Arc of Fire

There was no helping it; he had never commanded so many troops before, and now he felt a bit like he was playing a simulation management game, strolling around his territory with satisfaction after working hard for so long—this was probably the feeling.

By the time he reached the edge of the parade ground, the remaining infantry of the Rocossov Combat Group had already assembled and were standing opposite the newly arrived Guardian Army.

Pavlov stood between the two groups with a megaphone and shouted, “These are the remaining infantry of the Rocossov Combat Group; they will become your instructors. You will train with your current organization for now!

“After all, the division headquarters doesn’t have the time to compile new rosters right now, and we don’t know which companies you will be assigned to, so it’s simpler to train this way.

“Right now, if you go to the front lines, you’ll quickly turn into fertilizer! You wouldn’t be of any use at all! The instructors will teach you basic tactical movements, basic skills!”

Wang Zhong thought to himself that being an instructor was a good thing, and after giving it some thought, it was actually quite beneficial. First of all, dispersing troops to act as instructors meant there was no need for new rosters—Pavlov’s division was currently busy absorbing new members, and it might take a few days before they could get down to that task.

Secondly, instructors only needed one gun to demonstrate all operations, and with five guns, they could let the recruits practice in turns, so the demands on supplies were relatively low.

One had to say, Pavlov had experience.

Pavlov began to allocate instructors to each member of the Guardian Army with a roster in hand.

At this time, the armored troops who were spectating nearby spotted Wang Zhong and hastily straightened their uniforms and lined up.

Wang Zhong waved his hand, “Alright, there’s no need to line up every time you see me.”

Everyone relaxed, and then Gunner Alexander Yefimovich from Vehicle 422 asked, “We heard that you’ve been promoted to Major General, so why are you still wearing the insignia of a Brigadier General?”

Wang Zhong replied, “I haven’t had the chance to change it; you all know I don’t have any orderlies right now, so I’ll have to go back to the barracks and change it myself later.”

Alexander then asked, “We heard that the new troops you’re commanding is an Infantry Division, so what about us? You’re not going to hand us over to another general, are you? Just to make it clear, the Crown Prince requested that we always follow you, and even if you transfer the troops, you shouldn’t transfer us.

“I heard that the Prosen troops have a tank platoon in their division headquarters; I think we can learn from the enemy’s advanced experiences.”

The other crew members became anxious:

“How is one platoon enough!”

“Absolutely, an armored company is needed to ensure security when facing the enemy!”

“Don’t abandon us, General!”

Wang Zhong reassured them, “You don’t have to worry, no one is going to snatch my troops from me! Not a soul! I, Aleksei, always take in but never let go! Not only are you not going anywhere, I need to bring over a whole Armored Battalion.”

An Infantry Division with an Armored Battalion was quite normal, wasn’t it? If this were a game, mixing an Armored Battalion into an Infantry Division would bring a heap of bonuses!

The armored soldiers seemed much more at ease.

“That’s good then, other generals would just send us to our deaths.”

“Yeah, the generals above us know nothing but to order us to ‘launch an attack’. I feel like they have no clue about how to use armored troops.”

“Exactly! Our original 23rd Tank Army is gone, without any significant military achievements. General, with just one ambush, you achieved more than our entire army.”

Wang Zhong furrowed his brow, “Really? Did the 23rd Army really have no achievements?”

Several armored soldiers who had transferred from the 23rd Army’s BT tanks shook their heads together, “Most were eliminated by the Prosen Air Force; on the rare occasion we encountered the enemy’s armored forces, they were destroyed from distances over 1000 meters, without ever getting close to the enemy.”

Wang Zhong sighed; even though the BT series tanks were technically behind the enemy’s Mark III and IV, the news of an entire tank army being wiped out still pained him.

Give me command, and I could achieve some success—this was his thought.

At that moment, the Tank Operators from the former 23rd Army suggested, “Ask for more tank troops, General; at least they can be more effective under your command! They won’t die in vain!”

The other Tank Operators nodded in agreement, “Right, General!”

Wang Zhong, overwhelmed by the flattery, waved his hand and made his escape.

He was aware of his own capabilities and perhaps one day, in the future, he might unhesitatingly accept such praise.

But the current Wang Zhong couldn’t presume to do so, feeling it was undeserved.

———

When Wang Zhong returned to the suite in the eastern wing of the manor, Ludmila had already ironed the new general’s uniform and even sprinkled lavender essence on it.

Wang Zhong frowned slightly, “I’m a general; isn’t the scent of lavender a bit odd?”

Ludmila retorted, “You don’t understand, once you smoke, the smell of the smoke and this essence will mix and it will be great. It’s a clever trick taught to me by my father himself.”

Wang Zhong asked, “When did he teach you that?”

“Before I went to Saint Ekaterina Fortress, he thought I would definitely meet a man there, so I needed to know these things. Too bad I never had the chance to use it.”

Wang Zhong uttered an “Oh.”

“Come here!” Ludmila commanded with an irrefutable tone as she picked up the coat.

Wang Zhong had no choice but to approach and let his fiancée fuss over him.

About fifteen minutes later, he stood in front of the mirror in his spotless new military uniform.

