I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 737 Never compromise!

When the Duke of Broy finished speaking, the ministers looked even uglier.

160,000 vs. 400,000, this is destined to be an extremely difficult war.

Joseph smiled: "Look, everyone, we don't need to cede our interests to Austria at all."

Everyone: "?"

Joseph continued: "Not to mention the weapons and equipment and training of the army, just the enemy's army comes from so many countries, even unified dispatch and command is very difficult, let alone mutual cooperation. We should have enough confidence to defeat them."

He is not arrogant, but a conclusion drawn from the battle situation of the first anti-French alliance in history.

At that time, in addition to Britain, Prussia, Austria, Portugal and other countries that declared war on France, there were also Spain and Italian states.

And now, Spain will definitely not stand on the side of Britain. Although the Spanish army is a scumbag, the scale of the anti-French alliance is slightly reduced.

In addition, Prussia and Austria did not fight the Silesian War in history, and their national strength was more substantial than it is now.

Of course, historically, Britain joined the war relatively late. Basically, it was only after Prussia and Austria suffered a defeat on the northern front that Britain joined the anti-French alliance. At this time, the British actively participated in the war and invested all their efforts.

At the same time, although Prussia and Austria suffered the consumption of the Silesian War, they also got a group of veterans who had participated in actual combat. So on the whole, the overall strength is roughly the same.

But on the other hand, France.

During the first anti-French alliance in history, France had just experienced the destruction of the Great Revolution and its national strength had not yet recovered. In addition, many nobles fled abroad, including many excellent officers, which led to a significant decline in the strength of the army.

Although there is a buff of revolutionary fanaticism, the combat effectiveness is several levels worse than the current French Royal Elite Corps.

As for the result of the first anti-French alliance, everyone knows that France suffered a little loss in the early stage and fought all the way to the Rhine River.

In this life, Joseph, with a new army in hand and France that has not experienced turmoil, could not possibly fight worse than in history.

Even if he really performed poorly and put the war situation in an unfavorable situation, don't forget that France only mobilized the standing army, and he still held the weapon of general mobilization in his hand.

France is now carrying out land reform!

As long as Joseph calls out to those farmers who have bought land, they will fight with the enemies of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with red eyes.

France has a population of 30 million, and it should not be a problem to mobilize an army of more than 100,000 or 200,000.

However, the French ministers saw that a large number of European powers were going to be enemies with France, and they were inevitably uneasy.

Trade Minister Bailly hesitated for a moment, stood up and said: "Your Highness, perhaps we can contact Austria first. After all, it is always good to reduce one enemy."

Joseph took a deep breath, looked around at everyone with a sharp look, and raised his voice and said: "I repeat, from now on, there will be only one content for everyone to discuss, that is, how to prepare for war.

"Anyone who dares to be hostile to France, we only need to give them thunderous punishment, not compromise! "

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

Someone stole a glance at Queen Marie, but she only clasped her hands, lowered her head and said nothing. Queen Marie had never encountered such a big battle before, and her mind was already in a mess. How could she have any ideas? If it weren't for her son, she would probably ask the ministers "what to do" at this moment.

Brian, as the chief minister, stood up first and shouted to the crown prince: "Yes, Your Highness! France will never compromise!"

The eyes of other ministers began to become firm, and they stood up and shouted: "Never compromise!"

Joseph nodded with satisfaction and motioned everyone to sit down.

Brian then said: "Your Highness, in terms of finance, we can take out 90 million francs as military expenses under extreme circumstances. But in order to ensure that there are no accidents, I suggest that we can borrow money from neutral countries or private consortiums in advance. ”

90 million francs may seem like a lot, but it is only enough to sustain 160,000 troops and a naval fleet for four to five months.

Mirabeau continued: "Industrial raw materials also need to be stored. I mean, after the war, it may be difficult for us to obtain raw materials from overseas."

Talleyrand nodded: "So, we should use some diplomatic skills to delay the start of the war as much as possible so that we have more time to prepare..."

"Food reserves are still sufficient at present. More than 3 million pounds of grain from Poland will be delivered soon, and the strategic grain reserve will reach about 80% of the maximum reserve..."

"Domestic war propaganda should be strengthened..."

"I suggest that a "Reserve Service Law" can be promulgated to improve mobilization efficiency..."

After setting the tone, Joseph basically just listened quietly.

France is like a huge machine. He has worked hard over the years to eliminate its faults one by one, so that every part and every gear of it can run in the best possible condition.

At the moment, he doesn't need to do anything at all. This state machine can run at a high speed and handle everything in an orderly manner.

The cabinet meeting lasted a whole day, and it lasted for most of the next day. One decree after another was sent from the Palace of Versailles to all parts of France.

The whole of France seemed to make a rumbling sound and moved with an unstoppable momentum.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of troops from Prussia, Austria and other countries began to converge on the French border.

The British Mediterranean Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet have also basically completed their mobilization, and they have sailed out of the military port one after another. The sea is covered with black warships.

Of course, such a large-scale military mobilization will take at least two or three months to complete all deployments.

After arranging the preparations for war, Joseph handed over domestic affairs to Brian and others, and he drove to Madrid, Spain.

Originally, this matter could be handed over to Talleyrand, but after thinking it over again and again, he decided to go there in person.

Historically, France has been fighting the entire anti-French alliance alone.

There are certainly factors that the monarchs of other countries are dissatisfied with the order of the Great Ge, but more of it is caused by the self-expansion of the Directory and the later Emperor Napoleon, as well as the rough diplomatic skills.

Joseph will naturally not follow their old path.

Why not pull in allies if you can?

Especially in a country like Spain, the king has the same surname as France, Bourbon, and there is no major conflict of interest with France, and it is difficult to develop and threaten France. It is simply a God-given ally.

You know, although Spain's army is rubbish, it has the world's third-largest navy.

The combined navies of Spain and France are close to 80% of the size of the British Navy.

Although the French Navy can rely on steam frigates to deal with the British fleet in the Mediterranean, it can only ensure full control of the Mediterranean with the help of Spain.