366 – Bastion Battle (2)
When the young boy stepped forward to fight, all eyes around him focused on him.
I also looked at it with interest, and I’m still not sure if it was the boy’s trick or a prepared hero, but what was certain was that the boy’s eyes showed a determination to die.
For a moment, I couldn’t take my eyes off the look in his eyes that reminded me of myself when I first stood on the Rhineland front, but here I decided to test this boy a little to stimulate everyone’s will to go to war.
“Okay, brave boy. “May I ask how old you are?”
The guy who asked me a question answered with fighting spirit.
“I’m 15 years old.”
Hearing those words, I waved my hand and said.
“You are still young. The Imperial Army does not conscript men under the age of 18. So, it is difficult to fight at the risk of your life on the front lines, but could you take care of rear support to assist them instead?”
The old woman, who appeared to be the boy’s grandmother, looked downcast when told to fight in the rear instead of the front.
The guy in front of me spoke vigorously while pounding his chest, as if his fighting spirit had already begun to burn.
“Thank you for your consideration. But I want to fight on the front lines. Please allow me, even if I die fighting, I want to fight as hard as I can to protect my parents and grandparents who raised me.”
“Courage and courage are different things. Even if you can avoid death, why do you want to take the risk? “Think about it carefully.”
When I said these words, there were conflicting emotions mixed in.
One was a wish that the nameless boy in front of me would ignite a fighting spirit and ignite everyone’s will to participate in the war, and the other was a wish that this boy, who was one year older than Friedrich, would survive.
Anyway, this brave boy looked me straight in the eyes and said,
“My brother, who was killed while serving with the 7th Guards Division on the Austrian Front, said this. ‘There is no one who is not afraid of death. However, the reason I was able to fight until the end on Richen Hill was because I trusted Director Jaeger, and because I was afraid of losing and running away without being able to do anything, which was scarier than death.’ So, like my brother, I was also afraid and running away without being able to do anything was worse than death. I will be scared. No matter how much I think about it, even though I am young, I do not have the confidence to live under the weight of being a coward. “I want to fight with faith in Captain Jaeger, who has always been a winner.”
The desperate determination shown by the 15-year-old boy seemed to gradually move the hearts of the refugees, who had until recently been full of determination to flee and survive, toward participating in the war.
In addition to the wind catchers I had deliberately placed, even those who had been clamoring for help to evacuate have now become quiet.
I decided to give the lead role to this boy and gave him a signal to continue speaking.
After receiving the signal, the boy slowly turned back in place and looked at the others around him one by one.
“Everyone, think about it. If this castle is breached and Marshal Jaeger is not there, do you really think you will continue to run away and survive with your loved ones? Now you can evacuate with your family, but as the evacuation continues, at some point you may end up running away alone and alone. Are you going to regret it then?”
Looking at his clothes, I thought he was from a decent family, if not noble, but from what he said, it seemed like he had studied a lot.
He probably would have applied to the academy if the war hadn’t broken out this time.
“Now you have a choice. Will you protect your family by following the enemy who never abandons the soldiers under his command and risks his life to fight together, no matter what the situation? Or will I regret losing my family and wail after everything goes wrong?”
If I and the other officers spoke strongly like this, it would only arouse opposition from the refugees, but if it were the words of a refugee boy who was running away with them, it would be a different story.
Since these are words spoken by a boy in the same situation as them, there will be people who feel ashamed of their actions of trying to run away.
As the boy said, there is no guarantee that you will survive even if you run away, so some people will think that it is better to stay and fight.
“So, I will fight with faith in the enemy who my older brother trusted and followed until the end. What would you do? Are you going to run away helplessly like this and hit the ground later and end up regretting it, or are you going to grab the spear and fight to the end and win?”
…… No matter how much he studied to enter the academy, seeing him deliver such a captivating speech makes me think he has the potential to become a great officer in the future.
While I was thinking that, one of the refugees answered in a loud voice.
“f*ck, kid, you’re right. A million-strong army is attacking you. If you run away, how far will you have to go to survive? “There is no guarantee that you will survive even if you evacuate.”
