CHAPTER - VI
PRESENT DAY, LONDINIUM
-x-X-x-
I always get depressed this time of year.
Good evening, everyone.
This is WTN Special Correspondent Andrew.
…Today, we won't be bringing you the usual documentary.
We'll still be looking back on what happened during the war, but today we'll be doing
it with a prayer. This will be a memorial broadcast.
First, let's talk about the disturbance in the Arene-Roygen region. The video you're all
seeing right now is invaluable archival footage of residents of the occupied area
revolting against the Imperial Army… This program contains numerous violent
scenes. What happened during that time? Because our aim is to confront the truth,
we've been granted permission under the ethics code to broadcast this material, but
viewer discretion is advised.
Now then, are you still with us? What you see in the upper right-hand corner of your
screen is Karelian Cathedral. It was also the scene of a tragedy we'll discuss later on.
All right, we'll keep the prefatory remarks to a minimum, as we're connected to the
venue of the memorial ceremony now. Here is video of the commemoration of the
victims of the suppression. This year, we can finally see ambassadors from each
country in attendance.
The controversy goes on, but we should be glad the reconciliation process has reached
the point where the two nations are having a joint memorial.
After all, this is a day to remember: They're unveiling the new Karelian Cathedral,
raised out of the wreckage by the citizens' own hands.
The city of Arene burned. This is the story of how its people overcame their suffering
and rebuilt.
Tonight, we discuss this wartime tragedy with an eye on those who are thinking of the
future.
Here is Arene in the immediate aftermath, ruined.
This was recorded in secret by a newscaster from the Waldsta tte Confederacy, which
was one of the few neutral countries.
Can you tell that the partially collapsed building in the foreground is the famous white
cathedral Karelian?
This all started when a hunt for partisans turned into a military clash. Arene had
always been staunchly anti-Empire. It didn't even take a day for skirmishes to develop
into a full-on uprising. We're told that the Imperial Army was shocked upon receiving
the report that anti-Empire riots were spreading and that they no longer had control
over the city.
"This could cause the collapse of supply lines servicing the Great Army on the front."
Having made this judgment, the army feared the collapse of the front, where it had
dedicated its bodies and souls, and it responded without mercy.
Upon receiving word that anti-Empire riots had broken out in Arene, Major General
(at the time) von Zettour proposed a swift, ruthless way to "cope." Major General von
Rudersdorf of the Operations Division immediately called an emergency meeting of
the Imperial Army General Staff and got the operation approved as a joint proposal
from the Service Corps and Operations. With that, the army had permission to send
military forces into the city.
One of the main points of controversy, even today, is that the Imperial Army
unhesitatingly chose to gain control of the city with not police power but the army.
From that decision, it is generally believed that the Empire regarded the uprising as
irregular warfare, and people speculate that the mission given to the Imperial Army units envisioned not suppression of the partisans but elimination.
On that point, the Empire argued at the time that partisan activities or the support of
them was to forfeit the protection of the law of war.
And so the flames engulfed Arene terribly quickly.
We have here testimony from citizens of Arene who just barely escaped. They've told
us that they weren't revolting but that their protests had simply intensified.
…Of course, history tells us that no matter how things started, the Empire's reaction
was fierce.
Due to some documents being lost and others remaining classified, we don't know the
details, but a battalion-size, possibly larger group of mages was the first to attack.
After receiving what barely counted as a warning, the citizens were beset by a storm
of mages.
"They gunned people down like they were so many targets in a firing exercise."
"They got 'points' for shooting people."
"People had blocked themselves in, so they used heavy-explosion formulas to bombard
whole districts."
These are all painful memories of the tragedy being shared today.
Even counting only the confirmed deaths, the city of Arene lost half its population that
day. The worst incident occurred at the Karelian Cathedral I mentioned earlier.
The swift, disproportionate mage assault they witnessed was only the vanguard. Once
a train brought in a multitude of reserve units to sweep through and gain complete
control of the city, the residents were left with few places to hide.
To protect themselves and their families, the only options remaining to the men and
women who took up arms were to put up a hopeless resistance within the city or risk
a desperate escape through enemy forces.
But with no other way to do battle, the sad reality is that the citizens were forced to barricade themselves in. The great majority of them took refuge in and around
Karelian Cathedral.
The actions the Empire took in response to this are still debated today, and they have
many critics. At the same time, you can't help but notice a strange discrepancy
between the complicated laws and common sense.
After all, legal scholars agree that the massacre wasn't in violation of any laws of war.
To you viewers at home, that fact must come as a shock.
