Arc of Fire

Afternoon, special consultation of the Federation Congress.

Speaker Douglas was banging the gavel on the table, "Order, please. Now I invite the distinguished general from the Anteans, Marshal Rocossovsky to speak. Marshal, may I ask… hmm? Is it Admiral?"

A secretary whispered awkwardly to Douglas.

"Well then, still an Admiral? I thought with all his military achievements he should have been a Marshal by now. What? There’s also a General? Oh, never mind these, anyway, please Admiral Rocossovsky, proceed with the consultation!"

Wang Zhong, wearing headphones, was thus able to hear the simultaneous interpretation, unfortunately in a male voice, since now he couldn’t choose the voice line and had to make do.

After listening to the translation, he straightened up, "I’m ready, Mr. Speaker. Should I stand up though?"

"No, war heroes have the right to sit while being questioned. Admiral Rocossovsky, how much did the Federation’s assistance last year help the Anteans withstand the Prosen onslaught?"

Wang Zhong, "Your question isn’t very accurate. The aid only began after the Empire of Fusang’s surprise attack on the Federation, and I was involved in the related negotiations. By then, I was no longer a front-line commander but was working at the Suvorov Military Academy and the Equipment Review Committee.

"At that time, we had already pushed the Prosens hundreds of kilometers away from our capital. Enjoy more content from

"So, if you’re asking about the aid’s role in the victory of the defense of Saint Ekaterina Fortress last year, my answer is that it wasn’t helpful."

Wang Zhong noticed many Federation people were frowning.

He quickly continued, "However, the aid has been crucial for Anteans to sustain themselves till now. Last year, a severe cold wave hit Ante, killing a large number of livestock. Without the aid, including Spam cans, many Anteans wouldn’t have survived that winter.

"At that time, our industrial production lines had just been relocated and were far from restoring their original productivity, so the industrial materials obtained through aid significantly helped, ensuring the continued production of critical equipment like tanks.

"And the direct support of planes, tanks, trucks, and jeeps played a huge role in restoring our military strength.

"Especially the trucks and jeeps, along with the M3 half-tracks. Currently, Ante’s industrial production is mostly involved in manufacturing various tracked vehicles and trucks, with no production capacity for jeeps and half-tracks."

Speaker Douglas nodded seriously, "Alright, so to summarize, you’re saying the aid was vital for Ante to pull through last year? Is that correct?"

Right, focus on last year then.

Wang Zhong guessed that some pro-aid council members needed some political leverage, and nodded, "Yes, that’s correct."

Douglas looked satisfied, "Thank you for your expert advice. Next, I’d like to know: if it were up to you to decide the aid to Ante this year, which aspects would you emphasize?"

Wang Zhong thought about it and replied earnestly and seriously, "I’d particularly emphasize on machine tools, as well as the transfer of various proprietary technologies. We hope to acquire the licensing for the Federation’s latest piston engines, including air-cooled and liquid-cooled, and we need authorization for tank engines.

"We also hope the Federation can send experts to help train our industrial workers, enabling them to produce higher-quality products. Poor armor and low-quality engines in T34 have already cost many Antean warriors their lives."

"Order," Douglas hammered with his small gavel, silencing the rising murmurs due to Wang Zhong’s increasing volume, "Admiral Rocossovsky, you misunderstood my question. I meant, if you could decide on the various material aids, which ones would you prioritize? Tanks, perhaps?"

Wang Zhong, "I think our current demand for tanks isn’t that high, although both the M4 Sherman and M3 Grant are excellent tanks, our T34s are sufficient. We also have the KV heavy tanks regimented for breakthrough operations.

"Recently, the Whirlwind Tank Destroyer has also performed well on the battlefield, so I think we don’t particularly need more tanks."

He paused, then continued, "What we need are planes, trucks, and Willys Jeeps. We especially need the Dragon Tug, heavily utilized by the Federation military."

The dense river networks in Kazarlia make it impossible for armies without river-crossing capabilities to maneuver in Kazarlia’s steppes. Last year, when the Prosens attacked, they had their combat engineers build pontoon bridges everywhere.

Instead of building pontoons, Antean combat engineers are more adept at using sapper shovels or miner’s picks to crack open Prosen skulls.

Hence, Wang Zhong needed the "Dragon Tug," which could carry light landing boats, sailing on dry land on highways.

This practice was previously carried out by the U.S. Military on Earth, crossing the river networks of the European plains with land yachts.

Wang Zhong wanted to do the same, not because he was a history buff who liked playing around with the land yacht gimmick.

After consulting with those around him, Speaker Douglas asked solemnly, "Are you sure you don’t need more tanks? We have many Grant and Stuart light tanks available."

