Arc of Gunfire

Jules 914, September 19, Shostka, headquarters of the 1st Guards Mechanized Division, 2200 hours.

A prisoner was escorted into the division headquarters by a team sent out for reconnaissance.

Everyone in the division looked at the prisoners together.

Pavlov: "This military uniform...doesn't it look like the kind of local tycoon division we encountered in Orachi? It's just that the equipment is very rich, not even the No. 2 tanks, but the No. 3 and No. 4 tanks." The teacher?”

Wang Zhong: "The Asgard Knights Division, a division specially formed by Emperor Prossen in order to strengthen his base and break away from the checks and balances of the military."

"Ah, yes, that's the name." Pavlov nodded, "Is it just my wrong impression? Last time we fought quite easily."

Popov: "The first two days last time were easy because the pressure of the enemy's attack was on Duke Myshkin's troops. On the third day we encountered the enemy's main force and were defeated at once."

Wang Zhong: "What you said is not accurate. What does it mean to be defeated? We maintained our organization and ran out. Let's talk about the matter at hand. Vasily!"

Vasily stepped forward and punched the prisoner in the face, causing his nose to bleed.

"Oh," Vasily said with an expression like a fool, "You want me to translate, right?"

Damn it, you just wanted to punch this! Stop pretending!

Popov said solemnly: "Beating a prisoner privately, Vasily, this is not good."

"Won't the judge also beat me?" Vasily retorted.

Popov: "That's your job as a judge. You have to pick shit when you're fighting."

Vasily: "It's worth it."

After saying that, he punched the prisoner again, then turned to Wang Zhong and asked: "What do you want to ask?"

Wang Zhong: "Ask them where they belong and who their commander is."

As soon as Vasily finished translating, the prisoner began to chatter, showing a proud expression while talking.

Vasily: "He said, 'Your Ant army was wiped out like a pig, and an army of millions is not as strong as a wild boar.' I didn't deliberately add to the fire, that's what he said."

The enemy looked at Wang Zhong with provocative eyes and continued to chirp.

Vasily: "He said he recognized you. All the troops had sent your photo. If you are caught, you will get the title of earl regardless of your life or death."

Wang Zhong frowned: "Am I so famous? Let him show me my photos."

Vasily said something to the enemy.

At this time, the escort said: "Here, we found him when we searched his body and gave it to you."

With that said, the escort put the photo up and showed it to everyone.

It was the photo taken by a reporter from the United States. It was obviously taken from a newspaper from the United States, so the picture was somewhat deteriorated, but Wang Zhong's face could still be seen clearly.

Wang Zhong stood in front of the ZiS30 and T34 tanks, looking ahead with a solemn expression.

"The photo looks quite handsome on me." Wang Zhong was speechless and stretched out his hand, "Come here, give it to me. I want to show it off in front of Liu Xia."

Pavlov took the photo from the scout, looked at it, and then handed it to Wang Zhong: "It's quite impressive."

Wang Zhong took it and looked at it and praised: "No wonder the photojournalist boasted about Haikou and said it could win a Pulitzer."

"What is a Pulitzer?" Vasily asked.

Wang Zhong: "A journalism award established by a big liar."

At this time, the prisoner saw that no one was paying attention to him, so he started chattering again.

Vasily: "He said that his biggest regret is that he has no chance to catch you. But it doesn't matter, his comrades will catch you and kill you - can I hit him?"

Wang Zhong spread his hands and said: "Since you have applied, of course I have to say, you can't fight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nellie opened the door and came in. She walked up to the prisoner and kicked him in the crotch.

The prisoner made a sound like a killing pig.

After all, he was kicked in the head by the hard part of the maid's little leather shoe, and he might have been beaten to pieces.

No one else could react and looked at Nellie blankly.

Pavlov reacted first and turned to Popov: "How to deal with this?"

Popov: "The employees of the orderly army are the same as laundresses. They can only be criticized and educated, and at most they can be put in solitary confinement."

Wang Zhong was about to criticize and educate his own washerwoman, when he heard the prisoner say a lot of things angrily.

Vasily: "He said that you - that is, we - will die tomorrow. The new weapons of the Prosen Empire will crush you. There will also be airborne troops to cooperate with the operation. It will be the largest assault operation of the empire."

Before Vasily had finished translating, the prisoner laughed hysterically, wiped his neck, and started chattering a lot.

Vasily: "He said that our death is imminent and that all of Ant will be finished before the anniversary of the founding of the country this year. Then everyone who participates in the conquest will receive huge estates."

Wang Zhong and others looked at each other.

Popov: "A plan to suspect soldiers?"

Pavlov shook his head: "No, our reconnaissance does show that the enemy is about to attack, and in terms of time, they must attack. If it continues, it will rain."

Ant has two mud periods a year.

One is that when the snow begins to melt in the spring, the ground becomes extremely muddy, which lasts from March to June.

