She changed Europe

Page 120

"How about we find a way to give them a good thrashing?" Peter patted Leiva on the shoulder with a smile. Leiva nodded, looking eager to try, since no one had ever used these new guys in actual combat before.

"Artillery range finding," Leiva said, straightening up and taking the command flag from a soldier.

“No need to test, just fire according to your own predictions,” Peter said to the soldiers as he sat down on a rock.

"Boss, it's pointless if we don't strike with precision and cause casualties to the enemy." Leiva was again puzzled by what his superior wanted to do.

"Just listen to me. Also, remember to send a magical communication to our superiors, saying that we have discovered Prussian engineers building a bridge downstream of the Rabe River."

"Yes, sir!" Leiva turned around and looked at the mortar squad that was already ready.

"Artillery, listen up! Open fire at will."

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" With a series of crisp sounds, mortar shells flew towards the Prussians in perfectly physics-perfect arcs, and soon explosions erupted on the opposite bank of the river. The Prussians who had been busy earlier all dropped to the ground. The three magical armors also deployed their shields.

Because there was no measurement, the shells landed very randomly, causing almost no real damage to the enemy. As a result, the Prussian army's work came to a standstill.

"Cease fire," Peter said to Leiva, and the shelling ceased abruptly as Leiva raised the flag.

"Boss, what do you mean by this?"

"As you can see, this is just stalling for time. Do you really think that our hundred men can handle three of their magic armors?" Dealing with magic armor without heavy weapons is extremely difficult, and the enemy is on the other side of the river. Peter isn't going to be foolish enough to lead his men across the river to confront the Prussians.

As the shelling ceased, and after an unknown amount of time, the bewildered Prussians stood up again to resume their work, only to be met with a new round of shelling.

Peter thus managed to hold off the Prussian engineers, preventing them from starting construction. Finally, when they could no longer tolerate the artillery fire and decided to ignore the enemy's artillery fire to build the bridge, Peter finally gave the order to fire a salvo. As a new round of artillery fire accurately exploded where the Prussians were concentrated, and shrapnel killed enemies further away, the heavily wounded Prussians were finally forced to retreat. Peter's company cleverly thwarted the Prussians' core objective in this outpost—building the bridge and secretly attempting to cross the Rabe River.

Similarly, despite suffering heavy casualties, the Austrian army repelled the Prussian magic armor attack from the front lines. At dawn, when Gisela led the magic users to the area, she couldn't help but frown as countless bodies of her own soldiers were carried out of the battlefield and placed in the open.

Although the Austrian army often seemed mediocre, Gisela truly witnessed the fighting spirit of the Imperial soldiers when she saw so many fallen warriors who held their ground and refused to retreat. Of course, their sacrifice was not meaningless; once the Prussian army's direction of attack was determined, Gisela's Austrian magic users could launch an attack on the Prussians from that direction. They could force the Prussian magic users to engage, then completely defeat their two magic users, and then march north.

"Your Highness, your magical armor is ready." At this moment, Aponia came up behind Gisela and whispered a reminder.

“Your Highness, this is your new Snow Fox model. Dr. Zoe has specially modified it for you, discarding the previous inefficient magic-powered wings and replacing them with a propulsion device that utilizes magic energy more efficiently, as well as adding physical gliders.” Gisela observed the strange gliders behind her magic-powered armor, her expression somewhat complicated.

Actually, she really liked the design of the "Snow Fox" from the Italian War era. Compared to the ugly physical glider in front of her, the previous design was elegant and beautiful. Although the magic energy utilization efficiency was low, so what? Strength is only temporary, but coolness is forever.

"Where are the secondary weapons I asked you to install?" Previously, Gisela's only melee weapon was the Saint Stephen's Sword, which was clearly insufficient for her to deal with any unexpected situations.

"On your legs, there is a short sword on each side, and two throwing objects." The throwing objects are similar to the shuriken used by Japanese ninjas. Infused with magical energy, they are thrown with the enhanced force of the magical armor, naturally resulting in enormous destructive power.

"I understand." Gisela fiddled with her golden hair with her right hand and gently touched the snow-white surface of her magic armor with her left. As Gisela focused her attention, her golden hair turned silver again, and her eyes turned purple at the same time. Her figure and appearance became even more perfect, which was refreshing no matter when. Especially for many new researchers, Her Highness's changes were even more unexpected.

