She changed Europe

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"Gulp." Yulia swallowed, her attitude remaining firm.

“I told you I wouldn’t tell you.” Chloris raised her second finger. Moltke, now freed from his limbs, tried to escape but found himself still somewhat weak and fell off the chair to the ground.

"I..." Before Julia could finish speaking, Chloris's smile widened even more.

"Actually, I think it's necessary to let more people know about your relationship with me. Regardless of whether you are innocent or not, at least my elder brother will definitely doubt your loyalty. Secondly, what will happen to the Moltke family is not something I should care about."

It's easy to see how much effort Frederick has put in and how many deals he has made behind the scenes to defeat Chloris in the struggle for the throne. Now he has no choice but to go down that path to the bitter end, so he will absolutely not allow any factors that are detrimental to him to appear.

“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything! Give me a map and I’ll tell you everything I know.” Almost on the verge of tears, Julia abandoned her dignity as a Prussian soldier and her pride as a staff officer, forced to submit to Chloris’s threats.

Miss Goburn nearly knocked over her cup while watching Chloris's bizarre antics.

Clearly, everyone has their own weaknesses, and the things they worry about and fear are different for everyone. It is obvious that Chloris simply confirmed this fact.

PS1: There was an operational error yesterday. Please refresh Chapter 49 to see the original content.

Chapter 433 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 52 The German Confederation Congress (Vote Requested)

Returning to Charlottenburg Palace, with the departure of Crown Prince Frederick, new soldiers locked the doors again, leaving Bismarck alone in the room once more. As Bismarck subtly released his magical senses and realized no one was around, his previously vacant blue eyes regained their luster.

“This child has become twisted too.” Bismarck rubbed her golden hair and sighed helplessly. In fact, when Moltke arrested her, he did not inject her with the suppressant. On the contrary, he gave her the antidote to protect herself and use it if she really couldn’t bear it anymore. So what Frederick saw before was just Bismarck’s disguise.

Bismarck quickly stood up, opened the window of his room, and then sat back down in his chair with his legs crossed.

“Come in, Miss Greya. I know where you are.” As Bismarck spoke softly, a scantily clad, dark-haired beauty crossed her legs and sat down by the window in the blink of an eye.

“Only half of the information you gave me is correct. You said someone would target me, and you told me that Frederick had made a deal with the Jesuits, which is true. But why didn’t you tell me about the experiments they were conducting behind the scenes?” Bismarck had vaguely heard about dealing with guards and conducting experiments during their previous conversation, but the woman in front of her had never told her about this.

“I only do one job for one wage. You only asked me to investigate what Frederick was planning, not what Frederick was doing with the Jesuits.” Even when facing Bismarck’s multifaceted spy, she showed no fear, but rather appeared remarkably composed.

“You’re more like a businessman than a spy at times. How many years have we been working together?” Bismarck said with a sigh.

"If we start from 1848, this is the twenty-sixth year since we met." A legend in European intelligence circles, no one knows her except herself. The fact that she has maintained the same beauty for nearly thirty years makes her other identity obvious, which is perhaps her greatest asset in the underworld.

"Isn't there anyone or anything that has ever truly moved you?" Bismarck was genuinely curious about her friend, wondering if there was something she was deeply in love with, or someone she truly loved, since both of them were older singles, though it wasn't obvious from their appearances.

"Who knows?" The dark-haired woman did not question Bismarck's statement.

"By the way, Miss Leoni, what do you need me to do for you now?" Marta slowly took out a small black notebook from her chest, then pushed up her non-existent glasses.

"Go and contact Chloris, tell her to stop messing around and stay in her mansion. War is about to break out."

"Do you think Her Highness will listen to you?" Marta calmly jumped off the windowsill and slowly walked towards Bismarck.

"Whether she listens or not is her business, whether I remind her or not is my business. I've done what I should do, and that's enough. She's an adult now and should understand right and wrong." Bismarck's expression was very serious.

"How stern you are, former Prime Minister." Marta leaned against Bismarck, her alluring black eyes scrutinizing him as he stood up as well.

“I can feel the burning beat of your heart,” Marta said gently.

"Really? If you hadn't told me, I would have thought I had heart failure," Bismarck said jokingly.

