Playing Prophet (2)
To the world's militaries, still deeply steeped in the delusion of "romantic" warfare, a document published under the name of Archduke Otto instantly became the talk of the town.
"A Great War that will end everything is coming?"
"Shtal's future military theory is truly fascinating. To think an era is coming where offense can absolutely never breach defense. However..."
"Yes, there is one blind spot. For Shtal's prediction to become reality..."
How did the horrific reality of trench warfare come to pass in World War I? It was because World War I was, in essence, a "total war."
Naturally, advanced nations like Great Britain, France, and Germany expressed skepticism toward the document. Mobilizing millions, tens of millions of troops at a state level? For what possible reason?
"It's unrealistic."
"The economy of all Europe, not to mention the royal families, are tightly interconnected. A war of that scale is fundamentally impossible from the start."
Indeed. If a total war scenario were to occur, Shtal's document would be a highly rational prediction of the future. But to the ruling class of these advanced nations, "total war" itself sounded like an absurd concept straight out of a science fiction novel.
Consequently, the document was dismissed in Great Britain and France.
Of course, the military powerhouse of Germany was an exception.
"If the Orientals ever rise to become great powers capable of opposing Western nations, they will wager their national destiny on a war to utterly annihilate our Christian civilization. For that day, we must study this document."
It wasn't that they recognized its military value. Rather, it was entirely due to the paranoid, racist xenophobia of German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Surprisingly, this document spread like wildfire among second-rate nations where its military application was slightly ambiguous.
Most notably: Russia, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.
"It is clear that the Muslims will one day wage a war of annihilation against us Christians."
"If the Muslim forces grow strong again? They will march on Vienna once more."
"Do not forget the Crusades! They will march at any moment to tear down our Jihad!"
These three "sick men of Europe" were constantly under the threat of war. Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Islam. These three empires, differing fundamentally in religion, always kept a war of annihilation in mind—and secretly dreamed of one.
Furthermore, radical nationalist nations like Serbia were also prepared to wage total war.
"The Eastern European front is vast. How do we lock down this front?"
"It will be a war centered on fortresses, just as Shtal said in his interview."
"It sounds like the Middle Ages. But can't we just blow fortresses away with artillery?"
"No. What if they build multi-layered structures like the walls of Constantinople and place key facilities underground? How on earth do you breach that?"
"What if we fortify the entire city itself?"
Young, reform-minded officers of the military practically lived in Archduke Otto's staff office day in and day out.
‘The response is surprisingly good,’ Shtal thought.
Archduke Otto, on the other hand, was throwing a massive tantrum because the constant stream of guests left him with absolutely no time for his illicit affairs.
This alone made Shtal thoroughly satisfied!
The officers endlessly discussed with Shtal how to construct these fortresses and how to break through them. Of course, Shtal, who was utterly ignorant of actual military science, could only offer vague, general answers.
Yet, the young officers somehow managed to find their own solutions.
"You're saying bypassing them with mobility is also impossible with current technology?"
"...Then we need something that transcends mere mobility."
"Indeed. We would need something capable of shielding us from the machine-gun fire and artillery shelling pouring from the fortresses. Or perhaps we could fly through the sky and rain artillery down from above..."
"Yes, I've got it!"
The solution the young officers arrived at was...
Airships and hydrogen bombs!
‘How on earth did you arrive at that conclusion, you absolute lunatics?!’
To rain overwhelming artillery fire down on a fortress, they would need massive aerial battleships—airships. Furthermore, to breach fortress walls, they would need powerful bombs that far surpassed conventional artillery.
And a hydrogen explosion was the only answer!
‘Is this the right answer or the wrong one?’
It was a pure, unadulterated exhibition of scientific ignorance by military men. Sure, even in children's drawings of the future, flying cars and video calls eventually turned out to be correct. But at a time when Einstein hadn't even discovered the theory of special relativity...
"Rather than that, shouldn't we focus on logistics?" Shtal tried to suggest.
Or: "An airship's buoyancy relies on hydrogen. It is far too unstable."
He tried his best to shatter the young officers' fantasies, but...
