She changed Europe

Page 67

McMahon looked solemnly at the group of Italian generals in front of him, especially Gart, the commander of the Ivrea army who had been entrusted with an important mission by the princess. Gart had his head down and his mood was very heavy, after all, the people who had just rushed up were all his own men.

“I’m very sorry, generals, but this was a last resort to break through the Austrian defenses. As you have seen, our first attacking Guards Cavalry Division also suffered heavy losses. The Austrian troops in front of us are a tough nut to crack. You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing your own.” McMahon tapped the table lightly, then adjusted his glasses and said.

Just then, a female adjutant entered the tent. McMahon gave her a wink, and she retreated to the doorway, standing there obediently without moving.

"Generals," McMahon said, his voice rising and falling with conviction, "the enemy's defenses are on the verge of collapse. If our men launch another offensive, we will surely capture the west bank by this evening. Our remaining four French divisions will arrive tomorrow, at which point we will be able to seize the Maggiore Bridge and clear the final obstacle to Milan." McMahon's words were highly persuasive and infectious, causing the Sardinian generals present to nod in agreement. Capturing Milan meant the entire Lombardy region would belong to the House of Savoy, bringing Italian unification one step closer…

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 247 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 108 The French's Scheme (ra!)

“Miss McMahon, our Kingdom of Sardinia is willing to continue the attack, but our people have suffered heavy losses and are dissatisfied with the reconstruction. We hope that the French army can spare some troops to assist us in the attack.” General Gat of the Kingdom of Sardinia spoke humbly, as if he were truly begging for help.

"Old fox" Mike Siqi looked at the extremely respectful man in front of him and couldn't help but think to himself, "Are you afraid that we'll betray you again and force the French to launch a coordinated attack?"

“Of course, I will not refuse you since you are in trouble.” McMahon nodded, and then walked out of the tent, followed closely by her adjutant.

"Then thank you very much for your help, sir." Gart kept his head down and never looked up again.

"Is there any important military intelligence?" McMahon asked his adjutant behind him as they walked along the camp road.

"His Majesty has ordered you not to seize the Majñin Bridge before his arrival, and there are also some logistical problems on our end."

"what is the problem?"

"Due to the railway malfunction, the delivery of supplies may be delayed by a few days."

"That's alright. We're focused on the current situation. A few days' delay is insignificant."

"By the way, do you think I would obey His Majesty the Emperor's orders?" She couldn't understand why there was such a huge difference between the two, even though they were both named Napoleon, that they would joke about war for the sake of their political reputation.

(Napoleon III: A commander only needs to consider the war, but His Majesty the Emperor has much more to consider.)

"My lord, you only need to do what you believe is right. France needs a general who can lead the army to victory, not a clown who obeys the emperor's orders. We need Blücher, not Grouchy!" This is an allusion to the Battle of Waterloo, where Grouchy obeyed Napoleon's orders to pursue Blücher's Prussian army, intending for Grouchy to use a small force to hold off the Prussians. Unfortunately, the inflexible Grouchy lost track of the Prussians and failed to return to the emperor in time, ultimately leading to Napoleon's defeat by the arriving Anglo-Prussian forces.

“Grushi?” McMahon looked up and murmured the name. The fate of all Europe had once been in his hands, but he had failed to grasp it at that moment.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After half a day of fierce fighting, Leopold's brigade had successfully repelled several attacks launched by the French army. Although this was his first real battle, the results seemed to be much better than he had expected.

"Brother, are you alright?" The obedient Nina took out a white handkerchief from her pocket, carefully unfolded it, and wiped the face of the young man in front of her, which was dirty with sweat and dust.

“Nina, our war shouldn’t be like this. Magic armor shouldn’t just be used as a tool to assist infantry attacks. They should be grouped together. They need to be concentrated like cavalry! They are most threatening to the enemy when they are in motion.” Leopold explained his point of view to the girl in front of him as if he were complaining.

