Chapter 728: Weak Nations and Diplomacy
Franz II clutched his walking stick tightly, beginning to pace back and forth nervously.
Austria's financial situation was already dire. He had originally planned to take advantage of Russia drawing the vast majority of the Polish army, allowing Austria to carve out a substantial piece of Poland to solve its domestic issues.
Yet, after several months of fighting, they had only barely managed to occupy Sandomierz, and even that was just the portion west of the San River. It amounted to roughly 80% of one province.
The profits Austria gained barely exceeded its military expenditures.
If a Polish-Russian armistice were declared now, the Polish troops on the Eastern Front would quickly be redeployed to the Western Front.
Wurmser was already struggling to take Krakow; at that point, it would be utterly out of the question.
He halted, declaring to Thugut, "I want reinforcements sent to the front lines! We must capture Krakow as quickly as possible!"
Thugut, looking somewhat embarrassed, lowered his gaze to the tips of his shoes and cleared his throat. "Ahem, Your Majesty, that would escalate into a full-scale war with Poland... and military expenditures would be at least eight to ten times what they are now."
"What? That much!"
Thugut raised his head again. "Your Majesty, we could form an alliance with Prussia and Russia to negotiate a truce with Poland.
"Poland would face the combined pressure of three nations, and only then could we solidify our current gains to the maximum extent."
Franz II had no other ideas. Feigning careful deliberation, he nodded and said, "Then please contact Prussia and Russia as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...
Potsdam.
Sanssouci Palace.
William II waved his hand, declaring loudly, "Gdańsk, I want Gdańsk!"
Prince Heinrich sighed inwardly. "Your Majesty, by my estimation, in just another month, sixty or seventy thousand Polish troops will return from the Eastern Front to defend Gdańsk and other areas.
"Given the Polish people's recent display of fighting spirit, they might prove very difficult to deal with.
"We have already occupied three provinces in the Greater Poland region, and the gains are significant enough."
William II cast a glance at him. "So, you believe we should immediately cease hostilities?"
"Yes, we should unite with Russia and Austria to force Poland to make concessions in peace negotiations."
...
Saint Petersburg.
Catherine II glared at Zubov, who had just returned from London, grinding her teeth. "The British loudly proclaimed their support for our war against Poland. For this, I risked offending France, expanded our trade with them, and permitted them to mine in Donbas.
"And this is how they repay me?
"500,000 rubles, ha! Are they trying to fob off a beggar?!"
Zubov kept his head down, not daring to even breathe deeply.
He had traveled to London full of confidence to secure a loan, but he hadn't expected Britain to be preoccupied with preparations for war against France. Coupled with the previous Gas Streetlights incident in London and the losses in the Caribbean Sea colonies, Parliament had unhesitatingly rejected the loan to Russia.
At this point, for Russia, only a truce remained as an option.
The Tsar turned back to Zubov, retorting crossly, "You will be responsible for the truce negotiations with Poland. At the very least, you must secure our gains in Minsk and Mozyr."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will not disappoint you."
Just then, a court official hurried in and bowed to Catherine II. "Your Majesty, Prince Heinrich of Prussia will arrive in Saint Petersburg tomorrow morning. He hopes to be granted an audience with you."
The following day.
The Tsar listened as Prince Heinrich presented his proposal for a three-nation alliance to conduct truce negotiations with Poland. She nodded in strong agreement, adding, "We can also invite Britain to join the negotiations."
Since the British were unwilling to lend money to Russia, they surely wouldn't refuse to offer a little diplomatic assistance.
As Britain's ally, Prince Heinrich naturally had no objections. "Your suggestion is excellent. I will submit a request to London."
"They will agree," the Tsar said with a smile.
Though Poland, a smaller nation, had performed quite well on the battlefield, it could only choose to yield under the pressure of four great powers.
Perhaps Russia could even gain more than just Minsk and Mozyr.
That same afternoon, she appointed Zubov as her plenipotentiary, sending him to London along with the Austrian Prince.
...
Paris.
Versailles Palace.
Joseph glanced at the document Father Sais had just submitted regarding the Polish truce negotiations, a slight frown creasing his brow.
The document stated: Russia, Prussia, and Austria had formed an alliance to jointly conduct truce negotiations with Poland, with Britain participating as a "mediator."
Russia, Prussia, and Austria demanded that Poland cede the territories they had militarily occupied, totaling two provinces for Russia, three for Prussia, and one for Austria.
Poland's army strength must not exceed 40,000 men.
Gdańsk Port would be jointly administered by Poland and Prussia, with no military stationed there.
A substantial sum in war reparations...
Britain expressed full support for the three nations' demands, urging Poland to sign as quickly as possible.
'What a world of the strong preying on the weak,' he thought.
Joseph sighed softly, then looked at Father Sais, who had just returned from Poland. "So, what is Warsaw's opinion?"
Father Sais' voice was low. "Your Highness, the Polish Parliament is preparing to accept these terms.
"You know, the situation within Poland is also extremely dire.
"At the current intensity of the war, without external aid, they can sustain themselves for at most two to three more months, and that's only by exhausting all their national strength."
Since the war began, Poland had conscripted over 240,000 young men. Besides those directly deployed to the front lines, over a hundred thousand were responsible for logistics and transport.
For a small nation of only 10 million people, this was almost their absolute limit.
It was important to remember that Poland also had a significant Eastern Orthodox population. The parliament was hesitant to utilize these individuals in the current war.
Poland's financial income relied almost entirely on agriculture. Had it not been for the Tarnowskie Góry silver mine bolstering them, the country's economy would have collapsed two months ago.
Therefore, Poland's national weakness compelled it to accept a truce; otherwise, the entire country faced collapse.
Joseph picked up the truce negotiation terms once more.
To be honest, compared to the historical "Second Partition" which caused Poland to lose 300,000 square kilometers of territory, this was already a far better outcome.
Even if all six provinces demanded by Russia, Prussia, and Austria were ceded, it would only amount to fifty to sixty thousand square kilometers in total, with only Poznan being a relatively wealthy province.
"Three-Nation Alliance?" Joseph read the top line of the document, then a thought struck him. 'They want to exert pressure together, but a disunited alliance often backfires.'
After a brief moment of thought, he gave instructions to Father Sais, telling him to return to Saxony immediately—the location of the upcoming truce negotiations.
March 14, 1793.
Saxony.
Dresden Royal Palace.
Count Mawalofski, the Polish Royal Minister, cast a cold gaze around at the four-nation negotiating representatives before him, then tossed his pen onto the table. "Thieves, traitors, oath-breakers, ha! Poland will not accept these terms!"
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