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, the nobles who came to participate in the salon knew that this salon was actually requested by Baron Walter. He is currently a hot political upstart in Vienna.
Especially after Leopold II finally completed the coronation ceremony in the Holy See, Walter's status also rose as his cousin Ludovica became empress.
And this time a special visitor to the salon made the place much livelier than before.
The theme of the salon was "The Connection between Truth, Freedom and the Will of God," but no one in the hall was talking about it at this time.
A fat nobleman wearing 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, "Sending troops into Bavaria will definitely yield ten times the harvest!"
"Now is not the time to fight to the death with Prussia! Everyone knows what our finances are like. If we continue to fight, the serfs may riot again!"
The fat noble with small eyes gave an excited speech about the situation in Silesia, and suddenly looked at the Duke of Leeds who was sitting in an inconspicuous place next to him: "Dear Duke, what do you think of what I just said?"
"Oh, that's wonderful! We need peace, any country needs peace."
The latter dealt with it casually, then turned to Baron Turgut and others and said: "In other words, 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 His Majesty choose a truce?" asked the Duke of Leeds, "I mean, Prussia obviously doesn't want to continue the fight."
"There are many factors." Turgut said, shaking the wine glass in his hand, "For example, the military hopes to taste Lignitz-style victory again. You know, that battle made many people rise to the top, just like Marshal Leo.
"The biggest obstacle is Count Kaunitz's group of guys who have always been hostile to Prussia. They shout 'recover the homeland' all day long. Anyone who mentions the armistice in front of His Majesty will be called a traitor by them.
"And this group of people often incite nobles and even civilians to petition His Majesty. Your Majesty now has a headache when he sees him."
On the side, the new Assistant to the Interior Secretary Philip von Kobzl continued: "Also, the Prussian armistice conditions must also be considered. I think they will definitely use the return of Lignitz as a condition of negotiation, and this is This is absolutely unacceptable to His Majesty.”
Lignitz was captured during the reign of Joseph II. Leopold II knew very well that if he lost this land as soon as he came to the throne, his prestige in Austria would plummet.
These big figures who can really influence the Austrian political situation 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 disappointed.
The Duke of Leeds thought for a while, looked at a few people and said: "On the Prussian side, I can try to persuade Lord Grenville to mediate.
"So, the biggest remaining obstacle should be Count Kaunitz's attitude?"
Kaunitz was a very radical anti-Prussian and pro-French man. Since he became Austria's Minister of State, he has always regarded "competing with Prussia for hegemony over Germany" as his core political proposition.
The Kaunitz-Rittberg family from which he was born has a profound heritage in Austria, and he himself is the minister of state who has assisted three generations of Austrian monarchs. His opinions must be taken seriously even by His Majesty the Emperor. Kobczl keenly noticed that "Britain will mediate the situation in Silesia", and couldn't help but feel a move in his heart. He nodded immediately and said:
"If there is no objection from Count Kaunitz and the results of Lignitz can be preserved, I am confident that I can convince those warlike generals."
Now Walter used the Queen's influence to gather a large number of pro-Prussian and anti-French political forces, and only Kaunitz's political power was taken into consideration. If there were no constraints from the latter, they would really be able to make all the difference in Vienna.
Baron Turgut frowned and said, "But Count Kaunitz is very stubborn, and 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 drive this old guy off the stage!"
Although he is uneducated, he represents the Queen's attitude to a certain extent, so he must be included in important political planning.
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 us see if there is any way to get the Minister of State to leave the political center."
Turgut and the others nodded repeatedly, but then fell into silence. To be honest, before Clemens Metternich pulled up the "broken car" of Austria, there were really no decent politicians in Austria.
The Duke of Leeds sighed helplessly. It seemed that this evil man had to do it himself.
He continued: "Since Count Kaunitz is determined to take charge of the battle, we will give him this opportunity to steal the show.
"If it suddenly appears that the frontline war cannot continue, or even shows signs of defeat, he may have to bear some political responsibility..."
After he roughly finished explaining his plan, the other people's eyes lit up and they exclaimed in unison, "This method is absolutely feasible!"
"You are really full of wisdom. We should start building momentum immediately."
"Leave it to me in Hungary. 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, looking alternately angry and troubled, muttering: "Damn it, is this how they treat their allies? Why are there so few true friends like His Majesty Peter III?"
He was talking about the Tsar who suddenly switched sides and helped his father reverse the defeat of the Seven Years War.
And he even forgot that Peter III was eventually ousted from power by his wife in a coup for his "friendship" and died in the cold palace.
The Minister of the Interior, Lucivid Mencken, followed him and cautiously advised: "Your Majesty, given the current situation, it is difficult for us to launch an attack to take back Lignitz.
"Although it is the pass of the Sudeten Mountains, the output is not much. If the British can guarantee the safety of Breslau, our losses will not be big..."
(End of chapter)