She changed Europe

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Although this battle was not decisive, it was of great significance in naval history. Before and after the Battle of Hampton Road, almost all warships on both sides were primarily made of wood. However, after the Battle of Hampton Road, armored ships demonstrated their superiority (such as their ability to withstand heavy firepower).

In this battle, the North was backed by France, and the South by Britain, but both sides tacitly agreed that the United States was a testing ground for their weapons.

Even though the South was clearly losing ground on the land battlefield, the naval battles did not allow the enemy to gain the slightest advantage.

After saying that, the captain patted the first mate on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about these things. Since you're so interested in that kind of engineering machinery, let's go! Let's go down and take a look. I think the Germans won't mind two British sailors who know nothing about it seeing their new gadgets up close."

Captain Michael Wittmann, the commander of the volunteer army's field engineering battalion, was not yet used to directing others, after all, he was only twenty years old, and many of his subordinates were older than him.

Michel had originally applied to join the infantry, but on the day he reported for duty, he was led to the field engineer battalion by a taciturn major and inexplicably became a second lieutenant tank commander—he had never heard of this kind of field engineering machine called "water tank" before!

To be honest, Michel was a little disappointed. He longed to go to the battlefield and make a name for himself, but staying in the engineering corps obviously wouldn't fulfill those desires. Even combat engineers' main task on the battlefield was to repair fortifications or carry out demolitions, and they rarely had the opportunity to make a name for themselves.

But Michel's father always taught him that soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders, so Michel stayed in this strange engineering unit, practicing driving the steel beasts assigned to them every day with his unfamiliar subordinates.

Michelle quickly realized that this was not an engineering machine at all; it was a weapon, and an offensive one at that. It possessed excellent protection and powerful mobility, was armed with three machine guns, and a terrifying 75mm cannon!

Having understood this, Michel trained even harder, and as a result, he rose like a rocket to the position of squad leader, carrying one stripe and three stars on his shoulders.

The superior command explained Michel's rapid promotion by saying, "This is a completely new branch of service, so we must decisively appoint outstanding young people, rather than relying on seniority like other old-fashioned branches." However, another rumor circulated within the combat engineer unit, saying that Michel's promotion was the result of Mr. Gisela's direct interference. Some veterans who were dissatisfied with Michel's rapid promotion even believed that Michel's sister had an affair with a certain philandering and dissolute big shot.

However, such unfounded rumors are naturally unconvincing, mainly because not everyone dares to gossip about that person.

At this moment, Michel stood on the cargo deck of the British freighter Apennine, watching his men carefully drive the combat tractor into the cargo hold via the ramp.

Suddenly, someone called out to Michel. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw his gunner, Bowerman, pointing towards the cargo hold entrance. Following Bowerman's arm, he saw two men in high-ranking sailor uniforms walking towards him.

Michel went to meet him, and Bowerman quickly ran to his side.

“Captain,” Marshall said, after carefully checking the stripe on the bearded man’s sleeve. “Thank you for allowing us to board. I had intended to visit you after all the work was done.”

“It’s alright. Transporting you was a mission ordered by Her Majesty the Queen. You don’t need to be so polite.” As he spoke, the bearded man returned Michelle’s greeting with a perfectly executed gesture.

"Are you a member of the Royal Navy?" Michelle asked curiously.

"My grandfather was an American, he fought in the Civil War, and he was from the South..."

"Really? Haha, what a coincidence."

After saying this, the captain extended his hand to Bowerman, who gladly accepted, and the two shook hands.

History, in this corner, reveals its presence in a wondrous way.

PS1: The American Civil War was also a testing ground for the advanced weaponry of the European powers.

Chapter 572 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 69 Queen Victoria's Troubles (Seeking Votes)

As Gisela's troops continued to board ships bound for Turkey, fierce fighting between Russian and Turkish forces persisted. After several days of fighting, the Russian army finally achieved a breakthrough near Kabakcha. Elite Russian Cossack cavalry advanced rapidly through the breach, attempting to strike at the heart of the enemy, but were met with heavy losses from bombing and strafing attacks by the volunteer air force regiment, whose strength had been repeatedly reinforced in the past few days. They were forced to halt their operation.

