Ceasefire Agreement

Without the intervention of Han and Prussia in the affairs of the Southern Netherlands, the rebels led by Van der Noot would have been quickly suppressed by the Austrian Army.

By then, the French Army would have lost its reason to remain in the Southern Netherlands. Unless they shamelessly refused to leave, which would immediately antagonize Austria.

France desperately needs the coal resources of the Wallonia and has already invested huge sums of money there; it cannot simply leave.

As I was pondering this, the Carriage stopped, and two Servant leading the way bowed and gestured towards the Little Villa not far away:

"Your Excellency, this is the place."

Joseph, escorted by Kexer, arrived at the Villa and immediately saw an elderly man anxiously approaching him and bowing respectfully.

"It is a great pleasure for you to come in person, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

It was Wenceslaus Anton von Count Kaunitz, the Austria State Minister.

Kaunitz ushered Joseph into the house, closed the door behind him, and immediately said urgently:

"Your Highness, France-Austria's alliance is facing a huge crisis."

Joseph knew the old man was a famous "master of magic," so he immediately asked directly:

"You mean Hanover and Prussia are going to withdraw their troops from the Southern Netherlands?"

Kaunitz nodded, but immediately shook his head. "Those two countries will indeed abandon their support for the Southern Netherlands Rebels, but more importantly, His Majesty the Emperor has decided that Ceasefire Agreement will be signed with Prussia subsequently..."

Joseph's pupils contracted slightly. "Ceasefire Agreement? You mean a ceasefire in Silesia?"

"That's exactly it," Kaunitz Count Frenz, through some means, spent only 300,000 Florin to get Karl II and William II to withdraw from the Southern Netherlands."

"Then he advised His Majesty the Emperor that the original purpose of the Silesian Wars was to counter Prussia's intervention in the Southern Netherlands. Now that the Southern Netherlands Rebellion was nearing its end, continuing the stalemate in Silesia would be pointless."

Joseph frowned slightly. This Count Franz was quite capable. He had advised Joseph II to retake Silesia under the pretext of the Brabant Revolution, but now Frenz was using it as a reason to end the war.

He looked at the Austria State Minister:

"So His Majesty the Emperor agrees?"

Kaunitz nodded. "To be honest, Austria's Finance situation is not optimistic. Fighting on two fronts, in the Southern Netherlands and Silesia, military expenditures are very high."

"In fact, His Leopold II had previously advised His Majesty the Emperor to temporarily halt the reforms due to Finance problems."

"Furthermore, rumors circulated that the Hungary Nobility were plotting a Rebellion to resist the War Tax. This prompted His Majesty to resolve to end the war as soon as possible."

Joseph's brow furrowed even more deeply—if the fighting in Silesia ceased, then Prussia and Austria would likely turn their attention back to Poland in the east, and with Russia acting as a go-between, begin a new round of partitioning Poland.

The interests of Russia, Prussia, and Austria are increasingly converging, eventually forming some kind of alliance—history will return to its original trajectory.

Kaunitz seemed even more anxious than him:

"If Austria fails to retake Silesia this time, it may lose it forever."

Kaunitz's core strategic proposition was "allying with France against Prussia," and he dedicated his life to defeating Prussia and restoring Austria to the dominance of Germany. If Austria's all-out attack ended so hastily, it would inevitably boost Prussia's prestige, which was something he could not accept.

Joseph knew he was right—historically, after Joseph II, Austria's power had steadily declined, and it had indeed never been able to reclaim Silesia.

He nodded and said, "So, what suggestions do you have?"

Kaunitz looked pleading.

"If France can provide more support, such as more troops and some loans, I am confident that I can unite with the ministers who are hardline against Prussia and persuade His Majesty to continue the offensive against Silesia."

Upon hearing this, Joseph narrowed his eyes. Did this mean he wanted me to withdraw from the Southern Netherlands and continue to send men and money to help Austria fight in Silesia?

Do I look like a sucker to you? Conquering Silesia didn't bring France the slightest benefit whatsoever.

Furthermore, given France's current Finance situation, where would it get the money to lend to Austria?

etc...

He suddenly remembered that Kaunitz had just mentioned "ministers who were tough on Prussia," so he looked at the old State Minister and said:

"Are there many people in Vienna who support fighting against Prussia?"

"Of course!" Kaunitz nodded vigorously. "People can never forget the humiliation of Silesia. Everyone is worried that His Majesty will make peace with Prussia."

He said it was to wash away the shame, but in reality, it was because the Austria bourgeoisie couldn't bear to part with the industrialized and consumer-capable Silesia region.

Joseph nodded, a smile flashing in his eyes.

Political correctness can be a powerful weapon at any time.

In Austria, the recapture of Silesia was the ultimate political correctness. Although the stalemate in the war and the tight Finance had exhausted the upper echelons of Vienna and made them consider retreating, this political correctness could be immediately activated if they were given a huge stimulus.

By then, even the Holy Roman Emperor would be unable to negotiate peace with Prussia against the tide.

He told Kaunitz, "Please rest assured, our country will continue to provide support for the Silesia campaign. At the same time, I will never stand idly by and watch Austria bow down to Prussia."

"Thank you! Austria will forever remember your help!"

Joseph continued, "Furthermore, I would like you to do something for me."

"I'm always ready to serve you."

"I need your cooperation at the Schönbrunn Palace..."

After leaving Kaunitz's Little Villa, Joseph immediately went to the Austria Embassy in France and summoned the ambassador Baron Alphonse.

"Your Highness, bypassing Vienna's News Censorship is indeed quite difficult," Alphonse said, frowning. "But I will certainly try my best."

Joseph nodded and said, "The Intelligence Bureau fully cooperate with you. In addition, if you encounter any problems that are difficult to handle, you can seek help from Count Kaunitz."

"I hope to see those news reports published within a week."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The next morning, Joseph first instructed Talleyrand to visit the ministers who advocated a hardline stance against Prussia, while he himself went to Madame Delvaux's residence at the address his mother had left him.

It was a rather small but quite charming Manor, indicating that the Queen of France's wet nurse was living a fairly good life. In fact, the old lady was quite well-known in Vienna, and she would never have sought help from Queen Mary if it weren't for the fact that Leopold II's brother-in-law was someone she couldn't afford to offend.

The Delvaux family had already been alarmed by the lavish display outside the door and the large Guard in white uniforms; seven or eight servants immediately came out to greet them.

Upon learning that the visitor was the Crown Prince of France, a maid hurriedly turned and ran back into the room, shouting:

"Miss, come quickly! It's... the King..."

An elderly man who looked like a butler ordered the Servant to make way, and then, with his head bowed in great tension, he ushered Joseph into the Manor.