artillery arc

Chapter 722 Wedding
On November 11, Wang Zhong woke up to see heavy snow falling outside.

The windows in the room were covered with a layer of ice, and you could feel the cold even when you got close to the window.

"Pavlov called just now." Lyudmila said, "It's okay if you don't go to the headquarters today. There's nothing important so far. It's snowing all over the front line now."

Wang Zhong: "He called the headquarters and told me not to go there?"

"Yes, since the chief of staff is at the headquarters, how about you take a vacation?" Lyudmila said with a smile, "It's just right that I don't have to stay at the air defense position."

As she spoke, Lyudmila brought the hot coffee, pickles and sour cream to the small table in front of Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong thought for a moment and asked, "Is the air defense mission heavy recently?"

"It's okay. The rocket attacks by the Prosen people are not frequent." Lyudmila also picked up the coffee cup herself.

Wang Zhong: "Your latest mission is to intercept enemy rockets?"

"Yeah, that thing can't be chased by planes, and it can't be shot down by anti-aircraft guns. It can only be detonated in advance by magic arrows."

"I see... How efficient is the early detonation?"

"Didn't you notice that the enemy's rocket attacks these days only caused a small number of casualties and fires, and no buildings were destroyed? The fragments of the rockets detonated by us will still fall into the city, injuring some passers-by and setting some buildings on fire, but the lethality to intact buildings is greatly reduced."

Lyudmila paused for a few seconds and shook her head. "To be honest, I'm not sure if our interception has reduced casualties. The intercepted rocket seemed to have turned into a large shotgun shell and hit the city."

Wang Zhong: "The key to interception is to let people know that we are intercepting."

Just like the meaning of national defense is to make people think they are protected - this is a famous plot from the British TV series "Yes, Prime Minister".

Lyudmila: "Recently, the technical department has been researching a new warhead that seems to be able to push the enemy's rocket to the side instead of detonating it."

Wang Zhong: "Is the interception altitude high enough?"

If the missile is intercepted at high altitude, as long as the missile's trajectory deviates by a very small angle, the final landing point will be extremely different.

But the interception height of the magic arrow is not considered high.

Lyudmila: "I don't know, but I'll give it a try. By the way, I saw in the newspaper that Proshen also used this kind of rocket to attack the United Kingdom."

"Yes, probably to intimidate Britain into surrendering. Unfortunately it won't work, it will just waste their rocket production."

The V1 and V2 rockets are very strange. Calculated by the production hours, neither of them is considered a cheap weapon. After all, "rocket" was not cheap until the era when Wang Zhong traveled through time.

Wang Zhong traveled back to that era. The old American Ma had been trying to reduce the cost of rockets, but he failed in the end.

The three Germans on Earth fought a lot of V1 and V2, but achieved no results, and seriously hindered their own military production.

Later, the German fans among the military kept saying that if they didn't fight so many V1 and V2, the Germans could have built so many more tanks and cannons, and they would not have lost, etc.

But now, Wang Zhong understood a little bit. Even if Proson used the production capacity to make these weapons to make ordinary weapons, it could only delay his failure. It would be better to take a gamble by making new weapons.

"Dear?" Lyudmila interrupted Wang Zhong's thoughts.

Wang Zhong: "I'm wondering if this is considered desperate and desperate by the Proson Empire?"

Lyudmila stared at Wang Zhong's face seriously. "I heard that in the north, their new heavy tanks achieved very good results, and they were facing our new tanks."

Wang Zhong: "Yes, their new heavy tanks are finally on the same starting line as our Rokossov I and T54. But we have obtained new engines, and more powerful models are already being tested in the rear. We will fully upgrade our existing armored forces in the summer offensive next year."

In addition to the improved versions of the T54 and the Rokosov I tanks that will be put into service next year, the T34W of ordinary troops will also be upgraded and equipped with 85mm anti-aircraft guns. In this way, ordinary armored troops will not be beaten so badly when facing the Panzer IVH or even Panzer IVG tanks.

When facing the StuG III G of the Plossen Infantry Unit, it can also penetrate the enemy's frontal armor at a longer distance.

In addition, self-propelled artillery units will be equipped with a large number of SU152s next year. These equipment are usually used as self-propelled artillery to fire indirect fire, but when encountering siege battles or when the troops need emergency anti-tank firepower, the cannons can also be laid flat to participate in armor-piercing shell confrontations.

Finally, there is Kitov and Grishkov's wire-controlled rocket. Wang Zhong is not worried that the two geniuses can't handle the rocket, but he is worried that there will not be enough people to operate the rocket.

Before Wang Zhong traveled through time, he had operated the first generation of wire-controlled missiles in various simulation games. It takes some skill to hit the target with that thing.

