Chapter 319: The Arrogant Woman
Baron Thugut was immediately taken aback. "Your Highness, forgive my boldness, but are you serious?"
Joseph firmly grasped his arms—Thugut was not a tall man, and the nearly 5'7" Joseph stood just slightly shorter than him. Joseph looked him in the eye and spoke earnestly, "I am confident that Her Majesty the Queen will agree with my proposal. France and Austria are the closest of friends, and we must help each other through this crisis with all our strength!"
The Austrian Foreign Minister's eyes lit up with excitement, and he nodded eagerly. "Yes, you are absolutely right! France and Austria will always be the most steadfast allies! In that case, I will head straight to Versailles tonight to request military aid for Luxembourg."
Seeing that Thugut was about to leave, Joseph quickly stopped him. "We must act quickly to stop Blücher's advance and prevent the fall of Luxembourg. If you go to Paris and then return, it will take too long."
"So, what do you suggest?" Thugut asked.
Joseph assumed a thoughtful pose. "Here's what we'll do. You should return to Vienna immediately and request an imperial decree from His Majesty, instructing the Austrian forces and officials in Luxembourg to fully cooperate with me in repelling the Prussians. Meanwhile, the troops that were supposed to reinforce the Southern Netherlands should be sent back to continue focusing on the campaign in Silesia.
"As for Versailles, you can send an assistant to deliver the royal letter to Her Majesty. That will suffice."
Thugut was about to nod but hesitated. "Sending just an assistant to meet with Her Majesty—wouldn't that be seen as disrespectful?"
"State affairs come first!" Joseph said with firm conviction. "Don't worry; Her Majesty will understand. Besides, I can have someone accompany your assistant to Paris to explain the situation."
"Thank you so much!" Thugut immediately bowed deeply to Joseph. "Austria will forever remember your kindness!"
Vienna. Schönbrunn Palace.
Joseph II set down the secret letter from Thugut—his Foreign Minister had just reached Bavaria, and the letter had been delivered by a rider who had galloped for three days. A faint smile finally appeared on Joseph II's pale face as he said to Leopold II, "Our sister has agreed to intercept Blücher. This means we can continue to maintain our numerical advantage in Silesia. Oh, and tell General Réal to follow the French command."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Leopold II nodded but then added in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, allowing a large number of French troops into the Low Countries—could that cause problems?"
Most of the Walloon region in the Southern Netherlands spoke French and had a strong affinity for France. Austria had always been wary of France's designs on the region.
Joseph II sighed weakly. "General Wurmser didn't secure Luxembourg properly before rushing off to Silesia, giving the Prussians an opening... Right now, we have no choice but to rely on the French. What else can we do? Abandon the Silesian campaign?"
Leopold II, hearing this, bowed his head.
Austria had already suffered three defeats in the Silesian Wars, and a fourth failure would be intolerable. With his brother already having alienated the nobility through his reforms, a military defeat could lead to severe internal unrest.
"Don't worry," Joseph II reassured, waving a hand weakly. "The Prussian and rebel forces in the Southern Netherlands number over 30,000. If the 20,000 French troops can hold Luxembourg, that alone will be a significant achievement. It's unlikely they'll move further into the Southern Netherlands.
"And once we settle the conflict in Silesia, the Prussians will naturally withdraw from the Southern Netherlands."
Leopold II agreed with his brother's reasoning but still asked reluctantly, "And Luxembourg...?"
Joseph II, now exhausted, lay back down. "Think of it as a trade-off. Letting France have Luxembourg is acceptable."
After all, if they could conquer the prosperous Silesia, it would be worth it. Without France's help, Austria could lose both the Southern Netherlands and Luxembourg. Trading the small Luxembourg for the much larger Southern Netherlands didn't seem like a bad deal.
Leaving the Emperor's chamber, Leopold II pondered how to raise more troops for the Silesian campaign. Unconsciously, he found himself back in his own quarters.
As he entered, he was greeted by the sound of his wife's angry outburst: "How dare she?! This is an insult to me, and an insult to Austria!" This was followed by the sound of porcelain shattering against the floor.
Leopold II frowned and glanced at the guards at the door. The guards quickly looked down in embarrassment, muttering quietly, "Your Majesty, she went into your study..."
Leopold II immediately guessed what had happened and hurried into his study. He found a group of maids and servants standing nervously in the corners, while several antique porcelain pieces that had been on the desk lay shattered on the floor. On the now bare desk was a single letter.
It was the letter from Marie Antoinette to Emperor Joseph II, in which she had made no mention of the marriage of the French Prince. Due to the Emperor's poor health, he had entrusted Leopold with handling the matter. However, the war had broken out, and Leopold had not yet gotten around to it.
He hadn't expected Ludovika to discover it.
Leopold II cleared his throat, stepped forward to retrieve the letter, and took his wife's hand, trying to soothe her. "My dear, Clementine is still too young to have children. It's understandable that my sister would have reservations. The Emperor has already decided to drop the matter."
"Why drop it?! Didn't you and your brother both say it would certainly happen?" Ludovika pulled her hand away and snapped, "I've told nearly every noblewoman and socialite that Clementine would become the French Prince's fiancée. I've received countless congratulations..."
"And now, you're telling me it's off?!" She pointed an accusing finger at her husband, her voice dripping with venom. "You're a coward! How can you call yourself a husband or a father? That woman has humiliated us, and you don't even dare to stand up for us!"
"Marie Antoinette!" she screamed. "One day, I will make her pay for this humiliation a hundredfold!"
Leopold II pocketed the letter and shook his head. "Don't be like this, Ludovika. She's my sister. And besides, Versailles never officially spoke of a betrothal. You spread those rumors on your own... Sigh, let's just forget about it. We'll find Clementine a good match elsewhere. The Emperor will undoubtedly provide her with a generous dowry, and she'll live a very happy life."
"No, I can't forget it! You care about family—why doesn't she?" Ludovika's chest heaved with fury, her eyes cold with resentment. "I'll make that woman realize she's made a foolish mistake!"
Leopold II shook his head in resignation, quietly instructing the servants to take care of his wife. He then turned and headed for the meeting room. Austria had too many pressing matters for him to be distracted by domestic squabbles.
…
France, Verdun.
As soon as the Austrian Foreign Minister left, Joseph ordered the Imperial Guard to march to Luxembourg.
He knew that Joseph II had no other choice but to rely on France to deal with Blücher.
(End of Chapter)
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