She changed Europe

Page 174

Gisela gave a perfunctory answer, then steered the conversation back to the original topic: "The remaining question is when the Russians will attack. My plan requires accurate judgment of the timing of the Russian attack in order to ensure that the troops can withdraw at the most opportune time—neither giving the Russians time to realize that we have already withdrawn, nor allowing the Russian magicians to easily catch up with the retreating troops."

“I mean, do we really have to retreat?” Marta’s words surprised Gisela. “Actually, there are other options, aren’t there? For example, I’m already in Herrelici, maybe we can pull off a ruse or something?”

"Using the sheer number of magic users to intimidate the Russians and make them abandon their offensive plans? That's one method, but what if the Russians are stubborn and insist on attacking? We don't have any magic-armored suits here to send you into battle."

"That's why it's called the Empty City Stratagem," Marta said with a surprised expression. "How can it be considered an Empty City Stratagem if there's no risk?"

A magic user without magic armor has absolutely no chance of winning against a fully armed magic user. Even if they try to stall based on the difference in their inherent qualities, it will only be a matter of time. The one with magic armor can simply wait until their opponent has exhausted their mental energy and then slap them to death. The power of Fox, or rather Su Beiming, cannot be judged by common sense.

Gisela continued, "Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem was a desperate act, and he probably wouldn't have done it if he had any other choice—besides, Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem only exists in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms!" Gisela said this as if only she could understand her own critique, but the young woman next to her nodded in agreement, clearly knowing Zhuge Liang as well.

"Is that so?" Marta had read some stories about the East, but her understanding of Eastern culture was naturally not as extensive as Gisela's.

“Forget it, that’s not important. Imagine if, in that situation, the whole world thought we were going to go head-to-head with the Russians in terms of magic power, and then we chickened out. Our international reputation would plummet.” Gisela stood up. “Besides, there’s no point in stopping the Russian counterattack now. Our attack on Sarai was precisely to prolong the war, to cripple the Russian economy, and to buy us time to develop. We’ve already achieved that goal. Although holding off the Russian offensive might make Russia sink even deeper into this quagmire, even if we didn’t do that, this war would definitely continue until the middle of next year.”

Gisela pointed to the calendar on the wall: "It's already the end of November, almost December. Russia's plan to end the war within the year has been thwarted. To put it another way, I don't think Alexander II would order his troops to retreat after opening up the supply lines, especially after he discovered that his troops had been outmaneuvered and we had outmaneuvered him. He would definitely be furious and vow to take Istanbul."

He will continue to reinforce the area around Istanbul, and to prevent us from attacking again, he will strengthen the defenses along the supply lines, and even create a new offensive front in the Erelis West direction in an attempt to eliminate our threat. This will force the Russian High Command to mobilize more troops, and thus our most desired scenario will unfold.

Marta listened intently to Gisela's words. As Gisela finished speaking and took a sip of water, she asked, "This is great, but will it really go that smoothly? I'm not saying your analysis of Alexander II's character is wrong, but it feels too idealistic. Would the Russians really be so stupid as to do exactly what we want?"

Gisela was initially angry and prepared to retort loudly, but then she thought that would be too stubborn, and besides, she wasn't the kind of fanatic like Kiko in her later years who couldn't stand opinions contrary to her strategic intentions. So she took a deep breath and calmed down.

After a moment of silence, Gisela began to realize that her earlier words had been somewhat presumptuous. Whether reading history books or historical novels, she always called those arrogant and self-righteous rulers idiots, but she never expected that she herself had almost fallen for their trap. Thinking this, Gisela's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Yes, you have a point. It is indeed a bit too idealistic."

"Hahaha, Mia, look! Your mom's blushing!" Marta slapped the table happily.

Jeanne, unusually, joined Marta in mocking the fox, after all, she was always the one who ended up getting the short end of the stick when she was with Gisela...

Gisela scratched the back of her head. If it were a stranger, Gisela might have been annoyed, but since it was her own daughter in front of her, she could only purse her lips.

