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I vote "C, a loose federation of anarchists"
But if that isn't allowed, I'll toss in a vote for the nationalists.
But if that isn't allowed, I'll toss in a vote for the nationalists.
"The time for Revolution is at hand," Aliz intoned, surveying the motley assortment of Communist fighters that had assembled, "The enemies of the Hungarian people are arrayed against us. They want to keep the old regime in power, to hold their own citizens down under their bootheels. Once before they crushed the will of the proletariat, but this day will be different! This day, desipte all the blows we've taken, despite their military support, despite everything, the people will win!"
Hoarse cheers rose from the assembled fighters. Their enthusiasm was dampened by the rain that continued to pour, and also from the tremendous toll the fighting had taken upon them. Aliz had spoken with the various Communist militia leaders as their battered units had arrived from other barricades. The news wasn't good - most militia formations had lost at least 30% of their initial force, many with over half their original numbers killed. Of those left standing, a good number had been wounded, hastily patched up and sent back into the line. Anna was amongst them, her wounded arm bandaged with someone's torn shirt sleeve.
Yet as many comrades as had been lost, the struggle went on. The fighters were ready for one more attack. If the Angel of the Revolution had defied the Nationalists as well as the rumors said, surely she could lead them to victory again. Aliz felt the weight of their expectations on her small shoulders. Through the attrition of war and her own actions, she had become the makeshift leader of these Communist forces. They were her responsibility, even if she didn't neccessarily want it. She had to succeed, not only to save as many of these comrades as she could, but also for Hungary. The nation was watching Budapest today. As the Internationale said, " 'Tis the final conflict, let each stand in their place".
She'd chosen her place. For a moment she wondered whether Erika would still be in class at this moment. Surely the nuns must've considered cancelling classes to keep their wards in a safer environment than windows facing battle-ridden streets. The last time she'd spoken to her friend, though, Erika had told Aliz that classes went on despite the fighting. Aliz smirked as she thought that the convent school might be the safest place in the city for Erika after all; neither side was liable to bother it once the Communist assault began. That was another reason to move to a new position - to move the fighting away from her friend's school.
But the time for such casual thoughts was over for now. The Communists had mostly assembled, and the time to attack was now. Much longer and the rain might start letting up. A few cells of Communist resistance had been unable to link up, or had lost communication with the rest of the makeshift Red Army. Half of Miklos' runners hadn't returned. There was no helping that now. No more hesitation.
"Comrades, let's move out, and strike the foe down!" she exclaimed, then began to march forward, the Red host in step behind her.
So the Communist forces marched out behind Aliz Lukachich, their unlikely leader. For the first few minutes, it was simply regular marching, though the militia men and women were hardly as disciplined as real soldiers. Almost all of them were armed with rifles or sidearms, with a pair of captured machine guns being toted behind the 'Army'. Aliz knew they'd fight hard, and bravely, but her best hope, maybe her only hope for victory was to reach not only their comrades on the eastern side of Budapest, but also the People's Army. The Soviets had sent a few officers as advisors to the People's Army, and none to the militias themselves. Militias could've used Soviet expertise in organization, but Aliz was actually somewhat happy that they hadn't encountered any Russian officers. This was Hungary's revolution, and any resulting Hungarian socialist state should be managed and governed by Hungarians. The Russians could help if they wanted, but they couldn't expect Hungary to be at their beck and call.
As they neared the center of the city, Aliz had her fighters spread out and begin to keep an eye out for cover. Across the plaza, she spotted a Nationalist position, though it was poorly guarded. That was odd. The Nationalists were supposed to have a strong presence in the central part of Budapest. Still, she didn't want to take any chances by just charging straight at the enemy. Some of her fighters didn't reach cover quickly enough; a few were cut down by what had to be sniper fire. Aliz ducked behind an abandoned car herself, and scanned the nearby buildings for sharpshooters. In one, she spotted some movement, aimed her rifle and cracked off a shot. Not sure if she'd hit anyone, she processed the next round into her rifle and peered just over the car's hood at the Nationalist position.
