Arc of Gunfire

Vassily received the task and rode Bucephala around the city.

He stopped an old man on the side of the road and asked in Melania language, which he had learned at the last minute: "Uncle, I'm looking for the headquarters address for Marshal Rokossov. Do you know where there is a complete house? I haven't found it after searching for a long time."

Old man: "Marshal's headquarters? Young man, you can only go to see if there are any intact houses in the headquarters and barracks of the Prosen people. Look at the church over there. It is the best preserved house in our neighborhood."

Vassily looked up at the half-collapsed church and scratched his head.

The old man was afraid that he didn't believe it, so he added: "Look, where are there any houses around here!"

Vassily didn't even need to look around. He had just looked, and there were indeed no intact big houses in several blocks.

"Okay, please show me where the enemy headquarters is." Vasily took out the map and spread it in front of the old man.

The old man: "I can't read a map, but I know how to get there. Come with me, young man."

The old man staggered forward.

Bucephalas immediately followed his pace.

The old man: "Our street used to be very beautiful. There was a pianist who played the piano every day. I heard that the pianist also had two decent jobs at the National Radio Station and the Philharmonic Orchestra. His wife is a soprano singer. She would practice her voice in the attic in the morning."

Vassily: "Where are they now?"

The old man: "At first, the singer thought it was not bad to be a Proson, and the pianist also agreed with his wife's opinion. After all, Melania has lost her freedom for more than a hundred years. Instead of being ruled by the Ante barbarians, it is better to let the Proson come.

"Many intellectuals had this idea at the time. They actively wanted to work hard to upgrade to authentic Prosons."

Vassily: "What? Isn't this the surrender faction? In Ant, people like him have been killed by the Inquisition, and even their relatives and friends have been arrested and sent to the Far East to dig potatoes. "

Grandpa: "At that time, the guerrillas also had a special squad to do this, and they would hang these Melania traitors from time to time. But the Prosen people helped the guerrillas a lot."

Vassily: "What do you mean?"

"You don't know, young man, the Prosen people really treat us Melania people like pigs to kill. The pianist's wife was asked to kneel down and lick the shoes of a Prosen lieutenant because she stepped on the road and dirty the shoes.

"After the singer licked it, the lieutenant deliberately made things difficult and spit on him to let him continue licking. At this time, the singer refused to do it and said that I know your Major von Hoffman and I want to complain.

"The lieutenant pulled out a pistol and shot her to death.

"Afterwards, Major von Hoffman gave the pianist a gift box with a greeting card on it saying 'Congratulations on finding a new wife'. The lieutenant was fine and was promoted soon after."

Vassily: "What happened next?"

"Then the pianist invited the major to dinner, got him drunk and killed him, then set his house on fire, took the major's head as a token of his allegiance, and joined the guerrillas."

Vassily: "The guerrillas actually let him join? Don't you suspect he's a spy sent by the enemy?"

Old man: "It is said that the pianist had a request to the guerrillas to kill the lieutenant who shot his wife, the lieutenant, and hang him on the street for public display, with a sign on his body that said his crime. He wanted to participate in this action in person.

"Later, the guerrillas sent two volunteers to him, and the three of them really set an ambush on the lieutenant's way to check on the post and achieved their goal."

Vassily: "Oh, so that's it. "

"Plosen has occupied this city for six years. Such things happen every day. Those who originally supported their occupation have gradually joined the guerrillas.

"Hermann is right. Resistance is the only way out. Resistance is not just a bullet, but a life with dignity and honor."

Vassily: "Of course, we have to be free."

The old man looked back at Vasily: "Young people don't remember when Ant ruled us. But I remember. You are the adjutant of the marshal, right? Do you still plan to treat us as a principality of Ant as before?"

Vassily: "The marshal said that Melania will exist as an independent country and will become an ally of Ant. As long as we believe in secularism, we are Davarish, and nationality is not important."

The old man nodded: "Yes, when we resisted the Tsar's uprising, the secularists also stood with us and were suppressed for this.

"I want to talk to you for a while, but we are here, and the Plosen occupation army headquarters is in front. "

Vassily looked up and saw a group of buildings that were not damaged.

There were a lot of bullet holes on the walls of the building complex, but it seemed that the guerrillas could not break into them with their firepower. Even the wooden sentry box at the door remained intact.

