Even Dad Was Here-It Had to Be Something Big! (Double

(Please vote during this period)

The second floor of the Versailles Palace. 69ᏕᏂᏬጀ.ፈᎧᎷ

Sunlight streamed into the spacious corridor through the huge arched French windows, bathing the Crown Prince and his entourage in a pale golden glow.

"So, Austria has been defeated?" Joseph frowned slightly, looking at Eman who was holding the newly delivered report.

"Indeed, Your Highness." The latter glanced at the document in his hand. "General Würmser lost more than 5,000 soldiers and was almost surrounded by the Prussian Army. He retreated all the way to Luxembourg before barely managing to hold off the Prussia pursuit."

Joseph shook his head inwardly. He remembered that historically, Würmser would not be defeated until the end of this year, and it was not even June yet.

He then looked at Eman: "You just mentioned that the Dutch people also provided support to the Southern Netherlands?"

"Yes, Your Highness, the military expenses for the Prussian-Nicole Allied Forces, as well as the weapons for the rebels, are basically provided by the Netherlands States General."

"No wonder." Joseph sighed. It turned out that the Dutch people were much more involved than in history, which was probably why the Austrian Army was defeated so quickly. It seemed that his butterfly effect had already had a significant impact on the course of history. If William V, the "laissez-faire" ruler, were still ruling the Netherlands, the Netherlands would not have provided such generous support to the Brabant Revolution.

Of course, it's also possible that the United Kingdom pulled more strings behind the scenes, leading to this series of events.

Eman continued, "Your Highness, according to the Intelligence Bureau report sent back the day before yesterday, the Dutch people are very likely to claim sovereignty over the Southern Netherlands. And Van der Noot seems quite willing to accept the Dutch people."

Van der Noot was one of the leaders of the Brabant Revolution.

Joseph then asked, "And what about the Conservatives in the Southern Netherlands? That guy, what was his name again?"

"You mean Henry Onck, Your Highness?"

"Yes, that's him."

He doesn't appear to have commented on this.

Joseph nodded and instructed, "Please send someone to invite Director Fouche over. We need to make contact with Onck as soon as possible."

He rubbed his temples. "In that case, the matter in the Southern Netherlands will have to be addressed first. Oh, could you please read my recent schedule?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Your current itinerary is: depart for Saint-Etienne at noon today to inspect the Royal Armory there."

"Then I will go south to Lyon to promote the Automatic Loom. Before that, Mr. Bayei will report to you on the situation of the newly established Insurance Company."

"The next stop was Troyes, where he personally presided over the military combat capability assessment and gave a speech to the 1st Guards Corps..."

"Next, we will inspect the logistical preparations in Verdun..."

"If things go smoothly in Bavaria, you will travel to Munich to sign trade agreements with Austria and other countries on behalf of His Majesty the King. If the trade agreement negotiations are delayed, you will first go to Saxony..."

Joseph waved his hand wearily. "Please move up your duties of overseeing the army's combat effectiveness assessment and inspecting the Verdun logistics post. Everything else will have to wait."

Joseph knew that Austria would not let the defeat in the Southern Netherlands go unpunished.

Historically, Austria even went so far as to interrupt its reforms, mobilizing nearly 200,000 troops with all its national resources, assuming it was going to fight a war of annihilation against Prussia. In the end, it took two and a half years to forcibly suppress the Brabant Revolution.

He wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escalate the war as much as possible, thereby driving a wedge between Prussia and Austria and preventing them from joining forces against France.

If the previous arrangements in Poland also yielded some results, preventing Russia, Prussia, and Austria from dividing Poland, or even delaying it for a few years, it would eliminate the common interests of Prussia and Austria.

As a result, the main theme of future wars on the Europe continent will most likely be the struggle between Austria and Prussia for the leading position in Germany.

France will no longer have to face a troublesome Anti-French Coalition, and will be strategically more at ease—as a major European Continent power, Putin and Austria will certainly compete to win France over. The potential for France to profit from this situation is enormous.

With Würmser suffering a swift defeat in the Southern Netherlands, Joseph will have to put domestic affairs aside for now and prioritize Armaments.

After all, to gain benefits in the Austro-Prussian War, one must first have a powerful army that can influence the course of the war.

The stronger you are, the more valuable you are to recruit. So every Livre you invest in Armaments today could yield ten or even a hundred in return in the future!

"Your Highness, we need to hurry a bit; His Majesty is probably getting impatient." A Court Official walking ahead saw the Crown Prince stop and speak to his attendants, so he quickly turned back to remind him.

"Oh, okay." Joseph hurried a few steps to catch up with the Court Official, then casually asked, "By the way, what does Her Majesty the Queen need me for?"

The latter skillfully evaded the question, saying, "Your Highness, I don't know about that. However, Her Majesty the Queen looked very serious, as if it were something important. Oh, and His Majesty the King was there too."

"Ah? Father is here too?" Joseph suddenly realized that something big must have happened, otherwise it would be unlikely that the perpetually idle king Louis XVI would be alarmed.

When he arrived at the Petit Trianon, he indeed saw his parents sitting by the window listening to music, clearly waiting for him attentively.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed.

When Queen Mary saw her beloved son arrive, the serious expression on her face immediately relaxed, and she beckoned to him, saying, "My dear, come sit down!"

Joseph sat down next to his mother, and she said, "Your uncle just sent a special envoy."

Joseph blinked. "Uncle? Which uncle?"

"It's the Grand Duke of Tuscany," Louis XVI reminded him from the side.

Queen Mary pushed a plate of Pudding and Macaron toward her son. "The envoy told your father and me about His Majesty the Emperor's health. Just as you said a few days ago, I'm afraid it's not a good sign."

The His Majesty the Emperor she was referring to was naturally Joseph II.

"The envoy also specifically mentioned your cousin," the Queen, staring intently into Joseph's eyes. "My dear, you're not young anymore; it's time to decide on a marriage partner. When I was your age, I was already married to your father. What do you think of Clementine? Your father and I both like her very much. Perhaps we could propose to your uncle..."

Joseph nearly choked on his own saliva, abruptly standing up and awkwardly waving his hands repeatedly. "This... this is probably... actually, regarding the causes of genetic diseases, this close kinship... shouldn't we discuss it further...?"

Queen Mary could easily see through her son's meaning, and she frowned slightly. "Joseph, do you have some grievance against Clementine? Or have you already found someone else you love?"