I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy - Chapter 165: Trickery And The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Strategic Retreat (3)

The very next day after our 7th Division entered Dolphino Castle, a large army led by the Duke of Switzerland arrived right in front of the castle.

Truly, I must say, the speed at which they pursued us was incredibly astonishing.

Because the soldiers of the 7th Division I lead, even those carrying loads or pulling carts, all rode on horses from Richten Hill to Dolphino Castle.

Considering the Duke of Switzerland didn’t have the means to mount his soldiers on horses like us, and they came here on foot…

Their hardship was hard to describe in words; it turned out they were like dogs chasing chickens that climbed onto the roof.

The Empire’s soldiers taunted loudly enough for their voices to reach the general’s quarters, where I was staying on the castle walls.

“Look at these Swiss bandit bastards! Are you pissed? Do you feel wronged? But you can’t do anything, can you?!”

“You’ve had a hard time running here on your two feet. Eat this and go back!”

“Oh dear, oh dear. How pitiful, huh? You’re so pitiful that I’m shedding buckets of tears. It’s truly tear-jerking!”

It’s hard to believe that just a few days ago, our Reich Empire army was being outdone by them; they seemed so joyful.

Moreover, with about 60,000 Imperial troops stationed in and around this castle to repel them, the Duke of Switzerland, no matter how much he gritted his teeth, didn’t dare to attack.

So, even if we couldn’t directly attack them to get revenge, we’d make do with words that would raise their blood pressure enough to kill them.

Now that I’m feeling a bit better, I wanted to show my face to completely crush their morale and add to their misery with a bowl of insults, so I decided to put on my armor and go out.

“Charlotte, help me with my armor. I plan to go up on the walls and tease the Swiss army a bit. I won’t do anything dangerous, so don’t worry.”

She, who had been nursing me continuously by my side, made a disbelieving face and said,

“The priest said yesterday while using healing magic, ‘You absolutely need rest for a month. Please, at least during this time, stay quietly in bed. What will you do if you worsen your condition?’”

“No, I did overdo it a bit, but I’m fine now. I don’t have cuts or stabs like the other soldiers.”

“But you’ve overexerted yourself to the point where your cheeks are sunken. Plus, maybe because of exhaustion, your whole body is hot like fire. And when you collapsed yesterday, His Highness came and ordered, ‘If Lieutenant General Yaeger tries to overdo it, stop him no matter what.’ Lieutenant Colonel Kerzhit will be coming soon, too…”

Laura, from the first time we met until before we got married, seemed like a taciturn but loyal and competent secretary on the outside.

From when I began to overexert myself during the battle at Richten Hill, Charlotte occasionally showed care and acted like a mother to me.

Now, using the Crown Prince’s order as an excuse to prevent me from overdoing it, even though I could wipe my own sweat, she would sit beside me and, without being asked, wipe my sweat whenever she saw me sweating.

She would take really good care of me, which I didn’t mind, but it was a bit overwhelming in many ways, especially since she was really beautiful.

“So, please rest comfortably. The Lieutenant Colonel will be here soon. Take a rest and have a chat. If you go out to encourage the soldiers, the rest of the 7th Division will be extremely worried…”

Hearing that, I decided not to think about going out anymore.

Because Charlotte looked almost like she was going to cry, worried that I might overdo it and worsen my condition.

“Alright, I’ll rest well. You should go and take a break. I’ve overdone it, but Charlotte, you also overdid it coming here from Richten Hill.”

Charlotte was devoted to taking care of me now, but it must have been very hard for her, who hadn’t received military training, to follow the escape from Richten Hill for about a week.

Without exaggeration, it would have consumed more energy than running a 20km marathon every day for 7 days.

She, too, would probably want to lie down in bed and rest, just like me.

“What if you collapse from taking care of me? So go to another room and rest well.”

Then, Charlotte shook her head and pointed to a small bed in the corner of my room, saying,

“I will rest in that room. You go to sleep first, and then I’ll go to rest.”

