Chapter 18
Immediately after Carolus left after saying his piece.
The Royal Palace Audience Chamber was engulfed in fiery rage.
"That lowly bastard dares...."
"In the old days, that guy wouldn't have even dared to make eye contact with us! He thinks he's something special just because he's made some contributions?!"
"If I still held the position of Chief Justice, I would have locked him up in prison forever!!"
Carolus's attitude was incredibly rude.
His tone, the emotions and attitude conveyed in his words, everything about it.
It clearly showed his intention to completely disregard the authority of the Nobility and Royalty who ruled The Kingdom.
How could this be? He calls himself a nobleman, but does he not know what etiquette is? Even an enemy envoy wouldn't behave this way!
However, despite their grumbling, no one had the courage to speak out directly in front of him.
The reason was simple. The opponent's aura was too ferocious.
'Still, I shouldn't antagonize Carolus. My whole family could be ruined.'
'He's completely insane. He's the type to charge headfirst if provoked.'
The Kingdom's greatest general, who had accumulated countless achievements and buried tens of thousands of enemies in the snow during his 10 years in The Northlands.
A super-aggressive war hawk who, enraged by the order to abandon his defensive position and Retreat, personally led his troops all the way to the Capital.
A monster who crushed a Division he encountered along the way in half a day, absorbing them into his forces, and then smashed the elite Royal Guard and the Capital Defense Force.
That was how the high-ranking lords of the Central Region viewed Carolus von Roytel.
Technically, he was pushed into the Coup d'état by the insistence of his subordinates, but regardless, that was the perceived outcome.
'It seems difficult to assert myself with my authority and experience. I guess I'll have to give up on persuading him nicely.'
'He has more political sense than he appears. He knows how to manipulate public opinion.'
'For now, the best course of action is to yield and cooperate.'
And what happened just now?
He didn't even flinch when all the prominent nobles in The Kingdom roared in unison, and instead tried to threaten them back.
Threatening to release sensitive information he possessed to sway public opinion. That's definitely not a move a political novice would make.
'This is one step back to take two steps forward. I'm not completely giving up.'
The perceptive nobles, seeing Carolus's reaction, had already made their decision. They would give what they had to give.
They had just confirmed his tendency to drop everything and fight to the death if things went wrong. They'd be crazy to defy him.
Resistance requires confidence in one's ability to persuade the opponent. In their eyes, Carolus wasn't someone amenable to their compromises or appeasement. Especially not when it came to matters he had personally decided upon.
And.....honestly.
They weren't entirely without guilt.
"It was indeed too much to not take responsibility for completely messing up the Front Line."
"If he had deserted or retreated from battle, he should have at least been stripped of his military rank. There's a limit to special treatment even for Nobility."
"Even if the Queen's situation was the trigger, we bear some responsibility as well."
Nepotism. Favoritism in performance evaluations. Stealing credit, neglecting subordinate units, irresponsible command, and so on.
How many times had the Nobility wreaked havoc just because they were nobles?
Just a cursory investigation by Carolus revealed a stack of documents, and a thorough one would likely produce cartloads.
They had lived for generations sucking the blood of the commoners, taking exploitation and domination for granted, but they still had a minimum of conscience.
Enough to avert their gaze when someone pointed out their significant contribution to the worsening war situation.
"Since Carolus wants troops, let's each contribute a portion. That way, we can minimize the damage to each of us."
"I believe the families that caused trouble in this war should step up first. Since they caused the problems, they should be the first to bear responsibility, shouldn't they?"
"Then, the House of Liebert is first in line....."
"My family's Private Soldiers are deployed for the Capital's defense, so we have no spare troops. I'll have to bring even the remaining men from my territory."
In the end, the nobles agreed to each contribute troops according to a set ratio.
It made their stomachs churn to give up the Private Soldiers they had spent a fortune raising, but it was the best option for now.
Excluding the Royal Loyalists, they could probably reach the target number by gathering troops from the rest.
Some families would suffer considerable losses, but what could they do? If they caused trouble, they had to take responsibility.
"Your Majesty, I request your approval."
"Alright."
