I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy - Chapter 19
EP.19
After Lieutenant Peter Jaeger returned, Reich 7th Division Commander Stefan von Bolten sighed and muttered.
“Ever since the student platoon leaders began participating in actual battles on the Rhineland front, I thought that this guy might be a genius. That bastard is really a bastard. This is a guy who lacks nothing in personality, resourcefulness, and eloquence. If only my youngest was half as good as Lieutenant Jaeger. “I didn’t slip in the first round of the major…”
Although he was momentarily angry, Stefan recalled the lieutenant’s performance once again.
The student platoon leader, who is praised for being a good guy as long as he properly understands the instructions of other platoon commanders or company commanders on the front line and moves accordingly, leads the platoon directly in the first battle, annihilating the enemy battalion and killing the battalion commander.
An elite officer who was promoted to second lieutenant for his achievements and contributed greatly to the defeat of Company 1 and Platoon 2, even promoting officers in the same company.
He urgently intervened and rescued the neighboring battalion, which was on the verge of annihilation due to a misjudgment and arbitrary action by student platoon leaders who mistakenly thought they were accustomed to the front line.
In addition, he is a crazy person who even managed to defeat 300 Francois Republic troops.
If someone tells you that a rookie officer who graduated from the academy performed this well on his first deployment, would you write a heroic novel? His performance was such that I had to close my ears and tell him to stop talking nonsense.
‘So I could no longer ignore Lieutenant Yeager as a commoner and an orphan. There are five titles and knights in the empire, including duke, but if you consider your military service as a commander, it is not impossible to enter there and become a nobleman.’
After losing about 20% of my troops due to the unilateral actions of the student platoon leaders, I asked him about the strategy as I was drowning and dying.
Division Commander Stefan said while reading the report of the staff members who had speculated and reported on the activities of the commando unit led by Lieutenant Jaeger, spread out in the corner of the desk.
“Of the 9,000 troops of the Francois Republic, at least 400 to up to 600 were killed and subjugated, including one colonel-level commander and two lieutenant-colonel level commanders. “When this kind of story appeared in the novels I often read while attending the academy, I closed the book, saying it was ridiculous.”
He himself rose to the rank of division commander and was often told by his many noble classmates that he was a genius, if not a genius.
If someone asks you if you have the insight and courage to completely catch the enemy off guard with just one company when faced with a similar situation…
‘That’s bullshit. Who would be crazy enough to lead a company to fight against a regiment-level mercenary unit attached to a division?’
So Major General Stefan, commander of the 7th Division, found himself feeling jealous of his subordinate, Lieutenant Jaeger, who was about 7 ranks lower than him.
‘But if it weren’t for Lieutenant Jaeger, I would have retreated to Weinberg Castle by now, and since I replaced 3,000 troops and failed to achieve any results, I would have been dishonorably discharged.’
And as a division commander, I was at fault for not being able to control the other student platoon leaders, which resulted in the loss of troops.
Because he suffered about 3,000 casualties and killed half of the 10,000-strong Francois Republic division, his military merits and demerits were offset…
No, if you combine his exploits in securing the territory right up to Lezhin Castle, he would be promoted to lieutenant general along with a medal. It would be possible.
“I cannot become a master general myself, but if I recommend Lieutenant Peter Jaeger, who has the qualities of a master general, to His Majesty the Crown Prince. “I can put him under my influence.”
This is because in aristocratic society, it is an unspoken rule that one must serve as a vassal of the person who helped him or her succeed, or even if one does not serve one, one must repay the favor received from that person.
Stefan, who made that decision, filled with his ambition, wrote a report containing as much good information about Lieutenant Jaeger as possible and sent it to the crown prince.
**
After defeating the Francois Republic division on the Rhineland front, progress progressed so quickly that there was no time to open one’s eyes or nose day by day.
Of course, since we had not engaged in combat with the enemy during that time, there was no need to risk our lives fighting.
I had to move to the point where I could feel with my body what the phrase ‘busy like war’ meant.
First of all, I had to fill out a document requesting compensation from the Imperial Military Veterans Affairs Department for the achievements made by the soldiers who died while following me right before their deaths.
In addition, I wrote a letter with my own hand, hoping to bring comfort to their bereaved families.
Next, the merits and demerits of the surviving officers and soldiers had to be clearly evaluated and sent to the 7th Division headquarters.
Once every three days, a banquet was held for the soldiers who stayed at the front line even after a great victory, and they had to drink and eat meat to liven up the mood among the soldiers.