The second generation of wire-controlled missiles simplified their operation and reduced their difficulty of use. Later, the missile guide only needed to aim the aiming laser beam at the target, making it even more fool-proof.

But what Kitov and Grishkov are coming up with now is definitely the first generation.

Wang Zhong drank hot coffee, ate pickles with sour cream, and imagined the attack next summer.

Lyudmila: "By the way, Dr. Katya came to see me."

Wang Zhong: "What's wrong?"

"She seems to be planning to marry Yegorov when the winter campaign is almost over. But she is worried that Yegorov will not agree, so she wants you to do Yegorov's job."

Wang Zhong: "Oh? She wants to get married too? Popov and I are planning to do their jobs after the battle is over."

Lyudmila: "You really think so. By the way, I heard some rumors that General Andrei of the St. Andrew Front might be sent to the Far East to serve as the commander of the Far Eastern Front because of his poor performance this time. Many people think that Yegorov will become the new commander of the front."

Wang Zhong: "And then let him lead the entire front to charge and attack the enemy's tank ace? No, no, we have discussed it and will recommend Kashukh and Kirinenko to the High Command. The specific decision will be made by the High Command."

At this time, the phone in the room rang.

Wang Zhong looked at Lyudmila and said, "Haven't you already made an agreement with Pavlov?"

Lyudmila shrugged: "Maybe there's an emergency. Okay, you woke up, you answer it this time!"

Wang Zhong stuffed the coffee cup into Lyudmila's hand, ran to the phone and picked up the receiver: "This is Rokossov, go ahead!"

"Brother!" Olga's voice came, "I saw the two candidates you recommended! I decided to assign one to the Western Front and the other to the St. Andrew Front!"

Wang Zhong: "Ah? I asked you to choose one of you two to send to the St. Andrew's Front! And what about the Western Front? Where is Marshal Gorky?"

"He told me that as the Minister of the General Staff, he was very busy and it was inappropriate for him to continue to serve as the commander of the Western Front."

In other words, he recommended two people, and Marshal Gorky, the new Chief of the Army General Staff, did him a favor and gave the two key positions of front commander to the two people he recommended.

After understanding the whole situation, Wang Zhong said: "Kirienko is a cavalryman and is good at commanding battles in relatively open areas. He should be the commander of the Western Front. In fact, he is most suitable for the Khazaria Front, but I have no plans to resign yet.

"Kashuh is good at using infantry to fight tough battles. Let him go to the St. Andrew Front, where the terrain is more complicated."

"Okay!" Olga agreed readily. "By the way, when will you come back to be my chief of staff?"

Wang Zhong: "Wait until next year when we can drink water by the Baltic Sea."

“It’s a deal!” Olga’s voice sounded like a little girl who was about to stretch out her right little finger and shout “Let’s make a pinky promise”.

Wang Zhong: "It's settled, my dear sister."

To be honest, Wang Zhong has not yet carefully considered who should command the Salia Front after he became the Chief of the General Staff.

He always regarded the front army as his own and never thought of letting others command it.

With this opportunity, he began to think seriously about this matter.

At this time, Olga said again: "Will you return to Yebao during Christmas? Now many people in Yebao are saying that you have to end the war before Christmas. Cardinal Lavkid of the church has been arresting people who say this, but the more he arrests the nobles, the more he spreads this rumor. He also said that Marshal Rokossov is not in harmony with the church."

Wang Zhong: "Olga, I have a suggestion for you. If anyone says that, you should arrest him and shoot him. He is either stupid or has an ulterior motive. Either way, he deserves to die."

"Okay!" Olga agreed without thinking, "Then will you come back for Christmas?"

"After I hold the wedding for my most trusted general, I will return to Yebao to rest for a while and check the development progress of new equipment. The Prosons have caught up with us in terms of armor-piercing missile confrontation. It's time to urge the scientific researchers in the rear."

"Okay, I'll wait for you then. Bye~" Olga hung up the phone.

----

On December 12, the heavy snow that had been falling for many days finally stopped.

When Wang Zhong's car drove through Roniezh Street, he saw a group of women using shovels and hoes to clear the snow on the road.

"Tsk, I didn't see a single man in the team." Wang Zhong sighed.

Vasily: "Either they were all killed by the Prosons, or they joined the army. People in the newly liberated areas were very enthusiastic about joining the army. Many local men who were originally guerrillas found our logistics officers right after liberation and asked to be recruited."

At this time, the new driver said, "Our village is almost the same. The only males are little kids and old men who haven't fully grown their hair yet. Oh, and a few people with missing arms and legs have returned recently."

Wang Zhong frowned because human resources were in short supply and disabled soldiers also had a lot of work to do, such as instructors for training new recruits in the rear.

Only those soldiers who are seriously disabled will return home.

Wang Zhong: "Is it like this in all the villages in the rear?"

