Popov heard that the enemy was approaching and immediately went to the observation window to look outside.
Five minutes later, he put down his binoculars and said to Wang Zhong, “Smoke, Xu Jin Barrage, tank assault, still the same old tricks? Were yesterday’s casualties not enough, so they’re trying again today?”
Wang Zhong, listening to the sound of our mortars and heavy artillery interception fire, shrugged his shoulders, “Why don’t you ask the enemy commander?”
At this point, Pavlov had already finished issuing orders to the artillery, so he too joined the conversation, “If the enemy hasn’t changed their tactics, we’ll just deal with them using yesterday’s methods. This makes my job easier, the orders to the artillery can just be ‘the same as yesterday’.”
Vasily said, “No, no, there is something different, haven’t you all noticed?”
Everyone looked at Vasily, indulging his desire to perform, until he finally said with an air of mystery, “There are no planes today. Yesterday with both the Yak-1 and the Divine Arrow, we can conservatively estimate the enemy lost thirty to forty pilots in one day, and today they didn’t show up! Not even for high-altitude level bombing!”
As everyone in the bunker exchanged glances, Wang Zhong suddenly slapped his thigh, “Aren’t the pilots just sitting idle then? How can it be like this? Can the Yak-1 carry bombs?”
Wang Zhong had flown the Yak-1 before—in a game. But he had only used the Yak-1 for air combat, so he only knew that the Yak-1 couldn’t carry auxiliary fuel tanks and gun pods. He had no memory of it carrying bombs.
Pavlov looked at him with frustration, “You’re always finding more work for me to do!”
After saying this, he picked up the receiver, “Switchboard, connect me to the fighter squadron. Hello, is this Harlamov? No? Well, you’ll do. Can your Yak-1s carry bombs? Can they carry two 100-kilo bombs?
Alright, got it. Hold on to the phone for a minute, I need to check with the general.”
Pavlov looked over without bothering to repeat the conversation, since everyone had heard it anyway.
Wang Zhong said, “Carrying two 100-kilo bombs would affect the flight performance too much, and pilots are still very precious. Let’s go with two 50-kilo bombs instead.”
Vasily was puzzled, “Why not just hang one bomb?”
Wang Zhong explained, “What do you know? Two bombs are hung under the wings, one on each side, to balance. They are dropped simultaneously. If you drop from one side and the other side fails and doesn’t drop, it could be disastrous.”
Vasily remarked, “So that’s how it is.”
After their conversation ended, Pavlov asked, “So the order is for them to carry two 50-kg bombs each?”
“Dispatch a squadron, the rest will be on standby for air defense. Tell them, accuracy is not demanded; just dropping the bombs near the enemy is fine, but the key is to return alive. I need their reconnaissance reports, especially any area with antennas.”
Actually, Wang Zhong didn’t think the pilots could spot the enemy’s antennas from the air, knowing from personal experience how difficult it is to see ground targets with camouflage from above.
In the game, if the enemy put some grass in front of their tanks or parked under a tree, Wang Zhong would be virtually blind to it.
That was just a game, but reality has a thousand times more ground details to obscure the view, and even upon returning with pictures, it would take professionals a long time to identify them.
There was an example from history where a Sturmtiger’s No. 4 tank had its track broken, was reported by Soviet infantry, and the Soviet Air Force dispatched 40 Il-2 aircraft to bomb it, only for the closest bomb to land dozens of meters from the tank.
It wasn’t that the Soviet Air Force’s bombing technique was poor, but because the No. 4 tank was on the battlefield surrounded by complex situations, and the pilots could not distinguish the target.
Of course, the bombing technique of the Soviet Air Force was indeed poor, lacking adequate training time.
Wang Zhong’s orders were passed on unaltered by Pavlov to the fighter squadron.
The chief of staff put down the receiver and said to Wang Zhong, “Fighters going on a bombing run, isn’t that like a dog catching mice—none of its business?”
So Ante people also have this proverb…
Wang Zhong replied, “What’s wrong with that? It’s just that our engine technology is inferior, and we don’t have enough power, so we can only carry two ‘little sweet potatoes’.”
Vasily interjected, “A 50-kilogram bomb is no small potato, it’s a big watermelon, no, I don’t even know if there’s a watermelon that heavy. It’s scarier than heavy artillery.”
Wang Zhong said, “Just you wait, once we bring in fighters from the Federation, we’ll show you what mixing business with pleasure really means.”
At this moment, the only one in the bunker still at his post, a staff officer, shouted, “I hear machine gun fire, Ye Fort has engaged the enemy.”
Pavlov took up the receiver.
Shortly after, the sound of heavy artillery shells whooshed over everyone’s heads.
Wang Zhong could see through the smoke, so he clearly saw that around Ye Fort two companies had unfolded. After breaking through the barrage of the mortar fire, their formation had thinned out, but because Ye Fort was a single point, the sparse formation was forced to clump together again.
And then they were covered by heavy artillery fire.
Wang Zhong couldn’t help but mutter, “Is the enemy commander’s head made of iron? This kind of offensive just won’t do. Our infantry can’t accumulate combat experience like this.”
Popov replied, “What are you talking about? Do you really think we send greenhorns across the river just to gain experience? No, it’s to build their courage. Fighting skills, that’s something the old soldiers will teach them when we pull back for rest and reorganization.”
Just then, the phone rang and Pavlov picked up the receiver, “Division headquarters. What’s the matter? Understood.”
