185 – Invasion of Austria (1)
You could say it was natural, but my expectations were exactly correct.
Because only the minimum number of troops to maintain security were stationed in western Austria, our expeditionary force was able to occupy the western territories without much resistance.
Meanwhile, the soldiers stationed in western Austria attempted to escape in order to somehow survive or to inform the Archduke of Austria that we had invaded.
Because the cavalry of the northern nomads led by Anya moved ahead of our main force and killed or captured almost all those who were running away.
It would inevitably take a long time for the Archduke of Austria, who went a long way to support the Czechs, to be informed that we were already occupying the western part of Austria.
It may be the best situation for the Reich Imperial Army, but for the Archduke of Austria, it would be a truly terrible situation to even imagine.
As I was lost in thought, the door to my barracks opened and I saw a familiar face.
“Lieutenant General, did you find it?”
“Oh, brother, are you here? “Please sit comfortably.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I called out to Charlotte with a wave of my hand.
“Charlotte, please bring me some warm soup with cheese, biscuits, and jamon (raw ham). “Plenty of it.”
“Yes, master. “Do you need some wine?”
“Please ask for a large bottle of Strasbourg wine, along with a glass of wine.”
I don’t drink much during the war, except when there are banquets, but the only exception is when I ask a subordinate for a difficult favor.
“Oh, and brother, when you are alone with me, just call me comfortably. “Aren’t you and me close?”
“Is that okay?”
“After all, you’re not in my direct unit, right?”
As I said, the position given to you this time is that of an administrative staff member under the Chief of Staff.
He was mostly stuck in a corner of his room with nothing to do, but because he was forcibly reassigned to his post during this war, he is being ignored by the second lieutenants and lieutenants under him.
So, you have to treat me well to survive, otherwise I think you will really cry.
“Then let’s do it. “Anyway, I don’t know if I can enjoy such luxury in a soup full of cheese and jamon on the battlefield.”
“I’m eating with my brother, and we’re currently moving along the southern border of the empire, so this is okay. “If you want, I can even grill you a beef steak.”
“The desire to eat is like a chimney, so I’ll just have to hold back for a little while.”
Like this, I had a short chat with my brother, who was in such a pitiful situation, about how delicious the alcohol and meat eaten on the battlefield were.
“Master, I have brought you the food you mentioned. “Then I will leave.”
“Okay, thank you. Charlotte, if you want to eat something, tell the supply officer and get the ingredients to make it. “If Lieutenant General Yeager tells you to take it, he will make it easier for you.”
“Thank you, master.”
Charlotte is not a soldier, but she is a civilian who followed me to the battlefield, so I should accommodate her as much as possible when I can.
If that child doesn’t take care of his body properly, there will be no one to take care of me, so I could be in danger.
“You are quite loved even by your exclusive maid. “I see you treat me well.”
“I try to treat my subordinates as well as possible. “Particularly, if you look at the length of time we spend together with Charlotte, we’ve been together longer than Laura.”
When I heard that, my brother asked with a strange expression on his face.
“So, what business did you call me for, brother-in-law? “As far as I know, the only times you drink on the battlefield are during banquets and when you are entrusting important missions to your subordinates.”
“Okay, brother. Then, let me ask you directly. “Are you prepared to risk your life for the lottery?”
After hearing that, my older brother had a serious expression on his face and nodded his head.
“I know that it is all my fault that I am in this situation. But to put it bluntly, if you look at me now, living is not living. It’s better to die. I didn’t lose my rank like Martius or the others, but I lived for a year and a half without a job and only wasting my salary. Now, I work under the Chief of Staff, but even the mandarin fish blatantly ignores me. What’s even funnier is that the lieutenant colonel, who knew this, just ignored the dire situation. “Is this how people live?”
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“You must be going through a lot of hardship.”
“Don’t even talk. Don’t even talk. So, even if they ask me to put my neck on the line, I’m willing to do anything for the chance to win the lottery.”
I think I have enough determination… Then, since I am my father-in-law’s adoptive son and heir to the Benner family, I guess I can give him a real chance.
Unlike Martyrs and the other four majors, this person has a wife and children that he must protect.
