Chapter 157: The Ghost on the Baltic Sea

"Excellent! This is magnificent! To think our Railway Gun units and airship fleets performed this splendidly! Five enemy battleships sunk, along with more than ten cruisers!"

"Wilhelm Keitel, Leeb, and Kesselring—rising stars all, and worthy of Lelouch's recommendation. They helped the Osmans hold the line against the full weight of the Britannia offensive!"

On the very night the Britannia Mediterranean Fleet took crippling losses and the five-nation Allied Forces' joint thrust shattered against the Osman defense line on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the dispatches reached Odessa. Placed upon the desk of Duke Rupprecht, commander of the German 6th Army, the news brought the man leaping to his feet with an emphatic slap against the hardwood, shouting his approval.

As the victor, the Duke casually swept every sunken hull into the grand categories of "battleships" and "cruisers." He had no patience for the tedious footnotes of naval registrars—whether a wreck was a pre-dreadnought or some decrepit protected cruiser from the 1880s mattered little to him.

He rose and paced the length of his headquarters, his boots clicking in a rapid, energetic rhythm. Pausing by a staff officer, he gave his orders:

"The timing is perfect. Our preparations for the next operational phase across the Great Plain of Kievan Rus are nearly complete. It is time to recall the artillery and fighter squadrons we loaned to the Osmans and redeploy them around Odessa and Kherson.

"We can leave them the Railway Guns and the airship flotillas. The Lusha rail gauge doesn't match ours anyway, so those weapons couldn't be deployed to our front in time regardless. We will also let some naval detachments linger in their waters to maintain pressure and harass the Britannia Mediterranean Fleet.

"As for Wilhelm Keitel, Leeb, and Kesselring, issue their recall orders immediately. I want these commended officers back for the push into the Great Plain of Kievan Rus. Furthermore, before the offensive breaks, I am putting their names forward for medals and promotions! Tell them to return at once!"

The staff officer noted the Marshal's commands and hurried to send the telegraph.

Fortunately, over the past three weeks of joint operations, they had imparted as much of their practical field experience and tactical craft to the Osmans as possible.

Even with Keitel departing, the Osman gunners understood how to extract the maximum fire-support value from those heavy Railway Guns.

And even with Kesselring gone, enough crews had mastered the art of aerial mine-dropping from airships to ensure the covert technique did not suddenly vanish with his exit.

When the hour of departure arrived, General von Sanders and Brigadier General Kemal saw them off with genuine reluctance, hosting a lavish farewell banquet in their honor.

Kemal repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Keitel and Kesselring over the course of the evening. He spoke of how much he had learned from them, adding that he hoped for the chance to meet Director Lelouch one day to study under him directly.

During their private communications over this period, Kemal had learned that many of the most brilliant tactical strokes executed by these Demania advisors—from concealing Railway Guns inside tunnels to dropping sea mines from low-flying, low-speed airships under the cover of darkness—had originally sprung from Director Lelouch's inspiration.

Hearing this compliment, Kesselring strictly corrected him: "Ah, Brigadier General Kemal, you shouldn't call Director Lelouch 'Director' anymore. You are now a Brigadier General in the Osman Army, whereas Director Lelouch remains a colonel."

Kemal fell silent for a moment before curiously asking, "But aren't you a colonel as well, holding the same rank as Director Lelouch? Yet to this day, you still call him Director. And I've heard Brigadier General Keitel address him by that exact title in private."

Kesselring offered a faint smile. "That is different. We are his protégés. Had the Director not recognized our potential and placed us in positions where our talents could truly shine, we would likely still be slowly grinding out our seniority. To us, he will always be the Director."

Hearing this, Kemal's fascination only deepened. A mastermind strategist who operated with such unseen brilliance was exactly the sort of person one would yearn to meet.

Although he had never set eyes upon him, legends of the man had already saturated the fronts, circulating through the ranks of both friend and foe alike.

