She changed Europe

Page 43

“What question would you like to ask, sir?” Gisela pointed to Pete in the distance.

"Your Highness Princess Gisela, I am a reporter from the Prague Daily. My question is about the identities and numbers of the assassins who attacked you." As soon as Pete finished speaking, the reporters around him nodded in agreement, indicating that everyone present was quite interested in this question.

PS1: This scene used to include angry rebukes, but there's no need for that now.

Chapter 156 Irises Withering in the Alps: The Truth Behind Capter 17's Creation

“There were 17 people in total. Based on the markings on their bodies and the investigation of the building where they hid, I can tell you with certainty that these 17 assassins were bohemian separatists with no conscience whatsoever.” Gisela’s tone was firm, without the slightest hint of uncertainty.

When Gisela mentioned that they were separatists, there was some commotion in the crowd below, which was exactly what she had expected, since the issue of rebellion is always a sensitive topic.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I suppose many of you are Bohemians, and some of you may even harbor some resentment towards the Empire. But I must make you understand one thing: these people are not the heroes you speak of. They not only fired upon our royal family, but they also fired upon unarmed citizens of Prague, and among those who died, there were certainly many Bohemians." After speaking, Gisela waved his hand again, signaling Rita to bring forward a bloodstained doll.

“Do you know what this means? This doll was found in the hands of a five-year-old girl. When we police found her, she was already dead in her mother’s arms. The blood on the doll was that of the little girl. She was shot and killed by one of the 17 assassins.” Gisela wiped her slightly moist eyes. Her voice trembled and her emotions were very sincere.

"These thugs can attack our royal family, they can attack government officials, but they cannot fire these bullets of hatred at these innocent children. These rebels are not heroes, not martyrs for a noble cause. Remember, they are just executioners, minions of Satan, deceiving the world to gain sympathy for their narrow ambitions, claiming to be righteous while betraying their own conscience!"

By separating these rebels from the national consciousness of the Bohemian people, then imposing universal values ​​to gain their sympathy, and finally isolating them from the masses, this combination can strip the organization of its legitimate social standing and eliminate its means of survival. This is the 19th century, not the 21st century; no country would do such a thing. Without external support, the demise of such an organization is only a matter of time.

Moreover, the Bohemians felt a stronger sense of belonging to the Habsburg Empire than the Hungarians, having been part of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries and being among the biggest beneficiaries of its development, enjoying the greatest benefits.

"Okay, are there any more questions?" Having gone through the previous process, the reporters who were familiar with the procedure all raised their hands.

"Your Highness, as a mage, what happened to the injury on your head?" This was the question from one of the reporters.

"To be honest, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I didn't notice the bullet coming from behind while protecting a woman. My magic shield was activated a bit too late, so I was grazed by the stray bullet. To be honest, my wound still hurts a bit," Gisela said with a touch of humor, rubbing her head, which drew knowing laughter from the audience.

The press conference, which lasted for several hours, came to an end. The reporters left the old palace one after another with the answers they were satisfied with. At this moment, Gisela looked at the empty hall, squinted her eyes, stretched, and showed off her already emerging figure. Then she pulled off the bandage on her head.

"Your Highness, thank you for your hard work." Rita nodded and bowed as she accepted the bandage from Gisela's hand.

"Tell the policeman who accidentally shot and injured civilians that he must not tell anyone about this. Make him remember that all the civilians he accidentally injured were the work of these insurgents." After all, the dead cannot defend themselves.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness! This may not be possible..." Before Gisela could finish speaking, Rita said softly to Gisela with some distress.

"Why?" Gisela asked earnestly because it was Rita in front of her, and she wasn't annoyed by it.

“Because I caused that policeman to die in the line of duty.” Rita’s tone was calm, as if she were talking about something trivial.

"Ah this..."

"Fine, you don't need to dirty your hands." With that, Gisela raised her hand and took Rita's hand, smiling as she spoke to the maid in front of her. After all, his wife was meant to be cherished, and Rita wasn't worth the trouble of dealing with an outsider.

“Your Highness…” Rita looked up at the prince, who had grown even taller, her eyes filled with a sense of relief and emotion.

If it weren't for the fact that they were in a public place, Rita would have loved to pull His Highness into her arms and give him a good hug.

“Alright! In one day, my 'truth' will be known to the citizens of Prague; in three days, the entire empire will know; and in a week, it will become the sole truth, etched in history. Because a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth, and that is the power of public opinion.” Gisela looked up at the Austro-Hungarian flag hanging high in the hall with a slight smile.

