An arrogant woman

Baron Thugut immediately said incredulously, "Your Highness, forgive my intrusion, but you're not joking, are you?"

Joseph gripped his arms tightly— Tugut was short, and Joseph, at 1.7 meters, was only slightly shorter than him—and said earnestly, "I believe Her Majesty the Queen will also agree with my proposal. France and Austria are the closest of friends, and naturally they should do everything in their power to help each other overcome this difficult time!"

The Austria Minister of Foreign Affairs's eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly. "Yes, you're absolutely right! France-Austria will always be the most steadfast allies!"

"In that case, I will rush to the Versailles Palace tonight and request His Majesty's military assistance for Luxembourg."

Joseph saw him preparing to get up and quickly stopped him. "We must stop Blücher's offensive as soon as possible to prevent Luxembourg from falling. It would take too long for you to go to Paris and return."

So what do you mean?

Joseph feigned deep thought, "Here's what we'll do. You should return to Vienna immediately and ask His Majesty the Emperor to issue Edict ordering the Austrian Army and officials in Luxembourg to fully cooperate with me in targeting the Prussia. At the same time, the troops planned to reinforce the Southern Netherlands should be recalled to continue the all-out attack on Silesia."

"As for the Versailles Palace, you can simply send an assistant to deliver the letter of credence to Her Majesty the Queen."

Baron Thugut was about to nod, but then hesitated and said, "Wouldn't it be too impolite to send only an assistant to His Majesty?"

"State affairs come first!" Joseph said righteously. "Rest assured, His Majesty will understand. Furthermore, I can send someone to accompany your assistant to Paris to explain to His Majesty on your behalf."

"Thank you so much!" Tugut immediately bowed deeply to Joseph. "Austria will forever remember your kindness!"

Vienna.

Schönbrunn Palace.

Joseph II put down Tugut's secret letter—his Minister of Foreign Affairs had just arrived in Bavaria, and the letter had been delivered by a rider after three days of frantic travel—and a faint smile finally appeared on his bloodless face. He Leopold II, "Our sister has agreed to go and ambush Blücher. In this way, we can maintain our superior forces in the Silesia direction."

"Oh, tell General Leo to take command of the French Army."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Leopold II nodded, but then said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, wouldn't allowing a large number of Army of France to enter the Low Countries cause some trouble?"

The Wallonia of the Southern Netherlands is predominantly French and very friendly towards France, and Austria has always been wary of France influence there.

Joseph II sighed weakly, "General Würmser failed to make proper preparations for Luxembourg before rushing off to Silesia, allowing the Prussia to take advantage of the situation..."

"What other options do we have besides relying on the French Army? Should we abandon the Silesia front?"

Upon hearing this, Leopold II lowered his head.

Austria has already suffered three defeats in the Silesian Wars, and people cannot accept a fourth. At this time, its elder brother has seriously offended the Noble Class by vigorously promoting reforms. If it suffers another defeat at the front, the country may very well descend into chaos.

"You don't need to worry." Joseph II waved his hand. "The Prussian Army in the Southern Netherlands, including the rebels, numbers over 30,000. It's already quite an achievement for 20,000 French Army to hold Luxembourg; it's unlikely they'll be able to enter the Southern Netherlands."

"And if we resolve the battle in Silesia as soon as possible, the Prussia will naturally withdraw from the Southern Netherlands."

Although Leopold II agreed with his brother's assessment, he still said with some reluctance, "What about Luxembourg..."

Exhausted, Joseph II lay down. "Let's consider it a trade-off; Luxembourg to the France is acceptable."

After all, as long as they can take over the rich Silesia, everything will be worthwhile.

Moreover, without France help, Austria would have lost both the Southern Netherlands and Luxembourg. Trading a small Luxembourg for the Southern Netherlands, which was more than ten times larger, wasn't such a bad deal.

Leopold II emerged from His Majesty the Emperor's Bedroom, pondering how to recruit more troops for Silesia, and before he knew it, he was back in his own room.

As soon as he entered the door, he heard his wife's furious, shrill roar, "How could she do this?! She's humiliating me, and she's humiliating Austria!" Immediately following was the sound of Porcelain shattering heavily on the floor.

Leopold II frowned and glanced at the Guard standing at the door. The guard immediately lowered his head in a panic, muttering softly, "Your Majesty, she went to your Study..."

Leopold II immediately realized something, strode into the Study, and saw a group of maids and Servant standing in a corner, looking terrified. Several antique Porcelain that had been on the table were smashed to pieces on the floor, and only a letter remained on the large table.

Marie Antoinette wrote to His Majesty the Emperor, but made no mention of the letter concerning the marriage of the Crown Prince of France. His Majesty the Emperor, unwell, entrusted the matter to him. Then war broke out, and he had no time to attend to the issue.

Unexpectedly, Vitoluca unearthed it.

Leopold II coughed lightly, stepped forward to put the letter away, then took his wife's hand and comforted her, "My dear, Clementine is far from being able to bear children, it's normal for my sister to have concerns. His Majesty the Emperor has decided not to bring this up again."

"Why didn't you mention it?! Didn't you and your brother both say before that this would definitely happen?" Vitoluca forcefully pulled his hand back, gritting his teeth, "I've already told almost every Noblewoman and celebrity that Clementine will become the Crown Prince of France, and I've received countless congratulations..."

"And now you're telling me to drop this?!" She pointed at her husband's nose and said viciously, "You coward! How can you be someone's husband and father? That woman humiliated us like this, and you didn't even dare to help us get justice!"

"Marie Antoinette!" she cried out hoarsely, "One day, I will avenge this humiliation tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Leopold II stuffed the letter into his pocket and shook his head, saying, "Don't do this, Vitoluca, she's my own sister. Besides, Versailles Palace never actually mentioned an engagement; you're the one who spread the news..."

"Oh well, let's forget about that. We'll find Clementine a good match, and His Majesty the Emperor will surely give her a generous dowry, ensuring she lives a very happy life from now on."

"No, how could I forget! You value family, but she doesn't?" Vitoluca's chest heaved, his eyes filled with coldness. "I'll make that woman know she made a foolish mistake!"

Leopold II shook his head helplessly, quietly instructing the servants to attend to his wife, and then turned and went to the Meeting Hall. He had a lot of things to deal with in Austria, and he couldn't afford to be distracted by trivial family matters.

Verdun, France.

At the same time the Austria Minister of Foreign Affairs left, Joseph ordered the Royal Guard Legion to depart for Luxembourg.

He knew that Joseph II had no other choice but to rely on France to deal with Blücher.