Taking advantage of this gap, the Turkish army quickly adjusted its defenses, forming a new and vulnerable defensive line in front of the Russian army.

From another perspective, the Russian army at this time was still an army at the level of the previous war. The limitations imposed by magic users and magic warriors on the development of conventional tactics were particularly evident in the Russian army.

At this moment, like the army during World War I, they were slowly advancing on foot after making a breakthrough, while their logistics troops were struggling to crawl across the poorly developed land of Turkey, using mules and horses to pull supply wagons.

Apart from their cavalry, they had no other force capable of quickly expanding their gains and securing victory after the breakthrough, and now they also had to endure repeated air raids from the volunteer forces' air force.

Most Russian troops had never seen such an air raid before, and they began to call the center-weighted bombers soaring in the sky "Satan," as this demon always seemed to be able to bring down attacks from the air that felt like they came from hell.

At first, the Russians used the Magnum to perform air surveillance, and they did shoot down quite a few Austrian aircraft. However, they soon became exhausted and had to request permission from the Russian High Command to rest in the rear.

As a result, the Russian army had to stop using the Magnum for air surveillance and patrols, and instead had its troops use some of the weapons they carried that seemed to be capable of air defense to fight back against the Austrians. However, the Russian army's air defense capabilities were still very limited, with very few small-caliber artillery pieces, and it was simply unable to pose a threat to these slow-moving level bombers.

After discovering that the Russian magicians had withdrawn to rest and regroup, the volunteer air force regiment intensified its air raids on the Russian army, dumping large amounts of explosives on them every day. The escorting fighters also rushed to low altitudes and strafed the Russian infantry with the modified machine guns mounted on their aircraft, causing heavy casualties.

Finally, the Russian high command had no choice but to order its troops to rest and recuperate during the day and set out at night. However, the Turks, who were familiar with the terrain, would also come out at night, and the two sides often clashed at night.

The Russian offensive was once again delayed. They had broken through the Kabakcha-Karajakoy defense line and were only about 60 kilometers from Istanbul, but it took them several days of climbing to shorten that distance to 40 kilometers.

British officers—well, now volunteer officers—who had arrived in Istanbul ahead of time to assess the situation reported to the Queen: “The newly formed Austrian air force has demonstrated astonishing effectiveness, and the nature of warfare is likely to change dramatically once again. We must immediately dedicate sufficient resources to developing military aircraft to close the gap between us and the Austrians.”

Queen Victoria placed the written report of the magical communications sent from Istanbul on the table and looked up at her senior ministers.

“Your military observer seems to have a high opinion of the Austrian air force,” Victoria said, her gaze fixed on the Minister of War. “I’d like to know if this man’s opinion is reliable?”

"Colonel Raul is a pragmatic military man. If he says the Austrians are very efficient, then I think it's true. The Austrian air force has indeed become so powerful that it deserves our attention."

"That's just because the Russian magicians expended a lot of mental energy in their battle with the Turkish magicians, and they got the better deal." Before the Secretary of War could finish speaking, Joseph Chamberlain, known in political circles as the "Queen's New Favorite," interjected. He was an assistant to the former Prime Minister Palmerston and had served as mayor of Birmingham for three years before becoming a cabinet member—a politician with both connections and abilities.

It was quite normal for someone as handsome as him to gain the Queen's favor, and he reciprocated by behaving like a confidant of the Queen's favorite.

“Your Majesty, I think we don’t need to be too nervous. The British magicians are stronger and more numerous than the Russian magicians, and they won’t give the Austrians any chance with their new toys.”

Victoria raised her eyebrows slightly.

Victoria had long noticed that Chamberlain always seemed to grasp her thoughts and then guide the conversation in a direction that aligned with her ideas. While he certainly had some talent for managing finances, this obsequious style was something Victoria simply couldn't stand. Of course, in contrast, the young Gladstone was a complete troublemaker, having learned absolutely nothing of Palmerston's humility. Therefore, Victoria intended to groom Chamberlain as her future prime minister. However, lately, Victoria had been unable to shake the urge to doubt whether Gisela's initial suggestion had actually been correct.

