Charles blurted out, "But we had always demanded that Austria not withdraw from the Seine-Rhine Agreement. Why, this time, are we..." Joseph smiled at his younger brother. "Because Austria once held enormous influence over the German Territories. If it withdrew from the agreement, a great many Holy Roman States would begin to have doubts about the Common Market.
"But now, our country holds even greater influence in Germany, and with victory in this war, the Stuttgart Trade Agreement will be extremely stable. At this point, our strategic focus must shift to how we restrain Austria, this formidable enemy. Limiting Austria's trade channels is the best means."
Charles's eyes sparkled as he silently marveled at how he had failed to think of that. Among Austria's neighboring states, Bavaria, Poland, Prussia, and Venice were all French allies, while the Ottoman Empire and Austria were bitter hereditary foes.
Thus, if Austria did not join the French-led trading system, it would face trade barriers everywhere, until its only remaining trade channel was Russia.
As for Trieste, Austria's sole outlet to the Mediterranean Sea, there was even less hope to be had there—without France's permission, not even English ships could enter the Mediterranean Sea now.
If this continued, Austria's finances would inevitably keep shrinking, and it would completely lose the ability to challenge France.
Joseph continued, "Besides, the Austrians are deeply hostile to the market we lead, and they even started a war over it. This time, we can simply go with the flow and offer 'not joining the trade agreement' as a preferential term, in exchange for other benefits."
Charles took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I understand, Brother. Diplomatic strategy is sometimes even more complicated than commanding battles." Joseph suddenly recalled something and patted his younger brother on the shoulder. "This time,