"An airship filled with hydrogen? Then what if we crash that airship right into the middle of the fortress?"
"The fortress would be utterly devastated! Thank you for the idea, Major General Shtal!"
And so on. Since they only spouted crazy ideas, Shtal eventually gave up.
They had even invited Count Zeppelin, famous for his airships in Germany. If the airship culture flourished in Austria, it was only natural that the development of airplanes would be delayed.
‘To hell with it. I don't care anymore.’
Of course, the officers didn't strike out completely when applying this "military" Stahl-Ferdinand Model.
"Constructing fortresses is well and good. But... couldn't a city itself become a fortress?"
"For a massive city to hold out, it needs supply routes from the outside. It also needs to be self-sustaining."
"Then we have no choice but to dig tunnels underground. And..."
"The chaotic sprawl of buildings itself must become the fortress."
They began drawing up plans assuming large-scale urban warfare. What if machine-gun nests were placed between buildings? What if platoons were stationed in individual buildings to wage a war of attrition against an advancing army?
This was a butterfly effect Shtal had never anticipated.
‘Urban warfare is a living hell even in the twenty-first century. To think they came up with this. I guess they aren't complete idiots.’
Of course, it was highly unlikely that World War I would actually devolve into this kind of urban warfare.
Regardless, the military began pouring efforts into urban planning using the Stahl-Ferdinand Model. They improved water and sewage systems to prepare for sieges, and established countermeasures against fires.
The military flooded the various neighborhood committees with funding.
"Imagine a Russian army marching down this street. Where can our soldiers hide to stop them?"
"If we set up a machine gun here, it should be completely hidden."
"Use this money to organize a civilian fire brigade. And place a set amount of firefighting equipment at the points where they can respond the fastest."
Thus, the committees organized under the Stahl-Ferdinand Model rapidly evolved into paramilitary organizations.
‘...Is this really how things are turning out?’
The Russian Empire was no different. They actively adopted the Stahl-Ferdinand Model, focusing primarily on the military and the nobility, and began fortifying their cities.
In any case, the actual battles of World War I did not revolve around major cities like the Battle of Stalingrad or the capture of Paris in World War II. At most, maybe Belgium?
In other words, the military's current endeavors were a complete waste of time, entirely irrelevant to the Great War that lay ahead.
However, Shtal discovered another use for this military Stahl-Ferdinand Model.
‘...This is literally the Paris Commune.’
An autonomous, egalitarian military community composed of citizens, throwing up barricades on every street to repel the military assaults of the Ancien Régime.
That very scene was unfolding all across Vienna, Austria.
‘Wait, hold on...! This is a hundred percent going to end in a rebellion...!’
Shtal, who was about to stop the military's runaway train, suddenly shut his mouth.
Wait...
The military couldn't do everything themselves. Consequently, they entrusted a significant portion of the city's fortification to Shtal's followers, who practically worshipped the Stahl-Ferdinand Model.
These people—especially the residents of District 16 and his S.S. Guard—were fiercely loyal to Shtal.
Of course, it was highly unlikely to happen, but what if a rebellion actually broke out?
"Major General Shtal. Did you say something?"
"Ah, no. I also actively support the military's plan. With so many forward-thinking officers, the future of the Empire is bright indeed!"
"Hahaha, you flatter us. We never would have thought of this if not for the document you wrote, Master Shtal."
"Still, even though I am enjoying a comfortable position here, I am a member of the Imperial Army. Our research institute will be fortified immediately. Furthermore, should I go around giving supporting speeches?"
"That would be excellent! Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
From that day on, Shtal actively took to the streets, leading his followers and delivering speeches. Without even trying, his private army was multiplying!
Surprisingly, the impact of the Stahl-Ferdinand Model was colossal.
1904, the Russo-Japanese War.
"The Stahl-Ferdinand Model?"
"Our hypothetical enemy is China. No matter how weak China may be now, they are a nation that easily fielded millions of troops three hundred years ago."
First of all, the concept of total war predicted by Shtal was not uncommon in East Asia.
