Arc of Fire

Pavlov arranged Wang Zhong’s living quarters right across from the Expeditionary Army Headquarters, snug against a steam bathhouse.

Yakov entered the room and immediately looked puzzled, "This... General, you’re living here?"

Wang Zhong, "What’s wrong? Can’t I stay here?"

"It’s miles apart from your estate!" Yakov answered.

Wang Zhong, "The estate is my ancestral property, and I personally have no special requirements for where I live. In fact, at the start of the war last year, I could sleep soundly in the passenger seat of a truck."

Yakov’s eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yes, and not to mention something as far back, during the recent Battle of Yeisk, I also slept together with the staff of the Headquarters in a storeroom that served as the headquarters, and I could still hear the ’beep beep beep’ of the radio while sleeping."

Yakov looked a bit dizzy, "Being able to fight and sleeping and eating with the soldiers, you sound like Suvorov come again."

Wang Zhong, "Otherwise, how could I be appointed as the dean of the Suvorov Military Academy?"

Wang Zhong, "Where did you spend the last year? Didn’t you go to the battlefield?"

Yakov looked somewhat embarrassed, "I applied to go to the battlefield, but it wasn’t approved, so I’ve been working at the Yeburg High Command the entire time, mainly doing things like updating maps because I was too junior. They wouldn’t even let me go to the translation department even though I know so many languages!"

Wang Zhong consoled, "Last year, there were some issues with our upper ranks, His Majesty the Tsar was a puppet put in place after the civil war, possible in the infighting but utterly incompetent otherwise.

"Now things are much better."

Wang Zhong suddenly thought of his dear friend Ivan, the Crown Prince, who had died for his country. If he hadn’t died and had become Tsar, his performance would probably have been better than Olga’s.

After all, Olga was still learning, taught daily by the neutral faction leader, General Tugenev, about various common sense.

Crown Prince Ivan would have been definitely stronger than her.

Wang Zhong was pondering when he suddenly noticed Yakov looking at him with admiration, so he asked, "What’s wrong?"

Yakov, "You really are the Shadow Prince, speaking ill of the former Emperor with not a trace of concern."

Wang Zhong, "Shadow Prince? This is the first time I’m hearing this title. Is that what they’re calling me in Yeburg?"

"Yeah, and some even address you as ’Your Majesty’."

Wang Zhong, "I’m already married."

"They say the current Tsar will abdicate in your favor and that the Rokossovsky family originally has royal blood. Is it true?"

Wang Zhong shook his head; he had checked his family tree, and there was none.

Yakov was about to continue when Nelly came in, "Yakov, your room is ready; you can go and rest."

"Oh, okay. General, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Wang Zhong, "Wait a moment, keep me company for a chat, and we’ll have a late-night snack together. Nelly, please prepare his share."

"Okay." Nelly curtsied and left.

Yakov, "Your maid doesn’t seem to like me much."

Wang Zhong, "You look a bit frail, and she also didn’t like my last deputy officer much, probably thinking Vasily not very reliable. Maybe... she didn’t like me that much before either, as I was pretty unreliable at the time.

"But then I got blown up by a 380mm shell, and afterward I became what I am now, and my relationship with Nelly improved."

Yakov furrowed his brow, "What blew you up?"

Wang Zhong, "The main gun of an enemy battleship. I was at the Riamed Supreme Commander’s headquarters at that time, and a 380mm shell came through, killing everyone but me—hmm?"

Wang Zhong remembered not everyone was killed, there was one survivor, but he’d gone off to be the toyboy of a duchess, living the high life.

Damn, to be a kept man in times like these, when the expedition got back he’d shove that guy to the front line in Gleb.

Yakov didn’t know why Wang Zhong suddenly stopped and asked curiously, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, just remembered there was another survivor. He escaped with me and then immediately went off to be a kept man. When we return from the expedition, I’ll need to sort him out properly; his injuries should be healed by now, and it’s time for him to fight like a man."

In "And Quiet Flows the Don," there was an annoying character who received medals at the start of World War I, then sustained himself on boasting and opportunism until the war ended.

Wang Zhong particularly despised this guy.

Of course, Wang Zhong just wanted to send the kept man to the front, but Yakov apparently misunderstood and looked at Wang Zhong with reverence.

Wang Zhong changed the subject, "You’ve been in Yeburg all last year, haven’t you ever thought about marrying your girlfriend?"

Yakov shook his head, "Everything seemed very dire at the time. Neither of us had any thoughts of marrying; we didn’t know what would happen after Yeburg was occupied by the Prosens. Some said they would sack the city, in that situation... how could we marry? The mere thought kept us awake."

Wang Zhong, "If it were me, I’d say ’Let the cannon fire of the Prosens be the salute for our wedding’; don’t you think that would be romantic? My wife got pregnant around that time."

