Kobzl turned to glance at the young diplomat, his tone clearly displeased. "Do you know what you're saying?"
Metternich gestured for him not to lose his temper and continued, "If we accept Lord Hawkesbury's plan, Russia will obtain all Polish territory west of the Bug River, as well as the Balkans apart from Thrace and Macedonia. They may even storm Constantinople."
Earl Stadion frowned deeply. "God, that would be nothing short of a disaster."
"Exactly." A crafty smile flashed in Metternich's eyes. "Not only us—Britain, the Ottoman Empire, the Two Sicilies, even France—they will all realize that this is a colossal 'Eastern Orthodox disaster.'
"Then, without any proposal from us, they will have to take the initiative and ask us to help drive out the Russians—most likely with the British taking the lead. They are best at this sort of thing.
"The Russians could never withstand the siege of so many nations, while we could use the war as an opportunity to formally occupy Serbia."
Kobzl could not help stopping in his tracks, staring at Metternich in astonishment.
He had to admit that the young man made a great deal of sense.
Once France had been defeated, Russia, which controlled most of the Balkan Peninsula, would become a threat to all Europe.
And Austria, being closest to the Balkans, would inevitably become the backbone of an anti-Russian alliance. Not only could it bring Serbia under its rule, but it could also use this to expand its influence in Germany.
Metternich continued, "And before that, we can obtain all of Lesser Poland, along with Tarnów. The Tarnowskie Góry Silver Mine will provide us with vast military funding."
According to the British plan, Russia, Austria, and Prussia would each dispatch more than eighty thousand troops, launching simultaneous attacks on Poland from the