She changed Europe

Page 133

PS1: 0v0!

Chapter 495 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 114 The Fall of the Berlin Parliament (Seeking Votes)

In response to the overwhelming government forces, the parliament, disregarding Lindenvan's opposition, issued the "Hostage Decree" on March 4. According to the decree, any accomplice of the government forces would become "hostages of the people of Berlin." Article 5 further stated that any prisoner of war or National Guard member of the regular government of the Berlin parliament executed by the government forces would result in the execution of three times or more hostages.

Of course, this bill was not ultimately implemented by his subordinates. The officers of the National Guard who were still resisting knew that if they did so, they might lose the last support of the citizens of Berlin, and then they might really be finished.

The fiercest fighting took place in the slums of eastern Berlin, where Berlin's workers lived, and the fighting there lasted for a full week. Every time the government forces advanced into this area, they were thwarted by the complex terrain and the fierce resistance of the local National Guard, who were also the most obedient to Miss Lindenvann's orders, continuing to demonstrate their fearless spirit of sacrifice.

During this period, a large number of fearless heroes emerged, just as Leonardo, the American journalist for the Tesszeitung newspaper who went deep into and participated in the Berlin parliamentary movement, recorded the facts with his photographs.

Men and women, without any so-called calls to action or propaganda, voluntarily shouldered explosives and perished alongside the advancing Prussian government soldiers in their magical armor. Their sacrifice was not for any noble cause; their resistance was purely for themselves and their families.

A 16-year-old National Guard girl named Marie left a deep impression on Leonardo DiCaprio. Before she sacrificed herself, she held up a flag, and behind her, National Guard members wrapped in bandages, shouted slogans and angrily charged towards the neatly lined Prussian army in front of them.

They fell one by one amidst the gunfire, but the flag held high by the girl continued to flutter in the wind until she sacrificed herself.

This photograph, taken by Leonardo DiCaprio, depicts a scene that feels more real and moving than Eugène Delacroix's romanticized "Liberty Leading the People." At the time, Leonardo could not have known that this incredibly natural and authentic photograph would make him a rising star in the world of journalism, revered by posterity.

This movement is a stage for the noble and a carnival for the base, but in any case, it is the melody and pulse of this era.

Unfortunately, no matter how tenacious they were, their barricades were still breached one by one by the vast Prussian government forces.

At the end of the week of bloodshed, the 13 remaining members of the National Guard were cornered by government troops against the wall of an inconspicuous cemetery, their ammunition exhausted. They could not surrender, for the Prussian government forces would not allow it. Exhausted, they raised their last flag and rose to shout to the sky: "Long live the Reichstag! Long live national unity!"

Gunshots rang out, and the movement came to a complete end.

Later that day, Prussian Field Marshal Herwald Bittenfeld signed a proclamation: "Residents of Berlin, the Prussian army has come to your rescue. Berlin is free! At four o'clock, our soldiers captured the last stronghold of the rioters. The fighting is over today. Order, work, and security will be restored." The Prussian government immediately launched a severe reprisal. Any act of supporting the parliament was considered terrorism, and thousands were prosecuted, only to be sentenced and executed by hastily assembled ad hoc military courts.

行刑的地点主要集中在勃兰登堡大门倒塌的广场，另外还有将近40000人被押往波茨坦接受审判。男人、女人和儿童排成长队在军队的监视下经过几天几夜的长途跋涉去往波茨坦的临时监狱。随后有12500人被审判，大约10000人被判定有罪：23人被处决；许多人被判监禁；4000人被放逐到波兹南。

The Berlin National Guard suffered approximately 30,000 casualties, and key parliamentary leaders successfully fled to Belgium, the United Kingdom, Naples, Spain, and the United States.

Because Charlottenburg Palace was destroyed by fire, the Prussian royal family moved to the Palace of Sorrows in Potsdam, along with the Prussian government institutions.

