A few minutes later, Captain Andri navigated the twisting basement corridors and brought Colonel List to the radio room.
Lelouch was still wearing his headset, entirely absorbed in sending and receiving telegrams. The ceaseless clatter of the keys filled the air, and he remained oblivious to anyone entering the room.
His fingers flew across the apparatus, moving so fast they almost left afterimages. The high-frequency arcing of the relays permeated the room with a distinctive, burnt smell.
Air near the relay contacts was being continuously ionized into ozone and nitrogen oxides, which then oxidized the shedding copper dust from the friction, combining into the sharp tang of electrical sparks.
Having served as a regiment commander for many years, List dealt with regimental radio stations often. Simply by judging the intensity of that acrid scent, he knew the radio operator before him possessed superb technical skill and was working under immense sustained pressure.
He stood quietly for several seconds, watching. Andri stepped forward, intending to call Lelouch over to salute, but List held him back. "No rush. Let him finish transmitting."
Andri, however, had no time to waste lingering around. The 16th Regiment had just finished a forced march and was completely out of breath; they could not enter battle immediately. For the moment, Andri's troops would still have to hold the line just a little longer.
Ever practical, he lowered his voice. "Then take your time talking with him, sir. I need to go direct the battle."
List nodded.
About two minutes later, Lelouch finished his final round of warning dispatches. He stopped and rubbed his aching wrists. Only then did List speak up loudly to interrupt him:"You can stop sending alerts. The floodwaters have already submerged everything."
Lelouch finally realized people were standing at the door. He hurriedly stood up, and upon confirming they were friendly forces, let out a breath of relief and saluted. "Apologies, sir. The gunfire and artillery were too loud; I didn't hear your footsteps."
List walked over to him and patted the collar of his uniform. "Lelouch Hunter? You're really just a corporal? How old are you? How long have you been in the army?"
Lelouch clicked the heels of his leather boots together again. "I was born in ninety-two, sir. I just graduated from university this July, and I've been in the service for three and a half months."
He summarized his background once more. As he spoke, List kept sizing him up and down with intense curiosity.
He was simply too young. It was hard to imagine that such decisive tactical countermeasures had actually come from a fresh university graduate.
When Lelouch finished, List praised him straightforwardly. "Whoever handled your enlistment grading and assigned you as a technical non-commissioned officer completely wasted your talents. But that's all in the past now. You saved my regiment, and I will report this to high command.
I heard your platoon leader was killed in action? From this moment on, you will take temporary command of that communications platoon with the rank of Sergeant Major."
Lelouch was not yet familiar with the military's promotion regulations and was caught somewhat by surprise. "You can just... promote me with a few spoken words like that?"
List clapped him on the shoulder, laughing teasingly. "A recruit really is just a recruit. Have you not even memorized the Empire's promotion regulations?
Non-commissioned officer evaluations can be decided directly by regimental headquarters.
Company-grade officer promotions are decided by division headquarters.
Field-grade officer promotions are decided by army group headquarters.
General officer promotions must be submitted by the Supreme Command for His Majesty the Emperor's divine decree.
If you were an NCO in our regiment, I wouldn't even need to file paperwork—my word alone would settle it directly. Unfortunately, you aren't, so we'll still have to submit a formal record after the fact."
As the colonel spoke, he quietly observed Lelouch's expression.
To his disappointment, he did not see even the slightest hint of thrilled excitement from Lelouch.
'A promotion...?' Lelouch could not help but think to himself. 'What difference does a mere Sergeant Major make? Aren't we still trapped inside an encirclement? Still, after getting promoted, at least I won't have to fill in as an infantryman anymore. I suppose it's better than nothing—it raises my survival odds a bit.'
When that expression landed in the colonel's eyes, it actually made him appreciate the young man even more. He felt that this youth remained unmoved by favor or humiliation, proving himself truly destined for great things.
The colonel even felt slightly embarrassed, thinking the reward he had given was too meager to match the merit of saving his entire regiment.
To dispel his internal awkwardness, the colonel smoothly shifted the conversation, asking naturally how Lelouch had noticed the Belgin forces preparing to blow the dikes that morning. His questions were far more detailed than Andri's had been earlier.
