Cannon Fire Arc

Gonif suddenly turned his head back and looked at the supply station behind them, which had already extinguished its flames but was still emitting black smoke.

"Hey, Casino, hold up! Why do I feel like someone is calling us?"

Casino had already walked a good distance ahead and had to stop reluctantly and turn back, "I have to remind you, we're in the enemy-occupied zone, at any time we might encounter Prosen patrols, or maybe even regular troops on the march. We need to quickly regroup with our squad and head to the evacuation point."

Gonif stared at the distant black smoke for a few seconds, sighed, and turned to catch up with Casino.

After a few steps, he suddenly said, "Do you remember that mission in Navalon? We were chased by the Prosens and fled into a village that happened to be hosting a wedding."

Casino sighed, "How could I forget."

"The locals helped us," Gonif continued reminiscing, "they changed our clothes and even had us sitting among the guests, and the bride danced with me."

Casino's previously hastened pace gradually slowed, as he reminisced along with Gonif, "The bride's sister pulled me into a dance. I didn't know their traditional dances, but I am a Castilian."

"Yeah, the Prosen Officers and their Imperial Ministry agents roamed around the wedding, and in the end, they didn't realize that we were the most conspicuous ones dancing right in front of them. These Prosens are just too rigid to handle such situations." Gonif reminisced, managing to laugh.

But his smile soon faded.

"Afterwards," he said, "after we escaped, walking in the mountains, we saw Prosen convoys entering the village, the sound of submachine guns firing ceaselessly, the houses where the wedding was held burst into flames, and the thick smoke could be seen from kilometers away."

Casino quickened his pace again, as if trying to flee the memory.

Gonif: "At that time, the local guerrilla fighters who coordinated with us sang a very cheerful song, it went something like this: 'One morning, I woke from my dreams, Invaders have stormed into my hometown... Ah my friend, goodbye, ah my friend, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, Guerrillas ah, please take me away...'"

Casino, carrying the remaining explosives and brandishing two MP40s, walked along while whistling in tune with Gonif's rhythm.

Up ahead was the ruin of a farmstead, looking like it had been destroyed a long time ago, with new vines and even small flowers appearing on the charred walls.

The two walked towards the ruins and had just approached within a hundred meters when someone asked in broken Antenese, "Uncle Ivan?"

"No, it's Aunt Ivankca," replied Casino in Antenese, heavily accented just the same.

Then the ivy vines fell down, revealing a Commando sniper hidden behind them: "Damn it, you two walking so openly across the fields, Prosens could spot you from three kilometers away!"

Gonif shrugged, "The Prosens are in chaos."

At that moment, the leader of the small squad, Jonathan, emerged from the ruins, "We're just short of you two; if you didn't show up within ten more minutes, we were going to retreat."

"We're here now, let's go," said Casino.

Jonathan nodded, "Let's move, the tunnel is in these ruins. This is Semyon something-or-other Zakayev from the guerrilla fighters."

Guerrilla fighter Semyon: "The enemy now suspects it was our guerrillas who directed the bombing, and they're hunting everywhere, so you'll have to cross the frontline on your own. Also, we've got a better route, you can take the waterway directly, once you're past the central axis, you'll be in the patrol area of the Antenese Inland Fleet, then you'll be safe."

Jonathan: "The General has already notified the troops to meet us; it's faster to take the front, the enemy just arrived not long ago, the front line should be full of gaps."

The guerrilla fighter nodded, "Yep, we can even get ammunition from the regular army right now; crossing the frontline is easy. As long as the enemy doesn't attack, it's a piece of cake."

Gonif couldn't help but laugh, "The enemy's supplies have been scattered by us, what will they use to attack? By the time they recover, it'll be at least a week later."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of artillery fire came from afar.

Jonathan, the only one who had stayed on the front line, frowned tightly, "The enemy is preparing with artillery fire! Are they going to attack?"

Gonif's smile froze on his face, "That can't be, can it?"

Casino pushed him, "That's why they call you a jinx!"

————

"Speak up!" Pavlov yelled into the receiver, "Have you not eaten? Speak louder!"

Wang Zhong watched Pavlov in his rage and couldn't help but pat his shoulder, before turning his head to look at the others.

The entire Headquarters was filled with shouts of "speak up," a scene Wang Zhong had seen many times, knowing this definitely meant the enemy was attacking; the booming of artillery on the caller's end meant that even yelling at the top of their voices would have limited effect.

Popov stood with his hands on his hips beside Wang Zhong, "It looks like the Prosens are attacking by force."

Wang Zhong replied, "Yes, judging by the range of the artillery, I estimate the shells won't last more than a few days. They're trying to break through our defenses before we get organized."

Popov asked, "How do they know that we only have sixty-four thousand new fighters in eight divisions right now?"

