She changed Europe

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A person dressed in a black cloak, completely covered from head to toe, slipped into the shadows and evaded a patrol of Imperial soldiers. He then calmly emerged from the shadows and walked steadily to the door of an inn.

The cloaked figure took a deep breath and gently knocked three times on the closed door. The door opened, and a somewhat aged voice came from inside.

"Man may be immortal, but redemption awaits in the future."

"Nations cannot live forever; salvation lies only in the present," the cloaked figure replied in his calm, unwavering voice.

A moment later, the door slowly opened, and the cloaked figure slowly entered. The old man guarding the door peeked out and observed the situation outside for a moment before closing the door again.

As the light faded, a woman with long golden hair emerged from the shadows. Her lips were tightly pressed together, her hands gripping the magic sword, and her brows furrowed as she looked at the door through which the cloaked figure had entered.

Judy Xiu Van Valens is her full name. As the commander of the 23rd Magic Armored Regiment, she is one of the few high-ranking commanders in Obira City. A few days ago, during her patrol, she noticed something unusual about her superior, General Austin. Every night, mysterious cloaked figures would often come and go from his mansion. In order to investigate the reason, she finally took action today.

"Was that French just now?" Judy asked softly to confirm. As the daughter of a fallen noble family in the Empire, although her family had declined, her parents had never relaxed their efforts in her education. Before she entered the Magic Academy at the age of 12, she was already fluent in four languages: English, French, German, and Latin.

“If I remember correctly, that quote is from Cardinal Richelieu.” Judy pursed her lips. She knew that if these people were French, it meant that Austin was suspected of colluding with the French. With that in mind, Judy was even less likely to let them off easily.

So she raised her hand and gestured into the darkness, and a gust of wind swept by, and her subordinates obviously took their positions.

Seeing that everything was ready, Judy pulled her cloak up again.

As a mage, although she had not received training in infiltration and tracking, her years of military service had given her a great deal of awareness about her own safety, which is why she made these ample preparations before starting the operation.

She quietly reached the wall of the hotel, observed for a moment, and then used the groove in the wall as a support. She stepped on it, jumped high, grabbed the second-floor support, swung around a bit, and used the momentum to swing directly to one of the balconies in the second-floor room. This series of actions was so smooth that Judy was amazed that her physical fitness was better than she had expected.

"Tsk!" Unfortunately, the window on her balcony was locked, and forcing her way in would require breaking the glass door, which would obviously alert the enemy. So she looked up at something higher, on the third floor, where the glass door seemed to be open.

To get to the third floor, one must climb a slope along the sloping eaves, but Judy, naturally, would not give up halfway in order to conduct her research.

She skillfully tied her golden hair behind her head, cut open her uniform skirt with her sword, and tied the fabric to her hands to increase friction. She took off her boots, cut open her stockings, stuffed them into the boots, and threw them into the bushes downstairs.

This childish behavior had a surprisingly good effect. In just a few minutes, she climbed onto the roof and then successfully jumped onto the third-floor balcony, entering the building.

PS1: I recently got the flu and it's so uncomfortable QAQ

Chapter 185 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 46 Pureblood Faction (Seeking Votes)

She gently pushed open the door to the third-floor room, clutching her scabbard and sword to her chest to minimize the noise from the swaying. As she crawled forward, she noticed many details: the building, though an inn, was currently empty. While war could easily explain this, some of the open rooms lacked beds, which was highly unusual for an inn.

"There's a sound?" As a mage, Judy had better hearing than ordinary people. She vaguely heard a man and a woman talking in a room on the second floor. As required by her duty, she tiptoed toward the direction of the sound.

“My lord, as you wish, I have requested assistance from Princess Gisela. Her troops are expected to arrive near Obira in about two days.” The speaker was Austin, who had removed his cloak and was kneeling on the ground.

He kept his head down, not daring to look directly at the woman with black curly hair, cold eyes, and a powerful aura. Because it was summer, perhaps for the sake of staying cool, the woman in front of Austin was only wearing a thin shirt, and the buttons were not fastened as tightly as others. If Austin had looked up, he would have undoubtedly seen the woman's bold heart and graceful, charming figure.

“Lift your head, Austin, look at me.” The woman sat upright with her legs crossed, her black knee-high boots sticking out high, her long, beautiful legs curving gracefully, enough to make anyone marvel at the perfection of her figure.

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare." Austin kept his head down, joking that no one dared to raise their head so easily when facing this capricious French shadow queen.

"You dare not? I originally wanted to thank you properly for your understanding and assistance in dealing with your princess, but it seems that's unnecessary." The woman propped her head up with her right hand, squinted her eyes, leaned back in her seat, and licked her lips with a playful expression.

