Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Divide and Conquer (1)
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Two months later, in the Northern Army commander's office and conference room.
When I was 25, I had come here as a regimental commander to devise and explain the operations for that war in which I personally cut down that bastard Ludwig with my sword.
But now, sitting in this chair in the commander's office as a lieutenant general, the feeling was truly strange.
"Master, have some tea."
"Thanks, Charlotte."
"Lady Louise has finally joined the official residence and just finished unpacking. And tonight..."
Tonight's turn in the rotation for sharing my bed was Charlotte herself, and the unspoken pressure in those eyes—demanding we get some vigorous exercise together later that night—was downright frightening.
Still, as a man not yet 30, I couldn't exactly say it out loud just to preserve my pride.
'Can't I just sleep tonight?'
Damn it. This was all because His Imperial Majesty had tasked our family with stabilizing the North instead of promoting me to full general.
With that, Charlotte left my office for the moment.
"Northern Army Chief of Staff Major General Adelheid von Graham reporting. May I come in, Commander?"
"Enter."
"Pardon the intrusion."
The man who opened the door and stepped inside couldn't hide his surprise upon seeing me—someone about 25 years his junior—and spoke up.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd love to pour you a cup of tea, Lieutenant General, but the situation is so urgent that I'll cut straight to the chase. Please take a look at this report first."
The contents of the report from the chief of staff were even bleaker, with fewer dreams and hopes than I'd imagined.
[The pro-Stockholm Kingdom faction is led by Chieftain Ishtaven, who commands the allegiance of 60 tribes. Over the past two years, Chieftain Ishtaven has gradually expanded the number of tribes under his sway. According to Imperial Army Intelligence, he has been meeting frequently with Major General Karpelen of the Stockholm Kingdom.]
If the man he was consorting with was merely colonel-rank, I might have felt a sliver of relief, but a major general? The problem was far more serious than I'd thought.
At this scale, Ishtaven had likely struck a deal to receive a noble title and territory in exchange for defecting to the Stockholm Kingdom.
In other words, the bastard was scheming to sell out the Reich Empire's North, just like that infamous traitor Yi Wan-yong.
"And sixty tribes are siding with him? Christ. What the hell is my predecessor doing? If shit like this has gone down, the Northern Army should've mobilized and marched straight into the Stockholm Kingdom by now. Has he taken any special countermeasures?"
At my words, the chief of staff shook his head vigorously with a wronged expression.
"I've only been posted here for two months, so I don't know the details. Besides, having served as a regimental commander in the Northern Army yourself, you must know how it is—meddling recklessly in tribal affairs."
"True. Botch the intervention, and it won't just be Ishtaven rising up; the others might follow. Then we'd have the Kingdoms of Sweden and Stockholm getting involved, and who knows what mess that would stir up. With that in mind, I'll put in a request to waive any personnel penalties against you."
"Thank you, Commander. That aside, if you have any good solutions in mind, please share them. Give the order, and I'll roll on the ground if that's what it takes—I'll do my utmost."
One bit of useless trivia: eighty percent of the Empire's star-bearing officers were serving out their time with less than two years until retirement age.
So when an opportunity rolled into their lap like this, of course they'd scramble to seize it by any means.
Their post-retirement quality of life, social standing, and the legacy they could leave their families all hinged on how many stars they wore and at what rank they retired.
"Leave all the materials you've brought and fetch Colonel Kerzhit for me."
"Understood, Commander. If there's anything else I can assist with, or any support you need for your daily life..."
"Wouldn't it smack of corruption if you personally handled my comforts? Off with you."
If the Northern Army's deputy commander lit a fire under himself to cater to the commander, I might witness the miracle of my official residence being renovated into an actual castle within a month.
Moreover, the North was famous for its abundance of beautiful women, and there were plenty of female war captive slaves to go around.
It would be all too easy in this environment to siphon off a few as maid slaves and present them to me.
But right now, just managing the four I already had was enough to make my back ache like I was on death's door. I had no desire for a lavish residence, either.
And I sure as hell didn't need any "livelihood enhancement" corruption.