From the shattered ANZAC prisoners driven out of their minds to the terrifying memories circulating within the British Expeditionary Force, everything pointed to the extraordinary nature of that mysterious presence.

Once the farewell banquet concluded, the advisory staff boarded the train alongside the heavy artillery personnel, rolling north from Gallipoli through Bucharest toward Odessa. The train covered the eight-hundred-kilometer journey, depositing them at their destination the following afternoon.

Stepping off the train, the advisors reported straight to Duke Rupprecht at army headquarters.

The Duke received them in high spirits, confirming that he had already wired the capital to secure their medals. The administrative processing for their formal promotions, however, would require a little more wait.

"Colonel Albert Kesselring! During the Gallipoli fjord engagement, your low-altitude night mining operations via airships birthed a new minefield out of thin air, at the exact time and place the Britannia forces least expected.

"You lured the Brit Nation's Mediterranean Fleet into a slaughterhouse, sending five battleships and a swarm of auxiliary vessels to the bottom. That is a tactical masterpiece rarely seen in recent years. Emperor Wilhelm has already approved awarding you the Blue Max Medal, and I have every confidence your promotion to Brigadier General will follow shortly!"

Among these officers, only Wilhelm Keitel was already a Brigadier General. He had earned his rank through the tangible merits of the Calais artillery duel, where he sank two dreadnoughts and two pre-dreadnoughts of the Brit Nation's Channel Fleet. Ultimately, naval kills remained the most transparent and easily quantifiable metric, making it the perfect justification to help a colonel break through to the next rank.

Kesselring's contributions this time were equally solid.

Yet Kesselring politely declined: "You honor me too much. The medal is an affirmation of my honor, but a promotion... at this moment, I cannot accept it with a clear conscience. Everything I executed came from casual conversations I had with Director Lelouch before he traveled north to the Baltic Sea—discussions on how to counter enemy fleets around the Dardanelles.

"He outlined several unconventional stratagems and novel tactical applications to me then. I was simply fortunate enough to execute one of those concepts faithfully, earning a trivial amount of credit. Since Director Lelouch remains a colonel, how could I presume to accept a promotion? I beg you, Commander, to petition the General Staff on his behalf so that Director Lelouch's contributions are not buried."

Duke Rupprecht thought it over; there was indeed no immediate rush for the promotion.

The rising star standing before him was still quite young. Born in 1885, Kesselring was just thirty years old, so elevating him to Brigadier General right now would inevitably face some age-related resistance. It would be better to promote him alongside Lelouch when the time came.

This situation differed from the other commanders the Duke had recently promoted.

Wilhelm Leeb, at thirty-nine, was still a colonel; raising him to general rank would face zero age-related resistance once he amassed enough merit.

Rundstedt had just turned forty. When he first transferred to the Eastern Front, he had only been a lieutenant colonel; after fighting for half a year, he was only now stepping up to colonel, putting his career progression slightly behind.

Fedor von Bock and Wilhelm Keitel were both thirty-five. Keitel had already secured his Brigadier General rank through the Calais campaign.

Bock had arrived on the Eastern Front as a colonel, subsequently earning distinction by spearheading the breakthrough of the Lusha lines at Gorlice and outflanking Tarnow. Most recently, during the pursuit along the Romanian border, his mechanized forces—utilizing several hundred Half-track Vehicles for rapid thrusts—had helped the main army bag 110,000 Lusha prisoners. Even so, the tactical plan had been drafted by Lelouch; Bock was merely the executor.

Between those two massive victories and the distinct advantage of having the Chief of the General Staff as his biological uncle, Bock's promotion to Brigadier General was already moving through official channels. Barring any surprises, it would be formally approved by the fourth quarter.

Keitel's earlier promotion to Brigadier General had carried no obvious link to Lelouch on paper. But these latest triumphs from Kesselring and von Bock bore Lelouch's tactical fingerprints in their planning. Stacked together, this accumulated merit would easily be enough to push Lelouch—who was officially listed as just twenty-five years of age—another half-step up the ladder.

