Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 227 Using the Imperial Edict for Personal Business

"I never thought Hindenburg's failed attempt to cut off the Polish salient could be interpreted this way?"

"So, although taking Poland was delayed by two or three months, we can still get it eventually. It also saved the Empire's food reserves three months of feeding ungrateful wretches. Hindenburg's final offensive also demonstrated the Empire's equal and compassionate attitude towards rescuing those people enslaved by Russa... This propaganda line is excellent! Immediately order the War Department to use this line to publicize the brutality of the Russa people and the Empire's all-out rescue efforts for them!"

After Falkenhayn urgently requested an audience with Emperor Wilhelm and relayed Lelouch's analysis to the emperor, the emperor was immediately shocked and uttered a long and detailed statement.

After finishing his reflections, the emperor suddenly realized something: "Oh right, the Propaganda Department of the War Department was originally under the control of that kid Lelouch. That kid is simply amazing. Did he foresee all of this and wait for Hindenburg and Rodendorff to fail so he could laugh at them?"

The emperor was eager to know if Lelouch had deliberately allowed his allies to remain passive and watch their fate unfold.

Fortunately, Falkenhayn still had a conscience, and he immediately defended Lelouch: "Your Majesty... if you think that way, you are really wronging Lelouch. If he were truly settling a personal score, would he be making excuses for Lieutenant General Roddendorff like this?"

"That's true..." The emperor quickly realized that he had been making a malicious assumption.

Thus, a propaganda plan explaining the recent setbacks in the Polish campaign was finalized by imperial decree: the focus should be on the Empire's rescue of the local people and the brutality of Russa, while specific battle results would be downplayed for the time being and discussed in a few months.

Within just a few days, related reports spread throughout Demania and also reached the front lines.

Before taking his leave, the emperor remembered something else and added a few more words of instruction:
"Right! Tell the armaments department to step up their efforts! Since this offensive failed because the diesel-powered tanks froze and weren't properly adapted for winter combat, then hurry up and improve the tanks! At least improve their combat readiness and maintenance. When next winter comes, we absolutely cannot allow the problem of tanks failing to start at a mere minus ten degrees Celsius to recur!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will arrange this matter as soon as possible and personally oversee it." Fa Jinhan quickly agreed, indicating that he would not make any mistakes this time.

……

"Damn it! It's already bad enough that our attack was thwarted, and now that guy is pretending to be kind and making excuses for us!"

When Lieutenant General Rodendorff saw the newspapers sent from the rear, he felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly.

"What's the problem? At least the emperor won't hold us accountable." His superior, the old Marshal Hindenburg, hadn't quite grasped the situation yet and felt that the emperor's lenient treatment of the temporary setback in the attack was already a good result.

The fact that the tank engine was frozen was indeed unexpected by everyone, and Marshal Hindenburg would not have been so conspiratorial as to think that it was a deliberate sabotage by his political enemies.

The initial choice of diesel engines as tank power sources was understandable. Diesel engines have higher torque, more power, and are less likely to become "lighters" after being damaged. In addition, early tanks did not need to pursue high speeds, but only high thrust for off-road driving. From all angles, diesel engines seemed to be the better choice.

As for diesel fuel having a higher freezing point than gasoline, and the fuel itself being prone to freezing, this was not initially considered a key technical point. No one could have imagined that this shortcoming would become a bottleneck restricting the performance of tanks.

(Note: During the Battle of Moscow in the Earth-based timeline, the tanks were frozen not because the fuel froze, as diesel fuel at that time was mixed with antifreeze. German tanks were mainly frozen due to the freezing of engine oil and coolant, not gasoline. Gasoline only freezes at temperatures below -70 degrees Celsius, so it's impossible for it to freeze.)
Therefore, when Marshal Hindenburg heard the propaganda from the rear, his first reaction was one of relief, at least this setback had been covered up.

But General Rodendorff could not feel relieved. He gritted his teeth and analyzed in a low voice:

"Marshal! Things aren't that simple. The Imperial high command is using this propaganda to cover up our defeat, which, while helping us to turn a loss into a victory, comes at the cost of 'damaging the morale of our core fanatical warriors in exchange for international recognition.'"

Neutral foreigners might think our Demacian army is a responsible army, fighting bravely to liberate the people enslaved by Lusha. But who among our own soldiers cares about that reputation? If they believe that, the troops will be even harder to lead, and it will affect everyone's determination to fight to the death.

The soldiers weren't fighting to the death to save Poland; they wanted glory, wealth, and honor. If they heard that their general was ordering them to fight for international prestige, the soldiers would complain.

Sometimes, the demands of ordinary soldiers and those of politicians are disconnected. While such propaganda from the rear may have some benefits for the overall situation and improved Hindenburg and Rodendorff's reputations, it also sacrifices, to some extent, their cohesion within their core support groups.

