The sound of artillery fire echoed as the Battle of Kovel began. Commanding the Prussian forces in this engagement was Major General Luke, commander of the 22nd Division and a rising star in the military from the last Russo-Prussian War. Luke, an ordinary Junker landowner by background, rose to the rank of general thanks to his exceptional willpower and a bit of luck. He had once believed his resolve was unshakable, and that no matter how brutal the battle, his heart would remain steadfast. But now, Major General Luke found himself wrong. His heart was in turmoil. Deep down, Luke sighed to himself, “So, I’m just an ordinary person after all.” The Russians had not stayed holed up in their fortifications. As the Prussians launched their assault, the Russians counterattacked, and a bloody hand-to-hand battle ensued. The battlefield resounded with shouts, screams, and the clash of steel. Luke saw with his own eyes a Prussian soldier being stabbed through the stomach with a bayonet. Even as the soldier screamed in agony, he clung tightly to the enemy’s rifle to create an opening for his comrades. Once, Luke had been one of them, a frontline soldier in the chaos of war. But through a stroke of luck and a fortunate series of battlefield achievements, he had climbed the ranks. As he reflected on his early days in the army, he thought of his comrades, the familiar faces who had joined him in enlistment. Most of them had already fallen on the battlefield. In some ways, Luke’s steady rise was a product of the severe losses suffered by the Prussian army in the last war. In wartime, the military valued results above all else, and one’s background became a secondary concern. The heavy losses among junior and mid-level officers, combined with a massive expansion of the army, allowed lucky individuals like Luke, who had earned battle honors, to naturally stand out. As he watched the rising number of casualties, Luke gradually calmed down. He realized something was off. It seemed the Russian forces were deliberately luring them into attacking. When night fell, the fighting temporarily ceased, leaving the battlefield strewn with wreckage. Inside the command post, Luke’s unease grew. The Russians appeared to be intentionally engaging in a war of attrition. Suppressing his doubts, Luke asked, “Has the casualty report been compiled?” Chief of Staff Pascalino sighed and replied, “Yes, it has. Today’s battle resulted in 526 wounded and 248 dead. Two battalions’ worth of troops were wiped out just like that.” Division Commander Luke stood up, took a couple of steps, and said, “Another two battalions. Since the start of the war, the 22nd Division alone has suffered nearly 3,000 casualties. If the entire battlefield is like this, then this war is bound to be unprecedentedly brutal.” Chief of Staff Pascalino responded, “There’s nothing that can be done. War is always cruel. The reinforcements assigned to us by headquarters are already on their way and will arrive in at most two days.” The Prussian army had established a comprehensive wartime reinforcement mechanism, ensuring that it rarely faced a situation where a unit was completely wiped out without being replenished with fresh troops. Under normal circumstances, when a unit suffered significant casualties, it would be rotated out for rest and reinforcement in the rear. Of course, what they referred to as “the rear” was still relatively close to the frontlines. When needed, troops would still have to return to the battlefield at any moment. After hesitating for a moment, Luke added, “Forget it. These matters aren’t for us to worry about. Report our current situation truthfully! Inform the General Headquarters that we need heavy artillery. Without sufficient heavy firepower, we won’t be able to ensure the capture of the enemy’s fortress within the specified timeframe.” There was no other choice, the Prussian forces had bad luck. A train transporting artillery and ammunition was ambushed mid-route by Russian airships, resulting in heavy losses. Heavy artillery units were scarce resources for any nation. The Prussian-Polish Federation only had a few heavy artillery regiments. Losing one regiment before even reaching the battlefield naturally meant it was impossible to replace it within a few days. Chief of Staff Pascalino shook his head and said, “That’s unlikely. Don’t get your hopes up too high. The heavy artillery units back home are already deployed on the frontlines, and new heavy artillery regiments are still being formed. According to internal reports, Krupp has dispatched technical personnel for repairs. It will take at least a month to fix the damaged artillery. Under the best-case scenario, we’ll receive heavy fire support in about four weeks.” Luke frowned and asked, “Can’t Headquarters coordinate and temporarily reassign heavy artillery units from nearby offensives to us? Kovel is a critical military stronghold. Capturing it means securing Volhynia. Why waste resources on minor places like Kamin or Novovolynsk?” Chief of Staff Pascalino replied, “This is a strategy set by the General Staff. A multi-pronged advance means that a breakthrough in any location would be a significant victory.” Luke waved dismissively and said, “No need to explain, old friend. I know what’s going on. Headquarters simply isn’t confident in our ability to take Kovel. If they were truly considering the overall strategy, Kovel isn’t as critical as it’s being made out to be—Brest is the real priority.” “As long as you understand,” Chief of Staff Pascalino responded calmly. Luke then added, “Alright, let’s put that aside for now. Have you noticed something odd about the Russians? They don’t seem to be fighting at full strength, almost as if they’re deliberately baiting us to attack. If they unleashed their full firepower, our forces, lacking heavy artillery, wouldn’t even get near their positions. Why are they