She changed Europe

Page 141

"There's no hope. Prepare for the worst." Dr. Jinghai took off his mask and gloves, then spoke slowly to Gisela.

"Then what am I supposed to do with you! Do you want to go dig potatoes in Transylvania (Siberia) too?" Gisela said, clutching her back. She had actually strained her back when she fell out of the window that day, and Fu Hua's attack today had only exacerbated the pain, making it difficult for her to stand upright without gritting her teeth.

“I don’t know if the potatoes will be dug up or not, but Your Majesty, I only know that I cannot save her with my abilities. No, not only can I not save her, but I believe that no doctor in the world can save her.” Doctor Jinghai raised his head and looked at Gisela very seriously.

"What do you mean?" Gisela frowned upon hearing the doctor's words. Fu Hua was, in a sense, her friend, and she had a deep bond with her other self, Su Beiming. She had traveled all the way from the distant East to seek her help, so Gisela naturally had to do her best to help this girl from the Celestial Empire.

"Does Your Majesty know that magical energy is depleted?" Doctor Jinghai took an hourglass from his pocket.

“Under normal circumstances, magical energy and the human body coexist. Just as Frankenstein said, everyone in this world possesses magical energy, which is an innate life force, like an hourglass that can be turned upside down and cycled indefinitely. When magical energy is depleted, a person's life force will also be affected, because this depletion is not a depletion of reserves, but a disruption of the balance between the self and the external environment.”

"I cannot analyze the state of her magical energy, but what I want to say is that the balance between the magical energy in her body and the external environment is currently in this state of disorder, and this kind of magical energy problem cannot be solved by medicine." In short, this problem is a special kind of "cancer" faced by magical energy users in this world.

“Cancer…” Upon hearing this, Rigisela frowned, his expression becoming extremely grave.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 524 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 21 The Ottoman Strategy (Seeking Votes)

"So how much longer can she live?" Gisela glanced at Fu Hua, who was resting in bed, with a grave expression. She hadn't expected that even though it was only their first meeting, Fu Hua's life was already on a countdown...

“She is a mage, and given her current condition, she should be able to sustain herself for several years without any problem. However, based on her current state, she may have to spend the rest of her life in a deep sleep.” Hearing Dr. Jinghai’s words, Gisela felt even more distressed.

"Alright, you can leave now," Gisela waved her hand.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Doctor Jinghai quickly left the corridor, while Gisela leaned against the wall, exhausted, before slowly sitting down on the ground.

"Giselle, is she someone you know?" Jeanne, who had been silent all along, sat down next to Giselle with some concern and asked softly.

“Benefactor.” Friend? Relative? These words were clearly inappropriate, so Gisela finally uttered this word to Jeanne.

“She’s not from this country, but she has a familiar aura about her, just like when you were in that state.” Jeanne was clearly referring to Gisela’s silver-haired mode.

The reason, of course, is Jeanne's intuition as a magic user, or rather, her perception of magic.

"That's right, she's also a magic user of the Chinese Empire, but she's a bit more special." Gisela didn't know the current strength of the mysterious Fu Hua, but in that memory, the Fu Hua she knew was a legendary being from five hundred years ago, powerful as a god, who might even be stronger than Su Beiming at his peak.

“Sometimes I really can’t understand that ancient Eastern empire. It clearly has so many powerful magic users, but the ruling class of this country is so incompetent. It has no way to deal with the attack of the allied forces and lets its own land fall.” Jeanne had participated in the war in the East, so as a person involved, she naturally had a lot of say.

"You can't understand how obsessed some people can be with power, and the affairs of the court are far more complicated than war." The political chaos in the late Ming Dynasty was unimaginable, not to mention how corrupt the Ming Dynasty, which lasted longer than in history, could be. After all, even the dignified Princess Su Beiming was driven out of the capital. What else could those big shots who were obsessed with eliminating dissidents be interested in?

