349 – Standing at the Top (1)
Reich Empire Conference Room.
All the subjects, including the emperor, who received the report on the results of this expedition just laughed.
The emperor believed that since Captain Jaeger had stepped forward, he would do a great job this time too, but when he came across a report listing his performance that far exceeded his expectations, he was so happy that he couldn’t help but laugh.
The ministers were dumbfounded by the ridiculous level of their majors and were laughing in a state of liberation.
“Now then, let’s start talking about the people who participated in this Philolence rescue operation. “A document summarizing the whereabouts of each general-level official…”
As he began to speak like that, the Minister of Military Affairs cautiously opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, what needs to be dealt with now before anything else is how to deal with the Venetian Union and the Milanian Union. “It may be a little late to reward and punish, but since you never know when the situation may change, you need to act quickly.”
The Prime Minister and other ministers felt that the Minister of Military Affairs had poured cold water on the good atmosphere, but there was nothing wrong with what he said.
Pedhering in the arts and crafts is important, but now that you have the momentum, you must firmly step on Beneta and Milania so there will be no regrets.
Emperor Michael was also a person who valued reason over emotions, so he sighed and opened the document, then folded it again.
“The Minister of Military Affairs is right. Then, how do you think the Minister of Military Affairs should deal with the Veneta Union and the Milan Union?”
Minister of Military Affairs Kaitel got up from his seat and headed to the front of the conference room to give a signal, and servants came in holding a huge bulletin board in their hands.
Once the bulletin board was installed, he stood in front of it and started explaining while pointing with his baton.
“First, let me reveal the Chief of Staff’s opinion on how to deal with the Veneta Coalition.”
“So be it.”
“General Peter Jaeger destroyed the Principality of Veneta, the main axis of the Venetian Union, through this expedition, so he sent imperial troops to the territory where the Principality of Veneta was located and the territory ceded to the principalities belonging to the Venetian Union, and temporarily placed a governor there. “You have to manage it.”
“It is a place where the occupation has been completely completed, and unlike the north, it is a very prosperous area economically. Would it be okay to entrust the military and administrative authority of such a place to a single individual?”
This is because if a person holds a position where they can wield both administrative and military power, they will rebel and become independent if they want to.
Therefore, places with a proper administrative network and governance system are reluctant to create such positions.
Following the emperor’s words, his ministers also expressed such opinions, but Keitel continued to say what he wanted to say.
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“The ceded territory borders the remnants of the Venetian Union, the Grand Duchy of Austria, and the Duchy of Switzerland. So, before the empire’s ruling power can be fully demonstrated, they may try to occupy the newly acquired lands that the empire has poorly defended and governed. Considering that, it is necessary to take the risk of treason, which is only a low probability, and deploy a strong general who will exercise both military and administrative authority and prevent enemy invasion.”
“After listening to it, I think the purpose of the remarks made by the Minister of Military Affairs is correct. Can you tell me what the safety measures are to prevent unexpected situations and how long that system should be maintained?”
“Wouldn’t it be enough as a safety measure to have your wife and children stay in another place in the empire while you are away? In addition, you should limit the term of office of the governor to about two years and maintain this system only until you can properly recruit troops from the newly occupied land.”
Even if they feel like starting a rebellion, most of the officers give up as soon as reason warns them that the lives of their wives and children are at stake.
The most important duty of a nobleman is to pass on the generations, and since the relationship was concluded through an arranged marriage, his parents may not know her wife, but they value their children as much as gold and jade.
In addition, with a two-year term, it is almost impossible for even a decent general, or even a rare hero, to completely control the army he commands and instigate a rebellion within that time.
The minimum punishment for a mutiny is to blow off the heads of all the wives and children, even those who simply participated, but a commander who has been in office for only two years cannot have that much control over the hearts of all troops under his command.
“In addition, I think it would be a good idea to request the island of Ajaccio and the entire city of Genobia from the Milan Alliance, and request 450,000 gold as compensation.”
“Does the Minister of Military Affairs think that we should not attack the Milan Union further? “It seems to me that if we send another large army to Milania, which lost its main force to the imperial army, we can achieve a great victory.”
Kaitel sighed after hearing those words.
Because he wanted to do as the emperor said, but the current strategic situation was not that good.
