She changed Europe

Page 84

“What a coincidence, our Hungarian crown is also called the Crown of St. Stephen.” Count Andrássy continued to mutter to himself, while Gisela tilted her head and pretended not to hear anything.

“Your Highness, please have your attendants wait outside. Please come in with me,” Count András said, glancing at Rita and Jeanne behind Gisela, and of course, the woman whose face was veiled but whose clothing was quite revealing. Aponia and Hanna were not present; they had both gone to Buda Palace to store their luggage, as Gisela had ordered. Of course, this was only a nominal order; in reality, Hanna had gone to exchange information with Budapest's business leaders, while Aponia had gone to the local Catholic Church to conduct research.

As the saying goes, both the economy and religion are flourishing.

“Of course, no problem, sir.” Gisela snapped her fingers lightly with her right hand, and the ladies, led by Rita, stood still and watched Gisela and Count Andrahi leave.

"Your Highness, welcome to the most sacred region of the Kingdom of Hungary." Count Andrássy pushed open the heavy doors of the council chamber and stepped inside under the watchful eyes of everyone in the hall.

The design mimics a circular hall, with seating on all four sides. The room is spacious but has undergone some basic acoustic treatment, making the sound clearer. At the center of the circle, each seat is equipped with an expensive magic stone, clearly intended to allow users to amplify their voices using magic energy.

Of course, in the center of the circular area of ​​the hall, there was a raised platform, upon which rested a pure gold scepter and a richly decorated crown. This crown possessed both the ruggedness unique to nomadic peoples and the splendor of Christian civilization, making it a rare treasure. The slightly crooked cross at the top further enhanced its unique dramatic appeal.

If Gisela's memory serves her correctly, this crown is indeed the St. Stephen's Crown that Count Andrássy just mentioned. The earliest mention of a crown dates back to 1000 AD, when Pope Sylvester II presented a gold crown as a gift to Archduke Stephen I of Hungary upon his coronation. It was this crown that granted Hungary its special status at the time, as the Pope recognized them as an independent Catholic kingdom, not a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire.

Later, influenced by the Eastern Roman Empire, the crown began to be adorned with jewels on its gold. Arches and an upper edge were also added. Ironically, as successive kings continued to add decorations, the cross at the top of the crown was eventually deformed by pressure, and the crooked cross became a unique feature of the Hungarian crown.

"Transylvania's taxes must be increased by 30%! The only way to control the restless Romanians is to restrict them financially!"

"No, we must continue education, make them speak Magyar, and make them use the same naming conventions as us! (surname first, given name last)." Clearly, the nobles of the Hungarian Parliament were discussing the Transylvanian issue. To the Kingdom of Hungary at this time, the Romanians of Transylvania had become a disturbing and dangerous group.

After all, ever since the merger of the Principality of Wallachia and the Principality of Moldavia in 1859 to form Romania, the Romanians in this region had always longed to break away from the empire and reunite with their brothers and sisters. Although Romania was still a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire at this time, its growing political power was inadvertently strengthening their centrifugal tendencies.

The birth of Romania was actually a product of the political power struggle among the three major powers: the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Russia supported Romania in the hope that they would penetrate deeper into the Balkans, acting as Slavic proxies in the region and expanding their influence there.

The Ottoman Empire adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards Romania, hoping that they would develop on their own and then seize the opportunity to annex Transylvania, the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The empire allowed Romania to remain unchecked because they hoped it would serve as a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, constantly keeping the weakening Ottoman Empire tied down in the southern Balkans.

Ultimately, Romania's power is steadily rising and growing.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 312 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown and the Normalcy of the Council (Seeking Votes)

"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to temporarily interrupt your speeches and discussions on matters of national importance so that I may introduce to you an angel from the Habsburg family, the apple of our King's eye, the jewel in our imperial crown—Her Highness Gisela Louise Marie." Count Andrahi took a metal cane from a servant and struck it forcefully on the marble floor of the council hall to draw everyone's attention to him.

