War was cruel, especially siege warfare. No matter how many preparations you made, it was impossible to keep everyone safe.
The Austrian Empire's army had originally had military police units, but this was a joint operation by the Allied Forces, which raised a whole host of complicated questions about authority and responsibility.
Most Austrian Empire officers came from the nobility and were especially sensitive to issues that might cause political friction.
Their instinctive reluctance to act had nearly led to a crushing defeat. In fact, the German Confederation's member states all had similar military police units, and most junior officers were responsible for enforcing discipline.
But this was a coalition army, and it wasn't easy for officers to pick out their own countrymen from the sea of Allied soldiers.
Moreover, hereditary officers weren't a problem unique to Austria. The German States all had the same issue. Their habit of looking both ways before acting, coupled with a tendency to avoid trouble whenever possible, had rendered the already lax discipline of the Allied Forces practically meaningless.
The deserters had been so brazen partly because they were counting on the fact that no one knew who they were. After all, how could a sword from another court behead an official of one's own court?
If Albrecht hadn't happened to arrive at the front, this surprise attack, planned over several weeks, might well have been ruined by a handful of deserters.
Albrecht hadn't come here on a whim. He knew full well that once the general offensive began, none of the careful calculations would matter.
Rather than sit in headquarters waiting for news, it was better to go to the front and guard against anything going wrong. After all, this wasn't his first time leading the Allied Forces into battle.
Albrecht had encountered