It's not as though citizens participating in the armed uprising were wearing military
uniforms. They were irregular combatants. In other words, international law didn't
even guarantee them the rights of prisoners.
Perhaps that's why the Imperial Army surrounded them and gave a word of warning.
"Release unaffiliated members of the general population immediately. We can't allow
your slaughter to continue. We demand the release of imperial citizens according to
article 26, paragraph 3, of the Rules of War on Land."
Records of what the citizens did are sparse, due to the chaos. But we do know that a
small number of pro-Empire people attempted to escape and were shot in full view of
the Imperial Army.
Now, why did this tragedy occur?
It recent years, scholars have pointed to the possibility that it was an unforeseen result
of Republican propaganda. They had been expressing their intent to dispatch a rescue
to take the city back.
Some Republican soldiers were even prepared to fight the Empire.
A number of historians say that atmosphere spread to the populace of Arene. More
than a few suggest that the arrival of Republican Army mages led the citizens to make
the wrong decision.
And in fact, many of the survivors report a prevailing attitude that they could hold out
until the Republic saved them.
Then the Empire issued its last warning
"This is a warning for the irregular combatants of the armed revolt. In accordance with
article 8, paragraph 5, of the Rules of War on Land, I demand someone meet with our
representative to discuss the subjects of the Empire you so unjustly imprison."
In response, the city of Arene said, "We are the citizens of Arene. There are no prisoners.
We are just people asking to be free."
And so, according to the Rules of War on Land, since there were no prisoners and no
imperial citizens among the irregular combatants occupying the city, the Empire
carried out an operation to capture it.
In order to avoid the heavy responsibility for each soldier that would result if they
went into the city and had to visually confirm their targets, they aimed to cause
widespread fires via artillery bombardment from positions surrounding the city.
A portion of the documents shows that they had chosen targets that were likely to
spread the flames as proof-of-concept for a firestorm.
This notorious atrocity perpetrated by the Imperial Army is commonly known as the
Arene Massacre.
We have with us Professor Walter Halbom of Londinium University. Professor Halbom,
we'll jump right into it. Why did the Imperial Army take such drastic military action
with no hesitation?
"Well, you have to understand how the imperial soldiers were thinking. Their paradigm
tended to have military leanings. To put it another way, they wanted to apply that logic
to everything.
"In other words, they were thinking in terms of strategy and whatnot.
"You can probably understand the significance of riots behind the Western District
Army's front for guys with that mind-set.
"Let's take this step-by-step. First, the Empire's Arene-Roygen region has always
contained sparks of partisan resistance. The Imperial Army hypothesizes that someone
is inciting the area's anti-Empire faction.
"I think the real problem was that that possibility couldn't be completely denied."
"And if you consider that the uprising cut off the western Imperial Army rear areas from
the front, the rest is simple.
"What the Imperial Army General Staff feared first and foremost at the time was the
western army getting pinned down before they could scrape together the troops for a
unit to suppress the revolt. Most of the Empire's forces were committed on the Rhine
lines, so an attack from the militia while the troops were pinned down by the Republican
Army might have been enough to cost the Empire the western industrial district.
"The second possibility was that the revolt would stay contained within the AreneRoygen region. In that case, they would be able to protect the industrial region,
but…Arene was a major city on the supply rail line. I think that played a major role.
"Because, you know, if there is pressure on the supply lines, the troops won't be able to
fight for very long no matter how tough they are.
"The potential was there for the Empire's worst-case scenario to come to pass—at least,
it wouldn't have been an unexpected line of reasoning for the imperial side.
"We can see that the anti-Empire movement uprising gave the Empire a tremendous
shock in terms of strategy.
"I myself can declare, from my experience serving, that the mere notion of the
communication lines to the rear becoming paralyzed is terrifying for anyone.
"So I think the Imperial Army was imagining the Republican Army Command would
throw their weight around. If that happened, the imperial forces would be requested to
urgently eliminate the resistance, but they would have to worry about Republican mages
joining and strengthening it.
"At that point, the army was already short on troops for the front, so stabilizing the rear
at the same time was a practically impossible demand.
"With these two difficult problems, the Empire now faced a major dilemma. The only
good thing—or perhaps, the disastrous thing—was that they had an intercepting mage
unit as reinforcements.
"Of course, if they mobilized them here, they wouldn't be able to use them to resist an
invasion.
"Naturally, that led to worries that the main battlefront could collapse. Additionally, in
a battle to capture a city, the mage units would really only be good for intimidation and
diversions.
"But on the front lines, they could wipe out or repel enemy units.