As Count Andraci introduced him, the previously noisy parliamentary session immediately quieted down, and the members of parliament turned their gazes toward the count with expressions of respect.

In Hungary, if you ask who your King is, the answers may vary widely. Some may say that Hungary has no King, while others may say it is His Majesty Joseph. However, if you ask who the current founding father of Hungary is, the answers are surprisingly consistent—people will say it is the uncrowned András.

In his youth, the Count was a passionate young man who participated in a great struggle, taking up arms to fight for his nation's independence. Although the movement ultimately ended in failure, he was not discouraged.

The intelligent and wise man chose a more peaceful path, ultimately leading to the establishment of the dual monarchy in 1867. He also orchestrated the coronation of Emperor Joseph and Empress Elizabeth in Budapest.

Even more interestingly, the crown of the Queen of Hungary was placed on Empress Elisabeth by this count himself, not by Emperor Franz Joseph. If Gisela had been born a few years later in the original history, she would probably have had to seriously consider who her biological father was. However, in the current worldview, it's absolutely impossible for her to be any closer to Count Andrássy, because she knows her mother's true preferences.

The noble council members stood up in unison, and as Count Andrahi finished speaking, they spontaneously burst into sincere and enthusiastic applause.

Compared to the stagnant Imperial Diet in Vienna, the members here were clearly more energetic, but he also knew very well that the applause of these members was more for Count Andrássy's arrival than for her herself.

In Italy or Austria, she might be a respected princess, but in Hungary, she had nothing. Despite bearing the prestigious Habsburg surname, she had nothing here that would garner her the people's praise.

“Your Highness, our agenda today concerns the Transylvanian issue. If you have any good ideas, please feel free to share them,” Count Andrahi’s booming voice rang out, followed by a polite bow.

“Sir, no, I know nothing about this place. Could you tell me where Transylvania is?” Gisela tilted his head, looking confused.

The councilors couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle as they listened to the princess's speech. The imperial newspaper's description of the second princess's excellence was clearly exaggerated; after all, she was only a teenage girl, and even with great power, she was still just a child at heart.

How could such a young girl, without the help of her advisors, possibly have defeated the powerful Franco-Saxon coalition in the Italian War? It was all just a propaganda tactic commonly used by the Austrians, aimed at increasing the prestige of the royal family among the people. Many Hungarian nobles had already reached this conclusion: such a young girl was not worth being wary of.

"It's alright, Your Highness. You may simply sit there and listen. If you understand anything or have any thoughts, you are welcome to interrupt our discussion at any time." Count Andrássy gestured to an ornately decorated bench not far away. The throne was originally reserved for the King of Hungary, but since the Parliament came into being, no Hungarian king had ever sat on it.

But his allowing Gisela to sit there can also be seen as Count Andrássi's intention to win Gisela over.

“Yes, my lord.” Gisela nodded and walked through the empty speaking area in the middle of the council. Led by her attendants, she sat on the “throne,” her beautiful blue eyes obediently observing her surroundings. Apart from the old fox Andrahi, probably no one would take her seriously. Even if she was a magic user, so what? She was ultimately just a princess without real power.

The discussion continued, with the members of parliament engaging in heated debate, while Gisela listened quietly to the various viewpoints and, based on the different political demands of the radical and pacifist factions mentioned earlier by the Count, divided the political forces in the Hungarian Parliament into three factions.

The radicals were actually the independence faction, though Count Andrássy put it more conservatively; the pacifists were actually reforming within the empire and expanding Hungary's power; and there was a third faction, the so-called fence-sitters, whose stance was not firm and who could switch sides at any time due to changes in the political situation.

Of the three factions, the independence faction is in the lead, while the peace faction is weak, and the latter clearly has room for cooperation.

So, which faction did Count András, the Prime Minister of Hungary, belong to? With this in mind, Gisela fixed her gaze on the Prime Minister, who remained silent in the distance.

