"Colonel Lacamp's battalion is issuing a distress signal to the strike team! They're jumping into a fight with a battalion of imperial mages. They say they won't be able to hold the escape route for long."
Where did we go wrong?
"I know! We don't have ti for this. Can't we take out the observer mage already?!"
From his view in the sky, Lieutenant Colonel Sue was forced to acknowledge that the situation of his fatherland's army, engulfed in flas and collapsing, was only growing worse with each passing second. His face contorted with anger and impatience, but even if he scread to stop the indirect fire until his voice went hoarse, it wouldn't improve the situation whatsoever.
"Our shots are grazing!"
If his glare could start fires, Lieutenant Colonel Sue would have seared the enemy mage nimbly soaring through the sky until they were burned so badly not even a crisp remained. Agh, how could this happen when we're flying over Nordland airspace that we know so well? Today everything is putting a sour taste in my mouth, even these familiar skies.
"Bastard's got us in a fine position. Fighting over allies is a pain in the ass."
The majority of his n were pursuing a single enemy. Sue couldn't call that mage a coward for doing their best to survive. If he wasn't personally involved, he would have deeply admired and respected the display of valor and indomitable fighting spirit. As it was, though, they didn't have ti to appreciate the enemy's bravery.
Anson Sue's ears heard only the incessant firing of artillery, and his eyes saw naught but allies blasted to smithereens in the bombardnt.
"…Damn politicians!"
If asked who was to bla, the reply was indisputable. The lone curse that slipped out of his mouth said it all. Sue wanted to take the fools—those who mocked the Treaty of Londinium, casually ignored it, and then made it part of their election campaign—and stand them up out here. The ones the politicians were throwing into harm's way were the fatherland's citizens.
"Get in close! Prepare to charge!"
"Commander Sue! Let's go with the alternative plan and strike the enemy artillery! If you have one squad stay, no matter how fast the mage might be, they should be more than enough to deal with them!"
"Forget it, Lagarde. Enemy reinforcents are already on their way. We'd get wiped out!"
For better or for worse, Lieutenant Colonel Sue's troops had penetrated too deeply into enemy lines. Perhaps if they had co prepared with a few more n, they could have taken the enemy battery by assault. But when they initially broke through, he had to leave several units to hold the breach open. That left him with a group the size of a reinforced platoon.
"Cunningham, how long until enemy reinforcents arrive?!"
"The closest formation will be here in 480 seconds! If we don't hurry, they'll be on our tail!"
With imperial units coming to intercept one after the next, even if they risked annihilation to carry out the assault, he couldn't see how they would survive. Still, he would do what he could with the manpower available to him.
That was Lieutenant Colonel Anson Sue's sound decision as an Entente Alliance soldier, as well as the limit of what he could accomplish given the limited information he had. He was indifferent to military romanticism, so when he figured the enemy batteries would be heavily guarded, he quickly gave up on attacking them.
But the truth was cruel. The airspace above the batteries was wide open. "I know. If we… Damn it! Lagarde?!"
"Captain?! Captain Lagarde?!"
"Cunningham, cover him! Lagarde, can you pull up? Lagarde?!"
Right before his eyes, Captain Lagarde had blindly rushed the enemy mage. His support, unsure how to react, fell out of sync, and the mont they stopped firing for fear of accidentally hitting the captain, the enemy cast a formula. Lagarde had charged under the assumption that support fire would stifle enemy mobility, and now he was too near to veer away.
"Oh no, you don't! Cover ."
Lagarde was caught by much more than just a shock wave—he took a direct hit from the blast itself. Slightly altering his course wouldn't have helped. In an instant, his protective film peeled off, and his defensive shell shattered. He made a split-second decision to shield his face with his arms, but it was still only through God's good grace that he survived.
"…Break! The bastard was aiming for that! Thor!"
Sue's side had superior numbers; they were concentrated on the firing line. But the price they paid for letting go of an enemy after pinning them down was too high.
"Casualty report!"
"Two downed, and Captain Lagarde is severely injured."
With both arms burned, Lagarde was falling, only dimly conscious through the blood loss and pain. First Lieutenant Thor had been hit by the explosive formula at close range as well when he darted into the line of fire, hoping to cover for his comrade, so practically speaking, he was also no longer combat capable.
"Grah, they won't get away with this. Commander, I'll make a rush at the enemy. Back up!"
"Agh, damn it! Cover him!" "Hit! Co on, hit!"
"You're mine!"
Amid all of that, Sue was certain he heard, "Gotcha."
