Chapter 92: Terrifying Mastery Of Manipulating Hearts
Later that day,
The prisoner of war camp in the southern suburbs of Dunkirk.
A Mercedes-Benz car sped straight in and stopped near the hospital inside the prisoner of war camp. As soon as the car stopped, Captain Joachim got out and opened the door, followed by Lelouch and the Grand Duke of Baden getting out from the back seat one after another.
The prisoner of war camp also had a temporary hospital, after all, many wounded soldiers among the prisoners of war might have recurring conditions that needed timely treatment.
However, the facilities here were a bit poor, and surgeries couldn’t be performed; they could only prescribe medicine and give injections to the wounded.
“We’re here. Everything you requested has been arranged. Those prisoners of war can be assembled at any time. Do you need to gather them now and then give a negotiate surrender speech?”
The Grand Duke of Baden showed no arrogance as a minister at all; instead, he looked at Lelouch with a very amused expression, as if expecting this young man to create another miracle and broaden his horizons.
“That would be appreciated.” Lelouch nodded. He didn’t need to prepare a speech draft either, because ever since that casual chat with the Grand Duke of Baden on this topic, he had often pondered it in his mind from time to time and had already perfected the rhetoric through mental drafts.
At this moment, he could completely improvise a speech without notes.
Moreover, he had discovered that although the original owner of this body was somewhat scholarly and weak, his voice and presence when speaking were perfectly suited for passionate speeches.
Perhaps it was a natural talent.
Before long, at least twenty thousand people in this prisoner of war camp were called to line up. In front of the ranks, there were also about four thousand wounded soldiers, some of whom had more severe injuries and were allowed to be pushed in wheelchairs by healthy comrades to listen to the speech.
Among these wounded, at least half had received sulfonamide antibiotic treatment, so they more or less owed a favor to the Germania medical system, especially to Lelouch, the provider of the sulfonamide.
Once everyone was assembled, the assault battalion soldiers holding submachine guns stood solemnly watching over the group of prisoners of war in the middle. Captain Joachim took the stage first and sternly demanded silence from everyone:
“Keep quiet! Next, we invite the special commissioner of the Imperial Prisoner of War Affairs Department, Colonel Lelouch von Hunte, to speak!
He is the supreme commander of the airborne operation to seize Dunkirk Fortress!
He is also the one who broke into the Ypres Expeditionary Force Headquarters and captured Marshal John French alive!
It is also he who provided the new medicine that allowed those among you infected patients to survive the threat of death!”
Captain Joachim shouted into the mechanical megaphone for a long time before the people quieted down.
Then, Lelouch steadily walked onto the podium, cleared his throat, and slowly scanned the entire audience.
This era did not yet have electronic amplification technology. Although radio broadcasts could already transmit voice, they could not amplify the signal or adjust the volume. The volume from the broadcast receiver would only be quieter than the speaker’s voice, rendering it worthless for rally speeches.
So for rally speeches, they still had to rely on mechanical structures to direct sound waves, shouting into an empty megaphone. For today’s rally, there were square formations of one hundred by one hundred people each to Lelouch’s left front and right front; this was already the maximum number where they could barely hear.
“Looks like I still need to get electronic amplifiers and broadcasts out a few years earlier. That thing originally appeared in 1920 and gradually became widespread, later exploited by a certain Luo and another unspeakable person. If I can get it out ahead of time, I could become the world’s first to use new technology to promote myself.”
Looking at the disorderly crowd below, Lelouch silently formed another idea in his mind and quietly daydreamed for nearly a minute.
But his cold, stern gaze silently scanning the crowd without speaking created a silence that, combined with his previous string of titles, made the prisoners even quieter out of fear.
Before a speech, one needed to fully utilize this frightening silence to gather everyone’s attention. This was a must-learn point for those studying passionate oratory in later times.
It was just that this time he hadn’t deliberately created the silence; he had simply zoned out thinking about things.
After snapping back, Lelouch’s gaze became even more determined, and he first said a few introductory words.
“I still remember, a few days ago when the battle had just ended, I also visited the field hospital. Among you, many brave wounded warriors in the front rows left a deep impression on me.
For example, this Second Lieutenant Henderson—I saw at the time that both his legs had been shattered by shrapnel. When the nurse amputated and debrided him without anesthetic, he didn’t even cry out in pain. Later, although the infection was severe, he survived after taking the new medicine from IG Farben—what a warrior!
This Lieutenant Woolf had his arm severed by machine gun fire, also endured amputation without anesthetic to become a one-armed man, and later survived the infection with the new medicine. The empire has always respected warriors. Our Germanian soldiers are the bravest and have the strongest sense of honor. Our Germanian nation also respects warriors the most, so even though you are enemies, we will try our best to provide treatment.”
Lelouch’s words were warm in content but delivered in a resounding and stern tone.
At this point, he paused slightly, and the people below stirred a bit. Some ordinary soldiers were somewhat moved, but some literate officers were even more resistant, even sneering coldly.
“With just these minor favors, he thinks he can buy us? Daydreaming!” Several colonel and lieutenant colonel level officers thought especially this way.