Ludmila commented, “Fewer decorations. Look at the other generals; they at least have a sash, and you are all modesty!”

She gestured across Wang Zhong’s chest.

Wang Zhong shrugged, “I’m not fighting for medals.”

“I know,” Ludmila said softly as she kissed Wang Zhong’s cheek, “Okay! Now you can go and be busy with your things!”

Wang Zhong: “Grigori!”

His guard immediately came in through the door, still carrying that captured Prosen submachine gun—he really seemed to like that weapon.

Wang Zhong: “Prepare the jeep, we’re going to the logistics command.”

Grigori brought his heels together as a substitute for a salute, closed the door, and left.

Ludmila: “Didn’t your father say he would help you allocate troops?”

Wang Zhong: “You’re calling him ‘Dad’ already? Isn’t that a bit hasty?”

Ludmila: “Okay, didn’t Uncle Konstantin say he would help you allocate troops?”

Wang Zhong: “The old man is retired; what he allocates might not be practical.”

At this moment, the voice of the Crown Prince came from outside: “Alyosha, my friend!”

Wang Zhong turned and went out to the corridor where he met the Crown Prince: “Your Highness, good morning, how did you sleep last night?”

The Crown Prince gave a thumbs up: “It’s a pity you didn’t come, there was some lack of variety!”

So, I was responsible for providing variety in Crown Prince’s team?

The Crown Prince: “Let’s go to the salon today. I know that Lady Ekaterina is holding a salon this afternoon, and all the young ladies in town will be there!”

Wang Zhong: “No, I am a division commander; I’m going to secure supplies and equipment for my troops.”

“Ahahaha!” laughed the Crown Prince loudly, “You are a division commander! Huh? You’ve become a division commander? Shouldn’t you be taking care of storage? Yesterday you were quite confrontational with General Skorobo.”

Wang Zhong: “Take a look at my epaulets, there are two beans now.”

The Crown Prince blinked: “Is that true? Holy moly, those really are pentagon stars. From a distance, I thought it was just a star-shaped pattern; that’s how they make the fake ranks. Then you definitely should go to Lady Ekaterina’s salon, war hero! The young ladies will fall for you!”

Actually, Wang Zhong was quite curious to see this ‘falling for him’ in practice, but getting equipment was the priority.

Wang Zhong: “So, I’m sorry Your Highness, but I have to get to work.”

The Crown Prince stepped back, looking Wang Zhong up and down: “What’s happened to you? You’re not like yourself!”

Wang Zhong: “I was hit by a 381mm shell from the enemy’s battleship. Over a hundred people in the church, only Sergey and I survived. So, my head’s a bit messed up.”

The Crown Prince shook his head: “I went to see Sergey, and he seems fine! He also said that you peed your pants in battle and insisted on exchanging trousers with him!”

— Damn it, can I just go and shoot this Sergey!

Ludmila turned to the side.

Wang Zhong: “Which hospital is Sergey in?”

The Crown Prince: “He’s staying at the Duke Vladimir’s house.”

Wang Zhong remembered, Sergei Nikolayevich Romanov was the Duchess’s man-toy, now that the Duchess was a widow, it made sense to take him back home.

The Crown Prince: “Want to go see him? The Duchess also quite wants to see you, who survived that disaster, and she’s planning a dance tonight…”

Wang Zhong: “No, I don’t have time. Apart from equipment, I have other places to go, I’m very busy today.”

His other task today was to be a postman.

Argesukov, 43 Krugen Street, Alexeyevna, the letter had to be delivered to this lady—probably a lady.

The Crown Prince shook his head: “You’ve changed, you’re not Alyosha, who are you?”

Ludmila stepped forward: “Who else could he be? He’s Alyosha!”

The Crown Prince suddenly became a bit hysterical: “That’s impossible! Alyosha and I are the same, we’re both prodigals! We should be living the high life together! I can’t accept this outstanding soldier you’ve become! I cannot accept it!”

Seeing the Crown Prince on the verge of breakdown, Wang Zhong quickly soothed him: “Your Highness, look, when you graduated from the military academy, your scores were higher than mine. What I can do, you can also do; there’s no need to look down on yourself!”

The Crown Prince didn’t reply but after a few seconds of silence, he turned and left: “I will tell Lady Ekaterina that the war hero is too busy and doesn’t want to grace her with his presence. You go be busy with your things.”

Wang Zhong: “Your Highness, could you lend me your seal or something?”

The Crown Prince stopped, turned, and looked at Wang Zhong: “What?”

Wang Zhong: “The seal! Look, Her Royal Highness used your seal to send me tanks and heavy artillery, right? So… I can also use the seal, can’t I?”

Ludmila frantically tugged at the hem of Wang Zhong’s clothes.

The Crown Prince laughed: “I see, you and she are in cahoots! How did I not see this coming! Fine, I’ll give it to you!”

Saying so, the Crown Prince took off the ring, which doubled as a personal seal, and threw it to Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong caught the ring and saluted the Crown Prince as if he were an officer: “I salute you, Your Highness!”

“Save it!” said the Crown Prince, waving his hand before turning to leave.