During this period, the opinions on the treatment of Prussia from the conference were sent to Potsdam. Compared to what Napoleon wanted to do to Prussia, Austria was much more merciful. It only asked Prussia to hand over Silesia and did not even ask for war reparations. Instead, it only asked Prussia to abolish its original customs union and limit its military.

This was incredibly fortunate for Prussia, which was beset by internal and external troubles and on the verge of complete collapse. At least it preserved most of its territory. As for the Rhineland issue, given Prussia's current strength, it naturally lacked the leverage to negotiate with France. Moreover, the treaty did not specify how the Rhineland region would be handled, which at least meant it could not be considered a cession of territory.

However, after Chloris quelled the internal strife, William decided to depose his crown prince Frederick this time. After all, it was his eldest son who had started the war and launched the conflict. Although his son had done what most Junkers would have wanted to do, someone still had to take the blame.

It is worth mentioning that Gisela's main reason for joining the arms control movement was to create conditions for Chloris from the outside, so that she could better suppress the domestic forces within Chloris.

This point was opposed by the British. As a compromise, Gisela shortened the timeframe from the original thirty years to fifteen years. The British mainly agreed to this because they considered that Prussia had been severely weakened and that fifteen years would not be too long to restore its national strength. By then, it would be enough time to arm Prussia again, so they might as well do him a favor.

In conclusion, Austria achieved all its strategic objectives in this war, the British maintained a basic "balance" in Europe, France gained population and resources in the Rhineland, and the Russians were preoccupied with a new round of the Russo-Turkish War.

Finally, what they didn't know was that Chloris and Gisela had already been having an affair. The two future heirs to the throne had long been working together, deceiving the world and quietly pushing forward the greatest union of the century. The unification of Germany could actually take a new form, just like Frederick and Theresa a century ago.

PS1: Actually, as you can see, I am quite careful in this regard and try not to get too involved in ideological issues.

PS2: In fact, using biased writing is a major taboo in historical research, and our research is actually quite subjective.

PS1: It wasn't the Berlin Parliament before, it was the Commune, but I changed it to avoid backlash 0v0!

Chapter 496 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 115 Things Happening in Prussia (Seeking Votes)

In early April 1875, nearly a month after the Berlin Reichstag was suppressed, Prussia finally accepted the Dresden Conference's decision regarding its treatment. With King Wilhelm of Prussia declaring an unconditional peace, the Prussian troops, who had been stubbornly resisting in Silesia, finally laid down their arms and formally surrendered to the besieging Austrian forces.

In this protracted Austro-Prussian War, which lasted for several months, Prussia suffered over 20 casualties. If the Berlin-led uprisings are included, the military losses are likely even more incalculable. Austria also suffered nearly 8 casualties, with the Prussian army's brilliant counterattack in Silesia contributing significantly to the casualty figures. Of course, excluding Austria, the armies of the various German states also suffered nearly 15 casualties. In fact, if only casualties are considered, the German Confederation, to which Austria belonged, suffered slightly more casualties than the North German Confederation led by Prussia.

The Treaty of Dresden was ultimately signed by Frederick, the then-Prime Minister of Prussia, with the eldest son of the King, Frederick, accompanying him at the surrender ceremony. Following the signing of the treaty, Prime Minister Frederick was immediately dismissed from his post by the old King, Bismarck was reinstated, and Frederick was stripped of his right to the throne.

Following this, William defied public opinion and bypassed his older children, formally appointing his youngest daughter, Chloris, as the new heir to the Prussian throne. On the day this decision was announced, the "Hohenzollern Bull," witnessed by the Archbishop of Königsberg, was signed. Its contents affirmed the legitimacy of his daughter's throne and, in a simplified ceremony advocated by Protestants, handed Chloris the golden seal symbolizing the Hohenzollern family's rule. It also promised that Chloris would become the head of the Hohenzollern family within three months and be crowned Queen of Prussia by the end of the year.

This swift and dramatic decision caused a huge stir in Prussia, because no one could have imagined that the little princess, who was least likely to inherit the throne, would now become the most powerful heir. The previously powerful Crown Prince faction flocked to Potsdam to curry favor with Chloris.

