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Chapter 849: British, Please Watch Closely

On the day following the surrender ceremony, the Duke of Brunswick departed for Prussia. He took with him four hundred soldiers—including several dozen cavalrymen and two cannons to maintain the appearance of a "complete unit"—under a French military escort.

Simultaneously, Joseph left Diekirch to return to Paris.

The situation in the Rhineland no longer required his personal supervision.

With Masséna’s heavy forces besieging the fortress of Cologne, its fall to the French was only a matter of time.

Once Cologne was secured, the entire Rhineland would be completely severed from the rest of the German states. Without the hope of reinforcements from the Coalition, cities like Geldern, Aachen, and Cleves would have no choice but to surrender.

Joseph was now focused on how to conclude this war and begin consolidating the spoils of victory.

From Cleves and Cologne in the north to Mannheim in the south, France’s gains in this campaign were immense.

Including the entire Rhineland, the West Bank of the Rhine was now firmly in French hands.

In other words, the "natural borders" that the French had long dreamed of had finally been realized.

This was a monumental achievement that would benefit the future generations of France for centuries.

Even if a powerful nation emerged nearby and sought to invade, they would first have to contend with the natural chasm of the Rhine.

France would no longer need to waste resources and labor on building something like a Maginot Line.

Nor would the enemy be able to bypass it through Belgium—Brussels was now French territory as well.

Of course, truly absorbing the West Bank of the Rhine would be no easy feat.

As Joseph stared out the window, lost in thought, Lefebvre, who sat across from him with a bandage wrapped around his forehead, spoke up. "Your Highness, do you truly intend to release those Prussian prisoners?"

Lefebvre had been wounded during the siege of Rothausen—a cannonball had toppled his horse, and he had struck his head on a rock when he fell. Joseph had insisted he accompany the royal convoy back to France to recover. After all, the comfort and speed of Joseph’s personal "Jewel XI" carriage far surpassed the standard military wagons.

Joseph nodded. "If the Duke of Brunswick can convince Prussia to withdraw from the Anti-French Coalition, it is a perfectly acceptable trade."

"In truth, I had originally planned to send Monsieur Talleyrand to Potsdam to offer the release of the captives in exchange for Prussian neutrality."

Lefebvre considered this carefully. "But Your Highness, what if Prussia breaks its promise and throws those troops back into the war against us?"

Joseph chuckled. "You needn't worry. To Prussia, France is currently a distant and formidable opponent."

"Austria, however, is a threat right under their nose."

"If Prussia is left with only a fraction of its remaining strength, they will certainly use it to defend themselves against Austria."

"In fact, even if William II didn't want those forty thousand prisoners, I would have forced them back on him."

Lefebvre was a capable soldier, but international politics was not his forte. He looked puzzled. "Why is that?"

Joseph explained, "Until we have completely defeated the British, we must maintain the balance of power between Prussia and Austria."

"Prussia lost over half its domestic forces in Luxembourg, most of whom were their best veterans."

"If Austria joins forces with Saxony and Bavaria to launch an offensive, Prussia might collapse entirely. If that happens, Austria would gain true control over the German states."

Lefebvre clenched his fist and spoke loudly, "Your Highness, then why don't we march straight to Vienna? We could ensure Austria never has the power to unify Germany again!"

Joseph shook his head with a smile. "Believe me, occupying Austria brings no benefit to France. On the contrary, it would only create a powerful enemy for us."

He knew very well that in another history, Napoleon had done exactly what Lefebvre suggested.

The French Grand Army had swept through the German states, crushed Prussia, and humbled Austria. It had looked glorious and brought immense short-term spoils of war.

But what was the result?

In the nineteenth century, an era of national awakening, trying to truly annex the vast German territories was an idiot's daydream. The Germans would inevitably find a shared hatred of the enemy and drive the French out of their lands.

In that process, the fragmented German states would stop caring whether they were Prussian or Bavarian. They would all rally under the banner of the German nation to fight the French occupiers to the death.

Ultimately, this would lead to a great German unification and the birth of a powerful, unified Germany.

Perhaps later, an "Iron Chancellor" or a failed art student would rise to challenge France, leading to an entire generation of French youth being ground to dust on the battlefield.

Even if France were lucky enough to suppress the German resistance time and again, a massive France stretching from the Atlantic to the Balkans would inevitably trigger Russia's alarm.

Russia would immediately set aside its grievances with the Ottomans and join hands with others to "help" the Germans reclaim their sovereignty.

The international situation Napoleon faced was set in stone the moment he decided to sweep across the German states.

Some said Napoleon's invasion of Russia was a strategic blunder that led to his total defeat. They argued that if he had known when to stop, consolidated his German territories, and lived in peace with Russia, things would have been different.

But in reality, that scenario was impossible.

Even if Napoleon hadn't marched on Moscow, Russia would have eventually attacked Germany once they had caught their breath. The Russians would never sit by and watch a France that dominated both Western and Central Europe.

Therefore, the best strategy for France was to keep the German states fragmented and fuel the animosity between them.

By acting as a "mediator" in their constant internal strife, France could reap the benefits.

Then, France could focus all its energy on dealing with the British, those meddlesome instigators.

Without the British acting as a wedge from across the sea, France would have no rivals left on the continent. After a long period of steady management, it might even be possible to recreate the glory of the Roman Empire!

When Joseph’s convoy reached Verdun, a local postal official delivered a letter sent from Versailles via the Chappe signal tower.

The letter was written by Archbishop Brienne. The core message was brief: "The preparations for the Iberian-Apennine Summit are complete. We only await the Crown Prince's return to Paris for the opening ceremony."

A smile spread across Joseph's face.

This summit was the starting gun he would use to build his own coalition.

Indeed, rather than looting occupied lands and breeding resentment, this was the superior way to reap the rewards of war!

If the British could rely on their wealth and naval control to pull together an Anti-French Coalition, then France could use this victory to forge an Anti-British Alliance!