And after that, even with further reinforcements, the German army was no longer able to push the Russians back.
Baron and Meng Tian had decided to copy this strategy, and try to break through the north and south faces of the Russian forces to try and finish the scenario as quickly as they could.
But in addition to this, Baron decided to take command of a small portion of their forces, to try and capture a strategic location just slightly south of where they were sending the majority of their troops.
Meng Tian was in charge of leading their men to break through the north and south face while Baron slipped farther south into Russian territory to take some oil mines.
As for why Baron was heading this excursion instead of helping Meng Tian control the army, it was because if the oil mines fell into Baron’s forces, Russia’s overall oil production would sharply fall. The Germans would also be able to use this oil for their tanks and airplanes, and further mechanical production.
As a location of such importance, it was undoubtedly going to be heavily guarded. But, Baron was gambling on what his instincts had told him — that Meng Yi, Yue Fei, and Guan Yu would not be here to lead the defending troops.
So, he led his small detachment of about two thousand men, a few hundred heavy artillery, fifty aircraft, and about a hundred tanks towards the target.
If all went well, another detachment of troops would be sent to guard the mines, while Baron made his way back to the front line. Time was of the utmost importance, as he couldn’t allow one of the opposing strategists to make their way to the oil mines before he took them.
If that happened, he would have to concede. As such, he’d planted spies during the planning period, and they would be there to aid in the offensive when the time came.
Baron spent a few days stealthily leading his soldiers toward the oil mines, and made it on the third day of travel. Thanks to his preparation, he was able to take the first mine without much trouble, sacrificing only a few bombs and infantry.
There were twelve mines in total, and before news even reached the enemy’s ears, Baron had taken them all, and was working to transport as much oil as he could to his main forces. He then placed aircraft and scouts on guard, near the mines.
If they spotted any approaching armies, they were to radio each mine, and they would destroy the mines and retrieve as much oil as they could before the enemy reached them. The most important order was to not, under any circumstance, engage the enemy. This was because Baron knew that if Russian reinforcements did come, these few men would have no chance of winning. In such a scenario, it would be best to simply burn everything, so that the Russians wouldn’t be able to use the oil mines any longer.
With this successful campaign under his belt, Baron and the rest of his forces made their way back towards the front line. They’d only taken a few weeks to complete the excursion, and just about everything had gone perfectly according to plan.
Yet, Baron could not shake the feeling that something was off during his ride back to the front lines.
That feeling was soon proved correct, as he received communication from Meng Tian.
“Baron, things aren't looking too good on my end. The enemy army has disappeared.”
“What do you mean, disappeared?”
“Last night they were still there patrolling their lines, doing their routines, but this morning, it looks like they’ve all packed up and left.”
Baron narrowed his eyes. “They shouldn’t have been able to move an entire army in just a single night. Are they trying to divert our attention from something?”
“Whatever it is, I have no idea where they are. Radar and scouting planes show nothing. It’s almost as if they weren’t there to begin with.”
“Perhaps they just retreated their forces further inland?”
“That, or they somehow managed to find a way around our forces, and they’re moving in for a flank attack.”
Baron paused to consider the possibility, but then shook his head. “No, that’s impossible. It’s best for us to meet before we decide on anything. I’ll be there soon.”
“Good.”
Baron continued to rack his brain, thinking of how Meng Yi, Guan Yu, and Yue Fei had pulled off such a massive move without Meng Tian noticing, but nothing seemed to make sense.
When he met with Meng Tian, they decided to move their soldiers deeper into Russian territory, and search for clues as to what the opposing was doing along the way. They wouldn’t move forward haphazardly, though. They reorganized their soldiers so that they would always be able to support one another, just in case of an ambush.
As they moved forward though, objects stirred in the shadows behind them, in the ground beneath them. Baron and Meng Tian, though, remained blissfully unaware as they approached the heart of Russia.
***
Baron and Meng Tian continued to move their troops deeper into Russian territory, clueless of the happenings around them.
It was really a tactic based in psychology. By resolving to end the campaign as quickly as they could, Baron and Meng Tian had fallen victim to a trap they could have easily avoided, if they’d only bothered to slow down and show more caution.
Baron continued to question the situation. “It’s unthinkable to think that those three have the ability to move so many men and so much machinery without any of our scouts seeing them.”
Meng Tian nodded. “There must be something we’re missing. The camps we found “Indeed, there must be something I missed when we went to check it out for ourselves. But, the enemy camps seemed to have just been in use when we got there. It made sense to me that they made their getaway in the dark. Perhaps we just happened to miss them.”
Baron nodded. “I believe they moved most of their army before the day ended, only leaving a skeleton force in base so that they could escape in a faster manner.”
Meng Tian shrugged. “Perhaps we’ll find out the answer later. For now, let’s focus on securing our objectives.”
Baron wasn’t able to move on, though. “Something else doesn’t add up. Why aren’t they using the DeepStrike missile system? It’s deadly enough that they’d want to build them, and it's been long enough for them to produce a few by now, too.”
