In the thick of the recent battle, Lelouch had been fully occupied directing his communications platoon to relay spotting and artillery correction data. He hadn't had a spare moment to scan the battlefield, letting countless small details slip past him in the heat of the moment.
Now that the fighting had finally ended, he settled down to carefully reconstruct the engagement in his mind. Almost immediately, a few peculiar traces caught his attention:
"Wait—when our 150mm heavy guns were hammering the enemy earlier, why didn't they return fire at all? Didn't they have a cruiser out there providing naval gunfire support? I remember that ship was stationed there all day yesterday and right through this morning. How did it just vanish at the most critical moment? There has to be a scheme!"
Unwilling to jump to conclusions, Lelouch immediately sought out the officer in charge of battlefield reconnaissance.
"Lieutenant Barack, do you recall if the enemy responded with their own 150mm guns when our artillery opened up on the Belgin forces? Was that cruiser still out on the water?"
Lieutenant Barack paused to recall. "You're right! My observation post up in the church bell tower didn't catch a single glimpse of any warship during the barrage!"
"And what do you suppose that indicates? Could it be that their ammunition is used up?" Colonel List asked seriously.
Lelouch shook his head firmly. "I don't think that's likely. Their cumulative expenditure shouldn't have drained their magazines quite that fast—I suspect the warship was dispatched on a mission of far higher importance."
The Colonel asked, "A mission of higher importance?"
"I can't say for certain," Lelouch replied, "but could it be that our artillery broke their nerve? If they decided breaking out and annihilating our forces was a lost cause, might they have shifted their focus to evacuating the Belgin troops by sea?"This hypothesis instantly sparked an uproar in the regimental operations room; clearly, hardly anyone believed it:
"How many men can a single light cruiser even carry? Besides, Ostend doesn't have a deep-water port worth mentioning."
Knowing he lacked concrete proof, Lelouch humbly accepted everyone's skepticism, while his mind continued to race.
The only reason this bizarre suspicion had leaped into his mind was because, for one fleeting instant, the situation felt too much like Earth's historical Dunkirk evacuation, and the opposing navy also belonged to the Brit Nation... Wait!
A piece of information suddenly flashed through Lelouch's mind:
'The year is 1914. Isn't the Admiralty Minister of the Brit Nation none other than Wharton Spencer? I remember he was later forced to resign in disgrace after losing the Dardanelles Campaign. Twenty-seven years later, during the next world war, he was the very man who organized the authentic Dunkirk evacuation...'
Unbelievable! To think that twenty-seven years ahead of schedule, the adversary was that same fat man!
Was this fate?!
If it was him, none of this was strange at all!
Noticing his prolonged silence, the Colonel couldn't help but pat his shoulder. "Speak your mind. Don't carry any burden—this is just a discussion."
Lelouch took a deep breath, organizing his words. "Granted, a single cruiser can't ferry three divisions away. But I believe it is at least capable of extracting the royal family and the inner cabinet. Currently, I don't possess hard evidence, but I read many public dispatches from the Brit Nation before the war, and I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about their Admiralty Minister, Wharton.
"He is an absolute pragmatist who will use any means to achieve his goals, and he is very daring. The sudden disappearance of that Arethusa-class cruiser can also support my guess from the side—right now, what naval mission in these waters could possibly have a higher priority than shelling Nieuwpoort to provide the Belgin army with covering fire? Most likely, it's only to rescue the King!"
Everyone was startled by this statement.
From a rational standpoint, the Colonel also felt this explanation was too forced.
But considering that Lelouch had already delivered two miraculously precise tactical insights, and had relied on this keen perception to save his regiment...
Weighing the matter carefully, the Colonel was willing to give him another chance to explain. "Personally, I'm inclined to trust your judgment. Unfortunately, we can't persuade our superiors using this kind of speculation. And even if all this is true, it's too late for us to intercept them, right?"
Lelouch nodded in acknowledgment. "Indeed! We can't possibly intercept the King. If that Arethusa-class has already made its move, they will surely be able to pick up the passengers and escape the coastline controlled by the empire's army within three to five hours. And the empire's navy wouldn't even have time to rush over from Wilhelmshaven...
"However, we can completely utilize this possibility to seek some other benefits. For instance, we can petition division or army headquarters to organize a batch of reconnaissance planes, just like this morning, and print a batch of new leaflets. The content would be: 'The Britannians have evacuated Albert I! You Belgin officers and soldiers left holding Ostend have been abandoned! Why still throw your lives away for those despicable kings!'
"Right now, the morale of the Belgin army has already plummeted to the point of 'refusing to attack, but just unwilling to surrender immediately.' If we give them another push, they might just surrender outright! That would be a monumental victory!"
The morale of the Belgins was already at the final threshold of complete collapse. At this time, if a single spark was given, it was entirely possible to detonate it completely!
