Germany does not seek survival

Archduke William had certainly practiced German fencing before, and he figured he couldn't stand Faust's pursuit of fame and wanted to teach him a lesson, so he agreed: "German fencing! Very good, let's do it according to the German dueling rules."

Archduke William's challenge quickly attracted the attention of many people in the court. Everyone looked over, waiting to see whether Faust would accept or refuse.

Faust didn't want to hurt a great nobleman of the Habsburg family, but since he was provoked right in front of him, he had no reason to back down.

"Grand Duke, I hope you won't get hurt, but swords have no eyes. If blood is seen at Princess Louise's banquet, the scene will inevitably be unsightly."

Archduke William laughed heartily: "Lieutenant Colonel Faust, don't be afraid. Don't find any excuses to refuse."

Many nobles around joined in the commotion, and the noise caught the attention of William II. His Majesty raised his hand to calm the crowd and personally made the decision:

"I will be the judge. You two will conduct a fencing match according to German dueling rules. Minor injuries are no big deal and will only further demonstrate the heroism of the German people."

Princess Victoria Louise also enjoyed this kind of scene. The eldest princess smiled and said, "Go ahead and compete. This will make the banquet even more exciting."

Faust obeyed the order respectfully. He changed into German fencing competition clothes and put on the only protective gear allowed on his head, goggles. Then he picked up the long sword with his right hand and pointed the tip of the sword at Archduke William opposite him.

Agnes, the little princess of the Habsburg family, did not cheer for her cousin Archduke William. Instead, she danced and shouted Faust's name enthusiastically: "Lieutenant Colonel Faust, defeat him, defeat Willy!"

Willy is the nickname of Archduke William, which happens to be the same as the nickname of German Emperor William II. When Princess Agnes called him that, William II's expression became a little uncomfortable again.

Faust didn't take Princess Agnes seriously. He didn't like little girls who were only fourteen or fifteen years old and had not yet fully developed. No matter how beautiful her face was, it didn't count.

Chapter 93: To the Right is Fascism

Dueling was popular in Germany in the 19th century. In order to avoid too many casualties, the tips of fencing swords had to be rounded. According to the rules of dueling, long swords could not be stabbed, but had to be chopped by swinging the wrist. The body could not move, and anyone who dodged the blade would be regarded as a coward.

Faust had already put on metal goggles and raised his long sword with a spiral guard high. Archduke William, full of confidence, was also dressed in the same way and stood opposite Faust.

The difference is that Archduke William's goggles are decorated with silver and the hilt of his sword is inlaid with fine diamonds.

"Lieutenant Colonel, if you can't do it anymore, you can just drop your sword and admit defeat."

Archduke William was eager to try, completely unaware who he was challenging. Faust chuckled and said nothing, and the referee rang the bell. The Archduke swung his sword immediately, as fast as lightning, but in Faust's eyes, it was as slow as a child's trick.

Faust raised his sword to block, and the two steel swords collided, sparks flying. Faust hardly used any force, but he could already feel the pain of the tension in Archduke William's wrist.

"too slow."

Faust turned his wrist, and his long sword wrapped around Archduke William's sword like a living thing. With a slight pull, he shifted the opponent's center of gravity. Archduke William's body staggered and swayed, and he almost lost his balance and took a step forward.

Princess Agnes's laughter was heard from the audience, and Queen Josephine quickly raised her velvet fan to cover up Agnes's smile.

At the side of the corridor, among the maids lined up, the maid Lala was also secretly cheering for Faust, but she couldn't laugh as nonchalantly as Princess Agnes. She could only make her little face red and suppress her excitement.

Archduke William's face flushed red. The moment the two men fought, everyone could see that Faust had the upper hand. His speed and strength far exceeded Archduke William's by many times, but he was not very aggressive in attacking. Otherwise, Archduke William would have been defeated in a second or two.

Archduke William was still gathering his strength and slashing with all his might, his sword striking with a dazzling array. This time, Faust didn't even raise his arm, but simply flicked his wrist lightly, blocking Archduke William's sword perfectly one blow after another.

