Cannon Fire Arc

The Prosen Southern Army Group headquarters, 0600 hours on the 24th.

As soon as Marshal Ewald von Steyr-Mark entered the headquarters, he saw his adjutant looking tense.

"What's the matter?" the Marshal asked coldly, "Don't panic! The soldiers are all watching!"

The adjutant hurriedly straightened his face and said seriously, "The Air Force just sent a report, aerial reconnaissance discovered over a thousand tanks gathered in Yeisk!"

Marshal Ewald's brow furrowed, "Is the message reliable? What about the photos?"

"The reconnaissance plane was forced to land, so the person carrying the photos just returned to the airbase and they are being developed. Due to the urgency of the military situation, the observer on the plane wrote a written report," the adjutant answered.

Marshal Ewald nodded and approached a map, quickly finding Yeisk and muttering softly, "What is Rocossov planning by concentrating so many troops at this position? Wasn't it said that he's only a Major General? Can a Major General command so many troops?"

The adjutant replied, "According to recent intelligence from the Krat Bureau, which has been transferred to the direct control of the Tsar, Rocossov has made connections with His Majesty the Tsar, so even though he only holds the rank of Major General, he has more power than an Army Group Commander.

"Additionally, according to information we obtained from interrogating recently captured prisoners at the front, the Commander of the Suhayaveli Front Army has been changed to General Golikov. This is a general who has coordinated with Rocossov multiple times, and when he was the Commander of the Western Front Army, he was very close with Rocossov!"

Upon hearing this, Marshal Ewald's expression became grave, "It sounds like a prelude to a large-scale offensive, but we can't jump to conclusions just yet. Let's wait and see what the photos show. In the meantime, send a telegram to the Tenth Army Group; they have been facing off against Rocossov. Ask for their opinion."

The adjutant asked, "How should we inquire? Do we ask if they think Rocossov is going to attack?"

Marshal Ewald pondered and said, "Ask for their judgment on Rocossov's intentions. Since taking Yeisk, Rocossov has been staying in that area for quite some time. Although he defeated an Infantry Division again, on the whole, he appears to be dragging his feet."

The Army Group Chief of Staff finally spoke up, "Regarding this point, after you went to sleep, General, the Tenth Army Group sent a telegram reporting that Rocossov with an absolutely superior force crushed the 14th Armored Division, including a large number of officers, with Major General Karl among the fallen. The organizational structure of the Armored Division has been shattered and cannot be recovered."

Marshal Ewald looked up, staring at the Chief of Staff, "What?"

"The 14th Division's structure has been completely shattered and cannot be recovered. General Boke of the Tenth Army Group decided to incorporate the remnants of the 14th into the 16th Armored Grenadier Division -- mainly tank operators without tanks and support troops who managed to escape."

Marshal Ewald's lips trembled slightly.

The Armored Divisions of Prosen weren't like the myriad and varied tank divisions of Ante. Even after the expansion earlier this year, Prosen had not more than 50 Armored Divisions.

Moreover, the 14th Division was a seasoned troop. Its history could be traced back to the period of the first expansion under His Majesty the Tsar.

The defeat of such a unit, unable to maintain its structure, could have a greater impact on the Prosen era than the defeat of the Asgard Knights' Sed Division.

After all, the Asgard Knights were a new force, though they consisted of strong, handpicked soldiers, the unit's sense of collective honor and cohesion had not yet been established. Stay tuned with empire

A defeat could be dismissed as a new unit not having withstood the test.

Among the seasoned Junker Nobility officers, there was another reason for their defeat: lack of support from a tested corps of Junker officers.

As a force nurtured by the Emperor to compete with the old defense forces, even if old officers were used, they were the ones who had already abandoned the Junker officer corps.

So when Rocossov routed the Asgard Knights' Sed Division, many indeed celebrated it, just as they did when Rocossov steadfastly blocked the Emperor's favored Asgard Knights led by attack last year.

Now that the 14th Armored Division, a tested unit with a basic officer system comprised of the Junker Nobility, had been completely defeated, it proved that the elite troops of the National Defense couldn't best Rocossov.

The Junker officers could no longer mock those young successors of the Asgard Knights.

That's why Marshal Ewald von Steyr-Mark looked so bitter, "The 14th has been annihilated... My old friend's son was in the 14th; I have no idea if he made it out."

The adjutant spoke up, "Is it Marshal Ailerode's son? He was with the headquarters of the 14th Division. If the senior officers are all gone, he probably died for his country."

Ewald glared at the adjutant, "Thank you for the reminder."

After a long silence, Ewald said to the Chief of Staff, "Send a telegram to General Boke, same topic as before, still inquiring about his views on Rocossov's strategic intentions, and demanding a detailed response. Everything else will wait for the photos."

————

0900 hours on the 24th, the headquarters of the Tenth Army Group.

