She changed Europe

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It is worth mentioning that although Herzendorf was somewhat lacking in military skills, he was quite capable in military reform and logistical support. Therefore, Gisela did not complain to Emperor Joseph about this "disobedient" chief of staff.

In the end, Benedek remained in Prague and skillfully maneuvered against the Japanese, while Gisela, with the Marshal's tacit approval, led his troops north.

Three days later, at the headquarters of the 7th Division of the Imperial Allied Forces on the Chalov Heights in the Sudetenland Mountains —

Peter, carrying his duffel bag and wearing his newly issued uniform, went to report to the unit's command post. As a veteran who had experienced two Italian wars, he could be considered one of the most experienced soldiers in the Empire. Although the Empire suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Anzio, and his unit, along with Old Hans', was almost completely wiped out, the two had been commended for their heroic rescue of a unconscious magician during the retreat.

He himself successfully obtained the opportunity to study at the Maria Theresa Military Academy, while Hans received treatment at the Veterans Hospital under the Royal Foundation established by Princess Gisela, and then honorably retired from the military and opened a bakery in his hometown town.

Looking at the long-lost frontline camp, Peter seemed somewhat emotional. In the blink of an eye, he had served the Imperial Army for several years. He had once joined the army as a naive recruit and the second son of a fallen noble family, and had finally grown into a true warrior.

Fortunately, he also found love. His current lover is the magic warrior girl he saved. Unlike him, the girl comes from a distinguished family and has been incorporated into the Royal Magic Armored Force because of her outstanding military achievements. This force is only responsible to the royal family and can be said to be the elite of the elite among magic warriors.

Bringing his thoughts back, Peter quickly headed toward the tent flying the Imperial Army's double-headed eagle flag.

"Reporting, sir! Peter Clark Svenchev reporting to you!" The young man skillfully lifted the tent flap, stepped inside, and then stood up straight, looking at the person in the room.

"Captain Peter, welcome to the 6th Division," a major in uniform with a scar on his face but a very kind expression replied to Peter.

"Sir, I will be assigned to that unit." Peter was a straightforward person, so he preferred simpler conversations to casual banter.

"Just as straightforward as described in the documents." The major calmly sat down in his seat and raised his hand, gesturing for Peter to sit down as well.

Peter readily accepted his superior's invitation and sat down.

PS1: Ra! The advantage is mine!

Chapter 441 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter60TF141 (Vote Requested)

"Coffee or hot cocoa, though they taste pretty much the same in the barracks," the major joked, trying to lighten the mood, as he snapped his fingers. His adjutant quickly appeared before him.

"Hot cocoa would be fine, I'm not really used to coffee." Peter remained tense, showing no sign of relaxing despite the major's words.

"Two cups of hot cocoa then," the major said, raising his right hand.

"Maria Theresa graduated from the Military Academy, so it seems we're alumni." The major crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and waved the documents in his hand as he spoke.

"Peter Clark Svenchev was born in Brno in 1848. His father was a minor nobleman and a local tax collector, and his mother was a teacher. There were two brothers in the family. Your brother, as the eldest son, was given a position in the local tax department by your father through connections, while you were sent to the army."

"You've participated in all the battles of the Northern Italian War: the breakout at Olbila, the Battle of Ticino, the Battle of Magenta, and the Battle of Milan. Your combat experience is extensive," the major commented.

"During the Battle of Anzio in the Southern Italian War, you were commended by your superiors for your outstanding performance in rescuing others during the retreat. After the war, you entered the Teresa Military Academy for further studies. Because of your exceptional talent in mathematics and chemistry, you went on to study engineering demolition. Looking at the entire army, your resume is among the most extensive." The major stuck his cigarette into the ashtray.

"Sir, are you telling me all this for some reason?" Peter looked at the major with some confusion.

"By the way, what are your thoughts on Princess Gisela?" The major rested his head on his hand, looking at the young man before him with a serious expression.

"Your Highness is the true jewel in the crown of the Empire, the most beautiful rose on the banks of the Danube." These words were not Peter's own; most of what she quoted were simply public opinion about the lord.

"So what are your true thoughts?" the major asked, seemingly dissatisfied with Peter's previous answer.

"A beautiful and powerful woman, she is the faith and the faith of our army, a goddess to whom I swear to die for her." This was not just Peter's sentiment, but the shared feeling of the vast majority of soldiers who fought alongside the princess in Italy.

“Well said. I seem to see a determination to be loyal to the death in your earnest eyes.” The major stood up and took out a new document from his drawer.