"Should they prioritize fending off attacking Republicans? If they did that, with the rear
devoid of soldiers, the revolt was liable to spread. If that happened, it could have a
markedly negative effect on the supply lines, causing enormous losses in a battle of
attrition. On the front lines, where they were already fighting close-pitched battles, it
was hard to imagine they would be able to take such losses.
"So should they put down the revolt first? But spending the time of their only reserves to
suppress the revolt could prove fatal. If the reserves got tied up and lost time and the
Republican Army broke through, the invasion could result in an immeasurable increase
in casualties. All the lives lost countering the sneak attack and pushing the enemy back
would have been lost for nothing, and that would not be acceptable.
"For the Republican Army, on the other hand, success was guaranteed. No matter which
objective the Imperial Army chose, the Republicans would achieve something in the end.
"It is here that the Imperial Army commits an obviously atrocious deed, leaving a mark
on history no country should make.
"Who ordered it is unclear. We don't even really have a record of who carried it out. These
were truly soldiers who had to be left out of the records.
"While they were soldiers of the finest caliber who pulled off a miraculous defensive
battle, they were also the lowest of the low who deeply stained the Empire's honor.
"Now in the postwar period, many soldiers criticize them. Personally, though, I defend
the people who were put in that difficult position. Under the circumstances, they had no
alternative options, and additionally, it came down as an order.
"What is certain is that someone saved the Empire's battle lines, although I have to say,
the method is not one I personally agree with."
"The mage units Command kept on hand as reserves for the army had a measure of
firepower. That gave them the option to suppress the separatist independent movement.
"Of course, if they mobilized them here, they wouldn't be able to use them to resist an
invasion.
"Naturally, that led to worries that the main battlefront could collapse. Additionally, in
a battle to capture a city, the mage units would really only be good for intimidation and
diversions.
"But on the front lines, they could wipe out or repel enemy units.
"Should they prioritize fending off attacking Republicans? If they did that, with the rear
devoid of soldiers, the revolt was liable to spread. If that happened, it could have a
markedly negative effect on the supply lines, causing enormous losses in a battle of
attrition. On the front lines, where they were already fighting close-pitched battles, it
was hard to imagine they would be able to take such losses.
"So should they put down the revolt first? But spending the time of their only reserves to
suppress the revolt could prove fatal. If the reserves got tied up and lost time and the
Republican Army broke through, the invasion could result in an immeasurable increase
in casualties. All the lives lost countering the sneak attack and pushing the enemy back
would have been lost for nothing, and that would not be acceptable.
"For the Republican Army, on the other hand, success was guaranteed. No matter which
objective the Imperial Army chose, the Republicans would achieve something in the end.
"It is here that the Imperial Army commits an obviously atrocious deed, leaving a mark
on history no country should make.
"Who ordered it is unclear. We don't even really have a record of who carried it out. These
were truly soldiers who had to be left out of the records.
"While they were soldiers of the finest caliber who pulled off a miraculous defensive
battle, they were also the lowest of the low who deeply stained the Empire's honor.
"Now in the postwar period, many soldiers criticize them. Personally, though, I defend
the people who were put in that difficult position. Under the circumstances, they had no
alternative options, and additionally, it came down as an order.
"What is certain is that someone saved the Empire's battle lines, although I have to say,
the method is not one I personally agree with."
Thank you, Professor Walter Halbom.
Now, take a look at this next video… Professor Halbom offers this internal document
from the Imperial Army General Staff.
She might call it "an extreme form of 'practicality.'"
Command has removed her restraints. Wisely, to achieve victory, they took away her
limits. These are the orders of the army, of the Empire, and as a soldier, I am forced to
obey. The impulses that were successfully suppressed with logic will be unchained for this
great cause. Or perhaps it's that the cause she had to hesitate will disappear.
Whose responsibility is it when a beast bites into a meal thrown in front of it? I believe
those responsible are none other than the ones who threw the sacrifice to the starving
animal.
*A scribbled note discovered in a wastebasket at the Imperial Army General Staff
Headquarters
"
-x-X-x-
MAY 4, UNIFIED YEAR 1925, THE RHINE FRONT
-x-X-x-
"As chief of staff, did you know this might happen?" the army corps commander
generously pretended to ask, trying to hide the tremble in his voice at the seriousness
of the situation.
Actually, though he was controlling his expression, he was seething internally. The
Republican Army had moved far more quickly than the Empire had anticipated.
News had come in that, completely contrary to their expectations, mage
reinforcements, albeit a small number of them, had entered Arene.
