Arc of Fire

On the night of October 29th, at the East Bank of the Valdai Hills River, opposite Pier No. 1. Find your next read on

Ludmila stood by the Divine Arrow launch team, watching the soldiers boarding the ship.

After delivering able-bodied soldiers across, these boats would bring back the wounded who were missing arms and legs. Since yesterday, there were no more soldiers with minor injuries on the return trips, Ludmila found out after asking that they did not wish to abandon their comrades and return.

As for the bodies, there simply wasn’t enough transport capacity to carry so many corpses.

The returning warriors said that the bodies on the battlefront had been blown to pieces by enemy artillery and mixed with the soil, the entire beachhead reeking only of the smell of blood.

Ludmila also specifically asked the returning wounded if they had seen Nelly.

The result was that every wounded soldier who heard the name Nelly became like they were injected with chicken blood, starting to babble incoherently about some battle goddess, some General’s Angel—it was a whole bunch of stuff Ludmila didn’t understand.

As a cleric, Ludmila even considered performing exorcisms for these people. Unfortunately, the Secular faction didn’t practice exorcism. Instead, what was formerly considered demonic possession was now treated by specialized psychologists.

After all the questions, Ludmila knew only that Nelly was still alive.

In recent days, when Ludmila asked when the pontoon bridge would be repaired, the answer she got was that there were too many ships on the river surface; there was no gap to rebuild the bridge.

The entire shipping department was working overtime, sending troops to Abawahan.

During the daytime on the 29th, Ludmila saw two ships being sunk by Prosen bombers. At that moment, the entire river surface was full of soldiers in the water; it was impossible to tell how many were stuffed onto the ships.

It seemed the Prosen bombers were purposely avoiding the stretch of the river defended by Ludmila’s Divine Arrow Team, attacking frantically elsewhere up and down the river.

The Antean Air Force was also fighting bravely. The newest model of the Yak-1 was engaged in dogfights with Prosen planes all day long.

Ludmila had seen several Yak-1s on fire, struggling to fly towards the East Bank—completely controlled by the Anteans, where parachuting pilots would have a higher chance of survival being retrieved by ground forces and sent back to base.

The Prosen on the opposite bank had taken control of the riverbank outside the beachhead. They just hadn’t positioned artillery at the riverside yet, so parachuting to the West Bank would almost certainly lead to capture.

Ludmila heard the sound of a steam whistle, signaling the start of tonight’s transport.

She gazed across the river, whispering prayers for the warriors rushing into danger.

At that moment, several illumination flares rose from the enemy-controlled river beaches on the opposite bank, lighting up the river surface.

Enemy machine guns began firing at extremely long range, tracer bullets streaking across the night sky.

The artillery on this side of the river opened fire immediately, the enemy positions, covering the crossing troops.

The once quiet night suddenly filled with blood and fire.

On the West Bank of the Valdai Hills River, Beachhead Position No. 1.

Nelly heard someone talking outside the bunker and stood up, lifting the flap to go outside, looking at the infantry officer speaking.

Officer, "We’re organizing a night suicide squad to take out the river beach that’s being bombed. Can your Naval Infantry provide some men?"

"I’ll go," Nelly raised her hand.

The officer glanced at the bandage covering Nelly’s right eye, "No, Miss Nelly, you can’t go. We’re counting on you to boost morale tomorrow. Besides, close-quarters combat could involve brawling, and you’re not quite suited for that." ȓÅＮốＢÊș

Nelly quietly picked up a Sapper Shovel, "I’m small, sometimes that’s an advantage."

The officer sighed, "We’ll handle it. If you really can’t sit still, you could go to the river bank and welcome the newcomers; they’ve already lost comrades during the crossing, they must be heartbroken."

Nelly turned her head towards the Valdai Hills River.

Officer, "They need encouragement. Leave the night raid to us."

Nelly could only nod, turn around, and scramble out of the trench, running towards the river bank.

When she arrived at the river bank, she shouted to the first boat to reach the shore, "Welcome to Hell! We must hold the beachhead, otherwise, there will be no place left for Anteans on the entire West Bank of the Valdai Hills River! Welcome to join us!"

"Good heavens," she heard a soldier exclaim, "a girl as young as my sister is going to the battlefield!"

Nelly held a Sapper Shovel in one hand and a Papasha in the other, "Antea is in dire straits; everyone should fight for her!"

The soldiers, disheveled from the enemy’s firepower and the sudden casualties, looked at each other.

The Military Chaplain was the first to respond with encouragement, "Is your courage even less than that of little girls? Are you not grown men? Get moving, these boats need to transport the wounded back! Don’t just sit on them!"

Someone started shouting, and suddenly all the fresh troops on the beachhead roared, leaping from the boats and wading towards the shore.

Nelly stood atop a destroyed tank on the riverbank, loudly rallying the soldiers, "Can you imagine your mothers, your sisters, fighting on the battlefield just like me? If not, then get into position!"

