Chapter 148: If Heaven Had Not Created Lelouch, Eternal Darkness Would Reign Over Yd
The long-range bombardment from the “Moltke”, “Goeben”, “Wittelbach”, and “Mecklenburg” caused enormous psychological panic among the defenders in Odessa city.
Just the firepower of 20 280mm guns and 8 240mm guns certainly couldn’t cause much substantial damage to half an Army Group.
But the appearance of the Germania battlecruisers could indirectly confirm a serious problem, that the Lusha Black Sea Fleet had definitely lost control of the entire Black Sea!
This was an association that ordinary soldiers could easily make, and once such associations began to spread, the impact on the morale of the entire army would be extremely destructive.
“I heard the Germania Fleet has already arrived outside the port! The Black Sea Fleet’s main force was annihilated by the Germanians in one fell swoop!”
“Oh my god, that’s terrifying. Weren’t our naval forces in the Black Sea always able to crush our opponents? The enemy only has 2 strong battlecruisers, and the other ships are all outdated junk. With our 2 new battleships, 2 ‘Svyatoy Evstafiy’ class, and so many auxiliary ships, we still can’t beat the Germanians’ few ships?”
“Who knows! The Germanians’ air raid a few days ago seriously weakened our fleet’s combat power. And I heard the Germanians somehow got our mine deployment map through a traitor, so they knew where our safe sea lanes were and could infiltrate close to the port to sneak attack us!
Otherwise, how could a vital position like the Dniester River Estuary yesterday be infiltrated by the enemy for a landing? It’s because the navy had a traitor, the Black Sea Fleet had a traitor. You all know those damned sailors in the navy have always been the most opposed to the Tsar, mutinying and causing trouble at the drop of a hat. These Lusha traitors definitely want to collaborate from inside and out to surrender to the enemy!”
Such panicked remarks quickly spread among the Lusha Army defenders in Odessa.
No way around it, they couldn’t imagine that the enemy had invented a new mine sweeping weapon with efficiency and reliability several times better than the old-fashioned sweeping cable.
The Germanians’ secrecy work on this new mine sweeping weapon was also done very well.
Since they couldn’t explain how the enemy broke through the minefield or sneak attacked the Lusha Black Sea Fleet, bystanders naturally guessed towards “there are traitors among the sailors.”
The officers inside the Lusha Fleet all had their own mine deployment map, knowing where the mines were and where they weren’t, and the safe sea lanes reserved for entering and exiting the port. The enemy suddenly charging in naturally meant someone deliberately leaked the mine deployment map to the enemy.
The remnants of the Romanian Front Army’s 6th Army Group stationed in Odessa soon experienced chain-reaction wavering, no longer able to launch strikes, go south to rescue, or link up with the 3 friendly armies stuck in the original Romanian border defense zone.
The Odessa city defense troops, in this state of panic, could consider it very good just to hold the city.
And the Germanians would naturally seize this opportunity to launch a fierce attack on the 3 armies half-encircled in the south.
……
August 1, dusk.
That is, 20 hours after the complete annihilation of the Lusha Black Sea Fleet, and also 9 hours after the Odessa Port was bombarded by the Germania Fleet.
One airship flew back from the Odessa front line to the 6th Army Group’s outpost headquarters in Altziitz city.
Few readers would have heard of the place name Altziitz city. But knowing that it is already 70 kilometers from the Germania Army’s previous strike base Borhrad city, 70 kilometers from the Dniester River Estuary, and 110 kilometers in straight-line distance from Odessa city, that’s enough.
In a word, it is a midpoint exactly between the Germania Army’s frontal assault troops’ strike point and the Dniester Estuary.
By the night of August 1, the Baria 2nd and 3rd Armies under the 6th Army had advanced 70 kilometers deep into enemy territory.
And a day and a half ago, they had only advanced just over 30 kilometers; in the latest day and a half, the advance speed doubled again, pushing 9 kilometers in the afternoon of the 31st, and a full 24 kilometers on August 1!
24 kilometers in a day was basically no different from marching; the enemy’s resistance had been essentially disintegrated, with only groups of soldiers continuously fleeing rearward, unable to organize any proper defense.
Clearly, the Lushans of these three armies on the frontal defenses more or less knew that the Germania Army had landed behind them; they were also fearing the possibility of encirclement and other potential unfavorable situations, already lacking any will to fight, which was why they retreated so quickly.
In Altziitz city, since it had only just been occupied, the airship couldn’t moor here; no mooring tower had been built yet.
The airship could only hover over the city, find an open space, and have the passengers jump with parachutes. Or if the ground was open enough, rope descent was also possible.
Lelouch chose to jump.
