Chapter 548: Burning(4)
Chapter 548: Burning(4)
"Paltry courage is meaningless in the face of well-trained bullets."
This is a famous quote by George S. Patton, a renowned general of World War II. It also offers a glimpse into why Patton became such a legendary commander.
Patton was widely known as a warmonger who didn't just love war—he was obsessed with it—and he utterly despised cowards.
Yet, even he merely hated cowardice; compared to the French Elan or Japanese militarism, his way of thinking was remarkably flexible.
At the very least, Patton wouldn't order a charge into a trench guarded by machine guns. He would calmly order the tanks to be readied instead.
Comparing him to the French Elan or Japanese militarism, which emphasized "spirit" above all else, is an insult in itself.
To be fair, the French Elan had a bit of an excuse: they hadn't anticipated the new form of warfare known as "trench warfare."
They eventually overhauled their doctrine and managed to scrape out a victory, but they failed to fix that archaic mindset, leading to them getting "six-weeked" later on.
And as for Japan... let's not even go there. At least France eventually came to its senses; Japan never did.
Shouting "Banzai charge" at every opportunity was the norm, and by the end, they were even resorting to Kamikaze.
In any case, Elan has become a term that represents the incompetence of the French military.
Furthermore, it serves as a lesson: even if you emphasize spirit to the extreme, war must be conducted with flexibility.
[Only those who have tempered their body and mind to the limit can become heroes!]
[Only an unbreakable will can strike down a powerful foe.]
[Is Xenon disregarding the spirit of the knight?!]
Perhaps they didn't understand the intent, but quite a few people criticized me. Occasionally, the comments bordered on insults.
It was inevitable. In this world, guns haven't even been invented, let alone machine guns. (The dwarves invented tanks and succeeded in their revolution, but let's set that aside for now.)
Regardless, this is a world where a few powerful knights frequently turn the tide of battle, and "heroes" emerge from among them.
While spirit must be backed by physical strength, it's a reality that cannot be ignored.
You don't have to look far—just look at sports. There are plenty of instances where a team on the brink of collapse manages a comeback through sheer fighting spirit.
Most importantly, I hadn't failed to predict this reaction. I didn't just blindly say, "Elan is stupid, so knights are stupid too."
My own father is a knight—and one with the reputation of the "Red Lion" at that. Saying such a thing would be the height of filial impiety.
That's why I used Hitler's past recollections to indirectly show how powerless human spirit is in the face of overwhelming firepower.
As a veteran of World War I, Hitler loathed trench warfare. That was why he, along with Guderian, spearheaded the production of tanks.
I also added a bit of exaggeration to describe just how terrifying the power of a "machine gun" was. After reading that, everyone was shocked that such a horrific weapon could exist.
[Xenon didn't disregard an indomitable spirit. He only criticized those who shut up and emphasize spirit alone.]
[As the times change, the nature of war will change in various ways. You can see that just by looking at the tanks Geist invented.]
[Would you people throw yourselves into a place where magic is being spammed? Even if you're committing suicide, shouldn't you at least leave a corpse behind?]
As expected, those with open minds defended me.
As they said, I wasn't criticizing knights; I was emphasizing "flexibility."
Spirit is important, but a flexible mindset is the most vital virtue of all.
As I mentioned earlier, Patton reached the ranks of the great generals through that very flexibility.
The problem was that his personal personality remained the same, leading to all sorts of incidents. It seems that while doctrines can be changed, personalities are much harder to fix.
[There is no law saying the era of knights will last forever. Even if the power of knights remains effective, they won't be the protagonists.]
[Still, if I had to choose between a knight and a machine gun, I'd choose the knight.]
[Maybe inventing armor or techniques that can withstand overwhelming firepower...]
If there was one thing I overlooked, it was that people simply couldn't let go of the idea of knights.
Knights getting mowed down by machine guns? Then just strengthen them so they don't get mowed down! That was the dominant reaction.
There had been a similar reaction before, and this was no different. Of course, I had to consider that this was a fantasy world.