Finally, Faust's sword suddenly rose up, adding only half a point of strength, and Archduke William groaned, and the rapier flew out of his hand, drawing a silver arc under the chandelier, and finally "clanged" and stuck into the wall panel five meters away. The hilt trembled like a dying bird.

Faust had no intention of leaving blood marks on Archduke William's face, so he used this method to knock his sword away.

Archduke William stared at his trembling palms, sweat seeping out from under his goggles, and his carefully curled hair was stuck together into clumps: "I give up..."

The audience was completely silent, with only Princess Agnes exclaiming, "Mr. Faust, you are amazing!"

The Grand Duke stared at the tip of the sword in front of him, his Adam's apple rolling, and suddenly noticed Faust's face. Faust had a blank expression, without a trace of emotion, and was basically watching the joke.

"Your swordsmanship is simply the product of devilish training."

Archduke William's surrender was quite clean and neat. Faust put down his sword and said, "No, Archduke, this is a skill I've honed through fighting in the trenches day and night. It has nothing to do with training."

Faust picked up the silver goggles that Archduke William had dropped and said, "If you really want to prove your manliness, you shouldn't try fencing. If you want something exciting, why not try the barbed wire at Verdun?"

Archduke William was completely impressed. "Lieutenant Colonel, I am deeply impressed. Your swordsmanship is so great that I have never seen anyone so skilled. Only by fighting with you in person, when our swords touch, can I know how much force you hold back. You hold back like this, and yet you still have such skill. I admire you so much. If the opportunity arises, I sincerely wish to join the army and serve as a private under your command."

Faust had no interest in the pampered Habsburg nobles: "Then you should sign up for the Austrian army. That would show your patriotism!"

Faust helped Archduke William up again and asked, "Is the Archduke all right?"

"I'm fine... I'm defeated by Lieutenant Colonel Faust's sword. I accept it."

At this point, anyone present who disliked Faust has lost their temper. Even the Austrian fencing champion is no match for Faust. No one would dare to challenge Faust again.

Seeing this, Kaiser Wilhelm II could only feign magnanimity and declare, "It's good that no one was hurt. It was just a fencing match. Don't damage the relationship between Germany and Austria-Hungary. Faust was a professional soldier. It's normal for Archduke Wilhelm to lose. It's nothing. Germans shouldn't be arrogant about this. Everyone should remember that the blood alliance between Germany and Austria is as strong as steel, and the friendship between the German and Austrian peoples is everlasting."

Faust also took off his goggles. His movements were graceful and he threw the sword lightly, returning it to the scepter accurately. His movements were so smooth and flowing that Princess Agnes couldn't help but cheer.

Faust sat back in his seat, unconcerned. Mr. Kautsky and Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt applauded him: "You are the pride of the German army."

Faust took a short break, and the maid Lala found an opportunity to run to Faust's table, pour him some wine, and whispered to him, "Mr. Faust, you performed really well. I really admire you..."

Faust raised his head and glanced at the little maid, only to see Lala also staring at him. In fact, compared to a stunning beauty like Agnes, Lala's appearance was not much worse in terms of facial features. It was just that she had no makeup on and no special dress-up, and coupled with her dull maid temperament, she did not look bright and radiant.

Lala's clear and bright eyes made people feel distressed. When she met Faust's eyes, her face turned slightly red. She couldn't help but look away and turned to the eye patch on the other side of Faust, but she still felt that the lieutenant colonel was so handsome that she couldn't stand it.

Faust suddenly thought of something and handed the goggles he had taken off to Lala. He had a gentle smile on his face. "Lala, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. Keep this as a souvenir. I promise that after tonight, these goggles will be worth a lot of money. There will be many people who want to buy them."

Lala simply gripped her metal goggles tightly, the blush on her face reaching her ears. "Thank you... Lieutenant Colonel, I'll always miss you when you get to the front. May God bless you and wish you success in the front and more victories for the Empire."

At this time, Lala still didn't forget her country. She was really a very patriotic little girl. Faust admired Lala, but also felt that the child was really too young. She never knew that this empire did not love her as much as she loved the empire.

