She changed Europe

Page 102

PS1: Fox-like cunning

Chapter 380 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: Capter96 Drinks with Two People (Seeking Votes)

"To make the blood look real, so that it wasn't for nothing that you stabbed me just now." Gisela clutched her abdomen. Although she had avoided a vital spot, she could recover quickly thanks to her unique regenerative abilities, without even needing a scar. However, she didn't want to experience that kind of pain again.

"There are many ways you could have used to unite all the Austrian nobles."

"I just don't want to waste a lot of energy negotiating and arguing with them." Gisela's meaning was clear: using the method she had just used was the fastest way to persuade those nobles. After all, being injured under their noses was a challenge to their authority. Although nobles were selfish and arrogant, they were as foolish as children when it came to face and dignity.

"So this is the so-called aristocratic reserve, is it?" Marta slowly walked towards Gisela, gently lifting her cheek with her hand, and then playing with Gisela's cheek as if admiring a fine work of art.

"By the way! As you know, before you set off for Vienna, I was still in Budapest, so how could I have arrived here before you?"

"Because you knew I would be attacked, you used other means of transportation to come to Vienna in advance to wait for me, right?" Gisela said, looking at Marta with a serious expression.

“That’s right, because I don’t think Hungary’s attack on you is necessarily a bad thing. Since you know how to use tough measures to seize the opportunity to dissolve parliament, you must also have the wisdom to make good use of this matter to help you achieve your goals.”

“No wonder you gave me a knife as soon as I arrived.” Gisela wasn’t surprised that Marta had these plans, after all, she hadn’t joined her side, and doing all this could simply be attributed to her own interests.

“Even in that situation, you were so thoughtful and clear-headed. Your meticulous calculations were quite endearing.” Marta looked at Gisela with a playful tone, then grabbed her collar and roughly pulled Gisela in front of her.

“Yes, yes, that’s the expression I’m going to make. My little darling should look like that.” Marta took another good look at Gisela’s pretty face.

“However, I need to say goodbye to you for a while, because I also have a lot of things to take care of.” As Marta spoke, Gisela felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

Seeing Gisela fall completely into her arms, Marta gently lifted Gisela's cheek and left a faint kiss mark on her forehead.

"You rude fellows! It's only natural that I should visit His Highness first." Rita frowned slightly, looking at the expressionless gray-haired maid beside her with a hint of displeasure. In her eyes, this brooding fake nun, who usually maintained a poker face, had become her biggest rival, both in His Highness's love life and in her own "career" path.

“Miss Rita, I have no intention of stopping you from visiting His Highness. If you care so much about His Highness, you are welcome to go on your own.” Aponia narrowed her eyes and looked at Rita expressionlessly. Her gentle and dignified demeanor made her look like a well-educated noblewoman.

"Then why are you blocking my way?! Why won't you let me out?!" Rita gritted her teeth as she looked at Aponia, who stood like a gatekeeper at the kitchen doorway. Aponia was very tall, at least to Rita, she looked much taller than herself.

"Excuse me, I just want to go in." Rita looked at Aponia, whose tone remained indifferent but whose expression was one of annoyance. At this point, Rita could no longer contain her emotions.

“If you don’t let me out, I’ll…” Rita deliberately raised her voice a few decibels as she spoke to Aponia.

"Please let me go first." Unfortunately, Aponia was not afraid of the maid who was a head shorter than her.

Seeing that she couldn't reach an agreement, Rita decided to force her way through, but the tightly guarded Aponia didn't give her any chance.

"Fine, I'll let you in. You come in first, then I'll go out." Rita took a deep breath and stepped aside. After all, for the sake of her beloved Prince Liuyi, the second physician, she didn't have time to argue with this annoying and tasteless woman.

"Didn't you want to come in? Then hurry up and come in!" Rita looked at Aponia with some impatience, but Aponia remained standing in place.

"I don't really want to go in now."

"..."

"..."

"Aponia! If you want to fight, then I'll fight you to the end!" Angry Rita rolled up her sleeves and pounced on Aponia. Soon, the two were comically wrestling together.

Rita was unaware that Gisela had given Aponia the order not to see her. After all, Gisela didn't want Rita, who was so obsessed with her, to bother her, especially since today was an important day.

