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The three of them walked to the balcony, only to see Gisela being helped up by Marta and standing on the balcony gazing at the scenery. Due to the angle, it looked more like Gisela was supporting Marta.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" Rita pushed the two aside, walked to the front, and asked with a worried expression.
PS1: Ra!
Chapter 331 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: The Capter 47 Machine Gun? Invented Too Early!
"What...what could possibly happen to me! I'm perfectly fine right now." Gisela seemed quite smug, as if no one could do anything to her.
Calm down, calm down. Nothing just happened. Gisela kept giving herself positive self-talk, trying to cover up the humiliating fact that had just occurred. This time, unlike before, she still had a chance to fight back. Today, she was completely under the thumb of that wicked woman.
Upon closer reflection, the scene she had just witnessed was exactly the same as the doujinshi she had read, the only difference being that she was the protagonist of the doujinshi.
"It's good that Your Highness is alright..." Rita breathed a sigh of relief, but she still wanted to get closer to Gisela because she noticed that her Highness's cheeks were flushed as if she had a fever, and why did she feel that Her Highness was even more beautiful than usual?
"Don't come any closer. Explain what you just said." Gisela's expression was somewhat serious, as if she were demanding accountability from Rita. Meanwhile, the three women opposite Gisela were unaware that, out of their sight, the restless woman was again tracing words on the inside of Gisela's thigh with her finger. Gisela was also not fully clothed; in her haste, she had kicked herself off the balcony.
"I..." Rita lowered her head. Naturally, she couldn't let His Highness discover her hostility towards Mata, since jealousy was not a virtue to be encouraged.
"Your Highness, there's new information regarding the war in Italy." Tifa's words helped Rita escape the predicament.
"Oh? Did that idiot king's army get wiped out?" Gisela, the insignificant king of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, had a clear understanding of the situation. Without a transmigrator, a famous general, or popular support, it would be a miracle if he could defeat the three-star general Garibaldi.
"How come..." Tifa looked at the princess in surprise. Logically speaking, Vienna should be given priority over Budapest in terms of intelligence feedback, and even Vienna had only recently received the battle report.
"It's nothing, I was just guessing, hehe." Gisela laughed foolishly, but unfortunately, no one present was a sane person who would believe such a thing. As the saying goes, only a fool would believe you!
"Is Father going to send troops to intervene next?" According to the original history, the Austrian Empire, having suffered a defeat in Italy, naturally wouldn't have the conditions to intervene in the situation in southern Italy. However, that was the original history. This time, Austria, having achieved a great victory in Italy, has more leverage and a stronger voice. Moreover, France is embroiled in civil war and has no time to attend to Italy. Sending troops this time is essential, both morally and in terms of interests.
"That's right, Your Highness! The Empire is preparing to send troops, and the various Italian vassal states will fully cooperate." (Excluding the Kingdom of Sardinia)
"So, has my father confirmed the choice of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army?"
“It is not Your Highness who has been appointed by His Majesty. The one appointed is your younger brother, Crown Prince Rudolf, and the adjutant is Marshal Güle.” Tifa lowered her head and said somewhat embarrassedly, after all, this was not a good thing for Gisela, who was eager to compete for the throne.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already anticipated this Tifa situation. My current problem is governing Hungary and integrating Outer Leitania.” Gisela didn’t tell those present what she was thinking.
Why did they let Garibaldi go before? Was it because Gisela had developed feelings for her? No! Neither! If Gisela is Sima Yi now, then Garibaldi is Zhuge Liang. Apart from Gisela, who has the wisdom of a time traveler, there are very few people in Europe who can rival her. As long as she exists, her father will have to rely on her. It's a case of nurturing an enemy to enhance one's own power.
His foolish younger brother simply didn't understand that he had already been pushed into the limelight by that group of selfish "loyal ministers," and that the muddle-headed and elderly Julai was appointed as his adjutant—the outcome was predictable. It was a pity for the tens of thousands of soldiers of the empire, but on the road to power, there is no mercy.
“Your Highness is wise,” Tifa replied softly.
"By the way, Rania! What brings you to Budapest? Did you make a breakthrough in your research?" Gisela fixed her gaze on the well-behaved red-haired husky.