The voice sounded almost happy—like the laugh of a lunatic.
"Stop, Baldr! Pull back. That mage is going to…," Sue began to cry out, but in the very next mont, the imperial mage cast a spell that engulfed everyone around them.
"A…suicide bombing…?"
He didn't want to comprehend such a sight, but he had witnessed it himself. "Commander, ti's up! They're almost on top of us!"
"…We took out the observer! Pull out!"
-x-X-x-
UNIFIED YEAR 1923, IMPERIAL CAPITAL BERUN, IMPERIAL ARMY GENERAL STAFF OFFICE, PERSONNEL DIVISION, SECTION CHIEF OFFICE
-x-X-x-
Major von Lergen, part of the team who handled the Imperial Army's Personnel Division, was smoking as he relaxed a head weary from overwork. His well-defined features, reminiscent of the Junker aristocracy, gave an impression of masculine vitality and intelligence. At the mont, however, they were drawn into a grimace, and he emitted a groan in spite of himself.
The General Staff's Achievent Assessnt Departnt of the Personnel Division investigated frontline achievents and suggested the appropriate decorations and bonuses to the top brass. It was a keystone of the Imperial Army's personnel affairs. The General Staff's mid-level officers were posted there to build experience as candidates to beco the Empire's future generals. Naturally, the tradition was to choose the best.
As expected, these individuals were highly regarded for their ability. Lergen proved that the superior officer who designated him chief of decorations had a good eye by successfully processing all the award nominations in a tily manner despite the fierce battles to the north and the ensuing flood of recomndations.
Lergen unconsciously stopped his pen hand mid-scrawl as he stared at docunts from the north regarding recomndations for distinctions and applications for dals and suddenly groaned. It was only natural for his subordinates in the departnt to send him worried looks that asked, Is sothing the matter?
"…I had no idea she was in Norden," Lergen whispered as he exhaled a puff of smoke, displaying irrefutable unease and disgust in response to the docunts.
The na of the recomnded officer printed there was "Magic Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff." She had graduated from the Imperial Army Military Academy second in her class and encountered a disturbance in Norden after her unit training in the north. She then put up a valiant fight with the Northern Army Group, where her brilliant feat and valuable contribution to the army led the commanding officers on- site to submit a joint recomndation. If Lergen viewed it like all the other papers received by the Achievent Assessnt Departnt, it was truly just another formal docunt. If anything, it seed a bit unusual for them to assign an alias.
Naturally, as a mber of Personnel, he had a duty to maintain fairness and objectivity. It wasn't as though he didn't appreciate the valuable acts of self-sacrifice Lieutenant Degurechaff took in combat up north. She had completely dedicated herself to a delaying action and tied down an enemy unit. While she ultimately wasn't able to detain them until reinforcents arrived, she defeated one and possibly two others in a bold move that stopped the enemy assault. Though she ended up literally covered with wounds, she fulfilled her duty and diligently supported her allies the whole ti. As large as the Imperial Army was, it was rare to find such comndable acts of self- sacrifice.
Normally, Lergen would have no cause for hesitation; on the contrary, he would have drawn up the docunts to expedite the process for her to receive distinctions. But unfortunately, Lergen had known of Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff ever since she was a first-class student at the military academy. She didn't exactly leave a good impression on him.
It happened during one of the many occasions Personnel Division business took him to the academy. That was when he saw it unfold. Small rather than petite, the girl was young enough that it would have been perfectly appropriate for her to still play sweetly with toys. But instead he witnessed the surreal scene of her roaring, brandishing her computation orb and scattering a line of cadets. That was the one and only ti that he had ever questioned his eyes.
Normally, a simple ntal note stating She's a gifted mage who skipped ahead would suffice. In fact, his initial impression was There really are precocious child prodigies out there.
In spite of sympathetic voices that had reservations about deploying a child whose age hadn't yet hit double digits to the front lines, the army's empirical evidence strongly suggested that mages matured early to begin with. In tis like these, the authorities were perfectly willing to send grade school boys and girls to the front lines as long as they were talented mages and had volunteered. Of course, the applicants accepted into the military academy didn't receive special consideration for their assignnts. This prodigy had perford within her abilities while demonstrating her devotion to the Empire. Under normal circumstances, that would have been the extent of it. Under normal circumstances. But when he really thought about it, the situation was terrifying.
This child—this young girl—had yet to reach ten years of age. The thought of her flying around the battlefield like a seasoned soldier was inherently chilling. While Lergen didn't an to speak poorly of the academy, he wanted to ask the girl's instructors whether they had created a killing doll instead of preparing her to beco a magic second lieutenant.
