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"Lost lamb, do you have any unanswered questions you wish to be told before you die?" Otto took a deep breath of the rose in his hand, and looked at the blonde girl in front of him with a slight smile.
"I have no questions, I just want to know what you will do with Lord Black Saint's body after I die."
"What do you want me to do?" Alto asked unhurriedly.
“The lady is blessed by the gods, so she deserves to be buried in the tombs of the past popes of Rome, to rest with them.” Saying this, Saya knelt down on the ground, begging for Otto’s blessing. Most importantly, she was doing this for others, not for herself.
“Ah! What a touching request, what a loyal subordinate, aren’t you right, Black Saint?” Otto said, pointing towards Black Saint, as if mocking her already dead self.
“Unfortunately, I will not grant your request. She will not be buried in Rome. The Church needs both a spear and a shield.” Otto threw away the rose in his hand, his expression becoming extremely serious.
“What do you mean, Otto!” Saiya frowned.
"Don't forget what day tomorrow is, my dear Miss Saiya."
"Christmas."
"Yes, Christmas is the Lord's birthday, a time when He bestows His power to bring new strength to His believers."
"What do you mean."
"She will continue to be the shield of the church, forever obeying the Lord's commands, offering her body and soul to the Lord, while I will utterly bury you, the Jesuits!"
PS1: The old cover is back!
Chapter 470 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 89 Hindenburg's Victory (Seeking Votes)
"Don't even think about it! The master cannot be commanded by you." Saiya drew her weapon.
“The time now,” Otto called out to those behind him.
"11:59 p.m.
“Looks like it’s just right.” At Otto’s signal, Cecilia picked up a red stone and walked to Black Saint. She placed it in Black Saint’s hand, squeezed it tightly, and crushed it. Instantly, a strange light enveloped Black Saint’s body.
"By the way, before she wakes up, let me tell you about the fate of your Jesuits."
"After the old Black Saint dies and the two of you disappear, they will fall apart due to the loss of a strong leader. Your remnants in Prussia will be dealt with by the Austrians, because not long ago, the Prussian princess named Chloris got what she wanted from Paris. Your people in France will also be eliminated by Thiers sooner or later. As for England and Russia, how could two territories not under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church allow you to continue to exist?"
"After your destruction, the Vatican will appear in Italy in a brand new guise, and everything at that time will be irrelevant to you."
Just then, Black Saint's soul returned to her body, and apart from her somewhat empty eyes, everything was the same as when she was alive.
"You're the one who will kill my doll, but don't hold back."
"Yes, Master." Black Saint slowly walked towards Saiya.
"No! My lord, you can't do this to me!" Saiya looked at the Black Saint approaching her in horror. She knew very well that the person in front of her was just a walking corpse being manipulated by Otto.
"This is all just a demon. As long as I kill you, everything can return to normal!" With that thought, Saiya accelerated and pounced on Otto in front of her.
Unfortunately, the next second, Saiya felt a sharp pain in her chest. Looking down, she saw that Black Saint's right hand, like a sharp weapon, had pierced through her chest, and blood was flowing out of the wound.
"Unfortunately, you can't do anything. There's no place for people like you in the future. Collect all their corpses; they'll be useful later." With that, Otto turned and left with a cold laugh.
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Time continues to move forward —
As the Prussian offensive slowed on Christmas Eve, the two armies were briefly locked in a stalemate in the Sudetenland Mountains. Since the start of the war, the Prussian side had lost nearly 70,000 troops, while their opponents, the Austrians, had lost no more than 20,000. This enormous disparity filled the Prussian army, from commanders to rank-and-file soldiers, with a wave of defeatism. They desperately needed an outstanding commander to break the deadlock at this critical moment and salvage Prussia's collapsing morale.
On December 28, 1874, Hindenburg, a rising Prussian commander, led 12 Silesia men in an attack against the Austrian army, and battle ensued. In this battle, Hindenburg fully utilized the advantages of his magical armor, launching a focused frontal breakthrough against the enemy. His offensive was swift, breaching the Austrian lines within half a day and advancing into Slovakia. However, he was subsequently met with resistance from reinforcements, and after suffering some losses, Hindenburg decided to retreat.
