Chapter 3
As usual, it was a day spent organizing the list of supplies to be sent to the rear and contemplating how to sequentially retreat each unit.
"Sigh... Damn higher-ups."
The number of troops tied up on the Northern Front Line alone was a whopping 70,000. A full 70,000. Even by the standards of the Korean army, that's the size of a Corps.
It's no easy task to retreat to the rear while preserving as many of them as possible.
If I recklessly ordered a simultaneous Retreat, we would be screwed by the enemy's all-out Offensive. If we dawdle while being cautious, there's a high chance we'll be discovered soon.
We had to withdraw from the Front Line with the appropriate speed and order, minimizing losses.
As a matter of course, doing anything moderately and appropriately is the most difficult. Because nobody knows what that moderate line is.
The Commander-in-Chief, who is originally supposed to be in charge of this, is the embodiment of incompetence, so his very existence is a hindrance. In the end, I had to prepare everything on my own.
While I was racking my brains, my subordinates suddenly rushed into my tent and started clamoring.
"Lieutenant General Roitel!! Are you in there?!"
"What are you guys doing here? I told you to go manage your troops."
"We heard a terrible rumor. Is...is it true that the reason for our Retreat is because of the Queen?"
Damn it. I clearly told them to keep their mouths shut. Could it be that Kais has been blabbing everywhere?
Flustered, I managed to compose my expression and first asked where they heard the news.
"Who told you that?"
"A friend working at the Command Center tipped me off. He said the Royal Family suddenly cut the budget and demanded a reduction of the Front Line."
"There's also a rumor that the Queen spent a fortune on jewelry this time. It's already widespread in the Capital."
....Damn it. My warning to keep it secret was meaningless. I didn't expect the news to have already spread to the public.
Was it because communication is slow in this harsh land?
If they’ve obtained inside information through Connections and pieced together clues themselves, they must already be almost certain in their minds.
Since denying it further when the answer is already out there would only raise suspicions, I decided to confess the truth.
"....Yes. The Queen needed to buy a Tiara, so the military is short on budget. That's why we are withdrawing to save money."
"This damn! Are they all crazy?!!"
"Why the hell did we go through all that trouble to protect this place!!"
The soldiers and officers in the Northern Region, including myself, are veteran warriors who have fought intense battles in the harshest environments throughout the entire Kingdom army.
They are the ones who have survived to the end, even though half of them die before their minimum service period expires once they are deployed here.
Unable to leave for other units, we were forcibly stuck here and persevered tenaciously together.
As such, our attachment to this region, our persistence in achieving results, and our pride in serving the country were very strong.
When we heard that we were being driven out by the Royal Family's foolishness, we were all enraged.
The atmosphere was extremely tense, as they were freely uttering remarks that would have gotten them arrested for blasphemy in the Capital.
"If they're short on money, they should abandon other Front Lines and concentrate here! Why abandon this natural fortress!!"
"There are hundreds of Bunkers built on that snowfield! Our Engineers built them, soaking the ground with their blood and sweat! Are we insane to leave them behind and run away?!"
"If this was going to happen, they should have given the Retreat order from the beginning! Why waste lives here meaninglessly?"
As the Deputy Commander, I had a duty to restrain and punish their insubordination, but for some reason, I didn't want to.
Even if they weren't saying it outright, their thoughts and mine were pretty much the same.
It's just that due to our positions and reputations, we were refraining from expressing it publicly.
"Sir, aren't you even the slightest bit upset? After more than 10 years of hardship, it's all for nothing now."
"You've fought here the longest. You must be the most frustrated, Sir."
"....I'm also frustrated, you guys. But what can I do?"
I sighed and lowered my head. I fully understand their anger. However, there was nothing I could do to respond to their resentment.
Even if I'm a 3-Star General, I'm still someone outranked by a parachuted-in officer. What power and Connections do I have to reject the King's order and help them?
"Even if I protest and get angry, nothing will change."
"Sigh...."
My subordinates sighed.
Even though they complained out of frustration, they knew. The fact that we were practically being forced to obey without any choice.
"Go back for now. Go cool down and rest. We'll talk about this again tomorrow."