Arene's defenses would probably grow stronger as more time passed. Meanwhile, our
plan has utterly failed. The initial confusion had finally been brought under control,
and they were getting a grasp on the situation, but he wanted to shield his eyes from
the pathetic spectacle of panicking troops. Is this really our Imperial Army?
Even the suppression unit the central General Staff promised them had gotten held
up, and this was the result. He wanted to chew out the Railroad Department, who was responsible for managing the schedules, and ask what the hell they had been doing.
But the necessity of such complaints showed how bad the situation was in Arene. If
the trains that ran through there were paralyzed for even a day, the supply line
delivering tens of thousands of tons of ammunition and food to the front would be
physically disrupted. Unless each division was sent at least five hundred—but a
thousand, if possible—tons of supplies, the frontline troops would find their ranks
thinning out. That statistic was now basically the General Staff's nightmare.
To make matters worse, there was no alternative line. Arene was a main relay point
that even had a switchyard. There were branch lines, yes, but as for whether or not
they could serve the front, the hopeless, pale faces of the Railroad Department
members said it all. The Imperial Army was realizing again what an Achilles' heel
logistics trouble was when invading—especially after cutting off its enemies up north.
So for a moment, what crossed the commanders' minds was the furious scolding they
would unleash on the Feldgendarmerie, since they had failed to quash the sparks of
rebellion.
The army corps commander wasn't the only one softly sneering, "You good-fornothing freeloaders."
He didn't know where the military police's precious Feldgendarmerie had been
napping, but talk about lazy. If you have a siesta custom, get your asses back to the
countryside. Though no one said it out loud, they all groaned and spat on the ground.
Circumstances were so lamentable that someone murmured, "We could have avoided
this if we had one of our brave, loyal mage companies."
The situation was rapidly deteriorating. They couldn't help but fear the worst.
Riots in the rear. Thanks to that, the units were stuck.
If we move the front, won't the Republic react? As long as that worry remained, they
had to keep movement of troops to a minimum. But if supplies were interrupted for
even a few days, they would soon lose the ability to fight.
So the threat in Arene had to be eliminated. Well, that was easy to say. It would be very
difficult to get rid of the rebels quickly now that Republican mages had joined them.
"Yes, sir, there was some idea. Operations, please explain."
But as expected, you could say, it took the staff corps very little time to collect their
analyses of a scenario like this. Plans made in advance may not be everything, but they
can help you tackle your problems.
"Sir. We have a plan drawn up from a purely military view to achieve a very limited
aim that was created as part of strategy research."
"What? Is it actually usable?"
The only issue was whether what they came up with was usable or not.
After all, the situation was bad. A half-baked scheme wasn't going to cut it. He would
accept anything as long as it solved their problem in one shot.
…But from the sound of it, he couldn't expect too much.
"Well, it will definitely achieve certain results. But it will require a, uh, very important
decision to be made…"
Just spit it out, he stopped himself from shouting.
"We don't have time for this. Tell me what it is."
"Yes, sir. It's a plan by the war college's strategy research committee submitted with
the idea of eliminating enemy units building defensive lines in an urban setting,
including mages, in an extremely short amount of time."
As far as the dubious army corps commander could tell, it sounded like an effective
plan. If the strategy research committee at the war college had submitted it, that
meant they acknowledged its practicality. If they could really use it to quickly take out
mages and other defenses in an urban setting, the plan would be invaluable in their
current predicament.
"…This is quite groundbreaking, isn't it? Why didn't it get passed around to all the
armies?"
If it's so useful, then why not share it?
"Does it violate the Worms Convention?" Perhaps wondering the same thing, the chief
of staff voiced a possible worry—an international treaty.
They imagined that the rapid capture of a city and elimination of resistance would be
difficult without using gas or heavy artillery. Of course, gas wouldn't be allowed in a
city. And even the General Staff probably didn't have a plan to defend against gas.
"No, the legal specialists say it doesn't conflict with any existing treaties."
"Even better. So what's the problem?"
There shouldn't be any reason to hesitate if it's legal. Honestly, we don't have a second to
lose.
They didn't have time to debate with the legal specialists. The army corps commander
banged the table in irritation and urged the hesitating staffer on with his eyes.
"The plan was written on the assumption, from a purely military point of view, that
there are no noncombatants in the city, only enemy forces."
"What is that supposed to mean? How can we use something based on such an
improbable assumption?"
He nearly shouted that it was stupid. There aren't any cities where only enemy soldiers
live.
Cities are mostly civilians. At most, civilians with militia among them. And they had
confirmed when they occupied Arene that many civilians lived there.
"Well, we'd create those conditions by following a legal procedure."
Both the one answering and the one asking spoke in a monotone to conceal their
emotions.
