Cannon Fire Arc

"What do you mean we\'re running out of shells?" Giles glared at the logistics major general and asked, "The enemy still has the leisure to disrupt our meals every evening! Are you telling me our shells ran out first?"

The logistics major general answered with a stern face, "Lieutenant General, the enemy is less than four hundred kilometers from their industrial center, Ye Fort. Our supply line, just within Ante\'s territory alone, is 700 kilometers.

"Moreover, because the rail gauge used by Ante is different from ours, trains coming from our country cannot directly enter Ante\'s railway system. They have to be transferred to stations on Ante\'s side and then organized into new train formations.

"Because of this, we\'ve always been heavily reliant on road transportation with trucks and mule-horse transportation, but after the rainy season started, trucks and mule-horses have been greatly affected."

"How greatly affected can it be that shells can\'t be supplied?" Giles questioned.

"Greatly affected," the logistics major general repeated his phrase and then added, "Therefore, the ammunition is piling up at the train stations, unable to be delivered. But we are already in the process of calling up more mules and focusing on supplying shells to your troops. Your artillery will be able to continue firing tomorrow."

Giles: "Where are you calling up these \'more\' mules from?"

The logistics major general: "From the transportation of less critical materials. Anyway, the war will be over by the end of the year, so some materials are not that urgent."

Giles sighed, "Alright, continue the attack tomorrow. Let the troops rest as much as possible today. Feliz, do we still have tobacco and alcohol in our supplies?"

Feliz immediately replied, "According to the supply list I saw, there should be."

"Distribute them to the troops!" Giles said.

————

Wang Zhong looked at the time: "It\'s eight in the morning, no artillery fire yet. Could the enemy be out of shells?"

He looked out the observation window.

After two days of fighting, the enemy used demolition charges to destroy the breakwater, creating an incline that could be attacked up.

In addition, the enemy had built three pontoon bridges across the river, but all three bridges had been blown up, leaving only the halves closest to the enemy.

The entire riverbank was littered with the corpses of Prussians, and because of the continuous rain, all the bodies were swollen, burst, and emitting a strong stench.

Popov also came to the window and looked toward the riverbank: "The water in the wells has started to deteriorate, indicating that the shallow groundwater has been contaminated. And this damn stench, if we don\'t retreat, many soldiers will fall ill. Just yesterday, the hospital received three cases of vomiting and diarrhea, possibly cholera."

Wang Zhong: "But we have to wait until all the currently semi-encircled troops have completely withdrawn."

The Western Front Army had ordered a full retreat on the second day of rain.

Because the divisions of the Front Army were already very exhausted and had suffered huge casualties, they might collapse completely if they didn\'t retreat.

New troops had already organized a new defensive line near the Front Army headquarters in Tula. These withdrawn troops would rest and be replenished to the east of Tula.

Some of the units with particularly severe losses would be withdrawn to an area east of Ye Fort for more thorough rest and reorganization.

Wang Zhong turned around to look at the map on the wall. Many troops east of Shostka had already withdrawn, and most of the remaining units had already broken contact with the enemy and were retreating through the space behind the Guard First Mechanized Infantry Division.

Pavlov put down the telephone receiver and reported to Wang Zhong: "Currently, there is no attack across the entire line, and it\'s quiet on the side of the Fifty-First Army as well."

Having said that, he also looked up at the map on the wall.

Pavlov: "If we hadn\'t stopped the enemy at the Duva River, I\'m afraid several hundred thousand troops would have been surrounded in this salient."

Wang Zhong: "The overall tactical concept has been achieved. Now it\'s just a matter whether we can retreat completely, and... how long it will take to retreat."

At this moment, a communications staff officer came in with a recently decoded message: "Orders from the Front Army headquarters."

Wang Zhong: "Read it."

The communications staff officer: "The Front Army headquarters to the Guard First \'Red Flag\' Mechanized Infantry Division, your unit has successfully completed the blocking mission, and should retreat from the current defensive position at midnight tonight. Rearguard units will cover your withdrawal to rest on the outskirts of Ye Fort in Suhayaveli."

Wang Zhong immediately looked for the place name on the map; Pavlov was quicker: "Here. We can get there by train. We should ask for more train cars from behind us, after all, you see..."

Pavlov glanced out the observation window and made a gesture, meaning "you see the enemy isn\'t shelling anymore."

Wang Zhong: "You want me to use my special connections again?"

Pavlov: "It\'s raining now; you wouldn\'t want our vehicles stuck in the mud, forced to abandon them, would you? All those artillery pieces, anti-tank guns, and even your little tanks!"

Wang Zhong pursed his lips, "Fine, I\'ll make a call—"

At that moment, the phone rang.

Pavlov, muttering "hope it\'s not the enemy attacking," picked up the receiver: "Division headquarters. Hello, Your Eminence. I\'ll hand him the phone right now."

After speaking, Pavlov jabbed the receiver in Wang Zhong\'s direction: "The Grand Patriarch is looking for you."

Wang Zhong took the receiver: "Your Eminence, I greet you."

Belinsky got straight to the point: "Has the Front Army given you the order to retreat?"

"They have, instructing me to retreat from Shostka by midnight. Your Eminence, could you use your influence to send us some train cars?"

"Empty train cars?"

