Just a heads-up: starting this Monday, it's "Double Chapter Week" for my other story, so on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, there will be double chapters. However, for that same week, we'll only have single chapters for this story.
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1917-June-20
''Come on… bunch of maladjusted idiots, keep in mind we still have at least another five kilometers left to go'' I said while maintaining the pace and watching as the group of soldiers supposed to follow me was slowly falling apart from the exercise we had been doing.
While I noticed that only a few were still keeping up, many soldiers from the Eighth Army who now made up the security forces of the Baltic Duchy had received formal German marksmanship training, along with weapon maintenance and other kinds of basic instruction, but nothing involving physical conditioning. The only ones who actually had that were, obviously, my loyal jaeger kommandos, who were among the few capable of matching my pace.
It was something we had always done: endurance training, since spending hours moving through forests required a certain level of physical resistance, especially when you also had to sleep little and in repeated short intervals.
So during the free time I had, I dedicated myself to beginning with the absolute basics of special operations force training, since the low number of soldiers who spoke German would become a future problem. And since I had no intention of giving myself the headache of learning Estonian or Latvian, the only option left was depending on the force being entirely German.
That meant I did not have the luxury of a large recruitment pool, since voluntary recruitment barely filled one thousand positions, so I absolutely had to make sure I spent time turning the troops who had relocated into a formidable force, even if I did not have the best men to choose from and had to settle for whatever I could pull from the Eighth Army soldiers who accepted the deal to move to Riga, along with the few recruits we managed to gather.
I kept jogging, maintaining a steady pace while my boots scraped against the dirt, just like everyone else following me in a long line through the forests of the region, moving across uneven terrain or along the paths usually used by farmers to move their livestock from one grazing area to another.
Jumping over roots and avoiding obstacles scattered across the still unprepared route, I crossed land that had recently been expropriated from a Baltic German noble who controlled many of the nearby forests, managing the forestry industry while selling timber and hunted animals from these woods. But since I wanted to turn the area into a military training zone close to both the sea and the forests, the land had been seized, although the expropriation had caused considerable controversy.
That was added on top of the expropriation of lands around the Daugava, which already had the nobility furious, even when they were not being compensated in local currency, which I knew perfectly well had little real value for those holding it. At the moment it was practically nothing more than a food voucher, since that was almost the only thing it could be used for.
I had paid for the expropriations with German marks provided through the Kaiser's budget to maintain the duchy, but even after they were paid the fair value of what corresponded to them, they remained furious because they were losing land and influence.
According to Adolf von Pilchau, who for the moment continued cooperating with us even while nearly every noble stood against us, they had been planning some kind of agricultural conspiracy by refusing to sell food this year in order to artificially raise the prices of grain and flax, hoping to force me into negotiations.
Apparently the idiots expected me to bow my head over something so basic when I could easily flood the market with Ukrainian grain if I wanted to, considering that this year Ukraine was expected to produce an even better harvest than the last one.
''How are you holding up?'' I asked while observing my men, who were panting and sweating everywhere.
''Barely'' one of the jaeger kommandos keeping up with me replied while breathing heavily.
''Good, relax and stretch for twenty minutes. We'll wait for the rest and then continue back along the beach before starting the physical drills'' I said while catching my breath.
The only thing I could truly appreciate about this body was that it was in excellent physical condition, except that apparently the previous owner consumed alcohol. But aside from that, he had undergone serious physical training since youth, which meant that combined with my usual routines to stay in shape, I could maintain this level of intensity without much trouble.
While I relaxed my muscles and watched as several hundred recruits who had accompanied me, along with my men, gradually joined the break, I was already preparing myself to return along the beach toward the training camp.
''Come on… we still have a long day ahead of us'' I said while beginning to jog again, descending from the forest toward the nearby beach.
Without much else to say, I started moving at a steady pace while some managed to keep up with me for stretches until we reached the sand and began the coastal portion of the run along the duchy's shoreline.
''How are you managing?'' I asked while looking at the jaeger kommando beside me and checking the watch.
''Fine… complicated with the sand, but fine'' he answered while breathing heavily, trying to maintain his pace.
''In another half hour we should be back. Perfect timing for push-ups and sit-ups'' I said while looking off into the distance.
''Uhg'' the soldier beside me grunted.
We kept jogging and, after nearly two hours running through the area, we finally returned, although little by little, since not everyone arrived at the same time while they quickly drank water and prepared themselves for the next exercises.
While the group that had just returned prepared themselves, I noticed the next group of men beginning their own run, rotating between the training zones.
''What do we do with this group now?'' Manstein asked as he approached while the next group departed with another jaeger kommando leading them.