Some nobles, hearing that Chloris was fond of women, sent their daughters and sisters to Potsdam. Some even went so far as to send their beautiful wives to Potsdam in hopes of winning the future queen's favor and preventing their "political stain" from becoming too fatal.

Chloris accepted all their good intentions with a smile, but never agreed or expressed her opinion. She had the jewels sent by the nobles taken back to the national treasury and used to pay pensions to the families of the fallen soldiers. As for their female relatives, she selectively kept those she liked in the Palace of Forgetfulness, while introducing those she didn't like or who were unmarried to the war heroes in the army.

After all, Prussia had lost the war, but in order to alleviate the people's sense of loss, Chloris deliberately selected some middle and lower-ranking officers from the army who were not necessarily of noble birth but were brave in battle and had made meritorious contributions. She made them into typical propaganda figures and introduced them to noble women for marriage in order to reduce the gap between the Junker nobles and ordinary people.

This approach also indirectly wins over a group of lower-ranking officers, fostering their goodwill and loyalty towards this future queen of the 61st century.

Cloris was rather casual in her approach, while Bismarck, who had returned to the premiership, became even more decisive and efficient. He reformed Prussian banks, restructured the tariff system in accordance with the provisions of the Frankfurt Agreement, and decided to formally accept Austrian-issued credit currency in an effort to quickly revitalize the economy and integrate it into the Greater German market.

The Prussian army underwent a small-scale downsizing, streamlining its organization and eliminating many departments whose significance was not immediately apparent. In fact, following the previous war, the Prussian army had suffered severe losses, and this round of cuts primarily targeted officers.

New national bonds were issued to invest in public works projects to solve the employment problem of the grassroots people. As part of the national reform, Prussia reorganized the parliament and further expanded the scope of suffrage, bringing more members of the bourgeoisie into the electoral system.

To counterbalance Junkers and win over the emerging bourgeoisie, and to unite all domestic forces that could help the country overcome its difficulties. At this point, Bismarck may not even have realized that she and her former self had embarked on completely different paths.

A brand-new political system is being built in Prussia, which will completely abandon the autocracy and falsehood brought about by the dominance of a certain class in the past. Its greatest advantage over the past is that it can bring more people into the ruling class, thereby strengthening the power of the Prussian government.

In response to Prussia's disarmament and suppression of the military (as they perceived it), the army stationed in Kiel first mutinied and then retaliated by vandalizing the naval base. Because the navy was already small, and this decision was primarily aimed at the army, it led to discontent among some soldiers, which quickly translated into anger towards the navy.

At the time of the riot, the commander on duty at the naval base was none other than Tirpitz, who had previously defeated the Danish navy alongside the Austrian naval luminary Trochteuf in the Jutland region. The lazy young woman was secretly grilling sausages in her office when several disheveled sailors rushed in and told her about the riot. They were then completely cornered inside the building by the army idiots.

Although she was a magic user, she wouldn't kill her own country's soldiers, and the herd of army idiots simply surrounded the houses. So while chaos reigned in Kiel Harbor, the naval commander of the port area could continue enjoying a barbecue in his office.

Similarly, this two-day farce was quickly quelled by Bismarck's own magical armored forces. When the meticulous Prime Minister walked into the room with an anxious expression, the Navy Commander was still making coffee.

Enraged, Bismarck grabbed the seemingly harmless Tirpitz and threw him out the window. It's said that the furious Iron Chancellor nearly disbanded the entire navy that day; had he not retained a shred of reason, Prussia's fleet of small boats might have been wiped out.

While Prussia was in turmoil, Gisela, in her palace at the Báclav Palace, was reclining on the sofa, sipping red wine and enjoying a rare moment of rest. In the private meeting room, her daughter Mia was surrounded by a group of "old aunties" who treated her like exotic creatures. Marie (formerly Rudolf) looked at the black-haired girl with doting eyes, happily playing with her.

