275 – Don’t be bluff, Grand Duke! (1)
Gryfino Castle, conference room.
Although we succeeded in completely destroying the Warsaw Navy, the war for our Reich Imperial Army is not yet over.
This is a phrase that can only be found at the end of a boy’s cartoon with motifs of friendship, courage, and success, but there is no other word that can better describe the current situation of our military.
The Imperial Army succeeded in completely defeating the evil Warsaw army and navy one after another.
But it does not stop there and the war continues to expand the results of the war.
After the naval battle, I divided the imperial army into divisions and ordered them to attack other castles near the western coastal area.
And they are gradually increasing the number of castles by surrounding them and forcing them to surrender by putting pressure on them to open the gates.
In normal times, if you surround the castle with one division’s troops and open the gate to put pressure on it, it will not work very well, but when you scare the enemy with an overwhelming victory like now, it works like a sword.
Just then, an ensign came in with an urgent knock on the door, knelt down on one knee and reported.
“Reporting to the commander! The 19th Division under Major General Stern took over Byshkov Castle, and the 34th Division under Lieutenant General Mülk took over Lublin Castle.”
With this, we have already succeeded in unconditionally surrendering 12 castles since winning the Battle of Griffino.
I said, following the custom, handing one gold coin to the second lieutenant who had worked hard to come here.
“You worked hard. “What tactics did you use when you surrounded the castle?”
“Major General Stern and Lieutenant General Mülk both surrounded the castle and made this threat. ‘If you don’t surrender, Captain Peter Yeager himself will come! ‘Surrender before the battering ram knocks on the gate.’ When he said this, they said he could not hold out for a week and opened the gate.”
All of the castles that the lieutenant just mentioned have a city population of 15,000, and if you include the surrounding population, close to 50,000 people live there.
If they hold out by relying on the walls and mobilize the people, only one division will be able to stop them somehow, so those who surrendered look like idiots and cowards.
This happened not because the mayor and lords of that castle were cowards, but because the army and navy of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw were dusted off by me.
Because of that, when the mayors judged, even if the one division in front of them was somehow able to block it by relying on the walls and mobilizing the people, it would not be the Duchy of Warsaw’s army that would support them, but the infamous Captain Jaeger, who was siege. Since it was obvious that they would bring weights, they probably decided that this was a fight that could not be fought, so they opened the castle gate right away.
“If you have to rush back and have no news to share, then take a rest today and then return.”
“Yes, thank you!”
At the same time as he said that, the ensign couldn’t hide his smile that he had made a fortune, so he quickly opened the door and went out.
“Well, when I was that age, I had to control my facial expression if I smiled in front of the captain for receiving 1 gold, because I was afraid he would get scared.”
After grumbling like that, I looked at the map of the Europa continent again and began to think about how much I could rip off from the Grand Duchy of Warsaw during peace negotiations.
As I was lost in thought, time seemed to pass faster than I thought.
The sound of a bell being shaken by Charlotte was heard from outside.
This is a signal that it is time for His Majesty the Grand Duke of Warsaw to arrive soon.
When I came to my senses after hearing the sound, I quickly called the officers and soldiers on duty and ordered them to bring tea and cookies for His Highness the Archduke of Warsaw and his entourage.
Since we have won an overwhelming victory, we could have frightened His Majesty the Archduke by conveying the message, ‘We are neither conscious of you nor afraid of you,’ by not treating him honestly.
It is etiquette for the winner to be generous to the loser, so that should be respected.
If I didn’t do that, I might be called in by His Excellency the Foreign Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the war and hear all kinds of criticism and nagging.
When we finished preparing for the reception, there was a knock on the door, the door opened, and a loud voice was heard.
“Your Highness, Archduke Stefan von Batory, the rightful Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw! “Everyone, please be polite!”
As soon as I heard the sound, I got down on one knee and bowed my head as a courtesy, and His Royal Highness Archduke Stefan came and stopped in front of me.
Then he spoke with a benevolent smile as if he were my emperor.
“Raise your head, Count Peter von Jaeger, no, Captain. “I’ve always heard rumors that you’re very young, but you look like you’re only in your mid-20s.”
“I just turned 30. “I am still young and have many shortcomings, so please understand even if I appear somewhat rude during these negotiations.”
“They say I always like young people who are full of spirit. Now, take my hand and stand up.”
I thought as I stood up holding his hand.
There is not even the slightest chance that that bastard has any interest in me, so I think he is planning to show at least a thread of dignity by showing a cheerful and generous side to the Warsaw entourage around him.
From a political and strategic point of view, I think it is a fairly good tactic.
Anyway, he lost almost the entire navy and the entire army was cut off, so it’s only 5 minutes before the start of the war, but if he shows a somewhat relaxed appearance, there are some idiots among his subordinates who make this mistake.
‘Oh, our Highness the Grand Duke is a true leader who does not lose his dignity even in a crisis like this! ‘I must be loyal.’
Even if you don’t think so, if you show a relaxed appearance, you can suppress the anxiety of the generals and nobles under him to some extent.
But that is the position of the Grand Duke of Warsaw, and it is unacceptable to me, who has to tear that man to pieces and step on him.
“Captain Jaeger, then please sit comfortably.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
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And while the Grand Duke of Warsaw was eating the tea and cookies I had prepared, he continued to look relaxed, not seeming like he was a man who had lost everything in defeat in battle.
From stories such as where the tea leaves for the black tea came from and who baked the cookies, and what he ate today, he looks forward to what will be served at the dinner banquet.
There are many beautiful women in Warsaw, and people even said they wanted to see what the Reich Empire was like and see my martial arts skills in person.
That gentleman must have been upset because he lost, but when I saw him bragging like that, I thought he was a terrible politician.
No, because he was capable of such harsh acting, he would have ascended to the position of Archduke, and he would have been able to stab me in the back by submitting a letter of application for participation in the war from the Kingdom of Stockholm to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Reich Empire at an amazing time.
“Then we will now begin negotiations in earnest, Your Highness.”
“Ah, the time has already come. Okay, everyone, let’s go out.”
At those words, only a few of the knights guarding the Archduke and the commander guard guarding me remained and remained in silence.
“The demands of the Reich Empire are the cession of the entire coastal area of Warsaw and the Duchy of Königsburg, compensation of 300,000 gold, and an official letter of apology for arbitrarily sending reinforcements in the battle against the Kingdom of Stockholm.”
Even in my opinion, the composure disappeared from Archduke Bathory’s face at the somewhat harsh request.
However, he seemed to think that I would take advantage of him if he got angry or impatient, so he twitched the corner of his mouth and showed that he was barely able to control his anger.
“It seems like a nonsensical condition, especially the cession of the Duchy of Königsburg… It’s nothing more than bullsh*t. “Even though they won a landslide victory against us.”
“Doesn’t the Duchy of Königsburg already belong to His Highness Dorephan, the Archduke’s successor? Moreover, the Duchy of Königsburg is a small country with a small population.”
“…… How shameless of you to try to destroy the principality with just one war. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. “Please discuss realistic conditions with your excellent advisors.”
After saying that, the Archduke actually stood up and tried to leave.
In normal times, this would be a situation where we would naturally have to stop it, but now it is a situation that is becoming more advantageous to our allies as time passes.
As of now, there is no harm in prolonging the war for the imperial army, so I did not arrest the Archduke who was leaving to express my intention to go.
When Archduke Stephen grabbed the doorknob to go out, he heard someone knocking.
When the Grand Duke heard that, he spoke with an expression of displeasure.
“Come in. “I don’t know what purpose they came here for, but the Reich Imperial Army doesn’t know how to read the atmosphere.”
“I will severely discipline you later.”
At those words, Stefan was curious about what the messenger would say, so instead of sitting down, he stood in place and waited.
Actually, in order to suppress the momentum, I came in the middle of the meeting and called a messenger to report which places the generals under my command had occupied.
Seeing that his face turned white with fear when he heard that I would be imposing severe punishment, it seems that he was not a messenger who came to act.
“Report.”
The messenger spoke with his eyes tightly closed, as if he thought he was dead.
“The archer brigade under Brigadier General Anastasia von Kergit has surrounded and captured Koszalin Castle! It is said that the enemy surrendered immediately after being surrounded.”
Thanks to Anya, the Archduke of Warsaw had a shocked expression on his face, as if he was about to bite his tongue, and his body began to sway, unable to overcome the mental shock.
I think it’s finally possible to have a proper conversation between winners and losers.