Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 238 Delmensingen gets into trouble, but luckily he can still turn the tables.
Lelouch's grand plan included how to stir up trouble in Norway and Sweden, forcing the Royal Navy of Burkina Faso to engage in battle.

These details are currently only in Lelouch's own mind and there's no need to tell Lieutenant General Lister, because these things have nothing to do with Lister.

All Lister needed to know was the general direction: "After conquering the Caucasus, our army should try to stir up trouble in the Middle East and do everything possible to lure the Burkina Faso navy to the Eastern Mediterranean to reduce the burden on our allies in the North Sea."

As for what will happen in Beihai in the future, that's a matter for another theater of operations.

After hearing the part of the information that could be revealed, although there were still some details he didn't know, Liszt, based on his many years of experience and the credibility that Chief of Staff Lelouch had built up over the past year and a half, unconditionally trusted the other party.

He did whatever Chief of Staff Lelouch told him to do.

However, just as Lister decided to end the evening's conversation and sort out his findings, he suddenly realized that there was one last military issue directly related to the Middle East theater of operations, which Chief of Staff Lelouch had not covered in his explanation.

So, with a mindset of filling in the gaps, Lister humbly asked, "Chief of Staff, there's another question that your answer didn't address—you mentioned earlier that to completely win the Middle East war, we need to solve two key problems. One is our logistical support, and the other is the problem of local uprisings instigated by the enemy."

"I'll accept your grand plan of naval cooperation as a solution to our military's logistical shortcomings. But what about the insurgency issues in the Levant, Nej, Hejaz, and even Iraq? Or are these problems truly too difficult to solve?"

When Lister asked this question, he didn't have high hopes. He felt that it was normal even if Chief of Staff Lelouch couldn't come up with a solution. Anyway, solving one of the two problems would greatly increase the chances of winning the Middle East theater, and if both were solved, the enemy would be almost annihilated in an instant.

However, Lelouch was incredibly resourceful. Just when Liszt had given up hope, Lelouch calmly and confidently stated:
"Don't worry about this problem. I have a way of dealing with it. I'm not saying I can completely win over all the local Abo tribes to our side, but at least I can bring back half of the rebellious tribes and let them fight amongst themselves so they don't become an obstacle to the empire. That's achievable."

Lieutenant General Lister's eyes widened in disbelief.

How could this be? In recent months, that Prime Minister, Lawrence, was sent to sow discord. He offered her official positions and a host of benefits, promising her independence after the war. He incited a large tribal alliance in each of the three major regions of the Levant, Nej, and Hejaz to rise up against the Ottomans.
They directly conjured up hundreds of thousands of ragtag allies for the people of the Burkina Faso from the desert.

How amazing must Chief of Staff Lelouch's strategy be to quell the rebellion without firing a shot?

This could probably only be accomplished by a miracle!
"This...this can't be right, can it? If it's possible, can I hear the details of the scheme later on? If not, then don't reveal it..."

Lister felt uneasy, deeply aware that his rank was too low; how could a mere lieutenant general be worthy of hearing such divine strategies?

Lelouch tapped his knuckles on the table, pondered his words, and then said, slowly and deliberately:
"You can listen to it, but only a part of it, just the general idea."

Lister quickly replied, "It's already quite good that we can hear the general idea."

Lelouch: "My line of thinking, to put it bluntly, is not really magical. I just concluded that, given the shamelessness of the Bretons over the past few centuries, their so-called 'promise to grant independence to the people of the Levant, Hejaz, Nejz, and Iraq after the war' is definitely a load of bull!"
They certainly won't keep their promise when the war ends. They'll just discard those people after they've served their purpose, making them work for nothing.

In fact, let alone places like the Levant and Iraq, even India, now that the "dog" (a derogatory term for someone who is a traitor) keeps saying that as long as hundreds of thousands or even millions more Indians die for the country, India will be allowed to become independent after the war.

But in reality, the traitors will definitely talk big and never keep their promises. If I can find a way to expose their lies and prove they will break their word, then even if I can't bring all the rebels back, at least I can make them fight amongst themselves and no longer pose a threat. Then, the Empire's elite troops and the Burkina Faso army can have a fair one-on-one battle in the Middle East, neither side able to rely on allies. Surely the Empire, relying on its army's true strength, can't defeat the Burkina Faso army?

