Storm clouds over the European Continent 2

Talleyrand nodded:

"Yes, Your Highness, reclaiming Silesia is a long-cherished wish of Austria, from Nobility to commoners..."

Joseph continued:

"And Bavaria, if it weren't for the Prussia interfering, Austria might have already acquired this land."

"In reality, both Prussia and Austria wanted to become the true masters of the Greater Germany region, and thus kept a close eye on each other."

"If Austria can get our support, and without other interference, they will be more than willing to crush Prussia, even at the cost of their entire national strength."

"Because if successful, the Holy Roman Empire Emperor will be able to truly possess the empire."

In fact, the Holy Roman Empire was the true hegemon of Europe during the Middle Ages. Its territory stretched from the Netherlands to eastern France, from Italy to Hungary, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the West Poland.

However, under the intervention of the Holy See, the empire began to implement the Prince-Electors system. In the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV issued the Golden Bull, which standardized and solidified this model. The Holy Roman Emperor became the "representative" chosen by the Prince-Electors, resulting in a weakening of his real power and a strengthening of the independence of the states within the empire.

By the 18th century, the empire had split into two behemoths, Prussia and Austria, along with a host of smaller states such as Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, Hesse, and Hanover. The Habsburg Family had monopolized the Holy Roman Empire for over a century, with the current King of Austria serving as Emperor.

At the same time, Prussia, relying on the similarities in language and ethnicity between itself and the states of the Germany regions, also wanted to unify Germany. In fact, more than half a century later, Bismarck basically realized this long-cherished wish.

However, at present, Austria, which holds the title of Emperor, clearly has a better chance of restoring the Holy Roman Empire.

The two sides were at loggerheads over the empire's "legacy," and wars raged on, though they were roughly evenly matched.

Joseph returned to the previous topic:

"Poland, however, is an unexpected factor. If Russia were to annex Poland en masse, and Poland were clearly unable to resist, Prussia and Austria would have no choice but to turn their attention eastward. [Note 1]"

"Because neither country could stand idly by and watch Russia annex such a large interest in Poland [Note 2]. They had only two choices: either join forces to support Poland in resisting Russia, or join Russia's partitioning operation and tear off their own piece of Poland."

"In either case, Prussia and Austria would have significant common interests, and might even form an alliance as a result. This would greatly reduce Austria's willingness to go to war with Prussia. In the worst-case scenario, their alliance might seek other targets, such as France."

"You know, the United Kingdom would certainly be happy to see this happen and would actively promote it."

Upon hearing this, Talleyrand's expression turned serious. He had to admit that His Crown Prince had a very deep and far-sighted understanding.

Joseph continued:

"Therefore, we must erect a 'barrier' between Prussia and Tsarist Russia and Tsarist Russia, and that is Poland."

"As long as Poland stands, Prussia and Austria will inevitably turn their attention back to the German Territories. The struggle for control of Germany regions will create irreconcilable conflicts between them!"

In fact, Joseph had an even more ambitious plan he hadn't mentioned: to help Austria realize its "Holy Roman Empire dream," and even to spread the word around the world about the great Holy Roman Empire's prosperity, strength, and invincibility. At the same time, he wanted France to continuously profit from Austria's wars to unify the Holy Roman Empire, ideally acquiring territory on the West Bank of the Rhine, making the Rhine River a natural barrier for France.

By then, the most prominent behemoth in Europe would be the Holy Roman Empire under Austria rule. And given the United Kingdom tendency to cause trouble, they would certainly not stand idly by while the dominant power in the European Continent remained in power.

Whether France then orchestrates a United Kingdom "Anti-Roman Alliance" to besiege the Holy Roman Empire, or it rallies the already crippled Prussia while simultaneously inciting rebellions in the annexed German States, France can sit back and watch the two sides fight, waiting for the opportune moment to profit.

For a powerful nation, the best strategic model is to develop quietly while others are battered and bruised. By the time other countries are scarred and broken, the nation will already be the uncrowned king without lifting a finger.

Historically, Napoleon violated this principle. Although he possessed great martial spirit and led his army to conquer almost the entire Europe continent, he ultimately exhausted the nation's strength and was dragged down to his death by the Englishman and their allies.