While the invention of guns is essential to maximize "manpower," the possibility of knights becoming obsolete is infinitely low.
Just as tanks are strong against machine guns but weak against infantry, a tank would be an easy prey for a knight.
As technology advances, even I can't predict how the landscape of war will shift.
[Then how will you deal with the Air Force? Can a knight take down a bombardment falling from the sky?]
[You could just use the tracking magic invented to kill flying monsters.]
[That might be easy for Elves or Demons, but it's extremely difficult for other races. We need another way.]
[Will you choose science? Or will you choose magic?]
The conversation naturally flowed until it eventually devolved into a debate of Science vs. Magic.
If tanks hadn't been invented, everyone would have chosen magic.
However, as seen with Geist, a single tank brought down a corrupt monarchy.
Though it was aided by the power of the masses, the appearance of the tank sent a massive shockwave through the world.
Furthermore, the Mechanical Renaissance Movement had emerged as the Great Depression was gradually being resolved through the establishment of mana engines and factories.
[It is foolish to distinguish between science and magic. They need to be integrated.]
[Many disciplines became independent from philosophy, but ironically, science and magic remained separate.]
[It's worth a try. Even if a complete fusion is impossible, wouldn't a 'welding' of the two be feasible?]
The critique of Elan, which I had originally described to criticize France's six-week collapse, had started drifting in a strange direction.
Still, all's well that ends well, so I didn't feel the need to worry too much. I couldn't just ignore it, though.
[While France has many internal problems, Germany has gained immense experience through the invasion of Poland. Germany's victory is self-evident.]
[But France has traditionally been described as having a powerful army. Didn't a great man like Napoleon once swallow all of Europe?]
[A clash between a traditional powerhouse and a rising power seeking hegemony.]
That didn't mean everyone was focused solely on Science vs. Magic. They were also focused on the upcoming battle between the Anglo-French Alliance and Germany.
On the surface, the Anglo-French Alliance seemed to have the advantage. In reality, the German Navy had become practically non-existent after the invasion of Norway.
On the other hand, while the British Navy had taken a hit, they hadn't lost naval supremacy, and France was a traditional land power.
Most readers predicted that their struggle would last for "at least" half a year.
[France will collapse in less than two months. I predict they will fall within six weeks.]
Except for one person: North, who had once again spouted a prediction that wasn't really a prediction.
His popularity had already grown after he spoiled that "Germany is a bastard!", and now he was drawing attention again.
[The reasoning? Internal problems are always greater than external ones. France won't be able to do anything.]
Naturally, his reasoning sounded plausible. The problem was that it was only plausible.
He didn't say a single word about the effectiveness of Manstein's "Sickle Cut," which had been mentioned consistently leading up to the invasion of France.
Even Nazi Germany at the time had barely managed to organize its forces because they had to adopt the incomplete Sickle Cut plan.
They were forced to choose the Sickle Cut as a last resort because their original plans were exposed when an officer crash-landed in Belgium.
[The Maginot Line? It's a natural fortress, but it doesn't defend everywhere. It will be breached helplessly.]
In fact, the Sickle Cut was a strategy designed specifically to bypass or breach the French Maginot Line. If the Maginot Line hadn't existed, they would have used a different strategy.
In Blood and Iron, I had explained the formulation process of the Sickle Cut in detail. I thought he was basing his argument on that, but he wasn't.
[Many military families have sent me letters asking for my reasoning. I would rather ask them: Why don't you know?]
This guy North was just blurting things out. He was basically pulling a "if you don't know, go study" in a medieval-fantasy setting.
The world is wide and there are many idiots, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out where he got the nerve to act like that.
I didn't know if he was doing it just to spite me or if he had some other motive.
Of course, North was just out of his mind; there were normal readers as well.
[Marquis Mathews: The Sickle Cut is too much of a gamble and too reckless. If France isn't stupid, it's a strategy that can be stopped.]
The military families, in particular, showed intense interest.
