Chapter 294 Austrian Interests

Chapter 295 Austria's Interests

"Oh, you should let her do it. Tuscany is so far away, and it's not easy to go back and forth. Joseph smiled and declined. He came to Austria to do business, and he didn't want to be pestered by little Lolita all day.

Vito Luca was slightly startled, and then smiled again. The French crown prince was worried that Clementine would suffer from the bumpy ride when she hurried back. It turned out that the son-in-law was not only handsome, but also very considerate.

I am getting more and more satisfied!

Under the guidance of Leopold II and his wife, Joseph drove through the streets of Vienna and headed towards Schönbrunn Palace.

Vienna was very different from what he had imagined. There was no tranquility and artistic atmosphere. It was shabby everywhere. Although he met a few street musicians on the road, the music they made was mostly quite harsh.

The feces and urine on the street were the same as those in the barbeque before the public toilet transformation. The French and French cities are similar in appearance, and there are also "scenery" such as garbage mountains. Many intersections are half blocked by garbage.

What makes Joseph feel most awkward is the faint hostility in the eyes of passers-by when they look at the carriage of the French crown prince. But this is not surprising. France and Austria have fought back and forth for hundreds of years for the hegemony of the European continent, and the people have hated each other for hundreds of years.

Finally arrived at Schönbrunn Palace, the nobles who greeted him in front of the palace showed basic enthusiasm and etiquette.

Despite his sick body, Joseph II also came to the gate of Schönbrunn Palace in person with the help of servants to greet his nephew.

Joseph hurriedly stepped forward to salute his uncle, then pushed away the servant, personally took his arm, and said enthusiastically: "Dear Emperor, my father always said that if he was not busy with state affairs and couldn't get away, he would have come to see you a long time ago. Oh, my mother also misses you very much, and asked me to bring you a lot of gifts, which are in the carriage behind. "

Vito Luca's eyes twitched when he heard that. Huh? Isn't that a gift for me?

Joseph had no idea what she was thinking, and continued to say to Joseph II: "My mother heard that the Southern Netherlands was in rebellion, and she was worried that you were too busy, so she asked me to help you share your worries."

Joseph II nodded with relief, and wanted to say something, but it caused a violent cough, so he just raised his hand to gesture in the direction of the banquet hall.

Following closely behind them, Austrian Minister of State Count Kaunitz vaguely heard what Joseph said, and hurriedly turned to look at the French Foreign Minister next to him, and whispered in pure French: "Archbishop Talleyrand, does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mean that France will send troops to the Southern Netherlands to support Austria? ”

He is the most pro-Franco among the Austrian senior officials. He spends several months on vacation in France every year. Even the most expensive clothes are sent to Paris for washing to show his authentic Parisian style. So he is also the one who hopes that France can participate in the rebellion in the Southern Netherlands.

Talleyrand immediately showed a very sincere smile: "Her Majesty the Queen does intend to send troops. But you also know that France is in a bad financial situation now, and it can't even take out millions of dollars to mobilize troops."

"Vienna can provide funds..."

Kaunitz just said half a sentence when he was interrupted by Talleyrand with a smile: "So the Duke of Broglie proposed that France could provide logistical support to the Austrian army.

"To transfer supplies from Vienna to Brabant, it will take nearly a thousand kilometers along the way, oh, that is, more than 120 miles, and the transportation consumption will be huge.

"And we can get supplies from Verdun, which will be much easier. "

Kaunitz's eyes suddenly lit up. If a war breaks out in the Southern Netherlands, Prussia's biggest advantage over Austria is that the supply distance is closer.

And if Austria gets logistical support from France, then this advantage of Prussia will become a disadvantage - France and the Southern Netherlands are directly adjacent!

In this way, even if France does not send troops directly, its support for the Austrian army is very great.

He immediately bowed slightly to Talleyrand: "Thank you, Her Majesty, she made the most beneficial decision for both France and Austria!"

Talleyrand was embarrassed: "You see, France has such a bad finance. I am just worried that the funds for purchasing military supplies will be a problem when the war in the Southern Netherlands is at a stalemate... Those black-hearted businessmen are not even willing to lend a penny to the royal family."

Kaunitz hurriedly said: "How can we let Her Majesty pay? All supplies will be paid by Vienna according to the purchase price. "

In this way, France earned a big favor from Austria without sending a single soldier. As for the "purchase price", it is still up to France to decide. It is much cheaper than shipping it from Austria.

After entering the banquet hall, Kaunitz pulled Talleyrand to sit next to him and began to discuss the logistics supply arrangements for the Southern Netherlands.

As he spoke, he sighed: "Even with the help of France, this expedition may make the empire's finances tight for a while..."

Talleyrand nodded in agreement: "In fact, the overseas trade income of the Southern Netherlands is getting lower and lower. For His Majesty the Emperor, it is almost worthless.

"Oh, by the way, if Archduke Ottoor of Bavaria is interested in the Southern Netherlands, perhaps we can take advantage of this rebellion to make some territorial exchanges with him?"

Kaunitz looked at him in surprise. This is indeed a strategic goal that Austria really wants to achieve - compared to the distant Southern Netherlands enclave, Bavaria, which borders Austria and is very wealthy, is the territory that Austria wants most.

"But," he frowned and shook his head, "I'm afraid Grand Duke Otdor won't agree, right?"

"I can help you convince Grand Duke Otterdower about this." Talleyrand said immediately.

Joseph told him on the way here that Grand Duke Otterdower had always dreamed of recreating the Burgundy dynasty - not the Burgundy region of France today, but the powerful Burgundy of the Middle Ages, which owned the entire Southern Netherlands all the way to Mannheim.

So Otterdower always wanted to get the Southern Netherlands, so that he could get rid of the restrictions of the Holy Roman Electorate and give the land of the Southern Netherlands that did not belong to the Elector to his illegitimate son.

Yes, he had no legitimate children, only a lot of illegitimate children. This resulted in his Bavaria being passed down to his relatives in Saxony. For him, the Southern Netherlands was more valuable than the rich Bavaria.

Kaunitz excitedly pulled Talleyrand: "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am somewhat confident in my eloquence." Talleyrand smiled and nodded, "Moreover, if Austria can reach an exchange agreement with Bavaria, then the rebellion in the Southern Netherlands will be Bavaria's own business. Archduke Ottoor will definitely invest more troops to resolve the rebellion.

"After this, Austria and Bavaria, with common interests, can do more. "

He pointed to the north: "For example, deal with Saxony, or even march to Silesia!"