In the year 914 of the Jules calendar, September 20th at 1230 hours, the command headquarters of the Asgard Knights’ First Army of the Prussian Army.
Siegfried Gilais awaited reports on the second wave of the attack.
However, the first news to arrive was the reorganization report for the forces involved in the first round of attacks.
A captain staff officer, holding the report, entered the division’s map room, assembled from several armored command vehicles, and saluted Gilais, “Lieutenant General, the troops from the first attack round have been reformed.”
Gilais said, “Read it.”
The captain immediately lifted the clipboard to his chest and began to recite, “This morning, our forces committed four armored battalions with a total of 160 Panzer IIIs and 65 Panzer IVs ready for combat; now we have 121 Panzer IIIs and 27 Panzer IVs in combat readiness.”
Gilais did not speak; instead, the chief of staff was the first to exclaim in shock, “We lost over 70 tanks just in one morning?”
The captain said, “They’re not all completely destroyed. According to reports from the crews that withdrew, a considerable number are presumed repairable. Additionally, fifteen were able to retreat but cannot be redeployed due to mechanical failure.”
The chief of staff sighed with relief and remarked, “Thank goodness our logistics aren’t as bad as those of the Ante People; we can repair our lost tanks.”
The tanks of the Ante People would be discarded by the roadside at the slightest malfunction. It was unclear whether their tactical manuals prescribed such actions or if it merely reflected low morale and the tendency to abandon their posts when their tanks broke down.
Gilais asked, “What about the tank crew casualties?”
“Aside from the crews that withdrew with the tanks, thirty-seven incomplete crews managed to get back. The infantry checked the tanks with no escaping crew before the retreat, but found no survivors.”
Gilais frowned, “Have there been this many complete losses of crews before? Even against the enemy’s 76mm antitank guns, usually, some crew members survive, right?”
The captain replied, “We need a detailed investigation on this matter. However, the troops have reported that the enemy’s fire is extremely precise, and their positions are well-concealed, making them hard to detect. It’s likely that exchange fire with the enemy is not a good idea.”
After the captain finished speaking, the chief of staff waved his hand, “That’s why on the second wave, we resorted to the conventional use of smoke cover to advance; we should achieve excellent results.”
Gilais, however, asked, “What about the infantry casualties?”
The captain reported, “The first wave assault infantry reported 471 missing, but an ongoing count of those who have returned is underway. Accurate casualty numbers will only be available after a detailed tally tonight or after we have occupied and cleared the battle zone.”
The chaos inherent in a failed retreat, compounded by the enemy’s artillery fire, often leads to troops becoming scattered or lost in the process.
Casualty counting is a complex science. The most direct approach is actually to count the bodies after clearing the battlefield.
This is why armies maintain so many staff- and clerks; without them, the casualty figures would be unmanageable.
Gilais sighed, “Such heavy casualties in the first round of attack, and without gaining anything. The White Horse General is indeed a formidable opponent.”
Gilais’s adjutant took a step forward, “Facing such impregnable defenses from the enemy, we should avoid direct confrontation and instead outflank them. We, the Asgard Knights, are His Majesty’s elite personal guards. It’s not appropriate to sustain such losses here in a frontal assault.
“Moreover, I have reservations about the decision to airdrop hunters so forcefully behind enemy lines at such a heavily defended river; paratroopers should be used where our forces can break through quickly. Otherwise, they will become isolated behind enemy lines, vulnerable to annihilation by the enemy’s secondary or even tertiary forces.”
Siegfried Gilais nodded, “You are correct. Such robust defenses should not be attacked head-on.
“But our current battle is primarily considered from a strategic standpoint. His Majesty the Emperor instructed us to shatter the enemy’s heroes. This White Horse General is known as the Empire’s Iron Wall, so we are to breach it frontally and shatter this Iron Wall.
“As for the deployment of paratroopers, I suspect it’s more about placating Duke Meyer. The Duke’s heritage is complex; his biological father is not of the Junker Nobility, so His Majesty hopes to use him to balance the old officer corps.”
The chief of staff looked uncomfortable, “Should I be hearing this?”
Siegfried smiled at the chief of staff, “Your position as chief of staff means that you have the Emperor’s trust.”
He then turned to his adjutant, “In any case, the Asgard Knights must shatter this White Horse General and his myth here, no matter the cost. This is to ensure we shed less blood in the future.
“If we can’t force Ante to surrender quickly, the war will become a war of attrition. His Majesty originally hoped to negotiate for a ceasefire with the United Kingdom following Carolingian’s surrender, but the war-time Prime Minister is not the one we favored initially, and so the United Kingdom continues to fight.
