Arc of Fire

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St. Ye Katerina Fortress, August 7th in the afternoon.

Princess Olga Nikolayevna Antonovna, the second in line to the Ante Empire’s throne, once again entered the office of General Tugenev, the head of the Military Orders Department at the High Command.

The general looked up and said, “Good afternoon, Your Highness. The operations office is next door.”

Olga: “I was kicked out.”

“Well, I can’t send you back there,” General Tugenev spread his hands, “Our Military Orders Department is just a stamping authority; the operations office makes the plans, we stamp them. Our real function is personnel matters. You should come to us when you want to make personnel adjustments. Besides that, we also manage the awarding of medals…”

Princess Olga, frowning: “Why do I feel like you’re telling me about the things you can do?”

“Right. Is there a problem in explaining our functions to the Royal Family?” General Tugenev shrugged his shoulders.

Olga: “Well, can I…”

“Let him in. Your Highness, you may sit down and have some tea,” General Tugenev gestured to the tea set on the table.

Princess Olga moved to the side, but before she could sit down, Major General Chekhov entered.

Seeing the princess, the major general stopped dead: “Huh?”

Princess Olga: “Continue with your affairs; don’t mind me.”

Chekhov saluted the princess, and upon fulfilling his duties to the Royal Family, turned to General Tugenev: “Why have I been called back? The situation at Argesukov is very bad; if I, as the logistics commander, leave, their supply will soon become chaotic.”

General Tugenev waved his hand dismissively: “Don’t worry, an army of that scale forms inertia; your short absence won’t cause any major problems.”

“Short absence? How long is that?”

Tugenev: “That depends on how quickly the Prussians act.”

It took Major General Chekhov a second to realize that Tugenev was not going to let him go back, so he stepped forward, tapping the desk with his wedding ring: “Are you joking? I…”

General Tugenev: “Your new assignment is to serve as the logistics commander in the Reserve Army. It was suggested by Grand Patriarch Belinsky, and after consideration, we believe that you are eminently suitable. You did very well in Argesukov and will certainly make a mark in the Reserve Army.

“However, since you have no military merits, there’s a problem with your promotion, and it’s not necessary for a logistics commander of an army to hold a general’s rank. You can go to your new post now, get familiar with the situation as soon as possible. We predict—ahem, the Operations Department predicts— that the situation at St. Ye Katerina Fortress will gradually become severe starting from mid-September.”

Major General Chekhov stared at the general for a while and said: “You’ve given up on the heavy troop concentration at Argesukov.”

“It isn’t ‘we’ who gave it up; we’ve always tried to save it, and right now, we’re still sending troops to Duke Meishikin, who has the best hopes for a breakout. It was the incompetence of the High Command and the senior officers that doomed that army.”

As he spoke, General Tugenev picked up his pipe, stuffing it with tobacco, and continued: “Back in July, General Gorky Konstantinovich already predicted the risk of Argesukov being encircled, but at that time, the command was filled with an optimistic spirit, believing that once our new tanks entered the battlefield, the war would end quickly.

“Therefore, General Gorky was relieved of his duties and sent to sit on the cold bench at the Saint Andrew Front Army. The only upside of this transfer is that General Gorky will soon show his talents in the coniferous forests and mountains around Saint Andrew Fort, as the Northwestern Front Army can’t hold on any longer.”

Princess Olga frowned, looking at General Tugenev with suspicion.

Major General Chekhov: “You don’t need to shift the blame to a mere major general like me; leave that to the historians. Where is my appointment?”

General Tugenev pulled out a document and tossed it to Major General Chekhov: “Just stamped. There’s also an appointment for your adjutant. Where is he? Why hasn’t he come in?”

Major General Chekhov turned and called out: “Rokossov!”

Princess Olga was startled, standing up and watching the door with eager eyes.

Instead, a chubby brigadier general came in.

Princess Olga hesitated: “That’s not right; I remember Count Rokossov as a tall, well-built young man. I saw him from a distance at a ball.”

“What you’re referring to must be my brother, Count Rokossov; I am Duke Rokossov, Your Highness,” the brigadier said as he saluted the princess, fulfilling his obligation to the Royal Family.

Major General Chekhov passed the document from General Tugenev’s desk to Brigadier Rokossov.

Reading it, the brigadier exclaimed, “Why am I being transferred to a logistics unit? My training is in operational planning…”

General Tugenev: “We did consider sending you to command troops, especially since your brother has performed so splendidly and your father also once did very well, which leads one to wonder if it runs in the family.

“But brigadier, your map exercise scores are too poor, losing every time, and right now we can’t take the risk of you commanding troops, what if you tarnish the Rokossov name?”

The brigadier’s face scrunched up completely: “You’ve called me back just to prevent me from becoming a stain on my brother’s reputation?”

