Arc of Fire

Chapter 11

Captain Sergei stopped the car in front of the building, and Wang Zhong dashed out with a swift step. After taking two steps, he remembered something important, turned around, and said to Sergei, who had followed him: "Give me your pants."

Sergei looked as if he were facing a great enemy: "No way! If I do this, I won't be able to brag in front of the girls anymore!"

Wang Zhong put on a stern face: "This is an order! It will affect the morale of the troops. If morale collapses, we'll only meet again in a POW camp."

Wang Zhong actually thought that meeting in a POW camp wouldn't be such a bad thing, but in the current situation, the words "Let's surrender" could no longer be spoken.

He could only struggle a bit harder now.

Sergei was still being stubborn: "I think swapping pants in public like this will also have an immeasurable impact on morale."

Wang Zhong glanced around: "No one is paying attention to us. Right now, they're more worried about the enemy. Hurry up, it'll be done in a few seconds!"

"You'll be done! I'm the one who's finished!" Sergei grumbled as he took off his pants, while Wang Zhong also unbuckled his belt and removed the pants bearing the "original mark" of the late Alexei.

Underneath the military trousers were boxer shorts, and confirming this, Wang Zhong let out a huge sigh of relief.

However, at that very moment, a group of officers emerged from the building.

The leading officer, like Wang Zhong, was a lieutenant colonel, and upon seeing this scene, he froze in place.

The staff officers behind the lieutenant colonel were even more dumbfounded, their mouths forming perfect O shapes.

Wang Zhong forced himself to maintain a calm and composed expression as he put on the swapped pants.

Since Sergei was a bit shorter than Wang Zhong's current body, he had to pull the waistband as high as possible.

After completing the swap, Wang Zhong put on a stern face: "What were you arguing about just now? I could hear it from far away!"

"Huh?" The lieutenant colonel being questioned looked at Wang Zhong, blinked a few times, and asked tentatively, "Count Alexei Konstantinovich Rokosov?"

Wang Zhong: "It's me. Can't you recognize my voice? I certainly recognize yours, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Panteleyevich Yegorov, commander of the Third Rear Amur Regiment."

In truth, Wang Zhong could remember such a long string of names mainly because the unit designation and the commander's name and rank were written on the dog tag.

Similarly, thanks to his golden finger, Wang Zhong knew that the people he had encountered were from the Third Rear Amur Regiment. Combining the two pieces of information, he naturally deduced that the man before him was Lieutenant Colonel Yegorov, the regiment's commander.

Before responding to Wang Zhong, Yegorov glanced at Captain Sergei, who was putting on his pants, his gaze lingering on the wet stain for a full second.

Wang Zhong stepped forward, blocking Yegorov's line of sight: "Lieutenant Colonel, although we share the same rank, I've been entrusted by the Duke to command the entire unit. I am your superior."

Yegorov didn't react immediately, but the staff officer beside him saluted.

Yegorov then snapped to attention and saluted as well: "You are a Count by title; I should salute you."

Wang Zhong returned the salute in the same manner: "What were you arguing about just now?"

Yegorov replied: "Just now, my staff officer Pavlov demanded that we directly attack the enemy's army group headquarters as marked on the captured map. He thinks we should go die!"

The staff officer stepped forward: "No! I'm saying we should fight bravely until the very end. That's the enemy's army group headquarters! Our heroic fight will surely alter the battlefield situation to some extent!"

Wang Zhong's first reaction was no, absolutely not!

He hadn't even figured out the name of the country he belonged to, let alone developed any sense of loyalty.

Before Wang Zhong could speak, Staff Officer Pavlov continued: "If Lieutenant Colonel Yegorov insists on fleeing, it can only be deemed treason, and he'll be handed over to the tribunal!"

Wang Zhong frowned slightly: Did he just hear a term that shouldn't exist in this kind of setting?

Tribunal? Was it just another way of saying military court?

Yegorov's tone was clearly hesitant, filled with a sense of bravado: "Tribunal! Hmph, where are those tribunal judges who usually strut around acting all high and mighty? They've already run off without a trace!"

Wang Zhong clicked his tongue. He had no idea what this tribunal and its judges that the two were discussing even meant. Could they be something like military police?

Since he didn't understand the situation, he chose to keep quiet and listen more before speaking.

Unfortunately, Yegorov directed the conversation toward Wang Zhong: "Let's hear what the Count has to say! I'm sure the Count's intention is to retreat via the small path."

Wang Zhong was shocked. A small path? A chance to retreat? That sounded great!

No, he had to hold it together and not let anyone see through him.

Wang Zhong looked at the two officers with a serious expression.

What should he say? Clearly, Yegorov knew of a small path that could lead to a retreat to the rear, so he should support Yegorov.

However, this staff officer named Pavlov had a resolute look on his face, clearly already prepared to die heroically.

Just as Wang Zhong was struggling with the decision, he suddenly recalled the opening scene of a movie he loved, *Patton*. In it, General Patton gave a minutes-long speech in front of the Stars and Stripes.

Although Wang Zhong couldn't remember the exact words, he recalled the general meaning and spoke loudly: "Major Pavlov, you are very brave, and this courage is admirable."

The staff officer puffed out his chest, adopting the posture of a victor.

Wang Zhong: "However, throughout history, no victory has ever been achieved solely through bloodshed and sacrifice! To achieve victory, it's not enough for us to bleed and sacrifice; we must make the enemy bleed and sacrifice as well!

"We must make the enemy bleed more than us!"

Wang Zhong paused, appearing as if he were emphasizing his tone and giving others time to digest his words.

But in reality, he had forgotten what came next. He vaguely remembered a line about "washing our tracks with the enemy's blood," but using it directly felt like it lacked persuasiveness.

So Wang Zhong began to improvise: "You just said that if we attack the enemy's army group headquarters now, we might disrupt their plans and delay their advance by a day or two.

"I can only say that you overestimate the role of a single regiment and the significance of one army group headquarters!

"Across the entire front line, the enemy has hundreds of divisions in motion and dozens of army groups attacking! What's the point of disrupting just one army group?

"No, it's pointless! The more effective approach now is to send these soldiers, who have endured the first wave of combat, back to the rear to reorganize and resist the enemy's attacks more efficiently!

"Preserving our forces now is for the sake of better destroying the enemy later, making them bleed and sacrifice, until one day we bring the flames of war back to their own country and make them defend their homeland!"

Alright, now's the time to use that famous Patton line!

Wang Zhong paused to build momentum, then declared resoundingly: "And when that time comes, what we must do is crush their skulls under our boots and wash our tracks with their blood!"

Major Pavlov stared at Wang Zhong for several seconds before finally relenting: "Alright, you've convinced me. Even though I've seen you change out of urine-soaked pants, you've still convinced me."

Seriously, do you all have to keep bringing up the wet pants incident? It really wasn't me who did it!

Damn it, that coward from before, look at the mess you've left me with!

Oh my God, if I ever get the chance, I'm going to kick that coward's ass hard!

(End of Chapter)