The battle of Sarrebourg had been a great victory, but it had also come at a terrible cost. The German Allied Forces had lost more than fifteen thousand men there, over eight thousand of whom would lie buried there forever.
But Albrecht had no time to grieve, much less to linger.
For Metz was still in French hands, and all of Lorraine remained under French control.
Unless the French were driven out of Lorraine, the plan would be only three-quarters complete.
According to Franz's plan, the French had to be left without a single bargaining chip so they would accept peace unconditionally.
Franz had no intention of restoring Louis Philippe or Count of Chambord to the throne. He had no delusions or fantasies about being able to control France.
And more than expansion, the Austrian Empire needed a peace agreement.
At that moment, Britain and France were both under tremendous pressure, but Austria was hardly faring any better, especially when it came to the Magyar rebellion.
Almost all the traditional nobles believed that one had to pacify the home front before resisting foreign threats. They were deeply dissatisfied with the all-out war that had resulted from Franz's opposition to British and French interference, and some had even reached out to Britain and France to offer their surrender.
Yet it was precisely this same group, once the most opposed to the war, who were now pulling strings and calling in favors to urge Franz to go even further.
After all, in their view, Britain and France had both suffered heavy blows, while Russia was Austria's steadfast ally. As for Prussia, William IV's woeful performance throughout 1848 had been wholly unworthy of a Great Power.
(The five Great Powers were Britain, France, Russia, Austria, and Prussia.)
Vienna, Austria.
A group of nobles