EP.235
The drawing room of the crown prince’s mansion.
“I’m sorry for bringing you here in such a hurry, since you had a hard time braving the cold winds from the north not long ago. But the work was so urgent that I had no choice but to do it.”
“If your Majesty calls, I will come running not from Stockholm but even from the end of the world. It’s natural. “You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Thank you so much for saying that. Actually, I have a lot of schedules other than talking to you. “Let’s take the time to talk about the current situation later.”
Even in modern Korea, it is extremely rare for high-ranking people to immediately bring up the topic they wish to discuss, even when they meet for a conference.
Just by first asking what the other person is up to and pretending to care about them, you can at least gain the favor of the person you want to have a serious conversation with in the future.
As these things pile up one by one, there are many cases where the conditions requested are accepted for reasons of ‘personal favor’ even if they are slightly unfavorable to the other party.
Especially in the Reich Empire, where the caste system and excessive rituals are alive, even if you meet people who clearly dislike each other, it is polite to pretend to be friendly and be very curious and ask about their current situation before discussing it.
If His Majesty the Crown Prince wants to skip all of that, how urgent and serious is the problem?
“I don’t know if you knew this, but my father, or rather, His Majesty, was thinking that after completing this conquest, he would step down from his position as emperor because he was old. And look at this.”
His Highness gave me a letter whose seal had already been broken, and inside it was written the following.
[The election to elect the next emperor will begin, so do your best.]
Even if it is a letter from a father to his son, the fact that it does not contain any flowery language or asks about your well-being means that it is a secret letter.
It indicates that preparations for the emperor election will now begin in earnest…
“This is a secret letter from His Majesty informing you in advance that the emperor election will begin… But may I ask why you need me?”
In Korea, people in public positions, such as civil servants and military personnel, are prohibited by law from joining or participating in political parties.
The reason it is completely blocked is because if public officials engage in political activities or support a specific political party and form a group, it can cause great confusion in national administration.
In the empire, noble officials who are civil servants are rarely punished even if they meet someone during the emperor election and campaign by asking them to ‘support Prince 00’.
Officers and generals with the authority to move the military have titles, so they have the authority to vote in elections, but they are subject to such strong restrictions that if they engage in campaigning or similar activities, they are sentenced to death after a simple trial.
It may seem like a law that is too advantageous only for bureaucrats, but I think it is very reasonable considering that soldiers can at any time directly move their soldiers to rebel for the emperor candidate they support.
“I’d like to get some advice. As a prince, I also have military knowledge equivalent to an academy course, and I have even planned wars and commanded them myself a few times.”
“Looking at it objectively, I may not know your strategic and tactical knowledge, but your insight is better than that of a staff officer who graduated from the Staff College, but not worse.”
“When you say it like that, it seems like it really is. Still, I don’t know much about the military. But aren’t there people like you who have the title of ‘soldier’ among those I have to persuade in this election? “They may not be able to participate in the campaign, but they have the right to vote.”
After saying that, His Highness the Crown Prince looked at me with eyes full of desire for the power of the emperor.
I read in his eyes a strong desire for the throne that he would occupy at any cost, a greed obsession that was different from what he felt on the battlefield, and for a moment I was horrified and surprised.
After all, if you are to become the crown prince or emperor of a country, is it necessary to live with this level of darkness?
At the same time, one corner of His Majesty’s mouth turned up
and he was smiling like a villain.
“Soldiers are honestly not that interested in politics because of the laws of the empire. Also, as your Majesty knows, unlike the imperial officials, if they have the ability, even nobles with no political inclinations can wear four stars and rise to the rank of Marshal and Minister of Military Affairs. Even a commoner orphan like me already has 4 stars.”
With those words, I slightly tilted my body so that the rank badge on my shoulder could be clearly seen, and His Highness smiled brightly upon seeing that.
I think he made a gesture saying, ‘I have a share in that rank badge, too.’ But I pretended not to see it and continued talking.