"That's it?" Lieutenant General Lister was immediately disappointed. It wasn't that he thought the idea was wrong; if it could be implemented, the effect would certainly be very strong. But the problem was, how could it possibly be implemented?
He instinctively gasped softly, but then, fearing his overreaction might seem disrespectful to Chief of Staff Lelouch, he hesitated for a long time before finally speaking tactfully.

"This kind of thing... I'm afraid it's impossible to prove, right? Although everyone on Earth knows that Bugou's words are always worthless, they won't expose their own shortcomings. Now, no matter what outsiders say, they can stick to their guns and refuse to budge. You can't exactly try to prove something that hasn't even happened yet..."

Lelouch laughed and patted Lister on the shoulder: "So, this is the essence of my plan. But I'm sorry, Lieutenant General Lister, your level of secrecy isn't high enough to hear the details. You'll find out later."

Now, we must first ensure that, while leaving Tsaritsyn and the Volga waterway as bait, we conquer the Caucasus and advance into the Middle East. Only after we have accomplished these steps can I tell you about the subsequent plans.”

Lister pondered for a while, but still couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. However, he was absolutely convinced of Chief of Staff Lelouch's abilities. The Chief of Staff dared to make such a statement, so he must already have a brilliant plan in mind.

Lieutenant General Lister decided to vouch for his honor, promising to fully obey Chief of Staff Lelouch's orders from now on. If any other lieutenant generals raised doubts, he would stand firmly in their shoes.

……

After sharing part of his plan with Lister in a frank manner, it was already late at night. Lelouch was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep at his lodging.

He woke up quite early the next morning, around 7 a.m. After washing up and having a quick breakfast, he had to get back to military duties.

But just as he was about to direct several army commanders to make specific deployments, a small accident infuriated him.

"What? Commander Delmensingen actually sent a telegram last night without authorization to request instructions from the commander and try to adjust my battle plan? Who allowed him to bypass his superiors and use unconventional communication methods without permission?"
Is a battle plan something that can be discussed in a telegram? How can he guarantee the security of our codes? I said yesterday that with a major battle imminent, even if there are matters requiring consultation, communication methods must be approved! Didn't I say that?

"How could Lieutenant General Delmensingen, a former army group chief of staff, make such a basic mistake?"

Upon learning this news, Lelouch immediately flew into a rage at the morning meeting. The meeting hadn't even officially started yet; Lelouch had arrived first, and someone had informed him of the situation, intending for him to reconsider and wait for Marshal Rupprecht's reply and confirmation before mobilizing the troops.

Lieutenant General Delmensingen, who had caused the trouble, hadn't even arrived at the meeting room yet, since it wasn't time for the meeting to start.

Unexpectedly, Lelouch lost his temper like this. The other two originally neutral lieutenant generals, Oscar von Syland and Edward von Holloway, also frowned slightly, wondering if Lelouch was retaliating or making a mountain out of a molehill.

"It seems that Chief of Staff Lelouch and Delmensingen are not getting along... The Chief of Staff and the former Chief of Staff are not on good terms with the current commander of the main force. This is not a good thing for the campaign..." Both Sirend and Lieutenant General Hollo were somewhat worried.

But just as these two neutral parties were having doubts, Lieutenant General Lister, the least senior of the division commanders, also stepped forward to express his firm support for Lelouch:

"Chief of Staff, are you perhaps worried that our communication codes are insecure, or that our operational plans might be leaked, leading the enemy to take targeted precautions?"

Lelouch couldn't say for sure either. After all, he only knew from history that Demania's code wasn't very secure. The Navy's code was definitely full of holes, but the Army's might be. However, there were some things he didn't want to gamble on.

Furthermore, Delmensingen doesn't have direct access to the rear; he might not even be using the latest code, or there might be other flaws—who knows? Especially since the Duke is currently at Neuschwanstein Castle in the rear, and he doesn't have a sophisticated team or equipment for radio transceivers and decoders, it's highly likely that communication with the Duke would involve downgrading the security level.

