Chapter 183: Wrapping the Dumplings Took Five Days; Eating Them Took Over Ten

By the evening of September 28, Lelouch's "Greater Demania" armored training division arrived at the city of Zaporozhye.

The encirclement of the main force of the enemy's 6th Army had, in fact, formed.

That very night, capitalizing on the enhanced nighttime ionospheric reflection, Lelouch relayed the latest developments on the battlefield back to the rear through a radio relay chain.

Overjoyed upon receiving the telegram, Duke Rupprecht immediately pressed the frontline units to intensify their pressure and accelerate their advance. As usual, he unleashed every available propaganda tool to shatter the enemy's morale.

This time, however, the propaganda yielded lackluster results. The main reason was the sheer size of the encirclement—most of the Lusha officers and men had no immediate physical sense that they were trapped.

If the enemy closed a pocket fifty kilometers behind their lines, the frontline troops would realize it quickly. But when the trap snapped shut 150 kilometers away, or further, the officers and men on the line felt no immediate impact.

A large wrapper and a small filling—the dumpling had been wrapped so loosely that the troops inside didn't even realize they were caught.

Under these conditions, all they could do was wait a few days. Once the surrounded troops noticed their supplies gradually dwindling and saw that no more ammunition trains were arriving from the rear, panic would finally set in.

Without a breakthrough on his frontal assault for the moment, Rupprecht had no choice but to grind out a low-intensity war of attrition for a few more days, focusing primarily on draining the surrounded enemy's supplies.

Upon receiving the directive, Lelouch accepted it while telegraphing his concerns back: "The Lusha garrison inside Zaporozhye may prove difficult to trap, and we might end up encircling nothing but an empty city. Our forces at the very front are too thin to prevent a breakout once the enemy realizes they are about to be surrounded."

The Duke telegraphed his understanding at once: "There is no need to guarantee the encirclement of the Zaporozhye garrison. If they want to pull out, let them. My first priority is simply securing the city. For now, wiping out the enemy forces already inside the main pocket remains our primary objective. There is no need to bite off more than we can chew all at once."

Thus, Lelouch carried out the order. On the 27th, his division bypassed the city, closing in on Zaporozhye from the south, east, and north. Only the western flank remained unsealed—because the western side of Zaporozhye sat right along the Dnieper River. Having made a long overland drive to reach this point, Lelouch had no boats at his disposal.

Yet the garrison inside Zaporozhye showed no signs of breaking out or withdrawing despite being wedged in from the south, east, and north. After observing the situation, Lelouch wired the Duke once more:

"Despite completely severing their land retreat routes, the enemy shows no signs of a breakout or retreat. It appears the garrison has an ample supply of ferries and may attempt to cross the Dnieper to the west at the last moment to escape.

"Our only recourse is to urge our forces advancing along the northern bank of the Dnieper to accelerate their march. If they can push to the opposite bank of Zaporozhye, the enemy will inevitably collapse. Furthermore, we should leverage our naval superiority by concentrating all small vessels capable of entering the Dnieper River.

"The stretch of the Dnieper downstream from Zaporozhye has a gentle drop and excellent navigation conditions, allowing for coordinated amphibious operations where appropriate."

After reading the reply, Duke Rupprecht pondered for a long time, finally realizing that the other "iron pincer" across the Dnieper River—Fedor von Bock—had not yet maneuvered into position.

He immediately summoned his staff officers and cipher clerks: "Have Fedor von Bock report his latest progress! Where is his 'Empire' Armored Division? Are the follow-up infantry divisions filling the line sufficient?"

The cipher and communications officers bustled about, returning over an hour later with a telegram: "Report, Commander! Since reaching Kryvyi Rih yesterday morning, the 'Empire' Armored Division has engaged in multiple fierce battles with the enemy.

"It was only at noon today, aided by our naval flotilla operating deep within the Dnieper River, that they broke through the confluence of the Inhulets and Saksahan rivers. They are currently pressing east at full speed, covering another thirty kilometers since this afternoon. They are currently eighty kilometers from Zaporozhye.