General Boke shook his head as he looked at the telegram in his hand, "Rocossov's intentions? I can't very well guess what's in his stomach! Maybe Rocossov just wants to eliminate us bit by bit, slicing away like cutting ham, gradually chewing through each bit until the whole hefty cut is down!"

The Chief of Staff remarked, "Isn't that too slow? At this rate, it would take at least ten years to eliminate all Prosen troops!"

There was laughter from some staff in the room, but they were quickly silenced by a stern glare from General Boke, "What's so funny? Rocossov is blocking us, making it impossible for us to move! Not only are we stuck, but the Sixth Army Group preparing to move up behind us is the same! This guy's blocking two Army Groups, hundreds of thousands of troops!"

"To make matters worse, he's also taken several bites out of us! Even if he doesn't have some grand goal, just achieving this much already makes him a famous general! Damned famous general!"

General Boke sighed, "We're just like that Conqueror from years past, underestimating the Ante People, and as a result, one capable general after another keeps emerging."

Chief of Staff: "But the problem is, how do we reply to the Corps Command? What should we say?"

General Boke fell silent.

Everyone was waiting for him to speak again.

For a moment, the tent quieted down to the point where even the distant chirping of insects could be heard.

Finally, General Boke said, "Report according to the worst-case scenario in order to seek more reinforcement troops. Make the assessment of the battlefield look good!"

For a commander of Boke's level at the army group, the overall battlefield situation did not require his consideration; he only focused on ensuring that his own front would not be breached and that he completed his combat missions as much as possible.

Thus, it was a common practice to portray the situation one faced in a more serious light—in fact, in Prosen's military academies, they even suggested students do this—to at least ensure that the area they were responsible for didn't get screwed up.

It was the responsibility of commanders at the army group level to sift through a pile of exaggerated reports and determine where reinforcements were truly needed.

This was the doctrine taught at all of Prosen's military academies.

General Boke didn't want to break this tradition—moreover, he genuinely needed reinforcements; his Armored Division had been reduced to just one, and if Rocossov attacked again, he would have to play his last card.

General Boke felt that, for the sake of certainty, he should obtain at least one more Armored Division from above.

To acquire this Armored Division, portraying the situation as severe was reasonable and justified.

————

At 1130 on the 24th, the headquarters of the Southern Army Group of Prosen.

Field Marshal Ewald finally received the detailed battle assessment sent by the Tenth Army Group.

He had only read halfway when his eyebrows twisted into knots, "Is the situation this bad? Has the Tenth Army Group suffered to such an extent? How did Rocossov inflict such heavy damage on our forces during defensive operations?"

Chief of Staff: "It might be an exaggeration, but they are risking the lowering of their own evaluation to highlight the enemy's threat; I think they really do need reinforcements now."

Field Marshal Ewald cursed, "When will the officers below stop watering down their reports of victories and exaggerating the enemy in their situation reports?"

The Chief of Staff could only offer a wry smile.

Field Marshal Ewald sighed, "But, I agree with your judgment; the Tenth Army Group has indeed been hit hard by Rocossov. What do you think about detaching an Armored Division from the 55th Army Group reserves to reinforce the Tenth Army Group?"

"I think it's feasible." Just as the Chief of Staff agreed, an Air Force Brigadier came in with a document bag, his expression extremely grave.

Field Marshal Ewald: "Are the photos out?"

"They are out, and we have already carefully analyzed them; the situation is very bad." The Air Force Brigadier took off his cap, revealing his sweat-soaked fringe.

Field Marshal Ewald: "Calm down, you're an Air Force officer, even if Rocossov has a million-strong army, it's not your burden to bear."

The Chief of Staff walked up, took the document bag from the Brigadier, and began to look through the photos.

Air Force Brigadier: "The clearest photos are on top. There are tanks everywhere outside Yeisk, nothing but tanks!"

The Chief of Staff's expression turned grim as well while he studied the photos, muttering, "When did they assemble such a large tank force?"

Field Marshal Ewald pulled out a monocle, fitted it into his eye socket, and then gestured for the Chief of Staff to hand over the first photo.

The Chief of Staff quickly passed the first photo to the Marshal.

The next moment, Field Marshal Ewald's hackles rose.

Despite the thick smoke in the photo that obscured the view, the gaps in the smoke still revealed a multitude of tanks.

He loudly said to his aide-de-camp, "Quick! Get the aerial reconnaissance photos from the day before yesterday!"

Brigadier: "This is the first time we've captured this tank group! And look at this one!"

He stepped forward, took the stack of photos from the Chief of Staff, quickly found a photo numbered 133, and handed it to the Marshal: "Look! The Ante People are camouflaging these tanks, and we took the photo before they finished! Now look at these wide-angle shots! Rocossov has at least a thousand tanks in his hands!"

Field Marshal Ewald silently reviewed all the photos, his expression grave, and then said, "Rocossov is aiming very high! We must immediately report to the High Command!"