Franz II suddenly felt that this idea was very reliable.
After all, selling Europe's interests was selling them, whether to the Ottoman Empire or the Ming Dynasty. If the same interests were sold to the Ottoman Empire and the Ming Dynasty, whoever had the ability would get them.
After some thought, Franz II nodded and said, "Very well, this matter will be entrusted to you."
After Zweig bowed in assent, he then asked, "Then how should we handle the current situation?"
Being asked this by Zweig, Franz II's mood, which had just improved a little, turned sour again.
The current situation?
The core members of the Habsburg family, including himself, the Emperor of Austria, were all cornered inside the city of Astorf by that damned scoundrel named Napoleon. Sending out messengers stealthily was not a problem, but could Franz II leave Astorf in the same way as a messenger?
The Emperor, officials, attendants—once such a large entourage left the city, it would certainly become a target for the French Frogs.
But if he didn't find a way to leave Astorf, was Emperor Franz II of Austria and a large number of Habsburg family members supposed to stay here and wait to die?
If such a situation occurred, wouldn't the entire Habsburg allied army be finished!
Therefore, Franz II was now in a dilemma.
Staying was not an option; leaving was impossible.
Just as Franz II was contemplating whether to send out more messengers to gather more troops to reinforce Astorf, a messenger arriving from Leuthen brought a despairing piece of news: "Those French Frogs have mobilized over a hundred cannons and have been bombarding Leuthen furiously. Leuthen has now fallen!"
Upon receiving this news, Franz II was immediately dumbfounded.
If Leuthen had not fallen, then Astorf could have remained stable for a while longer, and Franz II would have had enough time to gather more Habsburg allied forces to come to his aid.
However, the fall of Leuthen meant that the city of Astorf was now isolated and helpless. If he didn't find a way to escape quickly, Emperor Franz II of Austria might also perish along with Astorf.
Franz II stood up from his chair and instructed the Cavalry Commander, Friedrich Jellinek, "Pass down the order. Have all cavalry units assemble and prepare for a breakout!"
After Jellinek accepted the order and left, Franz II turned his gaze back to Zweig, "Prepare yourself. We must leave Astorf as soon as possible."
Zweig bowed in assent and said, "I will go and make the preparations, and also have Gold and Waltz prepare for missions to the Ottoman Empire and the Ming Dynasty."
After leaving the temporary royal palace where Franz II was located, Zweig first went to Ernest Gold. "Listen, His Majesty the Emperor wants to send you on a mission to the Ottoman Empire."
"The purpose of this mission is very simple: persuade the Ottomans to send troops to help the Habsburg family jointly resist France. We can even promise some European interests if necessary."
"However, you must remember, you can promise the interests of France and England, or any other country, but you cannot promise the interests of the Habsburg family. Do you understand?"
After Ernest Gold left, Zweig found Christoph Waltz. "Listen, His Majesty the Emperor wants to send you on a mission to the Ming Dynasty."
"For this mission to the Ming Dynasty, you only need to express our willingness to join the 'Little Broken Pot' attitude on behalf of the Habsburg family and all its affiliated countries. If necessary, you can allow for some interests, but not the core interests of the Habsburg family. Do you understand?"
After Gold and Waltz had both accepted their orders and departed, Zweig fell into deep silence.
It was already clear that the allied forces could not defeat the French Frogs commanded by Napoleon. Now, the hope of the entire Habsburg family could only be placed on the Ottoman Empire or the Ming Dynasty.
Perhaps the French Frogs and the Rose Beefs were right in what they said in the newspapers?
Does the pursuit of pure blood really affect intelligence?
After a long while, Zweig sighed deeply, forced himself to be energetic, and went straight to the temporary royal palace where Franz II was, to begin discussing the escape with Franz II.
"Some people, or things, must be abandoned, Your Respected Majesty the Emperor."
When Zweig saw the luggage that Franz II had packed, he immediately advised, "We are not going on a picnic, nor are we going hunting. We are leaving Astorf, and we will have to evade the pursuit of those French Frogs along the way."
Zweig pointed to the messy luggage, especially the exquisite porcelain and furniture. "Bringing these things will only slow us down. Moreover, during the bumpy journey, we cannot guarantee that these items will remain intact."
