I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Chapter 99: Establishing The Francois Invasion Strategy (2)

Thus, I had to voluntarily undertake what was known as the tradition of the General Staff: a hellish schedule of five nights of overtime every week for a month, or precisely, a month and a half.

During this time, I received a letter from His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince.

‘The Emperor also holds you in high regard. He has high expectations for the task you’ve been assigned. I’ve heard about your marriage to Laura. Congratulations. I would call you to come immediately, but I know your workload is heavy, and I am about to visit countries like Chekovia and the Grand Duchy of Ostarica, so I’m quite busy. Normally, as a Major General and a newlywed, you should come to see me, but you don’t have to hurry until your work is somewhat settled.’

If I had to go through the process of seeing the Crown Prince on top of everything, my work would have been further delayed.

It was a relief that he had postponed it.

Even when I was a professor at the Staff College, where everyone else stayed up all night preparing lectures or writing papers, I hardly ever worked overtime.

This was all because the Minister of Military Affairs suddenly asked me to create a draft operation plan for tens of thousands of troops from scratch.

Furthermore, because the information I handled was top secret, Laura, who was supposed to be assigned to the General Staff’s Operations Department to assist me, was barred from entering my office, making me feel even lonelier as I worked on the operation plan during our honeymoon period.

“But thanks to my perseverance and sheer willpower, I have a bit more energy to write.”

So, even though I often muttered to myself during work, over the course of a month and a half, I successfully drafted a plan that could be reviewed and implemented by the General Staff immediately.

I opened the door of my office as the Third Chief of the Operations Department and walked to the Minister of Military Affairs’ office to get approval for the operation.

For some reason, through an officer of the General Staff, I was ordered to go directly to the Minister of Military Affairs’ residence, leading me to the Moritz ducal family’s mansion.

Ha, but if this plan were approved, I might be able to live a peaceful life, leaving work at 6 p.m. and returning at 9 a.m. the next day for a while.

“Your Excellency, Minister of Military Affairs, I am Major General Peter Yaeger, the Third Chief of the Operations Department. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

As the door opened with those words, there stood a very young and beautiful maid beside His Excellency, the Minister of Military Affairs.

To be precise, the girl named Mari, whom the fifth prince once tried to assign to me, was also quite pretty.

But she couldn’t compare to the maid standing beside the Minister of Military Affairs.

So, I stood there momentarily puzzled, and the Minister of Military Affairs urged me, looking at me.

“Come in. If you’re here, take a seat. Why stand and make your legs hurt?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. Then, with your permission, I will sit.”

So, I sat down in the chair in front of the Minister of Military Affairs’ desk and put down the bag containing the operation plan.

“Since an important guest has arrived, you may leave now, Lena.”

Upon hearing that, the young woman moved away from the Minister of Military Affairs, quietly closed the door, and left. Then the Minister looked at me with an innocent expression and asked,

“So, have you devised a good operation? I personally have great expectations.”

“One and a half months. I’ve done the best I could for a month and a half. I believe Your Excellency, the Minister of Military Affairs, will be satisfied.”

“Then present the operation you have developed. I hope it meets my expectations.”

This moment would decide my future promotions and success and whether or not I’d have to continue those hellish overtime hours.

“First, I’ll report the damage caused by the Francois Republic to our Reich Empire. 156 villages burned, 8 castles practically unusable, and the total area of land plundered by the enemy amounts to about three baronies.”

Three baronies might seem small, but it was an area where approximately 200,000 people had settled and lived.

When such a population loses their homes and becomes unemployed all at once, it not only results in a significant reduction in tax revenue for the empire, but those who become wandering beggars might drift into the slums of the cities, becoming petty thieves or head into the mountains to become bandits…

This would lead to additional criminal damage and costs incurred in suppression, compounding the problem.

Fortunately, we had newly occupied vast lands in the north, so His Imperial Majesty would likely resolve this by relocating all 200,000 people there.

“Such acts are more befitting of nonbelievers who do not enjoy the benefits of a proper civilization, aren’t they?”

