"General, did I do something wrong?
You want me to quit Ranger … "Claude wondered if he had gone overboard with General Fansnik recently. The general had been fanning the flames from the side, making the idiot general's reputation so bad that even Misielic couldn't stand it anymore and decided to intervene.
After being promoted to field marshal, apart from Claude's old subordinates who still addressed him as General to show their closeness, everyone else had to address him as Lord Misielic.
Misielic fell silent for a moment and sighed. "No, Claude. I want you to quit Ranger because I want you to take up the position of supreme commander of the war theatre."
Claude shook his head, wondering if he was hallucinating. "L-General … W-Why?
This is your job … "
Misielic didn't answer Claude's question. He pointed at a document with a blue cover on his desk and took off his spectacles. He took out a black velvet cloth from his drawer and started wiping the lenses.
At the same time, he continued, "The higher-ups have made a decision regarding this colonial war. Defense is the priority. If necessary, we can give up Cromwell, Balingana and Robisto. The bottom line is to defend Anfiston."
That was the plan before the Battle of Balingana, but nobody expected Misielic to lead Ranger to wipe out five Shiksan standing corps in one go.
One against ten, the weaker side triumphed over the stronger side and achieved a miraculous victory in Balingana.
However, Claude didn't interrupt. He sat still and listened to what Misielic had to say next.
As expected, Misielic said with melancholy, "But this time, there's a high chance that Ranger won't participate in the war …"
Claude couldn't sit still any longer. "No, General. If Ranger doesn't participate in the war, how can we defend Anfiston?
Or do you mean to say that the kingdom will send another corps to replace Ranger in this colonial war? "
He shook his head and looked at Claude with a smile that didn't seem like a smile. "The kingdom won't send another corps to replace Ranger. Ranger, on the other hand, will likely be sent back to the kingdom's mainland.
What, do you think we can't fight without Ranger? "
Claude nodded. "General, you know that without Ranger's mobility and combat prowess, we wouldn't have been able to win the last battle.
I believe that with just two corps in charge of defending the colonies, the next time Shiks invade, we won't be able to do much.
We have to defend Anfiston. The future isn't looking good. "
Claude's words were practically a declaration of failure.
"Don't be too sure. The cannoneer line that defended Port Patres during the last battle was very brave and tenacious. Despite suffering more than eighty percent of their members, they still fought back with all their might. They aren't any weaker than the four ace corps of the kingdom," Misielic explained.
He turned to Claude and said, "By the way, did you hear that the higher-ups are going to send a batch of high-ranking officers with royal blood ties to Ranger?"
"I did," Claude replied hesitantly.
"But it's been three months since the news spread and no one has come. I think it's just a rumor.
Didn't we have a General Fansnik in charge of logistics? His surname is also Stellin and he's related to the royal family.
He doesn't do any proper work and only thinks of crooked ways.
If the high-ranking officers are all like him, our corps will be in trouble. "
Marshal Michelic laughed mockingly. "Actually, it's true. The high-ranking officers assigned to our corps are indeed related to the royal family. The royal family believes that they can effectively control our Ranger corps, the royal family's elite force.
However, the main reason they haven't reported to the corps is because they're bargaining with the higher-ups. If they don't agree to their demands, they won't be able to join Ranger.
The high-ranking officers with royal blood suggested that Ranger should be moved back to the royal capital and away from the colonial war. That way, they won't have to risk their lives on the battlefield.
Secondly, Nubissia is too far away and they don't want to travel that far. If Ranger is moved back to the royal capital, they can take up positions nearby. It'll also make it easier for them to return home and enjoy the life of a noble. They won't have to stay in the barracks all the time.
Thirdly, they want to have real power. They don't want to be staff officers in name only. They're aiming for a position like a colonel. "
Claude was flabbergasted. "How is that possible? Isn't the first prince going to do something about it?"
It wasn't hard to imagine what sort of person would make those three demands. Compared to them, Fansnik seemed a little more amiable. At least he had the courage to come to Nubissia to take up a post.
