It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 118 | How big is the room for advancement? (Two chapters in one)

After this, Ivan Rus responded quickly and sent a large number of reinforcements to the northern front, hoping to make up for the losses in the shortest possible time.

Nine infantry divisions and more than twenty national rifle brigades from the mainland were deployed one after another by rail - these conscripted troops had just completed simple pre-combat training.

After severely damaging the 1st Minsk Front, the German Army Group D remained strong. The 3rd Army remained, while the 4th Army and the 1st Panzer Army began to advance deep into the southeast.

This move was intended to put enormous pressure on Ivan Rus's army in the center, forcing it to retreat and engage in a full strategic retreat.

However, after analyzing the overall situation and weighing the pros and cons, General Yudenich remained unshakable and even persuaded Ivan Ross's General Staff to launch a general offensive on the central line ahead of time.

He gave three reasons:

(1) The Varlanders used their elite heavy troops to launch a counterattack on the northern front, so the strategic reserve on the central front was inevitably much smaller.

(2) This heavy force also suffered heavy losses after encircling and annihilating hundreds of thousands of our troops. It was already exhausted and had fought for a long time. Our side was able to stop it.

(3) If they surrender and retreat now, the war will reach a stalemate as Varland fully mobilizes its war machine.

The official residence in St. Petersburg was brightly lit, and a fierce dispute broke out among Ivan Rus's military and political leaders.

Conservatives worried that if they failed, the central army would likely be defeated by attacks from both sides, which would destroy the empire's hopes.

In the end, Veronica firmly expressed her support for continuing the attack and said that they should not be frightened by this counterattack.

The very next day, Colonel-General Ivan Akulinin was brought to a temporary military court for trial. He was charged with a number of serious crimes, such as improper command and abandoning his troops, and was eventually sentenced to death.

Admiral Akulinin, who refused to give up, even begged for pardon from Veronika. He sent a message through someone:
"Your Majesty, I refuse to acknowledge the charges brought by the improvisational tribunal. However, if you believe their reasons, I am willing to bear the accusations and beg for your gracious forgiveness, allowing me to return to the front and command a division or regiment."

Veronica's reply came belatedly. She refused:

"Death can prove a person's loyalty to his country, Mr. General. You should die on the banks of the Oder River instead of escaping by plane."

While Ivan Ross's army tried its best to prevent Varland's army from expanding its victory, it also strengthened the central army before the battle.

Veronika repeatedly stressed that the Third Alexander (Alexandrovna) Offensive must be carried out as scheduled to crush the Vistula River defense line in one fell swoop.

The most severe test now is on the northern front. Valland's elite heavy troops are still advancing. Can they be stopped?
This directly determines which side the balance of victory will tilt towards.

After days of fighting, the available troops of Walland's 4th Army and the 1st Panzer Army have been reduced from 42 to 33. A large number of armored vehicles are broken down and need to be repaired, and the number of available tanks has dropped to 834.

On their front, Ivan Rus's army was still fighting desperately, and the severely damaged 1st Minsk Front was unable to hold on alone. The good news was that the 19th Army of the Strategic Reserve was arriving one after another to join the battle.

During this period, the He-111 and Do-17 bombers of the Varlander Imperial Air Force focused their airstrikes on railways and train stations, achieving remarkable results. To reach their destination on time, several divisions of Ivan Ross's 19th Army even abandoned their baggage and braved the airstrikes to advance to the front.

It can be said that Ivan Rus' army implemented the battle idea of ​​deep defense very ruthlessly, establishing multi-layered defense lines with an average depth of 50 to 60 kilometers in echelons, providing a solid barrier for the Brest 4th Front in the south.

The offensive of Wallander's 1st Panzer Army was thus extremely difficult. Not only did they have to try to break through the enemy's positions in front of them, but they also had to guard against the continuous infiltration and counterattacks from Ivan Rus's troops from all directions. In just two days, the 2nd Panzer Division, which served as the spearhead of the attack, had only 88 tanks left.

In direct confrontation with the German armored assault, Lieutenant General Pavlov, commander of the 34th Infantry Corps, was forced to resort to extreme measures to wear down the enemy's momentum—sending one Volksrässin brigade after another to launch continuous tactical counterattacks, lacking fire support. Facing a comprehensive array of ground-to-air firepower, encompassing everything from 7.92mm machine gun rounds to 105mm high-explosive shells to 250kg aerial bombs, the poorly equipped Russian soldiers were like moths to a flame!
The four National Rifle Brigade units assigned to the 34th Infantry Corps suffered heavy casualties in just two days and one night, with the 202nd National Rifle Brigade completely annihilated in just thirteen hours. The 34th Infantry Corps itself did not hold out for much longer, with its three infantry divisions successively losing their combat effectiveness due to heavy casualties.

