The Rise Of Australasia

After the welcoming ceremony and before setting off for the next destination, Ferdinand turned his gaze to the nearby Governor Boticelli and asked meaningfully, "Sir Governor, do you think we can still visit the National Museum as originally planned?"

The governor hastily replied, "Of course, Your Highness. I assure you, nothing like this despicable act will happen again."

The governor even intended to guarantee it with his political career, but Ferdinand waved his hand, not wanting to hear any more nonsense from him.

What the governor didn't expect was that the next incidents would be not only despicable but also plunge the whole of Europe directly into chaos.

Archduke Ferdinand's next stop was the National Museum, but due to the assassination attempt, he temporarily changed the next destination to the hospital to visit those injured in the bomb explosion.

However, Ferdinand's change of itinerary was temporary. Perhaps the driver forgot, and still followed the mayor's car in front, without modification.

At this point, Governor Boticelli next to him reminded out loud, "We've taken the wrong way! We should go to the hospital!"

At the governor's command, the driver stopped to change direction, slowing down the entire convoy and lingering at the street corner.

The motorcade seemed to be planning to change its route, which caused some panic among the hidden assassins.

If the motorcade took a new route, this would mean their deployed assassination would fail.

The assassins chosen by the Mafia were all extreme nationalists. After pondering for a moment, an assassin named Princip resolutely chose to carry out the assassination ahead of schedule.

50 meters, 40 meters...20 meters, 10 meters.

As a young man got closer and closer to the Archduke, the police standing by the roadside noticed something was wrong.

"Protect His Highness!"

The moment the police shouted, Princip came to the front of the motorcade. Without any hesitation, he used a Browning-developed M1910 pistol to shoot at Archduke Ferdinand several times.

Perhaps because of nervousness, some of the shots were off-target, hitting Duchess Sophia Thomas beside Archduke Ferdinand.

The shrill gunshots caused everyone on the scene to panic in an instant. The cries of the guards and the screams of the crowd made the voices of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife even weaker.

Governor Boticelli's gaze turned to the Archduke and his wife not far away and was instantly horrified and distressed.

Archduke Ferdinand's chest, neck, and Duchess Sophia's abdomen were all spurting blood, which was dripping to the ground following the car door, forming small blood pools on the ground.

"Sophia, Sophia, don't die, live for our children," Archduke Ferdinand, who had been shot in the neck, gasped desperately.

"Hurry to the hospital! Quickly take Archduke Ferdinand to the hospital!" Governor Boticelli finally reacted, hurriedly shouting at the stunned driver who didn't know what to do.

Although capturing the assassin was also important, for Governor Boticelli, nothing was more important than saving the lives of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife.

It's just a pity that the chest and neck were already fatal places, and Archduke Ferdinand had encountered two of them, leaving one to imagine his fate.

Duchess Sophia, who was in slightly better condition, also died on the way to the hospital due to excessive blood loss.

By the time Archduke Ferdinand and his wife arrived at the hospital, they were already two lifeless bodies.

Thankfully, the police's deployment was successful and did not allow the person who assassinated the Archduke to escape.

After frantic arrests by the surrounding police, a total of seven assassins and their accomplices were eventually captured, all of Serbian origin and members of a Young Bosnia Organization.

Among them, the perpetrators of the assassination were one who had thrown a bomb before and Princip, who had shot and killed.

After an overnight interrogation, Governor Boticelli finally confirmed that this was indeed an assassination targeting the Archduke.

However, the main target of this assassination was Archduke Ferdinand, the secondary target was Governor Boticelli, and Sophia was actually the most innocent of all.

No matter how panicked he was, such a serious matter could not go unreported to Vienna.

With complicated emotions, Governor Boticelli sent a telegram to Vienna detailing the process of the assassination and the background of the planners.

At that time, Emperor Francis the First was out hunting at his country villa due to the hot summer. On the way to hunting, Francis the First learned of the news that Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were killed in an assassination.

The elderly Emperor coldly announced, "A powerful force is trying to subvert the order, and we cannot stand idly by."

No one knew the feelings of the old Emperor at this time, but from the old Emperor's slightly trembling shoulders, it could be seen that the old man was experiencing one of the greatest sorrows of his life.

For the old Emperor, the Habsburg family had a series of disasters. In just a few years, the old Emperor's brother was killed, his sister-in-law went mad, his only son died suddenly, the Empress was assassinated by Italians, and the Empress's nephew was drowned.

Now, the only heir to the throne, was assassinated during such an ordinary inspection. All close relatives were gone, leaving only the old Emperor, which was very sad.

On his way back to Vienna, the old Emperor could not help but lament in sorrow, "I see a dark future, and the people around me are dying one by one."

A few days later, in Vienna, the imperial conference.

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