“Yes, you’re right.” Nina nodded. Although she didn’t quite understand why her brother said that, it didn’t stop her from agreeing with his point of view. After all, for her, whatever her brother said was right.

"Although their speed is not as fast as cavalry, it is far faster than infantry... It's truly a pity to see them being worn down by artillery like this." Leopold took out his gold pocket watch from his pocket and checked the time.

"What time is it now?" Nina tilted her head, looking at the young man in front of her, her obedient appearance like that of a kitten.

"It's 16:37 PM. That means the French offensive is pretty much over for today. Thank you for your hard work." Leopold smiled and reached out to stroke the girl's golden head, his tone full of tenderness.

"Take stock of the wounded! Consolidate the position." Leopold stood up and directed the soldiers around him. Although the enemy had been repelled, a strange sense of unease made him somewhat anxious.

"Lake! Any news from our neighboring brigade headquarters?" Since the start of the battle, their magical communications have been interfered with by the French army, and the efficiency of battlefield telegrams is extremely low. Apart from the division headquarters on the other side of the bridge, which maintained smooth communication, the six brigades on the west bank were all fighting independently.

"Sir, no, none of the thirteen messengers we sent out have returned." Including the six West Coast brigades to which Leopold belonged, they were all less than 2 kilometers apart, yet communication was still interrupted. If they were not annihilated, then they must have suffered some serious blow, causing problems with the command system and preventing timely feedback.

"Send more men, and while you're at it, report the situation to the division headquarters. They might be in trouble." Leopold bit his thumb, his mood becoming somewhat anxious.

“No need, sir! This is a message just sent by Lord Raishah.” As soon as Leopold finished speaking, another communications soldier solemnly handed the young man the order from his superior.

"Lord Raisach's new orders?" Leopold was quite familiar with this veteran. He was a brigade commander during the last Italian war. Although more than 20 years had passed, he was now only a division commander, but he enjoyed the status of a corps commander because he was the elder brother of the Empress, the younger brother of Emperor Joseph (Emperor of Mexico).

"Yes, sir. Lord Raishah has ordered all commanders on the west bank who see this order to organize their troops to retreat to the east bank."

After carefully examining the contents of the document, Leopold angrily crumpled it into a ball and threw it on the ground.

"Brother, what happened!" Nina frowned. The clever girl had already guessed some of the content from the conversation between the communicator and her brother, but in order to express her concern for her brother, she finally asked the question.

"The Hungarians on the right wing have collapsed, and our right flank has been exposed to the French. In order to avoid being annihilated, Marshal Güle ordered Lord Leschach to withdraw the remaining troops to the east bank under cover of night."

“The Hungarians are really something…” Nina frowned slightly. Ever since Hungary regained its autonomy from the emperor three years ago, it had been in a state of restlessness. It was reasonable to see this defeat as a sign of them not putting in any effort.

"Now is not the time to complain about our allies. Now that we have failed, I am more worried about the withdrawal tonight." There is only one bridge, and it is obviously a pipe dream to secretly withdraw tens of thousands of troops without the French knowing.

PS1: Slacking off!

Chapter 248 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter109 Vows to Hold the Line (Seeking Votes)

"Our brigade also needs to leave troops behind to cover the rear." When the words "cover the rear" were mentioned, the soldiers present all lowered their heads and remained silent. This was not because they were cowardly or weak; when faced with the choice between life and death, no one would choose death without hesitation.

Leopold looked around, observing the expressions of his soldiers. Although he was young, he clearly understood what they were thinking.

"Nina, come here." Leopold waved his hand, gesturing for her to come to him.

"I'll leave this to you." Leopold unbuttoned the top button of his military uniform and handed her the ring he wore on a metal chain.

"Brother, what is this...?" Nina raised her little head, and the clever girl immediately understood what her brother meant. Tears were already welling up in her eyes, but she held them back and didn't let them fall.

“I originally intended to hand it over to her in the future, but since she has taken the lead for her country, how can I be a cowardly coward hiding in the rear?” Leopold was filled with strength when he thought of that beautiful figure on the train. It may only take a moment to move him, but it may take a lifetime to keep her.

