Chapter 764: Franz II's "All-In" Gamble
The voting results were announced within minutes—
80 votes in favor2 abstentions0 votes against
From this moment, Wallonia officially became part of France as three new provinces.
When Chevènement read out the results, the hall erupted in thunderous cheers.
Someone led the chant:
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
The crowd immediately followed:
"Long live the King!"
"Long live France!"
"Long live the Crown Prince!"
"Aha! We're French now!"
Once the excitement settled, General Gaillard raised his arm and declared loudly:
"Now, we must dedicate all our efforts to one thing—
Ensuring France wins this war!"
The merchants and officials nodded in agreement.
Gaillard continued:
**"I propose we immediately begin large-scale recruitment of soldiers to support the front lines in Brussels...
"Oh, no—I mean to support our army!"**
Vienna – Schönbrunn Palace
British Foreign Secretary Lord Grenville and Marquess Wellesley bowed before Franz II and acknowledged the Prussian Foreign Minister before exiting the Grand Gallery.
As they walked, Wellesley could still hear the angry shouting echoing from inside the palace.
He turned to Grenville.
**"Why did you refuse the Holy Roman Emperor's request?
"The Dutch army is completely unreliable, and with Prince Coburg defeated, there is no force left on the Western Front to stop the French.
"Given the battlefield situation, York should be reinforcing the Southern Netherlands immediately—
"Otherwise, the situation will spiral out of control."**
A Delayed Response to a Lost Battle
Two days earlier, news of Austria's defeat in the Southern Netherlands reached Vienna.
A week had already passed since the Battle of Wavre.
Neither Britain nor Austria realized that at that very moment, Joseph's army had already surrounded Brussels and was launching fierce assaults on the city with 30,000 troops.
Yet, Grenville had just refused to send Duke of York's forces to assist Prince Coburg, claiming:
**"Vienna acted unilaterally, launching an unauthorized attack on Wallonia.
"This reckless decision is why we are in this dire situation now."**
According to the original Allied war strategy, Prince Coburg's forces were supposed to advance alongside the Rhine campaign, forcing the French to split their forces under immense pressure and expose weaknesses.
But Franz II had his own plans.
He wanted Austria to dominate the Rhine front, impressing the German states and asserting Austrian power over them—
A step toward future unification.
Thus, he had decided to finish the South German campaign quickly so he could redeploy Coburg's troops to the Rhine.
However, Austria's Western Front collapsed first—
Forcing Franz II to swallow his pride and beg Britain for help.
Grenville's Calculated Move
Grenville smirked.
**"Austria must learn a lesson.
"And only when the Emperor is truly desperate will he commit all of Austria's resources to this war."**
Wellesley frowned.
"But the Western Front can't afford any more delays—"
Grenville nodded.
**"You're absolutely right.
"But if I'm not mistaken, the Duke of York is already en route to the Southern Netherlands."**
Wellesley sighed.
**"That force was originally meant for an offensive on Luxembourg…
"Yet, thanks to Austria's arrogance and overconfidence, we're now forced to redirect it to the Southern Netherlands."**
Grenville chuckled.
**"To be fair, our own Parliament is just as arrogant and short-sighted.
"If you had been in command, we wouldn't still be wasting time in Utrecht."**
Wellesley's New Army
Wellesley was Britain's Secretary of War and had been leading a military reform.
However, he was still young and lacked seniority, so command of the British expeditionary force had gone to the Duke of York, the second son of King George III.
In all fairness, York was one of Britain's most capable generals, but Grenville still believed his old friend Wellesley was the better choice.
Wellesley shook his head.
**"It's not entirely York's fault.
"His soldiers are poorly trained—any general would struggle with them."
Grenville turned to him.
"By the way, when will your new army be ready for battle?"
Wellesley sighed.
**"The war started too soon.
"They haven't even been fully equipped yet."**
He frowned.
**"And it's all because of that damned gas streetlight scam—
"The financial collapse in London ruined countless factories, severely delaying arms production."**
Britain's New Weapons Program
Wellesley's military reform focused heavily on introducing percussion-cap muskets.
The moment he first saw a French percussion musket, he immediately realized that this weapon would dominate future battlefields.
So after becoming Secretary of War, he ordered British factories to produce a copy.
Thanks to Britain's advanced industry and skilled craftsmen, they managed to successfully reproduce the musket in just 16 months, at a cost of nearly £100,000.
The accuracy was slightly inferior to the French Model 1788 Auguste, but it eliminated Britain's technological disadvantage.
However, just as production ramped up, the London Gas Streetlight Scandal caused mass factory bankruptcies, severely disrupting musket production.
It was only thanks to Wellesley's intervention and emergency funding that British arms manufacturers managed to rebuild their supply chain.
Even now, Wellesley's 30,000-strong new army was still waiting for their muskets.
Grenville asked:
"How much longer will it take?"
Wellesley calculated.
**"We're currently producing 1,300 muskets per month.
"We still need about 5,000 more."**
Austria Goes "All-In"
The next afternoon, Grenville returned to the Grand Gallery.
Franz II glared at Baron Thugut, who sighed deeply and addressed Grenville:
**"His Majesty has made his decision.
"We will begin total mobilization and deploy 50,000 to 70,000 additional troops to the Rhine over the next six months."**
This meant Austria was committing everything to the war.
It also meant the Emperor would have to make serious concessions to the Hungarian and Bohemian nobility to secure their support.
Grenville smiled and bowed.
**"Your Majesty has made the right choice.
"In that case, Britain will increase loan assistance to support your war effort."**
Thugut continued:
"His Majesty will also summon the German princes of the Holy Roman Empire and demand that they send more troops."
Previously, Franz II had declared war on France in the name of the Holy Roman Empire, meaning all German states were technically part of the war.
However, most German states had become de facto independent and were unwilling to get involved.
Now, Grenville demanded that Franz II issue an imperial decree forcing them to mobilize—
Or face collective punishment from Austria and Prussia.
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