I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1286 Resistance
This time, Charles blurted out, "But we've always demanded that Austria not withdraw from the Seine-Rhine Agreement, so why are we doing so this time...?"

Joseph smiled at his brother and said, "Because Austria used to have a lot of control over the German region, after it withdrew from the agreement, a lot of Holy Roman Empires will have doubts about the Common Market."

"Now, with our country's greater influence in Germany, coupled with the victory in this war, the Stuttgart Trade Agreement will be very stable."

"At this point, our strategic focus must shift to how to contain Austria, a powerful adversary. Restricting Austria's trade channels is the best approach."

Charles's eyes sparkled as he inwardly marveled at himself for not having considered this. Among Austria's neighboring countries, Bavaria, Poland, Prussia, and Venice were allies of France, while the Ottomans and Austria were sworn enemies.

Without joining the French-dominated trade system, Austria would face trade barriers everywhere, leaving it with only trade channels with Russia.

As for Trieste, Austria's only outlet to the Mediterranean, there's no hope at all—nowadays, even British ships can't enter the Mediterranean without French permission.

If this continues, Austria's finances will inevitably continue to shrink, and it will completely lose the ability to challenge France.

Joseph continued, "Moreover, the Austrians are very resistant to the market we dominate, and have even started a war over it. This time, we can take advantage of the situation and use 'not joining the trade agreement' as a preferential condition for them in exchange for other benefits."

Charles took a deep breath and nodded vigorously: "I understand, brother. Diplomatic strategy is sometimes more complicated than commanding a battle."

Joseph suddenly remembered something, patted his brother and said, "You should participate in the armistice negotiations with Archbishop Talleyrand this time. Oh, and of course, there's the surrender ceremony, which will make up for your regret of not being able to go to the front lines."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Charles almost jumped up and cheered, but he quickly suppressed his excitement and bowed to his brother, saying, "I promise I will earnestly assist Archbishop Talleyrand!"

Joseph smiled and nodded, then looked at Talleyrand: "Then the negotiations are all in your hands."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness."

……

The town of Kanehof, more than 40 kilometers south of St. Parten.

Archduke Karl turned his head dejectedly, looking at the River Treisen, which had already disappeared from sight, his heart filled with desolation and bitterness.

Of the 15 troops he brought back from Passau, fewer than 8 remained by his side.

That imperial army that once made Europe tremble is no more, and the future of the empire is as bleak as a cold winter night...

“Marshal,” Kutuzov said, pointing to the forest to the east, “you can now return to Vienna without being blocked by the Treisen River. Of course, I would suggest you go through Graz and then to Pressburg, which should be safer.”

Archduke Karl immediately understood the implication in his words and frowned, asking, "What are your plans?"

Kutuzov gave a simple, honest smile: "I must return to St. Petersburg, Marshal."

"You can't leave me now..."

The Russian spread his hands in a gesture of "grievance": "You see, the situation is clearly beyond repair, and I have an obligation to bring the troops back home safely. Of course, if His Majesty the Emperor issues an order, I will return immediately."

He then gestured to the messenger: "Garmanov, have the soldiers turn southeast. We need to get into Hungary as quickly as possible before the French catch up."

"You!" Archduke Karl was seething with anger, but he was powerless against the Russians. In the end, it was Kutuzov who saved his life—after being attacked, he had retreated south with 1 soldiers, but the Polish cavalry had been in hot pursuit.

Fortunately, he encountered Kutuzov and the Duke of York's nearly 4 troops there, which allowed him to escape. However, the Russian reinforcements that came from Passau appeared more than 40 kilometers away from the St. Parthen battlefield!

Yes, Kutuzov had keenly sensed the unfavorable situation at the Treisen River and decisively ordered the Russian army to move south, where they happened to encounter the routed Austrian troops.

Archduke Karl had no choice but to lead his remaining troops toward Vienna.

After he disappeared from sight, the Duke of York couldn't help but sigh, "It turns out that your judgment was correct."

Earlier, at Kutuzov's urging, he also ordered his 8 British troops to retreat.

He then asked the Russian with some hesitation, "What do you think our chances of getting away are?"

“From Pest into Transylvania, Bakhov’s army will meet us in Moldavia,” Kutuzov muttered to himself. “Right now, the French attention is on His Highness Karl, oh, and Vienna. We won’t be under any pressure for at least half a month.”

The Duke of York breathed a slight sigh of relief.

After several months of contact, he knew that although the Russian in front of him was relatively ordinary in terms of combat command, he had an extremely keen "sense of smell" and a very accurate judgment of the overall situation.

If I hadn't listened to him, I probably would have been surrounded around the Trison River.

After walking a short distance, Kutuzov turned to the Duke of York as if chatting casually and said, "The ferocity of the French this time is truly unexpected, isn't it?"
The latter remained silent with a sullen face.

The Russian sighed: "After this war ends, it will be difficult to contain France's power in Europe."

He looked towards Vienna: "They'll probably be stationing troops in Austria or something..."

The Duke of York shook his head with a stern face: "No, we will protect Austria."

"Oh? What do you plan to do?"

“We still have leverage,” the British prince said, gripping his riding crop tightly. “France has invested heavily in the Louisiana colony, and they don’t want it to be occupied by the Americans.”

Kutuzov looked at him in surprise: "You made your move in the Americas?"

"Yes. We will use the situation there in exchange for the French not going too far in Europe."

Due to the Atlantic Ocean, news from North America would not reach Europe for another two months, so the Duke of York was not yet aware of the situation there. However, he believed that the French had not yet established a firm foothold in Louisiana and could not possibly withstand the American offensive.

“London has so many strategists, it’s truly enviable,” Kutuzov said, his chubby face crinkling with laughter.

……

Pressburg, east of Vienna.

Archduke Karl waved his arms forcefully and said to Franz II, "Your Majesty, we cannot give up, at least not in the current situation!"

"We can also retreat to Slovakia and make the French realize that the war cannot end quickly, so that negotiations can begin. The British have promised us one million pounds in aid for our defensive operations."

(End of this chapter)