Wang Zhong shook his head, "No, our light tanks are also sufficient. There is some demand for M3 tanks, we hope that can continue, but please don’t use precious transport capacity on light tanks for us anymore."

"Alright," Douglas looked disappointed, "what about the planes? We have a model of the ’Flying Snake’ fighter jet here, which performs exceptionally well. Can we reduce the aid of P-47s and replace them with the Flying Snake fighter jets?"

Wang Zhong finally understood that this consultation meeting was just to give Ante the extra supplies the Federation had no use for.

So, he firmly refused, "The items listed in the agreement we signed last year are still needed this year. We can accept fewer M4 Sherman tanks, but we cannot accept being forced to take so many inappropriate items that we don’t lack."

Douglas scratched his head, "Then... do you still need light weapons? We have..."

Wang Zhong replied, "Every day, we produce thousands of ’Papasha’ submachine guns, almost the same number of Tokarev semi-automatic rifles, and even more Mosin-Nagant rifles.

"We currently do not lack light weapons. Let me repeat: we need trucks, jeeps, half-track vehicles, advanced fighter jets and bombers, and we also need the machinery and the licenses for engine production!"

Douglas scratched his forehead, "This... of course, is up for discussion, but we need to confirm next year’s material aid first..."

Wang Zhong said, "I know, please continue with your questions."

Douglas asked, "Do you need textiles like clothing, or agricultural products like soybeans?"

Wang Zhong wanted to face-palm, realizing this meeting might go on for a long time since these old congressional men would force him to compromise repeatedly to modify the aid agreement to reflect their own interests.

At that point, he couldn’t stand it any longer and stood up.

Douglas said, "You can sit down to answer; this is our respect for a war hero..."

"You have no respect at all!" Wang Zhong interrupted him, "Don’t think I don’t see through your scheme. Under the guise of aid, you lobby for big companies that help you get elected to seek benefits! You don’t care about what Ante needs, you don’t care about what would help Ante win this war quickly and efficiently! What you care about is how much money you can make out of this!"

At that moment, Wang Zhong recalled the promotional video of the game DLC "Conflict World," where a Russian general gestured grandly, "The vultures have feasted enough; now, clear the skies."

Then, a Schlecke River Self-propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun rolled off a transport ship, shredding media helicopters in the sky with its quad anti-aircraft guns.

Wang Zhong continued, "You are a bunch of vultures! Feeding on the flesh and blood of warriors who bled and sacrificed on the battlefield, getting fat and obese. The war is still ongoing, but a few years after winning, you will abandon those veterans who have earned their honors!"

Douglas banged the gavel on the table, "Order! This is not the content of this consultation!"

Wang Zhong went on, "Order, my ass! Just ask around, see what I’ve done in Ante! Let me tell you, because of my identity, I’m allowed to carry a gun into this room!

"This gun, blessed by Grand Patriarch Belinsky, has killed two generals! You’d better think carefully before trying to stuff those useless things into the aid agreement, or I’ll blow your head off.

"Of course, you can ignore this threat because, by common sense and to avoid a diplomatic crisis, to avoid fractures in the alliance, I shouldn’t do this.

"But are you willing to bet on that chance? No, you’re not. Because unlike those brave soldiers on the battlefield, you’re a bunch of cowards who fear death! If you want to challenge me, keep recommending chips to me!"

Douglas’s lips trembled for a while before saying, "I won’t recommend chips. I didn’t..."

Wang Zhong interjected, "Then it’s probably Coca-Cola, children’s toys, or something else. It depends on whose company’s sponsorship you have, doesn’t it?"

Douglas pushed his glasses up awkwardly, "Alright, your statement just now has shown us the rudeness and barbarism of Ante. I guess you wouldn’t need some things from the civilized world. So please tell us what you do need!"

Wang Zhong demanded, "I need Dragon Tug trailers! I need a lot of trucks! Stiponk would be good, our mechanics are already familiar with these trucks. We also need Willys Jeeps and M3 half-track vehicles! The more, the better!

"And advanced bombers! I know you have a new model intended to replace the B-17! We want them too!"

After Wang Zhong finished, he realized asking for B-29s might be asking for too much; that equipment was too good, too strong, and the Federation might not agree.

Moreover, considering takeoffs from Antean territory, it was still a bit far to bomb Prosen’s interior.

However, he thought again, recalling what Lu Xun taught: if you want to open a window, you must first blow off the roof.

So, he stared sternly at Douglas.

The speaker said reluctantly, "We will consider it. Really."

It seemed they truly did not dare to test how seriously the ’barbarian’ Wang Zhong would take his threat to draw his gun.

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