Yakov, "But we’re not like you; we don’t have your kind of courage and breadth of mind. At that time, Yeburg was really in panic, especially on the day when the Prosen’s artillery hit the Royal Palace. Many people started to secretly make Prosen flags, and then the Judge began to capture people all over the streets, executing those who embroidered Prosen flags right there.

"Then you won the battle and paraded so many prisoners through the streets; it was only then that many people gained a bit of confidence in victory. We got our courage from you."

Wang Zhong looked at Yakov and saw no flattery, but genuine belief on the young man’s face.

"Was the situation that dangerous at the time?" Wang Zhong said, "I only saw some descriptions in the reports, yet secunda manu knowledge seems shallow. No one around me would talk about these things."

Yakov, "The people around you must have been influenced by you and believed in victory. Whereas I was just a little staff officer drawing maps at the headquarters, and my girlfriend was studying accounting, ignorant of everything.

"She joined the women’s labor battalion, digging trenches outside the city; Prosen planes came and killed many of her companions, then some defeatist came shouting, saying there’s no hope, surrender.

"After she told me about these things, I really felt..."

Yakov suddenly shut his mouth, his face going stern.

Wang Zhong: "I won’t tell the Judge. Or to put it another way, with my protection, the Judge won’t give you a hard time either."

Yakov: "Is that so."

After a brief pause, he cautiously asked, "Did you always think we would win from the very beginning?"

"Yes," Wang Zhong nodded since, as a transmigrator, he had already seen the outcome on Earth.

Yakov looked even more admiring: "You really are amazing. Last year, I thought if I had a chance, I would definitely want to work at your Headquarters, but my transfer application kept getting rejected, and I thought I would never have the chance.

"I never imagined that I would actually become your Deputy Officer; it’s beyond belief."

Wang Zhong: "A man’s fate, you know, aside from relying on his own efforts—"

He was about to quote a famous saying when Nelly pushed in a cart.

Nelly: "I cobbled something together with leftovers from the cooking squad; let’s make do with it. Besides, I found something strange in the cooking squad."

Saying so, she brought out a dish—French fries.

That shape should definitely be French fries.

Wang Zhong was puzzled but then remembered there were people from the United Kingdom stationed here.

So, having French fries wasn’t strange, right?

Out of curiosity, Yakov picked up a fry and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Hmm, why is it all mushy and not very tasty?"

It must have gone soft after sitting out too long, Wang Zhong thought.

He didn’t like eating soggy French fries either, so he took an empty plate, dished himself some stew, dolloped on some sour cream, and began to eat heartily.

Yakov tried another fry, still shaking his head: "No, this strange thing won’t do; it feels like a fried potato."

You guessed right, Yakov Davarish!

Yakov, no longer concerned about the mushy fries, also took a plate of the stew.

After just a couple of bites, he commented: "This stew isn’t as tasty as the one my wife makes."

Wang Zhong glanced at Nelly and quickly said, "I think this is the most delicious stew! Maybe because I’m hungry—no, not hungry, it’s still tasty! Really tasty."

He began to rave about the stew.

Yakov got it and quickly nodded: "What I said just now... I only tasted the initial flavor! Yes, the initial flavor! Now the aftertaste is coming through, and indeed the stew is more delicious."

Before and aftertaste, it’s not a perfume! Wang Zhong thought.

Nelly: "I didn’t add perfume to it, where did the before and aftertaste come from?"

Wang Zhong: "The aftertaste! This is called the aftertaste!"

"Right, the aftertaste!" Yakov agreed again and again.

Nelly shook her head: "What do you want for supper tomorrow? Decide now."

Wang Zhong: "Whatever you cook, I love! It’s Yakov, this short-sighted one, who doesn’t appreciate it! I’ll eat alone tomorrow."

Nelly stared at Wang Zhong for a few seconds, then gave a faint smile.

Wang Zhong: "Ah, you smiled."

Nelly: "It’s the moonlight."

Is that so?

Wang Zhong decided not to think about it too much.

That was when Yakov spoke: "So it’s true, the rumor! You really have something going on with the maid... Uh, sorry."

Wang Zhong: "Do you know, Yakov, that my Deputy Officers must master one skill?"

Yakov: "What is it? Drawing maps? Or something else?"

Wang Zhong: "It’s cleaning out latrines. Grigori!"

The senior sergeant entered: "Here."

Wang Zhong pointed at Yakov: "Teach him how to clean out latrines tomorrow."

Grigori laughed heartily: "Is it that only those who deserve a smack turn into your Deputy Officers, General? Alright, you learn this skill as well tomorrow."

Nelly: "Learn well. Then I won’t have to clean the Generals’ toilets."

So when Vasily wasn’t cleaning out latrines, it was you, Nelly?

Suddenly I feel like letting Vasily keep doing that!

(In distant Yeburg, Vasily sneezed numerous times.)

Wang Zhong, with a happy heart, finished everything on his plate, let out a satisfied burp, and then felt the tiredness come over him. Explore more stories at empire

It seems like his first night in Abawahan was going to pass just like this.

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