Chapter 269: Model's Mountain Army "Retires" En Masse |
In the Taranto-Malta naval battle of the Mediterranean Theater, the role Baron Lelouch von Hunter actually played was negligible.
Early on, drawing merely on his understanding of the Britannians, he had casually warned Spee and the others to watch out for something resembling Operation Catapult.
It was just good luck on his part—or perhaps that the Britannians relied too heavily on their established operational habits and had a notorious history of backstabbing their allies—that ultimately caused Lelouch's jinx of a prophecy to hit the mark.
The credit for turning the subsequent naval encounter into a triumph belonged primarily to Count Spee himself; his steady command and the wholehearted cooperation of the Austrian Admiral Horthy had carried the day.
Coupled with the extraordinary bravery of the officers and men across the fleet—especially the crews aboard those four light cruisers, who had charged straight into danger with no regard for their own lives—their combined efforts had won that massive battle at sea.
None of this had been part of Lelouch's own plans. Lately, he had been occupied with major matters of his own.
Let us turn back the clock ten days to mid-June, right around the time the Po Valley in Italy was being cleared by the Demanian Army, and their vanguard armored units were scaling the Apennines—pushing through the central mountain range of the peninsula to occupy Florence and Pisa.
At the time, the Italian campaign still had roughly ten days to run. But the mountain troops had already finished their part in the operation; the final ten days of sweep-and-secure missions were entirely the work of the armored units and infantry trench-fillers.
The most grueling days for the mountain divisions under the 10th Army had come right at the start, breaching the Alpine defensive line and fighting their way into Verona.
These mountain forces had been organized into two corps: the 1st Mountain Corps, anchored by the Demanian 18th Mountain Division alongside two Austrian mountain divisions; and the 2nd Mountain Corps, anchored by the Demanian 16th Mountain Division alongside another two Austrian mountain divisions.
The soldiers of those four incorporated Austrian mountain divisions were all ethnic Demanians—highlanders from around Innsbruck and the surrounding regions who had lived in the Alps year-round. Their combat resolve and discipline were exceptional, their morale high, and their cohesion tight.
Combined, the six divisions suffered over 10,000 elite casualties by the end of the campaign. It was their sacrifice that had bought the rapid breakthrough across the Alps to finally subdue Italy.
But as mid-June arrived, these mountain divisions finished their combat assignments and enjoyed a week of comfortable rest and good rations before General Lelouch finally had use for them once more.
As early as June 15, Lelouch took time out of his schedule to meet with his trusted subordinate, Colonel Walther Model, to discuss a matter.
"Rommel is being promoted to Brigadier General, thanks to his prior merits in the Caucasus Theater combined with his rapid capture of the Port of Beirut and Damascus after landing in the Eastern Mediterranean, wiping out a Francia colonial force."
The day Lelouch sought out Model happened to be the very day Rommel fought his way into Damascus in the Eastern Mediterranean, so Lelouch opened their conversation with that news.
Model paused momentarily at the words, then quickly stated that he felt no jealousy over his colleague's advancement and was genuinely happy for Brigadier General Rommel.
"Following your lead, Commander Lelouch, is the greatest fortune of my life. Looking back, any colleague you personally pulled into the Storm Battalion has an extraordinary future ahead of them. Commander von Bock was promoted to Major General, and Rommel to Brigadier General.
"While all of this stems partly from their own hard work, the decisive factor is that they befriended the right people and followed the right leader. Serving under you, I certainly have no fear of lacking opportunities to earn merit—why rush things? Reaching the rank of Colonel at twenty-six leaves me more than satisfied."
Model spoke with genuine earnestness, his eyes alight with fervent loyalty.
Lelouch gestured lightly to signal that none of that was necessary; he hadn't called Model here today for pledges of devotion. Once Model quieted down, Lelouch revealed his real purpose: "Don't be anxious. I didn't call you here to comfort you, but to offer you a new chance to prove yourself. This opportunity is somewhat unusual, though—it requires quiet dedication over a longer stretch of time before you see the payoff."