"Although I was too presumptuous just now, even if the Russians opened up the transportation lines to escape and end the war, we have already gained something. We can openly declare that we have won, upheld human rights, and continue to station troops in Turkey under the pretext of monitoring the Turkish government to prevent a recurrence of humanitarian disasters—this is very likely to be achieved as long as the Russian army cooperates and does not completely withdraw from the occupied Turkish territory."

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 628 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 126 The Russian Magic Users' Attack (Seeking Votes)

Gisela paused: "And we've gained a piece of land in the Middle East. No matter how much the British try to cheat us, they can't completely stop our forces from entering the Middle East. So, whatever the Russians do, we've gained something; the difference lies in how much buffer time we get. I now believe that Anastasia is definitely going to expand militarily, and war between Russia and Germany is basically inevitable..."

“I agree with the latter point.” Marta also changed to a serious tone. “Alexander II acted decisively in both the war in the Far East and the war against Turkey. Coupled with this raid that concentrated the power of magic users, he is undoubtedly a warmonger. His expansionism under the guise of a reformer has been fully revealed.”

Gisela took a deep breath and turned to look at the conference room window.

The sky outside the window was filled with dark clouds, as if foreshadowing the fate of Europe in the near future.

Because of Gisela's arrival, the future Europe lost Germany as the birthplace of the war, but fate immediately gave Europe another one, and this one is far more threatening than the original.

The so-called inevitability of history is manifested in this way in this distorted parallel universe.

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.

Anastasia activated the main power system of the magic armor.

Her special magical armor stood up on the aft deck of the Bogolov ironclad battleship, and the armor's propulsion caused the Bogolov to sway slightly.

The military band began playing "The March of the Preobrazhensky Guards," and a lead singer dressed in traditional Cossack uniform stood on the second bridge at the rear of the Bogorov and sang the lyrics of this traditional Russian war song in a high-pitched voice.

The soldiers lined up on the warship's side also joined in the singing, their voices resounding through the Black Sea, while the warship's blaring horns sounded like horns accompanying the song.

"God bless the Empire, join me in the attack!" Anastasia shouted simultaneously through a megaphone and magic communication, "Smash all those damned toys of the Germans!"

After she finished speaking, she activated the thrusters, and a massive, Russian-style armored structure shot into the sky from the aft deck of the warship, causing the enormous body of the Bogolov to sway back and forth.

Two other Russian Empire magic users also took off from the warship, followed by a large number of magic users wearing flying magic armor taking off from various auxiliary ships and modified cargo ships. The dim sky was completely illuminated by the blue light of the magic flight devices.

Battleships and cruisers began firing blanks in salvos, the sound and light of the bombardment adding to the grandeur of the entire scene.

After circling in the sky, the Russian flying magical armored formation followed Anastasia toward the Turkish coastline.

After approaching the coastline, most of the magic users will retreat to the sea to continue serving as the fleet's defense, while the three magic users will fly to their designated assault targets on their own.

As they approached the coastline, Anastasia used her magical communication to call Natalia: "Sister Natalia, I feel like there's a mosquito following us in the sky."

“Yes, they’ve been following us for over an hour.” Natalia’s calm voice came through the magic communicator to Anastasia’s ears. “Don’t worry about it, just let it keep following. Their telegrams will allow the Allied Forces to be better prepared, so you can have more fun, won’t you?”

“You’re right, Sister Natalia, I will make them pay a heavy price.” Anna had witnessed the battles firsthand, and if she could, she would naturally avenge the dead and wounded soldiers.

"We can see the coastline now." Zoya, who was in charge of Unit 3, interrupted their conversation through the magic communication system. "We can't see the troops on the shore who are supposed to meet us."

"It's alright, I don't need anyone to meet me," Anastasia said nonchalantly. "But we still need to investigate thoroughly when we get back, to see if we flew off course or if those people neglected their duties and didn't show up in the correct place according to the plan. If it's the latter, I believe Father will give them the necessary punishment."

