Nineteenth Century Medical Guide

Chapter 440 436. Bang~
Franz spent all these days on the train.

It was during these long-distance trips after the war that he felt the difference in performance between trains in different countries, and realized that Austrian trains had long lagged behind those of Prussia and France by several versions. Speed, capacity, and line mileage were all behind, and even if the Hungarian lines were included, the mileage was still nearly doubled.

However, even now, Prussian railway workers are still working day and night to connect the newly incorporated states. These lands and soldiers that were supposed to be Austria will soon become their new frontier and a tool to grab more land interests.
He did not think that the railway mileage could explain any substantial issues, but it was not difficult to see from the various battle reports that the reason for the failure on the front line was not entirely due to command and system, but was the inevitable product of a combination of many conditions, and railways were one of them.

"This carriage is shaking so much that it gives me a headache. It feels like I was thrown into a blender to mix my brains." Franz put down the newspaper he had just picked up. "How long will it take to get there?"

"We're almost there. Paris is just past the small town ahead."

"That's about it." Franz stood up, stretched, and then said to the adjutant, "Change your clothes. Oh, and ask someone to go in and tell Elizabeth."

"Her Majesty is ready." Adjutant Crevel helped him put on the white uniform and the medal, and said, "It will take some time before we arrive at the station. There are two letters that you need to read."

"Letter? What letter?"

"Two hours ago, when we stopped briefly at Serbona Station, the post station delivered a letter from Count Andrassy and another from Governor Maximilian." Klevel whispered, "But at that time you were discussing security issues with Mr. Mick, so Queen Elizabeth took it to read first."

Franz didn't know why Elizabeth was so concerned about Hungarian political affairs, and he was also worried that the relationship between her and Andrassy would affect her and his judgment.

"Forget it, let her see it." Franz adjusted the angle of the badge on his chest. He didn't seem to take it to heart. Instead, he was concerned about Mick who was sitting next to him. "I haven't seen you for a while. Why are you so thin?"

"I haven't been feeling well lately and I haven't been eating much."

Mick was indeed very thin, so thin that his whole face was sagging and looked as rough as animal leather exposed to the sun.

He was still smoking, non-stop. He smelled heavily of tobacco, and his voice became increasingly hoarse and harsh. It seemed that only the burning tobacco could make him feel better. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll just rest for a while when we get to Paris.”

"You are too tired. You have to take care of Paris, Vienna and Budapest." Franz had already handed over the command of the library to him. "Where is the person you think is pretty good?"

"He's in Paris, and he's quite capable. At least he's more useful than I was back then."

"What is your name?"

"Casper."

Franz was now particularly concerned about Mik and his secret police organization. Without the intelligence they provided and their infiltration of enemy countries, the Austro-Prussian War would not have ended so quickly. So after hearing the name, he immediately wrote it down: "What's your last name?"

"No last name." Mick exhaled two puffs of cigarette and said calmly, "He was picked up when I was working in the slums more than ten years ago. I just gave him a random name."

"So the name really isn't important, as long as you can do the job well."

Even though Franz had never studied medicine, he could tell that Mick had health problems. "If possible, after this trip to Paris, you can stay in your manor in Vienna and rest. Let the young people handle the matter, and you can come forward when it really gets worse. By the way, why didn't you let Kavi see you when you were in Paris?"

"Dr. Kavi is too busy." Mick waved his hand, but even this simple action was barely completed. "Forget it, it's just an old problem that I've had over the years. I know it."

"Ok."

Franz knew his temper and said nothing more.

The train slowly pulled into Paris, and the two letters finally arrived in Franz's hands. He looked at the wax seal that had been removed from the letters, feeling uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything. He just looked at Elizabeth and asked, "What did Count Andrassy write?"

Elizabeth did not look very good. At least for a queen who was about to visit Paris, France, such a mental state would definitely attract criticism.

But she still had no qualms about expressing her dissatisfaction with a former love interest: "As soon as we left, he came up with three new demands, each one more exaggerated than the last. He seemed to have forgotten the previous agreement and turned into a greedy guy."

"Maybe it's just to benefit Hungary. This is normal in politics. You have to get used to it, dear."

