Arc of Fire

Wang Zhong’s side.

After more than an hour of white-weapon combat, 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 clandestine artillery shelling.

If the enemy launched a night attack, the sentries would fire signal flares. This time, the flares would surely call down artillery fire.

Before dusk had fallen, the workers accompanying the army began to repair the tanks that had been disabled.

Compared to yesterday, today the armored units under Wang Zhong’s command 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.

Pavlov opened the door to the map room, “What’s wrong? Why don’t you come in?”

Wang Zhong pointed in the direction of the noise, “What’s going on here?”

“Ah, the Tribunal’s 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, let’s not. How many pilots have we captured?”

“Two. How many more do you want? The planes hit by Divine Arrow burn up immediately; it’s impressive that two survived,” Pavlov shrugged. “When they were first captured, they were still ranting, accusing us of using Divine Arrow against aircraft, saying we lacked martial virtue.”

Wang Zhong, “We’re forced into it. If we had an Air Force, we wouldn’t 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, “What’s 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 Pavlov’s 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 didn’t realize the use of it. Today, when enemy reconnaissance aircraft suppressed artillery support, I realized that mortars are good. They’re quiet during launch, and high-flying reconnaissance planes definitely won’t see them.

“The accuracy 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, you’ve only just realized the advantages of this weapon? I thought you, as a genius military strategist, deemed it useless at the start, that’s why you didn’t ask me for it.”

Wang Zhong, a bit embarrassed, thought to himself that he was a civilian, how could he know about this? He didn’t even like using mortars when playing “Steel Division.”

But he couldn’t say this, so Wang Zhong responded, “I graduated last in my class, how could I know these things?”

“Don’t remind me of your last place,” Pavlov shook his head. “We’re almost embarrassed to mention our own military school results! Just admit you were controlling your score to take care of the Crown Prince, please!”

Popov laughed heartily.

Wang Zhong was embarrassed. What was this, he couldn’t 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 we’re suppressed by reconnaissance tomorrow, at least we could use the heavy mortars for covering fire.”

Pavlov, “I’ll do my best. But the situation at Argesukov isn’t 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 force’s Second Armored Army Group’s 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 playing 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 in command, maybe they could hold. After all, you’re a defense expert trained by Loktov. But these Army Groups aren’t under your command, and as far as I know, their commanders are classmates of the commander 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: “It’s possible that His Majesty the Tsar won’t 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 Nikolayevna Antonovna yelled at General Tugenev, the chief of the High Command’s Military Orders Department, “Why can’t the order be issued? I have the stamp!”

The general offered a bitter smile, “Your Highness, even if you brought your brother’s stamp, it would not allow us to issue the order. We could consider it with His Majesty the Tsar’s stamp—of course, this consideration mainly means confirming with His Majesty the Tsar himself.”

Olga: “Don’t you see? Argesukov is about to be encircled!”

“Of course, we see that. Even if we didn’t 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, haven’t you been associating too closely with the leaders of the Secular faction?”

Olga: “Never mind how close I get, don’t you all want to save our military at all? There are your friends, students, and old subordinates there, aren’t 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. I’ve heard that—the reinforcements provided by the Crown Prince, in Rocossov’s 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 places. 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 plan to send?”

Olga seemed troubled, “I… I don’t 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!” Olga’s 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, wouldn’t it be fine to commandeer the freshly produced T34s from the factories in the city?”

After considering for a moment, Olga nodded, “You do have a point. But I’d have to send the tank crews as well, wouldn’t I? Where do I find tank crews? The ones sent before were all for parade purposes; where do I find crews that haven’t 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 you’re deliberately advising me on how to get things done.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t presume to do that, I’m 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 declared, lifting his head proudly.

Olga: “Do you also believe that Major General Rocossov can turn the tide?”

“I don’t think so. If he were an Army Group Commander, maybe it would be possible, but he’s only a division commander,” 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 to command an Army Group. Being able to command a small unit well doesn’t mean one can command a large one, Your Highness.”

Olga bit her lip and returned to the original topic, “So what else should I send him? Can’t you help me send a telegram to ask?”

“Telegrams take time to decode and lack timeliness. Rather than that… Your Highness, you could go to the church and borrow their choir.”

Olga’s expression brightened suddenly, “Right, I could seek help from the choir! Thank you, General Tugenev.”

“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

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