Arc of Fire

Wang Zhong, of course, had never been to a battlefield; his true homeland hadn’t waged war in more than thirty years.

But he had played a game known as “Russia’s Genshin,” called War Thunder, in which he had ample experience in annihilating enemies and knew which terrain could shield a tank’s vulnerable flanks.

There were three main roads to the village of Peniye, two of which entered the village from the west and, along with the road exiting the village from the east, formed a Y shape.

If the south is considered “the bottom,” then it’s a lying-down Y, with the open end facing west.

But in reality, these three roads did not directly intersect, instead, they enclosed a triangular area in the middle of the village.

To the north of the area was the luxurious manor of local lord Boye, the main body of which was a three-story red-brick building.

The most significant building within the triangle was the local church, its height rivaling that of Lord Boye’s three-story manor, with an even taller bell tower.

Next to the church was the village mill, a mechanical mill with a steam boiler.

Further south were two two-story buildings, homes of the wealthy class in town, and it was said that one of them was the emperor’s forestry officer.

And the winery that Wang Zhong chose as his command post was located on the eastern side of these landmarks, beside the single leg of the lying Y; a few steps out of the winery gate, and he would be at the triangular area.

Of course, Wang Zhong couldn’t even take these few steps himself and had to be carried over on a stretcher.

"Stop!” he called out at the mill’s entrance, squinting as he looked toward the western side.

From his bird’s eye view earlier, he had thought he’d be able to see one of the village’s western entrances from this position, not expecting that, in reality, a distant stone wall and a wooden structure would block his view.

Wang Zhong immediately realized that this was an ideal terrain to force a 1V1 between enemy tanks and his own. The road to the west wasn’t wide enough for two tanks to travel side by side; the enemy would definitely come one after the other.

Moreover, there was a way to retreat from this spot; if too many enemies poured in, one could reverse back and hide behind the mill.

The mechanical mill was two stories tall, enough to hide even the bulky and large T28 tank.

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Wang Zhong immediately shouted, “Someone! Call Captain Lubokov over here!”

Soon, Tank 422, with the tactical number, was deployed to this street corner.

Wang Zhong, his head heavy and drowsy, explained to the tank commander, “When more than two enemy tanks appear in your field of vision, back up and let the mill shield you!”

The commander of Tank 422 was a sergeant, who looked extremely nervous and kept nodding at Wang Zhong’s words.

Wang Zhong said, “Measure the distance now, so you ensure a hit with the first shot when you see the enemy!”

The commander replied, “Understood, see the enemy and then retreat!”

Wang Zhong was stunned, thinking he had misunderstood due to his addled brain.

Mounting a white horse, Lubokov cursed, “Listen to the count’s orders properly! The count is asking you to measure the distance now!”

The sergeant asked, “Measure the distance? Measure what?”

Wang Zhong asked, “How long have you been a tank commander?”

The sergeant replied, “One day, I’m a substitute from another crew!”

Wang Zhong said, “Replace them with an experienced crew for this position.”

Lubokov sighed and said, “I’ll do it. Stay here, measure the distance, and if facing more than two enemy tanks, retreat into the mill’s shadow, right?”

Wang Zhong replied, “Right.”

He then directed the stretcher bearers to assign missions to the other two tanks, instructing them to use the terrain to their advantage and surprise the advancing Prosen tanks with hit-and-run artillery.

As for Tank 422, whose commander was overly nervous, Wang Zhong thought for a moment and decided to position them in the courtyard of the winery, keeping them as the last reserve.

Upon hearing that their mission was to be the reserve, the sergeant, who had been a commander for only a day, visibly relaxed.

After arranging the tasks for the tank forces, Wang Zhong was about to order the stretcher bearers to carry him back to the winery when he saw a car stop in front of the church. A middle-aged man got out of the car and looked up at the church’s bell tower.

"This position definitely has a good view,” he said, “lift the Divine Arrow up! Let’s give the Prussians a little shock from the clock tower!”

