Arc of Fire

The Prosen Emperor didn’t ponder for long.

Reinhard: "The troops we can send to the front line right now are just two armies, right?"

"Yes, currently the total reserve on the Eastern Front comprises just two armies," Celtic Marshal immediately confirmed.

"And how long would it take to mobilize troops from farther away?"

"One week. Within a week we can deploy troops newly formed within the country, as well as those returning from retraining, to the Eastern Front, totaling two armies..."

Reinhard interrupted Celtic Marshal, "Then dispatch one army to the Central Army Group for urgent support and the other to the Southern Front’s Group B, transferring it to Frederick. Then, tell him that in one week’s time, there will be two more armies."

Celtic Marshal glanced at Army Commander Walter von Blenheim, who had been silent.

Von Blenheim finally spoke, "If the Central Army Group is breached, the situation will become extremely dangerous. The Anteans’ Western Front Army could sweep through to our border like a whirlwind, erasing all progress we’ve made since June 22, 1914.

"We cannot afford this risk, Your Majesty."

"That’s why I’ve already dispatched one army," Reinhard said angrily, "You Junkers, always exaggerating the difficulties you face to secure more reinforcements. You never consider the situation on the Empire’s other fronts, only worrying about not taking the blame! I know you all too well."

Reinhard paused, and looked at the map, gathering his thoughts before continuing, "It’s probably the same situation on the Southern Front with Frederick; he needs troops, but not many. One army should be enough for a significant breakthrough.

"The mention of three armies is likely an exaggeration to emphasize urgency. Moreover—I am actually preparing to give him three armies!"

At that moment, the Armored Corps Director, Moochi, raised his hand, "Your Majesty, actually, on the Western Front, we have several well-equipped armored divisions ready for battle. Together, these divisions have over a thousand tanks, and although they’re not as advanced as the Panther Tanks currently in development, they are still superior to the outdated Models Three and Four generally deployed on the Eastern Front.

"Transporting these armored divisions to the Eastern Front through our nation’s developed railway system would take less than a week. In just a few days, these divisions will reach the furthest eastern railway hubs we control and start advancing towards Abawahan!"

"No!" Reinhard interrupted Moochi, "These armored divisions are in place to counter an Allied landing! They are the most crucial counterattack force of the entire Western Front Command, entrusted with driving the Allies back into the sea!"

Moochi: "But the Allies are unlikely to undertake a landing operation this year; their main focus is in Africa, and High Command predicts that any potential landing site would be in the Kingdom of Sardinia..."

Reinhard: "The Kingdom of Sardinia is all mountains, plus the Alps as a barrier. Even if they land, threatening the Empire’s core regions would still require them to cross the Alps.

"Today’s armies are nothing like those of the Conqueror a hundred years ago; mountainous assaults are extremely difficult, and our mountain infantry could completely block any enemy."

Reinhard approached a huge sand table in Eagle’s Nest’s war room, picked up a map stick shaped like a knight’s lance, and jabbed its tip into the sand table, "Carolingian, however, is all plains. Even though there are rivers that pose obstacles, these slow-flowing rivers are easy to bridge over and cannot serve as effective barriers. What’s more, there are bridges across these rivers everywhere; Western Europa is too developed, with towns everywhere, and where there are towns, there are bridges!

"Do you understand? My dear Armored Corps Director! If the Allies landed in Carolingian, they would liberate it within a year and threaten the Empire’s most vital industrial area.

"No, we cannot move the armored divisions from the Western Command; they have to stay put!"

Moochi: "But the enemy has already launched a landing operation in Africa; do they really have the capacity to land in Carolingian?"

At this time, the Emperor’s intelligence director, Duke Redweizi of the Rabowell Intelligence Agency, said, "We have two extremely reliable intelligence sources confirming that the United Kingdom and the Federation are actively preparing for a landing operation. One is an ace spy in Castilia, and the other is from the Krat Bureau, directly overseen by His Majesty."

Upon hearing Krat Bureau, General Moochi could only sigh, "The Krat Bureau also mentioned a landing, then it really needs to be taken seriously. Their previous intelligence perfectly matched my assessment of the front lines and can be trusted."

After all, the intelligence from Krat Bureau is all "legendary espionage" specifically fabricated to placate the Prosen high command.

Reinhard looked pleased, "So the armored forces on the Western Front can’t be moved, my Armored Corps Director, see where else we can draw armored forces from?"

Moochi: "How about drawing from the armored units initially intended to join the African Corps? The situation with the African Corps is becoming increasingly desperate; if we pull them out soon, we can free up the 15th and 21st Armored Divisions and the 90th Light Division. These are all seasoned units that have fiercely battled the armored troops of the United Kingdom."

