Chapter 58
In both the Tuscan Empire and the Korean Army, a division commander is as high-ranking as a star.
It means they're a powerful person who can move mountains with a single order.
So while grumbling internally, I stood at attention like a soldier in front of Baron Ducat.
"I am Fabio de Medici, second son of the Medici baron family."
"For a young guy these days, your eyes are alive! Hahaha, I like you very much."
"Thank you."
"You remind me of when I first got commissioned. A friend with a real soldier's spirit."
Historically speaking, nobles are considered noble because they perform military service, and the most respected profession a noble can have is being a soldier.
As someone who served in the 21st century Korean military, it feels strange to be told I'm like a soldier.
That person surely meant it as a compliment, but it doesn't sound particularly good to me.
"You're a friend who would have been very successful if you became a soldier. Well, we have quite a lot to talk about, so sit comfortably."
"Yes, thank you."
As soon as I sat down, Chloe brought coffee and snacks for me and the baron.
The baron drank all his coffee at once and grinned.
"This coffee is really good. It's good for staying awake during duty or guard, or when working all night, and it boosts virility when going to bed."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"So even though it's a bit expensive, I always give a cup to officers on duty or guard before they start. You probably haven't done guard duty, but it's really tough to just keep your eyes wide open in the deep night with nothing to do."
Although I wasn't on the front lines, I've done guard duty at posts for 2 hours to the point of dying, and I've done duty where they say you'll stay up all night but actually only the duty commander and officers sleep from 1-2 AM.
I don't know how the entire Tuscan Imperial Army operates, but in the 1st Division, the division commander himself does FM duty, so the soldiers and officers must be dying.
I'm really glad I didn't enlist in the military.
If I had enlisted and served as an officer, I would have done FM duty and training under that person.
Baron Ducat suddenly changed the atmosphere to a serious one after chatting.
"Let's stop the small talk here and convey His Majesty's orders. This isn't an official imperial edict, so you don't need to kneel. Relax."
Only an idiot would really relax after being told to relax.
Although I'm a civilian, I don't have the mindset to let my mind wander with a division commander with two stars in front of me.
Moreover, the division commander in front of me is the Tuscan 1st Division, which took a critical hit from the Pereira Trading Company's military supply corruption.
'I have a feeling he'll tell me to fill something with money.'
"His Majesty has temporarily appointed you as our division's logistics staff officer. Your rank is major, an unpaid officer without salary."
The Tuscan Imperial Army doesn't do despicable things like selling ranks for money like some vicious countries.
However, there are no institutions like military academies to train soldiers, and if the Emperor wishes, he can arbitrarily insert field-grade or general-grade commanders like this. The military really runs well.
'I hear that in surrounding countries, not only officer appointments but even rank purchases are possible?'
Overall, the Tuscan Imperial Army seems to be the most decent.
"Welcome to our division's logistics staff department."
If there's a logistics staff department in a single division, are there about 30 staff members?
It's 100 billion times better than having political officers, the cancer of modern war history, but seeing so many staff members.
I can't shake the thought that these are staff positions created just to mass-produce positions.
"A guy not even 21 years old as a major! If you stayed in the military, would you be a division commander at 40?"
Although seniority and titles are important, in our continent's military, the Emperor's will is reflected most strongly, more than promotion periods or such things.
If you achieve proper military merits, it's really possible to become a division commander at 40, no, even in your early 30s.
Although I, a law-abiding citizen who has never killed a single person, have not the slightest intention of walking that path.
"If some idiot from another noble family came as a temporary major at your age, I would have opposed it, but I'll trust you, who has been recognized by His Grace Duke Visconti and His Majesty."
The hidden context here can be interpreted like this:
Even with His Majesty's orders, it's honestly incomprehensible for a 21-year-old to perform division staff duties.
But you're already a genius who has made a name for yourself throughout the empire at 21, and since you're a 'real deal' recognized by the Emperor and Duke, I'll give you a chance to prove your ability.
If you don't do it properly, I'll be greatly disappointed.
"I don't intend to get deeply involved in things like transportation or logistics work. I won't give training instructions to soldiers without knowing my place just because I got a major rank riding on His Majesty's favor."