"Yes, but don't be so quick to blame yourself. All the men have joined the army, and some have gone to work in factories in the city, making airplanes and cannons for the front line."

The driver actually tried to comfort Marshal Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong: "After hearing about the situation in the rear, I wished the war would end on Christmas."

"But the campaign to combat arrogance and the theory of quick victory is almost over now," Vasily said worriedly. "Is it a bad idea to bring this up again now?"

"I'm just kidding. Of course I know that food should be eaten bite by bite."

As they were talking, the car drove into the headquarters. Wang Zhong saw Yegorov walking up the stairs and shouted, "Yegorov, stop!" Yegorov turned around and saw Wang Zhong, then immediately lowered his head to tidy up his clothes. After he was ready, he stood at attention beside the pillar in front of the headquarters gate and saluted, like an ancient Roman legionnaire guarding the building.

Wang Zhong casually returned the greeting and said, "Have you met Doctor Katya?"

"Yesterday, after reading the battle report for the day, I rushed back overnight. Except for the nap I took in the car, I haven't had a good sleep for 36 hours. So I plan to catch up on my sleep before going to see her, so that my love words will be more effective."

Wang Zhong: "It doesn't matter, Yegorov."

He got out of the car which had not yet stopped, walked up the steps to Yegorov and patted him on the shoulder.

"Doctor Katya will be happy the moment she sees you, so go see her, now, right away."

Yegorov pointed at the headquarters door and said, "But I was just about to report the situation. Aren't the commanders of the various army groups meeting today to review the situation?"

Wang Zhong: "No, we specifically called you back from the front line."

Yegorov said with a serious face: "Is it because my advancement speed is the worst in the entire front? Even the troops of Lieutenant General Eugene next door have penetrated the enemy's defense line for nearly 20 kilometers!"

Wang Zhong: "No, that's not the reason. In fact, we are planning to hold a wedding for you now that the war is not so urgent."

Yegorov was stunned: "Me and Katya? No, no, no, forget it. You can't force a girl to accept it. Even if you are the commander of the front and the star of victory, you shouldn't do this!"

Wang Zhong: "Katya came to Liuxia and asked me to convince you to marry her, and not wait until the war is over."

Yegorov paced in place: "Katya wants to marry me? Katya wants--"

Wang Zhong: "Don't doubt it. Katya wants to marry you. I suggest you respond to her."

Yegorov stopped and looked at Wang Zhong: "Since the division commander said so, I will go to Katya after I finish my report and set a date for the wedding."

Wang Zhong: "I think today is a good day. Report the situation to the local church and I should be able to give you a house suitable for marriage soon. I will also ask Chef Seris to prepare a sumptuous meal.

"What instrument can you play, Vasily?"

Vasily: "I think I can play the bayan (Russian accordion)."

Wang Zhong: "Then Vasily will be in charge of the music, and I will find a few soldiers who are good at Cossack war dances to dance at the venue to liven up the atmosphere. That's it!"

Yegorov: "So urgent?"

Wang Zhong: "Don't let the good life slip away, old man."

"But the battle isn't over yet!"

Wang Zhong looked at Yegorov: "I know."

Yegorov sighed: "Okay, but I have to report my work first. I will never give in on this one!"

----

December 12, Ronezh.

Wang Zhong looked at all the senior officers of the First Front of Kosalia who were present and raised his glass: "Everyone! I am the happiest today! For victory!"

All the generals raised their glasses together: "To victory!"

After drinking it all, Wang Zhong looked at Kashukh and Kirinenko. The two had already put on new epaulettes and were about to take up their posts in the St. Andrew Front and the Western Front.

Their staff will stay to help the new commander quickly grasp the situation.

Wang Zhong: "Two old friends are leaving us to take up posts far away. Kirinenko's cavalry army once saved me from danger in Loktov, and Kashukh's infantry army guarded my flank in Shostka. You are all good partners worthy of trust!"

Kirinenko: "I had thought that I would continue to fight under you until we conquered Prosinia. This transfer order caught me off guard. After careful consideration, the winter offensive has made me realize that the space for cavalry to play has become smaller. I had thought that I could still gallop on Melania's plains for a while."

Wang Zhong: "It's not your fault. If we go further west, the terrain is not suitable for cavalry. Melania's cavalry also suffered a great loss when the Prosen people attacked Melania, and became a propaganda material for the Prosen people.

"The Plossans said they were using sabers to hack at the tanks to highlight their incompetence."

Kirinenko: "It reminds me of the period before the war. At that time, a large number of cavalry troops were reorganized into tank troops. At that time, many people said that this was because the higher-ups had read the propaganda of the Prosons."

In the first two months of the war, all the cavalry corps that Kirinenko had reorganized into tank corps were completely lost.

