Three Napoleons (Part 1)
Although Stahl was ignorant of military tactics, he had a rough idea of the realities of the First World War. In fact, common sense alone was more than enough to dismantle their arguments.
"Your Majesty, the plan sounds plausible on paper. However, if even a single railway line experiences a delay, the entire operation will fall apart."
"...I have taken that into account. Drawing from your theories, we have organized highly mobile shock units to prepare for such contingencies."
"It is winter, Your Majesty. No matter how elite these shock units are, do you truly believe they can advance through mountain-high nests of machine guns in the dead of winter?"
"The combat tractors..."
"Our empire has also conducted extensive research on combat tractors. I can assure you that in winter, not only do their engines freeze up, but long-distance maneuvers also become entirely impossible."
As Stahl systematically dismantled Wilhelm II's points, Helmuth von Moltke the Younger grew pale and frantically interjected.
"Your Majesty, if one looks for flaws, there is no end to what one can find!"
"The issue is that these 'flaws' are endless. When even a foreigner can see the glaring defects at a glance, how can you call this a sound plan?"
"That is not true, Your Majesty! Even if there are minor issues, this is the only way we can defeat France!"
"Is that truly so? Let us assume you overcome every obstacle and capture Paris. Will the war truly end there? Will Germany genuinely be able to commit all its forces to the Eastern Front?"
Left with no logical rebuttal, Moltke resorted to a desperate emotional appeal.
"Your Majesty! My family has pledged its loyalty to you and the imperial house for generations! I beg of you, please reconsider!"
"Even if everything goes perfectly and the German Empire becomes the hegemon of the continent, you will still face the problem of antagonizing Great Britain. Remember Napoleon. Once the seas are blockaded, you cannot hold out for long."
"It is for this very reason that His Majesty has spent years building up our navy!"
"Do not forget the United States across the Atlantic."
As the debate dragged on fruitlessly, the Kaiser silenced us with a sharp shout and fell into deep thought.
His hesitation did not last long. A plan that collapses entirely the moment a single cog slips is a failed plan from the very beginning.
Seventy percent of battle is dictated by chance. With even a shred of common sense, one would realize that such a rigid schedule should never be initiated. I wondered if, in my original history, there had been absolutely no one around Wilhelm II who possessed even a modicum of common sense.
"...We shall abandon the Schlieffen Plan."
"Y-Your Majesty! You cannot!"
"No, Vice Chairman Stahl makes a valid point. We shall focus on defense on the French front. Our expansion will be directed toward the East."
"Y-Your Majesty... for the sake of my late uncle's memory, I beg you..."
Moltke the Younger was, by nature, an emotionally unstable man. Though Europe was crawling with lunatics, Moltke could easily claim a proud spot on the continent's ranking of the mentally unhinged.
If Kaiser Franz Joseph was an obsessive-compulsive, Fuhrer Apis a delusional paranoid, Stalin a psychopath, and Ungern-Sternberg a schizophrenic, then Moltke the Younger could safely be classified as a severe panic disorder patient plagued by anticipatory anxiety.
Even though it was merely a paper plan being scrapped, Moltke's mind was already projecting a vivid sequence of him losing the Kaiser's favor and being dragged before a firing squad.
"Moltke, do not be anxious. I trust you just as I trusted your uncle."
"I—that is, n-no, it is not..."
"I said it is fine! Stand tall with dignity. Stop trembling."
"Y-Your Ma... *gurgle!*"
Moltke collapsed to the floor, foaming at the mouth.
What on earth is wrong with him?! Naturally, everyone in the room recoiled in horror.
"A-A doctor! Fetch a doctor! Vice Chairman Stahl! Are you not a doctor as well?"
"I... I am merely a chemist..."
While everyone scrambled in a panic, Moltke's eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Chief of Staff! Are you alright?"
"Your Majesty! I have committed a sin worthy of death!" The moment Moltke regained consciousness, he threw himself onto the floor and began to wail.
"W-What on earth do you mean, a sin worthy of death?" Despite Wilhelm II's urgent prodding, Moltke hesitated, stammering, before finally squeezing out the words.
