Chapter 259
EP.259
Reich Imperial Army Command Barracks.
Outside the command barracks, soldiers and junior officers were chattering and drinking alcohol and meat sold by war merchants as if they were buying only for today.
Because of this, the unique buzzing sounds mixed with the charms of prostitutes, the high-pitched voices of drunken soldiers but shouting with distorted pronunciation, and the occasional cheers and applause were heard all the way into the barracks.
“Every time Sergeant Falcon swung the plane downwards, the Warsaw soldiers’ earthen pots broke one by one. “I crushed its head so many times, but it kept popping out like a cockroach. I kept crushing it until it died, and before I knew it, the war was over.”
“That’s right. What about me? While I was cutting like crazy, what? There was a nerd wearing scary, flashy armor, so he ran towards me with a sword. And when I quickly killed it, I saw horse dung stuck in its epaulet. And two of them…”
“Ah, brothers. “The night is still long, so you can’t do that from now on.”
However, none of the officers in the barracks have yet had a drop of alcohol, let alone a bar.
Looking at me like this, someone might think that, as the saying goes, “a position makes a man,” I, like Captain Keitel, have come to show a strict and serious attitude to my officers.
Even after achieving a great victory that kills more than half of the enemy’s soldiers or prevents them from ever going on the battlefield again, he has no intention of doing something so evil as to tell his officers to work instead of rest.
So, instead of talking too long like a high school principal, I plan to end my speech as short and concise as possible.
“Thanks to our victory in this war, we were able to completely punish the bastards who had secretly formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Stockholm and secretly provided support to us. Thanks to this, those who brought shame to our great Emperor of the Reich Empire were made to pay a proper price. “Isn’t that right?”
This is what I said, but this is what the Archduke of Warsaw will say when he hears my story.
‘The fuck is this an appropriate price? ‘I just hit you with a fist, but isn’t it crazy that you beat me up with a baseball bat?’
Even if I say this, the damage they suffered is so serious that even I, the commander of the Reich Empire, admit it.
40% of the enemy troops were killed, and nearly 15% of the troops were seriously injured and turned into half-corpse.
Due to the enormous loss, the Archduke’s leadership within the Grand Duchy of Warsaw would naturally be questioned by all nobles.
In order to avoid this situation, His Highness is likely to use the national traitor card that I secretly inserted and place all responsibility on those who committed corruption.
In addition, the high-ranking people who lost in this battle will be taken to court-martial and face the full price of losing the battle and the corruption they did not commit.
If we transfer all responsibility to the defeated generals, we will be able to collect all of their family’s territory and property.
In return, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw will be able to extort from its own nobles as much as it lost the Grand Duke, even if it suffered enormous losses.
But the problem is that after doing something like that, the surviving nobles will be dissatisfied and the Grand Duke’s life will be in danger. It’s none of my business.
The officers responded to what I said with applause and cheers.
“That’s right! “At this level, the Archduke of Warsaw will reflect on his foolish actions!”
“You will go down in history as the best true educator in the future.”
“I was impressed by the captain’s will and teachings to compensate for the injury of one imperial soldier with 100 enemy soldiers.”
As I received applause from everyone, I raised my glass and shouted, not intending to talk any longer.
“As commander of the Reich Empire, it was an honor to lead this war together with you. There may still be other battles and procedures such as peace negotiations remain! You can eat and drink as much as you want today! I’ll pay for all the drinks and food for those here at the base, so don’t worry about being ripped off, eat your heart out and have fun! Cheers to the victory of the empire!”
After saying that, I tipped my glass, and all the officers also tipped their glasses and drank.
As soon as alcohol was added, the atmosphere among the officers completely relaxed, and as befits people of an empire where honor and accomplishments in battle are considered the most fashionable, stories of their exploits in battle began to come and go.
