Cannon Fire Arc - Chapter 53 Childhood
At the same time, at the headquarters of the Tenth Army Group of Prosen.
After pacing back and forth innumerable times, General Boke looked up and asked the chief of staff, “Has the infantry division not been attacked yet?”
“Yes,” the chief of staff replied, “It’s possible that the artillery barrage of the infantry division has disrupted Rocossov’s deployment.”
General William von Frederick of the Sixth Army Group stood up. “Then I won’t disturb you any longer in your battle of wits with Rocossov. Looking at the time, my army group’s headquarters should have already moved into position; it’s time for me to head back.”
Prussians occasionally do this; when the follow-up echelon’s troops are moving forward, the commanders precede them to the forward echelons’ headquarters for a “visit” to get a head start on the frontline situation.
By the time the follow-up echelons’ headquarters have moved to the front, the commanders are already completely aware of the situation.
The premise is that the two commanders are fairly familiar with each other.
Of course, according to military regulations, it’s definitely unacceptable for a commander to leave the headquarters while the troops are advancing to a war zone, but the Prussians are very “flexible” about this.
If anyone questions this, the Prussian generals will say it’s a way to train their staff and officer corps.
General Boke told his old friend, “Be careful on your way back. My troops report that although this grassland appears navigable everywhere, in fact, many areas will bog down vehicles once they enter. It’s unlike the great steppe of Eastern Europa or the black earth of Kazarlia—take extra caution.”
Frederick waved his hand and gestured to his aide-de-camp before leaving the headquarters of the Tenth Army Group.
General Boke then turned to the chief of staff, “What about the scouting unit’s report?”
The chief of staff shook his head, “Nothing unusual has been discovered, but there were reports of enemy reconnaissance planes conducting aerial scouting.”
General Boke looked at the map, “Our intent for the pincer attack must have been discovered by Rocossov. Yet he has stopped. Isn’t he just waiting to be surrounded by us?”
The chief of staff speculated, “Maybe he’s realized we can’t launch an immediate offensive, so he wants to wait for his own follow-up troops?”
The pincer attack plan formulated by General Boke’s staff was set to begin on the morning of the 18th, but it was only the 15th now. The various units were still in transit, none had reached their starting positions, and the supply of fuel and ammunition hadn’t caught up.
After pondering the chief of staff’s speculation for a few seconds, General Boke shook his head. “Where did he get such information? No, it doesn’t make sense. It’s unlikely he could determine our time of attack. It must be the artillery barrage that has disrupted their movements. Rocossov also likes to launch counter-fire preparation before our offensives to upset our attack plans—Infantry Division 190 did good this time!”
The chief of staff asked, “Should we inform Division 190 of your praise?”
“No, there’s no need; after all, the disruption by artillery fire is just one possibility. It’s also possible that Rocossov’s battle plan was to seize Yeisk, considering that this city is the last major city before we attack Yarvik. Without seizing Yeisk, his army would have no supply center.”
Upon saying this, General Boke fell silent for a few seconds, then cursed, “Damn it, we were also planning to use Yeisk as a supply center! Now we have to replan the supply logistics!”
The chief of staff quickly said, “We’ve already prepared contingency plans for supplies. No need to worry. The progress is a bit slower than we expected, but by the 17th, all supply centers will definitely be set up, with ammunition and fuel delivered to the attacking units.”
General Boke frowned. “The progress has slowed? Why? When we made the plans, didn’t I instruct you to account for a day of slack?”
The chief of staff showed a wry smile. “Not only did we account for slack, but we also considered the poor road conditions in the Kazarlia area when planning. Unfortunately, the road conditions here are even worse, with many roads swallowed up by weeds. To prevent the follow-up troops from getting lost, we set up many traffic control stations along the way, but there were still supply convoys that deviated from the roads and got lost in the grasslands.”
General Boke’s face darkened. “So our day of slack has already been used up?”
“Yes, but there shouldn’t be any problem launching the attack on the morning of the 18th,” the chief of staff assured confidently.
General Boke nodded, “Alright, then we just need to withstand the attacks tomorrow (the 16th) and the day after.”
Until now, General Boke still believed that Rocossov would attack.
————
Wang Zhong was now riding a horse through the city of Yeisk.
Although the sunset still hung in the sky, it was almost ten o’clock at night, the time when many ordinary people went to bed.
But now almost no one was sleeping. The entire city’s population had mobilized to assist the hired workers of the First Mobile Group Army in gathering the bodies of fallen soldiers.
The bodies of the enemy, on the other hand, were piled up carelessly by the roadside.
As Wang Zhong strolled, he saw a group of children playing war games; the children playing the Ante Army had no equipment, while those playing the Prosen Army were decked out in steel helmets and combat belts.
Stopping, he called out, “Children!”
The children stopped and looked at Wang Zhong. An older child spotted Wang Zhong’s insignia, shouted, “It’s a general! Salute to the general!”
