Chapter 71: Barbarians Should Be Defeated As Barbarians (2)
Upon hearing my words, all eyes, including those of Director Bismarck, instantly fixed on me. It was to be expected.
Until then, the only ones who had answered the Director’s questions and made proposals were senior professors of the Staff College, equivalent to the ministerial rank officers.
By the nature of the Staff College, captains to lieutenant colonels came in as students, and one had to be at least a lieutenant colonel to become a professor. As a mere lieutenant colonel, I was the lowest-ranking among the professors.
Moreover, with the growing popularity of my lectures, a streak of jealousy emerged among the professors, who felt that I was stealing the students’ admiration from them.
Yet, unexpectedly, the Director’s reaction seemed favorable. However, it would have been foolish of me to only see the surface and trust it completely.
“Heh… If you have a viable strategy, feel free to share it. As long as it’s not nonsensical, I’ll consider it.”
He responded.
“I’m grateful for your kindness, Director.”
“Why are you so apprehensive? Taking insights from young officers like you is my duty when devising the best strategy.”
While the Director was not specifically loyal to the Crown Prince but rather to the current Emperor, his political leanings were quite muted. However, several of the professors present here disliked me, and their critical analysis was expected.
Moreover, a significant number of them supported other royals instead of the Crown Prince.
Pointing to the map of the northern Copenhagen peninsula hanging in the operation room, I began,
“In my opinion, attacking the Ludwig tribe now seems premature. Instead of mobilizing forces to subjugate them, I propose using another tactic.”
“And what might that be?”
“Support nearby tribes that don’t have a good relationship with Ludwig or are potential targets for their raids with minimal food and weapons. This way, the Empire can weaken Ludwig’s forces at a minimal cost.”
This idea had come from lectures I’d heard during my time at the academy as an aspiring cadet, keen on military science.
The professor had termed this the ‘divide and rule’ policy.
Nomadic tribes like the Jurchens were typically fragmented into dozens, if not hundreds, of groups with distinct interests.
So we should treat the obedient ones by throwing them a bone with meat on it like dogs, and kill or beat the disobedient ones as if beating dogs on a hot day.
It was about making the obedient and the disobedient fight among themselves.
“Our Empire’s Staff College or the military may not have as great insight, but the tribes attached to the Copenhagen Peninsula know well enough that if the Ludwig tribe gains power, they will consume them.”
The way of life for the tribes was to prey on those weaker than themselves and to bow down and follow those who were stronger.
So, naturally, a child of four living there would know that if Ludwig became stronger, the weaker tribes would inevitably be devoured by Ludwig’s strength.
“However, they cannot ask for help from our Empire, and even if they sided with Ludwig, they are as good as dead. Because in times of famine, the Ludwigs would reduce the food supply to the maximum extent, and even if they surrendered, the men and the elderly would be killed, and the women and children would be taken as slaves.”
It seemed I hesitated too long as Director Otto’s mouth began to twitch.
If I didn’t get to the point soon, I’d be scolded and subjected to all kinds of abuse…
“So, they have to fight desperately, don’t they? The Empire should use this situation. We just need to provide really minimal food and weapon support while uniting the tribes opposing Ludwig into a suitable size capable of fighting against them.”
I suggested uniting the anti-Ludwig factions into one and provoking a frontal confrontation with Ludwig’s followers.
But in the worst-case scenario, if both forces come to terms and give up fighting, they might join hands amicably and decide to plunder the Reich Empire.
If all the tribes on the Copenhagen Peninsula unite, they might not be able to conquer the north, but they could definitely make a good hit and run.
“Even so, because Ludwig’s forces are larger, it’s clear that the opposing forces, even if united, will be defeated. However, just as in war, 1,000 infantrymen don’t suffer losses when facing 20 men, but when they face 300 or 400 at once, there would be considerable damage. Likewise, Ludwig will suffer far more damage fighting against a united group rather than taking down small tribes one by one.”
All the professors nodded at my words.
Because no matter how large Ludwig’s forces were, they would also suffer significant losses if they continued to fight for survival in this manner.
Ordinarily, tribes would never unite to fight, but now, in times of famine, defeat would mean the annihilation of their entire tribe, and their wives and young daughters would become spoils of war.
Unless a tribe was insanely defiant, once we gave them a push to unite, they would join forces to strike Ludwig when the time came.
Wasn’t there a saying that even sworn enemies would cooperate to survive when they found themselves together in a boat facing a storm?
“And even if Ludwig has massacred the young men and wiped out the tribes’ lineage, the women and children who have become slaves will survive. And they will surely cooperate with us to avenge their parents and husbands against Ludwig.”
Then, a professor with the same rank of lieutenant colonel as me stood up and pointed out.
“Punitive, punitive. What the military has asked us for is a counter-operation, not a punitive one, Lieutenant Colonel.”
“I apologize. However, a punitive action is also a form of response, Lieutenant Colonel Ponz. Besides, Ludwig has already gathered enough forces, and in 5 to 10 years, they may unite the peninsula and establish a kingdom, no?”
“That may be true, but staying within the framework of a counter-operation will prevent us from losing focus on the issue.”
That gentleman… He was a lieutenant colonel who joined the academy just half a year earlier than me.
Just looking at what he was doing now, it was clear what would become of him. One would think that someone who had made it as a professor at the Staff College would be quite capable.
But he was picking at trivial reasons, the kind that could fail you at the academy, so the Director would probably send him off to the provinces at the end of this semester.
Still, if he gets his act together, he could rise to the rank of Colonel, but if not, he was the type who’d just retire as a Senior Colonel after being shuffled around the metropolitan divisions.
“Talking about punitive actions might seem a bit extreme, but Ludwig is already calling himself Khan, aiming to become the king of the tribes. Especially since the Empire already has enough potential enemies, including the Francois Republic, it’s clear that if a kingdom is established in the north, it will be a thorn in our side for hundreds of years.”
I said it would be a thorn in our side for hundreds of years, but if the Ludwig tribe established a kingdom in the north and even conquered Swadia to become an Empire, they would not just be a thorn. They would become a terrifying entity, like a malignant tumor.
“Therefore, I believe we need to establish our counter-operations on the premise of subduing them.”
The Director seemed quite impressed with what I had said, clapped his hands once, and asked,
“That makes sense. So, what kind of equipment do you think we should provide to the tribes?”
Considering the semi-agricultural, semi-nomadic tribes of the north had inferior metalworking and weapon-making skills compared to ours, there was no need to give them good weapons or armor for it to count as adequate support.
Because for those who didn’t settle, mining iron ore to make weapons and armor was a very difficult task.
“Equipment that’s just about to be retired from our second and third lines of defense, like arrows and spears. This way, they’ll likely get used up or destroyed in battle against the Ludwigs.”
But even if the quality was inferior, a knife was still a knife, and a spear was a spear, so it would be sufficient to kill Ludwig’s men.
And unless it was the lightly armored soldiers in the rear, at least the imperial soldiers who wore chainmail on their torsos wouldn’t die easily from such weapons.
The Director nodded in agreement.
“That’s a sound argument. By doing so, we can ensure the security of our northern borders at a minimal cost. Impressive! All other professors should compile and submit their strategies by next week. That’s all.”
We concluded the meeting and returned to our respective offices. I felt confident in the opportunity this mission presented and, along with the strategy, submitted a paper I had been working on for months that detailed ways to counteract our military’s weaknesses in battles up north.
In the end, my proposed plan was adopted. A year and a half later, I successfully completed my tenure as a professor.
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