LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 46
Erwin let out an unconscious sigh upon hearing Daniel’s answer.
“Don’t know, you say? After establishing such a perfect stronghold?”
Isn’t that a bit too humble?
Honestly speaking, the place before me didn’t feel like the territory of the Kingdom at all; it felt more like the Empire’s domain.
Yet, as I watched Daniel, who wouldn’t flaunt his achievements, I couldn’t help but feel impressed.
However, Daniel, unaware of Erwin’s true thoughts, merely wore an awkward smile.
“Colonel, it’s quite cold. Shall we go inside and have a chat?”
“Ah, let’s do that.”
Nodding, Erwin followed Daniel into the headquarters building.
Daniel guided Erwin to the reception room inside the building and began laying out the city plans he had been working on, in order to hand over the position of Garrison Commander.
To aid understanding, Lucy handed related documents to Erwin, and Prien served him coffee made from high-quality beans.
As Erwin reviewed the documents while sipping his coffee for a while, he let out a chuckle.
It was because Daniel had executed the role of Garrison Commander so perfectly that there was nothing to critique.
“Outstanding. If I could give you a score, I’d want to give you full marks. If there’s one complaint, it would be that I have nothing to contribute. It’s perfect enough just to maintain the status quo.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I’m not exaggerating, Lieutenant Daniel Steiner! You’ve done remarkably well. I’ll make sure to convey this to the General Staff Headquarters.”
Daniel didn’t want a higher evaluation, but he couldn’t exactly tell his superior not to.
With a resigned look on his face, Daniel nodded once and said, “Thank you for your kindness. By the way, it seems the handover is complete, so I should start preparing to return to the territory.”
“To the territory, you say?”
“That’s right. I’ve been out here providing Operations Support for a while. As you know, the north is cold and the food doesn’t suit my palate, making it quite a struggle.”
Erwin chuckled as if he understood Daniel’s banter.
“It’s not easy for someone raised in the Empire to adapt to food from a foreign land. Even when I was stationed on the Eastern Front, eating was quite a chore.”
“……I’m sorry for bringing this up. Compared to the food you had on the frontline amidst gunfire, my meals were quite luxurious.”
“It’s alright. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It was merely an anecdote. By the way, I think I have to say something a little remorseful for you who wants to return to the territory.”
Something remorseful? As Daniel looked at him in puzzlement, Erwin pulled out a scroll from his bosom and handed it to him.
“It’s the Operations Order that the General Staff Headquarters instructed me to convey to you.”
Thanks to that, Daniel couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.
He thought he was done with his mission and could go back, but here was a new Operations Order?
“What on earth are they thinking?”
He wanted to get mad, but as it was an order, he had no choice but to comply.
With trembling hands, Daniel received the scroll, untied the red string, and unfolded the paper.
───────────
《Imperial General Staff Headquarters》
Order No. D-513
Date: August 14, 1944
Task: Movement of Frontline Unit under the General Staff Headquarters
• Orders:
1. Lieutenant Daniel Steiner, currently operating a unit under the General Staff Headquarters, is to extract a sufficient number of personnel from the Nordia garrison to enable vehicle movement.
2. After boarding the vehicles with the extracted personnel, reach the Third Army Division Command located at the northern frontline by 16:00 on August 21, 1944.
3. Upon arrival at the division command, remain in a standby state and await orders. Subsequent actions will be advised based on the Army Commander’s orders.
You are hereby commanded to carry out your mission swiftly and accurately according to this order.
Imperial General Staff Headquarters.
Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Cedric Wendell.
───────────
After reading the order, Daniel raised his hand to wipe his face.
“Deputy Chief of Staff, why on earth are you doing this to me…?”
In that moment, Daniel’s small wish to return to the territory and live a comfortable and plentiful life shattered into pieces.
He wished this was just a bad joke from Erwin, but the order had the Deputy Chief’s seal stamped on it.
Therefore, this order was definitely not a forgery.
“Since an order has been issued, it seems I have to go.”
This time, the deadline was clearly stated, so he couldn’t afford to slack off.
“At least the silver lining is…”
From merely reading the order, it appeared to be a simple troop support mission.
If that were the case, he could afford to just bide his time after joining the division.