A group of children mimicked the adults, stood at attention, and gave a very sloppy salute.
Wang Zhong smiled and returned the salute, then asked, “How come the ones playing the Ante Army don’t have any equipment?”
The child who had called for the salute replied, “We can’t take things belonging to martyrs.”
Wang Zhong laughed. He dismounted, took off his own military cap, and placed it on the child’s head, saying, “You’re the commander; here, wear this.”
The child, touched, asked, “Is this alright?”
“Yes, my cap is just a regular one, no different from a Second Lieutenant’s cap.”
One of the resting Mobile Army soldiers commented, “Kid, if I were you, I’d take that cap and hide it away. It’s an heirloom to pass on!”
The older child took off his military cap, eyeing it with delight.
Wang Zhong turned to the child playing a Prussian soldier, “Where did you get that Iron Cross?”
The child pointed toward the street corner, “Misha, who was cleaning up Prussian bodies over there, gave it to me!”
Misha was probably the name of a person helping the laborers with their work.
Wang Zhong approached the child, squatting down beside him. As he adjusted the position of the Iron Cross, he said, “This should be hung around your neck, and this is a wound badge, it should be here.”
The child looked surprised, “General, how do you know all this so well?”
Wang Zhong, “To defeat the enemy, you first have to understand the enemy, in great detail, everything. You even have to know them better than they know themselves!”
In fact, before his time travel, Wang Zhong had once been a German soldier for a few years, and later read a book called “General NC,” which shocked him with the brutality of the Sturmtiger and its inhumanity—the book included numerous photos that documented the atrocities of regular soldiers of the armed forces.
After that, he was no longer a fan, but the knowledge he gained during his time as a German soldier wasn’t lost; he could still recite all kinds of Sturmtiger medals and their wearing methods like the back of his hand.
After helping the child adjust his uniform, Wang Zhong stood up and said sternly to all the children, “Listen up, after you’re done playing, go back and tell your folks to pack up. Tomorrow, the empty vehicles from our motorized travel here will be heading back to Yarvik, and you can take them to leave.”
The children looked at each other, their gazes finally settling on the big kid wearing Wang Zhong’s cap.
“We want to stay and fight!” the big kid said, “We’ll use guns!”
Another child shouted, “Katya has joined the army, so can we!”
Wang Zhong, “When did Katya join the army?”
“This January!”
Wang Zhong, “Then she must still be in training. Modern warfare isn’t just about knowing how to shoot. Staying here, you won’t be of any help, you’ll only be giving up your lives for nothing. Listen to me, go back and tell your parents to follow the empty vehicles back to Yarvik tomorrow.”
The big kid fell silent for a few seconds then suddenly asked, “Are you telling us to leave because the city can’t be held?”
Wang Zhong, “Yes, but I promise you, we’ll surely retake it by next June. Right now, we need to trade space for time, to thin out the enemy’s forces, to drag down their logistics. Once we’ve dragged them to the bone, we’ll strike back with one punch!”
Big kid, “Then why can’t we just wait for you here?”
“No, the enemy will slaughter you. Have you seen the priests hung up on the street lamps? The enemy will do the same to your parents. If we’re going to retake the city anyway, why sacrifice in vain?”
The children looked at each other.
“Okay,” the big kid said, “we’ll go talk to our parents. May I ask your name, sir?”
Wang Zhong, “Your choice of words, have you been to a proper school?”
“I attend the church middle school in the city, in the ninth grade,” the child said.
“Alright. I am Rocossov, ‘that’ Rocossov. Your current mission is to move to the rear and then finish middle school. We really need high school graduates right now, and there will be a place for you to make a difference.”
Wang Zhong paused, then seemed to remember something and asked, “What about your classmates?”
Big kid, “They should be with their families—if they aren’t dead, that is.”
Wang Zhong, “I have a task for you then. Wearing my hat, go find these classmates and get them to convince their families to evacuate with the empty vehicles tomorrow too. Can you do that?”
The kid smiled, “Of course!”
Wang Zhong, “Then go! While it’s still light out! Run!”
The big kid turned and sprinted.
Seeing this, the other children also ran along.
The child playing the Prussian commander suddenly remembered something, stopped, snapped to attention, saluted Wang Zhong, then turned and chased after the main group.
Wang Zhong, with his hands clasped behind his back, sighed, “Childhood amidst warfare.”
Grigori, “I don’t know whether to envy them or pity them.”
“Certainly pity, no matter what, children should never be involved with war. Every time I see these kids, my hatred for the Prussians grows stronger.”
Just like before he traveled through time, whenever he looked at photographs of certain places.
At that moment, two motorcycle messengers drove up.
The motorcycle was still a Harley provided by the Federation, impressively stylish.
Wang Zhong was so taken with the motorcycle he almost missed what the messenger said.
Messenger, “General! A Po-2 from the Air Force has landed outside the city, bringing us aerial reconnaissance photos.”
“Good, I’ll head back to headquarters immediately.”
