Arc of Gunfire

When Wang Zhong arrived at the headquarters, he specifically reminded himself to avoid General Skorobo, so he arranged the guards before entering the map room, opened the door and took a peek.

Then he saw the chief of staff of the front army, the bishop of the front army, and General Skorobo together.

They could be heard discussing the situation at the door.

General Skorobo: "The foolish son of the Rokossov family really has no military knowledge! If the enemy's heavy group of troops to the north of us moves south, won't our troops in front of them attack? It's really unreasonable!"

Well, we are still discussing my speech yesterday, Wang Zhong thought, it is better not to go in and continue to anger General Skorobo.

Just as he was about to leave, the door, which was only open a crack, was opened from the inside. The staff officer who opened the door shouted loudly: "Who is eavesdropping?"

Okay, even if you open the door just a little, someone will notice you.

When the staff officer saw that it was Wang Zhong, he was stunned for a moment, and then said to the guard at the door: "Why don't you let the major general in?"

Guard: "Report, Major General asked me to keep quiet!"

Wang Zhong was extremely embarrassed: "Well, I don't want to disturb the normal work of the headquarters."

At this time, General Skorobo shouted: "Isn't this the military genius Major General Rokossov? What's the point of coming to us?"

Wang Zhong: "I don't have any high opinions, I'm just here..."

He looked at the Chief of Staff. According to Lieutenant General Chekhov, the Chief of Staff was a good man, unlike General Skorobo.

But is it too obvious to directly ask for the chief of staff?

While Wang Zhongzheng was hesitating, the chief of staff spoke up: "Are you asking me to transfer troops?"

"Uh, yes!" Everyone said it bluntly, so Wang Zhong admitted it unceremoniously.

Chief of Staff: "We do have some scattered troops here that have just been transferred from the rear. We have not yet decided which division to strengthen. Your temporary 151st Division has just been formed. It is reasonable to strengthen these troops to you."

"Unreasonable!" General Skorobo interrupted the Chief of Staff, "Those precious troops must be handed over to real soldiers! I heard, Rokosov, that you peed your pants on the battlefield!"

How the fuck does everyone know this?

Sergey I'm going to kill you!

General Skorobo continued to taunt: "Do you believe that a man who was scared to death on the battlefield achieved those results? No, I never believe it!"

Chief of Staff: "But the Prosen people also spoke highly of Rokossov..."

"The person who is highly regarded by the Prosen people is General White Horse! This guy just happened to have a white horse, so he took the credit! The real General White Horse must have been dead long ago!"

Chief of Staff: "Randolf, commander of the enemy's 15th Armored Division, died in Lokotov. At that time, it was Brigadier General Lokosov who was conducting defensive operations there. It would have been appropriate to go to Penier before."

General Skorobo pursed his lips, and his hygienic beard really looked like "that person" on Earth when he pursed his lips.

The general held it in for a few seconds and replied: "Even if it is true, it only proves that he is an excellent tactician! Strategic matters are more theoretical, and a military academy countdown will not understand it!"

Wang Zhong: "Since you admit that I am a tactician, should I replenish my division with troops? Isn't it just right for a tactician to command a division?"

Chief of Staff: "What troops do you want?"

Wang Zhong raised his voice before Skorobo could speak: "I want a car regiment, a communications battalion, an anti-tank artillery regiment, and laborers!"

"As for laborers," the front army bishop said, "go to the church. The church is organizing labor camps, as well as laundry teams and cooking teams. All logistics-related personnel can be found in the church. After all, the connection between secularism and the people is Closer and more capable of mobilization.”

It turns out that you can ask for labor camps and logistics from the church. Previously, in Loktov, Pavlov came to provide logistics. Wang Zhong really didn’t know that.

Wang Zhong: "The anti-tank gun..."

"No!" General Skorobo shouted, "Even if it's a 45mm anti-tank gun, you can't even get it!"

Chief of Staff: "Anyway, we are going to counterattack soon. It doesn't matter if we give him a battalion of defensive weapons like anti-tank guns, right?"

General Skorobo looked at the Chief of Staff: "Are you looking at him? Do you really believe his boasted achievements? If he could destroy 600 tanks, the enemy's offensive spearhead would have been too blunt to be used anymore. "

Wang Zhong screamed injustice in his heart, I really never said that I destroyed 600 enemy tanks.

Scorob turned to Wang Zhong: "In short, if you want laborers or something, go to the church! If you want a car regiment, go to the church! I won't give you a single soldier or a single technical weapon here! We can't let these precious weapons fall. In the hands of a ticket player!"

Okay, I'm just a gambler again.

Wang Zhong was very angry at this time and wanted to punch General Skorobo in the face.

He might have done it before.

But now he can't do something that might cost him his command. Now the top leaders of the Ant Army are all such idiots. Losing their command is equivalent to pushing their troops into a pit of fire.

Wang Zhong endured his anger and saluted General Skorobo: "Thank you for your evaluation, then I'll take my leave."

When he turned around, he heard Skorob shouting: "Guard! Remember from now on, Major General Rokossov cannot come in without making an appointment in advance!"

The chief of staff of the front army reminded: "Our staff still has his brother Brigadier General Rokossov. Isn't it appropriate not to let him in?"

Scorob cursed something, but Wang Zhong couldn't hear it clearly.

————

When they got into the jeep outside, Lyudmila asked, "What should I do?"

Wang Zhong: "First go to the church to ask for labor camps, laundry teams, cooking teams, as well as tailors and blacksmiths who accompany the army."

