-Russia's Longest Night-

For Tatiana, it was an unforgettable day.

"I want you to launch a night attack on the enemy's rear before dawn. While the enemy is confused, we will carry out a frontal assault."

　Seeing that the German offensive was getting weaker with each passing day, Kornilov decided that the enemy had reached their limits and that it was time to move from defense to offense and strike back.

　The cavalry regiment led by Tatiana is the vanguard of the operation, and their mission is to sneak into the German camp under cover of darkness and launch a surprise attack to confuse the enemy from the rear. Fortunately, they manage to infiltrate without being spotted by the German scouts.

(Okay, everyone is now in position. Now all we have to do is attack all at once when the scheduled time comes...)

　Just as Tatiana was checking her pocket watch, night suddenly turned to day.

(Damn! Could this be an ambush?!)

　Even Tatiana, who is known for her intelligence, realizes that she has fallen into a trap set by the enemy. The reason she was not found by the enemy scouts on the way was probably because she had deliberately kept her guard down.

(The German commander was no fool... he expected that we would soon lose patience...!)

　Tatiana hastily ordered a retreat: the Russian cavalry regiments panicked and broke into pieces, with no chance of maintaining their ranks.

　When they finally arrived at the friendly camp, they found Kornilov there with a grim look on his face.

"What's the situation?!"

"It's an enemy ambush! Our cavalry is routed. If we don't regroup, they will be useless."

　After hearing Tatiana's report, Kornilov briefly considers canceling the operation, but quickly shakes his head.

"We will continue the operation. The casualties may be somewhat greater, but we have finally seized our chance at victory. Even if it means getting covered in blood, we will seize it."

"However, the enemy is charging forward with dozens of powerful A7V tanks. Can we hold out?"

"I don't like waiting. I'll go out and help you."

　Kornilov ordered his men to launch a large number of flares, and saw the Germans charging forward, with dozens of tanks and armored vehicles at the front, and countless infantry units following behind.

"Fire! Fire away!"

　All the Russian artillery opened fire. The artillerymen set up a screen of fire, and the mortars kept firing until their barrels were warped. The infantrymen also threw in grenades and Molotov cocktails one after another, and machine guns mowed down the German infantry. Petrograd at night was dyed red with gunfire and filled with roaring noises.

　**

　The crossfire continued for several hours, but the Germans showed no signs of retreating.

(This is bad. Our allies are gradually becoming agitated. We have a lot of new recruits. They probably tire faster than the veteran German soldiers.)

　Kornilov's fears became reality, and finally a section of Mannerheim's corps guarding the right flank began to collapse under enemy fire.

"General Kornilov!"

　Mannerheim comes to Kornilov in a panic.

"Just one tank, please."

"You think you're going to mount and charge? That will turn into a counterattack?"

"that's right"

　Kornilov could not hide his disappointment when Mannerheim responded sarcastically with a straight face.

　There is a flow to a battle. Once defeat has taken hold, the defeated soldiers are useless. Even if one general tries his best, his lone struggle will not be enough to change the overall trend.

"In that case, I have an idea."

　It was Tatiana who came to Mannerheim's rescue.

"Please hold on for one more hour. I will turn the tide of the battle."

　While everyone was wondering what she was planning to do, Tatiana immediately made a phone call. It seemed she had asked for some kind of permission, but it turned out to be Tsar Nicholas himself. Kornilov and Mannerheim looked in disbelief at the outrageous move of waking up the Tsar in the middle of the night.

"We can't lose this. Well then, I'll borrow a tank. I'll also need some supporting artillery fire."

"Hey, Mannerheim!"

　Ignoring Kornilov's pleas to stop him, Mannerheim got into a nearby tank and ran toward the retreating infantry division.

"Look! It's a tank!"

　The retreating infantry units stopped in their tracks as they saw the tanks up close for the first time.

"I know you don't want to get shot! But if you retreat you will be shot! It's hell either way, but I have one option!"

　Mannerheim raised his fist and shouted to his soldiers.

"You're safe behind the tank! If you don't want to show your back to the enemy, follow my tank!"

　With that said, Mannerheim continues to advance towards the enemy forces. The soldiers present are taken aback for a moment, then look at each other and follow after Mannerheim.

　Fewer than ten soldiers would have been lucky enough to find shelter behind Mannerheim's tanks.

