Cannon Fire Arc

The convoy soon arrived at the Tribunal building.

When the car stopped, Wang Zhong said to Olga, "I know you want to get close, but now you are the Tsar, and this is a formal occasion, you need to be dignified and proper."

Olga nodded her head, "I know."

Wang Zhong stared at her for a few seconds, then cautioned again, "The incident at the train station where you kissed me forcefully cannot happen again!"

"Alright," Olga nodded solemnly.

Only then did Wang Zhong open the door and get out of the car, straightening his clothes before walking to the other side of the car, opening the door and extending his hand.

Olga gracefully took his hand and alighted from the car with composure.

Worried that Olga might immediately fling her arm around him, Wang Zhong quickly stepped back as soon as she let go of his hand.

Olga just glanced at him and then, maintaining her elegantly poised posture, walked forward with her head held high.

Wang Zhong hurried to follow behind her.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind: Isn't this the position in which the head eunuch stands in those Qing Dynasty dramas? The one in front is Empress Dowager Cixi, and I am Li Lianying...

"Rebirth: I Am Li Lianying in Ante"?

Wang Zhong quickly checked to affirm that his "little brother" was still present.

Scared me.

The Tribunal had dispatched a high-ranking Archbishop to welcome His Majesty the Tsar, but seeing Wang Zhong as well seemed to cause some confusion. After paying respects to His Majesty the Tsar, the Archbishop glanced at Wang Zhong and said, "Your Majesty, if General Rokossovsky were also to be here, we should be informed in advance."

Olga countered, "Do I need to report to you when my foster brother accompanies me?"

The Archbishop replied, "But General Rokossovsky might later be summoned as a witness."

Olga retorted, "Then summon him. My box isn't without a direct passage to the courtroom."

"You are correct. I will inform the chief judge to adjust the court proceedings. This way please, Your Majesty."

And so, Wang Zhong and Olga were led to the royal family's private box. Whenever the Tribunal tried criminals the royal family could not face directly, His Majesty the Tsar could witness the process from this box.

The view from the box was excellent, capturing the entire courtroom in one glance.

Standing at the window, Wang Zhong saw that more than half the seats for the jury were filled with generals, each wearing a serious expression.

Originally seated, Olga stood up upon seeing Wang Zhong and began to identify the jury members, pointing out their affiliations.

"That's General Andrei Stepanovich from the quick victory faction, that one is General Gogol from the centrist faction, close with General Tugenev. There is also General Pushkin who has publicly stated his support for your theories..."

Wang Zhong interrupted, "Your Majesty, don't get too close."

Olga insisted, "This way you can clearly see who I am pointing at! And that is General Chernishevsky, who also opposes the quick victory theory..."

Wang Zhong understood that those with names of literary masters were "one of their own" who opposed the quick victory theory. Thinking back, he recalled that General Tugenev and Colonel Chekhov, whom he had encountered before, were both decent and reliable individuals.

He wondered if it was coincidence or the will of the great universe.

Just as Olga finished her introductions, Tukhachev was escorted into the courtroom by two judges.

He looked much older and was shrouded in an aura of defeat.

Olga, watching Tukhachev, suddenly said, "Seeing him like this, I actually feel a bit sorry for him."

Wang Zhong cautioned, "Don't feel sorry for him! Remember the soldiers who died miserably before the Prosen strong defenses because of his rash advance."

"Mm-hmm." Olga nodded emphatically.

At that moment, the trial was ready to begin. The Archbishop who had greeted Olga entered the box, "Your Majesty, the trial is ready to commence. May we begin?"

Olga agreed, "We may."

The Archbishop glanced at Wang Zhong and inquired, "When the judge calls for General Rokossovsky to testify, shall he leave the box through the passage to enter the courtroom, or shall we use mechanical equipment to open the window of the box? That way, General Rokossovsky can testify from within the box."

Without waiting for Olga to respond, Wang Zhong spoke, "Of course, testimony should be given from the witness stand. Testifying from within His Majesty the Tsar's box would seem to be pressuring by authority. General Tukhachev deserves his punishment; it's not because he fell out of favor that he is trapped in prison."

The Archbishop bowed respectfully, "Then, when it is time to summon you, a judge will come to escort you. I shall not disturb you both any longer."

Exiting the box, the Archbishop left Wang Zhong to discover that it was just he and Olga in the room.

Olga also looked around and then spoke, "Alyosha, I am thinking..."

"No," Wang Zhong interrupted her, "Whatever you're thinking, it's not happening. Sit down properly and listen."

Olga sat down sulkily.

That's when the chief judge picked up the gavel and banged it down, silencing the courtroom. The members of the jury who had been chatting, as well as the audience in the spectator seats, all stopped talking and looked towards the judge.

The judge declared, "Today we will try the case of General Tukhachev's hasty actions leading to severe losses for our forces."

The entire hall maintained its silence.

"First item of business, I ask the jury members and all presiding officials to swear on Saint Andrew."

As soon as the words were spoken, a stand rose before each jury member with a thick book on top, presumably the scripture of Saint Andrew.

