Chapter 28: Mission Accomplished, Promoted to Captain

"Franz, it has been several years since we last met!"

"Your Highness, I am honored. Thank you for providing the Navy with such vital intelligence, which allowed our men to achieve this great victory!"

That evening, within a former Belgian royal estate in the city of Antwerp, the Duke of Rupprecht—Commander of the 6th Army and Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bavaria—hosted an impromptu and grand welcome and victory banquet.

The guest of honor was, naturally, the recently returned Admiral Hipper. Upon meeting, the two exchanged warm and cordial greetings. Hipper had once served as an aide-de-camp to the Duke, so they were already well-acquainted.

To maintain the secrecy of their discussions, the Duke had organized the event as a cocktail party, allowing guests to mingle freely rather than being confined to a long table. While the Duke had his staff host the various decorated naval captains, he summoned only Rear Admiral Hipper and Lieutenant Lelouch, their temporary liaison officer, to a secluded corner of the room.

The three men stood together, sipping cocktails and eating roast squab and red wine-braised lamb. As the lowest in rank, it fell to Lelouch to pour the drinks for the admirals.

The Duke produced a document and slid it across the table toward Hipper. Upon seeing the cover, Hipper immediately stood at attention and offered a salute before opening it with solemn reverence.

"In recognition of the meritorious service of Admiral Franz von Hipper during the Battle of Ostend, he is hereby invested with the hereditary knighthood of the Kingdom of Bavaria..."

This meant that from this day forward, Franz von Hipper would be known as Franz Ritter von Hipper—the title "Ritter" serving as the prefix for his hereditary knighthood.

Hipper was so moved that his eyes brimmed with tears. While a hereditary knighthood was not the highest rank, it was the pinnacle of military honors. Ranks like duke, count, or baron were reserved for those of noble lineage.

Lelouch, standing to the side, thought to himself: *In history, it seems Hipper only received his hereditary knighthood after the Battle of Jutland, for acting as the rearguard for the High Seas Fleet. It seems his early success has earned him this honor a year and a half ahead of schedule.*

Hipper wiped his eyes and promptly pledged his loyalty in private: "Your Highness! If the Army ever needs my cooperation in the future, I will do my utmost. It is all for the Empire; it is my duty."

His phrasing was cautious. By saying "your Army," he meant he would only exert himself for the Duke’s 6th Army, or perhaps the 8th Army, which would eventually fall under the Bavarian sphere. As for the other five armies controlled by the Prussians, Hipper had no intention of going out of his way for them.

He understood that this was a mutually beneficial arrangement. The Duke clearly possessed an efficient intelligence network that could help him avoid risks and gain the upper hand. Working for the Duke would inevitably lead to his own advancement.

With Lelouch having served as the bridge for this successful collaboration between the land and naval forces, a secret channel for cross-branch cooperation within the Bavarian faction had been established.

Seeing Hipper's earnest pledge, Lelouch tactfully refilled their champagne glasses. The strange trio—a Duke, a Rear Admiral, and a Lieutenant—shared a toast.

After finishing his drink, the Duke patted Hipper’s shoulder. "Ultimately, you did act against orders. I have already discreetly sounded out the higher-ups at the Admiralty. Despite the fact that you sank four enemy pre-dreadnoughts, they must maintain a semblance of discipline to save face. I anticipate you will be promoted to Vice Admiral, though likely not until after the year-end reviews, once the controversy over your insubordination has faded. The Blue Max medal is also guaranteed, but that, too, will wait until the new year."

"I am also concerned that you feel slighted by the delay in your promotion and medal, which is why I pushed for the knighthood to be granted immediately. Everything is for the sake of intelligence security; we must play our parts. This will lead the British to misjudge our internal situation, making them believe there is fierce factional infighting within our Admiralty."

"I understand all of this," Hipper replied. "It is nearly November, so there are only two months left this year. Being promoted to Vice Admiral early next year is more than acceptable."

Having reassured Hipper, the Duke turned to Lelouch. "Lieutenant Lelouch, this entire matter depended on your planning and coordination. Much of this cannot be brought into the open, so for the sake of secrecy, I will find another pretext for your promotion. In the coming days, I will have your assignment transferred from the Army Headquarters to the 12th Division, and you will return to the front lines in Ostend. Once you have participated in some defensive engagements, Karl will immediately promote you to Captain."

"Later, Karl will assign you a new task. As long as you perform well, you will follow the standard promotion procedures for approval by Army Headquarters. Before then, do not broadcast that you know me."

Many intelligence-related achievements had to remain in the shadows. The Duke had only met Lelouch once at the airport when the lieutenant had flown to Wilhelmshaven, but he clearly wanted a more "official" introduction later, preferably after Lelouch had performed another feat that could be reported by his younger brother, Major General Karl. This would make Lelouch’s service record appear more conventional, shielding him from the suspicion of British intelligence.

Lelouch understood the concern perfectly and agreed immediately. "I am grateful for your appreciation, Your Highness. Being promoted to Captain is already a great honor. May I ask what the plans are for my unit?"

The Duke checked his surroundings to ensure no one was listening before offering a piece of private insight:

"If the British are determined to save face and launch an all-out offensive, Nieuwpoort and Ostend will eventually fall. Although Hipper sank four of their pre-dreadnoughts, if the enemy is willing to pay the price, they can bring in more ships. But these are minor issues; we need not obsess over a single city or territory. That coastal strip has little strategic value now. The High Command has noted that due to the flooding the Belgians unleashed before their collapse, much of the low-lying land in the northwest will remain a swamp."

