artillery arc

Chapter 723: Commander-in-Chief of the Land and Sea Armies, First-Class Duke of the State (8K)

"Marshal Rokossov has recovered more than 600,000 square kilometers of territory in the past year. His troops have advanced 1,000 kilometers, and the people have warmly welcomed them wherever they go..."

When Olga was reading the script, Wang Zhong had an auditory hallucination. Someone with a Fenghua accent whispered in his ear: "That kind of vibrant and dynamic state where everything is flourishing..."

It has been three years since he traveled through time, but this scene is still as clear as if he had just seen it on his phone yesterday. Maybe thirty years later, when someone says something in front of him that can trigger a MEME, he can still think of that familiar Fenghua accent.

This is probably homesickness.

Olga didn't know what Wang Zhong was thinking, so she continued to read the manuscript: "In recognition of this great and unprecedented achievement, Marshal Rokossov is awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Ante Army and Chairman of the National Defense Committee."

Wang Zhong understood that his new title was the Grand Marshal of the Navy and Army, and the First-Class Duke of Baoguo.

He was about to kneel down on one knee when Olga said, "My dear, you don't have to kneel before me."

Wang Zhong: “Is this okay?”

"What's wrong with this? Without you, I would have become a prisoner of Emperor Prosen." Olga said with a laugh, "Look, no one dared to search you when you entered the Summer Palace. What's the problem with not kneeling now? Next time you can ride your mount to the palace."

What Tywin Lannister! I don't want to die in the toilet!

Wang Zhong: "Your Majesty, I'd better not ride Bucephalus to the palace. It might poop in the palace."

Olga: "Then you can drive your Rokossov Type 1 tank up to the palace."

Am I here to go to the palace or to stage a coup? People will definitely think I am here to stage a coup! When the time comes, everyone will be very excited and the situation will be out of my control, Your Majesty!
Olga: "I guessed what you were thinking, hehehe."

"Then tell me about it!"

"You're thinking, 'If I drive a tank up to the palace, people will think I'm plotting a coup, and the palace guards might take down the Tsar before the tank even gets there!'"

It hasn’t come to this!
no?
Wang Zhong: "Your Majesty is really good at joking."

“Hehehe.” Olga chuckled as she took the gold star from the female official beside her, walked to Wang Zhong, and pinned it next to the two gold stars he already had. “Come on, my dear brother, get two more gold stars before the war is over, and then you’ll be treated the same as the five-star generals of the United States!”

That's totally different, okay?
Wang Zhong: "I will try my best, Your Majesty."

After saying this, Wang Zhong turned around and stood aside under the guidance of the court etiquette officer.

Olga continued to honor others.

The person who followed Wang Zhong to receive the award was a man with thick eyebrows. Wang Zhong recognized him as Ilyich, the military chaplain whom he had met once during the Battle of Abavakhan.

He got his second gold star!

Ilyich kept looking straight ahead when he was being awarded the medal. After Olga put the medal on him, he immediately saluted and turned to Wang Zhong impatiently.

After their eyes met, he glanced at the three gold stars on Wang Zhong's chest and immediately showed an envious expression.

After standing next to Wang Zhong, Ilyich with thick eyebrows whispered: "Marshal, we meet again."

"congratulations."

"I only have two gold stars. I still need to learn from the Marshal."

"No, no, I'm congratulating you on surviving another year."

"Ah?" Ilyich was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Actually, it wasn't that bad. Last year wasn't as dangerous as the year before. Many people survived."

Wang Zhong: “I’m glad to hear this news.”

"This is all thanks to you, Marshal."

"No, no, I just did a little work."

Ilyich smiled, then lowered his voice and asked, "Many people say that we will end the war this year?"

"We have no plans to do so at the moment. We are still 836 kilometers away from Prothenia, and we can't travel that far in a year."

“You’ve covered 1000 kilometers this year!”

Wang Zhong patiently explained: "This is because Khasalia is a prairie, a prairie! It is normal for mechanized troops to advance quickly on the prairie, and we also have a high-standard highway built by the Prosen people.