“Lord Thiers, I hope you will keep your promise.” Austin’s assistance to this enemy of the Empire was clearly motivated by a specific purpose.

“Of course, your Prince Rudolf is the rightful future emperor, not her sisters.” Thiers stood up, his back to the man, looking at the map of France in front of him.

“It’s best if everyone gets what they deserve,” Austin repeated softly.

“Here’s a little hint, Austin. A kitten has sneaked into your territory, and her companions are outside. I don’t need to tell you how to deal with it, do I?” Thiel looked at the empty wall in the distance, her eyes radiating a cruel aura. She was a mage; if she didn’t have this much magical perception, she wouldn’t be here alone.

“I’ll take care of it right away.” Austin nodded with a serious expression. Naturally, he couldn’t let a third person know about this matter of cooperating with the enemy for personal gain.

Judy, who was eavesdropping by the wall, seemed to sense danger in an instant. Instinctively, she rolled away from the wall, drew her magic sword, and quickly infused it with magic power.

Just then, two bullets flew from her side and behind. She glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and noticed that the one who fired the shot was the old man who had been guarding the gate. She raised her sword and skillfully blocked one of the bullets, while the other bullet, which she luckily dodged, hit the pillar behind her.

"Stand still, Judy. I don't want to shoot a colleague as good as you." While Judy was dodging bullets, Austin also stepped out of the room and immediately noticed that the so-called intruder was his colleague, the lovely Miss Judy Xiu Van Valens, the captain of the 23rd Magic Armored Regiment.

"Tsk, Austin, you've already sided with the French, what right do you have to call me that!" Judy's eyes revealed a kind of disdain, and her tone was full of contempt and dissatisfaction towards the traitor.

“That’s quite your style, Miss Judy, but do you know? I pursue a much nobler purpose, unlike a narrow-minded patriot like you.” Austin’s lips curled slightly. He had a French magic user backing him up, and he himself was also a magic user. Without the magic armor causing trouble, he was capable of handling the current predicament.

"You attempted to murder His Highness and coveted power that was not rightfully yours. Do you even think you deserve the so-called glory of nobility?" Judy looked at her superior, a nameless rage burning within her.

"Shut up, you little Valence girl." Seemingly to express his displeasure, Austin pulled the trigger. The bullet whistled from the muzzle, tracing a graceful arc before striking the pillar behind Judy again. It wasn't that Austin was a bad shot; he had deliberately missed, and the gash on Judy's cheek was the best proof of that.

“Easily killing you, the commander of the 23rd Magic Armored Regiment, would do more harm than good. I won’t do something so stupid.” Austin was surprisingly rational. Despite his apparent anger, he was thinking much further than Judy thought.

"So should I thank you for sparing my life, General Austin...?" Judy emphasized the pronunciation of General Austin.

“I don’t need your ridiculous pity, but I’ll tell you, as you blasted bullets into my body, I have the ability to plunge this sword into your chest. As a Level One Mage, you should understand that I possess this ability.” Judy spoke while observing her surroundings, her attention focusing on a pile of flour stored in the corner.

"Haha! Even if you kill me, what will change? You will die, our lovely princess will suffer, and everything will be out of our control." Austin muttered maniacally to himself.

“Gisella Louise Marie? Her very birth is a desecration of the empire’s bloodline for thousands of years. Look at those beast-like ears on her head, and that tail that wags like a mating animal. God! What a monster! The imperial bloodline should not be like that. Such a freak is not worthy of being an imperial princess, not even as a heir.” As a member of a secret society (the Purebloods) that had been hidden in the empire and even Europe for thousands of years, Austin had an innate hostility and disgust towards Gisella.

“So join us, and together we’ll send this heretical princess, with her cursed bloodline, to hell.” Austin was somewhat hysterical; his almost hoarse voice sounded as awful as an old, worn-out clock.

PS1: Chinese New Year is almost here!

Chapter 186 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 47 Thiers' Chess Game (Seeking Votes)

“Auston! Your narrow-minded and pathetic concept of bloodline is so backward and despicable. The noble princess is the supreme treasure that God has given to the empire. Looking back at the world, the only lands that can give birth to such a beautiful and powerful magic user are the distant Chinese Empire and our Austria! And our princess will be a unique existence in Europe!” Unlike Austin, in the hearts of Judy and the vast majority of ordinary imperial subjects, the princess was not only beautiful and powerful, but also so intelligent and special. Her extraordinary nature should continue as rationally and extraordinary as the fate of the empire.

