by Carlo Zen
“If you’re saying that, then I know it must be true.”
“So…?”
“But it doesn’t matter. The Empire can’t politically afford to let the enemy have the upper hand any longer.”
Ohhh, I see, thought Zettour, realizing where the problem facing them lay.
“…In Norden and Dacia, we did a fine job fending them off, so this is about that one time on the Rhine we got caught off guard?”
Rudersdorf nodded to say, Exactly. Something like exasperation came through in his expression, but it was no wonder. The officers currently in the General Staff had cleaned up after their predecessors’ accident and stabilized the crisis on the Rhine.
The same pointless, futile precedents were still holding them back. The General Staff would not be allowed to make the same mistake again… In other words, losing territory would be unforgivable.
Saying Sheesh with chagrin—that would probably be allowed.
“I’ve heard the Federation Army always behaves badly. It must be awful in the border battles. Insane rumors from evacuees who didn’t flee in time are practically the only topic of conversation in the palace.”
“In the palace? Are you certain? I just want to make sure.”
“I guess they made their way to high-ranking government officials, mainly beginning with the ones from the east. Zettour, we’ll be branded as useless fools who can’t even protect our own people.”
In response to Rudersdorf’s warning not to ignore political factors, Zettour expressed his understanding but replied that war was war.
“We can ignore that. We’re not fighting to receive good reviews.”
“I think we need to make good use of our military might before politics intervenes.”
“Soldiers don’t need be involved in political decisions, right? The opposite is also true. We’re all doing our best, so I don’t think we should get in one another’s way…”
Only Zettour would make that statement; as a military official, he valued mutual trust among bureaucrats.
He was also a soldier who valued practicality and reason. To put it another way, he made a mistake only rational people make: He naively believed that no one with half a brain would even think of something so stupid.
“…I think there’s something I should tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“Several people in government are saying that your 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion went overboard in Moskva. Watch out for your critics in the rear.”
Which was why he didn’t quite understand the severity of what Rudersdorf was saying.
“Ah, right.”
“Hmm? You knew?”
“No, your Colonel von Lergen was saying something similar.”
She was a bit too talented of a magic officer, but he still couldn’t really understand what they were getting at. Zettour replied with a wry grin and a nod. I can understand being anxious about her, though.
“I don’t deny that her actions can seem excessive.”
There, he recalled that she was rather indifferent to how people interpreted her actions.
Major von Degurechaff is, for better or worse, overly accustomed to the military way. It’s no wonder other people have trouble understanding how she thinks—young though she may be, the military forms the sum and total of her life experience.
“Major von Degurechaff is by nature a brilliant magic officer and a genius General Staff officer. If she deems something necessary, then I trust unwaveringly that it is an appropriate use of military strength. You know how talented she is, Rudersdorf.”
“In the military realm, yes.”
“Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
“What’s tickling your funny bone all of a sudden, Zettour?”
“I thought the same thing. That she’s a mad dog. But now I think her specialty is actually strategy. She understands politics and can also use military force in a rational way. Really, she’s an ideal General Staff officer.” He muttered, “Wait, that’s not it,” and added, “or rather, in as much as she employs violence correctly, ever loyal to raison d’état, Major von Degurechaff is perfect. In another ten years, I’ll probably be preparing her a section chief position in the Service Corps so she doesn’t get snatched up by the Operations Division.”
Actually, for a child who knew nothing but the army, she was surprisingly intelligent. She was probably so capable that he could leave things to her and rest easy. More than anything, her wealth of combat experience plus her natural preoccupation with winning and losing on the strategic level rather than the tactical level made her ideal as a General Staff officer.
He was being serious when he said he wanted her to eventually walk the path of a proper member of the General Staff.
“You seem to think quite a lot of her.”
“Because she exhibits so much talent. Weren’t you strongly recommending her for the war college back then?”
“I just thought she was a capable soldier. And I knew you had a high opinion of her… Oh, why don’t we see if the 203rd can clear up that misunderstanding for us?”
So that’s where this was going. Zettour nodded, satisfied that he understood. He’s going to ask me to borrow her again.
“I want to try entrusting them with a mobile mission—as the vanguard, naturally.”
“I don’t mind, but theory would dictate you choose a unit that knows the lay of the land. Wouldn’t it be better to pick one from the Eastern Army Group that’s been stationed out on the border for so long?”
“The armies in the east tend to lack experience, so I’m not sure whether they can handle a breakthrough,” Rudersdorf practically spat.
And Zettour agreed, “That’s true.”
“With this, the 203rd will have been active on all the fronts, right? I really appreciate this, General von Zettour. I realize it’s the General Staff’s mobile force, but this unit you put together through your good offices is awfully easy to use.”
“It is the Service Corps’ fervent hope that everyone can delight in flexibly drawing the forces they need. Down the line, I’d like to establish a General Staff reserve group that can be used as strategic reserves.”
“That can be your next project.”
“Right. So what do you think about the idea of whacking Groups A and B in succession?”