If Lelouch's own recent performance in the field matched that standard, crossing that threshold would be a certainty.

"I wonder how Lelouch is managing up in the Baltic Sea," Duke Rupprecht muttered, his anticipation growing. "He took a half-month leave for this operation, and strict secrecy keeps us from contacting the departed fleet until they return..."

...

Meanwhile, the timeline shifts back half a month to the end of August, setting the scene at the Konigsberg port on the Baltic Sea.

Lelouch arrived by train on August 28, dust-worn from the journey. Waiting on the platform to receive him, as always, was his old associate, Vice Admiral Hipper.

They exchanged a firm, knowing handshake, dispensing with elaborate formalities.

Vice Admiral Hipper immediately relayed a piece of good news: "I heard from Gallipoli. The Osmans just scored a massive victory under our advisors' guidance. The ANZAC forces staked everything on a desperate assault against the Kilitbahir Heights, only to be butchered—their corpses cover the field. The Osmans were armed with submachine guns. You suggested Duke Rupprecht supply them with those, didn't you?"

Hipper's information evidently had not come from the newspapers; it could only have traveled through internal military telegraph lines, which transmitted news much faster.

The moment the victory broke on the Osman front, high command knew. Recognizing how deeply Lelouch cared about the outcome, Hipper shared the intelligence with him immediately.

Traveling by rail had left Lelouch's news sources cut off; he had effectively been operating in the dark for the past few days.

"You have sharp eyes to spot my influence behind that," Lelouch replied with a laugh.

That Hipper could deduce Lelouch's handiwork behind an internal message stating "the Osmans achieved a major victory under the 6th Army advisors' guidance" showed just how well he understood him.

Hipper candidly replied, "Naturally. If you can reach across the Western Front to Calais and up north to my Baltic Sea command, extending your hand to the Osmans is hardly a leap. Besides, Gallipoli is a lot closer to Odessa than Konigsberg is."

"Let's skip the pleasantries and get to business," Lelouch said. "I came here inspired by our successful experience in the Black Sea. Once we breach the enemy's minefields with the new minesweeping equipment, we can launch a counter-intelligence campaign—planting suspicion within their ranks so they believe a traitor sold out their minefield charts.

"This is just mowing grass and hitting rabbits—it forces the enemy into greater internal conflict and paranoia. However, my purview is limited to planting rumors and executing counter-intelligence; the actual naval operations still depend on you. As a layman, I won't interfere."

Lelouch had kept his precise operational objectives out of his messages prior to his arrival to maximize secrecy and preserve tactical surprise.

Thus, even Vice Admiral Hipper was learning the plan's exact details for the very first time here.

Hearing this, Hipper drew in a sharp breath.

This young man was downright ruthless...

"...So all those rumors about high-ranking traitors inside the Lusha Black Sea Fleet command... those were entirely fabricated? I should have guessed. With that new Minesweeping Chain, you could efficiently clear the moored mines without needing a turncoat inside their ranks."

Hipper had originally assumed everything was a coincidence or an opportune bonus. Only now did he realize there was no bonus—only his young colleague's calculated framing.

As they spoke, they exited the station terminal and entered a waiting fleet car, heading straight for a joint command center at the Konigsberg military port.

Along the way, Lelouch pivoted the conversation to the immediate preparations: "Tell me about your situation. How is the pre-battle minesweeping progressing? How many warships will the navy deploy to the Baltic Sea? Will they all be under your command? Have you coordinated with the army regarding the follow-up landing operations?"

Hipper used the drive to briefly summarize the situation: "Secret minesweeping operations have been underway for nearly a week. To preserve surprise, we deploy older cruisers towing the Minesweeping Chains during the night, then pull them back before dawn.

