As the political center of the two Allied powers, Berlin had a direct railway distance of less than 700 kilometers to Vienna, so at nightfall, a large number of special trains of German dignitaries rumbled into Vienna's railway station. The whistle sounded, the hatch opened, and the Austrian greeting team, led by the Mayor of Vienna, waited at the end of the long red carpet, and their behavior was full of respect for the guests who had come from afar. After some pleasantries, everyone boarded the cars that had been waiting outside the train station for a long time, and a grand welcome banquet was being prepared in the Royal Hotel in the center of the city.

As the car drove through the streets of Vienna, Qingying finally got a taste of the charm of this music city.

In the plane where Qing Ying lived in his previous life, Vienna was once ranked as the most livable city in the world for its ornate buildings and vast parks. And a century ago today, when he walked through the night scene of this corner of the streets of Vienna, he was also completely conquered by her charm.

Vienna is located in the northern foothills of the Alps, with a beautiful environment and pleasant scenery; Forests and orchards stretch through the city like a blue streamer. The city houses are built along the rolling foothills at the end of the Alps. Her architecture is exquisite, with a variety of styles; The intricate layout and bright color palette perfectly integrate the buildings of different nationalities and historical periods, and slowly spread out in front of people's eyes like a picture scroll, without any weirdness and abruptness. As the Austro-Hungarian Empire continued to prosper, Vienna became the world's fourth-largest metropolis, after London, New York and Paris. The population exceeds 2 million; Even Berlin, the capital of the German Empire, was far stronger than Austria-Hungary. There is no such prosperity as Vienna.

This is in stark contrast to the rigid and typical lines of German cities. Vienna, the city of music, is like the blue Danube River, which flows through the river, and is full of graceful and feminine artistic style. Qingying sat in the workshop, and all the words in her ears were elegant and gorgeous waltzes; In the plaza of the city park, the band also holds an open-air music concert on a summer evening, where melodious music and the fragrance of grass and earth echo in the evening breeze. Every summer evening, Vienna transforms into a sea of music and art.

Feeling the connotation of this real international metropolis, Qingying couldn't help but start to quietly mourn for her cheap father Wilhelm II in her heart. William once wrote to US President Theodore Roosevelt to complain. It is said that every time you American politicians and celebrities visit Europe, the only places you go are London and Paris, and almost no one ever sets foot in Berlin, the capital of the most powerful German empire in Europe. Now that Qingying thinks about it, she only feels that the Americans' choice is really too right. Let the lively cowboys of the United States go on a tour of Berlin, which is full of stern and blunt places, and the people they meet are all expressionless, straightforward, and mechanical beings without the slightest normal humor germs, and the Americans are willing to come to that! Even if they were to deal with the countries of the Allied bloc, they would have chosen Vienna, the capital of music, or Rome, the thousand-year-old capital of Italy, as well as Berlin...... I'm afraid that they would rather go to St. Petersburg, the heart of that sinful country that excludes Jews! Wilhelm's desire to be recognized by the world will never be fulfilled until Berlin undergoes a radical expansion and alteration.

For the next week. Qingying kept her promise and took Sanya to all the attractions in the city of Vienna. Even Schönbrunn Palace, the forbidden garden of the Habsburg Empire, wandered all day. Looking at Sanya's spring water wind chime-like laughter, and the delicate smile that bloomed on her delicate and delicate face that was enough to make Xia Hui fade, Qingying suddenly found that this was her true charm attribute. This young and energetic little princess Romanov can only show her true beauty in this beautiful environment full of gorgeous architecture, elegant music, and resplendent gold, and Berlin, the capital of the Germanic people, is indeed not a suitable place for her to stay, and I am indeed a little sorry for her to keep her in Berlin like a canary. At the thought of this, Qingying's heart was full of guilt, even after Sonia arrived in Vienna, she reverted to her old ways, and smiled at the huge purchase of dazzling luxury goods that she could not see in Berlin, and Qingying let her squander. As long as this little princess can be happier, then it can be regarded as a kind of compensation for Qingying's long-term stay in the stereotypical and boring Berlin city......