Fortunately, the Austrian army was not heavily equipped with machine guns. At least during Hindenburg's offensive, he did not encounter anything that the General Staff had warned him about. Soon after the Austrian army launched a counterattack, Hindenburg naturally ordered his troops to retreat back to Silesia, even deliberately abandoning some useless horses and supplies to show his disarray.
For her, the bait had already been cast; whether or not the fish took the bait was entirely up to her.
Ultimately, Lieutenant General Conrad, the commander of the 40,000-strong Austrian army, bypassed the General Staff and reported the matter directly to Parliament, because he knew that Princess Gisela had never wanted the Austrian army to invade Prussia's Silesia region at this stage.
However, the Imperial Diet did not want Gisela to become too powerful, so they kept asking the core of the General Staff, Herzendorf, to send troops into Silesia to expand the gains and to dilute the achievements of Gisela's army generals, thus creating a check and balance.
Due to the collective demands of the imperial nobles, Herzendorf had no choice but to relay the message to the troops.
Herzendorf was well aware of the power struggle at the top, but there was nothing he could do about it.
In fact, the parliament was not a monolithic entity. Some nobles who benefited from Gisela's economic policies successfully transformed into a new noble family with strong bourgeois characteristics. Although they were few in number, their wealth brought them considerable power, and they became Gisela's supporters. The Brno family, which had been loyal to Gisela for a long time, was a typical example of this.
On the eve of parliamentary approval, many people, including Herzendorf, had already reported the situation to Gisela, who was recuperating in a field hospital. However, Gisela, after making his own reasonable considerations, chose to remain silent, allowing parliament to overstep its authority and issue the order to attack. After all, having eliminated the major enemy, Gisela also needed to deal with internal problems.
Thus, Lieutenant General Conrad, carrying the expectations of Parliament and the Austrian people's long-cherished wish to reclaim Silesia, set off with a clear conscience.
His army finally crossed the border into Silesia on New Year's Day, 1875. Because of his previous success in defeating the Prussian army, Conrad was very confident of defeating the Prussian army and therefore relaxed his vigilance. On his way to Wrocław, the capital of Silesia, he was ambushed by the Prussian army.
It was only when elite Prussian troops launched an attack from Conrad's rear and cut off his supplies that the general truly realized the gravity of the situation.
Of course, Hindenburg wouldn't give him much time. She first used artillery to disrupt the Austrian formation, then used the Prussian army's new high-mobility magic armor to cut the Austrian troops in half, and finally executed a beautiful encirclement.
Faced with each deadly move by her opponent, all Conrad could do was have her troops defend themselves using the terrain while simultaneously seeking reinforcements from home via magical communications. Of course, the only response she received was silence.
Because no Austrian troops would be allowed to enter the war zone without the joint consent of Gisela and the General Staff, this Austrian army, which had penetrated deep into the heart of the country, had become a victim of this political game and was completely abandoned. This defeat was also used by Gisela as a breakthrough to accuse the Imperial Diet of its misdeeds.
Then came the familiar propaganda offensive, which utterly defeated these old men in the domestic political arena.
PS1: Ra!
Chapter 471 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter 90 Gisela's Next Plan
Political struggles are cruel, but in order to finally control the country, Gisela used the sacrifice of 40,000 soldiers to shut up those old fogies and incidentally gain a reason to attack the parliament at any time in the future. Gisela was very willing to do so at this time. As for the 40,000 soldiers, Gisela also secretly prepared a plan to salvage them as much as possible. That is, to deploy multiple cavalry units on the border to provide assistance to his own soldiers who fled back to the border at any time. As for the gaps in the defense line caused by them, they were filled by reinforcements composed of newly arrived Croatians and Serbs.
Ultimately, under the Prussian offensive, General Conrad's army completely collapsed. Of the 40,000 troops, less than 10,000 escaped back to Austria. The vast majority of the rest either surrendered or died in battle. This became the Austrian's first defeat in the new year's war and also the biggest defeat for Austria in the entire Austro-Prussian War.