"Division Commander Bock reports that with no major river networks remaining to the east, he will accelerate his pace. The previous delays were caused by the numerous tributaries along the northern bank of the Dnieper, where the enemy mounted layered defenses exploiting the favorable terrain."

The problems von Bock cited were indeed factual. The army advancing along the northern bank of the Dnieper relied not only on captured enemy rail lines but also on water transport along the Dnieper itself.

More importantly, they depended heavily on the large number of light auxiliary craft from the Demanian Navy entering the Dnieper estuary from Nikolaev and Kherson.

Only with these boats hauling ammunition, interdicting enemy water transport, and diverting into the northern tributaries to ferry von Bock across river after river could he achieve his current gains.

However, this wide-ranging, deep-penetration amphibious operation was a first for the Demanian army. Lacking experience, friction and mishaps inevitably arose during joint maneuvers.

Often, von Bock would find himself blocked by yet another river, only for the supporting flotilla to be delayed while taking a detour. Or perhaps the crossing point von Bock hastily selected was too far upstream on a tributary, forcing the naval vessels to take longer detours winding in and out of those branches.

None of this would have mattered on its own—war is fraught with unexpected delays, and making steady progress was commendable in itself.

Unfortunately, with Lelouch acting as the benchmark on the other pincer, von Bock looked underprepared and flustered by comparison.

Accustomed to military geniuses, Duke Rupprecht viewed ordinary talent as mediocre at best.

He gave his orders with clear impatience: "Wire Bock again! Tell him he must reach Tomakivka on the opposite bank from Zaporozhye within two and a half days—by the morning of October 3—to completely cut off the Zaporozhye garrison's water retreat!

"I don't require him to completely encircle the Zaporozhye garrison, but as long as the defenders realize the opposite bank is threatened, they will scramble to flee, sparing us the bloody cost of a siege. By then, the three main enemy corps trapped in the southern pocket will be thoroughly annihilated!"

As of September 30, the enemy inside the southern pocket was encircled on paper, but they still had one lifeline left: crossing the Dnieper River and heading north. This mirrored the situation facing the Lusha forces trapped inside Zaporozhye.

Until Bock maneuvered into position, the Demanians could only seal off the Lusha land retreat, unable to completely shut down the Dnieper River crossing routes. However, because the Demanians possessed naval superiority and had flotillas capable of entering the inland river, the Lusha troops dared not attempt river crossings lightly.

Just days prior, an entire Lusha division had tried crossing the river to escape north. Halfway across, an arriving Demanian flotilla caught them mid-stream, slicing right through their formation. Battered at point-blank range by direct fire from the gunboats' 76mm cannons, the Lusha division suffered catastrophic losses.

Since that slaughter, the Lusha forces rarely dared cross the river recklessly if they suspected Demanian vessels were operating nearby.

Following the Duke's latest orders, von Bock strictly complied and accelerated his advance. Everything fell into place just as the Duke demanded: by October 3, a complete, all-direction land and water encirclement was sealed.

Before that happened, the Lusha garrison inside Zaporozhye received word of the Demanian armored drive blitzing along the northern bank of the Dnieper, shattering their resolve and prompting an evacuation.

...

Early morning, October 2, inside Zaporozhye.

General Aleksei Evert—former commander of the Lusha Romanian Front, now demoted to commanding the 6th Army—had stayed awake half the night. Before him piled dozens of burned-out cigarette stubs and scattered heaps of leaf tobacco ash.

"Commander, the Demanian armored division on the north bank has reached Nikopol! They're less than forty kilometers from us! If we wait another day, we won't be able to leave at all. Let's retreat!"

The men around General Evert pleaded desperately, unwilling to die in the pocket or rot in a POW camp.

Yet General Evert knew clearly that his three main corps were pinned down by the enemy. Even if the single corps stationed in Zaporozhye attempted a breakout, only a fraction would make it through; the rest would inevitably be slaughtered by the enemy's land pursuit and river gunboats.

This so-called breakout amounted to nothing more than abandoning his army and fleeing for his life. Returning to the rear would almost certainly mean a court-martial.

More importantly, he had a prior record: the prior annihilation of more than half the Romanian Front and the subsequent stripping of its unit designation had already left the Tsar and high command deeply dissatisfied with him. Others might survive a retreat without facing a firing squad, but for him, the consequences would be far more severe.