"Is your back alright?" Jeanne asked with concern, looking at Gisela's back as she supported herself.

“It’s nothing serious.” Gisela quickly fell into deep thought about another matter, namely the crucial information Fu Hua had mentioned before she fell unconscious—that the dragon vein of the Ming Dynasty had encountered a problem.

Although she was concerned about the affairs of the distant Eastern country, Gisela also deeply understood one fact: with the current strength of the empire, the two countries in the Far East were still beyond her reach.

“You French have colonies in the Far East, right?” Gisela seemed to have thought of something, and then looked at Jeanne.

"Yes, we seized the Indochina Peninsula from the Chinese Empire, and we still have at least 30,000 troops in that region." It is worth mentioning that the vast majority of France's overseas colonies are still willing to pledge allegiance to Napoleon III rather than the Third Republic. It is somewhat surprising that Napoleon III, whose political skills are not particularly sophisticated, can still gain so much support from the army.

"I want to organize a survey team to go deep into the Ming Empire and investigate the situation in that country."

How many people does Your Majesty need?

"Around thirty people. Don't worry about funding; I will personally sponsor the entire operation." Gisela was keeping the national treasury separate from his personal wealth, not wanting to create any future problems. With his vast fortune, including a series of famous factories like Skoda, Gisela was incredibly wealthy.

"I'll arrange it right away." Jeanne nodded, stood up, and tried to help Gisela up, but Gisela pushed her away.

After watching Jeanne leave, Gisela glanced at Fu Hua in the room, then gently closed the door. After giving a few words of advice to the two servants, she slowly left.

"What's wrong with Your Majesty's back? It looks like you're in a lot of pain," a maid whispered.

"I heard he accidentally fell out of the window yesterday, and that was on the third floor!"

"Thank God, our Majesty is a demon wielder." After all, if it were an ordinary person, they might have really died.

Let's shift our focus away from Vienna for a moment and turn our attention eastward.

Constantinople, the city the world longed for, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, had been the capital of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four hundred years.

Passing through the imperial gates, one enters Topkapi Palace, the former residence of successive sultans. The palace remains vibrant with birdsong and the sounds of dancing. In the courtyards, scantily clad dancers adorned with gold jewelry perform a respectful dance, celebrating the empire's greatness and power.

Court musicians played various instruments, providing music for the nobles to enjoy.

The man standing in the center of the audience was none other than the current Grand Vizier Mustafata of the Ottoman Empire, who also held an even more prestigious title: husband of Empress Sultanah Hurrem II. Although everyone knew that Hurrem Sultanah and Mustafata's marriage was merely in name, as they always slept in separate rooms, this did not affect the power he already held firmly in his hands.

The imperial subjects secretly preferred to call Mustafa directly Sultan Mustafa.

Just as Mustafa was enjoying the extravagant and corrupt court life, a Pasha in a hurry came to him and reported two pieces of news.

First, the Russian Empire will launch an attack on the Ottoman Empire within the next two months. Second, Shahrada Pasha in Vienna has persuaded the Austrians to provide future assistance to the empire. Following the British, their diplomatic efforts seem to have been successful, but the situation is still not optimistic.

The third force was the rising republican faction within the Ottoman Empire, which emerged primarily to oppose the outdated monarchical system of the Ottoman Empire and to establish a republic similar to France.

Their initial intention was to abolish aristocratic privileges through this new system, complete land reform within the empire, and thus benefit more ordinary people. Such policies were very popular and well-received among the lower and middle classes of the empire.

In terms of threat level, it was even higher than Russia... After all, the Russians at most wanted their land, while these revolutionaries wanted their lives.

Chapter 525 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 22 The Knights of the Garter (Seeking votes)

"Do you have any good suggestions for dealing with the next steps?" Mustafata picked up his glass of red wine and asked with a hint of amusement.

