Chapter 645: The Calm in Southern Wallonia
As Francis II flipped through the financial report, his brow furrowed deeply.
He looked up at Baron Thugut.
"Our debt has reached 1.1 billion florins?"
Austria's public stance claimed a total debt of just over 70 million florins. While Francis II had access to the real numbers as Crown Prince, he had never paid much attention to them.
Baron Thugut nodded helplessly.
"Unfortunately, that is correct, Your Majesty. As you know, Emperor Joseph II's reforms faced resistance from the nobility… er, which strained the finances. Then we spent heavily on the Silesian Wars, followed by last year's Serbian uprising…"
Francis II interrupted with irritation.
"And then our trade suffered from French competition."
"Precisely. Last year, our trade revenue fell by over 7 million florins."
Staring at the long string of zeros on the debt figure, Francis II suddenly hesitated.
"With our finances in such poor shape, should we avoid being too assertive abroad? I mean, if it comes to war, we may struggle to fund our military."
Baron Thugut recalled the emperor's commanding demeanor during the earlier meeting and privately shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he said:
"Your Majesty, France's finances are in even worse shape. Their debt is 8 billion florins."
Francis's confidence returned, and he smiled.
"You're right. We must not show weakness to the French!"
Baron Thugut seized the opportunity.
"Your Majesty, our experiment with paper currency over the past few years has shown promise. If we fully adopt it, it could greatly improve our finances."
"Paper money? Hmm, yes, I've heard the British and French are doing the same." Francis II waved dismissively.
"But I'm preoccupied with my coronation. Let's discuss it after that."
Flipping to the third page of the report, Francis II suddenly looked puzzled.
"Why did we spend so much of the Serbian rebellion budget on the Poles?"
The total cost of suppressing the rebellion was 9 million florins, with over 6.5 million paid to the Poles.
Baron Thugut explained:
"Your Majesty, as you know, the Hungarian nobility cares little for Slavonia. As a result, the Polish forces under General Kosciuszko were the primary force in quelling the rebellion."
He coughed lightly.
"Actually, we still owe 1.5 million florins in unpaid wages to their soldiers."
"To the Polish soldiers?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Francis II looked displeased.
"Send those Poles home. Deploy the Royal German Corps to Slavonia to handle the rebellion."
Baron Thugut was momentarily stunned. Transporting troops from Vienna would be far more expensive than using the Poles—otherwise, they wouldn't have hired them in the first place. But considering that the rebellion had already been largely contained, the additional cost might not be too great. He bowed slightly and said:
"As you wish, Your Majesty. I will relay your orders to the Military Council."
Francis II added,
"As for the soldiers' wages, Poland has long been under our protection from Russian annexation. They are obligated to assist us in suppressing the rebellion."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Baron Thugut replied without concern. After all, for a weak nation like Poland, delaying payment was hardly a serious issue.
Southern Netherlands, Wallonia
Several horse-drawn carriages covered in black cloth stopped on the northern outskirts of Mons.
The driver glanced at the setting sun and was about to signal the men to unload the goods when a series of whistles sounded nearby.
From decrepit farmhouses and the surrounding woods, more than 30 policemen emerged, blocking all escape routes.
The driver exchanged a glance with the dozen men who disembarked from the carriages. They quickly drew flintlock rifles from the cargo and hid behind the carriages, firing at the police.
However, the police were clearly well-trained. Remaining calm, they formed a coordinated unit and, under the command of their officer, executed several volleys.
Wooden splinters flew from the carriages as the men were struck down. Nearly half of the attackers were killed in the first exchange.
The police then charged forward with bayonets mounted on their rifles.
The skirmish was over in minutes. All but three of the attackers were either killed or captured.
One policeman uncovered the black cloth on a carriage, revealing neatly stacked wooden crates. Some of the crates had been pierced by bullets, exposing the dark barrels of flintlock rifles inside.
Shortly afterward, two officers reported to the commanding officer.
"Sir, there are 120 British-made Brown Bess flintlock rifles in total. No powder or ammunition was found."
The officer shuddered slightly; it was fortunate there had been no powder, or their earlier shooting might have caused an explosion.
"Take them back for interrogation. We need to locate the ammunition as well," he ordered.
Meanwhile, in a small town in southern Ghent, police raided a secret meeting, arresting more than 40 people who were planning an armed uprising.
Outside Namur, police intercepted a group of over 80 armed men attempting to infiltrate the city. After a fierce battle, all were killed or captured.
Similar incidents unfolded across Wallonia. Armed groups equipped with flintlock rifles sought to incite chaos but were decisively crushed by Wallonia's formidable police forces.
Southern Netherlands, Middelburg
In an office, a British intelligence officer slammed a loss report onto George Cavan's desk, his face dark with anger.
"Nearly all 200 of our operatives have been eliminated. The plan must be suspended for now."
Cavan, assistant to the British Foreign Minister, frowned.
"Captain Pickering, you spent six months preparing, yet not a single operation succeeded in causing disruption?"
The intelligence officer lowered his head.
"The Walloon police are not only numerous but also as capable as military forces. In Namur, 80 of our men were defeated by just 50 policemen in ten minutes."
Cavan's frown deepened.
According to Lord Grenville's plan, British intelligence had recruited armed thugs from the Flemish region of the Southern Netherlands—many remnants of the Brabant uprising—to infiltrate Wallonia and attack the Dutch-speaking residents.
Wallonia, predominantly French-speaking, still had a notable Dutch-speaking minority.
If the plan succeeded, British agents could incite the Flemish population by spreading claims of Walloon atrocities against Dutch-speaking residents. This would prompt the Flemish region, dominated by Dutch speakers, to retaliate against Wallonia.
With British support providing weapons, the ensuing conflict would be brutal, plunging the Southern Netherlands into chaos.
However, British intelligence had not anticipated the strength of Wallonia's police force. Despite being a "demilitarized" trade region, its police proved incredibly formidable.
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