"Report. General Pokalek of Ambrize stationed at Winterfell has sent an eagle messenger to the superior," said the signalman as he placed a letter he had just received on the table.
Captain Duriolo casually picked it up and glanced at it. Then, he spat and put this secret letter on top of the small stack of secret letters on the table.
There were already two stacks of such letters on the table, but one was taller than the other.
"What's wrong?"
Claude stood in front of the window with a glass of fruit wine in his hand as he looked at the soldiers of 1st Ranger Tribe digging new traps on the mountain path. Moriad was inspecting the newly dug trenches on the slope.
Previously, Claude had set up a defensive position in Squirrel Village to deal with the allied nobles from Canas and the eastern part of Askilin. Now, he had to defend against a punitive force from the three southern prefectures.
"It's nothing." Captain Duriolo stood up. "A second-line legion commander, a lackey of those old aristocratic families, sent us a messenger hawk, telling us to obey the decision of the frontline command's combat staff department and obediently surrender without putting up a fight.
We have to go to frontline command on our own and hand over the culprit and evidence to be investigated to prevent unimaginable consequences, such as us becoming traitors of the kingdom and bringing shame to our families and kin.
Bloody hell, they're all just talking big. If they have the guts, they can bring their own troops to fight me. Let's see if these idiots and trash dare to do so.
Since when did the staff of frontline command have the right to accuse us of being traitors? A bunch of staff officers who can only provide advice and reference to the commanding officer of frontline command actually have the authority to do so. That's really unexpected. "
It was indeed an unexpected situation. It had already been three days and they were still bickering.
When Durioro sent the news of First Lieutenant Jeprick's suicide and Second Lieutenant Bekimillo's accidental death to frontline command, apart from having the nobles accuse Durioro and Claude of being traitors to the kingdom and declare that they were going to send troops to suppress them, there were only messenger pigeons and falcons flying all over the place for the past three days. Not a single soldier came to attack Squirrel Village.
The reason was simple. The frontline strategists didn't have the authority to deploy troops. Even the nobles couldn't take orders from the strategists and order their troops to attack Claude and Durioro.
When the nobles at frontline command found out about it, they felt like they had been taken advantage of. However, they could no longer take back their words. All they could do was send a messenger eagle to ask Captain Duriolo and Claude to surrender themselves to the frontline command without any hesitation.
At the same time, the higher-ups of the corps also sent eagle messages to Squirrel Village to persuade the two not to resist so as to increase the pressure on them.
Prince Hansbach set up a staff department at frontline command mainly to settle the nobles who came to follow him.
He knew that most of the nobles were arrogant people who only knew how to boast. Without a period of observation, it would be hard to find anyone worthy of promotion.
That was why he set up the department at frontline command. On one hand, it was convenient for him to choose and observe. On the other hand, it was to give the nobles a place to go so that they wouldn't interfere with the civilian officers who actually worked at frontline command. At the same time, it wouldn't cause conflicts between them.
The eldest prince's plan was very thorough, but he could not just leave the frontline Battle Staff Department as an empty shell. Therefore, many trivial matters were handed over to the Battle Staff Department to be in charge of and manage. He also selected the noble officers who were capable of handling affairs and placed them in various departments such as the Military Law Office, the Communications Office, and other departments. After nearly four years, the Battle Staff Department had unwittingly spread its tentacles throughout all the departments in the frontline command.
When the first prince was around, the staff department was in charge of coming up with the best way to deal with all sorts of issues at the frontline. At the same time, there were also backup plans for the officers at frontline command to choose from.
Only after the officer in charge of frontline command chose one of the plans would it be handed over to the relevant departments to be implemented.
This gave the noble officers of the frontline combat staff department the illusion that they were being put in an important position and held great power, because the officers of the frontline command had chosen the solutions they had provided, which gave them a great sense of satisfaction.
At the same time, it prevented the nobles from truly holding real power. Without the approval of the officers in charge of frontline command, the plans submitted were useless.
But when Hansbach rushed back to the royal capital to stop the signing of the peace treaty, he stubbornly locked himself in his room.
This result caused the noble officers of the frontline combat staff to lose their restraints. They united with the noble officers of the various departments of the frontline command and overthrew the acting eldest prince, General Michaelczyk Priest. They forced him to leave the frontline command on the pretext of recuperating. This allowed these noble officers to take control of nearly a million soldiers of the kingdom.
However, what these noble officers did not expect was that the authority they thought they had over a million troops was actually empty. In terms of logistics and supply, military discipline inspection, confiscation of enemy property, and other trivial matters, the various officers in charge of the frontline command were willing to cooperate, signing and approving the plan submitted by them for implementation.
But if they wished to move their troops against Captains Durioro and Claude, whom they declared to be traitors, they would need the signature of General Michelge c Priest, who was in charge of the headquarters of the front in place of the eldest prince, which they could not obtain.
The other officers in charge of frontline command, even the nobles in charge of the corps, refused to sign the plans.
Firstly, they didn't have the authority to mobilize their troops. Secondly, they couldn't entrust their lives to the nobles who didn't know their place.
If they carried out the order signed in the name of the Frontline Operations Staff Department, they would really be rebelling. The kingdom had never granted this so-called Frontline Operations Command the authority to deploy troops.