"During daylight hours, we only dispatch small minesweepers and torpedo boats to detonate the floating mines with small-caliber rapid-fire guns. To carry more small-caliber shells, the torpedo boats don't even load their torpedoes for these missions."

Lelouch asked, "Didn't you use airships to spot and strafe the floating mines from above? The Black Sea Fleet did that early on."

Hipper nodded. "We tried it, but the northern weather is worse than the south's. High winds kept the airships grounded on several days, so we only managed two or three days of aerial operations. We kept the flights completely hidden, evading enemy reconnaissance aircraft and patrol ships.

"After a week of sweeping, the results are good. We have covertly swept a safe channel right through the Irbe Strait and into the depths of the Gulf of Riga! The lane is quite wide—ensuring a safe corridor roughly ten kilometers across right down the center of the strait! Every moored mine in that sector has been entirely swept.

"Within the Gulf of Riga itself, our sweepers confirmed no water mines. Lusha's own short-haul transport ships must navigate those waters, so sealing the gulf's entrances was enough; they didn't bother mining the interior.

"Furthermore, we know the narrow strait running between Hiiumaa Island and the Estonian mainland to the north of the Gulf of Riga remains navigable for small ships, and the Lusha navy hasn't mined it either. Both spies and aerial reconnaissance confirmed they use Bayan-class armored cruisers and other shallow-draft vessels to freely traverse that passage.

"Instead, they deployed coastal artillery facing the strait on both Hiiumaa Island and the Estonian mainland, so they believe mining that section is unnecessary. Any small ship attempting the passage couldn't even withstand 203mm shells, while ships capable of withstanding 203mm guns draw too much water to pass through."

Hipper laid out the fleet's covert minesweeping achievements, causing Lelouch to nod repeatedly:

"That isn't bad. The minesweeping is proceeding quickly and covertly. It is time to execute our next step. By the way, you haven't mentioned the participating fleet's deployment. How many warships is the High Seas Fleet concentrating to deal with the Lusha forces? Will you command them all?"

At that question, Hipper's expression slightly dimmed, but he quickly returned to normal. "In terms of the fleet, I can currently utilize our two newest battlecruisers, the Derfflinger and the Lützow. The Seydlitz should also complete her repairs shortly.

"However, considering the Lusha Baltic Fleet fields four Gangut-class battleships alongside several pre-dreadnoughts, I definitely can't defeat them alone. We need the High Seas Fleet's main battleships to participate. I followed official procedures to request this from the Admiralty, without mentioning the new minesweeping equipment in any telegraphs.

"I simply stated that 'our forces intend to sweep the mines and enter the Gulf of Riga, threatening the enemy's rear and forcing their fleet into an engagement.' Ultimately, Admiral Hugo von Pohl, Commander-in-Chief of the High Seas Fleet, decided to have Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer of the battleship squadron cooperate with me.

"He will lead the First Battle Squadron's four Nassau-class and four Helgoland-class battleships to handle a potential frontal assault, while my two to three battlecruisers handle flanking maneuvers and pursuit. This ensures we can completely overwhelm all the enemy battleships.

"Additionally, Commander-in-Chief von Pohl is considering deploying the Friedrich III-class pre-dreadnoughts for close-range shore bombardment and firepower support—if we truly transition into supporting General Mackensen's 11th Army with amphibious landings near Riga."

Hearing this, Lelouch's brows slightly furrowed.

Just as he had feared, Vice Admiral Hipper's accumulated service record wasn't yet heavy enough, and his current rank and position were still insufficient. The Admiralty and the Commander-in-Chief of the High Seas Fleet still only trusted him to command the battlecruiser division.

Ultimately, they had to bring in Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer as a competitor to cooperate with him.

Of course, Reinhard Scheer's seniority was far deeper than Hipper's. He had been promoted to Vice Admiral as early as 1913, before the outbreak of the war. He also maintained close ties with Admiral Tirpitz, the Minister of the Navy, belonging to his inner circle and having previously served as Director of the General Navy Department.

