Chapter 1170: Watch Closely, I'll Only Demonstrate the Art of Stirring the Pot Once
"The French and Spanish colonies may appear vast on a map, but the revenue they provide to their respective governments is pitifully limited," Lord Hawkesbury remarked with an arrogant wave of his hand. "At the same time, those territories are developed quite poorly."
As he spoke, he leaned back into his chair.
"They lack prosperous towns, and their immigrant populations are sparse. Consequently, these colonies have become more of a burden than an asset.
"I can share some confidential information with you. At this very moment, the Prime Minister's special envoys should have arrived in Philadelphia and the United Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil, respectively.
"France's presence in Saint-Louisiane has severely hindered the westward expansion of the United States. While the Philadelphia government certainly fears the French, their army will quickly cross the Mississippi River if they have our support.
"In fact, several transport ships laden with flintlock muskets, cannons, and uniforms will arrive in Philadelphia early next month—enough to arm twenty thousand soldiers. Naturally, this comes alongside a loan of 250,000 pounds sterling.
"As you are aware, France has only a little over a thousand soldiers in Saint-Louisiane. Even if the local Spaniards were willing to pledge their loyalty, they could muster two thousand troops at most. The Americans will defeat them in short order.
"When that happens, Paris will have no choice but to dispatch a massive expeditionary force to halt the American advance. And the military expenditures required to wage war in North America will be staggering."
Indeed, no one knew better than the British government just how expensive it was to fight the Americans in North America.
"Similarly, once Prince Regent João receives sufficient financial aid, his newly formed Royal Guard will launch a fierce offensive against Cayenne and New Granada. This will be a continuation of the war between Portugal and Spain on the Iberian Peninsula."
Cobentzel began to nod slowly, following the logic of the Briton's description.
The Spanish forces in the Americas were primarily stationed near the Potosí silver mines in Peru. There were fewer than two thousand soldiers in the northern part of the South American continent, making it difficult for them to withstand a surprise attack from the Portuguese army.
This meant that before war even broke out on the European continent, a significant portion of the French and Spanish military strength would be pinned down in the American colonies.
Spain, in particular, viewed the Americas as its economic lifeline and would undoubtedly commit all its resources to their defense. This effectively neutralized half of France's alliance system.
Cobentzel then thought of the other half of France's allies and looked back at Lord Hawkesbury.
"But then there is Northern Italy. France can draw significant reinforcements from there."
The latter offered a faint, composed smile.
"Regarding the situation in Italy, I cannot reveal too much to you.
"However, please believe me when I say that not all Italians are willing to side with France. Once the war begins, a very powerful nation will step forward to rally the anti-French forces there and deliver a crushing blow to the French rear.
"Oh, and let us not forget Naples. His Majesty Ferdinand IV has always remained wary of French influence in Italy. As soon as instability arises in Northern Italy, he will immediately join forces with that nation to drive the French out."
Indeed, Sardinia had already begun making contact with Sir Norris when the Young Italy organization first caused trouble. Sardinia had secured a promise from Britain: after the French forces were expelled, Britain would help them consolidate the various Northern Italian states and establish a unified Italian nation.
Cobentzel's heart began to race.
It turned out the British had planned such a meticulous layout. The French would surely be exhausted trying to respond to it all. If they added Austria's massive military might to the equation, the chances of winning this war were very high!
Lord Hawkesbury, however, was not finished.
"Furthermore, we must utilize the strength of the German States as much as possible.
"In the last war, most of the smaller states failed to send troops simply because they lacked the necessary military funds."
Cobentzel shook his head.
"There is no need to waste money on them. The armies of most small states lack basic training, and their officer corps are rife with corruption."
"Thank you for the reminder. That is why I hope to obtain His Imperial Majesty's approval for our country to recruit soldiers within the German region.
"Our government will provide these soldiers with weapons, equipment, and wages, and we will take responsibility for their training."
"That is indeed a sound approach."
The following day, Lord Hawkesbury was granted an audience with Franz II.
"Your Majesty, our country will recognize your sovereignty over Northern Italy," the Briton spoke eloquently to the Holy Roman Emperor. "More importantly, our country will fully support making the Rhineland a direct province of the Holy Roman Empire.
"As you know, most of those who originally ruled there have defected to France. Once the war concludes, these traitors will be brought to justice, and their territories should naturally be reclaimed by you.
"Furthermore, I will persuade Prussia to grant you the right to use a port on the Baltic Sea."
Franz II nodded repeatedly as he listened.
The temptation was truly immense. The House of Habsburg had long sought to extend its reach into the Rhineland but had always been thwarted. He hadn't expected that the previous defeat would unexpectedly allow the French to 'help' clear out the rulers of those small states, giving him the legal grounds to govern the region directly.
Once the Rhineland was acquired, Bavaria would be semi-encircled by Austrian territory.
It just so happened that this third-largest German state, which stood in the way of his unification of the Holy Roman Empire, had been exchanging flirtatious glances with France in recent years. When the time came, he could use that as a pretext to launch a war against them, and the other states would surely find no grounds to object.
Of course, Prussia would likely not stand idly by.
Therefore, Austria had to achieve a military record that eclipsed Prussia's in this war against France, showing the German States exactly who the true ruler of the Empire was!
He stood up excitedly.
"Your suggestion is excellent. I believe..."
"Ahem!" The Minister of State beside him quickly interrupted with a dry cough before addressing Lord Hawkesbury. "As you know, the Empire is currently undergoing reforms, so I fear we cannot provide sufficient military funds to participate in the war."
The latter replied without hesitation, "A loan of £700,000 at 1.5 percent interest. Depending on the progress of the war, further amounts can be added later."
Cobentzel's eyes lit up instantly.
While this figure was less than what Prussia received and was a loan that had to be repaid, Austria was not a mere 'lackey' of Britain, so it was already quite a generous offer.
The Briton continued:
"In addition, our country will provide yours with the complete production technology for percussion cap muskets, as well as seven of our latest large-scale boring machines for cannon manufacturing."
The Austrian army was still using flintlock muskets, and their cannons were directly cast and then mostly hand-polished. In terms of technology across Europe, they were only slightly ahead of Russia. To improve their combat effectiveness, Britain was willing to hand over its most advanced industrial assets.
However, Count Bellegarde, who was standing to the side, spoke up.
"My Lord, in truth, our country has already developed a superior weapon—the Wind Rifle."
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