“She is not a high and mighty imperial vase, but an angel who can bring victory and prosperity to the empire.” Judy said as she quietly moved closer to the flour sack.

"While you deserve to be one of us, that doesn't mean I'll tolerate your foolishness." His patience with this stubborn woman was limited.

"No doubt about it!" Judy raised her sword and whistled, instructing her men to begin the "Cold Rise Temple Resurrection Operation." At that moment, it was almost as if the horn of her counterattack had been sounded.

"Oh! Is that so?" Aoqun/Liaoyilongqishiwujiushouston tightened his grip on the gun slightly with his right hand.

Judy spun around to increase her momentum, then used the magic energy she had already gathered to smash it all into the flour sack in front of her with a swing of her sword. A huge cloud of white dust immediately filled the second-floor corridor, completely obscuring Judy's figure.

Austin shielded his eyes from the dust with his left hand and fired several shots in the direction Judy had been standing. Flashes of light and gunshots mingled, and whether he hit the woman was something Austin couldn't predict. It wasn't until the sound of a window breaking and footsteps approaching that Austin realized the gravity of the situation.

He turned to go back to the room and ask the lady for help, only to find that the spot where she had been standing was now empty, and even the old butler had vanished without a trace.

"Damn it!" he kept cursing in his mind.

Judy, who had already escaped the building, was staggering and clutching her shoulder, which had been injured by Austin's indiscriminate shooting, as she ran onto the road. Her men had already arrived at her side, surrounding the building and helping her to the side.

By this time, crimson blood had already stained her white military uniform. Because she had thrown away her boots earlier, the sharp stones on the ground had left her soles covered in cuts and scratches.

Pain and exhaustion from blood loss came at the same time, and Judy had to rely on biting her lip to stay awake.

"We can't let His Highness come to Aubila! There's a French trap here! You all hurry and prepare to pilot your magic armor; the enemy is a magic user!" Before Judy finished speaking, blood mist rose from the necks of her subordinates almost instantly, and they all collapsed to the ground...

Ten magic users and thirty soldiers failed to put up any effective resistance against a single adult magic user, whose strength was beyond imagination!

"..."

With a thud, Judy fell to the ground, having lost the support of her subordinates. Ignoring the pain, she scrambled to her feet and ran towards her camp. With the protection of her magic armor, even a magic user's physical body couldn't easily threaten her…

She ran desperately, knocked over a trash can, and fell to the ground again. Her body felt increasingly heavy, forcing her to lie on the ground and gasp for breath for a moment before she could stand up again, leaning against the wall for support.

At this point, she had no time to think about why the French sorcerer hadn't taken her life just as she had done with her subordinates...

"Hold on a little longer, just a little longer..." The light of the military camp was just ahead, and Judy could already see the Imperial flag fluttering in the wind, as well as the regimental flag of her own unit.

“To be or not to be, that is the question,” a soft female voice came from Judy’s ear. She turned around abruptly, only to find that there was no one behind her.

"." (Which is nobler: to suffer the slings and arrows of fate, or to take arms against the endless troubles of life and sweep them away by struggle?) The voice was ethereal and elegant, like a bard narrating from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

A dangerous scent filled the air around Judy, forcing her to grip the magic sword in her trembling hands.

"Get out here, you damn lunatic!" Judy roared angrily.

“My dear, I’ve never gone far. I’ve always been by your side.” The woman with black curly hair appeared beside Judy and hugged her from behind. Startled by this strange gesture, Judy instinctively spun around and swung her weapon down, but stopped just before it reached the woman’s neck.

At this moment, Judy stood there motionless like a statue, because she had lost control of her body.

As for the black-haired woman in front of her, she licked her lips with amusement, looking at the unexpectedly interesting girl with amusement. She liked this kind of determined prey.

"You seem curious about what I did to make you suddenly lose control of your body. It's not complicated. This is a paralyzing toxin from Native Americans, used for hunting. It's a plant extract they used to preserve the meat of their prey and prevent it from losing its vitality. It only affects your muscles, not your mind." As if to confirm the black-haired woman's words, Judy instantly collapsed to the ground. She could even feel a wetness from her lower body—this was what was known as…

She looked at the black-haired woman in front of her with some fear. She wanted to speak, but the numbness of her tongue prevented her from saying anything.

The dark-haired woman gently stroked Judy's cheek, then helped her up, stopping the bleeding and lifting her head to a position where she could see the brightly lit military camp in the distance.

"Is it beautiful? That flame called loyalty and hope." It was so close, yet to Judy at this moment it seemed harder than climbing to heaven. This woman was far more powerful than she had ever imagined, and she didn't think she could escape from her grasp.

