Talleyrand nodded:
“Yes, Your Highness, regaining Silesia is a common desire of Austria, shared by everyone from nobles to commoners.”
Joseph continued:
“Then there’s Bavaria. If it hadn’t been for the Prussians’ interference, Austria may well have acquired this land already.”
“In fact, both Prussia and Austria aim to become the true masters of Greater Germany and have therefore always kept a close watch on each other.”
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“If Austria could gain our support and there were no other factors to interfere, they would be all too happy to knock Prussia down hard, even if it meant committing all their national resources.”
“Because once successful, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire would truly possess the empire.”
Indeed, during the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire was the true hegemon of Europe—from the Netherlands to the east of France, from Italy to Hungary, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the western part of Poland, all were territories of the empire.
However, under the influence of the papacy, the empire began to implement the Electoral College system.
In the 14th century, Emperor Charlie IV issued the “Golden Bull,” which formalized and solidified this pattern, turning the Emperor of Sanctum into a “representative” elected by the prince-electors, leading to the progressive weakening of imperial power, as the independence of the states within the empire grew stronger.
By the 18th century, the empire had split into two behemoths, Prussia and Austria, as well as a multitude of smaller states like Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Saxon, Hesse, Hanover, and so on. And from over a century ago, the Habsburg family monopolized the imperial throne of Holy Rome, with the current Archduke of Austria serving as the emperor.
At the same time, relying on the linguistic and ethnic similarities between the states of the Greater German region and itself, Prussia also aspired to unify Germany. In fact, almost half a century later, Bismarck more or less realized this long-standing wish.
But at present, Austria, holding the title of Emperor, clearly has a better chance of reviving the glory of Holy Rome.
And the two have thus been at loggerheads over the empire’s “inheritance,” with ceaseless wars, but they are roughly equal in terms of strength.
Joseph returned to the previous topic:
“As for Poland, it’s an unexpected factor. If the Tsar of Russia swallows up Poland and Poland clearly has no power to resist, then Prussia and Austria will have no choice but to turn their attention eastward.[Note 1]”
“Because neither can afford to watch the Tsar of Russia gobble up such a large benefit in Poland alone[Note 2]. They only have two choices: either join forces to support Poland against Russia, or join Russia’s partitionist actions and tear off a piece of Poland for themselves.”
“In either case, Prussia and Austria would find a substantial common interest, and might even form an alliance because of it, which would greatly reduce their willingness to wage war against each other. In the worst-case scenario, the alliance they form might seek other targets, like France.”
“Keep in mind, the British would certainly delight in seeing this situation arise and would actively facilitate it.”
Upon hearing this, Talleyrand’s expression grew solemn. He had to admit, the Crown Prince saw things deeply and far into the future.
Joseph continued:
“So, we must erect a ‘barrier’ between Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and that is Poland.”
“As long as Poland stands firm, Prussia and Austria will inevitably have to turn their gaze back to the German region. And competition for the German region would lead them to irreconcilable contradictions!”
In truth, Joseph had further plans he hadn’t mentioned, which included helping Austria realize its “Sanctum dream” and even spreading the message of the great and prosperous, invincible Holy Roman Empire across the world.
At the same time, France could benefit continuously from Austria’s wars to unify Holy Rome, and ideally, acquire territories on the west bank of the Rhine River, turning the Rhine into France’s natural barrier.
At that time, the most eye-catching behemoth in Europe would be the Holy Roman Empire under Austrian rule. And given the British penchant for meddling, they would not ignore the dominion of the European Continent.
Afterward, whether Britain stirred up an “Anti-Roman Alliance” to besiege Holy Rome, or rallied the now battered Prussia, while inciting the annexed German states to revolt, France could watch the tigers fight from the mountain and seize opportunities to benefit.
For a powerful country, the best strategic pattern is to develop silently while others fight bitterly. By the time other nations are heavily scarred, one is already an uncrowned king without having to lift a finger.
Historically, Napoleon did the opposite of this principle. Despite his great military prowess, leading his troops across almost the entire European Continent, he ultimately exhausted the nation’s resources and was dragged to his demise by the British and their allies.
Joseph knew well the direction of later history. To repeat such mistakes would be insane.
In gaming, everyone knows that quietly farming under the tower is the key to success. Look at the United States in later times—it strongly observed World War I and World War II from the sidelines until the powers were all scrambled, then leisurely joined the fray, easily reaping the benefits, and ultimately emerged as the world’s hegemon.
Talleyrand pondered:
“Your Highness, should we then reject the Tsar of Russia’s intentions towards Poland?”
Joseph immediately shook his head:
“We must maintain good relations with Russia as much as possible so we can maximally weaken the British-Russian trade system, and we also need Russia’s exported raw materials.”
Talleyrand became a little confused:
“But you just said…”
Joseph flashed a slight smile: