The Grand Budapest Hotel is not in Budapest, and Rudolph does not need to stay in a hotel in Hungary.

On April 25, Rudolf left Prague and, during his ten days in Bohemia and Moravia, he also went to Brno, where the Škoda Arsenal was located, where Rudolf inspected not only military production, but also tractors, harvesters and other agricultural machinery.

On 27 April, the Entente and Italy signed the Secret Treaty of London in London. Rudolf was still entertaining his relatives at this time, and the warm Hungarians were very hospitable.

After getting the news, Rudolph couldn't help but smile bitterly. Historically, the treaty was signed on the 26th, and the victory on the Eastern Front did not serve as a deterrent, and the Italians, tempted by the land, hesitated for only one day.

But everyone was prepared for it. In 1896, Italy directly recognized France's right to protect Tunisia, and in 1898 the Italian-French Commercial Treaty was signed, ending the long-running tariff war between the two countries. In 1902, Italy and France signed the "Italian-French Agreement" by exchanging letters. The agreement stipulated that if France was attacked by one or more countries, Italy would have to maintain strict neutrality. In March 1906, Kaiser Wilhelm II predicted Italy's tendencies, concluding: "If Britain and we are friends, Italy and us are on one side, and if England goes to war with us, it must not be on our side." ”

Italy's return for the war was not only the lands demanded from Austria-Hungary in Trentino, South Tyrol, Udine, and Diriaeste, but also the Istrian peninsula, Albania's Dalmatian region, Vlora, and several German colonies in Africa.

All this was nothing more than empty promises, and Italy, which had performed poorly on the battlefield, had no say in the peace conference at all.

Italy had not yet formally declared war, and the Allies were still holding on to a bit of luck.

The troops in Tyrol were already in combat readiness, and their armament was replenished to the Third Army.

On 11 May, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary.

Before declaring war, they contributed a botched one-man show. Italy demanded "a million rifles, ten thousand cannons, five thousand locomotives" as war aid, and Germany refused. So they declared that "we cannot tolerate an alliance with the presence of Austria-Hungary" and withdrew from the Triple Alliance.

Later, they denounced the crimes of Germany and Austria-Hungary in the war, and then deceived themselves into propagating their sovereignty over South Tyrol. However, out of fear, the Italians did not declare war on Germany. Because the treaty stipulated that Italy only had to declare war on Austria-Hungary.

Rudolph was also busy reorganizing the army in Hungary, which was the only distribution point for the Austrian army before the outbreak of war in Italy. The supplies on hand are somewhat scarce, the southeast and southeast fronts need to be reinforced, and the newly produced guns and ammunition are being sent to the southwest border in a steady stream.

But the battle did not break out immediately, and General Boroyevich and his army group were still on the railway line to Italy.

On 14 May, the Italian army attacked. They have mobilized 1.5 million people, 700,000 of whom are already deployed on the front lines. About 300,000 Italian troops went on the offensive, but they were unable to break through the line of four divisions of the Tyrolean Local Defence Army, the local gendarmerie, and the guards attached to the customs.

The fierce mountain dwellings of Tyrol were condescending, and the Italian army attacking on the back was almost crushed at the touch of a button. The Austrians often needed only a single machine gun and a small number of soldiers to easily defeat the large Italian army.

The Italians panted and climbed the hill and, after encountering the shots, began to retreat. The casualties suffered by them during the rout were enormous, with many killed by bullets in the back.

The performance of the Italian army was astonishing, and they did not even complete the task of containment. Austria-Hungary had no pressure on this, and if it had not been for the outbreak of typhus in Serbia, the Austrians would have even intended to end the Serbian campaign in one fell swoop.

Serbia is already struggling to hold out. Previously, the Austrians held their positions, and under the pressure of the British and French, they had to take the initiative to attack. They mobilized 400,000 troops at the start of the war, and after a year of fighting, they paid the price of nearly 300,000 casualties. Serbia later replenished these casualties, and they mobilized almost the men of the whole country.

An outbreak of typhoid fever in early spring was already under control in the summer. About 500,000 people have been infected throughout Serbia, of whom more than 200,000 have died.

The barracks were the epicenter of infection, with 150,000 people falling ill and 70,000 of them dying.

The medical conditions in this country are extremely poor, there are only 400 doctors in the country, and in the beginning of the contagion, more than 100 people fell ill. Now, they can only bury the body as quickly as possible.

Bulgaria has not yet entered the war. Although the Confederates were doing well, it was under direct threat from the British. The world hegemons directed a large-scale landing battle in Gallipoli, and they planned to capture Istanbul and force the Ottomans out of the war.

The Turks and the British, the Australians fought the beach. Rudolph chose to trust the allies, but most were not very optimistic about the Ottomans.

This crumbling "sick man of West Asia" has entered its twilight years, the enemy army is aggressive, the allies are powerless, they can only exchange their will and blood for a glimmer of life.

The British show was a success, and Russia saw hope that as soon as the access to the Black Sea was opened, Russia would immediately arm its army and enter the war.

Greece was also on the move, the government supported joining the Entente, and the Greek king, as the brother-in-law of the Kaiser, naturally instinctively approached his brother-in-law.

The Greek kingdom in contradiction declared itself neutral, and in fact, the Entente forces had already taken over Thessaloniki.

The world will meet, and the undercurrent is surging. Spring temperatures have risen, and deep in the heart of the continent, cities with mountains are pleasantly climated.

In the warm sun, Rudolph stopped and walked along the river. The Danube slows down here, and the wide surface of the river is so calm that there is not a trace of ripples.

Walk across the Chain Bridge, which best represents the city, and meet two mighty stone lions.

Standing on the romantic Fisherman's Bastion, the original Baroque architecture of the city of Pest on the opposite bank is complemented by the magnificent castle, showing the majesty of an empire.

The trams passing by slowly, the sparse old cars, the old churches, all hint at a nostalgic and old city.

The scenery in front of me is not much different from what I remember, but I always feel that there are so many special charms. This was not only because most of them were later destroyed in the war, but also because all Rudolph saw were some copies. It was more because he was integrated into this era, and Budapest was given more meaning.