Chapter 98
Jule 914, July 8th, 2315 hours.
All 914 members of the Rokosov Battle Group were waiting on the platform at Loktov train station.
The Loktov local garrison, temporarily assigned to the Rokosov Battle Group, volunteered to stay behind to continue defending the city, so they were not included in the count. The Protectorate Army temporarily assigned to the battle group was also not among the retreating ranks.
The Fifth Beshensk Regiment wanted to stay, but Wang Zhong refused.
Meanwhile, the 31st Regiment and the armored units willingly obeyed the order.
These 914 people on the platform included the total number of infantry, artillery, tank crews, and logistics personnel of the battle group.
Wang Zhong rubbed his belly, full of potato stew with beef, looked at the remaining people, and sighed: "A Pyrrhic victory indeed."
Yegorov: "Who's Pyrrhus?"
Wang Zhong clicked his tongue. This world didn't even have Rome, so naturally there was no such thing as Pyrrhus.
At that moment, Pavlov came out of the dispatch office with a stack of documents and walked up to the two men: "I've got the transport plan. We'll be sent all the way to Agsukov."
Wang Zhong: "That far? I thought they'd drop us behind the next defensive line for rest, ready to rejoin the defense at any time."
"There is no second defensive line." Pavlov's face was stern. "The Front has decided to launch the offensive per His Majesty's order."
Wang Zhong: "They're insane?"
Because his voice was too loud, all the surrounding soldiers turned to look.
Yegorov patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder: "Calm down, Count. The good news is, this time we'll be far from the front line. Even if it collapses, it'll take the Prossenians days to reach us."
Wang Zhong: "I don't feel happy at all. What about our replacements?"
Pavlov shook his head: "No mention."
At that moment, Popov entered from the freight exit of the train station, marched up the platform, and joined the three of them.
"There's no word from the Church either. We don't know when they'll refill the Divine Arrow company." The Bishop sighed. "We are seriously lacking in Prayer Hands, and there's not enough replenishment for the Divine Arrow either."
Wang Zhong: "What about Monk Petro?"
After two days of battle, Wang Zhong had grown fond of this "human-ear radar" he had picked up for free and found it really useful.
"Ah, that*there are plenty of sound array specialists, so they assigned him to us. This is the personnel transfer document. As per regulations, we need to back it up over there, right?" Saying this, Popov shoved the document over to "that side," Pavlov.
Pavlov furrowed his brows deeply: "The document's here, but where's the person?"
Popov glanced back at the gate, just as Monk Petro walked in, brows tightly knit.
Yegorov shouted loudly: "Monk, why the furrowed brow!"
Monk Petro looked up: "Because people like you are too noisy!"
Then he walked toward Popov and protested directly: "I should stay at the front line. They need me here!"
Popov: "Take it up with the Brigadier General."
Monk Petro immediately turned to Wang Zhong: "I should stay..."
"I heard you," Wang Zhong cut him off, "but I need you too. You'll be of greater use here with me. Think about the past two days*how much you contributed!"
Monk Petro pressed his lips together.
At that moment, a train whistle sounded in the distance. The switchman also came out of his hut and began operating the switch levers.
The green lantern in the switchman's hand was very conspicuous at night.
Soon, a train composed of flatcars and boxcars pulled into the station.
All the flatcars were empty*clearly added to transport the Rokosov Battle Group's heavy artillery and T34s*while the boxcars were packed with young faces.
Before the train even came to a complete stop, a young man in a boxcar shouted loudly: "Hey! How did the fighting go?"
Just as Wang Zhong looked toward the boxcar, Vasily replied: "It went great! Most of the tank wrecks you see in the city were taken out by us!"
The corpses of the Prossenian soldiers had been collected and buried by the laborer camps and Protectorate Army, but the tank wrecks, like the craters in the streets, hadn't been dealt with due to lack of manpower.
"Whoa! That awesome? We won't be any worse than you!" said a young man on the train, full of confidence.
Vasily looked like he was about to retort, but stopped as soon as he opened his mouth. After a brief hesitation, he said, "I believe in you! Show the Prossenians what you're made of!"
Seeing that Vasily wasn't scolded for speaking freely, the soldiers of the 31st Guards Infantry Regiment all began shouting in chorus:
"Give them hell!"
"Let them see who the inferior race really is!"
Before crossing over, Wang Zhong wasn't actually that old. The original owner of this body was also a young man. By nature, he should've joined in to rally the allied troops.
But strangely, now Wang Zhong only wanted to silently bless these young men.
Suddenly, one of the young men who had just gotten off the boxcar shouted: "Hey, look at that tank! Tactical number 422! And there's a white horse emblem!"
That instantly drew the attention of all the excited, newly arrived rookies toward one direction.
Parade-type T34, Vehicle 422, was parked under the moonlight, like a giant beast lurking in the shadows.