“But further west, although it’s still the East Yoroba Plain, there are towns scattered all over the place, and the plains are full of sturdy barns and farmhouses that can be used as support points.”

"You are right," Ilyich replied, "Perhaps it is not so easy to advance these 800 kilometers."

"The failure of the St. Andrew Front last year was due to underestimation of the enemy and the idea of ​​a quick victory. You must guard against it with all your might, Ilyich Davarich, you are a priest!"

Ilyich nodded repeatedly, his thick eyebrows forming an angle of "eight twenty": "You are right! I will definitely guard against it strictly."

At this time, other people who were awarded medals also stood up. Everyone deliberately squeezed next to Wang Zhong. The etiquette officer had to remind him: "Everyone will be included in the group photo later. Don't squeeze next to the marshal! Everyone will be included in the group photo! Our photographer is very professional!"

Olga was apparently still receiving medals, but when she heard the ceremonial officer's voice, she turned around with an expression as if she was just watching the fun.

Wang Zhong quietly waved his hand and asked her to do her job well.

----

On the afternoon of March 917, 3, in Yekaterinburg, Rokossov Estate.

Olga lay on the table like a little girl, looking at the Rokossovs who were playing with their child on the other side of the table: "That's great, when you all go to the front, let me, your aunt, take care of him!"

Wang Zhong: "What do you want to do with my son?"

"Hehe, of course it's to let him know how cunning girls are and build up his defense against those bad women!"

Wang Zhong: "You...don't squeeze your chest like that, it will easily become deformed."

"Well, I'll squeeze it! It's my own breast, I'm willing to use it as a cushion! I'll squeeze it, I'll squeeze it!"

Lyudmila: "It will look ugly if you squeeze it like this. And if you lie down like this, your spine will be crooked and it will hurt terribly."

"I understand." Olga straightened up and sat upright.

Wang Zhong: "Is it okay for you to stay in my manor like this?"

"No problem. Recently, there are fewer documents that need my approval. Belinsky is making preparations."

Making preparations for the handover of power is indeed what he will do.

After Turgenev retired, there was no one in Yevgeniyev who could check and balance Belinsky.

Olga stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds, and suddenly said: "Have you been to Sessus by the White Sea? I heard that the scenery there is very good and very suitable for vacation. Why don't you build a villa there!"

Wang Zhong: "I have a holiday villa in——"

He suddenly realized something and glanced at Olga: "You want to live in Sessus?"

"I don't want to, but I think if you have a villa there, I might go there and live for a while if I feel like it!"

Wang Zhong: "Then facing the sea, with flowers blooming in the spring?"

"Yeah, hehe."

Wang Zhong sighed, "Okay, I'm still the king of Kosalia, so it shouldn't be a problem to get a holiday villa. I can station a trustworthy troop next to it, such as Alomeev's paratroopers, so that I can supervise their training from time to time."

Olga chuckled and didn't say much.

At this time, a servant came in and announced: "Marshal Gorky has arrived."

Wang Zhong nodded and said to Nellie, "Bring out the iced Coke."

"Yes."

Soon, Marshal Gorky, the Minister of Military Affairs, appeared in the garden. When he saw Olga, he stopped immediately and asked, "Your Majesty? Am I here at the wrong time?"

Wang Zhong: "No, no, you came at the right time. It's time for His Majesty to hear our plan."

Olga: "What plan?"

"Regarding the main attack direction, Your Majesty." Marshal Gorky came to the table and chose a seat that was exactly the same distance from Your Majesty and the Rokossov family.

Nellie came over with an iced Coke and placed it in front of him.

"Oh, thank you." Marshal Gorky took a big sip and showed an approving expression, "Not bad, the United States' jeeps and Cokes are both very dynamic, while our own Lada and GAZ are...ah."

Olga asked doubtfully, "Is it that bad?"

Wang Zhong: "Our main focus right now is on making tanks. Everything will be fine once the war is over."

probably.

Marshal Gorky had finished drinking the Coke. He put the bottle down and said loudly, "Let's not talk about the car issue first. Where should the main attack direction be set? The staff of the headquarters are most in favor of starting from Khasalia, sweeping across Melania, and reaching the Baltic coast.

