On November 12, at 12:30 pm, the Prosen Army’s Second Armored Cluster Command.
“The enemy’s defenses on Hill 391 are exceptionally strong. They’ve placed KV heavy tanks behind the hill; without direct firing power, we can’t destroy them from a distance. We’re forced into close combat where we’ll be attacked by anti-tank guns in the forest.”
The staff officer finished and paused, waiting for General Moochi to ask questions.
General Moochi, “Have we identified the weapon that soldiers say ‘howls like an evil spirit’?”
Staff officer, “Artillery experts have observed the firing of that weapon and believe it might be a type of rocket. After reporting, the Imperial Academy of Sciences indicated they have a prototype called ‘Smoker,’ which performs similarly to this weapon during tests.”
Moochi frowned slightly, “I’ve heard of the ‘Smoker,’ but I thought it was a smoke generator device. Damn, the Imperial Academy of Sciences is keeping secrets from me too?”
At this point, the adjutant spoke up, “I’ve seen Rocossov’s new weapon in action, and it truly fits the name ‘Smoker.’ The ammunition it fires indeed trails smoke, leaving a clear trajectory.”
Moochi, “Smoker…”
The staff officer continued, “The Imperial Military Science Academy also mentioned that the firepower density of this weapon is actually an illusion. Each launch requires a significant amount of time to reload. Furthermore, a launcher might have a dozen rockets on standby, like a dozen guns firing in a few dozen seconds, so that’s why it creates that terrifying firepower density.”
After the staff officer finished, the adjutant added, “And we have only encountered the ‘Smoker’s attack yesterday—the 11th, and the day before—the 10th. Today, we haven’t encountered it again. Perhaps the enemy has run out of ammunition.”
Moochi thought for a few seconds then changed the subject, “What about the situation with the highway being blocked by artillery fire?”
The staff officer flipped a page in his notebook and began to read, “The duration of enemy artillery coverage is uncertain. Initially, we suspected the enemy had artillery spotters near the highway, so we conducted a thorough search but found nothing.
“Aside from scheduled shelling, the enemy occasionally launches sudden barrages. Sometimes it happens right after a scheduled shelling has ended, hitting our forces just in time.
“Due to the enemy’s harassment, currently, only one division has managed to get through the fireblock, and the slower-moving heavy equipment hasn’t been able to pass.”
Moochi walked away from the map and paced around the tent three times before returning to the map, “Take the back roads. Let’s start calling this road Ye Fort Avenue.”
He picked up a pencil and wrote the words Ye Fort Avenue on the insignificant-looking path on the map.
Moochi, “I personally reconnoitered this road. Motorcycles can travel it, half-track vehicles as well, though it will be quite rough. Tanks and assault guns can also get through. As for trucks, horse-drawn carriages, and mule carts, whether they can make it is not our concern right now.
“Once the engineers flatten the road, everything will get better! Take the back roads!”
Frowning, the adjutant said, “Logistics will be difficult that way, and the heavy cannons really can’t get through on such narrow paths.”
Moochi, “Then we’ll rely on tank assault guns and the mortars on half-tracks to overcome this! Now we need to advance, advance, do you understand?”
He turned towards the map, focusing on the largest name on it.
“Advance! Advance at all costs! As long as we can get our big guns to the Summer Palace, I believe the enemy’s will to resist will surely crumble!”
————
To the southwest of Karanskaya, to the city of Karaslyab Polyana, 35 kilometers from the center of Ekaterinburg Fortress, 15 kilometers from the outer ring of Ye Fort. Not yet occupied by the Prosen Army.
As usual, Takiyanna Bolyevna, a telephone operator, was having lunch at the telephone exchange.
Karaslyab Polyana was practically a ghost town now, with only a few residents remaining, most having moved to Ekaterinburg Fortress or further east.
Apart from the telephone exchange, the local government institutions had mostly evacuated, though the church continued to operate, offering the remaining residents ham and dairy products.
However, these supplies were gradually diminishing, but since there weren’t many people left in the city, the little food available was enough.
The local priest constantly urged everyone to evacuate promptly, but there were always some who could not bear to leave their homes.
Takiyanna Bolyevna was one of them.
While she was eating, she heard the sound of a tractor in the street.
Karaslyab Polyana was a small town without much industry, mainly serving as a center for the procurement and transportation of agricultural products, and also had a tractor station and seed station.
But such a loud tractor noise was new to Takiyanna Bolyevna.
She moved closer to the showcase window of the telephone exchange to see what was outside, then saw a large group of soldiers wearing gray uniforms marching down the street.
The sound of the tractor was actually from Prosen half-track vehicles, which Takiyanna had seen at a science exhibition hosted by the church.
Her mouth agape, she quickly moved away from the window and ran to the telephone exchange counter, crouched behind it, grabbed a telephone, and started dialing.
The telephone lines at the exchange were connected to the Ekaterinburg Fortress telephone system, allowing calls to all units within Ekaterinburg Fortress simply by dialing.
Takiyanna Bolyevna dialed the Ye Fort City Defense Command. It took a long time before the call was answered.
“Hello, City Defense Command.”
“My name is Bolyevna, from Karaslyab Polyana! The Prussians have just invaded the city! The Prussians have just attacked the city!”
No sooner had she spoken than the sound of machine gun fire came from the direction of the church.