“No! My brother, live, give yourself to her! Saying such beautiful words, does my brother think he's some invincible hero, Siegfried? No! You are not! You're just a coward, a useless person in Father's and my brother's eyes! If you die, no one will be angry, no one will regret it.” The girl's voice choked with sobs, and she buried her face in Leopold's chest, weeping. (This refers to the famous Germanic epic poem, *The Nibelungenlied*.)

What is the most painful thing for Nina? Is it the passing of time? The loss of youth? No! None of these are the most painful things. It is watching her beloved brother, the family member who has been the best to her since childhood, bravely go to the battlefield for another woman, even to the point of losing his life. And she, who clearly possesses the power of a god, is powerless to influence his decision.

"Then I'll kill them all for my elder brother!"

"Nina! You don't have magic armor. The French won't let their magic users appear without any reaction. You can't expose yourself!" This is the truth. Right now, Nina using her power is like a lighthouse in a storm and waves, almost exposing herself to all the enemy forces and making her vulnerable to even fiercer attacks.

“So you have to leave for Bavaria’s sake!” Leopold said sternly, his presence befitting his title of prince.

"Sigh! I'm sorry, Nina, I'm not a good brother, but I also want to make a choice for myself this time." Leopold later realized that his attitude had been too harsh, so he sighed and comforted his sister.

"Come back alive. If you're dead, I won't bother having my father contact His Majesty the Emperor to reserve a spot for you in the Vienna cemetery! Humph!" Nina released Leopold and turned to walk away. This time, she didn't look back, because she was afraid that if she did, her resolve would waver.

"I'm sorry to have shown you such a ridiculous scene. Please forgive me for being too selfish as a man and not always being able to consider my family's feelings," Leopold said with a hint of self-deprecation.

“I will cover the retreat, because whether it is to seek peace for my soul or to fulfill a long-cherished wish, I will do it. Because your princess did the same thing on the banks of the Naticino River a few weeks ago, and following in her footsteps is a kind of faith for me.”

“I am just an ordinary person. My meager magical power is not even enough to control these steel behemoths.” Leopold looked at the magic warriors piloting the magical armor around him.

"It's impossible for one person to fight against multiple magic users, but so what? Are we just going to sit idly by on the battlefield?"

“No! That’s not how it works. If victory and defeat are a scale, then every time we kill an enemy, every time we fire a bullet, the scales of victory will gradually tip in our favor. You know, even a bird’s feather has its own weight.” Leopold stepped on the mound of earth, raised the Austro-Hungarian flag high, and then took a deep breath.

"I do not demand that any of you stay to fight for our comrades, our compatriots, nor do I ask that you be so noble as to fight for the happiness of others. I just want to tell you here that even Princess Gisela is willing to fight for you, whom she does not know. So are you all willing to be cowards and weaklings forever?"

After a brief silence -

“No! Sir, we don’t want to!” a soldier raised his hand in response to Leopold’s questioning.

“We must fight for ourselves!” another soldier added.

Once there's a first person, there will soon be a third, a fourth... People follow the crowd, but following the crowd isn't necessarily a bad thing, because for a team or an army, it's easier to reach a consensus, and having a common goal gives them the courage to move forward together.

"The empire is vast! But we have nowhere to retreat; Milan lies behind us." Leopold raised the military flag beside him, which fluttered in the wind, its black double-headed eagle soaring into the sky like a roaring hawk. A century later, when the empire's subjects saw the portrait of this follower of the Empress in their textbooks, his words and this moment became a significant chapter in the history of this war.

Of course, the war was not without its challenges, but later scholars have always regarded Marshal Leopold's words as a turning point in the Great Asian-Pingning War.

But regardless of the circumstances, the combined will and determination of everyone present will play a tremendous role on the battlefield, and this will remain unchanged until victory is achieved.

