Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Thunern Tribe Suppression Operation (2)
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“That damned Ludwig bastard, just as the General Staff predicted after the famine two years ago, went on a rampage killing off the surrounding tribes and plundering their food to survive somehow. In the chaos of those barbarians slaughtering each other, the attackers wiped out the defenders completely. But Ludwig stepped up as one of the attackers and lost a ton of troops in the process, so while he expanded his territory, his military strength has weakened considerably compared to before.”
At first glance, you might think the Reich Empire is safe now that this nomadic warlord Ludwig's forces have been weakened.
But no. From the Empire's perspective, this is far from ideal.
Because if the barbarians are split into multiple factions, even if Ludwig holds the strongest position among them, he wouldn't dare attack the Empire.
The smaller tribes would hit his home base and territory, leaving him nowhere to retreat.
But if he eliminates all hostile forces around him and successfully claims a vast territory, human greed kicks in—one conquest leads to craving more.
He turns into a massive time bomb ready to explode at any moment. That's the problem.
“The silver lining is that the General Staff supported the smaller tribes with weapons and minimal food supplies, uniting them. Ludwig managed to unify them, but the damage he took was no joke. His warrior numbers have dropped by about twenty percent compared to two years ago.”
Losing twenty percent of your forces in a single war is practically on the brink of annihilation. He'll want to lie low for the next few years.
To rebuild his strength and eventually seize Swedia or the Reich Empire's northern borders.
“Even so, his current forces are around ten thousand cavalry and thirty thousand infantry. We have about five thousand knights and fifty thousand infantry. We have enough to repel an invasion from Ludwig's tribe or even win a full-scale war, but it's woefully insufficient to completely block his raiding parties that slip in now and then to supplement their food shortages.”
We've built a fair number of fortresses and walls along the northern border of the Copehagen Peninsula and the Empire for defense.
But the area is so vast that walling off the entire border is impossible. For nomads who can ride up to a hundred kilometers in a day, assembling a thousand-man raiding party to punch through our lines and ravage the northern Empire isn't all that hard.
Even in Joseon history, during the Manchu invasion, just three hundred riders broke through every defensive line from Liaodong to Ganghwa Island, forcing King Injo to hole up in Namhansanseong Fortress.
“In the worst case, the Empire would have to abandon its northern territories. No matter how much food, weapons, and armor we send from across the Empire to defend the north, we can't hold onto land that's been completely devastated.”
At those words, the corps commander slammed his fist on the desk and said,
“As the head of the Northernburg Count family, I won't let such bullshit happen on my watch defending the north. That's the situation we're in. If things continue like this, you'll be forced into a dishonorable retirement, and I'll lose my head for failing to defend the frontier. That's why I've been discussing countermeasures with battalion commanders and above until just now—half of them were nonsense, and the other half were half-baked.”
Even the officers here who graduated from the Staff College make up over thirty percent, yet even their plans are getting trashed. That means the situation is pretty dire.
“I heard from the Staff College president that we've been able to keep Ludwig's forces in check this much thanks to the strategy you proposed. I was hoping you'd show up here. So, go ahead and share your thoughts.”
He's telling me to speak freely, but it sounds like he won't go easy if I don't come up with a solid plan.
“Before things escalate into a full-blown, massive war, we need to review a strategy that eliminates the root problem. But first, I'd like to know the current quantity and quality of food and supplies being delivered to the troops.”
When considering any military strategy—offense, expedition, destruction, or defense—focusing only on winning a single battle won't lead to strategic victory.
Even if you kill all the enemies and claim the land, if supplies run out, you have to retreat home.
In the worst case, if you can't sustain the blood-soaked territory you've captured due to supply issues, you end up handing it back to the enemy.
The prime example from Korean history was the Nine Fortresses of the Northeast.
As expected of a corps commander, he seemed to grasp the importance of logistics well. Lieutenant General Northernburg replied with evident pleasure.
“Thanks to the new supply depot policy you suggested, the troops on forward company patrols are thrilled—they can eat their fill without hunting on the side. We've also reduced local procurement rations at our forts to five to ten percent.”
What I wrote in my thesis was a modern method: pack standardized crates with as few types of weapons, food, and armor as possible for transport.
It might seem minor, but assume a wagonload of flour is listed on paper.
When issuing flour, if each unit has its own idea of how much fits in a medium wagon—headquarters packs in five hundred kilos, but a midpoint depot calls four hundred full?
They exploit that: non-coms, soldiers, even junior officers skim off plenty.
On paper, a full wagon arrives—no discrepancies—but a hundred kilos vanish midway.
But with standardized sealed crates, they can't tamper easily. Fixed quantities per item make theft obvious.
Plus, depots allow quick access in emergencies.
“In that case, the operation I propose is to strike Ludwig's homeland directly with the Northern Army while his tribe's forces are relatively weakened—kill them and seize their territory.”
“......That's a big undertaking. You sure about this?”
“If the Northern Army fails to uproot Ludwig's tribe and occupy their lands, the Empire will keep carrying this massive headache. You know that, right?”
Even if we bust our asses fighting and wipe out Ludwig's tribe, averting the Empire's crisis.
If the territory he conquered ends up vacant, other nomadic barbarians move in and build power.
Or Swedia sees it as a chance to expand and invades—Reich Empire troops do the heavy lifting, Swedia reaps the rewards.
“Plus, if we follow my plan and stockpile easy-to-store and transport jerky and hardtack in depots at key spots in the conquered areas, we can largely solve the supply issues for holding the new territories.”
Our tactic this time is scorched earth anyway—we'll kill off any real resistors as much as possible.
Surrendering POWs, women, and kids become slaves or scattered as serfs in the Empire's warmer regions.
Leaving them here risks rebellion or turning into Ludwig-style savage resisters.
With the locals dead or gone, new settlers—mostly second or third sons and daughters of serfs without land—will come.
The north gets brutally cold from late autumn, but spring and summer are ideal for wheat and barley farming.
This settlement plan would come from His Highness the Crown Prince or skilled administrators, but since I'm laying the groundwork, I'll get some unofficial rewards.
If this operation I proposed as a regimental commander in the Northern Army gets approved, the Empire will either hit the jackpot or crash hard on my suggestion.
“If we can hold the conquered territories, sir, you could be promoted to general—no, even field marshal—for successfully leading this expedition.”
Only one in ten generals makes field marshal, so it'll take time.
But slaughter the Empire's barbarian headache and claim their land? Even a desk general will get field marshal on retirement eve.
Tempted by that, the corps commander reviewed my record and medals, nodded, and said,
“I haven't asked the other generals or regimental commanders yet, so I can't approve it here on the spot. But of everything I've heard so far, your plan sounds the best. You must be tired from the long trip—rest up today. Tomorrow, head to the 24th Regiment's garrison.”
And the next day, the Northern Army corps commander issued an order to the 24th Regiment.
"To succeed in a scorched earth operation, we need to scare Ludwig first. Perfect—turn the Thunern bastards' homes into wastelands. Instead of falling for their favorite lure tactics, we might just shut their mouths for good."