It seemed that this was Monk Yeca Neiko, the one commanding the Divine Arrow team.

Ludmila squeezed out of the back of the truck and, seeing Wang Zhong, looked a bit surprised: “Alyosha?”

Monk Yeca Neiko then noticed Wang Zhong, stood at attention, and saluted: “Count Rocossov, I pay my respects to you.”

Wang Zhong nodded.

At this time, Yeca Neiko’s subordinates unloaded the Divine Arrow from the truck.

It was the first time Wang Zhong had seen this weapon up close, and even though his cognitive abilities were somewhat impaired at the moment, he still noticed that the Divine Arrow was different from what he had imagined.

Thus, he asked, “Where is the guidance system? This looks just like an ordinary rocket!”

He remembered that such anti-tank missiles usually had a significant guidance system. When he was a child looking at light weapons magazines, those anti-tank missiles were always shown with large sighting devices.

But this Divine Arrow launcher was just a bare sliding rail, crudely beyond imagination.

Monk Yeca Neiko looked confused: “Didn’t you see the holy emblem on the head of the Divine Arrow?”

Wang Zhong, his brain burning fiercely, didn’t catch on immediately: “Holy emblem?”

The private responsible for carrying the Divine Arrow even turned it in his arms specifically so Wang Zhong could get a clear view of the holy emblem on the head.

Monk Yeca Neiko glanced at Ludmila: “Captain Mailehovna has been an excellent prayer caster, she’s already scored a hit on an enemy tank. According to the regulations, I should apply for a combat mark for her, but you know our situation…”

It was only then that Wang Zhong’s brain caught up: Holy emblem, prayer caster, so the Divine Arrow really was guided by “Divine Power”?

He had thought it was like the Mechanicum in Warhammer 40K, which, unable to understand high technology, had turned it into a religion.

Wang Zhong waved his hand: “I understand. Are you preparing to go up the clock tower?”

Yeca Neiko nodded: “Yes, the view from the clock tower must be excellent.”

Wang Zhong: “But the enemy can see you just as clearly. The Divine Arrow launch will have an obvious smoke trail, right?”

He had seen the trajectory of the Divine Arrow from a bird’s-eye view, and it was as clear as it could be.

Yeca Neiko: “The smoke trail is indeed very clear, but even more so is the light from the warhead during guidance. What about it?”

Wang Zhong waved his hand: “Then going up the clock tower is a bad idea. You’ll be spotted as soon as the first one is fired, and enemy tanks will pay special attention to the clock tower.”

A clear view usually cuts both ways.

Wang Zhong pointed to the church: “I suggest setting up multiple launch sites, each with a Divine Arrow, and carry this light frame to move quickly after firing, shoot and change position!”

Yeca Neiko: “According to the manual, we should snipe the enemy tanks from a place with a wide view as much as possible, making full use of the range advantage of the Divine Arrow. The Divine Arrow can hit targets two kilometers away! The enemy’s tank guns can’t fire that far.”

Wang Zhong: “The enemy will use smoke to block your view, they did that in the battle for Ronied!”

Even with a high fever, Wang Zhong still remembered what happened in Ronied. At that time, Yeca Neiko’s team had destroyed an enemy tank, and then the enemy infantry set up smoke to block their view.

Clearly, the Prussians were well-versed in how to counter the Divine Arrow.

Yeca Neiko still wanted to object: “But…”

"There are no buts, I am the current commander. I forbid you to go up the clock tower!”

At this point, Yegorov stepped in to mediate: “How about this, we’ve found several good machine gun positions that are also suitable for the Divine Arrow, why not set up the Divine Arrow there? Infantry can cover you!”

Yeca Neiko hesitated for a moment, then said: “Alright, I hope the Count isn’t making this decision out of a fevered mind. I also hope he isn’t giving special treatment to Miss Mailehovna!”

With that, he cast a glance at Ludmila.