As the applause subsided, all eyes turned towards Professor Valeri.
With a sigh, Valeri stood up and said, “General Rocossov, to completely dismiss our theories like that may not be appropriate. Our theory primarily focuses on offense, and it’s normal to encounter some issues during defense. If we were attacking…”
Wang Zhong looked towards the Vice Chancellor, “Regardless of offense or defense, tanks require substantial support troops. Modern warfare is a combined arms conflict, and it’s also a logistical battle.
“Our tank division, with 80 tanks, is equipped with only three tractors for towing, and we don’t have a single professional maintenance person. I’ve seen far too many tanks abandoned by the roadside for minor faults, without a tractor to tow them back, nor a professional mechanic to repair them.
“If such a force advances, even without any resistance from the enemy, all our tanks will break down on their own in the process.”
While making these points, Wang Zhong kept his gaze fixed on Professor Valeri, leaving him no choice but to lower his head.
Seeing that the professor had no rebuttal, Wang Zhong turned to the students and continued, “If you’ve ever been on a battlefield, you’ll know that aside from tanks that are completely destroyed by fire, many can actually be repaired. The Prosen armored forces perform exceptionally well in all respects, especially their battlefield repairs.
“If we lose control of the battlefield, their repair units could potentially fix a significant portion of the damaged tanks. That’s one of the reasons their tanks never seem to run out.
“In the future, our armored forces must not only have various auxiliary combat units but also repair units. It takes much less time and cost to fix a tank than to build a new one, which is extremely important in this kind of total war.”
In reality, Wang Zhong—or rather, “Rocossov”—shouldn’t be able to know the enemy’s repair capabilities. But Wang Zhong, before his time-travel and as a military enthusiast, had read much information and had long noticed an interesting fact.
Sturmtigers sometimes increased in number without receiving reinforcements.
For example, at Kursk, the Imperial division reported on July 11 that they had 18 operational long-barrelled Panzer IVs (possibly F2s or Hs), and by July 13, they had 20 operational long-barrelled Panzer IVs.
The additional two were the ones repaired.
The long-barrelled Panzer IIIs were even more outrageous. On the 11th, they had 34 operational long-barrelled Panzer IIIs, and by the 12th, the number increased to 43, the repaired tanks outnumbering those lost in battle by a considerable margin.
So the game Wars of Men is actually quite realistic in some respect; tanks on the battlefield can be repaired. The fantastical part lies in the fact that in the game Wars of Men, just about anybody can fix a tank.
At this moment, Wang Zhong had already resolved to establish a repair capability within the Ante forces that wouldn’t be outdone by that of the enemy Prosen—at least a local repair capability of that standard.
That’s why he made such statements.
Then, a student raised his hand, “But the Prosen people are about to lose the war, aren’t they? My father is an Army Group Commander, and they say that once the counter-offensive begins in December, the Prosen will lose the war. We will rapidly advance to the Prosen homeland to fulfill the agreement made in Prosennia.”
The students around him chimed in, “Yes, my father also said the same.”
“And so did mine.”
Wang Zhong saw that this was a small clique, probably all sons of military nobility.
The first speaker continued, “Your Excellency, General, I heard that you were supposed to take command of the Western Front Army and be promoted to full General, but you refused. Why decline such a post that could bring you a mass of military merits? My father never understood.”
Wang Zhong asked, “Did he also say that my command abilities are not sufficient to lead a Front Army?”
Joking aside, I have commanded millions of troops—within the game Hearts of Iron.
The student was somewhat embarrassed, “Well… I had an argument with my father because I greatly admire you. Um…”
Wang Zhong turned to the instructor overseeing the opposition and said, “Switch to the map west of Ye Fort.”
The instructor immediately operated the mechanical device, causing the map on the wall to roll up and a new map to unfold with the sound of motors.
Wang Zhong took the two-meter-long rod in his hand and drew a line on the map, “I believe the enemy will stop our winter counteroffensive here.”
Immediate buzz filled the room, and even the most reclusive students couldn’t help but join the discussion.
“What’s the reason?” the son of the Army Group Commander asked loudly.
Wang Zhong replied, “First, state your name, and then we can discuss this matter.”
“Maslo Boyev.”
Hearing this name, Wang Zhong’s brows furrowed slightly, “Aren’t you a noble?”
The construction of that name didn’t seem like that of an Ante person since it lacked a patronymic.
Maslo Boyev laughed, “Why would the nobility admire you? To them, you’re a traitor. Can you answer my question now?”
Wang Zhong said, “Your father is…”
Maslo: “Lieutenant General Bayev, Commander of the 21st Army Group.”
Wang Zhong: “I’m glad to meet you, Maslo. I’m here to tell you why I think we can only advance this far. First is logistics. If the enemy were to establish a large logistical node, it would be along this line. By the time we reach this line, the enemy’s supply situation would greatly improve.