“I will not kill you. I will let you witness with me the withering of the Danube Rose, amidst joy and regret. I will also let you experience darkness that no ordinary person can comprehend.” Thiers breathed softly, his breath warm against Judy’s ear, and her cheeks flushed crimson.

"Lord Thiers, the patrol should be arriving soon. It's time for us to leave." The old man, who had appeared in the shadows some distance away, bowed his head and spoke humbly to the black-haired woman.

“Then let’s go. The play hasn’t even started yet, so how can the people behind the scenes take the stage first?” Thiers’ tone was witty, almost self-deprecating, with a playful glint in her purple eyes.

She carried Judy in a princess carry and left with the old man.

At this moment, Thiers had everything under control.

PS1: 0v0!

Chapter 187 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 48 Gisela in Action (Vote Requested)

On August 10, 1870, Gisela led the Bohemian Legion across the entire Novara region and, with unexpected speed, successfully reached the northeast of Aubila. He then launched his first attack on the Sardinian army outside the city. Meanwhile, Princess Misera of Sardinia, who had secretly transferred reinforcements from the southwest, also assembled with her Ifreia army on the northeastern side of Aubila.

Gisela's Bohemian army totaled approximately 20,000 men, plus the remaining imperial forces on the west bank of the Ticino River, bringing their total strength to 30,000. In contrast, the Sardinian Kingdom had nearly 40,000 troops to fight against them.

At this moment, not only the two kingdoms of Sa and Austen, but the entire European continent, were focused on northern Italy, and war between the two princesses was imminent.

Before the war, military commentators from various countries expressed their opinions, with prominent figures frankly stating that Princesses Misella and Gisella might win by a margin of 6. Misella was rated 6, and Gisella 4, with the 4-point margin reflecting the Empire's superior military strength compared to the Kingdom of Sardinia.

This was not because they underestimated Gisela's strength, but because Princess Gisela was simply too young. Although she had participated in the Battle of Prussia and Denmark several years earlier, apart from defeating Princess Alexandra of Denmark (who was exceptionally capable), she did not demonstrate any extraordinary talent in military command.

Of course, these "military strategists" were unaware that the ideas Gisela had secretly shared with Chloris when presenting them to the Prussian generals were all her own. They also didn't know that the empire's military reforms were spearheaded by Gisela and her elder sister, Sophie.

These self-righteous experts who predicted the outcome of the war didn't understand who led the development of the Imperial army's new guns, nor did they ever think about what was behind the war. Why was Gisela's Bohemian Legion the only one among the Imperial army of hundreds of thousands able to enter the battlefield so quickly? If they had waited for the main force to arrive, not only would the 2 troops on the west bank of the Ticino River have been annihilated, but Milan would probably be in grave danger as well.

This is exactly how history unfolded: the swift action of the Franco-Saxon alliance forced the Austrians into a hasty engagement at the Battle of Magenta, resulting in a crushing defeat. The defeated army retreated all the way to Venetian territory, surrendering the entire Lombardy region to their adversaries. Even Joseph's personal intervention at the Battle of Felferino could not salvage the situation. The outcome of these two battles not only marked the loss of the region by the Austrian Empire but also effectively drove it out of Italy.

Now, because of the existence of a certain cunning fox, this war can no longer continue to unfold according to the original script.

"So I still have a four-win chance. Looks like they think highly of my first battle as commander..." Gisela was lounging on a bench, lazily sunbathing while reading the newspaper. The article was so amusing that she treated it like a comedy. Indeed, in front of true insiders, amateur experts are like complete clowns, yet their opinions still resonate with a large audience.

"What makes Your Highness so happy?" Rita stood gracefully beside Gisela, holding a tray, and asked with a smile. Enjoying a quiet afternoon with the lovely prince was the most pleasant thing for her, and it would be even better if they weren't in the military camp.

"Give me the plate, and then take a look yourself." Gisele reached out to take the plate, while handing the newspaper to Rita with her other hand.

Rita took the newspaper and began to read it carefully.

"This is outrageous! How dare they slander you like this! Doesn't Your Highness feel angry?" Because of her close relationship with Gisela, Rita naturally couldn't tolerate the numerous negative comments about Gisela in these newspapers. If it weren't for the long distance, she would definitely visit the editors and reporters of these newspapers to discuss writing techniques and what constitutes professional ethics.

"Angry? Why should Yue-Yi-Lin 5 Yo VIIIGV Noon Wine Four be angry? Rita, don't you think it's very challenging and interesting to do something well when everyone is pessimistic about it?" Just thinking about those people's arrogant and conceited attitude, and then being humiliated, a sense of pleasure suddenly welled up in her heart.

