Chapter 92
At 8 a.m. on July 8, Wang Zhong directed Vehicle 422 into the predetermined position.
The other vehicles were already in the shelters, tightly covered with camouflage nets draped in leaves.
The two surviving BT-7 crews from yesterday had been split into two under-strength T34 crews.
As for the recovered Type 3 tank, it was operated by a gunner detached from the 31st Guards Infantry Regiment and used as a fixed turret.
Among the cadets assigned to the 31st Guards Infantry Regiment were an entire company from the Artillery School. These young men were quick learners and soon mastered the hand-cranked turret of the Type 3.
Since the Type 3 was armored, these cadets had a better survival rate than those operating 45mm anti-tank guns directly.
In Earth's World War II, anti-tank gun crews on both sides of the Eastern Front suffered heavy casualties. Later, the Third Reich simply used Type 3 assault guns to provide anti-tank firepower for infantry divisions, reducing reliance on anti-tank guns.
Sitting on the turret, Wang Zhong mused aimlessly: In the future, once I can influence arms production, I must ensure infantry divisions are equipped with something like the Type 3 assault gun for anti-tank purposes.
The Soviets used self-propelled guns as actual self-propelled artillery. Although the SU-76 and SU-85 could depress their barrels for direct fire, they were mostly used for indirect fire.
This was also reflected in postwar films, where "tank destroyers" were shown alongside howitzers, elevating their barrels to fire in arcs.
In fact, the early model Type 3 assault gun, originally equipped with a short-barrel howitzer, was meant for firing grenades. But due to increasing anti-tank pressure, all were later refitted with long-barrel guns for anti-tank roles.
During a significant stretch of Earth's World War II, the exchange ratio between German and Soviet armored units heavily favored the Third Reich. Some units could lose only 10 tanks after three days of fighting while claiming to have destroyed over 200 Soviet tanks.
But since there were only so many German armored divisions, that meant infantry had to face countless T34s in brutal combat.
The Type 3 assault gun significantly reduced infantry division casualties.
Such a great weapon*must get some! I have to find a way to influence arms production. I wonder if the Crown Prince can help in this regard.
Just as Wang Zhong was envisioning the future, Vasily's voice came through the radio: "Hound Fox calling White Horse, Hound Fox calling White Horse!"
Hound Fox was the radio call sign Wang Zhong had designated this morning for the 31st Regiment's command*i.e., forward command.
Wang Zhong: "This is White Horse, go ahead."
"We just intercepted enemy communications. Though we can't decipher which units the call signs refer to, we're certain they hit a minefield and had to stop to clear it."
After realizing that their fake intel had failed to deceive the Ant Army, the enemy switched their radio call signs and codebooks, but interception still has value*like now.
Wang Zhong: "Are you sure they hit a minefield?"
"Positive. The enemy's frontline command even reported that the offensive might be delayed by two to three hours."
Wang Zhong slapped his thigh: "Good!"
Just a few landmines delayed them by three hours*with zero casualties! This stuff is amazing! No wonder both sides lay mines all over in modern warfare.
Wang Zhong could already foresee that he'd be fighting many defensive battles in the future. Landmines would likely be his best friend throughout his military career.
After Vasily's transmission ended, Wang Zhong had just taken off his headset slightly when a new call came in: "Nun calling White Horse, Nun calling White Horse!"
Wang Zhong: "What's 'Nun'? Which idiot's messing around with the radio?"
"It's me, Su Fang! Aren't I a nun? I received a hymn from the Grand Choir of Saint Yekaterinburg, urging us to go all-out and reclaim all lost territory within one to two weeks."
Wang Zhong: "Shut up! That was in plain code*the enemy can hear it too! I'm heading to brigade HQ right now! You wait there!"
With that, he slammed the top hatch of the tank: "To brigade HQ."
Belyakov: "But we just got to the ambush position?"
Wang Zhong: "The enemy won't arrive for at least two more hours. Let's head to brigade HQ and see what kind of nonsense the old men in the rear are up to."
***
As soon as Wang Zhong entered the command post, he saw Su Fang.
The girl couldn't help but smile as soon as she saw him: "You're here!"
Wang Zhong: "Next time, don't talk about the hymn content over the radio!"
At that moment, Pavlov looked up: "It's not that big of a deal. Most hymn content isn't classified. Anyone with ears can hear it, so enemy spies surely know it too."
Huh? Is that so?
Wang Zhong: "Then what's the point of the hymn?"
Su Fang pouted: "In Upper Peniye, I was the one who called in Vehicle 67!"
The girl's voice suddenly dropped.
"Though they ended up dying there too... at least I helped us survive."
Seems like that's what happened.
Wang Zhong: "Alright, so you're still useful. So, what did the old men in the capital say?"
"They ordered a full-scale offensive to reclaim all lost territory within two to three weeks," Su Fang replied solemnly.
Wang Zhong commented bluntly: "The Emperor's lost his mind?"
