Chapter 365: From Austria to Russia
Joseph certainly wouldn't tell the Holy Roman Emperor that over 18,000 of the enemy troops in Brussels were largely ineffective Southern Netherlands soldiers, including Wit's demoralized remnants from their previous defeat by the Guards Corps, as well as hastily conscripted farmers and peddlers.
Even the Dutch army had been enlisted during last year's uprising, and their fighting ability was practically non-existent.
The only truly capable fighters were the approximately 13,000 men from Hanover, and they lacked both cavalry and artillery.
However, the combined total of 35,000 was attributed to Charles II, which was intimidating enough to mention.
Joseph's pen continued to move across the letter:
"To prevent the Southern Netherlands from falling into rebel hands again, you need to dispatch at least 20,000 soldiers here. Furthermore, Prussia and Hanover might send reinforcements here, so it would be safest for you to gather even more troops.
Oh, and one more important thing, dear uncle. Due to threats from Prussian forces in the direction of Liège, our army's logistical supply has encountered significant difficulties. As you know, convoys traveling from Luxembourg to Brussels must pass near Liège. This makes our army's supply lines very vulnerable to attack. Therefore, I hope to requisition military supplies locally in the Southern Netherlands, which would also save you some expenses."
A significant portion of the French army's current military expenses in the Southern Netherlands was being covered by Austria.
If the French army could "requisition supplies locally," it would essentially be taking over the Southern Netherlands' taxation. This would also necessitate establishing administrative positions to facilitate communication with the populace and manage supply transportation.
In closing the letter, Joseph nobly declared that France would certainly provide its closest ally, Austria, with all possible support, including preparations to send reinforcements to the Brussels front, and urged His Imperial Majesty to rest assured.
He was well aware that Austria and Prussia were locked in a fierce battle in Silesia, where any retreat would lead to devastating consequences. Therefore, Joseph II would be desperate to recall the Austrian forces from the Southern Netherlands and would absolutely not dispatch another 20,000 soldiers here.
Austria would be left with only two choices: 1. Abandon the Southern Netherlands. 2. Offer concessions to France, allowing the French army to stabilize the situation there.
In reality, there was no choice. If the Southern Netherlands gained independence, it would not only cause the Empire to lose immense prestige and suffer a severe blow to morale, but the Southern Netherlands National Guard and the Dutch army would also very likely reinforce the Prussians in Silesia.
With such a shift in power, Austria might as well not fight the war.
Joseph handed the letter to a messenger and then summoned a staff officer, ordering him to go to Luxembourg to deliver a verbal message to Austrian commander Leo.
No sooner had he finished his tasks than Eman entered the tent with a messenger from Paris.
The latter bowed respectfully to Joseph, then produced two letters from a leather satchel worn close to his body and handed them to Eman, who stood nearby.
Joseph took the letters from his attendant and examined them closely. One was from Archbishop Brienne, likely seeking the Crown Prince's opinion on important recent matters in France, which was essentially a progress report.
The other letter, however, was from Queen Mary, and it enclosed a "Plan for Promoting Russian-French Trade" submitted by the Russian ambassador.
Confused, he first opened his mother's letter.
The initial long passages, as always, spoke of how much she missed her son, to the point of a headache, followed by concerns about whether he was eating well in Luxembourg, if he was sick, or if he was overtired, and a scolding for forgetting to bring his chef again.
Joseph felt a warmth spread through him at the profound affection in the letter. It seemed his mother had written the letter while he was still in Luxembourg. 'But fighting on the front lines, what business did he have bringing imperial chefs?' he thought. 'They typically brought several carts of cooking utensils and ingredients.'
Joseph suddenly realized he could have the imperial chefs prepare nutritious meals for the wounded in the rear. Firstly, it would make the soldiers feel the care and importance from the royal family, and secondly, his mother wouldn't have to nag him about it every time.
He continued reading.
Queen Mary cautioned in her letter, telling her son not to get too close to the front lines and to leave the fighting to the generals. France had so many generals, after all.
Joseph couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion, knowing that in a mother's eyes, anyone would always be just a fragile child.
'Well, in that case, they should just give me a general's rank,' he mused.
He pursed his lips and turned to the second page of the letter.
