154 – Tactical Victory & Strategic Defeat (1)
Reich Empire 7th Division Command Barracks.
“So, back then. When the Swiss rats suddenly appeared from the dense forest on the right… I thought we were all going to die!”
“You idiot, who is our division commander? Of course Director Jaeger knew everything. “I also knew through intuition that the division commander had something prepared.”
“Stop talking bullsh*t, Sergeant Mark. Did you think I didn’t know? At that time, everyone in our platoon was shaking, but you were the only one out of them who was wet. “I was going to let you go quietly if you kept your mouth shut.”
A banquet was held outside the command barracks for junior officers below the rank of captain, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers to relieve their fatigue from the war in commemoration of the victory.
I have given orders to release all the alcohol we have so that we can enjoy it.
The officers of our division who were majors or higher already knew what the current situation was, so not a single one of them could laugh even in front of the news of victory.
Generally, when falling into this type of trap, the goal is to return as many soldiers as possible to the empire safely.
With the authority of the division commander guaranteed by military law, he would have given priority to retreating arbitrarily.
Still, in my case, I will be recognized for winning the Battle of Jungfrau and making the arbitrary decision to retreat, which was the best. I don’t know about receiving a promotion or a territory.
I could have decorated my career by being awarded the Golden Laurel Wreath, one of the Empire’s most honorable decorations.
Because when you suffer a major defeat like this, you need a hero to cover up the sense of loss and despair. The choice to push back the unit alone is absolutely not a wrong idea.
However, in the present case, the whole story is different because if you retreat alone, you will be leaving behind His Highness the Crown Prince.
“Gentlemen. Before conveying the situation in earnest and expressing my thoughts, I would like to say something first. I, Peter Yeager, have now faced the worst crisis since I began my military service. The situation is so hopeless. If we follow the principle, we must abandon all heavy baggage and return to the mainland of the empire as of the current time. But we cannot step back. “Everyone knows the reason very well.”
All the officers, including Anya, did not reply even a word.
He just clenched his teeth and hit the innocent desk hard as if he was angry, and responded by nodding his head.
“Therefore, the 7th Division of our Imperial Army will rest well today and tomorrow and then move to Liechtenstein Castle, where it is scheduled to join His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
Although I have received great favor from His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the Crown Prince has made a huge mistake as Commander-in-Chief.
It pains me that not only I but the officers here and the entire division had to be put to death in order to share the cost of that mistake.
If you choose to run away or show passive behavior to save them, the guilt will extend to their families.
It is unreasonable and absurd, but it is the military law of the empire and the duty that must be observed as a subject of the empire.
Socrates said nonsense that bad laws are laws and must be obeyed, but I feel bad for trying to force that on my subordinates, including myself.
When I finished speaking, one of the officers asked.
“Since the Count of Bern betrayed us, it is highly likely that His Highness the Crown Prince and other troops have already suffered an unexpected attack. Then, Your Majesty and the other division commanders would have noticed that the situation was not going well, and although others may not know, Your Majesty must survive, so… Your Majesty may have already deserted. “In that situation, isn’t there a need for the 7th Division to go to Liechtenstein?”
The question you just asked is very logical and makes sense.
So, if this is a country that can easily mobilize a large military force, such as the Francois Republic or the Principality of Czechia.
Like the question raised by that guy, it is highly likely that they did not simply launch an unexpected large-scale attack on our 7th division, but also used a similar strategy on the other 6 divisions.
However, Switzerland is a mountainous country and has a small population, so the number of soldiers that can be mobilized is limited.
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In order to kill or capture His Highness, the goal they have been preparing for for several years, it is advantageous to bring him as much as possible into the duchy.
Until the Principality of Switzerland first eliminated a man named Major General Peter Jaeger, who seemed to be the most disruptive element in eliminating His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, dropping the morale of the Imperial Army to the lowest level.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and other divisions will never suffer great harm.
“The reason the Principality of Switzerland targeted our division was to obtain the head of Peter Jaeger, the youngest general of the empire, and to lower the morale and power of the 50,000 imperial troops who came to conquer Switzerland. And what they really want is to capture His Royal Highness the Crown Prince alive and claim a huge amount of territory from the empire. Therefore, in order to achieve their strategic goal, they must draw Your Majesty and the other five divisions deep into the Principality.”
According to the original plan, the 7th Division should have been annihilated and I should have been captured or killed here.
Anyway, Major General Peter Jaeger, who they should have dealt with first, was alive and well, and the 7th Division defeated all of Count Ticino’s 9,000 soldiers with only minor damage.
So now, I guess I should give some encouraging words to raise their morale.
No, if we cannot turn the atmosphere around and raise morale here, the division will be in danger, and in the worst case, the entire expeditionary force, including His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and myself, may be annihilated.
Even if you are cornered, if your morale is good, there is a way to survive, but if your morale is low, you will lose even a winnable battle.
“However, Count Ticino should have annihilated us here thanks to your soldiers’ actions, according to their intentions. He led his annihilated troops and ran away like a rat curling its tail. The 7th Division, including me, is safe with almost no loss of combat power. So, the plan they set up has already collapsed from the beginning.”
When I said this, a lot of the tense atmosphere that had been around just now was relieved.
“I feel a little embarrassed because I feel like I keep bragging about myself… But who am I to command you? “If you know, please talk about it.”
As I spoke, Anya stood up and spoke as if she was proud.
“Savior of the Rhineland Front. A hero who ended the Czechavian front with a split-second decision. Furthermore, he personally cut off the Khan’s head and saved Anastasia Kergit and the people of the North. He is the one who turned the crisis that threatened the empire’s borders into an opportunity to expand the empire’s territory. In recognition of his abilities, he is the first division commander in the history of the empire to command a division before he turns 30.”
It may be embarrassing, but just one achievement mentioned here is enough for an average academy graduate to easily be promoted to director.
Accomplishing a series of achievements on this scale seems like I’m being too boastful, boasting that my abilities are truly genius.
Isn’t this enough to tell anyone that they can call me a master general of the Reich Empire?
And the army commanded by masters has made the impossible possible regardless of time and place.
Is that why? The officers who heard my achievements once again looked as if they had regained their courage even in a hopeless situation.
“Long live the division commander! After all, this is a life where you die at least once. “I will risk my life!”
“As a nobleman of the empire and as a man, I was always ready to give up my life for the empire! Now let me show you in action.”
“I will sacrifice my life for the empire.”
When the officers’ morale was high, I wondered what kind of reward I could promise them if they succeeded.
Once we have succeeded in rescuing His Highness the Crown Prince from danger, wouldn’t it be possible to receive not only all kinds of rewards and special promotions, but also knighthoods and fiefdoms if all the officers here are good?
But even if I were to save His Highness the Crown Prince, it would be difficult for me to get promoted even if I somehow received territory and medals.
Because I am one of the high-ranking members of this expedition, I am in a position to take responsibility for the failure of this expedition.
A major general commands about 8,000 men, but when he becomes a lieutenant general, his influence increases to the extent that he commands a corps of about 20,000 to 30,000 men or serves as the second-in-command of a large army of more than 50,000 men.
But I am only 26 years old. There’s no way promotion is easy.
After gathering my thoughts, I slammed the desk and said,
“Good. Then I swear before you. If you can safely rescue His Highness and return, I will personally petition His Majesty the Emperor to give you all promotions, the Cross of the Knight’s Sword, titles, and even fiefdom. If you become a major general, you have the privilege of a private audience, so if you force yourself, His Majesty will probably listen. So from now until His Royal Highness leaves Switzerland safely… Entrust his entire life to me!”