Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 360: Chief Commander of the War Zone

“General, did I do something wrong? You asked me to withdraw from the Rangers..." Claude was somewhat suspicious that it had been too much time with that General Van Snick, who had been stirring up the fire beside him, making that second-class General notorious in the Rangers, so hateful that Marshal Michelle couldn't even watch him intervene.

After his promotion to the Royal Army Marshal, all but Claude's old ministry still called him General, as a sign of closeness, had to call Marshal Michel Marshal Marshal.

Marshal Michel was silent and sighed, "No, Claude, I asked you to withdraw from the Ranger Corps in order for you to be the Supreme Commander of this Overseas Territories war zone. ”

Claude shook his head and wondered if he was hallucinating: “Will... General, for... Why? This is your position…”

Marshal Michelle didn't answer Claude's question, she just lit a blue cover file on the desk, then took off her glasses and wiped the lenses off a small piece of black velvet cloth from the drawer. At the same time, he said to himself: "With regard to this colonial war, a resolution has been adopted that focuses on defense and, if necessary, relinquishes the three direct administrations of Cromwell, Beringana and Robisto, with the bottom line being the defence of Amphiston. ”

This is a cliché, as was intended before the Battle of Bering Ghana, but no one expected Marshal Michel to lead the Cavalier Regiment in a breathtaking manner to the five standing regiments of the Kingdom of Hicks. With a pair of ten, with a weak victory, the miraculous Bering Ghanaian Dajie was achieved. But Claude didn't intervene, he just sat tight and listened to Marshal Michelle.

Sure enough, just listen to Marshal Michelqi say with some grump and emotion: “Only this time, the Rangers are likely to stop fighting..."

Now Claude can't sit down: "No, General, if the Rangers don't fight, how is it possible to hold the Amphiston line? Or are you saying that the kingdom is sending another legion to replace the Rangers in this colonial war? ”

Marshal Michel shook his head and looked at Claude with a smile: “The kingdom will not send another regiment to succeed the Rangers, who will most likely be sent back to the kingdom itself. What, you think you can't fight without the Rangers? ”

Claude nodded very directly: "General, you know, without the fighting power and the power of the Rangers, we would never have won the last battle. I believe that the next war will face a major attack by the Hicks kingdom, if the two overseas field corps formed by these overseas jurisdictions alone are to be guarded. The prospects for us to keep this bottom line under Amphiston will be very disappointing. ”

Claude said that almost to the end of an unequivocal failure.

“I can't say enough. The last time the artillery guard regiment of the overseas field corps guarding the port of Patres was brave and tenacious. More than 80% of the casualties are still struggling to resist, which is no less powerful than the kingdom's four field-king regiments.” Marshal Michel defended the Overseas Field Corps, then asked Claude: "By the way, have you heard of a group of senior officers with royal blood ties coming to the Rangers? ”

“Heard of it.” Claude answered with some hesitation: "But it's been three months since the news got out, and I don't think it's been a rumor. Didn't our regiment come to a head of logistics, General Van Snick, also named Sterling, with blood ties to the royal family? Don't do anything right all day long, try to distort the doors. It would be bad for our regiment to come to those senior officers..."

Marshal Michel laughed sarcastically: "The news is true, indeed, that the senior officers who were sent to serve in our regiment do have the blood of the Sterling royal family, which believes that sending these senior officers to effectively control the close guard of this royal family of our Ranger Corps. Only the main reason they never came to the regiment was to bargain with it and not come to the Rangers without agreeing to their request.

These high-ranking officers with royal blood ties suggested that the first was to bring the Rangers back to Wangdu, away from this colonial war, so that their lives would not be in danger on the battlefield. Second, the Nubian mainland is too far away, they are reluctant to run this far, and if they transfer the Rangers back to Wangdu, they will be able to join the ranks, and they will be able to go home and enjoy their aristocratic life without having to stay in the barracks all the time. The third requirement is to have authority, they are reluctant to be nameless senior regimental staff officers in the regimental command, targeting such positions as commanders... "

Claude glanced at the tongue and heard Tianfang Night Tan: “How is it possible that the Great Prince won't take care of it? ”

The strange idea of making these three demands is what they are. By contrast, even General Van Snick feels kinder and cuter, at least he has the courage to run to the Nubian mainland. Reflecting on the words of Marshal Michel to withdraw himself from the Rangers, Claude began to wonder if he was going to free himself for those guys, but what the hell did the general say about letting himself be the commander in chief of that battlefield...