Once the agreement was reached below, Charles VII immediately signed the document Carolus had left.
Thus, the order to seize the military power of the Nobility was complete.
"This is going too far. Does he think we didn't provide troops for no reason? What started the war in the first place--"
"Shh!! Why are you bringing that up now?! We agreed to bury it!"
"I, I was just frustrated. I won't say it again, so please let go of my hand."
Although a strange topic came up in the middle, it wasn't particularly relevant right now.
.....Yes, for now.
* * * * *
"So you've made a wise choice. Well thought out. So, how many will you mobilize?"
"Since you wanted over 40,000, we've matched that. 45,000 in mixed units drawn from various regions. Will this suffice?"
"5,000 more? Not bad. It would have been nice if you had cooperated with the war effort like this from the beginning."
Regardless of the process, a Corps worth of new recruits was secured.
The Command Center, finally free from troop shortages, and the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction, which I lead, devised a new troop deployment plan.
First, to the Western Region, we deployed a mix of the existing 50,000 troops and half of the nobles' Private Soldiers. This addressed the most pressing issue.
Then, 5,000 to the Eastern Region, and the rest to the Northern Region. The scale was adjusted according to priority.
There were opinions against sending them all at once, but I firmly refused. We could always squeeze out more troops, and resolving the precarious war situation was the top priority at this moment.
As this large-scale troop movement of around 100,000 was decided, there were those who were overjoyed.
Namely, the commoner and low-ranking noble officers.
"I heard there are two Corps worth of troops heading for the plains?"
"With that scale, there will definitely be new positions available. I'm not hoping for Corps Operations Staff, but it would be nice to get an administrative staff or assistant role....."
"There are many newly formed units this time. If things go well, we might even snag a field command position!"
No matter the world, in a society with a class system, the primary consideration for personnel matters is not ability, but social status.
Prioritizing lower classes and incurring the displeasure of the upper classes is difficult to manage, but the opposite is incredibly easy.
Therefore, officers of humble origins are constantly struggling.
Even when receiving assignments, they are mostly placed in demanding roles with few benefits, while all the cushy positions and elite courses are snatched up by the higher-ups. No matter how hard they work, most of the rewards are taken by the upper class, leaving them with nothing.
'I suffered a lot too when I was a company-grade officer. Damn, I should have fragged that Battalion Commander back then.'
There are clearly talented individuals who could easily handle the duties of a Major General or even a Lieutenant General.
But countless seniors retired as Majors or Lieutenant Colonels. This is all due to the flaws of the class system.
If you want to escape that situation?
You have to make a name for yourself like I did, achieving remarkable feats and accumulating significant experience that overshadows the class divide.
Of course, it goes without saying that obtaining the positions necessary to gain such experience is difficult in itself.
Even with the outbreak of war, this injustice didn't change much. Although the opportunities for promotion and distinction increased compared to before, it was still the same old story.
They were stuck in the same positions because they weren't given the chances in the first place.
"Where should I request to be deployed there? Will the Personnel Department handle it if I tell them?"
"The competition will be fierce. Maybe it's better to approach a famous general and ask for their support, pledging lifelong loyalty."
"Wouldn't it be better to go to this newly established Supreme Council or something?"
So it was natural for them to be excited about this hard-won chance to turn their lives around.
And upon confirming the emergence of numerous capable officers seeking advancement who seemed dissatisfied with the current system, my subordinates and I,
"Do you want to join a new unit?"
"G, General Roytel!"
"Did you hear what we were saying?"
"I happened to overhear you. If you're interested.....I might be able to help."
Immediately began the Recruitment Operation.
Talented individuals, likely dissatisfied with the current system, and easily swayed to become allies, were everywhere? How could we resist?
"If you're free, let's have dinner together the day after tomorrow. We can have a more detailed conversation then."
If we nurtured these guys to the rank of Colonel to Major General, maintaining power would become much easier.
If we control the younger generation in the military, control over the army naturally falls to our faction. The key to a military dictatorship lies in securing practical command authority.
"Yes! We will definitely see you then, General!!"
As expected, the Recruitment Operation targets responded enthusiastically.