making such seemingly pointless sacrifices?” Chief of Staff Pascalino nodded thoughtfully and paused before saying, “I’d like to take another look at the casualty figures. That might shed some light on the matter.” Luke’s expression shifted as realization dawned on him. If the Russian forces were using their full firepower, the Prussian troops, without adequate heavy artillery, wouldn’t be able to approach their fortifications. Without any hope of victory, the Prussian forces wouldn’t make senseless sacrifices. And if they didn’t attack, where would the Russians get their battle achievements from? The Russian troops stationed at Kovel were primarily second-line units. Kovel wasn’t the battlefield the Russians had chosen to decide the war, the Russian government’s orders to them were simply to hold their ground. “Damn Russians! They’re playing with fire. Don’t they fear we might break through their lines? Such battles hold no real value for them.” Chief of Staff Pascalino didn’t reply. The Russians’ reasoning didn’t matter. As long as there was even the slightest chance of breaking through Kovel, the Prussians couldn’t afford to stop. … In the Russian command post, Major General Yadrin Ivanov, reviewing the casualty report, was in a much better mood. As the defending side, the advantage was always theirs. “Fick, your suggestion was brilliant. Those damned Prussian brutes fell for it! They actually think they can take Kovel but it’s nothing but a pipe dream!” As an Austrian military observer, Fick was generally not allowed to participate in Russian command decisions. However, exceptions always exist. With years of the Russo-Austrian alliance, the Austrian government had cultivated a large number of pro-Austrian figures within Russia, and Major General Yadrin Ivanov was one of them. Fick and Yadrin were classmates, both graduates of the Austrian Military Academy. Their close relationship was why Fick had been assigned here as an observer. Even in the Austrian Military Academy, there were distinctions between top students and underachievers. Yadrin, an outsider seeking to add prestige to his resume, wasn’t held to the same rigorous standards and being “good enough” was sufficient. A foreign-educated officer holds a certain charm. Upon returning to Russia, Yadrin advanced rapidly, benefiting from the military expansion. By the time he was under 30, he had already been promoted to a Major General of the Russian Army. In contrast, Fick, a top student, was still a mere Major. The competition within the Austrian military was obviously far more intense. After military reforms, Austria abolished battlefield promotions. Unless one achieved significant military merit, they had to climb the ranks step by step. This change began with the royal family leading by example. Crown Prince Frederick had served for several years yet remained a Major, setting an example for everyone else below him. Seeing his old classmate enjoying such success, Major Fick couldn’t help but feel envious. There isn’t a soldier alive who doesn’t dream of becoming a general. Even with his good background, Fick couldn’t guarantee he’d ever reach the rank of general. Austria produced thousands of officers each year, but not even one might become a general. In times of peace, this was how things worked. No matter how outstanding you were, it was difficult to find opportunities to prove yourself. Without a chance to showcase your abilities, how could you demonstrate that you were better than others? Fick rolled his eyes and explained, “What’s there to be so excited about? You’re the defending side, and you’ve managed to achieve an almost 1:1 casualty ratio. That’s already pretty embarrassing, you know!” Yadrin dismissed the remark nonchalantly and argued, “No, this is already quite good. In the last Russo-Prussian War, the overall casualty exchange ratio with the Prussians was nearly 1:2. Now, even managing a slight advantage, though aided by defensive positions, is still a significant victory. The Russian Empire’s population is more than twice that of the Prussian-Polish Federation. As long as we continue like this, ultimate victory will undoubtedly belong to us. Besides, my division is a cobbled-together group of second-line units. If I had regular army forces, I would have ordered a counterattack long ago.” Fick didn’t argue. The combat effectiveness of the Russian army wasn’t bad. While their training and organization lagged behind the Prussians, they excelled in other aspects. Especially in resilience, the Russian army was among the best in the world. A force capable of fighting as long as they had food was truly rare. After hesitating for a moment, Major Fick offered a warning, “Yadrin, are you sure you want to continue like this? At the current rate, even if you manage to destroy the enemy, your division will be entirely depleted.” Although it had been his suggestion, Fick disliked such pointless attrition. If it weren’t for orders from back home to make sure the Russians bled as much as possible, he wouldn’t have proposed this lousy idea. Yadrin smiled faintly and answered, “Sacrifices are always necessary in war. As long as we achieve victory, a higher casualty count is a small price to pay.” From different vantage points, people saw problems differently. Yadrin wasn’t naive, he recognized that Fick’s suggestion might have ulterior motives. However, he didn’t care. In his view, as long as victory was achieved, sacrificing some cannon fodder was hardly worth mentioning.
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Seems like the Next button URL in the last chapter is wrong and has an additional v at the end
ReplyDeleteI've fixed the link. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I link it manually because I can't code at all so it's quite difficult to manually check them after ;A;
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