"Prepare for war! We must strive to rely on the Danube River to block the Russian offensive." The burly Pasha patted his chest and said with a serious expression.

"No, no, no! Kihar Pasha, this blood should not be shed by us, but by our great allies as last time." In the Crimean War, it was only with the intervention of Britain and France that the Russian offensive was ultimately thwarted.

This is not out of morality, but out of naked national interest.

Mustafata knew better than anyone the value of the Empire in the eyes of its allies, at least for the time being, their interests were aligned.

“What does Your Excellency mean…” Kihar Pasha knelt respectfully before the Grand Vizier, awaiting further instructions.

"Why don't we give those monarchs of the Christian world a proper welcome in Constantinople?" Mustafata wanted to hold a grand international conference in Constantinople, and he would invite all the major European powers to participate, including, of course, Tsar Alexander II of the Russian Empire.

This international conference will be a major diplomatic event to constrain Russia, because Mustafa is well aware of the positions of countries such as Britain and Austria towards the expansion of the Russian Empire, and it is not impossible to use this opportunity to avoid a war.

"At that time, we will invite Queen Victoria of Great Britain, Queen Clothes of Prussia, President Thiers of France, Empress Gisela of Austria, and Tsar Alexander II of Russia to attend in the name of the Empire."

“Yes, sir. I will make preparations immediately and contact the embassies of these countries in Constantinople. However, sir, I have a question: will the Russians really attend the meeting?” Pasha’s concerns were not unfounded. With war imminent, it would be illogical for them to attend a meeting.

“No, no, no, it’s precisely because of them that the Russians are here.” With that, Mustafata stood up, downed his glass of red wine in one gulp, and turned to leave his seat.

Tower of London, Great Britain

"Your Majesty, is it really you?" At this moment, an elderly man with white hair knelt on the prison floor. His face, as rugged as a mountain, was covered with wrinkles, making him look exceptionally old.

“Lord Gilneas, ten years ago you promised me that if I pardoned your crimes, you would repay me with everything you have.” Victoria gently removed her black cloak, revealing her long, shiny golden hair to the air.

"Yes, Your Majesty, if you spare me, I will do anything I can for you." The old man's tone was sincere and without the slightest hesitation.

“Really? Then…” Victoria took a deep breath and raised her right hand, which was adorned with a ring.

"Sir Gilneas Joseph Valerian, in the name of the Queen of England and Grand Master of the Garter Order, I pardon your treason. You shall dedicate the rest of your life to the prosperity of Britain."

The Order of the Garter, also known as the Order of the Garter, traces its origins back to a banquet held by King Edward III of England in 1347 at Windsor Castle before a round table duel. Edward III invited the Countess of Salisbury to dance. However, during the ball, the Countess accidentally untied her garter, causing the crowd to chuckle. Edward, displeased with the knights' rudeness, remarked, "(Not in English, but meaning: those with wicked intentions should be ashamed!)."

Then he deliberately picked up the garter and put it on his own leg, reprimanding the Knights of the Round Table. From then on, a new order of knights was established, which later became the Order of the Garter.

Of course, Edward later stipulated that the Order of the Garter could have a maximum of 25 members. This is the highest and oldest order of arms in Britain, and only a very few people can receive it, including the British monarch and a maximum of 25 living wearers. Of course, the British monarch can also award it to a small number of additional wearers (including members of the royal family and foreign monarchs).

Today, Britain has 12 Knights of the Round Table, but they are not always at full strength. However, the 25 Knights of the Garter are always at a fixed number. From this perspective, the status of the Knights of the Garter has actually surpassed that of the Knights of the Round Table.

"Remember, you have only one mission: to go to the German region and establish our new intelligence network. This time, we will raise the bar for recruiting personnel. I will absolutely not allow any more of our intelligence personnel to be arrested by the Austrian or Prussian secret police." Unlike the parliament and the prime minister, Victoria was always paying close attention to everything happening in Germany.

