Cannon Fire Arc Chapter 342

Chapter 342: Chapter 27 Playing Good Cop, Bad Cop

Wang Zhong finished speaking and turned his head to the Judges who had arrived on the same plane, shouting, “Disarm him, arrest him!”

The Judge promptly stepped forward to remove Tukhachev's sidearm, then looked at Wang Zhong with an inquiring gaze, “Should I tear off his rank?”

Wang Zhong glared at Tukhachev fiercely, “His Majesty the Tsar expressly instructed me to ensure his return to Ye Fort to stand military trial. Therefore, until the trial, he remains a general. He will take the plane back to Ye Fort with us.”

Only then did the Judge withdraw his hand that had been ready to tear off the military rank, and took a step back, maintaining a defensive stance.

Tukhachev stood up, looking at Wang Zhong, “You have no idea the difficulties we will face next year!”

Wang Zhong, “Coward, the others who are proponents of a quick victory have some excuse, as they simply crave victory too much. You, however, pursue a quick win merely because you are afraid to confront the arduous war ahead!”

Tukhachev raised his voice, “Win and then what? Do you know the sacrifices we'll have to make?”

“I know!” Wang Zhong replied with a resonant voice. “Unlike certain people who sit comfortably at their desks reading documents, I have personally buried countless soldiers under my command, and I still remember their names!”

Wang Zhong paused, staring at Tukhachev's face, “I–more than anyone, more than you–wish that they were still alive! That is why I revise training materials and reform your unreasonable troop formations! But all this is based on the premise of resistance to the end!”

Tukhachev and Wang Zhong locked eyes for a few seconds, until finally, Tukhachev lowered his proud head.

He left the command headquarters with a heavy heart, his steps unsteady.

The Judges immediately followed, escorting him on either side.

Wang Zhong turned to look at General Gorky, taking a step back, signaling that it was Gorky's turn to take the “tough stance.”

General Gorky immediately ordered, “Command all frontline units to repel the enemy's offensive at all costs. Use the units that were originally planned for the assault as a reserve force, reinforcing wherever the enemy breakthrough is the strongest.”

Having said that, he looked around the entire headquarters and gestured grandly, “Bring back all the maps that haven't been burned yet and restore the operations of the Front Army headquarters as soon as possible.”

At that moment, the former Chief of Staff of the Western Front Army stepped forward, “Your Excellency, the frontline troops are also wavering, and some of the units have already retreated.”

General Gorky, “Execute those leading the retreat, and reassign the remaining men to penal battalions. Stabilize the front lines as quickly as possible. If the enemy has not discovered it yet, there is still time.”

Wang Zhong, “Regarding that, I have a plan. All we need is a high-powered radio set.”

General Gorky, “Are you planning to address the entire front line using the radio?”

Wang Zhong smiled slightly, “Not just to our soldiers, but also to the enemy.”

General Gorky, raising an eyebrow, “Very much in the style of the 'little tricks' from that booklet of yours. No harm in trying. Communications chief, bring the highest power radio set here!”

Before long, a radio set, along with its generator, was brought in and the antenna erected.

Wang Zhong said to the communications staff, “Cover the radio frequencies of the battlefield as much as possible.”

The communications staff asked, “Including the frequencies used by the pilots?”

The pilots relied on radio communication to cover each other's blind spots in vision; missing a single sentence could mean getting shot down by the enemy.

Wang Zhong considered for a moment, then asked, “Can we cover only the enemy?”

“We can, but the effect won't be very good. In fact, we cannot guarantee that the front line will all be able to hear it. It may depend on the weather as well as the state of the receiving antennas.”

Wang Zhong, “Don't worry, our first target is to ensure our own people hear it. Disturbing the enemy's decision-making is a secondary goal.”

The communications staff nodded, and after completing the final adjustments, handed the microphone to Wang Zhong, “Please speak, sir.”

Wang Zhong, “Soldiers of the Western Front Army, I am General Rokossovsky. I am at the headquarters of the Western Front Army, speaking to you on behalf of His Majesty the Tsar! New reinforcements will join the battle. You are to resist on the spot, you are to resist on the spot!”

While speaking, he glanced at General Gorky and continued into the microphone,” The frightened Tukhachev has been dismissed, General Gorky is the new Commander of the Western Front Army! He will lead you to stop the enemy, just as at Saint Andrew Fort! Of course, I will also be with you!”

Tank Battalion Commander Mikhail suddenly heard a powerful voice coming through the radio, “Soldiers of the Western Front Army, I am General Rokossovsky. I am at the headquarters of the Western Front Army, speaking to you on behalf of His Majesty the Tsar!”

Mikhail immediately exclaimed with joy to the other crew members, “General Rokossovsky has arrived at the Front Army headquarters! He was sent by His Majesty the Tsar himself!”

At that time, Mikhail's battalion had not yet engaged in battle. They were supposed to set off at eight in the morning to launch an offensive against the enemy, but now with dense gunfire coming from the front, no order to attack had been issued, and it was as if their tank battalion had been forgotten.

He immediately popped the hatch and climbed out of the tank — the tanks in this battalion were standard version T34s with a two-man turret, and the hatch was one piece, meaning when the hatch was opened, the tank was essentially half open-topped.

Chapter end

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