Arc of Fire

Just as everyone was lavishing praise on General Skorobo, Grand Patriarch Belinsky made a “follow me” gesture to Wang Zhong and walked toward a corner of the garden.

Wang Zhong followed without hesitation, while Ludmila glanced at the two men and chose to stay put.

The Patriarch’s guards spread out and formed a security perimeter, and the nobles attending the banquet occasionally glanced over but quickly averted their eyes.

The Crown Prince also occasionally looked toward his close friend, his face flashing with confusion, probably because he couldn’t understand why the Grand Patriarch would have anything to discuss with his friend, who had never been known for piety.

————

No sooner had Wang Zhong reached behind the Grand Patriarch than he heard him say, “Do you really have to ruin my stew?”

“Well, that was the only place with an open flame.”

The Patriarch shook his head and changed the subject, “You’ve fought well these past few days. Any particular moments stand out to you?”

Wang Zhong was puzzled. What did he mean? He wasn’t asking about the insights or lessons from the battle, but rather if there was any memorable moment?

What if the most memorable moment for me was seeing my fiancée bathed in moonlight? How should I deal with that?

Of course, that was just his private grumbling. No matter how beautiful a moonlit fiancée was, it couldn’t compare to the experiences and insights gained while walking the line between life and death.

Without hesitation, Wang Zhong recounted the despair he felt hiding under the BT7, watching the boots of the Prussian Army all around him.

And the shock when he was later rescued by the sweeping charge of the Guardian Army.

Of course, there was also the heart-wrenching decision to sacrifice them for the sake of victory.

The Grand Patriarch, with a stern face, listened to Wang Zhong’s story, then finally spoke, “I’ve heard many confessions and prayers. If there’s even a trace of falsehood or pretense, I can recognize it instantly.

“So I know that everything you said comes from the heart, that it’s your true feeling. But I would also like to know, how did you come to terms with it? Or does it mean you’ll never…”

Wang Zhong, “As long as I am braver than everyone else, when the time comes for me to sacrifice myself for victory, I’ll do so without hesitation. As long as I can do that, I can sacrifice others for victory without any burden.”

The Grand Patriarch nodded, “Hmm, that’s one way to solve the problem, not a bad approach. I’ll keep an eye on you and hope you don’t betray your beliefs. Well, my leisure time is almost up, go on and enjoy the banquet. Don’t be too tense, indulging in good food and the warmth of a lady tonight won’t make the future any worse.”

Having said that, the Grand Patriarch walked toward the garden’s main gate.

The guards immediately closed ranks and followed behind him.

Although the Grand Patriarch was initially heading toward the garden’s main gate, after a few steps he saw a maid from the Rokossovsky family about to take away the stew’s clay pot and turned to go over. He didn’t mind the heat of the pot, opened the lid immediately, and inhaled the aroma of the stew.

The guards came forward to stop him, “Your Highness! This hasn’t been tested for poison!”

The Patriarch was conflicted for a while but eventually put the lid back on and stood up straight. Noticing Wang Zhong’s gaze, he explained, “This is a dish full of sunshine and vigor, a true delicacy. But alas, my knights won’t allow me to eat it!”

He spread his hands and walked away, shaking his head.

Curiosity piqued, Wang Zhong was about to go over and take a look at the stew, but the maid quickly threw the stew and the clay pot together into a food waste cart.

Wang Zhong: ….

Ludmila came over and took Wang Zhong’s arm, “Come on, the Grand Patriarch already said that enjoying ourselves tonight won’t affect the overall situation. I think you should relax too. Look at your forehead, you’ve got wrinkles.”

Wang Zhong thought that wrinkles were better than going bald, anyway.

But the Grand Patriarch was right—it was better to take the opportunity to relax.

Of course, he couldn’t just relax by himself, so Wang Zhong called out to a maid standing nearby, “Hey, you, come here!”

The maid jumped, then came over hesitantly, looking scared.

Wang Zhong, “Send all of today’s delicacies and drinks to my troops, make sure it’s enough!”

Maid, “It’s already been sent, the same as here, and there’s a lot more. The lord personally made sure of it.”

“The lord took care of it?” Wang Zhong pointedly refused to say “dad,” since he had his own father back on Earth.

The maid, not noticing the oddity in Wang Zhong’s statement, nodded, “Yes, he personally made sure.”

Wang Zhong was reassured by this, but then he thought of something new and said, “And send a band over there too!”

“A band?” The maid was shocked, as it seemed the lord hadn’t thought to send a band.

Wang Zhong nodded, “Yes, a band. ‘Wars may come and go, but music lasts forever!’”

Maid, “Uh… I’ll go find the steward.”

Wang Zhong nodded, and the maid quickly turned and ran away as if escaping.

Ludmila, “You didn’t even touch her this entire time.”

Wang Zhong, “Should I have?”

“No, you shouldn’t, but you used to always touch them, their butts and breasts.”

Wang Zhong looked down at his own hands, no wonder he would become so proficient!

————

The next day, Wang Zhong came to the troops’ cafeteria early in the morning.

He mainly wanted to see how the troops were fed, to ensure it wasn’t an endless supply of pickles.