A guerrilla was already standing in front of the sentry box, but he was chatting with a girl.

Vassily rode over and asked, "Why are you chatting with a girl while standing guard?"

"The Prosen people were defeated and ran away with their tails between their legs. We won!" the young man replied, "Of course we have to enjoy the flowers and the girls' praise!"

Vassily said seriously, "Asshole! With the recovery speed of the Prosen people, they will be able to reorganize their troops tomorrow and launch a tentative counterattack. If you underestimate the enemy, you will suffer a lot!"

The guerrillas frowned: "Who are you? Marshal Rokossov has beaten the enemy away. His troops are chasing the enemy. No Prosin will ever return to this city again!"

Vasily: "Who told you that?"

"Everyone says so! Who are you? I think you are a spy!"

"I am the adjutant of Marshal Rokossov. I have been ordered to establish a headquarters, count the captured weapons, and prepare to organize defense!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the walkie-talkie in the saddlebag rang. Vasily immediately took out the walkie-talkie and heard someone shouting: "Vasily, I found a few officers according to your statement, have you found the address of the headquarters? "

"You come to the Plosen Occupation Force Headquarters. There is a well-preserved large house here."

"Okay, come on!"

Vasily put down the radio and looked at the sentry: "The officer corps that established the headquarters will be here soon. By the way, since you are the sentry, there is a guerrilla department in it now, right?"

"Yes, our captain and a detachment are searching for evidence of the enemy's crimes."

"Evidence of guilt?" Vasily frowned, "Instead of first counting the weapons and ammunition and distributing them to the necessary troops to prepare for organizing defense, you are looking for evidence of guilt?"

"As for weapons and ammunition, the weapons depot has just been opened and has been distributed to the people."

"What?" Vasily was shocked, "How can you guarantee that these weapons will not be used to do bad things?"

Sentinel: "How come, everyone is a good person after victory——"

"Asshole! Stop the distribution of weapons! Every time we liberate a new city, one of the top priorities is to collect the weapons hidden by the people. Otherwise, robbers, gangsters and gang members will do evil if they take the weapons!

"There are even pseudo-police forces established by the Prosen people who are using weapons to cause chaos! All weapons must be confiscated!"

The sentry saw that Vasily was anxious and became at a loss: "This...the weapons have been distributed..."

Vasily pressed his forehead: "It's bad, it's bad...who is leading the municipal government now?"

If weapons recovery is initiated by municipal authorities, the situation should still be controllable.

"I am the leader!" A man in a suit and leather shoes walked out, "I was the district chief of the Capital Bridge District before the war, and I have been leading the underground struggle over the years."

"Pull him down! It must be me!" Another man wearing an old Melania Army uniform came out of the alley and came to Vasily in three steps. "I am a former major of the Melania Defense Forces, and I have also been leading Resistance war, you see, the injuries on my body are from these days! It is the mayor of Daqiao District who is said to be leading the underground struggle. The enemy hunted him first! "

The man who claimed to be the district chief said loudly: "I am here to preserve the fire of resistance! How can I resist even if I am arrested?"

"You just ran away! Your Excellency, Ant's military officer, how could you allow a deserter to serve as a municipal leader?"

The man who claimed to be the district chief: "But I know the administrative work, can you do it? Can you organize the administrative work well?"

The two started arguing.

At this time, a Proson half-track vehicle drove over. The Iron Cross logo on the half-track vehicle was painted over with red paint and a golden five-pointed star was painted on it.

On the half-track were a group of officers from Melania's People's Army.

Vasily: "You guys are here. I think the top priority now is to immediately put the Melania People's Army under de facto military control of the city, and transfer some of the troops from the Melania People's Army into local police."

The officer in the car was unhappy: "Why should we rush to Prosonia?"

Vasily: "See for yourself."

Melania naturally understood what the two quarreling people were arguing about, and quickly frowned.

Vasily: "Without martial law, there will be chaos. They have just distributed all the weapons in the arsenal to civilians."

"Ah?" Everyone on the half-track car showed surprised expressions.

"How does this work?"

"It's broken. There will be frequent thefts, robberies and murders for at least a week."

When Ant troops enter the city normally, there will be a large number of secular clergy. Even in Melania, after entering the city, the clergy will quickly establish a local organization and rebuild the local social order with the church as the center.