Just then, Marta tiptoed and kissed Bismarck. Bismarck's eyes widened slightly at first, then slowly closed, and he gently embraced Marta's waist as a response to her, since Bismarck was the taller one.

After a short while, the two gradually separated.

“Take good care of Chloris for me. Help her with whatever she wants to do. If she wants to go to Austria, let her go. Prussia can't offer her anything now.”

Marta didn't say anything, but went back to the window and jumped out, disappearing into the darkness.

Bismarck sat back down, raised his right hand to feel the lingering warmth on his lips. If he remembered correctly, the last time he did that was at the ball, to the Austrian princess that Chloris liked.

Time continues to move forward.

As the economic reforms of the Austrian Empire deepened and developed, the convenience brought by the adoption of fiat currency quickly spread throughout the German region, especially to the many smaller German states. Local people privately abandoned their own currencies, instead using the more valuable and practical Imperial Mark for transactions. The German Customs Union, once established by Prussia, suddenly became shaky, and the Austrian Empire, with unprecedented determination, shifted its focus in conquering Germany to the economy.

Taking this opportunity, Empress Gisela of Austria decided to make a high-profile trip to Frankfurt, the seat of the German Confederation Parliament, to announce the empire's new vision for economic integration in the German region.

The German Confederation, a loose federation established on the ruins of the Holy Roman Empire, was a product of the Vienna Agreement of 1815. Its existence was merely a means to maintain the German princes and project the influence of the former imperial emperor, the Archduke of Austria, over the German regions. Of the more than two hundred princes that had existed within the empire over the past centuries, only thirty-eight remained, their size and power far exceeding anything seen in the medieval period.

“Your Highness, your hair,” Aponia said, pointing to the hair on Gisela’s head that stood up like a cowlick.

"It's alright, just wet it a little and it'll be fine," Gisela said nonchalantly, her attention focused on the large gate not far away. Representatives of the German princes, as well as ambassadors from Britain, France, Russia, and Prussia, had already arrived at the venue on the other side of the gate.

“Your Highness, let me redo your hair.” Aponia quickly removed the magnificent jeweled headdress that Gisela was wearing, gently lifted her silky golden hair, and carefully redid it.

"Jeanne!" Gisela seemed to remember something and called out Jeanne Alter's name, only to find that Jeanne Alter was not in the room.

“Your Highness, Miss Jeanne just went out. She said it was too stuffy here and she wanted to get some fresh air. However, I have already asked Miss Rita to keep an eye on her.” Aponia bit the comb and retied the hair tie behind Gisela’s head. After all, today was a major international conference, so she had to be at least as formidable as her opponent in terms of presence, appearance, and aura.

PS1:ra!

Chapter 434 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Captain53 Makes a Grand Appearance (Seeking Votes)

Let's turn our attention back to outside the venue —

Jeanne, dressed in a white Austrian military uniform, sat on a bench by the pool, gazing at the carriage with the French ambassador's flag fluttering in the distance, feeling somewhat lost and melancholy. As a native-born Frenchwoman, Jeanne hadn't returned to France for several years. Since her decisive refusal of the French delegation's invitation to sign the armistice, no French power had approached her.

Because the Third French Republic had not yet achieved a hard-won political balance between royalists and republicans, it did not want to be reshuffled by the return of a powerful magic user. Similarly, the remnants of the Second Empire in North Africa and Provence were currently unable to challenge the Third Republic's authority on its own soil.

Even disregarding Jeanne and the two magical female warriors who died in Italy, France still possesses thirteen magical warriors (not counting newcomers). Nine of them are loyal to the Republic, and four still follow Napoleon III. This reserve of magical warriors, along with its powerful industrial capacity, still ensures France's status as a major European power, though it no longer enjoys the same level of advantage as before.

“Bonjor! (Hello) Miss Jeanne de Dalque.” A pretty girl with a mole on the corner of her mouth sat down next to Jeanne.

"Who are you?" Jeanne looked at the polite young girl in front of her with some confusion, her golden eyes filled with confusion.

“Don’t you remember me, senior? Although I was just a low-ranking officer back then, my name is Camilla Philippe Pétain.” The girl extended her hand. Faced with the girl’s enthusiasm, Jeanne reluctantly extended her hand as well.

"Have you chosen to pledge allegiance to the new country?" Logically, having been highly regarded by Napoleon III, she should have chosen him and gone to North Africa, instead of staying in Paris with that indecent madwoman.