Because I was so crazy busy, the time went by as if I was fast-forwarding the clock.
Damn, is that why my uncle, who was the head of the battalion operations department, said this?
‘When you graduate from a military academy and become an officer, the most you have to do is paperwork. Soldier training? That’s important, but most of your time will be buried in documents.’
When I was concentrating on paperwork while recalling old memories.
The 1st platoon leader came running in with a flushed face and with such excitement that it seemed as if he was going to destroy the barracks.
“Company Commander, this is good news! “This is really good news!”
If I wasn’t in a situation where I was busy with work, I would be really happy to hear that, but now I’m so busy with work that I feel like I’m going to become a zombie.
However, I couldn’t say out loud in front of my happy subordinates, ‘I’m so busy that I don’t have time to be happy about most things,’ so…
I asked with a hint of curiosity.
“What kind of news are you making such a fuss about?”
“The division personnel staff just announced the units that will participate in the improvement ceremony! Our company is also in it. “I just can’t believe it.”
I feel a little sorry for the platoon leader who said that, but I wasn’t very impressed when I heard his report.
This is because, as a rule, units like us that contributed greatly to the unit’s victory are always invited to participate in the victory ceremony.
This is so obvious that it even appears in the basic military system taught in the first year at the academy.
Moreover, the division commander has already been informed that participation in the victory ceremony has been confirmed.
Also, the 1st platoon leader was a senior officer, so even though he may not have received as much education as I, who graduated from the academy, he would have a certain level of common sense.
Maybe that’s why sarcasm came out of my mouth instead of praise.
“Didn’t you know that too? It’s definitely an honor to be able to participate in the victory ceremony. But considering our unit’s specialty, it’s not surprising.”
Then the 1st platoon leader spoke in a louder voice than before.
“The Jaeger Company overtook the Knights and took the lead during the triumphal ceremony, raising the division flags of the Francois Republic Army and the Reich 7th Division flags that we had captured! “You have officially declared that the first air in this battle is ours!”
I was surprised to hear that and asked.
“Is that really true?”
Because participating in the victory ceremony means ‘our unit played a great role in this battle.’ It’s just a matter of certifying and bragging about it.
The fact that the company alone was given the privilege of holding both the enemy’s flag and the friendly flag at the very front of the triumphal procession meant that Division Commander Stefan recognized that our company’s merits were greater than that of all other regiments combined.
If you look at it objectively, this battle would have been pushed back without the efforts of Jaeger Company and I.
As a custom of the Imperial Army, it is common for the Supreme Commander of each front to give the highest-ranking subordinate unit under his command, which he deems the greatest merit, to take the lead in a triumphal ceremony.
“Really! I couldn’t believe it, so I even pinched my cheek! Congratulations, company commander!”
“Thank you. “Then, have you heard any news about what happens to the rest of the unit?”
“I heard that 150 knights from our company and 700 knights from each regiment will be selected to hold a triumphal ceremony, and when His Majesty the Crown Prince comes with a follow-up unit, all of them will move to the rear. “It seems that the siege of Regin Castle was over water as our troops suffered quite a bit of damage before His Majesty’s reinforcements arrived.”
The 1st platoon leader seems to regret not being able to participate in the raid on Lezhin Castle.
According to the original work, we should have been in a crisis situation with even Weinberg Castle being robbed, let alone a siege.
And at that time, the main character, a noble young man who had just become a new second lieutenant, was supposed to take action and save the empire from crisis and begin his career as a war hero…
but I stole it all. What happens to the original novel? What’s the point? The opportunities to make a contribution are limited, so it’s normal for others to be unhappy as much as I succeed.
By the way, did the division commander show that he was plotting to draw me into his power by throwing me a big piece of meat that said, ‘All the achievements of victory are yours’?
Even though my contribution in this battle was great, I never thought that they would try to recruit me so quickly and at such a huge cost…
A word from the author (Author’s afterword)
When the German and Soviet armies were fighting during World War II. .
When the Soviet Army was retreating, a Soviet squad leader who drank the medicine openly cast Charge Forward with six of his colleagues.
When the German army saw this, they thought it was a Soviet operation and that since the surprise attack was successful, we were left behind, so they were indifferent.
The Soviet squad leader and six Soviet soldiers launched a sudden charge and attacked with ignorance, using whatever weapons they could get their hands on.
As a result, there is a true story in which 500 German soldiers were killed and the members of the squad that used the Mad Charge did not even receive minor injuries.
In addition, the motif was also taken from other surprise operations.
See next episode