Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 748: Chapter 5 “The Only Trouble is Rocossov

At the same moment, at the Eagle’s Nest.

The Plathen Emperor set down the phone and looked at everyone, “Marshal Erwin agreed, we will have four brand new Armored Divisions. The urgent matter now is to rush in replenishing our front-line forces, how many battalions can we provide to the Southern Army Group by September?”

The Celtic Marshal replied, “51.”

The Emperor’s smile froze.

The Celtic Marshal hurriedly explained, “Your Majesty, there are only nineteen days left until September, so we can only provide troops that completed their training in August. In total, we will have 140 battalions completing their training, totaling 70,000 troops.”

“70,000 troops!” The Emperor slammed the table, “In nineteen days, you can only provide 70,000 men for the front line!”

The Celtic Marshal continued to explain, “Initially, when the expansion of the forces was quick, it was because there were a large number of existing personnel who had either served in the military or had even participated in the Melania campaign.

“These people could be rapidly reorganized and join the forces. That’s why our military expansion was fast at that time.

“But now, we can only conscript adult males who turn of age each month, which is about 70,000 people per month, hence the 140 battalions.

“Of course, the number of males becoming adults each month exceeds these 70,000, but according to our current mobilization phase, young people studying in universities and those in technical schools with key skills are not included in the conscription.”

Deflated, the Emperor sat down in his chair, “What can we do with 70,000 men? Once Rocossov begins to attack, we will lose that many men on the first day! And these are all new recruits, where do the Anteans pull out so many troops from?”

The intelligence agent Duke Redweizi of Rabowell immediately said, “According to information from the Krat Bureau, the Antean military forces are also exhausted. They have used up their young males, and the front line is filled with a large number of female soldiers!

“This report aligns very closely with what we have encountered on the front lines!”

Marshal Xiplin, who had returned from the front lines to attend the meeting and was promoted by chance, spoke, “Last year, near the beachhead at Abawahan, there was a large group of maid soldiers. The Moravian units that attacked the outpost also claimed to have seen fighting maids, and there were similar rumors in our forces. I suspect this is not without basis.”

Duke Redweizi immediately added, “Yes, the same answers were obtained when interrogating prisoners, saying the ‘General’s maids’ were among us, suggesting that Rocossov has formed a women’s troop.”

Marshal Von Bock from the Central Army Group also chimed in, “Reports from various units have mentioned the discovery of a large number of female snipers who fight more bravely than men. There are also female anti-aircraft gunners. The Ante Army’s swift expansion must surely have come from conscripting a large number of women!”

General Moochi exclaimed, “Unbelievable, don’t Antean male soldiers feel ashamed?”

After pondering for a moment, the Emperor solemnly asked, “If we were to mobilize women, how many forces could we expand?”

Everyone present, with the exception of Giles, showed a shock upon their faces.

“Absolutely not!” the Army Commander Rundstedt Marshal exclaimed, “It would be a disgrace to the National Defense Army! War is a man’s affair; it has always been this way throughout history!”

Giles asked, “Just because it has always been this way, does that make it right?”

This statement resonated powerfully, and the operations room of the Eagle’s Nest fell silent.

Giles broke the silence himself, “Ante has indeed employed a large number of female soldiers, and there are also many girls among their hired workers. The girls carry stretchers and transport military supplies just like men. According to their propaganda, Ante’s factories also employ a large number of female workers, and the agricultural fields in the rear are all worked by women.

“It is precisely because of this, they have erupted with such wartime potential now, and they naturally have a larger population than we do.

“If we are to compete with Ante, we must fully mobilize women. Does it really matter whether a machine gun is operated by a man or a woman? Experienced machine gunners are just adjusting the degrees on the tripod’s turret and then smoothly pushing back and forth the machine gun handle, evenly sweeping fire.

“Women can do the same thing, even during menstruation!”

The Celtic Marshal directly laughed, “If that’s the case, then it will be a question where the blood on the machine gun comes from!”

“I am not joking!” Giles said, “When we were in military school, we could never outshoot Duchess Rael’s daughter, even when she was menstruating, she could hit the bullseye every time!”

At this point, the Emperor, who had first brought up the possibility of conscripting women, spoke up, “Giles, stop it, or they’ll start suspecting you’ve adopted the thoughts of the Secular faction, that you’re a potential Secular party member.”

Giles closed his mouth.

The Generals all noticeably breathed a sigh of relief.

The Emperor then said, “However, having women take on more national duties shouldn’t be a problem! We can’t just have them be secretaries or textile workers, they also need to contribute to the Empire.”

The military men did not oppose this, but the Empire’s industrial minister attending the meeting furrowed his brows as if they were about to twist into knots.

The Emperor spoke again, “Returning to military matters, can we send all these 140 battalions into the Southern Army Group?”

