I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Chapter 18: Opportunity For Promotion (5)

Thus, our troop took a brief rest and began to move toward the original unit that had come for reinforcement. On the other hand, the enemy soldiers seemed to be on the brink of annihilation as they retreated only to encounter our reinforcements.

“Crap, why are there damn knights here!”

“Stupid Chief of Staff! You said we should retreat this way!”

“I don’t know, but what matters now is that we should form a defensive line, right? We didn’t even get to put on our armor properly due to the ambush.”

The soldiers of the Francois Republican army, who knew nothing more than how snails eat, were desperately trying to survive, falling into a situation worse than before.

‘I’ve won!’

I felt a deep sense of victory and gave orders to my subordinates.

“As for stepping on the heads of these minnows who were stuck in their fragile fortress-like snail shells, let the knights of the Empire handle them! All units, follow me and retreat while our allies slaughter the enemy!”

To avoid being trampled to death by friendly knights after winning the war, I ran away with my soldiers, putting all the strength we had left into our legs.

Some fools looked at us, eager to chase our company, but no one dared to actually follow, knowing they would be trampled by the incoming knights.

Then, after about two minutes, a knight standing at the front of the imperial army shouted in a loud voice.

“Knights of the Reindolf Regiment from the 7th Division of the Reich Empire, charge! Kill them all!”

What followed was a chorus of knights raising a giant cheer.

The Francois Republican soldiers tried to organize some kind of formation, but in their terror, they only became more scattered. Eventually, their bodies were pierced by the knights’ spears, and those who survived were too scared to even move.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck…’

“Please, don’t kill me! I don’t want to die! I want to survive!”

“…Mom! I want to go home!”

Watching this scene, our troops continued to move to join our allies, and eventually, we reached the safe zone in the rear of the imperial army. We were recognized by the division commander for our right to retreat immediately and managed to rest in the barracks.

Whether it was the lingering excitement from the victory or the anticipation of the reward to come, I couldn’t sleep. So, instead, I began to write a report to the division commander detailing the achievements of my unit.

In the end, I went to report to the division commander without having slept a wink last night. Still, thanks to the exhilaration of the reward and the surprise attack, drowsiness was not coming anytime soon.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the commander’s office.

“Lieutenant Peter Yaeger, I have come upon the Division Commander’s summon. May I enter?”

Hearing my voice, the division commander came out of his tent and put his arm around my shoulder.

“Of course. Come in.”

He led me into the tent and poured a glass of top-grade wine.

“This is a high-quality wine from the Italiano Empire. I usually save it for myself, but for a hero like you, this is the least I can do.”

“Thank you. I will enjoy it.”

“I’m sure you will. It’s the best wine I’ve ever had.”

The first wine to touch my lips happened to be the finest.

Still, as a poor orphan who attended the academy and a wine novice, I didn’t want to embarrass myself. So, I sipped the wine and savored it for about five minutes, as I had learned during an elective course at the academy. Even to my inexperienced palate, the wine was extraordinary, with a slight bitterness, acidity, sweetness, and grape aroma.

“It’s delicious. This is the best alcohol I’ve had in my life.”

The division commander laughed heartily, clearly pleased with my compliment on his favorite wine.

“Is that so? You seem to have a decent palate for alcohol. Good, then, when the battlefield is cleared in a few days, and a feast is held, I’ll specially send you two bottles.”

“It would be an honor.”

Usually, such words might be half-hearted, but I was 100% sincere at this moment. The wine was so delicious that I would want to taste it again even if I had to spend my entire salary on it.

With that thought in mind, I politely handed over the report to the division commander with both hands. He read through each page thoroughly and seemed quite impressed.

“Normally, in such reports, you could slightly appropriate the accomplishments of your soldiers and subordinate officers for your own promotion. Yet you’ve carefully credited the accomplishments of your subordinates. Why are you different, young man?”

The Division Commander’s tone could be slightly sarcastic, but his eyes were full of goodwill and curiosity towards me.

And at the same time, I strongly felt that he was testing me. Considering my already impressive accomplishments, there was no need to appropriate those of my subordinates. Rather, detailing their contributions would actually benefit my future image and career. He was using this to test me.

“Sir, I was taught at the academy that the achievements of the subordinates are also the achievements of the commander. There’s no need to unjustly claim their credit.”

Hearing my response, the division commander looked at me thoughtfully.

“Other commanders could learn a thing or two from you.”

“I am just trying to adhere to the basics.”

In reality, I was rigorously adhering to the ‘basics’ to avoid any potential backlash due to my significant achievements.

“If what you wrote in the report is true, you’re only asking for a one-rank promotion for your enlisted men and discharge certificates for the corporals. Don’t you have any personal desires? You and your troops will already be part of the parade in Reitenburg after the battle, and the one-rank promotion is guaranteed. Why not ask for something else? If you want a knighthood or a small territory, I can make a direct request to His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Having a knight’s title would put me among the top 1% of the empire just by status alone, and having a territory would give me considerable autonomy. Yet, giving in to this immediate temptation could limit my future opportunities. A title and land now might prevent me from climbing further up the ladder later.

“I won’t say I don’t desire such things. But I made a promise to my soldiers that when I put them in danger, I would help them get back home to their families as soon as possible. I can’t break that promise for my personal gain.”

Hearing my words, Division Commander Bolton gave me a very satisfied look.

“Fine. I will issue a collective promotion for all 110 soldiers under your command. The documents will be ready by the day of the feast.”

We both tested each other. Although unspoken, our thoughts were likely the same: I had passed the test, and the Division Commander would surely recommend me to the Crown Prince.