"In short, it's a sort of deceit. According to the legal specialists, the plan is only valid
upon ruling out the existence of noncombatants, so we'll just make sure there are
none."
"…So we'd just be killing everyone regardless of gender or age?"
It was unmistakably clear. In everyone's heads appeared an urban battle. Yes, a bloody
slaughter in the guise of an urban battle. Everyone understood that if they were being
told to take this rotten fight seriously, they couldn't bother with legal practicality.
"We would employ the simple, straightforward method of burning the city down."
I just want to be done with this is what the tone of the Operations officer seemed to say
as he continued the requested explanation. He wasn't the only one who wished there
was nothing to continue.
"A fire attack? Well, that's classic. But against mages?"
"Have you ever heard of a firestorm?"
A terrifying report or a proposal from hell. The one who thought of this was either a
lawyer so cunning the devil would invite them to join forces or a criminal. This way of
thinking is practically inhuman. Only a devil who forgot their reason and conscience
in their mother's womb could come up with such a tactic.
That someone would equate having the technical capabilities for an operation with
actually doing it… Are they deranged?
"No, it's the first time I've heard of it."
"It was proposed after the idea was verified by looking at large-scale conflagrations of
the past."
Urban warfare has many different legal constraints. The topic of the research was how
the army should deal with them, but nobody would have thought to look for a plan
that removed them.
No, for better or worse, outside of the specialists, no soldiers felt like confronting the
laws at all. To put it nicely, you could call them simple; to cast it negatively, you could
say the army had an anti-intellectual streak. So they weren't used to explanations of
legal principles.
But from a soldier's point of view, the rules of engagement were to some extent selfevident, and indiscriminately shooting civilians was like police groping for a solution
to a hostage crisis and deciding to shoot all the hostages along with the criminal.
Certainly, apprehending the culprit would be the highest priority, but would you arrive at a plan to eliminate the hostages instead of save them? Ideas that are purely
unthinkable for a normal person are a soldier's common sense.
Of course, there is the delicate issue with military wisdom that the ethics and morality
tend to be old-fashioned, due to the inevitable reference to wars of the previous era
for its standards.
Still, a soldier's way of thinking was generally rational. This way of thinking was such
a single-minded pursuit of purposive rationality that it was anomalous.
"It seems they've arrived at one conclusion, which is that, ideally, the operation should
be carried out by mages with fire attacks."
"Never mind the theory. Has it been put into practice?"
"When it was attempted on army exercise grounds, a phenomenon approaching the
projected results was achieved. If fire attacks are coordinated from multiple locations,
it's plenty possible to create."
And when he understood, the army corps commander was frightened of the plan his
army had received.
…Ohhh, oh God.
Why, why must I do such a thing?
Why must I be ordered to carry out a plan conceived by the devil?
When I respond to the immediate summons, an Intelligence officer wearing the rank
of captain meets me. In other words, I'm sure he is the bearer of bad news. Having made
that conclusion, Tanya takes a deep breath to brace herself.
Always be calm and collected.
But that thought promptly crumbles. That's how shocking the news is. The news that…
"The rear has been cut off."
One of my forerunners gave me a piece of advice: "What's important when being
brought bad news is whether or not you can find the silver lining."
Ever since then, I've remained faithful to it.
For instance, right now, I have a cup of real coffee in my hands, a treat from the rear
headquarters, and I'm glad I'm not drinking it because doing a spit take or choking on
it would have been a terrible waste of such a valuable item.
…Of all things, the rear is cut off? The supply lines?
"Yes, Major von Degurechaff. It's a partisan uprising."
"Now?!"
What occurs to me is Republican leadership. The rear cut off. The collapse of logistics.
If that happens, our entire army could be sent fleeing in a disorderly panic.
Even a child could imagine that much. The partisan movement intensifies at a strategic
point in the rear while the Imperial Army's main forces are pinned down? There's no
way the Republicans won't pour oil on that little fire. And after such libation, there's
no way the partisans won't go a little pyromaniac. The logic is self-evident.
No doubt, a huge fire is about to start raging. Detrimental situations tend to go
downhill fast. There is only a handful of exceptions.
"Yes, now, ma'am."
I want to tell this situation to eat shit.
Tanya's natural reaction to the news is for her facial muscles to tense. The command
personnel are all wearing expressions of pensive distress. I probably have the same
look on my face, too, Tanya observes in a somehow calm way, with a tinge of selfderision. Maybe I shouldn't look this way in front of my subordinates, but all I can do
is wish. All the officers who heard the news got the same look on their faces, and
they're probably just as self-conscious.