“But the people of Proson would not have missed it. After all, this is the best condition for us among all the main attack directions.

"There are towering mountains to the south of Khazaria. We have to cross the endless mountains before entering the plains of Moravia. Of course, another way is to land at the White Sea, occupy the mouth of the Doma River, and then advance along the river.

"The Doma River is very wide and has great shipping capacity, capable of supplying an army of hundreds of thousands or even millions."

Wang Zhong: “Isn’t that too confusing?”

"Yes, it's very winding, with many twists and turns. And to be honest, we don't have enough ships to transport the supplies to the mouth of the Doma River. We can only open a land route at that time - but this land route is blocked by mountains, and we still have to cross the mountains in the end."

Marshal Gorky was explaining when Nellie came over with a new can of Coke.

"Oh, thank you." The marshal took another big sip and licked his lips with satisfaction. "Very good. My wife said that I like drinking Coke just like a child, except that children drink orange soda. Did you know that the church has started to provide orange soda in Yebao? I can't believe that there is already orange soda in the rear while the front is still fighting and supplies are so tight."

Wang Zhong: "If anyone on the front line wants to drink orange soda, there will be some on the front line. Let's talk about the main attack direction, Marshal Davarishi."

"Okay, the main attack direction from Kosalia to the south has already been discussed. To the north is the plan that everyone can think of just now. As for the west - although it can break through, it is meaningless. It can neither encircle the enemy's Central Army Group and Northern Army Group, nor threaten Prothenia.

“As for the other sections, Kashukh in the north is already on the offensive. His infantry took advantage of the muddy enemy armored units being unable to move, and are gradually eroding the enemy’s controlled area. They will soon take Dunar.

"Although there has been progress in Kashuk, his attack also proved one thing: putting more troops in the north would not do better than Kashuk. Even if the terrain is no longer muddy, it is still very difficult.

“The Plossans have their reasons for not deploying heavy troops in the north.

"If the Western Front wants to attack, it will have to face the obstruction of rivers, or many rivers, and then there are swamps and dense forests. The rotten land of Livonia will become a nightmare for attacking. At the same time, the Western Front is the farthest from the Melania border of all the fronts. Kirinenko believes that they should be mainly responsible for containment, attracting the enemy like a magnet."

Wang Zhong: "Where is the Berisk Front?"

Marshal Gorky: "The dividing line between them and the enemy was full of swamps, and the armored units could not pass through. Because of this, the Prosens only had a few infantry divisions with mediocre combat effectiveness in front of them. Some divisions were even the 25th wave, with no artillery at all and a serious shortage of machine guns."

Wang Zhong: "The enemy has already placed the 25th wave of troops in the front."

"It's behind the swamp."

Wang Zhong stroked his chin and said, "It's really interesting. When the Plossons attacked the Carolingians, they took advantage of the Carolingians' carelessness and attacked them directly from the Ardennes Forest.

"Now they are completely unprepared for our attack from the 'impossible breakthrough area'."

Marshal Gorky: "The main reason is that we really can't cross it this time. Not to mention the armored forces, it's difficult for the infantry to cross these swamps."

Wang Zhong: "I don't think so. We should go to the front line to see the specific situation in person before making a decision."

Marshal Gorky: "Go to the Berisk Front in person? That's fine, but this front is not strong enough. Even if they find a way to cross the swamp, they will have to strengthen their forces to achieve a breakthrough."

Wang Zhong: "That's no problem. Once we decide to attack them, we will rename them the Livonian Front and provide them with sufficient troops."

Marshal Gorky: "No problem, so when do we leave for the front?"

"We?" Wang Zhong was stunned.

Marshal Gorky: "Of course. I also want to see for myself what's going on. If it seems to me that attacking through the swamp is unreliable, I will not agree to your plan."

Wang Zhong: "Okay, you come too!"

Olga raised her hand.

Wang Zhong: "You can't go!" "Tsk." Olga pouted, "You talk as if I want to go. There must be a lot of mosquitoes in a place like a swamp. I don't want my delicate skin to be wronged by this!"

----

At noon on March 3, the Berisk Front defense zone welcomed two distinguished guests.