"A good position.. but not too strong," Aliz noted, then pulled herself down and looked to Béla, who'd taken up a position next to her, "What do you think? Should we try it?"
"It seems suspicious... but we should be able to overrun it before the enemy springs their trap. We take that position and we might be able to use it against them," Béla remarked thoughtfully, then added, "We need to flank it, though. Send some fighters to the left, some to the right. A main attack up the middle to draw their attention and pin them down with covering fire. Then, the two sides come in and hit them hard."
"Good thinking," Aliz nodded, not being much of a military strategist herself, but learning something new every day. She looked over to a young man from another militia unit crouched behind a bench and relayed to him, "Spread the word, we need a group on the left to sneak up and flank the Nationalists. Our group will attack the center!"
As she gave the order left, Béla gave the order to the right. After a few minutes of sporadic exchanges of fire, the signal came through that the order had been relayed to the farthest edges on either side. Aliz took a deep breath, then nodded to Béla. It was time. She moved around the side of the car and cracked off another shot, aimed at the Nationalist position. All around her, other Communists emerged from their positions, following her example. The Angel of the Revolution ran forward to another position, fired, and waited for other fighters to catch up. Screams indicated that a couple of Nationalists, as well as some Communists, had gone down. So far, so good.
As she was about to move forward again, she heard the distinctive chatter of a machine gun. It wasn't from behind her, and she realized in horror that it was coming from her left. Soon a large number of rifle reports barked from the same direction. More screams as the Communist left was hit hard. On the right, similar sounds erupted. Where were the Communist machine gunners?
She got her answer when screams came up from the rear as well, followed by the pounding of the pavement by myriad pairs of jackbooted feet. The Natioanlist army had arrived! Faced with the enemy to the left, right, and rear, Aliz saw only one option: forward. She chambered a new round, and then burst from her position, firing a shot as she ran. It went wild, but she didn't care - all she cared about now was reaching that Nationalist position. Other Communist survivors from the center charged forward as well, one carrying a red flag rather than a rifle. Still others turned and fired on the Nationalists attacking their rear. Aliz moved forward with determination, cringing when a bullet whizzed past her ear.
The flag bearer went down, and the crimson banner crashed to the wet pavement with him. Aliz made a leap to cover the last few feet between her and the Nationalist position. She thrust her bayoneted rifle down into the chest of a Nationalist soldier, then hopped down behind the position. Béla appeared a moment later, clubbing another stunned Nationalist soldier with the butt of his rifle. And there was Anna, hurtling the Nationalist defense the best she could.
Aliz swung to her left and shot down another Nationalist, and that one's two comrades were felled by Anna and Béla. Yet Aliz looked for other Communist fighters, and saw none that had penetrated the defensive line. From out of the building before her, more Nationalist troops began to emerge, opening fire on the dwindling number of Communist fighters still attacking. Except these Nationalist soldiers looked different; their uniforms were gray, rather than the brown of the Hungarian army. Their rifles were a little different too. And to top it off, they were too clean to have been fighting over the past month in Budapest.
"It's a trap!" Anna finally exclaimed, fearfully, clutching her rifle close.
"They lured us in," Aliz groaned, then cursed and looked to Béla, "What now? Do we stand and fight, and die? We can't hold this place with three of us."
"They've got help - those aren't Hungarian soldiers," the veteran explained quietly, "And the Hungarians that are attacking us from the side - some had red stars on their helmets."
"The People's Army? Just that one division, that's all," Aliz remarked, trying to make good of the situation.
"No, the only division of the People's Army that wore the star on their helmet was Revy's division," Béla shook his head, "And if he's turned on us, that ends the chances of the People's Army rescuing us."
"So we die here with the Revolution?" Aliz growled, hands shaking a bit.
