Arc of Fire

Chapter 55

Wang Zhong stood up, but because he had walked for so long, his legs were still numb, and he nearly stumbled and fell to his knees.

The Inquisitor with an extra star quickly grabbed him and steadied him: "Be careful, sir. If you fall and get hurt in front of us, our bad reputation will only grow worse."

So, you're aware that your reputation isn't good.

Wang Zhong only thought this to himself, but Yegorov said it outright: "So, you're aware that your reputation isn't good?"

Wang Zhong widened his eyes and glanced at Yegorov, thinking, are you really this bold?

Pavlov's expression, on the other hand, seemed to complain: "What is this country bumpkin even saying!"

The Inquisitor smiled: "Our job is to instill fear. If people stop fearing us, the hidden enemies won't fear us either. They'll grow bold and reckless, won't they? So, it's better for us to remain terrifying."

Wang Zhong and his officer team-really just Yegorov and Pavlov-exchanged looks.

Deciding to skip over this topic, he straightened up and said to the Inquisitor: "Lead the way. Are we taking your vehicle?"

"Alyosha!" Before the Inquisitor could respond, a call came from behind.

Wang Zhong turned around and saw Lyudmila jogging over, holding a tray in her right hand with bread, grilled sausage, and pickled cucumber on it, and carrying a cup in her left.

"Eat something," Lyudmila said. "The last time you ate was just at dawn, and you've walked so much since then. You must be hungry."

Wang Zhong nodded; he was indeed hungry.

He first picked up the bread and took a bite, then silently put it back. Rumor had it there was some fragrant, well-baked bread called 'dalieba,' but this piece was clearly not it.

With a nervous heart, Wang Zhong picked up the sausage, took a bite, and without a second thought, stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

Note to self: sausages are trustworthy-probably any meat is trustworthy.

Finally, Wang Zhong took a bite of the pickled cucumber.

It tasted like-well, like pickled cucumber.

After finishing, Wang Zhong wiped his mouth, took the cup Lyudmila handed him, and drank a sip, only to realize it wasn't water but milk.

Wang Zhong: "Where did this milk come from?"

"There's a whole barrel over there," Lyudmila said, pointing to a large barrel with a tap in the kitchen nearby.

Wang Zhong: "Oh, cow's milk."

"Yeah, what else could it be?" Lyudmila asked, puzzled.

Wang Zhong tried hard not to let his eyes wander and replied: "I thought it might be mare's milk."

Lyudmila looked even more confused: "Do you want mare's milk? It's hard to get right now, isn't it?"

Wang Zhong downed the liquid in the cup in one gulp, handed it back to the girl, and said: "Cow's milk is fine. I'm heading out."

"By the way," Lyudmila added, "Brother Yatsemenko has gone to the Army Group church. We might be reassigned somewhere else. Alyosha, I..."

Upon hearing that his Divine Arrow squad might be taken away, Wang Zhong was furious. He hadn't even secured a tank yet, and now they were taking his Divine Arrow squad. Raising his voice, he said: "Without my permission, no one is going anywhere! I'm going to see the Army Group Bishop right now. I'll talk to him!"

Lyudmila let out a sigh of relief, and her expression softened.

She seemed very happy.

Wang Zhong, still fuming, got into the Tribunal's vehicle, sat in the back seat, and muttered: "Stealing my Divine Arrow squad? What a joke."

No tank, and now they're taking away my 'Kornet' anti-tank missile team (meaning the Divine Arrow squad, which Wang Zhong regarded as his anti-tank missile unit). This battle is impossible to fight. I need to complain to the brigade commander-no, to the Army Group Bishop!

The two Inquisitors also got into the vehicle.

Yegorov was about to get in as well, but the Inquisitor said: "You don't need to come. Write up a report on the battle process. A staff officer will come to collect it."

Yegorov clicked his tongue and glanced back at Sergeant Major Grigori.

The Sergeant Major immediately understood, grabbed a captured MP40, and hopped into the back seat of the jeep next to Wang Zhong.

"I'm the guard," the Sergeant Major said. "Bringing a guard is normal, right?"

The Inquisitor nodded and started the vehicle.

The vehicle left the school just like that.

----

After the Inquisitor left, the soldiers of the 3rd Amur Regiment all breathed a sigh of relief, and the scene quickly became lively again.

The young women of the field cooking team began talking about the Count who had just left.

These were girls recruited locally in Bogdanovka. Some were even born after the Civil War ended, while most were too young to remember anything from that time.

