War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Maradin did not want war, let alone see the scene of rivers of blood, but he had to start the war with his own hands.

In addition, he still felt a little guilty, ashamed of himself, his friends, and France.

However, his official career was not smooth, but his poetic career was smooth. The country was unlucky, but the poet was lucky. During this period, Maladin created a series of romantic elegy.

In fact, he quite liked the city of Vienna. The artistic and cultural atmosphere here was stronger and purer than that of Paris at that time.

Maladin couldn't bear to let the war engulf this place, but he couldn't betray his motherland. He only hoped that the emperor of the Austrian Empire would not insist on his own way.

Hofburg Palace, Hall of Mirrors.

Ferdinand I was dangling his two short legs on the throne. He didn't like the guests in front of him very much.

However, as Emperor Ferdinand I had to personally receive two foreign ambassadors, Viscount Stratford and Maladin finally met the rumored mentally retarded emperor.

Before arriving, Viscount Stratford had already decided that he would tease and humiliate Austria's retarded emperor like those famous envoys in history.

However, when he actually entered the hall of mirrors and looked at the high-ranking person, his heart beat faster and his throat became tight unconsciously.

No matter how funny Ferdinand I looked, Viscount Stratford couldn't laugh or even dare to look at him. He just wanted to complete his mission quickly and leave.

In fact, Viscount Stratford is not a person who has never seen the world. He is a monarch of various German states, a sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and a barbaric chief of an African tribe.

Those people may be shrewd, cunning, powerful, or cruel, but Viscount Stratford has always been able to deal with them calmly, just treating them as a group of clowns.

However, at this time he felt pressure and the fear of death.

Grand Justice Franz Karl stood next to Ferdinand I with a shotgun in his hand, looking for the target.

Viscount Stratford wanted to yell and tell the other party not to let fools play with guns.

But he didn't have the courage, for fear that he would attract a bullet to himself.

Viscount Stratford could only choose to lower his head and read loudly, hoping to end this unpleasant journey as soon as possible.

It's just that people will inevitably make mistakes when they are nervous, and once they start making mistakes, they will continue to make mistakes.

"My stupid brother, why did the British send a stammer as their ambassador?"

"My poor brother, you can be an emperor, why can't you be an ambassador if you stutter?"

"It seems to make sense, but his German is so poor, I might as well read it myself."

"This is easy to handle."

Viscount Stratford, who was lowering his head and reciting fiercely, suddenly felt that his vision went dark, and a figure happened to shine down from the royal steps.

He looked up just in time to see a man with thinning hair standing in front of him holding a gun, and he was immediately frightened and took two steps back.

Viscount Stratford immediately realized his gaffe, and he coughed twice to cover up his embarrassment.

"Give me."

Franz Karl said in his own extremely broken English.

"ah?"

Viscount Stratford was a little confused.

Seeing that the other party did not understand what he meant, Franz Karl had to use his not very bright brain to reorganize the language.

"Throw me the paper in your hand."

"Throw?"

Viscount Stratford looked around and saw Austrian royal guards everywhere. He wasn't sure if he would be able to leave Vienna alive after doing such a disrespectful act of "throwing".

After all, under British propaganda, Austria is an extremely barbaric country, and like Russia, it still uses eunuchs.

Although it was a rumor, even if it was a lie a hundred times, it would make people full of doubts, so Viscount Stratford was frightened by his own imagination at this time.

On the other hand, Archduke Franz Karl did not notice the abnormality of Viscount Stratford.

"Throw it! Come here!"

Maladin on the side did not have much prejudice against the somewhat eccentric Grand Duke in front of him. Although Austria was also home to a group of monsters and monsters under the propaganda of the French government, he personally believed that seeing is believing.

"The Grand Duke seems to have no ill intentions."

Maladin said with a smile, hoping that his smile would comfort his frightened companions.

However, the reality is that Viscount Stratford has something evil in his mind, and he cannot believe the kindness of the French. He subconsciously thinks that this man has a smile and has evil intentions.

"I won't be fooled."

Viscount Stratford thought, but the other party in front of him directly asked for credentials, and he had to give it, but throwing it over was not an option.

At this time, Viscount Stratford suddenly had an idea and thought of a good way, a way that could make both parties decent.

He stood on tiptoes and raised the document above his head with both hands. Archduke Franz Karl also squatted down and took the document.

But at this moment, there was only a "bang" sound, and Viscount Stratford felt a bolt of lightning flash across his eyes. He was stunned for a while and turned around to find that a photographer was taking a picture of him.

The flash of lightning just now was actually the strong light emitted by the burning aluminum and magnesium powder in the fire flash held by the photographer's assistant.

Aluminum-magnesium mixture can also be used as illumination bombs and flash bombs, but due to technical limitations, it can only be equipped with some special forces at this time.

At this time in history, magnesium had not been used on a large scale, and there was no method to produce magnesium in large quantities. Therefore, although the price was not high, it was expensive but not marketable.

Franz is very clear about the future direction. Steel, aluminum, and magnesium are called the three major metals, and their status in later generations is evident.

As for the method of producing magnesium, it is actually very simple. It is the electrolysis method, which is similar to the method of large-scale production of aluminum.

So after Siemens' new generator is completed, the problems of aluminum and magnesium are completely solved.

But even without a generator, Austrian scientists worked backwards to derive the thermal reduction method.

It's just that the technology is not yet mature, but it is sufficient for military and photographic purposes.

Historically, this "fire flash" was only invented in 1887, so it was impossible for Viscount Stratford to have seen such a thing. He just subconsciously associated the white light with the sound of the explosion.

Viscount Stratford suddenly felt a pain in his chest, his head sank, the world almost turned upside down, and he shouted loudly.

"I got shot! Uh. ah!"

Viscount Stratford was seen swinging in place like a drunkard, and then, like a slow-motion replay, he spun around in place and then fell backwards like a puppet that had lost its soul.

After falling to the ground, his feet twitched. The expression on his face is even richer. His neck is tilted, his mouth is slightly open, and his tongue is sticking out.

Maradin on the side was not much better. Although he did not fall to the ground like Viscount Stratford, he still stood there with a blank face.

When Maradin saw the fire flash for the first time, he looked forward with unfocused eyes like a puppet whose soul had been taken away.

Looking at the exaggerated performance in front of them, the guards and royal photographers in the Austrian palace were a little confused. After all, cameras are not a particularly rare thing in Vienna.

At this time, the two brothers above the royal rank laughed.

"Hehehehe, two fools."