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Chapter 891: The Proper Way to Open an Alliance

Historically, when the male line of the Duchy of Modena went extinct, Austria immediately dispatched Francesco, the cousin of Franz II, to take over as Duke.

This Francesco's mother was the daughter of the current Duke of Modena, Ercole III, and she had married Ferdinand Karl, the younger brother of Leopold II.

Relying on this single thread of bloodline, Austria had managed to pull Modena into the Habsburg era.

This maneuver actually violated the Salic Law—the set of succession laws that dictated daughters had no right to inherit the throne.

However, since there were no other contenders for the crown, Francesco IV ultimately became the new Duke of Modena.

But now, Joseph intended to plant a powerful competitor for the Modenese throne!

Once Ercole III passed away, his French wife would naturally be able to control Modena's political landscape.

Francesco had hardly ever set foot in Modena before this; he stood absolutely no chance of competing against her.

Afterward, whether the nobles of Modena collectively elected a new Duke or transitioned directly to a parliamentary system was acceptable to France. At the very least, the territory would not fall into the hands of the House of Habsburg.

Of course, whether France would accept such an enclave would depend on the international situation at the time and France's own national strength.

The Modenese Foreign Minister bowed without hesitation. "To be joined in marriage with the great nation of France is a supreme honor for Modena!"

"I shall report this to His Highness immediately. I am certain he will be overjoyed," he declared.

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Ludovico, who was dancing with Princess Thérèse, and the bitterness in his heart instantly vanished. 'Isn't it just about gaining a vast territory through marriage? Modena can do that too!'

Bologna was even larger than Ferrara, nearly doubling Modena's national territory.

Seeing that both Parma and Modena were returning home with full pockets, and that the Ferrara region had already been partitioned, the President of Milan, Giuseppina, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed low.

"Your Highness, your loyal Milan..."

Indeed, in the Milanese parliamentary elections that had concluded the previous week, Giuseppina, backed by France, had been elected as the first President of the Republic of Milan with a high number of votes, despite being in Paris at the time. With this, the Lombardy region had officially bid farewell to Austria. Even if the Austrians were to suddenly display bursts of martial prowess and reoccupy Lombardy in the future, they would face endless uprisings and resistance from the Milanese people.

Joseph interrupted his lament with a smile. "Once the Siege of Mantua is over, Lake Garda will become an inland lake of the Republic of Milan, along with all areas on the western bank of the Adige River."

Giuseppina was stunned for a moment before his face clouded with worry. "Your Highness, but those are provinces belonging to Venice..."

Joseph shook his head. "Venice was originally just a few port cities; its area wasn't even as large as Genoa."

"Most of the territory they hold now was stolen from the Marquisate of Verona through despicable means."

"And when the Holy See granted Verona to Venice back then, it clearly lacked any legal or historical basis."

Joseph had recently done a tremendous amount of homework regarding the political situation in Northern Italy. He had discovered that the interests of the various families in this region were so intricately intertwined that there were countless angles he could exploit.

For instance, the Marquisate of Verona, the setting for the story of Romeo and Juliet, had existed since Roman times. Over two hundred years ago, the Venetians used their massive reserves of gold coins to economically penetrate the country while bribing the Holy See, eventually seizing Verona.

He continued, "In reality, the Visconti Dukes are the legitimate rulers of Verona."

The Visconti he referred to were the historical rulers of the Duchy of Milan who had once fought Venice for Verona and even occupied it for a time, only to be forced out by the intervention of the Holy See.

In truth, Verona had originally belonged to the Scaliger family; both Milan and Venice had simply been looters.

However, that was how "historical evidence" worked—one stated whatever was most beneficial to France.

Although Giuseppina was ecstatic at the Crown Prince's proposal, he still found it difficult. "Your Highness, but our country does not have the capability to reclaim our ancestral lands..."

Joseph clapped him firmly on the shoulder and said solemnly:

"You see, General Napoleon is leading tens of thousands of French soldiers in a bloody struggle at Mantua specifically to open the path north to Venice."

Giuseppina was instantly overjoyed.

Venice was a powerful opponent for Milan, but it was not even worth mentioning in the face of the French army.

As long as France had plans to continue north, Milan could simply follow behind and easily obtain the vast territories promised by the Crown Prince.

'This might be Milan's only chance for expansion!'

He hurriedly bowed. "I thank the great nation of France for upholding justice for my country."

"Our military strength is weak, but we can certainly contribute to the logistics and supplies!"

He gritted his teeth and added, "I guarantee you that half of General Napoleon's logistical consumption in Mantua will be provided by the Milanese Parliament!"

Napoleon currently commanded an army of over sixty thousand men, and they were in a state of intense combat, making their consumption enormous.

Even for a place as wealthy as Milan—the most prosperous part of Northern Italy—supporting half of the logistics for such a large force would require a total national effort.

Joseph nodded in satisfaction.

Although Venice was a Republic, it was a region under direct Austrian influence and provided a significant amount of tax revenue for Austria.

Therefore, attacking Venice was a crucial step in defeating Austria.

Furthermore, to travel from Northern Italy to the Austrian heartland, one had to pass through Venice.

By pulling Milan along with France to the north, it would significantly reduce France's military expenditures.

And before this, he had already brought Sardinia on board.

In the future, Parma and Modena would surely join the war as well—with a cake as large as Venice on the table, who wouldn't want a slice?

This was the correct way to utilize the Northern Italian states.

Compared to the coalition of Britain, Prussia, and Austria, the efficiency of the Mediterranean Defense Organization was several levels higher.

First and foremost, the organization had a clear core: France. Policy came from a single source, with no buck-passing or bickering. The French army handled the main offensive, while other countries handled auxiliary tasks and provided logistics.

In contrast, the Anti-French Coalition fought their own separate battles, with no one willing to defer to the others. It was very easy for internal friction to occur, allowing them to be picked off one by one.

Furthermore, the members of the defense organization had very consistent interests.

The Northern Italian states were practically begging to go to war alongside France; they would even get upset if they weren't allowed to participate.

Looking at the Anti-French Coalition, Prussia had already withdrawn from the war. Austria was finding itself in a terrible fix in Italy, and none of its allies were lifting a finger to help.

Before the ball even ended, Giuseppina drafted the directive for the Milanese Parliament to raise funds in the hall's lounge. He then instructed his attendants to send it back to the country overnight via the Chappe signal towers.

Indeed, the Chappe signal towers were on standby twenty-four hours a day. And because the lights were even more conspicuous at night, the efficiency of transmitting information was even higher.