Lelouch had already rehearsed this question several times in his head, and he had just privately aligned his story with Klose over and over again, so he wasn't afraid in the slightest.
He recounted the events carefully once more, even taking the initiative to pull Klose in to testify. "He was actually the first one to alert me at the time, sir. His eyesight is better than mine. If you don't believe me, you can ask him again."
After listening to the explanation, List still held a trace of skepticism regarding Lelouch's observational powers, but the young man had saved his regiment, after all. The outcome was good, so he couldn't be bothered to scrutinize the details too closely.
Moreover—for reasons even List himself couldn't explain—when he looked at Lelouch's bloodshot left eye, reddened by tear gas burns, and especially when he saw the absolute sincerity shining in that gaze, he couldn't help but believe the other man wasn't lying.
"I see... It sounds like luck played a part, but war always requires luck anyway." As he spoke, he patted Klose on the shoulder. "Soldier, your observation of the enemy was meticulous. I am promoting you to Sergeant as well. While Sergeant Major Lelouch is acting platoon leader, you will assume his original duties."
Overjoyed, Klose stood ramrod straight and took a deep breath, puffing out his chest as much as possible before delivering a crisp, forceful salute. "Yes, sir!"
His heart pounded wildly in his chest: listening to his old squad leader really had been the right call! He had just been promoted to platoon leader, and Klose was already stepping into his old shoes! From now on, whatever Officer Lelouch told him to do, he would execute without hesitation!
The colonel was equally satisfied with how he had handled matters. Constrained by his limited authority, he could only promote Lelouch to Sergeant Major. Now, by tacking on a Sergeant rank and promoting one of Lelouch's old subordinates, the favor was more or less balanced out.
After settling the rewards, List figured his men had rested just about enough. He choked down a few more mouthfuls of dry rations, drained his water cup, and prepared to relieve Andri in commanding the battle.
While he was at it, he would deploy the troops he had brought with him into the defensive line.
A lingering unease still gnawed at Lelouch's mind. Seeing the colonel preparing to leave, he couldn't help but chase after him with one last question:
"Sir, Captain Andri managed to hold out for nearly an entire day with just a single company earlier. Now that your whole regiment has arrived, our forces have multiplied more than tenfold. We won't have any trouble holding out until the end, right? I've heard that in past defensive battles, the Empire's elites often held off twenty times their number without an issue. Is that true?"
Lelouch asked the question half out of a genuine desire for guidance, and half seeking psychological reassurance.
He had only crossed over into this world four hours ago. When it came to the sheer brutality of battle and the force ratios required for attackers versus defenders, he had not yet formed a clear concept. He desperately wanted an authoritative opinion.
List's expression remained stern throughout. "I will certainly defend our position to the death with everything we have, but we cannot underestimate the enemy. Since you and I hit it off fairly well, I'll share a bit more military intelligence with you.
The forces encircling us right now are the Belgin 1st, 4th, and 6th Divisions. At the start of the war, they only possessed six standing divisions, along with several temporarily mobilized reserve divisions. During the previous battles at the Liege fortress and Antwerp, their 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Divisions—along with all of their reserve divisions—were completely wiped out by the Empire.
Right now, the Belgin 1st Division is defending Ostend to the death under the command of Lieutenant General Alfred Bastian. He is responsible for fighting a rear-guard action for their entire army, delaying the pursuit of our 6th Army's Baria 2nd Division. Belgin's King, cabinet, and general staff are all inside the city of Ostend as well.
The troops fighting Andri today were primarily the vanguard of the 4th Division, commanded by Major General Henri Degizel.
There is also Major General Victor Björbeck's 6th Division. He was previously responsible for the southern flank, establishing defenses along the Yser River. But now that he's blown the river dikes, the south has turned into a vast swamp that no longer needs defending. I estimate that by the second half of tonight at the latest, he will arrive here as well to join forces with the 4th Division and assault our position."
The colonel's grasp of the overall strategic situation was far more detailed than Lelouch's, and with just a few simple sentences of explanation, Lelouch understood everything clearly.
In other words, throughout the day today, their side had actually only been fighting an enemy vanguard consisting of one or two regiments.
