Chapter 41: You Expect That All-powerful Noblewoman To Help You Desert?
December 9th, night.
Brussels, 6th Army Group Headquarters.
In an office of the Operations Department, a major staff officer finished handling the day’s military affairs, looked around left and right, and confirmed that his colleagues had all gone off duty.
Only then did he pull out an envelope he had just received today from the bottom of the stack of documents on his desk and read it under the pale gas lamp light.
“……The transfer matter has made progress, and the release procedures from the 6th Army Group side will be handled immediately. Upon receiving the official transfer order, proceed quickly to the 2nd Army Group Headquarters to report, join the Imperial Guard, and head to the Eastern Front for combat.
The 6th Army Group’s next phase of operations will face harsh muddy conditions, and aerial reconnaissance shows that the British Army, after more than a month of construction, has established solid fortifications in the Ypres Salient, making it difficult to achieve merits and promotions.
On the Eastern Front, Marshal Hindenburg and Lieutenant General Ludendorff have won consecutive victories from the Battles of Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes, cumulatively annihilating over 400,000 Lusha Army troops. Early next year, the Empire will assemble forces on the Eastern Front for a counteroffensive. The Lusha Army’s combat power is far inferior to the Britannia Army, and with a longer front line featuring many weak points in the enemy forces, it is suitable for focused breakthroughs. Joining the Imperial Guard quickly will provide numerous opportunities for merits in the Galicia region……
—Erich von Fakinhhan”
Seeing the signature at the end of the secret letter, the major naturally had no doubt about its contents.
He knew full well that his own uncle, the Empire’s Chief of Staff, would not deceive him.
“Uncle is not optimistic about the upcoming Battle of Ypres? Indeed, Commander Rupprecht has somewhat missed the timing. What exactly is he waiting for? Although the troops were indeed too exhausted during the previous rush toward the sea and needed rest.
But this rest period has also given the enemy the chance to strengthen their defensive fortifications. If the commander can’t come up with new means to break through the enemy’s defense line, this waiting actually benefits the enemy more than our army…… Sigh, insisting on delaying the offensive might mean we really can’t achieve merits and promotions by staying with them.”
Thinking this way, the major ultimately decided to follow his uncle’s advice and go through the procedures in a couple of days to transfer to the Eastern Front early.
He secretly told himself in his heart: This is not desertion; it’s just that the 6th Army Group leadership is delaying the timing themselves…… If they had pressed the offensive without resting half a month ago, he absolutely would not leave.
While thinking, he took a pouch of tobacco from the chest pocket of his military uniform, shook some onto the secret letter, rolled it up, and struck a match.
A few minutes later, as the embers all fell into the ashtray, the Chief of Staff uncle’s secret letter ceased to exist.
However, just as the major breathed a sigh of relief, a distinctive sound of boots came from the corridor.
The major hurriedly poured some of the remaining tea from his cup into the ashtray to extinguish the sparks. Just as he finished this action, the office door was pushed open.
The visitor was a captain officer a dozen years younger than him, tall and handsome, though he appeared somewhat scholarly. Behind the captain followed several young officers.
The leading captain saw the major and immediately extended his hand: “Major Fedor von Bock, I presume? Hello, I am Deputy Battalion Commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the 6th Army Group, Captain Lelouch Hunter. This is the handwritten transfer order signed by Army Group Commander Lieutenant General Rupprecht this morning, appointing Major Bock as battalion commander of this battalion.”
“Appointing me as battalion commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the Army Group? How could that be? I’ve always been posted in the Army Group’s Operations Department before…”
Major Fedor von Bock was momentarily stunned and subconsciously emphasized that he was a staff officer, not a frontline officer directly leading troops.
After all, compared to those people Lelouch had recruited before, Major Bock had the best family background.
His father had been promoted to major general during the Franco-Prussian War, though later due to injury, he did not add further achievements in the military. But with that honorable wounding, he earned the “von” for the Bock family name.
And compared to Fedor von Bock’s mother, his father’s military rank and nobility title were negligible.
Because his mother was the biological sister of the Empire’s Chief of Staff Fakinhhan!