A winged parachute slowly unfurled in the air, then precisely controlled its direction, finally landing on the ground.
In the distance, a kindly fifty-year-old man in a marshal’s uniform holding a marshal’s scepter came forward to greet him; it was the 6th Army Group Commander, Baria Crown Prince Marshal Rupprecht.
He naturally patted Lelouch’s shoulder and back:
“Well done, the landing was successful. Now the 3 Lusha armies on our front have completely fallen into fear. I heard you also did well on the sea surface? Did Admiral Spee heavily damage the Lusha Black Sea Fleet?
In the future, anyone can handle this kind of good news reporting; no need for you to personally go back and forth, even jumping with a parachute—it’s too risky. Just stay at the landing site and wait for us to link up after we advance.”
The duke’s words started with the joy of shared victory in the first half, then naturally shifted in the second half to concern for Lelouch’s safety.
This kid Lelouch was now the empire’s most precious treasure; there couldn’t be any mishaps.
His brain was worth several Army Groups, or even several more fleets.
However, since Lelouch rushed back to the rear just 10 hours after the fleet returned and bombarded, there must be a reason.
Because in these short 10 hours, he had come up with another poisonous scheme to further accelerate the enemy army’s collapse and expand the victory.
The thing needed for the stratagem was in this iron box hanging on his chest—he had strapped a flat iron box to his bandolier when jumping.
He opened the lid of the iron box, first took out one of the less tightly sealed kraft paper bags from inside, and handed it to the duke:
“I rushed back this time because I discovered some more clever ways to break the enemy that need to be implemented urgently. Inside here are photos just developed last night on the warship, taken by the navy photographer.
They include photos of the ‘Imperatritsa Mariya’, ‘Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya’, and ‘Svyatoy Evstafiy’ during their sinking. Print multiple copies of these three photos, add text, drop them on the positions of the several armies currently facing us, and then on the Odessa city defense troops’ defense zone; it will definitely deal a major blow to the enemy’s morale.”
Duke Rupprecht’s eyes lit up again, then he laughed and cursed: “You kid! How many times is this, the same trick again! But I like it; no matter how old the tactic, as long as it’s effective, as long as it can strike the enemy’s morale and will to fight!
In the future, when you go to war, you really should have a dedicated photographer with you the whole time; publicize as soon as you have photos, publish them in the 《Berlin Daily》!”
Lelouch didn’t be modest this time, instead boldly and unreservedly agreeing: “Of course, after all, I’m the Deputy Director of the Imperial War Department’s Propaganda Bureau, in charge of external propaganda work. Dropping photos to strike enemy morale—isn’t that exactly my job? I still have that professional sensitivity.”
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter, making the duke’s mind heat up; he even wanted to propose marriage right now.
After speaking, Lelouch took another small bag sealed very tightly from the iron box; inside were the film strips just processed with fixer but not yet printed.
He pointed to the film bag: “What’s shot inside are scenes from this morning when our fleet bombarded Odessa. From the ‘Wittelbach’, shooting the heroic posture of the ‘Moltke’ and ‘Goeben’ firing, and the Odessa Port area barracks being leveled in raging flames.
With these photos, it’s enough to prove the Black Sea Fleet is completely unable to resist us, and also prove our warships have sailed into the waters near Odessa.”
The duke looked at the undeveloped film thoughtfully: “This is certainly uplifting, but we already have photos showing the sinking of the enemy’s 3 main battleships, which can also indirectly confirm the Black Sea Fleet is finished, right? This is just slightly adding icing on the cake?”
Lelouch immediately pointed out: “No no no, it’s completely different! Your Highness, think about it: the focus of these photos isn’t that the Black Sea Fleet is powerless to fight back, but that ‘our warships can directly sail to outside Odessa Port’—what does that mean? It means our mine sweeping work was done very well, means the enemy’s proud mine blockade zone has failed!
Just at noon today, I was still on the ‘Goeben’ and received a message from Lieutenant Colonel Rommel, the deputy division commander of the Dniester Estuary War Zone on shore, saying that in combat with the defending enemy in Ovidiopol south of Odessa city, he annihilated several enemy regiments again and captured that town; the enemy morale was very low.
During emergency interrogation of captured enemy officers, he accidentally discovered a piece of news: among the Ovidiopol defenders, many were saying the Black Sea Fleet had a traitor, that sailors are easily swayed by anti-Tsar ideas, so someone must have betrayed the country and surrendered, selling the secrets, which is why our army broke through the mine blockade!
It’s not surprising that the Ovidiopol defenders had such thoughts when reversed; they personally witnessed our army’s sudden successful landing at the Dniester River Estuary before, later heard about the bombardment of Odessa, and their own coastal positions were also subjected to close-range bombardment by our pre-dreadnoughts.
