Arc of Gunfire

On November 12, at 1230 noon, the 2nd Armored Group Headquarters of the Prosen Army.

"The enemy's defense on Hill 391 is very strong. They placed the KV heavy tanks behind the high ground. We have no direct firepower to destroy it at a long distance. We can only be forced into close combat, and then we will be attacked by anti-tank tanks in the woods. Cannon attack."

After the staff introduction, he stopped and waited for General Moltke to ask questions.

General Moltke: "Have you found out what that weapon is? It's the weapon that the soldiers said 'seemed like an evil spirit howling'."

Staff officer: "Artillery experts have observed the firing of that weapon and thought it might be a rocket. After reporting it, the Imperial Academy of Sciences said they have a prototype called a smoker. The performance in testing was similar to this weapon."

Mao Qi frowned slightly: "I have heard of smokers, but I thought it was a smoke-generating device. Damn it, does the Imperial Academy of Science even want to hide it from me?"

The adjutant said at this time: "I have seen Rokosov's new weapon in actual combat, and it does fit the name of 'Smoke Brewer'. The flying ammunition does keep spitting smoke on its butt, and there is an obvious trajectory."

Moltke: "The smoker..."

The staff officer continued: "The Imperial Academy of Military Sciences also said that the firepower density of this weapon is actually an illusion. It takes a lot of time to reload after each launch. In addition, a launcher may have more than a dozen rockets on standby at the same time. For example, a dozen cannons fired a salvo within a few dozen seconds, creating a terrifying density of firepower.”

After the staff officer finished speaking, the adjutant added: "And we were attacked by smokers yesterday - the 11th and the day before yesterday on the 10th. We have not encountered them again today. Maybe the enemy does not have that much ammunition and has already finished the attack."

Moltke thought for a few seconds and then changed the topic: "What's the situation like when the highway is blocked by artillery fire?"

The staff officer lowered his head, turned the page in the book in his hand, and began to read: "The time the enemy's artillery fire will cover is uncertain. We initially suspected that the enemy had an artillery guide near the highway, so we conducted a careful search, but found none.

“In addition to timed shelling, the enemy would also carry out sudden fire attacks from time to time. Sometimes, they would even hit our troops right after the timed shelling.

"Due to the enemy's harassment, currently only one division of our troops has passed through the fire blockade area, and the slower-moving heavy equipment has not been able to pass."

Moltke left the map, walked around in the tent, and walked around three times before returning to the map: "Take the small road. We now call this road Yebao Avenue."

He picked up a pencil and wrote the words "Yebao Avenue" on the inconspicuous road on the map.

Moltke: "I have personally surveyed this road. It can be walked on motorcycles and half-tracks, but it will be bumpy. Tanks and assault guns can also go on it. As for whether trucks, horse-drawn carriages, and mule carts can go on it, that is not the case now. We have to consider.

"When the engineers smooth the road, everything will be fine! Take the small road!"

The adjutant frowned: "The logistics will be difficult, and there is really no way for heavy artillery to pass through such a small road."

Moltke: "Then rely on tank assault guns and half-track vehicle-mounted mortars to overcome it! Now we have to move forward, move forward, understand!"

He turned to the map and stared at the largest place name on the map.

"Forward! Advance at all costs! As long as we can hit the cannon to the Summer Palace, I think the enemy's will to resist will definitely collapse!"

————

Southwest of Kalanskaya, the city of Karaslyana Polyana is 35 kilometers from the center of Yekaterinburg and 15 kilometers from the Yekaterinburg Outer Ring Road. It has not yet been occupied by the Prosen army.

Telephone office clerk Tatyana Bolievna had her lunch at the telephone office as usual.

Karasyan Polyana is basically an empty city. Only a few residents still live here. Most people have gone to Yekaterinburg or cities further east.

In addition to the telephone exchange, the municipal offices are basically gone, but the local church is still operating, providing ham and custard products to the remaining residents.

But this supply has gradually decreased. Fortunately, there are not many people in the city, so even this little food is enough.

The priest has been persuading everyone to retreat quickly, but there are always some people who are reluctant to leave their nest.

Such was the case with Tatyana Bolievna.

She was eating when she heard the sound of a tractor on the street.

Karasyan Polyana is a small town with little industry. It is mainly a purchase and transshipment center for agricultural products, as well as a tractor station and a seed station.

But this was the first time Tatyana Bolievna heard such a loud tractor sound.

She leaned close to the window of the telephone exchange, looked outside, and then saw a large number of Prosin soldiers in gray military uniforms walking along the street.

The sound of a tractor was actually a Prosin half-track, which Tatyana had seen at a science fair hosted by the church.

She opened her mouth wide and hurriedly left the window, ran all the way into the telephone exchange counter, squatted behind the counter, pulled down a phone, and dialed a number.

The telephone exchange lines themselves were integrated into Yekaterinburg's telephone system, and calls could be made to all units in Yekaterinburg by dialing a number.

Tatyana Boliyevna called the Yeborg Defense Committee, but it took a long time to get through.

"Hello, City Defense Committee."

"My name is Bolievna, and this is Karaslyana Polyana! The Plosin people just invaded the city! The Plosin people just invaded the city!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Tatyana Bolievna heard the sound of machine gun fire from the direction of the church.

