As for the battle plan, Marshal Lacy and other senior military officials had already discussed it, and it was now directly brought out at this time.
Austria conscripted 80,000 troops from across the country—due to the effects of Joseph II’s reforms, this was already the limit of their military strength—led by Marshal Lacy, they secretly set out for Silesia.
Meanwhile, only 5,000 troops were left in the direction of Luxembourg to watch the Brabant Rebels. The main forces were brought back to Austria by General Willemze, who, after a brief rest, also went to Silesia.
As for Bavaria, they sought to persuade Karl Otto Dor to deploy 10,000 to 20,000 troops, naturally with the territory exchange in the Southern Netherlands as the bargaining chip.
France, on the other hand, needed to deploy more than 50,000 troops.
If the military support possibly provided by the German states in southern Germany was also included, the Austrian Allied Forces could muster approximately 150,000 to 170,000 troops in the direction of Silesia.
Currently, Prussia could conscript no more than 120,000 troops, and it was almost certain that Saxon would join the war with about 30,000 troops.
In other words, in terms of total strength, the Austrian Allied Forces did have a certain advantage.
Moreover, both the Austrian and French armies were no less capable than the Prussians, and far superior to the Saxon forces.
As long as France ensured, as agreed, that Poland would not send troops to support Prussia, the victory of the Austrian Allied Forces would be very likely.
If France could send even more troops, they could even overwhelm Prussia.
It was not until twilight descended that the imperial meeting at Schonbrunn Palace concluded for the time being.
Of course, by this time, it was Leopold II who was presiding over the meeting, as His Imperial Majesty had gone to rest in another room after deciding to send troops to Silesia.
After the meeting, Leopold II seemed preoccupied with heavy thoughts. He knew that one extremely important factor for the battle in Silesia needed to be considered: Russia’s stance.
Russia and Prussia shared highly consistent interests in Poland, and if Prussia was at a disadvantage, Catherine II was very likely to send troops to intervene.
Although Russia was still at war with Sweden, with Russia’s formidable military strength, they could easily allocate a few army corps to create a significant impact on the battlefront.
So, how to ensure Russia remained uninvolved?
Leopold II rubbed the corner of his brow and suddenly remembered the significant common interests between France and Russia recently in dealing with the Ottoman Empire, as well as in Mediterranean trade. He mused to himself, “It seems I’ll need the help of my dear sister after all. But, what to offer in return…”
Bavaria.
Munich Palace.
At the negotiation site for the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement.
“Regarding the tariff on wooden goods, I still hope it can be raised a bit more,” Count Wintzingerode from Wurttemberg looked at Bailly, “It should at least be 45%…
Baron Tugut, the Austrian Foreign Minister, however, shook his head and interrupted him: “You are always getting caught up in these trivial issues.
“By delaying further, it is feared that we won’t be able to reach a trade agreement by the end of the year.
“And this will lead to a loss of nearly half a year’s trade income for all our states.
“I believe you should just focus on the overall direction, without letting your single interest delay everyone’s benefit.”
Count Wintzingerode looked at him with some confusion; since the week before last, the Austrian delegates had been persistently urging to reach an agreement.
As a major power with tremendous influence over the southern German states, Austria’s stance was something the minor states could not afford to ignore.
The representative from Baden also raised his voice, “Baron Tugut is quite right, we are also waiting for the agreement to be finalized.
“The merchants within Baden have heard the news of the trade negotiations and have piled up their goods at the ports, just waiting to ship them to France and Austria for sale.
“If we drag on too long here, they might just go mad from the urgency.”
The representative from Augsburg nodded in agreement, “I think the current terms are completely acceptable. Besides, the draft also says that every three years we will renegotiate the details of the agreement.
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“Many things can be examined more carefully when that time comes.”
Unsurprisingly, these two were also the results of Talleyrand’s bribery and the cost was minimal, giving each only 30,000 livres to fully ‘secure’ them.
Of course, the terms of the agreement did appear to favor Baden and Augsburg; thus, they were also happy to take the money—it simply hastened the signing, and they would bear almost no risk themselves.
As for Bavaria, they received the most favorable terms in the agreement, and since Duke Ottodor was still dreaming of “moving” to the Southern Netherlands, he was more inclined to listen to Austria’s opinions.
Consequently, the negotiation scene was dominated by France, Austria, and Bavaria, along with the two smaller states, firmly advocating for the signing of the agreement, while Wurttemberg and Hesse hesitated.
However, after Hesse faced a covert threat from Austria to be excluded if it did not sign the agreement ahead of the other states, Hesse quickly compromised—for the small state, missing out on such a vast market including Southern Germany, France, and Austria, could lead to significant trade disadvantages, which could then precipitate a rapid decline in national power.
The small states were only trying to secure a bit more advantage for themselves but certainly did not want to become outsiders.
Under the forceful brokering of Austria, after just over half a month of trade negotiations, the countries had already reached a preliminary agreement. Count Wintzingerode also finally conceded after standing alone and after securing a French promise to import at least 800,000 picke of coal annually at market price.
A picke is a standard-sized basket, one picke of coal is roughly 20 kilograms in weight. 800,000 picke is 16 million kilograms. This figure might seem insignificant in modern times, but in the 18th century, when coal was primarily used for heating, it was practically the total output of all the coal mines in Wurttemberg.
For Wurttemberg, this was certainly a major deal.
On July 1, 1789, the “Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement,” which had a significant impact on the European trade landscape, was officially signed. The signatories included France, Austria, Bavaria, Salzburg, Wurttemberg, Augsburg, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Baden.
Accompanying the agreement was a supplementary provision—that the shipping vessels of the Seine and Rhine River basin signatories could enter each other’s territories directly. Although they were not allowed to land, and had to hire locals for unloading the cargo, this already represented a significant convenience for conducting free trade.
…
Paris.
Palace of Versailles.
Queen Mary looked up from the joint proposal for war participation submitted by Archbishop Brienne and Duke of Broglie, the Minister of War, somewhat surprised, “Are you certain that France should get involved in the wars in Germany? Does that really align with France’s interests?”
The two Cabinet Ministers nodded together.
Of course, it was by the command of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and they had written the document as requested to submit to Her Majesty the Queen.
Queen Mary cautiously inquired, “Then, is France fully prepared for participation in the war?”
Although Brienne and Duke Broglie were not entirely clear about the specifics, they still nodded firmly, “Yes, Your Majesty. The battlefield is far from France, and the interests are substantial enough. We only need to send some troops to Silesia. There is no need to worry about winning or losing.”
Only Talleyrand, standing to the side and most aware of the insider details, bowed his head, muttering to himself, “Here you are worried about whether preparations have been made… His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has long settled everything with the Austrians. By now, the Austrian Army may have already completed their mobilization.”