Chapter 260: Accepting Armistice Terms, Italy Surrenders |
When Lelouch learned that the Britannians had finally dispatched a squadron from their Home Fleet to the Mediterranean, he realized his ultimate plan could enter its final phase.
If they broadcast to the Lusha people that the Brit Nation was usurping their vested and anticipated interests in the Middle East, a wave of anti-Britannia sentiment would sweep through Lusha. Compounded with existing anti-war frustrations, this would force the Tsar to demand a formal explanation from the Brit Nation.
In his original world's timeline, the Sykes-Picot Agreement was formally signed around mid-1916. With the added pressure of external public opinion, its finalization in this world would only be accelerated and set in stone.
Because Lusha remained under blockade, the tripartite spoils agreement between Britannia, Francia, and Lusha had to follow a specific route: Britannia and Francia would sign it first, then Count Benckendorff, the Lusha ambassador, would transport it by sea to Saint Petersburg for Foreign Minister Sazonov and Tsar Nicholas II to personally sign and seal.
Given this, Lelouch naturally instructed the Naval Intelligence Bureau to double their efforts, mobilizing every available spy in London to keep a close eye on Count Benckendorff.
Furthermore, Lelouch needed to arrange a meeting with Minister Baden of the Ministry of Prisoner of War and Occupied Territories Affairs to discuss the precise timing to expose and trigger the scheme involving Sweden and Norway.
If the Demania aviation corps could establish bases along the Norwegian coast before the naval battle in the Norwegian Sea erupted, providing aerial reconnaissance and other support would offer a massive advantage in the decisive fleet engagement.
Of course, the news of Norway secretly sabotaging Sweden's neutrality couldn't be leaked too early. Doing so might spook the Britannians and push them further from the Norwegian coast. The timing had to be perfect.
If the two events couldn't be perfectly synchronized, so be it. Above all else, it was better to be late than early.
Fortunately, Minister Baden was the brother-in-law of King Gustav V of Sweden. This connection made communication incredibly easy, allowing direct access to the highest levels of the Swedish military at a moment's notice.
On the morning of June 14, as Lelouch prepared to briefly return to the Empire, he formally took his leave of Marshal Leopold, commander of the 10th Army.
"Marshal, I have some coordination matters regarding joint army and naval operations on the northern front, along with a few minor diplomatic issues, that require my return to Berlin. Please forgive me for not seeing the Italian campaign through to the end. I am truly grateful for your cooperation these past days."
Marshal Leopold was completely understanding. After all, Lelouch wasn't one of his staff officers; he was only here to coordinate.
The Marshal also knew that once Italy was defeated, various factions would have their own interests to pursue. Lelouch's primary goal was to cripple the Italian navy as much as possible.
This would free up the Austrian navy to threaten the eastern Mediterranean, ultimately allowing the joint German-Austrian fleet to tie down a larger portion of the Royal Navy.
Therefore, Marshal Leopold offered a piece of well-meaning advice. "Since we captured Florence and Pisa and repelled the Franks three days ago, our forces have made further progress. von Bock and Rundstedt's armored divisions have been reassigned to the coastal plains on the eastern and western shores of the Apennine Peninsula. They are preparing a fresh assault on the south.
"According to the latest reports, our eastern forces have pushed as far as Pesaro, advancing roughly 120 kilometers. The western coast is proving more troublesome. Florence isn't on the coast, and the terrain is rugged. We are only just preparing to strike Siena, which still leaves us nearly 300 kilometers from Rome.
"For our next move, I believe it would be best to completely wipe out the enemy forces trapped in Venice. Once their morale is broken, we can open diplomatic channels and persuade the Italians to accept a conditional surrender, securing an armistice.
"If you want to weaken the Italian navy, you should speak with the state secretary for foreign affairs when you return. See if handing over their fleet can be included in the surrender terms. We can certainly win the remaining battles, but the attrition rate would be staggering. It's all mountain warfare with very little strategic reward.