When Anastasia said those words, her expression was as cold and matter-of-fact as ice.

Anastasia was known as the Ice Princess and Miracle Princess of the Empire. Her deeds had long been spread through the court to the farthest border regions of the Russian Empire, and all the devout subjects of the Empire believed that she had awakened with the mission of Saint Michael.

At that moment, three magical armored vehicles flew across the coastline and plunged into the mountains along the Turkish Black Sea coast. As they traveled through the valleys, Anastasia saw a group of people driving a horse-drawn carriage along the mountain path.

Upon hearing the whooshing sound of the magic armor, the people driving the carriages looked up, and the moment they saw the armor, they abandoned their carriages and scattered in all directions.

Zhuoya fired a magic cannon at the very center of the carriage procession. The energy block instantly leveled everything in the middle of the procession and ignited everything nearby that could burn, including the horses' skin and subcutaneous fat, the carriages, and all the vegetation.

Immediately afterwards, Zhuoya used the weapon hidden in her arm to sweep the ground. The dust kicked up by the bullets formed a fleeting fence that cut directly through the center of the caravan, knocking down everyone who was unlucky enough to be hit by it.

The horse-drawn carriages and fleeing people were immediately left behind the magic armor, while the Russian three-machine formation continued to advance along the valley.

“Zoya, this is really unnecessary.” Natalia’s voice came through the magic communicator. “Although everyone is used to the brutal methods used by the armies of the great powers to kill civilians in war zones, she feels that the young prince should not be so accustomed to killing and slaughtering the weak…”

“Lady Natalia, they must be the Turkish resistance!” Zoya said with certainty. “Because they scattered and ran away the moment they saw us, which means they are members of the resistance. And those who stood still when they saw us are well-trained members of the resistance, hahahaha.”

If Gisela were here, she would definitely reply, "What you said makes so much sense, I'm speechless," and inwardly think that the person who created this character must be crazy.

Anna, on the other hand, did not pay attention to her companion's conversation, because such trivial matters were not something she cared about.

The valley continued to rise, and soon the Russian three-plane formation crossed the highest ridge of the coastal mountain range, and an endless plain unfolded before the three men under a clear sky.

“Your Highness, Sarai should be to our west,” said Natalia, who had been guiding the way. “With the current visibility, we should be able to barely see the city.”

"I'll leave this to my sister," Anna said calmly. "Zoya, could you confirm whether the allied forces are on guard?"

"Uh, even I can't see very clearly at this distance."

"No problem, we'll be able to see each other clearly soon, everyone speed up!"

“I’m following you closely, I’m with you.”

PS1: It's Thursday! 0v0!

Chapter 629 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose (Capter 127) The Russians Reclaim Sarai

The moment Anastasia received Natalia's response, she activated the flight module's power, squeezing out all the potential of the components. A bright light shone from the flight module on the back of her armor, and the massive machine accelerated suddenly.

She deliberately lowered her altitude, flying close to the ground, because Anastasia enjoyed the speed of armored vehicles skimming the ground, not for concealment—she simply loved the feeling of flying and embracing freedom, which allowed her to forget her mission and the heavy parts of her memory.

She wanted to save her country and reverse that terrible fate.

Others also have their own inner conflicts, such as Zhuoya, who has a woman she must defeat.

That's right, it's Jeanne de Darc standing next to Gisela right now. The two had a contest, but that was in the later stages of the Crimean War, when the inexperienced Jeanne defeated Zoya, who was then very popular in Crimea.

"Saint of France, I know you are here. Let us have another good fight! Let me repay you tenfold for my past defeats and humiliations!"

Zhuo Ya faced the wind with a determined expression. She opened the visor in front of her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of speed. Compared to those ordinary pilots, this was the true meaning of flying that she pursued!

If, after enjoying this sense of speed, you can also savor the pleasure of crushing your enemies, that would be even better—no, to be precise, nothing could be better than that feeling.

