Chapter 202: Side (1) |
Two months later, in the office and meeting room of the Northern Army commander.
When I was 25, I was appointed as a regiment commander and came to plan and explain the strategy of the war, where I personally slew that scoundrel Ludwig with my sword.
Now, sitting in this chair in the commander’s office as a general, the feeling was quite peculiar.
“Master, please have some tea.”
“Thank you, Charlotte.”
“Louise has just finished moving into the official residence, completing her packing. And tonight…”
Charlotte was tonight’s designated partner, and the look she was giving me, silently pressuring for some “vigorous exercise” tonight, was quite intimidating.
However, as a man not yet 30, my pride wouldn’t allow me to admit I might not be up for it.
‘Can’t we just sleep tonight?’
After saying that, Charlotte left my office for a while.
“Chief of Staff of the Northern Army, Lieutenant Colonel Adelheid von Graham. May I enter, Commander?”
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
The man who entered, after opening the door, couldn’t hide his slight surprise upon seeing me, who was about 25 years his junior.
“Normally, I would like to offer you a cup of tea, General, but given the urgency of the situation, I’ll get straight to the point. Please read this report first.”
The contents of the report handed over by the Chief of Staff were more devoid of hope and dreams than I had imagined.
[The leader of the pro-Stockholm Kingdom faction is Chieftain Istvan, with 60 tribes under his command. Over the past two years, Chieftain Istvan has gradually increased the number of tribes loyal to him, and according to Imperial Army Intelligence, he often meets with Colonel Karphelen of Stockholm.]
I would have been a little relieved if the person he was meeting was only at the level of a colonel, but meeting with someone at the level of a colonel indicated the problem was more serious than I thought.
At this rate, Chieftain Istvan was likely making a deal to receive titles and land in exchange for defecting to the Stockholm Kingdom.
In other words, he intended to sell out the northern region of the Reich Empire, much like the infamous traitor Lee Wan-yong.
“Damn it, 60 tribes are in agreement? What is my predecessor doing? If such a situation had arisen, the Northern Army should have been mobilized to attack the Stockholm Kingdom. Have any special measures or actions been taken?”
At that, the Chief of Staff shook his head with an expression of indignation.
“I’ve only been in my position for two months, so I’m not well informed. Besides, having served as a regiment commander in the Northern Army, you should know better than to meddle recklessly in tribal affairs.”
“Indeed, intervening improperly could provoke not only Istvan but also other tribes. Then, Swedia and Stockholm could intervene, and who knows what they might do. Considering this, I’ll request to cancel any personnel measures that might disadvantage you.”
“Thank you, Commander. By the way, if you have a good solution, please let me know. If you command it, I’ll do my best, even if it means rolling on the ground.”
One of the less useful pieces of information was that 80% of the officers in the empire wearing stars were serving with less than two years left until their mandatory retirement age.
Therefore, it was only natural for them to seize any opportunity that came their way, by any means necessary.
After all, the star they wear and the rank at which they retire determine the quality of their retirement life, their social standing, and the legacy and benefits they could leave for their family.
“Leave all the documents you brought and call Lieutenant Colonel Kerzhit.”
“Understood, Commander. If there’s anything more I can help with, or if you need any support in your daily life…”
“If you were to directly take care of my convenience, it might be considered corruption. Just go.”
If the Deputy Commander of the Northern Army were to eagerly take care of the Commander’s convenience, I might witness the miracle of my official residence being transformed into an actual castle within a month.
Moreover, the North was famous for its beautiful women, and there were many female war captives turned into slaves.
It would be easy for him to divert a few of these female slaves to serve me.
However, I currently felt like my back would break just from handling four, and I wasn’t particularly eager for something like an official residence.
And there was certainly no need for me to engage in subsistence-level corruption.
“If the documents you’ve prepared are satisfactory, I’ll mention in my recommendation to the staff headquarters that Lieutenant Colonel Graham is competent. You may go now.”
