Cannon Fire Arc

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The telegram arrived at Eagle's Nest within Prosen territory during lunchtime — the lunch hour at Eagle's Nest was already late, as the Emperor preferred to have dinner at ninety o'clock as a midnight snack, so lunch was consequently pushed back as well.

The Emperor was eating at the time when the telegram came. He set aside his knife and fork temporarily and picked up his coffee cup, drinking while reaching out his hand.

The secretary in charge of classified information did not dare to delay and quickly stepped forward to hand the telegram to the Emperor.

As the Emperor read the telegram while drinking his coffee, he ended up spraying coffee onto the table, forming the shape of a fountain on the tablecloth.

He put down his coffee and stood up, reading the telegram once again before raising his head to confirm with the secretary, "Is there no mistake in the translation?"

"No. We used five Enigma machines for the translation; it's impossible for all five Enigma machines to have the wrong initial settings. Moreover, we carefully cross-checked the decoded message, and it's completely consistent, eliminating the possibility of a mistranslation."

The Emperor put down the telegram, paced to the window with his hands clasped behind his back and his head bowed in contemplation, looking outside.

The scenery of Eagle's Nest was in full view, but at this moment, the Emperor was not in the mood to appreciate it.

Rocossov has gathered more than a thousand tanks? And that's a conservative estimate? What is he planning to do?"

At that time, there were no military personnel present in the dining room, except for the classified secretary who was a military academy graduate — regrettably, his expertise was in military cryptology, so everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

Just then, the door opened, and a guard entered, announcing loudly, "Chief of General Staff William Kyle and Army Commander-in-Chief Walter von Blenheim have arrived!"

The Emperor turned around and saw the two top officers of the national defense forces entering the dining room with serious expressions.

William Kyle saw the telegram on the table and immediately understood the situation, saying only, "Field Marshal Steiermark believes that Rocossov is preparing to execute a breakthrough to penetrate the Tenth Army Group."

The Emperor asked, "If the Sixth Army Group is sent in to hold the line, can we stop Rocossov?"

Marshal Von Blenheim shook his head, "It's difficult. The local infrastructure can't support such a large deployment of troops. But High Command has a new plan."

He snapped his fingers, and a group of staff officers carrying display boards with maps on them came in.

Marshal Von Blenheim took a map pointer from an aide and began to explain while pointing at the map, "We are planning to send the Nineteenth Army Group, which was originally intended to encircle and annihilate the enemy at Bolsk, to the southern side of the Suhaya Weili River basin. They will take the attack route planned in our Orange Plan."
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"The Orange Plan isn't as bold as the Blue Plan; it only plans to take out the dense concentration of Ante troops on the Suhaya Weili River. Because it was too conservative, the plan was rejected. But now, if we can consume Rocossov's heavy troop concentration, we might be able to force Ante into surrender."

"Because, as you know, His Majesty the new Tsar of Ante is Rocossov's lover. A woman in the throes of passion can lose her judgment. There's a great chance she would surrender to get back the man she loves."

The Emperor frowned, "Do Junker officers also take romantic liaisons into consideration?"

Marshal Von Blenheim replied, "I'm just saying it's a possibility."

The Emperor didn't respond but walked slowly towards the map, standing a few meters away to examine the newly drawn attack route intently.

The map drawing technique of Prosen had its unique advantages in representing various troop movements and attack plans. Meticulously drawn march routes were clear and organized, allowing for easy identification of each unit's designated action with close inspection.

Of course, once the attack commenced, these routes were seldom completed in full. That's when the adaptability of the commanding officers and the number of contingency plans prepared by the staff would come into play.

The Emperor, in fact, preferred the Ante-style maps, which were characterized by broader strokes. He would always frown upon seeing such overly detailed maps.

Now his frown deepened.

At that moment, the Emperor's favorite, General Giles, entered the dining room. The attendant announced loudly, "General Giles has arrived!"

The Emperor glanced at his close friend and said, "Come and take a look. High Command has made a modification to the Orange Plan to deal with the heavy forces of Rocossov we discovered today."

Giles responded, "I heard that the Air Force spotted several hundred thousand of Rocossov's hidden troops?"

"Has it already been passed around like that?" the Emperor cursed, "These people have no sense of confidentiality!"

Marshal Von Blenheim said, "I think the staff, like me, believe that everyone at Eagle's Nest can be trusted."

The Emperor glared at him and continued, "That's a separate matter from whether or not you should control your staff's chatter, Marshal Von Blenheim. Let's see your plan—surrounding and annihilating Rocossov would indeed deal a significant blow to the enemy's morale.

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"But will it, like last year, lead us to miss the opportunity to win a complete victory?"