Franz was more restrained at this juncture, but this restraint did not last long. The content of the letter shattered it, and he also knew why Elizabeth was so excited:
"He is a descendant of an ancient noble family, a favored son of heaven supported by the citizens, and now he is in charge of the governance of the entire Hungary. But he is like a capital vampire, bargaining with me on a piece of paper with something that has been decided long ago."

"I used to admire his talent, but now he has changed." The brutal war and the six months in Budapest made Elizabeth understand a lot of things. "Look at Maximilian's words. He is very straightforward, but I think it is worth learning from."

Franz opened the second letter and found that it was in stark contrast to Andrassy's humility. The letter was filled with the courage and decisiveness of the last emperor of Mexico in facing danger.

However, Franz only expressed his appreciation verbally and did not give a substantive response: "No matter whose request it is, it is not something that must be implemented now. Let's wait and decide after the trip to Paris is over."

"Yes."

Adjutant Kreville put the letter into the file folder and briefly informed the next procedure: "After the train stops, the French Foreign Minister will enter the carriage to express his welcome. We just need to follow him out of the train, slowly leave the train station and get on the carriage."

"It's the same old story." Franz looked at Mick, "Is what you just said true?"

"Your Majesty, please trust my judgment." Mick put out his cigarette, slowly stood up with the help of Kleville, and stretched his arms and legs. "The train station is crowded with people, and there are cheering people everywhere. Although this is Paris and my people are all around, the World Expo seems to be in turmoil recently. You two should pay attention to your safety."

In the eyes of Franz and Elizabeth, no matter how chaotic Paris is, it should be safer than Budapest. They have survived Budapest, so how dangerous can Paris be?

Of course, Mick's warning did play some role. At least when leaving the train station, Franz kept Elizabeth behind him, walked in front to greet the people and always paid attention to the changes around him.

However, this level of caution is of little use to the killer hiding in the crowd.

Franz didn't see the killer's appearance, nor did he know the exact direction of the gunshot. Apparently, the chaotic crowd provided cover for the killer's quick escape from the scene. But he could see that Mick and two other plainclothes security guards were standing in front of him and Kavey.

The scene was filled with screams and sirens, and peasants and women were huddled together with the noblest figures in France. At this moment, apart from escaping for their lives, there seemed to be no distinction between high and low.

"Mick, how are you? Are you hurt?" "I'm fine, take His Majesty away from here first! Quick!!!"

The Emperor and Queen of Austria walked towards the convoy parked on the street under the protection of the guard of honor and security team. However, the chaotic scene made it impossible to care about etiquette. Mick picked a car at random and asked Casper to take the Emperor and Queen up first.

After closing the car door, the noise seemed to be separated into another dimension, and Franz finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But just when he thought the assassination was about to end, he heard an even more violent explosion outside the car, enough to shatter everyone's eardrums.

bang~
It was also the morning of the 19th, and Rochester had hardly slept.

Seeing that the peaceful days were about to end, he always had some abnormal thoughts in his mind. So insomnia tortured him all night, and also tortured away the last bit of his spirit.

Of course, Mathilde's disturbing snoring is also an important reason.

With the help of his servants, he put on the most gorgeous clothes in Paris, a fashionable bow tie, and a slight smile on his face. He looked as elegant as the nobles who talked about art in the salon. He sincerely liked this kind of life and sincerely hoped that they would accompany him forever for the rest of his life.

However, material life could not make up for his spiritual loss after all, and all of this would soon say goodbye to him.

These days he repeatedly persuaded himself to obey Mathilde. She was almost 50 years old. If he could hold on for another ten years, he would be able to inherit her property. Even if he could not inherit all of it, he would be able to get a very good reward.

But the aristocratic pride running in his blood did not allow him to do so.

"Dear, are you ready?" Mathilde was still wearing her white velvet dress, holding a fan in her hand, and hanging them all over her head, neck and wrists.

Rochester carefully looked at the woman again, looking at her made-up face and her waist and abdomen that were still protruding after being restrained violently, and said with a smile: "You look very beautiful today."

"Thank you."

Mathilde replaced the servant and buttoned up his trousers herself: "You look very tired. If you don't feel well, don't go. Stay at home. I'll be back after going to the train station."