"We can escape. They've won today, but if you get out of Budapest.. maybe out of Hungary, the Revolution isn't dead," Béla told Aliz, "Fighting on is suicide. It won't help Hungary."
"Halt! Wer ist da?" came a shout from one of the gray uniformed soldiers.
"Now! Run, Aliz!" Béla shouted to the unwounded girl, then shoved her in the direction of one of the now undefended positions nearby.
Aliz, for wont of any better idea, ran, hunched over to present a smaller target, and then leapt over the barricade. Béla landed beside her, and took the girl by the arm. Without waiting to see if Anna had made it, Béla pulled Aliz away from the plaza and into a nearby alleyway, and then across the street into another alley. It seemed like they ran for hours, trying desperately to get out of Budapest. But as they found an abandoned place to hide out in until evening, one thing dominated Aliz's thoughts.
The Revolution had failed.
Hoarse cheers rose from the assembled fighters. Their enthusiasm was dampened by the rain that continued to pour, and also from the tremendous toll the fighting had taken upon them. Aliz had spoken with the various Communist militia leaders as their battered units had arrived from other barricades. The news wasn't good - most militia formations had lost at least 30% of their initial force, many with over half their original numbers killed. Of those left standing, a good number had been wounded, hastily patched up and sent back into the line. Anna was amongst them, her wounded arm bandaged with someone's torn shirt sleeve.
Yet as many comrades as had been lost, the struggle went on. The fighters were ready for one more attack. If the Angel of the Revolution had defied the Nationalists as well as the rumors said, surely she could lead them to victory again. Aliz felt the weight of their expectations on her small shoulders. Through the attrition of war and her own actions, she had become the makeshift leader of these Communist forces. They were her responsibility, even if she didn't neccessarily want it. She had to succeed, not only to save as many of these comrades as she could, but also for Hungary. The nation was watching Budapest today. As the Internationale said, " 'Tis the final conflict, let each stand in their place".
She'd chosen her place. For a moment she wondered whether Erika would still be in class at this moment. Surely the nuns must've considered cancelling classes to keep their wards in a safer environment than windows facing battle-ridden streets. The last time she'd spoken to her friend, though, Erika had told Aliz that classes went on despite the fighting. Aliz smirked as she thought that the convent school might be the safest place in the city for Erika after all; neither side was liable to bother it once the Communist assault began. That was another reason to move to a new position - to move the fighting away from her friend's school.
But the time for such casual thoughts was over for now. The Communists had mostly assembled, and the time to attack was now. Much longer and the rain might start letting up. A few cells of Communist resistance had been unable to link up, or had lost communication with the rest of the makeshift Red Army. Half of Miklos' runners hadn't returned. There was no helping that now. No more hesitation.
"Comrades, let's move out, and strike the foe down!" she exclaimed, then began to march forward, the Red host in step behind her.
So the Communist forces marched out behind Aliz Lukachich, their unlikely leader. For the first few minutes, it was simply regular marching, though the militia men and women were hardly as disciplined as real soldiers. Almost all of them were armed with rifles or sidearms, with a pair of captured machine guns being toted behind the 'Army'. Aliz knew they'd fight hard, and bravely, but her best hope, maybe her only hope for victory was to reach not only their comrades on the eastern side of Budapest, but also the People's Army. The Soviets had sent a few officers as advisors to the People's Army, and none to the militias themselves. Militias could've used Soviet expertise in organization, but Aliz was actually somewhat happy that they hadn't encountered any Russian officers. This was Hungary's revolution, and any resulting Hungarian socialist state should be managed and governed by Hungarians. The Russians could help if they wanted, but they couldn't expect Hungary to be at their beck and call.
