"General, did I do something wrong? You asked me to quit the Ranger Corps..." Claude wondered if he had gone too far with General Vansnik during this period. He has been fanning the flames on the side, making that useless general notorious in the Ranger Corps, so disgusting that Marshal Michelich couldn't stand it anymore and intervened.
After being promoted to Field Marshal of the Kingdom, except for Claude and his old subordinates who still call him General to show their closeness, everyone else will call Marshal Michelchi as Marshal.
Marshal Michelich was silent for a moment and sighed, "No, Claude, I asked you to withdraw from the Ranger Corps because I want you to serve as the supreme commander of this overseas territorial war zone."
Claude shook his head, wondering if he was hallucinating: "General, general, why? This is your duty..."
Marshal Michelich did not answer Claude's question. He just clicked on a blue-covered document on his desk, then took off his glasses, took out a small piece of black velvet cloth from the drawer and wiped the lenses. Come. At the same time, he said to himself: "Regarding this colonial war, the above has made a decision to focus on defense. If necessary, the three direct jurisdictions of Cromwell, Beringana and Robistoe can be abandoned. The bottom line is Defend the demesne of Amphiston."
This is a cliché. This was the plan before the Battle of Beringana, but no one expected that Marshal Michelchi led the Ranger Division to wipe out the five standing legions of the Kingdom of Hicks in one go. One to ten, the weak defeated the strong, and achieved the miraculous victory of Beringana. However, Claude didn't interrupt, he just sat upright and listened quietly to what Marshal Michelchi had to say.
Sure enough, I heard Marshal Michelci say with some melancholy and emotion: "It's just that this time, there is a high possibility that the Rangers will not participate in the battle..."
Now Claude couldn't sit still: "No, General, if the Ranger Legion does not participate in the war, how can it be possible to hold the bottom line of the Anphiston Direct Territory? Or do you mean that the Kingdom will send other legions here? To take over the Ranger Corps in this colonial war?”
Marshal Michelic shook his head and looked at Claude with a half-smile: "The kingdom will not dispatch other legions to replace the Rangers, and the Rangers will most likely be dispatched back to the Kingdom. Why? Now, do you think we can’t fight without the Rangers?"
Claude nodded directly: "General, you know, without the combat effectiveness and maneuverability of the Ranger Legion, it would be impossible for us to win the last battle. I think that just relying on the formation of this overseas direct-administered territory If the two overseas field legions are responsible for the defense, then the next war will face the attack of the Hicks Kingdom's army. The prospect of us holding the bottom line of the Amphiston Direct Territory will be very bleak."
When Claude said this, he almost made it clear that the outcome was bound to fail.
"I can't say too much. The artillery garrison of the Overseas Field Corps that guarded Port Patres in the last battle was very brave and tenacious. They suffered more than 80% casualties and still resisted. Their combat effectiveness is not weaker than that of the four major field battles in the Kingdom. Ace Corps." Marshal Michelich defended the Overseas Field Corps, and then asked Claude: "By the way, have you heard that a group of senior officers with royal blood ties will be sent to serve in the Ranger Corps? Got the news?"
"I've heard of it." Claude replied hesitantly: "But it's been three months since this news spread, and no one has come. I think this may be a rumor. Isn't there someone from our legion? General Vansnik, the head of the Logistics Department, his surname is also Sterling, and he is related to the royal family. He spends all his time away from business and contemplating crooked ways. If all those senior officers are like this, our legion will be in trouble. .. ... "
Marshal Michelic laughed sarcastically: "Actually, this news is true. The senior officers who were assigned to serve in our legion are indeed related to the Sterling royal family. The royal family believes that sending these senior officers here can effectively control the situation." Our Ranger Corps is the royal guard. But the main reason why they have not reported to the Legion is because they are bargaining with the superiors. If they do not agree to their request, they will not come to the Ranger Corps to serve.
These senior officers with royal blood ties proposed that, first, the Ranger Corps should be transferred back to the royal capital to stay away from this colonial war so that their lives would not be in danger on the battlefield. The second is that the mainland of Nubisia is too far away and they are not willing to travel such a long way. By transferring the Ranger Corps back to the royal capital, they can join the army nearby. It also makes it easier for them to go home and enjoy the noble life without having to stay in the military camp all the time. The third requirement is to have real power. They are not willing to be a nominal senior staff officer of the corps in the corps headquarters, and they are aiming for positions such as regiment leaders... "
Claude was stunned, as if he had heard a fantasy: "How is this possible? Wouldn't the eldest prince care about it?"