Furthermore, rumors circulated that General Pavel Plehve, commander of the Southwestern Front, was under immense strain after facing repeated phone questioning directly from His Majesty the Tsar. If the front command needed a scapegoat, Evert's odds of survival looked grim.

Entering a POW camp, on the other hand, might not result in death.

As he hesitated, a staff officer urged him: "Commander, think of your family in Petersburg and your close colleagues! We must break out—otherwise..."

Persuaded by his own subordinates, the conflicted General Evert finally began to waver. Others chimed in, arguing, "This disastrous defeat happened solely because the enemy's armored cars were too advanced and caught us off guard. High command will surely explain things on your behalf. At worst, you'll face exile."

General Evert finally bought into the narrative, deciding to launch a pre-dawn river crossing to break out.

However, an operation of this scale could not be hidden from the enemy. Ferrying several divisions across a river required hours of sustained effort and created a massive commotion.

Before long, Lelouch's besieging land forces detected his troops' movements.

Lelouch showed no hesitation, ordering an immediate assault on the city while radioing the Dnieper river flotilla to move in and assist the slaughter.

"All artillery units currently in position around Zaporozhye: initiate indiscriminate bombardment of the city at once! Launch the ground assault after twenty minutes of artillery preparation! If you encounter enemy troops stubbornly holding fortified buildings, breach the walls with satchel charges! Also, use the cover of darkness to deploy Flamethrower Troopers and clear out the die-hards!"

Before long, the Demanian artillery batteries roared to life. Volleys of 77mm and 105mm shells rained down on the primary defensive zones inside Zaporozhye. The deafening barrage completely shattered whatever fighting spirit remained among the Lusha soldiers, who were already eager to flee, sending them running in panic.

Night combat naturally brought engagement ranges close and visibility poor—ideal conditions for specialized units like Flamethrower Troopers whose effective range capped within fifty meters. Any Lusha holdouts stubbornly defending structures were methodically purged by the combined slaughter of satchel charges and Flamethrowers.

Even the rearguard units Evert ordered to hold the line abandoned their posts, swarming the docks to seize boats and cross the river early.

Thus, another mid-stream massacre unfolded along the banks and waters of the Dnieper on the western edge of Zaporozhye.

Half a division caught crossing the river was systematically targeted and sent to the bottom by the hastily arriving Demanian gunboats.

When the gunboats' firepower proved insufficient, they radioed target coordinates to friendly ground units, calling down heavy artillery barrages across the dockyards.

Armed with precise coordinates, Lelouch's artillery batteries adjusted their sights, training their guns toward the harbor docks.

Salvo after salvo of 105mm shells slammed down, whipping up storms of blood and pulverized flesh. The Lusha regiments assigned to cover the rear were obliterated by Lelouch's artillery in moments.

Desperate to board boats and cross the river, taking heavy shelling from afar and charged from behind by infantry, how could they possibly hold?

When the bloody night battle finally concluded, General Evert had escaped with less than a single division; the rest were abandoned inside Zaporozhye or left at the bottom of the river.

As dawn broke the next morning, thousands of mutilated corpses littered the docks, while even more bloated bodies drifted on the Dnieper—soldiers whose ferry boats had been sunk by Demanian gunboats during the night crossing, only to surface after drowning and swelling.

These thousands of floating corpses drifted downstream where the trapped Lusha troops could see them, further shattering their morale and confirming that Zaporozhye—home to their army headquarters—had fallen.

After concluding his battle, Lelouch waited over half a day before Fedor von Bock finally punched through from the west to Zaporozhye, arriving ahead of the Duke's deadline.

Yet when von Bock arrived, the city was devoid of enemy troops; Lelouch had already secured the entire town.

Gazing out at the endless trail of floating corpses drifting down the Dnieper, von Bock sighed with deep emotion.

He quickly procured a boat, crossed to the eastern bank, and met Lelouch inside Zaporozhye.

The two were old comrades by now. Having lost any desire to compete and completely convinced by Lelouch's abilities, von Bock grumbled the moment they met:

"I thought I advanced fast enough. Even though northern tributaries like the Inhulets and Saksahan caused me endless grief and forced me onto detours that slowed me down, pushing 310 kilometers in ten days is solid enough to answer to the Marshal.