"Abandon them, Your Majesty the Emperor. If you abandon these things now, when you return to Habsburg, you can use better and more exquisite things. If we are caught by the French Frogs because of these things, it will be a case of losing the big for the small!"
Franz II was somewhat reluctant, especially since one extremely important item among these things was almost impossible for him to part with—the gilded toilet.
Yes, without this toilet, Franz II would feel unable to defecate. Only when sitting on this toilet could he relieve himself completely.
However, Franz II also knew that Zweig was right. After a period of silence, Franz II still ordered his servants to unload the exquisite porcelain and furniture.
"Destroy them all."
Franz II ordered, "Since I cannot take them with me, then destroy them. We cannot let them fall into the hands of the French Frogs for free. By the way, bring that gilded toilet with me. It won't take up much space."
Zweig did not object further.
Indeed, this thing did not take up much space.
Franz II stood in the courtyard, gazing deeply at everything before him. "This is the place of my life's shame, and all of this is because of that young brat named Napoleon!"
...
Outside the city of Astorf, Napoleon was discussing the next strategy with Davout and others.
Napoleon's attitude was simple: "Franz II and his entourage must be allowed to leave Astorf."
"What we need to do is to pursue them relentlessly, occasionally frightening Franz II, rather than engaging in a head-on battle here."
However, Davout, who had trained with Napoleon in the Ming Dynasty, expressed doubt. "You know, letting Franz II go is easy, but it will be difficult to corner him in a city again, won't it?"
Napoleon shook his head and said, "We cannot set the decisive battle in Astorf. Our logistics and troop strength do not allow us to do so. The best location for a decisive battle should be in Austria, or in the Eagle's Nest."
"Besides, you might have forgotten what our teacher once said: a cornered beast will fight, and a desperate soldier will win."
Walking to the map, Napoleon pointed to the terrain of Astorf and its surroundings. "Unless we can capture Astorf immediately."
"But, you know, we don't have hundreds of cannons, and the Habsburg allied army will not give us this opportunity. Haven't you noticed that since three days ago, more and more Habsburg allied forces have been gathering here, and our pressure is slowly increasing?"
"So, let him go. Let him leave Astorf alive. You lead the cavalry brigade to follow closely, constantly inflicting casualties on them, and slowly bleeding them dry."
"Even more so, we need to inflict greater casualties on them in localized battles. Do you remember what our teacher once said? We should drag down the fat and kill the thin. Even when we are in the upper hand, we must not forget to concentrate our forces at all times to gain greater local advantages."
"More importantly, there is another benefit to letting Franz II leave Astorf."
Davout was startled and asked, "What benefit?"
Napoleon said, "The dignified Emperor of Austria has been trapped in Astorf by us for more than half a month, not only unable to counterattack but also ending up abandoning the city and fleeing. If you were a member of the Habsburg allied army, what would you think?"
Davout was eventually persuaded by Napoleon.
When they were in the Ming Dynasty, the teacher who lectured them had said that Napoleon was the most talented in warfare among their batch of students and could serve as a marshal, while Davout was evaluated as capable of commanding an army but would easily perish if he overstepped.
After careful consideration, Davout agreed with Napoleon's proposal. "In that case, shall I have the cavalry brigade clear a path for them?"
Napoleon said, "It's not about clearing a path for them, but about assembling your cavalry brigade and posing as if you are about to attack Arlon, and then letting the people in Astorf 'unintentionally' discover your movements. Do you understand?"
Davout nodded and replied, "Understood!"
After discussing the next course of action with Napoleon, Davout began to assemble his cavalry brigade and, feigning an imminent attack on Arlon, started to march slowly in the direction of Arlon.
And all of this was "discovered" by the Habsburg allied army in the city of Astorf.
Upon receiving this news, Zweig almost burst into laughter. "God bless the Habsburgs! Those damned French Frog cavalry have left here, and we can finally break out with peace of mind!"
Franz II was also overjoyed. "It is truly God's blessing! As long as we break out successfully, and Gold and Waltz complete their missions, in the end, who knows who will win or lose!"