238 – Double the favor, multiply the enemies 100 times (2)
His Majesty listened to me and asked in a voice full of curiosity.
“What method are you trying to use? “If that’s what you want to do, I won’t spare any support.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. “The operation I am planning to undertake is nothing more than an attempt to plunder the coast of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw before a full-scale war.”
“Plunder? If you do something like plunder before a full-fledged war begins, if you’re unlucky, you might get fired. “I learned a lesson from the past, when you were fighting against the Francois Republic, you played the card called dismissal very well, and the internal situation of the republic became very messed up.”
The trump card I used in the past when I tore the François Republic to pieces that could not even be called tatters was ‘excommunication’.
The Francois Republic has still not recovered from the aftermath, and it is said that a few months ago, a hard-liner count belonging to the republic’s parliament was assassinated at the instigation of moderates.
As His Majesty, who directly participated in the entire process of instantly destroying the republic, which was fine until the excommunication, it was a tactic that he had no choice but to be wary of.
Nowadays, we have a trick that is not a trick that can be used as an indulgence, so there is no problem at all.
“As Your Majesty said, recklessly plundering an enemy country while not at war is subject to dismissal, but please think carefully. Now the Reich Empire and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw are at war. “It’s just that the army I command defeated the allied forces in Stockholm and Warsaw and entered a lull in which they might negotiate an end to the war.”
As I said, Warsaw and the Reich Empire are only temporarily suspending the war.
If you look at things like boxing, taekwondo, or fencing, you are just watching to see when the opponent will attack, but the game is still in progress.
So, if I suddenly take a boat and burn down their coastal villages and come back, it won’t be a problem.
“Furthermore, didn’t the Stockholm bastards viciously declare war in accordance with the laws established by the Church a few days after the Reich Empire dispatched an expeditionary force to the Kingdom of Stockholm? Thanks to this, the Reich Empire General Staff was able to know that Warsaw was entering the war before the two armies clashed, but when we were dealing with the Stockholm Kingdom Army…”
“Yes, we who were in the imperial capital were able to know all the circumstances. You and the army under your command could not know anything, and because of that, you suffered a great crisis. “It’s not against the law, but you wouldn’t have thought that a man named Grand Duke would do such a cowardly thing.”
When I found out, I tried to pretend to be calm, but when 50,000 reinforcements from Warsaw showed up, without exaggeration, the sky looked yellow.
Because 110,000 vs. 150,000 Is a battle worth fighting, but when it becomes 110,000 vs. 200,000, The battle becomes a really difficult battle.
It was a despicable thing that the Kingdom of Stockholm, who eats fermented herring, and the Warsaw, who have a slightly better civilization than the barbarians, would do.
So, wouldn’t it be an act of justice that even Deus would approve of completely wiping out the coastal village where the people who did such a thing live?
No, even though I am not a sincere believer in the Deus religion, I am sure Deus will approve.
“So what’s wrong with taking a boat and plundering the coast to repay the despicable things they did?”
“There is nothing wrong with what you said. “I think it is actually advisable to teach them a lesson before engaging in a full-scale battle with the bastards who messed with the empire.”
“It is an honor, Your Majesty. “Then, I will explain my plan in detail.”
I took a deep breath and slowly opened my mouth.
“First of all, what we plan to mobilize for this plundering operation are the empire’s navy, merchants, and northern archer cavalry. The navy and merchants will be responsible for transporting northern archer cavalry and supplies directly involved in plundering operations, and will be used in naval battles when encountered with the Warsaw navy.”
“I guess you’re planning to bring northerners and wreak havoc on the coastal areas of the Kingdom of Warsaw.”
“Yes, that’s right. “Northerners can march at nearly three times the speed of knights on horseback in times of emergency, which is a great help in plundering enemy territory.”
When plundering with a small unit, the most important thing is to run away without being caught by the enemy’s large army.
If you don’t get caught, you can easily plunder dozens of villages and return with just a few dozen people.
