She changed Europe

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Unlike Jeanne, who is indifferent to everything, Shirley takes everything very seriously. She is the kind of person who is responsible. Even when facing a strong enemy or when she is unwell, she will stand up when she needs to, let alone share the burden with her good friend Jeanne.

"Are you injured?" Su Beiming could easily tell that the French girl in front of him was not in a normal state. She was already very lucky to have blocked his sword.

"I didn't!" Shirley bit her lip. Even if the enemy had guessed correctly, she would never admit it.

"I'm now preparing to retreat." Su Beiming deflected Xia Li's Roland Sword and gradually distanced himself from them.

"So what?" Shirley continued to scrutinize the silver-haired, fox-eared girl's every move with her blue eyes.

"If you think you have the strength, you are welcome to catch up." Su Beiming glanced at Xia Li with his cold peripheral vision. To match his words, Su Beiming deliberately released all the remaining magic energy he had.

Looking at the terrifying opponent before her, Shirley stood there dumbfounded, swallowing hard, cold sweat beading on her forehead. In her opinion, judging from the magical power that woman had released in that instant, killing the two of them would have been an easy task.

"Soldiers of the Empire!" Su Beiming completely ignored the two French magic users and conveyed his majestic voice, like a divine decree, from the sky to the entire battlefield.

"We have achieved our objective! The Sardinian army before us has proven to be nothing but a bunch of pathetic cowards. We have shown with our strength who the victors of war are. Now it is time to end this tedious battle. All troops, listen up and begin the retreat!"

Of course, we don't need to worry about their pursuit or harassment. We can even expose our backs to these cowards of the Sardinian Kingdom! If they dare to launch a sneak attack! I, Gisela Louise Marie, will make them pay a bloody price!" Gisela's strength in single-handedly fighting three magic users was enough to make the enemies present wary. At this moment, for the soldiers on both sides of the battlefield, probably no one would doubt the harsh words she uttered.

The French won't pursue them! Jeanne and Richelieu won't risk their lives for this war that doesn't concern them, and the Kingdom of Sardinia won't pursue them either, because their princess is in their hands, and their army has suffered heavy losses.

Thinking about it this way, Su Beiming's words, though very sarcastic, were surprisingly full of confidence.

"How did you manage to do that?!" Jeanne asked, looking at Su Beiming in the distance. She couldn't believe that a princess of the Ming Dynasty would become a princess of the Austro-Hungarian Empire...

“Who knows?” Gisela replied with a cold laugh, then piloted her magic armor to descend and disengage from the battle. Under the gaze of the two, Gisela’s silver hair began to turn golden again.

PS1: Chinese New Year is finally here, time for the holiday!

Chapter 200 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 61 Victory Celebration (Seeking Votes)

Nightfall on August 14, 1870

Three days after the brief siege of Aubila, it seemed to most people that the battle had ended with the Austrian retreat and the victory of the Sardinian army. Although the major newspapers of Sardinia were wildly praising the victory and the princess's brilliant and valiant command, some scholars who were closely following the situation on the front lines seemed to have noticed a significant fact: their eldest princess was missing.

Due to the information blockade, apart from the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Kingdom of Sardinia fighting on the front lines, almost no one in the kingdom knew that Princess Misella had been captured by the Austrians.

Even King Vittorio of Sardinia did not learn of this devastating news until the day after the battle ended. Fortunately, he was only captured and his life was not in danger. However, his anger at almost losing his right to the throne was enough to give the bureaucrats, led by Cavour, and the generals in the rear a hard time.

Gisela, having broken away from the battle, led the remaining main force of about 35,000 men and, after marching day and night, finally reached the Ticino River two days later. Once they crossed the river, they could retreat back to the empire's territory.

Because of the limited number of boats, the river crossing would take several days to complete, allowing Gisela a rare moment of respite and a good rest. Her resolute retreat a few days prior stemmed from a confirmation made during her analysis with Su Beiming: the French had officially joined forces with the Sardinian army and were already on the battlefield. If Gisela continued to stay, she might face an attack from several French magic users…

Of course, Gisela still declared to the outside world that he had won a victory and decided to hold a banquet in the army to reward the soldiers and generals who had fought bravely.

