Arc of Gunfire

October 11th.

After the rainy season came, the Plosen Army maintained its offensive for two days and then had to stop.

"What do you mean there are not enough artillery shells?" Giles asked, staring at the major general of the logistics force. "The enemy still has the leisure to ruin our lives every night! Are you telling me that our artillery shells have been used up first?"

The logistics major general replied with a straight face: "Lieutenant general, the enemy is less than 400 kilometers away from their industrial center Yebao, and our supply line is 700 kilometers in Ant territory alone.

“In addition, because the track gauge used by Ante is different from ours, trains from our country cannot drive directly to Ant’s railway system and can only be transferred to the station here in Ant and then regrouped.

"Because of this, we have always relied heavily on car transportation and mules and horses on the road, but after the rainy season, cars and mules and horses were greatly affected."

"What kind of impact would it have to prevent the supply of cannonballs?" Giles asked.

"A huge impact." The logistics major general repeated the words he just used, and then added, "So the ammunition is piled at the train station and cannot be delivered. But we are already mobilizing more mules and horses to concentrate on supplying artillery shells to your troops. , your cannons will be able to continue firing tomorrow."

Giles: "Where did you mobilize 'more' mules and horses from?"

Logistics Major General: "Divert from the transport capacity of secondary supplies. Anyway, the war will be over by the end of the year, and the need for some supplies is not so urgent."

Giles sighed: "Okay, let's continue the attack tomorrow. Let the troops rest as much as possible today. Feliz, do we still have tobacco and alcohol in our supplies?"

Feliz immediately replied: "From the list of supplies I saw, there should be more."

"Send it to the troops!" Giles said.

————

Wang Zhong looked at the time: "It's eight o'clock in the morning and there's no shelling yet. Will the enemy be out of shells?"

He looked out the observation window.

After two days of fighting, the enemy used blasting tubes to blow up the breakwater and create a slope that could be attacked.

In addition, the enemy also built three pontoon bridges on the river, but all three bridges were blown apart, leaving only the half close to the enemy.

The entire river beach was full of Prosen corpses, and because of the continuous rain, the corpses were all swollen and ulcerated, emitting a strong stench.

Popov also came to the window and looked at the river bank: "The water in the well has begun to deteriorate, indicating that the shallow groundwater has been contaminated. And there is this damn stench. If we don't retreat, many soldiers will get sick. The hospital received three patients yesterday A case of vomiting and diarrhea may be cholera.”

Wang Zhong: "But we have to wait until all the troops currently semi-surrounded have been withdrawn."

The Western Front ordered a full retreat on the second day of rain.

Because the various units of the front army are very exhausted and have suffered huge casualties, they may completely collapse if they do not retreat.

The new troops have organized a new line of defense on the Tula line near the front headquarters. These withdrawn troops will rest and replenish east of Tula.

Some of the troops with particularly serious losses will be withdrawn to the area east of Yebao for more thorough rest and recuperation.

Wang Zhong turned around and looked at the battle line map on the wall. Many troops on the protrusion east of Shostka had already withdrawn. Most of the remaining troops were out of contact with the enemy and were passing behind the 1st Guards Infantry Division. space removed.

Pavlov put down the phone receiver and reported to Wang Zhong: "There is currently no attack on the entire front, and the 51st Army is also quiet."

After speaking, he also looked at the map on the wall.

Pavlov: "If we had not blocked the enemy at the Duwa River, I am afraid hundreds of thousands of troops would have been surrounded in this salient."

Wang Zhong: "The overall tactical concept has been realized. Now it depends on whether we can withdraw completely. And...how long it will take to withdraw."

At this time, the communications staff officer came in with the newly decoded message: "Order from the Front Army Headquarters."

Wang Zhong: "Read it."

Communications Staff Officer: "The Front Army Headquarters has sent the Guards 1st 'Red Flag' Mechanized Infantry Division. Your unit has successfully completed the blocking mission and should evacuate the current defensive area at 0:00 tonight. The rearguard troops will cover our retreat to the Soviet Union outside Yebao." Hayaveli rests.”

Wang Zhong immediately looked for the place name on the map. Pavlov was faster than him: "Here. You can get there by train. We should ask for more wagons from behind. Anyway, look..."

Pavlov looked out the observation window and made a gesture, which meant "Look, the enemy has stopped shelling anyway."

Wang Zhong: "You want me to use my special relationship again?"

Pavlov: "It's raining now, and you don't want our luggage to get stuck in the mud, so you have to give up, right? There are so many cannons, anti-tank guns, and your little tanks!"

Wang Zhong curled his lips: "Okay, I'll make a call——"

Then the phone rang.

Pavlov muttered "Don't let the enemy attack" and picked up the receiver: "Division Headquarters. Hello, Your Majesty. I will give him the phone right now."

After speaking, Pavlov poked the receiver towards Wang Zhong: "The Patriarch is looking for you."

Wang Zhong took the receiver and said, "Your Majesty, I send you my regards."

Belinsky asked straight to the point: "Did the front army give you an order to retreat?"

"Exit, let me withdraw from Shostka at midnight tonight. Your Majesty, can you use your influence and send us some carriages?"

"An empty wagon?"

