Chapter 125
Jule 914, August 2nd, 20:30 hours, Olachi, Ant Army 151st Temporary Infantry Division Headquarters.
Wang Zhong stared thoughtfully at the combat zone map on the wall.
Beside the map, a staff officer was setting up new candle holders--though there was still sunlight outside, it had dimmed significantly, so the headquarters used candles for extra lighting.
Olachi had electricity, but due to the blackout policy at night, using candles with curtains drawn could block the light.
Wang Zhong sighed: "The battle has already started, so why have I done nothing all day?"
Popov walked over to him: "Isn't that a good thing? We've spent another full day reinforcing our defenses and planted 1,000 more landmines today!"
The mine placements Wang Zhong chose this time were all in areas unlikely to be hit by enemy artillery and spaced far apart, focused on 'psychological warfare'.
If engineers tried to clear them, the mines were so spread out that they'd only remove a dozen after half a day; using explosive line charges would be even more wasteful, as one line couldn't trigger more than a few mines.
But if you didn't use engineers, someone would randomly hit a mine with a dirt plane.
Just tell me-isn't that annoying or what!
When it came to disgusting the enemy, Wang Zhong was confident in his skills.
At that moment, Yegorov entered, and Wang Zhong asked, "Why did you come back from your forward command?"
"Came to check on the overall situation. Night's falling, and the enemy likely won't reach us today. So, how are things now?" Yegorov said as he headed straight for the kettle in the room and poured himself a drink.
Wang Zhong pointed at the map: "See for yourself. The enemy's general attack direction matches my prediction. In our northeast direction, Duke Meshkin's army group is fiercely engaged with the enemy. I originally thought we'd be facing an enemy division on our front too, but today's been completely idle."
Pavlov temporarily put down his pen, picked up his cold coffee from the table, and joined the conversation: "It's probably the counterattacks by the 5th, 6th, and 11th Armies that had an effect. They might not have destroyed much enemy strength, but they definitely disrupted the enemy's attack formation."
"Reorganizing and all that takes hours, and by the time they resume their advance, night will have fallen."
Wang Zhong felt conflicted at this moment. Friendly forces sacrificing in vain should make him grieve, but realizing that the way they delayed the enemy was by forcing them to reorganize made it feel absurdly funny.
The warriors of the Ant Army were all brave souls-who knew how many more would die thanks to these pig-headed generals.
At that moment, Vasily, who had been monitoring the captured field radio in the corner, suddenly shouted: "I hear Prossenian radio chatter!"
Wang Zhong and the others immediately gathered around, and even the staff members who were doing other things stopped to look at Vasily.
Vasily pressed his headphones tightly, listening carefully: "No radio call signs were used-maybe I missed them. The message was... 'Our forces are moving unimpeded, unimpeded!'"
Hearing 'unimpeded' triggered some wild associations in Wang Zhong's mind, but he held back from making a joke.
Vasily: "There's a new location call sign! 'Berry Orchard'-no idea where that is. But a unit has arrived at Berry Orchard."
Wang Zhong: "Too bad. If we had captured another enemy call sign book, we might've known where to aim our artillery."
Wang Zhong currently had 4 B4 heavy howitzers and 24 152mm heavy guns. If he knew where the enemy was camping for the night, he could give them a little surprise.
Yegorov: "Didn't you personally scout the village to our north? Just fire at it-might get lucky."
Wang Zhong: "No, we must use our firepower cautiously, ensuring every strike effectively kills the enemy."
At that moment, the sound of hooves came from outside, along with the voices of the headquarters security troops.
Soon, a captain was brought in by the guards: "Cavalry reconnaissance unit reporting back from patrol!"
Wang Zhong: "What's the situation?"
The captain reported: "General, we found an enemy vanguard reconnaissance team in Kiliyev village, but the enemy had Type 2 tanks. We ambushed a sentry and slipped away-didn't dare engage heavily."
Wang Zhong immediately went to the table with a detailed map of the surrounding area and located Kiliyev village.
Yegorov: "If the scouts are already there, then contact with the enemy is inevitable tomorrow!"
At that moment, Vasily, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, said, "Why wait until tomorrow? Deploy the T34s today, wipe them out, and capture a call sign book!"
Wang Zhong: "No. I've checked the road conditions to Kiliyev. A T34 raid might break down halfway. Captain, how long will it take your cavalry unit to return to Kiliyev?"
The captain immediately replied: "Thirty minutes, General, sir."
Wang Zhong: "Then in half an hour, we'll bombard Kiliyev with heavy artillery. Once the shelling is done, find a way to raid them. Try to get the officer's briefcase leading that armored recon unit-or their map case!"
The captain smiled: "General, I'll try to bring back both."
Wang Zhong snapped his fingers: "Good! Go!"
The captain saluted and turned to leave.
Yegorov was quite surprised: "You're not personally leading the team?"
Apparently, in Yegorov's eyes, Wang Zhong was the kind of reckless guy who enjoyed charging in himself.