Wang Zhong: "In short, Kirinenko, you should go to the Western Front and give full play to your abilities. There is still plenty of room for cavalry operations on the front of the Western Front.

"And Kashuh, your most urgent task is to do what General Andre failed to do, and completely eliminate the threat of the Prosen people to Fort St. Andrew."

Khashoggi: "I will, and try to complete it before the summer offensive next year."

Wang Zhong thought, that’s not what I meant. I want you to work hard during the summer offensive next year and do your best to achieve this!
Pavlov: "This winter is colder than last year. It is not easy to launch an offensive in such severe cold."

Kashuh: "I'm going to take action next spring when the snow starts to melt. Everyone thinks it's hard to attack in the mud, but I'm doing the opposite!"

Wang Zhong: “You can give it a try, but don’t let it affect next year’s summer offensive.”

"Don't worry." Kashuh said confidently.

After saying this, Wang Zhongcai turned to Yegorov and Doctor Katya and said, "I'm sorry for neglecting our newcomer."

Doctor Katya: "No, I am already very satisfied that so many generals came to our wedding."

Vasily smiled and said, "That's right. If the Prosen people send a rocket here now, the war might be prolonged for three years."

The whole room fell silent, and everyone looked at Vasily.

Lyudmila tried to smooth things over: "No, Vasily, even if we all die, Marshal Rokossov will survive and lead Ant to victory. After all, he is the only man who survived a direct hit from a 381mm heavy artillery."

Everyone laughed and the atmosphere became relaxed again.

Popov came up to Vasily and said in a low voice: "You, don't think that I won't punish you to carry manure just because you are a lieutenant colonel!"

Vasily: "I just want to be humorous! Humor, understand?"

Popov: "Go and have some fun with the stones in the toilet!"

At this time, Wang Zhong continued to say to Yegorov and Katya: "You two, I know that the war has brought you unforgettable pain, and I don't think that you can get rid of the pain by getting married now.

"The war also brought me a sadness that will never go away, even if Lyudmila and I get married and we have children, this sadness has not gone away.

"I finally let go of all this when I recaptured Agsukov. I returned to the place where my father and best friend had died and placed a bunch of beautiful flowers on their graves.

"Have I really let it go completely? I don't know, probably not. Whenever it's late at night and everyone is asleep, I will think of my best friend's voice and smile, and the tea my father made.

“I think that even when we conquer Prothenia and bring the culprits, the war criminals who started the war, and the masterminds behind all this to justice, this sadness will not be completely eliminated.

"No, those who leave will never come back, and everything lost is lost forever. Whenever we think about these, we will definitely feel sad, and this is the most fucked-up part!
"That's why Plossom must perish and justice must be served!"

As soon as Wang Zhong finished speaking, all the officers in the audience had solemn expressions.

But he changed the subject: "But do we have to shed tears forever? I don't think so. In fact, I feel that the sadness is fading. Sometimes I even smile when I recall the old friends.

"Am I heartless? I deny it!
"But time is the only antidote. Without the earth, the sun will still revolve..."

Wang Zhong couldn't help but frown. He didn't know why he suddenly started talking about Jay Chou.

“So, I think that although you two have been hurt much more than I have in the war, one day, under the effect of the antidote of time, you will gradually let go and embrace a new life.

"Until that day comes, you can support each other and make life a little easier."

Yegorov: "Thank you, Comrade Marshal."

Doctor Katya also raised her glass: "Thank you, Comrade Marshal."

Wang Zhong: "I think besides defeating the Prosen people on the battlefield, there is another way for us to win, which is to tell the Prosen people that even though they have brought us so much suffering, we are still not defeated!
"Be happy, both of you!"

Others raised their glasses together: "Be happy!"

Yegorov had a rough face, but at this moment he showed an expression like an artistic youth. He also raised his glass high: "I, Yegorov, will never lose on this front! I will not be defeated by the sadness brought by the Prosen people!"

Wang Zhong: "Yes, that's the spirit, Yegorov! Vasily, music!"

Vasily put down his wine glass, picked up the bayan, and played a cheerful tune.

Twenty dancers carefully selected by Wang Zhong rushed into the venue and performed the traditional dance of Khazaria.

Yegorov yelled, "Get out of the way! You guys are not jumping vigorously. Let me show you how to do it!"

After saying that, he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, put the glass into Dr. Katya's hand, and then spun like a top and moved to the center of the venue.

Vasily's hands moved very quickly, only in this way could the melody of the bayan keep up with Yegorov's rotation.

Doctor Katya shouted: "Egorov! Haven't you eaten? You're turning so slowly!"

Yegorov seemed to be whipped and began to spin even more wildly.

Vasily: "Stop! I'm going to tear the bayan apart! Stop!"

(End of this chapter)