Hipper, by contrast, had entered the war as a mere Rear Admiral. Had Lelouch not helped him secure two massive operational triumphs, his rise wouldn't have been nearly as rapid.

Lelouch's intervention at Ostend had helped Hipper smoothly advance to Vice Admiral ahead of schedule.

Later, the Dunkirk campaign piled another mountain of merit onto his record. While it hadn't elevated him to Admiral, it had thoroughly solidified his Vice Admiral status, transitioning him from a "newly minted Vice Admiral" into a "Vice-Admiral Great Perfection."

It seemed Lelouch needed to engineer a scenario where Hipper's battlefield performance decisively overshadowed his peers, pushing his closest naval ally into the highest echelons of the navy to pave the way for grander strategic deceptions down the line.

In Lelouch's estimation, as long as he could successfully manipulate the promotion queue here to slide Hipper ahead of Scheer, his odds of capturing command of the High Seas Fleet by the following year would leap dramatically.

The current Commander-in-Chief of the High Seas Fleet, Hugo von Pohl, was a deeply conservative mediocrity whose sole operational doctrine was extreme caution to preserve the warships. Unless he was guaranteed to be facing an absolute mismatch, he systematically refused to engage, keeping the entire fleet confined to port.

When the war first erupted, the first Commander-in-Chief of the High Seas Fleet was Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl. Because of early misjudgments and his ignorance of their compromised radio communications, the Ingenohl of original Earth history had been dismissed following the defeat at Dogger Bank.

In this timeline, Admiral Ingenohl was dismissed by Emperor Wilhelm following the Ostend and Dunkirk campaigns, replaced by Hugo von Pohl. The Emperor's reasoning for dismissing him carried a strong sense of historical destiny:

"Many of the operational directives issued by Ingenohl were disobeyed by Hipper, who acted independently. Ultimately, Hipper's insubordination was proven correct; had he executed Ingenohl's orders, the Empire's battlecruiser fleet would likely have fallen into a Britannia ambush and been annihilated."

In other words, in original history, Hipper followed Ingenohl's orders, and due to leaked intelligence, he lost the battle, leading to Ingenohl's dismissal.

In this life, prompted by Lelouch's warnings, Hipper defied the orders. Ingenohl's intelligence was indeed leaked, and the Britannia forces, deploying according to the defied false intelligence, fell into the trap, allowing Hipper to win. However, post-battle reviews confirmed Ingenohl's command was indeed a catastrophic blunder, so he was dismissed anyway.

This dismissal was simply delayed by a few months to half a year, and disguised under a different pretext to preserve the dignity of the Admiralty and the High Seas Fleet.

This leadership shakeup, however, also created a problem: some individuals within the navy remained resentful and sought to quietly undermine Hipper. They felt that Hipper's insubordinate independence harmed his superior, setting a dangerous precedent that should not be encouraged.

The new Commander-in-Chief, Hugo von Pohl, who took over Ingenohl's position, naturally developed some friction with Hipper. Assigning Scheer to check Hipper was a deliberate division of command.

Furthermore, Ingenohl's dismissal reinforced von Pohl's innate caution, making his command style even more rigid. Unless he was bullying a weak enemy, he simply refused to fight, keeping the fleet gathering dust in port.

However, as a transmigrator, Lelouch knew Hugo von Pohl wouldn't live much longer. If historical inertia held, the man would succumb to illness early the following year.

Already, whispers circulated regarding the Commander-in-Chief's failing health, as von Pohl was frequently hospitalized.

Knowing this, Lelouch couldn't be bothered to scheme against a stubborn old man like von Pohl. He only focused on how to push Hipper ahead of Scheer in seniority and merit before von Pohl succumbed to old age and illness.

Once von Pohl passed away, if Hipper could overtake the competition and succeed him, great things could be achieved.

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