Arc of Fire

On the way back to the garrison, Wang Zhong furrowed his brows, contemplating where to acquire anti-tank artillery.

The infantry division lacked anti-tank artillery, and close-quarters combat was a meat grinder, yet the Prussian infantry were no slouches either.

Previously in Loktov, Wang Zhong had been pushed to the brink by the enemy infantry’s assault. Now, considering the quality of his troops, he dared not engage the Prussians in close-quarters combat anymore.

Unbeknownst to Wang Zhong, this was actually a form of experience accumulation. Though he was an outsider to the military, through so many battles he had gradually come to understand the enemy and form “muscle memory.”

Wang Zhong continued his calculations with a frown:

To defeat the enemy in the open fields, aside from relying on tank cover and the accompanying tank ambush tactics, the most important thing was the anti-tank artillery.

This is a cycle of mutual restraint. Machine-gun fire points can suppress infantry in the open fields, direct tank fire can take out fire points, and hidden anti-tank artillery and tanks can destroy enemy tanks.

The last is artillery, which can dominate everything on the ground, unless the fortifications are constructed like the tunnels at Shangganling, otherwise enemy artillery barrages will surely cause casualties.

He also had to think of ways to counter the enemy’s heavy artillery. Perhaps balloons could be used? Could observation balloons still be found nowadays?

If they didn’t observe and fired blindly, it wasn’t certain where the enemy’s artillery would be placed, as howitzers didn’t have as strict requirements for position as direct-fire cannons.

How could he ascertain the location of the enemy artillery positions? Rely on infiltration squads?

But the enemy was the Prussian Army, not India; their positions wouldn’t be so easily pinpointed.

And the enemy was incredibly brutal, so disguised reconnaissance was definitely out of the question; getting close to the artillery positions, the enemy would surely open fire directly.

What should he do?

Ludmila had been watching Wang Zhong all this time, looking very worried but not daring to interrupt his thoughts.

Finally, they reached the gates of the manor, and the guards at the door immediately opened the iron gate upon seeing Wang Zhong’s car—they had been assigned to guard the entrance since yesterday.

After driving into the manor, Grigori looked back and took the initiative to head toward the barracks in the corner of the estate.

No sooner had they driven a short distance when Ludmila broke the silence, poking Wang Zhong vigorously in the shoulder, “Alyosha! Look over there!”

Wang Zhong was forcibly pulled from his thoughts, looking a bit bewildered as he mechanically followed the direction of Ludmila’s pointing finger.

He saw a row of brand-new T34 tanks parked on the lawn.

These definitely weren’t Wang Zhong’s original tanks because no matter how much they were repainted, they couldn’t hide the mottle left by the battlefield—the scratches caused by armor-piercing shells were very noticeable.

Not only was the paint on these T34s new, but their surfaces were also quite smooth, and there were no traces of incomplete diesel combustion around the exhaust.

New T34s!

Wang Zhong broadened his view and noticed that these T34s were arranged in three rows of eight each, totaling 24 tanks!

All the tank guns were adjusted to the same angle, like heads raised high during a parade review.

“Where did these tanks come from?” Wang Zhong asked, puzzled.

Ludmila: “Did you forget that yesterday Dad… Uncle Konstantin said he would give some to your troops?”

Wang Zhong: “He said he was going to write some letters, that it would take three to five days to get results, right?”

“Maybe the process went especially smoothly?”

Wang Zhong thought for a moment, then patted Grigori on the shoulder, “To the main building! I need to see the old man!”

He couldn’t bring himself to call him Dad, but old man was fine!

Grigori executed a fishtail turn and sped toward the main building with a stomp on the accelerator.

————

When Wang Zhong burst into the study, retired General Rocossov was on the phone, making a “shush” gesture with his hand.

Rocossov (General): “Thank you, old pal! Excellent, excellent! They’re all top-notch tanks! Ahahaha, he just has good luck! What skills does he have, finishing last in his class! He even wet his pants on the battlefield!”

Though the words “last in his class” and “wet his pants” were the same, why did it feel completely different when the old man said them?

It sounded more like Versailles whitewashing.

No sooner had Wang Zhong thought this than the old man burst out laughing again, “It’s true, he did wet himself, Liu Da admitted it!”

Wang Zhong turned his head to look at his fiancée.

Liu Xia stuck out her tongue, whispering, “He asked while I was preparing breakfast; I couldn’t just lie, could I?”

Damn it, he should have executed Sergey in the church ruins and then pulled down his pants.

That way, no one would have brought this up, and Ludmila certainly wouldn’t have mentioned it of her own accord.

The old man laughed heartily again before finally hanging up the phone.

Then, he erased his smile and looked towards Wang Zhong, “See what’s on the lawn? It’s a pity that T34s are now in short supply, exactly because of your achievements, everyone knows they are useful.

“Moreover, they seem to believe that your achievements are all due to the T34, not because you’re capable. I feel that my promise to arrange for two battalions for you is probably not going to happen now; you’ll have to make do with these six companies.”