Meng Tian sighed. “Yes, you’re right. But we have to look at the bigger picture and not the little details that the enemies have left for us. Come on, let’s plan our next move.”
Baron shook his head. “On the contrary, I believe we shouldn’t make any moves right now. There are too many unknown variables. We should hold position until we can figure out our next moves.”
Meng Tian nodded. “Fair enough. I personally believe that they could have withdrawn to either of these two places, or both.”
Meng Tian pointed at two spots on the map, and with just a glance, Baron could tell why he’d identified the two spots. They were the easiest areas to defend — but obviously so.
“Have you already sent scouts yet?”
“Yes. Both spots have been scouted, and both are heavily defended. Judging by our scouts’ estimates, their numbers do seem fairly close to what we saw from them previously. A little less, but estimations may be slightly off.”
“So you want to strike at these two places, then?”
“No.” Meng Tian tapped one of the defendable points. I would like to target this one specifically. Kursk. I believe that if we’re able to stall the other army as we concentrate on this area, we should be able to win this simulation in a matter of weeks.”
Baron frowned. “That’s true, but if we’re flanked while sieging that position, then we’d be hard pressed to survive, let alone win.”
“That is a chance I'm willing to take. Which battlefield would you like the fight? Kursk, or the other?”
“I’ll fight the other battlefield — and I’ll leave you a few more men. I believe I should be able to lock that battlefield down until you’ve won. Just be careful.”
“Sounds good to me. Good luck.”
“You as well, brother.”
After another day, Baron and his detachment of troops made their way toward the second point of interest. He and Meng Tian stayed in contact with radios, and they arrived at their respective battlefields at almost the same time.
These two locations held Russian armies, almost identical in strength. But as Baron only needed to stall the enemy forces, he’d brought a rather small force. Half of the DeepStrikes, a quarter of the Luftwaffe (Aircraft), about a tenth of the infantry, and some of their best tanks.
Upon arriving at the second point of interest, Oboyan, Baron moved immediately, but conservatively. First, he began with aerial bombings and attacks with his DeepStrike missiles. His tanks also engaged in hit and run attacks, carefully coordinated to maximize confusion amongst the enemy’s ranks.
He continued to do this for three days, but then Baron began to question what was going on, again. His enemies seemed disinterested in winning this battle, and it didn’t seem that any of the three strategists on the other side were responding to his attacks.
Was the enemy army looking to stall as well? But that didn’t make sense.
Everything was quite suspicious.
Baron suddenly realized something, but too late. He shouldn’t have been wondering where the enemy commanders and troops were — but what they were aiming for. If they didn’t care about winning this battlefield, then their focus laid somewhere else.
Either they were looking to target Meng Tian, at Kursk, or they were retaking the oil mines Baron had taken prior.
***
On Meng Yi, Guan Yu, and Yue Fei's side, Meng Yi was speaking to the others.
“This is a great position the enemy has moved into, over at Oboyan. However, the most important battle is the one at Kursk, here. I believe my brother Meng Tian will be the one leading this army.”
Yue Fei frowned. “It’s the most important battle, yes, but we shouldn’t put all of our eggs in one basket, should we? The three of us would be able to beat Meng Tian, for sure, but it’d be absolute overkill.”
“I think you have misunderstood one of the important facets of war, Yue Fei.” Said Guan Yu. “By killing one of their strategists, we could cause their forces to lose enough morale to surrender.”
“That may be true, Guan Yu. But, that doesn’t mean we’ll be able to end the battle just by killing Meng Tian. Baron is still a force to be reckoned with, even if he is relatively inexperienced.”
Meng Yi shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. If we’re able to eliminate Meng Tian before they catch onto our strategy, then even if Baron receives reinforcements, he still won’t be able to do anything against our combined efforts.”
Yue Fei paused, then nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s make this battle a fast one.”
***
On Meng Tian's side.
Meng Tian’s forces had arrived at Kursk and at the same time Baron’s had arrived at Oboyan. Like Baron, Meng Tian had immediately organized his troops for battle.
“General Meng Tian sir, all the preparations have been completed and we are ready to strike the enemy.”
Meng Tian looked into the distance, fire in his eyes. “Good work, Lieutenant King. Begin our barrage immediately. Start with the mortar corps, and let’s see how the enemy reacts. Take care of our aircraft — they’re the crux of our plan. Understand, Lieutenant?”
“Yes sir. I will not fail you.”
“Excellent. You are dismissed.”
Lieutenant King saluted Meng Tian and left to carry out his orders. The battle began shortly after, and the Russian army, led by Meng Yi, reacted with lightning speed, as platoons of tanks rolled into battle to counter Meng Tian’s mortars.
Meng Tian reacted to this by sending his own tanks out to battle. But, he had them engage at an angle, so that the enemy tanks would have a hard time shooting back without rearranging themselves first, taking heavy damage in the process. Once the maneuver finished, though, the battle continued as such for hours without either side gaining ground.
