artillery arc

Chapter 714 Christmas Offensive

At six o'clock in the morning on October 10, in Roniezh, the headquarters of the First Khasalia Front.

Wang Zhong entered the headquarters gate early.

Vasily was already waiting: "Good news, it's not raining today, Marshal. Once the temperature cools down today, this year's muddy season will be over."

Wang Zhong: "Do I need you to tell me? I just came in from outside and didn't know if the rain had stopped? Have the commanders of the front taken off yet?"

"They took off one after another at daybreak. In order to cover their special plane, the Air Force launched a full-scale attack on the airport in Plossen today."

"That's good." Wang Zhong took off his coat, which was barely wet, and handed it to Vasily. "Have you read today's briefing? Is there any information worth noting?"

"Everything is normal, and the entire front is very peaceful, Marshal. To be honest, before the war broke out, I had no idea that most of the war would consist of such dull days."

Wang Zhong: "That's because you're staying in the rear. Remember, the briefings you read were obtained at the cost of the lives of countless reconnaissance and patrol teams on the front line."

Vasily slapped himself hard: "I was wrong."

"Don't hit yourself. If someone sees you, they'll think I asked you to slap me in the face. That's not a good influence."

After all, Wang Zhong is a living saint of the secular school, and he must be careful with his words and actions at all times. Since becoming a living saint, he and Lyudmila have drawn the curtains when doing things, and cannot let the moonlight in like before.

Vasily: "Everyone knows that I beat myself to avoid having to dig out manure."

Wang Zhong shook his head: "Okay, what were the casualties yesterday?"

"1501 killed, 3739 wounded, 761 missing."

The missing people were basically the reconnaissance and patrol teams that were sent out, as well as snipers on duty in groups of two.

Although the battle line is called a battle line, it is actually a jagged pattern. The front line is in a state of you in me and I in you, so patrols must be continuously sent out to ensure communication between positions and prevent enemy infiltration.

In order to determine whether the enemy's deployment has changed, both sides will organize reconnaissance teams to infiltrate the enemy's apparent control areas. If they seize the opportunity, they will launch sneak attacks to seize some secondary positions and outposts.

In the days when there were no large-scale military operations, such patrols and infiltrations were the main source of casualties. Sometimes, firefights would even break out at the battalion level, and even the divisional artillery would be mobilized.

Listening to the casualty figures, Wang Zhong sternly reprimanded Vasily: "More than 5,000 people were killed or injured yesterday, and you are still sighing that the years are peaceful and quiet. You shouldn't do that!"

"I'm talking about my own condition. How about I go to the front line to train?"

Wang Zhong looked at Vasily and suddenly had a premonition that if he agreed to this, the musician would be killed on the battlefield, so he shook his head: "No, I don't want another adjutant to die."

Vasily: "Your words are ambiguous. Do you think I will die if I go to the front, or do you think the person who replaces me will die, and I will return unscathed?"

Wang Zhong ignored Vasily's question and walked straight into the map room.

Pavlov: "Good morning. The maps that will be shown to the front commanders later have been completed. Come and take a look."

He nodded at the new blackboard in the room.

Wang Zhong looked at the map on the blackboard and read out the words on the top of the map: "'Winter Operations Overview'. To be honest, I am not used to the fact that there are no big red arrows on our combat plan."

In the past, the front's offensive plans had huge arrows running through the enemy-occupied areas, so you could tell who was attacking on the map from a distance.

The current map looks like a strategic stalemate.

Pavlov: "In order to accumulate strength for the summer campaign next year, this winter's combat arrangements are relatively limited. The commanders of the fronts will understand. In fact, when I talked on the phone with the chiefs of staff of various fronts, they also believed that it was unrealistic to launch a large-scale offensive before next summer under the current circumstances."

After a brief pause, he added: "We fought hard in the summer and autumn, achieving a very good exchange ratio. The other armies fought the Prosens in a 50-50 battle."

Wang Zhong: "You can't blame them. We got the best equipment and the best soldiers first. Among all the armies, our guards have the highest proportion."

