Metternich did not even stop for lunch. He immediately bent over his desk and began reviewing the Dresden Treaty clause by clause.
Previously, Austria had also been beaten into a state of utter chaos by France, and the senior officials had all been occupied with their own affairs. They only knew that Saxony had surrendered to France, announced its withdrawal from the Anti-French Alliance, and agreed to limit its army to no more than 26,000 men. No one had seriously studied the treaty's specific contents.
"Article Three: Saxony shall uphold the position of a neutral state and grant all neighboring countries, as well as France, wartime transit rights...
"Article Five: Saxony shall join the Seine-Rhine River Trade Agreement, or any subsequent trade agreement inheriting its contents...
"Article Eleven: The Elector of Saxony shall renounce all rights and claims to Poland, as well as all Polish territories under his possession..."
The Elector of Saxony had concurrently served as King of Poland for a long time and retained considerable influence over the latter.
Metternich was about to skip this "meaningless" clause when his pupils suddenly contracted.
On the second-to-last line of the clause, he saw—[In all resolutions concerning the Imperial Parliament, the Elector of Saxony must remain aligned with the Elector Palatine...]
He did not continue reading. Instead, he hurriedly threw on his coat, grabbed the treaty text, and rushed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs' office. This inconspicuous passage alone was enough to shake the very foundation of the Holy Roman Empire!
That evening, Kobzl, Spielmann, and other important Austrian ministers stood before the emperor with worried expressions.
At last, Metternich, standing to one side with the Dresden Treaty in hand, broke the silence and said softly, "Your Majesty, our most urgent task is to win over Mainz and the Elector