Chapter 16: Killing Two Birds with One Stone—Assaulting the Royal Navy

“Missed something? Speak up! Are you trying to keep us in suspense?”

Major General Karl, noticing Lelouch panting heavily as he spoke, urged him to be more straightforward.

Lelouch then added his analysis: “From what I understand, when the war first broke out, the Empire never expected Britannia to join the conflict. Many believed that as long as the advance through Belgium was swift enough to shock the Belgians, Britannia would grudgingly accept the fait accompli.

But what happened instead? Britannia decisively seized the opportunity to enter the war. This clearly shows that the Empire’s leadership had greatly underestimated the threat posed by Britannia—they never thought Britannia already regarded the Empire as its greatest rival and was willing to destroy it at all costs.

Now, with the Belgian army nearly wiped out by us, the Britannian Secretary of the Navy had already promised to provide a naval evacuation for the Belgian troops. Once this news spreads internationally, how will other countries perceive it?

They will think that not only is Britannia’s army incompetent, but their Royal Navy is equally ineffective! The Royal Navy vows to protect their allies, yet those allies are completely annihilated before their fleet arrives!

Considering Minister Warton’s vindictive nature and his habit of taking bold, aggressive actions, do you think the Royal Navy might seek revenge at any cost to restore their honor?

From Dunkirk to Ostend, along this 40-kilometer coastal corridor, if we only look at land battles, it’s indeed impossible to outflank the defenses. The defenders can inflict heavy losses on the attackers.

But if the enemy deploys their navy to strike from the flanks and shell the Empire’s army, can our soldiers still hold out behind the ruins of those two small towns against battleships armed with 12-inch main guns?”

Major General Karl felt a sudden chill upon hearing this.

Undoubtedly, those houses and ruins in Neoport could barely withstand the light fire from 6-inch cruiser guns, and holding firm was already the limit.

If battleships—old dreadnoughts even—were involved, the German troops wouldn’t even know how they’d perish.

This was an obvious truth, but since these were all army officers unfamiliar with naval warfare, they simply hadn’t considered it.

Besides, the earlier discussion had been hurried and preliminary; no one had time to think it through carefully.

The problem was, Lelouch had also been asked on the spot, with little time to think.

Yet he was able to respond immediately, pinpointing the crux of the problem.

His intelligence, quick thinking, and deep understanding of military strategy left a profound impression on Major General Karl.

“Indeed... if the Belgians, having lost face, retaliate recklessly, the Empire cannot withstand it. It’s wise to withdraw the troops in Neoport as soon as possible. Such a good situation to delay and wear down the enemy, yet we must abandon it...” Karl sighed deeply.

Just as they thought the situation was hopeless, Lelouch pointed out some room for maneuver:

“There is still some opportunity here, but it requires changing tactics and more careful planning.”

Karl’s eyes brightened instantly, his spirits lifted. He quickly dismissed the aides, leaving only Lelouch and Colonel Lister to continue their confidential discussion in a meeting room.

“Quick, be specific!” Karl had completely shed his general’s reserve; now he just wanted to gain more credit.

Especially since the Sixth Army Group came from Baria, one of the four South German states, where they were a minority suppressed by the Junker officers from Northern Germany.

In such a position, jealousy and resentment would never break the deadlock.

The weaker you are, the more you must band together and value talent.

Feeling the general’s full trust and respect, Lelouch elaborated on his strategy:

“To break this stalemate, I believe we must address two issues. First, ensure that the troops delaying the enemy in Neoport and surrounding areas can safely withdraw even if the enemy’s heavy artillery blocks the coastal road.

They cannot rely on the coastal road as the sole escape route since it can be completely sealed off by battleship artillery at any time. Instead, they must retreat through the floodplain south of the coastal road, a zone immune to naval shelling.

To achieve this, we need to quickly gather enough small boats and launches locally.

These floodplains are usually devoid of boats, as they were once farmland. But since the flooding was caused by the breach of the Yser Canal, we can bring river barges from the canal over there...”

Upon hearing this, Karl waved his hand decisively: “No problem! Gathering canal boats to transport a few battalions of infantry is entirely feasible. I will personally order it.”

Solving this would at least guarantee the safe withdrawal of the rearguard after completing their mission.

Though battleships are formidable, they cannot enter the flooded canal areas. From across the coastal road, they lack the line of sight to accurately shell small boats on the water.

Lelouch then moved on to the next point:

“Secondly, the Imperial Navy must swiftly and discreetly dispatch a fast fleet capable of countering any Belgian Royal Navy bombardment fleet.

This will definitely require some intelligence deception.

