The newly appointed Chief of General Staff answered, “We’ve already repelled the enemy’s first offensive, but the Prussians will definitely not attack just once. By the way, the Coastal Fortress has reported being bombarded by artillery of unimaginable caliber, more powerful than the main guns of a battleship; we’re not clear what it is.”
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Wang Zhong: “Railway guns, like the Leopold or the Karl-Gerät.”
Admiral Chekhov: “It sounds like we can hold back the enemy this time.”
Wang Zhong: “Yes, but the question is for how long.”
General Gorky: “Like last year, we’ll try to drag out time until the muddy conditions of October come, meanwhile luring the enemy deeper, and fight a decisive battle in our hinterland.”
Admiral Chekhov: “Are you suggesting we don’t resist?”
“No,” General Gorky shook his head, “It’s only April now, letting the enemy into the plains this early is a bad idea; we’ll lose the war with the speed of rotting wood falling.”
Admiral Chekhov nodded: “I see.”
At this point Tugenev asked Wang Zhong: “Is your new army ready?”
Wang Zhong: “They are ready now, but the more preparation time we have, the better they will perform in combat, Your Excellency the General.”
Admiral Chekhov chimed in, “Moreover, his army now includes nearly 200,000 non-combat personnel; transporting such a large force to take a detour to the Coastal-Bolsk line is problematic. If they depart now, the vanguard will take half a month to arrive, followed by subsequent forces reaching the area over the course of two weeks.”
That means it would take Wang Zhong’s showcase army a month to be fully transferred to Duke Meishikin’s command.
Wang Zhong hadn’t really considered this.
Seeing Wang Zhong’s expression, Admiral Chekhov explained further, “The transport lines are not just for your army; the railways are crowded with the troops and supplies being moved.”
Tugenev then pitched in, “Yes, many people suggest that your force shouldn’t just be called an army; it could be confused with those that only have twenty or thirty thousand soldiers and no logistical personnel. How about changing the name?”
Wang Zhong: “Then let’s call it an Army Group.”
At that moment, Olga suddenly appeared, suggesting, “While you’re at it, change the name of the troops too. ‘Mobile Army’ doesn’t convey the feeling of an elite force.”
The others hurried to salute Olga: “Your Majesty.”
But Wang Zhong continued the conversation: “Then what should it be called? ‘Assault’ is already in use with the Assault Army Group.”
Olga nodded to the others and then continued to Wang Zhong, “The Prussians put together the Asgard Knights; maybe you should come up with a corresponding name.”
Wang Zhong thought for a moment and said, “No need; names aren’t that important. Even if my Army Group’s number is unremarkable, as long as we achieve battlefield successes worthy of the history books, this number will be remembered in military history.”
Olga nodded: “Then let’s call it the First Mobile Group Army. After all, your Army Group is not just for breaking through, yet it seems you also don’t plan on focusing solely on defense; ‘Mobile’ is most fitting.”
Wang Zhong: “Thank you for the honor of naming it.”
Olga looked at Wang Zhong for a few seconds, asking, “You’re going to the front lines again, aren’t you?”
Wang Zhong: “Not necessarily, just now Admiral Chekhov told me that it would take a month to move my Army Group to the southern front.”
Admiral Chekhov: “It won’t even be the front line, a month will only be enough to get you to the critical supply hubs, and then you’ll need time to integrate with the local logistics system before marching to the front.”
General Gorky: “There’s actually no need to rush the new reinforcements into battle. For the moment, the direction of the Coastal-Bolsk is fairly solid. If we hold the enemy’s advance at the Valdai Hills River line, we can make use of river transport, starting from Ye Fort, and directly moving downstream without issues.”
Wang Zhong: “We can transport partway by ship, then head south to join the contest on the plains. We have whirlwind-class tank destroyers that can eliminate enemy tanks from a great distance, and we also have the best gunners.”
Olga: “So you’ll be staying in Ye Fort for a while?”
Wang Zhong: “That depends on the development of the battlefield situation. It’s unpredictable, Your Majesty.”