Have you heard of the St. Stephen's Order?

“The St. Stephen’s Order? What’s that?” Peter asked, somewhat puzzled.

"A special army established by Her Highness the Princess. This army does not belong to the Empire, but to Her Highness alone. The missions it carries out are top secret and cannot be accomplished by other imperial armies."

"What's the point of you telling me all this?"

"It's very simple. I'm inviting you to join this army. Her Highness the Princess is currently commanding battles in this region, and she wishes to send a scout unit deep into the Kingdom of Prussia to carry out sabotage missions. However, while the current St. Stephen's Regiment is loyal and reliable, its outstanding performance in recent years has attracted the attention of intelligence agencies from various countries. Therefore, Her Highness wishes to establish a separate St. Stephen's Regiment within the existing one. These separate units will continue to serve in their respective positions within the Imperial Army, only assembling under special circumstances to carry out secret missions and related training arranged by Her Highness the Princess."

"I am the commander of this unit. This unit will not be very large, with a number of people kept below a hundred. As I just mentioned, its core functions are assassination, reconnaissance, and sabotage." Breaking away from the traditional use of the army and using small-group operations similar to special forces is just a small experiment conducted by Gisela. Whether it succeeds or fails, it will not affect the overall situation.

"Then how will I know who my comrades are?" Peter's implication was clear: he had already agreed to join the unit.

"Wait for further instructions. You will be assigned to your new unit. This is your current unit's location." The major placed another document on the table.

"So what's the name of your unit?" Peter asked, quite puzzled.

"TF141".

"Does it have any special meaning?" Soldiers on the battlefield are usually quite superstitious, and a good military unit or name can bring them good luck.

"Haven't our goddess's blessings been enough?" the major said jokingly, lighting another cigarette. Her implication was that Princess Gisela had come up with the idea, but what she truly meant was probably only known to Her Highness.

“That’s true.” Peter picked up the hot cocoa on the table and took a sip. The rich cocoa flavor filled his mouth and then slid into his stomach. High-calorie drinks were the favorite thing for soldiers who were exhausted after fighting on the battlefield.

"Are you married yet, kid?" The major noticed the slightly protruding corner of the photograph on Peter's breast pocket. Soldiers of this era were very superstitious, believing that carrying a photograph of their beloved would bring them good luck.

"Not my wife, but my fiancée!" Peter said with immense pride when talking about his lover.

"Kid, let me tell you something else. A man will marry two women in his life. The first is your wife, the lover you spend every day with. The second is that dream lover you can never have, someone you can only imagine. You'll marry the former in reality, and the latter is just for your dreams." The major patted Peter on the shoulder with his strong arm and said seriously. (Here, the major wanted to emphasize Peter's admiration and loyalty to Gisela.)

"Instead of talking about loyalty and single-mindedness, it's better to reasonably share the two feelings."

"Sir, why do I think you're a bit of a scumbag and indecent?"

"That's an illusion."

"Yes, sir. I'll take my leave now." With that, Peter turned around, took the transfer order, and walked out of the tent. At that moment, he noticed that many soldiers were carrying something that looked like a tube with a support frame, while the people behind them were carrying a bunch of bullet chains wrapped in bullet pouches.

“Strange thing.” Peter didn’t know what it was, but that didn’t stop him from commenting.

PS1: Peter, this passerby, has been around for a long time. You didn't expect him to still have time to appear. After all, it's also important to depict the perspectives of these ordinary people in war. You can't just watch the scumbag fox all night long, right?

PS2: TF141 is actually the codename of the special forces unit in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series. This name is just Gisela's personal interest.

PS1: The original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare had a more interesting storyline; the reboots were just garbage.

Chapter 442 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 61 Burning Dresden (Seeking Votes)

At the same time that Bismarck's Prussian Third Army, based on the Elbe River, defeated the main force of the Kingdom of Hanover and began its attack on Brunswick, Dresden, the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony, was besieged by nearly 100,000 Prussian troops of the First Army led by Prince Karl Frederick. This renowned Prussian general, famous for his fondness for red hussar uniforms, had already proven his decisive and courageous command talent in Denmark, and he would prove himself again in this struggle for German hegemony.

It is worth mentioning that if history had followed the normal course, this prince would have led his First Army to crush the 22-strong main force of the Austrian Northern Army in the most crucial battle of this war. After that, he would have also annihilated 14 French troops at Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War with his comrades and captured Napoleon III, the emperor of the French Empire.

He played a prominent role in the three most crucial dynastic wars that led to Prussia's unification of Germany, and he was one of the most outstanding and talented commanders of that era.