“Captain Jaeger destroyed the Principality of Veneta, the main axis of the Venetian Union, and annihilated 80,000 soldiers of the Milan Allied Forces, so it is true that the Empire has the upper hand from a strategic perspective. However, the Empire lost as many as 60,000 troops in this war and needs time to absorb its newly acquired territory. “Your Majesty, please remember the Imperial Army’s motto.”
There are many maxims of the Imperial Army, but there was only one that could be used in this situation.
‘A pig that eats too much will burst and die. The same goes for the country.’
The emperor who hired Peter Yeager was greedy and had a hot-tempered personality, but he was not an incompetent or unnecessarily stubborn leader.
“Until now, I have never once failed to listen to the words of the Minister of Military Affairs. I’ll try to believe it. Then, the Chief of Staff will select an appropriate general to appoint the governor who will manage the lands acquired from the Duchy of Veneta and the Venetian Union, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will personally handle the peace negotiations.”
After saying that and discussing the schedule for peace negotiations with the appropriate governor, Michael held out a bundle of documents as if he had been waiting and spoke.
“Then let’s start the actual business of selling rice cakes. Normally, we evaluate the commander’s achievements first, but in the case of Captain Peter Yeager, there are many things to discuss. “Let’s quickly decide on those who have made achievements that are in the second or third place and move on.”
In the case of Captain Peter Yeager, the promotion to ‘marshal’ was at stake, so opinions could differ in many ways, so the emperor postponed it, and the subjects also agreed with that opinion.
“According to the report sent by General Peter Jaeger, there was a request to pay attention to Major General Laura as the second-ranking meritorious officer, Major General Anastasia and Brigadier General Werner as third-ranking officers, and a major named Randel separately.”
Everyone here had briefly read the majors for this year’s Non-Public Achievement Competition, so no one had any complaints about the second and third place winners.
It was unexpected to everyone that Major Naburaengi appeared in the prize for meritorious work without even having cut off the enemy commander’s head.
“No, I understand everything else. “I don’t understand why a single major is on the list.”
“Instead of Secretary General, please read carefully. During the siege of Veneta Castle, didn’t you climb the walls for the first time and cut off the heads of three general-level officers, even if you didn’t know the enemy commander? “After that, I fought hard and I think I cut down 15 people by myself.”
“Isn’t it true that Captain Jaeger sometimes makes personnel recommendations that are self-interested? Looking at his bio, it said that he was the protagonist who wrote a touching story during the Battle of Richen Hill. As a result, it seems like they think very specially about it.”
When the Emperor heard those words, he remembered what he had heard before when he was talking with Peter Yeager about the Emperor’s election.
‘Even commoners and lower-ranking nobles must be given the expectation that they can change their status in the military if they make achievements, so that they can become emperor with the support of the people.’
And it is remembered that thanks to doing as he said, the Emperor received a considerable number of votes from the poor viscounts and barons in the Imperial Diet, beating out other competitors.
He expanded on that by giving commoners confidence that they can succeed through the military and rise to high positions.
‘In the future, the empire will engage in countless wars with many countries seeking hegemony. To do so, we must give motivation not only to nobles but also to commoners to risk their lives in war. In that sense, Major Randel will be a good example.’
Michael stood up and spoke as if making a declaration.
“In honor of the second meritorious person, Major General Laura von Venner, for her exploits on the Plains of Brito and her fighting efforts at Castle Veneta, we award the Golden Knight’s Sword, Viscounty of Altran, Viscounty of Trito, and a reward of 30,000 gold. “Major General Kergit, the third meritorious person, is awarded the Golden Cross of Swords, two Viscounts, and a reward of 10,000 gold. Brigadier General Werner is awarded the Silver Knight’s Sword, the title of Viscount, one Viscount, and a reward of 10,000 gold.”
This was what everyone had expected up to this point, so when the presentation was over, everyone showed their approval with applause.
“Then, Major Randel is awarded the Bronze Knight’s Sword in recognition of his outstanding achievements from Richen Hill to here as a mere serf. In addition, he is entitled to enter the General Staff College and is granted a pension of 1,400 gold each year and a bounty of 2,000 gold in lieu of fiefdom. “Then, let’s begin Captain Peter Jaeger’s argument in earnest.”
It felt like the award to Major Randel was passed along in a snatch manner, but since the ministers’ main interest was in General Jaeger’s promotion to marshal, it was passed over without opposition.