Through her gaze, Gisela could clearly observe that Count Andraci, sitting not far away, was expressionlessly watching the debating members of parliament, occasionally turning to exchange opinions with his deputy. His right hand still gripped the cane he had just tapped on the ground, while his left hand took out something resembling a notebook from his pocket and was carefully flipping through it.

Why did this old fox specifically ask her to sit in on this meeting? Usually, when members of the royal family visit, local officials would first take them sightseeing, rather than immediately getting involved in politics. This seems to be a deliberate attempt to urge her to fulfill her duties.

Gisela was not as ignorant about the Transylvanian question as she appeared to the nobles. As an integral part of the former Kingdom of Hungary, it had been a refuge for the old Hungarian nobles dissatisfied with Habsburg and Ottoman rule since the First Battle of Mohács.

Governing this land had become an urgent matter, but the prerequisite was to first resolve the Hungarian question. Without the threat of external war or drastic changes in the international situation, Transylvania had no chance of breaking free from the Empire's control.

"Baptiste! The glorious Baptiste family has entrusted us with the glory of Transylvania and the Apache dynasty! We must defend this divinely bestowed land with concrete actions and send those damned Slavs to hell! Since they want to break free from the control of us Magyars, let's take this opportunity to wipe them all out." A burly man stood up, refuting the weak and feeble remarks of his colleagues, while turning his gaze to Count Andrahi, who was flipping through his notebook.

PS1: The family of the dragon girl in Faye is this Bathory.

Chapter 313 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: Capter 29 Political Games (Vote Requested)

“Lord Marash, your remarks are too radical…” The member of parliament next to him expressed his concern.

"What's there to be afraid of! Don't all of you here want to do this?" The man named Marash raised his head, glanced slightly at the Austrian princess on the throne in the distance, and continued.

"Croatians, Romanians, and those poor Serbs—all of them were once our subjects, yet now they all want to stand before us and claim the power that rightfully belongs to us from our benevolent King. I ask you all, what gives you the right?" Marash continued his relentless speech.

"Infidel invasions, Mongol cavalry, the flames of war burning across Europe—when was it not we Hungarians who charged into battle for the Christian world, when was it not us who fought and bled? The land our ancestors conquered on horseback with blood and scimitars cannot be destroyed by those laughable servants. Since they refuse to accept our leadership, let them see the power of cannons and scimitars once again!" The man's speech grew increasingly impassioned. At first, some members of parliament expressed their opposition, but such voices were quickly drowned out by deafening cheers.

For most of the Hungarian nobles sitting here at the meeting, the theory of Magyar supremacy and the idea of ​​past glories remain very popular.

“You agree, don’t you! Our great hero of Hungary, Lord András.” Maráš raised his right hand, fixing his gaze on the elegant middle-aged man, awaiting his words.

After a while, the count stood up and gently tapped his metal cane on the ground, and the surroundings immediately fell silent again.

"No! Gentlemen and ladies, times have changed. What can we gain by indulging in the glory of the old era? Today we kill those nosy Romanians, tomorrow the discontented will be the Serbs, today we kill the Serbs again, the day after tomorrow the Germans will be..." As he said this, the Count deliberately glanced slightly in Gisela's direction.

"Killing may be the quickest and easiest thing to do, but let's not forget that the reason we Hungary are able to achieve an equal status with Austria in the Empire today is not because of killing, but because we have fought for it with our actions and our minds." The man's lips curled up, and he looked at Maráš, who had just incited the crowd, with a hint of disdain.

"Look at you, Mr. Marash! Your glib tongue and sensationalist rhetoric nearly brought tragedy to the Empire! Don't you know that our esteemed princess, who has traveled from afar, is quietly watching you all? She may not say anything, but what will her father, our King, think of us when he learns of our actions?"

"My Hungarian subjects are truly not someone I can trust." Count Andrássy deliberately imitated Joseph's tone, conveying these words to every noble present.

