Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 92: The power to manipulate people's minds is terrifying.

Later that day,
A prisoner-of-war camp on the southern outskirts of Dunkirk.

A Mercedes sped straight in and stopped near the hospital inside the prisoner-of-war camp. As soon as the car came to a stop, Captain Joachim got out and opened the door, followed by Lelouch and the Grand Duke of Baden getting out of the back seat.

There was also a temporary hospital in the POW camp, since many of the wounded soldiers' injuries could recur and needed to be treated promptly.

The facilities here are poor, and surgery cannot be performed; they can only prescribe medicine and give injections to the wounded.

"We've arrived, and everything you requested has been arranged. The prisoners of war can be assembled at any time. Should we summon them and give them a speech to persuade them to surrender?"

Grand Duke Baden showed no airs of authority befitting a minister. Instead, he looked at Lelouch with a very amused gaze, as if expecting the young man to create another miracle and broaden his horizons.

“That will be troublesome.” Lelouch nodded. He didn’t need to prepare a speech, because ever since he had casually chatted with the Duke of Baden about this topic that day, he had often thought about the issue in his mind and had already perfected his words in his head.

At this moment, I can give an impromptu speech without a script.

He also discovered that although the original owner of his physical body was rather weak, his voice and demeanor were very suitable for giving passionate speeches.

Perhaps it's due to exceptional talent.

Before long, at least 20,000 people in the prisoner-of-war camp were called to line up. At the front of the line were about 4,000 wounded soldiers, some of whom were more seriously injured and were allowed to be pushed in wheelchairs by their healthy comrades to listen to the speech.

At least half of these wounded had received sulfonamide antibiotics, and they owed some favor to the medical system of Demania, especially to Llull, the provider of the sulfonamides.

Once everyone had arrived, the assault battalion soldiers holding submachine guns stood guard, silently observing the group of prisoners of war in the center. Captain Joachim then stepped forward and sternly ordered everyone to be quiet:

"Keep quiet! Now, let's welcome Colonel Lelouch von Hunt, Special Commissioner of the Imperial Prisoner of War Affairs Department, to speak!"

He was the supreme commander of the airborne operation to seize Dunkirk!

He was also the one who finally stormed the Ypres Expeditionary Force headquarters and captured Field Marshal John French alive!
He also provided the new drug, allowing those of you infected patients to survive the threat of death!

Joachim yelled at the top of his lungs into the mechanical loudspeaker for a long time before the people quieted down.

Then, Lelouch calmly walked onto the podium, cleared his throat, and slowly glanced at the entire audience.

Electronic amplification technology did not exist at that time. Although radio broadcasting could send and receive voice messages (primitive voice broadcasting existed as early as 1906), it could not amplify the signal or adjust the volume. The volume emitted by the broadcast receiver would only be quieter than the speaker's voice, making it useless for rallies and speeches.

Therefore, during rallies and speeches, they still had to rely on mechanical structures to confine sound waves and shout through an empty megaphone. At today's rally, there were two square formations of 100 people each standing to Lelouch's left and right front, which was already the maximum number of people that could barely be heard.

"It seems we'll have to get someone to develop electronically amplified loudspeakers and broadcasting systems a few years earlier. Those things weren't supposed to appear until 1920, but they gradually became widespread and were then used by Luo and another person whose name I can't reveal. If I can develop them earlier, I can become the first person in the world to use new technology to promote myself."

Looking down at the chaotic crowd, Lelouch silently entertained another thought, spending almost a minute lost in his own thoughts.

His cold, sharp gaze and silent scanning of the crowd, coupled with his string of previous titles, only made the prisoners of war quieter out of fear.

Before a speech, it is necessary to make full use of a terrifying silence to capture everyone's attention. This is a point that is essential for those who study the art of passionate public speaking in later generations.

This time, however, he didn't deliberately create silence; he was just lost in thought.

After regaining his senses, Lelouch's eyes became even more determined, and he first said a few words as a prelude.

"I remember that a few days ago, when the battle had just ended, I also visited the field hospital. Among you, there were many brave and wounded soldiers in the front row, who left a deep impression on me."

For example, Lieutenant Henderson. I saw him with both legs blown off by shrapnel. When the nurses were amputating and cleaning his wounds, there was no anesthesia, but he didn't cry out in pain. Later, although he had a severe infection, he took a new drug from Fabon Chemicals and miraculously pulled through. He's truly a hero!

Lieutenant Woolf, whose arm was severed by machine gun fire, gritted his teeth and underwent amputation without anesthesia, leaving him with only one arm. Later, with the help of new medication, he also survived the infection. The Empire has always respected warriors, and we Demacian soldiers are the bravest and most honorable. Our Demacian nation also deeply respects warriors, so even if you are our enemies, we will do our best to treat you.”

Lelouch's words were warm in content, but firm and stern in tone.

He paused slightly at this point, and the crowd below stirred slightly. Some ordinary soldiers were tempted, but some literate officers were even more resistant, and some even sneered and scoffed.

"You think you can buy us off with such a small favor? Dream on!" Several officers, especially colonels and lieutenant colonels, thought so.

