It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 62 | From the Far North

The work in the General Staff was actually very boring. At least Shang Ke thought it was difficult for him to find fun in the boring clerical work.

There are not only Orientals here, but also several hired Vallanders, all of whom are retired generals of the Imperial German Army who were hired to provide guidance.

This is probably the cleverness of the Huns. They felt that the Vallanders, who had experienced the tempering of the European war, had rich practical experience.

Mr. Shang doesn't like dealing with these old Junkers. First, there is a language barrier, and second, they are rather old-fashioned.

But this did not prevent him from learning from others, as he had never heard of many details of the battles.

Among them, Major General Reinhard liked to describe past battles in a vivid way like telling a story, and then suddenly call on people to ask questions, which gave people a strong sense of oppression.

Major General Reinhard advocated infantry and artillery as the way to victory, despised armored troops, and often boasted about Walland's past victories.

Through them, Shang Ke also learned about Varland's current situation. Unlike the historical reshuffle and reconstruction of the National Defense Force, the pace of reform of the Imperial Army, Navy, and Air Force was slower. In addition, Gu Bushuai and Man Buqun's voice was much weaker.

From then on, Shang Ke realized that something was wrong.

Is it really that bad? Is it true that humans can only learn from their mistakes forever?
April.

As spring arrives and the tulips outside Budapest bloom, they look like a vibrant palette of colors.

At this time of year, a team that came all the way from Stockholm also arrived in Budapest.

The royal train slowly drove into the train station, which was under martial law and a number of senior government officials were waiting to greet them.

When the tall and graceful figure stepped off the special train, the Prime Minister stepped forward, smiled and greeted her, saying, "Welcome to your country."

A hint of shyness appeared in the latter's green eyes. She replied in her unfamiliar Hungarian: "Thank you for your welcome."

She is the youngest daughter of Gustav VI, now 23 years old, and her full name is very long - Sigrid Elena Lina Bernadotte.

The reasons and consequences of Sigrid's journey from afar are complicated.

Simply put, the mediation of the Grand Unification Federation played a crucial role.

The top leaders of the Control Government did not like Horthy, the dictatorial regent who came to power through force, because Horthy was trying to maintain Hungary's independence while dancing on three eggs and was unwilling to grant preferential policies.

So, after a series of operations, the Hungarian upper class worked together to oust Horthy and revised the law to establish a constitutional monarchy.

What if we don’t work together?

Then maybe guns with the inscription "Made by Southern Armaments Group" can be fished out from the bottom of Lake Balaton.

After that, the Hungarian upper class decided to invite a descendant of the Wedin royal family to succeed to the throne. The two sides hit it off, and the Grand Federation was also very satisfied. It was a happy ending for everyone.

Because Wei Dian’s current situation is not good, he is caught between Valland and Ivan Ross and is in a dilemma.

The old King Gustav V chose to abdicate under pressure, and the new King Gustav VI tried to introduce third-party powers to balance the power. At the same time, he was a fan of Eastern culture, so everything is self-evident.

Gustav VI's eldest daughter Ingrid had been married to the Crown Prince of Denmark three or five years earlier, so the important mission fell on the youngest daughter Sigrid.

Time was tight and the task was heavy. She raced against time to learn Hungarian and Swedish language and customs in two months and lost several pounds.

战争阴云日渐迫近，她从斯德哥尔摩启程时，随之一道的还有父亲的真挚馈赠——许多威典土特产。这些土特产是20门博福斯M29型75毫米高射炮和48门博福斯M34型40毫米高射炮，以及配套的射击指挥仪。

The Huns prepared a grand welcome ceremony for Sigrid.

After a short rest, the conversion and coronation ceremonies were held as scheduled.

The public was not opposed to this young girl from Scandinavia, and on her way to St. Stephen's Cathedral, there were curious onlookers along the way.

Huge banners appeared on the streets, reading: "Welcome our second Princess Sissi!"

This neoclassical cathedral is majestic, with magnificent murals, sculptures and stained windows beneath its golden dome.

Here, Sigrid walked to the front of the archbishop under the watchful eyes of the crowd and formally announced that she would abandon Lutheranism and convert to Catholicism from that day on.

The coronation ceremony then took place, and the Archbishop placed on her the crown that had been inherited for thousands of years - the Crown of St. Stephen.

This gold crown weighs two kilograms, and to be fair, it is not very friendly to the neck.

She wore a blue and white floor-length gown, the traditional Hungarian court dress (Díszmagyar) popularized by Princess Sissi. The silk dress was embroidered with delicate cornflowers, and the crystal decorations sparkled in the light.

The Royal Band played music, the spotlights flashed, and the scene was filled with crackling sounds.

Later, Sigrid, with a nervous look on her face, took off her white lace gloves and placed her right hand on a hardcover constitution.

She took a deep breath as small as possible to calm herself down, and swore in Hungarian:

"Dear members of the parliament, dear people, I accept the coronation with humility and gratitude. Your trust has given me, a foreigner from Wei Dian, this sacred mission."

"From now on, my body and soul are forever bound to this land. I am aware of the sovereignty responsibilities required of this ancient country, and I am willing to assume the corresponding responsibilities and work hard to uphold the Constitution."

"Dark clouds of uncertainty are gathering over Europe. This may not be a good time, but I will be committed to bringing a bright and beautiful future to this country."

"I believe that my people are willing to follow me to achieve this great goal, and I will devote my life to it. I sincerely ask the Almighty for guidance and help."

After the words were spoken, the echo lingered.

Immediately afterwards, prolonged applause broke out in St. Stephen's Cathedral.

After the coronation ceremony, Sigrid returned to Buda Palace in a bulletproof limousine.

In fact, Sigrid originally wanted to ride in the royal carriage, but the Prime Minister temporarily changed the arrangement for safety reasons.

Sure enough, on her way back, military police and plainclothes patrolmen arrested an attacker hiding in the crowd, and his accomplices fled when they saw the situation was not good.

The incident was kept secret and only circulated among the people. The newspaper only published a brief notice of the attempted assassination.

As Hungary formally established a constitutional monarchy and invited a princess named Wedin to inherit the throne, Shangke was more of a watching-for-fun person.

Europe is in such a mess that a war might break out any day, yet they still have the leisure to bring back a vase. They are so idle.

　National Focus: Invite Foreign Monarchs (69/70 days)
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(End of this chapter)