Anti-French Alliance

Though Earl of Rhinefels had long suspected it, hearing the confirmation from the Englishman's own lips still made his heart race.

He probed in a low voice:

"You mean, your country intends to wage war against France..."

Lord Grenville nodded.

"How certain are you of victory?"

"There is no possibility of defeat."

Vienna.

Schönbrunn Palace.

Franz II gripped his cane tightly, looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and asked:

"How certain are we of victory?"

Earl of Rhinefels replied with great composure, "Your Majesty, England and its allies will all join the war."

England's allies included Prussia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Hanover, which was itself in personal union with England—together, these countries formed an extraordinarily powerful force.

"The English Fleet will immediately blockade all of France's ports. France's navy is only half the size of England's, which means France will instantly lose all maritime trade."

Earl of Rhinefels went on to describe the English strategy. "Given France's current debt situation, without maritime trade revenue, even if no war is fought, it will collapse within ten months at most.

"At the same time, England and its allies will mobilize more than 200,000 troops and launch a fierce assault on France.

"The enormous military expenditures will further accelerate France's fiscal collapse.

"Therefore, regardless of how the war proceeds, France will surrender within ten months."

"Excellent!" Franz II could no longer conceal the delight on his face. "When that time comes, the French will no longer be able to stop us from withdrawing from the Rhine-Seine River Treaty and reclaiming control over the entirety of the Southern Netherlands.

"The English have truly done us a great service. Now we need only wait quietly for the war to end, and every problem will be resolved as easily as a knife slicing through