For one thing, typical officer cadets exhibited massive inconsistencies between their actions and words. For all their bravado, newly appointed officers were surprisingly useless. It wasn't uncommon that all anyone asked from the overly enthusiastic cadets was to not hold back the veteran officers. But Second Lieutenant Degurechaff was a textbook example of "a woman of her word." Since her days at the academy, she had shown glimpses of surprisingly realistic values.
According to the instructors Lergen pumped for information, after learning of the policy for first-class students to instruct second-class students, she proclaid that she would weed out the incompetent fools. The enthusiasm wasn't uncommon for first-class students, and so the instructors initially laughed it off as healthy enthusiasm; however, Degurechaff stayed true to her word, to such extres that it made the blood rush from the instructors' faces.
While out on a field training exercise, a second-class student started a minor quarrel and foolishly contradicted First-Class ntor Tanya Degurechaff's orders, moronically underestimating her young age and outward appearance. Lergen witnessed the mont she attempted to carry out her duty as his commanding officer and literally moved to execute him on the spot for insubordination, as dictated by military law. That incident marked the mont Lergen felt that out of all the countless Imperial Army magic officers, Tanya Degurechaff was a dangerous one worth rembering.
Of course, the insubordinate cadet should have been severely punished. Regulations and training ford the very heart of the Empire. If no one heeded them, the foundations of the army would crumble. When an issue concerned fundantal
doctrine, standard officer attitude was actually for instructors to take a firm stance.
In fact, an officer's pistol historically served as a tool for punishing desertion or insubordination. There was no need to argue that maintaining discipline among one's subordinates was one of the major duties assigned to an officer.
But even so. Degurechaff took it too far when she scread, "If you're too dim-witted to rember orders, how about I split open your skull and pound them in for you?!" and drew a magic blade on the insubordinate cadet she had pinned down. Lergen was certain he had seen the blade coming down the mont the instructors rushed over and pulled her off. If they hadn't stopped her, she definitely would have killed the man.
Perhaps Degurechaff made an outstanding officer on the front, but she was definitely not of sound mind.
.
[Image]
.
In terms of her humanity, she had a loose screw. Perhaps that was an ideal trait for soldiers off fighting wars on the battlefield. In reality, few possessed personalities innately suited for combat. Hence, the Imperial Army, along with the armies of other nations, trained people as soldiers through regulations and drills before finally recognizing them as trained combatants.
In that regard, Degurechaff was blessed with great talent. It was annoyingly obvious to him, precisely because Lergen worked in Personnel. She embodied the ideal officer from the army's perspective, from the way she calmly used a nearly self-destructive maneuver to the way she loyally carried out her duties. Of course, she was clearly hazardous in so ways.
In particular, she greatly strayed from the army's desire for unit cohesion. Degurechaff's way of thinking was dangerous enough that it wasn't possible to trust her to act on her own discretion, so Lergen was forced to consider her a potential threat. She was truly war hungry.
"…This is no joke."
Realizing that he would be in the minority as far as his views were concerned, Lergen was nonetheless driven to have the proposed decoration reconsidered.
The girl had held the line until reinforcents arrived, ultimately fighting so hard that she was hanging on by a thread when infantry searching the area found her. Such a feat was definitely worthy of praise, but considering her disposition, he was convinced that was the natural outco. As for the way she fought, it was hardly surprising that she had followed the textbook to the letter by putting up a noble resistance. She had extensive gunshot wounds all over her arms and legs, and there were signs that she had held her computation orb with her teeth. In short, this indicated that she had made the levelheaded strategic decision to buy ti and desperately defended her vitals while resisting enemy forces for as long as possible.
But that was precisely the problem. Having finished reading the docunts, Lergen couldn't help but bury his head in his hands. It was true that Degurechaff was horribly dangerous. Yet at the sa ti, based on the principle of rewarding excellence and punishing inadequacy, he couldn't overlook such an outstanding accomplishnt. It would be unacceptable if he did.
It was unclear what the future held, but considering the achievent that earned Degurechaff these recomndations, she would most likely receive the glorious Silver Wings Assault Badge. The Northern Army Group probably regarded this as the greatest deed in the initial phase of the war. During a critical phase in the early battles, a crisis occurred. Enter a mage from the academy, performing exactly the kind of distinguished exploits the military hoped for to boost morale. She'd gotten real results. And the story was absolutely perfect. It was an honor for a mage to be awarded an alias, and so soon in her career. He imdiately understood that she'd been given the elegant nickna "White Silver" because everyone was thrilled.
