Chapter 883: Return to South Germany
Chapter 884: Return to South Germany
Half an hour later, Ludwig, looking panicked, saw the French Foreign Minister out of the palace.
Once Talleyrand’s carriage vanished from sight, he rubbed his trembling legs, turned, and hurried toward King Karl Eugen’s bedroom.
Talleyrand had just informed him that France’s financial order had been severely disrupted due to the recent gold run, resulting in losses exceeding 67 million francs.
If the French government hadn't secured high-interest loans from Italian states to bridge the gap, their finances might have collapsed by now.
France had discovered that Britain was the mastermind behind this, and the reason the British could launch a financial war was that states like Württemberg had provided them with large amounts of franc banknotes.
Ludwig had previously only read in the newspapers that France had withstood the attack on its gold reserves; he hadn't realized the losses were so staggering.
He didn't doubt the figures Talleyrand provided. After all, the incident was known throughout Europe, showing how serious the situation was.
In reality, if he had expressed doubt, Talleyrand would have generously invited him to the Bank of France to verify—the loss accounts were naturally prepared in advance, leaving no room for suspicion.
Crown Prince Ludwig looked at the King, who was frail and weakened by illness, and continued cautiously:
"Your Majesty, the compensation requirements proposed by the French government are—
"First, immediate termination of the previous loan agreement. Our country must repay all ten million francs in loans within one month, plus a five million franc penalty for breach of contract.
"Second, compensation for France's losses in the gold run incident amounting to 19 million francs. This amount is calculated based on the proportion of loans provided by the South German states to the British.
"Third, our country must compensate for the loss of reputation of the Bank of France. This includes five million francs in reparations and a public apology."
The ministers in the room gasped upon hearing this.
All the compensation combined totaled nearly 40 million francs, exceeding Württemberg's total national revenue for a year and a half.
They couldn't afford to pay even if they sold everything...
As for defaulting?
They didn't even dare to think about it.
The French army was less than a hundred kilometers away. If Württemberg didn't pay, Masséna would lead his army to take it himself.
After a long silence, the Minister of the Interior spoke: "Your Majesty, perhaps we should seek help from the Emperor..."
Ludwig sighed: "Vienna has just ordered a general mobilization and is focusing all its efforts on defending Mantua. They have no time for us."
Marquis Herder, the Minister of War, added in a low voice: "I heard that Bavaria recently sought help from the Emperor but received no response..."
Bavaria was the western gateway to Austria, far more important than a peripheral small state like Württemberg.
Another agonizing silence followed.
Zimmerman, the Foreign Minister, suddenly remembered something and said uncertainly: "Your Majesty, I’ve heard that the French Foreign Minister is very fond of money. If we can satisfy him, perhaps we can get some advice."
King Karl Eugen coughed and gestured to his brother: "Ludwig, go meet Monsieur Talleyrand privately. Oh, and take twenty thousand florins with you..."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Early the next morning.
In an exquisite villa not far from the Stuttgart palace, Talleyrand glanced at the gold coins in the wooden chest. He signaled a servant to take them away, his eyes softening as he looked at Ludwig:
"Crown Prince, regarding the matter of compensation, if you can satisfy our Crown Prince, it is not impossible to find a way out."
"Please tell me what I must do, for God's sake!"
Talleyrand smiled and handed him a glass of wine:
"As you know, our country is at war with Austria. If your country could completely sever ties with the wicked Austria, His Highness would be very pleased."
Ludwig asked cautiously: "What do you mean by severing ties?"
"For example, announcing Württemberg’s withdrawal from the Holy Roman Empire."
Ludwig was immediately shaken, waving his hands repeatedly: "This? How can that be? Vienna will not forgive us..."
Talleyrand’s face immediately darkened: "If you are unwilling, then there is nothing I can do."
Ludwig begged piteously and promised an additional 10,000 florins as a consultation fee before Talleyrand spoke again, seemingly reluctant:
"Fine, let me think. Well, you must at least show an attitude of separation.
"For instance, expelling the Holy Roman Imperial garrison."
The so-called Imperial Army consisted of troops sent to various states by Austria in the name of the Emperor.
Although these troops were few in number, they represented the Empire’s legitimacy over the various states.
Currently, Württemberg had over 400 Imperial soldiers.
Ludwig struggled for a while before finally choosing to expel the garrison over paying 40 million francs.
Since Austria was at war, he could find an excuse; it wouldn't necessarily enrage them.
"Very well, I will suggest to His Majesty that the Imperial Army should leave." He looked at Talleyrand expectantly. "So, about the compensation?"
"Expelling the Imperial Army is far less significant than leaving the Empire. You must do more," Talleyrand mused. "Ah, I have an idea. Perhaps you could initiate the restart of the Seine-Rhine River Agreement."
Since the war between France and Austria began, the Seine-Rhine River Agreement could no longer be implemented.
One of Austria’s original motivations for the war was to abolish this trade agreement.
Now that the war along the Rhine was largely over, Joseph had no intention of abandoning the vast market of South Germany.
Of course, Austria would try its best to prevent France from returning, but its military failures had greatly diminished its influence in the region.
Furthermore, the South German states had breached their loan agreements, providing the perfect excuse for France to take action.
As for whether these small states would face trade sanctions from Austria after signing a trade agreement with France, that was their own concern.
In fact, Joseph was certain that given Austria’s dependence on the South German market, they would mostly just put on a show and continue business as usual.
Of course, once Austria recovered, it was possible they would use their army to threaten the South German states into withdrawing from the agreement.
But by then, the threatened states would likely have formed an economic bond with France and would be unwilling to follow Austria's orders.
At that point, they would have only one choice.
To request French military protection.
And France, to protect its commercial interests, would certainly fulfill its duty.
They might even lead all the states under the Seine-Rhine River Agreement to collectively resist Austria’s unwarranted trampling on free trade rights!
Regardless of how the war turned out in the end, the rift between Austria and the German states would continue to widen.
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