Popov: "New soldiers all want to fight under you, and veterans don't want to return to the army even after they recover from their injuries. They want to join our side, and some even prefer to join non-Guards units.

"I guess that's why the High Command gave you the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Front Line, so that all the new recruits on the front line can be counted as fighting under your command."

Wang Zhong: "There is nothing wrong with concentrating superior forces to accomplish great things in war. However, as our production capacity improves, the newly formed armored brigades will also begin to be assigned to other fronts, as will the new weapons. This situation where only we are fighting the 'beautiful battle' will be improved."

At this time, Marshal Gorky's voice came from the door: "I thought there would be something like a holy elephant in the saint's headquarters, but it seems that I thought too much."

Wang Zhong turned around and saw Gorky, wearing a brand new marshal's uniform, walking in. "Long time no see, Marshal Gorky. You seem to be a little fatter than before?"

"Yeah, I'm eating the same food as before, and I'm running around on the front lines like you, so I should be getting enough exercise. I don't know how I gained five kilograms!"

Wang Zhong: "Do you drink Coke every day?"

"Yeah, is that the question?"

Nonsense, you make fat house happy water every day, and you only gain five kilograms, which means you do exercise a lot.

Wang Zhong: "It's better to limit it to one cup a day. I only drink one cup a day now."

Marshal Gorky looked extremely reluctant: "It's just a little bit of sweet water, isn't it? I think I should eat less sausage at every meal."

Wang Zhong very naturally turned the topic from casual conversation to the current war situation: "Is there any major action by the Western Front in winter?"

"No. We suffered greater losses than you did in the summer campaign. Some divisions have been reduced to 5000 men. The chief of staff and I discussed that if we continue to lose men like this, we will not be able to sustain it. So we decided to use the next six months to train the troops, at least to slow down their death.

"As for the front, we plan to launch a series of division-level offensive operations aimed at leveling the front, thus reducing the number of troops in contact with the enemy on the front line.

"I guess the other commanders have similar ideas to mine. It's true that the enemy has suffered heavy losses this year, but we've also lost a lot of weight." "Also, we should take a break from international warfare, right?"

Wang Zhong was pacing in the map room, but when he heard him say that, he stopped and said, "You are well-informed, Comrade Marshal Gorky."

"Reporter Mike told me. I thought you told him to tell me." Marshal Gorky took out a cigarette. "Another meeting is to be held in the Mamluk capital. This time, we were not invited because of the long journey. Is this appropriate? We have achieved the most results against Plossen. The Allied forces have been driven into the sea twice in the Kingdom of Sardinia! Once in the south and once in Ancrela."

Wang Zhong: "But the Allied forces have achieved great success in the Pacific. They should return to Borneo next year."

Marshal Gorky: "They don't want to monopolize the mainland of the Fuso Empire, do they? If so, we will occupy the entire territory of Proshen, no, the entire territory of Europa!"

Wang Zhong: "If we continue to annihilate the Plosson army on a large scale, the Allied landing will always succeed. No matter how talented Erwin Romell is, he can't stop the Allied forces when his forces are dwarfed by his own.

"There is an old saying in Seres: Even a good cook cannot cook without rice."

Marshal Gorky suddenly showed an expression of sudden enlightenment.

When Wang Zhong saw his expression, he thought, damn, what do you understand? Can you let me understand it too?
Marshal Gorky: "That's why you postponed the attack! Militarily, it is to accumulate strength for the summer offensive next year, but at the same time, it is also to give the Proson Empire a break and not give the Allies a chance to exploit loopholes! Great!"

Wang Zhong: "Yes, you finally found it!"

Vasily: "They are allies, aren't they? Is it appropriate to plot against them like this?"

Popov: "Don't worry, there is no Allied liaison officer in the room now."

Wang Zhong: "Vassili, remember, there are no eternal enemies, no eternal friends, only eternal interests. Besides, it was not us who planned this first.

“Last winter, when the Abavahan defense battle was at its most dangerous, the Allies had two ways to help us. One was to land in the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the other was to send troops directly north from Baras so that they could join the battle right after getting off the ship.

"But they didn't. They just wanted us two continental giants to bleed each other, and it would be best if both sides suffered losses.

