The true objective

Joseph nodded and continued, "What about Saxony?"

"When I left Vienna, my men had already set off for Dresden," Talleyrand said. "They must have made contact with General Maurice by now."

General Maurice was the commander of the Saxon Army.

Joseph gestured for him to sit down in a chair. "Are the people you employ reliable?"

"Please rest assured, he was chosen by the Intelligence Bureau, and I secretly brought him to Saxony through diplomatic channels. He's a native Bavarians, and doesn't even speak French."

"You did a good job." Joseph smiled. "Oh, by the way, you made the most of the funds this time when you bribed the Austria Assistant to the Minister of the Interior and the Baden negotiator, which is excellent. So, keep half of the proceeds from the 'sale' of intelligence in the Southern Netherlands and Saxony as a bonus for you and your subordinates."

Joseph spoke casually, but Talleyrand's heart tightened upon hearing it.

During his bribery trip to Germany, he encountered considerable difficulties and thus gained almost nothing for himself. His Highness the Crown Prince about "maximizing the efficiency of funds" clearly refers to this matter.

In other words, His Highness is likely fully aware of whether he has embezzled funds or not.

The bribes he collected himself during his trips to the United States and Russia...

He swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead, struggling with how to apologize to His Crown Prince, when Joseph said, "Bribery is often involved in diplomacy. You just need to report it when you get back. You put in effort to get money from foreign governments, so you can keep a portion as a bonus. Of course, you must not let getting money interfere with your work."

Talleyrand was taken aback. Did His Highness mean that he should accept bribes from abroad in the future, and as long as he handed over the money he received, he would receive a share of the bonuses?

He glanced at Joseph and saw that the latter looked very serious. He was overjoyed, knowing that he would no longer have to worry about making money.

Then he remembered the profits from this "intelligence sale," and couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Following the Crown Prince's instructions, he first sent men to the Southern Netherlands to sell the news that "the main Austrian Army in Luxembourg has withdrawn to Vienna" to the Duke of Brunswick in Prussia for 16,000 Florin. Then his men sold the news that "Austria is assembling a large army to prepare to attack Silesia" to Saxony, for which they received 20,000 Florin.

This totaled 90,000 Livre. His Highness the Crown Prince waved his hand and gave him half as a bonus; how could he not be overjoyed!

Indeed, pledging allegiance to His Highness was the best decision I ever made in my life!

Talleyrand struggled to pull himself out of the sea of Livre, pledged his loyalty to Joseph, and then continued with the main matter, "Your Highness, when I left Vienna, Leopold II summoned me and said he hoped France could exert influence on Russia to ensure they would not interfere in the Silesia war."

Joseph nodded slightly, thinking to himself that Leopold II was indeed experienced in politics, having almost immediately considered the Russia issue.

Catherine II was committed to bringing Prussia and Austria together to partition Poland, so she certainly did not want the two countries to go to war.

But how could I convince her to stand idly by?

Joseph for a long time before turning to Talleyrand and saying, "It seems you'll have to go to Saint Petersburg again. When you see the Tsar, tell him this..."

After giving a detailed explanation, Joseph added, "I will try my best to cooperate with you, but you will also need to adapt to the situation based on the news you hear."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly not let you down!"

After Talleyrand left, the Minister of War, Duke of Broglie, and Berthier went to the Crown Prince's Study.

The two presented the drafted troop deployment plan to Joseph, Chief of Staff explained from the side, "Your Highness, as you have instructed, Austria will send a legion of 35,000 men."

"The core consisted of the Lorraine Legion, the Champagne Legion, and the Rhine Legion, and included some German soldiers from the north."

Duke of Broglie seemed a little nervous. Although His Crown Prince had previously told him to choose the troops to go to Austria in exchange for his support in sending troops, the legions he selected were mostly related to him, and he was afraid that His Highness would have objections.

However, Joseph nodded and smiled, "Very good, these troops are very suitable."

He originally intended to send the old army to Austria. If they could win a few battles, he would use that as an excuse to ask Vienna for benefits. If they lost, the death of a group of hereditary military Nobility would be beneficial and harmless—the capable people in these old armies had already applied to be transferred to the Royal Guard Legion, and those who remained were either diehards or incompetent fools.

Duke of Broglie breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and gestured for Berthier to continue.

The latter hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, according to the latest news from Vienna, the Austrian Army will complete its deployment in about three weeks and officially launch its attack."

Mobilizing an army of nearly 100,000 is an extremely complicated matter, unlike in a game where you can simply click a box and move.

In reality, before attacking a certain area, strategic planning is necessary, including calculating the enemy's transportation routes, logistical supply lines, and advance and retreat routes. Then, troops are rationally deployed to positions that can threaten these points most quickly, while also paying attention to concealment.

During troop movements, logistical support must follow, and the mobilization of personnel and supplies from within the country must also keep pace.

Only when all of these are in place can the main force begin its attack.

Therefore, Austria was able to complete all these preparations in a month and a half, which is considered quite fast.

Joseph then asked the question he was most concerned about, "What's the situation with the Royal Guard Legion?"

"Your Highness, the supply depot north of Verdun has been completed, and supplies will be replenished within a week," the Chief of Staff said. "To facilitate resupply, a Wooden Railway has even been built from Lorraine to Verdun, but it will take more than three months to complete."

"Currently, the First and Second Guards Corps, along with the Moulins Legion, totaling nearly 20,000 men, have completed their assembly and are ready for combat at any time."

A smile flickered in Joseph's eyes.

He didn't care at all about the Silesian Wars.

His focus is on the Southern Netherlands!

France's strongest Royal Guard Legion is currently deployed here, waiting for the Silesia to make a mess of things so that the Prussian Army in the Southern Netherlands can give the Würmser Army stationed in Luxembourg a huge surprise.

At that time, Joseph II would have no available troops and would have no choice but to seek help from France, which was closest to the Southern Netherlands.

Therefore, Joseph even gave the Duke of Brunswick a "reminder," reminding him of the weakness of the Austrian Army in Luxembourg.

(End of this chapter)