So although Bock was 34 years old with over a dozen years of military service, he had never led troops on the frontline; he had always been in various staff departments, sitting in offices planning strategies.
Although at the outset of the World War, Major Bock had worked in the 6th Army Group for a few months per his father’s side’s intentions, those who truly knew him felt it was just to gild his resume. When the fighting got truly tough, he could leave anytime he wanted.
But at this moment, history was once again altered in its details under Lelouch’s stirring of the waters.
Lelouch had asked Commander Rupprecht to issue a new appointment for Major Bock—of course, he did this because he knew the future Bock was a talent who could strengthen his tactical command system if kept. Moreover, Commander Rupprecht likely did not yet know that Bock’s uncle Fakinhhan was planning to pull him out.
So facing Bock’s instinctive rebuttal, Lelouch did not want to give up directly but prepared to provoke the other’s sense of honor as a soldier: “What’s this? Does being a staff officer mean you can’t go to the front line to directly lead troops?”
Major Bock: “That’s not what I mean…… It’s that I’ve heard there might be another assignment for me from above, and I need to confirm why it suddenly changed.”
Only then did Lelouch feign sudden realization: “Oh…… right, I heard your mother is the Chief of Staff’s biological sister? Is it because you’ve heard we’re facing a tough battle, so some influential noblewoman is pulling you out for desertion?”
Originally in history, Major von Bock was transferred on January 26, 1915, to be the Operations Director of the Imperial Guard, under the 2nd Army Group on the northern wing of the Eastern Front.
Lelouch did not know such detailed historical specifics, but he roughly knew that Bock in history had indeed been transferred away.
He knew Rupprecht’s transfer order might not hold against Fakinhhan’s, so he could only hope to exploit a time difference, while arousing Bock’s own sense of honor with reverse psychology to make him stay.
As soon as Lelouch said this, the two officers behind him indeed frowned subconsciously, showing contempt toward Major Bock.
Major Bock’s face also changed drastically, no longer minding his uncle’s instructions or his mother’s arrangements, and he sternly defended himself:
“Who is deserting! If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll duel you! Isn’t it just serving as battalion commander of the assault battalion? I’ll personally command from the first line when the time comes!”
He was after all 34 years old, and among Germania soldiers, being said to rely on his mother for connections in his thirties would be an utter disgrace.
As for the infamy of desertion, it was even worse—once tainted, there was no face to live on.
Lelouch was evidently still not quite accustomed to Germanians’ sensitivity to honor, so he had dosed the provocation a bit too heavily just now.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and immediately followed the goad with a sweet date to soothe: “Sorry, perhaps my wording was improper. How could you, Major, be deserting? As long as you stay, we’ll be comrades fighting side by side in the future; we’re all brothers killing Britannians together, so don’t take my earlier words to heart.”
Seeing him immediately change his face with such sincerity, Major Bock could not flare up again, hesitated for two seconds, gritted his teeth, and said:
“Of course I’ll stay! But this battle at Ypres won’t be easy! The Britannians have held the Ypres Salient and have been building defensive fortifications for over a month!”
Lelouch encouraged: “Don’t worry, we haven’t been idle this month either. We’ve devised new tactics targeting the Britannians’ defenses. Moreover, the troops were indeed too exhausted before, having continuously rushed for a month toward the sea at the front line—without rest, how could there be strength left to fight?
As soldiers, our duty is to execute the Army Group Headquarters’ orders. Come, let me introduce you along the way—these gentlemen are also ones I just contacted today.
This is Captain Erwin Rommel, who will serve as B Company commander of our battalion.
This is Captain William Lister, who will serve as C Company commander—his cousin Colonel Lister was my former boss, regimental commander of the 16th Regiment of the 12th Division. This time, the old colonel specially introduced his cousin to our assault battalion to fight side by side with me.
This is Major William Keitel, battalion commander of the cannon battalion of the 12th Division’s artillery regiment. He’s not from our assault battalion, but their battalion will exclusively support us when the time comes. During combat, we can call for precise artillery support via portable radios equipped to every platoon at the front line.
