The train gradually came to a halt amid the sounds of military music, and just before it completely stopped, it gave a violent shake.
Having already ridden in a stuffy boxcar from Bogdanovka to Loktov, Wang Zhong had once hit his head from such a shake, but now, experienced, he had braced himself against the door in advance.
Ironically, his head was now covered in bandages—he’d got those driving a tank—so one less bump made no difference.
As soon as the train had come to a full stop, Wang Zhong was about to disembark when he suddenly noticed a large group of fellows in flashy military uniforms on the platform.
They were indeed military uniforms, but the style was clearly different from the simple khaki uniform that Wang Zhong wore—it was much more dashing and decorative.
But then again, these uniforms all had unmistakably military elements that let anyone know at a glance, “Oh, the person wearing this uniform is an officer of the Ante Army.”
If pushed for a comparison, they resembled the custom uniforms of the Sturmtiger aristocracy on Earth.
The aristocratic officers of the Sturmtiger would often have their uniforms tailor-made—like motorcycle leather jackets, typically only issued to Sturmtiger’s motorcycle reconnaissance troops, but many aristocratic officers thought the jackets looked cool, so they would also have one made for themselves.
Now the group that appeared on the platform, in all their finery, were likely all aristocratic officers.
Upon seeing Wang Zhong, they all became excited, “Oh! Here he comes, here he comes!”
“Alyosha, why does your head look like a Bolo? Were you beaten after being captured by the Prussians?”
“Alyosha, why is your uniform so plain? Where’s your tailor?”
The bunch hectically shouted out.
Wang Zhong, feeling under siege, hadn’t even tensed up this much when facing Prosen tanks.
Who are all of you?
He switched to a bird’s-eye view and then realized that these clowns probably weren’t officers at all; there were no insignias of rank, nor names visible!
No wonder their epaulettes bore no proper military ranks, just flashy decorations.
Damn it, running into a bunch of civilian cronies was unexpected.
Just then, Ludmila leaned in and whispered in Wang Zhong’s ear, “These were your friends before we went to Yekaterinburg for studies. You can say you don’t recognize them any longer.”
Wang Zhong looked at Ludmila with confusion, unsure why she suddenly came to his aid.
Could it be that she actually saw through it?
Does that mean her likeness for me has nothing to do with the original owner of this body?
At this moment, someone in the group also recognized Ludmila—and it would be more surprising if they didn’t, considering Ludmila’s silver hair and features were memorable to any man.
“Liu Da!” someone called out, “Come to the dance tonight, many are waiting to dance with you!”
Wang Zhong frowned.
These people, the front is in such a state, yet they still dance?
Wang Zhong felt a sense of division, with the secular faction of the Eastern Holy Church inspiring the people to bravely resist the invaders, while the aristocracy, representatives of secular power, indulged in peace and luxury.
How could you defeat the Prussians with such vermin!
Yegorov seemed to be accustomed to the presence of the nobility, and promptly jumped off the train to organize the soldiers to disembark.
Wang Zhong noticed that the disembarking soldiers were eyeing the dandies with unmistakable hostility.
But the dandies, oblivious to the soldiers’ glares, kept jeering at Ludmila, “Ever since you went to Yekaterinburg, you’ve become even prettier!”
“Has Alyosha not made a move on you yet, or maybe you would prefer...”
Just then, as quick as a flash, Bucephalus let out a long whinny and charged from the other end of the platform, frightening the band into abandoning their performance and scattering in all directions.
It reached the stunned dandies, spun around with a kick, and sent three men flying.
Neighing, Bucephalus spun in place, trying to kick more dandies into the air.
Wang Zhong hurriedly got off the train and grabbed Bucephalus by its side.
The horse stopped immediately and began nibbling on his hair.
Wang Zhong looked over and then saw a person whose name he could recognize!
Ivan Nikolayevich Antonov, with the rank of captain, and a subtitle in parentheses: Crown Prince of the Ante Empire.
Wang Zhong examined the Crown Prince carefully.
Hmm, just an ordinary good-looking Russian guy.
The name, patronymic, and surname all followed the male format.
When the Crown Prince saw Wang Zhong, he immediately opened his arms to greet him, “Alyosha! My dear friend!”
Wang Zhong also approached warmly, “Ivania! My dear friend!”
As they hugged, Wang Zhong felt Ivan wasn’t a female.
It’s a bit of a pity.
No, not at all a pity! I already have a lovely fiancée!
After embracing Wang Zhong, Ivan turned to Ludmila and merely performed a standard gentleman’s greeting.
Ludmila: “I’m in uniform, so no hand-kissing.”
It was then that Ivan snapped to attention, saluting Wang Zhong and Ludmila!
“I salute you, General Sir!”
The local dandies, left on the side, looked at each other in confusion.
Wang Zhong: “I salute you, Your Highness! Without the technical equipment you provided, we couldn’t have survived!”
No sooner had he spoken, Wang Zhong’s troops shouted in unison, “We salute you!”
Ivan looked at the troops in surprise, “It’s astonishing; they seem just as loyal to you as your own unit!”
Vasily: “Reporting to Your Highness, we are indeed loyal to the General!”
Ivan was even more surprised, “Is that so? You... actually managed to earn the respect of the troops?”
Wang Zhong: “You didn’t know?”
“No, I thought your battle achievements were all boastful, because look, I’ve been listening in on the High Command meetings, and we’ve been winning all the time, haven’t we?”
Wang Zhong: “Your Highness, the reports from the Front Armies might lie, but the frontline doesn’t. We have been retreating all along, and even this Argesukov is now in danger.”
“How could that be!” the Crown Prince laughed, “Isn’t this a peaceful place? Here we’ve gathered 700,000 troops, 700,000 of them!”
Upon hearing that number, Wang Zhong’s heart cooled by half.
That’s it, the number of troops in the Kiev encirclement matches up.
Now all that’s left is for the second tank group to the north to make its turn.
But... if things really do develop this way, doesn’t it mean that Yekaterinburg could be saved?
No, this isn’t the time to worry about that; I need to get my own troops out of the encirclement first.
Wang Zhong grabbed the Crown Prince’s hand, “Ivania, it’s really dangerous now! The Prosen troops love encirclements, and they will...”
The Crown Prince said with a smile, “Here we have seven hundred thousand troops, as well as the natural defense of the Dnieper River, and Duke Meishikin’s troops in Shepetovka can cover Argesukov too. Rest assured, we will inflict a heavy blow on them here! You should relax and let your troops rest and resupply first.”
Wang Zhong: “I need to replenish my troops, and also tanks! T34 tanks! And I hope they’re all equipped with radios!”
“Rest easy! It will be provided, all of it!” the Crown Prince patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder.
Wang Zhong held his forehead.
The Crown Prince added, “Oh, by the way, I have a message for you: Your father, Duke Rocossov, is preparing a banquet at the manor to celebrate your victorious return. He’s also arranged quarters for your troops!”
Wang Zhong exhaled a sigh of relief, thinking at least there was some good news, and there was no need to worry about quarters for the troops.