs gave out, nearly causing him to fall headfirst. Luckily, someone caught him in time. In a daze, he saw familiar silver hair. Ludm was supporting his shoulder, asking with concern, Alyosha, youyou look very pale! It took Wang Zhong half a moment to remember Alyosha was a nickname for his own name, Aleksei. Indeed, this girl was very familiar with him. As he thought this, Wang Zhong released all his strength, leaning on the girl. Ludm stepped back to support the weight of the grown man. After hesitating for a moment, she still asked, Monk Yeca Neiko sent me to ask why weve stopped. What happened? Wang Zhong, There are our armored troops up ahead, we stopped to avoid friendly fire. Ludm looked ahead, her voice filled with doubt, Ahead? At this moment, Sufang poked her head out of the car, looking embarrassedshe had just been blocked by Wang Zhong and couldnt get down. Seeing this, Ludm pulled Wang Zhong back a few steps. Sufang got out of the car, awkwardly straightening her slightly disheveled clothes, and said, Uh, I am a Hymn Monk, and ording to the rules, I must stay by the side of the highestmander. "Oh, Ludm nodded, Youve worked hard. At that time, Yegorov came to report, The military g and the white g are both tied properly. "Got it, Wang Zhong replied, reluctantly leaving Ludm to climb back into the drivers seat. At that moment, his limbs were still without strength, especially his injured right hand, which was limp and made it difficult to even hold a telescope. Currently, he certainly couldnt climb back onto the vehicle. Seeing his state, the two girls quickly came over and together pushed him up. Ludm, worried, asked, What are you going to do? Wang Zhong, To establish contact with the tank units to avoid friendly fire. Yegorov, Shouldnt I go instead Wang Zhong, No, this is my job. Your soldiers trust you, not me. If I stay, I cantmand them. In reality, Wang Zhongs ability to think was severely limited at the moment; otherwise, he would definitely realize that the most rational action would be to send two volunteers. Unfortunately, he was not capable of thorough consideration now, and the people around him, after a whole day of maneuvering, had be ustomed to following his orders. Sergey, with a morose face, Cant you switch with me, Yegorov? Wang Zhong closed the car door and with a wide sweep of his hand, dered, Drive. Though Sergey appeared to be a timorous wreck on the surface, he still started the engine. Thus, the car bearing the white g and the Ante Army g drove eastward, facing the dawn. Chapter 24: “Damn it, you’re hitting friendly forces Su Fang watched the truck disappear into the distance and turned to take a closer look at the silver-haired girl. "Shes truly beautiful, she eximed sincerely. It was then that the silver-haired girl spoke up, He must be out of his mind, the him in the past would never do such a thing. Su Fang asked, The him in the past? Have you known the Earl for a long time? The silver-haired girl shrugged, Ive known him since I was a child, given that ournds are next to each other. Su Fang asked, Are you a nobledy? "Not yet, I am a Prayer Hand now, so I cannot ept a secr title. One cannot ept a secr title after bing clergy. "Oh, Su Fang nodded and then asked, So will you marry the Earl in the future?"Huh? The silver-haired girl was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at Su Fang and grinned, You you arent interested in him, are you? Hes known for being a scoundrel. Many salons at Saint Ye Katerina Fortress dont wee him because he goes around touching everything, like a dog in heat. Come to think of it, when I was supporting him just now, he didnt try to take advantage of me, probably because hes befuddled from the fever! Su Fang was shocked, Is he such a person? "You arent part of the mixed brigade hemands, the 41st, are you? His notoriety is well-known throughout the brigade. By the way, after the battlemenced yesterday, he immediately ran crying to the basement and even wet his pants. The morale of the 41st Mixed Brigade took a hit because of his behavior. While the silver-haired girl was speaking, Yegorov coughed once, Enough. He might have been a coward before, but what I see now is a brave man from Ante! Without him, we would probably be surrounded in Ronied City by now. Be mindful, Monk, and dont speak of things that could impact morale! A Prayer Hand is also a Monk, a member of the clergy. The silver-haired girl hurriedly said, Im sorry, I just just She hesitated for a long time unable to finish her sentence and just shrugged her shoulders. As the saying goes, in the blink of an eye, a muffled sound came from a distance. The soldiers around who had dismounted to rest all uniformly threw themselves to the ground. Yegorov, a veteran like him, waved his hand, Dont panic, its still far away! If the artillery wasnding overhead, youd hear a whoosh first. When youve be seasoned veterans, you could even tell the caliber from that sound. But the silver-haired girl suddenly shouted, The sound of the guns ising from the direction he went! Then she grabbed Yegorovs binocrs and ran a few steps to stand on a stone by the roadside to observe the distance. The wind from the east blew her braids apart, causing her silver hair to fly in the dawn light. ** Wang Zhong saw the tank start to run from a birds-eye view. He wanted to jump out of the truck, but he simply had no strength left. By the time he switched back to his normal vision, a shell had alreadynded by the road, with dirt thrown up by the st flying into the half-open truck bed andnding on his face. Sergey directly opened the door and jumped out of the truck, leaving it to continue forward uncontrobly. In a daze, Wang Zhong reached out his hand to grab the steering wheel and stretched his foot to the other side, pressing down, but unfortunately, he couldnt muster the strength because of the fever, and his foot didnt move the pedal. However, perhaps because he didnt elerate, or maybe because the engine was damaged by shrapnel, the truck gradually slowed down. The tank on the mountaintop fired another round, and the trucks bed was directly blown into an orange fireball. The ss behind the drivers seat shattered, the fragments cutting Wang Zhongs cheek. Wang Zhong sat in the vehicle, tried to open the door, but his physical condition wouldnt allow it. It was only then that he realized there was no need for him to make the trip himself. Damn it, trying to stay alive only to deliver myself to death in the end. By now, the tanks on the hilltop might have seen the white g on the truck, or they simply confirmed the truck was destroyed and wanted to save ammunition. In any case, they stopped firing. Wang Zhong, sitting in the drivers seat, tried twice more to open the door but failed. Maybe the shell that had just hit his side of the vehicle had damaged the door. He had no choice but to mber toward the drivers side, nning to get out from the side where Sergey had jumped from. After all, he didnt know if the truck would catch fire. Being burned to death was the most painful way to go, and Wang Zhong did not want to experience it. Just then, he saw a white horse appear on the slope where the tanks were positioned! Someone riding the white horse trotted down the hill, heading straight towards the wreckage of the vehicle. Wang Zhong watched the white horse, even forgetting his struggle to survive for a moment. Switching to a birds-eye view, Wang Zhong could clearly see that the man on the horses back was a captain wearing a tank helmet; likely themander of this tank toon. The captain arrived, looked at Wang Zhongs rank on the vehicle, cursed Sukabule, and hurriedly dismounted to open the door. After dragging Wang Zhong out of the car, the captain took a deep breath, stood up, and saluted, Captain Lubokov of the 31st Tank Regiment, Second Battalion, Fourth Tank Army, ordered to snipe the Prussian Army here! Wang Zhong, Second Battalion? I only saw four tanks. The captain with a bitter face, Thats all thats left of us. The air raid took out most of our tanks. The Prussians equipped 20mm cannons on their nes, they can damage us from the sky, not to mention the bombs. As he spoke he nced at the hilltop and continued toin, Our tanks are fragile, damn it, this is all the fault of that Military Industry Minister who likes multiple turrets! The Prussian tanks are all with single turrets now! When we discussed it, we also thought the Carolingian single-turret tanks are the future! Wang Zhong, If you knew your tanks were fragile, why did you still deploy on the hilltop? The captain, Its a good vantage point; our 45mm guns can destroy Prussian tanks from a great distance. Wang Zhong, What if the enemys air forcees again? And you only have four vehicles; the enemy is endless. The captain, We are prepared to die with honor. When we left our base yesterday, there were hundreds of us; brothers who lived and worked together. Now only a few of us are left, and we have no intention of living alone. "No, no, Wang Zhong shook his head repeatedly, Youre under mymand now. Im just leading the way; theres more than half an infantry regiment out there, as well as the direct headquarters department. Theres a small town behind the hill, and well retreat there to defend. Wang Zhong enjoyed ying real-time strategy games, and he particrly liked one called Wargame: Red Dragon. In that game, tanks that rashly entered cities would be sted by infantry with rocketunchers. Moreover, before his crossing over, he had watched quite a few instructional videos by Mars Patriots on anti-tank gymnastics, so naturally, he thought of retreating into town to fight guerri warfare with the enemy. This way, they could use the terrain to best avoid the weakness of the T28 tanks thin armor, and also avoid enemy air strafing. This decision might not be sensible, but under the current circumstances, it was the best course of action Wang Zhong could think of. The captain stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds and said, I just saw from the hilltop, the Prussian convoy was moving with their lights on, then they all turned their lights off suddenly. Could that be the infantry regiment youre talking about? Wang Zhong nodded, Yeah, we mounted a counterattack, wiped out an enemy division headquarters, and captured one of their supply depots. Those vehicles are all spoils of war. The captain scratched his head, Although I should verify your identity by procedure, but my intuition tells me youre one of us. Moreover, youre wounded and running a fever, yet you dare charge at our tank formation; this courage makes it hard to believe youre actually an enemy spy Wang Zhong, So whats your decision? Skip the useless parts and tell me your decision. The captain clicked his tongue, Our radio is broken, we cant get in touch with our superiors; ording to regtions, were under yourmand! Chapter 25: Upper Peniye Village Wang Zhong stared at the captain riding the white horse, his head fuzzy and unable to recall his name, so he asked, You what did you just say your name was? "Lubokov. Wang Zhong, I am Count Rocossov, and Imand It was only then that he remembered he needed to fire a signal re to notify the troops toe, so he reached for the gun holster at his waist. At that moment, two more soldiers came over from the direction of the tank and immediately raised their guns and shouted, Danger, Captain! The captain, Keep calm! This is the Count! He is now ourmander! Send someone back to inform the tank that friendly forces that have captured Prosen trucks areing, and tell them not to fire! Immediately, a private first ss turned and ran toward the hilltop, while a sergeant continued to look at Wang Zhong with suspicion. Wang Zhong couldnt care less, he took out his signal gun, shakily loaded the signal re, used all his strength to raise his hand, and pulled the trigger. A red re slowly rose, illuminating the still-dimming sky.Wang Zhong took a deep breath, discarded the signal gun, and asked in a weak voice, Do you have a stretcher? I think I wont be able to make it to the tank by myself. The captain said, You can ride a horse,e on, lets help you onto the horse. Wang Zhong, My driver jumped out of the car, bring him here dead or alive. The captain to the two soldiers, Sergeant, did you hear that? Why not search along the road? The sergeant, who had been suspicious of Wang Zhong, started jogging along the highway. Just as Wang Zhong was being helped onto the horse by the captain, he saw the sergeant pulling up Captain Sergey from the ground. That fellow had a gashed head, but he seemed to be in better shape than Wang Zhong from the way he stood. "Sukabule, Wang Zhong cursed. At that moment, a Prosen Army truck approached at full speed; the wheels seemed to hit a rock, making the vehicle bounce as if it would fall apart the next second. When it reached the white horse, the truck swung its tail and came to a stop just before crashing into the debris. The passenger door opened, and Ludm jumped out, Alyosha! Wang Zhong barely raised his hand. Just then, Sergeant Major Grigori, leading the reconnaissance squads veterans, jumped out of the back of the truck, holding a submachine gun, Count! Wang Zhong, Im fine. Its good that the tank units are alert. I ordered them to retreat into the town, set up an observation post at the hilltop. Attack maye at dawn from the Prussians. Grigori looked at the captain holding the horse, and said with the tone of reporting military information, At about three oclock this morning, we passed through the vige of Kurasovka to the west, where we saw about a battalion of infantry, and at least 20 number three tanks. Wang Zhongs eyebrows lifted imperceptibly; Prosen used numbers to name their tanks in this era too. Captain Lubokovs voice trembled slightly, Twenty tanks! My God, we nearly exchanged fire with them on the exposed hilltop. Wang Zhong, I have already ordered you to retreat into the vige, proceed with haste. For the hilltop, only leave Grigoris observation post. Sergeant Major Grigori asked, Should we pull back into the vige of Upper Peniye? Having no idea which vige that was, as he had only seen a vige behind them from his overlooking view, Wang Zhong could only reply, The vige behind the mountain. "Its Upper Peniye vige. We can take you there first in the truck, you and Miss Mailehovna. Wang Zhong, Ludm, you should be with the Divine Arrow cohort. Ludm pouted, I know, Ill wait here for Monk Yeca Neiko and the others, then. Wang Zhong nodded, allowing Grigori and another reconnaissance man to lift him into the trucks passenger seat. The truck started up, following the highway forward, circling around the east side of the hill, and there was Upper Peniye vige. Lubokovs tank toon came down from the hill, smashing through the stone walls of the fields, and drove onto the highway from diagonally across, following behind Wang Zhongs vehicle. Wang Zhong switched to an overhead view and found he had acquired a new identity tag: Fourth Tank Army, 31st Tank Regiment, Second Battalion, themander being Captain Lubokov. A tank battalion with only four tanks left, all of them are the thinly-armored T28 multi-turreted tanks, how can we fight with these Wang Zhong looked up at the vige of Upper Peniye, and it took him several seconds to realize that the vige actually had a number of two-story buildings, and it seemed that there was even electricity. Looking carefully, there was a fairlyrge factory building on the east side of the vige, with a sign that read Tractor Station. Wang Zhong asked the sergeant driving, What is a tractor station? The sergeant was surprised, ording to the new agriculturalw, the local lord has to pledge his property for a loan to set up tractor and seed stations, havent all viges with lords in residence had them over these ten years? Wang Zhong was shocked. However, Upper Peniye vige was more modernized than he expected, which gave Wang Zhong some ideas about defeating the enemy. These two-story buildings and the streets all reminded Wang Zhong of the anti-tank gymnastics performed by some vigers before he traveled back in time. The tanks of this era were not like Merkavas; molotov cocktails could take care of them, and you didnt even need anti-tank gymnastics, just throw the cocktails from the second floor was enough. As for where to find materials to make cocktailswhat a joke, in this Ante Empire, which was closely rted to the Russians (Muscovites), Wang Zhong didnt believe he couldnt find high-proof alcohol in the vige. Thinking of this, Wang Zhong smiled. The sergeant driving the car looked at Wang Zhongs side face with suspicion, as if he wanted to ask something but didnt dare. Just as they entered the vige, Wang Zhong saw an old woman with her grandson standing at the doorway, looking around. Wang Zhong, Stop the car! The vehicle screeched to a halt, and Wang Zhong rolled down the window, shouted to the old woman, Run! Dont stay here! The Prussians will ughter you! The old woman, Sir, you dont look well, why dont youe in and rest a bit? Wang Zhong, Go quickly! Take your family and leave! The old woman, Sir, you tell us to go, but where can we go? Those in the vige who had rtives elsewhere have already left. But we have been in this vige for generations and have no rtives to turn to. Wang Zhong, They will ughter you! The old woman showed a somewhat sad smile, Then let them kill us, at least we die on the soil of our homnd. Now running away, being disced, perhaps we still end up dead, but in a foreignnd. With Wang Zhongs now impaired thinking capacity, he couldnt think of any words to refute, he was at a loss on how to persuade the old woman to take her grandson and leave. Just thinking that in the near future they might be killed by the Prussians in their owntrine, a surge of sorrow rose in his heart, lingering heavily in Wang Zhongs chest. At that moment, Captain Lubokov jumped down from a tank behind and ran to Wang Zhongs door, saluting, We have received orders from the Fourth Tank Army to hold Upper Peniye at least until tomorrow night before retreating to Bogdanovka. Wang Zhong, Tomorrow night? He checked his watch, and by calcting nightfall at eight oclock, Lubokovs four tanks had to hold out here for thirty-eight hours. Lubokov with a gloomy face, We might be done for here. Wang Zhong, Dont worry, with me here, well teach the Germans a lesson! Lubokov asked in confusion, Germans? Wang Zhong was so muddled that he didnt even think to correct the term. He pointed to a big house on the roadside, Im setting up the headquarters here! Actually, he was just pointing randomly. Lubokov, But once the battle starts, that building will be the target of the enemys first wave of artillery fire. It would be better to choose a house inside the vige! Wang Zhong raised his voice, Get Yegorov toe to me! Chapter 26: “Procedure? This is the Procedure! As soon as Yegorov stepped through the door, the first words out of his mouth were, Why is the headquarters on the front line? Its too dangerous. Move to the middle of the vige instead, I saw it from outside, a three-story building. Wang Zhong was drinking water. When he saw Yegorove in, he directly handed the cup back to thendy of the house and wiped his mouth before saying, Dont worry about that now. Do you know how to make improvised incendiary bombs? You use spirits, rece the cork with a piece of cloth soaked in alcohol, and light the cloth before you throw it. Yegorov said, Of course Ive seen them, the people of Manahaim used these things against us during the Winter War. Wang Zhong asked, Then why didnt I see you use them in Ronied? Yegorov replied, Because we couldnt find the right kind of alcohol. The homemade spirits the peasants drink are too low in alcohol content and too impure to ignite. To make it work, we would have needed to use gasoline, but were an infantry unit, not motorized infantry. We dont have any gasolinethough we do have plenty of fodder for the mules and horses. Wang Zhong said, I dont believe that you couldnt find any spirits! "There are spirits, in the cers of the nobles. At this point, the woman who had just given Wang Zhong water spoke up: The Lord Boye in town has a distillery. Every year, he uses wheat to make vodka, which is then sold in Argesukov. Wang Zhong said, Do you hear that? Go requisition that distillery.Yegorov looked troubled: Ive already sent people there, but they were turned away by Lord Boyes estate manager. Wang Zhong asked, The estate manager? Clenching his teeth, he stood up: Ill go see what this is all about. He took a couple of steps, then turned to look at thendy: Miss Natasha, youd better run quickly. These Prussians, theyre no better than beasts. Thendy smiled: I heard what you advised to olddy Ilynichna next door. But her whole family hasnt left, and you see, as a widow, I have even less reason to go. The Prussians couldnt possibly kill us all, could they? If they killed everyone, who would farm this vastnd? Wang Zhong said, But Ive seen their indiscriminate ughter! The vige square is piled with bodies! Thendy replied, Then we can only ask you to take revenge for us. Wang Zhong understood that unless witnessed firsthand, no one would believe the enemy to be so brutal. He wanted to persuade her further, but there were more pressing matters at hand, so he dropped the subject. Turning away, he took a couple of steps, stumbled, and then called out to Yegorov: Get a stretcher! Im running a fever and dont have the strength to walk! Yegorov immediately shouted to his subordinates: A stretcher! Just then, Staff Chief Pavlov entered and, upon seeing Wang Zhongs condition, said, Count Rocossov is not fit tomand the troops in this state, better let him move back with the field hospital. Wang Zhong retorted, Are you trying to strip me of mymand? How dare you! At that moment, he was feeling terrible, and people are often bad-tempered in such circumstances, and especially obstinate. Wang Zhong didnt want to retreat. All he wanted was to give these damn Prussians a beating. That was all he wanted to focus on. Anyone who suggested otherwise would incur his wrath. When his fever subsided, he would probably be shocked by the decisions he made in that moment. Wang Zhong asserted, I think youre a spy, just like that fake bishop, trying to throw ourmand system into chaos! Guards! Execute him by firing squad! Pavlov immediately caved: No, thats not what I mean! A corporal had already stepped forward with a rifle; it seemed that Staff Chief Pavlov wasnt very well-regarded among the regr soldiers. Pavlov raised his voice: Im just concerned about your health! Spare my life! Wang Zhong replied, Keep spouting nonsense and Ill take your head! At that moment, the stretcher arrived, carried by two bearers who looked bewildered because they saw no wounded person. Wang Zhong pointed in front of him: Put it here! The stretcher bearers quickly set the stretcher down in front of him. He unceremoniously sat on the stretcher and waved hisrge hand, To the distillery! Yegorov, follow me! The distillery was right next to the tractor station Wang Zhong had seen before, appearing to be part of the local lord Boyes estate. In front of the ornate iron gates, several thugs already stood guard with shotguns. Carried by two stretcher bearers, Wang Zhong made straight for the gates. A thug raised his right hand in a stop gesture, This is Lord Boyes privatend, halt, soldier! Wang Zhong, Were requisitioning this ce, including the distillery and the liquor inside it. The thug turned and shouted, Mr. Korshov! A scribe-looking fellow with a bulbous belly emerged blearily from a side room near the gates and yawned his way over, What is it? "This colonel said he is requisitioning the distillery. Korshov, Do you have the requisition orders? Wang Zhong, The Prosen bastards are only twenty li from here! We need strong liquor to make Incendiary Bombs. "Oh? Whats that got to do with us? Korshov spread his hands, Before Lord Boye retreated, he entrusted this ce to me, and you need proper procedure to requisition it. Wang Zhong, already in a terrible mood from illness, snapped, Obstructing our military preparations, I suspect youre a Prussian spy! Korshov, Then you should go to the Tribunal Wang Zhong drew the gun at Yegorovs side and shot Korshov in the stomach. The thugs with shotguns were startled; clearly, they hadnt expected Wang Zhong to actually shoot. Wang Zhong, They are the enemy! Spies! Open fire! Yegorov raised his submachine gun and started spraying bullets. A few secondster, it was quiet in front of the gates. A toon of infantry jogged over, and the sergeant in the lead called from a distance, Commander! What happened? Yegorov, Found some spies. Nothing major. Wang Zhong, Get their keys, open the doors, and requisition all the liquor inside. Get an old soldier who knows how to make Incendiary Bombs to lead the others in making them. "The remaining soldiers experienced with Incendiary Bombs will split up, one old soldier taking two new recruits, the recruits carrying the bottles, the old soldier throwing them. Take control of the two-story buildings on both sides of the streets! "Yegorov, find a good spot to set up the machine guns, aiming to cut off the enemy tanks and apanying infantry, creating opportunities for the grenade throwers! Yegorov nodded, Understood. Additionally, I suggest we establish the headquarters inside the distillery. Wang Zhong looked at the distillery building in front of him. Yegorov, Its clearly reinforced concrete; even if the enemy uses heavy artillery, it wont budge. It can serve as our final fortress. Wang Zhong didnt care about that, his eyes were on the distillerys water tower, That water tower, is it the tallest building in the vige? Yegorov, Yes, its a bit taller than the steeple of the church. Wang Zhong, Good. The headquarters will be here. Yegorov, Theres also Lubokovs tank unit, what do you think Wang Zhong, These tanks are an important mobile support force; Ill personally decide where to position them. Chapter 27: It’s Time to Show Real Micro-control Skills Wang Zhong, of course, had never been to a battlefield; his true homnd hadnt waged war in more than thirty years. But he had yed a game known as Russias Genshin, called War Thunder, in which he had ample experience in annihting enemies and knew which terrain could shield a tanks vulnerable nks. There were three main roads to the vige of Peniye, two of which entered the vige from the west and, along with the road exiting the vige from the east, formed a Y shape. If the south is considered the bottom, then its a lying-down Y, with the open end facing west. But in reality, these three roads did not directly intersect, instead, they enclosed a triangr area in the middle of the vige. To the north of the area was the luxurious manor of local lord Boye, the main body of which was a three-story red-brick building. The most significant building within the triangle was the local church, its height rivaling that of Lord Boyes three-story manor, with an even taller bell tower. Next to the church was the vige mill, a mechanical mill with a steam boiler. Further south were two two-story buildings, homes of the wealthy ss in town, and it was said that one of them was the emperors forestry officer.And the winery that Wang Zhong chose as hismand post was located on the eastern side of thesendmarks, beside the single leg of the lying Y; a few steps out of the winery gate, and he would be at the triangr area. Of course, Wang Zhong couldnt even take these few steps himself and had to be carried over on a stretcher. "Stop! he called out at the mills entrance, squinting as he looked toward the western side. From his birds eye view earlier, he had thought hed be able to see one of the viges western entrances from this position, not expecting that, in reality, a distant stone wall and a wooden structure would block his view. Wang Zhong immediately realized that this was an ideal terrain to force a 1V1 between enemy tanks and his own. The road to the west wasnt wide enough for two tanks to travel side by side; the enemy would definitelye one after the other. Moreover, there was a way to retreat from this spot; if too many enemies poured in, one could reverse back and hide behind the mill. The mechanical mill was two stories tall, enough to hide even the bulky andrge T28 tank. Wang Zhong immediately shouted, Someone! Call Captain Lubokov over here! Soon, Tank 422, with the tactical number, was deployed to this street corner. Wang Zhong, his head heavy and drowsy, exined to the tankmander, When more than two enemy tanks appear in your field of vision, back up and let the mill shield you! Themander of Tank 422 was a sergeant, who looked extremely nervous and kept nodding at Wang Zhongs words. Wang Zhong said, Measure the distance now, so you ensure a hit with the first shot when you see the enemy! Themander replied, Understood, see the enemy and then retreat! Wang Zhong was stunned, thinking he had misunderstood due to his addled brain. Mounting a white horse, Lubokov cursed, Listen to the counts orders properly! The count is asking you to measure the distance now! The sergeant asked, Measure the distance? Measure what? Wang Zhong asked, How long have you been a tankmander? The sergeant replied, One day, Im a substitute from another crew! Wang Zhong said, Rece them with an experienced crew for this position. Lubokov sighed and said, Ill do it. Stay here, measure the distance, and if facing more than two enemy tanks, retreat into the mills shadow, right? Wang Zhong replied, Right. He then directed the stretcher bearers to assign missions to the other two tanks, instructing them to use the terrain to their advantage and surprise the advancing Prosen tanks with hit-and-run artillery. As for Tank 422, whosemander was overly nervous, Wang Zhong thought for a moment and decided to position them in the courtyard of the winery, keeping them as thest reserve. Upon hearing that their mission was to be the reserve, the sergeant, who had been amander for only a day, visibly rxed. After arranging the tasks for the tank forces, Wang Zhong was about to order the stretcher bearers to carry him back to the winery when he saw a car stop in front of the church. A middle-aged man got out of the car and looked up at the churchs bell tower. "This position definitely has a good view, he said, lift the Divine Arrow up! Lets give the Prussians a little shock from the clock tower! It seemed that this was Monk Yeca Neiko, the onemanding the Divine Arrow team. Ludm squeezed out of the back of the truck and, seeing Wang Zhong, looked a bit surprised: Alyosha? Monk Yeca Neiko then noticed Wang Zhong, stood at attention, and saluted: Count Rocossov, I pay my respects to you. Wang Zhong nodded. At this time, Yeca Neikos subordinates unloaded the Divine Arrow from the truck. It was the first time Wang Zhong had seen this weapon up close, and even though his cognitive abilities were somewhat impaired at the moment, he still noticed that the Divine Arrow was different from what he had imagined. Thus, he asked, Where is the guidance system? This looks just like an ordinary rocket! He remembered that such anti-tank missiles usually had a significant guidance system. When he was a child looking at light weapons magazines, those anti-tank missiles were always shown withrge sighting devices. But this Divine Arrowuncher was just a bare sliding rail, crudely beyond imagination. Monk Yeca Neiko looked confused: Didnt you see the holy emblem on the head of the Divine Arrow? Wang Zhong, his brain burning fiercely, didnt catch on immediately: Holy emblem? The private responsible for carrying the Divine Arrow even turned it in his arms specifically so Wang Zhong could get a clear view of the holy emblem on the head. Monk Yeca Neiko nced at Ludm: Captain Mailehovna has been an excellent prayer caster, shes already scored a hit on an enemy tank. ording to the regtions, I should apply for abat mark for her, but you know our situation It was only then that Wang Zhongs brain caught up: Holy emblem, prayer caster, so the Divine Arrow really was guided by Divine Power? He had thought it was like the Mechanicum in Warhammer 40K, which, unable to understand high technology, had turned it into a religion. Wang Zhong waved his hand: I understand. Are you preparing to go up the clock tower? Yeca Neiko nodded: Yes, the view from the clock tower must be excellent. Wang Zhong: But the enemy can see you just as clearly. The Divine Arrowunch will have an obvious smoke trail, right? He had seen the trajectory of the Divine Arrow from a birds-eye view, and it was as clear as it could be. Yeca Neiko: The smoke trail is indeed very clear, but even more so is the light from the warhead during guidance. What about it? Wang Zhong waved his hand: Then going up the clock tower is a bad idea. Youll be spotted as soon as the first one is fired, and enemy tanks will pay special attention to the clock tower. A clear view usually cuts both ways. Wang Zhong pointed to the church: I suggest setting up multipleunch sites, each with a Divine Arrow, and carry this light frame to move quickly after firing, shoot and change position! Yeca Neiko: ording to the manual, we should snipe the enemy tanks from a ce with a wide view as much as possible, making full use of the range advantage of the Divine Arrow. The Divine Arrow can hit targets two kilometers away! The enemys tank guns cant fire that far. Wang Zhong: The enemy will use smoke to block your view, they did that in the battle for Ronied! Even with a high fever, Wang Zhong still remembered what happened in Ronied. At that time, Yeca Neikos team had destroyed an enemy tank, and then the enemy infantry set up smoke to block their view. Clearly, the Prussians were well-versed in how to counter the Divine Arrow. Yeca Neiko still wanted to object: But "There are no buts, I am the currentmander. I forbid you to go up the clock tower! At this point, Yegorov stepped in to mediate: How about this, weve found several good machine gun positions that are also suitable for the Divine Arrow, why not set up the Divine Arrow there? Infantry can cover you! Yeca Neiko hesitated for a moment, then said: Alright, I hope the Count isnt making this decision out of a fevered mind. I also hope he isnt giving special treatment to Miss Mailehovna! With that, he cast a nce at Ludm. Chapter 28: The First Wave of Casualties The perspective temporarily moves away from Wang Zhong. After settling into the shooting position arranged by Yegorov, Monk Yeca Neiko red at Ludm, Captain Mailehovna, your boyfriend really takes care of you. Ludms full name is Ludm Vasilyevna Malyukhova. The girl frowned, In Ronied, we really only fired one Divine Arrow before our vision was blocked by smoke, he is not wrong. Yeca Neiko, I heard that he pissed his pants as soon as the battle began! How could someone with that kind of tactical acumen point out the problems? No, he just doesnt want you to be in danger! Ludm, But didnt he lead us out of the encirclement? Although he really is ayabout usually, but "How can ayabout suddenly be a military genius? No, there is absolutely no chance of that! I will record all of his orders today in thebat log, I definitely will! "If we cantplete the mission in Upper Peniye, he wont be able to escape the me! In fact, the task of defending Upper Peniye for 38 hours was given to the second battalion of the 31st Tank Regiment of the Fourth Tank Army; the third rear Amur Group and Monk Yeca Neikos Divine Arrow squad had no obligation to hold here.But Wang Zhong still issued the order to hold, treating it as a mission for the entire unit. No one objected, even those who knew the order was given to the second battalion of the 31st Regiment did not say anything. Perhaps the unit had seen enough of the Prussians atrocities during the retreat to be infuriated. ** As for Wang Zhong, he waspletely befuddled now, his brain functioning on a single track, utterly unable to consider too much. Back in the managers office of the distillery, Wang Zhong gulped down arge ss of water, but still felt his mouth was dry. "Water! he shouted aloud. One of the two privates who had just carried the stretcher took on the role of an orderly and fetched Wang Zhong anotherrge cup of water. At that moment, Chief of Staff Pavlov entered the door with some people and seeing Wang Zhongs condition, said, Shouldnt you follow the field hospital and retreat? Wang Zhong, The field hospital is here? "Its already arrived. Wang Zhong, Get me penicillin and some fever-reducing medicine! Also, tell them not to retreat in the enemys trucks, but to use the local peasants horse carts instead. Hire as many locals as possible! By the time the locals brought the field hospital to the rear with their horse carts, Upper Peniye would likely be upied by the enemy, so even if unwilling, the locals would have to retreat with the unit. Chief of Staff Pavlov, Ill have the clerk see how many rubles we still have "Cant you issue IOUs, you idiot? Wang Zhong was in pain, so his temper was bad. Seeing this, Pavlov said, Ill make arrangements and quickly left, leaving only a few staff officers in the room with Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong, Get me a radio. Ask what the radio call signs of the tanks are! The staff officers exchanged nces, and themunications officer said, Ill go find Captain Lubokov of the tank units right away. A short whileter Lubokov arrived, and upon hearing Wang Zhongs question, frowned, The enemys tanks might each have a radio, but we only have a radio in mymand vehicle. Wang Zhong looked up at the sky and said helplessly, Alright, tell me your call sign, and I willmand you using the radio. Although Wang Zhong had no actual experience in tank battles, he realized from his gaming experience how significant the advantage of this birds-eye view was in close-quarters citybat. Not to mention anything else, from the birds-eye view he could see which direction the enemy tank guns were pointed. Anyone who has yed World of Tanks and been taught a lesson by being pointed at by a gun barrel knows what this means. Lubokov, My call sign is tactical number 420. Wang Zhong, Okay, Ill use that tomand you. Lubokov looked around with a puzzled face, You aremanding from here? Wang Zhong, Of course not, when the battle starts, Ill move to an open spot with good visibility, just follow my orders. Go now. Lubokov saluted and turned to leave. ` The tall man with sses wearing a Red Cross Armband entered the room as he was stepping out, I heard someone was asking for antibiotics? Wang Zhong, I need them. Who are you? "I am Doctor Raskolnikov, Count. I have seen you at the salon before. Wang Zhong, Oh, good day, Doctor Raskolnikov. "Raskolnikov. The doctor corrected him and approached Wang Zhong. After apologizing, he ced his hand on Wang Zhongs forehead, Your condition is very bad. You should be evacuated to the rear as soon as possible, why dont you follow the field hospital and retreat? Wang Zhong, No! I wont abandon my troops! In fact, ording to Wang Zhongs initial goal, which was to save his own life, he should choose to retreat now, but in his delirium, he only wanted to fiercely beat up the Germansno, the Prussian devilswith his own troops. The doctor was somewhat moved, I Im sorry, I didnt know you had this side to you. "Did you think I was a yboy? That Id only wet myself on the battlefield? Wang Zhong grew angry. His single-threaded brain now had only one thought: Its not just me who wets themselves, Im sick of everyone ming this on me! So he began to rage, No! I am not that kind of coward! Ill make you all see! Whoever suggests sending me to the rear again is colluding with the enemy! Because you all know that with me here, I can strike the enemy hard, thats why youre trying every means possible to send me away! The doctor was startled by Wang Zhongs sudden outburst of anger and took a step back, saying, Im sorry, please dont shoot me. Wang Zhongs execution of the local nobles butler had spread, and as he had previously shot a fake bishop and a fake judge, there were rumors in the troops that Count Rocossov would execute anyone suspected to be the enemy. Wang Zhong, Medicine! Then quickly take the vigers cart and scram! The doctor immediately opened his bag and took out a bunch of medicines and ced them on the table. Wang Zhong didnt even ask how to take them, he grabbed the bottle, twisted it open, threw several pills into his mouth, and gulped down the water. At that moment, a gunshot rang out from outside, sounding very distant. Wang Zhong immediately switched to a birds eye view, focusing his attention on the small hill to the westthe one initially guarded by Lubokovs tank. Sergeant Major Grigoris observation post was firing. Through their eyes, the armored units of the Prussians could be seen advancing on the highway. Wang Zhong counted, at least twenty Panzer III tanks, and an equal number of half-tracks, marching majestically past the wreck of the truck he had left behind. The roar of the engines could be heard clearly even from the sky. The tank leading the way had more antennas than the others, and a closer view revealed to Wang Zhong that the tanks tactical number was 141, with an eagle emblem beside the number. None of the other tanks had this eagle emblem, Wang Zhong guessed it might be a sign of themanders vehicle. Looking more closely at officer peering out from the turret of Tank 141, the officers cor could be seen adorned with a gold decoration on a red background. Looking even closer, the officer turned out to be a cyclops! Too much German vor, too much. The Cyclopeanmander moved his mouth and the Tank 141 stopped, the turret began to rotate. The next moment, Wang Zhong felt like he heard the German word FIRE, and the tanks muzzle ejected mes and thick smoke. Almost simultaneously, Wang Zhong lost his vision; neither the tanks nor the half-tracks were visible anymore. He quickly raised his perspective and saw a cloud of dust rising from the hill, two scoutspletely engulfed by the dust cloud. What the hell? Did the guy spot the scouts firing their warning shots? Wang Zhong suddenly had an ominous premonition. He switched back to his original perspective and shouted to the doctor, Go! The enemy is about to attack, hurry up and go! Chapter 29: Saying Goodbye to the Bell Tower Commander Shrifen, Major Shrifen, scrutinized the dust clouds on the hillside for a while before sneering, The enemys scouts dont even carry field telephones. The Ante Empire is more decayed than we imagined. Over the headset, the voice of his tank toon leader came through: They are an inferior race, yet they upy the fertile ck earth! "Wevee to exterminate the pests! "Exactly, hahaha! Shrifen replied coldly: The enemy is in front of us, no idle chit-chat over the radio. "Sorry, Major. "My apologies. Shrifen then asked, Whats the result of the truck inspection? Although the Major had not issued an order to inspect the truck, he believed that his subordinates would definitely have it checked after the marching column stopped.True to his expectations, the radio immediately ryed, Major, its our truck. Before dawn today, a squad of mechanized infantry passed us. It might belong to that unit. But I didnt find any of our armys bodies in the truck. Shrifen cursed, Why werent they stopped and checked when the convoy passed through? We are the spearhead of the attack, and ording to the march order, the other units are all behind us! The radio fell silent. Shrifen: Who was on dutyst night? Ill spare you confinement with the enemy before us. But if you survive the fight, await your punishment! Having spoken, Shrifen momentarily shut off the tanks transmitter and gave the driver orders through the internalms: Leave the main road, up the mountain! His Panzer III with the tactical number 141 left the road and climbed the hill which concealed Ante Army sentries. The voice of thebat groups staff officer came through the earphones: Major, shouldnt we let the infantry scout it out first? Shrifen: Theres no need. Ante People have no talent for warfare. They only fight by the book. Just consider how poorly they fared in the Winter War! "The Ante People will set up sniper positions on the hilltops since thats what their textbooks teach them! If we havent been attacked by now, then theres no one atop the hill. Ill prove it! Having said that, Shrifen straightened up, exposing half his upper body from the protection of the tank hatchthe Panzer IIIs hatch was specially designed to open forward and could serve as a shield for themander when peering out. Vehicle 141 made its way almost to the top of the hill. It was then Shrifens line of sight could finally overlook the hilltop to see beyond, so he shouted, Stop! The tank halted abruptly, jolting heavily. Shrifen raised his binocrs. He had lost an eye in the Carolingian campaign but stubbornly continued to use binocrs as though he had never be a cyclops. "The Ante People have fortified the town, with some buildings appearing quite solid. Momentarily, the staff officer riding in themand half-track also arrived up the hill. He jumped out of the vehicle and stood next to Tank 141, raising his binocrs. "Considering that Ante Army unit that passed us off as ours this pre-dawn, they must "Major! an ensign officer interrupted the staff officers words, Look here, there are track marks on the ground; an Ante Army tank stopped here! Shrifen turned toward the ensign: Well done, Ensign, can you tell where the tracks go? "Down to the vige on the hillside, Major! The chief of staff frowned, Tanks and infantry, plus this kind of strong brick construction, we should wait for the heavy artillery. They actually gave up this high ground just like that. If we set up artillery observation posts here, the heavy artillerying up could st them to ashes! Shrifen: The heavy artillery is stuck on the roads, and by the time they arrive, itll be toote. Ante Peoples tanks are very outdated, and the Air Force has mostly destroyed them; a few tanks wont make much difference. "Deploy the troops. How many smoke bombs does the mortar toon have left? The logistics staff replied, Not many, officer; weve been pushing forward with no systematic resupply. "Then lets not use them yet. Shrifen looked down at the vige below again and said, If the enemy has a Divine Arrow, it will be in that clock tower. After finishing his observation, Shrifen put down his binocrs and lifted his thumb as a reference, estimating the distance by sight. "Two kilometers, the enemys Divine Arrows are not so precise at this distance, have Hoffmans crew take over. The shooting position is right here! Soon, a number three tank with the tactical number 170 drove up the hill and stopped near Shrifens number 141. Shrifen pressed his throat microphone and said, Hoffman, the target is that bell tower, the enemys Divine Arrow team is definitely inside. The 50mm high-explosive shells of the Panzer III might not prate the stone walls, so I want you to urately deliver the shells through the windows of the bell tower. Armor-Piercing Shells could naturally prate stone walls, but their damaging effect might not be very good. However, hitting the windows urately from two kilometers away required not only superb shooting skills but also a bit of luck. In fact, hitting the bell tower at this distance would already be considered passing. But Shrifen had confidence in his teams ace gunner. Shrifen: Hit it and Ill reward you with a pack of canned food! Laughter from the tankers came over the radio: Major, who needs your canned food now? Look aroundtheres an endless supply of beef and women to sleep with! "Indeed, we are only a bit short on bread! Shrifen: Then the reward will be in Imperial Marks, and if you miss, its solitary confinement for you! Hoffman whistled: Just watch me! Tank number 170 rotated its turret, beginning to aim. Shrifen nced at his subordinates, then turned back to look at the foot of the hill, pleased to see his troops hadpleted deployment forbat, ready tounch an attack. At that moment, the gun fired. "Theyve fired? Monk Yeca Neiko was shocked as the whistling sound of the shell passed overhead; everyone instinctively looked up. The next moment, the explosion came from behind. Monk Yeca Neiko rushed to the opposite window, just in time to see dust breaking through the bell towers windows. Then he saw two guards running out of the bell towers main door, panic-stricken onto the street. The next moment, therge bell crashed onto the first floor of the bell tower, and the bell, as tall as a person, started bouncing, with its dull toll torturing everyones ears. Monk Yeca Neiko cursed: Sukabule! He looked at the others. A munitions handler said, If we were in the bell tower now, wed be like that bell Ludm: We can counterattack! The one who fired must be their best gunner! Taking him out could save many of us! "No! Yeca Neiko reprimanded the people who started to move after Ludms words, Theyd just reverse and evade now, which would only expose us! Wait for them toe into the open, when they have nowhere to hide, then we shoot! After stopping everyone, Yeca Neiko muttered to himself, It actually hit as predicted could he really be a genius? Shrifen frowned, observing the viges response. The Chief of Staff said, It seems theres no Divine Arrow stationed in the tower. The enemy might have abandoned this vige. Shrifen: Even so, we must advance into the vige inbat formation. Second Armored toon and infantry, begin the push! The Second toon mainly equipped the Panzer IV tanks for infantry support, with their short-barrel 75mm howitzers not suitable for anti-tank but extremely effective against infantry. The Chief of Staff nced at the staff officer already standing by and nodded gently. So the staff officer blew the whistle that signaled the start of the offensive. The Panzer IV tanks of the Second toon emitted thick smoke from their exhaust pipes as their tracks crushed the ck soil, rolling over the hill. Chapter 30: Divine Arrow Establishes Authority Wang Zhong didnt dare to lie down, for he feared that once he did, he would fall into a deep sleep. When the bell tower was under artillery fire, Wang Zhong had specifically switched to Yeca Neiko Monks squad C by now they were all considered under Wang Zhongsmand, likely counted among that cluster of routed soldiers, allowing Wang Zhong to draw the scene closer at any time. He saw Yeca Neiko lying at the window on the street-facing side, staring wide-eyed at the stricken bell tower. Before Wang Zhong could take pleasure in Yeca Neikos astonishment, he heard Ludm say, We can fight back, that tank must be the enemys ace! Wang Zhong thought, no, big sister, if you fire from here and expose yourself, they will retract. In the game War Thunder, where arge number of missile vehicles have been implemented, Wang Zhong had gained extensive experience in countering missiles, and he knew that retreating into cover and deploying smoke bombs could effectively disrupt missile guidance. The enemy was currently on the hillside, and a simple reverse gear would take them out of sight, while the enemy was almost two kilometers away from the town. For a missile C Divine Arrow C to travel that distance would take quite some time, enough for the enemy to react! Although Wang Zhong was anxious, there was no way for him to issuemands to Ludm and the others, after all, they were not actually units under Wang Zhongs control in a game! Fortunately, at that moment, Yeca Neiko Monk, who was very experienced, shouted, Stop! If we fire now, they will run away!Seeing that Ludm and the others stopped what they were doing, Wang Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yeca Neiko Monk likely had experience from the Winter War and even the Civil War. No sooner had Wang Zhong put his mind at ease, than at least twelve tanks rolled over the ridge line, entering Wang Zhongs field of vision, all carrying thick and short infantry tank guns, which looked strikingly like the number four. The tank destroyed by Yeca Neiko Monks Divine Arrow squad in Ronied was one of this type. A dozen secondster, infantry skirmish lines and half-tracked vehicles also appeared. Wang Zhong furrowed his brows, the enemys firepower was much stronger than he had anticipated; just the machine guns on the half-tracked vehicles numbered over a dozen, not to mention those on the tanks, the density of firepower was astounding. Byparison, the Third Rear Amur Groups machine gun firepower had been severely depleted and couldntpare at all. Observing Yegorovsyout, Wang Zhong discovered that Yegorov hadnt set up machine gun positions outside the town at all, clearly not intending to exchange fire with the enemy in open terrain. The only light machine gun positioned at the edge of the town was there to cover for the Divine Arrow squad, and it was expected to move as soon as the Divine Arrow squad relocated. Wang Zhong shifted his view back to the Divine Arrow squad and saw that they were ready tounch. Yeca Neiko Monk, using binocrs to observe the enemy, said in a low voice, Do you see tank with tactical number 181? It has additional antennas; thats the Prussiansmand vehicle. Ludm also held binocrs: I see it, tactical number 181. Yeca Neiko: Its up to you then, let me know when youre ready. "Im ready, Ludm replied. Wang Zhong was also ready; this time he wanted to witness firsthand how Divine Arrows guidance worked. At least for now, Ludm didnt appear to hold anything resembling a radio remote control device in her hands. Yeca Neiko: Fire! The gunner pressed the button on theuncher, and the rockets tail me instantly filled half the room, blowing off the portraits hanging on the opposite wall with a tter! Wang Zhong, raising his viewpoint, saw the rocket tracing an arc towards the enemy, its head glowing like a re. For a moment, Wang Zhong truly felt as though he was ying War Game Red Dragon, where missiles were made extremely bright to be more noticeable, like fireflies, so that yers could clearly see the missile trajectory even when at a high aerial view. The enemys tanks obviously hadnt reacted, continuing in their original direction, and they were hit as such. After the explosion, the tank maintained its forward motion as if nothing had happened, then mes shot out from the engine radiator, and the vehicle abruptly stopped, with all the crew members jumping out of the tank and efficiently hitting the ground. The next moment, the tanks ammunition detonated, and mes burst forth from the open hatches. At that moment, Tank 182, which was advancing to the left of 181, came to an abrupt stop and rotated its turretthey had actually already located where the Divine Arrow was fired from! Although the Divine Arrow had a very apparent trail, the fact that the enemy could determine the firing teams position so quickly could only mean that they were indeed experienced. Just as Wang Zhong shifted his attention back to the Divine Arrow team, the enemy fired. The hurried shot was not urate, merely hitting the wall beside the window. The brick wall was instantly breached, and the shockwave from the explosion blew off Yeca Neikos hat. Yeca Neiko shouted, Quick, retreat! Grab the stand and run! The two shooters picked up the stand and dashed toward the rooms main door, with Ludm close behind them. Yeca Neiko was thest one, and just as the group stepped out the door, the second shell came. This time, the shell flew through the window and hit the opposite wall. As the shockwave and shrapnel swept across the doorway, Yeca Neiko had just stepped outside. He stumbled and fell to the ground, cursing loudly, Sukabule! Ludm turned back and pulled Yeca Neiko up, Can you still walk? "Yes! I just grazed my foot. Hurry to the second position! The squad ran straight out of the house, and at the same time, the light machine gunner who stayed behind to cover them started firingto draw the tanks attention and spread their focus. Yegorovs men had already broken through the walls in the courtyard, so the Divine Arrow team quickly moved to the adjacent yard. Right then, the third shell from the enemy came, still targeting the window where the Divine Arrow team had been,pletely ignoring the machine gunner. The third high-explosive shell directly pierced through the house, with bricks tumbling into the street on the other side. Then the tank began to turn its gun barrel, clearly aiming for the machine gun this time Wang Zhongs heart was racing; he almost cried out: Run, you guys, run! Unfortunately, his thoughts could not reach the two brave soldiers. And they were too far from the tank to see such a slight shift in the tank guns barrel without an overhead view and binocrs. By the time the machine gunners stopped firing and nned to move, the tank fired. When the shell made impact, the machine gunner and the ammunition handler had just left the shooting window. The shockwave caught up with them, knocking them to the ground. Wang Zhong immediately lost sight of the two men. He felt some regret; he didnt even know their names Just then, a second Divine Arrow was fired from the adjacent building, aimed straight at the enemy tank that was still in its original position! Wang Zhongs heart raced alongside the Divine Arrow towards the enemy. The light struck right at the chief position on Tank 182, detonating on the vertical steel te. The next moment, the tanks turret was blown away by the st wave of sympathetic detonation, even before the Prussians inside had a chance to escape! Wang Zhong could even see the body of a Tank Operator being hurled into the air! But more tanks stopped, and they had all located the firing position of the Divine Arrow. As it was said than done, the first barrage was fired. In the blink of an eye, several 75mm high-explosive shells hit the building where the Divine Arrow team was situated! Chapter 31: Fierce Battle in the City The Divine Arrow team proved to be clever this time, with the firing group at the first window on the west side of the ground floor, while Ludm, responsible for guiding the missiles, and Monk Yeca Neiko, who indicated the targets, were at the window of the kitchen next door. After firing the rockets, theunch team immediately left for another position, leaving only Ludm to guide the missiles. At least eight mortar shells hit the firing window, copsing half of the house, but Ludm and Monk Yeca Neiko made it out in one piece! It seemed that the Divine Arrow team was still capable of destroying quite a few tanks! Before Wang Zhong could celebrate, artillery fire rained down from the sky. Judging by where the shellsnded, it was hurried mortar fire without precise aiming; some even fell into Peniye vige itself. None of the shells exploded violently; they simply burst into clouds of smoke with a sound akin to firecrackers. Mortar smoke bombs! It looked like this was also a standard Prussian Army tactic when facing the Divine Arrow. Wang Zhong shifted his gaze toward the edge of his entire field of vision, staring at the cyclopeanmanding officer on the mountain top, wishing he could psychically snipe him and plunge the enemy into chaos. Major Shrifen observed the dispersal of the smoke. The artillery observers ranging binocrs were set up right next to his vehicle, with firing data constantly being transmitted directly to the vehicle-mounted mortar units on the hillside through verbalmands. The second bombardment was much more urate; a smoke wall formed in front of the vige, and even Shrifen could not see clearly what was happening inside. He raised his right hand, Alright, cease fire! Themands to stop firing came from the mortar toon leader behind him. When the artillery fire ceased, the chief of staff said, The enemy has deployed two Divine Arrow units in such a small vige? There must be a significant force. Should we wait for the heavy artillery Shrifen responded, What two Divine Arrows? Havent you noticed that our attacks did not trigger any Divine Arrow sympathetic detonations? Considering the intervals betweenunches, this is the same Divine Arrow unit constantly changing positions. "Each position probably has only one Divine Arrow, allowing them to move quickly by carrying just theuncher frame. Weve seen this tactic in Carolingian; Chief of Staff, you did not participate in the Carolingian campaign, did you? The chief of staff fell silent. Shrifen continued, The enemymander is quite excellent, surely having studied many reports from the Carolingian campaign; he knows our tactics. "If it was also him who stole our truck and ordered it to advance with its headlights on, then today we must eliminate a great future threat to the empire. Chief of staff: Then we should all the more wait for the heavy artillery "If we wait for the heavy artillery, he will have fled! The enemy is still not well-established; look, there are no sandbags, no barbed wire and anti-tank stakes in the vige, probably no minefields either. Now, relying on our advantage in troops and firepower to grind them down and seize an opportunity to capture him is the best strategy! "If we wait for the heavy artillery to arrive, the enemy will be ready, and we will only suffer even more severe casualties! Shrifen stopped and watched the assault troops enter the smokescreen created by the mortars. He looked up at the sky, With the sun this bright, the west wind will be blowing soon. The smoke will disperse and everything will settle. As soon as the words fell, the sound of machine gun fire came from within the smoke. The sound, tearing like ripping canvas, was that of the empires standard model 34 general-purpose machine gun. It was clear that the attacking units were using machine guns to suppress the windows on the edge of the vige. Then, the sound of cannons followed; Shrifen immediately recognized them as the No. 4s 75mm guns. "Its started, just wait and see, Shrifen said confidently. Wang Zhong discovered that his birds-eye view could see through smokehe couldnt make out what was inside the smoke, but he could clearly see everything before and beyond it. Ordinary people couldnt see past the smoke, but Wang Zhongs perspective could. He wasnt sure whether this was just how strong Golden Finger was, or if it was a bug. However, this was of little use since Wang Zhong couldnt mentally control his troops and had to rely on the radio beside him. As it turned out, the radio could only call Captain Lubokovs vehicleonly that car had a radio. This feeling was a bit like ying auto chess; once the deployment was set, it was up to the pieces to fight it out themselves. After the enemy tanks crossed the smoke line, they immediately began firing at the windows of the buildings. Wang Zhong had a habit in various military games of doing the same: regardless of whether there were enemies in the buildings, firing first and asking questionster, depleting supplies rather than manpower. The Prussians firepower was fierce; with dozens of machine guns firing, many wooden window frames were simply sted to pieces. As for the wooden houses, entire walls were dismantled. Then, a tank with the tactical number 185 fired its cannon at the westernmost red-roofed building, copsing the corner of the house and sending tiles flying halfway into the sky. As they approached the vige, the enemy tanks slowed down, and the infantry, spread out in skirmish lines, overtook the tanks and charged towards the vige. On the very outskirts of the vige was a stone wall where the vigers had fenced off several small courtyards to keep some livestock. Now this stone wall had be the first line of defense against the enemy. Apparently, the Prussians werent used to carrying explosives, so they had to construct humandders to scale the wall. In the blink of an eye, Amur Group submachine gunners hidden on the ground floor opened fire. Because of the cover provided by the stone wall, the earlier enemy machine gun fire had not reached the windows on the ground floor. As the submachine gunners shot down the enemies climbing the wall, riflemen hiding by the wall quickly lobbed grenades over it. These grenades were clearly thrown by veterans, who had held them for a moment before releasing; they exploded as soon as they hit the ground, wounding and killing many Prussians outside the wall instantaneously. The next moment, the tanks fired, sting an opening in the stone wall. Immediately, the enemys grenades were thrown through the gap into the courtyard. Wang Zhong clearly saw one of the veteran defenders catch one of the grenades, intending to throw it back when it exploded in his hand. The veterans upper body was shredded by the st, covering the face of a recruit with blood and viscera. The recruit screamed in terror, only to be impaled in the stomach by an enemys bay that rushed in. A brutal melee battle was underway. Meanwhile, the enemy tanks continued to fire as they advanced toward the vige. Tank number 185 decided to enter the vige from the southwest road, and Lubokovs tank was exactly ambushed next to the mill at the end of this road. Wang Zhong quickly switched back to the naked eye view and grabbed the radio on the table, Lubokov, the enemy is about toe into your sight! "What? Lubokov eximed, How can you see them? I cant see a thing! Wang Zhong, Watch the front, tell your gunner to be alert! While shouting, he switched back to the birds-eye view; indeed, he saw tank number 185 enter the vige, appearing right within Lubokovs firing range. "Good Lord! Lubokov muttered, Fire, fire now! A puff of white smoke came out of Lubokovs tanks gun barrel. Wang Zhong clearly saw a stream of sparksing out of tank number 185. But the tank didnt explode; it just came to a stop. Lubokovs anxious voice shouted over the radio, Reload quickly, we didnt hit them! From Lubokovs perspective, it was impossible to tell if the enemy had been hit or not. But Wang Zhong could see, thanks to his view, as the highlighted enemies inside the tank suddenly reduced by three, leaving only two who couldnt possibly drive the vehicle. After all, this wasnt War Thunder. If only two crew members remained, they would continue to fight, but in reality, morale wasnt that high, and crews would usually abandon the tank after losing one or two key members. Wang Zhong saw the highlighted two climbing out of the tank from the bottom hatch. Thats when the third machine gun from the Amur Group finally rang outunlike the enemys sharp tearing sound, the Ante Armys heavy machine gun sounded solid, matching its bulky appearance. As Wang Zhong was distracted, Lubokov fired a second armor-piercing shell, hitting the now-empty tank number 185 again. "Lubokov! That tank has been destroyed! Watch out for the next one! "How do you know its destroyed? Where are you watching the battlefield from? Count, you cant direct blindly! Reload! Wang Zhong adjusted his view, wanting to see Lubokovs condition, only to find out that he had gone inside the tank. Tanks actually have a very poor field of view, which is why tankmanders in World War II liked to poke their heads out to observe the situation. For someone like Lubokov to retreat inside the tank without infantry cover in urbanbat was essentially offering victory to the enemy infantry. Just then, tank number 186 of the Prosen Army moved forward. Wang Zhong heard Lubokov screaming over the radio, Retreat when facing two enemy tanks! Retreat now! Wang Zhong: ????? Since Lubokov had already moved, and the tanks of this era had no stabilizers, the shot went wild, and the armor-piercing shell struck the second floor of a building on the street, blowing a hole in the wall. The enemy tank stopped, fired a shot at Lubokov who was retreating. The shot was clearly a high-explosive shell that exploded on the front armor of Lubokovs tank, shattering all the mills windows. Lubokovs cries suddenly disappeared from the radio. But his tank neither caught fire nor stopped; it continued to reverse past the cover of the mill until it crashed into the exterior wall of the distillery and stopped, though the engine still roared as if trying to knock down the wall. Wang Zhong was astounded, thinking, was it a high-pressure shock from a high-explosive shell that knocked them out? The next moment, he didnt need to ponder that anymore because tank number 187, which hade in from the northern road, hit Lubokovs tank with an armor-piercing shell. The T28, already lightly armored with arge silhouette, now exposed its broadside and exploded into a towering fireball. The explosion happened right beside the distillery Wang Zhong had chosen as hismand post, shattering the windows around him. It was over, he could no longer count on it. Lets see the other tanks; there were two more set up in ambush positions But then Wang Zhong saw another tank heroically charge out of its ambush position. It fired a shot, but as it didnt stop to shoot, the shot flew wide, and then the tank, while firing its machine gun, rammed into enemy tank number 187. What the hell? No matter, there was one more tank in ambush. After the infantry used Molotov cocktails to wear down the enemy tank, the final blow from this tank would surely turn the tide! Then, thest tank in ambush also broke cover, with the tankmander poking his head out and manually operating the anti-aircraft machine gun on top of the tank. While firing, he shouted, The captain has nobly met his end! Lets fight to thest moment like true Cossacks! Turns out this tank had seen what happened to Lubokov. The enemy tank number 186, upon seeing this, immediately fired an armor-piercing shell. Despite the short 75mm gun being primarily for anti-infantry use, with lower chamber pressure and initial velocity of the shells, it was still a 75mm caliber! One shot created a hole on the front twin machine gun turretsrge enough for Wang Zhong to see from the air, followed by the tank catching fire and graduallying to a stop. Wang Zhong couldnt help but facepalm. What was that all about? Let the infantry deal with those tanks entering the city! While thinking this, enemy tank number 186 began to advance, but the machine gun hidden in the basement opened fire, mowing down a swath of infantry following the tank. Taking advantage of this opening, two infantrymen on the second floor by the road popped their heads out and lobbed Molotov cocktails at the tank. The first Molotov cocktail precisely hit the tanks rear radiator grille, immediately engulfing it in mes. The second hit the turret. Wang Zhong guessed that some of the fuel might have seeped through themanders observation hatch into the turret. The next moment, the hatch cover was jacked open by two-meter-high mes. The loader opened the side hatch, attempting to exit from the side of the turret, only to run into the barrel of the machine gun. Thats more like it! Well done, third Amur Group! Chapter 32: The Star of Victory Will Shine Upon Us ` But Wang Zhong soon lost his cheer. He found that, like the German Army, which organized troops around machine guns, the Prussian Army had a feature of the mid-German forces: they were broadly equipped with rifle grenades. In real history, the German Army didnt start equipping rifle grenades inrge quantities until the middle andter parts of 1942. At the start of Operation Barbarossa, German squads generally only had hand grenades. The Prussian Army, likelyprised of veterans, used rifle grenades with masterful skill. As soon as machine gun positions were discovered, they were quickly bombarded with rifle grenades. Although Wang Zhong didnt think these rifle grenades could effectively kill the machine gun crew since the guns were inside buildings and were positioned cunningly, getting hit by rifle grenades would inevitably lead to relocation and that would create gaps in firepower. Of course, the enemy didnt have an overhead view like Wang Zhong, and figuring out the machine gun positions was a challenge. However, they solved this problem withbat experience and sheer numbers. Moreover, the enemy was clearly very familiar with this kind of urban meat grinderbat thatbined infantry and tanks. The infantry led the way for the tanks, clearing each room with grenades, while tanks sent machine gun spots flying, one after another. After fighting for half a day and losing six tanks and over a hundred men to injuries or death, the Amur Group had also lost three heavy machine guns and the lives of dozens of grenadiers.Although only seven or eight buildings on the western side of the vige had been taken by the Prussian forces, Wang Zhong, with his oversight, could already tell that the fall of Peniye was just a matter of time if things continued this way. The only constion was that the Amur Groups morale was high. Despite facing massive losses, they continued to bravely contest the enemy for control of every house. Wang Zhong knew that to change the course of the battle, he must eliminate all of the enemys tanks. Without the tanks, those half-tracked vehicles that freely leveraged machine gun firepower apanying the infantry wouldnt pose a threat. But now, four enemy tanks had secured the two main roads on the western side of the vige, and the firepower points along the roads didnt dare to shoot, as any attempt would invite return fire from the tank guns. The enemy was advancing along the main roads, rapidly approaching the town center with the church and the mechanics mill. Wang Zhong noticed that in Boye Manor, the three-story estate to the north of the church, thest heavy machine gun that hadnt fired was on alert. He surmised that the moment the enemy infantry stepped into the open space in front of the church, they would likely be heavily wounded. Plus, the heavy machine gun position Yegorov chose was very cunning. For the enemy tanks to hit it, they had to enter the open space right in front of the church. The problem, however, was that Yegorov no longer had any anti-tank firepower. The Divine Arrow team led by Monk Yeca Neiko, after their line of sight had been blocked, intended to retreat to the manor. Still, they moved toote and failed to cross therge road on the northwest side of the vige in time, now trapped in a two-story building beside the road. Unfortunately, this building only had windows on the north and south sides, leaving Yeca Neikos squad without a good line of sight on the enemy tanks on the street. The enemy infantry had already advanced to about fifty meters away from them. They couldnt rely on the Divine Arrows and had to depend on Molotov cocktails. However, the enemy advanced too swiftly; only the initial batch of Molotov cocktails made it to the grenadiers on the second floor on the viges western side. The bulk of the Molotov cocktails producedter were now piled up in the distillery, with no option but to be transported forward by hand, bit by bit. Whether they could be delivered on time or prove effective was still uncertain. The enemy now knew their tactics here. The infantry wouldnt allow tanks to proceed without securing the buildings on both sides of the street. They must find a way to destroy the enemys remaining four tanks. Wang Zhongs gaze turned towards thest T28 tank parked in the distillery. But this vulnerable behemoth would likely be blown up the moment it appeared before the enemy! Wang Zhong brooded over the battlefield from his vantage point. At that moment, he was burning with fever, feeling light-headed, as if he could ascend to heaven at any moment. Maybe its best to give up? He had fought well enough, and now, being so gravely ill, no one would me him if he passed out. Close my eyes, and even if theres a flood, it has nothing to do with me isnt this the perfect attitude for a defeatist? Perhaps because of this thought, Wang Zhongs consciousness grew blurrier. In his haziness, he saw in a house at the west end of the vige, two Prosen soldiers discovering locals hiding in a cer. Wang Zhong recognized these locals; they were the same family who had refused his advice when he first entered the vige. He remembered their neighbor, thendy, mentioning the olddy with her grandson, named Ilynichna. Ilynichna was clinging tightly to her grandson, shielding him with her aged body. Her son and daughter-inw were also there, huddled together, trembling. Prosen soldiers scrutinized Ilynichnas son, interrogating him in Prosen but the olddy could only shake her head repeatedly, saying, We dont know, were justmon folk. Suddenly, one of the Prosen soldiers yelled and stabbed Ilynichnas son to death with a bay, then shouted in Antenguage, Deserter! Another Prosenughed, Coward! Ilynichnas daughter-inw sat there stupefied, agape, as the olddy pleaded desperately. At that moment, a sergeant entered the cer, nced down, and started cursing vehemently, all while lifting his submachine gun and firing into Ilynichnas family. The daughter-inw was gunned down instantly, and although the olddy tried to protect her grandson, she too fell after being hit by several shots. Chapter 33: The Star of Victory Will Shine Upon Us (2) Thest child standing seemed incapable of grasping the concept of death. He nkly stared at his fallen family members, then at the still-smoking barrel of Prosens sergeants submachine gun. The sergeant went up to the boy and kicked him over with one foot, then with another foot, snapped his delicate neck. Wang Zhong was shocked by this bloody scene and snapped back to rity. The vige wasnt even upied yet, and these beasts had begun to massacre! What they intended to do after taking over the vige was unimaginable! No! Wang Zhong forcibly shook his head, trying hard to stay alert. Because he knew that if there was any chance to turn the tables now, it could only be his own cheat. He had to make full use of the cheat to destroy the enemys remaining four tanks. He looked over at thest tank in the distillery, the tactical number 422 T28 multi-turret tank. This thinly-armored behemoth couldnt possibly withstand the enemy head-on. He needed to find a way to get to their side, or even behind them! He had to utilize the Golden Finger of the overhead view!Wang Zhong pulled his view to the farthest, overlooking the entire battlefield. He noticed something: the smoke from the enemys mortar fire hadnt dispersed yet, so the tanks behind the enemy couldnt see the situation in the vige. In other words, if he left the vige now and took a wide detour outside the vige, the enemys following tanks wouldnt be able to see it. Give such an order to the 422 crew? Considering the recent performance of the tank troops, the training andbat experience of the Ante Armys armored forces were questionable The rank-and-file soldiers were indeed courageous, but that was all they had. Most importantly, they didnt have the overhead view and had no idea of the enemys position! To use thisst tank to wipe out the enemys four tanks, there was only one way: I have to personallymand this tank! The moment this thought arose, Wang Zhong switched back to the normal view. His heart was pounding fiercely for the first time, making Wang Zhong truly understand what it meant to feel ones heart nearly bursting out of the chest. The flood of adrenaline that was secreted made him, who had been weak and listless, spring to his feet. Sofya standing next to him with a handkerchief was stunned. As soon as Wang Zhong saw her, he grabbed her shoulders and stared at her intensely. "Uh Ill wipe the sweat for you, after all, Im just a Hymn Monk, all I can do is Wang Zhong, As long as I am alive, you wont be captured! Absolutely not! Indeed, if he gave up, not only would his soldiers die in battle and the civilians in the vige be ughtered, but these lovely girls would also face the enemys abuse! How could he give up? Wang Zhongs feverish brain now had only one thought: Screw those Prosen bastards and to hell with them! Sofya was still confused, Uh, you might be mistaking me for someone else I am not Miss Ludm Wang Zhong left her behind, striding out with purpose. At this moment, his head was as heavy as a balloon-headed doll, but he still walked with brisk steps fueled by the adrenaline rush. Rushing out of the main workshop of the distillery, Wang Zhong immediately spotted the 422 vehicle. Parked safely within the walls of the distillery, not even a single bullet had gone past it, but the tanks turret hatch was shut tight. Wang Zhong felt an upsurge of anger. He seemed to forget he was running a high fever, stormed up to the tank, and banged on the hatch: Open the hatch! You bastard, Ill throw a Molotov cocktail if you dont open up! Themander of the 422, a corporal with whom Wang Zhong had a brief acquaintance, opened the hatch and popped his head out: Dont throw! Wang Zhong, Everyone else is fighting in blood, and youre acting like a coward here as a reserve! "I I Wang Zhong pulled off his headset and microphone in one go: Get out! "Eh? Wang Zhong, I said get out! The corporal hesitated for a moment, Will I be shot? Deserters are to be executed! Wang Zhong, Youll be shot if you dont get out, now get out! The corporal mbered out shakily but still stood by the turret, unwilling to leave: Im not deserting, it was you, Count, who ordered me out Wang Zhong kicked him off and climbed into the turret himself, putting on the headset. The corporal lying on the ground called out, Heres your tank helmet Wang Zhong couldnt be bothered with him. His brain simply didnt have the capacity to consider too much right now, like how being inside the turret increased the chances of survival, or how without a tank helmet, one would be bruised from knocking against the turret. He hadnt thought about any of these things. All that he was focused on now wasmanding the tank, pulling off a beautiful nking action to break the enemys assault. After putting on the headset, he realized he could hardly hear anything because of the ringing in his ears. It was said that early Soviet tank equipment was quite backward, forcing themander to use a wrench to knock signals for orders. He could only hope that this tank was somewhat more advanced. Wang Zhong mmed the headset a few times, then his head. The ringing in his ears got even worse. After all, he had a high fever and a rush of adrenaline. A little ringing was the least of his issues. Wang Zhong didnt care anymore and shouted, Rather than this ringing, give me some battle music! Perhaps it was psychological, but the ringing in his ears seemed to take on the rhythms of music. However, Wang Zhong was too dazed to discern the song. He didnt care and gave the order directly: Move forward! Head out the gate! The wreckage of Captain Lubokovs vehicle provided some cover just outside the gate. Wang Zhongsmand was executed. The engine of the tank roared, slowly starting to move forward. The soldiers at the gate hurriedly opened it. Chapter 34: The Star of Victory Will Shine Upon Us (3) The tank rolled out halfway when Wang Zhong issued his secondmand, Turn left. Turning left meant going east, which looked like fleeing. Actually, Wang Zhong was making a nking maneuver. The driver didnt raise any objections, or perhaps he did, but Wang Zhong couldnt hear him. He had tinnitusno, thats not right, it wasnt tinnitus anymore, it was indistinguishable music. In fact, he couldnt hear anything now: the sounds of gunfire, the roar of engines, the screams of soldiers dying, and so on were all drowned out by the ringing (music) in his ears. Su Fang stood at the doorway, watching Count Rocossov speed away in a tank. Someone eximed, The Count is fleeing in a tank!Su Fang shouted loudly, No! He has not run! He said that as long as he lives, he would never let me let us be captured! By shaking our morale like this, I should have you shot! The shouter immediately fell silent. Su Fang then looked out the gate again, where by now, nothing was left but the tracks of the tank. Count Rocossov, can I truly trust you? Wang Zhong: Turn right! He couldnt hear a response and could only pat the top of the turret forcefully: Turn right, ah ah! The tanks right track mmed to a halt, swinging the vehicle around in a tailspin toplete the right turn. Wang Zhong was shaken so severely he felt his brain might burst out. At this point, he was still in themanders view mode, vomiting uncontrobly. But that didnt stop him from giving orders: Follow the stone wall, main gun pointed straight ahead, load the high-explosive shell! The order was perfectly executed, and by that time, the tank had just passed the southernmost wooden hut in the vigeprobably an outhouseand the view suddenly opened up. A Prosen half-track vehicle was parked at the edge of the wheat field. Wang Zhong: Emergency stop! Emergency stop! The tank braked hard, and thanks to the T28 being a rather long tank, the jolt was minor during the emergency stop; otherwise, Wang Zhong would have likely been thrown out. The Prussians near the half-track were shocked. The machine-gunner on the vehicle, who was firing at the vige, hurriedly turned the gun barrel upon seeing the tank. "Target the half-track vehicle, fire! The smoke from the gun muzzle obscured Wang Zhongs vision, although it was just a small 45mm gun, the firing action was still quite intense. The front half of the half-track was blown up into the air, and the surrounding Prosen soldiers immediately fell like bowling pins. The machine guns in the two small turrets at the front of the T28 rattled off, and in an instant, there were no longer any standing figures left. Wang Zhong, by this time, felt a bit weak in the legs and simply sat on the edge of the hatch, leaning to the side and propping himself up with the hatch cover: Continue forward! At this moment, Wang Zhong finally rified the persistent music in his earsit turned out that he was hallucinating from a fever, mistaking his physiological tinnitus for music. He clearly heard a voice singing beside him: Listen, the horn of battle sounds the rm/dress in uniform and grab your weapons/the youth brigade assembles/to march and unite as one to defend the country! Wang Zhong nodded to the rhythm of the song, without forgetting to give orders, Rotate the hull thirty degrees to the right, turret turn 90 degrees, load the armor-piercing shell! As the tank turned, the machine guns on the forward turrets fired tracer rounds non-stop like Deaths scythe reaping everything Prosen. Wang Zhong even had a moment to pay attention to the distance, making sure the smokepletely blocked the enemy tanks behind. Vehicle 422 charged all the way, eventually encircling the southwestern entrance of the vige. "Right turn,e to an abrupt stop when you hit the main road! Wang Zhongs order was executed with precision. After a brief shaking, Wang Zhong confirmed with his naked eye the backs of two enemy tanks. "Target the left tank, fire! The shockwave from the cannons firing kicked up all the dust on the ground around them. A hole immediately appeared on the back of the target, but from the naked-eye perspective, it was impossible to tell if the tank had been destroyed. But from Wang Zhongs overhead view, it was clear that all three crew members inside the target turret were done for. Wang Zhong, Load the armor-piercing shell! Switch targets, aim at the right tank! As the turret turned, it so happened that Wang Zhongs earpiece was ying the chorus part of a song, so he hummed along, Lets say goodbye dear mother, please kiss your son goodbye~ At that moment, the enemy infantry noticed the tank behind them, and a brave sergeant charged at the tank, knocking on the hatch with his hand. The coaxial machine gun opened fire, turning the sergeant into a sieve, but the tracer rounds also exposed the direction of the iing machine gun fire, the enemys tank began turning its turret! Wang Zhong yelled, Fire! He didnt know if the loading wasplete, he couldnt hear. However, the moment he yelled, the cannon responded to him. The armor-piercing shell hit the target, the rotating turret immediately stopped, and the next moment, the enemy tank operators crawled out of the tank. The coaxial machine gun ungraciously imed their souls. At this time, Wang Zhong, through the overhead view, noticed that two tanks on another street suddenly stopped attacking the defending infantry. One started to turn around on the spot while the other seemed to n cutting through a side alley. It must have been the radiothe second destroyed tank had informed its teammates via radio that they were being nked. Wang Zhongughed, fighting street battles with someone whos good at navigating maps? He immediately gave the order for the tank to enter the alley next to them. As they moved, he continued to hum along to the song in his ear: Goodbye, mother, dont be sad, bless us with a safe journey~ As he sang the chorus for the second time, Wang Zhong directed the tank to the side of the enemys number 188 vehicle, and with amand of Fire! the enemy vehicles ammo detonated, and its turret flew high into the air. Only one left! That one had looped back to the northwest vige entrance, attempting to encircle Wang Zhong. Wang Zhongs response was straightforwarddirect the tank onto the main street, turn the barrel southwest, and wait for it to appear. While waiting, the tanks machine gun harvested Prosen soldiers on the street. Wang Zhong was only concerned with humming: Goodbye, dear hometown, the star of victory will shine upon us~ Thest tank appeared, and without waiting for Wang Zhongsmand, the gunner stepped on the firing pedal, and the armor-piercing shell hit the center of the tanks body. The target almost instantly burst into mes, with the Prosen tank operators emerging from the hatch engulfed in fire, frantically rolling on the ground to extinguish it. Wang Zhong personally took up the machine gun on top of the tank turret, spraying the enemy tank operators, singing as he fired, Goodbye, mother, dont be sad, bless us with a safe journey! Ura! A deafening Ura! echoed from every street corner as the infantry of the Amur Group poured out like a tidal wave, attacking the enemy who had lost their tank cover. Proudly, Wang Zhong dered, Weve won!!! Then, as if he had used up thest bit of life in him, he passed out. Chapter 35: First Taste of Victory Yegorov, like everyone else, rushed out from the hiding shelter. Yegorov was never absent from a charge. The enemy had already suffered heavy losses in the towns meat grinderbat, and with all their armored strength wiped out in a short time by a sneak attack from Tank 422, even the battle-hardened Prussian veterans morale copsed instantly. On the contrary, the morale of every soldier in the Amur Group went through the roof as they witnessed Tank 422s remarkable feat to different extents. This was evident from the deafening cheers of Hurrah. Yegorov loved personally leading a charge in such situations. The enemy was quickly driven out of the vige. Aside from a few veterans who hadnt had their fill of killing and were pulling the bolt at the edge of town for target practice, the rest of the soldiers all gathered around Tank 422, shouting Hurrah! around the tank. The roaring Hurrah, as if His Majesty the Emperor himself had arrived at the front lines.Yegorov had to use his burly physique to push through several overly excited soldiers and spent a few minutes squeezing past them to reach the side of the tank. It was then that he clearly saw that it was Count Rocossov sitting on the tank. The count looked in a very bad state, his face was ashen, and he was sweating profusely. The soldiers hadnt noticed the counts abnormality at all, which was not their fault; since the war began, they had been in constant retreat, and they had not won a battle in a long timeeven such an insignificant local victory. While everyone was celebrating the victory with great excitement, suddenly, the count swayed and fell off the tank but was immediately held up by countless hands. The soldiers shouted excitedly, throwing the count up into the airthey actually thought the count was celebrating! Yegorov shouted at the top of his lungs, Cut it out! Youll shake the count to death! He has a high fever! Cut it out! At this time, inside Tank 422, the tank operators were not as excited as the infantry outside. Its not that they werent happy about the victory; it was just that they had literally danced with death and hadnt recovered yet. The count was feverish with ringing ears and couldnt hear. In fact, there had been all sorts of wails and howls inside the tank, and none of these tank operators had any actualbat experience. They really couldnt bear the kind of life-risking and blood-licking tactics just now, and could only relieve their fear by shouting. Now, the battle was over, and like exhausted screamers, everyone slumped in their seats. Finally, the driver reacted first, letting out a feeble howl, Oh oh oh oh! Were alive! Hurrah! The loader and the gunner looked at each other and shouted together, Hurrah! They had just started shouting when the count fell out of the tank. The closest gunner reached out to catch him but missed. "Its over! "The counts been smashed! "Our star of victory! A bunch of them scrambled, opening the hatch and climbing out of the tank, only to see the soldiers tossing the count almost as high as the second floor. Yegorov picked up a submachine gun and swept a barrage into the sky; the festive crowd finally quieted down. Yegorov said, The count has a high fever! Do you want to kill him? Get a stretcher, take him to the hospital! The field hospital was originally supposed to withdraw in the vigers horse carts, but the enemy arrived too quickly, and they had time to set out. The soldiers, awakened as if from a dream, hurriedly ced the count on the stretcher, brought in haste, and then followed to the hospital with the stretcher-bearers. Yegorov climbed on the tank and cursed, Where are you going? The enemy has only been driven back, not defeated! Quick, clear the battlefield, collect the enemys weapons, especially the machine guns and submachine guns! "Go check the tanks that havent caught fire to see if their machine guns can be dismantled! And the ammunition, gather as much as possible! Only then did the soldiers disperse. Yegorov turned his head and looked at the tank operators with a doleful expression. The gunner asked, What should we do? Yegorov said, Why was the Countmanding you? The gunner replied, Our tankmander was very scared. He locked the hatch and cowered in the turret shaking when we were in the distillery yard. Then the Count came over and knocked on the turret hatch, saying "With a gun knocking on the turret hatch, the loader corrected. The gunner continued, Right, came over with a gun to knock on the turret hatch, and said You spineless coward, get out here. The driver confidently said, No, he said You whimpering woman, get out here, or Ill st you. The gunner questioned, Is that so? "Yes, that fierce, the driver nodded, then looked to the mechanic, Dont believe me, ask him. The mechanic also nodded, Indeed, that fierce. The gunner went on, Anyway, we were directlymanded by the Count. The Count had us drive straight out of the vige; he had it all figured out, which round to load for each shot, crystal clear. "Yes, crystal clear. The gunner continued, We had just left the vige when we saw an enemy half-track, possibly an ambnce, and we sent the vehicle and the Prussian wounded sky-high with one shot! The mechanic chimed in, The Count was even singing, saying goodbye to the enemys mother! "No, no, no, the driver shook his head, Youve got to consider the context, you uneducated guy, didnt you go to night school? The Count was saying farewell to his own mother, as he was about to go into battle. Yegorov was utterly confused, The Count calling for his mother? Singing? What the heck? Then several tank operators responded in unison, He was singing! And it was a song we hadnt heard before! The gunner added, The lyrics were not only about saying goodbye to his mother but also to his hometown, saying the star of victory would shine upon us! The others firmly agreed: "Right, the star of victory, I heard it very clearly. "It went something like this, let me find the tune, do-re-mi-fa-so Got it, Farewell, my dear hometown~ the star of victory will shine upon us~ After the driver sang, everyone else immediately nodded in agreement that it was indeed the song. Yegorov frowned, looking at the group of tank operators. At that moment, Monk Yeca Neiko came over, Colonel Yegorov, we need a new firing position. I think that the peripheral positions wont be usable when the enemy attacks again. Just as Yegorov was about to reply, he saw Ludm from Yeca Neikos Divine Arrow squad looking around uncertainly. "The Count has fainted, hes been taken to the hospital, Yegorov informed her. Ludm was startled, Eh? II wasnt looking for him! Umm, I actually was looking for him. Monk, could I Yeca Neiko said, Go ahead, but make sure youre back before the enemy attacks again. Ludm immediately turned and ran toward the hospital. After she left, Yeca Neiko continued the previous topic, I need a newunch position. We still have three Divine Arrows; with a good setup, we can take out three tanks. He paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile, Damn, thats still not as many as the Count alone took out. The gunner from Tank 422 spoke up loudly, We were a part of it too, your Holiness! Yeca Neiko quickly corrected himself, Right, it was your crew under the Countsmand that took out more. Yegorov then said, Ill ask the group logistics to see if they can find some paint, so we can mark your kill rings. Kill rings are circr symbols painted on the barrel of the tank gun; one ring represents the destruction of one enemy tank. The crew looked at each other and smiled. It was then that Yegorov asked, How are the other crews doing? The expressions on their faces froze. Only then did they emerge from their joy of victory, realizing that many of theirrades, with whom theyd spent days and nights, had perished in the recent battle. Chapter 36: Major Shrifen’s Decision Major Shrifen frowned, watching the defeated soldiers retreating from the white smoke that hadnt entirely dispersed yet, his brows twisted like hemp ropes. The Prosen Armys tanks were all equipped with radios, so he had just listened to the entire radiomunication of thest four tank crews. "The enemy is behind us! Behind us! "Were surrounding it! "Its gone! "Tank 187! Tank 187, do you copy? "All units be advised, we are the only ones left! And then there was no more information. Obviously, all the Panzer IV tanks apanying the attack had been taken out. It sounded like an enemy tank had circled around tounch a surprise attack?Did the enemy also have such experienced tank operators? At this moment, over the radio, Shrifens top ace Hoffman said, Major, letsunch another attack! I want to take on the enemys ace! "No, Shrifen coldly refused, The Panzer III is not suited for supporting infantrybat, its 50mm high-explosive shells are too weak, not very effective against the brick and stone structures of the vige. "But "Do you want to be hit by the enemys Molotov cocktails? The attacking Armored Second toon had already reported heavy use of Molotov cocktails by the enemy; every building with more than two floors in the vige was dangerous for the tanks. No, if the apanying infantry were cut off by enemy fire, any building would pose a danger to the tanks. The Shrifen Combat Group was originally assigned two Panzer IV tank toons, but had lost half of them during several days of offensive operationsmost due to mechanical failures that led to their temporary abandonment. The double-row suspensions that the Empires military department took pride in had a multitude of issues during the Carolingian campaign, and the terrible road conditions of the Ante Empire only magnified the defects of the double-row suspensions. Just now, the Shrifen Combat Group had lost all of its Panzer IV tanks, leaving only the Panzer III tanks, which were designed to counter enemy tanks. Besides that, the casualties among the infantry and half-track vehicles were also worrying. The Shrifen Combat Groups objective was to quickly pass through regions with no or light enemy defenses and disrupt their deployment. However, Major Shrifen was not nning on abandoning the offensive. He turned his head towards the artillery staff officer, How many high-explosive shells do we have left for the onboard mortars? "Ten rounds per gun, Your Excellency, the staff officer replied with utmost respect. Shrifen curled his lips, And the smoke bombs? "Only two rounds left for each mortar. After pondering for a few seconds, Shrifen asked, How soon can the 351st Armored Grenadier Corps behind us arrive? The chief of staff shrugged, Depends on the traffic jam. If its not too bad, theyll be up by the afternoon. In fact, the troops that passed through at midnight, many thought they were the 351st Armored Grenadier Corps. The 351st Armored Grenadier Corps was also a reinforcement for the Shrifen Combat Group, but Shrifen had left them behind for the sake of a speedier assault because of their slightly slower motorization. The 351st Corps was equipped with the Model 18, 75mm infantry guns, whose high-explosive shells could effectivelypensate for theck of infantry tanks. Also, these were howitzers capable of indirect fire, which could be used to cover the area with fire ahead of time, destroying the enemys manpower and defenses. Additionally, the 351st Corps hadbat engineers, whose methrowers and demolition charges would give the enemy a tough time. After brief contemtion, Shrifen made his decision, Rally the routed troops, understand the situation inside, including the enemys defensive arrangements and firepower. Conscript volunteers from the defeated troops to act as the vanguard in the next offensive. Over the radio, Hoffman asked with a tone of regret, Are we not attacking anymore? "Of course we will continue the attack, but well wait until were more confident. At least until the supply truckse up and resupply the mortars with ammunition, Shrifen replied. Finishing his statement, Shrifen cated Hoffman, Dont rush, the enemys ace will surely be handed over to you to deal with. Having finished, he shut off the radios transmission capability and muttered, Damn it, Peniye isnt even an important vige. Why is there such determined resistance? The Chief of Staff said, Maybe its a nobles hometown, so theyre covering the movement of their assets? Inferior races erupt withbat power, isnt that just the case? Shrifen snorted, However, I have to admit, the enemysmander is doing a good job, he must have learned a thing or two from interacting with our forces. Before the Prosen Empire tore up the non-aggression pact, there was quite a bit of interaction between the nobles of both countries, including on a military level. After the Ante Empires defeat in the winter war, they even sent some military interns to Prosen to learn. Maybe the onemanding the defense of Peniye is one of those interns. Shrifen thought with full confidence. When Ludm ran to the entrance of the hospital, she bumped into Hymn Monk Sufang Batu Wendusu. Both stopped in their tracks and looked at each other. Sufang said, Uh, are you here to see him? "You too? "I Ive received new hymns, so I came to report to the suprememander. Ludm said, Oh. Then lets go in together. Do you know which bed hes in? "Hes amander, must be in the best bed, right? Saying this, Sufang took the lead into the hospital, only to be greeted by the strong smell of blood, causing her to frown deeply. At a bed near the door, an amputation surgery was underway. The bald doctor yelled, Hold on! Theres no anesthesia left! Clench your teeth! Otherwise, you may bite off your tongue! Then came a muffled scream, what with the persons teeth clenched, it sounded as if it wereing through ayer of cloth. Sufang nced at the bucket next to the operating table, which was filled with severed hands and feet. She covered her mouth, struggling not to throw up. At that moment, a burly nurse appeared before Sufang, What are you twodies here for? You dont look like you need bandages with your limbs intact. Having seen death on the front line, Ludm was much calmer than Sufang and replied loudly, Were looking for Count Rocossov! "Over there! The nurse pointed to a door on the side. Sufang ran as if escaping, only to see another nurse inside the door, gathering blood-soaked gauze that had lost all its original color and looked as if it had been mixed in mudthe mud, however, was red. Without lifting her head, the nurse said, The Count is inside. Sufang nodded and dashed through the inner door. Count Rocossov (that is, Wang Zhong)y in a bed by the window, with the field hospitals director standing beside him. Ludm rushed to ask, How is he? The director replied, Stressbined with a fever caused him to sweat too much, leading to severe dehydration and shock. Were rehydrating him with IV fluids and have used some antipyretics, hes not in any great danger. Both girls let out a sigh of relief, then exchanged a nce. Suddenly remembering her mission, Sufang hastily asked, When will he wake up? Ive got thetest broadcast from the Argesukov choir. The director answered, His injuries are not serious, but with a high fever, how long he remains unconscious depends on the person. I cant tell you. Is it very important news? Sufang spread her hands, This Its just a broadcast of exemry battles, telling everyone that the enemy is not invincible "We already know that, Ludm interrupted Sufang, went to the Counts bedside, and gently stroked his hair, He has already shown us in practice. Chapter 37: “Until One Day Wang Zhong was actually dreaming at this time. He dreamed he had returned to the real world, holding New Years goods and just entering the neighborhood where he grew up. As a result, all the neighbors in themunity were a blur of blood and flesh. He dreamed that he had reached the bottom of his own building, and Neighbor Zhao, who was ying chess, had only half his head left. Yet, Wang Zhong wasnt frightened by these bloody figures; it was as if everything was normal, an ordinary daily sight. He went upstairs, arrived at his own door, and saw his parents pasting the fu character upside down. His father was standing on a stool, his left eye a gaping hole, the eyeball dangling out, connected only by a single nerve to the socket. His mother had a terrifying wound on the top of her head, where her brain could be seen. Wang Zhong seemed to finally sense something wrong and asked, Dad, Mom, how did you end up like this?The two old people looked at Wang Zhong as if he had asked a foolish question. "Were dead, killed by the invaders, his father said. "And youre talking about us, his mother teased, At least were still whole. Youve only got your head left when you came back! Wang Zhong looked down and, indeed, found he had no body; in the next moment, the New Years goods he should have been holding spilled all over the ce. Then he woke up. When he first opened his eyes, the bright light blinded him, and it took a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust to the light before everything in front of him came into clear view. He sat up suddenly, confirming his body: thankfully, it was all there. At that moment, a girls voice entered his ears: Youre awake! Wang Zhongs brain was still short-circuiting, wondering why there was a girls voice. Following the voice, he saw a pretty girl with silver-white hair sitting by the bed, looking at him with concern. Behind the girl was another girl, with braided hair, quiet and demure looking. Wang Zhong stared at the two girls for a few seconds before he remembered that he had transmigrated, and the country he was in was resisting the invasion of the Prosen Empire. Then in his mind shed the scene of Prosen soldiers ughtering the olddy Ilynichnas family in the basement. At this time, Wang Zhongs brain was still feverish, and he could only vaguely remember that after seeing this scene, he himself, in a fit of rage, had personally driven a tank to repel the enemys offensive. At this point, the docile girl with braids handed him a water bottle: You need to drink water, Count. Just now, you fainted because of dehydration. Wang Zhong took the water bottle and gulped down all the water, then pushed the empty bottle back into the girls hands. After that, he stood up. "Wait a moment, youre still feverish! the silver-haired girl tried to stop Wang Zhong, reaching out to hold his shoulders. But Wang Zhong said, I have things to do, Ludm! It was then that Wang Zhong suddenly remembered her name was Ludm, and the other girls long name started with Sofiya. Having fully recalled the events, he switched to an overhead view to confirm the enemys movements. The enemies had all retreated to the reverse slope of the western hill, and Wang Zhong could barely make out some of the enemy through the overhead view they seemed to be the same group who had attacked in the morning. Themander was still that cyclops. If the enemys strength had not increased, then even an assault shouldnt be too worrisome. Wang Zhong knew that the remaining tanks of the enemy were designed for anti-tankbat, unsuitable for supporting infantry in an assaulttheir cannons had a small caliber and low charge, relying on high velocity to prate tank armor. After confirming this, Wang Zhong switched back to his original viewpoint. His recent fainting was probably also rted to the racing in the overhead view, which he had done too long and too intensely, leading to motion sickness. Wang Zhong stood up. Ludm hesitated, missing the chance to stop him. Though his steps were unsteady, Wang Zhong still strode out of the room where he had been lying. As soon as he left the room, the smell of blood nearly made him faint on the spot. He saw mountains of gauze, all soaked with blood, colored a dark purple. A few young nurses were working hard to deal with the gauze while crying. Seeing Wang Zhong, they quickly stood up, trying to adjust their uniforms. Wang Zhong nodded, Carry on with your work. Having said that, he steadied his shaky steps and walked past the mountain of gauze into the next door. The smell of blood was even stronger here, mixed with an indescribable stench. The wounded soldier lying by the door tried to sit up and salute as soon as he saw Wang Zhong enter, but he struggled in vain as he couldnt risehis left arm was missing beyond the forearm, wrapped in a bandage soaked with blood, and he simply couldnt support his upper body. Wang Zhong stepped forward and pressed down on the soldiers shoulder, Just lie down and rest. As soon as he spoke, all eyes turned toward him. As a result, all the lightly wounded soldiers stood up, and the more severely wounded soldiers also exerted themselves to sit up. Every single person strained to lift their chin, noses pointed to the sky. The wounded soldiers whose right hands could still move saluted Wang Zhong in unison. Wang Zhong paused for a moment, then raised his hand in return, You have allpleted your mission. Recover well. Where is Yegorov? Why hasnt he organized carts from the locals to evacuate you? "Weve been sent. A person dressed as a doctor told Wang Zhong, Every cart in the vige has been hired. These are the lightly wounded, waiting for the carts to return and take a second trip. But with the current situation, its questionable how many carts wille back. Wang Zhong, No matter how manye back, evacuate as many as possible. Having said this, he stepped forward again and walked through the ward. In the courtyard outside, many corpses wereid out, all ssified as having no value for rescue after being brought to the field hospitalpoor souls. Witnessing this scene, Wang Zhong wanted to remove his hat in respect, but when he raised his hand to his forehead, he realized he wasnt wearing a hat. As he turned around, he saw Ludm holding his hat and following behind him. "Thank you. Wang Zhong took his hat, nning to hold it over his heart in a moment of silence, but that would take too much time. So he instead chose the soldiers way, putting on his hat and saluting all the bodies lying on the ground. Afterward, he passed through the yard and went out the door onto the streets of Peniye. There was a street barricade on the road, made of furniture and sandbagsWang Zhong was certain this hadnt been there in the morning during the defense battle. He must have been unconscious for quite a while, long enough for Yegorov tomand the construction of temporary fortifications with sandbags. Two individuals chatting behind the street barricade sprang to attention as soon as they saw Wang Zhong. Someone shouted, The Count is awake! In the next instant, the young soldiers of the third reserve Amur Group scattered in various buildings all ran out. A toon leader berated loudly, What is this, a zoo? Form ranks, eyes rightdress! His toon instantly formed up in front of the houses, on the strewn debris of the street. Seeing this toon organize, the other toon leaders snapped to attention, and shortly after, the Ante infantrymen who had been defending the street were all assembled and in formation. Wang Zhong hesitated for just a moment, losing the chance to stop them from forming ranks. Now, as he looked at the troops lined up along the street, he was the one feeling awkward. At that moment, Yegorov came running over, Count, why have the troops assembled? Wang Zhong thought to himself, I have no idea either, but faced with Yegorovs serious expression, and the even more stern face of Staff Chief Pavlov who apanied him, he could only say, I think we need to boost morale. Yegorov, I see. The soldiers have all been speaking of your bravery. Your speech will surely inspire them greatly. Wang Zhong was dumbfounded but had no choice but to go along with it. Fortunately, as a transmigrator, he had plenty of material he could crib from. Wang Zhong took a step intending to climb onto the truck parked by the roadside, but his weak legs from the fever made it impossible for him to get on. However, Yegorov, Ludm, and many others rushed over to assist him, hoisting him onto the bed of the truck. Wang Zhong stood in the truck bed and announced loudly, Soldiers! Comrades! We have defeated the Prosen Empire! "Though this is but a small, insignificant victory, it proves one thing: if we each do our duty, without negligence, without errors, making the best arrangements, we will prove once again that we can defend our homnd, keeping it safe through the storm of war! "We can defeat the seemingly invincible Prosen invaders! "Even if it takes many years, even if we fight alone! "I know that many historic, glorious kingdoms have already been trampled under the Prosen iron hoof, I am aware that many countries have fallen into their darkest hours, ravaged by the Prosen iron hoof. "Even so, we must never lose heart! We will persist to the end and usher in victory! "We shall fight them in our homnds fields! "We shall fight them on the snowy ins! "We shall fight them in the skies! "We will never surrender! "Until the day we drive thest Prosen out of our sacred homnd! "Until the day we bring the mes of war to theirnd! "Until the day we nt the g of victory upon the then Emperors pce! Hoorah! All responded in unison to Wang Zhong: "Hoorah! The deafening roar of hoorah soared to the heavens. Chapter 38: The Determination to Transcend Time and Space Major Shrifen was inquiring about the location of the 351st Regiment behind the staff when a strange noise suddenly came from the upper Peniye vige. Because it was quite far away, the noise was very faint, but the major had good ears and still heard a lot of people shouting Ura in unison. "The morale of the enemy is pretty high, he said. Themunication staff officer didnt catch on, What? Are you talking about the 351st Regiment? "Im talking about the enemy, Major Shrifen looked in the direction of the upper Peniye vige. The chief of staff suggested, We could let the mortars fire a rapid barrage, with the infantry guns of the 351st Regiment in the back taking over the firepower from the mortars. "No, Shrifen waved his hand, The victor has the right to celebrate victory without being disturbed. In the end, they will be crushed by us anyway, so let them live in the illusion for now. Wang Zhongby the side of Count Rokossov. Sufang listened with tears in her eyes, incessantly tugging on the clothes of Ludm beside hermainly because Ludm was the only woman in sight, and she had no one elses clothes to pull on.Ludm, however, looked astonished; she didnt even care about her sleeve being violently tugged but gazed doubtfully at Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov sitting on the truck. Ludm couldnt help but mutter softly, Is this still the same Alyosha? Yegorov, the seasoned veteran, overheard her and said, Men transform on the battlefield, maybe for the better, or perhaps for worse. The count seems to have changed for the better. Ludm still frowned, But I studied with him at the Pushkin Public School in Saint Yekaterinburg, where he always got zero on his essays. And he liked to write some nonsensical rhymes and present them as poems to the Grand Dukes daughter. Yegorov said, Perhaps in his view, those were candid words inspired by emotions, just made particrly moving by the baptism of war fires. Ludm wanted to say more, but Rokossov got down from the truck. He was still running a fever, so his steps were unsteady; Ludm decisively stepped forward to help him. Moreover, the girl was prepared to be taken advantage of, even pushing out her chest. However, Rokossov merely said thank you and then proceeded along the street. The soldiers continued to shout Ura at the Count. Yegorov clicked his tongue, During the civil war, even Marshal Mikhailovich never enjoyed such treatment! Ludm looked puzzledly at the somewhat unfamiliar back of her childhood friend. Wang Zhong waspletely unaware of the girls thoughts. Perhaps in another situation he would have taken a longer look at the girls face, or taken advantage of the physical contact just now. But right now, he wasnt in the mood for that. Right now, a woman would only affect the speed with which he drew his swordno, that phrase is too archaic, it should be said that it only affects the uracy of the machine gun fire. Of course, another big reason was that he still hadntpletely recovered from his fever. For someone like Wang Zhong who was already running a fever, antibiotics wouldnt work so quickly; aplete recovery from fever might not happen until tomorrow, or even the day after. But the current situation didnt allow him to lie in a sickbed and rest. The enemy was less than two kilometers away on the rear slope, and they could receive reinforcements at any time. Conversely, on his side, let alone reinforcements, even themunication with superiors had been cut off. The Ante Army primarily relied on telegraph for long-distancemunication, but Ante Army radios were only assigned up to the level of the Infantry Division. Add to that the fact that themunications troops of His Grace the Duke had been wiped out by naval gunfire, and Wang Zhong now had not a single radioand even if he did, he wouldnt be able tomunicate, because there was no one who could decode the messages. In short, Wang Zhongs small unit waspletely cut off from the higher-ups. The higher-ups might still think that the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Regiment of the 4th Tank Army was guarding this ce. So in such a situation, how could Wang Zhong even think about resting? Of course, there was another option not to stand their ground here, to simply run away, considering the orders were given to the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Regiment of the 4th Tank Army, and had nothing to do with Wang Zhongs own troops. However, this option had already been ruled out by Wang Zhong. At this time, Wang Zhongs objective had seriously deviated from the initial one of saving his own life, but he had not yet realized this change. He was just single-mindedly thinking about how toplete the mission, how to beat the damned Prosen Army. As to why he shouldplete the mission or why he should beat the Prosen Army, he hadnt had time to think in detail. He even had only a vague concept of what he was supposed to do right now: he wanted to go see how Ilynichna, the olddy living at the westernmost end of the vige, and her family were doing. That was the superficial reason that prompted him to jump onto the tank and strike out alone. Wang Zhong reached the crossroads between the distillery and the machinery mill. The wreckage of a T28 tank was parked beside the distillerys fence. A white horse stood next to the tank, gently rubbing its muzzle against the tank gun turret. Wang Zhong stopped, looking at the white horse. He remembered Captain Lubokov who liked to ride a white horse. This must be that white horse, considering the tank was indeed Lubokovs chariot. Wang Zhong turned his head and asked Yegorov, Wheres Captain Lubokov? Yegorov replied, Hes still inside the tank; we havent had the time to bury our fallenrades. Wang Zhong remembered Lubokovs performance in battle and said, He was brave, but unfortunatelycked enough experience. Actually, Wang Zhong also wanted to add, He didnt hear my orders clearly, but after giving it some thought, the idea that he could tell someone driving a tank whether the enemy had been destroyed from hismand post in the distillery was too strange upon close inspection. So he didnt say thetter part. To be honest, among the four tankmanders, Lubokov was the only one who could really be relied upon. The others were either reckless fools or spineless idiots. Wang Zhong: If the enemy doesnt attack tonight, let the logistics department take Lubokovs body out and find a ce to bury him. "Yes, Yegorov nodded. Wang Zhong looked at the white horse. He raised his uninjured left hand and made a gesture to the horse: Come. The horse looked at Wang Zhong for a second before turning around and gently nuzzling Wang Zhongs hair with its nose. Wang Zhong had never ridden a horse and didnt know how to interact with one. He only remembered that in Red Dead Redemption 2, to calm a newly acquired horse, you had to gently pat it on the neck. So he followed what he remembered and gently patted the white horses neck. The horse was very tame and rubbed its nose against Wang Zhongs cheek. After petting the horse enough, Wang Zhong grabbed the reins and handed them to Yegorov: Let logistics take good care of it. I might need to ride it when I retreat tomorrow night. "Understood. Wang Zhong took onest look at the tank turned to scrap metal and took a deep breath. The mornings battle had imed more lives than just Lubokovs; there was no time to mourn the young captain. Wang Zhong continued walking westward. Along the way, the soldiers kept cheering for him until Yegorov shouted, Stop cheering! Keep fortifying the defenses! Get moving, you swine! Only then did the soldiers scatter. Wang Zhong finally saw the house of the elderly Ilynichna and her familyit was the westernmost house in the vige, directly in the path of the enemys assault. Standing at the entrance, he could see the Prussiansmand tank on the hillside. The one-eyed man was there. Wang Zhong stared at the hilltop for a few seconds before retracting his gaze and pushing open the wooden door. He went straight down into the basement. The Ilynichna family was still in the basement, maintaining the postures they were in when they were murdered. Flies buzzed annoyingly about the basement. Wang Zhong walked slowly forward and saw that the old woman was still protectively holding her grandchild, but the childs life had already been taken by a bullet of evil. Wang Zhong thought of his parents in his dream. Then he remembered his visit to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders during his first summer vacation at college. Before entering the memorial hall, Wang Zhong thought it would be nothing more than some photos and exhibits, butter he realized he was wrong. The Memorial Hall, starting from the sculptures at the entrance, used a very artistic approach to create an atmosphere of solemnity and destion. Once inside, the photos were disyed with shocking impact. After leaving the hall, Wang Zhong silently bought a bunch of white flowers and ced them in front of the Peace Memorial. Because of modern history, Chinese people naturally sympathize with the invaded and naturally hate the aggressors whomit atrocities. This is something rooted in the gics of a hundred and fifty years of suffering. Here, in this basement, Wang Zhongpleted his final ideological transformation. Yes, I am not a person from the Ante Empire, and I have no affection for the imperial regime. I think nobles should all be hanged. But I cannot tolerate bestial acts happening before me. Expecting me to stand by and do nothing? No way! Wang Zhong bit his tongue slightly, just enough to taste the salty iron of blood spreading in his mouth. If saying that in the morning he had unconsciously chosen to jump onto the tank as the most efficient way, and the most likely toplete the n, now Wang Zhong was consciously, and able to weigh the pros and cons, choosing to fight the invaders to the end. The moment he made this decision, Wang Zhong was filled with pride. He had always admired the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. And now, he too was an Internationalist Warrior. For justice! To protect the weak! To eliminate evil! Wang Zhong decided to fight to the veryst moment as Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. With an uplifted spirit, Wang Zhong turned around and said to Yegorov, Bury them immediately. Also, recruit young adults in the town who are willing to fight with us. Have them stack the bodies of the enemy at the entrance to the vige. "Right at the entrance to this house. Yegorov asked with a frown, What are you going to do? Wang Zhong said through gritted teeth, I want to make the Prussians feel fear. Chapter 39: Ignite the Torch Wang Zhongs orders were swiftly executed. Soon, a mound over one story high appeared at the entrance of the vige. Wang Zhong stood by with his hands on his hips supervising, asionally reminding, Remember to take the bullets and grenades off their bodies; I dont want to set them on fireter and have the bullets go off like firecrackers. "It would be terrible if someone were hit by a stray bullet. "Dont worry, Yegorov said at his side, All the ammunition has been collected. Even though their rifle bullets dont fit our rifles, I still ordered them all to be taken away, just in case. These bullets and the captured rifles are stored in the winerys warehouse. Wang Zhong nodded, without any additionalment. Soon, the young people of the town brought over thest corpse, tossing it onto the top of the pile of bodies, then stood in ce, looking at Wang Zhong in unison. Wang Zhong: Thats all? "Yes, all the bodies that could be found on the streets are here.Wang Zhong: Less than I imagined Didnt I recall killing many enemies? Yegorov turned to look at the staff officer Pavlov, who immediately reported: The number of enemies killed should be just this many. Your recollection is not wrong; its just that many of the people you shot down werent dead. We took in those wounded soldiers ording to the principles of humanity. Wang Zhong: Humanitarian principles only apply to humans; beasts do not enjoy humanitarianism. Moreover, we do not have so many medical supplies, do we? Bring out the wounded soldiers. And the surrendering enemies C Prosen soldiers are brave and skilled in battle, they would never surrender, it must be a ruse! Pavlov hesitated: This He kept looking at Yegorov. Yegorov: Count, if we kill the wounded and those who have surrendered here, when weunch our counterattackter, even if we have broken the enemys morale, they will be forced to fight to the death. We will suffer greater casualties. Wang Zhong pursed his lips, falling deep into thought as he faced therge mound of corpses. At that moment, Lubokovs white horse, somehow having loosened its reins, left the hitching post and came beside Wang Zhong, gently rubbing against his hair. Wang Zhong sighed, speaking with a tone of great regret, You are right; we cant push the enemy too hard, we have to think about future counterattacks. Just burn this many then, get some gasoline from our cars and pour it over. "I already gave the order just now, it is ready, Yegorov said and then gestured to the sergeant who had been waiting beside him. So, the sergeant led two privates, each carrying a can of oil, pouring it wildly over the pile of corpses. As they were pouring the oil, Wang Zhong looked towards the western hill. Without binocrs, one could barely make out the silhouette of a Prosen Tank parked on the top of the hill, the people were indiscernible. But when Wang Zhong switched to an overhead view, the enemies on the hill would be highlighted C because it was Wang Zhongs own field of vision. Wang Zhong clearly saw that one-eyed man watching this way through a telescope. Unfortunately, from an overhead view with the enemy holding a telescope, its hard to clearly see the other sides expression. But Wang Zhong quite fancied imagining him grinding his teeth in hatred at this moment. If that were true, then the effort to pile up the corpses was worth it. Too bad Wang Zhong was feeling unwell now, truly unable to climb up on the mound of corpses. Otherwise, he would definitely climb up to show off, to fiercely infuriate the leaders of those beasts. However, even though he couldnt climb up himself, that didnt mean he couldnt express his contempt. So, Wang Zhong pushed aside the sergeant who was still pouring oil, took an unsoiled Prosen helmet, threw it on the ground as a footrest, and stepped onto it with his military boot. Stepping on it wasnt enough; Wang Zhong felt for his pockets but didnt find any cigarettes. He looked towards Yegorov. Yegorov took out tobo: Im poor, I can only smoke the ones I roll myself, which you are not used to. Ask Pavlovhes nobility. Pavlov took out a silver cigarette case, opened it, and took out a very carefully rolled cigarette, handing it to Wang Zhong: Your Excellency. Wang Zhong took a cigarette in his mouth. Pavlov took out an ornately carved lighter and lit it for Wang Zhong. In fact, in Wang Zhongs imagination, he should have been smoking arge cigar, and after puffing halfway, he would flick it disdainfully like Sheffield in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, so that the cigar butt would fly onto a pile of corpses and ignite a roaring ze. Oh well, this will do. Stepping on the enemys steel helmet, Wang Zhong leisurely smoked half a cigarette, waiting for the soldiers to finish pouring out thest barrel of oil, before he nced at the distant hill. Even without an overhead view, Wang Zhong knew that the enemys leader was there. Wang Zhong blew a smoke ring, flicked his cigarette butt with a gentle motion, and it traced a bright arc beforending on the pile of corpses. The mes whooshed up at once, spreading over the entire mound of bodies in an instant. Wang Zhong hadnt expected there to be a survivor inside; the person screamed upon being scorched by the fierce mes and, driven by the desire to live, crawled out of the heap, tumbling to the ground and rolling over and over. Unfortunately, it was toote as the fire had already taken hold, and rolling on the ground was certainly not going to extinguish it. Maintaining his foot-on-helmet stance, Wang Zhong watched the enemy struggle on the ground, Dont shoot, let him burn. He just watched as the enemy gradually stopped writhing, turning into a burning human shape on the ground. Then he raised his head to look up at the hill. Major Shrifen had been watching through the binocrs until the soldier stopped struggling, only then did he put them down. His lips were quivering as if suppressing the urge to curse aloud. His chief of staff put down the binocrs as well and said, This is the enemys psychological warfare tactic, hoping to prompt us into a rash attack before the follow-up troops catch up. Major Shrifen asked, Who is this person? I mean, the bastard who lit the fire! The chief of staff replied, We dont know. The attack failed, and we didnt capture any prisoners to interrogate, so were unaware of their unit designation and structure, as well as who theirmander is. "However, soldiers have reported that the tactical number for the tank maneuvering behind enemy lines at the end was 422. ording to the enemys tactical numbering pattern, this likely belongs to a unit under the Fourth Tank Army. This army was reported to have been eliminated by the Air Force in thebat situation report this morning. Shrifen gnashed his teeth and muttered, The Air Forces reports cant be trusted one bit! He took a deep breath, looked at the increasingly raging fire at the entrance of the vige, and asked with indignation in his voice, Where is Regiment 351? Where is Regiment 351? "The regimentalmander said over the radio that they should arrive in an hour. "Tell them to make it faster! Though Regiment 351 was assigned under Major Shrifensmand and was part of Shrifensbat group, the regimentsmander, Major Franz, also held the rank of major, putting him on the same level as Shrifen, so Shrifen had to be careful not toe on too strong when giving orders. This made him all the more furious. The reason thisbat group was known as Shrifens was primarily because the current Emperor, Reinhard von Hohenzollern, wanted to diminish the influence of the Junker Nobility in the military, promoting young officers more familiar with modern military technology vigorously. Especially those young officers without noble backgrounds. As such, the young Shrifen became themander of thebat group, which was named after him rather than the typical Junker Nobility Major Franz, despite Franzs three decades of military service and his belief that the oue of wars still depended on infantry and artillery. Now the oue of the battle hinged on the speed at which the old noble woulde to their aid! Shrifen red ferociously at the raging bonfire at the vige entrance. "No, he said to himself, we cannot lose our cool. Attacking now would only y into the enemys hands. This brutal demon will eventually pay the price. Chapter 40: The Calm Before the Storm After provoking the enemy and dering his resolve, Wang Zhong decided to make the most of his time by bundling up and sleeping off a sweat. It was his general approach to dealing with a cold and fever: sleep under a heavy nket, sweat profusely, and the fever would often subside significantly. This method was certainly not scientific, but after so many years, it had be habitual behavior. So Wang Zhong returned to hismand post, drank a lot of water, wrapped himself in the thickest nket he could find, and went to sleep. He was convinced that when he woke up, his condition would be much improved, and his mind would be clearer. Ludm had been wanting to talk with Count Rocossov, but she didnt expect him to go straight to themand post, bundle himself in a thick nket, and lie down. The girl stood frozen next to the map table in themand post, wondering if this was the same Alyosha who stuck to the girls at the dance and salon like glue? At that moment, someone patted her shoulder, and she turned to find that it was that Eastern girl with the surname Batuvindasu. "Whats wrong? Ludm asked, puzzled."Dont you need to return to the Divine Arrow group? Arent the Divine Arrows unfinished? If the enemy attacks now, you might be toote to return, she said. Ludm replied, What about you? Dont you need to be at your post? "I am a Hymn Monk, Im supposed to stay right beside the suprememander, the girl spread her hands. Just as Ludm was about to respond, Monk Yeca Neiko walked in, and as soon as he entered, he said loudly, Captain Mailehovna, there you are! We were worried that you couldnt find the groups current location since you havent returned. Ludm felt somewhat embarrassed since she had indeed been away from herbat post for too long. Without a prayer hand to guide them, the Divine Arrows were just oversized rockets, capable of traveling far but with low uracy. Without the prayer hand, the Divine Arrow group was useless, unable to fulfill any purpose. "Ill return immediately, said Ludm, and she took one more look at Rocossov curled up in the nket. Monk Yeca Neiko also nced at the count and said, Without him, we would have been sacrificed. He saved us twice, once from going up to the bell tower, and the other time when we were trapped. "Yes, Ludm responded softly. Yeca Neiko continued, You knew him from before, right? Did you know he was such a hero? "No, Ludm answered truthfully, though hes always had a high opinion of himself, to my knowledge, not a single girl liked him. No, actually, all the noble girls in Saint Ekaterina Fortress treated him as a joke. "Hes not one anymore. And did you see those soldiers just now? Anyone who treats him as a joke will have their skin peeled off by the soldiers. Come on, lets go. Ive given you plenty of time. Its time to get back to business, Captain Mailehovna, said Yeca Neiko. Ludm nodded her head. Yeca Neiko turned and walked out, and Ludm followed his steps, looking back every three steps. The Hymn Monk stood beside the sofa that Count Rocossov used as a bed and waved at Ludm. Wang Zhong slept soundly this time. Perhaps after resolving the internal hesitation, one can sleep soundly. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that it was still light outside. His second sensation was thirst, after all, he had soaked the nket with sweat. He threw off the nket and sat up, grabbing therge ss he had ced on the table earlier and gulped it down, feeling his braine alive afterwards. He must still have had a bit of a low fever, but the ringing in his ears was gone, and the explosive headache from the morning had almost disappeared. His head was just a little heavy. Wang Zhong carefully stood up, moved his body a bit, and then looked to his side. Sufang was standing next to him, holding a kettle: Need more water? Wang Zhong pushed the empty cup toward the girl: Fill it up. After the second cup of water, Wang Zhong finally sat down, pulled up the overhead view, and surveyed the battlefield. The defensive fortifications of Peniye vige had obviously improved a great dealpared to when they were resisting the enemy in the morning, with many sandbag barriers erected. Support points like windows and balconies had also been reinforced with sandbags. It was clear that Yegorov was doing his best to strengthen the viges defenses, but unfortunately, the Third Rear Amur Group was already on the run and didnt bring much in terms of defensive supplies. The vigeckedmon defensive instations like barbed wire andndmines. When they had seized trucks from the enemy supply depot, Wang Zhong had asked about what kinds of supplies the enemy had there. The answer he received was that there were only ammunition and fuel. The enemy didnt think there was a need to stop and defend, so they hadnt allocated transport for any frontline defensive materials. In short, although Yegorov was experienced, a good wife cant make a meal without rice; the defenses of Peniye were as good as nonexistent. The good news was that it was already six oclock in the evening, and they just needed to hold out for another 26 hours before they could make their escape. Wang Zhong shifted his viewpoint to the enemy. Then he realized that their field of vision could barely make out the top of the western hill but couldnt see the enemy behind it at all. It seemed it was up to Wang Zhong to personally climb up for a better look. So, Wang Zhong switched back to his original perspective and stood up again. The bell tower had been half destroyed by an enemy shell, but the water tower of the distillery was still standing and probably not any shorter than the bell tower. Seeing Wang Zhong walking out, Su Fang hurriedly followed him, Please rest a while longer. The enemy hasnt attacked yet. Take advantage of this time to rest, have a meal or something "I am indeed hungry, bring me some bread and meat. Wang Zhong said this as he left the distillery managers office and entered the courtyard of the distillery. Panzer 422 was parked in the courtyard, with the tank operators busily maintaining the vehicle. Upon seeing Wang Zhong, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, stood to attention, their backs straighter than if the Great Emperor hade for an inspection. Wang Zhong: At ease, carry on. Wait, wheres yourmander? The tank operators exchanged nces, and finally, the gunner spoke on behalf of everyone, He he didnt dare to be themander any longer, and went to check on your horse. "My horse? It took Wang Zhong a second to remember that he had inherited a white horse from Captain Lubokov, Oh, that horse. Do you know its name? "Ah? Oh, the horse? The Captain called it Bucephalus. Wang Zhong was taken aback; he knew the name Bucephalus. It was the name of Alexander the Greats beloved horse, akin to Red Hare in Chinese culture. Although Captain Lubokov had given the horse such a name, he had unfortunately fallen in the first battle, prompting Wang Zhong to sigh. The cowardly private had gone to look after the horse, so had Panzer 422 be his personal vehicle? Wang Zhong nced at the three-turret tank. Frankly, the tank was ugly, and its performance was terrible. If hed had any other choice, Wang Zhong would never have considered it as his personal vehicle. However, with his limited resources, he had to make do with what he had. This wasnt a game, where a soldier could just turn a wrench a few times to fix up an enemys abandoned Panzer IV. In reality, tank repair would require an entire maintenance factory with hundreds of mechanics. So, he had to make do with the unattractive Panzer 422. Wang Zhong: Make sure its well-maintained; it might carry a heavy burden soon! "Yes, sir! the tank operators answered with spirit. Wang Zhong nodded and began to climb the stairs of the water tower. Luckily, the water tower had stairs instead of adder that would have required climbing by hand, so Wang Zhong ascended quite smoothly to the towers summit. Standing at the top, he raised his binocrs. From this height, he had the illusion that he was even higher than the hill to the west. Then he switched to an overhead view. The enemy on the reverse slope behind the western hill was all lit up. Wang Zhong took a sharp breath. He saw trucks descending from the highway and arge number of infantry moving into battle formations. He also spotted at least a full battery of infantry guns being unloaded from the trucks, each with a barrel that looked thicker than that of a demolished Panzer IVs tank gun (in fact, they were all 75mm). Not only that, but he saw a supply truck parked next to the enemys self-propelled mortar battery, with gunners moving shells onto the mortar vehicles! Enemy reinforcements had arrived! Chapter 41: Two Slices of Bread ` Wang Zhong was trying to take a closer look at the enemys attack formation, but suddenly he noticed tracks on the ground leading off to the side. A single vehicle couldnt possibly have left such distinct tracks on the grasnd, only multiple half-track vehicles could have left the highway from the same spot. Wang Zhong immediately followed the tracks in search of this enemy unit, but after heading north for a while, the tracks went out of his field of view. What were these Prussians up to by heading directly north? Not quite understanding their intentions, Wang Zhong began to check the edge of his field of view just in case. Since his perspective depended on the direction he was facing, with no visibility at the back of his head, he had to switch back to normal vision to turn and face north. Su Fang had followed him up the water tower, and seeing him look north, she asked with a puzzled face, Arent the enemies to the west? Wang Zhong didnt have time to answer; he switched back to the overlooking perspective.Indeed, he found the tracks right to the north of Peniye vige. Good lord, these guys took a detour and ended up making a square! Wang Zhongs field of view was circr, so he couldnt see the corners of the square. There were three roads converging on Peniye, forming an inverted Y shape. The enemys previous attacks had alle from the west, entering the vige through two westward roads, so Yegorovs defensive positions were mainly facing the west. To the east, the only road was lined with field hospitals and other nonbative units, and fighting forces were extremely scarce, with only some lightly wounded soldiers armed for defense. It looked like this enemy unit that had detoured around was nning to enter the vige from that one and only eastern road, for a pincer attack! If they seeded, it would be bad! Wang Zhong skillfully switched perspectives, turned around, and found himself face to face with Su Fang. Su Fang: ? Wang Zhong stepped aside to gain a view of the east and switched perspectives again. At the end of his eastern field of view, he saw enemy half-track vehicles driving onto the main road! The enemy had already taken their positions! Each vehicle was carrying more than a dozen soldiers, packed like sardines. The enemy had taken a rectangr route, so methodically that, in theory, they shouldnt be overloading the vehicles. They arent Indians, after all. One could only specte that a half-track vehicle broke down during the detour, forcing the passengers onto other vehicles. To be honest, if the enemy decided to y armored cavalry and charge with the half-tracks, they might actually catch Wang Zhong off guard. But they stopped and began to deploy their troops! So these Prussians cant fight without deploying their troops, huh? Wang Zhong hurriedly thought of a n. The first thing he thought of was to find Yegorov and reassign a unit to establish a defensive line at the rear. Then he considered maybe pretending not to have noticed the nking maneuver to set up an ambush. As he was about to choose this n, a sh of insight crossed his mind. He carefully examined the enemys equipment. Eight half-track vehiclesthese were also the characteristic equipment of a certain military force from another dimension, with the mention of armored grenadiers always involving this type of half-track vehicle. German forces usually used the abbreviation sdkfz + a number to name these half-track vehicles, hence they got the nickname SD Confucius in the Chinese circle. Among these half-track vehicles, there were versions with cannons, ranging from 20mm to 45mm, and Wang Zhong liked to use them for fun in War Thunder. But the eight half-tracks that had outnked this time were all equipped with only machine guns. Wang Zhong scrutinized the enemy infantrys equipment more closely. Thanks to the aerial view cheat, Wang Zhong could clearly see how many magazines the enemy submachine gunners had brought. After close observation, he was sure that the enemy wasnt equipped with single-soldier anti-tank rockets like the Panzerfaust; at best they only had anti-tank grenades. The enemy had no anti-tank firepower! And behind them was the great in; to avoid detection, the position where the enemy deployed was at least 1,500 meters from the vige! A 1,500-meter open in! And that was at least! It could well be 2,000 meters! A single tank parked at the vige entrance could send the whole enemy unit to meet their maker! He wasnt even sure if God was in charge of this world. After realizing this, Wang Zhong was ecstatic. He switched back to normal vision, turned around, leaned over the water tower railing, and was about to call out to the tank operators below in the courtyard when something caught his eye from the corner of his vision. He looked up immediately, just in time to see smoke rising from the western hills. Then, the sound of artillery shells tearing through the air ruptured his eardrums. Enemy shelling! While Wang Zhong was busy with the nking unit, the enemy had moved their artillery to the hilltop! ` The first shell fell in the wheat field west of the vige, sending dirt flying as high as a two-story building! "The charge on this shell is a bit too much! Wang Zhong shouted, Artillery iing! Take cover! Before his words faded, the second whistling sound came, Wang Zhong distinctly felt the object making the noise fly over his headit seemed to be aimed high. Turning around, he saw the house on the eastern edge of the vige being hit, its roof sted away in arge chunk. Wait a second, one shot too close and one too farthe enemy is adjusting their fire! If the third one falls in the vige, the rapid firing will begin! The third screech came, and before Wang Zhong could react, the roof of the mechanical mill was hit. The explosion nearly blew Wang Zhong off his feet. Luckily, the distance was somewhat far, and neither the shrapnel nor the shock wave reached Wang Zhong. At this moment, Sufang rushed over and pushed Wang Zhong to the ground. The girly on top of Wang Zhongs back. Wang Zhong heard her urgently say, You cant die! The next moment, more whistling sounds came. The explosions tore at Wang Zhongs eardrums one after another. Could just one battery of howitzers produce such an effect? Wang Zhong vaguely understood why artillery was called the King of War. However, Wang Zhong couldnt just lie there. He was lying facing west, so he couldnt see what was happening in the east, but he could imagine the enemys troops circling behind and advancing towards the vige. Action must be taken immediately! He rolled over, flinging the Sufang on his back to the ground, and jumped up, shouting, Tank operators to your stations, as he rushed down the stairs. The tank operators were all lying around the tank and only got up when they heard Wang Zhongs voice. Wang Zhong reached out and dragged the loader from under the tank, then climbed directly onto the tank. By this time, the gunner had already reached the turret and, opening the side door for the gunner and the loader, asked as Wang Zhong climbed in, My Lord Count, what has happened? Wang Zhong replied, I spotted the enemys nking troops from above, on the eastern side. The enemy doesnt have anti-tank weapons; we have to block them at the eastern entrance to the vige. "Understood! The gunner nodded and climbed through the side door, followed closely by the loader. Wang Zhong ascended the turret, squeezing into themanders hatch, and put on the headset and the internal microphone. At this point, the driver and electrician had also entered the tank. Wang Zhong asked, How many high-explosive rounds do we have left? "Dont worry, we havent fired many high-explosive rounds, there are still 42 left! came the gunners voice through the headset. Before Wang Zhong could reply, a shell fell in the courtyard, copsing part of the enclosing wall. Several shrapnel pieces struck the tanks armor, ringing with a ng. Wang Zhong thought for safetys sake I should get in the tank first At this time, Sufang climbed onto the tank, standing on the grill above the engine, at the back of the main turret. Wang Zhong ordered, Get down! Sufang replied, Im going to use this anti-aircraft machine gun! As she spoke, she adeptly operated the machine gun on top of the turret, aiming forward. Wang Zhong insisted, Ill operate the machine gun! You get down. "Youre feverish, you might not shoot urately! Wang Zhong wanted to say more, but thinking that the enemy could be creeping in from the east at any moment, he had no choice but to let her be. Wang Zhong directed, Driver, engage forward gear, and go! Turn left out of the gate, head east until you reach the junction. The driver confirmed, Same route as this morning, I got it! The tank charged out of the brewery gate, taking a sharp turn. Just then, the building across from the brewery was hit by a shell, and broken tiles cascaded down. Wang Zhong ducked his head, feeling the gravel pattering against him. Sufang was struck by a tile, cutting a gash above her right eye, and blood flowed down. Wang Zhong urged, Youre bleeding, get down! "I wont! Chapter 42: Tank No. 422 Speeding through the Wilderness Major Shrifen still stood atop hismand tank, observing the vige of Peniye. Next to the tank stood an officer with half grey hair. Unlike Shrifen, this officer did not wear the mboyant red decorations, so he appeared to be of a lower rank. But in reality, he was themander of Armored Grenadier Regiment 351, Major Franz of the Prosen National Defense Force, who should be considered Shrifens peer. "It seems the enemy hasnt noticed our nking maneuver, Major Franz put down his binocrs, I can congratte Major Shrifen in advance. Major Shrifens face remained stern, No, the enemymander is a tough nut. I will not celebrate prematurely until Ive broken through their defenses. "Prepare the infantry for assault, mortars fire smoke! The Prosen Empires smoke tactics were originally developed to counter Divine Arrow, which could hit Prosen tanks from two or even three kilometers away while the uracy of tank guns at this range was less than reliable. Therefore, Prussian Armored Forces Director Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch decided to universally equip the armored troops with vehicle-mounted mortars to apany assaults and heavily supply them with smoke bombs. Laying down a smoke screen with mortars before armored assaults became a standardbat method for the Prosen Empire.Soon, Prosen infantry units also realized that this tactic could effectively limit enemy fire points during assaults, so they started to distribute smoke bombs inrge quantities as well. The mortars, freshly resupplied, did not even need to adjust their aim and began rapid-fire, quickly forming a wall of smoke on the western side of the vige. Major Shrifen consulted his watch, There are two hours left until dark. If all goes well, we can spend the night in the vige. Begin the attack. Apanied by a whistle, the tanks apanying the assault initiated first, advancing at a pace coordinated with the infantry. Meanwhile, the infantry of Regiment 351 followed closely behind the tanks. The No. 3 tank was not an infantry tank, and its tank guns power was limited, but it was still suited as a mobile cover for the infantry. Furthermore, the machine guns on the tanks could suppress enemy fire points. Major Shrifen watched all this from hismand tank and murmured softly, Its your move now, dont disappoint me, the arrogant Mr. Ante. At this moment, Wang Zhong was speeding through the vige. For an instant, he wondered, what if he was just unlucky and got hit by a shell falling from the sky while racing? He realized he had never considered this possibility, his mind solely focused on defeating the enemy. Just as Wang Zhong pondered this, the tank emerged from the eastern exit of the vige. In the setting sun, the fields were coated in ayer of gold, and the soldiers in ck uniforms were as visible as dark bugs in a rice jar. Wang Zhong, Stop the tank! The moment the order was given, the tank came to an abrupt stop. Su Fang was thrown forward, even pushing the machine gun out of alignment. Wang Zhong, bracing the hatch, ordered loudly, Load high-explosive shell, target the half-track on the road directly ahead! "Loadingplete! Wang Zhong, Fire! The st from the gun muzzle swept the surrounding wheat away. A plume of smoke rose in front of the target, hitting low. The machine gun on the half-track immediately opened fire, a whip of tracer bulletsshed towards the tank, sparking a string of sparks on the armor. Su Fang, not the least bit scared, swung the machine gun around for a counterattack. The two machine guns at the front of the tank also began to fire back, but their targets were the skirmish lines across the field. Wang Zhong, Quick, load! "Loadingplete! Wang Zhong, This time make it urate! Fire! With the gunner stepping on the pedal, the gun muzzle once again erupted in mes. An orange fireball soared up from the left side of the target vehicle, the chassis overturned by the st of the explosion. From an overhead perspective, Wang Zhong clearly saw the body of an enemy being thrown high into the air. Wang Zhong, Good! Load again, next one! After finishing, he switched back to encourage Su Fang with a pat on the shoulder, Dont just focus on the vehicles, hit those infantrymen! Su Fang turned the gun and swept the whip of death across the skirmish line. Just then, the driver shouted, Smoke! The enemys deploying smoke! Wang Zhong quickly looked forward, indeed he saw white smoke rising from the fields. Switching to an overhead view, it was clear that the enemy infantry were throwing smoke bombs. It was evident the enemy was well-trained, skillfully employing the tactic as a single smoke bomb could cover most of the troops and half-tracks. The loader shouted, Loaded! The gunner then cried out, I cant see the target anymore! What should we do? At this time, the enemy was still over a thousand meters away from the vige entrance, right in the tanks firepower advantage zone. But if the enemy came within a hundred meters, the situation would be rife with unpredictability. Not to mention, if the enemy used a bolt-action rifle to shoot at Wang Zhong, he couldnt take it and would have to get inside the tank. Standing on the tanks cooling grille, Su Fang had nowhere to hide and could only rely on the turret for cover. When the enemy approached to fifty meters, the threat of anti-tank grenades would increase significantly. Having observed the enemys movements from a birds-eye view, Wang Zhong made a snap decision and ordered, We cant stay here, driver turn right thirty degrees, lets hit the main road and run for it! Themand was immediately carried out. The tank headed down the main road, speeding toward the southeast. Wang Zhong: Turret, turn left! "How much? the gunner asked loudly. Switching back to the naked-eye perspective, Wang Zhong grabbed Su Fangs hand that was on the machine gun and forcefully turned the machine gun in another direction. "Pull the trigger! Su Fang immediately pulled the trigger, and tracer bullets swept through the smoke. Wang Zhong: Aim in the direction of the tracer bullets! "Got it! As the turret turned, the tank finally circumvented the first wave of enemy smoke, gaining a view of the half-track vehicle! It was just within range of the tank gun! Wang Zhong: Stop the tank! The driver mmed on the brakes. When the tank stopped, the barrel jolted violently up and down. At the instant the jolting stopped, the gunner stepped on the pedal and fired. As a result, the shot flew over again,nding behind the half-track vehicle among scattered infantry, sting one unlucky soldier into the sky. Wang Zhong suddenly realized that the gunner might not be particrly skilled at range estimation, and he remembered that early Soviet tanks had very rudimentary range-finding devices in another time and space, unlike the German forces with a mature and convenient range-finding system. So early Soviet tanks were at a significant disadvantage in long-range duels. This time and space might be the same. But in the birds-eye view, Wang Zhong could see specific coordinates and could roughly estimate the distance by mental arithmetic using the coordinates. So he immediately switched to the birds-eye view, estimated the distance, and ordered, Distance 980 meters! Gunner! Nine hundred and eighty meters! Gunner: How do you know? "Estimate, dont worry about it, just shoot with this reading! "Loaded! "Fire! As the gunner stepped on the pedal, the cargo bed of the still-moving half-track blew open, and the vehicle quickly came to a stop. The machine gunner, engulfed in mes, jumped off the vehicle and rolled over on the grass. At this point, the enemy infantry released smoke again, just blocking the tanks line of sight. Wang Zhong: Start moving, keep circling the enemy! There are six more half-tracks and over a hundred infantrymen! Lets annihte them in the open! Tank 422 moved again, the tracks churning up a lot of dark mud. This time they didnt go far before another half-track entered the view. Wang Zhong: Emergency stop! Distance 910 meters! Dont pick the wrong gauge! The tank had just stabilized when the gunner stepped on the pedal and fired. This time, the target exploded into a fireball and slid across the open field for a while before stopping. Su Fangs machine gun rattled as Wang Zhong nced at the sight on the gun and noticed that the girl had also adjusted the distance ording to his instructions; the long whip formed by the tracer bullets swept urately over the enemys columns. The well-trained enemy immediately hit the ground. This reminded Wang Zhong of that famous Vietnam War meme: running away is the enemy, hitting the ground is the well-trained enemy. But here, the enemy was indeed well-trained. Su Fang hadnt even finished her burst when the enemy released smoke again. Wang Zhong: Keep circling the enemy! Chapter 43: Crossfire Yegorov was standing by the window watching the west, seemingly unafraid of the enemys artillery fire. The main reason was that the three-story Boye mansion he was in was quite sturdy, and the 75mm infantry artillery might not necessarily take it down. Even more robust was the main building of the winery; perhaps the Prussians had not anticipated such a solid reinforced concrete structure in such a small vige. Yegorov had it all figured out, if they really could not hold on, they would withdraw to the winery and resist relying on the solid building. It was at that moment, amidst the enemys cannon fire and explosions, that he heard a different kind of artillery sound. "Is the tank firing? Yegorov turned his head to look behind himat the east. After a second of hesitation, Yegorov quickly moved to the window on the eastern side. Because the building blocked his view, he couldnt see the tank, but he could see the smoke set up by the enemy on the eastern ins. The Ante Army also had smoke bombs, however, they were advanced experience learned from the Prussian Army.Yegorov muttered to himself, It seems the Prosen devils have circled to the east, Count Rocossov is engaging the enemy with his tank! How did he find them? As he spoke, Yegorov lifted his binocrs in a futile attempt to observe the battle, but since he still could not see the situation, he turned his head to Sergeant Major Grigori and said, Take a machine gun to the eastern edge of the vige, find a good position and set it up. The count only has one tank, and the enemy has set up a smoke screen, so they might not be able to fully block the enemy. Grigori saluted, Leave it to me, Colonel Yegorov. After seeing Grigori off, Yegorov looked east again and murmured, How did the count discover the enemys nking maneuver? Pavlov said, Perhaps this is what makes a military genius. Just as the words fell, a 75mm shell hit the wall of the main mansion building, but it didnt blow through the wall, only causing a pile of dust to fall sparsely from the ceiling. Yegorov looked at the beams overhead to make sure the house was not going to copse, then turned to re at the chief of staff, You, talk less! At that time, Wang Zhong watched as thest half-track vehicle turned into a burning wreck. He elevated his view and quickly counted the remaining infantry on the ins. About sixty or seventy infantry had survived, scattered across the ins. The enemy closest to the vige would enter it after another five hundred meters. The most urgent task now was to quickly return to the entrance of the vige and hold it, as it would be difficult to deal with the infantry once they entered the vige with the tank even if Wang Zhong had cheats. Just then, a machine gun appeared in the window of a building at the very eastern edge of the vige and began firing at the enemy on the ins without a word. This machine gun was seized from the enemy; its firing sound was not the dull thud of the Ante Armys heavy machine guns but a sharp, tearing sound like ripping canvas. Wang Zhong saw all this clearly and immediately decided to drive the tank to the side of the vige entrance to set up a crossfirework with the machine gun at the entrance. Without the half-tracks, the enemy had lost their mobility and mobile cover, making it difficult for the infantry to break through the crossfire on the ins. "Driver, stop, turn on the spot 180 degrees! Even Wang Zhong heard the sound of the driver pulling the leverthis tank didnt have a convenient steering wheel but relied on two control levers, one for each side track. As the driver operated, the tank tracks began to rotate in opposite directions, and the long vehicle started to turn on the spot. Su Fang was still firing, but as the tank began to turn, the tracer bullets whipped out into the in. "Say something before you turn! Su Fangined loudly. My ammos being wasted here! Wang Zhong, who had no time to mind her, waited until the tank turned to his desired direction and immediately knocked on top of the turret, shouting, Stop! No more turning! Shift gears, full speed ahead, stop at the edge of the vige! As the tank started to move, Su Fang protested, I cant shoot at the enemy like this! Before her words ended, a bullet struck the tank gun, sending out a string of sparks as it flew away. Wang Zhong turned around and saw the enemy in the fields attempting to hit the tank, but at that distance, even well-trained Prosen soldiers had to rely on luck to score a hit. However, just like the infantry organization of another timelines Germany, the core of the infantry squad is the machine gunand if that machine gun starts firing Before he could finish, the enemys machine gun opened fire. Wang Zhong immediately located the machine gunner and saw that he was firing the machine gun by hand, probably because the enemy was in the wheat field and the summer wheat had grown tall. Lying on the ground, one wouldnt be able to aim, so they had no choice but to fire the machine gun while standing. The uracy of firing a machine gun by hand is imaginable; it looked as though tracer bullets were headed straight for Wang Zhong, but in reality, they all flew high. Su Fang was shrinking her neck, and had lost the sharpness she just had in killing the enemy; instead, she clung tightly to Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong, Why are you so close? Su Fang, I think the bullets might curve around you! "How about you look at the wound on my shoulder and say that again? Im still running a fever! Even though they were having a not-so-tense conversation, Wang Zhong knew that it wouldnt be surprising to get hit by a bullet under these circumstances. On the battlefield, no one can be sure. But what was strange was that he was not afraid at all. And he always felt that his fearlessness didnt have much to do with adrenalinebecause his breathing was very steady at the moment. No sooner had he thought this than Su Fang said, Konstantinovich, youre really brave. Im so scared Im shivering, but youre just like usual! Konstantinovich was Wang Zhongs patronymic, and using a patronymic at such times mostly conveyed a sense of respect. Wang Zhong nced at the girl, and it took him a second to remember that as an Easterner she didnt have a patronymic, so he had to call her by her name, Su Fang, you are brave too. At that moment, the drivers voice came through the headset, Well be at the edge of the vige soon, a low wall is just ahead. Wang Zhong, Stop in front of the low wall, face the enemy. The tank immediately braked and then turned around. As if she had been holding back for a long time, Su Fang picked up the machine gun and returned fire at the Prussian gunner who had been sending tracer bullets over their heads. The result was unsurprisingly low. After all, she had just been close to the enemy, and her range was set to 100. Wang Zhong estimated the distance and told Su Fang, Set the range to four hundred! "Oh! Su Fang stopped firing and began adjusting the range setting. At that moment, the two machine gun turrets in front of the tank also opened fire, the whips of death formed by the tracer bullets and the machine guns at the entrance of the vige created a crossfire. After Su Fang finished adjusting the range, she joined their ranks. The enemy was probably out of smoke bombs by now, having no way to deal with the fire. A machine gunner found a mound of Earth in the field, set up a machine gun on it, and began to retaliate. Wang Zhong immediately grabbed Su Fangs hand and pushed her line of fire towards the enemy, whilemanding the gunner, See Su Fangs tracer bullets? Is there an enemy machine gun you see there? "I see it! As the gunner responded, he stepped on the turret rotation pedal and aimed the short, stout tank gun at the enemy. Gunner, High explosive, ready! The gunners foot pressed down on the firing pedal. Due to the short distance, almost the moment the gun fired, the shell hit its target, sending the Prussian machine gunner and his ammunition handler flying sky-highliterally. Su Fang, Take that! For shooting at me! Cheers from the tank operators filled Wang Zhongs headset. But he couldnt bring himself to celebrate, because from a birds-eye view, he saw that the enemy in front was also advancing. Chapter 44: Combat Engineers West of Peniye, Prosen tanks had crossed the mortar smoke screen barrier. At that time, the enemys infantry artillery barrage had ceased, probably for fear that the dust might interfere with the tanks direct fire power. After the tanks emerged from the smoke, the Prussians skirmish line also appeared. At this moment, apart from the roar of engines, the only sound on the entire battlefield was machine gun fireing from the east end of the vige. This distant sound, instead, highlighted the quietness on the battlefield. Without machine gun fire, the vige was tranquil. The mountain artillery strike had created seven or eight pirs of smoke, but it was unknown how many casualties it had caused. When the tanks were about two hundred meters away, they stopped advancing, probably not wanting to enter the effective range of the anti-tank rifles. The coaxial machine gun opened fire first, targeting the second floor windows of the buildings. This type of suppressive fire, with fierce gunfire, was meant to intimidate defenders hiding in buildings and works, making those timid defenders too scared to stand up and shoot.This kind of fire also had another effect: it caused overly tense individuals to reflexively open fire, thus revealing their positions. However, the Prussians suppressive fire had no effect. The vige of Peniye remained as still as a dead snail, lying in the sunset awaiting the sun to dry out the moisture in its body. The Prussian infantry cautiously approached the vige. Suddenly, a small window on the first floor burst into mes, tracer bullets tore through the lingering sunlight, and in the blink of an eye, three Prussian soldiers were brought down. The next moment, the tanks coaxial machine gun swept toward the small window, followed by the tank gun, engulfing the small window in smoke and dust. More windows began to spit fire, and bullets poured down like a torrential rain toward enemies on the open field. Yegorov said to the messenger, Tell the first battalion not to get too engaged; the enemys advantage in direct fire from their tanks will cause great casualties if we keep entangled with them on the outer defenses. Hit the enemy hard once and then immediately retreat to let them enter the vige. The messenger nodded and ran off. Chief of Staff Pavlov said, Didnt we set their tasks, telling them to shoot and leave? "Just in case. Themander of the first battalion has a stubborn temper, hell ignore everything once he gets fired up, so he needed a reminder, Yegorov said. He knew too well the temperaments of his officers, after all, they had shared many drinks together. Yegorov continued to observe the west, but once the enemy came within two hundred meters, he could no longer see them, only the enemy tanks stalled at that distance. This was because the western side of the vige was on a gentle slope, descending from the western hill to the vige. If it had been t ground, the view from the third floor of the manor where Yegorov stood would have been even worse. This third floor only assured a view of the entrance on the northwest side; setting up a machine gun at this window where Yegorov now stood wouldpletely block the road entering the vige from the northwest. Of course, that would also mean that this window would receive special attention from the enemy tanks direct fire. The good news was, Rocossov, the count, asserted that the enemy no longer had any Mark IV infantry tanks. The enemys Mark III tanks had a main gun caliber of only fifty millimeters, and some of the older models even had a caliber of just 37 millimeters. The high-explosive shells from these guns could only kill a machine gunner if theynded precisely through the windows. Hitting around the window would probably not be enough to damage the thick stone walls. Therefore, Yegorov had prepared seven or eight machine gun crews in therge room behind the window, and several spare machine guns were also ready, just waiting for the enemy tounch an attack from the northwest street. Of course, before the appearance of the enemy, this window still served as an observation point for themander, since the view was too good. Yegorov was observing when he suddenly noticed a violent explosion on the western side of the vige. Dark objects were thrown into the air, even passing over the tops of several two-story buildings. "Whats going on? As soon as he said this, he saw mes burst out of the windows of a house on the southwest street, and a methrower soldier, engulfed in mes, jumped out of a second-floor window and hit the ground motionless. Yegorov eximed, methrowers,bat engineers! The enemysbat engineers have entered the fight! Yegorov couldnt see what was happening, but Wang Zhong saw everything clearly. The first battalion had fired a volley before retreating. Immediately after, a team ofbat engineers d in gray-painted armor arrived in a half-track. The half-track had something akin to a catapult, and Wang Zhong watched as it hurled an explosive pack over the stone wall. What an unscrupulous catapult with mechanical power! Forget the stone wall, the thatched hut behind it was blown into the sky. Then the enemysbat engineers deftly toppled the remaining wall and filled in the pit, wading through feces to enter the yard. The submachine guns from ambush inside the house opened fire, but the rounds only sparked against the iron armor of thebat engineers. It was obvious that the pistol rounds fired by the submachine guns were not effective against the iron armor. The submachine gunner was either panicked or had never seen heavy armoredbat engineers because hepletely failed to attack the unprotected parts of the enemy. Thebat engineer leveled his methrower and pulled the trigger. mes shot through the windows, soon bursting out from the windows on the other side. The submachine gunner, engulfed in fierce mes, screamed as he scrambled out the window and fell to the ground motionless. Wang Zhong was astonished. Wearing heavy iron armor, using submachine guns and methrowers, and carrying explosive packswerent these the hallmark troops of the Russians? So the Germanbat engineers in this time and space were also heavily armored? Wang Zhong watched as the enemysbat engineers cleared an entire house with their methrowers, then used explosives to breach the partition wall between two houses and continued to clear the second house. No, he had toe up with a way to eliminate this squad ofbat engineers. Wang Zhong elevated his viewpoint. The enemy tanks stopped 200 meters from the vige, with a clear field of fire, making it impossible to circumvent them from the outside as before. He had to think of a way to set an ambush in the vige, using the tanks high-explosive shells and machine gun firepower to eliminate thebat engineer squad. Wang Zhong observed the enemys direction of advance and a preliminary n began to take shape. He nced again at the enemy nking from the east, confirmed that there were only about twenty-odd stragglers left, then patted Sufang, who was changing bullets, on the shoulder, Okay, stop shooting once youve reloaded. We still have a mission and need these bullets. All other machine guns, cease fire! The two gun turrets firing in front of the tank ceased fire, followed by the coaxial machine gun of the main gun. Wang Zhong, Driver! Turn left and head back to the highway along the edge of the vige. Driver, Understood! Wait a minute, arent we dealing with these enemies? There might still be quite a few left, just squatting on the ground and hiding in the wheat fields! Wang Zhong thought to himself, dont worry, my friend, Im using cheats here. The overhead view not only gives me a crystal-clear view, but also highlights the targets. There are only about twenty live ones left from the enemys rear group. But he couldnt just say it outright, The gunfire is very intense on the front, obviously the battle is at a standstill, and they need us. Lets go. The tank started, turned left, and quickly progressed along the ridges at the edge of the vige. Sufang whispered, Ive never seen a nobleno, Ive never seen an officer exin the reasons for their orders. "Officers just give orders, and the subordinates must execute them without question. If there are questions, they get scolded with things like You bunch of blockheads. Wang Zhong, You bunch of blockheads! Execute the order! Is that what you mean? For some reason, the tank operators in the vehicle allughed, loudly at that. The gunner remarked, If thepanys quartermaster shouted like that, not a single new soldier would be afraid of him. The loader added, Thats the gentlest reprimand weve ever heardI dont know if that even counts as a reprimand. Wang Zhong scratched his head. Just then, the tank reached the entrance of the vige, so he took the opportunity to change the subject, Stop! I need to talk to the machine gunner. After the tank stopped, Wang Zhong called out to the machine gunner who had ceased firing, Whos inmand? Sergeant Grigori stuck his head out, I am, Count. Wang Zhong, The enemy is almost wiped out, Ill leave the rest to you. Keep an eye on our rear. Im going to join the fight at the front. The sergeant saluted Wang Zhong, Good luck, Count! Chapter 45: Flaming Sky ` While Wang Zhongmanded Tank 422 to move towards the vige, thebat engineer squad had just cleared a house with a methrower. Wang Zhong, while ying Company of Heroes 2, liked to use methrowers, yet the games methrowers, although powerful, were not invincible. The Company of Heroes series of games featured a retreat mechanism: Press the T key, and your troops would sprint away (thetest third installment seemed to have changed the key). If confronted with a methrower, pressing T fast enough could save the burning troops and allow them to retreat back to base engulfed in mes. But reality was not so forgiving; in real life, those hit by a methrower would lose theirbat effectiveness instantly, left to roll on the ground unable to do anything else. Only those with extremely tenacious willpower could continue to fight while engulfed in mes. The current Third Company of the Amur Group, although high in morale, had not yet be a disciplined force with that kind of willpower. Wang Zhong had to eliminate thesebat engineers quickly, or else they might just take over the whole vige. Thepanymander, Sherchev, shouted loudly, Its thebat engineers, the submachine gun bullets are too weak to prate their armor, use rifles! "But Commander, most of us are equipped with submachine guns for close-quartersbat! "Then fucking use machine guns! As Sherchev grabbed the machine gun from its operator, an explosion sounded from the backyard of the house he was in; thebat engineers had likely blown up the yards wall with explosives. Brandishing the machine gun, Sherchev rushed to the window and began to fire through the breach. The firstbat engineer to enter the door hadnt yet squeezed the trigger before being hit by bullets, causing him and his armor to be pushed back several steps, with blood flowing from the gaps beneath his armorclearly, the machine gun was loaded with full-powered rounds that had prated the armor. The enemy still managed to pull the trigger, but due to falling backward, the methrower was raised high, and mes spouted into the air like a fountain, crossing the opposite wall andnding in the neighboring yard. As he continued firing, Sherchev yelled, You see? Their armor weighs at most a dozen kilos, it cant stop full-powered rifle rounds! Submachine guns fire pistol ammunition, which has questionable prating power. Sherchev had barely finished speaking when a grenade was thrown into the yard. This was no ordinary stick grenade, but abat engineers breach grenade, noticeablyrger than a regr grenade. Even elitebat engineers couldnt throw such a grenade to the second floor from that distance, so Sherchevughed, A bigger grenades no good if you cant throw it up here The grenade on the ground floor exploded. The wooden floor beneath Sherchevs feet, along with the brick wall of the first floor, copsed. The adjacent submachine gunner cried out, Commander! In that critical moment,bat engineers took advantage of the lull in machine gun fire to breach through the hole in the wall. The submachine gunner immediately opened fire, with bullets clinking and nging off the metal armor. The Prussiansughed, and the methrower was aimed at the second floor Suddenly, a bullet struck the methrowers fuel line; the high-pressure fuel sprayed out and vaporized in the air. The vaporized fuel, contacting the mes at the head of the methrower, ignited and instantly engulfed thebat engineer in mes. Screams echoed through the courtyard. At that moment, Sherchev struggled to his feet and began firing the machine gun. True Ante men fire machine guns standing up; uracy be damned, the point is to appear fierce. Thebat engineer, barely alive from the fire, was finished off by a few rounds from the machine gun. However, another grenade sailed over the wall, the same type of breach grenade as before. Sherchev dropped the machine gun, picked up the grenade intending to throw it back, but just as he was getting ready, the thing exploded. Sherchev was blown to pieces, his blood sttered all over the wall. A thirdbat engineer mbered over the wall and directed his methrower towards the second floor. Wang Zhong had witnessed the entire battle of Company Commander Sherchev; although he did not know themander, he was still moved by his bravery. Sherchevs actions confirmed what Wang Zhong suspected: machine guns or rifles could prate the iron armor head-on. After all, the level of technology in this world was simr to that of World War II. Sovietbat engineers back then couldnt charge machine guns either; their armor was primarily designed to protect against submachine gun bullets and grenade shrapnel. It was precisely because of this that the enemysbat engineers did not take to the roads but rather chose close-quartersbat where machine guns and rifles were less effective. But they couldnt stay off the roads forever. ` ` Its true that there are only three main roads forming a Y-shape leading to the vige of Peniye, but there are alsoplicated side streets within the vige. If the tanks block the intersections and wait at ease, they might be able to capture all thebat engineers in one fell swoop. At that moment, Wang Zhong noticed that the half-track vehicle carrying thebat engineers had driven along the southwestern edge of the vige to ane leading out of the vige and stopped next to arge pile ofpost. Next to the vehicle was a yard with a gate leading outside the vige; obviously, the vehicle was waiting here to resupply thebat engineers once they reached this yard. Wang Zhong decided to target this vehicle first. By now, the tank had arrived in front of the mechanical mill, with two roads leading westward stretching out to both sides in front of the tank. In the mornings battle, Wang Zhong found that as long as the enemys tanks were stationed at the two western intersections, they could block the whole street. Ludms Divine Arrow squad was trapped because of this and almost got caught by enemy infantry. It was Wang Zhong himself whomanded the tank to fight against four and broke the encirclement. Therefore, Wang Zhong specifically ordered Yegorov to drive the captured Prussian trucks onto the street, which along with the wreckage of the tanks, formed a blockade. Even if the enemy tanks were to reach the entrance of the vige, they could only block the road from the vige entrance to the blockade. With the infantry crouching and relying on the blockades, they could still move freely on both sides of the main street. The firepower of our machine guns was on the second floor, allowing it to sweep over the blockade and clear the enemies on the road. Now, Wang Zhong realized that this blockade also limited the effectiveness of his own tank gun. Previously, stopping in front of the mechanical mill allowed control over the entire road, but now only half could be controlled. But this was also good; approaching the alley, the tanks body was covered, and only half of the turret was exposed, so there was no worry of being ambushed by enemy tanks. Wang Zhong: Take the left road. Move about fifty meters and stop at the alleys entrance! Do you see the alley entrance fifty meters away? The driver responded to Wang Zhong with actions, as the tank directly took the left road heading straight for the alley entrance fifty meters away. Wang Zhong: Turret, turn left! The turret immediately began to turn left. Su Fang was about to use the machine gun to shoot at the enemy on the street when the turret turned, causing the machine gun to move away from in front of her. Wang Zhong and the tank hatch blocked Su Fangs ess to the machine gun. Su Fang: My machine gun! Wang Zhong ignored her as the tank had reached the alley entrance and came to a sudden stop, shaking a little from front to back. The half-track vehicle parked on the other side of the alley saw the tank; the Prussians on it shouted Akh-toong, and turned the vehicle-mounted machine gun towards the tank, only then realizing that the firing arc was insufficientthe machine gun could only cover a frontal arc, but the vehicle was parked sideways at the alley entrance. Wang Zhong had not yet shouted fire when the tank gun fired. The half-track vehicle must have been loaded with a lot of explosives, and me-thrower fuel or something, as it immediately burst into an orange fireball that slowly rose, resembling a nuclear explosion. Wang Zhong just watched as fragments bearing the Prussian cross flew past him, embedding themselves into the brick crevices of houses on the other side of the street. Su Fang was blown off the tank by the st wave,nding butt-first on the ground, and immediately started howling, Ahh ahh ahh, my butt! Wang Zhong was about to say something when the enemysbat engineers climbed over the st-damaged courtyard wall. The enemy was clearly dazed by the explosion, freezing for a moment upon seeing the tank. Wang Zhong immediately grabbed the anti-aircraft machine gun on top of the tank turretthe one Su Fang had been usingand fired at the enemy. The sight was set to 300, but Wang Zhong didnt aim; he just shot guided by the tracer rounds. Thebat engineers were hit by several shots and fell to the ground. Wang Zhong switched to the overhead view and immediately ordered, High-Explosive Shell, hit the courtyard next to it! "No firing angle! "Shoot the floor! A High-Explosive Shell hit the ground, and from the overhead view, Wang Zhong could see thebat engineers inside the courtyard being thrown onto the ground. But their armor served its purpose; after all, the main gun of Tank 422 was only 45 millimeters, and its fragments might not prate the steel, only able to injure the enemies limbs. At this moment, Sherchevs subordinates appeared. They charged across the alley shouting Ura! and crossed the mes left by the recent explosion, using their bays to finish off the still-groundedbat engineers. The enemys neck did not have any protection! Wang Zhong yelled: Be careful to capture the methrowers! Be careful to capture the methrowers! Then he heard an engine sound, quickly searched for its source, and saw the enemy tanks that had been two hundred meters away starting to advance. It looked like the fireworks Wang Zhong had caused had made them restless. ` Chapter 46: Wisdom from the Elders The enemy tanks seemed to still be nning to enter from the western entrance of the vige. Wang Zhongs tank was now stopped on the road leading to the southwest entrance of the vige. Although there were obstacles between it and the entrance, these barriers were suitable for covering infantry but somewhat ineffective for hiding such arge tank. As an old model with multiple turrets, No. 422 was quite imposing. Wang Zhong immediately ordered to drive into the side alley on the left, which was where he had just passed through to destroy the enemysbat engineer vehicle apanied by a half-tracked vehicle. This way, they could temporarily avoid a head-on confrontation with the enemy tanks. The engineering squad had just cleared the houses on the southwest side, and with his external equipment, Wang Zhong could clearly see the enemy infantry entering the houses and exchanging fire with the Ante Army infantry across the road. As long as the position of the tank was close to the side upied by the Prosen infantry, they didnt need to worry too much about incendiary bottles being thrown at them. On Wang Zhongs side, apart from the Divine Arrow and the tank beneath him, the only remaining means of anti-tank warfare were incendiary bottles. To be effective, one had to either climb to the second floor and ambush the tanks as they passed or clear the infantry around the tank before approaching for anti-tankbat maneuvers. Observing the movements of the enemy tanks, Wang Zhong surmised that this time they would definitely not advance without the cover of infantry.The earlier rush by the Mk.IV tanks was probably due to the enemys assumption that the Ante Armycked anti-tank experience. After being hit with incendiary bottles, the enemy had also learned their lesson. Wang Zhong calcted that the enemy had brought up 8 tanks this time. The good news was that they were all Model III with slim barrels, which probably didnt have the same anti-infantry efficiency as the previous Mk.IV ones. Probably. But, given the enemys tighterbined infantry and tank operations, the effectiveness of incendiary bottles was expected to be greatly reduced. It still depended on his own No. 422 tank. However, this multi-turret tank design was already outdated, with thin armor; one solid hit could mean destruction. If the Prussians fired a shrapnel shell, he too could be in big trouble. He must make good use of the high-angle view, trying to ambush the enemy tanks just like he did with the Mk.IV tanks in the morning. At this moment, the enemy tanks had reached the southwest entrance and started attacking the buildings on the street with shrapnel shells. Contrary to Wang Zhongs expectations, the Prosen 50mm shrapnel shells were quite effective against personnel. The main reason was the long-barreled 50mm cannon fired shells with unexpectedly high pration power, which could prate the brick walls of buildings and explode inside. Not to mention wooden structures. This was a serious problem; it was imperative to deal with the enemy tanks as soon as possible. Every extra minute of dy would result in more casualties. Although the Third Rear Amur Group had continuously repelled enemy attacks and morale was high, its numbers had been reduced to a dangerous level, and it was solely relying on high morale to avoid copse. The enemys shrapnel shells were weak, and even after prating a stone wall and exploding, they would usually only kill two people, but if this attrition continued, morale could break at any time. However, directly engaging the Prussian Armored Troops from the front would likely be deadly. Attempting a nk maneuver was also risky, as the enemy had left four additional tanks on the peripheryprobably because the infantry who retreated in the morning reported the nking done by the No. 422 tank, so now the Prussians were prepared. Continuing along this mornings route meant engaging in a direct artillery duel with Prussian Model III tanks in the open fields. Wang Zhong pondered for a second, then remembered the smoke grenades thrown by the Prussian forces he had just annihted while they tried to encircle him. He immediately shouted to nearby infantry, Smoke grenades! Check the fallen Prussians for smoke grenades and gather them! After issuing the order, Wang Zhong continued to devise his n. Hand-thrown smoke grenades could at most be thrown a few dozen meters, and the current wind direction was He shifted back to his own perspective and realized that he couldnt make out which way the wind was blowing. As he was pondering this, he saw Su Fang. So he took off Su Fangs boat-shaped cap, and then he saw the ahoge on Su Fangs head swaying towards the northeast. The wind wasing from the southwest! Wang Zhong put the boat-shaped cap back on the girls head. Su Fang: ??? Wang Zhong turned to others, I need someone whos good at throwing grenades. Who can throw the furthest and most urately among you? "Thepanymander! a sergeant replied. "He has already sacrificed for the country, find the second best, Wang Zhong said, his voice unconsciously lowering as if expressing sorrow. Having given thest order, he once again increased his viewpoint. He needed to find a suitable position to release the smoke, making it easier for him to perform a sneak attack from behind. Just then, he suddenly remembered that when he yed War Thunder, tanks had engine smoke generators for concealment, which he had used to great effect to avoid ambushes while nking. But that was post-war technology; the T28, this old-fashioned vehicle, should not have it. Yet, this world is not Earth, this world has magic, what if its possible? Wang Zhong, holding a give-it-a-try attitude, asked the driver, Can we use the engine to create a smoke screen? The driver clearly misunderstood what Wang Zhong meant by smoke, answering, My Lord Count, that little bit of ck smoke from the engine wont do any good. Wang Zhong curled his lip. At this moment, he suddenly saw enemy tanks stationed on the outskirts beginning to move. Two tanks positioned on the southern side of the road started to maneuver to the south, clearly having learned of the location of Tank 422 and nning to circle around! And at this time, the enemy tank that had entered the vige had already stopped at the crossroads, and ever since it had arrived, it had not fired a single shot, probably having loaded armor-piercing shells while waiting for Wang Zhong to show his face at the alley entrance. Wang Zhong made a split-second decision, switched back to his own perspective, and shouted, Deploy smoke, throw to the southwest! That way, the smoke would be carried by the wind to form a barrier, allowing Wang Zhong to escape around the outside of the vige. The order was immediately executed. The Prussians smoke bombs were very simple to use and quickly formed a wall of smoke. Wang Zhong: Driver, advance, exit the vige! At this time, aside from Wang Zhong, no one else knew of the Prussians movements, nor did they understand why Wang Zhong issued thismand. But the order was still executed. After all, Wang Zhongs prestige within this unit was immensely high, his orders would be followed no matter how unreasonable they seemed. No, not Wang Zhong, but Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov. The tank made ttering sounds as it drove through thene, leaving the vige. Wang Zhong: Stop! He looked at the smoke ahead, thinking that the Prussians really didnt skimp on materials; the smoke was so dense that nothing could be seen with the naked eye. At that moment, an excellent idea urred to him. As a child, Wang Zhong was very fond of an old movie called Heroic Tank Operator, which was about the story of Tank 215 operated by heroic crew members during the Korean War. It included a segment adapted from a real battle situation: the Americans nned to use heavy artillery to bombard the stalled Tank 215. Themander then instructed the driver to rev the engine wildly, creating a loud noise, and then gradually throttle down, making the sound get quieter. As a result, the American soldiers thought the crew of Tank 215 had fled, so they extended their bombardment further back. Wang Zhong decided to emte the heroic deeds of his predecessors. He gave the order, Driver, listen up, I want you to put it in neutral, then rev the engine, let it roar. Then gradually reduce the throttle, make the sound quieter and quieter. Driver: Understood, My Lord Count! Wang Zhong: Loader, one armor-piercing shell, quick! How many armor-piercing shells do we have left? "Over twenty, enough to send a few enemies packing. Armor-piercing shell loaded! Wang Zhong, looking at the enemy tanks in the overhead view, muttered, Shoot, now itll take two shots to knock out one enemy. Inside Tank 422, all crew members were drenched in sweat. Wang Zhong was exposed outside, feeling the breeze and beside him a beautiful woman, utterlyfortableunlike inside the tank, which was stuffy and hot, and noisy to boot. But the crews morale was high. Especially when they heard Wang Zhongs words through the earphones: Shoot, now itll take two shots to knock out one enemy. The loader and the gunner exchanged nces, then looked down at the mechanic and driver in front of the tank. The entire crew exchanged knowing looks. The gunner mouthed: Hes still nning to take out ten more! Loader: This time were avenging the wholepany! All tank operators revealed ecstatic expressions but dared not make a soundfor ording to the rules, idle chatter on the internalms duringbat was considered a disruption ofmand and subject to confinement. Moreover, no one wanted to interrupt the Countsmands. The tank operators could onlyugh silently, giving each other high-fives. Then the Counts order came: Now, driver, floor the throttle! Chapter 47: Tank vs Tank The two tanks nking the enemy came to a halt upon seeing the smoke, likely opting not to charge through it for cautions sake. So Wang Zhong ordered, Now is the time, floor the elerator! The tanks engine roared, but Wang Zhong quickly realized the problem with this approach. In Hero Tank Operator, Tank 215 was stuck in a shell hole and couldnt move, despite the tracks spinning wildly with the gears engaged, it still couldnt get out. Thats why he floored the elerator with the gears in ce, making the tracks turn. When the tracks turned, there was not only the roar of the engine but also the noise of the gearbox. Tank 422 was merely revving the engine now, with the gearbox not engaged, meaning only the gears connected to the engine were spinning freely without that characteristic grinding noise of meshing gears. Wang Zhong hadnt thought of this before, and now the sound made him a bit flustered. He began to worry that the enemy might see through the ruse, switching to a birds-eye view to watch the two Prosen tanks on the other side of the smoke. The tactical numbers on the two tanks were 151 and 152, with Tank 151 sporting a longer antenna, suggesting it was the vehicle of apany or toonmander.From what Wang Zhong remembered, the real-life German army didnt have so manymand tanks with antennas, yet this Prosen army seemed to equip them quitemonly, with at least one or even two such tanks in a group of more than ten. The enemy clearly valued radiomunication! Behind every military practice lies a wealth of bloody lessons. Is there something in this world that forced the Prussians to pay particr attention to radiomunication? Wang Zhong suddenly realized he shouldnt be distracted; he was in the middle of battle, where anypse could mean mortal danger, with distractions possibly proving fatal. By now, the driver had begun to gradually reduce the throttle as instructed, causing the engine noise to decrease slowly. Wang Zhong could only hope that the fierce gunshots and explosions in the vige would drown out the noise from the gearbox and deceive the enemy. The hatch of Tank 151 opened, and a ck-uniformed officer wearing a tilted boat-shaped cap poked his head out, lifting his headphones as if listening. He promptly picked up the handset and issuedmands. The two tanks slightly changed direction, beginning to bypass the smoke curtains nkthey had the same idea as Wang Zhong, to circumvent the smoke and seek a range advantage! Wang Zhong had thought that if the enemy charged through the smoke, he would take the opportunity to fire a blind shot from his advantageous overhead perspective. Now that the enemy was runningterally, Wang Zhong didnt dare take the risk. Targeting a moving object was already challenging, and blindfiring at a moving target set too high a demand on the gunners skills. It wasnt about the gunners technical skills, but rather about luck. He could only wait for the enemy to emerge before firing. Wang Zhong, Turn the turret left, the enemy will definitely bypass the smoke, we just aim at the edge of it. Set the sight to He made a quick estimate. 300! Adjust ording to the situation! Over the tanks inte, the gunner asked, What if the enemy charges through the smoke? If theye out and we cant swing the turret fast enough, wouldnt we be done for? Wang Zhong, The enemy fears infantry Molotovs and doesnt know the situation behind the smoke; they wont dare! The rationale sounded convincing, and the gunner immediately dropped his objections. In fact, the turret had already been turning when he had asked the question, indicating hisplete trust in Wang Zhongs judgment; it was just a matter of querying. Wang Zhong nervously watched the enemy tanks, with Tank 152 taking the lead, about to nk around the smoke. Despite the risk of being discovered for cheating, Wang Zhong still warned, Get ready! The enemy ising out! At this point, Tank 422 still had an advantage. The direction the enemys turrets were aiming clearly presupposed that the 422 had fled, but it hadnt moved. Therefore, when both sides established a line of sight, the enemys turret would probably need to turn an additional ten degrees or so to aim at the 422. The time needed to rotate those ten degrees was the advantage of Tank 422. Enemy Tank 152 charged past the smoke screen! Wang Zhong, Wait for it, wait for him to make an emergency stop! However, themander of Tank 152 didnt peek out, and didnt see Tank 422 right away. It kept advancing! Wang Zhong, Never mind, fire! The shot struck the rear of the tanks hull, hitting the engine directly, and Tank 152 lost power, starting to glide forward. The crew smoothly popped the hatch and climbed out. Wang Zhongs heart skipped a beat, and he shouted, Dont shoot! Dont reveal our position! Theres another one! But the electrotechnician had already pulled the trigger, and by the time he let go, a tracer round had already been fired off. Wang Zhong watched as the tracer hit the gliding enemy tank and ricocheted into the sky. It was over; unless the enemy were fools, they would have guessed their position by now. From the overhead perspective, sure enough, Tank 151 began adjusting the angle of its turret. Loader: Armor-Piercing Shell, ready! Because the situation was so tense, he forgot to say loadingplete and just shouted ready. At that moment, Tank 151 suddenly changed its direction and charged through the smoke! Good grief, the enemy changed tactics too, nning to rush through the smoke and catch Tank 422 by surprise as it aimed at the edge of the smoke. Soon both sides would need to take aim again, and it woulde down to a matter of professional skill level. Unfortunately, Wang Zhong didnt want topete with the enemy. "Rotate turret to the right, watch my signals! Having said that, Wang Zhong grabbed Su Fangs hand and pulled the trigger. The machine gun bullets included tracer rounds, which pierced through the smoke and struck the other side. Wang Zhong, relying on the overhead view, adjusted the firing line of the tracer rounds until the red whip swept over the enemy tank. Themander of Tank 151 immediately ducked, obviously not wanting to be hit by the machine gun fire. But Tank 151 still continued in its original direction. The turret of Tank 422 had already turned in the direction of the machine gun fire. Wang Zhong: Fire! Never mind whether it hits or not, lets take a blind shot! In the glow of the setting sun, the Armor-Piercing Shell traced a shining straight line, hitting Tank 151 on the side of its turret. Wang Zhong didnt see clearly where it hit, he just saw a burst of sparks. Right after that, the side hatch of Tank 151s turret opened, clearly forced open by the damage from the Armor-Piercing Shell. Tank 151 didnt stop moving forward. After the mornings livebat, Wang Zhong already knew that in reality, it was very difficult to tell if a tank had been destroyed. Quite often, tanks that were taken out did not catch fire or smoke; they just sat there, and you couldnt tell from the outside that theyd been destroyed. But Wang Zhong could easily judge if a tank was knocked out using his overhead perspective because enemies within his field of vision would be highlighted. Conversely, if the enemies went out, then they were really gone. Wang Zhong clearly saw that the enemy loader was gone. He also noticed that the outline of the gunner was missing an arm. But the gunner was still operating the turret with the remaining hand and both feet. Aryan Superman, huh? In the game, encountering this scenario, the most one would do is curse, The nners mom has flown out of the sr system, but in reality, this was deadly! Tank 151 charged into the smoke and was about to burst through! Wang Zhong: Hurry up and load! Loader: Armor-Piercing Shell, ready! Tank 151 burst out of the smoke, made a sudden stop, and its barrel was actually pointed right at Tank 422! No, thats not right, the enemy tank operators were well-trained; maybe they determined their direction using the tracer rounds from Su Fang just now. Both sides fired almost at the same time! The enemy didnt even wait toe to a stop before firing! Wang Zhong thought to himself: Please let it fly away! Tank 151 exploded. Wang Zhong burst intoughter; in War Thunder, he had seen this kind of scenario many times C firing without waiting to stop, then the shell flying off into the sky. At that moment, the two tanks still positioned in the rear began to move. Wang Zhong: Quick! Load! There are still enemies waiting for us to take care of! However the loader didnt respond. Wang Zhong: Loader! Suddenly, the gunner said: Hes sacrificed himself, someone help me load! Chapter 48: The Battle Continues ` Wang Zhong was stunned for a moment; he didnt expect that the enemys shell had hit its mark. Was this luck? If it wasnt luck, then it was terrifying, operating the tank gun and uratelypleting an emergency stop firing with one arm disabled. What kind of ace gunner was this? Are all Prosen tank operators monsters? But there were still two enemy tanks circumventing from the south, and now was not the time to dwell on these thoughts. He grabbed the nearest idler: Sufang! Get in the tank, I need a new loader! After saying this, he struggled to climb out of the tank, vacating the hatch. In fact, Wang Zhong wasnt very familiar with the tanks in this world and didnt know where the loader was supposed to get in, so he could only vacate the tankmanders hatch.- Sufang was rtively skinny and slipped into the turret more smoothly than Wang Zhongthe T28 wasnt a particrly spacious tank. Once inside the turret, Sufang immediately saw that the gunners left shoulder was covered in blood, his arm hanging limply, clearly broken. Her first reaction was to tell Count Rocossov, but the gunner, with his still-functional right hand, grabbed her instead. The gunner turned off the microphone and mouthed, There are no more living gunners; I have to do it. Sufang was stunned; then, Count Rocossov climbed in, his rear end right next to Sufangs face. The Counts voice came from outside the hatch: Load quickly, there are still enemies! The gunner pointed with his right hand to the rack holding the armor-piercing shells. Because the body of the original loader hadnt been moved out, the space was extremely cramped, and only someone of Sufangs size could maneuver. She picked up the shell, stuffed it into the tank gun, and then didnt know how to close the breech. The gunner demonstrated with his right hand. Since he was sitting on the right side of the turretbat room, he had to turn around to be able to reach it, blood pouring down from his left hand all the while. Nevertheless, hepleted the loading action. Sufang nodded: Got it. After finishing, she worriedly looked at the gunners left arm. Gunner: Theres a first aid kit over there; tie this up for me, tight, very tight. Sufang dug out the first aid kit, took out the bandage, and began to wrap it. For some reason, she couldnt help the tears flowing continuously, blurring her vision. - Wang Zhong was now considering how to repel the enemy. He had switched to an overhead view mode, so he had no idea that the gunner was injured. The two remaining enemy tanks, tactical numbers 153 and 154, were now rounding arger arc, nning toe from the south and destroy tank 422. Seeing the distance was now close to one kilometer, the enemys training would have an even greater advantage. The most critical issue was that the enemy had two tanks. If they both came around and stopped abruptly to fire, tank 422 could only deal with one. Wang Zhong quickly nced at the vige and found that the tanks entering the vige were firmly blocking the entrance; he couldnt retreat into the vige. The only n was to use smoke for cover and then retreat east. But that would continue to increase the distance from the enemy, and the enemys advantages in aiming devices and training would be even greater. At that moment, adrenaline flooded Wang Zhongs system, the death of the loader making him acutely aware that he was dancing on a knifes edge, skirting the gates of hell. Perhaps the rush of adrenaline enhanced his thinking ability, for Wang Zhong actually came up with an idea. He turned and shouted to the infantry beside him: Hurry, use straw or anything to hide the remains of that half-track! The engineers half-track had exploded gloriously when it was hit, perhaps too thoroughly, as it didnt catch fire after the st and insteady there as a charred hulk. Piled with straw, it looked very much like a tankying there. The enemy had increased the distance, which certainly made it hard to discern the deception! Luckily there were still some infantry nearby, not all caught up in the meat grinder battle on the streets. The sergeant who had just ordered to throw the smoke grenades immediately organized everyone to move straw. The enemys wider maneuver actually gave Wang Zhong time to prepare. Wang Zhong: Driver! Are you okay? "Im fine. Wang Zhong: Reverse, back into the yard behind us! The recent explosion of the half-track had knocked down the eastern yard wall of the alley, allowing the tank to back into it. Wang Zhong nned to use the remnants of the low wall on the southern side of the yard as cover by hiding the tank and using the wreckage to absorb the first round of enemy fire. ` Tank 422 backed into the yard, hiding behind a low wall, with only half its turret and one tank gun protruding. Wang Zhong: Give me some straw too, block in front, but dont cover the sight! The infantry immediately tossed two bundles of straw onto the tank, and then a private climbed up and propped the straw on both sides of the gun barrel, just revealing the sight. Just as Wang Zhong thought to duck down, another bundle of straw was ced on top of the tank turret, covering him and the hatch by a good half. Using his elevated perspective, Wang Zhong looked from afar to confirm that the camouge was passable; seen up close, it was full of ws, but it would be hard to spot from a kilometer away, and even with binocrs, it wouldnt draw attention easily. The wreckage had also been camouged well; the infantry had piled up straw and even moved parts of a wooden house previously blown up by the Prosenbat engineers, making it look particrly suspicious. Wang Zhong: Infantry, stay away to avoid idental injury from our explosion. Despite the tense situation, some of the infantry couldnt help butugh out loud. They thought the Count was disying his generosity and sense of humor. The distant enemy was about to circle into position. Switching to the naked eye, Wang Zhong raised his binocrs to watch the edge of the smoke. Tank 153 charged into view. Wang Zhong: See it? Tank 153! Range 980 meters! Aim! The enemy will surelye to a sudden stop this time, dont rush! As soon as he finished speaking, Tank 153 stopped, and the tankmander poking his head out of the turret was also observing this area. Wang Zhong suddenly realized that he was facing the sun and that the binocrs might sh, so he hastily put them down and switched to an overhead perspective. He continued tomand: Hold steady! Let the enemy fire first! Tank 154 was in position now as well; both Prosen tanks on the open field were aiming this way. Then, Tank 153 fired! The target was the straw-covered wreckage! Wang Zhong: Hold steady! Wait for Tank 154 to fire! This time he didnt have to wait long, as the muzzle of Tank 154 emitted smoke and sh. Without waiting to confirm where the enemy shellnded, Wang Zhong shouted: Fire! The st from the gun barrel blew away all the straw, leaving Wang Zhongs own vehicle wide open, with Tank 422s tactical number directly exposed in the sunset light! From the overhead view, Wang Zhong clearly saw two enemies on Tank 153 get killed and one wounded. This time they didnt hold out and abandoned the tank instead! Sofyas voice crept into Wang Zhongs ears: Armor-Piercing Shell, good! Wang Zhong: Target Tank 154! Turn the turret quickly! For some reason, the turret turned a beat slower this time, resulting in Tank 154 firing again. Wang Zhong thought it was over. In a sh, he saw a streak of light hit the low wall in front of the tankthe enemy shot too low! Immediately after, the shell that prated the wall hit the tank. The hit happened so fast that Wang Zhong didnt see what happened, only to hear the window ss in the room behind him shattering with a crash. Then, he saw the tow cable fixed on the tanks outer shell spring up high, whipping like ash on a nearby wooden house, splintering the wood, and embedding into the house. Wang Zhong couldnt worry about that now, yelling: Fire, shoot! Before he finished speaking, mes shot out of the gun barrel. He rushed to look at the enemy tank. It was over, from the overhead view not a single enemy was dead! He didnt know if the shot went astray or failed to prate! Just when Wang Zhong thought it was his end, the enemy abandoned the tank! Upon closer inspection, there were hit marks on the enemys mantlet; it was likely their gun breech had jammed! In the game, a jammed gun breech only needed a tap on F, and after a dozen seconds, one would be back in action. But that wasnt the case in reality; a broken breech meant abandoning the tank, waiting to be towed to a repair shop for fixing! Wang Zhong was overjoyed; he had won! Although only two enemies were killed in total, a win was still a win! Heughed heartily, then remembered there were still tanks and enemy infantry in the vige. The battle would continue! For some reason, the melody of The Battle Will Still Continue echoed in Wang Zhongs heart. The battle will still continue! Passionate and soaring high! Young At that moment, the Gunner said, I think Im not going to make it. Chapter 49: Reinforcements Arrive Wang Zhong hurriedly slid down to his position and looked towards the gunner. The gunners arm was wrapped in bandages, but they didnt seem to be of much use, as they were soaked through, drenching the uniform beneath. The gunners face was covered in blood, only his lips were frighteningly pale. His breathing was incredibly weak, and he spoke with no strength in his voice, as if operating the main gun had drained all of his energy. He stared at Wang Zhong, his right hand trembling as he lifted it, pointing to the pocket on his chest. Wang Zhong understood immediately, reaching quickly to unbutton the pocket and pulling out a letter stained with fresh blood. In various movies and TV shows, he had often seen such scenes, but he never dreamed he would personally experience one. The letter in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Gunner: Argesukov, Krugen Street 43, AlexeyevnaAfter finishing his words in fits and starts, the gunners hand slipped to the floor. Wang Zhong didnt know if this Alexeyevna was his wife or his mother. Wang Zhong didnt even know the gunners name; as far as his memory could tell, he had never asked for their names. Not just the gunner, he didnt know the loaders name either. A vast guilt seized Wangs heart, as if he had done something terribly wrong. If he knew their names, at least he could say goodbye to them properly. But as he hesitated, a sudden explosion jolted Wang Zhong back to realitythis was not the time for contemtion, the battle was still ongoing! Wang Zhong raised his view, confirming that the recent explosion seemed to be from an enemy tank. Out of the eight tanks that had entered the vige, two had been destroyed, and these two were concentrated on one street. Wang Zhong followed the street eastward and, sure enough, he saw Monk Yeca Neikos group moving their position, with the ammunition handler carrying thest Divine Arrow. A re shot up into the sky, fired by officer Prosen, probably to indicate the direction of the iing Divine Arrow. Following the re, Prosens infantry started to deploy smoke bombs, blocking the vision of the Divine Arrow group. At this moment, Wang Zhong thought these well-trained enemies were truly detestable. He muste up with a way to destroy the remainder of the enemy tanks, and then Team 422 could once again sweep through the enemy infantry thatcked anti-tank capabilities. But to get Tank 422 moving again, they needed a gunner. Wang Zhongs first thought was to act as the gunner himself, but then he considered the enemys impressive expertise; a greenhorn like himself undertaking the gunners role might endanger the entire crew. A trained person had muscle memory; even in a state of panic, their body would act on that memory. Wang Zhong, without any training, had no idea how to operate a tanks main gun. Suddenly, he recalled reading in a memoir that tank operators should be familiar with every position, or they couldnt be a tankmander. So he asked, Driver, do you know how to operate the main gun? "No! And I have to drive! Wang Zhong recalled that the memoir he read was Otto Cariuss, which said that German tank operators needed to be versatile, capable of performing any role. But this was not Earth. The tank operators of the Ante Empire clearly did not have such requirements. Wang Zhong, still unwilling to give up, asked again, Electromechanic, can you operate the main gun? No one answered. "Electromechanic? "Hes also gone, the driver said softly, Its just a few of us left on board. Wang Zhong was stunned; he had thought that Team 422 was lucky, with only a loader lost to a frontal hit. As it turned out, all that was left were the driver and Wang Zhong, acting as the tankmander. A surge of intense destion and sorrow flooded Wang Zhongs chest. He finally understood what the bond ofradeship meanteven though he had no idea what the names of those fallenrades were. So he whispered reverently, I may not know your names, but your deeds will live on forever. But the battle still had to be fought; after a brief moment of silence, Wang Zhong shouted, Does anyone know how to operate the gun? The infantrymen remained silent. At that moment, the officer who had been following Wang Zhongs orders spoke up, Maybe we should abandon the tank; we can all see its in a bad state. Wang Zhong: No, it can still fire; its still in fighting shape, as long as we have a gunner! "But none of us have the necessary training. We might manage to drive a tractor or get by driving a car, but a tank the officer shook his head. Wang Zhong bit his lip. He was still reluctant to give up, even if they couldnt use the tanks main gun, there must be something else they could do Suddenly, he had an idea. Wang Zhong: The engine! The enemy ces a great deal of importance on radiomunication; they must surely be aware that we used the engine to bluff them. So, they will be especially attentive to the sound of the engine! As he spoke, Wang Zhong nced at an overhead view, and the smoke released by the enemy infantry caught his eye. Wang Zhong: And the smoke! Sergeant, how many smoke bombs do we have left? The officer replied, We have plenty left, my lord. Additionally, we have captured aplete methrower. Wang Zhong: Then that settles it. Im giving you a mission: immediately deploy smoke along the street and let it engulf the entire vige! Officer: Wouldnt that make it impossible for the machine guns to function properly? "It doesnt matter! The core of this operation is to use the enemys fear of us! Officer: Fear, my lord? Wang Zhong hesitated; he didnt know if the enemy feared Tank 422 after he had destroyed so many tanks. If they didnt, they were all doomed. But, he had to try. With enemy tanks providing direct fire support, the machine guns couldnt fire more than a few bursts before having to move, or theyd be hit by a 50mm fruit. Chapter 50: Reinforcements Arrive (2) ` And after deploying smoke, we might be able tounch another bay charge. Having made up his mind, Wang Zhong ordered, Deploy the smoke, and once youve thrown all you have, search the enemys bodies for more. Fill the entire vige with smoke! Quick! The nonmissioned officer saluted and turned to carry out the order. Wang Zhong took a deep breath, uncertain if this method was reliable, but at least it was a n. Just having a n made him feel much more at ease. He touched the pocket where he kept the gunners letter and whispered, Argesukov, 43 Krugen Street, Alexeyevna. Of course, Wang Zhong didnt know this ce, and he had never been to Argesukov. He heard it was the capital of a region in the Ante Empire, and now the entire Front Army headquarters was situated there. However, he wasnt sure if he would ever make it to Argesukov. This might well be hisst moments since his arrival in this world. Given the Prussians brutality, he probably wouldnt survive.As Wang Zhong was pondering, he suddenly saw smoke rising in the distancehis n was being executed methodically. He rallied his spirit, Driver, floor the elerator! Now, it was time to see if they could intimidate those Prussians. If all else failed, they could use the smoke cover to charge directly into the enemy. "My tank is the final shell, Wang Zhong thought to himself, feeling nothing amiss, as if he could hardly remember the original goal of preserving his life. - Major Shrifen eyed the vast amount of smoke rising from Upper Peniye Vige, his eyebrows twisted like pretzels. The chief of staff put down his binocrs and said with tense expression, The enemy likes to use smoke then charge with bays! Its what they did before! Major Franz, themander of the 351st Regiment, said, Our forces are not afraid of closebat. "No, Major, the battle groups chief of staff turned to Franz, If the enemy dares to charge with bays under these conditions, they must havemitted their reserves. Weve already lost half our tanks and suffered heavy infantry casualties. Continuing to fight the enemys reserves is not in our favor! Major Shrifen clicked his tongue, The enemy they still have reserves? We havent encountered any defensive forces with reserves so far in our advance. Also, this vige isnt of any strategic importance, is it? Would they really station so many troops here? The chief of staff replied, Here we have the Divine Arrow units and an ace tank crew! That tank crew has already destroyed eight of our tanks! Major Shrifen pursed his lips, while Major Franz looked at him with an expression of Its your call, making Shrifen feel like the old Junker noble was just waiting to see him make a fool of himself. Finally, Major Shrifen nced at the sun and said, If we continue to fight, itll turn into a night battle. Night battles favor the defenders who are familiar with the terrain. Lets retreat. Order the mortar units to deploy smoke to cover our withdrawal. - Wang Zhong watched the retreating enemy with confusion, wondering what it meant. Were they really scared off by the sound of engines? Impossible, right? There must be some other factor, perhaps their King had also ordered to halt the advance and regroup? But even if that were true, what did it have to do with Upper Peniye, this insignificant ce? Regardless, the enemy was retreating. The soldiers transitioned from initial bewilderment to tion. This time, there were no cries of Ura! but rather cheers of celebration for those who had survived against the odds. Sofan, in the tank, didnt know what was happening outside and asked nkly, Whats going on? Why the cheering? What happened? Did we get reinforcements? "No, the enemy is retreating, Wang Zhong replied softly. - Thirty minutester, dusk began to descend. Wang Zhong stood beside the viges central church, looking at the bodies being dragged out of the tank. The only surviving driver was also wounded, with arge shrapnel lodged in his back, so he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Now, only Wang Zhong, the temporary tankmander, was there to see them off. More bodies were moved out, taken to the church. In the two battles that day, at least two hundred had fallen, with countless others wounded. Yegorov came to stand by Wang Zhong, nced at the tank operators on the ground, and said nothing. Wang Zhong took the initiative, Report the situation. "Currently, excluding the wounded, we only have one hundred and five uninjuredbatants left, adding youwe have a total of four hundred people capable of fighting, Yegorov reported. Wang Zhong asked, Is that all thats left of a regiment? Yegorov replied, Yes. Its a regiment plus a tank battalion. Im running out of experienced nonmissioned officers, and its about time we disband the unit structure. As for this tank battalion from the Fourth Tank Army, its beenpletely wiped out. Yegorov stressed the words pletely wiped out. Wang Zhong asked, What do you mean? "The tank battalion of the Fourth Tank Army was ordered to hold Upper Peniye for 36 hours. Now, theyve sacrificed all their tanks for that order, Yegorov looked at Wang Zhong, My Lord Count, let us retreat. Troops that have gone through such fierce battles, whether they are reinforcements or reorganized, are a valuable force. Even for the sake of the Empire, we should retreat. Wang Zhong: Then all these sacrifices, all theserades, would they have died in vain? "Weve dyed the enemy for at least twenty-four hours. They were supposed to be camping in this vige tonight, expecting the local girls to keep them warm! We have already Yegorov couldnt continue. What would happen to the people left in the vige if they retreated, the fate of Granny Ilynichnas family had already shown that. But Wang Zhong cared about more than just that. Chapter 51: Reinforcements Arrive (3) He turned his head and asked Yegorov, If we retreat now, how will military history record us? "Those professors, those clueless donkeys who dont know what a battlefield is like, and those self-serving public intellectuals will say the Third Rear Amur Group and the 31st Tank Regiment of the Fourth Tank Army were all cowards. "They wont treat the dead separately from us! "Were going to hold out here until eight oclock tomorrow night! Yes, our forces are insufficient, but we cane up with solutions,ndmines, explosives, anything we can use! Yegorov: But we have none. We didnt find any defensive supplies at the enemys logistic base. They dont think they need to defend. Wang Zhong pursed his lips, watching more and more bodies pile up in front of him; residents were bringing all the fallen soldiers of the Ante Army to the church. He sighed, We could try requesting reinforcements. Isnt there a telegraph office here? Actually, Wang Zhong did not have any memories of using telegraphs; by the time he was able to remember things, telegraphs were already out of use, which is why he only thought of them now, as telegraphs should be amon method ofmunication among civilians in this era. Yegorov: There is, but the telegraph at the telegraph office is wired, the same as the telephone. Now theyre all cut. Maybe even the main telegraph and telephone offices in the big cities have been bombed by enemy aircraft. No one can send messages.Wang Zhong furrowed his brows, and at that moment, seeing Su Fangs hesitant appearance, an idea struck him: We still have Hymn Monk, now that the battlefield has calmed down, and there are mass props in the church, could we have mass? "Yes! Su Fang nodded repeatedly, But I need someone who understands the mass process to help me. Wang Zhong: Let Ludme. Is one enough? Su Fang: The smallest mass requires three people. One me, one Ludm, and one more clergy. Wang Zhong: Then we only have Monk Yeca Neiko. Whats in the mass? "Prayers, sermons, Holy Communion, shrugged Su Fang, The mass is simple, it just takes a long time and theres no guarantee the other side will hear. I have to keep kneeling, reciting holy hymns and the message to convey until tomorrow morning; dont expect me to fire a machine gun tomorrow. Wang Zhong: Go ahead, do it. Su Fang hopped away excitedly. Wang Zhong looked at Yegorov: If theres no response by tomorrow morning, well retreat. Yegorov: Can we really retreat tomorrow morning? It would be better to retreat overnight. Wang Zhong very firmly said, Wait for a response first. After making a decision, Wang Zhong quickly ate some beef and pickles, then chose to sleep for a while. He was about to pass out when he remembered he still had a low fever. It seemed even adrenaline could temporarilybat illness. He didnt know how long he slept, but by the time he got up, it waspletely dark outside and a bit chilly. After waking up, his first reaction was to feel for the letter on his person, addressed to Miss Alexeyevna at 43 Krugen Street, for Argesukov. He had sworn that as long as he was alive, he would ensure this letter reached thatdys hands. Reassured the letter was still safe, Wang Zhong exhaled and stood up, putting on his jacket. He heard singing outside and thought it was part of the mass ceremony, so with the intention of seeing what was going on, he walked towards the door. As he went out, the guard snapped to attention with a salute that startled Wang Zhong with the sound of heelsing together. He scrutinized the guard carefully and saw that the private was holding his head high, his eyes burning with intensity. In that gaze, Wang Zhong felt the soldiers trust in him. That was when he suddenly remembered his initial moments after crossing into this world, when his only thought had been to survive the chaos, and that was it. Really, when had he be someone who could consider himself thest bullet? He didnt even know what this country looked like in its entirety. Although he felt a bit self-mocking, Wang Zhong had no intention of changing his current resolution. Because of this trust, and because he had shed blood together with them. Of course, there was also justice and a sense of pride see, now I am fighting for the justice and righteousness of the world, just like the international brigades in Spain. Stepping out of the managers office of the distillery, Wang Zhong stood on the steps at the factory door, looking at the soldiers gathered in the courtyard. They were a group of wounded, probably gathered here beside the fire and sharing roasted meat because the hospital ran out of beds. It was they who were singing. The melody of the song was surprisingly familiar to Wang Zhong; it was On the Opposite Bank of the River, once chosen as the theme song for the Chinese version of How Steel Was Tempered. A baritone hummed: lights have been kindled on the distant riverbank, The evening glow fades into the clear night sky, Mounting the warhorse, shouldering thence, The young soldiers ready themselves to set out, When the baritone sang solo, the others joined in with harmony, as if all had been trained for a choir. All is silent on the vast expanse of the field, The soldiers vigntly searched for signs of the enemy. In the darkness, the cold glint of bays shone. They encountered an enemy ambush. The song swiftly moved into the rousing chorus, and someone even brought out an ordion for apaniment, everyone singing aloud together: The warriors shouted as they charged into the enemy throngs. A desperate struggle unfolded on the ins. The chorus felt peculiarly fitting for todays situation. No wonder the soldiers chose to sing it at this time. Wang Zhong was thinking when the chorus ended, and the baritone began his solo: A soldier fell from his horse, struck by a bullet. He bravely sacrificed for the benefit of his mothend. As the baritones voice faded, the crowd continued humming the harmony, as if to mourn therades who had died today in this manner. Wang Zhong stood on the steps, savoring the sadness that flowed uninhibited under the night sky. Thats when Yegorov appeared. Wang Zhong asked, Has the Mass received a response? Yegorov shook his head, No. If were going to retreat, nows the time, it will be dawn in two more hours. Wang Zhong nced at the soldiers still humming the sorrowful song, his heart softening. Just then, he faintly heard the sound of engines in the night sky. "The enemy? His first reaction was this. Yegorov, however, looked eastward, No, the sound ising from the east. Pavlov, who rushed over in a hurry, said, It must be the enemy cunningly circling to our rear! Wang Zhong ignored him and directly changed his viewpoint, only to see darkness; he couldnt see anything at all, not because his own vision wouldnt highlight the enemy. So Wang Zhong made a beeline for the water tower. After taking a couple of steps, he thought better of it and decided to get a clearer view from the vige entrance, so he called out Bucephalus! The white horse that he had inherited from Captain Lubokov ran out from the stables, already saddled up. Huh, how was it already saddled? Wang Zhong looked towards the stables, only to find the former crew chief of Tank 422 hiding behind the stable doors. It seemed this guy had secretly saddled Bucephalus, nning to escape on it! Wang Zhong pointed at the stables, Catch that deserter for me! Execute him on the spot! Tank 422s crew had behaved valiantly; Wang Zhong wouldnt allow anyone to tarnish their courage. Having said this, he mounted the horse, riding as if the movement had been ingrained in his muscles, and he galloped away on the white horse, which became a sh of lightning in the night. At the vige entrance, Wang Zhong raised his field of view. By now, the roar of the engines was very close. Firstly, there was no highlight, so it wasnt the enemy arriving. Wang Zhong peered closely at the dark objectsing down the road and suddenlyughed out loud. In World War II, there were many such fabricated myths, such as the Zero Fighter myth; in reality, the Zeros achievements were mostly gained against outdated fighters like the F2A, and newer American models like the P38 and F4F never let the Zero have the upper hand. Another was the German armored myth. In fact, at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the majority of Germanys victories were achieved against light tanks such as the BT7 and other outdated tanks; they suffered setbacks as soon as they encountered the T34, and Guderian even developed a T34 phobia. Later research showed that Guderian had actually mistaken other tanks for T34s. The tank that frightened Guderian had, in the early days of the war, repeatedly created miracles against multiple opponents, and even stalled an entire German divisions advance. In its presence, the father of German armored troops eximed, Our armored advantage no longer exists. Now, the very culprit that had terrified another war hero in a different time and space was approaching Peniye. Though there was only one, Wang Zhong, well-versed in military history, saw it as if it were a lifeline. For the first time, he found the stout shape of this tank to be so incredibly beautiful. He saw a KV1 heavy tank. Chapter 52: The Tranquil Moments Before Dawn In the midst of Wang Zhongs manicughter, the heavy tank gradually approached the white horse. Only at this distance did Wang Zhong clearly see the tanks tactical number: 67, perhaps heavy tanks were rare, so the tactical numbers were also one digit less. The tank hatch opened, and themander popped his head out, Excuse me, Lieutenant Colonel, is this Upper Peniye Vige? Wang Zhong: Yes, it is. Themander saluted and then asked, Has someone here called for reinforcements? Was it you? Wang Zhong: Did you receive the Hymn? "No, no, Im not a Monk, I cant hear it. But after we arrived at Bogdanovka, the 63rd Infantry Army, which was organizing a defensive line there, told me that someone in Upper Peniye Vige was calling for reinforcements. It was eleven oclock at night, and the only ones who could make it in such a short time were us. As he spoke, themander patted the turret top, This guy, though slow and prone to breakdowns, is still much faster than the legs of the infantry. Wang Zhong asked in confusion, What about the trucks?Themanderughed heartily, With the Prosen Air Force around, wed be lucky to have a few jeeps left. At this time, the driver also poked his head out, Xie Liaosha, if there are jeeps left, its because they know our Lada would break down on its own. Everyone but Wang Zhong burst intoughter. Although Wang Zhong imed to be very familiar with Soviet jokes, as an outsider, he was a secondte in catching on andughed along with the others. Theughable performance of Soviet-manufactured Lada cars had be a part of Soviet humor. After theughter, Wang Zhong said in all seriousness, You came from Bogdanovka? How is the defensive construction there? The task of Wang Zhongs unitin fact, the mission of the 31st Regiment, Second Battalion of the 4th Tank Armywas to hold this position for 38 hours, with the aim of buying time to establish defensive lines at Bogdanovka. So it was perfectly reasonable for Wang Zhong to ask about the status of the defensive line. Commander Xie Liaosha shook his head, Dont mention it, when we left Bogdanovka, not many anti-tank stakes had been built, only one anti-tank ditch had been dug, and the machine gun bunkers and firing positions were all under construction. "Rumor has it that aerial attacks were so fierce during the day that construction progress was severely hindered. At that moment, Yegorov arrived with the staff. Hearing Xie Liaoshas words, he cursed, What is the Air Force doing? Didnt they say there are three thousand nes in Kazarlian territory? Why havent we seen a single one of our military aircraft? Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow; if the progression of this war was simr to that of Earths, then it was likely that the entire Ante Empire Air Force had been destroyed on the airfields at the outset, with themander of the Air Force havingmitted suicide afterward. Of course, this universe might differ, as after all, in this universe God still guided missiles, creating quite a significant divergence from Earth. Furthermore, he keenly caught on to a term: Kazarlia, which sounded like an administrative division. A division capable of deploying 3000 aircraft was probably quiterge. These matters could be more slowly understoodter; what needed to be considered now was how to make good use of the newly arrived heavy tank. The first order of business was to confirm whether its protection level was the same as in the original universe; this would determine how Wang Zhong would use it going forward. Wang Zhong, Im not very familiar with your tank, Lieutenant. Tell me about it. Xie Liaosha is a nickname, which Wang Zhong, as someone meeting him for the first time, certainly couldnt use; theoretically, he should call out Xie Liaoshas long paternal name, but Wang Zhong was unaware of it. So, Wang Zhong could only address him by his military rank. The Lieutenant saluted, This thing is formidable. When we joined the Winter War, it was nearly over, and Manahaim was almost winning. We took part in the final offensive, and the anti-tank weapons at the Manahaim front couldnt prate it! Had it not been for a mechanical failure that left us immobilized, we could have steamrolled the enemy all the way! Wang Zhong, I didnt ask for your experience using it, I asked for specific details about the tank, like the thickness of its armor. "Sorry, the specifications, right! The front The Lieutenant recited the detailed specifications of the tank. Wang Zhong actually couldnt quite remember the specific parameters of the KV1, but he thought the turrets front defense of 120 millimeters should be imprable to the enemys 50-millimeter me throwers, and the bodys sloped 80 millimeters would probably give the enemy a hard time too. His only concern was if the enemy brought up the 88 millimeter anti-everything gunProsens equipment all had that Germanic feel to it; it made no sense for them tock this most quintessentially German piece. Fortunately, Wang Zhong had an aerial view, which meant as long as he kept a direct visual on the enemy from the front line, they would spot an 88 gun before it even got off its transport. The remaining question was, how to get this tankmander to relinquish his position. Wang Zhong looked through his aerial view and saw that the tank had not been added to the troops roster, meaning it was not yet under hismand. "Lieutenant, began Wang Zhong, I am Count Rocossov, the highestmanding officer here. Ivemanded the troops to fight against the enemy here for a day. You can see the remains of the enemys tanks and vehicles in the vige, and at the entrance of the vige, that Jing Guan. It was I who ordered Hymn Monk Sufang Batu Wendusu to call for reinforcements. I requestI hope that you and your crew would ept mymand. "Of course! the Lieutenant agreed readily, After all, we should look at the rank. Wang Zhong switched off the aerial view and noticed that the troop marker had not been added. Could it be that a verbal agreement wasnt enough; he had to gain the trust of his allies? Wang Zhong decided to try again, I now request directmand over you, which means I need you, the tankmander, to give up yourmand position. The Lieutenant frowned, Have you undergone Armored Troops training? Do you know how to use the equipment on board? Wang Zhong, No, but I havemanded the 422nd tank of the Second Battalion of the 31st Tank Regiment of the Fourth Tank Army and destroyed eight tanks. The Lieutenant pondered for a second and then shook his head decisively, No, Sir, I and my crew took part in the Winter War, we have been injured and bled together. Put yourself in my shoes, if a random officer whom you dont recognize suddenly emerged and wanted to take over themand of yourrades, would you agree? At this point, Yegorov angrily said, Enough with the nonsense! The Count has shown his superbmand skills, and we have all witnessed it! If you dont believe it, go take a look at the tanks in the vige, and those on the fields! The Lieutenant was stubborn, I am part of the Armored Troops; the Count is an infantry officer by the looks of it, correct? Initially, I have the right not to ept yourmand. Its just that given the current situation on the battlefield, we agree toply. "Look at the kill rings on the gun barrel, even if you truly destroyed eight tanks, we have destroyed many more! "Are you doubting our capability, Count? Wang Zhong raised his hand to stop Yegorov, who was about to continue speaking. He wanted to take direct control as the tankmander because this cheat code would be incredibly useful in urbanbat. Moreover, the T28 tank was just rubbishthin-skinned and vulnerable. Without Wang Zhongs cheat, it was impossible to eliminate so many enemies. But the KV1 was different; its performance crushed all enemy armor. Besides, Wang Zhong suddenly thought of a tactic to fully utilize the KV1s capabilities without having to personally step into the role of tankmander. After a victorious battle and earning the respect of the crew of Tank 67, who would willingly ept hismand, there would be no rush to take over a tank. Wang Zhong: I trust you, lieutenant. Moreover, I have fought directly against enemy tanks and am intimately familiar with their tank guns power and precision. I have a method to fully exploit your armor advantage. Wang Zhong dismounted and signaled to Yegorov: Map of the vige. Yegorov gestured, and Pavlov took out the map from his bag himself. Yegorov was shocked: Wheres the staff who usually carries the map around with you? "Sacrificed, Pavlov said calmly, unfolding the map and passing it to Wang Zhong, Speak, Your Excellency. Wang Zhong couldnt help but give Pavlov another look. At that moment, themander of Tank 67 also jumped off and came to the side of the map. Wang Zhong adjusted the map so that the side facing him was south, and then pointed to the west side of the vige, saying, This area is an open field. The enemy, in todaysno, yesterdays battle had already calcted the firing data, and they will set up a smoke screen here when they attack. Wang Zhong tapped on that point on the map. He had seen it clearly from a birds-eye viewthe enemys smoke was deployed at the same location twice, so now he pinpointed the enemys expected position for the smoke deployment on the map with utmost precision. Yegorov used hisrge hand to measure on the map before eximing, How did you pinpoint the smoke location just by pointing? I need to measure it with my hand as well. Wang Zhong: Just a little trick. In any case, the enemy deployed smoke here twice today. I expect they will do it again tomorrow. My n is simple, hide at the west entrance of the vige, right here! He pointed on the map, emphasizing the spot twice more. Wang Zhong: The infantry will cover you with camouge. As soon as the enemy starts deploying smoke, start your engine and charge towards it. By the time you break through, the enemys offensive line should be here. Wang Zhong pointed several more times. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha nodded: Thats exactly our optimal range; too far and we might not hit them. Wang Zhong: With smoke behind you and the enemy about to nk you, simply reverse into the smoke, then wait for them to emerge while reversing. "You only have one tank and can maneuver along the road, but the enemy needs to spread out to cover their infantry, meaning they have to move through muddy terrain. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha asked, How many tanks does the enemy have left? Wang Zhong recalled what he had seen from above and replied, Twenty, why? Lieutenant Xie Liaoshaughed: Then we might just wipe them all out. Wang Zhong: The enemy infantry are well-trained, and they have anti-tank grenades. Be extremely cautious. Xie Liaosha: Dont worry. Weve dealt with Molotov cocktails during the Winter War. We will be careful. Wang Zhong reached out and patted Xie Liaoshas shoulder: Its in your hands. When I asked to take over as yourmander earlier, it wasnt out of distrust, but a wish to avenge the Tank 422 crew I fought with. In truth, he wanted to utilize the cheat. But his words werent false eitherWang Zhong did indeed want revenge. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha asked, How many from your crew are left? Wang Zhong: Just me and the driver now. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha asked again, How did you be themander? Youre clearly infantry. Wang Zhong recounted the incident with the fearful sergeant. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha was taken aback: So thats what happened; I misunderstood you. I thought it was just some nobles whim to pilot a tank! Yegorov: We thought the same initially, but let me tell you, the Earl is as skilled as Suvorov resurrected. When Tank 422 was around, they even called him the Star of Victory! Though Yegorov was ttering, Wang Zhong couldnt feel happy at the mention of Tank 422. Observing Wang Zhongs expression, Lieutenant Xie Liaosha asked cautiously, May I take a look at your seat in the tank? The Armored Troops will pay tribute to those braverades, and I would like to show my respect. Wang Zhong nodded: Of course, but first move the tank into position so the infantry can camouge you. Yegorov shouted: Leave that to us; position the tank and take the time to rest! Xie Liaosha leaped onto the tank and climbed into the turret, putting on his headset and ordering, Ashka, advance! The tank engine roared, but after a few grumbles, the tank remained motionless. The driverined: Damn it, the gearbox is down again! Wang Zhong was astonished; he knew the KV1 had a high rate of failure in the early days of the war, but he wasnt expecting it at this critical juncture. He hurriedly asked, Can it be fixed? The nimble driver climbed out of the cockpit, smiling: Of course! As he spoke, he opened therge satchel on the side of the turret: We brought a bunch of spare parts; itll be fixed in an hour. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha spread his hands: It always broke down during the Winter War. Later, the design bureau made some improvements, iming the issue was resolved, but we still brought spares and a toolbox based on our experience then. Wang Zhong let out a sigh of relief. It seemed this crew really were seasoned veterans. Chapter 53: Respect The crew of Tank 67 began to repair their vehicle, and Xie Liaosha, the tankmander, leapt down from the turret again and said to Wang Zhong, My lord Count, while were repairing the tank, Ill go check on Tank 422. "Ill survey the battlefield at the same time, especially the road conditions. "If were not careful, our cumbersome buddy here might just break down halfway again. Wang Zhong, Alright, Ill take you for a spin. After speaking, he pointed toward the west and took the lead in stepping forward. At that moment, Pavlov said, Lieutenant, have you had your meal yet? Lieutenant Xie Liaosha, No, weve been on the move all day. At first, we were ordered to move towards Ronied, but just after we set out, we received a radio message directing us to Bogdanovka. Later, the radio broke, and then we encountered defeated soldiers blocking the road. It was tough reaching Bogdanovka, and upon arrival, we were told that this ce needed support. "Had we not taken such an unnecessary detour, this old fellow wouldnt have broken down so frequently. As he spoke, he gestured toward the tank.Pavlov, Then youre in for a treat, we have some of Lord Boyes precious beef, along with potatoes and pickles. "Thats fantastic, said Xie Liaosha. Let my crew eat first, I need to reconnoiter the battlefield. Wang Zhong, This way. A few people started to move, and Wang Zhong, who had personally maneuvered a tank through the vige, was already familiar with the terrain and began to exin it to the lieutenant as they went. Eventually, the group arrived at Tank 422 which was parked at the edge of the vige. The bodies of the tank operators had been taken by the infantry to be buried at the church, leaving only the tank in the position it had upied during the previous eveningsbat. Upon seeing the tank, an emotion Wang Zhong had never experienced before surged within him. He stepped forward and gently caressed the tanks steel skin. Before his time travel, hed seen aic depicting an American soldier shedding tears while giving his broken jeep a fond farewell, implying that the jeep had be a closerade-in-arms the soldier couldnt bear to see captured by the enemy. At the time, Wang Zhong thought theic was somewhat exaggerated, but now, he understood that humans indeed could develop affection for the weapons that apanied them on the battlefield. Touching the cold steel of Tank 422, and remembering his fallenrades, he didnt want to let the Prosen devils have this tank any longer. Fortunately, the vehicle was still operational and the driver, though wounded, could continue to pilot it. If they had a gunner, it could even go back intobat. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha closely observed Wang Zhongs expression, seemingly understanding something. He didnt disturb Wang Zhongs bonding with the tank, but instead went to the front of the tank to inspect the area where it had been hit. Noticing his actions, Wang Zhong exined, It appears to have been hit in the front, fired by a Prosen Mark III tanks 50mm gun. Xie Liaosha, Yes, it hit the left auxiliary turret directly, killing the mechanic operating the turret on the spot. With a hit like that, normally, only the driver has a chance of survival, you were really lucky. Wang Zhong, At the time, most of my body was out of the tank to get a better view. "That may have been what saved your life, asserted Lieutenant Xie Liaosha. Ive driven a T28 myself, and frankly, its not a good tank. Id rather drive a light tank; at least they have better maneuverability and lower failure rates. Wang Zhong, Indeed, aside from its 45mm gun, its a useless hunk of metal. Xie Liaosha continued to examine the stone wall in front of the tank, Strange, the bullet marks on the stone wall the shell must have flown past, right? Wang Zhong pointed not far away, I was hit over there, at the time He recounted the evenings engagement with four Mark III tanks. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha praised, Well fought! Under the starlight, one could dimly see the remnants of the wild Prosen tanks. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha gazed at the two tanks in the distance and said, To win a long-range engagement against the enemys Mark III tanks is impressive. ording to intelligence gathered from the Castilian Civil War, the enemys sighting equipment is very suitable for long-range firing, while we have to calcte manually based on the enemy tanks size. Wang Zhong had also seen the Ante Armys sighting equipmentter, and wanted to try his hand at being a gunner, but found the sight consisted only of simple settings, requiring manual calction of distance based on the actual size of the enemy tank measured against the scale on the sight. On the destroyed Prosen tanks in the town, their sighting equipment included mechanical calctors; by simply adjusting the sight with the known length of the enemy tank, the distance could be immediately calcted. Furthermore, by clever design, once the distance was calcted, the reticle in the sight was also set in ce, allowing a direct shot by aligning the crosshairs. On the Ante Army side, after calcting the distance, the reticle still had to be manually adjusted. Therefore, Wang Zhong could understand why the gunners first shot flew wide during the engagement earlier in the day. Had it not been for Wang Zhongs cheat that directly provided the enemys distance, they truly might not have been able to outshoot the enemy at long rangeno, they definitely would not have been able to. No wonder Lieutenant Xie Liaosha was so impressed. He said wistfully, Your gunner is truly skilled; he must have undergone countless shooting drills. Wang Zhong intended to say it was he who informed them of the distance, but the words didnt leave his mouth. Let Lieutenant Xie Liaosha give a few more words of praise; perhaps it could even lead to a medal for the gunner. Though medals meant nothing to the deceased, it could bring some sce to his family. Lieutenant Xie Liaosha, Shall we continue? There are more enemy tanks destroyed in the vige, right? Wang Zhong, Yes, and to prevent the enemy tanks from using their firepower to block the roads, we built some barriers along the way. Youll need to clear them to reach the vige entrance. This way. Afterward, Wang Zhong spent half an hour with Lieutenant Xie Liaosha touring the vige, making himpletely familiar with the terrain. After Lieutenant Xie Liaosha returned to his own crew, Wang Zhong decided to visit the church to see the situation for himself. He was also a bit curious about what Mass was all about. The arrival of the No. 67 heavy tank for support was most likely because the Mass had been effective, and the monks chanting hymns in the rear had heard the call for help. When he arrived at the church entrance, the guard on duty was dozing off. Upon seeing Wang Zhong, he immediately snapped to attention and saluted crisply, Your Grace! Wang Zhong, I am a Count. "Count! Wang Zhong, May I enter? "Yes, but please do not make any noise, the guard said, gently pushing the door open. Wang Zhong tiptoed into the church. He saw Sufang kneeling in the very center of the altar, hands sped together in a praying position, with Ludm kneeling on the steps to the right of the altar also with hands joined together in prayer. Monk Yeca Neiko was holding something like a bell and was walking in circles around them, swinging it as he went. That bell-like object looked familiar to Wang Zhongit seemed that many Western religions had such a magic artifact. The British tabletop game Warhammer 40K even incorporated it into its setting, where priests of the Mechanicum liked to wave it around while chanting incantations near all sorts of grand machinery. Wang Zhong tiptoed to the side of the altar. Monk Yeca Neiko opened his eyes, nced at him, and made a shushing sound. Wang Zhong felt it wasnt good to just stand beside the altar, but he wasnt religious and had never prayed in his life. All he could do was imitate what Sufang or Ludm did while they prayed, drawing an inverted triangle in front of his chest. At that moment, Sufang suddenly opened her eyes and cheered, Weve got a response! Someone says reinforcements set out three hours ago! Wang Zhong, The reinforcements have already arrived. Sufang startled, lost her bnce, and fell forward onto the ground. "Ouch, my front teeth! Just as Wang Zhong was about to help Sufang up, Ludm opened her eyes. "Alyosha? Are you alright? Do you still have a fever? Ludm asked, trying to stand up, but perhaps because she had been kneeling too long, her legs were numb and she stumbled, about to fall. Wang Zhong, with quick reflexes, caught her. She ended up falling into Wang Zhongs arms. With no time to appreciate the girls stormy seas, Wang Zhong directly helped Ludm to a chair and then turned to pull up Sufang, with tears brimming in her eyes, What did they say over there? "They said that reinforcements have been dispatched for three hours and that we must hold out until eight oclock tomorrow night. The defensive line at Bogdanovka isnt fixed yet. The information about the defensive line not being fixed had already been brought by the No. 67 tank. Wang Zhong nodded, Well done. In fact, the reinforcements have already arrived. Sufang was overjoyed, How many people? "One tank, but thats enough, Wang Zhong confidently said. After all, the enemy, apart from the 88mm anti-everything gun, simply couldnt prate the armour of the KV1 tank. That tank, ced in the open fields, was an impassable bulwark. Sufang smiled, Thats good to hear. I need to rest for a bit, get me water. Monk Yeca Neiko, obviously having officiated many Masses, promptly handed over a full water sk. Ludm was already drinking by the side. Wang Zhong, You two rest well, leave the rest to meto us. Xie Liaosha returned to his crew. Driver Ashka asked, How is it, how much of what the Count boasted true? "Im afraid none of its an exaggeration, Xie Liaosha paused for a moment, then continued, The tank wrecks in the wilderness arent very clear, but I made a round and didnt see any anti-tank guns Ashka, So it must be the Divine Arrows doing! I asked around, and they have clergy here, definitely a Divine Arrow team. The noble young lords serving in the army always have Divine Arrow teams by their sides. Xie Liaosha spoke earnestly, Dont say it like that. The Count might be different from other nobles. I checked the tank wrecks in the vige. Six were destroyed by tank guns. "I reyed the situation and estimated that two were destroyed upon entering the vige, then after closebat between infantry and tanks, the enemy had pressed into the vige, gaining the upper hand. "And then someone suddenly got around behind them and destroyed at least four tanks in a surprise attack. Xie Liaosha was gesturing as he spoke, All four tanks were hit from the rear or the side, and their turrets werent pointing in the direction of the attack. "Someone with skillful nking eliminated them. I must admit, I couldnt do it myselfdestroy enemy tanks consecutively by circling around in a town, not even with infantry support. Ashka frowned, All done by that Count? Xie Liaosha, I dont know. But listen, if I get injured or die, you follow the Countsmand. Then youll see for yourselves what hes capable of. "Dont talk so ominously, the Gunner said as he picked up his te, Come on, have some beef, drink some wine. This is good stuff, supposedly taken from the local nobilitys cer. Its so strong it catches fire quickly; they use it for making Incendiary Bombs! Xie Liaosha took the bottle first and took a big swig, his face immediately lighting up with a smile, Good wine! If I have to die at dawn, its not a bad deal to have good wine! Chapter 54: The Eagle Above Peniye Wang Zhong stepped out of the church and just happened to see Tank No. 67 rumbling down the vige road. He gave a thumbs-up to the tank operators, watching as they passed by in front of him. Ludm stood behind Wang Zhong, muttering, Just one tank Can it really hold off the enemy? Wang Zhong said, Dont underestimate this one tank. Its a heavy tank, weighs a full fifty tons in battle, while the enemys Panzer III is only around ten tons. Itll give the enemy a tough time! Ludm looked at Wang Zhongs profile and hesitated for a moment before asking, Are you very familiar with this tank? Wang Zhong replied, Of course! Ludm blinked and asked, When did you be familiar with it? Only then did Wang Zhong realize his slip of the tongue. In this timeline, Aleksei was a debauchee with zero military skills! He could only say with feigned confidence, I just got familiar with it! Tank Commander Xie Liaosha has briefed me on the tanks capabilities!"Xie Liaosha, Ludm repeated, Are you already on nickname terms with each other? Shoot, he had forgotten the Russiansplicated naming conventions. In situations like this, where a superior addresses a subordinate, its safer and more polite to use the persons patronymicsomething like whichever-evich. Xie Liaosha was a name reserved for those who were very close. The problem was, Wang Zhong didnt know his patronymic, and the man had not introduced himself. He had addressed him as Lieutenant the whole time, and it was only a slip of the tongue that made him blurt out Xie Liaosha, a name he had heard from the driver in Tank No. 67s crew. It was also because the situation on the battlefield was so urgent that he hadnt thought to ask for a name. Suddenly, Wang Zhong thought of the gunner from Tank No. 422. I really should ask for their names. If they sacrifice themselves, at least Ill know whose name I should write in the eulogy. Though he didnt believe the enemy had weapons capable of prating the KVs front and side armor, just in case, he should still ask. Wang Zhong whistled loudlya muscle memory inherited from the original Alekseiand Bucephalus came galloping toward him, halting abruptly in front of him. He swung himself onto the horse and raced down the road. Ludm, left behind, got a mouthful of dust. Su Fang carefully examined her profile, Are you alright? Ludm murmured, In the past, he would definitely have taken advantage of a situation like that. Now, it seems like he cares more about tanks. Su Fang replied, Maybe hes tired of it. Wang Zhong galloped all the way to the vige entrance, learned the names of Tank No. 67s crew, then oversaw the infantry camouging the tank. With everything in order, he saw there was still half an hour until dawn. He decided to take a quick nap. After all, he had been feverish the day before and hadnt fully recovered, and they might be engaging in intense battle all day today. As themander, he couldnt afford to be the weak link. But he woke up less than an hourter, feeling exceptionally spirited, not at all like someone who had been gravely ill the day before. He stood up and noticed that Ludm and Su Fang were sleeping not far from him. Ludm was sprawled across the table, her face resting on her hands, drooling all over the table. Su Fang, meanwhile, was seated on a bench, leaning against the armrest, having fallen asleep there. He had managed to get a good amount of sleep the day before, but these two girls had been busy with the mass and hadnt shut their eyes at all. He took the towel nket covering himself and draped it over Ludm. Then he switched to an overhead perspective to check on the enemy situation, as if covering her with the nket had drained all his tenderness. Damn, relying on the allies field of view isnt showing much of the enemy movement; Id better climb the tower myself. Wang Zhong put on his shoes as quickly as possible and strode out of the room. The guard at the door, just like the previous day, snapped to attention the moment he saw hime out. The sound of the guards heels clicking together woke Su Fang. Rubbing her eyes, the girl asked, My lord, the count? Ludm also got up and asked, Alyosha? Then they both realized the room was empty and could only look at each other in confusion. "Ah, Ludm suddenly said, the towel nket! She sniffed it and said, Hmm, this is Alyoshas. Su Fang got up and looked out the window. Why is he climbing the water tower as soon as he wakes up? With that, the girl snatched up a hat, straightened her clothes that had be disheveled from sleeping in them, and ran out the door. Ludm quickly got up, but the edge of the table scraped harshly against her chest, causing her such pain that she sat back down again. Wang Zhong climbed the water tower, his gaze sweeping across the horizon. At this moment, the sun showed just a hint of its edge in the east, while the morning fog had not yet fully dispersed, enveloping the field of view. A flock of pigeons flew across the sky, leaving behind the buzzing of their cooing. If not for the war, Wang Zhong would have surely thought of the ssic scene from Laputa: Castle in the Sky where Pazu blows his trumpet to greet the sunrise. s, war ruins everything. In his field of vision, the wreckage of enemy armored vehicles was like pus-filled sores on the skin. Wang Zhong remembered a song: One day, / the smoke of cooking fires will return to the vige / that faint scent ofte-harvest rice One day Angel sleeps peacefully Gently swaying in mothers embrace Theres no time for sentiment, ascertaining the enemys situation is crucial. Wang Zhong switched to a birds-eye view, looking over the hillside in front of him. The enemy had encamped in the open field, with over a hundred tents pitched neatly and tanks lined up, as well as maintenance vehicles doing repairs. An armoredmand vehicle bearing the eagle g was parked near the top of the hill, alongside amand tank marked with an eagle emblem. Next to the tank was a table where Cyclops and an officer Wang Zhong had not seen before were sitting across from each other, drinking coffee. Drinking coffee! Suddenly, Wang Zhong was ovee with anger. If he had a cannon in his hands, he would have loved to fire at the enemy, flipping their table and scattering their pastries! Cry elegance now! Youre elegant my ass! What right do invaders have to be elegant? Invaders should lie in the mud like dogs eating shit! Though burning with rage, Wang Zhong still carefully checked for any new heavy weaponry in the enemy camp, like the 88 mm anti-aircraft guns. Luckily, although a night had passed, it seemed the enemy hadnt been reinforced much. The artillery he saw was still the same 75 mm infantry guns from yesterday, and he didnt even spot any 47 mm anti-tank guns. Today looks like a good day to give Cyclops a little surprise. Thinking this, Wang Zhong couldnt help but reveal a fierce grin. It would be even better if he could kill Cyclops with one shot. Unfortunately, the enemy would only observe from the hill, two kilometers away from the vige. Even if tank No. 67 moved forward out of the smoke, it would still be more than one and a half kilometers away from the hilltop. ording to Xie Liaosha, at that distance their 76 mm guns uracy was poor, almost impossible to hit the target. It was a pity that there were too many enemy infantry. Rashly charging forward might leave them vulnerable to anti-tank grenades from the infantry. Furthermore, because of the heavy tanks poor maneuverability and unreliable mechanics, Wang Zhong had to abandon the idea of letting Xie Liaosha and his crew go for a thrill ride. If it were a T34, it would certainly give Cyclops a run for his money. While Wang Zhong was observing, he heard footsteps behind him and switched back to normal vision. As he turned, he saw Sofang climbing the water tower. "You go rest, we wont need you during the day, he said. Sofang clenched her fist: I can operate the machine gun! Wang Zhong: Theres no machine gun to operate today. Sofang: Then I Her eyes darted around as if looking for something she could do. At that moment, Ludm came up clutching her chest: Alyosha, you Wang Zhong: I remember Monk Yeca Neiko still has one Divine Arrow left, right? "Uh, yes thest one. Wang Zhong: Then you should return to your post and get some rest. "Eh? Ludm froze, her hand still on her chest. Wang Zhong then looked at Sofang: Like this, if you really must find something to do, go to the hospital. There will probably be quite a few casualties today. In truth, if the KV1 went berserk, there probably wouldnt be many casualties. But just in case? And mostly, Wang Zhong wanted the two girls to get some rest. "Go on, hurry! he urged, If anything goes wrong, were still relying on you to contact the higher-ups! "Oh. Sofang shrank her neck, turned to nce at Ludm, Lets go, Captain Vasilyevna. Ludm looked at Wang Zhong, on the verge of saying something, but in the end, she turned around Just then, the roar of engines came from the sky. Someone below shouted: Air raid! The two girls exchanged nces and rushed toward Wang Zhong, one on each side, tackling him to the ground. Wang Zhong hit the ground hard and was about to protest when he saw a camouged airne flying in from the east. Recognizing the shape of the ne, Wang Zhongughed out loud because he recognized it as an Il-2 Sturmovik attack aircraft, and a two-seater at that! The ne flew over Upper Peniye Vige, then like a cheetah spotting its prey, charged towards the Prussian Army to the west. The Prussian Army,pletely unprepared for an air raid, was caught off guard. The rockets fired from the ne hit a truck, and the Prussians stared at the rising fireball in shock, only scattering in a panic when the ne started strafing. The Il-2 dumped all its remaining rockets on the Prussians heads, igniting a great fire in the enemy camp. Then the ne circled back and began strafing the ground with its 23 mm cannons and machine guns. In just three minutes, the enemy camp was littered with dozens of bodies, seven or eight trucks were burning, and the injured were wailing everywhere. Through the birds-eye view, Wang Zhong could clearly see even Cyclops on the ground, clutching his head. Hahaha, how elegant are you now? The Il-2, havingpleted its attack, flew over Upper Peniye Vige again. Wang Zhong pushed the two girls off him and stood up, cheering at the ne: Ura! While the people on the ground didnt have birds-eye view, they could see the ck smoke rising from the enemys side and joined in the chant: Ura! The Ant Air Force was not destroyed! Just this fact alone was enough to boost morale! Along with the soldiers, Wang Zhong turned their joy into a continuous cheer: Ura! Chapter 55: The White Horse General On the Prosen Army side, Major Shrifen cursed as he stood up, Didnt the Air Force say the Ant Air Force was finished? Are we being attacked by our own Air Force then? Major Franz also got up, wiping the coffee off his uniform with a handkerchief while echoing the sentiment, You cant believe a word from the Air Force. Its said that Duke Meyer diverted all the Air Forces funds to renovate his castle. It seemed that both the old officers of Junker nobility and the emerging juniors had reached a consensus: not to trust the Air Force. Major Shrifen turned and shouted, Adjutant, report the damage. The adjutant came over and saluted, A total of 21 dead, 49 injured, and seven trucks have been destroyed. Shrifen cursed, Damn Air Force, just like that Ive lost two toons! Two toons! Major Franz said, Shouldnt this grudge be counted on the enemys head? Luckily,st night we received the support of an entire battalion ofbat engineers; they were very effective yesterday, and deploying more engineers today should enable us to take it down. "Hope so, said Major Shrifen, looking at the sky as if worried the ne that had just attacked might circle back to surprise him, but with such a start this morning, I have a bad feeling. Didst nights sentries spot anything unusual in the vige?The adjutant immediately reported, Last nights sentries heard engine sounds from the vige. Shrifen frowned, Our enemy is very cunning, that engine sound might be a deceptive tactic. Didnt the person who shot at Tank No. 422 yesterday say that they hit it? The chief of staff came over, recing the adjutant, and replied, Yes, the gunner believes they hit the enemy at least once. But since the enemy was still able to counterattack, it seems the hit wasnt critical. Shrifen pursed his lips and after standing and observing the distant vige for a moment, he spoke softly, The engine sounds fromst night might be a deception. Maybe their tanks have already lostbat capability, and theyre using the engine sounds to intimidate us, prevent us from deploying tanks to engage the enemy in the vige. At that moment, Captain Hoffman from Tank Crew 170 arrived at the peak, heels snapping together, and shouted, Report! Shrifen said, At ease, speak. Hoffman said, I request to join todays assault. I want a one-on-one with that enemy Tank No. 422! "Idiot! War is not a knights joust! Shrifen cursed, We are enemies, its a fight to the death! Youll suffer if you dont grasp this! "I assure you, Tank No. 422 will be destroyed. The Ante Peoples tanks are too outdated, they only won by tricks. I wont allow them to seed again! Hoffman said, brimming with confidence. Shrifen stared at him for a few seconds before cing a hand on his shoulder and saying, Good, then this morning your toon will advance with the infantry. He turned to Major Fritz, Hoffman is our best tank operator, and his toon is our most elite. Ive been keeping them in reserve until now. Fritz extended his hand, Pleased to work with you, Captain Hoffman. Hoffman quickly shook Fritzs hand. Even though the young Emperor now deliberately promoted those who embraced new technology to counter the old officer corps, the rank and file soldiers didnt care much for this; they still respected these old-fashioned Junker nobility officers. Especially Fritz, who was the spitting image of everyones perception of the old officer corps. Shrifen said, Prepare for the assault. We have already been dyed a full twenty-four hours. If even the artillery battalion stuck in traffic behind us gets here, then our previous rush will have been for nothing! However, Fritz said, The artillery battalion should be arriving soon. Weve been stuck here for 24 hours already. We might as well wait for the heavy artillery to arrive, it could reduce casualties. "No! Shrifen raised his voice, In Carolingian, we relied on tanks and Stukas, relentless assault, and it was only after that we drove the United Kingdoms forces into the sea! Heavy artillery isnt essential; this is modern warfare! Fritz closed his mouth. Wang Zhong, who had been watching the enemy finish their deployment, called out loudly to the people under the water tower, Take cover! The enemy is about to start artillery preparation! No sooner had his words fallen than the first round of artillery barrage came crashing down. After once again making certain there were no anomalies in the enemy deployment, Wang Zhong, amid the roaring cannonade, strolled down from the water tower and entered the managers office of the winery. The winery was the only concrete building in town, impervious to the high-explosive rounds from the 75mm infantry guns. Of course, if rounds were shot through the windows, they could still injure those inside, but the enemys covering fire was in high arcs, and the angle of descent meant the shells were not so easily fired through the windows. Inside the room, Wang Zhong looked over the map, seemingly oblivious to the explosions outside. He sought the Kazaria Kingdom on the map, but only managed to find the name of the region they were currently in: the Duchy of Wostrom. The duchys terrain was as t as a pancake, with the small mound to the west of Peniye probably being one of the few high points in the whole duchy. Furthermore, Wang Zhong also discovered that to the east of Peniye, there was arge river called the Diber, with Bogdanovka sitting right on its bank. While Wang Zhong was engrossed in his map study, the shelling outside stopped. He nced at his watch, How strange, todays barrage was so much shorter than yesterdays? "Why has it stopped? Shrifen asked, frowning. The artillerypanymander had a bitter expression, The enemy air raid just destroyed our ammunition trucks, we dont have that many shells left. Shrifens mouth twitched. Franz took the opportunity to suggest, Then we should wait for the heavy artillery "Have the mortars smoke bomb, begin the assault! Shrifen interrupted Franz, Also, contact the Air Force and have them take their responsibilities seriously! "Yes! Wang Zhong once again climbed up the water tower and indeed saw the enemys mortarsying down smoke. The fall of smoke bombs was not a bit different from yesterday! Wang Zhong was unsure whether to call the enemy rigid or praise them for being well-trained and striving for perfection. As the smoke spread properly, the enemys assault troops began to move out. And when the sound of engines reached this side, the hidden No. 67 heavy tank at the edge of the vige also fired up, rolled out of its hiding spot, and charged along the road toward the ambush position. But no, calling it an ambush isnt quite right, it should be a position for a head-on confrontation with the enemy. Within the enemys attack column, Wang Zhong spotted a familiar face, the No. 170 Mark III tank: it was this very tank that had previously, from a distance of two kilometers, precisely hit and detonated the church bell tower with a single shot, causing therge bell to fall from above. The cracked bell stilly on the street now. The enemy had sent their elite forces forward. Looking closely at tank No. 170, there were two gold rings and three silver rings on its barrel. While Wang Zhong didnt know what the Prosen peoples regtions were in this timeline, he was aware that the Sturmtigers single soldier tank destruction medal went from five silvers to one gold. If these kill rings followed the same principle, then tank No. 170 had already destroyed thirteen tanks. Elite indeed; if it were taken out here, how many tank operators lives could be spared! At the thought, Wang Zhong couldnt help but feel pleased. Just then, at the edge of his vision, he saw a heavy truck enter his field of view and then stop. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled instantlyCsuch heavy trucks were usually used to tow heavy artillery, and heavy howitzers over 100 millimeters were not often brought so close to the front line. After all, such guns had ranges of a dozen kilometers or more, making it unnecessary to bring them to the front line. Only direct-fire guns would be brought to the front line. A heavy truck towing a direct-fire gunCWang Zhong could think of only one kind. No, he had to confirm what this truck was towing. Wang Zhong darted down the water tower like a shot, untied Bucephalus that was tied to a stake at the door, mounted the horse, and galloped away. The guard at the entrance of the winery saw him and quickly shouted, Count, where are you going? "Ill be back soon, hold your position! As he spoke, Bucephalus dashed through the battered streets of Upper Peniye. The soldiers hiding behind cover all popped their heads out to watch Wang Zhong. "Are we charging? someone asked. In the current situation, Wang Zhong knew that if he really gave the order to charge, this bunch might actually leave their houses and follow him on horseback into the wild. So he yelled out, Stay put, remember your mission! Dont move! Stay where you are! As he shouted, he left the vige and, at the vige entrance, he pulled the reins and Bucephalus came to an abrupt halt. At the vige entrance, he could clearly see that the heavy truck was actually towing a pontoon bridge. Then he rememberedChe had indeed seen several rivers on the map. If the enemy wanted a swift advance, they had to consider the possibility of the Ante Army blowing up bridges. Wang Zhong felt slightly relieved, but then thought since he hade to the vige entrance, wouldnt it be better to advance another five hundred meters and get a clear view of the enemys arrangements? With smoke cover anyway, even if the enemy pursued him, theirmander, they would be stopped by Tank 67. So Wang Zhong continued to spur his horse forward, all the while observing the enemys movements from an overhead perspective. In addition to the bridge-building team, Wang Zhong also saw many heavy engineering vehiclesCit seemed the enemy would have morebat engineers joining the attack. Just then, Wang Zhong suddenly heard someone call out to him, Count, what are you doing? He switched from his unrestricted line of sight and saw that Bucephalus had crossed in front of Tank 67, with Xie Liaosha in the turret, eyes bulging as he stared at him. "Count! Wang Zhong: Im going to scout the enemy, dont worry. After that, Wang Zhong continued forward. After switching his perspective, he even saw the armored recovery vehicle; they were repairing a damaged Panzer III. Good grief, was there an enemybined arms battalion right in front of him? Had the concept ofbined arms battalions emerged this early in this timeline? With the aid of the , Wang Zhong could see the color of the enemys underwear as clear as day. He was enjoying the thrill of exploiting his advantage when he suddenly felt he might have gone too far forward. Snapping back to reality, he switched back to his own perspective, only to find that there was no smoke aheadCBucephalus had run too fast! He immediately pulled hard on the reins. Bucephalus, a bit overexcited, almost failed to stop, even rearing up on its forehooves. Wang Zhong managed, with some difficulty, to bring the spirited mount to a halt. Flustered, his actions caused Bucephalus to end up sideways across the road. Then, he found himself face-to-face with the enemys great army. This was awkward. Now, he truly felt sweat soaking his back. But from Major Shrifens perspective, the situation was quite different. The major, with his sharp hearing, had long heard the rumbling of engines from the Ante side and lifted his binocrs, eager to see what sort of fool wanted to use outmoded tanks in an open field against the invincible Prussian armored forces. However, Ante tankmanders seemed cowardly, preferring not to open their hatches and poke their heads out to observe. Just as Major Shrifen was thinking this, a white horse emerged from the smoke. Astride the white horse was a dashing general. The general pulled the reins and the white horse reared up grandly on its forelegs. Major Shrifen was no Junker noble and knew nothing of horsemanship, but the old Junker noble Major Franz next to him eximed in admiration, Fine horsemanshipCthat move is a threat to the opponent in a horsemanship contest. Hes expressing his contempt for us. The major pursed his lips. At that moment, the general made his white horse turn sideways, blocking the road. Franz: The meaning of this move is "I know. Shrifen squeezed the words through his teeth, It says we cant advance a step further. Franz: Yes. By the way, thats a fine horse. It could sell for at least three hundred thousand marks in the capital, Germania. Suddenly, Shrifen snatched up the wireless phone, Hoffman! Kill that general! But dont hurt the horse! "What? Franz eximed in shock, Thats not gentlemanly! Shrifen sneered, No need for chivalry towards inferior races. Then, visible on the hillside, Tank 170 came to a halt. It was a thousand meters away from the white horse general and Shrifen had no doubt that Hoffman could hit the target with precision. The turret of Tank 170 began to rotate! In a sh, another steel beast tore out from behind the white horse general through the smoke. This beast was bigger than any tank in the Prussian Empire; its tracks crushed the helmets left behind by fleeing soldiers, and the powerful roar of its engine echoed across the in. Chapter 56: The Burning Wilderness Wang Zhong shouted to number 67, Hit that 170! Fearing the tank couldnt see where number 170 was, he also stretched his hand toward the direction of 170. Tank number 170, with Commander Hoffman, suddenly changed the order, Target that big tank! Dont be afraid, Ante peoples tanks are all show, and were loaded with armor-piercing shells! Take it down! To execute the order not to harm the horses, Hoffman had the loader load armor-piercing shells. Although armor-piercing shells do contain explosive charges, their fuse wouldnt activate when hitting a person. This design originated from the experience summarized by the Prosen Empire during the Castilian Civil War and the Carolingian campaign, where armor-piercing shells were to have the ability not to detonate when piercing some soft targets, allowing them to shoot through targets like wooden houses to strike enemy armor hidden behind. Therefore, a skilled gunner could naturally use armor-piercing shells to urately kill a person mounted on horseback, and incidentally, not harm the horse. Now, this armor-piercing shell naturally undertook the task of sending the enemys huge object sky-high!Hoffman was full of confidence, and the moment he fired before the enemy did, he felt he had won. The projectile struck the giant tank like lightning, leaving a trail of sparks on the mantlet. The huge tank continued forward as if nothing had happened and aimed its gun at Hoffman while moving. It fired directly! Because it was firing on the move, the shot hit the ground. But before Hoffman could breathe a sigh of relief, the shell ricocheted and hit tank number 170. Hoffman: Quick Watching tank number 170s turret flying into the sky, Wang Zhong burst into loudughter. Such an ace crew, if reced with a Tiger or Panther tank, who knows how many of our soldiers they would kill. At this point, three enemy tanks stopped, seemingly readying to shoot. Wang Zhong immediately turned his horse around and took off! As he passed by tank number 67, he also patted the top of the tank guns turret and said a word of blessing. Then he plunged into the smoke. Inside tank number 67, the driver Ashka asked through the inte, What was the Marquis doing here? Lieutenant Xie Liaosha replied, You dont understand? He assigned us this suicide mission, so he came to the front himself to show he shares life and death with us. After saying that, Xie Liaoshaughed, The Marquis probably doesnt know, we simply cant die. The gunner alsoughed, I actually wish there were more enemies to kill! The loader chimed in: Armor-piercing shell, ready! "Emergency stop! The tank braked hard, causing everyones heads to hit the armor. Even with their cushioned tank helmets, Ante Army tankers often suffered bruises after driving for a day. Xie Liaosha: Find the nearest target! Take out that 171! Fire! The roar of the main gun shook everyones ears, and the wholebat room filled with the smell of gunpowder. The brass shell casing fell onto the floor of thebat room, making a crisp sound. Through the narrow view of themanders periscope, Xie Liaosha saw tank number 171 stop. At this point, the enemys counterattack followed, and everyone in the tank could hear the thud of enemy armor-piercing shells hitting the armor. Ashka shouted, Theyre really enthusiastic! With nothing else to do at the moment, the driver took up the hull machine gun and began to rattlingly sweep the enemys skirmish line. Xie Liaosha: Load high-explosive shells! I think these enemy tanks dont need armor-piercing shells. High-explosive shells can also kill surrounding infantry. The loader shoved a high-explosive shell into the breach and swung the breech block closed: High-explosive shell, ready! Xie Liaosha: Turret turn left six degrees, no, make it seven! Fire! Although themanders viewing port was very small, Xie Liaosha still saw the enemy tank engulfed in mes, Prosen tankers covered in fire escaping from their tank and scattering. "High-explosive effective! Continue with high-explosive! Keep turning the turret left! "High-explosive, ready! "Fire! Shrifen put down his binocrs and eagerly asked his chief of staff, What kind of tank is this? The chief of staff and several staff officers were frantically flipping through the battlefield recognition manuals issued by the headquarters: Wait a moment, still searching! "Useless! Hurry up! After scolding the staff, Shrifen picked up his binocrs again. The tank with tactical number 67 simply sat on the road, calling out the most elite tank crews under Shrifensmand one by one. The armor of Prosen tanks was like nothing in front of that big gun tube, one hit, one kill. On Prosens side, the attacks on the enemy were like scratching an itch, producing nothing but sparks and no effect whatsoever. In an instant, half of the tank toon had turned into scrap metal, and the situation for the infantry was even worse; there was no cover in the open field, and they were being mercilessly mowed down by enemy machine guns. Thankfully, the wheat in the field was tall, and the infantry could hide their figures by lying down. But Major Shrifen couldnt be happy at all; his armored forces couldnt just lie down in the grass! Prosens armor advantage, had it all been wiped out just like that? Why would there be such a tank? At this moment, the chief of staff finally turned to a tank and shouted, Found it! Its a T-34 model! Front armor 60 millimeters! (In real history, the German army initially always mistook the KV1 for the T34) Shrifen: The hell is sixty millimeters?? How could sixty millimeters possibly stop our armor-piercing shells? Chief of staff: Wait a second, there is a note here: This model of tank uses sloped armor, so the effective thickness from a perpendicr shot shouldnt be considered as 60 millimeters Shrifen got anxious: Then the hell should we do? "Theres no mention of that here. The General Staff Headquarters has no data either Shrifen swore under his breath. At that time, Major Franz suggested, Release smoke, cover the remaining tanks as they retreat, and have the infantry engage in closebat. Shrifen thought for a moment, then nodded, Thats all we can do. Wang Zhong noticed that the other side had begun releasing smoke. There were only two attacking tanks left; they both started to retreat. And the enemy infantry, under the cover of smoke, began to approach Tank 67. I have a mask, so Im not afraid of smoke, but Xie Liaosha doesnt. At this moment, Wang Zhong suddenly had an idea. He rode Bucephalus to the front of Boye Mansion, the defensive focus of Yegorov. "Yegorov! Are any of the enemys half-tracks intact? Yegorov poked his head out: There is one, whats up? Wang Zhong: Get someone to take the methrower we captured yesterday, wear the enemys cuirass, get on the half-track and follow me! Seven minutester, a half-track was armed. Sitting on it was a sergeant with a methrower, two corporals in armor wielding submachine guns, a private manning the front machine gun, and a second lieutenant from the supplypany driving. Wang Zhong was still riding the white horse, but now he had brought a submachine gun and suspended the ammo belt on the saddle, then nced at this small force. "Follow me. Where my submachine gun fires, aim the methrower there. After giving brief instructions, Wang Zhong galloped off once more. Bucephalus was indeed a fine horse. After running back and forth over a couple of kilometers, it had only broken a slight sweat; its stamina was plenty. It carried Wang Zhong, leading the charge out of the vige, and the half-track made a great effort to catch up from behind. While galloping, Wang Zhong surveyed the terrain; first, he passed through the smoke to reach Tank 67, where he patted the hatch. Xie Liaosha popped out of the hatch: The enemy released smoke, theyre cunning! Wang Zhong: You pull back! Ill lead the infantry upwind to set the fire, lets burn them all! Xie Liaoshaughed: Thats a good idea! In the meantime, the half-track passed through the smoke, and Wang Zhong immediately ordered, Turn upwind! Follow me! He turned his horse around, kicked the horses belly, and Bucephalus started to run nimbly and briskly. Tank 67 was started up and began to back into the still-dispersing smoke, while the half-track followed Wang Zhong towards the upwind direction. Wang Zhong sped against the wind until he almost reached the advancing enemy skirmishers. Then he raised his submachine gun and began to spray bullets in a chosen direction. It didnt matter if he hit anything; the most important thing was to signal the direction. The half-track caught up, with the machine gunner firing green tracer rounds in the same direction. The methrower operator stood up and began to shoot mes in the direction of the tracer rounds. Wang Zhong: Start up, keep it moving! Burn as you go! No need to see the enemy! He could already hear enemy screams in the smoke. Wang Zhong: Burn them to death! Major Franz put down his binocrs, unable to bear watching any longer. Grasnd fires spread quickly in the summer, and a wildfire starting from the upwind direction would soon sweep across the entire grasnd. Troops lying in the grass were at risk of being burned to death. Without waiting for Shrifens orders, hemanded his aide-de-camp directly, Fire signal res, retreat! And have someone immediately establish firebreaks in the grass, or well be burned too. Shrifen: I am themander of thebat group! Major Franz turned to him, Then please give the order. If we dont retreat now, the troops will just be fertilizer for the grassfield in the fire. Major Shrifens face was stern, and it took a second before he ordered, Retreat, and create istion strips in the grass at the same time. Damned enemy, why didnt they set fire to the grasnd yesterday? "Perhaps they didnt have a methrower, said Major Franz. Such a brilliantly cunning general would not have failed to think of this. Wang Zhong returned to the entrance of the vige, looking at therge fire sweeping across the grasnd, and pped his thigh, Damn, I should have set a fire in a night raidst night! With so many instances of fire warfare and night raids in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, evenbined night raids and fire attacks, how could I forget! I failed as a Chinese! Oh Marquis, oh Marquis, I have let you down! The others didnt know what he was thinking and cheered, Ura! "Burn them to death! "This is so satisfying! "Ura! The fluctuating cries of Ura! made it seem like the soldiers morale was even higher than the mes sweeping across the grasnd! Chapter 57: Peripheral Defense Wang Zhong had hoped the wildfire would ze through and blow away the Prosen people. But he soon discovered the enemy had used bulldozers to clear a firebreak, and any scattered mes were quickly extinguished with hand grenades. As a child, Wang Zhong watched The Little Soldier Zhang Ga, where the guerris set the enemys watchtower on fire, only to have the enemy put out the fire with hand grenades. Initially, he thought it was an over-the-top anti-Japanese drama, butter he heard from old veterans that it was actually true. It turned out that even childrens films back then could have veterans who had realbat experience as military consultants, unlike theter anti-Japanese dramas. It seemed that this wildfire strategy wasnt so easy to use after all. The fire kept burning until four oclock in the afternoon. Mounted on his white horse, Wang Zhong looked out over the grasnd, which had be a stretch of ashes, and couldnt help but think about the scenery he had seen that morning. The stark contrast between the twondscapes made him acutely aware of the presence of war. The sight brought to his mind the song One day, the smoke will return to the vige, that faint smell ofte rice fragrant in the evening.Now was not the time for sentimentality. After the big fire had consumed all the wild grass, it gradually died out, and the enemy couldunch an attack at any moment. Xie Liaosha, peeking out from atop the turret of the same pulled-back 67th heavy tank gun at the vige entrance, asked, My lord Earl, how shall we fight this time? Wang Zhong said, I suspect the enemy will use smoke to gradually close in on you. So we cant leave you out in the open like before. "The good news is that the fire has scorched all the grass, so the enemy can no longer hide in it. I suggest you park next to that house. He pointed towards the southwest, at a small building on the edge of the vige. As a house on the vige edge, the small building had been fought over repeatedly, its roof torn off, and several big holes in its walls, the whole structure vulnerable to copse at any time. Wang Zhong said, There, your cannon can cover two main vige entrances, and we can set up crossfire on both sides of the vige to protect you, gunning down any enemy trying to rush over and throw grenades. "We can alsoy in ambush with submachine gunners behind the low walls on both sides of you, making sure the enemys advance is met with fierce resistance. Xie Liaosha nodded, Very good. But I have a question, why didnt we hold the outer defenses of the vige before? I noticed that few buildings on the perimeter bear the marks of direct hits from tank guns. Wang Zhong replied, Because defending the outskirts of the vige makes it easy to be targeted directly by enemy tanks, and our most effective anti-tank weapon is the Molotov cocktail, which is why we let the enemye in to fight at close quarters, giving us a chance to destroy their tanks in the melee. He paused, then added, We had a few T28s at the time, and its clearly unrealistic for this kind of tank to engage in open firefights with the enemy, isnt it? "Indeed, Xie Liaosha said with a grin, Now were here, we can engage the enemy in the open, and well make sure to take out the enemy before they destroy our machine gun positions. Wang Zhong cautioned, Dont be so sure, Lieutenant, the enemy might use smoke to obstruct your vision, and those Prosen people are quite skilled at using it. "Then we can be mobile and bypass their cover. Leave it to me, Xie Liaosha said, patting his chest with a proud smile. Wang Zhong patted his shoulder and then rode his horse straight to Lord Boyes manor, nning to tell Yegorov to adjust the deployment. But after only a few steps, he saw Yegorov approaching with a group of men. From a distance, the regimentmander shouted, I guess we should take advantage of our firepower on the outskirts of the vige, so Ive already ordered everyone to adjust their positions. Dont worry about the machine gun position I chose. Wang Zhong nodded. Although he had cheats, he was still a novice with no military experience, still growing and learning. Leaving the cement of the machine guns to the old soldier Yegorov was the best course of action. Still, Wang Zhong felt he needed to offer a few words of advice to highlight his role as themander. He said, Ensure a clear field of fire! Fully cover the 67th vehicle! And organize a squad of veterans skilled in hand-to-hand and close-rangebat to stand by around the tanks, ready to take down any approaching enemy troops. "Let Sergeant Grigori take care of this task, Yegorov replied, With him there, the enemys infantry wont get close. Wang Zhong nodded and decided to return to his VIP spot: atop the water tower! This position allowed him to clearly see everything around him, and he could quickly enter the concrete distillery for cover once the enemys artillery preparation began. No sooner had he climbed up the water tower than the enemy started firing smoke. This time there was no artillery preparation? Wang Zhong was extremely surprised and hurriedly checked the enemys artillery position, afraid that the enemy was up to some fierce trick, such as dismantling their guns and carrying them to the front line to assemble and fire at ground level. Then he realized he had been overthinking it; the enemys infantry guns simply seemed to be out of shells. Could it be that this mornings solo raid by the IL-2 had blown up the enemys ammo storage? Could it be such a coincidence? No, the IL-2 pilot must have deliberately targeted what looked like a stack of supplies to shoot their rockets at, hitting either canned food or ammunition. Well done! Wang Zhong silently gave a thumbs up to the Ant Air Force. Although they only showed up for the first time since the war began, and it was just a single aircraft, they did a good job! Throughout the fierce battles of the day, casualties caused by enemy artillery preparation ounted for at least sixty percent, with the remainder being losses from close-rangebat. It was a pity there was only one IL-2. Had there been a squadron of four, the enemy wouldnt have been able to organize an attack. At this time, in Bogdanovka, 63rd Armys headquarters. Officially it was the 63rd Armys headquarters, but in fact, the Duke of Vostrom himself was also there. As the Duke held the rank of Lieutenant General, the 63rd Armys headquarters was now also the 41st Army Groups headquarters. The Duke was studying a map when his most trusted intelligence staff entered the map room: My Lord, the nes that volunteered to support Peniye have returned today. The pilot reported no sight of our tanks. It was a group of infantry defending the vige of Peniye, and theres also a field hospital in the vige, visible from the air with a Red Cross to deter enemy bombing. The Duke cursed, Whats going on? Hasnt anyone told them that the Prosen bastards would bomb the Red Cross? These pieces of shit, afraid that the veterans will recover and return to the front as experienced soldiers, are deliberately targeting the hospitals! The staff officer noticed the Dukes slip of the tongue but hesitated and did not point it out. The Duke cursed, took a breath, and then asked, Why is there a field hospital? From where did this field hospital retreat? "Thats not something we know, the intelligence staff answered. There are far too many field hospitals that weve lost contact with now. At this moment, themander of the 63rd Army spoke up, Yesterday, locals were continuously arriving with horse-drawn carts carrying wounded soldiers. They said they were from the Ronied City field hospital. The Duke immediately rushed to the map table to check the map, Ronied? Werent all of our forces there wiped out? "It seems not. The wounded also said that they belong to the 3rd Rear Amur Group and are now under themand of Count Rokossov. "Why didnt you tell me yesterday? the Duke demanded. Themander spread his hands, I only found out myself just now. The wounded soldiers were brought in by the local cartsst night, and it was all chaos then. At this point, the Chief of Staff of the 41st Army Group concluded, So, the situation is clear. Yesterday the vige of Peniye sent out a distress signal, indicating that they have a Hymn Monk there, very likely a scattered Monk retreating from Ronied who joined the fleeing soldiers en route. "Then the fleeing soldiers encountered the remnants of the 31st Regiment of the 4th Tank Army, which had been prepared to defend Peniye, and they organized a defense on the spot. The Military Bishop of the 41st Army Group spoke, I mostly agree with this assessment. Although the enemy would deliberately ughter clergy, there should still be some that managed to escape. The Duke leaned on the map table with both hands, This Count Rokossov cant be that yboy brother of the Crown Prince, the good-for-nothing and ignorant Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov, can it? Everyone exchanged nces. After the civil war, civilians could be officers too, so at this moment all the civilian officers present shut their mouths, as they were not very familiar with the notorious Count. However, the nobly born Chief of Staff of the Army Group added, Which other Rokossov could it be? If we had known this earlier, we wouldnt have sent reinforcements; surely this prodigal was just frightened out of his wits! Its highly probable the enemy isnt much of a problem, after all, even infantry could hold them back. The intelligence staff interjected, ording to the pilots report, the forces attacking Peniye are the enemys armored grenadiers and tank units. Additionally,bining intelligence from other directions, I personally believe that the force confronting Peniye is a mixedbat group led by Major Shrifen, a recipient of the Iron Cross. The headquarters fell silent. The Chief of Staff of the Army Group scoffed, Youre telling me that a bunch of routed soldiers stopped Prosens elitebat group? Those are veterans who have participated in the Bohemian and Carolingian campaigns, and theirmander is a tough one! Since Count Rokossov proved to be so capable, I suggest that when he returns, we should send him to Loktov to reorganize the fleeing soldiers! After pondering, the Duke replied, That also gives him and his troops a chance to rest and regroup. Wang Zhong, of course, was unaware of what was happening back at the headquarters; his focus was entirely on the enemy. Thanks to a cheat, Wang Zhong could see the enemys formation clearly through the smoke. Besides the infantry skirmish line at the front, the Prosen had also sent tanks on a wide nk, seemingly preparing to attack the side of tank number 67. Unfortunately for them, the KV1 had good all-around defense, except for the engine at its rear, which was the only weak point. And now, tank number 67 was back against the remains of a house, with its rear shielded. The Prosen devils were about to be disappointed yet again, and the thought filled Wang Zhong with delight. The first Prosen soldier showed up from the smoke! The machine gun mounted on the second floor immediately opened fire. Freed from worrying about direct fire from enemy tanks, the Amur Groups machine gunner fought like a man possessed,nding precise shots that dropped several enemies in session. The remaining enemies all went prone. Their uniforms were ck, and the grasnd that had just been scorched was also ck, providing surprisingly effective camouge once they hit the ground! Wang Zhong had never imagined the Prosens dark uniforms could have this effect. He was still in shock when the enemy threw smoke bombs. One has to admit, the Prosen troops really were battle-hardened veterans. They reacted quickly, and the cement of the smoke bombs was urate. But experience was on this side too. They continued to fire through the smoke, reasoning that since they still had a lot of ammunition left from looting the third groups depot, they might as well use it up, lightening their load for the evenings retreat. More enemies emerged from the thick smoke, and the machine gun fire Yegorov had carefully set up continued to erupt. Without the cover of direct fire, infantry are helpless against machine gun fire. Not to mention the KVs high-explosive shells. The fierce battle raged on. The enemy tanks reached the side and opened fire on tank number 67. Wang Zhong clearly saw the armor-piercing shell hit the side of tank number 67s turret, scraping off the paint! After two days of intense fighting, Wang Zhong had never felt this rxed. He even began to feel like he was ying a game of Storm the Beaches, joyfully shooting at live targets. Just then, Wang Zhong heard an engine noiseing from the sky. This time it was not from the east, where their allies were positioned. He immediately raised his view and then realized that his cheat allowed him to see nes from even greater distances than he could see on the ground. It was rather logical for a cheat, despite being one. He saw a whole squadron of Stukas heading towards Peniye. Trouble. Wang Zhong knew at a nce that these Stukas were the B-2 model because he had flown them in games. He knew that in maximum load, they could carry one 500kg big potato and four 50kg little potatoes. The little potatoes couldnt threaten the KV1 unless they were dropped with pinpoint uracy, but the 500kg big potato was no joke. Tank number 67 had to get moving; a stationary target was too easy to hit. Wang Zhong rushed down the water tower, expertly untied Bucephaluss reins, mounted, and galloped away in a cloud of dust. Chapter 58: Unforgettable Summer Memories Wang Zhong spurred his horse into a gallop, dashing out of the vige. Most of the machine-gun fire was on the second floor, so Wang Zhong wasnt shot down by friendly fire. As he charged toward Xie Liaoshas tank crew, a tank shell fired by the enemy was deflected by Tank No. 67, which blew off Wang Zhongs hat. Wang Zhong had no time to care about that, as he sped along he shouted loudly, Enemy nes areing! Get moving! At this moment, the engines roar was already overhead, and lifting his head, Wang Zhong saw the dark shadows of enemy nes against the setting sun. Wang Zhong shouted, Move! Dive towards the belly of the enemy nes! This type of Stuka has serious locking issues during a dive; its not good at hitting moving targets! However, Xie Liaoshas crew showed no response! Faithful to protocol, Xie Liaosha was hunkering down inside the tank turret duringbat, and with the tanks own mechanical roaring, he probably couldnt hear Wang Zhongs shouts at all. Wang Zhong had never cursed the Ante Empires terrible radio level so much.He nced at the enemy nes above, feeling that any second now he would hear the infamous Death Scream of a Stuka dive. At this point, he saw a nearby infantryman carrying a captured Smoke Bomb and he called out, Give me a smoke bomb! The infantryman turned out to be Sergeant Grigori, who, upon hearing Wang Zhongs shout, directly unhooked the belt carrying smoke bombs and flung it precisely onto Bucephaluss saddle. Wang Zhong pulled out a smoke bomb and, after pulling the pin, held it in his hand, but in his haste handled it upside down, causing smoke to spray out and smother his face. He quickly tossed away the smoke bomb and pulled a new one. Then, he tugged the reins to make Bucephalus run upwind, trying to use the smoke to cover Tank No. 67. As an experienced War Thunder yer, Wang Zhong was aware of how difficult it was to search for the enemy in the sky. Moreover, real-world smoke would drift with the wind, and if the battlefield was filled with smoke, the enemy aircraft could only drop bombs blindly. In the midst of the chaos, a Prussian soldier suddenly emerged in front of Wang Zhong! The enemy was startled by the sight of the white horse, and it took him a moment to think to shoot, but Bucephalus kicked him back into the smoke. Wang Zhong hadnt even had time to react; he hadnt switched to the overhead view and so had no idea the enemy had gotten so close! Wasnt pulling this smoke actually helping the enemy get closer to the tanks? He quickly switched to an aerial view to confirm the position of the nearby enemies. Looking down, he saw the enemy nes circling overhead. Could it be that the enemys radio technology had improved to the point of coordinating between the air and ground, and the enemy nes knew that their biggest threat below was one heavy tank? They wouldnt drop bombs without being sure where the heavy tank was? As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Wang Zhong saw an infantry officer on the ground pull out a re gun and fire it towards where Tank No. 67 was parked. A red re traced an arc through the sky, heading towards Tank No. 67. There was guidance from the ground! Was this really an army from the time of Operation Barbarossa? Wang Zhong could see it all too clearly from the overhead view, and naturally, so could the enemy aircraft. The enemy ne rolled into a diving posture. The famous shriek of the Stuka tore at Wang Zhongs eardrums. Just then, Tank No. 67 began to move, whether it was because the smoke had obscured their line of sight, making it impossible to shoot, or because they heard the Death Scream. Anyway, it started moving. Seeing this, Wang Zhong pulled the reins and turned to flee. He had done everything he could; now it was up to the crews fate. At the first loud bang, Wang Zhong distinctly felt the wind blow from behind him. This was followed by a series of massive explosions. From the sound alone, Wang Zhong felt Tank No. 67s crew was done for. Looking down from the aerial view, indeed he saw Tank No. 67 had stopped, settling in the in, with severalrge craters visible from the air nearby. The enemy ne havingpleted its bombing run was pulling up, seemingly nning to find an angle to drop the 50KG little sweet potatoes hanging beneath its wings. Although 50KG was small among aerial bombs, for ground troops, one of these was akin to a gas cylinder; even if you were lying down, the st wave could still cause serious injury. At this moment, Wang Zhong saw Sergeant Grigori leading a squad of submachine gunners charge forward, using the craters from the aerial bombs as cover to protect Tank No. 67. Wang Zhong remembered his previous order to this group: protect the heavy tank at all costs and take down any approaching enemy. Even without knowing whether the tank had been destroyed, the order was being faithfully executed. The only good news was that the 500KG heavy aerial bombs st had dispersed the smoke, giving Grigoris group a clear line of sight and the chance to maximize the firepower of their submachine guns. The enemy infantry rushing up only had submachine guns for the officers, so it was natural that they were outgunned in the firefight. Suddenly, a stick grenade was thrown towards the crater. Sergeant Grigori threw his submachine gun to the side and caught the grenade, tossing it back. The explosion sent the Prussian who threw it tumbling. But taking advantage of the submachine guns pause in fire, more grenades were thrown! Sergeant Grigori drew his entrenching tool and, like ying badminton, hit the grenades back one by one. There he was, the vic superman, the original Astarte! Just then, thepletely silent Tank No. 67s engine spewed out a cloud of thick smoke. The enemy troops, who had been swarming forward, stopped in their tracks, terrified by the awakening steel beast. The coaxial machine gun in the turret rang out, and tracers demolished the enemys remaining morale. But! The Stuka came back around! Wang Zhong just happened to run near a machine-gun position at the edge of the vige and he shouted, Fire at the sky! Theres no visibility on the ground anyway! With smoke covering the ground, machine guns really couldnt be fully utilized. Chapter 59: Unforgettable Summer Memories (2) The shooter immediately swung the muzzle of his gun around, then realized he didnt have enough elevation. At that moment, a private hefted the tripod of the machine gun, raising the muzzle higher. The machine gunner immediately opened fire. The tracer rounds futilely tried to stop the fleet of aircraft. Just then, a rocket rose from the ground, its head blooming with a Venus-like glow in the sunset. Divine Arrow! The enemys lead ne scrambled to evade but was overtaken by the Divine Arrow as it curved in pursuit, plummeting to the ground with thick smoke and mes trailing behind. The remaining enemy nes, unsure of how many more Divine Arrows there were, immediately turned to disengage, swiftly descending to treetop level and sped off. At that moment, a re shot up from the mountaintop. A yellow re.Yesterday, when the enemy had ceased their attack, Wang Zhong had seen such a re too. It must be the signal to stop the attack. Sure enough, the Prosen infantry began to retreat. Shrifen actually couldnt see what was happening in front of him; his view was blocked by smoke. But he clearly heard the tank engines, which had briefly stopped, roar back to life. "The enemy tanks are still there! he shouted over the radio, Flying Eagle, Flying Eagle, I request a second strike! Use your 50kg bombs! "Alright, this time we see the enemy tanks, let the infantry pull back a bit, the lead pilot confidently replied over them, Its time to show some real skill. As the words were spoken, a rocket ascended. Shrifen: Enemy Divine Arrowunched! "I see it, may Valha protect us! Then themunication cut off. Shrifen watched as the lead ne, trailed by billowing smoke and mes, crashed into the ground without any sign of the pilot ejecting. The other aircraft scattered like birds, retreating to low altitude and heading west. Major Franz: Damn it, the Air Force really cant be relied on. After saying this, he turned around, and before he could speak, Major Shrifen said, We should retreat. Major Shrifen turned to look at the sky and continued, Its getting dark. We have no way to deal with the enemys heavy tanks. In Carolingian, we used eighty-eight millimeter k guns against the enemys B1 heavy tanks. The anti-aircraft battalion should be up by tomorrow. Wang Zhong, mounted on his white horse, stood at the entrance of the vige. The setting sun dipped westward, casting a crimson hue over the entire field. After a relentless gallop and even knocking an enemy airborne, Bucephalus had only broken a small sweat, not even breathing heavily. With the enemy retreating, did it meanthe mission was aplished? There were still two hours until eight oclock. The enemy likely wouldnt attack in this condition, right? Wang Zhong decided to use this opportunity when the enemycked the will to fight to move forward and verify their situation. As long as the enemy had suffered significant losses, it was highly probable they wouldnt attack again today. He gently kicked the horses belly, and Bucephalus, as if understanding his intent, immediately set off towards the sunset. The wind swept across the battlefield, lifting Wang Zhongs hair. Through his binocrs, Shrifen saw the officer who hade to provoke them in the morning appear again on a white horse. He faced the setting sun with the posture of a victor. Shrifens teeth clenched with a gritting noise. "That bastard! Aim the infantry gun at him! st him to bits! "Major, the infantry gun is out of ammo! "Then use the mortar! "The mortar cant hit that urately! "Then use a machine gun! Find a sharpshooter! "Our best machine gunners are all dead, Major! "Bring mymand vehicle! Ill run him over myself! "Major, calm down! Wang Zhong looked puzzled at the disorganized enemy. He didnt bother to investigate further, as his objective was already achieved. Confirming that the enemy had suffered heavy losses andcked the capability to continue the attack, he could leave. If it hadnt been for Bucephaluss bravery today, kicking the enemy soldier into the air, he might have died. Wang Zhong reflected seriously, realizing he still needed to be cautious about preserving his life in the future. Speaking of which, when he had charged out earlier using the smoke to cover the tanks, he hadnt felt a trace of fear. Wang Zhong couldnt help but remember an olddy who had oncee to give a talk at his school. The olddy was a sanitary officer who had been recognized with three significant merits (before the reorganization, there were no different levels of merit, only major and minor). She had joked, Looking back now, I find it unbelievable. I never knew what fear was back then. "Now, when Im on the street, seeing a pickpocket makes me worry whether he has a knife or aplices. "It seems that the courage I had back then has forever left me. Maybe its because the dreams I had back then havee true! With that, the olddy beamed with a radiant smile. "That kind of courage, now Wang Zhong knew exactly what that kind of courage was. He had somehow resonated with the predecessors of his original timeline, despite having crossed over to this world, and the feeling was remarkable. With such sentiments, Wang Zhong returned to tank number 67, looking at Xie Liaosha, who was bandaging his wounds: Hows it going? Xie Liaosha smiled: Still alive. Were all alive. But this buddy has broken down. He patted the turrets top armor. Wang Zhong: Can it be fixed? Were retreating at eight tonight. However, Xie Liaosha shook his head: It cant be fixed. The spare parts we brought have been blown up. The engine can still turn, but who knows when it will break down too, then we can only operate the turret manually. Wang Zhongs chest suddenly tightened. He had a vague premonition that something was about to happen. Xie Liaosha spoke up: Well keep holding back the enemy here, fighting until thest bullet is fired. You can retreat in peace. Wang Zhongs lips trembled. After a moment, he said, No, I order you to try and fix the tank in the night. If its not repaired by midnight, abandon the tank and retreat. Well rendezvous at Bogdanovka. Chapter 60: Unforgettable Summer Memories (3) ` In order to keep Xie Liaosha from disobeying orders, Wang Zhong added, This is an order! Xie Liaosha slowly shook his head, a blood-like hue from the sunset on his face, Sir, we cannot leave the tank to the enemy. If they repair it, they will use it against us. The armor that the enemy cant prate, we will also have trouble prating. Think about how many of our own people would die if this oldrade falls into enemy hands. "If we abandon the tank, we must destroy it. Right now, the enemy fears it, and as soon as it is destroyed, they will immediately begin pursuit. Trust me. Wang Zhong couldnt find the words to reply. Xie Liaosha continued, Give us a satchel charge. Then well resist until thest moment, and we can even take a few bastards with us using the satchel charge. Wang Zhong watched Xie Liaosha, noticing a gleam in his eyes. Thinking back now, its incredible how the former me never knew what fear was. Wang Zhong, Ive taken your suggestion. Do you have any letters youd like me to pass on?"Yes. Xie Liaosha pulled out a letter from his left breast pocket and handed it to Wang Zhong, The address is written on it. Just mail it for us. "I have one too! "And mine! Soon, all the letters from Tank No. 67s crew were in Wang Zhongs hands. Clutching the stack of thin sheets, Wang Zhong felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds. He saw Xie Liaosha and the entire tank crew smiling fearlessly. It took all of his strength to keep from crying in front of these brave young men. He pocketed the lettershis pocket already contained a bloodstained letter. Wang Zhong, mounted on his horse, saluted the soon-to-be-dead. Then, he resolutely turned his horse around and headed east. Evening, eight oclock sharp. Wang Zhong lowered his hand and looked at the troops already lined up in the street. Compared to 38 hours before, the size of the force had drastically reduced, and nearly everyone was wounded. But everyone including those with minor injuries in the hospitalwas full of vigor. Wang Zhong dismounted, helped a wounded man onto the horse, and then ordered to the entire army: All units, march! The troops set off in silence. Wang Zhong also took steps. He saw the locals who had decided to stay, standing on the roadside, watching them withplex expressions. Wang Zhong, Liven up! Let the locals see our spirit! Let them know that one day we wille back to fight! Then, the orderly footsteps grew even louder. Wang Zhong felt it wasnt enough, so he shouted, Sufang! Start us off with a lively song! We are the army of victory, we must have the bearing of victors! Sufangs voice came from the back of the column. "I remember a small town in another province "Peaceful, quiet, and mncholic "With a church, a station, and a tree-lined pathway "In the crowd, I sometimes glimpse "That familiar, dear silhouette More people joined in the chorus. "She wore a blue sun hat "A blue short coat "A dark skirt, the silhouette of a young girl "Ah, my brief, passing love! The chorus arrived, everyone singing in unison. The beat of the song mingled with the orderly steps, the forest of bays swaying to the song, like an impassible Great Wall! "Tanya! Tanusha! My Takiyanne! "Do you still remember that fiery summer "I cant forget those moments "That time of yearning love! The summer wind blew through the column, bringing the warmth of summer days. Someone unknown whistled yfully, as if scoffing at war and invaders! "Tanya! Tanusha! My Takiyanne! "Do you still remember that fiery summer "I cant forget those moments "That time of yearning love! ` Chapter 61: Dawn Falls on You Ludm walked in the middle of the column, apanied by the nurses from the field hospital. She kept staring at the white horse carrying wounded soldiers not far away. Sufang asked curiously, Why are you looking at the white horse? Ludm whispered, He would have never let the wounded use his white horse before, definitely not. "Who? Sufang didnt catch on at first, then realized, Oh, he huh, hes grown up, that word is yes, transformation! I read a book about insects; many insects start asrvae and end up inside a cocoon, and when they emerge, they turn into butterflies. Ludm looked at Sufang, The Book of Insects? The one written by that Carolingian biologist? "Seems like it. Ludm shook her head and continued watching the white horse, Can people really change thatpletely? Isnt there a saying that its easier to change rivers and mountains than ones nature? "I grew up with him. He was a jerk since childhood, just grew up to be a lecherous jerk But now, I feel like hes apletely different person.Just then, a senior nurse walking in front of them turned around and said, Miss, you may not realize this, but men change when they go to war. "This is what my mother said, my father was also a jerk in his youth, then he went to war in Anatolia, and he changed! "My mother has long forgotten the events of the war, but my father remembers everythingwhomanded which unit, which general was a hero and which a coward, he remembers it all. "If other old mene to visit at our house, they could sit in the living room and babble about these things all day long. "War is like magic for men; in war, they either die or turn into men who can stand on their own two feet. This Auntie Nurse was evidently a chatterbox; once she started talking, there seemed to be no end, just rattling on and on. Finally, she concluded with a verdict, The count must be the same. The wounded in the hospital talk about how the Count rides his white horse through the artillery fire. If they were youngdies, theyd probably be smitten by now! Sufang looked awkwardly to the side. Ludm still frowned, But at the beginning of the war, he still err never mind, forget I said anything. It must be some mistake if Alyosha is actually charming enough to bewitch girls. The Auntie Nurse burst intoughter. "Alyosha Wang Zhong didnt care at all what the girls were talking about; he took a few steps and then looked back, always feeling like he heard the sound of an explosion. Walking beside Wang Zhong, Yegorovforted him, The enemy suffered more losses than we did, they wont attack tonight. Maybe by tomorrow the vehicle will be fixed, and they could even reach Bogdanovka and join up with us. Wang Zhong nodded, Lets hope so. If the enemy doesnt attack tonight, we should allow them to retreat. "They want to blow up the vehicle; as soon as the vehicle explodes, the enemy will be alerted, Yegorov paused before adding, Moreover, maybe they can hold out in Peniye for another day, giving the 63rd Army at Bogdanovka more time to prepare their defenses. Pavlov chimed in, They came from Bogdanovka, so they know what the defense line looks like; maybe they deliberately stayed behind. Wang Zhong nodded, If thats the case, we must carry on their will and continue the fight. "Of course. Wang Zhong then asked, Whats the process for applying for a medal? Although it was strange for an officer to ask such a question, Wang Zhongs original identity was that of a dissolute schr, so it somehow seemed not that surprisinging from him. Pavlov clicked his tongue, The application for a medal has to be signed by the Military Bishop, and you blew up the Bishop. Wang Zhong corrected, I blew up the spy posing as the Bishop. Yegorov then turned and asked, Hey, do we still have a Military Chain in the troops? In the darkness, someone replied, All dead, Commander. The Chapiains are usually the first to die. Yegorov spread his hands to Wang Zhong in resignation. Pavlov went on, Our situation is a bit tricky; the entire highermand structure is wiped out, left in Ronied. From the clerical orders, only a Divine Arrow squad is left. "We dont even know after reaching Bogdanovka who we will be taking orders from. Wang Zhong, It doesnt matter whomands. As long as we can fight the Prussian devils, thats good enough. At that moment, he suddenly remembered something importanthe had been fighting all along and had no idea what the date was today. So he feigned nonchnce and said, With these ceaseless battles, Ive almost forgotten what date it is today. Pavlov, June 29th, the first Sunday after the war starteddamn, its actually Sunday today! Yegorov also had a sudden realization, A week into the war already? I remember the night before it started, I was nning to try out some high-ss art, so I bought a ticket for the Ronied Grand Theater, and ended up falling asleep straight through, not even waking up for the apuse. Wang Zhong scratched his head, Its only been a week since the war started? "Yeah, just a week. And yet weve lost Ronied, the Prussians are advancing much faster than us during the winter campaign and the civil war. Pavlov clicked his tongue, Although they are the enemy, you have to admit they are formidable. Wang Zhong, Fortunately, the enemy advanced quickly, so we were not hit by heavy artillery. If the enemys heavy artillery came up, wed all have to fill the gap with our bodies. As he spoke, he recalled the feeling of being bombarded by the enemy navys 381-millimeter guns and sincerely hoped it wouldnt happen again. At this moment, the first light of dawn began to appear in the east. Wang Zhong nced at his watch and realized it was almost daylight. Without realizing it, he had walked through the night. But Wang Zhong didnt feel tired at all. Before he realized he had walked all night, he hadnt felt any difort in his legs, but now they began to swell and exhibit the fatigue of a long march. Wang Zhong, When can we get to Bogdanovka? Just then, the scout riding a gray horse returned and saluted Wang Zhong, Count, theres a farmhouse ahead! Yegorov, Is there a well? "Yes,rademander. Yegorov immediately turned to Wang Zhong, I suggest we rest at the farmhouse for fifteen minutes, and fill our water bottles. It was at that moment that Wang Zhong realized he was sweating profusely and his mouth was very dry. So he nodded, Rest at the farmhouse. Arrange the sentries, be on guard for pursuers. Yegorov immediately turned to give the order. Calling it a farmhouse was actually a bit of a stretch; it was just a smallplex of a single-story house, stables, and a granary, surrounded by a waist-high wall. The granary was a tall silo, and upon seeing it, Wang Zhong reflexively wanted to climb up to survey the surroundings. To him now, tall buildings were like the watchtowers in the Assassins Creed game series, naturally alluring and begging to be climbed. A three-generational family lived in the farmhouse, and under the lead of the old man Aleksandrovich, they weed Wang Zhong and his group. "My lord, the old man said, ncing at the troops entering the yard, have you suffered a defeat? Are the Prussiansing soon? Wang Zhong, We won, held off an attack from an enemy several times our size, andpleted our mission to dy their advance, sir. The old man, So, the Prussians areing soon, right? "Right, you should run with us. We have our defenses at Bogdanovka. After Wang Zhong finished, Pavlov added, The trains there should still be operational. Take the train back east! But the old man shook his head, My wife and I cant walk anymore. Can you take my daughter-inw and grandchildren? My son left the day the war started, to join the army. "He said we would quickly defeat the enemy and if he didnt enlist right away, hed miss his chance for glory. He even talked abouting back a noble! As the old man spoke, a look of sorrow appeared in his eyes, We wont be able to defeat the enemy quickly, will we? Wang Zhong, Indeed. Pavlov, the hospital could still use nurses, couldnt it? Let thisdy join. Pavlov, looking troubled, Thedy is fine, but the children Wang Zhong, Let theme along. There will definitely be nurseries in the rear. We can leave them at a nursery when the timees. "Yes. Pavlov gestured for the daughter-inw toe. Just then, the sound of an engine came from the sky. Sergeant Major Grigori, who had been on guard next to Wang Zhong and the others, shouted, Take cover! Wang Zhong, Dont worry, its our ne. He had already seen the ne approaching from the east through a birds-eye view. The soldiers who had just hit the ground were climbing up when an Il-2 appeared against the morning light in the east. Yegorov muttered, The number is the same as the ne from yesterday, its the same one. Wang Zhong, Its the same one that helped us yesterday! Sergeant Major Grigori led the shout, Hoorah! Amidst the shouts of hoorah, the ne flew low over their heads, and they could clearly see the rockets mounted under its wings. The ne seemed to hear the sounds from the ground and rolled sixty degrees, allowing the pilot to look at the ground and salute the people below. Wang Zhong felt a sense of significance, feeling that this salute gave meaning to all the struggles they had enduredno, the struggles were definitely meaningful, but it was this salute that now gave those meanings a sense of reality. He too returned the salute from the ground to thank the pilot for his help the day before. After flying past the farmhouse, the ne rolled back to its normal position. Just then, the sun finally showed its face in the east, and the bright morning light shone on Wang Zhong. Chapter 62: Rocossov Returns from Hell Jules 914, June 29, Sunday, the 7th day of the war. At 0730 in the morning, Lieutenant Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky led thest organized remnants of the Ronied soldiers to Bogdanovka. Wang Zhong actually spotted the defense line of the 63rd Army even earlier than the scouts did. In order not to attract the attention of the people around him, he specifically waited for the cavalry scouts to return and report before issuing the order, Go immediately and inform our allies that we are the Third Rear Amur Group of the Vanguard of Upper Peniye, along with us are the Ronied Support Battalion, and the field hospital. Do not fire. The scout saluted, turned his little gray horse around, and galloped away at full speed. Wang Zhong left the formation and put on the air of an officer, shouting to the soldiers, Soldiers! I know you have fought bravely for a day and marched all night, and you are very tired! "But now a new mission falls upon our shoulders! We must exhibit the demeanor of a victorious army and inspire the morale of ourrades! Let them know the Prussians can be defeated! "All troops, attention!The troops in front of Wang Zhong immediately came to a halt, and themand to stand at attention was passed down. Soon, the whole unit stopped moving. Wang Zhong: Dress right! Eyes front! Raise your heads and puff out your chests, and walk in step! March in unison! The previously disordered steps now became uniform, and everyones feet spoke with one voice. Wang Zhong stood on a mound, watching the forest of bays passing in front of him, and nodded in satisfaction. Although he felt that it was time to sing a song, considering that the soldiers were indeed very tired, he decided against it. The soldiers of the 510th Regiment of the 75th Division of the 63rd Army watched with amazement at this ragged but high-spirited unit. The regimentalmander, Borokino, stepped out of hismand bunker and stood on the hill watching this small unit. The military chain stood by his side, marveling, They look wretched, but every one of them is full of energy. It feels like they are not the remnants of a defeated force, but a troop that has won a victory? Borokino: Dont you know? They broke through from Ronied, and then, without any reinforcements, held up against a Prussian assault group of elite forces at Upper Peniye. They destroyed dozens of tanks alone. "Oh. The chain let out an admiring sound, Thats impressive. Whomanded them? "Count Rocossov. The chain was stunned, turned his head with an incredulous look at themander: Who? "Rocossov. Borokino repeated. "Which Rocossov? the chain asked again, as the Rocossov surname was quitemon in Livonia and Moravia, and parts of these regions were under the rule of the Ante Empire, which, to consolidate its rule, once had the local nobles exchangends with the native nobility. Borokino: The one who graduated five sses after me, at the bottom of his ss. "That Rocossov? The chain was shocked. Borokino pointed at the troop: Look, that one, walking next to the formation. Dont be fooled by his robust appearance, he worked out just to pick up girls. The chain scrutinized that Rocossov from a distance and said, He doesnt seem like the Rocossov from the rumors. At least by appearance, he looks now like a seasoned warrior of many battles. Borokino pursed his lips, not answering. Suddenly, he stepped forward two paces and shouted, Aleksei Konstantinovich! Wang Zhong now no longer reacted slowly when hearing his own name. Looking up in confusion, he saw a colonel he did not recognize at all. Shit, he thought, who the hell are you? But he quickly realized that looking at an ally from an overview perspective would disy a name, so he decisively switched to remember the name and then switched back. "Borokino Aleksandrovich, hello! "I heard you did a good job this time! the other side said. Wang Zhongs expression darkened. If this were the past, Wang Zhong would definitely have started to strut and show off by now. But now, he could not feel happy at all when he heard the praise. He thought of the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves in battle. He said: Its not good enough. I didnt do well enough. You see, Aleksandrovich, take a look at my troops, so few have returned, and they are all wounded. I did not do well enough. The man across from him was taken aback: Ah? Uh you are Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, right? Wang Zhong just nodded. The man waspletely baffled: Uh its already enough! After all, youve broken through and held your ground all alone, its enough! Wang Zhong just nodded his head and passed by the acquaintance with his troops. Borokino looked at Rocossov and then at the military chain. The chain said, He really seems to be ming himself, thinking he didnt fight well enough. So this is the kind of person Count Rocossov is Borokino stroked his cheek: Somethings not right, definitely not right. At that moment, the regimental staff officer emerged from themand bunker, reminding, We should report to the rear the passage of Count Rocossovs unit through our defense area. "Oh yes, report it quickly. I need to make a phone call. Wang Zhongs troops had just arrived on the outskirts of Bogdanovka when a jeep pulled up in front of the unit and brought the entire contingent to a halt. A major with a staff badge jumped off the vehicle and asked loudly, Are you the Third Rear Amur Group? Yegorov stepped forward, Yes, whats the matter? The major nodded, Duke Vostrom has ordered that we arrange lodging and provide meals and medical supplies for you. The houses have been cleared out, and the food is ready. Follow me. The soldiers, who had just been holding themselves up with forced pride, immediately let out cheers of genuine relief. Twenty minutester, Wang Zhongs soldiers and the wounded were settled in a school, and the hospital reopened its doors. Long tables and chairs were set up outside in the schoolyard, suggesting a makeshift dining area. The exhausted soldiers rushed to the tables and sat down as soon as they heard themand to disperse. Right next to the dining area was the mess, with rudimentary stoves made of stones andrge campaign pots perched on top. A field cooking team,posed of young women from Bogdanovka, bustled about. The girls, with their floral scarves and rolled-up sleeves, were busy beside therge pots. Seeing the girls, the spirits of the weary soldiers lifted noticeably, and whistling and bowl tapping became quite a scene. But the girls were too busy cooking to pay much attention to them, aside from the asional smile. Wang Zhong watched the group and thought to himself how quickly they were able to switch gears. Justst night, they were still immersed in the grief for their fallenrades, and now, they were already flirting with the girls. But perhaps it was the sight of the brutal battlefield that made them realize they might not make it back the next time, so they seized the chance to approach the girls while they could. Who knows. Wang Zhong didnt intend to reprimand the surviving soldiers, instead, he stood by with a benevolent gaze. Wait a moment, speaking of which, Ludm seemed to have a nickname for me, indicating a rtionship where we could address each other in such familiar termscould she be my fiance? After so many days since his transmigration, Wang Zhong began to consider this possibility for the first time. He needed to ask about it as soon as possible. Just as Wang Zhong turned to look for Ludm, another jeep drove into the school and stopped next to the majors jeep that had directed them. Two burly men in church military uniforms disembarked from the vehicle, theirrge caps adorned with blue stripes. In the open-air dining area, a corporal was the first to spot the blue big caps and nudged his buddy, who was whistling at the girls, giving him a forceful shush. The whistler looked around, annoyed, but upon seeing the blue caps, he immediately sat up straight, as if hed seen a ghost. The others curiously turned their heads, and then swiftly shut up, with some signaling to theirrades who were still focused on the girls. The dining area became deathly quiet in an instant. Everyone watched the two Tribunal Judges approach. They came straight to Wang Zhong, saluted him, and asked, Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky? Wang Zhong returned the salute, Thats me. What can I do for you? "Weve received reports that you were killed in action. "Then allow me to enlighten you about the road back from hell, Wang Zhong replied calmly. The battles Wang Zhong had been through could indeed be likened to hell, and he really had returned from it. Of course, he had also truly died. The Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky standing before them was, in the truest sense, a changed man, body and soul. For a moment, Wang Zhong wondered if the Tribunal had sensed something amiss, to consider him some champion of the devil or the like. After all, in a world where God could guide the Divine Arrow, the existence of demons wouldnt be surprising, would it? The Judge, who bore one more star on his shoulder than hispanion, began to speak, We received information from Sergei Nikyevich Romanov that you were alive, and weve learned about yourmand up until reaching Upper Peniye. Wang Zhongs first reaction was, Who? Then he remembered that Sergei Nikyevich Romanov was the dukesdys sweetheart with whom he had exchanged trousers. At the mountain front west of Upper Peniye, Captain Lubokov, overwhelmed by tension, mistook Wang Zhong for a Prussian and took a shot at him. Sergeis head was injured, and he decided to stay put in the hospital, leaving Wang Zhong no choice but to send him back with the wounded in carts from his fellows. Wang Zhong: Is Captain Sergei alright? The Judge made a face of disgust, Hes doing very well, ranting all day about us sending him to Ekaterinburg Fortress, apparently, somedy is waiting there for him. Wang Zhong frownedthe dukesdys sweetheart, could that actually be true? Now the duchess was a widow, and he He shook his head, casting aside these thoughts. Why bother about others? I, Wang Zhong, just need to figure out how to give the Prussians another thrashing. Wang Zhong: I have no connection with him. I hope to replenish my troops quickly. Were still ready to fight. Apart from personnel, he also needed to restock on tanks and artillery, T34s preferred! Hearing Wang Zhongs words, the men of the Third Rear Amur Group all looked his way, their eyes sharp and expressions resolute, eager for another round of arm-wrestling with the Prussians. The Judge scanned the crowd, took a breath topose himself, and said, Before that, we need to understand the battle near Upper Peniye. Would you be willing to join us for a while? That was when Yegorov stepped in, Understanding the battle process isnt the mission of the Tribunal, is it? You dont handle military matters. "You are mistaken, Colonel Ivan Panzhyevich Yegorov. The Army Groups bishop wishes to understand the battle process; its just us he sent to fetch someone. "After all, the staff officers are swamped right now, as are the military chains and monks; only we are somewhat idle. The Judge cracked a smile that carried a hint of apology. Chapter 63: Rocossov and His Band of Heroes Receive Commendations (Alliance Hierarch Added) Wang Zhong stood up, but because he had walked for too long, his legs were still numb, and he nearly stumbled to his knees. The Judge with one more star reacted quickly to support him, Be careful, if you had an ident in front of us, we would gain even more infamy. So youre aware of your bad reputation, huh. Wang Zhong thought just that, while Yegorov outright said, So youre aware of your bad reputation, huh? Wang Zhong widened his eyes at Yegorov, wondering if he was always this bold. Pavlovs expression was as if he wereining, What is this peasant talking about! The Judgeughed, Our job is to instill fear. If everyone saw us and wasnt scared, then the lurking enemies wouldnt be scared either. Theyd be reckless, right? So its better for us to be feared. Wang Zhong and his officer squad, which really consisted only of Yegorov and Pavlov, exchanged nces. He decided to skip over this matter and straightened his body, saying to the Judge, Lead the way. By your car?"Alyosha! Before the Judge could respond, a call came from behind. General Wang turned around to see Ludm jogging over, holding a te in her right hand with bread, grilled sausages, and pickles, and carrying a cup in her left hand. "Have something to eat, Ludm said, Thest time you ate was at dawn, and youve walked so much since then, you must be hungry. Wang Zhong nodded, he indeed was hungry. He first bit into the bread, then silently put it back. It was said to be a fragrantrge loaf, but this piece of wood obviously wasnt one. With apprehension, Wang Zhong picked up the grilled sausage and after one bite, stuffed the rest in his mouth without another word. He made a note to remember in the future, to trust sausageslikely all meats were trustworthy. Finally, Wang Zhong picked up a pickle. It tasted likewell, like a pickle. After eating, Wang Zhong wiped his mouth and took the cup from Ludm. After a sip, he noticed it wasnt water in the cup, but milk. Wang Zhong: Where did the milke from? "Theres a whole bucket over there, Ludm said, pointing to arge bucket with a faucet in the distance near the kitchen. Wang Zhong: Ah, cows milk. "Yes, what else would it be? Ludm asked, confused. Wang Zhong tried not to let his eyes wander and answered, I thought it was mares milk. Ludm was even more perplexed, You want to drink mares milk? Isnt that difficult to get now? Wang Zhong drank the rest of the liquid in the cup in one go and handed it back to the girl, Cows milk is fine. Im off. "Right, Ludm added, Monk Yeca Neiko has gone to the Army Group church; we might be deployed somewhere else. Alyosha, I Upon hearing that his Divine Arrow squad might be taken away, Wang Zhong became furious. He hadnt even secured a tank yet, and now they wanted to take his Divine Arrow? He raised his voice, Without my permission, none of you can leave! Im going to see the Army Group Hierarch now, Ill speak to him! Ludm breathed a sigh of relief, and her expression softened. She seemed pleased. Wang Zhong, still fuming with anger, got into the Tribunals car and sat in the back, muttering, Taking my Divine Arrows, what a joke. Without the tank and my short-range anti-tank missile group (referring to the Divine Arrow squad, which Wang Zhong saw as an anti-tank missile group) being moved, this war cant be fought. I need to have a seriousint to the Brigade Commanderno, to the Army Group Hierarch! The two Judges also got in the car. Yegorov intended to get in the car as well, but the Judge said, You dont need toe. Write a report on thebat process, staff wille to get it. Yegorov clicked his tongue and looked back at Sergeant Grigori. The Sergeant immediately understood, picked up the captured MP40, and sat in the backseat of the jeep, next to Wang Zhong. "Im a guard, the Sergeant said, Its normal to bring a guard, right? The Judge nodded and started the vehicle. The car thus left the school. After the Judge had left, all the soldiers from the Third Rear Amur Group breathed a sigh of relief, and the scene quickly livened up again. The young girls from the field cooking team began to discuss the Count who had just left. They were all girls conscripted from the local area of Bogdanovka; some were even born after the civil war ended, and many were too young to remember anything during the civil war. Even though Bogdanovka had been bombed by the Prussians, the Prussian attacks were focused mainly on the train station and the lotive repair factory next to it, so most of the people from Bogdanovka had not really seen someone wounded or killed by Prussian nes. Therefore, these girls had little concept of the cruelty of war, and their imaginations of war were mainly influenced by movies, music, and poetry. They passionately discussed the words the Count had just said: "Natasha, did you hear? The Count said Then I can introduce you to the road back from hell, so cool! "Yes, when he said those words, his expression made my heart almost jump out! "Right, who was that girl who just brought food to the Count? She seemed just a bit older than us. As the girls chattered excitedly while working, the auntie in charge of stirring the pot knocked the edge of the pot hard with herrge spoon, Stop chattering and focus on work, girls! Natasha, look at the potatoes you peeled; I can see spots where you didnt peel off the skin! No sooner had she spoken than someone from the soldiers yelled out, Ill eat that potato! This caused a round ofughter. Chapter 64: Rocossov and His Band of Heroes Receive Commendations (Alliance Hierarch Added) (2) But the olddy didnt even look at the soldiers, instead she continued to berate the girls, During the civil war, I was part of a field cooking team just like you. "Im telling you, whether noble ormoner, handsome or mischievous, anyone can vanish without a trace! "The lucky ones are gone instantly, the less fortunate end up in the hospital, missing limbs, facing a lifetime of hardship! "Dont fall in love with soldiers, girls, dont! After the war is over, find a lucky fellow with nimble legs to marrythats the right way! The only right way! The aunts words silenced the soldiers. After a moment of silence, Pavlov said, Auntie, this time its different from the civil war! Weve seen with our own eyes that the Prosen devils are like demons, they ughter civilians at will! "Weve witnessed them dump entire families spanning three generations into manure pits! "If we dont fight, if we dont annihte them, everyone will be killed, they will take ournd and use our corpses to fertilize their fields! The olddy stirred the potato and carrot soup in the big pot while replying, Yes, I know. Thats why Im cooking for you.While she spoke, the aunt suddenly couldnt hold back her tears and began to sob quietly, reminded perhaps of some sorrowful memory. The girls gathered around tofort her, but the aunt shouted, Peel your potatoes! The soldiers are waiting to eat! They are still waiting to eat Meanwhile, at themand headquarters. The Chief of Staff of the 41st Army Group ced a map on the table. "This is a map drawn by the staff officers. If it were the ignorant Rokossov, he definitely wouldnt be able to clearly exin how they made it to Upper Peniye, boasted the Chief of Staff, He would be exposed instantly, and all his lies would copse without a fight! The Archbishop of the Army Group came over to look at the map and asked, Is this map urate? "urate, drawn strictly to scale. The biggest difference from a real map is that this one includesndmarks based on aerial photos, all specifically picked ording to the route described by Captain Sergey. If it was indeed Rokossov who directed their retreat to Upper Peniye, he would definitely remember! The Archbishop nodded and turned to the Duke, the Commander of the 41st Army Group. The Duke said, Very well, lets use this to test Count Rokossovs mettle! If his previous disy of ignorance was all an act to charm the Crown Prince, then we shall rmend him for a medal. "If he truly is ignorant, then we must find the real person whomanded this battle and put them to good use! The Tribunals vehicle stopped in front of an unimpressive little building. Wang Zhong looked at the building with confusion, The headquarters is here? It looks just like an ordinary house. It was even less impressive than the mechanical mill in Upper Peniye. The driving Judge pointed toward the city hall building not far away, Look over there, weve put up a military and national g on the roof, and it gets bombed everyday. Fortunately, the building itself is made of reinforced concrete, which is quite sturdy. Wang Zhong replied, I see, its to avoid air raids. The Judge said, A traitor tried to guide the Prosen Air Force to the headquarters with a Smoke Bomb, but we caught and executed him by firing squad. Now, military vehicles are not allowed to stop nearby, nor hang colors that are easily identifiable from the air. After you get out, Ill have to drive the car away. Hurry on, my lord Count. Only after Wang Zhong opened the door and got out of the vehicle did the jeep drive away, and once everyone else had gotten out as well. At the entrance of the headquarters stood a young officer with a golden aiguillette on his uniform. Looking at that cord, Wang Zhong felt it resembled the adjutant cord of a Sturmtiger, with a golden one indicating the adjutant to a general. The adjutant made a weing gesture. Wang Zhong, however, was not in a hurry. He observed the in headquarters, adjusted his clothes, and then strode confidently towards the entrance. Upon entering the headquarters, he heard the familiar beep-beep of telegraph machines, and by looking down the hallway, he could see a room full of telegraphs with a crowd of operators busily working. The Judge led Wang Zhong into the room opposite the telegraph room. Inside was a table with a map, around which stood a crowd of high-ranking officers invish uniforms, their medals nearly dazzling Wang Zhongs eyes. Wang Zhong shifted his perspective to survey the room and got a rough idea of who was present, then saluted the highest-ranking among them, the Duke of Vozdrom, Your Excellency the Duke, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov, at yourmand. The Duke returned the salute, Konstantinovich, Im d you could make it. Come, tell us how you managed to escape from the encirclement in Ronied. As he spoke, the Duke pointed to the map in front of him. Wang Zhong immediately went forward and began to exin, using the map. He was already well acquainted with maps, having spent years ying various war games before he was transported to this world, some of which were purely about map exercises and aiming for realism. And on his way out of Ronied, he had constantly shifted to an overhead view, bing thoroughly familiar with the terrain. About fifteen minutester, Wang Zhong stopped talking. The adjutant with the golden cord immediately passed him some water. The Duke and the other senior officers looked at each other, perplexed. Eventually, the Archbishop of the 41st Army Group spoke up, Aleksei Konstantinovich, werent youst in your ss at the military academy? Our understanding is that you could barely read a map. Chapter 65: Rocossov and His Band of Heroes Receive Commendations (Alliance Hierarch Added) (3) Wang Zhong thought to himself, what the hell, is the original host such a waste as toe to this? What to do, would it be too obvious if I im to be guided by God and get branded a heretic by the clergy and beaten? He spoke up, I might indeed be thest in my ss, but I can still read a map. The so-called inability to read maps must be a rumor spread by my ssmates, yes, a rumor! The Army Groups Priest looked toward Duke Vostrom. The Duke said, How can you be sure that the front is a defensive gap in the enemys line? Wang Zhong: I wasnt sure; initially, I only ordered a smoke screen to block the enemys superior firepower. As a result, the third wave from the Amur Group charged and went straight to the enemys front-line headquarters. "At that time, my judgment was that the enemy must have deployed heavy troops to the east to block the breakout forces, so why not reverse the thinking. A few senior officers looked at each other once again. The Duke asked again, Why did you decide to defend at Peniye? That was not an order given to you.Wang Zhong: At that time, we were riding in a captured Prussian truck, and as soon as we saw Lubokovs troops, we got shelled. Continuing to ride in Prussian trucks would undoubtedly result in more shelling. "We had no choice but to dismount and proceed on foot. And there were only a few T28s responsible for guarding Peniye, thin-skinned and filled with fillings; the enemy could take the vige in no time and then continue to advance. "We would be caught up with; the enemy is mechanized troops! Those beside the map table exchanged nces, and finally, the Duke said, Then tell us about the defense at Peniye. As soon as he finished speaking, the staff brought out a new map, which surprisingly detailed theyout of Peniye vige, with the position of every house marked on it. Upon seeing the map, Wang Zhong immediately said, This map is wrong here; this house should be directly south of the machinery mill. He was all too familiar with Peniye, having overlooked it for two days, with many of his soldiers having valiantly sacrificed their lives there. Perhaps even when Wang Zhong grows old, he will still remember this little vige, remembering every brick and tile, every de of grass and tree. The Army Groups Chief of Staff said, Just make do with it and talk. This is drawn by the staff based on aerial photographs. Its not precise, but its usable. Wang Zhong nodded and began to recall the battle thatsted for 38 hours. 30 minutester. The Alliance Hierarch spoke first, Well done, Aleksei Konstantinovich, well done! "After you have rested, go and repeat this to the Priest of the propaganda department! Make sure they promote it well; we can defeat the Prussian Army with courage and wisdom! The Army Groups Chief of Staff chimed in, With close-quarters city fighting, you destroyed so many of the enemys tanks! You have destroyed more tanks than many tank armies! Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow: So, Ive passed? He could tell that these senior officers didnt believe he couldmand and win a battle; they were testing him on purpose. The Duke walked around the map table and patted Wang Zhongs shoulder, Aleksei Konstantinovich, I admit we were a bit incredulous initially about you fighting a splendid battle, but now we arepletely convinced. Perhaps youre just not good at taking tests at the military academy! Wang Zhong responded seriously, Your Grace, it wasnt I who fought the amazing battle, it was my soldiers who fought the amazing battle. I only I only cheated. But Wang Zhong couldnt say that, so he stopped there. Yet the Duke seemed to understand everything with an I get it, I get all of it expression, turned to the Priest and said, Nikita, apply for the honorific of guards for the third wave of Amur Group. And that tank regiment too, the thirty-first tank regiment, right? Apply for them too! The Priest looked troubled: The Amur Group is easy to say, but the thirty-first regiment ispletely wiped out; theres no precedent for granting the title of guards to a unit that has been destroyed without leaving a number. Wang Zhong was deeply distressed when he heard these words, remembering the letter from Gunner 422 in his pocket and Lubokovs smiling face. Just then, a staff officer came in, Report, aerial reconnaissance results are in. The enemy has not yet upied Upper Peniye, the pilot saw a number 67 heavy tank still in battle. Wang Zhong was shocked, Theyre still fighting? "Yes, theyre still fighting, the staff officer nodded. Wang Zhong stepped forward, grabbing the Dukes hand, Quickly send armored troops to their aid! The Duke looked troubled, Aleksei Konstantinovich, the Fourth Tank Army is thest armored unit we have. Wang Zhongs shoulders slumped, but then he remembered something and asked, What is the situation of the defenses, I mean, here at this location? Themander of the 63rd Army said, We have constructed a basic trench system, but there wasnt enough time, and due to ack of cement, there are not many anti-tank piles and strong defensive positions built, the situation is very bad. If only we had one more day. Having received the answer, Wang Zhong became more certain that Tank 67 must have known this. A mechanical failure was just an opportunity, because of the mechanical failure, these brave people decided to simply stay and dy the enemy for another day, to buy time for the defensive line. Wang Zhong once again tightened his grip on the Dukes hand, Please apply for apply for the highest honor for Tank 67s crew! He was initially going to say Hero of the Soviet Union, but halfway through he remembered there was no Soviet Union here and he didnt know what the highest honor of the Ante Empire was. The Alliance Hierarch nodded, We will apply for the Gold Star Medal, the highest honor for them. The Army Group Chief of Staff chimed in, As for you, Aleksei Konstantinovich, we are preparing to send you and your troops to Loktov for rest and reorganization. Youd be in charge of reorganizing the disarrayed soldiers from the front. How about that? Wang Zhong, No! I can still fight, give me troops, I can kill more Prussian devils! The Duke shook his head, No, I have a premonition that this war is going to be long and nasty, theres no need for you to hurry to kill Prussians. You look very pale and extremely exhausted, without a trace of color. You and your troops need to rest. "We will hold the enemy at Bogdanovka for at least three weeks, by then, after you have rested, I assure you, you will be sent to the most dangerous ce. Wang Zhong thought about it and felt that with the Dukes confidence, there must be ample troops at his disposal, so taking a rest might be good. With personnel and equipment replenished, they could better deal with the Prussian devils. So he changed his request, Then, I want to replenish personnel and equipment, I want tanks, artillery At this moment, he looked at the Alliance Hierarch and, remembering something, said, And, dont transfer my Divine Arrow squad! The Hierarch, The Divine Arrow squad currently assigned to your division, the prayer hand is your childhood friend, right, Aleksei Konstantinovich? "I wont transfer this Divine Arrow squad. Although we are short of Divine Arrows at the front, I think Yeca Neiko Monks squad also needs to rest. Wang Zhong felt relieved. "What about the tanks? he continued, I want T-34 tanks, the more the better! The Duke interrupted Wang Zhong, You will definitely get personnel reinforcements, but as for equipment, we are all short on equipment now. "Loktov is our supply center, go there and ask the logistics department for what you need. "Youll rest in the city today and leave tomorrow morning, taking the empty cars heading back, The Duke turned to the Chief of Staff, Tell the logistics department to send good wine and good cigarettes to the 3rd Rear Amur Group! And of course, beef, as much as they can eat, give them all they want! Chapter 66: Young Friends ` Following the meeting, Wang Zhong felt like he had joined a praise group, showered withpliments by everyone. But he didnt care about that at all; he strove to find a time to hunt for the overall map. From his birds-eye view, he could only see about two kilometers around the troops under hismand and those he couldmunicate with directly; climbing heights allowed him a slightly farther view. This distance might correspond to just one centimeter on the map. He needed to find a map, preferably one of the entire battlefield or even the whole country, to understand the current situation. Knowing that only a week had passed since the beginning of the war, hepared it to the Barbarossa he knew of; in the first week, the furthest German units had only advanced 170 kilometers. If both worlds progressed simrly, then the next week should see the Minsk encirclement. Wang Zhong scanned around and spotted the overall battlefield map on the most conspicuous wall with a staff officer attaching markers to it, using a smalldder.So, he left the still-praising officers behind and headed straight for the map. When he got there, he suddenly remembered a scene from a movie and, to emphasize his professionalism, he asked, What times reports have the map been updated with? The staff officer on thedder replied, The north is updated with thetest reports; the situation in the south was updated at five in the morning. Wang Zhong nodded and began to scrutinize the map carefully from north to south. After Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky raced to the map, Duke Vostrom collected his smile and looked towards hismand team. Theyd praised Rokossovsky not only because he had indeed fought well, but also because Rokossovsky had a good rtionship with the Crown Prince. This wasmon knowledge among the nobility. Otherwise, a count like Rokossovsky wouldnt be so well known that even the fifty-five-year-old Duke Vostrom had heard of him. Of course, the Duke had only heard rumors about Count Rokossovsky and hadnt interacted with him directly. Even if they were at the same social event, the Duke wouldnt engage much with a dissipated young aristocrat. The Duke watched Rokossovsky for a while, then turned to his adjutant and asked, Have you interacted with Count Rokossovsky? Is he always like this? The adjutant nced at Rokossovsky and lowered his voice, I dont know. The Crown Prince only befriends those who share his interests, and those people are usually the bottom of the ss in any schoolI graduated top of my ss from the Suvorov Military Academy. The Duke looked at Rokossovsky, then questioned, Now hes in Peniye, holding off several times his number in enemy forces. Do you have the confidence to do the same? "No, the adjutant answered without hesitation, especially not the part where he personally took a T28 to nk and take out Prosen tanks. I couldnt aplish that. At that moment, the Army Groups main chain joined the conversation, He also rushed to the map with great urgency, obviously very concerned about the war, but Ive heard hes only in the military to make money and chase women. The adjutant spread his hands, Maybe hes just pretending, in order to get close to the Crown Prince. Who knows? Wang Zhong was troubled in front of the map. As a yer of the Hearts of Iron game series, he was very familiar with the Eastern Front of Earth, having fought on it countless times and on both sides. He found that although many details were differentlike the shape of coastlines, specific flow of rivers, and distribution of mountainsthe maps majorponents were simr to the Eastern Front he knew. For instance, the northern line was mainly forest and swamp, while the southern line was primarilyrge ins. While the countries were organized differently, Wang Zhongs first stop, Ronied, was on the southern coast, with its location seemingly analogous to Odessa on Earth. Traveling southwest along the coastline, nations like Romania would be bordering, but here the map directly showed borders with Prosen. No wonder Prosens battleships could dock and shell Ronied from the coast. What had happened in this alternate timelines history? But at the moment, Wang Zhong had no leisure to ponder history; through the map, it was clear that three massive Prosen enemy clusters were advancing triumphantly. Even though the specifics of cities and river courses were different from the Eastern Front Wang Zhong knew, he could still tell that the Ante Army in the central line was about to be encircled. The situation on the southern line where he was located was also dire; they were in Bogdanovka, the capital of the Vostrom Principality and a major city on the southern front. Behind it ran the Dnieper River. This was arge river running roughly north-to-south, which would bend in an L-shape westward after passing the Vostrom Principality. Looking at the marks on the map, it seemed as if the upper Dnieper was connected to the Bog River, which leads to the northern sea, via a canal. It was obvious that this river defense line was extremely important. And Bogdanovka was the most critical barrier before the southern segment of the Dnieper River, with a tributary running through here all the way to the coast. Initially, Wang Zhong had thought his current location was thiss version of Kiev, but then it didnt seem right. It was too far south. The Ante Armys huge southern group was deployed near the border, which was already doomed. Now the main southern forces were concentrated in Argesukov, northeast of Bogdanovka, right at the bend of the Dnieper. The ode Su Fang received earlier seemed toe from Argesukov, saying that it was the headquarters of the Southwestern Front Army. Looking at the administrative divisions, Argesukov also appeared to be the capital of the Kazarlia Kingdom, which was the overarching division above the Vostrom Principality. ` Chapter 67: Young Friends (2) ` Could that be this timelines Kiev? The more Wang Zhong looked, the more it seemed so. If the Central Army Group continued advancing, breaking through the canal and then turning south, they could encircle Argesukov. But where is the other half of the southern pincer that was blocked by me yesterday? Why does it feel off? Wang Zhong desperately pondered over the map, as if he were the yer strategizing in Hearts of Iron once again. At that moment, Duke Vostrom approached him and asked, Aleksei Konstantinovich, what is your opinion on the overall situation? Wang Zhong replied offhand, I think the Prosen Central Army Group will encircle Argesukov to the south after breaking through the canal, destroying our heavy troop concentration here. The Duke looked at the map without giving his opinion, but the Corps Chief of Staff said, There is the entire reserve force of the Southwestern Front Army there, just the reserves amount to three hundred thousand men."No, no, that wont be the case. If the Prussians couldplete this encirclement, it would be arge-scale encirclement of over seven hundred thousand men; it would make their splendid victory in the Carolingian campaign seem insignificant. I think even the Prosen generals wouldnt believe such a thing is achievable. Wang Zhong looked at the map with a heavy heart, beginning to consider what he, a mere lieutenant colonel, could do in such a situation. Just then, the Duke patted his shoulder, You should go back to rest. When was thest time you slept? Wang Zhong: Twenty hours ago. "Go and rest, you are too tired to think straight, the Army Group Chain also said. Wang Zhong looked at them, feeling that not only himself but even these generals probably couldnt influence the overall direction of the war. This was only a corpsmand, and looking at the map, only the 63rd Army of this Army Group was in position, the other armies were still on the trains. Based on what the Duke had just said, the 4th Tank Army was also part of the 41st Group, but the 4th Tank Army had already been nearly wiped out in a counterattack. A general inmand of such an Army Group could only do so much in a conflict of this scalesimply hold his own line andplete his mission. Although worried, Wang Zhong, realizing his helplessness, epted the Army Group Chains suggestion, Alright, Ill go rest now. The Corps Chief of Staff said, We will arrange for a vehicle to pick you up from your station tomorrow and take you to the train station. The empty cars will also be organized to depart early in the morning, evading the Prosen bombardment. Wang Zhong nodded. Duke Vostrom gave a subaltern a meaningful look, and the young aide stepped forward to gesture Wang Zhong out. Sergeant Major Grigori was outside the map room, smoking and waiting. Maybe because he exuded an aura of severity, the staff officers kept their distance as they passed by. Seeing Wang Zhong, the Sergeant Major put out his cigarette: Earl, how are things looking? "Not bad, we can enjoy some good wine, meat, and cigarettes tonight. Were setting off early tomorrow. "I see. The two followed the guide out of the headquarters and then saw arge group of people gathered across the street. On closer inspection, they were all young kids, probably only sixteen or seventeen years old, about half boys and half girls. The youngsters had blocked the road all the way to the intersection. The young people leading the group were shouting, Why wont you let us enlist? Wang Zhong stopped and watched them from across the street. A middle-aged mans voice could be heard responding, Kids, were only mobilizing adult men right now. Look at yourselves, youve just graduated from tenth grade! Boys and girls, we really cant draft you! "We can hold guns too! "I can drive a tractor! So I can drive a tank! ` "Ive also been in a flying club! I can be a pilot and beat the crap out of the Prosen bastards nes! Wang Zhong looked at them and suddenly remembered a memoir he had read, which recounted how, just two days after the war began, all the children of themune had made up their minds and ran together to the enlistment office to join the army. When they got to the enlistment office, it seemed as if all the young people of the Soviet Union hade. Looking at these young people, Wang Zhong suddenly thought that if he hadnt traveled through time and then the Americans hade over, he probably would also rush to the local military department. Thinking this way, these foreign faces suddenly became familiar to him. So, under the call of an inexplicable sense of mission, Wang Zhong climbed onto a truck that was blocked in the middle of the road, stood on the footboard, and shouted, Young friends! He did not use children. The kids turned their heads curiously, looking at Wang Zhong. At this moment, Aleksei Konstantinovich RokossovskyWang Zhongwith the unique aura of a warrior returning from the battlefield. His military uniform was dirty, the bandage on his shoulder was dirty, his face was also dirty, but this did not stop him from emitting a dignified, solemn temperament. So the young people quieted down, all looking at Wang Zhong in unison. Wang Zhong said, I understand your feelings! But even if you enlist now, you wont be sent to the front line immediately. Because that would be sending you to your deaths! "Were not afraid of dying! some young person shouted. "Right, I know. Wang Zhong nced at the one who had shouted, But if you die without taking down a single Prosen bastard, that kind of death is worthless! The person who had just shouted shut his mouth. Wang Zhong: The battlefield is hell! Even those who havepletedprehensive new recruit training and passed numerous tests, most wont survive the first hour! No, not even half an hour! "So even if you enlist now, you will be sent to the rear, to train for at least three months! However, I have a way that can get you involved in the action against the Prosen bastards right away! "Look over there! Thats where the city defense engineering team is recruitingborers! You can join now and build fortifications around the outskirts of the city! "Each trench dug will ensure a toon survives the enemys artillery! That toon could then inflict heavy casualties on the Prosen bastards! "Each anti-tank stake you set up could stop a Prosen tank! The young people turned their heads towards the engineering station. Wang Zhong: That is the right way to contribute to the country! First dig trenches, then when the enemyes, retreat and enroll in the military in the rear, join the training! Im looking forward to seeing you as new recruits in my unit in half a year! The kids looked at each other. Then someone, not knowing who, yelled out: If digging trenches is so important, well go dig trenches! "To dig trenches! "Lets go! The crowd surged towards thebor recruitment point of the engineering station. When most of the crowd had left, a colonel from the enlistment office came over. The colonel was missing an arm and could only salute Wang Zhong with his left hand. "Youve been a great help, Major, he said. Wang Zhong saluted back: Dont mention it, thats what I should do. The colonel looked at the kids again blocking the entrance of the engineering station and said, Looking at these kids, I suddenly feel confident. We wont surrender like the Carolingians. Wang Zhong stated firmly: Of course not. Dont worry, of course not. Chapter 68: Brigadier General Rocossov and His Battle Group ` Wang Zhong actually couldnt remember very clearly what happened after June 29. Mainly, he had returned to the garrison, had a hearty meal, and then fell asleep in the bathtub while bathing. By the time he opened his eyes, it was already daylight on the 30th. Wang Zhong scratched his head in confusion as he looked at the clean shirt on his body and the newly changed bandage on his shoulder. What happened? Who changed my clothes? Who changed my dressing? Where am I? As he sat up, he found himself more energetic than ever before, and besides the pain in his legs, he could hardly find anything ufortable. The high fever from a few days ago seemed as if it had never happened.Getting out of bed, he found that a new military uniform had already been neatly ced in a cab beside the bed. Wang Zhong touched his head, remembering that he hadnt brought any military uniform with him; in fact, he hadnt brought any luggage at all, as the situation had been rather urgent when he left Ronied, hadnt it? He picked up the military uniform with a sense of puzzlement, quickly put it on, and then found that it fit perfectly, as if tailor-made. The only person Wang Zhong could think of who could prepare such a perfectly fitting military uniform was one person. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Wang Zhong: Come in. The door opened, and Ludm entered the room with breakfast, and upon seeing him in the new uniform, she said joyfully, How is it, it fits well, doesnt it? I had it prepared by the supply department! It really was you. Wang Zhong: Was it you who pulled me out of the bathtubst night? "No, it was Sergeant Major Grigori who did that, he also changed your clothes, I mean, your shirt and boxer shorts. Wang Zhong nodded, but then realized something was off and looked at the girl: How do you know Im wearing a shirt and boxer shorts? "Because I prepared them, Ludm said proudly, then ced the tray on the table, Have breakfast. On the tray were oatmeal, bread, fried eggs, bacon andmilk. Wang Zhong skipped the bread and directly forked a fried egg into his mouth, then was pleased to discover it was a soft-boiled egg, cooked just right with the yolk perfectly in between liquid and solid states. After finishing the egg, Wang Zhong picked up the bacon. Ludm: You need to eat some carbs! You didnt have any carbs yesterday! As she spoke, she picked up the bread, added bacon to it, and handed it to Wang Zhong: I personally picked out this bread, it absolutely suits your taste! You even know my preferences Could it really be a fiance? Wang Zhong sized up Ludm up and down, thinking back to the first time he met her when he had nned on adding her on WeChat, and now, it seemed he had moved forward in one big step, resolving the great difficulty! Before Wang Zhong could indulge in the happiness brought by the girls tenderness for much longer, the air raid siren sounded. Then came the sound of anti-aircraft gunfire. Ludm was very nervous: Quick, to the air-raid shelter! Wang Zhong: Its fine, the Prosens target is the headquarters ammunition depot and the train station, not us. Yesterday the corpsmand even said if we left earlier, we wouldnt get bombed by the Prosens, look at this now! As he spoke, he activated his tactical view, only to find that, possibly because the entire troop was resting, he had lost quite a bit of vision, only the sentry at the school gate had some visibility. Wang Zhong thought that he needed to remind Yegorov, as the enemy could be very cunning, capable of infiltrating troops simr to the Brandenburgmandos. You could never ck on sentry duty. As he was thinking, the Prosen airnes appeared. Then Wang Zhong was shocked, for he saw a bomber with six engines! Switching back to his normal view, Wang Zhong rubbed his eyes hard. Not sure, take another look! Ludms face was full of question marks. After returning to the tactical view, Wang Zhong indeed saw a heavy bomber with six engines. He counted the gun turrets and was surprised to find that this thing had four quadruple machine gun turrets at the nose, tail, and trailing edges of the wings. Additionally, there were two twin-mounted machine gun turrets, one on top and one on the belly. An Air Force version of the BV238? The BV238 was a seane made by Sturmtiger, which had ns to be converted to and-based version, but those ns were never implemented. After all, even on Earth, Sturmtiger discarded heavy bomber projects like the Me 264 to focus on manufacturing fighters for homnd air defense. But in this alternate timeline, the Prosens actually managed to develop this thing? Combining this with the Prosen Empires territorial map he saw at the Army Group Command the day before, Wang Zhong began to wonder whether this timelines Prosen was actually whats known as Greater Germany, or even Jude. When ying Europa Universalis or Victoria, Wang Zhong would always strive toward this goal when selecting Prussia. And now, this actually came naturally in this timeline? Then, the six-engined heavy bomber didnt seem so strange, did it? So the question was, had the United Kingdom been pushed back to India? Because he hadnt seen the world map, Wang Zhong wasnt too clear on this matter. At that moment, the enemy nes began to drop bombs, and their target indeed was still the train station, along with the adjacent marshalling yard and lotive factory. Amidst the rolling sounds of explosions, Wang Zhong switched back and saw Ludm tilting her head, looking at him intently. Wang Zhong: Whats up? "What were you daydreaming about? You even rubbed your eyes just now, whats wrong with you? the girl asked, puzzled. Wang Zhong: Dont mind it, just woke up from some extra sleep. ` "Asleep while sitting? "Uh, pretty much. "During a bombardment? "Ive grown used to that rumbling sound, havent you? Wang Zhong countered. "Thats true, Ludm sighed. After you fell asleep yesterday, I went to the telegraph office in town to send a telegram home, but the ce had been requisitioned. Being a maiden of honor didnt help at all; they just wouldnt let me send a telegram. Wang Zhong frowned involuntarily. Maiden of honor was a rank in the Russian court hierarchy. Unmarried noble girls were generally maidens of honor, and those of lower nobility might not have the maid of addition, being simply honor. It seemed that Ludms family must also be of count rank. A match of equal social standing, eh? The probability of her being my fiance just went up! Wang Zhong shook his head to rid himself of the thought. Now was not the time for romantic distractions; the day would likely be spent on the journey. Once they reached Loktov, they needed to promptly reinforce their ranks and acquire equipment Just then, someone outside shouted, Report! Wang Zhong recognized the voice as Sergeant Majorg Grigori. Ludm whispered, The sergeant major really seems to think of himself as your bodyguard. He didnt leave your side all day yesterday. Wang Zhong nodded. Come in! The sergeant major opened the door. My lord count, a clerk from the headquarters has arrived. Wang Zhong: A clerk? What for? If it were about delivering orders, it should have been a courier or a staff officer. The arrival of a clerk indicated that it was rted to personnel matters. Ludm: When I went to the telegraph office yesterday, I saw people distributing extras on the streets, with headlines about the great victory at Upper Peniye. Wang Zhong was astonished. Thats considered a great victory? I havent even spoken to the propaganda bureau about the battle process yet! The girl shrugged. Byst evening, some rumor had spread, and citizens started bringing gifts to our encampment. Everyone wanted to meet the heroic Rokossovskys Troops. Wang Zhong: Rokossovskys Troops? Ive never heard of this formation before. "Thats what theyre calling us in the extras. At this point, the clerk outside seemed to have run out of patience and coughed at the doorway. Grigori turned and red at the clerk, who immediately stepped back and hid his figure behind the doorframe. Wang Zhong: Let him in. Only then did Grigori step aside from the doorway. The clerk came into the room, ncing at Ludm: Um, is this a convenient time? Wang Zhong: Its fine, go ahead. The clerk nodded. All right. He took out a small box, opened it, and ced it on the table. Inside were a pair of major generals shoulder straps, including versions for dress uniform andbat uniform. Then he took out an order: From the Personnel Department of the Southwestern Front Army, based on the outstanding performance of Colonel Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky at Ronied and Upper Peniye, with immediate effect, he is promoted to the rank of major general. Wang Zhong: Promoted two ranks at once? Clerk: It seems the report submitted was for colonel, but the approval came back for major general. Are you dissatisfied? "No, not at all, Wang Zhong shook his head. What troops will I bemanding as a major general? Surely I wont be a general without an army? Though the Third Amur Group had been under Wang Zhongsmand, it was actually a result of a change in the order ofmand on the battlefield; he didnt really have the authority tomand the Third Group, he was even on par with Yegorov. The clerk looked somewhat troubled, fiddling with the order in his hand. Ludm stood up and took the order: The order has indeed been received. So there was this step as well. The clerk seemed relieved and then unfolded another new order: By the current order, Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky is to organize Rokossovskys Battle Group in Loktov. The remnants of the Third Rear Amur Group, the remnants of the 31st Regiment of the Fourth Tank Army, and all remnants of Ronieds troops are transferred to Rokossovskys Battle Group. Wang Zhong was bbergasted: Assigning me a group of remnants? What about my reinforcements? The clerk shrank his neck. Only then did Wang Zhong realize he had raised his voice, so he calmed his emotions and asked again, What about my reinforcements? Where are the tanks and artillery I requested? "I dont know, the clerk said, clutching the order. I just brought two orders. This order, you Wang Zhong stood up and personally took the order to establish Rokossovskys Battle Group, scanning it briefly. At that moment, Yegorov and Pavlov came in. Yegorov casually grabbed a piece of bread from the table, and while eating, said, It seems youve received your order, Count. Weve just received ours too. It looks like the higher-ups want to follow the Prussians example and form battle groups. "Prussian devils, Wang Zhong corrected. The clerk tentatively asked, So may I leave now? Wang Zhong waved him off, and the clerk ran off as if he had wings. "These clerks! Yegorov said disdainfully. Pavlov frowned: Technically, Im a clerk too. Yegorov: Right, which is why Im not very fond of you either. After saying this, he looked towards Wang Zhong: So, whats the n, General? Wang Zhong: First, lets head to Loktov and see the situation. Its a supply center. If the top brass dont give us good equipment, well have to find our own way. Just like we did in Upper Peniye. In Upper Peniye, Wang Zhong and his men had essentially robbed the local Boye lords distillery. Yegorovughed heartily. Chapter 69: Battlefield “Leisure Time Jules Year 914, July 2nd. The Rocossov Combat Group arrived at Lokhtov on the third day. Wang Zhong, with his leanmand team, was waiting on the tform at Lokhtov Train Station for the guests scheduled to arrive today. The guards and logistical personnel on the station tform were all tense, after all, a brigadier general was here. The brigadier general, formerly known as a brigade general, was renamed after the civil war to align with international standards, adopting the United Kingdoms usage of the term. There were only five people beside Brigadier General Wang Zhong. The first was Colonel Ivan Panzhyevich Yegorov, themander of the 31st Imperial Guard Infantry Regiment. Although the designation of his troops had changed, they were actually the remnants of the third-ranked Amur Group; they were granted the Imperial Guard designation but had neither the Guards standard nor the characteristic rain capes, and the special weapons supplied to the Imperial Guard hadnt been issued at all. The second was Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Sergeyevich Pavlov, the former staff officer of the third-ranked Amur Group, now the chief of staff of the Rocossov Combat Group.After being promoted to thebat group staff officer, Pavlovs staff team consisted only of an ountant temporarily conscripted from the locale, without even amunications officer; logistics were still managed by the old quartermaster who had been brushed in from the locales defense forces. In short, it was but an empty shell. The third person was the Monk Sufang Batu Wendusu, who had just been promoted to the main priest monk, responsible for leading thebat groups chorus, which currently hadjust one person. The fourth was Monk Yeca Neiko, currently serving as the vice-knight andmander of the Divine Arrow Company of thebat group. Thepany currently had just one firing frame, ten Divine Arrows, a single truck, and one prayer attendant. However, at least the Divine Arrow Company had been replenished with ten Divine Arrows; the lone firing team was also fully staffed, and they had acquired an extra truck and a driver, making it the best-supplied unit in the entirebat group. This was all the senior military officers of the Rocossov Combat Group at present. The others had either been sacrificed or were lying in hospitals. Thest person was Sergeant Major Grigori, temporarily serving as the Brigadier Generals bodyguard; he was watching the surroundings with vignt eyes. Lokhtov was not only a railway transfer station and a logistics center but also the location of thergest hospital in the nearbybat zone; most of the casualties were sent here, and the Ronied battlefield hospital that moved with the third-ranked Amur Group was also merged into the local hospitals system. Wang Zhong paced back and forth on the tform, making small-talk, The third-ranked Amur Group became an Imperial Guard regiment, so why is it numbered 31? Have we made 30 Imperial Guard regiments in less than two weeks since the war began? The senior officers of thebat group, as well as the guards nearby who heard this, looked at Wang Zhong with surprised eyes. Wang Zhong frowned, Whats wrong? Yegorov, There were already thirty Imperial Guard Infantry Regiments before the war began. "Oh, is that so? Wang Zhong had be ustomed to ying the part of a manckingmon sense; since the original owner was terrible, nobody would find it strange, I see. So were the first to obtain the Imperial Guard title since the war started? Yegorov nodded, Yes. Wang Zhong, Thats wonderful. No matter what the future holds, we have made history. If it had been two days earlier, Wang Zhong would definitely not have said such a thing because the honor of bing an Imperial Guard was earned through great sacrifices, and he wouldnt mock the new designation in such a jesting manner. But Wang Zhong was probably the kind of person who adapted easily to the environment, no matter what happened or how sad it was, he would mostly forget about it after a few sleeps. This morning, Ludm even teased, saying, The old Alyosha is back, though only halfway. That is to say, the original Rocossov and Wang Zhong shared somemon characteristics in personality. Of course, it has now been proven that Wang Zhong certainly wouldnt wet his pants on the battlefield; on this point, there was a significant difference between them. Just then, the distant sound of a train whistle was heard. Wang Zhong had already confirmed through an overhead view that the train wasnt the one they were waiting for, but at this moment he still had to y along, so he asked Pavlov, Is this the one? Pavlov looked towards the switchmans hut at the northeast end of the station and shook his head, No, the switchman hasnt gone to adjust the tracks yet. This train is just passing through. No sooner had he spoken than the train whistled again, showing no sign of slowing down, and it barreled past the tform on a track far from the station. The engine was pushing a railway repair car at the front, and pulling a coal wagon behind, with an anti-aircraft car, atop which were mounted quadruple Maxim machine guns on each of its three gun positions. The railway repair car was fitted with tracks on both sides, clearly prepared to immediately repair any section of the railway that might have been bombed by the Prosen Air Force on the spot. The soldiers in the anti-aircraft car were all tense, for now that it was daylight, Prosen nes could arrive at any time. Further back were the sealed cars, each with its doors open, and new recruits peered curiously at the outside world from the edge of the cars. A recruit shouted, Your Excellency the General, hows the frontline? Wang Zhong, Its terrifying! You guys might as well get ready to wet your pants! The young recruits, utterly unaware of what awaited them,ughed heartily in brave ignorance. After saying this, Wang Zhong realized He nced at Yegorov and Pavlov. No one spoke anymore about wetting pants, but those who came from Ronied had heard more or less about it. Chapter 70: Battlefield “Leisure Time” (2) Two officers started pretending to look at the scenery. Shit, this wont be a famous meme in the future, will it? I dont want anything like that! To hide his embarrassment, he asked Yegorov, Can the Imperial Guard get specialized equipment? "Yes, rainproof cloaks, very useful in the muddy season and when it snows heavily. Then theres the Tokarev Model 8 rifle. In this time and space, the Tokarev semi-automatic rifle was standardized in Jules 908, hence the Model 8 designation. Submachine guns were only suitable for closebat; theoretically, the Tokarev semi-automatics had an advantage over submachine guns in open terrain. Prosens regr infantry was still pulling bolts, so the firepower advantage brought by the Tokarev would allow the Imperial Guard to have a better middle-distance advantage over the Prosen Army. Theoretically, thats the case, but since Prosen Army infantry squads generally organized around a machine gun, a squad with one machine gun, the advantage of the Tokarev over bolt-action rifles would be negligible. Still, having an advantage was always good. Wang Zhong now dreamed of getting more good equipment for his troops.Although the oue of a war does not depend on the superiority of equipment, having good equipment is certainly better than using poor equipment, as it can reduce a lot of losses. Wang Zhong then asked, So when can we receive these Tokarevs? Pavlov jokingly said, The bullets have already been transported here, were just missing the guns and the people to use them. Wang Zhong rubbed his forehead; these past few days, he had experienced the chaos brought by the front copsing. The good news was that everything was recovering, the bad news was that it wasnt recovering fast enough. Wang Zhong continued pacing on the tform. Monk Yeca Neiko then said to Pavlov, Id rather have the men replenished quickly than the guns. The barracks are so empty and quiet, its so silent at night that you might even have nightmares. The orders given to Wang Zhong did not specify the scale of the Rocossovbat group but, because the leader of the troops was a brigadier general, the local logistics department allocated barracks based on the standard for a brigade. Therge base could simultaneously amodate three thousand people, as well as their assigned vehicles, ammunition, and fuel. However, Wang Zhongs group had fewer than two hundred people in total, with only fifty-five infantrymenpletely uninjured. Of all the troops that had retreated from Ronied, only their group had arrived. It was unclear whether the other scattered soldiers were fighting guerri warfare, had been captured, or had been shot by the Tribunal, but in any case, they had note here. After all the servicemen with minor injuries had been admitted to the recovery center of the battlefield hospital, the vast camp housed only fifty-five fully intact people, plus various other logistical personnel, such as the field cooking team and fieldundry team, totaling just over three hundred people, which made the ce incredibly empty. The barracks housed more sparrows than people. All fifty-five of these fully intact men were promoted to nonmissioned officers; in theory, each person wouldmand at least one squad in the future, but there were currently no soldiers to lead. Wang Zhong paced the tform, talking to himself, I thought the future would be nothing but fight after fight, after fight. I didnt expect to have such a break. Yegorovughed and said, This is your first time on the battlefield. Actually, this is the norm. A war generallysts for a month, even just one or two weeks if its fierce, and then theres a long period of rest. "It was the same rhythm during the civil wars. "Only the Air Force battles passionately with the enemy every day. Wang Zhong actually knew about this because he liked ying war games, and he had read a lot of military history. For example, he knew that before the Battle of Kursk, to wait for the muddy season to end, both armies on the southern front had rested for more than three months, with some units resting since February. But thats how it is, shallow knowledge is gained without experience. Even though he had read so much military history and memoirs, Wang Zhong had not expected to have such downtime before he arrived in Loktov. Fortunately, Yegorov and Pavlov had experience. They had brought in musicians with the Bayan and blaika to y music during meals, and they had found a propaganda hall movie projection team to screen films every night. Wang Zhong only now learned that what he had always thought was an ordion was actually a national musical instrument called Bayan, which sounds quite different from the ordion. And the blaika is a type of triangr guitar, also a national musical instrument. Yegorov continued, During the civil war, I took a liking to fishing. It was an excellent way to pass the time. Just sitting by theke, an entire day would fly by. Plus, at night, you could eat salmon. Wang Zhong thought to himself, you better not, agreeing to go fishing for salmon at Lake Baikal is not a good omen. Just as he was about to say this, many trucks drove into the station, stopping on the side of the tform without rails. Numerous stretcher bearers and nurses jumped down from the trucks. Wang Zhong and the others silently made way on the tform. Soon after, a whistle sounded from the west. The track worker came out from the cabin, performed a series of operations, and then raised a greenntern. The sound of the train braking came from the distance. At the same time, a few jeeps drove into the train station, each one carrying three doctors. Wang Zhong greeted the medical director Losonov, Doctor, good morning! Losonov nodded, his expression exceedingly haggard. By then, the decelerating train glided into the tform and slowly came to a stop. The people on the train immediately sprung into action, lifting one wounded soldier after another off the train. There were no lightly wounded soldiers, probably because all the light casualties had remained at the fronts to continue fighting. The doctors fanned out, examining each wounded soldier lined up on the tform, and ced ssification tags on their chests. Each doctor was followed by a nurse whose sole duty was to administer anesthetics to those tagged abandon. The stretcher teams continually carried the wounded tagged for priority treatment onto the trucks. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, as precise as machinery, all faces expressionless. Wang Zhong also watched all this expressionlessly. All his recent idle thoughts about the battlefield had been washed away. It was just an illusion; the cruel war was still ongoing. At that moment, a wounded soldier tagged abandon reached out towards the direction of Wang Zhong and the others: Father! Yeca Neiko walked toward him, taking out his old, faded holy book as he did so. Kneeling down, he took the severely wounded soldiers hand and ced it on the cover of the book, whispering, Speak, child. I am listening, and so is He. Perhaps the anesthetic was taking effect; Wang Zhong couldnt hear the soldiers voice. He could only see the Monk bend down and bring his ear close to the soldiers mouth. Looking at all this, Sofya suddenly said, You know? The wounded in the sanatorium all like female nurses, but these dying men trust Monks like Yeca Neiko more. Even though as a Hymn Monk, I am more favored. Wang Zhong did not respond. By now, Yegorov had already made a round by the wounded and came over, whispering to Wang Zhong, Lots of bay wounds. Yesterday was all shrapnel and st injuries. Today theres been an increase in gunshot and bay wounds. Wang Zhong replied, Closebat has begun. Its unclear whether Bogdanovka could truly hold out for fifteen days. We must hurry. "The problem is, even if we hurry, we cant get more people, the reinforcements are all headed to Bogdanovka, said Yegorov, frowning. Its as if weve been forgotten. At that moment, the train station master came out of the dispatch room and shouted to Wang Zhong and the others, Your Excellency the Brigadier General, the train youve been waiting for will arrive soon, but under these circumstances, it can only stop at the more distant dispatch tform. Please take the trouble to walk there, the pedestrian bridge is that way! Chapter 71: The First Lesson of War Wang Zhong and the others had just crossed the overpass to the other side of the tform when they saw the track workers emerge from the hut again, beginning to adjust the rails. He switched to an overhead view and indeed saw a training from the northeast. There were no emergency repair cars on the trains head, and the anti-aircraft cannon mounted on the anti-aircraft car had been reced with a 25mm gun. Following the anti-aircraft car, as was customary, was a line of ck tank cars, though the first car had the churchs sun emblem painted on its top. The car marked with the sun emblem had noticeably fewer people inside, and Wang Zhong, adjusting his angle, saw through the doors of the tank car, now open, an office desk within. It seemed that the distinguished guest they were to receive was in this car, while the people in the following tank cars were likely reinforcements being sent to Bogdanovka. As a brigade-level unit, the Rocossovbat group was about to be assigned a Military Bishop, primarily responsible for managing arge number of Priests and for presiding over more significant Masses. Of course, what Wang Zhong valued most was the Bishops role inmunication with the church, and he had already decided that once the Bishop arrived, he would cry poverty to him every day until the Divine Arrow Company was at full strength. When Wang Zhong switched back to his original perspective, he could already hear the trains whistle.The train slid slowly onto the tform. A solidly built officer in the churchs military uniform, draped in an Imperial Guard rain cloak, stood in the wide-open doorway of the church car, hands on hips, watching Wang Zhong and his group. Seeing this man, Wang Zhong did not know why, but he felt like marching up to him and saying, You son of a bitch, youre my Bishop? The train had not yete to aplete stop when the Bishop jumped down and strode towards Wang Zhong and his party. Wang Zhong had intended to meet the man, but the unloading of other cars had started, and arge group of young men in khaki uniforms and boat-shaped caps began to disembark, immediately drawing his attention. By this time, the Bishop had already approached Wang Zhong: Its been a long time, Aleksei Konstantinovich. Wang Zhong, originally turning his head to watch the new soldiers disembark, immediately focused back upon hearing this form of address, a chill running down his spine. What did it mean, have we met before? The other party had not introduced himself, so he was definitely someone Wang Zhong knew. However, Wang Zhong had only seen the others name inmand orders and could not even have remembered it without switching to an overhead viewit was Niki Nikanorovich Popov. Thankfully, it seemed their rtionship was not close, and Wang Zhong had never been so grateful for theplex vic naming conventions. So he also referred to Popov by his name and patronymic: Its been a long time, Niki Nikanorovich. Popov examined Wang Zhong carefully: You seem like a different person, Aleksei Konstantinovich, quite unlike how you seemed when you graduated. Wang Zhongughed: You jest, I am still the same, maybe just with a bit more of the battlefields aura about me. "I thought you might say the aura of hell, Popov said. It appeared that the Tribunal had already reported that line, Then I can introduce you to the road back from hell. Popov went on, Before I came here, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sought me out to ask me to take good care of his dear brother. I promised His Highness, so I will use these eyes to see if yourmand skills truly are as reported in the telegrams. Dammit, Wang Zhong thought, what kind of embellished tales has the Duke of Vostok been telling upstairs? ` Lucky for me I had cheats and a wealth of war game experience, or you would have seriously screwed me over! Wang Zhong: You wont be disappointed. Oh, I noticed youre already wearing the Imperial Guard cloak, so does that mean the Third the Thirty-first Imperial Guard Infantry Regiments equipment is also on this train? He almost gave the wrong number. Popov released Wang Zhongs hand and shook his head, No, this is a memento from my time in the Guards Infantry Regiment. Your supplies are on the next train. This train, Ive brought the Thirty-first Regiments Guard g and reinforcements. As Popov said this, several Judges with blue caps came down from the train, followed by three Priests, one carrying a rolled-up g, another holding the Double-headed Eagle emblem, and a third carrying a box. Just as Wang Zhong was about to receive the g, Popov held him back: The g must be presented in a ceremony before I can give it to you. These three are special clergy from the Grand Patriarch of St. Ye Katerina Fortress. Wang Zhong frowned: Do we really need to go through this kind of formalism? "Trust me, its very helpful for the troops morale, Popov said. Yegorov then said, But what were absolutely not short of is morale, weck everything but morale. The Judges behind Popov immediately gave Yegorov a sharp look. Sergeant Grigori returned the look with an equally piercing gaze. Just then, a young man dressed in khaki military uniform ran up to Wang Zhong, snapped to attention, and saluted: Major General, the 535th Cadet Battalion has assembled. Wang Zhong frowned: Cadet battalion? Which cadet battalion? "From the Pokachi Infantry School and Artillery School, Major General, the young man reported, holding his head high. Wang Zhong then noticed that his shoulder straps bore no insignia, only a border, which is the mark of a military school student. "What a mess! He immediately turned to Popov, These men will all be officers after some time of training, how can you assign them to front-line units as reinforcements just like that? Yegorov also agreed, ording to regtions, the Imperial Guard is supposed to be replenished with veterans returning from recovery, whats going on with assigning us new recruits? Pavlov interjected, Youre the one causing trouble, the war hasnt even been going on for half a month yet, where are the veterans returning from recovery? Look, the Major General is just slightly wounded, he just finished dealing with the pus! These words made Wang Zhongs shoulder start to feel phantom pain. He was reminded of the day before, when he cleansed the wound with alcohol during dressing changes. At this moment, a young man stepped forward from the ranks of the academy, loudly saying: Report! We have receivedprehensive training, our military skills are much better than average recruits! Wang Zhong pushed aside the student in front of him and walked over to the reporting student, Its not that we doubt your military skills, its that you should be ying a greater role. How much longer until youplete your studies? "One year, Major General! But, Mother Ante is calling! All of Wang Zhongs words were choked back by this statement, Mother Ante is calling. He turned to Popov, Are there really no other units left? What about the people called up by the total mobilization? "Theyre in training, Popov answered, and those who are already reserves have their own units which are now heading to the front line in formation. I think its more efficient than disbanding them to reinforce units that have taken casualties on the front. The Reserve Army believes that the first batch of inexperienced adults conscripted in October willplete their basic training by the end of the year. ` Wang Zhong: The penal battalion? Popov: How could we possibly assign a penal battalion to reinforce the Imperial Guard? Aleksei Konstantinovich, youd better consider how to use your miraculousmand skills to help them survive the war as much as possible. Wang Zhong frowned, always feeling that Popov was being sarcastic. However, Popov did have a pointif hemanded with more finesse, perhaps a majority of these young men could survive their first battle. He turned to ask the cadet unitmander: How many of you are there? 1,200, General sir, themander replied. Yegorov muttered under his breath, Not even enough for a full regiment. Pavlov red at him. Yegorov immediately raised his hand in a gesture of surrender: Alright, alright, Ill shut up. Youre the regimental staff officer, youre the boss. In fact, as the Guards Regiment Commander and a colonel, Yegorov held a slightly higher rank. Wang Zhong ignored these two old foes; he walked to the far right of the cadet ranks and ordered, Everyone, take out paper and pen and write down your full name! Although everyone was puzzled, they obeyed the order. Starting from the first row on the right, Wang Zhong collected the slips of paper and read the names aloud: "Alexey Nikyevich Melekhov! After Wang Zhong had read a few names, the young man who previously shouted about his mother calling out asked, General, are you really going to read all 1,200 names at once? Wang Zhong: Yes, thats the only way I can remember all your names and match them with your faces. His statement instantly caused whispers to spread among the young men. The same mother calling cadet shouted again, Thats impossible to do! Why waste the time? Wang Zhong: I can do it. Even if he couldnt, he could rely on a temporary trick to help, but Wang Zhong swore that he would gradually associate all their faces with their names. As for the reason Wang Zhong: Most of you will die within the first hour, maybe even the first half hour ofbat. I cant guarantee to bring all of you back alive, but I can at least remember your names and faces. He approached the mother calling cadet, took the slip from his hand, and read out loud, Vasily Alexandrovich Leonov! "Here! Vasily responded loudly. Wang Zhong: Ive remembered you, I promise. Vasily held his head high, as if it were something to be proud of. Just as Wang Zhong was about to move on, Vasily spoke again, General, they say you destroyed 20 enemy tanks at Peniye, is that true? Wang Zhong corrected him indifferently, It was eight. And nearly my entire crew died, with the only surviving driver suffering a leg injury, now lying in the hospital. This statement excited all the cadets: One against eight! "Didnt they say the Prussians had superior armor? "Looks like theyre not so tough after all! Wang Zhongs eyebrows knitted together as he raised his voice, The Prussians are very strong! Underestimating them will cost you dearly! Many of them are veterans who have fought in numerous wars! The young men fell silent, looking at Wang Zhong with seriousness. "Lets continue. With that, he started collecting the slips of paper from the young men again. Sergeant Grigori appeared with a wooden box from somewhere, following Wang Zhong, allowing him to ce the slips inside. Momentster, Wang Zhong read thest slip and put it into the box, saying to the Sergeant, Seal this well and keep it in my quarters where I can see it at any time. The Sergeant nodded. Just then, the train transporting the young students started moving, slowly leaving the tform, while on the opposite tform the train carrying the wounded had already left earlier. Only the grievously wounded who had been given up for treatment remained on the tform, while the station staff were washing away the bloodstains with water. The bloody water flowed down the cement tform, staining the concrete and the roadbed stones below a deep red. Seeing the scene, Wang Zhong was struck with an idea: Attention, everyone! About face! The 1,200 reinforcements turned to face the opposite tform, which was drenched in blood. The sight of blood quieted even the rowdiest cadet. All but one. Vasily asked in confusion, Why are those wounded soldiers left there? Wang Zhong: Their injuries are too severe, and its not worth using medicine to try to save them. In a while, they will be carried to the local church and handed over to the Priest. Silence hung over all the young faces. Wang Zhong: This is your first lesson from war, students. Chapter 72: The True Courage (Alliance Hierarch Sponsored) The crowd was silent, fixated on the tform across from them when Vasily suddenly shouted, Filippov, beat the drum! Wang Zhong was startled; how could this troublemaker still be alive and kicking? Beat the drum? He looked at Vasily, who was exceptionally tall, standing out even among the cadets who were already quite tall, easily distinguishable over the rows of people. And that Filippov, obedient as ever, actually took down the marching drum strapped to his back and began to beat it. From the drumbeat alone, it was impossible to tell what song it was, but Vasily immediately began to sing: "Our march is long and hard~ "Soldiers, look ahead! Wang Zhong instantly recognized the song; it was Departure, but wasnt it a work from the fifties or sixties? The other cadets immediately joined in the singing:"The teams banner flutters in the wind, themanders lead the way! Then they entered the songs signature section; the Departure in Antenguage sounded like a bang made with the mouth, the beauty of this song being its use of the word Departure repeatedly, like the pounding of the drum or artillery firing. "Soldiers, advance, advance, advance! With the sound of Departure, the cadets began to move in unison, as if marching in step. The chorus suddenly leaped from natural minor to major, opening up into a bright and clear sound: "My dear girl "On my way, I will write to you as I return! "Hear the bugle calling, soldiers, depart! The railway workers cleaning blood on the opposite tform stopped and looked over across the tracks. Even those severely wounded, barely hanging on to life, struggled to turn their gaze this way. Yegorov also joined in the singing: "Each soldier, brave and young, "Their gaze sharp as an Eagle! "We all have the highest glory "For having achieved great deeds in battle! It was only then that Wang Zhong snapped out of his shock. He was infected by the vibrant energy and fearless courage of the youth and began to sing loudly, Soldiers, advance! Advance! Advance! My dear, I will write to you, on my way as I return! Hear the bugle calling, soldiers, depart! After one round, Vasily began to whistle, his shrill whistle much like the screech of a seagull, mocking the storm with abandon! As the song entered the second verse, a transport train coincidentally arrived at the station, its driver looking on in amazement at the soldiers swaying in unison on the tform. After the anti-aircraft carriage passed, the countless young faces in the sealed freight cars looked at the tform and also began to sing loudly. "Soldiers, advance, advance, advance! "My dear, I will write to you, on my way as I return! "Hear the bugle calling, soldiers, depart! In the grand chorus, it seemed as if the train itself was hastened by their singing! At that moment, Wang Zhong could only think of one thing: There is only one kind of true heroism in the world, and that is to still love life after recognizing its true nature. And on the battlefield, there is only one kind of true heroism, which is to gear up and set out again after recognizing the horrors of war. He paced on the tform, each stepnding on the beat. At the end of the song, Wang Zhong said, Vasily, for not following parade discipline, you will clean thetrines today. The drummer, you will do it with him. "Eh? Vasily protested loudly, Didnt I just boost everyones morale? Wang Zhong replied, Thats why you are not being confined. But breaking discipline is breaking discipline. Remember, you go to clean after everyone has gone to sleep tonight, and youll also have to carry the waste pails to the dung pit. Just then, Priest Popov came over: Dont take my job from me. He turned towards Vasily: Boosting morale ismendable, but discipline must not be broken. After everyone has gone to sleep tonight, clean thetrines, and then carry the waste pails to the dung pit. The hell is the difference from my order! Before Wang Zhong couldin, Popov turned to the priest holding the guard g: Give me the guard g; I think this regiment really doesnt need any formalistic stuff. They are worthy of this g. Yegorov immediately protested: The new recruits indeed have high spirits, but my veterans are even more spirited! And they earned that g with their struggles! It should go to the veterans! Wang Zhong dered, Its all the same. Give it to me. Popov took the g, nted the gpole, and fully unfolded the banner. The white background, adorned with St. Andrews Cross, and then the Double-headed Eagle and the number 31, as well as the Infantrys insignia. To be honest, Wang Zhong always felt there was something off about this gthe Double-headed Eagle was grand andvish, yes, butwell, when the g wasnt unfurled, it somewhat resembled a white g. He shared his thoughts truthfully. Vasily: Pfft. Wang Zhong: Do you want to continue cleaning toilets tomorrow? The thorn in the side immediately tightened his face and stood at attention, chest out. Yegorov: Its not bad, at least St. Andrews Cross is blue. Carolingians g is what really looks like a white g. Pavlov frowned: Their g has a silver fleur-de-lis pattern on it, its just the silver on white that makes it hard to discern from afar. Comints notwithstanding, Wang Zhong still took the Guards g on behalf of Yegorov. He suddenly realized he didnt know what to do next with this g, as he hadnt seen this procedure before. Was just handing it to Yegorov all there was to it? As he was pondering, Popov said, You should pass the g to the color bearer; if there isnt one, then you need to select one. Wang Zhong immediately looked toward Vasily, who lit up with excitement at once. Theoretically speaking, Vasily was the tallest, and when Wang Zhong was in junior high, high school, and during university military training, it was always the tallest person who became the color bearer and walked at the very front of the ss formation. But he hesitated. Would being a color bearer make one an easy target? In the end, Wang Zhong handed the g to the second tallest, Zakayev. Vasily: Why not me? Wang Zhong: If you dont want an extra day of toilet cleaning, shut it. Then Wang Zhong turned to the leader of the trainees formation: Fall in, prepare to return to the barracks. "Yes, General sir! All present! Eyes right! Inside the barracks, the veterans were gathered on the parade ground, idly chatting, when suddenly someone ran past quickly, shouting, Theyreing! Not just with the Priest, but also a whole bunch of new recruits! Quick, fall in! The veterans promptly stubbed out their cigarettes and started to fall into ranks,pleting the formation in less than a minute. Then the sentry at the gate of the barracks lifted the barrier gate and presented arms. A tall new recruit carrying the Guards g led the way at the front, followed by the new recruits arranged in four columns. Observing the new recruits marching, the veterans murmured, These guys march so well, are they really recruits? "They might have served in the reserves. "At least we wont need to teach them how to march in formation. "Why are they still equipped with the old-fashioned bolt-action rifles? What happened to the Tokarevs we were promised? "No cloaks either! "Quiet! barked the only unscathed Warrant Officer Sergeant Major of the regiment, Shut your traps! A momentter, the trainees halted in front of the veterans, and at themand, they executed a crisp left turn to face the veterans. Between the two groups, General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky spoke loudly, These are our reinforcements. You veterans are all squad leaders now. I will personally assign the new greenhorns to you! Those called out, step forward! Thirty minutester, the only new recruit left, Vasily, looked at Wang Zhong with admiration and asked, Did you really memorize all of our names? Wang Zhong thought to himself no, I cheated a bit, but you,d, I definitely remembered. "Yes, he unapologetically admitted, I said I would remember you all, remember every person who sacrifices. Its my responsibility. Vasily nodded, then asked, So which old senior sergeant will take me under his wing? Wang Zhong: Youre a headache, and I dont trust anyone else to handle you. Grishka! Grishka was Grigoris nickname. Sergeant Major Grigori stepped forward promptly: Present! Wang Zhong: Youre in charge of him! Teach him as much as you can about surviving on the battlefield before the war breaks out. Chapter 73: The Swindling Brigadier General Rocossov That evening, Vasily and Filippov cleaned thetrine by candlelight. Vasily said, I think the brigadier really likes me! Filippov, shocked, looked up at his much taller ssmate, Why? Just because he made you clean thetrine? Vasily replied, Its a feeling, think about it, why didnt he let the tallest one, me, carry the g? "Because you irritated him, Filippov answered instantly. "No! Its because carrying the g is dangerous! Vasily said confidently, He wants me to stay alive. Later, he even found the best old sergeant to train me! The term old sergeant is an informal nickname for an experienced and respected senior nonmissioned officer. Filippov said, He just doesnt want you causing trouble! I think Natasha was right; youre always daydreaming! At the mention of Natasha, Vasilys face darkened; she once was his girlfriend, but she took the initiative to break up with him because youre always daydreaming.Realizing his friends gloominess, Filippov quickly tried to make amends, She also said you were full of idealism and romanticism, look on the bright side. Vasily stubbornly said, I think this time its not daydreaming. The brigadier really thinks I suit his taste. "Ohe on, youre the first person our principal cant stand! Which general would think you suit his taste? "You dont know? I heard that when the brigadier was at the military academy, he was the person his principal despised the most! Thats why he sees himself in me! Filippov was left speechless. Just then, Sergeant Grigori entered, Whats taking you so long? Before he could finish talking, he frowned deeply and snatched the tool from Vasilys hand, Thats not how to use this! Havent you ever cleaned out the privy in the vige? "No, the two of them answered in unison. Vasily said, Were both city folks. Filippov added, His dad is a music professor! "Dont talk about that, Vasily said, his brow furrowed, his expression even worse than when he heard Natashas name. Grigori paused, then looked at Vasily, Music professor, huh? No wonder you sang well this morning. Too bad the enemys bullets wont go around you just because you have a good voice. Let me teach you how to clean out manure first. Vasily asked, Sergeant, have you done it? "Of course, in the vige, everyone except the nobles children has done it. Dont look down on this stuff. Its dirty, but its the promise of a good harvest next year. Without it, the cost of fertilizer is unbearable! Grigori spoke while skillfully working. Meanwhile, Wang Zhong, who was despised the most by his principal during his school years, was meeting with hismand team at the regimental headquarters. They covered the electric light with a pillowcase and drew the curtains, gathering around the map table. Currently, Prosens aircraft werent conducting nighttime bombing, so there was nomand for a ckout, but the men still consciously implemented light control measures. On the table, on top of the map,y a list book, and Yegorov tapped the list with his index finger, It seems like a lot of equipment has been replenished, but when ites to anti-tank weapons, we only have the anti-tank rifle, and thats not enough! Bishop Popov asked, So, the anti-tank rifles are not effective? "Hitting the side is a matter of luck; the front can only target the viewing ports. Sometimes, if youre lucky, you can jam the turret ring, Yegorov shook his head. Most of our battalions anti-tank rifles were abandoned in Ronied. The anti-tank rifle operators were either killed or captured. Popov frowned, You managed to destroy so many tanks at Peniye without anti-tank rifles "That was done with Molotov cocktails. First, we need to use fire to cut off the enemy infantry and leave the tanks without infantry protection, then approach and throw the Molotov cocktails, Yegorov sinctly exined. "But the problem is, most of the weapons weve been supplied with are Tokarev semi-automatics, suitable for exchange of fire with the enemy on the ins. The appropriate engagement distance is one to two hundred meters. "Molotov cocktails, on the other hand, are for closebat and can only be used within fifty meters. At such times, submachine guns are much more useful than semi-automatics. After a brief pause, Yegorov raised his voice, We need anti-tank guns, even 45mm ones would do, but preferably the heavy 76mm anti-tank guns! Popov sighed, In theory, there should be no shortage of 45mm guns. If they havent been assigned yet, its probably because the logistics system hasnt been fully restructured yet. "And because of the bombing by enemy nes. Yegorov: What about the 76mm? "Those are already in short supply and difficult toe by, answered Popov. Also, Im here to be a bishop, okay? Dont treat me like a supply battalionmander. Shouldnt logistics be handled by the staff officers? Pavlov, who suddenly received the conversational ball, replied immediately, Thats true, but look, do I have anyone here? If you dont believe me, just take a look at this map on the table! Pavlov pushed aside the supply lists to reveal the map. "This map is what I copy every day by running to the local military depot myself and copying their maps. Normally, staff officers are responsible for updating the situation of friend and foe on the map based on the battle reports they receive, but without any staff officers, Pavlov had to update it himself. Pavlov continued toin, Because we have no logistics staff, naturally no one is arranging supplies, and even theundry and cooking teams in our camp are ones I had to request personally. "Before, feeding a couple hundred people wasnt a big drain on supplies, but now all of a sudden we have over a thousand. Tomorrow Ill have to go to the military depot again to ask for supplies. "Besides logistics and maps, we also need amunications staff officer. We dont even have amunicationspany, nor do we have any mounted couriers. When you add it all up, were missing quite a lot! Popov: Shouldnt the local military depots supply you with radios? "They did, but we dont have telegraphists or cryptographers. Are we supposed to learn how to use radios and decipher codes using a codebook ourselves? Pavlov sighed, I know this is because the war started less than two weeks ago, and we have just recovered from the rout, but the situation is still beyond my expectations. At this point, Wang Zhong spoke up, Tomorrow Ill visit the hospital to see if there might be some telegraphists or cryptographers who were only lightly wounded. After all, they dont need to operate on the front line. The others shook their heads in unison. Pavlov said, All the wounded thate here are seriously injured. Where can you find lightly wounded? Wang Zhong: Its always good to check, right? What if I get lucky and find someone? Pavlov shrugged, Sure, you can try. Yegorov: They say were reorganizing the troops that have broken ranks, but its been three days, and only we havee here. Where are the troops that broke ranks? Everyone fell silent. The truth was not that there were no troops breaking ranks, but rather that none hade from Ronied. Wang Zhong pped the table, Now we have people. Tomorrow well set up checkpoints outside the city to pull in recruits. The fleeing troops are bound to head east and surely pass through here. I refuse to believe we wont find anyone! Popov reminded him, The order was only to reorganize the troops retreating from Ronied. Wang Zhong pped the table again, Screw it! Among the civilians fleeing through here, if there are any who understand paperwork, logistics, or can send telegrams, well persuade them to join too. Well tell them they dont have to go to the front line. Popov said, Why not just conscript them? Yegorov added, You can die away from the front line just the same. Our headquarters is just a brigademand, we cant be too far from the front, and were sure to be bombed all the time. Wang Zhong replied, Thats why we have to tell them the truth and then persuade them. Bishop Popov looked at Wang Zhong for a few seconds and said, Is this really you speaking? Aleksei Konstantinovich? It seemed the original owner wouldnt have been so considerate of the civilian sentiments. Confidently, Wang Zhong said, It really is me. Along the way here, I received a lot of help from civilians, which changed my attitude towards them! Popov wore a Youve got to be kidding me expression. Ignoring Popovs skepticism, Wang Zhong dered, That settles it. We cant just assume that Bogdanovka can hold for half a month. We need to act. If the higher-ups wont supply us, well find our own way. Just like we nned beforeing here! Yegorov mmed the table with force, Thats the spirit! These past few days Ive been so idle Im practically getting sick from it! Early the next morning, the Rocossov battle groups streamlined team immediately sprang into action. Popov took his men to the train station to receive the military supplies designated for the battle group. Yegorov led people to set up checkpoints on the western roads of the city to detain passersby. Pavlov went to the military depot headquarters to plead poverty. Yeca Neiko and Sofan went to the local church to plead poverty. Wang Zhong went to the hospital to see if there were any loopholes to exploit. Everyone was in motion. Wang Zhong, apanied by Grigori and his assigned driver Vasily, boarded the Jeep, with Grigori at the wheel. Just as they were about to set off, Ludm suddenly rushed out of the dormitory, grabbing the rear car door, Wait, take me with you, Alyosha! "What are you going to do? Wang Zhong asked in confusion, Can you treat the wounded? After all, she was a prayer hand, and since she could guide rockets to their target like missiles, she could probably make use of Holy Light or somethingright? Ludm said, What are you rambling about? Isnt the healing power of Holy Power only found in legends? Its like Prosens Valha. Wang Zhong responded, Then what use are you at the hospital? Its dirty and Suddenly, Wang Zhong saw Pavlov off in the distance, wobbling on a bicycle as he appeared! With Pavlovs size, he would need at least a 26-inch bike to fit him, and a 28-inch would feel right. But he rode a 24-inch bike, looking like a bear curled up on a fire hydrant. Looking at his posture on the bike was so ufortable for Wang Zhong to watch. Pavlov charged towards Wang Zhong, stumbling as he got off the bike, but luckily Vasily was quick to jump out of the Jeep and catch him. Confused, Wang Zhong asked, Whats going on? Did the enemy break through the line? Where is your Jeep? Pavlov panted, I left left the driver to guard it! "Guarding what? Grigori immediately flipped off the safety of his submachine gun and checked the chamber with a click. Pavlov waved his hands frantically, No! Thats not it! I damn it, let me catch my breath. After tossing aside the bicycle and leaning on Wang Zhong, Pavlov caught his breath for about half a minute. Having recovered somewhat, he said to Wang Zhong, This morning, I went to the military depot headquarters "I know that part. Get to the point, Wang Zhong interrupted him. Pavlov replied, Oh. Do you know about the repair factory in the city? Wang Zhong nodded, I know. They fix cars, what about it? Pavlov exined, They have more than just cars there. They also keep the stuff that wasnt destroyed when the cars were strafed. Anything intact was taken by the military depotmand, and the broken pieces were left there. "Then the mechanics saw all those broken guns piled up and took parts to assemble three guns. Two 45mm ones, and one 76mm! Wang Zhongs mouth formed into an O shape. "Doesnt anyone want the guns? he asked. Pavlov eximed, They just finished assembling them yesterday and reported it today. I rushed to the repair factory when I saw the report and had the driver guard them with a loaded pistol, forbidding anyone to take them. If we grab them now, theyre ours! "I cant drive, so I borrowed this bicycle from one of the mechanics Wang Zhong questioned, Then why didnt you stay there yourself and let the drivere back in the Jeep to report? Pavlov paused, confused, Huh? Oh, right. No, wait, the guns! Hurry, weve got to grab those guns! Maybe no one wants the 45s, but the 76mm is a treasure! Wang Zhong pped his thigh, Great! Vasily, run and order the first squad to stop their training and assemble here on the run! Vasily didnt move. Wang Zhong asked, Whats the matter with you? Vasily replied, We should send the third squad, theyre from the Artillery School after all. Wang Zhong and Pavlov looked at each other, then cursed, You stubborn mule, cant you follow orders for once without arguing? "So, Ill go call the first squad? "No, call the third squad. Wang Zhong red at Vasily with a murderous look, Run! And run fast! Dont make me kick your ass! Chapter 74: The Dispute Over the Cannon Loktov City isntrge; walking from the northernmost to the southernmost end takes just half an hour, and if you walk a bit faster, it might take only a little over twenty minutes. If you had a bicycle, you could ride from any point in the city to just about anywhere else within fifteen minutes. Wang Zhong sat in the jeep, leading the third toon in a jog, and it took less than fifteen minutes to reach the repair shop, including the time they gathered. Before they arrived at the repair shop, Wang Zhong could already see another group of people blocking the entrance from afar. This group, led by a Priest, was moring at the entrance, Why wont you let us in! "The cannon is firste, first served! "These cannons were supposed to be resupplied to us! Pavlovs driver, who had also survived from Peniye, showed no fear and shouted with his pistol in hand, Nobody is allowed to touch the cannons! Staff Officer Pavlov has already requisitioned them! The other side retorted, We dont know which Pavlov youre talking about! Is it the one who raises dogs?Wang Zhong was shocked, what, there is also a Pavlov known for raising dogs in this world? But this isnt surprising, as Pavlov is a fairlymon surname. Sergeant Major Grigori was very adept, directly driving the jeep so close to the Priest leading the opposing group that he almost crashed into him before braking sharply, even pulling a tailslide and almost hitting someone. The kicked-up dust went straight into the faces of that group of people. Wang Zhong straightened his clothes, about to get out of the car, when Vasily got out ahead of him and opened the car door. Vasily: Your Excellency General! The previously noisy crowd suddenly quieted down, all looking towards the jeep. Seeing the generals stars on Wang Zhongs epaulettes, everyone hastily snapped to attention and saluted. Under everyones gaze, Wang Zhong got out of the vehicle and casually returned the salute, At ease, whats all the noise about? Pavlov got out of the car on the other side, hurriedly walked around the vehicle to stand behind Wang Zhong, and signaled to his own driver. The driver immediately reported, Reporting to the General, these people are trying to take our artillery! The opposing Bishop immediately said, Wheres the order that assigned these cannons to you? Show it to us! Wang Zhong nced at the Priest. Though Wang Zhongs general uniform was brand new, it couldnt hide the imposing aura honed on the battlefield. The Priest immediately toned down his arrogance. Wang Zhong: Which unit are you from? Actually, Wang Zhong could see the allied forces unit numbers with his external device, but it was more proper to ask at this moment. Besides, the device showed only numbers and no further detailed information. The Priest answered, We are the Fifth Byshensk Infantry Division, retreated from Anlisovka. Anlisovka, to the northwest of Bogdanovka, it seems the front lines of Prosens offensive have fully advanced to the Bogdanovka to Voznesenye line now. Wang Zhong suddenly realized, since when was he so intimately familiar with maps? It seems pondering over the map these past few days has borne fruit! No, cant get distracted, must deal with the matter at hand first. Wang Zhong nced at the soldiers of the Fifth Byshensk Division and asked, Where is yourmanding officer? Howe only a Priest has led you here? There arent Bishops at the regimental level in the Ante Empire. Each regiment should have a militarymander and a chief of staff, and now with only a Priest leading the group, it was very likely that both the regimentalmander and the chief of staff were casualties. But Wang Zhong still needed to ask, what if when they heard there were cannons, both the regimental leader and the chief of staff were in thevatory, and only a Priest could lead the troops over for the time being? The Priests expression darkened, All have been sacrificed, I am now the highest-ranking officer of our regiment. ording to themand hierarchy, I have taken overmand. Wang Zhong: Sorry. How many of you are left? The Priest answered, There are still three hundred seventy able-bodied soldiers. Pavlov remarked, So you all are deserters The Priest immediately got angry and raised his voice, We are not deserters! Afterpleting our blocking task, we retreated in good order! Give us orders, and we can build defenses and continue to resist anywhere! Wang Zhong: In the view from above, thats still desertion. We have beenbeled deserters too. "Your Excellency General! The Priest looked solemnly at Wang Zhong, I cannot ept this characterization! We fought as bravely as the third rear Amur Group at Peniye! Its just that we didnt have tanks or Divine Arrows, so we didnt destroy as many enemy tanks, thats all! We need these artillery pieces; in the next battle, we will surely achieve better results! With a stern face, Wang Zhong nodded, Hmm, I believe you can. But my troops can do better. The Priest and his soldiers all looked unconvinced. The Priest: Your Excellency General, what unit is your troop? Wang Zhong: The Imperial Guards Thirty-first Infantry Division. "Hmph, the Imperial Guard all have their signature capes, and you which division? The Priest suddenly paused, eyeing the soldiers lined up neatly behind Wang Zhong with suspicion. Wang Zhong: The Imperial Guards Thirty-first Infantry Division. The Priest raised an eyebrow, Is that the Peniye Hero Division that destroyed sixty tanks at Peniye? Wang Zhong was taken aback for a moment, as that number probably included the half-tracks that were counted as tanks. But it was not the time to puncture the propaganda of the Church Propaganda Office in this kind of desperate situation, with morale failing, heroic deeds were needed to inspire the troops. So Wang Zhong solemnly nodded: Yes, thats us. The Priest took a step back and scrutinized Wang Zhong, Then you are the esteemed Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, the White Horse General? What the hell is a White Horse General? Wang Zhong nced at Pavlov, who whispered, It was reported in the newspaper yesterday, or perhaps it was an enemymunication passed back by the followers of the Eastern Holy Church in Prosen. An intelligence report passed back by the followers of the Eastern Holy Church in Prosen? In these past few days, Wang Zhong had learned about the local situation; Prosen did not follow the Eastern Holy Church, and the war also had a bit of the vor of the Crusades. Perhaps because of the existence of mystical things like Divine Arrow, the power of the church here was far stronger than on Earth. Wang Zhong, The enemy says I am the White Horse General? "Yes, they say you specifically ride a horse to provoke Prosens armored troops, arrogant and domineering! Wang Zhongughed, he had only ridden a horse to scout too far ahead; he originally intended to stop as soon as he reached the smoke but found the overhead view difficult to control the horse, and Bucephalus ran fast, charging out of the smoke. So in the eyes of the enemy, he had gone out specifically to taunt them. Wang Zhong, Actually, I was just on a reconnaissance ride. The driver of the 422 vehicle I was in was injured and couldnt drive, so I had to mount a horse to scout. This was the truth, the absolute truth. But to others, it might seem like modesty. At this point, the attitudes of the people from the Fifth Blyatensk Infantry Division changedpletely, looking at Wang Zhong with added respect. Wang Zhong struck while the iron was hot, Now that you know Im the White Horse General, are you still thinking of taking this artillery piece? The Priest clenched his teeth, looking like he still wanted the artillery. After all, he had been through bloody battles and knew how important a gun was for the next fight, how an extra gun might mean much less bloodshed. It was true that he couldnt give it up easily. At that moment, Wang Zhong had an idea and asked, Which division do you belong to? "The Eighty-first Infantry Division, the Priest answered. Wang Zhong, Where is that division now? "Dont know, weve been out of touch with division headquarters for a long time, the Priests voice lowered. Pavlov said, Although there is no notice of the divisions number being revoked, theres no supply for this division in the logistics transportation n anymore. The supply for this group should be separately allocated. "Its the precursor to disbanding the number. Wang Zhong, Then its simple; you no longer have a division above you, and my Rokossovsky Battle Group is missing a group. Pavlov, prepare the documents, apply to have them incorporated into our battle group. "This way, if we take the gun, its as if youve got it! The Priest scratched his head, This doesnt follow the usual procedure, does it? Wang Zhong, During wartime, you handle special cases in special ways. Plus, the orders I received were to incorporate the routed soldiers here, and while you dont count as routed, your division is gone. You from the Eighty-first Division count as routed, right? A division thats been annihted is certainly routed, logically. Pavlov looked tired as he nced at the sky, murmuring in a low voice, Damn, do you know how much paperwork this involves? Wang Zhong pretended not to hear and continued looking at the Priest, So, what do you say? The Priest pped his thigh, Alright, that settles it. Well go back and wait for the orders! After the Fifth Blyatensk Group left, Pavlovs driver finally opened the door. An old craftsman had already been waiting inside, and as soon as he saw Wang Zhonge in, he immediately greeted him. "Weve been waiting for you! Weve greased the big guns, just waiting for you to take them to continue firing on those Prosen devils! As he spoke, the old craftsman made a weing gesture, then while leading Wang Zhong to the factory building, continued to say: "We actually dont know how to repair big guns. "But look, with so many guns, each with different parts broken, you canpare and figure out the overall structure, so we assembled three guns. "Two of the 45s are original parts. The 76 is missing parts, but we turned them ourselves on athe; theyre passable. Wang Zhong wanted to inspect the gun thoroughly but soon realized he didnt understand artillery at all and wouldnt be able to tell good from bad, so he thought it best to let those who knew how take a look. So he turned back to the young soldiers of the third toon and asked, Are you from the Artillery School? The leader of the young soldiers nced at the NCO leading them. The NCO said, The Brigadier General is asking you a question, so answer it. Dont look at me. "Yes! Brigadier General, sir! Wang Zhong, Send out the two with the best grades to inspect this gun. All the new recruits turned to look at a curly-haired youngster. The young man stepped out of the rank and saluted Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong nodded, Dmitri Ivanovich, tell me right away if this gun can be fired sessfully. Surprised to hear his own name, the young man was slightly taken aback, You really remembered our names? "Of course, now check the gun. Wang Zhong did try to remember everyones names yesterday, but he hadnt seeded yet; he still relied on his external aid for help. But now, he knew there was a young man who was great at handling guns called Dmitri Ivanovich. Chapter 75: Even in Such Hell, the Flower of Love Blossoms The result of this assault was a line of people jubntly hauling the big guns back to base. Generally, the Ante Army artillerists would use mules and horses to tow these cannons, but with none to be found in the entire factory, they had to borrow three trucks used for transporting parts and materials to pull all three guns back to base. The gunners, finally with cannons, were overjoyed, standing in the truck beds with a proud and spirited demeanor, as if with these few guns they could drive all the invaders out of their homnd. After driving into base anding to a stop, Wang Zhong jumped down from the jeep and shouted to the men disembarking from the third truck, Hurry up and unload the guns, and weve got to return the trucks to the factory! "You guys push the guns under that tree over there, and chop some branches to cover them up! Dont let the enemy nes spot them! The Prosen Armys nes had been bombing Loktov these past few days, but they mainly focused on the railway stations, paying little attention to this empty base. However, today this base had over a thousand people, more than enough to catch the attention of Prosen pilots. Wang Zhongs orders were quickly carried out. The trucks left the base, the gunners pushed the guns into the shade of the trees, and then climbed up to chop down branches with machetes. These kids seemed to be ying rather than working as they climbed the trees, theirughter audible across the whole parade ground, distracting the infantry who were training with the veterans.Wang Zhong had no choice but to scold, Stop messing around! Act your age! You veterans should keep them in line as well! A former veteran of the Amur Group, now a squad leader, immediately took a serious tone, scolding the new recruits and giving their backsides a few kicks for good measure. The work was quickly done, and Dimitri came over to Wang Zhong and saluted, Your Excellency General, where are the shells? Wang Zhong turned to Pavlov, Where are the shells? "Ill go write the request now, dont rush me. Wang Zhong, While youre at it, request some military trucks too, or mules if necessary. At the start of Operation Barbarossa on Earth, the level of mechanization on both sides was not as high as one might think; a considerable number of Soviet artillery units relied entirely on mules and horses for transport, and logistics, apart from trains, also depended heavily on these animals. Not only were a significant portion of the German logistics reliant on mules and horses, but many of the non-armored and non-grenadier units also maneuvered by marching and with the aid of mules and horses. The only army in World War II that was essentially free of mules and horses, fully mechanized, was the US Army, with its vast fleets of ten-wheel trucks and Willis jeeps, making them a force that truly operated on wheels. The Ante Army wasnt the American Army. The number of GAZ trucks was quite limited, and now, in this state of copse, Wang Zhong wasnt really expecting Pavlov to find enough GAZ trucks. It would be fine just to make do with mules and horses for towing. In response to Wang Zhongs request, Pavlov looked troubled andined, General, you only need to move your lips, but its me whos running around until my legs break. Not to mention, I have to prepare a pile of paperwork. At least get the staff at brigade headquarters to work with me. Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow and pointed to the cadets before him, Arent they military academy students? Cant we get a few to act as staff officers? "No, what theyve mainly learned is how to be warrant officers, only knowing how to handle the paperwork a toon leader mighte across, Pavlov shook his head, I need civilians with at least the rank of a level-nine civil official, level ten would do as well. Or students who havepleted the staff officer courseeven those who haventpleted it, but at least they should have studied it. Wang Zhong, Is that so? Maybe we could find a few with weaker constitutions and start from scratch? "Im already running myself ragged just getting around, and now you want me to teach students? And those with only a little bit of foundation? Pavlov retorted. Wang Zhong also felt that seemed to be the case. However, Pavlov added, Still, we can consider finding a few who are better at cartography to update the maps daily, so that I dont have to do it myself. "Copying the signs from themand headquarters map exactly as they are is something even newbies can do. Wang Zhong pped his hands, That settles it. Vasily, who among you is good at drawing maps? Vasily pointed to the thirdpany of the artillery academy, They have to learn surveying and mapping, after all, they may lead artillery observation teams in the future, while we just report coordinates based on the map. Wang Zhong nodded, then turned to Dmitri and said, Recruit two volunteers toe to the headquarters to draw maps. Anyway, we dont need so many people for just three guns. "Yes! Just as Dmitri left, the sound of engines came from the gate, and Wang Zhong turned his head to see one GAZ truck after another driving into the encampment. Wang Zhong muttered, Whats going on? Has themand finally gone mad? The supplies theyve given us before have always been measly Then he saw Popov sitting in the lead truck, whose task should have been to go to the station to receive the supply train that was due today for Rocossovs battle group. It seemed that the trucks were loaded with supplies for the battle group, but where did the truckse from? The truck Popov was in drove up to Wang Zhong and stopped in front of him. The bishop jumped out of the door and blinked at the perplexed brigadier, Do you have a question to ask, Aleksei Konstantinovich? Wang Zhong, Yes, where did these truckse from? Borrowed from themand headquarters? Can I keep the trucks? "Dont worry, these trucks are for us. Popov turned to shout at the convoy, Quick, unload the trucks, stack the weapons on the side, and take the ammo to the storage. Those messing with the artillery over there, hurry up ande helpartillery? It was only then that Popov realized that what was covered by branches under the tree was artillery, and he quickly asked, Where did this artillerye from? You didnt snatch it from a brotherly unit, did you? I wont support you if you break military discipline! Wang Zhong, Dont worry, this is something the mechanics from the auto repair shop assembled from scrap guns. Absolutely no rules were broken! Popov raised an eyebrow, If it were before, I definitely wouldnt believe you. Now, well, Ill trust the White Horse General of Peniye for the time being. "Howe youve started using that nickname too! Popov shrugged, Everyone at the station is talking about it, and they know were the troops of the White Horse General. Dont let everyone down in the next battle. After speaking, he turned towards the soldiers, Quickly unload, hurry up, otherwise we might be hit by enemy air raids! It wouldnt be good if the hard-earned ammo got blown up! Actually, the soldiers were already unloading, and Popovs urging only made everyone move a bit faster. The bishop turned back, took out a thick stack of registration forms from his briefcase, and handed them to Pavlov, This is the inventory list. Pavlov sighed and turned to his driver, Go call the ountant! Wang Zhong asked, Are all these GAZ trucks sent along with the military train? "Yes, the trucks are loaded with supplies, fastened directly onto the train, it seems His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had given strict instructions to the Imperial Logistics Department. Popov crossed his arms and watched everyone bustling, Just Tokarev alone sent us three thousand pieces, we couldnt possibly use all of them. Theres also a heap of heavy machine guns and anti-tank rifles. Wang Zhong: So, can we swap our surplus weapons with the supply depot for other things? "It seems there isnt such a system in ce, Popov said, seemingly unsure, and then turned to look at Pavlov. Pavlov handed the checklist to the ountant who had hurried over: Go and verify the quantities against the list. After passing his look of worry to the ountant, Pavlov replied to the two men, his face rxing, Indeed, there is no such system. However, I think themand of the supply depot wont mind taking the Tokarevs back. My suggestion is to barter with neighboring units for what we need. No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the unloading cadets shouted, Look, cloaks! The Imperial Guards cloaks! The cadet who yelled snatched a cloak, draped it over his shoulders, and stood in the bed of the truck, primping. The others crowded around, each eager to try on a cloak. Popov yelled, Dont touch anything! Wait for the quartermaster to issue them! If anyone takes one now, theyll be locked up! The first scallywag who grabbed a cloak could only reluctantly put it back. Wang Zhong heard someone say, Alyosha, better wait until you have your cloak before you bring flowers! Since Wang Zhongs nickname was also Alyosha, his first reaction was to think he was being called, but he soon realized it wasnt for him. Russian names often coincideda whole bunch of Alekseis, and Wang Zhong even suspected that Russians unfamiliar with each other would use both the first name and patronymic to avoid confusion. Clearly, this Alyosha was referring to another soldier named Aleksei. From his vantage point, Wang Zhong quickly spotted this Alyosha: Aleksei Balfionovich. So Wang Zhong called out loudly, Aleksei Balfionovich! Who are you giving flowers to? The cadets going for the cannon and those heading to the station to receive supplies all stopped in their tracks and stared at Wang Zhong, surprised. Aleksei Balfionovich said with excitement, You remembered my name? Wang Zhong nodded, Dont be so surprised every time. Ive said I would remember all your names. As long as Im alive, you will not be nameless heroes. Aleksei, who are you giving flowers to? A sharp-tongued scallywag blurted out, Its theundry squads Natalia, Your Excellency! Wang Zhong: Then I wish you a sessful mission. To the west of the encampment, in front of the perimeter wall, theres awn where starflowers are blooming beautifully. In fact, Ludm was the one who had discovered this, and she immediately told Wang Zhong, even making him a wreath. Aleksei Balfionovichs face lit up with joy, Really, Your Excellency? "Really. You can pick them during the rest time after dinner tonight, and present them to yourdy as the sun sets, Wang Zhong advised. Popov chimed in, As expected from the Casanova of Yekaterinburg, always understanding the way of love. Wang Zhong shrugged; in truth, he had zero experience with romance, but he had read two hundred romanceics! Not two hundred issues, but two hundred series! Popov: Alright, enough! Lets continue with the orders! As the soldiers resumed the orderly transfer of ammunition, Popov turned to Wang Zhong: Actually, theres some good news. Wang Zhong: Oh? "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ns to send over those troops from the capital that are specialized in parades. Those units are under the management of the courts ceremonial service, and the Crown Prince can direct them. Upon hearing this, Pavlov frowned: You mean the ceremonial troops equipped with T35s? What good are those besides serving as a royal parade vehicle? The thickest part of their armor is only 30 millimeters, and the thinnest is just 10 millimeters! Wang Zhong: Youre quite well-informed about this, huh? Pavlov with a deadpan expression: Ive seen those things during the Winter War; theyre absolutely terrible. Whoever ordered them to be taken into battle should be shot. Popov: But you cant deny they look very imposing and majestic, perfect for parades. Wang Zhong recalled and indeed, they did. Damn it, before they equip me with T34s, am I supposed to try out all the Soviet Unions quirky machines? Just as he finished his thought, the air raid siren sounded. Wang Zhong shouted, Stop loading, get away from the trucks, stay clear of the ammunition, and find cover! Usually there was a bit of time to find shelter before the enemy nes arrived when the air raid sirens went off. Wang Zhong, Pavlov, and Popov quickly took cover in a nearby bunker, craning their necks to watch the sky. From the direction of the supply depot came the sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire. Pavlov breathed a sigh of relief: Theyre hitting the supply depot again. Just then, the sound of engines approaching rapidly from the direction of the depot could be heard, and soon two Stukas that had just dropped their payloads appeared. Noticing the Gas trucks parked in the encampment that had not yet been concealed, they took the opportunity to strafe them. One of the Gas trucks in the middle of the line immediately exploded into mes, and several more caught fire. The enemy nes engine noise gradually faded into the distance. Wang Zhong, peeking through his overhead view to confirm the enemy nes had left, climbed out of the bunker and looked at the burning trucks: Damn it, the mechanics at the repair shop have got their work cut out for them again. Anyone hurt? Any casualties speak up now! Wang Zhongs typical humor immediately triggeredughter among the younger soldiers. The solemn atmosphere brought on by the enemy air raid was thus somewhat lightened. "Stopughing! Popov yelled angrily, Get the fire extinguishers! If youre artillery cadets, you shouldve learned firefighting! Put it out quickly! Dont let it spread to other vehicles! Chapter 76: Heavy Hammer Ten minutes after the air raid. Thest flicker of me was finally extinguished through thebined efforts of the Third toon and the First toon, which had rushed in to assist. When the mes disappeared, the young people cheered as if they had won a great battle. Popov shouted, Dont celebrate just yet! Quickly check the burned-out vehicles for any usable parts! Inspect those that were strafed, fix any malfunctions, and if there are none, drive them to the auto repair shop for the mechanics to check again. The soldiers cheers died down, and Wang Zhong murmured, Isnt it okay to let them be happy for a moment? "I dont think its good for the future, Popov replied, with an upromising attitude, this is within my scope of work. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue. However, the army did indeed need to maintain good discipline; Popov was not wrong, so he said nothing more. Popov issued a newmand: Squad leaders, check your numbers and see if anyone is injured or lost.In truth, Wang Zhong had already confirmed there were no casualties through his overview perspective, but he had to pretend he didnt know and watched as the veteran squad leaders did a headcount. At that moment, a cart appeared at the entrance of the encampment. The guard at the gate initially thought to stop it but chose to open the barrier after clearly seeing the person driving the cart. Yegorov was wielding the long pole used for driving the cart, leading an old horse pulling a two-wheeled cart into the camp. Wang Zhong: You have this skill too? Yegorov sighed deeply as he stopped the cart and jumped down, handing the driving pole to the guard and looked at Wang Zhong solemnly: Im a farmer, theres no farmer who cant drive a cart. At this time, several civilians got off the cart, and upon seeing Wang Zhongs generals stars, became uneasy, standing there awkwardly. Yegorov: Let me introduce you to these folks who volunteered to help us. This is Andreyevich, a tailor; this is Pierre, a cook; andstly, this is Niki, a cobbler. Wang Zhongs brows twisted into knots: What do you need these people for? Yegorov replied seriously: Tailors and cobblers are very important! Otherwise, when the muddy seasones, just wait for the soldiers to get sick! Are you really an Ante person or not? Hello, no. But Wang Zhong could only pretend to be a spoilt fool oblivious to the hardships of the world. To change the subject, he asked, What about the cook? We already have a field kitchen team. "Yes, yes, every day its soup boiled with potatoes, onions, and carrots, dry bread. Im not disparaging thedies cooking, but we need to diversify our diet! Yegorov said, turning to the cook, What dishes are you good at making? Pierre pushed up his sses: Carolingian traditional dishes. I was the head chef for Lord Boye back home. Wang Zhong frowned: So, your name isnt Peter but you are called Pierre; your real name is Pierre? Because there was a time when all of Europe aspired to the French court, Russians would sometimes change the pronunciation of their names to sound French. For instance, one of the protagonists of War and Peace named Pierre is actually called Peter, but its read the French way, which seems more fashionable. Wang Zhong originally thought this cook was the same. Pierre straightened his clothes: I am indeed Pierre, I am Carolingian, and I fled here after Carolingian fell. Wang Zhong: AhI see Popov said jokingly, Great, Aleksei Konstantinovich enjoys French cuisine; you can be the generals cook. Do I really have this setting? Wang Zhong shook his head: Well, its good that youre here. As a chef, you must be proficient in managing food supplies, right? "Yes. I was the head chef for the lord. I managed the entire kitchen operation, Pierre replied proudly. Wang Zhong: Alright, youll manage the food supplies for the troops, and if we run out of food, Iming to you! On July 4th of the year 914 by the Jules calendar, just as Wang Zhong had put on his generals uniform, Popov burst into his bedroom: Aleksei Konstantinovich, Ive foundmunication personnel! Wang Zhong: Really? So no one needs to go to headquarters to copy maps anymore? Typically, battle reports are publicly broadcast by Argesukovs Front Army headquarters, and as long as theres the capability to decode, anyone can receive, interpret and restore the situation to the battle maps. Up till now, the Rocossov battle group had no radiomunicationspany of its own and had to visit the station headquarters every day to copy the newly updated maps. Until yesterday, this was a task Pavlov had to do himself, but today, he could finally pass it on to two artillery cadets. Having their own radiopany would spare them the time wasted visiting the station headquarters. More importantly, with their ownmunicationspany, they could receive orders directly. Currently, any orders from above for the Rocossov battle group had to be ryed by the station headquarters. However, Wang Zhong always felt that those above might deliberately let his battle group sunbathe here. After all, the reports from headquarters were already iming that a counter-offensive was imminent. Wang Zhong, after realizing he had be a celebrity yesterday, specially looked for newspapers from thest few days to readpreviously he didnt do this because asking a 21st-century young man from Earth to read newspapers was quite a challenge. If one only read the newspapers, the front line was performing excellently, the Prosen Empire suffered heavy losses under the resolute resistance of the Ante Empire army, and the war situation could reverse at any moment. The style of this Annihte the enemy by millions with lightning speed felt all too familiar. Wang Zhong had a bad premonition. All he could do was to prepare his troops as best as he could. "Lets go, Wang Zhong draped the Imperial Guard cloak assigned to him, lets take a look. Where are they now? Chapter 77: Heavy Hammer (2) Popov: The house next to the headquarters is ready. Ill take you. Two minutester, Wang Zhong frowned as he looked at the Tribunal squad lined up before him. "Didnt you say it was themunicationspany? he asked Popov, Why is it a supervisory team? Popov: Youve misunderstood, Aleksei Konstantinovich. They are the local Tribunal counter-espionage unit, responsible for using radio direction-finding vehicles to detect spy radios. "They all know how to use telegraphs and decipher codes. The best part is, they are judges themselves, so when theyre deciphering, theres no need for a secret Judge armed with a gun to watch over them. Captain, introduce yourself to the Brigadier General. The leading captain stepped forward: We have obtained the radio and codebook, and weve already started decoding todaysbatmuniques before you arrived! Wang Zhong: What about the counter-espionage work? Captain: All local suspects of espionage have been executed by firing squad, so theres no longer a need for radio location.Such efficiency indeed, should one say this is worthy of the blue-capped Tribunal? Popov added from the side: They were free anyway, so I pulled them in. It saves timepared to waiting for reinforcements from themunicationspany. At that moment, Pavlov came out from the headquarters and frowned upon seeing the group with blue caps: You actually brought over the Tribunals electronic reconnaissance squad! Do you know how many reports I have to write for this! Wang Zhong replied seriously: I know you can handle it, Pavlov. Youre a professional military officer full of honor, an excellent clerk! "Dont butter me up. Look at the bags under my eyes. Youre well-rested, just look at me! Pavlovs dark circles were indeed very noticeable, clearly showing that the chief of staff was worn out. Wang Zhong decided to quickly get away, unwilling to listen to Pavlovs grumbling: Your Excellency the Bishop! Isnt it time to receive the ceremonial troops that are being sent to us today? As mentioned yesterday, the Crown Prince intended to cram the pce ceremonial troopswho were experts at paradesonto Wang Zhong, possibly the multi-turret heavy tanks T35 which might be shy but of questionable utility. Wang Zhongs current idea was to use them regardless of their effectiveness. If the T35s armor was thin, then just dig a ditch and bury part of it to use as a fixed gun position. After all, the tank gunsa 76mm and a 45mm on the tankwere not just for show. The tank also had machine guns! If used properly, they could eliminate the Prosen devils. Popov checked his watch and nodded: Right, if the military train isntte, it should have arrived. However, military trains were often dyed due to enemy air raids. Wang Zhong indeed had nothing else to do at the moment, as all his current tasks were logistical in nature, and his advantage couldnt be used. He was also clueless about handling the Ante Armys administrative paperwork; the original Wang Zhong wasnt skilled at this, with a score of zero in rted subjects, graduating only because of his good rtionship with the Crown Prince. Wang Zhong, a Chinese, was doing well just tomunicate with his inheritednguage skills; writing documents would be riddled with grammatical errors. Previously when Ludm asked him to write a letter home, he had scribbled a page which Ludm pointed out had seventeen mistakes. Since then, Wang Zhong resolutely decided to stick to his illiterate persona. In short, Wang Zhong, who could not and did not want to deal with clerical tasks, decided to leave and wait for the ceremonial troops. "Im going to the station to wait, carry on with your duties! Grigori! Bring the car over! As Wang Zhong called out, he started walking towards the car. Popov: Ille along. Pavlov: Why would you? Help me with the paperwork! As the bishop, you have to stamp a part of the documents anyway! Popov: The Crown Prince specifically instructed me to ensure that the goods are received by the Rocossovbat group. I am carrying out his orders. Wang Zhong: No, I can receive them personally; you go help Pavlov with the paperwork. Popov looked at Wang Zhong with a resentful face. It seemed he disliked clerical work as well. As the two exchanged res, the Gunner Dmitri ran over with a trainee: Your Excellency General! Please have a look at the ammunition the depot provided us! Wang Zhong had one foot on the jeeps running board when he heard this; curious, he looked over and saw that Dmitris trainee was holding a cratebeled 76mm ammunition painted on the outside. Wang Zhong: Whats the matter? The 76mm gun was his only prized possession; if the T35 proved unreliable, anti-tank efforts would hinge solely on that 76mm gun. Dmitri flipped open the crate lid, revealing the tightly packed ammunition: These shells! He pulled out a bullet to show Wang Zhong. "Its a pickle can! Wang Zhong held his forehead. In various memoirs, he had read about many anecdotes of supplies being delivered incorrectly, but it was usually the wrong caliber; he hadnt seen too many cases of the wrong type of goods being sent. Critically, the crate was evenbeled as shells. Wang Zhong, Go find the Chief of Staff! Pavlov, Me again? Okay, this does seem like something for me Show me the supply order! Taking this opportunity, Wang Zhong got into the jeep, patted Grigori on the shoulder, Lets go! At the train station, Wang Zhong wrinkled his nose at the smell of blood. He stopped a stretcher, asking the wounded soldier who seemed to be in not too bad shape, Hows the front line? The soldier opened his eyes, and upon seeing Wang Zhongs uniform and the stars on his shoulder, immediately tried to salute, but Wang Zhong pressed his hand down, No need for formalities. Hows the front line? "Its bad, Im from the Army reserve, and we were alreadymitted yesterday. The enemy is close topleting their encirclement, and by tomorrow, I reckon the evacuation trains for wounded wont be able to get out. Wang Zhongs brow furrowed deeply. He looked towards Popov, It seems we need to hasten our battle preparations. I think we can start building defensive fortifications today. Popov, Have you chosen a location for the defenses? "Yes. Wang Zhong nodded. These past few days he had been studying the overhead maps, and had already memorized the whole terrain of Loktov. He continued, Our defensive strong point should be set up at the fertilizer nt to the southwest. The nts buildings are sturdy reinforced concrete, and severalmanding heights are very suitable as observation points. "If we had howitzers, after establishing an observatory there, wed be able to control the entire southwestern side of the city. "The walls of the fertilizer nt are doubleyered red brick structures; by creating a few small openings for anti-tank guns, the gun positions can be swiftly moved under the cover of the walls after they are exposed. "If we had tanks, there are several belts of woods on either side of the southwest highway where we couldy ambushes for the enemy. Popov looked at Wang Zhong, who recited all this like clockwork, You when did you learn all of this? Wang Zhong, Before you came, I had already scoped it all out while riding Bucephalus around. He meant that he had seen it all clearly while riding around and using an overhead view. Popov, But are you sure you want to use T35s for the ambush? That thing can only crawl at 10 kilometers per hour on uneven ground, slower than a person walking. Wang Zhong also frowned, I mean if we had good tanks. Even with BT7s, I would go for an ambush. At that moment, a siren sounded in the distance. The old man from the control room emerged, and he looked much older than just a few days ago, Hey, General, your train is on another tform, go over the footbridge. Wang Zhong waved at the old man, and as he walked, he said to Popov, The day you arrived, he was still using honorifics. Now can you feel it? Popov nodded, The people are panic-stricken. The two men, apanied by their guards, crossed over the footbridge to the other side. At that time, the train had already begun pulling into the station. Wang Zhong stopped, standing on the bridge, looking over the long line of t cars with their secured cargo. He suddenly realized he had been led astray by that bastard Pavlov. That guy had taken it for granted to mention the parade star T35 heavy tank, causing Wang Zhong to forget that the pre-WWII Soviet Army had another darling of the parade ceremonies. That was the B-4 M1931 203mm howitzer, the Hammer of Steel. Wang Zhong looked at the eight 203mm B4 heavy howitzers steadilying to a halt on the train below, his mouth agape. Dammit, the fight just got rich! Crown Prince! Although I dont know who you are, well done! Chapter 78: In the Name of the Crown Prince Wang Zhong was ecstatically dancing when he suddenly realized something, Wait a minute! Why do I only see ammunition vehicles, and not towing vehicles? The B4 howitzer looked like a self-propelled gun, but it actually had no power. Although it used a tractor chassis, it couldnt move by itself and needed another tractor to tow it. On Earth, there were models of this thing with their own power, but it turned out to be too heavy; its two small tracks couldnt bear the weight and would sink into a lot of ground surfaces, so they eventually gave up on it. Is this world different? Indeed, in this timeline, the tracks of these heavy guns looked longer than those of the tractors on Earth. So, Wang Zhong tentatively asked, This cannon Is it towed by the ammunition vehicle? Can it even pull it? Popov cast another disdainful nce at him, Aleksei Konstantinovich, what were you doing during the parades? Wang Zhong shrugged, unabashedly answering, Looking at womens chests, what about it?"Pfft. Vasily, who was serving as a guard with Grigori, couldnt help butugh, then received a re from Popov, immediately standing at attention and looking straight ahead. Popov turned back to Wang Zhong, saying, These things are for the parade, it doesnt look good to tow them with the gun barrel facing backward, so theye with their own power now. Wang Zhong was shocked, With the power added, how heavy would it be? "Around twenty or thirty tons, I think. Im a cleric, ask the artillerymen for specifics. Anyway, its not light. Wang Zhong: So, how fast can it go? If this thing could run 30 kilometers per hour on the road, it might be more useful than its Earthly cousin. The B4 howitzer on Earth had a scary-sounding name for a reason given by the German soldiers. In fact,rge-caliber 203mm artillery wasmon on the Eastern Front; the Germans had them too, and the Soviets didnt give them a nickname like XXXs Hammer. Mainly, the German forces used their 21CM howitzers as howitzers should be used, bombarding enemies over a dozen kilometers away, with those being bombed unable to see the big guns firing. But the Soviets werent like that. Although the B4 heavy howitzer was indeed a howitzer with a maximum indirect fire range of 17 kilometers, the Soviets liked to push this thing to within 500 meters of the German bunkers and open fire. They even pushed it into cities for street fighting. The Germans could clearly see this thing slowly advancing, aiming at them. It was terrifying; a single shot could either kill or cripple by the shock alone. Over time, it gained the nickname The Hammer of Steel. Latterly, the thing became so famous, and yet was so slow to position, that often by the time it was in ce, people inside the bunkers had run away. If this thing could hit a road speed of 30 kilometers, those in the bunkers probably wouldnt have time to run. After all, its killing range was truly vast. Popov shrugged: Dont get your hopes up. This thing moves at the same speed as the marching pace during a parade when its on its own, its travel mechanism is specifically designed for parades. Wang Zhong was deeply shocked, the idea of cheering it up specifically for a parade was beyond his imagination. He sighed, asking, Can this thing be towed quickly with a vehicle for fast maneuvering? Popov: Im just a bishop, you might consider asking the soldiers of the Ceremonial Artillery Corps about that. By this time, the train hade to aplete stop, and the Ceremonial Artillery Corps disembarked on the tform, lining up in formation. Wang Zhongs first impression of these Guards of Honor was that a bunch of nutcracker toy soldiers had arrived. The uniforms of the Guards of Honor made it feel like a chronological mess; those dressed in such uniforms should go and duel with Napoleon, not appear on such a modern battlefield. Wang Zhong asked Popov, Can I order them to change intobat uniforms? "As long as you can get that many uniforms, then yes. "Hmm, thats the way it is, Wang Zhong smiled, Im sure Pavlov can get hold of them! At that moment, Wang Zhong noticed several railroad workers looking anxious as they crossed the railway and began to operate the rail switch in the middle of the parallel tracks. From his recollection since his arrival at Loktov with his troops, he hadnt seen the rail switch operators move that switch. In fact, the tracks between the two tforms were seldom used, probably for passing trains during peak times. However, now the train traffic towards the battlefield was so severely disrupted by lotive losses, it never ran at full capacity, so the extra passing track wasnt needed. Wang Zhong watched as the workerspleted the rail switching operation and raised a greenntern. Soon, a train sounded its whistle and slowly glided into the station. This train didnt carry track repair cars or anti-aircraft carriages; it was a haphazard mix of all kinds of carriages, including tank cars and ordinary passenger and freight cars all strung together,pletely disregarding order, giving the impression it was hastily assembled and dispatched promptly. Wang Zhong murmured, Why do I get the feeling that this train looks like the product of send one more before the encirclement is closed? Popov: I feel the same way. The train came to a slow halt and before it had fully stopped, the driver opened the boiler release valve; a white steam immediately spread out from the front, engulfing the lotives wheels. A driver jumped off, shouting, The lotives cylinder is punctured; it cant go fast anymore! We need to change engines! Wang Zhong paid little attention to the drivers words, instead fixating on the passengers of the train. Civilians. Mostly women and children, with many little faces pressed against the ss of the carriages, gazing out. No smiles on any face. Railway workers pulled over hoses to refill the trains water supply, offering water at each window. Countless hands with various water containers reached out,peting to provide water for the boilers. Chapter 79: In the Name of the Crown Prince (2) Wang Zhong saw a little girl gulping water from a sk as if she had not had a drink in a long time. "Theyre trying to send the women and children out before werepletely encircled, he muttered quietly. Popov, Hold out for half a month looks like we cant hold out anymore. Wang Zhong suddenly got a jolt, Nows not the time formenting! If they cant hold out there, we have to start moving! He leaned over the railing of the overpass and shouted to the troops below, Im Brigadier General Rokossovsky, stop forming up, quickly unload the cannons and move them to the No. 3 stockyard over there! Then go to the nearby air defense camp to get camouges. I need you to turn No. 3 stockyard into an artillery firing position by this afternoon! The guard of honors major saluted, Yes, General! Popov looked at Wang Zhong with surprise, How do you know No. 3 stockyard is suitable for artillery positions? "Ive looked into it. It was just a birds-eye view.Wang Zhong, Next to it is the anti-aircraft battalion protecting the station, with a certain defensive capability against enemy air raids. If well-camouged, it can survive for a long time. Thats not important, follow me to the military stationmand! "Given the current situation, the ammunition and weapons supplies sent to Bogdanovka definitely cant get through, we must requisition them immediately! As he spoke, Wang Zhong walked back along the halfway crossed overpass, and the others quickly followed. After leaving the train station, Wang Zhong sat down next to Grigori and urged, To the military stationmand! Popov had just gotten into the vehicle when Grigori started the engine. Vasily was about to get in the car but hesitated, didnt get on, and turned to sprint back to the garrison. At the military stationmand, as soon as the jeep arrived, Wang Zhong strode inside, only to run into themander of Loktovs defense battalion. Wang Zhong stopped him, Where are you rushing off to, Aleksandr Alexandrovich? Hearing his own name, themander was startled; Wang Zhong was speaking to him for the first time, and the voice was unfamiliar. He looked up, saw the generals stars and the cloak of the Imperial Guard, and immediately stood at attention and saluted, Your Excellency! Wang Zhong waved his hand casually and repeated his question, Where are you rushing off to, Aleksandr Alexandrovich? "The military stationmand has ordered my battalion to build defensive fortifications outside the city. Wang Zhong, Havent you been building them up until now? "We dug, but not enough, themander said with a somber face. We were mainly focused on concrete pillboxes, and now they want us to dig anti-tank ditches. How can we possibly dig anti-tank ditches to shield the entire southwest of the city in one day? Wang Zhong, You can mobilize civilians in the city to dig. Aleksandr, Threebor camps have already been organized in the city, but theyve all been sent to repair the railroad. Now, there are only women left in the city. "Women can hold up half the sky; let them dig. Its better than failing toplete your task. With that, Wang Zhong patted Aleksandr on the shoulder. Thetter nodded and strode away. Popov asked, You know him? "No, just took note of his name. After all, hes themander of the local defense battalion. Wang Zhong continued toward themand center and upon entering the map room saw a scene of flurry and chaos. The military stationmander was shouting into the phone, What? What? How many lotives are left? It seemed he was on the phone with the station. Wang Zhong paced over to the map and looked at the most recent updatesnot that long ago, Bogdanovka on the map had yet to be encircled; the enemys pincer movement still had some distance before closing in. Popov also came over to look at the map, his expression serious. Finally, the quarter-master finished his phone call and muttered Everything is going wrong before looking up at Wang Zhong, Good afternoon, General. Actually, it was still a while before noon. The quarter-masters station at Loktov was quiterge, hence, the quarter-master here held the rank of brigadier general. In such work settings, officers of equal rank could skip saluting to save time. Wang Zhong said, Bogdanovka is about to be surrounded; I guess the supplies scheduled to be delivered there can no longer get through. I believe Loktov will be the next Prussian target, and I need to requisition these weapons and ammunition immediately to prepare for defensive operations. The quarter-master asked, Do you have orders? Wang Zhong replied, The enemy ising! Are we not to issue weapons and ammunition now and let the enemy capture them to use against us? "I have not been notified of the enemys approach, the quarter-master said, Bogdanovka is trying to break the encirclement. Wang Zhong asked, With what? "The 23rd Tank Army isunching an attack, the quarter-master answered, These are freshlymitted troops. Wang Zhongmented, I didnt see them passing by us, did I? "They didnt take the railway; tank units can maneuver through most rural roads. Wang Zhong said, Then most of the tanks will break down on the road due to mechanical failures! And the enemy has an Air Force too, those that dont break down will be destroyed by the enemys Air Force! "That I do not know, the quarter-master said resolutely, Anyway, these weapons and ammunition will be transported to Bogdanovka after the breakout. Without orders, no one can move them. Wang Zhong cursed under his breath, and just then, a staff officer rushed in, eximing, Its bad, Commander, look outside! The two manders in the room turned to look outside the window as the staff officer had pointed. Severalrge trucks drove into the headquarters yard, soldiers wearing Imperial Guard cloaks and brandishing brand-new Tokarev semi-automatic rifles disembarked from the trucks and lined up in the yard. The 31st Imperial Guard Infantry Regiments g pped in the wind in the courtyard. The quarter-master turned and red at Wang Zhong, General Rokossov, what are you nning to do? Wang Zhong was also perplexed; he hadnt ordered any troop movements. Then he saw Vasily in the formation. Understood. However, given the situation, he could probably use this to pressure the quarter-master. Wang Zhong looked at the quarter-master, I have fought and defeated the Prussians before! No one understands them better than I do! My intuition tells me that Loktov will soon be under attack! "You think so too, dont you? Otherwise, you wouldnt have ordered the garrison to dig anti-tank ditches! The quarter-master pursed his lips, offering no rebuttal. Wang Zhong said, Simrly, you know that the supplies for Bogdanovka can no longer be delivered! They might never be able to use these supplies! The quarter-master replied, Even so, I cant give you anything without orders! Wang Zhong felt like punching the bureaucratic idiot but then had an idea. "I can give you an IOU, Wang Zhong paused, saw that the quarter-master remained unmoved, and added, In the name of the Crown Prince! The quarter-master blinked, then nodded, Alright, you write an IOU, and then take whatever you want. I see that you have brought the trucks, I dont feel right about stopping you. Chapter 80: Encounter Battle Wang Zhong: Good! Bring me your inventory list! A momentter, an inventory as thick as an encyclopedia was delivered to Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong frowned at the sight of the list, wondering when hed get through it all! So, he asked directly, Do you have any mines? In the uing defensive battle, he definitely couldnt rely on having a superior force or equipment; hoping to annihte the enemy was unrealistic, his only choice was to cause dy. And when it came to dying the enemys advance, there was nothing better than mines. Wang Zhong still appreciated mines; before he crossed over, he yed a WWII RTSpetitive game Company of Heroes 2, and during 1V1 ranking matches, hed habituallyy mines, letting the engineers bury them where the enemys light armor mighte without even caring if he hadnt scouted them. His impression of mines was: cheap to bury anywhere, and one would profit from the enemies misfortune. So now, the first thing he asked was whether there were any mines or not. "As far as I remember, no, the logisticsmander shook his head, these things are taken away as soon as they are delivered. You can ask the defense battalion, they received a batch of mines before setting up the defenses and arranged minefields in the southwest of the city, there might be some left over.For fucks sake, Wang Zhong thought, why is it that whatever I want is missing! Yet theres no shortage of pickled cucumber cans! At that moment, he caught a glimpse of Vasily sneaking into the room, standing behind Staff Sergeant Grigori. Wang Zhong: Vasily Aleksandrovich! Vasily snapped to attention: Present! Wang Zhong: Do you know why Im calling you? "To continue picking manure tonight! the young man replied with clear enunciation. Wang Zhong: Well, very clever. Youre knowinglymitting a mistake! Just as he was about to scold him further, Popov interjected between him and Vasily, seriously saying, Did you falsely order the troops to assemble? "I thought we might need more manpower to transport equipment, Your Holiness! Popov: Go write a self-criticism report, no less than five hundred words, and while youre at it, carry out todays manure too. "Yes! Wang Zhong: But now, I have another honorable task for you! Do you speak Prosen? Vasily: Yes. "You can? Popov was greatly surprised, What does your family do? "My father is a university music professor, Your Holiness! He speaks both Prosen and Carolingian, so I do too. Wang Zhong nodded: Very well, I want you to find two familiar ssmates, go to the logistics motor pool to get a jeep, and then fetch some wooden signs. Vasily looked puzzled: What is this for, General? "You three will drive the jeep, make a round in the southwest part of the city, and whenever you see a suitable ce forying mines, ce a sign that reads in Prosen, Caution: Minefield. Vasily brightened up at this: Alright, I like this kind of job! The guy really did like this sort of task! Vasily added: I would also like to request some explosives and detonators to set up pull-activated explosives under the signs, to give the Prussians a little surprise! Wang Zhong, liking the proposal, also became interested and said: Then I suggest you get some firecrackers and white phosphorus. If the enemy knocks over the sign, the phosphorus will naturally ignite the firecrackers, to liven up the Prussians spirits! Vasilyughed even harder: Perfect, perfect! Youre full of ideas, General! Wang Zhong kept a straight face: Go on, then. Vasily turned and ran off. Popov called out to his retreating figure: Remember to write the self-criticism and pick manure when youe back! Wang Zhong looked at the bishop, ready to speak but hesitated. Popov: What is it? This is my job. I dont interfere with militarymand, and you shouldnt interfere with me either. Just then, the logisticsmander spoke up: Will this be effective? Wang Zhong: I dont know. But its certainly better than doing nothing. The logisticsmander asked further: Then why write in Prosen? Wang Zhong: Because the Ante People cant understand it, so they wont pay attention to the sign. "Makes sense. Wang Zhong: Enough about this, no mines then, what about cannons? I guess there arent any, right? "Right, the logisticsmander spread his hands, now with the Prosen tanks being hyped up to the skies, everyone is crazily demanding anti-tank guns. Of course, if transportation were smooth, the 45mm guns would suffice, but transportation is problematic right now. "As for the ZIS-3, those are already rare as it is. The 76mm anti-tank gun ZIS-3 was indeed a scarce item at that point in time. Just then, Wang Zhong suddenly remembered something and said: I remember now; you sent me 76mm shells that were pickled cucumber cans! Get me the real 76mm shells! The logisticsmander remained calm: That was an issue with the rear packing. Before, there were cases where 82mm mortar shell boxes contained 60mm mortar shells, nobody knows how they managed to fit them in despite the incorrect caliber. "Where are the real 76mm shells then? "They are plenty of them with the supplies for Bogdanovka. Next, Wang Zhong began to enumerate: I also want submachine guns, methrowers, anti-tank grenades, empty bottles, and alcohol The logisticsmander: How about this, Ill open the warehouse, youll issue an IOU for each warehouse, and you guys can go in and take what you need. Your men are already in ce anyway. "Thatll do. As Wang Zhong was having the trucks loaded up, Yegorov drove into the logisticsmands courtyard in a jeep, and before the vehicle had even stopped, he called out loudly, Whats going on? Wang Zhong: Bogdanovka He suddenly realized it wasnt appropriate to discuss such news loudly and cut himself short, waiting for Yegorov to approach before whispering, The enemy ising soon. Yegorov: I guessed as much. I saw lots of countrymen with their families on the run at the southwest junction. Wang Zhong: Were going to move into positions today and start building fortifications, selecting the fertilizer factory we saw before as the defense point. Chapter 81: Encounter Battle (2) "Okay, Ill arrange it, Wang Zhong then asked, In your experience, after the enemys attack on Loktov is thwarted, where would the headquarters of the front-line troops be located, like the divisionmand post? Yegorov: Thats really hard to say. In theory, the headquarters could be anywhere. Once themunicationspany sets up the telephone lines, that ce bes themand post. But its easy to guess where the soldiers might assemble because if theres a house, it would make no sense not to use it, right? Wang Zhong: So, where could it be? "Karlinovka, Novorossk, either is possible. Wang Zhong turned to Grigori and said, Drive over here. I want to personally inspect these viges. Grigori: Just the two of us? If the Prussians have already surrounded Bogdanovka, their reconnaissance units may have infiltrated our southwest, which could lead to an encounter at any moment. Wang Zhong: Then lets take a squad with us, add a machine gun, and have a truck follow us. Yegorov: Ille tooWang Zhong stopped him, Youre the one tomand the defenses, and youre good at this. After all, Wang Zhong had only yed video games, and although he had also looked at some military manuals avable online, such as the German Infantry Tactics Handbook tranted and published by Zhidu Books, he only skimmed through them. When it came to arranging defenses, Yegorov was the professional, much more so. But when it came to reconnaissance, that was definitely Wang Zhongs strong suit, especially because he had the Heavenly Eye. Moreover, the cheatpelled Wang Zhong to do the reconnaissance himself. His troops field of vision couldnt even highlight enemies and their overall visible range was shorter; he needed to be on the front line himself to maximize the effect of this cheat. Incidentally, all the memoirs Wang Zhong had read emphasized the importance of personally inspecting the front line, especially if they were written by junior or middle-ranking officers. Wang Zhong was ready to put it into practice. Yegorov saluted Wang Zhong with an expression that said, Youre indeed thepetent leader I thought you were, assuring him, Leave it to me. And you, be careful. Wang Zhong: Ive got Sergeant Grigori with me. Having a vic superman who could toss back seven or eight grenades with a shovel was quite reliable indeed. Sergeant Grigori looked into the distance, seemingly a little embarrassed. Wang Zhong thus set off in a jeep to survey the terrain. On the jeep, besides Wang Zhong in the back seat and Sergeant Grigori in the passenger seat, there was also Dimitri, temporarily drivingthe very Dimitri who was excellent with artillery. Following behind the jeep was a Gaz truck with a DP28 light machine gun, colloquially known as the big te chicken, mounted on top of its cabin. A squad of Imperial Guard soldiers, armed with brand-new Tokarev semi-automatic rifles, sat in the bed of the truck. The vehicles had just left the city when Wang Zhong shouted, Dmitri, stop the car! The jeep immediately braked to a halt on the dirt road. Wang Zhong got out, stepped down the road shoulder, and pressed his foot into the fertile ck earth. He turned and asked Grigori who had followed him, Are you a farmer, Sergeant? "Yes, Your Excellency. Wang Zhong continued, Then at this time of year, how fast would mules and horses travel on this kind of ck earth? Grigori shook his head, Not fast, and it would also ruin their hooves. The vige cksmith would curse a lot. Only in winter, when the ground ispletely frozen solid, do mules and horses move more efficiently on this type ofnd. But then, the snow is usually very thick. Wang Zhong nodded. If trucks lose speed off the main road and might even get stuck, and if mules and horses cannot leave the road either, then the enemys offensive would have to unfold along the road. nking movements would only work for light infantry with rtively low supply demands. In the case of Peniye vige, where the enemy troops bypassed them, the number was small and the detour brief, ensuring that their half-tracked vehicles wouldnt stall out due to ack of fuel. But encircling a city like Loktov, with quite a few factories, escted the difficulty substantially. Besides, Loktov wasnt an isted ind on an ocean; around the city were plenty of units like the Rocossovbat group, reorganizing themselves. These units upied the viges surrounding the city and would likely initiate defenses on the spot. From this perspective, theres no need to worry about being encircled for now. Wang Zhong climbed into the vehicle, and after Grigori got in as well, he waved his hand grandly, Keep moving! Karlinovka was a vige that reminded Wang Zhong of Upper Peniye. Standing on the hill north of the vige, Wang Zhong had an even clearer impression. Of course, this vige should be much smaller than Upper Peniye, at least through his binocrs Wang Zhong hadnt seen a distillery or Boye Manorsrge estate. However, the church looked exactly the same as the one in Upper Peniye. That bell tower looked like it could easily be toppled by one shot from a Prosen Tank. From his vantage point, Wang Zhong discovered that there were troops from the Ante Army in the vige. So he decided to go in and take a look. After entering the vige, Wang Zhong quickly found a lieutenantmanding a small unit at the vige post office. "General sir! The lieutenant saluted, looking tense. After all, the men Wang Zhong brought with him were all cloaked in Imperial Guard capes. Wang Zhong gave a casual hand lift in return as a salute, then got straight to the point, What unit are you from? "Reporting to the general, were the 133rd Air Defense Observation Post, our mission here is to report to Loktov by phone as soon as we hear enemy aircraft engines, the lieutenant reported. Wang Zhong gave an Oh and asked again, Judging by the uniform, are you Priests? The lieutenant replied, No, we are not; we are from the Guardian Army. Guardian Army? Does your organization also include ve workers and mechanical servants,manded by a mechanical Priest with eight octopus-like limbs attached to his body? No, that cant be right, it must just be a coincidence in names. After all, the Warhammer 40K setting was also cobbled together by Brits using various historical prototypes. Wang Zhong asked, Where are your Priests then? "Theyre upstairs listening out for the enemy nes, the lieutenant responded. "Listening? Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows. "Yes. "Take me to see, Wang Zhong said, then realizing his tone was a bit too forceful C after all, they were not from the same unit C he hastily added, May I go up to take a look? "Please follow me. Wang Zhong followed the lieutenant, climbing up to the third-floor tform of the post office. There were manyrge loudspeakers installed on the tform. Wang Zhong had seen such devices in picture collections rting to World War I; the British used simr equipment to listen for the sound of Zeppelin airships attacking their homnd. Afterward, with the invention of radar, this kind of steampunk-esque device was abandoned. A male Priest was sitting under the massive array of loudspeakers, wearing headphones. Wang Zhong softly asked the lieutenant, Does this Priest also have the power to guide the Divine Arrow? "Probably not, the lieutenant replied, Those able to guide the Divine Arrow would have angel wings on their Monk insignia. Brother Peter can only operate this sonic array. It seemed that this devices formal name was a sonic array. Just as Wang Zhong wanted to ask more, Brother Peter suddenly frowned, began to manipte the panel in front of him, and the mechanical device turned the loudspeakers that were aimed at the sky towards the ground. Wang Zhong realized something and asked, Brother, did you hear something unusual on the ground? Although Brother Peter did not remove his headphones, he still responded, Yes, and its very close, keep quiet! Im identifying the sound pattern! He picked up a book with a leather cover and flipped through it quickly, finally stopping on one of the pages. "Its Prussian motorcycles! There are at least three motorcycles approaching the vige! Chapter 82: Outsmart the Vanguard Wang Zhong immediately rushed to the railing on the rooftop and lifted his binocrs. "I cant see anything! Brother Peter: Of course, this device can hear much further than it can see! The problem is that sound takes time to travel, and the terrain might distort it. "Its possible there are more than three motorcycles. He widened his eyes and took another look at the sound array setup. A millimeter-wave radar that can detect ground units? Or is it not emitting electromaic waves and purely passive? He walked around the sound array, pointing at the wire and asking, Whats this wire for, a sound amplifier? "No, its for the base motor. Peter pointed to his own ears, The recognition of sound relies on my blessed ears.Wang Zhong: Oh. I thought Prayer Hands, Hymn Monks, and the like were all sistersI mean, girls,dies. He changed his terms three times beforending on a more formal address. Peter frowned: How could you be socking inmon sense, General? The gifted Monks are about half men, half women. Wang Zhong: I just happened to meetdies, sorry. When will the enemy arrive? Brother Peter took out a watch, noted the time on a clipboard, then took out a slide rule, checked the numbers on the ruler, and copied them onto the clipboard. Wang Zhong leaned in to look at the pair of rulers and realized they were specially designed for Doppler calctions, a kind of mechanicalputer. At that moment, the Monk finished his calctions: ording to my calctions, we should still have ten minutes. Wang Zhong snapped his fingers and said to Grigori, Prepare to ambush them. The enemy is on three motorcycles, with an estimated six to nine enemies arriving within ten minutes! Grigori turned and left, and soon Wang Zhong saw him appear downstairs, starting to assign tasks. The terrain of Karlinovka was much simpler than in Peniye, with just one central vige road, no side alleys, and the whole vige was like a straight intestine. Grigori instructed the guards to hide the cars in the courtyard by the roadside, covered them with hay used for feeding horses, and arranged the machine guns in the church bell tower, covering the entire road. Wang Zhong also went downstairs to personally check the condition of the new soldiers he had brought. The new soldiers were very excited and eager to try. Dmitri, who excelled at gunnery, had a worried expression andined to Wang Zhong, General, why am I stuck guarding the cars? I want to fight too. Can the car drive away on its own here? Wang Zhong: Idiot, Im having you guard the car with the engine running in case we need to make a quick getaway in an emergency. Dmitri: Run? Its just three motorcycles, at most nine enemies, we outnumber them, and we have the element of surprise! Wang Zhong: On the battlefield, you always have to be prepared for the unexpected, always have an escape route. After speaking, Wang Zhong thought to himself, geez, I sound like Im an experienced veteran whos been in the army for fifty years! However, whether it was Wang Zhong from Earth or the original owner of this body, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov, neither was much older than Dmitri. But Dmitri didnt think about any of this and instead nodded earnestly, Ill remember that, General. With such a serious response, Wang Zhong himself felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly turned around and shouted to Grigori, Defeating the enemy isnt enough! I want prisoners, Sergeant Major Grigori! The Sergeant Major nodded: Understood. Then he turned to the young men and said, Youll shoot the first and third motorcycles; leave the second one to me. Ill capture one alive. "Can you do it alone? a young man asked. Grigori smiled slightly, giving no answer. At that moment, a Lieutenant from the Guardian Army rushed out of the post offices entrance and saluted Wang Zhong, Report, General, Brother Peter says the enemy is within visual range! "Got it. Wang Zhong immediately switched to birds-eye view. At this time, his own vision was limited to the vige road because he was on the ground, but since there were machine gunners in the bell tower, he could directlymand them, and their field of vision was shared with him. The two machine gunners concealed themselves, lying at the edge of the bell tower windows observing outward, just in time to see the three motorcycles in the field. The motorcycle riders were all in ck leather jackets; on Earth, this type of jacket was exclusive to the Sturmtiger motorcycle troops. Other motorcycle units had to custom order these jackets. An officer whose rank couldnt be discerned dismounted, stood at the front of the lineup, and observed Karlinovka through binocrs. Wang Zhong shifted his view as well, confirming that his people were well hidden. Then he saw the huge sound array on top of the post office. Well alright, it seems they cant be hidden anymore. Shit, just now both Wang Zhong and Sergeant Major Grigori naively assumed the enemy woulde straight into the vige. On second thought, they were a reconnaissance force; upon arriving at unfamiliar vige, they would certainly observe from a distance first. The observing officer put down his binocrs, turned back, and said a few words; those who had remained on their motorcycles now dismounted, pushed their bikes off the road, and concealed them with wheat from the field. The nine-man reconnaissance team formed a small formation, and one who carried a backpack with an antenna moved next to the officer, handing him an earpiece. A field telephone! Wang Zhong couldnt help but smack his lips upon seeing the field telephone. Want! Im desperately in need of radio equipment! Even if I could just capture one field telephone without the corresponding pair to use it, thats a start; I could use it to listen in on enemy conversations, right? But if the enemy wont enter the vige What can be done to lure the enemy into the vige? Suddenly, Wang Zhong had an idea. He switched back to his natural field of vision and said to the Guardian Army in the post office, Quick, start a fire, burn something inconsequential. Just make sure you dont burn any important documents. We need thick smoke! Guardian Army Lieutenant: This "Just now, Grigori crept over to report, the machine gunner said the enemy isnt entering the vige. It seems like they saw the sound array on the rooftops. Wang Zhong was puzzled, How did you guysmunicate the information? "The machine gunner ran down from the bell tower to tell us. Wang Zhong looked toward the small door beneath the bell tower, where a soldier was leaning against the wall, gasping for airhe seemed to have run a bit too fast. Guardian Army Lieutenant: What does this have to do with lighting a fire? "Pretend like were burning documents and running away, Wang Zhong turned to Dmitri, When the smoke goes up, you drive the jeep, dragging a broom and racing along the road, kicking up as much dust as possible. Come back when you hear machine gun fire! Dmitri: Okay, Ill tie up the broom first! "Move quickly! Dont let the enemy call in more troops; it will be difficult to handle then! Who knows what kinds of demons and monsters are lurking behind this group of recon scouts. Ten minutester, thick smoke rose from the postal offices courtyard. Wang Zhong, through an overhead view, made sure the enemy noticed the smoke and then mmed the door of the jeep hard: Quick! Go! Dmitri floored the elerator and the jeep, dragging the broom, burst through the gate, raising a cloud of dust as it sped northeast along the road. It was fortunate that most of the roads in Kazarlia were these smooth dirt tracks; if it had been asphalt, there wouldnt have been as much dust! Wang Zhong switched his view, watching the enemy tensely. He didnt have much confidence, after all; the strategy was too rudimentary. He could only hope that the enemy was blinded by their desire for victory, betting on the adage that pridees before a fall. But at least they had tried. Just as Wang Zhongforted himself, the enemymander started shouting, and the scattered troops regrouped and pushed their motorcycles back onto the road. An officer climbed onto the first motorcycle and sat in the sidecar. The radio operator with the backpack set straddled the back seat. Wang Zhong immediately shouted, Grigori, the officer is in the sidecar of the first car! Dont hit the wrong one! Grigori: Did you hear that? Hit the second and third ones, leave the first one to me! The enemys three vehicles charged toward the vige, unsure whether they were in a hurry to chase the escaping jeep or to rescue the burning documents. Maybe they wanted both? Anyway, they would know once they captured prisoners and interrogated them. As Wang Zhong watched the enemy, Grigori was signaling to the people in the bell tower, probably also telling them to target the second and third vehicles. The first motorcycle charged ahead into the vige. Grigori, hidden at the roadside, raised a hand. All three motorcycles entered the vige, but Grigoris hand still didnt drop. The first vehicle was fast approaching the courtyard where Grigori was hidden! The sergeant major swung his hand forward. The machine gun on the bell tower immediately opened fire, and the driver of the second car was hit right away, tilting to the left and skewing the handlebars, causing the motorcycle to veer off course and crash into a low wall, its rear wheel lifted high into the air. The Prosen soldier on the rear seat flew up, flew over the wall, and smashed through the roof of the woodshed,nding in the neatly stacked pile of wood. The machine gunner in the sidecar was unharmed, picked up the machine gun to resist, but a grenade was thrown into the sidecar. The next moment, the machine gun flew sky-high. The third vehicle was fired upon by Tokarev, with all three leather-d Prussians being hit by several shots immediately, the car itself crashing into a roadsidepost heap. In an instant, only the first vehicle, carrying the officer and the backpack set, remained. Grigori leapt over the low wall by stepping on the pile of firewood against the wall,nded directly onto the sidecar, knocked the officer unconscious with a knee strike, punched the driver off the motorbike, then, dragging the officer, jumped into the roadside pile of horse feed. The radio operator left behind tried to raise his submachine gun, but the uncontroble motorcycle collided with a parked cart, and the operator flew onto the cart under the force of the collision, dazed. Suddenly, several Imperial Guard soldiers rushed out, Tokarevs gun pointing at the radio operator. Wang Zhong became anxious: Dont shoot! Dont ruin my backpack set! My backpack set! A minuteter, Wang Zhong looked at the prisoners in front of him, satisfied. A total of four alive, exceeding the mission quota. The backpack set was sessfully captured, and they even found maps and manymand documents in the officers personal file bag. The young Imperial Guard soldiers, thrilled with the captured universal machine gun, even vainly draped the ammunition belt over themselves, cosying another dimensions Rambo. Wang Zhong was also very satisfied, hands behind his back, strutting back and forth in front of the prisoners, showing off. The enemy officers face was half-swollen, several teeth gone; he couldnt be more miserable. Wang Zhong: Does anyone speak Prosen? Dmitri, who had just returned from driving, raised his hand: I do! I have participated in military technology exchanges with Prosen and specifically learned it. It seems there are quite a few military academy students who speak Prosen; after all, the two countries were friendly nations before the war broke out. Wang Zhong: Good, Dmitri, youe and lets properly interrogate this officer Just then, from the top of the post office, Brother Peter called out: Enemy nes iing! The enemy officerughed loudly, saying in Ante, Before we started chasing you, we called in air support. Theyre here! Youre going to die! Chapter 83: “Blow the Enemy to the Moon All the new recruits, including Dmitry, went pale. Even Grigori looked ready to pounce on Wang Zhong at any moment. But Wang Zhong wouldnt be fooled by such talk. "Damn it, where in World War II could you get such fast air support? Do you think this is the U.S. Army in the Gulf War? This isnt the game Steel Division 2, where you call for the Air Force to read a bar, and they just fly in from the edge of the map! Wang Zhong stepped forward and pped the officer, Nonsense! You cant provide air support that fast! That ne is bombing somewhere else, just passing by nearby! Youre trying to fool us, to cause trouble while were hiding! The officer stood tall, It seems you arepletely ignorant of the advancements in our countrys military technology, foolish inferior! Wang Zhong burst outughing, Still talking about military advancements, look at your so-called proud tank forces, arent they being pounded by our KVs? The officers expression immediately turned sour.At that moment, the sound of engines came from the southwest; there was no need for a sound array to hear it directly. The officer wore a smug look, while Wang Zhong pursed his lips, smiling as he watched him. Dmitry said, Maybe we should still hide! Wang Zhong said, Look at this vige. Do you see any signs of enemy bombs having fallen here? This isnt the enemys target, and its not possible for enemy calls for support to be responded to so quickly, so isnt the answer obvious? The real reason Wang Zhong was so calm was that he had already seen the enemy ne from a birds-eye view, and its path indeed did not pass over Karlinovka vige. If it wasnt for that, he would never have risked everyones lives to verify whether his spection was correct or not. The roar of the engines continued to approach, and Wang Zhong walked straight out of the courtyard, standing in the middle of the vige road, gazing into the sky with a fearless air. The Prosen officer shouted, Youll be riddled by the nes machine guns! Youll all die! Wang Zhong replied, So will you, probably a bit earlier than us. By now, the engine noise was so intense that the windows of the surrounding houses began to shake. The Imperial Guard soldiers all clung to the walls and crouched down in their positions. Among the captives, some simplyy t on the ground, but that officer was still staring at Wang Zhong in the middle of the road. Then, the sound of the engines faded away. Wang Zhong turned and looked at the enemy lieutenant, Where is your air support? The lieutenants face turned ashen. Brother Peter peeked out from the rooftop, The enemy ne is gone! It flew towards Loktov! Wang Zhong spread his arms, weing the admiring looks of his subordinates, Dont be so surprised, I told you, the Prosens integration of air and ground forces isnt that good, they couldnt have brought in nes that fast. "Even if he really did call for nes, it would take those guys at least an hour to fly here from the airport! "And this vige has not been bombed at all, its not a target for the Prosen Air Force! Wang Zhong pointed to his temple, Use your brains, ssmates. As long as you are smarter than the enemy, you can beat them! The officer red at Wang Zhong, looked him up and down several times, the scornful expression he had earlierpletely gone. In Antenguage, he asked, May I know who you are, or rather who are you exactly? Wang Zhong said, It seems that Prosen people dont understand etiquette very well, shouldnt you introduce yourself before asking about someone elses identity? "Youre right, I am Second Lieutenant Joseph von Hoffman of the 220th Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion. May I ask who you are? "Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, Major General. Second Lieutenant Hoffman was startled, instinctively took a step back, but the surrounding Imperial Guard stepped forward, several gun barrels pressing against his back. The lieutenant nced at Wang Zhong again and shouted something in Prosen. Wang Zhong turned and asked Dmitry, What did he say? "The White Horse General. The newspapers say its a nickname the enemy gave you. Wang Zhong stepped closer to the enemy, smiled slightly, Thats right, I am the White Horse General, the enemy you cant kill. I will fight until your empire is destroyed. The lieutenant said, Impossible! Since its establishment, the empire has won every war! "Then, this! Wang Zhong pointed to the ground beneath his feet, This will be its final war! In at most five years, we willpletely destroy it! The enemy officers lips quivered, but Wang Zhongs confidence suppressed any rebuttal he might have had, until atst, he finally lowered his proud head. Wang Zhong gave a grand wave of his hand, Load them onto the truck, prepare to retreat! Just then, the door of the courtyard next to the post office opened, and an old man with a walking stick came out, looking at Wang Zhong, Your Excellency, are you leaving? Wang Zhong, We will return. The elder, When? In five years? It turned out the old man had overheard the conversation. Wang Zhong, Maybe not even five years, old sir. The elder hesitated to speak, then finally fished a few potatoes out of his pocket and put them into Wang Zhongs hands, I told my daughter-inw to take the kids and our belongings and run away, this is all thats left in the house. Wang Zhong keenly caught the key term: daughter-inw. He had a feeling he already knew where the son had gone, no need to ask. He looked at the potato and realized that the old man must have been carrying it for a long time, possibly as emergency rations for himself. "Old man, weve had our fill. You should keep the potato for yourself. The elder said, I am already old. During the civil war, I tried to join the army to fight for the Secr faction, but they wouldnt have me. The civil war in the Ante Empire was a conflict between the Eastern Holy Churchs Secr faction and the Sanctified faction. In the end, the Secr faction won and elevated the current Tsar to divine status. The elder said, Consider this potato as myst contribution to fight for The Saint Andrew! The Saint Andrew, the founder of the Secr faction, is the origin of the Andrews Cross on the imperial g. Wang Zhong stared at the old man for a few seconds and took back the potato: I will make good use of them. The elder said, If need be, throwing them at the enemy works too! Wang Zhong nodded, and at that moment, he thought to ask the old man about the local wind direction and such. So he asked, Old man, have you lived here for a long time? "All my life. Wang Zhong asked, What kind of wind predominates in this area during this season? The old man chuckled: Youre nning to fire the artillery around here, arent you? Ill tell you, at nine oclock in the evening during this season, its mostly windless. If you fire the artillery at that time, just aim using the map coordinates, and youll be set. Wang Zhong nodded. Just then, Grigori came over to salute Wang Zhong: Your Excellency the General, all the spoils have been ounted for. We have captured a total of five submachine guns, two machine guns, and various ammunition, plus one functional motorcycle! Wang Zhongmanded, Paint our military symbols on the motorcycle and requisition it. He turned to look at the Prosen soldiers bodies scattered on the street and said, Bury grenades under these soldiers bodies, hang the pins on them, so when the enemy tries to move the bodies, the grenades will be triggered. "Yes, Grigori turned and ordered, You all heard him, get to it! Then he said to Wang Zhong, The walkie-talkies have been checked; theres no damage. Dmitry is studying the instruction manual found on the enemys radioman. Wang Zhong nodded, prepared to check the walkie-talkies, but then remembered he hadnt said goodbye to the old man and looked his way again. "You have matters to attend to, General! said the old man as he shakily saluted. Wang Zhong solemnly returned the salute before heading over to his subordinates who were fiddling with the walkie-talkies. Leaning against the gate of a small courtyard, the old man watched Wang Zhongs figure and whispered softly, What a brave and youthful general. May The Saint Andrew protect you. At the same time, to the southwest of Loktov, Vasily showed the newly made sign to his temporary subordinate Filippov: Take a look at this! Filippov stopped hammering, resting against the sign he just drove into the ground, Dont show me, I dont understand Prussian script. "It says: There are nondmines here! Filippov furrowed his brow: Using such phrases to bluff, will it really work? Feels like a childs prank to me! Vasily retorted, Well ce arge mine underneath this sign so the enemy will have to believe it. Come on, lets go nt it over there, just opposite the one you just hammered in stating theres a minefield. Filippov shook his head: If the academy instructors knew, theyd scold you for only having petty cleverness! "They would also tell me, In real war, these petty clevernesses are useless! Vasily mockingly impersonated the instructors. Filippov said, As long as youre aware. "But look, the brigadier assigned me to this, doesnt he know I only have petty cleverness? He must do, its to give the enemy a little surprise using these exact tricks! While talking, the two arrived at the spot. Vasily tossed the sign onto the ground and started digging a hole. Filippov took detonators and explosives out of his backpack: How much should we use? "Give it a block! "That much? That could st a man to the moon! "Hey, with tricks like this, better to st with force than bury a lot. Ideally, all the Prosen Army will see one explosion and then they wont dare to push over these signs anymore! Just put one block in there! Filippov ced a whole block of explosives in the hole, then started installing the detonation device. Since both might be assigned to lead sapper squads, they had studied demolition and were adept at handling explosives. Finally, Filippov tied the detonation pull ring to the base of the sign with a wire: Done! Vasily nted the sign into the hole and began refilling it with soil. Filippov yelled, Be careful! That thing couldunch us to the moon too! Vasily, unconcerned, said after finishing, Lets go find some tin cans to throw in the fields behind, to make the enemys mine detectors screech. "I support this idea, Filippov agreed, But where are we going to find tin cans? "Lets buy some from the locals; Ive got rubles, said Vasily, suddenly sighing, Better use it now, or we might not get a chanceter. Filippov asked, Would the locals who stayed behind take rubles? "If not, well just say were from the Tribunal and theyll take it, Vasily replied. "But were not wearing blue caps. "Thats easy, well hide our caps and tell them the enemys bullets blew them away! Come on, Filippov, lets give the Prussians a little surprise! Chapter 84: Where’s My Carolingian Cook? Twenty minutester. Vasily looked at the scant pile of metal on the jeep and couldnt help but hold his forehead, This little stuff is hardly enough to cause the enemy any real trouble. Filippov said, After all, the fake minefield we created is quiterge. If the enemys pathway isnt where we ced these things, then it would have been for nothing. Vasily looked around. The open fields near Loktov were scattered with numerous civilian houses, mostly barns and cattle sheds, with few actual homes. Even if there were homes, the locals had long since fled to the city, leaving behind very little metal. Touching his neck, Vasily muttered, Now what do we do Filippov pped his thigh, Ive got it! The supply depot sent us pickled cucumber cans thinking they were shells. The jars are made of ss, sure, but the lids are metal! Vasily looked surprised, Eh? Thats something I should have thought of, howe you came up with it this time? Ah, I get it!He gave Filippov a half-smiling, half-mocking look, Youve been picking up bad habits from me! Filippov replied, Do you think you, being that bad influence, should be saying that? Vasilyughed, Lets not worry about that, your idea is great, lets go! A jeep probably wont fit all that, well need a truck to transport the can lids! Then the two of them, along with the rather taciturn Mikhail, jumped into a vehicle and sped away. The scrap metal in the truck bed ttered on without cessation. When they took to the main road heading toward Loktov, they suddenly saw people dressed in Civil Defense uniformsying mines. Vasily hit the brakes, stopping before the mines, and shouted, Who authorized you toy mines? The weary sapper from the Civil Defense replied, Commander Alexander Alexandrovich. Hurry up and pass by, the mines are not armed yet. "Damn it! Vasily stormed out of the vehicle, fuming with rage as he approached, grabbed the sapper by the cor, and hoisted him up, Dont you know that General Rocossov is out there reconnoitering the terrain? Are you trying to assassinate the General? Only then did the sapper notice the Imperial Guards cloak and hear the Generals name; the anger on his face evaporated instantly, This It was the Commanders order toy the mines! We had no idea the General had gone out to reconnoiter! After saying this, he turned to his subordinates and shouted, Quick, call the Commander over! Alright, stop digging, cease work! A momentter, Commander Alexander Alexandrovich came running up, Whats happening? Why the stoppage? Before the sapper could reply, Vasily interjected sharply, General Rocossov took a squad for reconnaissance up front, hes at Karlinovka! Are you trying to blow up the General byying mines here? The Commander was shocked, I had no idea! The Generals out reconnoitering? Nobody notified me! There was also no report from the bunkers on either side of the road about seeing the General! Vasily stated, In any case, the General is out doing reconnaissance, and youre not toy any mines on the road until he returns! The Commander nced at the opened crates ofndminesid out on the road, Its not great to just leave the mines here. They could get strafed by enemy aircraft. Well have to remove them back to the bunkers Vasily proposed, Heres what well do: give the mines to us. Were setting up a fake minefield on the Generals orders. To make this fake minefield convincing, well need to bury some real mines. These few crates of yours are just the ticket! "If you nt them on the main road, an enemy tank rolling over one would quickly reveal the whole road is mined, and theyd simply use explosive devices to clear it. "Give them to us, and we can mix the real with the fake, dying the enemy even longer! At this point Filippov interjected, Hold on, our minefield signs are written in Prosenian. What if the locals cant understand them and walk into the minefield? Vasily replied, Thats easy enough to fix, just add a line in Antenguage! He continued, looking at the Civil Defense Commander, What do you say? The Commander stroked his chin, The crate near the bunkers, we cant give that to you. We still need to block off the roads near the bunkers when the General returns. "But you can take the rest. Then, turning to the sappers, the Commander ordered, Start withying the mines in the fields. Post someone by the road to stop the Generals vehicle when it appears, and inform them that wereying mines on both sides of the road, and to pass through with the convoy! Vasily nodded in approval, Thats more like it. Filippov, grab the mines and lets go! And pick up the can lids. The Commander looked puzzled, Can lids? But the Imperial Guards jeep was already driving away. C In Karlinovka vige. At the post office counter on the first floor, Dmitry adjusted the frequency knob to the frequency written in pencil on the manuals title page, and indeed, he heard the call sign. Standing by his side, Wang Zhong couldnt help but ask, What are they saying? "Shh! Dmitry raised his index finger to his lips, signaling silence, then cleared his throat and spoke a few rapid sentences into the receiver. The other side instantly responded with simr rapid utterances. Prosenian gave the impression of arguing, simr to the so-called efficient German Dmitry had seen in some short videos before the crossing. After the other side finished talking, Dmitry replied with a few sentences, then put down the receiver and said to Wang Zhong, The enemy says the nes are being loaded with bombs and refueling now. They can depart in an hour and will arrive in two hours. Immediately, young men started cursing, Damn it! Knew it was a fake! "Lucky we have the General! Wang Zhong paid no attention to his subordinates ttery and confirmed, So an hour to load the bombs, and two hours to arrive, right? "Right. Wang Zhong dered, Flight time, one hour! With that, he rushed over to the mapthis was the Guardian Armys listening post, naturally equipped with a map because they needed to record the enemy nes daily routes to provide intercept guidance for their forces. Chapter 85: Where’s My Carolingian Cook? (2) ` Of course, the Ant Air Force didnt yet have the power to intercept. Wang Zhong found apass among the mapping tools next to him, spread the legs in proportion to the scale, then inserted the steel needle into Karlinovka and drew an arc westward with the ruling pen. He didnt know the specific performance of the enemys attack aircraft, but thanks to the game War Thunder, he had a rough understanding of the speeds of most World War II-era attack aircraft. The arc represented Wang Zhongs estimate of the enemys fastest possible speed, meaning the enemy airfields were definitely closer to Karlinovka than this curve. "Damn it! he muttered, The enemys field airfields have advanced to this area. Bogdanovka will be a yground for enemy bombers. No, it probably already is. At that moment, Brother Peter came down from the top floor and directly said to the Guardian Army lieutenant, We need to leave, check the vehicles. Wang Zhong: Are we leaving? "Yes, I heard the messages you guys derived from the enemy upstairs, and I dont want to stay here and get bombed. Also, you eliminated the enemys reconnaissance team, and they hadmunicated with their rear, I dont want to wait here for the enemys vanguard.Before Wang Zhong could speak, the Guardian Army lieutenant interjected, We havent received any orders Shouldnt we ask for instructions first? "By the time we finish asking for instructions, well already be captured by the enemy. Those heathens will execute every capable monk. I dont want to die! the Monk said decisively. During the days Wang Zhong was resting in Loktov, he had crammed a lot of knowledge. The Prussians didnt believe in the Eastern Holy Church, so for them, this invasion also had overtones of holy war. Of course, the clergy on the Prussian side had secrized, so they didnt use the term holy war. Wang Zhong: I support Brother Peter. If the lieutenant doesnt want to go, then Monk, youe with us. Brother Peter,pletely misreading Wang Zhongs plot, nodded: That could work. But I think the lieutenant wille. After all, he doesnt want to face the Prussian Armored Division with such meager forces. Lieutenant: Youre right. Ill go check the vehicles and fill them up with fuel now. At that moment, Dmitry suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to be silent, and turned up the volume on the walkie-talkie with a serious expression. Prussian wasing through the speaker. Dmitry listened while consulting themunication soldiers manual, picking out the code words one by one. The walkie-talkie conversationsted for about twenty seconds. Once the voice ceased, Dmitry reported, I am certain that was themand vehicle of the 15th Armored Division of the enemy calling their reconnaissance vanguardpany. "They said the apple orchard is about to be bombed, and the reconnaissancepany should upy the apple orchard after the bombardment. Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows, reminded of the famous AF has no fresh water anecdote. If the apple orchard is to be bombed and then upied by the enemys reconnaissance vanguard, then its highly probable that it refers to Karlinovka. Brother Peter: Its this ce. Was the leather-d guy you captured from this reconnaissancepany? "No, ording to his papers, hes from the 220th Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion, part of the Prussian Air Force. Dmitry showed everyone the first page of the seized documents. Wang Zhong thought, wow, even the Air Force has its own motorized infantry unit, how very German. Despite his quip, the task at hand remained unchanged: Lets go Wait a second, arent we going to dismantle the sound array on the roof? By now Wang Zhong hade to regard both the sound array and Brother Peter as his own; he certainly couldnt just leave it behind. Brother Peter shook his head: Theres no time, that thing is too finicky to dismantle. Wang Zhong looked disappointed, but he still turned around and took the lead out of the post office, only to find several Imperial Guard soldiers gathered around the woodshed, staring at two legs sticking out of a hole in the roof. Wang Zhong: Whats going on here? "Report, General! Were discussing whether to set an IED on this man as he is, or to drag him out of the hole first andy him on the ground. After all, this posture is just too The Imperial Guard soldier struggled for a while before squeezing out an adjective: humorous Well, isnt it humorous? Such arge man stuck in a woodshed in such aical posture, one would typically only expect to see this in aedy film. Wang Zhong: Theres no need to ce a booby trap on this soldier. Just slip a note in his pocket that reads: General Aleksei Konstantinovich wishes you a pleasant upation. I have left you twenty surprises, hope you like them. ` In fact, there were not that many cunningly ced mines, but iming there were more could make the Prussians even happier. Wang Zhongs orders were swiftly executed, and soon after, the convoy, now with an additional vehicle, left Karlinovka. Leaving the vige, Wang Zhong saw the old man who had given him potatoes, along with a group of elderly people too frail to walk, standing at the entrance of the vige. He called a halt to the jeep, got out, and said to the elderly people, We still have room in our vehicles, you shoulde with us. When the Prussians arrive, well bombard this ce with heavy artillery. The old man who had provided the potatoesughed, General, you still worry about these matters! If there are still people in the vige, will your heavy artillery not shell it? Is it worth it to save us old bones if the enemy doesnt lose anything and can attack at full strength, causing your young men to sacrifice themselves? Wang Zhong, This "You must shell it! Isnt that what war is all about? If shelling us could let our sons and daughters live, then st away, weve lived long enough anyway. "I know youre kind-hearted, General, but if we go to the rear, well only consume supplies and really wont be able to do any work. "I have experienced war, I know how scarce food will be; its better to leave it for the children, they need to be well-fed to kill the enemy. The other elders nodded in agreement. Unable toe up with a response, Wang Zhong could only climb back into the vehicle and order it to start. Looking back, he saw the elderly standing at the vige entrance as if they had been abandoned in the times gone by. By evening, Wang Zhong had finallypleted the reconnaissance of all the viges that could potentially serve as enemy encampments. On his way back to the city, he unexpectedly found that the garrison troop had arranged for someone to lead the way at the entrance to the minefield. Arriving at the headquarters, Wang Zhong decided to start interrogating the prisoners right away, but was stopped by Popov. "They are Prussian soldiers, they just keep reporting their units and ranks, soldier numbers, said Popov, unless you use some unconventional means. Wang Zhong asked in confusion, Cant we use them? Popov, After all, we are a regr army, and so are they; it wouldnt be appropriate. Just as Wang Zhong was about to object, he saw people from the Tribunal arrive. Popov, You see, its better to leave this kind of thing to the professionals. Handing it over to the Tribunal is also more proper procedurally. Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow, realizing that it indeed seemed to be the case. So he said, Of course, we should do things by the book. Dear Judges, thank you for your hard work. The Judge nodded and moved forward to take away a prisoner with a my fate is sealed expression. Popov said, Alright, you must be hungry too. Lets go, have some food at the mess. Wang Zhong was indeed hungry. He turned to everyone who had been with him on reconnaissance that day, as well as the members of the Guardian Army who had been brought back, and said, Lets go, time to eat. Follow me! Then he led a group of people to the mess. After that, he frowned at the messs serving area where big pots were lined up. They were all full of pickles. Every pot was filled with pickles! Wang Zhong admitted that the pickles were quite refreshing and not bad to eat, but this was too much! At that moment, the cookdy came out and said, That restless kid, whats-his-name Vasily, said it was your order to remove the lids from the pickle cans. I saw all these cans opened and figured they would go bad quickly if not eaten, so I decided to cook them all up, make do with what we have! Facing the vast expanse of pickles, Wang Zhong yelled, Where is my Frenchno, wrong, where is my Carolingian chef? Chapter 86: Incompatible as Water and Fire After dinner, the senior officers of the Rocossovbat group met again, with a defense map of Lokotov Cityid out on the table they gathered around. Yegorov was the first to speak, Ive ced both the first and thirdpanies in the chemical nt. To be honest, its fairly sturdy there. When ites to withstanding enemy heavy artillery fire, the casualties should be lower than in the garrison. "Another location that is quite suitable for artillery defense is here. He pointed behind the fertilizer nt. "The warehouse district, which is also made of very strong concrete buildings, where we can station the reserve troops, meaning the secondpany. "Lokotov is half an industrial city, with many concrete structures, which is one of the few pieces of good news. Yegorov paused, then added, By the way, the logisticsmand has allocated one of theirmunicationspanies to us, and they have been busy all afternoon getting the telephone lines up. As he spoke, Yegorov picked up the telephone on the table and continued, This is finally no longer just for show. We can now call the main position at the fertilizer nt, the hidden B4 howitzer battalion, the position of Gods Arrow Company, and the Lokotov Defense Brigade. After finishing, he put the handset back in ce.Wang Zhong: There seem to be too few ces that we can reach. "After all, the lines were justid this afternoon. Pavlov frowned, Why is there a phone line to the defense brigade? It isnt under ourmand. "Now it is, Popov answered, Weve established contact with Argesukovs Front Army headquarters. The Front Army has ordered us to unifymand of thebat troops in Lokotov, to hold off enemy raids by small units, and to support General Antons counter-attack. Wang Zhong sneered, Small units? Weve clearly heard that an Armored Division is advancing on us, with its vanguard reconnaissancepany already in Karlinovka. Popov, did you actually report the intelligence weve gathered to the intelligence department of the Front Army? "I reported it, but they need time to analyze, Popov looked rather helpless, They might also simply not believe it, given that its just eavesdropped radiomunication. The higher-ups think truly important information would definitely be transmitted through a telegraph, while the enemys Enigma machine was prepared for this purpose. Hearing the familiar term Enigma machine, Wang Zhong immediately thought of the story of a bunch of mathematicians gathered at Bletchley Park in Ennd to decipher the Enigma code and asked, How advanced is our countrys mathematics? I remember that both the Russian Empire andter the Soviet Union had a very high level of mathematics, so if the British could handle it, the Russians should tooright? After all, this is an alternate world; maybe in this world the entire Ante Empire cant mentally calcte multiplication or division within 100? In Wang Zhongs view, his question is closely rted to the topic, but to others, it seemspletely irrelevant, if not utterly non sequitur. The room filled with confusion as everyone looked at Wang Zhong, and themand center quieted down, leaving only the sound of the beeping from the neighboring Tribunals radio surveince units improvised telegraph operators. Pavlov: Mathematics huh? Popov: What does this have to do with mathematics? Wang Zhong: Didnt we just mention the Enigma code? Just find a bunch of mathematicians to decipher it. Its only a mechanical device, not truly indecipherable. Of course, thats assuming that Ante has a sufficient number of outstanding mathematicians. Everyone looked at each other perplexed, and Yegorov asked, Then why not capture an Enigma machine? Wang Zhong: Simply capturing one is not enough, the Enigma machine can adjust its encryption by changing its initial settings, and even with the exact same settings, the encryption effect will differ if the starting positions of the rotors are different. So even if we capture an Enigma machine, we still need arge number of cryptologists Why are you all looking at me so affectionately? Popov: I never knew before that you had such knowledge. I thought you just knew the dress sizes of the high societydies in the capital. Wang Zhong was shocked; was this what it was like to be a yboy immersed in the game of romance? Id like to know too! Inserting himself into the conversation, Pavlov said, None of this matters, whether its mathematicians or corsets, theyre not what we need to worry about right now. Whether the higher-ups believe it or not, we know an Armored Division is advancing on us. "Its said that Prosen has onlymitted 20 Armored Divisions in total, and one of them ising right at us! And against them, all our anti-tank weapons consist of only ten Divine Arrows and three anti-tank guns! "Regarding the Divine Arrow, Wang Zhong interrupted Pavlov, where is it currently deployed? Yegorov: At the fertilizer nt, the second floor of the factory building provides a good vantage point, suitable forunching the Divine Arrows, and after firing, they can move to a safe new position swiftly. Yeca Neiko is very pleased with the new firing position. Wang Zhong: They should be pulled back. "What? Yegorov frowned, Pulled back? Wang Zhong: I n to use the Divine Arrow for anti-air defense. "You intend to use the Divine Arrow to protect our 203 mm gun position? Yegorov was amazed, Thats quite suitable, indeed. If the 203s survive an extra air raid, the damage they could inflict on the enemy would be far greater than destroying ten tanks! "No, Wang Zhong shook his head, I captured a motorized reconnaissancepany in Karlinovka today; they are part of the enemy Air Forces ground guidance unit, which inspired me. The Air Force needs to know where the targets are to bomb them. Do you get my drift? Yegorov shook his head: I dont follow. Wang Zhong: Lokotov is a reasonably sized city, full of buildings, and the surrounding terraincks any high mountains. I saw it clearly when I went out reconnoiteringthe highest observation point the enemy can find is the barn outside the city. Chapter 87: Incompatible as Water and Fire (2) "The ground guidance troops will definitely not be able to see where our heavy artillery positions are. The enemy will need to conduct aerial reconnaissance. Wang Zhong stopped, hoping the others had grasped his meaning. Pavlov asked, And then? Wang Zhong replied, Weve rescued a Monk from Karlinovka who has excellent hearing "You mean a Sound Array Master? Popov inquired. "Yes, although he discarded his listening device, he said that the towns cksmiths could quickly forge some makeshift ones. Hell be ready by tomorrow! "He can distinguish the engine sounds of the enemys reconnaissance nes! Yegorov finally understood, Are you suggesting we use the Divine Arrow to take down the enemys reconnaissance nes? Wang Zhong confirmed, Yes, a fighter bomber pilot is highly nervous when dropping bombs under fire from our anti-aircraft guns and might not spot a well-camouged B4unch position."But reconnaissance nes can take photos for reconnaissance, and the enemy intelligence staff can study the photos closely in a safe ce. They have a good chance of finding our artillery positions! The others nodded in agreement, That makes sense. "If we suppress reconnaissance and maintain good camouge, those cumbersome B4s might survive longer! Inflicting greater damage on the enemy! Yegorov proposed, If we find anotherunch position and spread the B4s out, we can withstand more attacks! Wang Zhong added, If we use wood and such to create fake positions, without firing, the real and fake wont be distinguishable. We just have to not fire when the enemy nes are in the air. "Exactly! Yegorov mmed the table, Ill have my boys "No, Popov interrupted him, its not a task for our boys. The church is organizing civilians and home guards for this, let them do it. Some of them are carpenters and cksmiths. Wang Zhong queried, The church is organizing this? "Yes, we are part of the Secr faction, and the local parish priest has great influence among the citizens. It would be different if it were the Sanctified faction. Popov said with some pride. Wang Zhongmented, Thats good. The best cards we hold right now are these B4s. The good news is, weve captured the enemysmunication codebook, and as long as they dont change their codes, we can guess where and what units are by monitoring theirmunications. "I personally scouted the viges within the B4s firing range. They are mostly inhabited by the elderly, those who do not follow the Eastern Holy Church, and a few from the Sanctified faction, so we can bombard with confidence. "Especially at night, when the enemy is encamped, we should be able to inflict significant casualties. Karlinovka. The lead reconnaissance tank of the Prosen Armys 15th Armored Division halted on the road five hundred meters from the vige, as Captain Hank peered out from the turret with his binocrs to observe the settlement. The smoke from the Air Forces bombing rose high into the sky, and the airborne particles formed expansive clouds turned blood red by the sunset glow. The terrain of Karlinovka vige consisted of a straight road running from one end to the other, so Captain Hank could see the exit on the other side of the vige from outside its perimeter. Therefore, he could clearly see the motorcycles belonging to the 220th Motorcycle Reconnaissance Battalion toppled over in the vige. Clearly, these friendly forces had been ambushed. The captain put down his binocrs andmanded, Gunner, shoot into every window of the vige. The tanks machine gun immediately began firing, stuffing at least three 20mm high-explosive rounds into each window. Since most houses in Karlinovka were made of wood, the machine gun even tore down the window frames. When firing at the fifth window, the captain shouted, Stop! The machine gun fell silent. No one came out from the vige, nor was there any return fire. Wait, someone wasing out from the vige! An old man wearing a military uniform from the time of the Ante Empire and Anatolian Empire war staggered out from the vige, stood at the entrance, and looked toward the Prussians. The captain ordered, Catch him, ask where the people who ambushed the motorcycle battalion went! The reconnaissance soldiers, who had been in hiding by the roadside, immediately stood up and advanced toward the vige entrance. After the infantry moved fifty paces, the captain ordered the tank forward. By the time the tank reached the entrance, the infantry had already pinned the old man to the ground. A lieutenant, holding a saber, approached the tank, Captain, this is all he had on him! The captain took the saber, examined it closely, and admired, What a fine de! No sooner had these words left his mouth than an explosion sounded from within the vige. The Prosen soldiers around the tank immediately hit the ground, and the captain himself retreated into the turret, abandoning the fine de on the ground. The steel helmet flung by the explosionnded on the ground with a ringing sound. Seizing the moment, the pinned old man stood up, grabbed the saber from the ground, and aimed to strike the nearest Prussian, but a submachine gun fired. The old mans body tensed sharply, bathed in the blood-red sunset. He fell down little by little. Although dynasties had changed, he still shed thest drop of blood for his hometown. Major Hank climbed back out of the turret and asked loudly, What was that explosion just now? "Report Major, the enemy buried mines under the bodies! The Major cursed and then ordered, Drag everyone in the vige out, ask where more mines are! Those who dont talk are resistors, shoot them all! Soon, more than a dozen elders were brought under the birch tree at the entrance of the vige. The interpreter asked the first olddy, How many mines have been buried here? Where are they? The olddy spat in the interpreters face. The interpreter said, This one is a resistor! Execute them! The submachine gun immediately rang out, the olddy fell, eyes still fixed fiercely on the invaders. The interpreter approached the second elder man in line, asking, How many mines are buried? Where? The elder man said, I am a sergeant of the Thirteenth Guard Grenadier Corps, soldier number "Im asking you! The interpreter pped the old man across the face several times. The elder man wiped the blood leaking from the corner of his mouth and continued, I am a sergeant of the Thirteenth Guard Grenadier Corps "This ones a resistor! Shoot! Rat-a-tat-tat The interpreter walked toward the third one, a middle-aged man, who said before the interpreter could speak, I believe in the Prosen national religion! My family secretly worships The interpreter cut him off, Then tell me how many mines there are! "Only five, all buried under the corpses of the Imperial soldiers in the vige! These damned inferior races, how dare they desecrate the bodies of Imperial soldiers! The interpreter said, Thats right, you are an inferior race, thats why youd betray your own neighbors. Speaking, the interpreter turned to the surrounding Prosen soldiers and said in Prosen, Just now, they were defiant to death, one after another; I thought their national spirit had elevated! Lucky theres this one! They really are an inferior race! The Prosen soldiersughed heartily. The traitor looked nkly at the Prussians, fear written all over his face. The interpreter stepped forward, patted his shoulder, Dont worry, we treat those loyal to the Empire well. You did well, very well. By the way, who buried these mines? The traitor answered, It was a person named Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky! He ims to be the White Horse General! The interpreters smile froze on his face. Then, ance corporal ran up to the deputymander, reporting loudly, A note written in Prosen was found on the body of our soldiers! "Read it! Major Hank said. "General Aleksei Konstantinovich wishes you a pleasant upation, I have left you twenty surprises, hope you like them. Major Hank frowned, Is that really whats written there? "Yes! The Major exchanged a nce with the interpreter. The interpreter immediately pped the traitor in the face, Motherfucker! You dare to deceive us! Clearly, there are 20 mines! "What? Twenty? I swear I didnt know! I was hiding too far away to hear clearly what their order was! I only saw them bury five! The interpreter drew his Luger pistol and chambered a round himself. The traitor knelt abruptly, Im wronged! "Those who deceive the Empire must die! the interpreter said emotionlessly, raising the gun to the traitors forehead. In desperation, the man shouted, Long live the Prosen Empire! Emperor Reinha Before he could finish, the interpreter pulled the trigger, the bullet hit the target right in the middle of the forehead, passing out the back of the skull, creating arge hole, his brain matter spraying onto the roots of the birch tree. Then the interpreter kicked the corpse away. The olddy standing fourth in line spit on the corpse. The interpreter said, I suppose you wont talk either? "The day my sones back, hell send all of you to hell! Pop. The gunfire continued. Chapter 88: Firepower Supremacy Jules Year 914, July 5th morning. Wang Zhong had already taken his position at his wartimemand post: actually, it was the office building of a fertilizer nt. This reinforced concrete building was quite sturdy, suitable as a front-linemand post and could also serve as a defensive position. More importantly, the fertilizer nt already had a telephone, which greatly reduced the workload of themunicationspany. The brigademand post was manned by Pavlov, and the radio was with the brigade HQ as well. Pavlov was strongly against Wang Zhongs practice of going to the front himself, but he was ignored. Yegorov actually liked this: This was supposed to be my wartimemand post. If you want to use it, Ill let you have it, and Ill go down to the troops! Wang Zhong: You can go, but make sure to stay within the reach of the telephone. Yegorov sighed, Then I might as well not go anywhere. This front-linemand post was already at the furthest extent the telephone lines could reach. Themunicationspany that was hauled over from the quartermasters headquarters couldnt extend it any further, at least not for another day before they could ensure the telephone lines reached the battalionmand post below.Ignoring Yegorovs sighs andments, Wang Zhong moved to the window and raised his binocrs. In fact, as soon as he raised his binocrs his perspective changed; where could a binocrs get a good birds-eye view? To the southwest, the in was quiet, and there was no sign of the Prussian Army. After surveying the area, Wang Zhong shifted his view back and saw Dmitri and another soldier from the thirdpany carrying in the artillery observation scopes. The forwardmand post had the best field of vision, so naturally, the artillery observation post was also set up here, which also allowed the sharing of the telephone line with themand post. Dmitri was the artillery cadet with the best performance among those supplemented into the 31st Guards Regiment and was naturally assigned to the artillery observation post. The field telephone was now watched by Vasily, who also understood the Prosennguage. Dmitri set up the artillery observation scopes, the two tubes spread out in a V-shape, then he pressed his eyes against the eyepiece and adjusted the knobs toward the distant targets. The target was the fake minefield signs nted by Vasily and his men yesterday. Wang Zhong watched Dmitri operate and realized he didnt understand at all. After all, the military training he had received was only at the level of college military courses. But suddenly he discovered something he could advise the professional artillery cadet Dmitri on: if the artillery observation scopes were just left there, they might reflect light and be noticed by the enemy far away! So Wang Zhong said, Dmitri, like this, the enemy might notice your position through the reflection. I suggest you drape the lenses withting that hasrger holes. Before Dmitri could respond, Vasily spoke, Then wouldnt we see nothing at all? Wang Zhong: Are you stupid? The cloth is so close to the objective lens, and the image is formed way in front of the eyepiece, so you wont see the fabric through the eyepiece, it will just affect the amount of light entering. "What? Vasily was puzzled, What are you talking about? Dmitri, did you understand? Dmitri: The general is right; it really wont affect the observation too much! "Artillery observation scopes are different from binocrs, which are only raised when looking. Artillery scopes are left out after the parameters are set, and indeed, they can be noticed by the enemy because of the reflection. "Why didnt I think of that The teachers at school didnt teach us this! Wang Zhong: Now Ive taught you. Dmitri looked at Wang Zhong, hesitant to speak. But Vasily had no such reservations and directly asked, How did you graduatest in your ss, Colonel? Your military literacy is quite high! Wang Zhong felt embarrassed; by now, he couldnt admit that he learned this knowledge from Operation Red Sea. Dmitri turned to the cadet who had helped him carry the artillery scopes and said, Mishka, go get some gauze from the medic, the kind with the biggest holes, used for dressing. Mishka nodded and ran off. At that moment, the telephone rang and Yegorov, who was closest to the phone, picked it up: Hello, forwardmand, go ahead. What? You should have informed Divine Arrow Company first, Brother Peter! You did? Okay, were aware. Yegorov hung up the phone and looked at Wang Zhong, Brother Peter used that rudimentary auditory array to hear that a reconnaissance ne is flying towards us. Gods Arrow Company is already prepared. Wang Zhong: Order the assignment of three soldiers who can drive, along with a jeep and a DShK machine gun, to immediately head to the crash site as soon as the reconnaissance ne is shot down, to ensure that the enemy cannot obtain the reconnaissance information. Vasily: Let me go! "You stay put! Wang Zhong red at him, Have you heard anything valuable? Vasily shook his head: No, the enemy is very cautious, not revealing their whereabouts at all, just mentioning progressing smoothly, reached the first objective. This notebook only has the call signs of the units and a few location codes; theres nothing about the objectives. "Besides, some of the conversations are in dialects, really heavy ents, basically unintelligible. Wang Zhong was amazed: Dialects, huh He was reminded of the movie Windtalkers, where the Americans used Native Americans as radio operators, using Native Americannguages as codes, iprehensible to the Japanese. Therefore, Native Americans were useful to the United States for more than just scalps. Vasily continued toin, Whats the use of listening to this Id rather be on the frontline Wang Zhong ced a finger on his lips and hushed, Listen! The sound of engines, distinct from those of bombers. Wang Zhong moved to the window and lowered his body to look up into the sky. After switching to a birds eye view, he finally saw the ne, a Focke-Wulf 189 reconnaissance aircraft. This was a professional reconnaissance aircraft that could be fitted with a camera gun. Its cockpit offered an excellent view, allowing the pilot to clearly see the ground in front of the ne in order to ensure a precise flyover of the reconnaissance target. Chapter 89: Firepower Supremacy (2) Moreover, this thing was good at surviving and had decent low-altitude performance, so it often carried out low-altitude reconnaissance and could incidentally drop a few small bombs. In short, it was a highly threatening type of dedicated reconnaissance aircraft. However, because it was a light aircraft with twin engines, it was rtively easy to be detected by Brother Peters sound array. Wang Zhong stared at this ne as it crossed the minefield and flew into the urban airspace The Divine Arrow wasunched! The Prussian pilot immediately tried to evade to the left but was chased down by the Divine Arrow after it turned a corner, and following the explosion, the right engine of the enemy ne burst into mes, trailing a long plume of ck smoke. It plummeted to the ground, tilting as it fell. Wang Zhong: Well done! Yegorov, the ne is heading toward the police station, send out a search team quickly, there are three people on board, they may have weapons, be careful! "Yes! Yegorov picked up the phone, Search team, move out, the enemy ne may have crashed near the police station.Wang Zhong added, You must destroy the film! Vasilyughed, If we could always block reconnaissance like this, maybe our cumbersome tractor naval guns would survive until the end of the fight! Dmitri nced at him and said, Dont jinx it! Yegorov repeated the order into the phone and then hung up. He had just put down the handset when the phone next to him rang, and he casually answered, Headquarters, go ahead. What? Okay, I understand. After hanging up, Yegorov informed Wang Zhong, Brother Peter has heard a lot of tactical bombers and Stukas, possibly over 20. Wang Zhong: Everyone, into the shelters! As Yegorov issued the order, Dmitri asked worriedly, Should we go too? Wang Zhong patted Dmitri on the shoulder, This building is reinforced concrete, with very thick external walls, dont worry. While talking, Wang Zhong saw the enemy nes; he counted 15 Stukas and 12 Do 215s, along with several escorting Messerschmitt Bf 109s. As the nes approached the city, the anti-aircraft guns in the city opened fire, creating a fire in front of the formation. The Do 215 formation plunged into the fire, heading straight over the train station to drop bombs, while the Stukas entered their characteristic rolling dive. The ear-piercing Death Scream ruptured everyones eardrums. That scream involuntarily made people want to duck and lie t on the ground. But Wang Zhong saw very clearly, all the enemy nes were heading towards the defense groups bunkers. Only then did he realize his vantage point covered only the Guard 31st Regiments field of view; it was all dark on the side of the defense group, with only a unit emblem floating above the maps real scenery. This situation was very simr to when Wang Zhong had just takenmand of the then-named Third Rear Amur Group in Ronied. Could it be that by calling the defense group, he could share their field of view, just like back then? After the enemy nespleted their bombing, bombs fell on the defense groups position, but Wang Zhong couldnt make out the specifics of the damage, only the smoke blooms created by the explosions. Wang Zhong: Yegorov, call the defense group! "Yes! Hello, connect me to the defense group! A few seconds of waitingter, Yegorov said, Its connected! As he spoke, the territory of the defense group lit up, and Wang Zhong gained vision of the defense group. So it was. The troops I [personally] [directly]mand have vision, theyre under mymand, but for the troopsmanded by their own officers, I only have their location. Only by connecting via the phone and establishing directmand do I gain vision of the troops. At that moment, Yegorov came to Wang Zhong and handed him the handset. Wang Zhong took the handset: What are your losses? I saw the Stukas heading towards you. The defense groupmander, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich, responded, Two bunkers werepletely destroyed, work of these past days gone to waste, but we didnt man the positions, so we only lost equipment like machine guns inside the bunkers. Wang Zhong: Only the bunkers? "Also, seven or eight bombs fell on our positions, destroying the wooden decoy tank guns we had made. Just then, a voice from the phone yelled, Enemy nes areing back! Wang Zhong switched to the overhead view and saw the Stukas, after finishing bombing, circling back and starting to strafe. But most of the defense group was still hiding in the bomb shelters, so they didnt suffer many casualties. Wang Zhong: As soon as the enemy nes leave, immediately restore the positions. The enemy vanguard may arrive today. "Understood. Wang Zhong gave the handset back to Yegorov, who hung up the phone, and in that moment, the vision of the defense group disappeared again. It turned out this way, vision from non-directlymanded troops was only avable during a call. It seemed I would need to make frequent calls to various front-line units in the future. Thats what Wang Zhong thought. Just then, the phone rang again. Yegorov picked it up, responded a few times, and then hung up, reporting, Brother Peter has heard enemy mechanized forces, apparently a considerable number of light tanks. Wang Zhong nodded. This Brother Peter and his sound array were more useful than expected, feeling almost like the listening vehicle from Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, hearing everything. Vasily took off his headset, excitedly asking, Are we going to use the B4 to bomb the enemy now? Wang Zhong: Keep listening to your walkie-talkie! If you miss critical information, Ill have you shot! Hearing that the punishment was execution rather than mucking out, Vasily shrank his neck and put the headset back on. Wang Zhong looked out again, waiting for the Prussians to arrive. At that moment, Mishka came back with the gauze, also carrying rope for fastening; together, they draped ayer of cloth over the artillery scope and secured it with the rope. Chapter 90: Firepower Supremacy (3) Dmitri pressed his eye to the eyepiece and joyfully said, I can see very clearly! Just at that moment, Wang Zhong, from an overlooking perspective, spotted the enemy. A Mark II tank appeared on the southwest main road. It seemed that the Prosen Army of this era also assigned the already outmoded Mark II tanks to the reconnaissance troops. Behind the Mark II tank was a wheeled reconnaissance vehicle, followed by a half-trackden with soldiers. Even though it was only a reconnaissance unit, why did so many of theme marching up in such a grand procession Suddenly, Wang Zhong noticed that this group seemed unrested, their faces showing extreme fatigue, their clothes all wrinkled and covered with leaves, as if they had slept in the wild overnight. Could it be thend mines had taken effect? At this moment, the second and third Mark II tanks entered his field of view; the strength of this vanguard was somewhat substantial.Seeing so many people, Wang Zhong decided to give them a surprise, while also shaking the enemy forces. He said to Yegorov, Call Artillery Unit A. After deciding to split B4 into two positions yesterday, they took action overnight, distributing the four guns to different locations and renaming the original position Artillery Unit A. Of course, this A was a Cyrillic letter. While picking up the handset, Yegorovined, Ive be a telephone operator! Vasily said, Then let me do it! "You listen to your walkie-talkie, otherwise the brigadier will get angry again. Connect to Artillery Unit A. Dmitri hurriedly began calcting the enemys coordinates. Yegorov said, Connected. Here! Wang Zhong took the handset and immediately began to report the coordinates. Just having calcted halfway, Dmitri was shocked, his eyes widening as he looked at Wang Zhong. Major Hank stuck his head out of the turret, observing the city with a telescope. The Air Forces bombing appeared to be highly effective, and the destruction of the citys outer defenses was clearly visible. The Ante People were hastily repairing the damaged fortifications. Perhaps this was an opportunity for a rapid assault? As Major Hank thought this, he let out a huge yawn. Last night, the reconnaissance battalion did not dare to camp in Karlinovka for fear of mines, as they had no engineers to deal with thend mines. Camping in the field, Major Hank hadnt slept well. He hadnt gotten a good nights sleep in many days and had hoped to take a bath and get a good rest in a clean bedst night, but it all fell through! Damn General White Horse! Too cunning, too bad! Just as he was thinking, a sharp screech suddenly came from the sky; it was the sound of artillery shells tearing through the air! The moment the screeching sounded, the reconnaissance battalion, still not deployed around the tank, dropped like flies to the ground. Those still on the half-track also rushed to jump off and flopped down in the fields off the road shoulder. Major Hank immediately ducked back into the turret and closed the hatchthis had all be muscle memory. Only afterpleting these actions did he realize that the whistling sound was clearly that of heavy artillery, at least 122 millimeters. With the armor of a Mark II tank, resisting such heavy artillery might be problematic That instant, the shells hit the ground. Wang Zhong called for a volley, with a total of four rounds. The first round fell right in the front of the enemys formation, about four or five meters from the leading Mark II, and the st wind simply flipped the small frame of the Mark II tank onto the road. When the tank flipped, Wang Zhong clearly saw two prone infantrymen get crushed underneath. The dust cloud from the explosion immediately swallowed up the surrounding prone enemies. The second round fell into the field, a bit far from the enemy column, but the chunks of earth it tossed flew tens of meters,nding on the road and nging against the enemy helmets. The third round flew over the target andnded at the rear of the column, overturning the rear half-track vehicle. The fourth round hit dead center in the middle of the column, among a cluster of densely packed prone figures. Wang Zhong distinctly saw a Prosen soldier, along with his equipment, literallyunched dozens of meters into the air, as if he caught a ne. By conservative estimates, this vanguard of the enemy had lost half its force to these four 203 millimeter shells! No wonder they say artillery is the God of War! Is it really that powerful? Wang Zhong couldnt help but think back to the day he had first traversed to this world, when he was weed by a 381-millimeter artillery round in Ronied; it was nothing short of a miracle he survived. There must have been about a hundred people in that room, and only two lived; he was one of those lucky survivors, unbelievable. At this moment, cheers came from outside. The soldiers didnt have telescopes, their field of view wasnt as good as Wang Zhongs, but the dust clouds created by the four artillery rounds rose tens of meters high, and they could see them clearly without scopes. "Ura! Dmitri didnt cheer but calmly recited, Adjustment for firing, adjust the elevation to Mishka, the artillery trainee nicknamed with a clipboard, was quickly taking notes on the side. Wang Zhong said, No, theres no need to fire again. Dmitri replied, No need to fire? More urate attacks could deal a heavy blow "This is enough. The key is to tell the enemy that we have such weapons so they will never take us lightly again, Wang Zhong lectured with the tone of an elder to a junior. Major Hank crawled out of the tanks bottom hatchnow it was no longer the bottom hatch, it should be called the top hatch. He looked around. Five vehicles were burning, and at least 80 motionless Prosen soldiersy on the ground. They had adopted the correct prone position for shell avoidance, but still could not withstand the local overpressure produced by heavy artillery. More people were lying on the ground, howling; cries of Mama rose and fell in waves. Major Hank wanted to soothe his troops and decided to stand up on the overturned tank. But as soon as he tried to pull his leg out of the hatch, he realized it was bent at an impossible angle. The moment he realized his leg was broken, the pain which adrenaline had been blocking finally surged through him. Major Hank screamed at the top of his lungs, Sanitater (medic)! Chapter 91: Blocking the Enemy with a Minefield Following this, Wang Zhong gained an even deeper understanding of the role of heavy artillery. It was just a salvo, but out of four shells, two missed their mark; it was actually thest one to fall that hit the enemy smack dab in the middle. Even so, for the next hour, the enemys armored reconnaissance battalion couldnt do a damn thing except rescue the wounded, collect equipment from the wounded and the dead, and push the destroyed vehicles to the side of the roadthree tasks that kept them incredibly busy. At first, Wang Zhong paid close attention to the enemys next move, but after a while, he let out a sigh, pulled up a chair, and sat down by the window to look at the sky. Officially he was looking at the sky, but he was actually still using a birds eye view to watch the enemy. His mentality had changed, now feeling like a child squatting on a school yground, having just destroyed an ants nest with a bottle of mineral water, and now watching with relish as the ants attempted to save themselves. In truth, an armored reconnaissance battalion didnt pose any threat to Loktovs defenses to begin with, and now that theyd been shelled by heavy artillery, they were even less of a threat. At eleven oclock in the morning, it seemed like the enemy had finally regrouped, and they spread out across the fields. Then they encountered the first present Wang Zhong had prepared for them: the fake minefield.No, thats not right, the minefield close to the main road had beenid by the urban defense forces, and those were definitely real. Vasily also reported that they had buried two boxes of real mines in the fake minefield, mixed with a bunch of pickle jar lids to confuse the enemy. That should give the Prussians something to worry about. As Wang Zhong was thinking about this, the enemy infantry searching on both sides of the highway stepped on the mines that the urban defense forces hadid. One man was blown three meters up into the air, and his legs flew even farther, crossing the road andnding on the other side. Wang Zhong was dumbfounded, Youre telling me this is a mine? Through the optic of the artillery sight, Dmitry said, Normal. This thing has a 300-gram charge, not killing those nearby would be considered a malfunction. Wang Zhong was shocked, Were these anti-tank mines that wereid? Anti-personnel mines! Vasily said, I personally buried two boxes, and they were definitely anti-personnel mines. What kind of infantry needs 300 grams of explosives to be killed? Could it be that the Prussians have Aesir gods? Valkyries? That cant be killed without using this much explosive? No, it might just be the typical Russian brute-force approach. Wang Zhong continued to watch the enemy, and after one person was killed, the rest of the enemy silently withdrew from the minefield. It was at this moment that the scattered enemy troops found the signs Vasily had nted. The soldier who discovered the sign called an officer over, probably to ask what to do. After a brief exchange, the soldier grabbed the sign, looking like he was preparing to pull it out to show to a higher-ranking officer. No sooner said than done, the ground surged upward! And then it exploded like a burst balloon! The fountain of soil sent the group of Prosen soldiers flying into the air. Excited by the sound, Vasily eximed, That sound! Could it be the big one I buried getting detonated? I buried a whole block of TNT underneath, over two kilograms! Wang Zhong was sweating bullets, Youre cruel, man. Do you know how far the enemy flew? he asked. Vasily: How far? Dmitry interjected, I saw onend on the top of a barn ten meters away. Hahaha! Vasily pped his thigh andughed loudly. Wang Zhong: Pay attention to the monitoring, you idiot, I think youre nning to pick dung for the rest of your life! Vasily hurriedly adjusted his headphones properly. The recent explosion had the entire Prosen Army hitting the dirt, thinking that the heavy artillery bombardment had started again. An officer was yelling something, and then the soldiers started to get up in twos and threes. A messenger ran along the line in which the troops were spread, shouting the new orders. Wang Zhong guessed that it was probably instructing all the soldiers to stay away from those minefield warning signs. The enemy began to retreat, stopping only two hundred meters away from the minefield, almost leaving Wang Zhongs field of vision. Dmitry said happily, The enemy has retreated! It looks like they dont have engineers equipped to handle the mines! At that moment, Yegorov, who had been manning the phone, also came to the window, holding binocrs to observe the enemy, and said in astonishment, If it was me, I would probably send out a reconnaissance team to follow along the minefield, to see how wide it is and where it ends. No sooner had he spoken, two half-tracked vehicles loaded with soldiers headed northwest and southeast, clearly the enemymander had the same idea as Yegorov. Wang Zhong marveled, If we had more Divine Arrows, we could take out those two reconnaissance teams, or at least damage the vehicles to slow down the enemys scouting. Yegorov: But we dont have any Divine Arrows. Suddenly Vasily shouted, I hear the enemy at the frontmunicating with their superiors, their report says Let me check! As he spoke, he flipped through the notebook that Wang Zhong had personally led a team to capture yesterday, checking the recorded radio call signs and location codes. The armored reconnaissance battalion is reporting to the headquarters of the 15th Division, saying that Loktov is covered by Army Group-level artillery firepower, and theres a massive number of mines! The intelligence on the defending forces numbers here may be wrong! After tranting, Vasily looked at Wang Zhong excitedly, General, weve been mistaken for an entire Army Group! Wang Zhong smiled slightly, Mainly thanks to the B4 heavy artillery. Yegorov was impressed, They certainly wouldnt imagine that theres heavy artillery here just because themander is the Crown Princes wastrel brother. Vasily was about to chime in when suddenly he pressed his headphone to his ear, listening intently, apparently someone was speaking again. While listening, he frantically flipped through the notebook and after a moment said, The 15th Divisions headquarters says that the engineers will get here around three oclock in the afternoon! The officers in the room collectively checked their watches. Yegorov: Its three oclock. There are only five hours left until dark, probably not enough time to clear all these minefields. Looks like the first day ofbat will end like this. Wang Zhong: Do we have any firepower that can reach the engineers clearing the mines? Yegorov: Our heavy machine guns have a max range of 1000, but experienced veterans can lob shots up to 1500, but the uracy ispletely unreliable. Wang Zhong: No matter, dont expose the firepower points we really want to use. Set up the machine guns in temporary positions, and lob fire to cause trouble for the enemy engineers. If its just to cause trouble, Yegorov blinked his eyes, you can lob from behind obstacles, making the gun and the shooter invisible to the enemy. Of course, rookies cant do this, but the few machine gunners who survived in my old unit can manage it. Anyway, its all about probability; as long as you get the bullets close to the enemy, leave the rest to Saint Andrew. Saint Andrew, the founder of the Eastern Holy Churchs Secr faction, was also the only one from the Secr faction who had been sainted. Wang Zhong: Good, get on it right away! Yegorov immediately went to issue the orders. At this time, Vasily asked, What do we do before the enemy engineers arrive? Just wait around? Wang Zhong: Seems so right? Vasily: What was it like between the enemys two assaults at Peniye? Wang Zhong: I was running a fever then, went to sleep after the enemy retreated, so dont ask me. Vasily was shocked: A fever? The fever Im thinking of? Yes! And you still won? Now that youre not feverish, the enemys in trouble. Even Dmitry, who had been intently observing the enemy, couldnt help turning back to say. Vasily: No, maybe you fight better when you have a fever. Wang Zhong red at Vasily, thinking to himself, damn it, this assholes mouth really does deserve a beating, any other general might have had him shot by now. Just then, Yegorov returned, so Wang Zhong took the opportunity to pass the question to him: Yegorov, the new recruits are asking how to pass the time between battles. Yegorov immediately answered: Clean your guns. The first time I went to battle, thats what the veterans taught me. We were fighting the civil war as part of the Secr factions army, defending a ce called Charytin. The enemyunched a total of seven attacks in one day, each repelled in about 20 minutes, then they would take an hour and a half to organize a new assault. So from four in the morning until nine at night when it got dark, after repelling the first attack, I asked the veterans why the enemy didnt just attack immediately. They told me the enemy needs time to regroup the forces that ran back, which takes about an hour, then resupply ammunition and form a new attack, another half an hour gone. And during this time, the first thing we as defenders needed to do was clean our guns; certainly a lot of sand and dust would have gotten inside during the battle, and without a proper cleaning, you might jam the next time you fire, and then youre dead. After listening to this, Vasily looked down and counted on his fingers, then asked, From four to nine, seventeen hours, each assault taking two hours, they attacked seven times, what about the remaining three hours? The room grew quiet. Wang Zhong somewhat regretted having chosen to focus on cultivating this troublesome soldier. Well, just a little. Yegorov: The enemy needs to eat, you idiot! Youre on dung duty tonight, thatll teach you! Vasilys face showed his misery, and the smile shifted to Wang Zhongs face. At that moment, the radio suddenly rang again, and Vasily hurriedly put on the headset to listen, flipping through the notebook while listening: This is The 15th Armored Division is requesting the Air Force to destroy something unknown. I guess theyre targeting our howitzers. Wang Zhong: Any response from the Air Force? No response yet wait, here ites. The Air Force is asking the 15th Armored Division to provide the location. Wang Zhong: It seems our tactic of sealing off reconnaissance is working. There really was no ce around Loktov where you could see the two positions of B4; they could only rely on aerial reconnaissance. Vasily: The 15th retorted, isnt aerial reconnaissance supposed to be the Air Forces responsibility? Do the Prussians have bad rtions between their army and Air Force? Yes, their inter-service rivalry was quite bad, amon issue among many countries during World War II. Vasily listened for a while longer and said, No more information. Both sides are silent. Wang Zhong: Tell Brother Peter to be extra vignt for enemy reconnaissance nes. And try to fake more artillery positions. Yegorov immediately passed down the orders. Vasily: Besides cleaning guns, what else do you do to pass the time? Really, are you still on this topic? Yegorov: y cards. y cards? Vasily eximed. Yes, its better than drinking. Either way, its just killing time, it makes no difference. War is like that, mostly doing nothing, and its only that one percent of the time when youre licking blood off the knife edge, but you never know when that one percent wille, so youre on edge all day long. Wang Zhong: Did you bring any ying cards? Yegorov pulled a deck of ying cards from his shirt pocket. On the front line, we usually gamble with cigarettes. he said. In the afternoon, Yegorov contentedly stashed away the cigarettes he had just won into his document case: Ive now beaten a legenda future legendary general. Wang Zhong tossed the ying cards onto the table with a click of his tongue: I dont smoke much anyway, I let you win on purpose! Oh, is that so? Yegorov said proudly, With your card-ying skills, youll quickly be an easy target. Just then, Dmitry, who had been at the artillery sight all this time, shouted: A Number One tank! A barricade-breaking vehicle modified from a Number One tank! The engineers areing up! Chapter 92: Anti-aircraft Guns are for Ground Firing (Alliance Hierarch Additional Release) The staff at the forwardmand post immediately rushed to the window and observed with binocrs. What came wasnt just a No. 1 tank modified into an engineering vehicle for breaking through barriers, but also a range of other Prussian engineering vehicles. It seemed that themander of the sapper battalion wasmunicating with themander of the reconnaissance unit that had already deployed outside the minefield. Wang Zhong was just about to call for another artillery barrage when the gathered sapper battalion began to spread out, likely told by the armor reconnaissancemander that they could be targeted by artillery fire. Although the enemy scattered, they clearly underestimated the caliber of the artillery barrage and didnt disperse enoughperhaps the Prussian Armys advance had been too smooth, making them careless. No matter what, Wang Zhong was ready to hit them with another round; position Bs B4 hadnt fired yet. Each gun there had one more shell in reserve than those at position A, so it was time to fire a salvo and bnce out the ammunition. Wang Zhong himself picked up the phone, Connect me to position B. One moment, the male switchboard operator answered, Okay, General. This is position B!Wang Zhong, This is Rocossov, fire a salvo immediately, with a one-second interval between shots, coordinates These heavy guns created a muzzle st when firing; when the firing positions were cramped, firing all at once could affect the trajectory of the shells, so even with a salvo, it was one shot after another. Of course, if the position was more open, there wouldnt be this problem, and they could fire at once, but it was impossible to find such a concealed and open terrain within Lokotov City. After performing his mental calction of the coordinates again, Wang Zhong stood by the window with the phone and observed. The sound of shells tearing through the air reached them. Perhaps because of the aftereffects of being repaired by a 381mm heavy cannon, Wang Zhongs nape went numb at the whistling sound, and he instinctively wanted to duck. The enemies simplyy t on the ground, everyone adopting the standard artillery avoidance position. The first shellnded, clearly hitting too close to the minefield, even triggering an actual mine. From his birds-eye view, Wang Zhong saw lids from pickle cans flying everywhere within the fake minefield. He hoped the next shell would be on target! No, the next shell must hit the mark! The next onended farther away, right at the edge of Wang Zhongs field of vision, but it was much better than the first onehe clearly saw at least ten enemies lose their highlights, though he didnt know if they were dead or merely knocked unconscious. At that moment, Wang Zhong felt like he was gacha gaming, silently chanting, Hit it, let me hit it! The third shell fell right between two engineering vehicles. The st wave instantly overturned both vehicles. From Wang Zhongs perspective, a whole patch of enemies lost their highlights around the impact point. He couldnt help but clench his fist and silently nod, Good! One more shot, just one more! Hit it! Then, something embarrassing happened. A silo far from the first three impact points suddenly exploded; its stone walls shattered to pieces, and the stored grain gushed out like floodwaters, bizarrely spreading a patch of yellow onto the green field. What the hell? How could itnd so far off? Even if they wanted to hit a granary, they should have targeted the silo near the shelling area, since there was an enemy observation team on itdispersing the observation team would have been worthwhile! As Wang Zhong puzzled over why thest shell had gone astray, Dmitry reported loudly, Thest gun either got the aiming solutions wrong or theres a malfunction in the gun mount or sighting equipment. Wang Zhong immediately picked up the receiver that had been resting on his shoulder, B position! Thest fired gun either got the aiming solutions wrong or theres a malfunction! Check it quickly! Yes, came the answer from the other side, Checking now! A momentter, they responded, Report, General, the aiming solutions are correct, it must be a malfunction with the gun, the cksmith and the mechanic are inspecting it now! Fix the malfunction as soon as possible! There wasnt much else Wang Zhong could order beyond that. He put down the receiver and continued to observe the enemy. Yegorov clicked his tongue in amazement, This cannon has always been prone to malfunctions since the Winter War, and when it first entered the battle, it sometimes took six to seven shots to destroy a Manahaim bunker. Wang Zhong, So you mean having just one malfunction is already not bad? I mean the Empires Ordnance Department is indeed working hard, the rate of malfunctions has been significantly reduced, Yegorov shrugged. Then the enemy realized the shelling was over, stood up, began rescuing the wounded, and started gathering the scattered equipment and weapons. Wang Zhong, Have your machine gunners open fire, add some fuel to the enemys fire! Understood! Yegorov turned to give the orders. A minuteter, two heavy machine guns began firing, the arcing trajectories of tracer bulletsnding on the enemys positions, like urinating. At this distance, hitting the target truly depended on faith, but as long as the intensity of fire was enough, they could always pee a few to death. The most important thing was the catastrophic effect on the enemys moralelike a whip of death moving back and forth above your head, how could you not panic? It made it impossible to work properly. Before Wang Zhong could rejoice, a Type 2 tank on the enemys side began to retaliate, firing its machine guns in the same manner towards the courtyard of the fertilizer nt. Thus, a spectacle of both sides peeing tracer rounds at each other ensued! But the Prussians had a 20mm cannon, and regardless of how fragile the Type 2 tank was, it was still a tank! The DShK heavy machine gun could indeed prate a Type 2 tank, but here the gunners had no protection, making them obviously more vulnerable under the strike of the 20mm cannon. ` However, Yegorov didnt ce the machine gun on open ground; instead, he positioned it inside the factory building, firing through the windows. Both sides were sloppily shooting, neither with uracy, which made it difficult for the enemys machine guns to target such small windows to prate the room. Yet the machine gun could continuously inflict casualties on the enemy out in the open. This was arcing fire, so even if the enemyy on the ground, they could still be hit in the back. When Wang Zhong saw that the enemy had been forced to seek cover in the shadow of armored vehicles and still asionally lost one or two unlucky souls, he felt frustrated by the low kill efficiency of the machine guns. If only he had the sort of autocannon that the enemys mark II tanks were equipped with. In various war games on Earth, Wang Zhong had always favored decimating infantry with autocannons; the Skeld River, in his hands, became an infantry ughterer. If only his cheat was more powerful, being able to summon an anti-air gun like the Skeld River out of thin air, then he could use a quad 23mm cannon to massacre the enemy infantry Hmm? Wang Zhong turned his head to ask Yegorov, The 72K anti-aircraft gun of the air defense regiment, its a 25mm autocannon, isnt it? Though Wang Zhong had operated the GAZ truck that transported this in War Thunder, he still asked just to be sure. Yegorov replied, Yes, what about it? Quick, call the air defense regiment! Ask them for two 72K anti-aircraft guns, to be towed over here by truck! And bring 2000 rounds of ammunition as well! Why hadnt he thought of this before! Wang Zhong thought to himself that if the enemy could use their anti-aircraft guns in direct fire, then so could they! Twenty minutester, two 72K anti-aircraft guns, usually reserved as spare parts by the artillery regiment, were dragged into the factory building of the fertilizer nt. After four test shots, the shellsnded among the enemy, so Wang Zhong gave the order, Begin barrage fire! The two anti-aircraft guns fired tracer rounds steadily falling among the enemy. Although they were only 25mm high-explosive shells, their killing efficiency was much higher than that of a heavy machine gun. All the enemys mark II tanks engaged in shooting, yet they were unable to prate the concrete walls of the factory building. Yegorov joked, Wow, theyre trying so hard they might see the firstyer of rebar in the factory soon. Meanwhile, the Ante Army paid no attention to those few tanks, instead focusing all their efforts on reaping the enemy infantry. Finally, a truck carrying explosives for the engineers exploded, turning into a soaring fireball. This, seemingly thest straw that broke the camels back, caused the Prussian Army to release smoke and start retreating backwards. All the armored vehicles began reversing, and the soldiers, as if they had had enough, quickly withdrew. Dmitri shouted, The enemy is deploying smoke! I cant see them! Wang Zhong: The enemy is retreating. Alright, ceasefire! In fact, Wang Zhong could have continued to direct the autocannon fire using his cheat that wasnt bothered by the smoke, but as the distance increased, the spread of the shells would be too great, wasting them unnecessarily. He had no idea how long Lokotovs supplies wouldst, or how long he would need to hold this position, so he had to improve the ammunition efficiency. Following the order, the shooting stopped. Immediately after, from various ces in the fertilizer factory, soldiers who had just been driven back to their shelters by the mark IIs machine guns now poked their heads out. Is it over? Why did the firing stop? Are they using smoke to attack? Doesnt seem like it; the smoke screen is so far away, and the fake minefield hasnt been cleared yet. They must be running, right? The soldiers questioned each other, not daring to believe they had won. Wang Zhong stuck his head out of a window and shouted outside, The enemy is retreating! We have repelled the enemys first attack! The crowd exchanged nces. Then cheers erupted. Hurrah! It wasnt that big a deal! The young men in themand post also cheered, their faces filled with joy. Vasily couldnt resist a bit of ttery, Is victory that easy? General, you trulymand like a deity! Wang Zhong frowned and turned to Yegorov, saying, We cant allow our troops to develop an attitude of underestimating the enemy! Immediately conduct ideological work with the soldiers, despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically! The enemy was well-trained, as evident by their immediate counterfire with tank machine guns! As they were speaking, Popov came in, sighing, Why are you always taking my job? Wang Zhong: What brought you to themand post? A train just arrived at the station, on it were Priests assigned to us, so I brought them over. ording to the rules, eachpany should have a Military Chain, and we have actually been in vition of that. Popov shrugged, The Priests have already gone to thepanies, I came to see if theres anything I could help with. Wang Zhong: Go to the church immediately and request capable Monks, as well as the Divine Arrow! I almost used the 76mm gun to hit the enemys mark II at such long range. But in the end, I didnt want to reveal the gun position, so I didnt fire. Popov shook his head, The church has responded; they said the prayer masters of the Divine Arrow suffered heavy losses in the previous ten plus days of fighting, and now theyre nning to let kids in grade ten of the monasteries graduate early to fill in the front lines, but they need to undergo military training. Wang Zhong was taken aback, Forget it then, lets just fight with the equipment and personnel we have now. Chapter 93: Wildflowers of the Battlefield After a peace thatsted until seven oclock in the evening, as the daylight began to fade, Brother Peter heard the sound of the enemy reconnaissance aircraft again. Five minutester, the forwardmand watched the reconnaissance ne, trailing thick smoke, plummet to the ground. The Divine Arrow is really effective against low-flying air units, Wang Zhong eximed. Popov: Yes, its a pity it doesnt work against high-flying enemy aircraft. Wang Zhong: Its difficult for the enemy to spot our well-camouged artillery positions through high-altitude reconnaissance. He could say this mainly because, first, he had seen photos taken by Sturmtiger high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft in military history before he was transported, and second, he had confirmed the camouge of his own artillery positions from an overhead view. From high altitudes, it would be difficult to locate these positions with the naked eye. Popov: Lets hope so. Looking at Popov, Wang Zhong suddenly had a guess and asked, Are you sticking around at the forwardmand because you dont want to help Pavlov handle a mountain of paperwork?Popov said seriously: How could that be! I would never shirk my responsibilities! But many documents do not require my signature as the Archbishop of thebat group. Wang Zhong was about to speak to Popov when Vasily, who was manning the field phone, suddenly began frantically flipping through a captured notebook. Everyones attention instantly shifted to him. After searching for a while, Vasily reported, The enemys 223rd Armored Grenadier Corps is encamping tonight in Karashnoye! Wang Zhong immediately found the vige on the map: Its here; weve scouted it. Its arge vige with nearly 100 houses, all abandoned. ording to inquiries in other viges, theres generally no wind around nine oclock in the evening, which would make an artillery attack more effective. Yegorov picked up the telephone, but instead of immediately asking the operator to connect to the artillery positions, he asked Wang Zhong, How much ammunition to fire? Wang Zhong: Three rounds per gun should do. Twenty-four rounds ought to be enough to cause trouble for the enemy. No telling when well get more 203 mm shells, so we should conserve. Yegorov then instructed the operator, Connect to the artillery positions. The 223rd Armored Grenadier Corps had entered Karashnoye, ten kilometers southwest of Loktov. Based on thetest aerial reconnaissance report, the nearest Ante Army troops were at Dolini Villiage to the northeast, where aerial surveince had spotted defensive positions. By tomorrow, the 223rd wouldunch an attack on Dolini Villiage, and once captured, they could encircle Loktov. The 150 half-track vehicles of the 223rd were now crammed into Karashnoye to the point that the self-propelled mortarpany assigned to the corps could only stop in the threshing yard at the entrance to the vige. Also in the threshing yard, filling it up, were the supply trucks of the logistics unit assigned to the corpssince the 223rd, as infantry assigned to an Armored Division, had no mules or horses in their establishment. The eight Panzer IV tanks assigned to reinforce the 223rd were lined up northeast of the vige, with the tank crews checking the running systems. After finishing the maintenance of their firearms, the infantrymen were now gathered around the fires, sharing canned food and captured sausages. Someone had ced a radio on the roadside gasoline drum, and from its speaker came thetest popr love song in Prussia, Lili Marleenmusic broadcasted to the entire army by the Prussian military radio station. This night seemed no different from the first thirteen nights since the 223rd had entered the territory of the Ante Empire. Suddenly, the screech of heavy artillery shells tearing through the air came from the sky. The battle-hardened Prussians of this battalion could roughly gauge where the whistling indicated the shells wouldnd, so they left their bowls full of meat broth behind and scurried into whatever could provide cover. The first shellnded, striking the vige church at its center, causing the bell tower to copse from the base. Then, one after another, shells kept falling, demolishing houses, flinging vehicles into the air, and flipping one of the half-track vehicles in the middle of the road. After the first salvo, the entire vige was alight with mes and moans of the wounded. The surviving Prussians shakily lifted their heads but did not leave their shelters. About 30 secondster, a second wave of howls came from the sky again. A truck exploded violently, turning its fuel tanks into glowing orange spheres that rose slowly, illuminating the night like daylight. Therge pot of soup the cooks were tending was overturned; the scalding broth poured onto the unlucky ones nearby, creating desperate screams. The second round of artillery fire passed, and no one from Prosen dared to raise their heads anymore, all waiting for the next round of shells to fall. Some people whispered prayers, and at this time, no one mentioned See you in Valha C a responsemonly heard from the glorious imperial soldiers of Prosen propaganda when facing death. The third round came. The church finally copsedpletely, and senior officers and staff at the headquarters hurriedly ran out. The cattle that the locals had no time to take away caught fire and charged violently down the street, trampling over several unlucky fellows lying in the middle of the road. After the third round, the only sounds in the entire vige were groaning and the crackling of the massive fire. Almost a minute had gone by before themander of the 223rd Armored Grenadier Corps, still frightened, got up, nced at the copsed church behind him, and then gazed at the burning half-track vehicle on the street and the bodies scattered all over, his brow twisted into knots. Count the casualties! Quick! And notify headquarters immediately C we had just reported our position when the artillery came. I suspect the enemy has our codebooks! We must change the codes ahead of schedule! The radio call signs of a typical Prosen Army unit changed every three days C such a change was a hassle, necessitating couriers physically delivering new call signs to various units. Yes! the staff officer answered. Themander looked at the devastated vige and shouted, Quick, rescue the wounded! Put out the fires! Wang Zhong looked at his watch, The shells should have hit by now, but I dont know how effective they were. At ten kilometers from Loktov, even with Wang Zhongs advantage, he couldnt see the effects of the artillery barrage. Yegorov offered reassurance, Dont worry, these are 203 mm heavy guns. That unit must have suffered heavy losses; whether they can even move tomorrow is a question. I hope so. Just as Wang Zhong finished speaking, Vasily shouted, Enemymunication! Theyre actually using clear text! Our unit just reported its position and was then hit by precise artillery fire. The radio call sign is definitelypromised. Please change call signs ahead of time. General, we hit them! Good! Wang Zhong clenched his right fist as if he were a young man riding the crest of sess. Yegorov: This will seriously weaken the infantry attached to the enemys Armored Division, reducing the pressure for the citys meat grinder battle tomorrow. But thats a problem for tomorrow, Popov said. Todays fighting should be near its end; we should let the soldiers rest as soon as possible, excluding the sentries, of course. Vasily: And clean their guns! Yegorov nced at him and nodded, Yes, and clean their guns. At this moment, Wang Zhong suddenly realized he was very hungry, having been too focused earlier to notice. And as if on cue, just when Wang Zhong felt his hunger, the voice of the cooking teams matron called out from outside, Boys! Dinners ready! Lets go eat! Wang Zhong said excitedly. After dinner, Wang Zhong, apanied by his guard Grigori, strolled around the position to digest their meal and took the opportunity to perform themanders duty of checking posts. Having made the round and on their way back, they passed by a factory building where a 72K anti-aircraft gun and heavy machine guns were deployed. Wang Zhong stopped in front of the south-western wall of the factory, examining the dense bullet marks on it. Just looking at the bullet marks, one could imagine how fierce the exchange of fire had been that afternoon. Wang Zhong followed the wall, walking up to a turn where he saw a group of young people crowded at the corner of the factory building, seemingly gazing at something. Grigori stepped forward, intending to let the youngsters know theirmander was there, but Wang Zhong stopped him. Then, Wang Zhong tiptoed to the back of the youngsters, peering along with them. In the night, someone held a bottle where, under the stars, one could faintly see it filled with babys breath flowers. He passed the bottle of flowers to the girl in front of him, Natalia, I found these at the station, they are as beautiful as you are! Wang Zhong remembered C this was the new recruit named Aleksei, who was the same as himself, and he had a crush on Natalia from the fieldundry unit. What a move, bringing romance to the front! This calls for a serious critique! So, Wang Zhong moved a bit closer. Chapter 94: “Just Got Promoted and Already Floating Away” Aleksei Barfinovich waspletely oblivious to everyones stares, focusing solely on the girl. Natalia took off the floral scarf from her head, allowing her hair to cascade down in the moonlight as she gazed affectionately at the boy. She received the ss jar filled with stars, and impulsively rushed into the boys embrace, where they kissed each other. Wang Zhong was beside himself with astonishment. Was this direct? Were they skipping some steps? He nudged the rookie in front of him, Were these two dating before? No, Alyosha just took a fancy to her yesterday, picked flowers secretly at night, and wanted to make a move during the day, but then the enemy attacked, the rookie exined without turning back. Wang Zhong was immensely shocked. This was their first date? Is this what people do on a first date? In the midst of his shock, Wang Zhong suddenly remembered something and prodded the person in front of him again, Isnt this Natalia from theundry team? Howe shes at the front line?If she were from the cooking squad, it would make sense for her to show up here, carryingrge pots of vegetable soup on a shoulder pole. But why would theundry teame to the front? He hadnt heard of soldiers changing their clothes before a battle was over. The girl fancies Alyosha as well, whats so strange about that? the rookie replied. At that moment, the kissing couple began to do things better left unsaid, and Wang Zhong was even more shocked, continuing to nudge the persons back, This quick? Isnt this wrong? After asking, Wang Zhong remembered that in the West things tend to move quickly, like in Titanic where the two just took a liking to each other, drew a picture, and then went straight to the car. In a foggy car, suddenly a handprint pped onto the window. The first time Wang Zhong watched this scene he was too young, and immediately thought of The Shining, imagining the scene where an axe chops through the door, and burst out crying. Wang Zhong understood, but the person in front of him did not, Why are you making such a big fuss? Its just like the mature age ceremony back in the vige, making eye contact and then sneaking off into the haystacksOh my! General, sir! The rookie snapped to attention and saluted so quickly! Wang Zhong was standing too close and got smacked in the chin by the suddenly attentive rookie, letting out a yelp of pain. The moment he stood up straight, the person behind him got hit squarely and let out a surprised cry, Hey? Alyosha, dont suddenly stand up like that! As Wang Zhong was holding his chin, he heard the voice and became puzzled, turning around to see Ludm holding her chest, clearly in pain from the collision. Alyosha? a surprised shout came from behind Wang Zhong, probably from the girl of theundry team. Realizing the potential for a misunderstanding, the Brigadier General called out loudly, The one over there is also called Alyosha; were not the same person! Ludm tilted her head, I know, I saw the girl call the boy Alyosha. It was only then that the surprised rookies realized, and they all snapped to attention, saluting, Brigadier General, good evening! Wang Zhong waved his hand in return and continued to watch Ludm, Why have youe to the front line? You should be with the Divine Arrow Company! Ludm pouted, Yeca Neiko, the vice knight, said there wouldnt be any reconnaissance tonight, and I could take a break, so I came! On my way here, I also went to check on your horse! Wang Zhong, Oh, is Bucephalus doing well? Alright you just care about the horse, not about me? Wang Zhong, Are you alright? Yes, the enemy bombers were far from us, so its okay. Ludm nced at the awkward couple and asked, You have so much free time? Watching people date? Wang Zhong replied seriously, I am checking on the posts. Dont believe me, ask Sergeant Grigori! Sergeant huh? The sergeant had disappeared. Not only had the sergeant vanished, but the military academy cadets who had just been saluting beside Wang Zhong were gone too, the speed of their concealment truly befitting professional soldiers. Even the dating couple had fled into the shadows, running hand in hand. Suddenly, there wasnt a soul in sight. Wang Zhong, Sergeant! Its your duty to protect me! From somewhere came a response, Dont worry, Im here. Great, now Im the monkey put on disy. He looked at Ludm with a solemn face and said, I really am checking the posts! I just happened toe across them while crowd-gazing. And then you decided to join in for a look? Ludm cut in. As amander, I must fully understand the soldiers lives! What about your life? Ludm asked. Wang Zhong took a moment to register the question, Huh? Ludm continued, Before, Alyosha, you needed seven or eight servants to wait on you, and you couldnt even polish your shoes. Wang Zhong frowned, Was I that useless before? Ludm shrugged, Now you may still not polish your shoes, but you can do everything else by yourself. Wang Zhong looked down at his dirty military boots. He suddenly remembered that in foreign armies, polishing shoes is akin to our army folding tofu blocks. And Wang Zhong, having transmigrated, hardly wore dress shoes most of the time in his previous life; he would only wear them for job interviews after college, and once he started working, he always wore sneakers. Now, Wang Zhong thought, its a good thing he ended up in such a good-for-nothing body that no one suspected him for not polishing his shoes. At that moment, Ludm looked up at the sky and said, I wonder if Misha and the others have survived. Huh? Misha? Whos that? Wang Zhong spected it might be someone familiar, so he tried to act knowledgeable, They must have You dont even know who Im talking about! Youve never remembered the names of the servants, have you? Ah, so thats it. Lucky that Im wearing such a carefree skin. Wang Zhong simply asked, So who are you talking about? Misha, your maid, and Menjileliev, the old man, your steward. They all stayed in Ronied. Ah, oh, them. Wang Zhong tried hard to say something, but having witnessed the atrocities of the Prussian Army, phrases like they must be fine just couldnt be spoken. Ludm looked at Wang Zhong, After I arrived in Loktov, I finally managed to write a letter home to tell them were still alive, and that youve be a general on a white horse. But so far, theres been no reply. But with the situation as it is, its normal not to get a reply. Wang Zhong: Dont worry, the Crown Prince knows about our situation and even sent us B4 howitzers. He will surely take care of our family. Ludm smiled, Him? As disrespectful as it sounds, I dont think hes attentive to such an extent. I rather think hes probably boasting about your achievements as his own everywhere right now. Sending the cannons over was also to let you achieve even more impressive results in battle. Is, is it so? The image of the Crown Prince suddenly became very clear! At that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly remembered the question that had been troubling him, What exactly is Ludm to me? It could be ruled out from their names that they were siblings, as both their surnames and patronymics were different. And since she was so familiar with him and could even send word home on his behalfshe could only be his fiance. Having such a beautiful fiance was rather thrilling, especially considering Ludms silver hair and her bust, which seemed perfectly crafted for Wang Zhongs entertainment, hitting right in the sweet spot. Although a voice in his head was saying, This isnt the time to be thinking about such things, Wang Zhong still couldnt help but want to confirm whether Ludm was indeed his fiance. At this moment, Ludm said, Walk with me. Since Im already here. Hmm. Wang Zhong nodded and gestured for her to follow, Lets go this way, Ive already checked the post behind us, walking with you gives me a chance to check the other posts. Ludm: You didnt use to be this conscientious. I now have the self-awareness of amander. Ludm just smiled. Then, quite naturally, she linked her arm through Wang Zhongs, allowing her armor toe into intimate contact with his arm, unconcerned. If things have gotten this intimate, she must be the fiance, right? No sooner had Wang Zhong thought this than Ludm said, Your father said that he would ask for my fathers permission to marry me in October. With the war starting, I dont know if it can still happen. Alright then, she was a prospective fiance. Wait a second, do I still have a father in this timeline? Damn, I cant bring myself to call a stranger father Ludm: My mother alwaysined about you, saying that even if it were for a political alliance, there could be better options. She probably has no objections now. At that time, Wang Zhong suddenly thought of a question. Ludm was such a beautiful girl and a noble at that, surely she must have had no shortage of suitors. How could she have fallen for the original owner of this body? So, Wang Zhong asked, You dont have any objections to me? I Ive actually always treated you as a brother, after all, Ive been cleaning up your messes since we were young, and over time, I got used to it And besides you, everyone in your family is pretty nice. Ludm looked down at the ground. But, after the war broke out you changed became like a hero from the stories, and you liked riding a white horse I Because her face was now thoroughly flushed, Ludm leaned on Wang Zhongs arm, using this as a way to block his line of sight. Too bad Wang Zhong had an overhead view and could adjust the angle to see the girls face! What did this mean? Did my heroic actionspletely win over the girls affection? Does she like the current me, not the worthless person I was before? At that moment, Wang Zhong thought about the inappropriate behavior of those two just a while ago. Now it seemed like he could just pick her up and start kissing her without issues. Its their custom, after all! A certain part of Wang Zhongs body started to chant, You can go for it! The only thing holding Wang Zhong back now was the dignity of a Chinese man; all he had to do was let go of that dignity At that moment, a new thought entered Wang Zhongs mind. What if I die? Although he had so far survived many dangerous situations, the fact that he had been dancing with death had not changed. An old song echoed in Wang Zhongs ears: Maybe Ill say goodbye and nevere back Do you understand, do you know? Maybe Ill fall and never get up. Will you still wait forever? At this moment, all vulgar and reproductive thoughts vanished, and Wang Zhongs mind was filled with unshakable conviction. One should not make a loved one wait forever. One should not bring children into such hell. Not until the day when the cruel and evil great enemy is defeated, not until the day when smoke rises again from the homnd and angels can peacefully slumber. Only then can I embrace the girl without worries and build a future together with her. So Wang Zhong suppressed the impulse. Ludm, he said, I will defeat the enemy as soon as possible, conquer the Prosen Empire, and then formally respond to you. Ludmughed, The way you say that, its as if youre the grand marshal who can decide the fate of this war. Youre still the same, floating on air just because youve barely be a major general. With that, the girl yfully punched Wang Zhongs shoulder several times. Chapter 95: “It’s up to you! Jules, July 6, 914, early morning. Wang Zhong rolled out of his makeshift camp bed and saw Yegorov sitting on the bed beside him, polishing his boots. Yegorov: How did you make it back to the frontmandst night? We all thought youd find a vehicle to spend the night in. Wang Zhong: It wasnt convenient for her. How could she possiblye looking for you when it wasnt convenient? Yegorov countered, No, no, she came to sleep with you. That Natalia, too, dont believe me? Let B4 fire a shell and as soon as the boom echoes, youll see another Alyosha scrambling out of some corner with his pants in his hands. Wang Zhong was amazed. Are Westerners really so open about these things? Yegorov waited a few seconds but got no reply, so he looked up at Wang Zhong and asked again, So what really happened? Why didnt you make thedys wishe true? Wang Zhong could only tell the truth. Yegorov was shocked, his polishing hand paused: If the war drags on for three to five years, does that mean youll go without touching a woman for that long? What if you get frustrated? Oh, I see, youre talking about seeing a prostitute, right?Wang Zhong had tough; how did the conversation end up here? That shows my ambition! He wanted to recite a few frontier verses to Yegorov, to express his own wont return until Lon is conquered heroic aspirations, but suddenly realized he couldnt trante the poetry in his mind into Antenguage. Damn, no more showing off with poetry. Just then, Popov got up too. All three of them were sleeping on camp beds set up in therge room next to the frontmand, each bed three meters apart. Popov looked at Wang Zhong with suspicion: Aleksei Konstantinovich, this doesnt sound like something youd do. Although Ive indeed heard that you havent been messing around with Ludm Vasilyevna, youre famous for not being able to control yourself. As he spoke, Popov nced at Wang Zhongs crotch: Could it be that youre injured? Wang Zhong: Is that something a bishop should say? Popov: Im from the Secr faction, remember? That secr, huh? I think youre more of the high-speed faction! You go fast! Wang Zhong decided not to linger on the issue. If he did, Popov might start to think he was possessedthough in reality, he was. Looking at Yegorov, he said, I think the enemy will definitely try to remove mines today. Theyre going to use smoke to obscure our line of sight and cover the demining. Definitely, Yegorov replied as he spread new polish onto the boots and then carefully smeared it with the shining cloth, evening it out on the surface, I heard before the war that the Prussians liked to use smoke. I didnt expect theyd be such fans of it. Whenever the Prussians attacked, there was smoke everywhere, their usage of it was sublime. Yegorov continued: Inparison, weve neglected the use of smoke. The front-line infantry doesnt even have Smoke Bombs, we have to capture them from the Prussians. Wang Zhong: Theres so much we need to capture from the Prussians, like field telephones! Why are there so few radios? Because the marshals still prefer using couriers, shrugged Yegorov. Wang Zhong shook his head and stood up to stretch his aching body caused by the too-hard camp bed. Unfortunately, he carelessly pulled at a wound on his shoulder, grimacing in pain. Itd been nearly two weeks. Why hadnt a simple gunshot wound healed yet? Yegorov didnt care whether Wang Zhong was in pain or not; he asked, Arent you going to polish your boots? Dont you want to? Wang Zhong thought, Is it that I dont want to polish them? I dont know how! Ive hardly ever seen anyone polish boots in my life. How am I supposed to polish them when Ive never even seen a pig run! All he could do was change the subject: Today, we need to figure out a way to prevent the enemy from demining in the smoke. Any ideas? Yegorov looked at Wang Zhong: You are the White Horse General, and Im just an ordinary regimentalmander, as ordinary as theye. You should be the one to tell me what to do! Wang Zhong: Lets exercise some military democracy! Crowdsource some strategy, you know? Yegorov: Then you should go ask that entric Vasily, he might have some oundish ideas. Isnt that why you value him? Wang Zhong didnt reply because he was already thinking of countermeasures. Since he had received absolutely no military education, he could only start with what he knew from games. In games, dealing with smoke was simple: userge caliber guns and fire explosive shells at the ground. When ying Advance Command, seeing the enemy deploy smoke, he would unleash a barrage of BM21 Hail rockets, which generally could effectively dy the enemys offensive and even eliminate quite a few of the attacking forces. Drawing inspiration from the game Wang Zhong asked Yegorov, What do you think about us blindly firing 76mm guns at the enemy? The firing elements for several preset positions for the 76mm guns were determined the day we set up defenses, ensuring urate hits on enemy tanks at various distances. After switching to explosive shells, the trajectory would be more curved than Armor-Piercing Shells, and the gunners familiar with the guns performance could deliver the explosive shells to roughly the same position based on the firing elements of the Armor-Piercing Shells. Yegorov nodded: We dont have many 76mm guns, but we do have plenty of shells. Pickles, too, added Popov. All of them thought of some unpleasant things and frowned together. Just then, the on-duty new recruit pushed the door open and came in: Report! Brother Peter called, saying enemy reconnaissance nes are flying towards us from the southwest. Wang Zhong: Has the brother informed Gods Arrow Company? Yes. Then no need to worry. Yegorov quipped: Lets hope the big sister of the prayer hands doesnt mispray because her beloved general doesnt understand human emotions, leading to a misfire. Wang Zhong: That wont happen. He himself wasnt sure why he was so certain. A momentter, the sound of an airnes engine was heard. Wang Zhong went to the window and looked out; he made a slight shift in his viewing angle and spotted the enemy neit was the same Focke-Wulf Fw 189 reconnaissance aircraft as yesterday. As soon as the ne entered the city area, it was shot down by Divine Arrow and crashed in the residential district to the north of the city. When Wang Zhong switched back his view, Yegorov said, It seems weve shot it down, so the big sister with the divine hands probably doesnt want to sleep with you that much. Wang Zhong shrugged: Speaking of which, are the pilots of the two reconnaissance nes we shot down yesterday still alive? Answering him was Popov: One of the captains in charge of reconnaissance survived. Hes been sent to the Tribunal, and any information we get out of him will be ryed to us. Wang Zhong nodded and decided to go out to inspect the positions. He left therge room where several people slept and entered the adjoining operations center, where he saw Vasily frowning and sitting in front of the field telephone, continuously jotting down something in a notebook. Wang Zhong: Hows it going? Vasily took off his headset and stood up to salute: General! At ease, Wang Zhong waved his hand, Whats the situation? Vasily handed the notebook he had just written to Wang Zhong. The notebook was full of tranted content from enemymunications. While reading, Wang Zhong asked, It seems you dont need to refer to the seized notebook for call signs anymore? Yes, Ive basically memorized them. Wang Zhong: Then why did you look so serious just now? Because I find it strange. Yesterday, the Prussians rarely mentioned their own units call signs and locations, even in code words. Today, look at this, so muchmunication early in the morning. Wang Zhong nodded, he too felt something was amissperhaps the enemy was deliberately leaking false information. But he didnt say it directly; instead, he encouraged Vasily: Why do you think that is? I think they are intentionally leaking false information. The Prussians are very methodical and wouldnt suddenly change this much. There must be someone ordering them to change their practice. Wang Zhong: Youre right, I have the same feeling. At that moment, Dimitri entered the operations center and saluted Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong: Dimitri, dont take over the artillery sight for now. Let me ask you, whats the trajectory difference between the 76mm guns shrapnel and armor-piercing shells? How can we adjust it so that the shrapnel shellsnd in approximately the same area, based on the armor-piercing shell data that weve already determined? Dimitri: That depends on how far away the target is. Do you want the trajectory to end on the ground, detonating the shrapnel shells? Yes, I anticipate that today the enemy will use smoke to cover their engineersying mines. Our response is to use yesterdays calibrated data to fire shrapnel shells to disrupt the engineers operations. Its simple; Ill produce a new set of data immediately. At that point, the phone rang. Wang Zhong picked up himself: This is Rocossov, whats happening? Youd bettere over to the Brigade headquarters. Weve received orders from the Front Armymand, said Pavlov on the other end of the phone. Brigade Command. Your unit is to hold its current position until 8 pm on July 11th to allow the Front Army to form a new defensive line. After reading the orders, Wang Zhong looked up at Pavlov, So the Front Army has finally realized that Bogdanovka has been lost? Pavlov shook his head: Not yet, weve received many telegrams from Bogdanovka. But the 23rd Armored Division tasked with the breakout has already been destroyed. Whats left of them is said to have retreated to our north at Dolgy. Pavlov tapped on the map where there was a marker for an armored force. Wang Zhong: Was the map updated this morning? Yes. The Front Army intelligence department believes the force opposite us is part of the 15th Armored Division, with some auxiliary forces added. They think we can hold perfectly with our fortifications. Wang Zhong frowned: The enemys armored division has at least fifteen thousand men. Including our defensive battalion and the reconstituted 5th Bieshensk Battalion, we have just over two thousand men, and we are extremely short of technical equipment with only three anti-tank cannons! The enemy could have hundreds of tanks! Pavlov looked distressed: The Front Army insists we only have a part of the 15th Armored opposite us. Wang Zhong was just about to curse when explosions sounded outside. However, the sound was faint, like distant thunder. Wang Zhong: Whats that? Is another area being shelled? Grigori rushed into the Brigade headquarters: Its mortars, sounds like the 120mm heavy mortars. Wang Zhong: That must be the divisional artillery of the 15th Armored. He hadmanded the 15th Armored in the game Steel Division and was familiar with their capabilities. He ced his hand over the phone, just waiting for the ring. He didnt have to wait long. This is Rocossov, go ahead. Yegorovs voice came from the operations center on the other end of the line: The enemy has started using smoke. Theyre likely prepping for mineying by engineers. Before the smoke rose, the artillery sight caught one of the engineer tanks moving along the road, probably to clear mines there firsteven though we have no mines on the road. Wang Zhong: Open fire first, and remember to cover the front of the 76mm gun position with smoke. Since the firing was based on pre-set coordinates for blind firing, it made sense to cover the front of their own gun positions to prevent the enemy from spotting them. Ill head back right away. After hanging up the phone, Wang Zhong told Pavlov: Keep pleading poverty with the higher-ups; we definitely cant stop an entire armored division with just these troops we have now. Its up to you! Chapter 96: The Arc of Fire When Wang Zhong arrived at the forwardmand, the enemys engineers had already been sted into retreat. However, that isnt entirely urate, as after losing three of their modified breach vehicles from the number one tanks, they still managed to sessfullyunch rockets with explosive cords. From his birds eye view, Wang Zhong could clearly see the traces left by the explosive cords in the middle of the road. After observing for a while, Wang Zhong clicked his tongue and said, Now the enemy knows we havent buried mines on the main road. Yegorov added, If the enemy attacks via the main road, arent they just asking to be hit? Weve already destroyed three of the engineers number one tanks; they would certainly suffer more losses if they advanced along the road. Once theyre blocked on the road, theyre sitting ducks. They cant even disperse, since the actual minefields are on both sides of the road. Wang Zhong nodded and said, Indeed, lets see what the enemy does. Major General Randolph,mander of the 15th Armored Division, stood on top of his armoredmand vehicle, observing the destroyed number one tanks through his binocrs.The enemy has already calcted the shooting elements, even managing to hit our engineers tanks through the smoke, Randolph put down his binocrs, Although the Ante Army has long been a cluster of expendable goods, this time they did a good job. An attack through the main road would result in serious losses. The chief of staff agreed, We absolutely cant take the main road. The engineers also reported that both sides of the road are mined without warning signs. If the attacking troops get stuck on the main road, they would truly be sitting ducks. Perhaps we should deploy moreprehensive smoke cover and let the engineers begin mine clearance? Major General Randolph hummed and, with his chin in hand, fell into deep thought. It was at this moment that Wang Zhong noticed something: the enemys mortar carriers were within his line of sight. Previously, while up on Peniye, hed been able to see the enemys mortar carriers. It seemed this was a standard operation in the Prussian military tactics manual, to push mortar carriers to this distance to fire. Back on Peniye, Wang Zhong had no indirect fire capability, and the enemy parked their vehicles behind the reverse slope of a high ground, so indeed, there was not much he could do about these mortar carriers. But now, the situation was different. First of all, there was a vast in to the southwest,pletely devoid of reverse slopes, and secondly, Wang Zhong now had indirect fire capability. From his high vantage point, Wang Zhong watched the enemys mortar carriers: it appeared to be a battalion of vehicle-mounted mortars, with twelve carriers, various ammunition trucks, and half-tracked vehicles transporting the gunners, all huddled together on the in in a big cluster. The enemys other units, to avoid 203mm fire, were spread out quite far, but this battalion seemed to limit its formation spread for operational convenience. Indeed, who would anticipate having irvoyance here, to see past so much smoke to the mortar carriers. Of course, the position Wang Zhong was in was elevated, so it wasnt entirely impossible to see the half-tracked vehicles housing the mortars, but such poor visibility made it difficult to urately determine the targets location. Therefore, they could only try firing blindly, and then adjust the point of impact. By then, the mortar battalion would have long fled, since they were all half-tracked vehicles with decent mobility. But if they didnt adjust the fire, and just mmed them with arge volley, the mortar battalion would likely be half destroyed. Wang Zhong was confident in the power of the B4 heavy artillery. So, he picked up the telephone handsetafter yesterdays live test, the phone had been moved close to the window. Connect to Artillery Position A. After getting through, Wang Zhong read out a series of coordinates and called for a barrage. Dietrich, curious, who was over at the artillery team, asked, What are we firing at? These coordinates are quite a way behind where we targeted the enemy yesterday will it hit anything? Before Wang Zhong could speak, Yegorov chimed in, Arent we hitting the enemys mortars? Just now, when the enemy released smoke, I saw the trajectory of the shells in the sky; the mortars cant be that far from the front line. The flight of mortar shells was indeed slow, but to visually confirm the trajectory was a bit terrifying. However, thanks to Yegorov, the shelling of the enemy mortar positions now seemed reasonable, as it was impossible for them to know if they hit the target on this side, making it purely a guess from their perspective. As for why the guess was so precise, that must be Saint Andrew showing his power! After hanging up the phone, feeling that a barrage from one position wasnt enough, he picked up the phone again and said, Connect to Position B! Take my eight massive 203mm shells, invaders! After a brief period of contemtion, Major General Randolph made a decision: The mortar battalion will continueying smoke to thoroughly obscure the enemys line of sight, and have the engineers prepare for de-mining. No sooner had he spoken than a howling came from the sky. Randolph, being an old soldier, knew upon hearing the howl that the shells wouldnd behind him, so he immediately turned around At that moment, the engine hood of a half-tracked vehicle carrying a 105mm heavy mortar suddenly caved in, the edges of the cover flipping up under the stress. Randolph couldnt see what was causing this phenomenon because the next moment, the half-tracked vehicle exploded violently. A handbrake flew over the top of Randolphs head, and the gust of wind blew off his crookedly worn cap. The major general dove from the top of themand vehicle. With his hands over his head, he couldnt see the second shell fall. It was only when the third shellnded that the major general thought to prop his body up to keep a distance from the ground, to prevent his organs from being damaged by the shock. The explosions continued, and amid the cacophony of the heavy artillery, smaller sts could be heard, likely mortar shells being detonated. The artillery bombardment came quickly and left just as fast; it appeared that the enemys heavy artillery battalion had only fired a salvo. Once the whistling and explosions had stopped, Major General Randolph got up. The orderly immediately rushed out to start dusting off the Major Generals uniform, but inadvertently pped the knee that the Major General had injured when he had dived from themand vehicle. With an angry roar, Randolph yelled, Be gentle! Youre killing me! Get the medic! My leg, its As it happened, Randolph already had a condition of bone hypersia, and this incident had opened the gates to his agony; he was in so much pain that he couldnt stand firmly and sat down abruptly. Two guards rushed over and helped the Major General lean against the side of the nearbymand vehicle. It was then that the Major General had a chance to survey the damage to his troops. Across the fieldy many half-track vehicles aze, and it seemed like some of the half-tracks had tried to move out of the artillery zone only to have their tracks broken, leaving them skewed across the field. The bodies of the artillerymen were scattered among the half-tracks. Randolph knew without needing a casualty count that the artillery battalion would not bebat-ready for a long time. He was about to issue an order when suddenly an ammunition vehicle exploded in a sympathetic detonation, scattering shells around it that triggered secondary explosions, sending up orange fireballs that made the sun seem dim inparison. Randolph, a nobleman, rarely cursed, but he couldnt help himself at that moment: Damn it! Reconnaissance battalion! Sweep through all the high ground outside the city, and find the enemys artillery observation team! Even if it takes using radio detection vehicles, find them! Randolph naturally assumed that this was the result of cunning Ante Army observers concealed at high vantage points outside the city; it never urred to him that the enemy had something like Brother. One should say, within the realm ofmon sense, he had made the most correct judgment. At this moment, the division staff officer came limping over, clearly having also made an intense move to hit the ground just before. General, should we wait for the divisional artillery to arrive before acting? With the help of observation nes, the divisional artillery can locate the enemys artillery positions. ording to our intelligence, the enemys heavy artillery is not easily moved, and our artillery can counter-battery them and they wont be able to escape. Randolph nodded, then added, Also, have the 223rd Regiment ready to try to capture Lininy Vige and nk Loktov from the side. Ill reinforce them with a tank battalion to make up for the losses they sufferedst night. The staff officer replied, No problem. And the front? Randolph looked out at the glimpses of Loktovs grey urban area through the smoke and shook his head, Unless we take out the enemys heavy artillery, a frontal assault on the city would be too costly. We cant afford that kind of loss. We still have to strike at Argesukov. We have to carefully use the troops that His Imperial Majesty has entrusted to us! Pull back three kilometers and establish sentry positions to prevent enemy observers from infiltrating out of the city. The staff officer nodded and shouted to the signalman, Pull back three kilometers! - Wang Zhong was the first person on the scene to notice the enemy starting to retreat, and he might have been the only one to see it. He couldnt help butugh out loud. Were the Prosen people so dependent on their routines? So, a few bombed smokeunchers and you cant fight anymore? He thought about how this cheatbined with artillery was really useful. He could foresee a time when he would be known for masterful artillery deployment. If I ever write an autobiography, maybe Ill call it The Arc of Fire. Unfortunately, this cheat only had a slightly longer range of visionpared to someone using binocrs. In the future, he might have to personally go on a reconnaissance ne, circle over the enemys heads to see all of their deployments, and thenmand the troops via radioah, given the Ante Armys radio proficiency, perhaps air-dropping orders would be quicker. At that moment, the phone rang, and Yegorov picked it up, Fieldmand, go ahead. Are you sure? Uh-huh, I understand. Wang Zhong guessed who was calling even before Yegorov hung up, and true enough, Yegorov said after hanging up the phone, Brother Peter heard engines of enemy vehicles moving away in the distance. The enemy might be retreating. Although Wang Zhong already knew, he still feigned surprise, Really? Thats great! The others in the room also sighed in relief. Vasily, who was manning the field telephone, stretchedzily, The enemy is too weak! Is that all? I never knew war was such an easy business. Just blow them up with the B4, and they run away! Popov put on a stern face, ready to fulfill his duties as a chain to eliminate the soldierscence, when the phone rang again. This time it was Pavlov. I couldnt get the 203 shells. They are deployed along the border, and so is the ammunition. The rear services have told us they have sufficient 122 and 152mm shells. Wang Zhong replied, Then why dont they just give me 122 or 152 mm howitzers! Actually, the 152mm gun had overall better performance than the B4, with nearly the same range, slightly less power, but a much faster rate of fire. When loading a B4 howitzer, you had to use the crane attached to the ammunition vehicle; it was simply impossible to load it by hand, whereas the 152 could certainly be manually loaded by strong Ante men. No, a sigh came from Pavlov over the phone. Also, the supply train that was supposed to arrive today was destroyed en route by the enemys bombers, and the wreckage has blocked the railway. I dont know when it will be cleared. Wang Zhong asked, What about our reinforcements? If they want us to hold until the evening of the 11th, we need reinforcements! There was silence for a long while before the reply came, Im trying. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue in disbelief. He knew it wasnt Pavlovs fault; in the current situation where defeat was cascading, simply holding the line was already an achievement. The good news was that they had repelled the enemys morning offensive. The bad news was, it was only July 6th, and the order had been to hold out until July 11th. Chapter 97: Horizontal Bombing Despite being given a seemingly overwhelming task, the senior officers of Rocossovsbat group, having done everything that could be done at hand, decided to engage in an intense game of bridge. It was a bit like ying a round of Gwent regardless of how urgent the situation was. Wang Zhong had gradually be ustomed to this pace. When theres nothing to do on the battlefield, there is truly nothing to do, but a Sword of Damocles hangs over ones head at all times, never knowing when it might fall and destroy everything. Those new to the battlefield might spend every day terrified of the sword hanging above their heads, but old soldiers like Wang Zhong be ustomed to it over time. Yes, Wang Zhong had only been a soldier for less than two weeks but he had already be a seasoned veteran; the battlefield was indeed a crucible for training people. As Wang Zhong was looking at his cards, the telephone rang. He picked up the receiver as a matter of course, This is Rocossov, go ahead. This is Brother Peter, I hear arge enemy air group approaching. I dont know if its for bombing or passing through. Theres arge number of six-engine heavy bombers.Got it, Wang Zhong said, putting down the phone, and said to Yegorov, Air raid rm! No sooner had he spoken than the air raid rm outside began to sound; clearly, Brother Peter had already notified the towns military stationmand and the air defense troops. Wang Zhong threw down his cards and went to the window to look up at the sky. Dmitry asked, Do we need to evacuate? The city doesnt have a subway, and there was no nning for standard air-raid shelters before, so if you want to hide, your only choice is the cer where they store cabbage in winter. Wang Zhong said, This ce is more solid than most basements. While he was talking, Wang Zhong saw the formation of nes. He switched to a birds-eye view, allowing him to observe the entire formation without the limitations of the windows field of vision. Arge formationprised of 30 six-engine heavy bombers and an equal number of fighter nes was approaching. If this was targeting Loktov, it meant there were no longer targets in Bogdanovka that required the cover of such a formation. Wang Zhong was thinking when Vasily suddenly shouted, I hear the enemy clearly calling out, it sounds like ground-to-Air Forcemunication. What did they say? Wang Zhong asked, though he had a vague idea. Vasily: Theyre asking the Air Force to deal with the heavy artillery in the city. How did the Air Force respond? The Air Force said to find the tactical bomber squadron since theyre tasked with bombing train stations and supply warehouses. Yegorov clicked his tongue, Luckily, we moved the artillery position from near the station before. The initial location Wang Zhong chose for the B4 position was the stations stackyard, which had now been moved to the city park north of the station and the small garden in front of the municipal building. These ces were naturally camouged due to dense vegetation, and its hard to spot them from the air with the added camos Wang Zhong had personally confirmed this with a birds-eye view. The citys anti-aircraft guns began to fire, but sadly, the 25mm anti-aircraft guns had little effect on the high-flying enemy nes; they fired now simply because they were air defense troops. As the enemy nes approached the chemical nt, they began to drop bombs Loktov wasnt big, so with the altitude the enemy was flying at, dropping bombs near the chemical nt meant the explosives wouldnd near the station and supply warehouses. The shrill whistling of the bomb tail fins made Wang Zhongs ears ache. Yes, different from the whoosh of shells falling, this whizz came from whistles specially mounted on the tails of the bombs. The enemy nes that hadpleted their bombing began to turn around. Wang Zhong moved to another window and watched as the bombs fell towards the ground. Thirty heavy bombers conducted a carpet bombing. The closely packed bombs carved thirty bloody scars on the ground. A cloud of dust engulfed the streets of Loktov. Plumes of smoke rose up one after another. Wang Zhong suddenly felt relieved that he did not have a view of the streets being bombed; otherwise, he would have seen the heartbreaking scene below. Unlike the viges outside, Loktov had many civilians living in it. Men who followed the Secr faction of the Eastern Holy Church formed militias, women joined the volunteerbor camps, and numerous elderly and children were waiting to be evacuated by train. It was unknown how many civilian casualties such heavy bombing would cause. Ludm rose from the ground. She and the Divine Arrow sniper team were stationed on the roof of the only Anatoly public bathhouse in Loktov, ready to snipe any enemy reconnaissance nes at any moment. The B4 artillery position was just a street away to the north of the public bathhouse. If any enemy dive bombers targeted the artillery positions, Divine Arrow could offer some protection. One of the scars plowed by the recent level bombing was not far from the bathhouse. If the enemy had dropped their bombs just a few secondster, the Divine Arrow team would have perished in the mes. Lying on top of the rooftop railing, she looked down at the devastation below. Suddenly, she saw something. Ludm sprinted off, rushing downstairs, with Brother Yeca Neiko shouting after her, Where are you going? Reconnaissance nes might take this chance to confirm the results of the bombing! We have to be ready for battle! Ludm shouted back, Ill be right back! She sped along the makeshiftdder beside the bathhouse and onto the street, rushing to where she had seen the object. It was a ss jar that had shattered on the ground, its babys breath flowers scattered all around. A hand was still tightly gripping the jar, its skin wrinkled from using rough soap to wash too many clothes. Ludm picked up the hand, which was now just a palm and half of the wrist, and looked around for the owner of the hand. Then she saw not far away was the ce whereundry soap was distributed, where several girls assigned to Rocossovsbat group to wash clothes were squatting on the ground, sobbing loudly. Chapter 98: Horizontal Bombing_2 Ludm took a bandage from her body, tore off a part, wrapped the starflowers on the ground, and cradling the severed hand, she approached theundry girls. She could not recognize the girl lying on the ground since it had already been darkst night. But the girls severed hand said it all. Of course, there were also these starflowers. Theundry girls were crying, The captain only ordered us toe get soap! How could this happen Ludm stood silently. At this moment, Brother Yeca Neiko rushed to her side, You must return to your post! Without you, Divine Arrow cannot be guided! The Monk nced at the girl on the ground, sighed, took the severed hand and starflowers, Ill take care of this here, you go back to your post! Ludm nodded her head, walked towards the bathhouse, looking back with every step she took. Wang Zhong withdrew his gaze, came to the telephone, and ced his hand on the receiver, ready to answer the call at any moment. If the artillery positions suffered damage, they would report to Wang Zhong immediately. He was waiting for that call. Thirty seconds passed, and the telephone did not ring. Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, It seems our artillery is alright. Yegorov said, Moving the artillery positions away from the targets that would be bombed was really a smart move. Popov asked, Should we change the artillery positions? Could the enemy pilots have spotted that they are artillery positions? Wang Zhong replied, No, the enemy never flew directly over the artillery positions. They probably finished dropping bombs and turned away right above our heads. As he said this, he made a circling gesture overhead. At that moment, the telephone rang again. Wang Zhong still picked up the receiver himself, This is Rocossov, speak. This is the Fifth Byshensk Battalion, we spotted enemy armored scout vehicles on the small road southeast of our position. The Fifth Byshensk Battalion had not received reinforcements, and their equipment had not been replenished much, so Wang Zhong had disbanded them and mixed them with local militia to monitor the two main roads leading out of the city to the southeast and northwest. Loktov might only be a small town, but it was impossible for Wang Zhongs small force to encircle the city in a tight defense. He could only focus on defending the front and let less important forces monitor the roads on both sides. Wang Zhong inquired, Southeast? Half-tracked vehicles? Both half-tracked vehicles and a Panzer II. On the suggestion from workers at the tractor station, we disguised a tractor as a tank, which scared the enemy away. Wang Zhong burst outughing, What? A tractor disguised as a tank? Yes, and it worked brilliantly. As long as we piled up straw in the front, it looked just like a tank cannon turret camouged with straw. We drove this thing out, let the gearbox tter, and the enemy immediately ran away. Wang Zhongughed heartily, and the others, who hadnt heard the conversation through the receiver, looked at him with puzzled expressions. Youve done very well, keep scaring the enemy and dont let them discover our actual weakness here! Great job! Having said this, Wang Zhong hung up the receiver and ryed the Byshensk Battalions method to everyone. Vasilyughed out loud and then was stared down by Popov, Do your job well! Yegorov remarked, But a fake tank can only scare people after all. I still hope we get real tanks soon. Then His Excellency the General will be able to showcase his talent in tankmand. It seems in Yegorovs eyes, Wang Zhong has already be a genius tankmander. Wang Zhong, I saw from the brigade headquarters that we have remnants of the 23rd Tank Army to our north, and I dont know if we can get them toe over. No matter what tanks they are equipped with, they should be able to y some role. The role he referred to involved own cheat-like personalmand of a tank to sneak behind the enemys blind spots, a staple for the War Thunder groundbat gamers. Popov, They should be equipped with the fast series of tanks. Upon hearing this, General Wang frowned. Although the T28s had thin armor, at least their guns were decent. The BTs didnt even have decent firepower; at this time, many of Prosens tanks had been reinforced on the front, following the experiences of the Carolingian campaign, and the small guns of the BT7 might not be able to prate the enemys armor. The BT7 itself was exceedingly fragile; even heavier machine guns with slightly higher pration could pierce its sides. The onlymendable feature of this tank was its mobility. It utilized the famous Christie suspension system, so during high-speed maneuvers, it could even have its tracks removed and speed along the highway on wheels. As he spoke, Wang Zhong began to ponder whether he could do something remarkable with the BT7 once he got it, thanks to its astonishing mobility. Just then, the phone rang again. Vasily, I never knew before that war was about ying cards in themand post, and then constantly answering the phone. Cut the chatter, said Wang Zhong before picking up the receiver, This is Rocossov, go ahead. This is Brother Peter. I heard a lone Do 215, possibly at high altitude. And theres also a Focke-Wulf 189 at low altitude. Wang Zhong frowned. In this era, bombers generally flew in clusters, forming a dense formation convenient for mutual defense with their machine guns, intercepting enemy aircraft. A lone Do 215 at high altitude Wang Zhong, One at high altitude and one at low? Brother Peter answered, Yes, if you count the time it takes for sound to travel from high altitude, the Do 215 is ahead. Its flying particrly high, only the MiG-3 could intercept it. And obviously, we dont have any MiG-3s. Perhaps they had been avable at some point, but they were all destroyed on the airfields on the first day of war. Wang Zhong, Got it, thank you. After hanging up the phone, he looked towards the others, A lone Do 215 at high altitude, likely a reconnaissance ne. And theres a 189 at low altitude. What do you make of it? Yegorov and Popov exchanged nces. Vasily, I know! The enemy has been losing 189s over Loktov, so they want to see whats been happening! Wang Zhong and the others exchanged nces. Major General Rundolf of the 15th Armored Division heard the sound of the aircraft overhead and looked up. His chief of staff said, Its flying very high, must be a recon ne. Perhaps observing the effect of their recent carpet bombing? As soon as he finished speaking, a Focke-Wulf 189 flew closely past their heads. Because the Focke-Wulf 189 had an advanced appearance, the soldiers saw it as a symbol of Prosens cutting-edge technology and cheered, taking off their hats. The chief of staff frowned, I heard the Air Force has lost several reconnaissance nes over Loktov, and these are very hard to shoot down. Could it be they want to see whats been shooting down their own nes? Major General Rundolf cursed, Weve mentioned the artillery positions so many times! Those B4s have already caused us more than a thousand casualties, and the Air Force does nothing! They raise a fuss over losing a few recon nes! After speaking, the general sighed. Lets wait for our divisions artillery to arrive, then think of a n, said the chief of staff. The general nodded, Thats all we can do for now. When will our coordination between the Air Force and ground forces be as good as what Duke Meyer ims? Chapter 99: “Big Baby This is Wang Zhong. Intercept as usual, Wang Zhong said, exposing the position of Divine Arrow is not important, it can be moved. After the battle at Upper Peniye, Monk Yeca Neiko should be quite experienced now. Yegorov: Hes indeed very experienced, prepared trucks especially for transferring, and even connected each alternative Divine Arrow position with telephones. Wang Zhong nodded: Then intercept! After the interception, run immediately! As he spoke, he picked up the phone: Connect to the current position of Gods Arrow Company. Two secondster, the voice of Ludm came from the phone: Hello? Wang Zhong: Why is it you? Where is Monk Yeca Neiko? The Monk has gone to perform rites for the deceased. Whats up? Can the Divine Arrow squad fire now?Yes! Enemy aircrafting, right? Leave it to me, Ill shoot it down! I can recognize the enemys reconnaissance aircraft even with my eyes closed! Wang Zhong always felt as if Ludm was forcing a smile, deliberately acting cheerful. Could it be an illusion? Had something happened? Wang Zhong really wanted to ask, since this was his almost fiance, but he could not inquire due to the urgency of military affairs. So he said: Ill leave it to you! The enemy aircraft will be arriving soon! Mhm! At least thisst sound, the girl sounded quite spirited. After hanging up the phone, Wang Zhong immediately switched his perspective to survey the situation. The first thing he saw was the high-flying Do 215hmm? Wang Zhong observed that Do 215, feeling that this ne wasrger than the standard Do 215. Could this possibly be a Do 217? And it didnt seem like it was here for reconnaissance. With its sluggish speed, it looked like it was carrying bombs. Reconnaissance Do nes should not carry bombs to allow them to fly higher and faster. As Wang Zhong was puzzling over this, the Focke-Wulf Fw 189 reconnaissance aircraft entered his field of vision. Before Wang Zhong could get a clear look, Divine Arrow was already soaring into the sky. However, the reaction of this 189 was strange, as if its pilot had been prepared all along and immediately bailed out with a parachute. Other reconnaissance aircraft would struggle a bit, like trying to enter the blind spot of Divine Arrows praying hands, but this one just gave up! Wang Zhong had a bad feeling, but could not articte what was wrong, until he saw the suspected Do 217 twin-engine heavy bomber in the sky and what it dropped. The Prosen Royal 55th Bomber Squadrons tenth squadronmanders ne was tasked today with dropping an experimental weapon. In fact, this squadron had been transferred to the Kingdom of Bavaria in Prosen before the Carolingian campaign to participate in the testing of experimental weapons. This was the empires grand attempt to rece the divine with technology; its sess would prove that the gods of inferior races, too, were negligible false deities. Now, the day hade for this great, symbolic weapon to be tested in actualbat, and its target was none other than the Miracle that the false god used to deceive the world! The observer shouted: Divine Arrowunched, Divine Arrow trail confirmed! The radio-guidance operator: Visual on target, guidance preparationplete! The observer: Course parameters inputplete! The mechanicalputer installed in the bombers guidance office quicklypleted the calctions and spit out the course adjustment parameters. The squadron leader of the tenth squadron tore off the paper with the course parameters, nced at it, and personally pushed the control stick to turn the aircraft towards the calcted course. The observer: Aimingplete, 20 seconds to bomb release window! The squadron leader pressed the timer installed beside the operators seat. As the timer hit zero, he shouted: For the empire! For the Emperor! As the timer reached zero, he pressed the bomb release button, and the heavy radio-guided glide bomb left the rack under the fusge. A small drogue parachute helped the bomb adjust its attitude. The guidance operator reported: Drogue parachute discarded, bomb tail light observed! Beginning radio guidance! At this moment, within the guides field of vision, the tail light of the bomb emitted a very conspicuous glow. Ludm and the members of Gods Arrow Company sprinted down the stairs to the ground and climbed onto the GAZ truck that had been prepared earlier. The only driver of Gods Arrow Company was smoking when he saw everyoneing down so frantically, heughed and said, Whats the rush? Are the Prussians about to attack us right now? Ludm, The enemy has a reconnaissance ne in the sky. Weve been exposed. An attack wille soon, it could be artillery or bombers. Hey, it wont be that fast. Plus, look, Yeca Neiko is still over there praying for the girl who died! Wait a moment Ludm grabbed the drivers cor, pulled him out of the drivers seat, and threw him onto the ground, then she climbed in and deftly started the truck. The driver, seeing stars after being thrown, still didnt take it seriously: Whats the rush? These past few days, Ive been watching that brigadier, and I dont think hes all that impressive! Its just that No sooner had he spoken than the dome of the Anatoliy Bathhouse was suddenly smashed by something, as if someone had cracked an eggshell. The next moment, an explosion inted the bathhouse like a balloon and then with a pop, it burst. The st wave picked up the driver from behind, threw him against the stone wall on the other side, twisting his neck into an unhealthy angle in an instant. Yeca Neiko, who had been conducting the service, also flipped over andy prone on the ground. The shockwave also caused Ludms GAZ truck to sway erratically, as if it had guzzled fiverge bottles of vodka. In her haste, Ludm hit the brakes, which resulted in the truck flipping over and sliding a whole five meters. When all settled. Ludm struggled to crawl out of the drivers seat and stood up, covering her scratched right hand, looking at the bathhouse that had been reduced to rubble. Yeca Neikonow a deputy knightalso got up, joining her in looking at the bathhouse. Yeca Neiko, What happened? I didnt hear the sound of enemy nes. What sted us all of a sudden? Ludm looked at Yeca Neiko, Youll need to find a new driver, one who will follow orders. Wang Zhong was deeply shaken. After confirming that Ludm was alright, he started to ponder. He recognized the thing that had just been dropped from Route 217, the Fritz X radio-controlled bomb! Could it be that Prosen was stimted by the Divine Power guided weapons of the Eastern Holy Church and the Lutheran Church, resulting in the development of their guided weapons outpacing Earths Sturmtiger? Or is it that Jude has abundant resources, thereby advancing their scientific research faster than Sturmtiger? No, thats not right. Prosen was still using a mix of short-barreled Panzer IVs and early model Panzer IIIs; it didnt seem like their technology far surpassed that of Sturmtigers contemporaries. They must have seen other peoples guided weapons and went all out to develop one of their own. Now the question is, how many of these do they have? If there are many, then the fertilizer nt he was at is also not safe; one hit from that thing and everything would go sky-high. Damn, how can this be fought? The opponent is Jude with higher technology Can we only rely on Divine Power? The problem is that there isnt much Divine Power either, only a total of ten Divine Arrows, and nearly half have been fired already. Wang Zhong decided not to think too much for nowoverthinking was pointless, the ship will go straight when it reaches the bridge. He exited the overhead mode and picked up the phone, Connect with Brother Peter. Brother, did you note the sound characteristics of the Route 217 overhead? Im telling you, it carries a heavy guided bomb. If you detect the same sound footprint next time, notify me immediately. Considering the threat of this weapon, they might have to take it down using the Divine Arrow, as the frontlinecked the MiG-3 high-altitude fighter needed to reach Route 217. At this time, on the Prussian Armys side. Themunications staff officer ran over from the radio vehicle, saluting Major General Randolph, Report! The divisions artillery just passed through Karlinovka and is now selecting artillery positions! Major General Randolph pped his hands together, Excellent! Perfect timing! Give them two hours to set up their positions and get ready to open fire! He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, Well start artillery preparation at 4:30 am tomorrow. It will take us three hours to clear a path through the minefield, and at 7:30 am, artillery fire will begin extending towards the enemy positions. We n to deploy an armored grenadier battalion, plus two reinforced Panzer IV tank toons, tounch a probing attack! The enemy will certainly use heavy artillery to stop us. Tell that damned Air Force, no matter what, they must send a reconnaissance aircraft aloft! Even if they cannot dive on the enemys positions, they must help our divisions 15cm heavy artillery eliminate those annoying B4s! Chapter 100: The Longest Day July 7th, at 4:30 in the morning. Wang Zhong was suddenly awakened by the thunder. Is it thundering? he asked Yegorov, who was in the bed next to him, as he sat up. Does it thunder so violently in this season? Its an artillery barrage, General, Yegorov stood by the window, peering outside from the edge. Wang Zhong hurried to his feet and joined Yegorov at the other side of the window. Outside, on the in, numerous plumes of dust had risen, formingrge flowers, with new flowers blooming every second. Wang Zhong: The caliber seems quiterge. Its 152 mm heavy artillery, Yegorov said, The enemys heavy artillery hase into y. At Peniye, the enemys curved fire support at most had 75 mm infantry guns. If they had heavy artillery then, we would not have been able to hold it at all. Wang Zhong nodded and then asked, Are they clearing our minefields?Yes, I expect they will start advancing after the bombardment. Wang Zhong nodded again. At this moment, he switched his viewing angle to an overhead view, hoping to catch the enemys artillery with an external aid. This was amon technique in the War Game series. Even if there was no visualization of the enemys artillery, you could still see the animation of the artillery shells ascending, so this method could be used to quickly locate the enemys artillery and counterattack with your own. Wang Zhong wanted to give it a try. What if it worked? If they could take out the enemy heavy artillery, the fight would be much easierter on. However, no such luck. He could only see the trajectory of artillery shells that had entered the falling process. Perhaps a math expert could deduce the firing position from this trajectory, but Wang Zhong was no math expert; he had barely passed his college calculus exams after retaking them. Just then, the sound of a telephone rang from the neighboringmand post. Five secondster, a duty officer came in to report, Your Excellency General, Brother Peter heard a Do 215 in the high altitude. He is sure it is not the Do 217 carrying terrifying weaponry from yesterday. Wang Zhong looked at Yegorov: Is this waiting to observe our artillery positions? Possibly, but if the enemy really makes a chargeter, we will still need to fire and block the enemys follow-up troops, Yegorov looked at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong: Speak your mind. Yegorov shook his head: No, I was going to remind you that sometimes amander has to decide which parts to sacrifice for the overall situation, but considering the battle at Peniye, I think you dont need any reminders. Wang Zhong understood. Yegorov meant that only half of the B4 should fire, so even if discovered and counterattacked, only one artillery position would be lost, trading the forces on the artillery position for the enemys attacking strength. But was that really the only option? Wang Zhong stroked his chin, listening to the rumbling artillery outside, racking his brains for countermeasures. Then he really came up with one. He remembered the movie ck Hawk Down, in which the Somali warlords burned tires to create ck smoke, blocking the U.S. Air Forces aerial reconnaissance. Actually, with enough smoke generators, one could create a smoke screen around the artillery positions, but the Ante Army didnt have that many Smoke Bombs. So they might as well burn tires like the Somali fellows. After all, indirect fire artillery does not require direct line of sight, firing ording to preset data was sufficient. Wang Zhong looked toward Yegorov. Yegorov: You have another idea? Wang Zhong: Yes. We pile up tires on the upwind side of the city and set them on fire. The burning tires will produce a lot of ck smoke, interfering with aerial reconnaissance nes observation. Yegorov was amazed: Thats really a n. Wang Zhong continued brainstorming: Dont we have captured Smoke Bombs? Use them at our fake artillery positions to create a smoke screen, making the enemy think those are key areas we want to protect. Feasible, Yegorov nodded repeatedly, Ill go issue the orders right now. Major General Randolph was enjoying breakfast in hismand vehicle when someone knocked on themand vehicle door. The major general looked up and saw that it was the chief of staff. He asked, What is it? Any reaction from the Ante People? The chief of staff: The artillery observers report arge amount of thick smoke rising from the southeast of the city, possibly a fire. The major general frowned: A fire? Just like that? He put down his cutlery, wiped his mouth with a napkin, downed his coffee in one gulp, and then stood up. The orderly immediately brought over his hat and baton. The major general dressed neatly and finally took the binocrs the orderly handed him, striding out of themand vehicle. The divisions artillery scope was set up next to themand vehicle. The major general walked directly over and patted the shoulder of the staff officer using the artillery scope. The staff officer immediately vacated the spot, snapping to attention and saluting. After observing for himself, Randolph said, This smoke is a bit strange. Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and asked, Has the Air Forces reconnaissance ne arrived? Dont tell me we applied for it yesterday and theres still no reconnaissance ne today? It has arrived, said the chief of staff, and it has established radio contact with the divisions artillery. Its observing Loktov from high altitude. Major General Randolph was amazed: Could it be that the Ante People have generated this smoke specifically to block the reconnaissance nes vision? The chief of staff: Its possible. Randolph: Do you know who ismanding the Ante Army at the front? ording to the note we found in Karlinovka, it should be Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. Major General Randolph frowned: Why are the Antes names so long? So who is he? The White Horse General, the chief of staff said. Major General Randolph whirled around: The White Horse General? Yes. Major General Randolph pursed his lips, walked away from the artillery scope, and started pacing nearby. Chapter 101: The Longest Day_2 Chapter 101: The Longest Day_2 Just then, amunications officer came running over with a message: Telegraph from Armored Cluster Command. Randolph took the telegraph, nced at it, and handed it to the chief of staff. The chief of staff read it out: The siege task of Bogdanovka has now been transferred to the infantry units of the Sixth Army Group. Our cluster will carry out repairs here for one day before advancing. Your unit should strive to capture Loktov by dawn tomorrow. We believe there are at most two brigades of infantry troops there. After the chief of staff finished reading, Major General Randolph asked, The shell fragments we found yesterday, they were 203mm, werent they? Yes, General. Two brigades of infantry with 203? Thats artillery from an Army Group! The staff officers remained silent. After pondering for a while, Major General Randolph said: Did the artillery observers see many mines detonated by the big guns?Very few. Randolph then asked: How many booby traps did the sappers clear in Karlinovka? Four, and they were all makeshift booby traps made with hand grenades, easy to clear as long as the tripwire isnt pulled. Randolph clicked his tongue: This General White Horse sure likes to bluff. The minefield is probably only partly real, the rest fake. However, if we want to expand the offensive scale, we need time to organize the troops. Just let the artillery turn those fake minefields upside down! Begin the artillery bombardment on the enemy positions in the urban area at six oclock, and our attack will beunched at eight in the morning, doubling the troop strength from the original n! Launching an attack is aplex affair, only slightly easier than organizing a retreat. Doubling the attacking forces often meant that the attack formation needed to be reorganized. Also! Major General Randolph added, Dont release smoke when attacking. The Air Force said yesterday that they had destroyed the enemys only Divine Arrowuncher. I dont trust the Air Force, but the enemy has been using Divine Arrows against reconnaissance nes in the air and not our armored reconnaissance battalion; I think they might not have many Divine Arrows left. Over at Wang Zhongs position, six oclock sharp. The first to notice the enemys artillery fire moving toward the urban area was Yegorov, who shouted, The enemy artillery is extending toward the urban area! As soon as his words fell, a shellnded in front of the forwardmand posts window. Although to prevent injury from window shards after the fighting started, all the ss had been removed before the enemy arrived, the st wave still surged into the room, tearing off the entire wooden window frame, which now had no ss, and smashing it on the desk and telephone behind the window. The artillery periscope was directly pushed over onto Dmitry, who caught the mirror with a grab, carefully ced it on the ground, and theny down. Wang Zhong alsoy on the ground. Yegorov shouted to him, Your Excellency General! You cant lie like that! Your internal organs will be damaged! Wang Zhong raised his head and looked at Yegorovs method of lying downwasnt this just a nk? With the physical fitness Wang Zhong had before crossing over, he wouldntst long in that position before muscle breakdown. But he did it anyway; this Aleksei had no other skills, but his body was well-trained, so maybe he could withstand it. The shells continued to fall, and nothing could be heard over the explosions. Wang Zhong always felt the house was shaking and could even hear the steel bars groaning. Constant fine sand and stones fell on his head, on his neck, inside his cor. Suddenly, a palm-sized piece of concrete fell with a smack not far in front of Wang Zhong, making him involuntarily raise his head just in time to see the ceiling decorations copsing and crashing down. The artillery barrage continued, as if it would never stop. Wang Zhong heard someone shouting hysterically. He switched to an overhead view and immediately saw that the shouting came from a group of young men responsible for operating the switchboard next door; they were curled up in the corner, holding their heads, using shouting to alleviate their fear. As the duration of the bombardment increased, Wang Zhong became increasingly worried that the house the forwardmand post was in would not hold. The sensation of the earth shaking made him feel like the house could copse on him at any moment. The impulse to stand up and run out of the house grew stronger, making his breathing more rapid. Is this what the enemys artillery preparation was like? No wonder some troops with low morale and organization disintegrated after being shelled. This would cause a breakdown; otherwise, it would take more courage to stand up and run The relentless bombardment finally ended. Wang Zhong waited for a while before raising his head: Is it over? Just raising his head caused arge amount of white dust to fall from atop him. Now he was covered in ayer of dust, as if he had been lying in the snow for two hours during snowfall. Popov spat and wiped off the dust from his watch to have a look: Damn it, they bombarded us for two hours! Wang Zhong was shocked: I actually held a nk for two hours? The instant he realized this, his muscles began to ache, so he simplyy on the ground and let out a long breath. Dmitry got up, ced the artillery periscope back by the window, then looked outside and said, The fieldhas been entirely sted into a different color. Can thisnd still grow crops? The ground is full of metal! Popov also got up: Dont worry, the wounds of the earth heal themselves, just like humans. Yegorov picked up the telephone from the ground, grabbed the handset: Connect to Brother Peter! Connect to Brother Peter! What? The telephone line is broken? Hurry and repair it! Putting down the handset, Yegorov looked at Wang Zhong: The enemy is likely to attack now; we need to check with Brother Peter to confirm the scale. Wang Zhong thought that Brother Peters ears were almost on par with radar; except for not being precise in localization and ranging, the reconnaissance effectiveness was indeed unquestionable. Chapter 102: The Longest Day_3 Chapter 102: The Longest Day_3 He also stood up, enduring the sour pain in his shoulders, and moved to the window, cutting into a birds-eye view to observe the distance. Then he realized that there was no need for Brother Peter. The enemys armored units had arrayed in an inverted V formation on the open field, moving mightily towards the city, with arge number of infantry following behind each tank. The Prussians didnt even deploy Smoke Bombs! In this way, the enemys advantage in direct fire could be fully utilized! Did the enemy know that there werent many Divine Arrows left on this side? Wang Zhong: Quick, notify artillery Position A, fire for interdiction! Yegorov: Ill fire the signal re. This was a backupmunication n prepared under Yegorovs insistence, specifically in case the phone lines were disrupted.However, this type ofmunication couldnt specify precise coordinates for bombardment, so the B4 would bombard a predetermined area based on previously set data. That was the area the enemy was about to cross. As Yegorov left to fire the signal re, Wang Zhong checked the variousbat positions. Yegorov had exined his defensive concept in detail: to fully utilize the experience gained in Peniye, engage the enemy in rugged terrain, use automatic firepower and hand grenades to eliminate the infantry apanying the tanks, then get close to throw Incendiary Bombs. Of course, it was necessary to make full use of outer defenses to weaken the enemy before engaging in closebat. Of the three anti-tank guns that the 31st Guards Regiment currently had, the 76 mm was ced at the outer defenses strongest and most concealed position, with a toon of infantry for cover. This toon also had captured Smoke Bombs to cover the artillery as they retreated to the next position. For the maneuverability of the 76 mm, Yegorov had prepared mules in the house next door and had assigned someone to look after them so the mules could haul the big guns if needed to move. As for the 45 mm guns, they could be dragged by the infantry. Yegorov had cleared a retreat path in advance. However, the 45 mm guns werent very effective in prating the front of enemy tanks, so Yegorovs original intent was to have them distract attention, covering for the 76 mm. Simply put, the 45 mm were used as a shield for the 76 mm, and the gunners assigned to the 45 mm were cannon fodder for the 76 mm. Knowing this, Wang Zhong looked at the tense young faces operating the 45 mm and silently revisited each of their names. This was the only thing he could do as a brigademander at this stage: Order his soldiers to die, and then remember their names. Suddenly, Wang Zhong noticed a name: Aleksei Balfionovich. It was the guy who sneaked away from the battlefield for a romantic date; he was actually tasked with operating the 45 mm gun! It looked like he was the Gunner! Although the 45 mm gun was bing obsolete, ten people were assigned to operate it. Gunner, loader, aimer, breach operator, ammunition handler, and five Coachmen responsible for managing the mules, who were also reserves, ready to step in if an operator was killed. However, the mules assigned to this gun crew had already been blown up. The ammunition cart was still intact, and the ammunition handler was squatting next to it, clutching an Armor-Piercing Shell. Wang Zhong looked carefully at each face. The young men werent scared but rather excited; evidently, the recent shelling and the dead mules around them hadnt daunted them. Their shiny, dust-free boots were stained with the blood of the mules. At that moment, the signal re wasunched. Only one signal re, which meant that Position A artillery was to start firing at the predetermined area. The sound of the guns immediately came from the city, and the whoosh of the heavy artillery overhead made the back of Wang Zhongs head tingle. He immediately shifted his gaze towards the enemy and saw that the shells hadnded just in front of the enemys columns. This round of four shells all hit in front of the enemys formation, causing no casualties. After all, the artillery was firing at coordinates preset. If the phone lines hadnt been cut, the enemy would have had a hard time! From Wang Zhongs position, one could already hear the tter of the enemy tanks gearboxes. At that moment, the second wave of shells flew overhead. This time, all the shellsnded precisely in the middle of the enemys advance columns! A Panzer IV was directly flipped over by the st, and the infantry behind were all knocked down by the shock wave. Someones leg, broken by a shrapnel, flew high into the sky. The barrage of four 203cal shells, directly halted the advance of four tanks, and the infantry following behind the tanks suffered heavy casualties. However, the Prussian Army did not stop their advance; instead, they elerated! They might have realized that the big guns were targeting this area; the faster they moved through, the safer they would be, and the fewer who would die! By the time the third round of heavy artillerynded, most of the enemy had already passed through the targeted area, but one unlucky shell veered severely off course and exploded between two tanks, severing the tracks of both tanks instantly. This isnt a game; repairing broken tracks takes a long time, so the enemy tank crewmembers immediately abandoned their tanks and ran backwards, waiting to repair their tanks after the battle ended. The infantry following the tanks joined the queues on the sides. Although they were the enemy, Wang Zhong had to admit that they were indeed well-trained. At this very moment, in the sky. The 103rd Air Reconnaissance Squadrons Do 215 was circling above Loktov. The observer reported, Because of the thick smoke on the ground, we cant see the position of the heavy artillery. After a brief thought, the pilot gently pushed the control stick forward, causing the ne to enter a shallow dive. The copilot immediately eximed, If we dive into low altitude, well be hit by the enemys Divine Arrows! Captain, Thats why we need to calcte the coordinates of the enemy artillery positions before we fall, and inform our artillerymen on the ground! Copilot, What? Thats our mission; we mustplete it! Self-defense gunner, copilot, and navigator can bail out now! Saying this, the captain personally unfastened the copilots seat belt: Go now! At that moment, Do 215 plunged into the thick smoke created by burning tires on the ground. The smoke even seeped through the cracks, making the captain cough vehemently. The copilot looked solemnly at the captain, Ill see you in Valha. After saying this, he resolutely turned around. Just then, the ne burst through the thick smoke, with the ground only a stones throw away. Captain, Observer! Do you see the artillery position that is firing? I see it! Inform the artillery of the coordinates! 15th Artillery! The coordinates of the enemy artillery positions are A voice came through the inte, someone shouting, Divine Arrow! The next moment, the ne was hit, and the captain was struck by shrapnel from the Divine Arrow, his flight jacket soaked in blood. He still strived to maintain the course of the ne, yelling, Quick, report the bearings! Observer, Artillery! The coordinates of the enemy artillery position I repeat Suddenly, Vasily shouted, The enemys ne has spotted our artillery positions! They are reporting to the enemy artillery! Wang Zhong looked through the rear window and asked, How could they see through such thick ck smoke? Then, through the window, he saw a ne dragging ck smoke from a fire plummeting toward the ground. Was that a reconnaissance ne from high altitude that had forciblye down below the ck smoke to confirm the location of the artillery positions? No, it wasnt the time for astonishment; he had to immediately inform Position A to move! Wang Zhong grabbed the telephone handset, only to find there was no sound from the other end. He remembered thenthe telephone lines had been destroyed by the artillery fire that had just covered the area! This was far too dying! However, the aim of the artillery preparation was to destroy themandmunication system, so it seemed quite normal. Why doesnt the Ante Army value radios more! Wang Zhong, Runner! Runner! Before the runner arrived, the sound of shells tearing through the air came from the sky, clearly targeting the city behind the position. The artilleryman, Dimitri, muttered, That was quick? Explosions were hearding from inside the city. Wang Zhong, with a stroke of luck, took an overlook perspective, and then saw the enemys shells falling around the artillery unit symbol of Position A. It was uncertain how many of the four B4 guns at Position A would survive. It was then that Dimitri shouted, The 76mm anti-tank guns have opened fire! Chapter 103: Bloodbath in Loktov The only 76mm cannon on the position fired. Sparks flew when the armor-piercing shell hit the enemy tank, followed by the tank turret sting into the sky. Themanders of the other tanks all turned their periscopes around, trying to locate the 76mm cannon position amidst a pile of camouge. But to protect the only 76mm cannon, the camouge in front of the position was meticulously arranged; even if the smoke from the cannons muzzle was significant, it was still rather difficult to spot. The only issue was that during the recent firing preparation, the camouge had been affected, so there were some ws. Yet the Prussians, who had been suddenly attacked, still couldnt locate the cannon position. And thats when the 45mm cannon fired. Compared to the immediate effect of the 76mm cannon, the performance of the 45mm cannon was quite embarrassing. One armor-piercing shell struck the front armor of a Panzer IV, another simply missed entirely, bouncing off the external armor like a ping-pong ball, flying far away before finallynding again on the now-bare field.The Prosen tanks began random machine-gun fire in an attempt to flush out the hidden anti-tank guns. At that moment, the Panzer IV, with tactical number 251, suddenly stopped and fired. It took a wooden fake anti-tank gun as real. The fake gun was sted into the sky by a 75mm high-explosive shell, along with a scarecrow dressed as a gunner, which even had a smiley face pinned to its head made of paper! Watching all this from a birds-eye view, Wang Zhong recalled the praise for the Soviet anti-tank guns exceptional camouge techniques in the autobiography of Tiger King Carius. Despite the smoke and sh from cannon fire, Yegorovs guided camouge of the gun position had not yet been revealed! Yegorov, observing next to Wang Zhong, remarked, This is what we learned from the Mannheimers during the Winter War. Mannheim is a region, and its residents are called Mannheimers. Upon hearing Yegorovs words, Wang Zhong felt it made sense that the camouge was so effective; he wouldnt be surprised if Yegorov camouged an anti-tank gun to look like a talking tree in the future. The 76mm cannon fired again. The struck Panzer IV continued to move forward at its original speed, but its crew members started jumping out one after another, followed by mes bursting from the base of the turret, turning it into a Fiery Chariot that continued to rumble forward. It wasnt until the ammunition inside the tank detonated that the vehicle finally came to a slow stop. Then, themander of the enemy vehicle number 231 finally spotted the 76mm gun position, and the tank stopped and began to rotate its turret. But in the nick of time, a 45mm anti-tank shell hit the space between 231s turret and the turret ring, jamming the turret. The enemy didnt give up and started to turn the whole vehicle to aim, and, shockingly, the gunner fired directly. The inurately aimed shell hit the open ground in front of the 76mm cannon, sting all the camouge into the sky. This explosion also signaled the other tanks, and at the same time, eight tanks came to a stop! The Prussians dense attack formation had this advantage: although theyd suffer terrible losses under barrage from the heavy 203mm artillery, with one shell taking out dozens or even hundreds, against direct anti-tank gunfire, the benefits of this formation were immense. In the blink of an eye, eight high-explosive shellsnded around the 76mm cannon. Wang Zhong frowned, initially thinking that the enemy had good eyesight to spot the 76 hidden behind a wall, but then realized that at least six of the eight vehicles had fired at the spot where the shells from vehicle 231 hit. Only two of this rounds shots were rtively urate,nding in front of the 76mm gun, sending the protective sandbags flying into the sky. Three members of the crew operating the 76mm gun were suddenly killed. The gunmander shouted, Weve been spotted, retreat quickly! Then, the remaining men desperately dragged the opened supports of the 76mm gun, pulling the cannon back. Upon seeing this, those guarding the mules and horses immediately led two mules over, hoping to use them to drag the gun away. At this time, machine-gun fire swept over them, ttering against the cannons mantlet. The two 45mm guns fired with all their might, trying to cover the 76mm guns retreat. The 45mm gunmanded by Aleksei Balfyonovich hit a Panzer IV three times in a row, finally forcing the crew of that Panzer IV to abandon the vehicle. As he was directing the cannon to aim at a second target, he suddenly saw the target stop and turn its gun barrel toward them. Retreat quickly! Aleksei shouted while personally dragging the gun, and the crew forcibly pulled the cannon from its position. Enemy high-explosive shellsnded immediately after, with fragments from the st hitting the small mantlet of the 45mm gun. Alekseis shoulder twitched, exposed beyond the mantlet, but he bit down hard and didnt speak, continuing to push the gun while shouting, Fast! To the backup position! The mules originally assigned to this gun crew had all been killed by enemy preparatory fire, so they could only move the gun by man-power. Wang Zhong was observing when Yegorov put down his binocrs and said, Three gun crews have been driven away, leaving one to keep firing would be dangerous. Saying this, he leaned out of the window and made a gesture below. The veteran stationed below saw Yegorovs gesture, nodded, and ran off. Curious, Wang Zhong asked, What did you say? I told thest gun crew to withdraw to the second preset sniping position, he replied. Wang Zhong: We have a second sniping position? Since Wang Zhong had entrusted the task of arranging the defense entirely to Yegorov and had gone out to scout the viges outside, he had little concept of the main positionsyout back at the fertilizer factory. Chapter 104: Bloodbath in Loktov_2 Yegorov exined, I referred to our experience at Upper Peniye. Once the enemy tanks enterplex terrain, their firing range and observation field are limited, whereas infantry can use their familiarity with the terrain to their advantage, quickly eliminate the tanks apanying infantry, and then use Molotov cocktails to destroy the tanks. This fertilizer nts terrain is far moreplex than just the Y-shaped road at Upper Peniye. If the enemy dares to enter, well make this fertilizer nt their graveyard! - The Prosen troops were unaware of Yegorovs arrangement and did not know that all the anti-tank guns had already left the first line of positions and were standing by in the second line of defense. They continued to fire at anything that looked like an anti-tank gun. The fences around the fertilizer nt were thus shot through with many gapsin fact, these fake gun positions were deliberately arranged so that the Prosen Army would enter the nt through these locations. As the enemy gradually approached to closebat distance, upon themand of the battalionmander, the infantry that had been hidden behind the tanks spread out to both sides, forming skirmish lines and advancing past the tanks. They stealthily approached the breaches in the fence just sted open, then found that there were no anti-tank guns, only sticks, mantlet-shaped decoys, and straw men dressed as gunners. A sergeant stepped over the sandbags at the fake gun position, only to be cut down by a burst of machine-gun fire.The machine-guns position was very tricky, just out of sight of the tanks outside the wall, which made it impossible for the tanks to fire directly and eliminate it. The Prosen sergeant leading the troops at the wall habitually threw a smoke bomb. However, the machine gun did not care about the smoke bomb and kept on with bursts of three shots, continuously blocking the entrance. In a situation where getting shot didnt kill you but would leave you crippled, even the brave Prosen soldiers dared not lightly try to cross the kill zone. The situation at another breach was simr, and the Prussians were thus blocked outside the fence. At that moment, the Prosen Armys toonmand tank decided not to wait any longer, took the initiative to act and broke the stalemate; the toon leader who had been peering out withdrew into the tank turret, and the massive steel beast charged at full power toward a section of wall without any breaches. It seemed that the toon leader thought that an intact section of wall surely did not have precisely aimed machine guns blocking it. The brick wall was directly knocked down, and the steel colossus roared into the yard, only to be greeted by two Molotov cocktails. The first one was thrown off target and hit the drivers observation window, with a small amount of burning liquid sshing into the driverspartment, which was immediately extinguished by the electrotechnician with a fire extinguisher. The second hit the tank engines air intake and cooling fins very urately, immediately causing secondary damage as the entire engine caught fire. The Prussian tank crew reacted quickly, abandoning the tank without waiting for themanders order, but as soon as they climbed out of the hatch, they were mowed down by submachine guns. The tank subsequently blew up. After the toon leader sacrificed himself for the country, the other tanks immediately stopped. Then a tank fired a grenade at the wall, sting a new hole in it. The tank toon started firing grenades in rapid session, quickly leveling a section of the wall. The apanying infantry charged in, screaming, only to be swept down by the machine guns ced on the sides. - Wang Zhong watched the battle from a birds-eye view and couldnt help but admire, Your crossfire setup is excellent. This fertilizer nt has gone through three expansions, each nned separately, leading to incrediblyplex terrain. Moreover, most buildings are reinforced concrete, which is why it turned out like this, Yegorov humbly replied. Wang Zhong was about to speak when he suddenly noticed a toon of enemy tanks and apanying infantry turning to the right, seemingly nning to nk from the north of the chemical nt. Regardless of the fact that he could not actually see these people from his real vantage point, he immediately asked Yegorov, The enemy is nking us from the north! What do we do? Yegorov replied, Theres only a narrow road wide enough for one jump and one carriage over there; if two vehicles meet, theyll have to have a standoff. Ive already made arrangements, just watch. - Vasilys buddy, the drummer Filippov, immediately retracted upon seeing the Prosen Army tanks and said to his partner, Theyreing, theyreing! The partner began frantically cranking the generator to charge the detonator. After about ten turns, the partner touched the switch with his hand, got a shock that made his hair stand on end, and eximed, Done! then picked up the detonation rod and inserted it into the detonator. Yes, the detonators produced by the Ante Empire had to be charged on-site because the battery performance was so poor, and whether it was fully charged could only be determined by the pain of being shockedif it hurt, it was full. Just very much in the style of the Ante Empire. Filippov peeked out again, watching the enemy tank and infantry enter the alley. He waved vigorously, and his partner twisted the detonator handle hard. The explosives buried in the road immediately exploded, engulfing the lead tank and apanying infantry. Ura! someone shouted, and the young soldiers hiding behind the wall hurled their lit Molotov cocktails over the wall. In an instant, the road turned into a sea of mes. The tank at the rear tried to reverse and leave this hell, but an agile soldier flipped over the wall, jumped onto the tank, flipped open the hatch and threw in two grenades. The soldier was immediately mowed down by the Prussians. More soldiers peeked over the wall, shooting into the alley. A Prosen squad was thus wiped out in the ambush! - Wang Zhong eximed in awe. Yegorov, unaware that Wang had seen the whole process,forted him, Dont worry, the boys are doing fine; the enemy will be eliminated. Chapter 105: Bloodbath in Loktov_3 Chapter 105: Bloodbath in Loktov_3 ` Indeed, although some people lost their lives due to being too careless, the enemy was indeed wiped out. At that moment, the telephone rang. Wang Zhong was startled, Its fixed? Yegorov had already picked up the phone, This is the frontmand. What? Alright. He covered the receiver and said to Wang Zhong, The defense regiment reports no enemy attacks and is asking if we need support, they can spare a battalion. We need it, Wang Zhong replied decisively, Order them toe immediately. We are going to drive out all the enemies who have prated the factory area! Actually, the situation had already be clear at this point. The enemy hadmitted only two battalions reinforced with tanks, which had been severely depleted by a single battalion of their own relying on the terrain. With another fresh battalion arriving, the enemy should be retreating, and one might even capture an intact Panzer IV tank.The tank that was taken out by the grenade should still be operable once the mashed flesh on the dashboard is scraped off. Major General Randolph observed the front lines, The enemy appears well-prepared; with so few forces, its unlikely that theyll break through. The Chief of Staff agreed, Our artillery barrage might not have been very effective. Tomorrow we should focus our firepower for artillery preparation, to inflict maximum casualties and destroy their fortifications. Tomorrow? No, lets do it today. Have the troops release smoke and fall back! Then continue the artillery bombardment, as they havent used much ammunition on the way here. After all, many times the artillerybat was over before it could evenmence. At this moment, amunications staff officer came running, General, the 223rd Grenadier Regiment has taken Sorinni vige, and they can soon start encircling Loktov from there. Randolph, Is the information confirmed? Confirmed. Hmm, then lets postpone the artillery preparation until the 223rd Regiment arrives. Estimated to be Randolph looked at his pocket watch, at three oclock this afternoon. At that time, deploy all units on the front arc and begin the artillery preparation. After two hours of preparation,unch a full-scale attack! Coordinate with the Air Force as much as possible, though it doesnt matter if theyre not avable. When Wang Zhong saw the enemy releasing smoke, he immediately realized that they were retreating. Yegorov! Have the boys charge, remember not to rush out of the smoke, inflict as many casualties as possible within the smoke! Yegorov promptly turned, Sergeant, blow the whistle to attack. After giving the order he asked Wang Zhong, Do we need the artillery to fire? There shouldnt be any reconnaissance nes in the sky, and firing from Position B shouldnt be detected. Wang Zhong, No, Id like to keep this secret for a bit longer, give the enemy a little surprise when it really matters. No sooner had he spoken than the phone rang again. Wang Zhong picked up the receiver, This is Major General Rocossov. Pavlovs voice came through, General, we have some new developments here; you shoulde to the brigademand. The telephone lines might be tapped by spies. Wang Zhong nodded, Alright, Im on my way. After hanging up, he shouted to Grigori, Prepare the car! Is there still one avable? Grigori nodded and walked away. As Wang Zhong came out from the frontmand, he saw Aleksei Balfyonovich, nicknamed Star Boy, receiving first aid and said, You should go to the hospital if youre wounded. Youve done your duty. The young man looked at Wang Zhong, General, arent you wounded too? Why are you still on the front line? Wang Zhong nced at his shoulder and suddenly realized he had been supporting himself in a static position for two hours while wounded, chalking it up to nothing more than sturdy Russian constitution. As Wang Zhong was lost in thought, the young man asked again, General? Wang Zhong, Ah, its a light wound. So is mine, the bullet went right through without causing much damage, it didnt even hit the bone, Aleksei Balfyonovich said proudly, Thats why I want to stay on the frontline, with my artillery crew! At this, his loader shouted, Actually, he just wants to show off, so he can brag about it to his girlter! Everyone started tough, including Aleksei himself. Wang Zhongughed too; despite the city being bombed and shelled, surely Natalia in theundry unit was much safer than being on the front line. As the banter continued, someone started singing, not knowing who led the way: ` I remember a small town in another province, Lonely, remote, heartbreakingly sad. The towns shaded avenues, marketces and churches, And the lingering mist over the water that echoed back. I saw Dear familiar figures, Blue berets, Blue overcoats; Dark skirts, the silhouette of a young girl, My love that blossomed then withered away! Tanya, Tanusha, my Tatiana, Do you remember that sweltering summer? I cannot forget those times, That passionate time! Wang Zhong stood by until they finished the song then turned to get into the car driven by Grigori. Perhaps it was because death and destruction were so near, but love on the battlefield held a unique kind of beauty. Wang Zhong sincerely wished the couple well. It was only when he reached the regiment headquarters that he learned of Natalias death in an air raid. Because he didnt know how to face the young Alyosha with such news, he never got the chance to tell him before he died in battle. All in all, I have three pieces of good news, and one bad news, Pavlov looked even more haggard than thest time Wang Zhong saw him, and he had even less hair. It wouldnt be long before Wang Zhong had a bald chief of staff. Wang Zhong, Lets hear the bad news first. I wonder how bad it can be. Pavlov, The enemys armored grenadiers have taken over Nizhne vige, driving out our forces that were resting there. Now they can nk us from Nizhne. We must dispatch troops to defend the citys southeast. Wang Zhong immediately frowned deeply. This meant that the defensive line had just doubled in size, and if his limited forces were spread out over such a broad front, it would be as thin as paper. Then tell me the good news, he changed the subject. First, our orders have changed. Pavlov paused, as if waiting for Wang Zhong to ask a question. Wang Zhong, Changed how? We dont have to hold out until July 11 anymore? Thats right, its changed to holding out until the 63rd Army Group arrives to take over defense. This might as well be worse than holding out until the 11th! At least that had a specific time. What if the 63rd Army Group doesnt move if their allies are in trouble? Wouldnt that be awful? Wang Zhong, Whats the second piece of good news? The remnants of the 23rd Tank Army have entered the city and will soon be here. They still have about 20 BT7 tanks. Wang Zhong ohed, which barely counted as good news. Although the BT-7 had almost no defense, it was fast, and its guns could prate the sides and rear of a Panzer IV. ording to War Thunder standards, this is a good vehicle; as long as its fast and can shoot through, its good! And the third? Wang Zhong continued to ask. Pavlov, The railway is expected to be repaired by nightfall. The reinforcement train allocated to us by the Crown Prince is already waiting. Once the railway is fixed, it wille over immediately. Wang Zhong frowned, Are they sending us more parade specialists? It wouldnt be T35s, would it? Though he said this, in their current situation, even T35s had to be used. After all, the guns on that thing werent just for show; they could still be put to use. Pavlov shrugged. Chapter 106: “Those Who Never Abandoned Me Chapter 106: Those Who Never Abandoned Me No matter what bizarre troops the Crown Prince stuffed into another train, theyre still blocked on the train and wont be able to make it for a while. Wang Zhong received his first wave of reinforcements today from the 23rd Tank Armythe remnants of it, to be precise. The Fast series of light tanks, designated as BT models, are quite the vehicles in games, given their speed. But in reality, theyre just speeding coffins, prable by machine guns with a slightlyrger caliber. Thats why the Soviet Union on Earth practically stopped producing them after the war started. After all, the T34 is also fast, and itsprehensive performance is on apletely different level from the BT series. Witnessing these BT-7s rolling into Rocossovs defensive group area, Wang Zhong sighed and thought hed just have to make do. After all, these things still had 45mm guns and machine guns; there was no problem ughtering infantry, and with their maneuverability, they could nk and deal with Mark III and IV tanks quite effectively. The leading BT-7, tactical number 2301, had an antenna on the back of its turret, clearly themand vehicle of a toon orpany.A lieutenant colonel popped out of the hatch and saluted Wang Zhong on top of the turret: Comrade Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, I salute you. Wang Zhong took a nce at his name from the birds-eye view and responded, Salutes to you too, Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Fyodorovich. The report said you had twenty BT-7s, why do I only see ten? Thats because five of them were immobilized due tock of maintenance and parts, and another five were destroyed by the enemy Air Force. The enemy Air Force is equipped with 13mm machine guns; just a bit thinner than our Anti-tank Rifles, when they shoot from above, these paper-thin toys just copse. The lieutenant colonel shook his head, My battalion is down to these few tanks, General sir. Let us make some contributions, even if its just being stationary gun emcements. Piled up with sandbags in front of our turrets, we can still exchange fire with the Prussians. Wang Zhong shook his head and waved the lieutenant colonel over. Mikhail climbed down from the tank with a puzzled look but still agilely came over to Wang Zhong and saluted again. Wang Zhong ced his hand on Mikhails shoulder, The situation is as follows: we have a fully-strength enemy Armored Division in front of us, one of all seventeen of the enemys Armored Divisions, and we suspect that part of an enemy mechanized infantry division is also moving up. Weve just lost the screening forces to the southeast, and the enemy will attack us from both the southeast and southwest. Our troops cant hold such arge area. Understand so far? Mikhail nodded, Understood, so we need to reinforce Dont speak yet, listen to me. The unit currently responsible for the defense to the southeast is the 5th Bishensk Regiment; they are down to three hundred men, and theyve lost almost all their technical equipment, even short on machine guns. The anti-tank guns on their positions are actually made of wood, got it? Understood, so we should We dont have anti-tank guns, so we cant exchange fire in the open field. We need to let the enemy in, cut off their infantry, then use Molotov cocktails to destroy their tanks and armored vehicles. And I need you to stand by in the eastern part of the city. When the enemy enters the urban area, use your speed to encircle them. Your 45mm guns can prate the enemys nks and rears! Mikhail frowned, Theres a fatal issue with your n; none of us are from Loktov. Although the city isntrge, having us, a bunch of neers, navigate the streets for a nking attack is asking for a lot, isnt it? Wang Zhong replied, The local Guardian Army will provide you with directions and scout the enemy positions for you. Mikhails frown deepened, The Guardian Army are just militia, arent they? Yes, many of whom were conscripted in the past few days. This Wang Zhong interjected, Dont worry, Ill personallymand a tank. Even if the rest of you fail toplete the mission of encirclement, Ill aplish it. Yourmand tank looks good; now, its mine. Mikhail was perplexed, Huh? Ah? Wang Zhong turned to the soldiers waiting nearby, Erase this tanks tactical number and paint my tactical number, 422. Wang Zhong had hesitated between spraying the number 422 or 67 but eventually decided that the honor of number 67 should always belong to that brave tank crew. He should carry on the glorious number 422, leading it through the entire battle, with the spirits of those sacrificial Tank Operators. At this point, Mikhail asked, Butunlike the T28, the BT-7 doesnt have a separate Tank Commander, Im bothmander and Gunner in the tank. Have you had Gunner training? Wang Zhong paused, his impressions of tanks were all based on games, where a single yer could do everything; so he never considered that the BT-7cked a separatemander. At that moment, two soldiers climbed onto the tank with buckets, wiped the original tactical number 2301 from the paint, and then hand-painted the new tactical number, 422. Mikhail didnt stop the two, but instead, he watched Wang Zhong intently, General? Wang Zhong said, I can stand behind the turret and be the Anti-aircraft Gunner. In this timeline, the BT-7 had an Anti-aircraft gun. Mikhail seemed unable to believe his ears, You said what? Ill be the Anti-aircraft Gunner on the back of the turret, Wang Zhong stated firmly. Faced with overwhelming enemy numbers, it was essential to fully leverage the advantage brought by Wang Zhongs cheat to achieve victory at a minimal cost. His leadership in the battle for Peniye Vige had already proven how effective Wang Zhongs personalmand of a tank could be. The original Gunner of tank number 2301 stuck his head out, What does this mean? Why change the tactical number? Mikhail, whats going on? Chapter 107: “Those Who Never Abandoned Me” _2 Mikhail fell silent for a few seconds, then said, YouDwe will be directlymanded by the general! The loader retorted with confusion, Then whos job is the general taking over? Will the general operate the tank gun? Wang Zhong, No, I will stand behind your turret. Loader, Thats too dangerous! No, Mikhail said, It might indeed be so for other tanks, but for the BT7, perhaps standing behind the turret is safer than being inside, after all, theres an extrayer of armor for protection. What he meant was that he considered the entire vehicle as a shield. Two and a half hourster, east of Lokotov City, Rocossovs tankpanys hiding ce. Wang Zhong emerged from the cer and leaned on the window to look outside.Loader Ivanov also climbed out of the cer, standing behind Wang Zhong, and said, The artillery preparation is over, theres no more sound of gunfire. Hm. Wang Zhong snapped his fingers, Board the tanks! Prepare forbat! The enemy stopped their attack so long before the artillery preparation and then took so much time to prepare, they must have alreadypleted their attack formation. Wang Zhong pushed the door open and immediately saw the old soldier Rezenov, wearing an old Guardian Army uniform. He was themander of the Fifth Provisional Guardian Corps. The old man had a grey beard, and his uniform was a pre-civil war model, except for the cor patch, which was reced with the emblem of the Secr faction. Behind him stood a young man carrying a gigantic g. Your Excellency the General! Rezenov began, Were ready! We selected the cleverestds as your guides, theyre like weasels, always running around the streets, checking out which familys daughter is pretty! They know this area very well! Wang Zhong thought to himself, isnt that just a street ruffian? Rezenov, And Ive assigned Kozlov to the lieutenant colonel to be his guide. He is strong and sturdy. Even if the tank is destroyed, he can pull the lieutenant colonel out and carry him to the medical station! Besides, look at this g. Its the best one we could find, sure to greatly boost morale! Wang Zhong, No, the lieutenant colonel doesnt need a guide; he will bemanded by me personally, assign Kozlov to someone else. Why? Rezenov looked puzzled. Wang Zhong pointed to his head, Ive already familiarized myself with the nearby streets; thats a basic quality of amander. Rezenov, But standing behind the tank turret is very dangerous! You dont have to personally Wang Zhong, I have already decided. Rezenovughed heartily, Really! You are a reliable general indeed! Just like that General on the White Horse in the newspapers! Wang Zhong felt awkward, he hadnt expected someone still didnt know he was that General on the White Horse. However, he did not reveal this, as it seemed a bit like boasting about his own achievements, and besides, now was not the time for that. He said to the old man, Please instruct everyone to inform the nearest of our tanks about the enemy tanks positions, letting the tanks deal with tanks. Even if you must engage enemy tanks at close range, eliminate the apanying infantry first! Rezenov, Dont worry! Wang Zhong nodded and climbed onto the freshly painted tank with new tactical number 422. Mikhail also climbed into the turret, then took out the headphones and microphone and handed them to Wang Zhong, Your Excellency the General, you takemand! As Wang Zhong took the headphones and microphone, he asked, And you? I have a spare. Although this new vehicle had radio, the radio level of the Ante Empire was terrible, and it wasnt clear whether it was due to the tanks generator being inadequate, as the electricity mainly went to the turret motors. Once the radio was connected, only static filled the headphones, as if someone was frying sand right beside Wang Zhongs ears. But for the sake ofmand andmunication, it had to be endured. Wang Zhong picked up the microphone, This is themand tank, to the second toon leader, can you hear me? Hearing you loud and clear, General, please continue. In reality, Wang Zhong was just checking if he could get the perspective of the second toon leader, and the answer was he could. The moment the second toon leadersmand tank, number 2306, responded, it lit up in the overview. But the areas around other tanks without radios remained dark, even though they were now under Wang Zhongs directmand, they didnt provide him with visual awareness. Could it be because they couldnt hear Wang Zhongs shouts inside the tanks? After all, even the BT7 was very noisy when movingDAnte Empire tanks were notoriously poor at ergonomics,bined with rough production techniques, which made them very noisy. It wasnt feasible tomand tanks by shouting, so thats why there was no visual awareness from other tanks? Wang Zhong was pondering over this when a Guardian Army soldier shouted down from the rooftop of a nearby house, The enemy is attacking! So Wang Zhong decisively called for Vasily, Vasily! Can you hear me speak? He waited a few seconds, then Vasilys voice came through the static in the radio, I can hear you, General! Are you sure you want tomunicate openly? Yes, in an emergency, its unavoidable to use openmunication. Wang Zhong thought to himself that whats important isnt the contents of themunication, but to light up the visual awareness. After connecting to the Plosen Walkie-Talkie that Vasily was monitoring, the 31st Guards Battalions field of vision lit up. Along with it, the field of vision of the artillery mirror, which Dimitri was responsible for, was also obtained. Subsequently, Wang Zhong saw that on an arc line from the southwest to southeast of Lokotov, the enemy had deployed at least 80 tanks and armored vehicles. That was still only the first wave; behind them, a second wave consisted of about a hundred more tanks and half-track vehicles. Wang Zhong was shocked; he knew the enemy had vast numbers, but he hadnt expected them to be so vast. Chapter 108: “Those Who Never Abandoned Me” _3 And the main force of the enemys assault came from the southeast, with a total of 20 Panzer IVs with short barrels and 6 Panzer IIIs, as well as a slew of half-track vehicles. Was he expected to rely on 10 BT-7s to eliminate so many enemies? Even 10 T-34s would have to tread lightly! Only 10 KVs could take on so many enemies. No, he couldnt be intimidated by the number of enemies; they werent familiar with the terrain, and once they entered the streets for close-quarters battle, wasnt it just more opportunity forbat achievements, no matter how many they were? At that moment, a messenger from the 5th Byshenk Regiment appeared on horseback in front of Wang Zhongs No. 422 vehicle and shouted loudly, Our regiment is ready to let the enemy into the city to fight as per yourmand! Wang Zhong replied, Very good, tell your regimentalmander that my personallymanded armored forces will encircle the enemy and strike them a heavy blow! The messenger saluted, turned his horse around, and galloped away. At that moment, Mikhails voice came through from inside the line: General, were entering the ambush position!All right, roll out. As the words died away, the engine of the new No. 422 vehicle roared to life, apanied by the sound of the gearbox gears meshing. The tank shuddered slightly and started moving. Wang Zhong grabbed the anti-aircraft machine gun to steady himself, spreading his legs to stand behind the turret. Behind the turrets of the other tanks stood a machine gunner, all of whom were local guides responsible for giving directions to the tanks. Once the enemies attacking from the southeast entered the city, Wang Zhong would lead these tanks to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy and then quickly maneuver away from cover around their nks. After watching the tank column move out, Rezenov eximed, What an incredible general! Just like Bagration leading the Imperial Guard in a charge himself! He turned his head and shouted to the Guardian Army soldiers, The general is at the front! We cannot be afraid to die! The Guardian Army soldiers shouted in unison, We are not afraid to die! Rezenovmanded, All Guardian Army, Temporary 5th Regiment, forward march! The soldiers, who were civilians just a few days ago, marched without the precision of real soldiers, but the forest of bays they formed was still not to be underestimated! Just then, Wang Zhong lost sight of the 31st Regiment, and he quickly called out again, Vasily? General, if youre not giving orders, why do you keepmunicating with me? I have to listen in on the Prosen peoples chatter too! Vasilysint came through the static noise into Wang Zhongs ears. For a moment, Wang Zhong thought about ordering the machine gun to be moved left five centimeters. Five centimeters wouldnt affect the construction of the firing position, but it was still an order, which would make his insistence on maintaining radiomunication seem less strange. But in the end, he resisted the urge. Yegorov had done well, and he and the veterans of the 31st Regiment had umted a vast amount of experience in the fierce battles of Peniye, so Wang Zhong could rest easy. In fact, Wang Zhong didnt have the confidence that he would have done any better than Yegorov and his men. At that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly noticed Grigori driving a jeep, not far from the side of his tank. So he switched perspectives and called out, Grigori! What are you doing here? Get back to the 31st Regiment! The troops need an experienced sergeant major like you! Im in the tank, I dont need a bodyguard at this time! Grigori looked like he had something to say but finally saluted and drove the jeep away. After seeing Grigori off, Wang Zhong was about to continue observing the battlefield when Mikhail, who had been demoted from battalionmander to gunner, asked, Your Excellency, did you reallymand a tank that destroyed 100 enemy tanks in the battle of Upper Peniye? Wang Zhong answered, No, that was an exaggeration by the newspapers. The driver muttered, I knew those newspaper guys were all talk and no truth! The loader asked, So how many was it, exactly? Eight tanks. Before our T-28 was destroyed, we managed to knock out a total of eight enemy tanks. This number impressed everyone else. Mikhail said, Thats quite impressive too! Especially considering it was a T-28! We all know that tank was quite terrible! It was the marshals and the Emperor who liked those big, mighty-looking, multi-turreted tanks that just turned out to be for show! Wang Zhong nodded, I know. He was well aware that it was pure fluke that they managed to take out four Panzer IVs right away with the crummy T-28; the cheat had yed its role. Later, when they faced the enemy head-on and the cheat got weakened, they immediately found themselves in a disadvantage. Whoever came up with that kind of thing and then sent it to the battlefield should have been shot. Finally, No. 422 arrived at the prearranged ambush position. This was a row of buildings destroyed by enemy artillery fire; the remaining broken walls provided excellent cover, allowing the tanks to hide inside and strike at the enemy. Once the enemy entered the city and kept moving along Suvorov Street, they woulde within the firing arc of the hidden BT-7s. Even the now-outdated 45mm cannon could open the enemy tanks like cans, one after another! Wang Zhong, standing behind the tank turret, felt a bit hotno wonder, as the tanks cooling system was right under his feet. Just then, he heard the sound of the B4 firing. Mikhail was surprised, Theres heavy artillery too? We heard there was none on your side! Wang Zhong replied, A gift from the Crown Prince. What the hell? Mikhail looked at Wang Zhong with incredulity. Unfortunately, it wasnt a good time to boast, and all Wang Zhong could say was, Ill introduce you after the war is over, focus for now. Having said that, Wang Zhong switched his view to an overhead perspective, but now he could directlymand too few troops, and the battle was too dark; only his own and another toonmand tank (equipped with a radio) had illuminated fields of vision. Chapter 109: “Those Who Never Abandoned Me” _4 So Wang Zhong couldnt see the effects of the B4 heavy artillery clearly. The next moment, he saw the enemy tanks begin to bombard strategic high points within the city, sttering debris all over as they hit water towers, bell towers, and the like. Wang Zhong broke out in a cold sweat, relieved that the enemy had not fired at the water tower before reaching Peniye. Otherwise, he would have already been dead. He wasnt worried about Dmitry, though, because the observation window at the forwardmand post wasnt in the highest location but had traded the range of view for better concealment. With the enemy firing like that at high points, they certainly couldnt hit the forwardmand post or Dmitry. Wang Zhong took a deep breath and patiently waited for the enemy to enter the ambush zone. At that moment, a shrill howl came from the sky, and without looking up, he knew the Stukas wereing. The smoke columns from the half-ton bombs looked to the naked eye like clusters of corals suddenly sprouting from the ground. Wang Zhong reassured his crew, Stay calm, dont worry!Mikhailughed, Weve heard this sound so much our ears are numb. Do you know how many tanks from our entire 23rd Army have been knocked out by this thing? Wang Zhong, How many? At least two hundred, and we lost a lot of GAZ trucks. Our army had more GAZ trucks, but now we can barely move. Because we are nominally mechanized troops, we dont have mules or horses, nor even any alternative to them. Mikhail shook his head repeatedly, We didnt find any problems during training. We performed as directed during exercises, so we couldnt identify any issues. But when the war started, the problems became apparent, and by then, people were already dead. After Mikhail finished speaking, the driver chimed in, The higher-ups are too rigid. They read some military theory books from the United Kingdom and Prosen and started issuing orders based on assumptions! Look at our countrys roads, during the mud season every car has to stop. Without mules or horses, its impossible! Wang Zhongs expression was stern, thinking to himself that shortsighted meat-eaters cannot n for the future. Just then, the enemys vanguard came into view. Wang Zhong immediately alerted, The enemy ising! Prepare for battle! To the south of the ruins, soldiers from the 5th Beshensk Regiment had already opened fire, and their machine guns crackled like firecrackers in a row. The enemy advancing through the ambush zone seemed still unaware of the danger, moving in a loose marching formation, with the tanks closely spaced. Wang Zhong switched to an overhead view and waited until the whole enemy wave had entered the ambush area before shouting, Fire! Mikhail fired immediately, and the armor-piercing shell hit the side of the Panzer IV at the end of the enemy column directly. The tank immediately lost power and stopped on the road. Wang Zhong personally manned the anti-aircraft machine gun, strafing the enemy infantry lines while ordering, Load the high-explosive shells! All enemy tanks are down! In the entire ambush zone, there were two rows of eight Panzer IVs, and Wang Zhongs side with ten BT7 tanks firing in volleys had actually taken out all the Panzers. But the others did not have Wang Zhongs perspective; they could not highlight targets, so they could not determine whether the stopped tanks had been taken out or whether their crews were just stunned. On the battlefield, it was quitemon for tanks that had stopped to suddenly start moving againthe men inside might have just been dazed and would resume operation once they regained consciousness. So the armies on both sides of the Eastern Front, Sude and the United Kingdom, had the habit of firing a second time at wreckage. But Wang Zhong did not have this trouble; he immediately ordered the switch to high-explosive shells to maximize casualties among the enemy infantry. However, the enemy reacted swiftly too; the infantry had identified the direction of the iing fire and found good cover, and they had even deployed smoke bombs! Smoke bombs again! Wang Zhong, Reverse quickly, leave the cover! Well circle around and take out more enemies! The 5th Beshensk Regiment hadnt received any reinforcements, and no matter how brave and skilled they were, they were no match for so many enemies. What was more fatal was that this regiment had virtually no anti-tank means; they had to eliminate the enemys armored vehicles quickly! It wasnt until the BT7s really started to race that Wang Zhong realized the driver had held back on the way to the position. When this thing really picked up speed, the tracks were almost off the ground! Wang Zhong could only cling to the anti-aircraft machine gun for dear life; the moment he rxed his grip, he would be thrown out. Vehicle 422 reached the enemys nk at an astonishing speed. Wang Zhong, Stop! First round high explosive, second round armor-piercing! High explosive, ready! the loader shouted. After all, the 45mm gun was rtively light, so loading was quite fast. Before Wang Zhong could designate a target, Mikhail fired, hitting a half-track that was following the tanks. The tanks realized the problem behind them and began to rotate their turrets. Just then, the loader shouted, Armor-piercing, ready! Without waiting for Wang Zhongs target designation, Mikhail fired a shot that hit the Panzer IV that was turning its turret. While operating the anti-aircraft machine gun to strafe enemies on the streets, Wang Zhong urged, Get moving quickly! Dont stop, stopping makes it easier for the enemy to get a bead on us! Then vehicle 422 was off running wildly again. Before reaching the next intersection, Wang Zhong had already directed the tank turret in the right direction and loaded a high-explosive shell. The enemys half-track turned into a rising fireball, and Wang Zhong also hit a methrower on the roadside with the anti-aircraft machine gun, causing the high-pressure gas to knock the methrower to the ground. Wang Zhong had thought this would trigger a massive explosion, but the enemyspressed gas cylinder turned out to be filled with high-pressure nitrogen, which astonishingly didnt explode! Wang Zhong couldnt worry about that; the enemy had already reacted, starting to turn their guns. A tank might not be afraid of the enemys squad machine guns, but Wang Zhong, standing behind the turret, was. Chapter 110: “Those Who Never Abandoned Me” _5 ` Move it, move it! Never stop moving! As Tank 422 sped along, Mikhail couldnt suppress hisughter: Hahaha! Ive been looking forward to something like this! So many days pent-up, witnessing so much carnage! Finally, we can properly clean up these invaders! Mikhailughed heartily, and the loader and driver were infected by his mirth, joining in with boisterousughter. At this moment, not only the enemy, but also arge number of locals and Ante Army soldiers were paying attention to this BT-7 unit that was full speed blitzing the enemy through the city. Those people who out of fear had not chosen to join the fight to protect their homnd watched from within their homes now ruins or soon-to-be ruins as the armored force freely galloped past. A spection slowly emerged in everyones minds: maybejust maybe the enemy isnt so formidable? And this spection turned into a conviction among the Guardian Army soldiers. Rezenov, waving his outdated rifle, yelled, Follow the generals pace! The enemy is nothing to fear! While their heads are spinning, charge! The Guardian Army soldiers shouted hurrah as they struggled to keep up with the racing BT series tanks. Wang Zhong no longer knew how long the battle had been raging; he only knew he had just loaded the anti-air machine gun for the third time with Mikhails help. The loaders voice came through the headphones: Were out of shells! At that moment, Tank 422 had just maneuvered to the side of a Mark III tank, Wang Zhong, following procedure, reported the position of the Mark III tank, then Mikhail, across an entire street, hit it with the first shot, and a long me burst from the top of the Mark III. A literal three yards of me. As quick as lightning, Wang Zhong suddenly spotted a Prosen sergeant with a looted PTRD-41 Anti-tank Rifle under the wall to the left of the cross street. Their eyes met briefly, and the sergeant threw his rifle to the ground, prone as if flying, and took aim at Wang Zhong! Wang Zhong immediately swung the anti-air machine gun to turn this man into a sieve, but the moment he pulled the trigger, the gun jammed! It must have been because he rushed when reloading the magazine, and the belt hadnt been fed properly! Wang Zhong had no idea how to fix the machine gun and could only yell, Turret, turn left fifteen degrees! Against the wall, anti-tank rifle! The BT-7 didnt have an electrician, so the hull wasnt fitted with a bow machine gunbecause the driver didnt have time to operate it, now all hope rested on the coaxial machine gun in the turret! As the turret rotated, the enemy fired! From Wang Zhongs perspective, through the open turret hatch, he saw Mikhails body twitch and then slump to one side. The front of the BT-7s turret had actually been prated by the anti-tank rifle! But now, at less than fifty meters away from the anti-tank rifle, being prated was normal, given the thin Armor andrge profile of the fast series tanks. Wang Zhong yelled Reverse! while drawing his pistol to shoot at the enemy, but hepletely missed as he had never received even a days training with a pistol. In a sh, the loader, taking over as gunner, pressed the fire button. The coaxial machine gun immediately turned the enemy holding the anti-tank rifle into a sieve. Decisively, Wang Zhong removed his headphones and microphone, opened the loaders hatch, and climbed inwith his knowledge, he might not make a good gunner, but he could still load shells! This way, the crew still had fighting capability! As he crawled into the tank, the loader, still firing, ensured no one could take over the anti-tank rifle. The loader (now the gunner) kept shouting as he fired, Reverse quickly, lets leave this godforsaken ce! The driver didnt move for some reason. At that moment, the coaxial machine gun ran out of ammo. Anxiously changing the magazine, the loader suddenly realized that almost all of the magazines on the floor were empty. Yes, over 2000 rounds of coaxial machine gun ammunition had already been expended! Instantly, Wang Zhong heard a thud, and looking up, he saw the loader, now in the gunners position, leaning back against Mikhail, who was lifeless. There was a small hole in the forward Armor, with light shining through it. Wang Zhong: Driver! Move it! But no one responded to him. In a rush, Wang Zhong tried to pull the drivers shoulder, only then realizing the driver was dead too. Thats when he noticed there was a hole in the drivers viewing portthe enemys first shot wasnt at the turret but had hit the drivers viewing port, prating the cover te and killing the driver, then ricocheting to hit Mikhail. Wang Zhong suddenly realized he would be killed if he stayed in the tank any longer. Just as he was about to crawl out the entrance he hade in through, a burst from a submachine gun forced him back inside. There were still enemy soldiers outside shouting something. Wang Zhong didnt understand, but felt it had something to do with him. Maybe the enemy wants to capture me alive! Wang Zhong fumbled to reload the magazine of his now-cocked pistol. Just then, a Prosen soldier appeared at the hatch, and upon seeing Wang Zhong, started shouting gibberish. Wang Zhong fired three shots. At this range, even an inexperienced rookie could ensure a decent hit rate. The enemy disappeared, blood sttered across Wang Zhongs face. A strong smell of blood assaulted his nostrils. Wang Zhong thought he had to run fast. He remembered seeing in many movies that there was an escape hatch at the bottom of tanks, for tank crews to flee in such situations. He immediately crawled to the bottom of the tank. There, spent casings littered the tank floor, blood pooled on the metal into smallkes, constantly dripping from the corpses above. ` Chapter 111: “Those Who Never Abandoned Me” _6 Wang Zhong didnt have to exert much effort to find the bottom hatchit was unclear whether the BT series always had this hatch, or if it was specially provided for this particr universe. To crawl through the hatch, he repeatedly bumped his head, resulting in many lumps forming on his scalp. Indeed, it was a Russian make; even in a stationary state, its ergonomics were poor enough to cause head bumps. Wang Zhong opened the hatch, poked his upper body out, made direct contact with the ground, then crawled on his hands and knees, striving to drag the rest of his body out Just at that moment, there was the sound of a heavy object being thrown into the tank. The next instant, a grenade exploded inside the tank, and the st blew out of the bottom hatch. Wang Zhong looked around and saw several pairs of Prosen-standard military boots. He hurriedly checked his pistol, then switched to a birds-eye view, trying to see if there was any possibility of escape. Then he despairingly realized that at least a toon of Prussians was gathering around him.All was lost. Just moments ago, he had been ughtering the enemy, and now, suddenly, the situation had taken a dire turn. Was this the battlefield? Wang Zhong didnt want to surrender or give up; he was trying his hardest to find a way to break the deadlockbut all he found was despair. Just then, the Guardian Army, who had been struggling to keep up with Tank 422, finally reached a position where they could see it. Across an entire street, everyone could clearly see Tank 422, with its tactical number, paralyzed on the roadside, covered with Prosen soldiers. The crowd was stunned, unable to ept that Tank 422, which had been ughtering the enemy like a war god, could be undone just like that. It was at this moment that Rezenov said, The general has been martyred! At the very least we can retrieve his body and prevent it from being desecrated by the enemy! He raised his antique rifle with a bay affixed, shouting, Ura! The others started to scream as well. Maybe it was the generals death that enraged them. Maybe it was the fury of losing the general that drove them, but they started to scream nevertheless. Kozlov, holding high the Saint Andrew cross g with the Double-headed Eagle, charged at the front of the column. An enemy sergeant kneeled and shot at Kozlov, the bullet hitting the strong mans neck, and a great deal of blood sprayed from the artery, staining the g. Kozlov fell forward and knelt, but Rezenov caught the g. The old man held the antique rifle in one hand and hoisted the g with tremendous strength in the other. Enemy bullets pierced the old mans chest, but he did not stop running, charging forward several more steps before he finally fell to the ground. Strange hands took the g from the fallen elder. More and more people rushed out from the streets and alleys, carrying various makeshift weapons, and charged at the enemy on the street. Stools, umbres, even door frames! Women from the second and third floors threw down vases and stones, supporting the offensive on the road! The once haughty invaders, like boats in a vast sea, were swallowed up in an instant. Wang Zhong watched this scene in shock, so much that he didnt even notice that at the distant train station, which had been vacant for two days, a train was pulling in! After thest Prosen soldier had his head cracked open with a cksmiths hammer, Wang Zhong crawled out from beneath the tank. He had only crawled halfway when countless hands reached out to grab him. The general is still alive! The general is still alive! People pulled him out from under the tank and then helped him to his feet in a flurry of activity! Wang Zhong looked at the excited crowd, his mouth agape. Those people who never abandoned me, with overwhelming force, they defeated the heavily armed enemy and pulled me from the abyss of despair. The immense shock left Wang Zhong unable to think about things like what happened to the enemy or whether the offensive had ended. He just watched the ordinary people before him demonstrate their surging, powerful force, feeling the strength of it. It was then that he saw a g. He faintly remembered that it was the g Rezenov had brought. Now, the g was stained with much fresh blood, looking dirty and torn. But in Wang Zhongs eyes, the g exuded aforting aura. He remembered the song: On the g of the Republic, is the brilliance of my blood-stained glory So, Wang Zhong took the g. In his heart, he had already decided, this g would apany him until the day the invaders werepletely crushed. The setting sun was like blood, the red g like a painting. At that moment, he heard the roar of an engineing from the direction of the station. Chapter 112: Parade Tank Everyone tensed up at the sound of the engine. But someone immediately shouted, Its our tank! Only then did Wang Zhong remember that he had seen a train enter the station just now; ording to what Pavlov had said before, this should be the supply train arranged by the Crown Prince, which also included some items he managed to secure. Wang Zhong had only heard of what the Crown Prince was like, but he was quite certain that as Minister of Logistics, the Crown Prince was quitepetent. He just didnt know if the source of the strong engine noise at this moment was the T35, that imposing beast. If that was all they could use, then so be it. Embracing this thought, Wang Zhong looked towards the direction of the train station, only to see the dream vehicle he had mentioned countless times appear at the end of the street. The tanks he hadmanded in this world were the T28 with its thin armor and generous firepower, with only the cannon being quite decent. The KV1 had reliable armor and cannon but was astonishingly slow and prone to breakdowns.The BT7 was fast and reliable, the cannon passable, but its armor was hardly adequate for serious use. Was there a tank that was fast, reliable, durable, had a fierce cannon, and decent protection? Yes, the infamous T34 tank. Inheriting the high speed of the BT series, the powerful firepower of the 76mm tank gun, and the effective defense provided by the 30-ton weight ss and sloped armor, it was the tank with the best overall performance on the Eastern Front at the start of the war! The T34 tankthe one Wang Zhong had been longing for! However, after the recent fierce battle, Wang Zhongs passion for this type of tank was not as high as before. Because he remembered one thing: the T34, with its design philosophy inherited from the BT series, required themander to also act as the gunner. The Soviet designers initially didnt see the need for a do-nothingmander. The ace of the Sturmtiger, Otto Carius, keptining in his memoirs about the reluctance of Soviet tankmanders to stick their heads out for reconnaissance, leading to the T34s poor situational awareness on the battlefield. It wasmon for an entire toon to be wiped out by a single Tiger before even locating it. However, the reluctance of Sovietmanders to stick their heads out in the early days wasnt out of cowardice but because once they did, there was no one left to fire the cannon; they would have to stay inside the tank and use the gunners sight for observation. In contrast, the M4 Sherman tanks provided to the Soviets under the Lend-Lease Act had a five-man crew with a dedicatedmander, which is why the M4s participating in the same battle suffered far fewer losses than the T34s. The Soviets themselves had also noticed these problems, having used M4s and seen what German tanks looked like and how they operated in battle. But since the T34s design was what it was and couldnt be significantly modified, they could only keep their heads down and continue producing tanks withoutmanders to first stabilize the frontline. It wasnt until 1943, when the significantly redesigned T34-85 was developed, that the designers finally added themander back and admitted that designing themander to double as the gunner was a foolish idea. By then, however, the Soviets had already paid a heavy price for this foolish design. Wang Zhong was actually aware of this before, but his knowledge came from books, without hands-on experience, so he had overlooked it. Todays experience in the BT7 brought all this back to him at once. What was more fatal was that the design requiring themander to also be the gunner directly prevented Wang Zhong from replicating his achievements at Peniyeafter all, he had never received training as a gunner, and even with a top-down viewing angle to gauge the enemys distance, he didnt know how to adjust the gunsight. However, the T34 that appeared in Wang Zhongs field of vision looked a bit strange. This T34 had a big head, looking more like theter T34-85, but its main gun was rtively short and thick, not nearly as sleek and beautiful as the 85mm gun equipped on the T34-85. The gun looked exactly like the 76mm cannon from the KV1. The oddly shaped tank drove straight towards Wang Zhong, and thats when he noticed that the man standing on the rear engine deck of the tank was Sergeant Major Grigori. Under the guidance of the Sergeant Major, the tank stopped directly in front of Wang Zhong. Grigori hopped off the tank and saluted Wang Zhong, General, I have brought reinforcements! Wang Zhong nodded, Youve done well! Meanwhile, the tankmander also jumped down, a Warrant Officer. After saluting Wang Zhong, the Warrant Officer said loudly, Alexander Yefimovich sends his regards, General! Wang Zhong briefly returned the salute and then asked, Are you themander of this vehicle? Yes, General! Wang Zhong: How many crew members does your vehicle have? Four, a driver, a machinist, a loader, and myself! Wang Zhong harbored a glimmer of hope, given that the T34 looked a bit off, but it turned out to be a four-man crew; he would have to rece the machinist if he wanted to join in. After all, while the machinists title suggested work on the vehicles machinery, his main job was actually to man the hull machine gun; it wouldnt be wrong to call him a machine gunner. Alexander frowned slightly, Why do you seem a bit disappointed? Wang Zhong: Its nothing. How many T34s do you have in total? At this time, Wang Zhongs thought was that since he couldnt personallymand a tank to dominate the battlefield alone, he should find a way to make full use of this kind of technical equipment that could steamroll over the enemy in terms of tactics. Alexander: We have 25, but this one is different from the other tanks. Oh? Wang Zhong was intrigued, How is it different exactly? As you can see, this is a nobles parade tank, designed for the yboysoh no, wrong, for the pirs of the Ante Empire to experience driving tanks. Wang Zhong was stunned: What? Alexander spread his hands: To get new tank designs approved, we have to build these parade tanks. The bigwigs ride in them, like them, and the approval process speeds up. Wang Zhong was shocked: Is it that corrupt? Alexander: I didnt say that! You did! Dont worry, I will never rat you out to the Tribunal if they ask! Wang Zhong: So, this parade tank, does it differ from ordinary tanks in any other way? Ah, there are plenty of differences, like it has a speed limiter added so it wont go too fast and wont jolt around too much Remove it, Wang Zhong stated decisively. Now, immediately remove it. Just kidding, how could he snag the best sniping spots and take on the role of old sixth if he couldnt speed? Alexander: Its simple to remove, as its just a modification in the gearbox to restrict the gears. Beliyakov, the general wants you to remove the speed limiter! Hurry! Then a tall, lean sergeant crawled out of the iconic drivers observation port of the T34, circled around the turret, and began to fetch the toolbox strapped to the back of the turret. Wang Zhong: Anything else different? Anything else? As youve seen, our tank turrets are quite big, thats because theres an additional seat installed for the lords to enjoy life, with an excellent view, letting the lords enjoy the sensation of the wind through their hair. Ah, I see! It took quite an effort for Wang Zhong to contain his ecstasy. Initially, he thought he could onlymand heavy tanks withmanders like the KV in the future, but he didnt expect that in this timeline there would be something like a nobles parade tank! Alexander continued: Also, next to the lords seat, theres a small box containing champagne. Wang Zhong, still in the midst of his glee, was taken aback: Champagne? Yes, champagne. Do you want to swap it for vodka? Wang Zhong shook his head: No, no, no. He suddenly thought of the embarrassment of facing the enemy with just a pistol today and said: Can it be converted into a personal belongings box? I want to put some life gadgets, like grenades or submachine guns. Possible, all possible, Alexander assured him, patting his chest. As long as you dont want to dismantle the parade seating, everything else can be modified. However, if you want to use the parade seat, we need to clear the clutter piled on it first. Good lord, these guys had been using the extra turret space as a storage for clutter! Alexander cautiously asked: You want to use this parade seat, correct? Correct, Wang Zhong nodded. Alexander: You will personally lead us in the charge into battle, right? Right. How did you know? Alexander nced back at the driver who was dismantling the gearbox, then replied: The Crown Prince said you might want to do this, so he especially had use drive this parade tank. Wang Zhong: Only had youe drive it? You werent originally driving this one? No, we are instructors from the Armored Troops teaching squad, hand-picked by the Crown Prince, said to provide his good brother with the best personnel. Alexander shrugged. Of course, it might also be because the original crew responsible for this tank were drunkards without proper form, as they were all connected individuals; they just needed to maintain a neat military appearance when the lords came for inspections. After hearing all this, Wang Zhong seriously asked one question: The Crown Prince Are they male or female? Alexander was taken aback: Male, why do you ask? Actually, the Antenguage clearly distinguishes between male and female. Not to mention names, many names themselves change form based on gender. The term Crown Prince itself could not possibly be feminine, although the Ante Empire had a history of very powerful empresses, and the capital is still named after such an empress. Yet, so far, the Crown Prince had behaved too much like a good wife and wise mother. Wang Zhong, steeped in the culture of the second dimension for many years, always had the feeling that a good brother was about to tear off the chest wrap and reveal a feminine side. Wang Zhong waved his hand, deciding to deal with this matterter. After all, he was bound to meet the Crown Prince someday, and he could simply confirm it then. Wang Zhong: How long will it take to remove the speed limiter? The enemy is attacking now, and we need to strike immediately. Very quickly, Alexander answered. Wang Zhong nodded: Okay, then give this tank a new tactical number. Paint it 422, and hang this g on themunication antenna. He disyed the blood-stained red g as he spoke. Chapter 113: Oh, the Grasslands! The tank crew was busily disassembling the limiters and brushing on tactical numbers, while Wang Zhong said to Alexandria, Call all the toonmanders of the tank battalion over. Aside from this parade tank, there were a total of 24 T-34s; that made six toons, which even in the severely understrength Ante Army could not be considered a tank battalion, even though it was indeed a battalion-level organization. Soon, all the officers of the battalion gathered by Tank 422, which was being repainted. Upon seeing Wang Zhong, the battalions originalmander, Colonel Kopov, saluted and said, I must remind Your Excellency the General, aside from these few who were specially transferred from the armor training unit, the rest of us are only proficient in washing vehicles. Wang Zhong frowned, wondering if he had heard wrong, Washing vehicles? Perhaps they are also good at painting vehicles. Look at our tanks, all beautifully decorated for parades, the road wheels even have white rims, the colonel added. It was only then that Wang Zhong looked down at the road wheels, which indeed had those circr white rims; they would look impressive in a parade formation. But on the battlefield, this would only make the blood of the enemies stter more noticeably, though, hmm, it seemed not entirely useless after all. Wang Zhong: Indeed, the rims are painted well. They will leave more noticeable blood marks when running over enemy corpses, and that can shock our enemies.Are you serious? Colonel Kopov asked, furrowing his brows. Im serious. The current situation is The colonel interrupted Wang Zhong again: General! We cant possibly hit the enemy because most of us havent adjusted the gun sights or used the elevation drum since leaving school. We arent even sure we can aim urately because these tanks have not had their sights maintained since being issued to us. Wang Zhong: What about the main gun? That has been maintained, because sometimes we need to demonstrate live-firing to His Majesty, so it can be fired. How could you demonstrate live-firing without adjusting the sights? Wang Zhong was even more puzzled. Colonel Kopov looked at the sky: Thats because, during demonstrations, we use nk shells, and the impact effect ispletely dependent on pre-set explosives. Wang Zhong thought damn, youre cheating the emperor, and theres no crime of deceiving the sovereign in the Ante Empire? At this point, Warrant Officer Alexandria interjected, As long as we advance to within 300 meters, even an unadjusted gun sight can hit the target without adjusting the micrometer drum; you just need to match the crosshair and shoot, even a monkey could do it. Wang Zhong: That will do. As he spoke, he picked up a stick and began drawing on the ground while exining: The current situation is this: the enemys first echelon has already entered the city and is fighting fiercely with our forces. So far, the enemys second echelon is still on the open field, showing no intention of joining in. I guess the enemymander has judged that there is no need tomit the second echelon yet. We will leave the city from the southeast road and then swing to the nk of the enemys formation on the in. As he exined, Wang Zhong looked up at the g that had been attached to themunications antenna: Recognize this g and move with us. Remember, as soon as you see the tank in front of you turn right, immediately turn right and face the enemy head-on. Can you execute that maneuver? Wang Zhong was actually worried they would mess up during the formation change, leading to disarray. History was full of examples where inexperienced soldiers got decimated during formation changes. Colonel Kopov spoke up: If youre talking about formation changes, were quite proficient at that. Our unit is specialized for parades. We could even perform a change to a V-formation for the enemy. Ah, that wont be necessary, hastily waved off Wang Zhong, A simple line formation will suffice. After the change of formation, we will stop every fifty meters to conduct one or two volleys of fire, taking aim at enemies close to you. Dont be afraid, our frontal armor has a significant advantage over the enemy! Our firepower will ensure the destruction of the enemy. Indeed, the T-34 had an overwhelming advantage over Prosens tanks of that time. While not as absolute as the KV, it was still quite difficult for the 50 mm gun on a Panzer III to prate the front of a T-34. Especially since the Panzer III mounted an early version of the gun, not theter extremely long-barreled 50 mm, which inter video games even got the nickname jellybeanuncher, indicating its armor-piercing shells were as ineffective as jellybeans, only good for leaving paint marks on the enemy. Wang Zhong continued, Once the enemy realizes they cant effectively threaten our front, their fighting spirit will surely lead them to try to close in and strike at our side armor. They will engage us in a close fight, seeking to win with experience and superior tactics and technique. At such times, remember this: the enemys Panzer IVs weigh only 18 tons, the Panzer IIIs even less at 15 tons, whereas we are at 32 tons. A collision would surely result in greater losses for the enemy! Having finished, Wang Zhong looked at the toon leaders: Any questions? All six shook their heads. Their faces were ashen. At this point, Wang Zhong recalled the gunner Alexandriasment on their recements for those original crew members: Drunkards barely keeping their shape every day. Clearly, todays bunch hadnt had a drink, hence the nervousness. If Wang Zhong had seasoned tank operators, he would have swapped them out. Unfortunately, he did not. So he gestured: Then return to your units, make sure every tankmander knows the n! We move out in ten minutes! Dismissed! The toon leaders turned and anxiously hurried back to their units. Alexandria: I wouldnt rmend taking these people to fight in the open. Trust me, said Wang Zhong, Urbanbat is moreplex, this bunch would be killed by the experienced Prosen infantry with grenades, Molotov cocktails, or even bays climbing onto the tanks and stabbing them through the hatches. Chapter 114: The Grasslands, oh the Grasslands!_2 Alexandrias expression was serious, Are Pnosen people so determined inbat? Why do the capital newspapers all say that Prussians only rely on equipment and actually have poorbat will? Grigori, who had always been silent, suddenly said, Because the journalists who write these have never crossed bays with Prussians on the battlefield. But we have, and we know their mettle. Alexandria: I see. At that moment, the driver Beliyakov said, All set, Warrant Officer, Your Excellency General. Alexandria: Would you like to inspect it? Wang Zhong nodded and walked towards the Parade Tank. The tanks paint job was entirely that of a parade, with white rings on the road wheels, making it look imposing and striking, but its concealment in the open field was nearly zero. The tactical number on the side of the turret had been changed to 422, with a white horse pattern added behind thest 2. Wang Zhong: The white horse is?Youre known as the White Horse General, an enemy title, so I drew one, Beliyakov said, shrugging his hands. Wang Zhong nodded, then took onest look at the thickened antenna where a g had been dyed red over half of its surface. The obvious bullet holes and traces of gunsmoke scorching on the g emitted a unique aesthetic of the battlefield. Wang Zhong admired his new ride, and while the T3485srge head paired with the short 76 tank gun seemed strange to him, this didnt prevent him from liking this new mount. In his eyes, it was his Gundam, his real Getter Robo, his Iron Sheriff. Suddenly, Wang Zhong remembered old man Rezenov who had introduced him to this g and hurriedly asked the surrounding Guardian Army, Where is old Mister Rezenov? Sacrificed. The Guardian Army replied, He called us to recover your remains. That g likely still carries his blood. Wang Zhong fell silent, then after a few seconds, he clenched his teeth and said, I wont let him regret leading the charge, not at all. At this point, this life was no longer just my own. Wang Zhong had never understood Wang Changlings frontier fortress poem so profoundlyalthough he was now on foreignnd in an alternate spacetime. Battle-scarred amor coated in dust, unwavering till the fortress fell! Wang Zhong took a robust step to climb the tank and said to Grigori, No need to guard me anymore, go help the Priest organize the Guardian Army! Regroup at the brigade headquarters after the battle! Grigori saluted and turned to leave. Wang Zhong stood atop the tank and shouted to the people who had not yet dispersed,Folks! Women and children, head to the train station immediately! Theres a train that just arrived, and they will transport you to the rear for retreat! Women who dont wish to retreat can join the Labor Camp and help with repairs, but children must go! Men follow the Priests, and veterans withbat experience, please step forward to be squad leaders! Today, well fight the enemy to the bitter end! Hurrah! Hurrah! the deafening cheers echoed in response to Wang Zhong. Then he climbed into the tank, urging Alexandria, Quick! To battle positions! Alexandria climbed the tank and squeezed through the cabin door on Wang Zhongs right into the turret. The loader and driver were also in position. As the driver slipped into the cabin, Wang Zhong saw him with a hammer and asked puzzled, What are you doing with a hammer? For turning. You cant move the lever on the left without a hammer. Many of this batch of T34s have this problem, the driver answered. Seems like I have read about this in many memoirs! While making this mental note, Wang Zhong put on his headphones and adjusted his throat microphone, Can you hear me? The other four people on the tank replied in unison, Heard you! Move out! With a crisp bang, the tank engine roared to life, slowly elerating. Not just for turning, even shifting gears needed a hammer! The tank gradually picked up speed, people hastily made way, and the road was quickly cleared. Then Wang Zhong said with a taunt he had taken from The Wandering Earth 2, Beliyakov, are you pedaling a bicycle? So slow! The next moment, the engine roared, and the tank, like an enraged beast, lunged forward with a fierce push that nearly threw Wang Zhong out of the turret. The 32-ton behemoth hurtled down the street, the wind it raised blew off a girls kerchief on the roadside. Everyone was cheering, Charge, General! Defeat them! Wang Zhong stood upon the Parade Tank, just as Alexandria Yefimovich had described, he could fully feel the sensation of the wind blowing through his hair. In moments like this, ones spirits cant help but lift. The static noise in his headphones seemed to transform into the ssic Oh Fields, My Fields. Another 24 T34s closely followed behind tank number 422. The racing tank divisions rising dust seemed like a cavalry charge. But without the sound of hooves, only the rumble of tracks crushing helmets. The squadron charged out of Loktov, maneuvering towards the nks of the enemys second echelon. Major General Randolph spotted therge clouds of dust rising from the city: Whats that? Are the Ante Peopleunching a cavalry charge? He adjusted the magnification of his binocrs and peered towards the dust. However, all he saw was a tank flying a red g leading the charge through the dust, with whatever was behind itpletely obscured by the rising dirt. Unlike other Ante tank operators Randolph had seen those past days, the one in the tank with tactical number 422 was not cowering in the turretyes, the Major General, like almost all armored troops, thought the Ante People didnt pop their heads out because they were cowards. On the tank number 422, the officer poking his head out stood tall and proud, as though he was being reviewed in a parade. Chapter 115: Oh, the Grasslands!_3 Hmm? Major General Randolph carefully confirmed the tactical number of this tank. 422? And a white horse? Randolph, Its the General of the White Horse! Hes riding out in a light tank! Shoot him down quickly! The major general naturally assumed that this tank was no different from the hundreds of light tanks that had already been destroyed on the offensive route of the 15. Second echelon, swing the gun barrels around! Destroy the enemy light tanksing out of the city, shoot or capture the General of the White Horse alive! Wang Zhong, assessing the situation from a birds-eye view, judged that the timing was about right. The enemy had also reacted and started to turn. Right now, it was only individual vehicles turning, but it would be troublesome once the enemy adjusted their entire formation.After all, he had only 24 T34s, and their level of training was so low. Wang Zhong issued themand, Turn right 90 degrees! duang! The sound of the hammer striking the control lever was indeed very crisp. The tank made a direct right turn with a drift. Then there was another duang, and the turning stopped. The vehicles following number 422 immediately turned as well. Colonel Kobbov had not boasted in vain; this group of parade professionals was adept at changing formations, instantly transforming the column emerging from the city into a line. Wang Zhong, Advance 30 meters, let each vehicle get rid of the dust cloud. The dust cloud raised during the charge would interfere with shooting; moving forward would shake it off. Thirty meters passed in the blink of an eye, and Beliyakov hit the brakes before Wang Zhong even gave the order. Taking advantage of the gun barrels sway, Wang Zhong shouted, Turret left 5 degrees, target number 112! It has an antenna, its amand tank! Aiming was almost immediatelypleted, and the shockwave from the firing of the 76 mm gun blew away all the surrounding gauze curtains. The shell hit the front of the tank that had just finished turning. Tank number three didnt catch fire nor explode, but the tankmander mbered out of the turret and, like a flying arrow, leaped beside the tank to take cover in the green grass. Of course, Wang Zhong, observing from above, could see everything very clearly; this shot had gone straight through the viewing window, wiping out everyone inside the tank except themander. After number 422 fired, the other vehicles also started firing with a rattle. Wang Zhong watched the artillery shells bounce across the grassy field as if what was being shot wasnt a modern cannon from the 20th century but those muzzle-loading artillery pieces from the era of line infantry. However, two shots still hit their mark. The enemy tanks formation was poor, blocking each others field of fire, with only the tanks on the northernmost edge of the formation having a clear line of sight. They opened fire. Almost all of the armor-piercing shells were aimed at Wang Zhong! In the blink of an eye, three pits appeared on the mantlet of tank number 422. An armor-piercing shell struck the front of the hull and was deflected high into the sky. More armor-piercing shellsnded around, kicking up dust and sand all over Wang Zhongs face. Man, lucky its a T34, or Id be done for. Wang Zhong, Anybody hurt? No! the four men responded in unison. Armor-piercing shells, good! Without waiting for Wang Zhongs order, the second shot was fired, and themand tanks sister vehicle exploded, its turret blown into the air. The other tanks also opened fire, and the second volley was much more urate, clearly, these parade specialists werent so foolish as to not correct their aim. Four more of the enemy tanks caught fire. The enemy started to move, making major adjustments to their formation, seemingly intending to overwhelm these mere 25 light tanks with their numbers. Wang Zhong, Move out, dont let the enemyplete their formation adjustment. Charge to within 300 meters to ensure we have better uracy! Armor is our advantage! Apanied by a duang, tank number 422 once again raced forward. Dmitri shouted excitedly, Look! Our tank troops haveunched an attack! By then, the defense line had already retreated to the forwardmand post, and Yegorov was personallymanding a machine gun, firing furiously into the outside. Upon hearing Dmitrys cry, Yegorov picked up the binocrs he hadnt touched for an hour and looked into the distance. Its the general! I knew it was the general just by seeing that 422, and theres even a white horse painted on it! Yegorov eximed with excitement, Charge! Those tanks are our T34s, the newest model! Let these guys taste our power! Major General Randolph was shocked to see those light tanks. These things seemed impervious to gunfire, and the main weapon of the Prussian Empires No. 3 tanks, specifically used for tank-to-tankbat, only managed to scrape off paint when fired upon them! At that moment, the intelligence staff officer had finished flipping through the enemy armored vehicle identification manual issued by the High Command, and loudly reported: Its the enemystest type of T34 tanks! Major General Randolph: Dont just name the type! How do we deal with them? The manual says the weak points are the enginepartment at the rear and above the side road wheels. Quick, notify the troops! However, by this time, the radio was already full of various shouts from themanders of the second echelon. Cant prate at all! Its ramming toward me! Try the high-explosive shells! Try the high-explosive shells! Ahhh! In such a situation, although themunications staff officer was shouting at the top of his lungs, no one heard what he was saying. Tank 422 was the first to rush past the enemy tank formation, and Wang Zhong was certain that Alexandria had hit two more enemy tanks while on the move. From an overhead view, he saw the other tanks were still in the melee with the enemy. The enemy was in disarray, some hysterical, while those ustomed to parades, upon realizing the enemy couldnt prate their armor, had gained a tremendous psychological advantage and were fighting even better! On the field, at least 20 enemy tanks were burning, and about 30 more had stopped, motionless, and had lost their highlights from Wang Zhongs perspective. At this moment, Wang Zhong suddenly noticed that just to the front-left of him, there were several armored vehicles stopped, with one having particrly many antennas. On closer examination, beside the armored vehicle with many antennas was a man dressed in a particrly stylish uniform, that red badgelooked like a general. A bold idea emerged in Wang Zhongs mind: It was just under two kilometers away, the perfect moment for a decapitation strike! Wang Zhong: Turn left 45 degrees! duang! The tank turned around. Alexandria, looking through the gun sight, saw the target: This looks like the enemysmand vehicle! Exactly! Go for it! Capture the g! Randolph put down his binocrs and stepped back. The adjutant was quick to react: The enemy is charging us! Guard tanks! The Prosen Armored Divisions headquarters was also equipped with four tanks (a toon) as a guard, in addition to a guard battalion. The guard tanks immediately moved forward, lining up in a row one hundred meters in front of themand vehicle. The first volley fired! The only hit was an armor-piercing shell that sparked a chain of sparks on the enemys armor. The enemy suddenly stopped, clearly trying to exploit the Prosen reload interval. A shell was fired, and the toon leaders tank of the guard tank toon was hit, with the tank operators scrambling out of the tank, all the while shouting, Sanitater! (Medic) The guard tank toons second volley managed to make the target, who was sticking his head out, duck down. The enemys retaliatory strike set the number two tank of the toon aze. The enemy seemed intent on picking off the guard tank toon from left to right! The remaining two tanks sped off, one to the left and one to the right, trying to nk the enemy. However, as the third shell came in, the tank veering to the right immediately stopped, ck smoke belching from its engine. Thest tank stopped its nking, charged toward the enemy, and then took an armor-piercing shell head-on. Got him! Load high-explosive! Wang Zhong shouted, Target, the enemy general! Fire! Chapter 116: Slaying Generals and Seizing the Flag (Alliance Hierarch Added) The moment the 76mm gun fired, the enemys guard infantry threw out smoke bombs. Of course, the smoke couldnt stop the shells that had already been fired. From a birds-eye view, Wang Zhong could clearly see that this shell had almostnded at the generals feet. However, the generals adjutant happened to throw the general to the ground just in time. It could only be said that the flight speed of the high-explosive shell was somewhat slow, and Tank 422s position was indeed a bit far from the target. The adjutant died instantly, but the general he had thrown to the ground was still left with a breath of life! Wang Zhong: Second shot! Alexandria: The smoke is obscuring our vision! Wang Zhong: Fire at the original position!At that moment, an enemy half-track vehicle sped forward, attempting to use its body to shield the general, while the machine gun on the half-track began to fire wildly at Tank 422 from such a distance. Wang Zhong quickly ducked behind the turret hatchthe kind of hatch designed to double as cover for a noblemans lookout. Wang Zhong could see through the observation window specifically left on the hatch. The field of view was very small, but that didnt hinder Wang Zhong as he had an advantage; as long as he could observe, no matter how thin the slit was, he always had a fan-shaped field of view from a top-down perspective. The enemy was indeed well-trained, firing from a moving armored vehicle at this distance with decent uracy as bullets clinked and nged against the hatch cover. The electrician was also returning fire with the directional machine gun, both sides streaking each other with tracer bullets. The loader shouted: Good! Alexandria fired the gun! The shell went just past the half-track vehicle that was obstructing the view andnded in almost the same spot! The enemy tried to move the general, but they were a little slow, and the generals leg had been wounded. With this shellnding, several staff officers who were trying to carry the general were instantly thrown to the ground, while the general stood there, raised his head to the sky, and then slowly knelt down. His posture reminded Wang Zhong of an iconic scene from the Soviet version of War and Peace. His fall, however, was quite full of Romantic ir! Wang Zhong: Got him! It was only after saying this that he realized he shouldnt have been able to see, since the smoke had already obscured the view. It seemed as though this sentence might have exposed something. But then Wang Zhong thought, a T34 gunners vision was truly terrible, so Alexandria probably assumed Wang Zhong could see. The driver had better visibility, but the drivers position was so low that it likely wouldnt detect anything amiss. So, emboldened, Wang Zhong said, The enemy general is down, lets get out of here! After all, there was an enemy battalion here, and the bolder Prosen soldiers were already charging the tank on motorcycles. As good as the T34 was, it dreaded infantrying within 5 meters. In this era, the Prussians probably didnt have weapons like Panzerfausts or maic anti-tank mines, but a grenade tossed on the engines radiator would be trouble enough for a tank, possibly even damaging the engine. Wang Zhong heard the sound of Duang, as the tank started up again and then turned. So, he quickly ducked back into the turret. The hatch cover could only protect the front. It was like those very exposing evening gowns, decently covered in the front but with the backpletely bare. If Wang Zhong didnt duck back into the turret, his back would be riddled with holes, and he wouldnt be a White Horse General but a Dead Horse General instead. Once the hatch cover was on, the interior of the turret darkenedpletely. Alexandria looked back and said, You shoulde in wearing a hat! Before Wang Zhong could respond, the tank lurched, and his head mmed right into the locking catch of the turret hatch. He had already suffered several bumps when climbing out of the BT7 earlier that day, and now hed added another bump on a bump. Its in your storage locker! Alexandria pointed to the side of the viewing tform. Wang Zhong took out a tank cap and put it on, only to knock it solidly against the catch again, causing a piercing pain. Damn it, what good is this cap! Alexandria: Its like this even when you wear it; imagine what it would be like if you didnt. That makes sense! Though tormented by terrible ergonomics, Wang Zhong still pressed his eyes against the viewing window. Only after experiencing it firsthand did Wang Zhong realize how poor the visibility was inside a T34, and this was a viewing vehicle specially modified for the nobility with something akin to amanders observation tower, a special supply vehicle in this world. Those T34s without this configuration were practically blind. Then Wang Zhong discovered that this poor visibility even affected his external aid. His aid could usually illuminate the surroundings in a circle, even seeing ten meters behind his head. Once inside the tank, he only had the fan-shaped view in front. The fan-shaped view was better than being blind, and it was Wang Zhongs own field of vision, capable of highlighting enemy units within range. Anything like a Ground Voldemort, lying in the grass, could be illuminated. Tank 422 calling all toons! Since there really were no enemies around, Wang Zhong began to y with the radio, Report your number if you havent been destroyed! The moment the toon leaders responded, Wang Zhong would temporarily gain their field of view. This way, he could check the armored brawl happening behind him. Then Wang Zhong realized how bad the visibility was in these toon leaders vehicles! They could basically only see directly in front of the tank! No wonder many memoirs about the Sturmtiger mentioned how blind the T34 was. Indeed, it was blind. Wang Zhong could only rely on his own field of view. Just then, he saw a number 233 three-numbered tank breaking away from the battlefield, maneuvering to the side. The boldmander of tank 233 poked his head out, seemingly certain he wouldnte under attack from the T34s. Suddenly, tank 233 came to an abrupt halt and fired a shot between the turret and the body of a T34, jamming its turret. Then something shocking happened! The crew of the T34 abandoned the tank! Wang Defa? The Prosen Tanks ughtered the crew with their coaxial machine guns but then stopped immediately. Could it be that they didnt want to reveal their positions with the tracer bullets? Captain Ante cursed at the gunner, Dont fire! Even if the enemy is stupid, they can determine our position by the tracer bullets! Those Ante tanks are blind; we can still win! Gunner: We cant prate their armor! Then jam their turrets, break their tracks! In Carolingian, when we faced the B1 tanks, thats what we did! Just paralyze them, and the infantry can take care of them! Captain Ante paused then said, Moreover, these Ante tank operators have no experience, they abandon the tank if the ring is jammed! Probably new recruits experiencing their first battle! We can win! Wang Zhong: Halt! Turret left 15 degrees! Do you see that number 233 tank? Alexandria: Seen, Armor-Piercing Shell! Quick! Loader: Armor-Piercing Shell, ready! Because Wang Zhong had also ducked inside, he clearly saw the loader insert the Armor-Piercing Shell into the breech, followed by the automatic closing of the breech. Alexandria mmed down on the pedal. Inside the turret, you couldnt see the sh or thick smoke when firing, just the barrel sliding backward, ejecting a smoking shell casing. The shell casing fell directly onto the floor, and nobody bothered with it. Wang Zhong suddenly remembered that he needed to confirm the results, not watch them operate the cannon. After changing his perspective, Wang Zhong saw the tank operator from number 233 climbing out of the tank. Wang Zhong: Fire! Machine gun, fire! st them! Load a High-Explosive Shell! This one is probably their veteran crew; kill them all! Tank 422s anti-aircraft machine gun and coaxial machine gun fired together. Unfortunately, neither the gunner Alexandria nor the machinist could see the enemy tank operators on the ground; the machine gun attack was ineffective. Loader: High-Explosive Shell, ready! Alexandria immediately fired, and the High-Explosive Shell exploded beside the abandoned tank 233, immediately killing one tank operator and injuring another, but the enemymander remained unharmed! Wang Zhong: Reload! Back in the old days on a military website, it wasmon to see episodes admiring the enemys tactical sophistication and treating them with courtesy, but now Wang Zhong had no interest in such courtesy. Thinking about how these elite enemies could go back, heal, and return to cause significant casualties to friendly forces, he wished he could kill them all. The second High-Explosive Shell went over, and finally, only one machinist from that crew remained. Wang Zhong pondered that firing another grenade for just this machinist was not appropriate, as the marginal effect was too low. He then issued a newmand: Advance and regroup with our other tanks. Just then, Wang Zhong observed the enemy beginning to retreat from the city, so he decisively changed the order: Turn left thirty degrees; take the small mound on the left! Themand was immediately executed. Upon reaching the mound, Wang Zhong opened the hatch, peered back to ensure that no more machine gun bullets wereing from behind, then looked out. Turret left 5 degrees, do you see that retreating four-numbered tank? Distance 750 meters! Armor-Piercing Shell! No sooner had he finished instructing than the cannon fired, hitting the four-numbered tanks engine urately, setting it ame. Dont let the machine gun idle either; establish suppressive fire! While tank 422 poured out its firepower, other T34s noticed 422, each turning towards it. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, good grief, a loss of 8 tanks! The enemy couldnt even prate the T34s, how could there be a loss of 8 tanks? He nced at the chaotic battlefield and noticed all the abandoned T34s were neither exploded nor on fire. More careful observation revealed that either their tracks were broken, turrets jammed, or tracks and guide wheels were damaged after colliding with enemy tanks. Wang Zhong couldnt understand why the T34s with only jammed rings were abandoned. They could clearly drive back to the city and have the mechanics repair them! It seemed that after the battle was over, a debrief was necessary, and those who abandoned their tanks needed to be sternly reprimanded. While Wang Zhong thought this, neatly lined T34s unleashed their firepower, ughtering the enemy retreating from the city. The enemys offensive was thus dissolved. Wang Zhong even took the life of the enemys general! He estimated the Prussians wouldnt be able to organize an attack for the rest of the day. Touching his chin, he considered that as nightfall approached, he should organize his troops to leave the city, tow back the abandoned T34s, repair them, and continue using them. After all, these were precious weapons hard won. Chapter 117: Pyrrhic Victory Every rose has its thorn. On the side heading to the 15th Armored Division, the losses were not just that of Major General Lundorf, as several senior staff were killed trying to rescue the general. If not for the division chief of staff wisely choosing to leave in the opposite direction, the situation could have been much worse. As the sound of the enemy tanks engines faded away, the chief of staff climbed to his feet and yelled, General! General! The few surviving staff members got up and checked the generals breathing and pulse, then shook their heads at the chief of staff. The chief of staff clicked his tongue, looking in the direction of Loktov, his viewpletely obscured by the recently deployed smoke bombs by the guards; he couldnt see the city or the fighting on the open ground between headquarters and the city. Of course, now the chief of staff just needed to walk a few dozen meters more to step outside of the smokescreen to see the battlefield normally. However, the impression left by the sudden attack of that T-34 tank was so profound that even though his reason told him the enemy had left, he still didnt want to leave the protection of the smokescreen. Is that the White Horse General? muttered the chief of staff, but he immediately realized he was now the actingmander of the troops and shouldnt disy an attitude that inted the enemys prestige.So he cleared his throat and put on a stern expression that he hadnt used since he first donned the staff insignia, Immediately begin reorganizing the troops; the attacking units must have dispersed. Send out messengers to regroup them. Withdraw all forces to Karlinovka and establish anti-tank gun positions. Also, have the artillery withdraw to prevent a surprise enemy night raid. The mobility of those T-34 tanks was so strong that the chief of staff resolutely didnt dare to have the divisions artillery spend the night in unprotected areas. After passing down themands, the chief of staff asked, Where is the 513th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion now? We need their 88mm guns right now! The surviving map staff immediately reported, ording to the map updated at noon today, Battalion 513 has already crossed the area around Bogdanovka and is marching at full speed. Chief of staff: Have them hurry up! They must get here by tomorrow! When Tank 422 rolled into Loktov, the streets were already crowded with people. Before the tank even entered the city, shouts of Theyreing! Theyreing! rose, followed by a deafening chorus of Ura! The crowd was jubnt, as if the entire war had been won. Wang Zhong yelled from atop the tank, Dont gather around! What if the enemy shells us? Theyve got 150mm howitzers! Dont cluster together! Disperse! Go home! He was unaware that his blitz had terrified the enemys artillery units, sending them packing. It took five shouts before the crowd reluctantly dispersed. Then a lieutenant in dusty military garb appeared, following the tank. Stop. Wang Zhong patted the turrets steel te, then heard the sound of a hammer tapping the control sticka noise he was almost ustomed to, barely noticing unless he paid attention. Leaning down from the turret, Wang Zhong looked at the lieutenant, Are you from the Fifth Belyansky Regiment? Yes, General. Wheres your regimentmander? He fell. I am the regimentmander now. Give your orders, General. The joy of victory momentarily faded. Wang Zhong bit his lip, I see. Whats your name? Pavel Alekseyevich, General. Wang Zhong: How many of you are left? Eighty-one fit for duty, everyone else, even if alive, has been taken to the hospital by the stretcher-bearers. Wang Zhong: Youve all worked hard. I will have the Guardian Army take over your sector. Head to the train station and prepare to board the next train for retreat. The lieutenant was stunned, You dont need us anymore? We can still fight. Wang Zhong found himself at a loss for words; he meant to have them retreat to resupply and rest, but Pavel made it sound as though he had abandoned them. Wang Zhong: Thats not it. I just Lieutenant: We can defend the station. We still have two machine guns and have captured a lot of equipment. Our technical supplies have never been as abundant as they are now! We can still fight, General! Wang Zhong was silent for a few seconds before replying, I want you to reorganize into apany, take the smoke bombs we captured from the enemyyou have smoke bombs, right? Yes, plenty. Good, take the smoke bombs, find a ce to eat well, drink well, rest for three hours, and after dark, I want you to move out of the city to cover the tank repair crews. No problem. Actually, this mission should be rtively safe; the enemy was likely still in disarray and wouldnt be able to mount any operations tonight. Wang Zhong simply didnt want these soldiers to feel abandoned. The enemy had been driven back, but there was still much to be done tonight. Wang Zhong spoke to the driver, Drive back to the brigade headquarters, uh, do you know where it is? I dont know. Beliyakov answered bluntly, Did wee to find you, or was it the sergeant major who led the way? Wang Zhong: Ill show the way. Forward, turn left at the street corner ahead. Wang Zhong entered themand post of the battle groupwhich was actually the brigademand post. Pavlov looked up and said, Three miles from here and we can hear cheering, General of the White Horse. Wang Zhong: I need to organize the mechanics from the auto repair shop to go out of the city to repair tanks tonight. There are eight tanks that just broke down and can be fixed. Alright, there are three hours till nightfall; that should be enough time to get it organized. Pavlov turned his head and said, Sofya, go to the auto repair shop and get some people. Tell them we need a skilled workers team in three hours. Sofya nodded and then ran towards the gate. As she passed by Wang Zhong, she paused and gave a small smile. Wang Zhong: ? War heroes always get the favor of girls; it has always been so, Pavlov said. Anything else you need me to do? Wang Zhong: I need to resupply ammunition and fuel. Also, I need arge number of anti-aircraft camouges and branches to hide my tanks. The enemy will assuredlyunch an air raid tomorrow; Stukas pose a great threat to these tanks. Pavlov: Lyushenko! Order the Guardian Army to camouge the tanks! Wang Zhong: Guardian Army? The Church has handed over five battalions of the Guardian Army to us. They are all locals who have been organized; their equipment is poor, but they have enough bullets. Theyre just the right bunch for odd jobs. As for the shells, let me confirmare the tank guns the same as our 76 anti-tank guns? Wang Zhong fell silent, this touched on an area he was not knowledgeable about. He was a military enthusiast, sure, but he wasnt hardcore enough to be clear about what kind of shells each artillery piece used. Although the bore of the T34s L11 cannon was indeed 76.2mm, the same as that of the ZIS-3 anti-tank gun, he really had no idea whether the two used the same ammunition. After a few seconds, Pavlov sighed, It is only in times like this that I remember the rumors about you from before, General. Wang Zhong: My gunner is an instructor from the Armored Training Corps; he surely knows. Ill send him to themand post of the quartermasters department to get the shells; he wont make a mistake! Indeed, then let him do it. Wang Zhong: What are the casualties among our troops? As he asked, he remembered the lieutenant from the Fifth Besshensk Regiment. Pavlov stopped, took off his sses, pulled out a microfiber cloth, and began to wipe them, not answering. Wang Zhong: Tell me, Ive prepared myself. Were still looking for the wounded, but those alive have been ounted for since you just have to assemble and count them. There are 611 people still alive in the Guards 31st Regiment. One third are injured. I reckon we can still dig out a hundred or so wounded from the dead, but how many can be healed and return to the ranks, thats hard to say. Wang Zhong pursed his lips: Were the losses that great? Pavlov continued, The good news is, the enemy suffered greater losses. In the past, even when the enemy was attacking, their losses were less than ours, but this time theyve had a hard time. Wang Zhong nodded: That might be the only constion. However, most of their higher casualties were caused by the tank units under your directmand, including the BT-7 and theter T34s. The enemy still won in terms of casualties caused by front-line meat grinder. Wang Zhong: The enemy is well-trained; Ivee to understand that fully. Also, theres more good news. Although Position A was suppressed by enemy artillery fire, miraculously, one 203mm gun remains. We still have five 203s and will be able to deliver a big blow to the enemy tomorrow. Wang Zhong frowned: Can we call for aerial reconnaissance to locate the enemy artillery positions? It has been seven days since we first saw our air forces; shouldnt the Air Force have been replenished by now? Pavlov: Youre asking a brigade staff officer this question? You should be asking the Front Army staff chief, he has authority over the Air Force. I Before he could finish, a Judge entered with a telegram: New orders from the Front Army headquarters. Wang Zhong was taken aback before realizing that his telegrams were managed by a group of Judges. He reached out his hand: Give it to me. After taking the telegram, he read aloud, The 63rd Army Group is expected to arrive at Loktov by tomorrow afternoon. Your unit should make every effort to dy the enemy. Our intelligence indicates that your units front may face an entire enemy Armored Division, along with a portion of an Armored Rifle Division. We believe the enemy armored group is crossing Bogdanovka, anticipating that your unit will face a fierce armored assault tomorrow. Wang Zhong looked up at Pavlov: Thats what they (Front Army) say. Pavlov snorted: Such timely information. Does the Front Army know that if it werent for the Crown Princes delivery of the T34s, this ce would have already fallen? I guess they dont. Wang Zhong: Then lets tell them! He turned to the Judge and said, Send a reply like this, and take note! The Judge immediately took out a notebook and pencil, ready to take down the message. Wang Zhong: My unit suffered heavy losses today. If it werent for the newly joined T34 unitand themendable performance of the remnants of the 23rd Tank Army, Loktov would have fallen. My unit urgently needs to resupply ammunition and personnel, especially armored forces and anti-tank weapons. Additionally, we require Air Force support, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. The Judge wrote frantically, looking up at Wang Zhong only after finishing thest word. Wang Zhong felt as though something was missing. After thinking for a moment, he said, Read it back to me! Chapter 118: Aftermath After the Judge had repeated his report, Wang Zhong nodded with satisfaction and let him go. Pavlov, Every time the Judgees in, I get a shock. We really need to get a propermunications officer. I think the Judges are pretty nice, Wang Zhong said with a shrug. If I were tight with the Crown Prince and he was madly sending over heavy equipment, Id think they were nice too. Pavlov seemed to awaken a talent for ying the straight man, achieving a level one-tenth that of Yu Dad. No sooner had the words left his mouth than another Judge walked in! Pavlov instinctively raised both hands, I didnt say anything! The Judge cast a sharp nce at him, then turned to Wang Zhong and said, The Front Army intercepted enemymunications. The enemys 15th Armored Division Commander, Lord Rendolf, has died. Theyre asking if we know what happened? Wang Zhong, I did it. I personally drovemandedTank 422 to within 850 meters of the enemy headquarters and attacked with high-explosive shells and machine guns. The entire tank crew can testify. Just reply that to headquarters. The Judge nodded, turned to leave, then suddenly turned back, snapped to attention, and saluted Wang Zhong, Salute to you, General!Wang Zhong nodded his head. The Judge turned and left, Wang Zhong gestured at his retreating figure and said to Pavlov, See, theyre pretty nice, right? This time Pavlov couldnt find a reply and only blinked, forcibly changing the subject, Im currently reassembling the units. By tonight we should be able to reorganize. I wouldnt count on your help, but can you call Bishop Popov back? I can, Wang Zhong affirmed. Pavlov continued, I need you to patrol the positions. Weve had heavy casualties and need to boost morale. Otherwise,e nightfall, when the soldiers remember the faces of those whove left us, organization will copse. Wang Zhong, I think theyll be fine. I have confidence in them. While speaking, Wang Zhong suddenly remembered how Peniye had been supported by countless soldiers hands when he fell off the tank with a fever, then he thought of just recently, how pair after pair of hands had pulled him out of the depths of despair and helped him stand. How could an army like this, a people like this, possibly be defeated. As if guessing his thoughts, Pavlov said, Its your duty, General. Its even more important thanmanding the battle yourself! After all,manding a battle can be delegated to a capable officer, but this task can only be done by you. Wang Zhong, Youre right. Pavlov, Best mount your uh, Bucephalus, was it? Bucephalus, is it okay? The stables got hit by enemy artillery, we thought all the horses were done for. But it just came out on its own and was eating grass in the yard. Not a scratch on it. I had the Guardian Army take care of it. Wang Zhong nodded, no longer disturbed the busy chief of staff wrestling with documents, and turned to leave the headquarters. Just as he reached the door, he saw Grigori leading Bucephalus and another chestnut horse towards him. Grigori looked much worse off than in the morninghis clothes were wrinkled and torn in several ces, dirty enough to turn water into ink. But he seemedpletely uninjured, with hardly any blood on him. Wang Zhong, Wheres your ammo pouch? It got shot off in the fight. Dont worry, Ive got a new one. Grigori pulled a canvas bag from behind him with about four magazines in it. Wang Zhong also noticed that the Sergeant Majors submachine gun had been cleaned, shining with oil, clearly, he had maintained his weapon beforeing to meet him. Did Pavlov order you to bring the horse over? No, I thought itd be more convenient to move around the city on horseback. The city is full of wreckage and craters left by enemy cannons, not good for driving. Wang Zhong nodded, about to reply, when two BT-7s thundered into thebat teams location. The lead BT-7 was the toonmanders vehicle, with a radio antenna. The toonmander didnt wait for the tank to stop before he climbed out and approached Wang Zhong in three steps, General! Wang Zhong, Only these two left? A few got stuck, enemy grenadeunchers damaged them. Wevee to receivebat assignments, General! Wang Zhong, There shouldnt be fighting tonight. You guys can get some good rest. At that moment, the crew from the BT-7s all climbed out and gathered around Wang Zhongs T34mand tank, buzzing excitedly as if they were looking at arge animal newly bought to the vige. One of the drivers, while inspecting the tanks engine, asked Beliyakov, How thick is this armor? Beliyakov recited the approximate armor data like it was a menu. Wow! Compared to this, were practically running around naked! Damn the marshals, why dont they equip us with this thing! It could save a lot of lives! Wang Zhong jumped in, There are eight T34s that were lost due to breakdowns, just outside on the ins. Tonight we n to go out and repair them. Some of the tank crews probably took losses too. Once the crews are consolidated, if there are extra tanks, you guys can take them over. The tank operators were shocked to hear this, What? Really? Wang Zhong, Really. At that moment, the toon leader asked, With such thick armor on the tank, how could we still lose eight of them? Wang Zhong replied, The enemy is very experienced. I estimate theyve learned from fighting the Carolingian heavy tanks. They aim for tracks and turret rings, and since these T34 units are parade professionals, once the turret ring gets stuck, they abandon the tank. Actually, Wang Zhong wasnt certain where the Prosen people had gotten the experience to deal with hard tanks, as he wasnt even sure if the Carolingians had B1 heavy tanks on this side or not. But, in the history of Earth, the first Armored Division to encounter the T34, the Sturmtiger, did indeed quickly find a method to deal with the T34: hit the tracks and turret rings, then leave the rest to the infantry. Early T34s, blind as they were, would be finished once the infantry got close enough after they lost mobility. As for the KV, even if its tracks were broken, it could still inflict heavy casualties on infantry, fighting until running out of ammo and supplies. The tank operators of the 23rd Armored Division looked at each other, then in unison dered, We would never do that! Then the parade professionals got offended, Oh, getting cocky, are we? Lets see how you do in a T34, then wellpare! Hey, and now were boasting! Do you see the tank markings on my vehicle? Those are my victories! Ive scored this many even driving a BT-7, and it was all achieved today! Today, Wang Zhong led the remaining men of the 23rd Tank Division to achieve quite impressive results. Wang Zhong coughed to interrupt the arguing tank operators. When all eyes were on him, he said, Today, youve all performed splendidly! The Prosen people have always looked down on our armored forces, but from today onwards, theyll have to take us seriously! Tomorrow, we face another tough battle. The enemys entire armored cluster has already crossed Bogdanovka, so more and more tanks will appear in front of us. You dont have to worry about not getting your share of victories. Well be here, making sure the enemy recognizes our strength! The tank operators wore expressions of determination and, after Wang Zhong finished speaking, they shouted in unison, Ura! Vasily prodded the ground with the muzzle of his Tokarev where a Prosen soldiery. This was the enemy he had personally killed when they had retreated. This was the only enemy he could be certain he had killed thus far. The battle had been too fierce before, and Vasily had been too busy firing desperately out the window to notice whether his bullets had hit someone or not. He lifted the enemys helmet with his rifle to see a young, lifeless face. Someone yelled from behind, Dont move, raise your hands! Vasily turned around to see it was Filippov. Filippov was also startled, lowering his gun while asking, Why are you wearing a Prosens backpack? Vasily replied, This is the radio taken directly by the general from the enemy! Just now, the enemy reached ourmand post, so I had to join in the fight and ended up carrying this thing. If you had fired, and broken it, the general would have made you carry manure as punishment! Filippovughed, Damn, acting like weve never carried it before. Leaning against the wall, he slowly sat down and took out a rolled cigarette. You smoke now? Vasily asked, teasingly approaching. Filippov replied, I suddenly found out that not smoking for health reasons doesnt seem to make much sense. After all, you see, we might die before we even have to worry about health. Vasily nodded and said, Give me one, too, to try it out. Soon after, the two who had never smoked before both started coughing violently. After stamping out the cigarette butts, the two old friends sat side by side leaning against the wall. Niki is dead, Filippov said. And Barfinovich, too. Vasily was silent for a few seconds, then said, Dmitry is alive and kicking. Isnt that a good thing? Yes, I had wanted to mention who had died, but since I was always at themand post, Yegorov and the veterans are too crafty to die that easily. I saw him throw back Prosens grenades at least three times! Three! Filippovughed, That impressive? I only blew up three of the enemys tanks together with Niki. It was unrealistically easy; Niki threw Molotov cocktails, and I covered him with a submachine gun I picked up, shooting the Prosen soldiers as they climbed out of the tanks. Later, Niki was shot while throwing a Molotov cocktail. The bullet hit his arm, the bottle fell, and started burning at his feet. He was rolling around, begging me: Put me out of my misery, please! Im begging you, Filippov! Vasily asked, Did you grant his wish? I didnt hear him, the enemy wasing up, and I spent two magazines before I drove them back. When I looked again, Niki had already taken his own life. Vasily: If you didnt hear him, how do you know what he said? Filippovughed, Damn it, Vasily, you truly are a bastard. Damn it. Vasily: Maybe youre right. Do you know? Ive met Nikis mother, she works at the agricultural station, and shes a part-time preacher at the local churchs womens group. When we go to visit himter, you cant tell this story. You should say that Niki fought against seven or eight Prosen devils, managed to kill one and then was treacherously ambushed by the enemy. Filippov was silent for a few seconds, then nodded, Youre right! Niki killed a whole toon of devils with his submachine gun! Then he died heroically while reloading! Exactly, just like that! He did good! Just like that! Vasily repeated emphatically. Chapter 119: The Dusk Here is Silent (Extra for 1000 Votes) Wang Zhong rode a white horse and hesitated when he reached the road leading to the fertilizer factory. Because in his memory, this was an alleyway that could only fit one car at a time, and if a car and a tricycle headed towards each other, they would get stuck. Now the road was much wider, because the walls on either side had been sted to pieces, and the houses behind the walls were half-copsed, tattered and broken. Wang Zhong looked back at Grigori, who was helping him carry the g, Is this the ce? Grigori, Yes, just go straight ahead. Wang Zhong walked a few steps forward, turned a corner, and saw a burned Prosen Tank, with a member of the Guardian Army collecting the weapons and ammunition of the dead Prosen soldiers beside the tank. Next to the Guardian Army soldier was a mule cart piled high with ammunition and weapons. Amidst a pile of Prosen bolt-action rifles, Wang Zhong spotted a few Tokarev semi-automatic rifles. Bucephalus, as if sensing his intention, walked directly in front of the mule cart, allowing Wang Zhong to pick up one of the rifles.The blood on the rifles body had already coagted, and when Wang Zhong opened the chamber, he found it was nearly impossible to use because of the blood; the gun would jam if fired without a thorough cleaning. The bay on the gun was very clean, perhaps its owner hadnt had the chance to use it before sacrificing his life. At that moment, the Guardian Army soldier collecting the equipment said, General, the young man who was carrying this rifle has already been taken away, all of our boys have been taken away. Wang Zhong, Where have they been taken to? Over there to the stack area, it was originally meant for stacking fertilizers that were to be shipped out, but now it has be a huge morgue, a huge morgue! The Guardian Army soldier probably hadnt received much education and could only repeat the adjective huge. Wang Zhong ced the rifle on the mule cart and said to Grigori, Lets go, take a look. After speaking, he gently kicked Bucephaluss belly. The horse stepped lightly, as if it did not want to disturb the silence epassing the battlefield. The stack area was not far away, just past the wreckage of seven Prosen Tanks. Though it was called a stack area, it was actually just an open piece ofnd with weeds on itit seemed more urate to call it a meadow, as usual, reflecting the Ante Empires carefree nature. Now, the meadow was filled with bodies dressed in khaki military uniforms. Several old women, pushing a cart, were covering the young men with ck cloths. The leader was a nanny, who shook the bell in her hand while humming a requiem. Soldiers from the 31st Guards Regiment gathered beside the stack area, watching the nanny bid farewell to theirrades. Perhaps because of the heat, they took shelter in the shadow of the neighboring chemical factorys tall building. The light of the setting sun crossed the already dpidated building and fell upon the open stack area, coating everything with ayer of red. The silhouettes of shadows seemed like the border between two worlds, the living gazing upon the dead. Only the requiem echoed in the lonely scene. Wang Zhong closed his eyes, recalling the faces of the young, the enemy hade too quickly, and he had not been able to match all of their faces with names. But that did not prevent him from escorting them on theirst journey. Wang Zhong dismounted, nced at the g Grigori was holding aloft, then took out a notebook and pencil, and walked into the range of the setting sun, into the domain of the dead. He came to the first body at the bottom right corner of the stack, loudly read out the young mans name, and then wrote it down in the notebook with the pencil. Thus he continued, slowly walking past each person, reading out each name, and recording it in the notebook. The soldiers from 31st Regiment all stood up, silently watching him. Wang Zhong did not know how many names he had read, he only knew that he wore down his pencil several times and had to stop to whittle it with a small knife before continuing. Seeing his actions, the olddy silently asked the aunties to temporarily stop their work on covering with ck cloth, and the chant of the requiem also paused. The voices of the living echoed in this region dominated by death. Wang Zhong suddenly stopped, gazed intently at the body before him, and with a heavy heart, he read out the name, Aleksei Balfyonovich. May you reunite with the girl in heaven. The olddy made the sign of the cross over her chest and whispered, Amen. Wang Zhong continued to record names until the shadow of the fertilizer factorypletely engulfed the stacks. He stood on the edge of the shadow and turned back to see the blood-like setting sun. Unbeknownst to when it began, all the surviving soldiers of the 31st Regiment had already gathered at the edge of the stacks, watching Wang Zhong, watching their general. Grigori held the g, standing among them. Wang Zhong walked towards the soldiers. Perhaps because the scene was too solemn, no one used amand to break the silence. Wang Zhong made his way to the people, I promised to remember the names of all of you. But I havent managed to do so yet. The young soldiers watched Wang Zhong with pursed lips. Wang Zhong lifted the notebook in his hand, This notebook records the names of everyone who sacrificed today. Surely many more will join this notebook in the future. One day, when I be an Army Group or even a Front Armymander, the number of deaths will be so great that notebooks will hardly suffice to record them. But I promise, I remember every drop of blood shed for victory. Look at this g! Wang Zhong gestured to Grigori. The sergeant major stepped forward five paces to a position where everyone could see the g in his hand. Wang Zhong, This g was brought out by an old soldier named Rezenov. He sacrificed himself to rescue me when I was in trouble. To save me, many, many have sacrificed, their blood sttered on this g. I hold this g to remember those civilians who sacrificed themselves to save me. Now, I have decided to use dye, to thoroughly redden this g, and it will represent all the soldiers who sacrificed today. It will represent every defender of the homnd who has fallen since the war began! Each one of us, upon seeing the red g, will recall our sacrifices, remember the price we paid for victory! I think in this great war sweeping everything, in the early chaos, many did not leave their names before they died. This red g will represent each one of them! We will never forget! Wang Zhong paused, looking at the faces of those as young as the dead. Someone began to shout loudly, We remember! The others joined in, We remember! We remember! We remember! After the shouting in unison ended, Wang Zhong continued, If one day, I too fall, this g will bear the elegance of my bloodstained wind. Grigori! Go dye the g, turn it to red at its base! Grigori took off running, leapt onto his horse, and disappeared in a sh. ` After watching the g disappear, Wang Zhong looked again at the young people, Vasily! Is Vasily here? Or has he been injured? Vasily: Here! Ive got your precious walkie-talkie, and its not broken! Dont punish me! Wang Zhong: I wasnt going to punish you, or do you actually want to go shovel manure? No, I dont want to at all! Wang Zhong: I heard your father is a music professor? Yes. Vasily looked somewhat displeased, it seemed he had a deep estrangement with his father. Wang Zhong: Then sing us something appropriate for this scene! This General, in such a situation? Wang Zhong: Whats wrong? Cant we sing at a time like this? But, such a sorrowful scene Yes, such a sorrowful scene. But do the dead wish us to weep and wail? No, they want us to muster courage, to fight the enemy for them as well! They wish for us to give as good as we get, an eye for an eye, blood for blood! Sing! A song with vigor! Vasily furrowed his brow: This Didnt your father give you a musical education? Wang Zhong asked with doubt. Filippov yelled from the side: Report! Wang Zhong: Speak! He did, General! His music is really good! He can even y the trumpet! Vasily red fiercely at his so-called friend. Wang Zhong: So, youve had a good musical education and you say theres no song suitable for this scene? At least Ive never learned one. Wang Zhong thought to himself that it was fortunate he knew such a song, but it was a pity he didnt know how to adapt the lyrics into Antenguage, afraid that singing it in Chinese would just confuse everyone. But at this moment, he especially wanted to sing it because it was so fitting for the scene. So he hummed a line, only to realize that obviously there was no trantion, it was in Chinese. Although it was very quiet, Vasily heard itperhaps because he had a musician for a father, his ears were sharp. Whats this song? Ive never heard it! I cant understand the lyrics, but it feels like I can grasp the meaning with the melody! Vasily asked curiously, What is this, exactly? Wang Zhong suddenly had an idea. He asked, Have you studiedposition? Uh I havent tried, but my dad has always forced me to learn music theory. I can give it a shot. At this moment, Wang Zhongs mind became clear: Singing cant be tranted, but I can recite, and once recited, its tranted. Then leave it to Vasily to worry about how to turn it into singable lyrics. So he said, Then take a look, put this tune to music, write it into a song! He turned his head to look at the piles of bodies, then began to recite: The rolling smoke sings of heroes Mountains all around listen with sideways ear, with sideways ear The clear skys thunder strikes the golden drum The mighty sea raises waves as harmony Peoples warriors chase away tigers and leopards Sacrificing life, forgetting death to safeguard peace Why is the battle g beautiful as a painting Heroes fresh blood has dyed her red Why is the earth ever in spring Heroes lives blossom fresh flowers! Filippovs mouth formed an O shape: Youre a poet too? Vasily took his notebook and wrote down the words, read them silently again, and then critically said: The rhymes are a bit off, Ill need to make some adjustments. But it really has a spirit of sadness without sorrow! Nonsense, this is one of the immortal treasures of another time, my real homnd! Wang Zhong patted Vasilys shoulder: I order you to survive, perfect it. Then set it to music. Ill try my best. Vasily looked at the lyrics hed written in his notebook, These words Heroes fresh blood has dyed her red Did you think of this line after seeing the g? Unfortunately, it wasnt. Wang Zhong was about to reply when the sound of engines came from the sky. He quickly switched to an aerial view, only to discover the enemys reconnaissance ne flying high above. This time Wang Zhong was very careful to confirm that this was indeed not a bomber equipped with Fritz X radio-guided bombs. Vasily also looked up at the sky: Damn the enemy, where on earth is our Air Force? No sooner had he spoken than something reflected the light of the setting sun in the sky. A pair of Mig-3s appeared in formation! The enemys reconnaissance ne immediately ejected interception fire, but the two Mig-3s deftly got to its six oclock position. After a short burst, the Do 215 reconnaissance nes left engine caught fire, and, trailing thick smoke, plunged toward the ground. The Mig-3s followed the enemy ne as if to ensure its destruction, until it crashed. Then the nes turned and roared past above the pile of corpses. Despite just having shot down an enemy from thousands of meters in the air, the burly pilot did not close the ss canopy of the cockpit. Wang Zhong recalled that only Italian pilots liked to fly with the cockpit canopy open, supposedly to feel the breath of the wind. When the pilot saw clearly what was below, he raised his right hand in salute. Some of the soldiers eximed, He has six kill stars! Hes an Air Force ace! Hurrah! There were cheers all around! Only Vasily was still looking down at the poem Wang Zhong had just written. ` Chapter 120: The Situation on the Night of July 7 (Alliance Hierarch Added) At the same time that Major General Rokossov was mourning the fallen soldiers, twenty-five kilometers east of Bogdanovka, the town of Grezno, the estate of thergestndowner in the town, Boye, had been upied by the Prosen soldiers and converted into the headquarters of the First Armored Cluster. At seven in the evening, General Ewald von Steyr-Mark entered the main buildings hall surrounded by arge group of aides and staff officers. Steyr-Mark looked up at the magnificent chandelier above the hall and said, This thing will fall and hurt someone when its hit by shelling, take it down. The staff at headquarters immediately sprang into action, bringing adder to remove the chandelier. Steyr-Marks aide-de-camp made a gesture of invitation, General, the map room is set up this way. Lets have a look at the bedroom where Ill sleep tonight, since you guys definitely havent updated the map information yet, the general waved his hand. The aide-de-camp immediately changed direction, This way, please, up the stairs. A few minutester, the general entered the bedroom and frowned at the sight of the luxurious velvet bed, What is this! Heidlin, you should know I dont like this sort of thing! Throw this out, burn it, bring my field bed here!The aide-de-camp Heidlin quickly issued instructions to the orderlies, and within minutes the velvet bed had been dismantled and thrown out of the window. General Steyr-Marks field bed was set up in the original position. Once all waspleted under his supervision, the general nodded in satisfaction, Heidlin, as a soldier, you must always remain vignt. Velvet is not suitable for soldiers. At that time, amunications officer appeared with a telegram, General, an urgent message from the 15th Armored Division. Read it. The staff officer immediately read, To Armored Cluster Command, my unit is facing resistance in the attack at Loktov, the enemy has deployed the new model tanks, T-34, mentioned by High Command, posing a significant armor advantage to our forces. My division now has only 53 operational Panzer IIIs and 4 Panzer IVs. Moreover, because the battlefield is under enemy control, we are unable to retrieve and repair abandoned tanks. The enemy used their mobility tounch a surprise attack on our headquarters, General Randolf died for his country! 