In order to avoid disturbing the troops' preparations for battle and to increase confidentiality and prevent accidents, Wang Zhong did not tell the front-line troops in advance that he and Marshal Gorky would be there.

When the officers at the front saw Wang Zhong, they sprayed out their coffee, and even a rainbow appeared in the sunlight.

When Vasily saw the captain's reaction, he opened his mouth to speak, but was held down by Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong: "Don't react so strongly, Comrade Captain."

"Sorry, Comrade Marshal, we didn't know you were coming, otherwise we could have tidied up our housekeeping." The captain said as he placed the ashtray, which was already full of cigarette butts, on the trash can.

Wang Zhong: "I have been on the front line as a junior officer for a long time. I will not scold you for not doing a good job in housekeeping. Besides, we are here for more important things."

"What is it, Marshal Davarich?"

Wang Zhong came to the observation window of the bunker and looked out: "I want to learn about this swamp."

"Then you should go find our Baba Yaga Sergeant Major."

Vasily's eyes widened in surprise: "Huh?"

Wang Zhong: "Baba Yaga?"

He knew this name. It was the old witch in the Russian legend, so it appeared in many games. For example, in "Total War, Warhammer 3", Kislev, which was based on the Russians, had the Baba Yaga witch as a legendary lord, and there was also the Forest Thing among the troops.

In another famous Russian game - well, now it should be called Russian game - the "Stalker" series, there is also a mission called Baba Yaga, in which you can fight an old witch.

Not only do Maozi and Ermao have related legends, but the Poles, who are also Slavs, also have similar stories, except that their title has been changed to old witch.

Wang Zhong also controlled Geralt to kill them in The Witcher series of games.

At this time, Vasily finally couldn't help but say: "Isn't that a story to scare children?"

Captain: "Yes, but the sergeant major is as familiar with the swamp as an old witch, so everyone started calling him Baba Yaga. Many people have been saved by him. Everyone says that as long as you are in danger in the swamp, Baba Yaga will appear and save you."

Wang Zhong: "Where can I find this Baba Yaga Sergeant Major?"

Captain: "I'll take you there. He must be at our swamp sentry post. He's not so much on guard against the enemy as he is on guard against our idiots wandering into the swamp."

Wang Zhong: "Okay, take me there."

……

Thirty minutes later, the captain pointed to the small tent in the mist in the distance and said, "That's our sentry. Be careful and walk on the wooden planks. Don't step on empty space. There are swamps on both sides and you will sink into them. It's only easier to walk when the floor is frozen in winter."

Wang Zhong: "I understand."

He walked carefully along the wooden plank under his feet. This feeling reminded him of the time when he played the "Stalker" series a long time ago. There was a force in Stalker called Clear Sky, and its main base was in the Great Swamp.

Wang Zhong quite likes the plot of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky. When the final desperate assault was launched, he was moved and shocked as much as he was in the pursuit of Sheffield in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

By the way, when he traveled through time, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 game had been lying in his STEAM library for a long time, and he didn't know whether it had been made.

Marshal Gorky suddenly grabbed Wang Zhong and said, "Hey! Watch out!"

Wang Zhong then realized that he almost stepped into the swamp when he was distracted.

"Thank you." Wang Zhong stood firm and smiled at Marshal Gorky.

Marshal Gorky: "If you drown here, Ante might have to pay millions more casualties to defeat Prosen. You know my nickname."

When Marshal Gorky commanded the Western Front, he suffered heavy casualties in every offensive, so he was nicknamed the Butcher.

If Wang Zhong had not reminded him several times not to act recklessly, the Western Front's casualties would have been even higher.

Wang Zhong ignored Marshal Gorky's self-mockery, waved away his curiosity about the Stalker 2 game, strode through the last section of the road, and lifted the curtain of the tent: "Excuse me, is Sergeant Major Baba Yaga here?"

"Sergeant Major Baba Yaga is brewing a potion." said the old man in the tent. He was really stirring a pot of mysterious liquid.

Wang Zhong: “What is this?”

"Use the vegetable glue to apply on my shoes to prevent them from getting soaked in water." As he said this, Uncle Baba Yaga picked up the brush, dipped a little glue in it, and began to apply it on the "shoes."

