Cannon Fire Arc

Reporter Mike: "Can you talk a bit more about the new weapons?"

Prosen infantryman, puzzled: "Aren't you allies? Don't allies share secrets with each other?"

Under the agreement signed last year, Ante, the Federation, and the United Kingdom agreed to exchange intelligence on their respective weapons, but this exchange required one party to be aware of the existence of such weapons and then to make a request.

Moreover, concerning captured Prosen military equipment, the allies were to share technical intelligence in order to prepare well in advance; if an ally requested to send a technical team for field mapping, no country could refuse.

Reporter Mike did not explain this to the Prosen man, simply brushing it off with: "I think our diplomats or military attachés should know about it, but I'm just a reporter. Please describe that weapon to me."

The infantryman recalled and said, "It looks... a bit like an elongated version of the Papasha submachine gun..."

At that moment, another infantryman interjected: "When it fires, it's like two people copulating, with a series of 'pap pap pap.'"

"That's not right; it's like my mum hitting my backside with a wooden stick," another infantryman corrected his comrade.

"Hey, he's asking me! Let me answer!" the first interviewed infantryman raised his voice.

Reporter Mike: "So, it's a weapon with a very quiet discharge, isn't it?"

"It's quieter than most weapons, and there's almost no flash or smoke. You can't tell where the bullets are coming from on the battlefield."

The Prosen infantryman who had interrupted earlier cut in again: "Even our good sergeant was fooled. At first, he thought the enemy was on the other side. He took cover accordingly and then got hit by the enemy."

Reporter Mike: "Good sergeant?"

"Yes, the good sergeant, from Steiermark, about twice our age, took care of us like a father." The Prosen infantryman lowered his head and sighed, "It's a shame. I thought the good sergeant would be with us through the whole war."

The other infantrymen also lowered their heads, clearly showing respect for the "good sergeant."

Reporter Mike: "At least you can survive this war. Your peers still have to endure its trials. You just stay in the POW camp, eat well, sleep well, do some factory work, and then you can return home and help rebuild your hometown."

The infantrymen looked at each other.

Reporter Mike added: "You don't still think you can win, do you?"

The infantrymen looked at each other, finally resting their eyes on the armored lieutenant—the highest-ranking Prosen captive in the carriage.

The Armored lieutenant: "High Command says we'll force Ante to surrender this year. Ante was still a mess in the first half of the year."

In over a hundred days of the first half of the year, Ante had suffered more than a million casualties—about five to eight thousand per day, totaling a million.

The corresponding casualties for Prosen should be around three hundred thousand, which is why the armored lieutenant had this view.

Moreover, in the last month of the first half of the year, Ante Army delivered a significant blow, making the exchange ratio even worse. What used to be four to one now directly became Ante losing six men to eliminate one Prosen man.

And at the beginning of the second half of the year, the attack by the Southern Army Group on Suhayaveli Front Army was overwhelmingly successful, defeating many Ante troops.

Reporter Mike laughed: "You did perform well, but can you do better than last year? Last year, the Ante troops in your encirclement suffered irrevocable losses. How many Ante soldiers have you killed this year?

"Those wounded soldiers, when they return, they come back as veterans. Last year you had the best chance to defeat Ante, but you failed, and now you believe you can defeat Ante, who has learned and grown from the war. Isn't that strange?"

Mike paused, then added: "Besides, now Ante has support from the Federation. Do you know how strong the Federation's industrial capacity is?"

As a citizen of the Federation, although Mike often joked about Uncle Sam, he was proud of his country when it really mattered.

To be proud of one's country and nationality was a matter of course.

Unfortunately, Mike's pride only spurred the Prosen people's fighting spirit. The armored lieutenant said, "I don't know how strong the Federation's industrial capacity is, but I know Prosen's technology is the best in the world!"

Mike scoffed: "Then the world's best technology got its ass kicked by Ante, whom you consider an inferior race."

The lively Prosen lieutenant, ready for a debate with Mike, wilted instantly.

Mike continued to press: "Speaking of new weapons, how many of Ante's vehicles did you destroy?"

"Three!" the Prosen lieutenant said confidently, "I saw three assault guns stop moving, and their crews bailing out!"

Mike: "Those were actually just their tracks broken!"

Mike didn't actually know if the three whirlwinds had broken tracks, but he was a reporter.

The Prosen man clearly didn't know how formidable a Federation reporter could be and didn't even doubt Mike—perhaps Mike's acting was just too convincing.

The Prussians looked at each other, one of them saying, "Losing tracks still counts as being put out of action, it can be considered a victory."

Another countered, "The enemy uses assault guns, and they're lying in ambush, that limits the scenarios they can be used in. Our Number Six heavy tanks are more versatile! Take track breaking, for instance, if we lose a track we can still fight on, but if an assault gun loses a track, they can only abandon their vehicle!"