The previous fervor and enthusiasm were utterly humiliated by this man, who saw them as nothing more than a mob, fools still stuck in the era where self-interest dictates one's thinking.

“That’s enough! Let’s continue discussing some constructive solutions.” Count Andrahi sat back down, and the councilors who had stood up earlier also returned to their seats.

The man named Maráš was clearly a radical. Even setting aside the noble members of parliament who had previously echoed Count Andrássy's views because of their conformity, such people still made up a significant portion of the hundreds of members of parliament. From this perspective, the Hungarian parliament had become a stronghold of radicalism in the Kingdom of Hungary, and how to deal with this situation had quietly been placed in Gisela's plans.

Another issue is Count Andrássy's remarks. If his reprimand wasn't directed at the nobles present, considering his own "outsider" status, then Count Andrássy's true stance becomes somewhat intriguing.

However, this also seems to explain why she asked the question of becoming queen. A royal family from the same clan as the imperial family could indeed strengthen the ties between the imperial government and the Hungarian government, while further expanding the kingdom's power and influence within the empire. After all, for the Habsburg dynasty, which valued lineage, a member of the clan supported by unsavory elements was better than a prime minister of dubious origin.

Clearly, this is a win-win situation at this stage. If he were truly as incompetent as he appears now, Count Andraci would be more than happy to place the Crown of St. Stephen on Gisela's head.

But that was just a hypothetical scenario. The thought of this rather useless crown brought a slight smile to Gisela's lips; after all, her ambitions extended beyond that.

"Sir, although I don't know how you view me now, what I want is not this little Hungarian crown. Of course, please don't try to figure out what I really want, because you can't give it to me." Gisela coldly muttered, then stood up and, without most of the nobles noticing, slowly left the throne and walked towards the gate not far away.

"Tell the Count I'm feeling a bit unwell and will be leaving now. If he needs anything, have him come to Buda Palace to find me," Gisela instructed her attendant before leaving the hall.

"What a troublesome place." Gisela patted her cheeks lightly, stretched her arms, and walked to the window in the corridor, looking somewhat boredly at the lush green garden downstairs.

"It seems to have grown again." Gisela looked at her chest, which had grown again, through her dress with a hint of despair. When she first arrived, she could easily encircle it with one hand, but now it would be a bit difficult. Although she was still a bit behind Jeanne and the hidden peak of Aponia, the cute little Gisela was now already at a high level.

As Gisela's mind wandered, she raised her hand and examined her fair and smooth palm. How could anyone believe that her delicate, almost delicate skin had already been used to wield weapons and slay many enemies on the battlefield?

Using the most beautiful things in the world to do the worst things—that's probably what it feels like.

"What is that?" Gisela wondered to herself as she casually glanced around and noticed a very familiar figure.

PS1:ra!

Chapter 314 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 30 The Mysterious Envoy (Seeking Votes)

A veiled woman is talking to a person who is completely covered in a black cloak.

Gisela recognized the veiled woman immediately, for she was none other than Shahrador, the Ottoman exile with exceptional massage skills. Her dark skin, voluptuous figure, and exotic attire were alluring from every angle, qualities Gisela would have previously considered attractive.

However, now is not the time for her to indulge in such thoughts, because this is a special period, and she herself is someone who heard about her plan on the train. At this time, her contact with strangers will naturally arouse Gisela's vigilance.

After all, besides the Hungarians in front of him, Gisela had an even more troublesome opponent, and those guys were so audacious as to dare to assassinate Leopold, the second son of the Bavarian prince, on the streets of Vienna.

"Tsk!" Because Shahrador was wearing a veil and the cloaked person had their back to her, Gisela couldn't read their conversation by lip reading.

After a moment's thought, Gisela squatted down, took off her high heels, and placed her white stockings on the clean carpet. Observing the area below for a moment, she placed one foot on the windowsill, then with a powerful leap, gracefully jumped out of the window. Just before landing, she grabbed a tree trunk, spun around, and then, as if dancing, lightly stepped onto the soft earth.

