Chapter 60: New Corps Commanders

As usual, the screen went dark before erupting with colour. The first summon came out in a yellow mist. It was easier to see his attire, as the man wore a white Austrian General's uniform with splashes of red and yellow.

As the man approached closer and closer, Victor was able to get a feel for who he had summoned. He had short blonde hair and wore a stern expression with slight wrinkles around his eyes. By the time the mystery man had become fully visible, the animation had ended and the screen read, 'General Michael von Kienmayer' with 3 stars next to his name. 

General Kienmayer was a slightly older gentleman in his mid-50s. He was a seasoned commander, appearing in famous battles such as Austerlitz and Aspern-Essling. Keinmayer was a versatile general who held command over many different troop compositions. Most notably the light division was made up of light infantry and cavalry elements.

For Victor, having the likes of General Kienmayer was good for his corps but also he had shown abilities as a military governor and could assist the Cassell family in ruling the city of Kreighelm.

With the first summon all done, Victor used the last summon. Like the last summon the screen went dark before erupting in a yellow mist. Although Victor was slightly disappointed that he could not get any high-star commanders, he was well aware of the risk when buying the Medium-Level Commander Summons.

Through the yellow mist, a man wearing a red military uniform slowly approached. Looking at it more closely it appeared to be a British General's uniform. The man had blue eyes and short brown hair with a receding hairline. He was a more youthful figure in comparison to General Kienmayer.

Finally, the animation finished and the screen read, 'General Rowland Hill,' with 3 stars next to his name. Victor was shocked that a man of his calibre was only a 3-star commander. General Hill was a man who fought in the Peninsular War and at the famous Battle of Waterloo.

Hill was not only fine a commander but he was a man that was well regarded by his soldiers. The men nicknamed him "Daddy Hill", he took good care of his men and in return they adored him. To have a man like that as a corps commander was a huge gain for Victor With the arrival of his news generals set for tomorrow, Victor waited patiently for them to enter the city.

The next day came with the expected news of the generals' arrival. Eager to meet his newest commanders, Victor rushed to the palace entrance to greet, Hill and Kienmayer. When he got to the entrance, Victor was greeted by the 2 men. Like all other summons, they bowed their heads and addressed their lord.

"We greet our lord, Grand Duke Victor Luxenberg. We pledge our loyalty and are ready to serve," 

Victor was happy to finally get to meet them and offered a sincere smile. Signalling for them to be at ease, Victor began to talk to his generals. "I am glad to have you 2 at my service. You both are duly needed. General Kienmayer, you shall take command of my 4th corp. You will travel with an escort to the city of Kreighelm and assist the Cassel Family in governing the region. I would like for you to meet Marshal Soult before you leave so he can inform you of all you need to know."

Understanding his lord the Austrian General placed a fist on his chest and nodded. With General Kienmayer all sorted, Victor turned to General Hill and began to issue an order. "General Hill, you are to take command of my 5th corp. In the meantime, you shall stay in Hannover and act as an adjutant for Marshal Soult. You are sure to get busy soon. I look forward to your progress."

With a warm smile, General Hill nodded and placed his fist on his chest. Both Generals had received their orders and now were beginning to be escorted into the palace to meet Marshal Soult

Both Hill and Kienmayer were well received by the Luxenberg army commander. Marshal Soult could appreciate having competent generals at his disposal. Marshal Soult showed the generals and Victor a rolled-out map and began to explain the current situation they were in.

A map of Bulgar covered the table they were gathered around. The almost hexagonal-shaped continent was highlighted by flags in 3 colours. The lands south of The Hessen River were displaying a dark blue flag in each of the cities in that domain. This symbolised the Grand Duchy of Luxenberg and their current territory. 

Above The Hessen River, the continent was split almost evenly down the middle, north to south. The western side of that divided area displayed an orange flag that represented the Grand Duchy of Maldenberg and its 3 dukedom allies. 

In the eastern part of the divided area were green flags. These flags symbolised the Grand Duchy of Fontaine and their 3 dukedom allies. A main feature of the Fontaine faction's territory was they held 2 port cities. The first was ruled by the Fontaine family and the other was ruled by their strongest ally.

The Grand Duchy of Luxenberg's territory had 3 neighbours on their border. From the Maldenberg faction, they had the Maldenberg family that took up half their border. The other half was held by the 2 weaker dukedoms of the Fontaine Faction.

Victor knew that one day there would be conflict with these factions. Whether it was by his design or not. Needless to say, Victor was intent on at least meeting both his fellow Grand Dukes and assessing them as well as their domains. Marshal Soult was supportive of this idea but exercised extreme caution when planning this trip. 

Although they had not finalised a plan, Victor was intent on seeing that he visited them sooner rather than later. He did not want to give either of them a bad impression. However, it would be a tremendous journey. 

From Hannover to The Hessen River it was roughly a 2 month journey. To Visit the capital of the Maldenberg family from there was an added month. Whereas if he wanted to visit the Fontaine family's capital it was another added 2 months. The journey would certainly be tiring and if the weather was against them, it would be arduous.

Nevertheless, Victor began to prepare for such a journey.