One night a week later

"Are you really leaving? Your Majesty, Wei Chen really can't afford such a big responsibility, I implore Your Majesty to give up this crazy idea of risk, the great cause of the empire ......"

"Don't say more, I have my own measure." Richard interrupted him unhappily.

He had now changed his disguise, and now his face looked like that of a tall, dark-haired Hungarian. This is a costume that Richard deliberately made to blend in with the Austrian Empire, and there is no disobedience at all.

The Hungarian aristocracy in the Austrian Empire was the second largest ethnic group in the Austrian Empire, with a large number of families with a long heritage, which can be found throughout Vienna and surrounding towns.

Several dark shadows swept down the low altitude in the night, and Richard waved his hand and said; "Okay, there is no one in this world who can hurt me, don't worry about it. After two days of settling down, you will send a telegram to report your safety, and you can hide it. ”

After saying that, he jumped into the air, and sat on the back of the bald sea sculpture like a dragonfly, and the bald sea sculpture sank down in shape, and when it was almost close to the ground, it fluttered its vigorous wings several meters long, and flew straight into the air with Richard.

Several huge black shadows followed closely behind him, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the hazy night air.

Witnessing this incredible scene, Admiral Chen Chuan was really stunned, and only after a moment did he bow deeply to the lonely night sky, his eyes full of infinite admiration.

In his mind, His Majesty is like a man of God.

Even though he has been with His Majesty for so many years, it is the first time he has seen such a scene, but fortunately, in this era, superstitious thoughts are extremely strong, and the theory of gods and ghosts is originally common sense in life, and he does not feel overly surprised.

Riding in the air with a white head and a cool summer night breeze, Richard had the joy of letting the birds fly high in the sky, and he was really annoyed enough by the group of officers corps.

It's not easy to stare at it like a tail all day long, and it's not easy to move freely.

General Chen Chuan has repeatedly explained to every member of the Military Observer Corps that they are absolutely not allowed to leave the unit without permission, that they must act collectively at any time, and that violators will not be severely punished.

This provision

In fact, it is aimed at His Majesty who does not play cards according to common sense, so that every member of the Military Observer Group keeps an eye on His Majesty at all times, for fear that something will go wrong.

Now, I'm finally free.

After a few moments of flight, you can see the bottom of the blackened Sudetenland, a long march with torches in the night, and there is no end in sight.

After the three main corps of the Prussian army entered the mountain range in a big way, there were some logistics units in the middle who led mules and horses to carry heavy loads, and they trekked forward on the mountain valley roads in the rugged area, and it has been more than a week now.

The vanguard had already arrived at the valley mouth on the side of the Austrian Empire, and the reinforcements and reserves in the rear had just entered, and the entire marching army column stretched intermittently for more than 270 kilometers, which was spectacular from a high altitude.

The well-trained Prussian soldiers were quite disciplined, marching all night in the valley with torches, and even if they accidentally stepped on the air and fell, they just got up silently and continued the march, never complaining of tiredness.

Reinforcements in the rear were to be hurried overnight to minimize the gap with the vanguard in front and to gather as many troops as possible. The vanguard of the Prussian army, which was not bound by the terrain of the mountains, was too weak and was broken by the enemy troops.

According to the latest intelligence;

The main forces of the Austrian Imperial Army gathered much faster than expected, and they were divided into two main forces on the left and right wings, with a total strength of not 280,000 or 350,000, but an astonishing 385,000.

Over time, this number is bound to grow again.

The window of time left for the Prussian army to rush out of the valley for a surprise attack is getting smaller and smaller, and the superiority in strength has become less obvious, which has further aggravated the anxiety of the Prussian army staff headquarters.

After flapping his wings for several hours, Richard sat firmly on the back of the broad crest of the bald sea, his sharp eyes missing the moonlit night, and in the distance he could see the huge black mountains gradually flattening, and he could see the vast plains at the edge of his vision.

The Prussian vanguard troops who arrived here set up dense marching tents in the valley, and after a short rest of two days, they were expected to rush out of the valley with all their strength after waiting for the arrival of the follow-up troops, and carry out an encirclement operation against the main Austrian army.