Everyone stood, left hand on the Scripture. The choir began to chant, and everyone's expression was solemn.

Wang Zhong glanced at Olga and noticed that Tsar was staring straight at him, not caring about anything else.

After catching his eye, Olga even gave a slight smile.

After the simple ceremony ended, the Judge continued, "The second part, please, General Tukhachev, take the oath."

Tukhachev did not have the luxury of a mechanically raised Scripture; the Tribunal guard took out a copy of the Scripture, grabbed his hand, placed it on the book, and began the oath.

Once this process was completed, the Judge announced that the trial had officially begun.

"General Tukhachev, on the left slide, are the casualty numbers after you commanded the Western Front Army to launch a counter-offensive. Do you acknowledge this number?" the Judge asked.

Tukhachev looked at the slide, "I acknowledge it, generally. But..."

"You must request permission before you speak!"

Tukhachev: "I request permission to speak!"

Judge: "You may speak."

Tukhachev: "War means casualties. Even General Rokossov's troops suffered many losses, didn't they? The Third Rear Amur Group he brought out from Ronied was theoretically supposed to have 2500 combatants. How many were left when they reached Loktov?

"Isn't he still honoured as the Empire's Iron Wall?"

Wang Zhong heard Olga angrily retort beside him, "And didn't you see Alyosha facing an enemy many times greater than his own forces?"

"Your Majesty."

Wang Zhong had just started speaking when Olga spoke discontentedly, "What, I can't even make a fair statement now?"

"No, I am just grateful for Your Majesty's understanding."

"Hmph."

Below in the Tribunal, Tukhachev continued, "At Saint Andrew Fort, General Golikov's units also suffered significant losses, yet the High Command still commended him. Now you want to shoot me for my greater losses? This is unfair!"

Wang Zhong turned to the jury box and saw many frowning.

Clearly, Tukhachev's defense was dissatisfying to the military members of the jury.

Judge: "Have you finished speaking?"

"I have finished." Tukhachev answered, regaining a bit of his former Chief of General Staff's authority.

Judge: "Before you attacked the Prussians' fortified positions stretching from Bokost to Shostka, someone warned you that attacking this line of defense would result in substantial casualties, which you dismissed. Did this happen?"

Tukhachev: "Attacking well-fortified positions naturally involves severe casualties; that cannot be the reason..."

The Judge banged his gavel forcefully, "Silence! You may only answer 'yes' or 'no' without permission!"

Tukhachev: "Yes. I wish to defend myself!"

Judge: "Permission granted."

Tukhachev: "Attacking enemy fortified positions inherently results in heavy casualties. To see the enemy defenses and not attack would be an act of cowardice!"

Wang Zhong stood up and said to Olga, "I'm going to confront this guy in court."

Olga: "You mean to stride right into the Tribunal? You might as well break through the glass. Ouch!"

Wang Zhong flicked Olga's forehead lightly, then turned and left the box, asking the Tribunal guard and the Royal Guard stationed outside the box door, "How do I enter the Tribunal?"

Just then, two guards happened to pass by the corridor and hurriedly said upon seeing Wang Zhong, "You've come out so early; come with me!"

Wang Zhong followed the two guards around to the side door of the courtroom.

"Please wait a moment for the Judge—"

Wang Zhong pushed open the door in front of him. Because he used too much force, the door slammed against the wall and bounced back, only to be stopped by Wang Zhong's hand.

Tukhachev, who had been speaking passionately, was stunned when he saw Wang Zhong.

Judge: "General Rokossov, it's not your turn to testify yet. You seem to be showing contempt for this court."

Wang Zhong: "I have no intention of showing contempt for the Tribunal; after all, you represent the vast congregation of Ante to judge the sinners. I'm here because I can't tolerate Tukhachev's blatant lies. I request His Honour to grant me an opportunity to confront him!"

The Judge nodded, "Permission granted. Please take the witness stand."

The two guards opened the wooden barrier to the witness stand.

Wang Zhong took two steps at a time to rush in, and before the guard could close the door, he berated, "Tukhachev! You miserable bastard! You have the audacity to say attacking fortified positions necessarily results in casualties, yes, indeed attacking fortified areas does lead to casualties, but look at your actions, is that all there is to it?

"You ignored the state of your troops' supplies and military common sense! Normally, attacking solid fortified positions requires several times more soldiers than the enemy has. What about you?

"I know the facts. After ten days of advancing, including the First Assault Army Group, all the troops were weary, and a significant number of tanks were in need of repair. The whole First Assault Army Group had only a few combat-ready T34s!

"The situation was equally dire for the infantry troops; continuous advancement had left all infantry units exhausted. These newly formed units were untrained and unfamiliar with their officers. During the pursuit, many fell behind.

"You disregarded all this, demanding a quick advance, and as a result, you collided head-on with the enemy's carefully constructed defenses! In some sections, the ratio of enemy to our forces was even lower than 1:1! Countless soldiers were needlessly sacrificed!"

Pointing at Tukhachev, Wang Zhong roared, "All this, to satisfy your pitiful vanity! All because you wanted me to kiss your boots! You are a great sinner!"

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