As they neared the center of the city, Aliz had her fighters spread out and begin to keep an eye out for cover. Across the plaza, she spotted a Nationalist position, though it was poorly guarded. That was odd. The Nationalists were supposed to have a strong presence in the central part of Budapest. Still, she didn't want to take any chances by just charging straight at the enemy. Some of her fighters didn't reach cover quickly enough; a few were cut down by what had to be sniper fire. Aliz ducked behind an abandoned car herself, and scanned the nearby buildings for sharpshooters. In one, she spotted some movement, aimed her rifle and cracked off a shot. Not sure if she'd hit anyone, she processed the next round into her rifle and peered just over the car's hood at the Nationalist position.
"A good position.. but not too strong," Aliz noted, then pulled herself down and looked to Béla, who'd taken up a position next to her, "What do you think? Should we try it?"
"It seems suspicious... but we should be able to overrun it before the enemy springs their trap. We take that position and we might be able to use it against them," Béla remarked thoughtfully, then added, "We need to flank it, though. Send some fighters to the left, some to the right. A main attack up the middle to draw their attention and pin them down with covering fire. Then, the two sides come in and hit them hard."
"Good thinking," Aliz nodded, not being much of a military strategist herself, but learning something new every day. She looked over to a young man from another militia unit crouched behind a bench and relayed to him, "Spread the word, we need a group on the left to sneak up and flank the Nationalists. Our group will attack the center!"
As she gave the order left, Béla gave the order to the right. After a few minutes of sporadic exchanges of fire, the signal came through that the order had been relayed to the farthest edges on either side. Aliz took a deep breath, then nodded to Béla. It was time. She moved around the side of the car and cracked off another shot, aimed at the Nationalist position. All around her, other Communists emerged from their positions, following her example. The Angel of the Revolution ran forward to another position, fired, and waited for other fighters to catch up. Screams indicated that a couple of Nationalists, as well as some Communists, had gone down. So far, so good.
As she was about to move forward again, she heard the distinctive chatter of a machine gun. It wasn't from behind her, and she realized in horror that it was coming from her left. Soon a large number of rifle reports barked from the same direction. More screams as the Communist left was hit hard. On the right, similar sounds erupted. Where were the Communist machine gunners?
She got her answer when screams came up from the rear as well, followed by the pounding of the pavement by myriad pairs of jackbooted feet. The Natioanlist army had arrived! Faced with the enemy to the left, right, and rear, Aliz saw only one option: forward. She chambered a new round, and then burst from her position, firing a shot as she ran. It went wild, but she didn't care - all she cared about now was reaching that Nationalist position. Other Communist survivors from the center charged forward as well, one carrying a red flag rather than a rifle. Still others turned and fired on the Nationalists attacking their rear. Aliz moved forward with determination, cringing when a bullet whizzed past her ear.
The flag bearer went down, and the crimson banner crashed to the wet pavement with him. Aliz made a leap to cover the last few feet between her and the Nationalist position. She thrust her bayoneted rifle down into the chest of a Nationalist soldier, then hopped down behind the position. Béla appeared a moment later, clubbing another stunned Nationalist soldier with the butt of his rifle. And there was Anna, hurtling the Nationalist defense the best she could.
Aliz swung to her left and shot down another Nationalist, and that one's two comrades were felled by Anna and Béla. Yet Aliz looked for other Communist fighters, and saw none that had penetrated the defensive line. From out of the building before her, more Nationalist troops began to emerge, opening fire on the dwindling number of Communist fighters still attacking. Except these Nationalist soldiers looked different; their uniforms were gray, rather than the brown of the Hungarian army. Their rifles were a little different too. And to top it off, they were too clean to have been fighting over the past month in Budapest.
"It's a trap!" Anna finally exclaimed, fearfully, clutching her rifle close.
"They lured us in," Aliz groaned, then cursed and looked to Béla, "What now? Do we stand and fight, and die? We can't hold this place with three of us."
"They've got help - those aren't Hungarian soldiers," the veteran explained quietly, "And the Hungarians that are attacking us from the side - some had red stars on their helmets."
"The People's Army? Just that one division, that's all," Aliz remarked, trying to make good of the situation.
"No, the only division of the People's Army that wore the star on their helmet was Revy's division," Béla shook his head, "And if he's turned on us, that ends the chances of the People's Army rescuing us."