"Your Highness! What kind of hairstyle would you like?" Rita looked at Gisela, who was sitting very obediently in front of her, and decided to ask for her opinion.

"What kind of hairstyle?" Gisela tilted her head, lost in thought for a moment. She had been too busy directing to pay attention to her hairstyle before, but since she was attending a banquet today, she might as well get a more mature hairstyle.

"I want a mature hairstyle." Gisela has never wanted others to always see her as a little girl, so her request is quite reasonable.

"A mature hairstyle?" Rita gently stroked Gisela's golden hair, lost in deep thought.

A moment later————

"How about this?" Rita held the mirror up to Gisela, asking for her opinion.

Gisela looked in the mirror and saw her hair draped over her right shoulder, long, glossy blonde hair held firmly back by a simple purple ribbon. This simple hairstyle made her appear much more mature, and combined with her tightly closed lips and serious expression, it subtly evoked a sense of a newlywed.

To be honest, Gisela prefers older women to a girlish style. As for Yuan You, she likes mature women and doesn't need a reason.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad, that's exactly the feeling I wanted." Gisela nodded in satisfaction. Rita was always so reliable, always able to fulfill her strange requests.

While Gisela was lost in her own reverie, Tifa strode confidently into the tent.

"Is there something you need? If it's not important, you don't need to report today, Miss Tifa." Since Gisela wanted to relax today, she definitely wouldn't be going to work.

"It's nothing serious, Your Highness. It was just that a few days ago, during the army's retreat, soldiers from the 3rd Company of the 37th Battalion of the 62nd Division found one of our female soldiers in a forest." Tifa stared at Gisela's new hairstyle for a moment, then seemed to be in a daze for a moment before clearing her throat and continuing to report.

"Female soldiers in our army?" In this era, women are not uncommon in the military. Whether it's the female magic users fighting on the front lines, technical maintenance personnel, or even logistics staff, a large number of women have joined the army. They have earned the respect of male soldiers through their courage, wisdom, and abilities that are no less impressive than those of men.

“It can be confirmed that they are our soldiers.” Tifa affirmed Gisela’s words as if confirming them.

"So how did you determine her identity?" In Gisela's view, it wouldn't be difficult for the enemy to impersonate a lost Austrian soldier, and a simple questioning wouldn't directly confirm her identity.

"She wasn't wearing our military uniform; she was only wearing a gray coarse cloth top and no clothing on her lower body. She had multiple bruises on her body, clearly indicating that she had been abused before. We identified her as one of our soldiers because of the bracelet on her right hand." Every mage has a fixed bracelet with their unique number engraved on it (similar to a dog tag).

"After my investigation, her name is Judy Xiu Van Valens, the commander of the missing 23rd Magic Armored Regiment under General Austin. We have already had her comrades confirm her identity."

The disappearance of a mid-level officer is not a big deal for a unit, since desertion is inevitable during wartime. Therefore, Austin reported it to Gisela accordingly, and the matter did not attract Gisela's attention. However, it is somewhat strange that the officer reappeared in such a disheveled manner.

"Where is she now?" The disappearance of a commander of a magic armor regiment, followed by her discovery in the forest, is definitely suspicious. We can't afford to be careless.

"She is still in a coma, and we have placed her in a special ward at the field hospital."

"Tifa, immediately send more people to protect her. I will personally visit her after the banquet." Gisela stretched, then put her legs on the chair and put on her socks.

She tilted her head, rolled the sock into a ball with her slender fingers, gently slipped it onto her toes, and then slowly pulled it up. The white, silky stockings thus passed over her ankles, caressed her calves, glided past her knees, and finally stopped at the top of her thighs, the elastic hem leaving a shallow crease on her skin. Then, she skillfully put on her boots and stood up.

"Your Highness, the banquet is about to begin," Gisela whispered to Gisela.

“Let’s go, Gisela.” Gisela picked up the sword on the table, lifted the tent flap, and walked towards the main tent in the center of the military camp.

PS1: Can I post some side posts? 0v0

Chapter 201 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 62 Two Princesses (Seeking Votes)

At this moment, in a corner of the military camp—

“Those Frenchmen who are more trouble than they're worth have failed! Not only did they fail to kill that vixen, but they also let that woman Judy escape!” Austin slammed his fist on the table and glanced at the four men in black cloaks kneeling in front of him.