“No, didn’t you clash with the Warsaw guys at the beginning and lose out in numbers? So, the company commanders and platoon leaders under me are asking to call the reserve unit…”
“If it wasn’t for Brigadier General Anastasia this time, there would have been at least 1,000 more casualties in the rear reserve unit. It was nice to run out of the forest, but I was anxious because there was no cover. But as soon as they came out, a rain of arrows rained down on the enemy, and this was really…”
“Colonel Laura, who fought under Major General Ha Schutelfeld, was also amazing. “Didn’t you charge with the body of a woman, wearing heavy armor, and kill four enemy knights in an instant?”
“No, when our troops completely surrounded the enemy’s front and sides. The enemy soldiers were just running away, but somehow there was a guy in a cloak and I just threw a spear at him…”
As I listened to the story, it seemed like the story was half bluff and half truth mixed together.
The well-spoken officers describe the battle scenes almost as if they were the heroes of an epic poem recited by a bard while playing the lute.
Most of the people are in their early 40s, mid-50s, or 60s, and seeing these guys giving enthusiastic responses while having a conversation with a bit of middle school sensibility mixed in makes me feel a little dizzy.
As the banquet progressed, it got to the point where everyone’s stories were repeated endlessly.
Laura and Anya approached with glasses in one hand and slightly red faces.
“Captain Jaeger, did I do well? As the captain ordered, you led the knights and captured the Warsaw knights.”
“Laura fought well, but I also led the cavalry brigade and charged into the rear of the enemy army and did a perfect job scattering them. And… we also provided covering fire for our infantry sneaking over from the forest.”
“It took a lot of effort to hold down over 15,000 enemy knights with about 10,000 knights.”
“That’s true, but charging a large enemy army with a small number of archers is not easy.”
Although the two didn’t hate each other, they continued to tout each other’s achievements as if they were children who wanted to be praised.
It’s as if kittens are squealing to eat more snacks like churros.
Looking at them like that, if I had someone to pamper me like this, I would have asked them to praise me for doing such a good job, so I understood to some extent how they felt.
In addition, although we argued, we never exchanged harsh words or showed any outright dislike for the other person, so I decided to just watch.
The other officers were already drunk, so no one was paying attention.
“So, Captain, who do you think has achieved greater merit? “Who was more helpful to you, Captain?”
“It’s not as good as when I caught Ishtaven last time, but it’s me, right?”
“No, it’s me this time. If I hadn’t been able to stop the knights, it would have been difficult for the archers to turn to the rear. So, today I…”
However, even if it was a struggle at first, from what I have observed so far, problems often escalate when everyone is drunk.
In times like this, it would be best to praise them both for doing a good job and comfort them.
Also, when the Chief of Staff and I had a conversation, Laura and Anya’s achievements were the same in terms of this battle.
Since I’m not lying, this might be the best solution.
Then I put my hands on their heads and stroked them and said,
“Since you both did equally well, when I return after this battle, I will buy you whatever gift you want. Or should I use up all my vacation time after the war and go to the lake?”
I thought this was the right answer, but it wasn’t so for Anya and Laura.
“You are always so insensitive, sir.”
“… I guess that’s why people in social circles gave him that nickname because he’s like this, right? Thanks to that, there are fewer women who cling to me, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing…”
They both sighed and looked at me.
Soon Laura was holding my left arm and Anya was holding my right arm, and as we looked at each other, electricity seemed to come out of our eyes.
When I saw this, I signaled to Charlotte for help with my eyes, but she naturally pulled away from Anya and Laura and said, as if she had already expected this.
“The captain said you can rest from today until the morning after tomorrow. And there is no benefit in arguing here. So, how about you two drink together at the captain’s barracks?”
…… I had a premonition that something would be squeezed from those words.
Laura and Anya seemed satisfied with what they said and headed to my barracks as Charlotte took them.
And the next day, I had no choice but to take a day of sick leave and rest due to back pain.
When I apologized to the second-in-command and the chief of operations staff who had performed the duties on my behalf the day after I returned from my rest, they looked at me with very envious and smiling faces and said,
“I think it’s good to enjoy it while you can.”
“Isn’t it true that sometimes in life you get sick? “You’ve been through a lot.”
And as soon as the period of unlimited rest for the soldiers was over, I immediately summoned all commanders again.
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