The Rise of the Citadel

Chapter Six

Alex was sitting in his office, reviewing the next bracket's match: Pravda. His mind was plaguing him as he replayed several scenarios in his head, all ending in either a phyrric victory or a crushing defeat. There are only a few of our tanks capable of taking on those T-34s effectively... our own new additions won't be available before the finals... If only we knew their tactics outside of having a brutal counterattack...

He laid his head down on the desk before turning on bis playlist. One of his favorites came on, and he listened intensely to it, to try to figure out how to beat Pravda.

He listened and left it on repeat, his concentration on the words. Suffered heavy loses, the tide of war is turned... Soviet Wrath Unleashed... The German sighed as he switched it to an another familiar song:

Fast as the wind, the invasion has begun... Thrust into Hostile land, leading the way.... charging the lines with a force of a furious storm... 200 miles at nightfall... Never Retreat... Always ahead... The Blitzkrieg rages on! Alex mulled the words of both songs over before sighing. "No real way to defeat them decisively... Especially later in the match..."

At that moment, Antoinette, having heard the music, opened the door and walked in. "Having trouble with the Pravda?" Alex nodded before he sighed, looking at the now falling snow. "Does everyone have their winter gear and painted their vehicles appropriately?"

Antoinette nodded. "Though the Poles would rather have the Russian Tanks, they will have to do with the Fireflies for the time being. And the Cold is not too forgiving on them, since they were not particularly designed for such conditions. I expect several will destroy their transmissions in the cold and muddy ground of the field."

Alex nodded. "What about Juliano's scout unit? From what I can tell, he won't be able to use his AB 43 effectively off-road on the snow."

Antoinette sighed. "The Panzers IIIs will do fine, only because we got winterketten for them. Same goes for the Panzer IVs. Crusader and Stuart have been relegated to protecting Juliano when they move along the roads."

Alex frowned before sighing. "Our best plan is to strike hard, strike fast, strike often. Sure, it will take a toll on us, but we have no real choice. Pravda is known for their counterattacks. But... tell the Poles to work with Juliano. That way they have enough firepower to at least keep a portion of Pravda pinned while we advance in the central snow plain."

Antoinette sighed. "Are you sure we need to divide our forces? Knowing Pravda's past few matches, getting them to even the finals, they will most likely see the whole plan, and only send a small force to counter Juliano's force."

Alex frowned before sighing. "Well, we know that the battle will end up in a slugging match, which we cannot handle. We are still outnumbered, and even with the limitations of Julaino's force, it will ultimately..."

Antoinette frowned. "Unless... we engage Pravda with our main force first..." Alex raised a brow. "Juliano could be used to find their true flag tank while we keep them occupied?" Alex nodded and smiled. "That is approved. But we will keep the Fireflies, to reduce suspicion."

Antoinette smirked before nodding. "We should start disembarking. The sooner we leave this frigid wasteland, the better." Alex nodded as they left the office into the freezing cold.