While Degurechaff might not be a hero for boosting morale, Lergen still had to exercise both positive and negative discipline. He took pride in being fair and true to his duty. Yet for the first ti, he was torn between his emotions and his obligations as a military bureaucrat.
A child honed into the perfect weapon is terrifying. The only way to use Degurechaff is to turn her on the enemy. I'll build you up as a hero. I'll respect your exploits as much as possible. I'll permit you to act on your own discretion to the best of my ability. I'll support you however I can to make certain you can fight. I'll do all of that. So please, I'm begging you, fight on the front.
Is it right to bestow honor and influence on a soldier I can only possibly hope to control with a prayer?
"…If only this was one rung lower," Lergen grumbled in spite of himself. The Silver Wings Assault Badge provided massive influence and recognition in the army.
This decoration was one of the most valuable distinctions of many the Empire had to offer. Of course, rit awards were also presented out of honor and courtesy for years of continuous service or at certain points in a soldier's career. Still, it was true that the decorations for courage and remarkable devotion to the nation were viewed more highly. (This tendency was attributed to Empire-like fortitude and utilitarianism but could have simply fallen under nationalism.)
Long ago, each individual received a crown of laurels for his or her brave actions. But with the modernization of the army, this was switched to the current decorations. Among these decorations, the assault badges honored soldiers who fought with dauntless courage in field operations. Normally in a large-scale offensive, the unit that served as vanguard would receive the General Assault Badge, while whoever among them who clearly contributed the most would receive the Assault Badge with Oak Leaves.
A soldier holding the Assault Badge with Oak Leaves was viewed as a core mber of the unit and trusted unconditionally. But even that honor could not compete with that of the Silver Wings Assault Badge. After all, it was reserved solely for those who were like archangels coming to the rescue of allies in crisis. Even the nomination requirents differed from the normal assault badges.
Nominations for the Silver Wings Assault Badge were not submitted by the candidate's superior officers. Generally, the commanding officer of the rescued unit would nominate the fellow soldier out of overwhelming respect. (Though in most cases, the highest-enlisted officer of the rescued unit would do this.)
But that wasn't even the most unique aspect of the Silver Wings Assault Badge: The majority of its recipients were already deceased. In other words, the bar was set so high that the badge wasn't awarded unless the soldier heroically fought under such perilous conditions.
Could an individual rescue a unit in dire straits? How would one pull that off? Was such a feat possible through normal ans? Needless to say, the answer beca clear at the sight of the photographs taken in commoration of the Silver Wings Assault Badge recipients. For the most part, the badges were pinned to the recipient's hat resting atop their rifle. Official regulations said the only decoration that could be presented to the rifle and hat in place of the deceased was the Silver Wings Assault Badge, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say these restrictions alone indicated a bitter struggle.
As a result, regardless of a Silver Wings Assault Badge recipient's rank, it was appropriate for officers and soldiers to show them respect. The badge connoted that level of honor.
I'll admit it. Bluntly put, I dread what will happen if we give Degurechaff that kind of clout. She's simply too different. At first, he had suspected she conford too well to an overzealous recruitnt agency's wishes. Wondering if she had been indoctrinated with fanatic patriotic beliefs, he went so far as to have an acquaintance in Intelligence investigate her orphanage. But it ca up clean. It was an ordinary orphanage that could be found anywhere, up to typical standards, and the staff were sensible enough. If anything stood out, it was that they provided average nutrition, since donations and the like had created so leeway for the administration.
In other words, the basis for Second Lieutenant Degurechaff's loyalty to the army and will to fight was neither a ans to escape starvation nor an inclination toward violence caused by abuse. Out of curiosity, he checked her responses on the question- and-answer section of the military academy entrance exam only to find that she—this monster in little girl's clothing—had said, "This is the only path for ."
Overflowing devotion and loyalty to the nation. Nothing short of a magnificent display of what the military looked for in an ideal soldier. Continuous training and a desire for self-improvent. All those things were worthy of praise. A soldier with any one of those traits would make Lergen perfectly happy as an imperial officer managing human resources.
If an officer has a combination of them, we're delighted. That's precisely what the army wants. But ironically, now having seen those qualities made incarnate, Lergen realized that highest form of the Imperial Army's desires was simply another way to describe a monster. And it filled him with fear.
