On September 2nd, European public opinion was quite lively because on this day, Napoleon III of France surrendered. The news of Napoleon's surrender directly caused a sensation throughout Europe, as Napoleon III ordered a halt to the fighting after the Battle of Sedan.

In the Battle of Sedan, the French army suffered 17,000 casualties, and 21,000 were captured. The Prussian army reported 2,300 fatalities, 5,000 wounded, and 700 captured or missing.

Newspapers from various countries rushed to report, and a few hours later, the Viennese newspapers also followed suit to report the outcome of this war. However, compared to the news of France's defeat, the Austrian-Hungarian public was clearly more interested in the progress of their own army, with everyone anxiously awaiting the outcome of the war in Italy.

At this time, Archduke Albert was commanding the imperial army as they approached Venice, stepping over the Italians' second line of defense, which was even less solid than the Isonzo River defense line. Although the Isonzo River defense line was not in the best position, as the Italian side was relatively low, providing convenience to the Austro-Hungarian artillery, it was the border between the two countries. Italy constructed the Isonzo River defense line after annexing the Venice region, whereas the second line of defense was completely makeshift, with no cover to rely on.

Faced with the Austro-Hungarian army's attack, the second line of defense quickly fell. To preserve military strength, the Italian commander had no choice but to order the troops to retreat into the city of Venice and join with the Italian Kingdom's forces in Venice, using the city's fortifications and buildings to resist the Austro-Hungarian army.

...

"Can you tell me why an Austro-Hungarian army appears in Rome? What are your intelligence departments doing? Over 10,000 people right under your noses, and you didn't notice? If this force was in Florence instead of Rome, wouldn't we be wiped out by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in one fell swoop?" Emmanuel II angrily questioned his subordinates.

Just yesterday, Emmanuel II received news of the allied attack on Rome's failure, leaving him utterly bewildered! The Pope Country still has this combat capability? Impossible, absolutely impossible!

The good news is that the Pope Country's military strength is still weak; the bad news is that the Austro-Hungarian army was the one who defeated Italy.

Even worse, at this moment the Austro-Hungarian expeditionary force is organizing troops en route to Florence, while the papal troops, under the guidance of Admiral Karl, also advance towards the Italian coastal defense forces on the eastern coast.

This task is not too difficult for the papal troops, as the Austro-Hungarian navy will cooperate with their actions. More than 30,000 Austro-Hungarian landing troops have already set off from Trieste towards the east coast of Italy.

After slightly containing his anger, Emmanuel II asked, "Now we are trying to mobilize parts of our forces back to Florence. Is it still possible?"

"This, very difficult! Because the main forces are all in Venice, they can't leave, though we might find a solution with the troops stationed on the French border, but we're not sure it will be in time."

"Your Majesty, perhaps it would be better if we withdrew from Florence first, returning to Turin could be a good strategy," said an old official of the former Sardinian Kingdom.

Before the Italian Kingdom, the capital of the former Sardinian Kingdom was Turin. After the initial unification of Italy with Napoleon III's help, the newly formed Kingdom of Italy set its capital in Florence.

"Fool! Now the newspapers have reported the failure to recover Rome, and if we withdraw from Florence back to Turin, how will the entire nation view it? How will the frontline soldiers see it? Unable to defend the capital, how can we resist the Austro-Hungarian invasion?" Emmanuel II angrily retorted.

After wrestling with the problem for a long time, Emmanuel II said, "Quickly mobilize the frontier forces guarding against France; immediately mobilize from Florence and its surroundings. I don't care what method you use; gather at least 50,000 troops, and before reinforcements arrive, you must stop the enemies from Rome outside Florence."

...

France, Marseille.

"The failure at the front is not terrible; although the emperor has surrendered, we, the French people, will not succumb. As a patriot, I am willing to donate a batch of materials to the government free of charge, hoping they will not compromise with Prussia..." Count Medina declared his stance in front of the Marseille City Hall, stating his position of defending the nation.

Applause erupted around him, with Count Medina's words resonating strongly with the people of Marseille.

At the same time, a reporter from the Marseille Daily quietly captured this moment from afar. This photo will appear across France tomorrow, at least in southern France.

After performing for the public for so long, Count Medina was finally able to rest. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead as government officials gathered around.

"Count Medina, thank you for your support, but unfortunately, we are also in a difficult position, as the emperor has surrendered, and we are waiting for news from the central government, so these supplies may not be disposed of at the moment," said the Mayor of Marseille.

"It's fine, I understand your difficulties, but our soldiers are still at the front lines; delivering these supplies would be support for them, as they are children of France anyway." Count Medina said.

"If it's military supplies, we can still do it. We will deliver these materials to the front-line soldiers in the name of the citizens of Marseille, not the government."

Count Medina's patriot persona was well-crafted, and now his opinion was fully respected by the Marseille City Government, which was a form of psychological respect.

As for the supplies, which were considered a Franco-German joint venture "national" brand of France, they mainly included food, medicine, and some daily necessities.

As a collaborator, Count Medina also had a share, so he wanted to make a name for these products.

For example, "Patriot" beef and potato cans, would you like to learn more?

...

In the evening, Leopold began reporting to Ernst on the situation of the Heixinggen after completing this mission.

"This time, the Heixinggen Brigade suffered over 700 casualties, with 132 fatalities. Due to front-line conditions, we were only able to cremate the bodies on-site, and the ashes will be brought back with the troops. His Majesty (William I) asked whether the Heixinggen Brigade would consider participating in the upcoming campaigns."

After two battles, the Heixinggen Brigade could be considered an elite unit in European warfare, especially after the Battle of David Wright, where it demonstrated somewhat higher professionalism than the French army (Heixinggen Brigade ≧ French Army ≧ Prussia Bavaria North German Federation Württemberg Baden), so William I was very interested in this small brigade.

"Bring them back!" Ernst only replied with this phrase to Leopold in the telegraph.

For the upcoming conflicts, the Heixinggen Brigade had no further need to participate; after all, the French emperor had already surrendered, essentially ending this war.

And after the Battle of Sedan marked the transition from a just war of national defense into an invasion, Ernst did not wish to partake.

Moreover, the goal of training the Heixinggen Brigade had been achieved, with no further need for senseless sacrifice. Regarding the so-called "spoils of war" from the Franco-Prussian War, namely looting prosperous France by various states, Ernst had no interest in those riches. Additionally, he didn't want the Heixinggen Brigade to learn bad habits from other armies; once military discipline is compromised, rectifying it becomes complex, especially as the Heixinggen Brigade is intended as the foundation for military reform in East Africa.

Through war bonds, the Heixinggen Bank already prospered. Right after the Battle of Sedan ended, the London bond market was overwhelmed, and before the war, the Heixinggen Bank had already bought a quarter of it at low prices.

"Tom! Is there still any open space near the castle?"

"Your Highness, it's probably hard to find. Besides forests, there are only some flatlands within the castle area."

"Then clear a piece of land from the mountainside; I want to bury the remains of those killed in this battle nearby as they all sacrificed for the Hohenzollern family," Ernst said.

Burying them near the Hohenzollern Castle is also good; it's quite secluded here, and apart from the solitary Hohenzollern Castle on the mountaintop, there are no residents nearby, so there's no worry about disturbances to the deceased's peace.

Ernst brought most of these men from the Far East to Europe, and the rest were basically European orphans, so the entire Heixinggen Brigade was composed of people with no relatives.

Although they were not required to partake in the Franco-Prussian War, Ernst made the decision, and they followed suit, so Ernst also had to consider their affairs afterward.