I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy - Chapter 210: Operation Stockholm (1)

“Yes, Commander Kaitel.”

“Even if I seem a bit stiff, please understand. It’s just my nature.”

Commander Kaitel sitting before me now, had the most unique career in the history of the Imperial Army.

After graduating from the academy and completing his mandatory term as a platoon leader, he became a battalion supply staff officer, despite being an heir to one of the few ducal families in the empire.

He proved to have outstanding administrative abilities, unparalleled in the history of the empire, especially in supply and support capacities.

As a result, he never held combat unit command positions like company commander, battalion commander, or regiment commander, which were mandatory for other academy graduates.

Still, he was a monster among monsters, having risen to the rank of commander solely based on his administrative handling capabilities.

“It’s an honor to serve under a commander like you, Commander Kaitel.”

“I’ve wanted someone like you under my command, and I’m glad my wish has come true. That said, I’ve reviewed the marching and supply routes you submitted, and there were some disappointing aspects.”

“Could you tell me what was disappointing?”

Commander Kaitel put a heavy report on the desk with an evil smile, reminiscent of a white plantation owner who exploited black slaves, the kind you might see at the Staff College.

“It’s not much. Since today is our first day meeting face-to-face and we need to discuss the conquest of the Stockholm Kingdom over the next three months thoroughly, let’s have a light discussion without any pressure.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Firstly, you chose to land near Visby Castle in the southern part of Stockholm and then march north to attack Visby Castle. I agree that this route seems the best, but the problem is…”

Sighing, the commander pointed to the northern Reich Empire and the city of Berlin as he spoke.

“Your proposed method was to move both food and soldiers from the north directly to the coast near Visby Castle at once. That’s a very inefficient way of supplying.”

“But isn’t there a risk of the worst happening if soldiers and food are transported separately? Couldn’t they be plundered by the Stockholm Kingdom’s navy?”

“From Lübeck to Visby, it’s just a half-day journey by ship, so the possibility of being plundered is very low. It’s negligible. If you insist on transporting both food and soldiers simultaneously, as you suggest, the cost alone would reach a staggering 30,000 gold.”

Even in modern times, with trucks and railroads capable of transporting tens of tons of materials at once, ships were preferred for long-distance transport, almost without exception.

Especially in this world, where the only means of land transportation were horse-drawn carriages and carts pulled by oxen…

Even if it seemed like going tens of kilometers out of the way, shipping by sea could transport more materials faster and with less manpower and cost compared to land.

Thus, in the first year of the academy, when learning about supply and transport, we were taught to always choose shipping over land if we had to choose between the two.

Even considering the possibility of losing all supplies, the operation was planned for safe transport, but weighing the risks and costs, as the commander suggested…

It seemed my initial proposal turned out to be inefficient after all.

“However, the rest of the plan only needs minor adjustments from me, so there’s no need to discuss that further. So, the marching route is to land at Visby, capture Visby Castle, and then head northwest along the coastline, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. We need to do that to secure the direct sea supply route from the north to Stockholm. I thought it best to advance eastward while expanding the supply line from there.”

“In line with the departure next spring, we decided to use the portion of taxes collected from the north in kind (grains) as military provisions instead of contracting with merchants. This way, there’s no need to unnecessarily pay merchants two to three times the price. This is excellent.”

Hearing that, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief at having overcome the hardest hurdle.

Because for a commander leading a war, the most difficult and complicated task was coordinating the supply schedule and planning.

Although it was limited to a rough plan, having passed the provisions and weapons supply plan meant I’d gotten over the major criticisms.

“Last time, during the Ostarica invasion operation, we used deception. But this time, you’re planning a straightforward frontal assault. You must have your reasons, but moving so openly in enemy territory makes it very easy to be ambushed, doesn’t it?”

In the southern part of Stockholm, where the battlefield would be, there were no mountains or valleys suitable for ambushes. At most, there were forests densely filled with centuries-old giant trees.

So, objectively speaking, our Reich Empire army would be marching only through plains that were difficult to ambush, which could allow us to relax a bit.

However, the battlefield was unpredictable, and with bad luck, even vigilant troops could be ambushed and annihilated in an empty plain.

In that sense, Commander Kaitel’s point was very valid from a common-sense perspective.

“As you mentioned, Commander Kaitel, marching along such a predictable route does increase the likelihood of being ambushed. However, the area we are marching through is flatland, and the Imperial Army has some of the best scouts in Europa among our Northern soldiers. So, it’s more likely that we’ll spot the enemy first, not the other way around.”

In truth, since the Stockholm forces also had Northern cavalry under their command, there might not be much of a difference.

The important thing was that the enemy wouldn’t be able to see us as if we were looking through the palm of their hand, while our forces wouldn’t be unaware of where the enemy was.

In such a situation, it was better to just push forward honestly and face the enemy head-on rather than devise complicated strategies and feints to deceive them.

Understanding this logic, the Commander nodded and responded.

“Indeed, there’s no need to needlessly draw extra forces to deceive the enemy or make risky moves that could reveal weaknesses. Moreover, since the marching route you’ve planned doesn’t have terrain suitable for enemy ambushes, going straightforwardly is more efficient.”

“Thank you for understanding, Commander.”

“There must be plenty of operations related to engaging the enemy, but strategic operations change moment by moment. How could we predict the specifics of tactical combat now? If one could predict all that, they should be a prophet, not a general.”

As Commander Kaitel said, being human, if we speculate where our forces would fight and how operations would be conducted before the war starts, more than 95% of those predictions would miss the mark.

Because even if we earnestly speculate on the battles our army must face, once the expedition starts, the situation would change moment by moment quite drastically.

Therefore, wise generals and commanders wouldn’t discuss tactical operations in detail in the initial stages.

For about an hour afterward, I explained the main points and key aspects of this operation in as much detail as possible to Commander Kaitel.

Most of it passed without significant criticism.

“Before I conclude this report, do you have any comments on supply, administration, tactics, or operations, Commander?”

“Currently, no. However, based on the information you’ve provided, I’ll analyze the report and if I find any problematic areas, I’ll ask questions tomorrow.”

A report containing all the information I had explained so far was lying in front of Commander Kaitel as he spoke.

I was too focused on answering the questions to notice, but it seemed he was organizing every bit of information I mentioned in his way.

Honestly, it was more chilling than admirable for his thoroughness.

It seemed the Commander didn’t care much about what I thought, and he was about to leave after finishing his business.

Then, suddenly turning around, he said to me,

“I don’t know if I’m lucky or not, but among the empire’s many generals, I’m the only one who has never held a field command position except as a platoon leader. Even if your military career is shorter and your rank is lower than mine, your ability to plan and conduct battles is far superior. As the commander of the expeditionary force to the Stockholm Kingdom, I’ll focus on rear support and supply tasks, which I excel at. Therefore, I want you, General Yaeger, to be the leading figure in winning this war.”

…Normally, becoming the supreme commander would naturally make one want to be the main hero of a victory.

Because achieving the greatest merit as a supreme commander would open the path to the most honorable positions in the military, such as marshal or minister of military affairs.

But to entrust the most crucial role to me…

“There’s no need for you to feel sorry for me because of what I said. As the head of the Kaitel Ducal family and the Commander of this expeditionary force, my priority is the national interest of the Reich Empire above my own position and will.”