"You're accurately aware of your position."
The internet and media say that to succeed, a person needs creative thinking ability, indomitable will and drive, and so on.
That's all wrong.
No matter how many good abilities you have, if you don't understand your position, you can never succeed.
Even someone who can study 13 hours a day tries to get a TOEIC score of 900, but if they don't know exactly what their English level is, they don't know how to study and end up just digging holes.
No matter how many expensive surgeries a doctor performs, if they make a diagnosis mistake, only patients die.
If you don't understand your position, it's difficult for humans to develop with effort alone.
"Don't the logistics staff chief and others not know much about the evil methods of lowly merchants? It's my specialty to know how they raise prices, and what tricks subcontractors of directly contracted merchants play."
"Very wise."
"I'll extract maximum efficiency with minimum budget."
In my head, there are various training methods to make soldiers fighting with matchlock guns demonstrate their maximum capabilities.
Guerrilla training, drill training, physical training, very strict military discipline, and so on...
Of course, it's just knowledge at the level of an ordinary soldier, so it can't be applied directly to the military, but if I agree with the division commander and just fill in the lacking parts...
The Tuscan Imperial Army would have the strongest military on the continent.
'But military system reform isn't my duty.'
No matter how much it's for the country, I shouldn't step forward arbitrarily if it's not my assigned job.
Your wrist gets cut off if you aim for someone else's rice bowl that you shouldn't touch.
Right now, the top priority is to normalize military supply prices and conditions.
"Commendable. Then can I trust and entrust this to you?"
"Yes, Commander."
"You should move to the Tuscan 1st Division headquarters with me in 3 days. When you arrive at headquarters, you'll be able to receive your uniform, rank insignia, and military sword symbolizing an officer."
In the 21st century Korean military, you need to be at least a general rank, that is, have stars, to receive a sword.
Here, since officer rank is equivalent to nobility, it seems they give military swords even to majors, no, even second lieutenants.
"I'll be watching closely."
With those words, Baron Ducat immediately stood up.
**
After being appointed to the 1st Division with the baron, taking Chloe and Christina with me, I focused on reviewing documents.
Anyway, my job isn't to plan operations or handle administrative work like other staff officers.
It's to catch anyone trying to profit from corruption or irregularities related to military supply procurement, and minimize budget expenditure.
So I'm exempt from participating in training that all other staff officers attend.
"At this rate, how am I any different from a civilian employee with a military rank?"
Still, this isn't bad.
The experience of serving in the military as a staff officer will be a bone stock that I can keep using throughout my life as I advance as a noble and merchant.
If I achieve military merits, my title will rise to viscount, and I can be granted territory.
'The Pereira bastard and other great merchants would be dying of envy if they saw this, right?'
Those guys can only get positions like viscount of the robe nobility, which are high-class slave positions of the Emperor that they buy with money, but if I get ground up here appropriately and pour in my money, I can get a formal viscount title.
As I was finishing the final review of documents, I heard a knock on the door.
"I am Raffaello de Navi, director of the Benaldi Trading Company. May I come in?"
"Enter."
The man called de Navi bowed very politely to me.
And this man didn't immediately offer a gift as soon as he saw me.
He seems to know well that as a fellow merchant, trying to bribe me like other staff officers won't work.
"I am Raffaello de Navi, representing the Benaldi Trading Company."
The Benaldi Trading Company, like the Pereira Trading Company, is listed among the empire's great merchants.
Because the market is so large due to the huge scale of the imperial army, military supply-related business is generally tightly held by great merchants.
And for division-scale transactions, even from a great merchant's perspective it's not a small deal, so someone at the director level had to come.
"It's an honor to meet Major Fabio de Medici, who is making a big name among imperial merchants."
"Major? Just call me young master. This is all a temporary rank anyway."
"Yes, young master."
After continuing some soft conversation for a moment, I placed the pile of military supply item documents they submitted on the desk with a thud.
"Let's talk straight. I know well that to make a living from military supplies, you need to inflate prices a bit. But isn't this price too high? I think we need to have a somewhat serious conversation."
If you refuse to talk, you'll face a court-martial for messing with military supplies.