Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Masterstroke (4)
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The Imperial Army commander clenched his fist tightly.
A chance had come to end the war, which had dragged on for so long with no major progress.
His excitement even made his shoulders heave.
Nevertheless, the commander immediately tried to calm himself down somehow.
He recalled his obligatory defense battle with his wife.
Thinking of that suddenly made him sullen.
At the same time, his head cleared right up.
"How the hell did two regiments repel an entire division?"
"When the 5th Division was facing the enemy, its subordinate 3rd Regiment repelled one Dolce Republic regiment right in front of them and attacked the Republic division from both the front and the flank."
"From both sides?"
"Yes, sir. And right now, the 5th Division is continuing the fight."
They had the merit of repelling one division yet still had enough reserves to keep battling.
Our side having reserves meant the enemy was that much more disadvantaged.
To win the war, there was only one thing the Imperial Army commander had to do.
'Send in the reserves and wrap this war up in our victory.'
"Commit all reserves to the 5th Division sector."
"All the reserves, sir?"
"That's right, Chief of Staff. Didn't they teach you at the staff college? To win a war, you can't miss the variables, no matter how small they start."
Wars start and end due to utterly ridiculous variables.
One soldier late for roll call because he was in the toilet, and suddenly a full-scale war breaks out.
Or some madman botches an assassination, and a world war erupts.
It's the same in battle.
"If we smash the enemy's right wing with the 5th Division at the center, this war is ours. We can't let this chance slip."
"Your Excellency is absolutely right."
The commander nodded at the chief of staff's positive reply.
A warm smile formed on his lips.
It was because he had finally seized a sure path to victory in this back-and-forth war.
And one officer's name came to mind.
"Come to think of it, Major Michael Schumacher's with the 5th Division."
"You mean the guy who held the line for our troops until the very end in that last defeat? Why bring him up all of a sudden..."
"That guy's the one who ambushed an enemy division with just one battalion in this war and inflicted massive damage."
"Why mention him now?"
It was a fact that would come to light once the merit evaluations started in earnest at expeditionary HQ and staff headquarters.
But one clear thought stood out in the commander's mind.
"I have a feeling he's at the center of that feat where two regiments repelled an enemy division. Schumacher's more than capable of it."
"But isn't he just a battalion commander?"
The commander shook his head at those words.
Even if he was merely a battalion commander, his abilities far transcended that rank.
'A lion among wolves.'
"He graduated from the officer academy and made battalion commander in just one year. Others pile up merits for at least ten years—twenty on average—to reach that point. You know what that means."
"He's certainly exceptional."
"I'm damn lucky to have a guy like that under my command."
After wrapping up the small talk, the commander issued his order.
"Send word to every division: throw everything into an all-out assault."
And that day's battle ended in victory for the Imperial Army.
The Imperial Army had won a great victory in this war.
The exchange ratio was estimated at roughly 1 Imperial to 4 or 5 from the Republic side.
They could advance as-is and stake claims in the various cities where the enemy had pulled back to reorganize, making territorial expansion possible.
So the Imperial Army commander threw a festival for us.
War was important, but he must have figured we needed reorganization to keep fighting well.
"Captain Hans Boutman, 2nd Company Commander. I've compiled the merits earned by my company."
"Cross-verified it as much as possible?"
"Yes, sir! I listed every officer's merit, along with those of the NCOs and enlisted men, one by one."
In pretty much any army, in any nation or era, they tend to overvalue officers' merits.
It's human society's tradition and custom to prioritize the higher-ups first.
But soldiers are people too, and every drop of their blood and every life is precious.
'The soldiers were dragged in by force.'
So it's only right, as a human being, to record their merits one by one.
And if you want to be a great commander, it's a basic principle you have to follow.
"Good work. Go enjoy the banquet, 2nd Company Commander."
"Yes, sir, thank you! But sir, aren't you coming? Everyone's waiting just for you."
Why would the men want the big boss crashing their afterparty?
This isn't some regular company—it's the army, the army.
Even office workers call the day the section chief's out a near-holiday, dubbing it "no-boss cut."
The soldiers and officers would just feel awkward with me there.
"Use the battalion budget freely. If you run low on booze, order more from the sutlers, and get all the meat you want. Who'd be happy with the battalion commander at the party? The meat orders would dry up."
"Everyone's really waiting for you, sir."
Persistent brown-nosing.
Couldn't exactly call him out on it here.
I pointed at the reports the company commanders had submitted.
"I have to compile these and send them up to HQ. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get you promoted, 2nd Company Commander, and take care of the men's merits."
"Understood. Good work, sir. Loyalty!"
"Loyalty. Yeah, have fun today."
If you want to be a good boss, best not to show up at the afterparty.
If you do go, keep talk to a minimum and open your wallet.
"...... We pulled off another win.."
Last time it was a platoon; this time a battalion, fighting in a massive field battle.
With the platoon, it was all just following orders...
But stepping up to battalion command meant judging for myself, taking initiative with suggestions—way more to do.
The increased discretion was a burden, but also enjoyable.
Because it felt like a real chance to show what I could do.
"A single battalion has its limits on what it can achieve. I wonder how much more complex and discretionary it'll get when I'm a regimental commander, division commander, or corps commander."
Every officer dreams of becoming a general.
You get the social status bump, sure...
But the real envy is being able to move thousands, tens of thousands with a single gesture.
I wonder if I'll ever make it there.
Lost in those stray thoughts, Lina approached.
"Sir, still working? Everyone's looking for you."
"Lieutenant Lina, I'd just kill the party vibe. Anyway, everyone's off resting—why are you here?"
I turned toward where she stood.
She was holding a fairly large tray.
On it sat a roast pork leg, bottles of beer, and all sorts of dishes and bread.
"I heard from 1st Company Commander that you're swamped with urgent work right now."
"Expeditionary HQ only credits officers' merits and ignores most for NCOs and enlisted, right? So before they send their reports to staff HQ, we've gotta rush ours with the battalion men's merits."
"You really go out of your way for the soldiers, sir."
"That's how they learn to trust me."
And with that, I handed her the report I'd been working on.
"Here's yours, Lieutenant Lina. Wrote up your merits: how you gripped the flag in one hand during the battle, slashed the enemy from the vanguard, and showed the Imperial Army's dignity and strength. Oh, and how you handle battalion staff admin duties flawlessly too."
In the Korean Army, lieutenants don't handle staff work...
But the Imperial Army has majors as battalion commanders, tangled assignments all around, and once you're an officer, they rarely kick you out...
So you get weird postings aplenty.
Like colonel battalion commanders to let late-career majors retire with a promotion.
In this structure, lieutenant staff officers aren't uncommon at battalion level.
"You've raised the Chaplin family name high. Thanks for the food."
"Thank you, sir."
"And I overworked you today making you the standard bearer. Beyond whatever reward staff HQ dishes out, I'll give you a personal gift as apology."
Lina's eyes lit up.
"You mean it?"
"Anything I can manage."
Thanks to her charging at the vanguard with the battalion flag, we'd racked up huge merits.
As battalion commander, I had to reward that effort.
"When the war's over, could you maybe go to a café with me?"
"That's all you want?"
"Yes."
Not a big deal at all.
"Of course I'd do that."