Akinfeif bowed his head, both as a sign of respect for the Empress and as a sign of his lack of opinion on the German National Mobilization.

Nominally, Linda had become the world's largest and most populous monarch, but at this time, her Russia was in ruins, and her Austro-Crarian Empire was in dire straits. In contrast, the German people under the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm III were united and powerful, so in the face of the national mobilization of Germany, she could only give some verbal counterattack at this time, nothing more!

After her anger had passed, she gradually calmed down, and then summoned the attendant to comb her hair and change her clothes, and asked her chief of intelligence: "So, what is the current situation in Austria?" ”

Akinfev then put it succinctly: "It's terrible! According to the latest war reports, Vienna was already within the range of the German Army's heavy artillery, and the Austrian military and civilians had little determination to resist! ”

"How do you know?" Linda seemed dissatisfied with the contempt for Austrians in Arkinfeif's last sentence, after all, she had Austrian blood in her veins.

Although he understood this, Afekinf still respected the facts even more, and he explained without fear: "Your Majesty, in the afternoon, the Austrian army had built a defensive line around St. Pölten, which was guarded by more than 100,000 men, but the German armored forces completely routed them in a single assault! According to our preliminary estimates, the Austrians lost no less than 100,000 men in this battle, and most of the Austrian officers and soldiers surrendered to the Germans! ”

"Enough, do you know that's Germany's most elite tank unit! When he was in Poland, Nicholas II's million-strong army could not resist the armored forces of the Germans, they were simply the embodiment of the devil! It seems to me that only swamps and traps can trap them! Linda said a lot angrily, and the implication was that even if 100,000 or even 200,000 Russian ** teams were replaced, I am afraid that they would still not be able to stop the cluster impact of the German armored forces.

It was precisely because of this scruple that neither Linda nor her husband Aglini were willing to make enemies of Germany at such a great disadvantage, of course. Russia has a vast land that is both coveted and feared, and if the Germans dare to invade Russia, the Russians are confident that they will trap all the Germans in the cold Russian soil, including those formidable tanks, as they did against Napoleon's army.

However, Akinfeiv still did not relent: "Your Majesty, even so, after this battle, the road to Vienna will be opened to the German ** team!" If it weren't for the scruples of the German leadership. I'm afraid that the German ** team would have marched into the capital of Austria-Hungary a long time ago, instead of stopping at a place 20 kilometers from Vienna and waiting as it is now! ”

Linda gave him a fierce look, if it weren't for his talent, and his foothold in the country was not stable at this time, this upright guy probably wouldn't be standing here, no wonder this guy was born in a famous family and has outstanding ability, but he can't go up and down with Nicholas II and Aglini, he can't enter the inner circle, and he knows many secrets that shouldn't be known, if he hadn't done it himself, he would have been abandoned in the wilderness.

Think of these. Linda didn't bother to continue arguing with this guy. When the attendants had combed her hair, she got up and walked behind the screen through which she had dressed, and said to Akinfeif:

"I already know that. I'm afraid Austria won't be able to support it for a week, so you give me the order to go down, stop the train for the time being, and let the accompanying guards disperse to the surrounding guards! Also, let all the generals above the rank of lieutenant general come to the conference room and wait for me. Also, tell Lieutenant General Sokolov to come to me first! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Akinfeiv still kept his head down, and after retreating outside the door, he turned and walked briskly towards the back car.

This time. Linda behind the screen suddenly had a lament of "both Shengyu and He Shengliang", she has always been the only one who calculates others, but this time she was really calculated by the Germans! What an enviable thing it was to be the ruler of Russia and Austria-Hungary, even if Russia and Austria did not merge, once the political situation of these two countries stabilized, it would only take ten or even five years for its military strength to rival Germany! Think of millions of Russian Cossacks and infantry charging forward, Austrian ground machine guns and heavy artillery behind them, and cannon fodder Hungarians. What a spectacle!