Joseph was well aware of how history would unfold; if he were to make a similar mistake again, wouldn't he be out of his mind?

Everyone who plays video games knows that playing defensively under the tower and farming is the key to success. Look at the United States in later generations; it was a strong observer of World War I and World War II, waiting until the major powers were fighting tooth and nail before it calmly stepped in, reaping the benefits with minimal effort, and ultimately becoming the world's superpower.

Talleyrand pondered:

"Your Highness, should we then reject the Russia Tsar's claims against Poland?"

Joseph immediately shook his head:

"We must try our best to maintain good relations with Russia, so as to dismantle the Anglo-Russian trade system to the greatest extent possible, while also needing the raw materials exported from Russia."

Talleyrand was a little dizzy:

"But you just said..."

Joseph smiled slightly:

"Unless France allies with Poland, its support for Russia's position will not stop them from annexing Poland. We can outwardly agree with Russia's stance, while secretly trying to strengthen Poland's resistance. However, this requires us to act indirectly, not directly, but through a ' White Gloves '."

"White Gloves?"

"Oh, I mean countries that help us manage Poland affairs, like the United States, or even the Ottoman."

Talleyrand nodded in agreement. The US and Russia were both raw material exporters and geographically distant, so they had little to fear from each other. The Ottoman, on the other hand, was Russia's arch-enemy and had always cooperated with Poland.

Joseph sighed softly and said:

"Of course, the most important factor is Poland itself. Given their current situation, they probably couldn't even resist Russia for a month."

He remembered that the Second Partition of Poland by Russia, Prussia, and Austria was about five years later. Russia had just made peace with the Ottoman and then turned around and conquered Poland.

It's quite a challenge for Poland to "stand up" in just five years.

After discussing his strategic plans for the European Continent, Talleyrand went on to report on his trip to Russia:

"The Russia Tsar was very enthusiastic about Russian-French trade and hoped that we could make better use of the Franco-Russian Trade Agreement to expand the volume of trade between the two sides."

"Oh, by the way, she also expressed great support for your Gemini Trading Company and promised to grant Count Bobrinsky a monopoly on Furs exports in the Russia Far East as a gift to the company."

Joseph chuckled inwardly. Catherine was indeed a cunning old fox; she had presented what was clearly a gift to her Illegitimate Son as a present to the Gemini Trading Company, thus incurring France's favor.

However, the export volume of furs from the Far East is also astonishing, and the company certainly makes a considerable profit from it every year.

Talleyrand continued, "Your Highness, there is one more thing. During her last audience with me, Her Majesty the Russia Tsar repeatedly expressed her admiration for you and hinted at the possibility of a marriage alliance between our two countries."

Joseph rubbed his temples. Being the Crown Prince was truly exhausting; almost all of Europe was concerned about his marriage...

However, a Franco-Russian marriage would involve many issues, and he hadn't thought about it carefully yet, so he decided not to respond for the time being. Anyway, he was still young; even according to current Europe traditions, people usually don't consider marriage until they're 16, so he had two more years to think it over.

He then chatted with Talleyrand for a while before letting the latter go and rest.

As Talleyrand emerged from the Reception Room, recalling what the Crown Prince had just said, he was utterly astonished. This young prince, while in Paris, had already clearly outlined the future of Europe for the next decade or so. How had he managed to do that? Perhaps, decades from France would have a great King would go down in history, leading the country to an unparalleled pinnacle of glory!

At 9:50 p. m., Joseph saw the Crown Prince of Spain and his Crown Princess again at the grand banquet hosted by the King.

Joseph turned his head and cast a questioning glance at Eman, who quickly whispered:

"Your Highness, everything is arranged. Mr. Fouche has also sent people to help."

Joseph nodded, pleased with the butler's competence, and smiled as he walked toward Antonio.

After exchanging greetings, he sat down to the left of the Crown Prince of Spain, and the Lord Chamberlain shrewdly instructed his men to rearrange the seating.

Joseph continued the conversation from a mechanical perspective, and soon the topic turned to the new type of Boring Machine:

"As you know, the United Kingdom very skilled in this area. Their Machines, when used for boring, can achieve an error margin of less than the thickness of two sheets of paper. His Majesty the King personally made adjustments, and now that Boring Machine is arguably the most precise in all of Europe."