Recalling how Misielic told him to leave Ranger, Claude began to suspect that he was making room for those fellows. But what did the general mean by making him the highest commanding officer of the war theatre?
Misielic shook his head with a bitter smile. "The first prince doesn't have the energy to deal with that at the moment. The ones in charge of Ranger are the royal nobles. They share the same surname of Stellin and have seniority higher than the first prince.
With His Majesty bedridden for a long time, their attitudes would determine who was more likely to become the successor of the kingdom.
"Sometimes, the first prince has no choice but to compromise with them and use certain conditions to gain their support. That's the case when these high-ranking officers with royal blood are assigned to Ranger."
"But, but isn't the first prince the rightful heir of the kingdom?"
Claude was shocked. He had always believed that Hansbach would be the next king, the future Stellin XI of Aueras.
"His Majesty still hasn't given a clear name for the next king."
Misielic put the glasses he was wiping on the table. The first prince didn't object to his transfer back to Ranger in a private message. He needed Misielic, his close comrade, to come back to the royal capital to help him strategize against the current complicated situation.
"Only the army is the first prince's staunchest supporter.
"The navy and the new merchant nobles are supporting Prince Wedrick's ascension to the throne. As for the older noble houses, they're just watching from the sidelines.
Now, only the royal nobles, the first prince's relatives, are the most active.
They're swaying left and right, benefiting from both sides. The first prince has no choice but to play along with them to prevent them from siding with the second prince and causing more trouble for the kingdom.
You have to understand, Claude, there are some people in this world who aren't very capable and can't accomplish anything, but they're very good at ruining other people's plans. "
Marshal Michelic was right. General Fansnik was exactly that kind of person.
Claude nodded in agreement. "General, even if Ranger is the royal guard, it's still a standing corps of the kingdom and an elite mobile force at that.
Was the ministry of the army going to let the royals order Ranger around without interfering?
They should know very well that Ranger won't be able to fight if they continue like this. "
"Heh, the ministry of the army?"
Misielic said mockingly, "The ministry of the army would rather Ranger be a ceremonial corps for show than a powerful corps that only obeys the orders of the royal family.
In fact, the royal navy is the main camp of the royalists, while the ministry of the army is a hodgepodge of different factions. "
Claude felt a little dizzy. "Wait, General. Didn't you say that the first prince and the royal navy have always been at loggerheads?
Why are you saying that the royal navy is the main camp of the royalists? Isn't that a little too contradictory? "
Misielic laughed. "What's contradictory about that? The royal navy and the first prince are indeed at loggerheads.
The eldest prince had always disliked the kingdom's Fearless Fleet's cowardice. He had a personal grudge with the Minister of the Navy in charge of the Ministry of the Navy, the kingdom's Navy Marshal, Marquis Andrek von Carlos.
However, the royal navy is a staunch supporter of the royal family.
To them, as long as it's Stellin, it doesn't matter who it is. That's why they strongly support the second prince as the heir to the throne.
The ministry of the army, on the other hand, is the territory of the old noble families. While the royal family has a hand in it, their influence has always been suppressed by the old noble families.
Apart from that, the old noble families were also divided into several factions. There were those who had served in the military since the founding of the empire, those who followed Stellin IX and were conferred the title of nobles due to their contributions, and those who supplied the empire with weapons and equipment.
There are at least a dozen factions in the royal army.
Even the new merchant nobles are growing their influence in the ministry of the army, even though they're still weak in the military and don't have much say.
However, they're very shrewd and good at mediating conflicts, so they're not easy to deal with.
Let's put it this way. The situation in the Kingdom's Ministry of the Army is far more complicated than you can imagine. The kingdom's four field ace corps, the three newly formed standing corps, the second line reserve corps, and the local garrisons are all controlled by various forces.
Why did the royal family have to spend their own money to build this Ranger army? It's because they wanted a reliable army that no one could infiltrate. It's a pity that they've started to ruin it themselves … "
"Let's get back to business, Claude."
"I called you here to tell you that Ranger will definitely return to the kingdom in three months.
