October 12th, the east bank of Shostka, controlled by the Prussian Army.
Giles stepped off the pontoon bridge, looking at the bodies piled up on the riverbank.
Aide-de-camp Feliz frowned, “I will oversee the logistics personnel to clear the bodies as soon as possible to prevent an outbreak of plague.”
Giles nodded.
At this time, the terrible stench had already made many staff officers cover their noses, but Giles remained indifferent.
He walked solemnly onto the riverside boulevard, looking at the windows and walls blown open by explosives, with only the bodies of Prosen soldiers remaining inside.
Giles, “Are there no bodies of the Ante Army?”
The chief of staff immediately responded, “Report, we believe the bodies of the Ante Army have already been buried in the suburban cemetery.”
Giles, “The enemy even had the leeway to do this, which shows that we didn’t put much pressure on them at all; they could have continued to defend here, but they retreated.”
Giles paused, then added, “If they had continued to defend here, we might have had the chance to crush their defense.”
Having said that, he continued to move forward, along the path cleared by the earlier landing troops, passing through the first row of buildings along the Shostka river.
On the street between the first and second row of buildings, the bodies of Prosen soldiers still piled up.
Feliz said, “This is as far as we got.
“The day before yesterday, the captain who attacked here and then fled back reported that the enemy had removed all the stairs to the second floor; we couldn’t find a way up, so we could only try to cross the street into the buildings behind under the cover of smoke, and as a result, we suffered heavy casualties on the street.”
Giles looked at the buildings on both sides and exclaimed, “This has become a trap set to slaughter us. Look at those firing holes on the second floor; they were specially built to shoot at our forces from behind.”
As he said this, he stepped forward, turning in circles to survey his surroundings.
At that moment, the military chief of staff added, “This is a ‘wengcheng’ (a trap within a fortress gate), after the enemy troops breach the gates, they will be shot by archers from the ‘wengcheng’ above.”
In the end, Giles stopped, looking towards the row of buildings along the river, “The only way to deal with these fortifications is to blow up the entire first row of buildings; we should use the Bison heavy infantry gun to fire from close range.”
Feliz, “But the Bison would immediately be counterattacked by the enemy’s artillery, and it’s also vulnerable to enemy anti-tank guns.”
Giles, “We need thicker frontal armor and weapons capable of completely destroying such solid buildings. Right now, the infantry’s StuG III assault gun’s 75mm short-barreled howitzer and the Panzer IV’s short-barreled howitzer are not up to the task.”
If Wang Zhong knew his masterpiece might lead to the early appearance of the Grizzly assault gun and the Tiger assault gun, I wonder what he would think.
Giles once again looked around and then ordered, “Protect all these buildings, carefully measure all the fortifications; this should become the standard for our army’s future urban defense, to be written into textbooks.”
Feliz, “Is that necessary? The Imperial forces have always been on the offensive, winning one victory after another.”
Giles was silent for a while before saying, “Just in case. Look at the Ante Army; their doctrine is heavy on offense, light on defense, and you see the result. We can’t have such a weakness.”
“Yes,” Feliz nodded, his expression grave.
Giles then asked, “Do you know where Rokossov’s troops have retreated to?”
Feliz, “He followed the railway. We advanced about twenty kilometers and then encountered the enemy’s blocking force, not bearing the red flag, so probably not theirs. It is reported that General Moochi’s troops downstream have broken through the enemy’s defense, but…”
Giles, “But what?”
“His fuel transport team couldn’t keep up with the tank troops, and now they have had to stop because the fuel stocks fell below the warning level,” Feliz said with a wry smile. “Moreover, with this damn weather, the tank failure rate has soared, the repair troops are stuck in the mud and can’t get through, so chasing the enemy is probably not possible.”
Giles, “The enemy knows this and also knows that they can move faster than us in the mud, so they took the opportunity to retreat after the rain.”
Then the military chief of staff said, “They took advantage of this opportunity to retreat because they knew they couldn’t stop us. The Empire will achieve victory.”
But his tone no longer had the optimism and confidence of before.
Giles whispered, “I always feel the reason for the proactive retreat is not so simple… The only reason I can think of is to stretch our supply line. Kutuzov also used the same strategy against that Conqueror.
“I have a bad feeling. Feliz, how much of our winter gear do we have?”
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Feliz, “Currently, the troops have only been replenished with clothing suitable for autumn weather; there’s basically no winter gear. But don’t worry, the Typhoon Campaign plan originally included provisions for winter warfare, so the logistics department started preparing winter gear in September, it should be delivered soon.”
Giles suddenly felt a chill at the back of his skull, “No, Feliz, no, the winter gear won’t be coming. Because all the mule transport is concentrated on transporting ammunition, fuel, and tank parts.”
