Cannon Fire Arc

Afterward, as Wang Zhong had predicted, influenced by Mayer Abdullah, a great number of Balas soldiers pledged their allegiance to the Ante Army.

Every time a group of Ante soldiers defected, Wang Zhong would tease Amelia.

Eventually, Amelia got annoyed and gave up, yelling at Wang Zhong, "Alright, alright, I know I was wrong! You are the great general, and I am just a pilot! What do I know about these things! You were right! You are right, right!"

Wang Zhong couldn't stop laughing at her.

By September 2nd, the Expeditionary Force led by Wang Zhong had advanced over two hundred kilometers into Balas territory, and because they had advanced too quickly, logistics were struggling to keep up.

So, on the afternoon of September 3rd, Wang Zhong ordered the entire army to pause and rest for a day before setting off again on the morning of September 5th.

That night, the Expeditionary Army Headquarters was set up in a small town called Zaymu.

It was a typical Balas city, where most of the buildings were made of earth, except for the brick and stone structures of the local royal family and tribal elders, which were requisitioned for the headquarters.

Wang Zhong was assigned a spacious and bright room as his quarters, but upon entering, he immediately noticed the canopy bed in the room.

So he turned to Grigori and asked, "What's the deal with this bed?"

"This room was the boudoir of a young lady," Grigori explained, "We've already taken out things like the dressing table, but this bed seemed pretty nice, should be really comfortable to sleep in. You've worked hard for so long; you deserve a good sleep."

Wang Zhong stared at the bed for a few seconds and said, "Give this room to Pavlov – he's the one who needs a good rest. His room isn't a boudoir, is it?"

Grigori looked troubled, "General, this bed is velvet, I've never even slept on anything so fancy back in Ante!"

"Then you sleep in it! Bring my camp bed here! I'll sleep next to you."

"That wouldn't be proper. If you sleep on a camp bed I'd have to sleep on the floor."

Wang Zhong glared at Grigori, "How come you've picked up bad habits just like Vasily?"

Grigori proudly declared, "I was the one who taught Vasily those crap-shoveling skills."

Wang Zhong looked at him for a few seconds, shook his head, "Anyway, I've given an order. Call Pavlov over, this is my way of showing concern for his health."

A minute later, Pavlov, staring at the velvet canopy bed said, "This is nice. You sure you don't want to sleep here? But then again, you're of duke origin; you've probably slept in beds like this before."

After saying that, Pavlov, without any burden on his conscience, took off his hat, and plonked himself down on the big bed, sincerely exclaiming, "This really is nice, I'm going to sleep well tonight."

Wang Zhong suddenly didn't want to give up the bed, but the whole thing was so childish, and refusing to give it up would be even more childish, so he nodded, "Rest up. I'm going to your room to sleep on my camp bed."

Pavlov laughed, "This could be another story for the memoirs. When I write them in the future, I will have to record your childish behavior. The sight of a canopy bed made you not want to sleep."

Wang Zhong, "I'm not even thirty years old yet. Compared to you, I'm still a child."

"I wouldn't dare to say the most famous general of Ante is a child," shrugged Pavlov. "By the way, I came to tell you that the reorganized Balas First Brigade will be arriving this afternoon."

Wang Zhong, "It's only been a few days, and they're already reorganized? Popov that slacker, is he really that capable?"

Pavlov shook his head, "It's not him that's amazing, it's that Mayer Abdullah. The Balas military defected with their whole units, and the officers are from the Free Officer Corps. They've been studying hard to save their motherland for a long time, and their troops are well trained – that is, by the standards of Balas military."

Pavlov paused then added, "They're even more disciplined compared to our newly established infantry divisions of only five thousand men."

Wang Zhong, "So you've cobbled together a brigade out of these ready-made units?"

"That's right, and we even have ready-made brigade commanders, all won over by Mayer. Honestly, getting Mayer on your side was a stroke of genius. We owe our rapid advance to your move.

"We faced virtually no resistance along the way, and there have even been Balas units guarding strategic points who threw down their positions and ran twenty kilometers to defect."

Pavlov, sitting on the overly frilly velvet bed, looked at Wang Zhong with admiration.

Wang Zhong, "Some people were against what I did."

"The people from the United Kingdom? They're not used to your whimsical methods yet. Once they get used to it, they won't complain. By the way, is there really nothing going on between you and Amelia?"

Wang Zhong, "Nothing."

Pavlov, "I won't tell Ms. Vasilyevna."

Vasilyevna was Ludmila's patronymic, and Wang Zhong was shocked to realize he had automatically associated it with Ludmila, a sign he was becoming a true Russian.

Wang Zhong, "Nothing. Lady Amelia is just concerned about ambushes, so she follows me around all day using her keen intuition for danger to keep me safe."

"Alright," Pavlov shrugged, "Anyway, when the Balas First Brigade arrives this afternoon, you should give them a pep talk. They really look up to you."

Wang Zhong, "No problem. But... do they understand Antenese?"

"Most of the officers, in order to learn advanced military techniques, know both Antenese and Prosenese. As for the soldiers... they can listen to translations."

Pavlov checked the time and said, "In three hours, remember that!"

————

Simultaneously, atop a mountain near Zaymu.