"T-The Schlieffen Plan has already begun."
"...What?"
"The troops have already been mobilized, and they are currently moving toward Belgium in accordance with the railway schedules."
Let me correct myself. Moltke the Younger did not have panic disorder triggered by anticipatory anxiety. In a situation like this, it would be abnormal for any sane person not to panic.
Instantly, the court of Berlin froze. Wilhelm II suppressed his rising fury and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Stop it. Stop the plan immediately."
"Y-Your Majesty... it cannot be stopped now. All forces are moving in perfect order according to the established mobilization plan and railway timetables. If we halt them even slightly... utter chaos will erupt."
"I command you in the name of the Kaiser! Stop them this instant!"
"W-We can stop them. However, it will trigger absolute chaos for at least a month. And during that month, the Western Front will..."
"You worthless piece of trash, Moltke! A tiger has sired a mere dog!"
As Wilhelm II's vitriol rained down on him, Moltke, seemingly resigned to his fate, began to talk back to the Kaiser.
"Your Majesty! I am your loyal servant! On the day France declared war, you explicitly told me to crush them by any means necessary! I merely executed the plan in accordance with Your Majesty's command!"
"...Ah."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! *gurgle...*"
Indeed. The mercurial whims of a superior, combined with a subordinate's overinterpretation of those whims, had culminated in this disaster. It was a masterclass in military incompetence, reminiscent of the Imperial Japanese Army. With those final words, Moltke passed out once more.
This time, there was no frantic scramble to call a doctor. Everyone was too busy watching Wilhelm II, who was on the verge of tears.
"H-How... how could this happen..."
He had not yet recovered from the shock of realizing that the military was completely out of his control. Like a patient struck mute, the Kaiser could only stammer, "How... how..." over and over.
Of course, Stahl's mental state was equally shattered.
What an absolute... shitshow...
Stahl instantly upgraded his assessment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and downgraded his opinion of the German Empire. In his mind, Germany's ranking among the global powers plummeted to the very bottom, sinking even below Emperor Gojong's Korean Empire.
If he had to make a comparison, they were on par with Empress Dowager Cixi's Qing Dynasty or Yuan Shikai's Chinese Empire.
At the very least, the Kaiser of Austria-Hungary held absolute authority over his military. How on earth does a country function like this? Argh!
For years, I had diligently shared my future knowledge of total war. Its validity had already been proven through the Russo-Japanese War and the Balkan War between Serbia and Greece.
If they had any brains—especially in a country like Germany, which was essentially a giant military barracks—they should have conducted extensive research into the changing nature of modern warfare.
Dispersed formations to avoid machine guns and artillery. Rapid mobility using armored cars and cavalry, combined with close-quarters firepower like shotguns and submachine guns to force chaotic skirmishes. Aerial reconnaissance to secure artillery superiority. Utilizing combat tractors alongside chemical attacks to hold and break frontlines. They had even developed concepts for guerrilla and urban warfare.
Germany had advanced every tactic possible with 1913 technology. (Excluding logistics, of course.)
Although they still had not overcome the overwhelming advantage of defensive warfare, their army was undoubtedly the most elite in the world.
It was impressive enough to make me seriously wonder if the sheer individual prowess of the German soldiers might actually pull off the Schlieffen Plan.
And now, this meticulously trained army had to sit idle for at least a month.
"Your Majesty! Even if we cancel the Schlieffen Plan now, our forces will still be tied down on the Western Front for forty days!"
"Canceling the Schlieffen Plan now does not mean we can immediately redeploy the mobilized troops elsewhere. It will only create massive complications for the defense of the Western Front!"
"Please, do not listen to the insidious words of this man, Stahl!"
I had barely managed to soothe the weeping Wilhelm II. Honestly, was this a palace or a psychiatric ward? Yet, these warmongers kept badgering the Kaiser, tearing his fragile mental state to shreds.
I spoke up on behalf of Wilhelm, who was trembling with rage and unable to find his words.
