Chapter 140: Operation To Attack Switzerland (3)
After about half a year, I was inaugurated as the division commander of the 7th Division, along with officers like Anastasia, Werner, and Marco, who had been with me from the beginning.
I wanted to take Laura with me, a capable commander and subordinate, but I thought it was absolutely not right to take her to war while she was pregnant.
I had no choice but to ask Laura to stay home and give birth to a healthy and beautiful child.
When we parted, Laura warned me to be careful of women targeting Peter Yaeger like thief cats, along with wishing me a safe return.
Thinking of her pregnancy, I firmly decided not to lay hands on prostitutes or women from Switzerland.
And now, our Swiss expeditionary force quickly moved south with 50,000 troops, arriving in Konstanz, the city at the forefront bordering the Reich Empire and the Swiss Confederation.
Junior officers and soldiers were given rest, but generals and field officers, including me, immediately entered the grand conference room of the castle for a military meeting.
The other five division commanders, excluding me, murmured to each other, seemingly wary of someone named Peter Yaeger.
Its the conquest of the Swiss Confederation; its the first time since the great Emperor Rudolf IV, 200 years ago, led 50,000 troops just like now and was defeated.
But this time, its a conquest directly led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and we must win this time to be promoted to Lieutenant General.
Last time, even Major General Stefan didnt get promoted despite taking all the credit fed by Lieutenant General Yaeger, citing the reason of being a commander. So, if we secure a third-class merit, we can be promoted. Honestly, Im due for retirement next year
I had about 35 years until my retirement age, so I didnt have to worry about my ranks retirement, but other colonels probably did
As I felt a bit sorry for their reality of being chased by age, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Deputy Commander Major General Bichleben came in and said,
Everyone take your seats. Lets discuss the grand strategy.
All the officers, including myself, took their seats, and then a lieutenant who had been accompanying His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, like an older brother, attached a map to the bulletin board.
First, the cantons we need to capture are Bern, Basel, Baden, Ticino, Lucerne, Obwaldensix in total. The Swiss expeditionary force will divide its army into six and capture half a canton each of Basel, Baden, and Ticino, and then gather in Liechtenstein in Obwalden.
Basel, Baden, and Ticino, among the other cantons of Switzerland, were smaller in area, but in this rugged principality of nothing but mountains, they possessed relatively vast plains.
Despite the difference in size, the population of these cantons was not much different from those several times larger, plus they were key transport hubs connecting the Empire with Peronia and the Duchy of Ostarica.
Therefore, the 7th Division I commanded was likely to face significantly fiercer resistance compared to other divisions.
Finally, all units are to regroup near Liechtenstein Castle two and a half months from now, on May 26th.
It was a tougher schedule than I thought, but not impossible if we set our minds to it.
After all, the only tactic the enemy could employ right now was to engage us in a single battle to halt our advance.
Yes, understood.
We will do as ordered.
We, the 14th Division, will sweep away those Swiss peasants in one go!
The Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction at this response, but the Deputy Commander, seemingly not fully impressed, clicked his tongue and continued speaking.
I do not doubt your abilities and competence. But this place has treacherous roads, and its inhabited by lunatics who launch surprise attacks even at the village level. Everyone knows how our Reich Empire was defeated in the Garten Battle 200 years ago.
The Garten Battle, in short, happened 200 years ago when the Emperor of the Reich Empire was marching his troops through the narrow paths of the Garten mountains in Switzerland.
A foolish general was deceived by scouts and enemy spies, believing intelligence that the enemys main force was a weeks march away and reported that it was safe to relax their guard.
As a result, the Empires army, marching on the narrow path with their guard down, was ambushed by Swiss mercenaries and militia hidden in the forests alongside the mountain path.
The path was too narrow for the knights to dismount from their horses, making it difficult to even form a defensive line.
In the ensuing chaos of infantry, knights, and horses tangled together, the Emperor lost 10,000 troops and was forced to retreat due to the ambush by 3,000 Swiss militia.
In other words, he was telling us to conduct thorough reconnaissance if we didnt want to be caught off guard and ambushed on the mountain paths.
Also, this place is completely different from Francois, our Empire, Chekovia, or Ostarica. Every man in these villages is stronger than a moderately trained soldier, capable of organizing a systematic militia if just one officer enters. So, stay alert and maintain the utmost vigilance.
With that, the Deputy Commander finished his advice and handed over the initiative to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince drew his sword, pointed it at the ceiling straight ahead, and said with a smile,
My proud generals and officers, fill this harsh land with the glory of our Empire!
