Arc of Fire

Chapter 619: Chapter 62: Rocossov’s Frantic Escape (30/81 Chapters Updated)

On November 13, Wang Zhong had just entered the headquarters when he heard artillery fire outside.

To be able to reach the underground headquarters, it must certainly be heavy artillery.

Pavlov, who was originally having coffee, went straight to the telephone at the sound of the gunfire, touching the receiver, ready for action.

The phone rang.

Before the first ring finished, Pavlov snatched up the receiver.

"Headquarters. Where are they hitting? What’s the artillery density? Okay, got it.”

After putting down the receiver, Pavlov looked at Wang Zhong, “Judging by the location of the shelling, it’s another assault on the tunnel entrance.”

Wang Zhong said, “The first time was so dangerous because we placed too much emphasis on dispersal and didn’t have the Whirlwinds. Now, there is a platoon of Whirlwinds at every intersection in the city. What could they possibly use to charge with?”

Wang Zhong continued, “After deploying the Whirlwinds, our casualties in urban battles have greatly diminished, proving that although tanks are much more vulnerable in the city than in open fields, they are absolutely indispensable.”

Pavlov said, “After all, heavy armor can take much more punishment than infantry. Weaker in the field, that’s all relative. As long as there’s infantry support, preventing the enemy’s anti-tank weapons from hitting the tanks, the role of heavy armor in urban warfare cannot be overlooked.”

Wang Zhong agreed, “You summed it up well. You’ll write the post-battle report this time.”

Pavlov stopped and looked at Wang Zhong with a frown.

Amelia entered the headquarters, “Is that artillery fire again? Are we shelling?”

Wang Zhong replied, “No, we’re conserving ammunition for the counteroffensive, so there have been no plans to shell the enemy for the past few days. The enemy is shelling.”

Amelia was shocked, “Why? Shouldn’t they be running at this point?”

Wang Zhong knew the outcome of another timeline’s Steelgrad, but now he had to pretend he didn’t, “Perhaps the Prosen Emperor isn’t ready to accept defeat? After all, at their closest they were only 800 meters from victory.”

Popov added, “And then they were pushed back by a charge led by Rocossov himself.”

Amelia looked at Wang Zhong, “When I’m on the other side with nothing to do, I go to the hospital to help take care of the wounded. They say you wield a sword bestowed by His Majesty the Tsar in one hand and the Scepter of Saint Andrew in the other, splitting open every enemy you encountered in battle. Some insist they saw a halo above your head.”

Wang Zhong looked up, only to see fluorescent light tubes.

Pavlov laughed, “Ha-ha, they are implying that you’ll be bald in the future!”

Wang Zhong was surprised, “Shit, you can actually joke!”

Pavlov said, “Is that a joke? Isn’t it? I’m just being self-deprecating.”

"Self-deprecation is also a form of high-level humor,” Wang Zhong said.

Amelia changed the subject, “Really, is this okay? Almost everyone knows we’ll counterattack on the 20th. Shouldn’t the enemy be running?”

Wang Zhong said, “But listen, they’re attacking again.”

Just as he spoke, the sound of artillery ceased.

Pavlov noted, “It seems they’ve run out of shells. I don’t know what they’re up to. We’re well-fed and clothed, but the enemy has been starved for days. For such soldiers to attack… it only shows the high quality of Prosen Soldiers.”

Wang Zhong pondered, “As their losses mount, their quality will deteriorate. General Gorky of the Western Front Army did a great job, launching a full-scale attack, breaking through by focusing on areas guarded by less elite enemy troops.

"This tactic isn’t fully effective yet because there are still too many elite Prosen units comprised of veteran soldiers.

"Next year, if we attack the same way, Prosen’s defenses will be as leaky as a sieve, with about half their units made up of new recruits.

"In another year, we’ll be able to annihilate their forces in large numbers, just like they surrounded and wiped out ours in the first year.”

Wang Zhong’s words filled the entire headquarters with a sense of joy.

Suddenly, he experienced an auditory hallucination, hearing Yakov say, “I can hardly wait to see that day!”

He was startled and turned around, only to find it was Mikhail, the newly assigned temporary orderly, who had said, “I can hardly wait to see that day.”

His tone was so similar, so much like Yakov’s.

Wang Zhong nodded, “Yes, we’re all eager to see that day.”

Amelia remarked, “You eat food one bite at a time.”

Wang Zhong responded, “Right, we’ll start with the Sixth Army Group. But I’m a bit worried they’ll run. Pavlov, what do you think about luring the enemy in a bit deeper? All our forces on the West Bank have sufficient supplies, so let’s just give up this place to the enemy.”

Pavlov said, “It could work, but this bunker… it can’t be destroyed with your new tanks since it’s underground. If the enemy decides to hold it, we’ll suffer significant losses.”

Wang Zhong thought for a moment, then gave up the idea, “Never mind. We can offer them something else enticing. What target do you think is suitable?”

Pavlov looked around, then suddenly pointed at a building not far from the tunnel entrance, “That, the grand hall! There’s a well-known statue of Suvorov at the entrance.”

Wang Zhong stroked his chin, “No, the Suvorov statue isn’t significant enough. Let’s do this: take a Red Flag, make it look worn, as if it’s the same one that’s followed me for over a year, and hang it on the roof of the hall. Then place some documents and a desk inside.”

