CANNON FIRE ARC

Chapter 843: Chapter 2 Main Direction of Attack (9.4K)_5

He pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it behind him as he began to sprint madly.

The sound of an explosion followed by screams.

Andreas ran past the soldiers under his command, pulling on one’s arm: “Run, stop shooting! The Anteans are here, which means the Moravians have surrendered. The hills around us must be crawling with Ante Troops! Run! We must rendezvous with the main force to have any chance of breaking out.”

The remaining five green recruits promptly followed his lead, and the group fled back along the way they had come.

The Anteans kept firing, there was no sound of gunfire, but bullets continuously hit the trees nearby making a cracking sound.

At that instant, the sound of an MG42 opening fire tore through the air.

The moment he heard it, Andreas’s heart was put at ease; he knew the shooter had to be Kosolek.

Kosolek wouldn’t let the Anteans kill his own — even though Kosolek had never made such a promise, Andreas was that certain.

————

By that night, the situation had become clear.

The company commander pointed at a rudimentary map: “The Anteans have taken the hills around us, and the Moravians have turned coat; now they are the enemy. They shoot at sight of anyone in Prosen uniforms.

“We can’t just sit here and wait to die. Since our communication with the division hasn’t been cut off, it means the area around the phone lines might still be safe. We must break out tonight. Andreas, you take a squad and lead the way, Kosolek will bring up the rear, and I’ll be in the middle.

“I know you don’t want to deal with the recruits, but now we are the only ones who can get them out!”

Kosolek: “I never promised to get any recruits out.”

Andreas: “But you’ll get me out, won’t you?”

Kosolek was silent for a few seconds, then countered: “Where can we go? The Moravian troops’ mutiny surely isn’t an isolated incident. For all we know, Moravia behind us might already be enemy territory.

“Where can we possibly go?”

The company commander: “Aside from Moravia’s first and second Army Groups, we also have our 20th Army Group! The 20th Army Group won’t stand by while the country is being backstabbed. Once we break out, we can join the rest of the 20th Army Group in teaching the Moravians a harsh lesson!

“Alright, let’s move out.”

————

As one company of the Fifth Rifle Brigade started its arduous breakout, Otto was leading the Brandenburg troops charging into the Moravian King’s royal palace.

The palace guards lacked the will to fight and surrendered after a brief exchange of fire.

The head of the guards was brought to Otto, with a smile still on his face.

Otto: “What are you smiling about?”

“Just that, for us, this damned war is over. My two younger brothers at the front can come home now.” The guard captain stretched his smile, “Shouldn’t I smile?”

Otto slapped him twice: “Idiot! Don’t you have any sense of military honor?”

The guard captain retorted: “Do you have any, Mr. Prosenian officer? I know you. You’re called the most dangerous man in Europa. When Prosen loses, you’ll be on the gallows!”

Otto’s face twitched.

At this moment, the Brandenburg Commandos brought out the King of Moravia.

With a solemn expression, the King said: “Otto Skorcz, I knew it would be you coming for me. But my mind’s made up. It was a mistake for Moravia to climb aboard Prosen’s war chariot, and today I intend to rectify that!”

Otto: “You’ve been misled by the Secular faction, Your Majesty!”

“Perhaps.” The King still held his head high, “But my decision is for the good of all Moravians, and that surely isn’t wrong! From this moment on, their war is over!”

“No, their war is just beginning!” Otto replied, “Do you think the 20th Army Group will let this betrayal slide? The 20th Army Group still has 200,000 Prosen soldiers!”

“Is that so? Only 200,000? Seven hundred thousand Ante army have already crossed the border, plus our own 300,000. I think the 20th Army Group won’t have the time to concern themselves with Moravia’s second-class citizens.”

After a pause, Otto said: “I need one of your little fingers, Your Majesty. It won’t affect your daily life.”

The King of Moravia stared at Otto, puzzled: “What do you mean?”

“Just a little finger.” Otto said as he pulled the King’s hand, drew a tactical knife, and swiftly chopped off the first joint of the little finger.

The King let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.

Otto then turned the gun around and used his submachine gun to kill several Brandenburg troops in the room.