You can imagine what kind of weird people can make such three requests. In comparison, even General Vansnik makes people feel more friendly and cute. At least he still has the courage to go to the Nubisia continent to serve. Reminiscent of Marshal Michelchi's words asking him to withdraw from the Ranger Corps, Claude began to wonder if he wanted to make room for those guys, but what the hell did the general mean by asking him to serve as the supreme commander of that theater... ...
Marshal Michelic smiled bitterly and shook his head: "The eldest prince has no energy to care about this matter at the moment. The people in charge of the Ranger Corps are the royal nobles. They also have the same surname of Sterling and are senior to the eldest prince. Your Majesty has been with you for a long time. When they are bedridden, their attitude determines who is more likely to become the successor of the kingdom. At some point, the eldest prince also has to compromise with them and use some conditions to gain their support, such as those with royal blood This is the case when senior officers with connections come to serve in the Ranger Corps..."
"But, hasn't the eldest prince always been the legitimate successor of the kingdom?" Claude was surprised. He had always believed that the eldest prince Hansback was the next king, the future Sterling XI of the Kingdom of Overas.
"Our Majesty has still not given a clear name as the next king." Marshal Michelich put the glasses he was wiping on the table. The eldest prince also expressed no objection in a private message to him. After being transferred back to the Rangers, he needed Marshal Michele, a close comrade-in-arms, to return to the capital to advise him in order to deal with the complex situation at hand.
"Now only the Royal Army is the staunch supporter of the eldest prince." Marshal Michelich explained to Claude the difficulties faced by the eldest prince: "But the Royal Navy and the emerging business aristocracy support the second prince Widelek to take the throne. , as for those old aristocratic families, they are watching with cold eyes.
Nowadays, only the royal family and nobles, the relatives of the eldest prince, dance the most happily during this period.
They swung left and right, benefiting from both sides, and the eldest prince had to deal with them to prevent them from turning to the second prince and causing more trouble to the kingdom's current chaotic situation. You have to understand, Claude, there are people in this world who have little ability and cannot do anything successful, but they are very good at doing things that harm others... "
Well, Marshal Michelich is right, that General Vansnik is such a person. Claude nodded in agreement and asked: "General, even if the Ranger Corps is the royal guard, it is still a standing army of the kingdom and an elite mobile combat force. The Kingdom's Army Department Just let the relatives of the royal family dictate to the Rangers without intervening? They should know very well that if they continue to do this, the Rangers will not be able to guarantee their combat effectiveness... "
"Haha, the Kingdom's Army Department?" Marshal Michelle Qi replied sarcastically: "For the Kingdom's Army Department, they would rather the Rangers become a showy royal guard of honor than a powerful army that does not accept their jurisdiction and only obey the orders of the royal family. In fact, the Kingdom’s Navy Department is the stronghold of the royalists, while the Kingdom’s Army Department is a hodgepodge of forces from all sides... "
Claude was a little dizzy when he heard this: "Wait a minute, General, didn't you say before that the eldest prince and the Kingdom's Navy have always been incompatible with each other? Why do you say that the Kingdom's Navy is the stronghold of the royalists? Isn't this true? Is it too contradictory?"
Marshal Micheli laughed: "What's the contradiction? The Kingdom's Admiralty and the Eldest Prince are indeed incompatible. The Eldest Prince has always been dissatisfied with the Kingdom's fearless fleet, which is afraid of the enemy and avoids fighting. He and the The Minister of the Navy in charge of the Navy, the Royal Navy Marshal Margrave Andreik von Carlos, has a personal grudge. But the Royal Navy is indeed a staunch supporter of the royal family and a royalist. For them, as long as it is Sterling, Anyone can come to power, so they strongly supported the second prince as the successor of the kingdom this time...
The Kingdom's Ministry of War is the territory of those established noble families. Although the royal family has a hand in it, their influence has been suppressed by the joint efforts of those established noble families. In addition, the old aristocratic families are also divided into several factions. There are aristocratic families who have served in the military since the founding of the People's Republic of China. There are also soldiers who followed Sterling IX to restore the kingdom and were canonized as hereditary nobles because of their merits. There are also those who provide the kingdom. Military and industrial aristocratic families with weapons and equipment, etc...
Really broken down, there are at least a dozen factions in the Kingdom Army. Now even the emerging business aristocracy is cultivating influence in the War Department, although their influence in the army is still very weak and they have little say. But they are very smart and good at mediating conflicts between all parties, so they are not easy to deal with...
Let's put it this way, the situation of the Kingdom's Army Ministry is far more complicated than you think. The Kingdom's four major field ace corps, the three standing corps that have been newly established for a few years, as well as the second-line reserve corps in various places, and those local garrison forces, in fact They are all controlled by various forces. Why did the royal family have to spend their own money to form this ranger army? They just wanted to have a reliable guard force without any influence. Unfortunately, now they themselves have begun to ruin this army... "
"Let's get down to business, Claude." Marshal Michelich looked at Claude: "I came to you to tell you that it is not possible, but rather that the Rangers will return to the Kingdom in three months. And I also want to go back with the legion and serve in the Kingdom's Army Department. After all, I am one of the three field marshals of the Kingdom. I am still young and strong. It is unreasonable that there is no good position for me..."
