She changed Europe

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They had controlled the imperial army for hundreds of years, making it extremely difficult to eradicate them completely. It would be better to start from scratch.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 160 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 21 Mysterious Visitor (Seeking Votes)

Of course, forming a new army too early would expose his ambitions to the old guard, so Gisela planned to first train a brigade of soldiers. This brigade would adopt an army model completely different from the current imperial system. The soldiers would not only learn basic skills such as shooting and military drills, but also learn a modified version of Latin and acquire some cultural knowledge. The daily training of the troops would be mainly in Latin, rather than the language of any ethnic group within the empire.

The purpose of this design was simple: Gisela wanted to test, as a pilot, whether a transcendent language could break down the barriers imposed by ethnicity and language, abandoning the imperial past of forming armies based on ethnicity, such as the Hungarian or Croatian legions. The choice of Latin was precisely because, as a dead language, it no longer belonged to any particular ethnicity, and therefore naturally lacked any sense of national identity. Secondly, "Rome," as a transcendent cultural symbol, would naturally resonate with various European peoples.

Gisela's plan to recruit thousands of soldiers was also made in the name of the Bohemian Kingdom's council, targeting various ethnic groups within the empire. The Bohemian Kingdom's stated reason was to disband and replace the garrison troops in the Brno region. The recruitment requirements were effectively set by Gisela: soldiers must be between 16 and 22 years old, must not be property owners or married, and this army would only recruit men.

The primary consideration for selecting soldiers around twenty years old is that they still have much to learn; older soldiers might lack the energy to sustain both academic studies and intensive military training. Soldiers from impoverished backgrounds, especially those not only children, are also discouraged. These individuals, often from privileged families within the empire, are less burdened by financial pressures and are more willing to dedicate themselves fully to their studies and training. Furthermore, Western countries do not have a strong concept of filial piety; soldiers are not obligated to support their parents, so parents are not usually a source of concern for them.

Gisela's decision to recruit only men was not due to discrimination against women, as she herself was a woman. It was simply because the army was newly established and both the officer corps and troop discipline needed to be redefined. Introducing women at this time would undoubtedly disrupt military discipline, since young men in their early twenties were full of vigor and it was not surprising that they couldn't control their lower bodies.

The military also sets up similar positions like flag officers to strengthen the ideological work of the troops and boost morale.

Secondly, there are issues regarding the organization and tactics of the troops. The experimental brigade established by Gisela will no longer be used for the previous infantry offensive tactics of indiscriminately deploying troops to the front lines. After all, it is meaningless to throw the soldiers you have painstakingly trained into a war of attrition that offers no real benefit. These tasks will naturally be undertaken by the common soldiers in the Imperial Army.

They will be tasked with infiltration, guerrilla warfare, and counter-guerrilla warfare; Gisela wants to use them against Garibaldi, the master of guerrilla warfare. The troops will also be capable of frontal offensives, and the weapons specially developed by the Škoda factory will be first delivered to this brigade. The first vehicles produced after Daimler's successful internal combustion engine will also belong to them.

Gisela carefully reviewed the documents, resting his chin on his hand as he pondered the details he had overlooked. After all, this army was the culmination of Gisela's political and military efforts, much like the army's **—the St. Stephen Brigade.

Saint Stephen was not only a saint who protected the people, but also Gisela's weapon, which would become the Empress's Brigade, the empire's greatest source of pride in the future. Of course, that's a story for another time.

After reading the report about the troops, Gisela picked up her teacup again and took a sip of green tea. The rich aroma of the green tea filled her mouth and teased her taste buds. This comfortable and pleasant feeling made her squint her eyes. This was the thing she enjoyed most in her spare time.

“This is…” Gisela glanced at the last page, then sat up straight, turned around, and after checking that no one was around, carefully opened the inkpad with the red shield and golden lion emblem and took out the letter inside.

To Her Highness Princess Gisela Louise Marie;

This is a heartfelt greeting from the Rothschild family.

