Chapter 579: Save me from wasting time

Chapter 580 Save me the trouble

The setting sun had completely dropped below the horizon.

In Schönbrunn Palace, Talleyrand looked indignant on the surface, but in fact he was secretly proud and left the Grand Gallery Hall with Leopold II to have dinner together.

Before he came to Vienna, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave him instructions to use the order scam to propose to Austria the use of francs to settle part of the trade in the Southern Netherlands as compensation.

But by virtue of his eloquence, he not only brought the franc settlement rights of the Southern Netherlands, but also brought Tuscany to accept the franc settlement - the Grand Duke of Tuscany was the son of Leopold II. It is a vassal of Austria and will definitely obey the arrangements here.

The two places will also reduce some tariffs on French iron products, paper products, alcohol and other commodities for one year.

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In addition, Leopold II also told him an important piece of information - the man behind the order scam was the Dutch banker named Henry Hope, including the money for the deposit. From his bank.

Of course, it was the British who told Leopold II this news.

The matter is so big that the British are also worried that Austria will find out that they are behind it, which will seriously affect British-Austrian relations.

So they sold Hope directly to the top tank. Moreover, it was indeed Hope who came up with the order scam, and he really provided a large amount of funds for it. Naturally, the Austrian intelligence system could not find any flaws no matter how hard it checked.

After the dinner, Leopold II finally sent away Talleyrand, the "god of plague", and immediately returned to his study to handle the government affairs accumulated today.

As the last relatively competent monarch of the Habsburg family, he has generally stabilized the situation in Austria by relying on his pragmatism and his diligence.

Soon, he saw in the pile of documents on his desk that the war situation in Silesia would be discussed at tomorrow's cabinet meeting, and he suddenly raised his head and sighed haggardly.

The next day.

In the mahogany hall with a calm decoration style, a group of Vienna's core high-level officials started an extremely fierce dispute.

The subject of debate was naturally the question of whether to call an armistice in Silesia.

Because the British had brokered the deal in advance, and Walter's anti-French faction also carried out a large number of "joint efforts", the voices supporting the armistice quickly overshadowed those on the opposite side.

However, among those who supported continuing to be tough on Prussia was Kaunitz, the politically influential Minister of State.

The Minister of State of Austria is the equivalent of the prime minister, the first person under the emperor. If he kills him and continues to attack Silesia, then even Leopold II will not be able to force an armistice.

What's more, recovering Silesia is Austria's political correctness. Kaunitz always started talking about the humiliation of the Seven Years' War, restoring the glory of HRE, etc., and almost single-handedly resisted many ministers of the armistice faction.

After the meeting lasted for more than half an hour, Baron Turgut and Interior Minister Kobucil looked at each other and began to implement the Duke of Leeds' plan.

"Count Kaunitz, it is obvious that our country can no longer support a full-scale war with Prussia." Turgut said loudly.

The Home Secretary immediately agreed: "Yes, we should not fight a war that is destined to be unwinnable for the sake of our personal political future."

"What took away your courage?" Kaunitz immediately retorted, "Under His Majesty's New Deal, our country's financial situation has greatly improved, and our military resources are more abundant than ever before.

"Now is the best time for us to completely defeat Prussia!"

The so-called "New Deal" of Leopold II actually canceled most of the reform measures of Joseph II, so that the aristocracy no longer resisted the government. Only then did the illusion of "Resurgence" appear.

Baron Turgut looked at Kaunitz and said in a cold voice: "You are taking a big gamble, and the bargaining chip is Austria's future! And you have no winning cards at all!"

"No, I am sure of victory." Kaunitz glanced at him contemptuously, and then said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, we will definitely be able to recapture Silesia in this battle!"

As a veteran politician, he was fully prepared beforehand.

Including the Hungarian Nobles' Parliament, the Bohemian Parliament, the Transylvanian nobility, and even the Romanian nobility in the south said that they would provide money and people to support him in advancing the war in Silesia.

Arguably, this is Austria's most united moment in recent decades. He is naturally confident.

But Baron Turgut immediately said: "You are just shouting slogans in vain."

Kobczl also looked on in a sullen tone: "Even if the front line really loses, some people will find other excuses to make excuses."

"No, there is no excuse!" Kaunitz was also aroused and said to Leopold II, "Your Majesty, I am willing to take responsibility for the war situation in Silesia. As long as you let me do it!"

Turgut and others immediately showed a proud smile, they were waiting for a moment.

"Count Kaunitz, if we fail to take back Silesia, how will you be responsible?"

Kaunitz hesitated for a second and said solemnly: "I will resign as Minister of State and leave politics."

He looked at the armistice faction again and said with an imposing manner: "But what if I win?"

"I am willing to accept whatever you do." Turgut also responded tit-for-tat.

Soon after, with Thugut and others no longer objecting, Leopold II reluctantly authorized Kaunitz to plan a new round of offensive in Silesia, and even gave him the power to select frontline officers.

After the meeting, Vienna newspapers immediately began to publish a large number of news such as "Count Kaunitz insisted on continuing the Silesia war and said he would resign if the war situation was unfavorable."

The whole of Vienna was excited, and people took to the streets to sing praises to Kaunitz loudly, as if he had won the war.

The nobles spread the heroic appearance of Count Kaunitz at the cabinet meeting, and even gave him the nickname "Prussia's natural enemy."

And the high-spirited Kaunitz soon began to prepare for war.

A series of material and troop mobilization orders were sent to various parts of Austria after he signed. Marshal Lacy on the Breslau front also resumed the bombardment of Prussian positions under his order.

However, what he did not expect was that the day after his order was sent to Budapest, the Hungarian Noble Parliament passed a resolution to veto his bill to "increase special war taxes."

The Bohemian Parliament did not veto the bill, but on the grounds of suffering from a frost disaster at the beginning of the year, it demanded that the special tax could only be levied from the middle of next year.

At the same time, whether Hungarians, Bohemians, or Slavs, they all sent their troops to Silesia without delay. In just one month, the army under Marshal Lacy increased to as many as 160,000.