Arc of Fire

Chapter 46

Amidst Wang Zhong's wild laughter, the heavy tank slowly rolled up to the white horse.

At this distance, Wang Zhong could finally make out the tactical number on the tank: 67. Perhaps because heavy tanks are rare, the tactical number was one digit shorter.

The tank hatch opened, and the tank commander poked his head out: "Excuse me, Lieutenant Colonel, is this Upper Peniye Village?"

Wang Zhong: "Yes, it is."

The tank commander saluted and asked again: "Did someone here call for reinforcements? Was it you?"

Wang Zhong: "Did you receive the hymn?"

"No, no, I'm not a monk, so I can't hear it. But after we reached Bogdanovka, the infantry of the 63rd Corps, who were organizing the defense line there, told me that someone in Upper Peniye Village was calling for reinforcements. It was eleven o'clock at night then, and in such a short time, only we could make it here."

As he spoke, the tank commander patted the top of the turret: "This guy may be slow and prone to breakdowns, but it's still much faster than infantry on foot."

Wang Zhong asked in confusion: "What about vehicles?"

The tank commander burst into laughter: "We're lucky if the Prossenian air force leaves us a few jeeps."

At this moment, the driver poked his head out: "Seryozha, the only reason they'd leave jeeps is because they know our Ladas will break down on their own."

Everyone except Wang Zhong burst into laughter.

Though Wang Zhong prided himself on being very familiar with Soviet jokes, as an outsider, it took him a second to catch on before joining in the laughter.

The Soviet-made Lada cars were so notoriously unreliable that they had become a staple of Soviet humor.

After the laughter, Wang Zhong turned serious: "You came from Bogdanovka? How's the construction of the defensive fortifications there?"

Wang Zhong and his team's mission-more precisely, the mission of the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Regiment of the 4th Tank Corps-was to hold this position for 38 hours, buying time to establish a defense line in Bogdanovka.

So, it was perfectly reasonable for Wang Zhong to ask about the state of the defense line.

The tank commander, Seryozha, shook his head: "Don't even mention it. When we left Bogdanovka, they hadn't even built many anti-tank obstacles. There was just one anti-tank trench dug, and the machine gun hidden bunkers and firepower points were all still under construction."

"Apparently, the enemy air force's attacks during the day were so intense that the construction speed was severely hampered."

At this point, Yegorov approached with his staff and, upon hearing Seryozha's words, cursed: "What is our air force doing? Didn't they say there were three thousand planes in Kosalia? How come we haven't seen a single one of our own aircraft?"

Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow. If the progression of this war mirrored that on Earth, the Ante Empire's air force was likely wiped out on the ground at the outbreak of war, and their air force commander probably committed suicide.

Of course, this timeline might have some differences. After all, in this world, even God guided missiles, which was a significant departure from Earth.

Additionally, he keenly picked up on a term: Kosalia. It sounded like an administrative region, and one capable of deploying 3,000 aircraft must be quite large.

These matters could be explored later. For now, he needed to focus on how to make the best use of the heavy tank that had just arrived.

The first step was to confirm whether this tank's protection level matched that of its counterpart in the original timeline, as this would determine how Wang Zhong would deploy it in the future.

Wang Zhong: "I'm not very familiar with your tank, Lieutenant. Give me an introduction."

Seryozha was a nickname, and as someone meeting him for the first time, Wang Zhong certainly couldn't use it. Theoretically, he should address him by his long patronymic, but Wang Zhong didn't know it.

So, Wang Zhong could only address him by rank.

The Lieutenant saluted: "This thing is incredible! When we fought in the Winter War, it was nearly over, and the Manaheimers were almost victorious. We joined the final offensive, and none of the anti-tank weapons on the Manaheimer side could penetrate it! If it hadn't broken down due to mechanical failure at the end, we could've steamrolled the enemy!"

Wang Zhong: "I'm not asking for your personal experience. I want the detailed specs of the tank. Like the armor thickness, for instance."

"Sorry, specs, right! The front armor..."

