Chapter 14: Those Who Defy Me Shall Perish, Their Reputations Ruined Even in Death

“Where is the king?”
“Have the kingdom’s top officials all fled? Abandoned us! Abandoned the people to run away!”
“If he hasn’t fled, then His Majesty the King must come out! We demand to see the king!”
“Is it that the interests of those scoundrels at the London Stock Exchange outweigh those of the nation, the people, and the army? Give us an explanation!”

Within Ostend, the last stronghold of the Belgian army, chaos erupted after German leaflets were scattered widely. The remnants of the 1st, 4th, and 6th Belgian divisions were completely disorganized. Countless soldiers surged toward the former royal palace, demanding answers amid uncontrollable uproar.

Many did not truly care about the truth; morale had already plummeted due to continuous defeats, and pent-up frustration had nowhere to vent. They needed an excuse to unleash it. At such moments, just one spark could ignite the entire powder keg, tearing apart all obstacles ahead.

Among the three remaining divisions, the 1st had the relatively best condition, still retaining some combat capability and having been used as cannon fodder for a shorter time. The 4th and 6th divisions were essentially shattered, with the 4th having suffered the heaviest losses during a breakout attempt.

The three division commanders gathered together, their expressions grave. As senior officers, they had reliable information and had already learned the previous night that the king had fled. This was privately informed to them by Chief of Staff Felix, who urged secrecy, advised stabilizing the situation, and promised that the Royal Navy would soon evacuate everyone.

Yet none expected the news to leak so quickly, triggering an outright mutiny among the troops. Those despicable Germans had resorted to their old trick—air-dropping leaflets again! When did that stodgy enemy become so adept at psychological warfare?

Now, they had no choice but to discuss emergency measures themselves, but after long talk, no feasible plan to suppress the troops emerged. The commander most embittered, Major General Degisel of the 4th Division, even showed signs of wanting to surrender, but was sternly rebuked by Lieutenant General Bergham, the highest-ranking and most respected officer.

Major General Victor of the 6th Division played the peacemaker role, as his division’s losses and resentment were at an average level. After the first tense meeting ended in disagreement, Lieutenant General Bergham went off alone to do his best to maintain order and prevent rebellion. Fortunately, he still had some prestige, dousing fires and making empty promises that temporarily steadied the situation.

Bergham’s main argument was to deceive other Belgian soldiers: “The Royal Navy will not abandon you; everyone can be evacuated by the warships. More ships are arriving soon. Just line up orderly and you’ll get on board.”

This rhetoric temporarily fooled many; hearing there was a chance to be evacuated by ship, they were in no hurry to surrender to the Germans immediately.

Meanwhile, the scolded Degisel pulled Victor aside for a private talk, hoping to gain his support.

“Major General Victor! Think about it—there’s no way everyone can withdraw! Someone has to cover the rear, or the Germans will reach the port in an hour and no ships will be able to evacuate! Bergham is a lackey of the high command, always sucking up to the royal family and the defense minister. In the end, won’t you and I be ordered to cover the retreat and die?”

Victor knew there was some truth in those words, but hesitated, causing an impasse.

“Even if someone has to cover the rear and die, it will be your 4th Division first since you’ve already fallen out with him. I just want to stay neutral, not offend either side—maybe I can still get a ticket to escape...” Victor naturally harbored such thoughts, revealing the true nature of all fence-sitters.

They were all cunning foxes, each sharp enough not to fool the other.

Realizing Victor’s evasion, Degisel also understood his thoughts. The two agreed to keep up appearances as brothers for now, but each sought their own way out.

Degisel returned to his headquarters and immediately opened the unit’s radio, preparing to secretly negotiate surrender terms with the Germans. Victor did the same upon returning to camp, each pursuing their own backdoor deals. Everyone began looking for an escape route.

…

At the same time, in London.

The Naval Minister Walton’s phone was soon overwhelmed. It was King Albert I of Belgium, who had just retreated to Ypres, urgently demanding to be sent back.

“Minister Walton! Didn’t you say everything would be kept secret? And that within two or three days, my troops would be evacuated? How did the news leak so fast? There must be a traitor in your navy! A German spy!”

The king had just received a message via General Bergham, learning of the mutiny inside the German encirclement at Ostend.

The king, burning with anxiety, immediately appealed to the British Naval Minister for help, airing grievances and complaints. His emotions burst forth, catching Minister Walton off guard.