According to later recollections of those involved, when Her Majesty, who had not yet become Empress, learned of the defeat, she fell directly from her sickbed to the ground and roared three times at the empty mirror, "Conrad! Give me back my legion!" On that day, the entire empire was in mourning, and the people were plunged into unprecedented grief. As described by Leonardo, a reporter for the "Taixi Daily," on that day, they felt as if they had lost the world. Afterward, Her Majesty threw away all her beautiful dresses and appeared in public only in black to express her condolences for the fallen soldiers.
Anger over the Imperial Diet spread throughout the Empire, and many nobles fled back to their fiefdoms for fear of retaliation from the commoners, suspending their attendance at the Diet.
Following this incident, Emperor Joseph resolutely and decisively severed ties between the royal family and the parliament, making it inevitable that the parliament would take the blame. All of this was part of Gisela's plan, and her purge of those scoundrels had only just begun.
The focus returned to the field hospital. After the hysterical outburst a few days ago, the field hospital had become unusually deserted. No one dared to enter within ten meters of the tents, because they all knew that Her Highness was in a very bad mood this time, and that a volatile magic user was capable of doing anything terrible.
The vast majority of people agree that Her Highness needs to calm down and rest.
"Mmm, this is so comfortable, mmm, mmm." One after another, the girl's suggestive voice rang out. At this moment, the blonde fox-eared girl was lying obediently on her bed, her ears drooping and her tail swaying gently with obvious enjoyment. On her waist sat a woman whose body was wrapped in thick bandages.
"Rita, a little higher, no, a little lower." Gisela murmured softly as she enjoyed the comfortable fanservice and skin-to-skin contact from Rita.
"Aponia, I want to eat an apple." Gisela tilted her head and opened her mouth. At that moment, Aponia, who was sitting on a chair next to her, had just finished peeling the apple, so she cut it into pieces and fed it to Gisela.
As Gisela savored the unique fragrance and sweet and sour taste of apples in her mouth, she felt even more comfortable.
"Tsk tsk, what a despicable sight you royals have! No wonder we Parisians want to send our king to the guillotine. While our citizens are fighting and bleeding on the front lines, you're enjoying your lives here." Jeanne crossed her legs and looked at Gisela with disdain through her golden eyes.
"I really don't know who was the hysterical person a few days ago."
"If you're envious, I can let you massage my legs." Gisela tilted her head and looked at Jeanne with her blue eyes. Although Jeanne Alter often had a sour face, Gisela knew that she was the kind of person who said one thing but meant another, so this was just her way of showing concern.
"Please don't say such disgusting things. I have absolutely no interest in you." Despite saying this, Jeanne's golden eyes still occasionally glanced at Gisela's exquisite legs.
"Let's get down to business. Do you know why I acted so sad that day?"
"Isn't it because of the loss of 40,000 troops?"
"Your Highness's imitation of Octavian that day was remarkably accurate!" Rita, riding on Gisela, covered her mouth and laughed, while Aponia smiled knowingly.
"Huh?" Jeanne looked at the three of them with some confusion.
"Those 30,000 casualties were pawns used to deal with those old fogies. Their sacrifice was tacitly approved by me, so that I can openly deal with them later. As for my own army's losses, I can recoup them from other fronts." Gisela explained, raising his hand to make a three-point gesture. (Ten thousand escaped.)
"The allied forces in the west will launch a bold counterattack against the Prussian army, and it's time for the seeds I planted in Prussia to be ignited." Although it was some time ago (end of Volume One), Gisela had long ago made considerable contact with some radical and dissatisfied people in Prussia. Now, with the front lines strained and the domestic economic situation deteriorating, there must be a considerable number of people dissatisfied with Prussia's oppressive policies. Adding a spark now is enough to ignite this powder keg.
“You agree, right, Aponia?” Gisela’s lips curled up slightly.
"Yes, Your Highness. Once our weapons arrive in Hamburg via Dutch merchant ships and are then distributed from Hamburg to Berlin, the anger and discontent of the Prussian lower classes will be completely ignited." Regardless of the political system, the anger of ordinary people stems solely from their inner resentment and dissatisfaction with the status quo. Whether it's the democratic United States, the legislature-based Britain, or the monarchical Austria, they all ultimately arrive at the same conclusion.
"Finally, there are some minor matters. I conducted a few small experiments." Gisela dispatched his 141st Unit to the heart of Prussia to conduct intelligence gathering and sabotage operations.