“Next, this line has terrain suitable for defense, with the Duva River to the south. The north, although flat plains with no rivers, is home to our defensive fortifications. These structures didn’t stop the enemy, but they will block us in turn.
“The Prosen Army, even when the Karanskaya encirclement was closing in, still had the will to resist. At that time, they were starving, short of ammunition, and without antifreeze lubricant, yet they still caused us considerable casualties.”
After finishing his explanation, Wang Zhong took a two-meter pole, held it as a rifle, and asked, “Any questions?”
Professor Valery: “At this time… it’s best not to say things that elevate the enemy’s morale and undermine our own prestige…”
Wang Zhong: “I am a military man. If I were naive, it could lead to thousands of casualties.”
Maslo: “Are you suggesting that General Tukhachev, Commander of the Western Front Army, is naive?”
Wang Zhong: “What I am saying is that anyone who thinks they can quickly defeat the Prosen Empire is being naive. This will be a protracted war.”
After Wang Zhong spoke, the entire room fell quiet, in stark contrast to the thunderous applause from earlier.
At that moment, another student spoke up: “So, bearing the titles of the Empire’s Iron Wall and Imperial War God, you’ve receded to the rear? Are you planning to re-emerge when victory is near?”
With that contemptuous tone, Wang Zhong boldly guessed that this young man was from the Aristocratic faction.
Wang Zhong: “State your name.”
“Alexei Petrovich Valkov, son of Duke Peter Alexandrovich Valkov.” Read chapters at m_v-l’e|-NovelFull.net
Wang Zhong: “I have temporarily left the front lines to solve identified problems. My Guard’s First Mechanized Infantry Division has already gone to the Kubinka training base. I hope to use it as a template to establish a series of new divisions, so that they are not cut open and penetrated by the Prussians like cutting tofu.
“I also plan to correct the design flaws of the T34 and develop a more powerful tank. Additionally, I have quite a few opinions on our Air Force’s equipment.”
Valkov challenged: “Even you must admit that our T34s are already good enough, right?”
Wang Zhong: “Good enough? No, it is only good when facing the enemy’s short-barreled tanks like the Mark III and IV. Once the enemy upgrades to long-barreled guns, they will not be good enough. Particularly, the poor long-range firing capability will lead to the massive sacrifice of our tank operators, and then we will never amass a sufficiently experienced group of ace tank operators.”
In fact, we could build such a group, but not enough, and they live by a thread, with only extremely lucky Slavic supermen surviving post-war.
Valkov: “Do you also believe in that theory that Prussians are a superior race, to make such a definitive claim that they will develop better tanks?”
Such a heavy accusation!
Wang Zhong: “The T34’s ability to win an anti-tank shell confrontation is due to its excellent shape. That shape can be learned; anyone can learn it. It has nothing to do with the superiority of a race. Of course, I question when the enemy will be able to learn it.
“Before that happens, I believe they will first try to equip their tanks with longer-barreled guns. This is easy to do.”
Valkov: “It’s surprising that you, our Highness, are so afraid of the Prussians. No wonder you said we could win only thanks to General Mud and General Winter.”
Wang Zhong: “Using the climate to our advantage is an important ability for a general. I don’t think there’s anything shameful about that. But we can only use this once; by next year, the Prussians will be prepared.
“Therefore, we also need to prepare for a more severe battle situation. By the beginning of next year, when the muddy conditions subside, the Ante Army may have to pay a heavy price to stop the enemy’s summer offensive. I don’t want to see soldiers dying in vain again due to errors in military doctrine and stupidity in equipment design.”
Valkov: “But that design was approved by the former Tsar himself!”
Wang Zhong: “Yes, and then that design caused the death of a lot of people, including my father and my good brothers. Whether the former Tsar died from missing the fallen Crown Prince or from guilt, I think is questionable.”
Actually, many in Ye Fort knew that the Tsar died a traitor, but nobody openly talked about it.
Alexei Petrovich Valkov snorted: “Let’s see then; given the enemy’s current state, their counterattack will soon reach the line you’ve drawn!”
Wang Zhong: “Yes, I hope we won’t suffer too heavily in front of the enemy’s new defensive line.”
After speaking, he turned around and looked at the traces he had pressed into the map with the long pole.
A few seconds later, he decided not to dwell on things he couldn’t influence and instead focus on finishing the tasks at hand, one by one.
After visiting the school today, he would go directly to the Ordnance Department. After all, Wang Zhong was still the chairman of the Special Military Equipment Review Committee, which currently had no office location or structure, meaning he was the sole commander without support.
But according to the committee’s functions, it was responsible for reevaluating current equipment production based on the actual needs of the battlefield.
That description implied significant authority.
Wang Zhong intended to rush to the Ordnance Department and use his title to force improvements in the equipment currently in production.