15th Armored Division Headquarters, July 7, 1730 hours. The general turned his head to themunications officer, his brows furrowed. He stepped forward, took the telegram, and read it several times before eximing, Major General Randolf is dead? Chief of staff: He may be the highest-ranking officer we have lost since the beginning of our offensive. I know, the general put the telegram behind his back and began pacing the room, New tanks! High Command said there were at most a hundred of these tanks! Did the 15th Division report how many new tanks they encountered? No. The report they sent back is the one youre holding, answered themunications officer. Chief of staff: I remember yesterdaythat is, on the 6th, the 15th Division reported that after a failed probing attack, they still had 91 operational Panzer IIIs and 27 Panzer IVs. Such a heavy loss in one go; the enemy must have deployed over 50 of the new tanks. Steyr-Markined as he paced, The intelligence department of the Southern Army Group told us that Loktov only had two infantry brigades, yet there emerged corps heavy artillery and now organized new tank units. Did these enemies sprout from the ground? As soon as he finished speaking, anothermunications soldier entered the room with a telegram and handed it to themunications officer, Just finished decoding. Steyr-Mark went up and snatched the telegram to read for himself, Telegram from Southern Army Group headquarters: ording to aerial reconnaissance, an infantry army group of the enemy is advancing towards Loktov, expected to arrive tomorrow evening. The First Armored Cluster should attempt to capture Loktov before the arrival of the army group. After reading, Steyr-Mark handed the telegram to the chief of staff, An infantry army group, no mention of tanks. Chief of staff: Perhaps tomorrow we could have the 15th Division try again? No, no, General Steyr-Mark waved his hand, The offensive operations of these past ten days have proven one thing, that is, our armored divisions are assigned too few infantry. If the enemy has heavy artillery and possibly fifty new tanks, then they might have seven to eight infantry battalions. Our armored divisions only have four armored grenadier battalions, one of which is motorized reconnaissance! After another round of pacing, he stressed once more, We need to increase the number of armored grenadiers! Ordinary infantry cant keep up with armored units and always fall out of step during the attack. The Ante people were in disarray, allowing our armored forces to break through with ease, buttely the Ante have started to put up a stubborn fight! We need infantry to conquer those well-defended towns! The chief of staff tentatively asked, So were not attacking anymore? We will attack! Once the enemys infantry army group arrives, taking Loktov will be even more difficult. Have the 24th Armored Grenadier Division join the attack. Now that Major General Randolf has died a glorified death,mand of the assault will be handed over to Major General Franz of the 24th Armored Grenadier Division. The chief of staff nodded, Having an infantry officer direct the fight to capture a city is very sensible. Steyr-Mark nodded and then said, And one more thing! Have the Air Force bomb the enemys positions hard! Especially those tanks! Since the enemys new tanks are so troublesome, let the Air Force deal with them! 50 tanks are hard to hide! Having said this, Steyr-Mark waved his hand. As themunications officer who received the orders was about to leave, the general spoke again, Whomands the enemy forces at Loktov? Its said to be Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov. General Steyr-Mark frowned, These Ante names are so long. So, who is that? The White Horse General, said the chief of staff. Steyr-Mark frowned, The White Horse General? The young officer trusted by the emperor used to shift me? The chief of staff: If I remember the name correctly, its him. Steyr-Mark frowned, Randolf was killed by this man? Communications officer, wire the 15th Armor and inquire about the details of Major General Randolfs death! Karlinovka, July 7, 1940 I saw it with my own eyes! Old soldier Hans told the others gathered around the fire, That new tank was painted all white! It charged across the battlefield and destroyed seven of our tanks before reaching headquarters! The headquarters guard tank toon immediately advanced, and bang, bang, bang, the pure white new tank blew them all up! That white figure was like a demon arriving! It was the white demon summoned by the Ante Army! Someone by the fire immediately objected, Youre talking nonsense! I clearly heard it was painted red like the Red Baron! What are you saying! Hans was displeased, They call him the White General! How could it be red? I saw it with my own eyes and it was white! Who cares about red or white! What happened after it charged up close? someone was only interested in the oue. What else could happen? With one boom from the tanks gun, the major general was dead! And several staff officers too! While the old soldier was vividly describing the scene, someone beside him shouted, Hans! Your coffee tastes terrible! What is this stuff? Be grateful for what youve got! Hans shouted back without hesitation. At this moment, someone spoke mysteriously, About this White General, theres a rumour. It was told to me by a fellow sapper from my hometown! In this vige, the White General nted 20 devious mines, and the sappers only managed to remove four and one exploded. The remaining fifteen mines have not been found at all! This statement made everyone around the fire tense up. The person who shared this news seemed pleased, So be careful, stay away from anything suspicious, or you wont be keeping your life! The Prosen soldiers looked at each other in dismay. If the White General could take out 12 tanks and kill General Lendorf all by himself in a single tank, then he surely could have nted 15 mines. There was no logical connection between the two, but the grunts didnt care about that; they just believed the White General could do it. Everyone secretly swore that when it came time to sleep, they would definitely sleep outside the housethey dared not even consider using a bed. At ten fifty in the evening, Wang Zhong rode his white horse out of the city and found the mechanics fervently trying to save tanks at the repair factory to understand the situation. Your Excellency General, said the same old worker who was assembling the cannon, You asked us to repair tanks, but were car mechanics, not very familiar with tanks. So weve enlisted the help of maintenance workers from the tractor station; at least they can reattach the tracks. Then the old worker introduced a colleague to Wang Zhong, This is the foreman from the tractor station, let him exin the situation. Wang Zhong nodded, Please, go ahead. Your Excellency General! Weve checked several abandoned tanks, and three of them can move once the tracks are reattached, and the turrets are functional. Of the remaining five, one has a damaged leading wheel that needs recement parts. The turrets on the other four are jammed by enemy armor-piercing shells. We n to use pliers to pull out the armor-piercing shells wedged between the turret and the body. As for the other faults, we arent familiar with cannons, so we cant inspect the condition of the cannons. The machine guns, only a few of us reservists have seen them during mobilization training, we cant guarantee that theyll be fixed. Wang Zhong, How many do you estimate can be rescued? If given time, we can fix them all. But will you give us the time? Wang Zhong, Time is tonight, I hope to have these tanks back in fighting condition before six or seven oclock tomorrow morning. That will be difficult, said the foreman of the tractor station, We dont have the specialized repair equipment, nor are we professional logistical mechanics. By the time youve set, I think we can only repair five. Wang Zhong was taken aback; it seemed that couldnt be demanded of them, so he changed the subject, What about those Prosen tanks? The foreman shook his head, Those tanks are vastly different in design from ours, and the width of the tracks is differentwe dont have the specialized tools to reattach tracks. Plus, its clear they are high-quality manufacturing, very precise. Such finely made things are harder to repair. However Wang Zhong, However? However, we found that some of the enemys tanks didnt really have any problems, just that their crew was severely reduced after being prated, so they were abandoned. Weve inspected these tanks, and at least three are still operational, even able to fire shells. Wang Zhong, Only three, huh 5+3, not to mention anything else, it was truly a relief to have restored the fighting capability of 8 tanksregardless of whether they were T34s or not. But these few tanks were far from enough! Who knows how many enemy tanks they will have to face tomorrow! Chapter 121: Artillery Preparation On the morning of July 8, 914 A.D. ording to the Jules calendar, Wang Zhong woke up amidst the rubble. The senior officers quarters next door, where he had stayed before, had its roof blown off, but, miraculously, none of the three beds had been crushed. As soon as Wang Zhong opened his eyes and sat up, he saw Yegorov cleaning his gun. Not polishing shoes today? he asked, puzzled. Taking his shoe, Yegorov showed a huge gash at the front: It got sted by a grenade. I only discovered it this morning, so I sent Vasily to get me a new pair, he said. Wang Zhong: Treating Vasily as your personal orderly? Whats wrong with that? Or could it be, the rumors are true? Wang Zhong: What rumors? Yegorov, as if searching for the right adjective, twirled his hand in the air, A rtionship of a wolf to a sheep!Wang Zhong thought for a second, then figured Yegorov probably meant to say an intimacy as of dragons and suns but misspoke. Wang Zhong: Not at all! Dont you know my reputation? Im the bulldozer of Saint Yekaterinburg, the terminator of nobledies chastity! Yegorov: But that doesnt conflict with this! Did I spell it right, though? Wang Zhong: No, you didnt. I knew it! Yegorov cursed, Damn! You guys alwayse up with these words no one uses! Wang Zhong changed the topic to the empty bed: Popov didnte backst night? How could he possiblye back? Afterst nights battle, there must be a mountain of tasks to do. A normal brigade headquarters needs over a hundred staff, odd-job men, and clerks. How many do we have? It wouldnt be surprising if Pavlov copsed at any moment. Wang Zhong: Does a brigade headquarters really need that many people? Thats not even countingmunications and security. A normal brigade HQ, along with logistics and apanyingborers and such, numbers in the thousands. Wang Zhong: A brigade? That many people? Yep, that number is on the conservative side for logistics. A fully staffed brigade with sufficient supplies normally has a ratio of 2 civilians to 1 soldier, and that can be reduced to 1:1 only if you have enough vehicles. Wang Zhong scratched his head. No wonder they said the victory of the Huaihai Campaign was pushed by single-wheel carts. Having only known it on paper, now Wang Zhong truly understood that modern warfare is a war of logistics. In passing, Wang Zhong also finally figured out why Pavlov was always busy with panda eyes. He hoped Popov would relieve some of his pressure. Wang Zhong wished so. At that moment, Yegorov spoke up: Heard you wanted theborers to dig tank emcements yesterday? Wang Zhong: Yes, a type of tank emcement that I devised myself. Of course, it wasnt actually his own idea, but rather one taken from the Soviet armored defense manuals of another timeline. Who says giarism is limited to poetry? Wang Zhong picked up a brick, cleared a clean space on the ground, and started to draw a diagram for Yegorov. (Image from the Bilibili UP host Doggie Chocte) As he drew, Wang Zhong exined: Look, the straight walls on this side are the front, facing the enemy, and the sloped side is the rear. The rear has two steps, allowing tanks to move between them using their own power. If tanks move to the bottom of the emcement, they will bepletely concealed by the front wall, keeping them hidden from the enemy, who cant directly attack them. Backing up onto the ramp will allow the tanks to expose just their turrets to fire. At this time, arge area in front can amodate the muzzle st, making it difficult for the enemy to spot the tanks position. Yegorov, holding his chin: Though Im an infantry officer, I can tell this is cunning! Its reminiscent of our Civil War trenches, with differing heights on each side, making it difficult for enemies who enter the trench to shoot backwards, while our counter-attacks can easily reim the trenches! Wang Zhong hesitated: Uh, I think there still is a difference. Anyway, its all about using the height difference of trench sides to our advantage. So, were these tank emcements dug in the end? Wang Zhong shook his head: No, thebor camp said the amount of earthwork required was too much. With their manpower, not even by tomorrow nighttonight, could they finish. So, they had to do some things that would have immediate effects instead. Like buryingndmines. Yegorov looked up in surprise: Do we have mines now? They were deliveredst night. Also, I have some new ideas for the minefield. See, the enemy would use artillery to st the minefield, setting off all mines, right? We need to think inversely, so I had the engineers guide theborers to bury the mines five kilometers away from the city, so enemy artillery cant reach the minefield. But, we erected signs in Prosen around the city, along with some pickle jar lids. Inside those lids, weve mixed in real mines, and beneath each, weve buried homemade booby traps made out of grenades. If the engineers disarming the mines dont notice the booby traps, then BOOOOM! Yegorov stared, dumbstruck, Was that your idea? No, it was acted out in Mine Warfare. Back then, war movies always had military advisors withbat experience, so it should be reliable. But Wang Zhong, with shamelessly thick skin, pped his chest, My idea! Yegorov raised his thumb, No wonder you have a good eye for Vasily, that troublemaker. You both likeing up with bad ideas. Wang Zhongughed heartily, maintaining his smile as he stood up and walked over to where the window used to benow there was only a breast-high wall left. Had the vase still not been on the windowsill, one might not have known there was once a window here! Looking out at the fields, Wang Zhongs smile vanished. It hadnt been noticeable at night, but now the once green fields had turned iron grey. Just as Dmitry had said, thisnd was almost entirely made of iron now. However, Wang Zhong noticed a tuft of grass growing stubbornly in the morning sun. As Yegorov was cleaning his gun, he asked, What do you think the enemy will lead with today? I think it will be an airstrike, Wang Zhong replied. They always start with a bombing run, otherwise the Prosen Air Force would have to exin themselves to the Army. Makes sense. No sooner had he spoken than the telephone rang in the next room. A momentter, Dmitry came in to report, Brother Peter has heard arge enemy air group approaching. Wang Zhong, Alright, got it, sound the air raid rm. The air raid rm sounded right after he spoke, clearly Brother Peter had called the air defense troops first. Yegorov, Didnt many people see the Air Force shoot down the enemys high-altitude reconnaissance ne yesterday? I saw it. After they took down the enemy, they even flew over the city to salute the young lives sacrificed, Wang Zhong said. Although Im grateful for their efforts to boost morale, I still wish the Air Force could provide a bit more substantial help. The roar of engines came from the horizon, and Wang Zhong symbolicallyy down on the ground. Twenty minutester, the sound of the enemy nes receded, and Wang Zhong got up, patting the dust off his body. At that moment, Vasily rushed into the room, Commander, Ive brought the boots over! Wang Zhong, Did you encounter any bombing on the way? All good? No trouble. A kind olddy pulled me into her cer. Now I smell like pickled cabbage. Can you guys smell it? Both Wang Zhong and Yegorov shook their heads. Vasily handed the boots to Yegorov and excitedly asked Wang Zhong, Whats the n for todays fight? The n is simple. Even though we didnt finish digging aplete tank shelter yesterday, I had thebor camp stack some sandbags for cover, and we put sandbags on the fronts and the turret fronts of the tanks. Well be on the edge of the city, taking cover among the ruins and exchanging fire with the enemy. Wang Zhong nced at Yegorov and continued, The T34 tank has really poor visibility, I confirmed this myself yesterday. The tankmander also acts as the gunner, and most of the time, he can only focus on the aiming periscope. So, by positioning the tanks at the edge and staggering them, all facing outward, we can effectively reduce the blind spots in the tanks view. Yegorov, Youre treating the tanks as gun emcements? These are the results from yesterdays battle. Those Guards of Honor, they do fine standing in ce, aiming, and shooting at the enemy, but asking them to charge at the enemy tanks for a close fight is asking too much. When the enemy infantry gets close enough to threaten the tanks, well reverse out and let the machine guns deployed on the nks of the tank shelters cover for the tanks. Wang Zhong said with conviction, as if he was an experienced tankmanderthough considering the abysmal loss rate of the Ante Empires tank troops right now, perhaps Wang Zhong really was the leading tank expert in the Ante Empire. Yegorov nodded, I cant manage the tanks, Im just a simple infantryman. Ill keep holding our position today. In fact, things are much better than yesterday; at least we have more people. Because of Wang Zhongs valiant fight yesterday, the church was able to muster a greatly increased Guardian Army, stuffing five Guardian Army battalions into Rocossovs battle group. However, these men had hardly received anybat training, and all they had were the outdated weapons from the stores. In the words of Paradox Interactive gamers, these were the quintessential cannon fodder infantry. But having cannon fodder was still better than letting elite troops fight a lonely battle. Yegorov, And you, General? Going to continue riding your tank? Yes, I am the mobile force; Ill appear where Im needed. This is the confidence a top-down perspective gives me. Just then, the howl of shells passed overhead. The enemys artillery preparation had begun. Everyone in the roomy down together, maintaining the standard artillery evasion posture. As the shells fell, Yegorovughed, Looks like its going to be another busy day today! Chapter 122: Pavlov’s Flexibility and Adaptability On the morning of July 8th at eight oclock, Wang Zhongmanded Vehicle 422 to enter the preset positions. The other vehicles were already in the shelters, covered tightly with camouges draped with leaves. The surviving crews of the two BT-7s from yesterday were split up and assigned to two understrength T34 crews. As for the recovered Mark III tank, it was operated by gunners from the 31st Guards Regiment and used as a fixed artillery emcement. Among the military academy students who had joined the 31st Guards, there was a toon of artillery school trainees; these young people had a strong capacity for learning and quickly mastered the manual turret operation of the Mark III. After all, the Mark III had decent armor, which should afford these trainees a higher survival rate than if they were directly manning the 45mm anti-tank guns. On the Eastern Front in World War II, both sides suffered high casualty rates among their anti-tank gun crews. Eventually, Sturmtigers were used as the main anti-tank firepower for infantry divisions to reduce reliance on anti-tank guns. Wang Zhong sat in the turret, pondering aimlessly, In the future, when I can influence arms production, I must produce something like the Sturmtiger to provide infantry divisions with anti-tank firepower. The Soviet self-propelled guns were indeed used as artillery pieces, with the SU-76 and SU-85 capable of firing directly by lowering their barrels, although they were more often employed for indirect fire.This was reflected in post-war films, where Tank Destroyers and howitzer batteries would be ced together, angling their barrels high for indirect fire. Originally, the early models of the Sturmtiger equipped with short-barrel howitzers were designed to fire shells, butter, due to increasing anti-tank pressure, they all switched to long-barrel guns to fight tanks. For a considerable time during World War II, the German forces on the Eastern Front held the advantage in armor engagements, with some units reporting only a loss of 10 tanks after three days ofbat, while iming to have destroyed over 200 Soviet tanks. However, Germany only had so many armored divisions, which meant that the infantry had to grapple with the numerous T34s. And the Sturmtiger greatly reduced the losses of the infantry divisions. This was a good thing to have! I should definitely get some! I need to figure out how to influence the production of equipment, I wonder if the Crown Prince can y a role in this area. As Wang Zhong mused about the future, Vasilys voice came over the radio: Hound Fox calling White Horse, Hound Fox calling White Horse! Hound Fox was the call sign Wang Zhong had designated for the 31st Regiment headquartersthe forwardmandthis morning. Wang Zhong: This is White Horse, go ahead. We just intercepted the enemysmunications. Although we dont know what units those call signs represent, its certain they stepped onndmines and had to stop to clear them. After realizing that their false intelligence had not fooled the Ante Army, the enemy had changed their call signs and code words, but monitoring was still meaningful, like right now. Wang Zhong: Are you sure they hit mines? Positive. The enemys front linemand also reported that the attack might be dyed by two to three hours. Wang Zhong pped his thigh: Good! Just a few mines had dyed them three hours, without any casualties! Mines really are a great thing! No wonder modern warfare involves both sidesying mines extensively. Wang Zhong could foresee that hed have to fight many defensive battles in the future, and mines would certainly be a great help in his military career. After Vasilysmunication ended, Wang Zhong had just slightly removed his headset when he heard a new call: Nun calling White Horse, Nun calling White Horse! Wang Zhong: Whats Nun? Who the hell is messing around with the radio? I am Sufang! Arent I a Nun? I received a hymn from the St. Ye Katerina Fortress choir, ordering us to attack with all our might, seeking to recover all lost territories within one or two weeks. Wang Zhong: Shut your mouth! Thats innguage, the enemy can hear it too! Im heading to the division headquarters now! You wait! After saying that, he pped the top of the tank hard: To the division headquarters. Beliyakov: We just arrived at the ambush position? Wang Zhong: The enemy wont arrive for at least another two hours. We go to the division headquarters first to see what kind of frenzy the guys in the rear are in. As soon as Wang Zhong entered themand post, he saw Sufang. The girl couldnt help butugh at the sight of him: Youre here! Wang Zhong: Next time, dont talk about hymn content over the radio! At that moment, Pavlov looked up: Actually, its no big deal. Most of the hymn content isnt ssified, and anyone with the ability to listen can hear it, so enemy spies definitely know as well. Oh? Is that so? Wang Zhong: Then does the hymn serve any purpose? Sufang pouted: The envoys at Peniye called in Vehicle 67, thanks to me! The girls voice suddenly dropped. Although we had to sacrifice them there at least I managed to keep us alive. It seemed that way. Wang Zhong: Alright, youre useful after all. So what did the big shots in the capital say? They ordered a full assault, to recapture lost territories within two to three weeks, Sufang answered seriously. Wang Zhong gave an honest appraisal, The Emperors head has gone bad? The blue-hatted courier who had just brought the telegram was shocked and, with a guarded look, searched for the speaker. Upon discovering it was Wang Zhong, he decisively pretended not to hear. A war hero, the Crown Princes buddy, the White Horse Generalmenting on the Emperorwhats wrong with that? Maybe its a family matter. Whats wrong if a bastardins about his dad? What if meddling causes trouble? Acting as if he hadnt heard anything, the blue-hatted courier approached Wang Zhong, clicked his heels together with a snap and saluted, Urgent telegram from the Front Army headquarters! Wang Zhong took the telegram and saw it read Your unit should initiate an attack as soon as possible He stopped reading, crumpled the telegram, and threw it into the trash can. The coordination of this body was excellent; he scored a direct hit. The body of this wastrel was well trained; howe it failed on the battlefield? Pavlov hurried over to pick up the telegram. Opening it, he said, It really is ordering us to attack. Shouldnt we have reported fewer enemy tanks destroyed yesterday? Wang Zhong asked, How many did you report? Two hundred, Pavlov said with an innocent expression. We only overreported by forty-four percent! Only? Wang Zhong frowned in disapproval. What kind of small-time thinking was this? Were they making a grand base camp war report here? Then he noticed the problem, Wait a minute! If the actual number destroyed was just over a hundred, and during the enemys attack, there were 80 in the city and 100 outside, and we drove all the enemies away, what about the rest? They fled from the north of the city, exined Pavlov. By the way, they also found out that there were no defenses to the north, so thats why I had the church send the newly formed Guardian Army there. We also need to be careful about the north side in todays battle. Wang Zhong sneered and returned to Pavlovs exaggerated count, 200 tanks! Youve got some nerve! Even if we destroyed every tank the enemy had in their assault, theres still a shortfall of 20! Where am I supposed to find those 20 tanks? You could say that when you raided the enemys Armored Division headquarters, you destroyed twenty tanks, suggested Pavlov. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue. Suddenly, he oh-ed in realization, I understand why they want us to counterattack now. You guys kept addingyers to the story, so the higher-ups think the enemy is worn out, right? Pavlov, with a dark face: What do you think turned us into this? This Pavlov always spoke with multiple meanings! The waiting Judge looked up at the ceiling where spiders were weaving their webs. Wang Zhong said, Forget it, Judge! Theres been no reply yet, has there? No, the Judge answered. Then dont respond. Smash the radio and say it was destroyed by artillery fire, Wang Zhong dered with a wave of his hand. Its settled then. Pavlov interjected, Wait a minute! He told the Judge, Call the Cryptographer and the Codebook Custodian. The Judge immediately left while Pavlov hunched over the desk and quickly scribbled a note, then tore it off the notepad. The Judge returned with the Cryptographer and Codebook Custodian. Pavlov ordered, Take this note, go to the hospital, and fill out admission cards for three wounded inpatients. Make sure to leave a record stating youre from thebat groupsmunication team! The Judge, puzzled, asked, And then what? Stay there until after the battle when we rotate out with the 63rd Army Group. Then im youve recovered and leave discharge records. Wang Zhong probed, Arent they going to find out if you recover within a few hours? Whats to fear? Once the battle starts, a massive number of casualties will flood the hospital. With so many records between admission and discharge, no one will notice anything. Even if they do, we can just say we were knocked out by a shell and taken in by the stretcher team. Wang Zhong reassessed Pavlov: Is this the way a noble officer behaves? You are also a noble officer. In the entire Empire, youre the only noble officer who cant say that about me. If we really get down to it, I learned from you! Pavlov retorted, then waved the Judges off, Go on, hurry up. The Judges left. Wang Zhong asked, So do we smash the radio or not? No need for that. After the battle, well still need tomunicate with the Front Army. Look, our Cryptographer is injured and in the hospital. Its only normal we wont understand the telegrams we receive! Then, Sufang spoke up, What about me? Should I respond acknowledging the receipt of psalms? Wang Zhong suggested, How about you lie down in the hospital too? Sufang considered it and nodded solemnly, I can help at the hospital. Its perfect since I am also a Monk; I can listen to the soldiersst prayers. Wang Zhong approved, Very good. Sufang turned and ran off. Pavlov picked up the torn note, Wait! The note! Ah, she ran off too quickly. Wang Zhong suddenly felt, Its a miracle that the Ante Empire has not yet been defeated. At this moment, Popov, who had been silent up until now, looked up and snorted, Hmph, the church has been displeased for a long time. During the civil war, we were so focused on purging the Sanctified faction that we ignored the scum among the great nobles who supported the Secr faction. Upon hearing Popovs words, an idea struck Wang Zhong: Does this scum include me? Popov nodded, It used to include you. It used to. Chapter 123: Combat Plan of the 24th Armored Grenadier Division (Extra for 2000 monthly tickets) On the enemy side. Major General Franz of the 24th Armored Grenadier Division arrived early in the morning at Karlinovka, where in the makeshift chapel set up by the army chain, he saw the body of Major General Rondorf, which had beenid out for a day and was somewhat swollen. Poor Rondorf, Franz said, looking up at Rondorfs face after a moment of silence, I know he wanted to emte the young Erwin who always charged at the forefront in the Carolingian Campaign, so he pushed the headquarters very close to the front line. The 15th Armored Division Chief of Staff said, Please ept my condolences, I heard that you and the divisionmander were ssmates at the military academy. I was three grades above him, Franz made a curt nod, not continuing to discuss the past, instead shifting the conversation to the days battle, I received a report, have our troops been dyed by mines? 15th Armored Division Chief of Staff: Yes, mines suddenly appeared five kilometers away from the city, they must have beenidst night. Major General Franz: You didnt leave a unit to monitor the enemy, and thats why this problem urred. What, were you scared out of your wits by the enemys new tanks? The Chief of Staffs expression immediately became constrained: This Major General Franz: I heard it was a white-painted T34 tank?No, I dont remember it that way, the color should have been the ordinary Ante Army protective color paint, the Chief of Staff raised his right hand, his index finger drawing circles in the air as he recalled the scene, The tactical number was 422, and next to the number there was a drawing of a white horse. Additionally, there was a dirty and torn g on the radio antenna. A dirty and torn g? Major General Franz repeated, Is this a specific description, or does it have a special meaning? The Chief of Staff: A specific description, its just the Ante Empires national g looking dirty and mucky, with a lot of bloodstains on it. Major General Franz, while tapping his palm with a riding cropa number of Junker nobility officers carried a riding crop even when not mounted, as a recement for a gentlemans cane. It is said that the Junker nobility used this as a way to distinguish themselves from the emerging industrial nobility. Major General Franz tapped his palm with the riding crop, murmuring: Bloodstains, a filthy g, dirt and tears on the tanks g are understandable, but how did the bloodstains get there? Do tanks bleed too? The Chief of Staff could only shake his head. After a moment, Major General Franz decided not to dwell on these details: You were scared out of your wits by the tank, and retreated to Karlinovka in a panic, not even leaving a unit to monitor the enemy, allowing the enemy toy mines again. You will be held ountable afterwards. With that, Franz made a gesture, and his adjutant immediately handed him a white flower. Franz threw the white flower into Rondorfs casket and turned to walk away. Immediately to the right of the chapel was the current headquarters of the 15th Armored Division, with a small door leading directly into it. Franz entered through the small door and approached the map, tapping it with his riding crop: Loktov! Now guarded by the enemys famous White Horse General. This White Horse General, who has never appeared in any exchanges between our army and the Ante Army, repeatedly inflicts painful blows on our forces! The intelligence department cant find his ranking in the university; among the students who graduated from the Suvorov Military Academy in thest fifteen years, none in the top one hundred bear that name! Are our excellent officers being defeated by a poor student? Its iprehensible! As ridiculous as a nonmissioned officermanding the entire Prosen Empire! After saying this, Major General Franz again tapped the map a few times with his riding crop. The staff in the map room, whether from the 15th or the 24th Armored, all remained silent with serious expressions. Major General Franz sighed: Next, we have to eliminate this so-called White Horse General and crush the Ante Empires will to resist! Just as we mustwe must quickly take their capital, the St. Ye Katerina Fortress! Long live the Empire! Franzs adjutant shouted. Long live! the others hurriedly followed suit. All right! The general held up his riding crop, How is the progress on clearing the mines? The enemy minefield is not covered by firepower, and the engineers believe they can clear a safe passage by 10:30. Franz: Good, continue the artillery preparation on Loktov until then. The artillerys ammunition has been stuck on the road for so long, its time to use it up! Previously, due to inadequate preparation for the road conditions in the Ante Empire, the Prosen army was at one point stuck in traffic, with cannons and shells unable to keep up with the assault vanguard, so the armored units had always relied on apanying self-propelled mortars for offensive operations. But with the war now sixteen days in, the Prosen Army had already captured some railway hubs, and with the aid of railway transport, the traffic jams had finally eased. The Prosen now had an ample supply of shells. As soon as Major General Franz gave the order, a staff member immediately went to phone the artillery. The general continued to study the map, then suddenly tapped the 513 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiments marker with his riding crop: Is the anti-aircraft artillery currently deployed? Yes, the 15th Armoreds Chief of Staff answered, I had them select good interception positions and deploy yesterday. Too far, theyre too far from the front. Have them enter marching order, I will designate a deployment position after I conduct a personal reconnaissance of the front. The Chief of Staff from the 15th was shocked: Youre going to the front line yourself? An excellentmander must have a clear, clear grasp of the front-line terrain! If I were an Army Group Commander, then I could delegate the task of personally understanding the terrain to the divisionmanders below me. But as I am a divisionmander now, I must take responsibility for the troops! After a pause, the general added: Of course, I will not be as eager and aggressive as Rondorf, I will stay with the divisional reserve. As for you, Armored Troops! The few armored troops officers in the room all stood at attention, chin held high. The uniform of the Prosen Empires Armored Troops was cker than that of regr troops, and the cor insignia was reced with a skull symbol instead of rank insignia. Major General: Your mission today is to advance alone after the passage through the minefield has been cleared. Isnt it to let the armored grenadiers push into the city? a Major of the Armored Troops asked with confusion. Major General: No, no, after being dyed bynd mines, its already very difficult for us to capture the city this morning, but we can try to kill this White Horse General! He wiped out so many of our tanks yesterday, and inferior races are very prone to getting carried away! Right now, he must think they are invincible! Your mission is to release smoke and retreat after losing ten percent of your tanks. The enemy will surely give chase! We n to ambush them at this position! The Major General forcefully pped the map on Hill 120 with his riding crop. I will personally choose the best firing positions for the anti-aircraft guns! In Carolingian, we stopped Carolingians armored counterattack with 88-mm guns and destroyed arge number of B1 heavy tanks. We shallrecreate this glory! - July 8th 1130 hours. The enemys second artillery preparation finally ended. The crew members of the T34 tank came out from the anti-shell shelters and began inspecting their tanks. Due to heavy artillery bombardment, shock waves could cause the inner walls of tanks to peel off. While this peeling often did no damage to the mechanical equipment of the tank, it was deadly for the crew inside. Therefore, during bombardment, crew members generally left the tank, only taking shelter inside if there was no other waychoosing the lesser of two evils, as being in the tank was still safer than lying outside. The crew of tank number 213 chatted leisurely while inspecting their tank. Loader Aleksei (amon name): I dont understand, our new tanks are overwhelmingly superior to the enemys, why dont we attack proactively? The enemy artillery is at most a dozen kilometers away, we could get there in half an hour! No, in 15 minutes! If we wiped out their artillery, we wouldnt be bombed like this! How many people have died because of this bombardment! The tankmander red at him: What are you saying! The General has his own considerations! What considerations? The enemy cant even prate us! We should be charging forward! Look, our tank has 40 armor-piercing shells, lets say it takes two shells to destroy one enemy tank, thats 20 tanks! If we charge forward, the enemys 400 tanks will be finished! Then use high-explosive shells to blow up their hundreds, maybe thousands, of trucks, and we could relieve Karlinovka! Alyosha! the tankmander raised his voice, What are you talking about! Do you think you understand the enemy better than the General? The loader pursed his lips: He himself should lead the charge, then! I heard from the electrician of tank 422 that they killed a general! Why not lead us in the charge as well! Because at that time, you were screaming Ive been hit aahhhhh, the driver finally couldnt help but retort, Every time we get hit by the Prussian artillery, you start wailing. If I were the General, I wouldnt take someone like you in a charge either. Loader Aleksei defended himself: I really felt like I had been hit! My body felt as if it was punched! Oh, right, right, the enemys armor-piercing shell hit you through the 60-mm sloped armor. Let me tell you, youre also named Aleksei, the General is also named Aleksei; maybe all your courage was sucked away by him? I Shush, the General ising! After saying that, the tankmander was the first to stand up straight on the tank, holding his head high as he looked at the approaching tank number 422. Unlike the standard model T34, the Generalsmand tank had arger turret, looking even more imposing. Of course, the most imposing was the General himself, with his upper body emerging from the turret, holding onto the hatch cover, eyes fixed ahead. A red g fluttered in the wind at the tip of the radio antenna behind the General. The crew of tank 213 held their heads high, saluting the General as soldiers awaiting inspection would. After the Generals tank passed by, the loader was the first to speak up: Ive heard that when the Generals tank charges, he likes to stick his head out of the turret to feel the wind blowing in his face! The tankmander scolded: You idiot, thats for observing the enemy. Youd understand if you were themander; you cant see anything without sticking your head out. If it wasnt for having to aim, Id be sticking my head out too! Doesnt the General have to aim? the loader asked. His tank is a parade vehicle, manned by Instructor Alexander Yefimovich from the Armored Training Brigade as the gunner. The General doesnt have to aim himself! Oh, I see, the loader nodded, then asked, Why does the Generals tank have a red g? Wasnt it just a g yesterday? The driverughed: You were just saying you heard this and that, so howe you dont know about such an important matter? Let me tell you, that red g on the Generals tank is specially dyed, representing every soldier under hismand who has sacrificed their life. The General also said, One day, I too will spill my blood on the battlefield, and my valor will stain the red g! The driver imitated the General so well it was as if General Rokossovsky had really said those words. Really! Loader Aleksei gazed towards the direction the General had gone. Tank 422 was now obscured by the shelter, but the red g was still clearly visible. At this moment, their toon leader came running over: Monk has heard the enemy tanks engines, battle stations! Into the shelters! Tank 213 did not have a radioonly the toonmand tank had such equipment, so the toon leader had to run over to inform them like this. The tankmander shouted: Did you hear that! Hurry, pack up the toolboxes! Into position! Chapter 124: The General’s Ingenious Strategy Demonstrates His Divine Prowess An hour before the Prussian Armyunched their attack. Major General Franz put down his binocrs and praised, The 513th Regiment deployed very quickly. As long as the enemy is sessfully lured, we are certain to achieve great results. Then he turned to another direction, observing the firing position of the 24th artillery regiment equipped with the PAK38 fifty-millimeter anti-tank guns through his binocrs. After a minute, Major General Franz lowered his binocrs, Very good, with this we can form a crossfire, and whatever kind of newfangled tanks the enemy has, well destroy them! As he spoke, he turned around, All we need to do is fall back and wait for the Ante Army, eager for glory, toe charging over. After taking two steps, Major General Franz stopped,ing up with a new idea. He turned his head and said, Is themunication vehicle of the 15th Division still around? Evacuate the personnel, and leave themunication vehicle and other vehicles here! As he said this, he pointed at the 120 high ground beneath his feet. Make this ce look like amand post! The Major Generals orders were swiftly executed. The armoredmand vehicles of the original 15th Division headquarters were driven up to the high ground, and all personnel were evacuated, leaving only the vehicles behind.Franzs adjutant watched this and finally couldnt help bute over and say, These are almost all of the radio equipment of the 15th Divisionsmand post. If theyre destroyed, it will take a while to rece them, and themand andmunication capabilities of the 15th Division will be greatly reduced. Franz replied, But if we can eliminate the enemys war hero, it will be worth it. Think about our offensive operations along the way. Although we encountered some fiercely resisting forces, in most ces, the enemy copsed before us! The resistance of the enemy has obviously increased now. In the encircled Bogdanovka, there are still troops fighting, and the 6th Army Group has to systematically clear the enemy out of each building! At times like this, its even more important to strike a blow to the enemys morale! Whether this Rokossovsky is the White Horse General or the White Eagle General, we must eliminate him! Major General Franz habitually tapped the palm of his hand with his riding crop. As long as the armored forcesplete the baiting mission, the enemy, without theirmander, will be disorganized. Well then have the opportunity to seize Loktov. By then, with the railways, wont it be easy to rece some radiomand vehicles? In actuality, after such a battle, the 15th Division would have to stop and regroup. Franz looked at the acting divisionmander of the 15th Division, revealing a grim smile. Tank number 422 just reached the bunker when the enemy appeared on the horizon. Wang Zhong immediately switched his viewpoint to observe the enemy situation. As he watched, his brows twisted into a knot, So few apanying infantry? If it were from a normal persons viewpoint, it probably wouldnt be noticeable since, from the front, the infantry were obscured by the tanks. But Wang Zhongs overview could even highlight the enemies, making everything crystal clear at a nce. So few apanying infantry didnt seem like they were preparing for urban meat-grindingbat; it rather looked like a case of not having apanying infantry would be too obvious, so just throw in a few for appearances sake. Wang Zhong frowned deeply. At that moment, he remembered a tactic from Earths military history where Sturmtigers feigned a retreat with their armored forces to lure T34s into pursuit, then ambushed them with t-trajectory fire from eighty-eight millimeter anti-aircraft guns. Could the Prussians also be using this tactic? Regardless, Wang Zhong decided to fire first. Whether or not the enemy was baiting, it was imperative to secure thebat results first. He raised his handthen remembered that no one could see him as the T34 tankmanders were glued to their sights, aiming at targets. He awkwardly lowered his hand and gave the order through his radio: Fire! The next moment, all the toon leader tanks with radios opened fire. The other tanks, hearing the sound of gunfire, also followed suit. Half the regiment of T34s fired in unison. The shells crossed a charred in and hit four Panzer IIIs. The enemy fired back, but the T34s were well armored, and now they also had sandbags for cover. The precise shooting by the Prussian crew hit the target about eighty percent of the time, but the shells were all deflected, striking the brick walls behind the tank shelters. The enemy tanks did not falter, remaining in ce and continuing to aim at the T34s in the bunkers. Just then, Vasilys voice came through the static in Wang Zhongs headset: The enemy is shouting to fire another round! Something feels off! The words had barely ceased when tanks on both sides opened fireobviously, the enemys fifty-millimeter guns reloaded a bit faster. Three more Panzer IIIs billowed with thick smoke. Then the enemy started toy down a smokescreen. The infantry, which had been hiding behind the tanks, also threw smoke bombs, cutting off the T34s view from inside the shelter. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, and at that moment, he was certain that the enemy was indeed baiting. Within tank number 213, the tankmander yelled, The enemy is retreating! Theyve released smoke to obstruct our vision! The loader, Aleksei, stuffed a shell into the breech: Then what are we waiting for? Charge out and wipe them all out! We can push through directly and destroy the enemysmand post, then blow up their artillery positions! No! themander shouted loudly, We cant move until the toon leader tanks move! The toon leader tanks can hear the Generals orders! Aleksei pursed his lips, visibly displeased, as if someone had snatched a medal right off his chest. At that time, Wang Zhong pulled out his map, turned to the side, and spread the map on top of the tank turret. Previously, Wang Zhong had personally surveyed the terrain from outside the city up to Karlinovka. Last night, as the Guardian Army and engineers went out toy mines, Wang Zhong had confirmed the terrain once again. Now, he was very familiar with the area outside Lokotov city. While examining the various markings he had personally drawn on the map during reconnaissance, Wang Zhong murmured, If this is an eighty-eight gun ambush, it should be here! A good ambush position should meet several conditions: first, it must provide an excellent field of view; second, it should have forests or simr features for cover; third, it should offer a retreat path. Referring to these three conditions, Wang Zhong quickly found several suitable locations on the map. However, considering the direction that the enemy tanks retreated, Wang Zhong ultimately narrowed it down to three positions. Firmly holding the map, he climbed out of the turret, jumped to the ground, and ran into the nearby house, picking up the temporarily installed phone. This house not only had a phone but also an artillery sighting scope. It was originally an artillery observation post, with two artillery cadet officers on duty inside. As soon as the cadets saw Wang Zhong enter, they immediately saluted. At ease! said Wang Zhong offhandedly as he picked up the phone. Connect me to the artillery position! One gun at Position A had survived previously, so today Wang Zhong simply merged both artillery forces to prepare for abined fire tomorrow, giving the enemy a little shock of heavy artillery. Artillery position? Wang Zhong looked down to check the coordinates he had marked on the map and read them out. Immediatelyunch an attack on the following three coordinates a salvo at each coordinate. All three targets? the artillery asked after receiving the coordinates. Should we fire at all of them? Theyre quite far apart! No, not far, just enough to form a crossfire, Wang Zhong thought. Wang Zhong raised his voice, Yes, hit all three targets! If the heavy artillery could knock out the enemys 88mm guns, that would be great; after that, they would only need to worry about the likes of the 50mm caliber PAK38 cannon. If he remembered correctly, the 75mm caliber PAK40 anti-tank guns, capable of effectively suppressing T34s and KV1s, wouldnt reach the front until November. The artillery on the phone double-checked the firing coordinates and, after confirmation, said, Well fire immediately, General! But what are we targeting? Wang Zhong replied, I surmise that the enemys anti-tank gun positions are at these locations. The tanks at the enemys front pretended to surrender; I believe this might be a ruse to lure us. The artillery was shocked, You youre ordering us to fire at these ces based on a hunch? No, Ive done reconnaissance personally before; these ces are highly suitable for setting up anti-tank gun positions. If this were the game Steel Division, Wang Zhong would definitely set up his own anti-tank guns at these three points. Just not sure if the Prussian General on the other side would share the same heroic insights. Wang Zhong, the military enthusiast, might have some oversights, and the Prussian officer corps is likely more professional. But its always worth a try, right? After all, no one knows how many days these big guns will remain intact; maybe by the afternoon, the Prussian Air Force wille and blow them to the sky. In that case, its better to take advantage of the time and start the bombardment, damn it! At least itll have some momentum even if it misses. Wang Zhongmanded, Once the parameters are set, open fire! After hanging up the phone, he ran back to the tank. Gunner Alexandria asked, Why not pursue directly? The enemy seems to be at the end of their tether. Wang Zhong replied, This is a trap, they are prepared to ambush us from behind with 88mm anti-aircraft guns. What? Wang Zhong continued to exin, Didnt you notice that there were very few infantry apanying them just now? Alexandria shook his head, No, no, no, we couldnt see any apanying infantry at all; they might have gone prone as soon as the fighting started. Wang Zhong emphasized again, There were very few enemy infantry apanying them! I believe this is an enticement. Ive already called in 203mm artillery fire to hit the potential positions of their anti-tank guns. Alexandria was astonished, You were so reckless yesterday, why so measured today? Got scared after yesterdays recklessness? I always mix caution with boldness! Wang Zhong then realized what he had said, Am I Zhang Fei? Just then, gunfire sounded from behind, followed by the whistling of shells passing overhead. Alexandriamented, They really fired Isnt this a waste of 203mm ammo? I heard that there arent many 203 rounds left! Wang Zhong confidently said, Just wait and see, the enemy will take a good beating! When General Franz heard the whistling of the shells, his adjutant tackled him to the ground instantly. Franz cursed, What are you doing? Those shells clearly wont fall here! You can tell by the whistle! As soon as he finished speaking, arge shellnded on the position of a 50mm PAK38 anti-tank gun team that had been ambushed, instantly sending both the gun and the gunner sky-high along with the gun position. Franz watched in shock as the dust cloud resembling the explosion of an underwater torpedo rose. He quickly snapped out of his shock, Its from a 203! The enemy has observation teams around us! He made the same judgment as his younger brother! But then the points of impact of the shells clearly deviated from the anti-tank gun positions. This uracyeither the enemys observation team is too ipetent, orits just a blind shot! Franzs scalp tingled, That White Horse General, he has surveyed the terrain and knows where to ce the anti-tank guns! There was no reason for this Junker noble to conclude that it was the White Horse Generals doing. Franz ordered, Tell the anti-aircraft battalion to abandon their positions! If its a blind shot, they wont only hit here! At that moment, the whistling came again. The second wave of shells fell near the hedgerows on the western side of altitude 120. Franz was more certain, This is also a suitable ce for setting up anti-tank guns! Move out fast! Tell the anti-aircraft troops to retreat quickly! The third wave ising! Major General Franz shouted frantically, pushing hismunications staff to yell through the field telephone in clearnguage, 513th battalion! The general is ordering you to move out! The call was effective; the 513th battalion began to pack up theirid-out spades, and though they moved quickly, like the stubbornness characteristic of the Prussians, they couldnt hurry the process. The sound of the shells tearing through the air approached. The men from the anti-aircraft guns who were packing up scattered and threw themselves to the ground, even those on the trucks scrambled underneath the vehicles. The 203 hit the ground! The first four shells were far off target, but thest one hit the ammunition truck of the 513th anti-aircraft battalion. An orange fireball rose from the ground and then turned into a mushroom cloud. It was just that in this era, no one had seen an actual mushroom cloud from a nuclear st; otherwise, it would have been utterly nerve-wracking. Major General Franz watched the mushroom cloud, furiously muttering that name, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, damn you! Chapter 125: A Battlefield Full of Surprises and Delights Chapter 125: A Battlefield Full of Surprises and Delights Wang Zhong looked at the object rising in the distance, frowning deeply, What did I hit? It couldnt be a nuclear bomb, could it? If the enemy had nuclear bombs, wed have met the King of Hell already. It could only be an ammunition truck exploding. The rising fireball and mushroom cloud were the first things Wang Zhong had encountered that he couldnt see from an aerial perspective, but could with the naked eye. It seemed his shelling had hit something, so should he take advantage of the enemys anti-tank position being in chaos and make a move to score a little? After some thought, Wang Zhong eventually decided not to take the risk. He had two reasons: First, the heavy artillery had hit something, proving that the enemy really had anti-tank guns in those positions. It was a trap. And his own strength wasnt overwhelming enough to forcefully break through this trap. Second, the enemy tank operators were too elite. Just yesterday, some had been aiming at the tracks and turret rings. Today, using pre-set protective covers, he finally managed to protect the tracks and turret rings, temporarily solving the T34s blindness issue. Now, the casualty rate looked goodno, right now, Wang Zhongs side had no casualties.But the situation would be different without the covers. In the confusion of closebat, the elite Prussian veteran tank operators would definitely have a greater advantage. These two reasons made Wang Zhong give up the idea of taking a gamble. Hey, whats wrong with acting like a tortoise? Whats wrong with hiding in my shell? Come and bite me if you can! If the enemy brought up the 88 guns, Wang Zhong would call for the 203 to deal with them. An 88 gun, a fixed weapon that needed to be set up, would just be asking to be shelled once it entered the line of sight. Without an 88 gun, my armor has a 40-centimeter-thickyer of sandbagsneither the Panzer IIIs 50-millimeter little water pipe nor the Panzer IVs 75-millimeter short fatty could scare me! And I still have infantry cover, so Im not afraid of infantry charging to grind meat. The most important thing was that these more than 20 T34s were a mobile force. Even if the enemy saw a tank line as solid as a rock and wanted to shift the main attack direction, the tanks could quickly provide support, even encircle from the nks. The more Wang Zhong thought, the more he felt he shouldnt move. He started to think from the enemys perspective: How would they knock on this tortoise shell? After much thought, he felt the only option was for the Stuka to drop 500-kilogram or even 1000-kilogram gas cans. Otherwise, there was no breaking through! Following that line of logic, Wang Zhong naturally considered using smoke bombs to counter the enemy bombingif the target couldnt be seen, it naturally couldnt be bombed. Not to mention the Stukas dive bombing, even on Earth, the Sturmtigers Fritz X radio-controlled bombs feared smoke, as these devices were guided by an operator on the ne relying on sight. Once the target was obscured by smoke, remote-controlled bombs would mostly miss their mark. Then, Wang Zhong thought further, realizing that even if a 500-kilogram bomb didnt hit the tank directly, being dropped nearby would still be quite troublesome. It might not kill everyone inside the tank, but it could damage the tank. Even if it just blew off the tracks, it would greatly reduce the tanksbat effectiveness. When a tank could move, it could back away and create distance from the infantry, using firepower to inflict casualties. A stationary tank approached by infantry would turn into an experience farm. Because of this, by the middle andter stages of the war, tank operators all carried submachine guns, so they could climb out and fight if they found infantry getting too close. Wang Zhong understood this, and the enemy Stuka pilots probably did too. Would they dare bomb through the smoke? After much consideration, Wang Zhong decided to be one step ahead of the enemy and ordered the tanks to move to reserve positions. Then, he nned to have the Guardian Army equipped with smoke bombs hide near the empty tank covers, ready to throw smoke bombs. When Brother Peter heard the Stukas approaching, he would use the smoke to cover the empty tank covers. You didnt expect that, Im on the second level! The best part was that this was risk-free. The reserve positions had been carefully chosen; they could also block the enemys advance, although the field of fire was worse than the first position, and there were no covers to hide the weak spots, which might result in broken tracks and turret rings. Having made up his mind, Wang Zhong waved to the Priest of the Guardian Army standing by his side, Come over here! I have a task for you! The Priest ran over, Yes, General! Speak, please! From the Priests expression, it was clear that the huge fireball and mushroom cloud in the distance had also boosted the morale here. Wang Zhong gave his instructions, then used the radio to call all toonmand vehicles, arranging for the tanks to retreat to the reserve positions. Call the Air Force! Major General Franz said resolutely. Its impossible to push the eighty-eight millimeter guns forward, as long as the enemys 203 hasnt been countered or destroyed, we cant possibly bring our slowly deploying anti-aircraft guns to the front line. Although we still have half of our anti-aircraft ammunition, I think that white horse general wont be fooled. Actually, Major General Franz made a mistake here, he overestimated the white horse general too much, just like the staff officer of the 15th Division yesterday. It wasnt his fault, really. His carefully designed ambush didnt catch the enemy, and instead, they retaliated with a blind artillery strike, whichnded precisely on the most favorable position set for an anti-tank gun ambush. What does this indicate? It demonstrates that the enemy has meticulously scouted the entire battlefield and has thought through all possibilities from aparative perspective! This is the quality of a top tactician. The key fact was that the position chosen by the white horse general was identical to the one Major General Franz had selected. Had the chosen positions been even slightly different on either side, the artillery strike would have hit nothing. This realization instantly elevated the enemy to the same level as himself in Major General Franzs eyes, with a certain newfound respect. Of course, the Major General wouldnt admit this, for ording to the Imperial Propaganda Minister, Ante is an inferior race, and so the generals of Ante must be inferior as well. The Prussians would prove their racial superiority in the process of conquering Ante, just as they did when they conquered Carolingian. No, he could never admit the enemy was strong; he had to disy contempt for the enemy. Thus, Major General Franz calmed his emotions and made excuses, Although we can also deal with those tanks in the covers! The matter of enemy tanks hiding in covers had been reported by the bait troops that had retreated. In the Prussian military textbooks, when setting up armored defenses, they would dig tank covers to protect the tanks weak spots. Although this practice had not been used by the Prussian Army so far, the Armored Troops were very familiar with it given their professional level. Franz said, But! The Air Force can handle it more conveniently, more effectively! We are calling for Air Force support not because we fear the white horse general and his new tanks! Then asked the staff officer of the 15th Armored Division cautiously, the Air Force probably wont arrive until two or three in the afternoon, four oclock is possible. What do we do until then? Major General Franz said through gritted teeth, Do you even need to ask? Before the appearance of Armored Troops, we were an army that fought with artillery and infantry, and weve won countless victories! We have the finest infantry and artillery in Europa! Use Xu Jin barrage, infantry attack! When Wang Zhong saw the Xu Jin barrage, just as he was about to order the tank operators to take cover from the artillery, he noticed his subordinates had already sprung into action. In the blink of an eye, the tank operators all dove into the nearby cers to lie low. The Xu Jin barrage passed quickly, and by the time Wang Zhong and his men climbed out from the cers and back onto the tanks, the field outside the city was engulfed in smoke. Thest wave of the enemys Xu Jin barrage had been smoke bombs! No, this smoke Even though Wang Zhong was far away from the smoke, he started coughing and felt a burning pain in his eyes! It was tear gas smoke! Through the smoke, the sound of a whistle could be heard. Wang Zhong had heard this sound in World War I themed movies; it was the whistle used by the Sturmtiger during attacks. The piercing sound of the whistles rose and fell. Then, Prosen infantrymen emerged one by one from the smoke, all wearing gas masks, the reflective surfaces of which looked like the eyes of demons from hell. A Guardian Army machine gun had just fired a burst when the gunner, with tears and snot running down his face, was fatally stabbed by a Prosen soldier who had darted out from an angle. The man fell limply over the machine gun. That Prosen pulled out his bloody bay and tossed a grenade through a nearby window. The explosion shattered the window ss, and the Guardian Army inside screamed in agony. Wang Zhong crawled into the tank, almost instantly realizing that these Guardian Army soldiers were not the elite 31st Guards Regiment; they couldnt outfight these seasoned Prosen veterans! To make matters worse, his own tanks werent suitable for this sort of close-quartersbat! He had been so focused on how to counter the Stuka and hadnt expected them to resort to such a simple and unadorned tactic! The battlefield truly was full of surprises and delights! Chapter 126: “Who Holds the Colorful Ribbon in the Sky Dance” (3000 votes bonus Chapter) Chapter 126: Who Holds the Colorful Ribbon in the Sky Dance (3000 votes bonus Chapter) Wang Zhong, upon seeing the Prussian Army advance in such a manner, immediately ordered over the radio, Retreat! All tanks, retreat! Avoid closebat with infantry! His Tank 422 started moving at once, and, from an overhead perspective, all toonmand vehicles equipped with radios were set into motion, but the rest of the tanks remained stationary, firing away! In the face of the enemy, the tankmanders simply didnt notice that the toonmand vehicles had started moving! Dammit, this setup where only toonmand vehicles have radios is a huge pitfall! Whoever approved this design should be executed by firing squad five hundred times! But there are always more solutions than difficulties, and Wang Zhong, frantic, managed to think of one. Wang Zhong pressed the microphone against his throat, toonmand vehicles, use your coaxial machine guns to fire on the other vehicles in your toon, letting them know its time to retreat! Inside Tank 213,bat was raging fiercely. Casings from the hull machine gun and the coaxial machine gun ttered as they fell on the floor of thebat room.Suddenly, themander stopped firing, listening intently, Is someone shooting at us from behind? Then he saw tracers flying forward from behind through the gunners scope. He immediately turned his head, looked out through the narrow observation slot of the turret, and discovered the toon leader had already fallen back quite a distance! The toon leader is retreating! themander shouted. The loader, Aleksei, shoved a shell into the breech: A high-explosive shell, good! That coward of a toon leader is scared, huh! Thats not right! Why would he shoot us with a machine gun then? themander thought, and then, No, this is the generals order, move back quickly! Seeing Tank 213 begin to retreat, the toonmand vehicle quickly switched its targeting to Tank 214. Themander, having a brainwave, turned the gun barrel and used the coaxial machine gun to fire at Tank 212, which was at the far left of the formation. The electrician continued operating the hull machine gun, sweeping the approaching enemy infantry with fire. Tank 212 quickly realized what was happening and also began to retreat, but it was already toote, Prussian infantry from a blind spot on the side had gotten close, climbing right onto the turret Themander didnt hesitate to use the coaxial machine gun to mow down all of those Prussians. However, Tank 212 itself blocked most of the field of fire, and Prussians in the blind spot threw a smoking grenade. The grenadended on the engine deck of Tank 212 and immediately exploded, spreading mes over a range of several meters while producing arge amount of white smoke. The white smokepletely obscured the view of Tank 213, and themander could only see the crew of Tank 212, aze, jumping out of their tank, rolling on the ground trying to put out the fire. Another grenade was thrown, passing the burning Tank 212 and exploding on the ground. The tank operator on the ground stopped rolling, letting the mes consume him. Themander fell silent for a second and then yelled, Retreat! Tank 212 is done for! He continued to fire into the thick smoke, trying to hold back the approach of the Prussian infantry. Wang Zhong watched the battlefield, his heart wrenching. Havingboriously repaired five T34sst night, their casualties had been reduced to three, yet in these few short minutes, twelve had been lost! Apart from the six toon leader tanks, only Armor toon 1 had been rtively well-preserved, leaving only Tanks 213 and 214! The bastard who had decided to equip only toon leader tanks with radios should be dragged out to the shooting range alongside the idiot who decided to merge the roles of tankmander and gunner into one person! In his profound grief and anger, Wang Zhong didnt even notice that the Prussians were using incendiary grenadesa weapon they had developed specifically, although Molotov cocktails could have achieved the same effect. Grief aside, he still needed to find a solution. The good news was that six of the remaining tanks had radios and could bemanded. The bad news was the Prussians had spread so much smoke everywhere that it was impossible to fully utilize the tanks firepower. The Guardian Army fought valorously, but without gas masks, the tear gas significantly weakened theirbat effectiveness. Prussias elite armored grenadiers were clearing each house with practiced efficiency. Although the situation was dire, Wang Zhong did not cease to think. No visibility Suddenly, Wang Zhong remembered World War II on Earth, when the Americans on Guadalcanal Ind grappled with the Japanese in a brutal melee. The Japanese were adept at night fighting, and the Americans, as usual, struggled with it. However, the U.S. troops defending Henderson Field came up with a method to counter Japanese night raids. In essence, it was, If I cant see you at night, then I dont need to see you. Just arrange your firepower properly during the day and sweep indiscriminately at night. Every weapon was set to specific standards and firing zones, and all the American soldiers had to do was mechanically sweep their fire to seal off the entire front. Then, it was just a matter of waiting for the Japanese to run into the bullets. Looking at the southeastern part of the city now entirely engulfed in smoke, Wang Zhong decided it was time to see what this was all about. First, he needed an open space, and this open space had to be directly in the enemys inevitable path of advance. With an aerial view, Wang Zhong immediately located the right ce: the square in front of the train station. Incidentally, the Military Transport Command Headquarters was nearby, with another square in front. The two squares together formed an open space about one hundred meters long and wide. The best part was that the hospital, train station, train dispatching yard, and Military Transport Command Headquarters were all on the north side of this square, so securing the square would protect these vital areas. If he set up a fire support area here, he could hold off the enemy even if they used smoke. But tanks alone were not enough. It would be better with some cooperation from elite veterans Wang Zhong suddenly noticed a station with his troops mark. The Fifth Byshensky Regiment! He had transferred 81 men from the Fifth Byshensky Regiment to the train station, wishing to preserve the regiments core. Chapter 127: “Who Dances with Colored Ribbons in the Sky” (Extra for 3000 monthly votes)_2 In such a situation, 81 veterans might be more reliable than 800 members of the Guardian Army! Besides, near the train station theres an anti-aircraft unit; first, find a way to dy the enemy, then we can call in the anti-aircraft unit for a more effective blockade of the area. As for what to do if enemy aircrafte at this time, well consider that when they actually arrive. Lets plug the immediate gap first. Wang Zhong immediately issued an order, All tanks, follow closely, we must maneuver to the square in front of the train station at top speed! Be careful of craters on the road! The second toon leader asked, What about the members of the Guardian Army who are still resisting? Do we leave them behind? Wang Zhong was silent, but a secondter, he ordered through gritted teeth, Yes, leave them behind. Their struggle will dy the enemy and buy us time. Wang Zhong also remembered the scene from yesterday when members of the Guardian Army had pulled him out from under a tank. This order felt like a knife plunged into his heart, as if a chunk of his chest had been torn out, making even his breathing hurried. The tankspleted their turn and started down the street.But Wang Zhong was immersed in a sudden surge of emotions, so much so that he even forgot to dodge the stray bulletsing from behind. Fortunately, the stray bullets were inurate. Wang Zhong remembered watching a documentary about Shangganling that he had seen as a child. In it, a toon leader said, Actually, I was just arranging the order of death. How could my heart not ache, they wererades who had shared life and death with me. But it had to be done; take turns at the tunnel entrance firing the machine gun, when one falls, the next one steps in. Theres no other choice. It was a documentary that Wang Zhong had seen when he was very young, so much so that he couldnt remember the title or the name of the old soldier, but this phrase had transcended the separation of time and space. Wang Zhong finally understood the emotions behind those words. He turned his head and nced at the red g on the antenna behind the tank turret. The noon sunlight fell on the red g. When tank number 422 entered the square in front of the train station, Wang Zhong shouted from afar to the people of the Besinsky Group at the stations main entrance, Send a squad to the anti-aircraft battery to get something that can quickly and efficiently kill infantry! Several people who heard Wang Zhongs words exchanged nces and immediately ran towards the anti-aircraft battery. Second Lieutenant Pavel Alekseyevich, the acting battalionmander of the Fifth Besinsky Group, ran over and asked loudly, Whats happening? Wang Zhong, The enemy frequently uses smoke. The Guardian Armycks the training and equipment to hold them off. We need to set up a killing zone here with firepower. Do you have any machine guns? We have two. Wang Zhong immediately identified two locations with an overhead view and pointed them out to the lieutenant, ce the machine guns at these two sites, set the range to 100 meters, and use that beach chair over there as a reference point for the aiming line. Tell your gunners to memorize this position; when smoke fills the area, they should continuously fire in short bursts over this section! The lieutenant turned and ran off. Wang Zhong continued using the radio to direct severalmand tanks, First toon, take your two tanks to the front of the birch on the northwest side of the square. Just target directly ahead of you, mainly using the hull machine guns for strafing, and firing high-explosive shells constantly. As soon as the enemys smoke appears, do that! The leader of the first toon immediately took tanks number 213 and 214 there. Wang Zhong continued to use the overhead view to ce the remaining tanks in suitable positions to create crossfire. At that moment, the few people sent to the anti-aircraft battery returned with two GAZ trucks, with a quad-mounted heavy machine gun on the back of each truck. General! Will this do? Yes, thats more than enough! Wang Zhong, overjoyed, immediately designated positions. There was one more problem to worry about. He called loudly to the members of the Guardian Army guarding the station, No need to guard anymore, go to the ordnance depot and keep bringing out machine gun ammunition, delivering it next to the tanks and machine guns. Ill have the tanks open up their hatches, just hand the bullets in directly! The members of the Guardian Army immediately turned and called over the other Guardian Army guards, rushing to the ordnance depot headquarters. Everything was ready. Wang Zhong took a deep breath and looked at the red g again. He hoped all the sacrifices would lead to a good oue. At that moment, someone came out of the station dragging a phone line with a telephone in hand, heading straight for Wang Zhong, Phone for Rocossovbat groupmand! Wang Zhong took the phone, Hello? This is Rocossov! Pavlovs voice came through, Weve received a telegram from Army Group 63, sent from a location 30 kilometers from here. Theyve dispatched a rapid response force to reinforce us as soon as possible. Wang Zhong, Are they tanks? No, Army Group 63 has no mechanized troops, only some logistic trucks. Wang Zhong, Then have them hurry. The situation here is very dangerous, the enemy will probably reach the front of the station soon! Wang Zhong said this before realizing that Pavlov must know the situation in the city to be able to find him at the train station. Pavlov, I guess youre thinking that I must know the citys situation to find you at the station No, I tried calling the southeastern defensive line and no one answered, so I called around, and finally, the ordnance headquarters said you were at the station. Well done, Wang Zhong replied perfunctorily, and at that moment, several Prussians appeared at the street corner opposite the square. Tank number 213 fired, blowing two of them away, and the rest shrank back. Then the smoke bombs were thrown. Wang Zhong shouted in the radio, Remember, only keep firing in your respective assigned areas when smoke appears. If theres no smoke, shoot at the people! No sooner had he spoken than the tanks aimed at the street corner opened fire. The anti-aircraft vehicle also turned its guns and gave a burst of fire into the smoke. Chapter 128: “Who Dances with Colored Ribbons in the Sky” (Extra for 3000 monthly votes)_3 The enemy showed no sign of a next move, and Wang Zhong confirmed through his overhead view that the enemy had no intention of further action beyond the smoke and called for a ceasefire. After the gunfire ceased, silence fell over the square. Only then did Wang Zhong remember he was still on the phone, Pavlov, the situation is extremely urgent, we can barely hold the enemy, and ensure the station, themand headquarters are safe, but the enemy might split their forces for a sneak attack on the regimental headquarters. Pavlov responded, I have already ordered the machine guns to be mounted and the anti-aircraft cannons to be leveled. Good, Wang Zhong paused and then said, Dont you die. You either, General. The call ended. At the same time, the enemys operations began, and mortar shells fell on the square, with smoke quickly spreading out from the point of impact. Here ites!Wang Zhongmanded, Fire on my mark! Soon the entire square was covered in smoke. Although everyone was wearing gas masks, it appeared to be just ordinary smoke. The enemys mortars might not have been loaded with tear gas shells. Then Wang Zhong clearly saw the enemy infantry appear. Wang Zhong ordered, Fire! Tank 422s machine guns all opened fire simultaneously, and it also lobbed a high-explosive shell at a pre-aimed position. Wang Zhong, through his overhead view, was satisfied to see a dozen Prussian soldiers who had charged out get taken down in an instant. But more Prussian soldiers poured out from various entrances on the south side of the square. And what greeted them was a dense, omnipresent barrage of fire. Within tens of seconds, more than fifty Prussian soldiers had fallen, and the rest were all lying t on the ground, not daring to move. Wang Zhong pulled over the anti-aircraft machine gun from the tanks turret, and leaning on the external mount, he precisely targeted the enemies lying on the ground. After all, a lucky shot was just that, and no one would notice any anomalies. The enemy began to crawl forward on the ground, but the barrage was so dense that even if Wang Zhong did not concentrate on certain targets, the enemy could be shot by stray bullets after crawling just a few dozen meters. Is this the supreme skill of the Amelicans that massacred wildly back in the day? It sure works! Wang Zhong was enjoying himself, shooting the machine gun when he ran out of bullets. He hurriedly changed the magazineremembering an experience where a BT-7s anti-aircraft machine gun jammed, resulting in the sacrifice of everyone aboard, Wang Zhong carefully straightened out the belt beforepleting the ammunition reload. He resumed firing immediately. Finally, the enemy gave up the assault and retreated into the buildings on the south side of the square. Subsequently, the enemys vehicle-mounted mortars began to fire high-explosive shells. Shells kept falling on the north side of the square. Wang Zhong retreated into the tank, closed the hatch, and waited for the enemys second attack. In the following two hours, they repelled seven charges by the Prussians. In the end, the enemys mortars ran out of smoke bombs, and the smoke over the entire square gradually dissipated, leading to a face-off across the square. Wang Zhong, with few infantry apanying him, didnt dare to charge with the tanks, and the enemy,cking effective anti-tank firepower, couldnt do anything about the tanks stuck on the square. The square quieted down so much that crows from the sky descended and started pecking at the eyes of the dead on the ground. Wang Zhong let out a breath of relief, at least the enemys offensive had been stalled Suddenly, he noticed enemy infantry crossing Loktovs main street on the eastern side. The Guardian Army opened fire! Wang Zhong ordered, Well go to support, all other tanks stay in ce! Without waiting for hismand, the driver Beliyakov turned Tank 422 around. It was almost at this moment that Wang Zhong heard a bugle sound. He seemed to have heard this kind of bugle in movies describing the Napoleonic Wars, which should signify a cavalry charge! Cavalry? Wang Zhong looked towards the northeast and then saw arge number of cavalry d in ck cloaks, mounted on horses, charging into the streets of Loktov from the north. They spread out like a tide, seeping into Loktovs streets and alleyways in countless streams. The horses galloped, and the Prussians were takenpletely by surpriseor rather, they had never imagined they would face a cavalry charge of this magnitude on a modern battlefield. Although they were cavalry, this unit did not hold high their sabers, but carried pistols and submachine guns. They advanced like a sweeping storm, continuously firing as they went. One in every three cavalrymen was a grenadier, urately throwing grenades into enemy-upied buildings through windows. Wang Zhong watched all this in amazement, then remembered Pavlovs words from two hours ago: The 63rd Army Group had sent a rapid unit to support Loktov. So thats what he meant by rapid! At this point, after hours of brutal urban closebat, the Prussian infantry was exhausted, and the irresistible cavalry charge shattered theirst will to fight. Then, four cavalry officers on chestnut horses came up to Wang Zhongs vehicle, with the leading general ncing at the white horse emblem on Wang Zhongs tank. He saluted Wang Zhong, The 7th Cavalry Army salutes you, General Rocossov. Our 15,000 cavalrymen are sweeping the city. Youve done hard work. Only then did Wang Zhong finally take a long, deep breath of relief. During a defense, fortifications, tactics, and firepower deployment are all important, but whats most crucial is a ceaseless supply of reinforcements. One hour after repelling the enemys attack, at 1530 on July 8th. Wang Zhong directed Tank 422 back to their original reserve firing position where the enemys assault had first started. The surviving civilians had already moved the fallen Guardian Army soldiers onto the main road, neatly lined up side by side. Stop. Following Wang Zhongsmand, the tank came to a halt. Chapter 129: “Who Dances with Colored Ribbons in the Sky” (Extra for 3000 monthly votes)_4 He climbed out of the turret, jumped to the ground, and approached a Guardian Army soldier who was tightly clutching a Smoke Bomb. Wang Zhong remembered this young man. Before the enemy attack, Wang Zhong had ordered him to wait for Monk to spot iing enemy nes and then throw the Smoke Bomb on the now-empty bunker to lure the enemy nes into a dive bombing run on it. Unexpectedly, the enemys Stukas didnte; instead, it was Xu Jins barrage and infantry. Wang Zhong took off his hat and bowed his head in silence before the young man. Amanders wrong judgment could cost the lives of many, Wang Zhong once again deeply realized this fact. At that moment, the ear-piercing air raid rm resounded through the entire city. Wang Zhong looked up, Brother Peter probably couldnt get ahold of Wang Zhong on the phone, so he had only reported the situation to the Air Force. Wang Zhong climbed back onto the tank, stood on it and looked up into the sky, and without changing his perspective, he saw the enemy formation at the horizon. After switching his view, Wang Zhong was astonished to find that there were as many as 20 Do 215 bombers and 30 Stuka dive bombers!It was evident that the enemy really wished to capture Loktov before the 63rd Army Group did! Wang Zhong ended his overview, shouting at the people around, Enemy nes iing! Hide in the cer! Quick, into the cers! Dont bother with the bodies, just leave them in the streets! Hurry to the cers! Alexandria and the others had also climbed out of the tanks. The door of the nearby building opened, and an olddy shouted, Young man,e inside! Theres still room in my cer! The members of tank number 422 immediately rushed through the door. Wang Zhong took onest look at the formation in the sky. In that instant, he saw something reflecting the sunlight higher than the formation. It was an airne! Fifteen MiG-3s jettisoned their auxiliary fuel tanks and dove from high altitude, charging at the enemy nes, In the first round of fire, five Do 215s were hit and plummeted to the ground trailing thick smoke. Soon after, the formation circled and came back, plunging again into the midst of the bomber fleet. Tracer rounds from the machine guns crisscrossed in the sky. The enemy probably never expected to encounter a formal intercept by the Ant Air Force, having not even sent escort fighters, and so the aerial battle quickly turned into a one-sided ughterhouse. By then, the ground air raid rms had stopped, and the people who had been scrambling to the cers were now all out on the streets, watching the fierce battle in the sky as if observing a fireworks disy. Each time an enemy ne was hit and long plumes of smoke billowed out, the people on the ground let out deafening cheers. Some mischievous children, in order to watch this spectacr showing, had climbed directly onto the rooftops. The battle in the sky quickly neared its end. The surviving enemy nes jettisoned their bombs outside the city and dove to low altitude, attempting to gather speed for escape. The intercepting MiG-3 formation chased beyond the line of sight of those watching. The entire scene quietened down. Wang Zhong heard a child asking, Mommy, did we win? His mother responded, We won, the enemy nes were driven away. The child asked again, Then why didnt our nese earlier? That way, grandma, grandpa, and my other grandparents wouldnt have died. The woman just silently embraced the child, gently stroking his hair. At that moment, the Ante Fighters that had chased the enemy returned, flying in a V-formation over the city. Wang Zhong recognized it, the leading ne was the one that had shot down the enemys reconnaissance ne yesterday! Then, through the overview perspective, he clearly saw the pilot pull out a smoke stick, bite the head of the smoke canister with his teeth, and light the fuse. So the smoke stick emitted colored gas and, as the nes advanced, a long trail of colored smoke was drawn through the sky. The other nes did the same, and the fifteen MiG-3s, trailing colorful streaks, flew over the ruins of Loktov streets. The crowd let out a deafening cheer, throwing whatever they could grab into the sky. In that instant, Wang Zhong suddenly felt a sensation of victory. At the same time, a child on the rooftop suddenly shouted down, General! There are troopsing from the northeast! Wang Zhong hurriedly looked toward the northeast and indeed saw arge formation of infantry troops march in columns of fours along the main road. The main force of the 63rd Army Group had finally arrived. Chapter 130: “See You Then in Plowsonia Knowing that reinforcements had arrived, Wang Zhong hurriedlymanded the tank to go meet them, but just as they started moving, the tank engine suddenly made a series of sounds as if it had an upset stomach, and then it broke down. The driver, Beliyakov, climbed out of the cabin while muttering, It finally crapped out, I had a feeling it would crap out. Wang Zhong was speechless, Does this engine break down often? Beliyakov replied, Its all small issues, can be fixed quickly, sometimes even a kick can do the trick. As he spoke, Beliyakov opened the repair hatch and swung his hammer down on the engine, but this time the Mao-style Repair did not work. Beliyakov shook his head, Looks like its really going to take some time now, General. Why dont you ride a horse over? Shouldnt you be handing overmand with themanders of the 63rd Army Group? Wang Zhong, Where am I going to find a horse right now? Its not like I can just whistle and have onee to me. As he said this, he blew a whistle. A horses whinny came from afar.Wang Zhong was startled and looked around, only to see Bucephalus trotting over happily from a corner. Hey? Could it be that the game mechanic where a horsees running at a whistle is based on reality? Then Wang Zhong realized that Bucephalus didnt have any saddlery, not even a bridle, and couldnt be ridden at all. This beast probably came because the stables were bombed by enemy artillery, and it came out unscathed, rushing over to Wang Zhong when it heard the whistle. The white horse stopped in front of the tank, looked at the white horse painted on the tanks tactical number, neighed, and shook its head while panting heavily, continuously pawing with its front hooves. What, are you jealous of the horse painted here? Wang Zhong pushed himself out of the turret hatch and jumped to the ground, Then you guys fix the tank, and once its done, head back to the brigades location and regroup with the other tanks. Ill meet with themanders of the 63rd Army Group. The gunner, Alexandria, turned to the loader and said, Follow the General, act as a guard for now. The loader nodded, pulled a submachine gun from inside the tank and slung it over his shoulder. Alexandria then said to Wang Zhong, General, you should still be careful, there could still be separated Prosen soldiers in the city. Wang Zhong waved his hand and walked towards the train station, with Bucephalus trotting faithfully behind him, constantly trying to nibble his hair. By the time Wang Zhong was nearing the square of the train station, his hands were already filled with eggs and pickles given by the locals. Do Russians really like pickles this much? Entering the square, he saw numerous trucks parked in front of the train station, and stretcher teams were moving the wounded from the trucks into the train station. Wang Zhong, with his keen eyes, spotted the chief of the field hospital, Losonov, and called out loudly, Doctor, whats happening here? The doctor looked up at Wang Zhong and said, General, the stationmand is arranging for the hospital to retreat, and empty boxcars will being into the station soon. Wang Zhong, What will happen to the wounded generated inbat after you retreat? Losonov nced at the sky, This city is about to be rubble. The hospital is full of patients who were saved using our medical supplies and resources, we cannot let them perish here. Once they recover, they will be the backbone of our fighting force. That was indeed the truth. Losonov continued, As for the wounded from future battles, the medical posts of the 63rd Army Group will do basic treatment and then wait for train evacuation. There is no better solution under the current circumstances. I personally will stay behind to help the group armys medical posts with the wounded, this is all I can do. Wang Zhong, You intend to stay? Yes, the chief of the field hospital, Losonov, smiled faintly, Ill hold my post. Wang Zhong nodded, unable to find the words to reply. Just then, a young man riding a chestnut horse and wearing the standard cap of a military courier stopped beside Wang Zhong and saluted, May I ask if this is Brigadier General Rocossov? Thats me. Our armymander is looking for you. Lead the way! The courier looked doubtfully at Bucephalus, which had no tack at all, seemingly wondering how one would ride such a horse. Wang Zhong, Ill walk there. Is it far? No, its just next to the stationmand office, ourmander has temporarily taken over the map room. Wang Zhong nodded, then handed the eggs and pickles to the chief, These are for the wounded. I have to go. After all, one cannot possibly meet themander of the cavalry army, that hade to the rescue, carrying eggs and pickles, right? Seeing this, the courier also dismounted and, leading the horse by the reins, walked ahead to show Wang Zhong the way. Wang Zhongughed, Ive been to the stationmand office many times, I can get there on my own, you can go back and report. The courier nodded, mounted the horse, and galloped away. The map room in the stationmand office looked several times more crowded than before. As soon as Wang Zhong entered, everyone turned to look at him. The major general of the 7th Cavalry Army, Kiriyenko, took two steps forward, removed his cavalry gloves, and saluted Wang Zhong, Brigadier General, your troops fought very well. We have confirmed arge number of enemy corpses and remnants of tank armored vehicles in the city. A major general taking the initiative to salute Wang Zhong, a brigadier general, was a great sign of respect. Wang Zhong returned the salute, Its not my credit, it was our soldiers, together with the Guardian Army soldiers, who bought this victory with their lives and blood. You are very modest, Kiriyenko praised. Wang Zhong thought to himself that he wasnt being modest; it was the people of this city who truly achieved victorythey had defended themselves. But he didnt say that out loud. Kiriyenko continued, The headquarters of Army Group 63 is still on the way; currently, the troops entering the city are under mymand. We are engaging in the handover of the defensive positions, and tonight, the remaining men of your troop will be able to return to their barracks for a good nights sleep. Ive also asked the quartermaster to prepare supplies for you all, so tonight you can have a meal of potatoes stewed with beef. Hearing what was for dinner, Wang Zhongs interest perked up. Having been in this world for more than ten days, he still couldnt get used to the local cuisine, and having eaten far too many pickles, he, as a Chinese person, unimaginably looked forward to meals with little anticipation, merely considering eating as a necessary job to sustain life. But he did like potatoes stewed with beef. Generally, with potatoes and beef, the dish couldnt taste too badat least thats what Wang Zhong subjectively thought. However, his interest in food onlysted for a few seconds before he asked, Since you can provide potatoes stewed with beef, does that mean you can also provide us with anti-tank guns? Major General Kiriyenko and the Quartermaster General (a brigadier general) exchanged nces, then both started tough. Wang Zhong: Whats so funny? Kiriyenko: The Quartermaster General said you are an outstanding officer who only thinks about how to win. I see that now. Those rumors about you, obviously, all were wrong! No, those rumors were right, its just that I have changed. Wang Zhong: Thats not important, I need anti-tank guns Your battle has ended, tonight afterpleting the hospital and transportation, your soldiers can board the trains and retreat. Wang Zhong was taken aback and immediately asked, What about my equipment? My 203 artillery, and the T34! Kiriyenko: Theoretically, we need all the technological weaponry that can help us hold this city, but most of your units technical weapons were specifically assigned to your unit by the Crown Prince. So these technical weapons will retreat with yourbat group. As for the Gods Arrow Company, we already have a fully equipped Divine Arrow Company; adding one more prayer soldier only slightly increases ourbat strength, so they will also continue to stay within your unitsposition. Wang Zhong: Oh, thats good then Suddenly, he hesitated; these technical weapons could undoubtedly greatly improve Army Group 63s efficiency in defense. Should he really take them with him? I am defending the homnd, not managing my own private army At that moment, Major General Kiriyenko said, You truly are a person of integrity. I know what youre thinking, but I earnestly request you to take these units with you. Wang Zhong: What do you mean? Kiriyenko, with a smile, said, Im also a military professional, always on the frontline. The fools above have been deceived, but I havent. Im aware that were currently in a stage of strategic defense, or even strategic retreat. Precious technical weaponry should be pulled back; what should be left to cover the rear are grey beasts like us. Wang Zhong started to speak, then stopped. Suddenly he felt that words were too pale to express his thoughts, and actions would better convey his feelings. So he stepped forward, grasped the major generals shoulder, then embraced him warmly, Its a regret,rade. No need for regrets. I dont n on dying here; after wevepleted our defense mission, well break out. See you in Plowsonia! Plowsonia, the capital of the Prosen Empire. Wang Zhong patted the major generals shoulder, See you in Plowsonia! Having said that he released his hold, stepped back, his heels clicked sharply together, and he saluted the major general, Farewell! Farewell! Wang Zhong turned around and left without looking back. Watching his departing figure, Kiriyenko suddenly said to the Quartermaster General, Is that a dandy? The difference from the rumors is too great, he is clearly an exemry soldier! The Quartermaster General replied, You dont know? The soldiers call him the Star of Victory. Its said toe from a song he hums, The star of victory will shine upon us. When Wang Zhong returned to the base leading Bucephalus, he found that Tank 422 had already arrivedclearly, Beliyakov had quickly eliminated any malfunctions. The driver and Gunner were now loading shells into the tank on the side while the electromechanical operator continuously fished out spent shell casings and machine gun bullet casings from the cabin to ce in arge wooden box. Clearly, this tank crew nned to continue the fight. Wang Zhong: We are retreating. Alexandria: Ah? But we can still fight. The other tank crews maintaining and resupplying the tanks also stopped and stared straight at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong: There will be plenty of opportunities to hit the Prussians hard in the future, but today we are retreating, and not just us, but also the 203 Heavy Artillery Regiment. We withdraw by night on the evening train. Everyone looked at each other. Just then, songs were heard from outside the base. The relieved Guard 31st Infantry Regiment, marching in orderly rows and singing, entered the base. The young soldiers all looked beaten and weary, but the expressions on their faces were spirited, their marching steps synchronized and forceful, the bays on their rifles swaying, like the wind blowing through a cypress forest. They sang out loud, Tanya Tanieusha, my Takiyanne, do you still remember that fiery summer? I cant forget those days, that time spent in passionate love! That time spent in passionate love! Chapter 131: Braised Beef with Potatoes is Really Fragrant Jules Year 914, July 8th, 2315 hours. All 914 members of Rocossov Combat Group were waiting on the tform of Lokhtov Train Station. The Lokotov City Defense Battalion, temporarily attached to Rocossov Combat Group, volunteered to stay behind and continue participating in the defense of the city, so they werent included in the count. The Guardian Army, temporarily assigned to thebat group, was not part of the withdrawal either. The Fifth Belyensk Regiment wanted to stay, but Wang Zhong refused them. The 31st Regiment and the Armored Troops willingly obeyed the orders. The 914 people on the tform were the sum total of thebat groups infantry, artillery, armored troops, and logistics personnel. Wang Zhong, patting his belly stuffed with potatoes and beef stew, looked at the few people remaining and sighed, This is truly a Pyrrhic victory. Yegorov: Who is Pyrrhus? Wang Zhong was taken aback; in a world without Rome, naturally there was no affair concerning Pyrrhus.At that moment, Pavlov came out of the station dispatchers office with a stack of documents and walked up to the two men: Ive got the transportation n, were being sent all the way to Argesukov. Wang Zhong: That far? I thought they would ce us behind the next line of defense for rest and reorganization, ready to defend again at any time. Theres no second line of defense, Pavlov said with grave seriousness, The Front Army has decided to follow His Majestys orders andunch an offensive. Wang Zhong: Have they gone mad? Because of the loud voice, all the soldiers around looked over. Yegorov patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder: Keep calm, my Lord Count. The good news is that this time well be far from the front line. Even if the front copses entirely, itll take the Prussians several days to reach us. Wang Zhong: I cant feel happy at all. So what about our reinforcements? Pavlov shook his head: No mention. At this point, Popov came onto the tform from the freight exit of the train station, striding over to join the trio. The Church hasnt sent any news either, no idea when Gods Arrow Company will be filled up, the Bishop sighed. Were severely short of prayer warriors now, and we dont have enough recements for the Divine Arrow. Wang Zhong: What about Brother Peter? After two days of fighting, Wang Zhong had grown quite fond of this human ear radar he had coincidentally acquired, finding it rather useful. Ah, that, we have plenty of Sound Array Masters, so he was reassigned to us. Here is the personnel transfer document; its standard to have a copy on file over there, right? Popov said as he handed the document to over there Pavlov. Pavlov frowned deeply: The document is here, but where is the man? As Popov turned to look at the main entrance, just then Brother Peter entered with a furrowed brow. Yegorov called out loudly: Monk, why the furrowed brow? Brother Peter looked up: Because there are too many noise sources like you! Then he approached Popov and protested directly: I should stay on the front lines. They need me here! Popov: Take it up with the Brigadier General. Brother Peter immediately turned towards Wang Zhong: I should stay on I heard you, Wang Zhong cut him off, but I also need you. You will be more effective with me. Think about the past two days, how invaluable you were! Brother Peter pursed his lips. At that moment, the sound of a train whistle came from afar. The switchman also came out of his cabin and began to operate the rail switching levers. The switchmans greenntern was very conspicuous in the night. Soon, a trainposed of tcars and boxcars rolled into the station. All the tcars were empty, evidently included in the train to carry Rocossov Combat Groups heavy cannons and T-34s, while the boxcars were filled with young faces. Before the train had evene to a full stop, the young men inside the boxcars were already loudly asking, Hey, how did the fight go? Just as Wang Zhong looked towards the boxcars, Vasily responded: Superbly. You see those tank wrecks in the city? Were the ones who knocked them out! The corpses of Prosen soldiers had been collected and buried by the Labor Camp and the Guardian Army, but the tank wrecks, like the craters in the streets, had yet to be handled forck of personnel. Ha! That formidable, huh? We wont be any worse off than you guys! the confident young men on the train dered. Vasily looked like he was about to retort, but he stopped mid-sentence. After a moments hesitation, he said: I believe in you! Give the Prussians a taste of our strength! The soldiers of the 31st Guards Regiment, seeing that Vasily wasnt scolded for speaking casually, joined in the shouting: Show them what for! Let them see who the inferior race really is! Before the crossover, Wang Zhong was actually not that old, and the original owner of this body was also a young man. With his actual personality, he would normally join in boosting the morale of hisrades. But strangely, now Wang Zhong only wanted to silently wish these youngsters well. Suddenly, one of the young men who had just disembarked from the boxcars shouted: Hey, look at that tank, tactical number 422! And theres a white horse emblem on it! At those words, all the eager new recruits just arrived at the battlefield turned their gazes in one direction. The ceremonial T-34 tank, number 422, was parked under the moonlight, like a massive beast lurking in the shadows. Alexandria and Beliyakov, who had been smoking next to the tank, saw themotion and immediately hid in the tanks shadow. Really? Could this be General White Horses chariot? I heard the Generalsbat group is right here! At that moment, Wang Zhong was standing under the protective cover of the tform, where the moonlight failed to reach him. Boosting morale is also amanders duty. He wanted to step forward, but the instant before moving he remembered the scene from yesterday when numerous Guardian Army soldiers pulled him out from under the tank. Today, he renounced those who had once saved him. In the afternoon, under urgent circumstances, he hesitated for only a second before making his decision, and in the end, they did indeed hold back the enemys onught. But now, just as he was about to step forward and inspire the soldiers, that same intense emotion seized him again. My troops and I are about to withdraw, and whatever Loktov turns into, a hellish inferno or not, will no longer concern us. Do I still have the right to inspire the young men before me to step proudly into hell? As Wang Zhong hesitated, he suddenly remembered a poem by a marshal. He was very fond of this poem; it was actually the marshals dying verse in a hopeless situation, yet it was filled with a fearless spirit. I call forth my oldrades to the spring tform, our banners ten thousand strong, to y the king of hell! That marshal must have also made many decisions that led soldiers to their gant deaths. But he would never hesitate, for he was braver than everyone, and if the time came, he too would march to his death without a second thought. I can be braver than everyone else! No, I must be braver than everyone else, so I can issue the orders for them to die without regret, so I can make the cruel decision to abandon them without guilt, and then righteously dere The merciful are not fit to lead armies! With this resolve, Wang Zhong stepped forward into the moonlight. He did not introduce himself, and in the darkness, no one could see his face or insignia clearly. Just standing there, he exuded an air of authority and fearlessness. Soldiers! he said. Even though nomand was given, the recruits stood to attention, their heels clicking together. Wang Zhong: I wont sugarcoat our situation. Look to my right; this is mybat group. Now, including our logistical personnel, we number only 914! The Fifth Belsensk Regiment under mymand joined with more than a full regiments strength but was reduced to just over 300 men. And now, only 81 men stand here! Their regimentalmander is now a second lieutenant! I will tell you clearly, what lies ahead is hell! Staying here means facing hell! Does anyone want to back out? Wang Zhong scanned the entire tform. Not just the newly arrived soldiers were looking at him, but also the railway workers and train drivers stood at their posts, watching him. No one expressed a desire to quit. Wang Zhong: Why? Answer me, why do you step into hell? Suddenly someone shouted, For the Tsar! Wang Zhong: No! Pavlov was shocked and stared at Wang Zhong with wide eyes. Then someone yelled, For the Eastern Holy Church! Wrong too! Wang Zhong replied without hesitation. Popov was shocked and stared at Wang Zhong with wide eyes. Wang Zhong scanned everyone again. Vasily suddenly said, For Antes mother! Wang Zhong pointed at Vasily: Right! But thats too abstract! Wang Zhong paced the tform with hands behind his back: What is Antes mother? Think about it, think of something concrete! Antes mother is the squirrels frolicking in the birch forests, the fish swimming freely in the Dnieper River, the wheat waves on the ck earth! After listing these examples, Wang Zhong felt it was still not quite enough, so he added two more: The bright songs of maidens, and the beef stew with potatoes served by grandmothers! No sooner had he spoken than someone let out a loud burp. Then several people couldnt help butugh, especially Vasily. Wang Zhong himself also felt awkward, having run out of things to say; moreover, the beef stew with potatoes truly smelled delicious. Delicious! We march to our deaths to guard all that is beautiful and good! He thought again, but indeed he had run out of words, so he decided to borrow some. He continued: If we do not fight, the enemy will kill us with their bays and point to our bones saying, Look, here lies a ve! Those words, like a bomb, instantly filled every face with anger. Vasily shouted the word that could be used in any moment that required a boost of morale or to express passion: Hurrah! Everyone yelled together: Hurrah! Hurrah! The shouts rose wave upon wave. At that moment, the recruits battalionmander shouted, Right turn! Quick march! The new soldiers marched out of the train station in neat formation. Popov stepped forward next to Wang Zhong: Next time, could you please not steal my job? Wang Zhong: Which son of a bitch told me that boosting morale was themanders job? At that moment, the stationmaster came over, Hurry and load your equipment onto the train. Were departing now. If we leave before dawn, we can still get out of the enemy nes range. Wang Zhong turned back and ordered, Board the train! Chapter 132: Accidents Pavlov handed the watch in his hand to Yegorov, Board the train in this order, the Labor Camp and railway workers will help us secure the tanks and heavy artillery. After saying that, he turned to Wang Zhong, Themanding generals carriage is Carriage Number 1, right next to the anti-aircraft carriage. Wang Zhong, I didnt see any passenger carriages though? Pavlov smiled faintly, There arent any. Your carriage has fewer people, and it also has tables and beds. Seems eptable? Actually, Wang Zhong was quite curious to try sleeping on straw; after all, he had no idea what kinds of hardship he would face in the future. It might be good to get used to it in advance. Just then, his hand was suddenly seized by someone. Immediately after, something as bulky as a big cotton-padded coat wrapped around him, and the chilly night wind that had been blowing disappeared, reced by warmth. Wang Zhong was startled and hurriedly turned around to see which demon was gnawing at his hand.It was Ludm, clutching Wang Zhongs arm like a pillow and craning her neck up. Wang Zhong, Dont do this, were both in uniform. Ludm, as if she hadnt heard him, said, Your essay clearly deserved zero points, yet you can speak so well! Miss, youve got it all wrong, Wang Zhong thought. That part that ended with beef stewed with potatoes was my actual level; the cool part afterwards was If We Do Not Go To War, the most famous modern poem by the poet Tianjian All my awesome speeches were copied, dont admire me, Miss! As Wang Zhong was feeling guilty for upying someone elses achievements, Ludm turned to Pavlov and asked, Carriage Number 1 has beds, right? Pavlov nodded seriously, Yes, but they are more lightweight campaign beds. Do you want me to change them for sturdy wooden beds? Wang Zhongs mind went nk for a moment: What do you mean? Why switch to wooden beds? Ludm, No need, lightweight campaign beds are fine. Pavlov, Alright. The rest of us officers will just squeeze in Carriage Number 2 with the soldiers. ??? Wang Zhong was about to ask what was going on when Ludm dragged him towards the train. At that moment, Wang Zhong finally realized what was about to happen it was just that this development seemed so sci-fi to him,pletely impossible, so he hadnt been thinking in that direction at all. Wang Zhong, Ludm! Didnt we agree to wait until after the war Call me Liu Xia, or Mira is fine too! the girl interrupted Wang Zhong. Ludms nickname was Liu Da, and a more intimate term of endearment was Liu Xia, which usually meant that two people had truly be close. This girl meant business today! Why so suddenly? I dont know! Just looking at you during your speech, I felt it had to be today! Wang Zhong, Ludm! Liu Da! Liu Xia! Theing years of war will be extremely arduous, let Ive thought it over! Itll be no problem! Oh, youve thought it over, then eh? Wang Zhong nced at the soldiers who had stopped boarding to watch the show, his face turning red. Why could this girl be so forward in front of so many people? Where was her modesty? Just then, Wang Zhong remembered that Ludm was a Mao mei, and in the future, she would grow into a Russian woman capable of wrestling bears in the deep forest; being a bit fierce was quite normal, wasnt it? As he thought this, Wang Zhong was dragged into Carriage Number 1. Upon entering the carriage, Ludm pushed him against the wall of the stuffy tanker with a backhand move, I know youre right, I understand. And I agree! But how can you expect me to hold back? That brother whos always causing trouble suddenly turned into a white horse! Wang Zhong, Turned into a white horse? Bucephalus? Ludm, Its just She was at a loss for words, paused for a few seconds, and shouted, Whatever! Then she swooped in for a kiss. Poor Wang Zhong had never seen such a sci-fi, such a vigorous development. His understanding of how forward a girl could be was merely at the level of if a girls underwear set matches, you might be the one being slept with. Hed never seen such a fierce girl before; it was aplete blind spot for him. Could it be that all the girls from this region were this aggressive? Would he be rolled back and forth by the wheel in the future?Wang Zhong, who was currently being rolled back and forth by explosive reactive armor, thought this. Wang Zhong, Couldnt you at least wait until the train starts? No ones going toe in! Ludm said. Jules 914, July 9th, 0350 hours. The train carrying Wang Zhong and his troops slowly entered Sabachefsky, 110 kilometers from Loktov, to resupply coal as well as water for the boilers and tanks. Wang Zhong stood at the open door of Carriage Number 1, looking out at Sabachefsky in the morning light. Ludm appeared beside him, saying, Put your uniform on properly! What kind of look is that with your belt unbuckled? Soon a lot of soldiers wille down for fresh air, and if they see you like this, it will affect their morale! While chiding him, she skillfully helped Wang Zhong dress properly, then stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips, Good morning. Wang Zhong was still absent-minded, Morning. Ah, he thought, my fiance is so amazing. A little too amazing, causing my sage time to extend into the next morning. Ludm turned to tidy her silver hair, saying as she did so, You should find a batman. What kind of general doesnt have a batman? Sure. Wang Zhong replied absently. Ludm went on, Too bad Im abat medic; otherwise, I would be your batman myself. Wang Zhong, Uh? Can a batman be a woman? Chapter 133: Accidents_2 Of course, the Secr faction believes that whatever a man can do, a woman theoretically can too. Didnt you also want to bring a maid before, but it ended up being your father who forcibly sent an old butler over? When mentioning old butler, Ludms voice stuttered a bit, then she sighed softly, If the old man could see your state now, he would certainly be weeping with joy. It seemed that the old butler always had high expectations for Wang Zhong, he spected. At that moment, the trainpleted its entry into the station and came to aplete stop. Pavlov leapt directly out of the second car, stretching his neck to look towards the first car. Wang Zhong raised his hand and waved. Then Pavlov confidently came over, Is it convenient? Wang Zhong, It is, whats up? I was just about to go to the telegraph office at the station to send a telegram. Join me? Im afraid Ill fall asleep inside by myself and miss the train.Wang Zhong, Sure! He leaped onto the tform with a single jump. Ludms voice came from inside the carriage, Your dress shoes! Really, how long has it been since they were polished! Take them off and Ill help you shine them! Saying so, she threw out a pair of cloth shoes. Wang Zhong had no choice but to change shoes. Pavlov, The battlefield is also a ce where the flower of love blooms brilliantly, isnt it? Humph, youre quite the romantic, arent you? Wang Zhong teased. The bear-like chief of staff waited for Wang Zhong to change his shoes and led the way to the telegraph office beside the station. At that time, soldiers from other stuffy tank cars also came out for air, and all the young men showed a meaningful smile when they saw Wang Zhong. Vasily blew a whistle directly. Wang Zhong, Show some respect to your superior, or Popov will punish you with the task of hauling manure! Popov also got off the train, hearing Wang Zhongs words, he turned his head and shouted, Dont just take a breather, go relieve yourselves if needed! Dont end up peeing in the tank carster! And if you need to clear out fromst nights beef stew with potatoes, do it quickly! The train needs to take on coal and water, so were stopping for half an hour! Wang Zhong, Are we stopping for that long? Yes. Pavlov nodded, I n to use this time to ask the Front Armys headquarters via telegraph about our arrangements after we get to Argesukov. After all, the orders they gave us yesterday didnt even specify where wed be stationed once we arrive. Wang Zhong, Maybe someone will receive us at the station, like before when we entered Bogdanovka. Pavlov did not answer. There was only an old man on duty at the station telegraph room, and when Wang Zhong and others entered, the old man was leaning back in his chair, mouth agape, sleeping. Hearing the door, the old man suddenly opened his eyes wide, Oh, its two officers! Oh, and a general! How may I be of service? Wang Zhong pointed at Pavlov, My chief of staff needs to use the telegraph. Certainly. The old man put on his sses and turned on the power to the telegraph machine. Pavlov began to dictate the content of the telegram, and the sounds of the telegram being sent started echoing in the telegraph room. Wang Zhong, bored, began to look at the notice board on the wall of the telegraph office, closely examining the notes pinned to the wooden board. Who took the coffee I left in the telegraph room yesterday? Lost and found: A blue pen, please see Peter to im. It was all small, trivial matters. Suddenly, Wang Zhong felt that this ce was unrealistically peaceful, as if the war before had been an illusion of his own. Until he saw a note, Collective memorial service for Car Group 54 to be held tomorrow, please attend punctually. This note was just mixed in among a bunch of trivial ones, not noticeable unless looked at closely. Indeed, no one could stay out of the war. At that moment, Pavlov finished dictating and exhaled in relief, Now we just wait for a reply from the other side, hopefully, theyre on time. If they really forgot to arrange amodations for us, that would be a headache. I hope the soldiers who have been through fierce battles can at least get a good nights sleep. Wang Zhong nodded, Yes, indeed. Certainly cant get a good rest with only straw on the train. Last night, Wang Zhong had actually slept very soundly, except that his camp bed shook a bit too much. For the next while, both men sat quietly waiting. Pavlov, probably too tired, leaned against the backrest of the bench and fell asleep. Wang Zhong continued to observe everything in the roomit was full of life, not only the bulletin board cluttered with notes but the walls were also stered with briefings and various misceneous items. Twenty minutes passed like this. The bell rang suddenly, and the old telegraph operator hastily reminded, Gentlemen, there are only ten minutes left before the train departs. Better get back on board quickly, lest you get left behind. Stretching, Pavlov yawned lengthily. Wang Zhong, Why dont you go to the first car and sleep on the camp bed? ` No, Pavlov tly refused, how could I have the nerve to use the bedding you two have used. Wang Zhong: We could just throw the bedding away, and you can sleep directly on the hard nk. Pavlov thought for a moment: That makes sense. Lets do that. Besides, we officers should stick together in carriage one and take turns resting. Wang Zhong: Then lets go. The two of them left the telegraph office together and returned to carriage one. Ludm had already put away all the bedding, stacking it in the corner of the carriage. Not only that, but she also used a stove she had found somewhere to boil water and had prepared coffee. Wang Zhongs leather shoes were neatly ced under the camp bed, shiny and spotless. Ludms shoe polishing skills were indeed excellent. Seeing the coffee, Pavlov shook his head: Coffee no longer has any effect on me now, let me just get a good sleep. Ill take up the camp bed. With that, hey directly on the nk of the camp bed and, like Nobita Nobi, fell asleep in an instant. Probably because he hadnt slept for so long, his snoring was very loud, as ifpeting with a steam whistle. At that moment, Yegorov appeared at the entrance of carriage one: Wheres Pavlov? Did he ask where were stationed? Huh? Why is he asleep? Wang Zhong: Sent a telegram but got no reply. Just as Yegorov was about to speak, a whistle blew outside. Yegorov hurriedly turned his head and shouted: Get on the train! There are only five minutes left before departure! Get on the train! Squad leaders, count your men, and if anyones missing, send someone to look for them! Quick! After giving the order, Yegorov looked back at Pavlov: So we still dont know where to station in Argesukov? At that time, Ludm said: We could stay at Alyoshas estate. Wang Zhong, astounded: Whose what now? Your estate. Do I even have one of those? Yegorov asked with concern: Will it berge enough? Ludm: It should be, after all, the two main buildings have 210 rooms. How many rooms? Ludm looked puzzled at Wang Zhong, who was gaping: What are you surprised about? Im surprised about what kind of family I have, to possess such extravagant wealth. Wait, am I supposed to be a count? Can a count have an estate with 210 rooms? Yegorov: Sounds good, well also live in the house of a noble lord for a change, see what it feels like. At this time, the stationmaster came with a loudspeaker: Officers, please board the train! Yegorov grabbed the door of the freight car and climbed aboard with one effort: Since Pavlov is sleeping here, Ill join him. Carriage two is too crowded, this side is morefortable. Before Wang Zhong could reply, Sufang suddenly appeared, nimbly climbing aboard. Ive received a message from the Argesukov Chant Choir, Sufang said, and I need to report to you! Just then, the train started moving slowly. Ah, cant go back now. Sufang stuck out her tongue. Ludm handed her a cup: Coffee. Oh, thank you. Sufang nodded her head, took a big sip, Delicious, the coffee beans are finely ground. Ludm: I didnt grind them, the olddy at the supply warehouse gave them to me when I went to get the stove. Wang Zhong suddenly remembered the note on the bulletin board in the telegraph office: Who took the coffee I left in the telegraph room yesterday? Could things be connected like this? Sufang took another sip of the coffee, then apparently scalded, she shrank her neck. Wang Zhong: What did the Argesukov Chant Choir say? Cancel the attack, all units are ordered to steadfastly resist and not retreat, Sufang said. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue: The good news is, the higher-ups have finally realized the futility of an attack. The bad news is Yegorov: Its a good thing we ran fast, or we might have been wiped out in Loktov. Ludm looked in the direction of Loktov: Those young menst night had to fight to thest. Everyone fell silent. Only Pavlovs carefree snoring continued unabated. Chapter 134: Arriving at Argesukov ` July 9th, 1050 hours. By now, the view outside the train carwell, the stuffy boxcar didnt have windows, and the door hardly showed any trace of the wars scars anymore. In the glow of the rising sun, the fields of the Kazaria Kingdom werevishly revealing their beauty. Before crossing over, Wang Zhong had seen an anti-American war film by a famous director, and the scene that impressed him the most was when the protagonist, traveling by train to the border, opened the door to glimpse the grandndscapes of his homnd. Although that scene looked somewhat cheap due to budget cuts in favor of high-profile celebrities, the scenery was undeniably picturesque. Now, looking at the grasnds of Kazaria, Wang Zhong was reminded of that moment. As he was reflecting, Yegorov said, Im starting to think this grasnd really isnt suitable for defense. In the future, when our power increases, I wouldnt be surprised if the battles here turned into tank tug-of-wars, and then, there will be destroyed tanks everywhere. Wang Zhong admitted he was right.Yegorov continued, General, what rank do you think youll be promoted to when you get back? Maybe another two ranks, to major general? Wang Zhong, currently a brigadier general, also known as a brigade general, would add a star to be a two-bean major general,manding a division. Then the next rank up was the three-bean lieutenant general, in charge of an army, or possibly bing a deputy in an army group, or the head of a major military region without activebat, and there was some chance he could be themander of a smaller strategic direction in the Front Army. Wang Zhong wasnt familiar with the Ante Empires promotion system, but he knew very well the Soviet promotion system on the Eastern Front during World War II. There were many instances of officers being promoted to major general on the battlefield, but rising to lieutenant general was much more difficult, usually requiring three years from the start of the war. So he said, Theyll probably make me a major general and then continue to stuff me with mixed forces. Ludm joined the conversation, Why do you think so? Maybe theyll give Alyosha a reorganized division. Wang Zhong: No, no, Id rather they didnt give me a reorganized division. The 31st Guards and and the Parade Tank Regiment as well as the Parade Artillery Regiment, theyre all seasoned troops, tried and tested. With a new unit, it would take time for them to get used to me. What Wang Zhong meant wasnt that he would have troublemanding new unit membersmilitary hierarchy is strict, and even new officers will have their orders obeyed, as that is the nature of the military. What Wang Zhong was referring to was his own cheat code; if the men didnt ept him and genuinely acknowledge him, he would face limitations in gaining insight on the battlefield. Of course, once the fame of the White Horse General grew such that any new unit would wholeheartedly ept hismand, things would be different. No matter what rank you reach, I think you should get an orderly to look after your daily life as soon as possible. Ive noticed that your clothes are just thrown there as soon as you get them back from theundry squad! You need an orderly to take care of you! Ludm said. Wang Zhong: Dont I have you? I cant stick with you all day! So it cant be? Disappointing. Dont look so disappointed. Ill try my best to be with you! Sofia watched the two of them and said, If the general bes a major general and divisionmander, then as a Hymn Monk I must always be by the generals side. How about I take on the role of orderly? Im quite skilled at household chores! Wang Zhong: That could work. But would that be proper? Would Popov have any objections? Yegorov and Ludm answered in unison, Definitely. So they definitely would! Then Ill get one with a big chest, who also wears a maids outfit. Ludm: Dont even think about bringing a maid into the troops. Even if one came, she would have to wear the orderlys uniform, not a maids outfit. What? Thats a shame! But in reality, Wang Zhong was just entertaining the thought; what truly concerned him was the war situation. Having had his fill of the view outside, Wang Zhong returned to the map. From this map, the state of the entire Kazaria Kingdom was clear. As part of the Ante Empire, a third of it was now upied by the Prosen people. There were reports of telegrams stilling from Bogdanovka, emphasizing that the city was fighting and in need of relief. But every junior officer understood that under such circumstances, relief was virtually impossible, and it was only a matter of time before the Bogdanovka forces were entirely wiped out by the enemy. Based on the position and number of arrows representing the enemy on the map, Wang Zhong judged that Argesukov would be the enemys next objective in a pincer attack. The enemys second armored group was fighting north of Argesukov, apparently not yet intending to surround and encircle the city. But Wang Zhong, well-versed in history, had a nagging feeling that the armored offensive would soon turn southward and begin to encircle Argesukov. The Sturmtiger on Earth fought that way, and even though they achieved stunning victories, they dyed the push towards Moscow by a month, dragging it out until the arrival of General Mud. The Sturmtiger armored troops were mired in mud, barely managing to continue their advance. As soon as General Mud left, General Winter arrived, and in the year of the Sturmtigers offensive, tanks and nes didnt have antifreeze lubricantsthey were literally frozen to the ground. At that time, to start a Sturmtiger tank, one even had to light a fire first to melt the solidified oil in the engine. Of course, in this world the terrain was different, and Prosen Empire was not the Sturmtiger; they might not follow the same course of action. Just then, Ludm said, Theres Argesukov! Look over there! Wang Zhong, following her slender index finger, saw a line of smokestacks on the horizon, many churning out thick smoke. Could Argesukov really be an industrial city? Wait, why isnt such an industrial city close to the frontline being rapidly deconstructed and the factories relocated further back? By doing so, they could prevent the Prosen people from capturing Ante factories and, once relocated, the factories could resume operations and continue supporting the Ante Empires resistance. Why arent they quickly evacuating the factories? It looks like theres yet another issue toin about to the Crown Prince. Its just uncertain how much power the Crown Prince has over the war. After all, the forces the Crown Prince managed to send before were the professional units ustomed to parades, hardly reflecting his influence over the military system. ` What kind of person is the Crown Prince? Wang Zhong pondered, trying to dig out a sliver of memory about the Crown Prince from his mindsince this body belonged to the original owner, it made sense that some memories would linger, right? Unfortunately, after quite an effort, he still couldnt recall the slightest bit. So Wang Zhong fabricated a lie, To tell the truth, I dont know if it was from being sted by heavy artillery, or if my brain got fried during a fever, but I cant seem to remember what the Crown Prince looks like. Ludm: It shows, you were about to ask whether he was a man or a woman. Wang Zhong could certainly detect the mocking tone in Ludms words, but still cheekily asked, So can you help me recall a bit? Ludm shook her head: You both entered the Reserve Infantry Officer School in the same year, andter studied together at the Suvorov Military Academy. You two were bottom of the ss, onest and the other second tost. Is the Crown Prince that bad? Now a distinguished general of the Ante Army, Wang Zhong thought somewhat arrogantly, even though his status as a well-known general was due to support from the Crown Prince, who acted as a transportationmander. At that moment, Wang Zhong noticed more railway tracks appearing alongside the current ones, and soon the train shed past a deserted small station. Yegorov: Were reaching Veishorei, itll start slowing down soon. Wang Zhong: Youre quite familiar with the railways near Argesukov! Of course. I fought many battles here during the civil war. Back then there werent as many railroads converging here, but Veishorei had rail ess at that time. Forces of the Sanctified faction were holding Veishorei, constantly trying tounch attacks on Argesukov. We were lined up on either side of the railroad, even bringing armored trains for fire support, Yegorov recounted with familiarity. Back then I was under themand of Just then, the trains whistle blew, signaling its imminent arrival at the station. Pavlov also countered with his sonorous snores. Wang Zhong watched the increasingly numerous houses outside the train window over the fields and suddenly remembered something. He turned around to the table and picked up his portable small bag, from which he retrieved a letter stained red with blood. Argesukov, 43 Krugen Street, Alexeyevna. Wang Zhong hurriedly asked Yegorov, Since youve fought around Argesukov for so long, you must know where Krugen Street is, right? Yegorov: Yes, I do. What, are you really nning to deliver the letter yourself? Couldnt the military postal system handle it? No, Wang Zhong dered firmly, I want to personally deliver it and have a word with this olddy Alexeyevna, to tell her just how brave her son was. Yegorov: But hes already dead Wang Zhong stubbornly said, No! I want to go. In fact, this was not only for the sake of those who had passed away, but also to strengthen Wang Zhongs own resolve and bravery. So that one day in the future, he could issue themand, I dont want casualty numbers, I only want victories, without guilt. Ludm, looking at Wang Zhongs side profile, suddenlyughed: Alyosha, I never knew you had such a tender side, just like I never knew you were a speaker! Sufan: So you didnt know either? Ludm: Now I do! And I know which way he leans too Wang Zhong: Lets not go into details on that! But Yegorov curiously asked, General, which side do you lean? I prefer Lets not talk about that either, Wang Zhong adopted the bearing of a general, Lets talk about the letter! Yegorov: 43 Krugen Street, eh? I actually do know where it is. Once the troops are settled in, Ill take you there on your signature white horse. Suddenly, Wang Zhong had an illusion that he heard a horses neigh, which should be impossible. Bucephalus was mixed in with pack horses and mules carrying supplies for the troops, staying in carriage number 11; its whinny could not possibly travel against the wind to reach here. The train then began to slow down, and the surrounding countryside scenery swiftly diminished, soon morphing into a cityscape mingled with ck and red. Everywhere one could see garrisoned troops and the assembling Guardian Army. Unless in formation, they all uniformly gazed towards the train. Yegorovmented, I bet theyre staring at the red g on your tank. After all, the Ante Empire has never seen a red g before. The train continued to decelerate, finally reduced to the pace of a human walking. The lotives whistle sounded again. Suddenly, Pavlov eximed loudly, I cant take it anymore! Wheres my staff team? He then sat up and wide-eyed looked around at everyone in carriage number one. Wang Zhong: Dont worry! Well definitely provide you with a full staff team this time! Pavlov was clearly still confused, his brain not quite kicking into gear yet. He looked at Wang Zhong, Really? Then I want a ninth-grade civil servant! At least ninth-grade! Wang Zhong: How about a sixth-grade one? He wasnt familiar with the civil servant rankings and just counted up one level ording to the sequence of three, six, nine. Finally awake, Pavlov retorted, Stop joking, General. A sixth-grade civil servant could serve as a school affairsmittee member at a university! Theyd have authority over professors! Really? Right then, the tform outside abruptly came into view. Next, the sound of martial music rose, ying Farewell of the vic Woman, clearly, a weing ceremony was prepared at the station for Rocossovsbat group. Chapter 135: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince The train gradually came to a halt amid the sounds of military music, and just before itpletely stopped, it gave a violent shake. Having already ridden in a stuffy boxcar from Bogdanovka to Loktov, Wang Zhong had once hit his head from such a shake, but now, experienced, he had braced himself against the door in advance. Ironically, his head was now covered in bandageshed got those driving a tankso one less bump made no difference. As soon as the train hade to a full stop, Wang Zhong was about to disembark when he suddenly noticed arge group of fellows in shy military uniforms on the tform. They were indeed military uniforms, but the style was clearly different from the simple khaki uniform that Wang Zhong woreit was much more dashing and decorative. But then again, these uniforms all had unmistakably military elements that let anyone know at a nce, Oh, the person wearing this uniform is an officer of the Ante Army. If pushed for aparison, they resembled the custom uniforms of the Sturmtiger aristocracy on Earth. The aristocratic officers of the Sturmtiger would often have their uniforms tailor-madelike motorcycle leather jackets, typically only issued to Sturmtigers motorcycle reconnaissance troops, but many aristocratic officers thought the jackets looked cool, so they would also have one made for themselves. Now the group that appeared on the tform, in all their finery, were likely all aristocratic officers.Upon seeing Wang Zhong, they all became excited, Oh! Here hees, here hees! Alyosha, why does your head look like a Bolo? Were you beaten after being captured by the Prussians? Alyosha, why is your uniform so in? Wheres your tailor? The bunch hectically shouted out. Wang Zhong, feeling under siege, hadnt even tensed up this much when facing Prosen tanks. Who are all of you? He switched to a birds-eye view and then realized that these clowns probably werent officers at all; there were no insignias of rank, nor names visible! No wonder their epaulettes bore no proper military ranks, just shy decorations. Damn it, running into a bunch of civilian cronies was unexpected. Just then, Ludm leaned in and whispered in Wang Zhongs ear, These were your friends before we went to Yekaterinburg for studies. You can say you dont recognize them any longer. Wang Zhong looked at Ludm with confusion, unsure why she suddenly came to his aid. Could it be that she actually saw through it? Does that mean her likeness for me has nothing to do with the original owner of this body? At this moment, someone in the group also recognized Ludmand it would be more surprising if they didnt, considering Ludms silver hair and features were memorable to any man. Liu Da! someone called out, Come to the dance tonight, many are waiting to dance with you! Wang Zhong frowned. These people, the front is in such a state, yet they still dance? Wang Zhong felt a sense of division, with the secr faction of the Eastern Holy Church inspiring the people to bravely resist the invaders, while the aristocracy, representatives of secr power, indulged in peace and luxury. How could you defeat the Prussians with such vermin! Yegorov seemed to be ustomed to the presence of the nobility, and promptly jumped off the train to organize the soldiers to disembark. Wang Zhong noticed that the disembarking soldiers were eyeing the dandies with unmistakable hostility. But the dandies, oblivious to the soldiers res, kept jeering at Ludm, Ever since you went to Yekaterinburg, youve be even prettier! Has Alyosha not made a move on you yet, or maybe you would prefer Just then, as quick as a sh, Bucephalus let out a long whinny and charged from the other end of the tform, frightening the band into abandoning their performance and scattering in all directions. It reached the stunned dandies, spun around with a kick, and sent three men flying. Neighing, Bucephalus spun in ce, trying to kick more dandies into the air. Wang Zhong hurriedly got off the train and grabbed Bucephalus by its side. The horse stopped immediately and began nibbling on his hair. The dandies, scared out of their wits,y on the ground for a while before climbing up: Whats with this horse! Wang Zhong: Um its a wild horse! Bucephalus stepped on Wang Zhongs right boot, causing him such pain he almost bent over. Nheless, Bucephalus had indeed pulled its punches, otherwise, with its weight, Wang Zhongs toes would have been crushed. Wang Zhong decided not to mention the wild horse again and continued, Its not ustomed to riding the train and went mad. Sorry about that. By then, most of the dandies had stood up, while the ones kicked away were still lying on the ground moaning, Ive broken a bone My back One unlucky fellow had a brown stain on his trousers and an unmistakable scent was wafting from there. Vasily stepped off the train, pretending to admire the scenery, Oh, why is there a familiar smell in the air? Filippov, do you smell it? Filippov: Vasily, thats not very kind, theyre all nobility! What? What are you talking about? Dont you smell something in the air? Wheres iting from? Vasily stubbornly persisted in feigning ignorance. Indeed, expecting this hothead to revere so-called nobility was unrealistic. He didnt even respect the White General! Yegorov scolded, Stop fooling around! Fall in line! Lets give the citizens of the capital a good impression! Argesukov is the capital of the Kazarlia Kingdomwhile Bogdanovka was the capital of the Vasztrom Duchy. Those who have yed the Crusader Kings series will recognize this setup: counties are topped by duchies, duchies by kingdoms, and amassing three kingdom titles allows one to create an empire title to be the emperor As Wang Zhongs soldiers were falling in line, the traumatized band regrouped and resumed performing vonic Womens Farewell. Some dandies began to order their servants to carry off their fallenpanions to the hospital. The remaining dandies gathered together, keeping their distance from the white horse. One of the dandies asked, Alyosha, how did you tame this beast? Upon hearing someone calling him a beast, Bucephalus immediately shook his head and snorted through his nostrils, his front hooves fidgeting non-stop. Wang Zhong knew that this meant he was pleased; he didnt like being called a wild horse, but enjoyed being considered a beast. Bucephalus had aplicated heart of a young girl. Wang Zhong looked doubtfully at his beloved horse and began to suspect: Could this world hold mystical forces capable of turning ordinary rockets into missiles, enable ordinary people to acquire keen hearing? Could there also be mystical forces that turned horses into heroic spirits? If I really were a chosen one of the Eastern Holy Church, wouldnt it be normal to ride a horse with divine attributes? As he was thinking this, Bucephalus began to nibble on his hair. I must be overthinking it; its just a bit mentally unstable. Wang Zhong pushed his enthusiastic horse away and said to the dandies, Sorry, my horse has gone mad. A few of the dandies exchanged nces, and the one who just called Bucephalus a beast said, Its okay, you used to like feisty ones, both horses and women. Is that my character setting? Another dandy nodded, Right, you even said that Liu Da was too tame, which is why you didnt fancy her and left her alone. Huh? Delving deeper seems to lead into aplex NTR cycle? Never mind that, Liu Xia now has feelings for me. Wang Zhong shook off the unnecessary thoughts, determined to politely dismiss the group of dandies. Just then, as the military band transitioned from vic Womens Farewell to Tsars Hymn, Wang Zhong was puzzled. He noticed that all the soldiers were saluting towards the stations main building. Wang Zhong looked over and then saw a person whose name he could recognize! Ivan Nikyevich Antonov, with the rank of captain, and a subtitle in parentheses: Crown Prince of the Ante Empire. Wang Zhong examined the Crown Prince carefully. Hmm, just an ordinary good-looking Russian guy. The name, patronymic, and surname all followed the male format. When the Crown Prince saw Wang Zhong, he immediately opened his arms to greet him, Alyosha! My dear friend! Wang Zhong also approached warmly, Ivania! My dear friend! As they hugged, Wang Zhong felt Ivan wasnt a female. Its a bit of a pity. No, not at all a pity! I already have a lovely fiance! After embracing Wang Zhong, Ivan turned to Ludm and merely performed a standard gentlemans greeting. Ludm: Im in uniform, so no hand-kissing. It was then that Ivan snapped to attention, saluting Wang Zhong and Ludm! I salute you, General Sir! The local dandies, left on the side, looked at each other in confusion. Wang Zhong: I salute you, Your Highness! Without the technical equipment you provided, we couldnt have survived! No sooner had he spoken, Wang Zhongs troops shouted in unison, We salute you! Ivan looked at the troops in surprise, Its astonishing; they seem just as loyal to you as your own unit! Vasily: Reporting to Your Highness, we are indeed loyal to the General! Ivan was even more surprised, Is that so? You actually managed to earn the respect of the troops? Wang Zhong: You didnt know? No, I thought your battle achievements were all boastful, because look, Ive been listening in on the High Command meetings, and weve been winning all the time, havent we? Wang Zhong: Your Highness, the reports from the Front Armies might lie, but the frontline doesnt. We have been retreating all along, and even this Argesukov is now in danger. How could that be! the Crown Princeughed, Isnt this a peaceful ce? Here weve gathered 700,000 troops, 700,000 of them! Upon hearing that number, Wang Zhongs heart cooled by half. Thats it, the number of troops in the Kiev encirclement matches up. Now all thats left is for the second tank group to the north to make its turn. But if things really do develop this way, doesnt it mean that Yekaterinburg could be saved? No, this isnt the time to worry about that; I need to get my own troops out of the encirclement first. Wang Zhong grabbed the Crown Princes hand, Ivania, its really dangerous now! The Prosen troops love encirclements, and they will The Crown Prince said with a smile, Here we have seven hundred thousand troops, as well as the natural defense of the Dnieper River, and Duke Meishikins troops in Shepetovka can cover Argesukov too. Rest assured, we will inflict a heavy blow on them here! You should rx and let your troops rest and resupply first. Wang Zhong: I need to replenish my troops, and also tanks! T34 tanks! And I hope theyre all equipped with radios! Rest easy! It will be provided, all of it! the Crown Prince patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder. Wang Zhong held his forehead. The Crown Prince added, Oh, by the way, I have a message for you: Your father, Duke Rocossov, is preparing a banquet at the manor to celebrate your victorious return. Hes also arranged quarters for your troops! Wang Zhong exhaled a sigh of relief, thinking at least there was some good news, and there was no need to worry about quarters for the troops. Chapter 136: It Turns Out It Wasn’t the Crown Prince’s Merit (Bonus for 5000 Monthly Votes) Wang Zhong was pondering about the future when Ludm tugged at his sleeve. He turned his head to look at the girl, and she pouted in the direction she was looking at. Following her gaze with curiosity, Wang Zhong then saw a short and chubby version of himself. Overall, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky wasnt bad looking, mainly because he kept his body well-trained. But the man in front of him was actually about the same height; however, due to his significantly expanded tonnage and a serious failure in managing his weight, he had a chubby appearance. Described with high emotional intelligence,strong and honest. But even with such a big difference in build, Wang Zhong still had the feeling, My god, he looks so much like me. So, even without looking at the name, Wang Zhong knew this person must be a rtive of his. He nced at the name: Pyotr Konstantinovich Rocossov, Major General, Duke Rocossov.Based on the patronymic Konstantinovich, Wang Zhong deduced that this man shared the same father with him. Its a tradition among the Ante Empire nobility that the first in line of session, even without actually inheriting anynd, would still be granted an honorary title. Meaning, this could be his brother, the first in line to inherit, so he is also called the Dukethough without actual inheritance. Pyotr looked at Wang Zhong, quickened his steps, and came over with open arms, My dear brother! Alyosha! Wang Zhong was hugged tightly and nearly had his chest crushed. Are you trying to murder your brother, fatty! After releasing Wang Zhong, Pyotr was still very excited, his mouth trembling as he spokenot that Wang Zhong was paying close attention, its just that being fat, any slight tremor was magnified through theyers of fat, immediately obvious. Pyotr, When the choir received the dangerous news about you being in Peniye, I rushed to use all possible means to suggest to the subordinates to send you reinforcements. I didnt know what theyd sent until I received the news that you had arrived at Bogdanovka, then my heart was finally at ease Hm? Tank number 67 KV1 was what you sent? But why does it seem from Pyotrs statements that he doesnt have the authority to give direct orders to the troops below? And as a major general in Argesukov, how could he issue orders to the troops in Bogdanovka? He shouldnt have jurisdiction there, right? Just as Wang Zhongs suspicion arose, it was immediately resolved: Because Pyotr was too fat earlier, Wang Zhong could only notice his front and overlooked the staff officer insignia on his shoulder. This guy, though wearing the rank of major general, is probably a senior staff officer in the Front Army staff. With some maneuvering within themand office, it is indeed possible to give some hints to have the troops dispatched. No wonder only one KV1 came to the support; turns out the defenders of Bogdanovka had only casually sent some reinforcements to satisfy the superiors. Everything started making sense. Pyotr took Wang Zhongs hand, Its good youre back! Father and I just want you to be safe, you really dont need to boast so much! Hm? Pyotr, Ive already managed to make arrangements with the personnel department, and they will soon transfer you to the logistics department! Wang Zhong frowned, looking incredulously at the chubby man in front of him who resembled him, What happened to the Western nobility protecting their people? You relocate your own kin to the rear during a national crisis, and you nonchntly announce it in public? What would the sons of themoners who gantly died for their country think? The feeling of alienation he just experienced came flooding back. Wang Zhong remembered the valiant members of the Guardian Army who died in the defense of Loktov, along with the active men, women, and children. Had the call to action that motivated everyone back then nothing to do with the nobility but was down to a belief in national survival? Wang Zhongs fondness for the citizens of Ante increased by 1,000 points. He shook off Pyotrs hand, I wont leave my troops. I will fight until Prosen ispletely defeated, turning Ploseni into ruins, washing my tracks with the blood of the then Emperor, and then eating pickles on his dining table. The dandies around obviously misunderstood Wang Zhongs words, taking him for the typical braggart and whistled in response. But Pyotr looked at Wang Zhong with incredulity, staring intensely, You whats happened to you? No, no, for the sake of the front-line troops, you should go to the logistics department, and to manage something inconsequential, like storerooms for pickles Oh, is that where you want to go? That can be arranged! Wang Zhong, No, I will say it again, I will not leave the front line, I will not forsake the soldiers who have fought and bled with me! I will fight with them until the end when Prosen is finally defeated! Pyotrughed, Dont be like that, look at your soldiers, they must be sick of you! Uh Pyotrs gaze swept over the soldiers of the Rocossovbat group standing in formation on the tform, his expression as if hed seen a ghost. At that moment, Ludm said, Pyotr Konstantinovich, he is no longer who he was yesterday. Pyotr took another look at his brother, seemingly finally sensing a vastly different aura about his kin, until he saw Bucephalus nibbling at Wang Zhongs hair. Bucephalus, Neigh~~~ Wang Zhong silently pushed the horses head away. Pyotr: Then Pyotr decided to ignore the overly abrupt scene. He cleared his throat, So youre not going to tell me that you actuallymanded the troops in battle and gained their approval, are you? Wang Zhong, What do you think? My dear brother! Chapter 137: It Turns Out It Wasn’t the Crown Prince’s Merit (Bonus for 5000 Monthly Votes) _2 Pyotr: So youre saying, you really destroyed six hundred Prussian tanks? Wang Zhong was caught off guard, almost lost hisposure, and cleared his throat: Well, not that many. But there is indeed a hundred, and among them, twenty were personally taken out under mymand. I also personally directed my Tank 422 to kill Major General Rundorf of the enemys 15th Armored Divisionnow he might have been promoted to General. The dandies behind Pyotr looked at each other in disbelief, clearly none of them could ept the fact that that Alyosha had be a true iron-blooded soldier. Pyotr looked somewhat bewildered, covering his mouth: This My father and I thought the battle reports were all ttery or achievements made by some capable officer under you, and you took credit for them. We thought assigning you to manage the pickle warehouse was the best solution. Well, it turned out Dad and big brother didnt want to keep the original owner alive just for the sake of it, but rather to prevent him from causing too much damage. It seemed that, as Ludm said, apart from Alyosha, the rest of the Rocossov family was quite good. Pyotr: I need to discuss with my father, but I think he wont believe youve be a qualified soldier, and in the end, you might still be assigned to manage the warehouse At that moment, Vasily finally couldnt hold it in anymore: Major General! Uh, Major General Rocossov UhHe realized after he began speaking that there were two Rocossov major generals. After a brief hesitation, he said: The chubbier Major General! Just let us be stationed on the estate, let the Duke listen to our discussions, and hell definitely know how much we trust the Major General I mean, the slimmer one! Pyotr took out his handkerchief, vigorously wiped his sweat, and said: I will go back and talk to my father right now. Good lord, Father will never believe it. Im going to be scolded! But Father originally wanted your troops to be stationed on the estate, he thought that a unit that could perform so well under such amander as you must be well-treated. After finishing, Pyotr Konstantinovich Rocossov hurriedly left. At that point, Crown Prince Ivan, who had been eavesdropping on the brothers family conversation, spoke up: I was wondering why there was so much resistance when I requested your promotion. Turns out the Duke was interfering. But did you really kill a Prussian major general? Wang Zhong: Yes, I saw him get killed by a high-explosive shell. Oh thats kind of impressive, you youve really be a war hero? How could that be, you scored even lower than I did! Wang Zhong looked at the Crown Prince with confusion: You dont believe that Ive turned into a war hero? Then why did you arrange for heavy artillery and T34s for me? Ivan: Ah, that was Olgas idea, she said giving you some parade specialists would make things more interesting, and it was also her using my name and taking my seal to make it happen. Wang Zhong frowned, quickly realizing that Ivan had used a feminine pronoun in his statement. In Antenguage, Olga is also a unisex name, used by both men and women. So the question arises, who is this Olga? It cant possibly be the leader of the Iron Blood Orphans from Gundam, thats a male character. Ludm leaned closer to Wang Zhongs ear and whispered: Olga Nikyevna Antonovna, the sister of the Crown Prince, the second in line to the throne. Because the current His Majesty Nichs V doesnt have a second son. Crown Prince: You guys even forgot about Olga, shes alwaysining about you! Calling you cow dung! But then when the frontline battle reports came in, I gave them to her just for fun, and she actually read them very seriously! Then she proposed to send you some fancy but useless equipment, to make you look like a fool! Well, I was wondering why the Crown Prince didnt seem like the kind of person who would send me so much reinforcements, it turns out it was the princesss doing. And this fool was still out of the loop. The Crown Prince continued: How about it, did those parade equipmentse in handy? Were the Prussians stunned when they appeared on the battlefield? I originally wanted to send those stylish T35s as well, after all, you used to adore the T35, saying it was majestic and powerful! But then Olga scolded me and sent T34s instead. That thing is no good, it looks weak. The T35 is much more formidable! Wang Zhong Ohed, then seriously asked: Is Her Highness Olga Nikyevna Antonovna also in Argesukov now? Of course shes not; Her Majesty has forbidden her toe near the front lines. Now she spends every day at Saint Yekaterinburg giving speeches to the soldiers and personally handing out hot water and the like. My sister, shes always enjoyed putting on airs, as you know! Wang Zhong clicked his tongue in amazement. Her Highness, with her brothers seal in tow, forged orders to get the technical equipment sent over Now that the Crown Prince is in Argesukov, that means we cant count on any equipmenting from the capital. It looks like Ill have to have a serious talk with Duke Rocossov tonight. Since he managed to get his frivolous son reassigned to the warehouse district to distribute pickles, he should be able to assign troops to his son who has turned into a hardened soldier. He was already eager to meet this father. Wang Zhong turned his head to Yegorov and said, Prepare to depart, and make haste to the manor. Yegorov replied, Uh, we dont know where your manor is. Wang Zhong thought ironically that it was a coincidence, since he didnt know either. He silently pushed aside Bucephalus, who was nibbling on his hair again, and looked towards Ludm. Ludm said, Ill lead the way. You are all officers; you should be able to understand with just a point on the map. At this very moment, on the third floor of the train station, inside the clock towers machinery room, the Secr factions Grand Patriarch Belinsky overlooked the tform, his eyes fixed on Rocossov. Popov stood beside him respectfully, silent. Finally, Belinsky spoke, He is indeed a soldier dedicated to saving our country from peril, but is he really willing to be with themon people, as you say? There is no shortage of nobility amongst the officers who are willing to share blessings and hardships with themon soldiers, considering it a basic quality of a good officer. How can you prove that this Rocossov is any different from them? Popov answered, Through observation, I believe that he is not cut from the same cloth as those nobles. Because of this, even themoners are willing to follow him, to resist the invaders under hismand, and to boldly go to their deaths. Belinsky remarked, Hmm, we still need to observe him more. And he also needs to present more achievements. Killing a major general and destroying a few hundred Prosen tanks is not proof enough. This war is a brawl between two steel giants, and we are far weaker. Therefore, we need even strongermanders. At the very least, we need to thwart the Prosen offensive this year and turn the situation from a rout into a strategic standoff, so the Federation and the United Kingdom will provide us with assistance. Popov responded, Your Grace, talking about these matters with a mere bishop like me serves little purpose. I know, I know. I just wanted to mention it, to make you understand the importance of the mission. At that moment, Rocossovsbat group in the station began to move. Belinsky said, Go quickly, the Church will do its utmost to replenish thebat groupI mean, if you dont mind the recruits being passionate youths with nothing but bravery and zeal. Popov suggested, Then perhaps fill Yeca Neikos Divine Arrow Companys ranks with prayer soldiers anduncher operators. Belinsky replied, Hmm, we can meet that request, go back and wait for the news. With that, the Grand Patriarch waved his hand. After saluting, Popov turned and left. At that moment, the bishops in the shadows of the gears who had been eavesdropping stepped out. One of them said, One of our core beliefs in the Secr faction is that there has never been a Messiah, or rather, each of us, every single person, is the Messiah. The Grand Patriarchughed, Exactly, which is why we need to identify capable individuals among the people. This is not contradictory, Bishop Chernishevsky. It does not matter if he is a noble or a steelworker, what matters is military talent. To stop the onught of the Prosen devils, it is a necessity! The Grand Patriarch looked back at the tform once more, gazing at the young faces that had be resolute through the crucible of blood and fire, and softly repeated, It is a necessity. Chapter 138: Alyosha, Despised by People and Dogs (Added update for 6000 monthly votes) Wang Zhongs troops were currently advancing towards the Rokossovsky familys manor ording to the route provided by Ludm. Wang Zhong had intended to ride in Tank 422, but Bucephalus pulled at his hair so fiercely that he had no choice but to saddle up Bucephalus and ride the horse, with the tank following behind. The Crown Prince was also mounted on a robust sorrel horse, proudly trotting beside Wang Zhong. Curiously, passersby on the road didnt even bother to tip their hats to the Crown Prince, as if he wasnt the Tsars foremost heir. The streets of Argesukov were much more peaceful and serene than Wang Zhong had expected. Previously, when Wang Zhong and his troops entered a city, there was a deste feeling, with little sense of the residents livelihood, but Argesukov was bustling with life, with numerous pedestrians in everyday attire on the streets. Wang Zhong was surprised; the performance of the dandies at the train station already hinted at the decay typical of a dynastys end, but where was the expected atmosphere of streets littered with frozen bones? Before setting out, Wang Zhong had thought he would see streets full of beggars, destitute people selling off their children, and bread in the bakeries costing 500,000 rubles each. Yet, these clean and tidy streets, with rosy-cheeked, well-dressed civilians, seemed off, didnt they?Riding his horse, Wang Zhong pondered and then saw a long queue forming in the distance. As the troops moved towards the origin of the queue, Wang Zhong craned his neck, wondering what was at the end of the queue. Soon, he saw itor rather, the starting point of the queuea shop adorned with the emblem of the Eastern Holy Church. Civilians carryingrge and small packages kepting out of the shop. Wang Zhong scrutinized the items in the hands of a jubnt elderlydy: smoked sausages as thick as a grown mans thigh and forty centimeters long, four cans of fish, and canned oats, sour cream, mushrooms, mayonnaise, and the indispensable pickled cucumbers. Although all were canned goods and processed sausages, with no fresh produce in sight, the variety still seemed quite rich! Just then, a person dressed as a priest brought out a notice board and put it at the shop entrance, immediately drawingments from the queued crowd. The notice read: Fish will only be supplied on Tuesdays and Thursdays from now on; we hope for your understanding. Someone in the queue shouted, Why only supply fish? The Priest replied, Many farms and meat factories have been upied, and supplies have sharply declined. Be content; at least theres fish from Riga and the North Sea! Immediately, the Priests words were met with dissent, I was at a tavern yesterday and heard on the radio that we are about to defeat Prosen! Priest, Yes, indeed, so its only temporary. Think of it as eating more fish! By the way, we have enough caviar in stock here; you can buy some more to enjoy! Im sick of caviar, and I really dont understand why those noble lords like it so much! Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow. It seemed that the Churchs shop had helped to ease the tension between sses. Thinking it over, the Church had demonstrated strong mobilization power in Loktov. Could it be because the Church assured bountiful delicacies for themon people? Wang Zhong scratched his head, feeling there was much he still didnt understand, and that he needed to observe more closely. Anyhow, the Churchs mobilization power was a good thing. Considering the decadence of those nobles, relying on them to defeat Prosen seemed unlikely. Passing by the Church store, Wang Zhong saw another shop on the street selling fried pattiesnot meat patties, but fish patties. An olderdy purchasing goodsined, Howe there has been no meat for two days? Fish tastes quite good too, smiled the girl frying patties. Well have meat patties tomorrow! Alright then, Ill take some fish patties today. What kind of fish is it? Cod from the North Sea! Wang Zhong walked past the fish patty shop. He continued onwards, and there were several more shops like this one. Wang Zhong fell deep into thought. At that moment, the march of the troops suddenly halted. Feeling puzzled, Wang Zhong spurred Bucephalus forward, overtaking the stopped infantry to reach the very front. He saw that the road hade to an end, a metal gate imposingly bisecting the asphalt road. Emzoned on the gate were the family crest and Antes slogan, Private Property, No Trespassing. Yegorov at the forefront of the troops said, ording to Miss Mailehovnas directions, this is your manor, but are we expected to climb over and open the gate ourselves? Wang Zhong had no idea what was happeningthe gate didnt even seem to have an inte. How were they supposed to get it open? Just then, on the other side of the gate, a formation of maids paraded in double files along the road towards them. Seeing the procession of maids, the face of Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovskythe iron-d warrior and god of war adorned with the Peniye, Loktovs Guardian, bearer of the Red Banner, and rememberer of soldiers namesunexpectedly revealed a smile of happiness, softened by the wreckages of war. However, he quickly suppressed this inappropriate expression, and no one seemed to notice. The maids arrived at the gate, then separated on either side of the road. The leading maid unlocked and opened the gate, pulled it aside with difficulty, then took her position at the head of the row of maids and bowed deeply. Wang Zhong thought to himself, is it my imagination, or do these maids seem to have a bad attitude towards me? Of course, with the Crown Prince present, the maids were undoubtedly polite, but it just felt as if the maids disliked him. Chapter 139: Alyosha, Despised by People and Dogs (Added update for 6000 monthly votes) _2 Odd, arent I now a war hero brimming with male hormones? The twodies in my unit are clearly smitten with me! Why havent the maids taken a liking to me? Could it be they still see me as the same worthless dandy from before? For a moment, Wang Zhong wished the Prussian Army would attack soon, so he could make a big show of himself, but recalling the peaceful scenes he had just witnessed, this thought gave way to the simple wish that wars pace would slow. Wearing aplex expression, he rode into the estate on horseback. About two hundred maids came to greet him, spacing themselves five meters apart to guide Wang Zhongs unit to three three-story buildings at the northwest corner of the garden. The buildings, made of red bricks, reminded one of the red brick buildings of the Royal Naval College on Earth or of Peking Universitys red halls. The parade ground enclosed by the three buildings seemed to be able to amodate three to five thousand soldiers at once. To the north of the buildings stood an arsenal and a parking lot. Yegorov eximed, This is practically a barracks! I fought near Argesukov during the Civil War and even stayed in the city; howe Ive never heard of a barracks here?No one answered Yegorov. Wang Zhong directly asked a maid standing by the road, When was this barracks built? This is a barracks from the period of the Civil War, the maid replied, Weve already cleaned it up yesterday, please arrange to move in. Dinner will be served in the guesthouse in two hours. The Crown Prince said, Thats perfect. Get the troops settled and ready for dinner, and well go to the main building to see your father. Werent you going to continuemanding your troops? If you dont go over and tell the Duke now, youll be soon keepingpany with pickled cucumber jars! Wang Zhong kept a straight face. He didnt want to end up in the storage room, so he said to Yegorov, Ill leave the rest to you; Im going to meet my father. As he said this, Wang Zhong felt a bit awkward; he still resisted calling another man Dad, but he couldnt call him his foster father either, so he just had to go along with it. Yegorov waved his hand: Remember to requisition more troops for us, as well as technical equipment! Pavlov added, And staff officers! Wang Zhong waved his hand: Ill do my best. At that moment, Ludm, who had been moving with the unit, got off a Divine Arrow Company vehicle and called out to a maid, Vera dimirovna! Get my horse ready! Alyosha, Iming with you! dimirovna bowed to Ludm: Miss Mailehovna, wee. Your horse will be ready shortly. The Crown Prince said flippantly, Do you really need to go through all that trouble? Just sit atop Alyoshas saddle, right? Ludm just smiled slightly, without responding. Twenty minutester, the three rode their horses to the front of the manors main building. Suddenly, two hounds appeared from nowhere and started barking at Wang Zhong. What, even dogs dislike you? As Wang Zhongined, the horse he was on, Bucephalus, kicked out, sending one dog flying away; the dog rolled over, stood up apparently unharmed but with its arrogance gone, whimpering sharply. Seeing this, the other dog stopped barking as well and turned to run away. Several military vehicles were parked in front of the main door, one of them bearing the insignia of the Front Army headquarters C presumably the car Petrov had returned in. Passing by a gardener trimming the flower beds, Wang Zhong heard him grumble, Great, the little demons back! Little demon? What, am I Xiao Yuer from The Legendary Twins? Ludm, who also heard the gardeners words,ughed, Everyone still thinks youre the same person that both humans and dogs despise. Wang Zhong replied, Youre the only one who doesnt despise me, this human-and-dog-despising guy; a secret crush confirmed. I just treat you like a mischievous little brother, she retorted. Reaching the front, the coachman had already been informed and was waiting; they would take the horses to the nearby stables and see to saddling and grooming, ensuring the horses were in top shape. Watching Bucephalus being led away by the coachman, Wang Zhong casually asked, How many people are on this estate? There should be about three to five hundred servants, Ludm replied, Ever since the end of the Civil War, the servants have been getting paid, and on the empires records, weve transitioned from lords to farm owners, employers. Right after she had finished, the Crown Princemented, What a pity, back when they were serfs, you couldsh them at your leisure! Whipping anyone who didnt work hard! Now its just dull. Wang Zhong nced at the Crown Prince, thinking to himself how quickly the guy went from buddy to wastrelor rather, it seemed just the sort of mischief two wastrels would enjoy, hence their friendship. As the three approached the stout doors, before they could even touch the handle, the doors swung open from the inside, revealing the impressively dignified butler who bowed slightly, Your Highness Antonov, and young master, Miss Mailehovna, wee back. The master and the eldest young master are waiting in the study. The Crown Prince waved his hand, I wont go. Is there any afternoon tea? Id like some walnut jam and bread, plus some wine. What wine do you have here? The old butler replied, Shall I open a bottle of Chinandega red wine for you? Good, good, a wine with a name will do; I cant really tell the difference anyway. Saying this, the Crown Prince confidently headed toward the room on the left-hand side, as if he was already very familiar with theyout. He must have been here many times before. After the Crown Prince and the old butler walked away, Ludm looked back at Wang Zhong, You remember the way to the study, right? The 381 heavy artillery was quite something, it seems to have wiped out all your memories. Chapter 140: Alyosha, Despised by People and Dogs (Added update for 6000 monthly votes) – 3 Wang Zhong wasnt sure if Ludm had caught on or was ying dumb, but it didnt matter. He said, Then please lead the way! Ludm, happy, hugged Wang Zhongs arm and pulled him forward. Just as Ludm had pushed open the study door, a loud shout came from inside, Impossible! Do you think I dont know what Alyosha is? No, absolutely impossible! After the girl pushed the door, Wang Zhong could see Petrov, wiping sweat from his brow, saying, But I saw his subordinates trust him a lot! What can you see? the Duke, in full military garb and with graying hair, scolded from in front of the window, Youre just an armchair strategist! Always a staff officer at the headquarters, never led a soldier in your life! You must be mistaken! And take a look at these battle reports! What, destroying six hundred Prosen Tanks, single-handedly charging and killing a Prosen Major General, do you believe that? All Petrov could do was wipe away sweat. The old Duke: And besides, Alyosha is an infantryman! How could an infantrymanmand tanks and achieve such impressive military sess?Wang Zhong thought because Ive yed War Thunder and had cheats. Of course, he indeed did not know how to operate a tank, which put him in jeopardy; in the future, if possible, he still needed to learn the skills for each crew position in a tank. At that moment, Ludm spoke up, Uncle Konstantin! I can prove that Alyosha has changed! Duke Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky turned around, looking skeptically at Ludm, Liu Da, my dear Liu Da, my sunshine and spring blossom, I really want to believe you, but youve lied for him since you were six years old! Wang Zhong thought, do we need to trace it back that far? Ludm has grown up into a young woman! Ludm walked up and took the old Dukes hand, But its true! Uncle Konstantin, if you go and see the barracks, youll understand everything! The old Duke frowned, nced at Wang Zhong, then at Ludm, and took a deep breath: Well, I know there have been examples of transformation through the trials of war. Even though I doubt Alyosha has changed, since you say so, Ill go and take a look at the camp. Wang Zhong: Umm The old Duke red at him: Speak up if you have something to say! Wang Zhong: I did not destroy 600 tanks. Isnt that obvious! It must be some sycophants handiwork! Wang Zhong: But I did kill the enemys Major Generalnow General. The old Duke red maliciously at Wang Zhong: You dare to lie in front of me! Wang Zhong: Im not lying, it was the enemys radio that said it, they mentioned that General White Horse killed Major General Lundorf. In actuality, at that time, the enemys division headquarters guard battalion released smoke, and I only saw the second high-explosive shell hit the wounded Major General Lundorf. The old Duke stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds and asked, How far were you from the target at that time? 850 meters, Wang Zhong answered immediately. Which tank were youmanding? The T34 ceremonial model. Why the ceremonial model? Because the ceremonial model has amand turret, and themander doesnt have to double as the gunner, allowing for better situational awareness. Those tank crews withmanders doubling as gunners are like headless flies in battle. The old Duke eyed Wang Zhong skeptically, then suddenly let go of Ludms hand and went to his desk to take out a scroll of paper. Wang Zhong saw that it was a city aerial survey map pieced together and erged from Loktovs aerial photographs. The old Duke: Narrate the battle process to me. Ill state a time, hm, what was the situation at 1100 on July 7th? Wang Zhong: I dont remember the exact time, how about I start from the beginning and also tell you about my decisions? The old Duke nodded: Good! Wang Zhong: On July 6th, after receiving the order to hold our ground, I decided to first carry out an advance reconnaissance, so I led my squad personally to scout Karlinovka Two hourster. The old Duke stood with his arms crossed, looking at the aerial map now filled with various military symbols drawn in pencil. Wang Zhong: Ive finished. I know, the old Duke replied, still staring at the aerial map. After a long while, the old man asked, How the hell did you graduatest in your ss? Wang Zhong confidently said, Compared to theoretical strategizing, Im better at actualbat. If Imst in ss, it shows theres a problem with our military education! Chapter 141: Take Supply as You Please Wang Zhong finished speaking, and Ludm hesitated to continue. Duke Loktov noticed this and said, Liu Da, just speak your mind. Ludm nodded, Alright. He was hit by the main gun of an enemy battleship, directly hit, so he lost some memory. His personality has also changed. Wang Zhong couldnt tell for a moment whether Ludm was covering for him or really thought that. Duke Loktov frowned, A concussion, perhaps? Its possible. Ive already seen my fair share of personality changes due to shelling in the civil war, but all those changes were for the worse. But the old man immediately shook his head, But such things are unpredictable, although I still doubt whether a concussion can turn an uneducated troublemaker into a shrewd and capable general. Yet the fact is right in front of us. Compared to him being possessed by St. Andrew, a concussion seems more reasonable. Wang Zhong pursed his lips, unable to exin the matter; he thought it might deepen the suspicion to lie about it, so he chose to stay silent. Duke Loktov sat down behind his desk, picked up a letter, This is a letter to the Front Army headquarters. It says that my son is uneducated and may lead to the unnecessary sacrifice of many soldiers, causing the empire to lose arge amount of technical equipment, requesting that he be sent to an insignificent ce to guard pickles.Having said that, the duke took out a match, struck it, and lit the letter, throwing it into the ashtray on his desk, watching it burn slowly to ash. The old man unbuttoned his military tunics disciplinary buttons, opened the cor wider, and looking at Wang Zhong, asked, How many men are left in your unit? 914, including logistics, artillery, armored troops, and the nonbatant staff of the headquarters. Only that many, Loktov mused. Ive been retired for a long time and am not too familiar with thetest military equipment or this blitzkrieg thing. I have no immediate ns to return to the army and cause trouble for everyone. However, as a retired general, I can still offer some help within my capability, go ahead. Wang Zhong, Please tell the Front Army headquarters that Argesukov is at risk of being encircled. The enemys Second Tank Group is to the north; if theyplete the encirclement, its over. Duke Loktov shook his head, The decision to hold Argesukov is His Majesty the Tsars. The Grand Patriarch has evene here personally to boost morale. Even if the enemy is indeed likely to encircle from the north, the Front Army headquarters will surely say that we should fight the enemy here. Its the only way not to provide others with an excuse and to make His Majesty the Tsar happy. Do you understand? Unless someone can persuade the Tsar, or someone can make the Grand Patriarch decide to give up Argesukov, the army wont retreat from here. Besides, in my personal experience, its difficult for the enemy toplete such an encirclement. Do you know howrge an arc that is? Loktov indicated on the map. Wang Zhong, It might have been impossible before, but technology has improved. Didnt you see the actions of the Prussian Army in Carolus? Duke Loktov frowned, Ive seen it, but all the generals believe that result was due to theck of will to resist from the Carolus Army. All the generals. You better not worry about this; you cant influence it, and neither can I. The old man said with a sigh and a touch of helplessness in his smile. Wang Zhong, understanding, changed his request, My unit needs replenishing, including experienced veterans, technical weaponry, everything Ick it all. Duke Loktov shook his head, Even if there are veterans recovering from hospitals now, the number is certainly not enough to replenish your forces on arge scale. Reservists have mainly been mobilized ording to the organization during the winter training each year; they are already formed into units, so temporary reinforcements of reservists are not possible for you. As for military school students, when things got hectic, all the students were mobilized. Now the top believes that were about to counterattack, so they wont mobilize students. If you want to replenish your troops, you can only select those with shooting experience from the inexperienced Guardian Army Wang Zhong interrupted the duke, These Guardian Army troops havent received training in grenade throwing; throwing grenades might even blow themselves up. Loktov, Right, you could promote all your veteran soldiers to squad leaders, one leading 7 to 8 recruits. This might help them survive a little longer. Of course, you could also choose not to engage in brutal meat grinder battles. From my experience, in trench warfare on the ins, as long as the enemy doesnt breach the trenches, the survival rate of new recruits is quite high. Most importantly, if you want to maintain the integrity of your troops while replenishing with new soldiers, this is the only way right now. By around January next year, the new recruits currently being conscripted will havepleted their training, and the veterans will have recovered from the hospitals too. At that time, it will be possible to replenish you with arge number of high-quality new soldiers. Wang Zhong said solemnly, Next January Alright, fill up with new recruits for me, and Ill have the veterans train them as best they can. Although I dont know how long it will be before we are back on the battlefield. My regr soldiers are warrant officers who havent yet graduated; they should be able to teach them some life-saving skills. And technical weaponry! I need technical weaponry! I need T34 tanks, anti-tank guns, La-3 or MiG-3, and Il-2! Wang Zhongs strategy was to ask for the moon, after all, as Lu Xun once said, to open a window you must propose to take off the roof. Duke Loktovughed heartily, Look at you! The way you talk! Only at the Front Army level can youmand Air Force troops; youll have to be promoted to general first. However, we can try with tanks and cannons. Youvemanded several types of tanks on the frontline C which type do you hope to replenish with? Wang Zhong, T34, but the parade-type T34, without a separate tankmander and radio. Without those, an excellent tanksbat effectiveness drops by at least fifty percent! Old Rokossov shook his head: I can get you tanks that have already been produced, but I have no way to make the factory produce other tanks. T34s, you say? Ill see if I can manage to get you two battalions; more than that is probably not possible. Wang Zhong: I hope to getpanymand vehicles equipped with radios. Thats not possible, Old Rokossov tly shook his head, But you can do this: focus on using thepanymand vehicles, all fitted with the best tank operators, to form a special tankpany. For the rest, if you think theirbat effectiveness is inadequate, have them carry out lower-intensity missions. Wang Zhong thought it over and it made sense. In fact, in Loktov, half of the remaining tanks in his unit were radio-equipped due to being pressed by the battle conditions; it was basically a forced poprization of radios. It would be better to concentrate their use from the beginning. Old Rokossov: Anti-tank guns hmm? Petrov, if youre tired, sit down. Petrov, who had been standing sweating to the side, sighed with relief and plopped down onto the sofa. The sofa protested loudly. You need to lose weight, Old Rokossov said and then turned to Wang Zhong, What kind of anti-tank gun do you want? ZIS-3! The 45mm anti-tank guns cannot effectively prate the front armor of enemy tanks; they must shoot from the side, which severely limits the choice of anti-tank positions. The old Duke nodded: Heavy artillery, then? Is the 203 too slow to load? Loading a B4 heavy gun required a small crane, and even the Russian Giants known for their brute strength were unable to load it by hand. Wang Zhong: It is indeed slow, and the uracy isnt that great either. He remembered all too well the feeling of having to y the lottery the first time he had to use it. Then lets replenish your 152 heavy artillery insteadbetter precision, faster shooting speed, and the range isnt too bad. The mobility is faster too. With B4, if theres no railway nearby, it could only crawl. All right, Ill think of a way to get you a regiment of 152 artillery. At this time, Petrov, who had finally recovered, said: Father, whats most important is to promote Alyosha, give him a divisions establishment, and then resupplying him will be much easier. You think I dont want to? Old Rokossov cursed, Those pig-headed fools are still using a court struggle mindset to think about issues. I believe in Alyosha, but they dont! Theyll oppose promoting the foolish son of the Rokossovsky family to the rank of Major General! Saying this, the old man began to bang on the table, almost to the point of tearing off his shoe to smash it. After knocking, he sighed: Forget it, such things cant be rushed. I have to write to some old friends. It should be settled in three to five days. Ill first bring your brigade up to strength. Infantry, T34s, heavy artillery, anti-tank guns, get them all. Ill handle this matter, and you two brothers can catch up. Wang Zhong looked at the chubby Petrov, who seemed quite content; he got almost everything he had wanted except for the nes. Staying here wouldnt bring him any more goods. The matters such as modifying the BT tank chassis to upgrade the SU76 self-propelled gun, the Old Duke already said he couldnt do it. That would have to wait until he met someone who could. With that, Wang Zhong turned around and walked happily towards Ludm, who was waiting by the door. However, Ludm reminded him with her lip movements: Pavlov! Wang Zhong pped his thigh: Oh right, I also need staff officers! And clerks, ountants! Try to get me a sixth-grade civil servant! Old Rokossov was shocked: What do you need a sixth-grade civil servant for? Thats the level of a Vice Chancellor of a university! Well fine, Ill see what I can do. Hurry up and go! The old man waved his hand. Wang Zhong turned and left. Petrov, with some effort, stood up and followed his brothers steps. After the younger generation had left, the Duke Old Rokossov pressed the button on the desk. Ten secondster, the side door opened, and the butler who had just weed Alyosha at the door came in: My lord. Old Rokossovughed: Mikhail, my old buddy, can you believe it? Alyosha has be an excellent soldier. Really? The old butler looked surprised, How is that possible! Although indeed this time he came back, he didnt p the maids bottoms or grope around. Old Rokossov clicked his tongue: I dont know what changed him, maybe he was really concussed by the heavy artillery. Mikhail, bring out the liquor! The doctor said you cant drink any more. To hell with the doctor! Ante people should die drinking at the table, to hell with the doctor! Bring the vodka! And open a can of fish for me! Using fish as a drink snack, thats an Ante tradition. Chapter 142: Delicacies and the General Emerging from the dukes study, Wang Zhong took a deep breath. The issue of troop reinforcements was solvedpartially, at least. What remained a concern was the encirclement. If he couldnt influence the decisions, at the very least he needed to take more troops with him. As Wang Zhong pondered this, Ludm came up to him, took him by the arm, and led him to the terrace next to the dukes study, You know, with your brows constantly furrowed in worry. Since these are issues that cant be solved right now, why dont you just do what you can handle first? Mhm. Wang Zhong replied absently, gazing out at the scenery from the terrace. At that moment, Petrov said, Then I wont disturb you two any longer. I still have work at the headquarters. Goodbye. Ludm waved and then poked Wang Zhong in the waist. Goodbye. Wang Zhong said. After Petrov had left, Ludm asked seriously, Is it really that dangerous? The Crown Prince said we have seven hundred thousand men. Even if they were seven hundred thousand pigs, the Prussians couldnt capture them that quickly, right? Hearing this, Wang Zhongs heart sank to the bottom because in his memory, thest force that was referred to as XX pigs that couldnt be caught in XX days had already been annihted.Seeing Wang Zhongs expression, Ludm suddenly suggested, Lets go horse riding! You havent galloped around the estate in a long time, have you? Wang Zhong: Horse riding? Yes, your second favorite activity. He felt like there was no need to ask what his most favorite activity was. Wang Zhong: Alright, I do need to check the terrain around here and find suitable locations for anti-tank gun positions. Ludm blinked but still smiled, Sure! Then I will help you strategize where to ce the Divine Arrow Company! Wang Zhong turned to look at the girl, sensing all the beauty she embodied. Wait, how did the duke address her just now? Wang Zhong: Oh, Liu Da, my dear Liu Da, my sunshine and spring flower! Ludmughed happily. Just like everyone else, Vasily cleaned up his dormitory and then went to the dining hall, where meals had already started. As he entered the door, Vasily smelled a strong aroma, Oh, it seems to be cabbage soup! Great, finally something other than pickles. Filippov: And meat that isnt spam! Vasily: How could that be possible? You think the duke would really use real beef for the soup? Its definitely sausage! At most sausage from his own factory! Dmitri turned to ask, Do you hate sausage or something? Ah? Of course, I dont hate ittwenty-five percent beef, seventy percent pork, plus five kilograms of eggs and milk! I love sausage so much that I can recite its recipe! Vasily shook his head, But it gets tiresome if you eat it all the time! At that moment, the people in front of the line had reached the soup pot, and the maid scooped arge heap of beef that had been cooked until tender into a bowl. The soldier who got the bowl eximed, Wow, its really made with beef! And they didnt skimp on the onions and carrots either! The soup is so rich its almost no longer watery! The maid then asked with a look of what is this country bumpkin surprised at, Do you want sour cream? We can add sour cream? Go ahead, put a lot on! So another maid spooned a thick dollop of sour cream into the soldiers bowl. The young man walked away delighted, not even bothering to take bread or oatmeal porridge. Vasily and the others watched theirrade walk by, their eyes fixed on the soup that looked incredibly delicious. Vasily: By golly, they really did ughter a cow. Filippov: And theres sour cream, too! Just then, three maids, working together, pushed a cart in. On the cart was another huge soup pot. In the soup pot was a thick, red stew. Filippov nudged Vasily, Youre the professors son; what kind of soup is that? It smells quite good. Vasily said uncertainly, It looks like it might be kharcho chicken stew. Filippov: Oh, although the beef is tempting, Ive had cabbage soup countless times since I was born. I want to try that chicken! So, Filippov eagerly followed the serving cart, and once in ce, he was the first to get served, Fill it up for me! And I want sour cream, too! The maid: Um, thats not usually how its eaten. But alright, Katya! This soldier wants sour cream! While she spoke, the serving maid had alreadydled a big spoonful of the stew into Filippovs bowl and then specially fished out arge piece of chicken, cing it in the soup. Filippov inhaled deeply and immediately showed an expression of ecstasy, It smells amazing, my mouth is watering! Vasily looked at his friend with a frown, Really disgraceful, is it just chicken, onion, and tomato soup? They even added vinegar, its already a sour soup, and then you add sour cream, sour enough to kill you! As he was freely expressing his disdain, Dmitry suddenly grabbed him, Look over there! Vasily turned his head, following Dmitrys pointing finger, and saw an ice cream machine. Wow! he scampered over, Can you eat this for free? Maid: Of course, this is all provided by the Duke to treat you brave fighters. Vasily decisively said, Give me ten! The maid immediately began to operate, and soon the first ice cream was in Vasilys hand. He licked the ice cream contentedly, like a happy child. At this time, the maid making ice cream said, You all must have gone through a lot, with so few of you left, the count must have really screwed you over, huh? Vasily stopped licking his ice cream. In fact, the entire dining hall suddenly quieted downmany didnt know what had happened, but they were held back by therades who did. The ice cream maid asked in confusion, Uh? Whats wrong? I wont allow you to insult the General! Vasily said with thunderous emphasis. At that moment, a priest came over, Vasily! Come on! She just doesnt know what weve been through. Cant you just exin nicely? We are the Imperial Guard, look at your cloak, even if youre angry, you must speak kindly to themon folk! Vasily put down the half-licked ice cream, Then, let me tell you all about it! It all started when the General had us set up a fake minefield! Someone couldnt resist making a snidement, Shouldnt it start with you picking up manure? Then seven or eight hands pressed down on the shoulders of the one whod made the interruption. Alright, alright! My bad, I shouldnt interrupt at this time! He backed down immediately. Those Prosen devils, Vasily began, are extremely rigid! The General had already crossed swords with them at Peniye and destroyed 40 tanks! So, he knew they were all inflexible idiots! Hence, the General ordered me to write on 40 wooden signs, Minefield, beware! It must be said that Vasily, as the son of a music professor, did have some talent. As he spoke with great animation and spittle flying, the story of General Rokossovskys battle against the 15th Armored Demon Division came vividly to life. However, when he got to the part about his trick mines sting the enemy meters into the air, someone couldnt sit still anymore. Youre just blowing your own trumpet! I know for a fact that you were stuck guarding the Generals captured enemy radio for two days! Vasily: I was guarding the radio, thats why I was closest to the General, and knew every decision! Nonsense! Our tank troops were the closest to the General! Alexander Yefimovich,e and tell us about the General leading you to charge the formation and kill the enemys major general! Alexander quickly wiped all the soup out of his bowl with the bread in his hand, stuffed it into his mouth, and started to chew as he stood up, This incident, we have to start with our tank! Our tank was originally meant for young masters on spring outings to enjoy the scenery, specially equipped with a spot for them to view the countryside. Guess what, the General thought this was great, the position was perfect for surveying the battlefield! So, during the battle, the General was sticking his head out the whole time, bullets from the enemy whizzing by sounding ng, ng on the tank armor, and the General was not scared at all! We charged through the enemys armored forces like that, and suddenly the General shouted, Turn left, full speed ahead! I was targeting those Prosen devils tanks through my gun sight, and then with the tanks turn, everything in the sight went topsy-turvy! And just like that, the enemys divisionmander was right there in the crosshairs! With the Generals shout of fire, I fired, and a High-Explosive Shellnded right at the enemy major generals feet! Boom, he was blown to bits! Others let out sounds of admiration as if they were hearing such an exciting story for the first time. At that moment, someone picked up a champagne bottle from the table, A toast to the General! To the General! We dont recognize anyone but him! As the men became passionately roused, the maids looked at each other, unable to believe that the once-detested and disdained Aleksei had be themander they all worshipped. At this time, Vasily said, The General can even write poetry! Then, the usually arms-folded head maid couldnt contain herself and yelled, On that point, we girls are well aware; every maid with a bit of looks here has received a so from the young master! A maid couldnt help but snort withughter, it seemed that the so was so poorlyposed that everyone couldnt help butugh when they thought about it. Vasily pulled out a notebook, Hmph, Ill read it to you all! Although this poem has many grammatical mistakes, the content is beyond reproach! After my modifications and edits, its like this: The heros song rolls with the smoke, surrounded by green hills, listen closely (Here, Vasily read a version rhymed in the Antenguage) The maids of the Rokossovsky family were notpletely illiterate; at the very least, they had attended Sunday school, and the younger ones had even studied up to 10th grade at themon schools established by the church. They could tell the level of the poetry. The maids looked at each other. Was this still the same Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky they knew? Chapter 143: Tit for Tat (Additional Chapter for 7000 Monthly Votes) Wang Zhong and Ludm spent a joyful pic afternoon on their own estate. When they returned in front of the stables, Wang Zhong astutely noticed the maids attitudes toward him seemed to have changed. When they had first entered the estate, all the maids had been guarded and hostile, but now the older maids looked at Wang Zhong with some confusion, while the younger ones did not hide their curiosity. Whats going on? The maids were busy setting up the venue for tonights ball in the garden, so there were maids everywhere. Wherever Wang Zhong went, he felt people talking about him behind his back. Turning around, he saw the maids arranging the venue in an orderly manner, not even speaking. It felt like a ssic mermaid moment. Wang Zhong was curious, so he turned his head and asked Ludm, Whats going on? Ludm shrugged, Maybe something happened while you were napping on myp at noon? Wang Zhong replied, Whats the difference between that and not saying anything? Obviously, something happened, right?He was about to stop a maid to ask for rification when the Crown Prince appeared, Why did you leave me aftering out from the dukes ce? Wang Zhong eximed, Ah, thats because you fell asleep on the sofa after drinking, and you were sleeping so soundly that I didnt Thats because you were in there for two hours! You got scolded badly this time, didnt you? Uh Wang Zhong was somewhat embarrassed. How was he going to tell the Crown Prince that his cker brother had suddenly be a top student? The Crown Prince yawned and turned to look at the venue, Such a small dance floor can only amodate one band. It seems like another meet-and-greet for the bigwigs. And here we have a much bigger maze! Wang Zhong turned his gaze towards the maze in the garden. He vaguely remembered that in Western aristocratic balls, this kind of maze game essentially provided opportunities for mischief: girls would enter the maze first, followed by boys who would find them, ying out a you chase me, I chase you, catch me and you can hehehe scenario. By the time they emerged from the maze, everyones attire would be disheveled. The Crown Prince continued, Its a pity that you, Alyosha, are usually so good at this, always able to find the prettiest ones among them! Wang Zhong suddenly remarked, Nonsense, Ive never found Liu Xia. Ludm said, Ive never participated, how could you possibly find me? Not only that, but every time you bring a tuft of a girls hair to me, its almost annoying me to death. Wang Zhong was shocked. What kind of high-level y was this? Do you keep those tufts of hair? he asked. Of course not! Ludm raised her voice a bit. The Crown Prince added, Its a shame, otherwise you would receive several tufts of hair again today. Wang Zhong replied, Not anymore. Ludm said, He wont. The Crown Prince looked at Wang Zhong suspiciously, Alyosha, whats wrong with you? Ever since you came back, nothing seems right. Wang Zhong confidently said, Its your illusion! Just then, he saw several strong men cing a y pot on a lit bonfire in the distance. Driven by curiosity, he approached and asked, Whats inside this y pot? Actually, Wang Zhong could smell the aroma of spices; it must be some dish, but the decorations on the y pot were so curious they piqued his interest. The worker carrying the pot said, Its a braised dish that needs to stew for hours, and it also has to cool naturally. Its the most troublesome dish for tonights dinner. Wang Zhong reached out to open the pot and saw that it was brimming with vegetables, including eggnts, potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and more. The aroma of spices became even more intense once the lid was opened, making Wang Zhong wonder if the chef had thrown in a handful of mas. Seeing this dish, the Crown Prince eximed, This is Grand Patriarch Belinskying tonight? The worker respectfully bowed, Youre right, the Grand Patriarch ising. At that moment, a blue-capped Judge appeared. He quickly stepped between Wang Zhong, the others, and the y pot, During the stewing process, it cannot be opened; after its removed from the fire, the chef has to taste it first! Wang Zhong said, Alright, I was just curious, not deliberate. The Crown Prince also said, I can vouch for him, it wasnt deliberate. The Judge nced at Wang Zhong, nodded, and after covering the pot again, he stood guard over it without moving an inch. After walking away from the y pot, the Crown Prince muttered, What does the Patriarch want with you? Did youmit some sins that need confessing, or did you hype up your battle achievements so much that you incurred divine punishment? To this day, the Crown Prince still thought Wang Zhong was a packaged war hero. Wang Zhong was toozy to get more entangled with his mischievous friends. After all, the gear was a gift from the second princess, and from now on, it was more important to curry favor with her! At 2030 on July 9th, nearly all the nobility of Argesukov had gathered at the banquet hosted by Duke Rocossov. Just as the Crown Prince had predicted, it was a simple meal aimed at chatting about the situation; the nobles with high military ranks were all discussing affairs, and the progeny brought along to get familiar with social asions were bored to tears and started chatting idly. Now thats the situation. The dandies gathered around Wang Zhong, same as always. Wang Zhong was tired of dealing with the low-brow jokes of the dandies, when suddenly someone struck the ground with a heavy object and shouted, His Holiness the Grand Patriarch has arrived! The nobles who were idling away immediately looked up and then respectfully watched the Grand Patriarch arrive at his ce But the Grand Patriarch bypassed his designated spot,ing over to where Wang Zhong stood: Aleksei Konstantinovich! Ive heard much about you! Wang Zhong shook the hand extended by the Grand Patriarch but did not know what to say. Chapter 144: Tit for Tat (Additional Chapter for 7000 Monthly Votes)_2 After all, before he had travelled through time, his experience with religious figures was virtually non-existent. The most he had ever interacted with religious figures was when his father had dragged him to a temple to pray to the god of literature before college entrance exams. While Wang Zhong felt awkward, the Grand Patriarch spoke, You fought beautifully in Loktov, a true and unequivocal victory! Congrattions to you, Aleksei Konstantinovich. The venue fell silent. After a brief silence, General Skorobo, themander of the Argesukov Front Army, spoke up, Your Holiness, the Grand Patriarch, the rumor of the major general being killed is merely heresy spread by the pagans. In fact, ording to intelligence gathered by the Front Army, the 15th enemy Armored Division did not cease its operations afterward. The Grand Patriarch Belinsky said, If the death of a divisionmander could paralyze an entire force, then the Prussians wouldnt have us in such a difficult position. The word difficult immediately caused an uproar. To say we are in a diffcult position! Isnt the front line at a great advantage? But many noble families are already in mourningBut look, Aleksei has returned! If he could escape, then the enemy must not be all that formidable! Wang Zhong frowned. At this point, General Skorobo stepped forward and said loudly, Gentlemen! The front line has indeed suffered a minor setback; weve lost the Grand Duchy of Vostrom and two hundred thousand troops. But our great mother Ante still has such vastnds and so many troops avable! Now in Argesukov, we have assembled 69 Infantry Divisions, 11 Cavalry Divisions, 21 Armored Divisions! Such is thergest force in Antes history! Moreover, there are the forces gathered by Duke Meishikin in Shepetovka. Our two heavy armiesplement each other, able to both attack and defend! If the enemy strikes at any one of our forces, the other will deliver a strong and powerful nking maneuver to the enemys nks! Our current situation can be said to have improved from our initial passivity! We can consider defeating the enemy now! Suddenly, Wang Zhong had a premonition. At a time like this, surely this general didnt believe Advantage lies with us? No way, right? Look at the enemys technological weaponry, their training level, then look at yourself, with nothing but moralewrong, in such a state, how many troops really maintain their morale? At this time, General Skorobo directly stood on a chair and shouted, We also have sturdy defensive fortifications! We have the advantage of fighting from the inside lines! Your Holiness, spreading news that is detrimental to morale at a time like this Isnt that unwise? The Patriarch replied, Is that so? Then let us hear what the recently victorious hero, Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky, has to say. He turned towards Wang Zhong, Come, share your thoughts, Brigadier. Wang Zhong heard undisguisedughter among the nobles. Someone was murmuring, Using the opinion of a brigadier to oppose a general. I heard that Duke Rocossovs second son scored zero on his graduation exams! Damn it, thought Wang Zhong, how can someone graduate with zero points? I might have been thest in ss, but at least I passed the threshold for graduation! But right now, Wang Zhong indeed felt as good as zero points, being just a modern person who had only yed war games. He stepped forward, cleared his throat, The Prussian Army is an elite, modernized force General Skorobo interrupted, We are modernized too! Didnt you just go on a killing spree thanks to the superiority of our armored forces? We have four regiments of T34 tanks; theyll give the Prussians a tough time! Wang Zhong replied, The T34 is indeed an excellent tank, but its poor design has introduced huge ws. Its tankmander and gunner are the same person, which means duringbat themander has to keep his eyes on the gun sights all the time, with no spare moments to observe the surroundings. In contrast, all Prussian tanks have a dedicatedmander and are generally equipped with amanders cup. In tank engagements, they are more likely to spot T34s and take the initiative. Furthermore, the enemys tanks all have radios, their battalion headquarters can issuemands directly to each tank. Duringbat, through radiomunication, each tank can cover each others observation blind spots, providing mutual support! General Skorobo sneered, Even so, as long as the enemy cant break through our armor, we are still the ones who will win! The strength of tanks is rtive, Your Excellency General! Wang Zhong stepped forward, grabbed a bottle of liquor, and threw it directly into the bonfire propping up a y pot. The next moment, the bottle shattered, and the alcohol turned into a ze. Several maids hurriedly pushed over a water cart and began to put out the fireit seemed that in order to prevent a fire, the water cart had been prepared in advance. The firefighting water sprayed inrge quantities onto the stewing y pot, seeping into the interior through the pots vents. The Grand Patriarch showed an expression of intense pain and frustration. Wang Zhong pointed at the mes that were still stubbornly burning: Just like this Molotov cocktail, thrown onto the engine cover, could put a tank out of action! Just a single Molotov cocktail! Moreover, the enemy will hit our tanks at their weak spots! They will use shells to jam the turret, they will break the tracks! Our blind tanks, once their tracks are broken, are utterly unable to respond to approaching infantry! They will be butchered by the enemy like slicing sausage! General Skorobo retorted sarcastically, Then we can do the same to the enemy. What if the enemy doesnt engage you in a straightforward battle? What if the central Army Group from the north heads south? They could encircle us and cut off the supply from the rear. Your million-strong army is a voracious monster of resources! When that timees, youll surrender without a fight! General Skorobo: We would never do that! Wang Zhong wanted to say more, but General Skorobo added, If the enemys central Army Group heads south, that would be perfect. Well just carry out internal maneuver warfare on the vast ins near Argesukov, eliminating the enemys central and southern Army Groups on the field, then counterattack and reim our homnd! The nobles present started pping furiously, with cheers that seemed to discourage Wang Zhong from continuing. Wang Zhong still wanted to argue his case, but the Grand Patriarch put his hand on his shoulder: Let it be, do what we can and leave the rest to fate. Besides, what he says does sound reasonable. Theoretical reasoning, its all armchair strategy! It will lead to failure, Your Eminence, the troops here will be almost entirely lost, the people here Calm down, were already arranging to evacuate the factories, starting with the heavy industry. Once thats mostly done, well also relocate the food processing and simr civilian factories to the rear, the Grand Patriarch said, patting Wang Zhongs shoulder, Right now you just need to rest up and wait for the troops to be replenished. Wang Zhong looked at the Grand Patriarch, then suddenly remembered something and asked, Can my Gods Arrow Company be fully replenished? They will arrive tomorrow, the Patriarch answered. Wang Zhong: Can my Choir be fully replenished? They will arrive tomorrow. Can I be given more of the following wind ears? They will arrive tomorrow, the Grand Patriarch said, giving Wang Zhongs shoulder a firm pat. They will arrive tomorrow? Wang Zhong looked towards the officers who were toasting and ttering each other, and met the gaze of the host of the manor, his own father, the retired General Duke Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky, who gave him an encouraging smile as if to say Youve done well. Wang Zhong felt a bit of relief. It was truly exhausting. At that moment, General Skorobo proposed, I think, lets toast to the uing victory! The attendees all raised their sses. Wang Zhong didnt want to raise his, but seeing that Duke Rokossovsky had also raised his, he could only join the toast. After everyone drank up, General Skorobo said, Oh, yes, theres another piece of good news. We will soon receive support from four more Army Groups! With this, in facing the enemy before us, we will have a numerical advantage! Wang Zhong thought to himself how that could be, it must be that the Front Army had over-optimistically estimated the damage caused to the Prussians, or they had too little intelligence on the enemy. At that time, General Skorobo proudly announced, The advantage is ours! Wang Zhong raised his ss and said with sincerity, Chairmans brilliant foresight! Chapter 145: Promotion (Extra for Alliance Hierarch) Just as everyone wasvishing praise on General Skorobo, Grand Patriarch Belinsky made a follow me gesture to Wang Zhong and walked toward a corner of the garden. Wang Zhong followed without hesitation, while Ludm nced at the two men and chose to stay put. The Patriarchs guards spread out and formed a security perimeter, and the nobles attending the banquet asionally nced over but quickly averted their eyes. The Crown Prince also asionally looked toward his close friend, his face shing with confusion, probably because he couldnt understand why the Grand Patriarch would have anything to discuss with his friend, who had never been known for piety. No sooner had Wang Zhong reached behind the Grand Patriarch than he heard him say, Do you really have to ruin my stew? Well, that was the only ce with an open me. The Patriarch shook his head and changed the subject, Youve fought well these past few days. Any particr moments stand out to you? Wang Zhong was puzzled. What did he mean? He wasnt asking about the insights or lessons from the battle, but rather if there was any memorable moment?What if the most memorable moment for me was seeing my fiance bathed in moonlight? How should I deal with that? Of course, that was just his private grumbling. No matter how beautiful a moonlit fiance was, it couldntpare to the experiences and insights gained while walking the line between life and death. Without hesitation, Wang Zhong recounted the despair he felt hiding under the BT7, watching the boots of the Prussian Army all around him. And the shock when he waster rescued by the sweeping charge of the Guardian Army. Of course, there was also the heart-wrenching decision to sacrifice them for the sake of victory. The Grand Patriarch, with a stern face, listened to Wang Zhongs story, then finally spoke, Ive heard many confessions and prayers. If theres even a trace of falsehood or pretense, I can recognize it instantly. So I know that everything you saides from the heart, that its your true feeling. But I would also like to know, how did youe to terms with it? Or does it mean youll never Wang Zhong, As long as I am braver than everyone else, when the timees for me to sacrifice myself for victory, Ill do so without hesitation. As long as I can do that, I can sacrifice others for victory without any burden. The Grand Patriarch nodded, Hmm, thats one way to solve the problem, not a bad approach. Ill keep an eye on you and hope you dont betray your beliefs. Well, my leisure time is almost up, go on and enjoy the banquet. Dont be too tense, indulging in good food and the warmth of ady tonight wont make the future any worse. Having said that, the Grand Patriarch walked toward the gardens main gate. The guards immediately closed ranks and followed behind him. Although the Grand Patriarch was initially heading toward the gardens main gate, after a few steps he saw a maid from the Rokossovsky family about to take away the stews y pot and turned to go over. He didnt mind the heat of the pot, opened the lid immediately, and inhaled the aroma of the stew. The guards came forward to stop him, Your Highness! This hasnt been tested for poison! The Patriarch was conflicted for a while but eventually put the lid back on and stood up straight. Noticing Wang Zhongs gaze, he exined, This is a dish full of sunshine and vigor, a true delicacy. But s, my knights wont allow me to eat it! He spread his hands and walked away, shaking his head. Curiosity piqued, Wang Zhong was about to go over and take a look at the stew, but the maid quickly threw the stew and the y pot together into a food waste cart. Wang Zhong: . Ludm came over and took Wang Zhongs arm, Come on, the Grand Patriarch already said that enjoying ourselves tonight wont affect the overall situation. I think you should rx too. Look at your forehead, youve got wrinkles. Wang Zhong thought that wrinkles were better than going bald, anyway. But the Grand Patriarch was rightit was better to take the opportunity to rx. Of course, he couldnt just rx by himself, so Wang Zhong called out to a maid standing nearby, Hey, you,e here! The maid jumped, then came over hesitantly, looking scared. Wang Zhong, Send all of todays delicacies and drinks to my troops, make sure its enough! Maid, Its already been sent, the same as here, and theres a lot more. The lord personally made sure of it. The lord took care of it? Wang Zhong pointedly refused to say dad, since he had his own father back on Earth. The maid, not noticing the oddity in Wang Zhongs statement, nodded, Yes, he personally made sure. Wang Zhong was reassured by this, but then he thought of something new and said, And send a band over there too! A band? The maid was shocked, as it seemed the lord hadnt thought to send a band. Wang Zhong nodded, Yes, a band. Wars maye and go, but musicsts forever! Maid, Uh Ill go find the steward. Wang Zhong nodded, and the maid quickly turned and ran away as if escaping. Ludm, You didnt even touch her this entire time. Wang Zhong, Should I have? No, you shouldnt, but you used to always touch them, their butts and breasts. Wang Zhong looked down at his own hands, no wonder he would be so proficient! The next day, Wang Zhong came to the troops cafeteria early in the morning. He mainly wanted to see how the troops were fed, to ensure it wasnt an endless supply of pickles. Providing a rich diet for troops can greatly improve morale, which is why every participating Earth nation sought ways to diversify their food. As soon as he entered the dining hall, Wang Zhong spotted Vasily and the others gathered together, sipping oatmeal porridge and munching on sausages, while Dmitry held a sandwich loaded with fried eggs and ham in his hands. Antes sandwich wasnt made with two slices of bread but rather a whole loaf with a hollow carved out to stuff the fillings in, which seemed to be made with quite a hearty amount of ingredients. In front of Filippovy an opened can of fish, which seemed to swell up after fermentationit reminded Wang Zhong of cans of surstr?mming from Earth, though this can didnt have that impressively pungent odor. It seems pretty decent While Wang Zhong was observing the soldiers dining habits, he noticed that all of his soldiers had risen to their feet: General! Wang Zhong waved his hand and made his way to the self-service food counter. Then he saw piles of caviar cans stacked up at the pick-up point. Turning his head, Wang Zhong asked Vasily and the rest, Why arent you guys eating caviar? Before his transference, when Wang Zhong used to attend buffets that cost over a hundred per person, caviar was always distributed in limited amounts at set times, and each person could only take one te, which merely contained a small precious portion. Vasily frowned, Tired of it! A few years ago, when caviar first became unlimited in supply, we ate it every day at homespreading caviar on bread, on sausages, mixing it into vegetable sds, it was always about caviar. The other few nodded in agreement. Well, can there be such a thing as too much caviar? Vasily continued, And champagneI remember champagne used to be so precious when I was a kid, my dad, a professor, would only have a ss after concerts. And then suddenly, champagne became worthless, on the same level as beer. Filippov agreed, Yes, yes, it happened all of a sudden. I heard that the Tribunal set up a special champagne factory that mass-produces champagne. The wineries posted articles in the newspapers saying the factory-produced stuff was just horse piss, and then they got shut down by the Tribunal. Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow, Is that so? Although the soldiers were tired of it, Wang Zhong had never seen enough caviar to get fed up with it, so he decided to strike while the iron was hot. He opened the first can of caviar. Previously, his impression of caviar was of a slim container that, once opened, revealed just ayer of roegenerally, a can would only contain 10 grams. But this can was something else; upon opening it, he found a heap of roe that looked to be almost 250 grams. Seeing so much caviar, Wang Zhongs mouth was nearly watering. He wasnt particrly fond of caviar, but the incessant hype had turned matsutake mushrooms and caviar into symbols of gourmet delicacies, so the sight of a super-sized matsutake or a heap of richly hued caviar would make him drool. The group seated together all noticed Wang Zhongs expression, and Vasily, representing them, asked, General, do you have a particr fondness for caviar? Wang Zhong, Ah, caviar, and matsutake mushrooms tooIm quite partial to them. Having said that, he carried his caviar, bread, oatmeal porridge, and Susies thick soup over to Vasilys table, picking up a knife, ready to spread the caviar on his bread Just at that moment, several unfamiliar staff officers walked into the dining hall. From a distance, they spotted Wang Zhongs brigadier general badges and briskly made their way toward him. The leading colonel saluted and said, Sorry to interrupt your meal, sir! Wang Zhong nced at the colonels briefcase, then at the uniform being held by the man behind him, and roughly guessed what was happening. To be honest, it was a bit fast. Did the Grand Patriarch do somethingst night? It seems my answer made him really happy? Wang Zhong put down his knife and wiped his hands, No problem. Official businesses first. Whats the matter? The colonel took out a document from the briefcase and read, By order, in consideration of Brigadier General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovskys outstanding performance during the military operations in Loktov from July 6th to July 9th, it is decreed to promote him to the rank of major general. Wang Zhong was an old hand at this and asked after nodding, And the other order? Surely Im not expected to manage a pickle warehouse as a major general, am I? Vasily said, Maybe theyre putting you in charge of a uniform factory; arge uniform factory really is a division-level unit. Wang Zhong red at Vasily. Vasily, Shoveling manure, got it. Wang Zhong, Dont talk about that while eating! Colonel, May I read the order now? Wang Zhong made a weing gesture. Colonel, Headquarters ns to form the 151st Temporary Infantry Division Why infantry again! Wang Zhongined. The colonel nced at him and continued reading the order, The formation of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division is underway, to bemanded by Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. After speaking, the colonel stacked the two orders together and handed them to Wang Zhong. Once Wang Zhong had taken them, an ensign carrying a uniform stepped forward and presented Wang Zhong with his major general uniform and rank insignia. Wang Zhong, Wait a minute, where are the organization chart for my troops and things like the garrison location? Colonel, These are currently being confirmed by Division Chief of Staff Pavlov. Ah, I see. Wang Zhong asked further, Have my staff officers and clerks arrived yet? What staff officers? the colonel looked puzzled, Im just the messenger. Youll need to discuss this with the Division Chief of Staff. Chapter 146: Reinforcements (The Beginning of a New Volume) After finishing his meal in the dining hall, Wang Zhong had just stepped out when he faced Popov. Popov, Did you also receive the order? As he spoke, he noticed Vasilying out with Wang Zhongs military uniform and new epaulettes and snorted disdainfully, It seems you did. Then, as my duty as the Military Bishop of the 151st Division, I suggest we assemble every morning before breakfast and tidy up after meals. Vasily frowned, Do we have to polish our boots again? Popov, Not just polish boots. I went to the dormitory today, and some people dont even fold their nkets! Its understandable during wartime, and I can toleratex military discipline, but since weve entered a rest and replenishment phase, all this needs to be taken care of. It can reduce casualties in the next battle. Shiny boots can reduce casualties? Vasily sarcastically challenged. Wang Zhong, Youre making even me think youre a pain. Sorry, General. After silencing Vasily, Wang Zhong said to Popov, Set it up however youre nning to do it. The Grand Patriarch told me yesterday that our reinforcements would arrive today. You should get enough Priests to manage them finally.Today? Are you sure? I havent been notified, said Popov, looking skeptical. Wang Zhong, Just wait and see. Im going to find Pavlov. Do you know where he might be? Popov turned and pointed at the small, two-story building situated opposite the concave arrangement of dormitory buildings, He seems to have set up the headquarters there. Im not too sure myself; I stayed in the local church dormitoryst night. Wang Zhong, You didnt tempt any capable Monks back with you? Monks are needed everywhere nowadays. Even ones like Brother Peter are in high demand as air defense watchers, said Popov, looking helpless. Dont worry, the Grand Patriarch has explicitly promised me that they will replenish our Gods Arrow Company to its full strength. Wang Zhong was about to speak when he saw a row of trucks waving church gs driving onto the parade ground. So he pointed to the trucks and asked, Could those be them? Popov turned around, Uh I dont know, lets go find out. At that moment, the first truck stopped, and a bunch of civilians jumped down. Wang Zhong, Bishop, can you exin why a truck with church gs is unloading a bunch of civilians? Popov gaped like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth vainly without producing a good exnation. By then, the veteran soldiers who had finished their meals had also noticed these people, curiously stopping to watch them. Priest-like individuals began to organize them, trying to get the civilians to form ranks simr to a military array. Wang Zhong had a bad feeling, This couldnt be the Guardian Army meant for our reinforcement, could it? Popov clicked his tongue, With one lowest-ranked Priest per toon, its definitely the Guardian Army. They didnt even get issued equipment? Wang Zhong, Never mind the equipment, they dont even have uniforms. Is the Grand Patriarch ying me? Youd best not say that in front of the Judge, Popov cautioned. The trucks, lined up in a row, dropped off their human cargo and drove away. Soon the parade ground was crowded with a dense mass of people, barely able to stand in loose formations by squad, despite the Priests efforts to maintain order. Many were still chatting away. Wang Zhong stood at the dining hall door watching this scene, feeling as if he were back in college, on the reviewing stand during the final parade of military training, watching the assembly of freshmen. Is my next task really to lead this group to a brutal battlefield? Vasily, Even though Im just a Warrant Officer who hasnt finished officer training, I can tell that these people need at least six months of training to be reliable soldiers. As soon as the words left his mouth, Yegorov popped out of nowhere, adding, These recruits can only fire the first shot, then forget they must pull the trigger fully to fire. Theyll just keep re-cocking and ejecting unfired rounds from the chamber. Ive had my fill of such new recruits. Why do they send us troops like this? Wang Zhong turned to Yegorov, Did you get a promotion? Yegorov, No. The bigwigs probably think a civilian like me has to advance to military academy for further promotion. Even though currently the most outstandingmander in the army graduatedst from the military academy. Uh, Wang Zhong was somewhat embarrassed, Im just the most outstandingmander of the Front Army. Yegorov, Its all the same. I think you should go find Pavlov first, get these people equipped. Then we can immediately start teaching them how to shoot, so at least in battle, they can shoot into the sky to boost morale. Wang Zhong, I was nning to see Pavlov. You can take care of these new recruits. Wang Zhong found Pavlov in themand headquarters empty map room, directing the two trainees assigned to him to update the maps. Did you see the reinforcements outside? Pavlov nced out the window, I see them now. He seemed a bit in denial. Wang Zhong, These people need guns, ammunition, and uniforms. Pavlov, It is said that outside Argesukov lives a Witch who can grant any wish for a part of ones body. I suggest you give it a try. Wang Zhong, thinking that if God-guided missiles existed then such a Witch might not be too strange, responded, Fine, where can I find her? Pavlov rolled his eyes in exasperation, I was being sarcastic! Do you understand sarcasm? There is no such Witch, and Im not a sorcerer! He took off his round sses with shaky hands and mmed his pencil down on the map, This is exasperating! Where are my staff officers? My clerks? My ountants? Do you have any idea how many people at least are needed in a divisions headquarters to keep the whole division operating? No, you dont! All you do is drive your little tank and beat up the Prussians on the battlefield! ` I came to Argesukov hoping that with so many clerical staff, I could finally have a normally operating division headquarters! But now, I still have to personally direct the map updates! Antes overallnguage style tends to be quite soft, but because of Pavlovs tone, Wang Zhong always felt as if he was listening to Prussiananguage with many explosive sounds, so normal speech sounds like quarreling. Wang Zhong felt overwhelmed and subconsciously said, Uh, sorry, please calm down Just as he spoke, there was the sound of brakes from outside, indicating a car had stopped at the division headquarters entrance. However, from where he stood, he couldnt see the car. Pavlov nced outside and asked with suspicion, Whats this now? Why are there so many girls? Girls? Wang Zhongs interest piqued, and he walked to the window to look out. Indeed, many girls were getting down from the truck, curiously looking around the division headquarters. They saw the red g hanging at the division headquartersyes, the one that Wang Zhong had previously hung on the aerial of tank 422. Is this the ce? Yes, the red g. Wang Zhong and the Chief of Staff exchanged looks, both very puzzled. Wang Zhong: Well, lets go out and ask. Saying this, he was the first to head outside, with Pavlov immediately following. Once outside, Wang Zhong called out directly, Ladies, what are you here for? The girls, who were originally curiously looking around, all turned their attention to Wang Zhong. One of the more daring ones asked, Are you Major General Rocossov? Wang Zhong: Though I havent had time to switch to the rank of major general, yes, that is me. And you are? We are typists and clerks, sent here by the churchs recruitment office, they said you needed us here. Wang Zhong immediately turned to Pavlov: Your clerks have arrived! The Chief of Staff frowned: Why are they all women? The same woman who had spoken before replied, Because all the men have taken up arms. That made perfect sense! Pavlov scratched his head: Alright, which of you has experience as a warehouse inventory clerk? Come stand over here, those who have studied ounting, stand over there Im a student at Argesukov University, a girl raised her hand, and so are several of us. Although we dont have the experience, we can learn. Were quite good at that. Pavlov nodded: Good, thats the best news Ive heard this morning. Wang Zhong felt that this man seemed to have aged backwards in an instant, and the anxiety that was hanging around him also seemed to lighten. Pavlov: Ill assign you work At that moment, two more GAZ trucks arrived and stopped at the entrance of the division headquarters. This time, the ones getting off were elderly men. A man with arge beard was the first to step up to the entrance, giving Wang Zhong a rather sloppy military salute: Good day, General sir. May I ask if this is the division headquarters of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division? Wang Zhong: Yes, it is. And you are? Ah, I am a member of the academicmittee of Argesukov University. The university has been relocated, and only the professors and current students will go to the rear. We are staying to serve our country. Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow: You Are you a Level 6 Clerk? To be precise, an Imperial Level 6 Civil Officer. Yes, I am indeed of this grade. Why do you ask? Wang Zhong turned excitedly to Pavlov and pointed at the old man: Your Level 6 Clerk has arrived! Pavlov, with a frown, sized up the old man: Sir, we are a field unit. Is that so? But if these youngdies can work in a field unit, I think I can too, said the old academicmittee member. Wang Zhong: Enough Pavlov, my Chief of Staff, you have your people now, hurry up and get the new recruits equipment and uniforms! We can hand out equipment this morning and teach them how to shoot by the afternoon. Were short on time! Pavlov: Even if we have people, its not possible to produce equipment that quickly. Youre pestering me here. It would be better to plunder from the local supply depotrequest a bit. If youre the one requesting, remember to get us some GAZ trucks as well. If no trucks, mules and horse-drawn carts will do. Also, we need civilianborers, two for everybatant, understand? Wang Zhong nodded: Right! Huh? Im the superior officer here! Why are you giving me orders? Im just making suggestions, its the duty of the Chief of Staff to make suggestions. Whether or not to ept them is the decision of themanding officer. But I also have to tell you the consequences of not epting Another truck stopped in front of the division headquarters, and a group of officers bearing staff badges got off. The red g, Wang Zhong heard someone say, this must be the ce. Wang Zhong to Pavlov: Now you have your people, no more taking it out on me! Im off to the supply depot to raidapply for supplies! Chapter 147: The Cannon and the Seal Wang Zhong was just about to leave the headquarters when he saw from a distance that the 31st Guards Regiment and the Fifth Byeshensk Regiment were assembling, while the armored troops gathered nearby to watch the excitement. So, Wang Zhong decided to go over and see what was happening too. There was no helping it; he had nevermanded so many troops before, and now he felt a bit like he was ying a simtion management game, strolling around his territory with satisfaction after working hard for so longthis was probably the feeling. By the time he reached the edge of the parade ground, the remaining infantry of the Rocossov Combat Group had already assembled and were standing opposite the newly arrived Guardian Army. Pavlov stood between the two groups with a megaphone and shouted, These are the remaining infantry of the Rocossov Combat Group; they will be your instructors. You will train with your current organization for now! After all, the division headquarters doesnt have the time topile new rosters right now, and we dont know whichpanies you will be assigned to, so its simpler to train this way. Right now, if you go to the front lines, youll quickly turn into fertilizer! You wouldnt be of any use at all! The instructors will teach you basic tactical movements, basic skills! Wang Zhong thought to himself that being an instructor was a good thing, and after giving it some thought, it was actually quite beneficial. First of all, dispersing troops to act as instructors meant there was no need for new rostersPavlovs division was currently busy absorbing new members, and it might take a few days before they could get down to that task. Secondly, instructors only needed one gun to demonstrate all operations, and with five guns, they could let the recruits practice in turns, so the demands on supplies were rtively low.One had to say, Pavlov had experience. Pavlov began to allocate instructors to each member of the Guardian Army with a roster in hand. At this time, the armored troops who were spectating nearby spotted Wang Zhong and hastily straightened their uniforms and lined up. Wang Zhong waved his hand, Alright, theres no need to line up every time you see me. Everyone rxed, and then Gunner Alexander Yefimovich from Vehicle 422 asked, We heard that youve been promoted to Major General, so why are you still wearing the insignia of a Brigadier General? Wang Zhong replied, I havent had the chance to change it; you all know I dont have any orderlies right now, so Ill have to go back to the barracks and change it myselfter. Alexander then asked, We heard that the new troops youremanding is an Infantry Division, so what about us? Youre not going to hand us over to another general, are you? Just to make it clear, the Crown Prince requested that we always follow you, and even if you transfer the troops, you shouldnt transfer us. I heard that the Prosen troops have a tank toon in their division headquarters; I think we can learn from the enemys advanced experiences. The other crew members became anxious: How is one toon enough! Absolutely, an armoredpany is needed to ensure security when facing the enemy! Dont abandon us, General! Wang Zhong reassured them, You dont have to worry, no one is going to snatch my troops from me! Not a soul! I, Aleksei, always take in but never let go! Not only are you not going anywhere, I need to bring over a whole Armored Battalion. An Infantry Division with an Armored Battalion was quite normal, wasnt it? If this were a game, mixing an Armored Battalion into an Infantry Division would bring a heap of bonuses! The armored soldiers seemed much more at ease. Thats good then, other generals would just send us to our deaths. Yeah, the generals above us know nothing but to order us to unch an attack. I feel like they have no clue about how to use armored troops. Exactly! Our original 23rd Tank Army is gone, without any significant military achievements. General, with just one ambush, you achieved more than our entire army. Wang Zhong furrowed his brow, Really? Did the 23rd Army really have no achievements? Several armored soldiers who had transferred from the 23rd Armys BT tanks shook their heads together, Most were eliminated by the Prosen Air Force; on the rare asion we encountered the enemys armored forces, they were destroyed from distances over 1000 meters, without ever getting close to the enemy. Wang Zhong sighed; even though the BT series tanks were technically behind the enemys Mark III and IV, the news of an entire tank army being wiped out still pained him. Give memand, and I could achieve some sessthis was his thought. At that moment, the Tank Operators from the former 23rd Army suggested, Ask for more tank troops, General; at least they can be more effective under yourmand! They wont die in vain! The other Tank Operators nodded in agreement, Right, General! Wang Zhong, overwhelmed by the ttery, waved his hand and made his escape. He was aware of his own capabilities and perhaps one day, in the future, he might unhesitatingly ept such praise. But the current Wang Zhong couldnt presume to do so, feeling it was undeserved. When Wang Zhong returned to the suite in the eastern wing of the manor, Ludm had already ironed the new generals uniform and even sprinkledvender essence on it. Wang Zhong frowned slightly, Im a general; isnt the scent ofvender a bit odd? Ludm retorted, You dont understand, once you smoke, the smell of the smoke and this essence will mix and it will be great. Its a clever trick taught to me by my father himself. Wang Zhong asked, When did he teach you that? Before I went to Saint Ekaterina Fortress, he thought I would definitely meet a man there, so I needed to know these things. Too bad I never had the chance to use it. Wang Zhong uttered an Oh. Come here! Ludmmanded with an irrefutable tone as she picked up the coat. Wang Zhong had no choice but to approach and let his fiance fuss over him. About fifteen minutester, he stood in front of the mirror in his spotless new military uniform. Ludmmented, Fewer decorations. Look at the other generals; they at least have a sash, and you are all modesty! She gestured across Wang Zhongs chest. Wang Zhong shrugged, Im not fighting for medals. I know, Ludm said softly as she kissed Wang Zhongs cheek, Okay! Now you can go and be busy with your things! Wang Zhong: Grigori! His guard immediately came in through the door, still carrying that captured Prosen submachine gunhe really seemed to like that weapon. Wang Zhong: Prepare the jeep, were going to the logisticsmand. Grigori brought his heels together as a substitute for a salute, closed the door, and left. Ludm: Didnt your father say he would help you allocate troops? Wang Zhong: Youre calling him Dad already? Isnt that a bit hasty? Ludm: Okay, didnt Uncle Konstantin say he would help you allocate troops? Wang Zhong: The old man is retired; what he allocates might not be practical. At this moment, the voice of the Crown Prince came from outside: Alyosha, my friend! Wang Zhong turned and went out to the corridor where he met the Crown Prince: Your Highness, good morning, how did you sleepst night? The Crown Prince gave a thumbs up: Its a pity you didnte, there was someck of variety! So, I was responsible for providing variety in Crown Princes team? The Crown Prince: Lets go to the salon today. I know that Lady Ekaterina is holding a salon this afternoon, and all the youngdies in town will be there! Wang Zhong: No, I am a divisionmander; Im going to secure supplies and equipment for my troops. Ahahaha!ughed the Crown Prince loudly, You are a divisionmander! Huh? Youve be a divisionmander? Shouldnt you be taking care of storage? Yesterday you were quite confrontational with General Skorobo. Wang Zhong: Take a look at my epaulets, there are two beans now. The Crown Prince blinked: Is that true? Holy moly, those really are pentagon stars. From a distance, I thought it was just a star-shaped pattern; thats how they make the fake ranks. Then you definitely should go to Lady Ekaterinas salon, war hero! The youngdies will fall for you! Actually, Wang Zhong was quite curious to see this falling for him in practice, but getting equipment was the priority. Wang Zhong: So, Im sorry Your Highness, but I have to get to work. The Crown Prince stepped back, looking Wang Zhong up and down: Whats happened to you? Youre not like yourself! Wang Zhong: I was hit by a 381mm shell from the enemys battleship. Over a hundred people in the church, only Sergey and I survived. So, my heads a bit messed up. The Crown Prince shook his head: I went to see Sergey, and he seems fine! He also said that you peed your pants in battle and insisted on exchanging trousers with him! Damn it, can I just go and shoot this Sergey! Ludm turned to the side. Wang Zhong: Which hospital is Sergey in? The Crown Prince: Hes staying at the Duke dimirs house. Wang Zhong remembered, Sergei Nikyevich Romanov was the Duchesss man-toy, now that the Duchess was a widow, it made sense to take him back home. The Crown Prince: Want to go see him? The Duchess also quite wants to see you, who survived that disaster, and shes nning a dance tonight Wang Zhong: No, I dont have time. Apart from equipment, I have other ces to go, Im very busy today. His other task today was to be a postman. Argesukov, 43 Krugen Street, Alexeyevna, the letter had to be delivered to thisdyprobably ady. The Crown Prince shook his head: Youve changed, youre not Alyosha, who are you? Ludm stepped forward: Who else could he be? Hes Alyosha! The Crown Prince suddenly became a bit hysterical: Thats impossible! Alyosha and I are the same, were both prodigals! We should be living the high life together! I cant ept this outstanding soldier youve be! I cannot ept it! Seeing the Crown Prince on the verge of breakdown, Wang Zhong quickly soothed him: Your Highness, look, when you graduated from the military academy, your scores were higher than mine. What I can do, you can also do; theres no need to look down on yourself! The Crown Prince didnt reply but after a few seconds of silence, he turned and left: I will tell Lady Ekaterina that the war hero is too busy and doesnt want to grace her with his presence. You go be busy with your things. Wang Zhong: Your Highness, could you lend me your seal or something? The Crown Prince stopped, turned, and looked at Wang Zhong: What? Wang Zhong: The seal! Look, Her Royal Highness used your seal to send me tanks and heavy artillery, right? So I can also use the seal, cant I? Ludm frantically tugged at the hem of Wang Zhongs clothes. The Crown Princeughed: I see, you and she are in cahoots! How did I not see thising! Fine, Ill give it to you! Saying so, the Crown Prince took off the ring, which doubled as a personal seal, and threw it to Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong caught the ring and saluted the Crown Prince as if he were an officer: I salute you, Your Highness! Save it! said the Crown Prince, waving his hand before turning to leave. Chapter 148: Suggestions from the Logistics Commander (Alliance Hierarch Added Bonus) Although the Crown Prince turned to leave, Wang Zhong and Ludm still followed him to the front door of the main buildings east wing. On the one hand, it was basic etiquette to see royalty out. On the other hand, Wang Zhong had to leave as well, and there was no second exit in the east wingjumping out a window was out of the question. At the door, the Crown Prince turned around and looked at Wang Zhong, I have a question. After this war ends, can we drink as freely as before? Wang Zhong, Of course, after we win this war, well drink day and night. The Crown Prince nodded, and at that moment, the jeep that came to pick him up had arrived. So he walked down the steps and got into the vehicle, then turned back to smile at Wang Zhong. The car started up and slowly drove away. Then Grigori drove up in a jeep, stopping in front of the door. Wang Zhong bid farewell to Ludm, opened the door, and got into the vehicle. Ludm hesitated for a moment before she said, Deputy Knight Yeca Neiko said I could have a day off today, may I join?Wang Zhong thought it over, it didnt seem to be a big problem, and he was going to see the families of deceased soldierster, so having a girl by his side would helpfort the female family members. So he nodded, and Ludm immediately beamed with joy, hurrying over to get into the car. Wang Zhong cautioned, Dont cling to my armter, Im in uniform! I need to maintain the dignity of a general! Ludm saluted, Yes, General! Only then did Wang Zhong nod and said to Grigori, Lets go, to the Argesukov logisticsmand building first. - The logisticsmand building was actuallyrger than the fertilizer nt building they used as a frontlinemand center in Loktov, looking like it could hold out for a long time. In the courtyard of the building, there were anti-aircraft gun positions, but Wang Zhong highly doubted the significance of setting up anti-aircraft guns here. If enemy nes were to bomb the logistics headquarters, they would have dropped bombs already, and these guns wouldnt be effective at all. Grigori bypassed the anti-aircraft gun positions and stopped in front of themand building. The guard immediately stepped forward and saluted Wang Zhong, Please show your identification! Wang Zhong replied while taking out his identification, It was checked when I entered, why is it being checked again here? The guard responded emotionlessly, Its the request of Major General Chekhov, the stationmander. Wang Zhong didnt say much; in times like these with mixed crowds, one couldnt be sure if there were saboteurs or spies, it was no big mistake to be cautious. After showing his identification, Wang Zhong got out of the car and walked towards the headquarters, finding a huge ckboard in the lobby of the first floor with the main functions of each floor listed. Wang Zhong looked but didnt find Major General Chekhovs office, so he asked the guard who had checked the ID, Where is Major General Chekhov? The Major General is usually in the allocation department. His office and the ounting staff are located together. Wang Zhong looked at the ckboard for the allocation departments location, and strode towards the staircase. The allocation department was reached quickly. Wang Zhong knocked on the door and soon a man with sses and a clerical shoulder strap opened it, General, whom are you looking for? Wang Zhong, I am looking for Major General Chekhov. The guard told me his office was together with the allocation department. Before the clerk could answer, a shout came from inside the room, Send him down to the first floor to get a form! After its filled out and stamped, submit it at the application desk on the first floor. Really, each of them keeps running to my office, Ive moved out of it and yet they keeping! Wang Zhong, Will there be a problem if I use the personal seal of the Crown Prince for the application form and stamp? The voice inside came to an abrupt halt. Five secondster, a tall man with a stern face pushed aside the clerk, opened the door wide, The banquet supplies are not applied for here, go to the granary! Looking at the ranks, this was Major General Chekhov. Wang Zhong, I need weapons and ammunition, and uniforms. I just received a few thousand new soldiers today, all without weapons or military clothes! Do you want the new recruits to fight in their own clothes? Major General Chekhov looked incredulous, The Crown Prince is going to fight personally? What unit are you? Royal Guards? I havent heard of you taking any losses? Wang Zhong, I am Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky,mander of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division. My Guards 31st Regiment and the Fifth Byeshensky Regiment have suffered heavy losses, and weve just received several thousand reinforcements. Do I make myself clear? Major General Chekhov frowned, reassessing Wang Zhong, Youre that reformed Rokossovsky? Hmm, you do look battle-worn, not a fake. But you still need to fill out the application form, how else would we know what you need? Ivan! Bring the application forms! Form number 34! Wang Zhong, Cant we make an exception for special circumstances? I do have the stamp of the Crown Prince. Chekhov, This is already an exception. Once youve filled out the form, the allocation staff here will check where the supplies are and then issue release and transport orders. Normally, you should get your supplies the day after tomorrow. That is, if we have them here. Wang Zhong, Not until the day after tomorrow? What, are you heading out to face the enemy tomorrow? Major General Chekhov retorted. Wang Zhong, Ah no, I was justmenting the slow process. Is there no clerk avable to help me write this out? Look around, see any clerks free? Wang Zhong looked into the room and saw the entire space filled with a pre-update night of a mobile gamepanys buzz of activity. Ludm said, Let me write, you can just dictate. At this moment, the clerk who had opened the door came over with a stack of application forms. Chekhov cursed, And the inventory ledger! Do you expect the major general to pull a list out of thin air? Two minutester, a thick stack of forms was in Ludms hands, and Wang Zhong was given an inventory summary as thick as an encyclopedia. Luckily, there were a bunch of tags next to the inventory, allowing them to quickly flip to the corresponding pages ording to the initials of the needed materials. Chekhov pointed to the desk next to his own, That desk is for special handling tasks; you fill it out! Good lord, it seems there are no small number of people handling special tasks every day! Ludm immediately pulled out the chair in front of the desk, tested the pen on a notepad beside her, and then looked toward Wang Zhong with a look that indicated she was ready. Wang Zhong, on the other hand, flipped to the anti-tank gun page and read, ZIS-3 anti-tank gun Chekhov, Hold on, does your division have an anti-tank battalion? Wang Zhong, No, but this is not Then you should go to the Front Army headquarters and request a battalion. Its much simpler than requesting guns from me to form a battalion. Do you know how many tanks, ammunition carriers, and mules and horses a 2000-person battalion requires? If you apply for everything from me, youll probably fill up half of that stack of forms youre holding. Wang Zhong thought about it, and it seemed to make sense. Major General Chekhov, My suggestion is that you first apply for weapons, machine guns, mortars, military clothing, military boots, and other misceneous items to arm the two infantry regiments. Then go to themand to request guns, anti-tank artillery battalions or regiments, and howitzer regiments. If you get those, theylle fully equipped and manned. Wang Zhong with his chin propped up, So we shouldnt just grab the equipment, but also snatch the troops. Is that what you mean? Major General Chekhov, Pretty much. Actually, thats the optimal solution. You already have the Crown Princes seal. As long as you dont snatch troops under another divisionsmand and keep an eye on those unaffiliated units, you should be fine! A lot of these unaffiliated technical weapon units under Argesukovsmand are waiting to be incorporated into some newly formed division. Wang Zhong, You mean, Ivee to the wrong ce? We still need uniforms and rifles. Ludm interjected, Okay, I have filled out the rifle form. Do I just give it to the clerk over there? The clerk, Fill out another form for ammunition. Rifles alone wont cut it. Additionally, I suggest filling out a form for gun cleaning kits as well. Wang Zhong, Right, fill out the form for the trucks too Major General Chekhov, You should go to themand and request an unassigned motor battalion. A battalions worth of trucks could supply a division. I mean, if theyre running non-stop! Ludm, Ive filled out the bullets, is this number enough? Major General Chekhov nced at it and said, Double it, trust me, double it and youll have the bare minimum. Ludm quickly corrected it, handed it to the clerk, and started filling in the uniform details. At this point, the clerk brought the first form back to Wang Zhong, Weve stamped it on our part, it needs the Crown Princes seal; the ink is right here. Wang Zhong took out the ring, pressed the face of the ring into the ink, even shuffled it back and forth, and then pressed it firmly onto the form. Major General Chekhov looked at the military clothing form Ludm was filling out and said, Later, fill out a form for cloth bags as well. The soldiers need cloth bags for their personal belongings, which they can ce at their rest area before advancing to the front line. Wang Zhong, You youre quite experienced. Major General Chekhov, Ive been in charge of logistics since the civil war; Im clear on all this. Im not one of those generals who just boast without being responsible for specific military affairs. Wang Zhong nodded and handed over the thick inventory ledger directly to Major General Chekhov, Then please, an experienced major general, tell us what we need to im. The major general looked at Wang Zhong with a does your old man at home know how shameless you are? expression, but still took the ledger and began going through the materials based on his experience. Wang Zhong stood there holding the Crown Princes ring, waiting to stamp the seal. When the clock on the wall struck 12 noon, Chekhov closed the ledger, That should be it. Well arrange transportation to your station after all these items are out of storage. They should arrive in the next day or two. Wang Zhong, Alright, were off to the Front Army headquarters to request troops! Major General Chekhov hesitated for a moment and said, Did you talk back to Major General Skorobost night? Wang Zhong, Yes but, it was the Grand Patriarch who asked me to exin the situation and give my opinion. Then its best if you avoid Major General Skorobo at the Front Army headquarters and go directly to the Front Army Chief of Staff. Hes more approachable, and if he really has the troops you need, hell give them to you. Wang Zhong, Understood, thank you. With that, Wang Zhong saluted Chekhov. Chekhov returned the salute, Just one more thing, dont reveal at the Front Army headquarters that I did this special favor for you! Major General Skorobo is rather petty. Wang Zhong, Arent you afraid of him finding out by saying that about him? There are so many people here. Major General Chekhovughed, Ive never gotten along with him. We enlisted the same year, and now Im just a logisticsmander while hes a Front Army major general. I heard that before the war His Majesty the Tsar had considered promoting him to Marshal. Wang Zhong thought there might not be a chance for that now. Since the minor conflict down south, the entire southwestern Front Army had relied on hope. Major General Chekhov escorted Wang Zhong and Ludm to the door, repeating his advice, Go find the Chief of Staff, dont let Major General Skorobo see you! Thank you, we will. Wang Zhong waved his hand. Chapter 149: Kruger Street When Wang Zhong arrived at the headquarters, he reminded himself to avoid General Skorobo, so before entering the map room, he made sure to take care of the guards and peeked through the slightly ajar door. Then he saw the Front Army Chief of Staff, the Front Army Bishop, and General Skorobo together. At the door, he could hear them discussing the situation. General Skorobo: The idiot son of the Rokossovsky family really has no military sense! If the enemys heavy forces to our north were to head south, wouldnt our forces in front of them attack? Itspletely unreasonable! Damn, theyre still discussing my statement from yesterday, thought Wang Zhong, better not go in and further provoke General Skorobo. Just as he was about to leave, someone from inside opened the door that was slightly ajar, and the staff officer shouted, Whos eavesdropping? Great, even this little crack in the door didnt escape notice. Upon seeing it was Wang Zhong, the staff officer was stunned for a moment, then said to the guard by the door, Why didnt you let the Major Generale in? Guard: Reporting, the Major General told me not to make a fuss!Wang Zhong felt extremely awkward: Um, I didnt want to disturb the normal operations of the headquarters. At this point, General Skorobo called out, Isnt this our military genius, Major General Rokossov? What Takami insight brings you here? Wang Zhong: I dont have any Takami insight, I am here to He looked at the Chief of Staff C ording to Major General Chekhovs words, the Chief of Staff was a good man, not like General Skorobo. But wouldnt it be too obvious to directly say he was looking for the Chief of Staff? Wang Zhong was hesitating when the Chief of Staff spoke, Are you here to request troops? Uh, yes! Since the man had addressed it directly, Wang Zhong shamelessly admitted it. Chief of Staff: We do have some scattered forces newly transferred from the rear that havent been assigned to reinforce any division yet. It would be reasonable to assign these forces to your newly-formed temporary 151st Division. Unreasonable! General Skorobo interrupted the Chief of Staff, Those precious forces should be given to real soldiers! Ive heard, Rokossov, that you wet yourself on the battlefield! Fucking hell, how does everyone know? Sergey, Im going to kill you! General Skorobo continued to mock, Do you believe someone who wet himself on the battlefield could achieve those battle results? No, I simply dont believe it! Chief of Staff: But the Prussians also have a high regard for Rokossov The Prussians have high regard for the White Horse General! This guy just happened to have a white horse, and he took the credit for the achievements! The real White Horse General must have died long ago! Chief of Staff: Enemy 15th Tank Divisionsmander Lundorf died at Loktov, and at that time, it was Brigadier General Rokossov who was conducting the defense there. The previous situation at Peniye also matches up. General Skorobo pursed his lips, and his sanitary beard really looked like that someone on Earth when he did so. After pondering for a few seconds, the general answered, Even if its true, that would only prove hes an excellent tactician! Strategic matters, being more theoretical, wouldnt be understood by someone who rankedst in a military academy! Wang Zhong: Since youve acknowledged me as a tactician, shouldnt you fill up my division with troops? Wouldnt a tactician be just right tomand a division? Chief of Staff: What forces do you need? Before General Skorobo could speak, Wang Zhong raised his voice, I want a motor transport battalion, amunicationspany, an anti-tank gun battalion, andborers! As forborers, the Front Army Bishop spoke up, you should go to the church. The church is organizing Labor Camps, as well asundry and cooking squads; all personnel rted to logistics can be requested from the church, as the Secr faction has a closer connection to the people and stronger mobilization capabilities. So thats how it is,borers and logistics can be requested from the church C back at Loktov, Pavlov had taken care of logistics, and Wang Zhong was not aware of this. Wang Zhong: Then, what about the anti-tank guns No way! General Skorobo bellowed, Even if its a 45 mm anti-tank gun, dont even think about getting one! Chief of Staff: Were about to counterattack soon anyway, what harm will it do to give him a battalion of such defensive weapons? General Skorobo looked at the Chief of Staff, Are you siding with him? Do you really believe those exaggerated achievements he boasts of? If he had destroyed six hundred tanks, the enemy confronting us would be too blunted to use by now! Wang Zhong felt wronged in his heart, I truly never imed to have destroyed six hundred enemy tanks. General Skorobo turned to Wang Zhong, In any case, if you wantborers or whatever, go to the church! For a motor transport battalion, too, go to the church! I wont give you a single soldier or piece of technical weaponry! These precious weapons mustnt fall into the hands of someone whos just toying around! Great, now Im just toying around. At that moment, Wang Zhong was very angry and wanted to hit General Skorobo in the face with a punch. In the past, he might have done just that. But now, he couldnt do something that could cause him to lose hismand. The high ranks of the Ante Army were like this, full of vermin, and losingmand would be like pushing his troops into the fire. Wang Zhong, holding back his anger, saluted General Skorobo, Thank you for your assessment, then I shall take my leave. As he turned around, he heard Skorobo shout, Guard! Remember, Major General Rokossov is not to be let in without an appointment! The Front Army Chief of Staff reminded, Our staff department also has his brother, Brigadier General Rokossov, it would be inappropriate not to let him in as well, right? General Skorobo cursed something, inaudible to Wang Zhong. Once outside and on the jeep, Ludm asked, What do we do now? Wang Zhong: First, lets go to the church for the Labor Camp,undry and cooking squads, and also for the army tailors and cksmiths. If the troops had arge number of mules and horses, then it would be necessary to have cksmiths to maintain the horseshoes, and if a horseshoe were lost, the cksmith would need to forge a new one. From the drivers seat, Grigori turned back to confirm, To the local church? Wang Zhong nodded. Ludm smiled, This afternoon we just might end up touring all the departments under Argesukovs jurisdiction. At the church, things went incredibly smoothly, perhaps due to prior arrangements by the Grand Patriarch C suddenly arge group of several thousand logistics personnel were marching majestically towards the Rokossovsky Estate. However, the motorized unit still hadnte out, only arge group of drivers volunteering for military service had arrived. Contentedly leaving the church, Wang Zhong asked Grigori, Do you know the way to 43 Krugen Street? I asked around beforehand, Grigori replied, though Ive never actually been there. Maybe when we get there, we can ask someone for directions. Wang Zhong said, Then lets go. 43 Krugen Street was a multi-story apartment building, constructed of brick and stone, and looked to have quite a few years on it. The iron sign above the apartment entrance was embossed with Marazov Apartment, although the Marazov name had been smeared over with paint. Wang Zhong personally pushed open the door to the apartment and saw a room to the left of the corridor, resembling a concierges office, where an olddy was sitting inside knitting a sweater. Just as he was about to speak, Ludm stepped forward and gently tapped the bell on the windowsill. Apanied by a crisp sound, the olddy lifted her head, her gaze lingering on the stars on Wang Zhongs uniform for a few seconds, Hello, General, whose child has died this time? Wang Zhong was silenced by this remark. It seemed that casualty notifications were often delivered to the apartmenttely. Seeing Wang Zhong not speak, the olddy added, Having a General deliver the notice means the deceased must have been a hero, right? Wang Zhong suddenly realized and nodded, Yes, a very brave hero. Thats good, every death should prompt those who live on to lead better lives! Wang Zhong always felt the olddy had something about her, able to talk philosophically off the cuff. He decided to get straight to the point and took out the blood-stained letter that had been in his pocket, reading the address on it, Argesukov, Krugen Street, Alexeyevna. Do you know a woman by this name? Im sorry, deathes too suddenly, I wasnt able to ask about the identity of this Alexeyevna or how old she might be. The concierge room olddy sighed, put down her needlework, found her reading sses and put them on before answering, Shes 73 this year, her three sons, one big, one middle, one small, all went off to war. So which one is it that has died? Wang Zhong reported the gunners name. The olddy said, So its the youngest that has died, give me the letter. Wang Zhong asked, You are Alexeyevna, arent you? Who else could I be? the olddys voice held no grief; she just calmly took the bloodied letter. Unable to help herself, Ludm asked, Youare not sad? The olddy replied, Im used to it by now. During the civil war, my husband, my brothers, they all died in battle. Im quite adept at receiving casualty notifications. Yesterday, Sarapova from apartment 306 was crying so hard. All I wanted to tell her was that with war, the sooner you get used to such things, the better. While speaking, the olddy had already opened the letter, briefly scanning it before saying, He still got the tense wrong, hopeless as ever. After keeping the letter, she looked up at Wang Zhong, My youngest son is so poor at expressing himself, this entire letter doesnt convey as much as the bloodstains on it. Kind General, do you know how he died? Wang Zhongs mind immediately went to the moment the gunner died. It seems you know, said the olddy, What a surprise. Tell me, kind General! Wang Zhong couldnt refuse the olddys request and started to recount the days battle, remembering the moment when an armor-piercing shell hit them, the gunner was still shouting, The loader has sacrificed himself, hurry and get someone to load! Finally, he told her how he had urged for the firing to start quickly, only to look down and realize, except for Su Fang who had just joined as a loader, everyone else inside the turret was dead. Ludms face was filled with sorrow, So thats how it was. Its the first time Ive heard you talk aboutbat on the front lines. The olddy looked at Wang Zhong with a gentle face, suddenly stood up and poured a cup of tea for Wang Zhong, General, you need this more than I do. Drink it, this is red date tea I made myself, it can soothe sorrow. With both hands, Wang Zhong cradled the teacup and took a sip. Anyway, your son died very bravely, he did it for for protecting the mothend, for protecting The olddy softly recited: All life in this world must eventually face death. Given this, to protect the ashes of our ancestors and the temples of the gods; To die fighting against a powerful enemy holds the utmost value. For the mothers who once doted on us, For the wives who now nurture our children, For the pure maidens who kindle the eternal me. To shield everyone from the debauchery of the vile viin Sextus, How glorious is such a death? Wang Zhong happened to know this Heracles at the Bridge, and joined in reciting, Mighty Consul, please take down the bridge quickly. Lets hold back the thousand enemies upying the bridge with just three men! Come on, which two brave souls will stand by me to guard the bridge? The olddy said, Yes, my son was as brave as the ancient heroes; knowing this is enough. The olddy gazed at Wang Zhong and topped up the hot tea in his cup. Wang Zhong took a sip, finding the tea bitter with a hint of sweetness. The olddy said, You have many more matters to attend to, right? After all, the invaders are still rampant on ournds. Go now, General. I am just an olddy who can knit sweaters in an apartment, other than sending off my children to the battlefield, theres not much left I can do for Antes mothers. But you still can! Wang Zhong took another sip of tea, set the cup down, and turned to leave. He did not look back. Chapter 150: Thanks to Old Rocossov for the Rocket Boost On the way back to the garrison, Wang Zhong furrowed his brows, contemting where to acquire anti-tank artillery. The infantry divisioncked anti-tank artillery, and close-quartersbat was a meat grinder, yet the Prussian infantry were no slouches either. Previously in Loktov, Wang Zhong had been pushed to the brink by the enemy infantrys assault. Now, considering the quality of his troops, he dared not engage the Prussians in close-quartersbat anymore. Unbeknownst to Wang Zhong, this was actually a form of experience umtion. Though he was an outsider to the military, through so many battles he had graduallye to understand the enemy and form muscle memory. Wang Zhong continued his calctions with a frown: To defeat the enemy in the open fields, aside from relying on tank cover and the apanying tank ambush tactics, the most important thing was the anti-tank artillery. This is a cycle of mutual restraint. Machine-gun fire points can suppress infantry in the open fields, direct tank fire can take out fire points, and hidden anti-tank artillery and tanks can destroy enemy tanks. Thest is artillery, which can dominate everything on the ground, unless the fortifications are constructed like the tunnels at Shangganling, otherwise enemy artillery barrages will surely cause casualties. He also had to think of ways to counter the enemys heavy artillery. Perhaps balloons could be used? Could observation balloons still be found nowadays?If they didnt observe and fired blindly, it wasnt certain where the enemys artillery would be ced, as howitzers didnt have as strict requirements for position as direct-fire cannons. How could he ascertain the location of the enemy artillery positions? Rely on infiltration squads? But the enemy was the Prussian Army, not India; their positions wouldnt be so easily pinpointed. And the enemy was incredibly brutal, so disguised reconnaissance was definitely out of the question; getting close to the artillery positions, the enemy would surely open fire directly. What should he do? Ludm had been watching Wang Zhong all this time, looking very worried but not daring to interrupt his thoughts. Finally, they reached the gates of the manor, and the guards at the door immediately opened the iron gate upon seeing Wang Zhongs carthey had been assigned to guard the entrance since yesterday. After driving into the manor, Grigori looked back and took the initiative to head toward the barracks in the corner of the estate. No sooner had they driven a short distance when Ludm broke the silence, poking Wang Zhong vigorously in the shoulder, Alyosha! Look over there! Wang Zhong was forcibly pulled from his thoughts, looking a bit bewildered as he mechanically followed the direction of Ludms pointing finger. He saw a row of brand-new T34 tanks parked on thewn. These definitely werent Wang Zhongs original tanks because no matter how much they were repainted, they couldnt hide the mottle left by the battlefieldthe scratches caused by armor-piercing shells were very noticeable. Not only was the paint on these T34s new, but their surfaces were also quite smooth, and there were no traces of iplete dieselbustion around the exhaust. New T34s! Wang Zhong broadened his view and noticed that these T34s were arranged in three rows of eight each, totaling 24 tanks! All the tank guns were adjusted to the same angle, like heads raised high during a parade review. Where did these tankse from? Wang Zhong asked, puzzled. Ludm: Did you forget that yesterday Dad Uncle Konstantin said he would give some to your troops? Wang Zhong: He said he was going to write some letters, that it would take three to five days to get results, right? Maybe the process went especially smoothly? Wang Zhong thought for a moment, then patted Grigori on the shoulder, To the main building! I need to see the old man! He couldnt bring himself to call him Dad, but old man was fine! Grigori executed a fishtail turn and sped toward the main building with a stomp on the elerator. When Wang Zhong burst into the study, retired General Rocossov was on the phone, making a shush gesture with his hand. Rocossov (General): Thank you, old pal! Excellent, excellent! Theyre all top-notch tanks! Ahahaha, he just has good luck! What skills does he have, finishingst in his ss! He even wet his pants on the battlefield! Though the words st in his ss and wet his pants were the same, why did it feelpletely different when the old man said them? It sounded more like Versailles whitewashing. No sooner had Wang Zhong thought this than the old man burst outughing again, Its true, he did wet himself, Liu Da admitted it! Wang Zhong turned his head to look at his fiance. Liu Xia stuck out her tongue, whispering, He asked while I was preparing breakfast; I couldnt just lie, could I? Damn it, he should have executed Sergey in the church ruins and then pulled down his pants. That way, no one would have brought this up, and Ludm certainly wouldnt have mentioned it of her own ord. The old manughed heartily again before finally hanging up the phone. Then, he erased his smile and looked towards Wang Zhong, See whats on thewn? Its a pity that T34s are now in short supply, exactly because of your achievements, everyone knows they are useful. Moreover, they seem to believe that your achievements are all due to the T34, not because youre capable. I feel that my promise to arrange for two battalions for you is probably not going to happen now; youll have to make do with these sixpanies. Just as Wang Zhong was about to respond, the old man continued, Also, you mentioned that the observation model is more useful. I reported this to my old buddy, but he mocked me mercilessly, iming that as an infantry general, I dont understand tanks. He also said that you, also an infantry general, dont understand tanks either. The other Armored Troops who have used them all praise them! Wang Zhongs brows furrowed deeply. Actually, the main advantage of the T34 was back in 41, 42, until the Sturmtiger started to be fitted with the long-barreled 50mm gun from the model three onwards and the T34s blindness became an amplified weakness. Apany charging at a Sturmtiger often gotpletely annihted without even locating the enemy. Forget it, I wasnt counting on getting the factories to change their designs right now. Wang Zhong, What about adding radios? The old man shook his head, Our radio production is too low, and it must be prioritized for the Air Forces fighters, a lesson from the Castilian Civil War. Without radios tomunicate with each other, we would be at a disadvantage in airbat. Wang Zhong, Fighters need radios tomunicate, dont tanks need them too? Tanks operating onplex battlefields need radios even more! Duke Rocossov only looked at Wang Zhong with calm and kind eyes, Alright now, lets each do our part well. Your Infantry Division already has far more armored power than the average division. Are you aware that some people want to take that armored power away from you? After all, yours is an Infantry Division. Wang Zhong nodded; receiving 24 additional T34s was indeed good news. He couldnt be too greedy. Then give me a regiments worth of anti-tank guns! Ideally, all of them would be 76mm ZIS-3 anti-tank guns. Duke Rocossov frowned, Dont you have armored power for the anti-tank role? And thats the T34! Wang Zhong, Its not the same. Anti-tank guns can be camouged and hidden,unching surprise attacks on the enemy. Plus, if machine guns force the enemys tankmanders to retract into their turrets, the high concealment of anti-tank guns will stand out, potentially making them more effective inbat than tanks. In fact, the old German Armored Troops always considered Soviet anti-tank guns to be a bigger threat than tanksmainly because the tanks were too blind. And the anti-tank guns with observers were not blind, difficult to detect, and even the Germans, with their heavy armor, were wary of the thing. Duke Rocossov nodded, Is thising from realbat experience? It should be taken seriously. However, the 76 guns are also in high demand. Ill try to get you some 45mm guns first. After all, the ammunition carriages and pack horses can use 76mm shells too, and the gunners only need a bit of training to adapt to the new artillery. That way, in the future, you can try to apply for separate 76mm gun reinforcements and gradually switch the artillery to primarily 76mm. Wang Zhong had a feeling that the old man had probably not been above using shrewd tactics to enhance his own strength. At that moment, an idea suddenly struck Wang Zhong: Why not ask the old man about the very issue that had been troubling him? So, he asked, In your experience, how do you deal with the enemys heavy artillery? Duke Rocossov raised his eyebrows, Heavy artillery? It depends on the situation. If both sides have formed solid front lines and trenches are everywhere, then let the nes carry out reconnaissance of the enemys artillery positions, and then bomb them with artillery. At that time, the area with the densest anti-aircraft firepower is the artillery positions of both sides, and they would risk disrupting the trajectories of their shells by surrounding their artillery positions with barrage balloons to interfere with enemy reconnaissance nes. Sometimes, when enemy nes are spotted, they would release smoke and do it at several different locations to confuse the enemy. Wang Zhong, Using nes for reconnaissance If I had nes under mymand, I could use the radio on the ne to establish contact, then I could root out the enemys artillery positions! Indeed, this would be a method. Unfortunately, in order tomand the Air Force, Id have to be a general inmand of a Front Army. Wang Zhong, Other than nes, is there anything else? Duke Rocossov, When no solid trenches have been formed, you could use Cavalry Troops. Cavalry? Yes, cavalry are quite excellent. Saddles can carry extra rations and ammunition, allowing the cavalry to operate without resupply for seven days. As for the horses, although the feed for warhorses is very preciouscarrots and whatnotthey naturally eat grass! While the people sleep and rest, the horse will graze on its own. Although a warhorse generally loses a lot of weight after a week ofbat, this only slightly affects its endurance and top speed, not so much its trotting pace on average. Look, Cavalry Troops can roam enemy territory for a week without resupply. They also have the mobility, which makes them the most suitable for surprise raids on enemy artillery positions, doesnt it? It indeed seemed to be the case! Wang Zhong thoughtfully propped his chin with his hand. Duke Rocossov said, Come on now, everything will straighten out in the end. Dont look so worried. Go meet your new Armored Troops, boost their morale, and introduce them to some realbat experience. Organize a sharing session or something. The troops I transferred to you are entirely new, with no experience. Before the enemy attacks, you have to train them well! Understand? More sweat in training, less blood in battle! Wang Zhong nodded, Understood! Is that how you respond to a superior? the old man snapped. Wang Zhong snapped to attention and saluted, Yes, Your Excellency the General! Thats more like it. Now off you go! The old man waved his hand as if shooing a fly. Chapter 151: New Changes in the Division (8000 monthly ticket extra) Wang Zhong left the manors main building and headed straight for the new tank that had just been assigned to him. By the time he arrived, the new tank operators and the veterans from Loktov were already mingling and chatting. As soon as Wang Zhong appeared, Alexander shouted, The general is here! Alexander Yefimovich was originally an instructor in the training team, and although he was now Wang Zhongs gunner, his rank hadnt been reduced, so he naturally assumed the role ofmander. Wang Zhong saluted the crowd with a raised hand and then instructed Alexander, Organize an experience-sharing meeting as soon as possible, and talk about the methods the enemy might use to deal with us in battle, like targeting the tracks or jamming the turret ring. At this, one of the new tank operators asked in surprise, Can the enemy really take on our new tanks? I heard these tanks are invincible and can ughter the enemy at will. Theres even a rich brat, who as soon as he> Wang Zhong thought: Pissing himself, is that it? Is the pissing pants meme making aeback? Aleksei! Themander of the armored battalion that had arrived spoke up, Shut your mouth! Who allowed you to gossip in the ranks? Is there no discipline anymore? The one called Aleksei closed his mouth.Wang Zhong then turned to the battalionmander, feeling that thismander had the makings of a divisionmander of an armored division! But there were more pressing matters, Wang Zhong turned to Alexander and said, In any case, pass on all the experience to these greenhorns, and especially tell them about the most fatal weakness of the T34, poor situational awareness! Tell them about the negative effects caused by the damned two-man turret design! Alexander assured him, Dont worry, General, Ill make sure they all understand. He looked towards the tank operators, After all, some of you were my students back when you were in the armored training team. The eyes of each tank toon leader wandered, as if recalling their training days in the armored training camp. Wang Zhong announced, Also, for todays exchange meeting, there might not be time for much else, so Ill prepare some good food to treat everyone tonight, eat well, drink well, and enjoy yourselves. Remember to schedule everyone to inspect their tanks tomorrow, and Ill also try to get a group of master workers from the tractor factory. The Soviet army on Earth did not ce much importance on tank maintenance, which is why, due to the reliability of the T34, the Soviet army was able to ensure adequatebat readiness. The Sturmtiger, on the other hand, followed a different path, their armored battlefield maintenance was first-rate like the American armys, but their equipment was very delicate; at the Battle of Kursk, the Germans had more than 160 new Panthers join the fight, and yet, more than 110 broke down on the way, and thus couldnt y a significant role. Or in other words, the German support capabilities were forced out by their delicate equipment. Wang Zhong, in the Ante Empire, was determined to change this, after all, his hard-won T34s could not be allowed to miss battles due to poor support! With the help of the church, Wang Zhong was nning to get a thousand experienced workers from the local tractor factory, so wherever the tanks fought, they could be repaired on the spot. They could even repair enemy tanks; down the line, if they encountered Tigers or Panthers, they could mend them and use themif not for their own use, then repairing them for donation to museums was also good, they could even be used for filming the movie Liberation. Just as Wang Zhong was about to leave, Alexander stopped him, You are the most experienced tankmander among us, why dont you start off? If you dont share your experience, none of us will feel confident to speak. Like me, Im basically just your gunner, knowing only how much to rotate the turret and what targets to hit. Wang Zhong thought for a moment, nodded, and said, Fine! Ill tell you about it! Get everyone to gather around, and gather close. Alexander called out, Everyone assemble, form a square! Thirty minutester. Wang Zhong concluded, Thats the summary of my experiences from the battles in Peniye and the various tank engagements in Loktov. In short, the enemy is elite and cunning, and we must not underestimate them just because our tanks temporarily have an advantage in armor-piercing capabilities, or we will suffer greatly! Alexander shouted, Apuse! As his words fell, the sound of pping thundered. Wang Zhong made a quiet gesture and said, The hour iste, dont waste time, other tank operators still have experiences to share. For example, the gunners can mention the weak points on enemy tanks. Drivers can also share how to knock on the engine and gearbox from certain angles to fix problems as quickly as possible. Thest sentence from Wang Zhong inducedughter among the crowd, showing everyone was aware of their vehicles quirks and knew of the Ant Maintenance Method. Wang Zhong waved his hand and turned to leave. Just then, he saw a new truck driving across thewn by the road, heading toward the division headquarters. Curious to see what was happening, Wang Zhong got into a jeep and told Grigori, Lets go to the division headquarters! Wang Zhongs jeep arrived at the division headquarters right behind the truck. Just as the jeep came to a stop, a girl in a Guardian Army uniform jumped down from the truck. The Guardian Army, a girl? Wang Zhong was stunned. Then more girls jumped off the truck. With a puzzled face, Wang Zhong instinctively nced at Ludm but found that she was looking back at him; they exchanged a nce. At that moment, several girls dressed in the Monks military uniform jumped down from the truck, and thest one to get off was Sufang. Wang Zhong called out loudly, Sufang, what are all these girls here for? Seeing Wang Zhong, Sufang immediately smiled, her smile turning more subdued upon noticing Ludm, General, this is the choir! Now we can perform hymn ceremonies continuously and maintain contact with the higher-up choirs! No longer do we have to worry about missing out on hymns! Chapter 152: New Changes in the Division (8000 monthly ticket extra)_2 Wang Zhong scanned again the ones who came down from the vehicle, Howe there are only four Hymn Monks? What are the Guardian Army doing? Sufang replied, They are in charge of misceneous tasks in the ritual, as well as protecting it. Of course, they also take care of us after we have exhausted our strength from chanting. Why are they all women! Wang Zhong naturally asked, since he had already inquired of Brother Peter and Yeca Neiko, both of whom had said the Monks were half male and half female. Sufang replied, It just so happened that only female Monks were avable, so they were assigned to us. As for the Guardian Army, since we are all women, it is more convenient to have all female Guardians. In short, its just a coincidence! Ah, I see, I thought you were sent by the Grand Patriarch to test me! Wang Zhong sighed with relief. At that moment, Ludm asked, You will be staying with the headquarters from now on, right? Of course, we are a crucial means ofmunication with higher-ups in an emergency! Then a staff officer came out from the headquarters, Sufang Batu Wendusu, the Chief Hymn Monk! Here I am! Here I am! Sufang raised her right hand, Im here!The staff officer said, I will take you and thedies of the Guardian Army to the temporary sanctuary, and from now on, I will be responsible for helping you build sanctuaries. Wang Zhong asked, Sanctuary? Although it seemed very ignorant to ask, he still did. The staff officer immediately exined, Its a temporary chapel, not only for the choristers to conduct mass, but also to wee the prayers of those with shell shock or other battlefield symptoms, to heal them with holy hymns. Normally, this would be the responsibility of the Priests, but there are always experienced Priests who cant handle certain cases. Wang Zhong nodded and gestured with a lets go to the staff officer, who immediately turned around and said to Sufang and the others, This way, please. As the group walked away, Ludmughed, Now Pavlov, the Chief of Staff, has people to order around too! Wang Zhongughed, Yeah, hes finally a real Chief of Staff! Upon entering the map room, Wang Zhong saw Chief Pavlov humming a tune while marking the map. This morning, when Wang Zhong had been busy running around, there had been only a small map on the desk in the map room. Now the entire north wall was covered with six luxurious maps joined together, iparable to the small map from the morning. The entire map was filled with military symbols, almost reflecting the situation on the entire southern front. Letting the key map aside, Pavlov had added curtains to the map, giving Wang Zhong the impression that his modest headquarters had suddenly transformed from a mud house on XX slope into themand headquarters of the anti-bandit suppression in Xuzhou. Watching Pavlov stand in front of the map wall, Wang Zhong almost heard imaginary tactics, something about pig tactics, snakes of Mount Chang, vibrant life in full bloom, and so on. Thinking it over, the Ante nobles did like to put on such disys, and since Pavlov was a noble, he naturally conformed to the custom. Wang Zhong decided to discipline him a few words, Youve got people now, huh! Making such a big show of things, how much manpower is that wasting! Pavlov turned around, Dont get me wrong, the military markings on the map are the work of the staff officers; the room decoration was done by your housemaids. Wang Zhong asked, How could you let housemaids into the map room, what if military secrets were leaked? Pavlov admitted, Uh my mistake. Vasily looked up, The Chief of Staff is on night soil duty tonight! Wang Zhong frowned, How did you end up among the staff officers? I wanted to go back to being an infantry instructor, Vasily said innocently, but they wouldnt let me. They said since I spent most of thebat in the forwardmand, I was talent for headquarters and sent me back. So, you see, I continue to monitor the field telephone you captured. But now were too far from the front line to hear anything on it. ` Wang Zhong was about toment on Vasily when he suddenly thought of something and asked, Why has the entire southern front been updated today? How long would it take to copy the maps from headquarters? Pavlov took three quick steps and came to the side door, gently pushing it open. Then a dense beeping sound drifted out of the room. Pavlov said, We finally have our ownmunications battalion! This is the telegraphpany, with a total of six telegraph machines, ready to receive and trante telegrams from all over at any time, and to update the maps ording to the telegrams. Now our maps are as current as those at Front Army headquarters. As he was speaking, a cryptographer handed a telegram to a staff officer, who immediately went to the map to update the position and status of the 29th Army Group. In fact, Wang Zhong had never known that the division headquarters operated in this manner; subconsciously, he thought of the distribution of enemy and friendly status on the maps as if they sprouted on their own, just like in a gamealthough he was aware that certainly wasnt the case. Looking at the six high-powered radios and listening to the beeping sound, Wang Zhong thought that his headquarters finally resembled a real headquarters. At that moment, Ludm asked, What happened to the Judge who was in charge of the radios before? Pavlov replied, A division would normally be equipped with a certain number of Judges responsible for apprehending spies, dissenters, and for shooting us if we were to n treason. Theyve gone back to their original duties. When Pavlov mentioned treason and shooting, the young staff officers working alongside him flinched, pausing in their writing to look over. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue in surprise: I dont know whether to be happy or to fall silent. Hey, wheres your level six clerk? I havent seen him around! Pavlov made a please gesture, leading Wang Zhong and Ludm to the other side of the map room, where he opened the door with a snap. As soon as the door to the telegraph room was opened, there was a continuous beeping sound; as soon as this door opened, there was a thud-thud sound as if a hammer was hitting wood. Wang Zhong looked closely and realized they were stamping seals. It was just like when Harry Potter entered Gringotts for the first time, a bunch of goblins were there stamping seals; the room had a simr atmosphere. The level six clerk was shouting, What have you done! Whenpiling the roster, you must make two types of directories! What is this youve made? Print it again! After scolding a clerk, the former educationalmittee member looked towards Wang Zhong: General, your arrival is timely! I have something to discuss with you! Look, this is the roster of the Fifth Bishenks Regiment; the officers were almost wiped out, and many units as well. In reality, the remaining 81 people are mostly from the third battalion. Normally, such a regimental system would have been disbanded, and the people would have been integrated into other units. If you want to maintain the structure of the Fifth Bishenks Regiment, you need to replenish officers, clerksyes, the regiments clerks! This is very troublesome! Wang Zhong: Cant we promote the surviving 81 directly from the ranks? Privates to sergeants, second lieutenants to colonel regimentalmanders Its not possible! Ive checked the regtions; you cant be promoted directly like that. Based on my experience in dealing with bureaucratic institutions, it definitely wont be approved. Do you really want a unit led by a second lieutenant as the regimentalmander? Wang Zhong: Is it not possible? Before, the Third Rear Amur Group was also reconstituted after on-site promotions. The level six clerk said, Thats because the Third Rear Amur Group had a better preservation of senior officers! NCOs can be promoted by promoting experienced veterans. But with the Fifth Bishenks Regiment, its impossible to restore the system. My suggestion is to change the number of the 105th Infantry Regiment of the Guardian Army that was supplemented to the Fifth Bishenks Regiment, and conversely insert the 81 surviving Bishenks soldiers as mid- to lower-level officers into the original 105th Infantry. Wang Zhong: Are you suggesting that we make some adjustments in the clerical work? Deceive the higher-ups? The old clerk said, Right! It would be much simpler to handle this way, and you wouldnt need to submit a bunch of rush promotion applications to the Front Army all at once. Wang Zhong nodded: Alright, lets do it this way! But is the rank of themander of the 105th Guardian Army sufficient? The old clerk replied, Enough, hes an officer transferred from the civil service ording to conversion rules,ckingbat experience but with no issues regarding documentation and procedures. So the Ante Empire still had a system to convert clerks to military positions ording to rank. Without a level six clerk, one would never know this! Wang Zhong patted Pavlov on the shoulder: See the talent I found for you! Dont talk about not being able to conjure supplies and troops anymore! Chapter 153: Three Leaders Gather, Troops Deployment on the Battlefield (Alliance Hierarch Bonus) Chapter 153: Three Leaders Gather, Troops Deployment on the Battlefield (Alliance Hierarch Bonus) Pavlov, who was previouslyughing heartily, lost his smile as soon as he heard Wang Zhongs words. Wrong, the smile transferred to Wang Zhongs face! Wang Zhong, Dont you decline! Even when you were short of manpower, you managed to get us an endless supply. Now youre definitely up to the task! He then looked at Vasily, Right? Yes! Vasily gave a thumbs up, Staff Chief Pavlov can turn the decay into the miraculous! Wang Zhong, Exactly! Before, Pavlov also told me about a witch outside of Argesukov city Pavlov interrupted him, Enough! Instead of teasing me here, you better go and beseech your old man more! Wang Zhong, Hes already working overtime. But we cant just hang all our hopes on one tree, can we? You need to make an effort too! As for me, I will go to the tractor factory tomorrow to drag out a few hundred worker masters to form a repair team! No sooner had he spoken than the sounds of telegraphs ticking and stamps banging in chorus were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.Wang Zhong and Pavlov turned their heads to the door and saw Popove in. Wang Zhong, Youve been elusivetelyer, a Dragon is Popov, An evil entity that devours the world in Prosen mythology, I know. No no, thats not a dragon, its a giant serpent, though also serpent-shaped, but without ws! Popov, Guess what I brought back? No sooner had he spoken than several girls dressed in monk robes came in, with an armband that had one more wing than Brother Peters, indicating that these girls were all priers. After the priers entered, more than thirty female Guardian Army members also entered the room. Thest to enter was Deputy Knight Yeca Neiko of the Gods Arrow Company, who seemed not quite ustomed to being a green spot in a sea of flowers. Wang Zhong was pleasantly surprised, Has the Gods Arrow Company been replenished? Popov smiled, Yes, the Grand Patriarch will fulfill his promise, it just takes a little time. Wang Zhong nodded, then asked a crucial question, Wasnt it said that the priers should be half men, half women? Why are they all women? Popov was also embarrassed, Because there are only women left, the men have all been taken away. I would prefer to have men too, considering most of the escort troopers, motorized soldiers are male, having a bunch of female soldiers is a lot of trouble. But others think the same way. That also makes sense. At this point, the shortest girl among the new priers became unhappy, Whats wrong with women? Men can fight wars, and so can we! Its just climbing on ice and lying in snow, whats so difficult about that? Wang Zhong, Wow, youre small but have a big voice. The ground is dry now, which is fine, bute September when its muddy, can you lie on the damp soil? The little girl hesitated, but soon put her hands on her hips, Of course I can! If men can, then I can! Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows and looked down at her name tag; the girl was named Ekaterina Andreevna Bncheva. Speaking of which, Ekaterinas nickname is Katya, with a pet name thats, well, Katyusha, right? Wang Zhong sized up the girl once more and was about to speak when she preemptively asked, Are you going to ask how old I am? Um Wang Zhong, You guessed right! Ekaterina, Im only small because of the blessing, but my guiding ability is very strong! The strongest, understand? I can even guide without direct sight of the enemy, which is quite a rare ability in all of Ante! Wang Zhong was truly amazed, guiding without seeing the enemy? Isnt that pinpoint targeting on the battlefield? He had to rify exactly what that meant! Wang Zhong, How are you able to guide without seeing? Can you hit the target if I tell you which vehicle to hit, or do you need a photo of the target? Ekaterina was stumped, What are you talking about? Who can attack just based on a photo? Eh? Cant you? Of course I need to see the target first, but if the target leaves my line of sight during guidance, I can still ensure a hit! Thats something others dont have! So thats how it is in other words, as long as she sees the enemy once, and the missile isunched, it will definitely hit, right? Quite impressive indeed, but not as impressive as youd thinka very subtle ability. Wang Zhong gave a thumbs up, Really impressive! Ekaterina, Why do I feel like youre just being perfunctory? Because I am being perfunctory. Pavlov cut in, Ive already arranged amodation for you; let the staff take you there. Wee to the 151st Temporary Infantry Division. Deputy Knight Yeca Neiko immediately said, Alright girls, settle in first, youll have time to clean the roomster, and then go to the quartermaster to get your personal items! Lets move out! Popov, Theyre soldiers too; you should bemanding them in a military manner, not like a tour guide. Deputy Knight Yeca Neiko took a deep breath, cleared his throat, trying hard to hide the awkwardness on his face, and raised his voice, All units, attention! All the female soldiers, both priers and the Guardian Army, stood at attention. Eyes right! Eyes front! Rightturn! March! The female soldiers left in an orderly march. Wang Zhong scratched his head, Ive seen several batches of female soldiers today, all associated with the Church, really feeling the Churchs promotion of gender equality. Popov, Hmm, you think thats a lot? Youre going to see even more soon. The medical personnel assigned to us will arrive this afternoon; everypany gets a military doctor and a medic, plus the divisional medical unit, over a hundred female soldiers. Wang Zhong, Although I knew there would be a lot of female soldiers, I didnt expect this many. Chapter 154: Three Leaders Gather, Troops Deployment on the Battlefield (Alliance Hierarch Bonus)_2 Chapter 154: Three Leaders Gather, Troops Deployment on the Battlefield (Alliance Hierarch Bonus)_2 At this moment, Wang Zhong suddenly realized that this was the first time since arriving at Argesukovs that the military officers, chief of staff, and the military bishop had gathered together. Just as he was about to reflect on this, Popov asked, General, how long do you think we have for reorganization? Wang Zhong pursed his lips. Regarding the unfolding events on Earth, he only roughly remembered one timeline: the pivot towards the small ancient began in mid-August and was almostplete by mid-September. ording to this timeline, there was about one month left for reorganization. But Wang Zhong always felt there wasnt as much time, mainly because Prosens strength in this world was much greater than the Sturmtigers. So, to be on the safe side, he said, We can probably reorganize until July 22nd. After that, we should begin to see some clues about the enemys activities, and by then we should figure out a way to make a move. Pavlov: Use one division to block the Central Army Group? Even you cant do that, right? Wang Zhong: Of course I cant. But at least I can dy the enemys attack and buy time for a breakout. Pavlov: Buying time for a breakout It seems you are convinced that the enemy will pivot. Do you have any basis for that? From the current distance, the gap between the enemys Central Army Group and Southern Army Group exceeds four hundred kilometers, thats four hundred kilometers!In fact, if only thetitude difference is considered, its not that far, but the Central Army Groups advance is too fast, which results in a diagonal distance. It is precisely because of the Centrals rapid progress that arge-scale encirclement has be possible. Wang Zhong: Take a look at the Carolingian campaign. People have path dependencies, and so do armies. The Prussians executed a splendid encirclement at Carolingian, so naturally, they would do the same here. Popov had been listening to the two militarymanders conversation. Seeing that Pavlov fell silent, he said, The General has always been right; it must be a sort of battlefield intuition. Also, Ive heard someone at the High Command holds the same view, and he has been dismissed and sent tomand the Saint Andrew Front Army in the North. Pavlov shook his head: His Majesty the Tsar seems to have believed General Skorobo, even sending the Crown Prince here. Wang Zhong: Isnt the Crown Princeing to find me? Pavlov and Popov looked at Wang Zhong with an expression that said, What are you talking about? Pavlov: Hes here to supervise the army. The Tsar had initially nned toe himself, but the High Command stopped him. Its different now; in the past, the cannons could only reach as far as the fifth row of front-line infantry, posing no danger to His Majesty, but now cannons and bombers can easily reach the rear. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue in realization: I see. Anyway, lets hurry to reorganize and prepare for every possibility. The other two nodded in agreement, and the division headquarters thus reached a consensus. Jules Year 914, July 22nd, at 1130 hours. Wang Zhong was in the divisional headquarters studying thetest situations when amunications officer with a telegram in hand entered the map room from the next door. When the door opened, the beeping sound from the next room entered Wang Zhongs ears. Wang Zhong: Leave the door open. Listening to the beeping sound gives more of a feel of being at themand center. After all, Wang Zhongs favorite Great Battle always featured beeping sounds whenever themand center of our army was shown. Themunications officer immediately turned around to leave the door open, then walked over to the map and handed the telegram to the operations officer. Such telegrams, not directly addressed to the division, are normally not read to the divisionmander but instead, the operations officer updates the information directly on the map. Wang Zhong looked at the new information: Armored Division 26 hasnt moved all day today? Operations Officer: Yes, thats what the telegram says. Pavlov stood up and approached Wang Zhong: Theyve stopped for repairs? Probably. Wang Zhong stroked his chin, The war has been going on for a month, the enemys armored divisions should also have stopped for repairs by now. If Prosens tanks have the same characteristics as Earths Sturmtigers, then the enemys armored units should have suffered considerable nonbat casualties, needing to stop and wait for the repair units to fix the tanks. In addition, there are replenishments like ammunition, fuel, and food, and people also need rest. Pavlov stepped forward, picked up a pointer next to the map, and pointed at it: As of now, of the enemys strongest Second Armored Group, consisting of six armored divisions and an independent armored brigade, three armored divisions have already stopped for rest. Cavalry recon at the front lines indicates that the enemys infantry is constructing defensive positions in Bgima and Bolsk, clearly meant as a precaution against our Bgima-Bolsk Army Groups attack. I think this is enough to prove that the enemy intends to encircle us from the south; these positions are to prevent us from attacking. ` After the enemypletes their reorganization, they will start the encirclement, Wang Zhong said, Just report to the Front Army like this. But Im guessing it wont be of any use. Pavlov replied, General Skorobo may not admit it, but he is prepared. He has positioned three tank armies on this line. As he spoke, Pavlov drew a line on the map with a pointer, just brushing past the three tank armies scattered to the north of Argesukov. Popov joined the conversation, General Skorobo has a background in armored troops, and often calls himself a Tank Operator. Hes probably been itching for an armored battle with the Prussians. Wang Zhong shook his head, But if we attack, the Prussians will deploy smoke and then retreat until theyre back in front of their 88mm guns. Wang Zhong paused and sighed, It will fail. We will win! General Skorobo paced excitedly in front of the map. Among these three tank armies, the 6th Tank Army is entirely equipped with T34s! And the 11th Tank Army has many KVs! The enemy will be crushed under our armored fist! The enemys 2nd Armored Army Group is still led by their Armored Supervisor Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch! He is the proponent of blitzkrieg theory! Now, we canpletely shatter their blitzkrieg myth! The Chief of Staff of the Front Army said, So, youre acknowledging the Majors prediction is correct? No! His guess is unsubstantiated! If he had presented this evidence then, I would have supported him! General Skorobo, waving his fist, said, The enemy has stopped after consecutive victories, which shows theyve reached the end of their tether! Our armored fist will crush them! The war will end this winter! After a brief pause, General Skorobo added, His Majesty the Tsar thinks so too! Thats why he sent His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Our victory will be the beginning of a turnaround! Wang Zhong mmed the table, We cant keep waiting like this. How many troops do we have now? Pavlov immediately started listing, Infantry includes the near-Guard 31st Infantry Regiment, the 5th Byeshensk Regiment, totaling 4,500batants. Armored troops are currently designated as the 422nd Independent Armored Battalion, with 30 T34s ready for battle, and four awaiting repair. The 339th Anti-tank Artillery Battalion, 12 45mm anti-tank guns ready. The 155th Artillery Regiment, 24 152mm heavy artillery pieces ready. (The logistics personnel for heavy artillery are very numerous, averaging 53 people per piece) One independent B4 battery, four B4 heavy howitzers ready, and one awaiting repair. The 55th Anti-aircraft Battery, 12 72-K anti-aircraft guns. Additionally, there are auxiliary forces like the Gods Arrow Company, the Sound Array Regiment, etc. A total of 9,800batants and 12,000 logistical support personnel. Wang Zhong said, We will do our best and leave the rest to fate. Our target is here! He stabbed his finger on the map on a ce called Orachi. Popov asked, Why here? Wang Zhong replied, First, the highway passes through here. The enemys armored units cant avoid this ce since they need supplies for their push to the south. Second, except for this area, the surroundings are all open grasnd. Here there are hedgerows and forests, suitable for concealed defensive positions. Third, if we can dy the enemy forces here, the enemys 1st Armored Army Group from the south will need more time to bypass this area. Our troops can seize this opportunity to break through from the road at Orachi. Besides the road, look over here, this grasnd can also be traversed before the muddy season starts, allowing us to get many forces out. In truth, Wang Zhong was basing these ideas on his gaming experience. He didnt actually know if it would work. But at that moment, he was amander with unwavering resolve, and he decided to give it a try. Pavlov sighed, Your idea is good, but how can we obtain orders to move out? Were part of the Southwest Front Army, and although we havent been assigned to any army or army group, we are still under the Front Armys control. Wang Zhong replied, Can only try to reach out to my old man then. ` Chapter 155: Father and Son Raise Their Glasses Wang Zhong finished speaking, stood up, and called for a guard: Grigori! Recently, some saboteurs had attacked senior military officers in the city, so even in his own manor, Wang Zhong now required the apaniment of guards. Fully armed, Grigori pushed the door open and saluted Wang Zhong: General. As Wang Zhong was about to leave, Pavlov said, Since weve confirmed the defense position is at Orachi, Ill start drawing up the marching n. So soon? What if were not allowed to go to Orachi? Wouldnt it be better to wait for the orders? Wang Zhong asked. Pavlov sighed, At times like this, I feel you truly deserve to be at the bottom of your ss, constantly hopping between genius and idiot. Wang Zhong thought to himself that Pavlov was overestimating him; he had never systematically studied military theory, only dabbling in bits and pieces here and there. Without the cheat, he would have been finished long ago. As Wang Zhong was thinking this, Pavlov dutifully exined, Before, we could move out whenever we wanted to because our troopposition was simple, mostly infantry, with very few apanyingborers.But now, with so many people, just organizing the nonbat personnel who apany the army will consume a lot of effort. We need to devise a detailed marching n. Otherwise, you can expect half of these people to get lost on the way. Even with a detailed n, well still have considerable casualties en route, and well need to reorganize the troops once we reach our destination. After Pavlov finished, Popov added, Only the strongest of troops can be immediately thrown into battle after a long march. I do indeed know of such a strong force, but unfortunately, its not from this world. Wang Zhong: Then well rely on you, especially since you have a level-six bureaucrat. Im sure you can handle it! As he said this, a staff officer happened to be passing by from the administration side, and just as the door opened, a series of very loud sneezes sounded out, three in a row. Pavlov: See, youre praising someone to their doom, causing a 65-year-old school director to sneeze. Wang Zhong shrugged his shoulders and slipped out of the map room. In the square in front of the division headquarters, arge group of new recruits from the Fifth Belsensk Regiment were training which was actually the former Guardian Armys 105th Infantry Regiment. The subject of training was the disassembly and maintenance of firearms the veterans insisted this was most crucial because if the new soldiers couldnt even clear a jam on the battlefield, they would be sitting ducks. Wang Zhong walked along the edge of the square toward the parking lot while watching the new recruits struggle with their Mosin-Nagants. At that moment, a frail-looking Colonel approached Wang Zhong with a rather unstandard salute. Wang Zhong returned the gesture and asked, Are you Colonel Eugene of the Fifth Belsensk Regiment? Yes, thats me. The Colonel sighed, Looking at me, dont you understand? Im not a military man; Im just a factory director. When I agreed to a rank transfer, I never thought I would be a Colonel! Wang Zhong: How many people did you manage before on the local level? Over a thousand, I guess. I was the mining chief of East Kazarlia, running a mine that consistently employed over a thousand miners. Wang Zhong: Then thats just right; the Fifth Belsensk Regiment has roughly the strength of one regiment now, about 2,500 people, about the same as the mine you used to manage, right? This is different! Colonel Eugene began to list the downsides earnestly. Wang Zhongs attitude was one of not listening, turning a deaf ear as if listening to nonsensical prattle. But he couldnt say that outright. He patted Colonel Eugene on the shoulder, Everyone has a first time, me included! Just take the first step, and youll be fine! Having said that, Wang Zhong admired his own ability to spout such high-sounding nonsense. But Wang Zhong put on a stern face, Dont say anymore! This is the military. If you drop the ball, Ill have you shot! So just do the best you can! Eugene looked like he had more to say but finally sighed, I was just hoping to get better treatment for my family in anticipation of a potential rationing system being implemented! Wang Zhong suddenly felt a bit of pity for Colonel Eugene, but the good news was that the Ante Empires food production was very sufficient. Even losing Kazarlia, itsrgest grain-producing region, the Empire could still obtain enough meat and grain from the fertile pastures of the eastern border areas. At least, themon people of the Ante Empire did not need to worry too much about hunger. After parting with the Colonel, Wang Zhong took two steps at a time to reach the jeep, got in without waiting for Grigori to help open the door. Grigori started the jeep and drove along the manors tree-lined path towards the main building. Just setting off, Wang Zhong saw on the roadsidewn, the gunner Alexander from tank 422 sharing his experience with a new tank crew: Because we dont have a tankmander, once we hit the battlefield, our field of view is basically fixed to the front. Therefore, whether its charging in formation or defending and shooting from a position, the squad leaders must ensure their tanks cover different directions topensate for each others blind spots in their field of view. Wang Zhong frowned slightly. Alexander was indeed correct, but he had overlooked a crucial point: ordinary T34s didnt have radios. Without them, even if their field of view could ovep, the ordinary T34s couldnt receive warnings from allies what were they supposed to do, y music by machine-gunning friendly tanks? After passing the armored battalion, there was the artillery training ground where the 155th Heavy Howitzer Battalion was simting rapid loading for their guns with practice rounds. A bit further on was the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion. As Wang Zhongsmand had previouslycked this type of unit, there was no one to share their expertise with them, so the anti-aircraft gunners had to rely on training manuals for their pre-battle drills. Nearing the main building, Wang Zhong saw his assigned Anti-tank Artillery Battalion. Dimitri, along with a group who had actual experience with anti-tank guns, was exining the Prosen Tanks weak spots to the gunners using a detailed diagram. Wang Zhong watched with satisfaction as everyone was busy with their duties. Just then, the jeep came to a stop. Grigori: Weve arrived, General. I know, this is my home! Wang Zhong said. Old Rocossovs study, Jules 914 July 22, 1200 hours. After listening to Wang Zhongs analysis, Old Rocossov nodded, Your reasoning is sound, Ill try to get you a redeployment order so you can move to the Orachi region for garrison duty. However, are you really that certain that Major General Skorobos counterattack will bepletely ineffective? Wang Zhong then repeated his theory that the enemy would use tanks to lure the attacking forces into an ambushid by 88mm guns. Old Rocossov: This 88mm anti-aircraft gun, is it the one you reported being destroyed by explosives during an attack on a potential anti-tank position with the B4 as stated in your report? Yes. At this stage, it is the nemesis of all our tanks, it can even prate the KV series from a great distance. What Wang Zhong didnt say was that the gun was not just prating but also had first-rate destructive effects; basically, a single hit meant a sure kill, none could survive. Old Rocossov: Have you reported this to the Front Army headquarters? I have. Wang Zhong was not going to hide the lessons learned for his own benefitthese were things that could save lives; to keep the experience to himself was irresponsible to the entire army. Old Rocossov: Indeed, Skorobo is a very stubborn man. I hope that after he loses those three tank armies, he wille to his senses and issue the order to retreat in time. Wang Zhong: Whether hees to his senses in time or not, we will hold at Olga for at least four days, giving the troops four more days to break out of the encirclement. Old Rocossov sighed, I always feel its unlikely he wille to his senses in time. I know him too well. Wang Zhong scratched his head, not keen on discussing the infuriating General of the Front Army, and changed the subject, When are you nning to evacuate, Your Excellency the General? I dont n to evacuate, said Old Rocossov. You have your old unit, and I have mine. Ill stay and lead them to break out when the moment is critical. You can understand that, right? Wang Zhong nodded. He could understand, but he still had mixed feelings. He was supposed to have little emotional attachment to his family in this worldthats how it should be. But when he thought about the old man possibly dying in the uing siege, it made him quite troubled. Thus, Wang Zhong decided to try persuading a few more times, but the old man countered with a question, Put yourself in my shoes, facing a hopeless situation, then receiving an order from above telling you to abandon your unit and flee alone, would you do it? Wang Zhong: Of course not. I would fight with my unit until the veryst moment. But Old man: Youve epted it rationally but not emotionally, havent you? Wang Zhong hesitated a moment before nodding. The old manughed heartily and pressed an electric bell on the desk. Ten secondster the old butler appeared: Master! Bring the wine! My ingrate of a son will be worried for me! Hurry, bring the wine! The butler: The doctor said Im going to get the wine. Having said that, he bowed to Old Rocossov, then to Wang Zhong, before leaving. The old man then stood up, took out several wafers from a tin can on the coffee table, and threw one to Wang Zhong: Here, these are my attempt at making them, trying to recreate the taste of the ones your nanny used to bake that you liked so much as a child, see if they taste right! Wang Zhong took a bite, his brow instantly furrowing: This is terrifyingly sweet! Oh? Is it? The old man tasted one for himself, his brow also creasing, Oh, how can it be so sweet? It tasted normal when I had it? Wang Zhong: How would I know? The old man thought for a moment and pped his thigh: Ive got it, I added sugar and then honey, and I only tasted it after the sugar! I forgot honey is sweet! What a waste. He tossed the wafers back into the tin. At that moment the butler brought the wine and sses. Old Rocossov: Come, lets drink, father and son! To your triumphant advance! Wang Zhong: And to your sessful breakout. Ha-ha, if you hold firm, I will definitely break out. You should worry less about your old dad, look after yourself! With that, Old Rocossov stuffed a ss into Wang Zhongs hand, snatched the bottle from the butler, filled it up for him, and then did the same for himself. To the mother of Ante, he said, raising his ss. Wang Zhong: To the mother of Ante. Chapter 156: Departure In Jules 914, on the morning of July 23rd. The senior officers of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division gathered at the headquarters entrance, watching the first vanguard depart. The primary mission of this unit was to requisition houses in Olga, prepare amodations for the troops arrivingter, andmunicate with local churches and municipal authorities. Wang Zhong instructed Popov, who was leading the team, Make sure to get along with the church! We have just over ten thousand nonbatant personnel, which definitely isnt enough. My defense n needs a lot ofbor, so get the church to organize enough workers! Wang Zhong had already understood that mobilizing the lower sses in the Ante Empire relied on the church, which had prated every corner of the empire through low-priced food stores, various service societies, and more. Inparison, the empires nobility was genuinelycking. Popov said, You n to implement those tank shelters of yours? That really does require a lot ofbor. After all, the tank shelters Wang Zhong wanted to dig wererge enough to amodate an entire tank, which meant a significantlyrge amount of earthmoving work. Wang Zhong said, Im counting on you. With so few tanks to hold off an enemy armor cluster, theres no other choice.Popov gave a thumbs up: Done, leave it to me. After saying that, he gestured to the driver: Lets go! Thus, the vanguard squad set off, consisting of five jeeps and trucks. Thest truck carried arge stack of wooden signs, which were to be used for directions on the road. As Wang Zhong watched them disappear into the distance, he turned to see the troops making preparations to depart. Moving the main force was not like the small vanguard that could set out with just five vehicles. The main force had to decide on a marching order, distribute marching maps, arrange for personnel to direct traffic at crossroads and other ces where it was easy to take the wrong path, form small teams to assist stragglers, and so on. Moreover, this time the armored units had to travel on tracks, and there might be breakdowns along the way, necessitating the mobile repair teams traveling by truck. In short, ensuring the movement of the 151st Divisionan enhanced division by the standards of the Ante Armyover a hundred kilometers to an unfamiliar city was a technical task. This job was a true test of the capabilities of Chief of Staff Pavlov and his division headquarters staff. Wang Zhong, the divisionmander, could afford to be hands-off; once the troops set out, his task was to ride Bucephalus among the columns to boost morale. Thinking of Bucephalus, Wang Zhong decided to visit his beloved horse in the stables. The 151st Temporary Infantry Division did not have the term mechanized in its definition, so its logistics were rather free, having both trucks and mules. However, if it were to be a mechanized infantry division, under the rigid doctrines of the Ante Empire, the entire divisions supply would have to be by truck aloneafter all, its a mechanized unit! For the Ante Empire, which was still rather weak industrially, this would be a disaster: there simply wouldnt be enough trucks. Currently, the 151st Division had about 4,000 mules and almost the same number of horse-drawn carriages. There were also three thousand coachmen, in addition to several hundred logistics personnel responsible for the care of the horses, such as veterinarians, cksmiths for shoeing horses, and so on. The stables were bustling with horses, luckily spacious enough due to the dukes own equine interests; otherwise, the horses would have had to sleep under the open sky at night. Seeing Wang Zhong enter, Bucephalus became excited. It probably sensed the impending departure and kept shuffling its hooves, forcefully hitting the horse stall. While patting the horses neck, Wang Zhong whispered softly, Take it easy, youll get to run your fill today, we have a hundred kilometers to cover! Two days! Another problem with the march was setting up camp in the middle, aplicated affair. Thinking of this, Wang Zhong felt a bit of sympathy for Pavlov, wondering if the staff and clerks added to his team were sufficient. In any case, Wang Zhong was resolved to take a hands-off approachoh no, rather, leave professional matters to the professionals. At that moment, Bucephalus calmed down under Wang Zhongs touch and then grabbed Wang Zhongs cap with his teeth and tossed it aside before starting to chew on Wang Zhongs hair. Damn it, whats with this horse? Because I hadnt washed my hair for a long time due to battle, it might have had a scent that horses like. But now my hair was washed by Ludm, scented only with perfume! After washing, Ludm even helped me with hair wax! Would a horse like perfume and hair wax? No sooner had Wang Zhong thought this than Bucephalus shook his head, spit on the ground twice, and then distanced himself from Wang Zhongs hair. Haha, got a taste of the perfume and hair wax, huh? Serves you right! Wang Zhong bent down to pick up his cap, brushed the dust off it, and put it back on. Just then, the air raid rm sounded. So theyve finallye to air raid Argesukov Wang Zhong muttered, taking three steps out of the stable, and looked up at the sky. Switching to a birds-eye view, one could clearly see a formation of about thirty bombers and almost the same number of escort fighters. Considering the direction of the flying squadrons, Wang Zhong surmised that the bombers target was again the train stations, lotive repair yards, and lotive marshaling yards. They were clearly hoping to weaken the Ante Armys resistance by striking at its logistical transport. Unfortunately, on the vast territory of Ante, its almost impossible for the Air Force topletely cut off the rail transportation. In such a vast space, it was not easy for Prosens attack nes to locate a train, and by the time they finished the attack and recorded their achievement, a look at the fuel gauge: uh-oh! As Wang Zhong gazed at the sky in deep thought, a messenger riding a horse galloped over and shouted from a distance, General Rokossovsky, the Chief of Staff sent me to inform you that you can depart immediately. At that time, the sound of enemy aircraft bombs hitting the ground could be heard in the distance. Wang Zhong: Were departing now? Isnt there some kind of oath-taking rally or something? The messenger looked bewildered: What oath-taking rally? Right, they dont have that tradition here. He had thought that since this ce had the real Divine Power, before setting off to fight the infidels, there would be a splendidly dressed Archbishop conducting a mass or something, right? Then a nun would recite the Emperors quotations while purifying all heretics with mes. Wang Zhong gathered his thoughts and said to the messenger, Ill be right there. The messenger saluted and turned his horse around to leave due to the particr nature of their profession, messengers could ignore some of the militarys cumbersome formalities, like dismounting before saluting a superior officer who was not on horseback. After watching the messenger leave, Wang Zhong turned back to his old partner and had a sudden idea: How about I fit you with a saddle this time? Bucephalus immediately shook its head, clearly and decisively expressing its refusal, obviously knowing that Wang Zhong didnt have a clue about how to fit a saddle on a horse, and that forcing it could end in disaster. Wang Zhong: Alright, alright, Grigori! You put the saddle on it! Hearing the name Grigori, Bucephalus calmed down. Grigori approached, General, saddling a horse is actually quite easy, I can teach you. Wang Zhong: Good, good, teach me quickly. On July 23rd, 914 Jules, at 1210 hours, Wang Zhong rode Bucephalus and left with his troops from the temporary location of the 151st Division. Old Rokossov stood at the gate of the manor with a few maids to see them off most of the maids had been evacuated. The Duke of Rokossov had estates east of Mount Raoul, where the maids were sent to engage in agriculturalbor. As Wang Zhong passed by the old duke, he saluted him. The old man happily returned the salute, then also made a V for Victory gesture, a masterpiece of the war minister of the United Kingdom in this world. Wang Zhong also smiled and made a V for Victory gesture. Latter, after he had traveled a long distance and looked back, he could still see the old duke standing at the gate, gazing in his direction. Finally, Wang Zhong turned a corner on Bucephalus, and neither the iron gates of the manor nor the old father at the entrance could be seen anymore. But someone ahead was calling him, Alyosha! Wang Zhong turned and saw the Crown Prince standing on top of an extravagantly luxurious imported sports car, cupping his hands before his mouth like a megaphone and shouting, Alyosha! Have a good journey! To be honest, although the Crown Prince was a bit of a yboy, he was really not bad when it came to brotherhood. So Wang Zhong also shouted, Take care! Your Highness! He thought about it and felt it wasnt clear enough, so he inly said, Hurry back to Yekaterinburg! Crown Prince: Why should I return to Yekaterinburg while you are fighting? No, I am here under the Emperors orders to supervise the troops! Wang Zhong: Your Highness! This ce would soon be encircled he couldnt say something that could so easily shake the morale of the troops, at least not in public. As he hesitated, the Crown Prince shouted, This is for you! No sooner had the words fallen than the Crown Prince threw something at Wang Zhong, which reflected the golden sunlight as it spun through the air. Wang Zhong barely caught the item and realized it was the seal ring he had used once before, with red residue of the seal wax still lingering in the crevices on its face. Wang Zhong: I cant keep this! Take good care of Olga! the Crown Prince responded with an incongruous statement. Wang Zhong pondered the meaning of those words but then noticed that the Crown Prince had stopped waving. He stood on the back seat of the luxury car, looking forlorn yet resolute. The summer sun poured down from above his head. Chapter 157: Camping Interlude (Extra for 9000 monthly votes) Previously, when Wang Zhong led his troops from Bogdanovka to Loktov, they took a direct train and, since the unit was small, they arrived without any hitches. Therefore, he had no actual understanding of the various difficulties encountered during a march that Pavlov had spoken of; his knowledge was purely theoretical. But two hours after departing from Argesukov, he gained a clear understanding of the troubles on the road. The idents that urred when the troops passed through the urban area of Argesukov alone amounted to two, consuming at least five clerks from the headquarters staff to deal with the aftermath, and probably cost the division some Rubles inpensation. After leaving the city, there were bunches of soldiers who fainted from heatstroke or fell behind due tock of stamina; the medics and the horse-drawn ambnce carts were never idle. During a rest after walking for three hours, a soldier went to defecate and stepped into a hole dug by a field mouse, breaking his foot. What stretched Wang Zhongs patience to the limit was the idental discharge of a rifle that urred in the afternoon. During a march, its customary to keep the ammunition separate from the firearms to prevent idental discharge if the safety mechanism fails due to jostling. However, one recruit yed with his gun and loaded a cartridge while resting, even chambering a round, and forgot to remove it when they assembled. When the gun fired, the veterans reacted swiftly and immediately hit the ground, while the recruits looked around bewildered and at a loss.Wang Zhong, not far from the discharge, distinctly heard the scream of the person hit by the bulletthis turned out to be the divisions first firearm injury case since its establishment. That was just an ident within Wang Zhongs line of sight; within a marching column of twenty thousand men, the number of such incidents was beyond imagination. Fortunately, Pavlov was very professional and had organized a small team of staff officers, clerks, and doctors to ride along the column and deal with emergencies. The long march reminded Wang Zhong of something he read before his time travel, a critique of the grand battle: if Baldys troops could really march like in the movies, he wouldnt have been defeated so miserably. Damn, he had thought thatment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it turned out to be true! Thats how they continued until 4 p.m., when the troop encountered a horse-drawn cart driven by a local farmer. The driver was an old man who, upon seeing the advancing troops, immediately steered his cart into the roadside bushes to let them pass. As Wang Zhong passed by the old man, he made a point to nod and thank him: Thank you, grandpa. Look at this, what a polite general! General, where are you headed? There arent any Prussians over there, are there? In the ordinary vigers mind, there indeed were no Prussians in the direction his troops were headedthe Army Group was still hundreds of kilometers away from Argesukov, and ordinary people werepletely unaware of this. Wang Zhong: Were off to garrison. Do you know Orachi? Yes, I know! Theres a big market there twice a month. You can buy horses, iron pots, and even young cows there! That was the first time hed heard of it. Wang Zhong couldnt resist asking further: Cant you get these things anywhere else? Of course, you can! You can buy anything in Argesukov. See, I am going to my daughters ce in the city to work and need to bring some things back home. Wang Zhong: Has the war not affected your life? Of course, it has! All the young men in the vige have rushed off to Argesukov, and few have returned; then, the girls went too. Old Ivan at the pub has a radio, and it says well defeat the Prussians in a few months! Just think about it, with so many good kids gone, surely we will defeat the enemy soon! Not having the heart to burst his bubble, Wang Zhong agreed: Yes, grandpa, thats right. By the way, do you have any distant rtives? Ones who live far away, preferably to the east of Mount Raoul. The old manughed: Who has rtives that far away? Nobody in our vige does! Whats going on, General? Could it be that things are actually very bad? Yes. But Wang Zhong said, We will be victorious, grandpa. Itll just take a little longer than expected. Grandpa: No worries, its all right if it ends before the spring plowing next year. This year, the wheat harvest is already troublesome enough! Wang Zhong silently bid farewell to the old man and rode off on Bucephalus in a cloud of dust. That evening, the camp was set up in a vige called Relyinsky, much smaller than Bilokotov butrger than Karlinovka, which Wang Zhong had visited before. In fact, Pavlov had selected four such viges along the route for billeting, with the entire divisions units camping in order ording to their position in the column. The vige where Wang Zhong stayed was at the very front of the marching column, sharing the space with the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment. The reason for cing the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment at the forefront was because it had the most new recruits and the fewest experienced nonmissioned officers, which could lead to many falling behind during the march. This way, the nearby Guards 31st Regiment could pick up those who straggled. The technical servicemen, dispersed amongst the infantry units, meant that if anything happened, there were plenty of hands avable to push carts and cannons. Ludm and the Divine Arrow Company were in the middle of the column, so Wang Zhong should be spending the night alone with just his guards forpanyfor the first time in a while. Thats what he thought, but when his staff officer led him to where he was staying that evening, he saw a maid. Wang Zhong immediately asked the guide: Why is there a maid? Staff Officer: Isnt she your orderly? Wang Zhong: I dont have an orderly, do I? Chapter 158: Camping Interlude (Extra for 9000 monthly votes)_2 While living at the Rokossovsky estate, Wang Zhong had always stayed with his fiance Ludm, who ostensibly looked after their daily needs. Because Wang Zhong hadnt told Ludm that he was leaving on the 23rd, he hadnt had time to find an orderly. It should be this way. The maid looked at Wang Zhong, I am Miss Ludm Vasilyevnas ymate and her personal maid at home. As soon as Miss went to Argesukov, she sent a telegram home, and I came over. You didnt know? Wang Zhong, Ahso it was actually you who was taking care of my daily life? No, Miss did a lot too, her ability to take care of herself has improved since joining the army. The maid showed a relieved expression but it disappeared quickly, But your ability to take care of yourself hasnt improved at allwell, maybe a little, at least you can dress yourself now. Was the old me really that useless? Feeling embarrassed, Wang Zhong turned to the staff officer, Um, its not really appropriate to bring a female orderly, is it?The staff officer said, There is no rule against bringing a female orderly. The maid sighed, I usually wont sleep in the same room as you. If you have something going on with thendy, I can keep watch for you. I used to sleep in the servants room next to your master bedroom at the estate; its no different now. Wang Zhong, You actually slept in the servants room next door? Are you an assassin? Wang Zhong intended to say ninja, but such an Eastern element probably wouldnt be understood by the people of the Ante Empire at this time. But its doubtful the Ante People would have heard of something like the assassins from the Middle East, either. Just as Wang Zhong thought this, the maid disyed her intact ten fingers, I havent sawed off any fingers to fit a sleeve sword. Wow, you know about that! Facing Wang Zhongs shocked expression, the maid said, My mother was reading the storybook about the old man in the mountains and his heroes to you and Miss; I was beside them, but listening through the door. So, it was like that! Scratching his head, Wang Zhong asked, How should I address you? You can call me Nelly. So, may Ie in? Ah, yes. Grigori, Ill stay in the gatehouse. Im going to look after the horses now. If you need me, go to the stables. Wang Zhong nodded, Okay, got it. As Bucephalus was led away by Grigori, he kept looking at Nelly, snorting from his nostrils. Wang Zhong, Nelly, how did you get here? I came with the advance team. After they arrived here, they arranged tonights amodation. I inquired about where your house was and came over to clean. Oh, Wang Zhong asked another question, You just mentioned thendy, is she pretty? Im not interested in thendy, just curious! Nelly looked at Wang Zhong with raised eyebrows, Shes nowhere near as good as Liu Da. Wang Zhong, Of course, no one canpare to Liu Da! As they were speaking, they entered the house, and thendy came up all at once, General sir! It seemed she was ready to take Wang Zhongs Imperial Guard cloak. But Nelly was quicker, taking it and hanging it on a nearby coat hook. Landy, Errah, give me the hat Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong quickly removed his military cap, but before he could reach out, Nelly snatched it away and hung it on the coat hook. Did you just vehemently im that if there was anything developing between me and thendy, you would stand guard to prevent interruptions? But, never mind, thendy cantpare to Ludm, nor even to Nelly. Deciding to ignore thendys attempt to get close, Wang Zhong said to Nelly, Prepare dinner for me, no pickles. Nelly, Any other requests? No, just no pickles. Its not that pickles are bad, just tired of them. Thendy smiled, I will make a Susie thick soup for the general sir Nelly: The general usually only eats the meals I prepare to prevent poisoning. If youre going to cook for the general, please go out, turn right, and walk to the end where there is a temporary courtroom for the Judge, and let them examine your qualifications. Wang Zhong was shocked, when had he ever had such security measures. And Ive never eaten the dishes you made, Nelly! But Nelly spoke as if it were some established fact. When thendy heard the word Judge, her whole person visibly wilted. Then forget it, she said, My father was with the Sanctified faction during the civil war, so At this moment, someone knocked on the door. Thendy shuddered with fright. Without thinking much, Wang Zhong turned to open the door. Nelly originally wanted to rush ahead, but Wang Zhong was quiterge and blocked the passage; she would need some skill to squeeze by. Outside the door stood the local parish Priest and a civil official from the vige, who both paused at the sight of Wang Zhongs two beans. Wang Zhong: What is it? Uh, were looking for thedy of this house, she Wang Zhong directly took the envelope from the civil officials hand, looked at the postmark and the sending unit: indeed, it was a death notification. Ill take care of it. Wang Zhong turned around, and before he could speak, thendy leaned against the wall, slowly slid down to the floor, and burst into tears: Is it my husband? Wang Zhong nodded, If theres only one from your family who joined the army, then it should be. Open it for me Im not sure I can see the words clearly now. Wang Zhong silently opened the envelope, pulled out the notification, and read, Dear Tamara Lukyanova Tolup, we regret to inform you that your husband Stepan Aleksandro Tolup has recently been confirmed killed at Ronied Wang Zhong couldnt help frowning; he too had escaped from Ronied, and to think that was just a month ago. The fact that the death notification had already reached the family indicated that at least the armys administrative office had recovered from the initial chaos quite a bit. Tamara Lukyanova began to cry. Nelly, who had just been at loggerheads with her, squatted down, put her arm around her shoulders, which only made her cry louder. Wang Zhong was at a loss for words. He again thought of Aunt Alexeyevna, thendy, and the old woman could be considered opposites. The only simrity was the sorrow. The next day, as Wang Zhong was getting dressed and starting to shave, Nelly came in and said, I cant find thendy anywhere! Wang Zhong: What, after being full of hostility yesterday, are you worried about her now? Im worried she might despair and do something foolish. Wang Zhong: Were about to leave; youre supposed to go with the cart, right? But Wang Zhong: Its alright, she is an Ante woman, after all. One day, shell be able to go into the mountains and wrestle bears. Shes not so easily defeated. Nelly frowned, Why do you talk as if youve slept with her? No, not slept! Wang Zhong quickly emphasized, which was the truth, I just believe in our countrys girls. Nelly frowned, looking worried. But she didnt have to worry for long because when the troops were departing, both Wang Zhong and Nelly saw that Tamara Lukyanova Tolup had shaved off her hair and was standing in line with the women registering for the army. The recruiting lieutenant shouted, You must understand! From now on, you will spend a year learning how to conceal yourselves on the battlefield, how to snipe the enemy precisely and efficiently! You will be silent assassins on the battlefield! You will strike terror into the hearts of the Prussians! You are women, and you may be at a disadvantage in hand-to-handbat with the enemy! But look, this Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 model sniper rifle will allow you at a distance of 300 meters to effortlessly kill the strong and fierce Prosen soldiers! You are as lethal as any male soldier! Wang Zhong rode on Bucephalus, and Nelly sat in the cart meant for support staff, both watching Tamara Lukyanova, seemingly able to see through her icy gaze the pitiable deaths of her enemies. And such deaths, Wang Zhong would soon witness. Plentiful, an endless stream of them. Chapter 159: On the 153 Heights Jules, July 24, 914, 18:45. Wang Zhong looked through his binocrs and saw the town of Orachi. The area around Orachi was mountainous, and although not very high, they were indeed mountains, marked as 153 hignd on the military map. Without having taken any formal military theory sses, Wang Zhong stood on the knoll and decided that this was where he should construct the final defensive position. If nothing could stop the enemy from approaching Orachi, they would have to make theirst stand sniperbat at this hignd. This mountain had an elevation of 153 meters, which couldnt exactly be called low. It was just barely enough to build fortifications on the reverse slope to withstand artillery fire. Wang Zhong turned his head to look directly east of the hignd. Apart from the road they had used to get there, there was a vast in to the east, which could allow troops to pass through. But if the hignd were upied, the enemys artillery observers would turn the entire eastern region into a zone covered by enemy fire. By then, even if one could get out, it would mean losing ayer of skin. The 153 hignd absolutely could not be lost.Just as Wang Zhong thought this, Popov arrived at the foot of the hignds with Colonel Eugene and the engineer lieutenant from the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment, getting out of their vehicles and walking up. Wang Zhong blurted out, What about theborers? Dont worry, as soon as we got here yesterday, we had the local church requisitionborers. Five thousandborers, including women, are already assembled, Popov said. Wang Zhong frowned. Is that all? The engineer from the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment then said, We didnt count the olddies and the elderly, otherwise there could have been more. These 5000 include women and children not of conscription age. Wang Zhong thought for a moment and said, Count the elderly as well. The enemy is strong, and we need a lot of fortifications. The elderly can take on lighter work, such asying camouges. The engineer nodded his head. Popov asked, Are you nning to set up defensive positions here? No, this is thest defense line. Here, I need to build an artillery observation post, stretch telephone lines to my forwardmand post, and construct shelters that can amodate two tank toons. Finally, I need to dig simple artillery shelters on the reverse slope, Wang Zhong replied. Wang Zhong had already overseen the construction of two tank shelters on the Rokossovsky Estate by the engineer troops of his division, and they werepletely familiar with his design philosophy. Now, he just needed the engineer troops to direct theborers to build the shelters. The engineer asked, What about the trenches? Wang Zhong replied, First,plete the tank shelters. Trenches can be dug by theds of the 31st Guard Regiment themselves. The 31st Guard Regiment, after all, still had several hundred former cadets who were warrant officers, and it was no problem for them to dig simplebat trenches with engineer shovels. At this point, Colonel Eugene asked, So we are to hold our ground here to the death? No, Wang Zhong immediately replied, This is thest position. If things go well, we wont need to use the fortifications here, just the artillery observation post. The view from this hilltop was excellent. With the artillery observation post set here, the artillery could effectively control most of the in in front. Popov asked, What are your ns? Wang Zhong replied, I n to advance the defense line and ambush the enemy. If the records on the military map are correct, there should be quite a few suitable ces for ambushing around here. Its toote today to conduct a reconnaissance. Tomorrow Ill carefully survey the terrain surrounding us and find enough ambush positions. Before that, lets arm the hignd first without wastingbor. After speaking, Wang Zhong picked up the binocrs again. From this overlooking perspective, there was actually an inconvenience; he couldnt determine the specific field of view at each point. If this were a game like Wargame: Red Dragon, Steel Division, or warno, you could simply press a hotkey to show the field of view for the point where the mouse cursor is located, making it quite convenient to choose positions for anti-tank gun emcements and tank defensive positions, and so on. But Wang Zhongs cheats had no such function. He had to survey the terrain by himselflike a realmander would. Wang Zhong had read many memoirs of old WWII veterans, and many of these old hands preferred to conduct their own reconnaissance. The famous Tiger King, Carius, liked to ride motorcycles at high speeds on the front lines, even approaching very close to the Russian positions. His injuryter on also urred while riding a motorcycle for reconnaissance when he rushed into a vige upied by Russians, caught by surprise. Now, Wang Zhong was prepared to do the same, to carefully survey the battlefield, to get a clear understanding of the range of fire for each position, and then personally choose ambush positions and dig shelters to give the enemy a nasty surprise. Unfortunately, there were just two hours left until darkness; surveying in the dark could lead to issues due to theck of light. It would have to wait until tomorrow morning to begin. But the fortifications could be started overnight. At that moment, Wang Zhong heard a chorus of singing behind him. Turning around, he saw the 31st Guard Regimenting along the road, singing as they marched. The regimental g, personally selected by Wang Zhong and borne by Zakayev, fluttered in the wind at the very front of the column. The two columns of the 31st Regiment took up the sides of the road, while in the middle, the 155th Heavy Artillery Regiments 152mm heavy guns, pulled by draft horses, passed through the ranks of the infantry. Behind each gun followed an ammunition cart and a personnel cart, along with plenty of spare horses. Just managing the horses, this regiment had hundreds of coachmen specialized in providing fodder, grooming, repairing saddlery, and most importantly, shoeing the horses. Watching the scene, Wang Zhong suddenly felt the enemy wasnt so terrifying, for his own troops also showed a bit of the aura of the Huang Wei Corps from The Grand Battle. Of course, it was limited to the 31st Guards Regiment. The horses of the 155th Heavy Artillery Regiment also performed well, full of vigor! As soon as the 31st Regiment was up, Wang Zhong had just thought that Yegorov should be arriving soonwhen a jeep drove over, and Yegorov jumped out, rushing up the earthen mound in three strides. This high ground is excellent! Yegorov blurted out as soon as he arrived, Let the 31st Regiment defend it! Wang Zhong: No, I only n to ce an artillery observation post here, plus a battalion as reserve. I need the 31st Regiment to cover the tanks and antitank guns for the ambush. Yegorov: Ah, you mentioned the ambush. Use those shelters you came up with to catch the enemy off guard! But we can only do this once, right? Wang Zhong smiled, Who says so? We will prepare more shelters, scattered across multiple ambush sites, each ambush being at a different spot. That way, we can not only surprise the enemy but also deplete their heavy artillery shells and Smoke Bombs. Wang Zhong could already imagine what the enemy would do after being hurt in the first ambush: they would cover the revealed ambush positions with heavy artillery and then confuse us with Smoke Bombs, finally charging in relying on experience for an armored melee. He was prepared to turn the tables on them. Yegorovughed, Ive seen youmand armored units; Im not worried about that. No, as long as you dont get yourself captured by the enemy, Im not worried. Major Eugene eximed in shock, What? Captured? Is the Major General going to charge personally? Yegorov: Oh, he charges fiercely. The first time he charged, he was running a fever, and after the charge, he fell off the tank, nearly getting a concussion. Luckily, everyone rushed to catch him. Major Eugene looked puzzled, clearly unable to imagine the scene. Popov added, He also personally directed a tank to blow up themander of the enemys 15th Armored Division. Blew up? Eugene asked with confusion. Ah, my mistake in phrasing, killed. Major Eugene: The kind of killed Im thinking of? Yegorovughed, Could it be any other kind? Major Eugene: Thats amazing But I heard someone say that it was because the T34 is a good tank? Yegorov: Thats where youre mistaken. He was just as fierce whenmanding the BT-7 and the T28, with gratifying results. Finally, Wang Zhong, overwhelmed by the praise, cut off Yegorov, Lets talk about something serious. Yegorov nodded repeatedly, Understood, understood. Major Eugene, Coachman, lets have a couple of drinks tonight and Ill tell you all about it, privately! Wang Zhong thought to himself that Yegorov, perhaps after spending too much time with Vasily, had also be chatty. Yegorovs gaze turned to the northeast, and he carefully observed through binocrs. Wait a minute, he said, maintaining his posture with the binocrs, Are you sure youre only putting one battalion here? What if the enemy bypasses our ambushes and heads straight for this high ground? Wang Zhong pointed at the treeline: Set up fire positions there, with crossfire covering the high ground. Without breaking through the woods to our north and clearing the defenses inside, they wouldnt dare attack our position on Hill 153 at our feet. Yegorov: What about smoke? Cover the entire in in smoke and then charge over! Wang Zhong: Thats why we need to deplete the enemys Smoke Bombs in the initial ambushes. If the enemy attacks us from the north in a nking move, their supply difficulties will increase, and they wont be able to replenish their Smoke Bombs that quickly. Makes sense, Yegorov nodded, but this is a risky move. If the enemy captures Hill 153, our movement among the hedgerows will bepletely exposed, and the troop deployment in the woods will be crystal clear to them. Popov: Even if we dont lose the high ground, the enemys aerial reconnaissance is still deadly. Wang Zhong: Thats why we are choosing the woods as our defensive positions. If the enemys nes cant see us, that eliminates a huge threat. Popov: Then where do you n to use Gods Arrow Company? Wang Zhong: Still on air defense. We have enough antitank firepower in our hands, but for air defense, relying on a single battalion of 72Ks is obviously not enough. While they were talking, another jeep stopped on the reverse slope of Hill 153. Pavlov struggled to pull himself out of the jeeps bed and climbed the high ground: What, having a little meeting here? Wang Zhong: Admiring the impressive advance of our forces. Pavlov snorted, It looks pretty majestic, but ording to the preliminary reports, nearly twenty percent have fallen behind. Especially the 5th Byeshensk Regiment; not only did they fall behind, but about a hundred seemed to want to desert, and they were caught by the Judge. Major Eugene awkwardly said, Our main issue is that we have too few veterans, and all the officers are like me, civilians converted over, so its normal for the soldiers to feel its not reliable. If we had more professional officers, they wouldnt run. Should I go and speak to the Judge for them? Pavlov: Forget it, once the Tribunal catches them, they usually donte back. Your task is to restore order as much as possible tonight, and cram those who didnt deliberately fall behind back into their units. Ill try my best, Major Eugene said solemnly. Unable to help himself, Wang Zhong spoke up, Arent you managing a mine with over a thousand people? Just treat them like miners, and train them however you need to! Eugene grimaced, Theyve got guns. Yegorov: Thats simple, just show bravery once in battle, and everyone will respect you. Speaking from experience. Spare me, Pavlov said, Weve got enough high-ranking officers who like to take the lead on the frontline; one divisionmander is enough! Chapter 160: Open Strategy All right, lets end the small talk here, Wang Zhong put down his binocrs, Although there isnt enough time left today to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the designated engagement area, there shouldnt be a problem with just circling around Orachi to inspect the surrounding situation. Yegorov, Indeed. Ill apany you for a walk around. Then Ill go fight with all kinds of troublesome matters. Pavlov said, grabbing Popov, Youre not the military officer, youreing too. Popov looked up at the sky, Alright, Ill join. But Im mainly in charge ofmunicating with the church! Colonel Eugene looked at the few familiar faces and asked, Do I as the military officer, also need to go? I am the military officer, right? Why dont you find a real colonel instead, Im really not up for this Wang Zhong, You, as a mine manager, how can you be so timid? If you gave me a mine to manage, I would be up for it. How about this, assign me someone who understands the military, Ill pretend, and he can give suggestions. I can do that. Wang Zhong, Pavlov? The chief of staff scratched his head, Ive just got enough staff here.Wang Zhong, Heres what you do, find a staff officer, youll take over his duties, then send him to the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment. Pavlov looked at Wang Zhong with the eyes of a wronged woman, You think Im looking good again, dont you? Do you really want me to have panda eyes? Wang Zhong, I trust in your capability. Fine, fine, one staff officer and no more! Wang Zhong smiled and turned to call Grigori, Grisha, bring the vehicle over! I suggest we ride horses! Yegorov said, You look east and its in, driving there is no problem, but look to the northeast side, its tough for vehicles, better to ride horses, they can move through the woods too. Wang Zhong, Alright then, Grisha, bring the horses! Wang Zhong took his men and half-circled Orachi, which exined why the elder they encountered before had specifically mentioned that there were horses and milk cows for sale at the local market. There was a huge breeding ranch nearby, with many horses and milk cows kept. Yegorov even joked, Now, while we dig entrenchments here, well have plenty of milk every day. Wang Zhong, These cowsheds and such, they arent suitable as defensive positions, are they? And they would block the firepower points set up in sturdy buildings Yegorov, True, if the enemy attacks from this direction, well have a hard time defending, theres too much man-made cover. To defend we can only dig tank shelters here ording to your method and use the tanks as support points,bined with trenches. But we have only 30 tanks. Wang Zhong, 25, five broke down on the road, Ivemandeered masters from the tractor factory who are rushing to repair them. Wang Zhong had always thought the T34 was as rugged as the AK47, expecting it to run without issues. Now he understood that the T34s ruggedness was only rtive to the Sturmtiger tanks. Tanks, when run on roads, do break down, and the T34 was no exception. Thats whyter tanks were transported by heavy trucks when maneuvering and only drove themselves on the battlefield. Anyway, Wang Zhong did the right thing by drafting workers and masters from the tractor factory. Yegorov, The enemy isnting right now, they can be fixed. Well start digging shelters here, and its fine if theyre not used, its better than being unprepared if the enemy attacks from this side. Wang Zhong nodded, took out his notebook, and noted this down. Lets go, we continue. The other directions around Orachi were quite suitable for defense, especially the ironware factory in the northern part of the town that mainly produced all kinds of iron pots and shovels. The factory buildings seemed very sturdy and could serve as solid defensive points. Moreover, the factory water tower was the second-best artillery observation post around Orachithe best one was on the 153 high ground. Afterpleting the citys circumferential reconnaissance, Wang Zhong returned by the same road and saw the B4 heavy artillery being moved into the city. Wang Zhong counted the numbers, sighing, I originally thought the heavy artillery would break down, but to my surprise, they entered the city safely, while five T34s broke down. Yegorov, Indeed, I also thought these delicate things would get ruined, but unexpectedly they made it through. If they werent at the very back of the formation, they would definitely have slowed down the entire divisions pace. Wang Zhong nodded; after all, this worlds B4, being self-propelled, wasnt easy to towthe powered version was too heavy. Then these four B4s managed to travel nearly 100 kilometers under their own power to Orachi. As Wang Zhong pondered this, an olddy stopped him, General sir, I heard the roar of many tractors they say they are tanks and artillery. Are the Prosen peopleing to attack here? Yes. Olddy, you should quickly take your children and flee. The olddy, Oh, general, youre a kind soul, worrying about us. Dont worry, my daughter-inw has already fled with my grandsons and granddaughters to the Holy Yekaterinburg! Wang Zhong, Then why didnt you leave? My eyes, theyre almost blind. Im useless, better to stay here. The olddy gestured over her eyes, You see, now I cant even make out your rank, I can only judge youre a general by the color of your insignia! The Ante Empires general cor insignia is orange, different from all other ranks, making it quite recognizableIt is said this was learned from the Prussians. Wang Zhong didnt know how to respond to the half-blind old woman, and could only say, Grandma, I still have work to do. If you have any difficulties, speak to the Priest from the church, they will help you. The half-blind old woman asked, I just wanted to ask if my son is in your troops? He is called The old woman gave a name, but Wang Zhong had no recollection of it. He had collected the names of all the new recruits, just as he had in Loktov, but the names of the Ante People were too long and repetitive, and difficult to remember. It was already difficult to remember a thousand names, now with nearly ten thousand soldiers in his troops, Wang Zhong truly had no way to quickly grasp so many names. Therefore, Wang Zhong could only say, Ill keep an eye out. Now, I must be going. Of course! The old woman stepped back to the side of the road, drawing a triangle on herself, Bless you, kind General. Pavlov had set up the division headquarters and amodations for the senior officers, staff, and clerks in arge house owned by the local noble, Boye. The local Boye was a count, and the house was befitting of his title. Pavlov transformed the parlor directly into a map room, while the adjacent dining room became the telegraph rooms office. He also didnt close the door between the map room and the telegraph room, so the taps of the telegraph could be clearly heard in the map room. Wang Zhong quite liked this aspect, as the tapping noise provided the atmosphere of amand headquarters. The staff who had arrived early with Popov yesterday had already drawn a detailed topographical map of the area surrounding Orachi, which was disyed on therge table in the map room, while the situational map of the entire southern front hung on the wall. Wang Zhong took out his notebook and began pointing at the topographical map, The artillery positions, I feel, can be set up here. The woods are not too dense, so they wont hinder the artillery fire, but theyre thick enough to shield from aerial reconnaissance, and with camouges, the effect would be even better. Yegorov said, We can dig artillery emcements for further concealment. Also ce some fake artillery positions nearby. Wang Zhong continued, If Gods Arrow Company is solely responsible for air defense, we can disperse them in these four directions, and Brother Peters sound array can be ced here. I have no objections, Pavlov said, after all, I havent surveyed the terrain in person. Yegorov said, The reserve troops can be ced around the artillery positions, giving us one battalion on Hill 153 and another near the artillery positionstwo battalions of reserves should be enough. Wang Zhong added, Apart from these areas needing fortifications, we also need to dig shelters that can amodate two tank toons near the pastures east of the town. Lets start tonight! Popov scratched his head, The locals have some with night blindness, well need illumination for construction at night, and we temporarily do not have that many torches. As they spoke, everyone looked out the window, the night hadpletely fallen. Yegorov suggested, Waiting until daylight to begin construction wont be toote, as the nights are very short right now. Wang Zhong said, Telephone lines must beid between the artillery positions and themand post. It would be best to set up a radio as well. After all, vehicle number 422 had a radio, so when Wang Zhong was in the vehicle, if the artillery had a radio, he could call for precise strikes. But Pavlovs face immediately showed difficulty, Radios are truly scarce. How about we let Vasily bring over the captured Plosen Walkie-Talkies? That works, Wang Zhong replied. Actually, there was another way, which was to leave a tank toon leaders vehicle. However, tanks with radios were too precious, and Wang Zhong couldnt bear to part with them. Tomorrow morning, I n to lead a reconnaissance mission to the northwest, northeast, and due north of Orachi, expecting to advance approximately twenty kilometers, Wang Zhong said, pping the northern edge of the Orachi map on the table, Take the staff who drew this map with me, and make sure to draw the maps of the designatedbat zones as well. Pavlov ordered, Captain Andrei! Bring your aide with you tomorrow and advance with the General. Yes, sir! Wang Zhong nced at Captain Andrei and noticed his boots were not riding boots, then asked, Can you ride a horse? I learned at a club, the Captain answered. Wang Zhong queried, A club? Youre not a noble? No, but dont worry, my riding skills are no problem. I studied for three years at the club, he said. Wang Zhong affirmed, Alright. Ill have Grigori pick out a more gentle horse for you to ride. Yegorov spoke up, General, are you really nning to advance twenty kilometers to engage the enemy? Wang Zhong assured, Indeed, just as you wouldnt expect me to do this, the enemy certainly wont expect it either. To catch them unawares is the key to victory. At that point, Vasily couldnt help but turn around, General, arent we going to nt fake mines this time? Wang Zhong dered, This time we have enough real mines. Chapter 161: July 25th Situation of the Prussian Army (Alliance Hierarch added) Central Army Corps Headquarters, temporary airfield. The senior generals of the Army Group gathered in the waiting area at the side of the airfield, chatting quietly amongst themselves. It seems like theyre here to urge us to turn south again, said Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch, the general in charge of the Second Armored Division and Prussian Armored Forces Director, to the Army Groupmander, Marshal Von Bock beside him, But were so close to the Ante capital! Turning south toplete the encirclement would mean pushing forward 500 kilometers, while taking the capital is only 300 kilometers away! Marshal Von Bock soothed him, Those 500 kilometers arent just for you to fight, General Von Steiermark from the First Armored Division will also attack from the south, its a pincer movement! Besides, the south is all great ins, which is perfect for tank maneuvers right now. But if you advance east, not only do you have forests and rivers, but also the enemys fortified regions. General Mauch: There are rivers to the south too! But most of them are in their dry season, and your tanks can ford them, interjected Marshal Von Bock, pausing then adding, Most of them. General Mauch: Alright, perhaps a southern attack isnt too problematic tactically, but strategically, it will greatly dy our attack on the enemys capital! I think thats strategically incorrect! Marshal Von Bock consoled him, Patience. His Majesty has arrived at the front line, so you cany out the pros and cons for him. If you convince His Majesty, you can continue toward Saint Ekaterinburg after replenishments areplete.General Mauch pursed his lips. At that moment, a Junker tri-motor aircraft bearing the royal eagle insignia descended from the sky and gently touched down on the airfield. The ne gradually slowed down, then turned and slid towards the generals. Ground crew at the airfield pushed a boardingdder towards the ne. The ne stopped right in front of the boardingdder with the cabin door facing it. General Mauch grumbled, Always with such formalities! Marshal Von Bock: Even you, whos so trusted by His Majesty, shouldnt openly say such things. General Mauch: I think His Majesty is broad-minded enough! Thats why I respect him! Marshal Von Bock said nothing, after all, he couldnt say that His Majesty wasnt broad-minded. At that moment, the cabin door opened, and the then Emperor, Reinhard von Hohenzollern, strode out of the ne in high spirits. Ah, my brave generals! He hadnt even reached the crowd before he let slip such a remark. The generals saluted in unison. The Emperor merely waved his hand in response and then began to hug the officers in order of rank. Once the hugging was over, the Emperor spoke, Im here to seek your opinions for I have noticed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunityid out before us! By seizing this opportunity, we will decisively prove that our Prosen nation is the superior one! We shall discuss this opportunity at a proper venue! Lead the way, Marshal Von Bock! The Marshal bowed immediately, and a sedan that had been prepared nearby drove up. The Marshal personally opened the car door for the Emperor, ying the role of a servant without a trace ofint. Nobody thought there was anything wrong with this. After the Emperor got into the car, everyone else quickly followed suit, and the motorcade made its way to the Central Army Corps Headquarters. Ten minutester, the generals had taken their seats in themand centers conference room. Pacing back and forth in front of arge map, the Emperor said, Im sure youve heard that I n to order General Mauchs armored forces to head south to coordinate with the First Armored Division in initiating a pincer attack on the Kazaria Kingdoms capital, Argesukov! ??????? General Mauch stood up, Your Majesty! I am only 300 kilometers away from Saint Ekaterinburg! Give me one more month, and I can push to the citys gates! The Emperor frowned, visibly showing his dissatisfaction, You may understand military matters well, but you dont understand economics and politics! We need Argesukov, need Kazarias coal, steel, and grain, and we need their beef and dairy! Moreover, once the encirclement isplete, a million enemies will be vanquished, and the Ante Empire will be left without the military strength or morale to fight us! By then, Saint Ekaterinburg will be nothing more than a grape waiting to be plucked! No sooner had he spoken than an attendant brought in washed grapes. The Emperor, seeing the grapes and delighted, went over and plucked one, Look! Grapes! Just like this, swallowed in one bite! But some among you dont properly recognize the importance of annihting the enemys living forces! At present, the Ante Peoples resistance is expected tost another five or six months at most! And the destruction of their strong forces in Argesukov will greatly shorten this duration! But, General Moochi began, the Ante Empire has always been known for their steamroller tactics; manpower has never been their concern. The emperor spun around abruptly, his golden hair flying up, That was the case before, but times have changed! Before, the Tsars grey beasts could be armed with just a rifle, even without guns they could manage! But now, if infantryck technical equipment, theyre mere rubbish, easily annihted! The same goes for infantry thatcks training! And now, Argesukovs Heavy Army Corps has arge amount of technical equipment, including many new types of tanks reported from various locations! If we do not annihte this Heavy Army Corps and instead focus single-mindedly on attacking Saint Ekaterina, once this corps recovers from our devastating strikes, it will pose a serious threat! To eliminate this threat, we must annihte them, we must! General Moochi hesitated, wanting to speak. The emperor stared at him for a good while, nodding with satisfaction, It seems that youve realized this. Defeating the Ante Empire has never been a difficult task, we knew from the beginning that we would defeat them! When we made the offensive nsst December, we knew the war would end within a year, we were clear about that! But victory is not enough! Whats important is that we defeat them decisively! Annihting a million-strong enemy Heavy Army Corps in one fell swoop will profoundly shock our enemies, making the still-resisting United Kingdom and the onlooking Federation fear us! The entire meeting room fell silent. Someone shouted Long live the emperor! and then everyone joined in a chorus, Long live the emperor! Hohenzollern waved his hand to quell the cheering, before turning to General Moochi again, Whats the current situation with the Second Armored Corps? General Moochi immediately answered, All our Armored Divisions ceasedbat operations yesterday to recuperate. The report I received before boarding the ne here stated thatpared to June 22 when the offensive wasunched, we have 230 fewer tanks. 230 tanks! the emperor raised his voice, clearly the number was unexpected. General Moochi hastened to exin, Of these, 110 can be repaired through field service, and 50 can be sent back to the factory for repairs. My men have already marked the locations of these tanks. However, only two of our ten field service battalions have reached the front line, and the tank repair factories havent arrived at their designated locations yet. We nned to set up the tank repair center in Chehalski, where there should berge front-line repair facilities capable of repairing severely damaged tanks. Yet theres nothing there now. The emperor frowned, Whats causing such slow progress? Before General Moochi could speak, Field Marshal Von Bock interjected, The condition of the roads is much worse than we expected, and the railways arent in good shape either. We originally nned our supplies ording to the standards of our own railways, but the railway system within Ante Empire can only handle thirty percent of our intended transport volume. At present, theres a shortage of ammunition and fuel on various fronts, which necessitates a pause to wait for resupplies. The emperor: High Command told me it was traffic jams! Its indeed traffic jams, Field Marshal Von Bock nodded, Traffic jams are the outward appearance, while poor road conditions are the underlying issue. High Command didnt tell you the underlying issue, probably out of fear that you would think they were shirking responsibility. The emperors mouth twitched, These damn Junker nobles! Most of those present were, in fact, part of the Junker Nobility, but they all pretended not to hear. The emperor then asked General Moochi, So when can you start moving south? General Moochi: At the current pace of repairs, we manage ten tanks a day. We estimate that by August 5th, thebat readiness of our Armored Troops will rebound to its peak. By then, ammunition and fuel will also be fully resupplied, and the soldiers will havepleted their rest, ready for another offensive. The emperor shook his head, No, thats too slow. The enemys Heavy Troops could realize our intentions at any moment. In fact, their current deployment already shows signs of this. To the south of you, aerial reconnaissance has identified three of the enemys tank armies, all brand new. These three armies are obviously intended to dy you, or even they might n to use these armies topletely crush your group, severing our offensive spearhead! General Moochi confidently said, They will not seed. Most of Antes tanks are subpar, though there are a few new models worth noting. However, most of their new tanks were destroyed before they even engaged us. We hold an absolute lead in armored technology. The emperor: Then you shouldunch the attack even sooner. I think you should start attacking at thetest by August 2nd. Your Corps will form the outer encirclement, and the infantry units of the 11th Army Group will act as the inneryer, crossing the river here to initiate the offensive. The Southern Army Group will cross the Dnieper River here and outnk Argesukov from the south. General Moochi: If we start the attack on the 2nd, some divisions will have a significant shortfall in tanks. After all, we didnt lose tanks evenly across all divisions! Dont worry about that, the emperor waved his finger back and forth, Ill enhance your group with the Asgard Knights Amprah Armored Division and the Asgard Knights Emperors Personal Guard Division. These are elite units newly organized and will be the central pirs guarding our sacred Empire of Asgard in the future! Although those present were military men, these words still sparked murmurs. After all, everyone had heard rumors that the emperor intended to establish forces independent of the Imperial Defense Forces, and this was the first time the rumors materialized. The emperor dered proudly, These units are extremely elite,manded by my most trusted Siegfried. They consist of rigorously selected veterans equipped with thetest weapons. They will crush our enemies! As he spoke, the emperor clenched his fists to express his emotions. General Moochi: Understood. We willunch an attack on August 2nd, not any sooner. Agreed, the emperor consented briskly, The Argesukov campaign will end within twenty to thirty days, and then we can charge towards Saint Ekaterina! Chapter 162: In the Forests of Orachi (Addition for 10,000 monthly tickets) ` On July 30th, at 1130 hours, in the northern shrubbery of Orachi. Tactical number 427 T34 was slowly reversing from the lowestyer of the tank shelter to the middle tform, so the turret emerged above the ground. Good! the toon leader of the tank waved the g in his hand, Stop, dont reverse anymore! The gunner andmander of Tank 427 poked his head out of the open hatch and looked around: Not bad, apart from the grass in front obstructing the view, this shelter is nearly perfect! Wang Zhong put down his binocrs, nced at themander, and said, Cut the chatter, hit the target! He stood next to the shelter of Tank 427, having just been observing an officer from the Anti-tank Artillery Battalion set up the targets through his binocrs. These specially set up targets were used by the anti-tank guns to quickly determine the distance to their targets, usually disguised as various conventional objects so they would know approximately the distance once an enemy tank passed nearby. Wang Zhong made a gesture to the staff officer beside him, who then raised his hand and fired a re.The people setting up targets in the distance immediately left the target area and mounted their horses to pull away. Wang Zhong said to the crew of Tank 427, Set the range to 700, aim at the ground, use armor-piercing shells, quick. Themander of 427 immediately returned to the tank, while the guns elevation mechanism began to adjust, and the tank gun slowly lowered. The next moment, the tank fired. The st from the muzzle made the camouge covering the tank shelter ripple like waves on water, and the grass that originally blocked the front of the shelter was instantly knocked down. Indeed, the smoke from firing was much less than it would have been on open ground due to this post-war designed tank shelter. It was indeed advanced. Wang Zhong paid attention to the firing and only turned his focus to the armor-piercing shell when it hit the ground and bounced like a ping-pong ball, flying farther away. The point of impact seemed quite far from the target. Wang Zhong: Tank 427, your sights are seriously misaligned; adjust them at once! Fire again in twenty minutes. The T34 tanks assigned to the temporary 151st Infantry Division had many inuracies with their gun sights. Previously at Argesukov, there hadnt been such arge area to conduct live firing, so this issue hadnt been uncovered until now with each test fire. Wang Zhong: Next, Tank 428! Right! themander of Tank 428 raised his right hand, Ive already made adjustments, it should hit close to the range mark! Then fire. A minuteter, the armor-piercing shell hit the target and shattered it. Wang Zhong: Who the hell told you to shatter the target! The artillerymen have to set up a new one now! I swear I didnt aim for the target! Tank 428smander poked his head out, The shell drifted over there! The error margin of this gun is definitely greater than what the factory manual states! Wang Zhong frowned, unsure if it was because Antes craftsmanship was poor in this timeline, or whether Earths T34s were also this roughly made. Through the detailed testing over these days, Wang Zhong realized that when he led the parade troops out to the armored confrontation with the Prosen people at Loktov, the first round of shots hit only a few times, which might not be the tank drivers fault. ???Ϧ¦ Perhaps the vehicle that Wang Zhong rode in was a spoiled observation vehicle, therefore it was finely crafted and strictly quality controlled, which allowed it to hit wherever it was aimed. Wang Zhong continued to supervise the tank troops main gun and sight testing, when Yegorov came over. It doesnt seem to be looking good, he said from a distance. Wang Zhong: Luckily we tested early. After these adjustments, it should be a lot more urate. How are things on your side? The trenches have been mostly dug. Ive reassigned some of theds to help the Labor Camp with road construction. Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong turned to look at the road being busilyid behind the positions, where arge number of civilians were shouting chants, pulling stone rollers taken off millstones, andpacting the road surface. This road was built for the anti-tank guns; with mules pulling the guns and ammunition carts, they could move faster on the road, enabling quick evacuation from positions. Of course, tanks could use this road too. Although the T34 tank had good off-road capability, constantly driving through wild terrain was likely to cause breakdowns. Yegorov: Weve been here a week, building so many fortifications and still going. The troops are getting tired. Wang Zhong: Hmm I also feel that we have enough fortifications. Lets leave the rest to the Labor Camp. They dont have to go to the front lines and can work until the enemy attacks. Yegorov: My suggestion is not just to give time off but also to organize some activities, like throwing a dance party with the nurses from the divisions medical unit, something like that. Wang Zhong: A dance party? Not the sort of noble-style dance party youre thinking of. Ourmoners dance party only needs a campfire, a Bayan, a blaika, and then we can enjoy the music. Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows: The dance youre talking about isnt a waltz, but the Cossack War Dance, right? Right! Yegorov immediately squatted down and began doing the famous Cossack squat dance, also known as the knee destroyer dance. The soldiers around, who had nothing else to do, had their attention all drawn over, and some began cheering. After about thirty seconds of dancing, Yegorov stood up, struck a pose, and said, Thats the dance, understand? Before Wang Zhong could reply, someone in the ranks shouted, Come on, regimentmander, your turn! Yeah, yeah, the generals turn! Wang Zhong, who actually didnt have much of a dignified airnor could he really afford toare now well-acquainted by the soldiers, so jokes were thrown directly at him. Of course, Vasily, the shit-stirring king, yed a part in this, preferring talking trash even while hauling manure, and so incidentally, Vasily had helped demolish Wang Zhongs authority. Pavlov had serious objections to this, repeatedly telling Wang Zhong, As amander, you need to maintain authority so the soldiers will follow you into the charge. However, Wang Zhong himself didnt mind. At this moment, faced with the soldiers egging on, Wang Zhongughed and said, Do you want to see me paralyze myself from the waist down? Everyone has things theyre not good at, and dancing is something Im not good at. Actually, the original owner of the body might have been quite good at it, judging by his love for partying, but Wang Zhong was genuinely not capable. If forced to do a number, he could only show the soldiers a bit of the Call of the Times dance. ` The soldiers mored for quite a while, watching Wang Zhongpletely unmoved, then suddenly someone said, Why not have the General give us a motivational speech! People from the 31st Regiment all say the General is powerful, they were moved to tears listening to him, and we havent heard it since we joined! This suggestion immediately received everyones endorsement, even the staff officers following Wang Zhong looked up with interested expressions. Wang Zhong, Speeches are for boosting morale, and I see your spirits are already high. When we engage the Prosen forces and suffer heavy casualties, even if you dont want to listen, Ill give a speech then, but for now, lets not. The atmosphere that had just heated up suddenly quieted down. Wang Zhong looked at everyone andughed, Dont worry, look at these defense works weve made, I have confidence that well inflict heavy casualties on the enemy here! But you cant guarantee well all survive, can you? someone asked. Yes, this is war. Even the Magician of the Battlefield cant guarantee there wont be casualties, Wang Zhong answered. Originally, he thought the soldiers would be silent after hearing this response, but someone carelessly said, Then well just be the colors on the banner! The othersughed as well. Another said, Hey, lets not scare ourselves. Maybe it wont even be our turn to take action. There are three armored divisions to the north. I heard one division is all T34s, which is six or seven times our equipment number! Maybe if that divisionunches an attack, it will directly crush the enemys armored cluster! Wang Zhong, If thats the case, it would be the best. That was his genuine thought, if it could be that way, then the war would end soon, and there would be no need for so many sacrifices. But Wang Zhong knew, it wouldnt be so. That night, Wang Zhong returned to the division headquarters from the front line and immediately checked the updated situation map at 1830 hours, then pointed at the two newly appeared armored units and asked, What units are these? Pavlov, The new units discovered by aerial reconnaissance and cavalry scouts, the unit identification marks on the armored vehicles are different from all the ones from the Second Armored Group. Wang Zhong, How are they different? The marks of other armored units are more casual, some are simple symbols, others are animals, and theres a variety of deformed letters. But these two divisions both adopted shield crests. Wang Zhong immediately felt that the situation was not good, Shield crests? Yes. Wang Zhong, Is there a notch in the upper right corner of the shield? Right, how did you know? A guess. Whats on the shields of these two divisions? One has a key, and the other seems to be some kind of ancient Scandinavian rune. Wang Zhong tutted, This is not going to be easy Additionally, Pavlov paused, The Tribunal discovered that the enemys call signs have included a unit called the Asgard Knights. Asgard is the mythical realm in the creation myth that the Prosen Empire is endeavoring to propagate Wang Zhong, The Asgard Knights, huh? I have a feeling these units are going to be tough to deal with. We still dont know if these call signs are associated with the two new divisions, Pavlov said. At that moment, Nelly came in, pushing a cart loaded with food, Ive made skewered meat and walnut jam pies in the kitchen, you can take and eat them while you work. The staff officers immediately eximed in admiration, Amazing. Nelly, you really are an angel! Nelly parked the cart next to the map table and left it there, turning around to stare at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong blinked, Why are you looking at me like that? Nothing, just curious. I didnt believe what Miss Liu Da told me, about how Alyosha is now an outstanding soldier and stuff. I didnt buy it. Wang Zhong, Do you believe it now? Nelly shook her head, Still no. I think you might not be that bastard anymore. Then who am I? Wang Zhong countered. Nelly, Who knows? Maybe Saint Andrew descended using that bastards body, I dont know. Liu Da certainly likes you though. Wang Zhong, And you? I need to observe a little longer, Nelly answered. Wang Zhong shrugged, stood up, squeezed through the staff officers, took a te, and helped himself to a big serving of walnut jam, wiping it up with the pies. Oh, he eximed, Delicious! Sweet but not greasy, fantastic job Nelly! Nelly was just about to reply when suddenly, music was heard from outside. Pavlov immediately started cursing, Whats going on? At such a critical time for war preparations! Wang Zhong, The soldiers work is almost done; I approved Yegorov to hold a dance event to boost morale, and I even approved leave for tomorrow. Pavlov, Such matters dont just require your approval; the bishops consent is needed too. Popov is going to be furious! Just as he was speaking, Popov came in, Me? No, I think the troops are too tense and should rx a bit. Holding the dance is a good idea. Its just a shame we have so few female soldiers. Wang Zhong, We can let the girls from the fieldundry and cooking teams join in. Popov, That still wont be enough. We might as well get all the local girls to join in too, for a good rxation before the battle starts. Wang Zhong gave a thumbs up. Just then, Nelly suddenly asked, Are you going to dance too? Ah? Me? No, no, Id rather not. I prefer watching others have fun over dancing. Eh~ Nelly drew out the sound but didnt say much more. Chapter 163: Start On August 2, 914 Jules, at 0430 hours, the headquarters of the Second Armored Division of the Prussian Army. General Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch nced at his pocket watch and nodded at a staff member who was on the phone. The staff member immediately gave the order, Begin artillery preparation! As the staff member hung up the phone, the distant rumble of thunder could be faintly heardthe sound of the artillery from the Armored Cluster Command opening fire. General von Mauch stood in front of the map, fixated on St. Ye Katerina Fortress on the map. After a long silence, he said, In truth, continuing our push to the east does pose a risk. Our supply line will be stretched to six hundred kilometers, and the infantry troops of the Central Army Group will be spread thin along the lengthy supply line, certainly leaving us vulnerable everywhere. If the enemys heavy troops advance north, they could potentially find themselves in a perilous situation. The chief of staff said, The Southern Army Group is advancing too slowly. Even though its all open ins, and they have naval support, their progress is embarrassingly slow. To make excuses, theyve evene up with a White Horse General, iming hes some kind of defensive genius, repeatedly holding back the charge of the Armored Cluster.General von Mauch frowned, A defensive genius? Why havent I heard of him? The chief of staff said, The information was suppressed by the higher-ups, and the Southern Army Group was reprimanded. The Imperial Propaganda Minister was furious and directly called to question the Southern Army Group, asking if they intended to undermine the propaganda that Ante is an inferior race. General von Mauch, already notable for his furrowed brow, now had wrinkles so deep as though they could hide a flea: Get me thebat records rted to this White Horse General, preferably the unembellished original versions. The chief of staff said, Well after all, this enemy isnt someone our Army Group has encountered, and the rted information was suppressed by the Empire, so we dont know the details. General von Mauch cursed, Whats going on? Dont they know? Sharing information on an enemys outstandingmanders style ofmand can effectively reduce our casualties. No one in the room answered. After a struggle, the chief of staff said, Perhaps we will encounter him, and you can personally test his mettle. General von Mauch snorted, Good, this war has almost turned into another armed parade like the one with the Carolingians. If this continues, even if we encircle a million Ante Army at Argesukov, others will say we merely defeated a horde of primitives! On the southern front, the headquarters of the First Armored Division of the Prussian Army, at 0430 hours. Fire, said General Ewald von Steyr-Mark,mander of the First Armored Division. The staff member picked up the telephone immediately. Momentster, distant thunders rolled. Steyr-Mark asked, Has the intelligence department still not found General Rokossovskys deployment location? Weve just received a telegram,mander. The Imperial Intelligence Agencys Rabowell branch reports that Major General Pyotr Konstantinovich Rokossovsky is now serving as the senior operations staff officer at the Southwestern Front Army Headquarters. General von Steyr-Mark frowned, What? Why would they ce such a war general on the staff? Is this transfer even proper? The others in themand center exchanged nces. The chief of staff suggested, Could it be a namesake? Maybe a brother or something? Hmm Never mind! General von Steyr-Mark shook his head, If such a troublesome fellow has indeed been tucked away in the staff room, then our victory is nearly certain. Thergest encirclement and annihtion battle in human history, this fight will no matter what be remembered in military history! Ante Army, Argesukov, the Southwestern Front Army Headquarters, 0510 hours, August 2, 914 Jules. All the telephones were ringing. Every phone, as soon as the receiver was put back, would immediately start ringing again. And those receivers that were picked up, without exception, had a staff officer shouting into them: Hello? Louder! You need to be louder! Amidst the constant calls for louder, General Skorobo frowned, looking at the deployment map of the Southwestern Front Army. On this map, there were already six symbols indicating suspected enemy intentions to attack. It was foreseeable that there would be even more. The chief of staff of the Front Army came over: As of now, weve confirmed that at least ten divisions are subjected to the enemys artillery preparation, and there are definitely more taking fire. I think the enemy has indeedunched arge-scale pincer offensive. The chief of staff suddenly stopped, as if deliberately caught on the rest of his thought. General Skorobo said, You want to say that the ignorant Rokossovsky got it right? Fine, I admit, he did predict the enemys moves a bit earlier than us, but his pessimistic ideas are utterly uneptable! The enemy attack is an opportunity! Just during todays daytime, if our three tank armiesunch an attack, the situation will be reversed! We will drive the enemy back to their starting positions, and even reim the territories upied by them! Rokossovsky, with his patchwork of a temporary force set up in the defensive fortifications at Orachi, will be of no use! Having said that, General Skorobo punched the table, indenting the wood. Due to the excessive force, the surface of his fist cracked open, and blood spread across the table, even dripping down the edge. The chief of staff, looking at General Skorobos hand, said, The enemys air superiority might affect our armored counterattack We have thetest reinforcements in ce, a squadron of destroyers! Let them cover our boys! The enemy will definitely turn to ashes before the steel tide! Chief of Staff, Yes. Front Army Bishop, There is another option, to retreat the tank army to Orachi. From the information I have gathered, Major General Rokossovsky has built a great number of fortifications there. General Skorobo, Dont you know the oue of the Carolingian battle? Fortifications are useless! Now that the Air Forces bombs can destroy bunkers and heavy artillery can tten minefields! The era of relying on fortifications is over, it is now the age of armored corps shing head-on! Who uses tank troops for defense! Front Army Bishop, Major General Rokossovsky fights very well; the Church considers him an expert in using armored forces for defensivebat. He has victories only because our tanks have an armor advantage, not because he is thatpetent! After today, no one will take his achievements seriously anymore, because with our advanced tanks, such victories are like picking things out of a bag! General Skorobo stopped, took out a handkerchief, and wrapped his bleeding hand, Put the northern three tank armies onbat readiness! Be ready to depart for a counterassault at any moment! Shepetovka, August 2nd, 914, at 1030 hours. Major General Chesnokov,mander of the 6th Tank Army, personally climbed onto a tank and said to the tankmander, You, get out! Let this old Tank Operator drive this tank! The tankmander immediately got out. Having once served as the head of the Armor Corps Academy, many of these men were his students and would execute his orders without hesitation. Chesnokov stood on the tank, turned back to the entire Tank Army, and announced loudly, Men! The time hase to make our mark! Numerous front-line examples show that the enemy cannot cope with our T34 tanks! They can only rely on the Air Force! But today While he was speaking, a V formation of La-3 fighters swept across the sky, a full 15 nes! Chesnokov saluted the nes and waited for them to passpletely before continuing, This is just a part of the Air Forces 5th Aviation Army that supports our operation; more fighters will join in. Today marks one of the rare asions in this war when our army does not need to worry about the enemy Air Force! With less Air Force support, our tracks will crush the enemys skulls! Today is the moment to counterattack! Move out! After speaking, Chesnokov jumped into the tank, put on his tank helmet and headset, and ordered, Driver, advance! With a duang sound, Chesnokovs tank took to the road, roaring as it headed north. They would soon be facing the Armor Division that had newly arrived at the battlefield. Asgard Knights Armor Division Anp, Division Headquarters, at 0830 hours. Division Commander William Dietrich said to the Vanguard Commander, Major Mueller, ording to current intelligence, we have at least one enemy tank army in front of us, and they are equipped with the T34 tanks that everyone finds very troublesome. So our n is very simple. After breaking through the enemys first line of defense, we will immediately set up the 88mm anti-aircraft guns. The anti-aircraft gun positions will be deployed here. William Dietrich pped a little hill on the map with his riding crop. This spot has a good field of fire, but the bad news is, there are not many obstacles to hide our heavy anti-tank guns. So when you lure the enemy Armor Troops in front of the 88mm gun position, dont just stop and watch the show. You have to outnk the enemy from both sides. You are responsible for attracting the enemys attention, allowing the 88mm guns to take out arge number of the enemy. Generally, before encountering us, the enemy tank troops have already been bombed to disarray by the Air Force. But better safe than sorry. Do not underestimate this tactic; we used a simr method to deal with the charging B1 heavy tanks at Carolingian. Its a simple yet very effective tactic! William Dietrich stopped, looked at Major Mueller, Do you understand? If so, repeat it back to me! Major Mueller nodded, Upon encountering an enemy armor counterattack, find a way to lure them in front of the ambushing 88mm guns. While the 88mm guns are taking enemies out, we will outnk from both wings, drawing attention for the 88mm guns! William Dietrich nodded and continued with simple motiviation, You are all handpicked elites. Look at the Zeus holding a lightning bolt on your emblems! You are the Guardians of the Asgard Kingdom! You should fight to thest man, thest round! Of course, this offensive probably wont require us to fight to thest man, thest round. Alright, move out! Major Mueller saluted, turned, and walked toward themand room door. William Dietrich followed, continuing to remind him, The weaknesses of the enemys two new types of tanks are marked in the booklet. Its okay to cripple them and then leave them to the infantry. The two walked out of the headquarters into the courtyard outside, just in time to hear the soldiers of the Division Headquarters Guard Armor toon preparing their tanks for departure, singing, If Lady Fortune abandons us once more, If we can no longer return to our homnd, If bullets are fired at us, To put an end to fate, To cease life, At the very least, our loyal tanks, Will give us a steel grave. Chapter 164: Bubbles in the Sunlight Ante Army, Argesukov, Southwestern Front Army Headquarters. Crown Prince Ivan Nikyevich Andronov entered a noisy map room and at first nce saw the bandage on General Skorobos hand, and he eximed in shock, What happened? Did the enemy reach the headquarters? Skorobo waved his hand: Its nothing, I just got too emotional and punched the table. Punched the table? The volume of the Crown Princes voice rose sharply, drawing the attention of the surrounding staff officers. Fortunately, at that moment, the headquarters was filled with roars of Speak up, so it was not particrly noticeable. The Crown Prince lowered his voice and asked, So, Rocossov is right? The enemy reallyunched a pincer movement, didnt they? Hes right about that part, Skorobo paused, then raised his voice, But hespletely wrong about whates next! Our armored counterattack will crush the enemys offensive! Look here! Skorobo stood up and moved in front of the map: Thetest intelligence suggests that the enemy might havemitted a part of their second Armored Division. We believe they have three divisions, nine Armored Battalions, approximately 400 tanks. And we haveunched a counterattack with three Tank Armies; we have over a hundred T34s alone! Plus dozens of KV1s, and more than two hundred BT tanks. These tanks are well-supplied with fuel and ammunition, utterly different from those forces thatunched counterattacks in the first month of the war with a shortage of both! They willpletely shatter the enemys offensive.The Crown Prince stared at General Skorobo: Can we really push them back? The General hesitated for a moment before responding decisively, Yes! Absolutely! The Crown Prince nodded, Then what should I do? Your Highness should return to Yekaterinburg! The enemys nes have bombed the Argesukov airfield, but there is an intact field airport on the east side of the city, capable ofunching transport nes. We have arranged a flight to Yekaterinburg The Crown Prince: Im not going anywhere. Since you are convinced the counterattack can stop the enemy, then Ill stay here. News of my departure would affect morale! The General was silenced abruptly, struggling for a few seconds before saying, Our victory does not mean this ce isnt dangerous. At that moment, amunications officer rushed in with a telegram and saluted General Skorobo: General! An urgent message from the High Command in Yekaterinburg. Skorobo snatched the message and nced at it. The Crown Prince: What does it say? General Skorobo: His Majesty the Tsarmands us to decisively repel the enemys attack. The Tsar said that? I think my father may not understand whats happening on the front line; I could call him General Skorobo: You can fly back to Yekaterinburg and tell His Majesty the Tsar in person. The Crown Prince bit his lip and shook his head, My mission is to supervise the army here and boost morale. Since my father has ordered you to hold your ground, I should set an example. General Skorobo stared at the Crown Prince for a few seconds before saying, I think I may have had some misunderstandings about you before. Since youve decided to stay, then we can only give our all-out effort to thwart the enemys advance! We have a vast army and an array of technical weaponry at our disposal; we are not weaker than the enemy! As soon as the Sixth Tank Armyunches their offensive, everything will start to improve! Ante Army, Sixth Tank Army, Chesnokovmanding the tank. Armymander Chesnokov heard a report on the radio: This is the Fifth Tank Battalion; we have already lost six tanks, should we stop the charge? No! Let the tank operators of the broken tanks hitch a ride on other tanks, so if any crew members fallter in the battle, they can rece them and keep fighting! Major General Chesnokovs voice was cold and merciless. ?? Yes, General! The response came through the static noise from the crew. Chesnokov wanted to see the situation ahead, so he put his eye to the tank guns sight, but the violent shaking almost made him vomit. He had no choice but to push open the turret hatch and stick his head out to observe the front. Then he noticed dust clouds up ahead; it looked as if a wall formation of cavalry in a horizontal line was charging forward. All tanks, attention! Chesnokov pressed the microphone against his throat, The enemy tank cluster is right ahead! This time, they dont have their Air Force to help them, lets show them what were made of! Scattered Ura cries came through the headset, mainly because the T34 radios were so poor in quality. Chesnokov, still in a head-out position, used his binocrs to observe the front, excitedly spotting Prosen tanks arranged in a dense Strike Formation. At the start of the war, the Prussians had used this dense formation to gain a localized advantage and quickly broke through the Ante Armys anti-tank positions at the border. Enemy tanks! Major General Chesnokov shouted over the radio, Combat ready! As he said this, he retracted back into the tank turret. Just as he closed the hatch, he looked back to confirm that the majority of the Sixth Tank Army was following right behind him. Back inside the tank, Chesnokov immediately put his eye to the gunsight and started selecting a target. Unfortunately, the enemy was too far, and the tank was shaking violently due to the high-speed charge, so every time Chesnokov spotted a target, it was lost to the shaking before he could even align the crosshair on the enemy. Mikhail! Stop, let me pick a target and fire a shot! As soon as he finished speaking, the tank braked hard, and Chesnokovs body mmed forward, his head knocking against the handrest above the gunsight. Chesnokov cursed, quickly maneuvered the turret to find a target, chose a Prosen tank that was almost facing directly toward the gun barrel, and fired! First shot, a hit! The Prosen tank lost power, slid forward gradually slowing down, and the crew members opened the hatches and scattered to escape. Meanwhile, enemy attacks also struck Chesnokovs tank, but they merely produced a dull thud against the armor, sounding as if someone was hammering on it. Hahaha, thats it! The White General earned splendid victories with this! Soon, every crew will have that level of sess! Load quickly! More shells hit Chesnokovs vehicle, yetpletely failed to prate the robust armor of the T34. One armor-piercing shell seemed to have been deflected by the T34s shape, leaving a sound like long fingernails scraping on the surface of a cast-iron pot, which raised goosebumps on the tank operators. Loader: Armor-piercing shell, good! Send off another one! Chesnokov fired, and the shell hit the target tank on the side, bounced off the ground, and flew into the air, as if it had be a distant star. Whats going on! Load again! At that point, the enemy released smoke. Cowards! cursed Chesnokov, Mikhail, forward! Get the tank moving! Well roll over them, crush them! From today on, the Prussians armor advantage is done for! The T34 started up again, with the engine and transmission mechanisms making so much noise that even internalmunication was scarcely effective. Due to excessive vibration, the gun sight lost its ability to search for enemies, and Chesnokov had to rely on the viewing ports on the sides. However, the design of the T34s turret made it very difficult for him, as the gunner, to use the viewing port on the loaders side, almost making it impossible to observe properly. After all, with the two-man turret of the T34, the loader and gunner sat side by side,pletely blocking each other. It wouldnt be long before the enemys Prussian armored troops discovered this and developed targeted tactics. Chesnokov struggled for a while, finding it awkward no matter how he tried and he had to once again stick his upper body out of the hatch. The enemy tanks had released a smoke screen that totally obscured the front, making it impossible to see the other side of the smoke. But Chesnokov believed that the enemys smoke couldnt be released indefinitely, and once they broke through the smoke, it would be the moment for the enemys armored division to be obliterated! By doing so, he might even earn himself the Ante Hero Medal! At that moment, his tank charged into the smoke first. In the smoke, even sticking his head outside the tank, the visibility was terribly poor, so Chesnokov retreated back inside the turret. After a moment, the previously obscured gun sight in front of Chesnokov suddenly disyed an image again! Chesnokov immediately leaned in, trying to find the fleeing enemys Number 3 tank. However, there was nothing up ahead. Where did they go? At that time, the tanks engine and transmission system were as noisy as ever, drowning out almost all sound outside the tank. Major General Chesnokov rotated the turret, trying to find the vanished Number 3 tank cluster. Suddenly, a panicked voice came through the radio: Whos shooting at us? Has anyone seen the enemy firing? Where is that cannon from? A cannon? Major General Chesnokov tossed aside the gun sight, nced through the observation port on his side, and all the T34s charging with him seemed fine, with no sign of attack. Then he turned to the other side, pushed the loader back, and looked out through the observation port. Whats the matter? Isnt my tactical Number 671 fellow tank fine? In the blink of an eye, a streak of light shed across the Number 671 T34, which immediately slowed down, slid for a few meters, and then came to aplete stop, moving out of the narrow field of view of the observation port. What happened? What was that just now? Major General Chesnokov wanted to check the status of Tank 671, so he turned and pressed his eye to the observation port at the rear of the turret. However, he couldnt see anything through the narrow viewing port. He was about to use the radio then remembered that the wingman tank was not amand vehicle and did not have a radio. Chesnokov turned back, trying to spot the enemy attacking their forces through the gun sight. But the gun sight was too shaky. To get a clear view, Major General Chesnokov gave a very brave, but also very foolishmand: Mikhail! Stop! The tank screeched to a halt, and before it even steadied, Chesnokov was rotating the turret searching the front He hadnt seen anything when way off in the distance, there was a sh! An 88mm k cannons shell sliced through the T34s front armor as easily as cutting through butter. Because the shot came from a great distance, the falling angle negated part of the nt of the T34s frontal armor. The shell went straight through driver Mikhail and exploded behind him. The entirebat roomthat is, the turretflew up into the sky in the explosion. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 165: The Darkest Hour (Alliance Hierarch Bonus) Chapter 165: The Darkest Hour (Alliance Hierarch Bonus) Prussian Army, Asgard Knights Amp Armored Division frontlinemand post. Divisionmander William Dietrich set aside his binocrs. Just one kilometer ahead, positioned on high ground, an 88mm anti-aircraft gun emcement was firing continuously. The four 88mm guns kept up a relentless barrage, and each shot meant another Ante tank was destroyed. The 88mm gun, designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, had an exceptionally impressive projectile speed to ensure shells could reach the interception zone as high and as quickly as possible. This also resulted in an astonishing capability to prate armor, even at very long distances. To ensure a sufficient rate of fire, the 88mm gun boasted an excellent firing rate among cannons of the same caliber. With a well-trained crew, the weapons volume of fire was formidable. Add to this the Prussians customarily superior sighting equipment, and this device became a renowned tank killer, able to hit and destroy tanks from great distances. William Dietrich suddenly said, The 88mm gun is like sunlight, and the Ante Empires new tanks are like soap bubbles, quickly dissipating under it. He smacked his lips lightly, savoring the poetry of his own creation, growing fonder of it the more he reflected, and then took out a notebook to write it down.Then he began to adjust the phrases, trying to make them rhyme. At that moment, the sound of submachine gun fire came from a vige nearby. William Dietrich asked, Whats the situation? An enemy ambush? A staff officer immediately dispatched a messenger to check, and five minutester, the returning messenger reported, The gendarmerie is clearing the vige of inferior races and potential resistors to make room for the troops encampment in the rear. William Dietrich nodded and continued to ponder his poem in the notebook. The sound of submachine guns continued sporadically in the vige behind him. Ante Army, Argesukov, Southwestern Front Army Headquarters. August 2nd, 1530 hours. Themunications officer saluted in front of General Skorobo: Report! General Skorobo said, Its news of the counterattack, isnt it? The counterattack was sessful, wasnt it? Themunications officer looked embarrassed. No, we havent made contact with the Sixth and Eleventh Tank Armies, and the Fifth Tank Army, primarily equipped with outdated models, has copsed. Its remnants are retreating towards Orachi. No! General Skorobo interrupted the officer, The Sixth and Eleventh Armies are out of contact because theyve advanced too swiftly, running so rampant that they havent had time to stop and report via radio. Have the praise choir hasten their report! At that moment, General Skorobo finally noticed the telegram in themunications officers hand and asked, Whats that? The staff officer said, This is a reconnaissance report from the Air Force, spotting arge number of tank wrecks on the line from Odenodorf to Shepetovka. Aerial observations suggest those are our new tanks. As he spoke, the staff officer handed over a stack of photos: These are the photos submitted with the Air Forces report. General Skorobo took the photos, his expression turning grim. Even the blurred images taken from the air showed the wrecks sloped armor, a design not even the Prussian tanks had yet adopted. General Skorobo stared at the first photo, not intending to flip to the next one. The Crown Prince stepped forward, took all the photos behind the first one, and began to flip through them. Werent our tanks supposed to have absolute armor superiority? the Crown Prince asked softly. Standing beside the Crown Prince, the Front Army Hierarch answered, That should be the case, but Rocossov previously reported that the enemy aimed at the tracks and turret rings to immobilize the tanks before leaving them for the infantry to deal with. This might be Whats this? the Crown Prince picked out a photo and showed it to everyone. The Chief of Staff said, It looks like a Prussian anti-tank gun position. This type with cross-shaped anchors was mentioned in reports from the Castilian Civil War88mm anti-aircraft guns, which can also be used as direct-fire anti-tank firepower after recing the sights for groundbat. These things destroyed our tanks? the Crown Prince found another photo, trying to piece it together with the first, but he couldnt quite fit them correctly. The Chief of Staff selected a photo and handed it to the Crown Prince: Fit this one in the middle. Following the instruction, the Crown Prince did so, and the edges of the three photos fit together perfectlythey clearly belonged together. Im not knowledgeable in photo interpretation, the Crown Prince said, but I understand sizeparisons with the nearby houses. The anti-tank gun position is super far from the wreckage area! The Chief of Staff said, About two kilometers. The enemy managed to prate our armor from two kilometers away. More rming is their ability to urately hit targets from that distance. It seems we need to order that bombers and ground-attack aircraft should prioritize targeting these guns. As soon as the Chief of Staff finished speaking, General Skorobo set down the photos and stood up. What are you nning to do? the Front Army Hierarch demanded, As themander, you must remain calm at all times; you cant make a joke out of the lives of hundreds of thousands! General Skorobo said, What are you talking about? Im about to fulfill the duties of a Front Army Commander-in-Chief. Although the armored counterattack has failed, we have not yet lost! General Skorobo picked up a pointer and began to gesture on the map: Based on confirmed intelligence, the enemy has four directions of attack. On the farthest nks, two armored groups are driving towards each other over hundreds of kilometers. On the inside, two groups primarily made up of infantry Army Groups haveunched offensive spearheads. I think we can leave the outer armored spearheads for the moment. Duke Meishikins Shepetovka Group is responsible for blocking the northern second armored group, and the southern first armored group is faced by several of my Army Groups inyered defenses. Chapter 166: The Darkest Hour (Extra for Alliance Hierarch)_2 Chapter 166: The Darkest Hour (Extra for Alliance Hierarch)_2 Even if they manage toplete the encirclement, it wont be until after August 30. Before that, we can first stop the enemys advance from the two infantry Army Groups on the inner line. We may even annihte the enemys infantry formations and deplete their numbers! The Crown Prince opened his mouth wide, So we can really hold out? Of course, we have so many troops and so much supply! Even if we do get surrounded, we can fight for dozens of days, General Skorobo asserted confidently. The Crown Prince nced at the map, then at the resolved face of the general, I cant find any faults, after all, I graduated second tost from the military academy. Should I report it to Father like this? General Skorobo: We had already received orders to hold at all costs. Argesukov is one of the origins of the Ante Empire, before the year of Jules, this ce was once the ancient capital of Ante, anyone who lightly talks of giving up Argesukov will most certainly abandon the holy Yekaterinburg in the future! At that moment, themunications staff officer entered again: Urgent telegram from the High Command! Read it! General Skorobo waved his hand grandly, while grabbing a cup of water to drink. Themunications staff opened the folder and read, Do not give up any inch of the territory,manders at all levels who vacate theirmands to retreat will be deemed traitors, and both they and their families will be executed by firing squad! General Skorobo: See! Theyve just ordered us to hold out, and now theyve issued such a mandate to the whole army. Now we can only engage in a decisive battle with the enemy here! Dont worry, Your Highness, we will stop the enemys attack from within.The Crown Prince nodded and then asked, But what if the enemypletes their encirclement from the outside? General Skorobo fell silent for a second, then answered, As I said, we have enough ammunition and food tost for dozens of days. We will fight for the empire here until thest moment. The Front Armys bishop said, Although we must hold on, we can issue a general evacuation order to the ordinary civilians of Argesukov. Let the women and children retreat to the rear. General Skorobo nodded, Thats not a problem. Once we get besieged, women and children may starve to death due to theck of food. Arrange for it to be executed! Ante Empire, Holy Yekaterinburg, Summer Pce, Jules 914, August 2, 1630 hours. No, no! Tsar Nichs V roared at the generals, You promised me that the heavy forces in Argesukov would be able to effectively defeat the enemy! Now let them defeat the enemy! The Chief of General Staff of the High Command Marshal Kulenov said, ording to the aerial reconnaissance, our new tanks thatprise the tank army are no match in front of the enemy, we have overestimated thebat effectiveness of these tanks. Although the enemys pincer movement has just begun, but You werent saying this two weeks ago! You said that even an idiot who finishedst in his ss and wet his pants could use the T34 to destroy arge number of the enemys tanks! The Tsar banged his hand on the table angrily, the ring on his ring finger making a crisp sound. At that moment, the great doors opened and the guards outside said in panic, Your Highness the Princess, you cant go in! The highest military council is in session! Princess Olga Nikyevna Antonovna ignored the guards attempts to stop her and surged all the way to the center of the meeting room, stopping by the map table. Nichs V impatiently said, Olga! Theres no time to y at pretending to be Empress Ekaterina! Were discussing important matters! Military matters! Her Highness the Princess nced sidelong at her own father, Father, I also have military matters to discuss. Niki V turned to look at the maid hiding by the door, shivering: What are you standing there for? Take her away! Olga Nikyevna Antonovna locked eyes with her father: Father, have you read the battle reports from Peniye, the ones without embellishment? Since The Church Tribunal has sent a report to my brother, there should be one on your desk as well. Niki V felt somewhat embarrassed and was about to answer when his daughter continued: And then theres Loktovs battle report. Anyone who has read that report knows that Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky is an undisputed military genius. He has an acute sense for the battlefield and his militarypetence is solid! Such a man couldnt possibly be rankedst, so theres only one possibility! He must have intentionally rankedst for my foolish brother! He had to ensure his score was not higher than my brothers while also making sure he could graduate. Isnt this precise control of his ranking enough to prove that he is actually a military genius? The generals and marshals in the room looked at each other, at a loss for words. Only Niki V continued to scold the princess: Olga! This is not one of your childish games! The princess stared back at her father: I am pointing out how foolish these generals under yourmand are! If you think about it, theyre no different from the defeated Sanctified faction nobility; they simply chose a better side during the civil war but are all fools nheless! Moreover, some of them are deeply connected to the defeated Sanctified faction nobility! Father! Your failure to thoroughly eradicate these people has led to the dire defeats over the past month! Your Highness! the Chief of General Staff of the High Command, who was also the only surviving prince of the entire empire, Marshal Kulenzov, said angrily, Even the imperial family must not speak so recklessly! Princess Olga retorted: Am I not stating the truth? You deceived my father with your fancy words, making him believe that Argesukov was as stable as Mount Tai! Now youre here telling my father that Argesukov must retreat! You Enough! Niki V pped his daughter, Get out! At that moment, the youngest, Duke Raoul, stood up and advised: Your Highness, please leave. This way, please. He tugged at the princesss sleeve as he spoke. Princess Olga reluctantly turned and left the room, followed by Duke Raoul. Your Highness, he whispered to the princess, we had a chance to persuade His Majesty to issue a retreat order. Your outburst has embarrassed him, making a retreat now less likely, at least not today. Olga: Is this my fault? Werent you the ones iming a few days ago that the tide of the war had turned? And how did that turn out? Duke Raoul was slightly embarrassed: Yes, we underestimated the enemy. But we are correcting that mistake, and youve seriously disrupted our ns. Hmph! Princess His Highness did not bother to hide her disdain. Duke Raoul continued: Moreover, as smart as you are, how could you not know that His Majesty relies on us to counter the Grand Patriarch and the church? You would be wise not to get too close to the church as well. During the civil war, the Sanctified faction had some public support, and the church needed us to win them over. After ten years of champagne and caviar, the public is now full of Secr faction believers. This war is ourst chance. Olga: Yet youre not doing well. I think that at such a critical time, the fact that youre still concerning yourselves with these matters is truly the darkest hour for the mothend of Ante. Chapter 167: The Battlefield Named Orachi (Extra for 11000 Monthly Votes) In the year 914, at 2030 hours on August 2nd, Orachi, the headquarters of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division of the Ante Army. Wang Zhong stared at the operational map on the wall, lost in thought. Next to the map, a staff member was setting up a new candbrumthe sunlight outside was still present, but much diminished, so the division headquarters used candbra to supplement the lighting. Orachi had electricity, but lights had to be controlled at night, and the light could be concealed by drawing the curtains if using candbra. Wang Zhong sighed, The battle has already started, yet why have I been idle all day? Popov approached him, Isnt that a good thing? Weve strengthened our fortifications for another day, and buried an additional 1,000 mines today! The locations of the mines Wang Zhong selected this time were ces where enemy artillery fire was unlikely to reach, and they were widely spaced apart, emphasizing a psychological warfare approach. Using sappers toy the mines, with such spacing, it would take half a day toy just a dozen or so. Itd be even more wasteful to use tools like mineying cords, as one cord wouldnt detonate many mines. Without using sappers, people would regrly be blown up into the sky.How annoying is that! In terms of vexing the enemy, Wang Zhong was quite confident. Just then, Yegorov entered, and Wang Zhong asked, Why have you returned from your forwardmand? Came to check the overall situation. Its about to be night, and its very likely the enemy wont reach us today. So, whats the situation now? Yegorov said as he made straight for the water jug in the room, lifting it to his mouth to pour. Wang Zhong pointed to the map, Take a look for yourself. The general direction of the enemys attack is as I predicted. The Army Group led by Duke Meishikin to our northeast is engaged in fierce battle with the enemy. I thought wed be up against at least a division of the enemy, but Ive been idle and anxious all day. Pavlov briefly put down his pen, picked up the cold coffee on the table, and joined the conversation, It must be the counterattacks of the Fifth, Sixth, and Eleventh Army that have had an effect. They may not have eliminated many enemy forces, but they certainly disrupted the enemys offensive sequence. Reorganization and such takes hours. By the time they start moving again, they wont get far before it turns dark. At this point, Wang Zhong felt mixed emotions. Allies were being sacrificed needlessly; he should be grieving, but when he thought about the method by which the allies were dying the enemyforcing them to reorganizeit seemed absurdlyical. Ante Army soldiers were brave, but who knows how many more would fall victim to these pig-headed generals. At that moment, Vasily, who was listening to a captured radio set in the corner, suddenly shouted, Ive picked up the Prussians radio transmission! Wang Zhong and the others immediately gathered around, even the staff officers involved in other tasks stopped to look toward Vasily. Vasily listened intently with both hands on his headset, Theres no call sign, I might have missed it. The content being said is Our forces advance is unimpeded, unimpeded! Upon hearing the words unimpeded, Wang Zhong couldnt help but imagine various implications, but he restrained himself from making any sarcastic remarks. Vasily, Theres a new location code! Berry Orchard, Im not sure where it refers to, but some unit has reached Berry Orchard. Wang Zhong, Too bad, if we could have captured another one of the enemys codebooks, we might know exactly where to fire our artillery. Wang Zhong currently had 4 B4 heavy howitzers and 24 152mm heavy guns. If he knew where the enemy was camping for the night, he could give them a little surprise. Yegorov, Didnt you personally scout the viges to our north? Just firing blindly might get you a hit. Wang Zhong, No, we must use our firepower prudently to ensure every shot inflicts effective damage on the enemy. At this moment, the sound of horse hooves and the voices of the divisions guards could be heard outside. Soon, a captain was escorted in by the guards, The mounted reconnaissance team has returned from its mission! Wang Zhong, Whats the situation? The captain reported, General, we discovered the enemys advance recon team at Kirileyev vige, but since they had Mark II tanks, we took out one sentry and withdrew without engaging further. Wang Zhong immediately moved to the table with the detailed map of the nearby area and located Kirileyev vige. Yegorov, If the scouts have already been there, we are bound to engage the enemy tomorrow! At that point, Vasily, who had been all ears, chimed in, Why wait until tomorrow? Deploy the T34s now, take them out, and snag a codebook today! Wang Zhong, No, Ive inspected the roads to Kirileyev, and the T34s might break down mid-assault. Captain, how long would it take for your cavalry to return to Kirileyev? The captain immediately answered, Half an hour, Excellency. Wang Zhong, Then in half an hour, we willmence artillery bombardment on Kirileyev vige, and after the shelling, see if you can pull something off. Try to find a briefcase belonging to the officer leading this armored recon unit, a map case would do as well! The captain smiled, General, Ill strive to bring back both. Wang Zhong snapped his fingers, Good! Go! The captain saluted and left. Yegorov was surprised, Youre not leading the mission yourself? It seemed that in Yegorovs eyes, Wang Zhong had be someone who enjoyed charging into battle himself. However, that wasnt the case for Wang Zhong; he simply chose the method that maximized the use of his Golden Finger. He could destroy a multitude of enemy tanks by personallymanding a single tank. But as an infantryman or a cavalrymanthat is, as himselfthe results he could achieve would be quite limited. He had tried it in Ronied, not just by himself, but also with his fiance Liu Da, and the wounds from that time had not yet fully healed. Wang Zhong, I am simply choosing the most effective method. As an infantryman, or as a cavalryman, mybat effectiveness is very limited. Pavlov, order the artillery to He nced at his watch. At 2100 hours,mence firing at Kirileyev vige! One shot per gun should suffice. ` Four 203mm rounds and twenty-four 152mm rounds, I guess that little vige of Kireyev is going to be turned inside out. Pavlov immediately picked up the phone and began giving orders. Just then, Nelly came in pushing the food cart: Mealtime! All the staff officers, orderlies, and clerks in the room turned their heads to look at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong: Lets eat! The next moment, everyone in the headquarters rushed over like pigs to a trough, forming a long line in front of Nellys food cart. Vasily: It smells like a Kalcho soup, have the cattle from the ranch been ughtered? Nelly: To boost morale, the factory manager ughtered eight cows. He said its better for us to eat them than to let the Prussians take them. Oh, beef soup! The staff officers all got excited. The sausage produced by the Church Meat Union is not bad either, but I definitely prefer beef! Wang Zhong, smelling the aroma, felt his appetite surge. Just as he was about to jostle with his men for food, the telephone rang. He could only turn his head to answer the phone: Hello? This is Rocossov, whats up? This is the artillery observation post on Hill 153. We see tanks approaching from the northern ins. Wang Zhong frowned. Pavlov immediately said, Take positions, theres a situation! The young men who had just crowded around Nellys cart swiftly returned to their stations. Wang Zhong: Keep calm, have you identified which side the tanks are from? Ours have sloped armor, while the enemys tanks are more boxy. The light isnt good right now, and theyre too far away to see clearly, the artillery observation post replied. Wang Zhong held the receiver and exchanged opinions with others: 153 says theyve spotted tanks to the north. But the cavalry scout team just reported that only the enemys armored vanguard has reached Kireyev, right? Popov: Could it be the remnants of the defeated 5th, 6th, or 11th Tank Armies? Hmm Vasily said, Shall I try calling them on our armored forces frequency? Go ahead, Wang Zhong just finished speaking when another phone rang. Pavlov picked it up: This is Pavlov. What? Hold your fire for now! After speaking, Pavlov covered the receiver and looked towards Wang Zhong: The anti-tank gun positions also see these tanks and are asking whether to open fire. Yegorov: Fire a re. It might help us get a clearer view. Let the infantry do it to avoid exposing the anti-tank gun positions. Agreed. After Wang Zhong nodded, Pavlov immediately ordered the anti-tank gun positions: Hold steady, stay hidden. Wait for orders. Then he rapidly pressed the receiver hook several times: Operator, connect me to the 3rd Infantry Battalion. At that moment, Vasily called out: Ive got them! Wang Zhong hurried over: What did they say? Vasily: Our divisionmander wants to speak to you. After saying that, he handed over the headset and microphone to Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong then imitated a pose from the movies, pressing the headset to one ear while holding the microphone with his other hand. This is Major General Rocossov from the 151st Division. Report your unit, we almost opened fire on you! The other side was shocked: Rocossov? As in the White Horse General Rocossov? Wang Zhongs first thought was at least they didnt call him Diarrhea General Rocossov, which was eptable. Wang Zhong: Yes, its me. Which part are you from? We are the 13th Armored Battalion of the 5th Tank Army. Our organization is rtively intact, and we have plenty of ammunition. We can still fight. Wang Zhong: What tanks are you equipped with? T26, we have 30 intact T26 tanks! Wang Zhong thought to himself that he really couldnt escape the fate of using all those junk vehicles from the early days of the war, but given the situation, he couldntin too much: the light tank still had a 45mm gun and two machine guns, which could effectively kill enemy infantry if used correctly. Wang Zhong: Head south and you should see a high ground. Well have the infantry fire a re to guide you and have the infantry lead you through minefields and anti-tank barriers. Wee to join us. Pavlov immediately tranted what Wang Zhong just promised into orders for the infantry battalion and conveyed them over the phone. Just then, at 2100 hours, thunderous roaring came from the direction of the artillery positions. Wang Zhong: Dont be afraid, were striking the enemys forward units. The other side was silent for a second before replying through gritted teeth: Good! Hit them hard! Chapter 168: Interrogation of Prisoners of War Twenty minutester, thirty T26 tanks rolled into the city,ing to a stop in front of Wang Zhongs division headquarters. The main courtyard of Boye Mansion wasrge enough to amodate anything. Leading them was a toon leaders vehicle, equipped with a long radio antenna. As soon as the vehicle stopped, a burly tank operator major struggled to climb out of the small tank and made his way towards Wang Zhong with urgency. Wang Zhong thought the mans approach seemed to indicate a handshake, so he extended his hand. The major, without thinking too much, grabbed Wang Zhongs hand and shook it vigorously before realizing something was amiss and snapped to attention, saluting properly. After returning the salute, Wang Zhong said, Youve had a difficult journey. Where are the other units of the tank army? The majors mood immediately darkened, Theyre gone. We thought we wouldnt have to worry about enemy air forces this time with fighter cover, but we didnt expect to encounter such fierce armored troops! We mainly faced enemy units equipped with 38-type tanks. In theory, we should have been able to go toe-to-toe since our main guns could easily pierce through that kind of tank. But the battle turned out to be aplete surprise! We usually achieve effective hits at 300 meters, but the enemy could hit us from 700 meters! That extra 400 meters distance could mean the difference between life and death!Pavlov, standing to the side, tried to offer somefort, The enemys scopes are more advanced than ours, and theyre better trained. Its not your fault. Wang Zhong asked, Where did you encounter the units equipped with 38-type tanks? What kind of identification marks were on their vehicles? Recognizing the insignia could help determine which division it was, and Wang Zhong was intimately familiar with the war history of Earth. He could easily guess the enemys strengthposition based on a divisions number. The major asked, Do you have a map? Wang Zhong gestured invitingly, Pleasee inside. Then he and Pavlov led the major into themand headquarters. The remaining members of the Fifth Tank Army stayed outside with their tanks, staring at the division headquarters guard battalion soldiers. That was when Nelly came out, You must be hungry by now,e and have some food. As she spoke, Nelly began to mobilize the field cooking teams girls, who carried buckets of thick soup on shoulder poles. The savory aroma of the thick soup instantly drew the attention of the tank operators. This Kalcho thick soup is actually made with real beef! Fantastic, I could eat three big bowls of this! Soon, all the tank operators were served thick soup, with each one receiving a generous piece of meat in their bowl. A young tank operator, after a few sips, suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion and began to choke up. His tankmander immediately scolded him, What are you crying for! The brother units are watching! Youre disgracing our Fifth Tank Army! But themanders reprimand only made the young tank operator cry even harder. You idiot! Popov suddenly appeared, grabbing the raised hand of themander, Thats enough. Hes been holding it together after such a terrible defeat. Its understandable that hed break down after rxing with some good soup. ? But, Your Grace the Judge, his behavior could affect the morale of the troops Popov replied, Not at all. Everyone feels fear, everyone falters, everyone must stay strong. Letting it out in tears is good for him. Hell be braver afterwards. The young tank operator nodded repeatedly. Popov encouraged, Go on, drink your soup before it gets cold! The tank operator obediently bowed his head and resumed drinking his soup. Inside the headquarters, Wang Zhong was surprised, It looks like the enemy units were facing on the farthest left nkor rather, the western nkare a motley division equipped with 38-type and a considerable number of Mark II tanks. Both the Mark II and the 38-type tanks were outdated by this point in time. These outdated tanks could be dealt with using 45mm Anti-tank Rifles and PTRD-41 Anti-tank Rifles. Of course, they could be addressed by T26 tanks as well. However, taking on these tanks with T26s required clever tactics. Wang Zhongs gaze shifted from the situation map on the wall to the topographical map on the table near Orachi as he pondered how to effectively use the T26 tanks to deal with the potential enemy assorted armored units, thereby reducing the losses to more powerful units like the T34. At that moment, Nelly came in with a bowl of thick soup for the major, Time to eat. The majors stomach immediately let out a heartily mournful growl. Outside, the remnants of the 5th Tank Army were enjoying their hot thick soup and rye bread when a group of about a dozen warhorses trotted into the yard of the headquarters. The leading captain looked bewildered at the sight of so many T26 tanks. At this point, the tank operators of the T26 tanks noticed the person riding with the knights. Hes got a Prosen with him! Damn, kill that bastard! Crap, hes in a ck uniform, its definitely Prosen Armored Troops! ` Kill him! The cavalry captain, seeing the situation, hurriedly shouted, Donty a hand on him! Hes a prisoner we finally caught! The general wants to interrogate him! We lost two men just to capture him! It was only then that everyone realized there were two riderless horses in the cavalry squad. The tank operators, who had been so impassioned just moments before, fell silent. The Prosen lieutenant looked terrified, watching the surrounding people with fearful eyes. One of the tank operators noticed this and shouted, Odd, arent they supposed to be the superior race? Why are they so afraid of us? Yeah! Just look at this scaredy-cat! The captain dismounted, took the prisoner from the saddle, ced him on the ground to stand up, and then escorted him into the headquarters, nked on either side by his men. As they entered the door, they happened to run into a major from the fifth armying out of the headquarters. The major jumped in surprise, but quickly realized this was a prisoner, spat on the prisoners face, and cursed, You dog! The prisoner was thus escorted into the division headquarters. As soon as they entered the map room, the captain saluted General Rokossovsky, General Rokossovsky! We have captured the enemy armored reconnaissance team leader! Weve seized his briefcase and map case! Wang Zhong was overjoyed and immediately came over to examine the prisoner. He noticed that the prisoners insignia was different from that of the average Prosen soldier. The typical Prosen soldiers insignia looked very simple, without any fancy frills, emphasizing practicality and functionality. However, the prisoners insignia was well-crafted and quite borate, depicting Zeus holding a spear made of lightning, ring down from above. The spear made of lightning, Wang Zhong vaguely remembered, seemed to be called Gungnir. Wang Zhong frowned, recalling that on Earth there had been an infamous unit whose insignia featured twin lightning bolts, though he wasnt sure what the impact of removing one bolt would have on a unitsbat effectiveness. Wang Zhong called over Vasily, Come here, be an interpreter. Alright! Vasily immediately put down his headset and ran over excitedly, Just ask away, Ill trante perfectly. Wang Zhong, Which unit are you with? Wang Zhong was a little worried the prisoner might just y the stoic, but to his surprise, the prisoner readily opened up, Captain of the armored reconnaissance battalion of the Asgard Knights Anp Armored Division. Wang Zhong looked at him in surprise, Is it really okay for you to say that outright? After Vasily tranted, the prisoner smirked disdainfully, Why wouldnt it be? Anyway, by tomorrow youll be annihted by the Anp Division, not even the dregs will be left! Well also be winning the war very soon, very soon! Next spring, well be freely selecting our own plots ofnd across the vast fields. Wang Zhong, Next spring, huh? I thought youd say you were going to win the war before Christmas! His own men were the first to be startled by his words, and they all looked at Wang Zhong. The judge responsible for overseeing the codebooks even gave Wang Zhong a sharp look. Vasily, sensing the sarcasm in Wang Zhongs words, almost couldnt hold back a smile as he tranted. Whatever he tranted, the prisoners eyes bulged as he shouted a few iprehensible words. Vasily, He says even we wouldnt be so optimistic! Wang Zhong, You are already quite optimistic, a little more wouldnt hurt. As for me, I believe the war willst at least four more years, and after four years, we will march into the ruins of your capital! Vasily proudly tranted Wang Zhongs deration to the Prosen prisoner. The Prussianughed heartily, saying, You? With those outdated T26s in your yard? You probably dont know that even yourtest T34s can be easily destroyed by our 88-mm anti-aircraft guns! Wang Zhong, I dont believe it! The prisoner, Hmph! Our division was attacked today by more than two hundred of your sixth tank armys T34s, and not a single one got close enough to our anti-aircraft positions to spot them! Our technology has far surpassed your imagination! No, its just a high-velocity anti-aircraft gun, after all; its performance is indeed excellent, but in the end, it is just an anti-aircraft gun. Dont overy it. Wang Zhong, Hmph, I dont believe you! Right then, the prisoner grew agitated, Then just wait to be crushed under our tracks! Wang Zhong, So, when are you nning to roll over us? Of course, tomorrow morning! Our division will take this city and obliterate your outdated T26 tanks and infantry in just a morning! Wang Zhong, Tomorrow morning, huh Are you sure you arent revealing any military secrets? The prisoner sneered, What difference does it make? Even if you knew the exact time of the attack, you have no way to stop our offensive! Youve never been able to hold off our attacks! Wang Zhong, Is that so? Well, youd better stay alive to see how we thrash that whats it called? The Asgard Knights? The Asgard Knights Anp Armored Division? The prisoner, Hmph, ignorant primitive! Chapter 169: Look, the Owl In the year 914 of Jules, August 3rd, 0100 hours, Prosen Army, Asgard Knights Armored Division headquarters. Major General William Dietrich scrutinized the disheveled sergeant from the armored reconnaissancepany and asked, What was the cause of the artillery fire just now? The sergeant said, We had entered the vige of Kiryalev, nning to spend the night there. The toon leader discovered a sentry missing and was organizing a search when the shelling suddenly started. It was swift and fierce. Then, before we could react, we heard hoofbeats! Hoofbeats? Major General William Dietrich repeated, surprised. Yes, hoofbeats! Cavalry charged at us, firing with submachine guns and semi-automatic pistols, and throwing hand grenades and Molotov cocktails. We were caught off guard. The toon leader nned to rush to Tank No. 2 and retaliate with its machine gun, but the tank was done in by a Molotov cocktail. In the end, I just jumped on the motorcycle and rode it back here. William Dietrich nodded, Its not your fault. You did well toe back; at least now we know what happened to the recon unit. Did you hear any identifying information about the enemy, like their unit number or anything? I dont understand Ante, the sergeant said. But I feel that the enemys uniforms dont quite match those of the cavalry in the identification manual, missing the cloak.Alright, is there anything else to report? If not, you can go and have your meal. The sergeant saluted William Dietrich and turned to leave the armoredmand vehicle. William Dietrich approached the map table and drew a circle around the vige of Kiryalev with a pencil. The enemys artillery that could reach here Where could it be? Chief of Staff: Where else could it be? Orachi, of course! Itmands a vital roadway, and there are woods nearbyit should be the best defensive position across this whole area. Tomorrow we can push up to here and deploy. As he spoke, the Chief of Staff picked up a pair of divider calipers used for drawing and sketched a line on the map with the pencil end. Major General Dietrich nodded, Lets set off early in the morning. The reconpany leads, with the main forces First Armored Company directly behind. Once in position, the armored recon will advance, while the First Company will deploy into a Strike Formation. Sounds reasonable. The Ante people will hide in fortified positions near the cities, just like before, the Chief of Staff replied. Furthermore, my division has the authority to directlymand the Air Forces 117th Recon Squadron. We can request a scout ne to conduct low-altitude reconnaissance along the road. The FW189 is reliable in this kind of bushy terrain. Mhm, no problem, Dietrich nodded. In the year 914 of Jules, August 3rd, 0410 hours. Wang Zhong rode Bucephalus to the first ambush site. Grigori, carrying a red g, followed him. Seeing the red g, many soldiers got excited and stepped out of cover. General! Will we strike the enemy hard today? We will! Wang Zhong said with certainty. Today, we will utterly destroy them! Popov, who came with Wang Zhong, shouted, Get back to your positions! Stay concealed! Today its about patience! If we are more patient than the enemy, we will win! While talking, Wang Zhong reached his beloved Tank 422s hiding spot. Tank 422 was parked at the very bottom of the hiding spot, covered with a camouge; even the red g on the radio antenna was obscured by the hideout. In a while, just a simple reverse, and Tank 422s turret would be uncovered on the ground, incidentally revealing the red g. The enemy will certainly be taken by surprise. A battalion of the 31st Guards hid in a W-shaped trench in front of the ambush position; they were responsible for blocking the enemys infantry, and for releasing smoke to cover the tanks and anti-tank guns when they had to withdraw from their positions. On the side of the tank ambush position, there was an anti-tank gun toonposed of four guns, whose mission was to strike the enemys nk when their tanks attempted to charge in for closebat. Wang Zhong asked his gunner Alexandria, How are the tanks? Excellent, replied the driver Beliyakov, it has never been in better shape than it is now. Wang Zhong, Then Ill go check the condition of the other crews. This time Wang Zhong not only dug tank shelters but also, following the Soviet Army tactical manual from the Cold War era on Earth, he assigned observation sectors to each vehiclethat is, the areas they were to monitor closely. This was incredibly important for the T34, whichcked situational awareness capability; if they only had to watch specific areas, they wouldnt move their heads around randomly trying to locate targets with their tank periscopes. Wang Zhong seriously suspected that the reason the Soviet Army during the Cold War did this was because they were terribly hampered by poor visibility during the big war. After checking the status of each vehicle by walking around the ambush position, Wang Zhong rode Bucephalus to the very front of the entire position. Themander of the first battalion of the 31st Regiment initiated contact, leaving his shelter to greet him: General! We are ready! Wang Zhong, Rx, the first engagement will be a pleasant ambush. Ideally, we will be targeting the enemy while theyre in march formation. Themander, That would be great. Wang Zhong continued, Your task is to lead your troops to capture the enemys equipment after the ambush is over and to ensure every tank is destroyed. Also, bury some of those modified hand grenades as booby-traps. Themanderughed, Those corpse booby-traps? Just thinking about more Prussian ghosts getting killed by these things makes me especially happy. Wang Zhong alsoughed, Hahaha, exactly! These damned invaders all need to be dealt with sooner orter. Just then, Wang Zhong suddenly heard an engine sound from above; he hurriedly dismounted and pulled Bucephalus to hide under the trees alongside him. Grigori also ced the red g on the ground and covered it with fallen leaves. In an instant, all signs of life in the entire thicket disappeared. An FW189 flew by overhead. Lieutenant Fox, a pilot of the 117th Reconnaissance Squadron of the Prussian Air Force, flew his reconnaissance ne along the crude roads of the Ante People. The captain intelligence officer in the back seat kept observing the ground with binocrs, Good, theres nothing. At that moment, the radio inquired, Owl Owl, do you see anything? Wolf Wolf, all is normal, no trace of the enemy found. The captain intelligence officer paused for a moment, Repeat, no trace of the enemy found, we are approaching Orachi and still see no signs of the enemy! There was silence on the radio for about five seconds before the next message came through, Continue reconnaissance, Wolf out! Wolf out! Vasily finished tranting and turned to look at Pavlov, I think this Wolf might be ground forces, and Owl is probably the reconnaissance ne. Pavlov, Your deduction is truly marvelous! At that moment, the telephone rang, and Pavlov picked up the receiver, This is Pavlov speaking. Mm-hmm? Have Gods Arrow Company been notified? Good, good, continue monitoring, Brother Peter. Over. Pavlov hung up the phone and looked at Vasily, This owl seems to be an FW189 reconnaissance ne, and its about to be taken down by Gods Arrow Company. As for the wild wolf Pavlov walked to the table and looked at the map found on a Prosen reconnaissance battalion officer captured yesterday. Pointing at the symbol-drawn shield on the map, he said, I asked the erudite from the town, this rune is called Hook of the Wolf, and Wild Wolf must be the radio call sign of this division. Now it all makes sense. Were not facing a ragtag armored division that wiped out the Fifth Tank Army, but rather the freshly deployed elite Asgard Knights. We should notify the divisionmander of this. Wang Zhong held the handset, Youre saying what were up against is the Knight Corps? Yes, best to be careful. Wang Zhong stroked his chin and asked, The prisoner from yesterday, is he alright? Didnt show any supernatural signs, did he? Like sudden red eyes, or a thirst for blood, or turning into a werewolf under the moon? No, why do you ask? No reason. Wang Zhong was actually somewhat concerned that the enemy might suddenlye up with some unscientific nonsense, since there was already the Divine Arrow and choral squads on his side, along with human radar. If there were vampires from another worlds Sturmtiger, that would be normal, right? In case the enemy suddenly started singing The Devils Long Socks with red glowing eyes, thenthen they would just have to rely on the clergyman Popov. But as it stands, the enemy is still human, at most, fanatically devout humans. Pavlov said, Nothing additional to report, the enemys reconnaissance ne has been shot down by Divine Arrow. The one who took action is your fiance. Wang Zhongughed, Shes gotten quite adept at it. Ludm, the nemesis of the Prosen reconnaissance nes. The FW189 reconnaissance ne goes by the nickname of Owl, so Ludm might as well be known as the Owl Hunter, the terminator of Owls. Just as Wang Zhong hung up the phone, another call came in. The phones in these frontlinemunication bunkers are direct lines that dont go through an operator; they connect directly one-to-one. The phone that is now ringing connects to the advanced observation posts. Thats why, when Wang Zhong heard the phone ring, he immediately ordered, Prepare for battle; the enemy ising! After saying that, he answered the phone, and sure enough, a hushed voice on the other end said, The enemy has passed the observation post. The enemy has passed the observation post. Marching formation, no anomalies detected. Understood, look for a chance to evacuate. The job of the observation posts is to provide early warning; once thats done, they can slip away. As Wang Zhong set down the handset, the walls of the bunker began to tremble. The enemy was nearing. Wang Zhong rushed out of the bunker towards his beloved vehicle. Bucephalus wanted to follow but was bellowed at, You stay put, stay back! The white horse shook its head and did not follow. Just as Wang Zhong climbed into his tank, the enemy appeared. The enemys vanguard consisted of a three-wheeled motorcycle and two wheeled reconnaissance vehicles, followed by a long column of tanks. There were none of the Panzer I or Panzer II tanks used for padding; they were all Panzer III G models. The biggest difference of the G model from the early versions Wang Zhong had faced before was the increased weight; with the G model, the Panzer III had be a true medium tank of 20 tons. The most apparent benefit of the increased tonnage was enhanced protection. Furthermore, the G model had a specializedmanders cup, improving situational awareness even further. Seeing thatmanders cup, Wang Zhong couldnt help but feel envious, given that his own tanks were practically deaf and blind. The lead tank of the enemy crossed a tree marked with white paint, indicating they hadpletely entered the ambush zone. Wang Zhong ordered, All tanks, move to firing position! Themand delivered by radio, and then the toon leaders ryed the orders to the nearby runners verbally. Finally, the runners would run through themunication trenches to each bunker to pass the orders to the tank operators. Without radios, it was just moreplicated. The entire ambush site roared with the sound of engines. Wang Zhongs Tank 422 had already started backing up, so he appeared as if sprouting from the ground in the turret hatch. With a clearer view, Wang Zhong saw the enemy tankmanders also heard the engines and were looking over in confusion. It was then that the gunner, Alexandria, fireddespite the tank still not being steady. The armor-piercing shell hit the side of the enemys lead tank, setting its engine ame. The burning Prosen tank operators scrambled out of the tanks, rolling on the ground. The northernmost tank at the ambush site also fired, hitting the rear tank of the enemy urately. Now, the entire battalion of 44 Panzer IIIs and 19 Panzer IVs were trapped on the road! Wang Zhongs 30 T34 tanks unleashed furious fire, armor-piercing shells shooting through the woods at the enemy. The machine guns of the 31st Regiments 1st Battalion also sounded, mowing down the apanying enemy infantry like cutting grass. The enemy began releasing smoke and reversed towards the west side of the road, trying to break away. Thus, they exposed their nk to the 45mm anti-tank guns hidden on the nks of the ambush site. The four anti-tank guns fired madly. The enemy released even more smoke. But the smoke had no effect on Wang Zhongs dominating perspective, as he clearly saw the remaining 18 tanks of the enemy retreating backward,pletely demoralized. The first ambush utterly destroyed an enemy tank battalion! The enemy left behind no fewer than 45 tank wrecks! Wang Zhong couldnt help but burst intoughter, for this was indeed the famed tactic of another worlds elite First Guards Tank Brigadeso effective! Chapter 170: The Beginning of a Strange Tradition (Bonus for 12,000 Monthly Votes) Wang Zhong confirmed that the enemy was retreating, so he yelled into the radio, Cease fire! Cease fire! Conserve the ammunition! As he was shouting, he picked up a branch that had been shaken off the turret top by the cannon fire and threw it at the signalman who was fully focused on the enemy. The signalman was startled by the hit and turned his puzzled gaze towards Wang Zhong. General Wang: Cease fire! Tell all the tank crews to stop firing! Oh! The signalman finally sprinted off along themunication trench. It took a full two minutes before all 30 T34 tankspletely stopped firing. It was unclear what those guys were shooting at after the enemy smoke cover. Wang Zhong continued to instruct the signalman, Order the infantry battalion to advance! Look for the ranks of the prisoners, capture lieutenants and above, especially those with staff armbands, adjutant ribbons, carrying briefcases, carrying map cases. Signalman: What about the prisoners who are below the rank of lieutenant?The first response that came to Wang Zhongs mind was, The enemy fought bravely and did not surrender; we mustmemorate their fighting spirit and erect a monument for them. Yes! The signalman turned and ran off. Wait a moment! Wang Zhong called out to him. If they kept enemy officers alive, it could lead to unfavorable consequences in the future. And he remembered someone saying that if they didnt keep prisoners, during future counter-offensives, the enemy would fight to the death when encountering their own forces. After a second of silence, Wang Zhong changed his order, Ignore what I said earlier about the prisoners. For those below the rank of lieutenant, injure their arms to ensure they cant return tobat for three months. Then let them walk towards the enemys direction. The signalman nodded his head and walked away. Although he didnt condone executing prisoners, the current situation of the 151st Division definitely didnt allow for taking care of prisoners; so, it might be better to use them to feed the enemy misinformation. Wang Zhong: Order all tanks to rev their engines, make them sound louder! Consequently, the whole ambush position roared deafeningly, as if a whole tank army were advancing. Filippov led his toon towards the road filled with the remnants of tanks and vehicles. Yes, Filippov had been promoted to toonmander, but it wasnt an exceptional promotion since they were originally going to be warrant officer toonmanders after their military academy graduation; it was merely an early start. Apart from each squad leader, Filippovs toon consisted of green recruits. Seven or eight had fallen behind during the march, and he wondered if seeing the dead enemies for the first time they might act up. This made Filippov anxious. After cautiously approaching the road with his toon, Filippov ordered, Spread out, dont bunch up! Have you forgotten what I told you during training? Huddling together makes it easier to die; machine guns prefer firing at clusters! Acting alone, on the other hand, the enemy machine gunners wont feel its worth wasting bullets on you. In fact, what Filippov said was more of an Ante Army philosophy, as the Ante Army had always been short on ammunition and needed to conserve it. Had it been some other military unit, even if there was only one enemy, the entire toon would have unleashed its firepower, with machine guns and rifles firing simultaneously. Watching as his subordinates scattered, Filippov led the way onto the main road. Wherever he looked, there were Prussian Army corpses, and some of the tanks stopped on the road were still smoking. A signalman on horseback came galloping down the road: The general has ordered us to capture officers above the rank of lieutenant as prisoners, and for those with insufficient rank, we are to injure their arms and let them run back. We are to leave the enemys wounded to carry themselves back! Filippov: You all heard that! Semyon, take your squad to check the tanks, dont look inside, just lift the hatch and throw a grenade in. Sergeant Semyon immediately led his squad towards the tanks. Filippov continued shouting, First, remove the enemys weapons. Their hand grenades are very well made and are more effective than ours! And their submachine guns are good stuff; look, Im using one and wont switch back, itplements the Tokarev perfectly. While speaking, Filippov also deliberately adjusted the position of the MP submachine gun slung over his shoulder so it was ready to shoot instantly. Just then, another veteran who had experienced the battle at Loktov shouted to Filippov, Filippov, these guys uniforms look a bit different! Arent they the then Emperors Imperial Guard? Possibly. Filippov said, pulling on his raincloak, a symbol of the Ante sides Imperial infantry. At that moment, Sergeant Semyon, who was checking tanks, shouted, Grenade out! Dont get scared! As soon as the words fell, a muffled explosion followed, with smoke puffing out of tank number 235s hatch. Sergeant Semyon jumped off the tank and led his men to the next one. At this moment, Filippov saw his new recruit, Aleksei, standing in front of an enemys corpse, looking as if he were contemting life. He went up to him and asked, Alyosha, what are you thinking about? toonmander! Its nothing much, Im just wondering if war is really such a simple andfortable thing? Filippov: We thought the same when we just repelled the enemys first wave of attacks at Loktov. After the Generals precise round of artillery fire, the enemypletely copsed. We thought we could advance into Ploseni by tomorrow. Aleksei: What happened then? Then, half of us did not get to see the next days sun, said Filippov. Or rather, we became the colors on the Generals standard. Alekseis mouth opened wide, as if he were an oxygen-deprived goldfish. In the distance, Sergeant Semyon shouted, Grenade out, dont Suddenly, a Prosen Tank Operator popped out of the tank, using a submachine gun to shoot down the new recruit about to throw a grenade into the hatch. The grenade dropped right at Sergeant Semyons feet; he managed to curse Damn before the explosion flipped him onto the ground, with his leg blown high into the air. The Prosen Tank Operator, standing in the turret, aimed his submachine gun at the closest squad from Semyon and fired, bringing down three new recruits instantly. Filippovs toon of rookies froze, while the veterans were already prone. Filippov himself, half-kneeling, aimed his submachine gun. It happened in a sh. Aleksei fired. Tokarevs first semi-automatic shot missed, striking the edge of the turret and sparking a shower of sparks. The enemy tank operator immediately swung the gun barrel around, but by then, Tokarevs second shot came, piercing his shoulder. Aleksei, shouting loudly, kept firing until he had emptied Tokarevs magazine. In reality, the subsequent shots all missed, hitting the trees behind the tank. The lifeless enemy slid into the tank under the force of gravity. Aleksei continued to shout, desperately pulling the trigger, regardless of the fact that there were no bullets left to fire. Filippov pulled out a grenade, primed and threw it in one smooth motion, the little flying stick with its trail of smokended inside the tanks hatch. With a muffled st, the tank became still. Aleksei knelt to the ground, his entire body copsing to the side. Filippov thought he had been hit and quickly came over to check, Where are you hurt? Are you okay? After a cursory check, Filippov found that the man hadnt been shot, he was perfectly fine. But there he was, lying on the ground like a deted eggnt. Filippov didnt bother with him further and ran towards Semyons squad, Medic! Medic! Nurse! Im here, Im here! The nurse, dressed in military uniform, ran over, felt Sergeant Semyons neck, shook her head, and moved on to the next one. After handing over the injured to the nurse, Filippov returned to Alekseis side, only to find him clutching his stomach in pain. Whats wrong, private? Filippov asked. My stomach its cramping, and I cant feel my legs. Am I going to die? Filippov grabbed Alekseis shoulders and hauled him up, No! Youre still fine! Youre just too tense! Stand up! However, it was no use at all. The new recruit, Aleksei, just slumped onto Filippov like a mound of mud, his speech tinged with a crying tone, Im going to die Im going to die Filippov tried to console him for a bit, but to no avail, eventually shouting, Priest! Wheres the priest? The priests were professionals at dealing with this sort of thing, so it was a sure bet to find them. But Filippov called for a while with no response. At that moment, he suddenly had an idea. He threw the new recruit, Aleksei, asidehe immediately copsed to the ground, sprawling like a heap of goo. Filippov rushed onto the enemys tank, climbed inside, and dragged out the tank operator who had just surprised everyone with a submachine gun, pulling him all the way to the new recruit, Aleksei. Then Filippov once again pulled up the recruit, forcing him to look at the tank operator, Take a good look, this is the enemy you brought down! The new recruit, Aleksei, stopped his wailing and looked at the enemy, I brought him down? Filippov said, Now, as your toon leader, Imand you to piss on his pants! The new recruit Aleksei was stunned, What? Why? Ill tell you why! Filippov said, all the while subtly reducing his support for the new recruit, Aleksei, Our divisionmander, Major General Rocossov, is very brave, isnt he? If you dont know how brave he is, you can ask the people of the tank units, ask those old guys from the original 23rd Tank Army, theyll tell you because the BT tank turret only fits two people, the general stood outside the tank when hemanded them, directing while mowing down Prussians with the roof machine gun amidst a hailstorm of bullets! The new recruit Aleksei had a look of admiration, Ive heard about it! But what does that have to do with making me piss Do you know what kind of person he used to be? You should ask the old soldiers from the original Third Plowsonia Amur Group, they all know! Before the war, the general was a coward, and no one wanted to follow him to the front lines. Then the war broke out, a Prosen tank fired a shot, and the general pissed himself from fright! The new recruit Aleksei was even more puzzled, I know but that doesnt change the fact that hes now a brave and fearless general, does it? Dont you understand? Filippov said, With that piss, the general washed away his past cowardice! Thats called learning from shame to be courageous! Right now youre a coward too, but youve killed an enemy! Just do as the general did, and youll be set! Filippov pointed at the enemy, Piss! On his pants! What are you hesitating for? You were just about to piss your own pants, werent you? The new recruit Aleksei eked out a word, Yes. Then what are you waiting for? The new recruit Aleksei gritted his teeth, and wet the enemys body. After he finished, Filippov stepped back, Does your stomach still hurt now? Eh? This Filippov, Look at your legs, are they still weak? Really! I I do feel braver! The others exchanged nces. Wait a second, I remember now, someone yelled, I killed that enemy! Hes mine! Give it a rest, its clear he was killed by a machine gun. Could your Tokarev make such a big hole? I think its mine to piss on, not yours, I killed him, so I should be the one to do it! Then Ill do this one! Just then, the units priest finally arrived and frowned at the scene before him, Wait a minute! What are you guys doing? He spoke while holding his nose because it reeked. Filippov, Were conducting a ritual to embolden the new recruit! The priest looked at the enemys corpse, and understood. The priest said, You guys collect the weapons before pissing, whos going to use these dirty weapons now? Whoever pissed on them is responsible for collecting, cleaning, and using them! Understand? Now get moving! That evening, the Imperial Guard 31st regiment 1st battalion 1stpany, along with the unit priest, wrote in their log: I originally thought that the rumors about the generals dark history would weaken our units cohesion, but now it seemspletely unfounded. In fact, these dark histories have, in a wondrous (crossed out) in a ridiculous manner, enhanced the generals prestige, which is worth studying in depth. Chapter 171: Enemy Intelligence Obtained by the Prussian Army (Alliance Hierarch Added) ` At this time, Wang Zhong was keeping an eye on the enemies that had been let go using an external device. As soon as thest enemy disappeared from sight, Wang Zhong immediately ordered, Exit the tank emcement and maneuver to ambush position two. Tank 422 quickly backed out of the emcement, then pivoted in ce, heading south along the path pressed by the tank tracks. Wang Zhong shouted to the messenger, Go inform the infantry battalion to act ording to the original n! The original n was to deploy mines on the battlefield after cleaning up and then have the entire battalion retreat to the cover trenches of ambush position two. Having seen first-hand how much T34s needed infantry cover, Wang Zhong would never allow the tanks to operate separately from the infantry. If the distance was great, the infantry could ride on the tanks and move with them, but the two ambush positions were not far apart. It would take the infantry only about twenty minutes to walk there at a normal pace. Tank 422 moved past the other tanks emcements, and most of the tank operators brought in by Loktov followed suit. However, some of the newly added tank operators, immersed in the immense joy brought by their battle sess, failed to notice that the battalionmand tankthe Tank 422had already withdrawn.Wang Zhong had already made arrangements for this: he had infantry beside each tank to lift the hatch and inform them. Soon, 30 T34 tanks exited their positions and drove towards the second ambush position on a crudely made road prepared earlier. After the tanks left, the anti-tank gunners also hurried their horses, dragging their cannons out of position. Grigori, holding a red g, led Bucephalus as they mixed into the artillery column. While the 151st Division was evacuating its position, 20 kilometers from the ambush site, Major General William Dietrich of the Prussian Armys Asgard Knights armored mobilemand vehicle had a furrowed brow. Eighteen tanks returned? Major General William approached the deputy battalionmander of the first armored battalion, raised his hand to p him, but then stopped, Since the battalionmander is either dead or missing, I wont punish you! The staff officer said, This isnt the soldiers fault. We clearly sent the Air Force reconnaissance nes for a low-altitude survey, and it was the reconnaissance nes that told us everything was normal! Its their responsibility! Major General William red at the staff officer, ming the Air Force just like ming the enemy for being too cunningtheres no difference! This is all because we werent careful enough; I should have sent out enough forward reconnaissance squads! Even if were to me the Air Force, its because I trusted them too much. We all know they cant be relied upon! The others in the vehicle remained silent, waiting for Major General William to conclude his self-reflection. Just then a messenger ran in, Report! The wounded from the first armored battalion have returned! William eximed in shock, Wounded? Yes, the wounded say that the Ante people only captured officers ranked captain and above, and for the others, they just shot them in the arms and let them go. William cursed, These Ante people are too cunning! This way, these wounded cant return to battle and will strain our medical system and use up our supply transport capacity! But he quickly reconsidered and said, Bring the highest ranking among the wounded to me; I want to hear what he has to say! The messenger immediately turned to leave. The staff officer stepped forward and said, The information brought back by these people could be deliberate misinformation spread by the enemy. We need to be cautious. I know, Major General William sighed, expressing his dissatisfaction. At that moment, the messenger returned with two wounded soldiers, one a lieutenant who had just been low-flying under the Antes standard for capturing prisoners, and the other a sergeant major, wearing a badge of senior exemptionindicating that he didnt have to participate in ordinary duties and was a backbone veteran of the troops. Major General William first asked the lieutenant, Do you understand Ante? Lieutenant: No. Major: I see. Then using your observational abilities, what information did you gather from the enemy? The enemy has a veryrge number of tanks, all hidden in the woods. We were hit by nking fire from enemy tanks, but we could only see the mes and smoke from their firing, not the enemy tanks themselves. Major: How can you be sure there are arge number of tanks if you couldnt see them? The enemys gunfire was very dense, and there was a continuous roar of massive engines. Our battalion was almost instantly destroyed, after at most three volleys of simultaneous fire. And I saw many shells flying off targetthe Antes gunnery skills are as poor as ever! So I believe there must have been at least 60 tanks hidden in the woods attacking us! In fact, this was a misperception, as in reality, the shooting of Division 151 was quite urateat least rtively soaveraging only two armor-piercing shells to destroy a Prosen tank. But viewed from within the formation, due to perspective issues, it gave the illusion that many shells were missing their mark. The lieutenant, unaware of this, made his definitive judgment. Major General William wrote a sixty on the map with a pencil and put a question mark beside it. What else? he asked. Lieutenant: The enemys infantry had Imperial Guard cloaks and were very well equipped, all with semi-automatic Tokarev rifles and arge number of our confiscated MP submachine guns, with plenty of magazines too. ` Experienced elite infantry, Major General William wrote another line on the map, Continue. The lieutenant shook his head, Thats all. I wanted to dy and see their tanks appear. But the tank group has been hiding in the woods without any intention to show themselves. At this moment, the senior sergeant major spoke up, The enemy is performing a Voodoo Ritual! Everyone turned to look at the sergeant major. The staff officer took out an identification book and opened it in front of the sergeant major, Which kind of Voodoo Ritual? The sergeant major quickly flipped through the book and still shook his head, Its not in here. This kind of ritual seems to require desecrating the bodies of the enemy! After the ritual, those who performed it let out howls like barbarians. The chief of staff said, ording to imperial propaganda, the Ante People are barbarians. Uh the sergeant major was embarrassed, Let me think, right, howls like viking war cries! In fact, it was not the case, it was just the sergeant majors subjective consciousness that distorted his memory. Viking war cries? Major General William wrote down the words viking war cries on a paper and marked it with three question marks, I thought the Vikings were a branch of the Germans. The chief of staff asked, Do we need to report this? During the Carolingian campaign, the mria called forth by witches was more troublesome than all the armies of the United Kingdom. Major General William, No, lets report after the battle ends. Reporting now would look like making excuses for ourselves. Even if this is some sort of evil ritual, it generally takes a very long time to take effect. Thats the limitation of these superstitious practices. The sergeant major suddenly said, They are the Ante People! In the primitive jungles of the east, witches wield the power embodied in Beast Elements! Voodoo Magic can awaken the strange beings of the forests! Stay calm, this is Kazarlia, most of this kingdom is grasnd, said Major General William, Alright, if theres no other intelligence, I need to Suddenly, the lieutenant said, Wait, although I dont understand the Antenguage, I can understand their names because I speak Carolingian, and many of the Ante names are variations of Carolingian. Oh? Major General William showed renewed interest, What did you hear? I heard theirmander seemed to be called Aleksei something Rokossov. The chief of staff immediately ran to look through the directory of enemymanders issued by the Southern Army Groupmand, searching for names and corresponding unit numbers. He found it right away, Thats the Ante general who performed well in the battles of Peniye and Loktov! The Southern Army Groups assessment of him is, A master of defensive warfare, likes to charge alone to boost morale, a rash general.'' Major General William furrowed his brows, How do those two descriptions go together? Arent the masters of defensive fights usually the experts drawing maps in their own headquarters? The chief of staff spread his hands in a gesture of not knowing. Major General William paced back and forth, and only after a few seconds of thought, he realized the two informants were still there, so he waved his hand, You go and get treated. One question, did everyone released get shot in the shoulder? Both men nodded in unison, and the lieutenant added, And they deliberately missed the artery and vein, as if afraid wed bleed to death on the way back. This General Rokossov is quite merciful, like a gentleman. Could such a noble person truly be an inferior being? The chief of staff eximed in rm, Lieutenant! Dont let the Imperial Security Bureau hear you say that! Youll get us all killed! The lieutenant shut his mouth. The chief of staff said, Hurry along, just rest up in the hospital, and keep quiet. After saluting, the two men left. The chief of staff turned to Major General William, What do we do now? The second battalion is temporarily in chaos due to the impact of the first battalions retreat. Even if we want tomit the second battalion to attack, it will have to be an hourter. No, waved Major General William, Were not in a hurry to attack. Lets wait until the infantry, artillery, and engineers arrive. Also, call the Air Force, tell them to make up for their mistake, I want that forest plowed! Yes, sir! - Wang Zhong had been waiting at the second ambush position until 1530, when he finally heard the sound of engines in the sky. He switched to an aerial view and indeed saw arge fleet of nes flying in this direction. No, they were flying towards the first ambush position. At that moment, in the trenches of the infantry ahead, a soldier yelled, Dont be afraid, those nes are surely headed to bomb our previous position. Dont be afraid! Soon enough, from his aerial view, Wang Zhong saw the area next to the previous ambush position getting bombed. My, the Prosen Air Force had bombed off target! With your level of performance, no wonder themander is called Mayer. After the round of bombing ended, Wang Zhong thought that maybe tomorrow they could return to the first ambush position and ambush the enemy once again. Then, in his earpiece, other tank operators inmand of the tanks asked, General, now that the bombing is over, the enemy should being, right? Wang Zhong replied, Dont be impatient, the enemys goal is to break through us and encircle Argesukov, they will definitelye. Chapter 172: Old Tricks Repeated (Alliance Hierarch Bonus) However, by 1630, Wang Zhong and the others still hadnt seen the enemys assault. He stood beside the shelter of his No. 422 vehicle, continuously phoning the observation posts in various locations, taking advantage of the calls to confirm enemy movements within the observation posts range. Although it wasnt his own line of sight highlighting the enemies, on a in as vast as Orachis surroundings, even without forced highlighting, a sweeping nce from an overhead perspective would reveal most of the enemies. As he waited, Wang Zhong grew hungry and started looking for something to eat, only to find that he had to share the Ante Empires military rations with others. They were truly inedible. So inedible that Wang Zhong wanted to have everyone in charge of the Imperial Armys food supply executed by firing squad. But right now, their ambush positions were a little bit too far from Orachi, and it wasnt feasible to bring the field cooking teams girls to the front line. Especially to a front line where the enemy could attack at any moment. Wang Zhong ate the barely ptable military rations while pondering whether, besides grenades and submachine guns, he should pack a sausage in his personal belongings box in the future.The sausages made by the Church Meat Union were thicker than an adult males arm, and the ingredients strictly contained 25% beef, 70% pork, and thest 5% eggs and dairy, highlighting a cost-effective,rge, and filling portion. As Wang Zhong began to fantasize about the taste of sausage, adding some vor to the wooden-like bread in his hand, artillery shells fell. Wang Zhong instinctively wanted to hit the ground, then realized that the shelling wasnt targeting his location. He and others turned their gaze toward the number one ambush position, observing the mes and smoke kicked up by the heavy artillery. After a quick switch to the overhead perspective, Wang Zhong noticed thatpared to the unreliable bombing of the Air Force, the Armys own artillery fire was much more urate. Aside from the fact that it had been an empty position, it could be called perfect. At this time, others on the position also looked in the direction of the first ambush site, everyone disying a triumphant demeanor. Everyone probably realized that the more ammunition the enemy wasted on an unmanned position, the less would fall on their own heads in the future. Major General William Dietrich was in hismand vehicle, issuing tasks to all tank officers from toon level and above, The enemy is heavily fortified in this stretch of woods. Our n is to spread out as much as possible during the artillerys fire suppression of the woods, engaging the enemy on open ground. The enemys tank gun uracy is inferior to ours. If we dont gain an advantage during the exchange of fire, deploy smoke bombs and feign a weak retreat to lure the enemy within range of our 88mm guns and PAK38 anti-tank guns. ording to intelligence provided by the Front Army, this General Rokossov is very fond ofunching attacks to fight tank battles. He has indeed obtained very impressive results from several proactive attacks. We have to lure him out with eptable losses, as a tactic specifically against his personality! As Dietrich spoke, he turned to the chief of the divisional guard tank toon, Additionally, we have another bait. Ill use mymand vehicle and the spare radio truck as bait to hook Rokossov. Of course, based on previous battle reports, Rokossov might choose to shell a fake headquarters. If thats the case, the guard tank toon must evacuate the shelled area quickly. William Dietrich paused, contently scanning the ns already mapped out on the map before him, In short, the missions focus is to lure Major General Rokossov into making a move. He is one of the most outstanding officers of the Ante Army at the moment, meaning, the most outstanding and yet to be killed or captured by us. Therefore, killing or capturing him is of great significance! No sooner had William Dietrich finished speaking than a lieutenant toon leadermented, Another tactic of feigning defeat to draw the enemy deeper, huh! Because the enemy may use T34 tanks, which are difficult for us to handle! Brother units share their experience that jamming the turret ring or breaking the tracks is possible; its not that this advice isnt good, but the 88mm gun is more cost-effective. Another toon leader asked, What if the enemy doesnte out? Then well call in the Stukas. The enemy will reveal their positions by exchanging fire with us. After previousmunication, the Air Force promised that during our attack, a squadron of Stukas loaded with bombs will be ready to take off. Our Panzer IVs will shoot colored smoke bombs to mark the targets for the Stukas. The Panzer IIIs 50mm gun doesnt have smoke shells, with only a singleunch smoke bombuncher on the tank. The short-barreled 75mm howitzer of the Panzer IV can fire smoke bombs hundreds to thousands of meters away. When the Panzer IV encounters sturdy buildings it cant destroy with high-explosive shells, it does just this: firing a smoke bomb to mark the target and waiting for the Stukas to arrive. Major General William Dietrich followed up, Alright, is everyone clear on theirbat mission? Once back with your units, make sure every person understands our mission, and then move out. The artillery preparation should conclude in about an hour and a half. The toon leaders all stood up and filed out of the armoredmand vehicle. Wait a moment! William Dietrich called to thest toon leader, Youre thepanymander of the reserve teams 5th Company, 3rd Battalion, right? I need to switch with you; I must go to the front line to see for myself how this White Horse General arranges his troops! The Chief of Staff expressed rm, Dont do this! The White Horse General likes to targetmand posts and other key objectives with artillery. If you go to the front line and enter the range of his artillery observers, it will surely draw fire! William Dietrich looked at the Chief of Staff, Which is exactly why I need to disguise myself. The White Horse General wont waste precious artillery shells on a reserve tank toon, especially one thats expanded into a loose formation! Indeed, tanks are vulnerable to howitzer fire; if a shellnds too close, an entire tank crew is done for. But as long as the distance between thending point of the shell and the tank is increased past a certain threshold, tanks can survive heavy shelling. Using heavy artillery to strike tanks deployed in a loose formation is, in fact, quite wasteful. Only if there are no better targets and one doesnt mind wasting shells would they do so. The Chief of Staff was persuaded, Well, then, I can only wish you a triumphant victory. William Dietrich nodded and began to exchange outfits with the chosen tank toon leader. On Wang Zhongs side, the operation to deploy their formation against the enemy was crystal clear. First, he wasnt prepared for artillery fire, and second, the most important function of his add-on was to ensure visibilitymost of the time it was its only function. So he just watched as the enemys armored forces deployed their formation on the open ground. You wouldnt believe it, but with so many tanks spread out so widely, my own 30 tanks might not actually be able to take them all out. Especially if the enemy charged with infantry aboard for an armored meat grinder, that would be even more troublesome. Wang Zhong was somewhat uneasy, after all, he didnt have a way to know if the enemys n was to engage in long-range firing and then draw us deeper in. He thought the enemy was about to surge forward and grind us to bits. Wang Zhongs ambush position, apart from the 30 T34s, only had four anti-tank guns and a small number of anti-tank mines on either side of the position. The enemy had deployed almost two hundred tanks; if they charged from all directions, Wang Zhong would surely regret not having ced all his infantry in front of the ambush positionwell, actually they wouldnt have been able to deploy properly and would just be experience points for the enemys heavy artillery. Wang Zhong smiled bitterly as he looked down at the enemy tank formation, thinking that if there was a KV1 in my troops right now, the situation would still be manageable. Unfortunately, there wasnt. He continued to scan the enemys tank formation. When highlighting enemy units, Wang Zhongs add-on usually wouldnt provide names for each enemy. But there were exceptions, such as when divisionmanders entered Wang Zhongs line of sight, they would be highlighted. Sometimes there were names, sometimes not, the principle was unknown. But it was certain that divisionmanders would be specially marked, roughly equivalent to the red arrows in a monks vlog. Now Wang Zhong had spotted a red arrow. On the outermost side of the enemys tank formation, there were several widely spaced Panzer IVs, looking like the reserve force for the whole offensive. A red arrow was floating right above the tankmanders head as he peeked out. Huh? Thats the enemy divisionmander has hee to the front for reconnaissance? And then, fearing that I might rush up and decapitate him, hes disguised himself as a regr tankmander? Oh my, I cant justify not sting him with one shot. Wang Zhong turned and picked up the telephone handset, nodded at the soldier responsible for the phone, and the soldier began cranking the handle of the portable generator like mad to charge the phone. After hearing the operators voice, Wang Zhong said, Connect me to the artillery unit. The call was connected promptly. Wang Zhong, gazing down from above, reported the coordinates of the Panzer IV the marked man was riding in, and then said, Three rounds of rapid fire, no need to adjust. Just fire over. Make sure the man is blown to death. The artillery unit was confused for a moment, Blow who to death? Dont worry about it, just fire it over quickly! We are resetting the firing elements. Fire will begin in about five minutes. As fast as you can! After hanging up the phone, Wang Zhong continued to look down on the enemy, like an eagle eyeing the rabbits scurrying across the in. Actually, resetting the firing elements took only two minutes. Wang Zhong could already hear the whistling of the iing rounds! The target enemy sensed something was wrong and immediately retracted into the tank, closing the hatch. No sooner said than done, the first barrage hit! 24 rounds of 152mm heavy artillery shells, though theck of adjusted fire made the circr error probability a bitrge, with sufficient firepower density, high inuracy could be ovee! Wang Zhong was pleased to see the smoke arising from the ground engulfing that Panzer IV. That was just the first round, and as the second roundnded, the smoke from the previous explosion hadnt cleared yet, making the whole scene from above look like a wall being repainted over and over again by two masters. It was then that Wang Zhong realized, his 203mm heavy artillery wasnt under the control of the artillery unit but was an independent unit, and he hadnt called in firepower from the 203! Forget it, he thought, lets see if this can kill him, save some ammunition if we can. The third wave hit, and Wang Zhong figured that Panzer IV must nearly be in pieces by now. The smoke gradually dissipated, and Wang Zhong saw the charred and twisted wreckage of the Panzer IV. The other tanks operators rushed out, heading for the tank that had been singled out for special attention. Soon, a barely alive body was rescued from the tank by the crowd. Wang Zhong was amazed; the guy still wasnt blown to death, now what kind of justice is this? He picked up the handset, intending to call in the 203mm heavy artillery and a second round of 152mm artillery fire, but then he saw a three-wheeled motorbike enter his field of vision, picking up the divisionmander and speeding out of Wang Zhongs sight. Well, forcing the enemy to changemanders in the middle of battle is also a good thing, lets see what the neer has got in terms of offensive capability. Whether they were transferringmand or not, the enemys deployed armored line just sat there on the in, motionless. Chapter 173: Suspicion (Holy shit, its the fifth watch) The Prussian Armys Asgard Knights Ampu Armored Division headquarters, Chief of Staff Kluge von Hessendaier grasped Division Commander William Dietrichs hand, Leave it to me. The lieutenant who brought back Major General William said, I think the Major General is currently in a deepa and probably cant hear what youre saying. I know, Kluge von Hessendaier nced at the lieutenant. The Asgard Knights, as confidants of the Emperor, tended to prefer officers not from Junker nobility. The establishment of the Knights was one of the means by which His Majesty sought to reduce the influence of the officer corps. However, the position of staff officer is not quite the same as that of a militarymander. First, staff officers dont umte military exploits easily; even if thebat n is wholly devised by the staff officer, and even if the ns execution is personally directed by the staff officer, any victory would still be credited to the militarymander. Second, staff officers value the ability to do paperwork on maps over qualities such as battlefield intuition. The development of a staff officers abilities also relies heavily on umtion over many years. Thus, the Emperor could not quickly promote staff officers without an officer corps background through military exploits, and in the Prussian Army, the staff officers mainly came from the Junker officer corps. Kluge von Hessendaier was a member of the Junker nobility, but he had good rtions with non-Junker officers who had rapidly risen since the Emperor began his conquest. This was why he had been ced in the Asgard Knights, the equivalent of the Prosens elite forces, to assist the star war general. Now that the star war general had left the stage, Kluge had to shoulder the responsibility.He turned his head to inquire of the lieutenant who had just spoken, Why would the enemy specifically shell a tank toon situated in a reserve position? The lieutenant shook his head, I dont know, Chief of Staff, Your Excellency. Kluge asked further, Did the Major General do anything that could have revealed his identity? There shouldnt have been any such actions. At this moment, the vicemander of the First Armored Battalion said, An entire artillery battalionunching three rounds of concentrated fire, allnding around the Division Commanders vehicle They were clearly targeting the Division Commander. I know, Kluge interrupted the vicemander, but the question is, how did the enemy identify the Division Commander? That White General previously also had the feat of killing Major General Randolph of the 15th Armored Division. Its hard not to be suspicious. Kluge paused, Major General Randolph was killed in the generals uniform of the defense forces, and he was with hismand vehicle when it happened. Thats understandable, considering how conspicuous the defense forces general uniform is, especially with that red cor insignia. The Prussian traditional military uniform featured a red cor insignia for generals, which could be discerned from a great distance in field conditions. There had already been precedents in the previous Carolingian campaign where sharpshooters from the United Kingdom had taken aim at generals. For this reason, the uniform of the Asgard Knights removed the red cor insignia for generals. And before Major General William went to the front line, he even swapped clothes with the tank toon leader. Kluge paced back and forth, and at this moment someone on the staff said, Could it be the effect of that Voodoo Ritual? Kluge sneered, How could that be possible. Merely wounding the Division Commander wont paralyze ourmand. If the enemy wanted to deal with us, the Voodoo Ritual should have targeted our entire headquarters. No, it shouldnt be that. But, the staff officer continued, saying its the Voodoo Ritual makes it easier to exin to the higher-ups. Kluge clicked his tongue, Thats indeed the case. Staff officers after all are nonbatant military officers, more adept at office struggles within the military rather than battlefieldmand. Kluge said, Then we should find those wounded soldiers who escaped and ask them in detail how the enemys Voodoo Ritual was conducted and write a detailed report to submit to the Armored Cluster Command. Just then amunications officer ran out from inside, Chief of StaffActing Division Commander, the Second and Third Armored Battalions are both asking what to do. The Chief of Staff waved his hand grandly, Havent they been given the battle n? The Division Commander has been seriously wounded and gone back for treatment. We must execute his n to the end! Attack. R Wang Zhong was in a standoff with the enemys tank formation. To be able to open fire and stop the enemy at the first chance, 30 T-34 tanks had backed up from their concealed positions to the firing tform, and simr to the first ambush, Wang Zhong had designated focus areas for each tank. An armored battle was on the verge of breaking out. But the enemy simply wouldnt move, idling in ce burning fuel. Wang Zhong didnt dare to move either as long as the enemy stayed put; he even stayed with the rookie holding the telephone the entire time. Wang Zhong had counted already, the enemy had a total of 181 tanks. Although there were only 131 of models three and four, with the rest being the filler models two and 38T, models two and 38T could still break the T-34s tracks and jam the turret rings when they got close enough. Besides, the performance of models two and 38T was more than enough to ughter infantry. No, the 20mm machine cannon on model two might be even more efficient at killing infantry than the 50mm candy dispenser on model three. As Wang Zhong pondered these misceneous thoughts, the enemy made its move. The exhaust pipes of the Prussian tanks arrayed across the in simultaneously belched ck smoke, and the roar of their engines markedly increased. Wang Zhong immediately ran towards his tank, climbed into the turret, and then said to the soldier crouching beside the cover holding the telephone, Get up here! Stand on the tank engine cover, I need to make calls to coordinate with the artillery battalion at any moment! Oh! The rookie promptly climbed onto the tank, appearing somewhat excited; he might have been looking forward to riding in a tank for a while. The voice of the armored battalionmander came through the headset, General! Shall we fire? Wang Zhong, Are you stupid? Fire when the target is in sight, dammit! After several days of testing, Wang Zhong was already resigned to the poor uracy of this batch of T-34s. Hence, he intended to let the enemy get within 700 meters before opening fire. Although this distance might not be enough to stop so many Prussian tanks from closing in for meleebat, it was still better than wasting ammunition firing beyond their effective range. Wang Zhong had emphasized the concealment of their positions before the battle precisely for this reason. The Prussians were known for their excellent gunnery, along with superior sighting equipment and Zeiss high-magnification lenses. They often achieved hits at 1000 meters or even 1500 meters. Letting the enemy get close before firing was the best strategy against Prussian armored troops. Wang Zhong waited for the moment when the enemy tanks would cross the 700-meter mark. However, the enemy stopped! They stopped 1,200 meters away! Wang Zhong didnt know what the enemy was up to. The next moment, the enemy opened fire, targeting the decoy tanks and anti-tank guns Wang Zhong had prepared. The wooden models were about to fulfill their purpose. The gunner, Alexander, from tank #422 asked, Should we fire now? Im confident I can hit them at this distance! Wang Zhong, Dont rush, once we open fire, other crewsespecially the new oneswill definitely fire indiscriminately. I cant expect them to have your level of skill. You were an instructor for the Armored Troops, and the man who actually took down Division Commander Randolph! Alexander fell silent, probably dazed by Wang Zhongs ttery. After unleashing a barrage of fire at a distance of 1,200 meters, the enemy finally began to advance. After all, Wang Zhong hadnt given the order to open fire yet, and the camouge on his own positions was too good. Even if the enemy wanted to engage in a fire fight from 1,200 meters away, they had no targets to shoot at. Wang Zhong waited for the enemys attacking front to cross the mark. Finally, enemy tank #313 closely passed by the target! Wang Zhong, Fire! He didnt specify which target to fire at, but Alexander just happened to choose tank #313. The precise attack punched a hole right through the front upper armor of tank #313. The tank immediately caught fire, and the enemys Armored Troops hurriedly abandoned it. The results of the first salvo came quickly. Wang Zhong countedout of 30 T34s that fired, six enemy tanks were hit. In the morning ambush, with a firing distance of less than five hundred meters, we could only manage to take out one enemy with two Armor-Piercing Shells. Can we ept this result now at a distance of 700 meters? A second volley was fired, and another five enemy tanks were abandoned. By then, the enemy had figured out roughly where the shells wereing from, and fierce direct fire started to hit the second ambush position. However, the enemy was not urate, probably because the protective positions dug by Wang Zhongs engineers andborers were too scientifically done. The enemy couldnt see exactly where the targets were; they could only guess based on the direction from which the shells came and fired wildly, hoping to hit some high-value units. Both sides sketched outlines of each other for several rounds. The enemy had lost over twenty tanks temporarily tobat incapacity, while Wang Zhongs side didnt lose a single tank. It seemed the enemy was on the way to a slow death! In the headquarters of the Ampu Armored Division, Kluge pressed one hand on the field telephone, activating the speaker function, so the entiremand vehicle could hear the soldiers from the Second Armored Battalions various screams of terror. Where the hell is the enemy? Weve poured seven or eight rounds of ammunition in the direction of the iing shells, why are they still attacking? The smoke from the enemy tanks firing is blocking my vision! I cant see anything at all! I saw a tank turret, they are fighting us with tanks buried in the ground! More and more nonsensical reports emerged. But what struck Kluge the most was that cry of Mommy. Finally, Kluge couldnt take it anymore and picked up the handset, All units, execute n B! n B was to use Smoke Bombs to attack the enemy positions and then call in the Stukas to drop 500-kilogram bombs on the smoke-covered spots. Kluges order was executed faithfully! When the enemy fired smoke at the second ambush position, Wang Zhong initially thought they were going to retreat. But when he saw the color of the smoke, he immediately realized what was happening. Enemy bombing is iing, release smoke, and get the infantry to release smoke to cover our withdrawal. The infantry wont be able to run in time, everyone hide in the anti-bomb shelters! The next moment, smoke rose before the infantry trenches at the ambush site. Wang Zhong, Hurry up! Reverse, move out! The infantry could actually find sufficient coverif dive bombers wereing, only an incendiary bomb would be effective. But tanks were another story; Wang Zhong still remembered the lessons learned from Peniyeif it hadnt been for the Stuka dive bomber damaging tank #67, that crew would still be fighting alongside him! Wang Zhongs tank #422 backed out of the protective spot and onto the makeshift evacuation route. All tanks with radios also got moving, but those without radios continued to fire from their positions. Wang Zhong shouted at the Army personnel standing by, What are you waiting for? Go knock on the tank hatches and tell them were leaving! At that moment, the sound of engines came from the sky. The Stukas had arrived. Chapter 174: Let the East West South North Wind Blow as It Will Wang Zhong had no time to worry about the other tanks, thinking that as long as the tanks were inside the dugouts, they wouldnt be greatly damaged unless a 500-kilogram bomb happened tond directly inside. Now, the smokepletely enveloped the position, and even 500-kilogram bombs could be precisely dropped into the dugouts, a real-life version of Final Destination. There was no saving them; it was time to ept fate. Wang Zhong urged the driver, Beliyakov, hurry! Once were out of the bombing zone, well be safe. The Stukas in the sky targeted the dyed smoke released by the enemy tanks. Tank 422s engine roared to life, charging out of the smoke and into the bushes on the other side of the main roadthis was originally a fake position made of dummy tanks and anti-tank guns. The T-34s with radios and several alert T-34s followed Tank 422, all hiding in the faux position. Then came the sharp, deadly howling from the sky. The explosion came very quickly; the noise from the 500-kilogram bombs was terrifying. Wang Zhong instinctively shrank further inside the tank, letting the open hatch shield most of his body. The columns of smoke from the explosion looked like gigantic cabbages, turning the ambush position into a giants vegetable garden.The sound of gunfire from the ambush position nearly vanished, though this could be because the smoke released by the infantry obscured the tanks vision. Even though Wang Zhong knew the remaining tanks were without radios, he still asked over the radio, Is everyone okay? toon leadertoon leaders tank is fine. By the way, other tanks from our toon have also followed, our toon is fine. toon twos leaders tank is fine. toon threes leader As the radio checks continued, a T-34 came from the ambush position, with its tankmander poking his head out from the turret, looking utterly shaken, shouting from afar, Is this what Stukas are like? Theyre terrifying. Then one after another, tanks emerged from the ambush position, bringing with them dire news: Tank 448 was flipped by a bomb. When I passed by, I didnt see any surviving tank operators. Before Wang Zhong could respond, someone reported over the headset, Commander! Enemy tanks are attacking! Themander of the Second Armored Battalion, Stauffenberg, watched the effects of the bombardment. He asked his deputy via radio, What do you think of the enemys condition now? I believe we canunch an attack. We can prate the enemys rear nks, especially since the smoke they released to disrupt the Stukas can cover us. ? The deputy replied, I see no problem. Should we consult with the Third Armored Battalion? Have them move right and upy the cover positions. Then let the Armored Grenadiers rush forward to engage the enemy infantry. I think this n is workable. With that, Stauffenberg adjusted his radio tomunicate with his superiors, Wildcat calling Wolf, Wildcat calling Wolf. Themander of the Second Armored Battalion believes an attack can beunched based on the situation on the ground, the radio operator reported back to the acting divisionmander Kluge. Approved. Let him try, and if they hit a hard spot, they can pull back. Have the Third Armored Battalion and the Armored Grenadier Battalion coordinate with him, Kluge, as a staff officer, was well aware of his capabilities. Since the frontline officers judged that it was worth a try, then they should go ahead and try. However, he also needed to assert his own role, adding, If the attack is hindered, remember to feign retreat and lure the enemy into the firing range of the 88 guns. Although Wang Zhong wasnt the first to discover the enemys assault, his external aid allowed him to be the first to grasp the overall situation. The enemy divided into two tank clusters, the first appeared to directly break through to the nks of the ambush site to upy the side positions. The second cluster took arger detour, seemingly preparing to upy remote firing positions to cover the first cluster. Moreover, the enemys Armored Grenadiers had broken away from the tank units and begun to advance, evidently nning a rush attack through the smoke-obscured visibility of the ambush position to engage in closebat with the 31st Regiment 1st Battalion in the trenches. Having grasped the situation, Wang Zhong immediately said to the orderly who had followed the tanks out, Go inform the 1st Battalion to evacuate the position! The enemy ising up for closebat, tell them to head to the reserve position. In the past ten days, the 151st Temporary Infantry Division and the Orachi Labor Camp had dug a multitude of preset positions and repeatedly practiced moving between them. Wang Zhong certainly wouldnt let his troops, primarilyposed of new recruits, get minced with the enemy. As for the enemy tanks making the detour, although the position Wang Zhong and his men upiedcked tank dugouts, there were many trees and various obstacles left from constructing the faux position, making a gunfight in this location still advantageous for them. Whats more, the T-34s already had the upper hand in armor-piercingbat, so as long as they protected their tracks from being disabled, it would be difficult for the enemy to get an upper handwith so many obstacles, it was also hard for the enemy to precisely hit the T-34s neck. It was a bit like War Thunder, where youd use camouge foliage to cover the tanks weak points, making it hard for the opponent to aim properly. At this moment, another three T-34s left the ambush position to join Wang Zhong and his group. With this, the number of tanks that had run out reached 21; out of the remaining nine, it was confirmed that Tank 448 was done for, the conditions of the others were unknown. Quick, get into formation! Find your own toonmand tank! Wang Zhong shouted while gesturing to the three newly arrived tanks. The leading vehiclesmander noddedit was unclear whether he really understood or was just nodding to cate himbut he directed his tank to turn in front of Tank 422 and followed the formation of the current tank group. The other two tanks followed suit, passing in front of Tank 422, theirmanders saluting Wang Zhong as they went by. Wang Zhong: Stop saluting me! Get into formation, the enemy is here! This was unbearable; in the future, securing captured radios would have to be the top priority. At this time, from a birds-eye view, Wang Zhong saw the infantry retreating along themunication trench to the preset positions, while the enemys infantry was about two hundred meters away from the ambush positions trenches. Good, the effects of the repeated practice in changing formations were showing. Since the enemy was about to enter the position Wang Zhong adjusted the radio frequency, tuning it to the frequencymonly used by the Prussians. The Prussians would be monitoring this frequencynot so much monitoring, as expecting tomunicate on it, of course they would pay close attention. And there was another person constantly listening to this frequency, that was Vasily, guarding a captured field telephone. Wang Zhong: The long, drawn-out sobs of the violin in autumn, repeat, the long, drawn-out sobs of the violin in autumn. Vasily put down his headphones: A code hase through! Artillery, target the second ambush position! The second one? Pavlov confirmed. Yes! Im certain its the code for the second ambush position, Vasily insisted. Pavlov picked up the phone: Connect to the artillery battalion! Make it quick! Prussian Army, Knightly Order of Ampr Armored Division HQ. Klose acting as divisionmander, heard the sudden voice over the radio and shouted, Who knows the Antenguage? I do! Thats the first line from Weiluns poem, Autumn Song,'' said a staff officer. Division Commander Kluge: Why recite a poem all of a sudden? Is this some kind of code? Is something going to happen? A concerned staff officer asked, Could it be that theyre going to shell us? Clearly, the precision strikes other divisionmanders had experienced were causing them severe psychological pressure. Kluge waved his hand: Dont scare yourselves. If they were going to bomb us, they would have done so already, why wait until now? No, this must be some other kind of code. My Ante Army doesnt have enough radios, so we have to rely on telephonemunication. The one issuing orders must have left a node with a telephone for some reason. Hes got a radio beside him He must be in a tank. Suddenly, Kluge came to the table, picked up the white generals service record, flipped through it quickly, and shouted, Tanks! This white general likes tomand the troops from inside his tank, and his tank likes to hang the military g on the antenna! Tell the second battalion, the enemys white general is in a tank, and theres a military g on the tank antenna! Wang Zhong was paying attention to the enemy infantry when suddenly Vasilys voice came through the headphones: General! The enemy knows you are in a tank, and they know your tank has a military g! Quick, take down the g! Wang Zhong nced at the red g on the antenna, shook his head, and said, Let theme. And you, kid, stop shouting in innguage! Actually, to keep radiomunication secret now, one could only use codes or call signs. Basically, both sides could hear each others radio broadcasts, and those advanced things like frequency hopping and encryptedmunication didnt exist yet. Thats why the Yanks came up with the idea of using Native American code talkers. Wang Zhong had just scolded Vasily when he saw the enemy infantry enter the second ambush position. At that moment, symbols for armored troops suddenly appeared at the ambush position! A T-34 that had been stunned by arge bomb woke up! It was seen reversing and firing at the same time, retreating to a makeshift road. Then more tanks woke upno, it was three tanks waking up, forming an armored toon with the one that had awakened first! But Wang Zhong quickly noticed that one of the tanks had its track blown off and couldnt move. He watched the tank operator jump out of the tank and shoot at the elite armored grenadiers with his weapon. However, the enemys machine guns soon started firing. It was traditional for the German soldiers; infantry used the 98K rifle with a bolt action, relying entirely on machine guns to provide continuous suppressive fire. The light machine guns torrential firepower quickly brought down the tank operators. Wang Zhongs heart twisted in pain. Luckily, by then, the remaining three tanks had sessfully retreated past the hedge line into an open field, forcing enemy infantry who tried to get close back toward the hedges with their firepower. Now was the time! Wang Zhong: The monotonous mncholy that stabs my heart. Repeat, the monotonous mncholy that stabs at my heart! Got it! Vasily responded. Wang Zhong: Damn it, dont respond! Even though Vasily was a bit of a blockhead, Wang Zhong wasnt worried about him screwing up. A few secondster, the whoosh of artillery shells tearing through the sky could be heard. The first volley of 152mm heavy artillerynded. The hedge position, just plowed over by the Stukas 500kg bombs, was once again covered in steel and fire. The birch trees that made up the hedge shook wildly but stood resilient like bamboo, withstanding a thousand blows. Unyielding to winds from any direction! Chapter 175: Damn it, The White Horse (Alliance Hierarch added) The barrage from the 152mm heavy artillery continued, and Wang Zhong also saw fireballs created by even more powerful 203mm heavy artillery. Wang Zhong could see the enemy infantry rapidly diminishing, as highlighted figures were wiped out in swathes. If this were a game, artillery brothers would be awarded a star for every shell they fired, and after the battle, theyd be full-star artillerymen. Unfortunately, reality had no such mechanism. Although the infantry attack had been halted by the artillery, the enemys tank troops were still maneuvering around. Then the problem arose: the remaining three tanks were exactly blocking the main forces of the Armored Troops from the enemy! Wang Zhong: Fire! Cover them! And you guys, retreat quickly! In his urgency, he forgot that the very reason those three tanks could be destroyed by a 500kg bomb was theirck of radiomunication. Tank No. 422 fired first; Alexandria did well. The shell passed between therge sides of the three friendly tanks and struck an enemy Panzer III on the move.The other tanks also fired sporadically, but the hit rate was worrisome. After all, there were no targets to provide range references; it all depended on the experience of each crew. The enemy fired too, but their targets were the three tanks frantically retreating. After the first salvo, Wang Zhong watched as friendly tanks No. 438 and No. 440 stopped moving, presumably with their tracks broken. However, because Wang Zhong had previously organized a veteran experience-sharing meeting, the rookies in these two tanks didnt abandon their vehicles but instead fired back in ce. Tank No. 431 continued to retreat, and at that point, itsmander seemed to finally realize where the friendlies were positioned, so he ordered the driver to turn the tank around. But whether the driver, out of nervousness, turned in the wrong direction, or themander gave the wrong orders in confusion, the tank wound up turning its front toward the friendlies, exposing its rear to the enemy. How could the elite of the Prosen tanks let such an opportunity pass? Wang Zhong watched as three or four shells hit the rear of Tank No. 431. The engine of Tank No. 431 immediately died, and Wang Zhong could see the thick smoke rising from the radiator, even from such a distance! The crew of Tank No. 431 scrambled out of the vehicleafter all, without the engine, the turret could only be hand-cranked. At this point, abandoning the tank would not be held against them. The Prussians machine guns began strafing, blocking the tank operators route of retreat and forcing them to take cover behind the tank. Tanks No. 438 and No. 440 were still resisting, but the second round of the enemys assault came, targeting the turret rings. By this time, the attacking enemy armored group had also suffered heavy losses; out of Wang Zhongs 21 tanks, several salvos knocked out more than a dozen enemy tanks. But the problem was, the enemy still had dozens of tanks! At that moment, Wang Zhong saw an original Tank No. 430e back to life from the treeline. Lucky fellow, this one had been stunned by the enemys 500kg bomb and then hammered by friendly 152mm and 203mm rounds. Now it was somehow back in action! And it could drive! It backed out of the tank shelter and turned its head outwards to rush out. Yes, Tank No. 430 charged along the hedge toward the side nk of the enemys armored group. It broke through the hedge, and all the enemies seemed not to notice it! Tank No. 430 thus charged to the enemys nk! Wang Zhong found this maneuver all too familiar; it was exactly like his tactics when driving an M18 Hellcat in War Thunder! Rushing to the side and sending out powerful 76mm high-explosive rounds to the German tanks one by one. But the notorious poor visibility of the T34 came fully to light again: Tank No. 430 didnt notice the Prosen armored cluster covering from a distance. No sooner had it stopped than three Panzer IIIs from a distance opened fire. However, in their haste, the Prussians did not hit their target; the armor-piercing shells hit the ground and bounced up, grazing the frontal armor of Tank No. 430. Tank No. 430 returned fire, hitting a Panzer IV; it seemed the gunner deliberately targeted the less numerous but more valuable Panzer IVs. More distant enemies then fired, and Tank No. 430 was hit repeatedly but still managed to fire a second shot. mes spurted from the hatch of a Panzer III. Seeing this scene, Wang Zhong couldnt stay put any longer. He had to push his own tank forward next to the three disabled tanks, which would eliminate the obstruction of the firing line for the friendlies and bring them closer, allowing his novice tank operators to aim better and waste fewer shells. Wang Zhong: All units, attention, follow me forward! Beliyakov, advance! Tank No. 422s exhaust belched out arge cloud of ck smoke, thundering as it advanced, with the red g on its radio antenna fluttering in the breeze. Wang Zhongsmand vehicle burst through the treeline, galloping across the open field! The other tanks followed suit, charging towards the friendlies trapped on the grasnds! Themander of the Second Armored Battalion, Stauffenberg, still had his upper body out of the turret, so he was the first to see the T34 tank breaking through the treeline. Wildcat calling Wolf, Wildcat calling Wolf! Visual confirmation of the enemymanders vehicle, a specially designed T34 tank with arger turret than the other T34s. A red g is hanging on the radio antenna, I repeat, there is a red g! The tactical number is 422, I repeat, tactical number 422, and there is a white horse insignia, I repeat, white horse insignia! After reporting, Stauffenberg immediately switched to the battalionmand frequency: Aim at that T34 with the red g, tactical number 422! His own vehicle was the first to respond to the order, turning its tank gun toward that T34. At that moment, an order came from division headquarters over the radio: Remember the tactics arranged by the divisionmander! Stauffenberg: But the enemy has only one battalion, I think we should be able to cope! What are the losses? Stauffenberg fell silent. Acting Division Commander: Execute the nned order! Yes. All units, you heard, execute the nned order! The Second Armored Battalion began to discharge smoke and turned around to retreat. At this point, most of the Prosen tanks finally noticed Tank No. 430 on the nk. After a barrage of concentrated fire, Tank 430y paralyzed on the grasnd. As Tank 422 charged past three friendly tanks paralyzed on the ins, Wang Zhong ordered, Stop! Stop! After the tank jolted to a halt from braking, Wang Zhong raised his binocrsthis was just for show since the enemys smoke had already blocked all visibility ahead. Using the external viewer from his elevated position, Wang Zhong saw the enemy retreating. It wasnt just the tank units retreating; the infantry scattered all over the ambush position were also retreating. What does this mean? Wang Zhong was now reminded of a ssic moment from aedy sketch by Chen Peisi and Zhu Shimao: But I havent even fired yet! Hey, doesnt this just show how urate your shooting is? Wang Zhong thought to himself, I just rushed out here, preparing to position for a sniper battle with you, and youre leaving? I havent put in much effort yet, and youre already falling? By now the other tanks had also reached the line of Tank 422. Most of them stopped, but a few inattentive ones charged past. You couldnt me them; its easy to get fixated on whats ahead when the tankmander also serves as the gunner. Wang Zhong even heard a toon leader blowing a whistlethis was the original method ofmand envisaged by the headquarters of the Ante Armored Troops, but it turned out to be useless. Having gone through the battle with Loktov, Wang Zhong had already found that whistles and semaphore were ineffective, which is why he had arranged for someone to lift the tanks hatch as the most direct means ofmunication. Hearing the whistle, Wang Zhong pressed the throat microphone: Alright, stop blowing. Use the anti-aircraft machine gun to shoot at the backs of their heads; thats the only way to make them realize they should stop! As he finished speaking, the toon leader who had been blowing the whistle opened fire, and tracer rounds from the anti-aircraft machine gun hit the backs of the heads of the crew in the tanks that continued to push forward. Finally, all the tanks stopped. Through the smoke, Wang Zhong observed the enemys movements. Wait a second, isnt this the same situation I saw in Loktov? So, is there an 88-mm gun position set up behind? Wang Zhong took out the map, and just like in Loktov, he had carefully surveyed the entire battlefield. However, thend to the north of Orachi was too t, making it impossible to find a spot particrly suited for cing anti-tank guns. Or rather, the best defensive location in the area was already upied by Wang Zhong himself. Damn, now theres no way to steal the enemys guns. Facing off against 88-mm guns in an open field is not really how I want to hasten my death. At this time, the Guards Regiment 31 Battalion 1 reentered the position they had just abandoned. Wang Zhong began to consider the next defense. At the rate the enemy was retreating, it would take some time for them to organize another offensive. Organizing an armored assault is much moreplicated than an infantry assault, and the enemy had suffered significant losses. Even the tanks that withdrew had reduced crews, which needed rearrangement. Wang Zhong continued to examine the mapwhere would the enemy regroup? The regrouping location should be very close to the highway to facilitate resupply. It should also be near a medical station, as there might be some lightly wounded requiring simple bandaging. The hospital must be around the wells Using the process of elimination, Wang Zhong quickly locked in three possible locations for the enemys regrouping. In fact, during the earlier reconnaissance of the terrain, he had already paid special attention to these ces and had assigned each a codename. Lets fire a round at each location for a prize. If were lucky and hit the target, the enemy wont be thinking of attacking today. The enemy hasnt taken the bait! Klose picked up the document detailing the previous battles of the White Horse General, In Loktov, he didnt take the bait either, and immediately bombarded the areas likely to be anti-tank positions. Tch, order the anti-aircraft artillery battalion to move out! Themunications officer saluted and left. Kluge turned to Stauffenberg, How bad are our losses? Heavy losses; my battalion lost thirty tanks. How many can be repaired? Stauffenberg clicked his tongue, Your Excellency, the acting brigademander, if we do not upy the battlefield, there is no way to repair those tanks abandoned on the field. The enemy now controls the front line. Alright. It seems we can only wait for tonight and let the infantry try to retake the position with a night attack. No sooner had his voice faded when the sound of an artillery shell tearing through the air reached them. Kluge asked, Is it here? Are they targeting the anti-aircraft guns? He strode to the door of the armoredmand vehicle, pulled it open, and looked outside. However, the artillery battalion was unharmed and in the process of moving. The sound of explosions came from far away. Kluge looked into the distance, What are they bombing? Another staff officer frowned, Judging by the direction, its near the field hospital These inferiors! Kluge shook his head, No, theyre bombing our logistics nodes and assembly points! Hurry up and evacuate the personnel! As he spoke, another shell whistled overhead, and even Kluge, with little frontline experience, could tell the impact was very close. He immediately lunged for cover! But the shell did notnd on themand vehicle; instead, it hit a threshing floor not far away. The Armored Battalion 2, which had retreated, had not regrouped there, but a mess truck parked there was distributing food and the extremely bitter coffee. Kluge raised his head, only to see therge pot used for making coffee flying into the sky. Like many other Prosen generals who had previously encountered the White Horse General, Kluge swore, Damn it, White Horse! Chapter 176: Battlefield Interlude (Additional Chapter for reaching 13,000 monthly votes) On Wang Zhongs side, once it was confirmed that the enemy had fully retreated, he hurried to clean up the battlefield, seizing weapons and tallying losses. He first found Tank 430s crew. The four men were being bandaged and immediately stood up and shouted when they saw Wang Zhonge over, General Sir! This roar, reminiscent of Zhang Fei bellowing at the Changban Bridge, made Wang Zhongs head buzz. The nurse said, Their hearing has suffered irreversible damage, and they may also have concussions; they can no longer fight, and they might never be able to again. So all the injuries the four of them had were from a 500KG aerial bomband their own sides 152 and 203? Wang Zhong nodded, took out a notepad, and wrote with a pencil, Thank you for your sacrifice and bravery. He then handed the paper to the tankmander, gesturing for him to pass it to the others. After themander handed the note to the loader, he shouted loudly, We can still fight! Just fix up the tank, no, we can join another crew as reserves!The nurse closest to the loud tankmander had to turn her head away but showed no sign of disdain. Wang Zhong took out another note and wrote: The Empire needs you elsewhere, please heal and then train new tank operators. He tore off the note and stuffed it into themanders hand. Themander stared at the note for a long time before finally handing the piece of paper to the loader. He said nothing and just sat down to let the nurse continue bandaging until the bandage covered his entire ear. At that moment, the battalionmander of the armored battalion ran over and saluted, Report, General, the inspection of the damaged vehicles isplete: four totally destroyed, four can possibly be repaired, and one is recoverable but the entire crew was sacrificed, with no damage to the tank. Wang Zhong said, Recruit volunteers from the survivors of the destroyed tanks to form new crews. Right then, the previously bowed head of Tank 430smander shouted, Ill join! Wang Zhong looked at the nurse. The nurse said, He cant fight anymore! I suspect he may have a minor brain bleed and must receive treatment! The other members of his crew are the same! They can recover if they get treated now, at least enough to lead normal lives! Without treatment, theyllpletely lose their hearing! So Wang Zhong ced his hand on themanders shoulder and gently shook his head. Your war is over. Leave the rest to us. Wang Zhong turned to look toward the west, where thend had been lost and the setting sun was descending. Behind him, on Antenna 422, the red g fluttered in the wind. Just as Wang Zhong had predicted, the enemycked the capability to organize an offensive with the remaining daylight. At 2030 hours, the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Guards Regiment took position on the battlefield, recing the 1st Battalion that had fought all day, assuming the night defense C it would not be good if the painstakingly held defensive position were to be lost to a night raid by the enemy. In addition, a volunteer repair squad made up of 200 workers from the tractor factory arrived on the battlefield to start repairing the four damaged tanks. After inspecting the tanks, the masters reported that two of them could be easily repaired, while the other two would be better used for parts. The first day of fighting resulted in the loss of six T34s. And these losses came in a defensive ambush position. The enemy was indeed elite. Wang Zhong was solemn throughout the ride back to the third ambush position in Tank 422. The armored battalion would be spending the night at the third ambush position, mainly to reduce the chance of mechanical failures in the tanks. The 3rd Battalion of the 31st Regiment, stationed at the third ambush position, served as the reserve during the days fighting and was nearly at its breaking point. When they saw the tank unit led by Wang Zhong approaching, everyone from the battalion rushed out of the trenches, shouting to Wang Zhong, General, let us enter the fight! Wang Zhong said, Rest assured! There will be a time for you to fight! Dont rush it! Today, they had encountered just one armored division of the enemy. Southbound, the second armored group had seven such divisions C it was originally six, but it had now been reinforced with two especially powerful Asgard Knights divisions. Wang Zhong was not worried at all that his troops would have no battles to fight. In fact, the real question was how many people would remain after this war. Just as the tank unit drove into the tank shelters, the field cooking teams girls C both young women and olderdies C arrived in horse-drawn carts. The carts carriedrge pots filled with thick soup, whose aroma wafted from a great distance. Wang Zhong had originally nned to return to Orachi to check on the front-line situation, but the sight of the arriving carts made him hungry. He shouted to the lead cart, I wonder if youve cooked a portion for this divisionmander! The woman driving the cart shouted back, Yes! Weve cooked enough for three battalions! As she spoke, she pulled the reins taut: Whoa! The cart slowly came to a halt. A girl holding a basket of bread jumped down from the cart and called out to Wang Zhong, Major General, did you destroy many enemies today? Yes, we destroyed a lot of enemies! Wang Zhong said with certainty. This was the truth; just in the morning ambush, they had almostpletely wiped out an enemy armored battalion. Although the afternoon battle had many unexpected developments, they still destroyed 27 of the enemys Mark III and IV tanks. In terms ofbat results, it already exceeded the armored charge at Loktov C most of Loktovs sess in destroying over a hundred units was due to the infantrys efforts. The infantry troops mainly were responsible for battlefield cleanup and final