Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 500 Deployment Decision

Mrs. Maria did not blankly ask for troops from overseas autonomous territories to save the kingdom at a time of distress, perhaps because Claude had finally understood what she was talking about on the train. So when she arrived in Lake Lan, she painfully opened her cards and placed the conditions of the kingdom before the Autonomous Territorial Council and the five generals of the military region. It was none of her business what kind of choices the Home Rule Council and the Military Region would make. She was only His Majesty's Special Envoy.

All the conditions submitted to the Kingdom by the Overseas Autonomous Territories Assembly were agreed by Frederick I to be the sovereign of the Overseas Autonomous Territories, with the Kingdom of Auvellas as the Overseas Autonomous Territory, consistent in both diplomatic and military terms. Administrative initiatives of overseas autonomous territories, personnel promotion, fiscal taxation, economic finance and military forces remain independent from the Kingdom's own jurisdiction, but are reported to the Kingdom for coordination in the event of an emergency...

At the same time, commodities produced and manufactured by the overseas autonomous territories are allowed to have pricing rights for sale in the domestic market of the Kingdom. Although the commercial monopoly of the local counties cannot be fully liberated, 10 commodity access passes can be issued to the overseas autonomous territories. Commodity goods can be traded freely throughout the kingdom as long as the overseas autonomous territorial comptoirs holding the commodity access pass...

It can be said that the aspirations of the overseas autonomous consulates were fulfilled by the Kingdom. When they saw the autograph of Frederick I, in black and white paper, and the official communiqué bearing the seal of the State and the seal of the King symbolizing the Sterling royal family, the autonomous consulates could not help but cry. Everyone knows that the kingdom of Ovilas is in a bad situation, which is perhaps the real reason why Frederick I promised all the conditions of overseas self-government, and why he went long ago...

In addition, Lady Maria brought to the five generals of the Autonomous Territory and to the generals of the two regiments the long-delayed promotion order of the Royal Army Ministry, which was almost three years late for the promotion of officers, as well as an honorary seal from Her Majesty the King to the successful generals who won the colonial war against the Kingdom of Hicks.

General Bolognick and Claude were officially promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Kingdom, both of whose ranks had originally been Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom, this time to the rank of Admiral. General Skerry, General Albert and General Bitchklin were also promoted to Lieutenant General of the Kingdom. In addition, seven Colonel officers were promoted to Major General of the Kingdom.

Muriel, Berklin and Diavid, all three Claude's younger brothers, crossed the line between school pole officers and generals to become full Major Generals of the Kingdom. As for McJackie, he was lucky, probably because he was Claude's brother-in-law, and caught the last bus, which His Majesty the King bestowed on him to become Major General of the Kingdom. This time, the Thunder Regiment was promoted to four general officers, and three more were Colonel officers of the Rock Regiment.

Compared to his promotion to the ranks, His Majesty Frederick I's seal of honor is generous. He sighs off twenty-four successful men from the military region as the new nobility of the kingdom, of whom Claude's seal is the most graceful. This may be related to Claude's original title as the Honorary Count of the kingdom, this time bestowed on him as the hereditary Baron of the kingdom, a title that can be passed down from generation to generation.

General Bolognick was bestowed Viscount III, General Scully, General Albert and General Beechlin were all bestowed Barons III, a title that could be passed down for three generations. Nineteen senior officers from the military regions, Muriel, Berklin and Diaved and McJackie, were awarded Barons of Honor. It is clear from the seal of intent that His Majesty the King gave the seal of throne in recognition of the efforts of the soldiers of the Autonomous Leadership Region to open the land, and thanked the officers and soldiers of the legions for their sacrifices and contributions to the Kingdom's bloodbathing battle in the sand...

The Overseas Autonomous Territorial Council was also bestowed on three persons by His Majesty the King, the one-armed Sir Bennett Speaker, who was bestowed on the Viscount of Honour, possibly because he had lost an arm in the assassination of the Grey Tower Mage, and this time as compensation.

