Chapter 830: Chapter 738: Complex Battle Situation

(The ending is not complete yet, please wait another 10 minutes to check. Sincerely sorry.)

Joseph is not acting out of excessive kindness, but rather because he does not want Spain to collapse financially halfway through the conflict.

Whether France has to allocate funds to “support” them or watch them withdraw from the war, such outcomes would be an enormous headache.

Joseph quickly reviewed Spain’s current situation and soon identified the key issue.

That issue lies within the Church.

The Spanish Church possesses vast wealth, imposes high taxes on the populace, and wields significant interference in national politics, making it undoubtedly the number one malignant tumor within Spain.

He handed the hunting rifle to Eman to reload, then turned to Charles IV and said, “Your Majesty, have you ever considered taking advantage of this war to initiate church reform?”

The latter hesitated for a moment and nodded, “If it can be done, that would be ideal.”

Joseph signaled to the surrounding attendants to step back, then continued, “First of all, you need an army that is absolutely loyal. I mean an army that answers to you personally. The current Spanish army has far too many entanglements with the Church.”

“How would that be accomplished?”

“You can use the pretext of war to create a new Royal Guard. Select officers with no ties to the Church and recruit soldiers exclusively from the American colonies, even Creoles would be fine. As for training, I can have personnel from the General Staff assist you.”

Charles IV looked perplexed: “What size of guard would be necessary, and where would the funding come from?”

Joseph rubbed his forehead and said patiently, “About 8,000 men should suffice. As for the funds, you merely need to place the smuggling activities of the American silver mines under your direct control, which would be enough to sustain these soldiers.”

The American silver mines are the lifeblood of Spain’s economy, but over the centuries since the empire’s founding, numerous forces have meddled in the mining operations.

Nowadays, various smuggling and illegal mining activities account for nearly one-third of Spain’s total silver output!

Charles IV blinked in confusion and asked, “How exactly would the smuggling activities be brought under control?”

Joseph exhaled and replied, “You are the King, simply send a trustworthy envoy to America to announce that the empire will actively crack down on smuggling. Privately, have him spread the word that he has connections to help smugglers evade investigation, but this would require them to pay a 30% profit as a facilitation fee.”

“The smugglers themselves will come to ‘seek refuge’ under your wing.”

Charles IV’s eyes suddenly lit up: “Indeed, this is an excellent idea!”

Joseph continued, “Then, have those ‘loyal’ smugglers report on those who haven’t aligned with you, and send the smuggling team to eradicate them, thus generating another stream of income.”

The King of Spain excitedly rode closer, embracing Joseph’s shoulder: “Joseph, you are absolutely the most brilliant person I’ve ever met!”

Of course, Joseph’s method could indeed yield a hefty sum of money in the short term, but in the long run, it might lead to uncontrollable smuggling from the American silver mines. With officially sanctioned smuggling licenses, the licensed smugglers would inevitably expand their operations wildly.

However, considering that independence movements would likely sweep across America within twenty or thirty years, and by then these silver mines would no longer belong to Spain, it made sense to reap the benefits while they still could.

Moreover, if this money could help Charles IV accomplish church reform, it would be a significant gain for Spain.

Joseph reassured Charles IV further: “I will also take measures to weaken the influence of the Holy See on my end. As for you, allow Count Aranda to proceed with the reforms without any hesitation.”

In the distance, the sound of barking dogs and the shouts of attendants echoed, and a black silhouette emerged from the brush ahead.

Charles IV thrust his hunting rifle into Joseph’s hands, pointing at the prey as he shouted, “Look there! It’s all yours!”

That afternoon, Joseph and Charles IV officially signed the “Franco-Spanish Alliance Treaty” at the latter’s hunting palace.

The treaty stipulated that the two nations would open their borders to each other, that when one nation declared war on another, the other would also do so, and that the Franco-Spanish Combined Fleet would jointly uphold order in the Mediterranean Sea, among other provisions.

Signing this treaty with France might be the wisest decision Charles IV ever made.

Joseph did not linger in Madrid for long; the following day, he departed with an abundance of gifts from Charles IV, traveling back to France by carriage.

Just as he left the Royal Palace of Madrid, he received the latest intelligence sent from Paris.

Joseph flipped through the stack of documents, first noticing the arrival of several British cavalry camps, totaling over 10,000 troops, in The Hague in Holland. Their subsequent movements remained uncertain.

Next was the report of 50,000 Prussian troops passing through the Gai’erden Region, approaching Liege. The General Staff speculated their target might be Liege or the Luxembourg Region.

Further down, Austrian forces were advancing in two separate directions, one southwest and the other northwest.

The southwestern force of 35,000 troops appeared aimed at linking up with Prussian forces, while the northwestern contingent of 40,000 troops seemed poised to attack either Strasbourg or Saran via Switzerland.

What caught Joseph’s attention the most was the Dutch Navy moving southward, presumably to join forces with the British Navy. Meanwhile, the exact location of the British Mediterranean Fleet’s main forces remained unclear.

He instructed Eman to spread out the map and outlined a rough sketch of the Anti-French Alliance’s military deployment, exhaling heavily.

France’s northern and eastern flanks were under heavy scrutiny.

The British fleet would most likely launch attacks on France from the southern Mediterranean.

There is also the possibility that the British fleet could head to Tunisia to deploy marines for raiding operations.

France, except for its western coastal areas and the southern region bordering Spain, was virtually surrounded with no gaps.

Joseph shook his head; if any of these areas were breached by the enemy, it would deal a catastrophic blow to France.

However, dividing French troops for defense would play right into the Anti-French Alliance’s hands.

Given France’s limited troop strength, spreading forces thin would only make it easier for the enemy to exploit weak points and tear open breaches.

This predicament was far more complex than the situation during the first Anti-French Alliance in the history books.

Joseph stared intensely at the map, lost in thought…

————

The region occupied by the Dacians, including Moldavia, was conquered in the 2nd century by Roman Emperor Trajan, becoming part of the Roman Empire. During Rome’s governance, numerous Romans migrated to Dacian territories to settle. These Romans intermarried with local Dacians, forming a Dacian-Roman ethnic group, with some Dacians gradually assimilating to Roman culture. By the 3rd century, faced with internal crises, the Roman Empire had to abandon the Dacian territories. The evacuation of Roman troops and government personnel began around 271 AD, completing by 275 AD. In the 4th century, Constantine the Great briefly reestablished control in Dacia, but the region was soon abandoned once again.