He didn't know what she was implying with "This is the only path for ." One of the logical theories he had conceived was that perhaps she was trying to sublimate her overflowing lust for murder into sothing practical. Who could say for certain that she wasn't born hungry for war, and the army was the only path that could sate her appetite?
Who could guarantee that she wasn't a loose cannon who would enjoy the sight of dripping blood and fly off on a journey of carnage? Even if she conducted herself like an ideal soldier in every way, the overall picture suggested she had to be crazy, or at least abnormal.
Naturally, he understood that you couldn't fight a war with tranquil serenity. It wasn't as if he didn't know from experience that only those who snapped or were truly mad could fight without getting nauseous. But what if soone enjoyed it?
He had once heard that as far as a murderer was concerned, both theory and practice were nothing more than a difference in aesthetics. aning a serial killer conflated their theories with actual implentation. At the ti, he had laughed it off as a rather wild opinion, but he understood all too well now. Sadly, he had co to understand. At best, Degurechaff is an anomaly, fundantally different from the rest of us.
Maybe that's what a hero is—soone divergent from the average person in so way.
There's nothing wrong with celebrating a hero, but we will never teach "Follow the hero." We cannot afford to foster that. The military academy is a human resources developnt organization, not a place for creating lunatics.
-x-X-x-
SA DAY, IMPERIAL ARMY GENERAL STAFF OFFICE, WAR ROOM
-x-X-x-
The General Staff ca to a formal decision to award a certain mage officer a dal, and not only was this one of the rare occasions where the Silver Wings Assault Badge was presented to soone other than a corpse, but also the judgnt was handed down with unprecedented speed. The recipient was even given an alias. But while one area bustled with the award ceremonies that accompany victory, a heated debate was filling the tense air in a corner of the General Staff Office—the General Staff's First Conference (War) Room, where guards refused entry to all unauthorized personnel.
To be exact, two brigadier generals stood in fierce opposition.
"I absolutely oppose! If we make a concentrated commitnt like that, we may lose the flexibility to respond swiftly, a risk which greatly outweighs any rits!" A manly soldier in his pri stood and roared in unending protest. His pale blue eyes overflowed with such confidence that he seed arrogant, but anyone who t his gaze realized it was always fixed on reality. The General Staff regarded Brigadier General von Rudersdorf as an officer whose balance of confidence and ability made him exceptional. Now, this man cast aside his reputation and all but leaned over the desk as he continued howling in protest. "We have more than enough troops on the field already for a running fight! We should maintain tactical flexibility while applying a reasonable amount of pressure. That's all there is to it!"
"Likewise, I must voice my protest as well. We have successfully destroyed the enemy's forces in the field. What more is there to accomplish through war? We have already t our national defense objective." Furthermore, he agreed with the need to maintain tactical flexibility. With his quiet disposition and scholarly outward appearance, Brigadier General von Zettour gave off a sensible impression, characteristic of a man who asured himself as a soldier. He joined the debate, speaking as matter-of-factly as a mathematician reading his finalized results.
"Both of our brigadier generals make valid points… Would you care to comnt, General von Ludwig?" Presiding as the chairman, Adjutant General Marchese felt that both brigadier generals presented argunts that sounded too reasonable to simply overlook. Naturally, the adjutant general was experienced enough to ignore opposing views in the debate if he chose to do so.
However, it wasn't as though Marchese didn't have his own cause for concern. Considering the General Staff's stance would have primary influence over the commander in chief's office, it was worth digging deeper. As such, he had prompted a statent from Lieutenant General von Ludwig, chief of the General Staff, who advocated a large-scale offensive. He intended to hear all sides.
"Prudence is all well and good, but we haven't caught a whiff of mobilization from our neighboring nations. If we want to conduct a large-scale offensive without the restraint of the given conditions, isn't this a pri opportunity?"
The chief of the General Staff had risen, a troubled look on his face. He appeared mildly confused that two of the subordinates for whom he had high expectations were rising in revolt against him. Yet he was also angry. As a result, he was trying to figure out how he felt, so what everyone saw was his bizarrely perplexed expression.
"Lieutenant General, sir! At the very least, we should limit the scale of mobilization! A full mobilization would destroy the fundantal premise of Plan 315!" Rudersdorf strongly objected.
His concise criticism stemd from the Empire's geopolitical situation. The Empire was the only great power surrounded by other world powers, so in terms of national defense, it was in the difficult position of always accounting for the possibility of a multifront war.
Then there was the historical background behind how the Empire built its reputation as a new military power. Compelled by fear and geographic necessity, the Empire had to pursue military superiority to withstand a two-front war.