Although Bogdanovka had suffered air raids from the Prossenians, their targets were very specific-mainly the train station and the locomotive repair shop next to it. Most people in Bogdanovka had never actually seen anyone injured or killed by Prossenian bombs.

So, these girls had no real concept of the cruelty of war. Their ideas about war came mostly from movies, music, and poetry.

They were heatedly discussing what the Count had just said:

"Natasha, did you hear that? The Count just said, 'Then I can show you both the way back from hell.' So cool!"

"Yeah, when he said that, with that face of his, my heart nearly flew out of my chest!"

"By the way, who was that girl who brought food to the Count just now? She looks only a little older than us."

While the girls chattered excitedly as they worked, the older woman in charge of cooking banged the edge of the pot with the large ladle she used to stir the soup: "Quiet down, girls, and focus on your work! Natasha, look at the potatoes you peeled. I can see unpeeled skin from over here!"

As soon as she finished speaking, someone from the soldiers' side shouted: "I'll eat that potato!"

This triggered a burst of laughter.

But the older woman didn't even glance at the soldiers. She continued scolding the girls: "During the Civil War, I was part of a field cooking team just like you.

"I'm telling you, whether they're nobles or commoners, whether they're handsome or mischievous, they can disappear in an instant!

"The lucky ones are gone just like that. The unlucky ones end up in the hospital, missing arms or legs, suffering for the rest of their lives!

"Don't fall for soldiers, girls, don't! Wait until the war is over, find a lucky man with all his limbs, and marry him. That's the right choice-the only right choice!"

The older woman's words silenced the soldiers nearby.

The silence lasted for a second before Pavlov spoke up: "Auntie, this time is different from the Civil War! We've seen it with our own eyes. The Prossenian devils are demons. They slaughter civilians without mercy!

"We've seen with our own eyes how they buried entire families-three generations-in manure pits!

"If we don't fight, if we don't wipe them out, everyone will be killed. They'll take our land and use our bodies as fertilizer!"

The older woman stirred the potato and carrot soup in the large pot while replying: "Yes, I know. That's why I'm cooking for you all."

As she spoke, the older woman suddenly couldn't hold it together anymore and began to sob quietly, likely recalling some sad memory.

The girls gathered around to comfort her, but she shouted at them: "Peel your potatoes! The soldiers are still waiting to eat! They're still waiting... to eat..."

----

At this moment, inside the headquarters.

The Chief of Staff of the 41st Army Group placed a map on the table.

"This is a hand-drawn map by the staff officers. If it's that incompetent Rokosov, there's no way he could clearly explain how they made it to Upper Peniye," the Chief of Staff said smugly. "He'll slip up immediately, and all his lies will fall apart!"

The Army Group Bishop walked over to the map, took a look, and asked: "Is this map accurate?"

"Accurate. It's drawn to scale. The biggest difference from a real map is that this one includes landmarks based on aerial photographs. They were specifically chosen based on the route Captain Sergei described. If Rokosov really commanded their retreat to Upper Peniye, he'll definitely remember!"

The Bishop nodded and turned to look at Duke Wostrom, the commander of the 41st Army Group.

Duke: "Very well. Let's use this to test Count Rokosov's worth! If his previous incompetence was just an act to curry favor with the Crown Prince, then we'll apply for a medal for him.

"If he truly is incompetent, we'll find out who really commanded this battle and promote them accordingly!"

----

The Tribunal's vehicle stopped in front of an unremarkable small building.

Wang Zhong looked at the building with confusion: "The headquarters is here? This looks like just an ordinary house."

It wasn't even as impressive as the mechanical mill in Upper Peniye Village.

The Inquisitor driving pointed to the city hall building not far away: "Look over there. We just hung a military banner and a national flag on the roof, and it gets bombed every day. Luckily, the building itself is a sturdy concrete structure."

Wang Zhong: "I see. This is to avoid air raids."

Inquisitor: "There was a traitor who tried to use smoke shells near the headquarters to guide the Prossenian air force. We caught and executed him. Now, no military vehicles are allowed to park near the headquarters, and no easily recognizable colors can be displayed from the air. After you get out, I'll have to drive the vehicle away. Hurry up and get out, Count."

Only then did Wang Zhong push open the door and get out. After everyone else disembarked, the jeep drove off immediately.

A young officer stood at the entrance of the headquarters, a golden tasseled cord on his uniform. Wang Zhong looked at the cord, feeling it resembled the 'adjutant cord' of the Third Reich, indicating this was a General's adjutant.