Meanwhile, Jeanne was also sitting in the kitchen, yawning, picking her ear, and listlessly watching the contest between the two maids. Although she was quite worried about Gisela, she wasn't as extreme as Rita. Of course, unlike them, Jeanne, who possessed magical perception, could sense that Gisela's magical aura was still strong, but there was no danger to her life.

While the three were arguing or slacking off, a silver-haired woman with purple eyes lay reclining on the roof of Schönbrunn Palace, admiring the full moon hanging high in the sky. The bright moonlight caressed her body like a soft veil, and the light reflected off her oriental-style clothing, creating a hazy yet unforgettable sense of beauty and sanctity, much like that of Princess Bamboo Cutter.

"A pot of wine among the flowers, I drink alone without a companion. I raise my cup to invite the bright moon, and with my shadow, we become three." Softly reciting the loneliness that transcends a thousand years in the poem, having traversed thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, I slowly raise my wine cup, swirl the fine wine within, and then drink it all in one gulp.

"Good wine!" Humans are such creatures; even in happiness, they worry about unhappiness, and in unhappiness, they yearn for happiness. The dust has finally settled, leaving only solitary contemplation. Gazing at the full moon, the unique melancholy and reflection of Eastern culture, like a wild horse, gradually spread and fermented in Gisela's heart.

Looking back on the years since she came into this world, she thwarted the schemes of her enemies in her infancy, built factories and strengthened her business in the West, fought fiercely to gain fame on the Jutland Peninsula, maneuvered strategically in the Apennines, and effortlessly destroyed Hungary's century-old ambitions in the imperial court. Now, thinking back, she can't help but feel a little emotional.

She slowly picked up the wine bottle beside her again and poured the wine into her glass. Looking at the crystal-clear contents, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly once more.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 381 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: Capter 97 The Moon Is Beautiful Tonight (End of Volume)

"You're here. Please sit down wherever you like." The girl didn't say much, and simply tossed her wine cup towards the figure in the distance.

"Yes, it's been a long time, my dear." The gray-haired woman smiled as she gazed at the silver-haired beauty in the distance, then slowly raised her hand, took the wine cup that Gisela had thrown to her, and drank the contents in one gulp.

"The liquor is good. It looks like Slavic vodka, but it doesn't have that strong burning sensation of theirs." The gray-haired woman admired the liquor in her hand while glancing at the silver-haired woman in the distance with her red eyes.

"This is a baijiu from the East. Although it looks similar to vodka, the process is completely different. Vodka focuses on distillation, while this Eastern spirit involves multiple processes such as cooking, saccharification, fermentation, distillation, aging, and blending. The difference in each step will affect the final taste of the spirit. Drinking this spirit is sometimes as interesting as winning the lottery." Because of her silver hair, Gisela's tone and expression were particularly aloof.

"I see!" the gray-haired woman said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand, as she slowly walked behind Gisela and returned the cup to her.

Why did you decide to come to the rooftop?

“I like it.” Gisela continued pouring wine into her glass, her expression lacking the richness of emotion Chloris had expected. Today, the fox gave Chloris a feeling of haughtiness and coldness.

“Although I like you just the way you are now, I still prefer how you were before,” Chloris said with a touch of melancholy as she sat down next to Gisela, gazing at the fountain below Schönbrunn Palace.

"I'm currently using moonlight to restore my magical energy, so my appearance can't be restored for the time being," Gisela said, looking up at the full moon hanging high in the sky, since today was a rare good moon phase.

"Is that so? That's a real shame." Chloris rested her head on her hand, looking quite disappointed.

"Why did you decide to come to Vienna from Berlin? If I remember correctly, your father is not in good health right now. If you want to fight for the throne, it would be better to stay in Berlin."

"There's no need to worry about that. Bismarck will take care of everything for me." Bismarck seemed to trust Loris quite a bit when she mentioned Bismarck.

“Bismarck…” Gisela was reminded of a long-forgotten name once again. She couldn't help but recall the events of the ball with Bismarck two years ago, and the little incident in the bar. A flicker of hesitation crossed her otherwise cold expression. Gisela actually quite liked Bismarck, whether it was the ship girl Bismarck in the game or the historical Bismarck with the big beard. His exceptional talent and ability to assess situations made him an outstanding minister to assist his monarch.

Unfortunately, she was the Prime Minister of Prussia, destined to become her enemy, a fact Gisela was so certain of at that moment.

“Actually, I have another purpose for coming here.” Chloris stood up and stretched her arms.