Instinctively, she stood up to look that way but suddenly noticed Prosen soldiers outside the window.
Before she could scream, the Prussians opened fire, shattering the window glass with their submachine guns and hitting the young woman, causing her to slowly slump to the ground, her handset still calling out as the City Defense Command operator’s voice queried, “Hello? Hello?”
The Prussian soldiers stepped over the broken glass and looked inside the counter.
“Damn, it’s a young girl,” one soldier remarked, “I thought it was the enemy; otherwise, it could have been fun.”
————
The church, since the city wasn’t a priority for defense and few civilians remained, the Guardian Army in Karaslyab Polyana consisted only of a squad with one heavy machine gun.
Now, the heavy machine guns on the church loft were roaring, pouring bullets down onto the streets.
The newly arrived Prussian Army had no tanks, only motorcycles and half-tracked vehicles, so they could only drive the half-tracks into the shadows of buildings, using the structures to shield the rear half of the vehicles as the gunners on board exchanged fire with the loft.
As both sides fired fiercely, the Prussian Army had already begun to encircle them.
The squad of Guardian Army only had rifles and were utterly unable to stop the Prussians.
Especially after the machine guns of the Prussian infantry squads began firing.
The Prussian infantry vaulted over the church’s low walls, entered the cemetery, and used the tombstones as cover to leap towards the church.
Suddenly, a grenade was thrown from the church, exploding and knocking two advancing Prussian soldiers to the ground.
Immediately, two Prussians went to check on their fallen comrades while the submachine gunners aimed their weapons at the window where the grenade came from.
A second grenade was thrown from another window, landing right in front of the submachine gunners.
The submachine gunner quickly picked up the grenade, intending to throw it back, but it exploded before he could toss it.
The submachine gunner’s entire right arm was torn apart, a bloody mess.
He screamed and fell to the ground.
But two other Prussian soldiers stepped over him and threw a grenade into the window.
As the first explosion occurred, the second grenade was also thrown.
The two grenades put an end to all resistance on the first floor of the church; the Guardian Army inside were probably all dead.
The Prussian soldiers who had been hiding behind tombstones now stood up, cautiously advanced to the back door of the church, and kicked it open to enter.
Inside the church, the Ante soldiers lay askew, and the church benches were blown to unrecognizable pieces by the grenades.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the stairs to the loft, causing the Prussian soldiers to immediately raise their guns and fire, hitting a Guardian Army soldier trying to shoot with his rifle.
The Guardian Army soldier tumbled down the stairs, rolling to the ground.
The machine gun was still firing when the Prussian soldiers pulled the pins on their grenades and tossed them into the loft.
After the explosion, the machine gun finally fell silent.
The Prussian soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly, a blood-soaked Ante Guardian Army soldier sprung from the floor and rushed into the midst of the Prussian soldiers, detonating a grenade.
After the blast, the Guardian Army soldier fell, along with the four Prussian soldiers near him.
The severely injured Prussian soldier shouted, “Mommy!”
————
General Moochi looked at the soldier in front of him, furrowing his brow, “Repeat what you just said?”
The corporal wounded soldier, “Be wary of the injured Ante people—they’ll charge at us with their last grenade. They are not afraid of death; they are no longer human, they must have been turned into corpses by witchcraft because only the dead have no fear of death!”
General Moochi’s brow furrowed even more, “That’s a rumor. In Carolingian, they also said something about witches in the woods controlling corpses, which turned out to be just tricks to deceive people. At most, witches could cast some spells to make our soldiers fall ill.”
The corporal, with a face full of fear, interrupted General Moochi, “It was corpses! They treat death like going home, and you can see a frenzied smile on their faces!”
Just as General Moochi was about to deny it again, a doctor came over and said, “General, he’s traumatized and needs rest. This kind of reaction is typically due to the overwhelming bravery of the Ante people. Besides, this particular corporal had all four of his comrades killed by the same Ante person’s suicide blast, so he’s suffered a psychological trauma.”
Moochi, “I need to understand the situation clearly… “
“The situation is,” the doctor interrupted the general, “the Ante people have begun to regard death as homecoming. Even if they are gravely injured and unable to wield weapons, they will still use grenades. After all, with Ante grenades, as long as one hand can move and teeth can bite, they can pull the pins.
Even if they don’t have the strength to throw, they can lure our soldiers close before pulling the pin.”
Moochi, “Our strategy should have already broken their will to resist. Some army groups collapsed after only a ten percent loss!”
“How should I know! I’m a doctor! I’m just telling you the facts!”
At that moment, General Moochi’s aide came in from outside the hospital, looking tense, “General!”
Moochi turned around, “What is it?”
The aide, “Come and see!”
————
General Moochi reached out his hand to catch a snowflake falling from the sky.
It was so fine, it could not even leave a hint of chill in his palm.
Countless snowflakes fell from the sky.
General Moochi, “What’s the temperature now?”
The aide, “Minus five degrees, the troops can still withstand it.”
General Moochi, “How much winter gear has been distributed?”
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“Less than thirty percent.”
General Moochi, “Make it fast! Rush into Ye Fort city and we can warm up! Take Karanskaya, and we’re less than twenty kilometers from the center of Yeborg City! The big guns can reach the Summer Palace! Make it fast! Attack Karanskaya at all costs!”