But soon, after Lelouch and the others had processed what he had said, the tone immediately changed.

"Of course, many of you probably think I'm trying to soften your resolve with these small favors. But you're underestimating the Empire. The Empire simply respects warriors and people with a sense of honor, but it has never expected to gain anything from this respect, nor does it care!"

Don't believe me? Go ahead. I can give you any example, and you'll understand—since the start of the war, the Empire has never gained anything from respecting warriors or those with a sense of honor. On the contrary, our enemies, primarily your Bretanian Empire, have been ashamed of this, attacking the Empire and trying to incite its people against the war—of course, they aren't truly against the war; they just want the Empire to surrender!

Have you ever considered how your homeland attacks the empire's sense of honor? They say the empire only concentrates its money and resources on its soldiers, neglecting the people's livelihood, and is warlike and bloodthirsty. More than six months into the war, the people in the rear are already suffering from hunger and cold due to food rationing; the people should not support such a warlike tyrant…

Therefore, I am very clear today that emphasizing the Empire's respect for warriors and those with a sense of honor will not bring any benefits to the Empire. But I am a man who only speaks the truth, so even if there is no benefit, I will still speak!

Lelouch's second statement finally caused a subtle wavering among many prisoners. Although they hadn't yet considered serving the enemy, they were experiencing significant mental confusion. In particular, Lelouch himself openly admitted his shortcomings, making no secret of the adverse effects his actions had had on the Demacian Empire.
This kind of talk of airing one's dirty laundry in public has unconsciously instilled in many uneducated Britannian prisoners a subconscious belief: "Since this person is willing to say such things that are detrimental to himself without any attempt to hide it, then everything he says must be true, both before and after."

Captain Joachim, who was originally in charge of keeping watch, was getting restless after hearing these words. He almost wanted to go up on stage to stop Lelouch, or at least remind him not to air his dirty laundry in public.

Fortunately, Archduke Mark von Baden was more mature, prudent, and shrewd. He grabbed his nephew and whispered, "Don't rush! Trust him! He must have a reason for saying that. Let him finish!"

The noisy prisoners of war quickly quieted down a bit, and Lelouch then began to explain the final, crucial killing move:
"However! The Empire may have problems with its harsh governance of the people, but the Empire has absolutely never wronged any soldier with a sense of honor! In times of war, everyone has to tighten their belts and make ends meet; there's no other way."

I don't think there's anything wrong with providing more supplies to soldiers on the front lines and allowing workers and peasants in the rear to have slightly worse living conditions. After all, brave soldiers risk their lives more than ordinary people to defend their country, and this is what every defender of their homeland deserves! And what are those despicable bankers hiding in the shadows of London's financial district doing? On one hand, they attack the empire, trying to incite discontent among its people. On the other hand, they promote so-called 'absolute free market economy' in London, letting the invisible hand of the market control everything!
Before the war, London's most unskilled manual laborers earned about the same as you, less than two pounds a week. But now? In just over six months since the war began, their wages have increased to at least six pounds, and some are earning over ten! And these aren't even highly skilled mechanics! And you? You still earn less than two pounds a week!

Why is this happening? Because of the invisible hand of the free market! With so many soldiers being drafted, the number of young men in the labor market has decreased significantly, and capitalists are vying for workers! Military factories can sell whatever they produce, and the more they expand production, the more they profit! And because of the high profits in the arms industry, capitalists can afford to pay these wage increases! Because you've left the labor market, labor in the rear has become more valuable!
In London, some people who want to avoid military service are finding ways to temporarily break their own arms and legs, inflicting minor fractures, bribing doctors to get certificates to avoid the front lines. After three months of recovery, once the minor fractures have healed, they go to the capitalists and earn three to five times more than soldiers fighting on the front lines!

Although the Empire's administration of its people was rather rigid, suppressing wage standards for those in the rear through mandatory wage laws and forcing them to endure the losses caused by inflation and rising prices, the Empire also did not give military capitalists and labor organizers the opportunity to profit from the national crisis.

Therefore, bankers and free-market capitalists all over the world should naturally oppose empire and embrace Bretonnia. Only the Bretonnia system can allow bankers to shamelessly ride on the heads of honorable soldiers!

On one hand, military-management laws were used to reduce the pay of soldiers who could not resist to less than 2 pounds a week, because soldiers had no free market! On the other hand, labor organizers in the rear made enough money from the difference, and bankers and arms capitalists took the opportunity to bleed honorable soldiers dry!
And you are here to protect a country that has been taken over by bankers and where everything is decided by them!
Oh, and here's another piece of news we just received a few days after your surrender: Just the day before yesterday, in Glasgow, the military factories association organized another strike, saying their wages weren't high enough. Then the organizers threatened the authorities to increase the temporary overtime pay at those military factories to 12 times the pay of your frontline soldiers!
Those who don't believe me can read the newspaper themselves later. This is your own Bretonnia's domestic newspaper; pass it around among yourselves. They just haven't summarized and analyzed the data like I have."

The points Lelouch raised are all true.

Of course, there is no absolutely good system in the world, nor is there an absolutely bad system. Lelouch simply happened to summarize all the disadvantages and problems caused by the Bretonnia Free Market, and the unfairness to the front-line troops, and then carefully arranged them.