clearance of remaining enemies on the positions, the major battle achievements were aplished by the Armored Division and anti-tank gun units. At that moment, a veteran from the third battalion who had participated in Loktov shouted, The generals had their fun; we didnt even get started! Soldiers from the first battalion immediately echoed, Yeah, all the meat went to the tank units and the artillery, we didnt catch a break! The driverdy and a few girls together ced the soup pot on the ground, turned their heads to thoseining, and shouted, Be content, youre standing here intact, there will be plenty of opportunities to kill the enemyter! Come on, eat the meat! Weve been waiting! the soldiers revealed their mess tins one after another. Some even started to ng the bottoms of their mess tins with their spoons. Stop knocking! the Military Chain shouted, For heavens sake! Wang Zhong: Alright, theyve just fought a battle, let them rx a bit. It was as if the soldiers received a decree from His Majesty the Tsar, they became noisy, The Major said we can rx a bit! Third Battalion Commander, wheres your blaika, strike it up! The Chain of the third battalion came over to Wang Zhong,ining, Is this alright, Major? Beingx could cost them their lives. Wang Zhong: Look on the bright side, Chain, its good that the morale is high. Things are going to get tougher from now on, and you might wish theyd sing and dance. The Chain thought for a moment: Youre an experienced War General, Ill follow your lead. At that time, Wang Zhong noticed the reluctance of the Third Battalion Commander, so he shouted loudly, Third Battalion Commander! Wheres your blaika! The Third Battalion Commander, with a resigned look on his face, fished a blaika out of his backpack and began to assemble it. Wang Zhong: Lets all enjoy the music! The second battalion of the 31st Guard Regiment of the Ante Army,te at night. Because of the ckout, fires were not allowed, so Private Ivan and Sergey sat in the trench in the dark, drinking tea that had gone cold. Did you hear? Sergey spoke up, Someone from the first battalion discovered something, that peeing on the enemys trousers gives you endless courage. Thats the generals secret to bravery! Ivan frowned, Really? Youre pulling my leg, arent you? True story! Remember the coward from the first battalion, the drummers squad? He was about to piss himself when the drummer told him to do it on the enemy. Suddenly his legs werent shaking anymore, and he was brave! Filippov was good at drumming, so he was nicknamed the drummer among the soldiers. Ivan, still frowning, expressed disbelief. Sergey: I saw it, the bodies of the Prussians around us havent been cleaned up yet, lets go pee on one! At that moment, Stepan, who had been napping in the nearby artillery bunker, crawled out and said to them, You know what? It only works if you pee on an enemy youve shot yourself. Didnt you see the first battalion arguing when we were changing guard? They were fighting over who killed the enemy. Those who havent peed are worried theyll die in the next battle. Ivan frowned, Does being brave or not have to do with whether youll die? Havent you heard the old soldiers say? The more cowardly you are, the faster you die, whereas the bold are hard to kill. Stepan said mysteriously, Thats why the general can never die. Ive heard it from the veterans of the third line of the Amur Group, a 381 shell! Do you know the 381 shell? A shell as thick as your waist, when one falls, Duke dimir and hundreds of staff died! But the general survived! That doesnt sound right, Ivan countered again, It was the general and the Duchesss favorite who survived. Ive heard that guy isnt brave? Stepan sighed, Youre no fun at all, dont you know how to chat? With that, hey back down in the artillery bunker. A secondter, he spoke again, You watch, tomorrow Ill kill one, no one betterpete with me! Just then, the three of them heard a sharp challenge in the darkness: Whos there? Identify yourself! Then a gunshot rang out. The three were bewildered, as they were all new soldiers who had never seenbat before and didnt understand what was happening. Just then the toon leader came rushing, Prepare for battle, the enemy is attacking at night! As soon as he finished speaking, thepanymander began to blow his whistle. Simultaneously with the whistle, machine guns fired, spraying tracer bullets into the darkness. The toon leader grabbed Ivans shoulder, hauled him up, and threw him to the firing slot, Prepare for battle! Hurry, get into firing position, dont worry about whether you can see anyone, fire at anything that looks human! Ivan looked nkly at the darkness outside the trench; although having stayed in the dark environment allowed him to faintly see the contours of thingsbut Suddenly, Ivan saw something move, and he immediately fired in that direction, a burst from the Tokarev! Next to him, others also fired their weapons, the sound of gunfire was constant. After emptying a magazine, Ivan heard the toon leader shout, Ceasefire! All ceasefire! The sound of shooting gradually quieted down. Sergey poked Ivans side: Did you hit anyone? I feel like I hit one, lets check when it gets light. Ivan: I dont know, I feel like I hit one too. Lets check together tomorrow. Chapter 177: The situation of the Prussian Army on the night of August 3 Prosen Army, Second Armored Cluster Command, August 3rd, 2330 hours. When Acting Division Commander Kluge entered themand, Armored Cluster Commander Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch was examining a map. Acting Division Commander Kluge stood at attention and saluted, Your Excellency, Commander! Hmm, rx a bit. Mauch lifted his right hand as a return salute, I had youe over in a Kubelwagen (which is the German jeep, a proper noun) to get an update on your divisions encounter today. The journey must have been tough. Kluge, maintaining his posture, responded, For His Majesty the Emperor! Very well, Mauch waved his hand, Now, tell me, what happened today? Lets start with how Division Commander William Dietrich got seriously injured? Wasnt he a brave general who performed excellently in the Bohemian Campaign and the Carolingian Campaign? Howe he faltered in Ante? Division Commander William nned on personally scouting the enemy, so he swapped clothes with a reserve position tank toon leader and boarded the toon leaders vehicle to head out. Then he was hit by 72 heavy artillery shells from the enemys batteries, leaving only one tank intact in that tank toon. Mauch clicked his tongue, Specifically targeting a divisionmander disguised for scouting? The Cluster Chief of Staff asked, A spy tipped them off?Kluge immediately replied, Absolutely not, the military police have already wiped out all potential hostile elements that could have leaked information in our garrison area. Frowning, Mauch eventually refrained frommenting on the military polices actions and continued, Regarding espionage, its unlikely for a spy to maintain contact with a divisionmander at the front line; espionage organizations tend to avoid such t structures for the sake of secrecy. Im more inclined to believe there were hidden observation posts. Your headquarters might have been within the enemys line of sight. Even if you changed clothes, an observation post seeing to whom you salute would understand everything. Kluge said, If that were the case, why not bombard the staff headquarters? It doesnt make sense. Before the attack, all officers of toon rank or higher from my division were gathered for a meeting. If a round of artillery had fallen at that time, my division would have been crippled. Mauch nodded, You have a point. So how was this aplished? This White Horse General also has a feat of killing uh, bringing about General Randolphs sacrifice. Randolphs case is understandable, the Cluster Chief of Staff said, The White Horse General drove his vehicle close to Major General Randolphs headquarters, which was entirely due to Randolphs own recklessness. That star general in the Carolingian Campaign also seemed to prefer leading the charge in a tank. Mauch said, Ah, young Erwin, his spirited charges, after being praised by His Majesty, seem to have made the young generals fond of charging ahead. Mauch shook his head, A general should grasp the overall situation. Back to what happened to you today, is there anything else to supplement regarding Division Commander Williams injury? Kluge hesitated, then said, Theres also the Voodoo Ritual Well leave that matter to the High Commands scientific department to research. Before you arrived, the clusters staff were more inclined to believe it was merely coincidental. The White Horse General might have spected a high-ranking individuals presence through formation deployment or some other subtle clues. After speaking, Mauch paused and changed the subject, Whats your impression of the White Horse General? Kluges face tensed, He is a cunning and despicable fellow, yet extremely meticulous. He must have thoroughly examined the battlefield and knew where we would establish our logistical points. His artillery fire, though it was more of a lottery, did kill over forty of our experienced soldiersthey were having coffee at the time! Whats fortunate is that our tank operators were still checking the tanks and not having meals! Otherwise, we wouldve needlessly lost a battalions worth of elite tank operators! Mauch said, Bombing the dining areas? This reminds me of the trench warfare days when we used to bomb each otherstrines. Such matters be routine with habit. Does he have any other distinguishing features? After some thought, Kluge said, He seemed tomand his troops to dig a very strange type of shelter. Our infantry approached to inspect this shelter and were covered by enemy artillery fire before they could get a close look. But it seems to be a very advanced andplicated type of shelter. Our tank shelters are usually just a square pit for the tank to drive into. Their shelters are much moreplicated than that and require much more earthwork. Even our tank operators could dig their own shelters if equipped with a dozer de; a push with a tank would suffice. Their shelters probably require a significant amount ofbor and sapper troops to dig for a long time. Mauch seriously confirmed, Shelters? Yes, shelters. Such shelters are very difficult to spot, even when the tank fires, and the smoke from the firing itself obscures the vision, interfering with our aim. If it werent for the poor marksmanship of Antes tank operators, our losses could have been even greater. Mauch and his Chief of Staff exchanged nces, then asked, Isnt he supposed to be a brute? After all, he brazenly made it all the way to General Randolph. No, hes definitely not a brute. He ambushed us, and before our Stuka bombing, he withdrew most of his tanks and infantry, then covered the ground with artillery fire when our infantry advanced. Clearly, this is the doing of a cunning defense expert! Mauch mused, A cunning defense expert, huh, but in the Ante Army, armored officers all prefer offensive tactics. In Castile, they would even use tanks to charge our anti-tank gun positions, like a group of porcupines, charging at human arrow formations and then lying dead in the fields. Then he is an exception! Kluge asserted, Our attack today suffered a major setback! And I, along with all my officers, believe that they have not even deployed their full forces! Mauch, with his chin in hand, fell into deep thought while the Cluster Chief of Staff said, But the intelligence from Rabowell indicates that hes just a a wastrel who graduatedst. Kluge retorted, Does this look like the result of someone who graduatedst? I refuse to ept being defeated by a bottom-ranker! No, it wasnt my n to attack, I refuse to believe that Major General William Dietrichs n could bepletely outmatched by a bottom-ranker! Absolutely not! The Chief of Staff raised his eyebrows and looked down to review the intelligence Rabowell had sent, Wait a minute! There is one more line of Rabowells own assessment here. Considering that the penultimate is the Crown Prince of the Ante Empire, we cannot rule out the possibility that Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky intentionally controlled his score. The Chief of Staff raised his head, looking at the others. The entire High Command fell into silence as if even the sound of typewriters from the adjacent clerical department had diminished. Moochi concluded, So, are we facing an extremely clever, cunning expert in defensive warfare? We? Kluge sharply caught the word, Were the Duke of Meishikins forces crushed? No. In fact, they have also constructed arge number of fortifications, quite troublesome. Thats why the Cluster is nning to bypass the strong fortified regions and are preparing to pass in front of you toplete the encirclement. Moochi paused, then continued, Tomorrow the 16th Armored Division will join you. Additionally, the corpss artillery will also move toward your side, and they are expected to arrive in thebat zone by tomorrow evening. Furthermore, the 8th Air Force will do its utmost to support your operations. Kluge asked, These troops will all be under mymand? Yes, because the Emperor hopes for you to perform excellently. After all, you are the Asgard Knights. Kluge grinned, the Zeus on his cor badge reflecting the light from the electricmp. At that moment, the air raid rm suddenly sounded. Everyone in the High Command looked up, puzzled. Moochi demanded, Whats happening? Ill find out right away. A staff officer immediately left the High Command. No sooner had he left than the telephone rang. The Chief of Staff answered, This is High Command. What? What? Understood, got it. After hanging up the phone, the Chief of Staff reported, The troops heard the sound of airnes passing overhead, everyone heard it, and theyre sure theyreing toward us. Moochi asked, Airnes? At night? Didnt the Air Force say night bombers are still experimental? How did the Ante peoplee up with them? The Chief of Staff shook his head. Then an explosion was heard outside. Moochi quickly went to the window, just in time to see a bine fly over the High Command and drop something. That somethingnded in the yard and exploded in the next moment. It looked less like an aerial bomb and more like a hand grenade. Moochi was puzzled, What is this thing? The Chief of Staff also looked bewildered. Time passed in the confusion of everyone for five minutes. Then the phone rang again, and the Chief of Staff immediately picked up, High Command. How many? Why didnt the anti-aircraft guns fire? Extremely low altitude? Understood. After hanging up the phone again, the Chief of Staff reported, Six bines observed, entering our airspace at extremely low altitude, dropping what appeared to be hand grenades, causing a total of six deaths and 11 injuries. Moochi fell silent for a few seconds before asking, Whats the point of such an air raid? Dont know. The Ante peoples understanding of the art of war is different from ours, the Chief of Staff paused before adding, unless they do this every night from now on. This will cause significant psychological pressure on our soldiers, making them unable to have a good nights sleep. Moochi asked, Sending out old bines for bombing missions just to disrupt our sleep? What kind of bizarre tactic is this? You cant understand the Ante people withmon sense. Moochi shook his head and turned back to Kluge, Anyway, you organize the next attack tomorrow, dont let the White Horse General seed again! You graduated top of your ss from the Imperial Military Academy! Although you have never fought a battle. Seize this opportunity! I believe this is what His Majesty the Emperor is also expecting! Kluge eximed, I will not let His Majesty down! Chapter 178: The Situation of the Ante Army on the Evening of August 3 Argesukov, Ante Army Southwestern Front Army Headquarters, 2330 hours. How far have they advanced? General Skorobo leaped to his feet in shock. The staff officer bowed his head to confirm the numbers on the report, then cautiously replied, 40 kilometers. General Skorobo, What about our troops? How could we let the enemys armored clusters move forward forty kilometers? As the general roared with fury, the operation staff at the Front Army headquarters emotionlessly ced an arrow representing the enemy on the map to the south of Argesukov, near the coast. The enemys Southern Army Groups First Armored Cluster, the southernmost pincer of the entire pincer movement, had already prated 40 kilometers into our defenses. Looking at the map, the defensive sector of the 35th Army Group, which was originally responsible for blocking the First Armored Cluster, had been split in two by the enemy like a sweet potato. Still venting his rage, General Skorobo eximed, Forty kilometers! Are the enemies holding a marathon in our defense sector? General, sir, the chief of staff spoke up, yelling at themunication staff is useless, its not their fault the enemy has pushed forward so quickly.General Skorobo hesitated for a few seconds, took a deep breath, Youre right. So what exactly is the 35th Army Group doing? They should have built defensive positions on the front line, shouldnt they? The Front Army chain said, We also have fortifications along the border, yet the enemy still broke through. At this point, the Crown Prince joined the conversation, General, you yourself said that fortification is useless, its out of date. When did I say that? Crown Prince, Yesterday, when you were evaluating Rocossovs work at Orachi. Mentioning Rocossov at this time sent a surge of anger through General Skorobo, Dont mention that name! Front Army chief of staff, Rothe fortifications of the 151st Division might be different from what we usually consider as defenses, we could have him share his experiences when we get the chance. General Skorobo red at the chief of staff, and at that moment his adjutant spoke, Its Rocossov who kept saying that the enemies in the north would push southward, so all our defenses were focused up north. Having only one army group facing the enemys First Armored Cluster based on past experience is definitely not enough. Crown Prince mmed his hand on the table and stood, Enough! Rocossov warned you that the enemies from the north would head southward. Did they move south? They did! He also said they wouldunch a pincers movement, and I remember he said exactly that! Did they pincer? They did! He got it all right! So who was it that said everything was wrong? It was you! You said an army armed with new tanks would crush the enemy! Did it crush them? You said we could thwart the enemys infantry assault, did we thwart them? Chief of staff, Actually, we did thwart them. The enemys infantry army groups attacks did not make much ground today; we even counterattacked and took back a town. Our infantry troops still have a strong will to fight. The Crown Prince momentarily felt a bit embarrassed; he hadnt quite understood the state of the infantry assault, but that didnt stop him from continuing, But your initial assessment waspletely wrong! Because the enemys main breakthrough and encirclement would be carried out by the armored clusters! Incidentally, its still Rocossov who is holding back the northern pincer of the enemy! Chief of staff, Its Rocossov and Duke Meishikin together holding them back, without Duke Meishikin, his single division wouldve already been encircled. Crown Prince, Regardless, they held them back! And his 2300 hours telegram said they destroyed more than sixty enemy tanks in a day! General Skorobos adjutant remarked, It sounds a bit low Because he actually destroyed more than sixty tanks! Now look at the 35th Army Group; they imed to have destroyed more than a hundred of the enemys tanks, so why could the enemy cut through their lines like slicing butter? Was it because the enemy deployed a thousand tanks? the Crown Prince questioned the adjutant while tapping the table. Chief of staff, That front couldnt deploy a thousand, judging from the breadth of the enemys breach, there should have been only about a hundred tanks. After the breakthrough, they fanned out and swept through our logistics. Front Army chain, The 35th should contemte a retreat. The adjutant was at a loss for words. While General Skorobo ced his hands on the map table, his palms covering his forehead, Enough, thats enough, Mishka (nickname of the adjutant). Trying to maintain my dignity now is pointless, my dignity has already been lost by my own hand. With that, the general lowered his hands. For a moment, the Crown Prince thought he saw new wrinkles conjured up on the generals forehead. The general looked toward the Crown Prince, Your Highness, may I ask you to send a telegram to your father, persuading him to allow us to retreat? The Crown Prince, in turn, was startled, Retreat? The enemys pincer movement has advanced less than a hundred kilometers together, theres still a long time before they close the gap. General, Of course we will strive to dy the enemy, but now we should prepare for the worst. We still have some tank units,posed of T26s and BT series, and ording to the frontline reports, these tanks can still prate the enemys armor at the right distance. We also have enough Molotov cocktails to destroy the enemys tanks in the carnage thats citybat. However, Your Highness, our south is a vast in. Even if we can hold one or two cities, the enemy will flood over us like water over a dam. When the general finished speaking, the chief of staff continued, Unless our Air Force suddenly bes aspetent as the enemys. I heard that the Air Forces Il-2 attack aircraft are quite effective, but currently, only one squadron is assigned to our Front Army. One squadron can dy a division, but cannot stop an entire armored cluster. After the chief of staff finished, the room fell silent. The Crown Prince sighed, Ill give it a try. But I think with my fathers stubbornness, he wont change his mind so easily. General Skorobo, Then we drag on until he changes his mind. I suggest you immediately fly back to St. Ye Katerina Fortress to persuade His Majesty the Tsar. The Crown Prince showed a wry smile, You dont understand my father, he hes very sensitive. He appointed me to oversee the forces, and if I were to run back on my own, he would fly into a rage. He wouldnt be persuaded in such a state. Silence descended once again. As a general, he had heard enough about the Tsars temperament. The Crown Prince reassured, Dont worry, Ill send a telegram to my sister. Shes so smart, shell definitelye up with a solution. Unless she has just angered our father, His Majesty will surely be persuaded! General Skorobo nodded, Very well, Ill leave that to Your Highness. Now, we need to brace ourselves and strive to dy our retreat, to obtain a favorable situation for withdrawal. The Front Army Chief of Staff suggested, We could consider an infantry attack. If we can hold up the enemys infantry and separate their armored groups from the rear, they might stop. General Skorobo agreed, We can try that. The Crown Prince sat down, looked up at the mural on the ceiling, and silently prayed, Olga, you must be persuasive. If you cant convince father, these troops will be sacrificed here. Orachi, headquarters of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division of the Ante Army, August 4th, 00:10 hours. When Wang Zhong entered the room, Pavlov was surprised, Why are you back? I thought youd be asleep with the troops. I need to adjust our deployment, Wang Zhong said. The enemys bombing caused us the most damage today, so I want to take measures against their nes. Wang Zhong approached a table disying a detailed hand-drawn map of the Orachi area. Our anti-aircraft guns are currently protecting our artillery positions, but upon reflection, if the enemy discovers our artillery, the 25mm anti-aircraft guns from just one battalion wont be enough to stop them. However, if this battalion were pushed forward, it could cover our tanks and even engage enemy infantry if necessary. At the right angle, they could even fire on enemy tanks, like those makeshift ones, the Mark I and Mark II. Todayyesterday, on August 3rdthe 151st Division destroyed more than sixty tanks, and those were Mark III and IV. The makeshift Mark II and the 38Ts were not even counted. Pavlov nodded, I have no objections. Popov added, Actually, Ive checked the camouge of our artillery positions. As long as they are not spotted by enemy reconnaissance nes flying at an ultra-low altitude, we should be fine. Im referring to the 152 positions; the B4 is so big it might be spotted by enemy high-altitude reconnaissance. Previously in Loktov, the B4 was ced within the city, making it easier to hide. Although Loktov was small, it was a railway hub with many factories. Orachi only had two factories, one making iron pots and shovels, the other producing cheese and dairy products, and then there were therge ranches. It was truly difficult to hide something as big as the B4. Wang Zhong said, No choice then, if necessary, well have to burn tires! Thats the problem, Popov spread his hands. During my exchange with the local church, I learned about the citys situation: there arent many tires to burn. Weve tried our best to collect any, but they will be gone after burning them a couple of times. Wang Zhong cursed, Damn it, all weve destroyed are tanks, which dont have rubber tires to salvage. Popov suggested, Then lets try to fire as many shells as possible before were discovered. Wang Zhong agreed, Youre right. Now take over the B4 position and give the sleeping enemy a little surprise. Pavlov asked, Which vige do you want to hit? Or throw a round at each one? Wang Zhong replied, Throw a round at each, let the rain fall evenly. If we hit them, its a bonus. Pavlov nodded, Okay, Ill make the arrangements. And then he went to make a phone call. Wang Zhong then turned to Popov, Besides moving the anti-aircraft artillery battalion, tomorrow I n to move half of the Divine Arrow Company to the front line. Popov inquired, To target the Stukas? Exactly! Its not about how many we shoot down, but to make the enemy pilots wary. I remember clearly, back in Peniye, the enemys Stukas were scattered like birds and beasts after a single Divine Arrow brought one down. Popov admitted, I wasnt part of your unit back in Peniye, but I trust your experience. At that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly realized this was the umtion of experiencetangible, touchable experience! He, too, was growing. Popov, puzzled, asked, General? Oh, I just spaced out for a moment. Tomorrow, I want to send that little one, the one who talks tough ah He paused, changing the perspective to look at the Divine Arrow Companys icon and consulted the roster. Yekaterina Andropovna Bnchevalet her and two other prayers go to the front, while Ludm continues to defend Orachi. Popovmented, Thats reasonable. Bncheva can ensure the shooting down of enemy nes. If its just about deterring the enemy, you could even have her just guide the shots, firing one at a time, which might put even more pressure on the enemy. Wang Zhong pondered, Hmm indeed, but I think we should fire all three shots at once for the first volley, to cause a substantial decrease in their numbers. Thats possible. As they finished talking, Nelly pushed the door open and entered with a basket in hand, Would you like somete-night snack? Just some yogurt for me, Wang Zhong said. Nelly stared straight at him, Only yogurt? No vodka? In the stories, the soldiers all hope their general eats meat and drinks heavily. Wang Zhong responded, Im not a Khan from Kazarlia. Just some yogurt, please. Chapter 179: The Troops Pressing the Border (Alliance Hierarch Added) Prussian Army on this side. While heading back to his own division headquarters, Kluge suddenly saw a fire in the distance. He was almost asleep when the sight of the ze startled him awake, driving away all drowsiness. Stop! he shouted, and the driver mmed on the brakes, bringing the barrel car to a halt on the rough dirt road. Kluge stood up in his seatthat was possible in this kind of open-top barrel car. However, it was too dark; even standing up, he could only discern three civilian houses aze, unable to see any specific details. So Kluge called out to the Prussian soldiers gathered by the roadside smoking, Which unit are you from? The soldier nced at Kluge, and probably because he didnt see a red cor patch, didnt pay much attention and answered perfunctorily, Were from the 16th Division, getting ready to join the Crusader Knights! Not Crusaders. Another soldier, a sergeant sporting a senior exemption armband, corrected, Its the Asgard Knights, something new His Majesty hase up with.Kluge: Whats with the big fire up ahead? Up front Who are you? The speaking soldier checked Kluges rank again, then realizing he had never seen such a rank, said, Spying on military secrets? Be careful or Ill report you to the military police! Kluge pulled out his identification and unfolded it for the soldiers to see. A few soldiers crowded around, one of them took out a shlight and turned it on, and the next moment everyone snapped to attention as if electrocuted, straightening their backs: General, sir! Kluge: What happened up front? Reporting, general, my unit had just entered the vige ahead when suddenly the enemys artillery fire came in. The supply train that entered the vige ahead of us had just set up an oil depot, and it got hit! Kluge frowned, All your fuels gone? No, the supply trucks hadnt finished unloading everything, and they ran out after the shelling. Only the oil tanks that were moved into the depot got hit. Kluge cursed and muttered to himself, Looks like facing this White Horse General, we cant enter viges, we have to stay in the fields even with houses around. Damn it, isnt he worried about killing his own people? Kluge shook his head, Truly a cold-hearted bastard! At 0430 hours, Wang Zhong led a small group of riders out of Orachi. His idea was simple: to use his special trait of having enemies highlighted in his field of vision to scout ahead before the enemys main force moved. He brought along Vasily and the only field telephone in the whole division, ready to call in an artillery strike in clearnguage if necessary it didnt matter if the enemy heard, the point was to create a deterrent; how many enemies it killed wasnt important. No sooner had the cavalry left Orachi than they encountered Gods Arrow Company on the move in vehicles. Ekaterina Andropolovna was leaning over the rear guard of the truck vomiting when she saw Wang Zhong riding a white horseing from afar, quickly straightening up and wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Wang Zhong: Do you get car sick? Yeah, so what? Ekaterina lifted her eyebrows challengingly. Her demeanor made Wang Zhong want to flick her forehead with his finger. Suppressing the urge, Wang Zhong said, Are you okay? Today youre very important, if we can sessfully deter the enemy pilots, we can greatly reduce our losses. ? Hmph, Ill guarantee that every Divine Arrow I guide will hit its target! Wang Zhong: Thats good to hear. After he spoke, he nudged his horse and sped up Bucephalus. He was in a hurry to scout for enemy intelligence. It would be too dangerous to do so once the enemy was deployed and ready to attack, perhaps even chased by enemy motorcycles. Motorcycles with sidecars always had machine guns, and Wang Zhong did not want to test the firing skills of enemy gunners. Then, Ekaterinas voice came from behind, Youre just leaving? Yes, what else? Wang Zhong looked back without stopping and began to trot along with the cavaliers. Wang Zhong bypassed the first ambush position and was about to continue forward when he saw several of his soldiers by the road urinating on the corpses of Prussian soldiers. What the hell are you doing? Which unit are you from? Wang Zhong pulled the reins tight, making Bucephaluse to an abrupt halt, and questioned them. The men, without even the time to pull up their trousers, quickly snapped to attention and saluted. Wang Zhong frowned, Whats wrong with you? Pull up your pants first! You lot are so loose and undisciplined, wheres the chain? Go and call over the chain from the 2nd Battalion! Immediately a guard rode his horse towards the first ambush position. The soldiers pulled up their pants, their faces showing the look of impending doom, it seemed their battalions chain was rather strict. Wang Zhong didnt dwell on it, asking, What were you just doing? Soldier: Collecting the enemys weapons! Then why didnt you pull up your pants? Needed to pee urgently! Desperately needed to pee on the enemy? To express our hatred for the enemy! Right, we were night-attacked yesterday, and several of our brothers died! Wang Zhong was shocked, and just then the battalions military chain arrived,ing to Wang Zhong and saluting, General! I will enforce strict discipline! Good. I leave it to you. Having said that, he turned his horse around and continued to move north. The escort galloped to catch up, smiling at the three soldiers they passed. As Vasily passed by, he joked, Looks like someones off to shovel manure! After this brief interlude, Wang Zhong hurried to the edge of the northern forest, stopped beneath a birch tree, and raised his binocrs. The enemy seemed to have no intention of attacking; Wang Zhong could only see scattered lookouts on the ins, hidden in foxholes. Advancing further would risk detection by the lookouts, so he could only strain his eyes from this vantage point, barely making out a few Prosen tanks at the edge of his vision. How very strange. Wang Zhong had left at 4:30, and it was now 5:30, with the day already brightened, yet the enemy showed no signs of organizing an offensive. He had expected to find enemy tanks amassing for an attack when he reached the point where he could not go any further without alerting the lookouts, and then he would be able to call in artillery fire. But there were no enemies in sight; the Prussians seemed to be sleeping in. Or could it be thatst nights surprise raid had thrown the enemy into disarray? In terms gamers would understand, was it possible thatst nights bombardment had reset the enemys organization level? Were they regrouping this morning? Wang Zhong peered into the distance, and it seemed he could see smoke in the direction of the distant viges, perhaps fires caused byst nights shelling that had only just been extinguished. Was artillery fire really that effective? If so, during defensive battles they should get into the habit of disrupting the enemys sleep with midnight bombardments. Lost in thought, Wang Zhong didnt notice Vasily, carrying the wireless, who then spected, Arent Prussians known for their discipline? My fathers friend said they wake up at four in the morning to study. The libraries at Prosen universities are bustling by then! Wang Zhong nced at Vasily, Whats the name of your fathers friend? Ill have the Tribunal pay him a visit. Oh, he was arrested by the Tribunalst year for espionage. Good riddance, how satisfying! Unaware of Wang Zhongs response, Vasily continued to stare at the empty field, saying, Looks like the Prussians arent as diligent as he said. Of course, it might also be that firing 203mm shells into their vigesst night had an effect. What do you think, General? I think my 203mm did the trick. I agree. How about another round then? Wang Zhong shook his head, No, I see a few Panzer IIIs over there, and though theyre just IIIs, we have plenty of shells, and even a mosquitos leg is meat. Lets hit them. Give me the handmic for the wireless. Set the frequency! Before heading out this morning, Wang Zhong had pulled a tank equipped with radio from the 5th Tank Army, which served as a divisional reserve, and sent it to the artillery. Thanks to the tanks wireless, he could finally establish radiomunication with the artillery. Vasily immediately tuned to the correct frequency, called twice, received a response, and handed the handmic to Wang Zhong, Ready! Wang Zhong took the handmic, White Horse calling Rhino, White Horse calling Rhino. Rhino here, loud and clear. Fire at the following coordinates, repeat, fire at the following coordinates White Horse, Rhino received, over. Wang Zhong handed the handmic back to Vasily and observed the tanks once more. Only then did he realize no one was inside those tanks! The tank operators only now came into Wang Zhongs field of vision, picking their teeth while moving towards the tanks. No wonder there was no sign of activity; Wang Zhong had thought they were out of range, seeing the tanks but not the tank operators inside them, but they were actually unmanned. Suddenly, a Prussian officer appeared and shouted something at the tank operators. The previously rxed tank operators hurried onto the tanks and started cranking the hand startersit seems cars and tanks back then also needed to be hand-cranked to start, unlike inter times where a simple turn of a key would suffice with an electric starter. Just as a few Prussian tank operators had cranked up their tanks, the shells fell. A single volley of fire and the resulting explosions enveloped the tanks in a massive cloud of dust. Wang Zhong watched the engulfed enemy andughed heartily. It was then that the roar of engines filled the sky. Wang Zhong immediately raised his gaze, and without much effort, located the enemy aircraft. This time it was a group of bombers, judging by their flight path and altitude, they were definitely heading for Orachi. As the nes flew over his head, Wang Zhong sincerely hoped the fieldundry and cooking units, along with other logistical personnel in Orachi, would remain safe and unharmed. At the headquarters of the Asgard Knights Armored Division, Kluge was outlining his battle ns to the Commander of the 16th Armored Division: Well deploy northwest of Orachi, and your division should deploy west of mine and maneuver to the west side of Orachi. ording to the map, there is a Hill 153 here, which we predict is upied by enemy heavy forces. Your division does not need to take the hill, just position your IIIs and IVs outside the effective range of the enemys anti-tank guns and suppress them. You have a good number of Panzer Is and IIs which can maneuver quickly; they can cut across to seize the highway and block the enemys supplies. We suspect the enemy artillery is in these forests. Once your Panzer I and II units seize the highway, your divisions motorcycle reconnaissance battalion should advance decisively to scout these woods and be ready to call your divisional artillery to strike. After exining, Kluge looked up at the Commander of the 16th Armored Division. The Commander of the 16th Armored Division was a bona fide Wehrmacht general, bearing the red cor tabs of general officers, who haughtily questioned, And what mission is the illustrious Asgard Knights carrying out? Kluge: We willunch the main attack at the front. To draw the attention of Rocossovthe White Horse General.'' No sooner had he finished speaking than an explosion sounded outside. The Commander of the 16th Armored Division was rmed: Whats happening? Is the enemy counterattacking? Stay calm, Kluge said through clenched teeth, Our adversary enjoys these sniper and artillery sneak attacks. They dont cause much damage, but theyre infuriating. Today, he will taste our might! Chapter 180: The Thunder of Cannons (Alliance Hierarchs Additional Release) Wang Zhong stopped again when he passed the first ambush position and shouted loudly, Company Commander of the Second! The Company Commander of the Second immediately appeared, stood at attention in front of the horse, and saluted, General! Withdraw from the position immediately and move to the third ambush position, leaving behind a lookout with signal res. The Company Commander of the Second confirmed again, Were withdrawing from the position? Yes. The enemy knows the locations of our first two positions, and I suspect they will shell them first. Your unit has excellentlypleted the task of defending against the enemys night attack; theres no need to stay in the position and get shelled. The Company Commander of the Second saluted and said Yes, then turned and left. Wang Zhong led his men towards the city, all the way to the third ambush position. Last night, the tank unit had encamped here, and the tanks were parked on the bottom level of the bunker, thoroughly camouged. Upon entering the position, Wang Zhong saw soldiers from the Third Company gathered around a pot, drinking leftover soup from yesterday. Wang Zhong said, Be careful drinking that cold soup, or you might get diarrhea.Everyone was stunned, then burst intoughter. Wang Zhong, looking confused, asked, Whats the matter? General, who gets diarrhea from drinking a little cold soup? someone asked. Is that not the case? Back on Earth, Wang Zhongs father had always taught him to reheat leftovers before eating as they could easily cause diarrhea, so he had always believed that to be true. It seemed that the Russians didnt have such concerns. Of course, it could also be because Russia was at a highertitude where the cold meant food didnt spoil as easily, and their stomachs had adapted to the cold. Probably. A soldier called out to Wang Zhong, General, wont you have some? Wang Zhong checked his stomach and indeed felt hungry after riding for two hours that morning. Alright, Ill have some. Hey, General, you really should try this. Its delicious, even cold! Look, its even frozen, this part is the best, all for you! Wang Zhong dismounted, mingled with the soldiers, and had a big mouthful of the thick soup turned to ice. It was indeed delicious, rich but not greasy, with a tangy note of sour cream. This is really good stuff, Wang Zhong eximed, Come on, have some for yourselves too. Right then, the Second Company arrived, moving along the road into the position. The leader nced at thepanymander and the apanying Priest, saw that they wouldnt interfere, and shouted, Hey, Third Company, what good stuff are you eating? Leftovers fromst nights soup! Come and join us! Just at that moment, the sound of a whistling shell tore through the sky. In the past, the new recruits would hesitate while the veterans hit the dirt. Today, upon hearing the whistle, all the new recruits dropped down, while the veterans remained standing. Dont be scared! a veteran shouted, Its not for us. As soon as he finished speaking, a column of smoke rose from the first ambush position due to the explosion. Then, explosions urred at the second ambush position as well. The enemys artillery poured their furious barrages into these two positions. Meanwhile, Wang Zhong watched with his armored troops and two infantrypanies from the third position as the enemy wasted their firepower. The trenches of the third position were dug especially deep and could amodate three fullpanies; it was originally built as a standby defense position for the reserve forces and the main defense. It was precisely because the third position had such arge capacity that the cooking team had delivered meals for threepanies the day before. Soldiers from twopanies shared yesterdays leftover soup while watching the enemy squander their firepower. Wang Zhong heard someone ask, General, did you calcte all this? He looked at the person who had spoken and realized it was one of the trio who had stealthily gone to scavenge enemy bodies that morning and had been caught red-handed by him. The soldier, now obviously cowed under Wang Zhongs direct gaze, shrank his neck, looking like he wanted to change the subject. Wang Zhong just smiled and replied, Its just a little bit of militarymon sense. The enemy is certain to prepare artillery fire for positions weve already exposed, so we withdraw and let them prepare. If the enemy is aggressive and manages to move up during the artillery preparation, and we are not able to upy our positions in time, we simply cover them again. The trenches weve constructed only offer proper artillery protection in your current position; the trenches in the first two positions are shallow, and if shelled, the enemy would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties. The surrounding soldiers listening to Wang Zhong all illuminated with understanding: So thats why! The General is so clever! In truth, this wasnt something Wang Zhong had figured out on his own; post-war Soviet tactical manuals spelled it out in ck and white. As Wang Zhong was enjoying the ttery from the soldiers, the Third Companys signalman came over with a telephone in hand, dragging the phone line, General, a call from the rear! Wang Zhong took the receiver, This is Rocossov. Whos speaking? This is the artillery observation post on Hill 153. General, weve spotted enemy tank units maneuvering to our west side. The enemy tank units are maneuvering to our west side! The number is In fact, without needing the observation post to report, Wang Zhong pulled up a birds-eye view and saw everything. It wasnt his own view, so there was no highlighting effect, but the situation was clear enough anyway. It looks like about one and a half battalions of Panzer III and Panzer IV are maneuvering west of Hill 153, and in front of this one and a half armored battalions, there isis that arge group of Panzer I and II tanks? Prosens Armored Division, like the Sturmtiger from Earth, has the distinction between rich divisions and pauper divisions. The main thing is the proportion of Panzer III and IV. Some of the poorer divisions might have over a hundred Panzer I and II tanks just to make up the numbers, with Panzer III and IVbined making up only one battalion. Yesterday, the Asgard Knights Ampraa Division, which shed with the 151st Division, also had a number of make-do Panzer IIs, but more than half of the division consisted of Panzer III and IV tanks. Moreover, this division didnt have Panzer I, the least they had were Panzer II. Even among the make-do tanks, there were 38Ts, which actually werent too bad. Therefore, yesterdays Ampraa Division was absolutely a well-off division. Now, seeing thisrge swarm of Panzer I tanks like cockroaches, Wang Zhong immediately realized that the forces in front of him consisted of more than just that well-off division. My goodness, Im an infantry division, how am I supposed to fight against two armored divisions? Luckily the one replenishing them is a pauper division; it would be even harder to fight if another well-off division showed up. As Wang Zhong was assessing the situation, someone from the artillery observation post, not knowing Wang Zhong was doing the same thing, asked anxiously, General? General? What do we do? The enemy tanks are moving fast and theyll cut off our supply line! In fact, the 151st Division wasnt too reliant on the supply line at the moment, mainly because they had stockpiled a lot of provisions for the war and could hold out for a few days even if their supplies were cut off. Moreover, with the forces of Duke Meishikin next to them, even if the supply line of Argesukov was cut off, they could still get supplies from Duke Meishikins side. However, Wang Zhongs main goal in holding his ground here was to clear a path of survival for Antes troops from Argesukov. What kind of path of survival would it be if the highway were cut off? Of course, Wang Zhong had made preparations for such a situation long ago. He had deployed eight anti-tank guns on Hill 153. Although they were only 45mm anti-tank guns, they were effective enough to handle Panzer I and II tanks. As for the enemys Panzer III and IV tanks Wang Zhong decided to entrust them to the T26 of the original 5th Tank Armys 13th Armored Battalion. Based on yesterdaysbat experience, the new tank shelters proved to be effective in preventing the enemy from spotting ambush tanks. Even if discovered, it was difficult for the enemy to achieve a sessful hit. Yesterday, Wang Zhongs T34s, from their shelters, engaged in a firefight with the enemy, and most of the enemys shells didnt hit the T34s. Since that was the case, having the T26s enter shelters to dy the enemys attack should be no problem. Therefore, Wang Zhong ordered the observation post, Get the anti-tank guns on alert, open fire as soon as the enemy approaches. I willmand the 13th Armored Battalion of the 5th Tank Army to rush to Hill 153 to assist you in repelling the enemy. Remember to guide the T26 into the tank shelters. Yes! Wang Zhong hung up the phone, took the handset of the field radio carried by Vasily directly, and then said to Vasily, Change the frequency, I want the 5th Tank Armys 13th Armored Battalion. Vasily, Its this frequency, just call and its done. Wang Zhong, White Horse calling Lame Wolf, White Horse calling Lame Wolf. This is Lame Wolf, do we finally have a mission given to us? Wang Zhong, Proceed to Hill 153, proceed to Hill 153, over. Understood! White Horse, can we really hit the enemy this time? The 5th Tank Army seemed not to have engaged much with the enemy before beingpletely wiped out, thats why themander of the 13th Armored Battalion asked. They probably chose Lame Wolf as their radio call sign, out of frustration. Wang Zhong, You will hit them, and this time you will win! Hit them hard! At the same time, Argesukov, Crown Prince Ivan Nikyevich Andronov, was pacing back and forth anxiously in themand post. Finally, themunication officer came through the door, saluted the Crown Prince, Your Highness! The reply from the capital has arrived! The Crown Prince was overjoyed, Is it my sister? Or has she already convinced the Emperor? Themunication officer, with an embarrassed face, handed over the telegram, Youd better see for yourself. Since it had to be decoded, themunication officer must have read it. Confused by his expression, the Crown Prince snatched the telegram and began to read, Dear brother, unfortunately, I already angered the Emperor yesterday, and the generals are saying that unless you suffer a major defeat, it is unlikely that the Emperor will order a retreat. I will try again once the Emperor has cooled off. Crown Prince Ivan Nikyevich Andronov sighed deeply, My sister, oh what are you doing! He sped his hands together, as if intending to crumple the telegram into a ball, but stopped halfway through the motion, then slowly spread the telegram out again, handing it to General Skorobo. The General was embarrassed, I dont think I should look at the Royal Familys telegrams, right? Indeed, the Crown Prince replied, handing the telegram back to themunication officer, Take care of this for me. I dont want future generations to know about this. The others in the room all looked embarrassed. After all, the idea that an Army Group of several hundred thousand could be annihted because of the Emperors pique sounded far-fetched. The Crown Prince, watching as themunication officer reduced the telegram to ashes, then looked up to ask General Skorobo, Is it possible to send reinforcements to Rokossov? The Generals face was ashen, His defensive line hasnt had any problems yet, and to the south, the enemys armored groups are pushing forward furiously. Any reinforcements we send now would inevitably go to the south. At that moment, anothermunication officer came in with a message, Report! Urgent dispatch from the 35th Army Group, they say they cannot plug the gap! Its as if the enemy is flooding through the breach like a tide. General Skorobo turned to the Crown Prince, You see. I have no reason to send the reserve to an area that has no apparent issues. Im not formting any grudges against General Rokossovsky; I admit hes an outstandingmander, but The Crown Prince sighed, I understand. Lets see if my little sister can think of a solution. She Suddenly, the Crown Prince pped his forehead, My sister doesnt have my seal! Damn. Chapter 181: Nellys War (14000 Monthly Tickets Plus) Orachi City, currently under the control of the Ante Army, 1030 hours. In the distance, the dull rumbling of thunder could be heard, which was actually the enemy preparing artillery fire for the defensive positions outside the city. Nelly, carrying a basket, left themand post through the side doorthe generals dormitory and themand post were together, so naturally, Nelly also lived there. Because she lived there, she could make full use of the kitchen of Lord Boye to prepare meals for everyone at themand post. Now she was getting ready to go out and gather ingredients for dinner. Of course, themand post of the 151st Division was stocked with enough food, as it was designated to be thest phase of the citys hand-to-handbat defense support point, so it was essential to have plenty of food and water. But Nelly didnt like military rations much, and as long as there was a supply, she nned to try to make some food besides the military rations. Besides gathering ingredients, she also prepared to deliver the mixed sd she had madest night to Miss Ludm. This was the youngdys favorite food.Nelly walked past the guard with her basket slung over her arm. The guards knew she was the generals orderly and let her through without even checking her identification. As soon as she stepped out, Nelly was stunned, because the entire row of houses directly opposite themand post was engulfed in raging fire, and the residents of Orachi were working together to fight the fire. After watching for a few seconds, Nelly ultimately decided to ignore the firefighting and continue with her errands. Just then, a house on the edge of the fire copsed with an explosion. The st startled Nelly, causing her to take a step back. The sentry at themand post said, Dont worry, they are sting a firebreakdemolishing buildings that catch fire easily first, so the fire wont spread here. Nelly nodded and, clutching her basket tightly, moved on. She passed a bomb crater and saw a child sitting on the edge of it, looking lost and seemingly deep in thought. Next to the cratery the bodies of people who had died in the bombing, with a priest in the midst of the corpses conducting a mass. Nelly quickened her pace, her footsteps pattering as she moved through the city cloaked in the mes of war. Soon she arrived at the northwest corner of the city at a building and nodded to the soldiers guarding the door. The soldiers opened the door and stepped aside. The soldier manning the machine gun smiled at Nelly: Youre still so punctual, maid Miss. Im the generals orderly, Nelly said. Then you should at least be wearing your side cap. Want to wear mine? The machine gunner took off his own cap. Nelly showed a look of obvious disgust. The machine gunner dejectedly put the cap back on: Alright, alright, I get it. Go on up, dont let the Divine Arrow missy go hungry. Nelly entered the building and took the stairs all the way to the attic. In the attic, one window frame had been removed to set up a Divine Arrowuncher, and Ludm was sitting on the sill of the other window. There were also two female soldiers in the attic, checking the spare Divine Arrows. Ludm, with a book in hand, was reading in the gradually brightening noon sunlight. Nelly: Miss? The battle has begun. Ludm put down her book and looked at Nelly: But its none of our business, is it? Nelly,e here, see the sound array on the roof over there? Theyre supposed to call on this phone when they hear the sound of enemy reconnaissance nes. ??? Ludm pointed to the telephone on the chest of drawers next to the window; the telephone line was pulled in from outside and was pinned down at the edge of the windowsill with arge brick. Ludm: Then my battle task will begin. Until then, I can only watch them, powerless to do anything. As she spoke, Ludm looked out towards the northern fields. Ludm: The north is rather calm today, isnt it? Nelly nced at the plumes of smoke rising continuously from the north and asked doubtfully, Calm? Extremely calm, dont be fooled by the enemys vigorous shelling, but Alyosha must have withdrawn his troops. Eh? Nelly eximed in surprise, Alyosha young master? Yes, the current Alyosha, Ludmughed, The current Alyosha would never let his troops be swallowed up by the enemys artillery preparation. His forces must have already withdrawn to the third defensive position, which has better protection against artillery. Nelly huhed in response, then after a brief silence she asked, Miss, after all Alyosha is Alyosha, dont you like the current Alyosha? Nelly nodded: I do like him, Im just not quite used to it. Men grow up. Just as Nelly was about to reply, her attention was drawn to the situation in the west side of the city. There seemed to be a major battle breaking out in the west, with tracer rounds flying chaotically. Nelly curiously watched over there. Nelly, Ludm called softly, here, for you. Nelly looked down in surprise and discovered Ludm offering her a pair of binocrs. Taking the binocrs, Nelly looked towards the west. The Rokossovsky family was a military familyin fact, it is rare for a noble family in Ante not to be a military family, as per the empires rank system, titles were generally tied to military ranks. However, the Rokossovsky family was one of those true military families, so most of their servants had some military knowledge. Nelly knew how to operate binocrs and adjust its magnification. Thus, Nelly clearly saw that on the western highway, Ante Army tanks were in a major battle with the enemy tanks. These were the small tanks that had just arrived in Orachi two days earlier to join under themand of Major General Rokossovsky, much smaller than the T34s. Opposing these little tanks was a group of little tanks as well. These little tanks seem to be able to fire continuouslywith most of their tracer rounds being green (the No. 1 only had machine guns, while No. 2 tanks were equipped with autocannons). And Ante Armys small tanks could fire, so the enemy quickly fell into disadvantage. Nelly held binocrs, watching and saying, Looks like we have the advantage? So are we going to win? Ludm gave a bitter smile, Alyosha said it might take three to four years and millions of casualties. At the mention of casualty numbers, Nelly shivered, almost dropping the binocrs, but she immediately caught them. Oh! Ludm pped her hands, and the other women of the Guardian Army joined in apuding. Ludm: Is this the reaction speed you developed to avoid breaking dishes and bowls? Nelly blushed a little. She changed the subject and said, Look, the enemys tank is smoking! Thats smoke, the Prussians like to use smoke, its said mainly to defend against Divine Arrow. In Ronied, the smoke did indeed block our field of fire. We had thought we could control a whole street with Divine Arrow, but when the smoke came, we could only control five hundred meters. Then Yeca Neiko, who wasnt Deputy Knight at the time, ordered us to move forward, and we encountered Prussian infantry on the way. The Gods Arrow Company was nearly wiped out, leaving only a few of us. Ah, dont tell Alyosha. I havent told him about it yet to keep him from worrying. As Ludm spoke, she gently stroked Nellys head. Nelly: Thats dangerous The battlefield. Whether its me or Alyosha, one never knows when one might be gone. You should be careful too, Nelly. I think you should go back, I heard the Rokossovsky family bought a new estate at Mount Raoul. If you go there Nelly shook her head like a tambourine: No, Im not going anywhere. I want to stay with you all! Ludm: Then you need a garrison cap, or you wont look like an orderly. Saying that, she took off the headband from Nellys head and put her own garrison cap on the maids head. Hmm, it looks pretty good, Ludm said with a smile. Thats when the telephone rang. Ludm shouted Battle stations while picking up the telephone: Gods Arrow Company, Brother Peter? Which direction? Okay! After hanging up the telephone, Ludm instructed the Guardian Army, Theyreing straight at us, well hit them head-on. Then shey at the attic window and shouted outside, Ivan! Prepare to move! Nelly: Move? Yes, after firing, we must move immediately. Before, we were nearly hit by a Prussian remote-controlled bombI dont know what Alyosha meant by remote-controlled bomb, but its powerful; it almost killed our entire Divine Arrow. Nelly: Then Ill help too! Okay, take that! Get going first! At that moment, one of the Guardian Army called out, Target sighted! Ludm immediately looked outside the window and indeed saw a twin-engine reconnaissance ne flying this way. Then the next moment, a Divine Arrow rose from the forest and struck it. Ludm was stunned: Eh? Nelly: Whats wrong? Ludm stomped her foot in anger: Damn Katyusha (Ekaterinas nickname), she stole my target! One of the Guardian Army said: As long as the general isnt snatched away, targets and such dont matter. Ludm looked at the Guardian Army, Check Divine Arrow! Reportbat readiness status in ten minutes! Yes! Nelly: Ekaterina has her eye on the young master too? Ludm: Yeah, right now hes a hotmodity; itd be strange if she didnt. Nelly: Miss, you seem pretty proud. I am very proud. Nelly clicked her tongue, when suddenly she remembered a piece of militarymon sense: Wait, so miss, are you now dedicated to air defense? Wasnt Divine Arrow invented to deal with tanks? Alyosha likes to use Divine Arrow for air defense, Ludm shrugged her shoulders, In terms of wild ideas, hes just the same as before. At the same time, Wang Zhong sneezed several times. Then the radio transmitted a call from the 13th Armored Battalion: Lame Wolf calling White Horse, Lame Wolf calling White Horse! Wang Zhong: This is White Horse, go ahead. Lame Wolf has taken out number one and two that cut off our supply line, now preparing to enter the tank hide and meet with number three and four. Wang Zhong immediately switched to the troop perspective. Although ally vision was not highlighted, checking out the situation on the battlefield was not a problem. And he saw a pile of number two and ones wreckage near the highway. Goodness gracious, I asked you to get into the hide and line up against enemy number three and four, but you went ahead and gobbled up number ones and twos reserved for the tank gun? Thisbat spirit, good! Wang Zhong: Lame Wolf, well done, Lame Wolf, well done! Continue the operation. Wang Zhong meant to say it three times, but he said it once less in his excitement. White Horse, leave it to us. Even if we fight until we run out of ammo, well ram the enemy till theyre paralyzed. Wang Zhong: No, I order you, achieve victory and then return alive. Repeat, I order you, achieve victory and then return alive! The other side was silent for a few seconds, then answered, Ill try my best. Lame Wolf, over! Chapter 182: Brother, Will You Forgive Me (Another five updates) Wang Zhong finished responding to the 13th Armored Battalion and refocused his attention on the enemy in front. Because the artillery preparation wasnt done yet, the enemy remained at the edge of Wang Zhongs sight. From a birds-eye view, he could only see a few tanks and not therge troops that were assembling. Through naked-eye vision, one could blurily make out the distribution of therge troops, but since Wang Zhong actually didnt know how to calcte distances and coordinates, he couldnt guide the artillery to attack. Damn it, once the spring mud period arrives next year and everyone is immobilized, I must find an opportunity to properly learn how to calcte distances and coordinates. At this moment, Wang Zhong heard Yegorovs voice and turned his head to see his number one infantry tough guy standing outside the regimental headquarters shelter, shouting, The artillery fire has started to extend. Are we preparing to enter the position? Wang Zhong quickly nced at the aerial view and indeed the point of artillery impact was extending backward. He was about to answer when the enemys smoke bombs arrived. The first and second ambush positions werepletely enveloped in smoke, making it impossible to fire even if one went there. At the same time, the enemy began to advance.To the north were the enemys Armored Grenadiers, and to the northwest were two of the enemys armored battalions, nearly a hundred Mark III and Panzer IV. Wang Zhong looked at Yegorov, pointed to the ground, meaning to stay put. The position was all smoke, and going back wouldnt allow for effective firepower to be used, plus there would be a meat grinder with the infantry. Their rivals were elite infantry, who had fought through Bohemia and the Carolingian. Ever since thest close-quartersbat with the enemys elite infantry at Loktov, Wang Zhong never wanted to engage in closebat with these veteran Prosen soldiers again. Damn it, they were even scarier than tanks. Yegorov gave a thumbs up and turned back into the regimental headquarters shelter. Wang Zhong turned to find the signal soldier waiting on the tank engine hood with a telephone and telephone wire, picked up the phone, Connect to 152 155 battalion. Under Wang Zhongsmand, this heavy artillery battalion was numbered 155, but he always called it 152 because the caliber of the guns in the battalion was 152 millimeters. The phone quickly connected: 155 battalion here, please speak. Wang Zhong: I am Rocossov, aim at the coordinates After he reported the coordinates, the artillery battalion responded, We need about five minutes to reset the firing parameters. I know, I know, you need five minutes. Last time the artillery battalion also said five minutes, but they opened fire in two minutes. Wang Zhong: After settings are done, wait for my orders before firing. Understood, but this time arent we targeting the positions that we have pre-set? Right, targeting the positions would only blow up the infantry, and our fortifications would still allow many infantrymen to survive the st. Well bomb the columns in transit. Phonemunications generally arent eavesdropped on by the enemy because the battlefield is chaotic, and the signal soldiersying the phone lines often cant even find where they areid. So, detailed information can bemunicated over the phone. There was silence from the artillery battalion, and Wang Zhong ced the receiver on his shoulder and continued to observe the enemy forces. The enemy truly had no idea that the 151st Divisions troops were stationed in the third position behind them. They were pressing forward from three directions. Wang Zhong kept the phone on his shoulder while speaking to Alexandria through the vehicles internal line: Aim at the enemy tanks advancing from the nk. You can hit them, right? Leave it to me, Alexandria replied confidently, beginning to turn the turret. At this time, the tank engine wasnt started, so the turret could only be turned using electricity from the batteries, and the batteries of the Ante Empire were terrible, so Alexandria could only turn slowly. The reason for not starting the tank, of course, was that the engine sound was too loud and could be heard by the enemy. The electromechanical engineer of tank 422 stood beside the tank with a crank, just waiting to help turn it over when Beliyakov ignited it. As the enemy finally advanced to the point pre-aimed by Wang Zhong, he shouted, Fire! Soon Wang Zhong heard a whistling sound in the sky, and then the shellsnded right in the middle of the enemys attack formation. When advancing, the Prussians liked to use a rtively dense formation; if a heavy artillery shell could hit between two tanks, there was a chance of simultaneously sting off the tracks of both. A broken track on the battlefield isnt like in games where it gets fixed in just ten seconds. On the battlefield, a broken track means the tank should be temporarily abandoned until afterwards, when the battlefield is retaken, toe back for repairs. Additionally, heavy artillery might even concuss tank crews if it could hit urately. After the first round of 24 shellsnded, all the infantry in the enemys attack formationy down. In Wang Zhongs aerial view, at least 30 infantry were visible as killed by this salvo. Five tanks also stopped their advance, and this rate of casualties was actually eptable. Wang Zhong: Adjust the firing parameters, correct for elevation and traverse Through parameter adjustment, it was possible to finely tune the impact point of the artillery. Wang Zhong had specifically learned a bit about this from Dietrich. Dietrich was now at a gunner observation post on Hill 153. If enemy tanks entered the range of Hill 153s observation post, they were likely to face even more precise attacks. After the second round of high explosive shells came down, another four tanks halted their advance. The enemy tanks all stopped and began releasing smoke. The infantry also got up and threw smoke bombs. It seemed the enemy had judged that they were currently within the view of the artillery observer and chose to obscure the sight lines before continuing to advance. Was it any use, Wang Zhong wondered. Thats when he heard the roar of engines in the sky. He immediately used the aerial view to observe the sky. Recon ne 215! This was to observe our artillery positions! Loktov and Wang Zhong had three B4 howitzers knocked out by this thing. Wang Zhong, Cease fire, artillery battalion cease fire, prepare to move to the backup position. As an experiencedmander, Wang Zhong naturally had a backup position prepared for the artillery battalion. After all, they had been outmaneuvered by the enemy once before. In addition to ordering the artillery battalion to prepare to move, Wang Zhong issued another order, Have the covering troops prepare to burn the tires. Whether the artillery battalion moved or not, the gunners dared not open fire at will while this thing was overhead. Soon, if the enemy upied the position, they couldnt even use it to cover themselves. Now it was time to see the true strength of the infantry and armored troops. Wang Zhong patiently waited for the enemy to enter the firing range of the armored unit. He was waiting when Alexander said, This distance is about right. Any closer and the enemy might rush us and take advantage of the better view. Fire! Wang Zhong checked the distance, 600 meters, indeed already within the effective firing range of ordinary members of the armored unit, so he said to Alexander, Fire! The cannons roared to life immediately. Beliyakov also roared, Crank the handle! Start it up! The mechanical operator put all his strength into cranking the handle furiously. The next moment, the iconic rear exhaust of the T34 belched ck smoke, and the engines roar came to life. Just then, Alexander fired his second shot, urately hitting a Panzer IV. It was then that the other tanks began their first volley of fire. Six enemy tanks were immediately hit. At that moment, a Panzer IV stopped, and its turret turned towards the position of Wang Zhongs third ambush. Wang Zhong, That Panzer IV turning its turret! See it? Its going to fire a smoke bomb at us! Definitely! Loader, Armor-piercing shell, ready! Alexander immediately fired, but the enemy also fired at the same time. Alexanders armor-piercing shell hit the Panzer IVs vertical side armor, and the next moment, the surviving Prussian tank operators jumped out of the tank and ran, with great skill, without dy. It seems Prussian regtions are to protect experienced tank operators, demanding they abandon the tank immediately if they can no longer fight. But the Panzer IVs shell flew slowly, taking two seconds before Wang Zhong heard the explosion and saw the colored smoke from the smoke bomb. Wang Zhong, The Stukas areing! Evacuate the shelter, infantry release smoke! With the previous hands-on experience, the reaction of both the armored and infantry units was very swift. Wang Zhong had already spotted the Stukas, and it would be painful if the Prussians coordinated their bomb drop with artillery fire. The Death Scream came from the sky. The next moment, three Divine Arrows rose from the ground, meeting the diving Stukas! All three Divine Arrows hit their target, and before the Stukas crashed, a second volley of Divine Arrows ascended. The pilots were clearly flustered; they only knew the White General would shoot down reconnaissance nes to block scouting, not that he would use Divine Arrows like fireworks. Struck, the Stukas spiraled down towards the ground. Wang Zhong turned and shouted to Grigori on horseback, Go, capture the pilots! Grigori nodded, mounted his horse, and with the cavalry previously guarding Wang Zhong, galloped towards the crash site of the Stukas. As Wang Zhong expected, the enemys aircraft scattered like monkeys, all flying low to make it harder for the Divine Arrows to find their mark. The aimlessly dropped bombsnded about fifty meters in front of the third ambush spot, a distance that was no cause for concern for the carefully constructed site. The shock wave and shrapnel couldnt harm anyone. Wang Zhong thought to himself that it was fair; if you jam my heavy artillery, I jam your air support. And when we catch the pilots, we can interrogate them properly and pull out some intelligence. - While fierce battles erupted in Orachi, at Saint Ye Katerina Fortress, the Summer Pce. Olga Nikyevna Antonovna was shouting at the guards at the door, Im the princess! How dare you forbid me from entering my own homes rooms? The guard was unmoved, This is themand center, not a salon, Your Highness. Moreover, His Imperial Majesty has personally ordered not to let you in to disturb their meeting. Olga angrily said, What meeting? Discussing how to send nearly a million troops to their doom? We need to retreat now! Guard, Your Highness, shouting at me is futile. Even if I concede you are right, I still cant let you in. Olga took a deep breath, shook her head, and walked away. Once she got some distance, in a corridor with no guards, Olga quietly took out an exquisite sachet and from it, pulled out a gold ring. The ring was identical to His Royal Highness the Crown Princes ring. Though I dont like to use the fake ring I cast in secret, the situation is urgent, brother, you will forgive me. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 183: Rising Tide On Wang Zhongs side. After the Air Forces attack was dispersed by Divine Arrow, the Prussian Army did not stop their assault. The enemys Panzer IVs and mortars added more smoke to the ground, and then the mixed cluster of armored vehicles and infantry attacking the nk directly turned towards Wang Zhong and his colleagues at the third ambush position. Meanwhile, the armored grenadiers originally attacking from the north continued to advance towards the now-empty first and second ambush positions. The enemys choice was understandable; retreating to reorganize the attack would have wasted one or two hours. Such a division-level offensive action, being able to organize an attack within two hours, would already be considered elite. The staff officers at all levels must have been very experienced. Wang Zhong had already prepared for this situation. Although his principle in setting up the positions was to avoid closebat as much as possible, facing the Prussian Army who liked using smoke, he had to consider the possibility of hand-to-handbat. Wang Zhong, Tank column, follow mymand, remind each other without radio, maneuver to the nk.In addition to tank bunkers, Wang Zhong had prepared many points for side attacks and had all 30 tank drivers familiarize themselves with the routes between several points in jeeps so they could quickly change their positions duringbat. The main reason they were unable to change positions during the Stuka raid yesterday was that many crew members were on the battlefield for the first time, so busy firing their guns they didnt notice theirrades beginning to maneuver. Today, Wang Zhong especially arranged a messenger behind each tank, who normallyy behind the tank gun turret and, seeing other tanks maneuver, would lift the lid of the turret to notify the inside crew. This could be considered a form of human radio. The good news was that themunication efficiency was alright; the bad news was that it was manpower-intensive, with the person outside often injured by stray bullets. Damn it, Wang Zhong was fed up with fighting this frustrating war. Next year, when the aid from the Federation arrived, he would definitely equip the entire army with Shermans. In the second year of the war, the Sherman was basically a true god on the battlefield. The Sturmtiger, with its short 50 tank gun, couldnt even scratch therge sloped front armors of the Shermans. The reputation of the Sherman only copsed in 43 when facing Tiger and Panther tanks. While thinking this, Wang Zhong led his troops to maneuver to the side firing positions. As he passed by Yegorovsmand bunker, he saw Yegoroving out and shouted, Ill leave the front to you! Dont worry. Guys, remember the anti-tank techniques I taught you: First, cut off the infantry; second, find a way to get close to the blind spots in the tanks visionthe closer you are, the less the tank can see you; and finally, throw Molotov cocktails! Two people in a team; the first throws grenades to scatter the infantry, the second approaches to ensure the Molotov cocktail hits the engines cooling cover! Wang Zhong left Yegorovs words behind in his head. The battlefield demands specialization, and Wang Zhongs tank toons task was to upy the nk, circumventing the enemys smoke cover to shoot at the reinforcements. The meat grinder at the front had Yegorovs two battalions. As Tank 422 sped towards its predetermined position, a signal re rose from the distant forest. This was a re shot by the scouts left behind, mainly to inform the friendly forces that the enemy had charged the position, so artillery cover could be provided in time. But Wang Zhong looked up at the sky. The enemys Do 215 reconnaissance ne was lingering overhead, and even if they ignited the hard-gathered tires to produce ck smoke, there was no guarantee the enemy wouldpletely fail to notice the artillery positions. The enemys heavy artillery had just finished preparing for fire and upon receiving coordinates provided by the observation ne, could start firing immediately. Wang Zhong had already lost three B4 guns like this in Loktov. If it had now reached the critical moment where not firing would mean the front couldnt hold, Wang Zhong would have ordered to open fire. But it was obvious that it hadnt reached that point yet. So he looked again at the signal re in the sky and quietly said, Im sorry. The current Wang Zhong was able to make such tough decisions, heart as hard as iron. Yegorov ran around the trench and returned to themand shelter, where the battalion staff officer immediately said, A signal re has gone up. The enemy must have entered the position we abandoned. Why arent we covering with fire? Theres a reconnaissance ne in the sky, Yegorov pointed to the sky. That craft will tell the enemy artillery where our artillery positions are. The staff officer immediately got close to the shelters observation window, ducking down to look up at the sky, trying to spot the reconnaissance ne. It should be over Orachi. The noise is blocked by the outer wall. Youll hear the roar as soon as you step out the door. Staff officer, Then arent we just sacrificing the scout who risked his life tounch the signal re? He must have been spotted by the enemy! Yegorov nodded, Yes. But even if there were no enemy reconnaissance nes, covering the location of the scout with artillery would still mean his death it would just be death by friendly fire instead of being killed by the enemy. There are countless things like this on the battlefield. The staff officer pursed his lips and didnt speak. At this moment, at the first ambush position. Private Semyon was skirmishing with the enemy, taking cover in the woods. The light from the still-floating signal re shone from behind him to the side. To enable the scout to deal with the numerous enemies, Semyons weapon was switched from the Tokarev to a captured MP submachine gun. He covered his Imperial Guard cloak with ayer of grass so he could better hide in the bushes. However, all his efforts to stay hidden became ineffective the moment the signal re went up, and Semyon had to face a toon of enemies pursuing him. He ran between the birch trees, like a startled rabbit, bing a lingering shadow in the woods. He continuously swept the enemy with his submachine gun. A Prussian toon leader was hit by a stray bullet from the submachine gun and fell, clutching his chest, while his deputy toon leader yelled something to the others behind him. Then a machine gunner rushed over, setting up his machine gun between the roots beneath a birch tree. The tearing sound of gunfire echoed through the woods, the bullets stripping the bark off birch trees that had grown for who knows how many years, creating a shower of flying wood chips. Xiemiaos eyebrows were cut by the wood chips, blood trailing down his cheeks. He was still running, asionally firing backwards. Though he wasnt aiming, his sporadic shooting still slowed the cautious Prussians pursuit. From a distance, the voice of Aleksei, theradeing to meet him, suddenly came, Xiemiao, run this way! Wheres your re? It turned out that therades hiding in the forest hadnt seen any res go up. Xiemiao: I fired it! Why hasnt the artillerye down yet? Xiemiao! Aleksei yelled, Run to themunication trench! We are in themunication trench! As Aleksei spoke, he fired his Tokarev, trying to stop the enemy from pursuing. As a result, the enemys machine gun immediately swung around, forcing Aleksei to abandon his position and dash towards themunication trench as well. Xiemiaos submachine gun was out of ammo, and in his frantic attempt to reload, a bullet severed his thumb and the full magazine dropped to the ground. Xiemiao screamed. The enemy was closing in; he didnt dare pick up the magazine and just kept running forward, all the while shouting, Wheres our artillery? I fired the re! And I specifically stayed around the designated impact zone! Wheres our artillery? Aleksei had reached themunication trench and joined forces with a squad inside. The squad leader yelled, Xiemiao! Run ahead, well cover you! Fire at will! The final word was addressed to everyone in themunication trench, and so six Tokarevs fired in unison. The enemys machine gun immediately swung around to suppress themunication trench. But this was precisely the squad leaders strategythis way, Xiemiao should be able to escape! However, no one noticed that about three hundred meters from themunication trench, and less than two hundred meters from Xiemiao, a Prussian sergeant, leaning against a birch tree, raised his bolt-action 98K rifle. The sergeant also had an unlit cigarette in his mouth, the insignia of an experienced veteran on his arm proiming his status as an old soldier. He carefully adjusted the sight and took precise aim. At the moment the rifle fired, Xiemiaos entire body suddenly twitched, his back stiffenedpletely. He opened his arms, like a bird spreading its wings to fly, and his submachine gun fell to the ground. Aleksei cried out, Xiemiao! Xiemiao fell to his knees, plunging his face toward the ground. In thest moment of his life, he thought of the day of hising-of-age ceremony, the bonfire party in the vige, where the girl he loved grabbed him, running towards the threshing floor. Just like then, he had been pushed down onto the pile of wheat on the threshing floor by the girl. Aleksei turned to the squad leader who came to help and shouted, Why is there no artillery? Why? Squad leader: Listen to the sound in the sky, theres an enemy observation ne! This is how we lost half an artillery battalion in Loktov! When the enemys observation ne is present, we cant fire and expose our artillery positions! Aleksei: Then did Xiemiao die for nothing? The artillery is a precious piece of technical equipment, more valuable than Xiemiao, than you, than me! More valuable than all of us! Instead of shouting at me here, channel your anger towards the Prussians! With that, the squad leader grabbed Alekseis cor and forced him to look towards the approaching Prussians: Pick up your Tokarev and fire, Imperial Guard soldiers never shy away at times like this! Aleksei took a few deep breaths and raised his rifle to aim at the enemy. Squad leader: Fire, private! Aleksei pulled the trigger, channeling the unavenged fury of his fallen friend into the bullets. The Tokarev faithfully executed its task, the action automatically recoiling, ejecting the spent casing through the ejection port. Aleksei continued to shoot, his bullets flying towards the detested enemy. Facing the fierce semi-automatic firepower of a squad, the Prussian Army retreated-the covering forest wasnt suited to their light machine guns and bolt-action rifles were even less suitable for jungle warfare. Aleksei saw the retreating back of a Prussian soldier, so he swung the rifle around and took aim. Alekseis experience wasnt enough for him to think of adjusting the sights under these circumstances. He just lined up the notch on the rear sight with the bead on the barrel, aimed at the figure, then pulled the trigger repeatedly, emptying the magazine of its remaining bullets. The target was hit, the body spasming once before twisting and falling to the ground. Although there was no evidence that the killed was the actual perpetrator who had killed Xiemiao, Aleksei still roared in rage. Chapter 184: Surging Waves Hitting Shore (Extra for 15,000 monthly votes) Wang Zhongs tank unit quickly maneuvered to a nking firing position and opened fire before evening to a stop. The other tanks also opened fire after turning to face the enemy. The Prussians reacted quickly as well. Previously, they were merely caught off guard by the overly scientific tank fortifications created by Wang Zhong, but now the T34s firing in the open field were naturally spotted immediately. In fact, before long, both sides on the Eastern front would learn to dig a pit to hide the lower half of their tanks, leaving only the turret exposed to fire. At this moment, the distance between the two sides was less than five hundred meters, and the fierce exchange of fire began. The enemy needed precise aiming to hit the turret of a T34, whereas the T34 could fire as soon as its scope was set. Moreover, in terms of armor, the T34 had a clear advantage; even if the turret was jammed, the crew inside remained alive. A hit from the T34s 76-caliber gun could kill at least half of an enemy tanks crew. After twenty minutes of exchange, the enemy began to release smoke to retreat.Wang Zhong, seeing the enemy release smoke, took a long breath of relief. This exchange was different from before, his side had no terrain advantage, at best only slight cover provided by the forest and underbrush. This was a real artillery duel, and in the end, Wang Zhongs unit held the upper hand. Wang Zhong, Report from each vehicle, how many have their turrets jammed? Firstmand vehicle, all clear. Secondmand vehicle, all clear. Third toon reporting, my tracks are off. After checking themand vehicles with radios, Wang Zhong ordered an assessment of the tanks without radios. During the tally, he shifted his focus to Yegorovs position. Because Wang Zhong had moved out of the directmand range of Yegorov, the headquarters of the 31st Guards Regiment, the Second and Third Infantry battalions all became military symbols on the map. Fortunately, Wang Zhongs vision covered almost half the battlefield, allowing him to clearly see the carnage within the smokethe tank units nk fire had only cut off the enemys reinforcements; the tanks and infantry that had charged the positions needed to be dealt with by Yegorovs troops. A fierce mixedbat of infantry and tanks was underway. Yegorov split his troops into multiplebat groups, first using grenades to suppress the infantry around the tanks, and then directing grenadiers to throw Molotov cocktails. The fight was extremely fierce, but fortunately, Yegorovs troops were thick enough to sustain the casualties of the meat grinder. While Wang Zhong was focused on that side, the tally here waspleted. The toon leader reported via radio, A total of 6 tanks have their turrets jammed, and 2 have broken tracks. The ones with broken tracks are being rapidly repaired; the jammed turrets will probably have to wait for the mechanics from the tractor factory to fix them tonight. Good, Wang Zhong had just started speaking when soldiers called out from the distance, The enemy ising from the woods! Wang Zhong hurriedly turned his head, relying on the light-up mechanism to see arge number of Prosen soldiers approaching from the woods; these were the enemies who had just taken the First Ambush position, pressing on along the woods. The infantry toon reporting to Wang Zhong looked to be on sentry duty in amunication trench between positions. Wang Zhong, Are the mines activated? Activated, General! But we didnt nt many mines between positions because we were afraid of friendly fire, the squad leader leading the team said. Wang Zhong, All tanks, change formation. The enemy is pushing from the woods, prepare to intercept with machine gun fire! Saying this, Wang Zhong himself picked up the anti-aircraft machine gun on top of the turret and started firing at the Prussians in the woods. Then the Prussian machine guns opened fire, forcing Wang Zhong to duck back behind the cover formed by the tanks hatch. It was then that Alexandria opened fire, a high-explosive shell broke a birch tree and exploded before hitting the enemy machine gun, the shrapnel instantly felling five enemies. But the machine gun was still firing, bullets dinging against the turret. It was at this moment that the driver-operator started firing the hull machine gun, the tracer bullets counterattacking the enemy machine guns tracer fire, reminiscent of the pdash special effects kung fu movies Wang Zhong had watched as a child, with both sides exchanging sts. Then the enemy repeated their old trick and released smoke. Wang Zhong immediately ordered, Establish a fire sector, just like weve practiced! Indeed, because the enemy liked to use smoke, Wang Zhongs troops, whether infantry or armored forces, had trained to weave a web of fire even without visibility. The enemy tried to surge forward, but upon realizing that prating the dense fire would result in too many losses, they decisively chose to retreat. However, Wang Zhongs side had only one toon of infantry from the initial withdrawal and two additional toons that cameter to support; they did not dare to pursue. Tanks were too vulnerable to close-range infantry attacks in the forest. The standoff continued on both sides. Once it was confirmed that the enemy infantry could not advance, Wang Zhong turned his attention to Yegorovs situation and found that the 31st Guards Regiment had also repelled the enemys attack. Seven Panzer IVs were burning near the defensive trenches of the Third Battalion, and three more tanks had crossed the first trench line but were destroyed before the second trench line. In addition to ten Panzer IVs, the enemy also left behind about 200 bodiesWang Zhong was estimating since his ability did not highlight corpses. Once it was confirmed that the enemy hadpletely retreated, Wang Zhong took a breath of relief. ` But the problem wasnt resolved, as the enemy still upied half of the forest. Ifter the enemys artillery groups start their fire preparation again and force Wang Zhongs troops out of their positions, its likely the position might bepletely lost. The only solution was to carry out a fire strike on the lost positions immediately, and then send in the first battalion, which had been kept in reserve, to counterattack. Wang Zhong raised his head and looked at the reconnaissance aircraft that had been circling in the sky, the Dao 215. Damn, this was the first time Wang Zhong found reconnaissance aircraft so annoying. Or should half of the artillery battalion fire, sacrificing half of the artillery to take back the position? What would happen afterward? Their own artillery firepower would have been depleted, while the enemy remained unharmed Wang Zhong was mired in a dilemma. s, he wondered how much fuel the enemy aircraft had left. The Prosen Army, 141st High-altitude Reconnaissance Squad, Aircraft No. 229. The pilot looked at the fuel gauge and reported to themander, who was also the navigator of the aircraft, through the intra-nemunication, Fuel has gone below the warning level, we should head back or else well be forced to make a roughnding on those bad mud roads. Themander said, No, the army below needs us, just because were up here, the Ante Army wouldnt dare to use heavy artillery. Lets stay a bit longer, or request our squad to send a ne to rece us. Ill request the squad for the recement, radio operator! The radio operator started calling, Eagles Nest, Eagles Nest, Vulture 29 calling, Vulture 29 calling. The squads response came immediately, Vulture 29, this is Eagles Nest. Your fuel should be at the critical level, return immediately. The squads response was heard by everyone in the aircraft through the intra-nemunication circuit. The pilot and co-pilot exchanged nces. Commander, the squad said so, said the pilot. Themander directly contacted the radio, Eagles Nest, Eagles Nest, my aircraft is suppressing the enemys defensive fire, requesting someone to rece my aircraft. After a brief silence, the response from Eagles Nest came through, No go, all reconnaissance nes have been deployed, all reconnaissance nes have been deployed. Return immediately, over. In the cockpit, themander-cum-navigator sighed, took off his sses, and began massaging the Jingming acupoint. After a moment of silence, he said, Radio operator, call Wolf. Wolf, Wolf, this is Vulture 29 calling. Wolf, Wolf This is Wolf, have you spotted the enemy artillery positions? The voice was distorted through the radio, but the excitement on the other end was still discernible. The radio operator fell silent, turning to look at themandertheir seats back to back. Themander picked up the handset, No, the call was to inform you we are leaving. Over. What? The response on the other end came immediately, dismissing any radiomunication protocol, If you leave now, their artillery will start firing! We will have many, many casualties! I apologize for this, themander replied, but were running low on fuel and must return immediately. Isnt there another reconnaissance ne that can take over? All reconnaissance nes are on missions; no one can rece us, themander said, temporarily turning off the microphone and letting out a long sigh. The ground fell silent. The pilot reminded him, The fuel keeps dropping, and although we have reserve fuel tanks for emergencies, they wontst long. Im not confident about making a forcednding on Antes terrible roads. If thending gear hit a single pothole or stone duringnding, it would be a disaster for both the aircraft and the crew. And Antes roads were only about a quarter the quality of the standard roads within the Prosen Empire, filled with potholes and stones. Therefore, even the most experienced Prosen pilot wouldnt dare to make a forcednding on Antes roads. Themander didnt answer the pilot, but waited patiently for Wolfs reply. Eventually, everyones headset ryed Wolfs voice, Understood, wish you a safe journey. Themander said, I also wish you victory. After cutting off themunication, themander looked at the navigators station in front of him and ordered, Turn to a new heading of 200, were returning. While the pilot repeated the order, the aircraft tilted and began a counterclockwise spiral. Kluge looked up at the reconnaissance ne turning to leave and cursed, Damn it, I thought the Air Force was reliable for once! Themander of the 16th Armored Division asked, What do we do now? My unit has suffered heavy casualties and were currently stopped in front of Hill 153. The enemy has dug some strange tank entrenchments, and were not getting anywhere in a shootout. Kluges lips pursed, his palm clenched into a fist, then released. Finally, he made up his mind, Onest try. Order the artillery to begin fire preparation, targeting the enemys current defensive positions! The second and third battalions of armored grenadiers in the forest are to organize a new wave of attacks during the artillery preparation! Once Wang Zhong confirmed through the birds-eye view that the enemy reconnaissance aircraft had indeed left, he decisively ordered through the radio transmission, This is White Horse, target the first preset position, fire! ` Chapter 185: Ebb Tide (16,000 monthly votes plus update) Wang Zhong originally nned to leave behind a group of volunteers who would stay in the bombproof shelters at the position, withstand the enemys firepower, and dy the attacking infantry. The main force would then retreat to the secondary position and waityes, under Wang Zhongsmand in Orachi,yer uponyer of defensive positions were dug, and extensive earthworks were carried out. There was no choice, with only so many troops, constructing more fortifications was essential to face the superior enemy. If he were to write a booklet on defensive warfare after the battle, he would definitely include this, If you do not have enough troops, then prepare more defensive works. Of course, the fortifications built by Wang Zhong had ws. Firstly, the ck soil of Kazarlia was too soft; without sufficient concrete, it was almost impossible to build strong underground fortifications. Secondly, the terrain near Orachi was too t. Although forests provided cover, there was ack of reverse slopes for protection against artillery. Given this situation, Wang Zhong made some designs, with the most important being that the first twoyers of positions, aside from tank emcements, had no artillery protection. And because of the entrance structure, the tank emcements could easily be hit by shells fired from near Orachi, so they werent very protective against artillery either.This design was intentional because the first twoyers of positions were meant for ambushes, with the thirdyer being the main defensive line. However, if there were no troops in the first twoyers of positions when the enemy attacked in the morning, they would still have to prepare for artillery fire on these positions. All of thisbat experience didnt originate from Wang Zhong himself; it all came from various booklets he had read. As a military enthusiast, Wang Zhong collected many such booklets, including ones published by our country like How to Fight Tanks and How to Fight Aircrafts, brimming with theoretical knowledge. In summary, by the time Wang Zhong ordered the artillery to fire, his main force had already retreated to the next line of positions, leaving only the volunteersor should we call them the Dare to Die squadon the third line. On the third line of positions, there were solid shelters made of the hard-won concrete, in which those hiding could survive a heavy artillery bombardmentsting two hours with quite high odds, and these people could then use the machine guns of the position to block enemy attacking units. However, since the enemys reconnaissance ne had gone, the situation was simpler: you cover me, I cover you, and no one would be able to immediately organize an assault after the artillery fire ceased. The Dare to Die squads, originally the main force, now became an insurance, preventing the enemy from being so audacious as to be able to organize an attack wave immediately after the bombardment. Now, right after Wang Zhongs side fired, the enemy also opened fire. However, Wang Zhongs main force had already pulled out, and the Dare to Die squad left behind were all in strong support points. The enemy infantry in the forest hadnt had time to withdrawapparently, they hadnt expected the aircraft overhead to leave. Wang Zhong watched as sections of the forest marked in red disappeared, and couldnt helpughing out loud: Haha, Ive won yet another exchange! He checked his watch; it was already three in the afternoon. By the time the cover fire ended and the reserve units weremitted to a counterattack to recapture the entire position, todays battle shoulde to an end. ? He waved his hand, and the battalionmander of the reserve unit climbed onto the tank, General, is it time for us to move out? Yes, the second and third battalions will reenter the positions we just vacated, and the task of clearing remaining enemy forces in the forest falls to you. The battalionmander saluted, Mission aplished! That response was very much like the army Wang Zhong was familiar with. In the dugout of the Fifth Bieshensk Regiments headquarters, the messenger Misha sighed deeply and said to Colonel Eugene, Why is there nothing for us to do again? Look at all the excitement over there! Does the General look down on us? Stop talking nonsense. Captain Andrei, who had been assigned to the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment as the Chief of Staff, said loudly, Our assigned positions are also very important; this is the only high ground overlooking the entire in, and the artillery observation post is located here. If we lose this, the whole situation will be passive. Misha asked, How passive? Lets put it this way, if we lose this position, the General might sacrifice half a division to recapture it. Even if we lose Orachi, this ce cannot be lost. Captain Andrei had barely finished speaking when the battalionmander of the Thirteenth Armored Battalion of the Fifth Tank Army, Olof, lifted the curtain at the entrance of the dugout and came in, My tank operators need water and food. Colonel Eugene had been silent when Mishained, but immediately nodded in response to Olofs words, I will order someone to fetch it right away. Olof turned to Captain Andrei and asked, Whomanded the digging of this dugout? Its quite remarkable. Although the size of the dugout isnt quite suited for our T26 series and slightly affects the firing angle, if we park the tanks further back and ce them on the ramps of the dugout exit, the height is just about right. In such dugouts, even those Prussians would find it difficult to hit us urately. Captain Andrei, Of course, it was General Rokossovsky whomanded the digging of the dugout; its his unique design, not found in any operational manual or ordinance issued by the Imperial Armored Troops headquarters. Olof nodded, I knew that, I was originally a tank operator! His Excellency the Inspector General of Armored Troops would say that a tanks main task is to attack, attack, and keep attacking! The battalionmander imitated the Inspector Generals tone; his serious manner actually made him look somewhatical. Olof, If you ask me, that Inspector General is a Prussian fanboy! Just like how the Tsar was ackey of Frederick the Great back in the day! Isnt it strange that, when ites to radios, the Inspector General suddenly wants to draw a line with the Prussians? The Prussians have radios in every tank, yet we only have them in the toon leaders vehicle! Captain Andrei felt a bit awkward, Im not very familiar with armored troops matters; I studied in the infantry. Colonel Eugene, I studied minerals. Olof looked at the Colonel in surprise, What? Im a mine manager, switched to military service ording to the empires relevantws, Colonel Eugene shrugged, I know you two must feel ufortable being under mymand. Olof, Not at all, you have organized the defense very well. Major pointed at Captain Andrei, It was all his doing. I just oversaw the digging of the anti-shell bunkers. The soil here is somewhat simr to when I was a mine manager; to excavate tunnels safely requires good structural support At that moment, the telephone rang. Captain Andrei went over to answer it, Its from the Belensk Regiment. Mm-hmm, I see. After hanging up, the Captain turned to the Major, The artillery observation post saw the tanks in front of us beginning to retreat. Company Commander Olofughed, Well, isnt that right? We destroyed at least 20 of their Mark IIIs and IVs, not to mention the Mark Is and IIs taken out in the highway melee. Weve inflicted heavy damage on the enemy division. I originally thought our battalion was done for, but victory turned out to be so easily won. The General told me that my mission was not only to win but also to survive. I thought I wouldntplete either one, and now Ive done both. It was clear, Olof was very happy. He continued, Its a pity, though. The General onlymands a temporary infantry division. If he were inmand of our 5th Tank Army, then maybe we wouldnt have been routed so meaninglessly. The other people in the room exchanged looks; they were miners and infantrymen, so they couldnt point out to Olof that even if White Horse Generalmanded the T26s, they probably wouldnt achieve any spectacr results in battle. Olof went to themand posts observation window, looking at the retreating enemy in the distance. At that time, his second-inmand came in saluting, Company Commander, the loss count isplete, we have 14 tanks intact. Ive reorganized the tank crews that suffered casualties, and we have an eight-man gap for gunners, with four extra drivers. After speaking, the second-inmand handed over a clipboard with documents attached, Take a look. Olof took the clipboard and read out the names of the fallen tank operators one by one. At this point, runner Misha said, General Rokossovsky seems to be able to recite all our names from memory; hes recognized and called people by name several times already in the regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Eugene nodded, Ive heard about that too, but its normal for such an outstanding military man to be knowledgeable and well-read. Captain Andrei said, It has a huge impact on boosting morale. The General must have memorized all our names for that reason. Misha sighed again, Ah, I thought after this battle wed be close to bing guards. That cloak would be so dapper, but now the fighting has been done by others. Lieutenant Colonel Eugene was about to speak when the artillery outside suddenly stopped. The Colonel immediately went to the observation window and joined Company Commander Olof in looking outside. No more shells fell from the direction of the forest. The enemys bombardment also stopped almost at the same time. Lieutenant Colonel Eugene asked, Whats happening? A tank battle? Company Commander Olof replied, I dont know, but I think it should be infantry retaking positions. Todays battle is probably about finished. Misha dered, Hey! We missed out on the action again! Captain Andrei looked at him, then turned to Lieutenant Colonel Eugene and suggested, We should have the priestsfort the soldiers emotions. Being eager to fight is good, but its bad if it leads to bottled-up emotions. The Colonel nodded, Alright. Besides, Im pretty good at handling these situations; I was a mine manager after all. Come on, Misha, tell me about it! Whats there to say, Colonel! I want to be a guard as soon as possible, that cloak is just too stylish! The Colonel shook his head, No, we dont fight for a stylish cloak. We fight to protect our homnd from enemy ravaging. We are Company Commander Olof looked at his second-inmand and said, This sermonizing tone sounds like my mother. The second-inmand just smiled. At that moment, singing suddenly came from outside the bunker, it was Well Be Found Beneath the Rubble: Please carry us out of the rubble, Parting forever with our beloved tank. Let the guns fire in salute as the armor parades, To take us on our final journey. Let the guns fire in salute as the armor parades, To take us on our final journey. Olof stormed to the entrance of the bunker, shouting at those outside, Why has the perfectly good Tanks Roaring Over the Fields been turned into this! Who changed it? Was it you, Kumachi! Come here! The one called Kumachi, a tank operator, approached, Reporting, Company Commander, I was just expressing the sentiment from yesterdays total defeat! We werent totally defeated! Isnt our battalion still here? We showed those Prosen bastards today! In the future, well continue to make them pay! Dont you ever change the song like that again! Yes, sir! Kumachi saluted. Olof said, On second thought, the lyrics about tanks roaring over the fields arent that great either. Lets sing something more upbeat, how about Dark-Eyed Girl! With that, Olof himself started to sing, his cheerful melody echoing over the battlefield. Chapter 186: Youre Welcome, Your Highness Wang Zhongs side. After more than an hour of white-weaponbat, the infantry had once again expelled the battered Prosen armored grenadiers from the forest and recaptured the first and second positions. Wang Zhong ordered sentries to be left at the positions and gave up the recently secured ground. He had a feeling that tonight, the enemy would also resort to ndestine artillery shelling. If the enemyunched a night attack, the sentries would fire signal res. This time, the res would surely call down artillery fire. Before dusk had fallen, the workers apanying the army began to repair the tanks that had been disabled. Compared to yesterday, today the armored units under Wang Zhongsmand had only been damaged, not lost, and should be repairable. Wang Zhong had a premonition that the workers recruited from the tractor factory might end up fighting alongside him throughout the entire battle. When night fell, Wang Zhong returned once more to the division headquarters in the city. As soon as he entered, he heard strange noises.He paused, puzzled, in front of the map room, looking towards the source of the sounds. Pavlov opened the door to the map room, Whats wrong? Why dont youe in? Wang Zhong pointed in the direction of the noise, Whats going on here? Ah, the Tribunals people are interrogating the Prosen pilots your guard captured, trying to extract the location of the enemy airfield. Good lord, was that noise the legendary Great Memory Recovery Technique? It was quite loud. Pavlov, Do you want to go take a look? Wang Zhong shook his head, No, lets not. How many pilots have we captured? Two. How many more do you want? The nes hit by Divine Arrow burn up immediately; its impressive that two survived, Pavlov shrugged. When they were first captured, they were still ranting, using us of using Divine Arrow against aircraft, saying wecked martial virtue. Wang Zhong, Were forced into it. If we had an Air Force, we wouldnt have to do this. As he spoke, he stopped and stared at Pavlov. Pavlov frowned, sensing that things were not so simple, and asked with a stern face, Whats wrong? Every time you look at me like that, I get goosebumps! Just say what you have to say! Wang Zhong, Could you get heavy mortars? Pavlov, You never mentioned this to me before, why are you suddenly asking for it now? Wang Zhong put his hand on Pavlovs shoulder, pulled him into the map room, shutting out the noise of the Great Memory Recovery Technique in the corridor, and then answered, Before, I didnt realize the use of it. Today, when enemy reconnaissance aircraft suppressed artillery support, I realized that mortars are good. Theyre quiet duringunch, and high-flying reconnaissance nes definitely wont see them. The uracy might be worse, but they fire quickly. And the killing effect of heavy mortars is not much less than that of heavy artillery. We need to have these. Pavlov raised an eyebrow, You mean, youve only just realized the advantages of this weapon? I thought you, as a genius military strategist, deemed it useless at the start, thats why you didnt ask me for it. Wang Zhong, a bit embarrassed, thought to himself that he was a civilian, how could he know about this? He didnt even like using mortars when ying Steel Division. But he couldnt say this, so Wang Zhong responded, I graduatedst in my ss, how could I know these things? Dont remind me of yourst ce, Pavlov shook his head. Were almost embarrassed to mention our own military school results! Just admit you were controlling your score to take care of the Crown Prince, please! Popovughed heartily. Wang Zhong was embarrassed. What was this, he couldnt even admit to being bad? He really was bad. Never mind, he decided to continue with the important matters, Anyway, get us mortars quickly, as soon as possible, ideally from Argesukov tonight. That way, when were suppressed by reconnaissance tomorrow, at least we could use the heavy mortars for covering fire. Pavlov, Ill do my best. But the situation at Argesukov isnt great either, the enemy on the southern front made significant advances today, they might not have time to consider our equipment request. Upon hearing Pavlov say this, Wang Zhong looked towards the map on the wall; sure enough, the breakthrough arrow on the southern front had grown longer. Damn it, Wang Zhong thought, the grand encirclement of Kiev on Earth was all thanks to the central forces Second Armored Army Groups wild rush, while the slower First Armored Army Group on the south was even mocked by the former. And here, he and Duke Meishikin were holding back the Second Armored Group, and now the First Armored Group on the south began their wild charge. So history is bound to correct itself? Argesukov is just ying out the Kiev script? Wang Zhong looked at that breakthrough arrow, then at the two Army Groups blocking it and asked, How capable are the Eighth and Twenty-second Infantry Army Groups? Can they hold out? Pavlov, If you were inmand, maybe they could hold. After all, youre a defense expert trained by Loktov. But these Army Groups arent under yourmand, and as far as I know, theirmanders are ssmates of themander of the cut-off Thirty-fifth Army Group from yesterday. Good grief! Wang Zhong gritted his teeth as he looked at the operation status map, What is the Front Army Headquarters doing? The situation is so obvious now, they should be retreating, retreating through the corridor held by us and Duke Meishikin. If they retreat, they can still take part in the defense of St. Ye Katerina Fortress. Pavlov: Its possible that His Majesty the Tsar wont allow a retreat. Wang Zhong: What is His Majesty the Tsar doing? And the Crown Prince, hurry and advise him! St. Ye Katerina Fortress, 2100 hours at night. Her Highness Princess Olga Nikyevna Antonovna yelled at General Tugenev, the chief of the High Commands Military Orders Department, Why cant the order be issued? I have the stamp! The general offered a bitter smile, Your Highness, even if you brought your brothers stamp, it would not allow us to issue the order. We could consider it with His Majesty the Tsars stampof course, this consideration mainly means confirming with His Majesty the Tsar himself. Olga: Dont you see? Argesukov is about to be encircled! Of course, we see that. Even if we didnt yesterday, we do today, General Tugenev said, But the army is not ours; it belongs to His Majesty the Tsar. If His Majesty wants to send the troops to their doom there, we also Olga: The army belongs to the Ante Empire! The general: Your Highness, havent you been associating too closely with the leaders of the Secr faction? Olga: Never mind how close I get, dont you all want to save our military at all? There are your friends, students, and old subordinates there, arent there? General Tugenev sighed, What can we do about it? Now, whoever tries to persuade His Majesty the Tsar to retreat will be out in the cold. Currently, His Majesty holds the authority over military personnel appointments and dismissals, not the church. No one dares to suggest retreating anymore. General Tugenev also gave Princess Olga a meaningful look, indicating that he knew one of the big reasons the Tsar was so intransigent was that the princess before him had caused the Tsar to lose face. Ridiculous! Olga shook her head repeatedly, Utterly ridiculous. General Tugenev: Your Highness, be careful not to let your father hear you say that. Olga looked at the general, Then what can I possibly do? Just like before, have the logistics department send reinforcements to Major General Rocossov. Ive heard thatthe reinforcements provided by the Crown Prince, in Rocossovs hands, had an extraordinary impact. Olga: Can logistics still send supplies now? General Tugenev replied, Ah, sending them from Argesukov right now looks rather dangerous. With the advance of the Prussian Army, their front-line airfields have also moved forward. The railway leading to Argesukov is being brutally ravaged by the enemy aircraft; the transportation capacity has already dropped to fifteen percent of what it was. However, the position held by Major General Rocossov can receive ample supplies from other ces. The railway hub controlled by Duke Meishikin at Shepetovka can receive our supply trains, and the duke can then find a way to send the goods to the major general. What do you n to send? Olga seemed troubled, I I dont know what he needs over there. Can you send a telegram to ask? General Tugenev: How did you think to send T34s and B4 heavy artillery before? Because the previous reports said he destroyed a hundred enemy tanks at Upper Peniye, and he did it with the T28, an outdated model! Olgas voice involuntarily rose, So of course, I thought sending T34s over might allow him to perform even better. General Tugenev replied, Then just like that time, you can find a way to send him T34s. With the stamp of the Crown Prince and being Her Highness the Princess yourself, wouldnt it be fine tomandeer the freshly produced T34s from the factories in the city? After considering for a moment, Olga nodded, You do have a point. But Id have to send the tank crews as well, wouldnt I? Where do I find tank crews? The ones sent before were all for parade purposes; where do I find crews that havent been called to the front line yet? There are quite a few tank operators just mobilized, answered General Tugenev. Why not go to the recruitment stations and dig out those who have received tank operator training? Olga fixed her gaze on General Tugenev, I suddenly suspect youre deliberately advising me on how to get things done. Oh, I wouldnt presume to do that, Im just answering the questions posed by Her Highness the Princess. As a military man, of course, I must respond seriously and respectfully to questions from the royal family, General Tugenev dered, lifting his head proudly. Olga: Do you also believe that Major General Rocossov can turn the tide? I dont think so. If he were an Army Group Commander, maybe it would be possible, but hes only a divisionmander, General Tugenev shook his head. Olga: I think he ought to be a Front Army Commander. Then he will have to prove he at least has the capability tomand an Army Group. Being able tomand a small unit well doesnt mean one canmand arge one, Your Highness. Olga bit her lip and returned to the original topic, So what else should I send him? Cant you help me send a telegram to ask? Telegrams take time to decode andck timeliness. Rather than that Your Highness, you could go to the church and borrow their choir. Olgas expression brightened suddenly, Right, I could seek help from the choir! Thank you, General Tugenev. Youre wee, Your Highness. Chapter 187: Night Torrential Rain Chapter 187: Night ''Torrential Rain Prussian Army, Amphra Armored Division headquarters, 2030 hrs. Kluge saw the tank readiness report from the troops, and his brows twisted into knots, Youre telling me we lost 146 tanks just in front of this damned city today? A significant number of those were model ones and twos from the sixteenth, the reporting staff officer even smiled, as if the loss of model one and two tanks was no big deal. Kluge red at the staff officer, The tank operators driving models one and two, once they switch to new tanks, will bebat-effective forces! Moreover, the survival rate of tank operators is even lower when these two types of tanks are destroyed. How can youugh about it? The staff officer closed his mouth and put on a straight face. Kluge paced back and forth with frustration. It was then that themander of the sixteenth said, Actually, quite a few tanks might be repairable. If we reorganize the surviving crews, we can also put together quite a number of new crews. The loss isnt as great as it seems on paper. But we havent taken the battlefield, and we cant repair those tanks that are paralyzed on the ins. Although I have no doubt that we will eventually take this city, the problem is that we have so few tanks left to put into the attack tomorrow! As Kluge spoke, he vigorously shook the tank readiness report in his handthe readiness meant they could be immediately deployed intobat. Kluge: The enemy has strong fortifications, heavy artillery, and at least one infantry regiment that hasnt beenmitted to the fight! Plus, there are tanks. Before, we thought the enemy only had one battalions worth of T34s, but now another battalion has popped up. And then theres a battalions worth of T26s that have appeared from who knows where!The Prussian Army mistook the T26s firing from the bunkers on Hill 153 for T34s. Kluge sighed, It looks like we cant do without asking for reinforcements now. Last night, General Moochi seemed ready to shift the entire focus of the armored groups breakthrough to our location Just then, the door of the armoredmand vehicle opened, and the guard who opened it reported, The brigademander of the artillery brigade attached to the group has arrived, and then stepped back to make way. The artillery brigademander entered themand vehicle, brought his heels together, and saluted, Your Excellency! Kluge returned the salute, eager to ask, Where have you reached? Can you start firing now? Anytime. Our 21CM and 17CM heavy guns are all fully deployed. Kluge nodded, then suddenly remembered something and eagerly asked, You didnt stop in the viges, did you? Nor near the farms, threshing floors, or barns? The enemy likes to shell those ces! By the time, its about to start! The brigademander: We have deployed alongside the highway, avoiding any buildings. Kluge breathed a sigh of relief, Thats good then. The enemy has forced us to the point where we dare not stay in buildings; the whole army is bivouacking. Wee to joining the ranks of bivouacking. The brigademander: We are already used to it. Kluge: Now that youre here, tonight well give the enemy a taste of their own medicine. They dont let us stay in buildings, but they do, lets make sure they dont sleep well tonight! Come here! The artillery brigademander immediately approached the map table. Kluge, pointing to the map, exined, The enemy is at Hill 153 and has deployed heavy forces in this forest. Then theres the city of Orachi, the enemys rear logistics center. Tonight, conduct fire coverage on these three locations, bombard for an hour, and then continue the bombardment with a fire density of one shot per minute to disturb the enemy. The artillery brigademander frowned, Is it necessary to go to that extent? Continuous bombardment means our soldiers also wont be able to rest tonight, or at least not adequately, which will affect tomorrows firepower density. Thats the point! This is a retaliation against the cunning and deceitful General White Horse! That bastard stirred us up like this yesterday! We are simply applying what we learned! In the city of Orachi, headquarters of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division of the Ante Army. Wang Zhong: Besides mortars, weve got to find a way to deal with the enemys high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Is there a way tobine two Divine Arrows into one to attack the reconnaissance aircraft? Popov: I dont understand the technical stuff. Call Yeca Neiko to ask. Just then, Nelly pushed the door open, Supper is ready. The staff officers in the map room seemed to have been waiting for that call, and immediately rxed. Wang Zhong looked at Nelly, What are we eating today? And why are you wearing a sailor cap? He looked puzzled at the sailor cap on Nellys head, feeling it looked somewhat familiar. Nelly: Someone suggested I wear a sailor cap since it makes me look more like a duty soldier. Doesnt it look good? Wang Zhong stepped back to take a better look at Nelly. Thebination of a maid outfit and a sailor cap seemed oddly fitting! Of course, the key was that Nelly was quite attractive. Wang Zhong nodded seriously, From an academic standpoint, I think thebination is quite nice. Academic? Nelly blinked, When you used to say from an academic standpoint, it meant you were about to hit on that girl. Hey? Did I used to have that habit? Nelly: Are you trying to hit on me? No, you misunderstood. Just now I was simply expressing my academic opinion, or rather, my aesthetic opinion! Wang Zhong took a step back as if Nelly were some kind of ferocious beast, Aesthetic! Nelly was about to say something when a whistle came from the sky, and this time the shells fell quickly, so quickly that the people in the room hardly had time to react. The ground shook violently, the building seemed to shudder, and dust and pebbles rained down on Wang Zhongs head. Nelly screamed, covering her ears with her hands. Shell after shell fell, and the officers at headquarters scurried to hit the floor. Wang Zhong stepped forward, grabbed Nellys hand, and led her to a corner of the room. Hold on like this! Like this! He showed Nelly the standard protective posture against shelling, Otherwise, youll get concussion injuries! Nelly nodded, mimicking Wang Zhongs position and crouching in the corner, her sailor cap falling directly to the ground. ` A shell could fall nearby, and in an instant, the st wave shattered the map rooms windows, spraying ss shards into the room and first cutting through the curtains. The candles in the room were snuffed out by the storm, and the entire room was plunged into darkness. Nelly screamed. The enemys heavy artillery had made her drop all her defenses and revert to the little girl she originally was. Wang Zhong was still making light of the situation, Screaming is right, it can bnce the internal and external air pressure, especially the pressure in the brain! You should scream! Ah ah ooh ooh ooh! When Wang Zhong started yelling, Nelly calmed down instead and looked at him with contempt. Wang Zhong, Yell, it really can bnce the pressure inside and outside your brain! Ah ah ah ah ah! The others in the room exchanged nces and also started shouting, Ah ah ah ah! Nelly looked at them, seemed finally convinced, and also started shouting loudly, Ah ah ah! - Hill 153 was also covered. Colonel Eugene assured confidently, As long as we get into the artillery shelter, were fine against this kind of shelling! I swear the one I dug is strong enough! Commander Olof of the 13th Armored Division was shocked, Artillery shelter? Colonel Eugene, Yes, theres one next to the tanks as well, you can just do as we practiced before! Olof, Our battalion just joined you today, we havent practiced. Colonel Eugene, with his mouth half open, What? Olof, Bad news, they dont know about the artillery shelter, theyll definitely try to take cover under the tanks! He threw down his cup of coffee, ready to rush out of the shelter. Colonel Eugene grabbed him, Dont go! You dont know where the shelter is either! Ill go! With that, the colonel charged out of the shelter first, running and yelling, Quick, get to the artillery shelter, tank operators, get to the artillery shelter! Messenger Misha also dashed out, following the colonel and shouting together, The shelter is on the left! The small path on the left! The enemys shells kept falling, like gigantic raindrops, each one creating sshes of mud on the ground. The colonel and Misha, like ants scurrying in a storm, could be flipped by the giant raindrops at any moment and vanish without a trace. Olof stood at the entrance of the shelter, just about to go out, when Captain Andrei dragged him back and pinned him to the ground, Dont go! Two people are already in danger! The colonel is very familiar with the position, hell be fine! Olof got up, maintaining an anti-shell posture, while cursing, Damned Prussians! Im not done with you! Im not done with you! - The bombardmentsted for over an hour, and when it finally quieted down outside, Wang Zhong lifted his head. Somewhere outside a fire had started, and the light from the fire shone through the window, casting a red glow on everything in the room. Wang Zhong checked on Nelly, noticing the girl shiveringshivering was good, it meant she was still alive. The next moment, Wang Zhongs flippant words came out, Werent you pretty calm during the bombardment? Nelly, It went by so quickly during the bombing, I didnt even react! Wang Zhong stood up, pulled Nelly to her feet, and then picked up a boat-shaped cap from the ground and ced it on her head, Youre wearing a boat-shaped cap now, which means youre a soldier in our army. How can you be afraid of bombardment? After speaking, Wang Zhong took off his ownrge cap and pped the dust off it. The others also began to stand up one after another, and Pavlov said, Anyone whos dead, speak up. A faintughter sounded in the room. Popov, I feel like this shell is more powerful than the one that hit us during the day. Has the artillery from the Armored Division arrived? No sooner had he spoken than another shell fell in the city, causing more dust to fall from the ceiling. Nelly swiftly ducked down again, very quickly. The others didnt rush to take cover but instead looked up, listening for the next shell. Its noting, theyre just firing single shots to harass us, Wang Zhong said. Nelly stood up awkwardly, picking up her boat-shaped cap herself. Wang Zhong, The enemys heavy artillery group has certainly arrived. He went to the table, struck a match to light the candles, and examined the map, Where will they deploy their heavy artillery group? And how much ammunition do we have left? Pavlov, We used up one base number today. The good news is we still have two base numbers left. The bad news is that both are stored in separate ammunition shelters, and right now the artillery is working hard to transport the ammunition to the positions. The enemys second cold shot fell. Everyone in the room showed no intention of taking cover, as if the sound of the shelling were just ordinary thunder. Nelly stood to the side, carefully observing the calm and collected Wang ZhongCount Rocossovin front of the map table. Chapter 188: Communication (17,000 monthly votes plus update) Chapter 188: Communication (17,000 monthly votes plus update) After the third shell fell, Wang Zhong furrowed his brows, This cant keep happening without a response. He picked up the phone receiver, Connect me to Brother Peter. Soon, Brother Peters voice came through, No enemy nes scouting, feel free to counterattack. Wang Zhong asked, Then can you hear the enemys artillery fire? The curvature of the earth will block the sound of gunfire; you know the earth is round, right? Wang Zhong replied, Although I graduatedst in my ss, I still know that much. There you go. If there are clouds in the sky that reflect the sound of gunfire, I can indeed hear it, but I would only know the direction, not the distance. Do you see any clouds in the sky now? Wang Zhong picked up the phone, went to the window, and looked out, indeed seeing that the sky was clear, with the moon and stars scattered, devoid of clouds. At that moment, Nelly came in with a broom and dustpan, Move aside, I need to sweep up the broken ss.Wang Zhong quickly got out of the way, nced at Nelly, then continued speaking to Brother Peter, Sorry for the trouble, please continue to monitor the enemy scouts. After hanging up the phone, Wang Zhong returned to the map and threw the receiver onto the table. Popov asked, Send out a night reconnaissance team? Wang Zhong replied, We have no field telephones, and reconnaissance would need to return to report any findings. No, I think we can try to hit Xu Jin with an artillery barrage along the road. Pavlov countered, What if the enemy has stopped in a vige this time, wouldnt that be a waste of ammunition? Although we still have two base supplies, given todays rate of ammunition consumption, we wontst long. Wang Zhong felt, I believe the enemy is still transporting on the road. Judging by the intensity of the attacksing from Duke Meishikin today, our pressure tomorrow will be greater. Disrupting enemy transport is good too. Pavlov pursed his lips and remained silent for a few seconds before saying, Youve convinced me, General. Wang Zhong said, Telephone! You make the call, after all, you are the chief of staff. Sure! Pavlov had just picked up the receiver when he suddenly sensed something amiss, looking up at Wang Zhong, What do you mean Im the chief of staff? Is there a hidden meaning in your words? Wang Zhong deflected, Its just your imagination, make the call! - At the bunker of the 153rd Hignd, Fifth Biesensk Regiments headquarters, Colonel Eugene entered the bunker covered in dirt and took a seat with a thud. Captain Andrei asked, What about Misha? Colonel Eugene nced at Captain Andrei, Hes gone. He shouldnt havee out with me. Im someone who has survived three mining idents! Three times! As he spoke, Colonel Eugene took off his cap and began to twist it violently in his hands as if trying to crush it into a ball. Ive survived three mining idents! I even organized rescue operations for two of them! Shells cant do anything to me! Misha the boy he didnt have such luck. Just then, the colonel saw Olof and changed the subject, The tank operators have all entered the bunker, Captain. Theyre alright; the shelters I dug will definitely hold! Olof nodded and ced his hand on the colonels shoulder. Lowering his head, the colonel continued to twist the cap, He never got the Imperial Guard cloak he longed for, never got the cloak. Olof was about to offer words offort when the sound of artillery fire came from behind. Olof turned and quickly stepped out of the bunker, looking towards the southeast. The artillery regiment of the 151st Division was well-concealed, and even at night, there was no visible sh from firing, but the thundering sound was clear. Colonel Eugene also rushed out of the bunker, standing beside Olof, pping the abused hat against the walls of the trench, Good! Hit them! Hit them hard! Send them all the way back to Prosen! - In the Prosen Army, at the headquarters of the Amprah Armored Division. Hearing the st, acting divisionmander Kluge immediately left his tent to look in the direction of the explosions. The duty officers also emerged from the armoredmand vehicle, and Kluge shouted, What was that explosion? What new thing has that damned enemy discovered about us? An officer replied, No reports received! Then go and ask, quickly! Several officers returned to themand vehicle. Kluge watched the rising dust clouds in the distance with a worried expression. Ten minutester, an officer reported, The enemys Xu Jin artillery barrage is advancing along the road. What? Kluge eximed in shock, Tell the artillery brigade to retreat quickly! They are already retreating, but because of your order, they continue firing, so the withdrawal speed is not very fast. Another officer came out, The artillery brigade has ordered the ammunition vehicles to retreat first, and the crew has left the cannons to seek shelter from the barrage. Kluge scolded himself, Who ordered them to keep firing? It was me, dammit! As he spoke, he pped himself hard on the face, It was my own damned order! Another officer came out, hesitated at seeing Kluges temper re and didnt dare report. Kluge demanded, Whats the issue? Speak up! The third officer reported, The 23rd Armored Division is on the move as ordered, towards us they are on the road. And behind them is the 12th Armored Grenadier Division Kluge eximed, No! Get off the road! Tell the troops behind to get off the road! Forget how many motor hours you have left, get off the road! Motor hours usually refer to the continuous operating time of an engine before maintenance is needed. ` However, maneuvering through the field off the highway not only greatly increases the rate of mechanical failures, but it also elerates the consumption of engine hours. As soon as Kluge finished speaking, a staff officer immediately ran towards the radio vehicle. It was then that Kluge realized, Which divisions are moving toward us? The 23rd Armored Division, the 12th Armored Infantry Division. Besides, the Second Armored Cluster Command is also moving toward us, but theyre not taking the main roads, theyreing from the northwest on small paths. Kluge: And what about frontlinemand authority? When will I losemand authority? We have not yet received any orders, nor have we been notified of assumingmand over the 23rd Armored and the 12th Armored Infantry. Kluge: Nonsense! How are we supposed to organize tomorrows attack? The staff officers looked at each other, then the highest-ranking one answered, We dont know. In Orachi, the counterattack began five minutes ago. Wang Zhong looked at the ceiling, Did they stop shelling us with cold artillery? Pavlov nced at his watch, Its been five minutes since they fired, it stopped. Damn, you won the bet again. As he spoke, he patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder. Popov: In the future, will the Prussian Army establish a regtion that artillery positions cant be set up in towns or along highways? Wang Zhong: Possibly. The future trend in artillery is motorization, which would then actually require deployment on highways. This was Wang Zhongs experience from War Game Red Dragon, where during 1V1 ranked games, both sides kept close watch on enemy artillery positions, hence self-propelled artillery had to be ced on roads to quickly maneuver following a firefight, or else theyd be caught by enemy counterfire. Towed artillery, the kind thats inconvenient to move, waspletely obsolete. But whether game experience would be of much use in reality was another question. Pavlov: Self-propelled artillery, huh. Popov: Looks like well finally get a good nights sleep. Wang Zhong: Have the casualty numbers from the troopse in yet? Not yet, the shelling caused some chaos, it might take another half-hour to reach us. Pavlov looked at his watch, You should go rest. Youve been running around the front lines all day today. If the soldiers dont see you at the front tomorrow, they will start imagining things, dealing a fatal blow to morale. Wang Zhong thought for a moment and realized Pavlov had a point. He was indeed exhausted today, having ridden his horse around since the early morning, andter in Tank 422 as well, feeling so fatigued like lead was poured into him that it wouldnt be surprising if he copsed at any moment. Then Ill go rest. Nelly! Nelly immediately responded, The bed is already made, but Im not sure if you can sleep after the recent shelling. Ill go check, wait a moment. Having said that, Nelly quickly left. Wang Zhong yawned deeply. Popov: You better sleep quickly, maybe you should call Ludm back to help you sleep more soundly. Please, spare me. Wang Zhong revealed a wry smile, Under these conditions, asking for my public grain is just poking fun at me, isnt it? Whos asking for your public grain? I meant, you should rest well in the tender harbor of your loving wife. Wang Zhong: Id rather choose to sleep like a baby in the embrace of my mother. Do you understand what I mean by a mothers embrace? Ludm is indeed virtuous, capable of doing everything that a mother can, but she has more of a young girls feel,cking in maternal radiance. Pavlov: What about Nelly then? She seems quite like your nanny. Wang Zhong was taken aback and looked at the staff chief who had a bear-like stature and was somewhat balding, Nelly? Maternal? Are you sure? I just said shes like a nanny. Look at all the jobs shes doing. Popov: Thats what an orderly does, its all the same. As they spoke, Nelly came in, The beds ready, Ive also warmed some water for you. I can help you wipe down before you sleep. It can help relieve fatigue. Wang Zhong stared at Nelly. For a moment, he truly felt a mother-like glow radiating from Nelly. But that was ultimately an illusion. Pavlov nudged Wang Zhong, Go on, General. Have a good rest after wiping down. Wang Zhong nodded and followed Nelly out of themand post. Popov looked at Pavlov, Arent you taking an orderly with you? I have an orderly; the old man who made tea for me this morning is my butler, Pavlov said. Popov: I see. No wonder the coffee tasted so good. It was tea, Pavlov corrected. Just then, the phone suddenly rang. Pavlov: At this hour? Although puzzled, he still answered the phone, Division headquarters, Pavlov speaking. What? When was this heard? Alright, Ill head to the sanctuary with the regimentmander immediately. After hanging up, Pavlov looked at Popov, The choral heard a hymn from St. Ye Katerina Fortress, for us. And the other side is still in a state of hymnal, so we canmunicate with them. Popov stood up, Then we must hurry over, this state wontst long. Pavlov turned to a staff officer and shouted, Go get the regimentmander down here! ` Chapter 189: Crisis (Extra for 18,000 monthly votes) When Wang Zhong entered the sanctuary, his hair was still dripping. Su Fang saw him entering, and was about to speak when she suddenly remembered she was inmunication, and gave a meaningful nce to the female Guardian Army beside her. Wang Zhong was puzzled, What does that mean? She cant talk now? The female Guardian Army exined, She is currently synced with the Hymn Monk in the capital. Whatever she says, they will say the same thing there, and vice versa. Wang Zhong nodded, then asked, What did she say just now? Another member of the Guardian Army brought over a notebook to Wang Zhong. Written on the notebook was, Princess Olga Nikyevna Antonovna is asking General Rokossovsky if his unit needs assistance, and what kind of assistance is needed. Wang Zhong turned his head and exchanged nces with Pavlov. He decided to ask first when this support could arrive.Even if the princess were to send two hundred T34 tanks, that would still take time and they would likely be intercepted by the enemys airforce en route. Wang Zhong, Your Highness, may I ask how long it will take for our reinforcements to arrive? Su Fang immediately repeated Wang Zhongs words, parroting them exactly. Then she fell silent, obviously the other side was discussing how to respond. One could anticipate the current situation; sending reinforcements to Orachi would be quite a challenge. While waiting, Wang Zhong gradually formed an idea of what kind of reinforcement to request a kind that could disregard the battlefield situation, reach Orachi by tomorrow, and be effective. When Wang Zhong had made up his mind, the response came from the other end, and Su Fang spoke, Your Excellency, considering the current battlefield situation, we can only send reinforcements to Shepetovka first, and then have Duke Meishikin organize the transport. If we leave immediately, we can reach Shepetovka by dawn the day after tomorrow. That meant no matter what, they would arrive only the day after tomorrow after all, even the princess couldnt instantly get what Wang Zhong needed and immediately organize a train. After organizing the train, loading it would take additional time. Wang Zhong was about to speak when Su Fang said, Additionally, Ive intercepted 30 newly produced T34 tanks from the factory. They are being loaded onto a train, which should depart by tomorrow. See, Wang Zhong thought, it sure wasnt possible to send them immediately. Waiting for these 30 T34 tanks to reach Shepetovka would also take until the day after tomorrow. Indeed, what he should request was precisely the kind of reinforcement he had just considered! Effective by tomorrow! Wang Zhong, Your Highness, we urgently need airforce support. Ive received airforce support in Loktov and Upper Peniye. I need MiG-3s to tackle the enemys high-altitude reconnaissance nes, and I need IL-2s to clear the enemy on the ground. I hope they can appear above Orachi by tomorrow! Additionally, I need reconnaissance nes to scout the enemys artillery positions! After Wang Zhong finished speaking, Su Fang almost had recited in full, and the sanctuary quieted down again. The response came quickly this time. Su Fang, Is that all you need? Wang Zhong, Those are the most urgent at the moment! Im facing two armored divisions, two! And weve just been shelled by 21cm heavy artillery, which is the enemy Army Groups level of heavy artillery. Tomorrow, we might face the enemys Army Group main force! As he said this, Pavlov and Popov both widened their eyes because there was no intelligence report indicating that the Army Group main force would attack tomorrow. Wang Zhong was bluffing, exaggerating the situation to be as dire as walking on eggshells, to more conveniently demand supplies. The reply also came very quickly: Understood, I will immediately make a request to the Air Force. I guarantee you will have our nes covering you tomorrow. Do you have any other requests? Wang Zhong signaled to Pavlov, I need the following supplies! Pavlov took out his little notebook and began to read. Su Fang repeated as she read, but halfway through, she suddenly stopped. Wang Zhong urged her, Keep reading! Its cut off, Su Fang answered, Its been too long. Wang Zhong, Can such a connection be established again? Popov answered on behalf of Su Fang, This type of connection requires a lot of resources for the mass, which we cant manage right now. Su Fang added, And having just done such a synchronousmunication, I estimate I wont be able to chant hymns for a while. As she spoke, she yawned a long yawn and visibly showed signs of fatigue. It was evident that maintaining that kind of connection took a heavy toll on her spirit. In this world, these supernatural things were useful, but somehow not that useful. Is Divine Arrow powerful? It is, but when targeting ground units, the opponents use of smoke can blind it. In targeting air units, if the enemy flies at an extremely low altitude, they can still escape, since besides Ekaterina, the others need to maintain continuous visual contact. Is Brother Peters hearing amazing? Thats also impressive, but thats about it. And so it goes with Su Fangsmunication as well; is it powerful? Definitely, if it werent for Su Fang in Upper Peniye, Wang Zhongs small unit would have already been annihted. But the reason they could summon a KVst time was because Wang Zhongs brother was a staff officer at the Front Army headquarters. Then there were so many limitations to this means ofmunication. In the current situation, one cannot ask for more, and Wang Zhong nodded to Su Fang, Get some good rest, youve been a great help. Sufangughed, looking very happy. Nelly stared at her intently, like a cat sensing a threat, bristling and hissing menacingly. Wang Zhongpletely ignored this little fray, turned to Pavlov and said, As long as His Highness can muster the Air Force, tomorrow will be much easier. Simply driving away the enemys reconnaissance nes would be a huge help. Pavlovughed, Of course. But Im really worried that the lie you just told wille true, and if we face the main force of the Second Armored Group tomorrow, even with the Air Force, it will be very difficult. Wang Zhong waved his hand, No worries, Duke Meishikin is holding up well! He will attract the main force of the enemys Second Armored Group! Pavlov nodded, Indeed, thank goodness for Duke Meishikin. Im almost ready to toast to the Dukes health. Great, theres something to celebrate, lets drink a little. Wang Zhong turned to Nelly, How about a small drink today? Nelly: A little drink helps with sleep, I have no objections. Wang Zhong burst intoughter, looking genuinely delighted, since the Air Force mighte to their support tomorrow. He hugged Nelly and vigorously rubbed her head. Nelly recoiled in rm, grabbing her askew boat-shaped hat with her hand. But Wang Zhong had already turned away to speak to Pavlov. Were going to attack Orachi with full force, said General Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch to the divisionmanders, leaving behind two armored grenadier divisions to tie down the heavy forces at Shepetovka. They are mainly infantry,cking the ability to advance in the open field. The Army Group Chief of Staff added, Aerial reconnaissance indicates that they also have a mobile tank force, but we can leave that to the bombers and 88mm guns to deal with. General von Mauch: Thank you for that addition. Tomorrow, we willmit the remaining forces of the Amphra Division and the 16th Armored, as well as the 23rd and 12th Armored Grenadiers. Whether we take Orachi or not, the main force of our group will pass south of Orachi. The brilliant idea from His Majesty the Emperor has significantly dyed our rush to the enemys capital. We cant waste any more time. Being held up by the enemy for two days here is already too long! Too long! At this point, amunications staff officer entered the conference room, saluted, and reported, The artillery brigade reinforcing the Amphra Division was hit by enemy fire, losing two 21cm heavy guns and one 17cm heavy gun. There are several casualties, and they are currently changing positions. General von Mauch: What happened? Did the enemy have aerial reconnaissance? How did they discover our artillery positions? The artillery brigade deployed by the roadside, and the Ante Army used Xu Jin barrages to cover the entire road. Additionally, the 23rd Armored also came under enemy artillery fire while on the march. General von Mauchs eyebrows furrowed, Whats going on! What are the losses? Minor, because it was a Xu Jin barrage. It didnt repeatedly bombard the same segment of the marching column, and there was time to scatter and avoid shelling. However, the 23rd Armored reports that their deployment in Orachi will beter than scheduled. General von Mauch cursed, Uneptable! Have them deploy on time as nned! I left redundancy in the n to deal with such things! Tomorrow morning, we must surround Orachi! We need topletely annihte this small enemy force, just like smashing a walnut with a hammer! After a brief pause, he added, Do not fear the enemys bombardment! Continue advancing on the road; as long as we move quickly enough, the enemy cant inflict significant losses on us! At 04:30 on August 5th, inside the city of Orachi. Wang Zhong, though he drank a little yesterday, woke up at this time due to his biological clock. Whether it was the alcohol or the reassurance of Air Force support, he had slept very well, and when he opened his eyes, he felt more energized than ever. Just as he finished dressing and was about to call Nelly, the whistling of artillery shells pierced the air. Without a word, Wang Zhong hit the deck; the next moment, a barrage of shells fell upon the city. Dammit! shouted Wang Zhong, Didnt we hit the enemys artillery positions yesterday? How can there still be so many heavy guns? Of course, because that was an artillery brigade. The intense bombardmentsted about an hour. When the explosions subsided, Wang Zhong stood up, and Nelly entered at that moment, Youre alright! What, you were hoping something happened to me? said Wang Zhong, slipping on his shoes haphazardly and striding out of the bedroom. Nelly: Arent you going to eat breakfast? Wang Zhong: If theyre shelling this early, there must be something happening. Saying this, he dashed down to the first floor and barged into the map room. Pavlov, with a grave expression, was holding the phone, How many troops? What amount of troops did you see? Wang Zhong grabbed the receiver abruptly, This is Rokossov, what did you see? As he asked the question, he switched to a birds-eye view and realized that the observation from Hill 153 was alight, indicating the call was from the artillery observation post on Hill 153. He immediately checked the situation and was stunned. It wasnt his own vision that highlighted the enemy, but there were so many of them that he could see, without any highlighting, the overwhelming number of the enemy. A tidal wave of enemy armored forces and infantry lines was surging toward Hill 153. Over the phone, shouts came through, This is the observation post on Hill 153, a massive number of enemies is heading our way! A massive number! Commence firing immediately! Commence firing immediately! Chapter 190: Storms and Turbulence Wang Zhong bellowed, Hold on, Im figuring out a solution right now! At this time, he still thought that the enemy had simply switched their direction of attack. For such a scenario, he had already prepared a n: to move the T34s to the hillocks side edge of the forest to form a crossfire. No sooner had he hung up the phone than the ringtone chimed in again. He could only pick up the receiver once more. I am Rocossov, speak! This is the second battalion of the 5th Bieshensk Regiment. We have arge number of tanks maneuvering on the eastern side of our position! The position of the second battalion of the 5th Bieshensk Regiment was to the east of the city, mainly responsible for guarding the artillery positions. They were also a reserve force, ready to be mobilized to the northern forest for a ughter if necessary. Wang Zhong didnt ask for details; instead, he chose to overview the situation himself. What he saw was that there were also at least a battalion of tanks maneuvering on the east side of Orachi. Where did all these tankse from? At that moment, in the northern forest, res soared into the sky.Those were signals shot by the sentries at the first and second ambush positions, indicating that the enemy had infiltrated the forest. The enemy was charging in from all directions! Wang Zhong reassured them, Dont panic! Lower the B4 heavy artillery for direct fire! Ill think of something! Before he could hang up that call, another telephone rang, and Pavlov picked up the receiver, Division headquarters, speak! What? Wang Zhong dropped his handset and snatched Pavlovs, I am Rocossov, speak! The voice of Brother Peter came from the other end, Stukas! The roaring sound of Stukas! Im not sure how many, at least 30 aircraft! Wang Zhong was stunned for a moment, then instinctively responded, Hold on! Im thinking of a solution! Brother Peter retorted, I dont even have a gun, whats there to hold? General, you have to hang in there. In such a situation, if you cant hold on, morale will copse in an instant, like an avnche. Thanks to Brother Peters words, Wang Zhongs mind cooled slightly. Indeed, if he panicked, it would quickly spread throughout the troops, and even a defensible situation would be untenable. He had to remain calm andposed, making the best use of everything he had at hand. Thank you, Monk. Thank you, he said. Youre wee, Brother Peter replied. Wang Zhong set down the handset. The phone rang again, but Wang Zhong did not pick it up, instead, he left the spot for Pavlov to take over. Turning around, he noticed Nelly standing worriedly at the doorway. Wang Zhongs brief loss ofposure had not yet spread to the troops, but it had already shaken Nelly considerably. Nelly asked, Is the situation very bad? Wang Zhong gave a faint smile, Weve been through worse than this. Get me coffee, make it strong. Nelly nodded and turned to leave. Looking over the map on the desk, Wang Zhong quickly made a decision. Order the heavy artillery regiment to cover the forest. Infantry are soft targets and are especially afraid of heavy artillery. The remaining T34s should move to the nk of Hill 153 as originally nned to relieve the high ground first. ? Pavlov nodded, picking up the phone to begin issuing the orders. Popov asked, Arent you going to personally lead the tanks? Wang Zhong replied, With so many enemies, a single tank cant change much now. Thats one thing. Secondly, although I am not inside Tank 422, the red g is still hanging there. The soldiers will be as inspired by seeing the g as they would be by seeing me. After Pavlov issued the orders and returned, he asked Wang Zhong, What about the Stukas? They should be almost here. Wang Zhong replied, We can only rely on the Divine Arrows now. Hopefully, the Prosen Air Force is still as afraid of death as ever. On Hill 153. The soldiers of the Anti-tank Artillery Battalion were rushing to their gun positions with 45mm anti-tank shells. During the enemys fire preparation, people and ammunition hid behind the counter-slope gun shelters. Now that the enemy started their assault, it was time to upy the position at once. Although Hill 153 was called a high ground, its entire slope was very gentle. The anti-tank gun positions were set up on the smooth gradient, with only the trenches housing infantry in front for protection. The Prussians, believing in their absolute superiority, did not use smoke bombs but chose to let the firepower of their tanks take full effect. At this very moment, the enemys assault wave was fast approaching the foot of the high ground. Following the order to open fire, the anti-tank guns began to shoot. Pre-determined firing data ensured that the first volley from eight anti-tank guns resulted in eight hits. Only three tanks stopped, with their crews jumping out to take cover on the spot. The remaining five continued to advance, apparently the shells had not prated them, and they had not spotted the position of the anti-tank guns. As the second round of firing from the anti-tank guns began, it could no longer be called a volley; every gun crew received orders to fire the shells as quickly as possible. Lieutenant Maximov was inmand of a 45mm anti-tank gun. His crew consisted of twenty men, eight of whom were responsible for transporting the shells from the rear gun shelters to the front line, three to manage the horses, with the rest located near the gun crew. Maximov was in charge of designating targets and calling out the firing data. Gunner Karamazov was responsible for the aiming, and the rest were loaders, each holding a 45mm armor-piercing shell. Fire! Maximov shouted. The muzzle of the gun spouted mes and recoiled, ejecting the still smoking shell casing onto the ground. The floor was already littered with seven or eight shell casings, all emitting smoke. After a stray shell hit his head, Karamazov yelled, Load! and then toppled backward, falling among the smoldering casings. Seeing this, Maximov immediately rushed behind the gun mantlet to take the gunners ce. At the same time, the loader stuffed a shell into the breech and swiftlypleted the locking mechanism. Maximov rotated the traverse wheel, aligning the cannon with the targeted drivers viewing slit and then violently pulled the firingnyard. The cannon roared as the spent casing was ejected from the breech, and the armor-piercing shell struck the observation window with a sh of white light. The tank did not stop moving, but its crew burst out of the hatches and jumped to the ground on both sides of the tank. Good! Maximov shouted, Load another round! Another shell was loaded into the gun. Maximov pressed his eye to the sight, searching for the next target. He saw a Panzer IV and aimed the reticle at the drivers viewing portwhat worked for the Panzer III should work for the Panzer IV too. Maximov fired, and then realized he had forgotten to adjust the gun sights range scale. Due to the incorrect range setting, the shell flew high, striking the tank turrets mantlet and leaving a significant dent but failing to prate. Load! Maximov shouted, simultaneously adjusting the range scale based on the target. By the time he had adjusted it, the tank had already stopped and was turning toward his direction. Damn! That was all Maximov had time to think before everything went ck. When he regained consciousness, all he could see was the clear blue sky. He got up to find the cannon toppled over on the ground, its mantletpletely gone. The assistant gunnery atop the cannons trail and other loaders were scattered on the ground. Clearly, a direct hit from the enemys short 75 howitzer had wiped out Maximovs gun crew. Dazed, Maximov looked around and noticed another gun crew not far away. Thinking at least he could go there and serve as a loader, he stood up and staggered toward the position. Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind and tackled him to the ground, then rolled him into amunication trench between gun positions. Are you mad! Just walking over there, you wouldnt have had enough lives to spend! the man who had saved Maximov yelled. Judging by the uniform, the rescuer was an infantry lieutenant, albeit with a somewhat youthful face. The Fifth Beshensk Regiment rarely had such young faces; most were robust men in their thirties. Maximov was about to thank the lieutenant when he heard a shout from a nearby position: Bring the ammunition quick! Weve run out of shells! Maximov peered out of the trench and saw two gunners, carrying an ammo box, just as they crested the top of Hill 153 and dashed toward the calling gun position. In the blink of an eye, a high-explosive shellnded between the two men, blowing them to the ground. The ammo box they were carrying split open, revealing the yellow shells inside. Maximov mustered his strength, rushed out of the trench towards the busted ammo box. Damn, wont you listen! the lieutenant popped his head out and, seeing Maximov going for the shells, pulled out a captured Prosen smoke bomb from his belt, pulled the pin, and threw it behind Maximov. The white smoke spread quickly behind Maximov. He didnt care about that; he just picked up the broken box, shoved the fallen shells back in, and carried the box back toward the gun position. Ammosing! he yelled as he ran. The gunmander of that cannon eximed, Maximov? Your gun He nced at the neighboring gun site and abruptly cut himself off. Maximov, youvee at the perfect time! Load quickly! Maximov: Ill get more ammo! Wait for me! With that, he turned and dashed into the smoke, sprinting over the crest of the hill and then running towards the ammo storage dugout. Five minutester, Maximov, carrying an ammunition box, returned to the front of the high ground, only to find that the position he had just left had been obliterated, likely by a short 75 howitzer st. Maximov nkly stared at the ce where the gun position used to be for a few seconds, then suddenly remembered the most important thing now was to hold back the attack. So he rushed over to the cannon, gave it a cursory check to ensure it could fire. Then, he saw the sight was gone. Without a word, Maximov removed the scope and its rted supportponents, forcibly punching a hole in the gun shield. He aimed through this hole and loaded the shell himself. Die, Prussians! Maximov fired. As expected, aiming through the hole in the gun shield yielded no positive resultsthis shell passed by the enemy tanks head. Maximov reloaded himself, then continued to aim through the hole. This time the precise shot hit the tanks tracks, stopping the Panzer IV. Maximov continued to load. But the enemys tank forces had already begun to ascend the slope. A Panzer IV with the tactical number 2316 turned its barrel and aimed at Maximov. Just then, an armor-piercing shell fired from the side struck tank 2316! Unlike the poor destructive effect of the 45 mm armor-piercing shells, this side shot set tank 2316 aze immediately. Maximov turned to the direction from which the armor-piercing shell hade, and saw a stroke of red through the trees. It was General Rokossovskys red g! General Rokossovsky had arrived! They were saved! Chapter 191: Hell At the same time, in the northern woods of Orachi. When the shells fell, Prosen soldiers all hit the deck. However, these were 152mm heavy artillery shells, the shockwaves and overpressure of which could also inflict massive casualties. Not to mention the secondary damage caused by trees shattered by the explosions. Most wood splinters werent lethal, but being impaled by them hurt a million times more than being hit by shrapnel. Even for the elite Prosen Armored Grenadiers, being punctured in the face by such splinters could put them out of action. Heavy artillery shells continued to rain down, and the storm of wood chippings swept through the Armored Grenadiers ranks. However, the forest had been bombarded many times by both sides yesterday, leaving numerous craters on the ground that provided temporary shelters for the Armored Grenadiers to dodge the artillery fire. In addition, the artillery bombardment had cleared the forest of mines. While some may remain, as long as one stuck to the paths with craters, they would definitely avoid the mines.Even under artillery fire, the Armored Grenadiers pressed on until the Ante Armys machine guns started firing. Wang Zhong left a guard unit in the solid support points and behind them, in the anti-artillery shelters. They would hold off the approaching Prosen soldiers until the main forces could enter the positions. The machine guns swept through the forest; preset firing solutions ensured deadly uracy, and anyone daring to stand up would be turned into a sieve. Prosen soldiers kept crawling forward. Prosen machine gunners set up their guns in the craters and returned fire, but the interference from trees skewed their distance estimation, making their suppressing fire rather ineffective. Suddenly, a heavy artillery shell hit a crater, blowing the machine-gun team stationed in it sky-high. Wang Zhong put down the receiver, having just confirmed through the phone call that there would be no immediate issues in the northern forest, and with T34 support, Hill 153 should be able to hold on for a while. The most precarious situation was actually at the 5th Belshensk Regiment, 3rd Battalions position on the eastern side. If this position were breached, the enemy would enter the forest and soon discover the artillery positions. Grigori! he called out loudly. The sergeant major entered with his submachine gun and saluted. Wang Zhong said, Take the guardpany and reinforce the 5th Belshensk Regiment, 3rd Battalion positions on the east side. Defend the artillery. Also, tell the B4 heavy artillery unit to organize direct fire support. Make sure the shells keep falling on the enemys offensive line. Organize the firepower and dont fire them all at once! Loading the B4 required a crane from the ammunition truck and was extremely slow. But by properly timing the firing sequence, they could ensure there was always a 203mm shellnding on the front line. Grigori saluted and quickly left. Popov stood up, Ill go and pull out the Guardian Army from the city. They may not be well-trained, but they know the citysyout well, after all, it is their homnd. Go ahead, Wang Zhong said, extending his hand toward Popov. Popov took it, You take care too. There are so many enemies this time, dont charge as fiercely as before. Ill try, Wang Zhong answered with the same reply as the formermander of the 13th Armored Battalion used to. When Grigori arrived at the position of the 5th Belshensk Regiment, 3rd Battalion, the young men of the B4 heavy artillerypany had already ttened their guns behind the makeshift shelters. The shelter was a simplified version of Wang Zhongs tank shelters, with only oneyer to protect the B4 heavy artillery vehicle and provide simple covering for the gun barrel. But it was just simple cover; after all, when this thing fired, it made such a racket that everyone could see it clearly, even through the woods. Grigori ran to the artillerypanymander, squatting low, and yelled, The general orders you to fire in sequence and maintain a continuous rate of fire! Themander shouted, We cant fire all at once anyway; some guns are only being set down and moved after firing theirst round! Theyre now loading! Grigori peeked at other gun positions only to notice that the other three guns were approaching the shelters at a snails pace. Themander continued, The projectiles and cartridge cases are so heavy that its far too slow and risky to move the guns while theyre loaded. idents could happen, like having charges and shells slip out of the barrel. Then, the gunner operating the crane on the ammunition truck yelled, Projectile hoisted in ce! Two more gunners immediately used gigantic tools to jam the shell into the barrel. The crane operator then hoisted the cartridge case onto the slides behind the barrel: The cartridge bag is ready! Again, two gunners worked to push the cartridge case into the barrel with their tools. Finally, after a long wait, the fourth gunner closed the breech,pleting the locking procedure. The gunner started aimingthe cannon had to be set to a specific angle for each loading; otherwise, the shell wouldnt fit. But conversely, for t shooting, this reduced the process of elevating the barrel, objectively speeding up the rate of fire. The gunner made a rough adjustment to the cannons horizontal orientation, didnt touch the elevation gear at all, and just stepped back to pull the rope, ready to fire. Themander raised his hand high and chopped down like a knife. The gunner pulled thenyard with force, and the cannon roared deafeningly. The st from the muzzle even made the trunk of arge birch tree convulse like it was shuddering. The shellnded within a kilometer in the middle of enemy formation, making the earth seem like it was the surface of the sea, bulging up and then exploding upwards. Two tanks were swallowed up by the explosion, the lighter Panzer IV was lifted off the ground and tumbled several times beforending upside down. The tank operator, his brain jumbled from the shaking, climbed out from the bottom hatch of the tank only to be met with machine gun fire from the third battalions position. The toon leader watched the effects for a few seconds and eximed, Its more effective than I thought! Load quickly! Prepare gun two! Why havent you moved the gun into cover? Never mind, is gun three ready? Fire when you are ready! No sooner had the words left his mouth than gun three fired, the muzzle st even reaching the spot where Grigori stood. Grigori: Youll be spotted by the enemy; this is too loud. toon Leader: Indeed. Im figuring the enemys artillery barrage will being any minute now, so we need to shoot as quickly as possible! Sergeant Major, please leave. The third battalion will need a veteran soldier like you. After speaking, the toon leader saluted Grigorithough his rank was lower than the sergeant majors. Grigori returned the salute earnestly and then led the guard toon rushing towards the third battalions position. The Prosen Armys 23rd Armored Division, First Armored Battalion, was subjected to the direct fire of Ante Armys heavy artillery. The battalionmander, who had been observing the situation behind the front line of the whole battalions attack, became restless upon seeing the enormous eruption of earth (referring to the st of a 203mm shell). Where is the enemys heavy artillery? All units, pay attention and locate the enemys heavy artillery! he shouted over the radio. This looks like direct fire, the artillery must be within our line of sight! Just after he finished speaking, someone responded: In the forest to our west! Look quickly, Commander! The moment themander turned his binocrs, he sawrge plumes of white smoke in the forest, and the trees swaying from side to side in the wind. The next moment, shellsnded on the battalions line, halting two tanks in their tracks. Commander: All tanks, be advised, theres heavy artillery hidden in the woods on your right, focus fire immediately, I repeat, focus fire! The tanks of the 23rd Divisions First Battalion immediately turned their barrels. Although the battalion had not yet reached the passing line set by General Moochi, they took decisive action. All for victory! The 50mm gun of the Panzer III and the short-barreled 75mm howitzer of the Panzer IV opened fire, quickly engulfing the forest in mes from the explosions. Grigori rushed into the third battalions trench, yelling, Wheres your battalionmander? Hes been killed! a captain shouted back. Im themander now, what do you need? Im here to support you! Just as Grigori finished speaking, the enemys tank guns began hitting their mark, firing a mix of calibers. Behind the position, the heavy artillery battery continued to fire, and one 203mm round struck a Panzer IV directly, shattering it instantly, with parts raining down from the sky like a downpour. Several Prosen soldiers were hit by the falling debris, knocking them unconscious on the spot. The enemy immediately fired a second round of direct fire, and something exploded at the artillery battery. Witnessing the fireball, the fresh recruits in the battalion were petrified. Some even began to leave the trench and run towards Orachi City. Grigori shouted, Under His Majesty the Tsarstest order, surrender or desertion is treason, punishable by execution! As he spoke, he raised his submachine gun and fired a dozen shots into the sky. The deserters stopped. Then they were hit in the back by the enemys machine gun fire and fell into the trench like a burst sack from outside the trench. Grigori kicked away the coward and bellowed, Im a guard of General Rokossovsky, and the general has sent his guard toon! The star of victory will shine upon you! No sooner had he spoken than another B4 howitzer fired, causing a huge fireball to rise on the enemys attack front. Prosen Army, 23rd Armored Division, 66th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. The reconnaissance battalions motorcycles followed right behind the First Armored Battalion, and by this time the observer in the sidecar hadpleted the range-finding and picked up the radio handset to call in: Wolfs Den, Wolfs Den, this is Hare, weve located a suspected enemy heavy artillery position. As the B4 artillery fired from within the forest, concealed by dugouts and other types of cover, the reconnaissance battalions observer could not tell exactly what type of heavy artillery was firing, so he reported as such. Coordinates as follows please arrange fire support as soon as possible, over. After speaking, the observer took up his binocrs and quietly waited for the first shell to fall. He didnt have to wait long. A 17cm heavy shellnded in the forest, but it missed by quite a bit, failing to hit the enemys heavy artillery. The observer picked up the handset again: This is Hare, call for fire adjustment, X Y adjustmentplete! Soon the second trial shot fell,nding about 800 meters south of the impact of the first shell. Observer: This is Hare, fire adjustment Momentster, the third heavy shell fell, hitting the forest precisely. Something inside the forest detonated violently, sending a fireball soaring into the sky. Chapter 192: Mirage (Additional Chapter for 19000 monthly votes) Hignd 153,mand post of the Fifth Beshensk Regiment. Major Eugene, binocrs in one hand and a clenched fist in the other, eximed, Good! Well done! Wipe them out! He was cheering on the T34 that had appeared on the nk of the high ground. Unable to resist, Captain Andrei said, Major, youve turned into a cheerleader since just now. Major Eugene: Its not like I can do anything else, Ill justmand you, right? Then you should go inspect the positions, Captain Andrei replied. The enemy tanks are approaching, and the new recruits in the troops must be very scared now. You need to encourage them. Me? Are you sure? A miner encouraging the soldiers? Captain Andrei nced at Major Eugene: Just carry yourself with some presence, put on the air you had when scolding the miners at the mine. The appearance of a strict father figure kind of officer can greatly benefit morale in such times. Major Eugene took a deep breath: Fine, Ill go make a round.Captain Andrei: If you really dont know what to say, just pat the soldiers on the shoulder and tell them the general is watching us. After all, the generals tank is on the nk, and everyone can see that red g. Major Eugene nodded, squeezed out of the bunker, and ran along the trench with his back bent, firmly patting the shoulder of every soldier he met: Hold on! Dont be afraid! The general is watching us! By the time he had patted who knows how many, someone shouted: Look quick, the general is covered in smoke! Major Eugene stopped and, like everyone else, stuck his head out of the trench to look towards the forest. Pink smoke had enveloped the T34 tanks in the woods, and the generals banner was no longer visible. The enemy tanks were still firing, with more pink smokepletely covering the treeline. The side fire from the T34 fell silent. More terrifying was the sharp, dreadful howling sounding from the sky. This was the first time Major Eugene had heard that sound, and goosebumps immediately rose on the back of his neck. He had heard from the old veterans that it was the sound of a dive bomber called Stuka used by the enemy. At that moment, a frightened recruit shouted: Its a dragon! The Prussians have sent dragons to attack us! Major Eugene didnt understand war, but he knew how to deal with subordinates who talked nonsense. Especially during mine disasters, Major Eugene could be stricter than the Judge when dealing with those fools who spread rumors. He rushed over and pped the recruit: Thats the enemys dive bomber! It must be targeting the general! Look! someone shouted. Major Eugene turned his head and saw three ming dragons rising from the ground. The Divine Arrow Company had actually moved near Hignd 153 overnight! An explosion urred in the sky. The second volley of Divine Arrowsunched. At that moment, another shout rang out: Enemy nes! The enemy nes are theyre nose-diving! Major Eugene cursed: Thats called a dive! Apart from the diving formation, three enemy nes caught fire and were falling, overtaking the formation that had activated air brakes. The second volleys three Divine Arrows hit the target, brilliant shes of fire dismantling the enemy aircraft in midair, with burning debris falling in sync with the formation. ? The third volley of Divine Arrowsunched. The morale of the enemy pilots seemed to finally copse, as they dropped their bombs from two thousand meters before scattering in flight. In fact, during a steep dive by a dive bomber, even with the wind at low altitude, the bomb wouldnt drift much; lowering the bombing altitude was mainly to see the target clearly. From a two thousand meter altitude, even targets like tanks or bunkers are just small dots when viewed from the air, blended into theplex terrain, very difficult to spot. Experienced Prussian Air Force pilots would consciously control their diving speed, only dropping bombs when they could clearly see their target from 1,200 or even 800 meters. However, facing the highly efficient ughter from the Divine Arrow, the pilots chose to bomb from two thousand meters and then save their own livesas after all, the operation manual stated that bombs could be dropped from 2,000 meters. Two of the third volleys Divine Arrows went into the sky due to losing their target, but the third, as if it had eyes, chased after the dive bomber that rushed into the blind spot of vision and blew it up into a fireball. By then, the aircraft brought down by the first two volleys of Divine Arrows had also hit the ground, along with the bombs. The aerial bombs fell around the pink smokePrussian Air Force training was indeed well practiced, given such uracy in bombing from that high up. The bombs created a grey-brown wall that obscured view. Everyone in the position was paying attention to this direction, including Major Eugene who hade out to encourage his men and was now lying at the edge of the trench, craning his neck to see over there. In fact, the enemy likely found themselves in a simr situation, because during this time the enemy tanks charging in had not fired. Just as the words were spoken, a big-headed T34 burst out from the grey-brown wall, with its antenna-bound red g fluttering in the wind. Major Eugene and the soldiers cheered together! The T34 stopped and its cannon blew up a Panzer IV. The remaining Panzer IVs began releasing smoke bombs and retreated backward. The enemy infantry also threw smoke bombs, and the once unstoppable enemy that had charged forward were now retreating! Around Regiment 153s position, the Ura shouts were deafening. In the woods, the first toon of Gods Arrow Companys position. See that! I fought one more battle than you guys! Ekaterina eximed gleefully, jumping around. Retreat! Yeca Neiko snatched her from the ammunition box and threw her into the jeep, Retreat! Weve fired so many shots, the enemy must have discovered our location! The artillery ising! Ekaterina protested, How could it be so fast, are you guys crazy? Were not crazy! As Yeca Neiko heaved the other Prayer Girls into the vehicle, he exined, In Loktov, we had just left our firing position when the Prussians bombs fell! If it werent for Ludm Vasilyevnas quick reaction, we would have all been dead! Once he was in the jeep, he mmed his foot on the elerator, speeding off and continuing, Our firing position was on top of an Anatolia bathhouse, the bombs obliterated the whole bathhouse, and even though wed driven far away, we were still affected! The Prussians went to great lengths to kill us! As he spoke, a howling noise came from the sky. The heavy artillerynded on the position they had just vacated. Look! Do you see, girls? Old man me just saved your skins! Yeca Neiko, the deputy knight, finished and burst intoughter, The Prussians think theyre the best at war in the world! But were just as good! Wang Zhong switched back to the indoor perspective. The enemys air raid is over, I wonder how many T34s are left intact. Pavlov looked out the window of the map room, puzzled, How can you see that the enemy air raid is over from there? How did you see it? Wang Zhong replied, Mirage. As long as I keep a straight face, the lie bes truth! Vasily asked, Where? Wang Zhong smacked Vasily on the head with the side of his hand, Listen in! We especially need intelligence right now! Then, without changing his expression, Wang Zhong changed the subject and approached the map table, saying, There are hundreds of tanks around us, right here we have a battalion, here one to two battalions As he spoke, he took a pencil and marked on the map. It looks like a lot, but an armored battalion requires over a kilometer of frontage to deploy. Based on this Wang Zhong drew a circle around Orachi on the map with his pencil, Thats the enemys limit. If the enemy wants to increase the troop strength for a single assault further, they would have to deploy on the side of therge ranchthat is, on the southeast side of the city. Pavlov agreed, Right, that side hasnt had artillery preparation, and its opennd, our mines are still in ce. On the battlefield,rge-scale mine clearance isnt usually done by engineers one by one, but by creating overpressure with explosives that detonate pressure-activated mines. The st wave from the explosives can also sever the tripwires of tripwire mines. Engineers use explosive cord for mine clearance for this reason; a rocket fires carrying a long explosive cord,nds in the minefield to detonate, and the overpressure and st wave clear out the entire strip area around the cord. Artillery fire preparation also has overpressure and st waves, and artillerys Xu Jin barrage would not only disperse the mines along the path but also clear obstructions like barbed wire. The forests to the north of Orachi, as well as the southwest hignd 153, had undergone repeated bombardments over a few days, so there are hardly any mines left, with only the asional stray mine capable of killing a few unlucky individuals. During the Cold War, one could use a mineying vehicle to quicklyy a new minefield ahead of an enemy attack, but such equipment doesnt exist now. However, the southeast hadnt been plowed by artillery fire, the mines were still there. Wang Zhong, with his hands pressing on the map table, looked over Orachi, The current strength of the enemys attacking forces is not yet beyond what we can withstand. The issue is how much of our forces we need to expend each time we repel the enemy, Pavlov paused, ncing at Wang Zhong, and how long our fighting spirit can hold out. Wang Zhong affirmed, Its mainly about fighting spirit. No sooner had he finished speaking than the phone rang. Pavlov picked up the receiver, Division headquarters, speak. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay, very good. After hanging up, he looked at Wang Zhong, The attack from the forest direction has been repelled; we dont know the enemys losses. We have twelve dead and seventeen wounded. Wang Zhong said concernedly, That many? Pavlov noted, It could have been much worse than Bilokotov. Indeed. After all, we dug so many shelters and fortifications. I still think its not enough, given that were going to be attacked all day long. Pavlov was about to respond when the phone rang again. He answered with a couple of uh-huhs and, after hanging up, reported, The enemy from hignd 153 has retreated. Based on the enemys attack organization speed during the past two days, I dont think we need to worry about the highground for an hour and a half to two hours. Wang Zhongmanded decisively, Then lets move all the T34s to the east side! Now, immediately. Have them stop at the middle school gate on the way to the east to resupply ammunition and fuel. Pavlov promptly picked up the receiver, then realized, We should have radio. Wang Zhong called out, Vasily, do the honors! After the enemy retreated, Tank 422 rumbled to life, moving past hignd 153 and headed toward Orachi. Clearly, other battles awaited the general elsewhere. The other T34s only then emerged from the lingering pink smoke and joined up with Tank 422. Major Eugene and everyone from the Fifth Belshenk Battalion cheered the departing T34 tanks with a resounding, Hurrah! Hurrah! The morning sun shone upon them. Chapter 193: Prison (Extra for 20,000 monthly votes) To the east of Orachi City, in the forested positions. Grigori shouted to boost morale, Its just the artillery thats gone! Get your Molotov cocktails ready! Tanks arent so scary, all you need to do is hit the rear deck! As soon as he finished speaking, enemy tanks began their machine gun strafing runs. In reality, at this time the tanks were still more than five hundred meters away from the attacking formation and the woods, so the machine guns could only hit targets by chance. Especially since tank coaxial machine guns were not capable of precise aim, relying on tracer rounds to correct their trajectory. But as long as the machine gun bullets were ripping through the bark of the white birch trees and the wood shavings were still greeting the soldiers faces and falling into their cors, the machine gunfire was a huge blow to morale. The fifth Bieshensk was a unit that took a shortcut through the Guardian Army. Panic-stricken soldiers began to run out of the trenches, fleeing backward. Grigori switched off the safety on his submachine gun and with a short burst, he brought down two fleeing soldiers.By the Tsarsmand! Deserters and turncoats are to be seen as traitors, he roared, ording to the order, your families should all be implicated, but I am merciful and will only kill the traitors themselves! Stay in your original positions! At that moment, an enemy Mark IV fired a shot, hitting the thickest white birch in the forest and breaking the trunk in two, with half of therge tree falling to the ground. Grigori dodged the tree trunk, but as he avoided it, two more deserters rushed out of the trench. Grigori fired at their backs, shouting as he shot, Think carefully! You may survive if you keep resisting, but youll definitely die if you run! Just then, from the other end of the position, cheers erupted, even overpowering the roar of the enemy tanks. Grigori looked over with confusion and saw tank number 422 weaving through therge fires and thick smoke of the artillery positions. The tank fired, the armor-piercing shell whistling through the forest and striking a Mark IV precisely. More T34s followed the 422, advancing and firing at the enemy as they went. The enemy, which had been aggressively advancing just moments before, suddenly stopped and began to reverse. Its possible that these Prussian Tank Operators had already learned from the experiences shared by other units that they should keep their distance from the T34smost T34s were incredibly poor at hitting targets at long range. The retreat of the tank units caused the skirmish line following the tanks to also begin retreating. Seeing this, the T34 squadron crossed the woods and began chasing the enemy tanks. At this time, a recruit from the fifth Bieshensk asked, Why is there someone standing behind every tank? Before Grigori could answer, the lead tank, number 422, stopped, and the people on the engine covers of the other tanks opened the hatches and shouted something inside. ? Eventually, all the tanks stopped just past the treeline, firing at the retreating enemy. The Prussian tankers who had just been willing to exchange fire with the T34s finally released smoke and chose to retreat. In Orachi City, at the temporary headquarters of the 151st Division. Okay, understood, you did well, Pavlov said as he put down the receiver, The eastern side is also blocked. Two T34s had their turrets jammed, the enemys firing uracy is very high! Plus the ones just damaged by the Stukas, we now only have 6 intact T34s left. Wang Zhong: Do all six have radios? Pavlov shook his head: No, the enemy tanks seem to be targeting the ones with radio antennas. They must already know that our standard tanks are without radios. Wang Zhong shook his head, no longer wanting toment on the weaknesses of the T34. Next year must get some Shermans, or even if not, some M3 Grant Lees would be good; those things are excellent as tank destroyers. At least every tank would have a radio. Pavlov: The good news is that the offensive has paused, and half the day is already gone. Wang Zhong looked at his watch, only to realize it was already one oclock in the afternoon. Just then, the phone rang again. Pavlovined, It better not be the enemy attacking again. He picked up the receiver: Division headquarters, go ahead. Understood. After hanging up the phone, Pavlov looked at Wang Zhong with a bitter expression: The thing we feared the most has happened; the enemy has crossed the highway from the southwest and is circling around, it looks like theyre preparing tounch an offensive at the pasture as well. Wang Zhong also furrowed his brow: We had a good n originally, digging tank emcements over there so our T34s could resist if the enemy attacked. But now there are only six intact T34s left. The good news is that the workers are rushing to repair the T34s damaged on the side of hill 153. The tractor factory workers are saving my lifeWang Zhong sincerely thought. Pavlov: But right now, only the minefields stand in the way of the enemy charging into the city. The good news is, our minefields are quite thick, the enemy will need to use artillery to clear a path, thats probably going to take an hour or two to st, which means at least until three oclock in the afternoon, we dont have to worry about the pasture side. But if the enemy deploys engineers to clear the mines with explosive charges, then the pasture side will be in trouble soon. Generally, minefields need the protection of machine guns and anti-tank guns to prevent the enemys engineers from quickly clearing them. But Wang Zhong shook his head, interrupting the chief of staff, The enemy can create smoke, you forgot. Pavlov looked at the ceiling, Yeah, create smoke. The Prussians love doing that. It would be great if we could figure out something to see through their smoke. Thermal imaging, perhaps, but given Antes level of technology, it probably wouldnt be that simple. On the other hand, the Prussians, who had Fritz X radio-controlled bombs from the start of the war, might develop technology faster than in the actual World War II. Damn, it wouldnt be like that German game Armored Legion 2, with Me 262s and Ho 229s filling the skies by 43 That would be hell mode, only hope for a miracle from the heavenly army (US forces). Pavlov didnt know what Wang Zhong was thinking, and continued his train of thoughts, Anyhow, in no more than two hours, there will be defensive pressure from the direction of the pasture. And weve run out of troops. Just then, the telephone rang again, Pavlov muttered, I hope its not bad news, and picked up the receiver, Division headquarters, speak. The next moment, he handed the receiver to Wang Zhong, Its Popov. Wang Zhong took the call, I am Rocossov, whats going on? There are two more Guardian Army camps here at the church, should I send them somewhere? Wang Zhong nced at Pavlov and decisively replied, Send them to the pasture. Popov was shocked, The pasture? Didnt we say during the terrain survey that its not suitable for defense? Abandon the pasture, defend the houses and streets around the pasture. Popov, Are you nning to have the Guardian Army fight street battles? Theyll get badly bullied by the enemy! Wang Zhong, Do you think I want that? The enemy has already deployed by the pasture, and theres only a minefield stopping them. If we dont send someone to defend this district, theyll pierce through to our heart! Once we are cut off by the enemy in the center, all defense will be but empty talk! Popov was silent for a second, then said, Alright, Ill send them to the pasture. Besides, the Labor Camp is insistent that we arm them, they want to defend their hometown themselves. Wang Zhong, Do they know how to use Molotov cocktails? Of course, weve been teaching them that for days. Wang Zhong further asked, Do we have any surplus weapons? A fair number of MosinCNagants and some shotguns. While Popov spoke, Wang Zhong heard someone shouting from the other side of the line, Just give us something that can kill! Wang Zhong, Issue them the guns, and if there are still people who want weapons after the supply runs out, let them specialize in throwing Molotov cocktails. Popov was silent for a few seconds, then replied, I admit that I deliberately pushed this decision onto you, I didnt expect you to make it so decisively. Because Ive seen hell, answered Wang Zhong, I know what it takes to stop hell from descending. Youre doing the right thing. Ill arm the civilians now. By the way, I heard the artillery has stopped outside, hows the situation? We have temporarily repelled the enemys assault, but the situation is worse than in the morning. We are surrounded, trapped. Wang Zhong spoke very calmly, as if stating something as routine as ordinary. Popov sensed this and chuckled, Ive been with your forces for less than a monthis it a month yet? Just arrived. Yes, just arrived. And I already feel like being trapped and facing an enemy far more numerous than us is a normal thing. And that youll hold out as usual until the mission isplete. Wang Zhong was about to answer, to boast a little, but he changed his mind at thest minute. This time, it truly seemed impossible to hold out until the southwest Front Army could escape. The enemys second armored group would definitely bypass Orachi and begin their deadly sprint. The Southwest Front Armys best evacuation route would be cut off, and he could only watch it all happen helplessly. The brother of this body, his father, and his dear friends would be encircled at Argesukov. In such a situation, Wang Zhong truly couldnt afford to be brave anymore. Popov seemed to understand it all, Youve done everything you could, heroically resisted here for two days C this is the third day! I believe nobody could have done better than you. Wang Zhong, Thank you. Arm the people, prepare for the worst. I will. Over, said Popov as he hung up the phone. No sooner had Wang Zhong put down the receiver than the phone began to ring urgently again. He picked it up without hesitation, Im Rocossov, what is it? Brother Peters voice came through in a panic from the other end, Route 217! The sound of airnes is the same as the one Loktov threw that radio-controlled bomb fromst time, and there are two of them! Two! Two bombers carrying those kinds of huge bombs areing at us from high altitude! Wang Zhong, Are you sure? Im certain, I set the acoustic array to narrow-beam mode, sacrificing coverage for performance, so I can hear very clearly, its Route 217! Just like the onest time that almost blew up your fiance! Exactly the same! Wang Zhong went to the window and switched to birds-eye view mode, but could see no enemy aircraftBrother Peter had switched the sonic array to a different mode, alerting to more distant enemy aircraft. Atst, Wang Zhong spotted those two Route 217s, and saw the guided bombs suspended under their wings. The Fritz X! Chapter 194: Nirvana The 55th Royal Bomber Squadron of the Prosen Royal Air Force, Squadron ten, was flying in formation towards their bombing target with two Do 217s. Inside the lead nes cockpit, the radio operator was calling ground forces, Bald Eagle calling Wild Wolf, Bald Eagle calling Wild Wolf, please respond. After waiting a while and as he was about to call again, a response came through the radio, which could be heard throughout the ne via the inte. This is Wild Wolf, go ahead. The radio operator nced at the squadronmander. Themander spoke, Wild Wolf, please use the Panzer IVs main tank gun to fire a Smoke Bomb and mark the priority targets. Bald Eagle out. There was silence for a few seconds before the reply came, Understood. Marking priority targets, Wild Wolf out. Kluges face was somber as, although he had lostmand of the entire offensive, he was still the officer who understood the situation on the ground best, so coordinating with the Air Force had been left to him.Kluge made a gesture, and immediately a staff officer came over, Yes, sir? Select the Panzer IV crew with the best gunnery skills to mark the 153 hignds with the Smoke Bomb. Aim for their artillery observation post if possible. Yes, sir! Inside the bombing formations lead ne, the observer reported, Theres no sign of the marker Smoke, should we prompt them again? The formationmander replied, Patience, the ground forces are cumbersome. Theyre like a big elephant; it takes time for information to travel from the brain to the toes. Not as quick as us in the Air Force. The pilot in the cockpitughed and said, Its really like that. The army is just like this, slow. Well have to wait. Right now, theyre at a loss against the Ante Peoples new tanks, and can only rely on our bombers and anti-aircraft gun battalions. Themander smiled and said, In the Carolingian campaign, the ground forces had only those little tanks that looked like toys. They needed dive bombers as soon as they encountered any solid bunkers. Back then, the sky was full of calls from the ground forces. Themanders words were suddenly interrupted by the observer, Marker Smoke sighted, please bank right! The ne instantly tilted, and then the pilot said, Marker Smoke confirmed, Im going to make a turn. The Do 217 started to circle clockwise, finally aligning their heading with the marker smoke. The pilotmented, Theres a southeast wind outside, the ne is a bit shaky. In fact, he didnt need to say it, everyone in the cockpit could feel the ne shaking, causing thepass on themanders map table to walk around, moving towards the edge of the table with each vibration until themander grabbed it just before it fell off. The observer said, Heading is good, well reach drop position in 20 seconds, final check! The mechanic announced, Guidance system is fine, racks normal! Ready for the drop! The observer counted, Ten seconds to the drop! But suddenly, the gunner in the dorsal gun turret was hit, blood spraying back onto the side gunner sitting behind him. The side gunner yelled, Were under attack! Were under attack! Then bullets prated the steel te above his head, piercing directly through his skull and incidentally hitting the arm of themander and navigator sitting next to him. The pilot looked back in horror, and in that moment, the left wing of the aircraft was repeatedly hit, the stress structure instantly copsed, and the entire wing was torn off. A MiG-3 zoomed by the bomber with its cut wing, sparks shing from the exhaust ports on the cigar-shaped nose of the engine. Next to the MiG-3s cockpit, a neat row of red stars was painted, each one representing a downed enemy ne. Surrounded by red stars, the pilot peered through his goggles at the disintegrating bomber with a smile on his lips. As the MiG-3 swept past, another Do 217 was hit, but this time the Ant Pilots work was not so precise; the bullets only perforated the tail of the Do 217, damaging the steering system and incidentally blowing off the left tail fins control surface. This wingman was unable to control its direction and traced an arc as it fell towards the ground. After the attack, the two MiG-3s quickly climbed to regain altitude. The lead ne rolled upside down; the cockpit canopy facing the ground as it carefully searched below for other worthy targets. Through the cockpit, one could see an entire squadron of IL-2 Sturmoviks flying low over the ins. The IL-2s formed a line, strafing the ground with their 23 mm cannons and machine guns while dropping 50 kg bombs as they flew over the earthsmall for aerial bombs but packed with explosive powerparable to heavy artillery shells. From above, the IL-2s flying in formation looked like plows turning over a field full of Prussians, with the dust from the bombs resembling upturned soil. General Moochi stood on a knoll south of Orachi, watching the sudden onught of the Ante Air Force. So, Duke Meyer was boasting again, wasnt he? When I received the report that Ante Air Force activity had increased, I thought it was mainly around the capital. Howe there are so many active Ante Air Forces here in the southwest? The chief of staff shrugged, Maybe they were transferred from the direction of the capital? No, the Ante People wouldnt rx their protection of the capital. General Moochi was silent for a few seconds before adding, Its probably just the Air Force bragging; they didnt inflict as much damage on the Ante Air Force as they imed. They certainly havent destroyed 3,000 nes on the ground. Chief of Staff: After all, its the Air Force. Its normal for them. Moochi clicked his tongue, With the Air Forces mess, I guess the next offensive will have to be postponed, right? Ill go and confirm. With that, the chief of staff turned and walked towards the radiomunications vehicle. General Moochi stood with his hands behind his back on the hillock, gazing at the city of Orachi that he had relegated to the rear. Beside him, the Prussian armored units in marching columns were passing continuously, pushing southward. About fifteen minutester, the chief of staff returned, The losses for all units are not as big as we feared, but its true that time is needed to reorganize the offensive. General Moochi: Then lets start with a heavy artillery bombardment of Orachi, keep it up until midnight. Midnight? Of course. In the era of trench warfare, it wasmonce to have fire preparations thatsted for days. Why make a fuss when its only till evening? The preparation area is not just the urban district, but also those troublesome woods around it. The enemys heavy artillery must be hidden in the woods, theres no need to put in the effort to locate them, just level them. Turn the whole forest upside down. The chief of staff turned his head and gave some specific operational instructions to the staff, and then asked General Moochi, When do we attack then? Well attack as soon as the fire preparation isplete, of course. At midnight? A night attack? The chief of staff eximed in surprise. General Moochiughed: Dont worry, by dawn, the entire city will serve as our light for the attack. The entire city will burn, bright as day. What White Horse General, what defensive genius, humph! The general smiled: With such a disparity in force that drives one to despair, what significance does individual talent bear? Let him wither away here. Ill include him in my memoirs, along with that genius of a tank bunker. Having said that, General Moochi turned and walked toward hismand vehicle: We continue to advance, tonight we will camp at Meishikin! At zero hour in the early morning of August 6th. Wang Zhong rose from the ground and looked out of the window: Has it finally stopped? Outside the window, the mes painted everything red. Wang Zhong: Guard! Go see whats caught fire! The guard came in and reported, General, everythings caught fire! The whole city is burning! Pavlov was about to speak when he heard the rumbling of engines: Ours? No, we dont have that many engines. The enemys? An armored night attack? Wang Zhong looked out of the window, feeling goosebumps forming on the back of his neck: No, this isnt a night attack, the fire has turned everything into daylight! Ludm had just woken up from unconsciousness when she heard the sound of engines. She looked outside and saw Prosen tanks advancing along the highway that passed through the city, their headlights on, pushing toward the city. Natalia! Donya! she called out loudly to the nuns and the Guardian Army assigned to her, Are you all right? No one responded. Ludm turned to look for the Divine Arrow and itsuncher, then realized that half of the attic she was in had been destroyed. Divine Arrow, nuns, and Guardian Army were nowhere to be seen. At that moment, she heard the voices of the Guardian Army defending downstairs: Prayer Hand Miss, flee quickly! Well hold off the enemy with the machine gun! Head to the church headquarters! Ludm got up, picked up a Mosin-Nagant rifle from the floor, and staggered through the attic door, running down the stairs. By the time she reached the first floor, the machine gun had already opened fire. The Guardian Army, seeing her descending, shouted, Take the back door! Keep running along the main road! Youre more important than us! Go, quickly! Ludm nodded and dashed towards the back door. The moment she burst onto the street, she heard the sound of a tank gun behind her. The machine gun fire immediately died down. Ludm frantically began to run, and after taking five or six steps, she heard the machine gun firing again, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, holding back the enemy forces. She turned back but found that the buildings blocked her view, and she couldnt see those brave gunners. She could only keep running. Wang Zhong used the phones that were still working to check the situation and made an immediate decision: We cant hold this position, its meaningless to try. The enemys main force has bypassed us and is heading south. Pavlov: How to break out? With the current situation Wang Zhong: No, the enemys night attack has actually given us an opportunity. If they were simply surrounding us not attacking, I wouldnt know which way to go. Theyre now attacking the city, and even with the big fires illuminating, they will fall into chaos. In fact, the fire itself is a source of chaos. In such chaos, if someone could highlight all the enemy positions, knowing where they are, that person would have a great advantage. Of course, its not enough to annihte the enemy, but creating confusion among them to enable an escape from the encirclement should be no problem. Wang Zhong began to issue orders: Vasily! Alert Panzer 422; if it isnt broken, it must get to the headquarters entrance at all costs! Vasily didnt ask questions and started the call immediately. Wang Zhong: Signal corps, send a message to Duke Meishikin, saying were preparing to break out in the confusion and hope the duke can provide some sort of interceptionjust hoping. After sending that message, destroy the radio and burn the codebook. All headquarters personnel, whether they are clerks, staff officers, or even cooks, must arm themselves! Wang Zhong paused because he saw Nelly enter, carrying a Mosin-Nagant that was taller than her. He spouted offhandedly: It goes well with your boat-shaped cap. Nelly smiled. At that moment, Vasily eximed, Ive contacted Panzer 422, theyre on their way! Apanied by six T34s! Wang Zhongughed, Good! Everyone! Its not the time for noble sacrifice yet. See you in Shepetovka! Chapter 195: Fire and Sword Grigori pulled the bay out of the enemys body and looked around. The city behind him was on fire, and the Prussian tanks in front of him were also on fire. The artillery positions were on fire, the forest was on fire. Grigori held the long bay as if he were a knight with a sword, facing the soaring mes. At this moment, a messenger riding a horse came galloping from the city: The whole army is to break out to the north! Leave enough ammunition for the seriously wounded! The whole army is to break out to the north! Leave enough ammunition for the seriously wounded! Grigori said in a deep voice, You heard that. His voice, like the sound of the mother river, wasnt loud, yet no one could ignore it, easily piercing through the crackling mes. Grigori: Those who can walk, stand up; those who cant, please raise your handswe still have grenades at least. In the piles of corpses in the forest, quite a few people stood up one after another, each looking like a demon back from hell.Grigori: They will not treat the seriously wounded, and those who stay dont need to worry too much; we will soon join you. Very soon. At that moment, an explosion sounded from the artillery position behind them, startling many, with some even dropping down to the ground. Grigori: Dont be scared, thats just the artillerymen blowing up the heavy guns, since we cant let the enemy capture them and fire at us. When they blow up the ammunitionter, there will be a big firework show! But only those who stay will get to see it. Living people, follow me! Lets go! Grigori, obviously not a morale booster since he only had a tenth-grade education, yet his figure was persuasive and couldmand the respect of old soldiers who had survived hell. A line of people passed through the forest, handing grenades to every seriously wounded soldier who reached out their hands. On height 153. The Prussians night attack had been repelled. Colonel Eugene dragged an empty ammunition box over to use as a stool, stabbing the miners pick, covered in blood and brain matter, into the ground. A machine gun roared beside him, pouring fire on the retreating Prussian Army. Most of the machine gun emcements on height 153 had been destroyed by continuous heavy artillery bombardment, leaving only the regimental headquarters fortification with a roof, which is why it became the most intense battleground at dawn. Captain Andrei also pulled over an ammunition box to sit on and stuck his bloodied sappers shovel next to him, saying to Colonel Eugene, The sappers shovel is more useful than that thing; its sharp edge cuts a Prussian ghost down with every shovel. Colonel Eugene took out a cigarette and, while fumbling for a match, answered, Im not used to it. This fellow works well for me; I know exactly how to wield it with less effort and how to smash solid rock. Where are my matches? Captain Andrei took out matches and struck one, leaning in. Colonel Eugene lit his cigarette, took a deep drag, leaned back against a cracked wall, let out a long breath, and then asked, What does the division headquarters say? Captain Andrei turned to nce at the phone, with the receiver broken in half: Dont know, the phone lines must be cut now, and with gunfire still in the city, I guess itll be a while before a signal corpsmanes to fix it. Colonel Eugene nodded. Just then, the machine-gun fire stopped, and the colonel asked, What happened? Cant see those Prussian devils anymore, the gunner said. Its too dark; I was just shooting bursts whenever I saw something move. Let it be; your gun barrel is smoking hot. Quickly change the cooling water, Captain Andrei said. The machine gunner and his assistant quickly pulled the gun back and began changing the cooling water. Colonel Eugene watched them work, asking, What happens next? Should we send someone to make contact with division headquarters? Might as well ask the tank crews if they still have a working radio. Right after he spoke, Major Olof entered: Weve received a radio callthe division headquarters has decided to break out to the north, ordering all units to destroy equipment, burn documents, and leave enough ammunition for the immobile seriously wounded. Colonel Eugene: Is this telling the seriously wounded to cover our retreat? Isnt that a bit Captain Andrei: The enemy will kill our wounded without treatment. Because we are considered inferior people, unworthy of wasting precious medicine. If they treat you, its to show the mercy of a superior race. Colonel Eugene didnt answer; instead, he just clenched the cigarette in his mouth and took a heavy puff. The tip of the cigarette brightened, turning most of it quickly to ash. Then Colonel Eugene threw the cigarette on the ground and stamped it out. The big puff made his nostrils spout white smoke like a bubbling kettle for quite a while before it stopped. He then stood up, leaning on his miners pick, leaving the bunker with weary steps, walking along the trench to see the almost entirely wounded soldiers. Soldiers! The division headquarters has given the order to breakout. Two kinds of people can stay here: those who are already dead and those who are about to die. They say the Prussians wont treat the seriously wounded well, but we have no strength to take you with us, so we can only leave you with enough bullets and grenades. I am a miner! I cant predict the course of war, so I cant assure you that we will definitely win. The only thing I can do is tell you what I used to say to my fellow miners. Colonel Eugene paused because he saw a severely wounded soldier sitting in the trench, calmly watching him. The colonel patted the soldiers shoulder: Thisnd treats everyone equally; it produces milk to nourish us, and, in the end, it will also be the final resting ce for each of us. Do not consider being buried in the mines a sad affair; Kazarlias ck earth is like a mother, and you are just returning to the embrace of your mother. The soldier in front of the colonel suddenly hummed a song, an ancient one. A song almost every Kazarlian knew. It told of a time long ago, when riders on the ck earth resisted conquerors from distantnds. They galloped across the grasnds, fell in the trial of fire and sword, and now sleep in the dark soil of their homnd. Their bodies were buried beneath the wild grass, swept into the Mother River. And that great river, called the Mother River, flowed on in silence. To the north of the city, the sound of gunfire merged into one, clearly the enemy infantry intended to take the forest position by night. Additionally, there was gunfire from both the east and west sides of the city, with the most intense gunfireing from the direction of the pastures. The two battalions of the Guardian Army had obviously encountered the enemy. Wang Zhong stepped out of the headquarters to see the stables had been destroyed, but Bucephalus was unharmed, still munching on the scattered hay below. Wang Zhong pointed at the horse, Saddle it up! Let the lightly wounded ride! No sooner had he spoken than tank number 422 drove into the yard of the division headquarters, its outer armor scarred, and its g on the antenna reduced to half. The drivers hatch was nowhere to be seen, and Beliyakovs head was exposed, grinning when he saw Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong hopped onto the tank, turned to pull Nelly up, then climbed into his exclusive position atop the turret. He had just put on the headset when he heard Alexandria say, You finally made it, Ive been run ragged, being a gunner is far easier. Wang Zhong didnt answer him but shouted to the bustling crowd in the division headquarters, Let the lightly wounded and women get on the tanks! Give all vehicles to the women! A woman beneath shouted, We can walk! Let the lightly wounded sit! Right! General, you should let the lightly wounded sit! Nelly, upon hearing she should get off, was seized by Wang Zhong, Let the children ride the tanks and cars then! And the praying hands, the ears of the Monk! Nelly, Im not a child. You stay put, Wang Zhong said. This time, no one objected to Wang Zhongs proposal, and all the children of the city were put onto the tanks. The citys only surviving children. Some of the children held submachine guns, already bearing the expressions of warriors. At that moment, a thought struck Wang Zhongs heart, and he turned to ask, Has anyone seen Liu XiaCaptain Ludm Vasilyevna? No one responded. Pavlov also came out of the headquarters, tossing a pile of documents into a burning fire, Damn, we spent so much time making these reports, and they have to be redone. Professor! Where are you going? He grabbed the only level-six clerk of the headquarters. The old man turned around, Its the educationalmissar! And now you should call me by my rank! My rank! Alright, colonel, where are you heading? The old man, To get weapons! Pavlov picked up a Tokarev from a guard and handed it to the old man, Alright, follow the troop, my professor! Its colonel! Wheres the troop? Pavlov pointed towards the troop of the headquarters lining up. The old man then strode off briskly, not at all like an elder. Pavlov, General! You have to lead the way! Lets move! Wang Zhong nodded and pressed the transmitter on his throat, Move out! Beliyakov, follow my directions! Lets give the enemies in the city a taste of their own medicine! Are you sure you want to take so many children with you to fight the enemy? Dont worry, well crush the enemy quickly, Wang Zhong replied confidently. The tank charged out of the division headquarters courtyard, speeding down the streets turned red by the mes. Suddenly, a figure dashed out front, the silver-white hair sparkling under the firelight. Wang Zhong, Liu Xia! Over here! Ludm spotted the tank and ran over, then got pulled up by the children on the vehicle. As soon as she entered the turret, she nted an enthusiastic kiss on Wang Zhong. Huh? Is thisappropriate? Tears marked the corners of Ludms eyes, and after the lengthy kiss, she said, Enemy tanks have entered the city from the northeast, the Guardian Army is fighting fiercely with them! Hurry to reinforce! The Guardian Army needs backup! Wang Zhong took Ludm by the shoulders, Were about to break out. A breakout requires a rearguard. Ludm paused, Huh? You youre abandoning them? Like Loktov did? This time, Wang Zhong replied with certainty, This is to preserve more of the forces. These are troops that have emerged from the trial of fire and sword; they must be saved. One day, this spark will be the ze that consumes the Prosen Empire. He offered no further exnation, and tank number 422 did not stop moving. Chapter 196: Reinforcements (Extra for 21,000 monthly votes) The church, Popov stepped out of the cathedral and said to the people gathered around, The main force is now ready to break out! They will attract the enemys attention, and we, along with the choir, will push through from different directions and meet them at Shepetovka! Those willing to follow the main force, head over to headquarters; you might catch the tail end. But under the current circumstances, even the main force may not be able to break out. Separated, the enemy might ignore us because were militias andborers! Someone in the crowd shouted, What about the Guardian Army still fighting? Popov, When ites down to meleebat with the Prussian Infantry, their chances are slim. With the Guardian Armys level of training and organization, there is virtually no chance of them retreating in an orderly manner from in front of the enemy. Ive been through the same thing in Loktov. Once the Guardian Army makes contact with the Prussians in the city, there are only two oues: First, maintain the will to fight until thest moment. Second, lose the will to fight and flee en masse, only to be killed by the Prussians. Only a few will manage to escape. Popov paused, then continued, If the situation is so bad that the Guardian Army must engage the enemy face to face, it means the regr army is nearly finished, and that is the current scenario. So we can only hope that the Guardian Armys fighting spirit will hold until we break out of the encirclement, dying the enemy as long as possible. Such is war. If anyone is dissatisfied, you cany down your weapons and go back homeafter all, youre not in uniform. As for what the Prussians will do after they upy this ce, all I can say is good luck.Those unwilling to ce their fate in the enemys mercy, follow me! Popov drew his pistol, Move out! Stroking his rosary, Su Fang silently prayed, Saint Andrew protect us, then followed in Popovs footsteps with the choir. August 6, 0230 hours, Shepetovka. Duke Meishikin coughed violently. An orderly quickly came to pat his back and meanwhile brought him a cup of hot coffee. The Duke stopped coughing, took a sip of coffee, and then let out a long sigh of relief. He then turned to Major General Skudzheski,mander of the Tenth Tank Corps, GeneralYour Excellency, may I ask how is the preparation for your troops strike going? ? Duke Meishikin was polite to everyone, even to his subordinates, and everyone had be ustomed to it. Skudzheski, We started preparation for the offensive yesterday at 2020 hours, and now we are ready to depart at any time. Very good, the Duke of Meishikin coughed once again, but this time he didnt continue relentlessly, We have received a distress telegram from the 151st Infantry Division in Orachi, and we can now be sure that the enemys main forces from the Second Armored Group have moved southward. Skudzheski, delighted, said, Then we strike straight ahead! No, no, the enemy has certainly prepared their defenses at the front. Although breaking through the enemys front lines and cutting off the Second Armored Groups supply line seems very tempting, no, we cannot do that. Its not possible, to be precise. I have fully experienced our tank armys offensive capabilities and I dont wish to experience it again. Skudzheski frowned, Then what do you mean? Duke Meishikin stepped up to the map, Between us and Orachi, there are only a few enemy defense positions. Clearly, the enemy is more worried about their supply lines being cut off than us rescuing General Rokossovskys 151st Infantry Division. Look, three highways converge at Orachi into an inverted Y shape. The enemy only has defenses on the vertical line, and although there are troops between us and Orachi, those troops have their attention solely on Orachi. If your tank army sets out now and speeds along the highway, you will strike the enemy unexpectedly. Skudzheski frowned, You mean we should not deploy in an attack formation? Yes, thats exactly the point of surprise. You could even turn on your tanks headlights, charge up to the enemy, and then fire res before butchering them. Would that work? Skudzheski frowned, If we were equipped with T34s, it would be okay; in the chaos, the enemy wouldnt be able to prate our armor. But we have only BT series tanks! Duke Meishikinughed, Thats the beauty of BTs. T34s might not have such an element of surprise. This is a nighttime sprint, and I will assign you an infantry regiment to ride on the tanks. That way, you will look even more like a troop on the move, and in the pitch darkness, the enemy wont be able to make out the contours of the tanks. Skudzheski: But the enemy knows their troops wouldnt being from this direction Duke Meishikin interrupted him, Theirmanders might know, but what about the rank and file? Even the Prussian Army couldnt possibly have every low-ranking officer clued in on the overall situation. Besides, the enemy has been rushing south these past few days; theyre all tired. Trust me, Skudzheski! In five minutes, I will order the artillery to fire, a bombardment that willst two hours. During that time, you have to hurry through. The artillery will only cover the enemy positions on both sides of the highway. Once youre past, the infantry units will begin their attack. Skudzheski nodded, Alright, I trust you. Then Im off. Duke Meishikin: Remember, whether in terms of training or equipment, you are no match for the Prussians armored units. This is merely a rescue mission, to extricate as many of the 151st Divisions survivors as possible. Once theyve passed, return to Shepetovka. I will order the infantry units to advance along the highway to rendezvous with youits a pick-up for the pick-up units. General Rokossovsky has managed to hold Orachi with so few troops for so long, hes a true expert in defensive warfare. I believe he will be of great use in the future. We may have to conduct strategic defense for another year or even two, and he is of the utmost importance to us. Utmost! Skudzheski saluted, I will ensure the mission ispleted. Having said that, he turned and left themand post. Perhaps it was due to rxation, but Duke Meishikin began to cough violently again. His Military Bishop said worriedly, You should be careful with your health. After all, you have just returned from convalescing in Liechtenstein Meishikin waved his hand dismissively, The mountain air being effective for my condition isplete nonsense. I was there for two years, and there was no improvement. Of course, the air there is fresher and the scenery is pleasant, which did lift my spirits. But thats about it, a lifted spirit. The Chief of Staff said, Sometimes, a lifted spirit itself can improve ones condition How can I feel cheerful in this situation? Since were bound to die, I choose to die on the battlefield, Duke Meishikin coughed a few times, then nced at the seat clock in the corner, Times up, let the artillery begin. The Chief of Staff picked up the phone, This is the Chief of Staff, start ording to n. The st wave swept over everyone on top of Tank No. 422 the moment it fired. Nelly pressed her boat-shaped hat down with her hand, practically hiding behind the turret. Ludm had already lost her hat, she was sitting half on the turret, her whole body leaning against Wang Zhong. About a hundred meters away at the crossroads, the enemys tank caught fire, the tank operators popped open the hatches and scrambled out, rolling on the ground to extinguish the mes. Wang Zhong manned the anti-aircraft machine gun, ending their agony. Machine gunner! Set up the machine gun at this crossroads, block it! Leave a traffic conductor to guide the main force! After issuing orders to the infantry unit beside him, Wang Zhong immediately pressed the microphone again, Load high-explosive shells, lets copse the houses ahead and block the enemys path! Ludm heard someone shout from inside the hatch, High-explosive shell, okay! The next moment, the cannon fired, and the st tore at Ludms silver hair. The half-building behind the destroyed tank was hit, and as the supporting pirs were sted away, it copsed sideways, immediately blocking most of the road. The Prussians courageously crossed the intersection, only to be cut down by the tank and the newly set up machine gun. The next moment, the enemy used their favorite smoke. Wang Zhong, Aim at the breakpoint in the smoke, the enemy is also human, they also feel fear! The infantry machine gunner immediately did as told, continuously firing short bursts into the smoke with the big-pan chicken, and indeed no new enemies came through. Wang Zhong, Beliyakov, turn left, we continue to clear the way! The tank turned around. Seeing this, the other tanks hurriedly followed suit, and the column of tanks resumed its progress through the city. Wang Zhong, Turn left at the crossroads ahead. Ludm looked at Wang Zhong in surprise, Do you know this city so well? Wang Zhong, Im amander, I know every road in this city. As the tank passed an apartment building, a woman with several children stood at the entrance, looking coldly at the tank column. Wang Zhong, Stop! Beliyakov immediately hit the brakes. Wang Zhong, Madam! Let the children get on! You can follow the troops! The woman held her head high, My ancestors were Prussians! Nelly, A spy! Why didnt the Judge execute her? While the little boy also on the tank raised his submachine gun, Let me kill her! Wang Zhong, No, the Prussians wont let him go, let her reap what she sows. Beliyakov, move forward! Tank No. 422 started moving again. Tank after tank passed by the woman, followed by trucks, ox carts, and the marching infantry column. Everyone looked at the family. The woman held her head high, disying the arrogance of a superior race looking down upon an inferior race. No one knew whether her ancestors were Prussians, but she herself was probably a true Prussian. After finally leaving the city, Ludm breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head to Wang Zhong, You dont seem worried at all, as if you know whether or not there are enemies ahead! Wang Zhong, Nonsense, how could I possibly know? I only have a hundred percent confidence in eliminating the enemy, thats all. To be honest, if the enemy surrounds us and doesnt attack, Im not sure how wed break out. As soon as he finished speaking, Infantry Group 31 hidden in the forest shouted, The General! Is that the General? Wang Zhong, Its me! How are things? The next moment, a group of people stood up in the forest. Beliyakov stopped advancing without waiting for Wang Zhongs order. A lieutenant-colonel ran up to the tank, saluted, Weve repelled the enemys night assault; over a hundred of us from our battalion are left, all here. Wang Zhong, Youve worked hard. Ill lead the way, and you follow and retreat! The lieutenant-colonel saluted and turned away. Wang Zhong, Beliyakov, move forward! Chapter 197: Racing Towards Dawn (Extra for 22,000 monthly votes) After leaving Orachi, the situation greatly deviated from Wang Zhongs expectations. There were no enemies on either side of the road; all of them were encamped more than a hundred meters away from the road. Why? Not only were there no people on either side of the road, but also the viges along the road had no enemy presence, the empty viges were like ghost towns. As Wang Zhong puzzled over this, the Prussians encamped away from the road seemed to have noticed them and shouted something from a distance. Wang Zhong turned his head to ask Ludm, What are they yelling? The girl furrowed her brows, It seems like theyre reminding us that the Ante Army likes to bombard the highways and viges at night, warning us to be careful. Wang Zhong was rmed, But my artillery has already left their positions, the cannons are destroyed! Ludm spread her hands, Perhaps the Prussians forgot to pass this information on to other units.Wang Zhong was utterly astonished: Had he groped around in the dark several times only to find a miraculous path? This was indeed hitting the jackpot. Wang Zhong suddenly couldnt suppress hisughter. Ludm looked at him, then exchanged a nce with Nelly. If possible, Wang Zhong wanted to issue orders to advance silently, but now the entire organization of the 151st Division was almostpletely disrupted, and even if he used the radio to send orders, it would not be possible to sessfully reach every unit. Moreover, using the radio now might rm the Prussian forces on both sides of the road. In any case, only distant gunfire was heard, so the troops that had fled the city were probably not detected. As for how many units had actually made it out, that would have to wait until they regrouped at Shepetovka to count heads. Such a retreat was bound to lead to disarray, and the current state of the 151st Division could be described, using the words of The Great Battle, as a three-dimensional tumbling retreat. He had the feeling that nothing major would happen before dawn. The problem was after dawn. At the speed of the T34s, if they were to race at full speed, they should arrive at Shepetovka by tomorrow morning, but around four a.m., the sky would start to lighten. R?? At that time, the Prussian forces on both sides of the road would not be as oblivious to them as they were now. More to the point, the few who could rush ahead in tanks were in the minority; the main force of the 151st Division was on foot, which, if spotted by the enemys armored units on the main road not to mention armored units, even being discovered by arge number of semi-tracked armored grenadier units would be troublesome. The machine guns on the half-tracked vehicles were not to be trifled with, and the same went for the machine guns assigned to the enemy infantry squads. Thinking of this, Wang Zhongs recently rxed mood instantly turned serious. Maybe its not a good idea to just run wildly? Perhaps they should strike the enemy first and throw them into chaos? But the only reliable force he had on hand was six T34 tanks. That there were six was thanks to the mercy of the tank engines souls for not breaking down until now. After all the trouble tonight, it wouldnt be surprising if the six tanks broke down at any moment their motors were out of hours. Apart from the enemy on the steppes, the enemys Air Force would be deadly after dawn. Now, with no trees in sight, Wang Zhong, looking from a birds-eye view, could see that even in the middle of the night, the six tanks were very conspicuous. Moreover, the highway they were on was in such bad condition; it was just a ttened dirt road, and the tanks stirred up clouds of dust as they moved. It was only because there was a new moon and no moonlight that the dust clouds werent too visible. Once it was light, the billowing dust would be visible to airnes flying at altitudes of six or seven thousand meters. Damn it, the more he thought about it, the more worried he became. He didnt know whether they would receive Air Force support from the Grand Duchess after dawn. The most crucial point was, the Grand Duchess might not know that the 151st Division had abandoned Orachi; perhaps Air Force support would still head straight for Orachi. Wang Zhongs brows twisted into knots. Ludm, watching beside him, had the look of wanting to console him but dared not interrupt his thoughts. August 6th, Argesukov, within the Rocossov Dukes manor. Old Duke Rocossov had only been asleep for two hours when he was woken up by the hurried footsteps the Duke was old, his sleep light, the slightest disturbance would awaken him. He sat up, intending to turn on his bedsidemp, but then remembered the ckout restrictions; the power district had cut the electricity to the urban area. At that moment, the old butler Mikhail entered, holding a candlestick, its light illuminating the bedroom: Master, the second young master has abandoned Orachi and broken through. Old Rocossov was shocked, Which way did he break through? Shepetovka! And he also sent a telegram requesting support from Duke Meishikin. The old man heaved a sigh of relief, Thats good then. He held on for less time than I thought! ording to intelligence passed back from Front Army headquarters by the eldest son, the enemys second armored Army Groups main force attacked Orachi. The main force of the second armored Army Group? Is the information reliable? The old Duke raised his voice again. Yes, now the enemys armored Army Group main force has crossed Orachi and advanced 30 kilometers to the south. The old Duke hurried to the map table in his bedroom. The old butler immediately followed with the candlestick to provide illumination. Thirty kilometers Old Rocossov wore a serious expression, This is bad, Alyosha might not be in immediate trouble, but now the danger is upon us. The First Army Group to the south is moving so quickly, and now the Second Army Group is speeding up too. We will be encircled within a week, and this is thest window of opportunity to retreat. The old butler didnt speak, waiting for the old duke to sort out his thoughts. Pacing near the map table, the old duke walked a fewps, then said, Even if Alyosha makes it out, it will be very dangerous during the day tomorrow. The old butler couldnt help but say, You just mentioned that we are the ones in danger now. Oh, our danger is unavoidable, but Alyoshas side, we can make an effort. How many air force units does the Front Army still have? The unitsmanded by Antes Front Army included the Air Force, which was different from the Prosen Army Group. Themander of the Front Army could also direct the Air Force under hismand and give them instructions. There are three fighter squadrons left, all newly transferred. the old butler said, The source of the signal Never mind the source of the signal, I need to make a phone call. Bring me the phone. The old butler ced the candle on the table and fetched the telephone from the desk, handing the receiver to the old man. The old man picked up the receiver, Connect me to the Front Army headquarters. This is General Rocossovsky, please put the chief of staff of the Front Army on the line General Skorobo, are you still insisting on your opinion? Retreat immediately! What? His Majesty the Tsar wont allow it? With a twist of his mouth, the old man cursed, Suka! Oh no, no, I didnt call you specifically to order a retreat, but my second son is retreating to Shepetovka, could you provide some air cover for him? Youre covering tomorrows offensive? Towards where are youunching the attack? Nonsense! Its not the old days anymore, dont you know the oue when infantry attacks on the ins? The enemy has machine guns in every infantry squad! Each one has them! Do you realize how terrible the density of frontal machine guns is? No, I think that regardless of whether you send air support or not, the infantry attack will fail. We should be retreating now, while the jaws of the trap are still open. Retreat doesnt need artillery fire, doesnt need an offensive formation, just the rapid patter of feet will do. You Suddenly, the old man pulled the receiver away and stared at it with furrowed brows: The bastard hung up on me! Hung up on me! The old butler suggested, Shall we try calling Lieutenant General Andreyev of the Air Force? No, I have retired, and it wouldnt be right to interfere excessively with the militarymand of active personnel. After hesitating momentarily, the old butler still said, In that case, you should leave Argesukov, while the airport is still able to handle passenger nes. Your staying here is of no help Old Rocossov smiled, No, no, Mikhail, my old friend, I cant leave. I have the most important thing to do here. Very, very important. In fact, calling the Air Force for Alyosha and such, are merely icing on the cake. Its not my main purpose. Frowning, the old butler said, I dont understand, even after serving you for so many years, I still dontprehend You dont have to understand, or maybe you will in time. Old Rocossov sat down on a chair, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling: Now let me pray that Alyosha can escape to safety. Thats all I can do now. Wang Zhong suddenly saw headlights on the road ahead! Oh no, the enemy! He switched to the overhead view and noticed there were no highlights. It was friendly BT tanks, each carrying infantry. Wang Zhong was overjoyed, then it dawned on him, thest time he encountered friendly forces at night like this, he had been fired upon by them. So he hurriedly adjusted the microphone at his throat and turned on the radio to call out, This is General White Horseits General Rocossov! Calling the approaching friendly forces. He suddenly remembered that he had not arranged any call signs with the approaching friendly forces. Simply saying General White Horse might not make the person on the other end realize who it was. He didnt have to wait long, the response came through his earphones, This is Major General Skudzheski of the Tenth Tank Army, Lieutenant General Rocossov? Where are you? Wang Zhong temporarily turned off the radio: Beliyakov, turn on the headlights. The order was executed without hesitation. Tank 422s headlights flicked on, brightly illuminating the road ahead. Ive turned on the lights, can you see them? I see them, General how did you know we arent Prussians? Because I have a unique trick unfortunately, I cant reveal it. Wang Zhong responded, I was just trying it out, had you not responded, I would have started firing! Good thing you called us first and didnt fire right away. Well see you soon, Your Excellency! See you soon! Wang Zhong cut themunication. Ludm asked with concern, Are the forces up ahead friendly? Yes, theyre troops from the Tenth Tank Army. It must be because Duke Meishikin ordered them toe meet us! Since the Prussians are all camping far from the road, they managed to safely make their way here! Momentster, Tank 422 screeched to a halt on the dirt road. The approaching BT tanks also stopped, with both tanks nearly colliding. Wang Zhong climbed out of the hatch, leapt excitedly from the tank, approached, and shook the hand extended by the Major General from the other side. Weve finally caught up with you, chuckled the Major General. Duke Meishikin ordered us to rescue youat all costs! Chapter 198: Iron Stream Wang Zhong: Thank you for the concern, Duke. Although we did request support in our telegram, we never expected to encounter the relief troops so soon. We didnt expect it either. We were nning on fighting a night battle against the enemy, but unexpectedly, they stayed away from the highway encampments all along the way. As we marched, we set up defensive positions along the roadside, and thats how we managed to rush over here. Skudzheski scratched his head, Why didnt the enemy encamp by the roadside? Wang Zhong, feigning innocence, said, Indeed, why is that? But he quickly recalled his recent worries and added, We still have arge number of troopsgging behind, including themon folk from Orachi who cant move quickly. Once daylight breaks, they will be annihted by the enemies on either side of the road. Skudzheskiughed, Dont worry, well help you. As long as we rush the enemy into a dizzy state, they wont have the chance to attack your people. We didnt provoke the enemy earlier to meet up with you as quickly as possible, but now we can finally clean up those Prosen bastards to our hearts content. Ive been holding back for too long. After saying this, he saluted Wang Zhong, Please head to Shepetovka as quickly as possible. Were about to strike at the enemy and cause as much chaos in their ranks as we can. Wang Zhong returned the salute, Good luck to you. Skudzheski: I prefer to hear Saint Andrew be with you. Wang Zhong: Saint Andrew be with you.Skudzheski gave Wang Zhong a grin, climbed onto his own tank, and ordered through the radio: All units, off the road, make way for the 151st Divisions troops and the Orachi civilians, the first battalion to follow me off the road to the left, the second battalion to the right, and so on! Were about to give the enemy a heavy blow, rejoice! After the order was given, the first battalion of the 10th Tank Armys BT tanks uniformly veered off the road and charged toward the enemy encampment in the distance. The second battalion turned off the road to the right from Wang Zhongs perspective, to the left and charged at the enemies there. Wang Zhong: Pass the order, the remaining tanks are to guide the advance, engage any enemy units that obstruct, and ensure the safety of the infantry and civilians! The messenger rode off on his horse, and Wang Zhong said to the driver of tank 422, Beliyakov, leave the road, drive onto the side mud. Themand was immediately executed, and tank 422 left the road. The tanks following behind quickly surpassed it, and themander who was also the gunner saluted Wang Zhong and tank 422 while passing by. Ludm, puzzled, asked, Why are we stopping by the roadside? Wang Zhong responds, I want to see my troops, to see what a mess my hard-earned forces are in now. Ludm gently stroked Wang Zhongs head: Dont me yourself too much, youve fought well. We faced down at least three enemy tank divisions, held out for three days, and even managed to break out. Isnt that enough to be proud of? ?? Wang Zhong: Until Prosenia falls, I have nothing to be proud of. Or rather, it is only when we achieve a decisive victory in this war that it will be time to take pride. Ludm looked at Wang Zhongs profile and said nothing. At that moment, five T34 tanks moved past Wang Zhong, followed by a mixed convoy of trucks carrying wounded soldiers, women, and children, and marching infantry troops passing in front of Wang Zhong. Watching the troops, Wang Zhong suddenly felt a sense of discontent. When he arrived in Orachi, he was full of confidence, nning to hold out here for a week. Back then, he had strong forces at his disposal, an impromptu infantry division, plus logistics andborers that totaled twenty thousand, far exceeding the normalplement of an Ante infantry divisions eight thousandbatants. In addition, he had so much technical weaponry at his disposal, from artillery to T34 tanks, he had everything. Now, it hade to this: only six tanks remained of the technical weaponry, the soldiers had suffered massive casualties, and it felt like they had returned to the pre-liberation days. Of course, he had anticipated the heavy losses when he took up positions in Orachi. What truly irked him was not being able to hold out as long as he had nned. The enemy had been held at bay for only two days before they decisively bypassed Orachi. Wang Zhong stood on the tank turret, watching the troops of the 151st Division pass by. Every face was weary, every person wounded, with spots of blood seeping through the white bandages, everyonethey had abandoned the city they nned to defend for seven days, lost almost all their technical weapons, suffered terrible casualties, and lost contact with their Military Bishop and many of their monks. What truly constitutes a defeat? Surely this counted as one! As Wang Zhong pondered this, he suddenly spotted Brother Peter among the marching infantry. The monk, carrying a Mosin-Nagant, swaggered down the road, nibbling on a carrot as he walked. Wang Zhong shouted, Brother Peter! The monk, truly gifted with sharp hearing, heard Wang Zhong despite the cacophony of gunfire created by the 10th Army, even without acoustic reinforcement. Brother Peter looked up and waved at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong said nothing at the moment, but then he saw a truck wobbling its way forward, driven by none other than Yeca Neiko, the vice knight. The monk looked extremely tired, like he could fall asleep on the steering wheel at any moment, and it was only when he saw the tank by the roadside that he suddenly snapped to attention and saluted Wang Zhong energetically. The vice knights truck was packed with the wounded and women; Wang Zhong only glimpsed the typically irritable Ekaterinas face squeezed to the outer edge, looking indignant. When Ekaterina saw Wang Zhong, she immediately pouted to disy her dissatisfaction. Suddenly, Nelly asked, Why is that little one pouting? Wang Zhong looked at Nelly, thinking you have the nerve to make fun of someone for being short? After the vice knights truck passed by, there came the procession of the divisions female workers, including the fieldundry and cooking squads. The girls, carrying their household items from washing tubs and scrubbing boards to field kitchen pots, had everything you could think of. Although they looked exhausted, they were spirited. Following them was the squad of the Guardian Army, there werent many members of the Guardian Army following Wang Zhongs main forces; no one knew where the rest of the Guardian Army and Popov had gone. Behind the Guardian Army, were troops not wearing the guards cloaks, probably a battalion of the Fifth Beshensk Regiment. As they walked, they spoke andughed loudly, stopping only when they saw Wang Zhong and Tank No. 422, looking at Wang Zhong, who was peeking out from the tank, with admiring eyes. Ludm noticed this and asked, Arent you going to say something? Everyone is looking at you with such trustwith such admiration. Wang Zhong shook his head, What can I say? I thought I had lost this battle, but now everyone is looking at me as if Im a victor. What else could I possibly say? He didnt realize he had repeated What else could I possibly say? again. No sooner had Wang Zhong finished speaking than Ludm embraced him in her arms. While stroking Wang Zhongs hair, Ludm softly said, Youve already done so well, thats why everyone is looking at you like that. Take it easy. In the future, well achieve a genuine victory, instead of leaving the city we defended in such a sorry state like now. Wang Zhong indulged in the feeling of his face buried in the warmth of affection. After some time had passed, Ludm let go, creating some distance, and gave Wang Zhong a nce, breaking into a smile: Thats better. A tough War General cant afford to show the kind of mncholic eyes you had just now. Wang Zhong was quiet for a few seconds, then thanked the girl. At this moment, the sky to the east gradually revealed the pale light of dawn; perhaps it was the effect of the morning light, but Wang Zhongs perception of the whole scene changed. He found that everyones eyes brimmed with fighting spirit, as if they were ready to plunge into battle again, to fight the enemy to thest bullet and thest breath. These expressions didnt belong to a defeated army. He hadnt noticed this before, probably because it was dark at night. Just then, Wang Zhong spotted Vasily and Filippov in the ranks, who had also sessfully broken through the encirclement. So, Wang Zhong called out to Vasily, Son of the music professor, sing us a song! Upon hearing the words Son of the music professor, Vasily made a face as if he had swallowed a fly, but when he saw that it was Wang Zhong sitting atop Tank No. 422 speaking, he immediately changed to an expression as if he had swallowed the fly and dered it tasty. Vasily: Filippov! The drums! Filippov: Are you sure? Im already so tired! Vasily: Major General Rocossov wants to hear music! Go on and y! When Wang Zhong heard this, he shouted, Wares and goes, but only music endures forever! Filippov, its at times like these that we need music! Filippov took out his folding campaign drum and started to beat the rhythm. Vasily led off with the same old song, Tanya Tanyusha. The cheerful tune seemed to quicken the pace of the columns march. The two passed by Tank No. 422 as they proceeded. By then the sun had fully risen, its lightnding on the tank and on Wang Zhongs shoulders. Before the now distant Vasily could sing another song, a woman from thebor camp in the ranks began to sing. My dear ones, at the front. Ludm furrowed her brow, Thats a song from the civil war More women from thebor camp joined in the chorus: No one is as sad as he. While loading cannon shells, He thinks of me Herees a letter, stamped with an official seal! It says my beloved, Has died on the battlefield. Ah, my dearest Lying beside a wild bush! His sideburns, that golden hair, Tangled by the wind into a messy heap! His eyes, those affectionate eyes, Pecked into hollows by crows! Wang Zhong pursed his lips, the melody of the folksong was ordinary, and the lyrics were nothing but in speech, yet the sorrow expressed within deeply gripped his heart. Strangely enough, despite the sadness, not a single person marching along the road seemed afraid. On the contrary, the sad singing only made their steps seem all the more resolute. Like a surging tide of iron. Chapter 199: Reunion ` At this time, the 10th Tank Army and their mounted tank riders had already engaged the enemy in battle, tracer rounds and explosions relentlessly tearing through the dawn. Thanks to their created chaos, the battalion advancing on the highway didnt attract much attentioneven though it was now daylight. Wang Zhong had originally thought that stationing his No. 422 tank here could draw the enemys attention if they attacked, covering the battalions retreat. But he didnt know how long this situation couldst; the Prussians were bound to react eventually, and after all, the 10th Tank Army could only attack the enemy forces they had in direct sight. Additionally, the enemys Air Force was a great concern. Based on the previous few days experiences, the first wave of enemy aircraft usually arrived around six in the morning, and there was now less than two hours until then. Concerned about the Air Force, Wang Zhong subconsciously checked the anti-aircraft machine gun. The painful lesson of the entire crews sacrifice due to a BT tanks anti-aircraft machine gun malfunctioning back in Loktov hadpelled Wang Zhong to thoroughly learn the mechanics of the gun. Now, Wang Zhongs inspection of the machine gun was entirely that of a seasoned veteran, and even ayman could tell.Nelly looked at Wang Zhongs hands adjusting the gun mechanism, then at his face. Ludmughed, Youre handling that gun more skillfully than you handle girls now! Wang Zhong frowned and looked at Ludm. At that moment, the little boy sitting in front of the turret turned his head, What does handling girls mean? ying house? The adults walking by the tank, both men and women, allughed. The boy was utterly bewildered, asking repeatedly, What are youughing at? Whats so funny? After Wang Zhong finished checking the machine gun, just as he was about to impart some adult knowledge to the little boy, he saw Yegorov sitting in the middle of the road on a peasants cart. Wang Zhong immediately asked, Yegorov, since when did you start cking off? Yegorov raised his right foot, showing off the splint and straps around his lower leg, I broke my leg during the retreat, just got it set. I couldve walked on crutches, but the peasant hauled me up here. The peasant driving the cart said, If you dont ride my cart to Shepetovka, your leg would be ruined, you wouldnt be able to fight the enemy anymore, and it might even need to be amputated. Now Ill give you a ride, and in half a year, youlle back and fight the devils. Yegorov spread his hands, See, the peasants sure know how to keep ounts! Wang Zhongughed too, but he quickly asked a new question, What about your unit? Yegorov pointed westward, Theyre behind! The bunkers worked this time, I managed to lead quite a few out. If you stay in Shepetovka for a few days, I expect more scattered troops will rejoin the ranks. Alright, I will, Wang Zhong answered. Yegorovs nonchnt smile suddenly disappeared, he looked squarely at Wang Zhong and said, Im going to recuperate for half a year, and then Ille back to hell to join you, General, in half a year. Before Wang Zhong could respond, someone among the soldiers shouted, In half a year, it might be the enemys hell! Everyone burst into heartyughter, including Wang Zhong, even though he knew that in half a year, they were far from the end of their bitter struggles. Yegorovs cart passed by Tank No. 422, heading towards Shepetovka. Wang Zhong watched him for a long time until he could no longer see him clearly, then withdrew his gaze. Then he noticed Colonel Eugene, carrying a miners pick in the midst of the troops, and his assigned military staff officer, Captain Andrei. Wang Zhong, Colonel Eugene, why are you carrying a miners pick? Its handy, the colonel said while slinging the pick over his shoulder, If youre asking about the troops condition, most of them are here. Wang Zhong, What about Olof from the 5th Tank Army? Hes behind. I nned to use their light tanks to transport some of the slightly injured, but as soon as we left the position, they broke down, and the injured had to be helped on foot. Wang Zhong nodded and then saw Pavlov and the bunch of military staff officers and clerks in the crowd. The Chief of Staff merely nodded without speaking. Wang Zhong, Pavlov, why arent you speaking? Pavlov pointed to his throat and gestured; it seemed that he had damaged his voice by talking too much during the organization of the retreat. After Pavlov passed by, Ludm suddenly said, I havent seen Popov and the choir members. Indeed, I havent seen them either, Wang Zhong sighed, And there are many others I havent seen, like my guard, Grigori. I sent him with the guard toon to reinforce the positions in the eastern woods to cover the artillery. Ludm hesitated, sharing Wang Zhongs anxious gaze towards the west. Just then, a rumbling sound came from the sky. Wang Zhongs first reaction was to look westward and northward, then he realized the sound came from the northeast. He then saw IL-2s, in attack formation, flying low to the ground, strafing the Prussian forces with their machine guns. The people on the tank all looked up, watching the Ant Air Force ruthlessly ravage the enemy. Cheers of varying volumes erupted from the mixed column on the move. Ludm suddenly said, Rumor has it that this reinforcement was requested by you from the Crown Princess? Yes, at that time I thought about what could immediately reach the battlefield and be instantly effective, and that was the Air Force, Wang Zhong turned his head to look at Ludm, Are you familiar with the Crown Princess? Ludm shook her head vigorously, Not familiar. Howe, Im so well acquainted with the Crown Prince, howe you didnt take the opportunity to get to know her? The Crown Princess doesnt oftene to salons and always hangs out with the older men at balls, listening to them talk about those iprehensible things. She is Saint Ekaterina Fortresss most unattainable flower, even you got rebuffed. I actually got rebuffed! More IL-2s joined the battlefield, it seemed at least two air regiments had arrived. The Prussians hastily organized anti-aircraft fire, but it did not seem very effective against the IL-2s, known for their robustness. At this moment, Wang Zhong saw nes with yellow-painted noses diving down from the sky. BF109! The Prosen Air Force finally took off to provide air cover for ground units! Wang Zhong had thought that this eras Prosen Air Force would only deploy dive bombers and horizontal bombers. As the 109s joined the fray, the Ant Air Forces LaGG-3s also enteredbat. Voices of Ant pilots could be heard over the radio, Up, take them out! Cover the attack air squadron! Then a row of LaGG-3s dove down from the direction of the rising sun. Wang Zhong muttered subconsciously, Why LaGG-3s, where are the Yak-3s? Ludm and Nelly both looked at Wang Zhong curiously, as neither had heard of these two models of nes. Wang Zhong, Send out the Yak-3s! Ludm asked curiously, Whats wrong with the LaGG-3? Wang Zhong, This ne will lock up at high speeds, you cant pull up, and it maneuvers like a brick at low speeds. The engine performs like its constipated, and the speed ispletely lost with the slightest manoeuvre, it needs ps to have enough lift Um? He realized then, this was information Rocossov should not have known. He looked guiltily at his fiance. Ludm, How do you know all this? I thought youve never flown a ne? Its It was Vasily! He flew at the flying club! He told me! Wang Zhong made up an excuse. Ludm blinked, Vasily knows quite a lot! Yeah, Wang Zhong shrugged, a professors son, the professors! But if he joined a flying club, he should have gone into the Air Force, why would he join the infantry school? Wang Zhong, Uh His father wouldnt allow it! A professors son, you know, his father thinks all Air Force guys are rascals and he would pick up bad habits. I see, Ludm nodded. By then, LaGG-3s had been shot down by the skillful pilots of the 109s, plunging into the grass, bursting into fireballs. The remaining LaGG-3s were still dogfighting with the enemy nes. The radio was filled with shouts from Ant pilots, Number 8, its behind you! Behind you! Semyon, bank left! Damn, bank left! Remember, our nes banking performance is different on each side! Mama! Nikitovich, take care of my son for me! White parachutes blossomed in the sky, appearing like lone dandelions. After watching for a few seconds and feeling too distressed, Wang Zhong adjusted the reception frequency of the radio to stop listening to the pilots channel. Pilots were more valuable than tank operators, just to be killed by lousy nes. Whoever was in charge of assigning such lousy equipment to the troops should be taken out for target practice. He tried to direct his attention elsewhere and looked westward along the road, only to see Grigori nonchntly walking with the column while smoking a cigarette. Wang Zhong, Grigori! Where are the men I gave you? Grigori pointed behind him, About two hundred are still alive, but thats the whole battalionbined. Some surviving artillerymen are behind us too, tangled up with the civilians. The organization is a mess, I dont know how many we have. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue and waved his hand. Grigori continued on toward the northeast, smoking leisurely as he walked. Ludm, He looks so calm. Yeah, thats just how he is. He was the samest time we ambushed an enemy scout team, frighteningly calm, Wang Zhong said. Just then, Nelly suddenly pinched Wang Zhongs waist fiercely and pointed into the distance, Look! Wang Zhong looked over and saw several hundred meters away that some Prosen troops realized that the column walking on the road were not their own men. Alexandria! Wang Zhong immediately ordered over an internal connection, Turret left turn 20 degrees, load high-explosive shells, wipe the enemy out! Quick! The turret began to turn right away and then it fired. The Prussians who had noticed something amiss were blown into the air in an instant. Wang Zhong operated the anti-aircraft machine gun, sprayed the Prussian tents nearby where the Prussians were, shouting to the people on the road meanwhile, Move it! Double-time! The enemy has noticed us! The 422 vehicles hull machine gun also opened fire, knocking down another group of enemies who had spotted something odd on the road. Wang Zhong, White Horse calling the Tenth Tank Army, White Horse to the Tenth Tank Army, the enemy has spotted us, please engage the enemy as much as possible! No sooner had he spoken than he heard someone shout, Alyosha! He turned towards the voice and saw Sofia sitting on an oxcart, with Popov driving the ox, and arge group of Guardian Army vigers surrounding the cart. Wang Zhong, Stop shouting, hurry up! The enemy is catching on! After speaking, Wang Zhong fired at the enemy once again. Chapter 200: Arrival in Shepetovka (Bonus Chapter for 23,000 Monthly Votes) Wang Zhong was in a hurry when he received a response from the Tenth Tank Army, We have seen the head of the column; your troops are finally about to finish passing through! At this moment, Wang Zhong really wanted to change his perspective to see the situation for himself. However, the Tenth Tank Army was not under hismand, and itsmander was a lieutenant general, ranking higher than his own major general. But he soon saw the end of the column on the main road as well. About a kilometer-long procession was left,prised entirely of the Guardian Army andborers, mixed in with many local peasants horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts. A toon of BT tanks was at the roadside, protecting this group of people. Wang Zhong impatiently waited for these people to pass by. Finally, thest horse-drawn cart passed by next to tank number 422, and there were no more people left behindat least no organized groups. As for how many stragglers there were, Wang Zhong couldnt do much about that. You guys should retreat as well! he shouted to the tank toon that was helping with the protection.The toon leader popped open the hatch and climbed out, replying, Themander has ordered us to cover for you. You go ahead, and well handle any enemies that catch up! Wang Zhong nodded and ordered through internalmunication, Beliyakov, lets go! Tank number 422 backed up about five meters, then turned right onto the road. After picking up speed for a few steps, it caught up with the tail end of the marching column and began to move forward at a pace not much different from that of walking humans. Nelly couldnt help asking, Whats that banging sound? Oh, thats the sound of hitting the control stick with a hammer. Without hitting it, its impossible to control the vehicle, Wang Zhong exined. It has to be like this? Nelly looked down at the tank, seemingly gaining a new understanding of therge machine. At this time, a granny on thest cart in the column asked, General, are you that General Rokossovsky everyone talks about? I am, Wang Zhong nodded. He thought she was going to ask something like, Do you know how my son who joined the Guardian Army is doing? But instead, the granny started with, Thank you for sending my grandson away, and in the end, even giving me a seat. Wang Zhong replied, That wasnt arranged by me, but by someone executing orders below. You should thank that person. The granny smiled, I already thanked him. Now, I am thanking you. Wang Zhong said, Once you get to Shepetovka, take your grandson and get on the train, go all the way to the rear. Alright, the granny nodded, her smile looking genuinely pure. All of a sudden, Wang Zhong wondered if his current situation resembled Liu Bei retreating from Xinye. Yes, very much so. Would he have to go through many retreats like this in the future until finally, retreating to the foot of St. Ye Katerina Fortress and thinking, Ante is vast, but we have nowhere left to retreat? ??? Wang Zhong turned his head to look back in the direction they hade from, and even from this distance, he could see the thick smoke from the fires around Orachi. Twenty kilometers away from Shepetovka, Wang Zhong saw that Ante infantry had taken a small mound by the roadside, where they had set up a makeshift position with machine guns and a 45mm anti-tank gun, with two carts hidden behind the hillock. Wang Zhong waved to them, Hello there! The captainmanding this small detachment gave a thumbs-up, Hello! Salute to you! It seemed like the captain did not recognize Wang Zhongs rank of major general. After passing this sentry post, Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, We have entered our armys defensive area, I can finally rest easy now. Ludm gently stroked his hair, Youve worked hard, Alyosha. Take a rest. Captain Maldaly Apollonovich watched the T34 adorned with the red g fade into the distance. He heard the gunner Vasya chewing his tongue beside him, Did you see? That tank is carrying two beauties! A tall one, and a pretty young maid. Aristocrats really know how to live it up! Captain Maldaly scolded, What are you talking about? Thats General Rokossovsky! His division held off the enemys forces several times their size at Orachi for three days before escaping with so many civilians! What? Vasya was shocked, That was General Rokossovsky? What about his white horse? Werent there stories of him charging into the enemy headquarters on a white horse, alone with a sword, and killing three generals? Wheres his horse? Captain Maldaly replied, Are you blind? Isnt a white horse painted next to the tanks tactical number? Thats his white horse! Dont you recognize that number? Tank 422! And the red g! The enemy dies of fear at the sight of that g! Vasya was astounded, This is the first time Im hearing this, but whys he bringing so many women with him to the battlefield? Thats when the old loader beside Vasya spoke up, Silly boy, what do you know? Those are angels sent by Saint Andrew. The bishop said it in his sermon, when Saint Andrew established the Secr faction, he had twelve angels by his side. Those twelve angels, from poor families, were blessed for their virtue and courage The General has received Saint Andrews blessing! Vasya eximed, Ah, I see! Captain Maldaly scoffed, What now, youre going to brag in the tavern again? Next time you get caught by a priest after drinking like that, youll be in for it! Vasya replied, How could I? Weve no idea how long well be stationed on this hillock. Heaven knows when well get to go to a tavern. It was only after seeing the anti-aircraft gun positions deployed around Shepetovka that Wang Zhong truly feltpletely at ease. The soldiers at the high-altitude artillery position curiously watched tank number 422, and someone loudly asked, Is that General Rokossovsky? Wang Zhong replied, Yes, I am! Did you kill another Prosen generalst night? Wang Zhong frowned, When did this happen? I have no idea. The anti-aircraft gunners looked at each other in confusion. Someone else asked, We heard you wiped out a hundred tanksst night! Wang Zhong replied, No! Thats a rumor! You guys are exaggerating too much! Are you going to say next that I annihted an enemy Armored Division? The expert gunners immediately erupted in jubtion, Did you hear that, the general wiped out an entire enemy Armored Division! Wang Zhong had a splitting headache and tried to change the subject, Where is Duke Meishikinsmand post? A captain pointed to the east, Keep going, turn left at the cathedral, next to the hospital. No sooner had the words left his mouth than tank 422s engine suddenly made a strange noise, followed by a great billow of ck smoke spewing from the exhaust pipe. The tank then began to slow down, moving a few more meters under its own momentum beforeing to aplete stop. Beliyakov climbed out of the driverspartment cursing, I knew it was about time! General, you better go on foot! I reckon its beyond a wrenchs fix now. Wang Zhong replied, Thank God, it held out until we got here. Theres an anti-aircraft gun nearby, so at least we dont have to worry about getting bombed by a Stuka. The very moment his words fell, the captain of the anti-aircraft battalion called out, Need help? We have cksmiths and mechanics here! Beliyakov replied, Any help would be great! And if there are any old mechanics who can fix tractors, call them over too! Thanks a lot! The captain of the anti-aircraft battalion immediately issuedmands, and a fast-legged gunner sprinted out of his position and quickly disappeared. Wang Zhong, bracing himself against the edge of the turret, tried to climb out, but his joints were so stiff from sitting too long that he nearly fell. Ludm and Nelly supported him from either side. The concerned captain from the anti-aircraft battalion asked, Are you wounded? No, said Wang Zhong as he steadied himself with the help of the girls and climbed down from the tank. A child sitting on the tank asked, Where are you going, General? Can wee with you? Wang Zhong replied, Stay put! The nuns from the church wille to pick you up soon! In times like these, only the nuns were left to take care of the children, as daycares had long since closed down. The child gripped his submachine gun, We can fight! We are soldiers! Wang Zhong affirmed, Yes, I know! The nuns will issue youbat orders. As Wang Zhong limbered up his numb body, Ludm also climbed down from the tank, massaging his shoulder, I could tell during the ride that your shoulders were too stiff. Nelly also disembarked, Shall I find us a horse carriage? Im quite good at driving them. No sooner had she spoken than a jeep drove up the street and stopped in front of Wang Zhong. The lieutenant driving the vehicle got out and saluted, Weve received a call from the anti-aircraft artillery position, and were here to take you to themand post, General Rokossovsky! Duke Meishikin is waiting for you. Wang Zhong acknowledged, Good. Uh am I going alone? The lieutenant nced at Ludms Monk military uniform and said, The church people are on their way; Bishop Popov, whos already here, will arrange for Monk Miss to rest. Wang Zhong inquired, I also have an orderly; what about her? Nelly volunteered, Take me to the generals quarters. Thats bound to cause misunderstandings! Clearly misinterpreting, the lieutenant nced at Wang Zhong and answered, Thene along, you can sit in the back. Wang Zhong was dumbfounded and simply circled around to the passenger side to get into the vehicle. Wang Zhong had initially thought that Duke Meishikin was a mature and steady middle-aged noble. To his surprise, he turned out to be a young man not much older than himself. As Wang Zhong entered the map room, the duke was coughing, enveloped by the aura of a sickly person. It took the duke about twenty seconds to stop coughing, and as he wiped his mouth, he looked up at Wang Zhong, So youve arrived, General Rokossovsky! Wang Zhong inquired, Are you alright? Meishikin managed a smile, An old problem; Ive had it since I was a child. I spent some time in Liechtenstein before the war started, hoping it would improve. He spread his hands in a helpless gesture. Wang Zhong guessed, Tuberculosis? In this era, that was often a terminal illness, incurable and only prolonging the inevitableand not something youd die from quickly. If this had been Ceres, he might have had to take Fail-Drum-Skin Pills. Duke Meishikin waved the notion aside, Lets talk about the situation of your troops. Weve been steadily receiving scattered soldiers and small units, and Ive designated the dormitory of the old rail school near the station as your rally point. Your chief of staff has already gone there, and your bishop cough cough cough is with the church; I dont really meddle in church affairs. Wang Zhong nodded, Thats a proper arrangement; we will soon set up waypoints at the citys edge to guide everyone there. Meishikin nodded in agreement, Once the trains are arranged, youll retreat. Wang Zhong objected, What? We still have our integrity; we can still fight. Meishikin gestured dismissively, I know you can fight, and I need troops to defend Shepetovka, but what you have left are the core elements. They will be more effective once replenished, Im very aware of that. No, I cant afford to have elite troops worn down here. You have to leave. Suddenly, Meishikin paused, However, Her Highness just sent over 30 T34 tanks. I hope you can leave these with us. Once the 10th Tank Armys troops pull back, we should be able to put together enough crews to operate these thirty tanks. Wang Zhong insisted, I canmand these 30 T34s! My own tank, number 422, can also continue fighting! Duke Meishikin smiled, Isnt it broken down? I reckon it needs to go back to the factory for a thorough overhaul, and with the tank factory dismantled and shipped away, nobody here can fix it. And we both know that for you tomand a tank, you need a specializedmand spot, which the other T34s dont have. This was indeed true. Wang Zhong still wanted to argue, to persuade Duke Meishikin to agree to let him stay and continue fighting. But the duke interrupted, Alright, youve had a long day; get some rest. We can discuss other matters tomorrow. Chapter 201: Status on August 7th (Extra for 24,000 monthly votes) Afterwards, Wang Zhong heeded Duke Meishikins advice and went straight to bed for a good sleep. He hadnt expected to sleep for so long. By the time he opened his eyes and got up, the calendar on the desk showed that it was already August 7th. Just as he sat up, Nelly entered the room, Would you like breakfast? It was then that Wang Zhong realized that he was starving, his stomach stuck to his backan understandable feeling after nearly 20 hours of sleep. Anything will do. No sooner had he spoken than Nelly came in with a cart. Nelly: I saw you like walnut jam, so I prepared some, but theres no soft bread left in town. Also, theres no fresh beef anymore, so I made some cabbage soup with canned beef. The yogurt is from cans too. Wang Zhong asked in surprise, Why are the supplies so poor? We always had fresh meat, eggs, and milk in Orachi!Nelly looked at him with irritation: Orachi had arge ranch; this ce doesnt, and the people from the surrounding viges have run off, so we can only eat what is brought in by railcanned goods and sausage. Wang Zhong sat at the table in his room, adopting the posture of someone ready to dine: Canned goods are fine, too. Youve made them smell so good, my appetite is whetted just by the scent. Nelly brought the dishes to the table one by one, and Wang Zhong picked up his spoon to sip the sour and refreshing soup, which was very appetizing. With a pot of sour cream in hand, Nelly asked, Do you want some sour cream? At first, Wang Zhong couldnt understand the custom of adding sour cream to sour soup, but now he had grown ustomed to it, just like Indians cant live without mas. Add some! So Nelly poured a big dollop of sour cream into Wang Zhongs soup bowl. Wang Zhong stirred the sour cream into the soup and then asked, Where is Liu Xia? Last nightyesterday, she went to the church but didnte back? She did return. Seeing that you were sleeping soundly, she didnt wake you and went back to attend the collective funeral of Gods Arrow Company. Wang Zhong frowned, Who died in Gods Arrow Company? Miss Liu Xia is the only one left in her Divine Arrow squad. The nun responsible forunching the arrows, the Guardian Army soldiers, and those protecting them all perished. Many from other squads were lost too, and its said that a prayerful died as well. Wang Zhong stopped stirring his soup with the spoon, Yesterday, as we were running out, Liu Xias state didnt really show it. Nelly didnt continue the discussion but simply prepared oatmeal with milk and ced it next to Wang Zhongs soup bowl. Wang Zhong continued to eat, asking while he did so, Did Pavlov set up themand center properly? Its in the building across from us. Has the casualty count beenpleted? He wanted toe report to you yesterday, but I sent him away. Nelly hesitated, then asked tentatively, Did I do the right thing? You did the right thing. Wang Zhong nodded, quickly finished his oatmeal, ate up the sour soup along with the chopped sausage inside, and finally nibbled on some bread with walnut jam. After eating, he stood up: Im going to themand center. Bring me my uniform. Nelly immediately brought over the uniform and cap, along with a pair of brightly polished leather shoes. Upon entering themand center, Wang Zhong went straight to the map hanging on the wall. Furthermore, the telegraph team made no segregation, ticking away right next to the map table, making the vastmand center seem exceptionally busy. Pavlov was by the map, flipping through the report in his hands: How can the anti-aircraft artillery battalion be left with so few people? Wang Zhong approached and asked, What happened? Pavlov looked up, Youve woken up? You seem in good spirits. Wang Zhong stared at the dark circles under Pavlovs eyes for a few seconds and replied, And you look like youre about to drop dead. I suggest you get some sleep. You talk as if its easy. Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to gather a dispersed army like this? Not to mention, I still have five staff officers from my staff who havent rejoined yet, and were short twenty-seven clerksI have fewer than a hundred clerks in total! All in all, our division, includingbatants and logistics, has assembled less than six thousand people. When we set out, we had over ten thousand in logistics alone! Wang Zhong: Did you set up points outside the cityat the vige entranceto guide the troops back? He almost said vige entrance, but Shepetovka is a railway hub and arge city. Yes, we set them up. There are big pots filled with food and plenty of clean water there too. Every so often, some returning troops are led back over. As soon as his voice fell, singing could be heard from outside. Pavlov went to the window and pulled back the curtain to look. He then said to Wang Zhong, Look, over a hundred more people havee. Who knows how many are still rushing this way. By the way, take a look at this roster, the efficiency of the fighters assembly far exceeds our expectations. We now have assembled more than three thousand people. Wang Zhong was pleasantly surprised, There are actually more than three thousand people? I thought that we had almost run out of people. Some battalions did run out, like the troops of the Beschenk Regiment at height 153, including infantry, armored troops, and anti-tank gun squads, just that handful of men. I think we can still assemble more fighters. From the enemys posture, it seems they are in a rush to head south and dont have the energy to capture those of us scattered across the ins. But logisticsthe level of organization of the logistics personnel is naturally not as high as that of thebat troops, and many of them cant even read a map, bing lost in unfamiliar ces. They alsock tactical skills and arent good at hiding when they encounter enemies Pavlov shook his head. Wang Zhong asked, What about your Sixth-Level Clerk? The old man got out quite smoothly. Do you hear this stamping sound? Only then did Wang Zhong notice the thumping stamping sound amidst the dripping noises. What are they stamping? Wang Zhong asked, puzzled. Pavlov casually replied, Death notices. Wang Zhong fell silent all at once. Pavlov raised an eyebrow, Whats the matter, havent you gotten used to it? I thought youd be used to it after going to deliver personal effects in person. Wang Zhong replied, Id rather hope that I never get used to it. He turned towards the map, then fell silent again. Pavlov took a look at the map and said, Thats the situation; its very bad. The Second Armored Group crossed Orachi and rushed south at full speed. The good news is that the First Armored Groups speed has been slowed down southward thanks to the Naval Infantry, but its still not slow enough. Wang Zhong asked, Doesnt that mean well be encircled in three to five days? Why arent we retreating? Is General Skorobo refusing to retreat? No, the Front Army headquarters already requested a retreatst night, but His Majesty the Tsar did not agree, Pavlov said, pressing his lips together. Perhaps His Majesty feels that looking at the map, there is still such a broad area avable for transporting supplies, so theres no need to retreat. At that moment, the Judge overseeing the use of the codebooks at the radio station nced over here but didnt say anything more. Isnt it still wide? Tsar Nichs V cursed, hitting the map, Such a wide area, and youre telling me you cant get supplies through? Your Majesty, the Chief of Logistics at High Command tried to exin, Logistics transportation depends on roads and railways. Most of the roads have already been cut off, and the railways have been almost destroyed due to the enemys advance airstrips. Your Majesty, if we dont retreat now Nichs V banged the table, You told me we could hold! You said it! All the generals fell silent at once. Because indeed, they had confidently imed they could hold. Nichs V continued to pound the table, You also said the enemy had reached the end of their rope and cited as proof the enemys central heavy troop clusters halting their advance! You talked about the massive losses of the enemy. And now? What about now? The Chief of General Staff started, The enemy stopped at that time, probably just waiting for supplies and the infantry Thats not what you said then! Nichs V interrupted the Chief of General Staff, I shouldve recorded what you said back then and yed it here! Wait, there should be records of that meeting, right? Bring them out, lets see what my generals said at the time! Chief of General Staff said, The battlefield situation is constantly changing, so judgments change as well. At that time, we concluded that we could hold, but now its proven wrong. If its wrong, then we need to adapt based on the current situation. If its wrong, Nichs V red fiercely at the generals, you should be shot! Even if you shot us, we should still retreat now, the Chief of General Staff stated. Nichs V fell silent for a few seconds, then in a much gentler tone said, Argesukov is our most important core city, the origin of ancient Ante! Losing it would severely damage our morale! Can you bear this responsibility? We can let General Skorobo take this responsibility, the Chief of General Staff said. Nichs V sighed, It seems we have no other choice. Can we evacuate all the troops now? The generals looked at each other, and eventually, Marshal Semyon Konstantinovich spoke, Its difficult. Given the current situation, we estimate that we can evacuate two to three hundred thousand troops. Nichs V was shocked, Nearly a million troops can only evacuate so few? Whats the difference between that and not retreating? Marshal Semyon replied, Theres no longer a million. The enemys attack has been very fierce, and now there are roughly seven hundred thousand troops in good order in Argesukov. The rest have been scattered and need to be reassembled and reorganized, but currently there are no conditions within the encirclement to assemble and reorganize the troops. Nichs V said, Seven hundred thousand is not a small number! Only three hundred thousand can get out! No, I refuse such a retreat! Either you give me a secure n, at least get six hundred thousand out, I dont care if you use troops to cover the retreat or whatever, but if we retreat, it must be inrge numbers! Having said that, Nichs stood up and walked out of the conference room, visibly upset. The people in the room looked at each other. Another failure, the Chief of General Staff sighed, If it werent for the princesss actions, it wouldnt be so hard to persuade. Chapter 202: Determination Argesukov, the night of August 7th, 2010. When themunication staff officer entered the room, Crown Prince Ivan Nikyevich Andronov immediately stood up, Was it approved? Themunication staff officer shook his head, The High Command responded by telegram, saying that our retreat n would incur too great a loss, His Majesty has not approved it, demanding a better n. General Skorobo, standing before the map, let out a long sigh, Send another telegram telling His Majesty that this is the best n we coulde up with, and if we act now, at least three hundred thousand men could be saved. The reason we can save so many is all thanks to General Rokossovsky who secured us those precious two days. If we do not act now, even those two days will be wasted. General Rokossovsky General Rokossovsky and Duke Meishikins fierce battle will have been in vain. Themunication staff officerpleted his stenography, then read it aloud essentially, it was a written version of General Skorobos words. General Skorobo nodded, Send that. Wait a second! themunication staff officer had just turned to leave when the Front Army Chief of Staff stopped him, Add one more sentence, extremely urgent. The staff officer made a note and then left.Crown Prince Ivan, I dont think this will be of any use. This isnt about whether its useful or not, we must do our utmost to make His Majesty aware of the seriousness of the situation, the Chief of Staff sighed, even though it might be futile. As his voice faded, a silence fell over the entire map room. Everyone looked deeply troubled. Just then, the Crown Prince clenched his teeth and atst stood up, What if we take action first and reportter? Ill take the lead, order the entire army to retreat, do our best to break through, and then Ill admit my mistake to my father. At most he will depose me as Crown Prince. Everyone in the room looked at the Crown Prince, their faces filled with surprise. The Crown Prince frowned, Why are you looking at me like that? Cant I make a brave decision? My dear friend Rokossovsky held out in Orachi for two days, and broke through on the third; shouldnt I also do something to rescue the Front Army? The Chief of Staff spoke, But, Your Highness, you making a decision doesnt stand legally, you dont have the authority to approve this n, in fact, no one in this room has the power to approve it. The Chief of General Staff at the High Command has the authority to approve this n, but he has not. The Crown Prince looked puzzled, How can a Front Army operate without its own decision-making authority? We have it, but for major strategic ns of this scale, its beyond our decision-making range. The Crown Prince slumped back down, Is there nothing I can do? There is, said General Skorobo. Tell me quickly! the Crown Prince stood up again, urging as he pped the table. General Skorobo, Fly back to St. Ye Katerina Fortress and persuade His Majesty. The Crown Prince deted immediately, No, my father will be furious that I was not supervising the front properly and went back without informing him. Even if I could cate His Majesty, it would still be dayster. ?? Sometimes I feel that my father is still a child, fragile, sensitive, and suspicious. In the presence of so many people, only the Crown Prince dared to speak like this. The Crown Prince continued, Nevertheless, my fathers love for all of us siblings is genuine, and thats why we can persuade him, but it takes time. And were precisely out of time! Unless we can use my fathers feelings for us right now! The Crown Prince suddenly stopped, Hmm? He looked at the others, Ive thought of a highly feasible method, it might just persuade my father to agree to your breakout n immediately. The others exchanged nces, and General Skorobo asked on behalf of everyone, What method? The Crown Prince, Ill send a telegram to my father saying, Since father wishes for me to die here, then your son can onlyply with fathers wish. Then Ill lead a troop to die in battle, while you all continue preparing the breakout in secret. Because the Crown Prince spoke so casually of his own death, everyone was momentarily speechless. Then the Chief of Staff pounded the table and eximed, No, this is not eptable! You cant predict what His Majesty the Tsars reaction would be after that! The Crown Prince smiled, I can, I understand my father best, he will calm down after crying his eyes out, and adopt the most direct means to stop the situation from worsening. As long as I die, even just get seriously injured, my father will calm down. The people looked at each other. Nobody dared to agree to the idea of the Crown Prince going to his death. General Skorobo was still trying to persuade, Your Royal Highness, its gettingte. You should rest. Crown Prince: I need an armyno, a division to attack with me will suffice! Well strike toward Lebedyan, and once weve broken through, we can escape. Certainly, Orachi wouldnt be bad either. After breaking through we could rush to Shepetovka and even join up with Rokossovsky! The crowd continued to look at each other, dumbfounded. The Crown Prince was displeased and mmed the table with force, What are you hesitating for? Either wepletely disregard the opinion of St. Ye Katerina Fortress and break out first, iming an army abroad cannot follow the orders of its sovereign, or let me die and shock my father! These resonant words echoed in the grand map room. Duke Old Rokossovsky put down the phone, looking toward the ever-ready old butler Mikhail: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is preparing to die generously to stimte His Majesty and to make him see the situation clearly. Mikhail was very surprised: Him? Mistake, surely? How could he possibly have such awareness and initiative? Thats what growth is, said the old Duke Rokossovsky. Think about it, the problem child of our family has already be a War General capable of standing on his own. Whats so strange about the Crown Prince making such progress? Besides, he has an example, doesnt he? The example, of course, referred to the former problem child of the Rokossovsky family, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, who was the friend of the Crown Prince and always rankedst. Mikhail: Indeed. The growth of the young master is obvious. Its not something thats obvious, said Old Rokossovsky as he stood up and walked to the window, looking at the crescent moon that was gradually filling out. After a brief moment of contemtion, Old Rokossovsky said: Its not as though we cant give the Crown Prince a hand. Mikhail: You no longer havemand authority, you cant lead any troops. Hahaha, Old Rokossovskyughed a few times, saying I cant lead the troops is a bit of an underestimation. Perhaps I really cant lead the navy or the air force, but I think I can still lead the army, I just need to don a coat that looks rather formidable. Mikhail: Your Grace! This isnt a matter to be taken lightly, you will have to answer for this afterward Old Rokossovsky interrupted his old butler: Mikhail, how many years have you served me? Over seventy years. I have almost been living on your estate since birth, and I started doing things that I could manage when I was six. Old Rokossovsky nodded: Then you should understand my intentions, right? Please, make it clear, said Mikhail. Old Rokossovsky sighed: Mikhail, Misha, cant you see? This war might not necessarily end in a loss for the Ante Empire, but if the Ante Empire wins, the power of the Church will surely rise like the midday sun. At that time, secr priests will no longer need us nobles. Never need us again! But Mikhail seemed to want to express a different opinion. There are no buts! The day the war ends, the Churchs n to purge us old nobles will begin the countdown. Then, being nobility will be an obstacle for Alyosha and might even bring fatal peril. But if I die in battle with the Crown Prince, or just I die and the Crown Prince survives, the situation will be different! Nobles will shape me into a national hero to counter the rapidly expanding power of the Church in this war. But thats not the main point; the main point is, Alyosha will then be the son of a national hero! With his own military achievements, he will attain a lofty status in the reborn empire! Do you understand, Mikhail? The old butler thought for a moment and had to admit: Your vision is far-reaching, I am no match. Old Rokossovsky smiled: Anyway, Im nearly eighty years old, an age where dying any time isnt surprising. Let me die a glorious death then. Mikhail: I am willing to die alongside you. No no no, Mikhail. If you die with me, how would my contacts be passed on to Alyosha? No, you cant die, and you need to board a ne tonight, flying directly to St. Ye Katerina Fortress. The old butler was silent for a few seconds and then said: Should I also bring the young master along? He is a staff officer; he has his own duties to fulfill, Old Rokossovsky waved his hand, Besides, even if he stays in the encirclement, a staff officer is not necessarily fated to die. The old butler Mikhail stopped himself from saying more. Old Rokossovsky asked: Whats the matter? If you want to say something, just say it. Mikhail: No, nothing else to say. Old Rokossovsky: Then go and contact my old units for me; I willmand them personally The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 203: Princess Olgas Time ` St. Ye Katerina Fortress, August 7th in the afternoon. Princess Olga Nikyevna Antonovna, the second in line to the Ante Empires throne, once again entered the office of General Tugenev, the head of the Military Orders Department at the High Command. The general looked up and said, Good afternoon, Your Highness. The operations office is next door. Olga: I was kicked out. Well, I cant send you back there, General Tugenev spread his hands, Our Military Orders Department is just a stamping authority; the operations office makes the ns, we stamp them. Our real function is personnel matters. You shoulde to us when you want to make personnel adjustments. Besides that, we also manage the awarding of medals Princess Olga, frowning: Why do I feel like youre telling me about the things you can do? Right. Is there a problem in exining our functions to the Royal Family? General Tugenev shrugged his shoulders. Olga: Well, can IAt that moment, an aide opened the door: Major General Chekhov has arrived. Let him in. Your Highness, you may sit down and have some tea, General Tugenev gestured to the tea set on the table. Princess Olga moved to the side, but before she could sit down, Major General Chekhov entered. Seeing the princess, the major general stopped dead: Huh? Princess Olga: Continue with your affairs; dont mind me. Chekhov saluted the princess, and upon fulfilling his duties to the Royal Family, turned to General Tugenev: Why have I been called back? The situation at Argesukov is very bad; if I, as the logisticsmander, leave, their supply will soon be chaotic. General Tugenev waved his hand dismissively: Dont worry, an army of that scale forms inertia; your short absence wont cause any major problems. Short absence? How long is that? Tugenev: That depends on how quickly the Prussians act. It took Major General Chekhov a second to realize that Tugenev was not going to let him go back, so he stepped forward, tapping the desk with his wedding ring: Are you joking? I General Tugenev: Your new assignment is to serve as the logisticsmander in the Reserve Army. It was suggested by Grand Patriarch Belinsky, and after consideration, we believe that you are eminently suitable. You did very well in Argesukov and will certainly make a mark in the Reserve Army. However, since you have no military merits, theres a problem with your promotion, and its not necessary for a logisticsmander of an army to hold a generals rank. You can go to your new post now, get familiar with the situation as soon as possible. We predictahem, the Operations Department predicts that the situation at St. Ye Katerina Fortress will gradually be severe starting from mid-September. Major General Chekhov stared at the general for a while and said: Youve given up on the heavy troop concentration at Argesukov. It isnt we who gave it up; weve always tried to save it, and right now, were still sending troops to Duke Meishikin, who has the best hopes for a breakout. It was the ipetence of the High Command and the senior officers that doomed that army. As he spoke, General Tugenev picked up his pipe, stuffing it with tobo, and continued: Back in July, General Gorky Konstantinovich already predicted the risk of Argesukov being encircled, but at that time, themand was filled with an optimistic spirit, believing that once our new tanks entered the battlefield, the war would end quickly. Therefore, General Gorky was relieved of his duties and sent to sit on the cold bench at the Saint Andrew Front Army. The only upside of this transfer is that General Gorky will soon show his talents in the coniferous forests and mountains around Saint Andrew Fort, as the Northwestern Front Army cant hold on any longer. Princess Olga frowned, looking at General Tugenev with suspicion. Major General Chekhov: You dont need to shift the me to a mere major general like me; leave that to the historians. Where is my appointment? General Tugenev pulled out a document and tossed it to Major General Chekhov: Just stamped. Theres also an appointment for your adjutant. Where is he? Why hasnt hee in? Major General Chekhov turned and called out: Rokossov! Princess Olga was startled, standing up and watching the door with eager eyes. Instead, a chubby brigadier general came in. Princess Olga hesitated: Thats not right; I remember Count Rokossov as a tall, well-built young man. I saw him from a distance at a ball. What youre referring to must be my brother, Count Rokossov; I am Duke Rokossov, Your Highness, the brigadier said as he saluted the princess, fulfilling his obligation to the Royal Family. Major General Chekhov passed the document from General Tugenevs desk to Brigadier Rokossov. Reading it, the brigadier eximed, Why am I being transferred to a logistics unit? My training is in operational nning General Tugenev: We did consider sending you tomand troops, especially since your brother has performed so splendidly and your father also once did very well, which leads one to wonder if it runs in the family. But brigadier, your map exercise scores are too poor, losing every time, and right now we cant take the risk of youmanding troops, what if you tarnish the Rokossov name? The brigadiers face scrunched uppletely: Youve called me back just to prevent me from bing a stain on my brothers reputation? ` General Tugenev: No, no, no, we believe that you have performed excellently in logistical organization, so we are transferring you to a ce where you can fully leverage your strengths. After all, our main function at the Military Orders Department is to make personnel adjustments, to get the right people into the right ces. If there are no questions, you may leave now; my secretary has already arranged your amodation and transportation. Major General Chekhov saluted the general and turned to the brigadier general, saying, Alright, lets go, Brigadier. Only then did the brigadier general salute and follow the major general out of the room. After the secretary closed the door, only General Tugenev and Her Highness the princess remained in the room. Olga: Is this the main duty of the Military Orders Department? General Tugenev: Yes, and its a very important duty. Without us acting as a lubricant, this huge and outdated machine wouldnt be able to run for even a day. Your Highness, lets talk about the issues that concern you. Olga: Youre reinforcing Duke Meishikins forces. Are you preparing to rescue Argesukov? Its unlikely that well be able to save him, but we can try to rescue as many troops as possible. The enemy is very powerful, and without reinforcement for Meishikin, we might even lose Shepetovka. After all, aerial reconnaissance indicates that the enemys ninth infantry army group is about to move to the front of Shepetovka. The enemys army group may have that name, but its not the same as our army groups. Olga asked again, Will General Rokossov participate in the defense of Shepetovka? No, his troops will soon withdraw from Shepetovka to Shostka. We expect that he will have a month to build defensive positions there. Shostka also has a cement factory, so theyll have plenty of cement. Olga frowned: I dont understand military matters, but it sounds like Shostka is different from Shepetovka? Theres a railway connection. After the fall of Shepetovka, Meishikins troops will retreat through Shostka. Additionally, theres a river there, and although its not the flood season in September, its still hard to force a crossing. General Rokossovsky will be able to fully disy his defensive talents there. General Tugenev exined enthusiastically. Additionally, after the troops arrive here, we n to invite the major general, along with his meritorious personnel, to the capital. At that time, we will award him and let him ept interviews from the newspapers. After the massive failure at Argesukov, we will need these. Princess Olgas brows were nearly twisted into knots: Youve already nned these things? Yes, if defeat is certain, we must prepare for the aftermath. Dont underestimate the importance of what were doing, it can prevent a major defeat from bing aplete rout. The Prosen High Command probably thinks that eliminating a million of our men at Argesukov means the overall situation is settled, but the Reserve Army has already organized over a million men, and that number will grow. However, if morale copses, millions of men will surrender faster than pigs, understand? Princess Olga Nikyevna Antonovna! Olgas lips trembled, and she didnt answer. General Tugenev: You must get used to these things quickly! I heard you aim to be a female tsar like Ekaterina the Great, and the Great Empress wouldnt tremble over such matters. Olga bit her lip to force herself to stop trembling. General Tugenev: Thats right. As the head of the Military Orders Department, I can assure you that after this, Rokossov will receive ample reinforcements. Olga: Are you nning to promote him? General Tugenev waved his hands repeatedly: No, although he has performed extremely well, he was only recently promoted to major general, and considering his earlier extraordinary promotion from colonel to brigadier general, the pace of his promotion has been unreasonably fast. We n to promote him to lieutenant general by the end of the year. Not promoting his rank doesnt prevent us from shaping him into a war hero. If he were in the Federation, by now hed bepletely withdrawn from the front lines, going around making speeches, selling war bonds instead. But were on the brink of national extinction; such an outstandingmander must continue to serve on the front lines. Of course, as the troops of a war heromander, we will grant them many privileges, such as returning recovered veterans to his unit as much as possible, rather than to other units. And, for example, giving them a little more technical weaponry than others; many things will be more manageable after his return to the capital. The general paused, looking at Olga: When hes in the capital, Your Highness can apany him to show yourself more. Of course, when your brotheres back, there wont be any need for you to do so. Olga stared at Tugenev for several seconds and asked, What do you mean by that? The general stared back at the princess for a long time before saying, During the civil war, I wasnt actually part of the Secr faction; I was with the centrists, working hard to prepare for defense against Bohemia and Manheim, ready to resist foreign intervention. Later, I became the head of the Military Orders Department. The Secr faction who won the war wanted a tsar because the Sanctified faction had the support of so many people. The Secr faction says that Divine Arrows, chants, and the like are natural phenomena, which humanity will one day master, just like wireless radio. But the old farmers in remote areas dont think so; they all support the Sanctified faction. Do you understand? But now, the old farmers have been convinced by sausages, champagne, and caviar, my princess. Princess Olga rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. Chapter 204: A Telegram from the Crown Prince ` August 7th night, Shepetovka. The headquarters of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division. Pavlov cleared his throat repeatedly, his brow furrowed. Wang Zhong: Is your throat still ufortable? Yeah, I couldnt help but shout during the retreat, and then I lost my voice. Its better now, it only affects normal speaking slightly. Pavlov raised his voice and said, But when I try to shout, this happens His voice broke off abruptly when it reached a certain volume, leaving only the sound of air passing through his throat. Wang Zhong: You sound just like an opera singer whos overused his voice. Maybe you could ask Vasily; the son of the music professor might know what to do. At this moment, themunications staff at the radio stood up, walked over with a telegram in hand: This just-decoded telegram is an order for us.Wang Zhong took the telegram, noticed that it was very short, and began to read: Your unit must move to Shostka immediately, to reorganize and construct defensive works there. Where is Shostka? Pavlov approached the map and quickly found the location on the edge: Here, an important railway hub on the Duva River. Its a necessary route by train from Shepetovka to the capital. Wang Zhong also stood up and came over to the map, closely examining the ce Pavlov was pointing to. This is really suitable for defense. Its got mountains, forests, and even a river! Get the geographic data. I want to check the periods of high and low water level in the Duva River. The staff immediately began looking through the geographic data: The periods of high water level are the spring and autumn turnover periods. Wang Zhong: So by the end of September, it will freeze over soon, right? But the muddiness of the turnover periods can significantly slow down the pace of the attacking troops, which is advantageous for the defenders, Pavlov replied. At this moment Wang Zhong suddenly noticed something. The border of Kazaria Kingdom just happens to go between Shepetovka and Shostka, even closer to Shepetovka actually. Wang Zhong: We are going to leave Kazarlia? Pavlov had also just realized this, opened his mouth but no words came out. At this time, the others in the room were also looking towards them, most of them Kazarlian. Wang Zhong: Since the order has been issued, lets get ready. How many men have we assembled now? Pavlov: Including those with light injuries, 5100batants and 4500 logistics personnel. Except for your six small tanks, weve pretty much lost all our technical equipment. ? Wang Zhong: Arrange for train cars, start transporting to Shostka. We have enough train cars, right? Yes, all day today troops have been arriving in Shepetovka by train, and the trains that were emptied were used to transport local civilians and hospital patients. It should be very easy to get the train cars to send us back. Good, you organize this. Id like our vanguard to leave for Shostka tonight to set up a camp. Has Popov returned? Have him take care of this, and make sure to secure support from local churches, asking the church to organizebor. Before we arrive, they should start digging anti-tank ditches and pouring concrete for anti-tank obstacles. Just as Wang Zhong finished speaking, Popov entered the room: Did someone call for me? Youre finally back. How did it go with replenishing the prayers? No luck, Popov shook his head, Your method of using the Divine Arrow for air defense is something the church has decided to promote. So the prayers are even more in demand now. Everyone at the front is holding on to them for dear life and even n to take ours. Ive protested fiercely and managed to hold them off. Wang Zhong: Good, very good. But I have a task for you. Weve just received orders to move to Shostka. I need you to lead the vanguard andy the groundwork, starting with establishing contact with the local church and recruitingbor. Weve suffered heavy losses in our logistics personnel and need reinforcements. Popov nodded: Leave it to me Shostka? Isnt that outside Kazarlia? Popovs shout made even the ticking of the radios stop for a moment. Wang Zhong patted him on the shoulder: Youre Kazarlian too? Of course! Cant you tell by the way I eat? My life is owed to the sour cream from my hometown! Wang Zhong: Then you should eat as much as you can now. Nelly! The maid entered the room, looking puzzledly at Wang Zhong. Prepare some sour cream for Popov to fill up on, Wang Zhong ordered. At that moment, someone among the staff raised their hand: I want some too. And me! Me too! Wang Zhong changed his request: Nelly, prepare some supper, and get more of the Kazarlian local delicacies. Nelly nodded and left. Wang Zhong suddenly thought, considering how long he had been in this world, he still didnt know what homnd delicacies were and it was a good time to get to know them. To get to know the foods of his homnd. Homnd. St. Ye Katerina Fortress, Summer Pce, Command Headquarters Operations Department. As soon as Tsar Nichs V entered, he asked, Have you drafted the new n yet? How many troops can we save? Marshal Semyon Konstantinovich stood up, took a long rod beside the map, and started gesturing over the map: We are currently reinforcing Shepetovka, and when the relief operation begins, Duke Meishikin of Shepetovka willmand an assault. The target is to threaten the supply line of the enemys second armored group ` Niki V interrupted Marshal Semyon, I dont care about your ns, I dont understand them anyway, I just want to know how many people can be saved? Marshal Semyon and Chief of General Staff Tukhachev exchanged nces and replied, Four hundred thousand, its impossible to save more under the current circumstances. Niki V slumped into his seat, staring at the map. Is this the best-case scenario? he asked. Marshal Semyon nodded, Yes. And the worst-case? Give me some mental preparation, His Majesty the Tsar said with a voice that had aged considerably. Marshal Semyon exchanged looks with Tukhachev again. He considered for a moment before saying, The worst-case scenario is that not a single person can be evacuated. What? the Tsar eximed, Not a single person can be evacuated? Chief of General Staff Tukhachev spoke up, If we had started to retreat immediately at the onset of the enemys offensive, we could have saved more troops, but now its toote The Tsar stood up, pounding the table as he yelled, Toote, toote! Thats all you say! Less than a week ago, you were still telling me that we could push the enemy back to the national border any minute! I should have executed all of you cowards by firing squad! You are traitors of Ante! At that moment, Marshal Semyon said, It was you who refused to retreat, sire. If we had retreated then, even if the situation was terrible, we could have saved three hundred thousand troops. Niki V fell back into his chair, looking much older. Yes, it was I who didnt allow the retreat. Are you ming me now? Do you want me to take full responsibility for this great defeat? Is that what you think, without considering who was there, thumping their chests before the war began? And who was it that arrogantly ousted Gorky Konstantinovich? It was you! It was you all! After venting his emotions, Niki V sighed, Call my son back, have a ne fetch him now! Marshal Semyon asked, What about the retreat n Niki V said, Follow your n, I approve it. The generals exchanged nces, not concealing their surprise. Tukhachev stood up and picked up the telephone from the table, This is the Chief of General Staff, the n has been approved, execute immediately. Repeat, execute immediately! Niki Vmanded, Send the best pilot! Go get my son now! Marshal Semyon said, Taking the Crown Prince away now could risk turning it into a rout. After these days of battle, the troops morale is already very shaky. I dont care! Just as Niki V mmed his fist on the table, amunication officer came in through the door. Seeing the situation, he froze, standing at the doorway with the telegram, unsure of what to do. Tukhachev noticed themunication officer and said, Give me the telegram, wheres it from? Communication officer: Its from Argesukov, signed by the Crown Prince. Niki V stood up swiftly, walked over in two strides, snatched the telegram, and began to read. As he read, he copsed to his knees. The gathered generals were shocked and rushed to support their sovereign. Marshal Semyon grasped the corner of the telegram, May I? Niki V let go of the telegram and weakly waved his hand. Marshal Semyon looked at the telegram. Dear Father Tsar, I have decided to fulfill my duty as an overseeing officer and lead the troops into an attack against the enemy myself. The current situation is extremely perilous, with Argesukov on the brink of encirclement. As your son, I am unable to stop the enemys onught and save the million-strong army here; I can only contribute a meager effort. Love, Ivan Nikyevich Andronov. After reading the telegram, the marshal passed the telegram paper to Chief of General Staff Tukhachev. The Chief of General Staff finished reading with a veryplex expression on his face. At that moment, the Tsar suddenly rallied, shouting, Dispatch the ne! The ne! Tie Ivan to the ne and have him flown here! Fly over! Tukhachev responded, Understood, well send a ne right away. Argesukov, Southwestern Front Army Headquarters. When themunication officer entered with uncontroble joy on his face, he announced, The telegrams arrived! The retreat n has been approved! The senior officers in Headquarters were stunned; it was the Front Army Chief of Staff who first snapped out of it, Let me see it! Themunication officer immediately handed the telegram to the Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff quickly read through the telegram and his face lit up with joy, Its a retreat order! Plus, High Command is preparing tounch an offensive towards Shepetovka to support our breakout. Theres another order here, Your Royal Highness; the ne to pick you up will arrive shortly. Ivans smile swiftly climbed his lips but vanished just as quick, No, what would happen to the morale if I left under these circumstances? It will copse, the Front Army Chain said with certainty, The breakout will turn into a mass of people bumping around like headless flies. The fields of Kazarlia are so vast that quite a few should make it out, but thats all theyll be doinggetting out. Ivan bit his lip, Then I wont go, keep to the original n. I will personally lead a force to break through, let the whole army know this. Moreover, prepare a royal banner, and make it big, bigger than the red g of my dear friend Rocossov! Chapter 205: The Children of Kazarlia Chapter 205: The Children of Kazarlia ` On August 8th, at 08:30, at Shepetovka, the headquarters of the 151st Provisional Infantry Division. Wang Zhong was originally nning to head out when he passed by Nelly packing up the dining table, possessed by some devilish impulse, he stopped and scooped up a dollop of sour cream with his finger and popped it into his mouth. Nelly: What are you doing? Youre acting like a little kid! Cant you use a spoon? Alright, alright, Ill use a spoon. Wang Zhong took the spoon Nelly handed him and scooped up a heaping spoonful of sour cream into his mouth. Sour cream is such a strange thing, at first, it seems so odd to eat, and even odder to put into soup. But after youve tried it once, you cant help but go for it again, the second time thinking, Its so strange, I need to savor it more. And then, you just cant stop, you need to have some with everything. Especially here at Antes, where meals are those calorically dense things with lots of fat, you cant do without sour cream to cut through the greasiness.Its like eating pig trotters with noodles, after a bite of the big trotter, you need some sour pickles to refresh the pte. I feel like Im going to turn into the shape of sour cream. After finishing, Wang Zhong handed the spoon back to Nelly, with a reminder: The divisions train leaves at half-past ten, watch the time and dont bete. You are my clerk. Mhm. After Nelly spoke, she grabbed Wang Zhong who was about to leave. Wait, you havent wiped the hand you used to scrape the sour cream, give it here! Nelly then carefully wiped Wang Zhongs hand clean with a napkin before letting him go. Wang Zhong: Youre almost like my mom. Nelly, incensed, said: I am not that old! Thats what she takes offense to! Wang Zhong turned and left the room. No sooner had he descended the stairs than he saw a group of people wearing Labor Camp armbands streaming into the division headquarters yard. The newly assembled headquarters guard toon was blocking them, Grigori stood alertly at the door of the building where Wang Zhong stayed, cradling a submachine gun. The workers were fervent: Let us see the General! Yes, let us see the General! Wang Zhong: What do you want with me? The restless crowd paused, their gaze turning to him en masse. Its the General! Thats not right, isnt the General supposed to be six meters tall? What kind of gic specimen would that be? Wang Zhong: I apologize for not being six meters tall and for disappointing you all. Im just an ordinary person, but Ive also killed two Prussian generals! The crowd grew agitated again, specting about how the remaining five Prussian generals died. Wang Zhong couldnt stand it anymore; at this rate, he was going to be Saint Andrews Champion Warrior. He interrupted their discussions: What do you want? Did you juste to see what I look like? The workers calmed down, and all eyes shifted in unison to an old worker. The old man stepped forward and said, We are workers from the Shepetovka Textile Factory, we heard that your g was torn up in thest battle, so we worked overnight to make a new one! Radilov, bring it here! The crowd parted to make way, and a very robust worker carried a fiery red banner over to Wang Zhong, flicking it open fully in front of him with a twist of his arm. It was Wang Zhongs red g, only a thousand times more exquisite, and at the base of the g, there was a line of gold lettering: Donated by the Workers of the Shepetovka Textile Factory. The old worker continued, We used all night to perfect this red color. The young people at the factory, God knows where they heard it from, were saying that your g was dyed red with the blood of martyred heroes, and they wanted to use their own blood. But I thought that wouldnt do, blood turns ck, so we used this blood red shade. What do you think? Someone from the crowd shouted: Bolutkin is our best dyer, General, please ept it! Wang Zhong, looking at the red g, the sunlight filtering through the fabric and falling across his face, said; Grigori! he ordered, Take the g, and youll be the g bearer. Where I go, you follow. The workers cheered. Argesukov, the Rokossovsky Estate. When Mikhail entered the dukes bedroom, the duke wasparing clothes against himself. Mikhail hurried over and took the clothes: Let me do it! We shouldnt have let go of all the maids so quickly. Its nothing, I do have hands! You worry too much. Now tell me, whats the situation? The Crown Prince is set to lead the troops out today; its your old unit. Hmm, old Rokossov chuckled, My old unit is the most resolute, and even Major General Skorobo knows this. This is just as well. Whats the direction of the attack? Mikhail answered: The attack is towards Shepetovka. First, it can dy the enemy armor from nking, and second, it can cover our forces escaping through the breach. Old Rokossov added: Third, the Crown Prince might just break through if hes lucky. Quite a gamble theyre taking. Wheres the nned deployment area? Kabusk Vige. ` Okay, well head straight for Kabusk, we should make it in time. Choose a driver with no family ties to take me there. Then its only me No, you wont do. Youre taking the ne out today. Mikhail thought for a moment and said, Then lets go with Stepan, two of his three sons are grown up, and the elderly in his house have passed away, which makes him suitable. Hmm. Old Rokossov nodded. By this time, he had already put on his old military dress uniform and adorned himself with all his medals. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, the old man snorted, Like a toy doll. My medals could almost be bulletproof, I wonder which Prussian bastard will benefit from them. No, it wont do, I have to take the medals off. You take them to Alyosha, cant let the Prussian devils have them! So for the next twenty minutes, Mikhail, the old servant, helped the general take off all his medals. Rokossov looked at himself in the mirror and said, The first time I put on this uniform, I was as young as Alyosha, knew nothing, and all I thought about was flirting with girls at balls. Mikhail: The younger master is already capable of standing on his own. Yes. Now its my turn as an old father to show him what a warriors resolve is. The old man suddenly smacked his lips, My mouth is a bit dry, get me some sour cream, is there any sour cream left? Mikhail: Of course, there is, even if everything else was missing, we wouldnt run out of that. Ill go get it for you. And bring some waffles, too, and walnut jam if theres any. Got it. After Mikhail left, the old Duke stood alone in front of the mirror, looking at his reflection. Humph, not too shabby, could charm a girl at the bar. He lightly adjusted his beard and put on the old-fashioned military cap. After gazing at his reflection for a few seconds, he suddenly pped his thigh, Ah, I forgot my saber! After the civil war ended, the troops did away with sabers, so I forgot! Mikhail! Where is my saber? Argesukov, Krugen Street, No. 43. Mrs. Alexeyevna put a little pot of sour cream on the small tray in front of the wounded man, Help yourself if you want to eat. The wounded man said, Old mother, stop bothering with us, the Prussians will kill you too if they find out youre hiding us! The olddy pushed up her sses, nced around the cer and smiled faintly at the dozen or so seriously injured men hiding there, Dont worry. They dont need a reason to kill an old woman like me. If one day I donte down, you open the door over there. The olddy pointed to the end of the cer, The pickled cabbage casks are already moved aside, even you should be able to open it easily. Its a tunnel prepared by the locals when they resisted Emperor Poli, theres also argemunity of beggars underneath, and the Prussians couldnt get rid of them all. Just say youre guests of Mrs. Alexeyevna, theyll help you. The wounded men looked at each other while the olddy walked up the cer stairs and left. Mrs. Alexeyevna came up to the surface and carefully camouged the entrance to the cer before picking up the crutches and slowly moving towards the apartment door. She walked out the door and stood on the deste street of Argesukov. Not long before, the street was full of pedestrians, and there were queues at the church store not far away to get sausages. But now, the entire street was empty. Mrs. Alexeyevna stood for a moment, decided to go back inside, when a military unit approached from a distance. The soldiers marched in unison, singing military songs, their high spirits in sharp contrast to the deste surroundings. Mrs. Alexeyevna couldnt help but stop, maintaining the gesture of holding the doorknob as she watched the troops. Her gaze was fixed on those young faces, like a mother looking at her children. An entire regiment marched past No. 43 Krugen Street, and then the only tank appeared. Mrs. Alexeyevna could not recognize the model of the tank, but she knew the huge g fluttering on the antenna behind the tank. A very young captain sat atop the tank turret, looking ahead with confidence. When he saw Mrs. Alexeyevna, the young captain suddenly patted the tank hatch, Stop! He shouted several times before the tank stopped, right in front of No. 43 Krugen Street. Mrs. Alexeyevna took a few steps forward and said to the young captain, I think Ive seen you before, Captain. The captainughed, Impossible, its my father on the coin. Olddy, you better run, the enemy ising! Mrs. Alexeyevnaughed, I cant leave, I still have things to do, Ill wait for you toe back, child. May Saint Andrew bless you! The captain was confused, What else do you have to do? Shall I have someone do it for you? You should really leave! Mrs. Alexeyevna shook her head repeatedly, May Saint Andrew bless you! She took a few steps back and drew a triangle in front of herself. The captain shrugged and ordered from within the tank, Lets go! No, forward! Is that how you give themand? The person inside the tank replied, Thats right, Your Highness. Maybe you shoulde inside, its windy out. No, no, no, I get a headache just a few minutes after Im in there! the captain said, continuing to sit atop the tank turret. Mrs. Alexeyevna stood at the apartment door, watching the young man and his g recede into the distance. Chapter 206: May We Have a Safe Journey Chapter 206: May We Have a Safe Journey Kabusk Vige, near the predestined deployment line of the attacking forces. Ivan Nikyevich Andronov heard the distant cries of Hurrah from the front. Curious, he asked, Whats happening? However, no one answered him. The sound of the tanks was too loud, so Ivan reached into the hatch and tapped the tankmanders shoulder, Whats happening? Themander turned around, What? It seemed that without an internal line, it was basically impossible to hear anything inside a tank. The Crown Prince waved his hand and sat up straight again, looking ahead. Finally, he saw clearly at whom the soldiers were yelling Hurrah: a jeep was parked on the road, and an old man in an old military uniform was saying something. The tank pulled up next to the jeep and stopped. Ivan recognized that the old man was Duke Rocossov.Your Grace! Despite being the Crown Prince, Ivan used a respectful title, What brings you here? The old man smiled, Ivee to serve as an infantrypanymander. I did the job for a good long time when I first joined the army; Im quite familiar with it. Ivan asked curiously, So, what was that Hurrah they yelled at you all about? Ah, its the young men on active duty showing respect to an old superior. Actually, most privates have never seen me; they dont know why they should yell Hurrah, but they yelled anyway. The old Duke stopped and looked up at Ivan, Hmm, apart from being a bit slender, you look like a soldier. For some reason, Ivan wanted to appear more soldier-like and jumped down from the tank, only to almost fall to his knees as he lost his footing. The old Duke grabbed him and pulled him up, Be careful, Your Highness! If your knee hits the ground, Ill have to go to the pces ceremonial hall for a protocol examination. Those around them who heard thisughed, then the old sergeant major chased the chucklers away, Stopughing! The battle is unfolding! Do you want to stand still and take the enemys shelling? Only then did the soldiers move forward, heading towards the deployment line. Old Rocossov pinched Ivans shoulder and asked, How are you holding up, Your Highness? To tell you the truth, my legs started shaking the moment that sergeant major yelled. That normal, Your Grace? Ivan revealed a wry smile. Is this your first offensive? The Duke asked in return. If you dont count the mock offensive drills in military school, yes. Then its very normal. The night before my first battle, I couldnt sleep a wink, tossing and turning, and whenever I shut my eyes, all sorts of nonsense would run through my mind. My heart thumped uncontrobly, and even the blood vessels in my neck and temples trembled. Ivan looked shocked, Really? Thats exactly what happened to mest night! True. Everyone feels the same, but the differencees the second time. Brave people are still nervous the second time but can at least sleep a bit. Those bastards born for the battlefield sleep soundly the next time and even snore! Ivanughed, Really? Then Im looking forward to my second time. I wonder how Alyosha is doing. Hes probably like me; sleeps more soundly than a pig the second time around, said Duke Rocossov. Just then, a whistling sound came overhead, and Ivan instinctively wanted to hit the dirt but was caught by the Duke and couldnt move. Its our own preparatory fire, no need to worry. Its for sting the enemy. As soon as he finished speaking, explosions lit up the northern ins. Ivan looked into the distance, Are the enemies that close? Not close, almost three kilometers away. Its quite a walk. Of course, Your Highness, youll get there faster in a tank, whereas this old man here will advance with the infantry. Ill also advance with the infantry Ivan suddenly looked down, noticing his legs were shaking so much, it was visibly clear from the outside of his trousers, Never mind, Ill ride in the tank after all. I feel like my legs would give out halfway. Alyosha has already gone back and forth across the battlefield several times, while Im just embarrassing. Duke Rocossov nced at Ivans legs, hesitated for a moment, but then said, At least you didnt wet yourself, which is quite brave. Ivan alsoughed, I think thats just a hateful rumor someone made up about Alyosha. Who knows? Duke Rocossov gazed at the distant enemy positions being bombarded. Silence briefly enveloped the two, with only the thunderous explosions in the distance and the continuous whistling of shells in the sky. Suddenly, Duke Rocossov said, Originally, I wanted to change Alyoshas name, because have you heard that song called Alyosha? Ivan thought for a moment and said, The song with the lyrics He can no longer bring flowers to the girl, its the girl who brings flowers to him? Yes, its terribly inauspicious, isnt it? But then I thought, the name Aleksei is that of a saint, chosen ording to the time he was born. It would probably anger some formidable force if I changed it randomly. That idea is very un-Secr faction, isnt it? The Ante Peoples custom was to choose names from a list of saints ording to the time of birth, which is why there were so manymon names. Ivanughed, Indeed. Now, all we can do is hope that Saint Aleksei blesses him to live until the end of the war. The general made a triangle with his fingers andughed. After the brief exchange, the two watched silently as the artillery pounded the enemy positions in the distance. Time passed unmeasured until a messenger ran up, dismounted in front of the Crown Prince, and saluted, The divisionmander has instructed me to inform Your Highness that the assault formation is fully deployed. Ivan returned the salute, Tell themander that Im just a captain, no need to report to me, proceed with the attack at his pace. Ill be at the very forefront of the troops. Chapter 207: Blessings for a Safe Journey to Us_2 ` Yes! the messenger saluted, mounted his horse, and galloped away. Ivan turned to Duke Rocossov and said, Then Im off. Hmm, Ill be right there, the Duke replied, taking a step back and saluting Ivan. Ivan turned to climb onto the tank but his legs were shaking so badly that he couldnt get up. Old Duke Rocossov stepped forward, grabbed him by the armpit, and hoisted him up. The Crown Prince stood behind the tank gun, cing all his weight on the turret, before finally looking down at Duke Rocossov, Thank you. Dont mention it. Ivan rapped on the tank turret hatch and shouted loudly, Forward! To the very front of the formation!The tank roared to life, thundering forward. Duke Rocossov watched the tank depart before getting into his own jeep: Lets go, to the front of the first line of infantry, and then, Stepan, you can run. Go wherever it is you need to go. Stepan nodded, Understood. The car engine started up. Half an hourter, at the very front of the attack front. All the soldiers present could tell that the barrage had turned into Xu Jins barrage, signaling that the attack was about to begin. A toon leader ran up to Ivans tank: Your Highness! Say something to us! Ah? Ivan looked at the soldiers awaiting expectantly, Uh, I cant! Whenever I had to speak before, someone else would write the script for me! The toon leader said, But youve got to say something, everyones waiting. Ivan scratched his head and began, Alright. Im the Crown Prince of the Ante Empire We cant hear you! a heckler called out from below. Ivan raised his voice considerably, Im the Crown Prince of the Ante Empire, the close friend of that General Rokossovsky, the White Horse General! He has led his troops to many victories! R? I dont know if I can lead you to victory like he does, but at the very leastI can charge with you on a tank, like he does! Thats all! The toon leader, who had asked for a speech, blew the whistle to start the march, whether he was satisfied or not. Ivan patted the tank turret, Move out! Forward! The tank began moving, advancing towards the enemys position. Duke Rocossov was in front of the first skirmish line to the right of the Crown Princes tank. Seeing the Crown Princes tank advance, Rocossov shouted, The Crown Prince takes the lead! Sons of Kazarlia, forward! He drew his oldmand saberwhich despite its age, was so well-maintained it reflected light visible hundreds of meters away. Duke Rocossov ced his military cap on the point of the saber and held it high. Follow me! Forward! Strike up the military song! As soon as he finished speaking, the enemys counter-fire fell, exploding amongst the skirmish line. Duke Rocossov moved forward, fearless. The Prussian Army, 13th Attack Squadrons Squadron Leader heard over his headset: Were under attack by enemy infantry, were under attack by enemy infantry. The Squadron Leader tilted his joystick and the aircraft leaned over, revealing the ins originally obscured by the wings. Then, the Squadron Leader noticed an interesting target: a tank, flying a huge g that lookedsomewhat like the Royal g of the Ante Empire. The Squadron Leader turned on the radio: Ive spotted a high-value target. Squadron maintain direction, number two follow me in the attack. After speaking, he pushed the joystick to the right and the aircraft rolled and dove into a dive. The Squadron Leader opened the airbrake, and the characteristic screech filled the air. As soon as Ivan heard the screech, his neck was covered with goosebumps. He vaguely remembered that this was the noise made by the enemys dive bombers, called Death Scream! He snatched the anti-aircraft gun mounted on the tank turret, looking up for the target. He spotted them, ck birds against the direction of the sun! Ivan swung the gun around, crouching down on the side of the turret to raise the gun as much as possible. He fired, tracer rounds soaring into the sky. However, Ivan, who had never received any air shooting training, had no idea about leading the target. Nor did he have a gunsight. There was no chance he could shoot down the enemy aircraft diving from several thousand meters up. The two enemy nes dropped their bombs at 700 meters altitude and then pulled up to leave. As the nes flew over Ivans head, two 500-kilogram bombs dropped, onending right beside the tank. Ivan turned just in time to hear the whirring of the bombs time-dy fuze. The next moment, light swallowed his consciousness. Ivan Nikyevich Andronov, Crown Prince of the Ante Empire, was killed in action. Duke Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky saw clearly as the Crown Princes tank was engulfed in the explosion. The Royal g, primarily white and blue, gently fell among the smoke and dust. The Duke closed his eyes and whispered, Godspeed, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince. When he opened his eyes, more Death Screams came from the sky. Konstantin looked up, raising the sword that encapsted all his glory and military prowess, facing thetest advances in military technology. A step ahead, my son. Major General Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky was killed in action. The train of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division stopped at a small, quiet station. Pavlov: They said it was for a train crossing, and it conveniently gives us a chance to take on water. Wang Zhong nodded, then jumped out of the door of the stuffy boxcar onto the tform. Is this still within Kazarlian territory? he asked Pavlov, looking back. ` Chapter 208: Blessings for a Safe Journey to Us_3 Indeed, Pavlov nodded, You can tell just by looking at the scenery, theres no other ce with such beautiful grasnds, with such fertile ck soil. Wang Zhong nodded. For some reason, looking at the grasnds under the afternoon sun, Wang Zhong suddenly felt a sense of mncholy. Logically speaking, this was simply the homnd of Count Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, while Wang Zhongs own homnd had no such vast grasnds, and the scenery waspletely different. Logically speaking, the outsider Wang Zhong should not feel mncholic for a mere ce name. At that moment, Ludm and Nelly came down from the second carriage and stood by Wang Zhong. Ludm: As a child, you were only not such a rascal when riding a horse. Eh? Wang Zhong looked at his fiance, Really? Yes, you would always let the reins go on horseback, letting the horse run on its own, then youd spread your arms wide, feeling the wind like an idiot, she said.Wang Zhong recalled for no particr reason the sensation of riding Bucephalus and sitting atop turret number 422. Spreading your arms wide, embracing the wind like an idiotindeed, it seemed to be somewhat the case. Suddenly, Wang Zhong jolted and turned to ask Nelly, Did I also used to love eating sour cream? Nelly affirmed with certainty, Madly so, especially the one made by your deceased mother. At that instant, a huge wave of sorrow, like a flood that had been building for a long time, surged forward and took hold of Wang Zhongs heart. Although he could remember nothing, neither racing across the fields nor the taste of his mothers sour cream, the tide of grief that passed through was overwhelmingly real. Why this mncholy? Because I am Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, I was born here, I grew up here, and the milk of the ck earth nourished me. Even if the memories are gone, even if the soul has been reced by another, my body still remembers. It remembers the wind here, everything here. Struggling to keep his voice steady, Wang Zhong said, Nelly, bring me a lunchbox. A lunchbox? Or some other metal box, one with a lid thats easy to carry. Although Nelly looked puzzled, she turned and ran off. Wang Zhong stepped forward, crossed the tform, jumped down, andnded on the ck soil. Nelly came running back with the lunchbox: Here you go! Wang Zhong grabbed the lunchbox, forcefully opened the lid, wedged it under his armpit, squatted down, and scooped up a handful of the ck soil. Nelly: Ill get a shovel. No! No need, Wang Zhong stopped Nelly and continued plunging his hand into the fertile ck earth, carefully cing the soil from this second homnd into the metal box. On the third handful, a startled cricket sprang out and leaped into the grass not far away. Wang Zhong kept filling the lunchbox, handful after handful. Mud packed under his fingernails and filled the lines of his fingerprints. His hands looked like those of a child ying with mud, all dirty. But everyone watched him in silence. Ludms eyes even brimmed with hot tears. Grigori, carrying the red g, stood silently on the tform. Finally, Wang Zhong closed the lunchbox and pressed down hard. He squeezed out a smile for those around him: Now, my homnd will always be with me. He looked up as if seeing the Kazarlianndscape for the first time. As if greedily wanting to imprint everything in his mind. He remembered countless faces: the unnamed elders of Karlinovka, the worker Loktov who rescued him from beneath the tank, the olddy Alexeyevna from number 43 Krugen Street In the end, Wang Zhong saw Crown Prince Ivan and Old Man Konstantin standing in the light, seemingly saying something. They were saying safe travels. At that moment, the trains whistle startled Wang Zhong. He turned his head and saw the stifle cars full of young faces passing by on the opposite tform, heading in the direction Wang Zhong was leaving. Ignoring the mud on his hands, Wang Zhong cupped his hands to his mouth to make a megaphone and shouted to the young faces: Safe travels! The soldiers of the 151st Division shouted together: Safe travels! The red g, gifted by the workers of Shepetovka, fluttered in the wind. Chapter 209: New Stage Shostka In August 914 of the Jules era, on the morning of the 9th, the headquarters special train of the 151st Division rolled onto the Duva River railway bridge. Wang Zhong stood in the open door of the stuffy tank car, looking at the dense bomb craters by the river. ordingly, the bridge bore numerous signs of repair, and through the steel structure, one could still see the scratches left by bombs on the piers. This type of bridge could be easily repaired as long as the piers were not destroyed; usually broken by day, it could be fixed to allow traffic by night. As for crushing the piersthat would be tricky, as even sticking explosives directly onto the concrete wouldnt guarantee damage unless ced correctly. The piers in Ante were particrly well-stocked with materials. Indeed, any Ante construction that used reinforced concrete had more than enough material. No, in the country of Ante, any matter involving materials was bound to be generous, the epitome of crude and overbuilt. The train reached the east bank of the Duva River, where the anti-aircraft artillery positions came into Wang Zhongs view.Pavlov also stood by Wang Zhong and rasped, Well camouged. Wang Zhong said, See those fresh patches of earth? They must have filled in the craters. This position has been bombed many times. Just then, a captain with a bandage tied around his head emerged from the bunker and stood by the railway, watching the train of the 151st Division, his gaze fixed on the red g flying from the carriage. At this moment, the trains speed is quite slowafter all, a recently repaired railway bridge isnt too sturdy, and speeding could be dangerous. Wang Zhong called, Captain! Do you belong to the garrisonmand here? No, we are from an anti-aircraft artillery battalion of the Railway Troops. Theres no city defensemand in this town; all the defenses are on the west side, the captain replied. At that moment, Wang Zhongs carriage passed in front of the captain. The captain asked, Are you Aleksei Rokossov, General? Wang Zhong waved, I am. More anti-aircraft gunners emerged from the bunker, watching the train. Unfortunately, the train had already traveled too far for Wang Zhong to hear their discussions. Then the trains whistle sounded from up ahead. Pavlov remarked, Were about to enter the station. If all goes well, Popov should be waiting for us at the station. I hope he has got the division headquarters ready. Hmm, Wang Zhong paused before adding, Im more concerned about Argesukovs situation, though. The division headquarters kept the radio operational aboard the train, but since they could not unfurl the antennas inside and the power supply was poor, the information they received was intermittent. Wang Zhong was only aware that the Southwestern Front Army had initiated a breakout and that Duke Meishikin was also making an effort to coordinate. As they spoke, the train slowly glided into Shostka railway station tform. Popov indeed was on the tform, standing with his hands on his hips, looking anxious. He had just locked eyes with Wang Zhong and immediately looked away. Wang Zhong had an ominous premonition. He was reminded of the illusion just before leaving Kazarlia yesterday. Now the train came to a stop, and Wang Zhong leaped onto the tform and strode up to Popov, How are you, Bishop? Popov saluted Wang Zhong, then hesitated to speak. Wang Zhong urged, Go ahead, Ive heard all kinds of bad news since the war started. Popov rubbed his nose, Last night we received a telegram. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince died leading his troops in a breakout, alongside him was the founding War General Duke Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky. Wang Zhong pursed his lips. In truth, he had only met these two figures upon arriving in Argesukov, and theoretically, he shouldnt be overly heartbroken. Yet, he walked on along the tform, away from the division clerks and staff disembarking, away from tank no. 422 being unloaded from a t car, and away from Bucephalus, the restless horse ttering his hooves. Grigori, shouldering the red g, wanted to follow, but Popov signaled him to stop. So the sergeant major, holding the g, followed at a distance, merely maintaining a visual contact. At this moment, Ludm descended from the train. Popov and Pavlov called out together, Ludm Vasilyevna! Ludm ran over, puzzled, What happened? Duke Rokossov and the Crown Prince have both died for the country. Gofort him Popov suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Because Ludm herself was on the verge of breaking down, covering her mouth, Uncle Connie is gone? Connie was Konstantins nickname, and ording to Antean tradition, only a child who was especially beloved by an elder could use such an affectionate term. Ludm appeared to be struck by grief, her tears and snot running uncontrobly. Nelly handed her a handkerchief. Ludm, with the handkerchief in hand, said, Go to Alyosha! He must be more heartbroken than I am. Nelly stuffed the handkerchief into Ludms hand and then ran forward along the tform, chasing the figure of Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. Wang Zhong continued to the very end of the tform, where the noise was less obtrusive, and only two railway workers stood by the switch, watching him. There were still workers checking the lotive, tapping each wheel with a hammer to listen to the sound and assess its condition. In the monotonous tapping, Wang Zhong stopped and looked up at the azure sky. Although he did not know exactly when his dear brothers and old father had passed away, he always felt it must have been the moment he saw the hallucinations. After all, in a world with Hymn Monks and prayer hands, it didnt seem strange that a dying person could emit a final ripple. Wang Zhong carefully examined his inner thoughts and found that aside from mncholy, regret was what he felt the most: I havent had enough time to get to know you all. It was then that he heard the pping sound and turned his head to see Grigori standing in the distance, holding the red g. Only then did Wang Zhong notice Nelly running over. Nelly didnt seem overly sad, so Wang Zhong asked, Do you know that my father and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have died for our country? Mm. Liu Da cried a lot. Are you going to cry too? asked Nelly. Wang Zhong: Arent you sad? Nelly did not answer but only looked at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong: Let me teach you, next time this happens, you just say, I have a high threshold.'' Nelly: I have a high threshold. Light-speed application, oh! Wang Zhong was amused by Nellys response and his expression rxed a bit. He looked at the railway stretching into the distance and said to himself, Im a little sadder than I thought I would be. I dont even know why. Nelly: I thought you would say Good riddance, now no one can boss me around anymore.'' Wang Zhong: Am I such a bastard? I think so. But now Im not sure, said Nelly. Wang Zhong thought about it and felt that many might have misunderstood the original host, who was actually quite sentimental; so much so that these emotions even transmitted to him, despite being unrted. Alyosha, Alyosha, how much more do people misunderstand you. At this time, Pavlov and Popov appeared together, but did not dare toe over, standing with Grigori. Wang Zhong: Come over here, Im all right. Popov and Pavlov exchanged nces, then walked over together. Both were big men, walking side by side like two bears. Popov: Theres another piece of news, weve been transferred to the Reserve Army. We maintain our independence as a division. The Reserve Army has ordered us to construct fortifications on-site, in preparation forbat. Wang Zhong: Were familiar with that, no time like the present, lets set off now to survey the terrain. Call up the mapping officer, that Arkadi fromst time, hes good at drawing maps His leg is broken. Hes probably been sent back to the medical center in T by now, Pavlov interjected, Ill call someone else, another good fellow who transferred from the forestry department, a former civilian. Wang Zhong: Alright, and get Vasily to bring my captured Prosen radio! And Bucephalus, saddle him up! Popov: You have one day to survey the terrain. Wang Zhong, puzzled, asked, One day? Why only one day? Because the neing to pick you up willnd at the airport next to the city tomorrow. The airport next to the city! Wang Zhong eximed in surprise, So were finally going to have an Air Force? Just one fighter squadron, responsible for the protection of the bridge. But they often fail to deploy in time. Wang Zhong: Put Brother Peter on it! Find a high tower, and set up a sound array for him! Popov: Ill arrange it, dont worry. Did you hear what I just said? There will be a ne tomorrow to take you to Yekaterinburg. Wang Zhong frowned, Why would I go there? My post is here! Dont you know that the better the fortifications we build, the fewer casualties well have? The reason we managed to escape with so many fighters this time is because we built fortifications for nearly half a month, do you understand half a month? I understand, Popov replied, havent you forgotten that it was I who organized thebor for the fortifications? Wang Zhong: Uh, sorry. Indeed you did. So you should know, the more familiar I am with this area, the more ingeniously I canmand the construction of the fortifications! And the more enemies we can kill. Popov: I suggest you still take a trip to the capital. With the situation as it is, we may soon face thergest defeat since the beginning of the war. So Popov did not continue, but nced at the railway workers beside them. Wang Zhong: I understand, you need me for propaganda, right? At the start of the major defeats, you used me to boost morale, and now youre doing it again. Popov: The defeat is inevitable, so now we need to manage the aftermath and inspire the morale of the entire army. Without morale, even an army of a million could copse in an instant. As Antes best War General, you understand this, right? Wang Zhong understood, of course he did. He clenched his teeth and said to Nelly, Get my dress uniform ready, spiff me up so Im presentable by the end of the day, and Grigori! Youre my standard-bearer, clean yourself up too! Grigori, who was standing far away, heard this and replied, Ill have Aksinya take care of it, dont worry. Wang Zhong paused: Who is Aksinya? A girl from theundry squad, I met herst night. Wang Zhong looked closely at his guard: You hooked up with someonest night? Youre that impressive? Wait a moment, I seem to have been had on the train too. Is this some kind of Ante tradition? Chapter 210: Ah, the Navy (25,000 monthly tickets plus update) Bucephalus, upon seeing Wang Zhong approaching, immediately broke free from the soldier leading him and galloped straight towards Wang Zhong, opening his mouth as if to nibble on his hair. But the horse abruptly came to a halt, snorted in front of Wang Zhong, and then began to nudge his shoulder with its nose. Wang Zhong patted the horses neck, Dont do that; youre making me ufortable. The horse forcefully blew its nose. Five minutester, Wang Zhong set off with a dozen or so riders. On the map, Shostka appeared as a city spanning the Duva River, but in reality, the buildings on the west bank were concentrated around the railway bridge, and mainly, there was just the row of houses on the west side of the riverside street, and further west were fields. Apart from the railway tracks, the railway bridge had only a narrow path wide enough for one person at the edge, impossible for riding horses. To repair the bombed railway bridge, they had to deploy engineering vessels from the east bank docks.The docks on the east bank were quiterge, with a berth that housed an ind gunboat of the navy. The docks were guarded by a battalion of Naval Infantry, whose ck uniforms plus sailors shirts inexplicably gave Wang Zhong a sense of reassurance. He stopped in front of the entrance to the docks and asked a Naval Infantry lieutenant who was on guard, Whom do you take orders from here? The lieutenant saluted, then pointed to a four-story building by the dock shore, General, thats the headquarters of the Ind Fleet. The entire Duva River fleet is under itsmand, and so are we. Wang Zhong let out an Oh and turned back to ask Popov, Did you establish a good rtionship with the Ind Fleet? Popov, I wrote a letter to themander of the Ind Fleet saying that General Rokossovskys 151st Division will be relocating here, that you would arrive today. A letter? Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows. Yes, this is a more prudent approach. The navy and Naval Infantry generally take orders from the Front Army headquarters. Its better for us at the division level to observe some formalities. Wang Zhong nodded, dismounted, and then tied the reins to a hitching post outside the entrance. Having done this, he turned to the sentry and said, Id like to pay a visit to themander of the Naval Ind Fleet, may I pass? Your identification, please, the lieutenant at the gate said. Wang Zhong took out his identification and handed it over. Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, Major General Is it that Major General Rokossovsky? Wang Zhong, Yes. The lieutenant immediately returned the identification to Wang Zhong and then shouted, Attention all, salute! The two Naval Infantrymen on guard snapped their rifles off their shoulders and switched to the rifle salute. The lieutenant saluted ceremoniously, General, I salute you. Wang Zhong returned the salute, The navy knows of my deeds too? Of course, General. Pleasee in. Wang Zhong nodded, walked into the docks on foot. As he headed to the headquarters, he noticed two sailors cleaning the deck on the gunboat and another painting the vessel anew. The armament of this ind gunboat reminded Wang Zhong of the famed Yellow Water Battleship, but instead of the twin 57mm guns mounted on the Yellow Water Battleship, this gunboat was armed with an 85mm naval gun on the foredeck and two twin 37mm machine guns on the aft deck. With this firepower, seemed pretty good for fighting the Prussian tanks, didnt it? Too bad there was only one of them. To go to the capital maybe assemble a few more? If there wererger ind gunboats avable, they could also be brought over, but it was uncertain whether the Duva Rivers navigation capacity could supportrger ships. As Wang Zhong contemted these matters, he arrived at the headquarters entrance and saw a navy colonel with several senior officersing out from inside. Wang Zhong thought they were heading out on business and intended to make way, but instead, they came straight to him and saluted. I am Kozelsky,mander of the Ind Fleet. Major General Rokossovsky, the gatehouse called to say you have arrived. We thought you would go straight to the headquarters; we were nning to visit at an opportune time. Wang Zhong returned the salute, Im surveying the terrain, after all, the High Command has instructed me to build defensive works here. Weve been notified that your division will be establishing defenses here, and that we are to cooperate. Let me show you the defenses weve already built, offered Kozelsky. That would be excellent, Wang Zhong smiled. Kozelsky gestured invitingly, then took the lead, exining as they walked, Though its called the Ind Fleet, we actually have just one vessel, which youve seen. The Duva Rivers navigational capability is weak; these small ships asionally run aground even during low water levels. Apart from this ship, the main force at ourmand post is a Naval Infantry regiment. One battalion is stationed in the port area, and the other two battalions are positioned at the ferry crossings up front. Weve built concrete fortifications at the crossings and have relocated the locals from the opposite bank, ttening the buildings to ensure a clear field of fire. As Kozelsky exined, Wang Zhong could see the ttened buildings on the opposite bank, greatly opening up the field of view. Wang Zhong turned to ask Popov, Are there still locals on the other side? Move as many as possible over here, then tten the buildings to secure a clear field of fire. Popov, Ill ask around. We should be able to tten most of the buildings. Most? frowned Wang Zhong. Popov, Some people just dont like leaving their homes and are quite stubborn about it. Wang Zhong, Even with Prosens troops bearing down on them? Right. However, Ill have the parish priest do the work. You dont need to worry too much; what if it all goes smoothly and everyone is persuaded? Wang Zhong nodded. Having seen Wang Zhong finish speaking with Popov, Kozelsky joined the conversation, Aside from having the Naval Infantry build fortifications, weve also had our dredging engineers deepen all the river channels, so the enemy tanks wont be able to ford the river. Weve received many reports that when the enemy first started their attack, they used a new type of equipment that allowed tanks to cross the river from the bottom. Now, that situation will be eradicated. The method of river crossing that Kozelsky described is quitemon inter eras, as modern tanks are equipped with NBC protection systems that maintain positive pressure inside the tank to prevent the entry of poisonous gases and radioactive dust from nuclear explosions. The bonus thates with this NBC system is that tanks can enter water with a snorkel attached, and as long as the depth doesnt exceed the limit, they can avoid water intake and drive to the opposite bank from the riverbed. Tanks from this era do not have such advanced equipment for maintaining positive pressure, and in order to cross underwater, they must seal all potential water entry points. The Earths Sturmtigers used this method to cross the Bug River. Clearly, the Prussians of this timeline adopted the same approach to cross the rivers on the Prussian-Ante border. Kozelsky: Weve pretty much done everything we can think of, do you have any additional instructions? Wang Zhong: I Is it appropriate for an army officer to instruct the navy? Shouldnt there be an insurmountable barrier between the army and the navy? The order we received is to assist you in defending Shostka, Kozelsky said. Wang Zhong: Well then, we are delighted to have a battalion of Naval Infantry joining us. And an ind gunboat, Kozelsky reminded. Oh, yes, and an ind gunboat. At that time, the air raid alert sounded. The gunboat crew, who had just been painting the deck, immediately sprang into action, moving to the two 37 mm machine gun mounts on the aft deck and cranking the guns up to aim at the sky. Wang Zhong turned his head to Popov and said, Replenish the Divine Arrow troops as quickly as possible, and join the air defense operations. As soon as the words fell, eight Lag 3 nes swept across the city skyline and flew westward. Kozelsky eximed, The fighter squadronunched so quickly today. Wang Zhong, however, frowned, Are all the local fighter squadrons equipped with Lag 3? Arent there any MiG-3s or Yak-3s? Kozelsky asked in confusion, I know about MiG-3, but isnt Yaklyev just designing the Yak-1? Uh Wang Zhong was embarrassed, I misspoke, Lag 3, MiG 3, and then I just blurted out Yak 3. I meant to say Yak-1, I mean the Yak-1 modification. Yak 3 isnt so easy toe by. Kozelsky epted Wang Zhongs exnation readily, Yes, sometimes I misspeak too, calling the Il-2 the Il-3 or something like that. While speaking, Wang Zhong extended his hand, Now I am clear about the situation of the ind fleet and the Naval Infantry. I need to inspect other ces, so I will take my leave. Kozelsky shook Wang Zhongs hand, Goodbye, General Rokossovsky. Just as Wang Zhong was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked, Apart from the ferry in the city, are there other crossings over the Duva River? Kozelsky immediately answered, If you go downstream thirty kilometers, theres another crossing, but that has already left your defensive zone, and there should be other units stationed at that crossing, right? Wang Zhong: What about iron bridges? There cant be just this one bridge, can there? There are three more bridges, all quite far from here. The Prussians would have to make a big detour to cross the river there, Kozelsky gestured, I mean, if the enemys target is Yekaterinburg. He paused, seeking confirmation, The enemys next move is to attack the capital, right? I mean, after taking out Argesukovs troops. Even the navy was aware of Argesukovs situation now. Wang Zhong nodded, Yes. High Command estimates it will be mid-September, we still have a month to establish defenses. Kozelsky nodded, Okay, I will have the Naval Infantry continue to reinforce the fortifications. Thankfully, theres a cement factory in the city, so we can build more permanent cement pillboxes. Wang Zhong was surprised, Theres a cement factory in the city? Popov: Yes, I also found out after arriving. The church is currently organizing workers to produce cement around the clock and has specifically dispatched transport teams to bring in raw materials from the surrounding areas. Wang Zhong: Thats excellent news, we can finally proceed with building cement pillboxes freely. In Orachi, the enemys heavy artillery had made a profound impression on Wang Zhong; if they hadnt managed to squeeze out enough cement for those strongholds, Orachi would likely have fallen. Wang Zhong muttered to himself while pping his palm with a riding crop, Cement, good, cement is good. Popov: I need to remind you, we only brought people with us, almost all technical equipment was lost. Cement alone is not enough. Wang Zhong: Let Pavlov handle that. Popov: I believe Pavlov will do his utmost. However, you could also try hard tomorrow when you go to the capital. At that moment, Colonel Kozelsky, who had already said his farewells, turned back and asked, Your Excellency General, is it true that the princess is your lover? Wang Zhong was shocked; what was this now? Thats not right. Hadnt Ludm said that the princess was out of his reach and that he had struck out with her? It must be a rumor! Wang Zhong: No, the princess and I merely have a nodding acquaintance. Chapter 211: The Situation on the Evening of August 9th (Extra update for 26000 monthly tickets) Wang Zhong had just finished surveying the entirety of Shostka. Comparatively speaking, the city wasrger than Loktov and Orachi, making it thergest city Wang Zhong had defended so far, though rge is rtive. It had to be said that as a defensive position, this ce was much better than the ins of Orachi, with its rivers, woods, and high ground capable of overseeing the opposite side. When Wang Zhong had first crossed over to this world, he was nothing but a fake military strategist who had only yed war games. Now, he had learned through real battle experience. Sometimes, without even needing an overview angle, he could tell which areas were suitable for defense and which caf could block off two streets. Afterpleting the tour, Wang Zhong had a full understanding of the entire operational area. Whats left is to run a check on the areas our artillery can cover, he said to Popov, who had been apanying him on the inspection. Popov replied, Considering the time, dont bothering back until tomorrow morning if you leave the city today. You still have to fly to the capital. Observing the sun setting in the west, Wang Zhong sighed, Then well have to wait until after I return from the capital. He paused, then suddenly smiled, However, its good news to be sure that the Naval Infantry will be joining the battle.Popov asked with confusion, Arent they just a group of infantrymen? The fame of the Naval Infantry had not yet been established, which was why Popov found it strange. Wang Zhong, toozy to exin, simply pinched Bucephaluss belly, urging the horse to run: Lets go back to headquarters. Pavlov must have already arranged everything. St. Ye Katerina Fortress, Summer Pce, August 9, 2000 hours. When Olga Nikyevna Antonovna, who had been prohibited from entering the operational map room, pushed the door open, all the generals inside stood up. Chief of General Staff Tukhachev asked with concern, How is His Majestys condition? Princess Olganow properly referred to as Crown PrincessOlga shook her head, He is still locked in his study. The generals exchanged nces. Tukhachev clicked his tongue, This is bad. Without His Majestys approval many orders cannot be executed. Crown Princess Olga revealed a seal in her hand, The Emperor has allowed me to approvebat ns on his behalf. He shouted through the door, After all, the generals just need someone responsible to me.'' The atmosphere became a bit awkward for a moment. Semyon Konstantinovich and Chief of General Staff Tukhachev exchanged looks before asking, Is Grand Patriarch Belinsky still waiting in the reception room? Olga replied, Yes, the Grand Patriarch is still waiting, and he has requested that the kitchen provide him with kebabs and champagne. Tukhachev remarked, He is a patriarch, kebabs, champagne? Does he also want to toast to the death of the Crown Prince? Olga suddenly said, From the Grand Patriarchs perspective, my brothers death is actually bad news. My brothers death has galvanized the breakout troops, and presumably also the morale of other Ante Army citizens. For the Secr faction, this isnt a good thing, is it? That you woulde to such a conclusion causes me great pain, a cold, steady voice came from the doorway. Without looking, one could tell who it was. Grand Patriarch Belinsky, apanied by two knight guards, walked into the room. The Crown Princes death, of course, deeply saddens me. At the same time, the boost it gives to our military and civilian morale is truly heartening. Ivee to discuss with His Majesty the organization of a state funeral for the Crown Prince. Olga was somewhat surprised, A state funeral? Yes, at such a time we need to make everyone forget our grand failureoh, its too early to talk about that, the Grand Patriarch waved his hand, make everyone forget the grand failure we are about to face. Isnt a state funeral just apt? The generals looked at each other. Belinsky continued, You should understand the importance of morale better than I, a mere priest. Plus, the Crown Prince died for his country, ideally covering up the Royal Familys decision-making errors, allowing everyone to forget that it was His Majesty the Tsars mistake that led to the demise of a million-strong army, wasnt it? The words of the Grand Patriarch lightened the faces of many. But then the Grand Patriarch added, Of course, the Crown Princes military identity, along with thete Duke Rocossovs grand marshal rank, will also help the nation forget that it was the High Commands ipetence that caused His Majesty the Tsars misjudgment. Tukhachev interjected, No, from the beginning we You sidelined Gorky Konstantinovich to the Saint Andrew Front Army. You thought that would keep him from demonstrating hismand abilities. But the enemy is advancing quickly, and the Saint Andrew Front Army has already engaged with them. The Grand Patriarch stared at the Chief of General Staff. Pressured by the Grand Patriarchs gaze, the staff could only turn towards Marshal Semyon for assistance. The Marshal acknowledged, The High Command admits the strategic misjudgment. But, Your Excellency Grand Patriarch, are you intending to meddle in military affairs, rmending that we appoint Oh no no, Saint Andrew Fort is critical for both the Eastern Holy Church and the Secr faction. We wouldnt trust it to other useless generalsexcuse me, other generals. The Grand Patriarch nced at Marshal Semyon before resting his gaze back on the Crown Princess. Not only should your brother be honored with a state funeral, so too should the one who died alongside him, Duke Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky. We also n to hold a collective memorial service tomemorate the brave warriors who have died since the war began. Such a ceremony needs a hero among heroes to represent the living soldiers and take an oath. I happen to know just such a hero. As the Grand Patriarch scanned the room, everyone had already guessed whom he was about to name, but everyone stayed silent in tacit agreement. Grand Patriarch: He is the dearest friend of the Crown Prince, and also the son of the Duke of Rocossov who died for the country. He is a brave general deeply loved by the soldiers at the front, and he has achieved exceptionally brilliant battle results! There is no one more suitable than him, Your Royal Highness the Crown Princess. Princess Olga: You should speak to the Tsar father He wont see me, and dont you have his seal? You could stamp the order for the funeral ceremony yourself, the Grand Patriarch gestured, and a Cardinal immediately came over with the documents. Olga pursed her lips. The Grand Patriarch leaned slightly forward: Your Highness, I have always thought you are the smartest person in the Antonov family. I hope, at this time, you will make a choice that benefits the whole of Ante. Olga picked up the seal. The Cardinal immediately offered the inkpad. A secondter, the seal representing the Tsar affixed to the order for the state funeral and collective memorial service. The Grand Patriarch smiled: Very good. Then, as someone who does not understand military affairs, I shall not interfere with your decision-making. I hope you can save as many troops as possible from the encirclement. Having said that, the Grand Patriarch left with his group. No one in the map room spoke for a full three minutes. Then Tukhachev pped the table and cursed: He actually outright called us useless! Olga looked at the Chief of General Staff, saying nothing. Marshal Semyon eximed, Many of the mid and lower-levelmanders are already familiar with the military chains. Theres also intelligence indicating that manymanders who have performed well have been noted by the church. Moreover, many officers have realized that to achieve good results in defensive battles, one must establish a good cooperative rtionship with the churchs Guardian Army and the Labor Camp. Major General Rocossov did just that, working closely with the local church in both Loktov and Orachi. The senior officers present looked at each other. What Marshal Semyon had said, was essentially implying: All the officers who fought well were in cahoots with the church. They cant possibly meddle in military personnel matters, can they? Tukhachev said disdainfully. Marshal Semyon replied, They dont need to meddle. Those who fight well get promoted, and generally, only the ones who fight well survive. Tukhachev fell silent and after a few minutes, cursed angrily: The most critical thing is, to win, we must promote these officers who perform well. Marshal Semyon: The most critical thing is, to continue this fight, the church must y their role. Tukhachev fell silent for a few seconds before changing the subject: That Major General Rocossov, hes a yboy, right? Shouldnt he be more like an old-school officer? Maybe we can win him over? At this moment, General Tugenev, who had been sitting silently in the corner, spoke up: He has already arrived in Shostka. He willnd at an airport on the outskirts of Shostka tonight on a special ne, and after an inspection, he will be brought back tomorrow. Tukhachev: What about the arrangements after hes brought back? First, arrange amodations, and then mainly rest. After all, he has been through a long journey No, no, Tukhachev interrupted General Tugenev, arrange a war experience summary meeting tomorrow night. Gather all avable experienced officers in the capital. Its time we probe their depths, we cant always let the church mix with them. Olga frowned slightly: May I attend this meeting? Marshal Semyon: If His Majesty is still in his current state tomorrow, youll probably have to attend. Tukhachev smiled: The officers will be very happy with you there. Shostka, headquarters of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division. Wang Zhong looked at the map, his brows furrowed: What if I go to the capital tomorrow and find that its all peace and joy, with nobles dancing and horses running as usual? He could already imagine that seeing such a situation, his blood pressure would surely skyrocket, and if there was a weapon at hand, it could turn into a situation like how could we ever win against Prosen with these vermin. Pavlov responded with extreme unease: This That shouldnt happen, right? With total war breaking out, the capitals supplies couldnt possibly be so plentiful. Wang Zhong: So you think it wont be outrageous because of theck of supplies, not because you have confidence in the nobles huh? Just then, a staff officer led two Air Force officers into the map room; they stood to attention and reported: Colonel Hamov from the Air Force, and Captain Ivan Fedorovich. The two airmen saluted Wang Zhong together. Your Excellency General, said Colonel Hamov, I will lead a fighter squadron to escort your ne. Wang Zhong: What nes does your squadron fly? Colonel Hamov: Yak-1, an excellent low-altitude fighter. Its a shame the enemy advances on the capital from high altitude! I dont know why they would station squadrons equipped with Yak-1s in the capital. The Air Force colonel was probably just casually venting. But Wang Zhong, the listener, had an idea: Would you like to fight here with us? We have plenty of low-altitudebat here. Once the enemys Stukas finish bombing, they escape at low altitude, which is your time to shine. The colonel nced at Wang Zhongs shoulder insignia: Youre a major general; we all know that it usually takes an Army general tomand the Air Force. Wang Zhong: Ah, well, Ill try my best. What time can we reach the capital tomorrow? Answering Wang Zhong was Captain Ivan Fedorovich: We should arrive around four in the afternoon. Chapter 212: August 10th at 4 PM ` On August 10, at four in the afternoon, St. Ye Katerina Fortress, airport. As soon as Wang Zhong stepped out of the cabin, the music for The Farewell of the v Women began to yoh, incorrect, in this timeline its called The Farewell of the Ante Women. Immediately afterward, Wang Zhong caught sight of his good brothers sister. He was taken aback for a moment. Compared to the Crown Princess, my Liu Xia only wins with her silver hair! This is horrifying! As Wang Zhong reeled in shock, he suddenly heard Ludms voice: Walk down, and remember to salute when youre in front of the Crown Princess. He then descended the airne stairs and stood at attention, saluting before the Crown Princess.The Crown Princess scrutinized Wang Zhong carefully. Wang Zhong felt as if the Crown Princesss gaze was like that of a cheetah assessing its preywhether that was just his imagination or not. It seems that during my time in St. Ye Katerina Fortress, I have to stick with Ludm every day, otherwise, who knows when I might make a mistake. Wang Zhong shelved these thoughts and put on a stern face, Your Highness? Oh, ah, I have some words to say. The Crown Princess cleared her throat and put on an official tone, Wee home victorious, brave White Horse General, Duke Rokossov. Wang Zhong: Im a Count, as far as I know my elder brother has now inherited the dukedom. I havent made a mistake, said the Crown Princess with a smile, We n to bestow upon you the title of Duke of Caron, and the rted procedures are already being prepared. We are nning to establish a crash course school in the Duke of Carons territory to specifically impart experience inbating the Prussian Army to our military officers. Wang Zhong furrowed his brow, his voice raising, You n to transfer me away from the frontline? No, no, no, I (with my cheat) am worth five Army Groups! The Crown Princess beamed with a smile, Not right now, of course. Maybe after the war is won. Suddenly, an elderly male voice came from behind the Crown Princess. Wang Zhong turned his head and first caught sight of the Marshals insignia. He immediately saluted the Marshal. Rx a bit, the Marshal returned the salute, then extended his hand, Semyon Konstantinovich. Wang Zhong took his hand, and before he could speak, the Marshal said, Orachi was fought beautifully. The first two days could be considered perfect. On the third day, the enemy was simply too numerous, but managing to organize a breakout was already quite impressive. ?? The breakout on the third day was thanks to my chief of staffs abilities, said Wang Zhong honestly. On the third night of the breakout, what he did was just driving a small tank around in the front recklessly; the real hero of the breakout was Pavlov. Marshal Semyon appraised Wang Zhong again: Very modest, not stealing credit from subordinates, quite different from the Count Rokossov weve heard about. Because its not the same personWang Zhong suddenly stopped himself, unwilling to think that way at this moment. He had already felt all sorts of emotions from Rokossov. He was Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov. Wang Zhong: People change, Your Excellency, especially in a war that seems like hell. At that moment, a General entered Wang Zhongs field of vision: Major General Rokossov, Ive heard so much about you. Not recognizing the General, Wang Zhong saluted first. Oh, theres no need for that. War heroes always enjoy some special treatment. I am Tukhachev, the Chief of General Staff, said the General, extending his hand. Wang Zhong took his hand, Pleased to meet you. Are you the one who dyed the retreat orders? No, no, we proposed a retreat n as early as August 4th, but His Majesty did not approve it. Tukhachev paused, then continued, Now we are trying to rescue Argesukovs Southwestern Front Army. Currently, Duke Meishikin is making progress, and troops from two divisions have already broken through. Wang Zhong was shocked; why did this man make it sound like two divisions were a lot? So he reminded him, Argesukov still has about seven hundred thousand troops. Yes, we are still endeavoring, said the Chief of General Staff, The good news is that due to the Crown Princes heroic martyrdom, the troops surrounded are fighting with very strong will. Although the enemys encirclement is about to close, they are still continuing to fight. Wang Zhong: How long the troops within the encirclement can fight depends not only on their will to fight but also on how much supplies they have! We have umted arge amount of food and ammunition for Argesukov; theres no need to worry for now, said the Chief of General Staff. Well talk about these matters at the experience sharing meeting tonight. Your Highness, over to you. Crown Princess Olga gave Wang Zhong a slight smile, took his hand, and said, This way, please. Ive arranged a reception feast at the Summer Pce. Wang Zhong: Theres no need. As a soldier, Im fine with eating the same as the front line. Lets get straight to business then. Isnt there a sharing session tonight? Lets bring it forward to now; we can eat sausages and share at the same time. The Chief of General Staff and Marshal Semyon exchanged nces. But the Crown Princess said, Thats a good idea. Then Ill notify the officers attending tonights sharing session to gather at the High Command. Wang Zhong had a feeling that the Crown Princesss appreciation for him had increased! He couldnt help but look towards Ludm. It was as if the Crown Princess only just noticed Ludm, releasing Wang Zhongs hand. Ludm saluted: Greetings, Your Highness. I am Captain Ludm Vasilyevna Malyukhova, a prayer hand. I know. Crown Princess Olga smiled. Youre Duke Rokossovs childhood friend, and you have not yet be engaged. Indeed, Ludm and he had not be engaged. After all, the Westerners have a veryplicated procedure for engagements, which takes a long time to prepare. Ludm: But weve already decided to get married after the war ends. Crown Princess: Oh, is that so? Then how about I serve as your bridesmaid? ` Eh? Ludm didnt expect such a turn of events, A bridesmaid? Yes, the Crown Princess shrugged her shoulders, After all, I am a woman, I cant be the best man. Wang Zhong then saw Nelly hiding and watching from a distance and said, Nelly can be a bridesmaid. Nelly? the Crown Princess looked puzzled. Wang Zhong: Ah, she is my orderly, the daughter of the nanny who has always taken care of me and Liu Xia. She has been with us since she was very little. The Crown Princess was shocked: The daughter of a servant as a bridesmaid? Wang Zhong: Whats wrong with that? Nelly could be a woman my mother approves of! The Crown Princess took two steps back, distancing herself from Wang Zhong and Ludm. It was then that Wang Zhong realized the expressions of Chief of Staff Tukhachev and Marshal Semyon were very serious. Right then, Wang Zhong realized that he might have said something a noble wouldnt say. Nobles wouldnt let a servant be a bridesmaid, would they? Ludm, however,ughed and said, Nelly is great, I would be happy for Nelly to be the bridesmaid! No sooner had she spoken than a deepugh echoed through the room. Wang Zhong had heard thisughter before. He turned his head and sure enough, saw the Grand Patriarch Belinsky approaching. On making eye contact, like an old acquaintance, the Grand Patriarch said, Oh, Alyosha, I see you again! Youve lost a lot of weight since thest time. Wang Zhong: I shouldnt have, our supplies are plentiful, we basically never starve. The Grand Patriarchughed heartily: Then maybe Im just seeing things. At this moment, Tukhachev and Semyon Marshal grew even more grim, especially after hearing the Grand Patriarch call him Alyosha. As if oblivious to the other two men, the Grand Patriarch continued, Your return this timees with a heavy task. Were nning to have you give a speech during the memorial service, can you manage that? Wang Zhong: Your Highness, dont you know? Im quite good at giving speeches to rally the soldiers. Belinsky: I know that, the Tribunal has already reported the content of your speeches to me. Just judges are good at interrogating and eliminating traitors, but they may not necessarily be able to discern the quality of a speech. When can you give me the speech for the memorial? No way, I have to write a speech too? I hate this the most! Hmm? Belinsky raised an eyebrow, Ah, I get it, youre better at improvising on the spot! Wang Zhongughed, but it wasnt true; he just had ready-made temtes to copy. Without those, his speeches would turn toplete rubbish. Wang Zhong was reminded of thest time he had to give a speech and ended up cobbling together some parallelism, eventually resorting to copying the famous work If We Do Not Go to War from the field to get through. Damn, he broke into a sweat. He had copied Qiu Pangs We Will Never Surrender, and now he was wondering if he should copy it again? Belinsky seemed to understand everything and thumped Wang Zhong on the shoulder: Very well, then I look forward to it. Could you not look forward to it! By the way. The Grand Patriarch changed the subject, I heard theyre nning to cancel the banquet and do war experience sharing while dining. Can I join in? Wang Zhong thought to himself I have no say in this, so he looked at the Crown Princess, who turned to look at Chief of General Staff Tukhachev. The Chief of General Staff: No problem, we would be honored to have Your Highness with us. Belinsky: Then its settled. Wang Zhong was stunned by the luxury of the Summer Pce. Theoretically, as someone who had visited the Forbidden City Museum, mere luxury should not astound him anymore. Moreover, Wang Zhong had seen the Soviet version of War and Peace and witnessed their all-out effort to recreate a court ball, but now he realized that seeing it in a movie and actually sitting in the pce were two different things. While he looked around like an idiot, the military officers in attendance were all watching him. Thats the man who killed eight Prussian generals with a horse and a sword. Nonsense, I heard he ran over eight with a tank. Youre all wrong, it was artillery that killed them. As the crowd buzzed with discussion, the Grand Patriarch Belinsky entered the room and quietly sat in a corner. At first, only a few officers noticed the Grand Patriarch, but as they sat up straight, more and more officers took notice until the entire room fell silent. Tukhachev stood up: Today, we have all gathered here for a summary and sharing of experiences! You are all front-line officers who have survived the war, each with vast experience in fighting the Prussians. Today, we aim to Suddenly, the main door opened. An officer wearing a staff armband came up to Tukhachev and whispered in his ear. Tukhachev eximed in shock, Hes back? How does he have the audacity to return? What about the other high-ranking officers? This is madness! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 213: Justice The Chief of General Staff finished cursing, nced at the curious onlookers, and then said to General Tugenev, You organize the exchange meeting. General Tugenev asked, What happened? Whose back? Chief of General Staff Tukhachev did not answer but followed the staff officer who hade to report the news, striding away briskly. Wang Zhong, observing the situation, was also moved and stood up to follow them out. The Chief of General Staff seemed to be in a hurry, not noticing Wang Zhong at all. He walked as if he were in the final sprint of an Olympic race walkingpetition. Even Wang Zhong, a young man, had to hasten his steps to catch up with the older man. At first, he was worried it might be too obvious, but then many others starteding out from neighboring rooms, heading in the same direction. When Marshal Xiemiao came out of the building, he saw Wang Zhong, but obviously thought Wang Zhong had been called by the Chief of General Staff and paid him no mind. He went straight to the Chief of General Staff and said, He actually abandoned his troops and ran back! If he had died in the encirclement, we could still provide for his wife and children.Wang Zhong frowned slightly. Could it be that that thing hase back? His anger surged up in an instant. In this way, the group barged into the drawing room. Olga Grand Duchess was already there in the drawing room; she stood in front of Major General Skorobogatov, her face red with anger, clearly having just erupted. When she saw the others enter, the Grand Duchess turned around, heading to the window to cool off. Tukhachev nced at the Grand Duchesss retreating figure, and, ring at Major General Skorobogatov, eximed, Why have youe back? Do you even have the face to return? Sweating profusely, Major General Skorobogatov responded, I thought someone needed to take responsibility for this military failure, so I Chief of General Staff Tukhachev interrupted, You have excuses, do you? To take responsibility? Do you think that saying so will cover up the fact that you abandoned your troops and fled in panic? You coward! Stung by the word coward, Major General Skorobogatov protested, Im not a coward! I can lead an army of tanks to break the encirclement! I will die in battle just as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did! Wang Zhong sneered, Easy to say! Everyone turned to look at him, and Tukhachev now noticed him for the first time, his face showing surprise. Wang Zhong walked directly up to Major General Skorobogatov, Lead an army of tanks? Havent you sacrificed enough tank armies already? The Sixth and Eleventh Tank Armies, with all those T34s and KV1s C how many of the enemy did they actually destroy? How many? When the enemys armored clusters reached my position, not even the paint was scratched off! The Fifth, Sixth, and Eleventh Tank Armiesmitted to the counterattack were squandered by you! Furiously, Major General Skorobogatov shot back, The extent of the enemy losses from the counterattack requires a detailed assessment, not just your personal impression, Major General Rokossov! Wang Zhong retorted, Then let nes sweep over the ins and check whether those tank wrecks have sloped armor or vertical armor! Let them count properly! Major General Skorobogatov fell silent because aerial reconnaissance had already confirmed it: indeed, more Ante tanks were destroyed. At that moment, the Grand Patriarch and several Cardinals arrived with the junior officers who had participated in the earlier military exchange meeting. The originally spacious drawing room suddenly became half-filled. Wang Zhong, not even ncing at the doorway, continued to roar, The reason for this oue is because some of ourmanders are simply not familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of our tanks, thinking that as long as we win in the armor-piercing shell confrontation, we can crush the enemy! Somemanders dont even realize how poor the situational awareness of the T34 tanks is due to the elimination of the tankmanders role! They have no idea of the advantage the enemy gains through their use of radio! Many tank soldiers among the officers brought by the Grand Patriarch nodded in agreement upon hearing Wang Zhongs words. Major General Skorobogatov challenged, You knew, did you tell? I did! I spent an entire night writing a summary report of my experiences! Did you read it? No, you didnt, because it was thest one on the list! And in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, you even said that just having T34s would be enough to send the Prussians packing! With a trembling voice, Major General Skorobogatov contended, But you also reported that the armor of T34s and KVs holds a tremendous advantage inbating enemy tanks Wang Zhong interrupted, Yes, indeed they hold a tremendous advantage, which is why I was able to destroy so many enemy tanks at Orachi with just over thirty T34 tanks! Let the nes go see how many wrecks of enemy tanks litter the Orachi fields! Even if the enemys repair crews have fixed quite a few by now, the in is still littered with wrecks! Me, an Infantry Division, reinforced with a battalions worth of tanks, destroyed more enemy tanks than the entire Southwestern Front Army! More than the entire Southwestern Front Army! Those KVs and T34s of the Sixth and Eleventh Tank Armies could have wreaked immense havoc on the enemy! But because of an ipetent pig, they are now just wreckage on the Kazarlian ins! Tukhachev nced at Marshal Xiemiao. The marshal stepped forward, All right, all this can be documented in a post-war summary. Major General Skorobogatov, youll face a military tribunal, be prepared Wang Zhong interrupted loudly, No! I pointed out as early as July that the enemy might move south to outnk Argesukov. Major General Skorobogatov disparaged me, dismissed my suggestions, then deployed our most advanced tanks in a reckless attack that led to their annihtion. If those tanks had been under mymand, set up defensively in the proper positions, the enemy wouldnt have been able to push through at all. Now, the entire Southwestern Front Army is encircled and he has fled. With such actions, I suspect Wang Zhong took a deep breath. I suspect he is a spy for Prosen! When I was breaking out of Ronied, I encountered Prosen spies disguised as our military bishops and judges. I suspect Prosen spies have already riddled us with holes. Tukhachev snorted coldly, Ridiculous, Ive known Skorobo since he was in military school. Such a possibility cannot be ruled out, Belinsky suddenly joined the conversation. General Skorobo led the tank troops in the Castilian Civil War, where there were plenty of opportunities toe into contact with the Prussian Army involved in the civil war.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om General Skorobo snapped, This is nder! Marshal Semyonov: This is a very serious usation, Major General Rokossov. The Marshal purposefully did not mention the Grand Patriarch as if it were an usation by Wang Zhong alone. Such usations need evidence. Said the Marshal. Wang Zhong pursed his lips, he indeed had no evidence, his earlier remarks had been made on the spur of the moment. General Skorobo snorted coldly: Cant you see? This is Major General Rokossovs usual trick; he himself said he executed spies disguised as our military bishops and judges. But who knows if they were spies? Perhaps those bishops and judges were only trying to prevent him from fleeing Ronied! Then he thought about the title of a spy and executed them! Now, he probably thinks the same way and ns to pull out his pistol to execute me, because I ran away just like him! Go on, pull out your gun, Rokossov! What is that at your waist, a toy? If you are convinced I am a spy, then draw your gun! And shoot here! Skorobo pointed at his own forehead. Wang Zhong was also worked up; the anger hed been brewing all along converged into a volcano, erupting violently. He drew his service pistol and aimed it at General Skorobo. Everyone was shocked. Marshal Semyonov roared, What the hell do you think youre doing? Drawing a gun in the Summer Pce? As if he had won a personal victory, General Skoroboughed, See! All the charges are groundless! He just wants to lynch me! Because in his eyes, it was me who caused the death of his father! This is a personal vendetta! This guy talks all about Ante, with the pretense of worrying for the country and its people, but in reality, he just wants to avenge his father! Princess Olga, remember his shameful behavior at this moment! He drew a gun in the sacred Summer Pce, disrespecting the dignity of royalty. Crown Princess Olga turned around, looked at Wang Zhong, and appeared very much like she wanted him to fire. General Skorobo continued to agitate: Come on, shoot, Rokossov, shoot, and after you do, you will be a man who despises the royal family, and none of your honors will save you! Go ahead, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossov! Wang Zhong fired. The first shot pierced General Skorobos chest, and then as the muzzle rose, the second shot hit Skorobos throat, and the third shot hit his forehead. After three shots, Wang Zhongs pistol jammed, the brass casing stuck in the ejection port. General Skorobo knelt on the ground and then fell backward. Hearing the gunshots, the guards rushed in. Belinsky: Calm down! The guards stopped. Belinsky stepped forward, pushed down Wang Zhongs gun-wielding hand, and smoothly removed the jammed pistol: What I just said meant that this matter should be handed over to the tribunal. You were too impulsive. The report says you executed enemy imposters as a bishop and judge, and the servants of Boye who were preventing your defenses and now a general. It looks like in the future, you wont be allowed to carry a gun in the Summer Pce. Wang Zhong: He asked for it. Belinsky: He asked because firing indeed worked in his favor. Lucky you killed him, otherwise there would be many more troublester. For some reason, Wang Zhong always felt that Belinsky was quite pleased. Finallying out of shock, Tukhachev shouted angrily: This is a grave act of rebellion! A major general has openly executed his superior, a general! Major General Rokossov must face a military tribunal! Belinsky: He was just careless in his actions, but to execute a spy and traitor is not too much of an issue. It is an extraordinary time, after all. Tukhachev: This The Grand Patriarch looked towards the Chief of General Staff: Your eagerness to protect a traitor and your desire to bring to trial a meritorious officer suggests that the tribunal needs to review your family rtions and private life. Beading with sweat, Tukhachevs poured down his face, literally. The Grand Patriarch continued: By the decree issued by His Majesty the Tsar, all traitors are to be with their immediate family members held ountable. Cardinal Ravkid, you carry out the implementation. The bespectacled Cardinal bowed slightly: By yourmand, Your Holiness. Finishing speaking, the Grand Patriarch retracted the slide of Wang Zhongs pistol, expertly cleared the jam, then engaged the safety and returned the gun to Wang Zhong: Remember next time, dont be so impulsive, think more. Belinsky said and then lightly tapped his forehead. Chapter 214: In Memory of Forgetting (Extra for 27,000 monthly votes) Wang Zhong finally realized what was happening. Shit, Ive caused trouble, havent I? If the Grand Patriarch werent here, wouldnt I be in deep trouble? He wanted to ask his own people, but then realized that there was not a single own person around him, not even Ludm. At this moment, Belinsky said, Alright, everyone has witnessed the fate of this traitor. You can return and continue the experience sharing session. I look forward to you summarizing a set of effective methods to deal with the Prosen Army. Off you go. Where are the pce servants? Come clean the floor. Wang Zhong nced at the Grand Patriarch and felt again how happy he seemed to be. I really need to think this over carefully Just as Wang Zhong was contemting, Crown Princess Olga arrived. She was wearing a court dress, the kind from the Victorian Era. One of the main characteristics of this court dress was: it was spacious and grand.But Wang Zhong, having seen much of the world, did not stare cluelessly like a virgin uncertain where toy his eyes. He boldly looked, and then raised his gaze to the princesss face. Just at this moment, everyone else had left, leaving only the servants to rece the blood-stained carpet. The princess took Wang Zhongs hand and dragged him to an outside terrace. Then Olga Nikevna Andronov whispered, Did Belinsky ask you to do it? No, it was truly an ident, Wang Zhong replied. Olga asked again, So, was this your deration of allegiance? What? Uh, no. I just got carried away and didnt think it through, Wang Zhong answered truthfully. Olgaughed, If it were someone else, they definitely wouldnt believe you; theyd think it was a well-considered action, especially since you are Rocossov, the Imperial Iron Wall. What the hell? How did I be the Imperial Iron Wall? As Wang Zhong was puzzled by this title, Olga continued, But I know you just got carried away. After all, you and my brother are so close. Uh Olga: My brother once said, if something happened in the future, and the church no longer needed the royal family, I should find you, and that you would definitely go to great lengths to protect me. Wang Zhong frowned slightly. Had the Crown Prince said that? That didnt sound like something a profligate would say. So he asked, When did Ivan tell you this? Olga thought for a moment, Hmm I think he said it when I was ten years old. Wang Zhong nced at the princesss chest: That was quite a long time ago. Olga, as if reminiscing about the past, went off topic: Yes, it was a long, long time ago. Back then, you and my brother were always taking me around the garden to y, and then we would all get scolded by the steward grandfather. There were such events? Olga: Once, when you two climbed trees, my dress was not convenient, and I couldnt climb. I sat under the tree crying, and then you found some scissors, intending to cut the hem of the dress, but the whalebones stumped you. To deal with the whalebones, you and my brother even took out the gardeners saw Wang Zhong could only force a dryugh, as he had no knowledge of these events. However wasnt it said that I ran into a dead end with the princess? How did I hit a dead end? Just then, Princess Olga took Wang Zhongs arm, Are you in a hurry to attend the experience-sharing session? Uh, not really, I havent eaten yet, and therell be dinner provided during the session, Wang Zhong said, trying to escape. With the princess looking like she wanted to reminisce about the past, he could spill the beans any minute! He even wished his stomach would make some noise to assert its presence. However, Princess Olga, as if she hadnt heard Wang Zhongs words, took his arm and started dragging him away.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Keep mepany for a while. Soon, they had passed through several rooms and arrived at a secluded corner of the Summer Pce. Wang Zhong felt he was going to be dumped; the girls here were too forward. And their strength was considerable; being dragged by the princess was almost like being pulled by a bear. Princess Olga banged open a massive door, and as Wang Zhong was dragged inside, he thought it was goodbye to Liu Xia. Ah Liu Xia, my Liu Xia. However, there was no bed behind the door. It was a game room, with severalrge tables in it, covered with chess sets, ying cards, and other tabletop games. On the inside of a bar on the left wall were countless bottles of what looked like very expensive liquor. In the corner stood a piano and a violin disyed in a ss cab. Starkly out of ce was a bookshelf filled withrge volumes of books. The time was approaching seven oclock, and the setting sun cast ayer of warm, pale yellow hue over the room through the windows. Princess Olga released Wang Zhongs arm, walked over to a chessboard, and looked at the game that was halfway done: This is thest game that my brother yed with me before he went to the front. I was about to win, and he began to cheat, saying he wouldnt y anymore, and that he would continue when he returned. Wang Zhong looked at Princess Olgas back; her royal gown left her entire back exposed, appearing so white and slender, fragile it didnt seem like she could wrestle with a bear. Olga: He clearly said he would continue when he came back. Her shoulders started to tremble, her shoulder des protruding sharply as if they would tear through her skin. Wang Zhong wanted to go up and wrap his arms around her shoulders, but for some reason, he knew the next step after embracing her would be for the princess to throw herself into his arms. Why am I so practiced at this, how many times have I taken advantage of others in simr situations? Wang Zhong forced himself to turn away and started looking at the books on the shelf. He expected to see many novels, but instead, he found works rted to economics and philosophy. The most prominent ce held a book with the churchs insignia, and the author was Saint Andrew. These books all looked very old, their spines creased from frequent handling, and some books were obviously well-worn and had their spines reinforced with paste afterwards. Furthermore, all the books were haphazardly inserted on the shelves as if their owner could just pull out any book at random and start reading, so there was no concern for categorization at all. Ivan Nikyevich Andronov, you damn Crown Prince ying possum. Wang Zhong picked up a photo frame from the dresser beside the bookshelf and looked at the three people in the photograph. There were Ivan, Aleksei, and Olga. The princess sat between the two handsome young men, smiling as if she owned the entire world. Written on the photograph was the line: Ekaterina the Great and the Twin Jewels of her Empire. What stuff are you talking about, idiot, her im to the throne is higher than yours. If she wants to be the Great Emperor, you would have to die first. Wang Zhong was initially ranting when his movements suddenly froze. Brother once said, if something unexpected happens and the church no longer needs the royal blood, I should find you, he recalled Olgas words. Wang Zhong looked at the photo frame again, as if he could see the expression on Ivan Nikyevichs face when he wrote that line on the photo. He turned again, looking towards the bookcase, as if he could see Ivan gripping Saint Andrews work in front of the bookshelf with furrowed brows and a worried face. He turned again, gazing at the desk, as if he could see Ivan writing furiously at the desk before hysterically crossing out what he had written and then burying his head in his hands atop the desk. Wang Zhong scanned the entire room, and although he had never spent a moment in this room, he could almost see Ivan in every corner. Finally, his gaze returned to the line Ekaterina the Great and the Twin Jewels of her Empire. The Crown Prince Ivans calligraphy was quite good; even Wang Zhong, who was not familiar with Cyrillic calligraphy, thought the writing was very attractive. The person who wrote it knew there would be no more Great Emperor Ekaterina. But he still wrote down this line. Because his sister wanted to be the Great Emperor Ekaterina. Wang Zhong put down the photo frame. He remembered the day he set out from Argesukov when Ivan hade to see him off. At that time, Ivan had said, Take good care of Olga. Wang Zhong stared at the photograph. The Twin Jewels of Ekaterinas Empire, now only I am left. No, thats not right, none are left at all. Wang Zhong made up his mind, turned around, and walked toward Olga Nikyevna, who was still recounting memories of her brother. He embraced her shoulders firmly yet gently. The girl seemed startled, going rigid, but the next moment she turned around and threw herself into Wang Zhongs arms, crying bitterly. The long-suppressed sorrow erupted, soaking Wang Zhongs uniform with her tears. Wang Zhong gently patted the girls back. Compelled by some indescribable force, Wang Zhong nced toward the corner of the wall. He could see young Olga sitting at the piano, her fingers dancing across the keys. Ivan was ying the violin, apanying the melody of the piano. And Aleksei was holding a wine ss, standing to the side, seeminglyughing at something. The morning suns rays streamed through the window and fell on the three of them, warm andforting. Even though Wang Zhong couldnt remember this scene at all, even though it was just two dandies entertaining their younger sister, his eyes were still slightly moist. He could even hear the sound of the piano and violin. He didnt know what was being yed at the time; surely, it couldnt have been a sad piece, as the three of them looked so happy. But the piece he heard was full of sadness and fiery like a ze. It was the background music from The Invisible Guardian, also one of his favorite game soundtracks. This song called Faraway, was most famously used in the game for the scene where everything settles down, and Xiao Tu reunites with Lu Wangshu after returning. Just like this very moment. Even though the Prussian enemy had not been defeated yet, the arduous great war had barely begun less than two months ago. Even though there would be many more sacrifices in the future, and Wang Zhong himself might fall on the road to victory. But the music just started ying. Perhaps, it was to bid farewell to their mutual loved ones. Crown Prince Ivan, born into a family destined to be thest of the royals, never stopped looking for a way out. He was like Don Quixote charging at windmills. He might not be a qualified Crown Prince, he might not be apetent officer, he might be a damn fool and a womanizer, maybe But he was definitely a good brother. And he should be a goodrade. Wang Zhong gently stroked Olgas hair as he bid farewell to a brother he had yet to be familiar with. Chapter 215: Experience Sharing Meeting (Additional Chapter for 28,000 Monthly Votes) Olga suddenly pushed Wang Zhong away, not knowing how much time had passed. Sorry, I lost control of myself a bit, she said, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, shouting as she did, Natasha! Upon hearing this name, Wang Zhong subconsciously thought he would see a hero unit with an AK and a red beret, but instead, an old maid entered. Your Highness, the maid curtsied to Olga. Olga: I need to wash my face, and bring General Rokossovsky a new military jacket. Please wash this one clean. The maid curtsied again, This way, Your Highness. The jacket will be brought immediately. Although there were still tear stains on her face, Olga managed to squeeze out a smile for Wang Zhong, Thank you Oh, and bring some food, the general is hungry. After saying this, Olga smiled at Wang Zhong again before picking up her skirt and turning to leave. The old maid backed out and closed the door.Wang Zhong looked down at the tearand snotstains on his chest and clicked his tongue. Then the maid carrying the new uniform came in. As for why the Tsars bedroom was always stocked with a majors uniform, he decided not to ask. After changing into a brand-new generals uniform, Wang Zhong was led back to the original meeting location by the maid. Grand Patriarch Belinsky and a few guards stood at the door, as if waiting for him. Youve returned sooner than expected, the Grand Patriarch stepped forward and looked at Wang Zhongs new uniform, Hows Her Highness Nikolyevna? She vented a bit, now shes emotionally stable, Wang Zhong replied. Belinsky: Honestly, the death of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was unexpected for us. After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was more self-aware. Its unclear for the Grand Duchess. Wang Zhong: She will have it. Thats good, Belinsky patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder, Right now, it seems that His Majesty the Tsar is too shocked to attend to matters, and themand authority has been given to the High Command. Although what you say will probably fall on deaf ears there, you must still speak. Wang Zhong: What should I talk about? Experience sharing meeting. Just talk about your experience and give your assessment of the future situation at the end. After all, you urately predicted the enemys second armored group moving southward. Wang Zhong was about to reply when Ludm and Nelly came running out. Alyosha! Ludm called out loudly, but then she saw the Grand Patriarch and quickly braked,ing to a stop in front of him, and bowed in a church manner, Your Reverence! Belinsky: I wont disturb you. Ill go in and give an opening remark to buy you some time. After that, Belinsky walked into the room with the guards. Wang Zhong looked toward Ludm, starting to ponder how to exin that he had just been hugging his friends sister. Ludm grabbed Wang Zhong: Did you fire a gun in the pce? Huh? Wang Zhong: Oh, that. Yes, I did. I killed a traitor. Ludm: They are saying you shot General Skorobo dead! Was the general a traitor? Yes, Wang Zhong pointed to the door of the meeting room, It was decided by His Reverence Belinsky, and the Tribunal has started arresting General Skorobos family as well, because ording to the Tsars orders, all traitors families areplicit. Ludm stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds, Really? Youre all right? You wont face a military tribunal? No, no. Just might not be able to carry a gun in the Summer Pce anymore. Honestly, Wang Zhong had previously thought that after his glorious achievements elevated him to a marshal, he would earn the right to enter the pce armed. When that time came, he definitely wanted to ride Bucephalus right into the pce. Later, he would alsomission someone to write a song called Skorobos Rainy Season. Now, it seemed, such developments would not be forting. Ludm looked puzzled at Wang Zhong, Why do you look so regretful? Just because you cant carry a gun into the pce? Today you dont even need to see His Majesty, and normally you cant carry a gun when you do. Wang Zhong: Is that so. Anyway, its fine, dont worry. Ludm nodded, Thats good. So, how is Olga? Here ites! Wang Zhong: I consoled her and let her cry it out, and then she felt much better. She was suppressing herself too much. Thats good then, Ludm seemedpletely relieved. Wang Zhong couldnt help asking, You arent jealous? Huh? Why should I be? Thats Olga, youd only hit a wall with her, Ludm spread her hands, Or are you saying, you seeded this time? I seededalthough he wanted to say that, Wang Zhong did not want toplicate matters and told the truth, No, after she finished crying, she pushed me away and called in a maid to change my uniform. She said she was going to wash her face. Ludm: I just knew it. To her, youre like a big brother. Wang Zhong: I dont know who used to say I was like a little brother, who was it again? I cant seem to recall. The girl gave him a punch, and then pushed him toward the door, Go to your meeting, Ill be waiting for you in the room assigned to us. Wang Zhong: A room assigned to us? I have a room in the pce? Nelly answered in ce of Ludm: Because the Rokossovsky familys house in the capital wasnt ready, the butler Mikhail only arrived yesterday. Knowing this, General Tugenev asked the pces protocol office to make arrangements. General Tugenevording to Nellys exnation, seemed to be an ally of the Rokossovsky family?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Ill pay a visitter. Wang Zhong pushed the door open. The Grand Patriarchs voice rang out, The situation at the front is extremely grim, our soldiers have been massively annihted, the Prosen art of war is not to be underestimated. But all of you have survived! Some have even achieved incredible military feats! Such as General Kashuk! Seeing Wang Zhong, Belinsky smoothly shifted the topic onto him, And such as Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky! The purpose of our meeting today is twofold: to share experiences and to let everyone know that the Prussians can be annihted! And inrge numbers, too! Wang Zhong entered the room directly and saluted everyone. The door closed behind him. Belinsky yielded the floor, Come up here, General Rokossovsky. Share with everyone your experience in defensive operations. Wang Zhong nodded, strode confidently to the podium, and saluted once again. At that moment, he noticed Olga, dressed as a maid, sneaking in among those who were preparing the meal. No, what on earth is the princess doing? Did I hit a wall after all? Forget it, deciding to pretend he hadnt noticed Princess Olga, Wang Zhong began: The enemy is indeed formidable, but we also have advantages. First is our tanks, which currently seem to have superior performance in some aspectspared to the enemys. As long as we master the methods of warfare, we can annihte the enemy in great numbers. Wang Zhong then detailed the methods for constructing tank shelters and allocating fire zones to blind tanks. Through such methods, we can greatly mitigate the drawbacks of not having independent tankmanders and radios. Just then, Chief of General Staff Tukhachev spoke up, Do you realize that eliminating one crew member allows us to have more tanks driven by the same number of tank operators? Wang Zhong: Even if we double the number of tanks, it does not offset the disadvantage brought about by theck of battlefield situational awareness. The additional tanks would only be trophies for the enemys ace tank operators! Tukhachev turned to the tank operators and shouted, Can you tolerate such words? Tank operators of all ranks coolly stared at the Chief of General Staff. If youve been on the battlefield, you know how idiotic it is to have the gunner also perform the tankmanders duties. Tukhachev, stared down by these battle-hardened tank operators with murderous intent in their eyes, obviously faltered: This it wasnt me who wanted to eliminate the tankmander position. Go talk to the Armored Troops headquarters, or General Skorobo the defector, who also supports eliminating the tankmander! Wow, alreadybeled a defector? That was a fast turnaround, Your Excellency the Chief of General Staff. Deciding to ignore this, Wang Zhong continued: Furthermore, in defensive operations, I have two main pieces of experience. First, one must thoroughly understand the terrain of the defense area, not just the terrain where the defensive positions are located, but also the terrain of the surrounding area for about 20 kilometers in front of the defense zone. One should think from the enemys perspective where they would ce their supply center, where they would sleep at night. This way we could shell those locations, inflicting considerable casualties on the enemy, making their lives hell! Second, one must cultivate a good rtionship with the local church. Thebor camps mobilized by the church can greatly elerate our fortification speed, the Guardian Army can fill the defensive gaps, and block unimportant directions to prevent the enemy from slipping through. Additionally, the meat, eggs, and milk the church can provide, will significantly enhance our militarysbat capabilities. Lastly, the masses can serve as our eyes, bringing us intelligence about the enemy. As Wang Zhong spoke about the second point, the Grand Patriarch looked extremely pleased. Meanwhile, the high-ranking officers of noble birth were exchanging nces. However, the lower and middle-ranking officers with military achievements all showed approving expressions, seeming to fully agree with Wang Zhongs words. Next, Wang Zhong borately introduced how to conduct staggered defense, how to preset ambush positions to surprise the enemy, and how to protect ones own artillery positions by neutralizing enemy reconnaissance aircraft, among other experiences. When he finished, Belinsky spoke up, It sounds like, in addition to prayer warriors and Hymn Monks, our Sound Array Masters are also very important. Wang Zhong: Yes. The Prussians use radar, and since we dont have radar, we can use Sound Array Masters as a temporary substitute. Very good, very good. Previously we only used them for anti-aircraft early warning; we underestimated them, said Belinsky. Wang Zhong thought a moment and realized that he had shared about all he could. Checking the time, he saw he had been speaking for nearly two hours, so he decided to yield the floor to others and listen to their experiences as well. Thats about all for my sharing. Next Just then, Belinsky asked, How do you assess the future situation? Especially given the rather mediocre performance of our High Command. All the senior officers of the High Command had darkened faces. Wang Zhong looked at them and then at Princess Olga who was hiding among the maids. He said, I believe that no matter how the High Command performs, ultimate victory will surely be ours. Chapter 216: Prosen Shall Be Destroyed Without a doubt, Wang Zhong paused, Prosen is extremely powerful. To deny this fact would be to disrespect thoserades who have sacrificed themselves on the battlefield. Wang Zhong pointed at the map on the wall: Its precisely because they are strong that they now upy all of Europa except for Ante. But At this point, Wang Zhong suddenly felt thirsty and picked up a cup to drink some water, which caused someone below to protest: Keep talking! You should be telling us about our advantages next, right? Lets hear it! Wang Zhong: Dont rush. However, we have a huge difference from the other countries conquered by Prosen. Look at the map. Prosen has been advancing mightily for a month and a half, but they have actually only upied a small part of our territory. Moreover,pared with other European countries, our infrastructure is worse; our roads barely have any asphalt, most of them are dirt roads, and our railway system not only has a much lower density of tracks than industrialized countries, but the supporting facilities like lotive factories are also far less than other countries. This sounds like self-deprecation, but its actually the truth. After entering our country, Prosens army of millions must be facing a terrible supply situation. When I escaped from Ronied, Imanded troops to attack an enemy supply depot. There, we captured arge number of depot documents, which showed that Prosens logistical transport was severely congested. Wang Zhongs words were partially true and partially false; indeed, the documents indicated congestion, but they could not prove that the problem was widespread. However, as a transmigrator, he had information from another time and space.The Earths Sturmtigers were initially hampered by the Soviet Unions poor infrastructure at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, andter, under the walls of Moscow, they were hampered againof course, this was mainly due to General Mud and General Winter. Wang Zhong took up a pointer and indicated on the map: We have observed the enemy stopping twice for repairs, once two weeks into the attack, and the second time before the second armored group moved south. The second repair periodsted a week. As the enemy continues to prate deeper, their supply lines will be even more extended, and their consumption more difficult to replenish. And as we move into October, the entire Ante will enter the rasputitsa (muddy season). All the roads will be swallowed by mud, Prosens trucks will struggle to move, and all the supply burden will fall on the railways. However, as just mentioned, our railwayworks condition will ensure that the railways alone will definitely not suffice for the enemy. The enemy will be forced to crawl through the mud. At that time, all of their offensives will be extremely difficult. No sooner had Wang Zhong finished than a lieutenant general asked, The rasputitsasts only a month; after that, the ground will freeze, bing harder and more passable than it is now. What then? Wang Zhong smiled: You are correct, Lieutenant General. However, I remind you, we havent seen any winter gear issued to Prosens troops on any front right now. Prosen has been conducting lightning wars one after another, whether it was the Low Countries or the Carolingian regions, they surrendered quickly. They will form a path dependence, thinking that defeating us will take at most half a year. They have not prepared winter gear. Of course, with Prosens powerful industrial capacity, preparing winter gear for millions of troops could be done quickly. But winter gear, cold protection equipment, heating fuel, etc., will consume transport capacity on top of the troops regr supplies. Wang Zhong swept his gaze across the entire room. They wont be able to bring it up in time; after all, before General Winteres, General Mud runs rampant. The enemy logistics will be in a state of semi-paralysis. This will ensure that the majority of Prosens troops wont receive winter gear and heating equipment, nor fuel. I boldly predict that this winter, we willunch arge-scale counteroffensive. No matter how much progress they make after September, we will restore the frontline to the state it was in before they started in September. Chief of General Staff Tukhachev frowned: A counteroffensive that only restores the situation to pre-September status? What kind of counteroffensive is that? Wang Zhong: Prosen is extremely powerful! To think of defeating it quickly is impossible; a quick victory is not advisable! We must be prepared for a long and arduous war of three to four years with them! ? I must remind you, Chief of General Staff, as we advance, Prosens supply line will keep shortening, and their logistical situation will improve rapidly. Currently, we have no way to defeat a well-supplied Prosen army! Tukhachev angrily retorted: Youre actually buoying the enemys morale and undermining our own prestige! Wang Zhong: War is not a contest of spirit; war requires practical measures! Just then, Grand Patriarch Belinsky spoke up: Major General Rocossovsky, so you think that the capital can be held? Yes, Wang Zhong stated firmly, The enemy has turned south, and even though the situation for the Southwestern Front Army is very bad, they still have over six hundred thousand men, and the death of the Crown Prince has boosted their morale. I believe that if the enemyunches another attack on the capital, it will be around mid-September. The rasputitsa ising, and as long as we hold them off for one to two weeks, the mud will force them to stop. Belinsky: And then winter wille? Right, the enemy will be at the end of their tether, and the time for counterattack will arrive. Before that, we should umte as much force as possible. Belinsky nodded repeatedly: Good, this is good. This is the best news of today, General Rocossovsky. The best news! Wang Zhong: That is my assessment of the war prospects. I have finished speaking. He stepped back and saluted everyone. Thunderous apuse erupted. Many people stood up and apuded for Wang Zhong. Clearly, the judgement Wang Zhong just made was supported by the capable young officers. The Major General who had just asked what to do when General Winter made the roads passable was pping especially hard, prompting Wang Zhong to give him several extra nces. At this point, Belinsky returned to the stage, seemingly assuming the role of host: Next up, lets have Major General Kashuk share his thoughts! Then, the Major General who had posed the question waved his hand: No, no, my experience is simr to that of General Rocossov. My suggestion is that General Rocossov could step back from the front line andpile these experiences into a pamphlet, which would be far more useful than his directmand of the troops. Wang Zhong thought to himself, no, my cheat code is awesome on the front line;piling pamphlets can wait until General Winter has pushed the enemy back. So, he answered, The front line is under such strain right now thatpiling pamphlets is something we can put off forter. If my prediction is correct, there will be a calm period beginning next February,sting until the ground dries up again in June. By then, well have plenty of time to produce all sorts of pamphlets and introduce the entire army to our experience. Someone among the senior officers muttered, He really thinks hes the modern-day Bonaparte. Wang Zhong frowned, and all the young officers turned to look in that direction. At that moment, Wang Zhong noticed that General Tugenev, who shared a name with the literary master, shook his head with a look of frustration. Sure enough, an acquaintance of my fathers, I should pay him a visitter. Then Belinsky called on another young officer: Andrei Pupel, you speak about the experience with anti-aircraft field defense. Teach everyone how to deal with Stukaswithout the Divine Arrow. Thanks to Rocossov, everyones started using Divine Arrow to take out the enemy pilots. Andrei Pupel stood up: Alright, Ill talk! The conference continued until 0300 on August 11. When it finally adjourned, Wang Zhong took the opportunity to catch up with General Tugenev: General, hi. My maid mentioned you asked to prepare a room for me at the Summer Pce. Tugenev looked up at Wang Zhong, who was a head taller: Hmm, up close you indeed look like a tough soldier. Connie will be pleased. Wang Zhong: From the address, it seems youre well acquainted with my father? Of course, General Tugenevughed, Your father and I had debated whether to get involved in the civil war. That was over a decade ago. Just then, Olga, disguised as a maid, appeared: It was General Tugenev who suggested I go to the church to contact you through the choir. When you asked for Air Force support, I turned to the General for help, and he managed to get the Air Force to support you.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Did those air forcese in handy? Wang Zhong: They were a huge help, especially the MiG-3 Fighter Regiment you sent. If they hadnt shot down the enemys Dornier 217 carrying remote-controlled bombs, we probably couldnt havested until the night breakout. Olga smiled: d to hear they were helpful; thats great. At this moment, Wang Zhong suddenly picked up on a detail in Olgas words and asked, General, you canmand the Air Force? General Tugenev: No, I merely suggested possible targets for them to strike. What is it? Wang Zhong: From a colonel escorting me, I learned that keeping Yak-1 nes, which excel in low-altitude dogfights with the enemy, in the capital is a waste. Because the enemys aircraft attacking the capital enter from high altitude. But if you deploy Yak-1s to the front line, once the enemy Stukas have dropped their bombs, they will be at low altitude, which is the perfect height for Yak-1s. The Yak-1s could shoot down all the Stukas, eliminating a significant threat. The General stroked his chin beard: Your suggestion sounds good. But why are you so familiar with the Air Force situation? Because Ive yed War Thunder a lot! But of course, he couldnt say that, so Wang Zhong answered, I learned it from chatting with the Air Force pilots. General Tugenev nodded: Next time you talk to someone in the Air Force, tell them if they haveints to go directly to theirmander. Dont beat around the bush. Good grief, Tugenev seemed to think Wang Zhong knew all this because the Air Force had deliberately leaked it. However, since he had already brought it up, Wang Zhong still requested, At least get a Yak-1 Regiment for Shostka, where Im stationed. Those nes are of no use in the capital! Tugenev: Ill try. Im a bit tired, so Im going to rest. You should rest too. And Princess, now that youre the Crown Princess, you cant be wandering around in maids attire anymore. Olga clicked her tongue: Oh. Chapter 217: The Sun Also Rises On the morning of August 11th, Wang Zhong opened his eyes, stared nkly at the canopy above him for a few seconds, before he remembered that he had taken up a guest room in the Tsars Summer Pce to sleep in the day before. He reached to his side and, sure enough, Liu Xia had already been up for a while; the sheets were cool. Ah, having a fiance whos too disciplined is not good either; wanting to cuddle for a bit in the morning is not even possible. Just then, still drowsy, Wang Zhong saw a maid approach the bed, probably Nelly, so he sat up and grabbed her to pull her closer. Nelly is sure to tolerate my babyish behavior with the heart of a mother! Wang Zhong buried his face in Nellys chest and then realized something was off. Nelly usually wouldnt wear extra perfume, only smelling faintly ofvender. But the scent wafting into Wang Zhongs nose right now was quite expensive. And this softness that rivaled Ludms, could it be that Nelly is a subus, capable of shifting her allure, and she throws dice every morning to change?Wang Zhong regarded her with suspicion and pulled back. The next moment he tumbled out of bed and snapped to attention with a thud, Your Majesty no, I mean, Your Highness! Princess Olga: So this is how you treat your little maids every morning huh! No, not usually. Its just the pces luxury that made me rx, and my head isnt quite right, Wang Zhong replied seriously, while picking up his pants to hold in front of him. He felt he couldnt give the initiative to the princess, so before she could respond, he said, Your Highness, in these extraordinary times, you shouldnt be entering guest rooms dressed as a maid at will. Another scandal in the Royal Family right now would make things even worse. Princess Olga: I didnt know you would do such a thing to a maid in the morning. I wouldnt do such a thing to a maid. It is its the environment thats making me strange, thisvish environment, Wang Zhong asserted firmly. Just as Princess Olga opened her mouth to speak, the door opened and Ludm entered: Alyosha, are you up Ah, I see you are. I had Nelly bring over the breakfast cart; lets eat here. Nelly pushed in a cart following Ludm. Princess Olga, with her back to the two who had just entered, seemed somewhat flustered. Ludm nced at the back of the princess: Is this a pce maid? I did mention that no one shoulde in before we leave, didnt I? I need toin to the head maid! Wang Zhong: No, this is Ol Olga immediately turned around, bowing to Ludm: I am very sorry; the story about the general drawing his gun yesterday has already spread among the servants, saying the general shot a spy that infiltrated the pce and saved the Crown Princess. Everyone admires the general, including me, so I sneaked in here! My deepest apologies! Wang Zhong hesitated, not understanding what trickery the princess was up to and could only scratch his head in confusion. Ludm sighed: I can understand, but dont do it again. You may leave now. Olga raised her head, moving towards the servants door while expressing her thanks. Wait a minute! Ludm stopped her, then inhaled sharply, The Crown Princess? No, I am Wang Zhong: Shes her body double! To prevent assassination attempts! Ludm: What are you talking about?! Ive never heard of such a thing. Your Highness, what are you doing? With the current situation, youre already the Crown Princess! ? Olga: Alright, I know I was wrong. Its just I dont know what came over me;st night I dreamed that the Prussians captured me, and then they were going to marry me off to their fat pig-like Marshal of the Air Force, a Mayer! And then at the wedding, Alyosha Duke Rocossov came to save me driving a train. Wang Zhong eximed, Driving a train? Wheres my tank then? Olga: Liu Da, when I saw Rocossov, I felt relieved. You must understand! Ludm: I understand. So shall we let him apany you to sleep by your bed every night? Wang Zhong: ? Olga smiled, That would be nice; when I was little, brother would read me storybooks until I fell asleep. Looking back and forth between them, Wang Zhong decided it was best to put his pants on first and tidy himself up before anything else. Nelly quietly arranged the food on the table. Ludm: How old were you when that happened? Around ten years old, replied Olga, Brother doesnt do that anymore, but whenever he stays overnight in the pce, hees to kiss my forehead and wish me goodnight. Ludm was a beat slow to respond; she probably didnt know how to react either, seeing as the Crown Prince had died on the battlefield, and her sisters small request didnt seem too much to ask. By then, Wang Zhong had his pants on and was picking up his shirt when he saw his fiance was at a loss, so he took the initiative to say, Your Highness the Crown Princess, with His Majesty the Tsar in such a state, you must be strong and can no longer act so spoiled. Ludm nced at Wang Zhong with a look of gratitude. Olga: Your Excellency the General, as the war hero who will deliver a speech at the public memorial, you too must be strong and can no longer act spoiled with maids either. Nelly, who was arranging the utensils, looked up at Wang Zhong with a puzzled look upon hearing that. Ludm narrowed her eyes scornfully at Wang Zhong, her expression clearly saying, wait and exin this to meter. But it seemed that Olga had her fun, curtsying with courtly etiquette: Then, I wish you both a pleasant meal and a good mood today. Then she slipped away. Ludm turned to Wang Zhong, Whats with the coquetry towards the maid? Wang Zhong, Ah, I just had her help me wash my face. Its not what you think. Then how about you demonstrate it. Wang Zhong, Alright,e over and Ill show you. No, Ludm, with her hands on her hips, Nelly is here, isnt she? Demonstrate how you coquettishly ask a maid for help. Wang Zhong nced at Nelly and thinking it better to get it over with quickly, he hugged Nelly around the waist and buried his face in her chest, Just like this. Nelly, pat my head. Nelly looked at Wang Zhong with a disgusted face and reluctantly patted his head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Zhong quickly stepped away from the steel te, Ive demonstrated. Are you satisfied now? Ludm, You actually do this sort of thing to Nelly? Nelly, No, today is the first time. Someone pretended not to notice anything was wrong upon seeing the princess and took the opportunity to take advantage. Hes a habitual offender. Ludm, Thats true, he is indeed a habitual offender. He just took advantage of you just now. Wang Zhong, Lets not talk about this anymore, lets eat, oh, are there any activities nned for today? Ludm, The Military Orders Department announced that we could have a free day today. And around five in the morning, Grandpa Mikhail called to say that the manor is ready for us to move into. Wang Zhong, Got it. Free activities today, huh? Then, of course, Im off to scrounge equipment from the logistics department. Where is the capitals Ordnance Department? Wang Zhongs main aiming to the capital was to secure equipment and troops; the rest was just incidental. He put on his jacket, sat down at the table, and started stirring the oatmeal with a spoon, while talking, We need to check and see if there are any noble sons observation cars like number 422, get one or two more, and form a tank toon with crew chiefs and radios in every tank. Then, there are the heavy artillery and Katyusha Rocket Launchers; we need to get some of those too. And some of those temporary, emergency SU76 self-propelled guns as well. Ludm narrowed her eyes, You dont think that talking about this stuff is going to let you off the hook for this mornings incident, do you? Wang Zhong, Cant it? Besides, I didnt do anything heinous. It was the princess who ambushed me, and I just wanted a hug. I was actually nning to ask you for it! You ran away, and left the bed cold! At this, Wang Zhong felt aggrieved. Right, its all Liu Xias fault. If shed given me a warm hug this morning, given me a good morning kiss, would this have happened? Certainly not! Ludm sighed and sat down at the table, pulling the oatmeal closer to herself. Nelly quickly poured hot milk into her cup. Ludm ate while speaking, Then Nelly and I will go to the manor first, and Sergeant Major Grigori will apany you to the Ordnance Department. Alright! Wang Zhong gave a thumbs up. Grigori looked at Wang Zhong with a smile that was not quite a smile, saluted, and said, General, good morning. Wang Zhong casually returned a sloppy salute and asked, Why are you looking at me like that? Its all around. They say youre going to be a prince. Wang Zhong suddenly recalled seeing the real handiwork of an old friend in the game room yesterday. The Tsars family might have ended as tragically as they did on Earth, but now perhaps they could live out their days in a secluded vi? And then be called back to serve as a court etiquette advisor when War and Peace is being filmed? Anyway, judging by how eagerly the pce servants discussed the prospective prince, at least they dont seem too opposed to having a Tsar now. Grigori, So, might I be an Imperial Guard then? What do you mean? Are you unhappy being my security guard? Wang Zhong retorted. No way. Because of your great poprity, Ive be a hot ticket too. Last night was a st. If it werent for Wang Zhongs eagerness to pick equipment, he would have liked Grigori to go into detail about just how fun it was. Wang Zhong climbed into the jeep, pped the drivers seat backrest, and urged, Come on, drive. Grigori got into the vehicle and started it smoothly. The pce guards seemed to all recognize Wang Zhong, giving him salutes without even checking his ID. Exiting the pce gates, Wang Zhong saw all the officers on the street and asked, Why are there so many officers? This main street in front of the pce gates is now all officers quarters, housing not just the officers from the High Command but also residences for senior officers whove been called back temporarily. This street is now known as Officers Boulevard. Wang Zhong muttered Oh in response and suddenly, he spotted an acquaintance. Stop up ahead! Right by the curb in front of that cavalry officer in the lieutenant colonels uniform! Antes cavalry trousers had a very wide seam which was also brightly colored, so it was noticeable from a distance. Grigori skillfully stopped right in front of the officer. Wang Zhong stood up, Colonel Kiriyenko! The cavalry officer, initially startled by the sudden appearance of the jeep, looked up at Wang Zhongs call, Lieutenant Colonel Rocossov! Youre alive toooh no, I mean, the newspapers already told us that. Wang Zhong, But theres been no news of you in the papers! Thats great, you also survived! He got out of the vehicle and hugged the colonel, who he had met briefly before, with a warmth like that of an old buddy of 30 years. Chapter 218: Old Friends, New Friends (Additional update for 29,000 monthly votes) After the embrace, Wang Zhong said, When we partedst time, saying see you in Plowsonia, I thought it wouldnte true. How could it not!ughed Major General Kiriyenko, Firstly, I was not surrounded, and secondly, Im a cavalryman! If I were determined to leave my troops behind, I could break out even if the enemyid a trap in heaven and earth. Wang Zhong, hearing him mention his own troops, asked, What about the Seventh Cavalry Army? It was Kiriyenkos Seventh Cavalry Army that, when Wang Zhong had lost much of Loktov, had engulfed the enemy, now at the end of their rope, like a tide, and rescued the beleaguered fight group of Rocossov. This unit was the savior of Wang Zhongs life. Kiriyenko sighed, The losses were heavy; they all retreated to the east side of St. Ye Katerina Fortress for reorganization. My boys are all cavalrymen; they are really not suited to meat grinding with Prussians within the city. Wang Zhong: Thats too bad. Dont worry too much. I missed the sharing session yesterday, butst night I was drinking in the corridor and bumped into Major General Kashuk, who lives across from me. We talked about your method, using the mud and winter to drag down the enemyits a good idea. However, some people also said that your real intention is to level St. Ye Katerina Fortress. Wang Zhong couldnt help but smile wryly: Who said that? How could that be? Look around at the reinforced concrete structures; look at the factory buildings in the distant industrial areahow much explosive would it take to level that? No, no, we wont leave St. Ye Katerina Fortress.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//omThe enemy wont be able to take it either. If the enemy enters the city, then we rely on the citys reinforced concrete buildings to grind with themits not a small town like Loktov. Its going to cost the Prussians their lives! At that moment, a group of officers gathered around, noting close, just listening from a distance as if waiting for amuter bus. Then, Major General Kashuk, whom Wang Zhong had met the night before, came over eating a pastry: Major General Rocossov, I heard that youll be assigned under mymand. Wang Zhong was very pleased to hear this: Isnt that a good thing? You spoke very well yesterday, much better than beingmanded by that foolthat traitorSkorobo. General Skorobo had already beenbeled a traitor. It was said that his wife was found to have a quarter Prussian bloodline; her grandmother was a noble from Bavaria and had correspondence with the family. One could only say that the Tribunal was swift. Kashuk frowned: Arent you angry? I was originally a peasant. Wang Zhong: Whats wrong with that? The wheat we eat is nted by peasants; the beef we eat is raised by peasants. If you hate peasants, then dont eat! Kashuk looked at Wang Zhong as if seeing him for the first time, sizing him up carefully: You youre not like the rumors say. They say youre a libertine and a womanizer. When ites down to being a womanizer, who do I know in the city? Just then, Kiriyenko said, I guess High Command is trying to create conflict between you two. Most of them are nobles from the old army who picked the right side. Their personal grievances matter more to them than winning battles. If you were to be surrounded, letting the old officers lead troops to rescue yougiven their current hatred for youthe rescue troops might only advance one kilometer a day. Wang Zhong cursed, How can we win battles with these vermin! The surrounding officers didnt express agreement explicitly, but from their expressions, it was clear they shared Wang Zhongs sentiment. Kashuk: It would be good if Gorky Konstantinovich coulde back. His father was a cobbler; he wouldnt see eye to eye with those noble lords. Its a pity hes been exiled. Wang Zhong had long wanted to say that Chekhov, Tugenev, Gorkygood heavens, the whole Russian literary scene had time-traveled! But then Wang Zhong thought it over and felt that so many familiar names werent that strange after all, seeing as the Ante People named themselves after a list; if your name was on it, how could you tell someone else not to use it? Kiriyenko said, I think we should band together, make it so those foolish old masters orders cant be carried out, and we make adjustments on our own. Look, the three of us, two major generals, can bothmand an army group, and although youre a brigadier general, with so many military achievements, bing a major general is just a matter of time. All three of us together, thats three army groups. If all were stationed in one ce, we could coordinate. Wang Zhong: Isnt your Seventh Army in tatters? Yes, thats why it was handed over to my deputyhes been promoted to lead the army. Now that Im back, I might take over an army group, and Kashuk probably will as well. Kashuk finished the pastry and took out a rolled cigarette: Damn, they wont let my staff move with me. I dont know what kind of chief of staff theyll assign meif its an old noble, thatll be disgusting. Wang Zhong: As long as the staff can organize the troops well, their impact isnt all that big. If they cant organize well, then change them. And among the old nobility, there are also decent ones; my chief of staff is an old noble, and aside from being somewhat perfectionist, everything else is fine. Both menughed as they looked at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong: Whats so funny? Kashuk: Youre also an old noble, brigadier general. There arepetent people among the old nobility; you cant lump them all together. Just then, someone rode up on a horse, leading two more horses. Kiriyenko: Well, my mount is here; time to get things done. Wang Zhong: Getting things done? My wife and kids areing by train today, so Im going to the station to wait, said Kiriyenko as he mounted his horse and waved to Wang Zhong, See you in Plowsonia! Wang Zhongughed and shouted back, See you in Plowsonia! As Kiriyenko disappeared into the distance, Kashuk asked, Isnt it a bit early to talk about Plowsonia? Wang Zhong: No, its not early. Itlle true one day. I have no doubt about that. Just then another jeep drove up and Kashuk flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it, Heres my ride. He paused, then extended his hand and said, Ploseniya greetings! Ploseniya greetings, Wang Zhong firmly grasped his hand. After the handshake, Major General Kashuk jumped into the jeep and drove east along the main street. Wang Zhong got into the car that had been waiting for a long time for Grigori, and headed straight for the Ordnance Department. After their departure, the gathered officers also said their goodbyes. Ploseniya greetings! You too, Ploseniya greetings! A tradition that had persisted throughout the entire war quietly began. The Ordnance Department building looked blockish, and out of cepared to the other buildings in the capital brimming with ssical charm. No sooner had Wang Zhong gotten out of the car than he heard several engineers emerging from inside, engaged in a heated discussion: Now, theyre moving the factories eastward, while demanding that we maintain production, utterly preposterous! Exactly, exactly, the factories in Kazarlia have all moved out, some have just relocated, and some are still searching for sites, how are we supposed to produce anything. Thankfully, the factories along the Valdai Hills River are still operational, otherwise, I really dont know where wed conjure up so many T34s Wang Zhong became energized upon hearing T34, and immediately stopped the group: Hello gentlemen, may I ask who you are? Were from the Land Equipment Production Management Committee, do you need something, General? asked the engineer who had just eximed utterly preposterous. Wang Zhong: Im interested in knowing where I might go if I wish to acquire a T34 tank with an observation tower. The engineers looked at each other, then the utterly preposterous one replied, That would be a special model, you could possibly find one at some of the clubs in the capital. I mean those posh guys card-ying clubs, not the professional technical clubs run by churches. Wang Zhong: Ok, then where should I go if I want a regr T34 and a regr KV1? The engineers all pointed to the Ordnance Department building behind them. Wang Zhong: The Ordnance Department handles that? Of course, they manage the distribution of all equipment. Additionally, the logistics and supply headquarters of the Reserve Army are located here as well. If youre a general from the Reserve Army, it would bepletely proper to inquire here, although you may need to fill out forms and get stamps first. Wang Zhongughed; he had indeede to the right ce! And he even knew where to find a T34 with an observation tower! He waved goodbye to the engineers: Farewell, Ploseniya greetings! Goodbye. Ploseniya huh? The engineers were taken aback. Wang Zhong, along with Grigori, was already heading towards the entrance of the Ordnance Department. Upon entering the hall, Wang Zhong immediately saw the sign for the Reserve Armys logistics headquarters. So, he strode confidently inside. The logistics headquarters of the Front Army were vast, filled with the sound of stamps being pressed, and someone shouted into the phone, What did you say? Canned cucumbers? Whats the problem with canned cucumbers? You wanted shells? Wang Zhong frowned, What the hell, that dialogue sounded way too familiar. Just then, he heard another civilian officer shouting, Your form says sausages! What do you mean sausages are just a codename? Customary practice? Ah? I dont care, if the form says sausages, Ill deliver sausages. Next time, make sure to write the real name of the item! Wang Zhongs face fell, What kind of battlefield item is customarily codenamed sausage? Howe Ive never heard of this before? He made his way through the headquarters offices and barged straight into the logisticsmanders office without knocking. And then he realized the guy on the phone looked somewhat familiar. General Chekhov? The general looked up, taken aback by Wang Zhongs appearance, then said into the phone, I have a real situation here! Yes, a real situation, Im not using that as an excuse, General. So goodbye. After hanging up the phone, the general swore at the phone, Suka! Wang Zhong: Whats the matter? Nothing much, someone wanted to use trucks to evacuate their estate. If you ask me, estates that arent along the railway lines shouldnt be evacuated. Wang Zhong: My estate didnt take up much of the railway capacity, it was mainly for moving people to the rear. General Chekhov shrugged his shoulders, then extended his hand to Wang Zhong, Long time no see, Rocossov Your Grace. Wang Zhong: Still Count, the investiture of Duke Charon hasnt been issued yet. Chekhov nodded, Are you here to see your brother? Ah, I knew that couldnt be it. So, what do you want? Chapter 219: The Major Will Teach You How to Resupply (Extra Chapter for 30,000 Monthly Votes) Wang Zhong: My brother still has to go see it He arrived at St. Ye Katerina Fortress so early, howe he didnt stay at his own house? Who knows. Im not your housekeeper. Lets talk about the proper business. Wang Zhong stared at Chekhov for a few seconds: We dont need to fill out a form this time? If you want to fill it out, thats fine, said General Chekhov. Wang Zhong: No, I dont want to fill it out. But didnt you sayst time that filling out forms was already a special procedure for special cases? You misunderstood, forms still need to be there, but our side can take care of it. Anyway, with so many forms thrown there, no one is really going to scrutinize them. The key is what gets summarized on the dispatch sheet. This practice is a vition of the rules, but the situation is so urgent, even the Crown Prince has sacrificed his life for the country, of course, we can omit some red tape. General Chekhov spread his hands. Well, this guyst time simply didnt want to be the one to take the me, so he went through all the procedures.A special procedure for special cases was within the framework of regr procedures. Wang Zhong: Alright, then I want T34s. We dont have any ready-made T34s now. List your needs, and we will allocate T34s from future factory output to you. Wang Zhong: Then Ill take a hundred! Do you have that many tank operators? No, no, thats not appropriate. And if you ask for so many at once, other people will have objections. Our logistics headquarters mainly act as a water-carrying department, you understand? General Chekhov leaned forward, staring at Wang Zhong. Dont take so many all at once. The right way to go about it is to have arge total number, but each item is small, spread out across countless requests. Wang Zhong: Then how many do you suggest I take? How many tank operators do you have? You must have suffered heavy losses in Orachi, right? That was indeed true. Even adding up the surviving tank operators from the Fifth Tank Army, Wang Zhong could not make up thirty crews. But he nned to ask for thirty tanks, plus the ones left from thest battle, he would have thirty-sixalthough, the ones leftover from thest battle all went back to the factory for repairs, and it would probably take at least half a month before they were returned. R? Wang Zhong: Ill take thirty tanks, dont worry about the crews. General Chekhov rapidly noted it down on the notebook he had spread open: One battalion, thats eptable. Not too excessive. Then theres the ZIS3 We really dont have many of those. The main production factories are retreating, and the production has basically dropped to zero. But we have ample capacity for the 45mm guns. How many do you want? Wang Zhong: Lets start with one battalion, then I also need heavy mortars. I hope to enhance the infantry battalions with heavy mortars. You have two regiments? asked Chekhov. Wang Zhong: Yes, two infantry regiments. Thats six heavy mortarpanies, not too many. Actually, the front lines demand for heavy mortars is not high right now, everyone is crying for anti-tank, anti-tank. Wang Zhong pointed his finger toward the sky: This is also driven by war. The enemy likes to use reconnaissance nes to observe our artillery positions, then bombard them. If we dont have enough MiG-3s to take down their high-altitude reconnaissance nes, then heavy mortars are necessary to cover positions upied by the enemy. The Air Force is now focusing on protecting St. Ekaterina Fortress, and most of the MiG-3s are deployed near St. Ekaterina Fortress. Some fighter squadrons have been sent to the front lines, but not many, Chekhov said. Anything else? Wang Zhong: Heavy artillery; my artillery battalion lost all its heavy guns, and my anti-aircraft battalion is gone as well. At the very least, provide me with 24 pieces of 152mm howitzers. General Chekhov raised his eyebrows: Dont want the B4 anymore? Not a good experience using it? Wang Zhong: Its too cumbersome, and loading it takes too long, indeed not as convenient as the 152 howitzer. Rather than replenishing me with B4s, itd be better to give me an extra 12 pieces of 152mm howitzers. The enemys division-level artillery firepower is very strong, and at the army level, its incredibly powerful. Without the support of army group-level, even strategic-level artillery clusters, we must have sufficiently strong firepower. What Wang Zhong said was actually a bit of an anachronism, as the officers of Ante couldnt possibly be aware of the Prosen Armys artillery configuration, at most knowing it as a lot. But Wang Zhong had read a lot of military history, and he knew that the Sturmtigers artillery was mainly dispersed among division-level units, he even knew the specific artillery configuration of the Sturmtigers. General Chekhov made a note in the notebook, and then looked up: Anything else? Wang Zhong: I want the BM13 rocketuncher. General Chekhov frowned: How do you know about the existence of such a weapon? At this time, the existence of the rocketuncher was still a secret, and even long after the weapon had been deployed to the front lines, the troops did not know that the thing was called BM13; thats why it got the nickname Katyusha. Wang Zhong smiled: The Crown Prince and I are good buddies. Major General Chekhov was astounded, Indeed. You you really will be a prince? No, Wang Zhong said confidently, Anyway, can you get them? Cant, all rocketunchers are being used intensively, they wont be allocated to you, so give up on that idea. Wang Zhong sighed, resigned to the fact. He began to ponder what other powerful weapons he might be able to secure at the time. At that moment, Major General Chekhov said, Based on frontline experience, we have produced a type of incendiary bomb that is simple in construction and more effective and safer than the ones you make with bottles. It also has a white phosphorus self-igniting feature; it ignites as soon as you open the lid. Wang Zhong: Really? Really. The troops reported Molotov cocktails were very useful, but they had to be lit before throwing, which asionally resulted in the fuel spilling and igniting the person throwing it so our design bureaus engineers made some targeted improvements. Wang Zhong: Thats excellent, I want enough of them. Chekhov continued, We also sped up mass production of the DShK heavy machine gun, which performs much better than the older models. Wang Zhong: I need them, we lost all our heavy machine guns when we broke out of Orachi, and now the troops only have DP light machine guns. Our light weapons deficit isnt that bad, but if there are Tokarev semi-automatics avable, that would be even better. Major General Chekhov nodded: Weve also tried copying some of the enemysbat armor, which could be used by yourbat engineers. Do you havebat engineers? Wang Zhong: No, but I can have them. Ill take it! Major General Chekhov: There are also light mortars, which would be excellent support weapons for the infantry toons I want them! Wang Zhong said in advance, Wait a minute, why do I feel like I dont need to ask, I just leave it to you? Major General Chekhov: No, no, no, you still need to approve, how could I make decisions for you? I cant decide on your behalf. But you see, as a logistics major general, I am certainly more familiar with what we have. Its reasonable for me to make suggestions, right? Indeed That makes sense! Wang Zhong asked, Then, Major General Chekhov, who is knowledgeable about equipment, do you know if we have anything that can make up for our deficiency in anti-tank firepower besides the 45 mm guns? There is, as I just said Major General Chekhov paused, furrowing his brow. Wang Zhong sat up straight, Is there? Is there really? The general: There is a trial-produced gun that has not undergone detailed range testing due to urgency. Do you want it? Wang Zhong: What gun is it? A 57 mm gun that was originally sent back for redesign due to design ws. Its been improved, but not tested because of the urgency. The Ordnance Department decided to utilize the production line by ordering its manufacture, although the output isnt very high, I estimate we can provide you with 24 units by the 15th of next month. Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow, 57 mm? Could it be the legendary 57 God Needle? On Earth, this was one of the Soviet Unions most outstanding anti-tank guns. Even in thetter part of the war, facing arge number of Sturmtigers, the 57 God Needle still had useful prating power. However, this gun had a fatal w; it was very difficult to manufacture, requiring a lot of man-hours and skilled workers, hence its production never scaled up. So in the end, the Soviets chose to simply increase caliber, using the crudely made 85 mm gun to overwhelm Sturmtiger units. The performance of the 85 mm gun was actually quite mediocre among the various anti-tank guns used by thebatants in thetter stages of the war, but its ease of production was unparalleled. Wang Zhong now felt like he had found a treasure upon hearing that there were 57 mm guns that nobody wanted. He wanted to confirm, Can you give them to me? These 57 mm guns? Yes, we didnt have guns of this caliber previously, with zero design and usage experience, and then this gun was found to have a significant design w, so nobody wanted it. Of course, the fact that no one knows these guns exist is a big reason, too. Wang Zhong: Give them to me! However many there are, I want them all! Major General Chekhov stood up, went over to the filing cab, and pulled out a stack of files. He riffled through them and said, Heres a production n: On August 22, No. 912 Military Factory willmence production of the ZIS30 tank destroyer, also using this 57 mm gun. If they are all issued to you, then theres no need to distribute 57 mm ammunition to other units. Wang Zhong: Whats this, trying to make things easier for yourself? Major General Chekhov shrugged: My principle is to equip a unit with one type of gun, avoid mixed calibers as much as possible. Your unit already has so many 45 mm guns, then there are also so many 152s, adding 57 mm ammo to the supply isnt too much, especially since theres rail ess to your location. Since you want the 57 mm guns, how about I dont resupply you with 45 mm guns? Wang Zhong snapped his fingers: Deal! 57 mm guns, plus ZIS30 tank destroyers All of a sudden, the anti-tank firepower was plentiful! Major General Chekhov added, Oh, right, looking at this document, I just realized we also have plenty of machine-gun tanks, those only equipped with machine guns. How about I treat those as half-track transports and assign them to you? Theyd be great for transporting ammunition or towing anti-tank guns. Wang Zhong frowned, pretending to be upset, What do you take me for? A scrap collector? But since you put it that way, give them to me. And make sure you provide drivers too. Major General Chekhov said earnestly, Im in charge of materials. If you want people, go ask the church yourself; I guess there must be quite a few young vigers who learned to drive tractors and have just been conscripted.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 220: The Gap ` When Wang Zhong came out of the major generals office, Grigori squinted suspiciously, Themander inside is a woman? Why do you look like you just came out of the red-light district, General? Hmph, Wang Zhong sneered, Thats way more thrilling than the red-light district. Inside was General Chekhov, an old acquaintance of Argesukov. She approved a whole bunch of equipment for us. Grigori awkwardly reminded him, Im just a sergeant major; I dont know so many big shots. You mention General Chekhov, and Ive got no clue who that is. A slick old fox who wont stick to the pot but gets things done, Wang Zhongughed, If it were peacetime, this kind of person could be the pir of a department. Actually, Wang Zhong didnt have much social experience, but he had seen the likes of General Chekhov in a British TV show called Yes, Prime Minister. Grigori: As long as its a good result, thats what matters. Where to next? To the church, for people. We need a lot of new recruits who can drive tractors to operate the machine gun tanks I just got. You mean those BT1 things? Grigoris face fell, Whats the use of those?To serve as ammunition transport vehicles. That could work. The two of them walked to the main gate, one after the other. By the time Wang Zhong reached the church entrance, he saw a familiar scene. A massive crowd of young people crammed at the recruitment stations entrance, blocking the entire street. Grigori honked the horn like crazy to no avail; the crowd simply had no intention of making way. Wang Zhong stood up, looking towards the direction of the church. At that moment, some people around him recognized Wang Zhong: Look quick, its a brigadier general. So what if hes a brigadier general? St. Ye Katerina Fortress has lots of them now. I heard that even the great White Horse General came to St. Ye Katerina Fortress to marry Her Highness the Princess! She is now the Crown Princess. Wang Zhong thought to himself how fast this rumor had spread. There was no inte in this era, so how could it have spread so quickly? Last nights event, and by this afternoon, the whole city knew about it. What he neglected at the time was thatst night, in order to have an exchange meeting, a bunch of junior and mid-level officers were at the Summer Pce. After getting pumped up at the meeting, most of them would go out drinking. People boast when they drink, and then the gents would take home what they heardst night, telling their wives, and by the time the market aunties chewed the fat early next morning, boom, the whole city was in the know. Its just that quick. Wang Zhong sighed, cleared his throat, and shouted, Lads andsses, make way! I need to recruit personnel for my troops! Some bold youngster shouted back, Brigadier General, which unit are you with? Wang Zhong: The 151st Temporary Infantry Division! Pff, a temporary unit, count me out! I might consider the Imperial Guard! Has your unit seenbat, Brigadier General? Need you even ask? A temporary unit, certainly hasnt seen any action! Wang Zhong furrowed his brows, thinking to himself that these youngsters should show some respect to a brigadier general. At that point, someone raised a newspaper high, Hold on! The paper says the unitmanded by the White Horse General is the 151st Temporary Infantry Division! What? Really? Isnt the White Horse General six meters tall? Wang Zhong facepalmed. How had the rumor about a six-meter-tall general traveled from Shepetovka to the capital? Thats nearly 500 kilometers! Forget it, he thought, just corral the people first. He then bellowed, Everyone! I am the White Horse General! Although I am not mounted on a white steed right now, I indeed am. Im here to recruit reinforcements for my division. Can you please clear the way for me to reach the front of the church recruitment point? Just as he finished speaking, a female voice replied, No way! The church says were not old enough and wont let us enlist! Her statement instantly sparked a chorus of agreement: Exactly, General! Weve finished the 10th grade, were just not old enough! Ive got plenty of strength, General, carrying a rifles no problem for me! Ive never lost a fight in my vige, I can definitely give those Prosen devils a good thrashing! Wang Zhong finally understood; these youngsters were not old enough, and that was why they were blocking the door, hoping the church would rx the recruitment age limit. Those of age had probably registered already, then been carted off to the new recruits training camp. Wang Zhong: You think you can only fight the Prosen devils on the front lines? Support work is just as important. Without people to grow crops and herd, what are the soldiers on the front lines going to eat? The soldiers clothes, the ammo they fire, all need to be produced by people. These support positions are equally vital! You should go home and contribute to the war effort throughbor! And not waste time here! Its already August, and the harvest is upon us. No ones in the fields to gather the wheat! Without wheat, next year we face famine. The Prosen wont have defeated us, but well lose the war to hunger just because youre wasting time here! ` The children looked at each other in bewilderment. Someone shouted, The newspaper says the war can be won in half a year! Wang Zhong was shocked, What? Who said that? The churchs newspaper couldnt possibly say that! Because the Grand Patriarch clearly agreed with Wang Zhongs opinion yesterday, thinking the war wouldst three to four years. The Yekaterinburg Commentary newspaper said so! Wang Zhong frowned, not knowing which faction this newspaper belonged to, but it was mostly likely not the church.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om That is incorrect! Neither a quick victory nor a quick defeat is possible; the war will be a protracted contest of war potential. Wang Zhong tried to make his exnation simple and understandable so that the children could ept it, If you are one or two years away from adulthood, you can first go home and work, and then join the army when you are of age. You wont miss the war, I promise. Now, can you let me pass, children? The young people looked at one another and eventually made way. Grigori started the car and slowly drove towards the recruitment desk, afraid of hitting anyone. When he reached the recruitment desk, Wang Zhong said to the priest in charge, I need recruits who can drive tractors, and I need them right away. The priest said, Understood, we will select suitable candidates from the new recruits who have joined these days. However, if you are not in a particr hurry, you could wait for our training ss students to graduate. Wang Zhong frowned, Training sses? Yes, for training urgently needed drivers and other technical soldiers. Drivers should be the first to graduate, with the first session finishing at the beginning of September. Wang Zhong said, I want both. Find me those who can drive tractors first, and then I also want the graduates in early September! The priest looked troubled, This isnt that being a little too greedy? At that moment, a blue-hatted Judge ran over quickly and whispered something to the priest. The priests attitude changed 180 degrees immediately, How many drivers do you need? Wang Zhong said, I need three thousand. In fact, Wang Zhong initially wanted to ask for five thousand, but upon reconsideration, he wondered if it would even be possible to equip his division with five thousand trucks. Three thousand would have to do, and if there werent enough trucks, machine gun tanks would suffice. In the history of Earth, both the Sturmtiger and the Soviet Army had used outdated machine gun tanks as ammunition transport vehicles and for other misceneous tasks. After all, the tanks had already been produced, and scrapping them in the factory would consume precious working hours, amodity every factory during wartime wished could be split in two. After the priest recorded Wang Zhongs request, he said, I will do my best to amodate it. Where should these drivers be sent? Wang Zhong said, Shostka, my troops are stationed in Shostka. Alright. With that matter settled, Wang Zhong asked Grigori, Do you know where theres a club that noble young masters frequent in the city? Grigori frowned and looked at Wang Zhong, I am a Cossack, dont you think this question is a bit out of my professional expertise, General? Wang Zhong said, Alright He scratched his cheek. Then a young man nearby said, Are you looking to confront the hedonistic young nobles? Wang Zhong said, No, I want to find a Parade Tank and convert it into mymand vehicle. The young man said, Then you should go to the Novgorod Mansion, theres revelry there every night. Wang Zhong asked, Do they have tanks there? I dont know about that, the young man replied, spreading his hands, But you can ask the young lords there where to find such Parade Tanks. Wang Zhong was delighted and patted Grigori on the shoulder, Lets go to the Novgorod Mansion. The mansion was on the eastern side of St. Ekaterina Fortress, close to the outskirts of the city. Grigori drove the car all the way to the iron gate of the mansions courtyard. An old servant opened a small door beside the iron gate and said, Please go back, you cant enter here in military uniform. Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong grew furious, pulled out his pistol, and said, I am Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, go and ask who I killed yesterday and where! The old servants pupils dted, Rokossovsky?? I will report this immediately Nonsense, open the gate! Otherwise, I will suspect you are harboring spies! Dont make me call the Judge! The old servant shakily opened the gate. Grigori floored the elerator and the car drove in. Wang Zhong heard the old servant possibly using a telephone or something simr to inform those inside. By the time the car reached the mansions main entrance, a group of extravagantly dressed dandies had already gathered at the mansions gate. Like the dandies associated with Argesukov, these people were all in custom-made luxury military uniformsvery well, so real military uniforms were not allowed, but ornate fake ones were, right? Alyosha! The leading young master spread his arms wide; his insignia was even an imitation of a Marshals rankof course, just an imitation, Youre finally back! We were justmemorating Ivan! Wang Zhong frowned, Commemorating? Yes, weve been recalling everything about him; severaldies even cried! Come and tell us, what was Ivan like in the end? Among us, you were thest to see him! Wang Zhong nced at the group and not wanting to waste even a minute with them, said, I am here to find a tank, a Parade Tank T34, to be precise. Do you have one here? If not, where can I find one? Chapter 221: The Production Task from the Royal Family Facing Wang Zhongs question, the so-called marshal answered, Wasnt the only Parade Tank taken away by Her Highness the Princess? Wang Zhong was stunned, That was the one? There are no other Parade Tanks? The marshal frowned, Aside from you and Prince Ivan, nobody likes ying with that thing. Its just you twomanding it to run around all day. Its so loud when its running, and riding it is bumpy; one can bump their head at any moment. Nobody enjoys ying with it! The words of the marshal immediately received everyones affirmation, Right, that thing is very loud when its running. I rode it once and ended up with a bump-filled head. Wang Zhongs mood plummeted. He had thought that this was a popr sport among the young nobles in the capital, but it turned out only the Crown Prince and his buddies liked it. At that moment, amotion suddenly erupted outside. Then, several trucks appeared, all loaded with Judges wearing blue hats. Upon seeing the Judges, a nobledy started screaming, her shrill soprano numbing the top of Wang Zhongs head.Wang Zhong was also confused. Why had the Church decided to take action so quickly? No, that doesnt seem right. Based on the Grand Patriarchs intentionsst night, it appeared as though he wanted to resolve the primary conflict first. The trucks stopped behind Wang Zhong, and the Judges disembarked one by one, spreading out to encircle the mansion. The leading Judges left hand was in a cast, bandaged up, and he used his remaining right hand to open the car door and got out from the passengers seat, walking towards Wang Zhong, Yo, hello there, Returner from Hell. Wang Zhong recognized him as an old acquaintance, the Judge who had taken him to the headquarters from Bogdanovka. You escaped from Bogdanovka? The Judge smiled, Led a group of Judges and broke out. Wang Zhong, What about the other one? He stayed in hell, the Judge replied. Wang Zhong, My condolences. No, we went to heaven to meet Saint Andrew; theres nothing sad about it. The sad ones are these people. With that, the One-Armed Judge nodded at the cringing dandies huddled in terror and suddenly, heughed, Yo, look, someones wet himself! Wang Zhong, already experiencing stress symptoms, frowned upon hearing about wetting oneself. Following the One-Armed Judges gaze, he saw the dandy wearing the marshal uniform, who had arrogantly greeted Wang Zhong, had wet arge patch on his trousers. What exactly are you here for? he asked the Judge while meticulously examining therge map, Their parents were found to be spies? As soon as Wang Zhong finished speaking, a chorus of crying broke out. The Judge shook his head, No, we heard you were heading this way and followed. In case we arrived to find a field of corpses, wed be able to quickly take care of the aftermath, after all, the main enemy now is the Prussians, and to resist the Prussians we must unite all the forces we can. Having said that, he looked at the ridiculous state of the crowd and shook his head, Now it seems weve almost scared them to death. On the other hand, each of these guys has a guilty conscience. Wang Zhong, What are you nning to do with the current situation? I just want to confirm, youre not nning to open fire, right? There wont be a bloodbath here, will there? The old servant at the door said something about youing in armed, just a small mishap, right? Wang Zhong, Yes, that old servant said those in military uniforms werent allowed inside. The One-Armed Judge frowned, They were so brazen about it? Hey, you all! Is it a rule of this club that people in military attire are not allowed in? ?? Thetter was addressed to the dandies who were like frightened birds. Someone immediately shouted, It was Panjelie who said it! The marshal who had already mapped out his trousers screamed, I! I was drunk and confused! The One-Armed Judgemanded, Take him away for a thorough examination! Panjelie let out a scream like a pig being ughtered. Two Judges went over to grab Panjelie, one on each side, and dragged him off. The One-Armed Judge gave Wang Zhong a wry smile, Since were here, dont worry, they wont be treated too harshly. So well be on our way now. Remember, dont draw your gun lightly; youre in the eye of the storm right now. The Judges gathered as quickly as they had spread out, climbed into their vehicles and departed in a rush. Wang Zhong turned to look at the dandies and found all of them sitting directly on the ground. You guys are such cowards, he mocked. Were not princes, someone answered. Wang Zhong, Neither am I! The Parade Tank couldnt be found, which made him quite unhappy, but soon a new idea popped into his mind. After all, the tank couldnt have been handcrafted by the Crown Prince and himself, and since a tank is such a fragile thing, there must be someone helping with maintenance. So he asked again, Do you know who ordered that Parade Tank? At this moment, the silent club steward answered, It was ordered from the Ye Fort Joint Machinery Factory, which has always been responsible for producing various royal and inspection-specific vehicles. Now they are said to be producing the T34 tanks on the orders of the Ordnance Department. Wang Zhong was overjoyed, well, so the hen thatys the eggs is here! The steward continued, You should look for the factorys general manager, Morozov. The design drawings and such should still be in the factory. We indeed still have the design drawings, replied Morozov, general manager of the Ye Fort Joint Machinery Factory, but right now all the workshops are producing the T34, and the design of the Parade Tank is very different from the T34. If we were to produce it, we would have to stop the entire production line to adapt and retrofit, and it would affect our production progress. Wang Zhong: How did you manage to make this one? At that time, our factory was not operating at full capacity, and our main job was producing various vehicles for the Royal Family. So we just pulled together the strength to make one. Wang Zhong: I am now requesting to stop a production line and shift to this kind of Parade Tank because itsbat effectiveness is much higher than that of the ordinary T34! Morozov frowned, Thats impossible. We are under the leadership of the Ordnance Department, and you are just a major general. Although your military exploits are outstanding, I cant stop the production line just because of a word from you. Morozov paused, then thought for a moment and said, Well, we are, after all, a factory dedicated to serving the Royal Family. If you can issue a task on behalf of the Royal Family, I could cobble together somebor to start work. We can think of something about the factory building. I believe the original warehouse could be modified to serve as a factory. Now with such heavy production tasks, materials are used up quickly as theye, so we dont really need the warehouse anymore. Wang Zhong: How can I issue a task in the name of the Royal Family? Morozov looked puzzled: Arent you a prince? Just have the Crown Princess say a word, and its done, right? Im not a prince. But I can have the Crown Princess say a word. May I borrow your phone? An hourter, Morozov looked at the dusty Crown Princess Olga Nikyevna Antonovna who arrived in a hurry, then looked suspiciously at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong was also embarrassed: Olga, wouldnt it have been enough to send a servant? Princess Olga: Im the most idle person in the Summer Pce at the moment, so I came in person. Mr. Morozov, here is a production task issued by the pce. We need to order a hundred Parade Tanks for the National Day celebration activities this November. Morozov took the document that Olga handed over and scrutinized it closely: Hmm, the format and procedures of the document are allplete, and I will start arranging production right away. Hm? The document also has a stamp from the Grand Patriarchs office? Ah, yes, I mentioned this matter over the phone to the Grand Patriarchs office, and they also strongly support the production of Parade Tanks. So, I got it stamped on my way here, Olga exined with a smile. They even said that if were short on workers, the church can assist the factory. Wang Zhong listened to this conversation, linking it with what the One-Armed Judge had said earlier. Olga turned to Wang Zhong: By the way, the major general is here, and hes the most authoritative person regarding the tanks battle performance. Why not let him offer some suggestions for improvement? Anyway, you need some time to organize the production line. Morozov nodded and looked at Wang Zhong: We can make limited improvements. Wang Zhong: Can we rece the sighting equipment? Weve captured quite a few Prosen scopes, and their scopes have a ranging scale on the right edge for the main gun, which is very convenient to adjust and far more advanced than ours. Thanks to this set of scopes, the Prosen Tank Operators can achieve hits from a great distance. On the other hand, we can only hit the enemy reliably within a distance of three hundred meters. Morozov: Do you have captured Prosen scopes? Wang Zhong: I took quite a few from the remains of Prosen, but most were left in Orachi, and I only brought out a small amount. Morozov: Then give them to me, and Ill see if we can replicate them. Any other requests? Wang Zhong: The reliability of the engine is too low. After about two days of fighting, it breaks down and requires a full day of maintenance. Low engine reliability. Morozov wrote this next to the design drawing, Lets see if we can address that. Anything else? Wang Zhong: The turret gets jammed by enemy fire too easily, and the enemy has now caught on to this, basically everyone is targeting the neck. Also, the tracks are very fragile and often get broken by enemy fire.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Morozov shook his head: We cant do much about the tracks being broken by enemy cannon fire, but maybe we can try to deflect the shells with additional obstacles to prevent jamming of the race ring. Wang Zhong continued: Also, and most importantly, every vehicle must have a radio! Morozov: Of course, its drawn like that on the blueprints. Every vehicle will have a radio and a Parade seat. But are there really that many nobles willing to watch a parade in a tank? Olga said: I would very much like to, and I bet many youngdies would be willing as well because they all admire Duke Rocossov. I see, said Morozov with a gaze at Wang Zhong that was difficult to put into words. Wang Zhong could only pretend to admire the scenery. Chapter 222: Night on the Outskirts of Ye Fort (Additional Update for 31,000 Monthly Votes) Afterward, Wang Zhong provided a series of suggestions, all of which Morozov duly recorded. Wang Zhong still wasnt satisfied and asked, Can we design some other royal ceremonial equipment? Like self-propelled anti-aircraft guns or self-propelled artillery. I think thedies would certainly enjoy riding in those. Right, Olga? Ah? Oh, yes, I like them! Princess Olga hurriedly replied. Morozov kept a stern face, Although there is such a demand from thedies, we are a factory, not a design bureau. The blueprints were also sent to us after being drawn up by the design bureau. Look at this design n, it includes the signature of the designer Koshkin, who should be the chief engineer of Design Bureau 190. If you want other ceremonial vehicles, you may consult him for the designs, Morozov exined. Wang Zhong was delighted, Where is he? Hes in Saint Andrew Fort, thats where the entire design bureau is located, Morozov answered. Wang Zhong nced at the full map of the Ante Empire on the wall of the factory directors office, estimated the distance from Saint Andrew Fort to Ye Fort, and had to give up the idea. Princess Olga suggested, Lets look for another designer, after all, there are so many design bureaus here.Just then, the telephone in the directors office rang. Morozov answered the call, This is United Machinery Factory. The pce? Please hold on a moment. He handed the phone to Olga, Your Highness, its for you. Olga looked embarrassed, Can you say Im not here? Do you think thats appropriate? Morozov responded. Olga could only sigh and take the receiver, This is Olga Nikevna. Im not needed for those matters, am I? Alright, alright, Im on my way back. After returning the receiver to Morozov, Olga sighed, I have to go back. Will you be staying at the Summer Pce tonight? No, Ill return to my own estate, Wang Zhong replied, The steward of my fathers estate had it prepared yesterday. I see, then goodbye, Alyosha, Princess Olga said as she waved her hand and left with reluctant steps. Morozov looked at Wang Zhong, Your Highness, to help you, did she sneak out of the pce? You your Wang Zhong interjected, Thats not the case! My fiance is my childhood sweetheart, Ludm Vasilyevna Malyukhova. She has already moved into my estate in Ye Fort. ? Oh, Morozov nodded, I understand now. You dont understand at all with that expression! Wang Zhong couldnt be bothered to rify further, When can we start producing the tanks? Adjusting the production line and such requires till the end of August. I estimate the first tank can be produced at the beginning of September. Would you like them to be delivered one by one, or should we wait until we have enough for a trainload to send all at once? asked Morozov. Wang Zhong replied, Save up enough for a railcar to send them together. How many can fit in a railcar? Two. Then lets do that. When the timees, go to General Chekhov of the Reserve Army to get the railcars, hell handle it. Understood, Morozov took out his notebook, noted down the name and unit of General Chekhov, Then I will arrange for production. Wang Zhong checked the time, it was past four in the afternoon, and although he had been running around Ye Fort the entire day, the results were very goodnot just good, but could be described as enormously rewarding. He had run through the production process; once the design bureau was taken care of, he could start manufacturing on his own. With Princess Olga, who held the seal, tasks under the guise of special royal missions could yield many fine things. But he was genuinely tired, having not stopped the whole day, likely covering dozens of kilometers. It was time to return to his own estate for a good rest. Ludm and Nelly had gone to the estate in the morning, and he wondered how things there were. Thinking of this, Wang Zhong bid farewell to Morozov, Then I shall take my leave. Are my guards still in the waiting room? Please notify them. Of course, Morozov replied. Half an hourter, Wang Zhong saw the gates of his estate. And in front of it, a mass of refugees. Rokossovskys estate was on the outskirts of Ye Fort, surrounded by the suburban areas of Ye Fort which were now covered with tents. He saw priests and nuns from the church distributing food everywhere. Wang Zhong instructed, Do you see that church stall? Pull up beside it! Grigori immediatelyplied. Wang Zhong got out of the car and asked the priest, Whats going on? Why are there so many refugees? The priest nced at Wang Zhong, General Rokossovsky? Wang Zhong confirmed, Thats me. Answer my question. The priest exined, Ye Fort is the junction of all railway lines. People fleeing from the west need to pass through Ye Fort to head east. But now that the railway scheduling has stalled, people have been stranded here. Of course, the east is tough, and some people dont want to go and choose to stay in Ye Fort instead. No sooner had the priest finished than a woman spoke up, Im already so old, and Ive heard that Siberia can drop to minus fifty degrees in the winter. Without proper heating and only able to burn wood, I wont survive the first winter. Wang Zhong wanted to say something but found himself unable to speak. Then the priest added, Here in Ye Fort, you also have to burn fuel; where around here is there a central heating boiler? Actually, the east has some warm ces too, with huge grasnds. Right now, our meat and eggs alle from there. Wang Zhong silently took a step back and returned to the car. Compared to the church, there wasnt much he could do. Lets go, enter the manor. Grigori released the handbrake. The butler Mikhail, with a team of maids, greeted Wang Zhong beside the fountain at the entrance of the manors main building. When Grigori stopped the car, all the maids bowed in unison: Young Master Rokossov. Wang Zhong frowned slightly: Isnt it a bit wasteful to have so many people serving just me? The butler Mikhail immediately replied: They are also responsible for managing the manors industries; a considerable part of the meat and eggs distributed to the refugees by the church outside is provided by us. Wang Zhong was astonished: Is that so? I thought this manor was only responsible for indulgences of the wealthy. Mikhail: Since the civil war ended, the master has been striving to transform the structure of our industries, releasing the farnd to the peasants and mainly operatingrge ranches, vineyards, meat processing factories, and other grain processing industries. Wang Zhong ohed in response. Mikhail: Most of these maids are sried, and only those who have been serving your family like me dont take wages. In fact, in the past, we even had to pay taxes on your behalf. I see, you are my vassals. Wang Zhong got out of the car and waved at the maids: All right, no more bowing, thats enough, dont treat me like a noble. The maids then straightened up. Noticing the absence of Nelly, Wang Zhong inquired: Wheres Nelly? She is your military orderly now, not part of the maids anymore, Mikhail exined, After all, she wears a boat-shaped cap, not a maids headband. Is that so? Wang Zhong: Then where is Liu Xia? My dear Liu Xia, where did she go? Im tired from the day and want Liu Xias embrace. Mikhail: Liu Da, as thedy of the house, is directing tonights ball. Wang Zhong frowned: A ball? Do you know what time it is now? To hold a ball at a time of national crisis? Mikhail remained unfazed: Of course, the ball will be as simplified as possible, mainly serving a social function. Many old friends of the master wille tonight, and its a good opportunity to introduce you to them. I assure you, there wont be anyvish waste. Wang Zhong did not believe it at all; in his view, holding a ball itself was an act ofvish waste because there was no need for such an event during a war. Wang Zhong: Dont hold any balls. For introducing my fathers old friends, a simple meal would do! Tell Liu Xia to stop the preparations. Mikhail: A meal? Would that be very impolite? If anyone thinks thats impolite, then he doesnt deserve to be a friend of the Rokossov, got it? Mikhail looked at Wang Zhong again: Understood. Wang Zhong: Also, change the guest list. In addition to my fathers old friends, also invite the weapon designers currently in Ye Fort, as well as the young officers who got along well with me in Ye Fort. Young officers? Mikhail squinted his eyes, confirming. Yes, young officers. Preferably those without old nobility backgrounds, from families of peasants, fishermen, and cobblers, and also those who have family members working as forest rangers, clerks, dentists are fine too. Old nobility cane too, provided they dont despise officers of civilian origin. Mikhail reminded: Young Master, its already close to six oclock now, we cant notify that many people in time, why dont we invite them to dinner tomorrow instead? Wang Zhong looked up at the sky, seeing that it was already dusk, and nodded: Thats fine. Let Liu Xia decide on the menu uh, can it still be decided now? Has everything been prepared already? Its all been prepared, said Mikhail. Wang Zhong: Alright. Im going to take a bath now. At the hastily changed dinner party, Wang Zhong saw many old men he didnt recognize at all. If it were a ball, there would be an entrance ceremony before the opening, during which Mikhail and Liu Xia could introduce each guest one by one. Since it was changed to a dinner party, the only option was for Mikhail to stand by Wang Zhongs side, introducing whomever came to toast. There were indeed a lot of these people, and with the Ante names being so infernally long, after one round, Wang Zhong waspletely dizzy, as though he had been drinking vodka instead of in water.N?v(el)B\\jnn In any case, by ten oclock that evening, Wang Zhongs distaste for the culture of banquet dinners had risen to a new level. Right on ten, the maids brought in many chairs, and a small orchestra with their instruments walked in, sitting down in a corner of the dining hall. The conductor of the orchestra, seizing the moment when no one was toasting at Wang Zhongs table, spoke loudly: Ladies and gentlemen! As we all know, heroic epics have always been an enduring musical theme! As the conductor of the Ye Fort Symphony Orchestra, I have been moved by the heroic deeds of Duke Rokossov! I haveposed a brand-new heroic epic, and now, please allow me, to dedicate it to the Duke! Wang Zhong frowned: Im not a Duke yet. Ludm leaned in and whispered: Just be d he didnt call you a prince. Wang Zhong: Why are you starting with this joke too, Im going to marry you. Ludm smiled: I know. Thats why I can make this joke. At that moment, the conductor turned around, picked up his baton, and gestured to begin. Chapter 223: Rocossov Knows a Bit About Music (32,000 Monthly Tickets Plus) ` As the conductor turned around, the maid had just brought Wang Zhong a new dish. Since it was time for dessert, it was a cheese curd sponge cake paired with sour cream. Wang Zhong, with a try-it-and-see attitude, cut a small piece of the sponge cake with his fork. To his surprise, the fork cut through as if slicing tofu, the coagted cheese curds seemingly breaking apart at the slightest touch. The taste was a perfect level of sourness, with the sour cream on top of the sponge cake creating an exquisitebination with the cheese curds inside. Immersed in the gourmet food, Wang Zhongpletely ignored the music, and it was only after he nearly finished his delightful meal that he took notice of what the band was ying. It was typical anthem music. You could say the piece wasnt good, but that certainly wouldnt be true; as an animation score, it would definitely enter the hall of fame. If paired with some memorable scenes, it could even be a ssic. Yes, animation score.That was the only way Wang Zhong could describe the piece. He stood up and shouted, Enough! Stop! Some musicians saw Wang Zhongs gesture and stopped ying first. The bandleader, about to get angry at the musicians pause, suddenly realized something, looked back, and then quickly signaled the others to stop ying. Wang Zhong: What is this? It has none of the temperament of this war! If you take this music out, people will think the war is merely a battle game for noble knights! No! I refuse to acknowledge that this could be my anthem! The Ye Fort bandleader hesitated before responding, If you have any specific requests, please mention them. Ive tried my utmost to make the piece grand and powerful, but if you feel itcks vigor, that might be because were only a small ensemble now. It will be great when ourplete band performs for you, with the grand and powerful string section added. Grand and powerful strings? The kind that the clients would love? Wang Zhong: No, thats not it! You have the wrong understanding of this war! Are you the bestposer in Ye Fort? The bandleader was hesitant, but admitted, In terms of honors received, I suppose I am. Wang Zhong: What is your name? This question set off murmurs among the crowd; after all, a nobleman not knowing the name of the best musician in Ye Fort even if he was a debauchee, he shouldve known better, otherwise how would he have charmed nobledies at social gatherings? But Wang Zhong truly didnt know; he wanted to confirm if this was one of the musicians he was familiar with by his name.N?v(el)B\\jnn The bandleader reported his name, but Wang Zhong had no memory of it. In a world where even a Tugenev had gone off to be a general, Tchaikovsky might well bemanding an army. Wang Zhong: Your music ispletely wrong! The undertone of this war, at least now, is tragedy! The people endure great sorrow from the loss of rtives and friends, yet they still resolutely head to the front. The music should feel like that! ?? With that, Wang Zhong hummed a bit of The Holy War. Do you understand? he asked. He thought after his humming, others would start showing their astonishment. However, after a few seconds of looking at each other, the bandleader and his musicians replied, Oh, you want to incorporate this melody into the music? Sure, Ill give it a try! He then pulled out a pencil and started sketching on the sheet music in front of him,ter showing it to the others. After discussing for some time, they picked up their instruments again. Bandleader: Weve made the changes based on your suggestions, please listen! The band started ying again, but it wasnt at all the piece Wang Zhong had in mind. No, no! Stop! shouted Wang Zhong, interrupting the band once more, What are you doing? Cant you feel the emotion in this melody? Not just the bandleader, but all of the musicians looked utterly lost. Wang Zhong gave up; he vaguely realized the problemit could be two things: first, as ayman, he surely hadnt hummed the melody urately. Second, besides melody, conveying emotion in a song depended also on the arrangement. Perhaps just humming with the human voice wasnt enough to convey it. All he could do was wave them off: Just go, go! I dont want to hear your pathetic music! Get out! The bandleader led the musicians out, running for their lives. Wang Zhong slumped down, looked at the half-eaten cheese curd pastry on the table, and sighed, Im full, and Im tired. I want to rest now. After saying this, he stood up and headed straight for the dining room door. Ludm hurriedly wiped her mouth and stood up, taking control of the situation: Ladies and gentlemen, Alyosha has seen too much death on the battlefield. Please try to understand. Dinner will continue, and I will keep youpany until the end on his behalf. At 11 oclock at night, Ludm finally saw off thest couple of guests and returned to Wang Zhongs study. Wang Zhong sat on the windowsill, staring at the moon. Due to ckout regtions, there were no candles lit in the entire room, which was pitch-dark except for the moonlight shining through the window. When Wang Zhong heard Ludms footsteps, he said, Why cant these people feel it? I hummed it to Vasily, and he felt it. Ludm: You hummed it to Vasily? The melody from the dining room just now? Wang Zhong: Yes, we had just arrived at Argesukov, and I had just delivered the letter from tank gun Gunner 422 to his mother. That night, thinking about the olddys reaction, I suddenly thought of this song and hummed it. Vasily happened to hear it. Ludm sat on the same windowsill, her knees touching Wang Zhongs: Hum it again for me, maybe I can understand. After all, weve fought together. ` Wang Zhong looked out the window, where Ye Forty under the moonlight without a single light, asleep in the shroud of night. Ludm, seeing he did not speak, said, Remember when the war had just started? We were trapped in the basement, and the enemys tanks were passing on the road nearby. Wang Zhong nodded. How could he forget? That was where everything began. One day in the future, he must return to Ronied, to that basement, to see where the story started. Ludm: From that day onwards, so many people left. Among them, there were actually quite a few I disliked, but now, looking back Ludm left her sentence unfinished. Wang Zhong reminisced about the sergeant whose name he had forgotten when he first time-traveled. The sergeant had dered he wouldnt take orders from a pissing officer and then led his squad away, getting riddled with bullets shortly after. Then he thought of the female medic who had bandaged him, wondering if she had managed to escape from the encirclement. And then the family he saw dead in a dung pit after capturing an enemy supply station. Too many sacrifices shed through Wang Zhongs mind, one by one. He began to hum subconsciously, a melody that was sorrowful yet resolute. Rise up, mighty nation, to fight a desperate struggle! Wang Zhong gazed out the window, focused entirely on humming the melody. Ludm, sitting opposite him, widened her eyes, staring at his face, seeming to forget even to breathe. In Shostka, Private Vasily of the 31st Guards Regiment was furiously scribbling on paper as hey sprawled on the table. His roommate, Filippov, returned from a shower and curiously asked, What are you writing? Vasily: Aposition. Didnt you say you would never touchposition in your life? Because it would remind you of your father! No, no, Vasily shook his head, Im notposing. Its a melody hummed by General Rokossovsky, Argesukov. I felt the generals emotion was so intense then. But anyway, this tune has been haunting me these days. Filippov leaned over and, by the candlelight, carefully examined the musical notation in the notebook, humming it softly. The melody is good, but the mood Vasily: Wait a second. He marked the tempo and key at the beginning of the notation. Hum it again. Filippov hummed it again: Hmm Im starting to feel it! Vasily added a series of symbols to the notation, adjusting the entireposition. Go on! After Filippov hummed it for the third time, he eximed, It carries a sense of tragic heroism, a resolute readiness to sacrifice. Good, very good. Vasily: I tell you, I think the general is ayman in music. If I hadnt seen the generals expression while humming this song and felt his emotion, I probably wouldnt have been able to appreciate this mood. Filippov: Then arent you contradicting yourself? Isnt thisposition written by the general? I dont know. My fatherold man Tchaikovsky used to say that the tune is already there; theposer simply fishes it out from another world by chance. I guess its the same with the general. Filippov, frowning: Youre nning to giarize the tune as your own? No, of course not. Ill submit it to the journal that old man Tchaikovsky, my father, advises for, under General Rokossovskys name. But before that, I want to add lyrics to it. You think about it; youre better at writing poetry than I am. Filippov: Hmm For the first line, I would write, Rise up, mighty nation! Fight to live!'' Good, the first line is great, Vasily quickly parsed the lyrics and slotted them under the notation, Uh, we need to adjust the phrasing. Change Fight to live to something else. Filippov hummed the melody again and, after a moments thought, suggested, How about changing it to to engage in a desperate struggle? Let me try it. Hmm, it looks pretty good! The second line,e on, Filippov, quick! Filippov leaned against the window, looking at the moonlit Duva River, and after some contemtion, said, We should state the objective of the struggle. The second line could be to annihte the Prosen invaders, how about that? Vasily filled in the line, softly singing it over a few times, nodding, Works. Keep it going. Stop right there; this song is just the main melody repeating. You should write the chorus now. Vasily smacked his tongue: The general didnt hum any chorus! Its just this part repeating. Filippov: Youre the son of a music professor! Youe up with one! Youve felt the generals emotion; follow that sentiment and add a section. Vasily hummed the main melody over and over until, suddenly delighted, he added a chorus after it. Ive added an elevation, like charging at the enemy, like a tank gun firing rapidly. How about that? Filippov, frowning: Its passable, far inferior to the generals main melody, though. No chatter; get to writing the lyrics! Amidst the silence, the moon quietly watched the two men engrossed in their creation. Chapter 224: Rocossov Receives a Hug Wang Zhong was immersed in his memories, humming a tune while he reminisced about his war journey until the corners of his eyes began to moisten. But as the saying goes, a mans tears dont fall lightly, so he abruptly stopped reminiscing. He turned his head to look at Ludm, only to find that the girl was already using a handkerchief to wipe her tears. Wang Zhong felt awkward, Uh dont cry. Ludm: Im crying for you because I see youre so emotional, yet you cant let your tears out. Im fine, actually, Wang Zhong scratched his head. He tried to stand up from the windowsill but was pulled back by Ludm. The girl looked at him and said softly, You can lean on me a little more. When I first arrived at Shostka, I immediately burst into tears when I heard the news of Uncle Connies death. Later, Nelly told me that you walked to the end of the tform, looking like you might cry at any moment. Wang Zhongughed: Nelly saw me like that at the time? I really got looked down upon.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//omHowever, Ludm gently stroked his face with her hand: No, I dont think Nelly looked down on you, because I felt the same. Alyosha, when its time to let it out, let it out. After I criedst time, I feltpletely different. After I came here, I sorted through Uncle Connies study and found that he hid the drawings I made for him when I was a child on the bookshelf. Looking at that drawing, and then at Uncle Connies portrait, I didnt cry again. It seems like the sadness had left with that crying, leaving only wonderful memories behind. I think you should try it. Wang Zhong stared into Ludms eyes, reading concern and love from within them. He suddenly realized that the girl might feel guilty for not being able tofort him that day she received the bad news because she was too busy crying herself. So Wang Zhong said, Okay, but you have to let me borrow you for a while, just sit like this. He pulled Ludm onto a stool to sit down, then knelt in front of her and buried his face in her embrace. Wang Zhong especially liked to have his character get a hug from the Sleepy Maiden when ying Elden Ring. Actually, the benefits of a hug were negligible, but Wang Zhong just wanted a hug. Ludm was surprised at first, but soon she wrapped her arms around Wang Zhongs head and gently stroked his hair. Wang Zhong felt ted, his long-held dream had finallye true. Then Ludm said, So thats how it is, you did this to the princess in the morning. You still remember? Ludm: Its my fault, from now on Ill wait for you to wake up before I get up, okay? Wang Zhong was silent for a few seconds, then answered: Okay. Ludm: You can cry now, Ill ept everything, and tears and snot and all can be wiped on my clothes, no one will know. With Ludm having said that, Wang Zhong really wanted to give it a try, but ultimately the mans pointless pride took over. Wang Zhong heard a heavenly king singing in his ear: Men cry not because they are wrong But he just couldnt cry. Wang Zhong heard Liu Xia giggling, not only giggling, but he could also feel her inhale through the chest as sheughed. Alyosha, she said, her chest resonance making her voice wrap around Wang Zhong, My Alyosha, so stubborn and strong. Wang Zhong raised his hand and wrapped it around Ludms waist. Despite the intimate movement, Wang Zhong didnt have a single improper thought. He suddenly recalled a saying, if youre holding a super beautiful and sexy girl and have no desire to X her, either you like men, or youre in love. Wang Zhong seriously evaluated his feelings; he probably didnt like men, so he must be in love. After who knows how long, he stood up: Alright, alright, lets sleep. Ludm looked up at him: You scolded the bandmaster tonight, who knows what snide remarks theyll write about you in the newspapers tomorrow. Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows: Surely not, isnt the church watching? Arent they afraid of beingbeled as spies by the church? Ludm shrugged. Wang Zhong threw off his clothes andy down in bed ready to sleep. Ludm stood beside him, smiling: Arent you forgetting something? Wang Zhong frowned: Look at the mood, do we really have to No, lets sleep, sleep What are you doing! Hey! The next morning, as soon as Wang Zhong opened his eyes, he instinctively reached out beside him and this time he touched someone. Awake? Ludms voice came, Youve really enjoyed yourzy morning, I didnt even have time to do my morning routine! Wang Zhong: Morning routine? Yes, a little secret to staying beautiful. Well, do you want a hug? Yes. Just then Nelly walked in through the door. She nced, quietly left, and closed the door behind her. Wang Zhong: Nelly,e in, its alright, were done. Nelly entered the room and frowned at Wang Zhong: Are you preparing hedgehog meat? Wang Zhong: Hedgehog meat? Why? Then he realized, in the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, hedgehog meat is considered aphrodisiac, seeming to send some men into a nosebleed frenzy after consumption. Wang Zhong: Dont misunderstand! Its not that kind of done were talking about! Ludm chimed in to help: Yes, hes just fine. This morning was just about helping him bid farewell to his weaker self and be the unyielding admiral. Major General, Major General, Wang Zhong corrected her, Being a Major General is quite good. If he became themander of Ye Fort, he could even be the president. Nelly eximed Ah, and went straight to the point: This morning a cardinal from the church came by and brought a schedule, its for the state funeral and national mourning. It lists the parts you need to attend, Wang Zhong, with details on when and where to go. Also Ludm suddenlyughed: Nelly, when did you start doing the butlers job? Where is Mikhail? He said hes the butler of Duke Rokossov, not the butler of Duke Charon. Your dukedom decree arrived this morning, but His Majesty the Tsar is unable to attend to matters, so the ennoblement ceremony cant take ce for now, and hence it has not officially taken effect. Nelly paused and then said: You should find your own butler. Wang Zhong: This is troublesome. Ludm: Not only do you need your own butler, but you also need a housemistress whos responsible for managing the female servants, and a housekeeper, among others Wang Zhong: Cant Nelly do it? Nelly: Im not even a maid, the housekeeper of a duke should at least be of the rank of ady at court. Wang Zhong: To hell with ranks, if I say you are, then you are, thats settled. As for the butler is Grigori an option? Nelly and Ludm eximed in unison: No, he cannot! Wang Zhong, holding his head, felt too overwhelmed, unable to cope with all this old societys bureaucracy. Ludm: However, with the war ongoing, we can ignore these matters for now. Lets have Nelly take on the role temporarily, that should be fine. Nelly: Me? Wang Zhong, seeing the expression on Nellys face and thinking it amusing, decided to tease her: Yes, you. Tell me what else needs to be done today. Nelly: Theres a medal ceremony, and since His Majesty the Tsar cannot attend to matters, the Grand Princess will be representing him. Also, there is an invitation for you to attend the music selection meeting for the state funeral. Wang Zhongs eyebrows raised. Ludm also frowned deeply: This invitation perhaps you should decline. It seems they want to embarrass you, those musicians. Wang Zhong: No, I want to see what theyre up to. The state funeral is for my good brother and my father, and the public memorial is for countless fallen soldiers, I cant allow these scoundrels frivolous music to resonate at such an event! Not at all. August 12th, noon, Ante Modern Music magazine office. Oshanin, the editor-in-chief, was preparing for a noon rest, with ns to attend the public memorial music selection meeting in the afternoon. He stepped down from his office and upon reaching the reception, the old man there said, Your Excellency Editor-in-Chief, theres an express letter for you. Oshanin stopped, looking inside: Express? A delivery at noon? In Ante, mail was delivered only in the mornings and evenings; noon deliveries were virtually non-existent. Take a look, Your Excellency. The sender is a celebrity! Especially famous! He might even be a prince! Thats why the postman was all flustered when he delivered it! Oshanin was shocked: General Rokossovsky? He just berated the conductor of Ye Fort Chamber Orchestrast night, and now he is writing to a music magazine? The receptionist had already taken out the letter and ced it at the window. Editor-in-Chief Oshanin picked up the letter: Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. Indeed, its him Hmm? Military mail? The postmark is from this morning, from Shostka? Whats this about? Isnt Rokossovsky in the capital? Last night he was cursing at the conductor, and the whole music world knows about it! The receptionist shrugged helplessly. Editor-in-Chief Oshanin directly opened the letter. The old man was surprised: Youre just going to open it like that? Without a letter opener? Theres no seal wax nor a family crest on it, its okay, Editor-in-Chief Oshanin pulled out the letter and unfolded it, Ah, its a song. The conductorst night was really angry, although he wouldnt dare speak ill of a celebrity, but he was very clear in his stance! Lets see With professional skill, Editor-in-Chief Oshanin began to hum the song by reading the sheet music, though he had to bring the letter nearly to his face due to his poor eyesight He stopped. Receptionist old man: Whats wrong? Im not sure let me look more closely. Editor-in-Chief Oshanin took out his sses from his briefcase, put them on, and assumed the standard reading posture to read again. The receptionist stretched his neck trying to see what the matter was. Having finished reading the letter, Editor-in-Chief Oshanin flipped it over, found no words on the back, and flipped it to the front again. Receptionist old man: How is it? Oshanin turned around and shouted to the upstairs editorial department: Hey! Editors who can y an instrument, go to the music room. Is Marusin there? Get him to the music room too. Marusin stuck his head out from the second floor: Editor-in-Chief, whats going on? Another submission from some arrogant youngster? No, no, this is something fierce. Editor-in-Chief Oshanin looked at the song in his hand, If you sing this song, you might make history. Chapter 225: August 12th daytime, the situation of the Southwestern Front Army ` On August 12 at 1300 hours, at Argesukov, the Southwestern Front Army Headquarters. The Front Army Chief of Staff and the Front Army Bishop sat in the map room of the significantly thinned-out headquarters staff, watching the staff officers burn documents. This mornings telegram, Skorobo seems to have been treated as a traitor, and his whole family was arrested, the Chief of Staff looked toward the Front Army Bishop. Is there any different information on the churchs side? The Bishop clicked his tongue, Theres a rumor that Skorobo himself was shot dead by Rokossovskythe thin one. In the Tribunals underground headquarters? the Chief of Staff asked curiously. No, at the Summer Pce, in front of the current Crown Princess and many senior officers of the High Command. The Chief of Staffs eyes widened, Really? The telegram didnt mention it at all. Could he really get away with such a deed? The Bishop spread his hands, Not only has he gotten away with it, but hes also scheduled to speak on behalf of all the soldiers at the state funeral and public memorial service on the 18th. It seems the Grand Patriarch ns to set up Rokossovsky as a brand-new role model to stand against the high-ranking generals and marshals of the High Command.The Chief of Staff actually smiled, A sensible choice, an old noble, very close to the Royal Family, then ideologically in the same pants as the Secr faction, and can fight. The only Achilles heel of this choice now is Rokossovskys military ability. There are many officers who canmand a brigade or a division, but when they start tomand an Army Group, they will obviously hit the ceiling, and when ites tomanding an army of the Fronts scale, it might turn mediocre. The military education Rokossovsky received goes up tomanding an army at most. ording to the usual promotion path, he would need to study highermand courses at a military college for further promotion. This situation probably wont allow him to go back to the forge The Bishop took over, Of course not, even if the church wanted him to go back, the High Command wouldnt let him. The High Command is probably eager to see Rokossovsky disgrace himself, preferably losing several hundred thousand troops like General Skorobo. As the words fell, the Chief of Staff suddenlyughed, Dont be like this, we are not dead yet, dont count yourself as dead first. The Front Army Bishop nced at the map and alsoughed, Is there a difference from being dead now? Look at us, both discussing these beheading matters here. The twoughed heartily, drawing curious nces from the nearby staff officer burning documents. At this moment amunications officer came in and saluted, Weve received a telegram from Duke Meishikin, reporting that the force of three divisions arrived at his positions this morning. The Chief of Staff snapped his fingers, Good, another three divisions have broken out, orderly! His orderly appeared and stood at attention. The Chief of Staff said, I have a bottle of vodka in my office thats been cherished for a long time. Theres no reason to let the Prussian bastards have itbring it here! Momentster, the vodka arrived on the table, along with the sses. The Chief of Staff took a ss from the orderly, waved his hand, and said, Dont need you to serve, you better change into civilian clothes and run. Orderlies arent really soldiers, the Prussians wont treat you as a prisoner of war. The orderly hesitated, then bowed and left. The Chief of Staff ced the filled ss in front of the Front Army Bishop, Come on, lets drink. The Bishop picked up the ss and gulped it down. As the Chief of Staff poured another, he said, If we had listened to Rokossovskys suggestion at the beginning Dont talk about it, the Front Army Bishop cut him off. At that time, it was impossible to give up Argesukov and retreat under any circumstance. I didnt say retreat. I mean, following his suggestion to set up defenses in the north, to dig in like he did, waiting for the enemy to attack. Perhaps the situation would have been better than this, maybe we could have even held the line. The Bishop sighed, Its really hard to say. These days weve fought the Prussians across various terrains. They tend to gain a handsome exchange ratio most of the time. Even when we are the defenders. This is not something that can be changed just by adding a few advanced weapons. With the quality of our soldiers, introducing new weapons might end up being used by the enemy as a bridal gown. The Chief of Staff said, The Naval Infantry has achieved quite satisfactory results though. Naval Infantry has high recruitment standards. Most of our soldiers have at most a tenth-grade education, while Naval Infantrymen are mostly high school graduates, plus their training time is also longer. We simply cantpare, the Bishop shook his head. The Chief of Staff said, Yet Rokossovsky has achieved a fairly good exchange ratio. If he survives, I really want to hear his experience sharing. The Front Army Bishopughed, Lets talk about getting out first. He drank the vodka in one gulp and pushed the ss forward, However, by the time we begin the breakout, it might be a week from now. The Chief of Staff nodded, About right. By then, the units that can run would have almost all run outor been crushed on the breakout road, and it would be time for us to lead thest of the troops out. At this moment, the staff officer burning documents came over to salute, Reporting sir, all documents have been burned. The Chief of Staff said, Very well. You will join the 41st Infantry Army as nned and start the breakout. Yes! The staff officer saluted, but didnt leave immediately. Whats wrong, not leaving? the Bishop asked. The officer said, I just want to wish you luck. The Chief of Staff raised his ss, Likewise, good luck to you as well. The Front Army Bishop said, I heard that when Rokossovsky and Kiriyenko said goodbye, the former said theyd meet in Ploseni and actually had beef stew with potatoes before breaking out. Now both of them are at Ye Fort. The Chief of Staff said, We probably cant get beef stew with potatoes now, but we can still say See you in Ploseni!'' ` He turned to the staff officers who were reluctant to leave and said, Farewell to Prosenia! The staff officers, deeply moved, echoed in unison, Farewell to Prosenia! The bishop raised his ss and dered, Farewell to Prosenia! Then, the two highest-ranking officers of the Front Army watched as the staff officers departed. If it werent for that order from His Majesty the Tsar, we could have let these young men follow the nes, the chief of staff said. Now, to prove theyre not deserting, they must charge out with the troops. The Front Army bishop said, Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince fought bravely to the end. At least now we dont have to worry about the troops morale. Chief of Staff: Although morale cant make up for the gap in tactics and skills. I wonder how long it will take to reim Argesukov. Its probably going to take a long time, said the bishop. Arise, the great nation, for a battle of life and death! In the music room on the second floor of Ante Modern Music magazines office, Marusin, the magazines featured male singer, sang with vigor. To obliterate the Prosen forces, to annihte the vile band of criminals! Let the noblest wrath, Roll like waves! The magazines makeshift orchestra yed an uplifting melody that was sad yetced with anger, evoking a sense of sanctity simr to a hymn. Just by listening to this song, one could envision countless Ante men, rushing to the battlefield without a second thought. Marusin held the lyrics in his hand. He had seen the lyrics for only half an hour and had heard the tune even less, but he was already able to sing it quite perfectly. This was not only because of his exceptional professional skills but also because the song resonated with him. As Marusin sang, he felt a fiery rage welling up inside him. Though he was not on the frontline, he felt as if he was there. Let the noblest wrath, Roll like waves! Carry on the peoples war,n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The Holy War! This chorus had apletely different rhythm and melody from the main tune, which quickened significantly, like the rapid firing of artillery. After finishing the song, an excited Marusin asked Oshanin, the editor-in-chief, Are you really going to let me sing this? I just need to find a crowded ce, and after singing it, Ill be remembered. Oshanin, the editor-in-chief, replied, Are you not willing? No, you will be. The selection meeting for the music to be used in the national funeral and public memorial service is about to start. Go up and sing it, apanied by our little orchestra. The song itself is excellent enough that even we amateurs can bring out its power! At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Come in! No sooner had Oshanin finished speaking than the door to the music room opened, and dimir Bradsky, a special consultant for Ante Modern Music magazine and a professor at the Department of Music at Ye Fort University, entered. What was that music just now? The professor, abandoning all decorum, called out, Who wrote it? Oshanin, surprised, asked, You heard it? Arge crowd has already gathered downstairs, all drawn by the music. What was that music? A new piece from the church? After all, it has a hymnal feel to it. Oshanin replied, No, it was written by Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. The professor frowned, Him? Ah, wait a moment. The main melody does seem familiar; its the same as the melody that orchestra conductor was making fun of yesterday at the Musicians Club. Oshanin frowned, The melody that was made fun of? Yes, Rokossovsky scolded the orchestra conductor harshly yesterday, then hummed a melody. Irritated, the conductor returned to the club and told all of us who were ying bridge about it, and he hummed it too. But Ive only heard it once just now, I cant be sure. Show me the sheet music. Oshanin immediately took out the original score they had just copied and handed it to Professor Bradsky. The professor scrutinized the music sheet and frowned, Is this Rokossovskys handwriting? No, I also found it strange. The general is in Ye Fort, but looking at the postmark on this letter, it was only sent from Shostka this morning. Shostka? The professors brow contorted even more, Thats quite a coincidence. Whats the matter? asked Oshanin. Nothing, the professor shook his head, Hurry up and rehearse. I think this song should be presented at the uing selection meeting. The entire country should hear this song on the day of the public memorial. It will greatly boost our morale. Chapter 226: He Still Sides with You (33,000 Monthly Votes Plus) Wang Zhong had originally nned to attend the award ceremony first, as scheduled. However, upon arrival, he was informed that the church had interfered with the award ceremony, pushing the event back to the morning of August 13th. The Tsars proxy at the ceremony, the Grand Duchess, had other matters to attend to and couldnt be present for the time being. Having been stood up, Wang Zhong could only turn around and head to the music selection event. Ludm, on the other hand, was quite happy, This is just like joyriding in Ye Fort, and although I know its not right to say this during a time of war, but joyriding is so fun. Wang Zhongughed, Theres nothing wrong with that. Its like ying cards between two fights, nothing of consequence. You were against the ball just yesterday! Ludm protested, I was all prepared, and it all went to waste! Wang Zhong could only look to the side. At that moment, Grigori, the driver, mmed on the brakes and turned around to say, Weve arrived at the Grand Theater, the address on the invitation is here.Ludm asked with curiosity, Grigori, howe youre so familiar with the names of ces in Ye Fort? Grigori replied, Because of my height, I was first stationed in the Ye Fort Royal Guard. It wasnt untilter that I was transferred to the Third Amur Group. I basically got to know theyout of Ye Fort while in the Guard. Wang Zhong remarked, Then we can count on you if we ever have to fight street battles in Ye Fort. Ludm was shocked, Will ite to street fighting in Ye Fort? Wang Zhong stated, I dont know. Anything can happen on the battlefield. However, my basic judgment remains unchanged; mud and harsh winters will weaken the Prussians, and well push the front back a bit during the winter. But the war will continue. As he said this, he got out of the car and quickly moved to Ludms side. Ludm had intended to get out of the car by herself, but seeing Wang Zhonging over, she smiled slightly and extended her hand, giving her fianc an opportunity. After helping her out of the car, Wang Zhong took her hand and they walked towards the theater, while Grigori handed the car over to an approaching valet and followed them with a submachine gun slung over his shoulder. The Grand Theater had a row of Romanesque columns that looked quite majestic up close, but all Wang Zhong could think about was where to set up a machine gun to lock down the entire staircase. He guessed this symptom wouldnt go away until the war was over. Reaching the top of the steps and looking at the entrance of the Grand Theater, Wang Zhong surveyed the surroundings, Why is there no one here to greet us? Ohe on, you gave them a hard timest night, so theyre giving you a hard time today. Youre not thinking of drawing your gun and charging in, are you? Dont be like that. I suggested from the start that you should act as if this invitation didnt exist. But since you insisted on reviewing the music, were here, so just bear with it, Ludm said, effectively extinguishing the impulse inside Wang Zhong. He smiled faintly at her and wrapped his arm around her as they walked in. As they approached the main door, a group of maidservants appeared, opened the doors, and bowed to Wang Zhong, General Rokossovsky, wee to the Grand Theater. Wang Zhong was utterly baffled, Are you here to wee me? Werent you supposed to give me a hard time? Whats the meaning of this? Then Grand Duchess Olga emerged. Both Wang Zhong and Ludm were stunned. The Grand Duchess said, The Court Chambein asked me to attend this selection event to show the Royal Familys interest in this activity. Since the award ceremony was canceled, I came over here willingly. Ludm said, You came over because the award ceremony was canceled? Your Highness, are all your activities today to meet with Alyosha? No, this is thest event where Ill meet him. I wont be able to attend your officers dinner tonight, the Grand Duchess replied with a slight smile. Wang Zhong abruptly changed the subject, Why was the award ceremony canceled? The church said they needed to revise the battle g and title awarded to your troops, so they canceled the ceremony, Olga paused before switching topics, I heard you scolded the orchestra conductorst night? You called the music heposed for you effeminate? Yeah, did that reach the pce too? Because after that, the orchestra conductor went to a club frequented by musicians andined bitterly. They also mocked the melody youposed, calling it trash. What was the song? Could I please have a listen? Just as Wang Zhong was about to answer, Ludm beat him to it, There will be other opportunities, Your Highness. Its not good for us to be blocking the entrance like this. Youre right, Olga said with a slight smile, Then lets go in. She turned and walked down the grand corridor of the theater interior. Wang Zhong wanted to follow her, but Ludm pulled him back, waiting until all of the Grand Duchesss maidservants had caught up before following behind them. Thats more in keeping with protocol, Ludm murmured into Wang Zhongs ear, Not that Im jealous. Wang Zhong replied, Id actually be happier if you were jealous, really. Then I am, said Ludm, Happy now? Wang Zhong nodded affirmatively, Yes!No, no, not happy, I dare not be happy. As they entered the Grand Theater, they found the audience seats filled with Ye Forts socialitesor at least those who appeared to be. They were paying their respects to Grand Duchess Olga. Ludm was pulling Wang Zhong, discreetly moving to the side. An attendant came over to show the way, General Rocossovsky, your seat is over here. The attendant led Wang Zhong and his group to the edge of the auditorium seats, Since inviting you was ast-minute decision, you can only sit here. Wang Zhong said, If I sit in this position, sometimes my voice wont be able to reach the people on stage. If that happens, I may choose to fire a gun. Are you sure thats all right? The attendantughed, Dont worry, the acoustic design of the theater is very advanced. You just need to slightly lift your chin and speak towards that wall. Your voice will carry very clearly throughout the entire theater, just like now. At this moment, quite a few people were looking over here. But most of them had no intention ofing over to shake hands A well-dressed middle-aged gentleman, apanied by a 40-something old academic with a monocle, walked over together. The gentleman handed over a business card, I am Oshanin, the editor-in-chief of Ante Modern Music magazine. This is Professor dimir Bradsky next to me. The professor took over, saying, Professor at Ye Fort Universitys department of music. I have a small question, Duke Rocossov, do you have a young man in your troop named Vasily dimirovich Bradsky? Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow; he had forgotten Vasilys full name, but since the person before him was a music professor and it matched up, he confirmed and asked, Could it be that you and your son are not on good terms? I think he should be aposer, but he went off to enlist! Well, that hit the mark. Wang Zhong said, Vasily is indeed in my troop. Because he is fluent in Prussian, he interprets Prussian radiomunications. Would you like me to pass on a message from you? No, no, the editor with me received an express letter around noon, from Shostka. Do you have any idea what this could mean? Wang Zhong frowned, wondering if Vasily had written a song and sent it over, and it was received by this editor Oshanin? But, he had only hummed a tune in front of Vasily. Had he unconsciously sung the lyrics? Wang Zhong said, I hummed an off-tune melody in front of him, which might have inspired his musicposition. If The Holy War had truly beenposed by Vasily, Wang Zhong wouldnt mind giving credit to Vasily. After all, he wasnt the original creator of the piece; he was merely a transporter. Besides, he had just brought the tune over. If Vasily could turn it into a fullposition, that was his brilliance. It wouldnt be excessive to credit him. And if he also happened to fill in the lyrics, then even more so it would be right to let him have the credit. However, the professor shook his head, No, no, I know that child too well. If its his work, he would never let it go. If he lists you as theposer, then it is definitely you. The lyrics are written by Filippov. Do you know this Filippov? Wang Zhong replied, Hes a good brother Vasily met at the military academy. The two of them survived the brutal Loktov Defense and the Orachi Rearguard Battle. The professor hesitated for a moment, then said, If they have such talent, can we get them transferred back to Ye Fort to focus solely on musicposition? Boosting morale is also an important job. Wang Zhong said, Youd have to speak with Vasily about that yourself. Shostka is still safe, the enemy is about a hundred kilometers away, and you could go see him. The professor frowned, No! I will not go see him! Unless hees to apologize to me! Good heavens, this father and son pair do have simrities. At this moment, Ludm spoke, Dont let stubbornness turn into regret. You should go see him. The professor was clearly hesitant. Then the orchestra conductor called out from afar, Mr. Oshanin, the auditions are about to begin. Please hurry over! Oshanin called out loudly, Alright. However, respected conductor, I request a change in the order of the auditions. We have a new program we just rehearsed to perform. The conductors face showed disagreement. At that moment, dimir Bradsky spoke, I support changing the order of the auditions. This song is deserving! Of course, its The Holy War. But what Bradsky said next was, After all, its aposition by war hero Rocossov, its real music from the battlefield! With that statement, a buzz arose throughout the venue. It was true, the theaters acoustic design was impressive, a whisper suddenly bing as loud as a marketce. The conductor frowned, This we have a procedure. To add an undered piece is already not in ordance with the regtions, to ce it before everyone else doesnt seem right Just then, from the Royal Familys box, Olga said, I think its alright. If its just cutting in at the very beginning, theres no need to change the rest of the procedure, it just pushes everything back a bit. Besides, conductor, if General Rocossovs music is really so unbearable to listen to, wouldnt it be better to show it to everyone first? That way, the general wont have any reasons to raise objectionster, right? The musicians looked at each other. Ludm then whispered into Wang Zhongs ear, She still supports you so much, Your Highness. Wang Zhong instantly broke out in a sweat.