Cannon Fire Arc-Chapter 645 - 87 Completion of the First Phase of the Winter Campaign (Make-up for 33/81)

Chapter 645: Chapter 87 Completion of the First Phase of the Winter Campaign (Make-up for 33/81)

December 20, the Ante Army newly established its Corps Command.

Pavlov threw the report in front of Wang Zhong, “Sign it, Commander Davarish. The Prosen Army on the east bank of the Suhayaweili River has been completely cleared out. The first phase of the counterattack can now come to an end.”

Wang Zhong picked up the report, specifically turning to the casualties page, and upon seeing the still enormous numbers, he sighed deeply.

Pavlov said, “Considering the battles before, these casualties are not too bad. Especially during the Yarvik assault, our losses were much lower than expected. The equipment you developed worked well, cheer up a bit.”

Wang Zhong was about to respond when he heard the sound of artillery outside and turned his head to look out the window.

Pavlov noted, “It sounds like the artillery density has lessened a lot, which means our last bombardment was effective.”

A few days ago, Wang Zhong had flown in a reconnaissance plane over to the other side of the Suhayaweili River, marking out the enemy artillery positions, then organized a barrage from the entire Front Army.

Since then, the enemy’s artillery attack had quieted down for several days.

Now, it seemed they had cobbled together more artillery units and begun bombarding the most important railway station and train dispatch yard.

Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, “Looks like it’s time to locate this artillery position again.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the enemy’s artillery fire stopped.

Pavlov speculated, “It seems the enemy fears us, they moved their positions right after firing. This kind of attack shouldn’t have much impact on us.”

Wang Zhong inquired, “How long will it take to complete the material preparations for the second phase of the offensive?”

Pavlov, full of confidence, said, “Assuming there are no significant disruptions, about 15 days, which gives the troops some time to regroup and replenish. Many units’ structures got messed up during the pursuit, with lots of soldiers from other units joining in, mostly those who fell behind during the charges.”

Wang Zhong commented, “Good, fifteen days also matches my expectations. How about we set the attack for January 7th? Gives you a bit of a buffer, to increase the margin for error.”

“That would be great, even though my 15 days already included a buffer and was a very conservative estimate.”

Wang Zhong looked at his old friend, “I knew I could rely on you.”

Vasily entered, “General!”

Wang Zhong asked, “Was the deception mission completed?”

“Done. I’ve just personally flown over to drop our fake corpses near Shepetovka, in the countryside. When the time is right, the locals will ‘inform’ the Prosen occupiers, leading them to find the bodies. Additionally, informants within the Shepetovka Resistance Organization have already received hints.”

As Vasily spoke, he arched his eyebrows expressively.

Wang Zhong commented wryly, “It’s a pity you didn’t pursue a career in musical performance. You seem to have a knack for it.”

Pavlov agreed, “Indeed, you just portrayed the image of a jester so vividly.”

“Really, thank you,” Vasily took a theatrical bow as if he was a departing opera performer.

Just as Wang Zhong was about to continue his jesting remarks on his deputy officer, the door opened once more, and Amelia entered with a group of soldiers dressed in the Federation Navy’s uniform.

“General, sir,” Amelia introduced, “these are pilots from the Federation’s Sixth and Eighth Naval Aviation Squadrons who’ve come to provide support.”

As she finished speaking, the pilots snapped to attention with a salute that was nothing like the casual demeanor of naval aviators in the movie “Top Gun.”

Wang Zhong also stood up and solemnly returned the salute, “A salute to the heroes of Midway Island.”

After Amelia translated, the leading major laughed, “General, the heroes from Midway have already been transferred to train rookies at the Naval Aviation Academy; they’re not with the squadron anymore.”

After the translation, Wang Zhong mused, “That’s good to hear, preserving the experience of seasoned pilots to the utmost. We’d like to do the same. Unfortunately, the situation is too urgent to afford our veterans a leave from the front lines.”

The major nodded, “We’ve heard about the great and arduous war you’re fighting. If we can contribute, that would be even better.”

Wang Zhong glanced at his name tag and said, “Thank you for your support, Major Worcester. However, we don’t currently need elite naval dive bomber pilots to attack enemy tanks and bunkers; our pilots can handle that. We’ve brought you here to hit the enemy’s seaborne evacuation convoys.”

Upon hearing the translation, the major was surprised, “Is that alright? Won’t that disclose the information? Doesn’t that basically reveal your next direction of attack?”

Vasily spoke up in Angsa Language before the translation finished, “You don’t have to worry about that. What I mean is, we fully trust your capacity to keep a secret!”

In fact, the Federation pilots leaking information was part of the deception plan.

Time to teach the Plathen Emperor a lesson in subtlety.

While they were talking, a sudden whistling sound came from outside.

The pilots, unfamiliar with the noise, were startled, but they were all elite naval aviators and managed to stay composed despite the shock.

Vasily reassured them, “Don’t worry, it’s rocket artillery, giving the Prosens on the other side of the river a little surprise. It happens every day at this time.”

Major Worcester: “Won’t the Prosens fight back?”

Wang Zhong: “The Prosen supply lines are poor. Behind them is a desolate prairie. Even though the ground is now frozen solid, it still doesn’t facilitate transportation. So only we, relying on our ample supplies, can keep relentlessly plowing the ground with shells, and they can’t even lose their temper.”