“Senior, didn’t you also choose to leave your homeland and stay in Austria?” Pétain said unhurriedly.

“That…that’s different! I don’t want to be around that rude, tasteless, annoying, lecherous jerk who always smells of mink. (In fact, Gisela doesn’t smell at all). Being around her is the worst luck I’ve ever had. Yesterday, she made me…” Jeanne raised her head, her expression and eyes seemingly revealing her disgust for Gisela, yet she reminisced about her time with Gisela like a chatterbox.

Pétain listened attentively to Jeanne's words, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

“Senior, Mr. Hugo once told me that a person is born twice. The first time is on the day a person begins to live; the second time is on the day love blossoms.” The astute Pétain clearly discerned the emotions hidden beneath Jeanne’s daily complaints, a fact perhaps even she herself was unaware of.

"Don't mention Hugo to me, I hate him." In Jeanne's view, Richelieu and Hugo had something going on in the past, so the two could be considered rivals in love, even though that was Richelieu's past as a girl.

"Yes, yes, senior, I won't say anything more."

"By the way, what are you doing here, Bei? Aren't you serving in the military?"

“That’s right, senior. I am now the military attaché of the French embassy. Thiers has agreed to let me take up a temporary post in the military and then work in her government department.” Pétain actually has two jobs, and Thiers can switch them at any time if needed.

"Don't you want to return to your homeland, senior? You are a saint of France, haven't you been away from your homeland for too long?" Pétain asked unhurriedly.

"No, it's very nice here. I don't want to go back to Paris yet." In Paris, she was the esteemed Duke of Orléans, the Saint of France. Even though the country was no longer a monarchy, no one could take away her title and status. Here, she was bossed around by someone every day, doing strenuous physical labor without any reward. But for some reason, she kind of liked life here because she didn't have to worry about political intrigue. More importantly, she believed she was helping Richelieu.

“That’s your freedom.” With that, Pétain handed a note to Jeanne and then left the bench. As she left, a slight smile played on her lips, and her blue eyes glanced at the bushes not far away.

Jeanne took the note and read its contents carefully.

"Greetings, Lady Jeanne." Watching Rita walk away, Jeanne calmly stepped out of her hiding place and greeted her as if she were just passing by.

"Um... Hello! Miss Rita." Jeanne hid the note in her sleeve and hurriedly stood up to respond to Rita.

"What were you looking at just now?" Rita asked knowingly, her purple eyes fixed on Jeanne's right hand, which was trying to hide the note.

"No...no, that's not true." Jeanne shook her head somewhat guiltily and glanced away.

"Oh, right! The meeting is about to start!" With that, Jeanne left as if fleeing, leaving Rita standing there, her purple eyes narrowed as if deep in thought.

Today is the 261st session of the German Confederation Parliament. Do any members of parliament have any proposals? Even though he knew the content of today's meeting, the speaker still asked this question from the high platform.

Soon, the Austrian ambassador, seated in the chairman's seat, raised his hand. As the founder of the Confederation and the most powerful of the German principalities, the Austrian parliamentarian's speech naturally carried considerable weight. Interestingly, the seating arrangement within the Confederation was also centered around Austria and Prussia, forming two distinct centers.

“Our princess has something to say.” The Austrian senator stood up somewhat arrogantly, glanced at the other thirty-five senators present, and finally fixed his gaze on the Prussian senator.

As the Austrian parliamentarian spoke, the doors were slowly pushed open, and Gisela, dressed in formal attire, gracefully appeared before the parliamentarians and ambassadors from various countries. Previously known for her military uniform, Gisela changed her style today at the Confederation Parliament, appearing in a snow-white long dress.

Subsequently, led by Bavarian parliamentarians, members of parliament from various countries stood up and bowed slightly to Gisela.

Gisela walked up to the high platform where the speaker had stood and calmly looked down at the parliamentarians from various countries below.

"Gentlemen, given the current economic downturn in Europe, I believe we should set aside our prejudices and cooperate to pursue development and the well-being of the people under the rule of each country."

"The success of our Austrian Empire's economic reforms is evident to all. Our established credit money system has already gained the support of some British politicians, and it is only a matter of time before Britain implements this new economic system."

