Arc of Fire

Central Army Corps Headquarters, temporary airfield.

The senior generals of the Army Group gathered in the waiting area at the side of the airfield, chatting quietly amongst themselves.

“It seems like they’re here to urge us to turn south again,” said Heinz Wilhelm von Mauch, the general in charge of the Second Armored Division and Prussian Armored Forces Director, to the Army Group commander, Marshal Von Bock beside him, “But we’re so close to the Ante capital! Turning south to complete the encirclement would mean pushing forward 500 kilometers, while taking the capital is only 300 kilometers away!”

Marshal Von Bock soothed him, “Those 500 kilometers aren’t just for you to fight, General Von Steiermark from the First Armored Division will also attack from the south, it’s a pincer movement! Besides, the south is all great plains, which is perfect for tank maneuvers right now.

“But if you advance east, not only do you have forests and rivers, but also the enemy’s fortified regions.”

General Mauch: “There are rivers to the south too!”

“But most of them are in their dry season, and your tanks can ford them,” interjected Marshal Von Bock, pausing then adding, “Most of them.”

General Mauch: “Alright, perhaps a southern attack isn’t too problematic tactically, but strategically, it will greatly delay our attack on the enemy’s capital! I think that’s strategically incorrect!”

Marshal Von Bock consoled him, “Patience. His Majesty has arrived at the front line, so you can lay out the pros and cons for him. If you convince His Majesty, you can continue toward Saint Ekaterinburg after replenishments are complete.”

At that moment, a Junker tri-motor aircraft bearing the royal eagle insignia descended from the sky and gently touched down on the airfield.

The plane gradually slowed down, then turned and slid towards the generals.

Ground crew at the airfield pushed a boarding ladder towards the plane.

The plane stopped right in front of the boarding ladder with the cabin door facing it.

General Mauch grumbled, “Always with such formalities!”

Marshal Von Bock: “Even you, who’s so trusted by His Majesty, shouldn’t openly say such things.”

General Mauch: “I think His Majesty is broad-minded enough! That’s why I respect him!”

Marshal Von Bock said nothing, after all, he couldn’t say that His Majesty wasn’t broad-minded.

At that moment, the cabin door opened, and the Plathen Emperor, Reinhard von Hohenzollern, strode out of the plane in high spirits.

“Ah, my brave generals!” He hadn’t even reached the crowd before he let slip such a remark.

The generals saluted in unison.

The Emperor merely waved his hand in response and then began to hug the officers in order of rank.

Once the hugging was over, the Emperor spoke, “I’m here to seek your opinions for I have noticed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity laid out before us!

“By seizing this opportunity, we will decisively prove that our Prosen nation is the superior one!

“We shall discuss this opportunity at a proper venue! Lead the way, Marshal Von Bock!”

The Marshal bowed immediately, and a sedan that had been prepared nearby drove up.

The Marshal personally opened the car door for the Emperor, playing the role of a servant without a trace of complaint.

Nobody thought there was anything wrong with this.

After the Emperor got into the car, everyone else quickly followed suit, and the motorcade made its way to the Central Army Corps Headquarters.

Ten minutes later, the generals had taken their seats in the command center’s conference room.

Pacing back and forth in front of a large map, the Emperor said, “I’m sure you’ve heard that I plan to order General Mauch’s armored forces to head south to coordinate with the First Armored Division in initiating a pincer attack on the Kazaria Kingdom’s capital, Argesukov!” 𝐫Àɴŏ𝐛Еꞩ

General Mauch stood up, “Your Majesty! I am only 300 kilometers away from Saint Ekaterinburg! Give me one more month, and I can push to the city’s gates!”

The Emperor frowned, visibly showing his dissatisfaction, “You may understand military matters well, but you don’t understand economics and politics!

“We need Argesukov, need Kazaria’s coal, steel, and grain, and we need their beef and dairy!

“Moreover, once the encirclement is complete, a million enemies will be vanquished, and the Ante Empire will be left without the military strength or morale to fight us! By then, Saint Ekaterinburg will be nothing more than a grape waiting to be plucked!”

No sooner had he spoken than an attendant brought in washed grapes.

The Emperor, seeing the grapes and delighted, went over and plucked one, “Look! Grapes! Just like this, swallowed in one bite! But some among you don’t properly recognize the importance of annihilating the enemy’s living forces!

“At present, the Ante People’s resistance is expected to last another five or six months at most! And the destruction of their strong forces in Argesukov will greatly shorten this duration!”

“But,” General Moochi began, “the Ante Empire has always been known for their steamroller tactics; manpower has never been their concern.”

The emperor spun around abruptly, his golden hair flying up, “That was the case before, but times have changed! Before, the Tsar’s grey beasts could be armed with just a rifle, even without guns they could manage!

“But now, if infantry lack technical equipment, they’re mere rubbish, easily annihilated! The same goes for infantry that lacks training!”

“And now, Argesukov’s Heavy Army Corps has a large amount of technical equipment, including many new types of tanks reported from various locations!”