PS1: There hasn't been much rain in Sichuan this year QAQ

Chapter 497 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 116 Gisela and the Queen of France (Vote Requested)

“This is my sister’s child.” Mary said something only she could hear, then hugged Mia and played with her hair. It’s worth mentioning that Mary has silver twin tails, while Mia has black twin tails; from this angle, the two actually look more like mother and daughter.

Unfortunately, Mia is very shy, and even now she only likes to stay by Nina's or Aponia's side.

"Mommy Aponia, save me!" Mia didn't say it explicitly, but the way she reached out her hand and looked pitifully at Aponia, who was standing to the side smiling, was all too obvious.

"Mia, be good." Aponia knelt down and gently stroked Mia, who was in Mary's arms, her tone exceptionally tender.

"Did you secretly drink my coffee last night?!" Rita was questioning Jeanne from the corner.

"It just so happens that there's a cup of coffee there," Jeanne said nonchalantly.

“Then go make yourself a cup! That cup of coffee is for you…” Rita said, then secretly glanced at Gisela out of the corner of her eye.

"Hmm? Why are you suddenly quiet?" Even though she was clearly in the wrong, Jeanne Alter was the one shouting the loudest. (Actually, she was feeling guilty.)

"Why are you yelling so loudly! Lady Jeanne is really unreasonable. Is this the kind of upbringing you French people have?"

"What's wrong with me! You're the one who's acting like this first." As she spoke, Jeanne and Rita got entangled together again.

Gisela looked at Rita, who was always at odds with Jeanne, and sighed helplessly before turning her gaze to the woman in front of her.

Eugénie de Montijo, former Empress of the Second French Empire and wife of Napoleon III, is accompanied by a handsome woman dressed as a man—Arsène Lupin. Of course, it was Miss Holmes who told Gisela about Arsène's gender.

“I should have met you a long time ago, but as you know, we’ve been quite busy back home lately.” Gisela carefully observed the beautiful queen before her. No wonder Napoleon III was willing to forgo so many beautiful princesses and choose this Spanish woman, whose birth wasn’t so noble. Now it seemed her beauty was worthy of the title of Queen of France.

Upon hearing the mention of the Queen of France, Gisela glanced at her brother—or rather, her sister Marie Antoinette—who also resembled the Queen of France. (This is Gisela referencing Marie Antoinette, as Rudolf currently resembles Marie Antoinette from Fate.)

"Your husband and Miss Thiers, Your Majesty, please tell me after careful consideration, which side do you think is more beneficial for me to support?" Gisela asked the question unhurriedly, putting her legs down and placing her wine glass on the table.

"Ti..." Queen Eugénie said somewhat dejectedly after a moment of thought, but her words were quickly interrupted by Miss Arsène Lupin.

"Of course, it's His Majesty Napoleon III."

“Your Highness, please leave this to me,” Robin politely explained to Queen Eugénie, then continued. Queen Eugénie glanced at Robin beside her and nodded in agreement, knowing that she herself was not skilled in this area.

"Your Highness, there is an Eastern proverb that says: 'True friendship is revealed in times of trouble.'"

"Oh? Please continue." Gisela's expression became slightly interested.

While Gisela was chatting with Napoleon III's wife, the Queen of France, hundreds of kilometers away in her Potsdam mansion, Frederick, who had been stripped of his right to the throne, stared blankly at the pistol and dagger on the table.

All his ambitions and aspirations were utterly destroyed by that detestable Austrian vixen with a single treaty. What was worse, even though he knew that Prussia's defeat was inevitable, that woman still publicly humiliated him in front of envoys from various countries, making him lose face and become a laughingstock in Europe.

He is still alive, but for him, who has lost power and honor, it is no different from being dead. Rather than continuing to live like a walking corpse, he would obviously prefer a more dignified option.

He gently stroked the exquisitely crafted revolver on the table, slowly picked it up, then turned the magazine, carefully loaded the bullets, and gently placed it on the table.

He then gazed at the exquisitely crafted dagger on the table. It was said to be a treasured heirloom of the Hohenzollern family, closely linked to Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, and a gift personally presented to him by King William on his coming-of-age ceremony. This honor was once unparalleled in Prussia.