“That’s impossible! The Royal Navy’s top brass have no traitors! All ships involved maintained absolute radio silence! King Albert, could the problem lie with you?”

What followed was mutual accusation. Finally, Minister Walton, suppressing his anger, urged focusing on the future and solving the problem first.

He assured King Albert: “Rest assured, the Royal Navy is most responsible. We will dispatch high-speed destroyers to Ostend as soon as possible, evacuating as many as we can. Other fleets will also set sail soon. Now is not the time to hunt for leaks. We’ll solve the problem first! I guarantee a high-speed destroyer will arrive at Ostend within five hours!”

After hanging up, Minister Walton swiftly acted, even breaking radio silence to send the Channel Fleet destroyers patrolling near Belgian waters to rush to Ostend, while other fleets prepared to sail.

Unfortunately, the dreadnoughts built in the 1890s started up too slowly—the coal boilers took forever to warm—so relatively newer cruisers bore the brunt of the evacuation task.

Frustrated, Minister Walton sank heavily into his armchair, pondering who among the enemy could be so capable.

“This is not the intelligence level of the Germans! They couldn’t have spied on us directly. Could it be they stumbled upon rumors by accident and are just bluffing us?”

If anyone had a god’s-eye view at this moment, they would marvel: Minister Walton, the West Hemisphere’s greatest schemer, guessed quite accurately.

But alas, rivalry exists. Lelouch had crossed over, and his title as the West’s No. 1 schemer must now yield.

…

Three flowers bloom, each distinct.

At the same time, in the 16th Regiment headquarters in Nieuwpoort.

Sergeant Lelouch, from early morning, had been stationed in the communications room with a handful of trusted technical and code specialists, repeatedly sending surrender appeals to the Belgians opposite.

They used unencrypted low-power shortwave radios with limited range, only transmitting a few kilometers to ensure only officers at the corps level and above inside Ostend could receive them; the distant rear lines could not intercept.

Of course, radio waves spread uniformly in all directions, so theoretically the French forces controlling Dunkirk just over ten kilometers west could also receive these messages, though they probably wouldn’t bother listening.

“Soldiers of the Belgian army: Think carefully about your future. You have no way out. Your king has betrayed you. Surrendering now will not stain history; the people will understand. This is the best time to surrender...”

Such messages were broadcast in loops, bombarding the enemy’s code operators’ nerves. Unless they shut down radios and abandoned communications, they would easily receive them. Lelouch also frequently changed frequencies to ensure reception.

Yet before receiving any reply, everyone’s hearts were uneasy, uncertain how effective the psychological campaign was or whether the enemy’s morale would collapse.

Except for Lelouch’s most trusted aide Closer, other operators kept stealing glances at their commander, seeking encouragement in his eyes.

After an indeterminate time, Closer and Schweinsteiger, monitoring the receivers, suddenly reported:

“Commander! We intercepted a reply from the enemy! It claims to be from Major General Degisel’s headquarters of the 4th Division. They wish to discuss terms. They mentioned that Major General Bergham of the 1st Division is stubbornly refusing to surrender, while Major General Victor of the 6th Division remains undecided. They hope for our assistance in their surrender!”

Lelouch, who had been resting with eyes closed and fingers rhythmically tapping the chair arm, suddenly opened his eyes wide and sprang to his feet:

“Finally, a reply! The enemy’s mutiny is now uncontrollable! The first to want to surrender is the 4th Division’s Degisel... Hmm, his division suffered the heaviest losses in the breakout. The 6th Division is still fence-sitting... How dare he? Got it! I know how to handle this. Send the message exactly as I say.”

Lelouch paced seven steps back and forth, as leisurely as composing poetry, a new cunning stratagem forming in his mind:

“To Major General Victor of the 6th Division: It is known that yesterday King Albert publicly announced the so-called flooding of the Yser River was not decided by the royal family or cabinet but was the front-line commanders’ spontaneous response.

It is laughable that a general does not realize the crisis and remains blindly loyal to a foolish monarch! Consider this: King Albert has abandoned the people and the army to retreat. He will surely shift all blame onto the dead when addressing the international community. At such a time, even if one serves with military honor and loyalty, survival is necessary to earn a place in history.

Otherwise, when the king pushes all responsibility onto the dead, the general not only faces death but will suffer wrongful disgrace, ending in ruin and infamy...

Furthermore, the German army will testify, accusing those who refuse to surrender. The blame for the flooding will fall entirely on the obstinate. The general personally took part in flooding the dikes. Without surrendering to Germany, how can you cleanse this everlasting infamy?”