Model immediately replied, "That isn't an issue. Under your guidance, Commander, I only wish to serve our Fatherland."
Lelouch said, "Good. Then I'll speak plainly. Once again, I need you to operate abroad as private civilian contractors. Only this time, it's slightly more complicated than your deployment to Greece last year—you'll need to go through formal, airtight discharge procedures."
The previous year, when the Britannians plotted to assassinate King Constantine I of Greece, Lelouch had urgently arranged for Model and Dieter to withdraw from the regular mountain troop registry and accept employment under the Greek King—guarding Athens while securing the Delphi Isthmus and the Port of Piraeus.
Strictly speaking, however, that operation hadn't required Model to formally retire from the military. He had retained his Demanian officer rank and identity, taking part in the operation under the guise of a "foreign-employed military advisor."
Historically, dispatching advisors from the Demanian officer corps to foreign clients was commonplace and routine.
Take General Sanders, for example—currently serving as commander of the Istanbul Theater for the Osman state. He functioned as Osman's commanding general while retaining his rank as a Demanian General.
This time, however, the situation looked different. Lelouch actually required Model to surrender his colonelcy upfront, promising that once the task was completed, he would naturally be "rehired and reinstated."
Model had no worry that his superior might betray him or erase his record; driven simply by curiosity, he could not resist asking, "As long as it's your plan, Commander, and higher authority approves it, I naturally have no objections. Stripping off the uniform is fine by me.
"But may I know the specifics of the plan, if allowed?"
Lelouch didn't hesitate, opting straight away for the truth: "Of course you may. At this point, there's no reason to hide it from you. Once you agree, you'll deploy on this mission within two weeks anyway, so you'd learn sooner or later.
"You know Minister Baden of the Department of Prisoner of War Affairs, right? King Gustav V of Sweden is his brother-in-law. Months ago, Minister Baden uncovered certain issues: a small faction inside Sweden has been deceiving superiors and subordinates alike, conspiring with Norway, the Britannians, and the Lushans to smuggle munitions and sabotage Sweden's neutrality.
"The Swedish King has been investigating in secret for months and has secured ironclad proof. He's preparing to strike soon, rounding up all the traitors colluding with the Norwegians in one sweep. Following that, he will settle scores with Norway for violating the 1905 Agreement of Dissolution of the Union—"
Without a solid grasp of international law, the issue Lelouch raised might be difficult to understand at a glance.
Generally speaking, whether a nation remains neutral is its own domestic affair and no business of foreigners.
But a piece of work like Norway—propped up by pro-Britannia factions in 1905 to break away from Sweden—was a different story. Back then, King Oscar II of Sweden had briefly considered resolving the internal rebellion (Norway's bid for statehood) by force, only backing down under the "threat of intervention by the international community" to sign the Agreement of Dissolution of the Union.
The so-called "international community eager to intervene" was essentially a coalition spearheaded by the britannian dogs. Saying the britannian dogs intervened to dismember Sweden was hardly an injustice to them.
Put simply, under the terms of the original Agreement of Dissolution of the Union, Sweden permitted Norway to separate into an independent state on the express condition that Norway uphold Sweden's principle of permanent neutrality and refrain from dragging outside military disputes into the Scandinavian Peninsula.
If the Norwegians violated that clause, they violated the foundational bedrock of their statehood. While breaking the agreement wouldn't instantly erase Norway as a nation once independent, it at least handed Sweden a legitimate pretext to clean house.
In the end, it was up to those two countries to close the doors and settle things with their own fists.
The Demanian authorities naturally had no wish to disrupt the neutrality of Sweden and Norway, which meant the Demanian Army would not invade Norway—not even an "invitation-based invasion."
That lacked dignity and was completely unnecessary.
