by Carlo Zen
Why?
The stupidity.
Lamenting in intricate layers that refused to form into proper speech, Lergen turned his bloodshot eyes back to the telegram.
He felt he had gotten everything he could get.
But it’s not enough?!
You’re saying it’s still not enough?!
“…I never imagined the day would come that I’d understand how Colonel von Degurechaff feels.”
It wasn’t a surprise that he respected her.
She was an outstanding magic officer.
She was the complete package as an officer, a soldier, and a modern intellectual, so that much made sense. She may have been warped, but he couldn’t deny his respect for her.
What shocked Lergen was his irritated remark that he sympathized with her complaints and confusion.
“…Why can’t they just put up with it?!”
It was a scream.
It was a lament.
And it was a wail.
“Why can’t they just accept things this way?!”
The Empire had invested too much iron and blood in this war. It was reaching the point that practically anyone with common sense could see that any more conflict was meaningless. These days had been nightmares—far too many precious lives, far too much capital, had melted away in an instant.
…And the light of a solution was gleaming only half a step in front of them.
“How am I supposed to get them to agree to these conditions?!”
It was right there. He had been transferred from the forward-most line in the east to the neutral country of Ildoa and waited anxiously for news of the victory for this chance!
It was because he had caught a whiff of the lingering scent of normalcy, which his home country had lost, in Ildoa, that he could claim it was worth swallowing the country’s high price for mediation, some dissatisfaction withstanding.
He understood how abnormal the war situation the Empire faced was whether he wanted to or not. Muster everything the nation had to offer and scatter it across the barren swamp-like earth?
What good would that do?
He wasn’t afraid to die for his fatherland, for his Heimat. But how many soldiers were they planning on sacrificing to fight over the Federation mud?
Lergen felt so ill that the ground seemed to sway. Dizzy, he leaned against the chair next to him.
The telegram’s message was clear.
We, the Imperial Army, were victorious on the eastern front. During negotiations, we defeated the Federation so thoroughly that the world gasped; it was both a tactical and operational victory. From a purely military perspective, it could probably be celebrated as a strategic victory as well.
The Imperial Army is now in a position to carry out fine attacks on the Federation’s major cities.
So now is the time to settle the discussion. That’s what Lergen thought, and it should have been a vision that not only those in the embassy but anyone in the army who had a grasp of the situation could share.
After getting a good look at the general situation on the eastern front, even a child could tell that they couldn’t continue winning for long. You didn’t have to be a monster of a little girl to understand that.
It was simple arithmetic.
The Imperial Army had committed millions of people to the eastern front, and there still weren’t enough. Just try expanding the lines as things stand. Even if they entrusted some of the military districts to local security organizations such as the Council for Self-Government, they could stretch only so far.
There were the vast occupied territories on the map—entirely too vast.
The Empire as a state didn’t have the strength to maintain them, and the Imperial Army didn’t have a plan.
“The General Staff knows that, but they still weren’t able to stop them?”
Was it the civil servants? Or some nonsense spouted by noble-born officers who were elite in rank only? Either way was no good.
Lergen’s mouth twisted into a frown, and he couldn’t help but utter curses.
This message, already difficult to comprehend, and its clamoring insistence that they could keep going was the product of something growing too large.
This is what you’re telling me? I’m supposed to just renegotiate at the drop of a hat?!
“Generals von Zettour and von Rudersdorf agreed to this?”
Well, they probably had no choice.
The Imperial Army had won.
No, they must have taken a chance. Under the circumstances, the usual methods wouldn’t have been enough to move the lines eastward in a major way.
…Saying there was no gamble would be a lie.
“Ha-ha-ha…it makes me laugh. So did you win your bet? Or did you win the game but lose the match?”
He knew this was going a bit far, but he thought it anyhow: It would be better if we had lost in the east. That was absolutely not the sort of thing an active-duty officer could say.
Stunned, clenching that absurd telegram, he couldn’t help but agonize. “We won on the eastern front. We won, so what’s going on? What exactly are these seeds we’ve sown?”
MAY 14, UNIFIED YEAR 1927, EASTERN FRONT, IMPERIAL ARMY, SALAMANDER KAMPFGRUPPE GARRISON
Apparently, the flow of a river really can make people sentimental.
Victory in battle, upcoming prospects—for Tanya, who has hope for a bright future and is leisurely enjoying plundered coffee with a splendid view of the water, it’s a fantastic morning.
Holding our current position until further orders come from the home country essentially means throwing ourselves into the usual building projects. Looking around, it’s the familiar scene of infantry digging foxholes, field engineers running communications cables, and anyone not busy with anything else filling sandbags.
So why does it look so radiant?
“…The seed of a dream where the people can hope for self-government, a buffer zone between the Empire and the Federation, a friendly neutral space. It’s probably safe to feel pretty good about the future.” With that quiet remark, her predictions cause her cheeks to relax into a smile.
When Tanya first joined the army, she had a pessimistic attitude, since there was no choice but to join. But look at her now, a proud member of a victorious nation.
No, that’s not it. Tanya shakes her head. Not yet. It hasn’t been decided yet. How shameless it would be to count her chickens before they hatch.
But still…
“Diplomatic negotiations, cease-fire, peace. Each step will be difficult to pull off—that hasn’t changed. But this victory was huge. If we can win in the west and in the east…” It would be a rare example of a successful two-front war. Tanya chuckles at the thought.