After Princess Louise's birthday party, everyone gradually dispersed, and Faust was about to leave with Colonel Rundstedt in a car. Before leaving the palace, Queen Mother Josephine kept Faust.

Queen Dowager Josephine walked up to Faust alone. She held out a silver brooch and handed it to Faust. Then, she chuckled softly from beneath her veil. "Princess Agnes is still young, but she likes Lieutenant Colonel very much. After the war, when the princess is of the right age and you are of the right rank, we will allow you two to meet."

Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt opened his eyes wide. In his opinion, this meant that the Habsburg royal family had tacitly agreed to marry the princess to Faust. Being able to marry the princess as a commoner, and the Habsburg royal family, which attached the most importance to family background in Europe, was truly a huge fortune.

If there had not been this world war, no one would have dared to even think about it.

Faust had completely different ideas. He had previously been very fond of Queen Mother Josephine's gentleness and purity.

But now he suddenly felt that the Queen Mother still maintained the arrogance of ancient feudal aristocrats in her every move. She didn't even ask Faust what he thought, but she thought that Faust must want to curry favor with the rich and powerful. How could he be interested in any princess?

Faust shook his head and said, "Queen Mother, the Princess and I are strangers. I cannot accept such a personal gift from the Princess."

Queen Mother Josephine was surprised at first, then she looked Faust up and down again. She felt that Faust was a good person, so she put away the brooch with Princess Agnes's name.

"Agnès likes you very much. There's a long way to go. After the war is over, you'll have the opportunity to get to know each other better."

Faust bowed slightly before the Queen Mother: "No one knows what the world will be like after the war."

Queen Mother Josephine was silent. Faust had just defeated Archduke William in Charlottenburg Palace. Although it was a slap in the face of the Habsburg royal family, Queen Mother Josephine did not feel ashamed. Instead, she deeply admired Faust's heroic spirit.

The Empress Dowager now remembered Faust even more deeply. Looking across the entire Germany and Austro-Hungarian Empire, there were really not many men like Faust in the eyes of Empress Dowager Josephine.

Faust bid farewell to the Queen Mother and left Charlottenburg Palace. Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt was still worried about whether Faust would be retaliated against, but it was later proved that Ludendorff, who was in charge of the military power, became more appreciative of Faust.

As for His Majesty the German Emperor, Wilhelm II had no say in the General Staff, and Hindenburg would find some words to flatter Wilhelm II and appease the emperor.

As for Ludendorff, he was completely rude to His Majesty the Emperor. When William II dared to go to the General Staff and make random comments, Ludendorff dared to criticize the Emperor to his face without any hesitation.

But what can be done?

The entire national army was controlled by Ludendorff, and most people in the entire military now believed that only Ludendorff could command the German army. William II had no way to deal with him. Whether in terms of people's hearts or the system, Ludendorff had become a real military dictator. Even if the war was over, Germany would probably not be able to return to its pre-war state.

Before the war, it was widely believed that Germany would either turn left and become a republic or turn right and become Byzantium.

Now, after the war, the only possibilities for Germany are to become a revolutionary socialist republic to the left or a fascist state with military dictatorship to the right.

Chapter 94: Ukrainian Prince

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg dynasty, went to Sarajevo to attend the anniversary celebration. Fourteen years ago on this day, the old Emperor of Austria-Hungary allowed Archduke Ferdinand to marry his beloved Sophie Hotek.

Sophie was a maid in the palace of Archduke Ferdinand's ex-fiancée and was also of noble birth. However, compared with Archduke Ferdinand's status as crown prince, her status was still low. In the hierarchy of the Habsburg dynasty, Sophie's status was lower than that of a minor, so every time she participated in a Habsburg banquet, she had to line up behind little boys and girls when entering.

June 28th is a very memorable day for the love between Archduke Ferdinand and his wife.

But apart from them, this day has other more important historical significance for the Serbian people.