Originally, Alexander and Belyakov were smoking beside the tank. Seeing the commotion, they immediately ducked into the tank's shadow.
"It's real!"
"Is that the White Horse General's ride?"
"I heard the General's battle group is stationed right here!"
At that moment, Wang Zhong stood under the station's awning, just outside the reach of the moonlight.
**Boosting morale is also the commander's job.
He wanted to step forward, but just before he did, he recalled the moment yesterday when countless Protectorate Army soldiers dragged him out from under the tank.
Today, he abandoned those very people who had once saved him.
In the afternoon, under urgency, he hesitated only for a second before making the decision*and indeed, it stopped the enemy's assault.
But now, just as he was about to step forward and inspire these warriors, that emotion gripped him again.
**My unit and I are about to retreat. No matter what hell Loktov becomes, it'll have nothing to do with us.
Do I still have the right to inspire these young men, to lead them proudly into hell?
As Wang Zhong hesitated, he suddenly recalled a marshal's poem.
He liked that poem very much. It was actually the marshal's final verse in a hopeless situation, but it was full of fearless spirit.
"To the underworld I go to summon old troops, ten banners strong to slay Yama!"
That marshal must have made many decisions that led soldiers to die heroically.
But he would never hesitate, because he was braver than anyone. If the time came, he too would charge into death without hesitation.
I can be braver than anyone too!
No, I must be braver than anyone else. Only then can I give the order to send them to their deaths without regret. Only then, when I must abandon them, can I make that cold decision*and say without guilt: "Mercy has no place in command!"
With that resolve, Wang Zhong stepped forward into the moonlight.
He didn't introduce himself. In the darkness, no one could clearly see his face or rank insignia.
He simply stood there, exuding authority and fearlessness.
"Warriors!" he said.
Although no command was given, the rookies straightened up on their own, the sound of heels clicking filling the air.
Wang Zhong: "I won't sugarcoat the situation. Look to my right*this is my battle group. Including logistics, we now have only 914 people!
"The Fifth Beshensk Regiment, which joined the battle under my command, had over a regiment's strength when they came. Now, only 81 remain!
"Their Regiment Commander is now a Lieutenant!
"Let me be clear*the path ahead is hell! Staying here means facing hell head-on! Anyone want to quit?"
Wang Zhong scanned the entire platform.
Not only the newly arrived soldiers looked at him*even the railway workers and engineers stood at their posts, watching him.
No one said they wanted to quit.
Wang Zhong: "Why? Tell me*why do you step into hell?"
Suddenly someone shouted, "For the Tsar!"
Wang Zhong: "Wrong!"
Pavlov was shocked and stared at Wang Zhong with wide eyes.
Then someone else shouted, "For the Eastern Holy Church!"
"Also wrong!" Wang Zhong replied without hesitation.
Popov was shocked and stared at Wang Zhong with wide eyes.
Wang Zhong once again scanned the crowd.
Vasily suddenly said, "For Mother Ant!"
Wang Zhong pointed at Vasily: "Right! But too abstract!"
With his hands behind his back, Wang Zhong paced the platform: "What is Mother Ant? Think about it*picture it clearly!
"Mother Ant is the squirrels playing in the birch forest,
"The fish swimming in the Tiber River,
"The waves of wheat on the black soil!"
After listing those, Wang Zhong felt it wasn't enough, so he added more:
"The bright songs of the girls,
"The potato stew with beef that grandma serves on the table!"
Just as he finished, someone let out a satisfied burp.
Then several people couldn't help but laugh*especially Vasily.
Wang Zhong himself felt a bit awkward. He had run out of lines and had to force it*and besides, the potato stew really was delicious.
It really was!
"To protect everything that is good and beautiful! That's why we willingly go to die!"
He thought for a moment*sure enough, he had nothing left to say. No choice but to copy.
He continued:
"If we don't go to war, and the enemy kills us with bayonets, they'll point at our bones and say: 'Look, these were slaves!'"
The moment those words came out, it was like a bomb had exploded*anger instantly appeared on everyone's face.
Vasily shouted the word used in every moment that called for morale and passion: "Ura!"
Everyone shouted together: "Ura!"
"Ura!"
The voices rose higher and higher in waves.
At that moment, the rookie unit's squadron leader shouted: "Right turn! March forward!"
The rookies stepped off from the train station in neat and orderly formation.
Popov stepped forward, coming up next to Wang Zhong: "Next time, could you not steal my job?"
Wang Zhong: "Which grandson told me that boosting morale is the commander's job?"
Just then, the train station dispatch chief came over and said: "Hurry and load the equipment onto the train. It's departing now. Before dawn, we can still get out of enemy aircraft range."
Wang Zhong turned around and gave the order: "Board the train!"
(End of Chapter)