As Morin was still reminiscing, the sedan had already arrived at the temporary camp located in the suburbs of Koblenz.
As soon as the car stopped, he saw Kleist and Manstein standing at the camp gate, seemingly having waited for a long time.
When he pushed open the car door and jumped out, Kleist and Manstein stood at attention and saluted in unison.
“Sir, you’re back.”
“Mm.” Morin nodded, his gaze sweeping over the two.
Then he found that the way these two guys looked at him was a bit off.
It was a playful look mixed with curiosity, gossip, and “we all understand.”
Especially Kleist, on that serious face, he managed to squeeze out an expression of holding back laughter, looking particularly funny.
Morin’s mind spun, and he instantly understood.
He hadn’t returned all night last night, came back in a special car this morning, and had an unconcealable look of triumph on his face.
These two sharp guys, if they still couldn’t guess what happened, they didn’t need to be his deputy and staff officer anymore.
“Ahem—” Morin coughed somewhat awkwardly twice, trying to cover up his guilty conscience with a serious expression, “What are you looking at? No need to train? Very idle?”
“Report, sir, we’re not idle!”
Kleist immediately put away that playful expression and replied seriously: “The unit’s leave has been arranged. Starting from last night, all companies and platoons have gone into the city in batches to relax. I’ve already greeted the military police here, asking them to keep an eye out and not let our people cause trouble outside.”
“Mm, very good.”
Morin nodded. As he walked into the camp, he asked: “Did anything happen while I was away?”
“Yes.” This time it was Manstein who spoke, “Early this morning, people from the Personnel Department of the Army Department came again.”
“Again? What for?” Morin was somewhat surprised.
“To deliver notifications.”
Kleist added: “It’s about those excellent non-commissioned officers and some company officers going to the military academy for further study, which we heard at the station before… They came to issue formal admission notices to Klaus and the others.”
“Oh? So fast?” Morin raised an eyebrow, “Where are they going for further study? Is it still the War College?”
Manstein shook his head: “No, it’s the Potsdam Military Academy… It is said that the school specially opened a three-month ‘tactical command crash course’ for them.”
“Crash course?”
Morin’s footsteps paused, and then he suddenly realized a problem.
“Potsdam—how far is it from Koblenz?”
“The straight-line distance is about 470 kilometers.”
Manstein immediately reported a precise number: “According to the current speed of military trains, a one-way trip takes nearly seven hours.”
Morin’s brow furrowed instantly.
A seven-hour drive meant that once these people went to class, it would be impossible for them to attend to affairs in the unit like he did before.
Morin: “In other words, in the next three months, our unit will suddenly lose more than forty of its most elite company and non-commissioned officer backbones?”
“Yes, sir.”
Kleist’s expression also became serious: “Moreover, not just non-commissioned officers and company officers. According to the Army Department’s regulations, all officers promoted from company grade to field grade during the war need to return to the military academy for at least half a year of further study to learn higher-level command courses.”
“So—theoretically, I am also on this list for further study. It’s just considering that our unit is about to expand and has heavy tasks, the Army Department specially approved me to postpone enrollment, but Klaus and the others must go.”
Now, Morin really couldn’t laugh.
Because he already saw endless affairs smashing towards him.
“It seems I can’t be a hands-off boss this time.”
But now that things have come to this, complaining is useless; he can only find a way to solve the problem.
Morin’s brain began to spin rapidly.
“When do Klaus and the others leave?” Morin asked.
“Leave early tomorrow morning.” Kleist answered.
“Early tomorrow morning—” Morin pondered for a moment, a trace of decisiveness flashing in his eyes, “Time is too tight. Then let them prepare for enrollment well, and take advantage of today to quickly hand over the matters at hand.”
After speaking, Morin’s gaze turned to Manstein: “Manstein, regarding the organization plan of the new unit, do you have any preliminary ideas on your side?”
“Already have a draft.”
Manstein immediately took out a few sheets of paper covered with tables and block diagrams from the briefcase he carried.
“Very good.”
Morin took the draft and said while reading: “We must finalize the organization as soon as possible, and then report to the Army Department and the General Staff for approval… Only when the organization is determined can we know how many people need to be replenished, how much equipment is needed, and the subsequent training plan can be launched.”
“Me, you, and Kleist, the three of us go nowhere this afternoon. We’ll finalize this organization plan right in the headquarters!”
“Yes, sir!” Manstein and Kleist responded in unison.
Watching the two turn around vigorously to execute the order, Morin let out a long breath.
He knew that from this moment on, the leisurely days of returning home for vacation were completely over.
That afternoon, in the headquarters of the instruction unit’s temporary camp, Morin, Kleist, and Manstein, the three of them, gathered around a table covered with a huge map, conducting intense discussions.