“Unless it’s a special operation, they wouldn’t throw the unit directly into the frontline.”
If it were a special operation, he could expect tough times ahead, but that seemed unlikely.
Currently, the advancing Imperial Army had entered a lull.
In such a situation, would the Kingdom engage in a special operation against the Imperial Army demanding stubborn resistance? That would be akin to asking for death.
Logically, it was clear that he would stay in the division in a ‘unit standby’ status and return to the territory once the war with the Kingdom ended.
It was merely a matter of a few weeks delay in returning to the territory.
“Yet for some reason…”
Daniel felt a sense of unease creeping in.
*
Third Army Division Command.
Office of the Army Commander.
“Hmm…”
General Karl-Peter Kraus narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the strategic map and operations board hung on the wall.
“I see they’ve pulled back the frontlines and concentrated all forces on the capital’s defense.”
At first glance, it appeared that the Royal Army had panicked and fled, but to Karl-Peter, it seemed quite a strategic maneuver.
Just because the Royal Army had retreated didn’t mean the Imperial Army could blindly advance.
“The supply and logistics aren’t keeping up.”
The amount of supplies consumed by the division each day was beyond imagination.
If those supplies weren’t delivered on time, not only would the morale of the division decrease, but operations command would also be disrupted.
Thus, without active supply lines, the Imperial Army couldn’t advance.
Even with more than half of the Kingdom’s territory under their control, the supply lines were still tangled, and the moment they recklessly pursued a retreating enemy, there was a high chance that supplies would be cut off.
So now, the Imperial Army had reluctantly entered a state of stagnation.
“With the time gained like this, the Royal Army will likely reorganize their forces.”
Perhaps they were even requesting help from their allies, the United Nations.
If the United Nations came to assist, it would be a headache.
Even if, by some stroke of luck, the United Nations did not come, it would still be problematic.
Once the Imperial Army secured their supply lines and set off, the Royal Army would already have finished reorganizing their forces.
“They will surely resist fiercely.”
That said, the Imperial Army wouldn’t be defeated, but they would incur massive casualties.
At least thousands, if not tens of thousands, of soldiers would die in vain.
It would be practically equivalent to weakening the Empire’s national strength, and thus, the General Staff Headquarters and Karl-Peter sought peace negotiations.
The Kingdom also responded by sending an envoy, but twice the negotiations had broken down.
The reason being that the Empire’s demands were utterly unreasonable.
Consequently, Army Commander Karl-Peter had requested the Emperor to relax the conditions for negotiations, but it was rejected.
There was no need for mercy towards the treacherous Kingdom that sought to take a bite out of the Empire like a hyena.
Thus, the remaining option was a total war aimed at the capital.
However, with the national strength already being wasted on blocking the eastern front, was it truly wise to declare total war against the Kingdom?
While Karl-Peter’s worries deepened, the General Staff Headquarters recommended a person.
“……Lieutenant Daniel Steiner.”
A message came through to send a talented individual who had accomplished tremendous military feats in Nordia to the division.
“That means…”
It was essentially pressing to use Daniel Steiner as the negotiator for peace talks.
Realizing the intent of the General Staff Headquarters, particularly that it was Major General Cedric Wendell, the Deputy Chief of Staff who recommended him, Karl-Peter frowned in disbelief.
It was an agreement that had already broken down, even with the assistance of numerous military advisors.
What could possibly change by placing a mere lieutenant, no matter how many achievements he had, in the position of chief negotiator?
“But…”
If it was Cedric Wendell from the General Staff Headquarters suggesting it, there must be a reason.
Since it was not an ordinary situation, perhaps trying something new was the way to find a breakthrough.
“This might be the last negotiation.”
Could he truly entrust their fate to Daniel Steiner?
With his eyes closed, Karl-Peter took a deep breath and then slowly opened them.
He had resolved to make a decision akin to a risky gamble.
Not because he trusted Daniel Steiner, but because he trusted Cedric Wendell, who had devised numerous operations leading the Imperial Army to victory with his brilliance.
“Cedric, I’ll take a chance on the joker card you’ve given me.”
The die had been cast.
Now, many lives were practically in the hands of Daniel Steiner.