Five hundred and twenty-five years ago, the Ottoman army defeated the Balkan coalition forces on the battlefield of Kosovo. It was an extremely legendary battle with many ups and downs. The Ottoman army was defeated at first and then won. The Serbian knight Milos Obilić, who pretended to surrender, successfully assassinated the Turkish Sultan Murad I on the battlefield.

However, even with the Sultan's sudden death, the Turkish army still rose up to avenge their king and completely defeated Serbia, thus starting Serbia's centuries-long history of national subjugation.

June 28th is the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, the day when the legendary Serbian assassin who tried to assassinate the Sultan was hacked to death by Turkish soldiers, and the day when the entire country was destroyed.

Archduke Ferdinand's choice of this day to visit Sarajevo was undoubtedly rubbing salt into the historical wounds of the Serbs. As for the love commemoration of the Archduke and his wife, no one cared due to hundreds of years of historical grievances.

Princip rushed out of the crowd, stood in front of the Archduke and his wife's car, and shot at them at close range. One bullet pierced Sophie's corset and went straight into her abdominal cavity. Another bullet penetrated Archduke Ferdinand's jugular vein, causing blood to gushed out.

European history changed from then on. The first crack appeared in the internecine struggle among the European powers that held the throne of world power.

That day was a very important day for every member of the Habsburg family. From that day on, nothing good happened to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Initially, the Habsburgs envisioned a quick victory, believing they could force Serbia to surrender within a few days, but the offensive failed miserably.

The Serbian army had experienced the trials of the two Balkan Wars and was commanded by experienced generals. It established an impenetrable line of defense and defeated the Austro-Hungarian army cleanly and efficiently in the Battle of Cerberg.

Then Russia also joined the war, and a huge steamroller rolled over the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Habsburg army was in chaos on the railway line. Some troops went from the Serbian front to the Russian front, and some troops went from the Russian front to the Serbian front. The Battle of Galicia was another disastrous defeat.

The Habsburgs had to fight a protracted war, facing enemies from all sides and enduring a blockade by the British navy.

The modern Habsburg fleet was trapped in the Adriatic Sea, where the Royal Navy was overwhelmingly powerful, and London's French allies had their own Mediterranean fleet. The same situation existed in Italy.

By Christmas 1914, approximately 82% of the Habsburg Armed Forces' existing infantry units had been destroyed by casualties. Approximately one million men were killed, wounded, or sick. The remainder of the war depended on reserves, civilians, and recently trained officers.

The young Archduke William was one of these new officers.

Archduke William provoked Faust at Charlottenburg Palace, but ended up humiliating himself. His sword was easily knocked down by Faust. After the defeat, the guests at Princess Louise's banquet dispersed, but Archduke William still had a gloomy face and could not get over the failure for a long time.

Queen Mother Josephine ordered Princess Agnes to comfort the young Grand Duke. Princess Agnes could not wait to run to Grand Duke William, patted him on the shoulder with a loud "slap", and laughed:

"Brother Vasily, why would you challenge Lieutenant Colonel Faust? The Lieutenant Colonel is a German war hero. Think about it, he's the bravest soldier among the millions of German troops. No one can match him."

Princess Agnes taunted Archduke William for a few words before chuckling, "But you have the guts to challenge him. That's very courageous, and I admire you! Brother Vasily, if you do something like this again, call me and we'll be together."

Archduke William smiled awkwardly twice. After the war broke out, he was ordered to command a platoon in a Ukrainian main infantry regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so he had a Ukrainian name Vasily.

In order to maintain their rule, the Habsburg family implemented a special ruling tactic in modern times, which was to arrange for royal family members to learn the languages ​​and cultures of various ethnic groups.

According to tradition, every member of the royal family had to learn a minority language in elementary school and fully master the cultural traditions and lifestyle of that ethnic group. Then, when they grew up, they would join the nationalist movement circles of these ethnic minorities and act as a link between the nationalist groups and the Habsburg dynasty.

Archduke William learned Ukrainian from a young age, and his coming-of-age ceremony was to live in the Ukrainian countryside of Galicia for a few months.

The same is true for Princess Agnes, but the little princess has been learning Czech since childhood.

