Chapter 61
Baron Ducat was having a conversation with the Emperor in the office.
"We will soon wage war against the Grand Duchy of Millania. At that time, I'd like to put the 1st Division you command at the vanguard, what do you think?"
The Emperor had said this to the baron nearly three times so far.
Since Ducat wasn't a fool, he would understand and remember everything with just one instruction, but repeating the same story is to emphasize how important it is.
Therefore, the baron answered with a posture of strict military discipline:
"I will do my best to meet Your Majesty's expectations!"
"I have high expectations for you and the 1st Division."
"I will keep that in mind."
There were no empty words in what the Emperor said.
However, those expectations weren't focused solely on the 1st Division.
The Emperor had expectations for all units scheduled to participate in the next war.
Baron Ducat naturally knew this fact.
'The 1st Division will be the one to play the biggest role in the next war.'
His only goal now was to achieve the greatest merit when war breaks out and receive the Emperor's favor.
The Emperor grinned and emptied the coffee cup in his hand.
"So how is the state of the important 1st Division now? When Count Cornelio was division commander, it must have been a mess with military supply corruption and lack of proper training."
Almost all officers in the Tuscan Empire are high-ranking nobles, and if you go up to field grade or above, it's hard to find someone not born into a noble family even if you search with a fine-toothed comb.
At the general level, even if you're a baron yourself, you're usually pushed back in status and retire as a brigadier general at best.
Baron Ducat also had difficulty being promoted to division commander, but because Count Cornelio had half-ruined the 1st Division, the Emperor was able to promote him to division commander with his power.
In that the military is the organization where status moves most flexibly, as even commoners can rise to lower nobility if they achieve merits, and lower nobles can rise to viscount or baron if they achieve merits.
"When I took office, the situation was the worst. The soldiers had no will to fight, and more than half of the weapons and armor in the armory were unusable."
Hearing those words, the Emperor put his hand to his forehead.
It's fortunate that he noticed this military supply corruption before the war and removed Count Cornelio from his position.
Otherwise, he would have seen one division being handed over to those Millania bastards.
'I need to give more disadvantages in other forms to those Count Cornelio family bastards.'
"However, now the state of the military unit has returned to normal. No, it has become even more elite."
"This is beyond what I expected? What happened?"
It hasn't even been a month since the Emperor dispatched Baron Ducat as commander of the 1st Division.
It's virtually impossible to change a division ruined by military supply corruption and an incompetent former division commander to a normal state in such a short period.
Therefore, the Emperor only expected Baron Ducat to find the unit's chronic problems and improve them little by little.
'Beyond normal recovery to becoming elite, it's unbelievable.'
Baron Ducat handed a thick report to the Emperor.
"As soon as I took office, I immediately weeded out some incompetent commanders and staff officers, and sternly warned the rest of my subordinates. So those who tried to do everything half-heartedly began to serve desperately."
"Incompetent bastards aren't needed in the military. You did well to drive out those parasites. It's very commendable that you made those remaining after driving out the parasites move desperately."
"Although the former division commander had a bad influence on the unit, fortunately, those evils weren't that great. So when I just made the staff and unit commanders work hard, most problems were improved."
Hearing the baron's report, the Emperor raised his evaluation of him even higher.
'I really can put the 1st Division at the vanguard.'
"However, the most amazing is Fabio de Medici, who was appointed as logistics staff officer."
"Fabio, that fellow is certainly a great talent, but did he also perform well in the military?"
Baron Ducat pointed to the report and said:
"As written in this report, without Fabio's performance, rebuilding the 1st Division would have taken at least half a year at minimum."
Hearing those words, the Emperor tilted his head.
As one ages and gains experience, they can show great talent in other fields too.
However, since a guy who's only 21 years old is showing genius capabilities in commerce, he thought he would still be lacking in many aspects in other fields.
To make a division commander himself say that the merits of one specific subordinate are greater than his own.
'I was going to forcibly give him a viscount title if he just normalized military supplies and changed weapons and armor with his private funds.'
"As soon as Fabio arrived, he negotiated with the director of the Benaldi Trading Company, which newly took charge of military supplies, and lowered the unit price of all items by 15%. He not only lowered prices but also raised quality."
"He lowered prices and raised quality?"
"Yes, that's right. The soldiers' meals especially have improved noticeably. While meals for soldiers in other units are no different from what serfs eat, meals in the 1st Division are at the level of what poor citizens in the city eat."
Even poor citizens are middle class in the Tuscan Empire.
So those who originally ate poor commoner meals are now eating edible food that the middle class eats...
"His skills are no joke. No, he must have greatly cut the share that military suppliers embezzle for me. He's taking quite a lot of risks."
In reality, Fabio isn't taking risks at all, rather his relationship with the Benaldi Trading Company has become somewhat friendly.
However, to commercial outsiders like the Emperor and Baron Ducat, it looked like he had intimidated and thwarted the evil military suppliers' plots and improved the diet.
Especially because the visible results were so different.
"Moreover, he's giving soldiers one donut each week made by Cafe Medici staff. Although it's just one donut, 8,000 of them..."
Even the cheapest items become expensive when bought in bulk.
Sweet items like donuts are originally on the expensive side, so it's especially more so.
"Fabio himself said he's not taking any losses thanks to negotiating with the Benaldi Trading Company director."
"That fellow Fabio wouldn't lie, so he probably isn't taking losses. But it seems he's completely given up profits for the soldiers."
"Yes, that's right."
To be the Emperor of an empire, you naturally need knowledge about the military too.