PS1: The offensive and defensive strategies have changed.

Chapter 435 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 54 The Frankfurt Agreement (Seeking Votes)

"Although our country's economy is doing well, the Austrian Empire is not selfish, because we know that the power of the Imperial Empire comes from Germany and from the support of the countries present. Therefore, the Empire will support the countries within the German Confederation through the most difficult period of their economies." Gisela said this because she knew that due to distrust of their own currencies, many small countries in the German region had already seen a large amount of Imperial Marks circulating in their markets.

"In order for the Austrian Empire to better help everyone, I believe that the German Customs Union under the leadership of a certain country is no longer appropriate. What we need is a more equal economic cooperation agreement. Therefore, I suggest that everyone present sign the free trade zone framework I envision." Economic unification precedes political unification. Rapid industrial development has made Austria need a broader market, and the German region is the place to absorb this production capacity.

"The German Confederation countries that sign free trade agreements will enjoy zero tariff barriers and the right to free movement of goods. To express our goodwill, the Austrian Empire will be the first to abolish tariffs with that country after the agreement is signed, as a sign of our sincerity." Austria's economic prosperity will naturally bring many economic benefits, and any smart country would know to take advantage of this opportunity to get out of trouble.

“Of course, we also welcome the Kingdom of Prussia to join our ‘German’ free trade zone.” Gisela deliberately emphasized the word “German,” wanting people to see a contrast between a selfish and arrogant Prussia and an open and generous Austria. After all, Prussia excluded Austria from the system, while Austria did not. This made the representatives of the various German countries, who already had a favorable impression of the former emperor, even more agree with Gisela’s idea.

This was precisely Gisela's open scheme.

“So let’s negotiate and sign an agreement.” Gisela turned her gaze to the Prussian representatives, whose faces were now extremely grim.

"Your Highness, do you really want to hear our advice instead of unilaterally demanding that we fulfill the terms of the agreement?" At this moment, the Bavarian representative, who was hailed as the third strongest power in Germany, stood up and posed the question to Gisela.

"Yes, sir. Our Austrian Empire will abandon the characteristics of the German Customs Union, where policies are dominated by one country. The agreement will be more fair and just."

"Not only do our Austrian entrepreneurs want to invest and build factories in various countries, generating more profits while creating local jobs, but the companies from all countries present here feel the same way." Unemployment and financial disorder are the biggest problems facing all the countries present.

"Of course, I suggest that the Imperial Mark be used for settlement in economic and trade matters between countries." Gisela's lips curled slightly as she said this. Given their dire economic situation, they were utterly unable to resist Austria's sweet talk. Furthermore, Bavaria and Württemberg, the two largest states in southern Germany, were essentially Austria's backyard and staunch supporters of the Habsburgs. Even though both families were historically staunch Austrian supporters until the Empire was completely crushed.

Of course, the biggest beneficiaries of replacing their own currencies with the Reichsmark are the powerful and wealthy in these countries. After all, ordinary people don't have an easy life, let alone investment and enjoyment. This is a "suggestion" that the other party can't refuse.

"We disagree! Austria is pursuing economic hegemony, attempting to control our economy in order to achieve its own political goal of controlling the German region!" The Prussian representative stood up with a frown and angrily denounced the Austrian Empire represented by Gisela.

Soon, Prussia's little followers, led by Hamburg, followed suit and criticized Austria, with accusations of its wolfish ambitions rising one after another.

"Is that so?" Gisela raised her right hand and tossed her golden hair aside, removing her jeweled headdress in front of everyone present.

"Our ambitions are blatantly obvious? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If we, the Habsburg dynasty, truly wanted to annex you, it wouldn't be now, nor tomorrow, but hundreds of years ago. Don't forget who protected Germany and Europe from the iron hooves of the eastward-expanding infidel armies over the past few centuries."

What did my ancestors defend single-handedly, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, from the Old World to the New World? In fact, during the same era as Charles V, the Ottoman Empire also reached its zenith under a powerful ruler (Suleiman the Magnificent). It is hard to imagine what the situation would have been like without the Habsburg dynasty, God's protector, standing in the way of the Muslim armies.