He briefly outlined his concerns and then sought the support of the two neutral army commanders: "Given the current situation, some risks cannot be ignored. Fortunately, the troops haven't been officially mobilized yet. I've thought about it, and some details can still be optimized."
Perhaps we can make the operational plan a little more strategic—we can prepare for the worst, assuming that Lieutenant General Delmensingen's radio request has been leaked, and then see what we do.”

Seeing that Lelouch's expression had softened and that he was addressing the issue for everyone's benefit, the two white-haired senior officers, Lieutenant General Syland and Lieutenant General Hollo, no longer objected and said that the Chief of Staff should speak freely and that everyone could discuss it.

Lelouch then instructed Liszt, who was standing nearby:
"Lieutenant General Lister, please note down the following deployment adjustments I've made:"

Delmensingen's 2nd Corps will continue its feint attack on Tsaritsyn for the next two weeks, drawing away Russa's defensive forces and attempting to bypass the city from the south, allowing our vanguard to reach the Volga River. Simultaneously, Richthofen's cavalry will follow Delmensingen; once our main infantry force has opened a passage, the cavalry will advance down the Volga, harassing and disrupting Russa's local defenses, creating a vital passage for the evacuation of Volga-Dmanian civilians. Alternatively, local Volga citizens who have suffered at the hands of Russa can be conscripted as auxiliary troops to bolster the momentum of the feint attack on Tsaritsyn.

Sylander's 1st Army advanced from the southern coast of the Taman Peninsula toward the Greater Caucasus Mountains, and then eastward along the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, making a feint to find mountain passes. It also tried to incite the local tribes to make a big show of force, attracting the main force of the South Caucasus Army to divide its forces to defend the major mountain passes, thereby creating a vacuum in other directions for the enemy.

Hollo’s 3rd Corps, Lister’s Independent Corps, and the tank and half-track units of the 'Grandemania' Armored Division should board ships in Odessa as soon as possible, escorted by General Spee’s Black Sea Fleet, and secretly advance towards Batumi, a Black Sea port city south of the Caucasus Mountains. We will launch a landing operation on Batumi with the strength of two corps and one understrength armored division.

Finally, considering the extremely rugged terrain of the South Caucasus region, where armored vehicles and trucks are practically useless, these two types of equipment from the 'Gross Demania' Armored Division can be temporarily reassigned to the Tsaritsyn direction to support the feint attack of the 2nd Corps in Delmensingen. Even a dozen or so tanks can be left out to peek out in the Tsaritsyn direction to mislead the enemy.

When the enemy sees tanks appearing near Tsaritsyn, along with a large number of armored vehicles and trucks, they will definitely assume that our main attack direction is Tsaritsyn.

Furthermore, to ensure secrecy at the intelligence level, after this plan is issued, I will not request instructions from the commander via radio. Instead, I will have someone take my plan by plane back to Munich to request instructions in person. In the written request, I will request that the commander pretend not to know about the plan, pretend to approve Lieutenant General Delmensingen's objections, and proceed according to his plan. But in reality, once the commander's handwritten order returns, you know which order to execute!

The two veteran lieutenant generals, Sirend and Hollo, exchanged glances and both agreed that Lelouch's words made sense.

If Marshal Rupprecht had written a reply in his own hand and sent it back by plane, it would certainly have been more credible than a radio message.

Moreover, the Chief of Staff's plan is not very dependent on whether the enemy has actually discovered our original plan. Even if the enemy has not discovered it by deciphering the radio, as long as our battlefield deception is good enough, the enemy will still fall into the trap, thereby dispersing their forces and ultimately leaving the direction that should be heavily defended without heavy defense.

As for Lelouch, he realized that this trick was as easy as eating and drinking, and he almost immediately drew inspiration from the Normandy landings deception operation in the Earth dimension.

He knew very well that the key to a successful deception operation was to lure the enemy's main defensive force to another direction, so that his own landing troops could get a foothold on the beach and avoid being blocked.

This understanding was not yet in the minds of other generals of this era. Previously, only the Demacians had fought the Shiuma Island landing operation, but that victory was too small in scale, merely an amphibious island seizure.

The Burkina Faso army had fought a Gallipoli landing operation, which was large enough, but the problem was that they failed.

Humanity has no experience in large-scale, successful amphibious landing operations other than island-capturing, so Lelouch can take advantage of the ancients' lack of experience once again.