But soon, after letting them digest the previous words, Lelouch abruptly changed his tone.
“Of course, many among you surely think I’m using these minor favors to try to soften your will. Then you underestimate the empire too much. The empire only respects warriors and those with a sense of honor, but it never expects to gain anything in return for that respect, nor does it care!
Don’t believe it? Up to you. I can give a casual example, and you’ll understand—since the war began, the empire has never gained any benefits from respecting warriors or those with a sense of honor. On the contrary, our enemies, mainly your Britannian Empire, have always taken it as a shame, attacking the empire and trying to incite the empire’s people against the war—of course, they don’t truly oppose the war; they just want the empire to surrender to them!
Have you learned how your homeland attacks the empire’s sense of honor? They say the empire only concentrates money and resources on soldiers, neglecting the livelihood of the people, being belligerent and bloodthirsty by nature. Half a year plus into the war, the rear people are already starting to go hungry and cold due to grain rationing; the people shouldn’t support such a warlike tyrant…
So, I am very clear today: I know that ’emphasizing the empire’s respect for warriors and those with a sense of honor’ brings no benefits to the empire, but I only speak the truth in my life, so even without benefits, I must say it!”
Lelouch’s second segment of speech finally caused indescribable wavering in many captives. Although they weren’t yet willing to serve the enemy, they experienced great ideological confusion. Especially since Lelouch openly exposed his own shortcomings, candidly admitting the adverse impacts on the Germania Empire due to its various practices.
This kind of airing dirty laundry made many uneducated Britannian prisoners subconsciously think: “Since this man would unhesitatingly say things unfavorable to himself, what he says must all be true—the previous was true, and what he’s about to say next will be true too.”
Meanwhile, Captain Joachim, who was originally in charge of keeping order, became restless after hearing these words and almost wanted to go on stage to pull Lelouch back or at least remind him not to air more dirty laundry.
But fortunately, Mark von Baden the Grand Duke was more seasoned and shrewd; he grabbed his nephew and whispered, “Don’t rush! Trust him! He must have a reason for saying this—let him finish!”
The noisy prisoners in the venue soon quieted down a bit again, and Lelouch began his final key blow:
“However! The empire may have issues with rough governance of the people, but the empire has absolutely never wronged any soldier with a sense of honor! In wartime, everyone must tighten their belts—there’s no way around it.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with giving more supplies to front-line soldiers and letting the rear workers and farmers have slightly worse living conditions, after all, brave soldiers risk their lives far more than ordinary people to defend the homeland—this is what every defender of home and country deserves!
And those despicable bankers hiding in the dark mouse holes of London’s financial street—what are they doing? On one hand, they attack the empire, trying to stir up discontent among the empire’s people. On the other, they promote so-called ‘absolute free economy’ in London, letting the invisible hand of the market regulate everything!
London’s laborers with the least technical content had pre-war wages similar to yours, less than 2 Britannian pounds per week. But now? Just over half a year into the war, they’ve been raised to at least 6 Britannian pounds, and some even over 10! And not even highly skilled machinists! You? You’re still getting less than 2 Britannian pounds per week!
Why is that? Because of the free market’s invisible hand! Because so many soldiers were conscripted, there are far fewer young men in the rear labor market, and capitalists are scrambling for workers! Military factories can sell anything they produce, expanding production means more profit! And due to the high profits in the arms industry, capitalists can afford these wage hikes! Because you left the labor market! So rear labor has become valuable!
In London now, some wanting to evade service are deliberately breaking their own hands or feet for a minor fracture, bribing doctors for certificates to avoid the front line. Then after three months of recovery when the minor fracture heals, they go to capitalists for jobs paying three to five times more than front-line soldiers bathing in blood!
The empire, though managing people more rigidly, has used mandatory wage laws to suppress rear people’s wage standards, making them bear the losses of inflation and rising prices. But the empire hasn’t given those military industry capitalists and labor organizers a chance to profit from the national crisis.
So, bankers and free market capitalists worldwide naturally oppose the empire and embrace Britannia—only Britannia’s system allows bankers to shamelessly shit and piss on soldiers with a sense of honor!
On one side, using military management laws to keep the pay of powerless soldiers below 2 Britannian pounds per week, because soldiers have no free market! On the other, letting rear labor organizers pocket the difference, while those bankers and arms capitalists suck the blood of soldiers with a sense of honor!
And you are to defend such a nation possessed by bankers, where everything is up to the bankers!
Oh, and one more supplement from the latest news received in the days since your surrender: Just the day before yesterday, in Glasgow, the military factory association organized another strike, saying their wages weren’t high enough, then the organizers threatened the authorities to raise the temporary overtime wage standards in those military factories to 12 times the front-line soldiers’ pay!
Those who don’t believe it, look at the newspapers yourselves later—this is your own Britannian domestic newspaper; pass them around. They just haven’t summarized and analyzed the data like I have.”
The points Lelouch highlighted were all facts.