He put down the receiver and immediately picked it up again to issue the order to cease firing to the artillery.
Wang Zhong asked, “The enemy is retreating?”
In fact, Wang Zhong saw the enemy retreating but had to pretend a bit, since, after all, the division headquarters bunker—no, the entire east bank was shrouded in smoke and nothing could be seen.
Pavlov: “The enemy didn’t even try to cross the river. What’s going on here?”
Just as Wang Zhong was about to answer, he saw a squadron of Yak-1s carrying bombs fly over the river.
The sound of the planes’ engines became the only noise on the battlefield at that moment.
As Wang Zhong prayed for them to find the “big fish,” the phone rang.
Pavlov picked it up: “Headquarters, go ahead. Hmm? Okay, I’ll get him now.”
After he finished speaking, he handed the receiver to Wang Zhong: “Army Group Commander.”
Wang Zhong took the receiver: “Hello, Kiriyenko, this is Rocossov. What’s the situation?”
Major General Kiriyenko: “How are things on your end? Kashuk is under fierce attack, but the concrete you sent him has been very effective. And there are no bridges on his side, so the enemy has to advance through water.”
Wang Zhong: “I have bridges here, but the bridgehead is actually an anvil I designed for the enemy. My sledgehammer has already smashed them to pieces. I’ve evaporated four enemy platoons, four platoons!”
Yesterday alone, the enemy left behind more than four hundred bodies; I’m afraid a single assault today has cost them nearly three hundred.
Major General Kiriyenko: “Are you sure you don’t need reinforcements?”
Wang Zhong: “I haven’t even used my reserves.”
In fact, the reserves had suffered the second highest casualties yesterday, after the logistics personnel, due to being attacked by infiltrating enemy elite troops.
Hearing Wang Zhong’s confidence, Major General Kiriyenko said: “That’s great, but let me know immediately if you can’t hold on. I’ve already prepared troops to relieve you. You now represent more symbolic than actual combat significance. Although I doubt anyone can defend as well as you, what I mean is… if you need to retreat, retreat, don’t feel burdened.”
Wang Zhong: “Don’t worry. Once my troop’s casualties reach 40%, I’ll withdraw.”
After a moment of silence on Kiriyenko’s end, he said: “Alright, I understand. We’ll leave it at that.”
Then he hung up the phone.
————
At the Army Group headquarters, Major General Kiriyenko put down the phone and looked at the Army Group Chief of Staff and the Military Bishop: “This Rocossov, he’s assured me with such confidence that he will request a retreat once his casualties reach 40%.”
The Chief of Staff twisted his eyebrows into knots: “Even Argesukov’s troops, inspired by the Crown Prince, didn’t fight that resolutely, did they? They fell apart when their losses reached 30%. Are his troops made of iron or what?”
And the Military Bishop very firmly said: “It’s possible for Major General Rocossov’s words to come true. At Orachi, his troops managed to organize a breakout after suffering 50% casualties, although those losses were tallied after they had broken out.”
Kiriyenko approached the map, looking at the overall situation: “Right now, it seems possible that we can completely stop the enemy’s offensive in the south. The question is how long we can hold in the north. The north doesn’t have any rivers to defend, and the only fortified areas are around Ye Fort, which is precisely the kind of battlefield suitable for enemy armored forces.”
Chief of Staff: “On the bright side, if we can save a lot of troops here, the Western Front Army can shift forces to the north.”
Major General Kiriyenko nodded: “Let’s hope so.”
————
At the Prosen Army side, headquarters of the First Army of the Asgard Knights.
Giles frowned: “We’ve suffered such heavy losses without even exchanging fire with the enemy’s anti-tank guns. It seems we can’t keep charging in blindly. Change strategy, switch the operation to trench warfare, and request engineering troops from the Central Army Group.”
All the staff officers looked at each other then the Chief of Staff spoke on everyone’s behalf: “Your Majesty has high hopes for us…”
Giles: “Which is why we can’t continue to throw our lives away. How is this different from Carolingian officers forcing their soldiers to their deaths with military execution squads? Trench warfare offers better resistance against heavy artillery. Even under heavy bombardment, we can continue to advance.
“This will render their current biggest threat to us useless! I’ve thoroughly reviewed the White Horse General’s battle records. The greatest crisis in his lines of defense at Orachi came when reconnaissance aircraft were overhead, and his heavy artillery dared not act.
“While our reports like to portray the White Horse General as a tank commander, his true strength lies in the use of artillery fire!
“So we must take a targeted approach.”
At that moment, Aide-de-camp Feliz approached: “How long will it take for trench warfare to get close to the enemy?”
Giles: “I ordered an engineering assessment yesterday, and the detailed report should be done today. According to my experience, we might need fifteen days to get close enough to launch an attack.”
Feliz: “But His Majesty hopes that our pincer movement will be completed by mid-October. To capture Ye Fort by November.”
Giles: “Don’t worry, if we launch the attack on the fifth of October, and break through around the tenth, we can still complete the pincer movement by the twentieth. The key that His Majesty expects is to penetrate what the enemy has propagated as the ‘Imperial Iron Wall’ defense of the White Horse General.”
Feliz: “But…”
Giles: “I will explain this personally to His Majesty. You needn’t worry, call off the attack, and let the artillery continue bombarding the enemy’s defenses.”
Feliz hesitated for a moment but still replied: “Yes.”