At that moment, the nanny appeared, holding high the Ante Army Flag, standing behind Nelly.

The nanny’s head was also wrapped in a bandage, which had lost its original color due to the blood, looking dark red and murky.

The flag in the nanny’s hand was dirty and riddled with bullet holes, but it still fluttered against the wind.

The corps commander of the Prosen 41st Armored Army looked at the division commanders in front of him, "Just a spread-out beachhead that, being a beachhead, can’t even have a solid offensive built, and you’re telling me you can’t take it down after attacking for two days?"

The division commander of the 5th Armored Division of the Asgard Knights, Hosette, replied, "They receive reinforcements from across the river every night. If we can’t organize artillery fire to cut off the enemy’s transportation, we’ll never be able to take the beachhead."

The corps commander laughed out of exasperation, "You are the esteemed Asgard Knights’ Armored Division telling me that you can’t take down a position with merely a muddy advance unless you cut off reinforcements? Are you really an armored division?"

"We are indeed an armored division, but the enemy’s will to fight is unimaginably strong, and the accompanying infantry losses are severe. Without infantry support, our tanks on the enemy’s position are just like fat sheep being slaughtered!" Hosette argued assertively, "I believe we have achieved a great casualty exchange rate, at least three to one. But if the enemy reinforces four men each day, then we will never be able to capture the position!"

The corps commander shook his head, "The enemy’s T34 tanks force us to suffer great casualties when they charge our infantry. So when our tanks take their positions, we’re just like fish on a chopping block?"

At this point, a division commander from the infantry spoke up, "It’s not entirely like that. In fact, we have also destroyed a large number of T34 tanks over the past year and the first half of this year. Tanks without infantry cover in pre-set positions are very vulnerable.

"But the Anteans have a crazy tactic. Their infantry ride on tanks in the charge and dismount only before reaching the position, making the overall assault faster and more cohesive.

"Our infantry dismount the half-tracked vehicles two kilometers away from the enemy, following behind tanks in a scattered line. Even in the most ideal circumstances, there’s a distance of about 25 meters between our tanks and infantry."

The corps commander of the 41st Army was silent for a few seconds, "There’s no time to change the combat method. I will call the Army Group headquarters to see if we can solve the enemy’s transportation problem. You may leave, and tomorrow I hope to see progress, not more reasons for headquarters to doubt we’re a bunch of incompetents who can’t even take a beachhead."

"You mean to shell the other shore?" The Chief of Staff of Prosen’s 9th Army Group frowned, yelling into the phone, "We’ve lost all the artillery deployed at the riverbank, all of it, do you understand? The Army Group’s artillery now must be used to break through the enemy’s lines. We’re less than five kilometers from Abawahan’s urban area; we cannot afford to redeploy artillery units at this juncture."

General Frederick then spoke up, "Give me the phone."

The Chief of Staff immediately handed the receiver over to the general.

"I am Frederick, what’s going on with you? I was counting on you to quickly take the beachhead and then turn to attack Abawahan!"

The voice of the corps commander of the 41st Army on the other end of the line sounded very constrained, "The enemy’s resistance is unimaginably fierce, and they have a continuous flow of support. My division commanders tell me that we will never be able to take the beachhead unless we cut off the reinforcements."

Frederick challenged, "But that’s a position on the riverbank! A shell would reduce it to mush! If you can’t take that, and still need me to cut off the enemy reinforcements, that’s absurd!"

"But that’s the situation now, Admiral. We need to shell the opposite bank to stop their reinforcements!"

General Frederick sighed, "Alright, I will think of something—I mean, if you don’t take the position by tomorrow."

Then he hung up the phone.

Chief of Staff remarked, "To shell the other side means we would have to push the artillery positions to the riverbank again, potentially repeating what happened before."

Frederick replied, "No, this time we have Armored Troops at the beachhead, and the enemy’s tanks can’t avoid our armor. Draft a plan, so if the beachhead is not taken by tomorrow, we’ll move the artillery forward in the afternoon to prepare to shell the opposite bank and stop transportation."

At that moment, a logistics officer reported to Frederick, "Admiral, the reinforcements have arrived!"

Frederick was overjoyed, "How many?"

"Two Army Groups plus one army! Several hundred thousand!"

Frederick’s eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yes, an army from the National Defense Army, plus two Moravian Army Groups."

Frederick’s smile froze on his face, "What? Why are you giving me Moravian troops?"

The Chief of Staff, who seemed to have known this earlier, then said, "These Moravian troops are equally, if not better equipped than ours. They also have undergone extensive training, definitely stronger than the Ante’s makeshift Infantry Divisions."

Frederick frowned, "Really?"

The Chief of Staff suggested, "We can try deploying them to the beachhead, considering 41st Armored Army’s reported losses today, they are likely in need of infantry. Oh, and the Moravians have artillery units, maybe let them handle suppressing the other bank, cutting off transportation."

Frederick was silent for a few seconds, then nodded, "Fine, it’s better than letting them eat rations here for nothing. Let them go up!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!