"Gentlemen, I come here today purely in goodwill. You should understand that even though we are all members of the German Confederation, we have no obligation to help you." Although she knew most small countries were opportunistic and fickle, and that the North German states seemingly criticizing Gisela were mostly merely submitting to Prussian threats, Gisela's pleasure lay in feigning arrogance before unleashing her true trump card.

“Your Highness, they will not easily abandon their alliance,” the Prussian representative said, glancing back at the foreign parliamentarians behind him.

"No?" As Gisela spoke, the doors to the Confederation Parliament Hall slowly opened, and a girl with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a women's suit, walked into the hall.

"Let me introduce you, Miss Hannah Rothschild, the current head of the Rothschild family. As you know, she is the princess of the Sixth Empire and the future helmsman of the European financial market." Hannah's presence here was all too clear in its meaning—the Habsburgs and the Rothschilds had formed an alliance.

Upon seeing this, not only the representatives of the various states present, but even the ambassadors from countries such as Britain and France who were listening in the audience couldn't help but frown.

“Dear Miss Hannah, may I ask you a question?” Gisela walked down the steps with a smile. Her disheveled hair made her look somewhat unruly. She gently took Hannah’s hand, appearing very affectionate.

"How much of their government bonds has your Rothschild family purchased?" Gisela pointed to the representative of the Free City of Hamburg.

"Your Highness, it's about 40%." The Luo family has never given up on the financial market in the German region. Perhaps it is because they were born in Germany that their obsession with this land is second only to that of the land in the East.

"Really? Only forty percent? That's a pity, I thought it was already fifty percent." Gisela seemed a little disappointed.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 436 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 55 The Art of Diplomacy (Seeking Votes)

"And what about him?" Gisela pointed again to the Lübeck representative not far away.

“Your Highness, this should be a bit more, about 60% more,” Hana replied seriously.

"Enough!" the Prussian senator roared, somewhat losing his composure.

"And what about him? What about him? And what about them?" Gisela ignored the Prussian senator who was about to jump up and down, and threw one question after another at Hannah, who answered Gisela's questions in tacit agreement.

"That's enough." Gisela finally lowered her hand as she pointed at the Kingdom of Hanover, deliberately glancing at the British ambassador not far away. It's important to know that Queen Victoria of England is of Hanoverian blood, and the relationship between this kingdom and the British Empire is rather unique, even though their joint rule ended as early as 1837.

"Hana, how about we sell off all the national debt of these countries?" That's the good thing about dealing with the German states, because they are mostly small countries, so economic warfare is easy to deal with. But if we were facing monsters like Britain, France, the United States, and Russia, we couldn't do that, otherwise it would be a foolish move that would kill a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of our own.

A collapse in government bond prices would be a devastating disaster for any country, as it would leave it heavily indebted, or even bankrupt, leading to a loss of public trust. This would further exacerbate an already precarious economy, and the most serious consequence could be the outbreak of a new revolution.

After weighing the pros and cons, the first to waver were the Central German states, centered around Hanover, Thuringia, and Saxony, which were already somewhat ambivalent towards both sides.

"Representatives of the states that are willing to sign the new agreement and voluntarily withdraw from the former German Customs Union, please raise your hands." At Gisela's instruction, the Speaker returned to the platform to maintain order in the meeting hall.

As Gisela had predicted, the southern German states were the first to raise their hands, followed by the central German states which, after a moment's hesitation, sided with Austria. The northern German states, ultimately deterred by Prussian threats, did not raise their hands, though they were perhaps already secretly contacting the Austrians. The Prussian parliamentarians were livid, unable to refute this. The atmosphere in the meeting room was extremely tense.

Prussia was once again "abandoned by all sides" for a time. After all, for the German states, the Archduke of Austria, who had long served as Holy Roman Emperor, was obviously more approachable than the remote Prussia, especially when they were creditors and financiers.

In the end, the Prussian senator sat back down in his chair like a deflated balloon, because he knew very well that the situation in Prussia was not very good either. However, because they were preparing for war, they were not unable to cope with the crisis, but they were indeed powerless to help the other states of the Customs Union.

"If only Lord Bismarck were still in office," the senator remarked wistfully to his assistant.

After hearing the Prussian senator mention Bismarck, Gisela handed Hannah her specific proposals regarding railway specifications and weights and measures, and then walked toward the Prussian senator.

"Sir, have you considered the possibility of cooperation between Prussia and Austria?"