It was a cold morning in the Great German Empire.
Our MC, Felix, is currently garbed in a long sleeve shirt which gave him warmth while he is training.
Felix is currently doing 'pushups'. He is now currently in his 194th 'pushup'. Now, you might be wondering, how did a 12 year old kid who just started his training recently manage to do close-to-200 pushups?
Well, the answer to that is, magic. Seriously, magic. You see, Felix is also training his mana control through the floating magic he is applying on his feet while training his body.
He is also continuously applying and halting his floating magic on his feet in order to imitate the motion of a 'pushup'. What he is currently doing is a variation of the normal pushup called the Full-Planche Pushups.
On his 196th pushup, the Grand Butler of the palace came to the training ground.
"Your highness, the Emperor is looking for you."
"Hold... on... 197....for a... 198.... moment... 199.... 200. YES!!!"
"I am now done Grand Butler!"
'Alright, your highness, please change into a bit more formal clothes and let's head towards the Emperor's study room."
Felix then went to his room and changed his outfit.
The outfit he wore is a suit and tie which is different from the usual princely outfit, since the princely outfit requires preparation and would take a lot of time.
After changing his clothes, he and the Grand Butler went to his Father's study room. There, he saw the Emperor in his thinking position, which was quite similar to his with the right hand scratching the lips.
"Father, Guten Morgen (Good Morning)."
Emperor, hearing his son, smiled slightly at his son and told him to sit down at a nearby chair.
"Guten Morgen, Prince. Have a seat, we are waiting for 1 more person to come."
Felix, noticing his Father calling him 'Prince' instead of son, knew that this is an Imperial Summon, so he knew to call him Emperor and such. He sat down at a nearby seat near the Emperor's table just in front of the desk.
A few minutes later, he saw a man came in. Garbed in a military outfit meant for officers with numerous medals attached to the left chest of his uniform. He also saw the grayish hair of the officer which, together with his medals' indicates an old yet very experienced person.
He bowed down in a 45 degree manner, indicating subservience and respect. He then introduced himself to both of the people in the room.
"Guten Morgen, your majesty, your highness. I am Hans von Zettour, Major General of the Great German Army. You called for me, your majesty?"
The Emperor then indicated the newly promoted man to sit at a nearby seat, facing the prince.
He sat down and looked curiously at the prince. He knew that the prince was a talented mage, given that yesterday, a national emergency was almost declared upon him just by using an explosive formula. However, talents aside, he was wondering why the prince was called here.
"I called both of you here to tell you that the Dacian army may invade us within two months at the latest. It looks like you were right, prince."
The Major General was shocked. To think that a country who is currently suffering from economic setbacks and poor military would attempt to invade the Empire.
The Prince on the other hand had an expression saying 'I knew it' plastered in his face.
The Major General, Hans, then went on to inquire more about the topic.
"Your majesty, where did you procure this information?"
"It was given to me by my spy in the Dacian Grand Duchy. He also died yesterday."
"I see... a man who sacrificed just to deliver the information... A truly inspiring person. May I know his name, your majesty, so I may give my consolations to the family."
"Alright, I'll tell you later, but for now, let's focus on the problem at hand."
Felix, who has adapted a thinking position similar to his father, asked the Emperor for more information.
"Your Majesty, is that all the information that our spy has brought back?"
The Emperor smiled for a bit and told him more of the information.
"The spy has also brought back news that Dacia is meeting up with the Ottoman Sultanate, though there are no successful talks as of now."
Felix then went back to his thinking position.
So in this world, the Ottoman Sultanate incited the Grand Duchy to attack us. In the manga and the anime, it was implied that the Francois Republic incited that Duchy...
Hans, on the other hand, wondered about why both of them are here, so he also asked an important question.
"Your majesty... why have you called us here in your room?"
"I called both of you here to inquire about what we would do about the Grand Duchy."
The Emperor then looked at both of them, but mostly at his son who was thinking deeply.
Looking at the two Imperial persons, he now knew why his Emperor had invited his son to this meeting.
I see, so his majesty likes to show off his son to me. Let's see if it equates to that girl in the War College.
"Then, your majesty, we must eliminate the threat at all cost, and as soon as possible."
"Hmmm. Why?"
"Your majesty, Dacian threat, even though they are weak, is still a threat. If they had managed to invade our lands, we may need to divert some of our resources from the two fronts to the south. Though we are currently adapting a defensive strategy in both fronts, a third front would strain our resources further."