"It's okay, I'm fine." Rochester put on a black vest and found a pocket watch to wear. "You are the sister of His Majesty the Third. It's really not right for you to attend such an event alone. What's more, I am the child of a Hungarian noble. Now Austria-Hungary is one family. There is no reason for me not to go when the Austrian emperor comes."

"Okay, it's up to you."

If Rochester was just a little uncomfortable when he saw Mathilde before, then now he was disgusted by her exaggerated smile, so disgusted that he couldn't even eat breakfast. When he thought that the first thing he saw when he woke up every morning was such a face, and there was no possibility of getting rid of it, he strengthened his determination.

He didn't choose either Mick and Casper behind him or Mathilde in front of him. He only chose the abyss under his feet.

After a simple lunch at noon, the two got into a private carriage.

Rochester could definitely feel that the thing under the seat was still there, like a weak heart still beating. As long as it was given enough energy, it could burst out with unmatched power.

The coachman had tried several times for him without knowing it in the past few days, and he was able to ensure its basic stability. He had also tried to practice several times in the manor, and he knew exactly when to start the engine and when to fire. But for a novice, it was still hard to help but feel insecure when doing this for the first time.

This feeling of anxiety, of being on the verge of reaching the end of the road and worrying about other situations arising along the way, accompanied him all the way.

"My dear, you look really bad." Mathilde still cared about him. Although it was unclear whether she was concerned about him or something else, at least she cared. "Why don't you stay in the car? It will be over in two hours anyway."

This is a good idea, but after thinking carefully for a moment, Rochester felt unsafe and refused: "It doesn't matter, I said I must show up today. This is the most basic etiquette and respect for you."

"OK then."

There was nothing remarkable about the entire welcoming event. Rochester stood in the corner like a specimen in a natural history museum, silently watching those guys who were fiddling with their posture, clothes, conversation and artistic taste to show off their status.

None of this matters anymore.

Just like the previous few days, he silently rehearsed what he was about to do in his mind, engraving every step in his brain.

Finally, the train arrived at the train station. It was greeted with the same expected welcome, the same handshakes, the same order of the team. Then there was the same cold gunfire and the same chaotic scene.
It's my turn.

Rochester took off his coat and hat that revealed his identity, deliberately avoided Mathilde's sight, and quickly found the princess's private carriage following the flow of people.

Before getting on the carriage, he turned around and looked at Franz's position. He was still a few steps away from the target carriage. And the target carriage was also a few steps away from where he was.

it's time!

He quickly boarded the carriage, found something under the seat, and then dug out the fuse and igniter hidden in it. The next thing to do was to follow the instructions in the letter, ignite the fire, get off the car, and then throw the things under the target carriage.

The reason why he lit the engine before getting out of the car was because he was afraid of accidents after getting out of the car. Anyway, it would take some time for the fuse to burn out, which was enough time for him to operate.

Impeccable
Rochester quickly lit the fuse, and the flame began to burn, making a crisp sound. He knew that this was the bell of his stepping into the abyss, and the mourning song that ended his life like a tragic drama!

However, God seemed to be playing a joke on him. When he was about to open the car door, he found that it was sealed. It was a door that could only be locked from the inside, but no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't open it.

Someone is blocking the car door outside? ! !
Rochester's mind went blank in an instant, and he shouted and wanted to leave here. Unfortunately, the scene outside the carriage was more chaotic than he imagined, and no one could hear what he was shouting across the carriage. Even the coachman had jumped off the carriage and accompanied the maid to find Princess Mathilde.

The fuse is not a human being. Once it is lit, there is no room for negotiation. Even the burning speed is different from what was agreed upon before. It will rush to the finish line in the blink of an eye.

Rochester was quick-witted and lay on the seat, kicking the glass window hard. He wanted to get out, or just throw the thing in his hand out. Unfortunately.
bang~
Dust quickly rose from the train station, and a carriage was blown to pieces, shattered everywhere. The people affected all fell to the side of the road, and the horses around them neighed and trembled restlessly.

The crowd that had been converging towards the carriage convoy on the street no longer maintained the most basic order and began to run around more frantically than before. Jewelry, clothes, etiquette, and demeanor were no longer important. The most important thing was to leave this dangerous place.