“So, in order to politically persuade the soldiers of the empire, you only need to guarantee one thing. How will your Majesty take care of the soldiers and how will they achieve victory? We cannot participate in politics at all. In the end, in order to succeed in the world, we must establish military merit, and for us to achieve military merit, His Majesty the Emperor provides us with support that guarantees victory.”
For serfs, the best king is someone who reduces taxes or increases their wealth, and for nobles, the person chosen as a good prince is the emperor who increases their territory and expands their wealth.
He is by no means incompetent because he only likes people, or he is not someone who truly cares and loves the people.
Caring for and loving the people and nobles is a very good and desirable attitude for an emperor.
If you live under someone like that and your fields and assets are lost to barbarians, the end result is the same as being exploited by a tyrant, even if the process is different, leaving you penniless.
Similar logic naturally applies to soldiers like me.
“Support because it’s support. Obviously, no matter how good the command is, it is of no use if there is no material support. So what kind of support do you need? “I think something like a salary increase for officers would be okay.”
“Just wearing a so-called rank insignia can earn you enough to live comfortably outside the imperial castle. So, if you want to raise it, it is right to raise the salaries of non-commissioned officers and soldiers first.”
“… Separately from the election, I will consider it when I become emperor. So what do you need?”
“All you have to do is show the illusion that if you prove your ability, you will be promoted regardless of politics. In addition, when the previous emperors promoted officers, didn’t they only evaluate their achievements in battle?”
At least now, His Majesty’s Majesty’s achievements are not limited to those achieved directly on the battlefield, such as killing someone in battle or winning a war.
Although they are trying to give a generous evaluation of rear support work, such as managing supplies well so that soldiers on the battlefield do not starve or recommending outstanding personnel.
When I look at it calmly, war involves both tasks such as supply and personnel management in the rear and fighting on the battlefield.
This is because in war, if you do not fight bravely, even if you have enough support, you will be defeated by the enemy, and even if all soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and non-commissioned officers perform well, if the supply is cut off, you will be gone.
“Unlike in the past, now the outcome of a war is determined by who receives better support from the rear. This is because the capabilities of the generals in all countries, including the Reich Empire, are mostly similar.”
“You reported that the siege of Oslo Castle was possible because of Captain Keitel’s rear support, right?”
“I don’t know how many officers will be able to grow like him, but if there are more generals and officers of a similar type, more bold and detailed battles will be possible in the future. And it is believed that this superiority will be of great help to the Reich Empire in gaining hegemony on the Europa continent.”
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s eyes sparkled when he heard the words “hegemony of the continent.”
“Hegemony, yes… When I became emperor, I told the damned Austrians and other island nations who eat eel jelly, mint, and sugar sauce on their steaks and bread… ‘It’s not sacred, it’s not an empire, it’s not great.’ “We can’t let people say things like ‘we couldn’t even succeed the Reich’…”
… Although our empire was militarily strong and accumulated enormous wealth to the point where it could honestly be called an ‘empire’.
To be honest, when I look at a person like Captain Patton, I wonder if he is ‘holy’, but I nodded and pretended to deeply sympathize.
“Okay then, as you said, I will announce that from now on, those who are good at rear support or management work will be able to be promoted based on their abilities.”
“Thank you, and there’s one more thing I’d like to say.”
“Tell me anything.”
“I think it would be a good idea to recommend Captain Gernhard von Keitel for the position of Minister of Military Affairs. “It will be the best proof that His Majesty attaches importance to rear support and management.”
Hearing those words, Jeon Jeon asked with a questioning look on his face.
“I was thinking of appointing your father-in-law as Minister of Military Affairs. Would that be okay?”
“It is true that your father-in-law is a very good soldier, but considering that supply will be more important than combat in future wars. And Captain Kaitel is two years older than my father-in-law, so wouldn’t it be possible for my father-in-law to become Minister of Military Affairs in about three years… I think you’ll understand.”
“Let’s do it that way.”
A word from the author (author review)
Thank you, reader.
The author came back after a good rest! The second series will continue from tomorrow.
Because the 2nd series is not a series, but a normal episode.
See next episode