"So we die here with the Revolution?" Aliz growled, hands shaking a bit.
"We can escape. They've won today, but if you get out of Budapest.. maybe out of Hungary, the Revolution isn't dead," Béla told Aliz, "Fighting on is suicide. It won't help Hungary."
"Halt! Wer ist da?" came a shout from one of the gray uniformed soldiers.
"Now! Run, Aliz!" Béla shouted to the unwounded girl, then shoved her in the direction of one of the now undefended positions nearby.
Aliz, for wont of any better idea, ran, hunched over to present a smaller target, and then leapt over the barricade. Béla landed beside her, and took the girl by the arm. Without waiting to see if Anna had made it, Béla pulled Aliz away from the plaza and into a nearby alleyway, and then across the street into another alley. It seemed like they ran for hours, trying desperately to get out of Budapest. But as they found an abandoned place to hide out in until evening, one thing dominated Aliz's thoughts.
The Revolution had failed.
"Complete and total victory in Budapest, gentlemen," the very pleased looking mustachoied officer announced, "The Communist forces have been routed in the city, and government soldiers are mopping up the last stubborn resisters. Thanks to certain machinations, this victory will finally allow us to return peace to Hungary."
"Machinations we did not approve first, Major Ibranyi," growled an aging general whose uniform's right breast was festooned with medals.
Ibranyi grinned still, "Waiting for your approval, General, would have allowed the Communist assault to succeed. I was merely doing whatever I could to ensure that our victory - Hungary's victory - was as thorough as possible. It does us no good to trash the Reds again now, just to allow them to pop back up in a few years. We obliterate them now, destroy their strongest support, and obtain any means neccessary to drive them into the ground for good."
"I will admit that convincing the rebellious divisions of the army to rejoin us was an important maneuver," spoke General Gustáv Henneyey, the acting military chief of staff, "But you should have shared your knowledge of a remaining Habsburg with us. We could have planned a proper strategy around that information."
"In the end, General, does it matter? The Habsburg dynasty has been returned to its proper place in Hungary. If we had waited for you and your staff to develop a strategy, we might have lost the girl," Ibranyi retorted, "And a more sudden reappearance of the Habsburg line forced the rebellious commanders to make a choice. Subservience to Bolshevism of the east, or duty to their liege in Budapest. Faced with such a choice, they made the right decision."
"Of course, such men's loyalty has been compromised, has it not? We surely cannot trust them fully after they raised arms against the government," the chief of staff questioned.
Ibranyi nodded, "A valid point, General. I believe we can trust the commanders; they felt they were forced to choose between Horthy's inner circle and the people, and chose the people. Once they saw that we were not Horthy's fascists, nor did the Soviet-influenced Communists represent the people, they returned to serve Hungary once again. Some of the junior officers and soldiers may be politically unreliable, though, and they will be dealt with. That much I can assure you. The plans have already been drawn up, and await her Highness' approval."
"You've already created those plans too! What other treachery can we expect from you, Ibranyi? You were the one who brought in those foreigners to fight where Hungarian soldiers would have served our cause better," the first general, the army's chief, István Shvoy complained.
"The German government was gracious enough to offer us assistance in the form of volunteers. I merely accepted the offer a month ago, and assisted in making the neccessary arrangements for the arrival of a small group of such volunteers. They also sent us weapons, without which our victory would not have come. Germany has found a new, modern way to fight. We would be foolish not to adopt some of her methods as our own, or to deny the assistance offered by her government," Ibranyi responded with practiced precision, "Besides, I am confident that we can obtain some German assistance without becoming lapdogs of the Reich ourselves."
"So you say," Shvoy quipped, clearly unconvinced, "You're trying to steer Hungary in the wrong direction Major. So soon after our victory, you're already corrupting our triumph with ulterior motives. When the swastika flies over Budapest, you won't be so confident."