They had enough time to slowly ponder and figure out the reasoning behind it—though this reasoning is wrong.
But we can seize the enemy’s such inference mentality and expand its application. Not every unit of the Lusha Romanian Front Army personally experienced a landing sneak attack and two close coastal bombardments. Those who didn’t experience it wouldn’t think of ‘there are traitors in the navy, willing to betray the country to oppose the Tsar.’
So what we need to do is spread the unfavorable messages that only a very few enemy minds have imagined, as much as possible, so as many enemy troops as possible have such thoughts.
Once such a situation arises, how much morale will the enemy have left to hold out to the end? They’ll first think the army was betrayed by the navy! At that point, the collapse of these 3 armies in front of us is imminent. Once our army encircles and wipes out these 3 armies in the pocket, links up, then launches a thunderous assault on Odessa. With the panic in Odessa city, the enemy won’t be able to stand firm.”
The more Lelouch spoke, the brighter Duke Rupprecht’s eyes became, his eyes widening larger, and his breathing gradually becoming heavier.
He could fully imagine that once the Romanian Front Army’s officers and soldiers really believed they were sold out by the navy, with many inside betraying the country to oppose the Tsar, how heavy the blow to morale would be!
It would be like fighting desperately on the front line while being stabbed in the back by their own people! Not having the army morale collapse outright would be considered minor.
And all this… was just because Lelouch invented a new mine sweeping tool!
Duke Rupprecht was dumbfounded, muttering to himself: “I’m such a fool… really, I only thought this bottom-scraping heavy mine-clearing chain was just a new weapon that made mine sweeping efficiency several times higher.
How didn’t I think that using the minesweeping chain well, combined with secrecy work so the enemy can’t figure out how our army broke through the minefield, could lure the enemy into wild thoughts, thinking there was a traitor in the navy! This is a divine stratagem combining frontal breakthrough and psychological warfare!”
Too insidious!
If heaven hadn’t borne Lelouch, eternal darkness would cover the world forever!
This was truly shooting shadows with hidden sand, fooling people to death without suspicion.
“Immediately! Right now, develop these photos, then mimeograph as many as possible! Add explanatory text on the back, openly telling the enemy that a high-ranking general in the Lusha Black Sea Fleet voluntarily surrendered to us, so the Lusha Army shouldn’t die in vain! They can’t win!”
The duke issued thunderous orders, making the propaganda soldiers ensure that within one night, they printed as many photos and back-text explanations as possible, and at dawn, have airships drop them over the enemy defense zones.
……
The next day, early morning of August 2, over the defense zone of the 3 Lusha armies between Altziitz city and the Dniester River Estuary.
Corps Commander Denikin, with stubble and lifeless eyes, looked at the sky, his mind unclear what he was thinking.
His corps headquarters was crudely set up in a wild field, with just a few tents and nothing else. Inside the tents were nothing but drafting tables and radio telegraphs.
To dispel his inner depression, Corps Commander Denikin was rarely smoking a precious Cuban cigar, inhaling deeply each time. His usual shredded tobacco couldn’t satisfy him anymore.
He had retreated for several days straight; originally it was supposed to be just to consume the enemy, lure them deep, and when the enemy’s logistics supplies couldn’t keep up, the army could naturally stabilize the defense line or even counterattack opportunistically.
But how did the situation turn into this? The enemy landed behind them, seized the docks and Dniester River Estuary; the enemy could fully obtain supplies via Black Sea sea routes, so the “elongate enemy land supply line” tactic they hoped for couldn’t work at all, because the enemy didn’t need to travel by land the whole way.
They only needed to travel that short segment from Black Sea coastal ports and docks to the inland. As for the roads connecting inland county towns, it didn’t matter if they were destroyed badly; the enemy simply wouldn’t use them.
Then what was the point of their scorched earth destruction and digging pits all the way during every retreat?
Hadn’t it become purely destroying the living facilities of the people surviving on this land?
Denikin felt deep wavering.
And at that moment, a nearby guard rushed towards him, loudly warning and pulling him back from his reverie:
“Corps Commander, careful! Get into cover! Enemy airship coming!”
The guard shouted while forcibly dragging Corps Commander Denikin into a makeshift air raid shelter temporarily dug into the trench side wall.
Denikin’s knee slammed hard into the trench corner during the dragging, making him grimace in pain.
Another airship air raid? The thought vaguely arose in Denikin’s mind.
Everyone tensed waiting for the bombs to fall, but after a long wait, until the airship’s faint engine noise gradually receded and disappeared, no whistling descent of bombs or explosions came.
