Chapter 53: Respect

The crew of Tank 67 began to repair their vehicle, and Xie Liaosha, the tank commander, leapt down from the turret again and said to Wang Zhong, “My lord Count, while we’re repairing the tank, I’ll go check on Tank 422.

"I’ll survey the battlefield at the same time, especially the road conditions.

"If we’re not careful, our cumbersome buddy here might just break down halfway again.”

Wang Zhong, “Alright, I’ll take you for a spin.”

After speaking, he pointed toward the west and took the lead in stepping forward.

At that moment, Pavlov said, “Lieutenant, have you had your meal yet?”

Lieutenant Xie Liaosha, “No, we’ve been on the move all day. At first, we were ordered to move towards Ronied, but just after we set out, we received a radio message directing us to Bogdanovka. Later, the radio broke, and then we encountered defeated soldiers blocking the road. It was tough reaching Bogdanovka, and upon arrival, we were told that this place needed support.

"Had we not taken such an unnecessary detour, this old fellow wouldn’t have broken down so frequently.”

As he spoke, he gestured toward the tank.

Pavlov, “Then you’re in for a treat, we have some of Lord Boye’s precious beef, along with potatoes and pickles.”

"That’s fantastic,” said Xie Liaosha. “Let my crew eat first, I need to reconnoiter the battlefield.”

Wang Zhong, “This way.”

A few people started to move, and Wang Zhong, who had personally maneuvered a tank through the village, was already familiar with the terrain and began to explain it to the lieutenant as they went.

Eventually, the group arrived at Tank 422 which was parked at the edge of the village.

The bodies of the tank operators had been taken by the infantry to be buried at the church, leaving only the tank in the position it had occupied during the previous evening’s combat.

Upon seeing the tank, an emotion Wang Zhong had never experienced before surged within him.

He stepped forward and gently caressed the tank’s steel skin.

Before his time travel, he’d seen a comic depicting an American soldier shedding tears while giving his broken jeep a fond farewell, implying that the jeep had become a close comrade-in-arms the soldier couldn’t bear to see captured by the enemy.

At the time, Wang Zhong thought the comic was somewhat exaggerated, but now, he understood that humans indeed could develop affection for the weapons that accompanied them on the battlefield.

Touching the cold steel of Tank 422, and remembering his fallen comrades, he didn’t want to let the Prosen devils have this tank any longer.

Fortunately, the vehicle was still operational and the driver, though wounded, could continue to pilot it.

If they had a gunner, it could even go back into combat.

Lieutenant Xie Liaosha closely observed Wang Zhong’s expression, seemingly understanding something.

He didn’t disturb Wang Zhong’s “bonding” with the tank, but instead went to the front of the tank to inspect the area where it had been hit.

Noticing his actions, Wang Zhong explained, “It appears to have been hit in the front, fired by a Prosen Mark III tank’s 50mm gun.”

Xie Liaosha, “Yes, it hit the left auxiliary turret directly, killing the mechanic operating the turret on the spot. With a hit like that, normally, only the driver has a chance of survival, you were really lucky.”

Wang Zhong, “At the time, most of my body was out of the tank to get a better view.”

"That may have been what saved your life,” asserted Lieutenant Xie Liaosha. “I’ve driven a T28 myself, and frankly, it’s not a good tank. I’d rather drive a light tank; at least they have better maneuverability and lower failure rates.”

Wang Zhong, “Indeed, aside from its 45mm gun, it’s a useless hunk of metal.”

Xie Liaosha continued to examine the stone wall in front of the tank, “Strange, the bullet marks on the stone wall... the shell must have flown past, right?”

Wang Zhong pointed not far away, “I was hit over there, at the time...”

He recounted the evening’s engagement with four Mark III tanks.

At that moment, Sufang suddenly opened her eyes and cheered, “We’ve got a response! Someone says reinforcements set out three hours ago!”

Wang Zhong, “The reinforcements have already arrived.”

Sufang startled, lost her balance, and fell forward onto the ground.

"Ouch, my front teeth!”

Just as Wang Zhong was about to help Sufang up, Ludmila opened her eyes.

"Alyosha? Are you alright? Do you still have a fever?” Ludmila asked, trying to stand up, but perhaps because she had been kneeling too long, her legs were numb and she stumbled, about to fall. Wang Zhong, with quick reflexes, caught her.

She ended up falling into Wang Zhong’s arms.

With no time to appreciate the girl’s “stormy seas,” Wang Zhong directly helped Ludmila to a chair and then turned to pull up Sufang, with tears brimming in her eyes, “What did they say over there?”

"They said that reinforcements have been dispatched for three hours and that we must hold out until eight o’clock tomorrow night. The defensive line at Bogdanovka isn’t fixed yet.”

The information about the defensive line not being fixed had already been brought by the No. 67 tank.

Wang Zhong nodded, “Well done. In fact, the reinforcements have already arrived.”

Sufang was overjoyed, “How many people?”

"One tank, but that’s enough,” Wang Zhong confidently said. After all, the enemy, apart from the 88mm anti-everything gun, simply couldn’t penetrate the armour of the KV1 tank.

That tank, placed in the open fields, was an impassable bulwark.

Sufang smiled, “That’s good to hear. I need to rest for a bit, get me water.”

Monk Yeca Neiko, obviously having officiated many Masses, promptly handed over a full water flask.

Ludmila was already drinking by the side.

Wang Zhong, “You two rest well, leave the rest to me—to us.”

————

Xie Liaosha returned to his crew.

Driver Ashka asked, “How is it, how much of what the Count boasted true?”

"I’m afraid none of it’s an exaggeration,” Xie Liaosha paused for a moment, then continued, “The tank wrecks in the wilderness aren’t very clear, but I made a round and didn’t see any anti-tank guns...”

Ashka, “So it must be the Divine Arrows’ doing! I asked around, and they have clergy here, definitely a Divine Arrow team. The noble young lords serving in the army always have Divine Arrow teams by their sides.”

Xie Liaosha spoke earnestly, “Don’t say it like that. The Count might be different from other nobles. I checked the tank wrecks in the village. Six were destroyed by tank guns.

"I replayed the situation and estimated that two were destroyed upon entering the village, then after close combat between infantry and tanks, the enemy had pressed into the village, gaining the upper hand.

"And then someone suddenly got around behind them and destroyed at least four tanks in a surprise attack.”

Xie Liaosha was gesturing as he spoke, “All four tanks were hit from the rear or the side, and their turrets weren’t pointing in the direction of the attack.

"Someone with skillful flanking eliminated them. I must admit, I couldn’t do it myself—destroy enemy tanks consecutively by circling around in a town, not even with infantry support.”

Ashka frowned, “All done by that Count?”

Xie Liaosha, “I don’t know. But listen, if I get injured or die, you follow the Count’s command. Then you’ll see for yourselves what he’s capable of.”

"Don’t talk so ominously,” the Gunner said as he picked up his plate, “Come on, have some beef, drink some wine. This is good stuff, supposedly taken from the local nobility’s cellar. It’s so strong it catches fire quickly; they use it for making Incendiary Bombs!”

Xie Liaosha took the bottle first and took a big swig, his face immediately lighting up with a smile, “Good wine! If I have to die at dawn, it’s not a bad deal to have good wine!”