“Your Highness, you make a good point.” Rita did not question Gisela’s decision, because she knew very well that Her Highness must have her reasons for doing so, and this period of time had already proven that Her Highness was no longer as weak and helpless as she had been in the past.

Gisela stood up and stretched.

"By the way! Tifa, have you chosen the people I asked you to pick?" Gisela called out towards the tent not far away. A moment later, a black-haired woman with dark circles under her eyes and a very haggard expression poked her head out and replied in a lifeless tone, "Yes, I have. Go to that open space over there. I told them to meet there at 14 PM."

Gisela always uses her lack of military knowledge as an excuse to shirk her duties, even though she sometimes offers insightful suggestions. Unfortunately, Gisela is her boss, and Tifa has no choice but to obey. So now she can only suffer in silence. With the war imminent, intelligence and logistical reports are pouring in like snowflakes. This usually meticulous and highly efficient black-haired woman is experiencing for the first time the feeling of having the will but not the strength.

"You've worked hard." Gisela gave Tifa a thumbs up, but Tifa didn't respond. She just pulled her head back into the tent. Not long after, a loud crash came from inside the room, indicating that someone had completely collapsed.

“Your Highness, Miss Tifa must be asleep. Shall we help her to bed?” Even Rita felt a little reluctant.

"It's alright, you won't catch a cold in the summer. Let's go to the open space." Although that made sense, Rita still felt that the princess was a bit carefree. Looking at her smugly humming a little tune, wagging her tail and ears to the rhythm, Rita had to clench her hands tightly against her chest, suppressing the urge to "educate" her.

But when she thought of the domineering prince that day, Rita didn't have that kind of confidence anymore.

Little Gisela had no idea that she had just been flirting with the edge of being fucked.

A moment later on the open ground—

"Ahem! Ladies and gentlemen, I don't need to introduce myself, do I? The reason I had your officers select you is simple: I have some special tasks for you." Gisela stood on the makeshift platform, looking at the hundred-odd soldiers below. This time the scale was much smaller than last time, but Gisela, who was used to large-scale events, was completely unfazed, and stage fright was not an issue at all.

“You are all fluent in French, and these are the props I have prepared for you.” Gisela pointed to a neatly stacked pile of French military uniforms on the side, including men’s and women’s uniforms. These were prepared for them so that whether it was a male soldier wearing men’s uniforms, a female soldier wearing women’s uniforms, or even a male soldier who wanted to wear women’s uniforms and a female soldier who wanted to wear men’s uniforms, they could always find a suitable outfit.

"Your Highness! Do you want me to dress up as a French soldier and disrupt the enemy's logistics?" A female soldier in the audience raised her hand and asked Gisela.

PS1: My cold is finally getting better.

Chapter 188 Iris / Q*n Suspicious Clothes Deleted 0 Er Er Flower withers in the Alps: Capter49 Raid and Night Raid (Seeking votes)

“You’re absolutely right, wise lady. That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Gisela waved her hand, signaling her adjutant behind her to bring a backpack onto the platform.

"This is an improved explosive used by our army. It has a huge difference from the explosive originally used to destroy magic armor: it's heavier and less convenient to carry, but its power is much greater! So I put it in a backpack. As for the style of this backpack, I specially designed it to resemble a French army backpack to make it easier for you to disguise yourselves," Gisela patted the sturdy explosive pack in front of her and continued.

"Of course I won't send you to be a suicide squad." In Gisela's view, all organized suicide attacks are heresies of war. When a war is tactically based on the equivalent calculation of how many people die in exchange for how many others die, then that country is not far from defeat.

"You will infiltrate the Kingdom of Sardinia as French soldiers to carry out sabotage operations, with the core objective being to destroy their bridges and railways." This is what is known as a sabotage operation.

Gisela chose to have them play French soldiers instead of Sardinian soldiers primarily because the French army, as an ally of Sardinia, enjoyed considerable freedom of movement within the kingdom. Furthermore, as French soldiers, they were largely unknown to ordinary Italians, and even police and secret agents dared not investigate them. Moreover, this also served to damage relations between the Italian public and the French army—a double benefit.

Raid warfare, a tactic employed by the belligerent nations during World War II, is something Gisela can let the armies of Sardinia and France experience firsthand, allowing them to learn in advance how troublesome this tactic can be. This futuristic approach also has an advantage: the enemy will be completely unprepared, allowing this hundred-strong force to happily sabotage railways and blow up bridges.

"Your Highness! What if we fail to complete our mission?" Another soldier raised his hand, expressing his concern.