Dealing a severe blow to the nation’s primary enemy and securing even better terms than expected when imposing peace would…not be bad.
That’s a logical deduction. Rational analysis makes her confident that’s how it will go.
And since she has no idea what is going on far to the west, she can innocently go on believing.
Because she is ignorant, she continues smiling hopefully. “The Empire has sown its seeds. Ahhh, I can’t wait for the harvest. I’m not a fan of the source text, but as you sow, so shall you reap.”
(The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Volume 7: Ut Sementum Feceris, ita Metes, fin)
Appendixes: Mapped Outline of History
Afterword
Hello, good evening, or to you valiant heroes who’ve been up and at ’em since sunrise, good morning. This is Carlo Zen with a greeting on the occasion of Volume 7’s release.
Viva caffeine! And ramen!
Frankly, my greetings have been too formal. I have to make sure I don’t forget my personality and uniqueness, my own color. I’ve engaged in some self-criticism and concluded that I have to stay true to my roots and goof around with confidence.
Now that I’ve reflected a little bit, on to the meat of this afterword. Some people might read this
section first, so I’ll refrain from spoilers. I value peaceful harmony.
The Saga of Tanya the Evil is about the misery of people stuck in the system and the absurdity of war. It’s a tribute to labor wherein a young girl bites back her tears and works hard, facing the stress all working folks deal with daily at their jobs (huge lie). I hope that, with a cup of coffee in one hand, you’ll enjoy Degu’s struggles as if they have nothing to do with you. Or if, with a cup of coffee in each hand, you sympathize with moments that make you go “I totally get it. The higher-ups are always making us bend over backward with their plans!”—that’s fine, too. Ah, for some reason, I keep finding tears in my eyes.
So, completely ignoring the demons lurking within the word plan, I’ll assume that this has gone on sale at the end of December. Before this new novel arrives, Volumes 1 and 2 of Chika Tojo’s manga adaptation will have already been released at a furious pace. And the anime should be starting in January.
Regarding the anime production… I’ve been able to observe the recording, and all I could think the whole time is that pro voice actors are amazing. I can’t say anything other than that, so…please look forward to the anime!
Last but not least, I’d like to thank everyone who lends me their strength. Readers, it’s thanks to you that I’ve come this far!
And also, to the people who help out with the books. To illustrator Shinotsuki, the designers at Tsubakiya Design, the proofreaders at Tokyo Publishing Service Center, and my editor Fujita, thank you as always.
December 2016 Carlo Zen
1 Adam Smith The extremely moral author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments. He probably never dreamed the phrase invisible hand that he used once in The Wealth of Nations would get the words of God tagged on… He’s also known as the father of modern economics.
2 lend-lease Literally a leasing service for lending! Could be weapons and ammo, battleships, tanks, or fighter planes! Don’t confuse this with weapons sales—it’s merely a service to lend out extra materials. Or at least that was the logic that was used to explain away furnishing countries at war with weapons.
3 Potemkin Well, it definitely looked good. Window dressing is an awful way to put it. He just did what he could for his own benefit.
This is a classic example of glossing over the truth with unrealistic results. But you know, if you can’t trick the inspectors, you never get promoted. What choice did he have?
4 Rossbach A battle that broke out during the Seven Years’ War.
Frederick the Great led the outnumbered Prussian Army with some weirdo operational finagling and managed to win. The loss ratio was about 1:20. Frederick the Great was a weirdo, but he was strong.
5 Hoyerswerda The Prussian Army (led by Frederick the Great’s younger brother) and the Austrian Army fought with about equal numbers. After the battle, the Prussian Army estimated their losses at no more than a hundred. Meanwhile, 600 Austrian troops died and 1,800 were taken prisoner.
6 The Peter Principle A paradox where if ability is the criterion for promotion in a meritocracy, the end result is extreme incompetence.
For example, say there’s a capable company employee. He’s capable, so once he is promoted to section chief, if he has abilities beyond that position, he’ll probably be promoted to head of the department. But if he hits his ability ceiling, he’ll stay an ordinary, useless section chief forever. That’s the principle governing all organizations! Doesn’t that mean they’re actually full of people who can’t do their jobs?!…is the horrific discovery that was made.
7 tank desant The utterly natural result of people riding tanks. It’s a special tactic where putting soldiers on tanks allows them to keep up better with the mechanized rate of advance. It also allows the tanks and infantry to support each other more closely, which is perfect.
And you put them on the outside, not inside. It’s a harsh job, getting rained on by enemy attacks targeting the tanks. Whether this is true or not is unclear, but some say the average survival of tank-desant troops is two weeks.
8 Dyrrhachium A balding, womanizing king heavily laden with debts managed to encircle a great and just senator’s army that was much larger. Then the king lost. Of course he did. The king with debts was Julius Caesar, and it was one of his few defeats.
9 nomenklatura Privileged individuals who exist in an equal society that has done away with classes. They’re just on a list of those who work for the people and are not unlike anyone else in any other way. Of course, anyone who doesn’t make that list will never get anywhere in life…
10 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The peace treaty between Germany and Russia (the Soviet Union) in World War I. Of course, Germany’s victory in the east is often ignored, since they failed to win in the west…
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