.“ Judging from the current distribution of power within the empire, the Austrian family is the most powerful, and they have always regarded themselves as the orthodox descendants of the Habsburgs, in fact, our Hungarian family also has pure Habsburg blood! From this point alone, we should have the right to inherit the throne on an equal footing with the Austrian nobility! ”

Anyway, Gita looked around the reaction of the crowd with his piercing eyes, and they seemed to agree with this statement, and it is also true that since 1699, the whole of Hungary has been ruled by the Habsburgs, and for more than 200 years, the Magyar nobility of Hungary has gradually declined, replaced by Germanic people, who are less than one percent of the country's population. There is no doubt that Geta, his grandfather Damen, and every nobleman present were of pure Germanic blood.

"After Austria and Hungary, the other principalities and autonomous provinces have basically no say in the succession to the throne, so apart from the candidate Adamas put forward by the Austrian nobility, only Kaiser Wilhelm III and Emperor Diana I of Russia really have the strength to compete with us! Adamas is the uncle of the former crown prince, and he has a certain advantage in name, but his status in the family has never been high, and his character and reputation are not very good, and it is said that he often lingers in the fireworks land of Vienna! I am afraid that the Austrians themselves would not like to enshrine such a person as a monarch! ”

Speaking of which, Git seems quite proud, although he is unknown internationally, his name is already known to everyone in Hungary. Born into one of Hungary's most prominent aristocratic families, he became the object of public attention almost from the first day he came to the world, he was fluent in German and Hungarian at the age of 3, entered the Budapest aristocratic school at the age of 5, completed the education of his peers at the age of 12-13 at the age of 10, and then became the youngest auditor in the history of the University of Budapest, after graduating from the university at the age of 15, he was admitted to the Royal Army Academy in Berlin, Germany, and graduated with the 9th place in the school after 4 years. He then served as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Hungarian Hussar Regiment, and by the time the war broke out, he had been promoted to captain and deputy battalion commander. During the war, he accompanied Archduke Friedrich into Poland and Russia. Brave in battle and decisive in command, by the end of the war he had become the youngest major officer in the Hungarian army.

This is enough to make the Hungarian nobility and people proud, and it is also recognized as the most promising family heir of the century. When Karl was killed in Washington and the empire was once again faced with no successor, the Hungarian aristocracy rekindled its ambition to compete for a higher position, and the young family heir stepped onto the political stage as the representative of the Hungarian family.

"While the candidates recommended by the kingdoms, duchies, and princes are not to be feared, I know of some of whom are inadequate, among them Fred of Styria, Carini of Bohemia, and Andrés of Carinthia. The strength and influence of Styria and Bohemia should not be underestimated, but it is a pity that Graz and Prague have too few allies. It's very difficult to get one more vote! As for Carinthia, I think they're just raising the price of their own family's yes vote! So, in general, our biggest competitors are the German Emperor Wilhelm III and the Russian Empress Diana I, and their advantage lies in the position they already have - the German Kaiser can use the great power of Germany to exert influence on our country, and the Russian Empress is a greater threat in blood and connections than the German Kaiser! These 5 will be our opponents, and most of the other families are waiting for a price to show up at a price that will allow them to vote in favor! ”

After saying this, Ge He bowed slightly to the crowd, and then looked at his grandfather, indicating that his speech was over.

One by one, the nobles applauded. It's just that there aren't many of them. In addition, they always only applaud gently, and the applause seems a little sparse.

In the old man's view, Ge's analysis is the Tao. It is inevitable that some things will be missed because of experience, but he still gives a face-saving evaluation: "Very good!" ”

"Thank you!" Git responded to the elder's praise with a humble gesture.

"If nothing else, we and Austria will each get 4-5 votes, and now the key point is not only how to win over the other principalities, but more importantly, the attitude of Germany and Russia!" When he said this, the old man's eyes were always on Ge It, which obviously told him that politics is not a simple science, and he still has a lot to learn in the future.

The expression on Ge Ta's face became more and more humble, and most of the nobles pondered the old man's words.

"Enter, they will become our strongest competitors; Withdraw. They will be our most important supporters! The old man said meaningfully, "It's a pity that so far, we don't know their true attitude, which is what worries me the most!" ”

"Why don't we send envoys to Germany and Russia?" A middle-aged male aristocrat puts forward his opinion.

Ge wanted to say something, but looking at the old man, he still held back.

The old man looked at the man who made the suggestion, "No, we're not in a hurry to act yet. Whatever the attitude, I think they're going to send an envoy. So we just have to be patient! It's best to make sure we have the votes we can get so far, and then wait and see what happens! ”

The man stepped aside respectfully, and the others asked no more questions.