Von Blenheim looked at the Emperor with some surprise, "Your..."

"I'm reflecting, Blenheim! I know in the eyes of some of your Junker officers, I'm an idiot, but I'm not, and that's why I'm leading you now! I'll always reflect on my mistakes, and I've been doing so for half a year already!

"Tell me now, will it make us repeat the same mistakes?"

Blenheim and Chief of General Staff William Kyle exchanged a glance before responding, "No. Without action, the Tenth Army Group also lacks the strength to break through Rocossov's formidable forces."

Giles spoke up, "I do think if the Tenth Army Group continues the offensive, there's still a chance. I feel that Rocossov is bluffing. He uses continuous attacks to crush our division-level units, creating an impression of strength.

"Rocossov is that kind of commander who, even when he's truly weak and unable to advance, still launches a full assault, cleverly inflicting heavy damage and making you believe he's still strong."

At this moment, William Kyle took out an envelope and scattered the photos from inside onto the freshly cleared and replastered dining table.

William Kyle, "Are you trying to say that the tanks in these photos are all fake?"

Giles, "Rocossov likes to deal in trickery. I've studied every campaign he's commanded in detail. He's especially skilled at creating illusions to affect judgment.

"These tanks, no matter how real they look, could all be Rocossov's trickery!"

William Kyle, "Absurd! Assuming all these tanks are fake, how do you explain that they were conjured up out of nowhere? Did they use magic to make fake tanks sprout from the mud?"

Giles shook his head, "I don't know. Maybe these are just wrecks that Rocossov has dragged together and then rigged a few fake tanks while camouflaging the rest with nets."

At this point, the Emperor patted Giles on the shoulder, asking gravely, "Giles, do you dare assert that these are illusions created by Rocossov?"

Marshal Von Blenheim, "Even if he were to give his word, we couldn't trust him. The Ante People simply don't have that many tank trailers. It's impossible to move that many tanks overnight—and there aren't that many tank wrecks around Yeisk for him to drag together either. No, these are real tanks, and Rocossov is preparing for an offensive."

Giles sighed, "Marshal Blenheim is right, I can't guarantee with one hundred percent certainty that this is an illusion. But if Rocossov is going to attack, can't we wait until he actually does? The Tenth Army Group should be able to hold off his offense!"

The Emperor shook his head, "The Tenth Army Group currently has only one intact Armored Division, plus two intact Armored Grenadier Divisions. In addition, there are two second echelon Infantry Divisions and two third echelon. Do you think these forces can hold off Rocossov, my dear Giles?"

Giles pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then the Tenth Army Group should be reinforced. We could consider reallocating a part of the six hundred thousand men from the Sixth Army Group to strengthen the Tenth..."

Von Blenheim, "That would delay our opportunity! We should immediately start moving the Nineteenth Army Group."

Suddenly the Emperor raised his voice, "Enough! Marshal Blenheim, proceed with your plan. But remember, this is the outcome you've pushed through against many objections. If your plan fails, you must face the consequences, or you won't have the troops' confidence."

Marshal Blenheim bit his lip, answering, "Alright, I'm willing to take responsibility!"

At that moment, Giles, worried, asked, "What about our plan for a small encirclement to annihilate Bolsk's enemy force concentration? Do we still have an Army Group for that?"

Chief of General Staff William Kyle, "We do, but they're on the Viking Peninsula and Minotauros Island, and we'd need to move them over a thousand miles. Plus, at a port in the Carolignian Puppet State, there's an Army Group preparing to embark for the Mamluk battlefield, reinforcements that Admiral Erwin has long awaited.

"He promised that with this Army Group, he can reach Mamluk's capital and cut off the lifeline of the United Kingdom—the grand canal."

The Emperor turned and approached a globe in the room, gently spinning it, "Enemies are all around us, and they're trying to annihilate the Prosen people! This is a battle for the survival of the Prosen nation, and we cannot afford to abandon any front."

Giles, "Then we should call for a general mobilization so that at least our troop strength would be more adequate."

The Emperor was silent for a few seconds, then said, "No, Ante will surrender this year, after which we must fight the United Kingdom and the Federation with all our might. That's when we'll need a general mobilization. A general mobilization before that might cause our people to lose faith in the war."

Giles, "They're already losing faith."

"It doesn't matter! A small matter like that can be mended once we defeat Ante! But if we start a general mobilization, mere suspicions will be taken for reality! Siegfried, you should understand this! We cannot call for a general mobilization. It's Pandora's box!"

At that moment, Marshal Blenheim coughed.

The Emperor gestured impatiently, "Go execute your plan! Capture Rocossov! And then see if we can force Ante to surrender!"