"I see..."
The Emperor then saw his son raising his hand up like an elementary student asking the teacher to call him. Smiling a bit from this, called his son humorously.
"Yes, student Felix?"
All of the people in the room smiled for a little bit, then quickly adapted a serious face.
"Your majesty, although I like what Major General Zettour has said, I would like to suggest another plan."
"Then.. what is that plan you speak of?"
"What if... we gaslight the Grand Duchy?"
"Gaslight?"
"I mean, what if we make the Dacian citizens believe that they are crazy, to the point that they would stand up against their leaders? What if we warped their thinking into making them think of the Empire in a good light. Doing this, we can secure Dacia with almost no losses. We can also use them as a shield against the Ottoman Sultanate, since the Sultanate is aiming to invade us."
"I see.... then how should we do this?"
"I suggest to conduct a massive but secret misinformation campaign against the Duchal Family of the Grand Duchy. We can do this through funding or supporting the Imperial sympathizers in their country. We need to also send some of our people, mostly politicians, to help this sympathizers."
"I know for a fact that the Grand Duchy has a secret party that aims to let Dacia join the Empire in an alliance since almost all countries have those kind of people, especially those countries who are poor and ill-equipped. Eventually, the Duchal Family will have various ranges of rumors against them."
"Furthermore, while doing this, we can employ local experts and informants to gain a deeper understanding of the Duchal Family's political landscape and the cultural context. This will improve the effectiveness of our misinformation campaign."
"The use a variety of propaganda channels beyond flyers, such as radio broadcasts, clandestine newspapers, and word-of-mouth networks to spread misinformation more effectively. Although, some will eventually censored by the Grand Duke, rumors will start spreading everywhere."
"The plan, during its first stages needed to be held at utmost secrecy. If the Grand Duke heard about this, then we can consider it as good as dead. This will be the first part of this operation."
Major General von Zettour thought about it for a bit and it was surprisingly plausible.
"I see, your highness, then what will be the next part?
"The next phase of the operation involves solidifying the Empire's 'good nation' appearance which includes sending some food and supplies to the poor people in the Duchy. You see, food is a need everywhere you go and Dacia has less of it. If the people of Dacia accepts the food, then it will put the Empire in a good light. If the Dacian leadership decides to arrest the people or refuse the food, then an outraged people will have their heads off."
"So... you are saying that they will love us, or they will hate the Duchy. What if the people themselves refuse the help?"
"They won't. They are hungry, needy, and most of all, poor. They need our help, and they will want our help regardless they like it or not."
"I see... then how do we get them to come to the food site? We can't just spread it through rumors since it may have adverse effect such as misinforming the people themselves, and it might take long."
"We can airdrop tons of flyers in the city. The flyers will have to be appealing in order to entice them to come."
"But, your highness, that would be a bit costly since we will need to prepare tons of food and it is only a temporary respite for the people there. Won't they eventually turn against us?"
"You see major general, most of the time, people will remember those who helped them when they needed help the most. Even if a single speck of rice for a hungry man will make them remember you for the rest of their lives. Of course, they will have to remember the Empire who gave them a temporary respite."
"I get it now, your highness. So we will have to appeal to their needs in order to get their loyalty."
"Sort of, but we still need a lot more to do before having the true loyalty of the Dacian public. We can also try other avenues such as 'education' drives, medical help, and promises for infrastructure help. Although the latter will not be easily made in the short-term, we can just make it so that we intend to go through with these promises."
"Also, we cannot just out rightly say that we are involved in this, but rather we can say that we, as an Empire, would like to sponsor some merchants and community leaders in the region."
"Moving on, the next phase is the most important phase, which will determine if the Duchal family will die or... well die."
"The third phase involves the decision of the Duchal Family. Since they will know that they have already lost support of their citizens, they will eventually be forced to choose. If they will let their plans against the empire go, invade the empire against the wishes of the citizens, or accept the help of the Ottoman Sultanate."
"If they choose to let their plans on invading the empire go, the leadership who lost the support of the people, will live a bit longer. Eventually, the Imperial party that we will support or send, will depose of the leadership through the revolutionary route. Though this route takes the longest, it is the most safest route."
"If they choose to invade the empire amidst the opinions of their citizens, then the angry citizens will have the heads of their leaders akin to a revolutionary route, but much faster. The citizens will think that the leaders themselves attempted to harm their benefactor which will lead them to get angry at the Grand Duke and his people."