Durioro's confidence came from the secret letter he received from the Ministry of the Army. His uncle was in the Ministry of the Army.
In response to his report to the Ministry of the Army, the Ministry of the Army praised and encouraged him and Claude for refusing the unreasonable orders of frontline command and ordered them not to submit to pressure from frontline command. They were to wait for the Ministry of the Army to investigate.
Just as Durioro said, the peace treaty had been signed and the war was over.
Even though the first prince stubbornly locked himself in his room and didn't care about any matters at the frontline.
The acting general in charge of taking over should cooperate with the Ministry of the Army and deal with the millions of soldiers stationed at the frontline. Those who should be discharged should be discharged and those who should be reduced should be reduced.
The second-line corps would also have to return home and the conscripted soldiers could return home to serve as cannon fodder in the next war.
But the current situation was something the Ministry of the Army didn't expect. General Michelc Priest, who replaced the first prince, was said to have gone to recuperate due to his poor health. He didn't have a candidate to replace him at frontline command.
The one in charge of the millions of soldiers at the frontline was the staff department of the Army. They were all nobles with the rank of lieutenant or colonel.
The situation had become a sore point for the Ministry of the Army. It wasn't that they didn't think of sending someone to take charge, but the first prince didn't leave his room and didn't care about anything. They didn't know if the person they sent would be resisted by the noble officers in charge of the staff department.
Even with Stellin X's endorsement, the commander of the millions of soldiers at the frontline was still the first prince, Hansbach.
Without his approval, if the person they sent didn't follow his orders, it would be a very embarrassing situation for the Ministry of the Army and Stellin X. The consequences would be dire.
At that moment, Captain Durioro, the commander of the local guard battalion stationed at the frontline, and Captain Claude, the leader of 1st Ranger Battalion and recipient of the Knighthood, got into a conflict with the noble officers in charge of the frontline command.
They first captured four people posing as officers of the frontline command. Then, the two officers from the military law department refused to take the prisoners away and the two officers from the military law department lost their lives.
That incident not only shocked the Ministry of the Army, but also the noble officers in charge of the frontline command. They recklessly declared Captain Durioro and Captain Claude to be traitors and wanted to send troops to suppress them.
That was the worst move they had ever made. They didn't have the authority to deploy troops and ended up in a difficult position.
However, this was a very good opportunity for the Ministry of the Army of the Kingdom. They could take the opportunity to send people to the frontline and intervene in the frontline command with the excuse of investigating this incident. They could understand the real situation and find out the motives and details of those noble officers.
The fact that no one responded to the noble officers' declaration of suppression gave the Ministry of the Army a chance to regain control of the millions of soldiers at the frontline.
So, the Ministry of the Army sent a messenger eagle to instruct Captain Durioro and Claude not to succumb to the pressure from the frontline command and the other corps.
On the other hand, the messenger eagle informed the military law officers of the frontline corps to form an investigation team to investigate the situation at Squirrel Village.
In the end, the Ministry of the Army sent a high-ranking officer to the frontline command with Stellin X's edict to handle the evacuation of the millions of soldiers.
Durioro pointed at the tall stack of letters on his desk and said smugly, "See that? There are 20 second-line corps and two ace corps at the frontline. There are only 30 or so letters from the officers of division and above to persuade us to plead guilty to the frontline command. On the other hand, there are close to a hundred letters from the regiments and battalions to express their support for us.
So, there's no need for you to have your subordinates set up defensive positions. Even if the officers give the order to suppress us, there won't be any units that will carry out such a stupid order. "
"There's no harm in being prepared. Besides, it's not good to let the soldiers laze around. Getting them to move is the only way to maintain their fighting power."
Claude retracted his gaze and downed the fruit wine in one gulp. "When did the investigation team say they're coming?"
Durioro took out a letter from the table and read it. "They said it'll be three days later. The head of the royal guard's military law department, General Wilst, will lead a team to investigate. There will also be eight second-line corps' military law officers, 16 military law officers, and a company of the royal guard. There will be a total of 136 people."
"I hope the investigation team will be fair and not scold us blindly," Claude said after some thought.
"Haha, you don't have to worry about that.
The head of the royal guard's military law department, General Wilst, is known as the Just by the soldiers.
He has high prestige in the royal guard because he's impartial in his enforcement of the law. Be it noble officers or commoners, they'll all receive the same punishment if they fall into his hands. He won't reduce his punishment just because of his status or if someone interferes on his behalf.
That's why some noble officers give him the nickname Woody Wilst, meaning that he doesn't have any sympathy to speak of. "
Durioro poured another half a glass of fruit wine for Claude. "Also, I noticed that five of the eight second-line corps' military law officers are commoners. Half of the 16 military law officers are commoners as well.
To us, they are natural allies. No one likes those noble officers who act high and mighty in the army and think they are superior to everyone else. "
Claude chuckled. "You're actually a noble officer."
Durioro waved the bottle in his hand. "No, no, no, you're wrong.
Brother Claude, I'm just a noble, not a noble officer. I can't compare to those noble officers who've been in the royal army for generations.
They have huge connections in the royal army and control the kingdom's military industry, so the royal family has to give them some leeway.