Cannon Fire Arc

Wang Zhong finally broke free of Olga's "grip" and pulled his hand out of her embrace before seriously criticizing her, "When our army suffers such heavy casualties, as the Tsar, Your Majesty absolutely cannot show a cheerful expression in public."

Olga quickly composed herself and bowed her head slightly, "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong."

The officers in the conference room looked at each other.

Wang Zhong realized this might look bad and cause misunderstandings, so he quickly said, "I'm only offering a suggestion as a subject, thank you for Your Majesty's magnanimity."

Olga wanted to laugh but had to suppress it, responding solemnly, "You're right, I will consider such correct advice, no matter how it is presented."

Then, she turned to the map, "Regarding the current situation, do you have any thoughts, my noble subject?"

Wang Zhong glanced at Belinsky.

If he now suggested stopping the offense and beginning to rest, then Belinsky's intention to annihilate the swift victory faction would not be realized.

Because Olga would certainly listen.

Wang Zhong looked at Olga and suddenly noticed the girl's eyes were very clear. She didn't seem worried about the front lines at all.

Then Wang Zhong understood: She had been acting from the moment she opened the door, all her actions were aimed at pushing me towards the position of the prince.

Would she fail to seize the opportunity to extinguish the swift victory faction?

No way!

So Wang Zhong said, "I've said it before, the Prussians would establish a defense on the Bokosht-Shostka line, but the Western Front Army completely disregarded my advice, resulting in such a disastrous defeat!

"I suggest that after pushing the front to near Bokosht-Shostka, all troops should stop and rest, waiting for the winter to pass. Our army's next attack should be in April or May of next year, by which time the mud of spring will be nearing its end..."

"No!" Olga made an angry gesture, "How can we attack only next April or May? By then, the Prussians will have recovered! I'm asking for a way to break through their defenses this month! Tukhachev even thumped his chest, saying he could push to the border, reclaiming the land lost since June!"

See, I knew it!

Tukhachev wasn't present, but his replacement as Chief of General Staff, Marshal Boris, already had a bitter look on his face. With Wang Zhong's limited ability to read people, he could only guess that this marshal actually knew they couldn't breakthrough and would suffer heavy casualties at the enemy's defense.

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Tugenev, on the other hand, looked regretful, as if he truly hoped Wang Zhong could restrain the swift victory faction from throwing away lives.

Wang Zhong himself, a frontline soldier, considered the front-line soldiers his comrades in arms and certainly wanted to restrain the swift victory faction.

But Belinsky was right, from top to bottom, the Ante Army was fixated on a swift victory, being in a state of overconfidence, a state that required suffering a defeat.

All he could do was try to minimize the casualties a bit.

Wang Zhong: "Since Your Majesty trusts Tukhachev and them, it's not my place to say anything. But..."

He paused, looking at Olga.

Olga got it in a second and said, "You can offer tactical advice!"

Wang Zhong: "Then I suggest not rushing to attack the enemy's strong defenses but using reconnaissance soldiers to thoroughly sweep the area in front of the defenses, and wait for the infantry, engineers, and most importantly, the artillery to catch up with the vanguard before launching an attack."

Olga: "Good! This suggestion sounds very reasonable, so I will pass it on to General Tukhachev of the Western Front Army. Anything else?"

Wang Zhong thought for a moment, feeling like he didn't have any other suggestions. Attacking a well-defended enemy position naturally required heavy casualties.

At the end of September and beginning of October, even the elite Prussian Army suffered heavy losses to advance while he was defending the Duva River.

That was after Giles halted the fierce assault midway and began trench construction; otherwise, Prussian casualties would have doubled.

At least doubled.

And switching to the less well-trained Ante troops attacking, one could only imagine how much worse it would be.

Wang Zhong sighed, "Nothing more. Any offensive is bound to suffer huge casualties. General Tukhachev should be ready to take responsibility."

Olga: "I believe he is prepared. Alyosha, you..."

Wang Zhong: "Your Majesty, please use official titles or military ranks in the workplace."

For a split second, Olga let a "darn, he's onto me" expression slip before solemnly replying, "You're right, Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich. So, you hastily came here just to say these things?"

Wang Zhong: "There were two things I came for. The first was to call off the attack, but I failed. The second is related to my expertise as an Armored Trooper."

Wait a second, I think I'm an infantry commander, but no one's going to question that now, anyway.

Wang Zhong: "The second thing, I urgently need to understand what tanks ambushed the vanguard of the First Assault Army Group. I heard these tanks have long-barreled guns."

Marshal Boris spoke up, "Indeed, there have been such reports from the front line, and we've requested the Western Front Army to confirm. There should be aerial reconnaissance photos coming tomorrow."

Wang Zhong: "I hope to see the real tanks."

Marshal Boris: "Once we break through their line, there will be real tanks."

Wang Zhong nodded, "Thanks in advance to the soldiers of the Western Front Army."

