Arc of Fire

Chapter 639: Chapter 81: Preventing Prosen from Succeeding in Rome

"Naming, huh Wang Zhong stroked the stubble on his chin—these past days, the Headquarters has been on the move, and there have been all sorts of things keeping him busy, so he had no time to properly groom himself, resulting in a slightly scruffy appearance.

In fact, it wasn’t just him; at this time, the whole Abawahan Front Army looked somewhat unkempt, after all, the main force had been advancing so quickly these past few days that everyone was disheveled.

Wang Zhong was lost in thought.

Previously, he had named the Tank Destroyer “Whirlwind” because the War Thunder card 52’s Whirlwind anti-tank missile was terrifyingly effective. Now, here came the Assault Gun for demolishing fortifications, and it seemed that the Russians on Earth might not have any corresponding equipment.

It was at this moment that he suddenly had an idea, “This thing is used for breaching defenses, it can shatter the staunchest fortifications. I’ve decided to call it ‘Ulban.

Ke Jing was taken aback.@@novelbin@@

Pavlov frowned and asked Wang Zhong, “Although I know that your ranking as the bottom ‘last’ now looks mostly like an act, I still have to remind you, do you know that the country that rolled out the Urban mega cannon has fought us six times?”

Vasily, “The General is still from Kazarlia, so it’s more than six times. Your ancestors even wrote a letter taunting the Sultan.”

Besides, Wang Zhong thought, once the Federation’s Dragon Tug arrives, I’m going to play a game of land sailing, using the Dragon to tug speedboats for rapid river crossing.

Now all the components were ready.

Initially, Wang Zhong had considered naming the Assault Gun “Vast Knowledge” because every time he encountered a tough nut to crack, he could shout out “Vast Knowledge, save me,” like in his favorite pre-time travel game “Black Myth Wukong.”

But in the end, he gave up on that idea because it was too troublesome to explain.

The Chief Engineer of Ke Jing, “Ulban, huh? The mega cannon that blasts open the outer walls of Plowsonia, makes sense. Let’s report it to the Equipment Department like that.”

Wang Zhong, “Chief Engineer Ke Jing, do you still plan to stay at the front line?”

Ke Jing pushed his glasses up, “Of course, I need to analyze the performance of the equipment in real-time. The usage reports you’ve written before when using them were terrible. To get detailed firsthand data, I have to be here.

"Don’t worry though, I won’t be at the very front line; I’ll stay with the train transporting the prototype vehicle.”

Wang Zhong, “That’s still very dangerous. I recommend you delegate your most trusted assistant to stay behind and record the firsthand data.”

Ke Jing hesitated for a few seconds, then agreed, “Okay, I will leave my most trusted team behind, all my most promising students. They will send the detailed reports back to Yeburg.”

Wang Zhong nodded, then turned to ask Pavlov, “How far is the front line from us now?”

Pavlov had an expression of impending doom, “20 kilometers. What, are you planning to drive a little tank and break through the lines yourself?”

Wang Zhong, “Might as well test its cross-country mobility along the railway, and if it breaks down halfway, we can send out the train for rescue.”

Pavlov shook his head, “Alright then, go for it. I’ve just looked at the armor values on the table; it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Wang Zhong clenched his fist like a child who had just gotten parental permission to go out and play.

Pavlov, “But, it also takes time to unload this thing. Rather than that, let’s rest up for today, treat the engineers who’ve come to the frontline to a meal, and then we can set off after we’re prepared tomorrow.”

Wang Zhong raised his hand to check the time, realizing indeed it was too late today to rush out in a small tank, and had to agree regretfully, “You’re right.” 𝙧ＡℕꝋВÊS̈

On the clear morning of December 17, the Headquarters of the 16th Armored Grenadier Division of the 11th Armored Army from the Tenth Group Army of Prosens.

This division was now deployed in the northeastern suburbs of Yarvik, its defense sector being the far left of the Tenth Group Army’s East Bank defense sector along the Suhayaweili River.

The railway coming from Novorossk passed through this division’s defense sector.

Division Commander Schultz inspected the defensive line early in the morning, walking and boosting morale.

When passing by the machine gun position of the 1st Battalion of the 35th Armored Grenadier Corps, he stopped and said to the machine gunner, “Drag the machine gun back a bit. It’s too exposed, and the gunfire is too conspicuous when shooting.”

"Yes,” replied the Sergeant Machine Gunner, immediately directing the newly assigned recruit to move the tripod’s position.

Schultz left, satisfied.

The recruit immediately asked the Sergeant, “Isn’t the Division Commander making too big a deal out of personally directing the positioning of the tripod?”

The Sergeant shook his head, “Half a year ago, the Division Commander got played by Vice Admiral Rokossovsky, and it was quite a nasty trick. Back then, we were on alert for Rokossovsky’s attack every day, but eventually, Rokossovsky ran off. When we went to check, we discovered that what the aerial reconnaissance saw, as tanks, were all made of wood.

"Looking back on it, anyone would come to the conclusion that Rokossovsky had no intention of attacking at all; he was just scaring us to keep us on defense, creating an opportunity for his own retreat.