"That's right, the electric light development was a success! The first electrified street light has already been installed at Prague Central Station! Here is a list of many inventions related to electricity applications, submitted by scientists and inventors from Germany and France, seeking patents and funding." It's not unusual for inventors from Germany to go to Austria, and the French scientists went to Austria mainly to escape the civil war, especially given the surprisingly good policies and stipends offered by Princess Gisela.
Patriotism is something to be loved! But you still need to eat.
"By the way, Your Highness, we also tried to make the machine gun you mentioned!" The red-haired girl seemed very proud when she mentioned this invention.
"What? Say that again!" Gisela, disregarding her potentially exposed state, took a step forward and looked at the girl in front of her with a surprised expression.
"I said we've developed the machine gun you mentioned," Rania repeated.
Apart from Gisela and Rania, all the other women present looked confused and repeated the word.
"Just give me a brief explanation of your thinking. You don't need to tell me the specific technical details; I should be able to guess." Gisela said this mainly because Marta was also there. Although her body had accepted her to some extent, Gisela still didn't dare to completely trust her so-called loyalty.
Now that the word has been spoken, forcibly hiding it would only give the impression of deliberately concealing important information. Rather than doing so, it would be better to open up the discussion and present it as an important, but not extremely important, secret of the Empire.
"Based on the rifle developed by Mr. Winchester of the United States in 1866, and with reference to the conceptual drawings and technical design ideas given to me by His Highness, we utilized the recoil characteristics of gunpowder firing to allow the gunpowder gases to complete a series of actions such as unlocking, ejecting spent cartridges, feeding ammunition, and relocking the rifle, thus achieving automatic continuous firing of a single-barreled gun and reducing recoil. Of course, we also improved the ammunition feeding method and made a 6-meter-long canvas ammunition belt to continuously feed the machine gun. In order to cool down the barrel that gets hot due to continuous high-speed firing, we also adopted the water cooling method mentioned by His Highness for the machine gun."
"Of course, our machine guns also have significant problems. The structural strength of the gun body is insufficient; even with water cooling, the barrel is still prone to jamming. Furthermore, the structure is too complex, and the factory's current proficiency isn't sufficient for large-scale mass production." In short, it still doesn't meet the demands of actual combat…
PS1: The machine gun is fast; the Prussians should be able to catch up and get shot.
Chapter 332 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 48 A Strange Hobby! (Seeking Votes)
"It doesn't meet the requirements..." Gisela couldn't help but feel a little regretful upon hearing this, but along with the regret, she also felt a strange sense of relief. She was relieved that she was at least a powerful magic user and wouldn't be used to fill in the gaps, but the fate of ordinary soldiers would be much worse.
After all, machine guns will raise the intensity of human warfare to a new level. Their emergence signifies that mass charges relying on numbers will completely lose their tactical value, and the ensuing trench warfare with defensive advantages will bring the characteristics of deep trench battles to the extreme.
If history had followed its course, even if Gisela hadn't invented the machine gun, someone else would have, and the advantage this weapon brought to the empire would have been immense.
This card must be kept safe; it shouldn't be used in a place like Italy, but rather during the war with Prussia.
After all, Austria's only true enemy is Prussia, and as for Gisela's personal relationship with Cloris, that wouldn't influence Gisela's decision to pursue national interests.
"Does Your Highness have any suggestions?" Rania saw that Gisela's reaction was indifferent and mistakenly thought that she was not satisfied with such success.
"Rania, come here quickly." Gisela waved her hand, gesturing for the red-haired girl to come to her.
"Yes, Your Highness." Following Gisela's command, Rania obediently came before Gisela.
In front of everyone present, Gisela hugged Rania tightly, then stood on tiptoe and whispered in Rania's ear.
"Make a copy of the detailed blueprints and give it to my sister Sophie. She knows what to do. Burn the original in front of all the developers, and destroy the original gun as well."
"But……"
"There are no buts. Let's forget about the machine gun for now. This is Pandora's box. Don't open it for now. Because once a major power starts using a weapon like a machine gun, it's only a matter of time before other major powers copy it. It's better to keep it hidden for a while before it's widely used, at least to keep Prussian and British spies busy for a while."
Rania nodded in understanding. After all, calling her a worker was just a joke, and the fact that she was the future heir of the Brno family remained unchanged.
After all, his factory is not a secret intelligence agency, so it's impossible to maintain 100% secrecy. Therefore, disposing of it in public is indeed a good method. In addition, in the so-called competition between countries, with limited overall resources, the other side will focus its attention on those things that are given high hopes.