"I don't an to simply parrot General von Rudersdorf, but we should not alter our policies for national defense, including Plan 315," added Zettour.
Assuming the Empire was surrounded by potential enemies on all sides, efficiently moving and managing troops along interior lines beca its only defense option. The minutely detailed plan called for mass mobilization to neutralize a single potential enemy's field army with forces superior in both number and quality. Thereafter, the military would prepare to take on the other hostile countries. This was defense policy Plan 315. In order to get them through a nigh impossible two-front war, it had been fine-tuned down to specific train schedules—the plan was sothing of an artistic masterpiece for the Empire. To put it another way, it would take a massive amount of ti to build a new plan if they scrapped this one.
"Zettour, we must avoid sending in forces pieceal. That hardly needs to be said."
"I am fully aware of the foolishness of gradual mobilization, but I find it questionable to claim we need to deploy our entire force now that we have destroyed the enemy's field army."
On the other hand, Ludwig's argunt also stood to reason. Given that the Kingdom of Ildoa, the François Republic, and the Russy Federation showed no real signs of mobilizing troops, the stage was set to completely crush the Entente Alliance. If the Empire was going to strike, it should go all out.
But as for launching an imdiate offensive, Zettour's notion that they had achieved sufficient victory contradicted Chief of the General Staff Ludwig's opinion.
"I agree with Brigadier General von Zettour. Victory is within our grasp, so the question we should be asking is how to exploit its fruits! If we needlessly mobilize troops without a clear plan, the tactical objective will be too ambiguous. I fail to see how that will benefit our national defense." Rudersdorf didn't feel they needed to add to their achievents. The question he posed was simply how to best utilize their gains once they had an understanding of the situation. While that wasn't exactly the main point of his proposal, he too was concerned that the army would needlessly compromise their well-established national defense policy without a plan.
"Rudersdorf, as long as the commander in chief doesn't give us directives, the General Staff can only pursue expanding its military gains."
"General, with all due respect, it would be unspeakable to conduct a military operation that lacked a clear tactical objective. I am strongly opposed to a reckless large-scale invasion that could consequently ruin our defense policy," Rudersdorf replied.
Zettour agreed with an outright bitter expression on his face.
"Opportunity waits for no man! We are prepared to settle the territorial dispute over Norden once and for all with this campaign! We can resolve the Empire's geopolitical problem!"
The cheers that slipped out from a portion of the attendees were not wholly unjustified. Zettour had painted a luscious picture of the future by presenting the opportunity to free the Empire from the ever-present problem of being surrounded on all sides by other nations. If they dealt a devastating blow to the neighboring Entente Alliance, they could successfully eliminate one of the potential threats facing the Empire. It was a pri opportunity to resolve a geopolitical problem that had haunted them for ages.
"Objection! We should not go through with this at the cost of our established defense program!" The point Rudersdorf fiercely made struck at the heart of the disagreent. Should they try to secure a safe future at the risk of jeopardizing their current defense program? "The Empire's goal is national security. Seeing as we've established a de facto border with the Treaty of Londinium, the issue might as well not exist."
Zettour went so far as to coolly say that they should forget about the Entente Alliance. In other words, he didn't want to open the can of worms the Treaty of Londinium had shut.
"There's no need to do what the enemy wants! Should we not rather follow our own plan? Would you have us squander all of our preparations?!"
More importantly, as Rudersdorf vehently appealed to those present in the conference room, this decision would affect the very fundantals of the Empire's national defense.
Plan 315, which the General Staff had continually altered over the years, was the Empire's only viable defense policy due to the country's geopolitical environnt. Surrounded by potential enemies on all sides, the Empire made the desperate decision that no matter which country set off the invasion domino effect, it would resolutely defend its territory through coordinated counterattacks. In truth, it was unable to conceive any other defense plan with a high chance of success.
"Will you pass up the chance to break free of this encirclent, if only partially?"
"If we could weaken the Entente Alliance, we would be able to concentrate more on the east. And to the west, we could mount a sowhat less tense line of defense against Albion, François."
But they continued their argunts one after the other with no end in sight. The debate stemd from the General Staff's inescapable desire to seize this opportunity; they could finally break free of their stalemated country's defense strategy. If we act now—if we act right now, for the first ti since the founding of the Empire—we could resolve our military problems in one fell swoop.
"Fortunately, none of the powerhouses show any indications of mobilizing. I believe that if we act now, we can eliminate the root of the Empire's problems."
They had no way of knowing whether or not this decision was for the best—at least not at this point in ti.
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