Wang Zhong looked at the "shoes" and felt that he had seen something similar in Japanese ninja cartoons, where ninjas used this thing to walk on water.

"Can you walk on water by wearing this thing?" Wang Zhong asked.

“Hahahaha, how is that possible.” Old man Baba Yaga laughed heartily. “But this thing can prevent you from sinking into the mud, you know? It increases the contact area and distributes the pressure, which is the same principle as tank tracks. Of course, this thing requires skill to use. An untrained person will slip into the swamp after taking a few steps and then be swallowed by the swamp.”

After he finished speaking, the old man looked up for the first time. When he saw the row of golden stars on Wang Zhong’s chest and the big star on his shoulder, he was stunned.

"Damn it, Baba Yaga really cast a spell on me. I knew something would happen if I used her name all day long."

Wang Zhong: "No, this is not an illusion. Let's go to the front line to find out if it is possible to cross the swamp and attack the enemy."

The old man stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds and said, "Marshal, you didn't eat any mushrooms from the swamp on your way here, did you?"

Wang Zhong: "No, I am very sober."

"This is difficult. Be prepared for the swamp to swallow up thousands of people."

Wang Zhong: “Just a few thousand people?”

“This…” The old man Baba Yaga stared at Wang Zhong, “Quietly, the war has made our generals like this, and thousands of people don’t take it seriously.”

Wang Zhong: "If we can attack through the swamp, we can save tens of thousands of lives."

Sergeant Major Baba Yaga thought for a moment and sighed, "Of course we can. We can equip the soldiers in the assault force with shoes like mine, train them to walk in the swamp with these shoes, and then use the assault force to pave the road with wood."

Wang Zhong: "Use wood to pave the road?"

"Yes, use logs to lay them one by one, like rolling logs. As long as the logs are thick enough and laid out in sufficient quantities, tanks can also drive through the swamp. Of course, some tanks will get stuck in the swamp, which is unavoidable, but you don't care about the casualties of thousands of people, so would you care about losing a few tanks?"

Wang Zhong turned to look at Marshal Gorky: "It seems that we can cross the swamp and catch the enemy off guard."

Marshal Gorky: "Perhaps the troops that take the swamps will suffer the least casualties in this summer's offensive. After breaking through the swamps, should we outflank to the north or south?"

Wang Zhong: "Go north, outflank the Northern Army Group, and completely eliminate the threat from St. Andrew. This also proves that General Andre is a good-for-nothing.

"The enemy will not sit idly by and watch Army Group North being destroyed. They will mobilize their forces to try to counterattack. At this time, the Western Front will launch an attack to absorb the enemy's Central Army Group."

Marshal Gorky added: "The enemy can only mobilize troops from the south."

"Yes, once the Southern Army Group's strength is weakened to a certain extent, the Kosalia Front can attack. The soldiers of the Melania People's Army can fight on their homeland.

"Then, we will execute the left hook we envisioned and outflank the enemy's entire central army group. If we can successfully devour the two heavy military groups in the north and the center this time, we may be able to end the war within this year."

Sergeant Major Baba Yaga suddenly interrupted, "Can the war really be ended this year?"

"I can't say for sure. After all, the Prosen people will definitely fight to the bitter end. This time the encirclement is no longer carried out on our own land. Melania doesn't even speak the language, so she will probably encounter many new problems." Wang Zhong replied.

What he just said was just the best-case scenario.

Moreover, even if the two heavy military groups in Prosom were successfully annihilated, there was no guarantee that the subsequent advancement in Prosom’s homeland would be smooth.

The Prosens will offer the most ferocious resistance.

Sergeant Major Baba Yaga stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds and said, "You are an honest man, Marshal. I like honest people. I will risk my life to help you cross the swamp and defeat the enemy, Marshal."

Wang Zhong: "Thank you, Baba Yaga 'Your Excellency'."

The old man laughed: "Don't mention it, Marshal, it will make those old witches angry!"

Vasily: "You talk as if you have seen them."

