Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: Preparations for the Ostrica Invasion (4)
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And half a year later, one week before the Ostrica Expeditionary Force set out.
"Very well. From this moment, we will disclose all top-secret information related to the expedition to officers of colonel rank and above."
With that declaration, every gaze in the room snapped to the staff officer presenting at the front.
Most of the officers here had no idea what classified details were about to be revealed, their faces filled with anticipation, worry, and a touch of apprehension.
His Highness the Crown Prince and I, already privy to all the information, truly felt in that instant that this expedition had officially begun.
"First, the Ostrica Expeditionary Force consists of a total of 14 divisions, with an overall strength of 115,000 troops. The supreme commander is His Highness Crown Prince Michael von Reich, the deputy commander is Lieutenant General Peter Jaeger, and the chief of staff for personnel, logistics, administration, and intelligence complete the high command."
Normally, even with His Highness the Crown Prince as supreme commander, an army exceeding 100,000 would warrant a full general as deputy.
But thanks to my string of achievements thus far—and the staunch support of His Imperial Majesty and my father-in-law—I'd been allowed to serve as deputy commander as a mere lieutenant general.
On top of that, command of the 7th Guard Division had been vested in me as well.
"According to reports from the Imperial Intelligence Bureau and the units deployed toward Checobia, the Archduchy of Checobia has assembled 80,000 troops centered around Charlesburg Castle near Bisocia, and dispatched an additional 30,000 as reinforcements for defense."
Upon hearing that, I, His Highness the Crown Prince, and the other generals and officers wore expressions heavy with concern as we spoke up.
"Attacking is far more disadvantageous than defending. If we fight like this, won't we effectively be starting off on the losing side in a war against Checobia?"
"Our deputy commander is Lieutenant General Jaeger himself. I'm sure he has something in mind."
"That's true, Major General Gabel... but it still feels a bit unsettling."
If Checobia had been my intended target, I would have scrapped the plan and switched objectives the moment I heard that intel.
Because no matter how brilliant a commander I might be—no matter that I'm not some walking natural disaster of a general—attacking against a nearly equal defensive force is pure insanity.
"Furthermore, Archduke Baetman von Ostrica of the Archduchy of Ostrica has mustered an army of 130,000 centered around Linz in western Ostrica. On top of that, Ostrica and Checobia have formed a military alliance stipulating that if Reich Empire forces advance through Bisocia to strike western Checobia or northern Ostrica, they will jointly attack our Imperial Army."
In that scenario, striking Checobia would pit us against a combined force of 240,000—the absolute worst-case situation.
Sure enough, the officers' faces took on looks that practically screamed, 'Are we all going down together here?'
The moment I heard about the enemy troop numbers Ostrica had gathered and the military alliance between the two nations, even I was utterly stunned.
Because if they'd moved solely based on the information I'd leaked, Archduke Ostrica had zero reason to ally with Checobia.
After all, Ostrica would take a clear hit if they signed a treaty committing to send reinforcements should Checobia come under attack.
Thus, judging from these facts, one conclusion emerged.
'The Ostricans already know through the double agents I dispatched that they, not the Checobians, are the ones under attack. But since the Checobian duke figures the targeted nation is his own, he's probably deeply grateful to the Ostricans for agreeing to this pact.'
"However, the Empire's target this time is the western Archduchy of Ostrica, advancing from Innsbruck to Linz. Therefore, no reinforcements will come from the Checobian army."
In a situation with a mutual defense pact, it might sound absurd to claim the Archduchy of Checobia wouldn't send aid if western Ostrica came under attack.
But treaties in this era were mostly farcical setups—pretexts to bludgeon the other side over the head when the time was right.
A single discrepant letter in the wording was excuse enough to ignore any unfavorable clauses entirely.
In the worst cases, the signatory's proxy would claim the treaty invalid because the king had sent the wrong seal—a load of utter nonsense.
Treaties in this age were utterly unreliable, save for those decided by the war's decisive outcome.
"......Lieutenant General Jaeger has pulled off another one. To assemble over 130,000 in Linz, Ostrica must have stripped their forces from across the entire archduchy..."
"Excluding minimal garrisons, Innsbruck to Linz should be a ghost town now, right?"
"Burglarizing an empty house is always a delight. Plus, unless the Ostrican archduke is a fool, he'll have no choice but to abandon defensive advantages to intercept us. The enemy won't benefit from the defender's edge."
The staff officers here were leaping with joy, but His Highness the Crown Prince and I couldn't view the situation quite so optimistically.
Because the five double agents we'd planted—including that bastard Matthias—had all turned traitor.
Our beautifully laid plan to deliver a massive backstab had crumbled, leaving us in a far more precarious position than anticipated.
As a result, much of the classified Ostrican military intel and information from our double agents had proven unreliable...
His Highness the Crown Prince, seated at the highest position dead center to my right, half-rose as if about to shout, 'This is a trap!'
But I grabbed the hem of his garment and shook my head in signal.
'For now, let's play along like we're fooled. That's the most effective way to screw them over, Your Highness.'
From the deceiver's perspective, nothing is more devastating than pretending to be duped right up until the critical moment...
...then striking back at the decisive instant for maximum impact.
"We can't reveal identities yet, but the Empire currently has multiple agents embedded in Ostrica. Some are even serving as officers in the Ostrican army right now."
The officers erupted in cheers.
"As expected of His Highness and Lieutenant General Jaeger. Swaying Ostrican officers is tough enough, but planting our own? Brilliant."
"It's like having the enemy army right in the palm of our hand."
"This expedition will be a breeze."
......No, we've been backstabbed. But we're pretending not to know, biding our time to crack the Ostrican army's skulls in return.
Thank goodness we'd prepared contingencies and lured them into pulling troops from the western Innsbruck sector.
Had we fed solid intel to reverse double agents like that Matthias scum, we'd have had to scrap the whole expedition.
His Highness was undoubtedly thinking the same; it felt like we'd aged a decade in that moment.
"Thus, the General Staff and War College assess that this expedition will proceed without major issues. That concludes the overview briefing."
Applause broke out across the room the moment he finished, while the other generals were already chugging down bowls—no, barrels—of wishful thinking broth.
I quietly pulled out a fountain pen and scribbled on the paper atop my desk.
[Major Matthias and four others have betrayed us. There's no other explanation for Checobia and Ostrica forming an alliance. However, since we sent them in so meticulously, the Ostrican archduchy believes we've been duped. Thus, aside from the advance route, we should proceed with the original plan.]
I then passed the note to His Highness beside me.
We spent the next three hours listening to the operational briefing, after which His Highness quietly pulled me aside and asked,
"Lieutenant General Jaeger, how does this situation look for us? Worst case? Or best?"
Matthias and his ilk had indeed backstabbed us despite playing double agent, but since we'd altered the advance route anyway, no Checobian reinforcements would come.
Thus, it wasn't the absolute worst.
But with our painstakingly planted double agents and secrets gone to waste, it wasn't the best either.
"It depends on how Your Highness and I handle it. But with our combined strength, even the worst case is one we can overcome, no?"
His Highness chuckled heartily at my words.
"With you and me together, it's always the best. What a needless question."
Then, grinding his teeth, he added,
"Matthias, Bolton, Ludwig, Billy, Josef... I gave you opportunities, yet you betrayed the Empire. I swear by Deus, once this expedition ends, I'll tear you limb from limb. And after such betrayal, to still be dancing in the palm of Lieutenant General Jaeger's hand—truly laughable."