Chapter 189: Make Nicholas’s Infamy Known From Ireland To Khitan
Lelouch’s stratagem received the Duke’s approval that very evening. The next day, the relevant propaganda machine began operating methodically, spreading the messages that Lelouch hoped to disseminate.
At the same time, the other two small poisonous schemes he arranged at the military level were also secretly laid out. No need to elaborate for now; results are expected within ten days to half a month.
Just two or three days later, related rumors began circulating in the vast hinterland of Lusha. Several reports showing “Kievan Rus’ front line troops fighting bloodily and stopping the Germania Army from continuing north along the Dnieper River” were also published in mainstream newspapers in Lusha.
The morale of the Lusha Army also temporarily saw a certain recovery and boost, just like first eating bait laced with stimulants, briefly perking up.
The relevant news eventually reached Tsar Nicholas II’s ears as Lelouch had expected—reportedly mentioned during a palace chat by the Tsar’s favored charlatan Rasputin while congratulating the Tsar.
That charlatan said the Germanians’ continued northward offensive had failed due to Heaven’s Will, making this year’s autumn rains in the Dnieper River basin particularly heavy, causing water levels in all tributaries of the Dnieper River to surge, lakes and marshes everywhere to deepen, and surrounding lands to become more muddy, thus blocking the enemy.
Nicholas II was genuinely in a better mood for several days because of this.
But soon, with another piece of bad news from the front line, Nicholas II’s good mood was shattered again, plummeting to rock bottom.
This day was around October 30th.
Nicholas II, as usual, handled state affairs inside the Winter Palace, uninterested in the sights and sounds of the outside streets.
But his two princesses, Olga and Tatiana, could not stand the boredom and took a cart in plain clothes to wander around Petersburg city, visiting their noble girlfriends.
While passing near the coal market in Petersburg city, Olga and Tatiana personally witnessed a scramble, with carts, horses, oxen, and mules crowding the road completely blocked.
“What’s going on ahead?” Tatiana couldn’t help asking the coachman.
The coachman couldn’t answer immediately, so he inquired a bit and confirmed before cautiously reporting:
“Your Highness, it seems due to the front line battles, it triggered a rush to stockpile coal for winter ahead of time. I heard coal prices tripled in one day today, and it’s only just past noon; who knows how much it’ll rise by evening.”
The two princesses, not very familiar with the sufferings of the common people, were quite shocked upon hearing this: “What? Why did coal prices suddenly rise so much?”
Coachman: “I heard that the day before yesterday, the city of Donbas in the south was captured by a Germania Division Commander named Rommel. Ninety percent of the Empire’s remaining coal comes from there. The news of Donbas falling reached Petersburg and Moscow only last night, and people started queuing to grab coal this morning. There are also many profiteers wanting to hoard, corner the market, and withhold sales.
There is still some stock of coal on the market now, but at most only enough for two or three tenths of the citizens’ winter minimum needs. At least seven or eight tenths of urban residents will have no coal for heating this winter and will have to find ways to burn firewood.”
Olga and Tatiana were dumbfounded upon hearing this, but curiosity still drove them to continue watching the situation.
Finally, by that evening, when the coal market was completely sold out and ransacked, the last transaction price had risen to six times the previous day’s!
Whenever there is a grain shortage or a shortage of heating energy that will freeze people to death if not used, prices do not rise just a little.
It’s not that when “grain is only enough to feed 90% of the population with a 10% shortfall,” the grain price only rises 10%.
Because the prices of these daily necessities are usually at a low level, but once unmet they lead to death, prices will inevitably skyrocket.
If grain is only enough to feed 90% of the population, then the grain price must rise to ensure that “the poorest 10% of the population can’t afford grain and starve to death directly.”
In a country like Lusha where winters are very cold, coal is the same. So almost overnight, coal prices on the Petersburg market skyrocketed sixfold due to fear of future expectations.
And this isn’t over; they could continue to rise later.
When returning to the Winter Palace that evening, Olga and Tatiana both had sorrowful faces, with none of the joy of going out to play with girlfriends visible.
During dinner, Nicholas II noticed his daughters’ unusual expressions.
He originally didn’t care to bother, as at this point who still minds children’s little moods. But his two eldest daughters’ expressions were so uniformly grave that it made him think more and kindly ask a few questions.
Olga and Tatiana did not hide from their father, unanimously telling him truthfully about the coal prices skyrocketing sixfold that they witnessed today.
Nicholas II was greatly shocked upon hearing this.
Of course, he knew about the fall of Donbas earlier than his daughters. He also knew that the newly conscripted reserve troops in the Donbas region simply couldn’t stop that young Germania armored officer named Rommel.
