Chapter 1445: Charles's Problem
The Duke of Lévis was overjoyed. He quickly pulled his wife into the house, asking with restless urgency, "Tell me at once, what happened?"
One had to understand that the position of Lady-in-waiting to the Queen was one of the top three most influential roles within the Palace of Versailles. Although he was a prominent figure, ranked 112th in the Senate, he had exerted considerable effort to secure this post for his wife.
If his wife could manage to oust the Countess of Debeninac and become the Queen's permanent attendant, he would truly be laughing in his sleep.
The Duchess hesitated for a moment before pulling him into an inner chamber. Skipping over the trivial details, she whispered nervously, "His Highness mentioned that he intends to establish a Prince Regent..."
...
Joseph waved goodbye to Alexandra as she headed off to her painting class. Once her figure disappeared from sight, he returned to his desk and picked up the recently delivered report.
After reading through the four-page document, he couldn't help but smile. "It seems like a bit of a waste for Mr. Dorian Delatour to remain merely an assistant to Talleyrand."
He then picked up the Egypt Investment Plan drafted by the industrial department. After skimming it and finding no issues, he signed his name. At the end, he added a line: "Dorian Delatour is hereby appointed as the General Manager of the Egyptian Shipping Company."
Since Egypt was still nominally a province of the Ottoman Empire, France could not establish formal diplomatic relations with it. Consequently, this shipping company would effectively serve as the French Consulate in Egypt.
Joseph handed the Egypt Investment Plan to Eman, instructing him to have it delivered to the industrial department. He then added, "Also, notify the Egyptian Archaeological Research Institute to meet with me tomorrow morning."
Ever since Masséna's expedition to Egypt, a craze for Egyptian culture had swept through France, leading to the formation of this research institute.
In reality, only half of the institute's members were historians and archaeologists; the rest were experts in engineering and surveying.
With the agreement signed with Muhammad Ali, they could finally proceed without restraint to conduct geological surveys for the Suez Canal.
While Joseph didn't know the exact coordinates for the canal, he remembered that it was largely excavated along the path of the ancient, abandoned Ancient Pharaoh's Canal. This would make the surveying work significantly easier than it had been historically.
"Yes, Your Highness."
As Eman turned to leave, a servant appeared at the door. "Your Highness, General Berthier and Mr. Lavalette wish to see you."
Joseph nodded. "Please, show them in."
The two men entered and bowed to Joseph. The Chief of the General Staff then handed over a battle report. "Your Highness, this news arrived from Bern just around noon."
"The Austrian Army engaged in fierce combat with the Basel Militia near Aarau. Afterward, Engelmann of Württemberg arrived with two thousand mercenaries to reinforce them. This might have been part of Engelmann's plan all along."
Joseph opened the report. "What was the outcome?"
Berthier's expression was somewhat strange. "The Austrian Army suffered a total rout, Your Highness. Engelmann killed at least 500 Austrian soldiers and captured nearly 400 more."
Joseph paused, looking at the Chief of Staff in surprise. "How many men did the Austrians send toward Basel?"
"The Krems Infantry Regiment and the Vienna 11th Skirmisher Regiment. Approximately four thousand men in total, Your Highness."
Joseph grew even more puzzled. "So, these were regulars of the Austrian Army? And they were routed by a Württemberg Colonel leading a band of Swiss mercenaries?"
"That is indeed the case, Your Highness."
Since the battle had occurred only yesterday, the detailed specifics of the battlefield had not yet reached Paris. They couldn't have imagined just how low the morale of the Austrian troops had fallen after months of not receiving their military pay.
When Engelmann launched a surprise attack from the flank and rear, the Austrian forces collapsed with almost no resistance, fleeing northward in chaos.
Even Steffens's Basel Militia had managed to record 60 enemy kills.
Joseph rubbed his forehead. This was not at all what he had originally planned.
According to his vision, the Württemberg forces should have met with failure. That would have allowed him to suggest that the King of Württemberg seek aid from Bavaria and other states, eventually drawing more South German nations into the Swiss theater of war.
A stalemate between the two sides in the rugged mountains of Switzerland would drain Austria's national strength while simultaneously fueling resentment toward Vienna among the South German states.
But now, the Austrian intervention force had been defeated decisively and cleanly.
Joseph's primary concern now was that Franz II might withdraw his troops from Switzerland entirely to avoid further losses.
Lavalette spoke up from the side. "Your Highness, perhaps the internal situation in Austria is affecting their military."
"Their Tax Reform has run into significant hurdles. Tax evasion is rampant everywhere."
"Furthermore, regions like Bohemia, Slovakia, and Hungary are extremely dissatisfied with the cancellation of local tariffs. Low-priced goods from Vienna, such as glass and textiles, are flooding in, making it impossible for their local workshops to survive."
"Currently, several regional assemblies have delayed their contributions to the military budget because of this."
Joseph nodded. "So, what Vienna needs most right now is stability."
"In that case, let's help them publicize the events in Switzerland."
"Focus on the theme: 'His Majesty the Emperor is wasting massive amounts of tax revenue in Switzerland, only to be defeated by fewer than two thousand mountain peasants.'"
He thought for a moment and added, "We can also bring up their Tax Reform."
Lavalette was quick to respond. "Your Highness, should we create a narrative that 'the current tax collectors are even worse than the former tax farmers'?"
Joseph waved his hand. "No, the tax farmers are already notorious. Supporting them would only invite public backlash. Not only should we avoid that, but we should also appear to help the Vienna government suppress the tax farmers."
"Hmm, I'll have the Playwrights Association draft scripts about how tax farmers embezzle taxes and sabotage reform, then have them performed in Austria."
Lavalette was confused. "Your Highness, that doesn't seem to align with our interests..."
Joseph smiled. "You need to contact the tax farmers in secret and guide them on how to respond. These people, when driven to a desperate dead end, are capable of anything."
"What kind of response do you mean?"
"The tax farmers possess immense influence and wealth. There are many things they can do, for example..."
Once Joseph finished giving instructions regarding Austria, Berthier excused himself and left. Lavalette, however, remained behind, appearing somewhat hesitant.
"Your Highness, regarding Prince Charles, I have recently heard some peculiar news."
Joseph looked at him. "You mean Charles?"
Lavalette hurriedly explained, "It's not that the Security Bureau was intentionally gathering information on Prince Charles, but rather that a Viennese noble let something slip."
According to Joseph's regulations, the intelligence department was forbidden from investigating core members of the royal family without authorization. Even investigating high-ranking government officials required his prior approval.
This was to prevent the powerful intelligence apparatus from committing acts of insubordination that could cause unnecessary damage to the state.
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