While Leopold was still dutifully holding his post, a princess, who had quietly led her thousands of elite Saint Stephen troops to outflank the French army, uttered a "Choo!" and continued to advance covertly. This attack was meant to make the arrogant French pay the price.

PS1: Historically, Leopold and Gisela had a story, but it's over now 0v0!

PS2: As a soldier, he was undoubtedly excellent, whether he was loyal to Bavaria or the German Empire.

Chapter 249 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 110 Sisi's Thoughts (Happy Lantern Festival!)

On the very night the Austrians chose to retreat, General McMahon of France completed the withdrawal of her troops. After a brief reorganization of the heavily damaged Sardinian army, she launched a new offensive. Her objective was very simple: to wear down the Austrians at any cost, and then replace her four currently depleted and incomplete units with her new four divisions the next day.

Although she didn't understand how Napoleon III's main force was tied down by the Austrian army, preventing him from appearing northwest of Magenta, she never expected this "mysterious general" to provide much military assistance from the beginning.

Thinking of all this, McMahon stretched his wrists and looked at the artillery positions beside him, brightly lit by torches. Soldiers in blue uniforms were busily loading and unloading their weapons. Due to military modernization, the French army's artillery at this time was still a mix of old and new, with advanced breech-loading cannons and older muzzle-loading guns still in use.

Although breech-loading cannons are faster and more reliable, in order to create a barrage, even with rapid reloading, they still need to wait for the muzzle-loading cannons to finish loading, which inevitably reduces the efficiency of artillery opening fire. However, the artillery usage concepts left over from the Napoleonic era still influence the French army today.

"Sir, as you predicted, Julai has begun organizing the soldiers to retreat to the east bank." McMahon's adjutant raised his hand and pointed to the Majenda Bridge, which was faintly visible in the distance despite the dim firelight.

Clearly, it was worthwhile to expend considerable effort to destroy the Austrian right flank. After all, McMahon, familiar with Güle's character, had already determined his strategy for dealing with this conservative Austrian field marshal. He would create a breakthrough with an elite frontal assault, while secretly shifting his limited forces to the relatively weaker flanks. If either flank was breached, he would certainly withdraw his forces, abandon his gains, and rebuild a new defense.

After all, the Austrian Empire was terrified of its aunt, Empress Napoleon. Even decades later, Austrian generals were still constantly worried that the French would once again outflank and outmaneuver them, and once again arrogantly march on Vienna's gates. Moreover, this time their emperor was on the battlefield.

"Prepare for artillery fire. After the artillery fire, push forward with our Imperial Guard cavalry division. Make all the soldiers dismount. A cavalry charge at night might encounter unexpected situations, so we need to be on the safe side." Unlike the good visibility during the day, the traps dug by the Austrians at night would be deadly to the charging French cavalry.

“But my lord,” the adjutant said, “the Imperial Guard cavalry are His Majesty’s pride, his handpicked elite troops. Would it be safe to have them dismount and fight as infantry…?” His concern was not unfounded. The Imperial Guard Cavalry Division was established during Napoleon’s reign, and the Empress’s most trusted friend, Madame Murat, was its first commander. Murat led this army to numerous victories in the Battles of Austerlitz, Jena, and Eylau, earning them renown throughout Europe.

“No! Their priority shouldn’t be saving face. They are an army, an army that will bleed and die for their country. Victory and honor go hand in hand. It’s either defeat the Austrians or be defeated by them. The former will return with glory, the latter will be infamous for eternity. I’ve paved the way for them to reap the rewards of victory. They are the only French division among the four divisions now. Let them decide for themselves.” McMahon looked at her adjutant with a serious expression. Her words seemed to hand over the reins to the soldiers, but in reality, the order was unquestionable.

As the French prepared to attack, Leopold volunteered to stay behind and cover the retreat for Emperor Joseph. The emperor was initially reluctant, as Leopold was the second son of Luitpold, the regent of Bavaria, and he would have difficulty explaining himself to his father should something happen to him. However, Empress Elizabeth intervened and persuaded Joseph to agree to Leopold's request. After all, Leopold was Elizabeth's nephew, and their blood relation gave Joseph a reason to agree.