"What's the situation?"
"The military police and some of the troops garrisoned there are doing their best to
bring the area under control, but it seems things are getting worse fast."
"That's no good. Can they put it down?"
In a way, it's as bad as I expected. The inept Feldgendarmerie screwed up, so they got
caught when the fat hit the fire. If we leave them alone, the rear will get burned. But if
we put out the fire, our front lines will get trampled. One wrong move, and it'll be
trench warfare without ammunition or food.
No matter how optimistically you look at this, it's bound to be an utter disaster with
piles of corpses. We should even be prepared for the lines to break.
"I don't know, but I think we need to be ready to respond."
"Right. Give standby orders. Make sure we can move as soon as we get the word."
What I'm hoping, what I'd like, is for this situation to settle down on its own. It could
happen. But my optimistic speculation that the fire might just fizzle out misses the
mark.
In reality, my wish means nothing, and the situation rapidly deteriorates. Signs of a
Republican offensive are confirmed, and Command is forced to make a decision.
As a result, we end up in the pursuit of pure military logic and nothing else.
The deciding factor is a report that Republican Army reinforcements have joined the
partisans. At this point, the army reaches a conclusion that is quite straightforward.
As long as there is a line that can't be crossed, holding it has to be made priority.
"An airdrop?! Crud! They're mages. The Republican Army is conducting an airborne
operation! Looks like they're meeting up with the rebels!"
Shrieks from Control.
If they were just armed insurrectionists with no mages, it would be hard to put them
down, but there was the possibility that police power would be enough. Or maybe it
could be resolved with a division of infantry.
But in urban combat up against mages, even heavy infantry will have to prepare for
insane losses. After all, a city is a three-dimensional battlefield full of cover and
obstacles. It doesn't get shouted from the rooftops, but it is said that mages actually
do their best work in urban battles. So this will have to be a serious fight.
"Is someone intercepting them?"
And that's why mages helping to defend the city is so hugely significant. Just one
infantry division plucked from the mustered reserves would probably be enough to
suppress an armed mob, even if it took a little time. With the manpower of the police
and Ministry of the Interior, they might have been able to suppress them, even if they
had to shed some blood to do it.
But once mages are the defenders of the city, it's different from intercepting on flat
ground or from defensive positions, and military intervention is required. But even
then, just throwing a ton of mate riel at them won't be very effective. You need to
literally disregard any damage and capture the city district by district.
For that reason, mages should be stopped with their weak point, air-to-air combat,
and there should have been an air defense network covering 360 degrees. That was
how it was supposed to be.
"They didn't make it in time and got diverted."
But there is a glaring chasm between the plan and our present situation. There should
have been some leeway in the rotation of the aerial forces, but it has been broken
down for a while now. The Imperial Air Fleet was basically out in full force every day
and having trouble making up for losses in the Rhine Air Battle.
The air units have more types of missions than expected—not just securing
supremacy in the sky. As a result, the plan created before the war started meant
absolutely nothing when it met the reality of borderline overworked air units being
mobilized for missions they weren't expecting. It was only once the air units had been
sent in that the military began to understand the necessity of the types of missions
they could perform; the army is much more aware of how important controlling the
sky is than they were before the start of the war.
Dacia, where the ones who soared through the sky ruled everything, has been taken
as a model case. For that reason alone, perhaps you can say? Or precisely because of
that?—the Imperial Air Fleet put all their forces into securing command of the air near
the front lines.
As a result, they've succeeded in stabilizing the battlefront and managed to establish
a degree of supremacy in the sky. It's somewhat ironic that they should be lacking the
forces to prevent a sneak attack in the rear… This is practically like Norden with
offense and defense reversed.
"This is bad. We can't let them secure a bridgehead."
"So it'll be a counter-mage battle? Against mages who are ready and waiting for us?"
Yes, that. The longer it takes to suppress them, the worse things will get.
We don't know how many mages they sent in, but if we consider how many it would
take to organize a resistance, we can get an idea. After all, the Imperial Army
pioneered this tactic. We understand it even if we don't want to.
"…Major von Degurechaff. Report to the commander's office immediately."
And so.
Things happen without anyone making a definite decision.
History, to a surprising extent, is a series of miscalculations
-x-X-x-
APRIL 13, UNIFIED YEAR 1924, RESEARCH ROOM 17 (JOINT STRATEGY
RESEARCH MEETING HELD AT THE IMPERIAL WAR COLLEGE)1
-x-X-x-
"As you can see, as the war situation changes, the chances of combat in a city will
become extremely high."