As for me, I'll be following the army back to the Kingdom's Ministry of Army.
After all, I'm one of the three Field Marshals in the kingdom, and I'm still in the prime of my life. It wouldn't be right if they didn't give me a good position … "
Marshal Michelic laughed self-deprecatingly and pointed at the blue document on the table. "I've been busy haggling with the higher-ups for a while now. In order to get me to agree to Ranger's deployment and arrangements, they gave in.
Agree to execute the follow-up strategic plan for the overseas colonies according to my proposal, and agree to let you be the supreme commander of this theatre after I leave … "
Claude stood up immediately. Just as he was about to say something, he was stopped by a wave of his hand. "Claude, this position isn't about glory. It's about responsibility. It affects the final outcome of the war against Shiks.
Either you win and become a legendary hero of the kingdom that is revered by tens of thousands of people, or you suffer a crushing defeat and become the sinner of the kingdom that lost its overseas colonies … "
"The document on the table is the follow-up strategy I proposed for the colonies. You can take it home and read it slowly."
He gestured for Claude to sit back down. "You know the bottom line very well. No matter how the war progresses, as long as you can defend Anfiston and Mormaly, Aduras and Tyrrsim, you'll have accomplished your mission and made a great contribution to the kingdom.
"Let me give you a brief introduction so that you won't worry about not having enough troops to hold the line.
"Ranger has been ordered to return to the kingdom and will be an empty husk.
"Most of the soldiers will be transferred to the garrison forces of the colonies, just like you. There will also be three reinforced folk of the same scale as the old Ranger folk.
"After that, the two corps will be reduced to folk as reserve forces.
"The five folk will be under the direct command of the theatre and won't be under the command of any other departments of the kingdom.
At the same time, when Ranger returns home, they'll leave behind all their equipment, weapons, and warhorses. You can use them to quickly rebuild the five divisions.
"According to the intelligence obtained by the ministry of the army, Shiks has already formed two standing corps and hired a large number of low-ranking officers from Nasri and Canas to train the new recruits so that they can grasp new tactics and tactics. It seems that the enemy has finally figured out where to get combat experience.
"There's also another report that Shiks has obtained a new model of precision shooting firearms from Nasri and Canas and is currently trying to replicate them to upgrade their old firearms.
"Based on our estimations, Shiks will need another two to three years to prepare for the war.
"That's why, after you take over as the highest commanding officer of the theatre, the most important thing to do is to rebuild the five folk and make all necessary preparations for defence.
"Given your age, becoming the highest commanding officer of an independent theatre at thirty is indeed a little too young.
"Regrettably, none of the high-ranking officers of the kingdom wanted to take over my position, so I had no choice but to recommend you. I didn't think the higher-ups would approve your appointment so easily.
Perhaps in the eyes of the higher-ups, this position is a pit of fire that no one is willing to jump into.
Alright, if you have any questions, just say them. "
There are many more people in the corps who are more suitable than me to be the highest commanding officer of the theatre.
There are more people in the army who are more suitable than me for the position of Supreme Commander of the Theater of Operations.
Also, General, if you leave all of Ranger's equipment, weapons, and horses here and transfer them to the local garrison, wouldn't the higher-ups blame you for letting an empty corps return to their homeland?
"Also, I want to know where we'll get the manpower for the five folk.
There aren't that many people transferred from Ranger to the garrisons. The two corps aren't fully staffed in the first place and the quality of their soldiers is uneven. It'll be difficult for them to be reduced to two reserve folk.
"Currently, all the youths of suitable age in the seven colonies are either sent to the garrisons or conscripted into the two corps. Where are we supposed to replenish our manpower?
"General, I'd like to ask where the expenditure for the five folk will come from in the future. Will it be distributed by the ministry of the army?
Will the soldiers receive the same treatment as they did in Ranger after transferring to the garrisons?
Right, is the Ministry of the Army responsible for replenishing the weapons, equipment, and losses of the five divisions? Is the Ministry of the Army also responsible for the daily logistical consumption of the three colonies in the rear? "