“A one-time infusion of too many new recruits could actually weaken the combat effectiveness of the troops,” Marshal Celt said. “We are replenishing the Southern Army Group with 51 battalions of new recruits, and at the same time, nearly an equal number of veterans will return. With that said…”@@novelbin@@

The Emperor continued, “With that said, it’s only about sixty thousand men more. Look, Rocossov’s September offensive has another benefit! If he were to attack after the Dibo River freezes in November, our Southern Army Group would receive reinforcements of at least two hundred thousand.

“The Armored Divisions of the Southern Army Group will also receive more tanks, and our coastal fortifications will be improved as well.

“No, Rocossov will not wait until then to attack. He will definitely come in September! We’ll hit him hard with the Armored Divisions transferred from the Western Front!”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, General Ma Qi, the Armored Corps Director, frowned and said, “But Your Majesty, the Western Front Armored Divisions currently lack new tanks, and to rely only on the Long-barreled Three and Long-barreled Four to counter Rocossov’s new tanks—is that really feasible?”

Duke Redweizi interjected: “The Krat Bureau has provided a very detailed report; Rocossov’s two types of new tanks will not exceed a production of a hundred units per month for each type. (This time the misinformation from the Krat Bureau accidentally hit the mark)

“If Rocossov really attacks in September, then he will have only about two hundred or so of these new tanks. We can leave the new tanks to the infantry to handle, and just eliminate those Antean armored troops using the T34.”

The Emperor added: “In fact, during the summer campaign, Rocossov’s new tanks were also depleted; the Anteans’ frontline repair capabilities are inadequate. Our armored troops can simply avoid their armored vanguard and wait for their tanks to break down on their own.

“However, we cannot always rely on this approach. The main cannons of the Tiger King are capable of penetrating Rocossov’s ‘steel helmets,’ as confirmed by survivors. What remains is enhancing our defensive capabilities—the Empire’s Science Academy is already working on designing an upgraded defensive version of the Tiger King!

“Of course, we currently do not know the specific design specifications of the steel helmets, since we lost all of our tanks on the battlefield at the Southern Front during the summer.

“But after we crush Rocossov’s assault, we should certainly be able to repair at least one steel helmet and then see what kind of ‘magic’ Rocossov used to give tanks of this tonnage such defensive power.”

In truth, the problem lay with Prosen’s design department, but those present were either unaware or dared not speak out.

The Emperor scanned the generals and nodded to himself, “Then, onto the next issue. According to reliable intelligence, the Allied Nations may convene a summit meeting, likely in Balas. Is it possible to dispatch elite forces to assassinate the heads of the Allied Nations, causing chaos?”

The generals’ faces showed difficulty again.

Marshal Rundstedt said, “Previously, we tried to woo the King of Balas, but the result was that all of our arrangements in Balas were wiped out. Now, trying to send troops for a surprise attack again… it won’t be easy.”

The Emperor turned to look at the head of Rabowell, Duke Redweizi: “Didn’t the Krat Bureau report that, after the civil war, Antean nobles scattered around the world, with their ‘comrades’ everywhere? Is there a way through them?”

Duke Redweizi quickly said, “The Krat Bureau can provide a lot of intelligence, which is not easy. If they take such action, what if their existence is exposed? Your Majesty, the loss would outweigh the gain!”

The Emperor looked at Giles: “What about the special forces of the Asgard Knights, the Brandenburg Commando and the Paratrooper forces? Could that Otto Skorzeny possibly…”

Giles replied, “They could act, but whether the assassination is successful or not, the commandos won’t be able to return. They are our elite forces.”

The Emperor asked, “So we can only watch?”

The room replied with silence.

The Emperor sighed, “Damn it!”

At that moment, the lights in the war room started to flicker.

Simultaneously, a rumble like distant thunder was heard.

The Allied Forces’ daytime air raid had arrived again.

The Emperor sighed once more.

Duke Meyer said, “I’ve already ordered all fighter pilots to go all out to stop the bombers, instructing them to abandon the ‘contest’ with the enemy’s escort fighters. After shaking them off, they are to focus solely on attacking the bombers and, if necessary, to destroy them by ramming.

“Our interception rate is still quite good since the enemy’s fighters often closely escort the bombers, effectively just increasing the bombers’ defensive firepower.”

The Emperor said, “I haven’t even started blaming you yet.”

The Duke breathed a sigh of relief.

At this point, Duke Redweizi added, “The Krat Bureau reports that the Allied Forces may significantly deploy new types of heavy bombers, and the commander of the enemy’s Eighth Air Force is also about to change hands, so we should be cautious.”

Duke Meyer said, “We will keep a close watch on all of this.”

The Emperor instructed, “Let’s not worry about anything else for now. The only real difficulty at present is Rocossov! As for the Allied Forces, if they want to bomb, let them bomb!”