In 915, on June 5th, Wang Zhong received an early morning call from General Golikov from the Commander of the Western Front Army’s headquarters.
Wang Zhong, “Don’t call my home, it might leak secrets, don’t mention any military secrets.” Continue reading at empire
General Golikov, “Then hurry to the City Defense Command, I can call at any time.”
Then General Golikov hung up the phone.
Wang Zhong put down the receiver and glanced at the map in the bedroom. Ever since the Prussian Army and Western Front Army had begun their respective attacks, Wang Zhong had moved the map to the room so he could keep an eye on it while keeping his pregnant fiancée company.
The front lines on the map didn’t seem to have any major issues, and the update time written in pencil on the side of the map was last night at 11 PM, presumably updated right before bedtime.
Ludmila asked curiously, “What’s the matter?”
Wang Zhong, “I don’t know, but it’s probably not an emergency at the front, otherwise it wouldn’t be General Golikov calling, but Olga.”
Ludmila, “Then why call so early?”
Wang Zhong, “I guess it’s because his breakthrough point got filled by the Prussians. Taking so long to fill it means our army performed well, much better than last year’s tofu dregs that shattered at a touch.”
Ludmila laughed, “You’re talking about tofu again, do you really like this Ceres food that much?”
Wang Zhong, “Butter, my dear, I mean, last year our army’s performance was like a block of butter, or cheese works too.”
Ludmila laughed heartily, “Alright, alright, let’s see if we can get some tofu cans from the Federation.”
Wang Zhong gave a wry smile, because he knew that at this time the Federation also didn’t have tofu cans—it’s possible they didn’t even know what tofu was.
He kissed Ludmila, who looked like she wanted to say more, and then caressed her belly, “I’m leaving.”
Ludmila feigned disappointment, “Now you only have eyes for the belly, I seem to have lost all my charm to you.”
Wang Zhong hurried to mimic the motion of brushing paint on armor, “I’m wrong, I’m wrong, I am interested, very interested!”
Ludmila pushed him gently, “Go on, the front line is waiting for you.”
Wang Zhong nodded, and just then Nelly appeared with his military cap and polished boots.
————
When Wang Zhong entered the City Defense Command, the staff officers were surprised, “You’re not attending the imperial conference?”
“I, a major general, just sit in on those meetings like you staff officers, do you really think I can influence any decisions?” Wang Zhong said, “Is the secretariat on duty yet? Have him stay by the main switchboard.”
“Yes, General,” the staff officer immediately carried out the order.
Wang Zhong proceeded directly to his office, took off his cap and hung it on the coat rack, then unbuttoned one of his tunic buttons—the weather was beginning to heat up, and keeping all the tunic buttons buttoned would absolutely ensure a sweat-soaked uniform.
On the other hand, to deal with this heat by merely opening a tunic button, it was a trivial matter.
Wang Zhong had just sat down behind his desk when the telephone rang, and it was the secretariat, “I’m at the switchboard.”
Wang Zhong, “Connect me to the Commander of the Western Front Army, General Golikov is waiting for me.”
After a moment, General Golikov’s voice came through the receiver, “Rocossov?”
Wang Zhong, “Yes, what’s happened?”
“The enemy wiped out our troops that broke through to the other side of the river, and our units are disintegrating faster than expected. The good news is it’s not a rout—apart from the scattered units, a good number of others actually managed to retreat.”
Wang Zhong, “You ordered a retreat?”
“Yes, the engineers told me the pontoon bridge would be finished by the night of June 3rd, but it’s still not done, so I ordered a retreat at four this morning, and used artillery at the army level to cover the main forces’ retreat.”
“The retreat is not over yet, but the Prussians are already sweeping along the eastern bank, trying to completely drive us away from the crossing.”
Wang Zhong, “Throw in the units that haven’t crossed yet, there should be quite a lot that couldn’t get across because of the delay with the pontoon bridge, right?”
“You guessed right, we’re currently trying to hold on to at least one bridgehead.”
“I have understood the situation now, but I still don’t understand why you called me.”
General Golikov, “Did you know the outcome from the start?”
Wang Zhong, “I made an inference based on the situation of our forces and the enemy’s, but in war, you don’t know the outcome without actually fighting. And…”
Wang Zhong’s mood suddenly dipped, for he was about to speak some very harsh words.
“And what?” asked General Golikov.
Wang Zhong, “We need to use such methods to train our commanders, to identify and address any weaknesses. The Prussian Army wasn’t strong from the start; they’ve maintained their military traditions over many years, do we have any military traditions?”
Ante could claim some military tradition, certainly, but the gap compared to the Prussians was significant.
A sigh came through the receiver, “It’s hard to accept when you hear that sacrifices will train the commanders.”
Wang Zhong, “I look forward to your debriefing.”
General Golikov chuckled wryly, “If someone else said that, I would take it as sarcasm, but you, I suspect you plan to use me as a bad example in class!”
Wang Zhong, “That’s right, and I’ll make you explain it personally to the students. When you get on stage, I’ll even provide you with powerful background music.”
“Sukabule, you devil. Alright, when things calm down here I’ll head back to Ye Fort and give you a thorough debrief!”
Wang Zhong, “Regarding the crossing, if the defense is causing too many casualties, consider abandoning it. Unnecessary sacrifice is not needed.”