“`
St. Ye Katerina Fortress, August 7th in the afternoon.
Princess Olga Nikolayevna Antonovna, the second in line to the Ante Empire’s throne, once again entered the office of General Tugenev, the head of the Military Orders Department at the High Command.
The general looked up and said, “Good afternoon, Your Highness. The operations office is next door.”
Olga: “I was kicked out.”
“Well, I can’t send you back there,” General Tugenev spread his hands, “Our Military Orders Department is just a stamping authority; the operations office makes the plans, we stamp them. Our real function is personnel matters. You should come to us when you want to make personnel adjustments. Besides that, we also manage the awarding of medals...”
Princess Olga, frowning: “Why do I feel like you’re telling me about the things you can do?”
“Right. Is there a problem in explaining our functions to the Royal Family?” General Tugenev shrugged his shoulders.
Olga: “Well, can I...”
At that moment, an aide opened the door: “Major General Chekhov has arrived.”
“Let him in. Your Highness, you may sit down and have some tea,” General Tugenev gestured to the tea set on the table.
Princess Olga moved to the side, but before she could sit down, Major General Chekhov entered.
Seeing the princess, the major general stopped dead: “Huh?”
Princess Olga: “Continue with your affairs; don’t mind me.”
Chekhov saluted the princess, and upon fulfilling his duties to the Royal Family, turned to General Tugenev: “Why have I been called back? The situation at Argesukov is very bad; if I, as the logistics commander, leave, their supply will soon become chaotic.”
General Tugenev waved his hand dismissively: “Don’t worry, an army of that scale forms inertia; your short absence won’t cause any major problems.”
“Short absence? How long is that?”
Tugenev: “That depends on how quickly the Prussians act.”
It took Major General Chekhov a second to realize that Tugenev was not going to let him go back, so he stepped forward, tapping the desk with his wedding ring: “Are you joking? I...”
General Tugenev: “Your new assignment is to serve as the logistics commander in the Reserve Army. It was suggested by Grand Patriarch Belinsky, and after consideration, we believe that you are eminently suitable. You did very well in Argesukov and will certainly make a mark in the Reserve Army.
“However, since you have no military merits, there’s a problem with your promotion, and it’s not necessary for a logistics commander of an army to hold a general’s rank. You can go to your new post now, get familiar with the situation as soon as possible. We predict—ahem, the Operations Department predicts— that the situation at St. Ye Katerina Fortress will gradually become severe starting from mid-September.”
Major General Chekhov stared at the general for a while and said: “You’ve given up on the heavy troop concentration at Argesukov.”
“It isn’t ‘we’ who gave it up; we’ve always tried to save it, and right now, we’re still sending troops to Duke Meishikin, who has the best hopes for a breakout. It was the incompetence of the High Command and the senior officers that doomed that army.”
As he spoke, General Tugenev picked up his pipe, stuffing it with tobacco, and continued: “Back in July, General Gorky Konstantinovich already predicted the risk of Argesukov being encircled, but at that time, the command was filled with an optimistic spirit, believing that once our new tanks entered the battlefield, the war would end quickly.
“Therefore, General Gorky was relieved of his duties and sent to sit on the cold bench at the Saint Andrew Front Army. The only upside of this transfer is that General Gorky will soon show his talents in the coniferous forests and mountains around Saint Andrew Fort, as the Northwestern Front Army can’t hold on any longer.”
Olga frowned: “I don’t understand military matters, but it sounds like Shostka is different from Shepetovka?”
“There’s a railway connection. After the fall of Shepetovka, Meishikin’s troops will retreat through Shostka. Additionally, there’s a river there, and although it’s not the flood season in September, it’s still hard to force a crossing. General Rokossovsky will be able to fully display his defensive talents there.”
General Tugenev explained enthusiastically.
“Additionally, after the troops arrive here, we plan to invite the major general, along with his meritorious personnel, to the capital. At that time, we will award him and let him accept interviews from the newspapers.
“After the massive failure at Argesukov, we will need these.”
Princess Olga’s brows were nearly twisted into knots: “You’ve already planned these things?”
“Yes, if defeat is certain, we must prepare for the aftermath. Don’t underestimate the importance of what we’re doing, it can prevent a major defeat from becoming a complete rout.
“The Prosen High Command probably thinks that eliminating a million of our men at Argesukov means the overall situation is settled, but the Reserve Army has already organized over a million men, and that number will grow.
“However, if morale collapses, millions of men will surrender faster than pigs, understand? Princess Olga Nikolayevna Antonovna!”
Olga’s lips trembled, and she didn’t answer.
General Tugenev: “You must get used to these things quickly! I heard you aim to become a female tsar like Ekaterina the Great, and the Great Empress wouldn’t tremble over such matters.”
Olga bit her lip to force herself to stop trembling.
General Tugenev: “That’s right. As the head of the Military Orders Department, I can assure you that after this, Rokossov will receive ample reinforcements.”
Olga: “Are you planning to promote him?”
General Tugenev waved his hands repeatedly: “No, although he has performed extremely well, he was only recently promoted to major general, and considering his earlier extraordinary promotion from colonel to brigadier general, the pace of his promotion has been unreasonably fast. We plan to promote him to lieutenant general by the end of the year.
“Not promoting his rank doesn’t prevent us from shaping him into a war hero. If he were in the Federation, by now he’d be completely withdrawn from the front lines, going around making speeches, selling war bonds instead.
“But we’re on the brink of national extinction; such an outstanding commander must continue to serve on the front lines. Of course, as the troops of a war hero commander, we will grant them many privileges, such as returning recovered veterans to his unit as much as possible, rather than to other units.
“And, for example, giving them a little more technical weaponry than others; many things will become more manageable after his return to the capital.”
The general paused, looking at Olga: “When he’s in the capital, Your Highness can accompany him to show yourself more. Of course, when your brother comes back, there won’t be any need for you to do so.”
Olga stared at Tugenev for several seconds and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
The general stared back at the princess for a long time before saying, “During the civil war, I wasn’t actually part of the Secular faction; I was with the centrists, working hard to prepare for defense against Bohemia and Manheim, ready to resist foreign intervention. Later, I became the head of the Military Orders Department.
“The Secular faction who won the war wanted a tsar because the Sanctified faction had the support of so many people. The Secular faction says that Divine Arrows, chants, and the like are natural phenomena, which humanity will one day master, just like wireless radio.
“But the old farmers in remote areas don’t think so; they all support the Sanctified faction. Do you understand?
“But now, the old farmers have been convinced by sausages, champagne, and caviar, my princess.”
Princess Olga rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.