“Certainly, attacking without a declaration of war is a heinous act only nonbelievers would commit. But what does that mean?”

“War is an extension of politics, and at times, politics governs war.”

The Minister of Military Affairs looked dumbfounded by my words, perhaps due to the rather sinister smile I was wearing.

He continued to gaze intently at my face, as if eager to hear more.

“It seems they didn’t want to be excommunicated, as they plundered and destroyed the villages of the serfs who shared the same Deus faith as the Reich Empire. However, they did not sell the serfs into slavery or kill them. They have narrowly avoided excommunication by the Latina Papacy based on that.”

Just like the humiliation of Canossa at the height of the papacy’s power, where Heinrich I, a monarch of the Holy Roman Empire, was once disposed of by a single excommunication decree of the Pope.

The Deus religion in the world I live in now wasn’t to that extent, but it still had enough power to turn the politics of the empire and other nations into a mess with just one excommunication decree.

It seemed that the Francois Republic also avoided the terrible situation of their government being excommunicated. Hence, they didn’t kill the peasants…

“But in the Deus religion, there’s a rule that forbids reckless plundering among those who worship Deus. Any plunder without a declaration of war and in violation of this is subject to excommunication.”

I even read the Deus Church Canon, which I rarely consulted except when necessary, during my academy days to find this principle.

Upon inquiring about the current situation of the Deus religion’s church, I learned that the newly inaugurated Pope was quite authoritarian and also intended to revive and make the Deus religion great again.

Informing people about the wrongdoing of Francois and requesting excommunication should solve the issue quite easily.

“So what about that? Get to the point.”

“Request the excommunication of the Francois Republic for plundering without a declaration of war. This is a political matter that should be handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but if our duty is to actually protect and fight at the borders, then supporting this diplomatically is the duty of His Excellency the Foreign Minister, isn’t it?”

Upon hearing this, His Excellency Otto Moritz, the Minister of Military Affairs, was taken aback by my plan to use excommunication for war.

Honestly, if there was a crazy bastard who attacked a peaceful country without a declaration of war, wouldn’t it be justifiable to do this much to break both his wrists?

After all, the Francois right now didn’t kill or sell people. They were arsonists and robbers who looted others’ property.

“The new Pope of the Deus religion, who aims to enhance the church’s authority by any means, will likely find the actions of the Francois Republic distasteful. With just a bit of sincerity shown and by using the church’s authority as bait for persuasion, he will quickly write an excommunication decree against the Francois Republic. This is akin to a father demonstrating his authority by punishing a misbehaving son, thereby highlighting the dignity of the Deus religion through the punishment of excommunication for the reprehensible actions of the Francois Republic.”

Well, the military forces of the city of Latina, owned by the Pope of the Deus religion, were only sufficient for maintaining their own internal security.

Of course, the role of enforcing that authority, like a rod of discipline, would naturally fall to the Reich Empire’s military.

In politics, dignity doesn’t always require direct involvement, just as the Crown Prince’s stature rises simply by his presence, even as my efforts augment it.

The Pope’s authority would similarly rise through this kind of system.

“Then, even if the politicians and high nobles of the excommunicated republic are unaware, the soldiers destined to die at their command have a strong tendency to rely on religion. Receiving an excommunication decree and fearing that dying for a state that has been excommunicated may lead them to hell will greatly demoralize them.”

In modern South Korea, the concepts of heaven and hell don’t strongly dominate people’s values.

Especially in this era, the lower classes, like the peasants, had a strong tendency to rely on and live by religion.

There was no need to elaborate on how great the fear of going to hell for dying in battle, which was likely in itself, would be.

“Conversely, our Reich Empire’s military will be going to administer just punishment to an excommunicated nation, which will boost their morale. This enables our Reich Empire’s military to conduct the ‘Just War’ that I lectured on before, allowing for slightly more aggressive tactics without issue. I will continue the explanation.”

When I had explained this far, Otto Moritz, the Minister of Military Affairs, was looking at me with an expression close to astonishment.

Now it begins, Minister of Military Affairs.