Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 764: Chapter 21 Old Haunts

At the same time, in the heart of the Empire of Prosen, the Eagle’s Nest.

The Plathen Emperor looked elated as he spoke to the Marshals and Generals, “What do you say, hmm? You may understand military affairs, but you do not understand Rocossov! If we followed your approach, slowly reinforcing our troops and establishing defenses, the Dibo River line would have collapsed at the first touch!”

The senior officers exchanged glances.

Duke Meyer praised, “Your Majesty’s brilliant stratagems are about to toy with Rocossov at will!”

The Emperor was in a good mood and laughed as he accepted the flattery from the Marshal of the Air Force.

The Duke continued, “The Air Force Field Division that reinforced the Dibo River lines will surely give Rocossov a taste of their strength!”

The Emperor’s smile froze.

Generally, the Air Force is favored and gets the better equipment. But this Air Force Field Division was different; it was cobbled together from leftover scraps of the Army and scrap metal looted from occupied countries.

Duke Meyer likely knew what his own Air Force Field Division was made of, and now he dared to bring it up to gain favor; no wonder the Emperor’s expression turned stiff.

Noticing the Emperor’s expression, the Marshal of the Air Force wisely kept silent.

Fortunately, at that moment, Giles spoke up, “Although we prepared in advance according to Your Majesty’s predictions, we were in such a hurry that neither the fortifications nor the troop reinforcements were completed—”

“Rocossov is in the same boat! Do you think he can complete his reinforcements? We’ve even pulled four fully staffed Armored Divisions from the Western Front! This time, Rocossov is going to be in for a nasty surprise!”

Giles replied, “Although time is pressing for both sides, Rocossov’s forces have suffered fewer losses than ours, and they already have a numerical advantage…”

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively, “Don’t be so pessimistic! We are after all on the defensive, and historically, defenders always have the advantage. Not to mention, we have the Dibo River! This river is called the Mother River of Kazakhstan; its vast expanse acts as a natural barrier, effectively boosting our forces by fifty percent!”

Marshal Rundstedt interjected, “Even if our forces are boosted by fifty percent, we still don’t have as many as the Anteans.”

The Emperor retorted, “We are defending! Even in the attack, we managed an exchange ratio in our favor, so naturally the ratio will be even better in defense! The Anteans will shed their last drop of blood in the Dibo River!”

Just then, the Director of the Confidential Secretariat of the Eagle’s Nest entered the room with a telegram in hand.

All eyes in the room turned to him.

The Director, with a severe face, handed the telegram to Celtic Marshal Kyle.

While the Marshal was looking down at the telegram, the Emperor said, “Read it out loud.”

Celtic Marshal Kyle announced, “A telegram from the Southern Army Group Command: it’s confirmed that the Anteans have broken through our defense line on the Dibo River at (he read the place name)… and other sectors. According to the experience of the Central Army Group, it won’t take long before Antean Troops pour through these breaches into our hinterland.”

The Emperor waved his hand, “As long as the Armored Divisions attack, everything will improve! During the summer, the important Army Groups blocked the Anteans’ tactics just like that, causing them heavy casualties. The victory of the Central Army Group almost balanced out Rocossov’s victory! Almost!”

Celtic Marshal Kyle added, “The Central Army Group reported no encounters with Antean new model tanks; and reports on the number of Whirlwind Tank Destroyers were few. But Rocossov has the new model tanks!”

The Emperor asserted, “Rocossov’s new tanks must have been damaged during the summer offensive. Even if some were repaired, there couldn’t be many. Including the newly reinforced tanks, he’d have around a hundred new tanks at most! We, on the other hand, have a fresh force of eight hundred tanks! We’ll grind down Rocossov’s new tanks!”

This time no senior officer raised any objections.

The Emperor stood up, his hands bracing on the desk, “If my estimate is correct, in a few days Rocossov will show signs of defeat! Then we will have the propaganda department mold Marshal Xiplin into the Empire’s Eastern Guardian! Along with Erwin Rommel, they will become the Empire’s twin bastions, and we will regain all the morale we lost! Moreover, with the Antean front in a stalemate, the United Kingdom and the Federation will surely slow down their landing plans! We’ll get a much-needed respite! In the meantime, we will create ‘Messiah’ (referring to the atomic bomb; currently unknown to Prosen that Heisenberg provided incorrect data)! The Pulosenia Nation will gain the living space it has longed for!”

With these words, the Emperor brought his fists together in front of him and looked up at the ceiling, as if he were gazing upon his own destiny.

Giles remarked, “If only it could truly be so. But we must prepare for the unexpected; I suggest we continue to transfer infantry divisions from the Western Front as reserves for the Southern Army Group.”

The Emperor responded, “No! We’ve already transferred two army corps from the Western Front to support Xiplin; we can’t keep pulling troops from there. However, we can expedite the 505th Heavy Tank Battalion’s reorganization and hand it over to Xiplin, giving him the troops for a fair fight with Rocossov!”