There was also Mr. Shazorak, head of the overseas self-governing patrol police department, who had been forced to retire from the army for his involvement in the assassination of the Grey Tower magician, and who was later invited by Claude to take responsibility for the rehabilitation of the overseas patrol police. This time it was awarded the Baron Emeritus by Frederie I because the good security order of the Overseas Autonomous Territories was regarded as excellent.

The last Member of Parliament to be granted a seal was Mr. Viberon, which was quite unexpected. But he was given ample reason to fund Master Byrd's research and improvement of the steam engine with a large sum of money, which eventually led to the development of the train, which changed the conditions of traffic in the overseas autonomous territories. It can be said that the appearance of the train was inseparable from Mr. Viberon's wisdom and strong support, and that he was also given an honorary baron.

The Overseas Autonomous Territories were bestowed with seven seals, but only five were eventually accepted. Master Byrd was bestowed as the heirloom baron of the kingdom in recognition of his credit for inventing trains and improving steam engines, and all four of his symbolic magicians were bestowed as honorary barons. The two who quit the seal were Mrs. Sonia and Claude's sister Anna, both of whom were given the seal for inventing the new rifle, but neither of them agreed to quit the seal, either because they felt unnecessary or because they wanted to keep a low profile.

The reason why Frederick I agreed to the demand for autonomy and so much money in the Overseas Autonomous Territories was simple. He also made only two requests to the Overseas Autonomous Territories Council and the Military Region, namely, to allow the Overseas Autonomous Territories to pay one million gold kroner a year in taxes and tributes to the Kingdom and the Crown, and to return the two Legions of the Autonomous Territories to the mainland of the Kingdom to help him defend himself against the invasion by the Alliance of Nations forces in the Eastern Region...

“What is the current state of war on the mainland of the Kingdom? ”

“Reporting General, the Royal Ministry of the Army has reorganized two defensive fronts in the counties of Cooklia, Chanyalal, Crimes, Billingmoro and Bagasantana. The main regiment currently deployed on the front line is a division of the Guardianship Corps and the entire force of the Lizard Corps, in addition to two second-line regiments, totalling more than 200,000 troops. In addition, the Royal Ministry of the Army has drawn strength from the refugees of the Kingdom in Bai Lu City in preparation for the formation of two second-line regiments again.

The forces of the National Union for the Eastern Region, which confronted the Royal Army on the front line, comprised 430,000 men and seven legions, of which the Kingdom of Hicks had three standing legions, the Kingdom of Nasri had two standing legions, the Principality of Kanas had a light rider legion and the remainder was a legion jointly formed by the Principality of Siddines and the Principality of Rimodra.

Probably already occupying the relations of our royal kingdoms, the seven regiments currently deployed on the front line, the Association of Eastern States, have insufficient heart and will to fight, barely launched two large-scale offensives more than a month ago, and quickly withdrew after losing thousands of troops, maintaining only confrontation. However, there are indications that the enemy is still redeploying troops from within their country, with an estimated six more standing regiments arriving on the front line within three months. Perhaps when enemy reinforcements arrive, that's when they launch the main offensive... "

The Kingdom no longer imposes an intelligence blockade on the Overseas Autonomous Territories, and almost every half month new war reports are sent to the Command of the Autonomous Territories.

“Do you think our Autonomous Regions should contribute?” General Bolognick asked.

This is almost unquestionable, and all senior military regional officers are unanimously in favour of troop contributions. The massive blockade of Frederick I in the autonomous military region has finally yielded unexpected results. Whether it's the Legion of Thunder or the General of the Rock Legion, or the officers and soldiers of the Autonomous Overseas Cruise Fleet, the Red Eyed Return to the mainland of the kingdom to teach a profound lesson to the Alliance of Nations armies in the unknown east...

Although the Overseas Autonomous Territories have attained true autonomy, the people here still regard themselves as the children of the Kingdom of Ovilas. Nowadays, the people in the overseas autonomous territories are in great distress, demanding that the soldiers of the autonomous military regions return to the mainland of the kingdom, even young and strong lined up outside the military region headquarters or in front of the military barracks, self-proclaimed and courageous to join the army to return to the mainland of the kingdom to defend against the invasion of the Alliance of Nations forces in the eastern region.