"The Empire is at an absolute naval disadvantage in the Mediterranean. If we merely push south along the coastal plains without securing the central mountain ranges, the enemy navy could easily bombard our rear and sever our supply lines."
Lelouch hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you for the advice, Marshal. I am sure the relevant departments are already considering these factors, so it is not my place to interfere. At most, I will mention it in passing during my imperial briefing. If you have any specific requests or expectations, I would be happy to relay them on your behalf."
Marshal Leopold had no desire to meddle in politics, so he refrained from suggesting any political terms for the armistice. He restricted his advice to military matters, all of which Lelouch committed to memory.
On the morning of June 14, Lelouch boarded a northbound train. He was heading back to Berlin to oversee intelligence operations against the Brit Nation and handle a few other pressing matters.
Upon arriving in Berlin, he immediately met with Minister Baden. He kept the specifics vague, simply stating that preparations for the Swedish operation should begin, and suggesting that Baden find an opportunity to pitch the idea to His Majesty.
Minister Baden perked up at the news, promising to secure an audience with the Emperor within the next two days. He knew better than to admit they had been sitting on the plan for weeks; instead, he would frame it as a "recently discovered opportunity that had just been quietly verified by contacts in Sweden."
After taking his leave of Minister Baden, Lelouch requested an imperial audience. Emperor Wilhelm clearly valued him, granting the meeting that very evening.
Coincidentally, upon arriving at Potsdam Palace, Lelouch ran into Chief of General Staff Falkenhayn and Zimmermann, the Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs, who had also been summoned.
It was obvious the Emperor wanted Lelouch's firsthand assessment of the southern front to gauge exactly how overwhelming their advantage against Italy was, in order to hash out the surrender terms with his foreign ministers.
This wasn't something the diplomatic branch could decide on its own. Diplomats didn't know the tactical realities of the battlefield—how many victories the army had secured, how much further they could push, or the human cost of doing so.
Sound diplomatic decisions required hard intelligence from military representatives fresh from the front.
Lelouch had to temporarily shelve his report regarding the joint naval operations, focusing first on discussing the Italian armistice with the Emperor.
"Is the 10th Army capable of crushing Italy entirely?" Emperor Wilhelm asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "If we want to end this war as quickly and decisively as possible, how should we proceed?"
Lelouch provided a brief overview of the frontline. "The Italians have roughly two hundred thousand combat-capable troops remaining. Of those, over a hundred thousand of their better-trained veterans are currently besieged in Venice. Our forces could annihilate them or force their surrender at any moment.
"As for the rest, their combat effectiveness is virtually nonexistent. Even without peace negotiations, Marshal Leopold is confident he can conclude major military operations by the end of the month. However, the Empire must be wary; if the Italian populace becomes determined to defend their homeland, widespread guerrilla resistance will cause us no end of trouble."
Emperor Wilhelm nodded. "So, the consensus among the frontline commanders is to wipe out their regular forces, force a surrender, and demand territorial and financial reparations?"
Lelouch considered his words carefully. "With your permission, Your Majesty... the most unruly population and the most difficult terrain actually lie in the south. The southern half of the Apennine Peninsula is mountainous and barren, offering little in the way of agriculture or industry. The true prize is the Po Valley in the north, which we already control. The northern regions hold roughly seventy percent of the country's population.
"Furthermore, ever since Italy unified some forty years ago, the south has chafed under central rule. Regions like Naples and the Two Sicilies lean heavily toward autonomy. They will resist any ruler, domestic or foreign.
"If Your Majesty is willing to navigate domestic religious sensitivities, we could have the traditional faith regions of the four southern German states and our ally Orio take the lead. We could champion the restoration of the Holy See's nominal authority to shepherd the people of southern Italy. This would allow the Italians to form a new government led solely by a minister of general affairs for secular matters, abolishing the monarchy entirely. The Holy See would act as the symbolic head of state—naturally without restoring the temporal power it held before 1871. This could significantly pacify local resistance.
