When the fierce battle had been at its height, Lelouch had been busy directing the soldiers of the communications platoon to transmit firing correction data for the bombardment. He had had no time to observe the situation on the battlefield, so many details had been temporarily overlooked.
Now that the battle was finally over, he calmed down and carefully reconstructed the engagement in his mind. Very quickly, he discovered a few unusual clues:
“Right. Just now, our army used heavy firepower on the level of 150mm guns to bombard the enemy. Why was there no countermeasure from them at all? Didn’t they have a cruiser providing fire support? I remember that ship was there all day yesterday, and it was there this morning too. Why did it vanish at the critical moment? There has to be some scheme behind this!”
Lelouch still did not dare be certain, so he hurriedly asked the officer in charge of reconnaissance and observation:
“Lieutenant Barak, do you remember whether, when we were shelling the Bilijin army just now, the enemy used heavy guns of the 150mm class to fire back? Was that cruiser still out at sea?”
Lieutenant Barak thought back for a moment. “That’s right! At the time, the observation post I’d placed in the church bell tower indeed didn’t see any sign of the warship!”
“Then what do you think that means? Could they have run out of shells?” Colonel Lister asked with great concern.
Lelouch shook his head decisively. “I don’t think that’s very likely. Their cumulative ammunition expenditure shouldn’t be that high—I suspect it was sent to carry out a more important mission.”
The colonel said, “A more important mission?”
Lelouch said, “I don’t dare make a definite judgment, but could it be that they’ve been frightened by our attacks, believe annihilating our breakout is already hopeless, and have instead decided to evacuate the Bilijin army by sea?”
Lelouch’s words immediately caused an uproar in the regimental operations room. Clearly, not many people believed him.
“How many people can one cruiser carry? Besides, Ostend doesn’t even have a proper harbor.”
Lelouch also knew that what he had said lacked evidence, so he could only humbly accept everyone’s doubts for the time being, while his mind continued to calculate rapidly.
The reason such a strange conjecture had suddenly popped into his head was entirely because, for an instant, he felt that the current situation resembled the Dunkirk evacuation from Earth’s history far too much. And the navy on the other side was also Britannian… wait!
At that thought, a piece of information suddenly flashed through Lelouch’s mind:
“It’s 1914 now. Isn’t the Britannian naval minister that Woden Spencer? I remember that later, he was forced to resign and take responsibility because he lost the Dardanelles campaign. Then, twenty-seven years later, during the next world war, it was also he who had the real Dunkirk organized…”
Who would have thought! Who would have thought! Twenty-seven years early, and the opponent was still that fat man!
Was this fate?
If it was him, then nothing was strange anymore!
Seeing that he had still not responded after so long, the colonel could not help patting him on the shoulder. “Say whatever you’ve thought of. Don’t feel burdened. This is a discussion to begin with.”
Lelouch took a deep breath, then organized his words. “Indeed, one cruiser can’t evacuate three divisions, but I think it can at least evacuate the royal family and the senior cabinet members. At present, I can’t produce ironclad proof, but before the war, I read a great deal of public information from Britannia. I believe I have some understanding of that Britannian naval minister, Woden.
“He is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and he is also very willing to take risks. The disappearance of that Arethusa-class cruiser can also indirectly support my guess—right now, in the waters nearby, what naval mission could have higher priority than bombarding Nieuport on the spot and providing fire support for the Bilijin army? Most likely, only rescuing the king!”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
From a rational perspective, the colonel also felt that this claim was far too far-fetched.
But considering that Lelouch had already shown two miraculous and precise insights before, and had even saved his regiment by relying on that keen perception, the colonel weighed it again and again, and was still willing to give him another chance to explain. “Personally, I’m willing to believe your judgment. Unfortunately, we can’t rely on this sort of conjecture to convince our superiors. And even if all of this is true, it’s already too late for us to intercept them, isn’t it?”
Lelouch nodded in admission. “Indeed! We can’t possibly intercept the king. If that Arethusa-class cruiser has already acted, then within three to five hours, it will definitely be able to pick up its passengers and leave the coastline controlled by the Imperial Army. As for the Imperial Navy, there’s no way it could arrive from Wilhelmshaven in time…
“But we can absolutely make use of this possibility to obtain other benefits. For example, we can request that division headquarters or army headquarters organize another batch of reconnaissance aircraft like this morning, and print a new batch of leaflets. The contents would say: ‘The Britannians have taken Albert I away. You Bilijin soldiers and officers left behind in Ostend have already been abandoned! Why are you still throwing away your lives for those despicable kings?’
“Right now, the morale of the Bilijin army has already sunk to the point of ‘refusing to attack, merely unwilling to surrender immediately.’ If we push them a little further, perhaps they’ll surrender outright! That would be a major achievement!”
The morale of the Bilijin people was already at the very last step before total collapse. At a time like this, if one gave them the tiniest spark, it was entirely possible to ignite it completely!
“So long as it succeeds, it means there’s a chance we can directly annihilate the entire Bilijin Army?” After understanding the possible gains from this move, the colonel at last became fired with excitement and decided to fully support Lelouch’s plan.
His only worry now was how to persuade his superiors.
But Lelouch’s next words very quickly dispelled his final doubts as well. “Sir! Are you still worried that insufficient evidence will prevent you from convincing the division commander? I think there’s no need to worry at all! We’re doing this to strike at the enemy’s morale in the first place. Even spreading rumors is fine! Since when does spreading rumors require evidence?
“If my guess is wrong, King Albert will definitely show himself to reassure the Bilijin army. At least that way, we’ll know the king hasn’t run. And we ourselves won’t suffer any losses. At most, our rumor will have forced out the truth.
“And if he can’t show himself to refute the rumor, then that proves we weren’t spreading a rumor. At that point, the Bilijin army’s morale will collapse completely!”
“Hiss—” Colonel Lister and all the officers in the regimental headquarters office sucked in a cold breath at Lelouch’s words.
Just how was this young man’s brain built?
How could he say something like “I was spreading rumors to begin with, so what need is there for evidence?” with such righteous conviction?
For an instant, a thought even flashed through the colonel’s mind: With your credibility, how do you have the nerve to call Minister Woden on the other side “unscrupulous”?
What they did not know was that when it came to playing dirty tricks… heh, in Lelouch’s previous life, he had been baptized by a world where rumor-making and rumor-refuting clashed at high intensity.
“All right. You’ve convinced me. I’ll send a telegram to division headquarters at once and request cooperation from above. But it’s already past three in the afternoon now. We definitely won’t have time to act today, so there’s no need to rush. We’ll get the reconnaissance aircraft and mimeographed leaflets prepared during the night, then act at first light tomorrow.
“Fortunately, the Bilijin army has already been thoroughly frightened out of its courage and refuses to launch another attack. Tonight should be easier to endure. We only need to hold against the French army’s attack from the west. Lelouch, focus on communicating with division headquarters about the psychological warfare. The other units will be responsible for defensive positions.”
The colonel finally made the decision and assigned tasks to the officers.
He was also considering that one might as well take a swing first, whether there were dates on the tree or not. In any case, even if the rumor was refuted, there would be no loss; if the fabrication succeeded, the gains would be enormous. So fabricate away!
In war, all was fair.
…
At the same time that Colonel Lister accepted Lelouch’s judgment and approved Lelouch’s plan.
In the city of Ostend, inside the temporary palace of Albert I, Lieutenant General Felix was also holding a telegram from Britannian naval minister Woden, urging the king to place the safety of the royal family first, and the nation first.
“No! I will never abandon my army and my people! Nor will I ever leave Bilijin soil! I will live or die with my land! And don’t you know that, at a crucial moment like this, if word gets out that I ran first, the army’s morale will directly and utterly collapse? You’re muddleheaded! This will ruin everything!”
After Albert I read the telegram, he threw it straight out and loudly rebuked his chief of staff.
Lieutenant General Felix did not even dare wipe the spittle from his face. He simply stood there quietly and listened until His Majesty was done scolding him.
Fortunately, however, before coming to submit this telegram, he had already discussed matters in private with Minister Woden of their friendly nation. He had also explained the king’s temperament and told Minister Woden not to get his hopes too high.
And the sly old fox Minister Woden had also rehearsed with him all the words to counter each possible response and persuade the king.
Thus, at this moment, after His Majesty’s anger had subsided slightly, Felix spoke in a very confident yet tactful manner. “Your Majesty need not worry about leaks. During the withdrawal, not the slightest thing about the ceremonial guard at the palace will be moved. From the outside, nothing abnormal will be visible. Everything will be kept absolutely secret.
“In addition, Minister Woden is extremely sincere. He said that so long as our army can hold out for a few more days, he will assemble a fleet to rescue as much of our entire army as possible. The Royal Navy of the Great Britannian Empire has that capability. Therefore, Your Majesty is not abandoning the officers and soldiers.
“It is only because Ostend’s waters are shallow and its harbor small, making it impossible for too many ships to berth at once. The large ships must also remain in distant waters while small boats ferry people across, so the withdrawal must be carried out in batches. Your Majesty would merely leave one or two days earlier than the other soldiers, that is all.
“Lastly, Minister Woden also said that he will not require Your Majesty to leave Bilijin territory. On this westward journey, the escort vessels will remain within twelve nautical miles of the Bilijin coast, sailing through our territorial waters the entire way. After reaching the boundary river on the Franco-Bilijin border, they will also turn inland and transfer to small boats bound for Ypres—
“The city of Ypres is currently garrisoned by the Britannian Expeditionary Force. Its military strength is formidable, and that place is our Bilijin territory. Your Majesty would merely be passing from our own territory through our own territorial waters to arrive at another piece of our own territory. How could that be called fleeing?”
The Ypres salient lay due south of Nieuport, Ostend, and De Panne, where all sides were currently fighting fiercely, and south of the flooded zone of the Yser River.
In Earth’s history, the Ypres salient had been jointly defended and held by the Britannian Expeditionary Force all the way until the end of the war in 1918, never completely falling. The Britannian and Demanian sides fought four major battles here, almost one every year. Both sides were like meat being ground up here, with nearly a million casualties. Even the incident in which that “Little Corporal with the Moustache” had his eyes injured by poison gas occurred during the Third Battle of Ypres.
This piece of land was roughly equivalent to five percent of Bilijin’s total territory. In history, the Bilijin people relied precisely on the fact that this small patch of land had not been lost to insist that their nation had not fallen, and that they were not a government in exile.
Thus, at this moment, when Albert I heard that Minister Woden of their friendly nation had considered things so thoroughly for him, and was only asking him to temporarily make a strategic transfer to Ypres, which was likewise part of his own country’s territory, rather than directly fleeing abroad, Albert I’s heart finally wavered.
“Very well. Since this is not fleeing, but continuing the resistance in another place, then I will listen to you and make a strategic transfer! If We do not leave, how would the other officers and soldiers dare leave first?” His Majesty the King finally made his sacred judgment.
Lieutenant General Felix said, “Your Majesty is wise. The light cruiser Undaunted of the Great Britannian Royal Navy is about to arrive. This subject will prepare the small ferry boats at once. When the time comes, we can quietly transfer aboard in the dead of night while the soldiers are asleep, without anyone knowing.”
Albert I waved his hand in disgust. “Arrange these details yourself.”
Lieutenant General Felix thought for a moment, then still asked one more question. “Then, shall Your Majesty personally draft the list of accompanying personnel?”
Albert I said, “Take only all members of the royal family and a small number of core guards. If there is any capacity left, you may arrange which officers leave first. Wounded officers can be given priority!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Having obtained the authority to draft the withdrawal list, Lieutenant General Felix could conveniently smuggle in his own preferences.
Two hours later, before midnight had even arrived, Albert I and the other leaders who were to be evacuated first had all been repeatedly ferried by small boats and safely boarded the cruiser Undaunted.
The cruiser quietly accelerated, doing its utmost not to let the boilers and smokestacks make too much noise, and absolutely not touching the whistle. In this way, it slipped away silently, sailing for Dunkirk before changing to small boats and turning toward Ypres.
…
At the same time that Albert I was making his strategic transfer.
The telegram of request sent by Lelouch in Colonel Lister’s name also reached the hands of Major General Karl Luitpold, commander of the 12th Division.
When Major General Karl saw this scheme of Lelouch’s, his level of shock was in no way inferior to Colonel Lister’s.
“Hiss—he actually doesn’t need to pay any price at all. Just by fabricating a rumor, he can throw a stone to test the waters and probe the enemy situation? If his luck is good and this rumor happens to hit the truth, there’s even a chance of making the entire Bilijin army collapse? Since when did that fellow Lister have so many ingenious stratagems and crafty ideas?
“There is definitely an extraordinary talent in his regiment! No! Not in him! It’s among that reconnaissance company and communications platoon that arrived earlier as the vanguard! Otherwise, there’s simply no way to explain how, before Lister even got there, they had already produced so many marvelous plans!”
For an instant, Major General Karl felt that this sensitivity toward conspiracy had already surpassed the limits of honorable Demanians.
But it had to be said that having such a person as a teammate was truly a fortunate thing.
“After the battle ends and Lister’s regiment is rescued, I must personally meet that miraculous junior officer! I’ll promote him to the highest possible rank! If his plan can truly force the main Bilijin force to surrender!”
The more Major General Karl thought about it, the more excited he became. He even could not help rubbing his hands together at a high frequency like a fly.
Who knew how many minutes he rubbed them for? Only when he felt his palms growing hot and aching did he come back to himself.
Then he hurriedly had the signaller help connect him to his elder brother, the commander of the 6th Army, crown prince of the Kingdom of Baria, general of the army, Duke Rupprecht.
Yesterday, when he contacted his elder brother, he had still used telegrams, but today it had already been changed to telephone. The main reason was that after another day of emergency construction, the signallers had already laid the emergency telephone branch line as well.
However, while working, one still had to use official titles. Thus, after the call connected, Major General Karl merely said, “Commander, the 16th Infantry Regiment inside the encirclement has discovered some new circumstances. The enemy’s upper leadership may have run. Perhaps we can turn their scheme against them and plan a possible countermeasure. The details are as follows…”
“Hiss… I approve! Execute it at once!”
On the other end of the telephone, Duke Rupprecht likewise sucked in a great breath of cold air after hearing it, then immediately gave his approval.
The reconnaissance aircraft that had only been borrowed yesterday did not need to be returned. The mimeograph machines would also have their contents changed and continue printing.
After a busy night, these preparations were finally completed.
At daybreak, the newly printed leaflets, fresh off the press, were once again scattered over the heads of the Bilijin defenders, spreading across the whole of Ostend.
The moment the Bilijin officers and soldiers received the leaflets, the place instantly exploded into chaos.
Countless soldiers surged toward the temporary palace, wanting to confirm whether His Majesty the King had truly run, and whether they had truly been abandoned.
—
P.S. This is four thousand five hundred characters. On Friday I have to take my child to see a doctor, and tomorrow I have to handle some follow-up procedures for my child’s school enrollment, so I combined it into one big chapter.
In addition, I’d like to announce two diviner readers, “Momo (Yun’ai) (Yundai)” and “Xiazhi Weilu” (forgive my limited education; I don’t even recognize the two characters in the parentheses, just that they have the cloud radical plus the character beside it).
They both thought of the follow-up scheme for attacking the enemy’s hearts and defeating them. I drew on their book reviews comprehensively to write such a brilliant conspiracy.
Everyone, please applaud.
New book seeking comments, follow-up reading, favorites, and monthly tickets. Many thanks.