The blue-capped figure delivering a telegram was startled, scanning warily for the speaker. Once he saw it was Wang Zhong, he decisively pretended not to hear.
A war hero, the Crown Prince's buddy, and the White Horse General calling the Emperor crazy? Might just be a family squabble. A bastard son complaining about his dad? Better keep out of it than get dragged into trouble.
The blue-capped figure pretended not to hear, marched up to Wang Zhong, and snapped his heels together in salute: "Urgent telegram from Army Group Headquarters!"
Wang Zhong took the telegram and read: "Your unit should launch an offensive as soon as possible**"
He stopped reading, crumpled the telegram, and tossed it into the trash. Despite the body's coordination being excellent, he was surprised it landed perfectly in the bin. This spoiled brat's body sure was well-trained*shame it underperforms on the battlefield.
Pavlov rushed over to pick up the telegram, unfolded it, and read: "They really are ordering us to attack. Maybe we should've underreported the number of enemy tanks we destroyed yesterday?"
Wang Zhong: "How many did you report?"
"Two hundred." Pavlov looked innocent. "I only inflated it by forty-four percent!"
"Only?" Wang Zhong's brows twisted like a pretzel. What kind of nonsense is this? You think this is 'Base War Reports'?
Then he spotted a problem: "Wait a second! If we actually only destroyed a bit over a hundred, and the enemy attacked with 80 tanks in the city and 100 outside, and we drove them all off*then what happened to the rest?"
"They retreated through the north side of the city," Pavlov said. "And now they know there's zero defense there. That's why I had the church send the newly-formed Protectorate Army to the north. Be careful of the north in today's battle too."
Wang Zhong curled his lip, then returned to Pavlov's inflated report: "Two hundred! You really had the guts to say that! Even if we destroyed every tank in the offensive, there's still a 20-tank gap! Where am I supposed to find those?"
"Just say you destroyed twenty more during a raid on the enemy's armored division HQ," Pavlov said.
Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, then suddenly went "Oh": "Now I get why they want us to counterattack*it's because you guys kept inflating numbers, so the higher-ups think the enemy's already finished, right?"
Pavlov's face darkened: "How do you think we ended up like this?"
This Pavlov sure speaks in layers!
While waiting for a reply, the Inquisitor turned his head and stared at a spiderweb on the ceiling.
Wang Zhong: "Forget it, Inquisitor! No reply yet, right?"
"None," the Inquisitor answered.
"Then don't reply. Smash the radio and say it was destroyed by artillery," Wang Zhong waved his hand. "Settled."
Pavlov: "Wait a second!"
He turned to the Inquisitor: "Call the decoders and the cipher book keeper here."
The Inquisitor went out immediately, while Pavlov leaned over the desk and scribbled furiously, then tore the note off the pad.
The Inquisitor returned with the decoders and cipher book keeper in tow.
Pavlov: "Take this and go to the hospital. Get three injury admission slips. Make sure there's a record*you're from the Battle Group's communications unit!"
The Inquisitor asked in confusion: "Then what?"
"Stay there. After the battle, when we rotate out with the 63rd Army Group, just say you've recovered and record your discharge."
Wang Zhong: "Won't it be suspicious if you recover in just a few hours?"
"Don't worry. Once the battle starts, there'll be tons of wounded flooding the hospital. The admission and discharge records will be buried in the paperwork. Even if someone notices, you can say you got shell-shocked and were mistaken for a casualty."
Wang Zhong reassessed Pavlov: "Is this how noble officers handle things?"
"You're a noble officer too. Of all the noble officers in the entire Empire, you're the last one who can criticize me. If we're being honest, I learned this from you!" Pavlov said, then waved at the Inquisitors. "Go on, go on."
The Inquisitors left.
Wang Zhong: "So... are we smashing the radio or not?"
"No need. We'll still need to contact Army Group after the battle. Besides, our decoders are all 'wounded in action'*it's normal if we can't read any telegrams!"
At this point, Su Fang said: "What about me? Should I send a reply saying I received the hymn?"
Wang Zhong: "Why don't you go lie down at the hospital too?"
Su Fang thought for a moment, then nodded seriously: "I can go help out at the hospital. I'm a cleric anyway*I can listen to the soldiers' final prayers."
Wang Zhong: "Excellent."
Su Fang turned and ran off.
Pavlov picked up the torn memo: "Wait! The memo! Ah, she's fast."
Wang Zhong: "I suddenly feel like it's a miracle the Ant Empire hasn't been defeated yet."
At that moment, Popov, who hadn't said a word until now, looked up: "Hmph, the Church has been discontent for a while. Back during the Civil War, we focused only on purging the devout faction and ignored the scum among the secularist-aligned nobles."
As Popov spoke, Wang Zhong suddenly had a flash of insight: "That scum includes me, right?"
"It used to include you," Popov nodded. "Used to."
(End of Chapter)