It wouldn't be until the first half of tonight that the 4th Division would likely press forward in its entirety. By the second half of the night, the entirety of their 6th Division would also arrive at the front lines in succession.
If the enemy still failed to breach Niopold by then, when the final moment arrived, the 1st Division responsible for the rear-guard delaying action might even pull several regiments over to launch a desperate breakout attempt.
The upcoming hard-fought battles would be grueling to the extreme. Every supporting stratagem Lelouch had wildly brainstormed would depend entirely on the frontline battlefield remaining tough enough to hold out before they could ever be put to use.
Once the colonel finished briefing him on the tactical situation, he adjusted his military cap and turned to open the cellar door.
Yet the very moment he pushed the door open, a soldier outside seemed to be sprinting up to push it open as well. Using too much force on the suddenly empty space, the man pitched forward and face-planted directly into the dirt.
"Why are you acting so reckless!" The colonel frowned instinctively.
Ignoring the pain, the soldier scrambled up off the ground, straightened his spiked leather helmet, and snapped a rapid salute. "Apologies, Colonel! Captain Andri is wounded! The enemy's latest wave of attacks is extremely fierce. Lieutenant Barack, the executive officer, sent me to request instructions immediately—we need friendly forces to reinforce the defensive line right now!"
No sooner had the soldier finished speaking than a stretcher was carried into the cellar behind him. Sure enough, Captain Andri lay sprawled across it.
His left arm had just been wrapped in bandages, but layers of blood were already seeping through. From the look of it, the gash was far from shallow—likely slashed open by some kind of shrapnel.
He hadn't lost consciousness yet. Catching sight of the colonel, he reached out with his uninjured right arm to grab him, forcing out words with difficulty: "The enemy has reinforcements arriving again... They brought Schneider 75mm rapid-fire guns this time, attacking from both the east and the west! My previous defensive layout isn't suited for handling direct-fire heavy weapons... Be careful..."
Before Andri could even finish his warning, his head tilted to the side as he fainted from blood loss.
Up until now, the enemies Andri faced had only possessed light weapons—at most grenades, heavy machine guns, or ultra-light improvised mortars—relying primarily on throwing human lives into the meat grinder. That was precisely why Andri had managed to hold out for the better part of a night and almost an entire day with just a single company.
The enemy's sluggish movement was obvious to everyone, but unfortunately, no matter how sluggish they were, the battle had been raging for nearly sixteen hours now. The first batch of light artillery had finally been dragged to the front line.
Caught off guard for a moment, Andri hadn't adjusted his defenses immediately, and he had paid the price for it.
Fortunately, he had provided plenty of crucial information before losing consciousness. Colonel List was a veteran who had fought countless battles, and he knew exactly how to conduct counter-battery operations.
"Don't panic! Our regiment brought 77mm field guns too! While their performance might not match the French pieces, as long as we stay concealed and don't expose ourselves too early, we can completely turn the tables and wipe them out! Everyone, follow my orders immediately and adjust deployment!
Lelouch, you're familiar with the terrain here, so come with me to take a look. Don't worry, staying by my side is completely safe."
As a communications officer, Lelouch originally had no obligation to personally observe enemy positions or adjust frontline deployments.
However, the colonel had only just arrived and wasn't familiar with any of the other officers from the original garrison yet. Since Lelouch was the only one he had built a rapport with, List had no choice but to pull him along temporarily to handle transmitting orders up and down the chain of command.
Although Lelouch was terrified of artillery bombardment, he could hardly refuse an order. Gritting his teeth, he followed the colonel out the door.
Without the cellar's soundproofing, the roar of the artillery sounded several times louder in his ears. Lelouch opened his mouth wide, terrified that his eardrums would be shattered by the concussive blasts, and followed the colonel step for step.
Colonel List, on the other hand, appeared remarkably calm and completely accustomed to the chaos.
Surrounded by seven or eight guards, he walked out merely a few dozen paces—not even reaching the observation post—before forming a rough assessment based purely on the sound reaching his ears:
"At least four guns on the east side, and roughly four on the west side as well. All of them are Schneider 75mm rapid-fire guns—hmm, no wonder it felt like the enemy's assault had almost ground to a halt right when our forces arrived earlier. It turns out they were gathering their strength, coordinating their timing to launch a simultaneous pincer attack from east and west!
