Coup
Duke of Brunswick frowned and rambled on, "Seventy thousand French Army troops are besieging Cologne. Once it falls, they could cross the Rhine River and attack Düsseldorf at any time.
"Between Düsseldorf and Brunswick, there is no defensible terrain. Beyond that lies Magdeburg..."
Magdeburg lay right beside western Pozztan. If the French Army reached there, neither Pozztan nor Berlin could possibly be held.
Wilhelmine pressed, "What do you think we should do?"
"Withdraw from the Anti-French Alliance at once," Duke of Brunswick said. "I once spoke with the Crown Prince of France. I could tell that he was still hesitating."
"Hesitating over what?"
"France's main direction of attack." The thin old man spoke anxiously. "If we can reach a Ceasefire Agreement with the French before Cologne falls, their army will be transferred to the southern stretch of the Rhine River to threaten Bavaria and Austria.
"Furthermore, the French have promised that if we withdraw from the Anti-French Alliance, they will return the captured troops. We cannot lose those more than forty thousand veterans, or we will no longer be able to maintain our leading position in the North German Confederation."
Duke of Brunswick quickened his pace. "I need to speak with Prince Heinrich..."
But Wilhelmine stopped where she was. "You know Prince Heinrich will never agree to surrender, and Baron Friedrich is even less likely to agree."
Duke of Brunswick turned back to look at her. "But I have to persuade them."
"I support a ceasefire," Wilhelmine suddenly said. "His Majesty will certainly listen to me. Of course, that is only if the pro-war faction does not speak to His Majesty first."
Duke of Brunswick looked at the woman before him in astonishment.
Before returning to Pozztan, he had heard that over the past half year, His Majesty the