Chapter 39: When You Are Being Ganged Up On, You Must Target the One Shouting "Brothers, Let's Get Him Together" and Beat Him to a Pulp

As a transmigrator, if Lelouch were asked why the Eastern Front of the Great War had potential, he could easily answer if he were permitted to disclose, "I am a transmigrator, and I know that the Lusha Empire will eventually collapse from within due to an unfavorable war situation."

Unfortunately, he could not.

Therefore, Lelouch had to focus on the latter part of Marshal Leopold's question: Why did he believe that no matter how well the Western Front was fought, the best one could hope for was a stalemate?

Fortunately, he had a ready-made answer for this as well, one that could be explained through rational deduction without needing to reveal any prophetic foresight.

This brought to mind the hundreds of hours Lelouch had spent playing "Hearts of Iron IV" before his transmigration.

During the loading screen of that game, famous quotes from World War II were often displayed. One of them, "Rundstedt: We should have realized back in 1918...", was something Lelouch had seen repeatedly. At the time, he had found it cryptic and incomplete, but after seeing it enough times, his curiosity piqued, and he looked up the context.

That was when he learned: this was a reflection made by the Marshal in 1940, after the German army had crushed Frankia, yet Britannia still refused to negotiate.

It meant they should have realized in 1918 that whether or not Frankia was destroyed had no bearing on the grand strategy. Because even if Frankia were eliminated, as long as Britannia maintained absolute naval superiority and the Empire could not land on those islands, they would never surrender or negotiate.

But the Demanian people of 1918 did not realize this. After winning the Eastern Front in early 1918, they were led by warmongers like Ludendorff to fight the Western Front to the bitter end, delusional in their belief that "if we destroy Frankia, we can annex it, force Britannia to sue for peace, and carve up the world."

Ultimately, it was this arrogant mindset that led them to fight until they collapsed.

When Lelouch first encountered this logic, he had merely sighed at it. But now, faced with Marshal Leopold’s solemn inquiry, this argument—which in his previous life would not be summarized by the Marshal for another twenty years—immediately surfaced in his mind.

...

"...So, my view is this: If the Empire had only been at war with Lusha and Frankia at the start, then the Empire could have expected to win on both fronts.

But in reality, the Empire was deceived from the beginning. The moment those offshore financial meddlers, Britannia, joined the war, the nature of everything changed.

Even if the Empire performed brilliantly on the continental battlefield, could we truly expect our current fleet of battleships to annihilate the Royal Navy and land on those islands? As long as that is impossible, Britannia will never surrender! Even destroying Frankia would not change that!

The Emperor is obsessed with dealing with the Frankians first because he clings to the fantasy that 'if we destroy Frankia, Britannia will come to the negotiating table.' He imagines that because the King of Britannia is his cousin, he might be able to appeal to sentiment—but any rational person can see that this is impossible.

Therefore, victory on the Western Front is, in fact, an illusion. Even if Frankia is destroyed, what then? Can their meager land and resources sustain the Empire for the long term, preventing its people from starving or suffering from a lack of oil and rubber, while our maritime trade routes to other continents are permanently blockaded? It cannot be done.

Even with Frankia’s Atlantic ports, the Empire's maritime trade would still be permanently blockaded by Britannia’s Royal Navy. That fact remains unchanged.

Thus, even if the Empire achieves the absolute best, the perfect outcome, the most it can hope for is to crush the Eastern Front, digest its land, minerals, and resources, and secure an internal economic cycle that is self-sufficient and immune to overseas blockades.

Then, without seeking the total destruction of Frankia on the Western Front, we could use Frankia as leverage to threaten Britannia, offering them a decent armistice that does not demand territorial concessions or war reparations from the Western nations.

If the Britannians refuse to negotiate, we could then exert further military pressure on Frankia. Perhaps the Frankians would then realize they are being used by Britannia as hostages, causing a rift between them. Once Britannia is forced to the table, we should pursue a total ceasefire with both Frankia and Britannia.

For the Empire, once a war has lasted for years, what we need most is to end the state of war, lift the maritime trade blockade, and then endure hardship and build up our strength once more..."

Lelouch’s eloquent exposition incorporated a wealth of lessons from the Great War of his previous life, the reflections of the future Marshal, and the insights of numerous other strategists. He ensured these views were not too far ahead of their time, focusing primarily on the point that "all continental nations have been manipulated by offshore balancers and financial meddlers."

At this moment, he was not fighting alone.

Even Marshal Leopold, a man who had seen many storms, could not help but be shaken by such a rigorous, insightful, and well-supported analysis.

"This war... can it truly be analyzed from such an angle? Indeed... the land, population, and resources of the Frankians are truly negligible; what difference does it make whether they are destroyed or not? The fundamental purpose of destroying Frankia was to force Britannia to peace and break the permanent maritime blockade. As long as that fundamental goal cannot be achieved, killing Frankia has little meaning..."

Marshal Leopold had implicitly accepted a portion of Lelouch's views, muttering to himself as he processed the argument he had just heard.

Lelouch seized the opportunity to strengthen his case: "Our great Demanian thinker Max Weber wrote in *The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism* that human rationality is divided into instrumental rationality and value rationality.

Just as money is the ultimate tool of instrumental rationality, a means to achieve value-based goals, money itself should not become the goal.