"However, after we won the Abavahan defense battle and switched to the strategic offensive, liberating so much territory in a year, they were eager to land in the Kingdom of Sardinia.

"Let's not talk about the United States for now. The United Kingdom is very bad. Prime Minister Leonard is full of bad intentions."

In fact, Wang Zhong has a good impression of the fat Leonard in this time and space, but since he stands on the side of the United Kingdom, he must be a bad guy with bad intentions.

Just as he finished speaking, there was a commotion outside. Wang Zhonggang looked up and saw the commanders of the fronts coming in one after another.

Marshal Gorky: "Look, there are so many marshals and generals gathered in this room at once. We only need a tsar to recreate the Ante Army headquarters on the eve of Austerlitz."

Wang Zhong's sensitive heart was touched, and he immediately said, "Then I'll call my sister, so she can be present."

Everyone laughed.

Gorky was the first to stop smiling and stare at Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong: "But forget it. The future Ant doesn't need a Tsar. Olga would probably want to live as an ordinary girl and my sister, right?"

Vasily: "And we were defeated at Austerlitz. If it weren't for General Bagration's efforts, we might have been completely wiped out."

Wang Zhong: "Yes, although the secular faction opposes these superstitious things, the battlefield is sometimes so weird. Now that everyone is here, let's start discussing the deployment of the winter campaign right away!"

At this time, General Andre of the St. Andrew Front said: "Our front has been trying to retake Navarre in the summer, but it has failed and suffered heavy casualties.

"The enemy's 502nd Heavy Armored Battalion's new heavy tanks destroyed a large number of our armored units. Even in Marinofoka, two enemy heavy tanks destroyed one of our tank brigades and a tank destroyer brigade during the attack. Even the previously considered 'invincible' Vortex was defeated.

"Our tank soldiers are completely frightened by the enemy's tank soldiers. Unless we can get enough of the latest Rokossov I and T54 tanks, we have no confidence to launch a new offensive."

Wang Zhong: "Don't worry, we have revised the armored force combat manual. Fighting head-on with the Proson armored forces is the task of the independent armored brigade equipped with new tanks and new anti-tank weapons, while the tank army's task is to bully the enemy's infantry.

"The new combat manual will be distributed to the entire army on a large scale this winter, and more than 20 armored brigades have been formed according to the new manual!"

In fact, there were only 18 of them, and nearly half of them were not fully equipped, but Wang Zhong said this to cheer up the commanders.

General Andrei: "Before launching the winter offensive, can we ensure that each front is equipped with enough independent armored brigades to deal with the enemy's armored forces? I heard that more than one-third of the existing armored brigades are still understaffed?"

Wang Zhong stared at General Andrei. Last year, he was still a lieutenant general and had dealt with this general before. He would just withdraw his troops behind the Suhayaveli River and deploy defenses along the river.

Now Wang Zhong is a marshal, and he is also a general, but he has also become a "giant" commanding one of the five major fronts of Ant.

Wang Zhong now feels the same as he did before he traveled through time and saw Buggy the clown in One Piece become one of the Four Emperors. He just finds it ridiculous.

However, what General Andre said was true. There was indeed no way to fully staff all the independent armored brigades in the winter, at least not before January next year.

Wang Zhong: "You are right, General Andre, so we will not conduct large-scale offensive operations in winter. Please look at this map. We will conduct a series of short offensives in winter, with the goal of leveling the front and gaining a better starting position for the attack."

General Ivan Stepanovich of the Second Khazaria Front asked: "Will this give the Proson Empire a chance to catch its breath?"

Wang Zhong: "Of course, but we are short of manpower and equipment, and objective conditions limit us."

Marshal Gorky: "Ivan, I will explain the ingenuity of this decision to you when we have dinner tonight. You will be amazed at the amazing wisdom behind this decision!"

Wang Zhong was sweating profusely. "Shut up, General Gorky!"

In order to avoid being noticed by others, Wang Zhong continued, "Because of the limited scale of the winter campaign, we will not name the campaign after famous generals as we did before. I will name the winter campaign the Christmas Offensive."

(End of this chapter)