"What is it?" Gisela looked at Chloris with some confusion.

“Take back my reward.” Chloris’s lips curled up slightly as she began to unbutton her black military uniform in front of Gisela, licking her lips as she did so.

With her military uniform thus opened, Gisela's black lace-patterned underwear was revealed.

“Chloris, this kind of joke isn’t funny now. Hurry up and get dressed. I don’t have time to play around with you like before.” Gisela hesitated for a moment with her purple eyes, then glanced at Chloris with feigned seriousness before standing up to leave.

Gisela would never forget how Chloris had bullied her in the past, and now, taking advantage of this momentum, she needed to assert her authority as a husband and establish her dignity.

"Are you sure?" Chloris stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Gisela with a calm tone, but the smile on her beautiful face was somewhat eerie, making Gisela feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Yes, I need to rest. There are plenty of rooms in the palace. Just tell Rita and the others where you want to sleep.” With that, Gisela turned to leave.

Chloris calmly followed Gisela, then skillfully grabbed her snow-white fox tail and squeezed it hard. With Chloris's practiced movement, Gisela suddenly knelt on the ground, panting and leaning on the ground, her previously aloof appearance flushed.

"Darling, you know what? Although I love you all the time, you're still incredibly endearing right now. That aloof, unapproachable look of yours is just irresistible." Chloris continued to grab Gisela's sensitive spot, then slammed her to the ground.

"Let me go!" Having her tail also grabbed, Gisela, unlike her usual disobedience, now had the strength to grab Chloris's hand that was trying to take advantage of her.

"Did you think I couldn't do anything to you without my hands?" Chloris's smile widened as she skillfully straddled Gisela and began her practiced little actions.

"Tsk, you even have an 'amplification' function for this in this state." Chloris couldn't help but complain as she observed the fox in front of her. After all, it wasn't the first time, and she had a clear understanding of its feel. It had obviously grown a lot bigger now.

"What's it to you?" Gisela turned her head slightly to the side, no longer staring intently at Chloris. Her seemingly impatient demeanor was actually a cover for her embarrassment.

At that moment, Chloris suddenly released Gisela's tail, and Gisela seized the opportunity to immediately flip over, pinning Chloris beneath her and placing her hand next to Chloris's face.

"Do you have anything else to say now!" Gisela's purple eyes were filled with extreme aggression. The day of her reversal had arrived in an instant. This time, she was clever and pressed down on Chloris's hand, cleverly protecting her tail.

"Alright, alright, I won't bully you today. I'll give you a little face since you're in this state." Chloris looked at Gisela with a doting expression.

"I'll put you in charge today," Chloris said with a smile.

“Dominate…” What a wonderful word. Gisela revealed a mischievous smile he had never shown before, his expression one of extreme pleasure.

“Very well, then I will.” Gisela raised her hand, ready to launch an attack.

Chloris's stocking-clad legs expertly wrapped around Gisela's waist, then clamped onto Gisela's silver fox tail, which she considered safe.

The scene quickly became indescribable.

It is said that after the incident on the roof of Schönbrunn Palace, the Queen never allowed servants to walk behind her again.

PS1: Congratulations on the completion of this volume! Although there were some minor setbacks along the way, I am very satisfied with its overall quality. This volume resolves both the Italian and Hungarian issues in one go, which is quite an achievement.

PS2: Volume 5 advances the timeline significantly to three years later. The next volume will focus on the global economic crisis and imperial reforms. There may also be the Austro-Prussian War, although whether the latter will be included in Volume 5 is still under planning. Of course, one thing is certain: by the end of the next volume, Empress Gisela will reign over the empire.

PS1: See you in the next volume! Congratulations!

Chapter 382 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Captain 1 The First Wedding (Vote Requested)

"Giselle Louise Marie, do you take this man to be your husband, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, until death do you part?" The Holy See from Rome stood atop a massive stone pedestal, looking solemnly at the newlyweds before him. Because the floral arrangement at his feet obscured his view, the guests in the Church of St. Augustine did not notice the Holy See's height; today, the Holy See remained as imposing as ever.

Yes, still exuding majesty, and the cutest in the world.

"I do." Gisela was wearing a snow-white wedding dress and a sapphire-encrusted crown. Her already stunning appearance had become even more captivating over the years. If she was cute and obedient before, she was now more virtuous and elegant.