Unlike the general public in China who simply enjoyed watching the drama unfold, Victoria gleaned another meaning from Queen Chloris's ostentatious marriage proposal: Gisela's relationship with Chloris was far more complex than she had realized.

Once you think about it this way, it becomes clear why the Austrians so readily accepted their terms last year and abandoned their stance of excessively weakening Prussia. Since a pro-Austrian Prussian monarch was destined to come to power, there was naturally no need to strain relations between the two countries too much.

Victoria frowned at the thought of that rude fox.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Erqi Liu gently lifted Victoria’s right hand and then kissed the ring on her hand.

"Pack your things now. Someone will pick you up tomorrow morning. Just follow her." With that, Victoria put her cloak back on and turned to leave the prison.

Upon seeing Victoria emerge, the blonde lady named Hood looked up at Victoria with a smile.

“Your Majesty, Lord Gilneas will not disappoint you; after all, he is the most legendary spy in Britain.” Hood gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before putting her naval officer’s cap back on her head.

“It was because of his legendary status that he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for ten years.” Victoria sighed helplessly.

The man possessed the most confidential intelligence of the British Empire, but considering his achievements, he was only imprisoned in the Tower of London for treason instead of being executed. After all, Victoria understood that she might need him someday.

"As long as Your Majesty is true to your choices and the people you protect, that's all that matters." Hood followed closely behind Victoria, and the two slowly exited the Tower of London one after the other.

PS1: Please give me some votes and post some comments!

Chapter 526 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 23 Victoria's Secret (Seeking votes)

At this moment, on the lawn outside Buckingham Palace, the Prince of Wales was wrestling with his men, without using his magical powers, of course.

She could be an absolute beauty if judged solely by her appearance, and when she's dignified, she has an exceptionally carefree personality. She not only enjoys martial arts as much as men, but she's also quite skilled at hunting and horse racing.

“Brother! Did you know? Rumor has it that His Majesty is preparing to go to Constantinople.” At this moment, one of the Prince of Wales’s henchmen said.

"Let her go. The Queen Mother is going to Constantinople to attend an important meeting. It's no big deal." The Prince of Wales focused his attention on the duel before him, unconcerned.

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but His Majesty will be bringing His Excellency the Duke of York to the Conference in Constantinople." The attendant's words reached the Prince of Wales' ears clearly.

“The Duke of York?” At this moment, she frowned, a white light flashed in her hand, and the Prince of Wales then lifted the burly man with one hand and threw him to the ground.

"Your Highness, didn't we agree not to use magic?" The defeated follower scrambled to his feet, asking in confusion.

"You take this." The Prince of Wales stepped outside the fighting area, took the towel from the maid, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at the attendant who had spoken earlier.

"Are you sure?" The Princess of Wales frowned slightly. She wasn't hostile towards her sister, but simply dissatisfied with her mother's arrangements... but her subordinates didn't think so.

“It’s absolutely true, Your Highness. When I came here today, I saw Her Majesty the Queen and Lord Hood preparing to go to the Tower of London. She had just come out of the Duke of York’s residence.” Seeing that the Prince of Wales was interested in this matter, the man began to explain in detail.

"It's normal for the Empress Dowager to visit my sister. I'm only concerned about why you know about the trip to Constantinople."

“Your Highness, it is because I have left our men with the Duke of York.” Seemingly sensing an opportunity to curry favor, the man said with some pride.

"Damn it! Who gave you permission to spy on my sister?" the Prince of Wales roared angrily. For the straightforward, decisive, and righteous-minded Prince of Wales, hearing this from her attendants filled her with rage.

Such behavior clearly violated the virtues she held for herself as a knight.

“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen’s doting on the Duke of York is not a good thing. We are doing this for your own good.” The man still seemed to not understand why the Prince of Wales was so angry, but after glancing at the other ordinary nobles watching around him, he immediately thought he understood the Prince of Wales’ intentions.

