Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 957: Chapter 12 “Rising from the Ruins”_2

Filippov: “Did Vasily compose another tune based on the Marshal’s humming again?”

“Yes.”

At this moment, the messenger ran out of the regiment building and shouted at Filippov, “The observation post spotted dust clouds! Coming from the southwest!”

Filippov looked solemn: “Understood. Reporter Mike, and all of you from the Church, please retreat to the rear. This place will soon turn into a battlefield!”

Stass’s Bishop shook his head: “No, this is our country. We will fight alongside you. We are also trained soldiers, and we have weapons prepared to deal with lurking Imperial Ministry spies and Asgard Knights. We will fight with you.”

Reporter Mike: “We have never feared the frontlines. And my partner, his famous quote is—”

Robert: “If your photos aren’t good enough, it means you weren’t close enough!”

Filippov sighed: “Alright, take care of yourselves then, try not to die.”

After saying that, he jumped onto the approaching Jeep and headed towards the village outskirts.

————

Since the 1st Battalion was responsible for occupying the village, the defense duties had fallen to the 2nd Battalion, while the 1st Battalion rested in the village.

Filippov went straight into the 2nd Battalion headquarters and asked the battalion commander, “What’s the size of the enemy force?”

Battalion Commander: “Judging from the dust clouds, it’s just an armored battalion, surprisingly small. A single salvo from Divine Arrow might eliminate them completely.”

Filippov walked over to the artillery mirror and patted the observer on the shoulder.

The observer immediately vacated the spot.

Filippov observed for a few seconds and clicked his tongue: “Indeed, the frontal assault path is too narrow. But that big cluster of dust in the middle seems odd. Has the covert sentinel returned?”

Battalion Commander: “Not yet.”

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a BMW motorcycle rang out. Ever since entering Prosen territory, these motorcycles had become a favorite of the recon soldiers.

The roar of the engine faded, and a recon soldier wearing a Prosen-style leather jacket rushed in: “Report! We’ve slipped back under the enemy’s noses!”

Filippov: “Be careful; someone wearing that leather jacket has already been shot by our own troops.”

“Understood.”

Filippov: “What’s the story with that large dust cloud in the middle of the enemy formation?”

The recon soldier rubbed his nose: “We saw a gigantic tank!”

Filippov: “Big again? Can’t you report something useful?”

Recon Soldier: “But it really is big! Its armor looks tough, the skirting almost covers the tracks—you have to look closely to even see the road wheels! And it’s got two barrels, one thick and one thin!”

Filippov drew a sharp breath: “Two barrels?”

Recon Soldier: “Yes! The main gun is the thick one; I don’t think we have any armored vehicle that could withstand a shell from it.”

Filippov thought for a moment and picked up the phone: “Get me the attached artillery company!”

Soon, the voice of the attached SU-76 company commander came through the receiver: “What’s up? Finally need us for direct fire? Watch this—I’ll guarantee the first shot takes out their sprocket and disables their mobility!”

Filippov: “No, I want you to prepare smoke bombs. Load them upon my command. We might need to catch a big fish.”

“Making us do this pansy work again?” The commander was displeased. “We might be listed as self-propelled artillery, but we’re damn good at tank hunting! My current ride’s got two golden kill rings! The folks at the museum already promised me that when the war’s over, this vehicle’s theirs!”

Filippov: “Follow orders, Commander.”

“Fine. One smoke bomb per gun, ready to go.”

After hanging up the phone, Filippov turned to the battalion commander and said, “Ready Jeeps and anti-tank mines. Get your best grenade throwers prepared. Soon we’re going to race against that big guy, using smoke coverage to approach and blast its tracks!”

The recon soldier perked up: “I’ve closely observed that tank. Let me grab someone fearless, and the two of us will take it down!”

Battalion Commander: “Don’t get cocky. Divine Arrow might just wipe it out in one salvo.”

Filippov continued asking: “Does the enemy have accompanying infantry?”

Recon Soldier: “Yes, we saw 24 half-track vehicles.”

Filippov: “That’s quite a few…”

He picked up the receiver again: “Connect me to the division headquarters. Hello, this is Filippov. The enemy is counter-charging us! We need rapid artillery support. Yes, absolutely! Observer, coordinates!”

The observer promptly reported a string of coordinates.

After repeating the coordinates, Filippov continued: “Fire immediately. The enemy might be carrying a grenadier battalion. Yes, acknowledged.”

After hanging up, Filippov addressed those around him: “Artillery will strike within three minutes. Get the soldiers into cover; there’s a chance some shells might miss.”

Battalion Commander: “We’re already entrenched. Besides, the enemy isn’t even combining infantry and artillery in this attack. How did Prosen fall to such chaos?”

Filippov shrugged, then returned to the artillery mirror, observing the distant dust clouds again.

This time, he caught sight of the enemy’s tank.

“It really is massive,” he murmured, “and it’s ugly—our Rocossov Type 1 looks way better.”

Recon Soldier: “Not only is it hideous, it’s also incredibly loud. We ran off, and they didn’t immediately hear us.”

Filippov grunted and continued staring at the giant beast.

At that moment, the battalion commander spoke: “Commander, the priests are here!”

“What?” Filippov looked up.

The battalion commander pointed to another window.

Filippov ran over and looked down, seeing a propaganda vehicle equipped with speakers drive out of the village entrance. The operators were members of Stass dressed in black cleric robes.

Filippov: “What are you doing?”

The leading priest looked up: “The Bishop said we could try persuading them to surrender!”

Filippov: “It’s futile. We’ve already called for artillery fire. They’ll suffer heavy casualties soon—”

Before he could finish, the whistling sound of shells filled the air—heavy artillery had arrived from the rear.

Filippov turned and saw shells landing within the enemy assault formation.

From this distance, he could only see the enormous clouds of dust created by the explosions.

Filippov: “Look!”

The priest shook his head stubbornly and picked up a microphone, shouting, “(In Prosenese) Prosen soldiers! You have been deceived by the bastards sitting on the throne!”

Filippov shook his head and returned to the artillery mirror to assess the shelling effect.

The shells had hit the enemy formation with precision; their effectiveness against armor seemed limited since there were no direct hits, but the accompanying infantry certainly bore the brunt of the destruction.

The half-track vehicles came to a halt, and the troops onboard scrambled to dismount and disperse.

However, the armored units of the enemy continued advancing.

Filippov: “Good, the enemy’s infantry and tanks are disconnected. Notify the Divine Arrow force to focus on the accompanying small tanks.”

Recon Soldier: “Those aren’t small tanks; they’re Chaser tank destroyers.”

Filippov: “Really? I thought they were Type 1s or Type 2s… Have Divine Arrow eliminate the accompanying Chasers. Then we’ll proceed with smoke cover.”

Before he finished speaking, the first wave of Divine Arrow fired.

The order hadn’t been fully relayed yet, but Divine Arrow still targeted the Chaser group.

The accompanying Chasers were wiped out in no time.

Filippov picked up the phone: “Connect me to SU-76 company! Deploy smoke bombs! We’re moving out!”

A few seconds later, the massive heavy tank was enveloped in smoke.

Filippov: “Move out, move out! Blow its tracks apart and claim the Venus! Opportunities to earn a Venus don’t come often anymore—let’s get fired up!”

Seconds later, a swarm of Willys Jeeps and captured BMW motorcycles stormed out of the village, tearing across the open fields towards the smoke-covered enemy.