Chapter 312 The Real Goal (Asking for Monthly Votes)

Chapter 313 The Real Target (asking for monthly votes)

Joseph nodded and continued to ask: "What about Saxony?"

"When I left Vienna, people set out for Dresden." Talleyrand said, "Now they must have contacted General Maurice."

General Maurice was the commander of the Saxon Army.

Joseph motioned him to sit down on the chair: "Are the people you use reliable?"

"Please rest assured, they are people selected by the Intelligence Bureau. I secretly brought them to Saxony through diplomatic channels. They are authentic Bavarians and can't even speak French."

"You did a good job." Joseph smiled, "Oh, by the way, when you bribed the assistant to the Austrian Minister of the Interior and the Baden negotiators this time, you maximized the efficiency of the funds, which is very good. So, half of the income from the "sale" of intelligence in the Southern Netherlands and Saxony will be kept as a bonus for you and your subordinates."

Joseph said it lightly, but Talleyrand felt nervous when he heard it.

During his bribery in Germany this time, because it was difficult, he almost didn't get a penny. Just now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said "maximize the efficiency of funds", which obviously refers to this matter.

In other words, His Royal Highness is likely to know clearly whether he has embezzled money.

What about the bribes he made when he went to the United States, Russia and other places before...

He swallowed hard, cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He was struggling in his heart how to admit his mistake to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but heard Joseph say: "Bribery is often involved in the field of diplomacy. You just need to come back and report it. You have also put in a lot of effort to get money from foreign governments, and you can keep some of it as a bonus. Of course, you must not interfere with your work for the sake of making money."

Talleyrand was stunned. His Royal Highness meant that he should accept bribes from foreign countries in the future. As long as he handed in the money he received, he could get a bonus in proportion?

He glanced at Joseph and saw that the latter's expression was very serious. He was immediately overjoyed. He no longer had to worry about making money in the future.

Then he remembered the income from "selling intelligence" this time, and it was even harder to hide the smile on his face.

Following the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he first sent people to the Southern Netherlands to sell the news that "the main force of the Austrian army in Luxembourg has withdrawn to Vienna" to the Duke of Brunswick of Prussia for 16,000 florins. Later, his people sold the news that "Austria is gathering a large army to attack Silesia" to Saxony and received 20,000 florins.

This is a total of 90,000 livres. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince waved his hand and gave him half of it as a bonus. How could he not be ecstatic!

Sure enough, being loyal to His Royal Highness was the most correct decision he had ever made in his life!

Talleyrand struggled to pull his consciousness out of the ocean of livres, expressed his loyalty to Joseph, and then continued to talk about business: "Your Highness, when I left Vienna, Leopold II summoned me and said that he hoped France could exert influence on Russia to ensure that they would not interfere in the war in Silesia."

Joseph nodded slightly, thinking that Leopold II was indeed rich in political experience and almost immediately considered the problem of Russia.

Catherine II has been committed to getting Prussia and Austria to divide Poland, so she certainly doesn't want the two countries to fight.

But how can I convince her to stand aside and watch?

Joseph thought for a long time, then looked at Talleyrand and said: "It seems that you have to go to St. Petersburg again. When you see the Tsar, just say this..."

After a detailed explanation, Joseph said: "I will also try to cooperate with you, and you have to adapt to the news you hear."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will definitely not let you down!"

After Talleyrand left, the Minister of War, Duke of Broglie and Berthier came to the study of the Crown Prince again.

The two presented the planned military plan to Joseph, and the Chief of Staff explained: "Your Highness, according to your instructions, a 35,000-man army will be sent from Austria.

"The core is composed of the Lorraine Army, the Champagne Army, and the Rhine Army, and some northern soldiers who can speak German have been selected. "

The Duke of Broglie seemed a little nervous, although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had said before that he would let him decide on the troops going to Austria in exchange for his support for the troops. However, the troops he picked were basically those related to him, and I was afraid that His Royal Highness would have objections.

However, Joseph nodded and smiled: "Very good, these troops are very suitable."

He originally wanted to throw the old army to Austria. If he could win a few battles, he would use this as an excuse to ask Vienna for benefits. If he lost, it would be beneficial to kill a group of hereditary military nobles - these capable talents in the old army had already applied to be transferred to the Guards Corps, and those who stayed were either diehards or good-for-nothings.

The Duke of Broglie felt relieved when he heard this, and motioned Berthier to continue.

The latter hurriedly said: "Your Highness, according to the latest news sent back from Vienna, the Austrian army will complete its deployment in about three weeks and officially launch an attack. ”

Mobilizing an army of nearly 100,000 people is an extremely tedious task. It is not like in a game where you can just click and go.

In reality, before attacking a certain area, you must first make strategic arrangements and calculate the enemy's main transportation routes, logistics supply lines, and routes for advancing and retreating. Then, you can reasonably transfer the army to the position that can threaten these points the fastest, while also paying attention to concealment.

During the military mobilization, logistical supplies must also follow, and the domestic personnel and material mobilization must also keep up.

Only when all these are in place can the main force begin to attack.

Therefore, Austria was able to complete this series of preparations in about one and a half months, which was already a relatively fast speed.

Joseph asked the most concerned question: "What about the Guards Corps?"

"Your Highness, the military station north of Verdun has been built, and the supplies can be replenished within a week." The Chief of Staff said, "In order to facilitate supplies, a wooden track from Lorraine to Verdun has even been built, but it will take more than three months to complete.

"At present, the First and Second Guards Corps, as well as the Moulin Corps, have a total of nearly 20,000 people, and have been assembled and are ready to fight at any time. "

Joseph's eyes flashed with a smile.

He didn't care about the Silesian War at all.

The South Netherlands was his focus!

All of France's most powerful Guards Corps were deployed here, waiting for the Silesia to fight to the death, and the Prussian Army in the South Netherlands to give a huge surprise to the Wurmser Army stationed in Luxembourg.

By then, Joseph II would not be able to withdraw any available troops, so he could only ask for help from France, which was closest to the South Netherlands.

For this reason, Joseph also gave the Duke of Brunswick a "reminder" to let him notice the lack of manpower in the Austrian Army in Luxembourg.

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