Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

```

To prevent Austria and Prussia from aligning their interests, one must first stop the partition of Poland from happening.

Therefore, for Joseph, the only choice was to make Sweden suffer a bit first.

If King Gustav III of Sweden knew his thoughts, he would probably give him a thumbs-up and exclaim, "Impressive, you are truly noble!"

Of course, Joseph did not intend to allow Russia to expand unchecked; on the contrary, he was very vigilant about Russia's insatiable territorial ambitions.

The title of "European Gendarmerie" was not a joke. Once the massive Russia found its war footing, its forces would sweep through the heartland of the European continent. Historically, just twenty years later in 1814, the Russian Army would accompany Tsar Alexander I into Paris.

Joseph pushed the Russian front towards Sweden because he was well aware that Sweden could definitely withstand Russia's fierce attacks. Even though they had not defeated the Russian Army at the Battle of Svensksund, there would surely be a great victory that would turn the tide later on.

The reason was that Britain stood behind Sweden.

Britain was also very concerned with Russian expansion. They have always adhered to a policy of balance on the continent and would not allow the emergence of an overpowering nation in Europe, so Sweden was Britain's bastion against Russia's westward advance.

As for Poland, the British were not so concerned. After all, even if Russia could swallow Poland, the entirety of Germany, including Austria and Prussia, would stand in its way, making it very difficult for Russia to reach further west.

Once Sweden fell, Russia would roam the Baltic Sea at will, and Britain might face the possibility of having to confront the Russian Army directly.

Historically, when Russia achieved consecutive victories in the early stages of the war with Sweden, Britain then began to intervene strongly, pressuring Denmark, Russia's ally, along with Prussia.

After gaining some advantages, Denmark quickly announced its withdrawal from the war. Sweden was then able to concentrate all its forces on Russia and, with extensive support from Britain, defeated the Russians and regained all the lost lands through the Treaty of Värälä.

Thus, Joseph's strong support for Russia's war against Sweden allowed Poland more breathing space to consolidate its nation. On the other hand, it also served to wear down Britain through Sweden. France, aside from verbal support, did not have to make any actual commitment, which was certainly a very cost-effective deal.

However, for Queen Mary, this was far too explosive.

Waiting until Russian Ambassador Stroganov finished speaking, her eyes were already wide with astonishment, trying hard to recall if Talleyrand had ever submitted such an important national strategic plan report to her.

Stroganov thought she was implying agreement and leaned closer to her, lowering his voice, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is grateful for your stance.

"Right now, Prussia and Austria are fiercely battling in Silesia, and France is also heavily involved in the conflict there.

"The Emperor fully understands your claim to the Low Countries and is ready to offer support at any time."

"It's not..." Queen Mary was still pondering the matter of Sweden and was even more confused by his words. France had no designs on the Low Countries, had the Russian Ambassador had too much to drink?

If Joseph had been there, he would surely have been greatly shocked—the French Army was still hovering near the border of Liege, and Luxembourg was still legally a part of Austria at the time. Yet, Catherine II had already seen his intentions for the Southern Netherlands.

This woman was truly one of Russia's most outstanding Tsars in modern history, with strategic insight alone that was enough to overshadow the powers of the European continent.

```

Of course, she was measuring France's strategy with her own ambitions. In fact, Joseph only wanted the Walloon Region in the south. Eating too much at once can lead to indigestion.

Count Stroganov continued, "However, His Imperial Majesty believes that France's strategy should not stop at the low countries."

Queen Mary immediately shook her head, "I never thought of the low countries as..."

"Yes, I understand," the Russian Ambassador thought she meant to say "the low countries are never the final goal" and immediately nodded, "His Imperial Majesty also thinks that what you have in mind is the wide Rhine River."

He lifted his right hand to his chest and swung it with force, "But that is definitely a difficult goal to achieve. Oh, I'm not questioning your power, but facing the whole of Germany on France's own is a challenge, believe me. England, the states of Italy, and even Sweden would be hostile to France as a result, which would lead to a prolonged, major war and bring significant losses to France.

"But if France were to join hands with Russia, the situation would be quite different.

"As long as His Imperial Majesty's grand army can cross Poland, of course, this would be after our conflict with Sweden has ended, it could provide strong support for you from the east of Austria.

"As for the subsequent strategy, perhaps it would need to be discussed in detail between you and His Imperial Majesty to be determined."

His words were very clear—Catherine II wanted to join forces with the powerful woman of France to partition the European Continent from both the east and west!

France would take the western bank of the Rhine River, while Russia acquired the eastern part of Sweden and Poland. Ultimately, the two armies would squeeze Austria from both directions.

As for how far the final plan would go, that would have to be discussed in detail by the two women.

After her brain crashed and rebooted several times, Queen Mary finally determined that the Russian Ambassador had drunk too much.

What low countries? What Rhine River? What facing the whole of Germany?

One wouldn't get this drunk on wine alone; he must have guzzled an entire bottle of vodka!

Having understood this, she immediately regained her composure, looked at Stroganov with a smile, "You really have a sense of humor. Perhaps, you need to rest a bit? Debreninac, would you please have a room prepared for rest..."

Stroganov became somewhat anxious and hurriedly said, "His Imperial Majesty tasked me to convey to you that in today's Europe, only France and Russia can bring a new order. Although France is currently facing some financial issues, under your reign, France will ultimately become powerful!"

He suddenly turned to signal Alexandra at his side, "Oh, look, His Imperial Majesty has the utmost sincerity in fostering closer ties between our two nations."

Queen Mary maintained a tolerant and polite smile towards the drunkard, "Okay, okay, I greatly appreciate His Majesty's sincerity. So, do you need to go to the rest room to have something to eat first?"
Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Stroganov was taken aback, confirming that he had made all his intentions clear, which meant the Queen of France was indicating she needed time to consider.

With that, he gave a bow, touching his chest, "Then I shall not disturb you from enjoying the artwork."

Joseph in distant Luxembourg could never have imagined that his series of maneuvers would have ignited such enormous ambitions in Catherine II.

If Queen Mary truly chose his granddaughter to be the Crown Princess, then the entire European Continent would indeed be shaken to its core.