Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 793 - 701 The Deal

Chapter 793: Chapter 701: The Deal

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Chapter 793: Chapter 701: The Deal

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Pope State.

Rome.

The black carriage rolled over muddy roads, splashing up large swathes of mud water, ruining the exquisite red trousers of the cavalry guards on both sides.

Atop the carriage, Austrian Minister of State Baron Tugut neatly folded the secret letter he had just received before departure and put it back into the envelope.

Opposite him, Baron Walter watched the deeply furrowed brow of Tugut as he casually tossed nuts from the table into his mouth, “It seems that His Majesty has still not managed to obtain that silver mine?”

Though disgusted by the idea of talking with a fool, Tugut was unwilling to offend royal kin and thus nodded,

“General Willemze has lost a battalion ten days ago. He has requested reinforcements and transport of heavy cannons. You know, his soldiers are quite slack…”

After all the miners were moved to the mountains and resisted the Austrian invaders vehemently for 8 days, they finally awaited reinforcements from Warsaw.

The five battalions of troops greatly improved the situation in Krakow, even momentarily recapturing Chebiny Town by leveraging the familiar terrain. Though they couldn’t hold it, it dealt a significant blow to General Willemze.

Having failed to secure Krakow after nearly two months of siege, the Emperor of Sanctum finally became restless.

General Willemze attributed the unsatisfactory battle outcome to low morale, with the largest impacting factor being the damn rumor that “the Pope has called for a Holy War.”

Hence, Franz II and his ministers, after repetitive discussions, finally settled on a solution.

And Baron Tugut was dispatched to Rome as the imperial envoy, to carry out this plan. Walter, wishing to share in this glory, insisted on accompanying him.

“The Pope surely cannot resist that tremendous temptation, and then the lies will crumble,” Walter gestured with his hands mimicking an explosion, and proudly said, “The poor Poles will have to yield Krakow. You and I will accept His Majesty’s commendation. As simple as that.”

“I hope it would be as smooth as you say.” Tugut looked out the window with a complex expression.

Four o’clock in the afternoon.

Tugut walked out of St. Peter’s Cathedral, his expression solemn.

Walter, waiting in the corridor, hurried over and asked, “How did it go? When will the Pope go to Vienna?”

Tugut frowned and shook his head: “His Holiness the Pope has refused our proposal.”

“How is that possible?!” Walter exclaimed in dismay, “All the archbishops in our country are nominated by the Holy See, and we ensure the absolute integrity of the Pope State, and all he needs to do is go to Vienna and say a few words. He actually refused such a good deal!”

It was no wonder he was so astonished; Franz II had indeed offered generous terms.

Austria, during the reign of Joseph II, had already started to follow France’s lead in cleaving from Vatican control, with important archdioceses inside the country no longer accepting appointments from the Holy See. This significantly reduced the Church’s sphere of influence.

Furthermore, while the Church’s influence in Europe was enormous, the Pope State had territorial disputes with almost every surrounding nation—most of its territory had essentially been seized from them during the time of Pepin and Charlie.

Moreover, with a lack of troops in the Pope State, even a small country like Modena could pose a threat.

All along, the Italian states were just lacking an excuse; otherwise, they would have immediately waged war on the Pope State.

Historically, after Napoleon provided such a pretext, the Pope State was swiftly divided by the Italians, leaving only a small Rome.

Therefore, the Holy See has always lacked a sense of security, but no major country has promised to protect it—

France would be glad to see the Vatican wiped out. Avignon could become the leader of the Catholic world.

Spain is willing but lacks the capacity, and their close relatives in the Two Sicilies have great territorial claims against the Pope State.

Austria also sought religious reform earlier to free itself from the influence of the Church as much as possible.

What Franz II now wants is merely for the Pope to go to Vienna and publicly deny the rumors that he had called for a “new Crusaders’ holy war.”

It is foreseeable that as long as the Pope personally debunks the rumor, the soldiers invading Poland will no longer bear a huge psychological burden and their morale will instantly recover.

At the same time, the morale of the Poles will decline.

With this ebb and flow, the battle of Krakow is soon to end.

However, the Pope refused the Austrians’ deal.

No other reason, but that Joseph’s initially planned “new Crusaders’ holy war” was an inextricable open plot from the start.

Now, with Poland and Russia engaged in national conflict, and with Mesmer’s “coaxing,” everyone took it as a clash between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox.

If the Pope says now that there was “no such thing as a Crusaders’ holy war,” it would be like admitting defeat to Eastern Orthodox and like throwing the Church’s face to the ground and stomping on it several times.

The already declining Vatican could very well be completely devastated by this matter.

Especially Pope Pius VI himself, who would bear all the responsibility.

He could not afford that risk.

Three days later, Baron Tugut again sought an audience with Pope Pius VI but still could not persuade him.

Desperate, Baron Tugut could only prepare to return to Vienna.

That same evening, however, Walter mysteriously took him to a coffeehouse.

In the VIP room, a hooded figure was already waiting there.

Upon seeing the Austrian Minister of State arrive, he immediately stood up to signal, “By God’s arrangement, we meet here, esteemed Baron.”

When he lifted his hood, Tugut was taken aback: “Archbishop Muzareli?”

Muzareli is one of the Church’s most powerful Cardinals, in charge of the Secretariat of State and has a significant voice in Church finances.

Muzareli politely asked Tugut to take a seat and bluntly said, “I heard that His Majesty the Emperor has some minor troubles to solve?”

Tugut immediately turned to look at Baron Walter. Such a confidential matter, and this man actually told others!

Muzareli smiled and said, “Forgive my candor, but it was right for Baron Walter to bring this up to me.”

Tugut turned back and politely said, “You have asked for me here, what is it?”

————

The Roman Curia evolved from the ancient Roman Episcopal See, initially without a fixed establishment. In 1588, Pope Sixtus V established various departments of the Holy See, and thus the formal structure of the Roman Curia began. Subsequently, the system of the Curia underwent several changes. The Second Vatican Council enacted significant reforms in the structure of the Roman Curia. The head of the Roman Curia is the Pope, and the members of the College of Cardinals have the right to be elected or to elect a Pope, divided into three levels: Cardinal Bishop, Cardinal Priest, and Cardinal Deacon. As they all wear red, they are commonly known as Cardinals in China. The term Holy See narrowly refers to the highest administrative organization of the Catholic Church, which mainly includes various Sacred Congregations, courts, secretariats, offices and councils, and some standing committees, all working under the authority of the Pope. The Sacred Congregations of the Holy See include the Doctrine Department, Bishops’ Department, Sacred Rites and Ceremonies Department, Priest Department, Monastic Order and Secular Association Department, Evangelization for All Peoples, Congregation of Saints, Catholic Monastery and University Education Department, and Eastern Rite Church Department; the courts of the Holy See include the Vatican Pardon Court, High Court, Supreme Court, and more.