Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 13 Guaranteed Job Placement After Graduation? Is There Really Such a Good Thing? (Part 2)

As he said, the coalition government had no authority whatsoever.

The five member states under the alliance govern themselves, each possessing independent personnel authority, financial budget, and military.

The only right to submit to the Alliance was diplomatic power, along with some insignificant gifts such as the "right to decide the Alliance's national anthem" and the "right to decide the Alliance's flag."

The various departments of the Alliance government sound incredibly powerful, such as the Alliance Army Committee, the Alliance Finance Committee, and the Alliance Judicial Committee... but in reality, they are just empty titles and nothing more than decorations.

This state of division began the moment the United Provinces rose up in rebellion.

Thirty-eight years ago, the city of Guitu revolted, which led to the Duke of Arlian leading troops to suppress it, marking the beginning of the [War of Sovereignty].

From then until twenty-six years ago, when the emperor withdrew his troops, the war for sovereignty came to an end.

For twelve years, none of the anti-emperor faction armies in the area between the two mountains could lead the others.

The United Provinces militia will not accept the command of the Venetta opportunists, nor will the Venetta militia obey the orders of the United Provinces hillbillies.

The anti-royalist nobles were constantly thinking about seizing power and taking over all the armies, but nobody paid any attention to them.

The several anti-emperor faction armies were independent of each other and fought independently most of the time.

Finally, under the emperor's military pressure and the old marshal's personal charisma, they were able to form an army—the Allied Army—under the old marshal's command, to fight against the emperor.

The battle had just ended when everyone dispersed again.

The troops from the United Provinces, Venetia, and Palatine returned to their homelands and transformed into the regular armies of the respective constituent republics.

The Republic of Monta and the Republic of Van, which were ceded from the Empire through the War of Sovereignty, also established independent armies.

The old marshal was well aware of the danger that such a military affiliation with the member states posed to the peace within the alliance, but he was powerless to change the status quo where each member state harbored its own agenda.

Therefore, he believed that since the armies of the member states could not be united now, they could only place their hopes on the future.

It is essential to enhance communication and understanding among the militaries of the member states. Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, which in turn can result in bloodshed.

The most important thing is to cultivate young people, to ensure that the new generation of young officers in each republic are no longer hostile to each other like their predecessors, and to foster friendships among them.

When these young people become the backbone and leaders of the armies of the member states, the differences will naturally be bridged, and the integration of the armies of the member states will be a natural outcome.

Therefore, Field Marshal Ned Smith voluntarily resigned from his military post to focus on establishing the Army Officer Academy.

The Army Officer Academy was managed by the defunct Allied Army Headquarters, with the old marshal himself serving as its principal.

This ensures impartiality and prevents preferential treatment of the provincial community simply because the school is located in Guido.

The old marshal's initial plan was for five member states to recruit 10 students per subject per year from each country, with 150 students per grade. After graduation, the students would be randomly assigned to the armies of the member states.

This tactic of "mixing in sand" met with strong resistance from the armies of the member states, with the Vinetta Army being the first to voice its opposition.

The Venetians resolutely refused to accept their sons being sent to "Allied" countries, and even less so to accept officers from "Allied" countries joining the Venetian army.

On this point, the armies of the various republics rarely reached a consensus.

Left with no other choice, the old marshal had to temporarily shelve the idea of ​​"interdependence." He only retained the clause in the school charter stating that "when conditions permit, graduates should be assigned to different places of residence without regard to their place of origin," hoping that one day the republics would be able to live in harmony and friendship and implement this regulation.

Therefore, graduates of the Army Academy have always returned to where they came from.

Winters is from Veneta, so naturally he wants to go back to Veneta.

The old marshal's plan did not yield ideal results. At least twenty-six years later, the armies of the various republics were still operating independently.

This also played a role to some extent: the officer cadets had been influenced by grand alliance ideology for several years, and even if they did not support grand alliance ideology, they at least sympathized with it.

Winters is a typical amateur supporter of major leagues.

But as the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes.

The situation changed as soon as the old marshal retired. The alliance's influence extended beyond the oceans, and its overseas interests urgently needed protection.

Therefore, overseas assignments have become another option for graduates.

At this point, 150 students per year is definitely not enough. No one would accept sending their own child overseas.

As a result, the Army Officer School expanded its enrollment, adding 5 to 10 students to the original 50 per subject. Winters' class had 172 students.

At this point, the de facto control of the Army Officer School had fallen into the hands of the United Provinces Army Department.

The United Provinces Army was far less impartial and selfless than the old marshal, so all the students for these additional recruitment slots came from the United Provinces Republic.

The provincial military also changed its graduate allocation policy, citing increased recruitment.

Other member states still send 30 trainees each year, but when they leave, the number becomes 32 or 33, taking the opportunity to infiltrate the armies of other member states.

Clearly, military cadets sent to allied provinces wouldn't receive good treatment. However, compared to overseas deployments, going to other member states was considered a much better option.

At least going to allied countries is like staying at home, but going overseas is like "going out to sea standing up and returning home lying down."

Therefore, during each internship season, the most pressing concern for officers from the United Provinces is their assignment: will they be stationed in the Republic of the United Provinces, another member state, or overseas?
Students from other republics are not worried; they will go back to where they came from.
Those students from well-connected families in the United Provinces are not worried, because their elders would never allow them to be sent to some godforsaken overseas or "allied countries".

Students from the United Provinces who have no power or influence have to go to great lengths to find ways to stay in their home country, or at the very least, go to a member state.

You absolutely must not go overseas; going overseas is a dead end.

Bud's parents were both sharecroppers, and they couldn't offer much help in this crucial decision that would determine his life's path.

Winters secretly wrote to his uncle, who was also his adoptive father, who served in the Vinnetta Army. Winters hoped his uncle could help Bud.

But how could the military possibly interfere with the allocation of its own cadets by the federal army?
The uncle replied to Winters, saying that given the current relationship between the United Province Army and the Vinetta Army, if he asked for the man, the United Province Army would not hesitate to send Winters' friend overseas.

So in this matter, Bud could only wait for others to pronounce his fate, while Winters could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Having guaranteed job placement after graduation isn't entirely a good thing.

(End of this chapter)