"You're doing this for little Gisela, aren't you?" Leopold vaguely remembered the expression on the face of the beautiful young queen when she looked at him a few hours ago. Her expression was as gentle as that of an ordinary woman, and her usual heroic spirit had vanished.

"When I was pregnant with her, it was winter, a bitterly cold winter. I gave birth to my second little angel in the palace. After several hours of suffering, when I saw the lovely little one, I felt that all my pain was worth it." Recalling the past, Queen Elizabeth, dressed in military uniform, placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

“Joseph’s mother and I have always been at odds. Selena once suggested that I find an opportunity to kill this woman, but I disagreed because I didn’t want to upset Joseph. Later, we decided to put little Gisela in the spotlight. Unlike her ailing sister, this little fox was more energetic and more gifted. We did all this initially to deal with that woman. After all, that woman wanted a male heir and wanted to continue the old tradition. She didn’t want Austria to have another Theresa and cause turmoil in the country.”

"So, Aunt, you selfishly dragged her into your struggle?" Leopold frowned, looking at Queen Elizabeth with some confusion.

"They simply don't understand that the Empire lost Silesia not because of the Empress, but because of these hopeless old nobles. You must understand that I will support the Empire's monarch, whether he is a girl or a boy, whether he is Gisela or Rudolf. But what I cannot tolerate is them using my son's name to do selfish things, watching them erode the country that Joseph has painstakingly built up like termites."

"Thinking about Rudolf's future, I've decided to place little Gisela on her father's throne this time. The empire shouldn't cling to the old ways; only reform is the way forward. Although she's missing now, I believe she's still alive." Queen Elizabeth looked at the young man before her with a serious expression.

“Leo, she is your fiancée. You should do more for her. Even if she becomes empress in the future, even if she doesn’t like you, I hope you can protect her silently behind the scenes.” Leopold looked up at the blonde woman in the candlelight.

People sing praises of her beauty and admire her strength. The ancient Austrian Empire and the powerful Habsburg family have never lacked queens who possess both beauty and wisdom, working hard and devoting themselves to their husbands behind the scenes.

“Aunt, I know my mission. As long as she lives, I will protect her until the end of my life. If she unfortunately passes away, I will inherit her will and continue to protect Austria until the day I am called by the Lord.”

PS1: I have to go to work early tomorrow QAQ

Chapter 250 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter111 loves a good show (votes needed)

His gaze returned to the Austrians' last line of defense. Leopold looked up at the flying objects that streaked across the sky like meteors, but he knew these were not meteors that brought people wishes, but shells that would reap lives.

"Enemy attack! Get into cover!" Leopold's voice echoed clearly over the Imperial army's position, but it was quickly drowned out by the deafening explosions.

The French artillery bombardment was unlike the small-scale attacks of the morning; this time it was much larger in scale. The shells didn't just hit the Austrian positions built along the river; countless shells flew over their positions and into the river, splashing up water of all sizes. The huge noise also caused panic among the retreating Imperial soldiers. The troops waiting to retreat by the bridge all rushed onto the bridge at once. The chaotic scene even caused many soldiers to fall directly into the swift river, and their heavy backpacks sank to the bottom of the river.

Just then, a shell exploded not far from Leopold. The huge impact sent him flying into the trench, and the sand that was kicked up buried him in the sand. If it weren't for the soldiers nearby noticing his condition and digging him out in time, Leopold might have been buried in the sand and gravel.

"Ahem! They relied on our firelight to determine their location." Leopold patted the sand off his face. This handsome young man, looking embarrassed, showed no trace of his noble air.

"Sir, look over there!" The soldiers pointed to the bridge behind them, where many people had already fallen into the water due to the chaos.

"Tsk, at this rate, none of them will escape." Leopold raised his hand and angrily struck the mound of earth. These were soldiers of the Imperial Army, yet they were thrown into disarray by enemy artillery fire.