Similarly, 'destroying Frankia' is merely a tool for the Empire to 'break the maritime trade blockade,' not the goal itself. Yet, how many of the Empire’s generals have lost their way, mistaking the tool for the goal in pursuit of their own merit and glory? Just like those lost in mammonism, who treat the pursuit of money as the goal of life."

These words finally made Marshal Leopold look at Lelouch with newfound respect and believe in the majority of his views. He had not expected such sparks of brilliance to come from a top graduate of the Oreo Royal Academy of Arts serving in the military.

The sharpness of this young man's thinking was incomparable to that of the rigid, textbook-trained officers. He was like a breath of fresh air injected into the stagnant Imperial Army—rational and calm.

"Ruprecht’s high regard for you was not misplaced. I thought you only possessed a sharp tactical eye, but your strategic and diplomatic vision is equally stunning," the old Marshal mused for a long time before sighing and gently patting Lelouch on the shoulder.

"I have one last question—since you say the best the Empire can hope for is to abandon the attempt to defeat the enemy on the Western Front and instead secure a dignified truce to end the blockade, don't the treacherous Britannians know this? In Napoleon’s time, they blockaded him for years. Don't they know that once a truce is reached and the blockade is lifted, the Empire will quickly recover its strength, making it even harder to subdue next time?

If the Britannians know this, why would they ever negotiate? They would surely be willing to maintain the state of hostilities for a decade or eight years, knowing the Empire cannot touch their homeland."

Lelouch found this question thorny and could not answer immediately. It involved elements of historical foresight he could not disclose—for instance, he could hardly mention the "Kansas Flu" that had crippled all sides.

After gathering his thoughts, he presented the points he could safely address:

"I know it will be difficult to force the Britannians to abandon their attempt to strangle the Empire, which is why I said this is the 'upper limit' of what the Empire can achieve. Whether it can actually be done depends on the efforts of countless patriots.

But in general, hope lies in several areas: First, how well we perform on the Eastern Front and what resources we can secure for self-sufficiency.

Second, the effectiveness of using Frankia as a 'hostage' to propose a comprehensive peace.

Third, although the United States across the ocean has not yet joined the war, they are of the same stock as Britannia and share their nature as offshore balancers who thrive on a divided Europe. If they wish to enter the war but have not yet completed their industrial transition, Britannia may be forced into a temporary truce.

The situation would then become a race of post-ceasefire economic recovery. We would use the lifted blockade to replenish supplies and rebuild, while they would use that time to let the Americans complete their wartime mobilization. If it comes to that, the truce will be unstable, as Britannia will tear it up the moment they feel the balance of power has shifted.

But in any case, the future holds many surprises. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. Winning the Eastern Front and forcing a stalemate on the Western Front is the best possible outcome. Even that will require the utmost effort from everyone; we must not underestimate our enemies."

As he listened, Marshal Leopold’s expression became increasingly resolute. He walked to the window and gazed at the eternal snow-capped mountains. After a long silence, he turned to stare into Lelouch’s deep, blood-red left eye.

"I hadn't realized the Empire was in such danger. Perhaps I am old and have been retired too long. But the Empire will survive this war, because Providence has provided such clear-sighted talent to help us see the path ahead!

Some things can be said now: after the Battle of Ypres ends, the Emperor will ask me to return to active duty to lead the Southern Wing of the Eastern Front and save our ally, Oreo.

The Emperor believes the Northern section of the Eastern Front is a direct struggle between the Prossens and the Lusha, which the Prossen main force should handle. But the Southern section is Oreo's home turf, and we in Baria have the best relationship with them—my wife is an Oreo princess. The Emperor feels we will fight with more dedication.

However, the two armies of the Southern Four States are currently tied down at Ypres. You must fight well. The better you do at Ypres, the more manpower we can free up for the Eastern Front.

When I become commander of the Southern Wing, I will give you more opportunities to distinguish yourself. By the time the Battle of Ypres ends, you will be more than just a company commander. Do not let the thought that 'the Western Front is futile' lead to lethargy."

Lelouch saluted solemnly: "Thank you for your confidence, Marshal. I will not be lethargic. I believe that even if total victory on the Western Front is impossible, our efforts there are not meaningless.

Especially at Ypres, we are fighting the British, not the French. We must hurt them! The key to a stalemate is not how much damage we do to the French, but how much we inflict on Britannia! The harder we strike them, the sooner the war will end.

If I have the chance, I hope to be transferred to any battlefield where I can engage the British. I am a professional when it comes to dealing with the British and their puppets; I am perhaps less specialized in dealing with the French or the Lusha."

Marshal Leopold did not oppose this strange request, though he remained non-committal. Lelouch didn't mind; he had successfully established his persona. From now on, the Baria royal family might view him as a "Britain-killer."

...

After this long, sincere conversation, the lonely old Marshal felt this young man was worth mentoring. When the butler finally entered to announce that dinner was prepared and Duke Ruprecht had returned, the Marshal motioned for Lelouch to follow.

During the banquet, seeing the Marshal and the Duke treat Lelouch with such importance, the other guests put aside their disdain and treated him with great politeness.

After dinner, the Duke briefed Lelouch on his duties: after the inspection was complete, he was to fly back to the Western Front, assemble his troops, intensify training for the new tactics, and prepare to be thrown into the Battle of Ypres.