"I've seen it." The old sergeant said the surprising words calmly, "When I was a child, I was lost in the swamp for almost three months. My parents even held a funeral for me, but I came back. I lived with Baba Yaga and his family for three years. The flow of time there is different from that outside. They left this on me."

As he spoke, the old man rolled up his sleeves, revealing the symbol on his arm.

Vasily: "Runes? Isn't this the script used by the Northern Europaeasir that the Protossians admire? Isn't that right?"

The old man said angrily: "This is the text left by Baba Yaga! I rely on this to enter the swamp freely!"

Wang Zhong held down Vasily and said, "Okay, when the war is over, the church will definitely send professional investigators to investigate Baba Yaga's case. What's important now is that we have found a way to cross the swamp and attack the enemy!

"We must start preparing immediately."

----

March 3, the Prime Minister’s residence in the capital of the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Leonard looked at the head of Melania's government-in-exile, Mositsky Radzikiewicz, in front of him: "This year, Marshal Rokossov of Ante will definitely enter Melania."

Mosicki Razkiewicz smiled: "Is it finally coming? So many people under his command, the Melania People's Army, were killed, and they finally returned home."

Prime Minister Leonard looked at Mosicki Razkiewicz seriously and said, "What are you so happy about? Ante and Proson made Melania disappear from the map! Now they must want to annex Melania again."

Mosicki Radzikiewicz's smile froze.

Leonard continued, “Moreover, even if Ant doesn’t annex you this time, they will make the Eastern Holy Church secular sect Melania’s main faith, and you are a Christian!
"You are all Christians! You are different from the Eastern Holy Church, and your differences with their secular faction are even greater! Think about what the secular faction did to the nobles in Ant! You are a noble Melania!"

Mosicki Razkiewicz's mood visibly deteriorated: "So what do you mean?"

Leonard: "You should liberate your own land, not through the hands of the Ants! In this way, when the war is over, Melania will stand before the Ants as a bridgehead for the Western world!"

Mosicki Razkiewicz frowned, “However, although our resistance forces in Melania are very strong, they are not strong enough to confront the regular army of Proson!

"In fact, many of our attacks ended up with heavy losses. It was a stretch for us to liberate Melania on our own."

Leonard: "Of course I'm not asking you to liberate yourself now. You should prepare yourself now and launch an uprising when Rokosov starts to break through. By then, the Prosen people's attention will be on Rokosov, and all the troops will be mobilized to the front line. The rear will definitely be empty of troops, and you can take advantage of the opportunity to attack!"

Mosicki Radzikiewicz: "That's one way, but..."

Leonard: "The United Kingdom will provide you with a large amount of aid, three times the amount of previous aid!"

"Three times?" Mosicki-Razykiewicz stood up. "That much?"

"It could have been more, but the United States rejected our request for help. They believed that it was futile and would weaken your power and allow the liberated Melania to fall completely into the hands of the secularists."

Leonard put his hands behind his back and paced around the room. "Hmph, these bastards from the United States, how could I not know what they are planning? Melania is our traditional sphere of influence, and the United States just wants us to lose our influence over Melania forever."

Mosicki Radzikiewicz sat down again, listening with a stiff expression to Leonard's comments on Melania.

Leonard: "So, you have to liberate yourselves, and then-"

"And then continue to be the United Kingdom's sphere of influence?" asked Mosicki Razkiewicz.

"It's better than becoming the sphere of influence of the secular faction, right?" Leonard asked.

Mosicki Radzikiewicz shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

"Think about the benefits we have provided you, think about the money the United Kingdom has invested in you over the years! Is this how Melania and her people repay their kindness?"

Mosicki Radzikiewicz was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I need to discuss this with my generals."

Melania still has more than 100,000 troops in the United Kingdom, which is the last resort of this exiled government. Even Mosicki cannot ignore the orders of the army.

Leonard: "Okay, you discuss it with the generals, and we'll continue discussing this issue next Wednesday."

Mosicki stood up and took his leave.

When he left the room, Leonard cursed, "These bastards are so heartless that they start to doubt the ability of the United Kingdom just because Rokosov keeps winning and we are pushed into the sea by the Prosens!"

(End of this chapter)