Arc of Gunfire

Jules, October 13, 1914, Suhayaveli, the headquarters of the 1st "Red Banner" Mechanized Infantry Division of the Ant Guards.

Wang Zhong entered the division headquarters, took a look, and said, "Compared to our previous division headquarters, it is much shabby."

"Be content. Suhayaveli is not like the places where we were stationed before. They are all modern towns." Pavlov said. "After the bunker is dug, we have to move to the bunker to prevent the enemy from staring at you like you." If a civilian house is bombed, this wooden house cannot withstand the shells.”

Wang Zhong looked up at the roof of the wooden house and said, "I suddenly feel that this house is not comfortable to live in. Let's build the bunker quickly and let's move."

Pavlov: "Don't worry, a camouflage net has been hung on the roof, which can temporarily deceive high-altitude aerial reconnaissance. Low-altitude reconnaissance is blocked by Divine Arrow and Brother Peter, so it is relatively comfortable."

Popov: "We didn't choose the best house in the village. We didn't live in Mr. Boyer's brick house. I don't know when the Prosin Air Force will blow up that house."

Wang Zhong shrugged and walked to the map to look at the latest situation.

"The enemy actually broke through our defense line," he exclaimed. "Isn't this too easy to break through?"

Pavlov: "But it stopped very quickly after the breakthrough. It didn't even run past our infantry. General Mu is so powerful."

Wang Zhong: "It should be said that our infantry is very good at outrunning tanks and vehicles in the mud."

"What are you talking about? This is the muddy ground we have walked on since we were children, and we have long been used to it." Popov said, "And our donkey cart has been improved for the muddy ground. Except for the donkey, everything else is fine. "

Wang Zhong: "Fei Donkey?"

"Yes, if you walk too much in the mud, the donkey will get sick. The Prosin people will suffer." Popov showed a gloating smile.

Wang Zhong looked at the map and said with a smile: "When winter comes, we will sit quietly on the river bank and watch the enemy's corpses float by day and night. They themselves will perish."

The others laughed, and the air was filled with joy.

Suddenly, Popov said with a serious face: "Having said that, the casualties the enemy inflicted on us this time are not small. The army lost 25% of its combatants. Although many of them were injured this time, we can still fight in the future." We returned, but after all we lost 25%.”

Wang Zhong: "Yes. We are already elites in the army, but the enemy's fighting will and combat skills are still stronger than ours, I mean average.

"Now I think back to the battles we have been fighting, the Battle of Upper Penier. The enemy almost overran us. Most of the damage to the enemy was done by the No. 422 tank that I personally commanded.

"Without the tanks under my personal command, we were devoured on the first day in Haute Penier."

Pavlov, as someone who had also experienced the Battle of Upper Penier, added: "Later, your tank was knocked out. At that time, we all thought we were going to die for our country, but we didn't expect Su Fang's call to work. A KV came, and it was only because of that KV that we blocked the enemy. "

Wang Zhong: "As for Loktov, we were able to hold on and obtain a higher exchange ratio. The fortifications and the support of local skitarii and laborers were indispensable. Of course, there is also the armor support we received."

After he finished speaking, Pavlov added: "And in the end we lost half of the city, and we relied on Lieutenant General Kirinenko's cavalry army to fight back."

Wang Zhong nodded: "And in Orachi and Shostka, our carefully constructed positions played a major role."

He stood up again, pacing in the wooden house and said: "Looking at the battles we have been doing, we will find that only with the support of fortifications, our troops can have a better exchange ratio with the enemy.

"Even if armored bombs fight against the dominant T34 and KV, they still need the support of fortifications. If you fight enemy armored forces in the wilderness, you will soon be defeated by the enemy using their technical and tactical advantages.

"Looking at the battles that have been going on, the only thing that can put us on an equal footing with the enemy without any disadvantage is the artillery."

Wang Zhong looked at his comrades, raised his right hand and clenched his fist: "Artillery! Our artillery can be on an equal footing with the enemy! Moreover, the artillery's attack can ignore the skills and tactics of the enemy's veterans.

"Veterans are really good at avoiding artillery fire, but as long as the firepower is strong enough, they can still be killed and crippled.

"I used to think that the most reliable thing was our armor. They were indeed reliable, but they still lost to artillery in terms of efficiency in killing the enemy."

Pavlov stared at Wang Zhong and said, "Don't you love your little tank anymore?"

Wang Zhong: "I only love my Liu Xia."

Popov: "What about the princess?"

Wang Zhong: "I think of her as my sister. Wait a minute, why is the princess here?"

Popov spread his hands: "Coming from the front line, we need some gossip to distract everyone, otherwise everyone will always think about their dead comrades. The ones everyone likes most right now are you, the princess and Lyudmila Vasily Captain Yevna’s story.”

Wang Zhong: "Can you let them change the focus, for example, let them discuss the story of Vasily and his father?"