As you wish, our family members in Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Naples, and London have already spread the news through third-party channels that the American railroad urgently needs a large amount of capital investment. The futures market has also seen a recent surge in the US stock market. You must know that the United States has just experienced the pain of the Civil War, and there is no country in the new world that can rival the United States. I believe that at this stage, no fool would not be tempted by such a good investment environment. To be honest, if this news had not been a trap we ourselves fabricated, its allure would have made us somewhat eager to try it out.

“A trap?” Gisela frowned slightly. If her memory served her right, she did not recall ever discussing the purpose of releasing the message with Mr. Amschel, the head of the Rothschild family. At the time, she had deliberately avoided the topic by mentioning the issue of Israel.

She had no intention of handing over the weapon that would ignite the economic crisis to these clever Jews. They were partners now, but who knew what changes might occur in the future? After all, friendships without shared interests cannot last.

After a moment's thought, Gisela continued reading.

Please do not be surprised by what I say, Your Highness. This is merely my personal opinion and does not represent the position of our family. After all, as an unnamed spectator at that meeting, I greatly admire Your Highness's excellent vision and business acumen, which is no less than that of our Rothschild family.

Don't be surprised when you see this; please turn around with a smile.

When Gisela saw this sentence, the corners of her mouth slightly raised. She turned around calmly and looked at a black-haired girl in a suit and top hat who was politely taking off her black top hat and bowing to Gisela.

Her long, black hair was styled in a bun, and her features were a blend of Eastern and Western beauty. Her dark eyes held both the wisdom of Socrates and the poetry and untamed spirit of Nietzsche. Gisela's first thought was that she was Jewish.

After all, she was very familiar with this Jewish attire.

Gisela couldn't judge the girl's age by her appearance. After all, even her "mother" and another version of herself still looked like girls in their early twenties, but one was almost forty and the other was over five hundred.

“Alan!” (greeting) In order to take the initiative and to show her goodwill, Gisela said the only Hebrew word she knew.

“Alan!” The black-haired girl smiled and slowly walked towards Gisela. Her elegant demeanor was in no way inferior to that of the noble ladies in the palace.

PS1: 1111

Chapter 161 Irises Fading in the Alps: Capter 22 Hannah Rothschild

"Welcome to Prague Castle, beautiful Miss Rothschild." Gisela stood up and looked at the girl in front of her. If her information was correct, the girl's name was Anna Rothschild.

Hannah's name comes from the Bible and means noble and graceful in Hebrew. As Amsher's only granddaughter, she has always been loved and cherished. However, an accident caused her son to die young, which made Amsher change his previous pampering for the sake of the family's future and start raising her with strict requirements.

Despite being only 19 years old, she has already begun to cultivate relationships with celebrities closely associated with the Luo family and has entered social circles at a young age.

Today marks their first meeting, but both have their own motives.

“Your Highness! You are even more beautiful and more gorgeous than the rumors say. I thought Your Highness would first question me and blame me for coming here on my own without going through the palace guards…” Hana’s words were witty. Unlike Gisela, she was a businesswoman and did not like to get straight to the point.

“My soldiers understand that Braggburg is open to all subjects of the Empire…” Of course, Gisela didn’t say the second half of the sentence aloud: it was only open to subjects loyal to the Empire. How was loyalty to the Empire measured? Actually, the standard in this era was very simple: whether you were a nobleman or not. The Rothschild family was a nobleman appointed by the Habsburg Emperor. Although they were only barons, they had at least entered the ranks of nobles, which made them different from ordinary Jews.

Although Gisela harbored no goodwill toward the greedy Jews, she might as well befriend them for the time being.

"So, Miss Rothschild, what brings you here in person?" Gisela knew their nature of not acting without self-interest, and it was impossible for them not to discuss important matters when they sent the future heir of the family.