This argument quickly received the support of all the Armored Troops, who chimed in, "Right! When we're surrounded, we just get bogged down, but if the assault guns were in that situation, they'd only be able to surrender, whereas we'd still be fighting!"

"If we don't get bogged down and charge after deploying smoke to engage the assault guns in close combat, it's yet to be seen who would come out on top!"

"We got bogged down not because of the assault guns, but due to the Air Force! Ante's Air Force crippled us. We were actually defeated by the Air Force!"

"Yes, the Air Force! It wasn't because of the assault guns! Those Ante assault guns would meet an even worse fate against our Stukas!"

Reporter Mike watched the Prussians complete their logical loop with a look of astonishment, thinking dammit, who says Prussians are rigid and can't adapt? At least when it comes to making excuses for themselves, they're pretty flexible!

Mike, "Wait a minute, you were bogged down by the Air Force? The IL-2s?"

"No, it was a type of dive bomber, Ante has learned from our Stukas!"

Mike raised an eyebrow, knowing the planes supplied in aid did not include dive bombers, and Ante had not developed a new single-seat dive bomber. Stay connected through empire

So he probed, "Those dive bombers, do they look like baby bottles flying in the sky? You know, the kind babies use."

The Prussians exchanged glances and nodded, "Yes, that's right, exactly!"

"That must be because they need to use air-cooled engines, so they're so stocky and short."

Mike slapped his thigh, "Heck, that's the Federation's P47 fighter. If a fighter has got you crippled, you'd fare even worse against our Federation bombers!

"Just you wait and see, the Federation has just defeated your ally's fleet on the ocean! Sunk four aircraft carriers! The Federation is gearing up for a counterattack, the Empire of Fusang will fall first, then it'll be your turn!"

The Prussian lieutenant stood up, "We will defeat Ante this year, and end this protracted war, and then we'll face you head-on!"

Mike and the Prussians stared each other down, when suddenly the flash went off.

Mike's partner, Robert, said in Onsa language, "This is excellent! I bet it's a great photo, Mike, you should consider centering your article around this picture, make it more explosive! Your special reports on Ante are now our newspaper's flagship product!"

"Remember the telegram from the newspaper, 'We want more of a knightly novel unfolding,' this is just it!"

Mike helplessly responded in Onsa language, "The telegram also said, 'Readers love General Rocossov like a movie star,' obviously a knightly novel-like scenario should have Major General Rocossov as the protagonist. Who wants to read about a Federation reporter's knightly confrontation with the Prussians, especially a verbal one.

"No, I think I can start with the Prussians looking down on the Federation, and write an article that will make readers burst with rage! Just say that Prussia intends to eliminate Ante, then land on Ambrela through the black bell strait between Ante and the Federation."

After Mike finished, Robert laughed, "Excellent! Very good!"

Mike continued along the same lines, "And then I'll add that after Prussia opens up the passage with their ally, the Empire of Fusang, they pass on their advanced technology to the empire, turning the tide in their favor!"

Robert gave a thumbs up, "Good! Just hearing it I can tell it will sell, this issue will be explosive! Not only that, but war bonds will sell out too!"

Mike, "It's not just that, some in Congress question the necessity of our aiding Ante, suggesting we should concentrate our forces on the western front and act against Mamluk and the Kingdom of Sardinia as soon as possible. The President will definitely love our report!"

The two Federation news professionals laughed heartily face to face.

The Prussians sat nearby with a look of bewilderment.

Mike, "That's it for this issue, I need to hurry up and write the report, send it back home together with your film roll!"

Robert, "Not interviewing Rocossov?"

"Not for the moment, I have a feeling that it won't be long before Rocossov achieves another significant victory, he might just even out this year's casualty ratio between Ante and Prussia!"

————

Wang Zhong, "Hoping to even out the casualty ratio with one battle is obviously unrealistic."

He looked at the soldiers who'd participated in the battle today, "The quality of the Prussian troops is still there, we had every tactical advantage today, but when tallying up the bodies and wounded collected on the battlefield, our actual exchange ratio is 1 to 1.6, we've only gained a slight edge.

"We've wracked our brains to secure this much tactical advantage, yet the exchange ratio is just slightly in our favor. Attempting a frontal offensive now, aiming for large-scale annihilation of Prussian troops, is unlikely."

Wang Zhong looked at the map, "So, our tactical goal remains the same, focus the strength of an Army Group to annihilate one or two divisions of the enemy, forcing them to halt their offensive temporarily.

"Our strategic goal is to delay the enemy's arrival at the Valdai Hills River banks until September, using the vast steppes and the muddy season to wear down the enemy's logistics."