Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Have You Heard of Total War (Totaler Krieg)? (1)
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A faint voice reached my ears.
"Commander."
"..."
"Commander."
"...Did I nod off for a second?"
When I opened my eyes, my adjutant, Major Lee, was gently waking me.
To think I'd dozed off even after chugging those stimulants... It wasn't like me at all. Especially not at a time when my country's fate hung in the balance.
I gritted my teeth and scanned the situation map.
"No major changes, I see."
"That's right."
Major General Shin, who had been silent until then, replied. Major Lee slowly withdrew, as if his duty was done now that he'd woken me.
"The Chinese forces are still pressing us hard. Multiple elite armored divisions are targeting the highways and attacking Paju."
"And the 7th Corps?"
"As you ordered, we used them as an armored fire brigade before secretly relocating them to the rear. They're fully supplied and at peak combat readiness."
Good. That was all that mattered.
"North Korea and China combined—that's 1.5 million troops. And the offensive has been going on for a while now..."
"Yes."
Major General Shin glanced at the date and answered.
Tap-tap-tap. I drummed my fingers on the makeshift table, lost in thought.
Growing impatient, Major General Shin hurriedly spoke up.
"With the 7th Corps pulled back, red alerts are flashing across the entire front. The enemy's firepower is beyond expectations. If we redeploy the 7th as an armored fire brigade—"
"No."
Thud! Having reached my conclusion, I cut him off.
The ferocious artillery barrage, the swelling enemy numbers, the relentless assaults that chewed through lives like fodder.
Everything seemed to favor those commie bastards... but I saw something different.
"The offensive is nearing its end. I'm certain of it."
"...Pardon?"
Major General Shin blinked at me like I'd lost my mind, but this wasn't some hunch.
It was a certainty.
"Their frontline supplies are running dry, so they're going all out now because this is their only shot. If the intel from the National Intelligence Service matches my calculations... two days at most."
"..."
"We all know North Korea lacks the infrastructure to sustain 1.5 million troops. And with the U.S. Air Force pitching in, their logistics are even weaker."
"Those damn bastards. They call us allies when it suits them, but only secretly support the air force..."
America had downgraded our mutual defense treaty right on the brink of war, using the risk of nuclear escalation as an excuse while getting played by the mad strategies of China and North Korea.
It was predictable, really. Americans weren't crazy enough to risk their lives for a war across the ocean. Europe's uproar was just icing on the cake.
In the dead of night, the Chinese forces had crossed into their puppet state, North Korea, and entrenched themselves on the front lines against South Korea.
Left alone, Korea had to fight a lonely war...
But that's over now.
"It's actually good... This is our chance to annihilate the North Korean-Chinese coalition."
"...Is that possible?"
"Just hold out for two days... Two days."
I grinned leisurely.
In my mind, the situation map updated relentlessly, shifting dramatically.
Soon, blue zones would seize Pyongyang, splitting into flanks, isolating the red zones.
"Starting two days from now, I'll personally command every division on the Paju front. Prepare liaison lines and recon assets for the Paju sector."
"Understood."
"And dump all the ammo we've been holding back—move it to the front."
We can do this. We must.
For our country and its people.
"Short decisive battle. Once we execute, we'll end the war in a week."
Good. We've held a little back.
We can last another week.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It feels like yesterday.
The situation was just as hopeless then as it is now, but there's one difference.
I don't hold full authority.
My country, the German Empire...
"Cadet Rommel."
"Yes, Instructor."
Lost in old memories and staring blankly, the instructor approached me.
Elise had secured a nice house nearby and begun her life of leisure, while Manfred and I refocused on cadet life.
"Count von Schlieffen wishes to see you."
"...Isn't His Excellency bedridden?"
"Indeed. He's summoned you to his residence—head to the main gate at once."
Count von Schlieffen.
After watching the cadets' winter field training in his frail state, he'd caught a vicious cold.
I thought that meant we'd never see him again, confined to his home...
"Are you Erwin Rommel? This way, please."
Clunk. As I reached the main gate, a brand-new Cadillac and its driver awaited me.
I got in wordlessly, and soon the driver whisked me into central Berlin.
