EP.237
In the Reich Empire, the difference between a lieutenant general and a general is only one rank in terms of rank, but in terms of treatment, authority, and salary, the difference is as big as heaven and earth.
First of all, when commuting to and from work, a two-headed carriage (a carriage pulled by two horses) and a coachman are provided exclusively for the captain, and he receives a salary of 500 gold every year, plus 300 gold as a dignity maintenance fee.
Even after retirement, a pension of more than 600 gold is paid every year, and when going on vacation, if you formally apply, you can receive top-class lodging, carriages, and other perks.
Everyone hopes to enjoy these privileges and supports officers, but the true weapon of a captain will be his independent operational authority during war, which cannot be compared to that of a lieutenant general.
As I walked along lost in thought, I soon arrived in front of the throne room door.
“Loyalty! Are you Captain Jaeger? “Please present a pass or something that can prove your identity.”
“Now here. “Can I come in now?”
“Please wait a moment.”
The knight guarding the door of the throne room, with his military spirit upright, kept his stance at a right angle and knocked on the door to announce my arrival.
His Highness Michael, no, His Majesty Michael, who has now ascended from the Crown Prince of the Empire to the Emperor, spoke loudly enough to be heard even outside the door, as if 0.1 second was not a waste.
“Didn’t I tell you to let Captain Jaeger in after completing the minimum formalities? “What are you doing instead of opening the door quickly?”
I felt a little sad that a guard knight who was just faithful to his job was being criticized for nothing.
Before going in, I tapped the driver on the shoulder and said something encouraging.
“You just did your job right. Also, I really like your sincerity in being extra careful since it concerns Your Majesty’s personal safety. “I’ll tell you well.”
“I was just doing the obvious!”
“Rewarding and taking care of those who are faithful to their duties is what a general like me should do.”
So, I left behind the Master, a noble noble knight wearing the so-called insignia of rank, and paid my respects to His Majesty, who was newly enthroned, according to imperial etiquette.
“Captain Peter Jaeger meets the Emperor, the only sun of the Empire.”
Then, His Majesty must have been really happy to see me, so he got up from the throne he was sitting on and walked over to where I was.
Standing in front, he personally helped him up and patted his shoulder.
“Yes, you had a hard time coming. And you guys should bring chairs.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“I’m sorry for making you suffer because of the emperor election, when you couldn’t even rest properly after the war. Instead, after talking to me, I will give you a month and a half vacation. “Shouldn’t we have a second child soon?”
These days, Laura doesn’t know, but Louise Charlotte becomes a little scared at night.
When we’re together, it’s really cute and nice to see everyone try their best to impress me, but when we’re alone at night… As soon as the
door closes, they make me spend such an intense time that my back hurts.
So, when he asked me to think about my waist, he had a look of regret in his eyes and patted his stomach…
‘It would be great to have a cute child like Friedrich.’ ‘How could it not?’
Because I appeal to my emotions like this, unless I’m really overworked, I always do night work before going to bed.
But getting more than a month and a half of vacation? There is no doubt that I will be locked in the mansion and squeezed all day and night.
Oh, I really want to give up my vacation and go back to work. Please save me.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
“Your job is like my right-hand man, so shouldn’t you take care of it like it’s our family’s business? Ah, since Louise and you were married, you were my brother-in-law and family. In that sense, please contact me when it is time to find out your son Friedrich’s marriage. “I’ll be sorry if I forget.”
When small and medium-sized companies in Korea are looking for employees to work like slaves, they say they are promoting a ‘family-like atmosphere.’
Wouldn’t I be ‘a real member of the royal family and a member of the royal family, not an empire like family’?
I trembled for a moment due to such an uneasy premonition, but soon felt relieved.
That’s because His Majesty, the previous king, gave up the position of emperor and retired in his early 60s, so there is a high probability that His Majesty Michael, whom I have served since he was crown prince, will also step down in his early 60s.
If I join in and retire, I will avoid being a slave who cannot retire even when I get older.
“I will keep this in mind, Your Majesty.”
