I am the Crown Prince of France Chapter 421: The Walloon Special Trade Zone

Mada Delvaux's burial ceremony was quite simple.

The old lady hadn't had many friends in her lifeti, and most of them had cut ties with the Delvaux family earlier to avoid trouble with Baron Walter. Only seven or eight people ca to say their farewells. However, Joseph's presence imdiately brought a sense of gravity to the ceremony, prompting Father Koch to read the holy words with much more solemnity. Fresh chapters posted on ɴovelfire

Callia, dressed in a black gown, stood nearby with a blank expression. Her red, swollen eyes stared unblinkingly at her only relative in the world, looking lost and unsure of what to do. It wasn't until the priest finished his prayers and began the incense offering that the reality seed to hit her, and she suddenly broke into sobs.

Joseph quickly stepped forward to comfort the helpless girl, saying, "Mada Delvaux will be watching over you from heaven. She has not left you..."

After the lengthy ceremony, Mada Delvaux's coffin was carried by the servants to the nearest church, and only then did Callia, exhausted, fall silent.

As Joseph walked out of the estate, he saw Talleyrand approaching him and bowed in greeting, "Your Highness, it was quite difficult to find you."

The foreign minister glanced at the black coffin and made the sign of the cross over his chest, saying, "May God have rcy on this poor soul."

"That was Her Majesty the Queen's nursemaid," Joseph also made the sign of the cross and then asked Talleyrand, "Do you have urgent business?"

Talleyrand stepped closer and lowered his voice, "Yes, Your Highness. Baron Thugut has invited for talks, likely about the reinforcents for Silesia. Is there anything specific I should be mindful of?"

Joseph nodded slightly. This eting would essentially lay the groundwork for the official agreent with the Holy Roman Emperor, as the major issues would usually be discussed at this stage.

"I plan to deploy the Guard Corps to Silesia. You can inform Baron Thugut that we will make significant military progress. However, France will maintain a non-declaration of war stance."

By not declaring war, they would have the flexibility to withdraw at any ti, as France was not there to fight Austria's battles to the bitter end.

Hearing that the Crown Prince intended to deploy the elite Guard Corps, Talleyrand felt confident in negotiating with the Austrians and quickly noted it in his notebook.

Joseph continued, "Additionally, I will ensure that Russia does not interfere in Silesia."

A flash of surprise crossed Talleyrand's face, and he hurriedly noted it down.

While it might not seem like much, this could significantly influence the outco of the Silesian campaign. After all, when Catherine II of Russia rely began mobilizing 40,000 troops towards the west, it had imdiately halted the Bavarian War of Succession, forcing Prussia and Austria back to the negotiating table.

And the Crown Prince spoke with such certainty, as if the Russian Tsarina would do exactly as he predicted.

"As for our demands, there's only one," Joseph looked at the foreign minister, lowering his voice slightly, "and that is the Walloon region."

Talleyrand nodded and noted it down, but then hesitated and said, "Your Highness, given the current atmosphere in Vienna, this might be difficult to achieve."

Right now, all of Austria was caught up in the fervor of reclaiming lost territories. Although the Walloon region wasn't large, any loss of territory at this ti would provoke strong dostic opposition.

"Your concern is valid," Joseph acknowledged, thinking it over, but then he smiled, "So we'll approach it differently, perhaps by..."

He noticed the funeral procession had moved out of sight and sighed before sending Aimant in his place. Then, he explained his plan to Talleyrand in detail: "For example, by creating a special trade zone…"

At Schönbrunn Palace, in Emperor Joseph II's bedroom, Leopold II's eyes lit up with excitent. "Are you saying the French have agreed to send a powerful corps to Silesia and will cover most of its costs?"

Joseph wasn't being overly generous—he knew that given Austria's current financial state, if they had to bear the cost of the Guard Corps, they wouldn't last long. Even though the Guard Corps wasn't large in numbers, the expenses were high—starting with soldiers' salaries, which were much higher than those of regular troops, followed by the upkeep of new equipnt and even the cost of daily als, which was significantly higher than that of other armies.

Baron Thugut nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty. Archbishop Talleyrand also ntioned that the joint forces will achieve a strategic breakthrough."

Leopold II clenched his fists in anticipation. "If France can indeed convince Russia to remain neutral, we have a great chance of reclaiming Silesia!"

From his sickbed, Joseph II let out a weak noise, a rare smile appearing on his face.

Thugut continued, "However, Your Majesty, the French remain unwilling to declare war on Prussia, clearly not wanting to get too deeply involved."

"No matter," Leopold II waved it off. "As the war progresses, we will find many ways to keep them engaged in Silesia."

A dozen ideas on how to tie France to Austria's war chariot instantly flashed through his mind, making him smile. His sister still lacked political experience; once entangled in a conflict, it wouldn't be so easy to withdraw.

If Joseph were present, he would probably return the smile. He knew well the saying "Once aboard the pirate ship, it's hard to disembark," but he also rembered that in less than three months, Joseph II would be called to heaven.

At that ti, Austria would first be occupied with the emperor's funeral, followed by the new emperor's coronation—no simple affair in Austria. Leopold II would have to first go through the process of being elected emperor by the Prince-Electors, be crowned Holy Roman Emperor, and then begin his long journey to be crowned as king of Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia, Transylvania, Mantua, Galicia, Lodoria, and the Austrian Netherlands...

What? You want to skip a place? Then you lose the legal basis for ruling there, and so noble will likely step in to fill the void the following year.

(Just look at the Holy Roman Emperor's coat of arms to see how many titles are involved.)

So, by then, Austria would be too busy to continue fighting, and Joseph could conveniently bring the now "idle" French troops back to Paris after attending the Holy Roman Emperor's coronation—surely, Austria wouldn't expect France to fight Prussia while they were taking a six-month break.

After confirming the bright prospects of the Silesian campaign, Leopold II turned to Baron Thugut. "And what are France's demands?"

"Archbishop Talleyrand said that since many French investors have already invested in the Walloon region, they hope it can be turned into a 'special trade zone.'"

"A special trade zone?"

"Oh, it's a place where both French and Austrian investnts and trade can occur, managed by a trade association rather than a permanent military presence. The Walloon police would handle security."

(End of Chapter)

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