So Lelouch devised another approach.
He explained the details to Model one by one: "What I want is for all of you to shed your uniforms. I'll give you a week to establish a private mercenary corporation, and then you'll accept an invitation of employment.
"If His Majesty King Gustav hires you, it will be strictly as a personal action. All weapons you deploy will be rented by this corporation, and your ammunition and other consumable supplies will be purchased directly by the company, with clear accounting records.
"Any territory conquered down the line, should Sweden and Norway reunite into a single federation, belongs exclusively to the Swedes and has nothing to do with the Empire. It will merely be private Imperial citizens hired abroad helping a foreign power reunify its homeland. The Empire wants no direct territorial claims.
"If warships are required to ferry you across the sea, those vessels will likewise be decommissioned and formally sold to this private mercenary firm. Once you shed your uniform, you can serve temporarily as the CEO of this private military company.
"The border region between Sweden and Norway is mountainous, with poor local road infrastructure. Whether fighting across the mountains or launching amphibious landings, the terrain isn't suited for heavy vehicle mobility. Tanks and armored cars won't be assigned; mountain divisions will handle the brunt of the fighting.
"My current plan is for all six mountain divisions across the two mountain corps returning from the Italian campaign to retire first. How many the Swedes actually hire will depend on the situation—they might only contract two of our most elite divisions, which makes operational management easier. If things get tricky, all six retired divisions can be hired out.
"Finally, rest assured: Minister Baden has already submitted this matter to His Majesty, and both His Majesty and the Chief of General Staff fully support it.
"As for Austrian troops retiring to become mercenaries, secret coordination has already taken place with Austria. Because the Empire pledged to return the Veneto region to Austria upon concluding the Italian campaign, Austria is fully cooperating with our management of their participating troops in the Italian Theater."
Learning that his superior had already cleared every hurdle from top to bottom, leaving him only the task of handling combat operations, Model cast aside any lingering hesitation.
"If high command has already approved and finalized this, then I naturally won't disobey orders. Even without the uniform, I still obey commands." Walther Model snapped a formal salute, confirming he would initiate regular discharge paperwork that very day.
Lelouch continued painting the grand vision for him: "Rest assured, as long as you contribute to the Empire, the Empire will not forget your merit. As long as I'm around, I guarantee your future reinstatement and promotion.
"Compared to Bock, Rundstedt, and Rommel, you carry one distinct disadvantage: you lack a formal military academy education. Before reaching Colonel, you faced roughly the same resistance as Rommel, but looking ahead toward Brigadier General, your hurdles will be much higher than his.
"Your situation is actually quite similar to mine. I never attended the Potsdam Military Academy either; despite earning massive merit, I still had to undergo three months of advanced training before being promoted to Major General.
"By the time you finish the Norwegian campaign, I believe the internal situation among the Lushans will be on the verge of collapse. Of course, the new regimes that rise from the wreckage won't necessarily yield to the Empire right away; they might try to struggle on their own terms. But once we crush that struggle too, we have real hope of concluding the war on the Eastern Front.
"In the late stages of the war, occasions requiring mountain troops will dwindle. You boys have fought enough hard, bitter battles; it's time for an early break. Once you return from Norway, I'll arrange for you to enter the Potsdam Military Academy for advanced training. When the war ends and nobody's watching this matter anymore, you'll reenlist and be evaluated for Brigadier General—you shouldn't have any complaints about that, right?"
"Of course not, I am already more than satisfied!" Model declared that rank was no issue.
Lelouch could certainly have arranged for Model and his men to reenlist shortly after the Norwegian campaign ended, but there was no need.
At this stage of the war, the presence of a few mountain divisions made little difference to the regular registry. Even outside the service, whether working in arsenals for a year or two or transferring to lighter logistics and clerical roles, they could still serve the nation.