To be honest, although the Prussian Junker aristocracy was rigid in their rule and averse to change, their traditional education and military aristocratic elite line did indeed produce many outstanding generals. The difference in quality between officers and soldiers was Austria's more obvious weakness compared to Prussia. Even though the empire was much larger than Prussia, it was difficult to make up for this gap. Even a cunning fox would have to rack its brains to find a solution.

Unlike the steady advance of the Third Army, Karl's First Army ignored all enemy fortresses and strongholds along the way at the start of the war, leading its troops straight to Dresden, the capital of Saxony. His goal was very simple: to force the Saxon king to surrender directly through overwhelming military force, and then continue south to join the Crown Prince's Second Army and launch an attack on the Sudetenland region of Austria.

Throughout his operations, his intentions were always to serve the ultimate strategic objective, and the losses incurred by his own side due to enemy harassment were within his acceptable range.

Faced with the aggressive Prussian invaders, the Saxon king sought help from Vienna while also urging the German princes, who were not yet involved in the war, to fulfill their alliance and send reinforcements to Dresden as soon as possible.

The Saxon garrison in Dresden was also actively constructing fortifications in preparation for an attack by the Prussian army. Previously, European armies had generally avoided engaging in battle in such large cities, as these renowned cities were invaluable treasures to their respective nations.

Just as the French valued their capital Paris more than the outcome of their wars, Vienna was almost never besieged by other countries, except during the height of the Ottoman Empire.

The fact that the Saxon government chose to defend its capital this time demonstrated its determination to fight the Prussians to the bitter end. Of course, this enthusiasm was met with a relentless bombardment from Prussian heavy artillery.

To avoid international condemnation, the Prussian army had planned to spend three days disseminating information about the impending shelling to the city's residents, thus providing them with evacuation routes.

Unfortunately, to the Prussian army's surprise, among the tens of thousands of citizens who evacuated the city were some Saxon soldiers who had acted on their own initiative. These soldiers regrouped outside the city and attacked the Prussian patrols that were monitoring them, resulting in the casualties of nearly a hundred Prussian soldiers within a single day.

Enraged, Karl Frederick, seeking revenge for the Saxons' despicable actions, broke the agreed-upon time and launched a retaliatory bombardment on the morning of the third day. When the dome of Holy Trinity Church collapsed from Prussian artillery fire, and when the royal palace burned from the explosions, the remaining Saxons truly experienced what a new era of warfare was like.

Under the cover of magical armor, Prussian soldiers began their advance towards the city center. Every Saxon soldier took up arms and formed ranks at every street corner to prepare for the Prussian army's attack.

The sky was now overcast, and a torrential downpour quickly swept across the city. While the Prussian soldiers' Mauser 1971 rifles would be affected by the rain, they wouldn't suffer from the concerns of damp gunpowder, as was the case with muzzle-loading rifles of the past. Their opponents, the Saxons, however, were in dire straits. Unlike Hanover, another weak nation that had received considerable British support due to special circumstances, they didn't have access to advanced equipment.

Saxony had been trying to achieve so-called neutrality by lobbying between Prussia and Austria, so neither side supplied them with large quantities of weapons. France, the troublemaker behind the German invasion, was also busy quelling domestic unrest and temporarily reduced its attention to the region. This ultimately resulted in the Saxon army still using a mix of old and new firearms and lacking the support of advanced armor, leaving them to rely solely on their own flesh and blood to withstand the Prussian offensive.

Thus, the two sides began to fight in the city of Dresden. Each time, the Saxon army, familiar with the terrain, was able to spot the enemy first, but their sporadic gunfire sounded so pitiful and helpless. After killing a few Prussian soldiers, they were swept away by the orderly gunfire like wheat being harvested.

Bloodstained streets, countless Saxon soldiers were mercilessly crushed by the gap brought about by the times and military technology.

Mark's unit, the 1st Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Saxon Division, was stationed on Shimeka Street, a famous section of the road. The intersection behind them led directly to the royal palace, so they built barricades there to defend this important section of the road.

The sounds of cannons and gunfire echoed throughout the city, sounding eerie and terrifying. Even though the rain had completely soaked their dark smocks, they stared solemnly at the end of the street corner, waiting for the enemy's surprise attack. This was the only thing they could do at the moment.

"If we can't hold out any longer, detonate this barrel of explosives. We absolutely won't let those Prussian barbarians trample our palace." The officer-looking man next to Mark patted a huge wooden barrel beside him. Because it was well-sealed, there was no need to worry about it getting damp. However, seeing so many barrels of explosives around him, no one could help but feel afraid.

