Chapter 30: The Generous Crown Prince (4)
Count Benner seemed quite satisfied with my response.
“It’s very good to see you preparing with all your might for the remaining one and a half years of the war. As expected from an officer who, at such an age, received the Silver Knight Sword Medal directly from His Majesty the Emperor, your meticulous preparedness is truly excellent. The young ones nowadays really should learn from you.”
“You’re too kind.”
“It seems like something a lieutenant, especially one who is even a battalion commander at that age, shouldn’t be saying. My only daughter is also being hailed as a genius who only appears once in ten years in the Imperial Academy, despite being a woman, but she would be pale in comparison in front of you.”
I tried to show humility at his words, but Count Benner spoke firmly, as if he would not allow any more humility or contradiction from me.
“I’ll give you one piece of advice, given that you have come this far from being a commoner, no, an orphan. I think you have developed a habit of downplaying yourself to avoid making enemies as much as possible. But don’t belittle yourself too much now. You’ll only make more enemies. Do you understand why?”
“I’m not sure.”
“It’s simple. You’ve already accomplished too much for your age. Therefore, everyone will now be wary of a man named Peter Yaeger because they’re envious and jealous. Most nobles will refrain from doing anything crazy against you since you are under the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince, but some will see your achievements as something they could also achieve if they were put in the same situation and will be waiting for an opportunity to claim merit. They might think that if you were gone, they could also achieve the same merits and rise. Having an overly humble attitude will make those people look down on you.”
In Korea, where I lived, similar thoughts were often shared on the internet.
It was about bullies or nasty individuals who were found to be acting unfairly against someone who turned out to be the son of a chairman or a high-ranking individual who was concealing their identity.
Once the high-ranking person’s identity was revealed, the person who had been mistreated would impart a life lesson to the bully with proper education.
But here, in the Reich Empire, I was a newbie who had just entered the high nobility, and above me were many nobles and officers with greater authority.
Being overly humble and looking too submissive here might lead to me being consumed by the nobles, who were gripped by jealousy and an inferiority complex.
I think I should show a confident attitude, as long as it doesn’t appear arrogant.
“I will keep that in mind, Count.”
“Being proud is good, but accepting one’s own shortcomings is also a virtue of the generals who left their names in history. One more thing, I have a proposal that you must accept this time. Read this.”
The Count handed me a scroll with an official statement, which read,
[To Lieutenant Peter Yaeger, the recipient of the Silver Knight Sword Cross Medal, who led the victory on the Raintlant front, protected the empire, and elevated the status of the Imperial Academy. The Imperial Academy recommends one of two choices for you. First, graduate with honors without taking the graduation exam in recognition of your merits. Second, exempt from the graduation thesis and theoretical test but reverify the capability as a commander to acquire the official diploma. Please inform the academy of your decision within the two choices. -Commander Mansfeldt von Braun, Principal of the Imperial Academy-]
Most students, let alone the student council president, who was selected from the most distinguished nobles as the best in various fields, only saw the principal once during the inauguration ceremony.
Most of the practical work and ceremonies of the academy were handled by the retired director, and the principal mainly decides where to place the graduated students in the General Staff Headquarters or appoint professors.
Being cared for by such a high and distant person during my student days, I really didn’t know how my life would turn out.
When Count Benner saw that I had read it all, he spoke in a resolute voice.
“If you’ve read it all, I’ll cut to the chase. I would like you to go to the capital to reverify your ability as a commander.”
I wondered why, when there was a way to graduate comfortably, and considering my merits and awards so far, there would be no disadvantage to receiving an honorary diploma…
But asking why I had to do the reverification when I could choose an honorary graduation seemed disrespectful.
“I understand. But why did you ask me to go to the capital to reverify my abilities?”
“It’s simple. Your fame has already spread throughout the Reich Empire, but there aren’t many who have seen firsthand how competent Peter Yaeger is. Some empty-headed ones still claim it was all luck or coincidence.”
In Korea, this would be called a moral victory.
But the problem was, if left unaddressed, such mental victories or false rumors could become obstacles, morphing into solid nonsense full of conviction.
“It’s good to appear dignified, but acknowledging one’s own shortcomings is also a virtue of great generals throughout history. Additionally, I have one more proposal, which is not a request but a must.”
“Understood. But demonstrating my competence against mere students seems challenging.”
Count Benner chuckled at my words.
“Even if there are competent students in the academy, how long can they last against a genius who has reached the rank of lieutenant at your age? Principal von Braun often says, ‘Students need to see what real combat is like.’ So, prepare for a battalion-sized mock battle, where you will face an actual battalion commander and his battalion serving on the front lines.”
“So, being a battalion commander myself, does that mean I will have to call my battalion and personally conduct a mock battle?”
“That’s right. However, that would leave your territory temporarily devoid of troops. So, to counteract that, a battalion from the division stationed in the neighboring Schlieffen will be temporarily assigned to maintain peace and protect the border, so rest assured.”
I had no intention of backing down, but seeing him kindly remove any excuse to say ‘it will be difficult,’ gave me chills.
However, whether Count Benner knew my feelings or not, he spoke with a meaningful smile.
“Of course, even if you lose here, you will graduate, but for Lieutenant Peter Yaeger, who is directly supported by His Highness the Crown Prince, to lose would be like dishonoring His Highness. So, you must win.”
Indeed, if an officer directly vouched for by someone as significant as the Crown Prince were to lose to a battalion commander of the same rank, it would be a disgrace like no other.
Of course, this wouldn’t result in me being abandoned by the Crown Prince, but the cost would be greater than imagined.
Feeling tense, I swallowed my saliva, and Count Benner looked at me, smiled, and spoke.
“The mock battle will be in two months at the branch of Mount Ferlain near the Academy. You and the opposing battalion commander will fight inside the branch, and around it, there will be many students of the academy, high-ranking officers, and nobles watching. They will be watching to see whether the rising star of the Reich Empire will fall or shine brightly.”
“I will do my best to meet your expectations.”
“That’s a good attitude. However, if you achieve an overwhelming victory in this mock battle, try for a promotion to major at the end-of-year performance evaluation. It’s unprecedented, but if you can show you can perfectly command a battalion considering the great merits you had earned in the previous battle in the Raintlant front, you might persuade the personnel director of the General Staff Headquarters. Then, I’ll take my leave now.”
Saying so, Count Benner turned his back and left the workshop.
A month after that, 512 infantrymen under my command exchanged duties with the soldiers from the neighboring battalion that came to support us, and then we headed to the capital.
There, for a month, I rigorously trained my infantrymen in square formation tactics.
And as time passed, the day of the mock battle, on which my official promotion to battalion commander depended, approached.
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