Marshal Michelic laughed self-deprecatingly, and then clicked on the blue-covered document on the table: "I have been busy bargaining with the superiors some time ago. In order for me to agree to their deployment and arrangements for the Rangers, they Compromised. Agree to implement the follow-up strategic plan for the overseas territorial theater that I proposed, and agree that you will serve as the supreme commander of this theater after my resignation... "
Claude stood up immediately and was about to speak, but was stopped by Marshal Michelchi with a wave of his hand: "Claude, this position is not an honor, but a responsibility. He is related to the Kingdom of Hicks." The final outcome of this colonial war. You can either win and become a legendary hero of the kingdom respected by thousands of people, or you can suffer a complete defeat and ultimately be ruined and become the sinner of the kingdom's loss of overseas territories... "
"The document on the table is the follow-up strategic plan for the overseas territories that I proposed. You can take it home and read it slowly." Marshal Michelich gestured to Claude to sit down again: "You know the bottom line very well. , no matter how far this colonial war goes, as long as you can hold the direct jurisdiction of Amphiston and the three kingdoms direct jurisdiction of Mormali, Arturas and Tilsim behind it, even if You have completed your mission and made great contributions to the kingdom.
Let me give you a brief introduction first, lest you worry that you don’t have enough troops to hold the line of defense. This time the Ranger Legion was ordered to be called back to the Kingdom, and it will be an empty Ranger Legion. Most of the officers and soldiers, like you, will be transferred to the local garrison forces of overseas jurisdictions, and three reinforced divisions will be formed with the same size as the former Ranger Division. Then the two overseas field armies were reduced into divisions as reserve forces. These five divisions will belong to the direct combat forces of the theater and will not accept the intervention of other departments in the kingdom.
At the same time, when the Rangers are transferred back to the country, they will leave behind all their equipment, weapons and ordnance, as well as their war horses, and return home unarmed. You can use these weapons and equipment to complete the formation and reorganization of the five divisions as quickly as possible. Work. According to the information obtained by the Kingdom's Ministry of War, the Kingdom of Hicks has currently established two standing legions, and has also hired a large number of grassroots officers from the Kingdom of Nasseri and the Principality of Karnas to train new recruits so that they can master new skills. Combat methods and tactics, it seems that the enemy finally understands where to get war experience.
There is also information that the Kingdom of Hicks has obtained a new type of precision-aimed shooting musket from the Kingdom of Nasseri and the Principality of Karnas, and is actively imitating it in order to update the old muskets equipped by the troops. According to our speculation, it will take two to three years before the Kingdom of Hicks is ready to continue launching this colonial war. Therefore, Claude, after you take over the position of supreme commander of the theater, the most important thing is to form and reorganize these five divisions and make all defense preparations...
At your age, thirty is indeed too young to become the supreme commander of an independent theater. But unfortunately, there is no senior general in the Kingdom's military to take over my position. I can only reluctantly recommend you, but I didn't expect that the higher-ups approved your appointment very easily. Perhaps in the eyes of the above people, this position is a pit of fire, and no one is willing to jump into it. Okay, if you have any questions, just ask. "
Claude had been holding back his questions, and now he could finally speak: "General, why me? There are more people in the legion who are more suitable for the position of supreme commander of the theater than me. And, general, you If you leave the entire ranger regiment's equipment, weapons, and horses here, transfer the troops to the local garrison here, and send an empty regiment back home, will the people above blame you
Also, I would like to know where the strength for the five divisions will come from? Just the number of Rangers transferred to local garrison units in overseas directly-administered territories was not that large, and the two overseas field armies were not fully staffed to begin with. The quality of the soldiers varied greatly, so it was very difficult to reduce them to two reserve divisions. At present, all the young men of the right age in the seven overseas territories directly under the Central Government have either entered the local garrison forces of each territory directly under the Central Government or been recruited to join the two overseas field corps. Where should we replenish our troops
General, I would like to ask where the military expenditures and war expenses for the five divisions directly under the theater will be obtained in the future. Will they be issued by the Kingdom's Ministry of War? After transferring to the local garrison, will the treatment of the officers and soldiers be the same as in the Ranger Corps? By the way, are the weapons and equipment and losses of the five divisions also replenished by the Kingdom's Army Department, and are the daily logistics consumption provided by the three overseas territories directly under the rear? "