EP.349
Reich Empire Conference Room.
All the subjects, including the emperor, who received the report on the results of this expedition just laughed.
The emperor believed that now that Captain Jaeger had stepped forward, he would do a great job again, but when he came across a report listing his performance that far exceeded his expectations, he was so happy that he couldn’t help but laugh.
The ministers were dumbfounded by the ridiculous level of their major and were laughing in a state of liberation.
“Now then, let’s start talking about those who participated in this operation to save Philolence. “A document listing the whereabouts of each general-level official…”
As he began to speak like that, the Minister of Military Affairs cautiously opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, what needs to be dealt with now before anything else is how to deal with the Venetian Union and the Milanian Union. “It may be a little late to reward and punish, but since you never know when the situation may change, you need to act quickly.”
The Prime Minister and other ministers felt that the Minister of Military Affairs had poured cold water on the good atmosphere, but there was nothing wrong with what he said.
Peddler’s work is important, but now that you have the momentum, you have to firmly step on Veneta and Milania so there will be no regrets.
Emperor Michael was also a person who valued reason over emotions, so he sighed and opened the document, then folded it again.
“The Minister of Military Affairs is right. Then, how do you think the Minister of Military Affairs should deal with the Veneta Union and the Milan Union?”
Minister of Military Affairs Kaitel stood up, headed to the front of the conference room, gave a signal, and servants came in holding a huge bulletin board in their hands.
Once the bulletin board was installed, he stood in front of it and started explaining while pointing with his baton.
“First, let me reveal the Chief of Staff’s opinion on how to deal with the Veneta Coalition.”
“So be it.”
“General Peter Jaeger destroyed the Principality of Veneta, the main axis of the Venetian Union, through this expedition. Therefore, the territory where the Principality of Veneta was located and the territory ceded to the principalities belonging to the Venetian Union should be managed by dispatching the imperial army and temporarily assigning a governor. .”
“It is a place where the occupation has been completely completed, and unlike the north, it is a very prosperous area economically. Would it be okay to entrust the military and administrative authority of such a place to a single individual?”
This is because if they hold a position that allows them to wield both administrative and military power, they will rebel and become independent if they want to.
Therefore, places where a proper administrative network and governance system are established are reluctant to create such a position.
Following the emperor’s words, ministers also expressed such opinions, but Keitel continued to say what he wanted to say.
“The ceded territory borders the remnants of the Veneta Union, the Grand Duchy of Austria, and the Principality of Switzerland. Therefore, they may try to occupy the newly acquired lands of the empire that are poorly defended and governed before the empire’s ruling power can be fully demonstrated. Considering that, it is necessary to take the risk of treason, which is only a low probability, and deploy a strong general who will exercise both military and administrative authority and prevent enemy invasion.”
“After listening to it, I think the purpose of the remarks made by the Minister of Military Affairs is correct. Can you tell me what the safety measures are to prevent unexpected situations and how long that system should be maintained?”
“Wouldn’t it be enough as a safety measure to have your wife and children stay in another place in the empire while you are away? In addition, you can limit the term of office of the governor to about two years and maintain this system only until you can normally recruit troops from the newly occupied land.”
Even if they feel the urge to rebel, most officers give up as soon as reason warns them that the lives of their wives and children are at stake.
The most important duty of a nobleman is to pass on the generations, and since the relationship is an arranged marriage, parents do not know their wives, but they value their children as much as gold and jade.
In addition, with a two-year term, it is almost impossible for even a decent general or even a rare hero to completely control the army he commands and instigate a rebellion within that time.
The minimum punishment for a mutiny is to blow off the heads of all the wives and children, even those who simply participated, but a commander who has been in office for only two years cannot have that much control over the hearts of all troops under his command.
“Furthermore, I think it would be a good idea to request Ajaccio Island and the entire city of Zenobia from the Milan Alliance and claim 450,000 gold as compensation.”
“Does the Minister of Military Affairs think that we should not attack the Milan Alliance further? “It seems to me that if we send another large army to Milania, which lost its main force to the imperial army, we can achieve a great victory.”
Kaitel sighed after hearing that.
Because he wanted to do as the emperor said, but the current strategic situation was not that good.