"Besides, the Kingdom of Sardinia's unification of Italy was built on deceit. They claimed to be liberating the people of the various Italian states, acting as unifiers at the locals' behest.
"But once they arrived, Cavour completely ignored the demands of progressives like Garibaldi, using them as mere pawns to crown the King of Sardinia as the ruler of all Italy.
"And now, Piedmont—the very cradle of the Kingdom of Sardinia—is occupied by Francia. Rumor has it the King is terrified Rome will fall and plans to flee to the French occupation zone. That would only solidify the Sardinian royal family's status as French puppets. When they unified Italy, they essentially traded Nice and Savoy to Francia in exchange for French military support against the Austrian army to conquer the north. Given that unshakeable original sin, combined with their current cowardly flight, I believe it would be incredibly easy to brand the Sardinian regime as a false dynasty that in no way represents the Italian people.
"Of course, I am no diplomat; these are merely the idle thoughts of a soldier. Professional matters of state will naturally fall to Secretary Zimmermann's expertise."
Lelouch knew his boundaries. He dared not overstep into making diplomatic decisions, offering his insights solely as analytical context and military intelligence for the Emperor and Secretary Zimmermann to consider.
The others in the room were perfectly familiar with the historical anecdotes Lelouch mentioned. They instantly recognized that his strategy to politically dismantle and restructure Italy was entirely viable.
Many later Eastern historians were relatively unfamiliar with Italy's early history. Knowing only that Italy and Demania unified around the same time, they often assumed the processes were identical.
In reality, the details were vastly different. Bismarck and Wilhelm I had relied on sheer military might and deterrence, forcing their rivals into submission. It was brutal, but it was honest.
In stark contrast, the methods employed by Cavour, Italy's first so-called minister of general affairs, were infinitely more despicable and shameless.
He loved to claim, "We are acting on the invitation of the local people to unify them. The local king was overthrown by his own subjects, leaving the region lawless. We are merely stepping in to restore order."
In truth, the civilian militias that "overthrew" these local kings were rarely comprised of actual locals. They were almost entirely foreign infiltrators who slipped into the region to instigate rebellion.
The most prominent leader of these efforts was none other than the true Father of Italy: Garibaldi.
Garibaldi would frequently take a civilian militia, infiltrate a minor Italian kingdom, and incite the locals. After overthrowing the ruling monarch and manufacturing a state of "anarchy," he would extend a formal invitation to Cavour.
If the goal was truly to liberate the people, they should have established a republic, just as Garibaldi desired. If the people seized power, that power should remain with the people.
But Cavour had other plans. Once he took control of the territories secured by his proxy, Garibaldi, he officially handed them over to the Kingdom of Sardinia, crowning its monarch as the King of Italy.
Although it was a constitutional monarchy where the king wielded little true power, the maneuver was an utter betrayal of Garibaldi. It cemented his legacy as a foreign-funded mercenary who murdered local rulers only to hand the reins to another foreign tyrant. Garibaldi had promised the locals a republic, yet ultimately saddled them with another foreign king.
Consequently, when Cavour forcibly crowned the Sardinian monarch as the King of Italy in 1861, Garibaldi attempted to rebel and defy his orders. The authorities swiftly crushed him, leaving him with two bullet wounds. (In this respect, Italy and Fusang were quite similar. The primary military commanders among their respective founding fathers were ultimately villainized. Garibaldi's fate mirrored that of Saigo Takamori, save for the fact that Garibaldi survived. In contrast, Demania's founding fathers avoided infighting and all enjoyed peaceful, powerful retirements.)
This deep-seated betrayal was precisely why the south remained so volatile after Italy's unification.
Demania's unification was much like the ancient State of Qin conquering the Three Jin and the State of Yan. The moral compromises were minimal; it was simply a matter of prevailing through superior strength.
Italy's unification, however, was more akin to Qin's conquest of Qi and Chu—riddled with moral bankruptcy. Qin had lured King Huai of Chu into negotiations only to imprison him, and had tricked King Jian of Qi into surrendering with promises of a lavish retirement, only to starve him to death in a pine forest.
