196 – Lieutenant General Jaeger, beloved by His Majesty the Emperor (1)
And over the course of a month, I took sick leave due to ‘injury in battle.’
It may seem bad that he is taking vacation even though he has never been to the front line, as if he is someone who is cheating while everyone else is busy and dying.
There were very few generals, including His Highness the Crown Prince, who thought badly of me taking leave like this.
This was largely due to the fact that I was the actual commander who led this battle to victory, but there was a reason why I had no choice but to do so…
“Master, wake up. “It’s time for breakfast.”
When I opened my eyes at those words, I saw Laura wearing an apron, making porridge and bringing it to me, who had to ‘fake sick’ and pretend to be sick.
“Go ahead and eat. “When you’re sick, you need to eat regular meals, even if they’re light.”
“You know I’m not really hurt or sick.”
“As a wife, it’s nice to see you being cared for by me like this sometimes. “It always seems like I’m being pampered cutely instead of just seeing how talented I am…”
After saying that, Laura sat down on the chair Charlotte had brought next to my camp bed and put porridge in my mouth.
Sure enough, although it looked like porridge on the outside, it was full of all kinds of meat and grains, so it was a heavy food that should never be given to a truly sick patient.
Still, acting out here for no reason is much better than just eating the light porridge I ate for nearly a month after the battle at Richen Hill.
“Anyway, Laura, how are the peace negotiations being concluded by His Highness the Crown Prince going? “Only if it goes well will I be able to get out of bed.”
As I said, the reason I am taking sick leave now is because I don’t want to show off any more than leading the battle to victory as a ‘deputy commander.’
If I say it this way, it may be a bit difficult to understand.
Currently, His Highness the Crown Prince is working with major generals, brigadier generals, and staff officers lower in rank than me to find a negotiation plan that is beneficial to the empire.
If I, the protagonist of the victory in this battle, get involved, the Crown Prince’s right to speak will be suppressed to some extent by me.
Then, of course, there is a concern that some of the results achieved by His Highness the Crown Prince in the peace negotiations will belong to me.
However, as a deputy commander, I must participate in the peace negotiations, so in a sense, I am resting like this after taking the most normal ‘sick leave’.
“I think you’ll be able to wake up in the next few days. “After listening to the story, it seemed like we could take over a large chunk of territory in western Austria.”
“If possible, the northern part would be better, but the plains are wide in the western part, so it wouldn’t be bad.”
“I did a great job this time, so I can get promoted, right?”
It would be difficult for me, the deputy commander, to be promoted as I had reached the rank of lieutenant general and my age was holding me back, but in return, the Chief of Staff would be generous in accepting Laura’s promotion.
As we were talking like that, Charlotte approached me cautiously and said.
“Sir, your wife, Major Max, has come to visit you.”
At those words, Laura stood up with a regretful expression.
“I’ll just leave then. And Colonel Anya suffered a lot during this battle, so please visit us when you get better. Deep down, I’m waiting for you to come.”
“I understand. “I’ll definitely come visit you when your injury heals.”
“I’ll come back after I finish work tonight.”
Not long after that, Brother Max sat down where Laura had been sitting.
“I was very worried because I heard you were seriously injured in battle. “But I’m glad you look healthy, Lieutenant General.”
“Why are you like this between us, brother? “It’s just me and Charlotte here, so just call me sister-in-law.”
“If my brother-in-law says so, so be it. “Thanks to you, I came back from hell alive this time.”
Brother Max said that as he handed me a fairly large box.
“This is a gift to see you in the hospital. I’m giving it to you in advance because I think you’ll have a hard time at night now that the war is over. Anise fruit, walnuts, figs, and almonds. You and your wife are both officers, so I don’t know when we’ll see our second child. “Because it’s good to be intense at night.”
In Korea, even if your brother-in-law were to say something like this and give you food that is good for your stamina, you might feel bad about it.
The entire continent of Europa, including the Reich Empire, is a town ruled by real men.
