Cannon Fire Arc

Wang Zhong: "You...shouldn't keep squeezing your chest like that; it might get deformed."

"Ha, I'll squeeze if I want! It's my own chest. If I want to use it as a cushion, I will! Squeeze, squeeze!"

Ludmila: "If you squeeze it like that, it's going to look bad later. And lying like that will make your spine crooked. It might be terribly painful in the future."

"I know." Olga straightened up, sitting prim and proper.

Wang Zhong: "Is it really okay for you to be loafing around at my estate like this?"

"No problem, there haven't been too many documents needing my approval lately. Belinsky is preparing."

Preparing for a political transition, indeed it was something he would do.

After Tugenev retired, there was no one in Yeburg capable of counterbalancing Belinsky.

Olga stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Have you ever been to Sessus by the White Sea? I heard the scenery there is really nice, very suitable for vacations. You should build a villa there!"

Wang Zhong: "I do have a vacation villa, at—"

He suddenly realized something and glanced at Olga, "You want to live in Sessus?"

"I don't want to, but I think if you had a villa there, I might fancy a stay for a while!"

Wang Zhong: "And then face the sea, with spring blossoms."

"Yeah, hehe."

Wang Zhong sighed: "Fine, I am still the King of Kazarlia. Getting a holiday villa shouldn't be a problem. I could also station a trustworthy troop nearby, perhaps Aromeyev's Paratroopers. That way I can occasionally supervise their training."

Olga giggled and said nothing more.

At that moment a servant came in to report: "Marshal Gorky has arrived."

Wang Zhong nodded and told Nelly, "Bring out the chilled cola."

"Yes."

Soon, Marshal Gorky, the Head of Military Command, appeared in the garden. Upon seeing Olga also present, he abruptly halted: "Your Majesty? Am I interrupting?"

Wang Zhong: "No, no, you've come at just the right time. It's also time for Her Majesty to hear our plans."

Olga: "What plans?"

"About the main direction of the offensive, Your Majesty." Marshal Gorky took a seat at the table, equidistant from Her Majesty and the Rocossov family.

Nelly brought over the chilled cola and placed it before him.

"Oh, thank you." Marshal Gorky took a big gulp, showing an appreciative expression, "Very nice, both the Federation's Jeeps and cola are top-notch, unlike our own Ladas and Gazs, sigh."

Olga asked in confusion, "Is it really that bad?"

Wang Zhong: "The main issue now is our best production capacity is focused on tanks; things will improve after the war."

Hopefully.

Marshal Gorky had finished his cola, and with a loud voice added: "But before discussing the car issue, where exactly should we focus our main effort? The staff at High Command strongly support starting from Kazarlia, sweeping across the entirety of Melania, reaching the coast of the Baltic Sea.

"But the Prosens are bound to expect that, since it's the direction that provides us with the best conditions out of all main options.

"From Kazarlia southwards we have the imposing mountain ranges, where we need to cross the endless mountains before entering the plains of Moravia. Of course, another method is to land from the White Sea, occupy the mouth of the Dom River, and then advance along the river.

"The Dom River is very broad, with a strong capacity for shipping, enough to supply hundreds of thousands or even a million strong army."

Wang Zhong: "Wouldn't that be too circuitous?"

"Yes, it's very roundabout indeed. And to be honest, we don't have enough ships to transport supplies by sea to the mouth of the Dom River. We would have to breach a land route—but this land route is blocked by mountains, and in the end, we would still need to cross them."

Marshal Gorky was still explaining when Nelly brought over a fresh cola.

"Oh thank you." The marshal took another big sip, licking his lips with satisfaction, "Very good, very good. My wife says I like drinking cola just like a little kid. Except little kids drink orange soda. Did you know that the Church has started providing orange soda in Yeburg? I can hardly believe it, the frontlines are still fighting, supplies are so tight, yet the rear has orange soda available."

Wang Zhong: "If someone on the frontlines wants to drink orange soda, then they'll have it, too. But let's continue discussing the main direction of the offensive, Marshal Davarish."

"Alright, the main effort direction. We've already covered advancing south from Kazarlia, north would be that plan everyone thinks about, as for heading west—although it's possible to break through, it's meaningless. It wouldn't encircle the enemy's Central Army Group or the Northern Army Group, nor would it threaten Plowsonia.

"As for other sectors, Kashuk to the north has already launched his offensive. His infantry made use of the enemy armored troops being stuck in the mud, gradually gnawing away the enemy's control area, and will soon capture Donar.

"While Kashuk has made progress, his offensive also proves something: investing more troops in the north would not fare better than Kashuk; the terrain there is tough even after the mud season ends.

"The Prosens have reasons for not deploying heavy forces in the north.

"As for the Western Front Army advancing, they would face the obstacle of rivers, many rivers, followed by swamps and thick forests. The rotten land of Livonia would become a nightmare for the offensive—and at the same time, the Western Front Army is the furthest away from the Melania Border among all the Front Armies. Kiriyenko believes they should mainly be responsible for containment, attracting the enemy like a magnet."

Wang Zhong: "What about the Belinsky Front Army?"

Marshal Gorky: "Their demarcation line with the enemy is all swamp; armored troops can't get through. Precisely because of this, the Prosens have only placed a few averagely capable Infantry Divisions in front of them, some of which are even from the 25th wave, completely lacking cannons and severely under-equipped with machine guns."