Arc of Gunfire

Wang Zhong: "Use Urban to attack Shostka to create the illusion of a breakthrough here. Is the real intention to enter from a weak point?"

"Yes, I have enough cavalry this time. Although the terrain in the middle is more wooded and the cavalry is not as smooth as in Kozaria and Nanant, it can still effectively destroy the enemy's rear supplies and connections." General Gorky gestured out of thin air.

Wang Zhong: "But what about the enemy's reserves in Obosk? According to aerial reconnaissance, there may be one or two armored divisions there."

General Gorky: "They can only counterattack in one or two directions, while we break through in all directions. He only has so many firefighting teams. We are going to cover the mountains and plains like wildfire!"

"Moreover, Shostka's attack was not entirely a feint. After Urban achieved results, he could completely switch to the main breakthrough direction.

"Even if all attacks are ineffective, they can still attract their troops and reduce your pressure."

Gorky spread his hands: "Just like the Winter Battle."

Wang Zhong: "If you hadn't attracted a large number of enemy troops in the winter battle, it would have been difficult for us to hold on. I protested to Belinsky and said that you must be included in the battle report, but he did not agree."

General Gorky: "I took the initiative to request that my name be hidden from the battle report, because at best it attracted the enemy's attention, at worst it meant that there was no attack. I will continue to optimize my plan and let my commanders and soldiers also Get more familiar with the plan! ”

General Gorky pressed his hands on the table and stared at the table without a map. His eyes seemed to be staring at the mountains and rivers on the map.

He said categorically: "Next time, the enemy will not be able to stop him even if he increases his troops. Only by doing this can I allow my name to be included in the battle report."

Wang Zhong stared at General Gorky, feeling a little embarrassed. After all, he did share a lot of pressure during the winter campaign.

At this time Olga said: "Belinsky told me that I understand General Gorky's desire to catch up with you and respect his decision, so I also approved his request."

Wang Zhong stared at General Gorky, who was much older than him, and said: "When I was a student, you were already a general, and you are my senior. With such respect from you, I...can only do my best to show what is worthy of this." What a respectful victory.

"See you Prosonia!"

Wang Zhong stretched out his hand.

General Gorky held his hand without hesitation: "See you in Prosonia! Then, I will attack first in June."

"I will catch up later." Wang Zhong responded, "Try to recover Khazalia within this year."

General Gorky: "Only restore Khazalia?"

Wang Zhong: "You should know the surrounding situation better than me in the northern and central urban agglomerations, right?"

General Gorky served as the commander of the Western Front for a long time before the war began. At that time, the defense area of ​​the Western Front was the place currently occupied by the enemy's Central Army Group.

Gorky smiled: "Indeed, the city clusters that are easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the fortifications I built, I built them! At that time, we lost these places so quickly. Facts have proved that an army without preparation and morale will It's useless even if there are fortifications.

"The truly impenetrable line of defense lies in the heart of every soldier."

Wang Zhong: "Yes. To conquer these fortified areas, it is estimated that a large number of casualties will be required. So I think that after we reach the border of Khazalia this year, the direction of attack next year will be..."

General Gorky: "Start from Khazalia, go straight to the Baltic Sea, encircle and annihilate."

Wang Zhong: "The enemy will also think that we will fight like this, and it probably won't go well."

"Then it all depends on your deception. You fool them every time. Forget about it, let's finish this year well first."

After General Gorky turned around to walk out, Lyudmila said: "General, won't you stay for dinner? My husband has a cook named Seris..."

General Gorky: "I am about to fly back to the headquarters, and I will not appreciate the skills of Chef Seris."

Wang Zhong: "Don't be afraid. It's a rumor that you won't be able to come back after eating."

"I'm not worried about this, I really have to catch a plane." After speaking, General Gorky took a few steps outside, then remembered that the Tsar was still sitting, and turned back to salute the Tsar, "Your Majesty, I have resigned!"

"Well, go ahead."

General Gorky then left the room.

Olga looked at the door, then at Wang Zhong, and said, "How can you continue the conversation by pointing at a table without a map?"

Wang Zhong: "Of course, we look at the map every day and have memorized the terrain and key cities. It's like my hometown."

Agsukov is the starting point of Wang Zhong's "feelings" for the world, so it's not wrong to talk about his hometown.

Wang Zhong looked at his wife.

Lyudmila did not speak, but responded to him with gentle and firm eyes.

Olga looked back and forth between the two of them, sighed softly, and then cheered up: "We will go back! We will definitely go back!"

Wang Zhong: "Yeah."

————

1st Company, 301st Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Prossen.

Company commander Schmidt led a platoon-level special reconnaissance detachment, equipped with two Cougar armored vehicles, two Panzer II tanks, and a radio car galloping on the grassland.