Pavlov understood, “Got it, your Red Flag means it’s your headquarters! But you’re too frugal, not even willing to sacrifice a real Red Flag.”

Wang Zhong insisted, “Of course not. That was a gift from the weavers of Shepetovka, a keepsake I must return when I take back Shepetovka. A fake flag will suffice for them. Hurry and dye a flag red, shoot holes in it, make it look authentic.”

"I’ll arrange it.”

Wang Zhong suddenly smiled, “With Vasily here, it’s time for him to make an appearance.”

Popov said, “He’s still struggling with military theory. You don’t know, but he’s the bottom of the class.”

Wang Zhong said, “Really? That’s so my style.”

Pavlov remarked, “Then he’d better not have any battle honors. It would be a shame if he became a marshal and made everyone at the Suvorov Military Academy proud of being last.”

Wang Zhong responded, “Being last isn’t enough, you also need to pass. I’m only last, I didn’t fail to graduate.”

He couldn’t bear to think of a future at the Suvorov Military Academy where a bunch of people would engage in cutthroat competition for grades.

Hey, wait a second, perhaps it’s also a training method? By then, all the graduates will be masters of deceiving the enemy.

Seems… feasible.

On November 15th, in the Abawahan Grand Auditorium.

General Frederick William von Fredrich was standing tall, looking at the Red Flag fluttering on the ceiling of the auditorium.

"Is that the flag?” he asked.

"Yes.”

"Take it down, I want to have a look.”

Soon, the flag was brought before General Frederick. He took it, unfolded it, and while looking at the bullet holes said, “Truly a flag that has seen many battles.”

The Army Group Chief of Staff chuckled, “This is the flag that has followed Rocossov for more than a year! Capturing this flag is enough to boost the morale of the entire army!”

General Frederick added, “It also makes it impossible for us to retreat.”

The smile on the Chief of Staff’s face stiffened.

The general handed the flag to the Deputy Officer and walked up to the statue of Suvorov, looked at it for a few seconds, and then turned to the photographers, “Take the picture in front of this statue. Come, bring the flag. You come over too

The war correspondent said, “No, just you alone is fine. This way, the photo can be taken vertically to include the entire statue, which creates a more heroic impression.”

"Heroic, huh?” said General Frederick with a wry smile, “All right, let’s follow the professional’s advice.”

The flag was handed to him, and then the “professional” pressed the shutter.

General Frederick ordered, “Immediately send the flag, and the photo, by plane back to Plowsonia—no, to the Eagle’s Nest.”

The heart of Plowsonia, Eagle’s Nest.

The Plathen Emperor picked up the tattered flag, a very smug smile on his face: “You see, gentlemen, I told you Rocossov was all bluster! He himself has fled in panic! But the flag remained! Some of our soldiers were scared to death by the rumors, now they can desensitize!”

Handing over the flag to the Imperial Propaganda Minister, he said, “Send this flag to the Empire’s Military Museum! Publicly exhibit it! Tomorrow, all the newspapers must publish General Frederick’s photo! Oh right, he shouldn’t just be a general anymore; promote him to Field Marshal Frederick!”

General Ma Qi, the Armored Corps Director, looked troubled.

However, both Celtic Marshal Celt and Marshal Bryan in the room seemed very pleased.

Perhaps this was because Frederick’s name included “von,” indicating his nobility and Junker status, making him a part of the old officer corps.

The Emperor continued, “Looking at the map, they’re less than 500 meters from that underground tunnel. Just a little more effort, and they can take the tunnel. With that, the entire Blue Plan will be a complete success!

"This winter is especially cold; Ante won’t last a few months and will surrender! After that, the Empire can focus all its efforts on Africa! Our anti-ship missiles have achieved quite impressive results! The Allied Forces will soon be in full retreat! We will achieve total victory!”

Marshal Bryan congratulated, “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

Other high-ranking officers in the room began to malfunction, “Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

"Congratulations!”

The Emperor raised his hand in a calming gesture, “No, no, it’s not yet time to celebrate. Let’s wait until all the wars are over before we celebrate! Right now, the Sixth Army Group must take that damned tunnel!”

However, by November 20th, the Sixth Army Group had not advanced a step further.

Before dawn on November 20th, while it was still dark on the East Bank of the Valdai Hills River, a T34 tank rolled onto the ice.

"Slow down, slow down!” the guide officer yelled beside the tank, “Good, go slowly, no cracks visible.”

A group of people surrounding the T34 was closely observing the ice surface with flashlights.

"There shouldn’t be any big problems,” a Master Sergeant ran over and told the guiding Captain, “The ice didn’t budge when it was shelled with the 152 guns yesterday.”

"Ice thickness varies, you fool,” the Captain scolded, “Only if the tank crosses successfully can we be sure. Alright, move on!”

The T34 moved slowly forward, its anti-slip treated tracks still slipping a bit. The eight fully armed soldiers on the tank’s back were even more nervous than the Tank Operator themselves.

Finally, the fully-loaded tank reached the West Bank of the Valdai Hills River, with eight other T34s already there, previously driven over from different locations.

The guiding Captain confirmed, “Hmm, it’s certain now, the ice has completely frozen over. Call the Front Army Headquarters!”

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