Antonio lit up immediately:

"Oh, dear Joseph, you must let me see this unparalleled Machines."

"Of course," Joseph's aim was to distract him and create an "opportunity" for someone else. "After dinner, I'll take you to the Royal Workshop; there are many interesting things there."

"Thank you so much!"

The sound of a trombone rang out from the east side of the Hall, and the Master of Ceremonies immediately tapped his cane on the ground. The Nobility in charge of serving the dishes placed two large bowls of soup and two small bowls of soup on the table.

According to Court Etiquette, it was no longer appropriate to talk freely at this time, so everyone lowered their heads and began to eat.

Joseph pondered the plan of action for the upcoming meeting, when he caught a glimpse of Antonio beside him, who was enthusiastically twirling the partridge soup in front of him. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing how much he was worried about his cousin.

More than an hour later, the banquet ended, and the Crown Prince of Spain couldn't wait to pull Joseph along for a tour of the Royal Workshop.

The Crown Princess, however, expressed no interest in those things and wanted to attend a gambling party instead.

Antonio readily took his leave without a second thought. This was the prevailing trend among Europe Nobility at the time: each went about their own business without interfering with the other.

Crown Princess Luisa led Godoy toward the game Hall, where she saw couples appearing in the corners of the corridors and behind the pillars, which made her feel a strong urge to join in.

"No wonder they're France, they're so bold," she thought to herself, blushing, as she stepped into the game Hall.

Soft music filled the air as Luisa found a card table, sat down, and began playing cards, inhaling the luxurious scent of incense.

For some reason, after playing for only half an hour, she felt hot all over, and the scenes of Xiangyan that she had seen in the corridor earlier involuntarily came to mind, and she suddenly felt a little thirsty.

"The fireplace here is burning too brightly!" she muttered to herself, putting down her cards and wanting to go outside for some fresh air, but as she turned her head, she caught a glimpse of her lover.

His face was unusually handsome and charming today.

Luisa came outside the Hall, looked at Godoy with seductive eyes, and whispered:

"Um, is everything arranged?"

The latter nodded with a smile:

"Rest assured, I've had Juan and Negro following us closely; there's absolutely no chance of anything going wrong."

Luisa's face lit up with delight, and she asked, "Is there a suitable place?"

"There are many. The France like to act on a whim... cough, so there are plenty of lounges, and there are no servants nearby."

Just as Luisa was about to ask him to lead the way, she suddenly remembered the Bedroom that Versailles Palace had arranged for Antonio —soft curtains, wide walls, warm and comfortable—and a smug smile immediately appeared on her lips.

"No need, come with me."

At the Royal Workshop, since Louis XVI was still entertaining guests, this place became Antonio's private domain.

He was like someone in a treasure trove, touching and looking at everything, completely lost in the world around him.

Shortly after, an ordinary-looking servant brought in wine and drinks and quickly said something to Eman at the door.

While the Crown Prince of Spain was fiddling with a rotating clock, the latter whispered a report to Joseph.

"Oh? Playing so wildly?!" Joseph gave a meaningful smile.

His efforts in arranging so many "activities" for the Crown Princess of Spain were not in vain; she indeed couldn't hold back any longer.

Yes, all the "romantic scenes" Luisa witnessed today were arranged by Eman. Even her incense was laced with a special potion. Given her promiscuous nature, how could she possibly resist?

Joseph never expected that this woman would be so audacious as to have an affair with Godoy in her and Antonio's room.

Of course, she was also very cautious, and sent two people to keep an eye on Antonio. If he showed any signs of returning, they would immediately inform her.

However, this was Joseph's territory, and their tricks were child's play to the agents of the Police Intelligence Division. The two had barely set off when agents were already following them.

[Note 1] At the end of the 18th century, the major countries in the northern part of the Europe continent were distributed as follows: to the west, the Netherlands and Belgium (Southern Netherlands). To the east of these two countries were Hanover and Prussia. To the southwest of Prussia were the Great Holy Roman State. To the south of Prussia was Austria. To the east of Prussia and Austria was Poland, and further east was Russia.

[Note 2] At this time, Poland's area was comparable to that of Austria and far exceeded that of Prussia, making it a "big piece of fat meat" that could not be ignored.

(End of this chapter)