"Leopold Maximilian Joseph Maria Arnulf, would you..." The Holy See turned his round, silver head, looking at the "young man" beside Gisela with a loving expression, and calmly and politely repeated the question he had asked Gisela earlier.

"I do." The young man's resounding promise echoed in the not-so-large royal church. Just then, sunlight streamed into the church through the stained glass behind the throne, casting a crystal-clear outline on the newlyweds and the throne, creating a dreamlike atmosphere as if they were in heaven.

"Now that both men and women are blessed by the Lord, please exchange rings and pledge your unwavering fidelity to the Lord and to each other." The Holy See gently closed the book in his left hand and lightly tapped the ground with the scepter in his right hand.

As she moved, two bishops (one male and one female) dressed in red robes approached Gisela and Leopold, presenting them with two rings. Looking at the rings before her, Gisela felt a mix of emotions, including regret and remorse, for she knew the person before her was not the young man himself, but her sister, the girl who had resolved to sacrifice herself to protect her brother.

Three days ago ————

Although it was only three days, three years had passed since Gisela dissolved the Hungarian Parliament and induced Emperor Joseph to firmly resolve to completely eradicate the unruly Hungarian nobles within the empire.

Three years is not a long time for a country, but it is a period of time that is neither too long nor too short for an individual.

During this period, Gisela went from being the second princess of the empire, whose chances of succession were slim, to becoming the empire's only crown princess. Although her status as a female heir caused her to suffer from obstruction from the Empress Dowager's faction, unfortunately, with the death of Empress Dowager Sophie due to a sudden illness, the largest anti-Gisela force in the court completely scattered.

Then, with the support of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, Gisela further affirmed his legitimacy as the heir to the family line, relying on the State Decree of 1713.

As the Crown Princess and heir apparent, Gisela was not one to be content with the status quo. In January 1872, she drafted a proposal for the re-division of the imperial administrative regions. The intention of this proposal was very clear: to completely dismantle the original Greater Hungary region and then use the 1870 Austrian Empire's census and ethnic distribution map as a blueprint, with reference to the distribution areas of the old imperial kingdoms.

The specific measures are as follows.

The first step was to divide Greater Hungary into four parts, with the northern part, primarily inhabited by Slovaks, combined with Moldavia, which had separated from the Kingdom of Bohemia, to form the new Kingdom of Moravia. (This would create a balance of power between the Czechs and Slovaks.)

Secondly, the Transylvania region in eastern Hungary was elevated to an independent principality because the local Hungarian and Romanian populations were roughly equal in proportion. (This would also create a balance of power.)

The third option was to merge Galicia with the remaining parts of Silesia to establish the Kingdom of Galicia-Silesia. The two regions were mainly inhabited by Ukrainians and Poles. Although their population ratios were similar, they were still culturally different because one belonged to the West Slavs and the other to the East Slavs. Therefore, it was theoretically difficult to form a so-called Slavic national unity.

Fourth, the Kingdom of Pannonia was established by combining southern Hungary with northern Croatia. Since the population of the former Kingdom of Hungary was relatively small in the south and most Hungarians were concentrated in the northwest, the Croatians in the former northern Croatian territory could still play a restraining role on Hungary.

The remaining territory of the fifth Bohemian Kingdom remained unchanged, and with the support of the Sudetenland and the Germanized Czech nobles, it was able to maintain the cohesion of the region.

The sixth ruler merged the Slovenian region with the remaining territory of the Kingdom of Croatia to establish the Principality of Illyria, whose territory was mostly concentrated on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea.

The seventh measure was to integrate the western Tyrol region of the Duchy of Austria with the Lombardy region to form the United Alps, thereby allowing the local Germans to diminish the Italians' control over the region.

As compensation to the nobles of the former Austrian region, Venice (the region of Venice) was incorporated into the Duchy of Austria, and the former duchy was upgraded to a kingdom.

Ninth, Austria incorporated western Hungary into Austria. Although the Magyars were concentrated in western Hungary, the number of divided Hungarians in the region was certainly far less than that of the Germans, so Austria could still maintain its dominant position.

The key to this approach is to ensure that, except for Austria, each region has at least two ethnic groups with similar populations to maintain a balance of power and prevent any single group from becoming too dominant. Further subdivisions of smaller provinces would be implemented within these larger regions, but this wasn't Gisela's concern. After all, the court and parliament weren't her sole domain. She had outlined the general direction and persuaded her father and mother; the rest was up to her subordinates.