“My lord, that lord said he would give you one last chance before that woman wakes up. Since the Order Party is no longer convincing enough, we can only rely on ourselves,” the cloaked figure on the far right suggested to Austin.

"..." Despite this, his master behind the scenes had already foreseen his failure, and his so-called giving him more time was nothing more than wanting to watch him make a so-called desperate struggle.

After all, before being identified, he obviously didn't have the ability to harm Judy, who was under tight protection; after all, he was just a magic user...

"By the way, sir, this is something that lord asked me to give to you." The cloaked man took out a small glass bottle, resembling a perfume bottle, from his chest pocket.

“This is…” Austin raised his right hand and took the bottle handed to him by the cloaked man.

"Demon wielders are the gods' favorites, but they are not invincible. To kill a god, one must use power sufficient to kill them, and the final method is to break the wings that grant them divine power." The cloaked figure spoke in an ethereal tone, as sincere as a devout believer.

"This is a potion that will temporarily cut off their access to magical energy. Even if the effect is brief, during the duration of the potion's effects, they are merely mortals! After that, please use your dagger to pierce that princess who flows with evil blood, and let the glory of the pure-blooded lord straighten the already tilted crown."

And what would the price be? Austin wanted to ask that question, but he bit his lip, put the potion in his pocket, and thought, "Killed by an angry colleague? Bear the stigma of treason? Bring shame to my family?" Having chosen this path, he had no regrets.

For His Highness Rudolf, for the Empire! Austin told himself this in his heart.

The banquet is in progress —

Gisela looked at her generals and raised her wine glass. Although Rita forbade Gisela from drinking, Gisela had already had her servants prepare two glasses, one for wine and one for juice. When Rita was watching her, she would drink the juice, and when she wasn't watching, she would drink the wine. To be honest, once you get older, you develop this kind of stubborn interest in alcohol.

"Your Highness Gisela, how is the wine of our empire?" Gisela asked with a pleased expression as she fiddled with her wine glass, looking at the Italian beauty sitting beside her with her lips tightly pressed together and her expression serious.

It would be unreasonable not to invite her to such a banquet. Whether it was a deliberate attempt to humiliate her or simply an invitation, Misella had no reason to refuse Gisela.

"Hmm!" Misella raised his glass, looking somewhat bewildered at the wine in it. Wine was famous in Italy, but its popularity spread to Germany and France. And what about the people and fate of his own country? Wasn't it just like this blood-red wine? Although it was called a war of independence to liberate the nation, wasn't it just the French being the vanguard, fighting against the Germans?

"Your Highness seems to be in a bad mood? Is it because of the fate of the Italians?" Gisela thought his words were harmless, but unfortunately, this question from the heartless fox deeply hurt Gisela's heart.

“Your Highness Gisela, if you only wish to humiliate me personally, then I will do as you please! But please do not mock my country and my people.” Gisela frowned slightly, her eyes filled with anger. Even though she had been injected with inhibitors and lost her fighting ability, if this fox princess continued to toy with her, she would bite or scratch her until she paid the price.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Gisela raised an eyebrow. She admitted that she didn’t have a good impression of the Italian who had started the war, but it was clear that both sides represented their own positions and had their own difficulties.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to apologize. This is simply a matter of our identities and positions.” Misera took a sip of red wine. While she knew she was outmatched, she still held some respect for Gisera in her heart. However, she was more curious about how Gisera managed to switch hair colors. Why did Gisera have both silver and blonde hair? If it was just a matter of changing the color, that would be one thing, but the key was that her strength and personality would also change.

The banquet continued amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts.

"Your Highness! Our noble and revered princess!" A tall, handsome middle-aged man with a kind smile walked up to Gisela with two glasses of wine in his hands.

“You are…” Gisela sat in the main seat, tilting her head and resting her chin on her right hand, trying to recall the identity of the man in front of her. But no matter how hard she tried, she still had no impression of him at all.

"I am Austin von Reinhardt, commander of the 31st Lumba Division and acting garrison commander of Obira." Austin introduced himself expertly while politely offering his glass to Gisela.