Lelouch’s mind brimmed with such persuasive arguments.

Having read deeply into Chinese histories before crossing over, he could easily draw from countless analogous cases.

For example, after General Zhang Han’s crushing defeat at the Battle of Julu, Chen Yu wrote to him, urging surrender: “A Qin general dies whether he wins or loses. Bai Qi and Meng Tian were great generals yet unrewarded. How much more so you, who cannot win and must become the scapegoat to appease Zhao Gao and the Qin court.”

Lelouch combined these cases with a patchwork of literary craft, confident he could shatter the Belgians’ resolve.

Western civilization’s history of intrigue and scheming pales before the rich legacy of Eastern stratagems.

After sending these targeted psychological assaults, the mutiny in Ostend escalated to a new peak.

One document is worth ten thousand soldiers.

…

Half an hour later, inside the 6th Division headquarters in Ostend.

Major General Victor, reading the German messages brought by Degisel, broke out in a cold sweat, looking as if he had just been pulled from water.

“Despicable! Despicable! So vile!”

He felt dizzy and faint, almost collapsing to the floor. His aides reacted quickly, catching and supporting him.

“General, wake up! Are you alright?”

Only after pressing the philtrum, dousing with cold water, and massaging his chest and lungs did Victor recover.

So vile! The stubborn generals’ refusal to surrender was largely due to aristocratic honor.

In 1914, many old-school nobles fought for face, unwilling to leave a stain on history.

As for loyalty to the king... that was a minor part. Everyone knew the truth; it was mostly about reputation.

But Lelouch’s reasoning revealed a terrifying truth: anyone who did not cooperate would not only die but be disgraced after death!

What nonsense was this?

Major General Victor’s spirit was finally broken; he turned completely dark.

Victor said, “Brother, I’m with you. Let’s surrender to the Germans together and let them in. If Bergham dares to obstruct us, we’ll join forces and kill him! He’s a royal and general staff loyalist!

Then we’ll say the flooding was done by one of his special teams, unrelated to the 6th Division! All crimes against our own people will be pinned on him—if you agree to this, I’m with you!”

Degisel: “Deal!”

An hour later, the German forces surged into Ostend from east and west.

The 4th and 6th Divisions declared defection, condemned the tyrant, and overthrew him.

Ostend descended into a brief but fierce civil war.

The 4th and 6th Divisions led the Germans straight to the former royal palace.

Amid the chaos, Lieutenant General Bergham of the 1st Division was killed confusedly, and most of his fiercely loyal soldiers were slaughtered.

Only a tiny fraction sensed the danger and, disregarding the rough seas, rushed to the docks to find every small fishing boat, sampan, and sailboat they could, hastily boarding to escape, hoping the British navy would come soon to pick them up.

But these were mere trivial scratches, barely worth mentioning.

News of the victory quickly reached the 12th Division headquarters, still cut off by floods to the south, then the 6th Army headquarters, the general staff, and finally the emperor. The imperial propaganda department was shaken by such an epic triumph.

Major General Karl was thrilled to learn his subordinate, Colonel Lister’s regiment, was the first to break into Ostend.

With just one regiment, they withstood three days and nights of siege by three Belgian divisions from the east and two French divisions from the west, standing as solid as a rock and preventing enemy breakthroughs.

Moreover, they inflicted huge casualties, annihilating three enemy divisions!

The entire Belgian army was routed!

Post-battle statistics showed they accepted the surrender of over 17,000 enemy soldiers at once, captured more than 4,000 lightly wounded, totaling over 22,000 prisoners.

Before the battle, each Belgian division was roughly equal in size to the German divisions, about 16,000 to 18,000 men each, so the three divisions should have had over 50,000 soldiers combined.

However, these three Belgian divisions were already shattered retreating from Antwerp, numbering fewer than 40,000 then, and after continued battles and desertions, they lost over 10,000 more.

Most losses occurred during the Ostend defense and Nieuwpoort breakout battles, with several thousand more lost in internal clashes just before surrender.

In any case, the Germans took 22,000 prisoners alive and killed nearly 40,000 enemies.

What a glorious feat!

They must be rewarded generously and promptly! The victory must be reported to the high command as a model case!

The major general immediately dispatched a vehicle racing toward Ostend to personally congratulate Colonel Lister and the heroic soldiers who had just created this astonishing miracle.