Then, she wiped the sweat off my forehead with a wet towel.

I’ve never received such meticulous care, even after marrying Laura…

As I was lost in thought, Anya came in with porridge and a spoon.

She naturally sat on a chair on the right side of my bed and, lifting my body up, said,

“I asked the cooks inside the castle to make this porridge with flour, cheese, and meat. Eating this will make you feel better. So, please eat everything.”

I didn’t know what kind of merit I accumulated in my previous life to deserve this, but here I was with a beautiful wife like Laura.

I wasn’t sure why Anya and Charlotte were taking such great care of me, but I was truly grateful.

Without them, there was a high chance I would have died on Richten Hill or died from exhaustion immediately upon returning.

So, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them to leave now.

“If it’s hard for you to hold the spoon, I can feed you…”

Saying that, Anya picked up the spoon to scoop the porridge for me.

She said she would do it herself, but blushed as if embarrassed.

I was about to say I would eat it myself and leave it, but then, with a knock, the Crown Prince entered with a beaming smile.

“Haha, I heard you just woke up. So, how’s your body…?”

However, the Crown Prince looked perplexed to see me between two women.

If I had gone to the house of Lieutenant Colonel Werner or another subordinate and found myself in a similar situation, I would have been just as surprised as His Highness.

Moreover, with Charlotte wiping my sweat with a wet towel on my left and Anya, in her Imperial army uniform, ready to feed me porridge on my right, it was incredibly awkward.

Additionally, even though Lieutenant Colonel Anya and Charlotte were ordered to devote themselves to my care and physical condition, this was still a battlefield, after all.

“Ahem, anyway, thanks to the 7th Division led by you, many Imperial soldiers, including myself, were able to return to this country. I’m truly grateful.”

“I only did what I was supposed to do, Your Highness.”

“What do you mean ‘supposed to’? If someone who accomplished miracles that no one else could says that, they deserve to be punished. Moreover, you’re my lifesaver and a hero who saved the Empire from crisis.”

After saying that, the Crown Prince patted the shoulders of the two beside me.

Anya might not have noticed, but Charlotte seemed both grateful and burdened by the Crown Prince’s encouragement, not knowing what expression to make.

The Crown Prince spoke as if he didn’t mind such things.

“If it weren’t for you two, thinking about what could have happened to Lieutenant General Yaeger here is horrifying. I’ll personally repay you for your efforts later. Thank you very much.”

The Imperial royalty, especially the Emperor or Crown Prince, hardly ever express gratitude.

Because that one word could cause massive political ripples.

So much so, there was even a joke among the Imperial nobility that if the Emperor or Crown Prince said ‘thank you,’ a baronial family would spring up from the ground.

And after the distribution of rewards, Anya and Charlotte would surely receive a tremendous reward for his gratitude.

“However, I’d like to borrow Lieutenant General Yaeger for now, if you don’t mind. I won’t keep him too long, so go ahead and have your meal.”

With those words, the two left my room, and the Crown Prince stopped me from getting up, saying,

“There is no need for a sick person to strain himself to show respect. I came today not just for that but to discuss how to end this war. But before that, I have some news to share.”

“How is Laura?”

“I heard she gave birth to a healthy son. And I’ve already sent a good name for your wife in Reichsburg. ‘Friedrich.’ Friedrich von Yaeger. You don’t usually use ‘von’ when referring to yourself, but your son is a true Imperial noble, isn’t he? What do you think? Do you like it?”

For some reason, this name reminded me of a certain Potato King from the Earth where I used to live.

He fought wars for Prussia and was a famous great general.

A legendary leader who laid the foundation for the German Empire.

“Yes, I really like it. For some reason, it feels like a name for someone who will surpass me as a great general.”

“You think he will surpass you as a great general? Alright, I’ll convey exactly that to your wife in the next report. If he grows up to match the name I’ve given, he will become a general who will carve his name into the history of the Empire, so raise him well.”