"This kind of thing will not be allowed to happen again," the Prince of Wales said after taking a deep breath.

"Of course, Your Highness, we will not do that again." The Prince of Wales' meaning was quite clear: he wanted them to be more careful in concealing their actions, and therefore they should handle matters with greater caution.

Of course, the Prince of Wales was simply warning these self-righteous followers, but whether her meaning reached their hearts is another matter entirely.

Mother, why do you always treat my sister like this and not even give me a second glance? The Prince of Wales felt particularly bad when he thought about this.

She didn't care about her current status and power; what she wanted most was Victoria's approval. Unfortunately, that woman devoted all her energy to the country and paid little attention to her. Sometimes, the Prince of Wales couldn't help but wonder what earth-shattering thing he had to do to gain her attention...

"Very well, what is the topic of the upcoming meeting in Constantinople?" the Prince of Wales asked, biting his lip.

“Your Highness, the Ottoman Empire hopes that European countries will hold talks on the Near East and Middle East issues to promote regional peace and development through consultation. However, they actually hope that we will mediate to dissuade the Russians from their southward ambitions, or to gain more diplomatic support for the upcoming war, or to increase allies.” Although the Prince of Wales did not like politics, the man's explanation was very simple and easy to understand, so she understood it very well.

"So what do you think the Queen Mother will do? Continue to support the Ottomans, just like in the Crimean War decades ago, or abandon them?"

"Your Highness, though I am not very knowledgeable, based on my understanding of His Majesty and the Prime Minister's character, I predict that His Majesty will still support the Ottoman Empire against Russia. However, His Majesty will definitely not send our troops to participate in the war this time. At most, our Royal Navy will conduct a demonstration and warning."

"We need a new ally in this matter, an ally willing to send troops to help us join forces against Russia."

"Clearly, the most reliable allies at present can only be found in France and Austria."

“Then we will choose the Austrian Empire. I have met their new empress once, and I believe I can persuade her to align with us.” Indeed, they had met once; in the private box, her mother was entangled with this Austrian princess. Of course, these were things the Prince of Wales could never say.

However, even the straight-laced Prince of Wales had to admit that the Austrian vixen was indeed a very charming person.

“That would be perfect. If Your Highness can help His Majesty complete this matter ahead of schedule, you will surely receive His Majesty’s praise.” For a man, if the Prince of Wales receives His Majesty’s praise, his chances of becoming the new monarch will be even greater.

For the Prince of Wales, receiving praise from his mother was something he longed for most. Although there were subtle differences in their understanding, fortunately, there were still areas where they could achieve mutual benefit.

"I need to travel to Constantinople secretly. Do you have a good way to do that?" the Prince of Wales asked as his final question.

"Of course, Your Highness, you can visit General Rodney. She is currently resting in London, and her latest supply fleet is about to depart from Plymouth Harbor for Malta. You can board that ship, transfer to a warship in Malta, and then proceed to Constantinople."

“Very well, I’ll go visit Aunt Rodney now.” With that, the Prince of Wales left the lawn, followed closely by his attendant.

PS1: I didn't know how to come up with a title, so I just left it like this.

PS2: Don't think I don't know what you guys think first 0v0!

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 527 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 24 A Reunion Between Husband and Wife

Private dining room of the royal family in Schönbrunn Palace, the imperial capital of Vienna

"Congratulations on becoming Empress," Nina said calmly, raising her head slightly as she looked at Gisela across the table. Because today was a private meeting between the Empress and her "husband," all the servants discreetly withdrew from the room after the meal was served. Even Rita could only reluctantly leave the room, "resentfully," and eavesdrop on the conversation inside by pressing her ear against the wall of the corridor outside.

Although Rita is still a maid, she wields power beyond that of a mere palace steward, even commanding the royal guards for any task. All of this, of course, stems from Gisela's trust in Rita, a trust built on a foundation unknown to outsiders.