Holding his gun, he dashed out the door, running and shouting as he went: “Special forces from Ante Tribunal are already in the city! Commando too! Retreat quickly!”

The Brandenburg troops were completely bewildered, but they trusted the “most dangerous man in Europa” and organized a retreat in an orderly fashion.

At this moment, the King of Moravia also realized what was happening and shouted to the captain of his guard: “What are you waiting for, take their guns and fire into the sky!”

The captain of the guard: “Ah? Should we really do that?”

“Do it now!”

The captain of the guard picked up the rifle of a fallen Brandenburg soldier and was just about to fire into the sky, when he suddenly saw a living Prosen soldier and immediately pulled the trigger, finishing him off with a burst of fire.

Then he rushed to the balcony, and started firing at the retreating heads of the Brandenburg troops below, rattatat-tat.

The King of Moravia, while searching the Brandenburg soldiers for medical packs, said: “Humph, what would he do if I didn’t bear witness for him? Now he’s surely facing the gallows!

“But… he did save my life after all, there are some smart ones among the Prosens.”

————

April 12th, in the heart of the Prosen Empire, Eagle’s Nest.

The Prosen Emperor stared at the little finger placed inside the jewelry box, not uttering a word.

The head of the Imperial Ministry’s secret service interrogated Otto: “How can you prove that this is the King of Moravia’s finger?”

Otto: “I guarantee it with my honor and integrity.”

“That’s worth nothing!” the secret service head shouted.

“Enough!” The Emperor roared, instantly turning the fierce-looking secret service head into a docile kitten.

The Emperor looked up at the secret service head: “The Moravians have been in contact with the Allied Forces for so long, the Commando of the alliance have infiltrated the Capital, and you are completely unaware!

“The Krat Bureau had even warned of this possibility in advance!”

But the intelligence from the Trak Bureau was all trumped up by some braggart king! (See Little John Khan’s hardcore tough guy series)

Of course, the Prosen Emperor was not aware of this.

In fact, someone present might have realized the secret of the Krat Bureau.

General Ma Qi wore a strange expression, but he said nothing.

The Prosen Emperor closed the lid of the jewelry box: “Display this in the Prosenia Imperial History Museum, it is important evidence. Now, gentlemen, let’s discuss the war situation, shall we? Can the 20th Army Group, fighting alone, withstand the Alliance of Ante and Moravia?”

The Celtic Marshal sighed: “It definitely cannot, we needed the line of defense on the mountains and the Moravians just to hold the line, now we can only redeploy troops, set up defenses along the Dom River, and try to block the enemy outside the Buda Basin. Once they enter the basin, the Antean Armored Troops will be able to charge freely on the flat terrain.”

Emperor: “How many troops are needed to stop the Antean breakthrough?”

“At least half a million, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor heaved a long sigh and said to the Celtic Marshal: “Redeploy 300,000 troops, coupled with the original 200,000 from the 20th Army Group, we must hold the line at any cost!

“It’s our turn to defend the country this time, so mobilize the People’s Charge Team as much as possible, just as the Anteans did at Abawahan to hold us back, block the Anteans!”

“Yes.”

After a brief hesitation, the Celtic Marshal asked: “Your Majesty, should we initiate the next phase of mobilization?”

The Emperor asked with confusion: “The next phase of mobilization? Haven’t we already fully mobilized?”

“Yes, but we can further relax the conscription standards. Sixteen-year-olds are physically no different from eighteen-year-olds, and after training, they can also use firearms and go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

“And men over the age of fifty can also serve as combatants and be drafted into the army.”

“Fifty years old??” The Emperor exclaimed, “People over fifty still have to urinate at night! Do we have enough industrial capacity to produce that many urine pots?”

No one answered.

The Emperor slumped back in his seat: “Alright, expand the recruitment further, enlist all males from 16 to 55 into the Imperial Defense Army.”

After a moment of silence, the Emperor, who had always touted that the light of technology would replace the grace of God, murmured: “May God bless us.”

He then began humming the national anthem of Prosenia, which had been used for decades:

“Land where the azure blooms flourish,

“Our noble homeland,

“Majestic songs echo through the clouds,

“Divine blessings shall forever be with us,

“Praise the victory of our motherland, Prosenia!”

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