Besides, with no major mountain warfare left on the horizon, feeding elite mountain troops into the meat grinder to fill trenches was a waste of talent. Even operating under the banner of a security firm to maintain occupational order in the Italian mountains beat filling trenches.
Keeping these "private security company" personnel from immediately reenlisting also looked far better for "international appearances," smoothing over third-party perceptions of Demania. If they reenlisted immediately, the Britannians would seize on the detail to launch a massive propaganda smear campaign worldwide, stressing that Demania had shattered Northern Europe's neutrality and peace.
Lelouch had no intention of sacrificing international prestige over such a trivial detail.
And so, on June 15, Model completed his retirement and discharge procedures, shedding his role as a Demanian Army Colonel to transform overnight into the CEO of a shell mercenary company.
With high-level approval for the plan and strings pulled well in advance, everything proceeded smoothly.
Lieutenant Colonel Dieter retired as well, along with Lieutenant Colonel Falkenhorst.
These specialists in mountain and amphibious warfare stepped into high-ranking leadership roles upon joining the security corporation.
Former colonels might function as corps commanders within the security firm, coordinating two or three divisions—much like Demanian officers seconded to command roles within the Austrian army, who often commanded formations several times larger than their usual rank allowed.
Such treatment would have been utterly impossible in the regular army.
The two retired mountain divisions were swiftly transported north by rail, arriving at ports along the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, ready to cross over at the invitation of the Swedes at a moment's notice.
Having completed his deployment layouts for Norway, Lelouch settled in to await reports from the Naval Intelligence Bureau now under his control.
The Norwegian campaign could not be launched early; triggering unrest in Norway prematurely risked alerting the Lushans, scaring them away from the sea route home through the Norwegian Sea.
The ideal moment to strike in Norway was when the Lushan ambassador was already on his return journey—preferably already navigating the waters of the Norwegian Sea, past the point of no return.
After more than ten days of intensive preparations, on a late June day, operatives from the Naval Intelligence Bureau finally delivered good news to Lelouch:
Count Benckendorff, the Lushan Ambassador to London, had departed London on June 28, boarding the Royal Navy's newest cutting-edge light cruiser, the Danae, at the Port of Rosyth near Edinburgh, Scotland, in the early hours of June 30.
Following the outbreak of the World War, the Britannians had absorbed early lessons regarding the subpar combat performance of their light cruisers, redesigning and mass-producing the C-class light cruisers; most light cruisers laid down after late 1914 belonged to that type.
However, drawing on the harsh lessons of various 1915 battles, the Britannians felt the C-class vessels under construction still fell short, particularly in speed, and began experimenting with the D-class Light Cruiser.
Perhaps due to Lelouch's butterfly effect putting greater pressure on the Brit Nation's navy, they pushed the D-class Light Cruiser development far more aggressively than in the original timeline, managing to complete the prototype vessel, the Danae, by mid-1916.
At present, however, D-class Light Cruiser technology remained immature, resulting in astronomical production costs. Many more C-class cruisers would still be produced in bulk; full-scale production of the D-class wouldn't ramp up until the following year, when key cost bottlenecks could be resolved.
The light cruiser Danae boasted a propulsion system generating 40,000 horsepower, a speed of 29 knots, and a displacement exceeding 5,000 tons. She carried six 152mm main guns, three 102mm secondary turrets, a cluster of 40mm pom-pom guns for anti-air defense, and debuted triple-tube torpedo launchers—four mounts totaling twelve tubes.
More importantly, the warship featured a 3-inch armored belt spanning her length, rendering her virtually immune to German-style 88mm destroyer guns and, under most circumstances, resistant to older German 105mm light cruiser guns. Only the 150mm guns of Demania's newest light cruisers could punch through her armor.
Deploying such a warship to escort the Lushan ambassador back to Saint Petersburg could not have been more ideal.
"The cargo has departed; please prepare for receipt."
The moment he received the encoded telegram, Lelouch immediately relayed the intelligence to Admiral Hipper.