“This time, it has nothing to do with family. My family, the Hana Rothschilds, is here to see you!” Hana knelt before Gisela, raised Gisela’s right hand, and gently kissed it. Gisela could easily feel the softness and moisture on her fingertips; this was truly her first time receiving such a hand-kiss.

“Ahem… I know your loyalty.” Gisela was a little flustered, and her cheeks flushed slightly. Perhaps in her previous life, such a chivalrous salute would only be offered by a man to a woman, but now it was a “reversal of the order.”

So Gisela instinctively tried to pull her hand away to end the action, but Hannah seemed to have seen through her thoughts and increased the strength of her grip on Gisela's hand.

“Your Highness! Please tell me, what is the key to Solomon that leads to the Palace of Wealth? This time, it has nothing to do with our identities!” Hana looked up at Gisela with a sincere attitude.

So that's how it is. Is this your purpose? It's true that you're a Rothschild. The contents of the letter were just a test. She clearly still wanted to hear from me how I would manipulate this information to bring about changes in the world's capital markets.

"There are four things I do not know: the shadow of an eagle soaring through the sky, the trace of a snake gliding across a rock, the path a ship takes in the deep sea, and the mark a man's name leaves on a woman's heart." Of course, Gisela did not want to answer the girl's question, so she chose to answer with the same quote from King Solomon.

The implication is that even the omniscient and omnipotent King Solomon was not omniscient and omnipotent; he could not measure things that could not be seen with words.

"So this is your answer?" Hana stood up again, looking at Gisela with an "I knew it" expression.

"Yes." Gisela nodded in affirmation.

“Then I will stay by your side until the day you are willing to tell me.” Hana looked up at the sky, as if making a vow.

"Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!" It's good that she backed down. Gisela shook her head, her fox ears swaying rhythmically. As long as she got rid of this young lady from the Luo family, it would be fine. It seems that she didn't hear what Hana just said.

"No! What did you just say! Say it again!" Gisela's eyes widened, just like a frightened Tamamo-no-Mae.

“I said I’d stay by your side until the day you’re willing to tell me.” With that, Hana wrapped her arms around Gisela’s waist and pulled her into a hug. In Jewish tradition, the kiss on the hand and the hug happen simultaneously. Hana didn’t really mean anything by it, but someone else didn’t, because there were just too many people with ill intentions towards her!

My dear father and mother, your lovely daughter has been targeted by a wealthy Jewish woman. Is there any way to reasonably and appropriately get rid of this nouveau riche? I need help urgently.

Inside the Sava Palace in Turin, the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia

A brown-haired woman was walking steadily down her wide corridor, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor polished to a shine by the servants.

Her eyes held a resolute determination, and her every move exuded composure and confidence. Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the best generals in Italy during that era, had a legendary life story, much like that of a protagonist in a novel. Her growth was intertwined with the unification movement of Italy.

Although this was her first time visiting the Savoy Palace, she was still not impressed by the magnificent and resplendent palace. In her opinion, it would be better to give these treasures to the people than to collect and display them together. With war looming, it would be better to convert these wealth into funds to provide the soldiers on the front lines with more bullets and rations than to let them accumulate meaninglessly.

Of course, this is just her personal opinion. As a fighter who dedicated her life to the military, she devoted herself to Italy. Among the three founding heroes of Italy, you can criticize Mazzini for his selfishness and greed, and you can criticize Cavour for his treachery and cunning, but you cannot criticize Garibaldi. He was courageous and selfless. Even after achieving his mission, he did not do anything for himself, but chose to resign from all his public office and spend his later years in peace on the island of Caprena.

Even in his later years, when he was impoverished and had to sell his medals to make ends meet, he never asked for a single penny of aid from the state. If he had had even the slightest greed or interest in politics, he would not have ended up in such a miserable state.

But as Zang Kejia said: He lived so that the majority could live better, and the masses held him in high esteem. The people will not forget such a national hero. They spontaneously demanded that the government provide Garibaldi with a pension, and after his death in 1882, his tombstone was guarded by Italian naval soldiers with guns until around the 1980s…

PS1: 2024 is coming to an end!

