356 – Direction of the Empire Army (2)
“Before that, may I tell you what I think the current situation of the Empire is?”
The emperor nodded his head in agreement with my words.
“The current Reich Empire has grown incomparably compared to 17 years ago when Your Majesty and I first met. In recent years, the Duchy of Venetia and its associated principalities have acquired vast territories and peoples, as well as merchants and trade routes that generate enormous wealth. The empire is always protected by reliable and powerful soldiers who can be called elites who made all of this possible. The empire has now become a strong country that neighboring countries both envy and fear. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”
“That’s right. Actually, I can’t say this in front of other ministers or nobles, but I know very well that all of this is thanks to you. If it weren’t for the master named Peter Jaeger, I would have become an idiot who couldn’t even own the Weinberg castle and lived like a half-assed fifth brother, inheriting the family of some marquis. “The empire would have ended up as a slightly stronger country on the continent of Europa.”
His Majesty looked at me with regretful eyes, like an old man reminiscing about the path he had walked before me.
Actually, His Majesty is said to be in his mid to late 40s, so he has a lot of life ahead of him, but in order to ascend to the position of emperor, he had to go through tremendous adversity and must have lived in agony.
When he looks back on his life, he cannot help but feel many things.
“The empire has overcome crises and has steadily grown stronger. And I think the current Reich Empire is at a crossroads.”
“A crossroads? What kind of crossroads are you talking about? Are you trying to say that the empire is also at the crossroads of life and death, like the popular saying these days, ‘To be or not to be alive?’?”
“Yes, either achieve hegemony or fall. “I think there are only two options.”
When the emperor heard the words hegemony, he smiled brightly, but when he heard the words downfall, he immediately showed a very bad mood.
However, since I did not say anything groundless, I thought I would just push through with evil, like His Excellency Kaitel, the Minister of Military Affairs.
I added to the person who was looking upset.
“According to what I learned as a student at the Imperial Academy and as a professor at the General Staff College, the continent of Europa has a beautiful tradition. Is there any country seeking hegemony on the continent? “Hold hands for everyone…”
When the emperor heard those words, he sighed, touched his forehead, and said.
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“Gather an army and crush them so they can never rise again. But do you think the empire has already grown to the point where it can aim for hegemony? “The Prime Minister and Minister of Military Affairs say there is still a long way to go.”
That statement is not wrong. In order for an empire to become the hegemony of the continent, its territory and population must be increased by more than 1.5 Times its current size, and it must become a powerful country with a population of about 70 million and a large territory.
Currently, the population of our empire is only about 45 million, and in terms of food production, which is a measure of national power in this era, it is falling behind the Francois Republic.
So, as your Majesty said, there is quite a sense that it is not enough to aim for the position of hegemony, but there is some sarcasm in those words.
Just as one’s worth is determined by how others evaluate oneself rather than one’s own evaluation, the question of whether the Reich Empire will become a hegemon depends on how the surrounding countries view the Reich Empire. It’s more important.
“No matter what other countries think of us or not, shouldn’t the empire follow its path?”
“It is true that the Reich Empire follows the path of the Reich Empire, but other countries are independent countries with sovereignty and are capable of autonomous judgment and action. And they will come to tread upon the Empire, uniting to defend themselves based on that freedom. To destroy the Reich Empire before it grows too large and threatens his own safety.”
When the emperor heard me, he paused for a moment, lost in thought, and closed his eyes.
Now that you need time to digest and understand my argument, I also need to think about what words I should use to continue the conversation.
“Well, even in social circles, it doesn’t matter what people think of me. It would be like that. Okay. Do you have any countermeasures in mind?”
“First of all, a large-scale war will soon break out, so the Chief of Staff and the corps deployed to each region must prepare for an all-out war.”
Total war, an extreme situation where the nation’s capabilities are literally invested solely in the war to continue the fight.
In a different world without things like gunpowder, railroads, trains, and large ships, it is impossible to gather supplies from all regions to the limit due to transportation problems.
Therefore, everyone from the nobility to the people was squeezed to prepare the materials and personnel needed for battle.
It was the first time I had used the word ‘total war’ on the continent of Europa, but His Majesty’s expression immediately hardened, perhaps because he understood the meaning of the word through his political sense.
“This is something that gives me goosebumps just hearing it. “When you say we will mobilize all our might, doesn’t that mean we will focus all of the nation’s capabilities on defeating the enemy?”
“Yes. If I were to make an analogy, I think you could think of it as the entire Reich Empire going into a defensive state to protect the castle called the Empire.”
Usually, when you think of total war, you think of a man with a mustache who invades the enemy country by squeezing out the country’s capabilities, but how could the Reich Empire, which does not have a proper modern transportation system, transport all the required rear supplies to the enemy country?
Due to limitations in transportation capacity, it is impossible to wage an all-out war in another country.
However, when fighting within the empire, it is possible to gather and use materials to the limit.
Therefore, the only all-out war that can be implemented in the current situation is a defensive form that prevents external invasion, and the limit is a defensive war that protects the entire empire like a castle.
The emperor must have imagined that the empire was going through an all-out war that I mentioned, and he showed signs of skin growing on his skin.
“It gives me goosebumps.”
“Of course, if we announce this situation in advance and prepare for it, the morale of the people and nobles will fall too early. Therefore, it would be a good idea to thoroughly prepare each corps with the goal of strengthening training. Anyway, we have a very good system called reserve force training.”
In the Empire, reserve force training has become a routine exercise regardless of whether there is a war or not, so gradually increasing the frequency and intensity of training will not lead to the thought that we are preparing for an all-out war.
The nobles will probably notice to some extent, but in order to protect their honor and courage, they will most likely choose to keep their mouths shut and prepare quietly.
“If that’s the case, why not make new weapons just because the current soldiers’ equipment is a bit outdated? Those in poor condition are melted down and made new, and those in poor condition are stored separately in the castle as reserve equipment. “I think increasing the number of weapons and armor you have in that way will be helpful in many ways.”
I have never participated in reserve force training in Korea, but it is said that when I go there, I often see old weapons such as carbines and M16s that are not still used by the Korean military.
While replacing equipment, there are some idiots who think it would be more economical to issue old weapons for training purposes rather than discarding them…
Well, the imperial army is not completely free of such tendencies, so Class A weapons are issued to soldiers fighting on the front lines or standing guard.
B~C class weapons are to be used by reserve forces, so if we take measures like that, we can increase the number of weapons while minimizing the impression that we are preparing for war.
“That is a wise decision, Your Majesty. And I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“Please send me to the United Kingdom of Britannia. I will persuade Brian, the lord and king of that place, and make sure that even if an all-out war breaks out, Francois will not even dare to invade the empire. “I will step in and make Britannia and Francois fight each other.”
When the emperor heard me, he nodded and asked.
“The intention itself is very desirable. But the United Kingdom probably doesn’t want to go to war with Francois. “Are you confident that you can persuade them?”
The empire is in a crisis, and it would be foolish not to use a method that we can use in advance just because ‘it will be difficult in some way.’
So, whether you are confident or not, you should give it a try and see.
“Don’t worry, I, Peter Yeager, will do something.”
His Majesty placed both hands on my shoulders and said.
“You have never once failed my expectations. So, I expect success this time too.”