Major Worcester: “It’s really hard to believe. In October, newspapers secretly supported by the Prosen descendants were still saying that the Prosen were making rapid progress and Ante was about to be defeated. And now, in such a short time, the situation has reversed.

“Now those newspapers can only say it was General Winter’s doing, and claim you’re a person who’s good at nothing but boasting.”

Wang Zhong: “Let them talk. When I march into Plowsonia and wipe the mud off my boots with the Emperor’s clothes, they’ll have nothing to say.”

Vasily: “It’d be better if, before wiping, you stepped in some dog shit first. That would be even more insulting.”

Everyone in the room looked at Vasily.

He had spoken in Antenese, so those who understood Antenese wore expressions of helpless resignation, while the pilots, perhaps by virtue of their keen intuition, sensed something was off.

Vasily: “Uh, I thought that was a good suggestion!”

Wang Zhong could only shake his head: “You, you…”

Pavlov: “How about we punish him as usual…”

Wang Zhong: “No, no, today he’s a Major who has rendered meritorious service. Let it go.”

Vasily: “Eh, just like that? That’s great.”

Wang Zhong ignored him and turned to the pilots: “You have come from afar. Today, I will treat you to dinner. Vasily, go notify the kitchen staff to make the meal more to the taste of the Federation people today. Get dishes like General Tso’s chicken on the menu.”

“Yes.” Vasily turned and ran off.

————

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On the opposite bank of the Suhayaweili River, at the Tenth Group Army Corps Command.

Admiral Bock looked out at the burning city and cursed: “Damn Rocossov, his daily barrage of rocket artillery attacks is just too bullying! At this rate, we’ll soon be drained by his rocket shells. Where are the reinforcements from High Command?”

Chief of Staff: “They’re on the way.”

A young officer in the room asked with confusion: “I don’t understand, why isn’t Rocossov attacking? What is he waiting for?”

Admiral Bock looked at the staff officer, noticing a fresh face: “You just arrived at the front, did you?”

“Yes, I’ve just graduated from the military academy, General. I was supposed to graduate next year, but due to the urgency of the war, the school reduced our time in training.”

Admiral Bock sighed: “Staff officers are starting to run short, eh? That’s not good news. Explain to the young man why Rocossov isn’t attacking.”

The Chief of Staff nodded, turned to the young officer, and said: “Rocossov’s troops have just made a rapid advance of hundreds of kilometers. His troops are very exhausted, and it’s certain that their structure has been disrupted during the pursuit.

“In general, after such large-scale advances, they need to stop and regroup for a week—a week is the standard for our Prosen military. The Ante troops are less well trained, and their backbone density is also much lower than ours; we assign roughly one non-commissioned officer for every seven or eight soldiers, allowing our troops to recover more swiftly.”

The young officer nodded: “I see, Rocossov is regrouping.”

“Not just regrouping, he also needs to stockpile supplies. For an Army Group like his, once the attack starts, the consumption of supplies is incredibly high. If he doesn’t stockpile, he won’t even last a week once the offense begins.”

Admiral Bock picked up where the Chief of Staff left off: “In short, on the battlefield, calmness generally means the calm before a sudden storm. When Rocossov starts attacking, our Army Group is likely to suffer significant losses.

“No, that’s not precise. We had already suffered significant losses before we withdrew across the river. If they don’t provide us with reinforcements, if they don’t mobilize new troops, we might be broken through by Rocossov with one punch. He would quickly liberate Yeisk and press towards Shepetovka.”

The young officer: “So Shepetovka is the enemy’s next target? I thought they would turn left and encircle Group A.”

Admiral Bock went to the map, staring at it: “There’s that possibility, but we cannot determine which side is his main direction of attack. He has an Army Group of one million soldiers, and we are overwhelmed no matter where he strikes.”

————

“The Prosen Emperor declared with absolute certainty, “Rocossov must be planning to attack Shepetovka! He’s one to deviate from the norm, and since you all fools think he’ll throw a left hook, then he definitely won’t!”

The young Emperor banged the table.

At that moment, Marshal Bryan said, “No, this time we agree with Your Majesty. Rocossov is sending out too many clear signals right now.”

The leader of Rabowell concurred: “According to the ‘mole’ (referring to a high-level spy) in the Federation who sent us intelligence, he’s even ostentatiously invited navy bomber pilots and aircraft over, playing up the need for naval bombers to deal with our naval fleet in the White Sea.”

Celtic Marshal: “Is there a possibility that this time he’s bluffing with reverse logic, blatantly making a show of attacking Bolsk when he actually intends to attack Bolsk?”

“No, no, no,” Emperor Reinhard waved his hands repeatedly, “with such a large force as his, attacking Shepetovka won’t allow him to deploy fully, so based on military common sense, he would not attack Shepetovka. Don’t be fooled by appearances, his real aim is against common sense! Just like I did back in the Ardennes Forest, against common sense!”

General Ma Qi glanced at Celtic Marshal, knowing full well that the plan for the Ardennes surprise attack hadn’t been the Emperor’s own idea.

But no one was going to point that out at this time.

Emperor Reinhard, leaning on the table with both hands: “He has so many soldiers now, he’s likely to launch a feint in the direction of Bolsk, masking his real target. We must not be fooled!”