Arc of Gunfire

At 1130 hours on July 30, in the bushes north of Orachi.

The T34 with tactical number 427 was slowly reversing from the bottom level of the tank bunker to the middle platform, so the turret was exposed from the ground.

"Okay!" The tank platoon leader waved the flag in his hand, "Stop, don't fall!"

The gunner and commander of Tank No. 427 poked his head out of the open hatch and looked around: "It's really good. Except that the grass in front blocks the view, this bunker is perfect!"

Wang Zhong put down the binoculars, glanced at the commander and said: "Stop talking nonsense, let's do target practice!"

He was standing next to the bunker of the No. 427 tank. He had just been using a telescope to observe the targets set by the officers of the anti-tank gun battalion.

This specially set target is used by anti-tank guns to quickly determine the target distance. It is usually disguised as various conventional objects. You can know the approximate distance when you see an enemy tank passing nearby.

Wang Zhong made a gesture to the staff officer beside him, and the staff officer raised his hand and fired a signal flare.

The person who set the target in the distance immediately left the target, turned over and pulled away from the target.

Wang Zhong said to the 427 crew: "Set the scale at 700, aim at the ground, use armor-piercing bullets, hurry up."

The commander of 427 immediately returned to the vehicle. At the same time, the tank gun's height machine began to adjust, and the gun barrel slowly lowered.

The next moment, the tanks opened fire.

The muzzle blast blew the camouflage net covering the tank bunker into waves like water, and the grass that originally blocked the front of the bunker was washed down in an instant.

But compared to firing on flat ground, the smoke from this shot has actually been reduced a lot.

It is indeed a tank bunker that was developed only after the war. It is advanced.

Wang Zhongguang paid attention to the sound of the artillery fire. When his attention turned to the armor-piercing shells, the shells had already landed and bounced up like ping pong balls, flying farther away.

The landing point seems a bit far from the target.

Wang Zhong: "Car No. 427, your sight is a bit crooked. Adjust it quickly! Try firing again in twenty minutes."

Many gun scopes of the T34 assigned to the 151st Provisional Infantry Division were inaccurate. Previously, there was not such a large venue for live ammunition shooting in Agsukov, so it was never discovered. Now, the problems have been exposed one by one during test firings.

Wang Zhong: "Next, No. 428!"

"Okay!" The captain of car No. 428 raised his right hand, "I have already adjusted it, and it will be almost at the same place as the ruler!"

"Then fire."

A minute later, the armor-piercing bullet hit the target and shattered it.

Wang Zhong: "Who the hell told you to smash the target? The artillerymen have to build a new one!"

"I swear I didn't aim at the target!" The 428 commander stuck his head out, "This gun drifted past! The probability error of this gun is definitely greater than the operating manual given by the factory!"

Wang Zhong frowned. He didn't know whether it was Ant in this time and space who was bad at it, or whether Earth's T34 was just as shoddy.

After careful testing in the past few days, Wang Zhong discovered that in Loktov, he led the T34 of the parade unit to go out for a decisive battle with the Prossen armor. Only a few hits were hit in the first round of shooting. Maybe the tank driver was not to blame.

Maybe Wang Zhong's car was a luxury car, so the workmanship was fine and the quality control was strict.

Wang Zhong continued to supervise the tank unit's testing of the main gun and gun scope, and Yegorov came over.

"It doesn't look good," he said from a distance.

Wang Zhong: "Thanks to the early test firing, it should be much more accurate after this wave of adjustments. How is the situation over there?"

"The trenches have almost been dug, and I have dispatched some young men to help build roads in the labor camp."

Wang Zhong heard this and turned to look at the road that was being paved behind the position. A large number of civilians were shouting slogans and dragging stone rollers removed from the millstone to compact the road.

This road was built for anti-tank guns. Mules dragging cannons and ammunition carts on the road can move faster and evacuate positions quickly.

Of course, tanks can also go this way. Although the T34 tank has good passability, it is prone to breaking down if it always walks in the wild.

Yegorov: "We have been here for a week. We have repaired so many fortifications and are still repairing them. The troops are a little tired."

Wang Zhong: "Well... I also feel that the fortifications are almost repaired. The rest can be left to the labor camp. They don't have to go to the front line and can work until the enemy comes."

Yegorov: "My suggestion is not only to have a holiday, but also to do some activities, such as having a dance party with the nurses from the division's medical clinic."

Wang Zhong: "Dance?"

"It's not the aristocratic style dance you understand. The dance for us common people only requires a bonfire, a bayan, and a balalaika, and then we can have fun."

Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows: "The dance you are talking about is not a waltz, but a Cossack war dance, right?"

"Yes!" Yegorov said and squatted down directly and began to dance the famous "Cossack Dance of Broken Legs", also known as the "Dance of Destruction of the Knees".

The attention of the soldiers who had nothing to do around them was all attracted, and some started to cheer.

Yegorov danced for about thirty seconds, stood up, struck a pose, and said, "This is just this kind of dance, do you understand?"

Before Wang Zhong could speak, someone among the soldiers shouted: "Come here, division commander!"

"Yes, yes, General, here comes one!"

Usually Wang Zhong really has no airs - he can't put on airs, so the soldiers are all familiar with him, and the jokes are straightforward.

Of course, this was partly attributed to the dung-picking king Vasily. That boy would rather be a dung-picking man than to be poor-mouthed. As a result, Wang Zhong's majesty was destroyed by the way.

