Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Generous Crown Prince (1)
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The residents of Bruno's territory had endured days that were pure hell, tormented by starvation, yet unable to take their own lives, they scraped by from one day to the next. Even after surrendering nine-tenths of their meager harvests as taxes, they were hounded by field rights fees, death duties, and the like.
Only belatedly did the Emperor learn of the wicked lord's atrocities, realizing the territory's people were on the brink of mass starvation. He issued a decree for his punishment, dragging the tyrant from his seat of power and throwing him in prison to face trial.
And then, I, Captain Peter Jaeger, was appointed as the next lord of Bruno.
Even though I had the backing of His Highness the Crown Prince and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, allowing me to wield a massive sum of money at once...
Successfully supplying food to the starving populace until the next harvest, lending each household an ox to improve farming, and bringing the territory to the point where it could collect taxes normally like other regions starting next year would undoubtedly be hailed as a remarkable achievement.
After all, even fixing a broken machine takes tremendous effort—enough that people would rather buy a new one.
I had taken a nearly ruined territory and reformed it over a few months, ensuring it could operate like a normal one by the next harvest.
Unfortunately, however, the orders given to me, Captain Peter Jaeger, went beyond fully normalizing the territory within two years. I had to make it prosperous enough to serve as a relay base in the coming war—at minimum.
At the current rate of progress, it would be impossible to meet the demands His Highness the Crown Prince and the Emperor expected.
I stroked the rough blueprints in my hand—designs for a few machines that had changed history—and muttered to myself.
"Anyway, since I have to meet His Highness the Crown Prince and report on the territory's current state and the forward base preparations, I should pull in every bit of support I can, starting with top-notch engineers."
With that resolve, I finished all preparations to meet the Crown Prince and immediately mounted my horse for the capital.
Two weeks later, in the reception room of the Crown Prince's residence.
Its walls gleamed gold with heavy gold leafing, silk banners emblazoned with the Crown Prince's crest hung proudly, and the furniture was crafted from the finest woods like ebony and agarwood, exuding refined elegance.
Armors and weapons inlaid with gold and jewels, adorned with paintings symbolizing the Crown Prince's achievements—this was a chamber reserved solely for his invited guests.
Stepping inside filled me with such an overwhelming sense of awe that my own pride in now being a bona fide low-ranking noble of the Empire wilted on the spot.
The moment I entered, my eyes darted around, ignoring the butler at my side... no, the butler who outranked me slightly.
Instead of scolding my gawking, the Crown Prince's residence butler spoke in a patient, instructive tone.
"Lord Jaeger, have a seat on the sofa here and enjoy some tea while you wait. His Highness the Crown Prince will arrive shortly."
Hearing that, I briefly wondered if I should apologize for ignoring him while ogling the lavish interior.
But he waved it off understandingly, gesturing for me to sit and simply wait.
I took a seat and waited about an hour when the door opened, and the Crown Prince walked in toward me, saying,
"Well, Captain Jaeger. Seeing you fills me with joy. Normally, your rank wouldn't allow you to command a battalion, but I went so far as to officially appoint myself as battalion commander on paper just to entrust you with the real duties. Any results to show for it? You'd better have something solid to delight me, or I'll be disappointed."
"In response to Your Highness's trust, I have given my all, and Bruno territory is expected to recover to the level of other territories by next year's harvest, assuming it goes smoothly. Moreover, my battalion is already prepared enough for real combat. However..."
The Crown Prince listened with evident pleasure until my sudden "however," at which his expression turned grave as he said,
"To form a battalion and send you the twelve knights and mage company you requested, the commander needs to be at least a major. Normally, you'd need lieutenant colonel rank to command a battalion including a knight company and mage company, but given your status as the Rhineland Front's hero, I'll push for it as a special exception. So, bear that in mind."
Normally, a battalion included a mage company of sixteen mages under infantry command.