Marshal Michel shook his head with a grin: “The Grand Prince has no energy at the moment, and now it is the royal nobles who are in charge of the Ranger Corps, also named Sterling, ranked higher than the Grand Prince. Their attitude determines who is more likely to be the heir to the kingdom when His Majesty is ill for a long time. At some point, the Grand Prince also had to compromise with them and use some conditions to gain their support, as is the case with these high-ranking officers with royal blood ties coming to the Rangers..."

“But isn't the great prince always the heir to the name of the kingdom?” Claude was astonished that he had always thought that Prince Hansburg would be the next king, Sterling XI of the future of the kingdom of Orvillas.

“Our Majesty has still not given a clear name as to who will be the next king.” Marshal Michel put the glasses he wiped in his hand on the table, and the Grand Prince, in his personal message to him, said he had no objection to the redeployment of the Rangers. He needed Marshal Michel, an intimate comrade of war, to plot for him to cope with the complex situation ahead of him.

“Only the Royal Army is now a staunch supporter of the Great Prince.” Marshal Michel explained to Claude the difficulties faced by the great prince: "while the Royal Navy and the emerging commercial aristocrats supported the reign of Second Prince Widreck, the old noble families were watching with cold eyes.

Today, only the royal nobles, the relatives of the great prince, danced most happily during this time.

They swayed around, profiting from both sides, and the Grand Prince had to turn to them in order not to throw them at the Second Prince, adding more trouble to the current chaotic situation in the Kingdom. You have to understand, Claude, that some people in the world can't do anything about it, they can't do anything about it, but they're very good at bad things... "

Well, Marshal Michel's right. That's who General Vosnik is. Claude nodded in agreement, asking: "General, even if the Ranger Corps is a royal close guard, it is still a standing legion in the kingdom or an elite mobile force. The Royal Army Department has been appointed by royal relatives to finger and foot the Rangers without interference? It should be clear to them that this way the Rangers will not be able to guarantee combat power...”

“Oh, the Royal Army?” Marshal Michel replied ridiculously: "For the Royal Army, they would rather the Rangers be a royal warrior regiment with flower shelves than a heavily combatant regiment not accept their authority and obey royal orders only. In fact, the Royal Navy Department is the main battalion of the Bao Wang faction, while the Royal Army Department is a great chore of forces..."

Claude sounds a little dizzy: "Wait a minute, General, didn't you say before that the Grand Prince and the Royal Navy have always been opposed to each other? Isn't it paradoxical to say that the Royal Navy Department is the home camp of the Bao Wang sect? ”

Marshal Michel laughed: "What's the contradiction? The Royal Navy Department and the Grand Prince are indeed on fire. The Great Prince has never been accustomed to the Kingdom's fearless fleet fearing the tiger, the act of frightening battle evasion, he and the Secretary of the Navy in charge of the Navy, the Royal Navy Marshal Andrec. The Marquis von Carlos is a personal vendetta. But the Royal Navy is indeed a staunch supporter of the royal family, the Bao Wang. For them, as long as it's Sterling, whoever takes the stage is fine, so this time they strongly support the Second Prince as heir to the kingdom...

The Royal Army Department, however, is the site of the old aristocratic families, in which the royal family, although it has intervened, has been held hostage by the old aristocratic families. Beyond that, there are several factions of old noble families, noble families who have served in the army since the founding of the kingdom, soldiers who followed the Reign of Sterling IX and were declared hereditary nobles because of their merits, and military and industrial noble families who provided arms and equipment for the kingdom...

There are really at least a dozen factions in the Royal Army. Even emerging commercial aristocrats are now nurturing power in the Army, although they are weak and have little say in the army. But they are very clever and good at reconciling the contradictions of the parties, so they are not easy to deal with...

