Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 918 - 826 Munich Conference

Bavaria.

Munich Palace.

In the elegantly decorated spacious hall, the Austrian Minister of State, Baron Tugut, raised his arms and proclaimed passionately:

"This is the war that will decide the future of the great Holy Roman Empire. We can only accept one outcome, and that is the complete defeat of the barbaric French people.

"It won’t be long before the Empire surrounds Paris, and we will accept the French King’s surrender at the Palace of Versailles!

"The Empire’s hundred thousand troops are advancing smoothly in Luxembourg..."

Prince Henry of Prussia, sitting in the front row, immediately nodded in agreement: "The Duke of Brunswick will capture Luxembourg City within a week."

He appeared to support Tugut, but in truth, he was emphasizing that the main force fighting in Luxembourg was the Prussians, not the ’Imperial Army’ Tugut mentioned.

"The Duke of Brunswick is indeed Europe’s finest commander." Tugut had no choice but to go along with this flattery and then pointed south, "In Freiburg, Count Latour’s corps has also completed its assembly and will soon launch an attack on Alsace.

"Victory will certainly belong to the Holy Roman Empire!"

The representatives from each of the German states in the hall let out a lackluster cheer, but the voice of the British representative Lord Grenville was the loudest.

Seeing the atmosphere was just right, Baron Tugut quickly got to the point:

"At this critical moment of the war, all the German states have the obligation to contribute to the Empire!"

He gestured to the west side of the hall, bowing slightly: "The 7,000 troops sent by Count Auguste arrived in Gai’erden last week, please allow me to express sincere gratitude on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor."

Count Auguste is the King of Thuringia and has always fully supported the Holy Roman Emperor militarily.

"Hanover and Mainz will also send troops to the Rhein West Shore." Tugut said, glancing around at the hall filled with various state representatives, "His Majesty the Emperor eagerly awaits the arrival of your armies."

The representatives of Wurttemberg, Trier, and other states exchanged glances, only to hear an abrasive voice from the Assistant Foreign Minister of Baden, Baron Waldeck: "Honorable Baron Tugut, you know that this war is terrifying for us small states. At the same time, the outcome of the war doesn’t have much to do with us."

As a seasoned "Francophile" small state, Baden didn’t even send a member of the Royal Family or the Foreign Minister, just let this second-in-command of the diplomatic system deal with the meeting convened by the Holy Roman Emperor this time.

Tugut immediately and righteously stated: "No, it certainly matters! If we cannot defeat the French people on the battlefield, you, the Rheinland states, will be the first invaded by them."

Baron Waldeck, with his head down as if talking to himself, spoke loudly enough for all the representatives to hear: "The French Government has repeatedly promised that they will not invade the German states that did not participate in the war..."

"Lies! All lies from the French people!" Baron Tugut, slightly angry but quickly regaining composure, continued, "His Majesty the Emperor has decided to renegotiate the Southern Germany trade agreement after the war. The trade subsidies and tariff coefficients will be adjusted based on each country’s contribution in this war. At the same time, England will also open part of its market to the signatory countries."

He glanced at Waldeck: "Those countries that do not fulfill their imperial obligations will be excluded from the agreement."

Waldeck shrugged indifferently and looked elsewhere. Baden is now already integrated into France’s economic system; with its size, just a little nibbling on France could make it full, with no concern for Austria’s threats.

However, the representatives of Mainz, Wurttemberg, and other states showed signs of nervousness.

Over the past two years, they have become accustomed to the Seine-Rhine trade system. Suddenly being kicked out would certainly cause domestic economic turmoil. Also, entering the British market is a temptation hard for them to resist.

The State Minister of Trier first stood up with a face full of difficulty and said: "Baron Tugut, our national power is weak, and we simply cannot afford the losses brought by the war."

The State Minister of Bavaria, Pomentar, immediately nodded: "Indeed, if the French Army invades our country, it will cause great damage..."

Tugut was so angry he gnashed his teeth, thinking to himself that Bavaria keeps longing to restore the glory of the Burgundy Dynasty, but when it comes to sending troops, it turns into a small country?

Fortunately, Vienna anticipated such situations, so he took a deep breath and pulled out an edict from Franz II, loudly proclaiming: "His Majesty the Emperor solemnly promises everyone that the losses suffered by each country in this war against France will be compensated by Austria after the war."

He looked at Pomentar: "So, what is Bavaria’s answer?"

The latter was stunned for a moment, not expecting Austria to bet so big this time, and had no choice but to say begrudgingly: "We will dispatch 13,000 soldiers."

Seeing Tugut still looking at him, he gritted his teeth and continued:

"And provide logistical support for 50,000 troops."

"Very well." Tugut then looked towards the Trier representative.

The latter murmured, "Our nation can dispatch 4,000 troops."

Tugut nodded and turned to the Mainz representative.

In this way, under his pressure, all the states of Southern Germany dispatched some portion of their military forces, with even a microstate like Rothenburg providing a transport convoy for logistics, excluding only Baden.

At noon, the solemn joint assembly of the German states came to an end. With guidance from the Bavarian court officials, the representatives from various countries headed to the banquet hall.

Tugut, Prince Henry, and Lord Grenville, however, lagged behind the crowd, whispering about something in low voices.

"The countries have dispatched a total of 40,000 troops, which is better than I expected." Although Prince Henry said this, his brows remained furrowed, "This time, we must achieve a great victory in Luxembourg."

Tugut nodded: "His Majesty the Emperor is already considering temporarily abandoning the Southern Netherlands region, transferring the army led by the Duke of York to fight in the Rhineland."

Grenville smiled: "His Majesty has made a rare correct decision! This way, on the front line in Luxembourg, we will have over 150,000 troops, while the French Army there only has 65,000 men."

Henry’s expression finally relaxed a bit: "As long as we can break into Verdun and reach Paris within two months, all other losses will be recoverable."

He then looked to Tugut: "What concerns me most is the situation in Northern Italy. You’ve suffered several defeats there already. If Mantua..."

Tugut promptly assured, "General Willemze will arrive in Mantua by the end of the month. It is an extremely fortified stronghold; no accidents will occur."

Lord Grenville added, "In the North Italian direction, we only need to hold for two months. Two months later, the 30,000 new troops trained by the Marquess of Wellesley will be ready for battle."