"If the materials check out, I'll write a recommendation to Staff Headquarters praising Major General Graham's competence. Now go."
At those words, the chief of staff bolted out as fast as he could and soon returned with Anya in tow.
"Loyalty! What is it you need?"
"It's just you and me here. Even on duty, speak casually."
"Yes, Lieutenant General."
Laura called me "you" when we were together; Charlotte called me "Master"; Anya used my rank; and Louise often went with "Sir Knight."
Laura was the type to uphold strict superior-subordinate etiquette even when we were alone on duty, so I matched her style. Anya, on the other hand, switched to casual speech right away.
"From the moment His Majesty sent me up North, I figured this place was a disaster, but it's beyond even my wildest imagination."
"Just how bad is it?"
"Chieftain Ishtaven has slowly drawn sixty tribes under his influence over time, and he's under suspicion of colluding with a major general from the Stockholm Kingdom. If things keep going like this, in the worst case, the North could split right in half."
Anya pondered for a moment before replying.
"Lieutenant General, as you know, the Northern tribes are like wolves. They bow thoroughly to the strong but sink their teeth into the throat of anyone who looks even slightly weak or vulnerable. And this isn't just from back when we were mere Northern barbarians— that tendency lingers even now."
In my Northern light cavalry unit, Anya might lag behind the men in raw stamina due to being a woman, but her command ability and savvy had earned universal respect.
There were no idiots sniping at her or cracking wise, despite her outranking them with superior skill. But when some underpowered Imperial officer got dispatched as a battalion, company, or platoon commander...
The capable ones earned respect through leadership and will, becoming fine commanders. The middling ones had to bust their asses just to be acknowledged by their subordinates.
Scale that tendency up a few levels...
"So the Empire's Northern Army looked like easier pickings than the Kingdoms of Sweden or Stockholm right above them? That's why Ishtaven figures now's his chance to betray the Empire, snag a noble title from the kingdom, and remake his fortunes."
"Exactly, Lieutenant General. The chieftains of those sixty tribes duped by Ishtaven are no doubt dreaming they'll surrender and get baronies or knighthoods from the kingdom—living it up like the Empire's great landowners with their vast estates."
"From the Empire's perspective, we've spent far more feeding those chieftains and their tribesmen than we've collected in taxes from the North. And we've granted titles scaled to their forces' size, plus education and Imperial Academy slots for their heirs."
Last year, Charlotte's younger brother—who'd passed the Academy entrance—mentioned in his frequent letters that he'd gotten pretty tight with one of the sons of a Northern chieftain.
What idiots. If they'd just pretended to fall in line with the Empire's systems even a little, they could've lived high on the hog.
I couldn't fathom why they'd go out of their way to stir up trouble.
"What do you think we should do, Anya?"
"Restoring order to the North is simple. Show them the Empire's authority and military might, along with the Northern Army commander's resolve and strength—that alone should head off the worst."
On top of that—though Anya wouldn't bother saying it outright—we'd need to deal with Ishtaven's head and wipe out him and the chieftains and tribes he'd corrupted.
Back when I lived in Korea, a history-buff friend from the history department once told me that in the Joseon era, if the Jurchens inflicted even the slightest harm on a Joseon man, they'd track down that tribe and wipe it out to the last.
Best to lop off the heads of these ungrateful idiots betraying the Empire's grace first, then handle the cleanup.
"This'll mean all-out war with the Stockholm Kingdom. Can the Northern Army handle it alone...?"
"No idea. What're you planning, Lieutenant General?"
"Lt. Gen. Peter Jaeger, Khan Slayer, has taken command of the Northern Army. We should notify every chieftain in the North. Tell them to come pay their respects at the army camp."
If they don't come, we'll kill them. If they do, we'll let them live.
**
One week later, at the Ishtaven tribe's assembly hall.
The chieftains of sixty tribes, including Ishtaven's own, sat there with grim expressions. Someone finally broke the silence.
"...That Lt. Gen. Peter Jaeger has arrived as Northern Army commander. What do we do?"