This is their third reconnaissance mission, and their main goal is to determine the location of the Anters' defense line.

But in the prairie of Salia, the location of the defense line was uncertain, and they didn't even know where to prepare the artillery fire.

Captain Schmidt ordered the Cougar to stop, then stood up on the turret and held up the telescope to observe the grassland ahead.

"Nothing, at least I didn't see anything!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of the commander of the second vehicle came from the headset: "But aircraft reconnaissance shows that the Ants have carried out projects here, and there are photos."

Schmidt: "The photos may be a deliberate illusion. The Ants can completely work at night and hide well during the day. Other areas are like this. The reconnaissance team must use their lives to explore their defense line."

Currently, aerial reconnaissance can only confirm the existence of some large-scale projects during their construction. For example, heavy permanent support points built with reinforced concrete are basically unable to avoid aerial reconnaissance during the construction process.

But when the project is completed, these support points will disappear quickly and be completely submerged by the vast grassland. Proson's staff can only roughly mark the location of these support points and roughly draw the structure of these support points based on previous reconnaissance photos.

Apart from these, other things like trenches that can be dug out overnight are basically ineffective for aerial reconnaissance. They cannot be seen at all, so scouts can only come to explore the situation.

And this kind of exploration is basically equivalent to risking one's life to explore the way.

Schmidt observed for another minute, sighed, and ordered: "Send out the death squad and sneak over."

"Yes."

With a few commands, the two death squad members lay down in the grass and crawled forward.

Schmidt nervously watched the two people with a telescope, but the two soon sank into the wildly growing grass in late spring and early summer, and their positions could only be vaguely seen through the shaking of the grass.

Soon, even the shaking of the grass could not be seen clearly, because the wind blew, and waves of green appeared on the grassland.

Captain Schmidt had an ominous premonition.

Suddenly, a landmine was detonated, and the mud fountain that suddenly appeared on the grassland rushed the helmets and weapons into the sky several meters high.

Then there was a flash and smoke in the distance.

Schmidt immediately realized what it was and shouted, "Direct fire!"

He jumped directly from the top of the Puma reconnaissance vehicle to the side.

Almost at the same time, the armor-piercing shell hit the Puma, creating a series of sparks. About ten meters behind the Puma, a cloud of mud rose up, which was obviously caused by the armor-piercing shell hitting the ground and bouncing again.

The fuse of the armor-piercing shell used by the Ants was set incorrectly, and the Puma was penetrated but not activated.

Schmidt fell and saw stars, but he still tried to get up and ordered: "Release the smoke! Record the position of the anti-tank gun! Also, take a photo if you can!"

However, more anti-tank guns came.

The No. 2 Puma had been penetrated by several shells. Although all the shells did not activate the fuse, the No. 2 car still caught fire.

The two No. 2 tanks were not so lucky. The first armor-piercing shell that penetrated exploded.

Schmidt: "Radio! Quickly report the position of the enemy's defense line in the rear! Release the smoke!"

The surviving scout threw the smoke bomb on his body, and the radioman shouted: "We have determined the position of the enemy's defense line! At the coordinates..."

Schmidt limped onto the motorcycle: "Quick, quick, quick! Retreat! The enemy's mobile force will soon come to wipe us out!"

The surviving Proson soldiers jumped onto the vehicles that could still be used. Because there were many survivors, several motorcycles were crowded with people, as if they were going to see the third brother for further study.

As the convoy fled, Schmidt turned his head and looked back, and he saw the smoke and dust raised by the enemy's mobile force.

"The enemy is chasing us! Judging from the speed of this mobile vehicle, it may be a Willys Jeep!"

The Proson people are already accustomed to the Willys Jeeps that the Ant people are equipped with in large quantities. In fact, the Proson people themselves also like to use Willys Jeeps. If it weren't for the fact that driving this thing around on the battlefield would easily be beaten by their own people, the Proson people would probably have eliminated their Mercedes-Benz bucket cars long ago.

After running for a while, the pursuers approached. It turned out that it was not a Willys Jeep, but a six-wheeled mobile armored vehicle. There was not only a heavy machine gun on the turret, but also a cannon of unknown caliber!

Schmidt swore that there was no trace of this armored vehicle in the identification atlas issued by the headquarters.

(In fact, it was an M8 Greyhound armored vehicle, armed with a 37mm main gun and a 12.7mm M2 heavy machine gun)

The enemy opened fire, and the tracer bullets fired by the heavy machine gun chased the Prosen people on the grassland.

Schmidt lay down in the truck bed and urged loudly: "Go, go! Go back to our position and we can get rid of the enemy!"

Before he finished speaking, the enemy opened fire.

The shell hit the front of the motorcycle, making a small crater. At this high speed, it was enough to turn the car and the people over.

Schmidt felt himself in the air, and then his consciousness was completely interrupted.