Cannon Fire Arc-Chapter 661 - 102 The Sun in the West Is About to Set_2

Chapter 661: Chapter 102 The Sun in the West Is About to Set_2

Then, that thing came to a halt and adjusted its hull orientation as if it were taking aim.

“Here it comes, here it comes!” everyone around shouted loudly.

Aleksei was just about to speak when a star, bright beyond compare, rose from the ground, tracing an arc toward the city.

The star burrowed into the enemy’s three-story building used as a defensive fulcrum.

Nothing happened for the first second, and then a burst of light erupted from inside the building, swallowing it whole. The rooftop, adorned with the Prosen flag, and a large amount of dust ascended to the sky, becoming part of a mushroom cloud.

Aleksei couldn’t help but exclaim, “Fuck!”

The sound of the explosion came a little later, followed by the shockwave that nearly knocked Aleksei to the ground.

Aleksei: “What was that? Was it the legendary ‘Sword of Heaven’?”

“No, just a bunch of TNT, kid,” said the veteran platoon leader. “But enough to send the Prosens soaring and terrify them out of their wits!”

“Let me tell you, that thing can blast Prosen tanks up to a second-floor landing! You should have seen the photos. The Church’s propaganda staff were all dumbfounded; they thought we had hoisted the tanks up there ourselves. Like we’d have time for that—those are twenty-ton beasts!”

Aleksei didn’t bother listening to his chattering comrade and instead fixated his gaze on the first wave of attackers as they forcefully crossed the five hundred meters, breaching the enemy’s positions.

The veteran platoon leader: “Look at that! They will get used to the Rocossov Hammer sooner or later, but for now, they’re still getting shell-shocked every time it hits.”

At that moment, an order came down the line: “Pass it back, begin advancing! Prepare to enter the city!”

The veteran platoon leader immediately raised his voice to shout toward the other side: “Pass it back, begin advancing, prepare to enter the city!”

As he finished speaking, the tanks everyone was riding revved up, spewing thick smoke from the side exhaust while hot air blew across everyone’s cheeks through the radiator.

Aleksei was delighted: “At last, some warmth! Without the tank moving, I’d almost freeze into a popsicle!”

The veteran platoon leader: “Stretch properly, rookie! If you’re still alive tomorrow, you’ll be the old soldier leading the new recruits!”

Aleksei was stunned: “Huh? What?”

“Don’t scare him! This isn’t like back at Abawahan!”

Aleksei: “What do you mean?”

The veteran platoon leader: “I mean exactly what I said. Back at Abawahan, if you could survive in the city for three days, you would be promoted to platoon leader.”

Aleksei: “Eh?”

The veteran platoon leader: “Of course, we never experienced the battle of Abawahan; we joined during the counter-offensive. But who knows whether this city will turn into a second Abawahan?”

Aleksei: “Don’t frighten me!”

Everyone sitting at the back of the tank laughed heartily, and the air was filled with a lively spirit.

————

January 30th, in the heart of Prosen, Eagle’s Nest.

Reinhard covered his face, showing a depth of dejection never seen since the war began.

Before him on the map, Bolsk had changed color, indicating the Eleventh Army Group had retreated to the line from the Coastal Fortress to Lishenko, joining up with the remnants of the B Army Group.

Marshal Bryan glanced at the others and let out a silent sigh before speaking: “General Sheeplin has vowed that he would defend the Coastal Fortress to the death.”

The Emperor: “But what good would that do? Long before Bolsk fell, Rocossov had already blocked the land routes, effectively surrounding what’s left of the A Army Group.”

“And our proud White Sea Fleet has actually lost a heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, and 11 destroyers within ten days! Plus 31 merchant ships!”

The Naval Marshal Duncan glanced at Duke Meyer and said, “The Air Force has not been providing us with enough aerial support! The enemy’s bombers come and go as they please!”

Duke Meyer: “The Air Force has deployed over a thousand sorties of fighters in the past ten days! We’ve been tied up by the Antean Air Force! The enemy… the enemy has started to have ace pilots too! They’re not the weak force we used to hunt down like birds anymore! Besides, they even have ace pilots from the Federation aiding them!”

Duke Meyer stopped, wiped the sweat off his brow, and continued: “And that damn Witch, who has given us enough trouble in the aerial battles over the United Kingdom, is now fighting in Antean skies!”

“Enough!” the Emperor chastised, “Enough! Send a suicide squad right now to extract all the senior officers from Army Group A.”

Celtic Marshal: “All of them? Without their leaders, the remaining two hundred thousand men of the Army Group will be like a dragon without a head…”

Emperor: “We can’t let the Anteans capture our senior officers anymore, you fool! Extract them all! It’s best to pull out all the officers above the rank of division commander! Go and take care of this! I need to be alone for a while, everybody out!”

The crowd exchanged glances, then turned and left the room, one after another.

————

On the night of January 31, General Steiermark was drinking alone in the Headquarters when suddenly the door burst open, and several officers from the Asgard Knights clad in black leather entered the room.

The General looked up at them and sneered, “What, are you here to show me some honor?”

“No, His Majesty demands that all officers above the rank of division commander retreat by plane. The night flight is here for this reason.”

The General raised his glass: “I’m not going anywhere.”

The officer leading the Knights glanced at two subordinates, who then rushed over, disarmed the General, and hoisted him up.

“What are you doing? I’m a General of the Empire! How dare you! Let go of me! I want to share life and death with my troops! Insolence, let go of me!”

The General was carried out like that, and the retreating Knights even took away his coat.

————

At the heart of Prosens, the Eagle’s Nest.

The generals gathered again at the door of the war room one day later. Celtic Marshal asked the guarding Giles: “How is the Emperor?”

Giles looked worried: “He ate, but he hasn’t slept. If it really comes down to it, we might have to ask his sister for help; her words always have effect—”

Right as he finished speaking, the Plathen Emperor came out of the door.

Suddenly, there was complete silence.

The Emperor looked at the Celtic Marshal: “Initiate the mobilization order, start total national mobilization.”

The generals present were stunned as they had repeatedly urged the Emperor to mobilize before and had been refused.

Emperor: “Why are you standing there stupified? Even I know that we can’t go on without mobilization after losing a million troops at once.”

The Emperor sighed deeply: “If we mobilize now, we might still be able to negotiate a ceasefire. At worst, we could give Melania to the Anteans.”

The crowd exchanged glances again, and the Celtic Marshal was the first to reply: “I will go to prepare for the mobilization. I’ll take my leave.”

Bryan: “And I!”

The others followed suit, running off as if they were fleeing, leaving only Giles behind.

The Emperor’s close friend spoke softly: “Take some rest, Angeloni (the Emperor’s sister) will worry.”

“Uh-huh,” replied the Emperor.

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