If there were a large number of mules and horses in the army, a blacksmith would be needed to maintain the horseshoes of the mules. If the horseshoes fell off, the blacksmith would have to re-shoe them.

Gregory in the driver's seat turned back to confirm: "Go to the local church?"

Wang Zhong nodded.

Lyudmila smiled and said: "We may have to go around all Agsukov's departments in the afternoon."

————

The church didn't know if the Patriarch had made arrangements in advance. Anyway, everything went very smoothly. Thousands of logistics personnel arrived at the Rokosov Manor in a mighty manner.

However, the car group still didn't come out, only a large group of drivers came who volunteered to join the army.

After coming out of the church satisfied, Wang Zhong asked Gregory: "Do you know the way to No. 43 Kruggen Street?"

"I've asked about it in advance," Gregory replied, "but I haven't actually been there. Maybe I can ask someone somewhere."

Wang Zhong: "Then let's go."

————

No. 43 Krugan Street is a multi-storey apartment building with a brick and stone structure that looks quite old.

The iron sign at the entrance to the apartment reads "Malazov Apartment" in embossed letters, but the words "Malazov" have been erased by paint.

Wang Zhong opened the apartment door himself and saw a reception room-like room on the left side of the corridor. An old lady was sitting in it knitting.

Just as he was about to speak, Lyudmila stepped forward and gently tapped the bell on the window sill.

Following the crisp sound, the old lady raised her head and her eyes stayed on Wang Zhong's star for a few seconds: "Hello, general, whose child died again?"

Wang Zhong was immediately silenced by these words.

It seems that death notices are often sent to the apartment recently.

When the old lady saw that Wang Zhong was silent, she added another sentence: "If a general can deliver the notice, the person who dies must be a hero, right?"

Wang Zhong suddenly woke up and nodded: "Yes, a very brave hero."

"That's great. Every death should urge those who survive to live a better life!"

Wang Zhong always felt that this old lady had something and could make some philosophical remarks casually.

He decided to go straight to the topic, so he took out the bloody letter that he had kept in his pocket and read out the address: "Agsukov, Krugen Street, Alexeyevna. Do you know what this is called?" The name of a woman?

"I'm sorry, the death came so suddenly. I couldn't ask for the identity of this Alexeyevna, nor did I know how old she was."

The old lady in the reception room sighed, put down her sewing, found her reading glasses and put them on, and then replied: "She is 73 this year, and her three sons, the eldest, middle and youngest, have all gone to war. So which one died?"

Wang Zhong reported the gunner's name.

Old lady: "The third child is dead. Please give me the letter."

Wang Zhong: "You are Alexeyevna, right?"

"Who else could it be?" There was no sadness in the old lady's voice. She just calmly accepted the bloody letter.

Lyudmila couldn't help but ask: "Aren't you...sad?"

Old lady: "I'm used to it. During the civil war, my husband and my brothers all died in battle. I'm quite good at receiving death notices. Sharapova at 306 cried so sadly yesterday. I just want to tell you She, the war is coming, the sooner she gets used to this kind of thing, the better.”

As she spoke, the old lady opened the letter, glanced at it briefly, and said, "He still made the wrong tense change. It's really hopeless."

After saying that, the old lady put away the letter and looked up at Wang Zhong: "My youngest son's expressive ability is too low, and the whole letter does not convey as much information as the blood stains on the letter.

"Kind general, do you know how he died?"

Wang Zhong immediately thought of the moment when the gunner died.

"It seems you know, what a surprise." The old lady said, "Tell me about it, kind general!"

Wang Zhong couldn't refuse the old lady's request, so he began to recall the battle that day. He recalled that when he was hit by the enemy's armor-piercing projectile, the gunner was still shouting: "The loader has died, please find someone else to load!"

Finally, he said that he urged to fire quickly, but when he lowered his head, he found that everyone in the turret was dead except Su Fang, who had just joined as a loader.

Lyudmila looked sad: "So that's it. This is the first time I've heard you talk about frontline combat."

The old lady looked at Wang Zhong kindly, and suddenly stood up and poured Wang Zhong a cup of tea: "General, you need this more than me. Drink it, this is the red date tea I made myself, it can soothe sadness. "

Wang Zhong held the tea cup with both hands and took a sip.

"In short, your son died very heroically. He was... to protect the motherland, to protect..."

The old lady chanted softly: "All life in the world will eventually die.

“In that case, guard the ashes of our ancestors and the temples of the gods;

“To die fighting a powerful enemy is of supreme value.

"In order to protect my mother who loved me so much,

"In order to protect my wife who is currently raising a young child,

"To protect the pure girls who light the eternal fire.

"Protect everyone from the shameless villain Sextus,

"How glorious is such a death?"

Wang Zhong happened to know the song "Horatius on the Bridge", so he continued to recite: "Your Excellency, consul, please demolish the bridge as soon as possible.

"There are a thousand enemy troops occupying the bridge, let's stop them with three men!

"Come on, which two brave men want to guard the bridge side by side with me?"

Old lady: "Yes, my son is as brave as an ancient hero. It's enough to know this."

The old lady looked at Wang Zhong and added some hot tea to the cup in his hand.

Wang Zhong took a sip and found that the tea was bitter yet sweet.

Old lady: "You still have a lot to do, don't you? After all, the invaders are still raging on the earth. Go quickly, general. I am an old lady who can only knit sweaters in my apartment. In addition to sending my children to the battlefield, I have already done a lot of work. There is nothing more you can do for Ant’s mother.”

Wang Zhong took another sip of tea, put down the cup, turned and left.

He never looked back.