Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 101 Appointment as Director of the External Propaganda Department of the War Department

After leaving Munich, Lelouch took a train north to Berlin.

One day later, they arrived safely in the imperial capital.

He had come here to meet with Baden, the minister of the Department of Prisoners of War and Occupied Territories Affairs, to complete the formalities and receive some government positions.

However, the previous trip to Austria to visit relatives was marred by many unexpected and trivial matters, which led to the increasingly longer itinerary for this trip to Berlin.

The morning after arriving in Berlin, Lelouch first went to Minister Baden.

He had already made an appointment by phone in advance, and Minister Baden did not make him wait; he was received as soon as he arrived at the ministry.

Minister Baden also personally handed him a document: "I have detailed your contributions to the work of persuading Britannian prisoners of war to surrender in the work report of the Prisoners of War Affairs Department. Your set of procedures for persuading prisoners of war to surrender has been imitated and implemented for more than half a month."

To date, more than 12,000 Burkina Faso prisoners of war and over 7000 South Asian prisoners of war have been persuaded to surrender and are genuinely serving the Empire. The Empire has even formed its first Burkina Faso prisoner-of-war division, which can be used for future operations on the Eastern Front, and has also created a special South Asian mixed brigade.

In the future, these prisoners of war can be used to participate in operations against potential hostile small countries in South Asia. The intensity of the battles is relatively low, and even if prisoners of war who have defected to the West are given the main combat roles, it is not easy for them to desert.

Moreover, the weapons, equipment, and ammunition for these troops do not require the Empire to reproduce them or occupy its stockpiles; they can be directly allocated from enemy spoils, making it a very worthwhile deal.

His Majesty was very satisfied with this achievement and instructed the Prisoner of War Affairs Department to continue its efforts to persuade more enemy prisoners to surrender. The Ministry of War also expressed its gratitude for this contribution, and therefore, officially appoints you as the 'Director of the External Propaganda Division of the Propaganda Bureau of the Ministry of War.' You can simply go there to complete the formalities."

"Thank you for Your Majesty's trust and for the Minister's guidance. I will definitely continue to work hard."

Lelouch first expressed his gratitude, then changed the subject, casually mentioning to Minister Baden that he hoped he could help arrange a position as a commissioner in the occupied territories.
"...This Mr. Guilford was originally the head of the tax collection department at the Vienna City Tax Office, and he has over ten years of experience in local tax work. To be honest, he's my brother-in-law. I'd like to try out some economic innovation in the occupied territories of Dunkirk-Yiper on the western front, and I need someone to cooperate with me..."

With that, Lelouch asked his brother-in-law Guilford to step forward and have Minister Baden "interview" and examine him in person.

Minister Baden had a brief chat with the other party, still giving Lelouch considerable face: "Since you're Colonel Lelouch's man, Mr. Guilford, I'll be frank with you. It's impossible to get a job so hastily in Demania."

Considering it's in occupied territory and we've only recently settled down, I'll help you out. However, you don't seem to be a Demacian citizen yet, do you? This situation is probably similar to when Lelouch first came to our country.

It's illogical to grant a foreigner citizenship during wartime and immediately assign them to an important administrative position. You should first provide your resume and complete the paperwork for serving in the occupying forces on the Western Front. This way, you can directly obtain citizenship and the status of a junior officer.

Then I will appoint you to the position. The whole process will take half a month to a month, but you can actually start performing your duties first.

"Thank you for your guidance, Minister!" Guildford said gratefully, promising to do his best.

He and Cornelia lingered in Berlin for a few days, taking care of all the necessary paperwork and making connections, before hurrying off to the Western Front.

Lelouch personally saw them off on the train and told them to contact him by phone if they needed anything, but not to send telegrams to avoid being monitored.

Even when making phone calls, Lelouch specifically instructed them which operator line to use, and to avoid using a relay station that passed through the neutral country of the Netherlands, to prevent the phone lines from being physically intercepted.

Guilford and Cornelia were both nervous and took it to heart: Is this what it feels like to enter the imperial power system? Their words and actions had begun to involve many important matters that the Burgundians could spy on.

……

My sister and brother-in-law went to Dunkirk to take over Lelouch's business affairs. They discussed the details of the construction of the three-phase electric arc furnace steel plant with technical experts such as Rossilin and Herius.

Lelouch stayed in Berlin for several more days, mainly to familiarize himself with the work of the Foreign Propaganda Department of the Imperial War Ministry. He also had a secret memorial from Duke Rupprecht to Emperor Wilhelm, offering diplomatic advice, which he needed to present to him when the opportunity arose.

The emperor was very busy and could not meet with the emperor every day. Moreover, he often had to leave Berlin briefly, so it was necessary to schedule the meeting in advance.

Lelouch's audience was scheduled for late March.

Lelouch had no choice but to take advantage of these few days to work properly at the War Department's Propaganda Division, contributing his modest efforts to the war propaganda work. He also became acquainted with his deputy, Colonel Rochester, the division's executive deputy director, as well as other colleagues and subordinates.