“If we do not annihilate this Heavy Army Corps and instead focus single-mindedly on attacking Saint Ekaterina, once this corps recovers from our devastating strikes, it will pose a serious threat! To eliminate this threat, we must annihilate them, we must!”

General Moochi hesitated, wanting to speak.

The emperor stared at him for a good while, nodding with satisfaction, “It seems that you’ve realized this. Defeating the Ante Empire has never been a difficult task, we knew from the beginning that we would defeat them!

“When we made the offensive plans last December, we knew the war would end within a year, we were clear about that!

“But victory is not enough! What’s important is that we defeat them decisively! Annihilating a million-strong enemy Heavy Army Corps in one fell swoop will profoundly shock our enemies, making the still-resisting United Kingdom and the onlooking Federation fear us!”

The entire meeting room fell silent.

Someone shouted “Long live the emperor!” and then everyone joined in a chorus, “Long live the emperor!”

Hohenzollern waved his hand to quell the cheering, before turning to General Moochi again, “What’s the current situation with the Second Armored Corps?”

General Moochi immediately answered, “All our Armored Divisions ceased combat operations yesterday to recuperate. The report I received before boarding the plane here stated that compared to June 22 when the offensive was launched, we have 230 fewer tanks.”

“230 tanks!” the emperor raised his voice, clearly the number was unexpected.

General Moochi hastened to explain, “Of these, 110 can be repaired through field service, and 50 can be sent back to the factory for repairs. My men have already marked the locations of these tanks.

“However, only two of our ten field service battalions have reached the front line, and the tank repair factories haven’t arrived at their designated locations yet. We planned to set up the tank repair center in Chehalski, where there should be large front-line repair facilities capable of repairing severely damaged tanks.

“Yet there’s nothing there now.”

The emperor frowned, “What’s causing such slow progress?”

Before General Moochi could speak, Field Marshal Von Bock interjected, “The condition of the roads is much worse than we expected, and the railways aren’t in good shape either. We originally planned our supplies according to the standards of our own railways, but the railway system within Ante Empire can only handle thirty percent of our intended transport volume.

“At present, there’s a shortage of ammunition and fuel on various fronts, which necessitates a pause to wait for resupplies.”

The emperor: “High Command told me it was traffic jams!”

“It’s indeed traffic jams,” Field Marshal Von Bock nodded, “Traffic jams are the outward appearance, while poor road conditions are the underlying issue. High Command didn’t tell you the underlying issue, probably out of fear that you would think they were shirking responsibility.”

The emperor’s mouth twitched, “These damn Junker nobles!”

Most of those present were, in fact, part of the Junker Nobility, but they all pretended not to hear.

The emperor then asked General Moochi, “So when can you start moving south?”

General Moochi: “At the current pace of repairs, we manage ten tanks a day. We estimate that by August 5th, the combat readiness of our Armored Troops will rebound to its peak. By then, ammunition and fuel will also be fully resupplied, and the soldiers will have completed their rest, ready for another offensive.”

The emperor shook his head, “No, that’s too slow. The enemy’s Heavy Troops could realize our intentions at any moment. In fact, their current deployment already shows signs of this. To the south of you, aerial reconnaissance has identified three of the enemy’s tank armies, all brand new.

“These three armies are obviously intended to delay you, or even— they might plan to use these armies to completely crush your group, severing our offensive spearhead!”

General Moochi confidently said, “They will not succeed. Most of Ante’s tanks are subpar, though there are a few new models worth noting. However, most of their new tanks were destroyed before they even engaged us. We hold an absolute lead in armored technology.”

The emperor: “Then you should launch the attack even sooner. I think you should start attacking at the latest by August 2nd. Your Corps will form the outer encirclement, and the infantry units of the 11th Army Group will act as the inner layer, crossing the river here to initiate the offensive.

“The Southern Army Group will cross the Dnieper River here and outflank Argesukov from the south.”

General Moochi: “If we start the attack on the 2nd, some divisions will have a significant shortfall in tanks. After all, we didn’t lose tanks evenly across all divisions!”

“Don’t worry about that,” the emperor waved his finger back and forth, “I’ll enhance your group with the Asgard Knights’ Amprah Armored Division and the Asgard Knights’ Emperor’s Personal Guard Division. These are elite units newly organized and will be the central pillars guarding our sacred Empire of Asgard in the future!”

Although those present were military men, these words still sparked murmurs. After all, everyone had heard rumors that the emperor intended to establish forces independent of the Imperial Defense Forces, and this was the first time the rumors materialized.

The emperor declared proudly, “These units are extremely elite, commanded by my most trusted Siegfried. They consist of rigorously selected veterans equipped with the latest weapons. They will crush our enemies!”

As he spoke, the emperor clenched his fists to express his emotions.

General Moochi: “Understood. We will launch an attack on August 2nd, not any sooner.”

“Agreed,” the emperor consented briskly, “The Argesukov campaign will end within twenty to thirty days, and then we can charge towards Saint Ekaterina!”

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