Chapter 86
Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.
On the side of the 15th Armored Division, it wasn't just the commander, Major General Randolph, who was lost; several senior staff officers were also taken out while trying to rescue the General.
If the Chief of Staff hadn't wisely chosen to retreat in the opposite direction, the situation could have been even worse.
When the sound of the enemy tank engines faded into the distance, the Chief of Staff crawled up from the ground, shouting: "General! General!"
A few surviving staff officers got up, checked the General's breathing and pulse, then shook their heads at the Chief of Staff.
The Chief of Staff clicked his tongue in amazement, looking toward Loktov; at that moment, due to the smoke shells deployed by the guard infantry, he couldn't see the city at all, nor the combat situation on the open ground between the headquarters and the city.
Of course, if the Chief of Staff walked just a few dozen meters out of the smoke, he would be able to see the battlefield clearly.
However, the impression left by the T34 model tank that had just ambushed them was so strong that, even though logic told him the enemy had already left, he was still unwilling to leave the protection of the smoke screen.
"Is that the White Horse General...?" the Chief of Staff muttered under his breath, but he quickly realized that he was now the temporary commander of the troops and shouldn't display such behavior that boosted the enemy's morale.
So he cleared his throat and put on a stern expression he hadn't shown since wearing the staff armbands: "Immediately begin reorganizing the troops. The assault units must have scattered; send messengers to regroup them.
"All units retreat to Kalinnovka and set up anti-tank cannon positions. Also, have the artillery regiment withdraw to prevent enemy sneak attacks at night."
With the mobility of that T34 model tank being so formidable, the Chief of Staff absolutely didn't dare to leave the division artillery in an unprotected area overnight.
After the orders were relayed, the Chief of Staff asked again: "Where has the 513th Anti-Air Regiment moved to now? We need their 88mm cannons!"
A surviving mapping officer immediately reported: "According to the map updated at noon today, the 513th Regiment has passed the outskirts of Bogdanovka and is marching at full speed."
Chief of Staff: "Tell them to hurry up! They must arrive by tomorrow!"
----
When Vehicle 422 rolled into Loktov, the streets were already packed with people.
Even before the tank entered the city, someone shouted, "They're here, they're here," and then deafening cries of "Ura" rang out.
The crowd cheered and celebrated as if they had already won the entire war.
Wang Zhong shouted from atop the tank: "Don't gather like this! What if the enemy opens fire? They have 15cm heavy artillery! Don't gather! Disperse! Go home!"
He didn't know that his sudden assault had already scared off the enemy's deployed artillery regiment.
Only after shouting five times did the crowd reluctantly disperse.
Then a Lieutenant in a dust-covered uniform appeared, walking alongside the tank.
"Stop." Wang Zhong patted the steel plate of the turret, then heard the sound of a hammer tapping the control lever-he had almost gotten used to it, barely noticing it if he didn't pay attention.
Wang Zhong leaned down from the turret to look at the Lieutenant: "Are you from the Fifth Beshensk Regiment?"
"Yes, General."
"Where's your Regiment Commander?"
"He was killed. I'm the Regiment Commander now. Give your orders, General."
The joy of the recent victory instantly faded.
Wang Zhong bit his lip: "Understood. What's your name?"
"Pavel Alexeyevich, General."
Wang Zhong: "How many men do you have left?"
"81 in good condition. The rest, even if they're alive, have been sent to the hospital by the stretcher team."
Wang Zhong: "You've done well. I'll have the Protectorate Army take over your defense zone. Head to the train station and prepare to withdraw on the next train."
The Lieutenant was stunned: "Are you abandoning us, sir? We can still fight."
Wang Zhong was momentarily at a loss for words. He had clearly meant for them to retreat for replenishment and rest, but the way Pavel said it made it sound like he was abandoning them.
Wang Zhong: "That's not the case. I just..."
Lieutenant: "We can guard the train station. We still have two machine guns and have captured a large amount of equipment. Our technical equipment has never been as abundant as it is now! We can still fight, General!"
Wang Zhong was silent for a few seconds before replying: "I want you to reorganize into a single company, carry the smoke shells captured from the enemy-do you have smoke shells?"
"Yes, plenty."
"Good. Carry the smoke shells, find a place to eat and drink your fill, sleep for three hours, and when it gets dark, I want you to go outside the city to cover the workers repairing the tanks."
"No problem."
In truth, this mission shouldn't pose much danger. The enemy was likely in disarray now and probably wouldn't make any moves tonight.
Wang Zhong just didn't want these soldiers to feel abandoned.
Although the enemy had been repelled, there was still a lot to do tonight.
Wang Zhong said to the driver: "Drive back to brigade HQ. Uh, do you know where brigade HQ is?"
"No idea," Belyakov answered bluntly. "We followed either you or that Sergeant Major to find you."
Wang Zhong: "I'll guide you. Move forward and turn left at the intersection ahead."
----
As Wang Zhong entered the battle group headquarters-actually just the brigade headquarters-Pavlov looked up and said: "I could hear the cheers from three miles away, White Horse General, sir."
