Chapter 314 Lyon’s last chance
When the French army defeats the rebels in Brabant, Prussia will definitely not be willing to accept the result of Austria gaining power in the Southern Netherlands, so it will definitely send some troops to assist the Southern Netherlands. orchid.
Joseph was even prepared to create signs that the French army was lacking stamina, so that the Prussians felt that they could give another fight.
As the Prussian army is transferred to the Southern Netherlands, the number of troops in Silesia will inevitably decrease, and the pressure on the Austrian army there will also be reduced.
Joseph II felt that the war in the Southern Netherlands was supporting the direction of Silesia, and he would inevitably encourage the French army to continue to contain the Prussians there.
At this time, the French military presence in the Southern Netherlands was tantamount to Austria's acquiescence.
During the battle between the French army and the Prussians, where the battlefield would expand was beyond Austria's control.
At that time, Joseph II would even hope that the French army would actually control a larger area, and it would be best to extend the battlefield to Herre, which is Prussia's territory immediately northeast of the Southern Netherlands.
Of course, Joseph would not be stupid enough to take the lead and tease Prussia indefinitely.
In fact, he didn't even want to get involved in the Flemish region of the Southern Netherlands. As long as he could get the Walloon region, the French-speaking area in the southeast of the Southern Netherlands, he would have accomplished his strategic goal.
People in Wallonia basically speak French and are naturally pro-French, making management difficult.
First of all, most of the population in the Flemish region speaks Dutch, and it will be very difficult to rule - Austria's rule here encountered the Brabant Uprising, which is a lesson learned from the past.
These are Joseph's strategic designs for France in Europe. As for flexing its muscles in Europe, that will have to wait until France's economy develops.
By the time the Minister of War and the Chief of General Staff reported on the French army's war preparations, it was already past 10 o'clock in the evening.
Therefore, it is most appropriate for the northern part of the Southern Netherlands to remain in Austrian hands for the time being.
As for the Flemish region in the northern part of the Southern Netherlands, although it can control the mouth of the Rhine River, it is still a hot potato at present.
Therefore, the British absolutely cannot accept France, which they have always been hostile to, controlling the trade lifeline between themselves and the vast German market.
Before that, he never wanted to compete with the British. After all, the latter was still the most powerful country in Europe.
Secondly, the British attach great importance to the mouth of the Rhine River, because nearly half of their goods sold on the European continent come from here. By the way, the port of Le Havre, which is the mouth of the Seine River, is also important.
The war is actually about the country's heritage. The economy is the most important aspect of the foundation.
The most important thing is that the Walloon region is an important coal producing area in Europe, and winning here can provide strong support for France's industrial revolution.
For this reason, they would not hesitate to declare war on France. Historically, the core reason why Britain devoted all its efforts to the Second Anti-French Alliance was that France occupied the Southern Netherlands at that time and was determined to control the Rhine channel regardless of previous agreements.
By the time the war between Prussia and Austria ended, Wallonia and Luxembourg were already filled with French soldiers, and even the bureaucracy took on a French shape. France and Austria will have to discuss how to calculate the ownership of these places.
In addition, Wallonia is also adjacent to Luxembourg, which has a large amount of excellent iron ore and was ruled by France 80 years ago. The war in the Southern Netherlands could easily spread here.
Joseph's current strategic focus is on domestic industrial construction to enhance national strength as quickly as possible and then use the dividends from industrial development to fill the huge fiscal deficit.
Joseph roughly calculated the time based on what Berthier just said. From Austria's attack on Silesia, it will probably take nearly a month until the war spreads to the Southern Netherlands.
He smoothed over the things at hand and told Eman who was standing at the door: "Please prepare, we will go to Lyon early tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Your Highness." One month is enough time to go to Lyon and back.
Joseph knew that once the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement was signed, a very broad market would appear in front of France.
So far, the crucial automatic looms have not been fully rolled out.
This is simply a waste of historical opportunity!
In fact, automatic looms have begun mass production, and Mirabeau shipped thirty or forty units to Lyon a while ago.
However, the dissemination of information in this era was slow, and the factory owners in Lyon were conservative and did not dare to invest huge sums of money in attempts. As a result, the automatic looms failed to stir up even a splash.
Joseph rubbed his sore shoulders and sighed in his heart. He really couldn't play without him...
Seven days later.
Joseph looked out the car window at the docks of the Rhone River. There were piles of textiles everywhere, and workers were rushing back and forth like ants, loading the goods onto the ships.
Vehicles continued to bring more fabrics and clothes around, and people in the vehicles shouted loudly, summoning dock workers to unload the goods.
It is also a scene of a prosperous French textile center.
However, Joseph knew very well that compared with the developed British textile industry, this place was still far behind.
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he had tricked the British into amending the "Treaty of Eden" and allowing Lyon to breathe a sigh of relief, the place would have been filled with bankrupt workshops and unemployed workers, full of decay and dilapidation.
Of course, it's just a matter of breath now.
France lacked colonies to dump goods and did not have large cotton and wool producing areas, so it was naturally unable to compete with the British in terms of cost and sales.
Therefore, if France wants to get a piece of the pie in the textile industry, the industry with the largest sales, it can only work hard in the production process.
Although the British are still the leaders of the world in this area, the application of automatic looms and steam engines has given France a rare opportunity.
Joseph's motorcade drove all the way to the Royal Square, and the surrounding area suddenly became lively.
The Municipal Commissioner and the President of the Chamber of Commerce, together with hundreds of officials and factory owners, stood respectfully on both sides of the road to greet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
This was also what Joseph had ordered in advance, asking them to wait in the square, otherwise they would have to waste half a day to greet them from outside the city and then get here again.
After some routine salutes and greetings, Joseph, accompanied by music and cheers, pushed through the crowd and went straight to the high platform in the center of the square.
As he raised his hand to signal, the surroundings quickly became quiet.
He looked around, wasting no time, and said loudly: "Now is Lyon's last chance!" According to the "Treaty of Eden", starting from the end of next year, tariffs on British textiles will be significantly higher. reduce.
"According to Lyon's current costs, all domestic markets will be lost by then!"
(End of chapter)