I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Chapter 36: Preparation For War (2)

“Sub-lieutenant Laura, now that we have finished our meal, let’s start our formal duties. You can leave the empty dishes on the table as they are.”

“Understood. What tasks shall we begin with?”

I showed her the level 2 sealed confidential documents that I was holding and spoke.

“There will soon be a war led directly by His Highness, the Crown Prince. Our regiment and territory will play an important role in it. I plan to have a meeting with everyone regarding this matter.”

“Is that so? If I hadn’t been under Major Yaeger, I would have had no way of knowing this. You must have been entrusted with the preparations for the upcoming war because you have the trust of the Crown Prince.”

“Normally, a sub-lieutenant like you would not be able to participate in this meeting, but I will allow it due to your role as my deputy. Not only because of the request from Count Benner but also because I believe in the potential of Sub-Lieutenant Laura, which had been demonstrated during her time at the academy.”

Even as a distinguished commander who received the Silver Knight Sword medal directly from the Emperor as a major, being part of the preparation for the Crown Prince’s plans proved that the Crown Prince had significant trust in me.

It would also be a huge plus for the careers of my subordinates, as it would imply that they were privy to the ‘Imperial Command’ of the Crown Prince.

And to give such a special opportunity to Laura, who had just graduated from the academy, would usually be impossible.

Laura then looked at me with a mixture of shock and joy.

“Are you really giving me such an opportunity?”

And to her, who expressed surprise, joy, and gratitude, I said,

“I hope you act as much as I expect from you in return.”

With that, I went into the conference room, where my subordinates were waiting.

Usually, it was used only for discussing regiment training, supply, equipment, and territorial administration-related inquiries.

So the atmosphere would rarely become heavy as soon as I entered.

However, maybe it was because I entered holding sealed documents with a serious expression on my face that tension was evident in the faces of Max, the administrator of the Bruno territory; Marco, the captain of the first company; Dominic, the captain of the second company; Charlie, the captain of the third company; Dennis, the captain of the mage company; and Werner, the captain of the knight company.

But before starting the formal meeting, I signaled for Laura to stand in front of my diagonal line and introduced her.

“Before we start the meeting, let me introduce Sub-Lieutenant Laura von Benner, who will serve as my deputy from today on. She’s new, so she might lack in some aspects, but I hope you veterans will help her out.”

She bowed politely as my words ended.

“I am Sub-Lieutenant Laura von Benner. I look forward to working with you.”

As I introduced her, everyone welcomed her with applause.

I immediately showed the documents containing the operation details and said,

“As of January 20th, in the year 221 of the Reich Empire, following the command of His Highness, the Crown Prince, Major Peter Yaeger will now unseal the confidential 1005, revealing the information to the Yaeger Regiment and part of the Bruno Territory. Captain of the first company, today is January 20th, correct?”

Marco, who knew this, nodded, and I quickly unsealed and opened the document.

“I will convey the command of His Highness, the Crown Prince. As of July 30th, in the year 222 of the Reich Empire, an army of 40,000 under His Highness, the Crown Prince, will pass through the Bruno territory and head to Bisochea in Chekovia to fight.”

At this, the company commanders shouted out loud.

“Finally, war! The opportunity we’ve been waiting for has come. Nobody can stop me. I’ll earn the rank of major this time, too!”

“We can easily defeat those Chekovians, right? It’s an honor to use them as a stepping stone for promotion.”

“Long live the Crown Prince! Long live the Empire!”

I encouraged them to boost their morale.

“Our side alone will be participating with 40,000 troops in this war. So, there will be plenty of opportunities to make a name for yourselves. Concentrate on the upcoming strategy and be devoted to the roles that have been assigned to you. Follow me, and I, as the regiment commander, will do my best to make a place for each one of you.”

Everyone then started to focus with gleaming eyes.

“Gather the crops and radishes collected as taxes this year. Preserve the radishes in salt and grind the beans, barley, and wheat into flour, mix them with appropriate amounts of water and salt, and bake them at least four times over a long period in the oven. Also, use 80% of the reserved funds to purchase large quantities of salted meat, cheese, and beer and store them in the warehouse. The rest will be processed in the same way we make hardtack, but be extra cautious as a small mistake can cause the hardtack to spoil.”

In modern-day Korea, trades made using information acquired beforehand for profit are strictly regulated as insider trading.

However, in the Reich Empire, where the legal system was much weaker and more lenient compared to Korea, such controls didn’t exist.

Deals related to military provisions during the war usually make at least 5 to 7 times the profit.

However, I planned to sell food and alcohol at just 3 to 4 times the price we bought them for this year at this supply base.

This would allow us to make considerable profits, but it would be much cheaper than buying goods through regular merchants, satisfying the Crown Prince.

“Moreover, we need to increase the territory size by bringing in as many bandits that nearby lords despise, tying men and women alike. This place will be made into a supply base and relay city connecting the newly conquered lands of Chekovia and the Reich Empire.”

Finishing my words, I looked around at the company commanders and said,

“We will also change the regiment’s structure. The knight company remains as is. The infantry company will be organized into three spearman squads and one crossbowman squad. To maximize firepower, all crossbowmen will be placed under the mage company. In other words, one mage squad and one crossbowman squad will move together from each corner of the formation.”

This would naturally make the crossbowmen protect the mages, and if the mages synchronized with the crossbowmen, their power would increase significantly.

Because if the soldiers who were hit hard by magic instinctively got scared and attacked by crossbows, it would lead to more deaths, and the morale of the enemy soldiers witnessing this would drop faster.

“The tactics we will use will remain the same as what has been learned in the training. The knights will normally wait behind the infantry and charge to suppress the enemy upon the regiment commander’s order.”

In movies, knights would often charge at each other as soon as the war began, but to execute such tactics, one must command at least hundreds of knights.

So, in most units, dozens of knights were kept in reserve to either block the enemy’s retreat or exploit their gaps.

Doing so would cause more fear and sacrifice for the enemy.

That was because if a person knew in advance, even being hit hard on the head with a baseball bat could be survived, but if hit unknowingly, even a stick could be fatal.

“Each company commander shall convey all the facts related to the Chekovia front, except those expressly withheld, to their units and begin the training. That is all.”