My subordinates reluctantly nodded, saluted, and withdrew.
As I gazed at the backs of their blue uniforms, which looked particularly shabby today, I lit another cigarette.
Perhaps it's because there's no filter, but the cigarettes in this world are incredibly strong.
* * * * *
Although I managed to appease the officers' complaints, I had more serious and critical problems piling up.
What are they?
Preparing for the Retreat isn't the top priority for now.
It's complicated, but I've roughly grasped the outline. I can complete it with a little more fleshing out.
Managing the soldiers' morale is still okay for now.
Things have become unsettled with the news of the Retreat, but the truth hasn't been revealed yet. It won't be difficult to appease them if I spread some fake news.
The problem was my future.
'I don't think I can stay in the military much longer.'
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't see any hope of getting further promoted and having my achievements recognized here.
Until a few months ago, there was plenty of hope, but not anymore. Thanks to the damn Monarch's order, my career is completely screwed.
Charles VII, that idiot, probably ordered the Retreat simply to save money, but from the military's perspective, it's entirely different.
Announcing and taking responsibility for the victory or defeat of a Battle is solely the responsibility of the soldiers.
Even if we lose territory due to the Monarch's order, it must be made to look like our responsibility externally.
The only correct official history is the story that the military blundered, resulting in the loss of territory and the necessity of a Retreat.
But what if no one actually made a blunder?
Then the Fabrication begins. Altering records and framing someone to create a scapegoat, even if it means shifting blame.
I know this all too well, having seen it several times while I was in the Hell Joseon military.
Once they decide to bury someone, it's a piece of cake to use every means to make that person the worst bastard under the sun.
"This time, that scapegoat is me...."
However, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Region is a guy with tons of Connections in the Central Region, like Won Gyun. He's not someone to be messed with easily.
And framing a brigade commander or Division Commander, someone of ambiguous rank within the Northern Army, wouldn't be very convincing.
Ultimately, the person most likely to become the target was me.
A high-enough rank, a maverick who earned the jealousy of established generals through meteoric promotion, and a loner with no Connections who wouldn't be a political burden to discard.
That's probably how I'm perceived in the Central Region.
No matter how much experience and achievements I have, human emotions are not rational.
Even if I bring up the achievements I earned through blood, sweat, and tears, they will surely ignore them.
My achievements will be downplayed as lucky successes, and my brilliant career will be treated as a superficially glamorous but worthless apricot.
That's how they evaluate people, so it makes sense that they'd come to the conclusion of using me as a sacrificial lamb to calm public opinion.
"Should I preemptively apply to the Military Retirement Board?"
Since I can clearly see the future, I even thought about turning the tables.
If I resign before the attack comes, I'll probably receive less criticism. I'd be able to keep my military pension too.
"Should I go crazy and try to pin it on the Commander-in-Chief?"
As I retire, I considered gathering reporters and using Public Relations to claim that this whole situation is the fault of the Northern Commander-in-Chief. I quickly abandoned that idea because it seemed like a blunder.
If I were to stake my reputation, I would give him one last big screw-you, but the side effects are too great. That petty bastard will definitely try to screw me over even after I retire.
If I lose my position as an officer, I won't be able to respond and will have to take it all lying down.
I could probably endure getting screwed over, but the damage could extend to my family in my territory, and I absolutely cannot tolerate that out of guilt.
Ah, I miss my family. It's been over 10 years since I've seen them, so their faces are fading from my memory.
'Life really sucks.'
I worked hard to become a Lieutenant General and went through all sorts of hell to protect the country. And yet, in the end, I'm being discarded like a used rag.
I understand it intellectually, but it still sucks. It feels like my patriotism is disappearing in real-time.
If I could go back in time, I would never become a soldier, even if it meant becoming a beggar.
'Sigh. Let's just sleep for today.'
As I continued to ponder, it became late at night. I decided to go to bed for the sake of tomorrow. I'll need to work hard to appease my subordinates and finish the job.
* * * * *
However, the next day, the situation began to unfold completely differently from what I expected.
"Sir, I'll be blunt. Would you like to join us in overthrowing this country?"
I gave them time to calm down, and these guys were preparing a Coup d'état.