Things that "fail" naturally don't receive much attention...
"By the way! Rita, has His Holiness the Pope woken up yet?" Gisela turned her gaze back to Rita, then walked up to her, picked up the plum juice from her hand, and drank it herself.
"Your Highness, don't you dislike sour things...?"
“No! Miss Rita, I think your prince might just want to rehydrate.” Marta smiled playfully as she looked at Gisela, who was drinking her beverage. At this moment, her alluring eyes occasionally lingered on the area between Gisela’s fair feet.
A moment later, she raised her hand to her eyes, recalling the sensation of the damp, warm valley beneath the lush golden grassland.
"What a pity," she murmured softly.
"Let's go! Let's go meet that nobleman from Rome." After finishing her drink, Gisela strode into the room, still clutching her skirt tightly with feigned composure.
Our gaze shifts to the ground floor of the Budaburg building—
After cleaning, the hardworking Jeanne decided to go outside in Budaburg to bask in the sun, enjoy some quiet time, and think about her lover Richelieu. Just then, a pair of white lace panties floated down onto her head.
"What is this?" Jeanne asked, somewhat puzzled, then brought it to her nose. A strange smell wafted up; it wasn't exactly dirty, but rather the distinctive odor of a woman due to some physiological reaction. Jeanne didn't quite understand either, but she seemed to have discovered something else.
The sudden appearance of panties turned this devout "idealist" into a materialist in an instant, because she did not think it was a gift from the gods, but recognized at a glance that it was the underwear of a princess.
You ask why she's so skilled? Because she's bossed around by Gisela and has to wash her clothes every day!
What a disgrace! She was the Duke of Orléans of the French Empire, the successor to Joan of Arc, a prominent figure in Europe, yet she had fallen to such a state.
It's worth mentioning that this job originally belonged to Rita, but for some reason, when she took the job from that maid, the woman had an expression of murdering her father and stealing her wife, which made Rita feel uneasy.
She couldn't understand why, despite their open and honest interactions at Schönbrunn Palace, their relationship hadn't improved at all; in fact, it had become even more tense.
"Never mind! This can't be left like this!" The thought of publicly humiliating Gisela made Jeanne happily stuff her panties into her pocket and cheerfully walk indoors. Unfortunately, she didn't notice that Ms. Aponia, passing by in the distance, had witnessed the entire incident…
Let us briefly turn our attention back to Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna at this time —
"Your Highness Rudolf! Your military uniform is very handsome, and your heroic figure shines like the sun." Nika, the Hungarian maid beside Rudolf, praised the blond young man before her with lavish words, but unfortunately, the young man did not seem happy at the moment.
“Nika! What’s the point of this plain men’s uniform! I want to wear one of Gisela’s pretty little dresses! (Austrian women’s uniforms).” Rudolf said, somewhat disappointed, as he held the full-length mirror in front of him.
"Your Highness! You are a boy! A true man, and the future master of this vast empire, the future head of the Habsburg family for six hundred years! You cannot continue to degenerate like this!" Have you forgotten the teachings of your mother, Her Majesty the Queen?
"I know! But I don't like it!" It was rare to see Rudolph so willful as he was today, but Nika could tell that her prince seemed to have his own obsession with cross-dressing.
Looking back, Nika initially thought Rudolph was simply experiencing the turmoil of puberty and was curious about the opposite sex's body and clothing, so she found him a lot of such skirts.
Who would have thought that, as time went on, he would spend more time in women's clothing than in men's? When no one else was around, he even had Nika call him Marie Valérie Mathilde Emily, instead of the honorable name of Rudolf Franz Karl Joseph, which had been blessed by the Emperor and the former Pope.
Good heavens! Why did you allow His Highness to develop such a strange hobby?
PS1: Ra!
Chapter 333 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 49 The Siege of Naples (ra!)
"Nika! I'll only wear it for a little while! I'll definitely change before I go out." Rudolf looked at his personal maid with a pitiful expression. This cute boy's annoying act of acting cute was surprisingly popular among the noble ladies, especially when he was with older women, the effect was devastating, because he could always awaken the maternal instincts deep in these ladies' hearts.
"Absolutely not! Her Majesty the Queen specifically instructed me to confiscate all your women's clothing. If she sees it again, then your wig and your dress must be burned." Unfortunately, who is Nika? She is someone who has watched Rudolf grow up since childhood. This trick might work on others, but for Nika, it is simply a futile effort.