Once the fight begins

It is possible to stay awake for several days and nights in a row, except for the march is the battle, after the battle has to pursue, and then continue to fight, you must have sufficient physical strength to deal with it.

When you are hungry, eat some dry food, fall sleepy and sleep for an hour or two, then get up and continue marching until you win.

Under the moonlit night

The few bald sea darts soaring high in the sky are just tiny black dots that are difficult to spot without amazing eyesight.

After flying a short distance, Richard saw the main force of the Austrian left flank camped all over the mountains, an army of about 110,000 men, which joined the Allied armies of Saxony, Bavaria, Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, etc., which were about 312 kilometers from the mountain pass.

This is a traditional Austrian town, the tents set up by the Austrian army are in the shape of "H", stretching for more than 10 kilometers, and the middle side is this Austrian town, presumably the commanders of the Austrian army corps are stationed here.

When passing through the town, the town was still brightly lit in the middle of the night, and the aristocratic officers and women dressed in bewitching clothes drank and reveled, and squandered their excess energy all night long, without the slightest hint of the tension that preceded the war, let alone the great danger that was coming.

These great aristocrats from the upper echelons of the Austrian Empire were extravagant, and they were not willing to sleep in the wild like the untouchables at the bottom.

Sure enough, there must be a reason for the weakening of an empire.

Seeing all this, Richard was deeply moved;

Compared with the thriving and industrialized Kingdom of Prussia, the decaying Habs dynasty was backward and conservative, and did not want to make progress, and it was a large rural village in the whole of Europe, and there were few traces of industrialization in sight.

As an outsider, Richard saw clearly; Now the Left Wing Army of the Austrian Empire was in great danger, but it was suddenly unaware.

You can't wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.

In the minds of these Austrian corps commanders, even if they knew that the Prussian army was coming, they did not have the idea of taking the initiative to block the mountain pass, although it was more advantageous.

The Austrians hoped to defeat the Prussian army on the plains like traditional knights, so as to show the glory of the nobility, without considering the means that could not be put on the table.

It sounds bizarre, but after ruling out all possible options, it is indeed what is really in the heart of the Austrians.

Otherwise, so many fleeing German troops and noble lords would not have been able to conceal the news that the Prussian army was catching up.

Next

The small town of Billlum

Richard woke up from the warmth and comfort of his bed, beside a girl with blond hair, and the morning light reflected a hazy light on the girl's fair shoulders.

Late yesterday night, Richard came to this small town only more than 20 kilometers away from the Austrian Army Corps, waved a few bald sea dives to rest in the nearby mountains and forests, and knocked on the door of a wealthy family in the town.

The rest of the matter is very simple, he is just a noble officer who missed the lodging, and is willing to pay a good salary to stay for a few nights.

This is simply a happy event that fell from the sky, and I would not dare to think about it on weekdays.

The Austrian couple respectfully greeted Richard in, baked wheat bread and a bowl of hot soup, and after a few private mutterings, they let their beautiful little daughter Emma accompany the noble lord to bed.

With such enthusiasm, of course, Richard would not have dismissed the kindness of his master, and his generous gesture made the Austrian couple smile from ear to ear.

After a hearty breakfast, Richard, accompanied by an Austrian girl, was in a particularly pleasant mood as he strolled through this traditional mountain town.

The town has been paved with stone roads since the Middle Ages, and the stone slabs have been trampled on smoothly and antiquely, and there are a few shallow carriage rut marks, revealing the vicissitudes of time.

The steeple of German-style buildings is built along the sides of the road, with deep twists and turns.

It is a traditional town with a population of about three or four thousand, and like other European towns, the center of the town is a high-rise church building, as well as a town office and a few shops, nothing more than a daily livelihood such as an iron shop and a bakery, as well as a grocery store and a ready-to-wear store, which is equivalent to the commercial center of the town.

"Dear little Emma, you look very different today, is there anything particularly happy about you? Does it have something to do with this noble adult next to you? ”

"Yes, Father Priest, this is our family's honored guest, Lord Orban, a distinguished baron from Vilna." Emma replied in a proud tone, her arms wrapped tightly around Richard's hand like a dependent little beast.

"Oh, I can see it......" A look of surprise flashed in the gray-bearded priest's eyes, and he could see that the tall aristocrat in front of him had an extraordinary temperament.