At this time, Linda even began to regret that she didn't pull the trigger outside of Kimon in the first place, so that she had such a terrible opponent for herself. After wasting a precious opportunity, it seems that even the fate girl began to favor that unfortunate guy, the assassination in New York and the bombing in Washington were all dodged by him one by one, and fate even let the old emperor die when he didn't deserve to die!

Linda knew very well that if Franz Joseph I had died half a year or even two months late, if the Germans had not invaded so decisively, the situation would not have developed to this point at all!

Five minutes later, a well-dressed Lieutenant General Sokolov stood in front of Linda, the young general's sleepy face but his eyes blazing.

By this time, the train had stopped moving, and the footsteps of the guards were scattered outside the window, mixed with the sound of the officers' commands.

Since it is still in the heart of Russia, this alert is of an ordinary preventive nature.

After dressing up, Linda was as majestic and feminine as ever, and in such a late night, any man standing in front of her would involuntarily have some imagination. As for the strong-blooded General Sokolov, his eyes were looking straight ahead, and his face was tense, for fear that one might accidentally anger the noble empress.

"Sit down, my general!" Linda walked past her, bringing a faint scent, and sat down in front of him.

"Yes!" Sokolov sat down rigidly, holding his head high, not daring to relax at all.

"Young general, you don't have to be so nervous! I summoned you just to hear your opinion first! ”

In normal times, Linda's voice was cold and majestic, but at this time, there was a hint of softness. For a woman like her, who is good at scheming, she has different ways of dealing with people of different ages, and it is precisely in this way that she has so many followers in the Russian court.

"About the situation in Austria?" Sokolov asked very cautiously.

"Looks like you don't know yet! In response to our joint ultimatum with Austria-Hungary, the German Emperor has issued an order for a general mobilization of the whole country! Linda said this, not to blame, on the contrary, in her opinion, the more apolitical such a young general, the more he was able to entrust him with important military responsibilities. Pity. The Russian generals were far less content than their German counterparts, spending more time on money, women, and power than on study and training.

"Oh, what a surprise that the Germans are ready to start a war!" Sokolov's eyes twitched twice, and the expression on his face did not change at all.

Linda silently watched all this, but did not comment much, she told Sokolov: "Judging by the current situation, it can only be said that the situation has deteriorated again!" As for the war. If we take back the ultimatum and do not respond with a national mobilization, it is still possible to avoid war! ”

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, it would not be wise for Russia and Germany to go to war in an all-out manner now, but if Your Majesty decides to fight this battle, my troops and I will not disappoint you!" As he spoke, Sokolov's chest straightened higher, and there was not even a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Very well, General Sokolov. I am so glad to have such a brave general as you! But it's a pity. We lost to the Germans in time, and even if we went to war with Germany, it would only be a meaningless war for us in the end! "When I say this. Linda's face was helpless and regretful, an expression that is usually difficult to see on the face of this strong woman. But today, Sokolov saw it very clearly.

"Your Majesty is saying that he did not rush to Vienna to ascend the throne at the first time, thus giving the Germans a chance?" Sokolov asked cautiously.

"Yes, it seems to outsiders that if I had rushed to Vienna as soon as I heard the news of the Emperor's serious illness, the Germans might not have had an opportunity to take advantage of it! But how do they know, I ......" At this point, Linda stopped, although the general in front of her was a manufacturable material. But now is far from the time to say that to him.

This work 1 6k exclusive text version debuted,May not be reproduced without consent,Excerpts,More of the latest and fastest chapters,! If Linda had secured the throne of the Empress and the domestic political situation in Russia was stable, then she would have rushed to Vienna as soon as possible, even if she was a mediocre person. Unfortunately, Linda, who had only been on the throne for a month, still had many potential enemies at home, and once she left St. Petersburg rashly, she might have to face a terrible situation of backyard fire before she arrived in Vienna. Even if she left St. Petersburg by special train this time, Linda also did a lot of foreshadowing, she not only firmly grasped the control of the army in St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas, but also took a group of powerful and uncooperative ministers with her.