"Yes, we don\'t need ammunition and supplies here anymore. Excess food that we can\'t eat or take with us will have to be burned. Additionally, apart from my division\'s combatants and logistics personnel, there\'s also the laborers supporting us and the Guardian Army, they and their families need to retreat as well. This requires..."

Wang Zhong looked at Pavlov.

Pavlov showed five fingers.

Wang Zhong: "We need five hundred train cars!"

Pavlov\'s eyes widened.

Seeing his reaction, Wang Zhong quickly corrected himself: "Fifty train cars."

Pavlov clicked his tongue and said straightforwardly, "We need five columns of standard military trains. Fifty carriages are far too few for us—we have almost forty thousand people here!"

Wang Zhong immediately said, "Five columns of standard military trains."

The Grand Patriarch laughed heartily, clearly in an excellent mood today: "I\'ll give you five columns with forty carriages each. If you leave now, they should be able to reach you by tonight."

Wang Zhong: "That\'s wonderful, then we\'ll be waiting."

"I look forward to your triumphant return. Then, we\'ll meet in the capital."

"See you in the capital, Your Highness."

Wang Zhong ended the call.

Pavlov: "So how many carriages are there?"

Wang Zhong: "Two hundred carriages, five columns of trains."

Pavlov snapped his fingers: "Alright, let\'s immediately start planning the retreat and arrange the order in which the troops will board. Anyway, the armored train will cover our rear."

Wang Zhong: "Let the artillerymen take some trouble, fire off all the remaining shells today. We\'ll only take the cannons and men with us."

Pavlov: "No problem."

————

On the evening of October 11, at eight o\'clock, Colonel Kozelsky, commander of the naval river fleet, arrived at the division headquarters bunker.

"Salute to you, General Rokossovsky," the colonel extended his hand to Wang Zhong. "You really are the star of victory. I never dreamed that I would be able to retreat alive from here."

Wang Zhong clasped the colonel\'s hand and was about to speak when a loud noise came from outside.

Wang Zhong jumped in fright and was about to look outside through the observation window, but the colonel pulled him back, "Don\'t worry, that was us blowing up our gunboats. We can\'t let the Prussians use them against us in the future, can we? The water is so shallow here, the sunk vessels can be salvaged quickly."

Wang Zhong: "Did you properly hold a ceremony to bid them farewell?"

Kozelsky: "Of course, we had a grand farewell ceremony for the ship\'s spirit."

The ship\'s spirit? That ship isn\'t the Golden Mary!

Kozelsky looked outside: "It\'s strange, we\'re retreating, surrendering our homeland, our soil soaked with our comrades\' blood, to the invaders, to the devils, but at this moment, it feels entirely like a victory."

Wang Zhong: "It certainly is a victory. This time we didn\'t leave any civilians behind, we didn\'t let the Guardian Army cover our rears, and we still have enough strength to fight again, only withdrawing willingly for strategic objectives."

Kozelsky laughed: "Lengthening the enemy\'s supply lines, making it impossible for them to resupply winter gear, and then wiping them out with the help of General Winter, is that it?"

Wang Zhong: "Yes, an outright stratagem. I think the smartest among the enemy generals have already noticed, but they have to step into it for their own goals. They can only put their hopes on taking Ye Fort."

Pavlov: "I propose a toast!"

He had just finished speaking when Nelly came over with drinks and glasses.

Wang Zhong: "Where did the drinks come from?"

Nelly: "I took them from Lord Boye\'s local cellar. I don\'t know if it\'s good wine."

Vasily picked up a bottle and admired it: "Trebbiano! This is good wine! Here, let me pour for everyone."

Vasily deftly uncorked the bottle and filled all the glasses.

Each person present took a glass and realized there was one glass extra.

Wang Zhong: "Nelly! Join us! Today is a happy day; you must have a glass!"

Nelly could only pick up a glass.

Wang Zhong: "To a stage of victory!"

Pavlov: "Cheers!"

Everyone drained their glasses in one go.

After downing her drink, Nelly\'s face began to turn red.

Vasily suggested: "Should we leave a message for the enemy? Like the one the general left last time. How many booby traps shall we write this time?"

Wang Zhong: "No, no, the enemy\'s commander named Giles is quite capable. If he doesn\'t approach the bank using trench warfare, their losses would be even greater."

Pavlov: "But there\'s also the possibility that they will attack after exhausting our ammunition."

Everyone laughed heartily.

Popov solemnly reminded: "Actually, with their fierce attacks in the past two days, we\'ve lost twenty-five percent of our troops. It\'s because our morale is high and our fighting spirit is strong that we don\'t even blink at a twenty-five percent loss. Any other unit would have collapsed."

Wang Zhong: "Yes, we should of course congratulate such an opponent for his victory!"

Vasily: "I\'ll write it... Is it a bit too playful to write with a pencil?"

Pavlov shouted: "Bring in a piece of charcoal!"

Soon a piece of charcoal was brought in—as winter was approaching, such heating materials were everywhere.

Pavlov pointed to the wall from which the map had been taken down: "Write on the wall, make it big."

Wang Zhong: "Write this: \'To the respected General Giles\'—what is his rank?"

Everyone looked at each other, no one knew.

Wang Zhong: "Never mind, don\'t mention the name. Write \'To the respected Prussian commander, you have shown us the art of war in full measure, so we sincerely congratulate you on your victory!\'"