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By the time Sonia was like a Persian cat fed mentally and physically, curled up lazily in Qingying's arms with a satisfied smile, the German capital magnates who had come to Vienna to pan for gold had also completed their goals and set off for China with a large number of transaction orders. Even Bilow completed closed-door consultations with the core members of the Austrian Emperor Franz I and onwards, and made it clear that the two countries would advance and retreat together, and that they would oppose Britain and France. Faced with Bilo's cold and stern reproachful look, Qingying could only smile helplessly and apologetically; Soon after, he set out to meet the first target of his Austro-Hungarian trip, Conrad, who was now Chief of the General Staff of the Imperial Army and would serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Army in World War I. Feng? Herzendorff.

In 1851, Hetzendorff was born in Austria into a military family, and his father was a colonel. When he was young, he was deeply appreciated by his superiors because of his brilliant mind, so he rose step by step and prospered in official fortune. At the beginning of 1906, at the strong recommendation of Crown Prince Ferdinand, at the age of 55, he sat on the throne of the Chief of the Army General Staff and became the real head of the army of this world-class power. During the First World War, although his strategic command ability was not clumsy, and even to a certain extent astute and correct, the combat strength of the Austro-Hungarian army was really unbearable, resulting in the unprecedented tragedy of Austria-Hungary suffering extremely heavy losses in the first two years of the war and almost being unable to fight again in the later period.

When Qingying walked through a Gothic door, she saw Hezendorff in front of a square table not far away. He was tall, with gray hair, a cold and gloomy face, and a heart-palpitating aura that came from the face of a ferocious bird. Seeing the young man walking in front of him with a face that was only in his twenties at most, Hezendorff's pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly; Although he was reluctant to ask Qingying, a little guy who hadn't even grown hair, to take up his precious time, he still held back his patience and greeted him with impeccable aristocratic etiquette, and waited quietly for him to speak.

Seeing Hetzendorff's gesture, Qingying was not prepared to be polite to this general with Germanic stereotypical blood. He coughed, gathered his thoughts, and slowly confided his purpose to him.

"Now that Britain and France have reached a rapprochement, coupled with the previous Franco-Russian alliance, external pressure on Germany and Austria-Hungary has intensified sharply. In this critical situation, Germany and Austria should cooperate more closely than before to jointly defend against external threats. I wonder if your army has a plan for the next war in Europe? If the general staffs of our two countries can cooperate with each other, they will be far more effective in advancing the war than fighting in each other. Qingying said.

Hezendorff's face softened. Although he didn't know how advanced his military attainments would be, since he had raised the question in the first place, it made sense for him to talk to him. He nodded slightly, and said, "Although I have just become the chief of the army's general staff, before that, I have also formulated a rough outline for the future of the empire. Then, let Your Highness convey it to Marshal Schlieffen of your country. ”

"The interests of the empire are in southern Europe, and therefore the strategic center of the empire is also in southern Europe. Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, and the others are not reassuring lords, and they are here to sow hatred and unrest, making the back garden of the empire extremely unstable. In particular, there is the power of Russia wrestling left and right in it, which is always harming the interests of the empire. Therefore, whenever there is an opportunity, the empire will inevitably use troops in southern Europe, annexing and dismembering some small disobedient states through a preventive war, so as to prevent them from being used by Russia to the detriment of the empire. If Your Highness so desires, I can also show you a specific attack plan that has been classified as top secret, or Your Highness can show it to Marshal Schlieffen of your country. Hezendorff said lightly.

When Qingying heard this, her eyes couldn't help but become solemn. He adjusted his tone and said slowly: "But your country should also know that raising a butcher's knife to the Balkans is a very dangerous move. Millions of Slavs live scattered across the peninsula, and every inch of the peninsula has a Russian element of self-proclaimed 'protectors of the Slavs', and Serbia, which borders your country, is a protectorate of Russia, and your annexation will undoubtedly touch Russia's nerves. How will your country deal with the dispute between your country and the small Balkan states if it escalates into a sharp contradiction or even a war between your country and Russia? ”

"It should be noted that if war breaks out between your country and Russia, then Germany and France will also enter the war on the basis of the German-Austrian alliance and the Franco-Russian Entente. This meant that Germany, which was at war with France, would be forced to devote most of its forces to the Western Front, with very little support for the Eastern Front. I would like to ask, in this case, does your country have the main Russian forces that are not sure to confront them? Qing Ying did not say his plan to defend the west and attack the east, because he needed to use it to bring up the topic that he had been brewing for a long time. (To be continued......)

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