The Adjutant made a welcoming gesture.

Wang Zhong wasn't in a rush. He first observed the plain headquarters, adjusted his uniform, and then strode confidently toward the entrance.

As soon as he entered the headquarters, he heard the familiar "didi" sound often heard in movies. Following the sound, he saw a room on the left side of the corridor filled with telegraph machines, with a group of people busily working.

The Inquisitor led Wang Zhong into the room across from the telegraph room.

Inside was a map table, surrounded by a large group of senior officers in ornate uniforms, their medals nearly dazzling Wang Zhong's eyes.

Wang Zhong switched to an overhead perspective for a moment to get a rough idea of who these people were, then saluted the highest-ranking officer, Duke Wostrom: "Your Excellency, Alexei Konstantinovich Rokosov, reporting as ordered."

The Duke returned the salute with a wave of his hand: "Konstantinovich, you've finally arrived. Come, tell us how you managed to escape the encirclement at Ronezh."

As he spoke, the Duke pointed to the map in front of him.

Wang Zhong immediately stepped forward and began explaining using the map.

He was already very familiar with maps, having played various war games for years before crossing over. Some tactical command games were purely map-based exercises, emphasizing realism.

Moreover, on the way out of Ronezh, he had constantly switched to an overhead perspective, so he was quite familiar with the route.

About fifteen minutes later, Wang Zhong paused.

The adjutant with the golden cord immediately handed him a glass of water.

The Duke and the other senior officers exchanged glances.

Finally, the Army Group Bishop spoke up: "Alexei Konstantinovich, didn't you graduate at the bottom of your class in military academy? From what we've learned, you could barely even read a map."

Wang Zhong thought to himself, what the heck? Was the original owner really this useless?

What should I do? If I say God guided me, will the clergy see through it and label me a heretic?

He spoke up: "I did graduate at the bottom, but I can still read maps. The idea that I can't read maps must be a rumor spread by my classmates. Yes, a rumor!"

The Army Group Bishop looked at Duke Wostrom.

The Duke said: "How are you so sure that the frontal area is a gap in the enemy's defenses?"

Wang Zhong: "I wasn't sure. At first, I just ordered the use of smoke to block the enemy's superior firepower, but then the 3rd Amur Regiment charged and went straight to the enemy's frontline division headquarters."

"At that moment, my judgment was that the enemy must have deployed heavy forces in the east to intercept breakout units, so why not use reverse thinking?"

Several senior officers exchanged glances once again.

The Duke asked again: "Why did you decide to defend Upper Peniye? That wasn't the order given to you."

Wang Zhong: "At the time, we were riding captured Prossenian trucks. When we saw Lubokov's unit, they got hit by a shell. Continuing in Prossenian trucks would've meant getting hit by even more shells."

We had no choice but to dismount and proceed on foot. And the defense of Upper Peniye was held by just a few T28s-thin armor and big targets. The enemy could easily seize the village and keep advancing.

"We would've been caught. The enemy is a mechanized unit, after all!"

The people around the map table exchanged looks, and finally, the Duke said: "Then tell us about your defense of Upper Peniye."

As soon as he finished speaking, the staff officers switched to a new map, which was a detailed map of Upper Peniye Village, with the position of every house drawn out.

Wang Zhong took one look at the map and immediately said: "This map is wrong here. This house should be directly south of the mechanical mill."

He was too familiar with Upper Peniye. After all, he had overlooked it for two days, and many of his soldiers had heroically sacrificed their lives there. Perhaps even when Wang Zhong grew old, he would still remember this small village, every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, and every tree.

The Army Group Chief of Staff said: "Just make do with it. This was drawn by the staff based on aerial photographs. It's not precise, but it's usable."

Wang Zhong nodded and began recalling the battle that lasted 38 hours.

30 minutes later.

The Army Group Bishop spoke first: "Very good, Alexei Konstantinovich, very good!"

"Once you've rested, go tell the priests in the propaganda office again! Make sure they promote this well. With courage and wisdom, we can defeat the Prossenian forces!"

The Army Group Chief of Staff chimed in: "Through close combat in the city, you destroyed so many enemy tanks! More than many tank corps have taken out!"

Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow: "So, I've passed?"

He could tell that these senior officers didn't believe he could command a victorious battle and were deliberately testing him.