After Queen Mary finished her domestic chatter, she brought up an interesting incident she had encountered recently: Count Stroganov, the Russian Ambassador to France, had apparently been drunk and had said that their emperor greatly admired France's "Swedish proposal" and would support our claims to the Low Countries. "Finally, Stroganov had even stated that if the Russian army could cross Poland, they would support us in taking the Rhine from Austria's eastern side... Look at what he was saying. But he was an excellent diplomat, after all; even after so much wine, he still spoke clearly..."
Joseph's eyes narrowed slightly as he read this. The "Swedish proposal" was something he had personally put forward and had Talleyrand use to mislead the Russians.
This was clearly Catherine II's response to France, and certainly not the Russian ambassador being drunk.
What he hadn't expected was Catherine's enormous appetite, not only wanting Sweden and Poland, but even wishing to carve up Germany with France!
She truly lived up to her reputation as the most audacious woman of the late 18th century.
To be honest, Joseph felt a momentary thrill at Catherine's proposal.
If France acquired all lands west of the Rhine, including the rich territories of Western Europe like the Netherlands and Belgium, and certainly Italy as well—if Austria was too preoccupied to defend itself, a weakened Italy would be ripe for French taking—then France would undoubtedly soar, becoming the true hegemon of continental Europe!
However, he quickly regained his composure, shaking his head to dismiss these unrealistic ideas.
'Catherine was clearly trying to make France draw the fire to facilitate Russia's own expansion.'
'Look at the territories Russia wanted—Sweden, Poland, and even the northeastern Balkans. These were all regions relatively far from Europe's core. Even if she swallowed them, major European powers like Britain, Prussia, Austria, the Netherlands, and Spain, even if displeased, might choose not to intervene due to cost considerations.'
'However, the gains Catherine 'allocated' to France, whether the Low Countries or the Rhine region, were the very 'lungs' of the continental powers. They would undoubtedly fight France with every ounce of their national strength!'
Joseph pulled the messenger closer and asked in a low voice, "How did Her Majesty the Queen reply to the Russian ambassador?"
The latter merely said that Count Bobrinsky and Grand Duchess Alexandra were also present that day, but as for what they discussed, he had no idea.
This was hardly surprising. To maintain secrecy, Stroganov had cautiously avoided all formal occasions, even finding balls unsatisfactory. He had specifically chosen a close, private meeting with Queen Mary at a painting exhibition, precisely to prevent anyone from overhearing.
Joseph shook his head and sighed. Catherine II had sent both her illegitimate son and her legitimate granddaughter, clearly indicating her strong desire to facilitate this matter.
Although from the tone of his mother's letter she merely thought the Russian ambassador was speaking nonsense and likely hadn't agreed to anything, he feared she might suddenly act impulsively.
Joseph quickly penned a reply to Queen Mary, primarily urging her not to respond to the Russians under any circumstances, then handed it to the messenger, instructing him to deliver it back to Versailles Palace with the utmost speed.
Watching the messenger's retreating figure, Joseph couldn't help but fall into deep thought. 'It seemed that from now on, he would have to brief his mother in advance on matters of national strategy,' he mused, 'otherwise, if a major blunder occurred, it would be troublesome to clean up.'
He then considered, 'Though Catherine's proposal couldn't be accepted, her ambition could be leveraged to secure strategic advantages for France.'
However, the specifics of how to execute this required careful deliberation.
Joseph then picked up the "Plan for Promoting Russian-French Trade" from the table. Its content primarily stated Catherine's hope to further increase Russian-French trade to reduce reliance on British trade. Evidently, the steadily rising trade volume of the Gemini Trading Company had piqued her interest.
Joseph glanced at the uninspired clauses in the document and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
France's current demand for raw materials was only so great, and Russia's market couldn't be fully open to France. Thus, the current trade volume between the two nations had largely reached saturation.
Russia did possess significant coal and iron resources, but the distance to France meant prohibitively high transportation costs. Otherwise, large quantities could be purchased.
He was about to toss the document aside when he suddenly thought of something and muttered to himself, 'No, high transportation costs... that means local operations are possible...'
He immediately recalled a 19th-century British business case in Russia.
