Here’s the translation for Chapter 61:
Baron Ducat was having a conversation with the Emperor in the office.
“I will soon be waging war against the Duchy of Milania. I would like to place the 1st Division under your command at the forefront. What do you think?”
The Emperor had mentioned this to the Baron almost three times so far.
Ducat wasn't a fool; he understood and remembered everything with just one directive. However, the repeated emphasis indicated how crucial this matter was.
Thus, the Baron responded with a strict military posture, “I will do my utmost to meet Your Majesty's expectations!”
“I have high hopes for you and the 1st Division.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
None of the Emperor's words were empty.
However, the expectations weren’t solely focused on the 1st Division.
The Emperor held hopes for all units scheduled to participate in the upcoming war.
Baron Ducat was well aware of this fact.
‘The 1st Division will make the greatest contribution in the next war.’
When the war broke out, achieving the most significant merit to gain the Emperor's favor was his only goal at the moment.
The Emperor smirked and emptied his teacup of coffee.
“So, what’s the current status of the important 1st Division? During the time Count Gonellio was in charge, it was plagued by military supply corruption, and the training must have been a mess.”
Most officers in the Toscana Empire were of noble birth, and it was quite rare to find anyone of common birth in the higher echelons, especially above the rank of Colonel.
In the case of Generals, even if someone was a Baron, they were mostly retired at the rank of Major General due to their lineage.
Though Ducat had a difficult time being promoted to division commander, the 1st Division was partially ruined by Count Gonellio, allowing the Emperor to promote him to that position with his power.
The military was an organization where one could rise from commoner to lower nobility through merit, and from lower nobility to Baron with enough achievement.
It was indeed the most flexible organization regarding social status.
“When I took office, the condition was at its worst. The soldiers had no will to fight, and more than half of the weapons and armor in the arsenal were in unusable condition.”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor rubbed his forehead.
If he hadn’t discovered the corruption in military supplies and dismissed Count Gonellio from his position before the war, he would have likely seen one division offered up as a tribute to the Milanians.
‘I must impose further penalties on the Gonellio family in some form.’
“However, the military unit has now returned to normal condition. In fact, it has become even more elite.”
“Is that beyond what I expected? What happened?”
The Emperor had dispatched Baron Ducat as the commander of the 1st Division less than a month ago.
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Transforming a division that had been ruined by corruption and an incompetent predecessor to a normal state in such a short time was virtually impossible.
Thus, the Emperor had only hoped that Ducat would find the unit’s ailments and make gradual improvements.
‘To surpass normal recovery and achieve elite status is unbelievable.’
Baron Ducat handed a thick report to the Emperor.
“As soon as I took office, I immediately eliminated several incompetent commanders and staff, and I sternly warned the remaining subordinates. Consequently, those who were slacking began to dedicate themselves desperately to their duties.”
“Incompetent people are unnecessary in the military. It was a good thing to drive out the freeloaders. It's quite commendable that you made those who remained work desperately.”
“While the previous commander did negatively impact the unit, fortunately, the detrimental effects were not that severe. By getting the staff and unit commanders to commit to their work, most of the issues were improved.”
Upon hearing the Baron’s report, the Emperor raised his evaluation of him.
‘It seems we can place the 1st Division at the forefront after all.’
“However, the most remarkable thing is the military logistics officer, Fabio de Medici.”
“Fabio, that fellow is certainly a remarkable character. Has he made any contributions in the military?”
Baron Ducat pointed to the report.
“As noted in the report, without Fabio’s contributions, it would have taken at least half a year to rebuild the 1st Division.”
The Emperor tilted his head upon hearing this.
With age comes experience, and he believed Fabio might stand out in other fields.
However, it was surprising to hear that a mere 21-year-old was exhibiting genius in commerce; he assumed there would be many shortcomings in other areas.
That the division commander himself would admit that a specific subordinate's contributions outweighed his own was noteworthy.
‘If we only normalized the supply situation and changed the weapons and armor with personal funds, I was ready to force him to the rank of Major.’
“Upon arrival, Fabio negotiated with the director of the Benaldi Guild, which was newly responsible for military supplies, to reduce the unit price of all goods by 15%. Not only did he lower the price, but he also improved the quality.”
“He lowered the price while raising the quality?”
“Yes, indeed. Particularly, the meals for the soldiers were notably improved. Soldiers in other units eat meals no different from those of serfs, while the 1st Division's meals are comparable to those eaten by the poor citizens of the city.”
Even poor citizens are considered middle class in the Toscana Empire.
Thus, those who used to eat a poor diet now enjoyed food worthy of the middle class...
“His skills are no joke. No, he must have slashed a substantial portion of the profits that the military supply merchants were embezzling for my sake. He’s certainly taking on a fair amount of risk.”
In reality, Fabio was not risking anything; he had developed a somewhat friendly relationship with the Benaldi Guild.
However, to the Emperor and Baron Ducat, who were ignorant of commerce, it seemed like he had ferreted out the evil schemes of the corrupt military supply merchants and improved the soldiers’ diet.
The visible results were so starkly different that it further reinforced this perception.
“Additionally, the soldiers are receiving a donut made by Cafe Medici’s staff once a week. One donut doesn’t cost much, but when you order 8,000...”
Even the cheapest items cost significantly when bought in bulk.
Sweet items like donuts are generally on the expensive side.
“Fabio claims he hasn't suffered any losses due to the negotiations with the Benaldi Guild.”
“Fabio is unlikely to lie, so he probably hasn’t suffered losses. However, it seems he has completely sacrificed his profits for the soldiers.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
To embezzle from the Emperor, one would naturally need some knowledge of the military.
