Chapter 130: The Banquet Table Is Ready (3)
In the Lions Room inside the Imperial Palace.
This room, symbolizing the mighty dignity of the empire like a lion, was the banquet hall where the Emperor gathered military deputies and generals to discuss the next war.
Throughout the room, there were lion statues carved out of marble, various swords, and armor, and the table in the center for the banquet was prepared with a variety of foods and precious liquors.
However, only officers of the rank of field officer or higher from our brigade were present in this room, and not a single officer below the rank of captain or soldier was seated.
If I put it this way, it might seem like they were not allowed to participate in the banquet hosted by the Emperor, which might lead to the misunderstanding that His Majesty lied.
But even in a banquet directly arranged by the Emperor, there had to be differentiation in the hall, food, furniture, and atmosphere according to each individuals rank and status.
So, by now, the junior officers would be enjoying the banquet prepared by the Imperial Royal Household among themselves, and the soldiers and non-commissioned officers would also be doing the same at their respective designated places.
Lieutenant Colonel Werner, are you, by any chance, getting promoted to Colonel this time? Then you would rise to a level that even the high nobility would envy, wouldnt you?
Ah, since when has Colonel been a rank so easily attained? And I am just barely 40 years old. Compared to the distinguished nobles from the academy who are still floundering at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at 40, I have advanced quite well.
Then, Senior Battalion Commander, do you not desire the stars (higher rank)?
Oh, you. Thats harsh! When Major General Yaeger gets his fourth star, wont I at least get one?
Until His Majesty, who would soon appear to give words of praise, arrived, we couldnt touch the food and liquor according to tradition.
Lieutenant Colonel Werner was already light-hearted, carried away by the atmosphere.
Ah Anyway, although this was a place for celebration and rewards, it felt like I might also be punished. I wonder what kind of punishment it would be.
I probably wouldnt receive a punishment severe enough to mess up my military life.
Thinking about what punishment I might receive made me feel a bit anxious.
As I was pondering, the door opened, and the sound of trumpets was heard.
His Majesty, the Emperor of the Reich Empire, arrives! Everyone, show your respects!
At those words, the officers who had been chatting away until then all turned towards the door, kneeled on one knee, and bowed their heads to show respect.
In sync, the Emperor entered the Lions Room with a solemn and dignified voice, saying,
Everyone, lift your heads.
Upon hearing that and lifting our heads, it seemed the Emperor was acknowledging us for our significant contributions to this expedition.
He was not wearing the ceremonial purple cloak and golden crown I had seen several times before, but a full-body armor adorned with gold, a sword, and a baton made of pure gold.
Unlike me, who retained modern memories and thus had relatively less reverence for the Emperor, among the officers who thought of the Emperor as a messenger of God, someone was already on the verge of tears.
Especially Werner, who, already moved to tears, was biting his teeth hard to prevent himself from sobbing out loud.
The Emperor, seemingly very pleased with such a warm welcome, smiled broadly and said,
I am truly grateful and proud of your honorable fight, my knights. I am most pleased to have knights like you under my command.
Here, there were infantry officers not affiliated with the knight units and people like me who held titles higher than a knight.
Even without a title, it was customary to treat anyone of lieutenant colonel rank or higher as a knight, and since every noble, be it a baron or a duke, was a knight, his words were not incorrect.
Moreover, the Emperor appearing in armor signified not just the ruler of the empire but also the leader of all the soldiers and the commander of the knights.
Then, signaling he would not speak at length, the Emperor gestured to the Grand Marshal, who followed him to quickly announce the honors and awards.
The Grand Marshal himself unrolled the scroll and exclaimed,
Then, I will now announce the awards for the 12th Brigade who excelled in the Eastern Expedition. First, 12th Brigade Commander, Major General Peter Yaeger, step forward!
Upon hearing that, I stepped forward on behalf of everyone, knelt one knee about two steps in front of the Emperor, and the Grand Marshal began to read aloud in a loud voice.