All this was the envy of the young Gitta, who, although a Hungarian hopeful, was far from having the prestige of his grandfather in family meetings, and who was respected in large part by his position rather than by himself.

After the others left, Ge It walked up to the old man, with a somewhat melancholy look on his face, "Grandfather, with all due respect, I don't think the Kaiser and the Russian Emperor will give up the opportunity to rule the Austro-Hungarian Empire so easily, and there may be a serious dispute or even war between the two countries!" But that's not the worst, in case it's not a war between them, but a partnership to divide up the emperor...... So I think we should have planned ahead, and maybe it would be better to send envoys to Berlin and St. Petersburg, you say? ”

Damen looked at the young man with some surprise, as if he didn't expect him to think like this. Without saying a word, he walked to the sun-drenched balcony, and he followed him without hesitation.

"Actually, I have also taken into account the situation you said, which is not impossible, but we can't let them know this, otherwise, they will have their own thoughts as soon as the crown prince competition begins!" "They" as Damen speaks. That is, the nobles who gathered here just now, when it is profitable, they are naturally extremely loyal, but when they encounter trouble, they are afraid that they will seek self-preservation at the first time!

It was with this in mind that Ge Ta did not make this point of view at the family meeting just now.

"We can't allow this to happen!" "I don't care if there will be a war, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire must not be divided!" ”

The warm winter sun seemed to give Ge the wisdom to transcend his years, and he pointed out sharply: "What do you mean...... The situation after the split was very unfavorable for us. Even if we gain independence? So, there is only one way out for us to get the position of Imperial Crown Prince? ”

The old man looked at the distant mountains, "Yes, the reason why the empire was merged in the first place was to fight against strong enemies on the east and west, and now that the strong enemies are getting stronger, we can't weaken ourselves, otherwise, we will only become a vassal state of Germany or Russia!" ”

St. Petersburg, Hermitage. A grand palace of azure and white. Since the middle of the Leak period, it has been the royal palace of successive tsars. Today, it is owned by the noble Empress Diana I, who has Austrian roots.

"Split!" A sensitive word, a rough voice. Fortunately, everyone in the conference room was an acquaintance, and the superior only glanced at this person weakly.

Sensing that his speech was a little presumptuous, the man shrank his head back. People may not be surprised if he was fat and full of scum, but such a broken voice belonged to a fair-skinned and weak-looking man. Even more surprising was that he was only thirty-five or six years old, and his uniform indicated that he had the rank of lieutenant general, a position that would normally be assumed to be from a royal family and a prominent position. However, he had no blood relationship with the Russian imperial family, and he had no ambiguous gestures with the Empress Diana. His rank was built up on the basis of his military exploits, which were achieved by only a handful of German Königsberg generals at such an age.

"Nonsense! Do you know how much it means for Russia to bring Austria-Hungary under its territory? "The speaker was an old man with a white beard, dressed in a golden cavalry general's uniform and covered with shiny medals on his chest. Now there are probably not many people in the whole of Russia who can be called the patriarch of the three dynasties, and this Sukhomlinov is one of them.

However, despite being a veteran of the Three Dynasties, Sukhomlinov's past is not without much praise. In 1908 under Nicholas II, he became Minister of War, but the general was known for his intrigues, pleasure-seeking, and flattery. During the Turkish War of 1887, Sukhhomlinov was awarded the Cross as a cavalry officer. This not only became the capital for him to show off later, but also allowed him to take the military knowledge he learned in this war as an eternal truth. Sabres, flagpole spears, and white-knuckle warfare were his beliefs, and doctrines such as the element of firepower were only small tricks, and armaments were thrown into the corner, which indirectly led to the Russian army being extremely disadvantaged in the face of German and Austrian forces at the outbreak of war.

Before the war was over, Sukhhomlinov was dismissed from his post in disgrace, but fate did not seem to intend to abandon the veteran with good relationships. With the death of Nicholas II and the accession to the throne of Agrini, Sukhhomlinov was reinstated, and his position became the top adviser of the Imperial Army, specializing in recruiting and bribing Nicholas II's middle and senior generals for Aglini.

As soon as Aglini was killed in Washington, the wise veteran swore allegiance to the new lord, and for the same reason, the new empress appointed him Minister of Ceremonies, and Sukhomlinov's political career was continued here. Because of his high status, he also had a place in this very important imperial council.

After the so-called Minister of Manners refuted the previous opinion, several army generals expressed their approval, which made the 66-year-old Sukhhomlinov look a little proud.

At the long conference table, only the young lieutenant general and a few people had ugly faces, and most of them seemed to have a wait-and-see neutrality.

This is the Imperial Council of Tsarist Russia, and the expressionless Linda is full of disappointment, and the only thing that makes her feel relieved is the unusual "split".