Let's just say, the situation of the Royal Army Ministry is far more complicated than you think, the four kingdoms of the Field Ace Corps, the three new standing legions that have been formed for several years, and the second-line reserve corps in various places, and those places where the guards are armed, are actually held by various forces. Why did the royal family have to pay to form this Ranger Regiment themselves in order to possess a reliable, immersive close guard, but now it is they themselves who are starting to spoil the Regiment... "

“Let's get down to business, Claude.” Marshal Michel looks at Claude: “I'm here to tell you that the Rangers are not possible, but will certainly return to the kingdom in three months' time. And I'm going back with the regiment to serve in the Royal Army Department. After all, I am also one of the three mainland army marshals in the current kingdom. I am still very rich, and I can't even say it without a good position..."

Marshal Michel mocked himself and ordered the blue cover file on the table: “I've been busy bargaining with it for a while now, and they compromised in order to get me to agree to their assignment and arrangement for the Rangers. Agree to implement in accordance with my proposed successor strategic plan programme for the Overseas Territories and agree that after my departure, you will be the Supreme Commander of this theatre..."

Claude stood up suddenly, trying to speak, but was stopped by Marshal Michel Waving: "Claude, this position is not a glory, it is a job, and he is related to the final outcome of this colonial war with the Kingdom of Hicks. Either you win and become a legendary hero of the kingdom that is revered by all, or you fail and eventually become a sinner of the kingdom's loss of overseas jurisdiction..."

“This document on the table is my proposal for a successor strategic plan for overseas jurisdictions that you can take home and take a look at.” Marshal Michel tells Claude to sit down again: “Bottom line, no matter how far this colonial war goes, as long as you can defend Amphiston and the three rear kingdoms of Mormary, Arturas and Tyrsim, even if you accomplish your mission and do great work for the kingdom.

Let me give you a brief introduction so you don't worry that you don't have a strong force at your disposal to hold the line. This Ranger Regiment was ordered back to the mainland of the Kingdom and will be an empty Ranger Regiment. Most of them, like you, will be transferred to the overseas territorial local guard units, with three additional reinforced divisions of the same size as the former Rangers. Two overseas field corps were then downsized into divisions as reserves. The five divisions will belong to the immediate combat forces in theatre and will not be commanded by any other part of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, when the Rangers are repatriated, they will leave behind all their equipment and weapons, as well as their horses, which you can use to complete the formation and restructuring of the five divisions as soon as possible. According to information received by the Royal Ministry of the Army, the Kingdom of Hicks has now formed two standing regiments and has recruited a large number of grass-roots officers from the Kingdom of Nasserley and the Principality of Kanas to train recruits so that they can master new methods and tactics of warfare, and it appears that the enemy finally understands where to gain war experience.

There is also information that the Kingdom of Hicks has acquired new and precisely targeted firearms from the Kingdom of Nasseri and the Principality of Kanas, and is working hard to replicate them in order to upgrade the old guns equipped with troops. According to our assumptions, it will take two to three years for the Kingdom of Hicks to be ready to continue this colonial war. So, Claude, when you take over as Chief Commander of the theatre, the most important thing is to regroup these five divisions and prepare for all defenses...

At your age, being a 30-year-old Supreme Commander of an independent war zone is a little too young indeed. But unfortunately, no senior general of the Royal Army is going to succeed me in this position, and I can barely recommend you for it. I didn't expect it to be easy to pass your appointment. Perhaps in the eyes of these people above, this position is a fire pit, and no one wants to jump in. Well, if you have any questions, go ahead. ”

Claude held his stomach in doubt, and now he can finally say something: “General, why me? There are more people in the Corps than I am suited for the position of Chief Commander of the theatre. And, General, if you leave the whole Ranger Regiment equipment and armored weapon horses here, transfer the troops to the area where the guards are, and send an empty regiment home, will you blame the people above?

And I want to know, where did the five divisions come from? The number of Rangers transferred to the local guard units of the Overseas Territories alone was not so large, while the two overseas field corps were already unsatisfactory, of uneven quality and could barely be reduced to two reserve corps. Where can we replenish the current strength of all seven Overseas Territories, young and fit, either by entering the territories where they are armed or by being recruited into two Overseas Field Legions?

General, I would like to ask where the military and war expenses of these five divisions, which will henceforth report directly to the theatre, will be collected and distributed by the Royal Ministry of the Army. Are the officers and soldiers treated the same as the Rangers when transferred to the local guard? By the way, are the weapons and armaments equipment and wear and tear of the five divisions also covered by the Royal Army Department, and are the daily logistics supplies being supplied by the three overseas jurisdictions in the rear? ”