Chapter 828: Chapter 736: No Compromise!

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After the Duke of Broglie finished speaking, the ministers’ expressions turned even grimmer.

160,000 versus 400,000–this was bound to be an extremely arduous war.

Yet Joseph smiled and said, “Everyone, look, we have absolutely no need to cede any interests to Austria.”

Everyone: “?”

Joseph continued, “Let’s not even discuss the weaponry and training level of our army. Just the fact that the enemy’s forces come from so many countries makes unified command and coordination incredibly difficult, let alone seamless cooperation. We ought to have confidence in defeating them.”

This wasn’t arrogance but rather a conclusion drawn from the historical outcomes of the First Anti-French Alliance.

At that time, the nations that declared war on France included England, Prussia, Austria, Portugal, as well as Spain and the Italian States.

But now, Spain would certainly not side with England. Though Spain’s land forces were notoriously weak, its absence slightly reduced the scale of the Anti-French Alliance.

Moreover, historically, Prussia and Austria had not yet endured the Silesian Wars at that point, and their national strength was more intact than it is now.

Of course, historically, England entered the war relatively late–essentially after Prussia and Austria suffered a defeat on the northern front, which then prompted England to join the alliance. But now, the British were actively involved and investing fully in the war effort.

While Prussia and Austria were indeed drained by the Silesian Wars, they had also gained a group of veterans accustomed to real combat. So overall, their strength was roughly on par with before.

But let’s consider France’s position.

During the First Anti-French Alliance, France had just endured the destructive aftermath of the Revolution, and its national power had not yet recovered. Many nobles fled abroad, including numerous capable military officers, which severely diminished the army’s strength.

Although revolutionary fervor provided a temporary boost, it paled in comparison to the combat effectiveness of today’s French Royal elite corps.

And the result of the First Anti-French Alliance is widely known: after some initial setbacks, France steadily pushed its way to the Rhine River.

This time around, with Joseph commanding a modernized army and presiding over a France untouched by revolutionary turmoil, there was no way the performance could fall short of its historical counterpart.

Even in the worst-case scenario where his leadership faltered and the war effort took a turn for the worse, let’s not forget–France was only mobilizing its standing army for now. Joseph held a trump card in the form of total mobilization.

This France had implemented land reforms!

Those farmers who had purchased land–if Joseph issued the call–would charge at the Crown Prince’s enemies with bloodshot eyes.

With a population of 30 million, France should be able to mobilize 200,000 troops with little difficulty.

Nonetheless, what the French dignitaries saw was a coalition of major European powers standing against France, triggering a sense of unease in their hearts.

Trade Minister Bailly hesitated for a moment before standing up and saying, “Your Highness, perhaps we could consider approaching Austria first. After all, gaining one more ally is always better than having one more enemy.”

Joseph took a deep breath and raised his voice, “Let me repeat–starting now, the only topic for discussion is how to prepare for war.

“Anyone who dares to oppose France will be met with thunderous reprisal, not compromise!”

The meeting room instantly fell silent.

Someone sneaked a glance at Queen Mary, only to find her sitting with her hands clasped tightly, head bowed, and not saying a word–she had never faced a situation of this magnitude before and was completely at a loss, unable to come up with any ideas.

Brian, as the Chief Minister, immediately stood and solemnly declared to the Crown Prince, “Yes, Your Highness! No compromise!”

The other ministers also steeled their resolve, standing up and echoing, “No compromise!”

Joseph nodded in satisfaction and gestured for everyone to sit down.

Brian then followed up, “Your Highness, under extreme circumstances, the treasury can allocate 80 million francs as military expenditure. I recommend that, to ensure no accidents occur, we proactively secure loans from neutral countries or private financial groups.”

Mirabeau added, “We must also stockpile industrial raw materials. I mean, once the war begins, it might become very difficult to acquire resources from overseas.”

Talleyrand nodded, “That’s why we should employ certain diplomatic tactics to delay the commencement of hostilities, buying more time for preparations…”

“Our grain reserves are currently satisfactory. From Poland alone, over 3 million pounds of grain will soon arrive, raising strategic reserve levels to about 80% of the maximum capacity…”

“We need to strengthen domestic war propaganda…”

“I propose issuing a ‘Preparatory Military Service Act’ to enhance mobilization efficiency…”

Joseph had already set the tone and now merely listened in silence.

France operated like a massive machine. Over the years, Joseph had poured his heart and soul into identifying and fixing its faults, ensuring that each component, each gear, ran as smoothly and optimally as possible.

At this moment, there was hardly anything for him to do–the national machine was already moving swiftly and efficiently, handling everything in an orderly manner.

The Cabinet meeting lasted the entire day and extended into the next morning, churning out one directive after another from the Palace of Versailles to various parts of France.

The entirety of France seemed to emit a thunderous roar as it surged forward with unstoppable momentum.

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To define the timeline of “Spain’s Decline,” it is generally said to span from roughly 1600 to 1680. During this period, Spain fell from being the dominant power in Europe to a second-rate nation. As for Spain’s ups and downs in the 18th and 19th centuries, they were nothing more than fluctuations between second- and third-tier status. The latter half of the 18th century saw a brief period of recovery, while the 19th century could be deemed a full-blown decline. These phases are more appropriately viewed as the aftermath of Spain’s decline rather than part of the decline itself. Let us consider a remark made in 1759 by the French ambassador to Spain: “There’s no way to compare Spain with France… This so-called leading monarchy is sparsely populated, devoid of industry or devout faith; it lacks public order, justice is scarce, the people are lazy, productivity is rare; the country lacks roads and canals, carts are few; in short, this nation seems to lag two centuries behind others.” While this statement is undeniably exaggerated, it effectively conveys that Spain’s decline was a process long completed. Secondly, from a logical perspective, it’s key to understand that “Spain’s Decline” was a prolonged process rather than a brief event. If we aim to trace specific causes for events, we should look for pre-existing conditions; however, when analyzing an extended process, we must examine the multitude of factors embedded within that process–factors that are both drivers and manifestations of the decline itself. In other words, these elements interact with each other, making it difficult to assign clear chronological precedence. We are analyzing causes, yes, but we are also interpreting outcomes shaped by these causes.