"Maybe they don't know," Wang Zhong answered, "They might just figure that with us striking their logistics so hard, our frontline strength must be weak."

Before Wang Zhong could finish speaking, Pavlov picked up the phone, "The front is under heavy artillery fire, and the temporary infantry divisions with lack of training are struggling to hold." Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

"Alright," Wang Zhong stood up and approached the map, where the staff was continuously applying artillery strike markers on the symbols for frontline units, "The enemy's response to our actions is a swift attack. They've actually bet correctly."

Right now, the main forces on the Abawahan front line consisted of the returning Balas Expeditionary Army and the newly supplemented eight divisions.

The divisions of the Expeditionary Army had combat experience, but it was only against the Balas Puppet Army, and they had just returned from a distant place, having rest for less than a week, and were fairly exhausted.

The supplemented eight divisions barely had sergeants with rich experience at the grassroots level and were not particularly high in spirits—perhaps they had been full of zeal when they first enlisted, but high morale isn't so easily obtained. It's found only in those steel divisions hardened by countless battles on the frontline.

The Earth's Russians were like this; even during the battle of Kursk in '43, there were plenty of troops who faced Sturmtiger tanks, lost their morale, and turned tail.

And now, these eight divisions were already struggling as soon as they faced enemy fire.

Pavlov said, "Prepare to send reinforcements to the front. Just today, the experienced Infantry 56th Army has arrived, let them fill in first."

Wang Zhong asked, "Infantry 56th Army? Is it the one that was disbanded and reassembled, or has it been fighting since last year? Generally, units that have been fighting since last year should be Guards by now."

Since the war that had started in June last year, Ante incurred heavy losses, and units like infantry armies with low mobility, if not annihilated, were mostly honored as Guards.

That's why Wang Zhong had this question.

Pavlov explained, "They were reassembled in February this year, then joined General Gorky's spring offensive. They suffered over fifty percent casualties when they retreated from the crossing point and went to the rear to recuperate. The 56th Army does not have the Guards title, but several of its regiments do."

Wang Zhong ordered, "Send them to the front line immediately, and keep the division with the most Guards titles as the reserve force for the Front Army."

"Yes," Pavlov immediately began making arrangements.

Popov suggested, "We still have a reserve unit in our hands, with a Naval Infantry division at our disposal, a total of three brigades, it's a large division."

The divisions of the Naval Infantry were larger than the average infantry division; a Naval Infantry brigade could exceed five thousand men, a division with three brigades held about fifteen thousand fighters, which was about the size of the divisions under Wang Zhong's First Mobile Army.

Popov continued, "Adding our own 393rd Brigade, these four brigades of Naval Infantry can join the defense of the fortified zone when necessary…"

Wang Zhong interrupted, "No, the Naval Infantry will do what they are meant to do. I will fly today to scout along the banks of the Valdai Hills River and find a weak point in the enemy's defenses to launch an amphibious operation!"

Pavlov was taken aback upon hearing Wang Zhong's new mission and lifted his head to ask, "You're going to fly? During the enemy's attack?"

Wang Zhong affirmed, "Of course. I'm of no use in Headquarters; you keep pushing troops to the front, and I can't make you do it any faster. But by scouting for the enemy's weak points, I can launch an amphibious operation with the Naval Infantry, then after setting up pontoons, send the 51st Tank Army through here to strike at the enemy's flank."

Approaching the map, Pavlov asked, "Not place the 51st Army in the city but flank them? But if the enemy counterattacks with their tank units, it will turn into a tank battle between both sides, which we won't win."

Wang Zhong countered, "Tying down the enemy's tank units would already be a victory. Besides, the Prosens are very rigid in using their troops. When they commit their tank units to the counterattack, they'll move infantry units to defend.

"When there are more infantry outside the city, there will be fewer entering the city. It's a simple math problem, isn't it?"

Pavlov conceded, "That's true. But the tank soldiers will pay a heavy price. Those are the original T-34s with two-man turrets, facing the Prosen tank units..."

Wang Zhong replied, "I know the casualties will be heavy, but we need to hold Abawahan. Begin preparations immediately according to this plan. I'm heading to the airport to take off now."

"Report!" a fresh-faced tank officer with the rank of major shouted.

Wang Zhong glanced at him, and before he could speak, the officer introduced himself, "I am the commander of the 21st Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment, Major Romanov! We have 21 KV tanks ready for battle! Our tanks have been reinforced with armor for urban combat. Let us go to the front line, Commander Davarish!"

Wang Zhong approached the older major and gave his shoulder a firm squeeze, "You've arrived just in time, the enemy has just launched a full-scale attack. I will assign a support squad to each of your tanks to ensure they can make it to the front!"

Major Romanov smiled, "That's great, General. We were worried we wouldn't make it to the front!"

Wang Zhong stated, "This is my Chief of Staff; he will brief you on the situation on the front. Understand clearly and then depart."