Chapter 98: Establishing The Francois Invasion Strategy (1)
After being notified of my promotion, I spent an intense night with Laura, understanding what it feels like to be wrung out like a dry cloth.
For a week, I drank so much celebrating my promotion and responding to the strong implicit request from regiment officers for a party to celebrate the Major General’s marriage, I thought I might die from it.
A month later, immediately after the official wedding ceremony, without a honeymoon, I had to move to my new station.
In the Korean military, headquarters often gets treated like a different world compared to other units, and there was usually a good reason for that.
In other units, even a lieutenant colonel doesn’t have to empty trash bins or refill printer paper themselves.
But in the headquarters, a lieutenant colonel might have to clean, including emptying trash bins, and a colonel serving coffee to everyone.
Before you get a star, even getting saluted within the unit makes you conscious of higher-ups, so new recruits straight from basic training might be told to salute less formally or not at all.
It seemed even the Reich Empire’s General Staff couldn’t escape these military quirks.
“Captain Cheplin, clean that spot more thoroughly. Major General Zekt is sensitive after failing the promotion evaluation.”
“Make the coffee stronger for the head of department 3.”
“Generals will be arriving in 10 minutes. Hurry up! There might be nitpicking because some missed their promotions this time.”
Even in the General Staff, where the nobility system and status-based discrimination were largely tolerated and various privileges followed, the top 1% of officers did menial tasks themselves.
It was surprising to see these nobles, who seemed like they wouldn’t even fetch a cup themselves at home, doing such tasks.
For reference, in the General Staff, a lieutenant colonel was like a low-level employee in a company, and a colonel was necessary to have the status of a late-stage assistant manager to department head.
This was because even a seemingly trivial document could contain second-class confidential information or higher that could cause significant harm to the empire and its military, hence, servants, slaves, soldiers, and officers below lieutenant colonel were barred from entry.
In some ways, it was more secure than the Imperial Palace where the Emperor resided.
So, I was witnessing the sight of real nobles, rarely seen throughout the empire, seriously doing tasks typically done by servants.
“You’re quite young, having reached lieutenant colonel in your early thirties, you might think the world revolves around you. What are you doing? Grab a broom and start sweeping…”
The colonel, who was about to order me to mop, saw the star on my epaulette and the Golden Knight Sword Medal and his pupils shook wildly.
At the same time, his neck muscles tensed, and the veins around his neck became visibly pronounced.
“I am Peter Yaeger, appointed as the third chief of the General Staff’s Operations Department. I came here because Minister Otto Moritz summoned me, but where is the minister’s office?”
Even the colonel in front of me tightened his face upon hearing my position.
It seemed customary here for a major general to head each department, and a deputy chief of a department would be a lieutenant general or a major general likely to be promoted.
It seemed he was quite worried about making a bad impression on someone higher up on his first day.
“Loyalty, I’m Colonel Frontal, head of the Supply Department! The minister’s office is just down the hall to the left.”
“Right, loyalty. Thanks for telling me.”
Leaving Colonel Frontal behind, I quickly made my way to the office of Minister Otto Moritz, who was waiting for me.
It seemed like the colonel, who was suddenly frustrated, started venting on his subordinates behind me.
He didn’t seem to be hitting them or verbally abusing them without reason, so I just ignored it..
And now, I also have to strive to survive under someone who holds a power of about five, no, approximately six stars in terms of rank.
I had my own troubles.
Armor and helmet filled with dents from maces, cuts from swords or arrows, a sword and shield with heavily damaged blades, and a uniform adorned with numerous medals from previous positions.
Other than that, the office was furnished with luxurious furniture, as befits a general staff officer.
Here, I was drinking coffee personally served by someone with the dignity of six stars.
“Is the taste alright? These are beans from the Haifa region that I roasted myself.”
Certainly, this was comparable to the star-rated cafes I often visited in modern times.
No, this coffee seemed far superior, with a deep aroma and a blend of subtle acidity and bitterness.
Not only for its taste, but also because the person sitting before me was the pinnacle of the Imperial military and the head of the Moritz ducal family.
Even if he roasted them as a hobby, he surely used particularly high-quality beans, among the best.
The problem was that, although the coffee was good, the situation was so daunting that I couldn’t relax enough to enjoy it.
“Is that so? I’m not much of a coffee drinker, so I may not be the best judge, but I can tell from just one sip that the coffee you’ve served is excellent. It’s so good in both taste and aroma that I’d like to drink it every day if possible.”
“Right? I woke up early this morning and roasted these beans, especially to serve you when we met. Ah, there’s no need to feel too burdened. It’s customary to serve a cup to the new generals in the General Staff.”
Ah, I wanted to go home and touch Laura’s chest.
This cup of coffee felt so burdensome. I miss Laura.
In this atmosphere, I chatted with the Minister of Military Affairs and learned roughly how to survive in the General Staff.
“Well, there are quite a few high-ranking folks here, but no one would dare to treat you lightly, given that you’ve killed a Khan and received the Golden Knight’s Cross. Just stick to the basics, just the basics.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good, then let’s get to the main point. Major General Yaeger, please fetch the book titled ‘Francois Front War Execution Plan’ from my study.”
After I brought the book, the Minister of Military Affairs opened it to show a map of the Francois Republic and said,
“This is top-secret information not even disclosed within the General Staff. Only the ministers, marshals, and His Imperial Majesty are aware of this plan.”
“Then why are you sharing this information with me?”
I genuinely don’t understand why he was entrusting me with such top-secret information.
After all, despite my achievements, how could a mere major general like me contribute to formulating such a daunting operational plan?
As I stood there with a blank expression, the Minister of Military Affairs showed me a notebook with the title of a lecture I had given in the past.
“This is a summary of the lecture you gave at the Staff College. Wow~ For a lecture given by a mere lieutenant colonel, it was revolutionary, innovative, and filled with ideas that should be immediately implemented in practice.”
“…”
“So, as a test, I set up supply warehouses every 20km as you suggested and used them when marching a regiment 100km. Compared to requisitioning, local purchasing, or moving supplies, the marching time was reduced by two days.”
Indeed, the slow pace of armies in pre-modern societies was not due to the infantry but to carts filled with various supplies, like food.
With supply warehouses, it became possible to operate with minimal carts and march without having to consider the rendezvous of requisitioned materials and troops.
“The standard training you introduced during your time as a student squad leader was also very impressive. When used in training recruits, their combat effectiveness improved significantly even with the same training duration.”
Of course, in an era where cold-weapon hand-to-hand combat was common, the fundamental combat effectiveness of a soldier lies in experience and orderly movements.
If you standardize that with formal training, efficiency greatly increases.
Even so, I thought these would only be implemented if I, at least as the head of logistics or operations in the General Staff, pushed for them.
Could it be that they’ve already tested all this and are trying to change the traditional military operation concepts?
The Reich Empire’s military was daunting.
Usually, changing something like this would take at least several years, if not a decade.
“Moreover, your ideas about combat will, capability to execute battles, and methods to gain an advantage in war considering political situations—I found all of them very appealing.”
“It’s an honor, Your Excellency.”
“So, I will place all the Francois-related documents in your office and give you access to top-secret information. Bring me a brilliant plan that will shake them up. As the third chief of the Operations Department, I won’t assign you any other tasks until you come up with the plan, so make sure it’s a good one.”
After saying that, the Minister of Military Affairs gave me an order to leave, as if dismissing me.
…I’d been incredibly active, but to think that upon my arrival, I was ordered to create a new ‘Francois Front War Execution Plan.’
How did I appear in the eyes of the Emperor, the Minister of Military Affairs, and others?
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