"You're General Austin, the commander of the besieged troops? You've performed admirably, repeatedly thwarting the Sardinian Kingdom's attacks. Your performance during the breakout a few days ago was outstanding. The Empire will surely remember your contributions." Gisela looked at the general with a pleased expression. Although she knew no Austrian general named Austin who had ever been famous throughout Europe, that didn't matter. As long as someone was suitable, she would let them shine in their area of ​​expertise—and that was Gisela's wisdom.

“Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness. I will fight to the last moment for the future of the Empire.” Austin continued to express his loyalty to the Empire and to the princess before him.

“I will definitely drink this glass, whether it’s to encourage you or to celebrate the 31st Division’s successful breakout.” Gisela stood up, took the glass with one hand, glanced at the somewhat angry Gisela with a slight tilt of her head, and then drank the liquid in one gulp. Sometimes seeing someone get frustrated is a particularly pleasant thing, and thinking of this, a smile appeared on Gisela’s lips.

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness." Austin finished his drink in one gulp and returned to his seat.

At this moment, Misella frowned slightly. For some reason, she seemed to sense a strange and vague sense of danger from the Austrian general in front of her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 202 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 63 Unexpected Situation (Seeking Votes)

"If, and I mean if, Your Highness Gisela, you defeat us, what are your plans for the future?" Gisela returned to her seat, fixing her gaze on the Italian girl before her, perhaps wanting to deepen their understanding and lay a good foundation for subsequent negotiations.

"Your Highness is asking a question you already know the answer to. Of course, we will continue south to liberate Naples, liberate Sicily, and complete the unification of the Apennine Peninsula." This is no secret; the Sardinian Kingdom's desire to unify Italy is already common knowledge.

"Not even His Holiness the Pope?" Gisela teased Misela. With the rise of Protestantism and the decline of the Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness the Pope had long lost the lofty position that surpassed royal power he once held in the Middle Ages. However, as the supreme ruler, His Holiness the Pope still wields enormous influence and therefore remains valuable to most Catholic countries.

However, for the Italian independence movement, their first defeat decades ago was precisely when His Holiness the Pope called on European monarchies to send troops to suppress the newly established Roman Republic. Therefore, for the Savoy family, the Pope had long been a major obstacle to the establishment of a nation-state.

“Your Highness Gisela should know our answer.” As a devout Catholic, Gisela personally did not want to attack Rome, but as the future leader of the kingdom, she naturally had to be prepared for the consequences.

"Without the protection of my family, it's only a matter of time before His Holiness the Pope loses the secular power he has held for a thousand years." Historically, the Habsburgs have truly been His Holiness the Pope's biggest backer. Unlike the obedient France, the empire has stood in the same trench with the Pope for hundreds of years.

“But moving this boulder is a real hassle.” Misella took a sip of wine, her originally fair cheeks flushing a healthy rosy hue from the alcohol. Perhaps because she had started talking, Misella was no longer as hostile towards Gisela as before.

"What do you say about getting Savoy to join forces with our Double-Headed Eagle again?" Historically, the Savoy family can be traced back to Count Umberto I of Savoy in 1003 AD. As a member of the Holy Roman Empire, their family history is even longer than that of the later-rising Habsburg family.

Unfortunately, their family did not have the same historical fortune as the Habsburg dynasty. They were not promoted to Duke of Savoy by the empire until 1416, and it was not until the 18th century that the family truly began to rise to prominence. During this period, the family remained unknown for nearly 700 years.

"Your Highness, you are a wise man. You should know that some things are not simply a matter of wishful thinking on our part." The 19th century was an era of rising nationalist movements. With the awakening of national consciousness, the various nations of continental Europe never gave up their pursuit of establishing nation-states. Just as former Austrian Chancellor Metternich envisioned when establishing the Vienna System after the Napoleonic Wars, all five major European powers were built on a powder keg, and maintaining the stability of this powder keg was a tacit understanding among the powers.

However, the French Revolution of 1848 shattered all of Metternich's efforts. Now, the European powers either had to adapt and change or wait for Lindenvän. Even Gisela had already paved the way for the empire's transformation.

"You're right, the war between the two countries wasn't decided by the two of us." Whether public opinion swayed the kingdom to war, or the kingdom induced public opinion to launch this war, in a sense, it was their own choice. However, once this path of no return was chosen, the gears of the nation could not be turned back. Denmark was like this, the Kingdom of Sardinia was like this, and how many other countries in the future would not follow suit?