"It will not. We have a strong support here for the coming Habsburg restoration. I am confident that the Hungarian people, weary of infighting, will rally around her Highness," Ibranyi countered, then added, "And we will challenge Hitler when neccessary, General. Hungary will have its place in the new Europe, and as I said before, it will not be at the feet of the German fuhrer. If you will not join the new Hungary and support your liege, she can find somene who will."
"I doubt it," Shvoy shook his head, "She's nothing more than a symbol. And you are nothing but a major. Still, we have won. I believe we are done here, major - your future is uncertain, but for now we have use for you."
"More than you know, General," Ibranyi gave a somewhat mocking salute, "More than you know."
*************
"The fighting has stopped, and so has the rain," Erika remarked as she peered out of her bedroom window.
There were still some signs of the struggle that had enveloped the Hungarian capital. Bullet holes visibly marred the sides of a few buildings. A badly damaged automobile had been moved into a side street after the battle at the city's central plaza. But there were signs of celebration as well - every visible building, while bearing some signs of war, also was festooned with red, white and green banners. One or two even had large double-headed eagles with the Habsburg royal crest. Already, many people were gathered on the streets, waiting for the festivities to officially begin.
It had been a month since the battle for Budapest had ended with a Nationalist victory. Over the past four weeks, rain had been the dominant form of weather. Erika liked to think that it washed away the blood that had been spilled in Budaplest's streets. Hungarian blood. Yet the fighting had ended after all. Major Ibranyi had told her that her presence in the capital had covinced rebellious army units to return to their side and to defeat the Communists. So few Communists had been left after the fighting that discovering how the survivors had been treated was difficult. Many stood and fought rather than surrender.
She hoped Aliz had gotten away. Too many people had fallen fighting their brothers on the Nationalist side for her best friend to have fallen as well. It seemed more likely that Aliz had fallen with them, but her heart told her that her friend lived on. If only Aliz could see her now! Erika was bedecked in the finest gown she'd ever seen, and had been made up to look formal and regal by personal attendants provded by Major Ibranyi's hired staff. For all the sadness the fighting had brought, the sudden ascendence to importance had made Erika feel she was doing something both worthwhile and enjoyable.
It was to be her coronation today. She'd been terribly nervous about going through with the ceremony, for it required a speech by herself at the end. Major Ibranyi, though, had assured her everything would be fine. He would help write the speech, and coach her on its delivery. Erika didn't know where she'd be without him. Just after the end of fighting in Budapest, he'd brought her orders that needed a royal signature or approval; Ibranyi had been kind enough to explain basically what each one meant, and told her not to worry about their application or enforcement. That was his job, not hers. In the month since the end of the fighting in Budapest, Erika had come to trust Ibranyi more than any other member of the provisional government. So far he hadn't led her astray, and she was confident that he wouldn't in the future.
"Your Highness, pardon the intrusion," came Ibranyi's voice as the major entered the bedroom, "It's time. The people await their Princess."
"But I'll be Queen soon," Erika remarked with a jesting smile, and then asked, "Do I look alright? I've only seen a little of my appearance, thanks to the flurry of activity when my attendants worked me over."
"You look quite regal, your Highness," Ibranyi smiled, stepping closer, "I only hope that my humble appearance does not detract from your radiance."
Erika looked at the major's formal dress uniform, and then shook her head, "No, I think you cut quite a dashing figure, Major."
"I'm honored that you speak so highly of one so lowly as myself," Ibranyi chuckled, then offered his arm, "Shall we meet your subjects, your Highness?"
"In a moment," Erika responded, then hesitated for a moment, "Major Ibranyi, I have made a decision on the new government."
"You have? That is certainly good news," Ibranyi spoke, "What is this decision?"
"You told me a month ago that I should have someone at my side to help me rule. Someone that I trusted. I can think of no other man in Budapest, or even Hungary, whom I trust more than yourself," Erika informed him at last, "Will you accept the position of Chancellor in the new government?"