Only then would one have the minimum capability to command the Empire’s army.
‘Feeding the soldiers well is the way to win wars.’
However, this had not been done thus far because the military supply merchants were raking in a dirty amount of money.
They had come to expect that as the norm.
“The soldiers initially looked down on the 21-year-old lieutenant, but now they genuinely respect him, as if they were following a seasoned veteran.”
“Soldiers, or rather serfs, are entirely focused on what they eat, right? That makes sense.”
The Baron added an excuse to that.
“However, Lieutenant Fabio claims that he is merely a tool and that all the credit belongs solely to Your Majesty. Please do not doubt his loyalty.”
Hearing that a mere 21-year-old was receiving respect akin to that of a seasoned veteran was not particularly pleasant for a monarch.
Because it meant that if Fabio matured, he could completely seize the soldiers' hearts.
Though the Emperor was not foolish enough to envy or resent such a possibility.
‘If I had been intoxicated by a sense of honor and accepted that, I would have had to give him a stern lesson.’
“Thanks to that, our division has cultivated a firm loyalty toward the Empire and Your Majesty, to the extent that even a mere private shouts 'Long live His Majesty!' daily.”
The Emperor's smile stretched from ear to ear.
He confirmed the abilities and potential of the young Fabio de Medici.
While he couldn’t spread donuts throughout the entire military, he could certainly implement improvements in soldiers' meals across the board.
‘To strengthen the military without spending more money, it feels like a dream.’
“You and I both know, and Fabio knows too, that our original plan was merely to promote a young man with only 2,500 territorial subjects and a small territory who showed commendable loyalty by exchanging ‘the equipment of one division’ to the rank of Major.”
However, Fabio still had not changed his equipment.
Everyone understood it wasn’t because he was cheap.
“Yet he deliberately postponed that. He didn’t want to create the impression that he was buying a title with money. Thanks to that, Fabio will be able to prove to everyone that he possesses the ability to be a Major.”
With every word he spoke, the Emperor's face filled with a smile.
“When I forcibly appointed him as a lieutenant, the nobles spread rumors that I was unnecessarily favoring a mere second son of a baron family. They were trying to tear me apart like dogs.”
Though the Emperor could freely manipulate military ranks, appointing a 21-year-old noble to the rank of lieutenant was indeed crossing a line.
“Once they hear this news, I doubt they will show their faces for a while, don’t you think?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I hope Fabio will firmly establish himself in the military.”
Though the Emperor said that, he well understood that it was realistically impossible.
If it were a noble of the law aristocracy, it might be feasible, but binding an independent noble with a territory and an emerging supernova like Fabio to the military would surely stir trouble with the Duke of Visconti.
“A great talent has emerged in our Empire. And we must reward him generously, though I’m not quite sure what to give.”
With that, the Emperor took the sword sheathed at his waist.
“Take this, Baron Ducat.”
Ducat was left speechless upon hearing those words.
“Your abilities are commendable, but I hold this in high regard. The fact that you openly acknowledged your subordinate’s contributions, despite potentially diminishing your own, shows that you are free from jealousy.”
The Emperor grinned widely.
“We call this the mark of a great commander. I shall use you wisely.”
With those words, the Emperor formally bestowed the sword upon the Baron.
The division commander, who had been away for several days, returned.
As soon as he came back, he called me into his office.
Upon entering, I immediately reported that I had completed the last task requested by the Emperor.
“Due to the tricks played by the Pereira Guild, the 5,000 spears, 1,200 swords, and 2,000 pieces of padded armor in the arsenal are currently unusable in actual combat. Therefore, to repay Your Majesty for appointing such a fellow as a lieutenant, I decided to use my personal funds to exchange all the defective items for new ones.”
This mission was practically a bonus stage.
It was merely about spending a surplus of money to purchase a title.
Of course, it felt too wasteful to do just that, so I also took significant actions regarding military supplies.
“Here is the contract. It states that the specified quantity will be delivered by the Alpedo Guild in two months.”
As expected, the fabric used for the padded armor was made from materials secretly produced in the village of Bio, and the steel was purchased at a discounted rate from the duke’s steel mill.
‘Thanks to that, I managed to cut the effective production costs in half.’
Baron Ducat looked at me with a somewhat regretful expression.
“To be honest, I felt uneasy when I heard that you would start as a lieutenant without any military achievements.”
Even if parachuting is standard, military officers typically start as second lieutenants unless they are royalty.
So who would be pleased to hear about starting as a lieutenant?
“However, now that I know your abilities, I would gladly replace our logistics chief with you if I could. I believe the Emperor would be pleased if you expressed your desire to remain in the military. What do you think?”
... Am I crazy enough to be driven into a stake? What does this guy think of me?
“I have a territory and guild to be responsible for, so that would be difficult.”
“That’s a pity, but I genuinely mean it. You are always welcome to return.”
No matter how rosy a military life starting as a lieutenant may seem, I wouldn't become a professional soldier.
“The Emperor has greatly acknowledged your contributions. Congratulations, Baron Medici. You need to attend the investiture ceremony, so make sure to go to the palace within a week.”
“Thank you. It was an honor for me to serve under the division commander as well.”
Upon hearing that, I immediately turned to leave.
Life here wasn’t too hard, but I truly felt that managing the guild while living as a noble suited me better.
As I hurried to leave, a loud salute rang out from behind.
“Loyalty!”
To receive a respectful salute from someone of the rank of division commander was unexpected.
This person truly is an exceptional individual.
The officers serving under Division Commander Ducat are truly fortunate.
“Loyalty, thank you very much, Commander.”
And then I moved towards the capital to attend the investiture ceremony.