The vast plain was littered with corpses.

From beginning to end, the German 2nd Armored Division and the 11th Motorized Infantry Division failed to achieve a complete breakthrough. The two elite divisions clashed head-on and suffered heavy losses. Only 39 tanks were left in total, and some infantry companies were reduced to only or people.

After reinforcements arrived to take over the defense mission, Lieutenant General Pavlov committed suicide by shooting himself, becoming one of the thousands of souls who died on this bloody land.

From a campaign perspective, the second phase of the Vistula counterattack could no longer be sustained.

Walland's General Staff had no choice but to order the termination of the operation.

A spent force bow cannot pierce the silk cloth of Lu.

My forces are endless, while yours are suffering casualties every moment!
A major general of the Imperial German Army said with great sadness: Whenever we destroy a few of their divisions, they will immediately send reinforcements with more divisions.

Meanwhile, a deadly threat has emerged on the midline.

布列斯特第4方面军得到了大量技术兵器的临战加强，包括114辆维克斯公司代工的T-34和230辆自产的T-34巡洋坦克，以及两千多辆英制奥斯汀卡车和六万余名兵员。

However, due to saturation of railroad capacity and interference from air raids, the Third Alexander Offensive was postponed until Halloween Eve.

The whole world was in an uproar over the series of shocking events that occurred in the past half month.

The all-out war between Vallander and Ivan Ross shocked everyone. The perseverance, determination, and technical and tactical levels shown by both sides were beyond expectations.

□

□

□

To be honest, Lillian's death touched Shang Ke deeply.

After returning to Budapest from the front, he was in a low mood.

He couldn't help but think of Pape-Marianne who died in the Battle of Vitesse Airport. Both of them were in their prime, but they withered on a battlefield covered in blood and fire.

Apart from the death of the two little girls, what he could never forget was the enemy's multi-turret tanks that showed off their might in the battle that day.

Whenever he recalled the situation at that time, his blood pressure soared uncontrollably.

Infantry's anti-tank methods are too inefficient these days!
To be honest, if there were rocket launchers or recoilless rifles at that time, why would they risk going deep behind enemy lines? At least Lillian and several others would not have died.

Shang, who was still brooding over the incident, wrote a long article to describe the battle and emphasize the importance of infantry anti-tank weapons.

Later, he was worried that some people would not read it because it was too long, so he simply wrote a concise proposal report.

He couldn't help it and went to see the group leader for this matter. The funny thing was that he himself didn't realize how strong his desire for revenge and sense of responsibility were.

"...Will this report be adopted immediately? Captain, how about we use some more connections just to be on the safe side? Or I can write a letter to the dean to emphasize this."

"Why the rush?" Major General Zhang laughed heartily and said leisurely, "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. The country is currently vigorously rebuilding its military. The reports of my advisory group are all based on experience, so they should be taken seriously."

"That's good." After taking the reassurance, Shang Ke felt better.

He breathed a sigh of relief and asked openly, "By the way, Commander, do you think there is much room for advancement in my rank?"

"Oh?" Major General Zhang pretended not to understand and asked, "How big is very big?"

"I think we should eat one bite at a time. Why not start with Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Look, he's in a hurry."

"It's unfair, Commander. Look, the two battles I fought were pretty good. They can be used as battle examples in the textbooks of the Infantry Academy without any shame. What's the big deal about a mere lieutenant colonel?" Shang Ke said righteously.

"That's true, but you are still abroad now. It would be better to evaluate it after you return home." The regiment commander, Major General Zhang, replied.

In fact, the regimental commander felt that Shang Ke seemed to be better at commanding infantry units. Now that the Federal Armed Forces is forming an armored infantry division, perhaps that would be more suitable for Shang?
You should know that the officer promotion assessment system of the Federal Armed Forces is very strict, especially from the rank of colonel onwards, where there is only one position for each officer.

Without any outstanding achievements or military exploits, one can only be promoted to colonel by relying solely on connections. In this respect, it is quite fair.