"In such terrain, launching a decisive offensive is difficult for anyone—it is a disadvantage to be the attacker. However, there is one exception in this last remaining territory of the Belgians: the city of Ypres, currently occupied by the British Expeditionary Force. Ypres is one of the few elevated cities in western Belgium, and the British are reinforcing it and pouring in more troops. In the foreseeable future, it will become an enemy salient protruding into our lines."

"The Empire is planning a pincer maneuver to bypass the flooded zones and completely cut off the heights surrounding Ypres! Of course, this is still in the early stages of preparation. If we succeed, we will achieve three strategic goals."

"First, we can occupy the remainder of Belgian territory. Though the Ypres salient is only 5% of Belgium, it is their last stronghold. King Albert, who escaped earlier, is there now. The political impact of taking it will be immense."

"Second, the French on the Western Front are exhausted. Their previous counter-offensive cost them over 200,000 lives just to push back from the outskirts of Paris. They have begun handing over the northernmost part of the line—the Ypres salient—to the newly arrived British Expeditionary Force. This includes the defense of Dunkirk and Calais. If we cut off the Ypres salient, we can bait the main force of the British Expeditionary Force into a desperate defense and then annihilate them!"

"Finally, by taking this salient, we can straighten our lines, save a large number of troops, and shift them into mobile reserves. The General Staff plans to redraw the sectors; in a few days, our entire 6th Army will be moved to the south of the Ypres salient, while the Duke of Württemberg’s 4th Army will move to the north. When the time comes for the main assault, our two armies will lead it. You have a sharp mind; think about whether there are any tactical optimizations we can implement when you return to the front."

The Duke, out of trust, had outlined the strategic situation. Lelouch assured him that he would work to integrate with his new comrades and look for local tactical advantages.

With the business concluded, the men shared another drink. The Duke left to attend to other officers, leaving Hipper and Lelouch to finish the bottle.

Hipper, reluctant to see Lelouch return to the Army, raised a glass. "It seems your sharp mind is well-known to the Duke and General Karl. Everyone is looking for your advice. Since we have worked together, do you have any suggestions for our Navy?"

Lelouch knew Hipper would not be satisfied without a substantive answer. As a transmigrator, he possessed plenty of military knowledge, and after three days of naval combat, he had some genuine observations.

"Time is short, but I have two points. First, the combat speed of our capital ships is slightly slower than the British equivalents. I noticed the enemy no longer carries anti-torpedo nets during cruises, only installing them while docked. We carry them while underway, which ruins our speed and agility for little benefit. We should discard them."

"Second, the Empire’s destroyer and torpedo technology is outdated. These designs are products of a decade ago, before the dreadnought era, when the advantage of artillery over torpedoes wasn't as decisive. Even the French were misled by 'torpedo supremacy.' As artillery precision increases, torpedoes will shift from a core decisive weapon to a tactical auxiliary—unless a revolutionary delivery vehicle appears."

"As a tactical tool, the torpedo’s purpose is to disrupt formations or, as we did last night, deliver a long-range finishing blow to a disabled capital ship. In these cases, speed is less important than range. We should focus on slower, fuel-efficient torpedoes that are harder to detect and have a much greater range. We shouldn't aim to 'hit what we see,' but to use them for long-range suppression. As for the capital ships under construction, we should abandon torpedo tubes entirely. Even if it only saves a little tonnage and improves hull design, it is better than carrying dead weight."

Hipper drank the last of his wine, deep in thought. He had vaguely sensed these truths, but he had never seen them organized from such a macro perspective. The anti-torpedo nets did indeed reduce speed by two or three knots, a heavy price for a negligible defensive benefit.

"I will consider this, though the naval high command may not listen. To solve this, we need our own naval weapon factories. We are soldiers, not financiers—we must see if the Bavarian royal family is interested in investing. As for the capital ships under construction, the Army is抢夺 (snatching) too many resources like steel, so the shipyards are often half-idle. But I will push for the removal of the torpedo tubes."

Lelouch knew that for a banquet conversation, these two suggestions were a generous gift. Hipper accepted the favor.

After the banquet, Lelouch slept soundly in Antwerp, waking up only at noon the next day, November 1st. It was his first full night of rest on land since he had transmigrated on October 25th.

Not wanting to delay his return to the front, he ate a hearty brunch and boarded the BFW sedan the Duke had arranged for him. Before he left, the Duke gifted him a 1903 American-made silk bulletproof vest, encouraging him to serve well at the front.

Upon arriving in Ostend, he was met by Major General Karl, commander of the 12th Division, and reunited with Colonel List. Karl arranged for his handover and told him, "Lieutenant Lelouch, the Commander has discussed your situation with me. You have a bright future, but you cannot hide in the staff headquarters. The Empire values a complete service record. Use your time as a junior officer to build that experience. The recent defensive battles and the upcoming counter-offensive at Ypres are excellent opportunities. I will not have you assigned to overly dangerous missions."

Lelouch accepted his role. "Thank you, General. There is an Eastern saying: 'Great ministers rise from the provinces, and fierce generals emerge from the ranks.' I will cherish this opportunity."

*PS: Seeking comments, follows, favorites, and votes. Thank you very much.*

*This was a transitional chapter to settle the rewards and reflections after the naval battle. Tomorrow, we return to land warfare and tactical planning.*