The design of the double crown and double flag, seemingly ingenious, is actually ridiculous and ironic. No competent monarch would like it, since its appearance is a challenge to their own power.

With a cold snort, Gisela walked deeper into the palace. The bright sunlight shone on her, slowly lengthening her shadow. Her loyal maid followed closely behind, her steps firm and elegant.

On April 3, 1870, the Kingdom of Sardinia faced Genoa, the most important port city on the Mediterranean Sea.

A tall, thin man walked briskly down the dimly lit street, his expression serious as he surveyed his surroundings. This wasn't out of guilt, but rather because he genuinely needed to be vigilant. Just moments before, the Empire's intelligence outpost in Turin had been raided by the Sardinian military and police; of the twelve members, only three escaped, the rest were arrested, and he was one of the three who had managed to escape.

They were not surprised by the attack from the Sardinian counter-espionage department. After all, they had learned from high-ranking Sardinian government officials the day before that France and Sardinia had formed an alliance. Out of a sense of responsibility for their intelligence, they sent a small team that night to infiltrate the residence of Sardinian Prime Minister Cavour and steal a copy of the Prombier Agreement.

Although they didn't understand how Sardinia's counterintelligence had found their hideout, the three who had successfully escaped Turin, determined to deliver the intelligence to His Majesty the Emperor, decided to split into three groups. One group would cross the Po River, pass through Pavia, and enter Milan, the capital of the Empire in Lombardy; another group would travel in the opposite direction into France, board a ship in Toulon, and head directly to Venice; the last group, the man's journey, would travel to Genoa, then by sea to Pisa, and from there take a train to Venice. After all, the Duchy of Tuscany, as a pro-Austrian Italian principality (the Grand Duke came from the Habsburg family), would certainly protect the Imperial intelligence personnel...

PS1: The Austro-Hungarian Empire's intelligence is terrible, but there are still some experts among them.

Chapter 157 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 18 Cat and Mouse Game (Vote Requested)

Genoa at night was devoid of the daytime hustle and bustle, which presented a perfect opportunity for the man named Brad. The darkness could conceal everything, but even so, he did not forget to firmly grip the pistol concealed at his waist; at this moment, perhaps only the cold muzzle of the gun could offer him any solace.

Since his escape, he has been surrounded by the Sardinian military and police three times. Although he has successfully escaped the pursuit, this cat-and-mouse game has long since left him physically and mentally exhausted.

Then he noticed the two policemen walking towards him again, and slowly retreated into a small alley deep in the street corner.

"Something seems off." Someone who can become a secret agent can't be a fool.

"The security in the port area seems even tighter than before, as if it's deliberately waiting for me." A bad feeling suddenly popped into my head.

"Should we confirm this?" he muttered to himself, then pulled a folding knife from his pocket and pinched his throat.

"Help!" A somewhat deep female voice came from the alley where Brad was. With his professional training, it was not difficult for him to use a disguise. Although he could not be as convincing as some of his colleagues, it was enough to fool the police officers patrolling the streets.

As he had expected, two dutiful Italian policemen soon ran into the alley with their batons. One of them raised a kerosene lamp, observed the empty alley, and scratched his head.

"Strange? You heard a woman's voice just now too, didn't you?" the policeman holding the kerosene lamp asked his colleague for confirmation.

"Yes, I also heard a woman calling for help just now."

"Then why is there nothing here?" The policeman took off his hat and then banged on the wall with his baton to vent his frustration.

“You stand here, I’ll go in and take a look.” The policeman with the kerosene lamp swallowed hard and walked deeper into the alley, while his companion stood at the entrance of the alley as he was told. As the light faded into the distance, the policeman standing at the entrance took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

"What a bad day. Forget about the special agents of the OQ II, they've sent all the police to patrol the port area." The policeman complained as he looked up helplessly, only to see a pair of bright eyes staring at him.

“Yes…” He instinctively wanted to shout, but how could Brad give him that chance? With his leap, the folding knife plunged into the policeman’s heart. To prevent him from struggling, Brad also covered his mouth and snapped his neck.

He skillfully dragged the body aside, changed into a police uniform, and walked into the depths of the alley, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to wait for me outside?" The policeman carrying the kerosene lamp turned around and glanced at his companion who was walking towards him.

“Too dark.” Brad said succinctly, not wanting to say too much and risk arousing suspicion from the police due to the difference in accents.

"Heh! I know you just want to slack off, and of course, that's why I came in too, haha!" the policeman, holding a kerosene lamp, joked. After all, patrolling all night was too boring, so he might as well find a small alley to fish and smoke.

