Chapter 312: Declaring War on Prussia... No, on the Netherlandish Rebels
For such a significant undertaking as participating in the war between Prussia and Austria, France was naturally extremely cautious.
Therefore, after receiving affirmative replies from her trusted ministers, Queen Marie immediately convened an "expanded" cabinet meeting to discuss the deployment of troops to Silesia.
With the exception of the Minister of Commerce, who was still in Munich negotiating trade agreements, all cabinet ministers, high-ranking military officials, and members of the royal family, including the Count of Provence and the Count of Artois, were present.
What appeared to be a solemn and grand meeting actually held few surprises. Led by Brienne, the cabinet ministers unanimously agreed to join the war.
The Duke of Broglie, the Minister of War, was particularly vocal, proclaiming it a "historic opportunity" for France to expand its influence on the European continent. Of course, his zealousness stemmed from the Crown Prince's promise of benefits he couldn't refuse.
He then had Berthier conduct a military analysis to prove that supporting Austria held a significant chance of victory, and even if Prussia won, France's losses would be negligible.
The Count of Provence, Louis XVI's own brother, who was not entirely privy to the situation, frowned as he watched the Minister of War's impassioned speech and raised a crucial question:
"Duke of Broglie, how many troops do we intend to deploy, and will there be any financial issues?"
After all, France was still burdened with billions of livres in deficit.
Before the Minister of War could speak, Talleyrand rose first and bowed slightly to the Count of Provence.
"Your Excellency, our nation's participation in this war will be financially very advantageous.
"Because His Majesty Joseph II has already pledged that, in return for our involvement, he will fully facilitate the signing of a trade agreement between France, Austria, and the South German States. You may have already heard the news; it's the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement.
"In fact, when I left Munich, negotiations were already nearing completion.
"This means that in the future, our goods can be sold in large quantities to the South German market. The expenses incurred in this war can all be recouped from there later."
The Duke of Broglie immediately interjected:
"Moreover, we will strictly control the scale of our participation. The initial deployment will not exceed 50,000 troops, so the costs will not be excessive."
Queen Marie then turned her gaze towards the Minister of Finance.
Brienne, who had also prepared in advance, promptly stated:
"Your Majesty, the current financial situation is relatively stable. Issuing some public bonds would be sufficient to cover the military expenses for 50,000 troops for one or two years."
In truth, if Joseph hadn't needed vast funds for tax reform, the fifty to sixty million livres "confiscated" from the Duke of Orleans previously would have been enough to support the French army's operations.
The greatest burden on Queen Marie's mind finally lifted. After discussing the numerous pros and cons of joining the war with her ministers, and seeing their surprisingly unanimous opinions, she no longer hesitated.
At 5 PM, she looked at Brienne and gravely instructed:
"Then, I ask that you draft the document. France will formally ally with Austria and declare war on Prussia."
Joseph, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, nearly choked on his saliva at her words. He thought, 'Mom is really too straightforward. When it's about fishing in troubled waters to gain advantages from the Austro-Prussian war, why go for both an alliance and a declaration of war?'
'With such a series of actions, wouldn't you turn Austria's problems into France's, making it impossible to shake them off later?'
He quickly cleared his throat, stood up, and bowed to Queen Marie:
"Your Majesty, I believe there's no need to declare war on Prussia for now."
Noticing Queen Marie and the others casting bewildered glances his way, Joseph explained:
"The war's outcome is currently unclear; we should adopt a cautious approach regarding a declaration of war."
"But our troops are about to go to Silesia and fight the Prussians. That's a de facto declaration of war, isn't it?"
"No, no, we are merely responding to Austria's invitation to go there and maintain local order."
"But..."
"We'll send the troops we need to send, and we'll fight the war as it should be fought. There's just no need for a formal declaration of war. Prussia likely won't declare war on us proactively either."
If the Prussians weren't foolish, they would surely feign ignorance of the French forces' involvement. A declaration of war would only tie France firmly to Austria's side.
The Duke of Broglie frowned.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid Austria will strongly demand that we declare war on Prussia."
A cunning smile flashed in Joseph's eyes.
"If we absolutely must declare war, then we shall declare war on the Netherlandish Rebels.
"Last month, they brazenly robbed our merchant convoy. This is open provocation, and we absolutely cannot tolerate it silently!"
"What? The Netherlandish Rebels robbed a French merchant convoy?" A host of questions instantly arose in the meeting hall.
Berthier was the first to react.
"Your Highness, are you referring to the time the Netherlandish Rebels attacked our logistical supplies prepared for Austria?"
"Supplies for Austria? What are you talking about?" Joseph deliberately darkened his expression. "Those were grains and iron goods purchased by Luxembourg. It was a normal commercial transaction!"
"Yes, Your Highness. My apologies, I misremembered. They were indeed goods ordered by Luxembourg."
Brienne, the Duke of Broglie, and the other ministers immediately agreed with the Crown Prince's suggestion. Ultimately, Queen Marie, taking the advice to heart, decided to declare war on the Netherlandish Rebels first. If Austria gained the upper hand on the battlefield later, France would then officially announce its alliance with Austria and declare war on Prussia.
However, she had no idea that Joseph had long made his plans and would never allow either Prussia or Austria to gain a clear advantage.
As long as Prussia and Austria remained in conflict, even if the fighting wasn't intense, they wouldn't be able to join forces to partition Poland. In fact, to win Poland's military support, they might even try to curry favor with Poland.
Even if Russia later decided to act against Poland, Poland could avoid being attacked from both sides and concentrate its efforts on facing the Russian army. Even if it was ultimately defeated, it could at least resist for a few more years than in history.
While the rest of the European continent was embroiled in fierce conflict, France would have the opportunity to quietly develop and covertly sell supplies to the warring nations.
At six in the evening, the cabinet meeting concluded, and France took a crucial step toward joining Austria in the Austro-Prussian War.
Of course, involvement in a conflict as significant as the Austro-Prussian War could not be resolved in a single day. Today merely set the tone; the specific details of participation would require lengthy discussions in subsequent cabinet meetings.
However, the actual plan for participation was being formulated in the Crown Prince's study, only to be taken to the cabinet meeting later for official approval.
Eman pushed open the study door and stood respectfully to the side, his head bowed.
Joseph stepped into the room, then turned to Talleyrand, who was beside him, and asked:
"Everything is ready on the Netherlandish side, I presume?"
The latter immediately nodded and said in a low voice:
"Yes, Your Highness. Once the time is right, Ferdinand will immediately receive the message."
The Ferdinand he referred to was the Duke of Brunswick, the overall commander of the Prussian army.
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