"Bam!" Hansbach slammed the table beside him. "How dare you!
This is clearly jealousy!
Didn't they come up with a lot of tactical simulations?
They thought it was an impossible victory, and that it must have been a false claim.
Now it's clear that someone else did what they couldn't.
Didn't the joint investigation team go through the verification process again? Even the buried corpses were dug up again. Is there anything worse than this? "
The prince was really angry. He felt sorry for the officers in the frontline command and angry at their incompetence.
In fact, most of the officers in the frontline command had been recruited by the prince. He was optimistic about their futures and thought that they were worth training. Of course, some had volunteered to serve under the prince, while others were nobles recommended by various connections.
But no one expected that a miraculous victory would cause so many twists and turns in the frontline command. Many of the officers had lost their composure.
"I really don't understand what they're thinking. Can they get a discount on their achievements?
Looks like some of them have been too comfortable in the frontline command for too long. I should send them to the troops to share the joys and sorrows of the frontline soldiers. I should let them know what kind of leader the soldiers need, and let them understand the real situation at the frontline. They shouldn't just stay in the command command and learn how to only talk! "The prince began to wander around the room.
There was a knock on the door. Captain Skri went to open it, and in came General Michele Priest. He was Hansbach's most trusted advisor and the new chief of staff of Bluefeather.
The surprise attack on the three southern prefectures over the Pikleit Mountains, the temporary passage in the Pikleit Mountains, and the ambush at the border of the three southern prefectures, the Crombo Valley, and the light cavalry division sent by the anti-Austrian Alliance were all his handiwork.
It was said that at the end of the year, General Michele Priest's epaulet would have another gold star, and he would be promoted from major general to lieutenant general. At the same time, he would be conferred the title of nobility by the king. A commoner general would become a baron of the kingdom.
No one knew how Hansbach managed to rope in a war history professor from the Sterling Military Academy to be his advisor.
But it had to be said that General Michele Priest was the greatest military talent the Crown Prince had gained from the war that engulfed the eastern part of the continent.
The few attacks he had planned for the first prince had all perfectly targeted the Anti-Austria Alliance's weak points. On land, the kingdom's army had always held the upper hand and the initiative. The Anti-Austria Alliance was unable to force the situation into a stalemate no matter what.
The First Prince had summoned General Michele Priest from the frontlines to discuss the next step of the strategy and determine the target of the attack.
Now that the temporary passage to the Piklete Mountains had been set up, reinforcements and military supplies were continuously entering the three southern prefectures through this passage.
The defensive positions at the two frontlines had been stabilized, and the next step was to consider which direction to launch a counterattack to increase the strategic advantage of the kingdom's army.
"What happened to His Highness?
Why are you so angry … "General Michele Priest asked Captain Skri.
Captain Skri told General Michele what happened in a low voice.
The general's interest was piqued. "Bring me the battle report. I've heard about it before, but I always thought it was a lie made up by someone who had nothing better to do. I didn't think that there would be such a miraculous victory. How did this Second Lieutenant Claude do it?"
Unlike the eldest prince, General Michelci Priest had also taken a map of the mountain paths and mountains around Squirrel Village when he read the battle report. He made marks on the map, and according to the progress of the battle, he could change the numbers of the enemy's and his own forces, as if he was making a battle simulation.
When he finished reading the report, he noticed that the first prince was looking at the markings he made on the map.
"What do you think?" the first prince asked out of the blue.
However, the general understood what the first prince meant. He nodded. "He's a natural soldier. He's talented and worth nurturing.
But I'm guessing that he didn't receive any formal training from the kingdom's military academies. He's skilled in defensive warfare and used the terrain around Squirrel Village to its fullest potential. At the same time, he cares about the casualties of his men.
On the other hand, the officers from our academies prefer offense and don't care about casualties.
Perhaps this is the real reason why they were unable to achieve victory in the simulation of this battle … "
"If it were you, how would you do it?" the first prince asked.