Providing a rich diet for troops can greatly improve morale, which is why every participating Earth nation sought ways to diversify their food.

As soon as he entered the dining hall, Wang Zhong spotted Vasily and the others gathered together, sipping oatmeal porridge and munching on sausages, while Dmitry held a sandwich loaded with fried eggs and ham in his hands.

Ante’s sandwich wasn’t made with two slices of bread but rather a whole loaf with a hollow carved out to stuff the fillings in, which seemed to be made with quite a hearty amount of ingredients.

In front of Filippov lay an opened can of fish, which seemed to swell up after fermentation—it reminded Wang Zhong of cans of surströmming from Earth, though this can didn’t have that impressively pungent odor.

It seems pretty decent…

While Wang Zhong was observing the soldiers’ dining habits, he noticed that all of his soldiers had risen to their feet: “General!”

Wang Zhong waved his hand and made his way to the self-service food counter.

Then he saw piles of caviar cans stacked up at the pick-up point.

Turning his head, Wang Zhong asked Vasily and the rest, “Why aren’t you guys eating caviar?”

Before his transference, when Wang Zhong used to attend buffets that cost over a hundred per person, caviar was always distributed in limited amounts at set times, and each person could only take one plate, which merely contained a small precious portion.

Vasily frowned, “Tired of it! A few years ago, when caviar first became unlimited in supply, we ate it every day at home—spreading caviar on bread, on sausages, mixing it into vegetable salads, it was always about caviar.”

The other few nodded in agreement.

Well, can there be such a thing as too much caviar?

Vasily continued, “And champagne—I remember champagne used to be so precious when I was a kid, my dad, a professor, would only have a glass after concerts. And then suddenly, champagne became worthless, on the same level as beer.”

Filippov agreed, “Yes, yes, it happened all of a sudden. I heard that the Tribunal set up a special champagne factory that mass-produces champagne. The wineries posted articles in the newspapers saying the factory-produced stuff was just horse piss, and then they got shut down by the Tribunal.”

Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?”

Although the soldiers were tired of it, Wang Zhong had never seen enough caviar to get fed up with it, so he decided to strike while the iron was hot.

He opened the first can of caviar.

Previously, his impression of caviar was of a slim container that, once opened, revealed just a layer of roe—generally, a can would only contain 10 grams. But this can was something else; upon opening it, he found a heap of roe that looked to be almost 250 grams.

Seeing so much caviar, Wang Zhong’s mouth was nearly watering. He wasn’t particularly fond of caviar, but the incessant hype had turned matsutake mushrooms and caviar into symbols of gourmet delicacies, so the sight of a super-sized matsutake or a heap of richly hued caviar would make him drool.

The group seated together all noticed Wang Zhong’s expression, and Vasily, representing them, asked, “General, do you have a particular fondness for caviar?”

Wang Zhong, “Ah, caviar, and matsutake mushrooms too—I’m quite partial to them.”

Having said that, he carried his caviar, bread, oatmeal porridge, and Susie’s thick soup over to Vasily’s table, picking up a knife, ready to spread the caviar on his bread—

Just at that moment, several unfamiliar staff officers walked into the dining hall.

From a distance, they spotted Wang Zhong’s brigadier general badges and briskly made their way toward him.

The leading colonel saluted and said, “Sorry to interrupt your meal, sir!”

Wang Zhong glanced at the colonel’s briefcase, then at the uniform being held by the man behind him, and roughly guessed what was happening.

To be honest, it was a bit fast.

Did the Grand Patriarch do something last night?

It seems my answer made him really happy?

Wang Zhong put down his knife and wiped his hands, “No problem. Official business comes first. What’s the matter?”

The colonel took out a document from the briefcase and read, “By order, in consideration of Brigadier General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky’s outstanding performance during the military operations in Loktov from July 6th to July 9th, it is decreed to promote him to the rank of major general.”

Wang Zhong was an old hand at this and asked after nodding, “And the other order? Surely I’m not expected to manage a pickle warehouse as a major general, am I?”

Vasily said, “Maybe they’re putting you in charge of a uniform factory; a large uniform factory really is a division-level unit.”

Wang Zhong glared at Vasily.

Vasily, “Shoveling manure, got it.”

Wang Zhong, “Don’t talk about that while eating!”

Colonel, “May I read the order now?”

Wang Zhong made a welcoming gesture.

Colonel, “Headquarters plans to form the 151st Temporary Infantry Division…”

“Why infantry again!” Wang Zhong complained.

The colonel glanced at him and continued reading the order, “The formation of the 151st Temporary Infantry Division is underway, to be commanded by Major General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky.”

After speaking, the colonel stacked the two orders together and handed them to Wang Zhong.

Once Wang Zhong had taken them, an ensign carrying a uniform stepped forward and presented Wang Zhong with his major general uniform and rank insignia.

Wang Zhong, “Wait a minute, where are the organization chart for my troops and things like the garrison location?”

Colonel, “These are currently being confirmed by Division Chief of Staff Pavlov.”

Ah, I see.

Wang Zhong asked further, “Have my staff officers and clerks arrived yet?”

“What staff officers?” the colonel looked puzzled, “I’m just the messenger. You’ll need to discuss this with the Division Chief of Staff.”

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