"What? The French have gone mad! Have you gone mad too? You want to break through on all five fronts?!"
Albrecht was so shocked that he couldn't keep his voice down. In truth, as one of the Austrian Empire's most eminent aristocrats and a senior military commander, he usually didn't need to watch his manners.
It was just that the two people in this command room were precisely the ones before whom he had to mind his etiquette: one was his father, and the other was the future emperor.
Archduke Charles reacted much more calmly. He merely set down his teacup and asked solemnly,
"Franz, are you sure you want to do this? Have you thought through the consequences of failure? If we break through on only one front, then aside from the sea, we have more than a ninety percent chance of success on any of them."
Archduke Charles fixed his gaze on Franz. There was none of his usual easygoing, languid air in his eyes. In the end, all he could do was let out a long sigh before changing the subject.
"Franz, you need to think this through. If we send our forces out on all five fronts as well, we'll have at most a fifty percent chance."
"Fifty percent? That's already very high for a gambler. But I'm no gambler. I'm ten out of ten certain that we'll win."
Franz's tone was unwavering, and he didn't seem to be putting on a brave face. But Archduke Charles laughed aloud.
"Franz, you may be the boldest and most decisive ruler the House of Habsburg has had since Empress Theresa. But you don't need to pretend to be calm. We're willing to take this gamble with you."
"Grandpa Karl, I really am ten out of ten certain!"
"Every