Chapter 318: An Arrogant Woman
Baron Thugut immediately exclaimed in disbelief, "Your Highness, forgive my presumption, but you aren't joking, are you?"
Joseph gripped his arms firmly—Thugut wasn't tall; Joseph, at 1.7 meters, was only slightly shorter than him—and said seriously, "I believe Her Majesty the Queen will certainly agree with my proposal. France and Austria are the closest of friends; naturally, we must do our utmost to help each other through this difficult time!"
The Austrian Minister of State's eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly: "Yes, you're absolutely right! France and Austria will always be the firmest allies! In that case, I will rush to Versailles tonight and request Her Majesty to send troops to reinforce Luxembourg."
Seeing him about to rise, Joseph quickly stopped him: "We must block Blücher's offensive as quickly as possible to prevent Luxembourg from falling. If you go to Paris and return, it will take too long."
"Then, what do you suggest?"
Joseph assumed a thoughtful expression: "Here's what we'll do: you immediately return to Vienna and ask His Imperial Majesty to issue an Edict, instructing the Austrian forces and officials in Luxembourg to fully cooperate with me in intercepting the Prussians. At the same time, recall the troops planned to reinforce the Southern Netherlands and continue the full assault on Silesia. As for Versailles, you can simply send an assistant to present the national letter to Her Majesty the Queen."
Baron Thugut wanted to nod, but hesitated: "Wouldn't it be too disrespectful to send only an assistant to meet Her Majesty?"
"State affairs take precedence!" Joseph declared with righteous sternness, "Please rest assured, Her Majesty will understand your situation. Furthermore, I can send someone to accompany your assistant to Paris and explain on your behalf."
"Thank you so much!" Thugut immediately bowed deeply to Joseph, "Austria will forever remember your kindness!"
Schönbrunn Palace.
Joseph II set down Thugut's secret letter—his Minister of State had just reached Bavaria at this point, and the letter had been brought back by a rider after three days of frantic travel—A faint smile finally appeared on his pale face, and he said to Leopold II: "Our sister has agreed to intercept Blücher. This way, we can maintain our superior forces in Silesia. Oh, tell General Leo to accept French command."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Leopold II nodded, but then said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, won't allowing a large number of French troops into the Low Countries cause problems?"
The Wallonia region of the Southern Netherlands primarily spoke French and felt a strong affinity for France; Austria had always been wary of France interfering there.
Joseph II sighed weakly: "General Wurmser failed to complete the deployment in Luxembourg before rushing to Silesia, allowing the Prussians to exploit the gap... Now, what other options do we have besides relying on the French army? Should we abandon the Silesian front?"
Hearing this, Leopold II lowered his head.
Austria had already suffered three defeats in the Silesian Wars, and the people absolutely could not accept a fourth. At present, with his brother having severely alienated the aristocracy by vigorously pushing for reforms, another defeat on the front lines could very well lead to major unrest at home.
"Don't worry," Joseph II waved his hand. "The Prussian army in the Southern Netherlands, plus the rebels, total over thirty thousand men. It will be quite difficult for twenty thousand French troops to merely hold Luxembourg; it's highly unlikely they would push further into the Southern Netherlands. And as long as we resolve the conflict in Silesia quickly, the Prussians will naturally withdraw from the Southern Netherlands."
Although Leopold II acknowledged his brother's reasoning, he still said with a hint of reluctance, "What about Luxembourg, then...?"
Joseph II, his strength exhausted, lay back down: "Consider it a trade-off. Giving Luxembourg to the French is an acceptable compromise."
After all, as long as they could secure wealthy Silesia, everything would be worth it.
Moreover, without French assistance, Austria would lose both the Southern Netherlands and Luxembourg. Trading the small Luxembourg for the Southern Netherlands, which was more than ten times its size, was not too great a loss.
Leopold II emerged from His Imperial Majesty's bedchamber, pondering how to conscript more troops for Silesia, and without realizing it, had returned to his own room.
The moment he stepped through the door, he heard his wife's furious shriek: "How could she do this?! She's humiliating me, and humiliating Austria!" This was followed by the loud smash of porcelain hitting the floor.
Leopold II frowned, and glanced at the guard standing by the door. The latter immediately lowered his head in alarm, muttering softly: "Your Majesty, she went to your study..."
Leopold II immediately realized something, pushed the door open quickly and went straight into the study, where he saw a group of maids and servants huddled fearfully in a corner, while several antique porcelain pieces that had been on the table were now smashed to fragments on the floor. Only a single letter remained on the large table.
It was the letter Marie Antoinette had written to His Imperial Majesty, which notably omitted any mention of the French Crown Prince's marriage. Due to his poor health, His Imperial Majesty had entrusted it to him. War had subsequently broken out, and he hadn't yet had a chance to deal with it.
He hadn't expected it to be accidentally discovered by Vidoluca.
Leopold II cleared his throat softly, stepped forward to retrieve the letter, then took his wife's hand, consoling her, "My dear, Clémentine is still far too young to bear children, so it's only natural for my sister to have concerns. His Imperial Majesty has already decided not to bring up this matter again."
"Why shouldn't it be mentioned?! Didn't you and your brother both say this marriage was certain?" Vidoluca yanked her hand back forcefully, gritting her teeth: "I've already told almost all the noblewomen and prominent figures that Clémentine would become the Crown Princess of France, and I've received countless congratulations..."
"Now you're telling me it's off?!" She pointed at her husband's nose, saying viciously, "You good-for-nothing! How can you be a husband and a father? That woman has humiliated us like this, and you don't even dare to seek justice for us!"
"Marie Antoinette!" she shrieked, "Someday, I'll return this humiliation tenfold, a hundredfold!"
Leopold II tucked the letter into his pocket and shook his head: "Don't be like this, Vidoluca, she's my own sister. And in truth, Versailles never even mentioned an engagement; you spread the news yourself... Ah, never mind. Let's just forget this. We'll find Clémentine another good match, and His Imperial Majesty will surely provide her with a generous dowry, ensuring she lives a very happy life."
"No, how could I forget it! 'You care for family ties, but why doesn't she?'" Vidoluca's chest heaved violently, her eyes filled with cold fury, "I'll make that woman realize she made a foolish mistake!"
Leopold II shook his head helplessly, quietly instructing the servants to attend to his wife, then turned and left for the conference hall. Austria still had a multitude of affairs awaiting his attention; he couldn't afford to be distracted by domestic squabbles.
...
Verdun, France.
Just as the Austrian Minister of State departed, Joseph ordered the Guards Corps to set off for Luxembourg.
He knew that Joseph II had no other choice but to rely on France to deal with Blücher.
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