Reinhard: "But giving up on Africa like this doesn’t sit well, especially since Erwin has already promised me that with just a bit more manpower, he could cut off the canal, completely isolating the United Kingdom from Balas’s shipping routes.

"The United Kingdom currently uses a large number of Balasian soldiers, which are an important source of their manpower. It’s said that the United Kingdom won’t surrender until the last drop of Balasian blood is shed... perhaps..."

Chief of General Staff, Celtic: "But the Allied Forces have already made their way along the coast and have hit Erwin’s African Corps from behind; he’s about to have his supply lines cut."

"And furthermore, we are about to lose control over the Aegean Sea. The Franz bombs from the Imperial Academy of Sciences were not as effective as anticipated, although they did sink some ships. The ships of the United Kingdom have already begun to equip themselves with radio jamming devices, and they are also using smoke to obstruct visibility."

Reinhard pursed his lips, "The Imperial Academy of Sciences has another weapon to test. If this weapon performs well, we might regain control of the sea! So, it’s not too late to wait for the results of this new weapon in actual combat."

"No, the reinforcements for the African Army cannot be touched."

The Armored Corps Director, General Moochi, Army Commander Bryan, and Chief of General Staff Celtic Marshal looked at each other, the three of them surprisingly coming to a consensus for the first time.

However, they unanimously chose not to oppose the Emperor.

"Where else can we deploy troops?" Reinhard asked, tapping the table.

Celtic Marshal said, "There are still many Moravian troops that can be deployed. Their training is poor, and their combat will is not high, but the training of the Antean forces is also poor. As long as we assure them the best equipment, they should be passable."

Reinhard hesitated, "How many Moravian troops can be deployed?"

"Two Army Groups," replied Celtic Marshal. "And though their training is poor, they are all long-trained regular troops of Moravia and number two hundred thousand."

Upon hearing ’two hundred thousand,’ Reinhard waved his hand grandly, "Allot all to General Frederick, and have the logistics department ensure that these 200,000 men receive the best equipment!"

"Yes!" Celtic Marshal immediately picked up the handset and began issuing orders.

General Moochi exchanged glances with Marshal Bryan.

Finally, the marshal said, "As much as these many Moravian troops can contribute, they need to be fed, which will greatly strain our logistics." Enjoy exclusive chapters from

"As long as they can hold on until our domestically retrained troops arrive at the front lines, about a week or so, then we can position them in less crucial areas!" Reinhard declared. "Even if these Moravian troops are substandard, deploying them in the city to wear down the Anteans can be extremely effective! Just let them go!"

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Antean Guard First Red Flag Mechanized Infantry Division, Yegorov looked at the returning scouting team leader, "What did you say? The Prosens’ armored forces at the front line are retreating?"

"Yes, we killed a few stragglers and discovered they were from the 41st Armored Army of the Sixth Army Group," replied the Captain leading the scouting team.

Yegorov stroked his chin, "The 41st’s troops are retreating, but our direct front’s 14th armored troops haven’t moved... It seems like they’ve been pulled to attack the beachhead."

The Chief of Staff asked, "Should we take any actions to hinder the enemy’s movements?"

Yegorov shook his head, "What actions can we take? The enemy’s 88 cannons are all set up; we don’t have sufficient armored strength to counterattack; we can only rely on the advantages of the Whirlwind and counter-shooting the enemy.

"We can only report this information to the Front Army Headquarters."

At the Abawahan Front Army Headquarters, Pavlov hung up the phone and said to Wang Zhong, "The enemy’s 41st Armored Army troops have withdrawn from the front line, and they’ve been replaced by an infantry division. It looks like they intend to use the 41st Armored Army to storm the beachhead, likely committing a significant number of infantry forces as well."

Wang Zhong said, "That’s one of our landing targets. As long as the beachhead remains nailed to the opposite bank, the enemy will never be able to commit two armored armies’ worth of attack strength against us. That will make the battle on the outskirts of Abawahan a bit easier."

Though Abawahan is the largest city along the Inland Sea, its scale is considerably smaller than that of Saint Ekaterinburg, and the outskirts feature a lot of open ground, with smaller-sized satellite cities.

The guarding of a comparatively large satellite city had been entrusted to the Sixteenth Army Group.

In these open areas, the armored forces of the Prosens pose a significant threat; typically, any temporary infantry division that encounters armored forces is swiftly cut through, as easily as a hot knife through butter.

Wang Zhong’s forces included numerous temporary infantry divisions, cobbled together to defend the city’s second and third lines of defense.

Though an eventual grinding down of the city seemed inevitable, Wang Zhong hoped to delay it as much as possible.

Thus, there was only hope that the Naval Infantry could hold the beachhead a little longer.

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