"Yes, we don't need ammunition and supplies here. The extra food we can't eat and take away has to be burned. In addition, in addition to the combatants and logistics personnel of our division, we also have laborers and guards who support us. The teaching army, they and their families also need to retreat. This requires..."

Wang Zhong looked at Pavlov.

Pavlov gestured with five fingers.

Wang Zhong: "We need five hundred wagons!"

Pavlov's eyes widened.

When Wang Zhong saw him like this, he immediately changed his mind: "Fifty wagons."

Pavlov was speechless and said directly: "We need five standard military columns, and fifty knots are too few. We have almost 40,000 people!"

Wang Zhong immediately said: "Five standard military columns."

The Patriarch laughed loudly. It was obvious that he was in a very good mood today: "I will give you five military columns with 40 carriages. If we set off now, we should be able to reach you in the evening."

Wang Zhong: "Very good, then we will wait."

"Looking forward to your triumphant return. Then, we'll see you in the capital then."

"See you in the capital, Your Majesty."

Wang Zhong hung up the phone.

Pavlov: "So how many wagons are there?"

Wang Zhong: "200 knots, five columns of troops."

Pavlov snapped his fingers: "Okay, we will immediately organize the retreat plan and arrange the order of the troops to board the train. Anyway, the armored train will be cut off in the end."

Wang Zhong: "Let the artillery be a little tired. We will shoot all the remaining shells today. We will leave with only the artillery and people."

Pavlov: "No problem."

————

At eight o'clock in the evening on October 11, Colonel Kozelski, commander of the Navy's River Fleet, came to the division bunker.

"Salute to you, General Rokossov." The colonel extended his hand to Wang Zhong, "You are truly a star of victory. I never dreamed that I could retreat from here alive."

Wang Zhong held the colonel's hand and was about to speak when a loud noise came from outside.

Wang Zhong was startled and was about to go to the observation window to look out, but the colonel held him back: "Don't worry, it was us who blew up our gunboat. We can't let the Prossens use it against us in the future. ? The water here is so shallow that it can be salvaged quickly if it sinks. ”

Wang Zhong: "Did you hold a proper ceremony to say goodbye to it?"

Kozelski: "Of course, we gave the boat spirit a grand farewell ceremony."

Boat spirit? That ship is not the Golden Melly!

Kozelski looked outside: "It's so strange. We obviously retreated and handed over the land, the land full of the blood of our comrades, to the invaders and to the devil, but at this time we have a completely victorious mentality. "

Wang Zhong: "Of course this is a victory. This time we did not leave any common people behind, and did not let the skitarii stop us. We still have the strength to fight again. We just evacuated voluntarily for strategic goals."

Kozelski smiled and said: "Lengthen the enemy's supply line so that the enemy cannot supply winter clothes, and then annihilate the enemy with the help of General Winter, right?"

Wang Zhong: "Yeah, it's a complete conspiracy. I think the smartest among the enemy's generals have discovered it, but the enemy has to step on it for their own goals. They can only bet their hope on taking Ye Fort. "

Pavlov: "I propose we have a drink!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nelly came over with wine and glasses.

Wang Zhong: “Where did you get the wine?”

Nelly: "I got it from the local wine cellar of Mr. Boyer. I don't know if it is a good wine."

Vasily picked up the wine bottle, took a look at it, and praised: "Triani! This is good wine! Come on, I'll pour it for everyone."

Vasily deftly removed the corks and filled all the glasses.

After everyone present took a cup, they discovered that there was an extra cup.

Wang Zhong: "Nellie! Come too! Today is a happy day, you must have a drink!"

Nellie could only pick up the wine glass.

Wang Zhong: "For a staged victory!"

Pavlov: "Cheers!"

Everyone drank the wine in one gulp.

Nelly's face started to turn red immediately after she drank a glass of wine.

Vasily suggested: "Shall we leave some information to the enemy? Just like the general left for the enemy last time. How many booby traps should we write this time?"

Wang Zhong: "No, no, the enemy's commander is named Gil Ace, and he is very capable. If he doesn't approach the river bank through soil work, their losses will be even greater."

Pavlov: "But it is also possible that we will attack after we have exhausted our artillery shells."

Everyone laughed.

Popov reminded seriously: "In fact, in his two days of strong attacks, we lost 25% of our troops. That means our troops have high morale and strong fighting spirit. We lost 25% of our troops without blinking." In the blink of an eye, the other troops would have collapsed."

Wang Zhong: "Yes, for such an opponent, of course we have to congratulate him on his victory!"

Vasily: "I'll write... Isn't it a bit funny to write in pencil?"

Pavlov yelled, "Bring in a piece of black coal!"

Soon a piece of black charcoal was brought in - it was almost winter and this kind of heating stuff was everywhere.

Pavlov pointed to the wall where the map had been removed and said: "Just write on the wall, make it bigger."

Wang Zhong: "You write like this: 'Dear Giles'. What is his military rank?"

Everyone looked at each other, no one knew.

Wang Zhong: "In this way, without mentioning the name, write 'Dear Commander Proson, you have fully demonstrated the art of war to us, so we sincerely congratulate you on your victory!'"

Night...good morning!

Oops, I realized that I forgot to write in the title that this is a supplementary update... Forget it, I'll give you this chapter for free.