Chapter 314: Lyon's Last Chance
When the French army defeats the Brabant rebels, Prussia will undoubtedly refuse to accept Austria gaining control in the Southern Netherlands. As a result, they will likely send additional troops to the region.
Joseph had even planned to create the illusion that the French forces were struggling, encouraging the Prussians to believe they could still turn the tide.
As the Prussian army redeploys to the Southern Netherlands, their forces in Silesia will inevitably thin out, easing the pressure on the Austrian troops there.
Joseph II will realize that the conflict in the Southern Netherlands is supporting the campaign in Silesia and will encourage the French forces to continue their efforts in containing the Prussians there.
At this point, the French military presence in the Southern Netherlands will effectively be sanctioned by Austria.
And while the French and Prussian armies are engaged, the expansion of the battlefield will be beyond Austria's control.
In fact, Joseph II might even prefer that the French control a larger area, perhaps extending the battlefield to the Scheldt River, which borders Prussia to the northeast of the Southern Netherlands.
Of course, Joseph wasn't foolish enough to provoke Prussia directly. He didn't even intend to occupy the Flemish region of the Southern Netherlands. Securing the Walloon region, the southeastern part where French is spoken, would already achieve his strategic goals.
The Walloon region's population predominantly speaks French, making it naturally inclined towards France, which would make governance relatively easy.
More importantly, the Walloon region is a significant coal-producing area in Europe. Securing it would provide substantial support for France's industrial revolution.
Additionally, the Walloon region borders Luxembourg, which is rich in high-quality iron ore and was under French control 80 years ago. The ongoing conflict in the Southern Netherlands could easily spread to this area.
By the time the war between Prussia and Austria ends, the Walloon region and Luxembourg would already be filled with French soldiers, and even the local administration could have taken on a French character. By then, the question of who these territories belong to would be a matter of negotiation between France and Austria.
As for the Flemish region in the north of the Southern Netherlands, while it controls the mouth of the Rhine River, it remains a hot potato for now.
Firstly, most of the population in the Flemish region speaks Dutch, which would make governance challenging—Austria's difficulties in ruling this area, leading to the Brabant uprising, serve as a cautionary tale.
Secondly, the British highly value the mouth of the Rhine River, as nearly half of their continental trade passes through this region. For reference, the mouth of the Seine River at the port of Le Havre is similarly important.
Thus, the British would never tolerate their longstanding enemy, France, controlling the lifeblood of their trade with the German markets.
They would not hesitate to declare war on France. Historically, one of the core reasons Britain threw its full weight behind the Second Coalition against France was because France had occupied the Southern Netherlands and was determined to control the Rhine River's trade route, despite previous agreements.
Joseph's current strategic priority is domestic industrial development to quickly strengthen the nation's economy and use the industrial boom to address the massive fiscal deficit.
Until that goal is achieved, he has no interest in confronting the British, who remain the most powerful nation in Europe.
Thus, for now, it is best to leave the northern part of the Southern Netherlands under Austrian control.
These are Joseph's strategic designs for France in Europe. Expanding France's influence on the continent will have to wait until the country's economy is stronger.
War is ultimately a contest of national strength, and economic power is the most crucial component of that strength.
After the War Minister and Chief of Staff finished reporting on the military preparations, it was already past 10 p.m.
Joseph calculated the timeline based on Berthier's report. Austria's offensive in Silesia would take about a month to ripple through to the Southern Netherlands.
He organized his thoughts and instructed Eymond, who was standing by the door, "Please make preparations. We'll head to Lyon first thing tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Your Highness."
One month was enough time for a trip to Lyon and back.
Joseph knew that once the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement was signed, a vast market would open up before France.
Yet, as of now, the crucial automated looms had not been fully deployed.
This was a wasted historical opportunity!
In fact, automated looms had already begun mass production. A while back, Mirabeau had shipped 30 or 40 units to Lyon.
However, due to the slow spread of information in this era, coupled with the conservative mindset of Lyon's factory owners, who were hesitant to invest heavily in new technology, the introduction of automated looms had made little impact.
Joseph rubbed his sore shoulders and sighed inwardly. It seemed that nothing could function without his intervention...
Seven days later.
Joseph gazed out of the carriage window at the bustling docks along the Rhône River, where piles of textiles were stacked high, and workers swarmed like ants, loading the goods onto ships.
More vehicles constantly arrived, bringing even more fabrics and garments. The people on the carts shouted loudly, calling dockworkers to help unload.
It was a scene that clearly showed Lyon as the center of France's textile industry.
However, Joseph knew that Lyon was still far behind the developed textile industry of Britain.
If not for his maneuvering to amend the Eden Treaty, which had given Lyon a temporary reprieve, this place would already be filled with bankrupt workshops and unemployed workers, marked by decay and ruin.
Of course, even now, Lyon had only bought itself some time.
France lacked colonies to dump its goods and didn't have large domestic sources of cotton and wool, making it naturally less competitive with Britain in terms of costs and sales.
So, if France wanted a slice of the pie in the textile industry—the largest sector in terms of revenue—it had to focus on improving the production process.
Though Britain was still the world leader in this field, the adoption of automated looms and steam engines presented a rare opportunity for France.
Joseph's convoy arrived at the Royal Square, where the atmosphere became lively.
The municipal commissioner and the president of the Chamber of Commerce, accompanied by hundreds of officials and factory owners, stood respectfully on either side of the road to greet the Crown Prince.
This was per Joseph's instructions—had they met him outside the city, it would have wasted half a day just to get here.
After the usual formalities of salutes and greetings, Joseph, accompanied by music and cheers, made his way through the crowd and directly to the central platform in the square.
He raised his hand, and the crowd quickly fell silent.
Surveying the area, Joseph wasted no time and spoke loudly, "This is Lyon's last chance!
"According to the Eden Treaty, by the end of next year, tariffs on British textiles will be significantly reduced.
"At Lyon's current cost, you will lose the entire domestic market!"
(End of Chapter)
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