Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: Divide and Rule (1)
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Reichburg central district, Franco Embassy reception hall.
Right now, ambassadors dispatched from Stockholm, Checovia, Ostrica, and Swichiland had gathered here, including the Franco ambassador, Henri von Sangson.
Whenever they gathered like this, it was usually for a lavish banquet where they'd exchange pleasantries, starting with compliments about each other, then move on to discussions of music and art, and perhaps even share their tastes in beauty or fine wines.
But at this moment, there was no elegant music to liven the mood, no gourmet cuisine, no women in glittering gowns—only a heavy atmosphere hanging in the air.
In the midst of it all, Henri, who had organized the meeting, spoke up.
"Haha, I'd love nothing more than to chat with you all about the opera that's all the rage in Reichburg these days and hear your cultured insights. But since everyone seems pressed for time, how about we save that for another occasion?"
"Very well, Ambassador. Heh heh..."
"Just summon me tomorrow or whenever, and I'll be there in a heartbeat. No, better yet—let the Ostrica Embassy cover all expenses, and we can all go together to strengthen our bonds. We're nobles and ambassadors from different nations, but getting close can't hurt our national interests, can it? To be frank, I've long wanted to build private friendships with you gentlemen I so admire."
The nations of the Europan continent were always one step away from declaring war on each other, ever prepared and poised for it.
And the ambassadors here were the sort who, knowingly or not, stabbed each other in the back on the diplomatic stage for their country's gain, sometimes taking blows in return.
So everyone except themselves was practically an eternal enemy, but as those responsible for their nation's diplomatic interests, they had no choice but to play nice.
'Heh heh, fuck, just running into you assholes on the job sours my mood.'
'No way this ambassador prick is skimping on opera tickets and hoping to mooch off the Ostrica Archduchy, right?'
'Ah, I'd rather spend this time pretending to be pals tasting my new concubine one more time... fuck.'
They didn't show it in their expressions, voices, or attitudes, but they all genuinely despised each other's ambassadors.
"So, what brings us all here today, Ambassador Henri?"
At those words, Henri distributed reports to everyone, detailing intelligence gathered by spies from the Franco Embassy.
The other ambassadors quickly skimmed the brief documents, and by the end, a glimmer of hope appeared on all their faces.
"Since you all seem busy, I'll get straight to the point. Peter Jaeger—the bastard who's been tormenting us—is purging everyone pushing for military expansion. As a result, Lieutenant General Manstein and his ilk have all been swept away."
The ambassadors let out sighs of relief at the news.
"At least we won't have to watch the Reich Empire expand its army. Imagine if Manstein had gotten his way and they'd mobilized over 700,000 troops?"
"Don't even say it, Ambassador Bekenhime. What if Peter Jaeger gets promoted to field marshal and leads 200,000 troops charging at us? Don't think it, don't say it—words have power."
"Ahem, isn't this a stroke of good fortune? What do you see as the problem, Ambassador Sangson?"
Normally, their opinions clashed often due to their conflicting national interests.
But their views on the Reich Empire's general, Peter Jaeger, were largely aligned.
If Peter Jaeger was commanding the Imperial Army, unimaginable horrors unfolded, and only that damned Emperor Michael ended up thrilled.
But if the Imperial Army swelled to 700,000 and Jaeger rose to field marshal on top of that... They could all picture the Reich Empire's military power exploding insanely, and it sent shivers down their spines.
Yet the Franco ambassador Henri was grinning ear to ear as he spoke.
"From what I see, the Reich Empire no longer has the capacity to sustain the war. Otherwise, barring that rough patch in Swichiland over the past decade, they've never once struggled. Why stop now? Pressing on, as Lieutenant General Manstein argued, would be in their best interest."
The ambassadors perked up, leaning in to listen.
From a diplomatic perspective, war was a gamble staking a nation's full might—profitable as long as victory was assured, so keep betting.