It is worth mentioning that in order to reduce resistance to reforms and to win over the Austrian nobles, who were at the heart of the empire, Gisela decided to temporarily continue using the empire's original name—the Austrian Empire.

Of course, the local nobles continued to be allowed some autonomy over local assets and taxes. In fact, apart from changing the appearance and framework, the real local policies could not be implemented, and the reforms that granted power to various ethnic groups were still fraught with difficulties.

While the political results were limited, the economic results were quite significant. Thanks to Gisela's substantial investment, electrification in Bohemia and Austria entered a period of rapid development, with electrical appliances, especially electric lights, entering households at an incredible pace.

PS1: A new volume, a new beginning!

Chapter 383 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter 2 Gisela's Reforms (Seeking Votes)

While Gisela's own efforts to expand her influence were still limited, the astute Gisela, on Hannah's advice, also implemented a limited stock system for her privately owned Skoda factory and factories under Deutsche Allied Power (Siemens), emulating later forms of state capitalism. This allowed her to maintain control while simultaneously benefiting society, particularly a segment of the bourgeoisie. After all, in this era, stock trading remained a powerful means of pooling and efficiently integrating social resources. Moreover, Gisela's goal was to enhance national strength, not just to make a small fortune.

Of course, if Gisela were an ordinary businesswoman, her actions wouldn't have a profound impact on society. However, as the future queen, every change and investment she makes could potentially indicate future economic trends. Since the future queen is interested in this field, they naturally sense the business opportunities. Most importantly, Gisela doesn't engage in technological monopoly; every improvement to the generator and the emergence of new products is announced to the public.

This stands in stark contrast to Edison's historical practice of frantically registering patents and engaging in short-sighted practices. Of course, the Edison of this world would not do something so tasteless.

The opening up of technology triggered a series of chain reactions, causing electrical factories to spring up all over the empire like mushrooms after rain, especially when they saw that it could bring tangible benefits.

Gisela doesn't need to worry about her Deutsche Power Company failing in the competition. After all, she has a large number of products that have stood the test of time and are ready to come into the world. As long as there is a technological breakthrough, she can seize market share without worrying about wrong decisions or business risks.

Of course, most importantly, she herself was the biggest backer of Deutsche Electric, and behind her was the national will of the entire empire.

More importantly than these things, Daimler, whom Gisela had hired, finally brought her some good news: the world's first gasoline internal combustion engine had been invented. Gisela heard the news while taking a bath that day, and immediately, wrapped in a thin bathrobe, she dashed out of the bathhouse at a speed that Lavalli had not anticipated, and then met Mr. Werner in the reception room.

When Mr. Daimler, in the prime of his life, saw the princess like this, he was completely stunned, and the documents in his hands were scattered all over the floor. Of course, this memory was later erased by the competent maid using physical means.

With this internal combustion engine, Gisela understands its value better than anyone else, and automobiles will surely be a thing of the past.

In the field of scientific research, Gisela also reversed the Empire's attitude of neglecting or even disregarding scientists. While this wasn't entirely the Empire's fault—given the highly developed application of magical energy in an era where unorthodox individuals even attempted to analyze the magical light bestowed upon mortals by the gods—it was natural that they wouldn't attract public attention and would be ignored. The only scientist currently respected by the world was Thomas Edison of America, but it was clear to everyone that her respect stemmed not from her status as a scientist, but from her identity as a magical energy user.

This has led to a relative lag in global science. Of course, many countries remain interested in these "tools," such as the Royal Society in Britain. Gisela then joined forces with the University of Vienna and the University of Prague, among other major imperial universities, to establish an institution modeled after Britain called the Royal Society, to encourage scientists to conduct research and provide them with funding, though the scope was limited to applied sciences.

Although Gisela has a law degree, which is considered a social sciences student, "empty talk harms the country, while hard work builds it." After all, improving national strength is the most important thing now. Universities should cultivate the talents that the country needs, rather than wasting everyone's money on learning irrelevant things.

Having said all that, let's return to what happened three days ago—

On a sunny afternoon, the beautiful Queen Elizabeth entered Gisela's room, looked at her second daughter with a smile, and said in a serious tone, "The Empire (your parents) has decided that you must continue to marry Leopold."