When Minister Baden assigned him an administrative position, he took into account that Lelouch would not have time to stay in Berlin often, so the daily work of the Foreign Affairs Office had to be handled by the executive deputy, and Lelouch could only occasionally use his talent for propaganda to come up with some ingenious ideas.

Lelouch worked diligently for several days, and before he knew it, it was March 20th.

Before the day for his audience with the emperor was even scheduled, Lelouch received some other good news and invitations.

The good news came from Dunkirk: my sister and brother-in-law have been in office for almost a week and have almost taken over the work.

Cornelia called back, mentioning that Rossilin and Herius had developed the first experimental small three-phase electric arc furnace and had already produced steel—of course, industrial construction is very complex, and it will take at least a few months to get it working from small laboratory-level production equipment to actual large-scale mass production.

But regardless, the successful testing in the laboratory proves that this technological approach is correct. It shows how much the three-phase furnace reduces energy consumption compared to the single-phase furnace invented by the Franks 15 years ago, how much it reduces the impact on the power grid load, how much it improves the quality of steel, and how much it increases the amount of steel that can be produced from a single furnace...

These parameters can now be precisely verified. Lelouch can then use these "data PowerPoint presentations" to make promises and find people for deeper collaboration.

His previous plan to collaborate with Krupp and Skoda has finally begun to take shape.

Therefore, after receiving news of Rosilin and others' breakthrough, Lelouch immediately called Gustav, the boss of Krupp, hoping that he could come to Berlin. The two sides had a more important artillery cooperation project to discuss, which would definitely satisfy Gustav.

To prove his point, Lelouch had his sister send Gustav a set of experimental data, along with several samples of three-phase electric arc furnace steel. Upon receiving them, Gustav arranged for Krupp's laboratory to test, analyze, and evaluate them. He then indicated he would come to Berlin as soon as possible to discuss further plans.

Besides this good news, another recent gain for Lelouch was that Minister Baden introduced him to some members of parliament, mainly from the left wing of the Social Democratic Party.

The main ones, of course, are Burns and Kautsky.

Lelouch was slightly startled when he first heard these names.

After all, in the political textbooks of later Eastern powers, these two men were associated with "reformism," and were considered to have betrayed the original faith of the first sage.

But calmly and honestly, now that Lelouch has reached this position, to save the country, he can only cooperate with the center-left and center-right and win their support.

The remaining two most extreme factions are divided into two groups. One group is too far ahead of its time, hoping to eliminate national boundaries in this era, which is currently impossible. The other group is too militarily fanatical, wanting to fight recklessly to the bitter end, killing everything in their path, but ultimately they will be defeated and collapse.

Center-right lawmakers often have a favorable impression of generals who have made outstanding contributions on the battlefield.

Given Lelouch's background and experience, he didn't need to deliberately seek the support of those councilors, nor did he need to deliberately seek the support of other generals with outstanding military achievements. For example, Duke Rupprecht, Hindenburg, and Rodendorff were all supported by center-right figures. Ultimately, who would receive more support would depend on whose future military achievements would be more illustrious.

In terms of support among center-left members of parliament, Lelouch is now clearly much higher than Hindenburg and Rodendorff.

At least in the past few days, Burns and Kautsky, under the guidance of Minister Baden, had a very pleasant conversation with him and quickly realized that this young man was definitely not ordinary.

He was a resolute man who was neither afraid of war nor fond of it. He was willing to put the brakes on the empire's rampant expansion when necessary, and he was also very clear about the empire's limits of strength. He would not be blindly arrogant, nor would he advise the rulers to arbitrarily expand the war objectives.

Such a person is simply the rising star that the "peace through war" faction should support most in the military.

(Note: If I were to write about it, I could go on and on about Lelouch's interactions with Burns and Kautsky, and how he won them over. But since these people are representatives of "reform/cultivation," I can't elaborate. Just remember the conclusion: believe that the protagonist has the ability to unite these factions, and that's enough.)
In short, if Lelouch were to put the brakes on Hindenburg and Rodendorff in the future, it would be a struggle between the "center-right + center-left" and the "center-right + far-right." To truly determine the winner, it would probably depend on which faction ultimately makes a greater contribution and has the stronger military achievements.

These are all things for later.

……

The time soon came to October 3st.

This was also the day when Emperor Wilhelm finally made time to meet with Lelouch.

Coincidentally, after Lelouch sent the three-phase electric arc furnace steel samples and experimental reports to Gustav Krupp, Krupp agreed to meet with him in Berlin, and the meeting was finally scheduled for March 25th.

Lelouch was busy, first meeting with the emperor in the morning, and then discussing military industry with Gustav in the afternoon.

At 8 a.m., Lelouch drove to Potsdam Palace in the southwestern suburbs of Berlin. After a long wait and announcement, he finally met His Majesty the Emperor at 9 a.m. sharp.