The power that her other self brought to Gisela was like sweet nectar, intoxicating and delightful. In fact, Gisela's original power was not weak, but whenever she combined with Su Beiming's power, the enhancement to her senses increased exponentially. Accompanying this was an even stronger mental power, which allowed her to be calmer than usual. This made her appear more dignified, with a more aloof and arrogant aura.

As Jeanne gazed at Gisela from afar, whose aura resembled Su Beiming's once again, she frowned, her mood becoming quite complex. After all, she was both wary and curious about Gisela in her current state.

"By the way, Rita, I need a larger size for this combat suit. I had trouble breathing when I wore it last time," Gisela said, pressing her chest and glancing at the combat suit Rita was holding out of the corner of her eye.

Upon hearing Gisela's words, Rita fixed her gaze on Gisela's chest. A moment later, she raised her hands and placed them on her own chest. She realized that her once-proud advantage was becoming increasingly smaller in the face of the grown-up prince. Knowing that her prince preferred larger breasts, Rita's sense of crisis grew even stronger…

It turns out that when someone is targeted by malice, they subjectively believe that everyone around them is hostile towards them. At this moment, when Rita turned her gaze to the rather cunning and repressed nun, under her gaze, the woman seemed to deliberately straighten her back, as if showing off her breast fat. (Nina and Rita share some similar views on Aponia, lol).

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 449 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 68's Preparations Before the Attack (Seeking Votes)

Seemingly noticing Rita's somewhat subdued mood, Gisela sighed helplessly, then walked up to Rita and flicked her forehead with her index finger. Compared to the older Rita, Gisela now seemed more like the older sister!

“That’s impolite, Rita. I don’t remember you being like this before,” Gisela whispered a reminder.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was a little out of line." Rita lowered her head, looking somewhat disappointed.

“You are all my most important partners, so you must get along well with Aponia.” Gisela gently put her arm around Rita’s waist and turned her head towards Aponia. At this moment, the gray-haired maid maintained impeccable manners, leaning slightly forward to show respect, with a kind smile on her lips and her eyes slightly narrowed.

At this moment, Gisela simply couldn't reconcile the image of Aponia from her nun days with that of Aponia in her maid outfit; it was as if they were two completely different people. Of course, the oblivious Gisela wouldn't know that admiration for someone can drive that person to strive to become the person they admire.

"Forget about it." Gisela took the original combat uniform from Rita, which was now a little too small for her, and went behind the curtain to change. On the battlefield, many of the magic artisans were male, so changing rooms were still essential.

"Gisella, about tactics." At this moment, Lana, one of the twins, came to Gisella's changing room and asked.

"Is that Lana? We don't have any tactics for today's battle. There are seven of us against two, so we'll just thrash them like thugs." Even so, Gisela still didn't want Miss Goben to suffer any mishaps. After all, Goben was not only Chloris's best friend to Gisela, but also someone who had saved her life.

“Is that so? But don’t worry this time, my sister and I will be more careful,” Lana whispered to Gisela, leaning against the wall.

"Sister Lana, what kind of person is that woman named VV?" Gisela asked, seemingly remembering that the two of them had been captivated by VV for a period of time.

"Her? She has a composure and calmness that doesn't match her appearance. She seems to have friendly relations with many nobles in the empire, but that's not the point. She is good at planning and thinking. She is heading in a direction that I can't be sure of."

"Oh right, I almost forgot. That lady named VV once said: There are no eternal enemies or friends. The game in the Apennines has come to an end, but no one can claim victory until the outcome is decided."

“Vittorio Veneto, that’s obviously her style.” Gisela repeated the name softly as she picked up her dress and hung it up on a hanger.

"Sister Lana has a favor to ask you to do later." Gisela thought of the magic user who saved her during the train attack three years ago. Gisela had some vague suspicions about Lana's identity, but at the time, the situation didn't allow for it, so she didn't have time to think about it too much.

“Find Giuseppe Garibaldi for me, this time using our Habsburg family’s own network of connections.” Gisela didn’t manage to persuade Garibaldi to join her side at the time. But she was certain that although Garibaldi faded from public view and was scorned by her own people as an ambitious schemer, she didn’t seem to have gone to America.

