I Have to Do That?
I Have to Do That?
Hearing Daniel's reply, Erwin let out an involuntary sigh.
'You don't know? After you built up the occupied territory this well?'
Wasn't that excessive humility?
Honestly, the garrison was so well-received here that you could believe it had been Imperial territory all along, not the Kingdom's.
And yet, seeing Daniel refrain from boasting about his achievements, Erwin couldn't help but feel admiration.
Daniel, however, unaware of Erwin's inner thoughts, could only manage an awkward smile.
"Colonel. The weather is cold. Would you like to go inside and talk?"
"Ah. Let's do that."
Erwin nodded and followed Daniel into the command building.
Once he had guided Erwin to the reception room prepared inside the building, Daniel laid out all the city plans he had executed to assume the post of garrison commander.
To aid understanding, Lucy handed the relevant documents to Erwin, and Frien served him coffee made with high-grade beans.
Erwin, who had been reviewing the documents and drinking coffee for a while, let out a hollow laugh.
It was because Daniel had performed the role of garrison commander so perfectly that there was nothing to point out.
"Excellent. If I could give a score, I'd want to give you full marks. If I have one complaint, it's that there's nothing left for me to do. It's perfect enough that simply maintaining the status quo would suffice."
"You flatter me."
"It's not flattery. Major Daniel Steiner! You truly have done an astonishingly good job. I will make sure to convey this to the General Headquarters."
Daniel didn't want his performance evaluation to get any higher, but he could hardly tell a superior not to do it.
With a resigned look, Daniel nodded once and spoke.
"Thank you for your kindness, Colonel. More importantly, since the handover seems to be complete, I believe it's time for me to prepare to return to the Imperial Capital."
"To the Imperial Capital, you say?"
"That's right. I've been out on operational support for a long time. As you know, the north is cold and the food doesn't suit my palate, so it hasn't been easy."
At Daniel's lighthearted remark, Erwin let out an understanding laugh.
"It's not easy for a person born and raised in the Empire to adapt to foreign cuisine. When I was on the Eastern Front, eating felt like a chore at times."
"...I apologize. It seems I brought up a pointless topic. Compared to the meals you ate on the shell-riddled front lines, Colonel, the meals I had were quite luxurious."
"It's fine, it's fine. I didn't say it to discourage you. It's just a personal anecdote. More than that, I think I have to tell you something that might be a little unfortunate, given you want to return to the Imperial Capital."
Something unfortunate? As Daniel looked at him with a puzzled expression, Erwin produced a scroll from his coat and handed it over.
"It's an operational order from the General Headquarters, sent here to be relayed to you."
At that, Daniel could only break out in a cold sweat.
He thought he was going back because his mission was over, and now there was a new operational order?
'What the hell are they doing now?'
He wanted to get angry, but since it was an order, he had to obey.
Receiving the scroll with trembling hands, Daniel untied the red string and unfurled the paper.
───────────
《Imperial General Headquarters》
Order No. D-513
Date: August 14, 1944
Task: Frontline Movement of GHQ Direct Unit
• Ordered Items
1. Major Daniel Steiner, currently operating a GHQ direct unit, shall select company-strength personnel from the Nordia garrison sufficient for vehicle transport.
2. After boarding vehicles with the selected company personnel, proceed to the headquarters of the 3rd Corps, currently located on the northern front line, arriving by 16:00 hours on August 21, 1944.
3. Upon reaching the Corps headquarters, await orders in a standby status. Subsequent action is recommended per the Corps Commander's orders.
Execute the mission swiftly and accurately in accordance with this order.
Imperial General Headquarters.
Deputy Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Cedric Bendel.
───────────
After reading the entire order, Daniel raised a hand and wiped his face.
'Deputy Chief of Staff. Just what are you doing to me....'
It was the moment Daniel's modest wish to return to the Imperial Capital and live a comfortable, prosperous life was shattered into pieces.
He wished it were a mean-spirited prank by Erwin, but the order even bore the stamp of the Deputy Chief of Staff.
Therefore, no matter how he looked at it, this order was not a forgery.
'The order's been given, so I guess I have to go.'
This time, since the arrival date and time were clearly specified, he couldn't even drag his feet.
'If there's any silver lining....'
Looking at the order alone, it seemed like a simple troop reinforcement.