Ultimately, the Imperial Navy can use its numerical advantage to bully the enemy’s older warships.

From what I know, the core of the Belgian Royal Navy’s modern fleet is stationed far north in Scapa Flow, Scotland.

The fleet that can respond promptly along the Belgian coast is mainly the Channel Fleet, based in Dover and Portsmouth. According to open intelligence, the Channel Fleet’s main strength is only three dreadnoughts, and not all may be operational.

The biggest problem is coordinating with naval officers—someone must trust our judgment and be willing to take responsibility and risk by deploying these ships...”

Colonel Lister’s face grew troubled listening to Lelouch’s confident elaboration.

This demand was enormous, far beyond the Sixth Army Group’s authority to coordinate.

Fearing the general’s anger, he quickly tried to rein it in:

“Lieutenant Lelouch... don’t you think you’re overstepping? This level of joint operations across branches is beyond our reach!

Within the navy, the Junker officers’ seniority system and conservative style are even more rigid than the army! Your wild ideas, especially on such short notice, are impossible! Let’s not cause trouble for the general—better to just abandon Neoport.”

But while Lister poured cold water on the plan, Karl’s expression grew more serious and contemplative.

He pondered deeply before suddenly gesturing sharply:

“Lister! Don’t dismiss others’ ideas lightly. It’s good that Lieutenant Lelouch can think this way. Whether it can be done is another matter, but we must allow free discussion.

Besides, what he suggested isn’t entirely impossible... Most senior naval officers have no ties to us, but a few are from Baria.

For example, Rear Admiral Hippel, commander of the First Attack Squadron, is from Baria and served as an aide to my brother, Duke Ruprecht, the Sixth Army Group commander, when young...

And Hippel is known in the navy for being bold and daring. In the three months since war began, he’s shelled several Belgian ports with three battlecruisers, always firing a few rounds before making a swift escape, never losing a capital ship.

With his courage, if there’s a chance to eliminate an enemy dreadnought for glory, he would definitely be tempted! But we must first ensure our intelligence is accurate and that victory is certain... If we can do that, I would dare send a message to my brother, who could then communicate with Admiral Hippel...”

Karl muttered as he analyzed, but Lelouch interrupted hastily, disregarding formalities:

“General! Your other decisions are wise and cautious, but sending messages to discuss this... I believe it may bring more risks. The Empire’s communications system is far from secure.”

Lelouch’s tone was urgent but necessary.

As a time traveler, he knew how transparently the Empire’s radio codes had been cracked during the war.

Though lacking solid proof at the moment, he could only rely on subtle clues to alert the general, then steer the conversation carefully back.

In Lelouch’s mind, before raising this topic, he had already concluded that radio deception was essential for this plan.

In fact, without successfully conducting counter-radio deception against the Britannians, it would be better to drop the idea entirely and abandon this opportunity.

Karl’s expression changed sharply. Despite his previous strong trust in Lelouch, he now had to reprimand him:

“Lieutenant Lelouch! I agree with your earlier points, but don’t speak recklessly! How dare you, a mere lieutenant, claim the Empire’s communication system has huge flaws?”

Lelouch’s mind raced. He knew now was not the time to reveal that the Empire’s radio codes had long been cracked by the enemy.

Although he had read history and knew that back in August, the Britannians had recovered codebooks from a sunken Empire submarine, he had no reason to mention this now—it would sound like nonsense and only make him look like a madman.

Fortunately, Lelouch had another angle.

He recalled the submarine cable laid by Siemens along the Belgian and Neoport coast before the war, which three days ago had been sabotaged by a Britannian cruiser.

Senior commanders hadn’t yet figured out the cause of the cable failure.

Lelouch had personally overseen the repairs, giving him authority to speak on the matter.

He seized the opportunity to elaborate convincingly:

“Some time ago, our battalion was temporarily dispatched by the Army Group HQ to Neoport to repair a certain submarine cable. Upon reinspection, I confirmed the break point was over three kilometers offshore.

If the enemy hadn’t obtained the exact coordinates and layout of the underwater cable, they couldn’t have precisely located and cut it.

After thorough investigation, among the three parties who might have leaked the map, Siemens would not betray us without reason, and the Belgians hadn’t had time to betray this info.

So it’s ninety-nine percent certain there’s a Britannian spy inside the Netherlands State Telegraph Company!

I don’t yet know the extent of this spy’s access to our communications secrets, but it’s better to be cautious.

We must not discuss this matter over radio. In fact, we could use this chance to turn the tables—test whether our codes have been compromised or if our cables are being physically tapped...”

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