Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Emperor Lavishly Bestows Rewards (1)
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There's an old adage that war, from the perspective of politics and diplomacy, is merely one process among many.
Of course, the concept of total war as proposed in Clausewitz's On War hasn't emerged yet in the Reich Empire—or in this world, for that matter.
In the Reich Imperial Academy of my previous life, they taught that war and politics were very closely linked.
No matter how much I've accomplished in this war or how many merits I've racked up, a mere major like me has no right to sit in on postwar negotiations—those are reserved for two-star generals and above, off in some corner where I couldn't even observe.
So, until the negotiations wrapped up, I'd been kicking back at the garrison for a week, leisurely enjoying meat and booze.
"Ha... The battalion commander says I have to decide soon: get promoted in a few days to shorten my discharge date, or take cash rewards instead. Which is better, discharge or money?"
"Bullshit. Discharge means you just go home, you moron. But if we take cash, even us grunts get a few gold coins, and the battalion commander'll hook us up with citizenship. Then we pool our money, buy some land, and boom—free farmers, fuck yeah."
"No fiancée waiting for me anyway, so maybe take the reward and save up for a wedding fund? Honestly, serving under the battalion commander and getting discharged at the end of term, I could save enough for a pretty decent plot of land."
If even the rank-and-file are getting a few gold coins, the rewards I'm in line for are probably going to be on a scale beyond imagination.
And rightly so: disrupting supplies and morale for over 50,000 troops, annihilating an enemy knight battalion and infantry battalion, capturing the deputy commander and staff officers, and so on.
These are massive feats, one after another. But if His Highness the Crown Prince wants to keep using me for the long haul, he can't promote me too quickly again like last time.
A colonelcy would drag me into politics, which is a no-go. Instead, I'm expecting a special one-rank promotion, along with an enormous chunk of wealth and land.
That's how I'd been eating alone in a relaxed mood when a courier from battalion came rushing up, shouting.
"The postwar negotiations have concluded!"
At those words, the soldiers all set down their meat and beer mugs in unison, quietly turning to face the courier.
He approached me and handed over a copy of the armistice agreement on paper.
Armistice Agreement between Checobia Principality and Reich Empire 1. The Reich Empire and Checobia Principality shall return all prisoners of war to their home countries. 2. Checobia Principality shall pay 150,000 gold as reparations in a lump sum. 3. The Prince of Checobia Principality shall cede the entire Bisocia region (1 marquessate, 5 counties, 7 baronies) and Pilsens and its surrounding areas within one month. 4. Upon fulfillment of the above clauses, the Reich Empire shall pose no threat to the Checobia Principality's military. 5. The bodies of the honorably fallen commander-in-chief and deputy commander shall be immediately returned, the dead soldiers' bodies respectfully buried, and their personal effects returned to their hometowns to the greatest extent possible.
Checobia Principality Prince [Regent] – Signed –
Reich Empire Crown Prince Michael von Reich – Signed –
About 100,000 gold of those reparations will go straight into the Empire's coffers to cover military upkeep and administrative costs.
The remaining 50,000 gold and the lands will be appropriately distributed to the soldiers who followed His Highness the Crown Prince on this campaign.
Plus, with the Checobia commander-in-chief and deputy sliced up, and so many of their soldiers cut down in the pursuit, we've gotten a city of 40,000 citizens inside its walls, plus the surrounding areas. It's a real windfall.
"What a shame. If His Highness the Crown Prince had leveraged the enemy's dire straits, their shattered capacity to wage war, and their waning will to fight into more threats... we could've uprooted the Principality's foundations proper."
Sure, my promotions in the Empire have been at a breakneck pace unheard of.
But I'm still too low on the totem pole.
Because if I'd been able to take the lead in hammering out that treaty, the thought of squeezing out one more prime city wouldn't leave my head.
Full of regrets like that, I submitted my application to the Staff College to my direct superior, Colonel Weber, today.
Because to climb higher from here, I absolutely need that Staff College education on my record.
A month after the Battle of Bisocia, in the grand conference hall of the Reich Empire's imperial palace.