Not to mention the generals of the two regiments. The army of the Kingdom of Hicks has always been a defeated soldier of its own, as evidenced by the results of the colonial wars and the more than half a million prisoners serving their hard labour. And the kingdom of Nasserley is the ultimate enemy of the kingdom of Ovieras, and the revenge for the loss of the kingdom before the end of the last five years of war in the eastern region of the Duchy of Kanas has yet to be avenged. As for the Principality of Siddins and the Principality of Rimodra, the grasshoppers of the autumn and the aftermath, no one will see them.

So the generals of the Legion of Thunder and the Legion of Rock are morale stormhouses, not looking at their enemies, and trying to earn merit, perhaps earning themselves a title to honor their families for a lifetime. Thirdly, it feels a little unfamiliar not to have fought for so long. Especially after equipping the new rifle with the new artillery, my first idea of the world has penetrated into the minds of every officer and soldier, who can't wait to show up on the battlefield, and even someone signed a book with blood to fight.

This is no longer something that the five giants of the autonomous military region can overwhelm, and even General Bolognick and others hope to return to the kingdom to fight. Perhaps Claude's hereditary Baron has inspired them, and they want to go further. Heritage titles, which can be passed from generation to generation, are more enviable than their third and honorable titles.

“We can march.” Claude also remained calm: "But we demanded independent command and warfare, outside the jurisdiction of the Royal Army Ministry. After all, we are an autonomous territorial military region, operating in a different way from those regiments in the Kingdom itself, and logistical supplies do not need to rely on the supply of the Royal Army Ministry, nor do we need to be under the indiscriminate command of the Royal Army Ministry. Sometimes, the enemies face to face are not terrible, they need to be careful, but rather those friendlies who are willing to test..."

Yeah, Claude's right. The senior officers of the military region who participated in the meeting came to their senses and were able to participate in the battle, but it was true that the two regiments of the Autonomous Territories could not return to the mainland of the Kingdom under the command of the Royal Army, otherwise they would be pushed to the front line as their shield. The Royal Ministry of the Army is not incapable of doing this, and military districts must have independent operational and command powers.

“Is there any other requirement for this to be discussed with Mrs. Maria as a condition of troop contribution?” General Bolognick asked.

General Skerry said, "Perhaps we could ask His Majesty to open the permission to relocate refugees from the Kingdom. Didn't we say that White Deer City is now gathering two or three million refugees? It depends on the last batch of food and agricultural supplies that we provided to the Kingdom free of charge. If His Majesty would allow us to relocate those refugees overseas, we could provide the Kingdom with another shipment of food and armaments or something..."

Since Claude led the Legion of Thunder landing in White Deer City on the mainland of the Kingdom the previous year, robbing local counties of machinery and relocating those displaced from the kingdom, the King has issued a restraining order prohibiting the relocation of the people from the mainland of the kingdom to the overseas autonomous territories, also in order to avoid the loss of human resources in the mainland of the kingdom.

However, the war now under way against the invasion of the Alliance of Nations forces in the Eastern Region has once again led to a massive influx of refugees from the mainland of the Kingdom, where countless people have fled from the enemy occupied areas to the south-west of the Kingdom, the city where Frederie I is located. Refugees believe that when they come to the king, they will always be assured of their safety, and that the constant flow of refugees from the kingdom puts a lot of pressure on White Deer City...

However, this is a very good immigration opportunity for overseas self-governing territories. Claude once jokingly calculated that if overseas self-governments were to truly possess the everlasting power of development, the population would have to reach more than 15 million. The entire Overseas Autonomous Territories now migrate to less than seven million kingdoms, with more than one third of the state population developing only one third of the territory, and even one seventh of the smaller population, with the exception of the periphery of those towns, where more land is barbaric.

So General Skerry does not mind taking advantage of this troop contribution to add some more population to the Overseas Autonomous Territories.

“Well, this request, which allows us to move refugees from the Kingdom of Autonomy, is the second condition for our autonomous emigration.” General Bolognick said, "Anything else you want, no more? Well, since we all said we were going to go, let's talk about how we're going to go this time, and how many we're going to go, Claude, you tell us first..."