The general smiled bitterly. "My defense might not be as good as this Second Lieutenant Claude's. I might be able to use the terrain to stop the enemy, but I can't dig traps and cut off the path like he did to stop the enemy from advancing.
But I'll take the initiative and take out the Askilinian nobles' path.
There's only one battalion there, but we have three light infantry cannons. We can use them to find strategic terrain and bombard the enemy.
Once we take out that path, the rest of the Canasian nobles will be much easier to deal with. But taking the initiative might result in heavy casualties. "
"Then how do you think we should reward this Claude?
With this victory, he could be promoted to a major.
However, the military thinks he should be discounted. One reason is that he's only 21 years old.
Two, the enemy is just a bunch of nobles' private soldiers and commoners. They're weak. Even if they enter the three southern prefectures, they'll only be able to plunder and not affect the overall situation.
That's why we're only going to promote Claude to first lieutenant, "said Hansbach, asking the general for his opinion on the matter.
General Michelic shook his head, "Your Highness, military achievements cannot be discounted. They are the cornerstone of the kingdom's invincible army, and also the guarantee of the kingdom's military spirit.
If this Second Lieutenant Claude's merit is discounted, we won't be able to advertise the victory. We can't even mention the battle at all.
All the soldiers will think that we're deliberately making things difficult for them and won't trust the system to be fair and just.
"I'm also worried that if we allow Second Lieutenant Claude's merit to be discounted, someone else might try to take advantage of the system in the future.
The frontline warriors risked their lives to win without being rewarded, while the nobles in the rear get greedy for merit. That's something that could happen.
When Stellin IX rebuilt the kingdom's military, he emphasized the fairness of the system to ensure the military's fighting power. That's the only way for the soldiers at the bottom to rise through the ranks. "
"So you're saying that we should promote this Claude to major based on merit?
But he's too young. He's only 21. The kingdom has never had such a young major before. I'm worried that doing so will cause him to be doubted and it won't be good for his growth.
My father once told me that it's not a good thing to be too outstanding, because it will only attract more jealousy. Sometimes, you can't guard against those poisonous arrows that are shot from the dark … "The eldest prince frowned as he thought hard.
"Yes, Your Highness. That's indeed the case. I've experienced being envied because I'm too outstanding."
The general nodded in agreement. "He's young, only 21. I was still a sergeant when I was 21.
He's only been in the military for three years and hasn't gone through any academy training. It's not appropriate for him to be promoted from second lieutenant to major.
Not to mention, he's a commoner without much military experience. It's hard to say if he won't be ostracized by the other majors.
Personally, I think it's more appropriate for him to be promoted to captain.
Merit can't be discounted, but it can be compensated. I believe this miraculous victory is enough for him to receive a Knighthood. "
"A Knighthood?" The prince paused before he clapped his hands. "That's right, how could I have forgotten about that?
Well said, Micheli. Merit can't be discounted, but it can be compensated.
A Knighthood is more than enough to compensate Claude for his contributions.
Skri, record my orders. "
"Yes, Your Highness."
Skri's face was filled with envy. If it were possible, he would rather Claude be promoted to major. It wouldn't matter even if he was a rank higher than him.
Although he had only been promoted to Captain and was unable to skip the bottleneck of a Field Officer, he could still receive the Knight's Medal. This would make those officers in the Ministry of Military Affairs, who had come up with the idea of discounting their military achievements, regret it to the core.
Those fellows purposely suggested that Claude be promoted to first lieutenant so that His Highness would feel that something was amiss and promote him to first lieutenant. That way, Claude wouldn't be able to become a major straight away while preserving everyone's dignity. They even pushed the blame to the first prince. What wishful thinking.
However, none of them expected that the first prince would actually use a Knighthood as compensation.
Just like how members of the parliament were given the title of knight, the Knighthood was also known as the proof of entry into the nobility in the Aueran army. Officers who received a Knighthood could be treated as quasi-nobles and be given the title of knight.