The dagger was drawn from its sheath. Even after hundreds of years, this weapon, thanks to the care and maintenance of weapon masters, remained incredibly sharp, and the faint magical aura emanating from it was still visible to the naked eye.

Which is more suitable for ending one's life: a gun or a knife? Frederick stared at the items on the table, lost in thought once more. At least in this matter, Frederick still had the right to choose.

Finally, he put down the dagger, picked up the pistol, and pointed it at his forehead. Unfortunately, no matter how much he told himself, the trigger was missing, and he couldn't pull it. No matter how resolute he appeared, even if he deceived himself, it couldn't change his cowardly and weak nature.

Just then, the door was slowly pushed open, and a person dressed in a black cloak walked into Frederick's room.

"Who!" Friedrich looked warily at the figure entering the room and pointed his gun at the person.

The person who entered the room did not speak, but simply removed their hood.

"Black Saint!? Aren't you already dead?" Frederick was all too familiar with the woman's appearance, after all, the two had worked together for a time, and Frederick actually trusted this woman more than anyone else.

"Letter." The vacant-eyed Black Saint slowly walked towards Frederick and handed the note in his hand to the man before him.

"What's wrong with you?" Frederick took the letter from Black Saint, looking at the black-haired woman with a puzzled expression. To be honest, compared to the powerful president she used to be, she now seemed to have lost her soul.

The letter was filled with flattery and compliments for Frederick. The praise he had once found so appealing now seemed like mockery to him, given his current loss of power. However, one sentence in the letter alarmed Frederick: the writer demanded that he hand over all the potions and return them to the Papacy…

PS1: I've got another card in my hand 0v0

Chapter 498 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 117 The Song of the Nibelungs (Seeking Votes)

“Miss Black Saint, the potion is crucial to Prussia’s future. You gave it to us as a gift, and now you want it back? Isn’t that a bit too presumptuous?” Although the potion still carries significant risks, its effects are remarkable. In past experiments, Frederick quickly gained dozens more magic users around him. Continued research and improvement will bring Prussia a huge advantage in the future. Although for him, who wanted to end his life, the future was no longer relevant.

However, his duty as the crown prince prevented him from compromising with the other party on this matter!

“That was indeed our presumption.” Black Saint nodded.

"Then, Miss Black Saint, how about we cooperate again?" Frederick opened his arms to Black Saint, extending an invitation. Upon seeing Black Saint, he seemed to have his hope rekindled. With the help of this adult, he could bring down Bismarck once, and he could bring her down a second time. She could deal with Chloris once, and she could deal with her a second time.

“If that’s the case, I can indeed tell you the location of the potion.” When people are desperate, they always like to seize any opportunity to save themselves, and Frederick was clearly unwilling to miss such an opportunity at this moment.

"Hmm." Black Saint nodded mechanically, seemingly agreeing with Frederick's idea.

“That’s wonderful! If you’re willing, I can make you the Prime Minister of Prussia in the future—no! I can make you the Queen of Prussia!” Frederick hugged the Black Saint with some excitement. In fact, he had some desire for this black-haired beauty that went beyond being a collaborator, which is why he said such a thing in his excitement.

"All the potions are stored in the basement," Frederick whispered. Just as he was feeling the warmth in his arms, a cold dagger pierced his body.

Blood dripped from the wound onto the ground. Frederick felt the pain and took two steps back, examining his right hand, which had been covering the wound. The crimson blood looked so horrifying.

"Why did you do this?" Frederick leaned against the table leg, picked up the pistol on the table, aimed it at Black Saint, and then pulled the trigger.

The gunshots rang out, and the whistling bullets struck the dagger that Black Saint had raised, sparks flying, but they couldn't harm him in the slightest.

She didn't answer Frederick's question, but instead squatted down and wiped her weapons on the carpet before turning and leaving the room.

"Answer me!" Frederick roared with some difficulty, but as she continued to lose blood, her vision became somewhat blurred, and soon she closed her eyes completely.

