Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 852: Chapter 6 Offensive Preparation_2

One of the two said, “Is it really just a posture? We’ve pulled so many troops to the north, would Rocossov really pass up such a great opportunity?”

“But he also needs troops to attack!” The Emperor paced with hands behind his back, “We conservatively estimate that he has deployed four million troops in the north, central, and even further south in Moravia, a total of up to five million troops on the front lines, and the rest must be in the rear and the Far East. Even the most skillful cook can’t prepare a meal without rice.”

After a brief pause, the Emperor continued: “If we relax our estimate a bit and assume that Rocossov has six million troops on the front lines, then he currently has two million troops in hand. Although our Southern Army Group has transferred a fair amount of forces northward, we have still retained seven hundred thousand troops, and we have strong fortified zones.

“Even if Rocossov commits two million troops, it would be very difficult to break through the defenses of the Southern Army Group. Besides, he doesn’t have two million troops, absolutely not!”

As he spoke, the Emperor gestured emphatically, exuding confidence.

————

Yeburg, Ante Headquarters.

“Our summer offensive’s most important first-phase attack is about to be launched by Marshal Rocossov’s Kazarlia First Front Army,” Marshal Gorky explained, gesturing with a map stick in front of a large map.

Olga looked at Wang Zhong with a grin, “You’ll definitely crush the enemy and send them running in utter defeat, right?”

Wang Zhong stood up, taking the map stick from Marshal Gorky: “In front of the Southern Army Group, we have concentrated 2.4 million troops, though not all these belong to my Front Army.

“We estimate that the enemy directly opposing us numbers between six hundred thousand and seven hundred thousand. Therefore, we will have three to four times their strength.

“Along the entire front, our forces have grown to seven million, a troop density exceeding the highest record since the Prosen invasion. If these forces were defending, such crowding would mean many more casualties.”

A high troop density results in greater losses when subjected to enemy artillery and bombing, and the more units gathered in one area, the less adequate facilities like anti-bomb shelters become.

Therefore, during defensive operations, it’s not suitable to pile up so many troops at once; instead, forces should be staggered in layers.

But it’s different for an offensive. As the party initiating the attack, troops fifteen kilometers behind the front line are less likely to be hit by enemy artillery.

After all, as the front line advances, any position the enemy artillery can cover will only become further from where our troops are gathered.

Wang Zhong pointed with the map stick to the route from Kazarlia straight to the Baltic Sea: “After breaking through Prosen’s front-line defenses, our forces will race across the plains of Eastern Europa, and the Melania Resistance Army will assist us. According to plan, their representatives will cross the front lines today and meet with us.”

“Eh, is that so,” Olga suddenly asked worriedly, “Will they fully cooperate with us? Previously, when we liberated the nations, the local resistance organizations helped strongly because the core was the underground church and because they shared the same language and ethnicity with us. Melania doesn’t have a church, and their writing and customs are different from ours, right?”

Wang Zhong was also somewhat worried that the Melianians might not cooperate fully.

It’s like that on Earth; Earth’s Prosenian resistance armies, called the Prosenian National Army, not only failed to support Marshal Rocossov’s forces after they entered Prosenian territory, but they also killed the Russians’ sent liaisons. They insisted on starting a uprising at a time when the Russians clearly indicated they couldn’t push through.

In the end, Marshal Rocossov’s forces struggled desperately to aid but couldn’t reach there in time, and the National Army’s uprising was brutally suppressed by the Prosenians.

Wang Zhong was worried that this timeline might evolve in the same way.

————

By evening, the Kazarlia First Front Army Headquarters had relocated near the front lines.

General Pavlov encountered the liaison team of the Melania Resistance Army in the conference room.

“What happened to make you look so disheveled?” General Pavlov asked puzzledly, “What happened on the road?”

“Nothing major, we unexpectedly ran into Prosenian Constitutional Guards performing a check, so we had to lay low in the bushes until the inspection was over,” the head of the liaison team replied, looking down at their now muddy clothes.

“Get a change of clothes ready immediately.” Pavlov waved his hand and ordered, then his tone shifted, “What about the connection with us? And how is your support plan arranged?”

The group leader replied: “We have arranged two thousand guides familiar with the terrain, waiting for you to enter Melania territory, where they will rendezvous with your troops.

“These two thousand people can all speak Antenese.

“In addition, we will comprehensively sabotage the Prosenian phone lines, telegraph lines, and disrupt the Prosenian rail transport schedule. The stronger resistance organizations will also attack Prosenian supply stations in their operational areas and ambush Prosenian troop convoys.”

General Pavlov nodded: “Good, all the things we need.”

As the team leader was speaking, he took an envelope from his pocket: “This is what we know about the Prosen Southern Army Group now. The Southern Army Group is mainly deployed in Ante territory. We don’t know their detailed conditions, but from observing and recording the transportation situation within Melania, we have estimated the current force status of the Southern Army Group.”

Pavlov opened the envelope, took out a thick stack of documents inside, and quickly flipped through them.

Popov leaned over and asked: “How is it?”

Pavlov: “According to this report, since the northern line became urgent, the Prosenians have withdrawn at least one Army Group; now there are only two fully organized Army Groups and two from which many troops have been drawn, about six hundred thousand people in total.

“It’s pretty consistent with the intelligence we’ve obtained from captured prisoners.”

Popov: “It seems that the Marshal’s plan has been successful. We artificially stretched the Prosenians’ deployments, creating a huge weakness.”

At this time, the Melania team leader asked: “How many troops have you prepared to attack the Prosenians? Since the end of last year, the resistance organizations have noticed that the Prosenians have been continuously transporting cement and steel bars to the front lines. We believe the Prosenians have built quite substantial permanent fortifications.”

“They have indeed done so.” Pavlov turned around and took a document bag from his staff, dumping out aerial reconnaissance photos from it, “You see, these are shelters we discovered with our planes, and there must be more shelters hidden on the frontlines. All made of reinforced concrete.”

The Melianians asked with concern: “Then what will you do about it?”

“We have already dispatched the Front Army Air Force yesterday, carrying giant bombs with Pe-8 bombers to attack these fortifications, but due to high-altitude bombers really being unable to perform precise targeting, there hasn’t been much effect.

“However, we assure you, when the offensive starts, the Urban Assault Guns will destroy these reinforced concrete buildings.”

The Melianians nodded: “That’s great!”

————

July 13th, First Company, First Battalion, Melania People’s Army First Division.

Lieutenant Henry Scaritz woke up, washed up, and then picked up today’s newspaper—more accurately, “the newspaper that only reached us today.” The papers that came from Yeburg had already lost their timeliness.

Henry’s roommate Raskid asked: “How are things?”

“The counterattack is going well, and the Ante Headquarters in Yeburg have even publicly claimed that the next step is for the Kazarlia First Front Army to launch an attack.”

“Why would they tell the enemy that we’re going to attack?” Raskid asked, surprised.

“I think the Marshal intends to play reverse logic,” Henry replied while quickly scanning the newspaper, “Nothing worth noting, I guess—”

A messenger popped into the room: “Reinforcements for our tank units have arrived!”

Henry threw down the newspaper and stood up: “Let’s go, take a look!”