Wang Zhong: "I need to organize workers from the repair shop to go outside the city tonight to fix the tanks. Eight tanks are just broken down and can be repaired."
"Alright, there are still three hours until nightfall. We should be able to get it organized," Pavlov turned his head. "Su Fang, go to the repair shop and find people. Tell them we need a skilled team of workers in three hours."
Su Fang nodded, then ran toward the door. As she passed Wang Zhong, she paused and gave a slight smile.
Wang Zhong: ?
"War heroes always win the favor of the ladies. It's been that way throughout history," Pavlov said. "Anything else you need me to do?"
Wang Zhong: "I need to replenish ammunition and fuel. Also, I need a large number of anti-air camouflage nets and branches to hide my tank. Tomorrow, the enemy will definitely launch an air raid, and Stukas pose a significant threat to these tanks."
Pavlov: "Lyushenko! Order the Protectorate Army to camouflage the tanks!"
Wang Zhong: "Protectorate Army?"
"The church handed over five Protectorate Army battalions to us. They're all organized locals with poor equipment, but they have plenty of bullets. Perfect for miscellaneous tasks. As for the shells, let me confirm-are the cannons on your tanks the same as our 76mm anti-tank cannons?"
Wang Zhong fell silent. This was outside his area of expertise.
Sure, he was a military enthusiast, but not hardcore enough to know which shells every type of cannon used.
Although the T34's L11 cannon had a 76.2mm caliber, just like the ZIS-3 anti-tank cannon, he genuinely didn't know if they used the same ammunition.
Pavlov waited a few seconds, then sighed: "Only at times like this do I remember the rumors about you, General."
Wang Zhong: "My gunner is an instructor from the Armored Training Corps. He definitely knows. Sending him to the supply depot headquarters to pick up shells won't go wrong!"
"Fair enough. Let him handle it, then."
Wang Zhong: "How are the troop casualties?"
As he asked, he couldn't help but think of the Lieutenant from the Fifth Beshensk Regiment.
Pavlov paused, took off his glasses, pulled out a cloth, and began wiping them without answering.
Wang Zhong: "Tell me. I'm mentally prepared."
"We're still searching for the wounded. The living have already been counted since all it takes is assembling and reporting numbers. Right now, the 31st Guards Infantry Regiment has 611 men still alive and able to report. A third of them are injured.
"I estimate we can pull another hundred or so wounded from the piles of dead. How many of them can be healed and return to duty is hard to say."
Wang Zhong pursed his lips: "The losses are that heavy?"
Pavlov continued: "The good news is that the enemy's losses are even greater. In the past, even when the enemy was on the offensive, their casualty ratio was lower than ours. This time, they've taken a real hit."
Wang Zhong nodded: "That might be the only thing worth taking comfort in."
"However, the enemy's higher losses are mostly due to the tank units you personally commanded, including the BT-7 and later the T34. In the frontal meat grinder, the enemy still came out ahead in terms of casualties."
Wang Zhong: "The enemy is well-trained. I've fully realized that."
"Also, there's more good news. Although Position A was suppressed by enemy artillery fire, miraculously, one 203mm heavy artillery piece remains. We still have five 203mm pieces, so tomorrow we can give the enemy another big blow."
Wang Zhong frowned: "Can we call for aerial reconnaissance to locate the enemy's artillery positions? It's been seven days since we last saw our air force. Surely the rear air support should be replenished by now?"
Pavlov: "You're asking a brigade Chief of Staff this question? You should be asking the Front Chief of Staff. He's the one who can manage the air force. I..."
Before he could finish, an Inquisitor walked in with a telegraph: "Latest orders from Front Headquarters."
Wang Zhong was momentarily stunned before realizing that his telegraphs were handled by a group of Inquisitors. He reached out: "Give it to me."
After taking the telegraph, he read aloud: "The 63rd Army Group is expected to arrive in Loktov tomorrow afternoon. Your unit should do everything possible to delay the enemy. Our intelligence indicates that your front may face an entire enemy armored division, plus part of an armored grenadier division.
"We believe the enemy armored cluster is crossing Bogdanovka, and your unit is expected to face a fierce armored assault tomorrow."
Wang Zhong looked up at Pavlov: "That's what they (the Front) are saying."
Pavlov snorted: "What a 'timely' notification. Does the Front even know that if it weren't for the T34 sent by the Crown Prince, this place would have already fallen? I'm guessing they don't."
Wang Zhong: "Then let's tell them!"
He turned to the Inquisitor: "Send a reply as follows. Take note!"
The Inquisitor immediately pulled out a notebook and pencil, ready to record.
Wang Zhong: "My unit suffered heavy losses today. If it weren't for the newly joined T34 units-and the remnants of the 23rd Tank Corps performing well-Loktov would have fallen. My unit urgently needs ammunition and personnel reinforcements, especially armored forces and anti-tank technical equipment. Additionally, my unit requires air support. Alexei Konstantinovich Rokosov."
The Inquisitor scribbled furiously, looking up at Wang Zhong only after writing the last word.
Wang Zhong felt like something was missing. He thought for a moment and said: "Read it back to me!"
(End of Chapter)