I Became a Genius Commander at the Academy

Chapter 209: War Is Diplomacy (4)

In diplomatic settings, it wasn’t uncommon for proposals to appear favorable to the other party on the surface, but in reality, only one side would benefit from the treaty.

A prime example was when Brahe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was deceived by the King of Stockholm into invading the empire together in exchange for receiving half of the north.

It could involve exploiting the fact that the Kingdom of Swedia found it difficult to maintain the north, and plotting to declare war again to take back even the land that was handed over as a result of forming an alliance.

Therefore, knowing that fighting between the empire and Swedia would benefit neither side, my intention was to inform and create a plan for mutual prosperity.

Because Stockholm was a large country, enough for both Swedia and our Reich Empire to exploit, taste, and enjoy to excess.

“How do you plan to deal with the Kingdom of Stockholm, which has insulted Our Sovereign?”

“They didn’t even declare war against His Imperial Majesty of our Reich Empire before taking Istvan and the 40 tribes. They are unforgivable. Naturally, we plan to declare war.”

“They smuggled away more than ten thousand Northerners who were loyal to the empire, so it’s only right to take over their territory as recompense. What do you plan to hand over to us?”

Anyone capable of reading the atmosphere, even freshly graduated lieutenants from the empire’s academy, would quickly understand what Minister Brahe was demanding.

However, handing over an odd location could lead to conflicts between our two countries in the future.

Considering a long-term strategy with the future in mind, it was in the empire’s best interest to turn Swedia and Stockholm into sworn enemies for the time being.

Considering all this, the land that must be handed over to Stockholm was…

“Invade the north of Stockholm and take as much as you can.”

At that, Brahe showed a significantly displeased expression and said,

“The north of Stockholm? Even if you were to offer the valuable south of Stockholm under the current circumstances, it’s debatable whether it would be appealing enough. Asking us to take the north, where farming is very difficult, makes your proposal quite hard to accept.”

Land suitable for living was also good for farming, and places, where farming was difficult, were harsh lands difficult for people to live in.

Thus, my proposal could be interpreted in this way,

“Spill your soldiers’ precious blood to take a barren wasteland where farming is impossible.”

However, the north of Stockholm, being close to the north, was difficult for farming, but it was a land filled with valuable resources beyond that.

“Isn’t iron, not wheat, what the Kingdom of Swedia needs most right now? I know that the north of Stockholm has many iron mines. Moreover, there are forests of centuries-old cedar and pine trees perfect for shipbuilding, so the issue of being unsuitable for farming can be seen as a minor problem, can’t it?”

“Ah, as you said, our Kingdom of Swedia needs iron and wood far more than wheat right now. But how did you know that?”

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“The Northerners in the empire informed us a bit about Swedia’s situation. So, I could understand that for His Majesty the King of Swedia, iron, and wood are more urgent needs than wheat.”

Countries in favorable locations for human habitation, like the Reich Empire and the Francois Republic, were already mostly cultivating their arable land.

However, due to its geographical characteristics as a northern country, Swedia had very cold weather making it difficult to farm, and thus, it hadn’t been an agrarian country for long.

Therefore, considering all circumstances, I deduced that Swedia likely had much land that could be cultivated but hadn’t been yet.

Moreover, seeing that the royal palace eschewed luxury, it appeared that the King of Swedia was currently intent on gathering resources to cultivate empty lands.

Also, after obtaining the trade details with Swedia from the Deputy Minister and seeing the types and quantities of goods, I was informed that iron and wood constitute a significant portion, which assured me that this proposal would be effective.

Minister Brahe looked at me and spoke as if he had conceded.

“Before being a plenipotentiary, it seems General Yaeger, a war hero of the imperial army, also has remarkable diplomatic skills. It’s like dealing with an ambassador sent from the empire.”

Such a positive response indicated that he was somewhat ready to accept my proposal.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to compliment me with the intention of negotiating down the terms.

“I am merely a soldier. I cannot compare myself to those who have dedicated their lives to diplomacy. However, seeing the issues between Swedia and the Reich Empire as a continuation of diplomacy naturally led to such a response.”

“Is that so? Anyway, having listened so far, it seems that joining hands with the Reich Empire rather than trusting the Kingdom of Stockholm would be more beneficial to our national interest. Please tell me what specific requests you have.”