The Lieutenant rattled off the tank's detailed specifications. Wang Zhong couldn't quite recall the exact specs of the KV1, but he figured that with 120mm of frontal turret armor, the enemy's 50mm 'fire sticks' likely couldn't penetrate it. The 80mm sloped hull armor would probably also give the enemy a hard time.

The only concern was if the enemy brought up their 88mm anti-everything cannons-Prossenian equipment was so distinctly German in style that it wouldn't make sense for them to lack this most iconic German weapon.

Fortunately, Wang Zhong had the Overhead Perspective. As long as he stayed at the front line and observed the enemy with his own eyes, he'd spot the 88mm cannons before they were even unloaded.

The remaining issue was how to get this tank commander to relinquish his position.

Using the Overhead Perspective, Wang Zhong checked and saw that this tank hadn't been added to his command roster, meaning it wasn't yet under his control.

"Lieutenant," Wang Zhong began, "I am the highest commander here, Count Rokosov. My troops have been fighting the enemy here for a full day. You can see the wreckage of enemy tanks and vehicles in the village, as well as the mound of corpses at the village entrance. It was also my order for the hymn monk Su Fang Batu Wendusu to call for reinforcements. I request-I hope that you and your crew will accept my command."

"Of course!" the Lieutenant agreed readily. "It's only right to follow rank."

Wang Zhong switched to the Overhead Perspective again and noticed that the command roster still hadn't updated.

Could it be that mere verbal agreement wasn't enough, and he needed to earn the trust of the allied forces?

Wang Zhong decided to try again: "I now request to directly command your unit, which means I need you, the tank commander, to relinquish your command position."

The Lieutenant frowned: "Have you received armored training, sir? Do you know how to operate the equipment on this tank?"

Wang Zhong: "No, but I've already commanded Vehicle 422 of the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Tank Regiment of the 4th Tank Corps to destroy eight tanks."

The Lieutenant pondered for a second before firmly shaking his head: "No, sir. My crew and I fought in the Winter War. We've been injured and bled together. Put yourself in my shoes-if a stranger, an officer you don't know, suddenly showed up and demanded to take over command of your comrades, would you agree?"

At this point, Yegorov angrily interjected: "So much nonsense! The Count has exceptional command skills, and we've all witnessed it! If you don't believe me, go take a look at the tanks in the village and on the fields!"

The Lieutenant remained stubborn: "I'm an armored soldier, and judging by the insignia, the Count is an infantry officer, right? Technically, I don't even have to accept your command. It's only because of the current battlefield situation that we've agreed to follow orders."

Look at the kill rings on our barrel. Even if you've really destroyed eight tanks, it's still fewer than we have!

"Does the Count doubt our abilities?"

Wang Zhong raised a hand to stop Yegorov from continuing.

He wanted to take direct control as tank commander mainly because this external view was incredibly useful in urban combat.

Moreover, the T28 was a lousy tank-thin armor and a big target. It would lose in a direct confrontation without leveraging Wang Zhong's external view to take out so many enemies.

But the KV1 was different. Its performance outclassed all enemy armor.

Furthermore, Wang Zhong suddenly thought of a strategy to fully utilize the KV1's capabilities without personally taking the tank commander role.

Once they won the battle and earned the respect of the crew of Vehicle 67, they'd willingly accept his command, and then he could take over the tank without issue.

Wang Zhong: "I trust you, Lieutenant. I've also faced enemy tanks head-on and know the power and accuracy of their tank cannons inside out. I have a plan to fully exploit your armor advantage."

Wang Zhong dismounted from his horse and gestured to Yegorov: "The village map."

Yegorov signaled, and Pavlov himself pulled out a map from his bag.

Yegorov was shocked: "Where's that staff officer who carried the map bag for you?"

"He was killed," Pavlov said calmly, unfolding the map and handing it to Wang Zhong. "Count, please explain."

Wang Zhong couldn't help but glance at Pavlov again. At this moment, the commander of Vehicle 67, the heavy tank, also jumped down and approached the map.

Wang Zhong adjusted the map's orientation so that the side facing him was south, then pointed to the west of the village: "This is an open field. In yesterday's battle-no, the day before yesterday's battle-the enemy had already calculated their firing solutions. When they attack, they'll deploy smoke here."