She subconsciously stood up and looked over there, but suddenly she found a Prosin man outside the window.

Before she could scream, the Prossens opened fire. The submachine gun shattered the window glass and hit the girl, causing her to slowly slide to the ground. The receiver in her hand still paged the voice of the operator of the City Defense Command: " Hello? "

Soldier Prothen stepped over the broken glass, walked to the counter, and looked inside.

"Damn it, she's a young girl." The soldier exclaimed, "I thought she was an enemy, otherwise I could feel better."

————

Since the church was not a heavily fortified city, there were not many civilians left in the city. The Skitarii of Karasyan Polyana only had one squad and one heavy machine gun.

Now heavy machine guns roared from the church lofts, spraying bullets into the streets.

The Prosen army that had just entered the city had no tanks, only motorcycles and half-tracks, so they could only drive the half-track into the shadow of the building, using the building to block the rear half of the body, and the machine gunners on the car fired at the attic.

While both sides were firing fiercely, the Prosen army had already surrounded them.

That platoon of skitarii had only rifles and was unable to stop the Prossens.

This was especially true after the machine guns of the Prosen infantry squad began firing.

The Prosin infantry climbed over the low wall of the church, entered the cemetery, and leaped toward the church using tombstones as cover.

Suddenly, a grenade was thrown from the church, knocking the two advancing soldiers to the ground.

Two Prossens immediately went to check on their fallen comrades, while the submachine gunner raised his gun and aimed at the window where the grenade was thrown.

The second grenade was thrown out of another window, right in front of the submachine gunner.

The submachine gunner immediately picked up the grenade and tried to throw it back, but it exploded before he could throw it.

The submachine gunner's entire right arm was blown to pieces and was bloody and bloody.

He screamed and fell to the ground.

But two other Plosen soldiers passed him and threw grenades through the window.

At the same time that the first shot exploded, the second shot was also fired.

Two grenades immediately ended all resistance on the first floor of the church. It is estimated that all the skitarii inside were dead.

The Proson soldier who was still hiding behind the tombstone stood up, carefully pushed to the back door of the church, kicked the door open and entered.

Ant soldiers staggered there in the church, and the church benches were blown beyond recognition by grenades.

Suddenly, there was a sound on the stairs leading to the attic. The Plosin soldiers immediately raised their guns and fired, just hitting the skitarii who were holding rifles and about to fire.

The Skitarii fell down the stairs and rolled to the ground.

The machine gun was still firing, and the Proson soldier pulled the grenade ring and threw it into the attic with a flick of his hand.

After the explosion, the machine gun finally stopped.

The Ploson soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, an Ant Skitarii soldier covered in blood rose from the ground, rushed into the Ploson soldiers, and fired a grenade.

After the explosion, the Skitarii fell, and at the same time the four Prossen soldiers beside him also fell.

The seriously injured Prosen soldier shouted: "Mom!"

————

General Mao Qi looked at the wounded soldiers in front of him and frowned: "Can you tell me what you just said again?"

Corporal Wounded Soldier: "Be careful of the injured Ants. They will rush towards us with their last grenades. They are not afraid of death at all. They are no longer human beings. They must be corpses created by them with evil magic, because they are already dead." , so you are not afraid of death!"

General Moltke frowned: "This is a rumor. In the Carolingians, there was also a saying that the witches in the forest would control the corpses. In the end, it was found that it was just a trick. The witches could at most use some witchcraft to make our soldiers sick."

The corporal interrupted General Moltke with a look of fear on his face: "That's the corpse! They regard death as going home, and they will have a fanatical smile on their faces!"

General Moltke was about to deny it again when the doctor came over and said: "General, he is stimulated and needs to rest. This situation is usually caused by the Ant people's heroics being too shocking. Moreover, speaking of this corporal alone, his four My companions were all killed by the same Ant who blew himself up, so they were left with psychological trauma.”

Mao Qi: "I want to understand the situation clearly..."

"The situation is," the doctor interrupted the general, "the Ant people have begun to regard death as death. Even if they are seriously injured and cannot use weapons, they will still use grenades. After all, Ant's grenades, as long as one hand can move and the teeth can still bite, It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the strength to throw, you can just pull out the ring. You can lure our soldiers over first and then pull the ring.”

Moltke: "We should have defeated their will to resist. Some army groups before collapsed after only losing 10%!"

"How do I know! I'm a doctor! I'm just telling you the truth!"

At this time, General Moltke's adjutant came in from outside the hospital and said nervously: "General!"

Mao Qi turned around: "What's wrong?"

Adjutant: "Come and take a look!"

————

General Mao Qi stretched out his hand to catch the snowflakes falling from the sky.

It's so thin that it doesn't even leave a chill in the palm of your hand.

Thousands of snowflakes fell from the sky.

General Moltke: "What temperature is it now?"

Adjutant: "Minus five degrees is acceptable to the troops."

General Moltke: "How many winter coats have you issued?"

"Less than thirty percent."

General Moltke: "Hurry! Rush to the city of Yebao and you can keep warm! After taking down Kalanskaya, we will be less than 20 kilometers away from the center of Yebao! The artillery can hit the Summer Palace! Be quick! Attack Kalanskaya at all costs!”

Good morning, see you tonight.