"If the Dacian leadership attempt to silence people, then... we can intervene and say it was for the Dacian public."
"Eventually, the people will depose their leaders. This is the fastest route, though it is more bloody since we will also have to engage on the army that they will send. We will have to kill tons of people and eventually they will know the technological difference between our nation and theirs."
"But... your highness, if we kill their people, won't they they hate us?"
"The good thing about hungry and poor people is that they are easily misinformed. With just food and money that we have given them earlier, we had already swayed their opinions to us. They would think that their leaders sent their family members to death against their benefactor which is also the technologically advanced Empire."
"We can also spread some misinformation that the Ottoman Sultanate forced the Grand Duchy to attack us and that the Empire is just defending itself. We can also say that the Ottoman soldiers who joined the fight were hell bent on killing everyone regardless of side. We can pay some Dacian solders to spread this 'information'. Doing this, we can divert people's opinions to our side and against the other side."
"Though if a war broke out, we only need to divert minimal attention towards that warfront since the people of the Duchy will fight them for us, eventually making them a shield against the Ottoman Sultanate. We can also entice the Hellenic Republic to join the war against the Ottomans but eventually we will get there."
"The third and last option is that if the Grand Duchy made an alliance with the Ottoman Republic, their public would be confused seeing that the Duchy allied with another country who has nothing to do with them. We need to grab this opportunity to misinform the public further by saying worse things against the Sultanate and that they would send their armies to death against their benefactor, the Empire."
"If we do this fast, then before the Ottoman and Dacian army joined forces, the public will turn their backs against the Dacian leadership. We can have the opportunity to depose the leadership of Dacia."
This kind of operation will work since there are no mass media in this day and age. There is no internet to internationally condemn someone. Though there are radios and newspapers, both of these are heavily censored by their states and can only be read within their respective countries.
"The last and final phase of this operation is to put an 'Imperial sympathizer' in the leadership. This may be from their own party or one who belongs to us. Doing this, we can substantially make them We can then tell them to make an alliance with us."
"But... your highness, what if this 'Imperial sympathizer' turned their back on us?"
"Then we can just 'remove' them and just tell the public that the Ottoman Sultanate did it. However that will be the last option of the list."
Felix then concluded his verbal presentation.
"While my plan is detailed and considers multiple angles, its success depends on several unpredictable variables, including the reactions of the Duchal Family, the effectiveness of the misinformation campaign, the response of the Dacian populace, and the broader geopolitical landscape."
"We need to get more information, adjust the plan, and adapt the plan as soon as possible. We can put an estimate that the Dacian Grand Duchy will play their moves in 3 months at least."
"Furthermore, continuous monitoring, adaptability, and contingency planning are essential to navigate the complexities and potential fallout of my strategy. We also need to prepare for potential backlash in case this plan fails. We need to employ counter-espionage and counter-sabotage techniques against the Duke."
Hearing the wise strategy from his son, Franz, the Emperor, was greatly proud. He tried not to show it but his smirk can be barely seen. Who knows that his son is a genius when it comes to strategies.
The Emperor then raised his eyebrows towards the Major General, with an expression telling 'Look at my genius son!'
"I see... so it is an operation that involves the usage of minimal resources and minimal people from our side.... I like it. What should we name this operation?"
Felix thought of the operation as a whole..
"Let's name this.... Fall Brennendes Haus (Operation Burning House)."
"A fitting name. Thank you prince, you may go now."
Felix then stood up and bowed slightly to his father and the major general. He then walked towards the door and left.
"So... what do you think of my son?"
"You majesty, if I can be honest, he will fit perfectly in both politics and military. He has knowledge of how people work."
"Then that's good. Major General, if he ever joined the military, please take care of him."
"I will, your majesty."
Outside, Felix was walking along the corridors of the palace. He was thinking about how he needed more information. He needs to see the Dacian situation with his own eyes but has no capacity to travel there.
He was thinking on how he could see the Dacian city of Os himself when he suddenly saw the Golden Eagle flirting atop a tree in the courtyard. He looked at the heavily ruffled feathers of the Eagle indicating something wild had happened.
This Fucker...
He was about to admonish the Golden Eagle when he suddenly thought of something. He stood still for a good 30 minutes while assuming a thinking position.
Numerous guards, maids, and butlers met and greeted him but he just stood still in his tracks. They acknowledged that the Prince was thinking heavily and left silently.