"We have eight thousand men in the city. His Majesty and his family evacuated Dresden with the civilians the day before yesterday. After that, he will gather the army and launch a counterattack."

What we must do is protect this city, and if we cannot defend it, we must not let the Prussians take it easily. In fact, the King of Saxony will not immediately choose to counterattack. After gathering tens of thousands of troops scattered in various places, he will go to Munich to join forces with the allied forces of the German Confederation and wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack. The outcome of the direct confrontation between Prussia and Austria is what he is concerned about.

PS1: The book by Charles also featured a 0v0 match in Dresden; basically, Germany was a playground for the great powers.

Chapter 443 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 62 The Prussian Onslaught (ra!)

As for the fall of his capital, the King of Saxony had anticipated this, because he knew better than anyone that Prussia was waging a war of unification. If he failed, he would lose not only the palace but also his throne. Austria, which was eager to maintain the status quo, naturally became his best ally.

Anticipating the outbreak of war, the Kingdom of Saxony moved all the precious items in its palace and museums to Belgium, a region far from the war zone.

“Thank God, His Majesty has left Dresden.” A devout soldier prayed, clutching the cross to his chest. Their king, though young, was deeply loved by the people.

"The fire pokers we have can't even start a fire." Looking at the old-fashioned rifle in his hand, a soldier sighed helplessly.

At this moment, Mark was still staring intently at the direction of the street, observing the situation ahead.

“Mark, stop looking. Our brothers from the Second and Third Companies are in the street ahead. The Prussians won’t be able to break through for a while,” one of Mark’s comrades said, patting him on the shoulder.

"The gunfire has stopped!" Ma Jiuqi shouted, gripping his weapon tightly.

"So what if the gunfire stopped?" His companion waved his hand dismissively, lifting his hair as he asked.

"It's a magic armor!" Peter jumped off the barricade and ran towards the houses in the distance. His companion looked up in confusion and climbed back up the barricade to investigate when a huge white light swept over them. The massive explosion kicked up dust that nearly lifted the entire barricade off its surface and ignited nearby gunpowder barrels, shattering all the windows of the surrounding buildings. Mark himself was thrown into the air and slammed into a wall a short distance away.

The explosion had just killed or wounded nearly half of the hundreds of soldiers. Mark looked at his comrades, their bodies mangled and bloodied, and the wounded lying on the ground, and struggled to his feet. In the distance, behind the massive magical armor, countless Prussian soldiers in black uniforms and pointed helmets advanced, weapons in hand.

"Weapons, weapons!" Peter frantically searched for weapons on the ground. He picked up a rifle at random, still clutching it tightly in one hand. Its owner was nowhere to be seen.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The Prussian gunfire rang out, and several Saxon soldiers who had just gotten up from the ground on the outer side were easily shot and fell to the ground.

Peter crouched in the corner, watching the approaching Prussians. He decisively pulled the bolt, and luckily, it was a new gun.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" More shots rang out as the Prussians drew closer. Mark took a deep breath, shouted, grabbed his rifle, rushed out, and pulled the trigger on a man who appeared to be a Prussian officer.

As his index finger pulled the trigger, the gun made a crisp sound, and Mark realized that he hadn't loaded the gun.

"Ascloc!" The only response to his insults was a Prussian soldier's bullet. With the sound of the gun firing, Mark, struck by the bullet, slowly knelt on the ground, then collapsed onto the cold, damp street. A beautiful young woman slowly jumped down from the magical armor in front of him; she was so captivating. Behind him, severed limbs and corpses piled up—countless comrades had perished.

"Damn war!" Mark grumbled in frustration before closing his eyes.

On this day, the capital of Saxony, the largest city in Central Germany, fell, and of the eight thousand defenders, only a few hundred surrendered. Even Prince Frederick Karl frowned when he saw the report in his hand. He couldn't understand why Saxony and Prussia, both Germans, were so hostile towards them; shouldn't they be compatriots sharing the same blood?

Moltke and Goben, who had observed the entire battle, remained silent, staring at the map in the military tent. Saxony had no magic users, so they didn't need to intervene, but they felt no joy at capturing Dresden. Unlike when Frederick the Great entered Dresden a century ago, this time they were greeted without applause or flowers; even the city itself seemed to be resisting them.

Looking at the map of Germany before them, this land seemed so unfamiliar to these Prussian generals.