……

For the rest of the day, the troops were adjusting their deployment, temporarily following Lelouch's instructions, and everyone was getting impatient.

On the evening of April 1, Duke Rupprecht's reply telegram arrived first. The telegram used the previous army code and emphasized some arguments for national interests, stating that "Lieutenant General Delmensingen's eagerness to rescue the Volga Demanians is correct, and frontline commanders are required to fully consider this demand when executing operational plans. Honorable Demanian soldiers will not abandon their compatriots."

When the telegram arrived, Lieutenant General Delmensingen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the commander still supported him.

But on the morning of April 2, Duke Rupprecht's handwritten order finally arrived, delivered to Odessa by a pilot.

The handwritten order not only bore the Duke Rupprecht's signature but also the seal of Crown Prince Baria.

The message was simple: the previous telegram was merely to cover up potential intelligence gaps, and in reality, all commands were still under Lelouch's orders.

The issue of Lieutenant General Delmensingen doesn't need to be addressed for now, to avoid unforeseen circumstances that could cause the deception to fail, and changing commanders on the eve of battle could easily affect morale. We'll deal with it after the Caucasus campaign.

With the commander's handwritten letter in hand, Lelouch had no more obstacles in directing the army group's operations.

Lieutenant General Hilland and Lieutenant General Holloe looked at the bright red Crown Prince's seal on the handwritten order, and both stood at attention and saluted, indicating their absolute obedience to the order.

So, in the following days, everything proceeded according to Lelouch's plan.

Beginning on April 3, the 2nd Corps and Cavalry Corps of the German 6th Army continued their advance northeastward from Volgadontsk, heading towards Tsaritsyn.

Despite Lusa's army's cautious and relentless resistance, they still suffered heavy losses and were gradually advanced by the Demacians.

The newly reorganized Southern Front Army of the Lusa people also had to send more reserves to the Tsaritsyn direction.

It is unknown whether the Britannians near the Caucasus intercepted Lieutenant General Delmensingen's telegram and Duke Rupprecht's reply, or whether they informed the Lussar.

The Germans cannot verify this detail in the short term, but the deception was successful in the end, and the enemy's reserves have been mobilized.

After four or five days of fierce fighting in the Tsaritsyn direction, on April 7th, a new offensive and defensive battle gradually began along the Black Sea coast and near the Taman Peninsula.

The Demanian army had previously captured the small port city of Novorossiysk along the southern coast of the Taman Peninsula on the Black Sea coast, and had advanced as far as a mountain pass on the northern foothills of the North Caucasus Mountains, about 70 kilometers southeast of Novorossiysk.

From this mountain pass, if you continue southeast along the coastline for less than 120 kilometers, you will reach Sochi, an important port city on the Black Sea.

On April 7th, Lieutenant General Søren Schirland of the German 6th Army launched a feint attack on Sochi along this route.

If Sochi falls, the Lusa army in the Caucasus theater will also be finished, because Sochi is also a "port city south of the Greater Caucasus". Once the Demanians gain a foothold here, their land forces will be able to continuously pour into the area south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, thanks to their control of the Black Sea.

Therefore, Sochi is a place that must be heavily fortified and defended.

The Lusa people had no choice but to move 30 to 6 of their total 7 troops in the Caucasus region to the Sochi area to guard the pass and block it.

Fortunately, the Caucasus Mountains are treacherous. Even the parts that extend to the Black Sea coast remain steep, with many sections of the coastline consisting of cliffs and precipices, making them extremely difficult to traverse. It's not the kind of terrain where "mountains become easy beaches once they reach the sea," as many people imagine.

Lieutenant General Sylander's troops and the Sochi garrison clashed fiercely at the Caucasus Pass. Demanian warriors made several attempts to break through the pass, but were blocked by the Lusa people who held the strategic position.

But just after Lieutenant General Siland effectively pinned down the reserve defense team south of the Sochi Pass...
Around April 10th, Lelouch himself, who had been lying low for a long time, finally made his appearance with Vice Admirals Lister and Hollo.

Admiral Spee of the Black Sea Fleet also deployed all its combat power, including the battlecruisers "Moldy" and "Goben," to fully support Lelouch.

(End of this chapter)