"The big shots up there said an Austrian agent has escaped to Genoa, and they want us to catch him before he leaves Genoa by ship. This is ridiculous! Genoa has hundreds of thousands of people, and the port area has hundreds, even thousands, of ships. How can we possibly defend against this with just a few hundred policemen?" The policeman waved his hand and continued walking forward.

"War is about to break out, after twenty years." As an ordinary person, he didn't know what the higher-ups were planning, but from the government's propaganda, he vaguely sensed that a war similar to the one that happened decades ago was being prepared.

For ordinary Italians like him, what difference does it make whether Italy is unified or not? He'll live his life the same way whether it's unified or not. As long as he has enough to eat and can make a living, who wants to think about war all the time? This policeman understood this very clearly.

“I heard that three Austrians escaped,” Brad said in a low voice.

“Yes, three. The boss told us about it in the meeting today. Besides the one in Genoa, one of the other two is one of ours, and the other has already been arrested.” The policeman turned around and looked at Brad.

"Give me one, I didn't bring any cigarettes today." The policeman turned around and shone the kerosene lamp on Brad. The faint light fell on Brad.

"What's that black thing on your chest?" The police officer noticed the unusual thing on Brad's clothes and asked with a puzzled look.

“It’s blood.” Before he could finish speaking, Brad lunged at the policeman and punched him in the stomach. The Italian officer, writhing in pain and feeling nauseous, clutched his stomach and doubled over. Brad then slammed his elbow into the officer’s back, knocking him to the ground. Before the officer could get up, Brad grabbed him by the neck in a "strongman lock."

Faced with this sudden attack, the police officer struggled in terror, but to Brad, these struggles were nothing more than a minor skirmish. Just as he had predicted, the officer soon died.

This time, Brad paid more attention to the integrity of the police officer's uniform, as he didn't want his identity to be exposed again because of a bloodstain on his chest.

He crouched down and rummaged through the policeman's clothes. In the policeman's pocket, he found a photograph of a woman and a girl. The woman was young, and the little girl was also very young, probably only about five years old. The policeman, as the man, was clearly the pillar of this family.

“Unfortunately, we both have our own duties.” Brad looked at the dead man in front of him. Because he had died of suffocation, his eyes were still wide open. So he reached out his hand and closed the eyes of the dead policeman.

"May God bless you, and may you no longer experience earthly strife in heaven," Brad prayed softly.

Of course, while praying, he didn't forget to organize his thoughts. No wonder the base was exposed and the members were captured; it turned out the organization had already been infiltrated. Following this line of thought, Brad realized some new problems. Why were their people able to easily infiltrate the Prime Minister's residence in Cavour that day? And why was there a copy of the agreement there by chance? If these were all coincidences, then they were too much of a coincidence.

PS1: It's the weekend, but unfortunately I have to work overtime this week QAQ

Chapter 158 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 19 Undercurrents (Seeking Votes)

Brad closed his eyes, recalling some details, and began his simple deduction. What would His Majesty the Emperor do if he obtained this agreement…?

This is not hard to guess. Emperor Joseph was in his prime, and given his personality, he would have been furious and roared, denouncing France for its betrayal. After that, he would have consulted his ministers, who would have advised him to restrain himself and reveal the contents of the secret treaty to the third-party powers, led by Britain.

Of course, given Emperor Joseph's arrogant nature, he would certainly reject the ministers' opinions and insist on launching a preventative war before the arrival of French reinforcements.

This war will evolve into a war of resistance against aggression, in which the Italian people, together with their French brothers, oppose Austrian enslavement and rule.

It is worth mentioning that Cavour in history also used a series of diplomatic means to induce the Austrians to launch the war first. He used the nature of the anti-aggression war to reduce the anti-French people's resentment towards the French army, thereby reducing the social pressure to exchange Nice and Savoy with France.

Bismarck, the Prussian chancellor, also used the same method of inducing the Austrians to declare war first. However, the Iron Chancellor used it not only against the Austrians but also against the French. Ironically, will Napoleon III, who is now standing in the same trench as Cavour, be able to recall this moment when he tricked others?

Thinking of this, Brad took a deep breath. He didn't know that his unique insight had transcended the wisdom of his time. Unfortunately, he was not a time traveler like Gisela, who possessed knowledge that transcended time. He could only keep it as a viewpoint in his mind, so that he could present such a conjecture when submitting it to his superiors along with intelligence.

Of course, whether those adults would agree was not his concern. Right now, he had another headache: how to get to the Duchy of Tuscany. Taking the sea route would obviously require breaking through the blockade of the Sardinian police. However, in his opinion, Cavour would eventually choose to let him go, but he could not take that risk based on speculation.

