Chapter 560: Equivalent Exchange
"If we can exchange Liegnitz for Gdańsk," Mencken glanced at his King, "I believe it is strategically acceptable."
"Gdańsk?" William II stopped, exclaiming, "That was already mine! The British actually want me to trade my own territory for Liegnitz!"
Gdańsk, though currently Polish territory, was difficult for Poland to govern effectively given its national strength, especially as an exclave separated by Prussia. With the alliance agreement signed between Prussia and Poland, the area was largely administered by Prussia. Of course, Poland still received the lion's share of the port's revenue.
With a knock at the door, Prince Heinrich stepped in—as Prussia's pillar of support, he could enter and exit Sanssouci Palace almost at will.
He gave a brief bow to William II and immediately declared, "Your Majesty, what we are exchanging Liegnitz for isn't Gdańsk itself, but its legal justification. While we currently hold administrative rights over Gdańsk, that's only because Poland is in disarray. Should they recover their national strength, it will swiftly cease to be ours. To truly secure Gdańsk, we would likely need to wage a war, just as the British suggest."
William II fell silent. His uncle had previously analyzed the situation in the east for him on multiple occasions, so he knew that if he were bogged down by the conflict in Silesia, he would never be able to launch the war he needed—the war against Poland.
"But why aren't the Austrians making concessions..."
The moment he spoke, Prince Heinrich interrupted him, "Your Majesty, I'm here to report that the British Special Envoy just received instructions from Parliament, deciding to provide us with 500,000 Pounds Sterling in aid, to help us complete the necessary preparations for war and compensate us for the concessions we've made."
"500,000 as a loan, they think they can just..." William II suddenly paused, looking at Prince Heinrich. "Did you say 'aid,' and not 'loan'?"
William II's face immediately broke into a wide smile. Loans had to be repaid, often with interest, but aid was free! Given Prussia's current financial situation, this sum was a godsend, resolving an urgent crisis.
He suddenly felt that the British were not much worse than Peter III.
Prince Heinrich continued, "Your Majesty, we can use this money to carry out military reforms and expand our armaments. This way, in the subsequent war, besides Gdańsk, we will also gain more land. For instance, the vast southern bank of the Vistula River. The returns from that would far outweigh those from Liegnitz."
Mencken added at the opportune moment, "Your Majesty, if our army is large enough, perhaps we can even wipe away the humiliation we suffered in the Southern Netherlands."
He was naturally referring to Blücher's defeat by the French army, being driven all the way from Liège to Namur.
Finally, William II nodded emphatically and told Prince Heinrich, "Please inform the British Special Envoy that I will grant him an audience tomorrow."
...
As the Prussian King and the British Special Envoy engaged in political maneuvering, Paris, too, caught the scent of an impending storm, thick with chaos and unease.
In his office on the second floor of the Tuileries Palace, Joseph was still recalling the situation Fouché had just reported to him.
The British cabinet was clearly orchestrating a strategic layout of unprecedented scale—though it was Britain's top secret, with so many people involved in the planning, it was difficult for some signs to go unnoticed. After analyzing various clues, the Intelligence Bureau concluded that the target was most likely France, with implications spanning diplomacy, military affairs, and economy.
'It seems France has developed a bit too quickly these past two years, rousing the "troublemakers" into vigilance.' Joseph put away the intelligence documents before him and rubbed his temples. 'This current British government truly is full of talent, detecting anomalies so swiftly and reacting even faster.'
Historically, Britain indeed relied on this cohort of brilliant politicians who emerged in the late 18th century—William Pitt Junior, Wellesley, Grenville, Cavendish-Bentinck, George Canning, and others—to guide Britain through its Industrial Revolution and ultimately ascend to the throne of world hegemony.
The British offensive came much earlier than he had anticipated.
'Clashing with these brilliant minds truly won't be an easy task...'
Although Joseph didn't yet know the British's precise plans, historically, they were most likely aiming for a Continental Balance.
Fortunately, while Britain was wealthy, could influence most of Europe's trade, and dominated the global oceans, their army was fundamentally insufficient to challenge France.
This meant Britain had to find proxies on the European continent and then execute complex strategic deployments to launch a siege against France.
This process certainly wouldn't happen overnight, so he should have another one to two years to prepare.
Joseph took a deep breath. 'The British are quick to react, but my cheats make me even quicker! Let's see who ultimately prevails.'
He then took out paper and pen, began organizing his thoughts, and occasionally jotted down counter-strategies that came to mind.
First, the conflict with Britain would inevitably culminate in war. Therefore, expanding the military and preparing for battle was the most pressing task.
Currently, the core fighting force, the Guards Corps, combined with the Moulins Legion, barely reached 30,000 troops.
This was generally sufficient when no national war was underway, and fewer troops meant saving military expenses, but to engage in full-scale war with Britain and its allies, a minimum of 80,000 would be necessary for safety.
Expanding the Guards Corps by 160% within one or two years would be no easy feat.
These new recruits, whether in terms of pay, weaponry, or daily training, would incur costs far exceeding those of older armies.
At the current military scale, last year's military expenditure already surpassed 50 million Francs, and that was even with Austria covering substantial logistical costs.
If the Guards Corps were expanded to 80,000 troops, the estimated maintenance costs would rise to 90 million Francs, and in the event of war, expenses could easily surge past 200 million.
It's worth noting that historically, France, supported by large numbers of "cheap" volunteer soldiers ten years later, saw its military expenditure easily exceed 400 million Francs.
Given France's current financial situation, even a slight setback in wartime could pose a risk of collapse.
Joseph couldn't help but sigh. 'When it comes down to it, war is ultimately a contest of money.'
Historically, the British, relying on their vast wealth and deep reserves, endured defeat after defeat, yet ultimately wore down Emperor Napoleon.
Therefore, accelerating industrial development, speeding up agricultural reform, and expanding trade as much as possible were also among the most crucial tasks at hand.
Fortunately, domestic reforms in finance, taxation, markets, and land had already been largely completed, which gave him the confidence to face the coming conflict.
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