Moreover, unlike other people who have arranged marriages, he is said to be on good terms with his wife, and I know that he is very attached to his wife.
So, even out of consideration for your wife and children, you will not stab the empire and me in the back.
Then I handed over the documents contained in the envelope I placed on my field office desk.
“Read it, brother. “Once this matter is completed, here is a list of awards that I will recommend to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
My brother carefully took the envelope I gave him as if he were offering it to him and read the contents written inside it several times.
“Restitution of honor, return of confiscated property, reward money. 1St rank special promotion and the Knight’s Sword Cross? These are the things that can save me and my wife and children from hell. No, isn’t it a reward that completely covers up all the dishonor?”
“If you carry out the mission I give you and win this war, it will pass immediately. No, if you achieve even a little more results than what I suggested, I will use my authority to raise your medal to the Bronze Knight’s Cross of Swords.”
“Of course it has to be done, brother-in-law. “What on earth are you trying to tell me to do?”
Hearing those words, I made a signal with my hand to bring my ear closer and whispered.
“Before that, are you still trusted by Matthias and the four others? “If there seems to be any suspicion whatsoever, it will be difficult to carry out this operation.”
“In the letter I received through Matthias, a knighthood certificate with the seal of the Archduke of Ostarica has already been issued to me. “I received the original document a few weeks ago, and checked it with Imperial Intelligence to find that it was real.”
“Good. Well then, I know it’s an unreasonable request. “You must desert right now and go to where the Archduke of Ostarica’s army is.”
My brother looked very embarrassed, perhaps because the conversation seemed like it went back and forth too much.
So I decided to explain in more detail and continued.
“The story has gone too far. First of all, it appears that the four men including Major Matthias, who were dispatched to the Austrian camp as double agents, would have betrayed them given the circumstances of the war.”
The betrayal mentioned here also includes being caught and having no choice but to leak information.
“Otherwise, there is no reason for 130,000 Osta Rican soldiers to be stationed around the city of Linz. “Everyone knows that the imperial army is attacking Czechia, but there is no way they would have signed a mutual defense treaty that could cause the Archduke of Ostarica to suffer losses.”
“There is certainly no need to accept crazy proposals like mutual defense in Osta Rica’s situation.”
“Well, thanks to that, things went a lot better for us. Thanks to this, there are too few soldiers stationed in Innsbruck, so I think we will be able to occupy a much larger area of land than we had aimed for.”
Thanks to this, the morale of the soldiers is now at its peak, and it seems like we can further achieve our goals as long as we win the war.
“But the only remaining problem is that they lead an army of 130,000 men, and we don’t know when they will send additional reinforcements.”
“That’s not true, brother-in-law…”
“So, I will give you a piece of horse, so please tell me that the imperial army is crossing Innsbruck and heading east. Additionally, please believe that the Imperial Army has established a plan to rob empty houses in northern Austria as well. Then they won’t be able to conscript or reinforce more troops to stop us.”
My brother nodded his head in acceptance and I smiled and said,
“Eat your fill with me today, and at 4:30 a.M. Tomorrow, desert with only beef jerky and biscuits. You will have to take off all your armor, get on a horse, and run away as quickly as you can.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
“No, the colonel will lead the Northern cavalry and pretend to chase after you with all his might. If you are caught, I will save your life… But I will leave it to your imagination what kind of interrogation you will be subjected to in the meantime. For your information, the Northern Archer Cavalry often uses barbaric interrogation methods because they are effective.”
One day, the Northern Archer Cavalry was interrogating a girl’s rapist and murderer, and wow…
The man who arbitrarily raped and killed the woman was not even human, and the sight of her pulling out all of her fingernails one by one and breaking each of her fingers with a hammer was truly horrific.
Well, since the report will be sent to me before the interrogation progresses to that point, it will end with your brother getting hit with a few sticks.
For the operation to be successful, we need to make them run away because they are genuinely scared, so let’s just pretend not to notice.
And at 4:30 a.M. The next day, Major Max von Benner ran away on horseback.
He said that everyone could not help but be surprised by the speed.
It is said that the northern cavalry, including Anya, gave up the chase.