“Before discussing the matter of the Kingdom of Warsaw, we should discuss the matter of the North. “Thanks to your plan, those who escaped Ludvik’s oppression have become subjects of the empire, but we have not yet decided how to treat them.”
“Do you think that it is not enough to properly distribute the land taken from the Kingdom of Stockholm to the northern tribes and provide them with a generous opportunity to reverse their status in the military? According to the analysis by the Imperial Ministry of Finance, it is believed that in the next 10 years, northerners will become perfect subjects of the empire, with only slightly different customs.”
Previously, when I personally killed Ludvik with a sword, the relationship between the tribal chief and the tribe members of the northern tribe was weak, but a clear governance structure of ‘lord and people’ was established.
Therefore, like Ishtaven did, whenever a Sutlin chieftain was attached to a place like the Kingdom of Stockholm, they all changed their affiliation.
Now, the relationship between the northern chiefs and the tribesmen has become like that of a company president and an employee, so even if the chief is appeased by the Kingdom of Stockholm, the tribe members under him will not go over to him at once.
When I think about that, I get the feeling that you’re in too much of a hurry.
“Aren’t you in too much of a hurry, Your Majesty?”
“I won’t deny it. But when I think about the hardships I endured because of that traitorous bastard on that damn hill in Ritzen, Switzerland, the mere presence of the slightest element of danger makes my head hurt. So, I’m trying to get advice from you, who knows the North better than anyone else in this empire. “Other prime ministers and ministers say this is the best, but I think you will come up with an even more amazing move.”
“Is that so, Your Majesty?”
“And the reason I’m acting so hastily is for a good reason.”
As soon as he said that, one of the guards in the corner brought out a secret letter and showed it to me.
[This is a message to the immigrants living in the north. His Majesty the Archduke of Warsaw hopes that you will return to his arms as soon as possible, and those who defect will be granted extensive land and gold. This is something that His Highness the Archduke personally guarantees, so there is no need to doubt.]
Even after learning that Ishtaven’s head was blown off by Anya and the rest of Ishtaven’s followers were ‘cartwheeled’ in Oslo Castle, he sent something like this.
It is unlikely that His Majesty the Grand Duke of Warsaw would expect our northern friends to betray us.
However, if we shake things up like this, even if your Majesty believes them, there will be a friend among the nobles in the Imperial Council who makes this claim.
‘Among the northerners, a fool named Ishtaven has betrayed us, and this time he is making a fool of himself in Warsaw. Northerners cannot be trusted. The barbarians must be driven out.’
Of course, deep down inside, they felt sick to their stomachs that someday nobles from northern chieftains would come into their council and take aim at their vested interests.
It is not desirable to ignore this phenomenon.
“First of all, weren’t the people from the North who gave that secret letter? So, I think it would be a good idea to widely publicize that Northerners have never forgotten His Majesty’s grace.”
“That is the top priority.”
“Furthermore, I think it would be a good idea to take this opportunity to place the title of their monarch on the emperor’s crown. “It may not be such a big deal to you, but it means a lot to the people of the North.”
As I said, nobles above the rank of Baron in the Empire often have multiple titles and titles.
Right now, my common name is Count Jaeger, but the number of titles I officially hold exceeds 10.
His Majesty Michael, in front of him, also holds more than 6 titles corresponding to the territory corresponding to dukedom right now.
So even if he were to be given the title of Emperor of the North, it wouldn’t be such a big deal.
“The only thing northerners feel anxious about after defecting to the empire is that their way of life will not be respected. However, if your Majesty uses the title ‘Kakaan’, which means King of Kings, as their title, all northerners will feel at ease.”
“… To be honest, it is a bit difficult to use the title of barbarians, but the northerners are no longer barbarians, but people of an empire with a slightly different culture. I can do that much. And is there any other alternative? “A plan to punish the Warsaw bastards.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. “Before we start an all-out war, I would like to mobilize the northerners and start by lightly hitting His Majesty the Archduke of Warsaw on the back of the head.”
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The time has come to make them pay the full price for their declaration of war.
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Thank you, zakuti.
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