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Chapter 943: When the Wind Blows, There's No Stopping It

As the representative of a nation that had recently traded blows with France in the Southern Netherlands, the Dutch Prime Minister's reception was nowhere near as warm as that of the Danes.

Schimmelpenninck waited for over three hours in a cramped side room on the second floor of Versailles before he was finally granted an audience with the French Crown Prince.

Then, in less than twenty minutes, he emerged from Joseph’s drawing room with a crestfallen expression.

The simple truth was that the Netherlands currently had nothing to offer that could sway France.

After extensive deliberation with the Dutch People's Party members, he discovered they could only scrape together a loan of about 1.1 million Dutch guilders.

Furthermore, because their party represented the interests of financial capitalists, they couldn't even lower the interest rate.

Joseph naturally had no desire to embroil himself in Dutch internal affairs for a measly 13 million francs.

He had helped these liberals defeat William V years ago, only for them to turn around and join Britain in intervening in the Southern Netherlands. Now, letting William V teach them a lesson seemed like a fine idea.

Even if William V returned to power, it wouldn't much affect France.

After all, even William V's patron, Prussia, had already bowed to France. After enduring a civil war, he might even be more pro-French than the liberal government in a bid to stabilize his rule.

Just as Joseph finished lunch, Eman leaned in and whispered, "Your Highness, the Sultan's special envoy is preparing for his audience. He should arrive at Versailles in about an hour."

Joseph rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a wave of exhaustion.

Lately, foreign envoys had been appearing at Versailles in an almost literal revolving door. These were only the high-ranking ones who required his personal attention; Talleyrand and Count Saigul were undoubtedly dealing with far more.

Having dismantled the Anti-French Coalition—though Britain still stood alone as its sole support, the land war was effectively over—France had suddenly become the political epicenter of the European continent.

Nearly every nation was scrambling to recalibrate their diplomatic ties with France.

Generally speaking, they were flocking to curry favor, or at the very least, ensure they didn't cause offense.

Protocol usually dictated that Louis XVI and the Queen receive a Sultan's envoy, but Joseph didn't want the Franco-Ottoman relationship to appear too conspicuous. He arranged for a relatively modest diplomatic reception instead.

After Ottoman Special Envoy Hamoud Zagallos completed a long, ritualistic ceremony, he followed Joseph into the Hall of Peace at Versailles.

"His Majesty the Sultan has commanded me to convey his most sincere blessings to you, noble Crown Prince," Zagallos said, bowing low. He then signaled his servants to bring in crate after crate of gifts. "This is a token of the Sultan's deep affection for his ally. May they bring you prosperity."

Soon, chests of all sizes filled a corner of the hall. They were flung open, revealing a glittering array of gold and jewels that could make one's head spin. The Ottomans certainly preferred the direct approach of shoving wealth in your face.

A quick estimate put the value at over two or three million francs—far more generous than the Dutch.

However, Joseph immediately picked up on a term the envoy had used that hadn't been heard in a while: "Ally."

He instantly grew wary.

It was like an ex-girlfriend from ten years ago suddenly showing up with gifts and calling you "darling." She definitely wanted something big.

Sure enough, after Zagallos prattled on about traditional Franco-Ottoman friendship and recent successes in Mediterranean shipping cooperation, he cautiously steered the conversation toward Austria’s internal turmoil:

"...That wicked nation is paying a bitter price for the war it waged against Great France! Thousands of rebels in Transylvania and Slavonia are but a curse from the Lord upon them, leaving them to rot and wail until they perish.

"As you know, our nation has also had vast territories seized by those Austrian bandits. The imperial subjects of Wallachia have been enslaved and mistreated for over half a century.

"The Grand Vizier hopes to seize this opportunity while the bandit is wounded to reclaim the empire's northwestern borders. It would also serve as a follow-up punishment for the bandit's audacity in offending France!"

Joseph's expression remained neutral, but he sighed inwardly. 'When a wall starts to fall, everyone gives it a push.' Austria had barely begun to weaken, yet Prussia was already sharpening its blades in the north, and now the Ottomans were moving in from the south.

If he didn't give the House of Habsburg a hand now, they might be finished.

Yet, exhausting France's national strength for Austria's sake felt wrong.

He set the thought aside and considered what France would get in return for helping them.

Money was out of the question; they would likely struggle just to pay the 30 million florins in war reparations.

Territory... Austria was down to its core regions.

What about politics and diplomacy?

Suddenly, Joseph's eyes lit up.

'Right, the Holy Roman Emperor still carries significant political weight.'

The myriad of small German states would, out of habit, still pay heed to directives from Vienna.

And wasn't he currently working on something that required the participation of many small nations?

If he could get dozens of those minor states in Germany to join the International Maritime Convention, and then bring in the cluster of small Italian states, his member count would skyrocket.

He could then rebrand the International Maritime Convention: a recognized global standard for maritime conduct, with over sixty member states spanning from Northern Europe to Eastern Europe and North Africa.

'He should probably pull the Ottomans into the convention as well.'

The momentum would be unstoppable.

He had originally planned to push this through slowly over a decade, but with the Holy Roman Empire states as a "supporting cast," he could shorten the process to a year or two!

Britain could still rely on its powerful navy to throw its weight around the oceans, but the cost would be becoming the enemy of all Europe.

Joseph paused as the realization hit him.

To command the Austrian Emperor to order the German states to "join the group," he had to help him deal with the threats from Prussia and the Ottomans.

That meant spending money and troops, and offending the latter two nations.

The Ottoman trade, in particular, was booming.

He couldn't bear to lose that.

His mind raced. Could he use another power to help Austria weather the storm?

Like the Netherlands?

'That 13 million franc loan at ten percent interest that I turned down from Schimmelpenninck might not be much to me, but it would be a life-saving infusion for Austria.'

Joseph shook his head again. Even with military funds, it would be difficult for Austria to handle a pincer attack from the north and south simultaneously.

However, Archduke Charles was now commanding the Austrian army. If Joseph could buy him some time, that military genius might actually manage to defeat his enemies one by one.

So, could he delay the Ottoman advance?

Not without cutting off their arms supply, which would surely offend them.

What about making Prussia wait a few months?

Joseph couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. That was even more impossible. The Prussian army had already marched into Silesia; there was no way they would just sit around and wait.