181 – Preparations for the invasion of Austria (1)
Reichburg, the capital of the Empire, in front of the door of the Crown Prince’s office.
I am often called to His Majesty’s office, or even His Majesty’s office, so I can get used to it, but I can’t help but feel nervous every time I am called by really high-ranking people.
So, as I was going into my head and trying to figure out what to talk about first, the butler next to me spoke.
“Your Majesty, Lieutenant General Peter Yeager has arrived.”
At the same time, the door opened and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked a little disappointed, although he did not know why.
I thought there might be a mistake or something wrong that I didn’t know about, so I raised my level of tension a notch and expressed my respect.
“Welcome back, Lieutenant General Jaeger. “And you, please stay back and prevent anyone else from accessing this room.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The butler next to me quickly left the room and closed the door, and His Highness placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke a little regretfully.
“I understand that you are busy with official duties, but please come visit more often from now on. I know you don’t like alcohol very much, but sometimes it’s just a matter of personal business, so come and talk. Next time, please bring your sons Friedrich and Lieutenant Colonel Laura with you.”
After naming the child Friedrich, His Royal Highness often took care of the child.
Immediately after giving birth to Laura, she said she had to take good care of herself, so she sent her the highest quality ingredients supplied to the imperial palace. She even sent toys, a stroller, and a baby crib, saying that since she named the baby, she had an obligation to take good care of it.
In addition, he personally visited the child’s first birthday party held in the islands and presented an expensive dagger that showed off his craftsmanship. He also said that he would like to make him a servant to the Crown Prince (the Crown Prince’s first son) when he reaches the appropriate age.
But you must not be mistaken. There are more than 10 families besides us that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince takes care of in this way.
“If it is okay with you next month, I will bring Laura and Friedrich.”
“Be sure to do so. “What kind of relationship are we?”
“Thank you. “I will not forget your grace.”
Her Majesty nodded and spoke as if she was very satisfied with those words.
“Also, please send Louise often letters containing the current status of the 7th Division and your daily life. “That child really cares about the 7th Guards Division that bears his name.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Then, I will write a letter tomorrow and let you know what I am up to.”
“No, I will extend your vacation by another day under my authority. “You go find it yourself.”
Then, Her Majesty the Crown Prince made a meaningful expression and answered.
“That child really cares about the 7th Guards Division you lead. For ordinary royal family members, he only lends his name, but he is different. “He wants to know more about the 7th Guards Division, so much so that he takes the time to read books on military science.”
According to the laws of the empire, there is a provision that women can enlist as officers or soldiers as long as they have no defects in physical strength, knowledge, or learning ability.
It is a caste-based society, and there is a tendency for women to be reluctant to go to the military, so most noble daughters have no interest, let alone knowledge, in military studies.
Nevertheless, the daughters of the Reich Empire admire the wonderful images of the knights from the bard’s poetry.
So, I knew that Her Royal Highness seemed to be paying special attention to us, but I thought she was just a princess who admired the stories of common knights.
“As the division commander of the 7th Guards Division, I would be happy to go and talk to you if you wish.”
“I’m just saying this just in case, but don’t take Lieutenant Colonel Laura or Colonel Kergit with you just because you’re being considerate.”
“Yes, I understand. I never expected that Her Majesty the Princess would want me to come alone. “Your Majesty says so, so I will follow.”
I think Her Majesty Louise would be much more comfortable dealing with fellow women Anya and Laura than me, but she is interested in military studies and even reads books, so I guess she would like to meet me in person as a former professor at the Staff College.
“I would like to chat more, but we will do that next month when we have time. “The reason I called you today is because I received important information from the intelligence department a few days ago.”
If there is something worthy of the Crown Prince calling me, would it be about the majors who were working as spies whom she dispatched to Austria?
Or are you going to talk about military reform or how they are preparing for war?
Are you trying to tell me everything I was thinking about?
“According to an investigation by the Austrian Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Intelligence, I heard that five people, including Matthias, have now been safely commissioned as officers in the Austrian army.”