Just as Wang Zhong was about to respond, the old man continued, “Also, you mentioned that the observation model is more useful. I reported this to my old buddy, but he mocked me mercilessly, claiming that as an infantry general, I don’t understand tanks. He also said that you, also an infantry general, don’t understand tanks either.

“The other Armored Troops who have used them all praise them!”

Wang Zhong’s brows furrowed deeply.

Actually, the main advantage of the T34 was back in ’41, ’42, until the Sturmtiger started to be fitted with the long-barreled 50mm gun from the model three onwards and the T34’s blindness became an amplified weakness. A company charging at a Sturmtiger often got completely annihilated without even locating the enemy.

Forget it, I wasn’t counting on getting the factories to change their designs right now.

Wang Zhong, “What about adding radios?”

The old man shook his head, “Our radio production is too low, and it must be prioritized for the Air Force’s fighters, a lesson from the Castilian Civil War. Without radios to communicate with each other, we would be at a disadvantage in air combat.”

Wang Zhong, “Fighters need radios to communicate, don’t tanks need them too? Tanks operating on complex battlefields need radios even more!”

Duke Rocossov only looked at Wang Zhong with calm and kind eyes, “Alright now, let’s each do our part well. Your Infantry Division already has far more armored power than the average division. Are you aware that some people want to take that armored power away from you? After all, yours is an Infantry Division.”

Wang Zhong nodded; receiving 24 additional T34s was indeed good news. He couldn’t be too greedy.

“Then give me a regiment’s worth of anti-tank guns! Ideally, all of them would be 76mm ZIS-3 anti-tank guns.”

Duke Rocossov frowned, “Don’t you have armored power for the anti-tank role? And that’s the T34!”

Wang Zhong, “It’s not the same. Anti-tank guns can be camouflaged and hidden, launching surprise attacks on the enemy. Plus, if machine guns force the enemy’s tank commanders to retract into their turrets, the high concealment of anti-tank guns will stand out, potentially making them more effective in combat than tanks.”

In fact, the old German Armored Troops always considered Soviet anti-tank guns to be a bigger threat than tanks—mainly because the tanks were too blind.

And the anti-tank guns with observers were not blind, difficult to detect, and even the Germans, with their heavy armor, were wary of the thing.

Duke Rocossov nodded, “Is this coming from real combat experience? It should be taken seriously. However, the 76 guns are also in high demand. I’ll try to get you some 45mm guns first. After all, the ammunition carriages and pack horses can use 76mm shells too, and the gunners only need a bit of training to adapt to the new artillery.

“That way, in the future, you can try to apply for separate 76mm gun reinforcements and gradually switch the artillery to primarily 76mm.”

Wang Zhong had a feeling that the old man had probably not been above using shrewd tactics to enhance his own strength.

At that moment, an idea suddenly struck Wang Zhong: Why not ask the old man about the very issue that had been troubling him?

So, he asked, “In your experience, how do you deal with the enemy’s heavy artillery?”

Duke Rocossov raised his eyebrows, “Heavy artillery? It depends on the situation. If both sides have formed solid front lines and trenches are everywhere, then let the planes carry out reconnaissance of the enemy’s artillery positions, and then bomb them with artillery.

“At that time, the area with the densest anti-aircraft firepower is the artillery positions of both sides, and they would risk disrupting the trajectories of their shells by surrounding their artillery positions with barrage balloons to interfere with enemy reconnaissance planes.

“Sometimes, when enemy planes are spotted, they would release smoke and do it at several different locations to confuse the enemy.”

Wang Zhong, “Using planes for reconnaissance…”

If I had planes under my command, I could use the radio on the plane to establish contact, then I could root out the enemy’s artillery positions! Indeed, this would be a method.

Unfortunately, in order to command the Air Force, I’d have to be a general in command of a Front Army.

Wang Zhong, “Other than planes, is there anything else?”

Duke Rocossov, “When no solid trenches have been formed, you could use Cavalry Troops.”

“Cavalry?”

“Yes, cavalry are quite excellent. Saddles can carry extra rations and ammunition, allowing the cavalry to operate without resupply for seven days. As for the horses, although the feed for warhorses is very precious—carrots and whatnot—they naturally eat grass!

“While the people sleep and rest, the horse will graze on its own. Although a warhorse generally loses a lot of weight after a week of combat, this only slightly affects its endurance and top speed, not so much its trotting pace on average.

“Look, Cavalry Troops can roam enemy territory for a week without resupply. They also have the mobility, which makes them the most suitable for surprise raids on enemy artillery positions, doesn’t it?”

It indeed seemed to be the case!

Wang Zhong thoughtfully propped his chin with his hand.

Duke Rocossov said, “Come on now, everything will straighten out in the end. Don’t look so worried. Go meet your new Armored Troops, boost their morale, and introduce them to some real combat experience. Organize a sharing session or something.

“The troops I transferred to you are entirely new, with no experience. Before the enemy attacks, you have to train them well!

“Understand? More sweat in training, less blood in battle!”

Wang Zhong nodded, “Understood!”

“Is that how you respond to a superior?” the old man snapped.

Wang Zhong snapped to attention and saluted, “Yes, Your Excellency the General!”

“That’s more like it. Now off you go!” The old man waved his hand as if shooing a fly.

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