After much deliberation, he finally chose to travel by land instead of sea, and instead of going to the Duchy of Tuscany, he went directly through the Papal States to Venice.

So he stood up, wearing the uniform of the Sardinian police, and walked in the opposite direction from the port area.

In the royal courtyard of Prague Castle

Gisela was reclining on a sun lounger, legs crossed, facing the sun, enjoying the tranquility and peace of the afternoon. Located in Central Europe, Prague is a sunny region. Unlike Vienna, nestled at the foot of the Alps, Prague has a drier climate and far more sunny days.

"Let me see what's going on in Bohemia lately." Gisela spread out the paper report in her hand and read it carefully. To be honest, as a royal princess, she didn't want to be a public servant or do everything herself, but sometimes the Austro-Hungarian bureaucracy was really hard to manage.

One moment local nobles and officials are arguing over land expropriation, the next a nobleman is trying to use connections to get his child into the government, and then another noble family wants to find someone of high status to be a witness to their engagement...

Despite her current status being equivalent to that of a regent in Bohemia, she finds herself doing the same kind of work as a neighborhood committee auntie all day long.

Of course, Gisela, who had watched many historical dramas in her past life, was not a naive "real princess." She knew very well what her officials were thinking: they wouldn't submit anything that jeopardized their own interests, because that would only cause the princess headaches and displeasure, and displeasing the leader meant displeasing themselves. Instead, they would entrust the princess with simple, harmless matters, which would not only please her but also improve her standing with the local Bohemian officials. Most importantly, protecting their own interests was the top priority.

“Too bad your plans are wrong,” Gisela said softly, then closed the file and tossed it aside, picking up a cup of green tea from a small table and taking a sip.

"Your Majesty, do you still want it?" At this moment, our future Crown Prince Rudolf, dressed in a maid outfit he had gotten from the steward, stood awkwardly behind Gisela, holding a teapot.

“No need.” Gisela turned around, her eyebrows slightly raised, and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

"My dear sister, do you think Father and Mother will be happy or sad to see you like this?" In a sense, teasing her younger brother has become one of Gisela's few sources of enjoyment.

"Royal sister, I swear that whatever you say from now on will be the same." Rudolf's eyes were glistening with tears. Because Gisela had mischievously asked the tailor to shorten the skirt of Rudolf's maid outfit, his skirt now only reached his knees, which was in stark contrast to the formal and conservative maid outfit that originally only showed his feet.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, and Rudolf quickly clutched his skirt, then squatted down with his cheeks flushed.

"My lovely little sister, how can you do this? Wasn't it your idea to wear women's clothes? I'll definitely support your good interests." Gisela was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of teasing people. It gave her the pleasure of being a scoundrel. I wonder if Gisela's behavior was influenced by Su Beiming.

"Okay, now bring me that black file folder too." Gisela snapped her fingers, directing Rudolph to do her work.

“Okay!” Rudolf strode over and respectfully handed the document to Gisela.

Seeing Gisela take the documents, he spoke with a hint of curiosity:

"Your Majesty, may I ask what the contents of this document are?" Although Rudolf was young and had unique interests, this could not change the fact that he was the heir to the Habsburg family and the future emperor, so he still had the most basic political sense.

"Nothing much, just some reports on the development and construction of companies I follow." Gisela skillfully opened the file folder and took out a stack of documents.

Siemens is making good progress in the development of DC and AC generators, and the light bulb experiments are proceeding steadily. It is expected that the first electrified street in Prague will be completed by the end of the year.

The Skoda factory, having been successfully acquired and granted a production license for the Empire's new breech-loading rifle, is rapidly expanding, with production expected to double by early next year. The factory's engineers are working diligently on the machine gun's blueprints and development testing, following His Highness's design proposals.

PS1: I've been on a business trip for a week, and I'm finally almost home QAQ

Chapter 159 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter20 Gisela at Work (Seeking Votes)

Gisela was neither an engineering student nor a military enthusiast from her previous life, so asking her to draw a design sketch of a machine gun was clearly asking too much of her. Therefore, she decided to offer some design ideas to these real experts, and the rest would depend on their abilities, with a generous reward for each of them.

It's worth mentioning that Gisela wouldn't allow her engineers to copy the American Gatling gun when it came to machine gun development. After all, such a hand-cranked machine gun was too outdated, and its firepower wouldn't meet her requirements.

She turned her attention to another, more classic machine gun: the famous Maxim machine gun. This legendary machine gun, which survived two world wars, had its reliability proven in the heat of battle. For the people of China, this old machine gun has frequently appeared on screen in films and television shows, leaving a deep impression on them.

