Of course, Walewski had never intended to truly help the Kingdom of Sardinia defeat Austria. He merely wanted to cut France's losses.
Walewski had already prepared for the worst. If the Austrian Empire truly forced through an annexation of Sardinia, then France could at least gain the natural borders it had coveted for so long, while also blocking the Austrian Empire's route of advance.
This kind of opportunistic plundering drove Cavour to despair. On one side was a terrible loss; on the other, an even worse one. The Kingdom of Sardinia seemed unable to escape this calamity.
Cavour had no ability to resolve Emanuele II's question, so he chose silence.
If even the prime minister said nothing, how could anyone else dare to speak?
In the end, only Emanuele II's sigh remained.
Honestly, the Kingdom of Sardinia's situation had also somewhat exceeded Franz's expectations. He had imagined that they might surrender, fly into impotent rage, or throw themselves wholly into the arms of Britain and France—but he had never expected the Kingdom of Sardinia to explode right where it stood, and so thoroughly at that.
Imperial Council.
"Your Majesty, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
At this moment, the Austrian Empire's entire upper echelon thought so.
"Your Majesty, our advance forces have already finished deploying. With a single command from you, we can immediately launch an attack on the Kingdom of Sardinia!"
The Minister of War, Latour's words immediately sparked a burst of cheers.
"Your Majesty! Of Sardinia's eleven governors, nine have already expressed their willingness to serve our country.
"As soon as our army arrives, they will surrender at once. Many of the Kingdom of Sardinia's nobles and merchants are also actively cooperating with us."
As Foreign Minister Habescu spoke, his excitement overflowed from every word. The other ministers were