The instructor finishes his explanation in front of a war map spread on the desk. It
was a review of the war situation touching on how the Imperial Army has been making
a comeback bit by bit on the Rhine front.
The two armies are still competing for a scrap of barren land, but the Imperial Army
has been gradually advancing. Progress is progress, even in baby steps. It's huge that
we've gone from being invaded to being able to plan a counterattack.
And that's why at this new stage, all variety of combat in Republican territory is starting
to sound more realistic, thinks Tanya.
It'll come down to urban warfare.
It's difficult to imagine the Republic simply neglecting key strategic cities that function as transport terminals. And unfortunately, a lot of civilians must live in urban areas.
Some of them will certainly have taken shelter or been evacuated, but we have to
assume that enough people will stay behind to keep the city functioning.
"So the General Staff has tasked us with coming up with ways to handle urban
warfare."
As Tanya expected, the task the instructor has for them is planning countermeasures
for just such a battle.
The law of war is extremely critical of involving noncombatants in urban battles. I
don't know if it's true or not, but supposedly there is a trigger clause that allows
unlimited economic sanctions against countries that purposely attack in a way that
involves noncombatants.
Actually invoking the clause would be up to each individual country, but…it's still a
troublesome provision from the Empire's point of view. That's why this request was
made—it's necessary to capture a city without giving the major powers a rallying
cause.
Of course, even if we did that, it would only buy us time. After all, geopolitically the
other powers have plenty of reason to intervene.
Well, that's why we should try to keep them from intervening for a bit longer.
"To be frank, the only option we'll have if we don't involve noncombatants is to
surround and starve them into submission."
Everyone present knows how unrealistic the request is.
But despite knowing the extent of the problem, they understand well enough to curse
to hell how critical it is strategically. That's why she uses an indirect expression
shrouded in rhetoric to say, Don't order us to do the impossible! Crying like that is all
that is ever possible under political pressure.
She said to surround and starve them into submission, but it would be incredibly
difficult to keep them surrounded until the city finally fell. Even sending in three times
the force of the enemy would put an unimaginable burden on Logistics.
"I think we can free ourselves from this type of issue by leaving the front lines where they are and devoting ourselves to defense until the enemy can't take it anymore."
Purely in terms of the principle of concentration of force, it's better to defend than
invade. Even though that is only one of the assumptions made internally, more than a
few officers think that way. Even they want to win, thinks Tanya. Still, she thinks again.
The officers of the Imperial Army aren't excitable enough to think they can fight a war
with their arms and legs tied up.
"But we were able to do it in the Entente Alliance."
"Consider how much stronger we were, please. Besides, doing it that way is why we
now have so many troops stuck up there."
Though she is listening to the debate going on before her, Tanya has already accepted
the fact that it's impossible to be considerate of civilians in urban warfare. Even the
American Army tried to conduct urban warfare with kindness to civilians and is now
stuck writhing around in agony.
In this age of total war, Tanya has no choice but to give up on kindness to civilians.
What's worse, most of the surplus forces are tied up in the north and west. The burden
on the supply lines has far surpassed prewar estimates. We're up against small powers
that we beat in terms of both muscle and population, and thisis where we're at. A huge
war between the major players will require full power not to get eaten alive. At this
rate, it'll be impossible. Tanya regrets it, but they are no longer in a position to observe
international laws and fight with concern for civilians.
Even with an industrial base that can manufacture a vast amount of mate riel, the
supply lines are shrieking, and the people in charge of logistics in the rear are flailing
around, trying to prevent a shortage of food and other consumables.
"…I don't mean to be rude, but is this discussion really necessary?"
That's why she interrupts. Aware that she's not being very cute, she speaks calmly in
a deliberately flat tone.
Normally you would be rebuked for such a comment. But Tanya didn't think she would
have any problems.
"That's a bold remark from a student, Degurechaff. Tell us what you mean."
"Yes, sir. Encircling and starving the enemy is a leisurely tactic from medieval times or,
at best, a previous era."
Specifically, the Ottoman's siege of Vienna or Napoleon's campaign in Italy. An army
fighting a modern war can't use tactics from an earlier period when there weren't even
railroads.
If you're going to end up using that strategy, you're better off not fighting.
"So…"
True, there aren't many realistic options besides starving them into submission. She
understands that. But that's a problem that everyone is aware of.
We aren't gathered here to debate something so well understood.
If you can't brainstorm, it's better to look for a legal loophole.
Setting aside feasibility, failing to consider every possibility would be a big mistake.
As an individual with what passes for an intellectual education, it would be an
inexcusable error.