The Empire had won multiple wars, expanding its territory by nearly 35% and its population from 30 million to 37 million—a 25% increase—compared to a decade ago.
In this era without advanced technology, the formula held: vast territory and large population equaled national power.
Thanks to promoting one orphan commander, Peter Jaeger, the Empire had seen tremendous growth in every metric of national strength—territory, population, everything.
As the black eagle's power grew, it pressured all other nations immensely.
So if the Empire was halting its momentum instead of relentlessly crushing them without respite, that meant...
"Strictly speaking, though, war erodes national power in the short term. Fighting while gnawing away at themselves has created a problem even their mighty military and that peerless genius Peter Jaeger can't solve: 'logistics.'"
The ambassadors slapped their knees in realization.
Henri felt confident most had bought in, but he didn't let his guard down, proceeding cautiously.
"To be completely frank: the Reich Empire has grown too big. The old Empire wasn't holy, great, or even much of an empire. But one lowly commoner orphan named Peter Jaeger showed up and bloated it enough to shatter Europa's beautiful balance. Don't we need to 'check' it the traditional way?"
The traditional way... If Peter Jaeger had heard, he'd have said:
'Ah, we call that a gang beating. When they can't win one-on-one, they cowardly drag in their buddies and overwhelm with numbers.'
But on the international stage, if one nation dominated too much, the rest suffered relatively—so yes, it was right to band together.
To avoid losses, uniting to pummel them amicably was pure profit.
If they kept their promises of trust, they could halt the Reich Empire's rise.
So the ambassadors tossed aside any qualms of cowardice or conscience into the trash and replied with smiles.
"If a hegemon emerges on the Europan continent, our Checovia Duchy would naturally suffer. We must absolutely prevent that."
"We've suffered enough at the hands of the Reich Empire's Peter Jaeger. Let's boot that son of a bitch out of the Imperial Army and shrink the Reich back to its pathetic state from a decade ago!"
"Think that'll work? Let's wipe the Empire off the map and carve it up among us! If the plan succeeds, even without fighting, we'll all get chunks of counties. Then I can repay you big time, Ambassador Henri."
Ambassadors from their nations had long traditions of lying, scheming, betraying, and colluding for their country's gain.
Of course, they didn't trust a word from foreign representatives—that was baseline—but in this moment, they could unite.
The reasons: a common enemy in Peter Jaeger and the Reich Empire; the shared goal of devouring the Reich to strengthen their own nations; the greed for massive diplomatic merits leading to personal promotions and rewards.
Perfect alignment on all fronts.
'I can't trust that bastard human-to-human, but his greed and national ambition? Those I believe.'
'If the Reich grows, we're all fucked—same for them. Gotta check 'em.'
Then Ambassador Henri showed them a prepared draft agreement and said:
"If I'm right, Peter Jaeger will soon approach us saying, 'Ambassadors, how about a peace treaty? Let's pause the war for a few years. War's best avoided, right?' Man up and reply: 'Prepare to pay for the Reich Empire's war madness!' And for our nations' interests, let's cooperate to the max?"
The ambassadors nodded in deep agreement, but none rushed to sign.
Every word and action could be seen as authorization or orders from their nation's head—the 'king or archduke.'
Sign rashly, and it could harm their country, dooming their entire house in an instant.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Peter Jaeger muttered to himself in his room while staring at a map of Europa.
"Some nation that makes jelly from eels and dips meat in mint chocolate syrup said it: 'Divide and rule.' How can I split those bastards up, just like that?"
With that, he wrote letters requesting meetings with each nation's ambassador, exactly as Henri had predicted.
That day, buoyed by the certainty his wicked plan would succeed, Ambassador Henri moved the gathering to his favorite tavern in Reichburg, splashing vast sums on his cherished woman and expensive liquor.
**
A week later, palace small conference room.
"It's an honor to meet you all, Ambassadors. Peter Jaeger, here."