Which group violated regulations and rushed onto the bridge ahead of schedule?

"The man is a Hungarian who retreated after the right wing collapsed during the day."

"It's them again." Leopold sighed helplessly, then turned his gaze back to the Frenchmen in front of him.

The French shelling continued, the shells raining down relentlessly. Unfortunately, the soldiers who stayed behind with Leopold to cover the retreat were all experienced veterans. They skillfully crawled, maintaining a wide distance to avoid a mass casualty situation.

"Check your rifles. Concentrate our magic armor on the flanks. No need to deploy it in the main positions. Artillery, take cover. We don't need to return fire at this stage." Leopold had decided to make a bold attempt with this afternoon's battle plan: rely on infantry defense to wear down the enemy's attacking force, then seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack using the magic armor. After the magic armor counterattack ended, use artillery barrage to cover the magic armor's retreat.

By utilizing its mobility, he repeatedly wore down the enemy's attacking forces. In this battle, he was not seeking victory, but rather to delay the enemy's attacking forces and buy time for the entire army to retreat.

Ten minutes later, the French artillery bombardment also came to an end.

As the stirring "La Marseillaise" began, the French Guards "cavalry" infantry officially launched their charge against the army of Sardinia.

At the same time the French army launched its attack on Leopold, Gisela's troops had successfully crossed the Ticino River. Under the cover of darkness, this force of more than three thousand men successfully reached the rear of the French forces, and now Gisela could even see the bustling French artillery positions with the naked eye, following the direction of the firelight.

"Your Highness, the French have launched an attack!" Aponia looked up and pointed in the direction from which the shouts of battle were coming from. Although she was a nun, she was surprisingly capable of taking care of people. In the past few days, she had independently taken on the responsibility of feeding and caring for the two princesses. At first, she did this simply to relieve the unconscious Rita, but this nun proved unexpectedly reliable, and Gisela quickly returned to her decadent life of being waited on hand and foot. A model youth? No! Now she was part of the corrupt feudal ruling class.

"No rush, let them fight for a while, I'll roast some sweet potatoes first." Gisela sat on a rock and used the borrowed bayonet to pry open the burning haystack. Making a smokeless stove was a piece of cake for her, who possessed magical powers.

“Ahem, don’t underestimate this roasted sweet potato. When I was in elementary school…” Gisela hadn’t finished speaking when she realized she might have said something strange. She quickly stopped talking and looked at the group of ladies.

Hana was leaning against a tree, resting with her eyes closed; Rania and Lena, one red-haired and the other brown-haired, were staring intently at the sweet potatoes Gisela was roasting, their drool already dripping down the ground, like two huskies waiting for their meal. Can you imagine how heartbroken Lena was just days before, after her village was massacred and her sister was killed by bad guys?

Seeing that she had managed to come out and even got along so well with that silly senior, Rania, Gisela felt quite gratified. Aside from the aforementioned lovely and elegant ladies, Gisela felt as if one person was missing.

"Aponia, did you see where Chloris went?" Gisela turned around, grabbed Aponia's wrist, and pulled her to her side in a very ambiguous way. Because of her height, Gisela could only reach Aponia's chest at the moment.

Even if one is blinded by a single leaf, it does not affect Gisela's serious questioning.

Aponia trembled slightly at the sudden action, turned her head away in distress, and her cheeks flushed slightly. However, she did not resist Gisela excessively, but instead went along with it.

"Your Highness, no, I'm not ready yet," Aponia said in a barely audible voice.

"What can't I do?" Gisela tilted her head, looking confused.

“Didn’t you just tell me to go to Princess Chloris’s place?” Aponia looked at Chloris, who was fast asleep in the carriage. Just moments ago, she had been sitting beside her, and now she was back in the carriage sleeping. Gisela didn’t realize the ambiguity of her words and actions; to Aponia, it sounded like she was inviting her to “rest” together.