As for the relationship between little Emma and the aristocratic adults, you can guess with your heels.

Aristocrats will always be aristocrats, untouchables will always be untouchables, even wealthy families are untouchables.

If it can be stained with a trace of aristocratic blood, it is really a blessing that has been cultivated for eight lifetimes.

In this traditional town

People live a peaceful and undisputed life, except for a few familiar merchants, and it is rare to see outsiders, let alone nobles, on weekdays.

The town of Billum belongs to a family of Viscount Billlum, who stays in Vienna all year round, and only sends a butler to collect taxes from the territory in summer and autumn.

"Welcome to Billum, noble baron from afar, I am the parish priest of this parish, Halber Stadt, and I am at your service." Father Halber-Stadt bowed slightly.

"It's nice to see you, Father Priest, your accent doesn't sound like a local." Richard returned the salute with an elegant demeanor, and there were many German vassals around him, who could speak German fluently, and could even delicately distinguish the difference in German pronunciation.

"Yes, noble baron, my hometown is the Bishopric of Razburg, and it has been more than 30 years since I left it, but unfortunately it is now being ravaged by war, may God bless all beings, Amen!" Father Halber-Stadt had a sad look on his face, and he could only pray that the disaster would pass soon.

The Austro-Prussian War has been going on for half a month now, and thanks to the easy exchange of telegrams and the presence of the Austrian Imperial Army more than 20 kilometers away, it is not uncommon for this remote mountain town to receive relevant information.

The Bishopric of Razburg is also one of the many German states, and Richard in many small places has never even heard of it, and when he sees this, he can only nod sympathetically and say; "May the Lord willing, all calamities will pass."

After a few words, Richard took Emma and turned away, leisurely chattering.

He would also stay here for a few more days, witnessing the Prussian army's frontal defeat of the Austrian Left Wing Army, and sending another telegram every two days so that Admiral Chen Chuan would not be too worried.

When you get here, you can go around Vienna and experience the customs and characteristics of the times in major European cities.

Perhaps, this is the only chance to act freely.

Being in the high position of the emperor, his words and deeds are related to the social turmoil of the country, and it is impossible to act willfully.

Especially after experiencing this incident, it is estimated that as soon as he returns to the empire, the ministers and nobles will have to express their advice, and earnestly ask not to risk their lives, but to take the empire's plan as the most important cloud. I want to make His Majesty the Emperor stop doing any more disguised travel.

If you don't make a good one, you can really stage a drama of persuasion with death.

Therefore, Richard knew that the time of happiness and freedom was short-lived, especially in the company of Emma, a beautiful girl beside him, and the happy time was fleeting.

In the evening, at dusk

The wheat ears in the suburbs have turned heavy and yellow, and it will be more than two weeks before the harvest.

Richard sat fishing by the clear stream, the green grass by the creek was full of colorful wildflowers, mixed with the scent of flowers in the evening breeze, and there seemed to be some sweet smell in the air.

Emma scrambled around to gather some firewood and raised a fire by the creek.

After the scales and internal organs of the few fatty fish caught, they are grilled over the fire, sprinkled with some chopped wild leeks and fine salt, and after a while, they are browned and fragrant.

"Wow, it's delicious!" Emma exclaimed in surprise.

Richard was in a rare mood today, and personally grilled a few fatty fish that were charred on the outside and tender on the inside, and the pollution-free wild fatty fish had a slight sweet aroma, and they were particularly delicious in the mouth.

Seeing that Emma's clear eyes were full of joy, Richard reached out with a little pity and wiped off a little black ash on her white and tender face.

When Richard reached over, Emma subconsciously stretched out her little tongue and licked it.

That's the action

Suddenly provoked the burning desire of possession in Richard's heart, and looking at the aggressive eyes of Master Orban, Emma sensitively realized that she would endure the storm again.

Her big beautiful eyes that trembled slightly dodged it, and she just whispered; "Master, you take Emma lightly."

So what else to say

Richard put down the half-eaten fat fish in his hand, raised his hand and picked up Emma, who was delicate and well-shaped, and strode into the woods on one side.

After a while, a violent storm broke out......