Since the Sickle Cut itself was such a jaw-dropping strategy, it was bound to attract attention.
[Utilizing the mobility of tanks is brilliant. But what if France anticipates the advance route?]
[The same goes for the Air Force. No matter how strong a tank is, it will be powerless against the Air Force. It's foolish to retreat just because the German Air Force is scary.]
[If it succeeds, it can naturally lead to a hammer and anvil tactic and cause immense damage. If it succeeds, that is.]
Surprisingly, the famous military families showed that they perfectly understood how the Sickle Cut would play out.
I had worked my ass off to make them understand, but there was no denying that they were brilliant.
As expected, people of the past were only limited by their technology; their intelligence was by no means lower than that of modern people.
'But France got breached because they didn't do any of that.'
Nazi Germany started the war with many uncertainties, but France was even worse.
France even had superior tank specs, but they were utterly crushed by the German armored forces, which had radios installed in every tank.
To make matters worse, one unit collapsed on its own after hallucinating. They were breached so easily that even the German army wondered, "Is this right?"
Even Hitler was so shocked by the unbelievable results that he hurriedly ordered a halt. During that time, the miracle of the Dunkirk evacuation took place.
[I sincerely hope this operation fails. If it succeeds, Nazi Germany will only become more arrogant.]
[What Hitler needs most right now isn't success, but a bitter failure. I want him to realize his shortcomings and grow mentally.]
Some people wanted the Sickle Cut to fail. They wanted him to experience mental growth through a bitter defeat.
This was quite significant, as in actual history, Hitler's pride spiraled out of control because of his massive success.
Furthermore, Nazi Germany itself became so infatuated with Hitler that it completely lost its ability to self-regulate. That was the true turning point of his rampage.
[I still support Hitler.]
[If the Sickle Cut succeeds, Hitler and I will be one from now on.]
Even so, there were more people whose brains were completely broken. Those people brushed off Nazi Germany's massacres, saying it was war and couldn't be helped.
Combined with a medieval mindset, quite a few people sympathized with them.
The only silver lining was that, thanks to the graphic depiction of the horrors of war, there were almost no calls for actual war.
I wondered if their brains would still be leaking out after they saw the Holocaust.
But before that...
"Aaaagh! Get away! Get away! I have to go see Lady Mora!"
"Coo! Coo-coo! Coo!"
"Meow! Meow! Waaaah!"
"Woof! Woof!"
I wondered when this damn Druid passive would ever be deactivated.
Around the time Isaac returned to the Maishal territory to visit the Temple of Mora.
The world—specifically, the military families—was focused on the strategy that appeared in Blood and Iron: the "Sickle Cut."
To the military families, the Sickle Cut was more than a shock; it was a strategy bordering on a revolution.
While it remained a gamble, it was a prime example of utilizing "tanks" to their absolute limit.
If tanks hadn't been invented, they would have just brushed it off as a fantasy trope. But tanks were a reality now.
It was a strategy far ahead of its time, with endless potential for future use.
Of course, because it had been revealed so openly, its weaknesses were also clear. It was highly likely to be adopted as one of the standard tactical manuals.
"Let us have a discussion about this strategy. While it may be difficult to implement immediately, the discussion itself will be sufficient."
Marquis Mathews, the commander in charge of the North, spoke as he looked at the nobles standing before him.
The nobles looked quite flustered by the Marquis's words, and for good reason.
Not only had they been summoned out of the blue, but they were also being asked to provide their thoughts on the Sickle Cut.
"Speak boldly, whether you think it will succeed or fail. As long as your opinion is logical, that is enough."
"..."
"Well? What do you all think?"
There was nothing to think about. Every one of Marquis Mathews's vassals was thinking the same thing.
'Damn it. Why us?'
'Wouldn't it be better to just call Xenon?'
'We don't even have tanks, Marquis.'
It was one of the unintended side effects of Blood and Iron.
"May I offer an opinion?"
"You just focus on logistics, Marshall."
"Understood."
Marshall's opinion was swiftly dismissed.