"Tch!" Rudolf shrugged, then picked up a scimitar inlaid with rubies from the table. It was said that this sword was a magical artifact seized from the Grand Vizier, the commander of the Ottoman Empire, when they defeated the Ottoman army. Although its name was no longer verifiable, and Rudolf was not a magic user, its magnificent appearance and decorations were enough to display its authority and status.
"Yes! That's right, Your Highness! Take up arms and go to the battlefield. Although you are Venus's most beloved child, Mars will still bless you." The Habsburg dynasty considered itself a family protected by Venus. Interestingly, the Julius family, to which Julius Caesar, the uncrowned king of Rome, belonged, also claimed to be descendants of Venus. As for the Roman god of war Mars, there is also a somewhat complicated relationship between him and Venus.
"I will definitely achieve great military exploits, and then become the new emperor under your admiration!" Becoming the emperor means I can wear women's clothing at will, even if it means going against my parents' wishes and stopping my sister's marriage! Just thinking that my beautiful second sister can always be by my side is enough to make me cheer with joy.
Thinking of all this, Rudolf decided to put aside his current displeasure and strode towards the gate.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
In July 1871, with the liberation of Sicily and the annihilation of the main royal army, the rebel army in southern Italy, under the close cooperation of the two magic users, Garibaldi and VV, advanced rapidly. In just half a month, they successively captured important cities in southern Italy, including Catanzano, Cosenza, Taranto, and Salerno.
Unlike the fierce and complex sieges of the past, this time the rebel army was not met with fierce resistance after capturing each city. Instead, countless people spontaneously took to the streets, preparing food and drink to welcome the heroes. Even the army loyal to the kingdom defected and spontaneously joined the people's embrace.
A woman led an army of less than a thousand men and completely defeated the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which had an army of more than 100,000, in less than a month. Even the former king Francesco II was defeated and captured.
The "Great Expedition of a Thousand" was widely celebrated by the Italian people, and the media sensationalized it, placing Garibaldi on almost the same level as Octavian, the first Roman emperor. Some even proclaimed that Rome would once again rule the entire Apennine Peninsula. People composed songs about the expedition, spontaneously hung her portrait in their homes, and her statue was erected in the city center of Messina, the first city to be liberated. Garibaldi's personal prestige reached new heights during this period.
On July 15, 1871, leaders and important figures from various democratic parties in northern and southern Italy gathered in Palermo for the first National Assembly of the Italian Republic. This National Assembly adopted the Constitution of the Italian Republic, making the liberation of all of Italy the general policy of the nation. It also reorganized the Red Shirts into the Italian Republican Guard and appointed Garibaldi, who was commanding troops at the front, as the commander-in-chief of the newly formed Republican Guard.
When the commission was delivered from Palermo to the Republican Guard camp outside Naples, Garibaldi was directing the army in the final assault on Naples.
The current Republic Army, in terms of both morale and equipment, is in no way inferior to the Kingdom Army, whose elite forces have been almost entirely wiped out.
Now they can take advantage of their superior number of artillery pieces and launch simultaneous attacks from the north and east. Meanwhile, the completely defected royal navy has blockaded the port of Naples, and the city's residents are anxiously awaiting the moment when the hero will enter the city.
The new king Luigi was not a complete fool like his brother. He used the cannons on two fortresses southwest of Naples to easily cripple the former kingdom's naval fleet that was blockading the port during the day, taking advantage of the terrain.
Then, under the cover of night, they used fishing boats requisitioned from the port to organize troops to advance along the coast multiple times, and then launched attacks on the rear and flanks of the enemy forces surrounding the east of Naples.
At the same time, they emerged from the city's defensive fortifications and launched a counterattack on the positions that had been lost during the day.
Initially, this tactic yielded many unexpected results, but Garibaldi quickly discovered its shrewdness. She then reversed course, using the cover of night and control of the sea to send her elite troops to raid two fortresses southwest of Naples.
Casteldell Ovo, located on a promontory facing the coast, fell to Garibaldi's New Alpine Jäger in a single night, and by dawn the next day, the garrison at Castel Novo had also been completely overwhelmed.
