Youjo Senki - Volume 13 - Chapter Pr1

POSTWAR

The Official Stance of the East

As the crisis in southern Alliance territory developed, the Federation Army had a difficult choice to make toward the end of 1927. Increased imperial activity in southern Alliance territory, known as Zettour’s Ruse, was intended to draw out the Federation’s principal forces. Once the Federation Army realized that this was an unscrupulous plot to bait them into counterattacking before they were fully prepared, the Federation was forced to choose between overlooking the danger the Alliance forces were in, or sacrificing the lives of its people by coming to their aid, fully knowing that this was a trap.

After considering the importance of diplomatic relations and the spirit of cooperation, the people of the Federation decided they could not ignore the threat to the Alliance armies and executed the offensive operation Rising Dawn in January 1928. Despite facing fierce opposition from waiting imperial forces and suffering heavy losses, the Federation Army was able to push back the front line that General Zettour was holding, decisively precluding any further possibility of the Imperial Army putting more pressure on the Alliance’s southern front. This sacrifice was politically necessary, as they had to aid their allies. While it was, tactically speaking, a textbook example of a hopeless battle, it was simultaneously a complete strategic victory.

The Unofficial Stance of the East

Despite achieving total strategic surprise with the offensive of Operation Rising Dawn, the Imperial Army was able to respond with speed and flexibility. According to in-depth investigations by military experts, reacting so proficiently to this attack should have been “impossible without prior knowledge.” Therefore, the most logical explanation is a catastrophic intelligence leak. It’s probable that, after learning of the offensive in advance, General Zettour instituted an information blackout and laid his trap by leaving the eastern theater unguarded. However, it is impossible to determine whether there actually was a leak and to what extent. If the events cannot be attributed to a leak, then General Hans von Zettour must have been the devil himself. Either that, or the west was responsible.

The Official Stance of the West

Toward the end of 1927, southern Alliance front had completely tied up the Empire’s strategic reserves and forcibly captured the attention of General Zettour himself. In January 1928, just as this situation was developing, the Federation Army launched its Rising Dawn offensive, aiming to bring an end to the war. While this successfully caught the Imperial Army unawares, General Zettour struck back with unrelenting counterattacks, and the Federation suffered tragic losses. Haste ultimately leads to defeat, and Rising Dawn was a textbook example of a tactical victory that was simultaneously a complete strategic disaster.

The Unofficial Stance of the West

The events of January 1928 were an unscrupulous trap laid by the fearsome General Hans von Zettour. This uncanny strategy, carried out by the general in the south of Ildoa in the latter half of 1927, was an ambitious tactical diversion that led to the implosion of Federation Army forces. If its purpose from the beginning was to reduce the Federation Army’s offensive capabilities, then General Zettour truly was an unparalleled strategic genius. The hostilities that occurred from late 1927 to early 1928 served as no more than a trigger for Rising Dawn and its counter, Morning Light. It is a distinct possibility that General Zettour anticipated everything. There is no other obvious explanation. These events have had a massive impact on current international relations, but just how much did General Zettour foresee? His impact reaches far!