The outline of the gray town in the distance gradually became clearer, and Zhuoya could even make out the flags flying on the buildings on the edge of the city—the flags of the Holy Roman Empire used by the Allied Forces to signify the nature of the Allied forces. Zhuoya disliked this organization very much because their slogans seemed hypocritical and their actions seemed grandiose.

Of course, she also hated the Allied Forces because that saint served in that army.

Unlike Anna, who was as cold as ice and disliked revealing her emotions, Zoya often complained to Natalia, "It's true that I'm a bit cruel, but I'm not hypocritical. I am His Majesty's blade, so naturally I must eliminate all enemies for His Majesty. Those politicians and nobles who hinder His Majesty's reforms are his enemies."

What Zhuoya hated most were those hypocritical people, those politicians, those parasites. In Zhuoya's envisioned perfect society, there would be no room for these parasites. Everything in the country would be concentrated in the hands of His Majesty the Tsar. The nation's resources, production capacity, people—everything—would be subject to a flawless production plan formulated by the wise and enthusiastic people chosen by His Majesty. People would produce according to this plan, and goods would circulate and be distributed according to this plan. From beginning to end, those parasites would have nothing to do with it, and there would be no such thing as a "market."

After years of observation, Zhuoya concluded that the only purpose of the so-called market, besides leading to unnecessary waste of resources, was to provide opportunities for corrupt officials to plunder and exploit. She, Zhuoya, would not allow such people to exist in her sacred motherland.

But right now, she has to deal with the immediate problem: smashing all the ants and tin toys in that small city that's constantly approaching.

Back to the present, the ants opened fire, their dense barrage raining down on Anastasia's armor.

But this duchess of the Russian Empire charged forward into the hail of bullets.

The report stated that the 75mm cannon, which posed a significant threat to the Magicians, struck Anastasia's front armor plate directly, turning it into a decorative piece embedded in the armor.

Anastasia raised her armor, and a thick beam of light swept across the building from which the shells were fired, melting it instantly. Then, a fireball caused by the explosion of the ammunition soared into the air.

“You should try to use your power more sparingly,” Natalia’s voice reached Zoya’s ears.

“I believe that it is far more important to intimidate the enemy from the beginning than to conserve this strength.” As she spoke, Zhuo Ya once again used her energy weapon to sweep towards the position of the international volunteer force that was firing on the edge of the town. Explosions occurred wherever the beam passed, and the bright tongues of fire instantly covered everything, completely engulfing the light of the gunfire on the position.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Zhuoya's forehead.

The safety switch on her energy weapon sprang up, revealing a red-hot energy bridge underneath. Zoya grabbed the bridge with her free left hand, pulled it out, and tossed it aside. Then she began searching for a spare from her waist.

The discarded bridge immediately set the weeds ablaze as soon as it fell into the field.

After replacing the connecting bridge, Zhuoya's mech rushed into the city. She landed on the roof of a two-story Turkish-style house and indiscriminately fired her machine gun.

Someone fired an iron fist at her, but she caught the rocket mid-air and threw it back.

She saw Anna fall into the city as well, and with a swift and clean motion, she sliced ​​open the heads of two retreating tin toys with her melee weapon.

"Well done, Your Highness Anna! Damn it, why don't I have these tin cans here!" Zoya complained, while twisting the lever of the energy weapon equipped on her right hand. The rotating mechanism at the front of the weapon rotated, switching the firing barrel to a thin tube that had been hanging below the original barrel.

The next moment, blue flames shot out from the switched gun barrel.

Transforming magical energy into a flame-like state is a technology Russia has only recently acquired. The flames can penetrate every crevice and ignite anything flammable they encounter—including the human body. Using this new technology, large areas can be swept away with minimal mental cost. Unfortunately, the continuous consumption of this weapon is still too high for ordinary magical warriors to be widely adopted, and its large size would make magical warrior armor excessively cumbersome, diminishing their already limited mobility.

However, when applied to magic-powered armor with greater mobility and speed, this completely eliminates the problem.