So, of course, in a world that places great importance on a man’s stamina and marital relationship, this is a compliment that can be accepted without any hesitation.
But for someone who says such nice things, I don’t know why, but he looks like he’s genuinely worried about me. I guess it’s just his mood.
“Thank you, brother.”
From noble mtl dot com
“If it wasn’t for my brother-in-law, I wouldn’t have been able to properly pick up the honor that fell to the ground. “Of course we have to do this.”
“I just gave it a chance. But didn’t you perform better than I expected this time?”
To be honest, there was only one role I expected from Max.
All I had to do was successfully fulfill my role as a double agent, spreading rumors to the Archduke of Austria that a detachment of about 50,000 people was on the move.
However, my brother predicted what kind of operation I would plan and execute, and made me take the irrational step of deploying all of my reserve forces from the beginning when engaging the Archduke of Austria.
I don’t know what you thought when you left the Austrian Grand Air Force, but you disguised yourself as an officer’s messenger and issued a retreat order, completely breaking the enemy’s will to resist.
Thanks to this, the number of our troops’ casualties decreased by a thousand, with a slight exaggeration, and the number of enemy casualties increased by several thousand, without any exaggeration.
When I said that, my brother looked embarrassed and said.
“When I failed badly during the expedition to Switzerland and was demoted to one position, I was not given a proper position. So, for a month or two, I just went to work on time, wasted time, read novels, and drank quietly at night. “Because I feel sad about my life.”
“Is that so…”
“But my 8-year-old son came and said that. ‘Dad, he was always cool when he came home, but these days he doesn’t look as cool as he used to. “Is it because you’re having a hard time?’ He said that and saved up his pocket money to buy a bunch of snacks that I often bought him.”
My brother said that in a slightly sad way.
“Otto said that when he has a hard time, eating snacks helps him feel better, so he hopes his dad does the same. So I quietly cried and munched on it, and since I had no proper position or mission anyway, I studied the war records and textbooks you had left behind. Then, I could see that it would be best to move like that.”
Surprisingly, the most important, but really difficult thing to do after becoming an officer is studying.
Because I’m so busy with work, and the older I get, the harder my brain becomes like stone, and it’s driving me crazy to try to add new military doctrines and strategies.
However, as the saying goes, ‘Pain that does not kill me only makes me stronger,’ an officer who continues to study will soon be reborn as a competent officer.
Because when work and new knowledge come together, the effect is greater than imagined.
Maybe that’s why, among all the soldiers I know who are captain or higher, Captain Patton is the only one who doesn’t study military doctrine for more than two hours every day.
Well, instead of studying, Captain Patton wore armor and trained for a 5km canter and a mock battle with active knights even after he was over 60.
“So, when I return after this war, I plan to at least fit my son with the children’s armor he asked me to buy. “He wanted to be an officer just like me, so I’m sure he would like it.”
“I’m sure you’ll like it. By the way, did you know that I was writing a personnel evaluation even while I was on sick leave?”
“…… I know that very well. Thanks to this, the Chief of Staff said he was happy that his workload had decreased.”
Having said that, I called Charlotte and had her take out a document from my drawer.
“This is my brother’s recommendation letter. Promoted to lieutenant colonel and commander of the 3rd battalion of the Reichburg Imperial Palace Guard. As for the medal, I will use my strength and as promised, I will receive the Bronze Knight’s Sword medal. In addition, if the Chief of Staff evaluates you well, you will receive at least one Baronial Order. So, please give your son a proper sword to go with his armor.”
Hearing those words, my brother held me and expressed his gratitude for about 30 minutes.
Then, as he was leaving, he spoke as if he was paying attention, although I don’t know why.
“My brother-in-law is a really nice person. So it seems that both men and women are captivated. That’s why he gave me that aphrodisiac. “I’ll send you more when you get better.”
…… It’s good to be loved by people regardless of gender, but why do I get goosebumps when I hear those words?