I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 560: Storm in Austria

Vienna.

In a concert hall on the second floor of Schönbrunn Palace, a salon hosted by Countess Niklas was taking place.

However, all the nobles who attended the salon knew that this salon was actually requested by Baron Walter, who was a hot political upstart in Vienna.

Especially after Leopold II finally completed the coronation ceremony in the Roman Vatican, Walter's status also rose as his cousin Ludovica became queen.

A special visitor at this salon made the place more lively than ever before.

The theme of the salon was "The Relationship between Truth, Freedom and God's Will", but no one in the hall was talking about it at that moment.

A fat nobleman with a long wig and small eyes said loudly: "It is impossible for us to defeat the Prussians in a short time. The war in Silesia is just a waste of the empire's resources!"

"That's right," someone immediately echoed, "Putting troops in Bavaria will definitely yield ten times the gains!"

"Now is not the time to fight Prussia to the death! Everyone knows what our financial situation is like. If we continue to fight, the serfs will probably riot again!"

The fat nobleman with small eyes excitedly gave a speech about the situation in Silesia, and suddenly looked at the Duke of Leeds who was sitting in an inconspicuous place next to him: "Your Excellency the Duke, what do you think of what I just said?"

"Oh, very exciting! We need peace, every country needs peace."

The latter casually responded, then turned his head to Baron Turgut and others and said, "That is to say, His Majesty the Emperor has also realized that your country's finances are simply not enough to support the continuation of the war."

"Yes, His Majesty has mentioned many times that Breslau is a beast that keeps devouring his taxes."

"Then why didn't Your Majesty choose to cease fire?" Duke of Leeds said, "I mean, Prussia obviously doesn't want to continue fighting."

"Many factors." Turgut shook the wine glass in his hand and said, "For example, the military hopes to taste the victory of Liegnitz again. You know, that battle made many people rise to prominence, just like Marshal Leo.

"The biggest obstacle is Count Kaunitz and his group who have always been hostile to Prussia. They shout 'recovering the homeland' all day long. Anyone who mentions the armistice in front of Your Majesty will be called a traitor by them.

"Moreover, this group of people often incites nobles and even commoners to petition Your Majesty. Your Majesty is getting a headache just by looking at them now."

Philipp von Kobzl, the new assistant to the Minister of the Interior, continued, "Also, the Prussians' armistice conditions must be considered. I believe they will use the return of Liegnitz as a negotiation condition, which Your Majesty absolutely cannot accept."

Liegnitz was conquered during the reign of Joseph II. Leopold II knew very well that if he lost this land right after he ascended the throne, his prestige in Austria would plummet.

These bigwigs who could truly influence Austrian politics all shook their heads slightly.

They had made many attempts to achieve a ceasefire before, but there had been no progress, so they were naturally quite frustrated.

The Duke of Leeds thought for a moment, looked at the others and said, “On the Prussian side, I can try to persuade Lord Grenville to mediate.

"Then the biggest obstacle left should come from Count Kaunitz's attitude?"

Kaunitz was a very radical anti-Prussian and pro-French. Since he became Austrian State Minister, he has always taken "competing with Prussia for hegemony in Germany" as his core political proposition.

The Kaunitz-Ritberg family he came from had a deep foundation in Austria, and he himself was a minister of state who assisted three generations of Austrian monarchs. His opinions were definitely taken very seriously by His Majesty the Emperor. Kobzl keenly noticed that "Britain would mediate the Silesia war" and could not help but feel moved. He nodded immediately and said:
"If Count Kaunitz doesn't object and the victory of Liegnitz can be preserved, I am confident that I can convince those warlike generals."

Now Walter used the influence of the Queen to gather a large number of pro-Prussian and anti-French political forces, and only cared about Kaunitz's political power. If it were not for the latter's restraint, they could really call the shots in Vienna.

Baron Turgut frowned and said, "But Count Kaunitz is very stubborn. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to make him compromise."

Baron Walter also came up and said angrily: "It would be great if we could get this old guy out of office!"

Although he is uneducated, he represents the queen's attitude to a certain extent, so he has to be involved in important political plans.

The Duke of Leeds smiled at him and said, "You are right. Perhaps the simplest and most direct method is the most effective. Then, let's see if there is any way to get the Minister of State to leave the political center."

Turgut and the others all nodded repeatedly, but then fell silent. To be honest, before Clemens Metternich pulled up this "broken car" of Austria, there were really no decent politicians in Austria.

The Duke of Leeds sighed helplessly. It seemed that he had to do the evil himself.

He continued, “Since Count Kaunitz strongly advocates war, we should give him this opportunity and let him take the spotlight.

"If the war on the front line suddenly cannot be carried out, or even shows signs of being defeated, he may have to bear some political responsibility..."

After he roughly explained his plan, the eyes of the others all lit up and they exclaimed in unison, "This method is absolutely feasible!"

"You are so wise. We should start building momentum right away."

"Leave Hungary to me. With your full support, I will definitely be able to convince them!"

“I went to Prague, where my mother is from.”

……

Prussia.

Potsdam.

William II paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his expression sometimes angry and sometimes confused, muttering: "Damn it, is this how they treat their allies? Why are there so few true friends like His Majesty Peter III?"

He was referring to the Tsar who had suddenly turned against his father and helped him reverse the defeat in the Seven Years' War.

He even forgot that Peter III was eventually ousted from power by his own wife in a coup and died in the cold palace because of his "friendship".

The Minister of the Interior, Lucifer Mencken, followed him and cautiously advised: "Your Majesty, given the current situation, it is difficult for us to launch an attack to retake Liegnitz.

"Although it is a pass in the Sudeten Mountains, the output there is not that much. If the British can guarantee the safety of Breslau, our losses will not be that great..."

(End of this chapter)