Back when Europe was bickering with armies of barely two thousand during ancient times, East Asia was a crazy region where nations wagered their very existence to field armies of three million for an all-out team fight for their very souls.
That was the nature of East Asian warfare. Even if the nation collapsed, they would drag you down with them! It was practically an East Asian tradition.
Therefore, to the Japanese military, the military Stahl-Ferdinand Model was not a prediction of the future, but a core doctrine.
Moreover, Japan was a newly modernized, rising power. No matter how elite individual Japanese soldiers were, the nation had no choice but to drown in debt to Great Britain just to stay afloat.
"We must find a cost-effective way to wipe out the rabble of the Ruskies and the Chinese!"
"Hunker down in trenches and spray them with machine guns?"
"This is it! Just sweep machine guns over the heads of their undisciplined hordes!"
The Imperial Japanese Army immediately dug trenches and began spraying the Maxim machine guns they had bought in bulk from Great Britain. The Japanese military was already highly proficient in using machine guns, thanks to the Donghak Peasant Revolution.
"What? We lost every single field battle? Why?!"
"The Japanese... they are slaughtering our forces with machine guns as if we were mere colonial subjects!"
"How dare those uncivilized savages...! Cover our lines with machine guns immediately!"
What awaited the Japanese army, which had won every single engagement in the field, was Port Arthur, occupied by Russia.
Even in the original history, a siege of over three months took place at Port Arthur, where fifty thousand troops were deployed and tens of thousands perished.
Under the influence of the Stahl-Ferdinand Model, this fortress of Port Arthur was fortified far more robustly than in the original history.
Naturally, trenches safe from artillery fire were dug extensively around the fortress, and underground tunnels were constructed beneath it to preserve troop strength.
"...How on earth are we supposed to breach that?"
"We must recapture Port Arthur at all costs. The command of the Yellow Sea depends entirely on the Imperial Army!"
Just like the Siege of Constantinople centuries ago, all manner of methods were employed to breach the fortress.
Piling up mountains of corpses to use as cover during charges, digging underground tunnels, and so on.
And here, a new weapon created by Shtal in 1903 was put to use.
"You are the warriors of the Empire. The Empire will remember you."
"...Tenno Heika Banzai!"
"Banzai!"
The Japanese military, obsessed with suicide attacks, devised a new form of suicide attack forty years earlier than in the original history.
And that was...
"S-Shoot me!"
"Shoot, you pale-skinned demons!"
"W-Wait, what are those guys?!"
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"
Japanese suicide bombers, carrying hydrogen cylinders on their backs, rushed forward like fiends, holding nothing but a single katana.
A mere single kilogram of hydrogen yielded the explosive power of thirty kilograms of TNT. The heavy cylinders, packed with hydrogen, exploded upon being struck by bullets, unleashing a deafening roar that utterly devastated the surrounding hundreds of meters.
"C-Charge!"
"Our comrades have cleared the path! Charge! Charge!"
In any case, the Russo-Japanese War progressed similarly to the original history. The Japanese would defeat the Russians and seize hegemony over East Asia. After all, the outcome of war, regardless of the era, was decided by logistics and mobilization.
However, the actual nature of the warfare differed drastically from the original history.
"Mobilize all the hunters! Shoot the ones carrying the hydrogen bombs first!"
Having breached the Port Arthur fortress through self-detonation, the Japanese forces, driven by the samurai spirit, carried out suicide attacks everywhere. Even when their own allies caught the splash damage, they charged forward regardless, carrying a single katana and a hydrogen cylinder.
Of course, it was an incredibly foolish tactic.
But in field battles, as the front lines grew wider and the defensive fire nets grew less dense, at least one or two suicide bombers always managed to succeed.
"Mobilize the Siberian fur hunters! Spread them across the entire front! Snipers, target the suicide bombers first, then the officers, then the medics."
"...Isn't that a bit ungentlemanly?"
"Then how else are we supposed to stop those psychopaths charging to blow themselves up? We will make them feel the same terror. The terror of not knowing where a bullet will fly from!"
While Japan was developing a doctrine of disregarding human life through the use of suicide bombers, Russia gave birth to the world's first specialized sniper units.