Chapter 827: Chapter 735: Anti-French Alliance

Count Rhinefeels, though he had already suspected it, still felt his heartbeat quicken when the British confirmed it in person.

He probed softly:

“Are you saying that your country intends to confront France…?”

Lord Grenville nodded.

“How confident are you in victory?”

“There is no possibility of defeat.”

…

Vienna.

Schonbrunn Palace.

Franz II gripped his cane tightly, looked at the Foreign Minister, and asked:

“How confident are you in victory?”

Count Rhinefeels replied with composure: “Your Majesty, England and its allies will all join the war.”

England’s allies include Prussia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Hanover, which is already in a personal union with England–together, these nations form an extremely formidable force.

“The British fleet will blockade all French ports immediately. The French navy is only half the size of England’s, which means France will instantly lose all maritime trade.”

Count Rhinefeels elaborated on the British strategy: “Given France’s current debt situation, without income from maritime trade, even without engaging in war, it will collapse in no more than ten months.

“At the same time, England and its allies will mobilize more than 200,000 troops to launch a fierce assault on France.

“The enormous military expenditures will accelerate France’s financial collapse.

“So, regardless of the war’s progression, France will surrender within ten months.”

“Excellent!” Franz II could barely contain the joy on his face. “By then, the French will no longer be able to stop us from withdrawing from the Rhine-Saone Treaty and reclaiming sovereignty over the entire Southern Netherlands.

“The British have been a great help. Now we only need to wait for the war to end, and all our problems will be solved.”

Count Rhinefeels exchanged glances with Baron Tugut and others nearby, then cleared his throat and said, “Your Majesty, in fact, joining the war is the best choice for our nation.”

“Joining the war? Why?”

This time Baron Tugut quickly responded: “Your Majesty, if our nation remains a spectator while Prussia participates in defeating France, our influence in the Germanic Region will no longer be able to compete with Prussia’s.”

Franz II was taken aback–uniting Germany was Austria’s highest strategic objective, and he could not allow the German states to tilt toward Prussia.

“Exactly,” Count Rhinefeels added. “If we join the war, we can accelerate France’s defeat while also reaping significant war profits.”

Seeing the Emperor hesitate, Minister of the Interior Kobutsel stepped forward and stated passionately:

“Your Majesty, if our army can gain control of parts of French territory, it will fundamentally alter the power balance in Europe.”

Franz II felt a rush of blood to his head.

Indeed, the Habsburg family had once been one of Europe’s twin hegemons vying for control with France. But after the War of Austrian Succession, Austria’s national strength was greatly diminished, forcing it to shift focus to competing with Prussia for dominance over the Germanic Region.

If France could truly be defeated, the Habsburgs could march into Paris and once again become Europe’s undisputed hegemon!

What Germanic Region?

The Habsburg family’s vision would encompass the entire European Continent!

Franz II stood up immediately but suddenly thought of a concern and hesitated:

“But given the Empire’s financial situation, it would be difficult to sustain a large-scale military deployment.”

Count Rhinefeels responded promptly: “Your Majesty, the British have promised that if we join the war against France, they will extend a low-interest loan of 400,000 British Pounds to us.”

Franz II’s confidence instantly solidified. Sweeping his gaze over the ministers before him, he raised his cane and declared:

“Then let us seize this opportunity to restore the Empire to its former glory!”

…

The day after Austria delivered its reply to England confirming its participation in the war, the British Ambassador to France officially issued a diplomatic note to France, demanding that France reopen its sugar supply, drastically lower sugar prices, and abandon its “trade plundering” of the Southern German Market. If France refused these conditions, it would face catastrophic consequences.

Prussia, Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, and others subsequently voiced their support for England’s stance.

Paris.

Palace of Versailles.

At the Cabinet meeting, all ministers wore grave expressions.

Although everyone had mentally prepared for a conflict with England, they had not expected it to happen so quickly, nor that England would rally so many allies.

After reading out England’s demands, Talleyrand glanced at the Crown Prince and cautiously said: “Your Highness, I believe we should immediately negotiate with Austria.

“If we make concessions on trade terms and offer certain benefits, there is a chance we could alter their hostile stance toward our nation.”

Queen Mary nodded slightly in agreement. Betrayal by her natal family was the hardest pill for her to swallow.

Joseph, however, remained noncommittal. He gestured for Talleyrand to sit down and turned instead to the Minister of War, the Duke of Broglie, asking:

“If war breaks out, how many enemy forces will we face? At the same time, how many troops can we deploy in response?”

In truth, he had already worked extensively with the General Staff to plan for the impending war. However, at this moment, it was necessary for the ministers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation on the battlefield.

The Duke of Broglie quickly replied, “Your Highness, in the worst-case scenario, England, Prussia, Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Hanover would all send troops, meaning we would face an enemy force of over 300,000 soldiers, possibly even 400,000.”

He did not exaggerate in the slightest. Prussia and Austria alone could mobilize at least 250,000 troops. Hanover and the Netherlands could easily gather another 50,000, bringing the total to 300,000. England and Portugal might refrain from deploying ground forces if the war went smoothly, but if they fully committed, they could contribute another 50,000 to 80,000 soldiers.

The Minister of War continued: “Meanwhile, our country’s army currently numbers 160,000 soldiers, including 75,000 troops under the direct command of the General Staff, with the remainder comprising traditional army units and a small contingent of Tunisian troops.”

What he referred to as the “General Staff’s directly commanded army” was Crown Prince Joseph’s newly trained modernized force, no longer simply called the “Guard Corps” but reorganized under new terms.

Currently, it includes four Royal Infantry Divisions, five Royal Light Infantry Regiments, two Royal Grenadier Regiments, two Royal Hunter Battalions, six Royal Cavalry Regiments, four Royal Dragoon Regiments, three Engineering Corps, and three Cavalry Artillery Groups, as well as two Infantry Artillery Groups.

Meanwhile, the old-style army still consisted of nearly 90,000 soldiers.

However, France’s Military Nobility were no fools. Observing the Crown Prince’s newly organized army exhibiting astounding combat strength, they too began to emulate it.

Though they had only grasped the bare essentials, their training and operational strategies had significantly improved.

Among the more competent units, some had even achieved battle readiness comparable to the newly organized forces.

These traditional troops, if placed in any other country, would undoubtedly be elite forces.