Even the valiant Cossacks on the eastern steppes were helpless against those enemies.
However, Nicholas II’s mind had been preoccupied with military affairs these past few days, still thinking about how to mobilize troops to plug leaks or counterattack, at least to minimize losses.
So he hadn’t had time to understand the civilian situation on the market until now, learning this detail from his daughters’ mouths.
Details from life around him always give the most vivid shock, far more intuitive than the cold casualty numbers on reports.
Nicholas II’s face was extremely ugly, thinking that just the day before yesterday Rasputin had told him that the heavy autumn rains in the south were God’s will.
It was God intending to save Lusha from being steamrolled by the Germanians, buying time to help the Entente Powers rush production to close the technology gap and produce their own mass-produced armored fighting vehicles.
Now thinking that the front line troops were so disappointing, even with Heaven helping him, they still lost and retreated so quickly, gratuitously handing Donbas to the enemy—it was simply unforgivable!
Nicholas II stewed in silence for a while, then ordered an investigation into the front line situation, why they abandoned Dnepro City initially, allowing the enemy to occupy a railway junction leading to Donbas.
If they had firmly held Dnepro City back then, it wouldn’t have been so easy for the enemy to go to Donbas!
His close ministers immediately followed the imperial decree to organize a military investigation, but this matter wouldn’t have a clear conclusion without a few days, so he could only wait dryly.
On the other side, after hearing about the coal price surge, Nicholas II was restless these few days. The next day, he found a way to travel incognito discreetly, personally sending people to investigate coal market price changes on the market.
The result was worse than he had imagined.
During the three days waiting for the investigation results, coal prices continued to rise, finally closing at 20 times the October 28th coal price! Simply outrageous!
Of course, this was also because coal’s original base price was too low.
As a basic civilian fuel, coal was worthless before shortages.
It had to rise dozens of times to ensure the poor couldn’t afford to burn it even tightening their belts, couldn’t burn it and freeze to death. This squeezes out the less urgent moisture on the demand side.
This shocking figure finally made Nicholas II thoroughly furious.
And at the same time, the investigation results came out: the fall of Dnepro City and subsequently Donbas was mainly the fault of the former Romanian Front Army Commander, later demoted to 6th Army Group Commander for ineffective combat, General Alexei Evert.
This man repeatedly shied from battle, evaded the enemy, deserted in the face of the enemy; the cities he held weren’t even encircled yet, but he didn’t dare hold to the death, fearing encirclement and breaking out early, unwilling to fight to the end and die for the country.
Back in Odessa, he ran once; then in Zaporizhzhia again, third time in Dnepro City, finally fleeing back to the Kyiv area.
This frequency of fleeing, in Nicholas II’s eyes.
Was basically equivalent to Han Fuyu in the eyes of some military commander on Earth.
Moreover, during Nicholas II’s investigation, grain prices in Petersburg city also saw another sharp rise, with wheat and flour prices already up 4 times compared to a month ago.
Before the war broke out, as Europe’s great granary, Lusha’s flour price per kilogram was only 12~15 kopecks（ similar to cents, 100 kopecks = 1 ruble）
Unground raw wheat cost even less, only 7~8 kopecks per kilogram.
In the year-plus after the war broke out, grain prices had actually surged several rounds already. Before this October, bulk wholesale flour price was already 40 kopecks per kilogram. For retail in a big city like Petersburg, due to storage and transport costs, it was a few kopecks higher, around 45~50 kopecks.
But now? Grain shops in Petersburg city had flour retail prices soaring to an exaggerated 2 rubles per kilogram!
Whole wheat flour ground directly from bran-free full wheat also cost 1.5 rubles, rye flour 1 ruble.
All this made Nicholas II realize: the southern troops absolutely could not be allowed to retreat further! The troops must hold until all the wheat on the southern black soil great plains is harvested this year and the grain is requisitioned and transported north!
Moreover, the civilian officials responsible for grain levy must act faster! In past years, low administrative efficiency meant taxes often dragged into winter unfinished; this year that’s absolutely not allowed!
If collected late, it might fall into enemy hands. For the Empire’s survival, must use military force at all costs to levy! Those resisting grain delivery die!
And the root of all these problems was soon pinpointed by Nicholas II: the reason the southern army collapses at the first blow now, dares not use flesh and blood to hard-resist Germanians’ armored fighting vehicles, is because they were too soft-hearted before towards those generals who repeatedly deserted and retreated!
Nicholas II finally steeled his heart and issued several emergency imperial decrees in succession—of course, the proper procedures must still be followed, the judicial process where relevant state ministers discuss and determine guilt must still happen; after all, it’s the 20th century, can’t just execute civil and military officials based on the emperor’s personal will.