The Duke walked around the map table and patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder: "Alexei Konstantinovich, I admit we had some doubts just now about whether you fought a brilliant battle, but now we completely believe you. Perhaps you're just not good at handling military academy exams!"

Wang Zhong responded seriously: "Duke, it's not that I fought a brilliant battle. It's my soldiers who fought a brilliant battle. I just..."

I just cheated.

But Wang Zhong couldn't say that, so he stopped short.

The Duke, however, had an expression of "I understand, I get it all" and turned to the Bishop: "Nikita, apply for the Guards title for the 3rd Amur Regiment. And that tank regiment, it's the 31st Tank Regiment, right? Apply for Guards status for them too!"

The Bishop looked troubled: "The Amur Regiment is fine, but the 31st Regiment has been completely wiped out. There's no precedent for granting Guards title to a unit whose designation has been erased."

Hearing this, Wang Zhong felt deeply saddened. He thought of the letter from the gunner of Vehicle 422 in his pocket and recalled Lubokov's smiling face.

At that moment, a staff officer came in: "Report, aerial reconnaissance has results. The enemy has not yet occupied Upper Peniye. The pilot saw a heavy tank with the tactical number 67 still in combat."

Wang Zhong was shocked: "They're still fighting?"

"Yes, still fighting," the staff officer nodded.

Wang Zhong stepped forward and grabbed the Duke's hand: "Quickly send armored units to support them!"

The Duke looked troubled: "Alexei Konstantinovich, the 4th Tank Corps is the last armored unit we have."

Wang Zhong's shoulders slumped. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked: "What's the situation with the defensive line now? I mean, the one here."

The commander of the 63rd Army said: "We've established a basic trench system, but... there wasn't enough time. Plus, with a lack of cement, we haven't built many anti-tank stakes or solid defensive strongpoints. The situation is very bad. If only we had one more day."

After getting this answer, Wang Zhong became even more certain that Vehicle 67 most likely knew this.

Mechanical failure was just the trigger. Because of the mechanical failure, these brave men decided to simply stay behind and delay the enemy for one more day, buying time for the defensive line.

Wang Zhong gripped the Duke's hand again: "Please apply for... apply for the highest honor for the crew of Vehicle 67!"

He originally wanted to say Soviet Hero, but halfway through, he remembered there was no Soviet Union here, and he didn't know what the highest honor in the Ante Empire was.

The Army Group Bishop nodded: "We will apply for the highest honor, the Gold Star Medal, for them."

The Army Group Chief of Staff added: "As for you, Alexei Konstantinovich, we plan to arrange for you and your unit to rest and reorganize in Loktov. Retreating soldiers from the front line are being reorganized there. How about you take charge of this task?"

Wang Zhong: "No! I can still fight. Give me troops, and I can destroy more Prossenian devils!"

The Duke shook his head: "No, I have a feeling this war will become long and grueling. You don't need to rush to eliminate the Prossenians. Your complexion looks terrible, completely exhausted, without a trace of color. You and your troops need rest."

"We will hold the enemy at Bogdanovka for at least three weeks. Once you've rested, I guarantee you'll be sent to the most dangerous place."

Wang Zhong thought for a moment. Seeing the Duke so confident, it seemed he had sufficient forces under his command, so resting for a while might be good.

With personnel and equipment replenished, he could better deal with the Prossenian devils.

So he changed his tone: "Then I want additional personnel and equipment. I want tanks, artillery..."

At this moment, he looked at the Army Group Bishop, remembered something, and said: "And don't reassign my Divine Arrow squad!"

The Bishop: "The Divine Arrow squad currently assigned to your unit- isn't the Prayer Hand your childhood friend, Alexei Konstantinovich?"

"I won't reassign this Divine Arrow squad. Although the front line desperately needs Divine Arrows, I think Brother Yatsemenko's squad also needs rest."

Wang Zhong felt relieved.

"What about tanks?" he continued, "I want T34 tanks, the more, the better!"

The Duke interrupted Wang Zhong: "You'll definitely get personnel reinforcements. As for equipment, we're all short on equipment right now."

Loktov is our supply center. Once you're there, request what you need from logistics.

"Rest in the village today. Tomorrow morning, you'll depart on the empty return train cars."

The Duke turned to the Chief of Staff: "Have logistics issue good wine and good tobacco to the 3rd Amur Regiment! And beef too-give them as much as they can eat!"

This chapter is an additional update for Alliance Leader 959863. There will still be two updates tonight.

(End of Chapter)