　However, when the retreating soldiers saw their commander yelling as he drove his tank into the enemy, followed by other soldiers, they mistakenly assumed that their allies were counterattacking. This was exactly what Mannerheim had intended.

"Counterattack!"

　Frunze, who quickly realized this intention, followed suit, and little by little, soldiers began to gather around Mannerheim, and eventually all of them stayed put and launched a counterattack. But the Germans held out, and finally an anti-tank gun shot through the tank Mannerheim was riding in.

(Those idiots...!)

　The death of a commander leads directly to a drop in morale. Kornilov, who was checking the situation through binoculars, was yelling abuse, but Mannerheim seemed to have been lucky to survive. Frunze, who was doing a tank descent, was also saved by running Tukhachevsky over. Tukhachevsky was unlucky and seemed to have broken several bones.

(Even though he's an idiot, he seems to have good luck...)

　Not only that, but now Mannerheim, together with Frunze, began a counterattack on foot, the commander himself leading the charge, waving the fallen Russian Imperial flag.

"Get the artillery support going! Don't let those idiots get killed!"

　While Kornilov yells at the artillerymen on the phone, Mannerheim and Frunze advance forward, but the further they go the more intense the German resistance becomes.

　Just as Mannerheim's troops were about to stop counterattacking, a thunderous noise like the sky falling rang out.

"Huh --!?"

　The sound was so deafening, like nothing he had ever heard before, that Kornilov instinctively covered his ears.

"What?!"

　The next thing Kornilov saw was dozens, no, hundreds of white streaks flying from the sky above the friendly position toward the enemy position... They flew slowly in a parabola toward the German positions, and as they hit the ground, they again emitted a thunderous noise.

"This is His Majesty's imperial command! Use iron and fire, blood and flesh to defend yourself!"

　The commanding officer, General Fyodor Keller, shouted loudly above the roar. The nephew of Count Keller, hero of the Russo-Japanese War, he was slender, tall, brave and loyal. He was a modern-day knight and one of the few commanders the emperor trusted.

"Don't give a single inch of land to the enemy! Use all your troops and firepower to defend the capital!"

　At this time, the mysterious flying object that appeared to provide support turned out to be a rocket grenade that was being treated as an experimental weapon by the Imperial Russian Army. This was the rocket grenade that Dr. Tsiolkovsky had confirmed its effectiveness on the Western Front, and after a spectacular performance, Nikolai had given him permission to mass-produce it, even though it was only a prototype.

Political factors were one of the factors that made mass production possible, but a major factor was that the design was extremely simple, unlike new weapons such as tanks and airships.

　All that's needed is an iron rail to carry the rockets and a truck to transport them. The launcher is made by arranging the iron rails like a rope on the bed of the truck, and then supporting it with a support frame to adjust the direction and firing angle, and it's almost complete.

　The Imperial Russian Army, which had a shortage of vehicles, often used simplified horse-drawn carriages instead of cars.

　The soldiers who handled them did not have many special skills, unlike those who handled tanks.

　Rockets are unguided and generally do not have a sight, so the firing angle is calculated from the weight and range of the rocket used and it is fired in an approximate direction.

　Since accuracy cannot be expected, this drawback is compensated for by firing a large number of rockets at once. The role of the soldier is limited to simple tasks such as moving and replenishing the rockets.

　In any case, perhaps for these reasons, Tatiana obtained permission to use the rocket forces from her father, Nicholas II, and immediately began organizing the unit.

　Even though it was called "organization," all it involved was equipping each unit with a vehicle equipped with rockets (ironically named Katyusha, just like the history that Nicholas II, aka Stalin, knew), and giving instructions for movement, ignition, and replenishment of the rockets in specified directions.

　Although the Katyusha rocket troops were hastily assembled using a large number of conscripted soldiers, they were able to achieve some success and were a powerful force in the battles. The barrage of rockets filled the darkness of the night and rained down on the heads of enemy soldiers, causing great psychological damage to the German soldiers.

　And so the endless gunfight and artillery firefight began again.

Mannerheim and Frunze led the infantry, Wrangel's tanks charged, and Kerrer's artillery and rocket troops supported them. Kornilov, who was in command of the entire army, would personally ride horseback to the front lines if necessary, while Kuropatkin would deliver the necessary supplies from the rear.

　But still――

(It's still not enough...)