187 – Invasion of Austria (3)
A month later, the Reich Imperial Army’s barracks.
“Lieutenant General Jaeger, I always feel good when I see you. Who else but you could have come up with this idea of accumulating military supplies in the southeastern part of the empire and pretending to invade Czechvia, but actually attacking western Austria?”
“That’s too much praise. “I just did my job.”
“I wish I could brag a little more. “If you’re so humble, wouldn’t most of the imperial army’s generals be idiots who can’t even feed one person?”
The reason His Royal Highness is in such a good mood right now is because the expedition is progressing very smoothly.
While we are currently occupying the western part of the Grand Duchy beyond Innsbruck, we have not encountered a single proper resistance.
However, the size of the acquired territory is about the size of 1.5 Duchys of the empire, so it is strange not to laugh.
Furthermore, according to the information sent by the scouts, there is no great danger until we reach our destination, the vicinity of Linz…
Once a week, including the generals, after completing the day’s march, they were allowed to invite military merchants near the border area of the empire and hold a feast.
“Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Long live your Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Reich Reich!”
“Alcohol, alcohol is involved! All the way, all the way in!”
“You need to drink some water. If you keep drinking, you’ll get sick.”
In order to maintain discipline in the military, it would be best to prohibit such loosening and playing as much as possible, but no matter how strict training I introduced and implemented throughout the military.
If you keep control all the time during an expedition lasting several months, your soldiers’ morale, stamina, and will to fight will fall to the ground.
Of course, such an army is bound to become weak, so releasing it occasionally like that is actually a great help in actual battle.
“Even if you participate in this fun activity, no one will say anything. Even on a day like this, all I can do is have a drink with the soldiers. “Not some kind of monk.”
“So you didn’t get married and have children?”
“The members of the Knights Templar that existed 400 years ago would have been more faithful to their desires than you. Wow, that’s terrible. It’s terrible. “There is still a week left before we encounter the enemy.”
At first glance, His Highness the Crown Prince’s words may sound like he is criticizing me, but in reality, his words are filled with tremendous trust and good will.
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“If I prepare hard, my winning rate goes up. Also, the number of soldiers who can return home safely will increase.”
“Thanks to you, I am also forced to lead a celibate life. By the way, there seems to be some new information about the army of the Grand Duchy of Austria. What is it?”
“Yes, we succeeded in finding their specific size and location.”
Hearing those words, His Royal Highness immediately changed the playful expression he had been wearing up until now to a serious mode and prepared to listen.
Looking at that, I bowed my head and apologized first.
“The army of the Grand Duchy of Austria is concentrated near the city of Linz. The size of the assembled army is approximately 180,000, which is much larger than I expected. “We apologize for reporting an unexpected situation.”
His Royal Highness heard what I said and realized that the situation was not good for the imperial army. He tried to get angry about this sh*tty situation, but held back.
And then you understand that unless I am God, I cannot control all the variables of the Austrian military.
After sighing loudly, I gulped down the beer in front of me and asked.
“Damn it, but what can I do. Since you are only human, you wouldn’t have been able to predict variables like this. But isn’t there just one important thing? “Can I win or not?”
110,000 Imperial troops and 180,000 Austrian troops.
Although the enemy army is approximately 1.6 Times larger in numbers, when looking back on numerous wars, this difference in forces can be easily reversed with the ability of the commander.
Furthermore, our entire imperial army is a corps that is well ahead of its time, subject to formal training and thorough control based on reasonable military laws.
Even if we face the Austrian army, which is simply strong and outnumbered, we have a good chance of winning.
“Being certain of victory is a foolish action that can weaken your troops. “If we consider whether there is a chance of winning after calculating all the variables… The odds of winning are good, Your Majesty.”
Hearing those words, His Royal Highness showed a satisfied smile on his face, perhaps thanks to the trust he and I had built over the years.
In order to give more confidence in victory to this person who has placed infinite trust in me, I decided to bring up a story of past memories.
“Your Highness, do you remember the first time I went to war with you in Visocia?”