Chapter 162 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 23 Sardinian Roses (Seeking Votes)

Heroes belong to a nation, but few so-called national heroes can compare to Garibaldi, who fought for his own nation as well as other nations, for all those who wanted to resist oppression and pursue happiness. A great man of our country once said, "Before meeting 'Horse,' Garibaldi was one of the people he admired most."

The person who invited Garibaldi to the palace today was not King Victor, but Princess Misella de Savoy of Sardinia, the undisputed Queen of Sardinia.

Garibaldi looked at the door to the room in front of him, straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open.

"Greetings, Your Highness Missella." Garibaldi greeted the lady with long, light green hair with a polite bow.

"Greetings, Lord Garibaldi, please have a seat." Misella put down her coffee cup and gestured for Garibaldi to sit down. Then she looked at the brown-haired woman in front of her with a look of satisfaction. Although the woman seemed very approachable and even a little cute, her eyes revealed a heroic spirit and a decisiveness and courage that could only be found in a seasoned veteran.

"Thank you for coming all the way from the foothills of the Alps to Montreal." Turin is the heart of the Montreal area. Italians say that place names are different from those in China; they like to call places by their own names. For example, they like to call Milan Lombardy, and Naples Campania.

“As long as it’s for Italy, there’s no hardship to speak of.” Garibaldi sat upright on the sofa with her legs together, looking directly at the princess before her. Garibaldi was not born into nobility, and having spent many years living a life of hardship in military camps, she was inevitably a little reserved in the face of such a serious meeting. Moreover, in order to meet the princess, the palace servants had made her take off her military uniform and put on a dress, and the drastic change from her usual attire gave her a strange sense of disorientation.

"Coffee or hot cocoa?" Hot cocoa, as an inexpensive and popular beverage, should not normally be served in the court's reception areas. However, Princess Misella had clearly done her research beforehand and knew that Garibaldi had a fondness for hot cocoa in the military camp. Therefore, she had her servants prepare cocoa powder in advance.

"Hot cocoa." Upon hearing that he could drink hot cocoa, Garibaldi's previously tense expression relaxed considerably. As a high-calorie beverage, most ladies who pursue beauty would probably not like it, after all, obesity is the enemy of beauty.

But as a magic user blessed by the heavens, Garibaldi obviously does not suffer from obesity. Not only her, but all magic users do not suffer from such problems. Not only do they have a well-proportioned and beautiful figure, but they can also maintain their youth. All of this will only make women envious and drive men who see them crazy. After all, who wouldn't want such a partner?

“Hot cocoa? Your preference is still this simple…” Misella gently picked up the bell with her beautiful, slender fingers and shook it lightly. With a crisp sound, a maid brought in steaming coffee and hot cocoa together.

Garibaldi took the hot cocoa and drank it in big gulps. Because of her unrestrained movements, her small mouth could not properly cover the hot cocoa, and the overflowing black liquid flowed down the corners of her mouth and dripped onto her half-open chest.

"Ha! Not bad!" Garibaldi groaned with pleasure as she downed the drink, then slammed the cup on the table. Only after the loud crash did she realize she was in the palace.

As Garibaldi abruptly raised his head, bracing himself for Misella's accusations and fury, he found Misella gracefully sipping her coffee with her eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to his astonishing actions.

The maid beside him, with a kind smile, bent down and used a handkerchief to wipe the black stains off Garibaldi's clothes. Garibaldi was seeing for the first time what courtly manners were like.

The last time she met with His Majesty the King was at Turin’s City Hall, which had a somewhat businesslike feel. But this time, meeting with members of the royal family at the Savoy Palace was a private meeting between the Savoy family and herself, so the signal it sent was naturally different.

