Arc of Fire

As for what to do if enemy aircraft come at this time, we’ll consider that when they actually arrive. Let’s plug the immediate gap first.

Wang Zhong immediately issued an order, “All tanks, follow closely, we must maneuver to the square in front of the train station at top speed! Be careful of craters on the road!”

The second platoon leader asked, “What about the members of the Guardian Army who are still resisting? Do we leave them behind?”

Wang Zhong was silent, but a second later, he ordered through gritted teeth, “Yes, leave them behind. Their struggle will delay the enemy and buy us time.”

Wang Zhong also remembered the scene from yesterday when members of the Guardian Army had pulled him out from under a tank.

This order felt like a knife plunged into his heart, as if a chunk of his chest had been torn out, making even his breathing hurried.

The tanks completed their turn and started down the street.

But Wang Zhong was immersed in a sudden surge of emotions, so much so that he even forgot to dodge the stray bullets coming from behind. Fortunately, the stray bullets were inaccurate.

Wang Zhong remembered watching a documentary about Shangganling that he had seen as a child. In it, a platoon leader said, “Actually, I was just arranging the order of death. How could my heart not ache, they were comrades who had shared life and death with me. But it had to be done; take turns at the tunnel entrance firing the machine gun, when one falls, the next one steps in. There’s no other choice.”

It was a documentary that Wang Zhong had seen when he was very young, so much so that he couldn’t remember the title or the name of the old soldier, but this phrase had transcended the separation of time and space.

Wang Zhong finally understood the emotions behind those words.

He turned his head and glanced at the red flag on the antenna behind the tank turret.

The noon sunlight fell on the red flag.

————

When tank number 422 entered the square in front of the train station, Wang Zhong shouted from afar to the people of the Besinsky Group at the station’s main entrance, “Send a squad to the anti-aircraft battery to get something that can quickly and efficiently kill infantry!”

Several people who heard Wang Zhong’s words exchanged glances and immediately ran towards the anti-aircraft battery.

Second Lieutenant Pavel Alekseyevich, the “acting battalion commander” of the Fifth Besinsky Group, ran over and asked loudly, “What’s happening?”

Wang Zhong, “The enemy frequently uses smoke. The Guardian Army lacks the training and equipment to hold them off. We need to set up a killing zone here with firepower. Do you have any machine guns?”

“We have two.”

Wang Zhong immediately identified two locations with an overhead view and pointed them out to the lieutenant, “Place the machine guns at these two sites, set the range to 100 meters, and use that beach chair over there as a reference point for the aiming line. Tell your gunners to memorize this position; when smoke fills the area, they should continuously fire in short bursts over this section!”

The lieutenant turned and ran off.

Wang Zhong continued using the radio to direct several command tanks, “First Platoon, take your two tanks to the front of the birch on the northwest side of the square. Just target directly ahead of you, mainly using the hull machine guns for strafing, and firing high-explosive shells constantly. As soon as the enemy’s smoke appears, do that!”

The leader of the first platoon immediately took tanks number 213 and 214 there.

Wang Zhong continued to use the overhead view to place the remaining tanks in suitable positions to create crossfire.

At that moment, the few people sent to the anti-aircraft battery returned with two GAZ trucks, with a quad-mounted heavy machine gun on the back of each truck.

“General! Will this do?”

“Yes, that’s more than enough!” Wang Zhong, overjoyed, immediately designated positions.

There was one more problem to worry about. He called loudly to the members of the Guardian Army guarding the station, “No need to guard anymore, go to the ordnance depot and keep bringing out machine gun ammunition, delivering it next to the tanks and machine guns. I’ll have the tanks open up their hatches, just hand the bullets in directly!”

The members of the Guardian Army immediately turned and called over the other Guardian Army guards, rushing to the ordnance depot headquarters.

Everything was ready. Wang Zhong took a deep breath and looked at the red flag again.

He hoped all the sacrifices would lead to a good outcome.

At that moment, someone came out of the station dragging a phone line with a telephone in hand, heading straight for Wang Zhong, “Phone for Rocossov combat group command!”

Wang Zhong took the phone, “Hello? This is Rocossov!”

Pavlov’s voice came through, “We’ve received a telegram from Army Group 63, sent from a location 30 kilometers from here. They’ve dispatched a rapid response force to reinforce us as soon as possible.”

Wang Zhong, “Are they tanks?”

“No, Army Group 63 has no mechanized troops, only some logistic trucks.”

Wang Zhong, “Then have them hurry. The situation here is very dangerous, the enemy will probably reach the front of the station soon!”

Wang Zhong said this before realizing that Pavlov must know the situation in the city to be able to find him at the train station.

Pavlov, “I guess you’re thinking that I must know the city’s situation to find you at the station… No, I tried calling the southeastern defensive line and no one answered, so I called around, and finally, the ordnance headquarters said you were at the station.”

“Well done,” Wang Zhong replied perfunctorily, and at that moment, several Prussians appeared at the street corner opposite the square.

Tank number 213 fired, blowing two of them away, and the rest shrank back.

Then the smoke bombs were thrown.

Wang Zhong shouted in the radio, “Remember, only keep firing in your respective assigned areas when smoke appears. If there’s no smoke, shoot at the people!”

No sooner had he spoken than the tanks aimed at the street corner opened fire.

The anti-aircraft vehicle also turned its guns and gave a burst of fire into the smoke.