Cannon Fire Arc

The 190th Division's headquarters staff hadn't all died yet. The division commander squatted in a large crater, holding the sole surviving radio and shouted, "I am 190! 190! I am under heavy attack! We are about to be annihilated! Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Only the sound of static came through the earpiece, with no one responding to the division commander's call.

The division commander called out several more times until finally, a voice came through the static, "190, how is your situation?"

"We're about to fall! The enemy has launched a fierce attack, and our positions were pretty much wrecked in the first round of shelling! After the shelling ended, some of our units suffered forty percent casualties! Forty percent!"

Static filled the earpiece once again, making the division commander wonder if his message hadn't gone through, so he repeated, "After the shelling, some of our units lost forty percent! It's a miracle we haven't collapsed! We can't hold back the enemy anymore!"

Finally, a voice came through the earpiece again, "Hold firm, and there will be a way out! Hold firm, and there will be a way out!"

The division commander shouted in despair, "How long do we need to hold?"

The other side fell silent, only the static hissing in the earpiece responded to the division commander's anxiety.
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"How long do we need to hold?"

————

Vasily, holding the microphone, looked up at Wang Zhong, "How should we reply?"

Wang Zhong, "I need to think about that question for a moment."

Pavlov crossed his arms, "It seems that nobody has reminded this division commander about the discipline of radio communication; his staff officers must be almost all dead by now."

Popov nodded, glancing at the terrain map hanging on the movable blackboard, "It looks like we guessed the location of one of the enemy division headquarters right, based on the aerial reconnaissance photos, just not sure which one."

The photos taken by the Pe-2 bomber turned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft were all fuzzy. Wang Zhong had guessed eight possible locations of the enemy division headquarters and then selected the three he thought most likely for bombardment.

To bombard all eight wasn't realistic; it would dilute the firepower, and even if a target were hit, it wouldn't cause much damage.

Selecting three for bombardment at least ensured completely destroying those three.

After all, all the chosen locations were confirmed by aerial reconnaissance to have enemy units stationed, and if the command centers were missed, destroying the units was also beneficial.

In any case, the enemy's defensive depth was just so much, the starting line of Melania's 1st Division's attack, and the blocking line of the Guards Mechanized Infantry was only twelve kilometers apart, and it was fifteen kilometers from the 225th Division's blocking line.

On the map, the 190th Division's encircled space looked very much like the Squash from Plants vs. Zombies, with the 225th Division responsible for the plump end, and the Guards Mechanized Infantry as the Squash head.

There were virtually no buildings in this encirclement. Aerial reconnaissance had only discovered a few standalone thatched cottages, which had already been flattened.

The commander of Melania's 1st Division guaranteed to Wang Zhong that they could take the 190th Division, which was in such a state of attack, in 30 hours of combat.

Wang Zhong allowed them 48 hours.

After the attack began, Wang Zhong ordered Vasily to monitor enemy communications using previously captured Prosen radios, and then they received a distress call from someone presumed to be the commander of the Prosen 190th Infantry Division.

Wang Zhong, based on a sense of humor that no one in this time and space could understand, had Vasily reply with "Hold firm, and there will be a way out."

After listening for a while, Vasily continued to ask, "He's still asking until when he should hold. It seems like he really believes I'm from their side."

Wang Zhong, "Tell him that the rescue Armored Division has already assembled and is currently resupplying ammunition and fuel. Soon, forces drawn from several Armored Divisions will form the Cyclops Combat Group and initiate a breakout operation, codenamed 'Crossing the Rubicon'."

Vasily looked at Wang Zhong in surprise, "Do we need to be that specific?"

Wang Zhong gestured at Vasily, "You don't understand. Giving the enemy even a sliver of hope in such times is my greatest kindness. Then I shall completely crush this sliver of hope. It shows my kindness and makes my ruthless judgment against the Prosen bandits."

Popov, "You've just uttered another phrase that will be remembered in your memoirs. Too bad our friends from the Federation press aren't here."