That was why the anti-Qin rebellions in Qi and Chu were so ferocious during the dynasty's collapse. The people refused to submit, firmly believing their nations had been stolen through deceit and treachery.
Southern Italians had harbored that same resentment for forty years. They, too, felt their sovereignty had been stolen through underhanded schemes, mirroring Qi and Chu's hatred for Qin.
Now that French forces had entered Piedmont—the Sardinian dynasty's birthplace—it was the perfect time to remind everyone that the Sardinians had literally sold two of their own regions to Francia in exchange for the French military backing needed to found their nation.
Through targeted propaganda, Lelouch could easily frame the Sardinian dynasty's foundation as a treasonous, illegitimate puppet regime, no different from Wu Sangui opening the gates for the Qing army.
As Emperor Wilhelm and Secretary Zimmermann processed the geopolitical implications, they couldn't help but marvel at Lelouch's strategic mind once again.
They hadn't expected him to be just as masterful in matters of diplomacy, political legitimacy, and ideological warfare as he was in military and intelligence strategy.
Moreover, his perspective seemed to carry a uniquely Eastern brand of political acumen—the kind forged by thousands of years of debating dynastic legitimacy.
"An excellent strategy," Emperor Wilhelm declared. "Tomorrow, we will have the army march on Rome under the banner of 'Honoring the Holy See and Expelling Traitors, Obeying God by Returning Power to the Holy See to Shepherd the People.' As long as the Sardinian king flees, the rest will fall into place.
"Naturally, to echo your earlier point, if the Holy See regains actual secular power and reverts to its pre-1871 state, the local industrialists will rebel. We shall restrict the Holy See to being a strictly symbolic representative of the state." Emperor Wilhelm had officially set the course.
Secretary Zimmermann immediately set to work. After a brief discussion of the specifics, he presented a rough draft of the armistice terms. "We shall frame our initial demands as follows: The Lombardy and Veneto regions were stolen from Austria by the false Sardinian dynasty with the aid of French troops. Therefore, they will be placed under our military occupation and gradually returned to Austria over a five-year period following the war's conclusion.
"Furthermore, the Italian army must surrender and disarm. They must hand over their fleet, along with a significant portion of their weapons, munitions, and strategic stockpiles as compensation. In exchange, the Empire will gradually withdraw from the rest of Italian territory.
"We can waive direct financial reparations as a show of leniency. The confiscated military supplies, munitions, and naval fleet will suffice to cover the Empire and Austria's war expenditures.
"However, if there are any delays or discrepancies in the handover of the fleet, munitions, or strategic materials, the Empire will reserve the right to seize further territory and expand our occupation zones as a penalty for their breach of contract."
After a brief discussion, the Emperor and his advisors agreed to issue this declaration as an initial diplomatic note to Italy. In the meantime, until the Italians officially accepted the terms, the military offensive against Rome would proceed without pause.
Early the next morning, on June 15.
The Demanian diplomatic channels broadcast a message to the world, formally announcing their terms for an Italian armistice.
Simultaneously, through covert propaganda channels, they began spreading the narrative that the Kingdom of Sardinia had founded its regime on treason and fraud. They were painted as a faithless, deceitful, and two-faced dynasty.
Within Demania's borders, the Voice of Munich radio station endlessly repeated these talking points to the public.
—
The station didn't merely target the southern German populace. They boosted their transmission power to broadcast directly to the civilians across the Po Valley in northern Italy. In major cities like Milan, signal towers were hastily erected, and radios connected to massive loudspeakers were set up in public squares.
They even deployed mobile broadcast vehicles equipped with Siemens's newly mass-produced radios. These cars patrolled the main streets with enormous loudspeakers, blaring the broadcasts for all to hear.
Furthermore, word spread that related enterprises were erecting signal receiving towers on the streets of Vienna, Prague, and even Budapest. They had applied to operate public welfare broadcasts in major plazas. The Austrian authorities eagerly approved the initiative, granting the Voice of Munich permission to broadcast in all three cities.
