"Impossible!"

The data of France's standing army mentioned by Prince Metternich is rather astounding for both the military and the government.

What does a standing army of 600,000 mean? A standing army of 600,000 means that France alone is sufficient to sweep away the armies of the entire German Region.

In the whole of Germany, only Prussia and Austria have the determination and capability to truly confront France, while Prussia's standing army numbers 180,000 (considering the second-tier reserve's combat effectiveness quickly collapsed in 1851, the Austrian Empire does not count Prussia's second and third-tier reserves as combat effective), and the Austrian Empire's current standing army is just over 400,000. It can be said that the entire German Region can muster only around 580,000 to 700,000 troops for battle.

These troops simply cannot effectively suppress France. As long as France's army mobilizes quickly enough, those principalities in Southern Germany, intimidated by France's longstanding military might, dare not act against the French Empire.

With such an imbalance, the French Empire merely needs to dispatch a portion of its soldiers to Lombardy and Venice, and those lurking Apennine rebels will rise up.

By that time, the Austrian Empire might once again find itself reenacting the events of the 1848 Great Revolution, but this time their opponent is the French Empire, whose equipment and morale surpass the Sardinian Kingdom by several notches.

None of the Austrian generals, including Radetzky, dare to guarantee victory.

The Four-Corner Fortress, which once repelled Albert's 60,000-strong army, is incapable of defending against the French Empire's assault.

[PS: The essence of the Four-Corner Fortress is that it's meant to fend off paupers, not tycoons. If there are enough cannons, the fortress can be completely flattened.]

Furthermore, is the Kingdom of Prussia truly willing to form a joint army with Austria against France? That question might only be known to God.

The reason Prince Metternich faced fierce opposition from Minister Hess lies in this.

Once Minister Hess acknowledges that France possesses a 600,000-strong army, he will have to consider how to guard against an offensive by such a force.

To guard against such a large force, one must build an army of the same scale. However, the Austrian Empire's finances likely cannot sustain such a huge military force.

Since the Napoleonic Wars, the Austrian Empire's army has quietly watched the technical and strategic developments of Europe's military powers with an ostrich-like posture.

Even a strategic and military expert like Grand Duke Carl ultimately could not fundamentally change the Austrian Empire's army. He could only choose to make repairs on the existing system to ensure that this already fragile façade could intimidate others.

As for the old Marshal Radetzky, it's even more evident. After being appointed in crisis to defeat the Sardinian Kingdom's invasion and quell the Northern Italian rebellion, the old marshal decisively chose to retire to a life of seclusion. He saved Lombardy and Venice for the Austrian Empire, yet couldn't fundamentally reform the imperial army.

Under Minister Hess's leadership, the Austrian Empire's army no longer dreams of reliving the glory of the Holy Roman Empire, but instead adopts a defensive counterattack stance in all things.

Regarding Minister Hess's almost ostrich-like strategic mindset, Prince Metternich bluntly criticized: "Minister Hess, your information is outdated!"

Subsequently, Prince Metternich disclosed the recent military reforms of the French Empire (these were all hearsay from Richard Metternich and then relayed to Prince Metternich).

"Minister Hess, the Austrian Empire's army..." Franz Joseph, upon hearing the reform measures explained by Metternich, looked earnestly at Hess, his meaning becoming self-evident.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid not!" Minister Hess shook his head and responded to Franz Joseph with a bitter smile: "Not to mention that the Austrian Empire doesn't even have a conscription system! Even if it did, the finances needed for a 600,000-strong army would be astronomical! Only countries like France can afford such large military spending!"

"So, once the Austrian Empire falls out with the French Empire, our army simply cannot resist the French Empire!" Franz Joseph furrowed his brows and said in a gloomy tone.

"We are not alone. There's still the German Confederation, Your Majesty!" Minister Hess hurriedly reminded Franz Joseph.

"Minister Hess, according to the German Confederation War Law, the Lombard Kingdom and the Venice Kingdom are not included in it!" Prince Metternich "kindly" informed Minister Hess.

"Prince Metternich, are you acting as France's mouthpiece? Don't forget, you are a subject of the Austrian Empire, and everything of yours belongs to the Austrian Empire!" the enraged Minister Hess lashed out at Prince Metternich in fury.