"Now General Rokossovsky is coming at us full force with an army of a million men. Our Division Commander wants some vindication! After all, half a year ago, our superiors were also convinced Rokossovsky was going to attack with his million-man army and demanded we hold the line just like the current situation!”

The new recruit digested the sergeant’s words for a moment, “Got it, six months ago the division commander was determined to hold back Rokossovsky’s million-strong army, and now that determination has carried over, right?”

"That’s one way to understand it,” the sergeant patted the new recruit on the shoulder.

The new recruit frowned, “But, can we really hold back a million-man army? Our division only has fifteen thousand troops, right?”

"You just don’t get it,” the sergeant said. “A million-man army can’t possibly come at us all at once. We have fifteen thousand troops defending a wide sector, so the enemy can only commit tens of thousands to attack our defenses. In the end, it’s still one-on-one combat; it’s just that the enemy’s forces are inexhaustible.”

The new recruit’s face fell, “Is that something you can just say so nonchalantly?”

The sergeant laughed, “What else can we do? That’s why I told you yesterday to make sure you wrote a few more letters home and gave them to the quartermaster to send back.”

Schultz continued his inspection all the way to the anti-tank gun position, scrutinizing each concrete-reinforced bunker.

Each bunker concealed two PAK40 anti-tank guns, with each bunker set up to create crossfire, ensuring that no matter how the attacking tanks “posed,” at least one gun could strike its side armor.

Inspecting the last and largest bunker, Schultz ran his hands over the 88mm gun in the center and praised, “Good, very good. This way the 88 can maximize its firepower, continuously destroying the enemy’s tanks.”

The anti-tank gun corps commander in charge of the position bragged, “Our position can withstand an attack of at least 100 tanks. Rokossovsky won’t be able to break through here.”

Schultz nodded, “Mmm, very good. Rokossovsky likes to play tricks, he has never fought us in a fair fight. This time let’s give him a bloody nose!”

In fact, at Abawahan, Rokossovsky had already fought Sixth Army Group fairly, but Schultz wouldn’t acknowledge that.

After talking tough, Schultz moved to the Artillery Mirror, pressing his eye to the eyepiece and observing while asking the deputy officer who accompanied him on the rounds, “How many of our forces passed through last night?”

"Not many,” the deputy officer answered. “Our forces outside the city have completely withdrawn inside. Currently, we are at the very edge of the defensive area, and the Second Infantry Army’s defensive line is across the Suhayaweili River, facing us.”

"Good.” Schultz slightly adjusted the Artillery Mirror, ensuring there was no sign of the enemy in front, before giving back the observation post to the gunner observer.

He turned, hands clasped behind his back, and told the deputy officer, “Rokossovsky’s troops have probably been running day and night for too long, just like the remnants of the Second Group Army, exhausted. He might need a week to rest before he can launch an attack! We can continue to strengthen our defenses; the longer he rests, the higher the price to take our position!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth, than the rumble of engines sounded from outside.

Schultz recognized it immediately, the sound coming from the northeast, and he quickly pushed aside the gunner observer, eyes glued to the eyepiece, and then he saw white dust rising on the horizon.

Tanks in a Strike Formation were moving in!

Schultz frowned, “Impossible, how could Rokossovsky attack without artillery preparation?”

"Could it be a ruse?” the deputy officer suggested. “Lure us into position and then prepare the artillery fire?”

After a thought, Schultz ordered, “Tell the soldiers not in the bunkers to keep hiding in the anti-gun holes, order everyone in the bunkers to be fully combat ready!”

The anti-tank gun corps commander, who had just declared Rokossovsky couldn’t possibly breakthrough here, immediately began to shout, “Combat ready! Get moving, you swines! Ring the combat bell!”

The bell rang through the bunkers and the passages below, and Plowsian gunners who were still in the barracks ran out rapidly, rushing to their combat positions.

Ammunition elevators rose from the ammunition depots at the bottom, then the shells were carried to each gun position.

As the soldiers prepared for battle, Schultz continued to observe the snowfield with the Artillery Mirror.

Enemy tanks appeared!

Although these tanks were very far away, appearing as vague outlines in the Artillery Mirror, Schultz still recognized them as the “old friends” – T34 tanks.

"Very good, very good, all trash that our PAK40 can handle from a distance,” Schultz said happily. “The Anteans are about to get a bloodied nose again here. Rokossovsky really hasn’t learned General Gorky’s tactics; this really helps!”

The Supreme Command Department of Plowsonia had already summarized General Gorky’s flood offensive tactics and distributed the reports to staff and general officers.

Naturally, Schultz had carefully studied the report.

Schultz said, “If Rokossovsky adopted that tactic, given the troop strength and width of our defenses, we would quickly be breached.”

Suddenly, his words came to a halt.

Because he saw a silhouette completely different from the T34 and KV series.

No, there were two silhouettes.

One looked like a giant turtle, the other was blocky, with sharp angles.

Schultz, “What the hell is that?”