Chapter 737: No Compromise!
As soon as Duke Broglie finished his report, the ministers' expressions darkened even further.
160,000 versus 400,000—this was bound to be an extremely difficult war.
Yet, Joseph smiled.
"Everyone, look—there is no need to offer Austria any concessions at all."
Everyone: "?"
Joseph continued:
"Setting aside the differences in training and weaponry, our enemies come from multiple nations.
"Coordinating and commanding such a diverse army will be incredibly difficult, let alone ensuring they can effectively work together.
"We should have full confidence in our victory."
Joseph was not being arrogant—this was a historical reality.
In the First Coalition War, France faced an even larger anti-French alliance, which included Britain, Prussia, Austria, Portugal, Spain, and the Italian states.
But in this timeline, Spain was not on Britain's side.
Although Spain's army was weak, this change still reduced the size of the enemy coalition.
Furthermore, in history, Prussia and Austria had not yet fought the Silesian Wars, meaning they had been economically and militarily stronger than they were now.
However, historically, Britain had entered the war late, only after Prussia and Austria suffered an early defeat in the north.
But this time, Britain was fully committed from the very beginning.
Despite Prussia and Austria suffering recent military exhaustion, they still retained veterans with real combat experience.
Overall, the balance of power was similar to history.
But France, on the other hand, was in a much better position.
During the historical First Coalition War, France had just endured the chaos of the Revolution and had not yet recovered its national strength.
Many noble officers had fled abroad, weakening the army's leadership.
Although the French revolutionary army had high morale, their combat effectiveness was nowhere near that of Joseph's modernized Royal Army.
And yet, even in history, France had still managed to fight its way to the Rhine.
In this timeline, with a stable, well-trained army, Joseph had no reason to perform worse.
Even in the worst-case scenario, where things took a turn for the worse, Joseph still had one trump card—total mobilization.
Modern France had already undergone land reform.
Those new landowning farmers would fight to the death if Joseph called upon them.
With a population of 30 million, mobilizing 200,000 extra troops would not be a problem.
Still, the ministers remained uneasy, seeing so many powerful European nations turning against France.
After a moment of hesitation, Trade Minister Bailly stood up and said:
"Your Highness, perhaps we should attempt negotiations with Austria first. Reducing the number of enemies would always be beneficial."
Joseph took a deep breath, his sharp gaze sweeping the room, before raising his voice:
"Let me repeat myself—
"From this moment forward, our discussions will focus on only one thing: preparing for war.
"Anyone who dares to threaten France will face our wrath—not our compromise!"
The room fell silent.
Some ministers glanced at Queen Marie, hoping she might support negotiations.
However, she simply sat with her hands clasped, her head lowered, saying nothing.
She had never faced such a crisis before—her mind was in turmoil, and she had no idea what to do.
If not for her son's presence, she might have turned to the ministers and asked for their guidance.
After a brief pause, Prime Minister Brienne was the first to stand and declare loudly:
"Yes, Your Highness! France will never compromise!"
One by one, the ministers straightened their backs, their gazes growing firm, as they stood and echoed:
"Never compromise!"
Joseph nodded in satisfaction, then motioned for them to sit back down.
Brienne immediately continued:
"Your Highness, under extreme conditions, we can allocate 90 million francs for military expenses. But to prevent any financial shortfalls, I suggest seeking loans from neutral nations or private financiers."
90 million francs sounded like a lot, but maintaining a 160,000-man army and the navy would consume it in four to five months.
Minister Mirabeau added:
"We also need to stockpile industrial raw materials. If war breaks out, we may struggle to obtain resources from overseas."
Talleyrand nodded:
"Which is why we should use diplomacy to delay the war for as long as possible—giving us more time to prepare."
"Our grain reserves are still stable. Poland will soon deliver 3 million pounds of wheat, which will bring our strategic reserves up to 80% capacity."
"We must intensify domestic war propaganda."
"I propose a Preliminary Conscription Act to improve mobilization efficiency."
Joseph remained silent, listening as his ministers effortlessly began the preparations.
France was like a vast machine—for years, Joseph had painstakingly fine-tuned it, eliminating its weaknesses and ensuring that every component functioned optimally.
Now, he no longer needed to do anything.
The machine was running at full speed on its own, ensuring everything was executed flawlessly.
The cabinet meeting lasted an entire day, and continued for most of the following day.
One decree after another was issued from Versailles, spreading across all of France.
The nation roared to life, moving forward with unstoppable force.
Meanwhile, in Prussia and Austria, hundreds of thousands of troops were marching toward the French border.
Britain's Mediterranean Fleet and Atlantic Fleet had completed their mobilization—one after another, warships sailed out of their harbors, covering the sea in a dark mass of firepower.
Of course, such large-scale military movements would take at least two to three months to fully deploy.
With the war preparations now in full motion, Joseph left the domestic affairs to Brienne and his ministers—and personally traveled to Madrid, Spain.
Talleyrand could have handled this mission, but after careful consideration, Joseph decided to go himself.
Historically, France had fought against the entire anti-French coalition alone.
This was partly because of Revolutionary France's hostility toward monarchies, but also due to the incompetence and arrogance of the Directory and Napoleon's blunt diplomacy.
Joseph would not make the same mistakes.
If allies could be secured, why not secure them?
Especially Spain, whose king was also a Bourbon, meaning France had no major conflicts of interest with them.
More importantly, Spain was too weak to ever threaten France, making it a perfect ally.
Many underestimated Spain, but while its army was weak, its navy was the third largest in the world.
If Spain and France joined forces, their combined fleets would match 80% of Britain's naval power.
France's steam-powered warships could already hold their own against Britain in the Mediterranean, but with Spain's support, France could completely secure control over Mediterranean waters.
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