Archduke Karl was about to turn his horse back toward headquarters when he caught sight of the grave expressions on the generals' faces beside him. He stopped, straightened in the saddle, and said, "This will also be the French army's final wave of offensives."
"When they find themselves helpless in Erzgebirge, they will return to the negotiating table and sign. By then, we may even secure better armistice terms." Fifty kilometers west of Passau, Vilsbiburg, French Army camp.
At that moment, King of Bavaria Carl Theodor had only one thought in his heart: choosing to join hands with France had absolutely been the wisest decision of his life.
The Crown Prince of France before him was simply the Sun King reborn into the world. No, he had even surpassed that legendary French monarch! Theodor had originally believed that North Germany would descend into chaos for some time because of the war, and he had even prepared to adjust the trade routes accordingly. Yet he had never expected the Crown Prince of France to swiftly restore order here through such masterful diplomacy. France had now plainly replaced Prussia as the great power universally acknowledged by the northern German states to wield the greatest influence.
And Hesse-Kassel and Cologne, once the most fiercely anti-French, had now both vanished into the dust of history...
Yes, the French Chief of Staff had just brought news that Cologne's "citizens' uprising," having received the support of Count of Lippe and the Count of Schaumburg-Lippe, had taken control of most of Cologne's provinces. They were currently forming a Parliament and preparing to elect a new lord.
The two bishoprics of Paderborn and Osnabrück, meanwhile, refused to recognize "the rioters' government." They declared their separation from Cologne and merged into the new "Westphalian Bishopric." The Roman Curia had