Therefore, Tanya is simply convinced that even if it's just debate for the sake of debate,
they should try approaching the issue in a different way.
As someone who, in a way, is familiar with urban warfare as historical truth, the
question is how to fight an urban battle.
"…shouldn't we try to think of a way to make fighting in a city legal?"
Urban warfare is restricted by international laws? Groping for a way to defeat them
besides urban warfare is like playing by their rules. It's like negotiating an important
deal at the other party's office.
You'll never win that way. What you need to do is flip the situation so they're coming
to negotiate with you.
In other words, isn't it possible to shift our point of view and ask how to make urban
warfare legal? Of course, having seen Iraq and Afghanistan, I seriously refuse to actually do it. Having thought that, Tanya realizes, But if we could lay waste to whole
blocks like they did in Warsaw, this urban warfare thing would be a cinch. She even
begins to calculate. It would be a pain to go into all-out war, but it's definitely a
possibility.
"…Degurechaff. Haven't you learned about the war of law in your classes?"
"Yes, I completed the subject. It's terribly interesting."
I hadn't studied laws since I was a student taking Jurisprudence (including
constitutional theory) and Civil Law A and B. I did learn a little about international
relations theory, international administration, and international law. In that sense,
getting the chance to study law, the ruler of civilization, was genuinely fun.
And that's why she can make her declaration with confidence even in terms of the
legal basis. There's nothing wrong with her idea, and it doesn't come into conflict with
any legal principles.
"…So you're saying this with that experience in mind?"
"Yes, Instructor."
After all, any law has room for interpretation as a matter of course. That's why there
are so many opportunities for jerks to twist them to fit their aims and annoy the
rational marketplace. Legal opportunists can even profit from something as time
consuming as patent litigation… That's why in litigation societies like the United
States, there are a ton of lawyers waging great legal battles. Basically, what you can
and can't do under a law changes any number of times depending on how it's
interpreted and enforced—to the point where some peaceful island nation can be a
weird country that says it doesn't have an army while equipping it with all kinds of
fantastic weapons. Well, that's a better idea than abandoning the notion of an army
completely, but it just goes to show how broadly laws can be interpreted.
What's wrong with the ever-serious Empire doing a serious reinterpretation of the
law? To Tanya, it's nothing but an utterly natural course of events.
Of course, domestic laws are ultimately interpreted by the one with the sovereign
rights, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, and impinging on his authority is
prohibited…but the military studies international laws; they're totally safe. Tanya
believes, without question, that gray is white.
"It's a problem of interpretation. Anything the international laws do not expressly
forbid is only restricted depending on one's interpretation."
"Specifically?"
"This is only one example, but there is a clause that says, 'Armies are prohibited from
indiscriminately attacking areas where there are noncombatants.'"
If you just look at that, it seems like you couldn't possibly fight in a city. Tons of
noncombatants live there. But think of it flipped around. The enemy is limited in the
same way. After all, armies have the duty to protect.
"At a glance, it appears to be a clause that restricts the attacking side, but naturally, it
also limits the defending side. It's possible to demand that they protect those in the
shelters according to law. In other words, if they don't take the evacuees and
withdraw…it's possible to interpret that as meaning there are no civilians."
"…I see. And then?"
If I have permission to continue, then I'll do so.
Well, legal debate is half-sophistry, half-finger-pointing. A court might make the final
decision, but the way each country interprets the law has a major influence on
international legal cases.
"According to the law of war, we both have the duty to protect noncombatants. So we'll
be expected to do everything in our power to fulfill it. It depends on how you work it,
but I think we can use it."
For example, what would happen if we had a small unit infiltrate an area where
civilians lived, and we got attacked? If there was even one stray shot fired our way, we
could turn it into a justification. Well, that's an extreme method. There's a more
legitimate way to go about it.
"Or if we make them tell us there are no noncombatants, the restriction will be
instantly lifted."
"What?"
"If they say that every person down to the last civilian will resist us. If we interpret that as meaning that every last civilian is militia, then we don't have to recognize any
prisoners' rights."
…The former Yugoslavia said all their citizens were soldiers. Then if everyone's a
soldier, we can blow them up and it won't be a war crime would be the logical end to
that interpretation. That said, if you pursue this sort of interpretation to extremes, it's
possible to twist reason itself.
So of course, justice and fairness are warped as well.
Yep. And? What about it? Concepts are concepts, and bad laws are still laws. In the first
place, this is a world where a god or a devil—this Being X guy—is getting his way. If
you want to think seriously about the question of what justice is, maybe the guy who
stipulates the world should be at war is the evil one.
In other words, I'm just one good person doing my duty.