Cannon Fire Arc-Chapter 651 - 93 Two Emperors

Chapter 651: Chapter 93 Two Emperors

January 8, 916, the heart of the Empire of Prosen, Eagle’s Nest, local time 0830.

The Emperor sat with a grim face, listening to Celtic Marshal’s report on the situation.

Celtic Marshal, “Currently, Rokossov has not only refrained from attacking the Tenth Group Army on the west bank of the Suhayaweili River, but he has even canceled the usual reconnaissance flights and routine bombings.

“The Eleveth Army Group, towards Bolsk, has already engaged with numerous units and well-equipped, experienced Ante Troops. These units are all equipped with sufficient artillery firepower, with heavy artillery over 150mm almost assigned to each regiment.”

The Emperor interrupted Celtic Marshal, “Impossible, even if you add up all the big guns from Ante, they couldn’t assign a 150mm heavy artillery piece to every regiment! They don’t have infantry guns like our 150mm heavies.”

Celtic Marshal, “Of course, this may be the beleaguered units exaggerating the military situation, which is common, even for experienced commanders.”

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“Or simply exaggerating the military situation deliberately to get more attention from the higher command,” the Emperor said coldly.

Celtic Marshal, “Er, that…”

Marshal Bryan immediately stepped in to smooth things over, “Most commanders don’t think too much under emergency situations, and our military academy teaches officers at every level to discern the exaggerations from their subordinates.”

The Emperor scoffed, “Yes, I’ve learned that too. Continue your report, Chief of General Staff.”

Celtic Marshal cleared his throat and continued, “The Eleventh Army Group has interrogated some wounded prisoners and has confirmed the identifiers of at least four Army Groups.”

The Emperor, “Ante’s Army Groups are quite small, so four Army Groups would be between one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand men.”

Celtic Marshal, “However, we have confirmed six units with Guards identifiers among these Army Groups, and there may be more. These are Ante’s veteran soldiers, and their arms and equipment are much stronger than ordinary conscripts.”

The Emperor looked up, staring at Celtic Marshal, “You’re telling me all this to say that Bolsk is Rokossov’s main direction of attack?”

Celtic Marshal glanced at Marshal Bryan.

The old marshal sighed, “Yes, but we are not blaming Your Majesty. After all, we too were outwitted by Rokossov. His cunning was beyond our expectations.”

The Emperor, “So, we missed the first 24 hours after he began his attack?”

“Yes,” Celtic Marshal answered, “But the situation is not as bad as it seems. Generals Steiermark and Sheeplin have taken measures, so we still control the area around Bolsk. However, intelligence reports claim that Ante’s Cavalry have been spotted northeast of Bolsk.”

Marshal Bryan took over, “Rokossov has dispersed his cavalry, leading them deep into our territory and disrupting our command system. But such small cavalry units lack the ability to launch major offensive actions, so it’s not a huge issue.”

The Emperor, “His cavalry has already reached northwest of Bolsk and you tell me it’s not a big problem? Do we have a way to clear out these cavalry?”

The marshals exchanged glances, and the pressure eventually fell on General Ma Qi, the trusted Armored Corps Director of the Emperor.

General Ma Qi, “We have no good countermeasures against these cavalry. We identified this problem during the winter of the year before last, and the Empire’s Military Science Academy was ordered to resolve it. But so far, no solution has been found.

“As a temporary measure, we decided to re-establish Cavalry Troops. However, our Cavalry Troops have all been transformed into Armored Reconnaissance Battalions; the officers have all become commanders of mechanized or armored units. Up to now, we have established three new Cavalry Regiments.”

The Emperor questioned, “Why is the formation of Cavalry Regiments so slow?”

“Because the army horses have been sent to the front as pack horses,” Celtic Marshal replied. “We deployed eight hundred thousand military horses to the front. If not for these horses, we would not have been able to sustain the Sixth Army Group to fight its way to the gates of Abawahan.”

The Emperor, “Eight hundred thousand horses! Didn’t you think of leaving even ten thousand military horses to reorganize the Cavalry Troops?”

“No, because we also could not find so many young men who could ride horses anymore. Since the usage of trucks became widespread, even country youngsters rarely know how to ride horses.”

The Emperor couldn’t help holding his forehead, “Damn, now you’re telling me we can’t even deal with cavalry? During the assault on Melania, the joke about Melania’s cavalry using sabers to slash at tanks was the most popular joke after the war started!”

Giles couldn’t help but speak up, “This has to do with Ante’s terrain. Melania may have plains, but it is crisscrossed with roads and studded with villages and towns. The most important thing is that the entire front is very short, and the cavalry can’t play much of a role.

“On the Ante Prairie, there are often thirty-kilometer distances between villages, where cavalry have too much room to maneuver.”

