Chapter 307 Prelude to the War of the Third Coalition
Napoleon folded the letter Talleyrand had just handed to him and leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply.
"So it has begun, huh?" Napoleon remarked.
"Indeed so, Your Majesty. I think it's best that we bring in your generals. We are a nation at war," Talleyrand said with a sense of urgency.
Napoleon nodded before reaching out to the new technology recently installed in the Palace of Versailles: the telephone.
He picked up the receiver and dialed a familiar number.
"Connect me to the Minister of War headquarters," Napoleon said.
He waited for a few moments. Finally, a voice on the other end responded,
"Minister of War headquarters, this is Minister of War, Berthier. To whom am I speaking?"
"Berthier, this is Napoleon."
"Oh, Your Majesty."
"I'm pretty sure that you know why I'm calling you right now," Napoleon said.
"Of course, Your Majesty. I just received the telegraph from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We are at war with Prussia, Austria, Naples, and Russia."
"I want you to come over here at the Palace of Versailles to discuss this matter in person."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
After that, Napoleon hung up the telephone. Talleyrand and Armand let out a soft gasp of amazement.
"So that's the telephone huh?" Armand noted. "The telegraph was a wonderful piece of technology where you transmit messages over a long distance. But on this telephone, you can hear the person speaking."
"It's an extraordinary invention by His Majesty," Talleyrand added. "I have one installed at my house and in the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With a telephone, you won't have to spend time traveling from one place to another and speak to that person."
Napoleon simply smiled at the comments and praises of the two. While waiting for Berthier to arrive, Talleyrand began sharing the reasons why Austria, Prussia, Naples, and Russia declared war on France.
For Austria and Prussia, it was simple. France wanted to create a unified Germany under the leadership of the state of Bavaria. Bavaria was under the influence of the Holy Roman Empire so Austria didn't like them breaking off from the Empire's grasp. Prussia, on the other hand, also planned to unify the German states under the Prussian leadership.
So having two states wanting to unify the German states under different leaders was a recipe for conflict.
"As for Naples," Talleyrand continued, "they fear our expansion into Italy, particularly given our annexation of the Kingdom of Etruria. They view our presence on the Italian Peninsula as a direct threat to their control over the region."
Napoleon nodded in acknowledgment, understanding the Neapolitans' concerns about France's growing influence in Italy. Not to mention the fact that Napoleon had expressed his desire to unify the Italian peninsula under the Kingdom of Italy, currently a Republic because Napoleon hadn't proclaimed himself king yet.
As for Russia, the Prussians lobbied for an alliance against France. The Russians agreed to join the coalition due to fear of France expanding their influence near their borders.
"What about the Kingdom of Sweden? Aren't they going to join the war? They had once expressed their intentions earlier, right?"
Talleyrand considered for a moment. "Your Majesty, as of now, the Kingdom of Sweden has not declared war on us. However, they were under pressure from both Russia and Prussia to join the coalition against France. It remains to be seen how they will decide."
"But what do you think, Talleyrand? Or Armand if you have an idea."
"Well, if you are going to ask me, Your Majesty," Armand cleared his throat before revealing his observation. "I think the Kingdom of Sweden doesn't have anything to gain by joining the war against us at this moment. Their interests lie more in the north, particularly in the Baltic region. Joining the coalition against France might not align with their strategic goals."
Armand was right, there was no reason for the Kingdom of Sweden to join the war. In the original world, the reason why the Kingdom of Sweden joined the coalition was due to the execution of a known nobleman called Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien.
Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien, was a member of the Bourbon family, a prominent noble house in France. He had lived in exile for years and had become associated with various royalist and anti-revolutionary factions.
Their goal was simple, to remove the revolutionaries that stole the French throne and restore the Bourbon monarchy. But in this world, the former king of France, Louis Capet renounced his claims to the throne, with it, the royalists and anti-revolutionary factions died out. If King Louis didn't want to fight for the throne anymore, why would they?
With that, Napoleon wouldn't even have to capture Louis Antoine and execute him as had happened historically.
Fifteen minutes later. The Minister of War, Berthier, arrived at Napoleon's office.
"Your Majesty," Berthier performed a deep bow upon entering.
Napoleon acknowledged the gesture with a nod before beckoning Berthier to come closer.
"Here, have some sweets. We have macarons, profiterole, and religieuse. Help yourself," Napoleon offered.
"Uhm…Your Majesty, I thought we were going to talk about the war situation," Berthier said, chuckling sheepishly.
"We are," Napoleon assured. "We were just waiting for you. Instead of looking at one another silently, we decided to indulge in some of the finer pleasures. We wouldn't be able to eat it once we are on the battlefield."
Berthier couldn't help but smile at the remark and took a macaron from the tray. "Very well, Your Majesty. We must savor such moments when we can."
As they settled around the table, Napoleon leaned forward and said "Now, let us turn our attention to the matters at hand. Minister Berthier. This is the make or break for our fledgling empire, we can't afford to lose. How many soldiers do we have in France?"
"We have at least 300,000 troops, Your Majesty. All of them have combat experience in Italy, Great Britain, Egypt, Portugal, and Spain. At your orders, we will have ten corps formed ready for deployment across our borders," Berthier replied. "Are we planning an offensive, Your Majesty?"
Napoleon shook his head. "No, we let them come to us first. Once they do, we are going to strike."
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