Of course, there is no absolutely good system or absolutely bad system in the world. Lelouch simply summarized all the downsides and problems of Britannia’s free market—especially the injustices to front-line troops—and arranged them carefully.
Germania’s system naturally has more problems too, but those are mainly against the rear people. Historically, Britannia seized on those weaknesses and propagandized them painfully for several years, and it did work in the end.
But in any case, Lelouch’s speech was very successful.
The vast majority of ordinary British Army soldiers had never thought about this issue before and hadn’t considered the situation where “the free labor market naturally leads to rear workers earning several times more than front-line soldiers.”
But it all made so much sense—soldiers have no bargaining power; if you’re told to serve, you serve.
“Motherfucker! Those pre-war cripples we looked down on are now earning several times more than us!”
“Sour grapes! Those bastard bankers bully people like this! Sure enough, whoever is nice, patriotic, always loses out!”
“Holy shit! Who have we been fighting for? Actually for those bankers living in dark mouse holes like rats! Could it really be that only by following the Germanian people can we kill those banker dogs in the financial city!”
A large group of Britannian prisoners were finally ignited by Lelouch’s passionate speech.
Lelouch personally took a thick stack《of Glasgow Daily》, went down from the stage, and handed them to the prisoners of war. Many prisoner of war camp guard soldiers also began distributing small amounts of pre-prepared newspapers.
While distributing newspapers, Lelouch would shake hands with certain prisoners whose gazes were resolute.
Seeing his blood-red left eye injured in battle for the country, though they weren’t directly swayed by his gaze, they inexplicably felt that this young colonel before them was indeed loyal to his homeland and possessed a sense of honor.
At that moment, Lelouch seemed to discover that although his blood-red injured left eye couldn’t inexplicably influence foreigners, it could at least reinforce his persona, making his words on certain positions more credible and persuasive.
At the rally itself, those wavering soldiers couldn’t immediately surrender or express willingness to fight for Germania.
But after the meeting dispersed and the soldiers returned to their camps to rest, with officers and soldiers separated and officers unable to influence soldiers anymore, many soldiers secretly wrote notes expressing hope for better treatment and willingness to fight for the empire.
But as long as it wasn’t direct combat against Britannia, and as long as the enemy was also a free market nation controlled by bankers, they were willing.
Overnight, the Grand Duke of Baden’s subordinate officials collected over two thousand notes applying to defect and compiled a list for the Grand Duke’s review.
“Too terrifying… Is this your persuasive power? I finally believe how you convinced two Belgian divisions to defect on the battlefield with just a few telegram messages back then.”
“I’ll have the Prisoner of War Affairs Department people summarize your rhetoric and arguments, then slowly go to various Britannian prisoner camps to negotiate surrenders. Maybe we can even try it on Frankish prisoners of war—as long as it’s a nation that doesn’t respect soldiers’ interests and only thinks of free market profits, this rhetoric can attack them. Truly terrifying.”
Mark von Baden the Grand Duke was completely convinced by Lelouch to the point of total admiration.
This man’s eloquence, rallying power, insight into the essence of problems, and ability to seize opportunities were all at their peak.
“It’s nothing. I’m just good at observing and summarizing, and also able to express those observations and summaries.
Stir up the people of nations that favor the military over the civilians; stir up the military of nations that favor civilians over the military—this is the natural principle.
The Britannians have been targeting our people for over half a year now; we’re just starting on their prisoners of war—it’s just reciprocal counterattack. To be honest, the empire’s previous external propaganda work was really too poor; in my eyes, it’s simply… alas.”
Lelouch remained as nonchalant as ever, showing no intention of claiming credit. He just held back at the end from throwing out the label “good-for-nothing.”
To be honest, Germania during Emperor Wilhelm’s time had truly abysmal external propaganda levels. Lelouch casually dropping some solid points was devastating.
Grand Duke of Baden: “I’ll work on it for you these few days—sorry to trouble you with a civilian position in the Army Ministry, serving as director of the Army Ministry Propaganda Bureau and External Propaganda Office.
I know you’re busy with military affairs and won’t have time for daily work; you can let the executive deputy director handle the daily operations. But you’ll have the authority to decide the empire’s external military propaganda stance at any time. I believe this position will help your subsequent military work on the Eastern Front.”
Lelouch thought about it; this position would at least facilitate combining military operations with military propaganda work, and more conveniently enable wartime psychological warfare, forced landings, and creating chaos among enemies, so he readily agreed:
“In that case, I won’t decline. Let the office’s original staff handle the daily work.”
Grand Duke of Baden: “This will take a few days to process the procedures. Once done, I’ll notify you—remember to report to Berlin then.”
Lelouch: “But I have other matters to attend to during this time, and might need to return to my hometown in Ollie to visit family; you might not find me…”
Grand Duke of Baden: “Then mid-March for sure—make sure to come to Berlin. Come find me at the Prisoner of War Affairs Department; I’ll take you, and introduce you to some people. You’ve helped me greatly this time; I won’t let a talent like you be buried.”
Lelouch: “No problem. Within two weeks, I’ll definitely go to Berlin once. Waiting for your message.”