"Do you generals not know Clausewitz's maxim that 'war is the continuation of politics by other means'? Even if you capture Paris, you will still lose the war."
"Vice Chairman Stahl! This is not a matter for a foreigner to meddle in."
"Are you implying that the Schlieffen Plan does not require the cooperation of our empire?"
"In any case, Russia cannot move properly due to their civil war!"
"According to our intelligence, the Russian Black Army has abandoned even St. Petersburg and is racing toward Warsaw. After Warsaw, East Prussia will be next."
"..."
Were these people truly sane? The Franco-Prussian War, the Austro-Prussian War... these were all instances where they overcame geopolitical disadvantages through overwhelming military force, winning big in short, decisive campaigns.
They were just like the Imperial Japanese Army marching into Manchuria, completely ignoring orders from above. The entire country was filled with gamblers who believed that as long as they won the battle, any structural flaws in the process would be forgiven.
Finally, unable to contain himself, Wilhelm II roared.
"Silence! To whom does the army of this nation answer? To me, the Kaiser, or to the General Staff?"
"..."
Unable to glare at the Kaiser, the generals of the German Imperial Army directed their glares at me, treating me like some treacherous courtier. I could even feel their silent sneers: A mere commoner,a mere Jew.
Good grief. I thought rising to the top would spare me from this nonsense. It had been a while, so the feeling was almost nostalgic. Should I just have them all slaughtered?
"Then, Vice Chairman Stahl, why don't you tell us how we can overcome our disadvantage on the Western Front?"
"The Schlieffen Plan can still be executed. If Vice Chairman Stahl cannot devise an adequate defensive strategy, then Your Majesty must consider proceeding with the plan."
Look at these shameless bastards, causing a mess and demanding that I clean it up. Austria-Hungary needed to march into Serbia immediately, but these fools were about to tie our hands.
"...I am merely the representative of a company. Is that not a problem for you, the most elite generals, to solve?"
"And that is why we made the decision to execute the Schlieffen Plan, did we not?"
True. What a mess. But right then, a brilliant idea struck me.
It was not as if Germany had only trained elite shocktroopers under the guise of Stahlism. Not just the military, but the German civilian population was also mad for war.
While the German military was busy raising an over-engineered elite force, had the German civilians not realized that 'socialism is the most suitable system for running a war economy' and transformed Germany into a total war state?
Rapid transition to wartime production through state ownership of the means of production. Self-governing workers' militias and urban fortification. A massive irregular force mobilized by politics and ideology, alongside an unprecedentedly large reserve force.
Though they might lack the quality of the elite forces, if they defended the cities, they could easily hold out long enough for the regular army to reorganize.
I quickly turned to the Kaiser.
"Your Majesty, I need your decision."
"Hmm?"
"There may be some damage. However, please remember that if the Schlieffen Plan is executed, the empire itself could face total ruin. The ultimate responsibility for the military lies solely with you, Your Majesty."
Having laid the groundwork, I proceeded to explain my plan to utilize the reserve organizations.
The Kaiser was currently furious at his insubordinate military. Moreover, he had just advertised to the plenipotentiary of his ally that he had absolutely no control over his own army. Naturally, he agreed to my proposal.
"Prepare the defense against France in accordance with Vice Chairman Stahl's proposal. As for the regular army, whose mobilization has been paralyzed, they are to secure the Western Front and prepare for an advance into Poland."
The Kaiser's approval was granted. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. But if there was a catch... would those Junker bastards actually cooperate with my plan? No, even if they wanted to, those reserves were controlled by political parties and factories. The military had no authority over them.
Which means the only person I can rely on is Eduard Bernstein...
The problem was that while Eduard Bernstein was talented at building up an army, his actual tactical acumen was completely unproven. What was I to do?
With no other choice, I headed straight to the headquarters of the German Social Democratic Party. Having caught wind of my plan beforehand, the SPD had already prepared a meeting. But... why on earth was this man sitting here?
"I am Erich Ludendorff, Chief of Staff of the German Armed Cooperative."