Chapter 139: Operation To Attack Switzerland (2)
Everyones attention was focused on the Crown Princes confident demeanor for three major reasons.
Firstly, it would reveal how much the person closest to the throne in the Empire understands about war and military matters during the question-and-answer session.
Secondly, through the answer to the first question, those aligned with other royal factions or maintaining neutrality would assess the Crown Princes abilities and contemplate whether to change their allegiance.
Thirdly, it was purely out of curiosity to understand the least comprehensible part of this war plan.
Firstly, as you all know, the Swiss Confederation operates differently from a typical country, based on a mercenary dispatch business. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a month ago, they deployed a significant number of mercenaries in the wars of the Medison and Spinola families and in the conflict between the pagans and Corinthians.
The foundational business of the Swiss Confederation was, as the Crown Prince said, deploying its soldiers to wars in other countries for monetary compensation.
Therefore, although the country had an overwhelming number of soldiers compared to its population, they deployed these soldiers when wars broke out in neighboring countries.
This inevitably reduced the number of soldiers available to defend Switzerland itself.
Moreover, these mercenaries, eager to earn money, did not shy away from any conflict, so they likely deployed mercenaries to near-exhaustion, resulting in a sharp decline in their defensive capabilities.
Additionally, rumors say that the Montegro family is waging war with Milan, so even more soldiers will likely be deployed.
However, more than half of such rumors about who would wage war against whom often turn out to be false.
It was doubtful that Montegro and Milan would start a war before we declared war.
Nevertheless, there was no guarantee that the money-driven Swiss Confederations government would deploy more mercenaries.
Still, the Swiss Confederation, with its mercenary business model, had a higher soldier-to-citizen ratio compared to other countries.
Not all peasants or artisans could fight with the same level of training as soldiers, who had been trained for years.
Considering the size and population of each canton, it was likely that dividing the force into single-division units would be sufficient for combat.
In fact, in this situation, quickly capturing a wide area was advantageous for us, and the reason was
Moreover, we must divide our forces because, although our Empires army has used Swiss mercenaries before, their contracts stipulate that if they are not paid on time or if their homeland is under attack, they must return home regardless of the war situation at their deployment location.
Unlike regular soldiers of the Empire, who would not abandon their battlefront in Chekovia even if the capital were under attack, mercenaries would abandon their posts to save their homeland in crisis.
Even in situations where Swiss Confederation mercenaries were almost winning a war or where their absence would likely lead to defeat if the two aforementioned clauses were triggered, they would present their contract to the employer and immediately return to their homeland to defend it.
I never used Swiss mercenaries in the wars I participated in, so I havent experienced or worried about such a situation.
However, the Empires military records often mentioned Swiss mercenaries deserting due to two months delayed pay or returning home the next day because their homeland was attacked.
Therefore, while we conduct the war, its uncertain about the mercenaries dispatched to Corinthos, but the troops engaged with the Peronia City Alliance will definitely join us. To gain the upper hand, we need to capture as much territory as possible before the returning mercenaries arrive, reducing the number of soldiers the enemy can mobilize.
After saying this, the Crown Prince smoothly returned to his seat near the board, and we, the generals and officers, clapped thunderously in appreciation.
The fact that the Crown Prince himself, leading the war, could so thoroughly understand the situation and design a strategy implied that under his reign, the Empire would hardly ever lose a war to another nation.
Additionally, the generals beside me waited for my older brother to resume.
Until now, Ive maintained neutrality, but I think it might be better to support the Crown Prince. If he governs the Reich Empire, the borders will surely be stabilized, wont they?
Ahem, ahem Although I have been supporting the 2nd Prince for two years now
Major General, dont you have aspirations for promotion to Lieutenant General? Unless you are someone like Lieutenant General Yaeger sitting over there or His Excellency Minister of Military Affairs Otto, you have to consider politics a bit for promotion.