“No problem, I’ll have my father look into it when I have some free time.” Lana’s father is Archduke Karl Ludwig, Gisela’s uncle. Lana and Liana’s younger brother is Archduke Ferdinand, the Crown Prince of the Empire who was assassinated in Serbia, the trigger for World War I. However, Ferdinand is only 12 years old now.

In this offline world, the old emperor certainly doesn't intend to let Ferdinand inherit the throne. After all, the old emperor is currently very fond of his second daughter, because the empire is turning for the better under Gisela's leadership.

“By the way, Gisela, thank you for helping us in Italy,” Lana said softly with a smile.

Gisela quickly pulled back her curtain and came out.

“You are all my family.” Gisela didn’t say much, just replied in a calm tone.

Just then, Cecilia, who was supporting Austria from the Thirteen Courts, also came out wearing her black combat uniform. After smiling and nodding to Gisela, she walked towards her magical armor.

“Black Abyss White Flower, the God-Slaying Spear wielded by the Roman Catholic Church, is said to have some inexplicable connection with the Spear of Longinus. She is the sharpest spear of the Holy See,” Lana whispered.

"And who is the shield?" Gisela couldn't help but ask, recalling the story of the spear and the shield.

"It's the Jesuit leader that Gisela wanted to eliminate in Rome; people like to call her 'Black Saint'."

"And what about Durandal?" That was the name of the blonde woman who had accompanied and protected the Holy Throne.

"I don't know, maybe it's some kind of secret force." The Catholic Church's thousand-year history isn't just filled with scholarly theological debates; it's also been marked by violence. The Knights, the overt military organization, harbor unknown secrets. And then there's that thing that changed Rudolf—all of this makes Gisela increasingly unable to understand the Roman Catholic Church.

"It's almost time to get ready to leave." Gisela said goodbye to Lana and, with the help of the staff, prepared to put on the long-unused magic armor once again.

Turning our attention back to Prussia—

After his initial defeat, Prince Karl Frederick had to recognize that the Austrians before him were different from the weak Saxon army he had faced before; they were a powerful force comparable to the Prussian army.

"Is the Crown Prince's army still on its way?"

"Yes, sir, His Highness said his legion will launch an attack in the north in three days."

"Three days?" Prince Karl's face widened as if it were a lantern.

"Three days is enough to decide the outcome of a war!" In theory, according to the General Staff's pre-war plan, the Second Army Corps, which was closest to the Austro-Prussian border, should have launched the first attack on the Austrians on the northern front. However, the First Army Corps, which had circled around and captured Dresden, was the first to arrive at the front.

"Don't be nervous, sir. Our probing attack last night at least confirmed that their defenses were weak," Yulia (Little Moltke) said, adjusting her glasses.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 450 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 69 The Austrian Attack (Seeking Votes)

"We have not come away empty-handed. With proper redeployment of troops and adjustment of tactics, we can achieve a breakthrough today."

"Then tell me what your basis is for this judgment? How can you be so certain that we can break through the Austrian defenses today?" Prince Karl Frederick possessed the decisive and efficient character of Field Marshal Blücher, but his recklessness was not as reckless as Murat's. Once his subordinates' suggestions convinced him, he didn't mind changing his tactics; he was a man of principle...

"Because I discovered that yesterday, when faced with our artillery fire, the Austrian army did not immediately return fire, and this situation continued for a whole day. So from this, we can at least observe that the other side lacks heavy firepower. In addition, during our attack last night, the engineers were only hit by sporadic small-caliber artillery fire. In conclusion, the Austrian troops facing us may not be the main force in the true sense, so we still have no need to be afraid."

"Finally, back to the present, after the failed surprise attack, we can only fight the Austrians for the existing bridges over the river."

"These are the ones you're referring to?" Prince Karl pointed to several locations on the map where bridges had already been built.

"Yes, sir, this is the key point we need to fight for right now, and it is also the best way to ensure that we achieve our strategic objectives within the stipulated time."

“Very good. Since you have an idea, then go ahead and do it. I will give you two divisions to complete the mission of seizing control of the bridge.” As soon as the prince finished speaking, a huge explosion rang out in the Prussian army camp.

"What happened?" Prince Karl, who was nearly knocked over by the huge explosion, steadied himself by holding onto his table and then shouted towards the outside of the tent.

Similarly, Yulia immediately tried to use her magical perception to cover the area around the tent.