“Captain Jaeger destroyed the Principality of Veneta, the main axis of the Venetian Union, and annihilated 80,000 soldiers of the Milan Allied Forces, so it is true that the Empire has the upper hand from a strategic perspective. However, in this war, the Empire lost as many as 60,000 troops and needs time to absorb the newly acquired territory. “Please remember the motto of Your Majesty’s Imperial Army.”
There were many maxims of the Imperial Army, but there was only one that could be used in this situation.
‘A pig that eats too much will burst and die. The same goes for the country.’
The emperor who hired Peter Yeager was greedy and had a hot-blooded personality, but he was not an incompetent or unnecessarily stubborn leader.
“Until now, I have never once failed by listening to the Minister of Military Affairs. I’ll try to believe it. Then, the Chief of Staff will select an appropriate general to appoint the governor who will manage the lands acquired from the Duchy of Venetia and the Venetian Union, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will personally handle the peace negotiations.”
After saying that and discussing the schedule for peace negotiations with the appropriate governor, Michael held out a bundle of documents as if he had been waiting and spoke.
“Then let’s start the real business of paddy fields now. Normally, we evaluate the commander’s achievements first, but in the case of Captain Peter Yeager, there are many things to discuss. “Let’s quickly decide on those who have made achievements that fall into the top 2 or 3 and move on.”
In the case of Captain Peter Jaeger, the promotion to ‘marshal’ was at stake, so opinions could differ in many ways, so the emperor postponed it, and his subjects agreed with that opinion.
“According to the report sent by General Peter Jaeger, the second place for meritorious service was Major General Laura, the third place was Major General Anastasia and Brigadier General Werner, and separately, there was a request to pay attention to a major named Landel.”
Since everyone here had briefly read the majors for this year’s academic prize, no one had any complaints about second and third place.
It was unexpected to everyone that a certain Major Nabulaeng appeared as the target of a prize-fighting prize without having cut off the enemy commander’s head.
“No, I understand everything else. “I don’t understand why a single major is on the list.”
“On behalf of the secretary, please read it carefully. During the siege of Veneta Castle, didn’t you climb the walls for the first time and cut off the heads of three general-level officers, even if you didn’t know the enemy commander? “After that, I fought hard and I think I cut down 15 people by myself.”
“Isn’t it true that Captain Jaeger sometimes makes personnel recommendations that are self-interested? Looking at his bio, he said he was the protagonist who wrote a touching story during the Battle of Richen Hill. That’s why I think they think so specially.”
When the emperor heard those words, he remembered what he had heard before when he was talking with Peter Yeager about the emperor election.
‘Even commoners and lower-ranking nobles can gain the support of the people and become emperor only if they have the expectation that they can change their status in the military if they make achievements.’
And it is remembered that by doing as he said, the Emperor received a considerable number of votes from the poor barons in the Imperial Diet, beating out other competitors.
He could expand on that by giving commoners confidence that they could succeed through the military and rise to high positions.
‘In the future, the empire will engage in countless wars with many countries seeking hegemony. To do so, we must give motivation not only to nobles but also to commoners to risk their lives in war. In that sense, Major Landel will be a good example.’
Michael stood up and spoke as if making a declaration.
“In honor of the second meritorious person, Major General Laura von Venner, for her exploits on the Plains of Brito and her fighting efforts at Castle Veneta, we are awarding the Golden Knight’s Sword and a reward of 30,000 gold from the Viscounty of Trito, Viscounty of Altran. “Major General Kergit, the third person of merit, is awarded the Golden Cross of Swords, two Viscounts, and a reward of 10,000 gold. Brigadier General Werner is awarded the Silver Knight’s Sword, the title of Viscount, one Viscount, and a reward of 10,000 gold.”
This was what everyone had expected up to this point, so when the presentation was over, everyone showed their approval with applause.
“And so, Major Randel is awarded the Bronze Knight’s Sword in recognition of his outstanding achievements from Richen Hill to here as a mere serf. In addition, in lieu of qualifications for admission to the Staff College and territory, a pension of 1,400 gold and a reward of 2,000 gold are awarded every year. “Then let’s begin Captain Peter Yeager’s ploy in earnest.”
It felt like the award to Major Landel was being passed along as a steal, but since the ministers’ main interest was in Captain Jaeger’s promotion to marshal, it was passed over without opposition.
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