Arc of Fire

Chapter 799: Chapter 38 Christmas Offensive

October 25th, morning at 6 o’clock, Ronied, First Front Army Headquarters of Kazarlia.

Wang Zhong entered the headquarters early.

Vasily was already waiting: “Good news, it hasn’t rained again today, Marshal. Just wait for the temperature to drop today, and this year’s muddy period will be over.”

Wang Zhong: “Do I need you to tell me? Did I not know the rain had stopped when I came in from outside? Have the Front Army commanders taken off yet?”

"As soon as it was light, they took off one after another. In order to cover their flights, the Air Force launched a full-scale attack on Prosen’s airfields today.”

...

"That’s good.” Wang Zhong took off his barely wet coat and handed it to Vasily, “Have you read today’s briefing? Is there any information worth noting?”

"Everything is normal, the whole front is very calm, Marshal. To be honest, before the war broke out, I never thought that wartime would mostly consist of such unremarkable days.”

Wang Zhong: “That’s because you are in the rear. Remember, the briefings you read are exchanged for with the lives of countless scouting and patrol teams on the front lines.”

Vasily slapped himself hard: “I was wrong.”

"Don’t hit yourself, outsiders might think I told you to smack your face, that’s a bad image.”

Wang Zhong, after all, is a Living Saint of the Secular faction, cautious with his words and deeds at all times. Ever since he became the Living Saint, he and Ludmila have drawn the curtains when they work; they can’t let the moonlight in like before.

Vasily: “Everyone knows I hit myself, to avoid cleaning the latrine.”

Wang Zhong shook his head: “Ok, the casualty situation from yesterday?”

“1,501 killed, 3,739 injured, 761 missing.”

Those missing are mostly the scouting and patrol teams that were sent out, as well as pairs of snipers on duty.

Although it’s called the front line, it’s actually very complex, with the most forward parts in a state of ‘I am in you, and you are in me’. Hence, patrolling is continuously needed to ensure communication between positions and prevent enemy infiltration.

To determine if the enemy’s deployments have changed, both sides also organize scouting teams to penetrate the obvious control zones of the enemy, take the opportunity to launch sneak attacks, and seize some minor positions and guard posts.

On days without major military operations, patrols and infiltrations are the main sources of casualties, sometimes even escalating to battalion-level firefights, or involving divisional artillery.

Listening to the casualty numbers, Wang Zhong sternly rebuked Vasily: “Over 5,000 casualties yesterday, you should not be complacent about peace, it’s not right!”

"Talking about my own situation here, should I go to the front line for some experience?”

Wang Zhong looked at Vasily, suddenly having the premonition that if he agreed, the musician would end up bleeding on the battlefield, so he shook his head: “No, I don’t want to lose another deputy officer.”

Vasily: “Your words are ambiguous. Do you think I would die if I went to the front line, or that the person replacing me would die, and I’d come back unscathed?”

Wang Zhong ignored Vasily’s question and strode directly into the map room.

Pavlov: “Good morning, the maps for the Front Army commanders to see later have been finished. Have a look.”

He gestured with his mouth toward the newly added blackboard in the room.

Wang Zhong looked at the map on the blackboard and first read the text at the top: Outline of Winter Warfare’. To be honest, I’m not used to our operation plans not having big red arrows on them.”

The Front Army’s offensive plans used to have huge arrows piercing through the enemy-occupied zones. One could tell from a distance who was attacking on the map.

Now this map looked like it was in a strategic stalemate.

Pavlov: “In order to accumulate strength for next year’s summer campaign, the winter campaign arrangements are limited this year, and the Front Army commanders will understand. In fact, when I talked to the Chief of Staff of various Front Armies on the phone, they also thought it was unrealistic to launch a large-scale offensive before next summer.”

After a brief pause, he added: “We were advancing hard in the summer and fall, achieving very good exchange rates. The other Front Armies, however, were in a deadlock with the Prosens.”

Wang Zhong: “We can’t blame them, we were the first to get the best equipment and the highest quality troops. Among the Front Armies, we have the highest proportion of Guards.”

Popov: “New recruits all hope to fight under your command, and the wounded old soldiers don’t want to return to their units, they want to come to us, and some even prefer to go to non-Guards units.

"I guess that’s why High Command gave you the title of Front Supreme Commander, so that all new recruits on the frontline are considered to be fighting under your command.”

Wang Zhong: “Concentrating superior forces for major tasks is not a problem in war. However, as our production capacity increases, newly formed armored brigades are starting to be assigned to other Front Armies as well, and new weapons too. This situation where only we are fighting ‘beautiful battles’ will improve.”

Then the voice of Marshal Gorky came from the door: “I thought that the headquarters of a saint would have some sort of holy symbol, seems I was thinking too much.”

Wang Zhong turned to see Marshal Gorky, wearing a brand-new marshal’s uniform, entering: “Long time no see, Marshal Gorky. You seem to have gained some weight?”

"Yes, I’ve been eating the same, even trying to run around the front like you do, so the exercise should have been enough, don’t know how come I gained five kilograms!”

Wang Zhong: “Have you been drinking cola every day?”

"Yes, is that the issue?”

Nonsense, if you keep treating soda like water every day, gaining only five kilograms shows you really did a lot of exercise.