But to get the mages I wanted, negotiations were needed. I'd boldly requested twelve knights first, planning to waive them in exchange for her mage company under my command.
I hadn't imagined the Crown Prince would not only agree to the mages but throw in knights too—what was he thinking?
Yet what I truly needed from him now wasn't knights or mages, the gods of the battlefield... it was support.
So, with an exceedingly apologetic expression and tone, I said to the Crown Prince,
"Certainly, knights and mages are essential for my performance on the next front. However, more than forming my battalion now, I need support to turn Bruno Castle—soon to be the foremost friendly territory on the front—and its surroundings into a functional 'war base' within two years. Without additional aid, it's absolutely impossible to prepare it as a war base by next year."
The Crown Prince's face soured, but he raised no objections or questions.
Clearly, even he knew that preparing in just one year would require a miracle from the gods.
And transforming it into a city capable of serving as a frontline supply hub in two years was no easy task—he understood that full well.
With a deeply troubled expression, he looked at me and asked,
"I've staked everything on this Chekobia expedition. So, if you need support, don't hold back—speak up."
"Thank you for Your Highness's generosity. Then, please take a look at this first."
I pulled a paper scroll from my breast pocket, handed it over, and said,
"First, to elevate the capabilities of Imperial soldiers, it contains the drill methods I devised earlier and used to train my own troops directly, along with the 'drill' training to turn recruits into proper soldiers as quickly as possible. Please, have a read."
In other fantasy novels, protagonists hide new training methods from outsiders.
But drills and such are tough to invent initially, yet once created, they're simple to train, highly effective, and easily copied.
Even without me handing them over, the Reich Empire and Franco Republic—having tasted drills—would have already spied on my territory and replicated them.
If that happened, I'd be left sucking my thumb while they stole my tech.
Better to proactively give it to my greatest ally, the Crown Prince, and extract proper compensation.
Ignoring whether I thought that way or not, the Crown Prince read the documents with such intensity it seemed he'd bore holes through them, then said,
"I had high expectations for the training secrets from you, who shone as a student squad leader on the Rhineland Front. You've explained flawlessly, from why such methods are needed to how they unify soldiers, with perfect structure."
"I merely thought these methods for training my soldiers might offer Your Highness some modest help, so I brought them. I'm at a loss for words at such high praise."
I said "modest help," but that was just humble posturing.
In reality, adopting what I'd written would cut training time by at least a third while boosting proficiency by 1.5 times or more.
And that gap would shine glaringly on the battlefield, where "which soldiers train better and move in unison?" decides victory.
Plus, if the General Staff's higher-ups read this, wouldn't my promotion come a bit faster?
"Enough with the false modesty. Anyway, you came without my summons, so you must have urgent business. Out with it, whatever it is."
He said "whatever," but bluntly admitting here that prepping Bruno as a war base in two years was tough could end my military career on the spot.
"As Your Highness knows, turning Bruno into a key wartime hub in two years requires massive military-level support. Moreover, I believe the strongest frontline stronghold must be a prosperous castle ringed by sturdy, advanced walls."
This phrasing would artfully pave the way for my somewhat excessive requests later, slipping them past like a snake over a fence.
"To achieve that, we need workshops to produce military supplies, but Bruno lacks the engineers and laborers required to build factories. It may seem presumptuous, but please use Your Highness's funds to buy up as many day laborers from other territories as possible and bestow them upon my domain."
In summary, it was like a small business owner brazenly demanding a corporate titan invest in machinery and poach top talent for him.
Normally, I'd be laughed out of the room or told to scram.
But was it because this tied to his "future emperor's political standing," or thanks to the valuable military training manual I'd just handed over?
"...If it's essential for succeeding in the Chekobia expedition... fine. I'll introduce you to some engineers—work out the details with them and bring me a full plan. Then I'll provide the support accordingly."
He was granting even somewhat unreasonable aid without hesitation.
Was this why some businessmen say wartime is the best time to make money?