“At that time, your father-in-law was a lieutenant general and the second-in-command. “At that time, you did more than I thought.”
“Thanks to His Majesty’s support, I was given the opportunity to be active. And what allowed me to demonstrate outstanding combat skills. “Because the soldiers under my command were strong.”
If I wanted to add my pride here, I might say something like this.
‘A flock of sheep led by one lion is stronger than a flock of lions led by one sheep.’
But that’s not what’s important right now; it’s to give you confidence by letting you know how strong Your Majesty’s army is.
“On the first day of the Battle of Visocia, the unit I led defeated an infantry battalion and a cavalry battalion attacking from the side with only infantry.”
It can be said that the defeat of one infantry battalion was simply because the unit was strong.
However, it is of great significance that the infantry, who were routinely beaten by knights, defeated the knight battalion approaching from the flank, even though it numbered only 40.
Because our current infantry is at a level where, if the commander comes to his senses, he can win even if the enemy knights attack from the side.
There is no need to mobilize knights to keep enemy knights in check, so you can use all of your knights to wipe out the infantry that makes up the majority of the enemy army.
“This was only possible because I strongly trained my soldiers and thoroughly controlled them according to strict discipline. “In fact, the impact of things like the commander’s capabilities and the soldiers’ actual combat experience was not that great.”
In fact, the fact that I was good at conducting also had a big impact.
However, at that time, most of the soldiers under my command were essentially new recruits with no combat experience.
As I said, it is true that the power of discipline based on training and principles really played a big role.
“And the 110,000 imperial troops that Your Majesty led this time have all completed the training received by the subordinates of the Jaeger Battalion at the time. Therefore, one soldier in the army led by His Majesty can easily defeat ten enemy soldiers.”
If another general had spoken, His Majesty the Crown Prince would have regarded my words as mere encouragement to cheer him up.
But just as bullsh*t can be accepted as plausible if it is said by a major professor.
If I tell you that I have overturned impossible situations several times, it will be taken for granted.
“So, our expeditionary force has a good chance of victory. Please believe me, Your Majesty.”
Hearing those words, His Highness the Crown Prince laughed like crazy and said.
“I was worried for no reason. “Yes, I am standing on the battlefield with you, so what can I not do?”
“Yes, and as the commander of the 7th Guards Division, I also plan to do my best to avoid tarnishing the name of Her Highness Princess Louise. “My soldiers will be prepared to do the same.”
When I mentioned His Highness the Fourth Princess, His Royal Highness made a meaningful expression and spoke.
“Louise, who admires the knights and princesses in chivalric literature, will be overjoyed when she hears what you just said. “I’m planning on sending her letter along with the expedition report tomorrow, but I’ll have to send it to Louise saying you said this.”
It’s nice to see that the two of them are very close, even though they are like siblings and are prone to fighting, especially politically.
“That’s right. Is there something you would like me to do for you? “Even if I leave general military command to you, I must also act like a commander to cover up the stigma.”
After hearing that, I thought for a moment and then said.
“I will borrow some of the Royal Guard, His Highness the Crown Prince’s armor, and the flag to raise the morale of the soldiers when they stand on the battlefield.”
His Majesty smiled and said.
“If I lose this time, my political career as a member of the royal family will be completely over. The same goes for you too. So, I will lead the SS and personally stand on the front line. “If you are prepared to die and fight, won’t you find a way to survive?”
**
And when 15 days had passed, as expected, we encountered the enemy army on the Linz Plain.
The number was also as expected: 180,000.
There is still work left for both armies to set up camps to start the war.
Our soldiers were depressed when they saw that the enemy was 63% more numerous than us, and when the King saw that, he quietly raised the flag and advanced.
“Do not be afraid! We will definitely win. They are just a ragtag group of people who outnumber us. Haven’t we worked hard to become strong soldiers? From now on, the drops of sweat we shed will return as drops of the enemy’s blood. “From now on, we will scout the enemy lines and enter into a strategy meeting.”