Archduke William sighed and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Faust is truly an incredible warrior. I have to admit that he is better than me in every way."

Princess Agnes consoled Archduke William, saying, "You performed very well on the battlefield. I heard that His Majesty the German Emperor is even going to award you the Iron Cross."

Archduke William was helpless: "That's just the Germans being polite. If I didn't have the last name Habsburg, they would look down on me."

Princess Agnes laughed and said, "You're right. If your last name wasn't Habsburg, how could you have the courage to challenge Lieutenant Colonel Faust?"

Archduke William clenched his fists and made a gesture to reply: "You still say that!... The Ukrainians around me are also discussing Faust. They all say that the Battle of the Gulf of Riga led to the Russian Revolution. The Poles and Ukrainians are hoping to take advantage of the Russian Revolution to advance eastward."

Princess Agnes was not interested in the heartland of Russia. In her imagination, the rich Ukraine was just a desolate black land in the distance.

She was only interested in Bohemian literature and art, and the portrait on the little princess's pocket watch was painted for her at the request of the great Czech painter Mucha.

"Ukrainians, my teachers in Vienna, all said that Ukrainians weren't a real nation," Princess Agnes said. "And the territory they were claiming overlapped with the traditional Polish territory. There were so many conflicts between the two groups, and we had to choose to help only one."

Princess Agnes received a complete royal education from the Habsburg royal family, so her level of knowledge was naturally not low. The Habsburg family attached great importance to education, and the teachers hired for royal members were all top figures in the academic world. For example, Menger, the founder of the Austrian School of Economics, was a royal teacher of the Habsburgs.

Archduke Wilhelm had his own thoughts: "After the Russian Revolution, the situation was precarious. Regardless of the situation on the Western Front, we were certain to win victory on the Eastern Front. If we could strengthen the separatist consciousness of Ukrainian nationalists, we could use Ukraine's national awakening to oppose Russia. At the same time, I guarantee that the Germans would want to completely turn Ukraine into their puppet. If they succeeded, their sphere of influence would encircle the Austro-Hungarian Empire from all directions."

Archduke William shook his head and said, "If that happens, even if we win the war, Austria-Hungary will become another vassal state of Germany after the war."

"In addition to threatening Russia, Ukrainian nationalism can also contain Germany. For the Habsburgs, the most advantageous scenario is to make Ukraine a politically independent country and then an ally, opposing Russia and preventing Germany from turning Ukraine into a puppet."

Archduke William had some political insights of his own, and the Habsburgs did have some Metternich-like talents in politics.

But just like Metternich's predicament, today's Habsburgs lack national strength, power and military strength, so everything they talk about is empty.

Archduke William seemed determined. He said, "The Germans want to promote a new type of unit called the Assault Jägers. I'd like to receive training from the Germans. We Austrians are also good at mountain warfare. I'd like to form a unit similar to the Großdeutschland Regiment with Austrians as the core."

Princess Agnes was puzzled. "Do you want to fight under Lieutenant Colonel Faust?"

Archduke William now felt both respect and fear for Faust: "I'd really like to have this opportunity! But it's not so easy to join the Great German Regiment. I'd be very satisfied if I could strive to join a new unit modeled after the Great German Regiment."

Princess Agnes immediately became very interested in Archduke William's wonderful idea. She promised Archduke William that she could help persuade Queen Mother Josephine and Princess Agnes's brother, the new Emperor Charles I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Archduke William was quite grateful for Princess Agnes's help. The two members of the royal family now had unrealistic fantasies about Faust.

But as for Faust himself, he is now about to do something that will completely destroy the European monarchy.

Faust wants to see Liebknecht and Luxemburg.

This meeting was made possible thanks to Kautsky's arrangement. Otherwise, as a war hero, it would have been too sensitive and difficult for Faust to meet Mr. Li and Mr. Lu who were still imprisoned in the cell.

Kautsky came up with an idea. He arranged for someone to help put makeup on Faust so that Faust could blend in with a group of women who could visit Luxemburg, so that he could visit the prison smoothly and meet Rosa Luxemburg.