Feliz turned pale, “This… then we should tell the logistics department to prioritize winter gear!”
Giles, “No, Feliz, you saw the results of their transport capacity adjustments yesterday. We received only seventy percent of the fuel and ammunition supplied normally. As we push forward, this amount will definitely decrease. But the enemy is getting closer and closer to their supply center…”
Giles, supporting his chin, fell into deep thought, his complexion ashen.
Finally, he said, “I see the great defeat that awaits the Empire in the future. The only way to deal with this defeat is to stop advancing and defend on the spot. The enemy also lacks the strength to attack, so we can divert transport capacity to bring in winter gear.
“But to stop advancing would mean the failure of our hopes for a swift victory. The war would turn into a war of attrition, and we wouldn’t get the fuel and raw materials we urgently need.”
Giles looked up into the sky, where a fine drizzle was incessantly falling.
“Remember that clear telegram from Rokossov we got at the beginning; he even warned us!”
Feliz, “That was just his psychological warfare, he wanted his artillery fire to cause as many casualties as possible.”
Giles did not respond.
At that moment, a messenger ran over and saluted, “Report, a way to enter Rocossov’s headquarters has been found.”
Giles said, “Let’s go and have a look.”
————
A short while later, Giles entered the headquarters of the general on the white horse.
The maps and documents had, of course, been burned to ashes long ago, and all sorts of equipment had naturally been removed as well; only tables and chairs were left in the empty bunker.
And a charcoal stove, on which sat a teapot.
As Giles walked toward the charcoal stove, he suddenly felt something flicker in the corner of his eye and turned his head toward the wall.
Then he saw written on the wall, “Dear Prussian commander, you have fully demonstrated the art of war to us, and so we sincerely congratulate you on your victory!”
The signature was “Your friend, Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky.”
Upon seeing these words, Feliz flew into a rage, “Someone! Scrape off these words!”
But the chief of staff said, “No! We all know that these words are mocking us, but others don’t! We should let the propaganda department send people to photograph these words and publish them on the front page and headline!”
Feliz, hearing this, was overjoyed, “Right, let’s propagate that the general on the white horse has already submitted to us!”
At this time, a communications staff officer entered the bunker, “Report! A telegram from His Majesty the Emperor himself!”
Giles said, “Read it.”
The communications staff officer began, “‘Congratulations, my dear Siegfried, for capturing Shostka within the time you promised. The empire will remember your merit.’
Giles pursed his lips and glanced at the words on the wall again.
“Scrape it off.” He said, “And no one is allowed to say they’ve seen these words.”
Feliz asked, “Why? Doesn’t this perfectly echo the emperor’s praise?”
Giles replied, “Because I am a soldier. My skin is not that thick! Wipe it all off! Don’t let those bastards from the propaganda department know about this! And don’t let them take any photos!”
Having said this, he kicked over the charcoal stove in the room.
Then something on the ground started to smoke.
Feliz yelled “Careful,” pushed Giles aside, and threw himself on top of the object.
Giles fell to the ground and, during the fall, his head struck the edge of the table, immediately swelling up with a huge lump.
At the same time, the booby trap exploded, slightly lifting Feliz who was lying on top of it.
The other staff officers were scattered all over the floor.
When the explosion was over, Giles struggled to his feet, ran to Feliz’s side, and turned his aide over.
Feliz’s clothes were already soaked red, but he still gasped for breath. He looked at Giles and said, “General… I’m… so cold.”
Then his face twisted.
Giles checked his pulse and then gently closed his eyes.
The chief of staff got up and said, “We should publicize this too, make the general on the white horse out to be a despicable villain! That way…”
Giles interjected, “Wipe off the words! Do you think we haven’t embarrassed ourselves enough? I’ve just got my aide killed! Understand?”
The chief of staff shut his mouth, and the other staff officers called for soldiers to begin erasing the charcoal from the wall.
Giles stood up and watched until every word written in charcoal was erased.
Then he too fell forward.
The chief of staff was alarmed, catching the falling general, and shouted, “Medic! Medic, come quickly!”
Afterward, Giles was diagnosed with a mild intracranial hemorrhage and had to temporarily leave his command post.
————
October 12th, Suhayaveli, under the control of Ante Army.
As soon as Wang Zhong got off the train, he sneezed several times in a row.
Ludmila rushed over with concern and asked, “Caught a cold? You should see the doctor right away!”
Wang Zhong waved his hand dismissively, “Don’t make a fuss, maybe it’s just the Prussians cursing me.”
Nelly opened an umbrella and handed it to Ludmila.