"As long as it succeeds, it means potentially annihilating the entire Belgin field army directly?" Figuring out the potential payoff of this move, the Colonel felt his blood run hot and decided to fully support Lelouch's plan.
He was now only worried about how to persuade his superiors.
But Lelouch's next words quickly dispelled his final doubts. "Sir! Are you still worried we lack evidence to convince the division commander? I think there's no need to worry at all! Our primary objective was to shatter the enemy's morale anyway; even fabricating a rumor is fine! Does fabricating a rumor really require evidence?
"If I guessed wrong, King Albert will definitely show his face to steady the Belgin army. That way, we'll at least know the King hasn't fled. And we won't lose anything ourselves; at most, the rumor forces the truth out.
"And if he cannot show his face to dispel the rumor, then it proves we weren't spreading a rumor, and by then, the Belgin army's morale will completely collapse!"
Hiss—Colonel List and all the officers in the regimental office drew in a sharp breath of cold air at Lelouch's words.
How exactly was this young man's brain wired?
Why could he say something like 'I'm fabricating a rumor anyway, why do I need evidence' with such boundless, righteous conviction?
For a fleeting second, a thought even crossed the Colonel's mind: With your track record, how do you have the nerve to call the opposing Minister Wharton 'ruthless'?
Little did they know that when it came to playing dirty... heh, Lelouch had been baptized in his past life by a world of high-intensity conflict between fabricating and debunking rumors.
"Very well, you've convinced me. I'll send a telegram to the division headquarters right now and request their cooperation. But it's already past three in the afternoon, so it's definitely too late to act today. There's no need to rush. We'll spend the night preparing the reconnaissance planes and mimeographed leaflets, and act at dawn tomorrow.
"Fortunately, the Belgin army has been completely terrified and refuses to launch further attacks. Tonight should be relatively easy to get through. Just holding off the French attacks in the west will be enough. Lelouch, focus on coordinating the psychological warfare with the division headquarters. The other units will be responsible for position defense."
The Colonel made the final decision and assigned tasks to the officers.
He was also considering "taking a swing just in case." Since there was no loss if the rumor was debunked, but a massive payoff if they won the gamble, why not just do it!
After all, in war, all warfare is based on deception.
...
At the same time Colonel List accepted Lelouch's judgment and approved his plan, inside the temporary royal palace in Ostend, Lieutenant General Felix was also holding a telegram from the Brit Nation's Admiralty Minister Wharton, advising the King to prioritize the safety of the royal family and the state.
"No! I will never abandon my army and my people! I will also never leave Belgin soil! I will live or die with this land! Furthermore, do you not know that at this critical juncture, if news of my fleeing leaks out, the army's morale will collapse directly and completely! You are a fool! This will ruin everything!"
After King Albert I read the telegram, he threw it out directly and loudly scolded his Chief of Staff.
Lieutenant General Felix didn't dare to wipe the spittle from his face at all, just quietly listening until His Majesty finished his tirade.
Fortunately, before coming to deliver this telegram, he had already conferred privately with the allied nation's Minister Wharton. He had also mentioned the King's temper and advised Minister Wharton not to harbor too much hope.
And the wily, seasoned Minister Wharton had anticipated his moves and rehearsed those persuasive counter-arguments with him.
So at this moment, after His Majesty's anger had subsided slightly, Felix tactfully and confidently advised, "Your Majesty need not worry about leaks. During the retreat, the palace honor guard will not move an inch, and on the outside, there won't be any abnormality visible. Everything will be kept strictly confidential.
"Additionally, Minister Wharton is extremely sincere. He said that as long as our army holds out for a few more days, he will raise a fleet to save our entire army as much as possible. The Great Brit Empire's Royal Navy has this capability. Therefore, there is no issue of Your Majesty abandoning the officers and soldiers.
"It is only because Ostend's water is shallow and the port is small, unable to dock too many ships at once. Large ships still have to anchor in the deep sea and rely on small boats for transfers, so we need to leave in batches. Your Majesty is merely leaving a day or two earlier than the other officers and soldiers, nothing more.
"Lastly, Minister Wharton also stated that he will not ask Your Majesty to leave Belgin territory. Heading west, the escort warships will sail entirely within Belgin's 12-nautical-mile territorial waters. Upon reaching the border river between France and Belgin, they will turn inland, transferring to smaller boats to head toward Ypres—
"The city of Ypres is currently garrisoned by the powerful Britannia Expeditionary Force, and that is our Belgin territory. Your Majesty is merely passing through our own territorial waters from our own territory to arrive at another piece of our territory. How can that be considered fleeing?"
The Ypres salient was located directly south of Nieuwpoort, Ostend, and De Panne—which were currently engaged in fierce combat—lying south of the Yser River flood zone.