In Korea, there was a saying that to get promoted from a manager to a director or an executive, it wasnt just about being competent but also about navigating internal politics well.
The same principle applied here.
Especially when approaching the rank of Major General or after becoming a General, as only a few survive the competition.
Given that most were of similar abilities, ultimately, one needed the support of their faction to get promoted.
In that regard, Duke Otto von Moritz, who became Minister of Military Affairs without showing any interest in politics, even though he was the head of a ducal family, was quite a phenomenon.
After some casual conversation, my older brother continued, tapping the board with his baton.
Now, lets continue with the operation announcement. Thus, in the Reich Empires campaign against Switzerland, His Highness the Crown Prince will be the commander-in-chief, with Major General Ervin von Bichleben as the deputy commander.
Count Bichleben, although part of the Crown Princes faction, wasnt very close to Duke Benner, so I havent had many opportunities to meet him.
Rumor had it that he was a kind and conscientious person who treated even the servants well, without any misconduct, and even remembered their birthdays and anniversaries.
Among junior officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, he was highly praised as a Major General who genuinely cared about them.
But to senior officers and generals, he was known as a tough leader who didnt hesitate to call out even minor mistakes, a gentle to the weak and tough on the strong kind of general.
The rest of the unit composition will be further reviewed and notified by the General Staff. Now, we will begin the detailed explanation related to supplies.
So, my brother continued to explain in detail yet clearly about supplies, specific operations, and equipment.
Even amidst the flurry of challenging questions, though he occasionally stuttered due to nervousness, he managed to answer them all well.
About four hours had passed in this manner.
Then, I will conclude the explanation of the Crown Princes planned surprise operation against the Swiss Confederation.
With these words, my brother quietly left the stage, and I, along with the generals and officers, applauded his excellent presentation.
After that, I immediately went to where my father-in-law, General Benner, was.
Haha, at this age, seeing my children grow up is the greatest joy. My daughter is already pregnant, and my son-in-law, well, theres nothing to say about him. And although he was a bit of a late bloomer, my nephew, who will succeed me, has grown up so dignified.
Looking around, I saw General Benner surrounded by formidable people adorned with four and three stars.
Their faces revealed they all belonged to the faction opposing the Crown Prince.
They looked at their colleagues as if asking them to restrain the foolish old man, but they were subdued by the power of the next Commander-in-Chief, who had received the Diamond Knight Sword Medal.
Yet they remained silent and stiffened.
Moreover, being a Lieutenant Colonel at 27 was among the top 1-2% of promotion speeds in the empire, yet calling such a nephew a late bloomer suggested
it was like threatening those present that if they think their children are capable, they should switch to the Crown Princes faction, which offered more opportunities to young officers, not just Lieutenant General Yaeger.
As expected.
The Crown Prince indeed favors young talents. If your children are capable, wouldnt they also get the opportunity to succeed? And honestly, I too Ah, Ive spoken too much.
Then, my father-in-law looked at me, approaching with the same vigor as General Patton.
This is my son-in-law. Just like that. It feels good just looking at him. Now, I have a dinner appointment with my son-in-law, so Ill be leaving. Also, I heard the Crown Prince has no special plans today.
Then, taking me with him, he whispered as we left the Grand Hall of the Imperial Palace.
Before meeting you, those guys subtly teased me for not having a son or mocked your brother for his slow promotion. But thanks to you, even Max has quickly risen to Lieutenant Colonel, and my daughter Laura, despite being a woman, is already a Lieutenant Colonel at 25.
Haha, its all because of my brother and wifes excellence, isnt it?
To that, my father-in-law seriously replied,
Laura might have made Lieutenant Colonel by now even without you, but Maxs limit would have been Captain. Hes excellent, but not a genius. So, son-in-law, take good care of him even if he succeeds the Dukes house.
That day, my father-in-law really came to my house for dinner, wanting to see his grandchild in my wifes belly.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m