Marshal Boris nodded.

Olga asked Wang Zhong, "Does this type of tank have a big impact?"

"A big one indeed, Your Majesty. They can penetrate T34s at long distances, and the damage they inflict is astonishing. It shows that after encountering T34s in June, the Prussians relayed their needs to the development department. Now, the finished products have reached the frontline—that speed is astounding," Wang Zhong spoke with grave seriousness.

Over on Earth, the Panzer IV F2 only made its appearance in March of the second year. Furthermore, the Panzer IV had long been planned to be fitted with a long-barrel gun, which is why it was so quick.

This world's Prussians are indeed much stronger than the Sturmtigers.

Wang Zhong was unaware that the models the Sedi Division had received were trial production models, almost prototypes, with mass production likely to hit the front lines around March next year.

In any case, Wang Zhong felt that the Jude in front of him was a bit troublesome.

Seeing Wang Zhong's serious expression, Olga also became serious and commanded in a stern voice, "Have the Western Front Army try their best to get a new tank. This is the top priority."

Marshal Boris nodded, "Understood."

Olga turned to Wang Zhong, "Anything else?"

Wang Zhong, "No, that's all. I'll take my leave now; there are other matters to deal with."

Olga nodded, "Fine."

Wang Zhong saluted Olga and turned to walk out.

As he left, he caught Belinsky's eye. The Grand Patriarch seemed very pleased with how the meeting had unfolded.

After Wang Zhong left the room, he strode along the corridors of the Summer Palace.

————

That evening, after finishing a day's work and returning to the estate, Wang Zhong found Ludmila and a few ladies having tea in the upstairs tea room.

So, without going through the main entrance, he took the side staircase to the tea room and entered with open arms, "Darling, I'm back!"

Ludmila came up to give him a hug and then kissed him on the cheek.

Wang Zhong, "The pastries on your table look a bit strange."

Because it was already dark, under the light of the candles, Wang Zhong couldn't quite make out the square-shaped items on the table.

Ludmila, "It's a gift from the Federation ambassador, just arrived today—Federation canned goods."

Wang Zhong, "SPAM cans?"

Ludmila, "It seems to be spelled that way; they taste quite good."

That's because the war had just started, and SPAM cans were still produced according to pre-war standards, with flavor in mind. Once wartime expanded production, this stuff would turn into hard-to-swallow salty meat.

Of course, that was only for the pampered soldiers of the Federation. Officers from the United Kingdom would find it a delicious delicacy—far better than their saltfish and chips!

At that moment, Wang Zhong suddenly shivered and asked, "Did the Federation ambassador bring anything else besides these cans? Like, a drink?"

"Yes, they brought a dark liquid that looks like coffee. We haven't tried it."

Wang Zhong smiled, "Quick, bring that to me. I want to take a sip!"

All day, Wang Zhong had been distressed thinking about the soldiers who would soon sacrifice themselves on the robust defenses of Prosen. Now he needed a Coke to give himself some energy!

Nelly approached with a tray holding a bottle of Coke, "This—we don't know how to open it—"

Wang Zhong picked up the Coke and with a precise tap against the windowsill, flipped off the cap.

After a loud "pop," foam surged out of the glass bottle.

Wang Zhong didn't care for the mess and took a big gulp.

Ludmila watched his action, curiously asking, "Is this some sort of sparkling wine? Champagne?"

Wang Zhong, too engrossed to answer, finished the entire bottle of Coke.

At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to the 21st century, back to his native country, having just fired up a computer in an internet cafe, grabbed a Coke from the fridge, ready to surf the night away.

Wang Zhong belched, causing the illusions of the 21st century to fade, and Ludmila once again filled his view.

Wang Zhong, "Uh, it's a type of drink, similar in concept to champagne. You can have a bottle!"

After speaking, he placed the empty bottle on Nelly's tray.

Nelly, looking puzzled, picked up the bottle, peered inside, sniffed it, and her confusion only deepened.

Wang Zhong, "Nelly, get another bottle for Ludmila."

"Okay."

At that moment, one of the noblewomen tasting SPAM cans around the table said, "General Rokossovsky, I heard something happened at the Summer Palace this morning. You openly rebuked Her Majesty Olga I."

Wang Zhong, "I merely offered a suggestion."

He looked at Ludmila, "As an older brother."

Ludmila shrugged, "You don't have to explain to me."

Wang Zhong, "Also, I went to the Summer Palace to stop the quick victory faction from sacrificing more lives."

"I told you that you don't need to explain. I believe in you," Ludmila said with a smile.

Just then, Nelly approached with a platter, "I fetched two more bottles from the cellar."

Because the weather had turned so cold, drinks and the like had to be stored in the cellar to maintain their temperature. As a result, they even put Coke in the cellar...

They surely treated it as a high-class item.

Wang Zhong put his hand on Ludmila's shoulder, "Come on, dear, give it a try."

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