Next came the eavesdropping segment, which she was all too familiar with; the hearing enhancement from her fox ears was coming in handy.

"Thank you for your assistance, my lord. If this operation can proceed as scheduled, I believe that the people of Allah will once again bring the glory of Suleiman the Magnificent to the Balkans, and the ancient empire will emerge from the shadow of the war with the Russians." The voice from under the black cloak was exceptionally deep, making it difficult to discern the gender of the person beneath the cloak for a moment.

“Shut up, I’m not doing this to maintain our cooperative relationship.” Shahrado frowned slightly, her words carrying a hint of displeasure.

"Whatever the case, as long as we share common interests, we will always be an inseparable whole. This applies to your Sultanah and to our Majesty as well." The voice of the person in the black cloak showed no anger, but rather an expected composure.

"You'd better remember this: don't think that just because you helped us defeat the giant bear that invaded the northern border of our empire, you can act recklessly in our country. Even if we lose Egypt and Greece, our empire will still be the undisputed hegemon of the Middle East!" Shahrado gently raised his right hand, his eyes burning with flames.

Unless there is a genuine interest between the two parties to cooperate, she would not hesitate to use her power to deliver a fatal blow to the other party, in order to express her current disgust.

“Shahrado Pasha, it seems you’ve forgotten something?”

"whats the matter."

"Open your eyes, then rub them open and take a good look at your East. Your former enemies, Persia and the Mughal Empire, aren't they now servants at our feet?"

“Hahaha! Speaking of ants, this reminds me of that poor Bahadur Shah II (the last emperor of the Mughal Empire). He was clearly incompetent, yet he dared to rebel against us…” The cloaked man spread his arms and raised his head high, then took out a gold coin engraved with the image of the Mughal emperor from his waist.

"We should thank these things called science, which have given our ordinary soldiers the ability to compete with noble lords. The training to fire a single bullet may only take a few months, but its power can penetrate the most refined armor and kill a seasoned warrior. It is because of their existence that war has achieved true equality for everyone."

"Then why do you, a nation that sings the praises of science and believes in the power of mortals, possess the most advanced magical armored legion in Europe and the largest number of magical users?" The proud Shahrador naturally wouldn't miss any opportunity to mock this person.

"Their emperor was dragged out of his hiding palace like a chicken by our men, and his army groveled at our feet like a pack of stray dogs, begging for surrender. Of course, as punishment for their betrayal, we English were very merciful; we didn't kill a single one, but drove them into the vast field like sheep, and then let their compatriots who had submitted to us do it themselves." The cloaked man took a deep breath, looking somewhat pleased, and continued to recount the events, then completely ignored Shahrador's sarcasm.

"Can you imagine the pain of being trampled by an elephant and suffering multiple fractures? Can you imagine the desperate screams? That is the most beautiful melody in the world, a rare experience." The cloaked man walked step by step to Shahrador, bent down and looked at the Turkish woman in front of him, like a hunter examining his prey.

“I can kill you with just a flick of my wrist.” Shahrador remained elegant, but there was no hint of politeness in her words.

"No! You won't. We Britannia can't always guarantee that your esteemed Her Majesty Hurem Sultanah won't be defiled by her nominal husband. Of course, your country also needs a small victory to regain its lost cohesion and confidence."

"..." Faced with the other party's words, Shahrado fell into a natural silence. The Ottoman Empire of today had long lost its former glory and honor. Along with the Janicheri Legion, the country itself had fallen into decline.

Just like the Crimean War decades ago, it is not difficult for discerning people to see that the war seemed to be a continuation of the Russo-Turkish War, but the main combatants were the British and French allied forces and Russia, rather than the owners of this land.