"Who would've thought you'd cover 260 kilometers in five days, making me look like an absolute clown by comparison! And after all that, just as I was about to reach the west bank, the defenders on the east bank panicked and tried to run, letting you pick up the cheap victory and claim sole credit for capturing Zaporozhye! Couldn't you have waited just one more day to share a bit of the glory?"

Knowing the other man was merely joking, Lelouch gave Bock a friendly punch on the shoulder: "If I'd waited another day, wouldn't the enemy have slipped another division or two out of the city? At a time like this, waiting wasn't an option.

"However, when I submit my report to the Marshal, I'll state clearly: 'Because your division was arriving on the west bank to complete the all-direction encirclement of Zaporozhye, the enemy garrison on the east bank panicked and fled, creating the opportunity for me to pursue and destroy them.'

"Also, when the Tanks roll out in November, I'll return all my division's armored cars to you, and my troops will convert to Tanks. How's that for being a good friend? After fighting for so long, how many of those 120 armored cars of yours are even running? I'll patch up and repair over a hundred vehicles on my end to hand over to you. That way you can form three full-strength regiments of 84 armored cars each."

Von Bock had never seen a Tank, but he knew they had to be superior to armored cars.

What could he do about it anyway? Von Bock had no control over military production resources. Whether armored cars or Tanks, Lelouch had invested his own money and resources, gathered the R&D team, and secured production backed by the Bavarian Royal Family's treasury.

Since the Tank enterprise was Lelouch's own creation, handing them out to anyone was an act of generosity; keeping them all for himself was entirely his right.

With so many generals serving in the 6th Army, Lelouch could easily have picked another brigadier or major general to command the armored division. Choosing von Bock—who was relatively young and quick to accept novel concepts—to lead the armored car forces was already a massive favor.

"Fine, we'll let the credit for annihilating the Zaporozhye garrison slide this time," von Bock said, taking the graceful exit and raising no further objections.

...

Over the following days, the combat objectives of every unit in the Demanian 6th Army shifted entirely toward "how to devour and digest the dumpling filling as quickly as possible."

With the encirclement pockets along both the north and south banks of the Dnieper River completely sealed, the trapped troops could not have escaped even if they grew wings.

Starting on October 3, entire regiments and divisions of Lusha troops inside the pocket suffered morale collapses daily, chased down by Demanian forces until they surrendered outright.

The supply cutoff initiated on September 28 finally demonstrated its lethality. As more and more units exhausted their rifle ammunition and artillery shells with no deliveries from the rear, the chain reaction of collapses accelerated daily.

The infantry divisions advancing along the frontal battlefield on the Kherson-Armyansk line increased their daily pace from a dozen kilometers to twenty, then thirty kilometers a day.

Finally, on October 9, the Lusha forces trapped within the massive pocket were entirely wiped out.

This included the garrison at Zaporozhye, the defenders Lelouch routed along his drive through Troitske and Melitopol, and the Lusha troops von Bock crushed on the north bank of the Dnieper.

The Rusha 6th Army lost over five corps totaling sixteen divisions: 310,000 men wiped out.

In addition, over three Cossack cavalry divisions were practically annihilated, while five more suffered catastrophic casualties during continuous harassment raids attempting to sever Demanian rail lines.

Including Cossack casualties, Lusha losses reached 350,000 men wiped out.

Furthermore, the Demanian army seized all territory along the Dnieper River south of Zaporozhye stretching down to the Sea of Azov.

This entire sector measured roughly 200 kilometers north to south and 180 kilometers east to west, forming a rough trapezoid that narrowed somewhat in the south near the Crimean Peninsula. All told, the captured territory encompassed approximately 30,000 square kilometers.

Throughout the entire campaign, Lelouch's wing spent five days sealing his side of the pocket, Bock spent five days completing the other pincer, and the army spent another six days digesting the filling once the trap snapped shut.

From September 23 to October 9, the operation took exactly sixteen days, wiping out 350,000 enemy troops and conquering over 30,000 square kilometers of land.

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