But Wang Zhong wasn't. He simply chose the method that best utilized his golden finger. Personally commanding a tank and acting as a rogue could let him destroy tons of enemy tanks.
But leading an infantry or cavalry unit-meaning just himself-would yield very limited results.
He had already tested that in Ronezh. At that time, he wasn't alone-his fiancée Lyuda was with him. Yet the injuries he suffered then still hadn't fully healed.
Wang Zhong: "I'm just choosing the most effective approach. As an infantryman or cavalryman, my combat power is extremely limited."
"Pavlov, order the artillery to..."
He glanced at his watch.
"Fire on Kiliyev village at 21:00! One shot per gun will suffice."
Four 203mm shells plus twenty-four 152mm ones-Kiliyev, that little village, would likely be flattened.
Pavlov immediately picked up the phone to issue the order.
At that moment, Nelly pushed in a food cart: "Dinner time!"
Every staff officer, servant, and clerk in the room turned to look at Wang Zhong.
Wang Zhong: "Eat!"
The next moment, the entire command staff surged forward like pigs rushing to the trough, forming a long line in front of Nelly's cart.
Vasily: "Smells like Calcio's thick soup-did they slaughter the ranch cattle?"
Nelly: "To boost morale, the factory director butchered eight cows and said it's better that we eat them than the Prossenians steal them."
"Ah, beef stew!"
The staff officers got excited.
"The church's meatpacking plant makes good sausages too, but I still prefer beef!"
Smelling the aroma, Wang Zhong's appetite surged as well. Just as he was about to fight his subordinates for food, the phone rang.
He had no choice but to turn and answer it: "Hello? This is Rokosov. What is it?"
"This is the artillery observation post on Hill 153. We've spotted tanks on the northern plain approaching us."
Wang Zhong frowned.
Pavlov immediately said: "To positions! We've got a situation!"
The young men who had just been crowding around Nelly's cart all rushed back to their posts with a clatter.
Wang Zhong: "Stay calm. Did you see which side the tanks belong to? If they have sloped armor, they're ours; the enemy's tanks have more boxy shapes."
"The lighting's bad and the distance is too far-we can't see clearly," the artillery observation post replied.
Wang Zhong held the receiver and exchanged views with the others: "153 says they've spotted tanks to the north. But the cavalry recon team just reported the enemy's armored vanguard only reached Kiliyev?"
Popov: "Could it be remnants from the 5th, 6th, or 11th Tank Army?"
"Hmm..."
Vasily said: "Should I try calling them on our armored unit's frequency?"
"Go ahead." Wang Zhong had just finished speaking when another phone rang.
Pavlov picked it up: "Pavlov speaking. What? Don't fire yet!"
After speaking, Pavlov covered the receiver and looked at Wang Zhong: "The anti-tank gun position also spotted those tanks. They're asking whether to open fire."
Yegorov: "Fire a flare. Maybe it'll reveal more. Have the infantry do it-don't expose the anti-tank gun positions."
"Agreed."
Wang Zhong nodded, and Pavlov immediately ordered the anti-tank unit: "Hold steady, stay hidden. Await orders."
Then he pressed the phone hook repeatedly: "Operator, connect me to Infantry Battalion 3."
At that moment, Vasily shouted: "I reached them!"
Wang Zhong rushed over: "What'd they say?"
Vasily: "Our commander wants to speak with you."
With that, he handed Wang Zhong both the headset and receiver.
Wang Zhong copied a pose from the movies-pressing the headset to one ear with one hand and holding the receiver with the other.
"This is Brigadier General Rokosov of the 151st Division. Reporting to your unit-we nearly opened fire on you!"
The other side was shocked: "Rokosov? You mean the White Horse General Rokosov?"
Wang Zhong's first thought was: At least it's not the Useless Brother Rokosov. I can live with that.
Wang Zhong: "That's me. Which unit are you?"
"We're the 13th Armored Battalion of the 5th Tank Army. Our formation is still mostly intact, and we're well stocked on ammo. We're ready to fight."
Wang Zhong: "What tanks are you equipped with?"
"T26s-we've got 30 fully operational T26s!"
Wang Zhong thought, well damn, I really can't escape the fate of using all that junk gear from the beginning of the war. But given the circumstances, he couldn't complain. The light tanks still had a 45mm gun and two machine guns-used properly, they could kill enemy infantry effectively.
Wang Zhong: "Head south. You should see a hill. We'll have the infantry fire flares to mark it for you, and they'll guide you through the minefields and anti-tank barriers. Welcome aboard."
Pavlov immediately turned Wang Zhong's promise into formal orders for the infantry battalion and relayed them over the phone.
Just then, at exactly 21:00, thunderous booms came from the direction of the artillery positions.
Wang Zhong: "Don't be afraid-we're targeting the enemy's vanguard."
The other end paused for a second, then responded through gritted teeth: "Good! Hit them hard!"
Extra update complete, see you tonight
(End of Chapter)