As the saying goes, when a real avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.

“However, I don’t object to establishing a personal friendship with Her Highness Gisela, after all, Her Highness is a very charming lady.” Knowing that the topic might return to the previous dead end, Gisela turned the tables and began to tease her in return.

"Ahem..." Gisela, despite her pride as a man, didn't accept the praise from the long-haired, light green-haired woman in front of her. However, the woman's flushed face and wagging tail seemed to Gisela that she was quite pleased with her words, which seemed like a good start.

The banquet continued until late at night.

As the generals left, Gisela slumped into her seat, her chest heaving as she breathed heavily. Rita noticed her princess's condition and looked at Gisela with concern. Only after smelling the alcohol on Gisela did she frown and speak:

"Your Highness, why did you secretly drink again? Didn't we say you're too young to drink?"

"I drank fermented grape juice, not wine!" Gisela's excuse was nothing more than a playful pretext from her prince, in Rita's eyes.

"No! Rita's condition has nothing to do with being drunk. I... feel a little... unwell." She had felt something was wrong with her body before, but it wasn't that severe, which led Gisela to mistakenly believe that it was just because she couldn't hold her liquor well. However, the feeling was much more intense now.

"You're not drunk, you're poisoned!" Just then, a cold voice rang in Gisela's mind. Although Su Beiming was usually a cold person, Gisela could tell from her tone just now that the situation was serious.

"I've been poisoned?" Upon hearing Su Beiming's warning, Gisela hurriedly tried to summon her magical energy in case of emergency, but...

"I feel my magic energy draining away!" Gisela said with some surprise. If you were to ask what this feeling was like, it would be similar to the feeling she had when she awakened as a magic user two years ago, with a tightness in her chest. But the difference was that this time her magic energy was draining away rapidly.

This is no simple matter. For a magic user or magic master, the loss of magic energy is like having blood drawn. Along with the loss of power, there is also the double torment of the body and mind.

"How is this possible!" Rita worriedly raised her hand and placed her right hand on Gisela's forehead, confirming that Gisela was indeed frighteningly hot all over.

"Your Highness! Don't worry, I'll send someone to find a doctor." Rita took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Gisela's forehead, biting her lip lightly as she anxiously looked out of the tent.

“Berita, go by yourself. Don’t… let the soldiers know that I don’t trust those people outside either,” Gisela said, tugging at Rita’s skirt and trying to sound strong.

"Then, Your Highness, are you safe?" In Rita's eyes, Gisela's haggard appearance at this moment was like that of a dying little animal, which made her feel sorry for him and also made her feel a little heartache. After all, His Highness was the person she loved the most.

"I can handle this on my own. I am a magic user." Su Beiming bit his lip and said seriously.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 203 Irises Withering in the Alps: Capter 64 Austin's Betrayal (Seeking Votes)

"Yes, ma'am!" Rita pulled Gisela into her arms, letting her lean against her chest for a moment before reluctantly turning away.

After watching Rita Gisela leave the tent, she took a deep breath and struggled to climb to the table.

“Su…Bei…Ming.” Gisela whispered to her other self.

"What's wrong? What do you want to tell me?" Su Beiming was well aware of Gisela's condition, but she wasn't the type to express herself well, so after issuing a warning to Gisela just now, she didn't say much more.

"Is there any way to help me get better right now?" Gisela asked weakly, her pretty face contorted in pain.

"..." As for the so-called solution.

"Why don't you hand your body over to me, and I'll hold on for a while?" This was Su Beiming's suggestion. To be honest, she rarely encountered this situation, after all, no one in the Ming Dynasty dared to poison her.

“But it’s not good to trouble you with everything…” Gisela considered himself a man, and to make a lady suffer for him seemed like the act of a coward.

“You are me, and I am you. Leave your mind to deal with the enemy on the battlefield, and I will handle this kind of trivial matter.” Su Beiming’s tone was gentle. After what had happened before, she had already accepted the special part of Gisela. Or perhaps, in Su Beiming’s heart, she hoped that the newborn version of herself could live a life completely different from her own.