Chapter 181: Preparing To Invade Ostarica (1)

Chapter 181: Preparing To Invade Ostarica (1)

In front of the Crown Prince’s office in the imperial capital, Reichsburg.

I’d been called to His Highness’s, no, His Majesty’s office often enough to be somewhat familiar with it, but I couldn’t help feeling nervous every time I was summoned by such high-ranking individuals.

While organizing my thoughts about what to say upon entering, the butler by my side said,

“Your Highness, General Peter Yaeger has arrived.”

At the same time, the door opened, and for some reason, the Crown Prince had a slightly regretful expression.

Wondering if I had made a mistake or something had gone wrong without my knowledge, I raised my level of nervousness and showed my respect.

“Welcome, General Yaeger. And you others, withdraw and make sure no one else approaches this room.”

“Yes, understood.”

The butler beside me quickly left the room, closing the door, and His Highness, placing a hand on my shoulder, spoke with a hint of regret.

“I understand that you are busy with official duties, but try to visit more often in the future. I know you’re not fond of alcohol, but come by to chat about personal matters, if nothing else. Next time, bring your son Friedrich and Lieutenant Colonel Laura as well.”

After naming Friedrich, the Crown Prince often took care of him.

Immediately after Laura gave birth, he sent the finest ingredients supplied to the palace for her recovery, claiming a duty to care for him since he named him, even sending toys, a stroller, and a crib.

He even visited the child’s first birthday party held in the province, gifting him a finely crafted, expensive dagger and expressing his wish to make him a page to the first son of the Crown Prince when he comes of age.

However, one must not be mistaken; there were over ten other families that the Crown Prince took care of in this manner.

“If Your Highness permits, I will bring Laura and Friedrich along next month.”

“Do make sure to do so. What kind of relationship do you think we have?”

“Thank you. I will not forget Your Highness’s kindness.”

The Crown Prince nodded as if very pleased with those words.

“Also, please send Louise occasional letters about the 7th Division’s status and your daily life. She really cares about the 7th Guard Division that bears her name.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Then I will write a letter tomorrow to update her on our status.”

“No, I will extend your leave by one more day with my authority. You should visit her in person.”

Then, the Crown Prince responded with a meaningful expression.

Because the more the double agents, including Matthias, pretended to hate the Empire and devoted themselves to Ostarica, the greater the shock would be when the Grand Duchy of Ostarica was betrayed.

“Ha! What the head of the Intelligence Department said was even more ridiculous. According to what the employees under the Ostarica Intelligence Director reported, they are so convincingly dangerous to the Empire that they requested immediate permission to assassinate them. They’ve fooled even our allies, so the Grand Duke of Ostarica would never suspect them of betrayal.”

“When they return, instead of a battalion commander position, we should temporarily assign them to the Intelligence Department to add instructor experience to their career by having them give lectures on espionage.”

“That’s a good idea. It will greatly enhance the average capability of the empire’s Intelligence Department.”

I didn’t mention it, considering the Crown Prince’s fondness for them, but I informed His Majesty and my father-in-law about five certain ways to detect if those five were to betray us.

So, even if the five double agents, including Matthias, tried to trick us, we wouldn’t be fooled in return.

We had already established and approved a contingency plan for the worst-case scenario.

“Also, according to the Intelligence Department’s report, the Ostarica side has confirmed that all the second-class secrets carried by Matthias and his group are true. So, they will only be stumbling around instead of making proper preparations.”

“Yes, by the time Your Highness and I lead the expeditionary force, the doctrines of the Empire’s battles, tactics, and strategies will have completely changed.”

“I understand why the Duke of the Swiss Confederation used double agents. If you properly plant a few good spies, you can endlessly deceive the enemy. Above all, just imagining those who are fooled makes one feel good. Isn’t that right, General Yaeger?”

It was said in an old Korean saying that the most entertaining thing in the world was watching a fire from across the river, and I agreed with that saying.

It wasn’t my business if someone else’s house—no, the enemy’s house—was burning, and since it was a fire across the river, it wouldn’t harm us.

So, it was enjoyable just thinking about it, and it would be even more fun to see the burning site in person.

Upon saying that, I quietly nodded my head.

“So, how are the preparations going? Or rather, the strategy must be properly established.”

With those five lieutenants dispatched, it was as if all the pieces were in place, but now there was just one more move left.

And that is...

“As you know, Your Highness, my brother, Lieutenant Colonel Max, has barely avoided divorce and has been on standby without an assignment for a year.”

When he heard that, His Highness’s expression darkened a bit...

“Now, through Lieutenant Colonel Max, we plan to spread rumors that our empire is attacking the Duchy of Luxenia. And my brother will secretly find out that Lieutenant Colonel Matthias and the others have defected and are doing well, and he will act as an opportunist trying to seize the chance, just in case.”

Adding another double agent to a situation already infiltrated by double agents might seem foolish, but since those five were performing well and were truly trusted, my brother would also be easily accepted.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”