"Your Highness! Is it about that matter that you summoned me here today?" For those in the know in the Kingdom of Sardinia, "that matter" is nothing more than the time of war with the Austrians. Although the empire is now called the Austro-Hungarian Empire, most European countries still prefer to call it the Austrian Empire. This is a habit that has not changed in a short time.

“Yes and no.” Missera’s tone was somewhat amused, which made Miss Garibaldi frown.

It should be noted that his cooperation with His Majesty the King had not been smooth before, and the Kingdom of Sardinia had a precedent of betrayal: more than ten years ago, during the first war of independence, they sold out patriots such as Garibaldi and made peace with Austria ahead of time. This led to the French army's suppression forces advancing rapidly into Italy and reaching the newly established Roman Republic's capital, Rome.

The powerful French army quickly occupied most of Rome, and the Republic came to an end. Garibaldi gathered the remaining 6000 soldiers in Piazza Ratterano, preparing to lead them to Umbria and Tuscany in the Apennine Mountains to wage guerrilla warfare. Before departing, she left behind a resounding declaration: "As long as we live, Rome lives!" She then led 4 cavalrymen in a retreat to Venice.

In order to capture this "most vicious enemy of France," Napoleon III enlisted the help of Nicolet Udino, one of the wives of his elder brother Charles, who had long since retired, to assemble 40,000 French troops, 20,000 Neapolitan troops, 9,000 Spanish troops, 15,000 Austrian troops, and 2,000 Tuscan troops to launch an attack.

Garibaldi fought and retreated, maneuvering against the enemy, but the situation worsened, and his group was eventually scattered. Garibaldi's sister, Anida, also died of malaria during the escape. Disheartened, Garibaldi was forced to flee to the Americas as a merchant.

The independence movement was ultimately crushed by the combined forces of the monarchies. This unsurprising betrayal plunged the Italian independence movement into a deep slump. In the years that followed, the Kingdom of Sardinia was excluded from the independence movement. It was only through Princess Misella's series of actions that the relationship between the two sides was gradually mended, giving the Italian independence movement new hope.

Even so, the grudges between the two sides could not be eliminated in a short time. That is why Missera chose to meet with Garibaldi at this time. After all, both of them are magic users and their attitudes can almost determine the outcome of the battle.

PS1: I'm home! 0v0!

Chapter 163 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 24 Savoy's Ambition (Seeking votes and subscriptions)

“Your Highness, your ambiguous attitude is hindering the cooperation between the Savoy royal family and progressive Italians.” Garibaldi took out a folded piece of paper from his bosom, unfolded it, and placed it on the table.

"This is a letter I had already contacted with the leaders of the Sicilian uprising. If we go to war with Austria, they will respond to the call and organize an uprising to overthrow Francesco II's rule in southern Italy." Garibaldi was not just a general; she also had her own political wisdom, but she chose a different political path from Cavour.

“That’s quite a nice gift, Miss Garibaldi.” Missera put down her cup again and rang the bell.

A man who looked like a butler walked into the room carrying a file bag and placed the file on the table.

"What is this?" Garibaldi asked, his expression turning serious.

"A copy of the Prombiel Agreement and our plans."

Garibaldi picked up the file folder on the table, slowly opened it, and took out a thick stack of documents to read carefully.

Fifteen minutes later—

Garibaldi put down the documents, rubbed his eyelids, and then said, "Are you crazy? Promising land to the French? Don't forget who was the vanguard who responded to His Holiness the Pope and joined forces to strangle our independence movement? Who was the executioner who destroyed Rome and the Republic of Tuscany and slaughtered Italian patriots?" Ironically, Napoleon III of the Bonaparte family, who clearly rose to power through revolution, was faster than those feudal monarchs when it came to suppressing revolution.

“Wake up, Miss Garibaldi. There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. We in Savoy will never ignore any force that can be won over.” Misera stood up and slowly approached Garibaldi.

Napoleon III was a factor that could be utilized, and Garibaldi, who disagreed with the Savoy dynasty, was no different for Savoy.