''Push-ups, sets of twenty until their arms give out, sit-ups and then squats. I want every muscle exhausted so tomorrow they feel what real hell is like, because they will have to repeat this before the real training even begins'' I said while rolling my neck and shoulders as I walked through the training grounds.
''Real training? These drills are already far more intense than most training you will find in the army'' Manstein said while lifting his gaze and watching the men organize themselves to begin their push-ups.
''We need a force trained to withstand battlefield conditions, hunger, exhaustion and pain. Men capable of forcing their bodies forward even when they have nothing left. We will not be many, but we will be the best trained military force and, with a bit of luck, the best equipped in the Reich'' I said confidently.
''An honorable goal, although that could not… well, good that some are dropping out. Most of them volunteered thinking they would have duties similar to what they did in the Eighth Army, or what the recruits imagined military life would be'' Manstein said with a faint smile.
''Nothing to be done if they want to quit, but I will set the example myself. Believe me, I am going to undergo the same training so nobody can claim I only demand the impossible. If the Herzog can endure it, then any of them can'' I said seriously.
''Let us hope that motivates the men'' Manstein said with a nod.
''Yes. You should too'' I said while looking at him and placing a hand beneath my chin.
''Eh… I have a mountain of administrative and logistical work that I should solve. I do not think I can afford to waste more than eight hours a day training while still carrying out all the duties you assigned to me'' Manstein answered while placing his hands behind his back.
''And well, was it not the idea of skipping the entire military ladder and becoming the general of the Baltic Duchy's armed forces that interested you?'' I said with a faint smile.
''Of course I like the idea. It would be a tremendous advancement for my career, although probably very badly viewed within our circles, where the Kaiser surely already has someone selected to become the general of the duchy's armed forces. I only need to wait until the war ends so that general, whoever he may be, can take up his duties and properly organize how those forces will operate'' Manstein answered.
''Well… it is not as if I lacked some influence over the Kaiser. It is not like I was the ideal candidate for this position either. I mean… arranging for a promising officer to enter the academy and temporarily assume the position of general sounds easier than being named Herzog'' I said while making a slight grimace.
''Dah… fine'' Manstein said after thinking about it for quite a while while pressing his lips together.
''Excellent. Start with the jogging'' I said with a broad smile.
Several hours passed during which I made sure every one of my men gave everything they had left, until the training grounds were covered with exhausted soldiers lying on the dirt and breathing heavily.
''Showers… the hot water will only last ten minutes, so hurry up'' I said while checking the watch as my legs trembled slightly.
The men lying on the ground immediately began moving toward the showers to wash the sweat off themselves while I still had administrative work to deal with.
''This is going to hurt like hell tomorrow'' I said while leaning back against the seat of the car and beginning to drive toward a specific area of the duchy.
I drove several kilometers north toward one of the local mansions that had been converted into a semi-fortified compound, since walls and fences now surrounded the entire property. I quickly noticed guards stationed in watchtowers as I approached the place.
''Who goes there?'' one of my jaeger kommandos guarding the tower asked.
''Who else would it be?'' I said while looking upward with my hands resting on the steering wheel.
''Karl… I'll open immediately'' the guard said while climbing down from the tower and opening the gate to let me through. I did not take long to drive inside.
''Anything to report regarding the Romanov residence?'' I asked while stepping out of the vehicle and removing my gloves.
''Nothing to report for the moment. The place is secure, nobody comes near the area except the occasional farmer looking for mushrooms or berries in the woods. A doctor sent by the Kaiser visits once a month and the supplies for the exiled family are brought by us from nearby villages'' the soldier answered while resting the rifle on his shoulder.
''I understand. For the moment it seems everything is going well with them… good, I'll speak with the Romanovs to ask how their stay is going and whether they need anything. Any instructions from the Kaiser regarding what we are allowed to discuss with the Romanovs?'' I asked with a faint smile while feeling the tingling in my legs and arms.
''Nothing regarding the Russian Civil War. For the moment we are to keep them isolated from that news because it could push them toward unnecessary actions or change their opinion regarding our protection if they learn about the war between the Mensheviks and the Russian conservatives'' the soldier said with a nod.
''Understood. I should not be long. Any complaints about the post? If necessary, I could add more men to rotate the guard if watching the place with only eight men becomes too exhausting'' I added before continuing forward.
''I do not think that will be necessary. We rotate shifts to keep the place watched, along with the servants the Kaiser sent, so our only task is making sure nobody approaches, driving them away or shooting them if they start snooping around'' the soldier answered while glancing toward his comrade in the other watchtower.
''Understood'' I said while entering the mansion.
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