"Chapter 149: France's Conditions"

"Indeed, the people of France consider the UK our most important friend," Talleyrand said, spouting the usual diplomatic niceties.

"In light of the friendship between our two nations, we hope that France can, to some extent, lower its demands. After all, continuous warfare would be detrimental to France as well. Your country has much to rebuild and needs construction, not war," Sir Tom said.

Talleyrand nodded, "That's also why we agreed to engage in peace negotiations. However, France's interests must also be defended. Otherwise, we cannot justify it to our people. As for war reparations, we can lower them to some extent. To preserve Austria's dignity, we can offer to pay them as ransom for prisoners of war. This is France's bottom line; we will not compromise any further!"

The major point of contention between France and Italy was primarily over territory. Italy was no small piece of land. Though not yet the unified Italy of later years, it occupied half of the northern part of the entire Apennine Peninsula. It held significant economic interests and strategic importance. Once this land fell into the hands of the French army, there was no way they would give it up.

The differences between the two sides were immense, making it extremely difficult to reach an agreement. This also left the British envoy, Sir Tom, in a difficult position.

"Your Excellency, we are aware of France's demands. Frankly speaking, they are not unreasonable. However, Austria is our ally, and we have an obligation to uphold Austria's interests. Therefore, we hope that France can, out of consideration for our longstanding friendship, give Austria some leeway," Sir Tom said.

Listening to the British envoy's words, Talleyrand inwardly scoffed. Was there any traditional significance between France and England? Probably not. France and England had been enemies since the old regime of France. They waged war against each other for a century. Even during the French Revolution, the government was overthrown because the constant warfare with England drained the treasury and caused widespread discontent among the people. If one day France became truly powerful enough to defeat England, they would undoubtedly not hesitate to obliterate England completely.

"Sir, your request is putting me in a very difficult position! France's interests also need defending. Otherwise, our victory will be meaningless, and the blood of our soldiers will have been shed in vain," Talleyrand said, clearly feeling torn. However, he understood the necessity of making some concessions to ensure the success of the peace negotiations.

"Your Excellency, if your country can step back, I assure you I will persuade the Austrians to do the same," Sir Tom said.

"Very well, Sir. We can make some concessions. However, Italy is our territory, and we will not give it up. But to ensure the negotiations proceed smoothly, we are willing to return Venice to the Austrians. This is our bottom line," Talleyrand said firmly.

"Return Venice!" Sir Tom's eyes gleamed with surprise upon hearing Talleyrand's words. He hadn't expected France to make such a significant concession. Venice was a crucial city, and France's willingness to return it to Austria showed their sincerity in these negotiations.

"Sir Tom, don't get ahead of yourself. We can return Venice, but it comes with conditions," Talleyrand said, looking directly at Sir Tom.

"I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Crafty French aren't likely to lose out," Sir Tom muttered, his earlier joy quickly fading.

"Please go on," he added.

"We demand that the Dutch Republic be restored to its independence, free from Austrian control. At the time, we demanded that the French be free to enter and exit the Netherlands, and that the Dutch be allowed to discriminate against the French," Talleyrand said.

"Damn it, I can't believe the French have their eyes on the Netherlands. But that's understandable. Venice is important to the Austrians, but to the French, it's like a chicken rib," Sir Tom frowned. Clearly, France's retreat did not satisfy him.

"Can't you change to another condition, Sir? As long as your country is willing to give up territorial demands in the Netherlands, we are willing to add another 100 million pounds to your war reparations," Sir Tom spoke up.

"Absolutely not!" Talleyrand's response was simple yet resolute.

"Sir, if your country is unwilling to make concessions on territory, how about on the war reparations or the ransom for Austrian prisoners of war? Could France make some further concessions?" Sir Tom suggested. There were nearly fifty to sixty thousand Austrian prisoners of war in French hands, and these prisoners comprised some of Austria's most elite troops. Returning them would significantly bolster Austria's military strength.

"Sixty thousand prisoners, I'll calculate that at 80 million francs for you. Quite a deal, isn't it? Alright, let's make a concession. We'll settle for just 60 million francs," Talleyrand proposed.

"Very well, I will go back and discuss this with the Austrian diplomats," Sir Tom said. Seeing Talleyrand's stance, he knew that further concessions from France were unlikely. If they wanted the peace negotiations to succeed, the next step would be to pressure Austria.

Sir Tom then left to find the Austrian diplomat, Count Izviel, to discuss the terms of peace.

When Sir Tom presented France's final conditions to Count Izviel, the Count remained furious. He declared that Austria would not consider such terms. Austria could not afford to lose so much territory and also pay 60 million francs in war reparations to France. This was clearly an attempt to exploit Austria as a defeated nation, despite Austria not having been defeated in reality.

"Sir, this is extortion by the French. We absolutely cannot surrender so easily," Count Izviel said to Sir Tom, looking at him with a pleading gaze, hoping that they could stand together with Austria and pressure France. However, reality was about to disappoint Count Izviel. The British had no intention of going to war with France.

"Your Excellency, I'm sorry, but we believe France's demands are already quite reasonable. Austria has lost on the battlefield and it's unlikely the situation can be reversed. Accepting France's terms, achieving a peace agreement, and ending the war is undoubtedly the most effective way forward," Sir Tom shook his head as he spoke.

"I need to report back to Vienna. However, I don't think the chances of acceptance back home will be very high," Count Izviel replied. He knew that seeking British assistance was now impossible. In this case, it was up to Emperor to decide.

"Of course. But I must remind Your Excellency that Venice is now occupied by the French. This means Austria can no longer expect support from our side. Therefore, we will have to wash our hands of this war. And our country demands that Austria immediately repay our loans," Sir Tom added with a hint of threat.

Now, the British patience had reached a critical point, and not long ago, they had suffered a defeat on the Egyptian battlefield. So they urgently needed Austria to end the war with France and then turn their attention to attacking Turkey to relieve British pressure. In such a situation, Austria's continued negotiations with France, refusing to accept the war, was clearly not something the British wanted to see.