At least, that’s what it seemed like.
“Sir!” Lieutenant King barged into the tent Meng Tian was directing the battle from.
“What is it, King? Have we broken their ranks yet?”
“No, sir. We have received troubling news. An army is headed for us from behind.”
“Behind? How large is this army?”
“Our scouts are unsure, but about half the size as the enemy before us. Going by their speed, they should arrive after a day’s worth of travel.”
A small fire emerged in Meng Tian’s eyes. “Hoh. I see. The emergence of this new army is distressing indeed. Leave me for now.”
“As you say.” Lieutenant King saluted again and left.
Meng Tian could feel his blood pulsing as he contemplated this challenge. What an exciting predicament his brother had cooked up for him. It was extremely difficult to fight on two fronts, especially for a prolonged period of time. So, what should he do?
“Ha! Let’s see just how you plan to defeat me!”
***
On Baron's side.
Meng Tian had connected to Baron through the radio.
“Baron, it seems we have been outplayed.”
“Are all three of them at your location?”
“I’m not sure, but I would guess so. I have the defending army at Kursk to deal with, and now there’s a second coming to flank me. I can only assume that each army is led by at least one strategist.”
“What? A second army? How big is it?”
Meng Tian paused before sighing. “It’s quite large. I believe I will only be able to hold my defenses for three days, once they arrive tomorrow.”
“Understood. I’ll make my way over immediately. If none of them are here, this battlefield has no value. I’ve also damaged them enough that they shouldn’t be able to pursue me, so we shouldn’t need to worry about being flanked again.”
“Alright.”
With that, Meng Tian left the conversation, took a deep breath, and began planning.
Baron racked his brains for a moment, before calling a soldier over. “Sound the retreat. We’re returning to aid General Meng Tian. Also, have the reinforcements stationed in Germany and the oil mines meet us at these coordinates.” Baron quickly scribbled some numbers on a slip of paper and handed it to the messenger.
“Oh, and send a message, unencrypted, to the wonderful folks there at Oboyan. Tell them that they have four hours to surrender, or we will unleash hellfire upon them.”
Hopefully, that’d keep the Oboyan defenders from pursuing their retreat.
***
Yet, even as Baron’s army prepared to move, bad news arrived.
“General Baron, sir. There have been reports of another army closing in on our location.”
“Shit. Alright, how many?”
“We’ve seen about fifty thousand men, along with several aircraft. They’re moving to set up between us and General Meng Tians’ forces.”
“That’s no good. Even if we push past before they’re able to set up, we can’t have such a force on our tail. However, engaging them will only give them exactly what they want… How far away are they?”
“Another half-day.”
“Hm... that’s very unfortunate. Alright. Call the officers here. It seems we have to do battle.”
After briefing his officers, Baron left the region of Oboyan with the bulk of his army, while leaving enough soldiers and officers behind to stall the incoming flankers. He had needed to move quickly, or his path back to Meng would have been blocked.
But even more bad news quickly came his way.
The reinforcements that he had called from Germany seemed to be having trouble getting past even the first line of the former Russian defenses that Baron and Meng Tian had cleared and pushed through. This came as a surprise to Baron for a multitude of reasons. The first reason was that the reinforcements he’d sent for were by no means a weak force. If anything, their str
uggles were temporary — sooner or later, the Russian forces stalling them would fall.
But if they arrived at Kursk later rather than sooner, then they would only be sending themselves to a lost battle. Unfortunately, this was something Baron would have no control over. Either the reinforcements would arrive on time, or they wouldn’t.
He continued his way towards Kursk. It would be a few days until he arrived, but the sights of battle were apparently around him. Baron decided to push on regardless, though, and continued on his way towards Kursk.On the way, he and his force passed by thousands of bodies, littered on the ground as if for decoration.
As they drew closer to the battlefield, they found remnants of Meng Tian’s army running from the battle, and soon learned the situation. Meng Tian had been captured, his forces defeated and scattered.
This wasn’t out of Baron’s expectations, though. Meng Tian had sent Baron a radio message just the day before. The combined military prowess of Meng Yi, Guan Yu, and Yue Fei, was just too much for him, and the battle was as good as lost.
No matter what Meng Tian said, though, Baron wasn’t about to surrender without at least trying his hand in battle. He reckoned that even without Meng Tian’s help, as long as his reinforcements from Germany arrived in time, he had a fair shot at winning.
The first thing that Baron did was to immediately restart the battle of Kursk, so as to not give the enemy any time to recuperate from their earlier efforts. This sudden attack from Baron indeed caught his enemies off guard and the battle between the two sides once again raged on.
After a day of fighting, Baron received even worse news. Two pieces of news, even. His reinforcements had somehow been crushed, and they could no longer push into Russia. Instead, they’d turned tail and ran back to Germany.
The other piece of news was that oil fields he’d worked so hard to capture were in enemy hands once again. Somehow, they’d been reclaimed without his troops being able to burn them to the ground, first. As for how, Baron wasn’t sure.
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