It isn't surprising that the French forces on the west could haul up four Schneider guns, but I didn't expect the Belgin troops on the east to bring up so many as well. It must be the main artillery force of the 4th Division arriving. At full strength, a Belgin division should have thirty-six guns, twenty-four of which are 75mm Schneiders.
However, since they've been routed and fleeing all the way from Antwerp, they must have abandoned at least seventy or eighty percent of their heavy equipment. Being able to retain four guns means that's practically the division's entire surviving artillery inventory; the division responsible for the rear guard might not have brought away a single piece. To support this many artillery pieces, the accompanying infantry force must be at least one regiment on each flank, if not more.
Listen to my orders: pull two companies from the 1st Battalion and move them to the east first, deploying them along the reverse slope of the ruins in the town's second residential block to hold the line. Take two companies from the 2nd Battalion and deploy them to the west in the exact same manner. The remaining troops will hold their positions as reserves for now. Keep all 77mm field guns silent and stationary. Have the troops stationed behind the first line of ruins at the town's perimeter fall back temporarily—do not hold those positions stubbornly; avoid pointless casualties."
With just a few sentences, the colonel outlined the deployment adjustments, and his trusted orderlies immediately split up to relay the commands, directing every unit to shift positions and reinforce the line.
Listening to the colonel's analysis and command, a look of genuine surprise surfaced in Lelouch's eyes: he truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned veteran. Just by listening to the density of the firepower, he could determine how many cannons the enemy had and exactly what model they were. How many years of warfare did someone have to survive to train an ear like that?
"Colonel, you're practically a god..." Lelouch offered a line of heartfelt admiration.
Yet before he could say anything more, the colonel suddenly raised a hand to cut him off. After listening quietly for two seconds, his expression changed drastically. "What's going on? The enemy has 150mm heavy artillery too? That's impossible! With the French army's notoriously sluggish, foot-dragging pace, how could they possibly haul 150mm heavy guns here this quickly?"
As it turned out, while the colonel was listening silently and assessing the battlefield, another exceptionally deafening boom of artillery had triggered his alarm, naturally bringing a trace or two of shaken uncertainty to his eyes.
Fortunately, Lelouch was exceptionally well-versed on this specific issue and explained hurriedly: "Don't panic, Colonel! That's a Britannia light cruiser out on the North Sea. It's been prowling out there since early morning; when I woke up today, it was already bombarding the coastline. Every time the French and Belgin forces launch an assault, it coordinates with them by firing several salvos to provide naval fire support.
However, Captain Andri already figured out its tactics. Its main guns have a limited angle of elevation, and it can only fire from due north. When we set up our defenses, we abandoned the side facing the coastline and deployed all our firepower along the reverse slope of the ruins facing south. As long as you follow that same tactical rule, their cannons won't be able to hit us."
Hearing that the enemy naval guns had limited firing arcs, Colonel List finally let out a slight breath of relief. Still uneasy, he pursued the details carefully: "Are you certain that cruiser has poor firing arcs? Is it one of those older warships built specifically for naval interception missions?"
Lelouch immediately gave an affirmative reply. "Yes, sir. Captain Andri previously sent men to observe it with high-magnification reconnaissance binoculars when the opportunity arose. Judging by the hull design, it's an Arethusa-class light cruiser from the Britannia Navy. They reported it carries two 6-inch main guns and six 4-inch secondary guns."
"Why would Britannia dispatch a single light cruiser here of all places... and a vessel class designed for anti-destroyer missions at that? That is clearly a ship far more suited for naval combat than shore bombardment..."
Colonel List was completely baffled by this as well, but he had no time to worry about such anomalies for the moment.
Since Lelouch had already relayed how to neutralize the cruiser's bombardment, all List needed to do was incorporate those command elements into his existing plans and make targeted adjustments accordingly.
Under the colonel's tactical deployment, the German army's casualty rate rapidly slowed down. However, the charges launched by the French and Belgin troops seemed to proceed much more smoothly now as well—they had already seized the first block of ruins on the outskirts of the town.