But in short, a specially expedited military court legally convicted former Romanian Front Army Commander, current 6th Army Group Commander General Alexei Evert of desertion.
He must be held responsible for the Empire losing the southern coal production area, and consequently causing coal and grain prices to skyrocket, leaving urban residents nationwide in dire straits.
Sentenced to death, to be executed immediately.
From this day forward, any soldiers of the Southwestern Front who desert in the face of the enemy, with similar circumstances, will be dealt with likewise!
On November 2, the emergency execution order arrived in Kyiv, and Southwestern Front Commander General Pavel Pleve was required to oversee the execution.
General Pavel Pleve was also scared speechless. He had anticipated that the southern defeat would mainly be shouldered by this incompetent and unlucky colleague, but didn’t expect it would really come to a Army Group Commander, a General, being directly shot by the Tsar.
As for the unlucky principal, General Alexei Evert, he wanted to argue and struggle, even thought of fleeing long ago. But because he was already like a commander without troops, when he withdrew to Kyiv back then, it was already hopeless.
Because everything in Kyiv was controlled by Southwestern Front Commander Pleve; Evert coming here meant being sidelined, just like Han Fuqu arriving in Kaifeng meant no salvation.
And when he had just withdrawn to Kyiv, how could he know Rommel would turn to hit Donbas; he thought Rommel would continue advancing on Kyiv. Some things can’t be assumed.
Before execution, Evert’s subordinates—two Corps Commanders and five Division Commanders—spoke for him（ just that so many officers escaped doesn’t mean he still had that many troops; when he fled to Kyiv his total force was less than one corps）—making a final appeal:
“Commander Pleve! Please petition His Majesty that General Evert was definitely framed. When he abandoned Dnepro City, Rommel’s offensive was indeed extraordinarily fierce; absolutely impossible to hold!
You haven’t seen the terror of that armored car cluster assault firsthand, can’t understand the despair back then! Continuing to hold then would be pointless sacrifice; we had already done our best.”
General Pleve could only officially counter: “Then why after Rommel took Dnepro City, he didn’t dare advance on Kyiv but turned to pinch the soft persimmon Donbas?
Are you saying the Germanians clearly had the strength to advance on Kyiv but deliberately didn’t attack, just to frame him Evert? What famous general talent is he worth the Germanians spending so much to frame?”
Those few Corps and Division Commanders could only fall silent.
Indeed, was General Evert strong enough to warrant the Germanians specially framing him?
Seemed not really.
With a few crisp “bang bang” gunshots, General Alexei Evert finally fell in a pool of blood, several bloody holes in his back, declaring his human debt paid in death.
……
“General Evert finally dead? Good, though just a mediocre talent of average caliber, his death doesn’t have much substantive impact on the Lushans’ command system. But at least at this critical juncture, the Lushans’ morale is definitely temporarily shaken.”
On the midnight of November 2, in the Germania 6th Army Group Headquarters already advanced from Zaporizhzhia to Dnepro City, Army Group Chief of Staff Lelouch learned overnight that the Lushans had shot this Army Group Commander.
Lelouch, who was originally somewhat exhausted and planning a good sleep, was stimulated by this news like injected with a stimulant, excited enough to stay awake at least another three hours, probably to review the front line situation overnight and make corresponding deployments.
He first went to Army Group Commander Marshal Rupprecht, requesting to follow the original plan: in the next few days, slightly draw some troops from the defenders in the big bend of the Dnieper River to the west, Krivoy Rog, etc.（ that big iron ore mine on the north bank of the Dnieper between Kherson and Zaporizhzhia）, to make a posture of elastic defense.
Once encountering enemy counterattack, moderately retreat, let the enemy taste some sweetness first, also facilitating sticking to the enemy as much as possible in the short term later.
The Marshal was almost asleep then, but signed off with a big stroke overnight, instructing front line defense commanders to comply, persist in elastic defense, no need to fight for every inch of soil. Even if the big iron ore mine area is temporarily retaken by the enemy or even sabotaged again, it doesn’t matter.
Then, Lelouch reported another piece of military intelligence from the southeast line to the Marshal, and requested the Duke’s approval to implement the plan:
“Your Highness, in the past week, our army has also made considerable progress on the Eastern Front. Rommel with those two divisions equipped with armored cars broke through Donbas City on October 27th last month.
And in the south, Melitopol, von Bock and Rundstedt, they too starting from October 26th last month, have been advancing east along the coast with two corps, also reaching Mariupol today November 2nd, advancing 170 kilometers in 6 days.