At that time, Russia had lost the Crimean War, and the Tsar had recognized the importance of the steel industry, as well as the urgency of developing the regions adjacent to Crimea.
Coincidentally, a British entrepreneur named John Hughes, who was struggling fiercely in Britain, decided to try his luck in Russia. He noticed that the Donbas region, north of Crimea, was incredibly rich in coal and iron resources, yet they remained largely untapped.
So he signed a contract with the Tsarist government, invested a sum of money in Donbas, and personally brought over a hundred British workers to establish mines and factories there.
At that time, Russia was vigorously building the Baltic Fleet, and Hughes's ironworks continuously sold steel to Russian shipyards, earning a fortune. He eventually expanded his ironworks into a considerable city.
It wasn't until nearly a century later, with the outbreak of the October Revolution, that Hughes's investment saga finally came to an end.
Currently, the Donbas region had not even been thoroughly explored for coal and iron resources. If one invested now, the cost would surely be lower than what Hughes had paid. It would probably be possible to acquire high-quality coal and iron mines for the price of barren land.
Then factories could be built locally for extraction, and the crude ingots refined there could be shipped back to France for further processing.
Excess coal could be converted into coke and transported back to France, or even sold locally for profit.
The factories would employ Russians. Even if the wages were poor, there would be no need to worry about unrest, as the Tsar never went easy on troublemakers within his own country.
Of course, the ironworks in Russia would only use relatively outdated technology to prevent a rapid rise in Russia's industrial capabilities.
It would be an incredibly profitable venture!
Furthermore, a complete setup of mining and factories would boost Russia's tax revenue and aid in developing the hinterland of Crimea. Crimea was Russia's most vital port, providing Russia with a maritime trade route to continental Europe. Successive Tsars had always held it in high regard. However, it wasn't until Catherine II defeated the Ottomans that full control over this Black Sea outlet was finally secured.
If France could help Russia stabilize its rule over Crimea—building surrounding cities and attracting more settlers was the best means of governance—then Catherine would undoubtedly shed tears of gratitude for France.
Historically, the Tsar had always maintained a protective stance towards Hughes's investment, which was testament enough.
A smile flashed across Joseph's lips. 'Come to think of it,' he mused, 'he should ask Catherine II for something in return, otherwise, she might feel too indebted.'
So he picked up his pen and began writing on the back of the "Trade Plan" document: "France expresses its appreciation and support for the terms of the aforementioned plan..."
"Furthermore, to foster traditional Russian-French friendship, France has decided to encourage its investors and factory owners to undertake construction in the Crimea region... This investment will be purely financial, without any political or military involvement, and will adhere to Russian tax and trade laws..."
"It is hoped that His Imperial Majesty the Tsar can provide appropriate assistance to France regarding matters concerning North Africa..."
Having dealt with the Russian matter, Joseph finally opened Brienne's letter and began to read it closely.
The Chief Minister first reported on France's recent general situation, item by item, in the letter. For matters where a decision couldn't be made, he requested the Crown Prince's judgment.
He then mentioned the enormous expenditures of recent foreign military campaigns. Due to various unforeseen circumstances, overall expenses had exceeded projections by 12 percent, but were still temporarily within the financial system's capacity. However, if military engagement abroad continued at this pace, financial problems were anticipated by year-end at the latest.
This did not surprise Joseph. He had no intention of engaging in prolonged foreign wars. At least in North Africa, a turning point should emerge soon. And once the local taxes from the Southern Netherlands began to flow in, a significant portion of the financial strain would be alleviated.
Overall, everything was within a controllable range.
He continued reading.
In the final section of his letter, Brienne reported on the cabinet meeting's latest discussion regarding the plan for peasants to redeem land.
Joseph instinctively frowned. This redemption plan had already been revised three times, yet none of them were satisfactory.
Indeed, while he had previously pushed for the abolition of feudal privileges for French nobility, the specific policy on how peasants could redeem land had not yet been announced.
Therefore, for the peasants, they had only been exempted from minor taxes like milling taxes, oven taxes, and hunting taxes. The core issue of land ownership had yet to be truly implemented, which was the main reason for their lukewarm response to the abolition of feudal privileges earlier.
However, the specifics of how to redeem land was an extremely thorny issue, one that would undoubtedly affect the entire nation.
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