He single-handedly established the foundation of the war strategy against the Francois Republic and led about 4,000 of his own troops in Hattin Forest to successfully repel an army of over 10,000, leading to their total annihilation. Later in the Battle of Crecy Plains, he captured the enemys commanding general and assisted Duke Benner, the plenipotentiary for peace negotiations, greatly contributing to negotiations favorable to the empire.
After saying this and taking a breath, he declared in a louder voice than before,
As such, I, Fernando von Reich, as the Emperor of the Empire, wish to reward Major General Yaegers bravery and loyalty to the empire. Therefore, I promote Major General Yaeger to one rank, appointing him as a Lieutenant General.
Simultaneously, the Emperor picked up the two-star rank insignia placed on a cushion held carefully by a page next to him.
He removed the epaulette from my shoulder and personally attached the two-star rank insignia.
There remained the reward money and estate for my achievements in the war, as well as the punishment for slaying the foolish baron.
I felt that whatever would happen, it would be less moving than what I was feeling now.
After all, Ive now become a division commander, powerful enough to move mountainssomething all officers from the Republic of Korea dream of.
I will dedicate my body and soul to the empire, albeit modestly.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor made a slightly incredulous face and said,
You are doing enough as it is, so take care of yourself while you work. A Lieutenant General is a treasure of the empire.
Then, the Grand Marshal continued to speak,
In addition to the promotion, to reward Lieutenant General Yaeger for his contributions, we grant the city of Strasbourg and its surrounding territories as his estate, along with 10,000 gold as reward money and a sword and shield engraved with the royal emblem.
Until just now, I thought nothing in this place could be more moving than the joy of receiving the two-star Lieutenant General rank, in other words, becoming a division commander.
But I was astounded by the warm grace of His Majesty the Emperor, who always pleasantly surprised beyond expectations.
And for good reason, as Strasbourg, despite its surrounding fields being devastated by the imperial armys scorched earth campaign, was still a commercial city with 30,000 people inside the walls and about 70,000, including the surrounding areas, not to mention the territories around it.
It was a vast area inhabited by over a hundred thousand people and was known as a valuable land even in the Republic.
Therefore, thanks to this, combining my current and newly received territories in Strasbourg, I now possessed economic power that rivaled even the most prestigious noble families in the empire.
Of course, the territories Id dedicated to the empire were much larger, but to be granted so much
Thanks to this, it seemed I really wouldnt have to worry about money in the future.
As I was absorbed in my emotions, the Grand Marshal declared in a stern voice,
However, Lieutenant General Yaeger, despite the clear evidence that Baron Granz attempted to rape a maiden of a Francois village during the war, you summarily executed him without handing him over to a military court due to his status as the head of a baronial family, which can be considered a rash action. Therefore, as a caution, I declare a one-month suspension, during which you are forbidden to leave the capital or engage in official duties. I expect deep reflection.
Despite saying this, from the Grand Marshal reading the decree to His Majesty the Emperor, there was no indication of expecting true repentance.
Instead, their warm smiles seemed to suggest that this was just a way to give me a comfortable rest as a celebration of my promotion.
It seemed to mean that I could do whatever I wanted for a month without interference, as long as it was not related to official military achievements.
With this, we conclude the awards for Lieutenant General Peter Yaeger. Next is Lieutenant Colonel Laura von Benner.
Normally, the Grand Marshal and His Majesty the Emperor would have just awarded me the title of Lieutenant General and left.
But they had another announcer read out the honors and awards for even the lowest-ranking lieutenant colonels present, and the Emperor personally patted their shoulders and privately encouraged those officers who performed exceptionally.
And, of course, among them were Laura and Anastasia, both not just lieutenants but now also lieutenant colonels.
After the Emperor and his entourage had left and only we remained, Lieutenant Colonel Werner filled his glass with strong grape wine, raised it high above, and exclaimed,
A toast to His Majesty the Emperor, the Reich Empire, and also to Lieutenant General Yaeger!
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