Demania's system certainly had many problems, but those problems were mainly for the people in the rear. Historically, Bretonnia also seized on those weaknesses and denounced them for several years, and in the end, it did work.

Regardless, Lelouch's speech was a great success.

The vast majority of ordinary soldiers in the army had never thought about this issue before, nor had they considered that "a free labor market would naturally lead to workers in the rear earning many times more than soldiers at the front."

But all of this makes so much sense – soldiers have no right to negotiate their pay; if you're assigned to the army, you have to serve.

"Marefak! Those crippled and disabled guys we looked down on before the war are now making several times more money than us!"

"Don't eat the pickled radishes! That's how those bastard bankers bully people! Sure enough, whoever is easy to talk to and patriotic always suffers!"

"Holy shit! Who were we fighting for all this time? For those bankers who live like rats in a hole! Is it really only by following the Demacians that we can kill those bank dogs in the City of London?!"

A large group of Britannian prisoners were finally ignited by Lelouch's impassioned speech.

Lelouch even personally took a large stack of the Glasgow Daily and went down from the stage to hand them to the prisoners of war. Many prisoner-of-war camp guards also began distributing a small number of newspapers that had been prepared in advance.

When Lelouch was handing out newspapers, he would shake hands with some of the prisoners of war who had a determined look in their eyes.

When the other person saw his bloodshot left eye, which was injured in the fight for his country, although he was not directly affected by his gaze, he inexplicably felt that the young colonel in front of him was indeed a person who was loyal to his country and had a sense of honor.

At that moment, Lelouch seemed to realize that although his blood-red, injured left eye could not affect foreigners for no reason, it could at least strengthen his persona, making his statements about certain stances more credible and persuasive.

At the rally, the wavering soldiers could not immediately surrender or express their willingness to fight for Demania.

However, after the meeting, when the soldiers returned to their camps to rest, the officers and soldiers separated, and the officers could no longer influence the soldiers. Then, many soldiers secretly wrote notes expressing their hope for better treatment and their willingness to fight for the empire.

But as long as it's not a direct war with Britannia, and as long as the enemy is also a free market country where bankers call the shots, they're willing.

Overnight, the officials under the Grand Duke of Baden collected more than two thousand slips of paper requesting defection, and compiled a list for the Grand Duke to review.

"This is terrifying... Is this your persuasive power? I finally believe how you managed to convince two divisions of the Billy Kings to defect with just a few pages of telegrams."

"I will have the POW affairs department summarize your arguments and theories, and then slowly go to various Britannian prisoner camps to persuade them to surrender. Maybe we can even try with Frankish prisoners of war. Any country that doesn't respect the interests of its soldiers and only thinks about making money in the free market can be attacked with this rhetoric. It's really terrifying."

Archduke Mark von Baden was completely and utterly impressed by Lelouch.

This person's eloquence, his charisma, his insight into the essence of problems, and his ability to seize opportunities are all at their peak.

"It's nothing. I'm just good at observing and summarizing, and I can also express these observations and summaries."

A country that prioritizes the military over the people will incite its people, and a country that prioritizes the people over the military will incite its military; this is a natural principle.

The Bretonnia have been attacking our people for over six months, and we're only now starting to target their prisoners of war—it's merely a tit-for-tat response. Frankly, the Empire's previous propaganda efforts were utterly terrible; in my eyes, they were simply…sigh.”

Lelouch remained as calm and collected as ever, showing no intention of taking credit. However, out of pity, he ultimately refrained from uttering the label of "good-for-nothing."

To be honest, Demania under Emperor Wilhelm's rule had a really poor grasp of external propaganda. Lelouch could just casually release a few pieces of substantial information and it would have a devastating effect.

Grand Duke Baden: "I'll put in a bit of work for you these next few days. I'll ask you to take on some clerical duties at the Ministry of War. You could be the head of the Propaganda Bureau and the External Propaganda Department of the Ministry of War."

I know you're busy with military affairs and probably don't have time for routine work. The Executive Deputy Director can handle those for you. However, you have the authority to decide the Empire's external military propaganda stance at any time. I believe this position will be helpful for your subsequent military work on the Eastern Front.”

Lelouch thought about it and realized that this position would at least make it easier to combine military operations with military propaganda, and would also make it easier to psychologically manipulate and force surrenders during wartime, creating various forms of chaos within the enemy. So he readily agreed.
"In that case, I won't refuse. The original staff at that location can still handle the daily work."

Archduke of Baden: "This matter will probably take a few days to process and go through the procedures. I will let you know when it is done, and remember to report to Berlin."

Lelouch: "But I have other things to take care of these days, and I might have to go back to Oreo's hometown to visit relatives, so you might not be able to find me..."

Archduke Baden: "Then make sure you return to Berlin by mid-March. Just come find me at the Prisoners of War Affairs Department then, and I'll take you there and introduce you to some people. You've done me a great favor this time, and I won't let a genius like you go to waste."

Lelouch: "No problem. I'll definitely go to Berlin within two weeks. I'll be waiting for your news."

(End of this chapter)