Celtic Marshal Kyle informed, “We are already arranging this, but the 505th Battalion’s new model tanks are too heavy and their tracks too wide for convenient railway transport. The newly improved No. 4 Tank Destroyer, on the other hand, is very suitable for emergency reinforcements to the front line.”

The Emperor ordered, “Move them all to the front line! Giles is right; we need more cards up our sleeve, just in case.”

At that moment, another staff officer entered with a telegram in hand.

Because the head of the cipher department was in the room, the staff officer handed the telegram to the head first, and then the head passed it to Celtic Marshal.

The Emperor watched his subordinates in the room play what seemed like a game of musical chairs, with an urge to criticize the nonsense.

Celtic Marshal said, “Your Majesty, the 29th Division that was put into counterattack encountered Rocosov’s heavy tanks and withdrew after releasing smoke and losing sixty tanks.”

“What?” The Emperor stood up. “And the enemy’s losses?”

“I do not know,” was the Celtic Marshal’s answer.

Giles spoke before the Emperor could lose his temper, “Retreating after defeat without the leisure to count our victories is understandable.”

The Emperor took several deep breaths before he could exhale heavily, “It’s just a minor setback. Command the 29th Division to bypass the enemy’s heavy tank force and counterattack in another direction!”

Celtic Marshal said, “Isn’t it inappropriate to command the troops directly, bypassing the Southern Army Group Corps Command? Marshal Xiplin can handle it.”

The Emperor hesitated.

Giles said, “Xiplin is an old hand who has faced Rocosov multiple times before, never letting Rocosov take advantage. He can be trusted.”

The Emperor nodded, “That’s true. Then let’s see how he performs.”

Giles continued, “Also, considering that the 29th Division lost over a quarter of their tanks in one go and had to retreat like this, reorganizing a counterattack in another direction will take time, taking into account daylight hours—”

Calculating the time difference in his mind, Giles went on, “It might be too late to counterattack today.”

The Emperor waved his hand, “Keep a close watch on the situation! I want a summary of the entire day’s counterattack results tonight! It must be done before I go to sleep!”

———

First Mobile Group Army Headquarters.

Yegorov put down the latest report, his face expressing joy.

“Chief of Staff, call the Front Army Headquarters!”

A moment later, the call went through, and the Chief of Staff handed the receiver to Yegorov.

Yegorov said, “This is Yegorov! We have just repelled the Prosen Armored Division’s counterattack, we are encircling Lokotov! Repeat, we are encircling Lokotov!”

Pavlov’s voice came through the receiver, “That’s great, the Marshal has been waiting for this news. You—Hm? Do you want to say it? Here you go.”

A few seconds later, Marshal Rocosov’s voice came through the receiver, prompting Yegorov to unconsciously stand at attention, despite the Marshal being much younger than him.

Rocosov said, “According to intelligence from the underground parish, there is a Prosen third-wave Infantry Division defending inside Lokotov City, recently transferred from the Western Front, with reliable equipment and morale. A frontal assault could result in significant casualties!

“I suggest a probing attack followed by surrounding the city and continuing the advance westward!”

Yegorov said, “What are you saying, Division Commander! This is Lokotov! Two years ago—”

“I know, and I want to walk the streets of Lokotov just like you. But that’s not a reason to send our warriors to their deaths! Surround it, keep moving west!”

Yegorov said, “Division Commander, let me try an assault, if we can’t take it in 30 hours, I’ll continue the advance west.”

There was silence on the phone for a few seconds before Rocosov’s voice came through, “24 hours, I’m only allowing you 24 hours! That’s because most of your troops are mechanized infantry.

“If the armored troops up front suffer because you’re out of sync, you’ll answer for it!”

Yegorov said, “Rest assured, Division Commander! I’ll keep the first and second armies of Melania up with the armored troops, only leaving the old units that fought fiercely in Lokotov to attack the city!”

Rocosov said, “Nonsense, what old units? Only the Guard First Mechanized Infantry Division came from Melania, do you think one division can take it?”

Yegorov said, “There’s also the eighth Division!”

The Red Flag Division was originally evolved from the 151th Temporary Infantry Division, though part of its forces was drawn to form the 225 Infantry Division, which later became the Guard Eighth Mechanized Infantry Division.

Rocosov said, “Alright! Do as you see fit. But let me tell you, Eugene is also making good progress. Aren’t you upset about him taking the credit for entering Bogdanovka?”

Yegorov said, “I am not upset! I just need 24 hours to take Lokotov! Wait for me, Division Commander, I’ll greet you all at the old headquarters!”

Rocosov’s side clearly had a deep breathing sound, “Fine, there’s no bluffing in the military. Day after tomorrow morning, I’ll drive to see your results!”

“Yes! Mission will be accomplished! Just wait and see, Division Commander!”