But in this sudden attack, all the clergy were dead, and the clergy brigade from the logistics department had not yet arrived.

Now things get tricky.

A captain of Melania’s People’s Army suggested: “The guerrillas should be incorporated and each company should be assigned three or four non-commissioned officers.”

Vasily asked the sentry: "Do you have a company?"

The sentry shook his head: "No. In the past, we were divided into groups according to different zones. There were one team and two detachments in the zone. Now - the detachment leaders have been dead for several generations, and I don't know who is carrying the two signs now."

Vasily: "Come on, they don't have a company structure. Anyway, gather your own troops first, find a way to control the situation, collect weapons, and withstand Prosen's counterattack tomorrow."

Captain Melania: "However, none of us can find our troops. The pig suddenly advanced thirty kilometers. I don't know if any of my men are still alive."

Vasily held his forehead.

But he immediately had an idea: "Now that the matter is over, let's plant the mines first. No one will definitely want the mines in the arsenal. We took out the mines and started burying them immediately. In order to make it easier to bury the mines, we requisitioned trucks on the spot and took them with us. The troops went to lay mines.”

Captain Melania: "What a good idea. I'll ask my fellow villagers to take us to the only way the enemy can enter the city and lay mines."

Vasily: "Also, the enemy's anti-tank guns should be used. I feel that there shouldn't be many civilians who want such heavy shells. Control the guns and push them to the defensive position.

"The surrounding air defense positions must also be controlled so that we can have basic defense capabilities. Also, we need to add radio stations and ask for reinforcements from the back!"

After a short pause, Vasily said: "There is also the railway. Restore the operation of the train station and send armored trains up quickly. At least we have some heavy artillery firepower to face the enemy's attack."

After that, he looked at Melania's officers: "Execute! Take your own tasks."

"I'll go bury mines."

"I'm familiar with anti-aircraft guns. Go take over the anti-aircraft gun positions."

"I'll go to the train station."

"I'll set up the radio."

Vasily watched the officers scatter, and then turned his head to look at the two Melania "senior officials" who were already wrestling with each other.

He asked the sentry: "Are your leaders always like this?"

"Those who are still alive are almost the same. "The sentry replied, and then asked, "Will the enemy really counterattack tomorrow?"

"I think so. Tomorrow is a tentative attack, because they have not yet reorganized their situation. The day after tomorrow is a large-scale counterattack. By then, their reinforcements should have arrived."

The two people who were scuffling stopped, turned their heads and asked Vasily in unison: "Will the enemy come back?"

Vassily nodded: "Yes, there will be a large-scale counterattack the day after tomorrow."

The "district head" and the "guerrilla leader" looked at each other, let go of each other, and said while tidying up their clothes:

"The district head has rich administrative experience, so you should be the head of this municipal government."

"No, no, I have no combat experience. The Prosen people are about to come back, so you who have combat experience should be the head of this municipal government!"

Vassily: "None of you can think of being one. We will organize a military control committee to temporarily take over the city. The guerrillas who participated in the battle can vote for people they trust to become members of the military control committee. The composition of the Military Control Commission is four representatives of the guerrillas and six representatives of the Ante Army. That's it!

"After the Prosens are driven away, our secular priests and logistics clerks will arrive in this city. At that time, they will help you set up your own municipal organs and select leaders that all Melania people can accept."

At this time, the old man who brought Vasily said: "Why not give Melania's crown directly to Marshal Rokossov? I heard that he is the brother of the Tsar, which means he has the blood of Antonov, and he can inherit it."

Vassily was embarrassed: "This... It is true that the marshal is the brother of the Tsar, but his brother is a foster brother."

"Oh." The old man nodded, "Then let His Majesty the Tsar inherit the crown, Send the governor to rule again, just like before. "

Vassily: "No, the marshal will not agree to it."

"I really won't agree to it." A captured Plossen barrel car drove over, and Marshal Rokossov got off the car, "Vassily, you are right, the plan of forming a military control committee with reliable officers and secular priests in the Melania People's Army is feasible. After that, the church will select priests who are familiar with the local situation and too old to join the People's Army from the Melania refugees in Ant to come and form a government. "

Marshal Rokossov paused and solemnly announced: "The Melania people won their freedom through fighting, and I will protect their freedom. "