Riding in a car after so long... it was cramped, back-breaking, utterly uncomfortable. Who'd have thought I'd miss the Leto?
Enduring the discomfort, the car gradually slowed to a stop.
As I opened the door and stepped out, the driver hurriedly followed, looking flustered.
He must have planned to open my door first. Why was he so courteous to a commoner like me?
"This the place?"
"Yes. Please wait a moment."
While the driver rang the bell, I looked up at the house.
For the man once at the pinnacle of the army... it was surprisingly ordinary. Austere, perhaps.
It reminded me of 10 Downing Street. You couldn't help but think it from the resident's prestige and the building's facade.
"Come in."
At the driver's words, I set foot in Count von Schlieffen's residence.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"You're here."
"You look surprisingly well."
"Only on the outside. Cough. Sit."
Count von Schlieffen sat propped against pillows on a bed strewn with countless documents.
His posture was upright and dignified, showing no outward issues...
But the hand holding the operations map was skeletal, bones protruding sharply.
I pulled a suitable chair up to the bedside and sat. Even then, the count's eyes never left the map.
It was easy to see how he'd ruined his health.
In the silence, I spoke first.
"Must be something crucial if it's costing you your health, Excellency."
"Do you think otherwise?"
"How should I know? From my angle, I can't even see that operations map."
To the count's sharp question, I replied calmly.
Saying I didn't know was a lie. It had to be that damned Schlieffen Plan.
The count chewed his lip before handing me the operations map.
"Take it."
"..."
I hesitated, not wanting to, but had no choice.
Sure enough, it was the Schlieffen Plan overview. Not much different from the last time I'd seen it.
His question was obvious, and so was my answer.
"...What do you think? Is it feasible?"
"The theory is perfect."
I had to answer casually, without seeming perfunctory.
As I kept saying, the plan was 'theoretically' perfect.
Like how the geocentric model could be mathematically forced to fit, no matter how convoluted.
That didn't make it true, though. Same with this plan.
"Hah!" At my textbook response, the count exploded in anger.
"Be honest! Can this plan actually bring France to its knees?!"
"..."
The Schlieffen Plan's core was swiftly crushing France.
Yet the count wasn't asking how long it would take—he was questioning if crushing France was even possible at all.
Proof his doubts about the plan had peaked.
Painful for him, no doubt.
...But an opportunity for me.
"If."
I ventured.
"It's impossible... what then, Excellency?"
"..."
The count's lips trembled.
Struggling to recover from the shock, he stammered.
"Then... what the hell... what plan should we...?"
"There's no better operational plan."
"...What?"
Clutching his face in confusion, the count turned creakily toward me.
I calmly handed back the overview.
"I said theoretically it's perfect. No better plan exists."
We could refine this Schlieffen Plan, but devising an entirely new war plan was pointless.
In other words... if the Great War broke out, this was the German Empire's best bet. That vibe.
About 70% bluff.
Because.
'It might be better to make Russia surrender first instead of France.'
Napoleon and Hitler both got their noses bloodied by General Winter, boosting Russia's rep.
But we must remember the Schlieffen Plan failed, and in reality, Russia surrendered before France.
Russia's mobilization and combat prowess were notoriously poor—fact. Logically, a reverse Schlieffen hitting Russia first would have higher odds.
But there was a fatal flaw, so I backed the Schlieffen Plan.
'Don't rush. Play it safe.'
Higher odds didn't mean much if it was just a smidge higher. Too many variables in that scenario.
My strongest weapon was knowledge of original history.
Until now, I'd only tweaked history lightly, but reverse Schlieffen was a whole other level. Uncontrollable variables galore.
Even Russia's surrender was due to political factors—the Bolshevik Revolution. What if no revolution and they held out? Disaster.
Schlieffen variables were predictable, and I could create the ones I wanted.
"So what the hell are you saying we should do?"
Not guessing my thoughts, the count fell completely for it.
I carefully weighed elements on the scales, roughly outlining a strategy.
With my current caution, winning World War I would be tough.
However.
"Excellency."
We could serve as fertilizer for World War II.
"Have you heard of Total War (Totaler Krieg)?"