Chapter 312: Declaring War on... No, Declaring War on the Netherlands Rebels
When it came to deciding on France's involvement in the Austro-Prussian war, it was a decision that required utmost caution. After receiving affirmations from key ministers, Queen Marie Antoinette promptly convened an expanded Cabinet meeting to discuss whether to send troops to Silesia.
Everyone was present at this meeting, from all the cabinet ministers and military leaders to the royal family members like the Count of Provence and the Count of Artois—except for the Minister of Commerce, who was still in Munich negotiating the trade agreement.
Despite the seemingly solemn and grand nature of the meeting, the outcome was largely predictable. Under the leadership of Archbishop Brienne, the cabinet ministers unanimously supported joining the war. The War Minister, Duke de Broglie, even proclaimed that this was a "historic opportunity" for France to expand its influence in Europe. Of course, he was so enthusiastic because the Crown Prince had promised him an irresistible reward.
Duke de Broglie then had Berthier provide a military analysis, which showed that supporting Austria had a high chance of success. Even if Prussia were to win, France's losses would be minimal.
The Count of Provence, who was King Louis XVI's younger brother and not fully aware of the situation, furrowed his brow and raised a crucial question:
"Duke de Broglie, how many troops are we planning to send, and will this cause any financial strain?"
After all, France was still dealing with a deficit of several billion livres.
This was also the concern that most worried Queen Marie Antoinette, who immediately looked to Duke de Broglie for an answer.
Before the War Minister could speak, Talleyrand stood up, bowed slightly to the Count of Provence, and said:
"My Lord, our involvement in this war is actually quite cost-effective. Emperor Joseph II has already promised that, as a reward for our participation, he will fully support the conclusion of the trade agreement between France, Austria, and the Southern German states. You may have already heard of it—the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement.
"In fact, when I left Munich, the negotiations were nearly complete. This means that our goods will soon be able to flood the markets of Southern Germany, allowing us to recoup the costs of this war through trade."
Duke de Broglie quickly added:
"Furthermore, we will strictly control the scale of our involvement. Initially, we will deploy no more than 50,000 troops, so the expenses won't be too high."
Queen Marie Antoinette then looked toward the Finance Minister.
Brienne, who had already prepared for this, promptly replied:
"Your Majesty, the current financial situation is relatively stable. Issuing a few bonds will be enough to cover the expenses for 50,000 troops for one or two years."
In reality, if not for the large sums needed for tax reform, the funds seized from the Duke of Orléans—amounting to some 50-60 million livres—would have been more than sufficient to finance the French military campaign.
With her biggest concern finally addressed, Queen Marie Antoinette continued to discuss the pros and cons of joining the war with the ministers. Seeing that everyone was surprisingly united in their opinions, she hesitated no longer.
At 5 PM, she turned to Brienne and solemnly ordered:
"Then please draft the documents. France will formally ally with Austria and declare war on Prussia."
Sitting quietly in a corner, Joseph almost choked on his own spit when he heard this. He thought to himself, "Mom, you're being way too straightforward! How can you turn what's supposed to be us fishing in troubled waters into a full-on alliance and declaration of war? You're making Austria's problem our problem—there'll be no getting out of it after this."
Quickly clearing his throat, he stood up, bowed to Queen Marie Antoinette, and said:
"Your Majesty, I believe there is no need to declare war on Prussia just yet."
Seeing the puzzled looks from the Queen and the others, Joseph explained:
"The situation on the battlefield is still unclear. We should be cautious about declaring war."
"But our troops are about to head to Silesia to fight the Prussians. Isn't that, in effect, a declaration of war?"
"No, no. We're merely responding to Austria's invitation to maintain order in the area."
"But…"
"We'll send the troops, and we'll fight as necessary, but there's no need to formally declare war. Prussia likely won't declare war on us, either."
Unless the Prussians were fools, they would likely pretend not to see the French troops, because a declaration of war would tie France irrevocably to Austria's side.
Duke de Broglie frowned and said:
"Your Highness, Austria may strongly insist that we declare war on Prussia."
A cunning smile flickered across Joseph's face:
"If we must declare war, then let's declare it on the Netherlands rebels.
"Last month, they brazenly looted one of our trade caravans. That was a blatant provocation, and we cannot let it slide!"
"What? The Netherlands rebels looted a French trade caravan?" A wave of confusion spread through the hall.
Berthier was the first to catch on:
"Your Highness, do you mean the time the Netherlands rebels attacked our supply convoy destined for Austria?"
"What Austrian supplies?" Joseph deliberately put on a stern face. "That was food and iron goods purchased by Luxembourg. It was a normal commercial transaction!"
"Yes, Your Highness. I misspoke. It was indeed goods ordered by Luxembourg."
Brienne, Duke de Broglie, and the other ministers quickly agreed with the Crown Prince, and Queen Marie Antoinette had no choice but to follow their advice. She decided to declare war on the Netherlands rebels first. If Austria later gained the upper hand on the battlefield, they could then officially announce the Franco-Austrian alliance and declare war on Prussia.
However, what she didn't know was that Joseph had already planned everything out and had no intention of letting either Prussia or Austria gain a clear advantage.
As long as Prussia and Austria continued to fight, even if the conflict wasn't intense, they wouldn't be able to join forces to partition Poland. In fact, they might even try to win Poland's support by making concessions.
If Russia later decided to move against Poland, Poland would avoid being attacked from all sides and could focus its efforts on defending against Russian forces. Even if Poland ultimately couldn't resist, at least it could hold out for a few more years than it did historically.
And while the rest of Europe was engulfed in conflict, France would have the opportunity to quietly develop and discreetly sell supplies to the warring nations.
At 6 PM, the Cabinet meeting ended, marking a critical step in France's decision to join Austria in the Austro-Prussian war. Of course, it wasn't a matter that could be fully discussed in just one day. The meeting had merely set the tone, and the specifics of France's involvement would require lengthy discussions in subsequent Cabinet meetings.
However, the real plans were made in the Crown Prince's study, and only later presented to the Cabinet for formal approval.
Eman opened the door to the study and stood aside respectfully.
Joseph walked into the room and turned to Talleyrand, asking:
"Is everything ready on the Netherlands side?"
Talleyrand immediately nodded and lowered his voice:
"Yes, Your Highness. As soon as the time is right, Ferdinand will receive the message."
He was referring to Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, the commander of the Prussian army.
(End of chapter)
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