To be honest, Jeanne Alter didn't really understand most of Gisela's plans, but she could still sense how terrifying this princess was. Her rigorous logic incorporated almost everything into her plans, and her goals, though seemingly vague, were clearer than anyone else's. The only thing she was grateful for now was that she hadn't become her enemy.
"That's right! Long live General Lindenman!" Gisela excitedly raised his hand, bit off a piece of the apple from Aponia's hand, and said words that no one present could understand.
PS1: Harmony in the harem is a good thing. It's not surprising that the fox has multiple plans after the major enemy has been dealt with. In fact, she has always been quite cunning.
PS2: We'll have to deal with these nobles sooner or later; we need to find an excuse.
PS1: Can't I post items anymore?
Chapter 472 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 91 The German Allied Forces (Seeking Votes)
January 4, 1875, Munich, the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria
A woman who looked remarkably like Gisela, and even more mature and composed than Gisela, was riding a snow-white warhorse, inspecting the fully armed troops on both sides of the road. In front of each unit stood an officer whose uniform resembled that of the soldiers behind him.
"Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth, 3,267 Hanoverian Royal Grenadiers are ready." It's impossible for all 3,267 men to be lined up in the street; those present here are mostly a selected portion of the force.
Queen Elizabeth turned her gaze to the officer who had spoken, then gracefully greeted them before continuing to hold the reins, raising her head and urging her horse forward at a brisk pace.
At this moment, both the crowd and the army focused their attention on the blonde woman. As the wife of Emperor Joseph and the Empress of Austria, she was also a powerful magic user, so she naturally received the respect of the army.
After all, only those who are on the battlefield truly understand the significance of these powerful guardian angels.
Moreover, she possesses a beauty that captivates Europe at first sight. This makes her, compared to the German princes sitting on the high platform, the lady who combines beauty and wisdom, undoubtedly the protagonist of today's military parade.
"Your Majesty, the 15,000 men of the Bavarian Alpine Legion pay you their highest respects." The Bavarian soldiers, wearing blue and white checkered badges, looked at the queen riding on her warhorse with longing and admiration.
Empress Elisabeth's family was from the Kingdom of Bavaria, so the Bavarian people can still proudly declare that the beautiful queen was Bavarian, and that her daughter, the legendary Princess Gisela, also had Bavarian blood in her veins, a fact they are very proud of!
This grand military parade was actually a rather lavish farewell ceremony personally organized by the young Bavarian King Ludwig II for Elizabeth.
In terms of kinship, although Ludwig II was Queen Elizabeth's cousin, those familiar with history know that His Majesty the King had a deep affection for Queen Elizabeth.
Neuschwanstein Castle, the most famous castle in Germany, is said to have been built by Ludwig II with the full resources of the nation to express his longing for Empress Elisabeth.
Of course, it was also closely related to his childhood experiences. In 1850, when Ludwig II was 5 years old, his governess told him about Wagner's opera Lohengrin, which was about to be completed. The opera mainly revolved around the story of Lohengrin, the medieval Swan Knight. From then on, Ludwig and Wagner formed an inseparable friendship, and Ludwig became Wagner's biggest fan.
Shortly after Ludwig ascended the throne, he invited Wagner to his palace, making the king a patron of the artist. Soon, Bavarian public opinion grew weary of Wagner's arrogance and jealous of his influence on Ludwig, fearing he would sway Ludwig's political stance. Consequently, Wagner was forced to leave Bavaria for Switzerland, where Ludwig provided for his livelihood.
His favorite woman and his favorite play—these were the most important things in this king's life.
Interestingly, in the original history, the two rarely met, exchanging mostly letters. However, this world's Queen Elizabeth is more cheerful and knows how to enjoy life more than her historical counterpart. Most importantly, she didn't experience the pain of losing a loved one; her eldest daughter was sickly but didn't die from illness. Furthermore, this world's Joseph not only deeply loves Sissi but also indulges her, never imposing courtly formalities on her. The beautiful Queen can still enjoy a life similar to her childhood until she realizes it's inappropriate. (Actually, the old emperor doesn't dare interfere; he has a wife with magical powers, lol.)