Pavlov was very dissatisfied with this and told Wang Zhong over and over again, "As a commander, you must be dignified before the soldiers will follow you."

Wang Zhong himself didn't care.

At this moment, facing the soldiers' fire, Wang Zhong smiled and said: "Do you want me to be half-paralyzed? Everyone has something they are not good at. Dancing is something I am not good at."

In fact, the original owner may be quite good at it, after all, he loves to play so much, but Wang Zhong is really not good at it. If he has to "come for a while", he can only show the soldiers that "the times are calling".

The soldiers booed for a long time. Seeing that Wang Zhong was unmoved, someone suddenly said: "Why don't you let the general give us a mobilization speech! The people in the 31st regiment said that the general is great, and their eyes filled with tears. We I haven’t heard of it since I joined!”

This proposal was immediately echoed by everyone, and even the staff officer following Wang Zhong looked up with an interested expression.

Wang Zhong: "Speeches are used to boost morale. I see that your morale is very high. When we engage in battle with the Prosens and the casualties are heavy, I will give a speech even if you don't want to listen. I still do now." forget it."

The atmosphere that had just become heated suddenly calmed down.

Wang Zhong looked at everyone and said with a smile: "Don't worry, look at the fortifications we have built, I am confident that we will kill the enemy severely here!"

"But you can't guarantee that we are all alive, can you?" someone asked.

"Yes, this is war. Even a 'magician on the battlefield' cannot guarantee that there will be no casualties." Wang Zhong replied.

He originally thought that after hearing this, the soldiers should be silent, but someone said nonchalantly: "Then we will become the colors on the flag!"

Others laughed too.

Someone else said: "Hey, let's not scare ourselves. Maybe it won't be our turn to take action at all. There are three tank corps in the north. I heard that one corps is all T34, which is six or seven times the amount of equipment we have!" If this army launches an attack, it will directly smash the enemy's armored cluster!"

Wang Zhong: "It would be best if that's the case."

This is what he really thinks. If that's the case, it would be best. The war will be over soon and there won't be so many sacrifices.

But... Wang Zhong knew that things would never be like that.

————

That night, Wang Zhong returned to the division headquarters from the front line. He immediately checked the battle situation map updated at 1830, then pointed at the two newly-appeared armored unit signs and asked: "What unit are these?"

Pavlov: "The new units discovered by aerial reconnaissance and cavalry reconnaissance, the unit identification marks on the armored vehicles are different from all the previous units of the Second Armored Group."

Wang Zhong: "What's the difference?"

"The logos of other armored units are more random. Some are simple symbols, some are animals, and there are various variations of letters. But both divisions have adopted coats of arms."

Wang Zhong immediately felt that something was wrong: "Coat of arms?"

"yes."

Wang Zhong: "Is there a gap in the upper right corner of the shield?"

"Yes, how do you know?"

"Guess what's on the coat of arms of these two divisions?"

"One is a key and the other looks like some ancient Scandinavian rune."

Wang Zhong was speechless: "This is not easy to handle..."

"In addition," Pavlov paused, "the Tribunal discovered that the enemy's call sign included an additional unit called the 'Asgard Knights'. Asgard is the promotion of the Prosen Empire. The mythical kingdom in the creation myth of the empire..."

Wang Zhong: "Asgardian Knights? I always feel that these troops will be very difficult."

"We still don't know how this call sign is related to the two newly emerged divisions," Pavlov said.

At this time, Nellie opened the door and came in, pushing a trolley full of food: "I used the kitchen to make meat skewers and walnut sauce pies. You can take them and eat them while working."

The staff immediately exclaimed: "That's great."

"Nellie, you are such an angel!"

Nellie pushed the dining cart next to the map table and ignored it, turning to stare at Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong blinked: "Why are you looking at me like this?"

"It's nothing, I just thought it was strange. I didn't believe it when Miss Liuda told me. I didn't believe it at all that Alyosha was already an outstanding soldier."

Wang Zhong: "Do you believe it now?"

Nellie shook her head: "I still don't believe it. I think you might not be that bastard anymore."

"Then who am I?" Wang Zhong asked.

Nellie: "Who knows? Maybe St. Andrew borrowed that bastard's body to come, I don't know. Lyuda likes you very much."

Wang Zhong: "What about you?"

"I want to observe it again." Nellie replied.

Wang Zhong shrugged, stood up and pushed past the staff, took a plate and filled himself with a large plate of walnut jam, and ate it with the pie.

"Oh," he praised, "it's delicious! Sweet but not greasy, great Nellie!"

Just as Nellie was about to answer, music suddenly came from outside.

Pavlov immediately cursed: "What's going on? It's such an important time to prepare for war!"

Wang Zhong: "The work of the soldiers has almost been completed. I approved Yegorov to hold a dance to boost morale, and also granted him leave tomorrow."

Pavlov: "This kind of thing not only requires your approval, but also the approval of the bishop. Popov will lose his temper when he comes!"

Just as he was talking, Popov came in: "Me? No, I also think the army is too tight and should relax. The dance was well held. It's a pity that there are a few female soldiers in our army."

Wang Zhong: "Can we let the girls from the field laundry team and the field cooking team join in?"

Popov: "That's still not enough. Let's just let the local girls join in and relax before the battle begins."

Wang Zhong gave a thumbs up.

At this time Nellie suddenly asked: "Are you going to dance too?"

"Huh? Me? No, no, I'd better forget it. I prefer watching other people have fun than dancing."

"Eh~" Nellie drawled a long voice and said nothing more.