In other words, it's like a crazy leader on Earth suddenly being told he's not so crazy anymore. His image in Bai Zuo's eyes might improve, but his core fan base, who are fervently supporting him, might think, "We are ready to fight to the death, why has Your Majesty surrendered first?"

After being reminded of this by his chief of staff, Field Marshal Hindenburg finally realized the problem. However, as a veteran field marshal, this level of propaganda wouldn't shake his foundation among his core supporters. At this point, Hindenburg could only let things take their course.

……

Meanwhile, at the Potsdam Military Academy, the General Staff was very satisfied with Lelouch, especially after the prophecy of Hindenburg and Rodendorff's defeat in Poland and Lelouch's help in covering up the defeat through propaganda.

The Schlieffen students at the military academy, and the Hindenburg and Rodendorff supporters, have all been avoiding him in recent days.

Of course, a considerable number of cadets who originally supported Hindenburg and Rodendorff weren't exactly die-hard fans; they were simply misled by the Reich's "war hero" propaganda in the early stages of the war. Because the higher-ups promoted Hindenburg, they followed suit.

Now that the halo has faded, some people have changed their tune and begun to believe in the theories promoted by Lelouch.

At each strategic training class at the military academy, more and more people began to support Lelouch's views. The old principal, Marshal Goldz, also appreciated him more and more and taught him everything he knew.

"A qualified general staff should formulate specific operational plans for all neighboring countries in peacetime, regardless of their relationship with them. This is the true embodiment of Clausewitz's spirit that 'war is a continuation of politics.'" This famous quote has gradually become popular at Potsdam College.

In this harmonious academic atmosphere, Lelouch's thesis is progressing more and more smoothly, and it is estimated that it will be fully completed by the end of February or the beginning of March.

Moreover, this was only because Lelouch was distracted and had to do many other things, which is why it was delayed until March. Lelouch had a lot of things to do. In February, in addition to writing his thesis, he also had to do something else: help Chief of Staff Fakingham contact people at Faking Chemical to deploy a mission and resolve the issue of antifreeze for tanks.

This was a task personally assigned to Falkenhayn by the Emperor, so Falkenhayn certainly couldn't neglect it. Lelouch was the first to think of this problem, so Falkenhayn naturally entrusted this task to Lelouch to make the contact.

A letter of cooperation issued by the General Staff was given to Lelouch, asking him to make a trip to Frankfurt and have a proper discussion with the people from Fabbon Chemicals.

With this authorization, Lelouch will certainly not only use it to solve the antifreeze problem, but he will also take the opportunity to further his relationships and do some personal favors.

……

"General Lelouch, it is an honor to see you again. Your suggestion that we develop slow-release sulfonamides was the best business opportunity we at Farben have encountered in recent years, and it also saved hundreds of thousands of wounded soldiers."

Upon arriving at Farben Chemicals headquarters in Frankfurt, Lelouch was warmly received by Fritz Haber, the future Nobel laureate, Farben's top scientist, and owner.

After all, Lelouch proposed a collaboration with Farben Chemicals at the end of the year before last to develop sulfonamide drugs. In the end, Farben produced sulfonamide raw materials in unlimited quantities, while Lelouch, representing the royal family of Barea, and Farben's joint venture produced the final slow-release finished drug. To date, tens of millions of tablets have been produced.

The number of infected wounded who have been saved has reached hundreds of thousands. How could Mr. Fritz Haber not feel awe for such merit?

Since Lelouch came with a letter of coordination from the General Staff, the French side naturally cooperated with great solemnity and full force.

Lelouch was very modest: "I only provided a few ideas and inspirations. The key to making things work is that your Farben Chemicals, especially its subsidiary Bayer Pharmaceuticals, has strong scientific research capabilities."

We are also very grateful for your continued technical support to the joint venture over the past year, and for your ongoing improvements to the sustained-release technology of sulfonamides, which have led to increasingly lower liver and kidney toxicity. Now, the side effects on injured patients taking sulfonamides are at least becoming less noticeable. Regardless of the effectiveness of anti-infection treatments, at least they will no longer die or become disabled due to liver and kidney failure.

Fritz Haber: "This is what we should do, and it is the social responsibility that Farben Chemicals should bear for the Empire."

Lelouch: "If there's an opportunity in the future, I hope to work with Faben to develop more groundbreaking products in the field of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals and help the Empire overcome its difficulties. If the joint venture needs more pharmaceutical and microbiology researchers then, Mr. Haber, please don't hesitate to help."

Fritz Haber: "Of course not. Does General Lelouch have some new idea?"

Lelouch: "I do have some ideas, but they're not mature enough yet. Let's get down to business first, and then talk about these long-term plans."

Fritz Haber: "Of course, I will have the relevant departments fully cooperate with you."

Fritz Haber himself was involved in ammonia synthesis and didn't know much about fuel additives or pharmaceuticals. Naturally, he needed to assign specialized technical personnel.

Soon, several engineers responsible for fuel and lubricant additives were brought to meet Lelouch and discuss specific research and development needs with him.

(End of this chapter)