His Majesty should have chosen George Gladstone, not Joseph Chamberlain.

At the time, Gisela's words in Istanbul were roughly like this: after Victoria returned to England, she stubbornly refused to choose George Gladstone as her protégé, and instead chose Chamberlain. Looking back now, this may have been Gisela's trap—he deliberately made a correct suggestion, and then watched with amusement as the sulking Victoria ran headlong in the wrong direction.

But Victoria will never bring Gladstone back, at least not now.

If this is Gisela's trap, then if she goes back on her word and brings Gladstone back, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting defeat to Gisela and admitting that she has fallen into a trap?

Even disregarding his own pride, it would be extremely difficult to get Gladstone elected in the next general election, given that Chamberlain had done a good job as Chancellor of the Exchequer and enjoyed high approval ratings from the public and capitalists.

Even as Queen Victoria, she could not interfere with public opinion or forcibly prevent people from voting for Chamberlain. All she could do was nominate someone capable of competing with Chamberlain—according to the constitution, the Queen has the right to sign decrees appointing her preferred candidate as the general election candidate.

But Victoria hasn't found anyone who can rival Chamberlain yet.

Gladstone might be okay, but Victoria hated him more than she hated Chamberlain.

Whenever she thinks about this, Victoria can't help but sigh that the British political system is so terrible. If it were a monarchy like Austria, she could have done so much more!

PS1: Every era of Britain has its own Chamberlain 0v0!

Chapter 573 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 70 The Changing Situation (Seeking Votes)

Despite her lamentations, Victoria still had to fulfill her duties as Queen, continuing to handle a massive amount of official business day after day. Among these tasks, the so-called Royal Council meetings were the most troublesome for Victoria.

Yes, this is the meeting that's happening right now.

Victoria turned her head and glanced at Chamberlain out of the corner of her eye. Noticing the Queen's gaze, the Chancellor of the Exchequer straightened his back, displaying an air of utmost loyalty to Britain and the Queen.

Victoria thought to herself, "You've misjudged me this time."

“Mr. Joseph, I don’t think I agree with your idea.” Victoria shook her head. “I am a mage, and I know the combat capabilities of mages very well. If the performance of the Austrian aircraft is indeed close to the data that the Military Intelligence Bureau has guessed, then even our people would probably have a hard time completely defending against the Austrian aircraft attack. Moreover, I am very clear about Gisela’s military philosophy. She emphasizes striking the weak points that mages cannot reach in the vast battlefield. Now it seems that her air force was created for this purpose, and we must be on guard.”

“Your Majesty is right. I was mistaken just now.” Joseph Chamberlain quickly changed his tune. “Your Majesty is indeed very knowledgeable about the Empress who rules Germany. I can only admit my inferiority.”

Victoria sighed and looked at the current Prime Minister, saying, "I think we should start considering the establishment of the Royal Air Force immediately. Prepare a draft proposal to create a Minister of the Air Force in the Cabinet and elevate the Air Force's status to the same level as the Navy and Army..."

“Isn’t this going a bit too far?” The First Minister of the Navy interrupted the Queen. “The Austrians did well on the battlefield, but as Mr. Chamberlain just said, that was only because their opponent was the Russians, and the Russians didn’t know they would be attacked by such effective air forces. The Russian army’s equipment was also far behind that of other powerful nations.”

Now we know the capabilities of Austrian aircraft, and we won't be unprepared. Take the navy, for example; our ships can be equipped with anti-aircraft guns of various calibers, and we can also mount modified Austrian machine guns. Even the Magisters avoid these machines, let alone those fragile little planes. I think equipping the current Royal Air Force with some new fighter planes should be enough to handle them.”

Austrian machine guns were first used in the Austro-Prussian War. Britain, France and other countries had already obtained these weapons through various means and completed the research and development and deployment of their own machine guns with a high speed of reverse engineering. Interestingly, Mr. Maxim was involved in the reverse engineering of the British machine guns. When Mr. Maxim got his hands on the Austrian machine gun, he had a strange feeling in his heart for some reason, but he could not explain why.