And this is Major William von Loeb, battalion commander of the 6th Division’s artillery regiment cannon battalion. His responsibilities are similar to Major Keitel’s, but he will support the 2nd Assault Battalion—that is, Battalion Commander Rundstedt’s battalion—providing them with real-time precise artillery support. The 2nd Assault Battalion has been confirmed to be attached to the 6th Division as their vanguard before the offensive.
In the coming days, everyone must cooperate well to break in, master the new tactical adjustments together, and be ready to head to the battlefield at any time. We will play the role of the dagger in the southern wing offensive of the Ypres Salient!”
While Lelouch introduced these people to each other in a very down-to-earth manner, it greatly eased relations among these officers who were originally not very familiar with one another.
Among them, Erwin Rommel was someone he had picked up that afternoon from the military hospital in Aachen. Since Immelmann stayed in Aachen to get a new airplane, the rear seat of Lelouch’s airplane was free, so he conveniently brought Rommel to the front line.
The remaining three were ones Lelouch had individually met with after landing in Brussels that evening.
William Keitel had gotten familiar with him during the Battle of Ostend; he was a comrade from the same division.
Von Loeb was the cannon battalion commander of a friendly division’s artillery regiment and did not need transferring; just a face-to-face to communicate needs.
The last William Lister was the old regimental commander’s cousin; the old leader wanted to insert him, and since his cousin’s military qualities were indeed excellent, Lelouch had no reason to refuse.
Thus, a group of three majors and three captains—three battalion commanders and three company commanders—mixed familiarly like this.
Lelouch also suggested they all go out for a drink together to bond, on his tab, since they’d be fighting side by side from now on.
No one objected, so Lelouch drove the BMW sedan temporarily assigned by headquarters, carrying six people to the White Swan Restaurant in the city center square.
In today’s Brussels, no one checks for overloading, and even if they did, they wouldn’t check a group of German Army officers.
Lelouch drove at only 30 kilometers per hour, carefully arriving at the place.
This restaurant had a long history, nearly two hundred years old. Seventy years ago, Germania’s two greatest thinkers and philosophers had secluded here for a few years, writing a manifesto that changed the world（. At that time, it was mainly a coffee house and didn’t sell much proper food）.
After Lelouch sat down, he ordered some champagne and cognac brandy, along with Belgian black beer slow-cooked beef tendon, olive oil pan-seared cod fillet, Antwerp seaweed stewed sea eel, asparagus ham fried eggs, Belgian fried meatballs, French steamed mussels, and some vegetables.
Unfortunately, it was winter and cold, with no fresh vegetables, so they could only eat sauerkraut and fries.
Amidst the clinking glasses, Lelouch skillfully motivated: “From now on, we’re all brothers fighting side by side. Major Bock’s uncle is the Chief of Staff, and with such a noble family background, he’s willing to serve as assault battalion commander and fight with us on the front line.
So the higher-ups are still very attentive to our unit! From equipment to personnel, they’ve tried their best to meet our requirements—everyone, don’t worry too much. If the higher-ups lacked confidence in our offensive, would the Chief of Staff dare to place his own nephew here?”
With just a few simple words, Lelouch completely dispelled everyone’s worries about “whether we’ll become guinea pigs and cannon fodder.”
Moreover, these officers all had talent; hearing Lelouch’s speech, they almost all had a flash of insight, thinking they should note down this famous saying to use on their own company soldiers later to boost morale and unify thinking.
Any new unit, no matter how elite, will definitely have conservatives worried and fearful after a major adjustment, afraid of becoming the “cost of trial and error.”
At this time, the best way to make officers and soldiers believe they are not guinea pigs is to let them know that a big shot’s progeny from high up is also fighting side by side with them!
This is why Lelouch insisted on keeping Fedor von Bock.
It wasn’t because he had some unique command ability irreplaceable by anyone else. Rather, among the mid-level officers Lelouch could reach, only Bock had the hardest backing and the best demonstration effect.
And Lelouch’s maneuver also made those smart officers realize: This young colleague’s ability to rally hearts and boost morale is truly extraordinary……
“This man will surely become a remarkable big shot in the future…”
“Following him is definitely the right choice; this time we can surely promote faster than staying in our original units…”
From Lister to Rommel, from Keitel to Loeb, they all thought this way.