For example, if Claude received a Knighthood, he could be called Knight Claude Ferd.
Locally, he would have the right to attend noble gatherings.
In the army, he could command troops of the same rank as him.
For example, if two captains were to work together, Claude would naturally be the highest commander.
"To commend 1st Ranger Tribe for defending …" The first prince paused. "By the way, what's the name of that mountainous region?"
"Your Highness, the mountainous region doesn't have a name. The locals call it the Mountain-Crossing Trail.
The Askilinian dukedom has placed it under the jurisdiction of the three southern prefectures. It's marked as the Southern Mountains on the map, "Skri replied.
"Alright, let's call it the Southern Mountains Mountain-Crossing Trail then.
The first prince muttered, "To commend 1st Ranger Tribe for defeating a stronger enemy despite being the weaker party in defending the Southern Mountains Mountain-Crossing Trail and stopping the allied forces of the Canas and Askilinian nobles from invading the three southern prefectures, ensuring the safety of our army, I hereby award 1st Ranger Tribe with a rank-one Merit as a reward.
"During the battle at Squirrel Village, the 170 soldiers of 1st Ranger Tribe were fearless against more than five thousand invading nobles from the two dukedoms and put up a valiant resistance.
Under Lieutenant Claude's command, they eventually defeated the enemy and wiped out nearly five thousand of them. It was a miraculous victory.
In my name, all soldiers who participated in the battle shall be promoted by one rank. Compensation for the casualties shall be doubled.
Commander, Second Lieutenant Claude, was valiant and skillful in battle. He used his ingenious strategy to defeat the enemy and made a great contribution in this battle. He is hereby promoted to the rank of Captain and awarded with the Order of Knighthood in recognition of his outstanding contributions in battle. "
Captain Skri handed the written records to the Crown Prince for him to check and let the Crown Prince sign and stamp it.
That meant that all disputes over the battle had come to an end. As the chief commander of the frontlines, the first prince had decided on the final rewards for those who participated in the battle.
"If possible, Your Highness, I would like to record the entire battle into the textbooks of the academy. It's a perfect example of a defensive battle and is worth researching.
Also, if the battle is over, I would like to have Captain Claude train at the royal capital's Stellin Military Academy. I believe he will be of great help to Your Highness in the future, "Michelic pleaded.
Prince Hansbach sighed. "He received a Knight's Medal and naturally has the right to train at the royal capital's Stellin Military Academy.
However, we don't know how long this battle will last. Rimodra is being pincered by us and is still struggling.
Askilin knows that they can't break through our defenses in the three southern prefectures and are now setting up a defensive line at their eastern border. They want to wait for an opportunity to turn the tide.
Canas is still providing light cavalry to the anti-Auerian coalition and enlisting their herdsmen to expand their new light cavalry corps.
Nasri's battle is still in a stalemate. Reddragon is unable to break through the enemy's turtle-shell-like defenses.
The reason I called you here today is to discuss where we should launch our next attack in order to speed up the pace of victory in the war. "
Michelic walked to the large map on the wall. "The situation at the frontlines is stable. Because of the temporary passage to Pikleit Mountains, reinforcements have already entered the three southern prefectures.
While Rimodra's anti-Auerian coalition has the advantage in numbers, they're still at a disadvantage. They can't advance and can only defend.
The reason they're able to hold on is because the sea route is unobstructed. It allows them to replenish their supplies and manpower.
We can slow down our attacks and use a siege strategy. Half of Rimodra is already under our control. The anti-Auerian coalition has so many troops stationed there and almost all of their supplies are transported by sea. As time goes on, they won't be able to sustain the expenditure of so many troops.
We can wipe out Askilin first and force our way into Canas.
As long as the news gets out, the Askilin forces and Canas light cavalry in Rimodra's coalition will fall into disarray.
I believe we'll have an opportunity then. The day of Rimodra's destruction will come soon. "