Wallonia Special Trade Zone

Madame Delvaux's burial ceremony was quite simple.

The old lady didn't have many friends to begin with. In order to avoid offending Baron Walter, they had basically cut off all ties with the Delvaux family, so only seven or eight people came to say goodbye.

However, Joseph's appearance immediately made Father Koch, who had been somewhat listless, serious, and his voice became more solemn as he read the holy words.

Camellia, dressed in a black dress, stood blankly to one side, her swollen, red eyes staring unblinkingly at her only remaining relative in the world, looking utterly lost.

It wasn't until the priest finished his prayers and began offering incense before the body that she seemed to suddenly understand, and burst into tears.

Joseph rushed forward to comfort the helpless girl:

"Madame Delvaux will be watching over you from heaven; she has never left you..."

After the elaborate ceremony, Madame Delvaux's coffin was carried by Servant to the nearest church, and Camellia finally calmed down, exhausted.

As Joseph stepped out of the Manor gate, he saw Talleyrand approaching and bowing to him:

"Your Highness, it was truly difficult to find you."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs looked again at the black coffin and made the sign of the cross on his chest.

May God have mercy on this poor soul.

"That's Her Majesty the Queen's wet nurse." Joseph also made the sign of the cross, and asked Talleyrand, "Is there something urgent for you?"

Talleyrand moved closer:

"Yes, Your Highness. Baron Thugut invited me to a meeting, presumably regarding reinforcements for Silesia. Is there anything I should pay special attention to?"

Joseph nodded slightly. This was a prelude to his formal signing of the agreement with the Holy Roman Emperor; the main matters were usually discussed at this time.

"I will transfer the Royal Guard Legion to Silesia. You can tell Baron Thugut that a breakthrough is certain on the military front. However, France will maintain its stance of non-war."

It's better not to declare war so that France can withdraw at any time; after all, France isn't here to fight to the death for Austria.

When Talleyrand heard that His Crown Prince was going to use his elite troops, he immediately felt confident enough to negotiate a lower price with the Austria and quickly jotted it down in his Notebook.

Joseph continued, "Furthermore, I will ensure that Russia does not interfere in Silesia."

A look of surprise flashed in Talleyrand's eyes, and he quickly lowered his head to write it down.

This may seem like a small matter, but it was enough to influence the course of the Silesia War. Back then Catherine II only mobilized 40,000 troops to the west, and before they were all there, the War of the Bavarian Succession came to an abrupt end, and Prussia and Austria immediately returned to the negotiating table.

Moreover, the Crown Prince spoke with such certainty that it seemed the Russia Tsar would certainly do as he said.

"As for our demands, there is only one," Joseph looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, lowering his voice slightly, "That is the Wallonia."

Talleyrand nodded and noted it down, then hesitated and said:

"Your Highness, given the current atmosphere in Vienna, I'm afraid this will be difficult to achieve."

At present, the whole of Austria is immersed in the fervor of reclaiming territory. Although the Wallonia is not large, at this time, even if Austria loses only one town, it will arouse strong opposition within the country.

"Your concerns are very reasonable." Joseph nodded thoughtfully, but quickly smiled. "Then let's try another approach, for example..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the funeral procession had already gone far away, sighed helplessly, and instructed Eman to go in his place. Then he explained his plans in detail to Talleyrand:

"For example, establish a special trade zone..."

Schönbrunn Palace.

In Joseph II's Bedroom, a look of surprise flashed in Leopold II's eyes:

"You mean the France agreed to send a powerful legion into Silesia, and that they would cover most of the legion's expenses?"

It wasn't that Joseph was generous because he was poor, but rather that he knew that given Austria's current Finance situation, if it continued to bear the expenses of the Royal Guard Legion, it might not be able to sustain itself for long. Although the Royal Guard Legion didn't have a large number of people, the expenses required were quite high—firstly, the soldiers' salaries were much higher than those of ordinary troops, then there was the replenishment and maintenance of various new equipment, and even daily food was much more expensive than that of other troops.

Baron Thugut nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. Archbishop Talleyrand also stated that the Allied Forces will surely achieve a strategic breakthrough."

Leopold II clenched his fist. "If France can truly persuade Russia to remain on the sidelines, we will have a very good chance of recovering Silesia!"

Joseph II, lying on the hospital bed beside him, also made an "uh" sound, and a rare smile appeared on his face.

Tugut continued, "Your Majesty, however, the France have consistently refused to declare war on Prussia, clearly unwilling to get too deeply involved."

"It's alright," Leopold II waved his hand dismissively. "As the situation changes, we have many ways to keep them in Silesia."

A dozen ideas for binding France to the Austria war machine flashed through his mind in an instant. He couldn't help but smile. His sister still lacked political experience. Once she got involved in the war, how could she extricate herself so easily?

If Joseph were there, he would probably have smiled back.

He naturally knew the saying "once you're on a pirate ship, it's not easy to get off," but he also clearly remembered that in less than three months, Joseph II would be called to heaven by the Lord.

At that time, Austria would first hold a funeral for the old emperor, followed by the coronation of the new emperor—a process no simple matter in Austria. Leopold II had to first go through the process of being chosen by the Prince-Electors, being crowned Holy Roman Emperor, and then embark on his long journey, being crowned monarch of: Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia, Galicia Transylvania, Mantua Lodomeria, and the Austrian Netherlands...

What? You want to slack off and skip visiting one place? Then you'll lose the legal basis to rule over that place. Believe me, next year some Nobility will try to fill the vacancy themselves.

(Just look at the Holy Roman Emperor's coat of arms to see how diverse his "titles" are.)

Therefore, Austria would certainly not have time to continue fighting, and Joseph would be able to take the "idle" French Army back to Paris after attending the coronation ceremony of the Holy Roman Emperor —after all, you masters can't rest for half a year while we France fight Prussia to the death, can you?

Having confirmed the promising prospects of the Silesia campaign, Leopold II then looked at Baron Thugut:

"So what are France's demands?"

Archbishop Talleyrand said that many France people had previously invested in the Wallonia, so they hoped it could become a "special trading zone."

"Special Trade Zone?"

"Oh, so France and Austria can invest and trade there, while the administration of the Wallonia is handled by the Chamber of Commerce," Tugut. "At the same time, to ensure fair trade, no troops are stationed there; the Walloon Police Department is responsible for security."