Chapter 819: Chapter 727: Weak Nations and Diplomacy

Franz II gripped his cane tightly and began pacing back and forth anxiously.

The financial situation in Austria was already dire. He had originally planned to take advantage of Russia drawing away the majority of Poland’s troops to bite off a large chunk from Poland and resolve domestic issues.

But after months of fighting, Austria had only barely managed to occupy Sandomierz–and even then, only the part west of the Sang River. Roughly 80% of a single province’s territory.

The profits Austria gained were only slightly higher than its military expenditure.

If Russia and Poland were to cease hostilities now, Poland’s Eastern Front troops would soon be redeployed to the Western Front.

Wilmze was already struggling to take Krakow; under such circumstances, it would be out of the question.

He stopped in his tracks and said to Tugut, “I want to send reinforcements to the front line and take Krakow as quickly as possible!”

Tugut lowered his head awkwardly and stared at the tips of his shoes, coughing lightly: “Ahem, Your Majesty, doing that would escalate this into a full-scale war with Poland… and the military costs would be at least eight to ten times what they are now.”

“What? That much!”

Franz froze for a moment, then hesitated and asked, “Then what is your suggestion?”

Tugut raised his head again: “Your Majesty, we could negotiate a ceasefire with Poland as a united alliance with Prussia and Russia.

“Poland would face pressure from all three nations, and only then could we stabilize our current gains to the greatest extent.”

Franz II had no other ideas. Pretending to deliberate carefully, he nodded and said, “Then I entrust you to contact Prussia and Russia as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

…

Potsdam.

Sanssouci Palace.

William II waved his hand and shouted, “Gdansk, what I want is Gdansk!”

Prince Henry sighed quietly and said, “Your Majesty, in my estimation, within at most a month, six or seven thousand Polish troops from the Eastern Front will return to defend Gdansk and other regions.

“Judging by the determination the Poles have shown in this war, they may not be easy to deal with.

“Currently, we’ve occupied three provinces in the Great Poland Region, and the gains have been substantial enough.”

William II gave him a sideways glance, “So, you believe we should stop fighting immediately?”

“We should unite with Russia and Austria to force Poland into concessions during ceasefire negotiations.”

…

Saint Petersburg.

Catherine II glared at Zubov, who had just returned from London, gritting her teeth: “The British claimed repeatedly that they supported our war against Poland. For that, I risked offending France, expanded trade with them, and even allowed them to mine in the Donbass.

“And this is how they repay me?

“Five hundred thousand rubles–ha, they’re treating us like beggars!”

Zubov hung his head, not even daring to breathe heavily.

He had gone to London full of confidence to secure a loan, only to find that Britain was busy preparing for war with France. Coupled with the gas streetlight incident there and losses in the Caribbean colonies, Congress had flat-out refused to lend money to Russia.

For Russia, the only option left now was to cease hostilities.

The Tsar looked at Zubov again, annoyed: “You’ll be in charge of the ceasefire negotiations with Poland. At the very least, preserve Minsk and Mozhili for me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I promise I won’t let you down.”

At that moment, a court official strode in quickly, bowing to Catherine II: “Your Majesty, Prince Henry of Prussia will arrive in Saint Petersburg tomorrow morning. He hopes for an audience with you.”

The next day.

The Tsar listened to Prince Henry’s proposal for a tripartite alliance to negotiate a joint ceasefire with Poland. She nodded in approval and added, “We can involve Britain in the negotiations as well.”

If the British refuse to lend money, they certainly won’t object to contributing diplomatically.

As Britain’s ally, Prince Henry naturally had no objections: “That’s an excellent suggestion. I will relay the request to London.”

“They will agree.” The Tsar smiled.

A small country like Poland, despite performing decently on the battlefield, could only yield under the pressure of four major powers.

Perhaps Russia could gain something more than just Minsk and Mozhili.

That afternoon, she appointed Zubov as her plenipotentiary representative, sending him to London alongside the Austrian prince.

…

Paris.

Palace of Versailles.

Joseph frowned slightly as he read the document Sais had just presented regarding the negotiations for a ceasefire with Poland.

The document stated that Russia, Prussia, and Austria formed an alliance and jointly negotiated a ceasefire with Poland, with Britain participating as a “mediator.”

Russia, Prussia, and Austria demanded Poland cede the territories militarily occupied by them: Two provinces to Russia, three to Prussia, and one to Austria.

Poland had to limit its military force to no more than fifty thousand soldiers.

The Gdansk Port would be jointly managed by Poland and Prussia, with no military presence allowed.

Britain fully supported the demands of the three nations and urged Poland to sign quickly.

“This world of the strong devouring the weak…”

Joseph sighed softly and looked at Sais, who had just returned from Poland, “What is Warsaw’s stance?”

Sais spoke in a solemn tone, “Your Highness, the Polish Parliament is preparing to accept these terms.

“You’re aware that the situation within Poland is extremely dire as well.

“At the current intensity of warfare, without external assistance, they can hold out for at most another two to three months, and that’s only if they exhaust all their national resources.”

Since the start of the war, Poland had already conscripted over two hundred forty thousand young men. Apart from those directly sent to the front lines, tens of thousands were assigned to logistics and supply.

For a small nation with only ten million people, this was almost the limit.

Moreover, Poland had a significant Eastern Orthodox population, and the Parliament had been hesitant to utilize them in the war.

Poland’s fiscal revenue was almost entirely reliant on agriculture. Were it not for the Tarnovsk Mountain Silver Mine, their economy would have collapsed two months earlier.

Thus, the weakness of Poland’s national power left them no choice but to accept a ceasefire. Otherwise, they faced outright collapse.

Joseph picked up the ceasefire negotiation terms again.

To be honest, compared to the “Two Melons” historical partition that cost Poland three hundred thousand square kilometers of territory, this was much more lenient.

Even if the six provinces demanded by Russia, Prussia, and Austria were ceded, it would amount to only seventy or eighty thousand square kilometers, with only Poznan being relatively wealthy.

“The Triple Alliance?” Joseph read the title at the top of the document and suddenly had a thought, “They want to apply joint pressure, but a superficial alliance often leads to adverse effects.”

He pondered briefly and instructed Sais to return to Saxon immediately–the location of the ceasefire negotiations.

March 14, 1793.

Saxon.

Dresden Royal Palace.

Polish Royal Minister Mavahovski glared coldly at the representatives of the four nations sitting before him. He flung the pen onto the table: “Thieves, traitors, oath-breakers–hmph. Poland will not accept these terms.”