As soon as I said that, the Chief of Staff quickly ran out to call Anya.
“Loyalty! For what purpose have you called me?”
“It’s just you and me here, Anya. Even though we’re working, you can address me informally.”
“Yes, General.”
When with Laura, she calls me “you,” Charlotte calls me “master,” Anya addresses me by my rank, and Louise often calls me “knight.”
Furthermore, Laura was the type to strictly observe decorum towards her superior even when we were alone during work, so I reciprocated, but Anya spoke informally right away.
“Since His Majesty sent me to the North, I thought it would be a mess here, but it’s beyond my imagination.”
“What’s the situation exactly?”
“Chieftain Istvan has gradually brought 60 tribes under his influence over time, and he’s suspected of collusion with a lieutenant colonel affiliated with the Stockholm Kingdom. If we consider the worst-case scenario, the North could be split in half.”
After hearing that, Anya pondered for a moment before speaking.
“General, as you may know, the tribes of the North are like wolves. They thoroughly submit to the strong but will bite at the neck of anyone who seems even slightly weak or vulnerable. This wasn’t just the case when we were simply one of the barbarian tribes of the North; the tendency persists even now.”
In my Northern archery cavalry, Anya, despite being a woman and thus physically less capable than men, was recognized by all for her leadership and tact.
No fool would dare mock or sneer at Anya, who held a higher rank and possessed superior abilities. However, occasionally, an Imperial Army officer with lesser martial abilities would be dispatched as a battalion, company, or platoon commander…
The competent ones would become good commanders through their leadership and will, but the mediocre ones would really have to struggle to be recognized as commanders by their subordinates.
If you scale up this tendency by a few levels…
“So, the Imperial Northern Army seems more vulnerable than Swedia or the Stockholm Kingdom just above us, right? So, Istvan is planning to betray the Empire at this opportunity to receive a title from the kingdom and improve his fortune as a noble.”
“Yes, General. The chieftains of the 60 tribes deceived by Istvan surely imagine that by surrendering as they are, they’ll receive baronial or knightly titles from the kingdom and live in luxury, much like the nobles with vast lands in the Empire.”
“From the Empire’s perspective, the cost of feeding the chieftains and their tribespeople far exceeds the taxes collected from the North. And to those chieftains who have defected, titles have been granted according to the size of their forces, and their children have been provided with the education and academy admission opportunities necessary for life as nobility.”
According to letters often sent by Charlotte’s younger brother, who passed the academy last year, he had become quite close with the son of a Northern chieftain.
Fools, they would have lived well in luxury if they had only pretended to comply with the Empire’s system, even a little.
I couldn’t understand why they would deliberately provoke discord.
“What do you think we should do, Anya?”
“The method to control order in the North is simple. Showing the power and military force of the Empire, along with the determination and strength of the Northern Army commander, can prevent major problems.”
Additionally, Anya didn’t need to explicitly say it, but dealing with Istvan and the chieftains and tribes tainted by him would also be necessary.
A history enthusiast friend of mine once said that during the Joseon Dynasty, if the Jurchens caused even the slightest harm to Koreans, an entire tribe would be sought out and eradicated.
It would be best to start by beheading the fools who intended to betray the Empire’s grace by following Istvan, then deal with the aftermath.
“This would lead to a full-scale war with the Stockholm Kingdom. I wonder if the Northern Army alone can handle it…”
“That’s uncertain. What will you do, General?”
“Now that Khan Slayer Peter Yaeger, General, has taken command of the Northern Army, we should inform all the chieftains of the North. Tell them to come to the Northern Army camp to pay their respects.”
If they didn’t come, they’d be killed; if they did, they’d be spared.
A week later, at the Istvan tribe gathering place.
Here, the chieftains of 60 tribes, including the Istvan tribe, sat with serious expressions, and someone broke the silence, saying,
“…General Peter Yaeger has arrived as the commander of the Northern Army. What should we do?”