Nevertheless. Now Linda still has to divide her mind in two, one in Austria and one in St. Petersburg.

"Your Majesty, I think you must have something unspeakable, which is why you missed the best opportunity to go to Vienna for the coronation! Although I don't know the inside story, as long as you give an order, I am willing to give everything for you! Sokolov bowed his head slightly in a sign of respect and regret, but unfortunately his gaze rested on the empress's breast, and the delicate, fair skin, the graceful curves, and the status of the young widow, all of which could give people countless reveries.

After his gaze lingered there for two seconds, Sokolov's eyes jumped again, but he didn't know where to put his gaze.

Linda will not ignore this detail either, but she still does not express it.

"Alright, let's not talk about that! I wonder, if you were a German commander-in-chief, what would you do next? ”

"German commander-in-chief?" Sokolov was a little surprised, "Do you mean the front commander of the German army, or the ...... of Berlin"

"Kaiser!" Linda answered him simply and directly.

"If I were him......" Sokolov pondered, but it was not a simple calculation, there were many uncertainties and possibilities, so it took him a full two minutes before he came up with a careful conjecture: "Concentrate your forces to annex Austria-Hungary and defend Russia with a small number of forces!" ”

Linda nodded, and asked, "What if you don't need to completely annex Austria-Hungary?" I mean, if some of the states within Austria-Hungary were already secretly defecting to Germany, and Germany would only have to use force against Austria? ”

Sokolov, who didn't know much about politics ......, was a little confused, but he still speculated along the empress's assumptions: "Then, I only need to devote part of my forces to occupy the key areas of Austria-Hungary, with the current situation of Austria-Hungary, a large-scale counterattack is unlikely, and our Russia will not be able to complete the mobilization and gather the main forces to the front line in at least one month!" If I were Kaiser, I would have at least a million troops to mobilize, and I would ......"

Linda watched him quietly, waiting for his answer.

"Invasion of Spain? Italy? Or ......" Sokolov is at a fork in the road of choice, and it is obviously very difficult to speculate on other people's thinking.

Linda waited without saying a word.

Sokolov's eyes flickered to and fro in his sockets, and his brain was running at full speed like a clockwork machine, using his military mind, using his wisdom, to meditate.

"Could it be ......" Sokolov's eyes widened suddenly.

In Linda's opinion, the current Kaiser's thinking is incomparable to ordinary people, and perhaps only the young, bold, and military-gifted Sokolov has the opportunity to guess his thoughts.

"Tell me, what did you think of?" Linda became very urgent, as if she had seen the Kaiser's terrible ambitions in the eyes of the young general.

"Yes, my esteemed majesty!" After a brief moment of consternation, Sokolov came back to his senses and looked at the Empress opposite him, "Concentrate an army of 1 million or more, and set a huge trap for us Russia in Poland and East Prussia!" ”

Linda was silent.

A quarter of an hour later, the Empress Diana I of Russia convened a provisional imperial military council on her special train. After the contents of the meeting were classified as top state secrets, the Empress's special train not only did not continue to Vienna, but turned on the spot and then quickly sailed back to St. Petersburg.

At 6 o'clock in the morning on February 3, 1916, an hour before the deadline for the Austrian-Russian ultimatum, Berlin unsurprisingly gave its own reply, not to accept or to refuse, but to officially mobilize the whole country!

In response, the central government of Austria-Hungary issued a general mobilization order to the whole country, stating that Austria-Hungary would declare war on Germany if the mobilization of Germany did not stop within 24 hours.

However, to the surprise of many people, Russia did not respond to the national mobilization, let alone declare war on Germany, but began wave after wave of fierce diplomatic offensives, and at the same time, the German diplomatic department is still sparing no effort to win the understanding and support of other countries in order to get rid of the notoriety of "aggressor". And just like that, a long and tortuous diplomatic propaganda war between the two countries began.

Although German-Russian relations were not broken, the Empress of Russia is said to have declared at her Imperial Council that she would make the Germans pay a heavy price.