"Precisely because I am loyal to the Austrian Empire, I analyze with a calm mind rather than blindly being arrogant or self-deprecating!" Prince Metternich retorted decisively.

Prince Metternich, who is not in office, will not compromise for the sake of uniting his colleagues as he did before.

"Enough! The two of you should not say inappropriate things in this serious occasion!" Franz Joseph knocked on the table once more to emphasize, then turned his gaze to Count Baur: "Count Baur, what do you think about this matter?"

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baur had been silent since entering the room, which slightly lowered Franz Joseph's impression of him.

When suddenly named by Franz Joseph, Baur was stunned for a few seconds, then immediately responded to Franz Joseph.

On this issue, he stands with Prince Metternich. The Russian Empire indeed threatens the interests of the Austrian Empire in the Two Danube Principalities, so they must leave, and the Two Danube Principalities must be under the control of the Austrian Empire.

However, Baur does not agree with immediately siding with Britain and France. The French Empire must ensure the interests of the Apennine Peninsula; only then would the Austrian Empire be willing to stand with Britain and France! Baur also suggested that the Austrian Empire should best not genuinely participate in the war against the Russian Empire and should ideally use the Anglo-French-Austrian Alliance to scare away the Russian Empire, thus achieving the aim of subduing the enemy without fighting.

Regarding Count Baur's suggestion, Minister Hess maintained his opposition, and Prince Metternich also had some criticism of Count Baur's rigid diplomatic approach. Now is not the time to sit on the fence; the Austrian Empire must show its true capability to hold a place in this superficial military alliance.

Subsequently, Franz Joseph pointed out a general from the military to inquire about his thoughts.

The result was as Franz Joseph expected; Minister Hess's attitude represented the entire military's view on this matter.

Franz Joseph then posed the question to his trusted Minister of Internal Affairs, Bach. Bach's response was generally similar to Count Baur's, but closer to Prince Metternich's stance.

Faced with two entirely different approaches from the government and the military, Franz Joseph found himself in a dilemma. On one hand, he feared a series of disasters after waging war against Russia, thereby losing his position on the international stage. On the other hand, he was equally afraid that the French Empire would lose patience due to the Austrian Empire's delay in providing an answer, thus launching an attack on Lombardy and Venice.

What was even more terrifying is if the Kingdom of Prussia were to form an alliance with the French Empire while it attacked Lombardy and Venice, and together launch an attack on the Austrian Empire, the Austrian Empire might face the threat of being attacked on both fronts and completely fall off the world stage.

In a dilemma, Franz Joseph looked at Prince Metternich with a pleading gaze, knowing that his mentor, who had maneuvered through Europe for decades, would certainly have a solution.

Looking at his former student, Metternich could not help but worry about the future of the Habsburgs.

The situation had clearly progressed to this point, yet his student still hoped to please all parties. However, after feeling some blame, Prince Metternich proposed a somewhat practical albeit indirect solution: "Your Majesty, we could use the French Empire to curb the Kingdom of Prussia, and likewise, use the German Confederation and the Kingdom of Britain to demand the French Empire safeguard the interests of the Austrian Empire..."

Upon hearing Prince Metternich's strategy, everyone immediately thought of the Vienna Congress, the foundation of Metternich's renown.

Back then, he had leveraged the conflicts among the major European powers to secure ample benefits for the Austrian Empire.

However, everyone present also understood that such sophisticated diplomatic maneuvers are not something a minor diplomat like Count Baur could handle smoothly.

Only a seasoned diplomat like Prince Metternich could truly manage such affairs with ease.

"Prince Metternich, since you proposed this solution, please go ahead and implement it!" Franz Joseph said, granting Metternich the responsibility.

"No!" Prince Metternich shook his head and refused Franz Joseph's appointment, then explained: "If I were to go, those monarchs would inevitably be wary of me! This should be carried out by Minister Baur and Minister Hess instead!"

Minister Baur showed a trace of astonishment on his face. He was amazed by Prince Metternich's noble gesture and felt a slight sense of shame for previously suspecting that Metternich wanted to seize power.

Minister Hess had an expression akin to constipation on his face. He did not understand why Prince Metternich would assign him, a military officer, to the role of diplomatic envoy; surely, Metternich wasn't afraid that he might mess up his plan!

"Alright! Let's proceed with this!" Franz Joseph finalized with a decisive tone.

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