Whether it is dozens or thousands of people, if they are caught by a large enemy army, they will most likely be completely annihilated.
Genghis Khan of Mongolia knew this principle very well, so he organized his entire army around light cavalry and was able to plunder at an overwhelming speed.
As a commander leading the northerners, it is my duty to follow suit.
“Also, the Empire needs a lot of ships, so I will try to get some from His Highness the Archduke of Warsaw’s port. I think it is appropriate to do this to show the generosity of His Majesty the Reich Emperor.”
Whether it is ancient, medieval, or modern, ships are truly unimaginably expensive items.
Because, of course, to build one ship, it is necessary to cut down dozens of huge trees such as pine and oak that have grown for more than 30 to 50 years.
It takes 2 years to dry wood to process it into a state that can be used on a ship, and at least 1 to 2 months to build one ship at a shipyard.
Of course, when drying wood, there are times when hundreds of pieces of wood are dried at once, and when making wood, it is not uncommon to work on several pieces, or at most dozens of pieces, at a time.
As far as I know, the budget for building a 500-ton ship that can accommodate about 150 people is over 2,000 gold, so it is an extremely expensive and rare item.
“I wish I could get at least a dozen ships. Now that I have ascended to the throne of emperor, I will provide you with a generous amount of troops for your operations. I will give you 40 battleships, 2,000 marines, and 4,000 northern archers belonging to the navy. Is this enough? Or do we need more?”
“That’s enough. If there is a naval battle, the northern archers will also have to fight on ships. “I hope you give the archers time to train the basics of naval warfare.”
“I will dispatch 4,000 new soldiers who were warriors from northern tribes to coastal cities in the newly acquired region. “On paper, you will look like a regular Marine, so the enemy will have to get information to know you are a Marine.”
As His Majesty said, unless they go into training and look at it in detail, the information that a spy sent from the Grand Duchy of Warsaw can confirm is limited to documents.
“Well, it’s been a while since you were appointed captain… so it’s a good thing. He should take on the role of overall commander in charge of managing the newly expanded northern territory. He will create a new position as captain, and he will take good care of the northerners there.”
…… The person northerners respect the most in the current empire is His Majesty the Emperor, who allowed them to eat every day without starving.
The second one would be me, who personally killed Ludvik, so I am the best person to stabilize the North, which is in chaos due to the newly acquired.
But I have to go to a cold place again. Look at me.
“I will follow your orders, Your Majesty. Then, next spring, when they are off guard, we will lead ships and go down all at once to attack the enemy.”
“When you return, capture as many enemy ships as possible.”
When I said this and was about to leave, His Majesty looked at me and smiled brightly.
“Oh, the younger brother of one of your wives, Charlotte, graduated from the academy in December of this year. So, I am planning to give the position to the 1st Battalion of the Knights Guards so that they can understand the military group in the rear. “What do you think?”
Even among nobles who graduated from the academy, if your father is less than a baron, you cannot enter the Knights of the Guard even if you have excellent grades.
Because serving the emperor at close range is a tremendous experience in itself, and anyone who graduates from the academy wants to start their career as an officer there.
However, Charlotte’s younger brother is scheduled to graduate in third place at the academy, so even if he is placed there, it cannot be said that he was given special treatment in his position…
After about 10 years of military service, I think that it is best for junior officers to roll on difficult front lines where there is a lot to learn.
Because his grades are good, there is no problem on paper even if he works directly under me.
“Please place me under my command. “I want to work hard like we used to do in the Rhineland and turn each officer into an officer who does his or her share.”
“This is the first time in my life that I have seen someone refuse to be assigned to the Royal Guard.”
“I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness, but I want to show him a wider world.”
“……Your executioner Max is now ready to be promoted to colonel, so I will send him under your command.”
So, I took on the role of ‘Northern Military Commander’ once again.
The difference is that now there are 4 stars and we have to manage the North, which is nearly twice as wide.