If that was the case, it meant he just had to kill time after joining the corps.
'Unless it's a special operation, they wouldn't throw a GHQ direct unit onto the front lines.'
If it were a special operation, a grueling path would stretch ahead, but that wouldn't happen.
Currently, the Imperial Army's northward advance had entered a lull.
A special operation under these circumstances against a kingdom advocating desperate resistance? It was the same as telling them to go die.
Common sense dictated that he would remain with the corps in a 'unit standby' status and then return to the Imperial Capital once the war with the Kingdom ended.
It was only that his return to the Imperial Capital had been delayed by a few weeks.
'But for some reason....'
Daniel's heart grew anxious.
*
3rd Corps Headquarters.
Corps Commander's Office.
"Hmm...."
Lieutenant General Karlpeter Krau narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized the strategic map and operational board hanging on the wall.
'So they pulled back the front line and committed all their forces to the capital's defense.'
At a glance, it looked like the Kingdom Army had gotten scared and fled, but in Karlpeter's view, it was a fairly strategic move.
Just because the Kingdom Army pulled back their lines didn't mean the Imperial Army could recklessly advance.
'Supply and logistics can't keep up.'
The supplies a corps consumed daily were beyond imagination.
If those supplies weren't delivered on time, not only would corps morale plummet, but operational command would also suffer disruptions.
So, the Imperial Army couldn't advance until its supply lines were properly established.
Even now, having devoured more than half of the Kingdom's territory, the supply lines were tangled everywhere. The moment they blindly pursued the enemy who had pulled back their lines, the supplies would very likely be cut off.
Thus, the Imperial Army had been forced into a de facto lull.
'Using this bought time, the Kingdom Army will reorganize its forces.'
Perhaps they were even requesting aid from their allied nations.
If the Allied Nations came out in support of them, things would get troublesome.
Even if they were lucky and the Allied Nations didn't provide support, it was still equally troublesome.
By the time the Imperial Army secured its supply lines and launched an advance, the Kingdom Army would have already finished reorganizing its forces.
'They'll obviously resist fiercely.'
It wasn't that the Imperial Army would lose, but they would have to endure massive casualties.
At least thousands, and at most tens of thousands of soldiers would die pointless deaths.
This would be tantamount to weakening the Empire's national power, which was why the General Headquarters and Karlpeter were trying to conclude ceasefire negotiations.
The Kingdom side had responded by sending their Foreign Minister, but the talks had already broken down two times.
The reason was that the Empire's demands were far too outrageous.
Corps Commander Karlpeter had thus petitioned His Majesty the Emperor to ease the negotiation terms, but it was not accepted.
The reason given was that mercy was unnecessary for a despicable Kingdom that had tried to tear at the Empire's flank like a hyena.
In that case, the only remaining option was an all-out total war to capture the capital.
However, with national power already being wasted blocking the Eastern Front, would it truly be right to declare total war just to bring the hammer down on the Kingdom?
As Karlpeter's worries deepened day by day, the General Headquarters had recommended a single person.
'......Major Daniel Steiner.'
A message had come that they would be sending this talented individual, who had achieved tremendous military merit in Nordia, up to the corps.
'That means....'
It was the same as urging him to use Daniel Steiner as the person responsible for the ceasefire negotiations.
Understanding the General Headquarters' intention, Karlpeter had been dumbfounded and furrowed his brow.
It was a negotiation that had already collapsed despite being undertaken with the help of numerous military advisors.
No matter how much military merit someone had accumulated, what could possibly change by placing an officer who was barely a major in the position of negotiation lead?
'But....'
If he was a talent recommended by the General Headquarters, especially by its Deputy Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Cedric Bendel, there had to be a reason.
Since it was an abnormal situation to begin with, perhaps they might find a breakthrough by attempting something new.
'This will likely be the final negotiation.'
Could he truly entrust their fate to Daniel Steiner?
After taking a deep breath with his eyes closed, Karlpeter slowly opened them.
He had made up his mind to carry out a decision bordering on eccentricity.
It wasn't because he trusted Daniel Steiner, but because he trusted the intelligence of Cedric Bendel, who had devised countless operations and led the Imperial Army to victory.
'Cedric. I'll trust the joker card you're handing me this once.'
The die was cast.
Now, the lives of countless individuals effectively hung in Daniel Steiner's hands.