The court in Istanbul had long been infiltrated by Western powers. In order to continue their decadent lifestyle, the nobles kept selling out the power of the country in exchange for more money to maintain their extravagant lifestyle. With debts piling up and the country's power declining, they had no choice but to seek further support from the Western powers.

It wasn't just the Ottoman Empire; by this time, a vortex of "corruption" had already enveloped the heads of all the world's ancient empires, seemingly the inevitable end of feudal monarchies...

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 315 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 31 Amidst the Fog (Seeking Votes)

Shahrado tried to clench his hands, but after a moment he finally let go with some resignation.

"Have you finished speaking? If you have, then get out!" Shahrado's angry roar clearly reached Gisela's ears. This was the first time she had ever seen Shahrado so angry.

In her memory, Shahrador was the kind of woman who was friendly to everyone.

However, Gisela's judgment was confirmed by the conversation with the other party. Shahrado's influence on the Ottoman Empire was definitely not limited to being Sultana's maid. Perhaps she was a magic user herself, but just did not want to reveal it.

However, as long as Shahrado doesn't admit it, Gisela will definitely not investigate further, since she still hopes to use him for her own purposes.

"Your Excellency Pasha, please don't rush to send me away. I still need to confirm one thing: whether your lie has been seen through by that princess?" The cloaked man gradually moved away from the woman.

"You saw through me?" Shahrado felt that the other party was insulting his level of disguise.

In her understanding, the lovely princess still believes she is Armenian and practices Armenian religion, for which she has even eaten a lot of "unclean meat".

"It seems I was overthinking things, Lord Percy. So, one last thing, regarding our deal, we will fulfill our promise to you in Belgrade." With that, the cloaked figure slowly retreated into the shadows where the sunlight couldn't reach, eventually disappearing into the dark corner.

Shahrador finally breathed a sigh of relief, then leaned wearily against a huge pillar. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her brow. From her four-dimensional depths, she pulled out a round, golden necklace. She gently pressed a switch, opening the shell-like end of the necklace to reveal a black-and-white portrait of herself and a beautiful young woman.

"Hyrem, how are you?" Shahrado's tone was gentle but tinged with grievance. This was the first time Gisela, who was hiding in the shadows, had seen this mysterious Turkish queen so vulnerable and endearing.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about these things anymore." Shahrado looked up, noticed the position of the sun, straightened up, and walked towards the direction where Gisela and Rita were.

Watching Shahrador gradually disappear into the distance, Gisela slowly peeked out, observed her surroundings, and then stepped out from her hiding place. She then walked in the opposite direction from where Shahrador had left, as she had to take a longer route to avoid alerting him.

“Belgrade? What’s traded there?” Gisela repeated softly the name of this place, which was both familiar and unfamiliar. It was familiar because it was the capital of the Yugoslav Federation in her previous life, where some very unpleasant things happened. It was unfamiliar because it had been conquered by the Empire more than once, but the Empire had never truly owned it.

As for Shahrador's true identity, she did initially believe that the other party was Armenian, because she couldn't forget the hatred and entanglement in the eyes of this Turkish woman when she chatted with her in the bathhouse. The hatred of her ethnicity and the special contradiction between her feelings for her master were truly very realistic.

Unfortunately, acting skills can be deceiving, but some details cannot.

“The Pasha of the Ottoman Empire, right…” Gisela repeated this crucial information in a low voice.

Shahrador's problem can be left for observation for now; another issue continues to irritate Gisela. The conversation between Shahrador and the cloaked man just now reveals one thing: this man is highly likely connected to Britain, as he repeatedly hinted at the Crimean War and the Mughal Empire. And in this era, the only power controlling the Mughal Empire could be Britain…

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that he said it on purpose, but in a conversation between two people who know each other well, there should not be such ambiguous words.

Recalling her conversation with Nelson in Italy, she realized that there were indeed some people in Britain who had a very close relationship with the Jesuits; otherwise, it would have been unlikely that Nelson would personally lead an army to Italy to find her.