"Oh, my general," Popov shook his head repeatedly, "Everyone will not like this story. It lacks the elements to arouse everyone's interest. If Vasily's father had a mistress, and then Vasily had this mistress, then as a It’s suitable for everyone to talk about after drinking.”

Wang Zhong: "Is it appropriate for you, a bishop, to say this?"

"I am a secular bishop." Popov shrugged, "I can still drink wine and eat meat, and I don't fast every year."

Indeed, indeed.

At this time Vasily came in: "General, I heard a strange news. Huh? Why are you looking at me like this?"

Wang Zhong: "It's okay, what's the news?"

Vasily: "The commander of the enemy's First Army of the Asgard Knights has changed. I have evidence. First of all, I heard the military headquarters' call sign changed last night..."

Vasily explained, and then concluded: "Taking all the circumstances into account, I think the enemy's Asgard First Army commander has been replaced."

Wang Zhong and Popov looked at each other and said, "Could it be that... my booby trap killed someone? No way, with the rigor of the Prosen people, they should clear the mine first. And my booby trap is so It’s crude, it’s a modified grenade, and it has reaction time before it explodes.”

Pavlov shrugged: "Who knows."

Vasily: "Anyway, the enemy has changed their commander."

Popov looked at the map: "According to yesterday's intelligence, the Asgard Knights also stopped where they were. Currently advancing at a turtle speed is General von Moltke of the Second Armored Group. He At the current speed... we won't be able to reach the outer positions of Yebao until mid-November."

————

The outer position of Yebao.

Vasily's father, Vladimir Bradsky, joined the labor corps and drove to the outskirts of Yeburg to start building fortifications.

Along with his group came a women's labor camp composed of a large number of young girls.

During the lunch break that day, Bradsky asked the girl who served them food: "Girl, why do you come here to do such a big man's job?"

The girl raised her head: "We are not old enough to join the army, and the nursing team does not want us girls who have not graduated from tenth grade when they come to recruit nurses. But the school has been suspended, we have to do something, right?"

"So we sent Shuya and the others to petition the Patriarch. It was a bishop who received Shuya, listened to their wishes, and arranged for us to repair the anti-tank piles."

Another girl serving food laughed and said: "Some people are not happy, saying that the neighbor's sister has gone to learn shooting, and she also wants to learn shooting."

Bradsky smiled and said: "It's better to build anti-tank piles. You see it is useful in the war, and you don't have to die. It's just right for you. Killing the enemy is not the only way to support the war. War is a complicated matter. Someone has to do all the work.”

"Then why do you work as a laborer?" a girl asked.

Bradsky: "I'm a professor who writes music reviews. I could have gone to the army to work as a civilian, but I've never been good at handling various reports. Editor-in-chief Oshanen said, 'You can try writing inspiring music.' , but how did he know? I am just a critic, and my son is a master of writing music.

"So in the end, I came here to build fortifications. I hope that my son, Vasily, can use the fortifications I built in the future and his life will be more secure."

After speaking, Bradsky smiled bitterly at the girl: "This is the first time I feel that the skills I learned are so useless."

"Are you a music professor?" the girl asked.

"yes."

"Then is your son a very good composer?"

"You know that holy war?"

"I know!" Several girls nodded together, "We can still sing!"

Bradsky: "That was composed by General Rokossov and arranged by my son."

When they heard General Rokossov's name, the girls became excited: "General! Your son is fighting beside the general!"

"I heard that the general shouted loudly and frightened the enemy tanks to a stop!"

Just as Bradski was about to answer, the air observation post shouted in the distance: "Enemy plane! Enemy plane!"

The girls who were working all stood up and looked at the sky curiously.

"Enemy plane?"

"where is it?"

The little girls were not afraid at all, they all stood there and looked at the sky curiously.

Bradsky didn't react at first, but when he saw the girls' actions, he suddenly woke up and shouted: "Girls, don't just stand there!"

He stood up and ran as fast as he could, pushing each girl to the side: "Get down! Get down quickly!"

At this time, there was a sharp scream of death in the sky.

Bradsky continued to run, dragging away young girls who had no experience in war and who did not know what death was, and threw them to the ground one by one: "Get down!"

Just then, a bomb was inserted into the mud in front of Bradski.

He was stunned when he saw the bomb, and for a moment his head lost the ability to think.

At this time, the labor battalion commander rushed over and threw Bradsky to the ground.

An explosion occurred.

Bradski closed his eyes and covered his ears.

After an unknown amount of time, he felt the labor battalion commander on his back stand up, and then turned around and looked in the direction of the bomb.

The bomb was stuck in the soil, and the timing device on its tail had stopped running, but I don't know what went wrong, but it still didn't explode.

Bradski stood up and looked around. The other bombs detonated successfully.

There were cries everywhere.

And more girls can no longer cry.