After that, the other guys continued to answer.
“That is correct. Even if we evacuate, there is no guarantee that we will survive, right? In that case, let’s fight to the death with Marshal Jaeger and protect this castle.”
“According to the story of those who fought with the Marshal in Lichen, all those who fought there, regardless of whether they were alive or dead, received money and land and were freed from the status of serfs, so they all lived well. Who knows, maybe we’ll be like those guys too?”
“Rather than give up and die like this, let’s fight tenaciously with a do-or-die mentality!”
As the courageous boy’s speech ignited fire in everyone’s hearts, the courage spread to everyone, starting with the men among the refugees.
Looking at that scene, I thought of these words.
‘Just as fear is contagious and erodes everyone’s spirit, one person’s courage spreads to everyone like fire and gives them the strength to live again.’
And I called a boy to top this performance.
“Brave boy, no, what is your honorable name?”
“This is Karl, the younger brother of Sergeant Pilsner of the 7th Guards Division.”
“Sergeant Pilsner, he was a truly brave warrior and loyal subordinate. And his younger brother grew up just as well as his older brother.”
“It is an honor.”
I pulled out a dagger with the Marquis Jaeger family crest engraved on it from my waist and handed it to him.
“This is a token of the expectations I give you, Boy Carol, or Ensign.”
I called him a so-called lieutenant, but that doesn’t mean I will send him to the front lines.
However, about 30 child soldiers of similar age will be organized into a second-line reserve unit, and a trustworthy non-commissioned officer will be assigned to provide actual command of the platoon.
If you do that, you can lower the risk of death to some extent, give him a chance to be active, and raise the morale of your allies.
That way, the refugees here will see exciting rewards and a chance to change their status and forget their fear of death.
“Bring the uniform and sword to bestow on this honorable boy.”
A soldier listened to my words and brought a spare uniform with a diamond attached to it and an officer-only sword.
If it were an ordinary officer, he would have brought a sword to the battlefield, but since he was not a lieutenant and was not a lieutenant, there was no way he would bring something like a new uniform to the battlefield. This is more than enough…
Furthermore, what I am appointing you now is to give you a temporary rank with the authority of a wartime commander, so when the war is over and you are officially commissioned in recognition of your achievements, you will receive the conquest at that time.
Putting aside such trivial thoughts, I handed Carol the livery and sword and said,
“Instead of ordering you to fight an unreasonable or difficult fight, I will make a strict declaration. His Majesty, the Emperor of the Reich Empire, and I, his representative, will never treat you carelessly as you risk your lives on this difficult path. Those who have made even small achievements will definitely be rewarded, and those who have made great achievements will be generously bestowed titles and estates by His Majesty.”
When I mentioned the ‘opportunity to rid myself of poverty’ to those who had just escaped from the prison of fear, everyone’s eyes began to sparkle.
Then he raised one hand up and started shouting.
“Long live Marshal Jaeger, long live His Majesty the Emperor, long live the Reich Empire!”
“Yeah, f*ck. “If this has happened, let’s protect our family and change our fortune!”
“To protect my family!”
After the atmosphere was settled, I gave orders to them.
“Put all the food you have back into the castle warehouse! “After we put all the food in, we will organize all of you civilians into an army and fight together.”
So, I divided the civilians into two groups: those who could fight on the battlefield and those who could not. After assigning a mission to each, I prepared for battle.
After about a month, this castle was filled with about 53,000 troops, including civilians and soldiers…
The Allied forces, including Warsaw, led a large army of 360,000 men and surrounded this castle, as if they desperately wanted to take my head.
They brought out all their soldiers and surrounded the castle in an orderly manner, intending to lower our morale.
As more than 300,000 people stamped their feet to the beat, the ground felt like it was shaking, a huge noise was created, and a large amount of dust rose up, creating an intimidating feeling…
None of our soldiers, who had already made up their minds, wavered.
“To save our families and to protect our hometown, let us use all our strength to protect this castle!”