Chapter 827: Busy Diplomacy
Thugut merely offered a few words of diplomatic praise, but a flash of pleasant surprise lit up Prince Heinrich’s eyes.
He had previously spoken with Marquis Wellesley about the latter’s New Army and knew well that it was a formidable, elite force.
"Therefore, victory shall ultimately belong to the Coalition," the Prince remarked happily, tapping his cane against the marble floor of the corridor. "The war will surely be over before the end of the year!"
Lord Grenville nodded with a smile. "Indeed. As such, we must launch a general offensive toward Luxembourg as soon as possible; it will do much to stabilize the army's morale. Furthermore, we can coordinate an attack from Basel. I’ve heard the French have diverted their garrison from Alsace to Italy. This should be our opportunity."
Baron Thugut exchanged a knowing look with him. "The Imperial War Council shares that sentiment."
......
The Northern Mediterranean.
The Ligurian Bay.
Count Mirandola, the special envoy of the King of Modena, listened contentedly to the rhythmic slap-slap-slap of the paddlewheels hitting the sea. He turned to the captain standing beside him and asked, "Mr. Picot, how much further until we reach Marseilles?"
Mirandola nodded with satisfaction before turning to his attendant. "Those fellows from Parma actually thought they could reach Paris before me just by crossing the Cadibona Pass?"
The attendant quickly chimed in with a flattering tone, "He likely hasn't even heard of a steam paddleboat. Once we reach Marseilles, we can continue by river ferry up the Rhone. We’ll arrive at least four days ahead of Prince Ludovico."
"Ha, such is the miracle of industry." Mirandola gave a thumbs-up toward the funnel behind them. "Not to mention the envoys from Lucca and Milan. I expect only the Sardinians might manage to enter Versailles at the same time as us."
It was no wonder he was so excited.
At the moment, several states in Northern Italy had received security guarantees from France, along with promises of low-interest loans to aid their development. A race to Paris had immediately broken out among the various nations.
On one hand, the total amount of loans was surely limited; those who arrived first would have the chance to claim a larger share, while those who arrived late might find nothing but crumbs left over.
On the other hand, whoever arrived at Versailles first would leave the deepest impression on the French Royal Family. Since Northern Italy would essentially be following France's lead from now on, the value of such a good impression was immeasurable.
Mirandola was a quick-witted man who kept up with modern innovations. Once he was certain the British fleet had withdrawn from the Mediterranean, he immediately decided to take a steamship to France.
As it turned out, he really did have a significant lead.
It was worth noting that Parma was considerably closer to France than Modena, and Sardinia was closer by over a hundred kilometers.
However, what Mirandola did not expect was that after Prince Ludovico of Parma arrived in Toulon, his generous spending on local French officials led someone to reveal the existence of the Chappe Signal Towers—a system that could transmit a message to Paris in just forty minutes.
Overjoyed, Ludovico immediately spent four thousand francs to have the Governor of Toulon send a respectful and humble letter of greeting to the King and Queen of France on his behalf.
He had beaten Mirandola by a full five days.
......
St. Petersburg.
The Winter Palace.
Count Stroganov, the Russian Ambassador to France, hurried down the corridor. Had it not been for the constraints of court etiquette, he would have likely run all the way to the Tsar’s presence.
He had departed from Paris over four months ago, but just as he reached Strasbourg, he encountered the clash between the French and Austrian armies.
Not daring to risk crossing a war zone filled with cannon fire and unsure of when the fighting would end, he was forced to turn back and head north, intending to travel through Luxembourg.
However, fighting had broken out there as well.
He then attempted to travel by sea through Northern Europe, crossing the Baltic Sea to reach St. Petersburg via Riga, only to find the French coast blockaded by the British fleet once again.
Despite his diplomatic status, he still didn't dare take the risk—who knew if a British warship might fire a few rounds first before boarding to check his credentials? After all, many French merchant ships flew Russian or Danish flags in an attempt to slip through the blockade.
In the end, he had to wait for a Russian warship to escort him before he finally made it back to Russia.
By now, it was already August.
Although Count Stroganov did not know the Tsarina’s stance regarding Queen Mary’s marriage proposal, as the messenger, he felt he had already delayed a matter of national importance and was naturally consumed by anxiety.
In the corridor, several young nobles passed him from the opposite direction. Their hushed whispers reached his ears nonetheless.
"Her Majesty is too old; she has to repeat what others say several times just to understand it..."
"I heard she even finds walking to be a great struggle now."
"Now the affairs of state are entirely in the hands of that man Zubov, and he is a complete incompetent!"
"But the Empress trusts him implicitly..."
"That corrupt official must be toppled! He only knows how to embezzle and suppress his rivals. If this continues, the Empire will be ruined!"
"You're right, but Her Majesty won't allow anyone to say a word against him."
"The Empire is already in a state of crisis. If you ask me, we should just deal with that one as well..."
The others were startled and hurriedly covered the last speaker's mouth, glancing around warily.
Count Stroganov pretended to turn and speak with his own attendant as he hurried past them.
A moment later, he arrived at Catherine II's bedroom. He straightened his collar and followed the Tsar's attendant as the door was opened.
Catherine II was reclining in bed, listening to Zubov speak. Seeing the Ambassador to France bow to her, she slightly propped up her portly and elderly body.
"Ah, you have returned, Count Stroganov. Ivan, bring a chair for him."
The Ambassador sat by her bedside and immediately produced Queen Mary’s handwritten letter. "Your Majesty, this was written to you by the Queen of France. The contents likely concern the marriage of the Crown Prince."
Catherine II gestured for Zubov to open the envelope and nodded with a smile. "I have read your report. To be honest, I am quite surprised. The House of Romanov and the House of Bourbon have never had a history of intermarriage."
She said this to save face for Russia. The French Royal Family was notoriously arrogant and had never thought much of the 'barbarians' of Eastern Europe.
Similarly, Russia had never previously harbored ambitions of marrying into the French royalty, preferring to look toward the German states instead.
The Tsarina listened as Zubov read Queen Mary’s letter—the content was very formal and devoid of overt political maneuvering—then looked back at Count Stroganov. "Well then, what is your opinion on this?"
The Count considered his words before responding, "Your Majesty, I believe the French are sincere in their desire to see this through. Her Majesty's special envoy is already on his way. He is merely waiting for a positive response from you before he immediately comes for an audience."
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