The second one is shorter and is the rainy season in late autumn. The ground will become extremely muddy and the river will enter a short period of high water.

Pavlov: "After it rains, the water in the Duva River will rise to at least the third level of the hydrological column on the shore. At that time, it will be difficult to cross the river. And after the flood season, the navy's gunboats can come up. Could they? Do you want to use tanks and gunboats to shoot at each other?”

Wang Zhong: "So what this guy said is true. He will attack us tomorrow, as well as the airborne troops. Call Lieutenant General Kirinenko in the rear."

Pavlov immediately picked up the receiver: "Get Lieutenant General Kirinenko - this is the army command post! Hello? I am Pavlov, chief of staff of the 1st Guards Division. We have just received the latest news. Please Kirinenko." Lieutenant General Section will answer the call.”

After a while, Pavlov handed the receiver to Wang Zhong: "The lieutenant general is over there.

Wang Zhong took the receiver: "Lieutenant General Kirinenko, I have the latest news here. We have captured a prisoner. He said that the enemy will launch an attack tomorrow and airborne troops will land behind our division."

Kirinenko: "What size of airborne troops? Behind you is the position of the 331st Division. They are ordered to protect the railway line."

Wang Zhong held down the microphone, turned to Vasily and said, "Provoke the general and try to get him to tell the size of the airborne troops."

Vasily: "(Plosin) You won't succeed. Our troops at the rear are powerful and can easily crush your airborne troops! Those airborne troops can do nothing but add to our military exploits!"

The prisoner laughed loudly and said.

Vasily: "As I said, it's the 100th Airborne Chasseur Division, and everyone said there is also a special unit."

Wang Zhong: "Kirinenko, the enemy is probably an airborne Jaeger division and a special force of unknown size. I estimate that the special force will wear our military uniforms and speak the Ant language."

The latter sentence was added by Wang Zhong, based on the history of war on Earth.

Kirinenko was speechless: "Are we going to do this trick of disguised infiltration again? Yes, I happen to have an internal security division composed of inquisitors here. I'll let them go. They are professionals."

Wang Zhong: "There are also tank troops. The enemy's light infantry has no anti-tank weapons on the plains. The tank troops can destroy them."

"I will have the tank units in reserve ready to go at any time. Have you notified the Air Force?"

"I was about to inform you, but I only have the Yak-1 destroyer group here, so it probably won't be able to intercept the airdrop aircraft entering at high altitude. MiG-3 is needed."

"Then let me inform you that Kirinenko is done." After saying that, the other party hung up the phone directly.

Wang Zhong handed the receiver to Pavlov: "Call Kashuch again. It is impossible to attack only us. The 51st Army will also be attacked. Call the airport again and tell them to prepare for an emergency attack tomorrow morning. There may be Enemy air attack. I need Yak 1 to protect our heads."

The ZIS30 is particularly afraid of the air force because it has no protection at all. Even if the aircraft does not drop bombs and just strafes, the gunner operating the cannon will die.

If a Stuka drops a 500-kilogram bomb within 50 meters of the ZIS30, it will lose its combat effectiveness.

In addition to the 500 kilogram bomb, the "small sweet potato" with 50 attacks is also quite choking, and that's the price of the convertible.

Of course, Wang Zhong's ZIS30 may not be so afraid of enemy air attacks, because these days, Wang Zhong's troops have built many bunkers for ZIS30 in buildings on the river bank.

They opened a hole on the side of the building facing away from the river bank so that the ZIS30 could drive in, so that the windows on the side facing the river bank became a natural shooting port.

And as long as the gun barrel is not exposed and the gun is fired inside the house, it may not be discovered by the other side.

Despite this preparation, air cover was still better than none.

If the Stuka can throw 500 kilograms accurately, it will definitely cause a lot of damage to the ground.

Pavlov made several phone calls, and after finally issuing all the orders, he pressed the phone and looked at Wang Zhong: "I suggest you go to sleep now so that you can command us when the war starts."

Wang Zhong looked at the prisoner and said to Vasily: "Find a way to get him to tell you when to attack tomorrow."

Vasily immediately made a provocation.

The prisoner smiled contemptuously and said a lot.

Vasily: "He said there was nothing we could do even if we knew. The attack would be launched at half past four in the morning."

Wang Zhong and Pavlov looked at each other.

In fact, if this kind of thing hadn't really happened in the history of the earth, Wang Zhong would definitely suspect that this person was a spy.

In the history of war on Earth, Sandoku's prisoners exploded in self-confidence and revealed the plan, so the Soviet army was prepared.

Wang Zhong: "Then we will launch counter-artillery preparations at the enemy's assembly area at four o'clock, and try to let the enemy delay the attack time until nine o'clock in the morning, so that we cannot cooperate with their airborne troops."

Pavlov nodded: "Okay. You'd better go to bed quickly and let Nellie wake you up at three o'clock."

See you tomorrow