These broadcasts were largely framed as a public service, playing classical music and offering entertainment—something the authorities viewed as an excellent tool for maintaining civic order. The occasional wartime propaganda piece was deemed harmless, especially given the ironclad alliance between Demania and Austria.
Rumor had it that when Princess Irmingard approached her great-aunt—an Austrian princess—for approval, she promised to help Austria establish its own broadcasting stations within the next year or two. In the meantime, Austrian state news anchors would be allowed to record official broadcasts on the Voice of Munich.
Since the station offered a platform for the Austrian royal family and government to broadcast their own messaging, the authorities had absolutely no reason to refuse.
After all, radio broadcasting was a completely novel technology on the global stage. No nation had even conceived of the need to regulate it yet.
Digressions aside, the core truth remained: Demania's open propaganda campaign was devastatingly effective.
The boiling resentment in many northern Italian cities slowly cooled, and the public's will to resist softened considerably.
The Sardinian royal family, however, was plunged into a state of perpetual panic.
This was largely because Demania's unofficial broadcasts endlessly emphasized one point: "The Italian government is legitimate and may remain, but the royal family must answer for its historical crimes."
Finally, as von Bock and Rundstedt's armored divisions closed in on Rome, King Emanuele III gathered his family and a small clique of die-hard loyalists. Fleeing the capital, they rushed to the port of Naples and boarded a high-speed light cruiser, desperately escaping toward Genoa.
The minister of general affairs and the remaining civil officials in Rome were left completely leaderless and panicking. Seeing no other option, they accepted Demania's terms and invited the Holy See to temporarily serve as the head of state. Soon after, Pope Benedict XV issued a papal encyclical calling for an immediate armistice and condemning the secret diplomacy that plagued the warring nations. He explicitly blamed the conflict on the former king, stating, "Italy's involvement in this war is the sole result of Emanuele's greed and treachery, which has dragged our nation into the fires of war." With those words, he officially excommunicated Emanuele.
Of course, this was the 20th century. An excommunication didn't automatically strip a monarch of his throne; there were plenty of kings from other faiths, after all. The decree was merely a profound moral condemnation of a greedy and treacherous man.
Following the chaotic drama, the Italian authorities officially resolved to sign an armistice treaty with Demania.
The broad terms of the negotiations stipulated that the Lombardy and Veneto regions would remain under Demanian military administration until the war concluded, after which they would gradually be transferred back to Austria.
The Tuscany and Bologna regions would serve as collateral to ensure the surrender of the Italian fleet and weaponry. Once the armaments were handed over, these territories would be returned.
In a gesture of magnanimity, all direct financial reparations were waived.
The status of the Piedmont and Liguria regions remained temporarily undecided. Because Turin and Genoa were currently occupied by Francia, that issue would have to be settled between Demania and the Franks at a later date.
Having fled to Genoa, King Emanuele III fiercely rejected the treaty signed by the Rome administration. He stubbornly maintained that he was the rightful King of all Italy, even though his actual jurisdiction was now limited to the immediate vicinity of Turin and Genoa.
The formal armistice negotiations between Secretary Zimmermann and the new Italian authorities were expected to take some time to finalize.
However, preliminary clauses of the treaty—such as an immediate ceasefire and the surrender of weapons—were implemented instantly.
The Italian navy's morale was utterly shattered, and many within their ranks were already considering surrender.
Before they could act, however, they were physically blocked by their former allies. The Britannia Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet had just recently arrived at the Port of Taranto, and they were not going to let the Italians capitulate so easily.
Upon learning that the Italians might hand over their fleet, the Brit Nation Minister of the Navy, Edward Carson, immediately dispatched a Secret Telegram to the Mediterranean Fleet's commander, Admiral Robeck, and his reinforcement commander, Rear Admiral Osmond Brock. The order was absolute: "Execute Operation Catapult immediately! The Italian fleet must not fall into Demanian hands!"