And after Rommel took Donbas on October 27th, he rested one day, started south on the 28th, and also linked up with von Bock in Mariupol on November 2nd.
Now, all important cities in the enemy’s great Donbas coal field area have completely fallen into our hands. But the enemy hasn’t given up resistance, because our push forward troops are somewhat isolated and deep, with relatively few total troops, unable to spare too many to fill the line along the way.
So, our encirclement is not very solid; the enemy still has large Cossack Cavalry Divisions trying to bypass our tightly defended vanguard areas, specifically sabotaging our main rear Dnepro to Donbas railway, and Melitopol to Mariupol railway.
They are trying to use this guerrilla tactic to leave our main forces deep in the east—Donbas, Mariupol, etc.—lacking supplies, then slowly nibble away. Therefore, I suggest starting to implement that backup plan we agreed on that day; it will absolutely achieve multiple gains at once:
Over this past week plus, our Navy has cleared all the mines in the Strait of Kerch; some dangerous areas in the Sea of Azov, moored mines and bottom mines have also been secretly swept. But since the enemy has no Navy presence in this area at all, they still don’t know about our mine sweeping achievements.
I suggest in the next day or two, having the Navy’s supply transport fleet boldly dock at Mariupol port to provide supplies for our vanguard troops deep in the east.
At the same time, have some shallow-draft warships carry out bombardment tasks harassing enemy forces along the coast from Melitopol to Mariupol—if in near-sea areas within warship range, there really are Cossack Cavalry present and trying to destroy the coastal railway segment.
I don’t expect these bombardments to kill many cavalry; I just want to tell the enemy: the Empire’s warships can already enter the Sea of Azov; destroying the Melitopol to Mariupol railway line is worthless; they are just sending lives in vain.
Because the Empire can already transport supplies to Mariupol by sea route. Meanwhile, Donbas garrison troops only need to hold the north-south railway from Mariupol to Donbas, enough to ensure Donbas troops won’t lack ammunition and can hold indefinitely.
Originally, our army had to guard two long east-west railways and one relatively short north-south railway to secure logistics for the foremost troops. But now, just concentrate troops to guard that one shorter north-south railway line. The two east-west ones don’t matter, replaced by sea route.
I believe once this news spreads, the enemy’s Cossack Cavalry Units will be completely demoralized, feeling guerrilla warfare has lost meaning.
Moreover, we can concentrate armored units to launch a fierce assault and pursuit on the enemy cavalry deep in our rear, striking while they are at their weakest in will to fight and sense of purpose, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy as much as possible!
Finally, we need to use these Cossack Cavalry’s mouths to tell the entire Kievan Rus’ War Zone Lusha Army, let them know: the previous Navy purge was not because the Navy had a traitor selling the mine deployment map.
Because after losing the main Black Sea Fleet force, the Lushans completely abandoned Black Sea shipping; they had already urgently remedied by thoroughly sealing the Strait of Kerch and main Sea of Azov waterways with no safe passages left.
And now our fleet appearing off Mariupol coast—isn’t this a super heavy blow to enemy morale? The enemy will know it’s because the Empire invented new mine sweeping weapons that broke through their Navy’s mine blockade, not a traitor.
Back at the end of September, the Baltic Fleet breaking through the Gulf of Bothnia had already created some mysteries; the Lushans are still investigating, haven’t figured it out.
Recently, I heard General Hipper in the north say they scored another interception in the Gulf of Bothnia, killing a batch of enemy fleets. The enemy, considering things don’t happen thrice, has completely abandoned the Gulf of Bothnia waterway, insisting on waiting until fully investigated before daring to resume sea shipping.
At this time, our Navy publicly breaking through the enemy’s thoroughly mine-sealed Strait of Kerch and Sea of Azov, with multiple evidences stacking, absolutely can guide the enemy to think it’s due to our new mine sweeping weapons.
This way, the Navy generals previously purged by the Tsar become complete ‘butcher of the loyal and good.’ Combined with the Tsar just now, to steady the Southwestern Front’s resolve to fight, shooting former Romanian Front Army Commander General Alexei Evert for desertion.
We must concentrate and detonate all the Tsar’s evil deeds, opinion bombing, let the world know the Tsar is a tyrant who kills Navy generals then Army generals, thoroughly a foolish tyrant tyrant damned ruler who massacres the loyal! Then seize the opportunity of enemy morale chaos to launch a decisive offensive on the broad areas around Kyiv! Use the tanks arriving soon as vanguard!”
Before the general offensive, Lelouch wanted Nicholas II’s infamous reputation to stink from Ireland to Khitan, known to all.