"You know, if we Russia and Austria-Hungary are united, then the territory, population, army, and navy will become the unparalleled number one in the world! When the time comes. Hum! Even the Germans had to act by looking at our faces! Sukhhomlinov said in a loud voice that in his mind, the main factors that determine a war are courage, morale, and numbers, so that Russia and Austria-Hungary will become an invincible terror force in Europe and the world.

At this moment, a pleasant female voice interrupted Sukhhomlinov's arrogant speech:

"Well, Sukhhomlinov, my brave general and minister of ceremonies, I already understand what you mean! But. I would now like to hear the different views of General Sokolov! ”

"Yes, my esteemed majesty! Please forgive me for being blunt from the heart! Sukhhomlinov bowed to Linda, and then sat down in a smug manner.

The young general stood up confidently, glanced at Sukhomlinov with disdain, then bowed to the empress, and then spoke:

"I believe that merging will only make our country bloated, and that the open and covert rivalry between various ethnic groups and forces will give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of it. On the contrary, dividing Austria-Hungary and making it an important buffer zone in the middle of Europe is the best strategy for us in Russia at the moment! With our current strength, we will not be able to compete with Germany in any case. Leave such a buffer zone. It not only cuts down a potentially strong enemy, but also buys us enough time to recover and develop! With our vast territory and abundant resources, as long as time is given. We will definitely be able to return to being among the strongest in the world! ”

Such a young man was able to make such a sober and far-sighted analysis, and Linda couldn't help but think of his origins. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the 25-year-old Sokolov was only a lieutenant and company commander, and he and his troops were ordered to rush from home to the front. At that time, the Russian army gathered millions of troops in the Far East, but it was defeated by the Japanese army, which was inferior in strength and artillery, because of insufficient preparation and unfavorable command, especially in the Battle of Mukden, which decided the situation in northeast China, the 300,000 Russian army with nearly 1,500 cannons was defeated by the 250,000 Japanese army with less than 1,000 cannons, which made Russia lose face. However, in such a vigorous battle, Sokolov and his company showed great tenacity, and wittily used night attacks to regain the positions lost during the day. Moreover, more than 100 Japanese prisoners were captured, which gave a lot of encouragement to the Russian officers and soldiers in distress at that time. Sokolov was not the only young officer who emerged from the Russo-Japanese War, which lasted for more than a year, but the god of fate favored this brave and resourceful young man, because Aglini was a good minister at that time as a special envoy of the tsar to Mukden to cheer up the Russian officers and soldiers, and after hearing about Sokolov's deeds, he personally received this brave young officer. After a long conversation, Aglini realized that this was a rare piece of jade, so he silently wrote down the number of his troops.

After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Aglini personally transferred Sokolov, who had been promoted to captain and deputy battalion commander at that time, to his Guards. The following year, he was sent to the St. Petersburg Army Academy, the best in Russia. By the outbreak of the war, the 35-year-old Sokolov had become a colonel of the 2nd Guards Infantry Corps, and then followed Aglini to Poland, and later in the First World War of Belarus, his regiment captured a total of 10,000 Austro-Hungarian troops, so he was personally rewarded by Aglini, who had become the new tsar at that time, and was promoted to brigadier general and officially became a member of Aglini's right-hand man. After the truce between Russia and Germany and Austria, Sokolov led his troops into the hinterland of Russia, cleaned up the revolutionary forces, subdued the local separatist forces, and accumulated outstanding military achievements in dozens of large and small battles. When the situation in Russia was first decided, this young general, who was just 36 years old, had already become a well-known and powerful general in the Russian army.

For such a "remnant of the former dynasty", Linda did not put him in the cold palace, but continued to entrust him with important tasks, not only because she did not care about her previous suspicions, but more importantly, there are too few truly capable generals in the army. In an army with a serious bureaucracy, there are very few young officers who are able to meet "Bole" like Sokolov. Although Aglini carried out certain reforms in the army after ascending the throne, it did not fundamentally change the promotion system of the Russian army, and the noble generals with backgrounds occupied the middle and upper echelons of the army, and flattery was still more practical than training exercises and sand tables, and capable young officers had to be slowly honed at the bottom, and many officers above the battalion and regimental level were mediocre and incompetent.

"Well said!" Linda applauded softly in approval, which made the other generals envious and jealous.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your appreciation!" Sokolov was still so confident that he didn't even glance at the people around him out of the corner of his eye.

From the reaction of everyone, Linda easily saw the situation of this proud general among his colleagues, and it could be seen that he was isolated by most of the veterans, and once this situation was brought into the war, it would probably not be a good thing for Russia. This wasn't entirely bad news for Linda, though, as a plan to overhaul the Army was taking shape in her mind.