Vienna.
In the corridors of Schönbrunn Palace, Blücher's gaze swept over the exquisite ornamentation and carvings on the walls, and he could not help frowning. "The Austrians should have come to Berlin. Look at this place—it is fit only for balls, not war councils."
Prussia's Chief of Staff, Scharnhorst, standing beside him, did not pick up on that. Instead, he said, "Have you heard? Sweden has confirmed that it will join the Anti-French Alliance."
"Lord Hawkesbury truly knows how to persuade people."
"Gustav IV is thinking more about his own security," Scharnhorst said. "The British have promised to bring about an alliance agreement between them and Russia."
Blücher curled his lip. "So the Swedes will not be sending many troops, then?
"By the way, before I left Berlin, I heard that His Majesty intended to accept Warsaw's armistice terms?"
Scharnhorst nodded. "Yes. Russian troops have already reached the south bank of the Piyati River. His Majesty does not wish to see Poland disappear; it can serve as a buffer between us, Russia, and Austria. The Austrians think the same."
The Piyati River lay just south of Pinsk. That meant Russia currently occupied the vast territories along the Dnieper River, as well as Volhynia, Podolia, and other regions—more than a third of Poland's land area.
Scharnhorst continued, "Russia has obtained nearly all the Eastern Orthodox regions. It should be satisfied by now.
"And the Poles have more or less agreed to every armistice term, including keeping their army below thirty thousand men, trade concessions, wartime transit rights, and so on.
"His Majesty and the General Staff Headquarters both believe it is time to turn our attention to the Left Bank of the Rhine River..."
As the two spoke, a roar came from the hall ahead. "You cannot always be thinking of