Colonel Hoffman, a special commissioner from the Imperial Ministry of Prosen, solemnly questioned the Balasian in front of him, "We've received reliable intelligence that Rocossov is in Zaymu town. Are you really able to hit him?"

"Of course," the Balasian tossed out a small piece of meat, and a falcon swooped down from the sky to feast, while the Balasian looked into Colonel Hoffman's face, "Just like the eagle, I can spot him from three kilometers away. My bullet will be as unerring as the hawk, striking right between his eyes."

Colonel Hoffman looked at the eagle on the ground, "Really? You better not just be an animal trainer street performer, trying to cheat the Empire of Prosen out of its money. The Empire never forgives such deceit. The last person who tried to fool the Imperial Academy of Sciences was locked in a gas chamber, and afterward, we made a blanket out of his hair."

The Balasian falconer grinned, "Don't worry. As long as that Rocossov dares to show himself in the open, he is a dead man."

The Falconer loaded his rifle.

Colonel Hoffman took a few steps back, his expression one of "I'll watch you perform."

The Falconer tossed all the meat from his bag, then laid down beside the voraciously feasting eagle, getting the gun ready.

Colonel Hoffman said, "Are you sure you don't need a scope? I've brought the latest from Zeiss optics. We're at least two-thousand five hundred meters from the city, just using your eyes…"

"The science-trusting Prosens, today you'll witness something not even science can necessarily achieve. I've said, my bullets will find their target like an eagle, all I need to do is spot Admiral Rokossov and roughly aim in his direction."

The Falconer showed Colonel Hoffman his mechanical sight, "Look, I haven't even adjusted the scale, because this gun's scale is only good for up to 800 meters."

Colonel Hoffman pursed his lips, "If that's true, you could go to the heart of the Empire, and the Imperial Academy of Sciences would set up a research group just to study your— 'spell,' until it's included within the realm of science and technology." Find more to read on empire

The Falconer just smiled and did not reply.

At this moment, a Prosen special agent using an artillery mirror to observe Zaymu exclaimed, "Rokossov has come out! He's out, it looks like he's about to address the troops! Right in front of the three-story mansion in the center. The troops he's addressing seem to be Balasians; they've assembled Balasian servant soldiers!"

Colonel Hoffman said, "Don't make a fuss, he's just appointed a leader from the free officer alliance of Balas, gathering those who hope to overthrow the King of Balas or drive out the United Kingdom influence under his command.

"He's sown the seeds for the civil war in Balas, the demon."

Colonel Hoffman turned to the Falconer, "The target has appeared, can you hit him?"

As he spoke, the colonel pulled out his Luger pistol and put it in a ready position.

Whether the Falconer would live depended on his next shot.

Suddenly, the eagle eating the meat flew up, grabbed the colonel's hand, and pecked the Luger pistol away.

The colonel screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

The Falconer said, "Quiet down, even though we're three kilometers away from Rokossov, they might have a Sound Array Master over there who could hear you screaming."

The colonel immediately shut his mouth.

And the Falconer simply closed his eyes and adjusted the aim of the gun.

He had clearly established a spiritual connection with a certain bird of prey in the sky.

His finger had been outside the trigger guard all this time, but now he slowly extended it into the guard and placed it on the trigger.

————

Wang Zhong walked out of Headquarters, looking at the soldiers of the first Balas brigade lined up in the courtyard.

Then he spotted a familiar face—Mike, a Federation journalist, and his war photographer partner.

Mike smiled, "We heard you've incorporated a great number of Balas troops, so we came over specially, just in time to see these Balasians lining up."

Wang Zhong said, "You Federation journalists have one advantage: you run faster than anyone! I think my troops don't advance half as fast as you!"

Mike replied, "No, sir, you've actually surpassed the pace of the Prosens when they launched their invasion last year."

Wang Zhong exclaimed, "Have I surpassed it?"

"Yes, you have. But it's related to the large number of Balas troops who have defected—or should I call it a rebellion?"

Wang Zhong's grin stretched to his ears, surprised he had exceeded the Prosens on something as trivial as frying fish, but then—

At that moment, Amelia standing on Tank #422 suddenly swung the turret and fired rapidly at something far away.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Zhong felt as if he saw an eagle swooping towards his face.

He instantly tilted his head, and the bullet struck the upper edge of his right ear.

Blood spattered, leaving two trails across Wang Zhong's face.

Grigori rushed over and, with all his might, pushed Wang Zhong to the ground, shielding him with his body from the direction of the incoming bullets.

Yakov also charged forward; indeed, everyone was trying to encircle and protect Wang Zhong.

The sound of Amelia firing was incessant.

Finally, the soldiers of the first Balas brigade reacted and lay flat on the ground.

Wang Zhong exclaimed, "I'm alright; you're about to crush me! Damn! Do you Ante musclemen even know how heavy you are?"

Amelia shouted, "I got him! I got them! Danger is over!"

Wang Zhong ordered, "Let me get up! Quickly!"

Those pressing down on him finally let him stand up again.

Wang Zhong took a deep breath and then raised his right fist high.

The Ante Army Flag waved proudly atop the Headquarters building.

Wang Zhong declared, "You can't eradicate me! All these plots and schemes, they can't eradicate me!"

He heard the sound of a shutter clicking.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Mike's partner furiously snapping pictures.

He had a premonition that he was about to dominate the front-page headlines of all the nation's newspapers once again.