Claude struck the table with his fingers and said in silence: "I think both of our regiments are leaving, but at least one division of the garrison will remain in the autonomous military region just in case. Although we already have twenty local guard regiments fitted with new rifles, enough to deal with any situation in the Overseas Autonomous Territories, there is no need to worry about even another colonial war in the Kingdom of Hicks. But now that this is our new home, we can't be too careful.

All of you here are soldiers who have participated in five years of regional warfare in the East, and you all know that the input of one or two regiments in a frontal battlefield in such regional warfare cannot play a key role in the battlefield. Just as the position of the Principality of Rimodra attacked the defensive battle in that year, our kingdom claimed that after the most elite and powerful defensive regiment entered the battlefield, the position battle, which was laid down by the enemy layer, was ultimately damaged by more than half, with no morale, and had to retreat to restitution.

This war is taking place on the mainland of our kingdom, and it will not only consume time if it is fought in a position against the enemy, but it will also cause the greatest damage to the mainland of the kingdom. So I asked for independent combat and command, and there was no need to dance with enemy batons. As for the troops deployed, it would be more beneficial, because if our legions were damaged on the battlefield, it would not be possible for the Royal Army Department to supplement us.

So, if we're going to make a contribution this time, we need to expand our regiment first, and at least one division per regiment. The Legion of Thunder is a light cavalry with a good long offensive, and I hope that we will have reliable arming behind us, and if we invest two divisions in the offensive, then there will be at least one division behind us with supplies and ammunition, so that we will not have to worry about it.

The same holds true for the Rock Corps, which has expanded one division of troops to remain overseas self-governing and two divisions to fight on the Kingdom's mainland. The popular opinion of the autonomous territories is now raging, and the young and strong people who voluntarily enrolled in the army are crowded in front of the military barracks and command departments every day. I don't think we should leave their hearts and minds untouched and let these young men train for three months first, as they wish. As for officers and veterans, you can recruit a group from those local guard regiments... "

Claude's approach to expanding the force was also helpless, and he had no idea that His Majesty the King would be so generous this time by promoting seven new Major Generals of the Kingdom. It's like Berklin, if he's still in the ranks of Colonel, then he'll have no problem with a regiment. But now that he has become Major General of the Kingdom, it would be ugly to refer to him as Head of Corps. The position assigned by rank is that of Head of Division, so the expansion of the Corps is imperative. Anyway, to return home to fight, as long as the equipment keeps up, more troops are good, and there is more mobility at hand.

“Okay, let's build another division for each of those two regiments.” General Bolognick nodded, who had become accustomed to the military, questioned General Scully about the logistical viability of the expansion of the two divisions, and handed down the conscription orders, leaving General Albert and General Bitchclin to be responsible for the integration of the Legion of Thunder and the Rock Regiment and for the training of the recruits, respectively, and for the pre-march preparations.

“We are here to reach an agreement to contribute. But how did the council negotiate the terms of His Majesty's request to our Overseas Autonomous Territories to pay a million gold kroner a year in taxes and contributions?” General Skerry asked curiously.

Unlike the troop-contributing decisions reached by the Autonomous Leadership Regions, the issue was very controversial between the Parliament and Mrs. Maria. Ultimately, the members of Parliament voted to reject the request of Frederick I, who were willing to pay only 500,000 gold kroons per year in taxes and contributions, more than 100,000 gold kroons than the previous 400,000.

Mrs. Maria noted with outrage that the overall tax revenues of the Overseas Autonomous Territories now exceeded 2 million gold kroner, and that half of what was handed over to the Kingdom was an obligation. Speaker Bennett, however, argued that the Overseas Autonomous Territories were paying military expenses of the Legion of Thunder and the Rock Legion in lieu of the Kingdom. If the Overseas Autonomous Territories are allowed to pay half of their taxes, then it is simple that the military expenditures of these two regiments in the Autonomous Territories are paid by the Kingdom...

Mrs. Maria shut up immediately.