“It would be best to deceive the Kingdom of Stockholm until the end. So, please maintain the alliance with Stockholm until we invade. It would be even better if noble families of count rank or higher from both countries pretend to solidify the alliance through marriage.”

In both war and diplomacy, the most important thing was that if you wouldn’t deceive the other party thoroughly, you would end up being deceived instead.

Because the other party wasn’t dumb like a snotty child; if you would use half-measures, your intentions and purposes would become obvious, and they would eventually catch on.

Then, they would set traps and pounce on us, using our own schemes against us.

“Of course, there must be something you want in return for forming an alliance. What is it?”

“It would be best if you could pass on the discussions between the Kingdom of Stockholm and the Kingdom of Swedia, but doing so might expose us. It would suffice to inform us about the extent of Stockholm’s war preparations.”

“That wouldn’t be difficult. We can easily provide that information by utilizing the spies of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Even in games like Star Wars, being able to see the opponent’s base as if taking a picture could be a great help.

If we could know the extent of the war preparations, we could make relaxed and thorough preparations accordingly.

With this information alone, it was almost as if we were winning by about 10% from the start.

Of course, this presupposed that the information provided by Swedia was accurate.

“Meanwhile, until Stockholm wages war against the empire, I hope the Kingdom of Swedia pretends to amass troops at the southern border. Precisely enough to make the King of Stockholm believe that His Majesty the King of Swedia has been completely fooled.”

“Then the King of Stockholm, in preparation for war with us, will concentrate the country’s resources to the south as much as possible, leaving the north relatively empty.”

“Take advantage of that moment for the Swedia army to declare war by surprise, seizing both justification and advantage. If Stockholm makes a fuss about amassing troops in the north, you can use the Duchy of Vinland as an excuse…”

“Even as a diplomat specialized in diplomacy, I see this as a perfect strategy. Indeed, the young war hero thinks and delves differently. However, this way, it seems the Kingdom of Swedia would benefit from the Reich Empire’s achievements. Do you have a separate objective?”

If the war went as I wished, we planned to manipulate things so that the Kingdom of Stockholm and the Swedians would check each other.

Our intention was to secure the north and southern regions of Stockholm safely, but it would be foolish to disclose that plan outright.

“I want to obtain a port and land that can be used as a trade relay in the Bosnian Sea to check the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. Additionally, since herring is abundant in the southern part of Stockholm, I have a small desire to supply it as food to the people.”

“The empire, unlike us, has a high population density, so you can do that. I envy you. Let’s form an alliance. But such an alliance would need a reliable token, wouldn’t it?”

“Although I am His Imperial Majesty’s plenipotentiary, it’s difficult to speak lightly of evidence for the alliance. However, I will make a request to His Majesty directly. If all goes well, there could be good news shortly after the end of this war.”

After this war would end, an emperor’s election would be held, and the Crown Prince was highly likely to ascend the throne with overwhelming support.

Then, the princes would be adopted into noble families without heirs to continue their line, and the princesses would be married off based on their political value.

Arranging for a prince or princess to go to Swedia as part of this process seemed feasible without issue.

“I’m looking forward to it. Very well, let’s draft the alliance treaty.”

“We’ve already drafted a preliminary version, so it won’t take long.”

“By the way, after we form the alliance, could you attend and grace a modest banquet hosted by our family?”

“If Your Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs invites me, I would be delighted to attend with my wife, Louise.”

A year later, the northern army’s deployment was finally decided.

Again, due to my rank as a general, I was not assigned the position of expeditionary force commander.

Although it was a bit disappointing, there was no need to fret since a major victory in this campaign and the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne would ensure my promotion to general.

However, the commander sitting in front of me now was quite intimidating.

“I am pleased to meet you. I am Gerhardt von Kaitel, the supreme commander of this expedition. It’s an honor to fight alongside the empire’s young war hero.”

“Thank you, General Gerhardt.”

Upon hearing that, General Gerhardt showed a slightly displeased expression and said,

“You and I are strictly in a formal relationship. So, call me Commander Kaitel or General Kaitel everywhere.”

Save me! For some reason, being with him gave me the feeling that I’d end up doing endless slave labor in a wheat field…