In the eyes of the team leader, Shang Ke's series of performances are the unique enthusiasm for progress that young people show. In his opinion, instead of impatiently applying for promotion now, it is better to be patient and wait.

It just so happened that the General Headquarters had approved the idea of ​​the "Twenty Division Plan," and that twenty armored infantry divisions would be formed at once.

As far as the regimental commander knows, there are only a handful of senior military officers in the country who are capable of commanding these mechanized troops, so Shang Ke can be nominated as one of the candidates.

First, he has practical experience, second, he has a rich resume, and third, he has a suitable major. At the same time, he has the endorsement of both himself and the dean. He can be promoted to colonel by jumping two levels, and then act as a division commander with the rank of colonel. This may not be a bad idea.

Seeing that Shang was a little disappointed, the team leader knew that he might not understand his good intentions for the time being, so he half-jokingly made a suggestion.

"How about this, don't you have a good personal relationship with the Queen of Hungary? Just talk to her and she might even make you a colonel, not to mention a lieutenant colonel." The regimental commander said with a smile.

After he finished speaking, he sent Shang away.

Only after leaving the Military Technical Advisory Group office in a daze did Shang Ke come to his senses.

And slow!

No way, how did this get spread? When did I become close friends with the Queen?
Moreover, this military rank cannot be given just like that. Is it allowed to grant military ranks to foreigners?

"How long will this advisory group stay? They originally agreed to rotate out every ten months, but the higher-ups aren't keeping their word..."

Depressed, Shang Ke left in a four-wheeled carriage.

Since returning to Budapest, he had been avoiding Sigrid and deliberately avoiding meeting her.

Because Anna had told him at the General Staff Headquarters that Her Majesty the Queen was very unhappy about the idea of ​​'destroying the dam to delay the enemy'. She even criticized it personally, which was extremely rare, claiming that the person who came up with this idea was not worthy of being called a soldier.

Shang Ke felt extremely helpless because of this, and an indescribable loneliness lingered in his heart.

As a soldier, he cannot even fulfill his basic duty of protecting the country and the people, but actually has to delay the invaders at the cost of destroying civilian facilities. How shameful!

Shang Ke thought of that figure - Lieutenant Leo, who loaded and fired alone after all the artillery crew members were killed or injured. According to the surviving Hungarian artillerymen, Lieutenant Leo was born in Tisadob downstream.

Ugh……

Deliberate avoidance will eventually lead to an inescapable day. On the eve of Halloween, Shang Ke finally stepped into the Buda Palace.

Sigrid's demeanor was very different from a while ago. She didn't look well, and her green eyes were filled with melancholy.

"Mr. Consultant, have you been busy these days?" she asked, staring at Shang Ke.

The latter avoided his gaze and nodded affirmatively, "Well, the previous battle gave me a lot of inspiration. I am summarizing the experience and lessons."

Sigrid said to him earnestly, "Thank you for your contribution. You performed duties that went beyond the scope of your advisory duties on a dangerous battlefield. I sincerely thank you."

Shang Kexin said, "You want to get rid of me with just a few words?"
He said indifferently, "As a member of the Military Technical Advisory Group, I am willing to take the risk simply because I am moved by the fearless spirit of the Hungarian soldiers in defending their country. I want nothing more."

This is also the truth. Little Hun Rui can't give Mr. Shang anything worth celebrating. Honors like military ranks and medals are just for fun after all.

The scene was a bit embarrassing.

Clara, who was standing next to him, looked at Shanke and then at Sigrid, confused.

Sigrid wondered, "I don't understand, Major Shang, are you dissatisfied with me in some way?"

Shang Ke thought for a moment and then said bluntly, "It is said that Her Majesty the Queen once said that those who proposed destroying the dam were not worthy of wearing military uniforms?"

The atmosphere became even weirder, as if Shang was criticizing Queen Hunricane.

A flash of embarrassment passed across Sigrid's face.

She said sincerely: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't believe the consequences of destroying the dam were controllable..."

"Your Majesty is still too naive. Do you think you are the only one facing this moral dilemma?" Shank simply spoke out, saying coldly, "The person who proposed this idea and the person who carried out the mission face the same moral dilemma as the decision-makers behind the scenes."

After a long silence, she nodded and said softly, "Thank you, I realize the problem."

Shang Ke said slowly with a serious expression, "The crisis will be even greater from now on. The enemy will soon attack Budapest, and the brutality of the city's attack and defense will only intensify."

(End of this chapter)