The Emperor looked depressed, “So, are you telling me that Rokossov using cavalry is a masterstroke based on local conditions?”

Celtic Marshal, “Yes, it appears so at the moment.”

“Alright, let’s not talk about these useless things. Now, our problem is how to deal with this situation. Can the Eleventh Army Group hold Bolsk?”

Marshal Bryan: “They reported yesterday that they only had sixty percent of their troops, and the Armored Army belonging to the Army Group has a serious shortage of tanks. Most of the tanks are in long repairs, and some have even been sent back to the factory.

“General Steiermark also reinforced the Eleventh Army Group with the last two Armored Divisions he had, but together, these two Armored Divisions have just a hundred tanks ready for combat.”

Emperor: “Hmm, it sounds like the situation is much better than when the Sixth Army Group was encircled; at least there are no Armored Divisions left with only seven tanks ready for combat.”

Having said that, the Emperor stood up: “The same mistake, I will not make twice, since holding Bolsk is now filled with uncertainty, then let’s be conservative. The B Army Group has already been crushed, we can’t afford the loss of another Army Group.

“High Command, get moving. Create a plan that unfolds both on land and water at the same time, to withdraw the A Army Group.”

Celtic Marshal seemed to not believe his ears: “Did you say retreat, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, retreat! Or do you think I am somebody who does not learn from the past? No, the reason I’ve made it this far is because I constantly learn from past lessons.

“Pull out the A Army Group. If Bolsk is defensible, then defend it; if it cannot be held, then retreat to our starting line from last summer, where there is a complete logistical support and existing solid fortifications.”

Celtic Marshal immediately turned to issue orders to the staff, which quickened the pace of the entire operations room.

The Emperor sat down, heaved a long sigh, then through gritted teeth, he muttered that name: “Rokossov!”

————

In the days after Christmas of the year 916, the first thing Olga did every day when she woke up was to run to the High Command to see the updated operation maps.

On the morning of January 9th, due to her impatience, she even bypassed the maids’ pursuit, which resulted in being lectured for almost half an hour by a state matron.

“Your Majesty the Tsar, how could you appear in front of the staff unmade up? You must maintain your beauty and smile at the hardworking staff and officers who have been on duty all night!”

So lectured the state matron.

Therefore, on the morning of the 10th, Olga dressed elaborately before hurrying to the operations room to check the map.

Because she took the time to dress up, the staff who worked the night shift had gone, and the operations room was full of freshly arrived staff.

General Tugenev was also in the operations room, and upon seeing Olga, he sighed: “Your Majesty, it’s good to be concerned about the front line, but your frequent visits to the operations room are seriously affecting our work efficiency.”

Olga: “Why? I already smiled at everyone, shouldn’t everyone be full of enthusiasm?”

“No, on the contrary, everyone becomes constrained in order not to lose decorum. Please wait in your office to view the daily battle reports, and besides, you must have a lot of documents to review.”

Olga pouted her lips, glanced at the map, confirmed that the territory controlled by the Abawahan Front Army under Rokossovsky’s command had grown larger today, and turned around satisfied: “Fine, fine, dealing with documents is indeed my job. Alas, most of the documents are annotated by the Church or even Belinsky; I’m just a vase merely for stamping approvals.”

Those who heard her all kept a stern face, trying their best to act as if they hadn’t heard her.

General Tugenev: “Your Majesty, such comments could lead to misunderstandings about relations between the Church, Royal Family, and the Military Department. Better refrain from saying such things in the future. We’ve been able to hold out until now, not just relying on assistance from the Federation but also heavily on the strong mobilization and organizational capacity of the Church.

“If it were the old Ante, the soldiers would have mutinied by now, taking the train back to the Capital, ready to stir up some major trouble.”

Olga: “Ah, I know, you mentioned this in the history of the civil war!”

“Studying history allows us to see through the future, Your Majesty,” said Tugenev.

Just then, the confidential secretary came in with a telegram: “A telegram from the Abawahan Front Army.”

Tugenev looked at Olga, sighed, and said to the secretary: “Just read it, the Tsar also wants to listen.”

The secretary took out the telegram from the folder and began to read: “Our forces have captured some of the outer defensive positions of Bolsk this morning, our Cavalry has circled behind Bolsk, and mines have been laid on the main roads. It is estimated that within two days, our forces will complete the encirclement of Bolsk — Commander of Abawahan Front Army, General Rokossovsky.”

Olga: “Good! Very good! Write a commendation telegram in my name!”

“No!” Tugenev shouted, “It’s not the time yet, at least wait until Bolsk is taken. Then we can broadcast to the nation, announcing the liberation of the important city of Bolsk half a year after its fall. But now, you can’t do anything!”

Olga: “Fine, then.”

Tugenev: “Go deal with the documents, Your Majesty! That task is also very important!”

“Alright.” Olga walked away, discontented.