Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

It takes a mere day for everything to go wrong for the Allied forces.

When Prince Leopold III signed the Brussels Agreement, what followed right after was a surprise radio broadcast. The Belkans allowed it as the broadcast regaled the changing tides of the war and that all Darscen military units were to stand down. This effectively thrusted a sudden, albeit still expected knife into the EEF's planning. Prior to Leopold III's announcement, Lord Gort already made preparations for a potential fallout with the Darscens' capitulation.

When the Darscens are surely confused, Lord Gort steps in and has his Erusean officers try to influence as many Darscen units to merge with the EEF as possible. The EEF desperately needs more bodies to throw at the Belkans, and Lord Gort thinks that a promise of a historic battle to free Brussels, a chance to settle a blood debt, should be more than enough to earn the temporary loyalty of the Darscen Army. However, Lord Gort and his officers make a crucial mistake in their thought process, owing to their tunnel vision that only centered around the existence of the Erusean Expeditionary Force.

They overestimate the Darscens' supposed hatred for the Belkans. They also underestimate the loyalty the Land Component has for Prince Leopold III. Unlike what one would expect, Leopold III is quite a well-known and respected figure in the Darscen military. Much like his late father who voluntarily served in the military during his reign, Leopold III also picked up the armed craft, later uncovering his talents in managing logistics and fortifications. The crowning achievement for Leopold III was the construction of the Antwerp-Namur defense line as part of the greater Maginot Line. In the eyes of the Darscen people, it's this defense line that bought them a full week of resisting the mighty Belkan Divisions. As for the other parts of the Maginot Line, they were broken through in only two days. So, when Leopold III called for surrender, most of the Darscen military and populace accepted the notion pragmatically, with some relief even.

The military sees no point in continuing to fight a hopeless war. In a short period of time, they have been dealt with a blow so devastating in terms of human lives. Thousands of casualties a day is enough to break even the most hardened of Armies. If they fight anymore, there won't be a generation left to walk the soils of the Principality of Darscen... No, it should be the Darscen province now.

Unlike what Leopold III fears, the populace has been quite accepting of the outcome. Brussels' public census shows genuine approval of the government's decision. The life losses are to be mourned, yet a defeated peace is still peace nonetheless. Though they're still waiting for results on other cities, Leopold III expects that the civilians will be welcoming the new peace with a renewed sense of hope. Unknown to the Darscens, public sentiment and perception are carefully guided and curated by an unseen hand. In many corners of Darscen province, bar talks, and market gossipers are spreading the word that surrendering is a good thing. That way, the Darscens people don't have to repay the national debt to Erusea that plunged them into this war in the first place.

The Darscen nation back then took many loans from the Erusean Kingdom. This was due to them losing their expansionist war against Ustio and being forced to cede many core territories. The Darscens needed the loans to rebuild their nation. The debts and interests of which continue to this day, with the Eruseans cashing on it all at once. It was either fighting against the Belkans at the Eruseans' beck and call or facing bankruptcy. Leopold and his cabinet had no choice but to concede to the Eruseans and mobilized his military, something that caused the common Darscens to dislike their debtor for being heavy-handed. Now that they have already done their part and dropped out of the war, defeated or not, it's safe to say that the Darscens don't have to worry about debts anymore. In fact, the future looks bright for the Darscens if the Belkans stay true and invest in their province. The Darscen people basically threw their hands up and defaulted on their debts to the Erusean Kingdom.

Understandably, this is ONI Section Three working hard while laughing at the myriad of ways they can ensure Erusea is set aflame. Ensuring public sentiment is stamping down on Erusea while revering the Belkan Reich and the wise Prince Leopold III is but one of them.

Of course, some dissenters refuse to go along with the wider public. A few, stubborn military officers and their troops ditched the Prince's order and signed up with the EEF. Though it comes as a shock to many of Lord Gort's subordinates that most of the Land Component straight-up calls it quit. Many of these Darscen soldiers and officers tie white flags and cloths around their guns, arms, and even heads. Together, these Darscens march out of their trenches in an orderly manner. Having been keeping up a token of pressure against the Darscen positions for the past few days, Belkan military units are swift to tone it down to none. The Belkans then warmly welcome the arrival of their former enemy, going as far as to honor them in full. Darscen officers are allowed to lead their soldiers in an honor march toward Brussels, accompanied by music bands playing Darscen songs, medical, food supplies, and even Belkan escorts to protect them from Demonic attacks.

Obviously, the reports of the Darscens being treated so honorably by the Belkans seem to incense the Erusean officers. After all, they fear this will embolden their own to surrender to Belka. So, even without Lord Gort's initiative, the Erusean officers have already taken steps to stop the spread of information and to prevent the Darscens from continuing with their dereliction of duty. Some of them even go as far as using drastic measures.

Prince Leopold III expects that a part of his military will fight against his decision. Yet, what he and even the Reich Marshal didn't account for was how desperate the Eruseans were to stay in the game. Reports come to their desks, telling them of a major internal fighting in one of the Allied forces' encampments. A Darscen Regiment was pulling out to surrender with the Belkans on the other side when an Erusean detachment intercepted them near Audernarde. The Erusean officer in charge then tried to talk things out with the Darscen Colonel but the Darscens' minds were set to abide by the Prince's order.

Intelligence gathered by the UAVs suggests that, somewhere during the discussion, there was a fallout. Combat started between the two sides with the Erusean detachment, which was in fact a Mechanized Battalion, attacking the Darscen Infantry Regiment first. Not expecting the dishonorable act of this hot-headed Erusean Lieutenant Colonel, the Darscens were caught off guard with many becoming casualties to the Erusean Valentine Is' machine gun fire.

Currently, the Darscen Regiment is being pinned and whittled down by the Erusean Mechanized force. They're putting up a good defensive fight, however, they're encircled. They have little to no AT weapons left after expending them hopelessly against their former Belkan enemies. Prince Leopold III is enraged, seeing his soldiers being put on the chopping board by the Darscens' former ally no less. It's such a dastardly act by the Eruseans that it even infuriated all of Leopold's ministers who are still transitioning their power to the Belkan Reich.

The content of the Agreement made clear that the Darscens wouldn't engage in hostility against the Allied forces. Yet, the Eruseans' attack has voided that. Unfortunately, there's no other nearby Land Component unit that could aid the stranded Infantry Regiment in time. Prince Leopold thinks fast before formally requesting the Reich's intervention, a notion that is quickly supported by his old ministers. Fighting the Belkans is a nightmare, but having them as a friend is the best thing you can ask for, as evidenced by the Reformists' close connection to the Reich. This sudden turn of event may be the first step to get the two nations closer and look beyond past grievances. The Reich Marshal seems to see things that way also.

Without further preamble, she immediately passes down the world to have Belkan ground and air units move to support the Darscen Regiment, going as far as boldly declaring her intention to command the upcoming battle in front of Leopold III and his cohorts. Leopold III admires her confidence and is further convinced that their decision to surrender was a good call. Then there's also those strange, high-tech equipment being set up for the Marshal and her aides to use. Up next, he must pay attention to the people who employ these machines, wishing to learn a thing or two from them. His position as the new Governor of Darscen province may require the skills soon to be shown.