“Adding Ante to the mix would be even worse.”
Gilais looked towards the map on the wall.
“If we don’t quickly destroy Ante’s will to resist, as we did with Carolingian, the entirety of Prussia’s blood might be drained.”
Just as he finished speaking, a crisp sound came from the floor.
Siegfried Gilais looked down to find the lower half of a toy tin soldier at his feet.
Feliz frowned, “
Feliz: “Leave it to me, these tin soldiers are easy to fix. At worst, if they’re completely melted, we can just recast them using a mold.”
Giles shook his head, “Now isn’t the time to worry about that. Tens of thousands of soldiers are charging towards the enemy’s heavily fortified lines. As a Senior Commander, there isn’t much I can do for them at the moment, but—”
The sound of artillery shells tearing through the sky could be heard.
————
Wang Zhong frowned as he looked at the initials on the map.
At that moment, the observing staff officer shouted, “Enemy tanks passing the 1,000-meter marker!”
Wang Zhong switched to a bird’s-eye view, saw the anti-tank guns that had completed their relocation fire away, quickly decimating the enemy tanks just like the first wave.
Then he turned his attention back to the map.
Vasily: “Should we bombard them?”
Wang Zhong: “How? Look at the size of this initial on the map. Considering the scale of the map, think how much artillery we’d be wasting to cover the whole area marked by that initial?”
Vasily: “Then, just hit the central point, leave the rest to chance… and the enemy’s diligence. Bet that the geometric center of this initial is marked exactly on top of the enemy headquarters.”
Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, “Alright, let’s fire three rounds—two barrages, save on some ammunition.”
Popov: “Since it’s all down to chance, why not just make it one round? That way, we might even seem more pious, and who knows, we might actually hit the target.”
Wang Zhong: “That works. Make another call to have the Divine Arrow unit’s prayer warriors pray for the rounds to hit.”
Popov was shocked, “Is that necessary?”
Wang Zhong: “The girls are free right now anyway. Might as well offer a prayer.”
Popov sighed while his bearlike companion, Pavlov, considerately picked up the handset, “Here.”
Wang Zhong then turned his attention back to the battle situation.
The enemy indeed discovered the ZIS-30’s hiding place, then the Panzer IV hit the position with a smoke bomb from its short-barreled howitzer.
No sooner had the position been covered than the ZIS-30 was retreating.
On the eastern shore, there was a row of houses just in time, and the big street behind them couldn’t be seen from the opposite side, perfect for the ZIS-30’s small frame to move quickly and change positions.
However, before the ZIS-30 could maneuver to a new location, the enemy began blanketing the east bank’s buildings with direct fire under a smoke cover.
If they couldn’t shoot over it, they decided to blanket it completely.
With the firepower on the eastern bank suppressed, the enemy tanks made for the crossing.
The Naval Infantry’s boats were still on the shore. Seeing the situation, the boats headed back first, while the Naval Infantry dressed in black naval shirts hid along the shore.
On the western shore, the wave breakers were mostly exposed, forming just enough cover for a person to hide. The Naval Infantry lay flat like dried salted fish, waiting for the enemy tanks to come closer.
Wang Zhong watched the battle situation tensely.
That’s when Pavlov reported, “The artillery has fired.”
“Good, got it.” Wang Zhong waved his hand, “Get our machine gun firepower ready. When the Naval Infantry goes up to attack the tanks, we need to use covering fire to block enemy infantry.”
Pavlov picked up the handset again.
————
Headquarters of the First Army of the Prussian Army’s Asgard Knights.
Giles pushed Feliz away, “Alright, the bombardment is over. Get up.”
Feliz raised his head, “It’s over after only one round?”
Giles straightened his red hair, picked up his hat from the ground, put it on, then retrieved the toy tin soldier that had been thrown on the floor, gripping it in his left hand, before opening the door of the armored command vehicle and stepping outside.
Whoever had provided the intelligence to the enemy didn’t get it quite right—more than thirty heavy artillery rounds were all off target, uniformly landing in the woods beside the headquarters.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely off target. The guard battalion’s mess hall had been destroyed, and a mess truck had landed not far from the headquarters—the stewed potatoes scattered everywhere, and the coffee pot had a hole in it, leaking mud-colored coffee like a broken tap.
Besides that, a tank platoon assigned to headquarters had also been hit by the heavy artillery. Of the tanks parked side by side, two were burning—it seemed the shell had landed right between them.
Giles looked down at the toy tin soldier in the palm of his hand.
Feliz also came out, looked at the devastation, and exclaimed angrily, “It must be a spy! The Imperial Household Ministry needs to thoroughly investigate!”