“It’s flawless. In a way, it’s our element. An interior lines plan has already been drawn up most carefully. We even have our rail timetable requests ready!”
In response to Rudersdorf’s Leave it to me, Zettour gave a slight nod that meant, I’m counting on you. The longtime buddies were bound by the belief If anyone can do it, he can. No other words were necessary.
“Well, you work fast. All right, I’ll go tell the Railroad Department to do the impossible, so you find me a box of candy or something for them.”
MARCH 26, UNIFIED YEAR 1926, IMPERIAL ARMY EASTERN ARMY GROUP TEMPORARY CAMP 21
After the Moskva raid, the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion spent about ten days in unconventional combat, then triumphantly reentered an area under friendly control—a hero’s return.
The moment they reached the base, the rear personnel waiting for them gave a toast and deafening cheers.
The victory celebration was the place to be, so much so that base command even dropped by with one of their favorite bottles. But what delighted the battalion members more than anything was that their superior tacitly approved of them partying.
Major von Degurechaff normally required adherence to regulation so strict it’s as if the rules were alive. After proposing a toast as a formality, she readily made her exit, claiming she felt “suddenly indisposed.”
“This will definitely take longer than twenty-four hours to recover from,” she calmly declared, adding, “Don’t wake me up for anything that isn’t military business.”
The battalion took the opportunity to toast their commander’s health…and drain bottle after bottle.
Captain Weiss, with h
is usual sense of self-control as an officer, was on duty…which meant that, to put it bluntly, all the officers but him wholeheartedly enjoyed a reunion with their beloved beer.
And so they dreamed of peace in their cozy beds…or rather, they were supposed to. Sound sleep in a warm bed… It took only half a day for that tranquility to be shattered—
“All units, up and at ’em!”
—by the sound of a bugle and that adorable yet fearsome voice all members of the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion grew accustomed to within a few days of joining.
Thus, when Major von Degurechaff’s longtime fellow soldiers Captain Weiss and First Lieutenant Serebryakov jump up, grab their gear, and hustle to battalion headquarters, the unit is prepping for combat whether they’re hungover or otherwise indisposed.
“Battalion, gather up! Gather up, troops!”
“Captain Weiss…? What’s all the noise?”
“There you are—perfect, Lieutenant Grantz! Round up the battalion on the double!”
“But…”
Catching sight of Grantz, who is still half-asleep, and Weiss, who must have kicked him out of bed, Tanya is furious at the state of her officers.
It’s true that she told them they could drink as much as they wanted.
But Grantz apparently has a weakness. He’s an officer, but he’d been sleeping curled up with a bottle. Even if that’s just where he happened to pass out after enjoying the victory celebration… He’s got a lot of nerve if he’s still out of it.
“Lieutenant Grantz! I thought I trained you on the Rhine front, but it seems like it wasn’t enough! You’re getting reeducated!”
“Er, M-Major?!”
“Drag everyone out of bed! Fifteen minutes! The briefing is in fifteen minutes!”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
The piercing intimidation in her eyes must have alerted him that this was no normal state of affairs. Though still groggy, Grantz has the brains to leap to his feet and acknowledge the order.
“I’m leaving this up to you, Lieutenant.”
“Understood!”
“Lieutenant Serebryakov, emergency contact from the government. I want you to pick up the documents from the Eastern Army Group. If you bring them this, they should hand them over.”
“Right away! Excuse me, then!”
Grantz runs off in a panic, and Serebryakov jogs briskly away. Well, they’ve grown into people I can use.
You can’t create talented people overnight.
Which is why we have to get through this crisis with who we have on hand…
I sure have rotten luck with people pushing their problems off on me.
We’ve received a general notice regarding the situation in the east, as well as standby orders from the General Staff.
Tanya’s inner feelings as she pores over the map with Weiss, grouchily sipping ersatz coffee at battalion headquarters, match her expression exactly.
Since the war started, they’ve switched from delaying defense in the east to a retreating battle, looking for an opportunity to counterattack. So the front lines falling back is…permissible enough.
But the problem is the speed and pacing. If you asked me if the front lines should fall back exactly as far as they are pushed, I’d really have to wonder.
“…The eastern border sure is a mess.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s a matter of course that even the Eastern Army Group would have to retreat in the face of this quantitative disparity. I had some idea before, but the Federation Army is really just huge…”
“Yes, it makes you wonder if Communists grow on trees. Still, they sure managed to scrape together a pile of soldiers.”
She and Weiss are grumbling about a report on the current state of the war that has just come in. As far as we know, the ratio of imperial to Federation divisions on the eastern front is currently one to two.
“This is what they mean when they say to overwhelm your opponent with strategy by making numbers your tactics. The Federation Army is far better maintained than we imagined. What a pain,” Weiss comments with a frown.
But Tanya bursts out laughing. This is what it means to laugh off your worries when you’ve been overly anxious.