In order to have eyes in the region, I need to remotely see it. In the modern world, drones and live cameras are used for such things. I can't do those since the technology of these time is not yet enough to produce such things. I also can't transmit the data I have since technically, the Internet is not yet available....
Hmmm....
I need something that can go there and transmit everything it sees... I need something that is fast.. something that flies....
He then looked at the flirting eagle atop the tree and suddenly had an idea.
"Hey! Goldy! Come here!"
*Screech*, *Screech* *Screech*
Goldy then said to his lover to wait for a moment and flew to the head of his owner.
"Hey, Goldy, it's time for you to work."
The eagle adapted a surprised Pikachu face.
*Screech!*
"What? You do not want to work?"
*Screech* *Screech*
"I see... then no more food for you! I fed you! I raised you! I gave you shelter! and this is how you repay me?!"
*Screech* *Screech* *Screech* *Screech* *Screech* *Screech*
"What?! Fuck you??? NO FUCK YOU!"
*SCREECH* *SCREECH*
"Well FUCK YOU TOO!"
*SCREECH* *SCREECH*
Goldy then pecked the top of Felix's head.
"ARGHHH YOU FUCKER!"
*SCREECH* *SCREECH* *SCREECH* *SCREECH*
The two then wrestled with each other for a bit before taking a break and breathing heavily.
"Listen here,... you need to.. Huff... work in order to provide.... Huff... for your future children."
*Screech* Huff *Screech*
"What? Huff.... You say you will deal with it.... Huff.... when the time comes?"
*Screech*
"Alright, I see, looks like I need to use my last resort.... Work... or else I'm gonna tell the goddess."
Goldy froze. He froze hard with a surprised Pikachu face. Then he tilted his head for a bit with an expression saying 'You would not dare'.
"Oh, I would dare. I really would dare."
*SCREECH* *SCREECH*
The Golden Eagle was definitely tense. He is living a good life here together with his human, and if the goddess knew that he is not doing his job, then.... he might go back to the boring life he had previously....
*Screech*
"Hehehe, so you are giving up eyy."
*Screech*
"What? Not giving up? You want me to-"
*SCREECH*
"Hmph, that's what I thought. Now let's see if I can use magic in order for you to share your vision to me."
The two then practiced until night, and before he was called by his maid in order to have dinner, both of them achieved the task.
In front of him is a luminous screen that shows what the eagle is currently seeing. Inside the screen, he can see himself looking at the screen. He can also see his maid, Mia, looking around for him in the palace.
Felix was amazed of the screen in front of him. He was also amazed by the vision prowess of the eagle. The eagle can see at least 340 degrees around him which gives him much more information. He can also see that the eagle can see as far as 3 kilometers away from here. This makes the eagle a valuable reconnaissance agent against his enemies.
Going back, he can see in the screen that his maid is running towards the courtyard. He then decided to ditch dinner for now, and celebrate.
"Hey Goldy, wanna ditch the palace and eat outside?"
*Screech*
"Then let's go, we'll invite the maid that is running behind us.
The kid and eagle duo then flew outside of the Berliner Schloss (Berlin Palace) and to the Central Square in order to buy food and have fun.
Of course, following them is a disgruntled maid and the captain of Felix's Royal Guards.
He noticed the both of them and said.
"Come on, I'm sorry for flying hehe, but come on, have fun. This is a rare chance for the both of you to date."
""We are not dating, your highness!""
Felix then stared at the both of them with a smirk, making them unconsciously scratch the back of their heads.
"Come on, have fun. I'll be paying for it."
"But we need to protect you, your high-"
"I can just punch them and fly. Go! Now! Date! Live! Eat! Hug! Kiss!"
The two then looked at each other and went to a nearby stall to grab something to eat whilst looking at the prince.
"Haaa... love. I wonder how Tanya is doing."
*Screech* *Screech* *Screech*
"What? Seeing them makes you miss your partner already?"
*Screech*
"Hayyy, let's just eat. Come on."
The two went to grab a nearby Vienna sausage from a stall and sat at a nearby bench. Hearing the nearby upbeat music that was played by a band across them, makes him think of how peaceful and safe it was being at the rear, no wonder Tanya likes being at the rear.
"Peaceful innit?"
*Screech*
The duo then spend the night just sitting at the bench, staring at the happy traffic of people.
"How peaceful."