I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1016 Lord Grenville's Reforms

Little Pitt considered, "We should still try to exert influence on Vienna and end the war between Prussia and Austria as soon as possible. You know, the longer they fight, the greater the losses, and the weaker their ability to restrain France will be."

Grenville looked at the Foreign Secretary: "Mr. Fox, what do you suggest about this?"

"This... If I can get Prussia to give up some of its interests in Silesia, I can go to Vienna and try."

Before Fox finished speaking, he heard someone knocking on the door. It was his assistant.

The latter walked in quietly, handed him a report, and whispered a few words.

Fox was overjoyed and said to Grenville, "Prime Minister, good news! Uh, it's really good news.

"Walachia was attacked by the Albanians. Oh, it could also be the Ottomans, but we can't be sure. But the entire western part of Wallachia was in complete chaos. Even Bucharest was attacked. The Austrian army that came back to support was ambushed and lost nearly 3 people.

"The news from half a month ago was that Bucharest was besieged by tens of thousands of bandits. Vienna dispatched 2 troops from the northern battlefield, led by General Argentau, to Wallachia to quell the rebellion."

Grenville's eyes immediately lit up.

The Austrian army in Silesia had a total of less than 8 men, so there were only more than 5 troops left.

Excluding the troops used to besiege Liegnitz, the number of troops that could be deployed to attack Glogau should not exceed 3.

This basically means that Glogau is no longer in danger of falling.

In this case, Vienna is likely to accept mediation.

He hurriedly ordered Fox, "You go to Vienna immediately and try to promote a ceasefire between Prussia and Austria."

"Yes, Your Excellency, Prime Minister."

At this moment, the Prime Minister's attendant came over quickly and reminded him, "Sir, there are still 20 minutes before the speech in Parliament. You have to leave."

Grenville nodded, put on his coat, picked up his hat, and walked towards the Palace of Westminster with Little Pitt.

More than 300 MPs were densely packed in the parliament hall, and they would soon vote on a very important British reform issue.

Grenville's appearance in the hall immediately caused the congressmen to stand up and salute him.

He first made a brief opening speech, then looked around at the congressmen and said loudly:
“I believe everyone knows that the empire is facing a very difficult situation, and it is time for us to make changes to prevent the country from sliding into a deeper abyss.

“…industry is becoming the focus of competition between countries. We still maintain our advantages in areas such as steel and textiles, but the French are catching up very quickly.

“Their secret to promoting industrial development is the ‘Industrial Development Fund’.

“Then let them pool the money stored in the boxes by the nobles and build a large number of new factories.

“In less than two years, they built coal and iron plants in Wallonia that were equivalent to one-third of Birmingham’s, and 20% of the investment came from this development fund.

“In London, it took us half a year to raise funds to expand two docks.

"We also want to have our own 'development fund'.

"To this end, the government will grant £100 million, the Bank of England will invest £120 million, and a public offering of £200 million..."

The Prime Minister paused and continued, "Regarding the selection of officials, His Majesty the King has agreed to reduce the number of 'granted positions' by half.

“At the same time, in order to improve the capabilities of officials, we must conduct strict academic assessments based on party nominations.

"My special adviser and friend Mr. Pitt suggested that one must complete the examinations of ancient literature, philosophy, law and other subjects at Oxford or Cambridge University before taking office." "Oh, of course, the requirements can be relaxed for low-level local officials, but they must also go to these two universities to carry out the necessary studies...

"All police officers will be recruited and trained by the police department, and their salaries will all come from government funding...

"Establish a 'National Anti-Corruption Agency' that will be directly responsible to Parliament and have the power to investigate any official, including the Prime Minister. Once evidence is obtained, arrests can be made directly and prosecutions can be filed in the High Court..."

Grenville spoke for more than 40 minutes, painting a bright future for the lawmakers.

He is confident of a reform vote.

Although his Whig Party had only a slight advantage in Parliament, he had always adhered to the strategy of uniting the two parties since he came to power, so it was easy for him to gain support in Parliament.

The various reform measures this time should not encounter any obstacles.

Voting officially began at 2 p.m.

Soon, the speaker began to announce the results one by one: "The 'Government Investment Fund' motion - 280 votes in favor, 31 votes against... passed!

"Proposal on 'Official Appraisal System' - 161 votes in favor, 148 votes against, 25 abstentions. Passed!

“‘Police Reform’ Bill – 240 votes in favor… passed!

"The motion to establish a national anti-corruption agency - 24 votes in favor, 301 votes against, 9 abstentions. Not passed..."

……

Vienna.

As soon as Talleyrand got out of the car, he saw Marshal Leaud coming to greet him and immediately smiled brightly: "Old friend, I'm glad you can come to pick me up!"

The Marshal seemed unhappy. After a simple salute, he took Talleyrand to the inn.

"Oh, God, we are on the verge of victory. Your judgment is correct. The Prussians are not worth a single blow. . . .

"But the damn Ottomans suddenly went to Wallachia to cause trouble. Yes, it must be them! I heard that the commander of the attack on Bucharest was an Ottoman officer!"

Talleyrand expressed regret: "They always like to take advantage of others' misfortunes, but now that things have come to this, perhaps facing reality is the best choice."

Yes, he came here to persuade Francis II to give up the attack on Prussia.

In fact, Prussia had miraculously recruited 3 new soldiers recently, not only to strengthen the defense of Glogau, but also to send thousands of people with supplies to sneak into the Breslau Fortress while the Austrian army was transferring troops to Wallachia.

At present, it is difficult for Austria to expand its victory in a short period of time.

At the same time, the French Reserve Bank had found an excuse to suspend its loan to Vienna, and only 300 million francs were actually paid. In other words, the Austrian army would soon be short of military funds.

Therefore, Talleyrand was fully confident that he could stop Austria and Prussia would retain its strength to continue to dominate Germany.

Leo was still complaining: "And those damn British guys!
"They actually came to ask Your Majesty to cease fire. What does Silesia have to do with them?"

Talleyrand was slightly startled, and asked hurriedly: "You mean, the British came to mediate?"

"Yes, their foreign minister arrived in Vienna two days ago."

Talleyrand narrowed his eyes immediately. Since the British had jumped in, the plan had to be adjusted.

(End of this chapter)