“…Ha-ha-ha, Captain Weiss. You’re an excellent soldier, but it’s because you’re an excellent soldier that you seem to be forgetting something important.” At his perplexed look, Tanya responds, “I don’t blame you for not knowing what. You should remember this, Captain: The guys who bring trouble from the rear onto the battlefield have no chance of winning. In the Empire, the General Staff and the government keep their distance from each other, so our army tends to forget it, but a soldier has to have nothing to do with domestic politics.”
“I thought I knew that, but—”
“The Federation is a giant with both its arms and legs tied. Poking it in the eyes will be easy.”
The political commissars oversee things, and they report to the rear, so it’s this terrible command structure where no one wants to admit defeat. How bad is it? Probably as harsh as fighting under Tsugene in the old Imperial Army or being in a unit that reported to General Full-of-shit-guchi.
…Aside from numbers and firepower, there’s nothing so scary about these guys. Of course, those two things require us to be on our guard, but still.
“And then once the giant with its arms and legs tied can’t see, we kill it?”
“We must, before the ties come loose.”
Just then, a subordinate’s voice requests permission to enter, and Tanya looks up with an Oh?
She calls toward the entrance that he should enter, and the messenger soldier tells her that Grantz has finished rounding up the troops. Tanya responds with a “Good” and orders to have them stand by to sortie. I’m glad things are going smoothly, but still, she murmurs to herself.
As she watches the messenger turn on his heel and leave, Tanya’s focus is to gain an understanding of the situation by the time orders come from the General Staff. When fighting Communists, it’s best to be prepared.
“…Major von Degurechaff! Dispatch from the eastern armies—it’s urgent.”
But her train of thought regarding the documents at hand is interrupted when Serebryakov returns practically shrieking her report.
“What is it?”
“The Third and Thirty-Second Divisions—the rear guards for the eastern armies’ delaying combat—have been surrounded in Tiegenhoff and need help breaking free!”
“Give me the map. I want to check the war situation.”
But in comes a messenger from command.
“Major von Degurechaff! I have your orders from the General Staff! Prepare for a mobile mission and form up for a long-range advance!”
“Thanks, got it.” With that brief reply, Tanya snatches the message up, runs her eyes over it, and realizes she’s caught between a rock and a hard place.
“Wait a second, Lieutenant Serebryakov.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Before her quiet subordinate, Tanya silently considers the situation and her cards.
I want to turn down the rescue request, but if there’s a combat mission waiting from the General Staff, then the important question is whether the rescue can be used as an excuse to get out of a more strenuous task. If I’m going to get run around and overworked either way, I might as well keep it to a minimum.
Now here’s the question: Is rescuing the troops surrounded in Tiegenhoff a good enough reason to skip the mobile mission?
For a moment, she is tempted…but after considering it further, Tanya shakes her head. Her conclusion is that, for one, it’s not possible. If it’s about saving the entire army, she knows that a couple of friends in harm’s way won’t stop them from ordering her battalion back to do the bigger rescue.
“Saving our friends in Tiegenhoff is important, too…”
“Yes, Major. But the General Staff has ordered us to prepare for the operation and to sortie as soon as possible.”
<
br /> Be it Lieutenant General von Zettour or Lieutenant General von Rudersdorf, the generals of the General Staff may try to avoid adopting a policy of minimizing harm, but they aren’t the type to actively eschew the idea. The reason they hesitate to accept losses is a moral one, and they aren’t the type to get so emotional that morals trump the needs of reality. And surely, I’m lucky that they aren’t the sort of superiors to get their priorities mixed up.
But neither can I get out of this mission with the excuse of saving friendlies.
“It’s too bad, but…our allies in Tiegenhoff will simply have to…” Weiss sounds contrite but urges the difficult conclusion to abandon their fellow soldiers, when Tanya reemphasizes, “Wait!”
If that’s what the General Staff is ordering, then we either ignore the request from the Eastern Army Group to rescue the two divisions or refuse. Thinking responsibly, the latter is probably the proper thing to do.
But one thing is bothering her: Tiegenhoff’s location. As far as she can tell on the map, the town where the two divisions are holed up is in a very interesting place. The more she looks at it, the more it looks like key terrain.10
“Hmm, this location sure is interesting.”
“…But it’s so cut off from everything.”
“Tiegenhoff is a bit isolated, isn’t it?”
Weiss’s remark is correct. Tiegenhoff is a city in the rear that the troops retreating from the eastern border just happened to hole up in. Well, the lines were being pushed back farther than the original defense plan, so it was probably impossible to expect them to establish a staging point around here.
“But the location isn’t bad. Lieutenant Serebryakov, find me a detailed city map. And don’t forget to fill in Lieutenant Grantz.”
Serebryakov jogs off with a “Yes, ma’am,” and while her adjutant is fetching what she’s been asked for, Tanya turns back to the map to try to get a better understanding of the situation.
“It’s what you see here, Captain Weiss. As long as the General Staff doesn’t intend to make this a total retreating battle, don’t you think Tiegenhoff will become a life-and-death position?”
“…You’re right. But assuming it’s already under heavy siege, it’ll be difficult to rescue those troops.”
