I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 421 Walloon Special Trade Zone

Mrs. Delvaux's burial ceremony was rather simple.

The old lady didn't have many friends during her lifetime. In order not to offend Baron Walter, they had basically cut off all contact with the Delvaux family. At this time, only seven or eight people came to say goodbye to her.

However, the appearance of Joseph made Father Koch, who was originally a little listless, immediately become serious, and his voice when he read the Holy Word became more solemn.

Camelia, who was wearing a black dress, stood aside with a dull expression, looking at her only relative in the world with red and swollen eyes, seemingly at a loss.

It wasn't until the priest finished his prayers and began to offer incense in front of the corpse that she seemed to suddenly understand and cried "Wow".

Joseph rushed forward to comfort the helpless girl:

"Mrs. Delvaux will be watching you in heaven and will not be separated from you..."

After the tedious ceremony, Mrs. Delvaux's coffin was carried to the nearest church by servants, and Camelia finally calmed down due to exhaustion of strength.

As soon as Joseph walked out of the gate of the manor, he saw Talleyrand coming towards him and saluted him:

"Your Highness, it's not easy to find you."

The Foreign Secretary looked at the black coffin again and made the sign of the cross on his chest:

"May God have mercy on this poor soul."

"That is Her Majesty the Queen's wet nurse." Joseph also made the sign of the cross and asked Talleyrand, "Are you in a hurry?"

Talleyrand came closer:

"Yes, Your Highness. Baron Turgut invited me to have a meeting, which should be about the reinforcement of Silesia. Do you think there is anything that I need to pay special attention to?"

Joseph nodded slightly. This is to prepare for the official signing of the agreement between himself and Emperor Shinra. The main things are usually discussed at this time.

"I will transfer the Guard Corps to Silesia. You can tell Baron Turgut that the military breakthrough will be achieved. However, France will still maintain a state of non-declaration of war."

You can withdraw at any time without declaring war. After all, France is not here to fight for Austria.

Talleyrand heard that His Royal Highness the Dauphin was going to use elite troops, and he suddenly felt confident to ask the Austrians for a price, and he quickly jotted it down in his notebook.

Joseph continued: "Besides, I will see to it that Russia does not interfere in Silesia."

Talleyrand's eyes flashed with surprise, and he quickly lowered his head to write it down.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it is enough to affect the direction of the war in Silesia. Back then, Catherine II only mobilized 40,000 troops to assemble westward. The battle for the Bavarian throne came to an abrupt end before everyone arrived, and Prussia and Austria immediately returned to the negotiating table.

Moreover, the crown prince said so confidently, as if the Russian tsar would definitely do what he said.

"As for our request, there is only one," Joseph looked at the Foreign Secretary and lowered his voice, "that is the Walloon District."

Talleyrand nodded and took note, then hesitated and said:

"Your Highness, given the current atmosphere in Vienna, this may not be easy to do."

At the moment, the whole of Austria is immersed in the frenzy to regain territory. Although the Walloon region is small, the loss of even one town in Austria at this time will arouse strong opposition within the country.

"Your concerns are very reasonable." Joseph nodded thoughtfully, but soon smiled, "Then let's find another way, for example..."

From the corner of his eye, he saw that the mourning team had gone away. He sighed helplessly and told Emmandé to go by himself. Then he told Talleyrand in detail about his plan:

"For example, setting up a special trade zone..."

Schönbrunn Palace.

In the bedroom of Joseph II, surprise flashed in Leopold II's eyes:

"You mean that the French promised to send a strong legion into Silesia and that they would be responsible for most of the expenses of this legion?"

It's not that Joseph is poor and generous, but he knows that with Austria's current financial situation, if it continues to bear the military expenses of the Guards Corps, it may not last long. Even though the number of Guards Corps is not too large, the cost is quite high - first of all, the salary of soldiers is much higher than that of ordinary troops, and then there is the supplement and maintenance of various new equipment, and even daily Food and drinks are much more expensive than other armies.

Baron Turgut nodded and said: "Yes, Your Majesty. Archbishop Talleyrand also said that the coalition forces will definitely achieve a strategic breakthrough."

Leopold II couldn't help but clenched his fists: "If France can really convince Russia to stay on the sidelines, we will have great hope of regaining Silesia!"

Joseph II, who was on the hospital bed next to him, also made a sound of "uh", with a rare smile on his face.

Turgut continued: "Your Majesty, the French have always been unwilling to declare war on Prussia, obviously because they do not want to get involved too deeply."

"It doesn't matter." Leopold II waved his hand nonchalantly, "As the war situation changes, we have many ways to keep them in Silesia."

A dozen ideas for tying France to the Austrian chariot flashed through his mind in an instant, and he couldn't help but smile. His sister still lacked political experience. How could she escape so easily once she got involved in a war?

If Joseph had been there, he would have smiled back.

He naturally knew the principle of "it is difficult to get off the pirate ship", but he also clearly remembered that in less than three months, Joseph II would be called to heaven by the Lord.

At that time, Austria will first hold a funeral for the old emperor, and then the new emperor will be crowned and ascend the throne - you know, the coronation of Austria is not a simple matter. Leopold II must first go through the process of the electors to select the emperor, be crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor, and then start his long journey, and be crowned as the monarch of Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia, Transylvania, Mantua, Galicia, Lodomeria and the Austrian Netherlands...

What? You want to be lazy and miss a place? Then you will lose the legal basis for ruling there, and believe it or not, there will be nobles trying to fill the vacancy next year.

(Look at the emblem of the Holy Roman Emperor to know how complicated the "title" is.)

So by then, Austria will definitely have no time to continue fighting, and Joseph can take the "idle" French army back to Paris after participating in the coronation ceremony of the Holy Roman Emperor - you can't let your master rest for half a year and let us French fight Prussia, right?

After confirming the bright prospects of the Silesia war, Leopold II looked at Baron Turgut again:

"What about France's request?"

"Archbishop Talleyrand said that many French people had invested in Wallonia before, so they hope that it can become a 'special trade zone'."

"Special trade zone?"

"Oh, that is, France and Austria can invest and trade there, and the administration of Wallonia will be presided over by the Chamber of Commerce." Turgut said, "At the same time, in order to ensure the fairness of trade, there will be no permanent troops there, and the Wallonia Police Department will be responsible for public security."