At that moment, Vasily said, "The enemy knows now, including about the combat group and Crossing the Rubicon. But, talking about this on the radio actually violates radio communication discipline, so they shouldn't believe it on the other side, should they?"

Popov, "A person who's about to sink will grasp even at straws."

Wang Zhong nodded.

At that moment, the communications officer entered with a telegram, "A message from the Front Army headquarters."

Wang Zhong frowned, "Are they ordering us to retreat to the Sukhaya Reka again?"

Pavlov shook his head, "It shouldn't be, General Golikov should arrive today, and it wouldn't make sense to issue another order before being replaced."

Wang Zhong took the telegram and glanced at it, "'Does your unit need reinforcement? Please inform us. Wishing you success in annihilating the enemy — General Golikov.'

Pavlov said, "See?"

Wang Zhong said to Vasily, "Send a telegram to the Front Army headquarters. My unit needs the support of the 40th Tank Army to crush or even annihilate a part of the enemy's Armored Division."

Vasily replied, "Alright."

He took out his notebook, quickly wrote the telegram, looked up at Wang Zhong, and repeated the content at a very fast pace.

Wang Zhong confirmed, "Confirmed, send it."

Vasily immediately tore the note from his notebook and handed it to the communications officer.

Pavlov said, "At this stage, one of the enemy's pincers, an Armored Division, has already pulled back, and their Grenadier Division also seems to be planning an escape. The other side, with its two divisions, shows no sign of moving, but since one pincer is gone, there's no use for the other to remain. My assessment is that the enemy intends to consolidate their forces to solve their supply issues and form a battlegroup ..."

Wang Zhong said, "Why do you think I fabricated the false information that way? This is what they call 'great minds think alike.'"

Popov laughed, "Now we can rest easy, General. With you commanding the tanks on the charge, we can still expect the same level of leadership."

Everyone in the room laughed.

Because victory was now in sight, the mood in the headquarters was relaxed.

Soon, a new report came in.

Vasily picked up the report and said, "The First Division of Melania reports they have completely broken through the enemy's front line, and all units are making smooth progress. They request the forwarding of follow-up echelons to take prisoners."

Wang Zhong looked at Pavlov, but before he could speak, the chief of staff picked up the phone, "Connect to the rear mobile brigade. You can move forward now, yes, take the hired workers with you."

The mobile brigade was small in number, mainly tasked with patrolling the rear areas to prevent destruction by small enemy units. With the addition of hired workers, it became a large force for clearing the battlefield.

Just as Pavlov put down the phone, the communications officer brought another telegram, "A message from the High Command to the various units of the Sukhaya Reka Front Army."

Wang Zhong said, "I suppose it's to inform us of the change in the Front Army commander."

Vasily took the telegram and nodded after a glance, "Yes, it officially informs us that General Golikov is now the commander of the Front Army, and the whereabouts of General Andrei have not been disclosed."

Pavlov took the telegram, looked at it, and said, "General Andrei is likely to continue serving at the front since he hasn't messed up, and though he performed poorly last year, everyone did last year."

Wang Zhong said, "What do you mean? We promoted our suggestions and had him removed. Is he still able to harm our army?"

"It was you who suggested having him removed," corrected Popov.

"Hey, don't mind these details," Wang Zhong waved his hand dismissively.

Just then, the radio operator called out loudly, "Report, we've received a call from the enemy."

Vasily immediately took the earphones from the radio operator, listened for a moment, and began to simultaneously translate, "'My unit cannot hold out that long. Please start operation 'Rubicon River' immediately, I repeat ...'"

Wang Zhong said, "The enemy is really grasping at straws. Respond to them like this—"

"No need," Vasily took off the earphones and turned up the volume, allowing everyone to hear the phrase in Ante language "Surrender, and you will not be killed!"

Wang Zhong stroked his chin, thinking how remarkably similar it was?

When this 'Prosen Chen X. Jie' was brought back, he had to ask him what it all felt like.