Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 868: Chapter 12 The Melianians Can Only Rely on Themselves Now

July 24th, noon, within Melania, First Front Army Headquarters of Kazarlia.

Wang Zhong looked at the giant arrow on the map with satisfaction.

The Southern Army Group forces of the enemy, apart from a small portion that were divided, encircled, and consumed, mostly retreated to the west of this giant arrow, regrouping along the Boswa River.

In terms of the game “Hearts of Iron,” it means these units need to stay put to restore their organization; without restoring it to a certain level, they can’t move again.

The game’s setting of organization was originally meant to simulate the situation where the military units are entirely scattered and weapons and equipment suffer severe losses, just like now.

Pavlov stood next to Wang Zhong, arms crossed, and said, “If we attack westward, we can keep advancing, liberating vast lands of Melania. The defeated soldiers of the Southern Army Group can hardly stop us.”

Popov stood to Wang Zhong’s other side: “Ignoring the retreating enemy and heading north instead, the warriors of the Melania People’s Army have strong objections.”

Wang Zhong: “I understand their feelings; who doesn’t want to quickly liberate their hometown? But moving north now is to encircle more enemies.”

Vasily: “Thinking about it carefully, our current situation is very similar to Prosen in 914. At that time, the Central Army Group of Prosens charged towards Yeburg, we might have to retreat to organize defense at Charon.”

Popov cursed: “Of all things to compare, you say we resemble the enemies of 914. Are you implying that we’ve become invaders?”

“I didn’t mean that!” Vasily spread his hands, “Heaven knows, I didn’t mean that at all!”

Wang Zhong: “He just said what he thought of. Incidentally, in 914, the Prosens couldn’t have ignored Argesukov’s heavy troop concentration to directly attack eastward; their flanks would be endangered.

“You see, after we liberated Argesukov, the Central Army Group had to devote more than half their force to guard against us. If they hadn’t fortified areas along the river, they would have been finished last year.”

Pavlov: “Marshal Gorky suffered severe setbacks on the enemy’s fortified line.”

Wang Zhong: “It’s not just the fortified areas; there’s also the marshland. It rained a lot last summer, and the marshland area expanded significantly.”

Pavlov: “Saint Andrew prepared against western invaders, which ironically hindered our advancement. If he’d known, he might not have insisted on slicing the land vertically following the river.”

Saint Andrew’s plan at the time was: north-to-south flowing rivers with cities and industry all placed on the East Bank, so if enemies came from the West, they could be intercepted along the river.

Whether he considered rivers blocking Antean counterattacks is unknown.

Wang Zhong couldn’t question it either, since Saint Andrew had been sanctified for over a hundred years, and he had only been around for a year. Questioning the predecessor’s decisions was something he dared not do, assuming that subsequent Anteans executed poorly instead.

Popov: “Now we’ve completed this left hook, and a million Prosen troops will be utterly finished. Considering the situations we faced during the assault, the Prosens no longer have any troops left to fight. I suggest we have a drink!”

Wang Zhong: “You just want to drink.”

“Is it easy for me, being a military bishop, to find such excuses to drink during the day?” Popov spread his hands.

Although a military bishop shouldn’t indulge in alcohol, asking an Antean to give up on alcohol was quite a challenge.

At that moment, several judges led two ragged civilians into the headquarters.

Vasily was the first to notice them: “Wait a minute, you can’t come in here; this is a military zone, civilians can’t enter casually!”

Saying that, Vasily blocked them, shielding their view with his body, preventing them from seeing the map depicting the current situation.

The judge said: “These two are messengers from the Melania Resistance Organization, Melania National Army. They have urgent news to report. We have detained them for a day and night, carefully verifying their identities.”

Wang Zhong carefully examined the scars on the two men: “Vasily, you did well, but these two should be fine.”

As he spoke, Pavlov signaled the staff officers to cover the map.

After confirming the map wouldn’t be seen, Vasily stepped aside.

The two messengers didn’t care about the map at all, and rushed directly in front of Wang Zhong, speaking urgently in Melanianese.

Wang Zhong: “Vasily, please translate.”

“They say the National Army has launched a massive uprising and urgently needs Ante Army support.”

Wang Zhong couldn’t help but rub his forehead.

He’d seen this plot before.

Earth played it out like this, with the timing barely differing. Over there, the Warsaw Uprising began on August 3rd; now it’s July 24th, only ten days apart.

“Why?” he couldn’t help but ask.

On Earth, there were various reasons for the premature uprising.

But here, there was no Katyn Forest incident, nor had Ante occupied Melanian land prematurely.

The messenger took out a thick envelope and handed it to Vasily—their awareness was commendable as they didn’t hand it directly to Wang Zhong but through the deputy officer.

Vasily weighed the envelope: “Photos, should I open it directly?”

Wang Zhong nodded.

So, Vasily took a letter opener and skillfully opened the envelope, revealing the photographs.

His expression immediately turned grave.

Wang Zhong became curious and took the initiative to step forward.

The photographs instantly took Wang Zhong back to an afternoon before his time-travel when he sat in front of a computer looking at the devastation of Gaza Hospital captured by a reporter.

The emotions he felt then surged back into his heart once more.