Reich Empire Emperor Ferdinand von Reich, the Imperial Chancellor, Minister of Military Affairs, ministers from each department, the Army Marshal, Chief of Staff, Army Personnel Bureau Chief, and so on...
Exaggerating just a bit, these were people who could snap their fingers and wipe a small mountain off the map.
Having already reviewed summaries of the generals dispatched to the Bisocia occupation, they were now seriously debating the merits and rewards for the generals who shone on the Checobia front.
One might wonder if these high-and-mighties were skimping on the evaluation.
But the feats of generals commanding at least thousands of troops showed up crystal clear even in rough reports, so no issues there.
And if anything was unclear, they'd dive into the detailed reports to confirm.
"Major General Ludwig excellently commanded the 8th Division this time, playing a key role in defeating the Checobia commander-in-chief and securing victory in battle. How about granting him the neighboring Centria Barony and promoting him to lieutenant general?"
"Approved. However, We noted from his personnel file that he's never served centrally after becoming a general. Rather than giving him a corps this time, what if We assign him as Intelligence Bureau Chief?"
Imperial Chancellor Marquis Wolfgang von Fischer replied.
"A wise judgment, Your Majesty. For His Highness the Crown Prince, grant the Georgia County and a special class honor medal. For Count Venner, considering his merits that have gone unrecognized until now, grant the adjacent Wolf County..."
"So be it. That seems to wrap up the rewards for those We must personally bestow upon, and the punishments for the guilty."
Because unless it was an extraordinary case, these lofty figures didn't bother reviewing the merits of unstarred whippersnappers.
As the Emperor moved to rise, Minister of Military Affairs Otto von Moritz spoke up.
"There is one more we must review. We need to evaluate Major Peter Jaeger's personnel matters."
If anyone else had spoken, it might've raised suspicions of favoritism toward the Crown Prince's faction.
But he was an exceptional figure—a noble by birth, yet utterly indifferent to politics, rising from marshal to Minister of Military Affairs on pure wartime merits alone.
So instead of doubting political motives, the Emperor and all present wondered why a mere major's merits needed discussion here.
And Minister Otto von Moritz addressed their curiosity by reading the report.
"Major Peter Jaeger, age 21. Led the advance reconnaissance battalion on the Checobia front, formed a detachment to thoroughly assess the enemy's size, morale, and supply status, while raiding their camp to plunder nine days' rations for 50,000 troops and luring them into excessive alert postures on our territory to exhaust their soldiers' stamina."
Hearing that, the Emperor and his retainers thought:
'So that's the guy. Staff College admission's a lock this time—pinning stars before 30, huh?'
Typically, even a promising eldest son from a ducal house (branch imperial family) might get stars around 30 if he shone in the military.
Their assessment was top-tier by common sense, but hardly worth debating here—or so they were about to object—
"With one battalion, annihilated a Checobia infantry battalion and knight battalion, secretly devised the Hammer and Anvil operation for His Highness the Crown Prince, and raided the enemy main camp where the Checobia commander-in-chief was staying, seizing it first."
Now everyone in the meeting understood why a mere major was being reviewed alongside generals.
Because each successive merit was too dazzling for one man to claim.
This went beyond field-grade officers; it was general-grade stuff.
"Finally, while fighting enemy defenders to seize the main camp, he sent couriers to His Highness the Crown Prince and Major General Ludwig warning that the commander-in-chief might flee to Bisocia Castle to hold the Bisocia region. As predicted, the Checobia commander-in-chief fled and was pursued and killed by Brigadier General Ludendorff. Additionally, after breaking through the main camp, he borrowed 30 horses from Major General Ludwig to slay the enemy deputy commander and capture 28 staff officers down to brigadier general rank. As Minister of Military Affairs, I request appropriate evaluation."
Otto von Moritz, being apolitical, felt a twinge of envy at this junior surpassing him.
But to the politically attuned Emperor, his ministers, and the military brass, Major Jaeger's feats were pure shock.
Because no one could fathom a single battalion achieving that by any stretch of reason.
Thus, the Emperor calmed his astonishment and declared:
"While the principle here is to discuss rewards for general-officer feats and above, We shall make an exception in this case."