"In order to better deal with the enemy, Garibaldi's deputy, VV, also had his men impersonate defeated soldiers of the Kingdom's army and massacre the citizens around the two fortresses behind Garibaldi's back. Of course, while massacring them, he deliberately let some women and children escape back to the city at the foot of the mountain." After that, rumors spread that the defeated soldiers of the Kingdom's army were released by spies lurking in the city, and that the massacre of the disobedient citizens of Naples had begun.
Normally, no one would believe this, but during wartime, the rumors spread like a plague among the more than 100,000 people. Panic ensued, and the fear and resentment of the people eventually turned into anger.
July 17, 1871, was an unremarkable day in the defense of Naples. King Luigi was in a state of great distress because he had lost two fortresses in the southwest a few days earlier, and he was exhausted after not sleeping for several days.
Although the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire had pledged a large contingent of reinforcements, which would be divided into two routes to support the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, one would travel by sea from Venice and land on the east coast under the cover of the imperial navy, while the other, under the command of Crown Prince Rudolf and the highly respected Imperial Marshal Güle, would form an alliance with Rome and march south, attempting to encircle and completely defeat Garibaldi's army.
If Naples could be held, it would serve as a thorn in the side, keeping the woman's army firmly pinned down. Then the revolution would be over. Thinking of this, the young king's brow relaxed considerably; at least he still had a chance to win, didn't he?
PS1: Ra!
Chapter 334 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 50 The Fall of Naples (Seeking Votes)
While the young King Luigi was dreaming of victory—
A huge explosion occurred at an armory in Naples, engulfing buildings within a radius of nearly 100 meters.
"Damn it! What happened, Mills!" King Luigi abruptly stood up, pushed open the window behind him, and roared at the general downstairs who was frantically preparing to go upstairs to tell the king the news!
"Your Majesty, the civilians in the city have rioted. They stormed our ammunition depot in the northwest and engaged in a firefight with the soldiers guarding it. The battle accidentally detonated the ammunition depot..."
"These hopeless idiots!" Luigi slammed his fist against the wall, then gasped for breath a moment later.
The ammunition depot in the northwest contained nearly half of the city's gunpowder reserves, and most importantly, a small number of artillery shells, which were crucial for enabling them to counterattack the enemy's magic armor and kill a large number of enemy personnel. This explosion caused them to lose at least half of their supplies.
"Your Majesty! More mobs are converging on the palace. Some of them have already acquired weapons. I will organize a defense immediately." With that, General Mills, without further conversation with the king, led his hundreds of men out of the palace's main gate to prepare for the mob's attack.
King Luigi returned to the room, anxiously opened the drawer on his right, took out a pistol, and then took out bullets from the lower left drawer, skillfully loading them.
Even more dangerous than the civil riots was just beginning. Garibaldi's Republican Guard launched a new attack, this time with their magical armors brought together and deployed in the offensive.
Countless steel behemoths entered the battlefield at the call of the God of War. They slowly raised their cannons, and as white light shone, the magic cannons charged and fired in one smooth motion. The kingdom's army positions were then engulfed by towering explosions and raging flames.
The eagle soars high in the sky, looking down from the perspective of a god at humanity, who, despite thousands of years, still do not know how to reflect, and whose warlike nature has never changed.
"Soldiers! Fire for His Majesty the King!"
"Long live Garibaldi! Long live Italy!" The citizens of Naples charged headlong into the guns of their oppressors; one fell, another stepped over his body and continued forward. The will of the people is a weapon, a true weapon, because it can bring you real victory. Throughout the 19th century, perhaps no one but Garibaldi truly understood this principle and achieved remarkable feats because of it.
Even that mentor was not understood by the vast majority of people before his death, and if you want to see this theory combined with the mentor's will and succeed, you'll have to look to the next century.
From this moment on, even though the contest continues, the king has already lost.
Meanwhile, Garibaldi, standing on the hill, gazed expressionlessly down at the city of Naples, which was within his grasp. His face showed no joy, but rather a sense of bewilderment.
"Congratulations, heroine! It is your 'brilliant' command that has allowed us to completely control southern Italy." The silver-haired woman wearing a black veil smiled and gently applauded the brown-haired girl standing in the distance.
“Ms. VV, if my command could truly be considered ‘brilliant,’ I wouldn’t feel so guilty right now, because I would be drinking with you.” Garibaldi looked solemnly at the woman in front of him, who resembled a little girl.
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