The flames that Zhuoya spewed could engulf several buildings at once, setting everyone inside, whether soldiers or civilians, ablaze.

"Hahahaha! This thing is even more awesome than I imagined!"

Just as Mia was shouting like a child who had received a new toy, Zoya's voice reached her ears: "The troops scheduled to participate in the attack say their operation has been delayed... Austrian planes are bombing them, and a small squadron of Allied forces' new weapons ambushed their flanks..."

"These idiots!"

Just as Zhuoya finished her tirade, Natalia's voice drifted into her ears: "I think this time we might have been tricked."

"what?"

"I remember the intelligence report said that there were British magicians stationed in this place, right? Can you sense even the slightest trace of magicians?"

Zhuo Ya was stunned for a moment.

Anna continued, "The main force of the Allied forces has withdrawn, and there are only a small number of troops left here to fool us. We've been tricked."

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 630 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 128 The Angry Zoya (Seeking Votes)

“The Russians did just that.” Gisela stood in front of the wall with a partial map of Türkiye hanging on it, looking at the circles and arrows on the map.

He was not at the command center of the Herrelis International Brigades headquarters, so he did not have the "perk" of real-time map updates from staff officers; the map illustrations were from several hours ago.

Marta, while peeling pomegranates and feeding them to Mia, said, "Finally, we don't have to worry about being laughed at for making a wrong judgment. Congratulations!"

Gisela smiled and turned to Jeanne, asking, "Did our troops' retreat go smoothly?"

"Successfully, they are now retreating along the road southwest of Sarai."

To avoid being overtaken by the enraged Russian magic users, Gisela specifically arranged a different route for the retreating troops than the one used during the attack on Sarai. This new route passed through areas newly captured in the recent series of counterattacks against the Russian offensive, eventually reaching Chaurlu, a slightly longer journey.

To mislead the Russians, Gisela also arranged for a feint force to create ruts and other obstacles along the original route and retreat towards Velikoy.

As for the troops left behind, Gisela left an armored detachment of volunteers to accompany the rearguard infantry and artillery. She gave a special meeting to the commander of this detachment in Herrelizi and told him that on the morning of the Russian attack, a small armored unit could be sent to attack the Russian flank, which might slow down the advance of the regular Russian troops.

It's unclear how long the remaining troops can hold off the Russians. If the Russian magic users notice something amiss and begin their pursuit now, they could very well catch up with the retreating troops—after all, the armor used by magic users has a flight speed comparable to that of armed helicopters, making it more than enough to catch up with a tank force that has only been running for a few hours.

Gisela sighed as she thought about this, hoping that the feinting troops would fool the Russian magician.

Even if they managed to deceive the Russian sorcerers, this feint force would almost certainly be wiped out if the Russians pursued them. Gisela could only pray for the soldiers in this unit.

At that moment, another messenger entered the room: "Report, the British magic engineers have completed the enhancement and modification of the two magic armors. These two armors can now withstand the power of magic users to a certain extent..."

“Understood.” Gisela waved his hand, interrupting the messenger’s report. “On my behalf, I would like to express my gratitude to the British command in Erelisi.”

Gisela's retreat ultimately failed to conceal her actions from the British, so she directly conveyed her operational intentions to the British high command. She then requested two magical armors for use by magical users, with temporary reinforcements and modifications to enhance their ability to withstand magical abilities and improve their combat effectiveness. Gisela did this as a precaution; if the Russians were to launch a relentless attack on Eredris, she would have a means of resistance—she was not comfortable entrusting Eredris's safety entirely to the Royal Navy.

The British agreed.

Because he had leaked the information to the British, Gisela had been staying in Herrelizi these days, and whenever he had nothing to do, he was always worried that the British would leak the information to the Russians, who would then take advantage of the retreat of his main force to send conventional forces to occupy Sarai.

The Russians haven't received any word yet, the British have completed the temporary modifications to the magic armor, and the troops are on their way to retreat. Everything seems perfect.

Gisela stared at the map, chin in hand, lost in thought.