Emperor William was nearly sixty years old and had a very thick beard with the ends of the beard curling upwards on both sides.

Whether standing or sitting, the emperor would never face the worshippers directly; he would always turn his body slightly to the side, facing them at an angle.

This way, he could hide his partially disabled arm, which had been crushed and atrophied at birth, behind his back, and always keep his strong arm in front.

"You're Lelouch von Hunt? You're quite young. I heard you parachuted in and captured Dunkirk, captured John French, helped Minister Baden persuade tens of thousands of Burkina Faso prisoners to surrender, and even turned the Billy King Army against the Communists?"

Lelouch: "Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs, yet you still remember all my contributions. You are truly diligent in your duties."

The emperor was not referring to all of Lelouch's achievements, but only a few of the most important ones, but that's not important.

The emperor then offered some routine words of encouragement, telling Lelouch to continue working hard for the empire, assuring him that the empire would not treat him unfairly.

After chatting for about fifteen minutes, the emperor asked, "I heard from the attendants that you brought with you Duke Rupprecht's advice this time?"

Lelouch then had the opportunity to take out the documents he had brought and respectfully present them to the emperor.

The emperor glanced at it and found that it concerned matters related to guarding against the Britannians wooing certain neutral small countries on the southern front. He hoped that the empire would increase its efforts and allocate more resources when forming reinforcements for the southeastern front.

The emperor then asked Lelouch a few questions, which Lelouch answered in detail, simply reiterating the principle that "if a group of petty villains are stirring up trouble, one should be given a good beating as a warning, to prevent a hundred more from coming."

The emperor, like Duke Rupprecht, deeply agreed with this principle.

However, the emperor had greater authority and could make more radical and comprehensive decisions.

After a slight hesitation, the emperor finally decided to make minor adjustments to the reinforcement plan for the southeastern front.

The 8th Army on the northern section of the Eastern Front remained in place, still under the command of Hindenburg and Rodendorff, responsible for the frontal defense of the northern section of the Eastern Front, which later became the Poznan-Vistula River East Prosen frontal defense of Poland.

The newly formed 9th Army, established last December, is positioned in the Königsberg direction, along the northernmost narrow strip of land bordering the Baltic Sea. Field Marshal Mackensen, a veteran general, serves as the army's commander.
The 6th Army Group, which was about to be transferred entirely from the western front, and the newly formed 10th Army Group were assigned to the southern section of the eastern front.

The 10th Army, commanded by retired Field Marshal Leopold of the Baria line, was responsible for the defense line in the Carpathian Mountains west and north of Budapest.

The 6th Army was naturally still commanded by Field Marshal Rupprecht, responsible for the defense line in the Carpathian Mountains east and south of Budapest. (See the diagram below for details.)
Meanwhile, because the frontal defense zone that the 6th Army was responsible for was shorter than originally planned, the 6th Army was allowed to allocate some of its forces to adapt to changing circumstances, either by transferring them to the Italian-Austrian border or to guard against the Romanian direction.

All units shall begin mobilization immediately and, once in place, be ready to engage in combat as quickly as possible, depending on changes in the battle situation.

After handling the military adjustments on the Eastern Front, the busy emperor was about to meet with the next minister, so he didn't have time to chat with Lelouch, the representative of the Baria faction.

Lelouch received the latest instructions on behalf of Duke Rupprecht and then respectfully withdrew.

As he left the emperor's study, he saw another minister about to enter and report.

Lelouch did not recognize the man, but he could still make out from the old black and white photos he had seen in his previous life that this man could be Admiral Tirpitz, the Minister of the Navy.
Lelouch suddenly realized that although he had never met this Minister of the Navy, the other party seemed to owe him a favor. After the minister finished his audience with the emperor, he could take advantage of that favor to get to know him.

Thinking of this, Lelouch didn't hold back. He was supposed to go back to Berlin to discuss tank development cooperation with Mr. Gustav of Krupp, as well as the issue of naval gun steel.

But since we've run into Marshal Tirpitz, let's have Gustav make the trip.

Lelouch immediately made a phone call to Gustav's apartment in Berlin: "Mr. Gustav, the meeting plans have changed. I won't be going back to the city. Why don't you come to Potsdam? I'll find a place near Potsdam Palace to talk to you."

Gustav Krupp's first reaction was displeasure: Lelouch was actually ordering him around! Who did he take him for!
But Gustav, a seasoned veteran with many years of experience in diplomacy and industry, still possessed this level of composure and shrewdness.

He didn't refuse at the moment, but casually asked, "Coming to Potsdam is no problem, but is there a necessary reason?"

Lelouch: "I just happened to run into the Minister of the Navy. Wouldn't you like to have a chat?"

Gustav: "Get there as soon as possible!"

-

P.S.: I have training today and classes during the day, so I won't be posting any more updates. That's all for today.

(End of this chapter)