artillery arc

Chapter 776 "Until Death"

On December 12, at 3, the headquarters of the Ante front was 0930 kilometers away from the center of Plosinia.

When General Eugene entered the room, Wang Zhong and Pavlov were gesturing at the defense map of Prothenia city.

General Eugene: "Report! Marshal, I'm here."

The two people in front of the map turned around, and then Pavlov looked at Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong: “Why are you looking at me?”

"You are the marshal, and I am the general."

Popov: "You will be promoted soon, but it's different for me. Very few bishops in the army have been promoted to marshals."

Wang Zhong: "You can become a cardinal. You are not in the same system as us. Eugene, you are here. We specifically asked you to come here because we have a mission."

Wang Zhong gestured "come here" and the former mine manager immediately trotted over to the map, looking puzzled: "What's wrong?"

Wang Zhong pointed to a Proshen-controlled area on the map, more than 20 kilometers away from the center of Proshennia.

"The Asgard Knights in this place have been resisting fiercely."

General Eugene: "Yes, we adopted the encirclement strategy according to the order, and launched attacks from time to time to consume their ammunition. But now it seems that the enemy has a lot of ammunition in stock, and they have not run out of ammunition and food yet."

Pavlov: "But now we need you to take this place. After comprehensively considering the situation in the entire theater, the headquarters hopes to set up the supply center here. The enemy's defense has not lost its basic tactical literacy. They put this nail here, which makes us very uncomfortable."

Wang Zhong: "The headquarters will give you the best attacking force. You must crush the resistance of the Asgard Knights. This will also provide some assistance to Stas's Davarish in his work."

General Eugene touched his heels and saluted: "I promise to complete the mission."

Popov: "Hey, you look like you want to say something. Tell us what difficulties you have and we can help you solve them."

General Eugene: "This... is nothing, but should the headquarters not move forward any further?"

Pavlov clapped his hands: "Good! This is a good suggestion!"

Wang Zhong held Pavlov's shoulder and said, "Don't get excited. Eugene, why did you suggest this? Did the chief of staff invite you for coffee?"

General Eugene shook his head: "No! I really think the General Headquarters is running too far ahead. If you move forward, our Front Command cannot fall behind.

"The current situation is that one of our front headquarters was forced to move into the range of enemy artillery. It was bombarded yesterday and more than 20 people were killed.

"The army and division headquarters of the troops ahead are all within the enemy's artillery range. Fortunately, the enemy's artillery force has been greatly weakened, otherwise it would be a disaster!"

Only 20 casualties were caused by heavy artillery bombardment, which is indeed very small considering the size of the front headquarters.

Wang Zhong: "How did your position get exposed?"

"It's the guerrillas." Eugene added hastily, "The Davarish of Stas has rooted out the hidden guerrillas. They actually reported the situation by phone. We have completely controlled the phone system."

Wang Zhong was speechless.

Pavlov: "I told you that we couldn't go on, but you didn't listen. Now there are casualties down there. It's your fault! If I hadn't held you back, you might have really dueled with Emperor Prosen!"

Wang Zhong: "Okay, the headquarters will not move forward until we completely occupy Prothenia."

"You can't move forward either!" Pavlov raised his voice.

Just as Wang Zhong was about to say yes, the confidential staff officer entered the room and said, "Report, we received a telegram from the Third Melania Front."

Wang Zhong: “Read it!”

Pavlov made no secret of his disappointment at not receiving a positive answer.

The confidential secretary ignored all this and read directly: "Our unit has received a call from the 9th Army of Plosson. They are planning to revolt on the battlefield and give up the army's defense zone."

Wang Zhong: "The 9th Army? Weren't they wiped out?"

Pavlov: "The newly formed army group is new from the commander to the soldiers, and the equipment is also new. How can an entire army group revolt as a whole?"

As he said this, Pavlov walked up to the confidential secretary, took the telegram and read it carefully.

After a few seconds, he muttered, "It's actually true."

General Eugene: "I remember that the defense zone of the Ninth Army was quite large. If they gave it up, the Third Melania Front could advance straight in."

Wang Zhong looked at Pavlov: "What is the equipment situation of the Third Front Army?"