Victoria frowned, making no attempt to hide her displeasure.

"I did this not only to deal with the Austrian air threat, but also because I hope that the British army can receive the same air support that the Turkish army is receiving on the battlefield in the future. I hope that one day when we need to deal with a crisis, we can send the air force first, just like Gisela did, to buy time for our troops to arrive."

“Your Majesty,” the Minister of War said, “even without the Austrian Air Force, the Russians would be halted at the gates of Istanbul, because ordinary troops are no match for magic users. Once the Turks deploy magic users, the war will enter a phase of magic user combat. This phase will last no less than a week, giving us ample time to transport troops to the ground.”

Victoria looked back and forth between the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Navy, her face full of helplessness.

“Your Majesty,” Prime Minister Palmerston, who had remained silent until now, stepped in to act as peacemaker, “I know you greatly admire Her Majesty Gisela’s views…”

“I don’t admire her that much,” Victoria corrected angrily. “It’s just that many of her views coincide with my own.”

The Prime Minister quickly nodded and continued, "Even without elevating the status of the Air Force and establishing an Air Force Minister, we can still develop new aircraft for the Air Force and expand its size."

Victoria pursed her lips, hesitated for a few seconds, and then agreed with the Prime Minister's statement.

The establishment of new military branches involves many interests. After all, even though Britain is the world's leading power, its military budget is ultimately limited, and no one wants the funds of the troops under their command to be lost.

In mid-September of that year, the large-scale Russian offensive temporarily halted at a point 9 kilometers from Istanbul.

Meanwhile, in Gisela's office at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, a counterattack plan for the volunteer forces was being formulated.

“The British troops have already disembarked in Istanbul, and they will join our troops in reinforcing the front lines of Istanbul,” Jeanne, dressed in military uniform, explained to the wall displaying a map of Turkey. She was still in uniform, but her uniform had changed from the blue-grey style of the Austro-Hungarian Army to the grey style of the volunteer troops.

Today, Jeanne still wears several medals that were previously awarded to her. These medals seem somewhat ironic for a Frenchwoman. At first, Jeanne was unwilling to wear them, but the fox liked to see them. She liked to see the saint in the eyes of the French wearing the medals she had given her. So, after the fox's persistent persuasion, these exquisite medals continued to remain on Jeanne's chest as brooches.

Whether this qualifies as a bully at the national level is a matter of personal opinion.

Gisela's eyes were fixed on the map.

The peninsula on the west side of the Bosphorus Strait looks like the head of a wild boar. Russian troops are trying to advance from the base of the boar's snout to Istanbul at the tip. Russian supply lines run along the skin above the boar's snout all the way to the top of the boar's head and then into Bulgaria.

Gisela stared intently at the chin of the boar's head.

Jeanne was pointing her stick at that spot.

"This is Erelisi, a coastal town in Turkey. Our counter-offensive forces are assembling here, mainly consisting of combat engineers equipped with new armored vehicles and elite volunteer infantry units. At the same time, our engineering units are also repairing the airfield here. Once the airfield is completed, we will launch an attack on the flank and rear of the Russian army from here."

Jeanne moved the stick in her hand up a little, stopping at what looked like the cheek of a wild boar: "The Russian army has noticed that our troops are gathering in Erelis, so they have deployed what may be reserve troops in this location. There is no railway from Bulgaria to Istanbul; all transportation relies on roads. The Russian army is very worried that we will move northwest from Erelis and occupy the area where they just took Kabakcha."

“And we,” Gisela said solemnly, “do indeed intend to cut off the Russian army’s supply lines from the northwest of Ereli, but our target is not Kabakcha, where the mage troops are gathered and resting, but Sarai, directly north of Ereli. Our troops will make a surprise advance of 150 kilometers. There are only a small number of Russian mage troops on guard there, and our army will be supported by Turkish mage lords. We should be able to defeat them easily.”