Wang Zhong tapped a spot on the map.

From his Overhead Perspective, he had clearly seen the enemy deploy smoke in the same area twice, so now, using the map, he could pinpoint the exact location of the enemy's smoke deployment with perfect accuracy.

Yegorov used his large hand to gesture over the map before exclaiming in admiration: "How did you pinpoint the smoke location with just your finger? I had to use my hand to measure it."

Wang Zhong: "Just a little trick. Anyway, the enemy deployed smoke here during both attacks today. I predict they'll do the same tomorrow. My plan is simple: you hide at the western village entrance, right here!"

He tapped a spot on the map and repeated the gesture twice.

Wang Zhong: "The infantry will cover you with camouflage. Once the enemy starts deploying smoke, you start your engine and charge straight into the smoke. By the time you emerge from the smoke, the enemy's assault line should be here."

Wang Zhong tapped the map a few more times.

Lieutenant Seryozha nodded: "This is exactly our range advantage zone. If we're too far, we might not hit them."

Wang Zhong: "Behind you will be the smoke. When the enemy is about to flank your rear, just reverse into the smoke, and while reversing, wait for the enemy to emerge from it."

"You're just one vehicle, so you can maneuver along the highway. The enemy, however, needs to spread out their formation to protect their infantry, and they'll have to traverse muddy terrain."

Lieutenant Seryozha asked: "How many tanks do the enemy still have?"

Wang Zhong recalled what he had seen in his Overhead Perspective and replied: "Twenty. Why?"

Lieutenant Seryozha grinned: "Then we might just take them all out."

Wang Zhong: "The enemy infantry is well-trained and equipped with anti-tank grenades. Be extremely careful."

Seryozha: "Don't worry. We've seen the Manaheimer incendiary bottles during the Winter War. We'll be cautious."

Wang Zhong reached out and patted Seryozha's shoulder: "I'm counting on you. Earlier, when I asked for your tank commander position, it wasn't because I didn't trust you. I wanted to avenge the crew of Vehicle 422, who fought alongside me."

In truth, it was to utilize the external view.

But saying it this way wasn't wrong either-Wang Zhong genuinely wanted revenge.

Seryozha asked: "How many are left in that crew?"

Wang Zhong: "Just me and the driver."

Seryozha asked again: "How did you become the tank commander? You're clearly infantry."

Wang Zhong recounted the story of the cowardly Corporal.

Lieutenant Seryozha clicked his tongue: "So that's what happened. I misunderstood you. I thought you were just some noble kid who wanted to play with a tank!"

Yegorov: "We thought the same at first, but let me tell you, the Count fights like Suvorov reborn. When the crew of Vehicle 422 was still around, they even called him the star of victory!"

Though Yegorov was laying on the flattery, hearing about the crew of Vehicle 422 didn't lift Wang Zhong's spirits.

Lieutenant Seryozha, observing Wang Zhong's expression, cautiously asked: "May I see your tank? In the armored units, we pay respects to brave comrades. I'd like to express my admiration."

Wang Zhong nodded: "Of course, but first, get the tank into position so the infantry can apply camouflage."

Yegorov said loudly: "That's simple. Once it's in position, leave it to us. You guys take the chance to rest!"

Seryozha jumped onto the tank in one stride, climbed into the turret, put on his headset, and ordered: "Ashka, forward!"

The tank engine roared, but after a few roars, the tank didn't budge.

The driver complained: "Damn it, the transmission broke down again!"

Wang Zhong clicked his tongue. He knew the KV1 tank had an extremely high failure rate in the early stages of the war, but he didn't expect to encounter it at such a critical moment.

He quickly asked: "Can it be fixed?"

The driver nimbly climbed out of the driver's compartment and grinned: "Of course it can!"

As he spoke, he opened a large bundle on the side of the turret: "We brought a bunch of spare parts. It'll be fixed in an hour."

Lieutenant Seryozha shrugged: "It kept breaking down during the Winter War. Later, the design bureau made some modifications and swore they'd fixed the issue, but we still brought spare parts and a toolbox, just like we did during the Winter War."

Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed this crew truly consisted of veteran soldiers.

(End of Chapter)