"They have already replenished all the technical equipment and the troops. The only problem is that there are only 20% grassroots non-commissioned officers, and a corporal squad leader has to lead soldiers." Pavlov replied.

Wang Zhong: "What about the junior non-commissioned officers?"

"In the hospital. Currently, most of the NCOs who have recovered from their injuries have voluntarily cancelled their recuperation and leave and rushed back to the front line. But even this is not enough. There are still about 300,000 NCOs in the hospital. Once they all return, the situation will be greatly improved."

Wang Zhong was silent.

Confidential Secretary: "How should we respond?"

Wang Zhong hesitated for a moment, then replied: "Accept their uprising, and once the defensive position is given up, launch an attack immediately. The news of an army uprising will greatly shake the enemy's confidence, and our army's direct advance will further shake the enemy.

"This will be of great help to Stas's efforts to persuade him to surrender."

Just as the confidential secretary was about to leave, Pavlov stopped him and said, "Don't leave so quickly! I will draft the telegram myself and explain the pros and cons clearly."

As he said this, Pavlov sat down behind the desk and began to write furiously.

General Eugene said to Wang Zhong: "I will return to the headquarters now. We will launch an attack on the target area tomorrow."

Wang Zhong: “I’m counting on you.”

General Eugene saluted, turned and left the room.

Popov looked at his back and said, "Can you believe he was a mine manager before the war?"

Wang Zhong: "Before the war, I was the last one."

"Don't mention your last place."

----

That night.

Although Andreas had experienced a day of fierce fighting, he still volunteered to stand the first shift that night.

Koslake also came to the sentry post and stood side by side with him.

"What do you think of the enemy's attack today?" asked Koslake.

Andreas: "They didn't really want to defeat us, they were just consuming our ammunition and morale. Ant's tanks actually stayed far away and only fired. This is the first time I've seen it. Normally, they would have rushed up with the infantry and filled the trenches with their tracks."

Ant's tankers would place them across the trenches, then twist them left and right, using their own weight and tracks to scrape off the soil on both sides of the trenches, eventually burying the trenches.

Veterans like Andreas and Kosrek have experienced this many times, and once the anti-tank crew finds that the position lacks anti-tank firepower, they will rush up and do so.

Many Plosson soldiers were buried in the trenches and suffocated to death.

It is said that this was the tactic used by the Proson tankmen at the beginning of the war, and it buried many Ante soldiers guarding the trenches.

Koslake: "Yes, the enemy is just consuming us. They just want to see us slowly starve to death."

Andreas: "Aren't there still a lot of dry food?"

"Yes, yes." Koslake paused and suddenly said, "Do you remember the Hessian in the third row?"

"Remember, he owes me five packets of tobacco," Andreas replied.

"He ran away."

"What?" Andreas looked at Koslake, "Are you sure?" "Yes, everyone knows he ran away, but the officers all said he died. Damn it, if a soldier dies, the officers will deliberately come and tell everyone 'he died'? It's obviously a cover-up."

Andreas silently touched the matches in his pocket.

The matches looked the same as the rationed matches, but they were completely different inside. They were made of solid material and lit up easily with the first strike.

This match was most likely a gift from a Father Stas, and perhaps it could bring a better life to his family in the future - if they are still alive.

Kosrek seemed to have guessed Andreas's thoughts and asked, "Does your family still write to you?"

"No. The last time I received a letter, the Ants had advanced to the river at the foot of my mountain. They should have fallen by now."

Koslake: "If you surrender now, maybe you can go home directly."

Andreas was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "If I surrender, will you hate me for betraying you?"

Koslake held a cigarette between his lips. "I don't know. You have to surrender to me to find out. I have run out of matches."

Andreas took out a match and lit Koslake's cigarette in one go.

Just then, gunshots were heard in the darkness to the right of the sentry post.

The two veterans immediately raised their guns and turned on the safety.

The gunfire continued, and many firing points were alarmed and began to spew flames.

Koslake cursed: "Asshole, this is a mistake. The enemy is obviously testing our firepower. Maybe they will really attack tomorrow."

Andreas: "Well, being active the night before an attack does seem like what the ANT troops do. Points exposed tonight won't survive the first direct fire tomorrow."