"Quickly withdraw your magic power, be careful of the enemy's reverse perception." Unlike Yulia, who lacks practical combat experience, Goben is a Prussian magic user who has been on the front lines of battle for a long time. Therefore, she is more aware of the risks involved than Yulia. And the explosion just now was something that ordinary weapons could not do, so there can only be one possibility—an enemy magic user is attacking.

As soon as she finished speaking, a white light flashed by, and under the watchful eyes of all the panicked Prussian soldiers on the ground, the tent flying the First Army Headquarters flag exploded again. As the new explosion and the dust that rose up made some experienced veterans immediately realize what was happening.

"General!" Soon, under the command of some mid- to low-ranking officers, a large number of soldiers rushed towards the destroyed main command tent, attempting to rescue the wounded inside.

The first soldiers to arrive quickly helped a middle-aged man covered in dust and dirt up from not far from the tent.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" The soldiers checked on the man's condition as they continued toward the burning tent, trying to find survivors.

"Cough cough! Don't worry about me, Goben and Julia are still inside!" The middle-aged man's face was ashen. This battlefield warrior looked extremely disheveled. His once conspicuous hussar uniform was now blackened by sparks, and his tall hat was nowhere to be seen.

"Sir, we're alright." Goben carried Yulia as they climbed out of a nearby crater.

"It's good that they're alright." Prince Karl breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the two of them were still there, his troops were safe.

"What kind of scale was the enemy's artillery bombardment to be able to destroy such a rear camp? Apart from super-heavy artillery, Karl really can't think of any weapon in the Austrian army that possesses such terrifying power." As for magic users? Don't be ridiculous, no major power would deploy them into battle at the very beginning of a war.

"Sir, it's either artillery or Austrian magic users. Look over there..." The officer reporting the battle situation took a deep breath, raised his head in despair, and pointed to the sky.

Soaring through the sky like an angel, surveying the Prussian army like ants, at the very front stood a woman with snow-white fox ears, exuding an air of dominance—a scene strikingly similar to that on the Jutland Peninsula.

Prince Carl Frederick also vividly remembered this, as he had participated in the Danish-Prussian War and witnessed the clean and efficient elimination of hundreds of Danish magic users after Gisela's second ascent.

Most importantly, that was her hair color back then, as well as her eye color...

“Giselle Louise Marie…” Goben supported Julia, his brow furrowed as he gazed at the enemy in the sky. Beneath the heavens stood seven fully armed Austrian mage-wielders, more than three times the number currently in their camp.

“There’s absolutely no chance of winning.” Prince Karl gazed at the enemy in the sky with a sense of despair. Now, he wasn’t praying for victory, but rather for how many soldiers he could save. The thought of this made the already wounded prince gasp for breath, nearly fainting.

At this moment, Gisela, who was hovering in the sky, retracted her magic cannon, then took a deep breath, put her hands together at her chest, and a small blue flame immediately began to dance in her palm.

“I don’t recommend you use that move now, it’s not the right time yet.” Jeanne, carrying the battle flag, quickly flew to the front of the group and whispered to Gisela. Whether as a comrade or an enemy, Jeanne had spent the most time with Gisela on the battlefield, so compared to those who followed her, Jeanne understood better the burden that such flames would place on Gisela’s body.

“To instill fear in them, simply display absolute power.” Gisela responded coldly to Jeanne’s words, then continued to raise her head, fixing her crimson eyes on the area she had just struck.

"Burn them to ashes..." Gisela's words were cut short as Jeanne raised her battle flag and flew it toward the direction Gisela was looking at. Gisela stopped chanting because it would accidentally injure Jeanne.

“Hopeless idiot.” Gisela curled her lips slightly, slowly raised her right hand, and then gently lowered it.

Upon receiving Gisela's orders, the five magic users still in the sky launched an attack on the ground using their ranged weapons.

In an instant, countless white lights and explosions rose and fell, and the raging fire set off the entire Prussian military camp on the plain, with the towering flames almost setting the sky ablaze as well.

Gisela, though seemingly numerous, was already accustomed to large-scale operations. He knew that the Prussian army beneath his feet numbered only ten to twenty thousand; a force of one hundred thousand could not possibly be deployed entirely in this area—there was neither space nor a need for it. Once this elite force was defeated, the Prussian First Army would naturally be driven to the northern defensive line, at which point a brilliant defensive counterattack could be launched using both sides' land forces.