“`

General Tugenev: “No, no, no, we believe that you have performed excellently in logistical organization, so we are transferring you to a place where you can fully leverage your strengths. After all, our main function at the Military Orders Department is to make personnel adjustments, to get the right people into the right places. If there are no questions, you may leave now; my secretary has already arranged your accommodation and transportation.”

Major General Chekhov saluted the general and turned to the brigadier general, saying, “Alright, let’s go, Brigadier.”

Only then did the brigadier general salute and follow the major general out of the room.

After the secretary closed the door, only General Tugenev and Her Highness the princess remained in the room.

Olga: “Is this the ‘main duty’ of the Military Orders Department?”

General Tugenev: “Yes, and it’s a very important duty. Without us acting as a lubricant, this huge and outdated machine wouldn’t be able to run for even a day. Your Highness, let’s talk about the issues that concern you.”

Olga: “You’re reinforcing Duke Meishikin’s forces. Are you preparing to rescue Argesukov?”

“It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to save him, but we can try to rescue as many troops as possible. The enemy is very powerful, and without reinforcement for Meishikin, we might even lose Shepetovka. After all, aerial reconnaissance indicates that the enemy’s ninth infantry army group is about to move to the front of Shepetovka.”

“The enemy’s army group may have that name, but it’s not the same as our army groups.”

Olga asked again, “Will General Rokossov participate in the defense of Shepetovka?”

“No, his troops will soon withdraw from Shepetovka to Shostka. We expect that he will have a month to build defensive positions there. Shostka also has a cement factory, so they’ll have plenty of cement.”

Olga frowned: “I don’t understand military matters, but it sounds like Shostka is different from Shepetovka?”

“There’s a railway connection. After the fall of Shepetovka, Meishikin’s troops will retreat through Shostka. Additionally, there’s a river there, and although it’s not the flood season in September, it’s still hard to force a crossing. General Rokossovsky will be able to fully display his defensive talents there.”

General Tugenev explained enthusiastically.

“Additionally, after the troops arrive here, we plan to invite the major general, along with his meritorious personnel, to the capital. At that time, we will award him and let him accept interviews from the newspapers.

“After the massive failure at Argesukov, we will need these.”

Princess Olga’s brows were nearly twisted into knots: “You’ve already planned these things?”

“Yes, if defeat is certain, we must prepare for the aftermath. Don’t underestimate the importance of what we’re doing, it can prevent a major defeat from becoming a complete rout.

“The Prosen High Command probably thinks that eliminating a million of our men at Argesukov means the overall situation is settled, but the Reserve Army has already organized over a million men, and that number will grow.

“However, if morale collapses, millions of men will surrender faster than pigs, understand? Princess Olga Nikolayevna Antonovna!”

Olga’s lips trembled, and she didn’t answer.

General Tugenev: “You must get used to these things quickly! I heard you aim to become a female tsar like Ekaterina the Great, and the Great Empress wouldn’t tremble over such matters.”

Olga bit her lip to force herself to stop trembling.

General Tugenev: “That’s right. As the head of the Military Orders Department, I can assure you that after this, Rokossov will receive ample reinforcements.”

Olga: “Are you planning to promote him?”

General Tugenev waved his hands repeatedly: “No, although he has performed extremely well, he was only recently promoted to major general, and considering his earlier extraordinary promotion from colonel to brigadier general, the pace of his promotion has been unreasonably fast. We plan to promote him to lieutenant general by the end of the year.

“Not promoting his rank doesn’t prevent us from shaping him into a war hero. If he were in the Federation, by now he’d be completely withdrawn from the front lines, going around making speeches, selling war bonds instead.

“But we’re on the brink of national extinction; such an outstanding commander must continue to serve on the front lines. Of course, as the troops of a war hero commander, we will grant them many privileges, such as returning recovered veterans to his unit as much as possible, rather than to other units.

“And, for example, giving them a little more technical weaponry than others; many things will become more manageable after his return to the capital.”

The general paused, looking at Olga: “When he’s in the capital, Your Highness can accompany him to show yourself more. Of course, when your brother comes back, there won’t be any need for you to do so.”

Olga stared at Tugenev for several seconds and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

The general stared back at the princess for a long time before saying, “During the civil war, I wasn’t actually part of the Secular faction; I was with the centrists, working hard to prepare for defense against Bohemia and Manheim, ready to resist foreign intervention. Later, I became the head of the Military Orders Department.

“The Secular faction who won the war wanted a tsar because the Sanctified faction had the support of so many people. The Secular faction says that Divine Arrows, chants, and the like are natural phenomena, which humanity will one day master, just like wireless radio.

“But the old farmers in remote areas don’t think so; they all support the Sanctified faction. Do you understand?

“But now, the old farmers have been convinced by sausages, champagne, and caviar, my princess.”

Princess Olga rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

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