Chapter 348: The Holy Roman Emperor's Regret
"Yes, General, it's a stalemate." The staff officer sitting across from the chessboard pushed his chair back and glanced eastward. "Just like this damned war."
General Kellermann, feeling tired after playing chess for most of the day, stood up and stretched. "I heard from the hussars that there's a good river near the Görlitz border, full of fat trout. How about we go fishing tomorrow?"
"That sounds great," the staff officer replied, "but it's close to Saxony, so it might not be entirely safe."
"No matter, we'll just bring more guards."
Kellermann draped his coat over his shoulders and lazily walked out of the tent. In the distance, the sound of cannon fire echoed once again.
He had originally hoped to achieve some glory in Austria, to revive the morale of the military after a half-year of stagnation—ever since the Marquis de Saint-Véran's rebellion, the military had been tightly controlled by the royal family and desperately needed a major victory to restore its reputation.
However, after the initial ambush by the Prussians, which cost them nearly a thousand men, he had not had the chance to engage in any more battles.
The Austrian and Prussian armies had set up massive artillery lines in the hills of Legnica—230 cannons on the Austrian side and 190 on the Prussian side—and had been bombarding each other day and night ever since.
The dense artillery lines made it impossible for either side's infantry to advance—unlike the French Imperial Guard, these troops lacked the courage for a frontal assault. Any attempt to enter the artillery range was quickly abandoned after minor skirmishes.
This was the favored tactic of both the Prussian and Austrian armies in recent decades: establishing extensive artillery defenses and then searching for a weak spot in the enemy's lines to launch a heavy assault.
But both sides' commanders were well-versed in these tactics. After the Seven Years' War and the War of the Bavarian Succession, they were familiar with each other's strategies and remained vigilant.
And so, the artillery lines stretched for miles, bombarding each other for over a month with little to show for it. Apart from the occasional unlucky soul hit by a cannonball, the stalemate produced almost no results.
The minimal loss of cannons was quickly replenished by both Austria and Prussia, two great powers, leading to a deadlock in Silesia.
However, neither side dared to withdraw their troops, fearing the other would seize the opportunity to break through their artillery lines with reinforcements.
As a result, the combined armies of over 200,000 men from both sides routinely marched to the front lines each day, watched the "fireworks show," then returned to eat and sleep—a surprisingly relaxed existence.
The only ones not relaxed were the treasuries of Austria and Prussia. Maintaining such large armies was no small expense.
Leopold II returned to Vienna with a somber expression after inspecting the Silesian front. He knew that although the two sides were currently evenly matched, with Austria even having a slight advantage in numbers, Austria was strategically moving towards defeat.
As the side concentrating all its forces for the offensive, Austria had yet to make any decisive progress, still lingering on the edges of Silesia.
In contrast, Prussia, with its "militaristic" society, had a far greater capacity for endurance than Austria.
Prussian peasants, content with just enough potatoes to fill their stomachs, dared not voice any complaints against their Junker overlords. Meanwhile, the Junker nobles were willing to serve on the front lines, even for reduced or no pay, in exchange for military honors.
Austria, on the other hand, was facing tax resistance from its nobles due to the reforms initiated by his brother. If the war caused further strain on the finances, the entire country could collapse.
Therefore, a breakthrough in Silesia was urgently needed to stabilize the domestic situation with a military victory.
As Leopold II pondered these issues, his carriage arrived at Schönbrunn Palace. After collecting his thoughts, he hurried to Emperor Joseph II's bedroom and entered after a brief knock.
After reporting on the Silesian front, he looked at his frail brother and said sternly, "Your Majesty, we must initiate large-scale mobilization as soon as possible. If we don't, by the end of this year, our finances will no longer be able to support the war."
He didn't need to remind the bedridden emperor of the dire consequences Austria would face if Silesia were lost.
"Based on what I observed at the front, we need to recruit at least 80,000 more troops to have any hope of making a swift advance in Legnica."
Joseph II gazed out the window for a long time before speaking slowly, "You know our current situation; we can't do that..."
Leopold II clenched his teeth and stepped closer, speaking firmly, "Brother, it's time to halt the reforms, at least temporarily. If we restore the traditional rights of the nobility and stop paying extra wages to the serfs, the nobles in Hungary and Kiev could immediately raise over 100,000 troops and provide significant financial support. This way, we wouldn't just secure Silesia—we could even push into Lusatia!"
Lusatia was already traditional Prussian territory, including parts of eastern Saxony.
Before Joseph II could refuse, Leopold II continued, "And the rebels in the Southern Netherlands would lose noble support, which would stabilize the western empire. I know this is a difficult decision for you, but if we can reclaim Silesia, you can use the prestige from the victory to push your reforms forward again, with much greater success!"
Joseph II sighed heavily. The reforms he had devoted his life to were now becoming obstacles to the nation's victory.
After a long pause, he shook his head weakly. "Let me think about it... We were so close to success..."
Leopold II was about to persuade him further when Joseph II changed the subject. "Leo has drawn up a comprehensive plan for an offensive in the Southern Netherlands and needs 10,000 more troops. Can you arrange that?"
Leopold II took Leo's letter from his brother's aide, quickly scanned it, and hesitated. "He plans to have the French deal with the Hanoverians?"
"Carl II has 20,000 troops and a few thousand Dutchmen. If the French engage them in the Southern Netherlands, they should be locked in a stalemate for a while."
After resting for a moment, Joseph II continued, "Archbishop Constantine has promised to rally his forces for a northern assault on Blücher. Leo should be able to break through sooner and take Brussels. General Wurmser also supports this plan."
Constantine was the Archbishop of Liège, who held significant power in the independent ecclesiastical territory.
After a moment of silence, Leopold II bowed and said, "I'll find a way to send reinforcements to General Leo, Your Majesty."
As he left Joseph II's bedroom, he muttered to himself, "A decision must be made," and ordered the carriage to take him to the residence of Chancellor Kaunitz.
...
Luxembourg City.
Joseph took advantage of the brief rest period before the Imperial Guard's march to Brussels to visit this historic city. He presided over the ceremony for the French Steel Technology Association's acquisition of eleven iron mines and the two largest smelting workshops in Luxembourg.
(End of Chapter)
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