Black Saint pushed open the door to Frederick's room, put her hood back on, and saw that the corridor was already littered with countless corpses, all of them Frederick's guards. She then turned and went down the stairs to the basement, where she threw a torch onto a pile of hay next to the medicine storage area, and a raging fire immediately spread.

Bismarck, having finished her day's work, was on her way to Frederick's manor. As an "elderly" woman, she felt it necessary to have a good chat with Frederick and offer him some advice. However, she saw a large fire burning in the distance, so she hurried towards the burning manor. On the way, she brushed past a person wearing a black cloak, and a strange sense of familiarity washed over her. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to pay attention to such things...

Our focus returns to Vienna —

"In conclusion, the benefits of helping His Majesty Napoleon III far outweigh those of Thiers' France," Arsène Robin said before stepping aside.

“In fact, I had already made my decision,” Gisela said slowly, raising her right hand and pointing to the book on the bookshelf not far away.

"The Song of the Nibelungs," Empress Eugénie said in a soft, melodious voice.

The Nibelungenlied, an epic poem written in Old High German, features Siegfried, the dragon-slaying hero. He fell in love with Krimhilde, the sister of King Gunther of Burgundy, and answered the king's call to help him defeat the Saxons. This allowed the king to marry his beloved Queen Brunhilde of Iceland (Siegfried, oblivious to human nature), and he was rewarded with the marriage to Krimhilde. Ten years later, Brunhilde and Krimhilde clashed (actually due to jealousy stemming from their shared love for Siegfried). Brunhilde, consumed by hatred, instigated Hagen, a courtier who had previously pursued Krimhilde unsuccessfully, to plot Siegfried's murder and steal the Nibelung treasure, sinking it into the Rhine River.

Thirteen years later, Krimhild married Attila, the Hun king, in revenge. She invited relatives, including Gunther, to a gathering in the Hunnic territory. At the knightly tournament, she killed her brother and captured Hagen, demanding he reveal the whereabouts of the treasure. When Hagen refused, she killed him as well. She herself was also killed by her brother's men.

“I would be very willing to become the Hunnic king and help you fulfill your wish to avenge your husband, but I also hope that you can stay by my side like Jeanne.” Gisela’s intention was to have Empress Eugénie offer her help, just as Jeanne had. The reason she mentioned the *Nibelungenlied* was simply because it was a letter Gisela wrote to Napoleon III during their peace negotiations. Her intention was to later divide the Kingdom of Burgundy, which played a significant role in the book (a veiled reference to the Kingdom of Sardinia).

Unfortunately, Gisela's meaning was taken for granted and was misunderstood by the vast majority of people present.

“We are all women, and aren’t you already married?” Empress Eugénie’s cheeks flushed, her eyes darted away, and her voice was quite soft.

At the same time, Rita, Mary and the others stopped what they were doing, and even Mia obediently held her breath. All sorts of strange gazes were cast at Gisela, and even the thick-skinned Gisela felt a strong sense of hostility.

“Your Highness, I’m afraid this won’t work.” Arsène Lupin quickly stepped forward and shielded Queen Eugénie behind him.

"Huh? Why not? I mean what I say." So what if the gaze is wrong? Gisela made a promise to Napoleon III, so she will naturally keep it. Besides, dividing up the Kingdom of Sardinia in the future is not a bad thing.

“I can sacrifice myself for Robin, for the sake of France, and I can accept it if it’s a beauty like Her Highness the Princess.” The last part of her sentence was so soft that even Gisela, who was sitting opposite her, couldn’t hear it at all.

"Huh? Sacrifice what?" Gisela looked even more confused, and even her fox tail couldn't help but wag.

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open rather roughly, and Gisela's elderly mother, Queen Elizabeth, walked into the room, carrying Jeanne and Rita in her left and right hands respectively.

PS1: A family drama, lol.

PS2: Classic works can be used as memes. I've wanted to criticize the Nibelungenlied for a long time; it's clearly a bloodbath caused by a love triangle.