In Earth's history, the Ypres salient was persistently defended by the British Expeditionary Force until the end of the war in 1918, and it was never completely lost. The Brit and Demanian armies fought four major campaigns here, almost one a year, mutually inflicting nearly a million casualties in this meat grinder. Even the incident where the 'mustachioed corporal' suffered eye injuries from poison gas occurred during the Third Battle of Ypres.
This piece of land accounted for roughly 5% of Belgin's total landmass. Historically, because the Belgins clung to this tiny sliver of land, they insisted they had not perished and were not a government-in-exile.
So at this moment, when Albert I heard that his ally, Minister Wharton, had thought things through so thoroughly for him, only asking him to execute a strategic transfer to another piece of his own territory in Ypres, rather than directly fleeing across the border, Albert I's heart finally wavered.
"Never mind, since it's not fleeing, but changing locations to continue the resistance, then let's do as you say and make a strategic transfer! If I don't go, how could the other officers and soldiers dare to leave first?" His Majesty the King finally made his decree.
Lieutenant General Felix said, "Your Majesty is wise. The Great Brit Royal Navy's light cruiser Daring will arrive shortly. I will go prepare the transfer boats immediately, and we can quietly slip away under the cover of the night when the soldiers are sound asleep."
Albert I waved his hand in weary irritation. "See to these details yourself."
Lieutenant General Felix thought for a moment, then requested clarification on one additional matter. "Then, regarding the roster of accompanying personnel, will Your Majesty draft it personally?"
Albert I said, "As long as you take all the royal family members and a small number of core guards, if there is still empty capacity, you decide which officers will leave first. Give priority to wounded officers!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Having secured the right to draft the evacuation roster, Lieutenant General Felix was perfectly positioned to slip in his own private interests.
Two hours later, before midnight had even arrived, King Albert I and the other leaders designated for early evacuation had all repeatedly transferred via small boats and safely boarded the cruiser Daring.
The cruiser quietly accelerated, keeping the sounds of the boilers and smokestacks as low as possible, and strictly avoiding blowing the whistle. It just sneaked away like this, sailing toward Dunkirk, and then they would switch to small boats and turn toward Ypres.
...
At the same time Albert I was executing his strategic transfer, the telegram request issued by Lelouch in Colonel List's name reached the hands of the 12th Division commander, Major General Karl Luitpold.
Upon seeing Lelouch's stratagem, Major General Karl was no less shocked than Colonel List.
"Hiss—we don't have to pay any price at all. Just by fabricating a rumor, we can test the waters and probe the enemy's situation? If we're lucky and this rumor hits the mark, it could even cause the complete collapse of the Belgin army? Since when did that guy List have so many brilliant stratagems and clever ideas?
"His regiment definitely has a rare genius! No! It's not him who is the genius! It must be a rare genius in the reconnaissance company and communications platoon that arrived earlier as the vanguard! Otherwise, it's completely inexplicable how they had already produced brilliant plans before List even arrived!"
For a brief moment, Major General Karl felt that this sensitivity to conspiracies had already exceeded the limits of an honor-bound Demanian.
But he had to admit, having such a person as a teammate was truly a blessing.
"Once this campaign is over and List's regiment is rescued, I absolutely must personally meet that miraculous junior officer! I'll give him the maximum promotion! That is, if his plan can truly force the surrender of the Belgin main force!"
The more Major General Karl thought about it, the more excited he became, even unable to resist rubbing his hands together at a high frequency like a fly.
Who knows how many minutes he rubbed them; it wasn't until he felt his palms grow hot and painful that he snapped out of his reverie.
Then, he hastily had a communications soldier help connect him to his older brother: Commander of the 6th Army, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bavaria, General of the Army, Duke Rupprecht.
Yesterday, he had still used telegrams to contact his older brother, but today they had switched to a telephone. This was primarily because, after another day of emergency construction, the communications soldiers had already laid the emergency telephone branch lines.
However, during work, they still had to use official titles. So after the call connected, Major General Karl simply said, "Commander, the 16th Infantry Regiment inside the encirclement has discovered a new situation. The enemy high command may have fled. Perhaps we can beat them at their own game and plan a possible counter-operation. The specifics are as follows..."
"Hiss... I approve! Execute it immediately!"
After hearing this, Duke Rupprecht on the other end of the line drew in a similarly sharp breath of cold air before immediately granting approval.
The reconnaissance aircraft borrowed just yesterday didn't need to be returned. The mimeograph machines had their content swapped out and continued printing.
After a busy night, all these preparations were finally completed.
At daybreak, the freshly printed new leaflets were once again scattered over the heads of the Belgin defenders, blanketing all of Ostend.
The moment the Belgin officers and soldiers received the leaflets, the scene instantly exploded into chaos.
Countless soldiers surged toward the temporary royal palace, wanting to confirm whether His Majesty the King had truly fled, and whether they had truly been abandoned.