PS1: 0v0!

Chapter 451 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 70 Goben's Determination (Seeking Votes)

"Sister Lana, I'm handing over command of the skies to you. I'm going with Jeanne to find the enemy's magic users." With that, Gisela flew off in the direction Jeanne had descended. In fact, Jeanne's judgment was correct. Faced with an enemy force they couldn't possibly defeat, the Prussians wouldn't risk their two precious magic users to defend against an attack from seven enemies. After all, not everyone had the ability to achieve victory against overwhelming odds like Su Beiming on the banks of the Ticino River.

Therefore, the other side is highly likely to abandon the takeoff and retreat directly to a safer location.

"Tsk! You could have just told me that, instead of saying it was for my health." However, Gisela was still somewhat relieved to hear the rare words of concern from Jeanne Alter.

Our gaze returns to the ground—

Goben and Yulia deliberately concealed their magical powers and changed into ordinary officer uniforms, directing the soldiers to rescue the wounded and organize the retreat.

Prince Karl, suffering from a concussion from the earlier explosion, was carried on a stretcher to a carriage and led the retreat towards Dresden. Command of the troops then fell to Augusia Karl von Goethe, the most experienced mage on the scene.

“The magic communication is no longer working. You will ride to the other divisions of our Second Legion. Tell the brigade headquarters that the main force of the Austrian Empire is in the northwest, and that the enemy has a large number of magic users. In order to reduce casualties, we should move northeast to join the Crown Prince’s Second Legion.” The hussar commanders in General Goben’s camp gathered together and briefly handed over the mission.

"Load the seriously wounded onto the vehicles first, and the lightly wounded will disperse and evacuate with the other soldiers. We don't need to cover the rear; just try to escape." If the magic users are determined to pursue us, there's no way we can escape. So the only thing we can pray for is that they won't do that.

"You mage warriors, you may choose to forgo your mage armor if necessary," Goben said, turning to look at the group of soldiers dressed in Prussian mage uniforms. Protecting personnel was clearly more important than weapons.

After all, the rarity of Magic Warriors determines that they are the ones who need special protection.

"Then what should I do!" Little Moltke, already somewhat at a loss, looked around blankly for a moment before anxiously asking Goben. Yulia's uncle, Old Moltke, had taught her everything about war and military command, but the only thing he couldn't teach her was what she had seen and heard on the battlefield firsthand, and how to adapt to war itself.

Young officers are eager to make a name for themselves, but once they are on the battlefield, they suddenly realize their powerlessness. Not everyone is a born warrior and can face death without fear.

"what are you doing?"

“That is to live.” Goben replied after a moment of thought, his expression serious and his brows furrowed. The two women were the Austrians’ primary focus, so their survival was their greatest objective.

After finishing her sentence, Goben abandoned Moltke and headed alone to the Magic Armor Maintenance Area. Although she could have simply left, she decided to personally meet the Austrian for the sake of a soldier's loyalty and duty.

Goben quickly arrived at the tent where the magic armor was stored. The flames had already set the tent ablaze, and his own magic armor lay sprawled on the ground due to the collapse of its support. Not far away, under the massive magic armor used by several magic users, lay many fallen technicians scattered about.

Seeing her men, who had been helping her maintain her magical armor and chatting and laughing, perish in the flames, Goben felt a surge of resentment and anger. Her anger wasn't directed at the Austrians' actions, but at the war itself.

Changing combat suits? Not a chance. Goben immediately began donning his magical armor. Unlike the bulky, mass-produced magical armor, the special magical armor for magical users is not only lightweight and humanoid but also fits the user perfectly, so it requires very little adjustment to use.

Just then, Jeanne, who was searching for enemy magic users in the military camp, happened to fly over this area. After all, it was a place where magic armor was stored, and experience told her that this place needed to be checked at least a little.

Jeanne landed in the area and began to inspect it. Perhaps feeling that Goben was difficult to deal with, she decided to remain silent and lie still, waiting for him to leave.

Just as she expected, the black magical armor carrying the battle flag and the silver-haired woman piloting it quickly arrived not far from her, inspecting the magical armors piloted by magical users. This unintentional action left her back exposed to Goben.