Its design concept is not complicated. It uses the propellant gases emitted during firing to enable the gun to complete a series of actions such as unlocking, ejecting the spent cartridge, feeding the cartridge, and relocking, thus realizing the automatic continuous firing of a single-barreled gun and reducing the recoil of the gun. The core of its design principle, recoil, has always been something that people take for granted, so it did not attract the attention of many weapons engineers. However, Mr. Maxim noticed this feature and developed a weapon that fires in bursts.

Of course, Gisela only knows these basics. As for its complex structure and the complicated issues of water cooling, that's best left to the professionals.

Returning to the development of the internal combustion engine, the Daimler laboratory, spearheaded by Gisela, had been completed, and research on the gasoline internal combustion engine was proceeding at full speed. Although Gisela couldn't persuade Otto Nicolas to come, Otto was already making a fortune by inventing a four-stroke internal combustion engine fueled by coal gas, and he had also won a gold medal at the 1867 Paris Exposition. All these achievements made the Prussian authorities pay special attention to this inventor with great potential. It was obviously unrealistic for Gisela to try to recruit him, and it would also easily alert him and attract unnecessary attention from the Prussian authorities.

While they couldn't persuade Otto to come, Gisela managed to recruit Gottlieb Daimler, who was then working as a technician in Otto's company. In his early thirties, the energetic Daimler was in his prime; how could he possibly be content with mediocrity? From the moment Gisela's representative presented the terms, Daimler immediately accepted her invitation.

They provided him with a dedicated laboratory and funding, and promised him a share of the profits after he completed his invention. Most importantly, they assisted him in protecting his patent. It's worth noting that his former boss, Otto, did not succeed in obtaining a patent for the gas internal combustion engine because a Frenchman named Alphonse Bo had already registered the patent before him.

Gisela was very pleased as she looked at the reports on the results. Although there was magic energy in this world, which was not a scientific factor, Gisela believed that technology was still the primary productive force.

It should be understood that for most people, the achievements and inventions in magical energy science do not benefit the vast majority of ordinary people.

The amount of magical energy possessed is not the same for everyone. Dr. Frankenstein told the public that everyone has magical energy and that everyone is equal, but what he did not tell the world is that the amount of magical energy possessed by each person is not the same, just like there is a huge difference between magical energy users and ordinary people.

What often determines the level of civilization in an era is not the most cutting-edge technology, but the technology that can be used and possessed by the masses. This is precisely the role of science and technology in this era.

"Rudolph, go to my room and get me a notebook. Also, please call Miss Rita over here." Gisela casually put down the documents in her hand and said to Rudolph.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Rudolf strode into the house. He didn’t want to linger there too long, especially since several gardeners in the courtyard were looking at him and his sister with puzzled expressions. The gardeners didn’t know that the maid beside Gisela was a cross-dresser, and that men often looked at beautiful women that way; Rudolf was just being overly sensitive because of his embarrassment.

Gisela, on the other hand, was already used to it...

After watching Rudolf walk away, Gisela's expression turned serious, a sharp, cold light flashing in her clear, sapphire-blue eyes. She picked up the document that had been pressing against her palm with her index finger.

The first document was a report on the establishment of a new type of army. Gisela secretly prepared to establish his own army by taking advantage of the unique military system of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

It is worth mentioning that the Imperial Army was mainly composed of three parts: the Imperial Defence Force (Central Army), the Royal and Royal Local Defence Forces (Inner Leitania), and the Royal Hungarian Local Defence Forces (Outer Leitania). The first type of force was the most elite field army of the empire, and its control was firmly in the hands of the emperor himself. The latter two belonged to the Austrian and Bohemian Parliaments and the Hungarian Parliament, but because the emperor was also the King of Hungary, they were nominally required to obey the emperor as well.

Gisela established a new type of force that was attached to the Royal and Royal Local Defense Forces, specifically the Royal Local Defense Forces (quite a mouthful), which was the so-called Bohemian part of the defense force. After all, it was a local force, and it was not difficult for the influential Brno family in Prague to secretly collude with the parliament to manipulate things. Moreover, since it was nominally part of the Bohemian local force, it would not attract the attention of some important figures in Vienna.

This unit was in fact Gisela's private army, but they were disguised very well.

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Whether it's for a 'peaceful' transition in the future or a seizure of power by force, it's beneficial." Even though it seems that her younger brother is easily manipulated now, being a regency or sitting on the throne is ultimately not as comfortable as sitting on it herself. What's more, her younger brother has a group of old nobles behind him, who are naturally on the opposite side of her, influencing the imperial power while seeking all sorts of shady interests for themselves.