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om At that moment, the conductor sighed, Since editor-in-chief Oshanin and Professor Bradsky hold it in such high regard, lets listen to it first then, this music from the battlefield. Chapter 227: Resounding Through Ekaterinburg Fortress (34,000 Monthly Votes Plus Update) Chapter 227: Resounding Through Ekaterinburg Fortress (34,000 Monthly Votes Plus Update) ` After everyone had taken their seats, Editor-in-chief Oshanin stepped onto the conductors podium. Within the music pit, there was only a small orchestra. Wang Zhong heard someone ridicule, Isnt the orchestra just made up of their magazine editors? I remember theyre all amateurs, arent they? Without a single professional musician, what can they possibly perform? Another person responded, I didnt even hear about this n until yesterday. They might have had to hurriedly push ducks onto perches today. Indeed, this could be to make a fool of the general! If its to make a fool of the general, then what was their intention when they came over to greet us just now? Wang Zhong could hear these gossipers especially clearly, perhaps due to the unique acoustics of the concert hall. Ludm clutched his arm the whole time, truly looking as though she feared he would draw his gun and start shooting again.Wang Zhong couldnt help but reassure her, What do you take me for? I wont draw a gun. You say that! But you drew your gun yesterday when we went to the club! You might well have developed a habit, resolving problems subconsciously by drawing a gun. Wang Zhong was left speechless, but since Ludm was pressing his hand in such a delightful manner, he didnt say anything else. Editor-in-chief Oshanin was already prepared on the conducting tform, and after exchanging a nce with the soloist, he lightly flicked the conductors baton. The music started. As soon as Wang Zhong recognized the melody, he rxed: it was just a rearranged version of The Holy War, with a rhythm that felt like a heavy heartbeat at the beginningsomething he was all too familiar with. The previously chattering musicians all fell silent. The slightly plump male singer began to sing. The words seemed a bit different from the original, but the overall tone was correct. Wang Zhongpletely rxed, knowing the song would be a sessas long as those musicians didnt act in bad faith, they had to admit it was an outstanding battle hymn. Suddenly, Ludm pinched Wang Zhongs arm so hard it hurt, preventing him from focusing on the song; he had to turn and look at the source of the pain. Ludms eyes were wet, and while pinching Wang Zhongs arm violently, she kept wiping her tears and runny nose with a handkerchief. Distracted by his fiance, Wang Zhong was unable to concentrate on the song and instead looked around, only to discover that most of the noblewomen were tight-faced, while the older gentlemen all appeared moved. Well, the noblewomen, who had never experienced war and didnt care about it, remained unaffected. Had the gentlemen been naturally stirred by the songs solemnity? But almost immediately, Wang Zhong spotted an exception: Crown Princess Olga had stood up in her box, pressing her hands against the railing. Such theatres are designed for optimal listening from seated positions; Olgas behavior of standing up during the performance was actually impolite. But the Crown Princess probably didnt care about that anymore. When the song ended, the entire theatre was eerily quiet. The next moment, led by the Crown Princess, pping started, and while pping, she shouted, Brilliant! I could almost see my brother resolutely charging toward the enemy! No, in fact, this has nothing to do with personal courage; its a song that glorifies the entire nation, glorifying the fighting people, Your Highness! Just as Wang Zhong was seriously considering whether or not to stand up and exin this to the princess, Professor dimir Bradsky stood up: This does not only celebrate individual bravery! In my opinion, this song praises the countless ordinary people who rushed to the battlefield. It glorifies the entire Ante nation! This song didnt use any fanciful arrangement techniques. Had it been homework submitted in one of my music theory sses, I probably wouldnt have given a high grade. However, as a war hymn, it is perfect! No sooner had the professor finished speaking than someone objected, But the lyrics of this song speak of the peoples war. Isnt it inappropriate for use at the state funeral of the Crown Prince and Duke Rokossovsky? Exactly, another concurred. Its almost as if the song was tailor-made for the Church, especially with that hymn-like chorus. Olga spoke up again, No! Its very appropriate! My brother would have definitely loved this song! Definitely! Wang Zhong suddenly remembered that he, too, was a rtive of someone enjoying a state funeral, so after the princess, he said, When I was writing it, I also thought of my fathers face, and the smile of my dear friend Ivan! Are you questioning the depth of my rtionship with the two martyred heroes? The critics fell silent immediately. Then the leader of the Ye Fort Orchestra spoke, I have to admit the song is very impressive. Even though the melody is indeed what General Rokossovsky hummedst night, but the listening experience ispletely different from when the major hummed it yesterday. May I ask, who arranged this piece? Surely General Rokossovsky didnt do the arrangement himself? I doubt the general has such professional expertise Wang Zhong openly admitted, Thats right, the arrangement wasnt mine, and even the lyrics werent mine. I merely provided a melody; it was the arranger who expanded it into a musical piece. The orchestra leader immediately revealed a triumphant smile, Then isnt it somewhat inappropriate that only the majors name is written as theposer? Bradsky spoke up, I know the person who transcribed the majors music onto the score, and his character ensures he would never take credit for himself. Trust me, even if seven or eight parts of the songs sess are his doing, as long as the original tune came from the major, theposer wont sign their name, absolutely not. When the professor spoke, his tone was one of boasting about his own son, his air of pride akin to that of an angler who hadnded a ten-pound fish, wishing everyone would carry the fish around the world and brag with a megaphone. Then Crown Princess Olga said, I think the music for the state and public funeral should follow this one. General Rokossovsky, can you write more? Wang Zhong was terrified at the prospect of the princess calling out Alyosha in public. But she didnt. Instead, she used General Rokossovsky, which was much better. Last time she seemed to have called him Alyosha directly; possibly considering it was a public asion this time, she used a more formal appetion. Wang Zhong: I apologize, Your Highness, but as you know, Im actually not skilled in music. When we were children, you and Ivan Highness yed the piano and the violin, and I could only p my hands to the rhythm. I cant even y the drums. ` I also heard this song in a dream, so I remembered it.N?v(el)B\\jnn What Wang Zhong meant was that the world before he transmigrated seemed like a dream to him. As soon as these words were spoken, everyone drew a sharp breath. Wang Zhong was stunned, what was going on? Ludm whispered in his ear, Saint Andrew once said the same thing, that he heard melodies in a dream, and thus he wrote them down. Was Saint Andrew a predecessor? Or did he truly hear angels singing to him? After all, this world really does have mystic forces. Instead of thetter possibility, Wang Zhong rather hoped that Saint Andrew was a predecessor. At this moment, Professor Bradsky broke the silence, Then lets settle on this song as the first one! I think we should organize the orchestra to learn it right away and then perform at the train station! The youths from all over the country are gathering there to embark on their journey, heading to the front lines. They need this song to boost their morale! Before the orchestras conductor could reply, another tall and thin gentleman stood up, Agreed. Your Excellency, Conductor, I think the orchestra should start rehearsing this song immediately and strive to perform at the train station by tomorrow morning. Wang Zhong asked Ludm, Who was that speaking? The vice-conductor of the orchestra, and hes very close to the Church, Liu Xia answered. Wow, the Church has infiltrated every aspect, hasnt it? The conductor stared at the vice-conductor for a while before saying, You are correct, Aleksandrovich, go and organize the rehearsal. The vice-conductor immediately saluted and then strode up to the stage to ask Editor-in-Chief Oshanin for the score. As he came down with the score, he also saluted Wang Zhong. The conductor, looking deted like a withered radish, cleared his throat and said, Then lets continue with the procedure, start the selection I would like to hear this song again, Olga, the Crown Princess, interrupted the conductor, What is the name of this song? Editor-in-Chief Oshanin on stage rubbed his nose awkwardly and said, Its called The Night of July 15th at Argesukov, a Serendipitous Composition.'' Wang Zhong wanted tough; Vasily took the time he hummed Heng as the title of the song. And he got the date wrong too, it was the night he met Aunt Alexeyevna. Oshanin turned to Wang Zhong, Your Excellency, General, is this the name of the song? Wang Zhong shook his head, No, the song is called The Holy War. Olga, the Crown Princess, asked, Did you also hear this one in a dream? Wang Zhong nodded, Yes, Saint Andrew told me. Having already unwittingly stepped on andmine, he might as well step down harder to scare this lot of vermin. Sure enough, his words again stirred up waves of shock. But the Crown Princess Olgaughed heartily, as though she took it all as a joke, Major General Rokossov, you really have a sense of humor. Wang Zhong also smiled. A littleter, at the Eastern Holy Churchs Great Cathedral of Maria. The Grand Patriarch Belinsky took a sip of Triana wine and let out a satisfied sound. At that moment, a Judge came in with a report, Your Eminence, this is a piece of music just sent to Ante Modern Music magazine by Major General Rokossov. Oh? Major General Rokossov writes music as well? Didnt I hearst night that he had offended the entire music world? What, is he now writing songs trying to win back favor? This is not good; no one can excel in everything, theres no need for him to save face in music too. As Belinsky spoke, he gestured for the Judge to bring the piece of music over. The Judge immediately handed the score to Belinsky. Hmm, Belinsky didnt understand the score, nced at it briefly, and then tossed aside the sheet asking, Whats the reaction from the musicians? Theyre extremely shocked, even Ye Forts conductor, who had a grudge against the Major General, thinks its a good piece. Belinsky was surprised: Really? He picked up the score again, This oh, there are lyrics, lets see Let noble fury boil over like waves! Fight the peoples fight, the sacred battle The Grand Patriarch looked at the Judge, Go and ask the Propaganda Department if they were the ones who fed these words to the General. They werent, said the Judge with certainty, Both the Propaganda Department and the Hymn Department say it has nothing to do with them. Belinsky raised his eyebrows, Investigate this lyricist, Filippov. And confirm again if this was indeed written by the General. Chapter 228: Another Father Chapter 228: Another Father Wang Zhong had no idea that his song had already made its way to the church. He only knew that after Oshanin yed the song with some enthusiasts, his own speaking rights suddenly increased. He even felt that after every music piece ended, everyone was waiting for him to say a few words. The presence of Grand Duchess Olga only strengthened this feeling. At the end of every song, the host would anxiously watch Wang Zhong, checking if he intended to make a sharp critique. However, Wang Zhong himself was quite self-aware, so he only spoke up to scold the effeminate tunes when the performance of a song was obviously poor, to uphold the solemnity of his good brethren and his fathers funeral. By the time the two and a half hour audition finished, Wang Zhongs legs had nearly gone numb. Ludm smiled, pulling him up, and said, Are you really the fierce general who gallops across the battlefield? Wang Zhong: When I gallop across the battlefield, I mainly rely on my little tank.After saying this, Wang Zhong seemed to hear the neighing of horses and quickly added, And my beloved horse. Ludm sighed, Your answer reminds me that on the battlefield, you cared more about tanks and horses than me! Thats a misunderstanding! Wang Zhong said seriously, My concern for you is the same as that for my horse and tank! Ludm looked at Wang Zhong with a teasing smile, while the surrounding young noblewomen already looked at her with sympathetic eyes. Only then did Wang Zhong realize something seemed off, so he corrected himself, I care about you more than the horses and the tank! Hahaha, I dont believe you. Ludm said after a dryugh. Just as Wang Zhong was about to make amends, she sighed deeply, Oh well, it seems all men are the same. When Uncle Connie and my father gathered, they would be bursting with enthusiasm talking about what phase of the campaign, which generals unit arrived where on what date You will probably be the same in the future. Wang Zhong looked aside because he also felt that he would be just like that. It was then that Professor dimir Bradsky approached with some trepidation and asked, Er, General, do you really think I should go to Shostka to see Vasily? Wang Zhong: Dont hesitate, go quickly. Shostka is normal for now, even running a regr civilian passenger train each day. But it wont be this rxed for much longer. Wang Zhong had intended to say that it wouldnt be this rxed by mid-September, but at this time, it wasnt appropriate to leak military judgments, so he could only say so much. Bradsky, holding his hat, rubbed it nervously, Theres a great waring, right? Would it be taboo to visit my son in the army at such a time? Ive heard that the army is a very superstitious ce, where some people carry amulets into battle, believing that if they lose them, theyll never returnstuff like that So is there any superstition that if you see your family before a war, youll be doomed in the future? Wang Zhong: No, not at all. Rest assured. War doesnt take such kind considerations, death arrives without warning and it doesnt rte to your actions. Ludm quickly poked his waist, then smiled and said, What the Lieutenant Colonel means is, just ease your mind and go. Bring whatever good food you should. The professor nodded repeatedly, ready to leave, then suddenly remembered something, and asked, Does Vasily hate me? Wang Zhong: Hes always grumbling that you forced him to be aposer, nothing else beyond that. The professor heaved a sigh: Im different from other parents. I saw his talent and steered him in that direction! As you can see, he really has the talent! Wang Zhong had to admit that Vasily did indeed have the talent to make something of a song after hearing it just once, the father before him wasnt wrong. So he said, Maybe you should have a proper talk with him? Not as a father or an elder giving instructions, but as a friend, just a good, friendly chat? The professor was shocked, But I am his father and elder! How can I possibly be his friend? Ive discovered his talent and shown him the best path! As a father, I have a clear conscience! Your Excellency, if you were a father, you could I am not a father yet. Wang Zhong smiled slightly, Though I look weathered, its the imprint of war, Im actually not even 30 years old. I have no experience as a father, so Im sorry, I cant rte to you. All I can tell you is that Vasily hopes you can respect him, wanting to share a drink with you as a friend. Actually, here, Wang Zhong was expressing his own wish. Before he crossed over, he had hoped to have a drink with his father, to chat as friends. But now that was a wish that could never be fulfilled. Thinking this still brought a bit of sorrow. The empathetic Liu Xia looked at Wang Zhong tenderly. The professor sighed, Alright, alright, I understand what you mean. Ill bring a bottle of wine and have a good chat with him. Wang Zhong: As friends. Ill try. The professor smiled, turned to leave, but then had another thought and asked, Can I bring my wife along, too? Is there any taboo in that? Wang Zhongughed, No, rest assured. After saying this, Wang Zhong suddenly thought, if Vasily were to die this time, would the couple think it was because they had vited some taboo and caused his death? In such a case, it would be better to concoct a taboo for them to be mindful of at all times. Just as sailors shouldnt flip fish over while eating, and other such superstitions. But before Wang Zhong could spin such a tale, the professor had already left, walking away while putting on his crumpled hat. Ludm said softly, What a lovely father. You can tell he loves Vasily very, very much.N?v(el)B\\jnn Yes. Wang Zhong nodded. It was at this moment that Grand Duchess Olga appeared: Finally, its over. I heard that tonight you will be inviting young officers to a dance at the estate? A dinner party. Wang Zhong corrected. Ludm said jokingly, Alyosha doesnt want to entertain thedies; he only wants to entertain the young men. Wang Zhong didnt deny it. Olga sighed, That means you are definitely noting to the court ball tonight. Definitely not, Wang Zhong answered. Then the ball is going to be very boring, Olga pouted. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something that pleased her, she said, Then I will have the orchestra y The Holy War during the interlude between two dances! Wang Zhong was shocked. He could already imagine how someone was going to have high blood pressure tonight. Ludm changed the subject, Is His Majesty the Tsar still the same? Still the same, locked in his room all day long; the good news is that he is eating. Wang Zhong nodded, trying hard to appear concerned for His Majesty the Tsar. The Grand Duchess Olga said, Well then, Im going back. I hope you have a good time tonight. That evening, in the outskirts of Ye Fort, at the Rokossovsky Estate. Arge number of young military officers gathered in the garden set up for an open-air banquet. Many were familiar faces from the previous experience sharing session, like Kashuk. There were also officers like Kiriyenko, who could hardly be considered young, but werent old either, mingling among them. If there was one thing that united all the officers gathered at the estate at that moment, it was that they had all personally faced off against the Prussians at the front. Due to ckout regtions, only the food area was illuminated by candlelight; the rest of the venue was bathed in moonlight. In these circumstances, if this had been a dance, many indecent things were likely to happen. But this was not a dance. The young officers were not discussing women but war. Wang Zhong discovered a smoked herring sd at the food station which smelled terrible, but after one bite, he fell in love with the taste. As he was enjoying the food, several Armored Troops officers arrived at the food station. It was so dark that they didnt notice Wang Zhong and were chatting among themselves: The content of the session the day before yesterday was very useful, but those who went up to share were all people who had won battles, or at least held their ground and then retreated in one piece, so they only introduced how they won, not how they lost. Yeah, I think how they lost would be more valuable to share, one said. Wang Zhong, upon hearing this, was very interested and asked, So how did they lose? He intentionally blocked his own major generals epaulettes and changed his voice to be somewhat different from Rocossov. The Armored Troops officers nced at Wang Zhong, and, seeing that he was infantry, spoke openly: How we lost? You infantry would definitely not understand, but we are all too familiar with it. My unit, the First Tank Army, is the rich army of the entire Western Front Army. We have arge number of new tanks. Just KV-1s alone we have 40, and 20 KV-2s! Do you know the KV-2? We call it toilet bowl head, that thing is equipped with a 152mm heavy howitzer! Our army also has 80 T-34s, you understand? 80! The moment there was armored contact, the Prussians were dumbfounded. They had never seen such terrifying tanks! And so many of them! Guess how we got finished? Wang Zhong thought of the fate of the Sixth Tank Army and said, 88 guns? No no no, the officer from the First Tank Army shook his hands repeatedly, Guess again. Wang Zhong: Stukas? Those indeed destroyed a few, but not many. Actually, the efficiency of Stuka attacks isnt as high as the Prussians advertise. Guess again! Wang Zhong: I cant guess. You tell me. The officer sighed deeply: We lost because, other than tanks, wecked everything! How many support troops does a Prussian tank division have? Each armored battalion has three battalions, and some divisions even only two. The rest are all support troops. Armored grenadiers, artillery, anti-air battalions, logistics regiments, maintenance battalions They have everything! An armored battalion can even be directly supported by a grenadier battalion, with half-tracks outnumbering tanks! And us? It would be good if a toon could get a squad of infantry, sometimes a tank toon could only get an infantry squad. We may not have enough infantry, but thats not allour equipment is also poor. Buddy, how many machine guns does your infantry battalion have? Wang Zhong: Depends on which battalion, but my Guard 31st Battalion has 114 light machine guns. Mainly because we captured a lot of enemy light machine guns. See! 114! The entire Tank Armys affiliated infantry only has 81 light machine guns. Our infantrys firepower cantpare with the enemys armored grenadiers; we get suppressed as soon as we engage and then were shattered. Then the enemys infantry can deal with our tanks in closebat! The enemy also likes to throw smoke! As you know, with smoke everywhere and no infantry to apany, tanks are just sitting ducks! We alsock tractors. My division, the entire division has only seven tractors, and they are all the artillerys, used to tow cannons! If a tank gets stuck in a ditch, there isnt a tractor to pull it out. Many tanks were abandoned on the battlefield like this, without even fighting! The divisionmander was speaking passionately when he suddenly stopped, Wait a minute, what did you say about your unit just now? Wang Zhong: Guard 31st Battalion. The divisionmander: Are you Major General Rocossov? Correct. I will reflect all your grievances to the Ordnance Department. We will also try to push for morebined arms units, to fill up other technical service branches for you. The divisionmander shook his head, Its no use, unless General Sergey, the head of the Ordnance Department, is reced, he will only continue to expand the tank forces, endlessly creating disabled tank armies thatck everything except for tanks, and then they will be farmed by the enemy as battle achievements. Chapter 229: Today We Reunite Like Family As soon as the tank brigademander had finished speaking, another colonel spoke up, The infantrycks machine guns because theyre all mounted on tanks! Theres only so much production capacity for machine guns, and if they go to the tanks, there are fewer avable for the infantry! Moreover, the number of machine guns on tanks is unnecessarily high. Inbat, that machine gun on the back of the turret is utterly useless! Originally, the BT7 has a two-man turret; during battle, theyre too busy to death, who has the time to operate the machine gun at the back of the turret! Wang Zhong couldnt help but give a wry smile. He hadmanded a T28 himself, which had a machine gun at the back of the turret intended for themander to use, but Wang Zhongpletely forgot about the existence of that machine gun. Hrious, who has time to turn around and fire the rear machine gun when you cant even keep up with the action in front? The BT7 also had a machine gun on the back of its turret. When Wang Zhong stood at the back of the BT7 turret tomand the tank, the only use of this machine gun was to asionally punch him in the stomach. By the way, at first Wang Zhong was still worried that this machine gun would misfire and kill him. Then themander of the BT7 assured him not to worry because the machine gun wasnt even loaded with ammunition; the ammo had been moved to save space. Before he crossed over, Wang Zhong had read many memoirs of Soviet tankers. Either they forgot about the existence of this machine gun and never mentioned it, or theyined that it took up a lot of space in the turret and couldnt be used. Yet this rear-facing machine gun persisted. It was present in most tanks at the beginning of the war, as well as the midte IS1, and thete-IS2, until it was finally removed in the IS3 that only made it to the victory parade. One couldnt help but suspect that this machine gun at the back of the turret was a personal preference of some designer.By the way, many yearster there was a hugely humorous end to this story. In War Thunder, a war game made by Russians themselves, all the rear-facing machine guns were just rendered models and had no firing function whatsoever. This design, like the initial removal of the tankmander in the BT series, became theughingstock of Russian tank design. Before Wang Zhong crossed over, he thought the troops probably had no objections. Now it seems that the troops had a lot ofints; its unknown why the Ordnance Department didnt adopt them. Even adding amander to the T3485 was only on the T3485 improvement model. The original version of the T3485 only added an observation tower for the gunner to enhance his vision when not operating the main gun. Just reading the text description already sends ones blood pressure through the roof. Wang Zhong thought to himself that now he was here, he could take a gun, take out the stubborn designer who wouldnt admit his mistakes, and rece him with a designer who would meet the demands of the troops. While thinking about this, the tankers continued to have a heated discussion: To be honest, I cant understand the use of having two coaxial machine guns in the turret. One machine gun canplete most of the tasks. Is having an extra machine gun going to make the Prussians die more thoroughly? The turret space is already small; adding another machine gun just makes it more cramped. It would be better to have space for more machine gun ammunition. Another said, Yeah, removing the rear machine gun would allow us to carry a lot more ammo. The maggots at the Ordnance Department dont understand tanks at all! Even if they dont understand, wouldnt it be good to just copy the Prussian tanks? The Prussian tanks weve destroyed dont have rear machine guns and havemanders, and their new models even have observation towers for them. It was then that a balding middle-aged man leaned in and spoke in a low voice, Stop talking. The rear-firing machine gun and the elimination of the tankmander were the ideas of His Majesty the Tsars favorite, Valentin. He, just like General Skorobo, enjoys the Tsars deep trust, and even General Sergey doesnt weigh as much in the Tsars presence as Valentin does. He oversaw the design of the B4 howitzer and the T35 heavy tank, both of which are very much loved by the Tsar. All the tankmanders present furrowed their brows. Wang Zhong said, It seems everyone is well aware of how terrible the T35 piece of junk is. How could we not know? The tank school uses that piece of crap as a ssroom vehicle because its big enough to hold more people for a lecture. The brigademander who had just spoken said, frowning. Well, turns out theres that connection. Wang Zhong patted his chest, The erroneous path of the Ordnance Department will be corrected by me. Ill try toe up with a new tank with amander and a radio based on my Parade T34 by next year. All the tank operators expressions brightened up, Really? Ive been to the repair factory to see your tank, number 422. Its really good. Wang Zhongs vehicle actually returned to Ye Fort earlier than the others. At that time, these vehicles didnte off the train; they were sent directly to Ye Fort to return to the factory. Wang Zhong confidently patted his chest, For real. In fact, as part of a royal special project, I had Ye Forts Combined Machinery Factory start on a hundred Parade Tanks. Officially, theyre for the National Founding Day parade, but in reality, theyre prepared to be sent to the front lines forbat. My division only has one tank battalion; it definitely cant handle all 100 tanks, so we can probably form two more battalions. Who gets the Parade Tanks is up to the royal family; I can pull some strings. In reality, it was Princess Olga who had the final say. Which basically meant that I, Wang Zhong, had the final say. The officers all had a knowing look. But clearly, their understanding might have a slight deviation from what Wang Zhong meant. At that moment, the brigademander who had spoken before suggested, We finally heard some good news today. Lets toast to celebrate! He turned to those present and called out loudly, Gentlemen! Just now the general promised us that there would be more and better tanks for the tankers and more machine guns for the infantry! Let us raise our sses to General Rokossovsky! All the officers picked up their wine sses; those who didnt have one quickly asked a waiter for one. Soon, everyone held up their drinks. Wang Zhong picked up a ss of red wine and looked at everyone, Gentlemen! Today, it feels as if a big family has reunited. Im so happy! He raised his ss. Hmm! Today Im the happiest! I estimate it will take five years to achieve victory. Lets drink to our sess five years from now, see you in Prosenia! Having said that, he downed his drink in one gulp. The young, battle-experienced officers present all shouted in unison, See you in Prosenia! After finishing his drink, Wang Zhong noticed the band appearing near the fountain; it turned out that the dinner party was just beginning, and what had taken ce before was merely a time for idle chatter before everyone arrived. The band began to y, and to his surprise, it was The Holy War, which Wang Zhong had only made public that daya melody that sounded like abination of a hymn and a march. The small choir of just six started singing, Arise, great nation, to fight to the death! The officers who had just finished their drinks all paused. Those who had been on the battlefield felt a deeper connection to the song than most.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Everyones expression turned exceptionally solemn, perhaps recalling fallenrades on the battlefield, or rtives lost in the upied homnd whose fate they did not know. The band made some creative adaptations, such as the heart-beat-like rhythm, achieved by plucking the strings of the double basses, which made the sound even heavier. August 13, early morning. Kings Cross Station at St. Ye Katerina Fortress. A train filled with new recruits was about to depart, with girls bidding farewell to their beloved young men. The station band was ying The Farewell of the Ante Women, and everything seemed no different than usual. That was until the musicians of the Ye Fort Philharmonic appeared with their long guns and short cannonstheir instruments were their weapons. All the musicians had dark circles under their eyes, clearly not having slept much the night before. The deputy conductor Aleksandrobov approached the station military band and said to the conductor, Alright, stop now, its our turn. The military band conductor, who was Aleksandros student, was puzzled: Eh? Teacher, whats going on? Are we putting on a public performance at the station? No, not a performanceits to carry out your duty. Just listen. By then, all the Philharmonic musicians had taken their ces. Aleksandro himself moved a box, stood on it, nodded to the lead musician, then to the choir, andstly said to the announcer who was waiting, Announce it! Taking a deep breath, the announcer proimed loudly, Next, please listen to the songposed by General Rokossovsky and written by Warrant Officer Filippov, The Holy War! Aleksandro raised his right hand and lightly flicked his baton. A profound and majestic melody filled the air. The male basses in the choir started first: Arise, great nation, to fight to the death! The young people who had just been whispering sweet nothings and kissing goodbye all stopped to watch the musicians. The civilians sending off their children also paused to listen quietly to the musicians singing. Even the railway workers at the station stopped to be part of the powerful music. A young driver said to the old one, Everythings almost ready; time to sound the whistle. Shh, Alyosha. Lets wait until the songs over. Therell be plenty of time for you to blow the whistle soon enough, chided the old driver, holding up his index finger. Just then, the station master came out of his office, listened for a few moments, then entered the broadcasting room next to his office and said to the technician, Bring out the microphone. I want this song to be heard throughout the station immediately, and start recording now! The technician replied, Station master, if we start recording now, well only get half of it. You should have them sing it again and record the whole thing. Right, right, hurry up with the microphoneget it set up! I want it broadcast throughout the station! A momentter, all the loudspeakers at the train station, including therge ones in front of the station, began ying The Holy War. The throng of people in front of the station came to a standstill, looking up at the loudspeakers. Let the most noble rage roll like waves! Fight the peoples war, the holy war! The forceful lyrics, driven by the melody, ignited an endless fury and a continuous fighting spirit inside everyone. Once the song was over, the whole stationnot just the station, but the entire squareerupted in thunderous apuse. The overjoyed station master rushed over, taking Aleksandrobovs hand, Again! I want to record it and y it every day! They say La Marseiise is more powerful than an army corps; this song is the same! Sing it once more, Mr. Musician! Aleksandrobov replied, Sure. Then bring the microphone here, get ready to record, and well sing it again! No, we can sing it as many times as needed! Chapter 230: Medal Ceremony (35,000 monthly tickets plus update) The Holy War was fermenting, and Wang Zhong stood in formation on the parade ground of the Summer Pce with 450 officers poised to receivemendations. Wang Zhong was unsurprised to find that most were familiar faces from the dinner the night before.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Upon seeing Wang Zhong, they all came to shake hands with him after saluting. General Tukhachev stood on the reviewing stand, observing the scene. His adjutant whispered in his ear, Its confirmed that Major General Rokossovsky has ced an order for 100 Parade Tanks on behalf of the Royal Family, Valentin is furious, iming that producing such toy cars is mocking his perfect design. Before General Tukhachev could respond, Marshal Semyon said, The frontlines indeed have given a lot of feedback, theres considerable opposition to removing the tankmanders role, and some would rathermand a T28 tank with amander than operate a T34. As for the radios, theres unanimous criticism for designs without radios and many makeshift solutions have been tried, including running telephone wires between tanks. But Valentins design is much loved by His Majesty the Tsar, said Tukhachev. Marshal Semyon fell silent, but after a moment added, The battlefield doesnt change for personal preferences. Not even for His Majesty the Tsar. Now that His Majesty cannot attend to state affairs, we should take the opportunity toAt this moment, General Tugenev interjected, No, no, the sudden drop in production due to the factory relocation is already an issue, a change in design now would only worsen the tank output. We should continue producing the wed designs first and then gradually increase the production of the designs that receive positive feedback from the battlefield. That would also cate Valentin a bit, wouldnt it? Tukhachev and Marshal Semyon both fell silent. Just then, Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess appeared in a corner of the parade ground with a group of maids of honor and headed straight towards the reviewing stand. Tukhachev nced at the Grand Duchess, then followed her gaze to Major General Rokossovsky. Hes almost like a prince himself, Tukhachev muttered, Did you hear that the song he wrote stole the show at the selection meeting yesterday? His stature is almost like that of Saint Andrew reincarnated. Marshal Semyon said, This is good for Ante, uniting the officers. Tukhachev remained silent. Then the Grand Duchess approached the reviewing stand and greeted Tukhachev and the others, Hello, generals and marshals. Good day, Your Imperial Highness, Tukhachev and the others saluted the Grand Duchess in kind. The Grand Duchess said, For todays ceremony, Im only responsible for presenting the Gold Star Medals, right? There are also the gs for the new units being granted the title of Imperial Guard. You dont have to actually carry the g; simply receive it from the color bearer and hand it to the unitsmanding officer. Themand officers will pass the gs to the sergeants standing by. Its really just a formal part of the processthe gs and equipment willter be delivered to the respective units by the transport team, General Tugenev exined dutifully. The Grand Duchess inquired, And what about the other honours? Surely not everyone is being awarded the title of Imperial Guard and the Gold Star Medal? With so many honours, I would begin to suspect that we have actually won, and the Prussians are nearly finished. ? No, Marshal Semyon shook his head, there are indeed many Gold Stars, but not many Imperial Guards. The title primarily requires that units retreat in formation. There are many units that would qualify for the honor based on their achievements but have not pulled back. The Grand Duchess looked sad, Is that so. I understand. And the others? They are for various other medals, which we will be presenting. Your Imperial Highness, you will only handle the Imperial Guards and the Gold Stars, General Tugenev advised. The Grand Duchess nodded, Very well! Lets not dy any further, begin the ceremony. Suddenly, she paused, looking puzzled at the Guard g formation that had just marched into the area. Among the pristine white Imperial Guard gs, there was one red g interspersed. Tukhachev immediately turned to his adjutant, Whats going on? Why is there a red g? The adjutant replied, There wasnt supposed to be. The g allotted to Rokossovskys unit was a normal Imperial Guard g with a blessing from Grand Duchess Olga on it. But the Church interfered with our decision. The dy in yesterdays award ceremony was because of this. The red g was the Churchs demand, and they even insisted on adding an image of a falcon holding a spear to the g. Olga slightly tilted her head, A falcon holding a spear? What is that? Surprisingly, no one present could answer the Grand Duchesss question. Seizing the opportunity to distinguish himself before the Grand Duchess, Tukhachevs adjutant said, It is a bird of prey from Kazarlia, typically found in the grasnds. Olga uttered a curious eh, not even ncing at the adjutant, and turned back to look at General Rokossovsky, The eagle of the grasnds, quite fitting for him. Tukhachev sighed, We have no precedent for using red gs; the Church intends to destroy our traditions. Ive heard about that, the Grand Duchess Olga said with a smile, The red symbolizes the blood of the fallen soldiers, a disy stained with their sacrifice. This interpretation has spread widely, dont you know? Tukhachev turned away. Grand Duchess Olga urged, Lets start the ceremony quickly! The ceremony hadnt yet begun, but Wang Zhong had already spotted the red Imperial Guard g, which would likely be presented to his own temporary 151st Infantry Division. The only uncertainty was what the new number would be. There couldnt possibly be another 30 Imperial Guard divisions ahead of his, could there? But truth be told, among all the white-and-blue gs, a single red g was really eye-catching. Regardless of the number, that red g had already made Wang Zhong the most striking figure out there. The ceremony officially began, and the military band started ying the national anthem of the Ante Empire. When Wang Zhong heard the national anthem, his brow furrowed into a pretzel. He had assumed that for the Tsar, the anthem would be God Bless the Tsar. If one wanted a bit of a retro feel, it would be the Preobrazhensky Regiment March. If it were the era of a Female Tsar, then it would be The Thunder of Victory, since the lyrics did include Glory to you, Mother Ekaterina the Great Emperor. But now, upon hearing the tune, Wang Zhong nearly lost hisposure. He was all too familiar with this piece. Subconsciously, he turned his head to confirm the g, and indeed it was Antes white field zoned with the blue Saint Andrews cross and the Double-headed Eagle. At this moment, people around him started to sing along, and only then did Wang Zhong sigh in relief. The lyrics were wrong, these words were praising the Tsar. Wang Zhong hummed along with the person next to him, managing to get through the song at longst. The princess then stood at the forefront of the Parade Stand and began reciting her speech. The gist of it was to thank everyone for their valiant efforts h h h, in the end, it was still the same old glory to the monarchy spiel. The speech concluded, and General Tugenev, whom Wang had met several times before, came forward: We shall now proceed with the award ceremony. First, we shall present the Imperial Guard gs. This time, a total of 11 units have been granted the title of Imperial Guard. Wang Zhong thought that to produce 11 Imperial Guard units in just over a month, given the retreat situation, indicated an enormous intensity ofbat. Tugenev called out the name of the first unit: The 151st Temporary Infantry Division. This division faced enemy forces several times its number at Orachi, resisting stubbornly for three days, destroyed more than 200 enemy tanks, sessfullypleted its mission, and managed to break out. For this valiant performance, the Military Command hereby awards the division the title of the First Red Banner Mechanized Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard! Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky of the division, pleasee up to the stand to receive the g! Wang Zhong strode out, letting his bodys muscle memory carry him with precise military steps up to the Parade Stand. The princess, with a stern face, handed the red g to Wang Zhong. Curious, Wang Zhong nced at the emblem on the g, only to discover it wasnt a Double-headed Eagle, but an Eagle? What did that mean? They cut off one head of the Double-headed Eagle to stew it? Or did they think the Double-headed Eagle wasnt Roman enough, being a Byzantine emblem after all, and that to be truly Roman, they needed to adopt the original Roman eagle standard instead? But was there even a Rome in this world? As Wang Zhong puzzled over this, Olga whispered, Quicklye down, O Eagle of the Steppe. That meant others were waiting to receive their gs. Wang Zhong turned his head and saw General Tugenev waiting; he couldnt proceed until Wang left the stand. So, Wang Zhong handed the g to the ready attendant and descended from the Parade Stand withrge strides. The Imperial Guard gs were quickly distributed, and next up was the Gold Star Medal ceremony. Wang Zhong and the other recipients of the Gold Star made their way to the Parade Stand, looking to be about a hundred in number. Olga approached Wang Zhong once morestarting with him again since he was deemed the first in merit. As she pinned the medal on Wang Zhong, Olga softly hummed Katyusha. Well, what do you know, the Eagle of the Steppe is right here! Theres a line in Katyusha that goes shes singing of the eagle of the steppe, and the following line is shes singing of the one she loves. Could we not be so on the nose? But now its the era where women are direct, and men are elusive, watch me deflect this one. Wang Zhong intended to showcase his world-ss evasive maneuver skills, but Olga had moved on to award the next person. Wang Zhong, having no chance to evade! Nevermind, maybe Im overthinking it? Perhaps she just felt like humming Katyusha. Wang Zhong sessfully performed a mental sidestep. The ceremony continued for another half-hour, and Wang Zhongs legs went numb from standing. Fortunately, he didnt have to carry the g; it would be sent directly to Shostka. Just when everything was over, an air raid rm suddenly sounded nearby. Wang Zhong felt like the Prussians had timed it perfectly to bomb the capital right at the end of the ceremony. Under the guidance of the Royal Pce staff, Wang Zhong followed other officers into an air-raid shelter quickly, only to learn just after entering that the rm had been lifted. It turned out the Mig-3 units guarding the capital had repelled the enemy bombers on the outskirts. Wang Zhong breathed a huge sigh of relief. The award ceremony was over, and now he had onest thing left to do in the capital: attend the state funerals of his father and his good brother and deliver a speech. The thought alone gave Wang Zhong a headache, wondering from whom he should giarize the speech? Thest time he tried writing his own speech, the results wereckluster. He really needed to copy someone elses. The good news was, the state funeral would be on the 18th, and today was only the 13th; he still had five days to stew in his worries. Chapter 231: State Funeral (Additional update for 36,000 monthly votes) Chapter 231: State Funeral (Additional update for 36,000 monthly votes) Five days passed in the blink of an eye. On the morning of August 18, Wang Zhong stood at the ceremony preparation area, looking at the grand scene outside. Suddenly, he found his mind was a nk and quickly pulled out his speech to nce over it. Seeing this, Ludm spoke in a soft, soothing voice, Dont worry, your speechst night was excellent. There wont be any problems today. Wang Zhong: Hmm, Im just taking a look. Ludm: Rx, there will be staff holding cue cards in front of you. Thats the whole point of you rehearsing the speech! Keep calm. Now, lets head to the spectator stands. Ludm had not yet married Wang Zhong, so she was not yet a duchess and could not apany him at such events. Instead, she joined Nelly in heading to the nearby spectator stands, thanks to a special invitation from the Royal Family. Wang Zhong nodded and then watched the two as they made their way to the spectator stands. Now only his guard Grigori and the staff of the ceremony remained with him at the preparation area. The Royal Familys grandstand was still empty, and Wang Zhong could hear generals and marshals in the distance gossiping: Will His Majesty show up today?If he doesnt, it will be troublesome. The Crown Princess seems to have grown close to the church because of her dealings with Rocossov, thereby growing closer to the church as well. With the current situation, we cant win without the support of the church. The Royal Family needs to rally I cant even bear to think about it. On a brighter note, the Crown Princes sacrifice has actually boosted the Royal Familys influence among the popce, and incidentally allowed Argesukovs heavy forces to hold the line until now. If only more troops could have been rescued. If we could have formed a fully structured group from those trapped, we could im victory. Wang Zhong originally focused on his speech, but the chatter of the generals caught his attention. Listening to their conversation, he subconsciously nced at the churchs main ceremony stand that appeared to be intentionally opposing the Royal Familysit was situated right across Ye Forts widest avenue, facing the Royal Familys grandstand. Argesukovs logistics were almostpletely cut off now, with less than ten kilometers between the two armored clusters of the Prussians left fortified. The enemy had not attacked because both armored groups had run for hundreds of kilometers and needed to stop for repairs. And though ten kilometers seemed like a wide gap, it was actually sealed by the artillery and air force, making it impossible for troops to pass through. The enemy had effectivelypleted their encirclement; it was just a matter of when the Prosen Empire would dere victory. The confirmed troops within the encirclement ounted for eight hundred thousand by formation, but most had been fighting fiercely and suffered heavy losses. In reality, probably only five hundred thousand were fit forbat, many of them wounded. Even though the Southwest Front Army had dispersed their staff officers and destroyed codebooks, they were still broadcasting in clear text via radio, reporting the situation daily and proudly proiming, The Southwest Front Army is still fighting. It was said that this clear text broadcasting prevented the Prosen Empires propaganda department from dering victory. Wang Zhong looked down at the speech in his hand. Ivan, did you predict from the start that your sacrifice would have this kind of impact? Wang Zhong didnt know the Crown Prince very well, after all, he had only known him for such a short time. Probably for the rest of his life, he would keep recalling the Crown Princes smile, specting about what he had foreseen. If the persistently resistant Southwest Front Army could drag the enemys main force into the mud upon its arrival, then the pressure on the front would be greatly reduced. In that case, the enemy might be able to spend a well-supplied winter without too many freezing to death at the hands of General Winter, which would make the war next year even more brutal. But with the current situation, any chance to catch their breath was a good thing for Ante. Once the factories moved to the east were up and running again, and the newly conscripted soldiers hadpleted their training, the elite Prosen forces might find themselves facing a number of Ante Army multiple times their size. As Wang Zhong was thinking about all this, someone cleared their throat behind him. It was a crisp male voice. Assuming it was an official rted to the ceremony there to finalize details with him, he began to speak while turning around: I have memorized the speech, just going over it a little Wang Zhong stopped because he saw a military uniformpletely different from those of Ante and Prosen. However, the rank was an oak leaf, and Wang Zhong happened to know of a country that used oak leaves for military ranks. In that country, a gold oak leaf was for a Major, a silver oak leaf for a Lieutenant Colonel, and a Colonel was represented by an eagle emblem. The young man should be a Lieutenant Colonel. Wang Zhong: Who might you be?N?v(el)B\\jnn Military Attach John Vick from the Federations embassy, General Rokossovsky. The neer saluted Wang Zhong first before extending his hand. Wang Zhong shook his hand: Hello, what can I do for you? I heard that you once made an assessment of the war situation at a young officers sharing session. Apologizing for his forthrightness, Lieutenant Colonel John wore a sincere expression as he said, The Federation is deeply concerned about this matter; it rtes to a top-secret negotiation currently underway, and a bill under discussion in Congress. Wang Zhong: The Lend-Lease Act, is that it? Lieutenant Colonel Johns eyelid twitched: You know of it Wang Zhong then realized hed been too quick to speak, as theoretically, he shouldnt be aware of the Lend-Lease Act at this point. So, he started blustering: The United Kingdom is already aware of it, and if the United Kingdom knows, thats as good as us knowing. Lieutenant Colonel Johnughed: As long as Rabowell doesnt know, its fine. While Wang Zhong heard the name Rabowell for the first time, he was well aware of the infamy of the Sturmtigers intelligence agency Abwehr from the other side of the Earth, notorious for its ipetence, having made an indelible contribution to the worlds anti-FXS cause. Chapter 232: State Funeral (Additional update for 36,000 monthly votes)_2 Chapter 232: State Funeral (Additional update for 36,000 monthly votes)_2 Rabowell may be the alternate dimension counterpart of Abbeville, after all, the name differs by only one syble. Afterughing, Wang Zhong got straight to the point, We will hold back the enemy. Major John: Whats your basis for that statement? Wang Zhong: The basis is Antes vast territory, as well as the impending General Mud and General Winter. No, no country can conquer the expansivends of Antewell, maybe the Mongols could. Major John burst outughing, You have a great sense of humor, indeed, the Mongols could. Aside from such timing and geographical advantages? Wang Zhong countered, With the timing and geographical advantages on our side, what more could you possibly demand? Combat willpower, said Major John. Wang Zhong: Argesukov is still fighting, doesnt that say anything? Theyre already essentially surrounded, hundreds of thousands of troops must have run out of supplies, but theyre still inbat. Major John shrugged: The sacrifice of the Crown Prince has inspired the fight in the Argesukov group, and the continued resistance has indeed boosted the morale of the parliamentarians supporting the lend-lease bill at home. However, the performance of His Majesty the Tsar has inspired the opposition.Look at Carolingian, the soldiers of Carolingian still have the will to fight, but the higher-ups chose to surrender. Despite the fact that most of the country has not fallen, despite having a million troops, the vast African colonies, and both armored forces and the Air Force, the highmand chose to surrender. Wang Zhong: As far as I know, General Dago is still fighting. Ah, yes, General Dago and his Free Caroling are still fighting, but Carolingian has surrendered. If Ante were to surrender, you could continue the fight in the Federation. Wang Zhong: I wouldnt. My best friend, and my beloved father have both died on thisnd, their sacrifice is what allows me to stand here. To preserve my strength, I have alreadyno, three times abandoned the people who trusted me. I cant stop fighting, otherwise, even if I die and go to hell, they would not forgive me. Just as Major John was about to speak, Wang Zhong continued, Moreover, Im a smart man, this is a battle we are destined to win. As long as we hold on, victory will be ours in the end, and I will be a military strategist as renowned as Suvorov and Kutuzov. As a smart man, I would choose to keep fighting. Major John squinted his eyes, staring at Wang Zhong for a few seconds before revealing a look of admiration: No wonder they call you the star of victory. I can feel your obsession with victory, and Ill convey this confidence intact to the President. Wang Zhong: Its not an obsession, that sounds like a pathological paranoia, and Im merely stating the facts to you. Major John just smiled, saluted Wang Zhonga salute that was obviously filled with more respect than the one at the start. The Federation major turned around and left with a brisk stride. Wang Zhong took a deep breath, at that moment he heard the surrounding chatter suddenly grow louder. Everyone turned to look at the Royal Familys viewing stand. Wang Zhong also looked over, only to see a haggard His Majesty the Tsar appearing with the assistance of the Grand Duchess Olga, slowly making his way to the most luxurious chair to sit down. Suddenly, Wang Zhong noticed, across the street on the church viewing stand, His Eminence Belinsky also appeared holding his scepter. Both sides stood like this, viewing each other across the street, across the parade of people lined up. The Holy War began to y. His Majesty the Tsar appeared startled by The Holy War, looking around nkly like a timid animal. Wang Zhong sighed; in this condition, His Majesty the Tsar might have been better off not appearing. With the grand generals from both sides present, the ceremonys proceedings began to move forward. Wang Zhong didnt think of anything else but kept observing the state of His Majesty the Tsar. He always felt that the Tsar now looked like some character from the movie The Downfall. That tired yet maniacal look, the feeling of being on the brink of copse was almost identical. It was time for Wang Zhong to give his speech. The ceremonial MC signaled Wang Zhong to prepare. Just then, His Majesty the Tsar stood up. Everyone watched him. There was already a microphone at the Royal Familys viewing stand, and the Tsar directly motioned for the microphone to be brought to him. My son, Ivan Nikyevich Antonov, has died a heroic death! The Tsar started, his voice tinged with madness: We lost a hero! But does this mean defeat? No! This is only the beginning! Our military strength now appears far inferior to that of the Prosen people. Despite expanding our army continuously, our forces are as fragile as castles built on sand! The enemy made a crazy advance of one hundred and seventy kilometers in the first two weeks of the war! And yet, my generals have the shamelessness to boast! They said we could counterattack into Prosen territory within a month! And what happened? They even want to push the responsibility for Argesukovs failure onto me! No huh? Olga whispered a few words into His Majesty the Tsars ear. The Tsarughed heartily, Exactly! That General Skorobo is a despicable traitor! A traitor to his country! He has deceived me and the Ante people! All that came before was a deception they concocted! An illusion! My son, my dear son Ivan, died precisely to awaken all of you from such na?ve illusions! Now, the war has just begun! Our military strength is gradually being restored; the Prosen Empire is no longer something to fear. Your fathers and brothers, too, have perished in the Prosen massacre. We must never forget this sadness and anger! This is the revtion my Ivan gave to us with his death! We should now assemble this fury, annihte the Prosen army, and win our first true victory! This victory will be the greatest constion to those who have died in battle! Citizens, rise up! Turn your grief into strength, rise up, citizens! Ante needs your strength! Wang Zhong was shocked; this speech sounded a bit familiar. At that moment, the master of ceremonies said to Wang Zhong, The ceremonymand has changed the ceremony process, you dont need to give a speech. Wang Zhong frowned, looked towards the stands where the generals were, and then noticed Tukhachev had just put down the phone. In the row behind him, General Tugenev shook his head gently, signaling to Wang Zhong with his eyes. Well, this group of people cut off my speech in the battle against the church! Wang Zhong looked at his own speech draft. Most of the content in this draft was indeed repeated in His Majesty the Tsars speech; it truly was no longer necessary to go up and talk about it again. But as things were going, it felt like the presence of the people was being diminishedeven though the Tsar had mentioned your fathers and brothers, it seemed as if they were just essories to the Crown Prince. If this continued, The Holy War would be yet another nobility war between royal families.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om If that were the case, we might not necessarily win. After all, Prosen is outrageously strong. And it seemed to me that this was not in line with Ivans wishes. Wang Zhong suddenly remembered the scene when Argesukov was departing for the war; Ivan had said to him, Take good care of Olga. He nced at the Crown Princess. Then he turned his attention to the churchs viewing tform. I always felt like Belinsky was nodding. Wang Zhong pushed past the master of ceremonies, rushed onto the tform, and walked up to the microphone. The person holding the sign in front of the microphone didnt know what was happening, but still raised the sign with the contents of the speech script. Wang Zhong nced at the sign and thought that following the original script was useless now. He had to turn the whole tone around. So he loudly said, Everyone! The sound echoed over the entire state funeral venue. After capturing everyones attention, Wang Zhong raised the speech draft in his hand high and, with a swoosh, tore the draft to pieces and tossed it into the wind. Now everyones curiosity was piqued. Wang Zhong began his improvised speech. Chapter 233: Victory Belongs to the Ante People Wang Zhong nced at the royal viewing tform, mainly to see Olga, but it seemed like she was just assisting her father and happened to catch a glimpse of the Tsar. Wang Zhong continued, Some of you may already know that Ivan and I were like brothers in arms. At the military academy, we used to y pranks on the professors together, and we were the worst students; I was thest but one, and he was second tost. The ridiculous things we did together would take days and nights to tell. I know my brother extremely well. His Majesty the Tsar, on the other hand, probably doesnt understand him as much. As soon as he said this, the whole crowd was in an uproar. Wang Zhong, ignoring the reactions of others, went on: My brother indeed was very brave, he died a hero for his country. When I was setting out from Argesukov to stop the enemy at Orachi, my brother came to see me off and asked me to take care of our sister, Princess Olga. Thinking back, he already had the intention to die. But if you say his generous embrace of death was because he was the Crown Prince, because he was a noble among nobles, then I, as Ivans best friend, his most intimate brother, would be the first to disagree! To say that is an insult to himto my brother! Why? Are nobles necessarily brave? In Upper Peniye, the local nobles had run away without a trace, and whats more, they even left a loyal dog behind to prevent us from entering his distillery to take spirits for Molotov cocktails! In Loktov, the nobles likewise fled without a trace. If you have people around you who have returned from the battlefield for a leave, ask them, and youll hear loads of stories about nobles running away in the most disgraceful manner!Are nobles necessarily brave? Bullshit! The truly brave are the countless ordinary people. In Upper Peniye, the gunner in my tank crew gave me a letter when he was dying, to be delivered to his mother. I delivered it, and the olddy calmly asked me which son had died. All three of her sons had gone to war, and each could have been killed; even the olddy herself now stays behind in Argesukov. I believe she will fight the invaders in her own way until herst moment! In Loktov, when I was trapped in a tight encirclement, all weapons were destroyed by vicious Prussians, and I could only crouch under a tank with a pistol, ready for a do-or-die battle! At that moment, it was the countless ordinary people who rushed out, annihted the Prussians, and dragged me out from under the tank! Could all of them be princes? Echoes of his words drifted to and fro across the entire square. No! They are textile factory workers, mechanics from the tractor factory, milkers from the ranch, tractor drivers, farmers, and fishermen! If theres onemon denominator to define their identity, it is that they are all part of the Ante people! These ordinary folks realized one thing: if they dont fight, their nation will perish. They recognized that if they dont fight, the enemy will not only kill them but also trample over their bones and say: Look, these are ves! And so, they erupted with incredible courage! The brave Ante people have supported me, allowing me to fight until now! And my dear brother, as well as my father, were brave simply because they were part of the Ante people! As soon as Wang Zhong finished speaking, he realized it was a bit far-fetched. Indeed, Im not good at giving speeches. At such times, you just have to bluff your way through with momentum! Wang Zhong: They are children of the Ante mother, grown on the food from the ck soil, they cannot ignore the atrocities of the Prosen invaders! So, they died heroically for their country, along with the countless ordinary Ante people! The names of those who died with them may not be passed down, as all the documents of the Southwestern Front Army have been destroyed! But they still chose to march forward without hesitation! Fight! To not be ves! Not be ves! Because of his excessive emotion, Wang Zhongs voice even cracked. He paused to give his throat a brief rest. A few secondster, he began to speak again: As the close friend of Ivan Nikyevich Antonov, no, as a brother, I am very sad. Simrly, as the son of Konstantin Alexandrovich Rokossovsky, I am also deeply saddened. ? These days, in the game room of the Summer Pce that Ivan used to frequent, and in the study of the Rokossovsky Estate, I cant help but remember every little detail of the past and recall the faces and smiles of the departed. But I know, Im not the only one who is grieving. Tens of thousands have already perished, and in the future, hundreds of thousands or even millions more will. Grief will spread across all the mountains and rivers, forests andkes of Ante!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om But we must still fight! Not for those medals or those honors, but for the day when thisnd no longer mourns. Wang Zhong saw Olga desperately wiping her tears, while on the other side of the grandstand, Liu Xia was also sobbing uncontrobly. He calmed his emotions and continued, Just now, Colonel John Wick, the military attach from the Federation, asked me how the war was going, and I said we would surely win. I say this not because Im an optimist. I have three reasons. First, we have the right timing and the geographical advantage. This is our homnd; no one knows its temperament better than us. We know when it will turn into a damn quagmire, we know when the snow will bury us up to our waists! We are familiar with every swamp and every path. The enemy doesnt understand any of this! As soon as they entered our country, their vehicles got stuck because they were not familiar with the road conditions! I could strike them hard at Peniye precisely because their heavy artillery got stuck behind and couldnt make it to the front! When I look at the Prussian tanks, I know they are not suitable for the mud because their tracks are too narrow. Look at our tanks wide tracks, like a girlsrge feet, they are made for running on this sloppy ground! Second, we have the people. The Prussians are ughtering everywhere, but they will soon find that they cant kill all the civilians in the upied areas because Ante is too vast. Solely relying on Prussias poption is not enough to fill Antes wilderness, and if they kill all the people, they wont have workers left. Eventually, their supplies will not get through, roads will have no one to repair them, railways no one to maintain and operate! No, they cant possibly kill all the Ante People on Ante soil. But as long as they dont finish the job, the guerri fighters will appear in all the ces they upy! In the gazebos of Kazarlia, in the forests of Livonia, on the ice fields of Novgorod! They will soon be in a state of paranoia, unable to sleep in peace as long as they are on Antesnd! And in front of them, our armies will continue to emerge endlessly! Even if they defeat three or four million of our forces, what then? Six or seven million will rise! And as time goes on, we too will learn the art of war, we will be as skilled in warfare as they are! Then, their once-prideful exchange ratio will be mediocre! We will gradually annihte them and reim our lostnds! Third! The Prussians are too arrogant, they have made too many enemies! The resistance in those countries they have conquered will never stop. General Dagos Free Caroling is fighting! The United Kingdom is fighting! Ante and the United Kingdombined are several times stronger than Prosen! Not to mention that across the sea, there lies a Federation watching and waiting! One day, they will join the fight too! All the just forces of the world will stand with the brave citizens of Ante! Of course, of the three reasons, the first two alone are enough to defeat the Prussians! One day, we will march into their proud capital Ploseni and ce the de of judgment on the neck of that haughty then Emperor! Prosen will be destroyed! The brave Ante people will prevail! Hurrah! Wang Zhong raised his right fist high into the air. Everyone in the venue roared in unison, Hurrah! It seemed as if the entire city was shouting, Hurrah! Wave after wave of Hurrahs soared into the sky. The terrifying roar of countless voices shook the concrete itself, as if thousands upon thousands of troops were sweeping across thend. Hurrah! Grand Patriarch Belinsky stood up and joined in the chanting. The generals on the grandstand looked at each other. General Tugenev was the first to stand up, followed by the other generals and marshals, one by one. His Majesty the Tsar, helped to his feet by his daughter, looked at everything in front of him, the paranoia and madness fading from his face, reced by bewilderment and panic. Olga, however, watched all this with a surprise, as if she had discovered a new continent. Colonel John Wick, the military attach from the Federation, was bbergasted: The star of victory it seems its time to return to the Federation. I wonder if the divoktos to San Francis is still sailing. Chapter 234: Return to Shostka On August 20th, two days after the national funeral and public memorial, at the logistics headquarters of the Reserve Army. As soon as Wang Zhong entered the Ordnance Department building, he saw several people recing the signboard of the logistics headquarters of the Reserve Army. He stopped and watched them put up the new signboard: Western Front Army Logistics Headquarters. This has been changed to the Western Front Army Logistics Headquarters, but where is the Reserve Army Headquarters? Wang Zhong couldnt help but ask. Its still here. The Reserve Army and the Western Front Army have merged, and all logistics are now coordinated by Major General Chekhov, replied the lieutenant, who was changing the signboards, before finally ncing at Wang Zhong and snapping to attention and saluting as if electrified, General Rokossovsky! Wang Zhong: Alright, alright, dont be nervous, and stop shouting Hurrah. Ive had enough of people shouting Hurrah every time they see me. It was a fact; now it seemed like the whole city knew him, and they all became as excited as if they had taken a stimnt whenever they saw him. His speech at the national funeral seemed to have been broadcast directly throughout the world, and the old and young men of Ye Fort had all gathered under loudspeakers to listen to the entire speech. Now, Wang Zhong was Ye Forts top celebrity, the kind who could make headlines with just a sneezeof course, there were no such things as trending searches in this era, this is just a metaphor.The excited lieutenant asked, Can I get your autograph? Wang Zhong: Alright, but you have to promise not to make a fuss and go around saying Rokossovsky is here, and then Ill sign. I promise. A few secondster, Wang Zhong handed the notebook with his signature back to the lieutenant and headed inside. But he had only taken a few steps when he heard someone sharply inhale and the sound of papers hitting the floor: General Rokossovsky! Wang Zhong sighed. Twenty minutester, Wang Zhong finally managed to push open the door of the logisticsmanders office. Major General Chekhov nced at him and said, Dont look so disdainful, this is your duty, which is better than reminding everyone that there are still hundreds of thousands of troops surrounded by the enemy. By the way, there is also bad newsthe Northern Front Army has fallen back, and General Golikovs St. Andrew Fort Army is now fully engaged with the enemy. Wang Zhong: How are things looking? General Golikov is defending using theplex terrain, and for now, it seems the enemys advance has been halted. Damn it, Im a logisticsmander, why am I discussing this with you? To understand the battlefield situation, go to the Military Command and look for General Tugenev. What are you here for now? Wang Zhong: You said you havent given me enough trucks and tractors. Because its not enough. Ive already done my best to allocate them to you. Wang Zhong: I got 3,000 drivers from the church! Although many of them are still in training and have not graduated. It would be such a waste for them toe and then find there are no vehicles to drive. ? Major General Chekhov: Not a waste, we are short of vehicles all along the front. The Ordnance Department is producing tanks at full capacity. Wang Zhong: But theres a shortage of infantry for the tank units Thats not my department. I told you, I can only manage materials. If you tell me an infantry unit iscking machine guns, I can help with that, and I can send extra to whichever infantry unit you mention. For example, you said Kashuks 51st Army, guarding the downstream crossing point from you, wascking machine guns, so I sent them two hundred more. But if you want me to provide infantry for the tank units, thats something I cant do. I dont control that; you understand? You can only submit suggestions to the superiors and write up summaries of your experience. I do have a suggestion for you, thoughgive your experience summary to Grand Duchess Olga, and maybe one day itll filter down. Wang Zhong: Ive done so. Major General Chekhov spread his hands: Then theres nothing more to be done. Wang Zhong scratched his head: If you cant provide enough vehicles, then can you give me more mules and horses? No, Major General Chekhov refused bluntly. Wang Zhong: A straight-up no? Not going to teach me any clever tricks this time? Youre asking if its possibleno, its not, because your division is mechanized, and they shouldnt have mules and horses; ording to the regtions, this could impede the mobility of the mechanized troops. As for a trick, well, there could be one. Think about who you are, and what your brothers status is. At first, Wang Zhong didnt follow, but he quickly caught on: You mean, I could organize my own mule and horse transport teams to go to the front? I didnt say that. But look, its quite normal for the big nobles to be so enthusiastic and organize support teams for the front. Wang Zhong pped his thigh; the Ante Empire used the double-headed eagle as its emblem, and by rounding up or down, it was also Roman, so as a member of the Roman nobility providing mules and horses for front-line support, it was perfectly justifiable! He immediately stood up, ready to leave the headquarters, when Major General Chekhov said, By the way, could you give me an autograph? My son wants one. Wang Zhong was stunned: You have a son? Doesnt it look like it? Come on, give me the autograph. August 25th, Ye Fort train station. Wang Zhong was at the freight tform, watching the support troops he had recruited from the refugees boarding the train. Most of the mules and horses for this support unit were provided by his own ranch, while the refugees were mainly middle-aged women, inspired by Wang Zhongs speech. They had handed their children over to childcare education institutions for centralized management and education, and came forward to offer support themselves. The childcare education institutions had been established at the request of Wang Zhong, and the children were taken care of by the elderly maids of the Rokossovsky family. Wang Zhong had managed to obtain for them the status of hired civilian workers from General Tugenev, with uniform clothing provided and a monthly allowance. This effectively solved the issue of insufficient logistics transport capabilities of the troops. Now, these civilian workers in uniform were herding the mules and horses onto the train. The train, apart from closed wagons and livestock cars for transporting the support troops, also had eight tbed cars. Three of them were used to transport T34 tanks that had been returned after repairs, one was used to carry a brand new Parade Tank, and the remaining four were all for transporting the freshly minted ZIS30 self-propelled anti-tank guns. The ZIS30 anti-tank gun looked like a big cannon had been forcibly mounted on top of a tractor. Just by looking at its shape, one could tell that it was a product made for emergency situations. But Wang Zhong didnt disdain it at all; in fact, he wanted more. In the game War Thunder, he enjoyed driving this vehicle to mess around and massacre newbies. The only regret was that this vehicle wasnt small enough; it couldntpare with the tiny M56 when it came to fooling around. As soon as he got to Shostka, Wang Zhong definitely intended to teach his troops how to have fun with this thing. Setting up ambush positions and then running awayhe couldnt be happier with the n. He was overseeing the drivers summoned from the church as they loaded the vehicle onto a tcar when a man in a suit and another man with a camera hanging around his neck appeared. Excuse me, are you General Rokossovsky? the man in the suit asked, his Antenguage noticeably ented. I am, and you are? Im a journalist from the Federations Hungry Lagoon Daily, and we n to reprint your speech from the state funeral a week ago in its entirety. Additionally, we want to do an exclusive interview. Wang Zhong said, Now? Im about to return to the front line At this point, the man with the camera spoke up, Could you move a step to the left, please? That way I can use the tank and cannon as a backdrop. Wang Zhong had no objections to getting photographed, so he stepped to the left and even looked back to check: alright, he was perfectly blocking the gap between two railcars, with the smaller ZIS30 being transported on the front one, and a T34 on the back one. The journalist from the Federation squatted in front of Wang Zhong and adjusted his position slightly to find a good angle, Please dont smile. Dont smile? Right, keep a serious face. It harmonizes well with the tanks and cannons behind you. The next moment, the photographer pressed the trigger, the sh emitted a sharp pop sound, spewing white light and quite a bit of smoke simultaneously. shbulbs were like that in those days. The photojournalist said, Perfect, I feel like I could win this years Pulitzer, Mike. The man named Mike, the text journalist, said, You see If you have enough fame in the Federation, some things might develop in a way thats favorable for your mothend. Wang Zhong replied, Okay, I will ept your interview. How about this: you get on the train and interview me there. This train will unload cargo when it gets to Shostka and then return on its own. You cane back afterward. The journalist responded, That works too. At that moment, Ludm appeared, This time, the train doesnt have any freight cars; theyve specifically attached a passenger car for us, and Ive brought some fine tea and snacks from the estate. Before Mike could answer, the photographer requested, Could you, madam, please take the generals arm? Ludm was taken aback, Huh? The photographer exined, There are no female officers in the Federation at present and you are so beautiful; our readers will like it.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Mike offered a wry smile, Theyll certainly like it; a beautiful woman, a military officer with distinguished service, and the tanks in the backgroundoh, they absolutely love these. If madam could wear a sheath dress, theyd like it even more. Ludm said solemnly, I ambat personnel, and like the male soldiers, I must wear cavalry trousers. A momentter, the second photo was taken, but the photojournalist didnt mention the Pulitzer. Wang Zhong teased, What, my Liu Xia cant win the Pulitzer? The photojournalist just smiled. Liu Xia said, Lets get on board, gentlemen, the car is over there. The passenger car allocated to Wang Zhong by the train stations central scheduler was an extremely luxurious nobles privatepartment. The desk in thepartment looked a hundred times more luxurious than the old dukes desk in the Rokossovsky Estate. Behind the desk, there hung a shield decorated with the emblem of a Double-headed Eagle. Seeing thepartment, Wang Zhong was dumbfounded: What is this, have they given me the carriage reserved for His Majesty the Tsar? Before he could continue marveling, the photojournalist asked, May I have you sit behind the desk, as if youre signing documents? Wang Zhong replied, No, no, that might spark misunderstandings. But our readers like this. Wang Zhong had no choice but to sit behind the desk and pose as if signing documents. At this juncture, Nelly came in from the direction of the dining car, pushing a trolley through the door. Seeing the two strangers, she frowned slightly but said nothing more. Mike eximed, Your life on the front line seems quite rich and varied. Nelly is my orderly, said Wang Zhong. As soon as Wang Zhong finished introducing her, the photographer crouched in front of Nelly and snapped a photo: Oh, fantastic, this boat cap and maid outfit,bined with her petite figure, our readers will love it. Whats with your readers, seriously! Right then, the trains departure whistle sounded from up ahead. Text journalist Mike opened his notebook again, Shall we start the exclusive interview? Chapter 235: That Mike from the Federation, who knows where he went Wang Zhong: Wait a minute, I dont quite understand. If youre going to reprint my entire speech, why do you need an exclusive interview? The important stuff has all been said in the speech. Yes, its all been said in the speech. Thats why the interview will mainly cover some less important matters, Reporter Mikeughed. Just then, a broadcast came from outside the train: Next, we will y a songposed by General Rokossovsky: The Holy War. Please listen. Then, a version performed by the Ye Fort Philharmonic Orchestra began to resonate throughout the entire station; even the carriage where Wang Zhong was situated filled with the majestic music. Mike chuckled, Lets start from this song. During the preliminary research, I found out that you didnt receive any formal education in music. But youposed this song thats destined to make history in music? Wang Zhong: About that, actually, the situation is like this: I just hummed a tune spontaneously on the battlefield, sort of like this. Wang Zhong immediately hummed a snippet on the spot for the reporter, but it was hard to hear clearly due to the music ying outside. Mike: It sounds Wang Zhong: Pretty bad, right? Thats how it is. In fact, I hummed this song during a dinner that night, and the bandmaster fiercely mocked me for it.Mocked you? Yes, mocked. The song youre now hearing was written by one of my soldiers, named Vasily dimirovich Bradsky. His father is a music professor at the University of Ye Fort, and he himself has received the finest musical education. Heposed this song based on the tune I hummed and the emotions I felt while humming it. Mike frowned, Then why doesnt he take credit for it? Because he detests the thought of bing aposer, due to a conflict with his father. I think hell im the credit one day when hees to terms with it, Wang Zhong exined. At that moment, a whistle sounded outside the window, indicating that the train was about to depart. Wang Zhong stared at Mike, wondering if he would trigger the passive skill of journalism. However, the reporter from the Federation promptly shifted the subject: I heard that in addition to music, you also like writing poetry. Could you share some with us? Wang Zhong: What? Poetry? At that, Ludm standing beside him said, Hes probably referring to those twisted poems you recited at the salons; now that your fame has risen, manydies have dug out the poems you sent them. ? Wang Zhong suddenly had a bad feeling and asked, I cant quite remember what I wrote. What are those poems about? Ludmughed, Dont worry, at least they rhyme. Wang Zhong began to sweat profusely. What does at least they rhyme mean? Could they be on the same level as the poetry of Zhang Zongchang? The kind that goes, Lake Daming, big and clear; lotus flowers are growing right here. On the lotus sits a frog, with a poke it jumps into the bog? Mike continued to ask, Have you given poems to manydies? Wang Zhong: Uh yes, thats right. Just poems? Uh lets talk about the Prosen offensive instead. Mikeughed, The offensive will always be the top headline, and readers who want to know will read about it. Our interview wont be on the front page. So, just poems? Ludm: Of course not, he also danced with them at balls, right, Alyosha? Yes! Wang Zhong nodded, I like dancing, its good exercise. Mike: I see. Do you often dance with the current Crown Princess as well? Wang Zhong: Of course, Ive danced with most of the youngdies in Ye Fortits socializing. And I also like to apany the Crown Prince, being a good buddy of His Royal Highness. Thats why many girlse close to me in an effort to get close to the Crown Prince. Just then, the train jostled slightly, and the tform outside began to recede. Mike kept questioning: Your rtionship with the Crown Prince is quite close, isnt it? Yes. At the national funeral, you publicly used the Tsar of not understanding his own children, which is a very serious allegation. Does this mean that you think the Tsar is a derelict father? There it was, the smoke bomb. Wang Zhong calmly replied: What I meant is that His Majesty the Tsar is so busy with state affairs that he spends too little time on his children. Mike: But you have also repeatedly pointed out His Majesty the Tsars mistakes in decision-making and army building on various asions. Wang Zhong: Thats my duty as his Majestys loyal officer. Doesnt your country have loyal officers like me who will unhesitatingly point out the mistakes of the president or the Joint Chiefs of Staff? Mike: Of course we do. But some think that you feel the Tsar, as a leader, is failing in this current situation. Wang Zhong: Who thinks that? Can you reveal that? I have a friend at the Tribunal whos very interested in this subject. Mike smiled and then asked, Do you believe that the Tsar should bear the primary responsibility for the disastrous defeat at Argesukov? Wang Zhong: The primary responsibility should be borne by General Skorobo, a spy for the Prosen Empire, who deliberately lost our army of a million. He deceived both His Majesty and the High Command. This was the official line, and of course, Wang Zhong would adhere to it. Mike: Are you saying that no one else in the High Command should be held ountable? Arent you worried about more troops being sacrificed? Wang Zhong: I think the High Command will learn from this lesson. Mike looked at Wang Zhong intently for a few seconds, during which the entire carriage fell silent. Outside the adjacent window, the city had disappeared, with the continuous countryside scenery swiftly passing by. The reporter switched to another question: You said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince entrusted his sister to you. Did anyone else hear this? Wang Zhong: Does it matter? No, it doesnt matter. How do you understand that statement? Wang Zhong: Olga is our sister inmon, and I believe His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would like me to fulfill the responsibilities of a brother on his behalf. Is there a possibility that he wants you to marry her? asked Mike as he nced at Ludm. Wang Zhong: I understand my brother. Hes a smart man and knows that a princesss marriage basically has nothing to do with love and is not something we can decide. The princess is an important resource, whether its used for dering allegiance or bargaining for crown inheritance rights, or even forming alliances by riding on big legsits extremely useful. Thats what Wang Zhong, a yer of P society, thought. Mike: But what if I mean if, the Ante Empire is no longer an empire but bes a federal state like the Federation, then wouldnt marrying Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess be the best way to protect her? Wang Zhong: Lord Reporter, lets talk about the war situation instead. Alright, we have received information that you believe the Prosen Empire will start another offensive against the capital in mid-September. May I ask Wang Zhong: Where did you get this information? I have a friend at the Tribunal who would be very interested in this On August 25th at 2100 hours, Wang Zhong entered the headquarters of the First Guards Red Banner Mechanized Division in Shostka. Pavlov, who hadnt gone to the station to wee him, saw him and said, You look so haggard. What happened in the capital? Popov, who had gone to the station to pick up Wang Zhong, answered, This is because he took a reporter from the Federation on the car and then got bombarded by him for eight hours. Wang Zhong: Dont mention it. Report to me the situation of the troops. Pavlov: Currently, the progress of bunker construction is about 40%. Furthermore, we have relocated all the residents from the west bank of the Duva River to the east side, and we are currently using the mansions of the local nobles to amodate these residents. The vacated residential buildings on the west bank have all been demolished and leveled. Now the entire west bank is bare, with a good field of fire. As he spoke, Pavlov pointed to the window. Wang Zhong came to the window and looked out, indeed seeing the open space on the west bank of the Duva River, with nothing obstructing the line of fire. Pavlov: Of course, we left some inconspicuous items as targets for shooting, like the remnants of that truck. Its actually burnt out from an obsolete truck. Thats a target at 800 meters. Wang Zhong raised his hand to get a clearer view but realized he didnt have binocrs on his chest and stretched his hand to the side: Binocrs! A staff officer immediately passed a pair of binocrs to him. Wang Zhong took a look and, although it was beginning to get dark, he could still clearly see a strip of white paint at the inconspicuous location of the wreckage. Very good, very good. He just finished speaking when he suddenly reacted, turned his head toward the staff officer who had handed him the binocrs, Vasily? The young Warrant Officer smiled broadly, Its me. Im now a staff officer at the headquarters. Wang Zhong punched him on the shoulder: You really surprised me, you rascal! Dont mention it. Vasilyughed. Wang Zhong: Has your fathere to see you here?n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Vasilys smile froze and then vanished at lightning speed. What happened? Wang Zhong asked with curiosity. Vasily: Dont even mention it. He came, bringing two bottles of liquor intending to have a chat like friends with me! Wang Zhong: Isnt that a good thing? Thats a wish I cant fulfill anymore! Vasily shook his head, But that old man doesnt drink! After a few sses, he started making a racket, ran out to the street, and began singing The Holy War! That would have been fine, but after singing, he started using a liquor bottle as a saxophone and yed it right there on the street! ying it would also be fine, but he didnt stay in one ce; when he saw me approaching, he ran. He ran ahead, and I chased after him! Wang Zhong immediately pictured the scene and burst intoughter. Vasily grew impatient: Whats so funny? I was so embarrassed! Even the Naval Infantry came out tough at me! Now the whole city knows me! Wang Zhong: Isnt that a good thing, though? Now no one will talk about you carrying dung. Id rather be carrying dung! Vasily stomped his foot. Now everyone in the room burst intoughter, and the atmosphere inside and outside the headquarters was filled with mirth. After theughter, Wang Zhong sincerely sighed, Compared to the capital, I still prefer the atmosphere here. Here I can feel at ease. Everyone else was stunned, not understanding why Wang Zhong suddenly expressed such sentiment. At that moment, a staff officer entered: Colonel Hamov of the 31st Destroyer Regiment has arrived. Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow: Hamov? Isnt that the one who escorted me to Ye Fort previously? Hes been transferred to the airfield next to us, in charge of air defense, said Pavlov. Its probably about the aerial reconnaissance photos that came out today. Wang Zhong: Please have the colonele in. Chapter 236: The situation on August 26th Hamov entered the room and saluted Wang Zhong first, Greetings to you, General Rokossovsky. Wang Zhong, How are you adjusting? After all, there are no capital soires or girls here. I know about you pilots, always quickly hooking up with girls whenever youre on the ground. Thats a prejudice, General. We would rather dance in the sky with the enemy than with the girls on the ground. Wang Zhong, And how did that dance go? Shot down three, Hamov said with a smile, and all of them were Stukas we caught at low altitude, just like you suggested. They often use their high speed after diving to escape, but we cruise at 3,000 meters to gather speed. Once we spot an enemy ne diving, we are faster, and a simple crossing can secure a victory. Wang Zhong, Didnt their 109s engage with you? I didnt encounter any, but my squad mate Semyon said he took them down with a slight maneuver. Wang Zhong chuckled. The performance of the Yak-1 was far inferior to the Yak-3, but it wasnt a problem to take on the current 109s at low altitude. The key was low altitude.Hamov, General, how are you so familiar with airbat? Because I y War Thunderbut sadly I cant say that, so Wang Zhong casually said, Vasily told me. Vasily was shocked, Me? Wang Zhong, Uh, another Vasily. Hes in the flying club. Vasily, Did he also pick dung? Wang Zhong was embarrassingly off-topic, forcibly changing the subject, Where are the photos? The aerial reconnaissance photos? Hamov took out an envelope marked Top Secret, Here. After submitting it to the intelligence agencies of the Church and the Front Army, the Church said they could give you a copy. This is the first time Ive encountered such a situation. Wang Zhong, Because Im quite familiar with his excellency the Grand Patriarch. Wang Zhong wasnt lying; he really was familiar. The Grand Patriarch even toasted to me. But everyone else clearly took it as a joke andughed heartily. Pavlov took the envelope and passed it to Popov, You open it. If something goes wrong, youre less likely to crash and burn. Without hesitation, Popov tore open the envelope and dumped the photos onto the map table. Wang Zhong picked up a photo and then confirmed his cheat was of no use with photos. His cheat could only highlight enemies within his own field of view, and it had been like this from the start. So Wang Zhong gave up on deciphering those very blurry photos and directly asked Hamov, Is there anything notable? Instantly, Hamov picked out several photos by their numbers, These are enemy supply depots discovered by reconnaissance, located at these ces. Hamov took a pencil and marked on the map the corresponding photo numbers. Wang Zhong, Can our artillery reach them? Pavlov picked up a pair ofpasses and measured on the map, No, its beyond max range. Hamov continued, Judging by the supplies the enemy is stockpiling at these depots, there are two main directions for their next attack: the first is here, and the second is the ford defended by General Kashuks troops downstream. Pavlov, We have a bridge here, but the water is rtively deep. Even if the enemy uses technology to attack from the riverbed, its difficult to pass here. But General Kashuks position is shallower due to the dry season. Theyre likely under more pressure than we are. Wang Zhong nodded, then asked Hamov, What about the enemys troop deployment? Are there enemy defenses on the roads to these depots? Yes. Hamov quickly pulled out new photos, Look, these are trenches; clearly, there are already enemy forces in front of us. And this vige, see here. Heid a photo in front of Wang Zhong, pointing at a courtyard, This is the enemys truck, and here. Its clear that the enemy has upied this vige. Wang Zhong, Can our artillery hit it? Pavlov picked up thepasses, but upon realizing Hamov hadnt marked the map yet, he looked up at the Air Force lieutenant colonel. Hamov wrote the photo number on the map. Tuhaka Pavlov muttered the name on the map and measured with thepasses, We can hit it. Weve actually scouted the area; theres a slight discrepancy with the map coordinates, but it doesnt affect targeting. Wang Zhong, Youve actually scouted it? We scouted ahead before the enemy got here as you suggested when you summarized your experiences. Naturally, we took over when you were away. Wang Zhong, Good, fire away. Wait, have we resupplied our artillery? Popov, A portion has arrived; now, we have 18 operational 152mm heavy artillery. Weve also received one and a half base loads of shells. Wang Zhong snapped his fingers, Then open fire! Pavlov immediately picked up the phone, Connect to the Artillery Corps. In the barracks of the Artillery Corps, the sudden assembly whistle sounded. The transferred artillery operator, Dmitri, eximed, I knew it! As soon as the general returns, wed be firing the cannons! And in the middle of the night, no less! The curious recruit asked, What are we blowing up? The enemy, was the reply. The enemy is here? the recruit was shocked, I didnt see them! Fool, were hitting the enemy miles away, aiming to send them to heaven in their sleep. Hurry up, hurry up, get moving! Pavlov hung up, The Artillery Corps needs time to assemble, after all, they are not in a pre-battle state. And its sote now, many of the recruits have probably gone to sleep. Wang Zhong said, Get them used to it as soon as possible. Any other intelligence? Hamov reported, Currently, our front seems to be facing enemy infantry units. We didnt see any armored units, thats all. It seemed that the efficiency of aerial reconnaissance at this time could only go so far. Wang Zhong pondered when he could take a ne ride himself and light up all the enemy positions. Looking at the map, he suddenly remembered something and asked, With enemy infantry on our front, is the railway to Shepetovka cut off? How will they manage their supplies? Pavlov answered, Currently, the route to Bolsk is maintaining supply lines. And it looks like they will retreat in that direction, joining the Bolsk Front Army. Currently, the duke is trying to break the encirclement, but with little sess. The enemy has reinforced the front with infantry, and in the current state, its unassable. Everyone on site, except for the Air Force, knew just how powerful the Prosen infantrysbat strength was. Wang Zhong inquired, Do we have contact with the enemy on our front? Our patrols have made contact with the enemy, Pavlov marked two crosses on the map, Neither side gained the upper hand in the exchange of fire. Just yesterday afternoon, we also spotted a small motorized unit within sight of our bridgehead. The entire western bank was controlled by just one Guard Division in a bridgehead. Wang Zhong asked further, Hows the construction of the bridgehead fortifications? They are permanent fortifications cast with concrete. However, the concrete needs time to harden, and if the enemy attacks right now, 152mm artillery could easily breach the bridgehead, Pavlov clicked his tongue, Luckily, the enemy wont attack right away. Wang Zhong deduced, The enemys armored units should havepleted their mission; they are currently resting and reorganizing. I wonder how long they need to recuperate. We expect the rest and reorganization tost until mid-September, Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch of the Second Armored Cluster told then Emperor Reinhard, We have two divisions that suffered heavy losses, withbat-ready tank numbers falling to less than five percent. This is all thanks to the notorious General Rokossovskys doing. Von Mauch saw his majesty frown and immediately added, Fortunately, after driving Rokossovskys forces out of Orachi, our battlefield repair units have fixed some of the tanks. We expect to restore more tanks in the next 30 days. The two heavily hit divisionsbat-ready tank numbers will recover to 50%, plus they have some redundant tank operators, just awaiting tank reinforcement; those divisions could fully regain their strength. Having finished, Field Marshal Von Bock immediately supplemented, The enemy abandoned many tanks on the battlefield, which can be brought back into service with minor repairs. This shows the enemys logistics support is very poor; they have practically no repair capabilities. We can utilize these tanks, turning their weapons against them! Von Mauch nodded, Yes. The troops have already received some of the enemys tanks, and they hold a high opinion of the heavy tanks, in addition to the T34 tanks, which are quite good. However, they find it ufortable to use them without amander and radio.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om They only want to use the toon leaders tanks from among those. Additionally, the poor aiming devices and uracy of the Ante Peoples cannons have been widely criticized. The then Emperor shook his head, If these tanks are so deficient, how did they achieve such brilliant victories? Especially the heavy tanks; Ive read many reports of them destroyingrge numbers of our tanks, which were ultimately taken down by infantry. Von Mauch answered, That must refer to the KV-type tanks. At present, the troops evaluation of these tanks is quite good, with no bad feedback except for serious mechanical failures. Ive already sent a KV tank back to the Imperial Tank Research Center. To counter the enemys armor advantage, we urgently need a type of heavy tank equipped with an 88mm cannon, and with armorparable to the enemys. The then Emperor stood up, shaking his head, No, no, gentlemen. You are overly concerned. Although it took us longer than expected to eliminate Argesukovs forces, we have already, heavily battered the Ante People! The elite Ante troops have been encircled and wiped out by us! Since the beginning of the war, we have destroyed three million enemies, and our army has exhibited surprising efficiency! Ante is now like an old house, merely needing a kick to copse! At this point, Siegfried, the Grand Commander of the Asgard Knights, who had been silent, spoke up, Your Majesty, the enemy has just rallied the nations morale with a national funeral; perhaps making such an optimistic assessment is not very wise? Reinhard waved his hand dismissively, Thats just a sh in the pan! One kick is all it takes to bring down this old, backward country, and its fertilends will be the granary of Prosen. The blockades by the United Kingdom and Federation will fall apart on their own; we will gain everything weck, oil, rubber, all kinds of minerals! In the end, we will emerge victorious, we will have the whole world! Chapter 237: Typhoon Chapter 237: Typhoon Siegfried touched his own red hair, Lets be cautious, Your Majesty. Ante is vast and has great war potential. Reinhard stopped, Yes, they do have great war potential, I know. Thats why from the beginning my goal has been to destroy their will to fight. The morale boosted by the death of the Crown Prince is only temporary; without a new leading figure to support it, this morale will quickly dissipate. Unfortunately for them, a new leading figure has emerged, but they have not ced this person at the center as a symbol of spirit. This is our chance, Siegfried. ording to reliable intelligence, General Rokossovsky is currently at Shostka on the Duva River, which is where well strike next. We willunch a pincer attack from both the south and north with 1.8 million men and 2,000 tanks, with Shostka right in front of the southern pincers! To eliminate him, I will reinforce the main force in the south, the Second Armored Group, with two more Knights Army divisions! Von Maqi immediately raised his head, Thank you very much, I will surely not disappoint Your Majesty. Reinhard, You let Rokossovsky escape in the previous battle. But at the time you did not know he would be an important figure stirring the morale of Ante, and you also had the mission of advancing southward. Now, you can make up for that mistake! To help you aplish your mission, I will also give you Ottos Krantzs Brandenburg forces! This is a special force that yed an important role in the initial stages of our invasion, capturing many key bridges.You should make full use of these troops topletely eliminate Rokossovsky! Von Maqi stood at attention, his head held high as he answered, Yes! After 20 days of replenishment, my group will start the offensive. I will finally fulfill my long-standing wish to lead the troops into Ekaterinburg Fortress! My revered Majesty, I request that this operation be named November Festival, to celebrate our total annihtion of the Ante road roller that has always threatened Europa. Reinhard shook his head, No, that would be too kind for an inferior race like Ante! No, we cant use such a weak name. This operation will be calledTyphoon! We will eradicate Ante as easily as a typhoon, ending the war before winter arrives! This December, we will sign the surrender document with the enemy at Ekaterinburg Fortress, just as we didst May in Carolingian! Marshal Von Bock and other officers stood up one after another, shouting, Long live Prosen! Long live the Emperor! Wang Zhong raised his head upon hearing the sound of artillery fire outside and approached the window.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Unfortunately, he could not see the shells being fired in the darkness. Even when he switched to a birds-eye view, he still saw nothing. In this view, the entire western bank was pitch-ck, meaning there were no enemy units. Wang Zhong, I wonder how long this calm willst. Vasily, The enemy wont be calm. By tomorrow morning, theyll be digging graves for theirrades who died in their sleep. Wang Zhong, We would do the same if the enemy artillery advanced. The good news is we have ready-made reinforced concrete buildings for bomb shelters. How is the reinforcement of the buildings on the east bank progressing? Pavlov, It hasnt started yet, the main priority right now is pouring concrete bunkers to get them to peak hardness sooner. However, we have reinforced some key buildings with steel. Wang Zhong nodded, Good. Also, weve brought a brand new type of artillery and a new type of self-propelled artillery. Gather the anti-tank artillery units tomorrow, and get them familiar with these two weapons as quickly as possible before the enemy attacks. Especially the self-propelled anti-tank artillery, we need to prepare specific positions and routes for their relocation. Popov frowned, You mean that unimpressive-looking tractor? That thing just looks like a stick tied on top of a tractor. And although Im not familiar with artillery, that artillery piece looks different from all the ones we have. It looks more slender than the 76 gun, but the barrel is very long! Its like an embroidery needle! Wang Zhong, Yes, an embroidery needle, and one that consumed a lot of production hours to create. The time it takes to make one of these guns could be used to make several 76 guns. But correspondingly, this gun has astonishing power and terrifying uracy. Vasilyughed, Sounds good. Our anti-tank artillery troops have only pulled out the gunner. General, where did you get this gun from? Wang Zhong, No one else wanted it, theyined it wasnt tested. Everyone else was stunned. Vasilyughed, General, youre teasing us again! You blew all this smoke without it being tested? Wang Zhong thought to himself that he bragged because the gun had been tested inbat on Earth. He looked at Vasily, Tomorrow, we will test this gun. Vasilys smile froze. Wang Zhong, You have to understand that our armaments are very scarce right now because most of the factories are being relocated to the east and even after the relocation isplete, it will take time to restore production efficiency. Because of that, we can only continue producing the wed T34 to replenish our forces and slowly expand the production of the highly praised Parade Tank. Hamov, being from the Air Force, was puzzled when he heard Parade Tank, Parade Tank? Wang Zhong: In order for a foot soldier like me with no tank training tomand from a tank, my vehicle, number 422, was modified from a Parade Tank. But it turned out to show excellentbat performance. Hamov blinked, Did you just say a foot soldier with no tank trainingmanding a tank in battle? Wang Zhong: Im a foot soldier. Hamov gasped, What? I thought you were from the Armored Troops! After all didnt you kill eight Prosen generals with a tank? Two, two Prosen generals, Wang Zhong was almost tired of correcting this statement again and again, and one of them was actually killed by artillery. I see. But its strange, war is really strange. One of the most formidable tankmanders from Prosen actually wrote Infantry Attack. Hamov shook his head. Maybe one day you, a foot soldier, could be a Marshal of the Air Force. Wang Zhongughed heartily, but thought to himself, not to hide it from you, Im a super pilot in War Thunder with over a thousand enemy nes shot down! If my physique could handle it, I would definitely show you what an ace pilot is. But the nes now dont have ejection seats, and the rate at which pilots are shot down and die is too high, so its better to honestly be a general on the ground. Though being on the ground isnt necessarily much safer than being in the air. At this moment, Nelly pushed the door open and came in with a cart: Snack time! Todays snack is yogurt cheese and pancakes brought over from Ye Fort. Hamovs eyes widened when he saw Nelly: Why is there such a young girl here? She looks about the same age as my daughter, who should be in fifth grade! Nelly looked disdainfully at the pilot: I graduated from tenth grade a long time ago. Eh? Is that so? Colonel Hamov was surprised. Vasily asked, You have a daughter? Of course, I carry a photo of them both as an amulet. Look! Hamov took out a locket and opened it to show the photo inside to everyone. It was clearly a family photo folded to show only the daughter and wife. Pavlov was amazed at the photo: Youre a lucky man. Wang Zhong: Chief of Staff, dont you also have a wedding ring? Yes, I do. But my wife lets not mention her, the bear-like Chief of Staff shook his head, shes strong enough to go bear hunting in the mountains now. Wang Zhong joked, Isnt that normal? Ante women are eventually going to fight bears in the mountains. Nelly frowned, looking at Wang Zhong. Hamov looked at the photo of his wife and shook his head: She probably couldnt beat a bear. Shes a middle school teacher, quite delicate. She would get a sore back and back pains just from chopping wood outside in winter. After that, the church installed coal stoves for the citys intellectual families, and she has been thankful to the church for many years now. When she sits outside making coal balls in winter, she always tells my daughter about the past when they could only burn wood for warmth. Wang Zhong: Isnt heating in winter now all done with fuel from Kubar? Hamov shook his head, We cant transport it over there; its better to use coal from nearby mines. Coal production was low before, but after the church took it over, production increased and now everyone can afford coal. Wang Zhong: I see. Hamov continued, We were nning to move to Kazarlia, but now Kazarlia has fallen. Wang Zhong earnestly replied, It hasnt fallen. I still carry a box of it with me. As long as Im alive, Kazarlia will always havend that hasnt fallen, and thatnd is right beside me. Hamov paused for a moment, then apologized, Im sorry, General, I And now, the Bolsk Front Army is still fighting; that is also Kazarlian territory. So to say Kazarlia has fallen is not urate, Wang Zhong corrected seriously. Im sorry, Hamov apologized sincerely. But Pavlov said, The situation for the Bolsk Front Army isnt great either, but if the enemy focuses mainly on attacking Ye Fort for the rest of this year, they might get a chance to breathe. If the enemy wants to get the oil from Kubar, they will eventually have to attack Bolsk. Wang Zhong: No matter how much territory we lose, we will recapture all of it in the end. Definitely. Everyone else in the room unanimously said, Of course. Nelly: Do you want sour cream with your pancakes? Wang Zhong: Yes! Chapter 238: Rocossov and Reconnaissance in Front of the Enemy Chapter 238: Rocossov and Reconnaissance in Front of the Enemy August 26, zero five hundred hours, Shostka. With the help of Ludm and Nelly, Wang Zhong dressed himself and, after taking a satisfactory look at his own reflection in the dressing mirror, nodded approvingly. Ludm: Today, Im heading back to the unit. Wang Zhong: Ah? What about my hugs every morning? You can find Nelly for that. As soon as Ludm finished speaking, Nelly took a step back, her displeasure evident on her face. Pointing at Nelly, Wang Zhong said, Look! Youve scared Nelly now! Ludmughed and gently ruffled Wang Zhongs hair. Alyosha, havent you always slept on your own before? Its hard to go from luxury to frugality, you know?Alyosha. Ludm simply called Wang Zhongs name, then gazed at him. Wang Zhong sighed. Im just showing how hard it is for me to part with you. Shoot down a few more enemy nes, okay? With those words, he embraced Ludm, allowing the girl to rest on his chest while he gently stroked her hair. After several dozen seconds, Wang Zhong reluctantly pulled away and said to Nelly, See Ludm off. Mhm. Nelly nodded. Wang Zhong turned and left the dormitory, speaking to Grigori outside, Saddle Bucephalus and gather apetent squad, all armed with submachine guns. A reconnaissance mission? Grigori, flicking the cigarette he was holding to the ground and stamping it out, replied, Ill assemble the troops right away. Ludm chased after him. Alyosha, as themander of the entire division, why are you going on the reconnaissance yourself? Its precisely because I am themander of the whole division that I must go on a reconnaissance mission, Wang Zhong patted his fiances shoulder, Dont worry, I have a pair of eyes that can spot the enemy from two kilometers away. This was true. Ludm: But what if you dont spot the enemy? What if you get surrounded? Would you really be willing to hand over the troops youve trained so hard to someone elsesmand? At that moment, Grigori quietly slipped away, clearly not wanting to get involved in the couples quarrel. Pavlov emerged from the division headquarters building, peeking over this way, and was promptly seized by Ludm. Chief of Staff, talk to him. He wants to go on the reconnaissance himself! Pavlov: He pulled the same stunt at Orachi, but when the enemys motorized troops turned up near us, I wouldnt let him go. But now, our patrol units are still patrolling the western bank as usual, so its fine if he wants to have a look. Ludm was shocked. You support him going? If themander personally scouts the enemy, it will greatly boost troop morale. Thats what the military academy taught us, right? It has been like this since the days of Suvorov, Pavlov shrugged. Ludm: But he is thest in our ss! Before the words fell, Wang Zhong picked up Ludm and gave her a nibble. Nelly couldnt help butment, Its like gnawing on a pork knuckle. Wang Zhong stopped only when Ludm pushed against his chest with both hands, and, as his fiance gasped for air, he smacked his lips.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Nelly: Salty? Wang Zhong looked at Nelly. Youre quite humorous. You tter me, Nelly replied modestly. Wang Zhong looked back at the now-recovered Ludm and said, Ante women wont stop their men from fulfilling their duties, will they? Ludm sighed. Yes, Im just discussing the necessity with you! Its necessary, trust me. Wang Zhong looked her straight in the eyes. All right, go on then. Wang Zhong turned and hurriedly ran downstairs. Then Bucephalus appeared, snorting through the bit in his mouth, unable to nibble on Wang Zhongs head and instead blowing air around his face. Gently stroking the horses neck, Wang Zhong asked with a smile, Miss me? The horse whinnied and pranced its hooves. At this moment, Grigori and the assembled guard unit appeared. Mounting his horse, Wang Zhong nodded to a worried-looking Ludm and was about to turn the horse around when Vasily appeared, carrying a captured field radio. Im going too, otherwise if something happens, you all wont be able to contact division headquarters. Wang Zhong: Thats fine. But why bring the captured one? Vasily: Its battery is reliable; I just charged it this morning. Our batteries arent trustworthy, and wed have to carry a hand-cranked generator. Get me a horse. Grigori told a soldier, Go pick another one from the stables, this one is for the lieutenant. The soldier immediately dismounted and handed the reins over to Vasily. A few minutester, the small unit was ready. Wang Zhong waved to Ludm and led the unit out of the division headquarterspound. Bucephalus, cheerful, sprinted particrly fast and soon galloped along the road to the riverbank. He then rushed toward the riverbed and started drinking at the waters edge. Wang Zhong: Hey! Youre too free-spirited, you know! Just then, the Naval Infantry patrolling under the bridge spoke to Wang Zhong, General, although its the dry season, the middle can still be over a persons head! Crossing by swimming requires caution. Wang Zhong: Are all the river sections we defend impassable by swimming? I only said to be cautious. We can swim across, armed with light weapons and grenades. I just dont know if the Prosen infantry has as good water skills as we do, said the Naval Infantry, tugging at his dark uniform to show a bit more of the sailor shirt underneath his cor. Wang Zhong thought for a moment, then asked, What if we were to spray the river with oil and set it on fire, would that stop the enemy from crossing? Certainly, it could. But think of the amount of gasoline that would require, plus its a one-time thing. Its better to set up a few more machine guns. Wang Zhong, For use in a critical moment. I mean, when the machine guns arent quick enough to block off the river. Then its your decision, the Naval Infantry said. Really, theres no need to worry too much. With the river being so wide, the enemy would likely consider crossing over the bridge first. If not, they might use engineering troops to build a pontoon. Wang Zhong nodded. At that moment, Bucephalus finished drinking, neighed softly, and then started to run on its own, quickly reaching the stairs next to the river, then onto the riverside avenue, and finally turned onto therge bridge. The main body of the bridge was a railway bridge, consisting only of tracks without a floor, but there was a small path with wooden nksid down next to it. Bucephalus ran along the path all the way to the bridgehead fort. The troops guarding the bridgehead fort saluted Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong stopped to look over the bridge surface, muttering, If the enemy sets up machine guns next to it to seal off the bridge, the troops on the west bank would be isted. The soldier standing guard next to the bunkerughed, Then the enemys machine guns would have to withstand our artillery fire first. Look around, where is there any cover for the enemy to use? You might as well worry about the wooden nks on the bridge being lifted by the enemy. Wang Zhong turned his head and nodded, True, well rece them with iron tes and secure them with bolts. Then on behalf of everyone, thank you, Your Excellency, the soldier said. Wang Zhong then asked, Are our supplies of food and ammunition sufficient? Enough tost about a week or so. You can rest assured. Wang Zhong nodded again, spurred Bucephalus once more, and the horse began to gallop. - It was half an hourter when they encountered the enemy. And it wasnt the enemys reconnaissance troops, but Prussian Infantry stationed on the high ground. From a great distance, Wang Zhong had his troops dismount, leaving a few men in the woods to watch the horses, and took the rest to a spot a few hundred meters from the enemy position. Unlike the endless Kazarlian ins, this area had many trees, which made it possible to conceal their approach and engage the enemy. Wang Zhong switched to an overhead view to observe the enemy on the high ground. There was a toon of enemy troops, and they were not in a state ofbat readiness. Wang Zhong turned his head to ask Grigori, If we call for artillery fire, can you take the high ground with our current forces after the shelling? There might be a toon up there. Grigori, My suggestion is to not use artillery fire, so as not to startle the enemy by hitting the grass. We can crawl over andunch a surprise attack. Those who followed are all veterans, and theyre all equipped with submachine gunswe have the advantage in close-quartersbat. Wang Zhong, Okay. Go ahead. Just as Grigori was about to crawl forward, he suddenly remembered something, turned back to a sergeant and said, You stay behind with Lavrov to protect the general. The sergeant frowned, Doesnt the general have Vasily with him? Grigori, Follow orders. You must not let the general die, even if you do, understand? Leave it to me, the sergeant saluted. Then Grigori led the men out of the hidden bushes. The sergeant left behind looked at Vasily, The sergeant major doesnt trust you, musician. Wang Zhong, Musician? Ever since my dad went on a drinking rage, thats what theyve called me, Vasily said with a bitter face. Wang Zhong, Its not a bad nickname. You are indeed a great musician. Vasily, Stop making fun of me. Im not making fun of you, Wang Zhong said, then turned his attention back to the high ground. With the naked eye, it was almost impossible to see where Grigori and his men were, but switching to the overhead view showed they had advanced to a spot separated from the enemy by only a row of hedges; Grigori was assigning tasks to his soldiers, inaudible in the overhead perspective. In any case, they spread out quickly, advancing towards the high ground in pairs. Grigori crawled to the vicinity of the enemys machine gun position, and when the enemy turned away, he dashed out and quickly eliminated the two men at the machine gun with his knife. The other groups also began their movements, and in the blink of an eye, several sentries on the outpost were silently taken out. However, one of the sentries managed to fire off a shot before dying, alerting the enemy. Several Prussians immediately rushed out from Grigoris cover, only to be mown down by his submachine gunfire. A corporal following him threw a grenade into an opening, and the next moment, the st wave surged out of the entrance. The others seized key positions and opened fire, the sound of submachine guns and grenades incessant. Grigori charged to the front of the enemymand post, sweeping two guards with a burst of gunfire. He then ordered the corporal to set up the gun as he held a grenade. Wang Zhong thought despairingly, dont do it, capture an officer! However, Grigori had already thrown his grenade. Inside themand post, several were stunned, about to be obliterated, when the enemymanders adjutant tackled themander to the ground. Wang Zhong, Good! Vasily, ?!. After the explosion, Grigori charged in first. The enemymander drew his pistol, only to be kicked flying by Grigori. Facing the barrel of the submachine gun, the enemy had no choice but to surrender obediently. Chapter 239: Is It So Strange for a General to Come and Capture a Spy Himself? ` After confirming that the position had been captured, Wang Zhong personally led Vasily and two guards to the site. Grigori saluted Wang Zhong, Weve captured fifteen prisoners, including one major. The rest are at most warrant officers. Wang Zhong, Is there any medicine here? Yes, we have both medicine and bandages. Wang Zhong, Shoot each of them in the shoulder, then dress their wounds with their own medical supplies, and order them to walk back to their base. Grigori nodded and turned to carry out the orders. He left a corporal behind, guarding the major they had just captured. Wang Zhong, Vasily, its your turn.Vasily went up and struck the major with his rifle butt. Wang Zhong was startled, I told you to speak in Prussian! Vasily, Ah? Oh, right. (Switching to Prussian) The general wants to ask you questions. The Prussian major had just been struck by a rifle butt and was still dazed, and responded, (In Prussian) I demand prisoner of war treatment! Vasily, (In Prussian) What kind of prisoner of war treatment do beasts deserve? At that moment, gunshots were heard from Grigoris direction. From this angle, the major couldnt see the disposition Wang Zhong ordered for ordinary soldiers, so he misunderstood, thinking they were executing prisoners of war. Major, What youre doing is against international conventions! Vasily struck the major with the gun butt again, skewing his nose and causing blood to gush, (In Prussian) Shit, why didnt you mention internationalw when you were ughtering our civilians! You should all be flushed down the toilet and drowned! Wang Zhong, Whats the situation? Vasily turned back, He thinks were executing prisoners of war and is using us of viting internationalw. Wang Zhong, Tell him that internationalws are made for humans, none of which apply to beasts. Vasily immediately tranted. The majors eyes widened. Wang Zhong drew his pistol and expertly chambered a round, This pistol has been blessed personally by the Grand Patriarch of the Eastern Holy Church, Belinsky. Its perfect for executing Prussian devils. After Vasily tranted, the major stared in horror at Wang Zhongs gun, Please dont execute me with this gun, I wont be able to enter heaven! Wang Zhong looked at Vasily who tranted, He says he cant get to heaven if hes killed with that gun. Tell him, he was destined for hell anyway. After speaking, Wang Zhong aimed his gun. The major rattled off a barrage of words at a rapid pace. Wang Zhong, Whats he saying? Hes confessed everything; he just begs not to be killed with that gun. Even a bay would do. Wang Zhong thought how superstitious these people were and then said, It all depends on his performance. Which unit does he belong to, and why did hee here? After Vasily tranted, the major immediately replied, I am a staff officer of the 35th Infantry Division of the 9th Army Groups 337th Army. My division is stationed here, and I came to inspect the defenses. Upon hearing the trantion about the 9th Army Group, Wang Zhong interrupted, Who is themander of the 9th Army Group? Vasily, Who is themander of the 9th Army Group? Its Major General Walter Mendel. Wang Zhong frowned at the pronunciation, Walter? Mendel? Does he like to tinker with peas? Vasily was taken aback, Should I trante this? I mean, the part about peas? Wang Zhong, No, I just asked subconsciously. Where is your divisions headquarters? Where is the army headquarters, and where is the army group headquarters? Major (omitting the trantion process), My adjutants bag contains a map with all the locations marked. After Vasily tranted, Wang Zhong immediately asked the corporal guarding the major, Where is the bag with the documents? The corporal brought it out, Here. Vasily took it, opened it, and spread out the map. Wang Zhong couldnt understand the Prussiannguage on the map, but he could read the military symbols. A quick nce told him that there were simply no armored units on the entire front. If it werent for the possibility of enemy 88mm guns and defensive PAK38 anti-tank guns, Wang Zhong would have consideredunching an armored assault to capture more territory. ording to the map, the nearest armored battalion was two hundred kilometers away Wang Zhong, Keep the map safe; lets retreat quickly to avoidplications. After making a copy of the map, submit it. As for this Mr. Major, knock him out, tie him up, and ce him on a saddle. The corporal guarding the majorughed, Ive got this; Ie from a hunting background. Ive tied up deer and put them on saddles before, and a man is much lighter than a deer. Vasily asked, Arent we going to call for artillery fire? ording to the map, the division headquarters of the 337th is within our artillery range. Wang Zhong, If we shell them now, theyll take cover. Lets wait until nighttime. Vasily grinned, Youre right. When Wang Zhong returned with his elite troops to Shostkaspletely demolished western bank, he found many soldiers active on the western shore. They must have crossed on ferries; a ferry was docked next to the destroyed ticket office of the ferry terminal. These men were unloading concrete blocks from trucks. ` Wang Zhong rode on his horse past the spot and asked curiously, Whats with this mound? The lieutenant who was addressed immediately saluted, Reporting to the general, this is a target, the anti-tank artillery troops are going to fire at this mound soon. Wang Zhong: Firing at the mound? Lieutenant: Ah, I misspoke, its to shoot at the wooden target board set up on top of the mound, its just that the target hasnt been mounted yet. The troops have already hit targets at 800 meters before, that vehicle over there, a perfect hit, so they sent us to set up a new target. As he spoke, the lieutenant pointed at the remains of the truck that had served as a target. Using wreckage as a target was indeed economical. He nced at the remains of the truck, then turned to look toward the eastern shore, only to see a ZIS30 stopped over there. From this distance, without a birds-eye perspective, it was genuinely difficult to make out that small object.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om If they added some camouging brush, and set up fortifications, you might fear that without opening fire, the enemy couldnt see it at all. Wang Zhong put down his binocrs and asked the lieutenant who was setting up the target, Hows the new equipment? Lieutenant: See for yourself, it pierced right through that wreck, and with high precision, too. They aimed for the engine air intake and hit it squarely. And thats from over 800 meters! A 45mm gun might not have hit it. Wang Zhong: Because it was so urate, youvee to set up a 1000-meter target now? Thats right. As they spoke, the soldiers were mounting the wooden targets onto the mounds. Wang Zhong turned and ordered, First send that venison across the river, and well see how well the artillerymen do with the new weapons on this side. Yes, the sergeant in charge of the prisoners immediately nudged his horses belly and rode towards the bridge. The major on horseback looked at Wang Zhong, seemingly sighing with relief. Wang Zhong thought without a trace of pity: In the hands of the Tribunal, youll wish you had been killed by my blessed pistol. A minuteter, the target was set up, and the lieutenant said to Wang Zhong, General, you bettere quickly, we should take cover a bit further away. Wang Zhong: You drive away, well just follow on horseback. Yes. The lieutenant and his men got into the vehicle and quickly distanced themselves from the target. Wang Zhong followed behind the truck on Bucephalus. Soon, they were about a hundred meters away from the target when the lieutenant fired a signal re from the cab of the truckcking radiomunication on both sides, they could only use signal res to coordinate. Wang Zhong raised his binocrsactually switching to a birds-eye viewand saw the gunner on the ZIS30plete the loading and begin to adjust the guns elevation. The aiming processsted about 20 seconds, and then the 57mm gun fired. It seemed to be a bit quieter than the 76mm gun. A sh of light hit the targetthe mound beneath it. A cloud of dust rose from the mound. The lieutenant, cursing under his breath, raised a yellow g to signal the other side to cease fire, and then carrying the g, he walked towards the target. Wang Zhong dismounted and followed the lieutenant, overhearing him grumble, Had to show off like this! That mound is supposed to be the target! Upon reaching the mound, Wang Zhong crouched to inspect itthe shell had prated the mound and exited through the side. It appeared that the concrete mound had forcefully changed the shells trajectory. Wang Zhong estimated the depth of the marks on the mound and was impressed, I fear no enemy tank could withstand such a hit. Lieutenant: I think so, too, after all, we directly pierced through the target using the truck just now. Even though the trucks engine had already been removed, it was still quite formidable. Wang Zhong: Hmm. Pleasing results. If we had more of these guns, not a single Prussian would make it back, the lieutenant sighed. But Wang Zhong could only smile bitterly. No doubt the 57mm gun was superior, but its production time was too long, and the rate was too slow. Desiring more meant hoping that Wang Zhong somehow had a system to conjure equipment from the void. Wang Zhong switched to a birds-eye view, confirmed he had no such ability, and concluded. He would have to make the best use of the 57mm guns he had. Wang Zhong gave another nce across the river to the ZIS30 self-propelled artillery. - After crossing the river, Wang Zhong went directly to the side of the ZIS30. Among the anti-tank gunners were several veterans who had experienced the bloody battle of Orachi, praising the new weapon: If we had had this thing in Orachi, coupled with the trenches we dug for the tanks, we would havepletely annihted the enemys armored division! Completely annihted! Wang Zhong: You can stillpletely annihte the enemys armored division now. The men turned their heads, then promptly stood at attention and saluted, His Excellency the General! In that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly wondered if there woulde a day when the troops would only shout ura upon seeing him? Just like a certain little man, the Carolus Army would only shout long live the Emperor at the sight of him. Just thinking about it felt quite stirring. s, Ante probably wouldnt have a Tsar in the future. Wang Zhong: How do you like the thing I got for you? Its excellent, said the veteran who had spoken earlier. Its a pity were only getting it now. No, this is a result of your struggles in Orachi! The oue of the battle in Orachi has given me enough prestige to acquire such weapons for you, Wang Zhong looked at the men, Your valor has been recognized! Do you understand? Both new recruits and veterans disyed looks of joy at this moment. Having their struggle recognized is a great honor for any soldier. Wang Zhong: Next, more ZIS30s will be continuously sent from the rear. You need to familiarize yourselves with them as soon as possible. The enemy will arrive in no more than 20 days. Rest assured, General! the veteran sergeant responded on behalf of everyone. Well make sure the Prussians cant return! Chapter 240: The situation on the night of September 9th In Jules Year 914, on September 9th, at Shostka, the headquarters of the Ante Armys First Guard Mechanized Division, it was 2300 hours. Pavlov lifted his wristwatch and nced at it, There probably wont be any telegrams tonight. It looks like Argesukov has finally fallen. The telegrams Pavlov referred to were the open-code ones from Argesukov that had been nonstop since early AugustDArgesukovs codebooks had all been destroyed, leaving them no choice but to send messages in the clear. The content of the telegrams was very brief, essentially This is Argesukov, we are still fighting. For a while, Argesukovs radio station also repeatedly broadcasted this sentence over shortwave, and it could be picked up by all radios in Ante. But this broadcast had been interrupted for almost half a month now. Wang Zhong stood in front of a map, looking at the entire defensive posture of the Western Front Army, and said, Argesukovs resistancested long enough, which is good. The enemys armored troops have been resting for almost a month, but the infantry has been continuously fighting. Popov interjected, The infantry of the Ninth Army Group we are facing head-on along with Kashuk has also been resting for quite some timeDI mean, if you dont count being shelled by us every night. At that moment, the sound of tearing through the air came from the sky. Wang Zhong, like an old soldier, didnt instinctively hit the deck when he heard the whistling. However, he still couldnt judge the falling points by sound alone; he could only switch his perspective and physically look at the ce being bombed.Sounds like the train station is being bombed, he said like an experienced veteran. Pavlov replied, It should be. The main buildings of the city have all been reinforced, and they know bombing them wont do much good. Its better to take a chance on hitting our lotives and the stuff that hasnt been moved out in time. After saying that, Pavlovughed, Too bad we dont have a single lotive at the station, as they alle and go within the day. Tell me, why dont these Prussian people change their tactics and bomb during the day instead? Wang Zhong spread his hands, Maybe its because we bomb at night? Vasily interjected, Sometimes I really think the Prussians are terrifyingly rigid. Its these rigid guys who have got us to the point of losing our homnd, Wang Zhong responded, Dont underestimate them just because of their stiff style. Just then, the phone rang and Pavlov picked it up, Division headquarters. Cant you wait any longer? Holding the receiver, he turned to Wang Zhong, The artillery battalion is asking if they should return fire. Wang Zhong replied, Return fire. But take it easy, we need to save some shells for the future battles. As Pavlov gave the order, Popov remarked, Its obvious that the enemys supplies have improved, and they dont seem as tightfisted with their shells as before. It looks like theyve finally adapted to our domestic road system. Wang Zhong observed, It could also be that theyve restored our railway system. Such a rapid recovery of the railway system cant possibly all rely on railway workers from within Prosen, at least not without them being subjected to arge-scale massacre. Popov clicked his tongue, How should I put it, railway workers are the closest to the Secr faction of the Eastern Holy Church. Theyve incited the peoples rage by ughtering peasants and then left the railway workers Wang Zhong could already imagine how the hidden believers of the Eastern Holy Churchs Secr faction among the railway workers were causing trouble. Should we make a peasants banjo and send it over as a Sacred Object? In this world, something powerful might descend, like a steel knife plunging into the heart of the Prosen Empire. At this time, themunications officer came over from the next room, General, a telegram from Kashuks 51st Army. Wang Zhongmanded, Read it.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ording to our reconnaissance, theposition of the enemy forces directly ahead has changed. We suspect that the enemys 5th and 9th Armored Divisions have been transferred to face our front. Wang Zhong looked towards the wall map, Finally, armored units have been moved over, huh? Pavlov added, Yesterdays aerial reconnaissance also spotted the enemys field repair factories, and the Air Force even carried out an attack. Although we didnt see any tanks, but the repair factories have moved up, right? Wang Zhong nodded, Thats right. Its a pity that since ourst surprise attack, the enemy has beefed up their defenses. Pavlov mentioned, Since then, the highest-ranked captured enemy officer has been a captain, and none have been caught with briefcases anymore. Youve really given the enemy a longsting lesson. Popov said, Right, and youve made the enemy afraid to stay in buildings. As long as theyre within range of our artillery, all the vigers houses are empty, and the Prussian Army doesnt even dare to pitch tents by the roadside. I heard Kashuk took a leaf out of your book, and on the enemy side of the military demarcation line for 20 kilometers, the rooms are all empty. Wang Zhongughed heartily, Thats mainly because there arent any sturdy reinforced concrete buildings within range, at most brick houses. Look at us living in the big city; were not that afraid of the enemys shelling, right? Pavlov said, Were now guarding against the rain, with this advantage its not surprising. But when we go on the offensive will we also be afraid to stay in buildings? Wang Zhong borated, The enemys firepower is different from ours, their heavy artillery only goes up to the Army Group level; they dont have campaign-level heavy artillery clusters. In fact, at the Army Group level, our firepower is much stronger than theirs. How do you solve that? Of course, with numbers. Concentrate the use of campaign-level heavy firepower clusters, send all the enemys key nodes sky-high, and then you dont have to worry about the enemys routine shelling. Pavlov asked, Youre already thinking about campaign-level issues, are you preparing to be a Front Armymander? Wang Zhong replied, As long as the Ante people need, I canmand a division, an army, an army group, a front army. My personal honor or disgrace isnt important, whats important is to defeat those damn Prussians. At that moment, the phone rang again, and Pavlov answered it, Division headquarters. Uh-huh. Engine sounds? Right now? Okay. After hanging up, Pavlov said to Wang Zhong, Brother Peter has heard engine soundsing from the east, resembling a small ne. We havent received any notifications from the Air Force, have we? Wang Zhong shook his head, Dont worry, its our night bombers. Tell the troops not to be rmed. Pavlov and Popov exchanged nces before picking up the phone, Connect to the anti-aircraft battalion. After passing down the message, Pavlov turned back to Wang Zhong, How did you know they were night bombers? Wang Zhong said, Vasily told me. Was it something I said again? Vasily sighed, Dont be like that, its not fun. Wang Zhong: A friend from the capital told me. Actually, this was knowledge that transcended time and space. Pavlov: This friend of yours, shes a woman, right? A man, Wang Zhong corrected seriously, Dont make it sound like I can only be friends with women. At that moment, the sound of engines came from the sky, and Wang Zhong stood up, went to the window, and looked up. Actually, if one changed the perspective, they could see six Po-2 Bines slowly flying over the city. The others also went to the window but saw no nes. Suddenly, the roar of the engines got softer. Pavlov: Whats going on? That way they can glide quietly over the enemys heads to attack, Wang Zhong exined. As soon as he actually saw the nes with his naked eye, he pointed up and shouted, Look! Vasily: Really? Why bines? Are we so desperate that we have to use such outdated things? Wang Zhong: Its called making the best of what you have. Whats wrong with bines? The bombs dropped from bines are just as deadly. Prosens battleships can even be sunk by bines! Youre right, arent you, Bismarck? Vasily shook his head repeatedly: Impossible, youre bluffing me! Sometimes, General, youre as unguarded with your words as I am. You know youre unguarded with your words too! Jules 914, the evening of September 9. The second Armored Cluster Command of the Prosen Army. The red-haired Major General Zigfried stepped out of the car and furrowed his brows at the sight of the brightly litmand center. Isnt there a ckout? The staff officer from the Armored Cluster Command who came to wee himughed, Why enforce a ckout? The Ante People have no more forces to attack us with, and today we captured the Southwestern Front Army Headquarters of the Ante Army. Argesukovs organized resistance is over; the whole army is celebrating the event. Celebrating and ckout control arent mutually exclusive, Major General Zigfried questioned, Whose order was it? General Von Maqi. Zigfried could only sigh, Alright, take me to the general. The staff officer immediately gestured invitingly. Zigfried followed him deep into themand center, to the presence of the general. Your Excellency, Von Maqi, from today onwards, my forces will fight under yourmand, Zigfried stated. Von Maqi nced at Zigfried and smiled, I dont deserve such courtesy; we are all but troops under the Tsarsmand, merely fighting side by side. Major General Zigfried: A unifiedmand helps avoid missing strategic opportunities. Pleasemand me as you do the other armymanders under you. Dont worry, I will, the general said as he approached the map. We already have two armored divisions deployed downstream of the Duva River, with four infantry divisions supporting those two. Of course, the battlefield front isnt expansive enough for such arge force, so the infantry will have to wait for the armored divisions to break through the crossing point before following up. Zigfried: Are the modifications for the stealth crossing of these two divisionsplete? General Maqi: We are expediting the process, and its expected to bepletely done by September 19. Taking ount of other supplies, and the umtion of ammunition, we n tounch the attack on September 20. Zigfried nodded, My forces will deploy at the Shostka front. My armored grenadier division is equipped with thetest amphibious tanks. Additionally, the Brandenburg troops will be parachuting behind enemy lines, along with Duke Mayers 100th Airborne Division. Just as General Maqi was about to respond, a stone crashed through themand centers window. Everyone turned their heads to look at the broken window, and the next moment, an explosion urred. The staff officers nearest the window were instantly hit by shrapnel. Everyone else dropped to the floor at once, except for General Maqi and Major General Zigfried. At that moment, the anti-aircraft guns began firing outside, and the rm sounded. General Maqi eximed angrily, Whats happening? Air raid, Commander, someone responded. Major General Zigfried: It seems, General, that the Ante People have found a way to attack your headquarters. It might be wise to practice ckout control after all. The general shook his head, No, this attack precisely shows that the enemy is at theirst gasp. We should meet them with heads high, and secure our victory. Major General Zigfried, in two months time, we shall be at the Tsars Summer Pce, epting his surrender! Chapter 241: Launching ` Jules 914, September 19th, Shostka, headquarters of the First Guards Mechanized Division, 2200 hours. A captive was brought into the division headquarters by a forward scouting squad. The headquarters staff collectively sized up the captive. Pavlov: This uniform doesnt it look a lot like the ones we encountered in Orachi that kind of opulent division? The one with especially abundant equipment, where even the Mark II tanks are scarce, and theyre all equipped with Mark IIIs and IVs? Wang Zhong: The Asgard Knights Division, the then Emperor formed it to strengthen his political base, independent of the military departments control. Ah, right, thats the name. Pavlov nodded, But is it just my mistaken impression? Last time we engaged them, it seemed pretty easy. Popov: The first two days were easy because the pressure of the enemy attack was on the forces of Duke Meishikin. On the third day, we encountered the enemys main force, and we were immediately routed. Wang Zhong: Your words are not urate, what do you mean routed, we maintained our formation and got out. But lets talk about the matter at hand. Vasily!Vasily stepped forward briskly and punched the captive in the face, causing the captives nose to bleed. Oh, Vasily put on an expression of a simpleton, You mean you want me to trante, right? Damn it, you just wanted to throw that punch! Stop pretending already! Popov frowned, Its not eptable to beat a captive without authorization, Vasily. Doesnt the Judge also hit them? Vasily retorted sarcastically. Popov: When the Judge does it, its part of the job, but if you hit him, youll be assigned to dung duty. Vasily: Worth it. After speaking, he punched the captive again and then turned to ask Wang Zhong, What do you want me to ask? Wang Zhong: Ask which unit he belongs to and who hismander is. No sooner had Vasily tranted than the captive began to prattle, simultaneously exhibiting a look of pride while speaking. Vasily: He says, Your Ante army is being wiped out like pigs, and millions of troops cant even fight as well as wild boars. I didnt add fuel to the fire, thats what he said. The enemy looked at Wang Zhong with a provocative gaze and continued to babble. Vasily: He says he recognizes you; all the troops have been given your photo. Capturing you, dead or alive, would grant anyone the title of a count. Wang Zhong frowned, Am I that famous? Tell him to show me the photo of me. Vasily spoke a few words to the enemy. At this moment, the escort said, Here, we found it when we searched him, for you. While speaking, the escort held up an image for everyone to see. It was taken by a Federation journalist, clearly removed from a Federation newspaper, hence the image was somewhat degraded, but Wang Zhongs face was still recognizable. ? Wang Zhong was standing in front of a ZiS-30 and a T-34 tank, with a stern look on his face. They actually made me look quite handsome. Wang Zhong was astonished, reaching out for the photo, Come on, give it to me, I need to unt it in front of Liu Xia. Pavlov took the photo from the scout, checked it, and passed it to Wang Zhong: It does have quite an imposing presence. Wang Zhong looked at it and remarked, No wonder the photographer boasted they could win a Pulitzer. Whats a Pulitzer? Vasily asked. Wang Zhong: An award established by a big con artist. At this point, seeing that he was being ignored, the captive rattled on more. Vasily: He says his only regret is that he wont have the chance to capture you. But it doesnt matter, hisrades will capture you and kill you Can I hit him now? Wang Zhong spread his hands, Since youve applied, of course, I have to say you cant hit him. No sooner had he spoken than Nelly pushed the door open, click-cked her way to the captive, andnded a kick to the captives groin. The captive let out a scream like a pig being ughtered.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om After all, he was kicked by the very hard toe of a maids shoe, and his eggs might have been scrambled for good. Everyone else hadnt reacted yet, staring nkly at Nelly. Pavlov was the first to react, turning his head to ask Popov, What do we do about this? Popov: Servicemen are considered employees of the unit, the same asundry workersin essence, we can only criticize and educate, at most confine them to barracks. Just as Wang Zhong was about to give his exclusiveundry worker a piece of his mind, he heard the captive ranting in fury. Vasily: He says youor uswill die tomorrow. The Prosen Empires new weapons will crush you, and there will be paratroopers coordinating the attack, the empiresrgest scale assault operation. Vasily hadnt finished tranting when the captive broke into hystericalughter, then made a throat-slitting gesture and rattled off more. ` Vasily: He said that our death is imminent and the entire Ante will be finished before this years National Day. Then every person involved in the conquest will receive a huge manor. Wang Zhong and the others exchanged nces. Popov: A feint? Pavlov shook his head, No, our reconnaissance does indeed indicate that the enemy is about to attack, and as for timing, they must attack now. If they dy any longer, it will start to rain. There are two muddy seasons in Ante every year. One is in spring when the snow starts melting, and the ground bes exceptionally muddy,sting from March to June. The second, which is shorter, is thete autumn rainy season, when thend bes exceptionally muddy, and rivers enter a brief period of high water levels. Pavlov: After it rains, the water level of the Duva River will rise to at least the third mark on the hydrological pir by the bank, making it difficult to cross the river. And after the high water season, the naval gunboats can move upriver. Are they really nning to have tanks and gunboats exchange fire? Wang Zhong: So what he said is true. Theyll attack us tomorrow, and there are also paratroopers. Get Major General Kiriyenko on the phone at the rear. Pavlov immediately picked up the receiver: Connecting to Major General Kiriyenkoits the Army Group headquarters! Hello? I am Pavlov, Chief of Staff of the Guards 1st Division. We just received new information; please have Major General Kiriyenko take the phone. Momentster, Pavlov handed the receiver to Wang Zhong: The general is on the line. Wang Zhong took the receiver: Major General Kiriyenko, I have some new information here. We captured a prisoner who said that the enemy willunch an attack tomorrow, with paratroopersnding behind our division. Kiriyenko: What scale of paratroopers? Behind you is the position of the 331st Division; they are tasked with protecting the railway lines. Wang Zhong pressed the receiver, turned to Vasily, and said, Use reverse psychology on him, try to get him to reveal the scale of the airborne troops. Vasily: (In Prosennguage) You wont seed. Our rear forces are strong and can easily crush your airborne troops! Those paratroopers will achieve nothing but provide us with morebat achievements! The captiveughed loudly and spouted a bunch of words. Vasily: He said it, the 100th Paratrooper Hunter Division, and everyone speaks of another special force unit. Wang Zhong: Kiriyenko, the enemy is probably one paratrooper hunter division and a special force unit of unknown size. I estimate the special forces will be wearing our uniforms, speaking Ante. Thest sentence was added by Wang Zhong, based on Earths war history. Kiriyenko clicked his tongue: The same old deceit and infiltration tricks, huh? Okay, I have an Inquisitor-led internal guard division here, Ill send them; theyre professionals. Wang Zhong: There are also tank units. The enemy light infantry has no anti-tank weapons in the ins; tank units can eliminate them. Ill have the tank units on standby as reserves ready to move out. Have you contacted the Air Force yet? Just about to, but I only have the Yak-1 Fighter Regiment here, and they probably cant intercept the enemys airdrop nes at high altitude. We need MiG-3s. Ill handle that notification. Kiriyenko out, and with that, he hung up. Wang Zhong gave the receiver back to Pavlov: Call Kashuk again, the attack cant only be targeting us. The 51st Army will also be attacked. And call the airfield; tell them to prepare for emergency takeoff tomorrow morning, we might face enemy air raids. I need Yak-1s to protect our heads. The ZIS-30 is particrly vulnerable to the Air Force because itspletely unprotected. Even if the aircraft doesnt drop bombs, just strafing could kill the gunner operating the big gun. If a Stuka was to drop a 500 kg bomb,nding it within 50 meters of the ZIS-30, it could knock it out of action. Apart from the 500 kg bomb, the little potato from the 50 attack is also formidable; thats the price of an open-topped vehicle. Of course, the ZIS-30s under Wang Zhongsmand may not be that afraid of enemy air raids because these days, Wang Zhong has ordered his troops to construct many shelters for ZIS-30s along the riverbanks. They opened holes in the side of buildings facing away from the river, allowing the ZIS-30 to go in. From there, the windows facing the river became natural firing ports. And as long as they dont stick the barrel out, firing from inside the building, the enemy might not even spot them. Despite these preparations, having Air Force cover is still better than none. If the Stuka can precisely drop a 500 kg bomb, it will inevitably cause massive casualties on the ground. After making several calls, Pavlov finally ryed all the orders, then looking at the phone and then at Wang Zhong, he suggested, I suggest you go and get some sleep now, so youll be ready tomand us when the battle starts. Wang Zhong looked towards the prisoner and said to Vasily, Find a way to make him tell us the time of attack tomorrow. Vasily immediately used his reverse psychology technique. The prisoner revealed a contemptuous smile and said a bunch of things. Vasily: He says that even if we know, we cant do anything about it. The attack will begin at 4:30 in the morning. Wang Zhong and Pavlov exchanged a look. In fact, if it werent for such urrences in Earths history, Wang Zhong would definitely suspect this man was a spy. In Earths war history, the Sturmtiger prisoners, because of their overconfidence,pletely divulged their ns, thus giving the Soviet army time to prepare. Wang Zhong: Then at four oclock, wellunch counter-bombardment preparations on the enemy assembly area, trying to dy the enemys attack time to nine in the morning. That way, they wont be able to coordinate with their airborne troops. Pavlov nodded: That can be done. You better hurry and get some sleep. Have Nelly wake you up at three. Chapter 242: Start of the War In September of 914, at 0330 hours, Wang Zhong arrived early at the division headquarters bunker. Clutching arge steel cup, Pavlov saw Wang Zhong enter and asked, Fancy some tea? Today is likely to be a long day. Wang Zhong, No, Ill pass on your tea. Nelly, make me some tea. Popov, Me too! Nelly promptly left.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Zhong picked up the binocrs and went to the bunkers observation window to look outside. The field of view from this observation window was much worse than the one from the windows of the division headquarters map room, but Wang Zhong had a cheat; a simple switch of perspective granted him a clear field of vision. In the dim morning light, the west bank was silent. Even with Wang Zhongs cheat perspective, there were no highlighted units. Wang Zhong, Is the enemypletely foregoing reconnaissance?Pavlov answered, After you went to sleepst night, there were enemy reconnaissance squads. Didnt you hear the machine-gun fire? Wang Zhong shook his head, then realized something, You didnt sleep? Pavlov, I did for a bit, about two hours. Dont worry, it wont affect my ability to perform my duties. Im the chief of staff; much of my work is mechanical, and sometimes its sufficient to leave it to the staff officers. Wang Zhong involuntarily switched back to using his own eyes to look at Pavlovs dark circles, This is really worrying. At that moment, Nelly came in with arge tter not only containing teapots and cups but also some pastries. She ced everything on the map table. Wang Zhong, Um, dont put it on top of the detailed fortification map, put it on this one. We wont be using the overall front line map today. Nelly shifted the tter and then poured Wang Zhong a full cup of hot tea. Popov handed over his own teacup, More for me. Nelly poured all the tea from the pot into his cup, then walked away with the empty pot. Vasily, Well now, theres none left for the rest of us. Wang Zhongughed and continued to observe the west bank. Suddenly, in his birds-eye view, enemy reconnaissance troops appeared on the west bank. Wang Zhong, Here theye! Vasily hurried to a nearby gunners scope, Where? I dont see anything. Wang Zhong, Phone, connect to the Anti-tank Battalion. Pavlov immediately picked up the receiver and shouted Anti-tank Battalion, then handed the receiver to Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong took it, just as he heard a voice from the other side, Anti-tank Battalion, go ahead. Enemy reconnaissance troops have appeared on the opposite bank. Ill have the bridgehead fire illumination rounds; you load up the howitzers. Dont use towed guns, let ZIS30 fire and then relocate after engaging. ? Understood, ZIS30 to fire and relocate after engaging. Having said that, Pavlov had already used another phone to reach the bridgehead, Fire the illumination rounds, take care not to expose the MG positions, engage with individual weapons. 10 secondster, an illumination round soared up from the bridgehead, illuminating the enemy scouts crawling forward on the opposite bank. The ZIS30s, deployed in position number 7 on the riverbank, opened fire immediately, and high-explosive shells burst open upon the t terrain of the west bank. Subsequently, gunfire burst out like popping beans, all from rifles. Unfortunately, the light was poor, and the distance to the enemy was too far, limiting the uracy. The second round of high-explosive shells arrived. After the first waves adjustments, this roundnded directly in the center of the enemy, sending them tumbling to the ground. Then they began to retreat. Popov had also arrived at the bunkers observation port and was watching the other side with binocrs, Theyre only conducting reconnaissance now, isnt that a bitte? Could the enemy be falling into a state ofcency? Think about the behavior of the prisoner we captured yesterday. Wang Zhong, Isnt that a good thing? Arrogance leads to defeat; lets leave them strewn across the battlefield today. Pavlov joined the conversation, Im more concerned about the bridgehead. If you ask me, we might as well pull our men back and blow the bridge. Wang Zhong, Then the enemy would disperse along the riverbank, and it would be harder for us to eliminate them efficiently. Our purpose in leaving this bridge intact is to draw the enemys attention and inflict maximum casualties, and the bridgehead is the bait weveid out. After speaking, Wang Zhong took a sip of tea then reached for a pastry, only to find that they were slices of cucumber. Wang Zhong, Where are the pickles? Vasily, We opened all of them a few days ago to use the lids as fakendmines. We discovered something: real mines would detonate upon being hit by enemy artillery, but the lids of pickle cans dont, so we buried them shallowly. After an artillery attack blows away the soil on top, the enemy engineers have toe and deal with the mines. Wang Zhong looked at Vasily, Not bad, musician. This clever use is pretty good. Vasily, on hearing the nickname musician, showed a face as if he had eaten a Vasily: Sure, anything as long as I dont have to write music. At this moment, the rm clock on the table went off. Nelly had just carried in a new tray of tea when she was startled by the rm clock. Pavlov stopped the rm clock: Is it time to start the counter-fire preparation? Wang Zhong looked at the time: Lets start. Pavlov picked up the phone receiver: Connect to the artillery corps. Artillery corps, begin firing. Major General Siegfried Gis had just arrived at his own forwardmand post when he heard a sound like rolling thunder in the distance. He frowned and asked his adjutant, Whats going on? The adjutant replied, Ill find out right away. The adjutant, who was much older than Siegfried, turned and left. Within the Asgard Knights, it wasmon to seemanders younger than their subordinates, reflecting Emperor Reinhards will: to rece the old Junker officer corps rapidly with new, younger officers more familiar with thetest military technology. Ironically, without these Junker officers, the massive military machine would grind to a halt. Even in the Asgard Knights, which aimed to employ as many officers of civilian background as possible internally, this was true. In Reinhards n, the whole blood transfusion process was tost ten years. By the time the blood transfusion waspleted, Prosen would have set foot on Federationnd, bing the true world hegemon. The adjutant returned quickly: The enemy is shelling our assembly areas and supply centers. Siegfried: Is it the usual shelling? Unlikely, the timing is wrong. Plus, the enemy didnt shellst night, resulting in many people not sleeping well. Siegfried frowned deeply: Has our attack n been exposed? Possibly, the soldiers have been openly talking about quickly annihting Ante and spending New Years Day in Ye Fort. Its possible that the enemy captured some prisoners who ryed this information. Siegfried: Can our artillery suppress the enemys? Yes, aerial reconnaissance has located the enemys artillery positions. Siegfried: Then open fire. Pavlov was the first to look up: This whistling sound is wrong. Wang Zhong looked puzzled. Since the beginning, all he had heard was the whistling of their own artillery shells flying over, and he was unable to distinguish which was wrong. However, the sound of explosions came from behind them, and Wang Zhong quickly shifted his perspective, seeing the enemys shells continuously falling. They were falling on the fake artillery positions made of wood and camouges. Did you not expect that? Not shooting down your scout nes was so you could see the fake positions! This is called deception in warfare. You Prussians have much to learn! Sun Wu of Ceres is way ahead of you! Without any cheats, Pavlov could only make phone calls to confirm where the enemy was bombing. It took him three calls to get urate information, which he reported to Wang Zhong: The enemy is bombing our fake artillery positions. Wang Zhong: Add a meal for the deception troops today. Have them quickly set up new fake positions after dark. Vasily muttered, Fake artillery positions, fakendmines, Rocossovs warfare is all about fakes. Wang Zhong: This is called deception in warfare! The enemy is stronger than us, so we have to use our brains to fight them, understand? After speaking, Wang Zhong realized, damn it, the fakendmines werent even my doing! Before he could exin to Vasily, the phone rang again. Pavlov, as usual, picked it up: Headquarters. How many nes? Has the Air Force been notified? Good, understood. After hanging up, the bear-like chief of staff told Wang Zhong, Brother Peter heard a lot of three-engined transport nes, probably paratroopers. The Air Force has been informed and is taking off to intercept. Wang Zhong: Three-engined transport nes, Junkers 52, right? Vasily eximed, General, you really know your Prosen weaponry. Wang Zhong thought to himself that of course he did, most military enthusiasts were initially drawn in by German military wear, and over time they gradually shifted to other types of military hobbies. Hence, most enthusiasts were quite familiar with Sturmtigers equipment. Wang Zhong: Ive long been aware that we would inevitably sh with Prosen, so Ive made it my business to covertly learn about them! The others at headquarters exchanged nces, tacitly not mentioning the least favorite topic. Even Nelly didnt bring it up. Just then the phone rang again. After Pavlov answered, he reported to Wang Zhong, The anti-aircraft observation post has spotted enemy nes flying in this direction. As he spoke, he drew several lines on the map with a pencil. Wang Zhong: It looks like the drop zone is between Karlinka and Seneca. Call Army Group headquarters, notify Kiriyenko. As Pavlov made the call, Popov said, The Tribunals internal security forces will take care of them. They are better equipped than the regr infantry and are all soldiers of steadfast faith. Plus, they now have tank support. Wang Zhong: I trust Kiriyenko. I had a heart-to-heart with him at Ye Fort; hes amander you can rely on. Popov stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds: Is that so. Just then, the enemys preparatory artillery fire against the defenses officially began. The heavy artillery shells sent dust drifting sparsely from the bunkers ceiling, which had been well-built for just over twenty days. Chapter 243: Meeting the Enemy The enemys artillery preparation continued until seven oclock in the morning. Unlike the previous artillery preparations, this time Wang Zhong and the others sat on chairs and endured the barrage. After all, the bunker was well-constructed, posing little danger unless it was directly hit by heavy artillery. A direct hit might also be harmless, considering the bunker was topped by an entire building reinforced with steel and concrete, having been converted from an original basement. Wang Zhong looked out from the observation post. By now, the sun had risen, offering an unobstructed view of the entire west bank, where no figures could be spotted, with or without the help of cheats. Vasily monopolized the artillery periscope and after a long watchmented, Its so quiet, I cant hear any enemy tank engines at all. Even Brother Peter had not heard the engine sounds, which meant the enemy was likely confounded by the counter-artillery preparation. Just then, the telephone rang. Wang Zhong said, Its probably Brother Peter. He must have heard the tank engines and is calling to notify us. Pavlov picked up the phone: Division headquarters, whats the situation? Alright, keep monitoring.After hanging up, he turned to Wang Zhong and said, The reserve force standing by at the rear reports gunfire to the east, but its not particrly intense. Wang Zhong said, Its the enemy paratroopers. Tell them to stay alert. And remember to call Kiriyenko at noon and ask about the progress in clearing out the paratroopers. No sooner had he finished speaking than the phone rang again. Pavlov picked up the receiver: Division headquarters. Okay, got it. After putting down the receiver, the chief of staff looked up at Wang Zhong and announced, Here theye, the sounds of engines. Wang Zhong ordered, Follow the original n. Artillery battalion, begin firing. Pavlov picked up the receiver he had just put down again. Suddenly, Nelly whispered, The chief of staff looks like a bear eating fish. Wang Zhong, who had wanted to peek through the observation window, turned his head upon hearing Nellysment and burst intoughter, seeing that Pavlov indeed resembled her description, with the receiver as the fish, being gnawed at by Pavlov single-handedly. Unaware of Nellys murmur, the chief of staff gave a loudmand: Artillery battalion, execute fire mission,mence interdiction fire! Instantly, Wang Zhong heard the sound of artillery shells flying overhead, but unlikest time, he could also hear their explosions on impact. The sound rolled in like thunder from the horizon. Pavlov was about to leave the phone and join Wang Zhong at the observation post when the phone rang again. After answering, Pavlov said, The lookout has spotted dust clouds. Enemy tanks are approaching. Wang Zhong hurried to the observation window to take a look outside. However, given the low position of the division headquarters bunker, he couldnt see anything, neither the dust clouds nor the explosions from the interdiction fire. ? Even when Wang Zhong changed angles, he saw nothing. He withdrew his gaze and then noticed Nelly trying to peek outside eagerly, tiptoeing in an effort, but even at her most stretched, her eyes barely reached the lower edge of the observation window. Wang Zhong pulled over an ammunition box and lifted Nelly up onto it. Vasilyughed, This reminds me of a British novel I read as a child, where a dwarf warrior couldnt see outside during a siege because of his short stature Nelly frowned, stepped down from the ammunition box, and picked up therge tray loaded with tea and refreshments, ready to leave. Wang Zhong said, Wait a minute, just leave that there. Stay in the division headquarters bunker during the battle, its unsafe elsewhere. Only then did Nelly set down the tray and dashed to a corner to stand, her hands folded in front of her, pressing down her skirt. Wang Zhong continued to look outside. Just then, the telephone rang again, and after a few seconds, Pavlov reported, Brother Peter hears the sound of dive bombers, escorted by fighter nes. Wang Zhong asked, The enemy finally brought escorts. Have our nes taken off yet? Pavlov replied, Theyve justnded to refuel and rearm, now theyre taking off again. Vasily, bring over that Prussian radio! Broaden the reception frequency, lets listen to the situation in the skies. Vasily promptly brought out a seized Prussian radio and while adjusting it, praised, Prussian stuff is definitely better than ours. Charged in the morning and after four hours, its still powered. At that moment, sounds came from the radio, in the Prussiannguage. Vasily tranted, Ready forbat, drop the auxiliary fuel tanks. Wang Zhong frowned slightly. In War Thunder, when he flew the early models of the 109, he had never used auxiliary fuel tanks. But then again, it wasnt the same time and space; the Fritz X had already been in operation two months into Barbarossa, so he shouldnt sweat the small stuff. The radio crackled again as someone urgently shouted something in Prussian, and Wang Zhong recognized the word Achtung. Vasily tranted faithfully, Enemy fighters spotted at two oclock, also below us. Then, an older Prussian voice came on the radio, sounding more steady. Vasily conveyed, Dive to engage the enemy, protect the bombers. If the enemy pursues, disengage, do not enter a turning dogfight. Wang Zhong added, Actually, the early 109s can engage in a bit of a dogfight, but themanders right, you shouldnt tangle with Yaks at low altitude, even if its just a Yak-1. Just drive the Yaks away to allow the bombers to drop their payload. The others exchanged knowing nces in silence. And then, atst, the radio broadcast something Wang Zhong could understand, Enemy fighter nes! Semyon, take the second squadron and tie up with the enemy, Ill go hunting the bombers. Hamov, youre after bomber kills again! But no worries, lets see how many fighters I can take down. That way, Ill be the ace with the most merit! Immediately after, the airwaves became tumultuous. With twonguages intermingling, Vasily couldnt keep up with the trantions. Misha! The enemy is behind you! Alois, rate of climb zero! Where did he go? I cant see him! Turn left, all turn left! Any not turning left are enemy nes! Wang Zhong frowned as he approached the observation window and switched his view to watch the aerial dogfight. Both sides had fighters being shot down, trailing long mes and thick smoke as they plunged toward the ground. At this moment, Wang Zhong spotted thirty dive bombers approaching from the north side of his field of visionit looked like they had circled around to evade interception by the Air Force. The bombers began their dive! Then, six Divine Arrows shot up from the ground. The next moment, the dive bombers scattered like birds and beasts. But their altitude was too high, and one of the bombers was hit before it could escape the reach of the praying hands. The bombs dropped from too high an altitude, with half of them missing the waters surface, erupting in rows of ten-meter-high water columns. A second wave of Divine Arrows wasunched, but this time most missed their targets. Only one relentlessly pursued a Stuka that had entered low flight to escape. Then, the Yak-1s, which hadnt joined the fray in the air, appeared. The Stuka pilots formed a dense diamond formation, creating a of fire with their rear-mounted machine guns. Wang Zhong saw a Yak swoop below an enemy ne, then pull up, preparing to attack from belowthus evading the enemys rear machine guns firing arc. Then it disappeared from view. Wang Zhong cursed, Suka, and grabbed Vasilys radio microphone, Hamov, respond!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Hamov: Whos calling me? Then Wang Zhong switched views, only to realize he couldnt see through Hamovs eyes. Because the Air Force was not under hismand. Still no result was seen! Wang Zhong put down the microphone, not wanting to disturb others inbat. At that moment, a staff officer who had been on guard at the western bank shouted, Tanks! Because the enemy nes were overhead, the artillery had ceased firing. With the anti-infiltration fire gone, the enemy tank troops finally entered the division headquarters view. Wang Zhong hurried to the observation window. The enemys tanks were in a standard attack formation, but there were some gaps in the formation, obviously caused by the recent anti-infiltration fire. Some of the gaps were quiterge, suggesting that a toon of tanks had been lost. It was unclear whether they had been destroyed or if the tanks had been damaged and temporarily abandoned. Nheless, the enemys numbers still looked incredibly vast. Wang Zhong estimated that there were two hundred tanks arrayed in front of the whole division. Behind the tanks, the number of apanying infantry was rmingly high, as if all of todays shelling had done no damage to the enemy. Of course, the shelling would have caused casualties; the only possibility was that the enemy was too numerous for the losses to matter. Wang Zhong: Tell the mortars to fire ording to the pre-arranged firepower n! As a defender, all of Wang Zhongs artillery units had prepared multiple fire ns. As long as they fired ording to n, they could ensure the shellsnded roughly on the enemys lines, blocking their advance. Now, with enemy nes in the sky, the heavy artillery dared not reveal their positions, leaving mortar fire as the best option for blockade. After Pavlov issued themand, the first volley of shells fell, plumes of small mushroom clouds blossoming among the enemys lines. ording to the firepower n, each guns responsible sections were clearly defined, evenly distributing the shells across the entire enemy line, immediately causing the skirmishers to go pronenot because so many were killed in an instant but because the instinctive reaction to nearby shellndings was to duck. Even the experienced Prussian veterans did the same. After all, no one wanted to gamble against shrapnel seeking them out. Just then, the new staff officer, also observing the western bank,mented, Why arent the enemies deploying smoke? Wang Zhong: Based on our previous engagements with the enemy, Prosenmanders dont deploy smoke when they believe they have a superior direct-fire capability. Vasily added, Especially since the enemy knows the general likes to use Divine Arrows for air defense, theyre even less likely to deploy it. The new staff officer acknowledged this with an Oh. Wang Zhong was about to continue when he noticed Nelly had climbed back onto the ammunition box to look out. Do girls also get curious about the battlefield? Vasily: Enemy tanks have passed the 1500-meter mark! No sooner had he spoken than the enemy stopped and began their first round of firing. Explosions thundered overhead. Pavlov looked up at the sky, Theyre targeting the windows Wang Zhong: Just like in Peniye, first they target the windows, probably to suppress the Divine Arrows. Pavlov: All our Divine Arrows are in the back. Isnt that just a waste of firepower? Wang Zhong: If I were the enemymander, I would still shoot, just in case, right? At that point, the enemy tanks proceeded with their second volley of fire. Phones in the bunker started ringing. Pavlov answered, Division headquarters. Dont fire! Whats the rush? Wait until theyre within a thousand meters. After he hung up, he said to Wang Zhong, The rookies in the anti-tank artillery battalion are getting antsy. Wang Zhong smiled, Theyll have their chance to fire today. Chapter 244: The First Wave The enemy conducted several more rounds of salvo fire before they started to advance. Pavlov picked up the phone and then reported to Wang Zhong, In addition to attacking the windows on the second and third floors, the enemy also targeted the shelters we used this morning to fire upon their scouting teamof course, those shelters are now empty. Three machine gun teams were caught by the enemy. We managed to salvage one machine gun, but lost ten men with more than ten wounded. Wang Zhong, Thats eptable, well make the enemy pay in blood. Vasily, Would our losses be greater if the enemy stayed put and shot at all our windows one by one? Wang Zhong, The Panzer IVs short 75 at this distance is not that urate. Havent you noticed that their main forces are mostly using the short 50 guns? The high-explosive shells from those arent that powerful. If the enemy keeps firing from this distance, Ill have the Anti-tank Artillery Battalion open fire. Do you think their short 50s canpare to our newly-acquired 57mm guns? Caliber is basically equivalent to power, and the high-explosive shells from the short 50 guns, which we experienced in Upper Peniye, are more like hand grenades. To expect them to take out sheltered anti-tank guns is wishful thinking. And the newly-acquired 57mm guns, while they cant prate Tiger or Panther tanks at a distance of 1500 meters, thats not what the enemy is driving. They have early models of the Panzer III and IV.Whos afraid of whom. The newly-appointed staff officer who was observing called out, The enemy has passed the one-kilometer mark! Wang Zhong quickly prostrated himself at the observation window. And right then, the anti-tank guns opened fire. The new 57mm gun shells were incredibly fast. With a whoosh, the shell flew out of sight, barely visible. Immediately, seven or eight tanks in the enemy formation came to a halt. One caught fire, and its Tank Operator scrambled out of the tank like a flying escapee. Before he got far, the tank exploded, and the turret was flung into the sky. A few more tanks showed no external damage, but their crews still ran out and took cover behind their vehicles. As for the tanks with no visible damage and no crew fleeing, from Wang Zhongs perspective, they looked as though everyone inside was already dead. One shot prated, and the entire crew was sent to heaven. Like my 57mm shells, do you, Prosen bastards? Wang Zhong knew this, but the Gunner did not, so during the second wave of attacks, several shots were double taps aimed at the seemingly unresponsive targets. At this point, the enemy had pinpointed the rough location of the anti-tank guns and began swiftly firing back. Wang Zhong hurried to assess the situation on his side and found that the enemy had detected the ZIS-30 postsafter all, these vehicles are quite noticeable due to their size and the higher firing position which made them hard to conceal. ?? But the first salvonded on the shelters, with only one of the ZIS-30 Gunners injured by shrapnel. The enemy did not spot the towed 57mm gun positions at all. Ironically, because the towed 57mm gun crews were numerous and fired rapidly, with twelve guns sounding off, it was almost like a string of firecrackers. The entire battlefield was now filled with roaring gunfire and the thunder of tank enginesa livelymotion indeed. However, the absence of machine gun fire felt strange to Wang Zhong. Mainly because enemy infantry were held back by mortar fire, leaving the machine guns without targetsfiring blindly was inefficient and would attract direct return fire from enemy tanks, so it was better not to fire at all. Now it was a pure artillery battle, the main force being the gun regiment that had been replenished on the basis of the original Anti-tank Artillery Battalion by the Guards First Division. It now seemed that the attack on this side of the crossing point would be rapidly defused. At that moment Vasily said, Enemy tanks are nearing the bridgehead! Wang Zhong immediately looked in the direction of the bridge and indeed, the enemy tanks were approaching the bridgehead. No sooner said than done, the T-34 on this side of the bridge fired. The T-34 couldnt shoot as far as the new 57mm guns, but there was no problem supporting the bridgehead at close range. Plus, the T-34s had armor, unlike the naked ZIS-30, so they could push to the rivers edge, taking cover and engaging the enemy in close-range firefights. While the Panzer IVs were initially focused on suppressing the bridgehead, they swiveled their guns to fire at the T-34s. Caught off guard by the sudden barrage from the T-34s, the enemy didnt even manage to switch to Armor-Piercing Shellshigh-explosive shells simply hit the T-34s positions. After several exchanges of fire, the remaining Panzer IVs deployed smoke and began to retreat. Seeing the troops attacking the bridgehead deploying smoke, the other units also started using traditional Skills toy down smoke screens until the entire west bank was enveloped in white smoke. Wang Zhong, Machine guns, open fire. Form a fire zone. As the enemy had deployed smoke, and they couldnt see our machine gun positions through the smoke, it was time for the machine guns to fire freely. The sounds of machine guns erupted like popping beans, weaving into a dense web of fire that stopped the enemy infantry who tried to advance amid the confusion. Suddenly, Wang Zhong saw a Panzer IV at full power heading toward the bridgehead, with three half-tracks loaded with infantry behind it! The Panzer IV crashed into the bridgehead, diverting all the attention of the defenders to itself, and then the three half-tracks raced to the side of the bridgehead. Elite Prosen grenadiers jumped out, throwing grenades and shouting, Charge! Then, within the bridgehead,bat engineers d in battle armor appeared. Surprise, I stationedbat engineers here! The Prosen grenadiers, armed for closebat with submachine guns which fired pistol rounds, could not prate the brand newbat armor. Wang Zhong equipped thebat engineers with Papashas that had drum magazines predecessors to the more modern versions, capable of being used as blunt weapons when the bullets ran out. Wang Zhong watched contentedly as thebat engineers brutally killed the Prussian soldiers in closebat. At that moment, Vasily suddenly shouted, Quick, look over there! It was then that Wang Zhong snapped out of his spectator mode and reverted to his naked eye, following the direction Vasily pointed. He saw the Naval Infantry boarding speedboats and crossing the Duva River. What did this mean? Had the Naval Infantry assessed that the bridgehead was in danger and thus took the initiative to strike? The Naval Infantry didnt fall under Wang Zhongsmand, although they epted his orders, they werent his troops. Therefore, from his birds-eye view, he could only see a massive Naval Infantry insignia amid the smoke and not the individual soldiers. Nevertheless, he watched the insignia throw a left hook, wiping out the Prosen infantry that had used the smoke to approach and even burned a short-barreled Panzer IV that was supporting the Prussians in the smoke. Meanwhile, the Naval Infantrys ind gunboat also sailed out, anchored on the river, and started bombarding, the automated guns sweeping through the smoke. Good lord, just now when the visibility was clear, they feared that a single ship might not be able to defeat the tank group. Once the smoke arose, they began to take advantage of the automatic guns, right? The quality and initiative of these Naval troops! As Wang Zhong was reflecting, the telephone rang. The phone was right beside him this time, so he picked it up directly, This is Rocossov. This is the bridgehead, we have repelled the enemy, the machine guns can cease fire now, General. Alright, Wang Zhong hung up the phone and said to Pavlov, Cease the machine gun fire, no need to maintain the fire anymore. Pavlov immediately picked up the phone. After he had ryed the orders, he said, Should we consider setting up a directmandmunication system? Im getting tired of making calls all the time. At least some simplemands could be conveyed via broadcast or something. Wang Zhong: Thats worth considering. Popov, by the observation window, said, Has the enemys first wave of attack been repulsed? Wang Zhong nced over and saw that the enemy hadnt fully left his field of vision but had stopped at the edge of it and started engineering work. Wang Zhong used his birds-eye view to confirm there were no enemy aircraft in the sky but he was still uneasy and said to Pavlov, Call Brother Peter to confirm we have no enemies overhead. Pavlov immediately carried out the order, and 30 secondster, he put down the receiver, Brother Peter says there are no enemy nes anymore. Wang Zhong: Order the artillery to fire to prevent the enemy from approaching and starting their engineering work. Again, Pavlov picked up the receiver. Momentster, the sound of artillery shells tearing through the air echoed overhead. Through the birds-eye view, Wang Zhong could clearly see shells falling near the enemy engineering troops. Watching the enemy being sted and knocked off their feet, Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief: The first wave has been repelled. Vasily clicked his tongue in amazement, Howe the enemy infantry had no hesitation and just charged at us, rendering our fakendmines utterly useless?N?v(el)B\\jnn Wang Zhong: Perhaps the enemy wasnt as sharp-witted as you, thinking that after our artillery bombardment there wouldnt be any mines left, and even upon seeing the exposed fake mines, they didnt consider that possibility. Vasily frowned, I dont know whether to praise them or mock them for being so rigid. I didnt expect my clever idea to be frustrated like this. At this moment, Popov interrupted Vasilys casual talk, What do you think the enemys next wave of attack will look like? Wang Zhong: I think they will use smoke to obscure our view, and then with the support of direct fire, they will mount a strong attack on the bridgehead. Popov: Then do we proceed with the defense ording to the original n? Correct, I havent seen anything unexpected so far. Wang Zhong returned to the city defense map, making gestures over it: With a fortress like the bridgehead, the enemy can at most deploy twopanies for the attack, and those twopanies cant attack simultaneously. You see, onepany here, onepany there. ording to our prepared fire n, the mortars canpletely cover the enemys attack formation. We aim to cripple two of the enemyspanies in one go. When eveninges, well switch defenses under the cover of night, recing the garrison troops with fresh forces. Well keep bleeding the enemy infantry this way. Pavlov: Once weve bled them enough, well pull back, blow the bridge. The enemy wont be able to repair it under our fire. Wang Zhong: Exactly, this time we have the terrain, the manpower, the firepower, and the support of brother units. We will hold out here until it rains. Popov: I actually hate the rainy season; my legs start to hurt as if Ive got gout whenever it rains. Wang Zhong: Are you sure you dont actually have gout? Of course not, I havent eaten anything that would cause gout, Im a Priest, understand, a Priest, Popov gestured over the holy emblem on himself, But now, I am hoping for the rain toe sooner. At that moment, a staff officer came in: Reporting, the reserve troops have captured a Prussian pilot who has been brought to the door. Wang Zhong: What units pilot? A fighter? Its a bomber unit, the staff officer replied. Wang Zhong: Bring him in. Soon, a pilot wearing a flight jacket was brought in. Chapter 245: Gifts of Nature The enemy pilot started speaking volubly as soon as he saw Wang Zhongs military rank, with saliva flying everywhere. Wang Zhong: Vasily! Vasily silenced the enemy with a heavy punch. Then Vasily said something in Prussian, and the enemy curled up. Wang Zhong asked, What did you just say? I told him hes going to be handed over to the Tribunal anyway, so I thought Id acquaint him with it in advance, Vasily exined as he rubbed his fist. Wang Zhong: Okay. So what was he saying? I mean, when he first came in. He said that using our sphemous weapons for air defense is a war crime, Vasily answered. Popov: He said that? Then you dont need to add time scooping manure for that punch. That punch showed the will of Saint Andrew.Coming from an atheist environment, Wang Zhong took a second to catch on: Ah, he said using Divine Arrow for air defense is a war crime? Yes, said Vasily. Wang Zhong: Why? Just for religious reasons? Vasily tranted. The Prussian pilot became agitated again and rattled off a bunch. Wang Zhong looked at Vasily. Vasily: He says Divine Arrow attacks are hard to dodge in the air, especially during a dive. Its not fair. Wang Zhong: You attacked us without dering war, a surprise attack, and you tore up the non-aggression pact we had. Is that fair? After Vasily tranted, the Prussian hung his head. Wang Zhong was surprised: He actually hung his head? The Prussian pilot spoke up, and though Wang Zhong couldnt understand him, he could feel the others remorse. Vasily: He says hes sorry about that. He also says that if they really believe they are the superior race, they shouldnt have resorted to surprise attacks and should have defeated their opponents fair and square. Wang Zhong shook his head: No, no, no, even if they had used a surprise attack, we would still win. We will surely win. After Vasily tranted this, the other side got agitated again and said a lot. Vasily: Uh, to summarize, he basically said that the Prussian military has superior technology andbat experience, and theyve already inflicted heavy casualties on us, wiping out millions of our troops. Wang Zhong stood up, walked to the observation window, looked outside, and saw that the wind was strong today; the smokeid by the enemy had dispersed, allowing a clear view of the wreckage on the battlefield and the corpses of Prosen soldiers. Bring him over. Vasily: Kam! The Prussian pilot came over, trembling. Wang Zhong handed him his binocrs: Look for yourself. Look at the wreckage and corpses on the west bank. This time, the pilot understood without needing Vasilys trantionthe majority of humanmunication after all is conveyed through actions and facial expressions. The Prussian pilot picked up the binocrs and surveyed the battlefield. His expression grew more solemn. Wang Zhong: Ask him if he needs me to tell him about our losses. After Vasily tranted, the pilot put down the binocrs and shook his head. Wang Zhong: Then tell him, scenes like this will happen over and over. I personally have fought the Prussians multiple times, each time achieving a very eye-catching kill ratio. There will be more and more generals like me, and our troops will be more and more elite. You may currently have a huge advantage in the kill ratio along the entire front, but one day, it will fall back to one-to-one. Ante has vastnds, brave people, and you are doomed to not win this war. With a proud tone, Vasily tranted everything Wang Zhong had said to the Prussian pilot. The pilot put down his binocrs and muttered a word: Nyey! Wang Zhong understood this wordit meant no, because before his transmigration he had seen an actor use it impressively in a movie, saying: Nanna nanna! Wang Zhong: He doesnt believe? It doesnt matter, whether he believes or not, things will develop this way. Prosens defeat is inevitable. After Vasily tranted, the Prussian pilot turned, stared at Wang Zhong, and babbled a string of words, among which Wang Zhong faintly heard his own name. Vasily: Hes asking if you are the defense expert, the White Knight General Rokossovsky? Wang Zhong: I am. What about it? After Vasily had tranted, the pilot stepped back to look Wang Zhong up and down. Curiously, Wang Zhong asked: Shouldnt you have been given my photo? Howe you havent seen me? Vasily had only tranted half of it when the other began to speak at length. Vasily: He says the Air Force didnt distribute photos. At that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly had a thought, turned and asked the soldier who had brought the pilot: Wheres his map case? Pilots always carry maps with positions of both enemies and allies, helpful for making an emergencynding in an area controlled by their side if theyre shot down. The soldier was shocked: Theres such a thing? The others were also astonished; Pavlov said, Thats new! But on second thought, it makes sense. Wang Zhong thought it obviously made sense; thats how it was always done in the movies! Red-tailed aircraft, seen it? The beauty of Memphis, watched it? And The Great Escape! Wang Zhong: The map wont just have the positions of friend and foe; it also will have the locations of where their own men parachuted and where enemy nes went down. Have apany from the reserves spread out and search the ce where he crashed. Wang Zhong paused and asked, Did he try to escape when you captured him? The soldier replied, He did. Wang Zhong snapped his fingers, Thats right. He wanted to run, so its impossible that he would have set fire to the map. That would be too obvious and would reveal his location. I guess he hid it in a tree hollow or buried it somewhere! At this moment, Popov stopped the staff officer who was about to deliver a message and said, Have you forgotten about the Judges? A fully staffed regr division always has a contingent of Judges, who are responsible for overseeing the use of codebooks and internal counter-espionage operations. Of course, they also interrogate prisoners of war. Wang Zhong replied, Youre right. Lets have the Judge ask him kindly. He might just lead us to the map. Vasily was so engrossed in the conversation that he didnt trante. The Prosen pilot looked back and forth at everyone. Popov said, Then Ill go call the Judge. Wang Zhong said, Wait a moment, first ask him; what if hes willing to talk? Vasily, ask him where the map is hidden. Vasily asked, and the reply came immediately, He said that when he parachuted, the bag with the map got torn, and he doesnt know where it fell. Wang Zhong said, Is that so? Then tell him that we are about to hand him over to the Judges of the Eastern Holy Church. Vasily conveyed the message. The other party shook his head repeatedly. Vasily said, He says its no use who you hand him to; he really doesnt know where it fell. Wang Zhong said, Then tell him a story. There was once a historian who discovered a mummy. Vasily was shocked, A mummy? Isnt that something from Iggy Country? Does Ante even have such things?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Zhong replied, Just trante, why bother with so many questions? The archaeologist tried every method and couldnt determine the age of the mummy, so he handed it over to the Tribunal. A dayter, the Tribunal told the archaeologist that the mummy was five hundred years old. The archaeologist was shocked and asked the Tribunal how they knew. The Judge answered, He confessed.'' Vasily struggled to contain hisughter and tranted the story to the pilot. The pilot looked utterly terrified but still shook his head. Just then, two Judges entered the room. Wang Zhong gestured for them to proceed. An hourter, a map case was ced in front of Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong asked, Where was it found? The Judge replied, In the woods, hidden under a cluster of fungi, damaging the mycelium so that no new mushrooms will grow there even after it rains. Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow, What are you talking about? Isnt this natures generous gift? With that, he tossed the map case to Vasily, See whats inside, musician. Vasily, with a gloomy face, opened the map case and unfolded the map. Everyone in the bunker crowded around to see the contents of the map. Vasily said, The Prosen are quite meticulous; theyve marked the positions of their troops very well. We have two units in front let me see, Asgard Knights divisions, the kind weve encountered before! There are also two divisions in the rear, and theres the emblem of a grenadier division! My God, the enemy has prepared such a thick force on our front! Wang Zhong cursed, What are you panicking about? No matter how many troops he has, hes still got toe at us in waves! No sooner had his words fallen, the howl of artillery shells came from the sky. The explosions soon followed from nearby. The heavy artillery firepower of the army level mercilessly rained down upon Shostka city. While the earth shook and the mountains trembled, Vasily, as if nothing was amiss, pulled out other documents from the map case and spread them out on the table. Wang Zhong thought about going over to ask him what he had found, but the chandelier in the bunker suddenly fell and hit him on the head. He shoved the chandelier aside and felt the lump that had formed. Suka! The shaking continued for almost half an hour before ceasing. Wang Zhong, leaning against the wall, rose to his feet, dusting off his clothes while looking outside. The enemys second wave of attacks had begun. Theyre not using smoke bombs? Wang Zhong was surprised when suddenly, smoke bombsnded on the former anti-tank gun positions. But the anti-tank guns had already been relocated. Especially the ZIS30; as soon as the enemy retreated, these were swiftly moved. Pavlov also came to the observation window and observed the enemys advancing formation, It looks like theyre applying pressure from two directions again, the ford and the bridgehead? Are theypletely disregarding the other side of the river? The ford was to the north of the bridge, and to the south of the bridge, the river was wide and deep, suggesting the enemy had no intention of crossing there. As another round of smoke was deployed, covering the east side of the bridge, the former position of the T34s. Pavlov said, Just as youve said. Wang Zhong smiled, Isnt it so. At that moment, Vasily spoke up, I think I know what the enemymander in front of us is called now. His name is on this document, Siegfried Gis. Then on this map, theres the initials of his name, right here. Vasily showed the map to Wang Zhong, pointing at a spot, Look, in this empty ce, an initial. Dont you find that strange? Chapter 246: The Tin Soldiers War In the year 914 of the Jules calendar, September 20th at 1230 hours, themand headquarters of the Asgard Knights First Army of the Prussian Army. Siegfried Gis awaited reports on the second wave of the attack. However, the first news to arrive was the reorganization report for the forces involved in the first round of attacks. A captain staff officer, holding the report, entered the divisions map room, assembled from several armoredmand vehicles, and saluted Gis, Lieutenant General, the troops from the first attack round have been reformed. Gis said, Read it. The captain immediately lifted the clipboard to his chest and began to recite, This morning, our forcesmitted four armored battalions with a total of 160 Panzer IIIs and 65 Panzer IVs ready forbat; now we have 121 Panzer IIIs and 27 Panzer IVs inbat readiness. Gis did not speak; instead, the chief of staff was the first to exim in shock, We lost over 70 tanks just in one morning? The captain said, Theyre not allpletely destroyed. ording to reports from the crews that withdrew, a considerable number are presumed repairable. Additionally, fifteen were able to retreat but cannot be redeployed due to mechanical failure. The chief of staff sighed with relief and remarked, Thank goodness our logistics arent as bad as those of the Ante People; we can repair our lost tanks.The tanks of the Ante People would be discarded by the roadside at the slightest malfunction. It was unclear whether their tactical manuals prescribed such actions or if it merely reflected low morale and the tendency to abandon their posts when their tanks broke down. Gis asked, What about the tank crew casualties? Aside from the crews that withdrew with the tanks, thirty-seven iplete crews managed to get back. The infantry checked the tanks with no escaping crew before the retreat, but found no survivors. Gis frowned, Have there been this manyplete losses of crews before? Even against the enemys 76mm antitank guns, usually, some crew members survive, right? The captain replied, We need a detailed investigation on this matter. However, the troops have reported that the enemys fire is extremely precise, and their positions are well-concealed, making them hard to detect. Its likely that exchange fire with the enemy is not a good idea. After the captain finished speaking, the chief of staff waved his hand, Thats why on the second wave, we resorted to the conventional use of smoke cover to advance; we should achieve excellent results. Gis, however, asked, What about the infantry casualties?N?v(el)B\\jnn The captain reported, The first wave assault infantry reported 471 missing, but an ongoing count of those who have returned is underway. urate casualty numbers will only be avable after a detailed tally tonight or after we have upied and cleared the battle zone. The chaos inherent in a failed retreat,pounded by the enemys artillery fire, often leads to troops bing scattered or lost in the process. Casualty counting is aplex science. The most direct approach is actually to count the bodies after clearing the battlefield. This is why armies maintain so many staff- and clerks; without them, the casualty figures would be unmanageable. Gis sighed, Such heavy casualties in the first round of attack, and without gaining anything. The White Horse General is indeed a formidable opponent. Giss adjutant took a step forward, Facing such impregnable defenses from the enemy, we should avoid direct confrontation and instead outnk them. We, the Asgard Knights, are His Majestys elite personal guards. Its not appropriate to sustain such losses here in a frontal assault. Moreover, I have reservations about the decision to airdrop hunters so forcefully behind enemy lines at such a heavily defended river; paratroopers should be used where our forces can break through quickly. Otherwise, they will be isted behind enemy lines, vulnerable to annihtion by the enemys secondary or even tertiary forces. Siegfried Gis nodded, You are correct. Such robust defenses should not be attacked head-on. But our current battle is primarily considered from a strategic standpoint. His Majesty the Emperor instructed us to shatter the enemys heroes. This White Horse General is known as the Empires Iron Wall, so we are to breach it frontally and shatter this Iron Wall. As for the deployment of paratroopers, I suspect its more about cating Duke Meyer. The Dukes heritage isplex; his biological father is not of the Junker Nobility, so His Majesty hopes to use him to bnce the old officer corps. The chief of staff looked ufortable, Should I be hearing this? Siegfried smiled at the chief of staff, Your position as chief of staff means that you have the Emperors trust. He then turned to his adjutant, In any case, the Asgard Knights must shatter this White Horse General and his myth here, no matter the cost. This is to ensure we shed less blood in the future. If we cant force Ante to surrender quickly, the war will be a war of attrition. His Majesty originally hoped to negotiate for a ceasefire with the United Kingdom following Carolingians surrender, but the war-time Prime Minister is not the one we favored initially, and so the United Kingdom continues to fight. Adding Ante to the mix would be even worse. Gis looked towards the map on the wall. If we dont quickly destroy Antes will to resist, as we did with Carolingian, the entirety of Prussias blood might be drained. Just as he finished speaking, a crisp sound came from the floor. Siegfried Gis looked down to find the lower half of a toy tin soldier at his feet. Feliz frowned, Feliz: Leave it to me, these tin soldiers are easy to fix. At worst, if theyrepletely melted, we can just recast them using a mold. Giles shook his head, Now isnt the time to worry about that. Tens of thousands of soldiers are charging towards the enemys heavily fortified lines. As a Senior Commander, there isnt much I can do for them at the moment, but The sound of artillery shells tearing through the sky could be heard. Wang Zhong frowned as he looked at the initials on the map. At that moment, the observing staff officer shouted, Enemy tanks passing the 1,000-meter marker! Wang Zhong switched to a birds-eye view, saw the anti-tank guns that hadpleted their relocation fire away, quickly decimating the enemy tanks just like the first wave. Then he turned his attention back to the map. Vasily: Should we bombard them? Wang Zhong: How? Look at the size of this initial on the map. Considering the scale of the map, think how much artillery wed be wasting to cover the whole area marked by that initial? Vasily: Then, just hit the central point, leave the rest to chance and the enemys diligence. Bet that the geometric center of this initial is marked exactly on top of the enemy headquarters. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, Alright, lets fire three roundstwo barrages, save on some ammunition. Popov: Since its all down to chance, why not just make it one round? That way, we might even seem more pious, and who knows, we might actually hit the target. Wang Zhong: That works. Make another call to have the Divine Arrow units prayer warriors pray for the rounds to hit. Popov was shocked, Is that necessary? Wang Zhong: The girls are free right now anyway. Might as well offer a prayer. Popov sighed while his bearlikepanion, Pavlov, considerately picked up the handset, Here. Wang Zhong then turned his attention back to the battle situation. The enemy indeed discovered the ZIS-30s hiding ce, then the Panzer IV hit the position with a smoke bomb from its short-barreled howitzer. No sooner had the position been covered than the ZIS-30 was retreating. On the eastern shore, there was a row of houses just in time, and the big street behind them couldnt be seen from the opposite side, perfect for the ZIS-30s small frame to move quickly and change positions. However, before the ZIS-30 could maneuver to a new location, the enemy began nketing the east banks buildings with direct fire under a smoke cover. If they couldnt shoot over it, they decided to nket itpletely. With the firepower on the eastern bank suppressed, the enemy tanks made for the crossing. The Naval Infantrys boats were still on the shore. Seeing the situation, the boats headed back first, while the Naval Infantry dressed in ck naval shirts hid along the shore. On the western shore, the wave breakers were mostly exposed, forming just enough cover for a person to hide. The Naval Infantryy t like dried salted fish, waiting for the enemy tanks toe closer. Wang Zhong watched the battle situation tensely. Thats when Pavlov reported, The artillery has fired. Good, got it. Wang Zhong waved his hand, Get our machine gun firepower ready. When the Naval Infantry goes up to attack the tanks, we need to use covering fire to block enemy infantry. Pavlov picked up the handset again. Headquarters of the First Army of the Prussian Armys Asgard Knights. Giles pushed Feliz away, Alright, the bombardment is over. Get up. Feliz raised his head, Its over after only one round? Giles straightened his red hair, picked up his hat from the ground, put it on, then retrieved the toy tin soldier that had been thrown on the floor, gripping it in his left hand, before opening the door of the armoredmand vehicle and stepping outside. Whoever had provided the intelligence to the enemy didnt get it quite rightmore than thirty heavy artillery rounds were all off target, uniformlynding in the woods beside the headquarters. Of course, it wasnt entirely off target. The guard battalions mess hall had been destroyed, and a mess truck hadnded not far from the headquartersthe stewed potatoes scattered everywhere, and the coffee pot had a hole in it, leaking mud-colored coffee like a broken tap. Besides that, a tank toon assigned to headquarters had also been hit by the heavy artillery. Of the tanks parked side by side, two were burningit seemed the shell hadnded right between them. Giles looked down at the toy tin soldier in the palm of his hand. Feliz also came out, looked at the devastation, and eximed angrily, It must be a spy! The Imperial Household Ministry needs to thoroughly investigate! Chapter 247: Stalemate Wang Zhong had no idea that he had blown up the military departments cauldron, causing a huge psychological shock to the enemy. He was focused on the imminent closebat happening across the river with the naval forces. The navys ind gunboat, seeing so many tanks approaching, promptly retreated back to the harbor for cover. The machine gun positions on the eastern bank opened fire, with tracer bullets flying over the enemy tanks and falling beyond them. The enemy infantry was already hindered by the mortar fire, and now encountering the overhead shooting, they werepletely obscured. Yet the naval infantry didnt rush forward buty prone on the breakwater, waiting for the tanks toe closer. When the enemy tanks advanced to within less than ten meters from the riverbank, the first group of naval infantry jumped up, lunging forward to a distance where they could throw Molotov cocktails. The new model of Molotov cocktails Wang Zhong procured from the capital did not need to be ignited first; they wouldbust as soon as the cap was pulled off. In critical situations, these devices could even be thrown directly, as the white phosphorus inside would ignite upon shattering.The glow of the white phosphorus was like will-o-the-wisps, tossing patches of ghostly fire onto the enemy tanks, breaking into areas of zing inferno. The tanks caught on fire and came to a halt; as soon as the tank operators popped their heads out, they were mowed down by the naval infantrys submachine guns. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight tanks were ame, and those further from the riverbank stopped, using their machine guns in an attempt to push back the naval infantry. Just then, an enemy tank from the direction of the crossing charged down the riverbank, half of its tracks submerged in the water. He pivoted the tank gun and began to strafe along the riverbank with the coaxial machine gun. Immediately, several naval infantry were brought down, and the remaining men were pinned to the ground. Wang Zhong grabbed the Ante-produced wireless radio next to him and called out loudly, 422! 422! Vasily: Better use the captured one; Ive set the frequency. Here. Wang Zhong took the microphone: 422! General! The response came immediately; it was Alexander Yefimovich filling in for Wang Zhongs position for now. Take out that Panzer IV in the river! Then Wang Zhong saw tank 422 make its way to the end of the bridge approach, aiming from an elevated position. Alexanders gunnery was as reliable as ever, with the first shot hitting its mark! The Panzer IVs turret hatch burst into mes, sending a jet of fire over a meter high. Its crew all scrambled out, each one aze. But since the tank was in the water, diving in quickly extinguished the mes. However, the suppressed naval infantry did not let them escape; a hail of bullets from submachine guns swept over them, creating ripples in the water. The enemy tank operators soon vanished from sightlikely pulled under by their gear. Only the spreading red in the water marked their fate. The enemy tanks began to turn their barrels, exchanging fire with 422. Unfortunately, at this distance, the enemy couldnt prate the T34s angled front armor. At that moment, Vasily eximed, The bridgehead fortifications! Wang Zhong swiftly shifted his focus and indeed saw the enemy infantry closing in on the bridgehead fortifications. Cover them with fire! st them, dont let them enter the bunker! As soon as Wang Zhong shouted out, Pavlov said, Ive already given the order. The sound of whistling shells followed his words. Thats the advantage of the defender; all parameters had been calcted, and firing for coverage meant heavy artillery shells could evennd a hundred meters in front of the position. The telephone suddenly rang, and Pavlov answered: Division headquarters. I understand, no need to call for this. Pavlov hung up the receiver and seeing Wang Zhong was watching him, he said, The bridgehead fortifications, they said the shelling was good. Wang Zhong: Themander of the bridgehead fortifications is? Some of the new arrivals. This time, the 1st Guards Division was almost fully replenished with personnel, and because of Wang Zhongs great reputation, many officers were eager to transfer into the 1st Guards Division. Wang Zhong: New arrivals, huh? Thats understandable. Popov approached the observation window, peering outside: Strange, the enemy has covered our fire points with smoke, and then their tanks charged to the riverbank. What are they nning? They cant cross the river either. No sooner had he spoken than a strange-looking tank appeared. It looked like a Panzer IV with a tall hat on. Wang Zhong: Submersible tanks, those are submersible tanks! Theyre nning to force their way through at the crossing point! Popov squinted: Are those the tanks reported at the start of the war, appearing from the water? Can that thing reallye across? Wang Zhong: Its the dry season now, and although the navy said they dug the channel deeper, who knows. Tell the infantry on the eastern bank to prepare for closebat. Also, its time to bring out our secret weapon. Pavlov: Are you sure you want to use that thing? Wang Zhong: Im sure, let them roll out. And, give me the radio. He took the microphone from Vasilys hand: 422, clear the tracks, clear the tracks. Our Maidens of the Earth are about to be revealed. That thing ising into y? Alright, well clear the tracks. Wang Zhong watched as tank 422 withdrew from the bridge approach, making way on the rail tracks. Pavlov put down the receiver: Itsing. The next moment, three tcars rolled onto the railway bridge, each carrying a KV1 tank. These were the only three KV1s Wang Zhong had left! They were moved using a lotive, avoiding the limitations of the KVs poor mobility and frequent mechanical failures. ` The tcars themselves were very sturdy and had a simple structure, which made them hard to damage. The vulnerable lotive was ced behind the tcars, and it was reversed; coal cars followed the three tcars, and then came the reversed lotive. The tcars backed onto the bridge. In this way, the most vulnerable partthe lotive boilerwas protected at the very back and even obscured by buildings, making it impossible to hit. The KVs fired. Wang Zhong, watching the fully engaged three KVs, thought to himself that if these were KV2s, it wouldnt be possible to y this way. With their poor bncing, firing sideways might just flip both the tank and the tcar into the river. Vasilyined, This dame is blocking all our vision. We cant see the situation at the ford. Wang Zhong switched to a top-down perspective and thought smugly: How about that, Vasily, you see the disadvantage of not having cheats? At that moment, the Prussian tank crews, with nothing left to lose, charged headlong towards the ford. The apanying infantry released smoke bombs for cover. The first wave of tanks entered the water! Wang Zhong could no longer see them with his own eyes, and as a result, he lost the highlight. But relying on the vision of his deployed troops, he could see the snorkels making progress under the water. Wang Zhong: Order the artillery The phone rang, interrupting Wang Zhongs order. After answering the call, Pavlov reported, Brother Peter heard the reconnaissance ne; its an old acquaintance of ours, up high. Wang Zhong sighed. They could no longer use heavy artillery to bomb the submerged tanks. They could only hope for the infantry meat grinder now. Popov: Shall we call in the mortars? Wang Zhong: No, the mortars dont have dy fuses. Theyll explode upon hitting the water surface. Leave it to the infantry. Let our boys teach the enemy a lesson and tell them that without apanying tanks, they are easy prey to the infantry. No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw the snorkel at the forefront disappear with a plop. Hmm? This was followed by the second and third snorkels, while the fourth sank halfway and then stopped, stuck and immovable. Then the enemy tank operators emerged from the water, gasping for air, and turned to swim towards the western bank. More and more tank operators surfaced. Wang Zhong was stunned. The others couldnt see the situation in the river and were all fretting. So Wang Zhongs expression stood in stark contrast to theirs. Vasily noticed this contrast. He looked back and forth between Wang Zhong and Popov. Then Vasily fell into thought. It was at this moment that Wang Zhong finally figured out what had happened to the enemy: The Naval Infantry had dredged the riverbed, but with the water level low now, it was not washing away the silt, so the banks were gradually silting up again, but the middle was still deep. The Prussians had fallen into a trench halfway across. If that was the case, Wang Zhong thought, it was truly amusing. By now, the smoke on the eastern bank had dissipated quite a bit, and the infantry units on this bank, seeing the situation, immediately began sweeping fire. The enemy tank units, originally positioned on the western bank for fire support, were now stunned by the three KVs and had no time to deal with the exposed machine gun fire points. By the time the enemy mortar units, set up to cover the assault, had their smokepletely cleared, the blocked-off 57mm anti-tank guns began firing. The enemy tanks scattered smokenot to cover an assault this time, but to cover their retreat. Wang Zhong put down his binocrs: The enemys been driven back Vasily, why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face? Vasily: Nothing, I just think you look very handsomemanding the battle. Nelly was shocked, looking at Vasily.N?v(el)B\\jnn Wang Zhong also took a step back from him: What do you mean by that? Vasily: Just stating a fact. Popov: So how exactly were those submerged tanks destroyed in the end? Wang Zhong then realized Popov couldnt see. Uh, he pondered a moment, then said, It might be because the Naval Infantry dredged the riverbed, deeper than their submerging depth. Prussian Army, Asgard Knights First Army Headquarters. The hydrographic data was wrong! the submerged tank unitmander said to Giles, Theoretically, our submerging depth was more than sufficient, but once we got to the middle, the water went over the snorkels causing the engines to cut out. Many loyal soldiers drowned like that! Giles: The enemy might have dredged the riverbed. That White Horse General made ample preparations; its impossible he didnt anticipate our submersion. Hes considered everything, a formidable opponent indeed. Feliz, the adjutant, shook his head: Using tcars and heavy tanks as an armored train, what a terrible idea, itcks any aesthetic sense. But its effective, Giles said, toying with a toy tin soldier with one hand, All of the enemys actions are in and effective. And theyve posed us a significant challengethe river surface cant be blocked with smoke, as smoke bombs lose their effectiveness quickly when they fall into the water. As long as the armored train is on the bridge, we cannot cross. Feliz frowned deeply: It might be better to bypass this bridgehead instead of forcing a crossing. Giles: Contact General Walter Mendel of the Ninth Army Group and ask if hes made any headway downstream. ` Chapter 248: The situation on the night of September 20th Prussian Army, Ninth Army Group Headquarters. Three Prussian generals with red cor patches and a colonel without a red cor patch were ying cards. Yes, despite the continuous artillery fire outside, they were indeed ying cards. At that moment, amunications staff officer entered, stood at attention, and saluted, Major General Siegfried Gis from the First Army of the Asgard Knights is asking about our progress in the attack. One of the three generals, middle-aged and ranked in between his peers, lifted his head and adjusted his monocle, Doesnt he know the attack isnt directed by me? Questions about our attack should go to our Hero of Lightning. Isnt that how propaganda portrays him? The younger brigadier general beside him corrected, Its Blitz Hero, Your Excellency. Oh right, Blitz Hero. I just had my infantry follow the tanks in the attack. Themunications staff officer asked, Shall we reply like that? No, said Major General Walter Mendel, standing up and looking at the map, Such a direct reply seems too dismissive towards His Majestys favored minister. So how is each unit faring now?The staff officers responsible for updating the map turned their heads toward the major general, At least on the map, there is no progress at all. Walter Mendel walked over to the map, scrutinized it, and huffed, The same as this morning! So weve finally hit a snag? What happened to the enemy crumbling like an avnche as promised? When I visited the Army Group headquarters, Marshal Von Bock was writing in his journal, even read it to me, saying, The enemy is copsing at a staggering rate, and the war will end within three months.'' Mendel turned around, pointing at the map and addressing the others, Because it will end in three months, everyone is out for glory, and so I even lostmand of my own Army Group. After venting, Mendel turned to themunications officer, Tell Major General Gis that we have made no progress. Noprogress at all! After themunications officer left with his orders, the oldest general among themMendels chief of staffsaid, High Command estimates we have eliminated forty percent of the enemys total forces. ording to this estimate, if we eliminate about a million more, Ante will be left with no more troops capable ofbat. Right now in the north, Saint Andrew Fort has no fewer than seven hundred thousand people tied down. That means if we can eliminate another three hundred thousand, their defense line will copse. Mendel looked at the map again, High Command also predicts that we have at most one million in front of us, while a total of one million eight hundred thousand troops are part of Rolling Operation, with a battle troop ratio of one hundred eighty to one hundred, giving us the advantage. But on the first day of the attack, the enemys defenses didnt budge an inch. The old chief of staff theorized, This means the enemys fortifications are good. But as the heavy artillery and aerial assaults continue, the fortifications will gradually be worn down, the enemy will suffer casualties, and then we will be able to break through. Mendel stared at the map for a while before saying, Lets hope so. Lets hope so indeed. Prussian Army, First Army of the Asgard Knights Headquarters. Siegfried Gis put down the telegram and sighed deeply. At that moment, the chief of staff reported to him, The third wave of attacks is ready, shall we proceed? Gis looked at his watch, Its almost seven oclock; why has the assembly taken so long? Because you ordered division headquarters to move positions, said the chief of staff. No one can move and assemble for an attack simultaneously. Considering this, havingpleted it by now is already a good oue. Shall we attack? Gis studied the map, Launching the attack now, it might be dark by halfway through, and even if we break into the eastern city, well be forced to fight at night. No, we cant engage the enemy in nightbat on their familiar terrain. Lets call it a day. Have the artillery open fire and let todays operation end with a barrage. Yes, responded the chief of staff as he turned and left. Feliz stepped beside Gis and said, The entire southern line hasnt budged, and while the north has made some headway, its not as rapid as it was at the start. The enemy is getting stronger, Gis spoke in a deep voice, Have the engineer troops start digging works. Feliz asked, Digging works? Are we going to dig tunnels like in the trenches era, maybe blow them up with explosives? Gis replied, Its just a precaution, a second line of preparation. Tomorrow, we need to change our method of attack. The enemy has the advantage in armor and fortifications, and judging from todays situation, trading shots with enemy anti-tank guns is proving to be a terrible exchange ratio. Should we go have a look at the tanks that were hit and havee back? Feliz suggested. Gis nodded, Lets have a look, since we are not attacking tonight. Theres no harm in leaving the headquarters. First Armys Field Armor Maintenance Factory. When Gis appeared, the mechanics and tank crews were taken aback and quickly saluted. Dont be nervous, Gis waved his hand, Ive just takenmand of this army, and youre not familiar with me yet. With time, youll see that I am just like you, a child of a civilian. It just so happens that I had the chance to meet His Majesty back in the military academy. He redirected the conversation to the tank being repaired, How are the tanks doing? Are there any that clearly show enemy armor-piercing shell calibers or other such data? Yes, here we have one that was hit in the turret, said the factory director immediately. Its this one, Tank 331. Look, it took a hit in the front of the turret, and then the shell went right through from the back. All three men inside the turret died, but the driver and mechanic were able to drive the tank back. Gis carefully examined the impact hole in the turret front, It doesnt seem to be a 45-millimeter gun. Nor a seventy-six millimeter. We estimate the shell caliber to be between fifty and sixty millimeters, considering their usual practice, likely fifty-seven millimeters. Gis turned to Feliz, Does Ante Army have such a caliber anti-tank gun in the armament table, with such strong pration? No, Feliz dered without even checking the equipment roster, Its a new weapon we dont know aboutI mean, that High Command doesnt know about. Giles nodded, then asked, Since the holes before and after the shell are so neat, indicating that the shell itself didnt leave behind many fragments, why did everyone in the turret die? The head of the repair shop replied, The internal armor of the turret deformed and then copsed, forming shrapnel that killed the people inside the turret. Youll understand once youe in and see for yourself, the area around the shell hole has all copsed. Giles climbed up the turret and examined the area around the shell hole with assistance from the head of the repair shop. It seems that preventing the internal armor from copsing can effectively increase the survivability of tank crew members, he said. This suggestion should be passed on to the Science Academy.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Feliz remarked, But its certain that we wont be able to make use of that now. Red-haired Major General Giles nodded: Exactly. Now we know the enemy has a type of new, excessive anti-tank gun. Its unwise to continue exchanging fire with such a gun. The focus of tomorrows attack should be on depleting the enemys living forces. Feliz asked, How do we deplete them? The enemy is holed up in sturdy defenses. Im thinking. Im thinking, Giles said, pacing back and forth with hands behind his back, and sighed deeply. At 2020 hours, at the Shostka Guards Divisions divisional bunker headquarters. Wang Zhong put down his binocrs, Strange, why have the enemies stopped attacking? They bombarded us for over an hour just now, and then it stopped? Popov suggested, The enemy might not want to battle at night. Wang Zhong retorted, We originally told the troops to hurry up and eat because we were nning to engage them again in the afternoon, and now look at us, we havent even fully digested the food! Pavlov said, Isnt this a good thing, then? We can save on ammunition and food. Its getting dark now; should we rotate the troops at the bridgehead fortifications? They report minimal losses. Wang Zhong answered, Rotate them. Even with minimal losses, we need to rotate to give more troops experience. Arrange the rotation as previously scheduled. Lets go with action two one zero zero. Two one zero zero, a military time expression, using this phrasing can avoid being misunderstood. Pavlov replied, Can do. Popov, smiling, said, Today was easier than expected; perhaps we can hold out for 20 days. The remaining question is just when it will rain. Hopefully, the mud general will arrive early this year. At 2100 hours, on the eastern outskirts of Shostka, with the Guards Division reserve force, the Third Battalion of the Fifth Belyensky Regiment. The sentry suddenly saw a group of people in a neat formation approaching from the east, so he lowered his rifle and shouted, Halt! Who goes there? The approaching group immediately stopped moving, then two individuals who appeared to be officers walked toward the sentry post. The 51st Regiments Third Battalion of the 11th Internal Guard Division. The sentry turned and called out, toon leader! The toon leader appeared with two soldiers in tow: Were here, we came when we saw people approaching. Show me your IDs and your transfer orders. We werent notified of your arrival. While producing his ID, an officer of the Internal Guard Division said, Were on a special mission; its normal that you dont know. After checking the IDs, the toon leader pressed, And the orders? Were on a special mission; we cant tell you! the officer chastised, Who are you to question matters concerning the Tribunal? The toon leader was unmoved: Our divisionmander is General Rokossovsky, and he received his weapon as a personal gift from the Grand Patriarch! Since the day they caught that Prosen major whod rather die than be executed by Wang Zhongs pistol, many legends concerning that pistol had spread throughout the Guards Division. The officer from the Internal Guard Division burst into rage: Are you trying to shield traitors? There are no traitors in our division! Andrei, set up the machine gun! Call headquarters and report that a suspicious group of Internal Guard troops has arrived! Suddenly, two figures dashed out from the shadows and slit the throats of the two soldiers apanying the toon leader. The original sentry, shocked, opened fire immediately. After the shot rang out, the entire reserve force was alerted. The Internal Guard soldiers immediately adoptedbat formations and charged the position. The entire position erupted with gunfire. Wang Zhong was having dinner when he heard the gunshots and looked up: From the east? He adjusted his view and noticed that on the symbols representing his own troops from the east there was an indicator of exchange of fire. But since there was no directmunication, he couldnt see what was happening exactly. Wang Zhong remained calm, Get the airport, artillery, anti-aircraft guns, and Divine Arrow Companys guards up. Have them enter alert status, and no one is to be allowed near. Then call Eugene, and have him rify whats happening with the Third Battalion and who theyre fighting against. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 249: Moth to the Flame The report came swiftly. Colonel Eugene said they found a squad of the Tribunals internal guard troops. The sentry reported to the division headquarters, refused to let them pass, and a fight broke out, Pavlov put down the receiver, Could this be a case of a flood breaking the Dragon Gods temple? After all, Major General Kiriyenko did dispatch a special force of the internal guard to sweep the enemy. Wang Zhong: Contact Kiriyenko and ask him how far his internal guard troops have advanced. Pavlov immediately picked up the receiver: Connect to the Army Group. What? Check the lines immediately! After he spoke, he put down the receiver and looked solemnly at Wang Zhong: The phone lines to the Army Group have been cut. Things are getting more suspicious. Wang Zhong: Send a telegram to the Army Group to confirm the situation. Also, update Kashuks army on the situation. The enemy may be targeting more than just us. Pavlov turned and hollered for themunications staff officer. Wang Zhong turned to gaze at the western bank, nowpletely enveloped in night. Because it was the 20th, the moonlight was decent enough to clearly see the enemy tanks in the fields. The Ante Armys repair capabilities were too poor; otherwise, they might have been able to fix a good number of these tanks.Wang Zhong thought for a moment, then said, Ill go personally to see if these really are enemies. No way, Popov and Pavlov objected in unison. Then, the two exchanged nces and with a gesture of courtesy from Pavlov, Popov said, Its night now, and the situation is veryplicated. Even if you ride in a tank, there could be danger. What if, apart from those disguised as the internal guard, there are also forces masquerading as others? Wang Zhong thought to himself that as long as he could confirm they were enemies, he could highlight them. This wasnt like General Skorobo, who had been forced to betray his country. If it were a special enemy force, his cheat would light the people up. He tried to persuade Popov: Look, during Orachis breakout, I was the first to charge on a tank. Popov: During Orachis breakout, any of us could have died in the next second, it didnt make much difference where you were. Its different now C if youre in the division headquarters, you wont die. So stay put in the division headquarters, dont go anywhere, and let the troops handle the problem. Wang Zhong: Trust me, I handle things faster! Popov turned to Pavlov, seemingly suggesting If I cant persuade him, you try. Pavlov immediately picked up the phone: Connect to the divisionmanders wifes position. Wang Zhong: Alright, fine, I wont go! However, he had already heard Liu Xias voice from the receiver: Hello? Who is it? Pavlov: Division headquarters here. Themander intends to personally investigate the firefight in the rear. What is your opinion? Ludm: He is not allowed to go. Tell him to trust his subordinates a little more! Pavlov: You are not allowed to go; you need to trust your subordinates a little more. Wang Zhong: I freaking heard that! Fine, fine, I wont go. And your tone just now was disgusting! Pavlov shrugged his shoulders and said to the other end of the phone: Thank you, Ludm Vasilyevna. He deliberately used her full name and patronymic as a form of respect. After he spoke, he hung up the phone. Wang Zhong: We need to strengthen the security of the division headquarters as well. Grigori! The sergeant major pushed open the door of the bunker and snapped his heels together with a loud click. Go inspect the sentries; thoroughly check for any suspicious individuals. The sergeant major nodded and left. Then Wang Zhong pulled out a pistol blessed by the Grand Patriarch and pped it onto the map table. Nelly: Would you like some tea? Wang Zhong gestured with his empty cup towards Nelly. Holding the teapot, Nelly filled his cup to the brim. Touching the teacup, Wang Zhong yelped from the heat: Aow! Half an hourter, two soldiers escorted a blood-covered internal guard officer into the bunker. Upon seeing Wang Zhong, the officer shouted: You are in rebellion! How dare you fire upon the internal guard! We are on a secret mission from the Tribunal! Wang Zhong switched his view and found the man had a red name, but couldnt understand the name of the unit. It seemed he really needed to learn Prosen Speech; otherwise, even if these things were highlighted, he wouldnt understand them. Now reassured, Wang Zhong said, We have already sent a telegram to confirm this matter. If you do have a secret mission, we will help you toplete it, Mr. Judge. Judge: Youve already alerted the target! The mission has failed! Youll all be brought before the Tribunal! Just you wait! Wang Zhong: If thats the case, well ept the Tribunals judgment. We are devout followers of the Secr faction, and we trust the Tribunal to make a fair ruling. Instead of worrying about that, shouldnt we be considering how to remedy the situation now? At that moment, several real Judges entered the room, with a Major leading them nodding at Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong pointed to the Judge Major: Meet your colleagues. The captive turned around and, upon seeing his colleagues, was unfazed: We are The Major interrupted him: You better pray first. Hymn Monk, if you please. Sufang Batu Wendusu entered the room. Nellys shoulders immediately tensed up. Sufang smiled at Wang Zhong, Hi. Wang Zhong said, I didnt know the Hymn Monk had this function? Sufang said, If its a sincere prayer, I can feel it. The more devout, the more obvious it is. But actually, many people are not very devout when they pray. But the Judge is definitely devout, even somewhat fanatical, said the Major Judge who had called Sufang in. The captives face had turned red, and he suddenly lunged towards Wang Zhong! Nelly threw the teapot in her hand, spraying the mans face with scalding tea. The captive let out a scream like a ughtered pig, and his charge came to an abrupt halt. Popov lunged forward, pinning him to the ground with the force of a mountain. As he hit the ground, Wang Zhong clearly heard a sound like an egg cracking against the edge of a chopping board, Wang Zhong stood still, never having moved, because the captive was actually quite far from him. Grigori put down the submachine gun whose safety he had already disengagedjust now, he had been in the perfect position to fire without hitting anyone else outside the target. Vasily moved in front of Popov and snatched the knife from the captives hand, How did this knife remain on him? Your search wasnt thorough enough. Grigori said, I didnt do the search. It should have been me. Mine. Pavlov also came over, took the knife from Vasilys hands, It looks poisoned, best hand it over to the Tribunals poison expert. Wang Zhong said, Vasily, ask him in Prosenian what unit hes from and what his mission is. Vasily immediately tranted. Though pinned down by Popov, who was bear-like, the captive still managed tough, You will be annihted! Prosen will ultimately triumph. Wang Zhong said, Alright, Ive grown tired of matching wits with Prosenian captives. Leave him to the gentlemen of the Tribunal. Thank you for supporting our work, said the Major Judge with a smile, stepping forward to rece Popov in holding the man down, while another Judge brought out handcuffs and chains, securely binding the captive. The Major then said to Wang Zhong, If youre tired, go to sleep. I estimate well have the results by tomorrow night.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Zhong, That long? The pilot spilled the beans in less than an hour. The Majorughed, I sense a familiar scent on this man. Theyve been trained to resist interrogation; it wont be easy to make them confess. If were unlucky, it might take days; they might have to be sent to a rear Tribunal base equipped with aplete interrogation facility. Wang Zhong nodded, Its in your hands now. The Major then escorted the captive away. Wang Zhong looked at Pavlov, Confirm our casualties. Already confirmed. The reserve troops had thirty-two dead and fifteen injured. Those sons of bitches fought fiercely, Pavlov cursed. Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, These men died in battle against the enemy, apply for pensions in the event of death in action. No, they protected the key units of the division; we should apply for medals. You handle it. Pavlov nodded, Dont worry, my level-six clerk will take care of it. Wang Zhong nodded, then looked at the time, Its time for the artillery barrage. Did we capture any prisoners? Did they reveal where their division and regiment headquarters are? Pavlov pointed at the map, Its marked here. But today we didnt capture any officers above the rank of lieutenant, so it might not be urate. Wang Zhong, Never mind, bombard. An hour and a half after the artillery shelling, the Major Judge entered the bunker, He confessed. Wang Zhong was surprised, Huh? So, is it the 21st already? No, the enemy isnt as formidable as we imagined, shrugged the Major Judge, He belongs to the Brandenburg unit, an enemy force specialized in disguise and infiltration. They parachuted down today with the 100th Airborne Ranger Division. They have three other squads: one in charge of sabotaging ourmunication lines, one tasked with surveying our artillery positions and airfields, and another whose mission he did not know. Wang Zhong asked, What about the mission of their unit? To assassinate you, the Major said seriously. Wang Zhong frowned, To assassinate me, they dispatched an elite unit to kill a brigadier general? Yes. ording to the confession, Prosen seems to believe that you are one of the spiritual pirs of Antes ongoing resistance. Killing you would rapidly dismantle the entire Ante Armys will to resist. Wang Zhongughed dryly, How could I be so important? Even without me, the Grand Patriarch would lead the Ante to continue the resistance. The Major said, You dont have to downy your importance in front of us. We also consider you one of the spiritual pirs of the resistance. Wang Zhong shrugged, Okay, I know the general situation now The Major interrupted Wang Zhong, We think its necessary to strengthen your guard, so a real Inner Guard battalion is currently on their way here. Wang Zhong said, Thank you for your concern. Let me rify in advance, if the situation bes critical, I willmit the Inner Guard battalion tobat as a fighting force. Please do so, the Major Judge stated, We excel in dealing with any form of the enemy. Any form. Chapter 250: The End of the First Day of the Offensive and the Beginning of the Second Day After the Judge led the prisoners away, no sooner had he left than Pavlovs Sixth-Level Clerk came in with a stack of documents. As soon as Pavlov saw the old man, he showed a face full of trouble, Didnt I entrust you with the seal and everything? Thats ording to the rules! You guys should handle these matters; I have a lot to do, and I need to focus on military affairs. As a military enthusiast, Wang Zhong was particrly sensitive to certain terms, for example, hearing full of vitality and everything thriving, he would recall a specific scene, and automatically add a map background board behind the person speaking. I need to focus on military affairs wasnt as famous as the previous line, but it made Wang Zhong unountably think of a certain balding man and start worrying about Pavlovs hairline. The old man frowned, I am here to report the casualty situation, isnt this a military matter? Wang Zhong looked at the time; it wasnt even the next day yet, so he said, The casualties have been tallied so quickly? Let me have a look. He reached out and took the documents that were originally for Pavlov. The list detailed todays casualty numbers, meticulously sorted by their respective units. Wang Zhong flipped through and was shocked, Howe the logistics suffered even more casualties than the frontline troops?The old man immediately answered, Many in logistics hadnt undergone artillery evasion training; when the shelling urred, they justy down on the ground, resulting in many being concussed or killed by the sts. Today, the divisions field hospital received many casualties with organ ruptures and vomiting blood, and reports indicated that the hospitalcks the means to treat them; they could only provide emergency treatment before preparing for evacuation. Wang Zhong, Isnt it night already? Evacuate them by train. The old man, No trains have arrived at the station up to now; its assumed that the railway has been severed somewhere along the line. After the old man finished, Pavlov pointed to the phone, The telephone lines to the Army Group have been cut, the railway probably has been sabotaged by the enemys infiltrating forces. After inquiring about the logistics casualties, Wang Zhong continued to review the casualties of various units and, after finishing, handed them over to Popov, Thebat troops generally have few casualties; the biggest losses actually came from the Brandenburg unit that sneak-attacked the third battalions position at Bieshensk. While looking through the casualty roll, Popov answered, The Brandenburg troops are, after all, specialized units, with better training than the ordinary Prussian Army, and it was a sudden attack; the third battalion performed well. Given the situation tonight, we can apply for medals for them. Wang Zhong, Medals are useless; notify logistics to give the third battalion an extra meal tomorrow morning. Having said this, he told Popov, This is what really works, morale will definitely be high. Vasily, It would be even better if you personally visited their position, General, and said a few words to them. If you dont want to write a speech, juste out with a tongue twister, Dust whirls up with the sound of horse hooves in the field or something. The feeling of reading Dust whirls up with the sound of horse hooves in the field in Antenguage is probably simr to reciting Fertilizer turns ck as it vtilizes in Mandarin. Wang Zhong looked at Vasily, So if I really go there tomorrow and deliver a tongue twister and their morale doesnt change, what then? Vasily, I was only making aparison. If you insist on taking it seriously, then Ill go pick dung.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Wang Zhong, Good, youre already a staff officer who can take responsibility for his own words. Pavlov, Speeches are not good right now; we shouldnt use them when the situation bes tenseter. For now, lets stick to extra meals. When the situation gets more severe, well distribute vodka. Only thenes the Generals speech. By then, Popov had also finished going through the casualty list and handed it over to Pavlov. Pavlov had just opened it when he clicked his tongue in surprise, So few casualties on the front today? Even the troops holding the bridgehead havent suffered much! Seems like our technical work has yielded some results. We have many permanent fortifications alongside our border and by Argesukov; why havent they yed their part? Especially the ones in the middle segment of the front line, and with the Bug River as a barrier too. Wang Zhong, Dont mention such things; when we push back to the border line, well naturally have time to investigate how the enemy broke through the fortified region. That makes sense. After speaking, Pavlov yawned at length, I cant do this anymore, I need to sleep for a while. I suggest, General, that you should sleep too and let Popov, whos had the most sleep among us, take over the duty. Popov nodded, I drank quite a lot of tea this afternoon and feel quite energetic; I wont be able to sleep even if I tried. You guys go and rest. Wang Zhong took onest look at the pitch-ck battlefield, making sure no enemy was highlighted, then he told Nelly, Im going to sleep. The enemy might shell us at night, so I wont sleep in the dorm; get the camp bed ready in the next room. Nelly, Do you need a body wipe? Wang Zhong shook his head, No need, I didnt sweat today. Even though there hasnt been autumn rain yet, the temperature on the battlefield has already dropped, and its necessary to cover up with a nket at night. Wang Zhong wasnt really ustomed to this temperature, as for someone from south of the Yangtze River, this would be proper winter weather. Yet for the Ante people, this was not evente autumn, a chilling thought indeed. Nelly asked again, Do you need me to call thedy back? This dy referred to Ludm. Wang Zhong, She has her post to hold. Just then, Wang Zhong suddenly heard a low hum of engines in the sky. He looked outside againor rather, switched perspectivesthen saw a flight of six binesing from the enemys side. Brother Peter hadnt reported, presumably having recognized the engine sound of this type of bine and knowing they were friendlies. These bines werent carrying bombs, clearly indicating they hadpleted their bombing mission. Wang Zhong asked Pavlov, Where is our night bomber squadron based? Their range shouldnt be too far from the front line, right? If its close by, they can carry less fuel and the nes will be lighter. Pavlov frowned, Dont nes always take off with a full fuel tank? Wang Zhong uttered an Oh, as he just remembered that reality wasnt like a game; in reality, to deal withplex aerial situations, nes generally took off with a full tank. Unlike in games, where the nes internal fuel would onlyst for ten minutes before dropping an extra fuel tank of over a thousand liters. Once it took off and reached the battlefield, it would discard the external tank, then Id be the most agile dog in the mountains. Before the ten minutes of fuel burned out, either the enemy would be wiped out, or Id be dead. On closer thought, even tanks in games only carried 20 shells, whereas in reality, tank operators wished they could cram as many shells as possible because there were never enough during intense battles. After the engine noise subsided, Wang Zhong said, Then Ill withdraw first. Pavlov: Okay, Ill withdraw too. Before that, you need to sign the casualty report, the level-six clerk suddenly said. And by the way, the tea at the division headquarters is quite good. Who brewed it? Nelly raised her small hand: Me. Oh. The generals little maid, huh? Could you also brew a pot for us clerks over at the bunker nearby? The enemy began their attack, and, naturally, important division headquarters moved their operations underground. Otherwise, a single shot could disrupt the troops and plunge them into chaos. Nelly: If its just brewing tea, no problem. Wang Zhong suddenly joked, Nelly was very happy watching the battle from the division bunker today, but starting tomorrow, she will switch to the boring duty of managing warm tea. Nelly: I wasnt happy. I was just curious about what the enemy looked like. During the breakout, it was nighttime, and I was sitting at the back of the tank, shrinking my neck all day, so I didnt really see what the living enemy looked like. Thats why I was curious. During the breakout, Nelly had sat on the engine hood of Wang Zhongs tank number 422, shrinking her neck behind the tank gun turret the whole time. At that time, Nelly must have looked quite cute, but unfortunately, Wang Zhong was too busy aiming the machine gun atop the tank turret at the enemy to notice how Nelly looked. Just then, Pavlov finished signing, handed the document back to the old man, and said, You take a break too. The old man chuckled, You dont know this, but an old guy like me gets by on three or four hours of sleep a day. When you get old, youll miss being able to sleep for long periods. As he spoke, the old man picked up Nellys teapot and walked away with it. Nelly: My teapot has been swiped. It was brought from the Rokossovsky Estate in Ye Fort. Wang Zhong: No problem, well get it back tomorrow. After saying that, he yawned deeply. The next day, early in the morning of September 21st, Wang Zhong was woken up by the sound of artillery. He immediately rolled onto the floor, ttened himself into a defensive position, and cursed, This early? Given the rigid nature of the Prussians, he estimated that they would probably bombard them every morning at this time from now on. It took Wang Zhong a moment to remember that he had slept in the division bunkers rest area the day before, which meant he didnt need to be overly afraid of the bombardment. Or rather, if the bombardment even reached the bunkers rest area, his own position probably wouldnt be much help in surviving, so he might as well pray to the concrete gods. Wang Zhong stood up and got dressed. He had slept in his trousers the night before, so he could get up quickly in case of emergency, and now he dressed in no time. At this moment, Nelly entered the room. By the look of things, the bombing had caught her off guard as well, and she had ttened herself onto the floor immediately. Wang Zhong: Prepare some refreshing tea, Im going straight to the division headquarters. After saying that, he pushed past Nelly and rushed down the corridor toward the division bunker. In the bunker, the night-shift staff officers and Popov were peering out of the observation post. Wang Zhong made his way to the observation post in three steps, picked up the binocrs, and asked simultaneously, Whats the situation? Just artillery fire, no sign of troop assembly. Should we return fire? Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows, Do you think the enemy will still form up for attack waves in the same ce as before? They suffered for it yesterday. Popov: A little return fire wouldnt hurt. The supply train arrived at twost night, replenishing us with a whole lot of heavy artillery ammunition. The person organizing the train is an old hand, knowing what gets used up the most on the first day of a defensive battle. Wang Zhong involuntarily thought of General Chekhovs face, t as a frying pan. In the era before Wang Zhong crossed over, frying pans were usually non-stick. This general was truly capable, never clinging to a pot, always reliable in his duties. One day, hed have to get General Chekhov to write his memoirs and then produce a movie based on them, titled The Cannon, the Seal, and the Non-stick Pan. Since the non-stick pan general had delivered the ammunition, it was only natural to give the Prussians an entertaining start to their day. Wang Zhong: Tell the artillery units, to use the same firing elements as yesterdays counter-battery fire, fire when ready. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 251: Old Friend Takes a Tumble Again Chapter 251: Old Friend Takes a Tumble Again Time moved a little backward, to one hour before dawn. At the headquarters of the Prosen Asgard Knight Orders Ampler Division, Kluge, an old acquaintance of Rokossov and the actingmander of the Ampler Division, was addressing his troops. No, thats not right, for after the courageous performance in the offensive actions following the crossing of Orachi, Commander Kluge had officially be a Division Commander, promoted to the rank of Major General, just like the White Horse General, Rokossov. At this moment, Kluge was lecturing the newly supplemented staff at the division headquarters, Im very familiar with the White Horse General, especially familiar. Hes a cunning man, the master of trifles! But if youre not careful, youll fall right into his trap! Yesterday, he bombed our deployment area, flipping over our troops that were setting up for the attack, forcing us to dy our offensive for over two hours! I believe he will try again today. However, there will be a slight change in the bombing positions! Hell bet that were deploying further back, trying to dodge the bombardment with a small sacrifice. The reason troops need to deploy just before they encounter the enemy is that maintaining the formation after deploying for an attack is extremely difficult. The formation used while marching is favored because its manageable. Attack formation, on the other hand, cannot be managed. Its manageable to march in attack formation for three kilometers, but any longer distances will lead to all sorts of problems.Looking proudly at the map where hed drawn the deployment location, Kluge said, Thats why we should do the opposite: we deploy in the same position as yesterday, which will cause the bombardment to fall behind us, allowing us to initiate the attack on time! Then, the newly appointed Chief of Staffmented, But Ive looked through my divisionsbat logs against General Rokossovsky, and his nightly artillery barrages have been hitting fixed targets, without any variation. Even when our troops had moved far from the viges and camped in the open, he bombarded the viges. Could he bomb the original locations this time as well? Kluge frowned, Impossible! I have a basis for my prediction! Last night, Commander Giles headquarters was bombed, but the shells fell off target, only flipping over the military police battalion that was having dinner! Clearly, Rokossov had our intelligence, perhaps a military map. But think about it, how could our own map be off? Its our armys map! The location of the headquarters must be clearly marked, not a single coordinate wrong! That must be Rokossov ying clever, thats why it was off! Hell continue to act smart today! After a few seconds of thought, the new Chief of Staff nodded, That makes sense! Kluge dered, Then its settled. Let us mock Rokossovs cleverness! An hourter, the artillery staff suddenly entered to report, The enemy has begun to bombard our deployment area! Klugeughed, Where did they hit? Is it our rear? Staff, No its our troops that are currently deploying. Kluges face changed, and he hurriedly strode out of the headquarters armoredmand vehiclethe Prussian Army now dared not stay in buildings when facing the White Horse General, instead residing in armoredmand vehicles in open fields. Looking at the shells continuously falling less than two kilometers away, Kluge nearly lost his footing, but the new Chief of Staff came to support him. He shouted with all his soul towards the bombing area, My newly replenished troops! Under the heavy barrage, all lives are equal; no matter if theyre veterans or not, if a shellnds nearby, those who should die will die. At that moment, themunication staff came out of themunication vehicle and saluted Kluge, Major General, we just received a telegram from the Emperors Personal Guards Division, who were also bombarded but suffered minor losses due to their assembly point being moved back a kilometer. Only stray shells fell on the troops that were deploying. The new Chief of Staff looked at Kluge, wisely choosing not to speak. Kluge sighed, Tell the Emperors Personal Guards that my division cantunch the attack as scheduled. Ask them to also postpone their attack time, or they might be nked by the enemy. The staff saluted and then ran toward themunication vehicle. At 0800 hours on September 21, near the headquarters bunker of the Guards Mechanized Infantry Division in Shostka, Wang Zhong looked outside, then at his watch, Even if we hit them this morning, shouldnt they haveunched the attack by now? Pavlov joked, Maybe you killed their divisionmander again, leading tomand chaos. Wang Zhong shook his head, Impossible. Prussianmanders like toe to the front to see the situation first-hand. In Peniye, theirbat groupmander was staring eye to eye with me the whole time; I was prone on the water tower, and he was standing on the high ground, with the weeping Kazarlia between us. Back then, I didnt have a T34; if I did, I would have charged at him. And yesterday, guess what, I saw a battalionmander! After speaking, Wang Zhong realized he had said too much and hurriedly corrected himself, I mean, I spotted a tank that seemed to be a battalionmand tank, then I called in heavy artillery cover. In reality, Wang Zhong had already noticed this ring w in himself, only being able to illuminate enemies within his eyesight. Now inmand of a division, with such a broad front, staying in the division headquarters bunker only allowed him to illuminate a sector of the enemy in front.N?v(el)B\\jnn In order to make efficient use of this cheat, Wang Zhong had to treat tank number 422 as a Parade Tanksitting on it and doing nothing, just patrolling along the position. Light up an enemymander, and boom, gone. Of course, there was a downside to this. The gunner of tank 422 was a tank instructor, so he shot more urately than anyone else. He was also well acquainted with the tanks quirks, so if he switched to another gun, he couldnt achieve the same level of precision. This problem was easily solvable. After all, the Parade Tanks ordered in the name of the Royal Family by Olga had already been produced in the dozens, all of which were in Wang Zhongs unit. It was simply a matter of switching to another tank. However, Pavlov would get upset if Wang Zhong left the headquarters to hop into a smaller tank. At the time, Pavlov had persuaded Wang Zhong with these words, The front line is still stable now. Theres no need for you to run around everywhere. You are most effective when you hold themand post. If the defense line is full of holes in the future, then wait to run around as a firefighter. Pavlovs words were logical and in line with militarymon sense. Moreover, the Prussian troops were well-organized. In Loktov, when the enemymander at the front was killed, the division only descended into chaos for an hour, after which theyunched a fierce infantry assault that nearly prated Wang Zhongs Imperial Iron Wall. It seemed that killing the enemys battalionmander wouldnt have an immediate and significant effect. Just yesterday, when Wang Zhong blew up that battalionmander, the enemys attacking troops didnt stop at all. It appeared that to the Prussians, a battalionmanders rank wasnt enough. Only by killing a divisionmander could they stop the enemys attack for more than an hour. But where was the enemy divisionmander? In Loktov, the enemys divisionmander was less than four kilometers from the front lineWang Zhong could find him just by charging with a small tank! The longer the war dragged on, the farther the enemy divisionmanders stayed from the frontline. Could it be that they were scared off by me? Im thinking, I havent blown up many divisionmanders. While Wang Zhong pondered, a new staff officer operating the artillery mirror asked Vasily, Musician, why is there ayer of on the artillery mirror? With pride, Vasily replied, Dont understand, do you? They didnt teach this at the military academy, right? This is General Rokossovskys invention! With the over it, due to the imaging principle of the artillery mirror, we cant see the, but we can see the enemybecause the imaging position of the isnt on the eyepiece! Staff officer: I understand the principle, but whats the point of it? To prevent reflections. The bunker now faces west, and in the afternoon, sunlight coulde in and potentially reflect light, exposing our position. Learn this; it might save your life one day! The new staff officer looked convincingly impressed, although his rank was much higher than VasilysVasilys military academy trained junior officers, while the staff officer had attended the same academy as Wang Zhong. The staff officer leaned closer to the eyepiece of the artillery mirror: Indeed, I cant see the, but the amount of light entering is obviously affected. I feel that aside from preventing reflections, it could also maintain a good field of vision in the afternoon against the setting sun. Vasily was momentarily stunned, then quickly recovered: Right! Exactly! The general has said so already. Wang Zhong thought to himself that this was nonsense; he had never said such a thinghow could he know this if it wasnt depicted in the movies? But he just smiled slightly, Of course. Then he added to the story: This technique was actually developed during sniperpetitions between the Crown Prince and me. Back then, our game involved both of us entering the Royal Hunting Grounds from different directions, fully equipped New staff officer: In the Royal Hunting Grounds of Oryol? Wang Zhong: Right! After entering, we would move forward and hunt for our daily food, silently advancing until one of us discovered the other. Whoever fired first and the bulletnded within a two-meter radius of the other person would be considered the victor. Of course, its hard to determine the winner in such a game, so in the end, it came down to who admitted defeat. The new staff officerughed, The Crown Prince must have won all the games. Wang Zhong kept smiling, not because he agreed with the answer, but because he suddenly realized that he had oversold his story. If some nosy personter went to the Royal Hunting Grounds to inquire and was told that nothing of the sort ever happened, wouldnt that blow his cover? He could only hope that everyone wouldply in silent ord. It was a bit like the time before his traversal, riding on the slow green-skinned train, where out of sheer boredom, passengers resorted to chatting to pass the time. Everyone would ramble on about all sorts of topics, knowing full well that the stories were made up but never calling each other out, treating them like stories. The situation on the green-skinned train was simr to the current one; everyone inside themand post had to stay confined in this small space, bored stiff, killing time as best as they could. Unable to y poker, they could only resort to harmless boasting. No sooner had Wang Zhong finished embellishing, than yer Vasily began, Filippov and I didnt have such extravagant hobbies. Our entertainment was New staff officer: Enemy iing! The attack has begun! Chapter 252: Plain and Simple - But Useless (Extra 1/33) Chapter 252: in and Simple - But Useless (Extra 1/33) Popov heard that the enemy was approaching and immediately went to the observation window to look outside. Five minutester, he put down his binocrs and said to Wang Zhong, Smoke, Xu Jin Barrage, tank assault, still the same old tricks? Were yesterdays casualties not enough, so theyre trying again today? Wang Zhong, listening to the sound of our mortars and heavy artillery interception fire, shrugged his shoulders, Why dont you ask the enemymander? At this point, Pavlov had already finished issuing orders to the artillery, so he too joined the conversation, If the enemy hasnt changed their tactics, well just deal with them using yesterdays methods. This makes my job easier, the orders to the artillery can just be the same as yesterday. Vasily said, No, no, there is something different, havent you all noticed? Everyone looked at Vasily, indulging his desire to perform, until he finally said with an air of mystery, There are no nes today. Yesterday with both the Yak-1 and the Divine Arrow, we can conservatively estimate the enemy lost thirty to forty pilots in one day, and today they didnt show up! Not even for high-altitude level bombing! As everyone in the bunker exchanged nces, Wang Zhong suddenly pped his thigh, Arent the pilots just sitting idle then? How can it be like this? Can the Yak-1 carry bombs? Wang Zhong had flown the Yak-1 beforein a game. But he had only used the Yak-1 for airbat, so he only knew that the Yak-1 couldnt carry auxiliary fuel tanks and gun pods. He had no memory of it carrying bombs. Pavlov looked at him with frustration, Youre always finding more work for me to do!After saying this, he picked up the receiver, Switchboard, connect me to the fighter squadron. Hello, is this Hamov? No? Well, youll do. Can your Yak-1s carry bombs? Can they carry two 100-kilo bombs? Alright, got it. Hold on to the phone for a minute, I need to check with the general. Pavlov looked over without bothering to repeat the conversation, since everyone had heard it anyway. Wang Zhong said, Carrying two 100-kilo bombs would affect the flight performance too much, and pilots are still very precious. Lets go with two 50-kilo bombs instead. Vasily was puzzled, Why not just hang one bomb? Wang Zhong exined, What do you know? Two bombs are hung under the wings, one on each side, to bnce. They are dropped simultaneously. If you drop from one side and the other side fails and doesnt drop, it could be disastrous. Vasily remarked, So thats how it is. After their conversation ended, Pavlov asked, So the order is for them to carry two 50-kg bombs each? Dispatch a squadron, the rest will be on standby for air defense. Tell them, uracy is not demanded; just dropping the bombs near the enemy is fine, but the key is to return alive. I need their reconnaissance reports, especially any area with antennas. Actually, Wang Zhong didnt think the pilots could spot the enemys antennas from the air, knowing from personal experience how difficult it is to see ground targets with camouge from above. In the game, if the enemy put some grass in front of their tanks or parked under a tree, Wang Zhong would be virtually blind to it. That was just a game, but reality has a thousand times more ground details to obscure the view, and even upon returning with pictures, it would take professionals a long time to identify them. There was an example from history where a Sturmtigers No. 4 tank had its track broken, was reported by Soviet infantry, and the Soviet Air Force dispatched 40 Il-2 aircraft to bomb it, only for the closest bomb tond dozens of meters from the tank. It wasnt that the Soviet Air Forces bombing technique was poor, but because the No. 4 tank was on the battlefield surrounded byplex situations, and the pilots could not distinguish the target. Of course, the bombing technique of the Soviet Air Force was indeed poor,cking adequate training time. Wang Zhongs orders were passed on unaltered by Pavlov to the fighter squadron. The chief of staff put down the receiver and said to Wang Zhong, Fighters going on a bombing run, isnt that like a dog catching micenone of its business? So Ante people also have this proverb Wang Zhong replied, Whats wrong with that? Its just that our engine technology is inferior, and we dont have enough power, so we can only carry two little sweet potatoes. Vasily interjected, A 50-kilogram bomb is no small potato, its a big watermelon, no, I dont even know if theres a watermelon that heavy. Its scarier than heavy artillery. Wang Zhong said, Just you wait, once we bring in fighters from the Federation, well show you what mixing business with pleasure really means.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om At this moment, the only one in the bunker still at his post, a staff officer, shouted, I hear machine gun fire, Ye Fort has engaged the enemy. Pavlov took up the receiver. Shortly after, the sound of heavy artillery shells whooshed over everyones heads. Wang Zhong could see through the smoke, so he clearly saw that around Ye Fort twopanies had unfolded. After breaking through the barrage of the mortar fire, their formation had thinned out, but because Ye Fort was a single point, the sparse formation was forced to clump together again. And then they were covered by heavy artillery fire. Wang Zhong couldnt help but mutter, Is the enemymanders head made of iron? This kind of offensive just wont do. Our infantry cant umtebat experience like this. Popov replied, What are you talking about? Do you really think we send greenhorns across the river just to gain experience? No, its to build their courage. Fighting skills, thats something the old soldiers will teach them when we pull back for rest and reorganization. Just then, the phone rang and Pavlov picked up the receiver, Division headquarters. Whats the matter? Understood. He put down the receiver and immediately picked it up again to issue the order to cease firing to the artillery. Wang Zhong asked, The enemy is retreating? In fact, Wang Zhong saw the enemy retreating but had to pretend a bit, since, after all, the division headquarters bunkerno, the entire east bank was shrouded in smoke and nothing could be seen. Pavlov: The enemy didnt even try to cross the river. Whats going on here? Just as Wang Zhong was about to answer, he saw a squadron of Yak-1s carrying bombs fly over the river. The sound of the nes engines became the only noise on the battlefield at that moment. As Wang Zhong prayed for them to find the big fish, the phone rang. Pavlov picked it up: Headquarters, go ahead. Hmm? Okay, Ill get him now. After he finished speaking, he handed the receiver to Wang Zhong: Army Group Commander. Wang Zhong took the receiver: Hello, Kiriyenko, this is Rocossov. Whats the situation? Major General Kiriyenko: How are things on your end? Kashuk is under fierce attack, but the concrete you sent him has been very effective. And there are no bridges on his side, so the enemy has to advance through water. Wang Zhong: I have bridges here, but the bridgehead is actually an anvil I designed for the enemy. My sledgehammer has already smashed them to pieces. Ive evaporated four enemy toons, four toons! Yesterday alone, the enemy left behind more than four hundred bodies; Im afraid a single assault today has cost them nearly three hundred. Major General Kiriyenko: Are you sure you dont need reinforcements? Wang Zhong: I havent even used my reserves. In fact, the reserves had suffered the second highest casualties yesterday, after the logistics personnel, due to being attacked by infiltrating enemy elite troops. Hearing Wang Zhongs confidence, Major General Kiriyenko said: Thats great, but let me know immediately if you cant hold on. Ive already prepared troops to relieve you. You now represent more symbolic than actualbat significance. Although I doubt anyone can defend as well as you, what I mean is if you need to retreat, retreat, dont feel burdened. Wang Zhong: Dont worry. Once my troops casualties reach 40%, Ill withdraw. After a moment of silence on Kiriyenkos end, he said: Alright, I understand. Well leave it at that. Then he hung up the phone. At the Army Group headquarters, Major General Kiriyenko put down the phone and looked at the Army Group Chief of Staff and the Military Bishop: This Rocossov, hes assured me with such confidence that he will request a retreat once his casualties reach 40%. The Chief of Staff twisted his eyebrows into knots: Even Argesukovs troops, inspired by the Crown Prince, didnt fight that resolutely, did they? They fell apart when their losses reached 30%. Are his troops made of iron or what? And the Military Bishop very firmly said: Its possible for Major General Rocossovs words toe true. At Orachi, his troops managed to organize a breakout after suffering 50% casualties, although those losses were tallied after they had broken out. Kiriyenko approached the map, looking at the overall situation: Right now, it seems possible that we canpletely stop the enemys offensive in the south. The question is how long we can hold in the north. The north doesnt have any rivers to defend, and the only fortified areas are around Ye Fort, which is precisely the kind of battlefield suitable for enemy armored forces. Chief of Staff: On the bright side, if we can save a lot of troops here, the Western Front Army can shift forces to the north. Major General Kiriyenko nodded: Lets hope so. At the Prosen Army side, headquarters of the First Army of the Asgard Knights. Giles frowned: Weve suffered such heavy losses without even exchanging fire with the enemys anti-tank guns. It seems we cant keep charging in blindly. Change strategy, switch the operation to trench warfare, and request engineering troops from the Central Army Group. All the staff officers looked at each other then the Chief of Staff spoke on everyones behalf: Your Majesty has high hopes for us Giles: Which is why we cant continue to throw our lives away. How is this different from Carolingian officers forcing their soldiers to their deaths with military execution squads? Trench warfare offers better resistance against heavy artillery. Even under heavy bombardment, we can continue to advance. This will render their current biggest threat to us useless! Ive thoroughly reviewed the White Horse Generals battle records. The greatest crisis in his lines of defense at Orachi came when reconnaissance aircraft were overhead, and his heavy artillery dared not act. While our reports like to portray the White Horse General as a tankmander, his true strength lies in the use of artillery fire! So we must take a targeted approach. At that moment, Aide-de-camp Feliz approached: How long will it take for trench warfare to get close to the enemy? Giles: I ordered an engineering assessment yesterday, and the detailed report should be done today. ording to my experience, we might need fifteen days to get close enough tounch an attack. Feliz: But His Majesty hopes that our pincer movement will bepleted by mid-October. To capture Ye Fort by November. Giles: Dont worry, if weunch the attack on the fifth of October, and break through around the tenth, we can stillplete the pincer movement by the twentieth. The key that His Majesty expects is to prate what the enemy has propagated as the Imperial Iron Wall defense of the White Horse General. Feliz: But Giles: I will exin this personally to His Majesty. You neednt worry, call off the attack, and let the artillery continue bombarding the enemys defenses. Feliz hesitated for a moment but still replied: Yes. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!