“It seems like they are carrying out their duties well. “If this happens, the expedition to the Grand Duchy of Austria will go a little better.”
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“You will be even more surprised if you listen to the story to the end. “They were commissioned a year ago, but Martius has already been promoted to captain.”
It seems that the fact that I stepped on my pride and the Crown Prince soothed me was effective.
No matter how many of them are majors and have carried top-level secrets with them, it is not easy to get promoted quickly in Austria without the shackles of being kicked out of the family during a dishonorable campaign.
“According to the guy who collected this information for the Intelligence Department, I heard that he is quite trusted even among Austrian officers.”
“I guess that means he is acting that harshly. “It seems like he did something martial arts.”
“For participating in the battle between the Grand Duchy of Austria and the Grand Duchy of Czechia. He fought without sparing his life and was lucky enough to cut off the head of the commander of the Czech Via Regiment. “I also heard that whenever the story of the Reich Empire comes up, they grind their teeth and prepare to take revenge.”
After saying that, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and I laughed.
Because the double agents, including Matthias, pretend to hate the Empire as much as possible, and the more they sacrifice themselves for Austria, the more they sacrifice themselves.
If the Grand Duchy of Austria is hit in the back, the shock it will receive will be much greater.
“hahahaha, it was even worse when I heard what the head of the intelligence department said. According to reports from the staff of the Austrian Intelligence Director, they pose a great danger to the Empire and have immediately requested permission to assassinate them. “They even completely fooled our allies, so the Archduke of Austria would have no idea that they would betray us.”
“If I bring him back later, instead of giving him the position of battalion commander, I will give him experience as an instructor and temporarily dispatch him to the Intelligence Department to teach intelligence warfare.”
“That’s a good idea. “The average ability of the Imperial Intelligence Department will increase significantly.”
I didn’t say anything out of consideration for the feelings of His Majesty the Crown Prince, who cherishes them, but I told His Majesty and my 5-star father-in-law about 5 surefire ways to find out if the 5 guys betrayed them.
So even if the five double agents, including Martius, try to prey on us, we will not suffer the reverse.
An operation to prepare for the worst case scenario has already been established and approved.
“Also, according to a report from the Intelligence Department, I heard that the Austrian side confirmed that all of the Imperial Army’s second-class secrets carried by the Mathias guys were true. So, from now on, they will end up making futile attempts instead of making proper preparations.”
“Yes, by the time Your Majesty and I lead the expeditionary force, the imperial army’s doctrine of battle, tactics, and strategy will have completely changed.”
“I understand why the son of the Archduke of Switzerland used a double agent. If he plants a few good spies, he can fool his enemies endlessly. Most of all, he feels good just imagining people being fooled like that. Isn’t that right, Lieutenant General Jaeger?”
There is an old Korean saying that the most fun thing in the world is to cross the river to see Buddhist temples, and I agree with that.
It is not my business that someone else’s house, or even the enemy’s house, is burning, and since the fire is happening across the river, there is no harm to us.
So, it’s fun just thinking about it, and it’ll be even more fun if you go and see it in person.
I nodded quietly at those words.
“So how are the preparations going? No, the strategy must have been properly established.”
It was as if all the paving stones had been laid by the time those five majors were dispatched, but now there was just one more move left.
And that is….
“As you know, the Crown Prince, my older brother, Major Max, somehow managed to avoid getting divorced and has been placed on standby for a year without a job.”
When he heard those words, His Majesty’s expression darkened a little, but…
“Now, through Major Max, I am sending out a rumor that our empire is planning to attack the Duchy of Luxenia. And my brother secretly finds out that Major Mathias and others are doing well by surrendering, and I plan to have him play an opportunist who is trying to seize the opportunity just in case.”
It may seem foolish to add another double agent to a situation where there is already a double agent.
Those five people have performed well and are trusted in the truest sense of the word, so your brother will be easily accepted as well.
“I’m really looking forward to it.”