MEETING THE CAPTAIN

"What did you say?."

"Sir, I just said that the negotiations were successful and they want to make you an independent commander in this war."

Well, that is quite the news now since it is quite uncommon for governments to give complete command to some unknown person since there is a chance of betrayal from them, but if I think about Russia's situation, I do not think it is impossible. for them to do it since they have such a large army and land that I cannot win it with just 1000 soldiers, and even they know it too, so they will just consider me as a mercenary who will just follow their main orders and nothing else.

"Bring me to the captain, Dmitri."

"Yes sir."

After thinking about it, I went to see the captain since I have to follow the protocols and also ask him about the current situation.

"Hello, captain Dmitri, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, lieutenant colonel."

[You got 5 prestige points.]

[CURRENT BALANCE-735]

"Well, captain, I think time is essence, so can you tell me what the Russian government replied and how they are going to handle us, and why did you call me a lieutenant colonel?."

"Well, sir, I called you lieutenant colonel because the government has decided to include this battalion in the Russian army and to give you the rank of lieutenant colonel with my 500 comrades as additional support to this battalion, which will have many benefits. For example, by doing this, we can provide you with logistics openly; moreover, we can also share some military information with you, and it can also help in publicizing you since your government had asked for it."

"How will it help in making me seen on television?."

"Actually, sir, according to Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code, it outlaws mercenaries and their financing. Moreover, Article 208 outlaws all armed formations not stipulated in federal law, and a similar prohibition is found in Article 13 of the Russian Constitution, so if we introduce you as a mercenary, then our decision will be questioned in court, but if we make you an officer in the army, then there will be no trouble for both of us."

"Well, I got the point, but I do not like the title of the lieutenant colonel. Can you change it to commander captain?."

"No problem, sir; it will be done."

"Well, now can you tell me about the ongoing war and what is our army's progress?."

"Well, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from Ukraine and supported pro-Russian separatists fighting the Ukrainian military in the Donbas War. These first eight years of conflict also included naval incidents and cyberwarfare. In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and began occupying more of the country, starting the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II."

"And the progress is like this after Russian forces initiated a full-scale invasion of the nation and successfully occupied more territory throughout the country. However, after continued fierce Ukrainian resistance, coupled with logistical challenges (e.g., the stalled Russian Kyiv convoy), the Russian Armed Forces announced their withdrawal from Chernihiv, Kyiv, Sumy, and Zhytomyr oblasts in early April.

In early September 2022, Ukrainian forces ended the months-long stalemate on the front lines with a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, inflicting a major defeat on Russian forces by forcing their retreat. Then later in November, Ukrainian forces once again achieved a major success with a southern counteroffensive retaking the city of Kherson on 11 November.

On 30 September 2022, Russia announced the annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, despite only occupying part of the claimed territory. The UN General Assembly responded by passing a resolution rejecting this annexation as illegal and upholding Ukraine's right to territorial integrity.

Before 2022, Russia occupied 42,000 km2 (16,000 sq mi) of Ukrainian territory (Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk) and occupied an additional 119,000 km2 (46,000 sq mi) after its full-scale invasion by March 2022, for a total of 161,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi), or almost 27% of Ukraine's territory. By 11 November 2022, the Institute for the Study of War calculated that Ukrainian forces had liberated an area of 74,443 km2 (28,743 sq mi) from Russian occupation, leaving Russia with control of about 18% of Ukraine's territory. During the entire 2023, the Russian forces only captured 518 km2 (200 sq mi) of Ukrainian territory, despite huge losses on the battlefield, and that is the general situation commander."

"Well, I think the situation is quite delicate for us, so did the government have any orders for me, or should I follow my own free will?"

"Yes, the government has orders for you to follow the commander, and that is, 'You have to go to the Kursk region since our spies got the information that the Ukrainian soldiers will try to attack that region and will try to flank us from that region'. So commander, what are your orders for it?."

"What orders can I give? Just follow the orders, recall all the soldiers from the region, and then do a speed march to the Kursk region, but first, do you have any maps of the Kursk region?."

"Yes, sir, I do have a map.

He gave me a military-style map of the Kursk region.

"Sir, you see the map, and in the mean time I will recall all soldiers and make them ready for the movement."

After the young captain left, I started to look at the map and got to know that the region occupies the southern slopes of the middle-Russian plateau. The surface is hilly and intersected by ravines. The central part of the oblast is more elevated than the Seym river valley in the west. The average elevation is 177–225 m (581–738 ft), and the Timsko-Shchigrinsky ridge contains the highest point at 288 m (945 ft) above sea level. The low relief, gentle slopes, and mild winters make the area suitable for farming, and much of the forest has been cleared. Chernozem soils cover around 70% of the oblast, and podsol soils cover 26%; chernozem is among the best soils for agriculture, and podsol is among the worst.

Kursk Oblast contributes to two major drainage areas: the Dnieper River and the Don River (78% and 22%, respectively). There are 902 rivers and streams in the oblast, with a total length of approximately 8,000 km (5,000 mi). Major rivers include the Seym and the Psyol. The inland waters of Kursk oblast consist of 145 artificial lakes and about 550 small ponds, and you know what that means. I can use various strategies, for example. Hold the high ground. This is a tenet of classical mountain warfare, and the idea is that if the enemy doesn't have the high ground, they can't attack at will.

Use air assets. Air assets can play a decisive role in combat, especially in conjunction with ground forces.

Use high-altitude technologies. These can help with tracking enemy positions, directing artillery fire, and coordinating between infantry and armored units.

Prepare commanders: commanders should be able to anticipate, understand, and adapt to the physical demands of mountain environments.

Exploit opportunities: Units should measure risks and exploit opportunities to close with the enemy. 

But it still has some shortcomings, like poor road networks. Combat in mountainous areas often involves deployment across stretched-out battle sectors, starting from the lowest echelons, but if the road is not that developed, then I cannot deploy my troops freely, and it can lock my movement.

Poor weather conditions: Ground forces may still be needed in poor weather conditions. 

Bad terrain: I have to check if the terrain is good or is prone to landslides.

After thinking about it, I think I have to really do a force march so that I can place my troops strategically without any hindrance, and if the information is correct, then I have to get air superiority and heavy artillery in that region since it will greatly help me to win the war.

"Hey system, can you get me some night vision and thermal vision goggles for the entire army, including our new comrades, from some good companies?"

[YES, HOST, YOU CAN GET THEM FOR JUST 200 PRESTIGE POINTS. ARE YOU WILLINGLY TO BUY THEM?]

"Yes, I want to buy them, but can you give me the goggles of the newly joined personal since I do not want to make them feel that we messed with their backpack?"

[YES, HOST, I CAN DO IT]

"Very well, then you can proceed."

[TRANSACTION COMPLETE THE ARMY WILL GET THEIR GOGGLES IN THEIR BACKPACK NOW EXCEPT FOR THE NEWLY JOINED PERSONELS] 

[CURRENT BALANCE-1535]

Now I am ready for it. I just...

"Sir, we got a shipment of drones of the latest model. What are your orders to deal with this?."

Suddenly, when I was correcting my flaws in my strategy, a soldier suddenly came to me and disrupted my thought process.