“What’s going on?”
“The Germanians didn’t bomb us! They’re dropping photos! With text on the back!”
Soon, bold soldiers poked their heads out to check, then noticed the mimeographed photos fluttering everywhere.
The ink roller-printed stuff was very unclear, but enough to make out roughly; many immediately recognized that the sinking ship in the photo was indeed an “Imperatritsa Mariya” class battleship, and the bombarded scene was indeed Odessa Port.
The Romanian Front Army’s headquarters was in Odessa; too many officers and soldiers were extremely familiar with the scenes there.
When Corps Commander Denikin heard the soldiers’ whispers, he immediately realized something was wrong.
“Bad! No looking at the photos dropped by the Germanians! Confiscate them all!”
But it was already too late. When Denikin tried to control the situation, rumors had already spread in the already extremely low-morale army at terrifying speed.
The enemy’s psychological warfare viciousness was just like in Ostend collapsing the last 3 Belgian divisions’ morale, and like in Ypres collapsing the Belgian Expeditionary Force’s morale.
This was already the third time.
In messing with the enemy’s mentality, Lelouch was the most professional.
Who let him speak the truth: the Lusha Navy’s minefield indeed didn’t stop the Germania Fleet. Lelouch just embellished the reason a bit.
Such rumors where the facts completely match, with only the motive explanation nine parts true and one false, have the most shocking lethality.
That morning, when the 6th Army’s Baria 2nd and 3rd Armies launched another frontal offensive, Denikin’s army and the two adjacent ones simply couldn’t hold, retreating even faster than before.
In desperation, Denikin had to abandon the holdout plan and discuss breakout plans with his colleagues.
“With morale and situation like this now, hoping to forcibly break through the Dniester River defense line back to Odessa is almost impossible. Better to breakout due north, head to the Dniester River upstream.
The Germania landing troops deployed at the Dniester River Estuary can’t endlessly go upstream against the current, right? As long as we run fast enough, we can definitely go around to positions the enemy hasn’t reached yet and escape the encirclement.”
Denikin suggested this to his colleagues.
The other two unnamed supporting role corps commanders, after a brief discussion, also felt Denikin had a point.
They just had one concern, worrying: “The roads in the Bessarabia Region are bad to begin with; if withdrawing directly to Odessa, at least there’s a main road for marching.
If detouring upstream along the Dniester River to run fast, many heavy equipment can’t be taken; should we let the enemy capture the cannons? Or destroy them ourselves?
Also, if pursued by the enemy in that terrain, the troops will scatter even faster, impossible to stop.”
Denikin gritted his teeth, finally persuading: “Heavy cannons and other supplies definitely can’t be taken; to breakout, to run faster than the landing troops behind us, traveling light is a must! But cannons really can’t aid the enemy; stuff them all with grenades in the gun barrel and blow them up.
As for pursuit, I don’t think we need to worry too much; bad terrain affects enemy and us equally; our army traveling light on foot withdrawing, the enemy might go even slower than us, unable to catch up!”
The two supporting role colleagues, hearing this made sense, then followed Denikin’s lead.
That night, these 3 Lusha armies half-encircled by the Baria 2nd and 3rd Armies and the Dniester River landing troops started self-destructing cannons and fleeing lightly equipped to breakout.
……
The next morning, Duke Rupprecht had just gotten up and finished washing and dressing.
He wanted to ask his subordinate Baria 2nd Army Corps Commander Lieutenant General Richt about the morning’s offensive situation.
As a result, when Corps Commander Richt came in, the duke was still spreading butter on bread slices, with an orderly nearby adding milk to coffee and slowly stirring.
Sitting next to the duke was a young colonel officer, young and handsome to an outrageous degree.
After finishing buttering the bread, the duke saw his subordinate enter, so he didn’t rush to eat himself but first handed it to Lelouch, then leisurely asked:
“Tell me, is today’s offensive expected to be smoother than yesterday?”
Corps Commander Richt took a deep breath, saying excitedly: “Your Highness, if you’re interested, you can go see for yourself; the enemy has run, the front positions are empty! Yesterday’s propaganda war had an amazing effect! Definitely the enemy morale completely collapsed, so they’re just thinking of breaking out.”
“What?” The duke abruptly stood, quickly turning to look at Lelouch. He had thought the blow to enemy morale would definitely be good, but hadn’t expected it to be this good.
Lelouch was very calm, still stuffing buttered bread into his mouth. Seeing him like this, the duke got annoyed.
“Eat eat eat! All you know is eat; the enemy ran and you don’t quickly think of ways to expand the victory, better pursue the enemy army! Capture as many prisoners as possible!”