Our gaze returns to a hidden command post on the Sudetenland defense line—

Gisela, dressed in a white military uniform, was pacing back and forth in the room. Rita and Aponia stood behind her, and at a long table not far from her sat all the Austrian magic users except for the Croatian magic user who had been transferred to the Western VI Wing, which was in the direction of Bajul-Ilyia, as well as a group of generals from the Northern Legion led by Gisela.

This also included Jeanne, who was yawning there, and Cecilia, who was sitting upright in her seat with her eyes closed, resting.

"The news from Hanover indicates they have been attacked by at least 50,000 Prussian troops, and just yesterday, Dresden, the capital of the Kingdom of Saxony, fell. The remaining Saxon forces are retreating towards Munich." Gisela stopped and looked toward Dresden, where a young officer was reporting intelligence to his superiors.

"According to the intelligence they sent back, the Prussian army attacking Dresden also numbers nearly 100,000." The young man then placed the black flags symbolizing Prussia in the directions of Dresden and Brunswick respectively.

"The combined strength of the two forces has reached nearly 150,000, which is consistent with my pre-war predictions." Gisela returned to the table, listening to the report while glancing at the people present out of the corner of her eye. She seemed to inadvertently notice a familiar black-haired figure.

"The shortest distance from Dresden to our defensive line is 31 kilometers. Their intention is quite clear: to attack the Empire through the Sudetenland. Another point is that the straight-line distance between Brunswick and Dresden is 200 kilometers. If the Prussians want to defeat us quickly, even if they control the railway hub, it won't take them too long. Therefore, the two Prussian armies cannot combine their forces in the short term to put pressure on our defensive line."

"Therefore, our current 70,000 troops only need to face the attack of 100,000 enemy troops head-on. Once reinforcements arrive, we can launch a counterattack against the Prussians as Your Highness wishes." At this point, the young man looked at the blonde, fox-eared girl leaning against the table, gazing at the map, and tried to get her opinion.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 444 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 63 Bella von Borojevich (Vote Requested)

"The intelligence gathering and reasoning are quite good, but I have a question. How can you be so certain that the Prussian army's attacking forces are only coming from these two directions?" Gisela asked after thinking for a moment, resting his chin on his hand.

After all, this is neither Victoria nor Heart of Steel, where you can simply draw lines to complete the so-called troop deployment. In actual combat command, the army faces a variety of factors such as logistics, terrain, weather, and morale. Therefore, every order requires the commander to be extremely cautious and to clearly consider the situation of both sides.

"Your Highness, didn't we predict during our pre-war meeting that the Prussian army's mobilization capacity would not exceed two hundred thousand at most? You even expressed your support for this at the time." After speaking, the young man turned around and looked seriously at the map behind him.

In the original historical timeline, it's true that the Prussian army's initial deployment didn't exceed 200,000 men. However, in this world's timeline, changes in troop strength are not unusual. At this point, Gisela was only worried about the existence of a third Prussian offensive force, but she lacked sufficient intelligence to support her hypothesis. After all, the Prussian army's general staff was a place even the spies of the Thirteen Courts couldn't infiltrate, and she couldn't possibly obtain the Prussian battle plans.

"So, if I were to hypothesize that our defensive line is attacked from the northwest, do we have any measures to deal with the enemy coming from the north?" As a military commander, Gisela had to learn to take care of every detail, formulate battle plans, and devise countermeasures. Gisela wasn't an expert in all of these areas, and many of the generals present had undergone systematic training. Therefore, Gisela wouldn't presume to teach them his own tricks. On issues he was unsure about, he wanted to solicit the generals' ideas more.

“Your Highness, although it’s not the best way to put it, our current deployment is simply not enough to deal with an attack from two directions, unless…” A young officer stood up and said with an extremely serious expression.

"Unless what?" Gisela observed the refined young girl in front of her with great interest.

"Unless Your Highness and all the noble mage ladies gather in the north and wait, using the numerical advantage gained from the gathering to defeat the enemy mage wielders from the north and seize the initiative on the battlefield."

“Interesting. Come to the edge of the map and be more specific.” The girl’s previous answer was too vague, and Gisela did not fully understand what he meant.

"Yes, Your Highness." The girl straightened her back and walked steadily to the edge of the map.

"First of all, the enemy does not know which part of our defense line is weak, so the Prussians will definitely launch a probing attack first, and only after discovering our weak point will they concentrate their forces to break through. In my opinion, instead of this passive defense, our army should create a seemingly weak point and let the Prussians attack it."

"Our army can still place its main forces in the northwest, while only a small number of troops need to be left in the north to hold them off. However, our magic-wielding ladies must go to the north to stand by."