That's because you need to have at least the minimum capacity to command the empire's military.
'Feeding soldiers well is the way to win wars.'
The reason they couldn't do it until now was because those military supplier bastards took so much dirty money.
They thought that was normal too.
"At first, the soldiers looked down on the 21-year-old boy staff officer, but now they respect him to the point of showing sincere reverence as if following a veteran of a hundred battles."
"Soldiers, no, serfs are just people whose everything is eating, right? That can happen."
The baron added an excuse:
"But Major Fabio is going around claiming he's just a mere tool, and all this merit belongs solely to Your Majesty. Please don't doubt his loyalty."
From a monarch's perspective, it's not very pleasant to hear that a 21-year-old guy is receiving respect worthy of a veteran of a hundred battles.
Because it means that if Fabio matures, he could completely capture the hearts of the soldiers.
The current Emperor wasn't foolish enough to be jealous and envious of such things.
'If he was just accepting it intoxicated with desire for honor, I would have had to give him a stern lesson.'
"Thanks to this, even a mere private in our division has developed firm loyalty towards the empire and Your Majesty to the point of shouting 'Long live Emperor' every day."
The corners of the Emperor's mouth stretched to his ears.
He confirmed the ability and potential of the young man named Fabio de Medici.
Although he can't sprinkle donuts to the entire army, improving soldiers' meals can be applied to the entire army.
'To strengthen the army without spending more money, it's like a dream.'
"You know, I know, and that fellow Fabio knows too. Our original plan was to raise the title to viscount for a young man with just 2,500 territory residents and a small territory showing loyalty by admirably exchanging 'equipment for one division'."
However, Fabio still hasn't changed the equipment.
Everyone knows it's not because he's stingy with money.
"But that fellow deliberately postponed it. He didn't want to create the image of buying a title by pushing hard with money. Thanks to that, Fabio will be able to prove to everyone that he has the ability to become a viscount and more."
As he continued speaking, the Emperor's face was filled with smiles.
"When I forcibly put him in the major position, nobles gossiped that I was unnecessarily favoring a second son of a mere baron family. They tried to bite like dogs."
Although the imperial army ranks can be done at the Emperor's will, putting a 21-year-old young master as a major was too much of a crossing the line.
"Don't you think those bastards won't be able to show their faces for a while when they hear this news?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I wish Fabio would plant a stake in the military."
The Emperor said that, but he knew well it was realistically impossible.
Unless it was nobility of the robe who are the Emperor's high-class slaves, if you tie down an independent noble with territory and a rising supernova to the military, Duke Visconti would cause an uproar.
"A good talent has appeared in our empire. And I should give ample rewards, but I don't know what to give. And you're also a more excellent talent than I thought."
Saying that, the Emperor took the sword he was wearing at his waist with its scabbard.
"Take it, Baron Ducat."
Ducat was dumbfounded hearing those words.
"Your ability is ability, but I highly evaluate this. The fact that you honestly reported your subordinate's merits even though your own merits could be reduced, and the heart that doesn't envy your subordinate."
The Emperor grinned.
"We call this the quality of a great general. I will use you heavily."
Saying that, the Emperor informally bestowed the sword to the baron.
**
The division commander who had been away for a few days returned.
And as soon as he returned, he called me to his office.
As soon as I entered, I first reported that I had now handled the last task requested by the Emperor.
"Due to the tricks played by the Pereira Trading Company, 5,000 spears, 1,200 swords, 2,000 quilted armors, etc. currently in the armory were in a state unusable in actual combat. So, to repay the grace of His Majesty who appointed such a lowly person as me as major, I decided to exchange all defective products for new ones at my own expense."
This mission was actually no different from a bonus stage.
It was just buying a title by spending an overflowing amount of money.
Of course, because it was too wasteful to just do that, I also put a strong hand in military supplies.
"Here's the contract. It states that the Alfedo Trading Company will deliver the corresponding quantity in 2 months."
Of course, the fabric used for quilted armor used cloth produced secretly in Bio Village, and the steel was bought at employee special prices from the Duke's ironworks.
'Thanks to that, I matched it at half price with essentially just manufacturing costs.'
Baron Ducat looked at me with regretful eyes.
"Honestly, when I heard you were coming as a major without any military merits, I felt dirty."
Although parachuting is basic, unless you're royalty, military officers basically start as second lieutenants.
Who would like to hear that someone is starting as a major?
"But now that I know your abilities, I feel like I want to cut our logistics staff chief and have you take that position instead. His Majesty would also be happy if you said you'd stay in the military, what do you think?"
...... Do you think I'm crazy enough to plant a stake? What does this gentleman take people for?
"I have a territory and trading company I need to take responsibility for, so it would be difficult."
"That's a shame, but I'm saying this sincerely. You'd be welcome to return anytime."
No matter how flower-path military life is starting as a major, I won't become a career soldier.
"His Majesty greatly recognized your merits. Congratulations, Viscount Medici. You need to have an appointment ceremony, so go to the imperial palace within a week."
"Thank you. It was also an honor for me to serve under you, Commander."
Hearing those words, I immediately turned my back to leave.
Although life here isn't that hard, I think running a trading company and living as a noble suits me better.
As I was hurrying to leave, I heard a loud salute from behind.
"Salute!"
To think I'd receive a preemptive salute with courtesy from someone as high as a division commander.
This person is really a true gem.
The officers living military life under Division Commander Ducat are blessed officers, I tell you.
"Salute, thank you very much, Commander."
And I moved to the imperial capital to hold the appointment ceremony.