In the stands, Nina held Mia, the daughter she and Gisela had adopted, on her lap, resting her chin on Mia's round, black head.
"Daddy, be gentle, it hurts." Mia looked at her "father" with a pitiful expression, her grievances evident on her face.
"Shh! Mia, keep your voice down," Nina said, glancing at her father, Prince Regent Luitpold, and her brother, Ludwig, who were looking in her direction from a distance.
"What's wrong, Mia?" At this moment, a handsome young man walked up to the stands and happened to notice this scene. So he gently squatted down and looked at the little girl in front of him.
"Your Majesty, greetings." Seeing the young man squat down, Mia quickly stood up and greeted him, for the man whom Nina addressed as Your Majesty was none other than King Ludwig II of Bavaria.
"It's alright, Leo. I heard that you and Princess Gisela adopted a child in London, so I just wanted to say hello to your first child." Ludwig II smiled broadly, giving Mia a warm, spring-like smile, before taking a toy tin soldier out of his pocket.
"Although it's a bit inappropriate for a girl to receive something like this, it's my favorite thing, so I'll give it to you. Please take good care of it for me." Ludwig II placed the little tin soldier in Nina's palm, then squeezed her hand tightly and said.
The relationship between Leopold and Ludwig II was delicate, yet filled with many coincidences of fate: one fell in love with Empress Elizabeth, and the other fell in love with her daughter.
"People in the palace all say I'm crazy, that I have mental problems, and that I don't get married because I have physical problems," Ludwig complained to a child who couldn't understand any of this. In his loneliness, he could only complain to such a clueless child.
Nina looked at His Majesty the King and saw a loneliness she had never felt before in him.
"I hate the throne; it only binds me, bringing me no joy whatsoever, not even a moment's respite. For me, only on that afternoon in the palace courtyard, discussing Heine's poems with an elegant lady and listening to Wagner's music, did I realize that love—this treasure brimming with humanity's highest aspirations and the most beautiful gift God has given to mankind—would descend upon me, because I met her, the one who captivated me completely." At this moment, Ludwig II appeared somewhat manic and hysterical, his gaze shifting to Queen Elizabeth in the distance, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Ludwig II was well aware that she did not have a good relationship with her father, Prince Luitpold.
“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty.” That was all. Nina understood the pain of such longing, just as she often told herself that she had to forget her brother.
His current wife, the one who almost became his sister-in-law, their marriage was just a political lie, not even a political marriage, but that fox-eared girl was actually not bad to him. She always thought of him, and her gentleness and gentlemanly manners were even better than most men who considered themselves elegant.
A lie is a lie. Sometimes, even a lie can become reality if you're willing to believe it. Even if it's just for her sake, Nina held Mia's hand even tighter at the thought. Nina understood that unlike the women around Fox Ears who had risked their lives for her, the only thing binding her to Mia was their marriage in name only, and this adopted daughter named Mia.
"Daddy, I can't breathe." Because Nina was a magic user, she suddenly tightened her grip on Mia, almost causing Mia to "ascend to heaven."
At this moment, military music began to play, and the military parade reached a new stage, filling the entire city of Munich with a peaceful atmosphere.
It's just that different people have different mindsets.
PS1: ra-月-漪-*/mark*/!
Chapter 473 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter92 Can't Win? Aren't You Angry? (Seeking Votes)
Our gaze returns to the Sudetenland defense line —
Just then, a shell exploded around the field hospital where Gisela was located, and the dust it kicked up instantly covered her in dirt and left her completely bewildered as she was outdoors, enjoying the breeze and doing her homework.
"What's going on!" Before Gisela could even complain, a new shell swept her up and spun her around 360 degrees in the air before crashing to the ground.
"Wheelchair? Where is my helmet?" Gisela, who had just landed, quickly crawled on the ground looking for the prototype helmets scattered all over the place. Then she picked one up at random and put it on her head.
"How did the enemy's shells get here?" Gisela's field hospital happened to be located in the direction of the Second Army's defensive line that had been breached before. This defensive line was a relatively weak area due to the lower pressure, but the Prussian and Austrian armies were still fighting in the north, so this area should have been a relatively peaceful place.
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