Besides the map, the table was scattered with various scratch papers, data sheets, and several cups of coffee that had long gone cold.
According to the organization finally decided by Morin, Manstein, and others, the main combat units of this force were three infantry battalions plus a 105mm Howitzer Battalion.
In addition, there were the Regimental Headquarters, Regimental Supply Company, Regimental Engineer Platoon, Regimental Communications Platoon, and a Regimental 77mm Field Gun Company acting as Morin’s “pistol.”
Although they had captured the Gauls’ 75mm Magic Cannon before, resupplying and maintaining that thing was really too troublesome.
So at this moment, it was also sent to the Magitech Research Institute for them to dismantle and study.
Morin also adjusted the organization of the infantry battalion. The combat units were adjusted from the previous 4 infantry companies to 3 infantry companies plus a Fire Support Company.
The Fire Support Company was mainly equipped with 12 MG08 Heavy Machine Guns, 4 75.8mm Early Mortars (Minenwerfer), and 4 groups of flamethrowers, and maneuvered by trucks.
The organization of each infantry company continued to maintain 4 infantry platoons.
Morin also made no changes to the organization of these infantry platoons, still maintaining the 80-man “super-sized” infantry platoon, with each platoon equipped with 4 MG14 Light Machine Guns.
According to Morin’s idea, after the semi-automatic rifle was finalized and put into production, the organization of the infantry company would also be adjusted, separating a more flexible fire support platoon.
After the report on the organization adjustment was compiled, it was quickly sent to the Army Department and the General Staff.
However, the high command originally intended to let this instruction unit explore the organization on its own…
The reviewers had no other problems except feeling that the fire density of this regiment-level unit was a bit high, and the ammunition consumption seemed likely to be a bit high, so they quickly agreed to this organization.
Immediately following, under the coordination of the General Staff, soldiers drawn from various army groups on the Western Front, as well as a large number of reserve soldiers who had just completed basic training, began to flow continuously into this military camp on the outskirts of Koblenz.
And just as Morin was extremely busy building his steel army, his name also appeared on the other side of the channel for the first time in an extremely unfriendly way.
…
Holy Britannia Empire, London, Buckingham Palace.
In the spacious and magnificent Audience Chamber, heavy velvet curtains were tightly closed, shutting out the gloomy weather outside. Only a dozen huge crystal chandeliers emitted cold and bright light.
A group of ministers from various departments and several Highland Mage representatives wearing dark mage robes were standing in the center of the hall paved with crimson carpets, heads bowed, silent as cicadas in winter.
And directly in front of them, on the high throne, sat a “Eternal Queen” wearing a black long dress with a majestic face—Victoria.
More than a month had passed since the war began.
For the entire Holy Britannia Empire, this month or so had simply been a continuous nightmare.
The development of the war situation indeed showed a one-sided trend as they predicted before the war.
Unfortunately, it was in the opposite direction.
The Gallic ally they had placed high hopes on collapsed almost at the first touch in front of the unexpectedly powerful Saxon Army.
And the Expeditionary Force urgently sent by the Empire to the continent was also retreating in defeat in a series of battles, suffering heavy losses.
The entire territory of the United Kingdom of Flanders fell, and large areas of territory in northern Gallic Republic were occupied.
Even the Gauls’ capital Paris had turned into a dead land ravaged by negative energy.
All this made the high-level officials of the Empire, especially Her Majesty the Queen on the throne, feel unprecedented shock and anger.
But what made her even angrier was the loss of Highland Mages.
“Friedrich Morin—”
Queen Victoria’s cold voice broke the suffocating silence in the Audience Chamber.
She held a report from the intelligence department in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force.
“Mage Killer, Butcher of Charleroi, one of the most dangerous people in all of Europa—”
“So, it is this Saxon soldier, of whom we don’t even have a few photos—who caused us to lose a whole twelve Highland Mages in just one month?”
The Eternal Queen’s gaze was like a cold knife, sweeping across the faces of the Minister of War, the Foreign Secretary, and that Highland Mage representative one by one.
Of course, if Morin were here right now and heard the data of “twelve mages,” he would definitely jump up and curse the Highland Mage Corps for being shameless.
“Damn it, they’re trying to cover it up using me??”
Even counting the kills from the big explosion, he only killed seven mages in Amiens.
Even adding the one mage apprentice killed in that urban battle in Seville during the outbreak of the Great War.
The rest were purely because these guys, in order to “balance the books,” counted all the mages who died on the front line for various reasons onto his head.
But Queen Victoria didn’t know, nor did she care about these details.
She only knew that the Empire’s precious spellcaster power was being consumed at an unprecedented speed on the Western Front battlefield.
And the spearhead of all this seemed to point to the unfamiliar name of the Saxon officer on the report.
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