"Chancellor? You flatter me, your Highness," Ibranyi raised his eyerbrows in surprise, almost too much so. But then he smiled in acceptance, "If you will have me, I will serve in whatever position you see fit for me. Is there anything else, your Highness?"
"No. We shouldn't keep the people waiting any longer, Chancellor," Erika remarked, her tone half-joking.
Arm in arm with the now-Chancellor Ibranyi, Erika went downstairs, nodding to the staff as she went. The next few minutes went faster than she'd expected they would. Both she and the Chancellor entered the fine car that waited in front of their building, the royal Hungarian banner flying at its front. People gathered behind barriers cheered at seeing the Princess appear, and Erika smiled and waved. Much more smiling and waving followed as a royal motorcade made its way through the city. Cheering subjects lined the streets, welcoming the Lost Princess, as the Nationalist (now government) press had been calling her.
Soldiers of the Royal Hungarian Army march at the front of the royal procession on November 11.
Before the motorcade, the Royal Hungarian Army marched, including cavalry and infantrymen. Overhead, the few aircraft of the air force flew over. At last, the motorcade arrived at the cathedral where the coronation would take place. Erika ascended the steps, which were lined with soldiers of the royal bodyguard. Inside, there was hardly room for any observers to stand, let alone sit. As she proceeded to the front of the church, and took a seat beside the altar, all eyes were on Erika. A high ranking clergyman, whom she thought to be an archbishop, went through the ceremony with a practiced solemnity. Finally, she took an oath, and was crowned by the clergyman. Applause, then cheering broke out from the assembled mass inside St. Stephen's cathedral.
St. Stephen's Cathedral in Budapest, site of the coronation of Queen Erika I Habsburg of Hungary.
And then it was her turn to speak to her subjects. With the text of her speech set out on a podium that had been erected near the altar, Erika moved up and took a deep breath. This was the moment.
"My dear, beloved subjects, fellow Hungarians, brothers and sisters, it is a profound honor to speak to you on this eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord 1935, as your Queen. After all our troubles both long past and recent, peace has at last returned to our beloved nation. The sacrifices of the brave Hungarian soldiers, and the patience of the Hungarian people are both deserving of the highest praise. Seventeen years ago on this day, our nation faced defeat after the most brutal war the war has ever seen. The monarchy was destroyed by the victors, and our land thrown into chaos."
"But the chaos has subsided, and the crown returned to its rightful owner. The Habsburg line has been restored. As your Queen, I promise to uphold the best interests of Hungary and its people. To lead our nation into a brighter future, where prosperity and glory await. Past injustices will be righted, and Hungary will be the envy of Europe. Our friends in Europe will help us achieve our goals, but it is the Hungarian people who must ultimately persevere. We have much work ahead of us, but I am certain that, with the sacrifice of our blood, sweat, tears and toil, we shall come out the better for it. Thank you. May the heavenly Father bless you all, and may He bless Hungary every day of our lives."
Applause broke out as soon as she'd finished, and Erika nodded her thanks. The speech left some things out, but major Ibranyi had assured her it was good enough. Further things could be said in the months to come. And so, Erika I Habsburg, Queen of Hungary, smiled, waved, and enjoyed the moment. Major Ibranyi would be at her side, and so too, it felt, would be the Hungarian people.
Ahh, gaining the trust of the girl was the cleaver part. And with him in the position of chancellor he can show that general a lesson.
Why to I get the feel that the Major is in for some rude surprises once she has gotten used to everything?
Unfortunatly, the revolution failed... Well theres always next time, you may have defeated the revolution once, but it shall rise again. 
Good update!
Good update!
This is one of the better text-heavy AARs I've read. I bow to your writing skills. Too bad the commies didn't win, I liked Aliz's story much better. Perhaps you can still follow her story. I think the few communists that are left should resistance movement. Kind of like the Yugoslav partisans. Hiding in the forests and mountains of beautiful Hungary.