"Then you can't go to the French either." The consequences of trying to negotiate with a tiger are self-evident.

“We can’t worry about that anymore. We can’t wait any longer. Italy has been lying low for more than 20 years. Lord Cavour, Lord Mazzini, and our father are getting old. We can’t leave the problems of our two generations to our descendants. Our people have been waiting for a thousand years.”

Garibaldi bit her lip and then sighed helplessly. Princess Misella was right; they couldn't always leave time for the future. The reason she agreed to help Savoy train their army again was precisely because she considered that at least they were still working towards national unity.

“Savoy needs your strength.” Missera approached Garibaldi, her gaze intense and her expression serious.

“I need your strength more.” Misella opened her arms and embraced Garibaldi openly, then gave him a cheek kiss as a sign of respect.

“I grew up listening to your stories. You are a household hero in Italy, and you are also the person my father admired most.” Misella gently ran her fingers across Garibaldi’s cheek.

“It is my honor,” Garibaldi said calmly, without a trace of emotion.

“You are of the same generation as my father, but whenever I see that young woman who is about my age in the newspaper, I keep asking myself, if I were you, could I do better than you?”

“People say that a woman’s shoulders are weak, but on your seemingly equally weak shoulders, you bear the backbone of a nation. Beneath your approachable appearance lies a profound sense of responsibility and commitment. From that moment on, I have been irrevocably drawn to you.” As she said this, Misella’s seemingly calm face was radiant with a rare happiness.

Seemingly sensing the girl's enthusiasm, Garibaldi stood up and looked at the green-haired girl who was a little taller than him. Then, he stood on tiptoe and gently responded to the girl's gesture.

"For Italy, my strength is your strength. As for our shared aspirations, let the raging flames of war temper them." Garibaldi rubbed the tip of his nose, then burst into cheerful laughter.

She was not a sentimental person, but this was perhaps the best way for her to answer His Highness.

Let's shift our focus away from Italy and Bohemia and return to Vienna, where a heated debate is taking place in the Austrian Upper House regarding when and whether the empire should declare war on the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Excluding the church and the emperor himself, the upper house of the empire has a total of 106 hereditary noble seats. These nobles are the so-called "ocadel" (high nobility), who have played a pivotal role in the history of the empire as the cornerstone of the Habsburg family's rule.

Unlike the nominal lower council (commoners' council), the upper council has real power. Whenever the empire needs to introduce major bills or decisions, they must be discussed and voted on by this body. This system of noble councils is a product of Empress Theresa's enlightened despotism and has been used ever since it was established in the 18th century.

There was also a hierarchy of contempt among the imperial nobility. They preferred to refer to nobles who acquired their noble status before the 15th century as "original nobles" (radel). Those who acquired their noble status later through imperial decrees were called "briefadels" (Briefadels). Another common imperial term was "alter adel," which included both original nobles and some early briefadels.

The social circles of the old nobles were called the First Society, while the later "edicted nobles," mostly newly wealthy nobles who rose from the bourgeoisie, formed the "Second Society," which the former looked down upon. A portion of the extremely wealthy in the Second Society were then reclassified into the First Society, leading to the First Society being further divided into old-school members and nouveau riche.

Men in the first and second societies can interact with each other, but women do not. Intermarriage between the two societies is not prohibited, but a man from the first society who marries a girl from the second society will be ostracized by his own social circle. This is somewhat similar to India's caste system, but not as extreme.

Another point is about court balls. Generally, a grand ball invites people from two different circles, while a small ball only invites people from the first society.

The Austrian Empire is considered a bastion of European feudalism precisely because of its sophisticated and troublesome aristocratic system, and its somewhat strange hierarchy of social status.

Of course, little Gisela, who is at the top of this hierarchy of contempt, cannot understand these things. As a member of a family at the top of the pyramid, she is like a fragrant flower, attracting bees from all walks of life and all walks of life to approach her. After all, no one would refuse to have more opportunities to show their face in front of a heir to the throne.