Kosrek interrupted Andreas: "No, this is not the time! If you want to leave, you have to leave now. Anyway, no one will notice the situation tonight!"

Andreas stared at Kosrek for a few seconds. "You promised not to let me die, didn't you? Man, remember the motto of the unit when we met? Never give up until death!"

Kosrek: "That unit has been wiped out by Rokossov. We have changed several units! Come on, let's go!"

"No!" Andreas said, "It's too risky to leave. When the Ants attack me tomorrow, I can just surrender."

Koslake did not answer.

----

June 12, 4 a.m.

The whistling of artillery shells suddenly awakened Andreas from his nap.

"Ready to fire!" he shouted, "Get into the bunker!"

As he said this, he pulled up the private soldier beside him.

After the first shift change yesterday, Andreas returned to the bunker and fell asleep. Only now did he realize that he had slept in the wrong place and had run into a group of new recruits.

Andreas: "Hurry, don't sleep! This bunker can't withstand heavy artillery attacks, hurry into the anti-artillery cave!"

The private he was holding shouted in horror: "Ahhhhhhhh, what's going on?"

Andreas: "It's artillery preparation, you idiot!"

At this time, many recruits also showed symptoms. They lay on the ground with the shaking of the earth, unable to do anything except screaming.

This is actually a form of shell shock, and new recruits will become hysterical when they encounter heavy artillery fire for the first time.

Not to mention the new recruits, even Andreas was trembling with fear. He had experienced many artillery preparations by the Ants, but none of them was as bad as this one.

It feels like the Ants' firepower is getting stronger and stronger, and they are becoming more and more crazy.

Suddenly, the roof of the bunker collapsed and Andreas fell unconscious.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Koslake's face.

"Are you ok?"

Andreas: "Where are my new recruits?"

"No, I'll just drag you out." Koslake grinned, "It's just the two of us. Let's go to the machine gun position."

"Is the artillery preparation over?" asked Andreas.

"You have been unconscious for more than two hours, and the artillery preparation has just ended." Koslake led him into the machine gun position.

The machine gun's tripod was miraculously still standing, and the machine gun on it looked intact.

Andreas and Kosrek immediately prepared for battle.

Just at this moment, the earth began to tremble.

In the distance came the roar of a tank engine and the creaking of its running mechanism, as well as the occasional loud sound of metal friction - the two veterans knew that it might be the Ant tank turning.

"Damn, is this how the Antes waited for our tanks when the attack started?" said Andreas.

Koslake: "At that time, the largest tank they were waiting for was only the Type 4, which could be destroyed by hitting its weak points with anti-tank guns. Now we are facing the enemy's iron turtle."

As soon as he finished speaking, an assault gun came into their sight.

Then came a row of assault guns, all with thick barrels.

The assault gun stopped and raised its barrel.

The next moment, the first direct wave of 152mm howitzer fire came.

Although Andreas and Kosrek's position was not exposed last night, a grenade still fell in the center of the position.

……

After a moment, Koslake opened his eyes, and after a brief moment of daze, he checked his body, hands and feet, and then burst into hysterical laughter.

"Hahahahaha, I'm not dead! I'm fine! Andreas, look!"

He turned his head to look for his partner, and found him not far away, so he went over and patted his shoulder: "I'm fine! How are you?"

As soon as he exerted force, Andreas' body was pulled over, surprisingly lightly.

Then Koslake discovered that Andreas's lower body was gone, and his intestines were hanging down from his upper body, dragging on the ground.

Andreas was probably dead.

Kosrek dropped his comrades and covered his mouth.

For the first time the grown man sobbed.

Then he heard the Ant language.

He shuddered and made a decision in an instant. He took out his non-commissioned officer certificate and threw it away, and also tore off the rank of sergeant major on his shoulder.

Then Kosrek took the ID from Andreas and put it in his pocket.

Finally, he did not forget the matches in Andreas' pocket.

After getting ready, he took a deep breath and whispered, "I am Corporal Andreas, I live in..."

Before he finished, the Ante soldier crossed over the sandbags and said, "Don't move. Put your hands up! You won't be killed if you surrender your guns!"

Kosrek raised his hands: "I surrender! I joined the army during your counterattack. I didn't kill any Ante people!"

(End of this chapter)