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 574 The Turkish Symphony of the Vienna Rose: Capter 71 Family Gathering (Seeking Tickets)

“Hmm, I like the idea of ​​avoiding the strong and attacking the weak.” Marta nodded repeatedly. “But darling, you don’t need to tell me about these military strategies. I’m not interested in them anyway. Besides, I’m in charge of intelligence. I know the deployments of both sides very well.”

“You know everything perfectly well.” Chloris frowned, a rare occurrence for her. “But I didn’t know. I have to go back to Berlin next Monday. The old guys in Berlin are definitely waiting to ask me how the battle is going. I need to know these things in order to deal with them with Bismarck.”

"Haven't you gotten rid of all those troublesome guys yet?" Gisela tilted her head, only to be met with a fierce glare from Chloris.

"You Austria are the victorious nation, so you can swagger around, while we Prussia were defeated last time, and the authority of the monarchy has been seriously challenged. I need to strike at my political enemies and restore the people's confidence."

“Or Gisela could agree to marry me, then Prussia would be a jewel in your Austrian crown, and all of Germany would follow your lead…” Chloris moved closer to Gisela’s seat, displaying her proud Junkers-selected “weapons” without reservation.

"I told you I'm already married!" Gisela said seriously, but this only drew gasps from the women in the harem, especially Marta and Chloris, who seemed to be in perfect harmony.

Seeing that the two were about to go on and on, Gisela quickly coughed and said seriously, "You have no questions about this plan, right?"

"Ah."

"No!"

The two answered in unison.

Gisela nodded to Jeanne, who immediately put the stick she was holding on the small table next to the map and stood back behind Gisela.

"Since we don't have any other important business to do today, I suggest we have a picnic, since it's rare for us all to get together, and the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace have just changed into their new autumn colors."

Gisela's suggestion seemed to have surprised Chloris and Marta. The two exchanged a glance and then nodded in unison.

"Okay."

"Exactly, why not? Bring Mia along and relax a bit."

“But with a major battle imminent on the front lines, isn’t it inappropriate for us to be so relaxed?” Jeanne hadn’t refused earlier, but now she had some doubts.

But Marta patted her on the shoulder and said, "Most people have no idea that a major war is imminent. The news in the newspapers is that the Turkish army, with the support of international volunteer forces, has held off the Russian army's fierce attack. To outsiders, we are just relaxing after finishing a busy phase and taking a break."

Chloris listened and thought for a moment before nodding and saying, "That makes sense."

That afternoon, Gisela and the others set off by car from the garden in front of Schönbrunn Palace. After driving for nearly twenty minutes, they arrived at the designated picnic spot.

As it turns out, this location is actually in the royal forest attached to Schönbrunn Palace.

The Imperial Royal Army's St. Stephen's Regiment, responsible for security, erected a huge shed in a forest clearing, where, as Gisela had instructed, barbecue grills and lounge chairs for resting were set up.

Many fine horses have been led to the shed, and the trainers are grooming them and tidying their gear.

"Oh, we're going to ride horses too?" Marta looked at everything with interest. "You're not going hunting either, are you?"

"Of course, this royal forest was originally a hunting ground. The deer and rabbits in there were my father's prey in the past."

Marta hugged Gisela's arm, her soft breasts pressing against his, and as she leaned close to Gisela's face, she giggled mischievously and said in Chinese, "Your Majesty, the taste of power is wonderful, isn't it..."

“Ahem! I don’t deny that.” Gisela also spoke in Chinese. “I don’t deny that even in my past life I had the dream of becoming an emperor. No one is exempt from this.”

Because Marta had read Gisela's diary, she knew many things about the fox's past life.

"So now you have everything, why don't you start enjoying yourself!"

Just as Gisela was about to answer, Rita barged between them, physically separating them.

“Really.” Rita frowned. “Her Majesty is destined to be a diligent monarch, the greatest empress in Europe. How could you tempt her like this!” Rita’s expression was serious, as if she was genuinely angry about Marta’s suggestion.

"Hahaha, Miss Rita is jealous!" Marta's smile became even brighter.