Chapter 17: The Dilemma of the Anti-French Coalition

If he could persuade the Russians to take the vanguard, undoubtedly, the losses of his own troops would be greatly reduced. With this thought, Grand Duke Charles felt a sudden surge of joy. He believed he had found a solution to the current predicament.

"Marshal Suvarov, what do you think? Can Russia send troops?" Immediately, Charles turned his gaze to Marshal Suvarov, who was on his left, and asked eagerly.

While Charles and Paget were pleased, Suvarov's face turned ashen as soon as he heard their conversation.

"These two rascals. They're unwilling to send their own troops and are plotting to shift the burden onto Russia," Suvarov muttered to himself, his frustration evident.

"Hmph! Our people have come from afar for their own interests, not to be cannon fodder. They can forget about making me their scapegoat," Suvarov thought to himself, though he maintained his composure outwardly, a skill honed from years as a senior military officer.

After a brief pause, Suvarov spoke, "I'm sorry, Your Grace. I'm afraid Russia may not be able to send troops."

"Why? Give me a reason! Are you planning to betray the alliance? That would incur international condemnation," Charles exclaimed, his words tinged with veiled threats borne of anger.

"Don't be angry, Your Grace. I have no intention of breaking the treaty," Suvarov replied calmly.

"In that case, why is your country unwilling to send troops?" Charles asked angrily.

"It's simple, because our forces are insufficient. Your Grace, I'm sure you're aware that our coalition army consists of less than twenty thousand men. With such limited manpower, capturing Turin would be extremely difficult. Furthermore, there have been recent movements from the Ottomans, and I must be prepared to reinforce Crimea at any moment. Therefore, even this force cannot afford heavy losses. Otherwise, I won't be able to answer to His Majesty the Emperor," Suvarov explained with a shrug, his expression betraying a sense of resignation.

Indeed, as he said, the Russian contribution to the alliance was minimal. On one hand, because of the distant distance between France and Russia, even if they were to defeat the French, the Russians wouldn't gain much. On the other hand, the Ottomans were eyeing the Russian borders, forcing Russia to deploy significant troops to Crimea and the Caucasus Mountains to fend off potential Ottoman invasions.

"What about the other countries?" Charles continued, almost gritting his teeth.

Having been rebuffed twice by the British and the Russians, Charles was now teetering on the edge of fury.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but Spain may also not be able to offer much assistance. Just this morning, I received word from my homeland. France has heavily fortified the Pyrenees. We fear that if we press France too hard, they may cross the mountains and invade Spanish territory. This is something our government cannot accept," replied the Spanish Commander-in-Chief, Odón, respectfully to Charles.

The Kingdom of Spain couldn't compare to Russia in terms of power. Their strength was considerably weaker. Naturally, Odón couldn't afford to disregard Charles like Suvarov did. Thus, Odón could only reply to Charles with utmost respect.

"Duke Charles, the situation in the Netherlands is much the same. In fact, we are even weaker than Spain. Our coalition forces have only sent two to three thousand troops. With such a small force on the Turin battlefield, it's doubtful we could even make a dent. However, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is still sincere about this alliance. So, if Your Grace wishes to send troops, we are willing to provide material support," added the Dutch representative immediately after Odón.

As the Dutch representative finished speaking, silence fell over the room. Everyone was looking at Charles. His attempt to rally them today had failed. They were curious about what Charles would do next.

Would he lead the army alone to attack Turin? That would result in significant losses for the Holy Roman Empire's forces.

Or would he continue to stay holed up in Milan? That would also have a significant impact on the Holy Roman Empire. The empire's prestige would plummet.

Charles was now at an impasse. Whichever path he chose, there would be no favorable outcome.

"Since the meeting has reached this point, I suppose Your Grace has no further instructions? In that case, I shall take my leave," said the British representative Paget, rising from the table. With that, he left on his own accord. Soon after, the Russian representative Suvarov followed suit.

"Nations are always the strongest support for officials abroad, and at this moment, Britain is indeed a powerful nation. Thus, Paget wasn't afraid of offending Charles. Moreover, being an island nation with a weak army, Britain had no capacity to meddle in European affairs. Whether the Holy Roman Empire won or lost this war had no bearing on them. Britain would prefer both France and the Holy Roman Empire to suffer losses because regardless of who emerged victorious, Britain stood to gain. The same applied to Russia. Situated in the east of Europe, far from its center, Russia wished for chaos on the continent, allowing them to benefit.

"The meeting is adjourned! Please leave," Charles' aide, Bolt, hurriedly declared as the situation spiraled out of control.

With Bolt's command, the remaining representatives dispersed as if granted a reprieve, hastily exiting the room.

"Duke, are you all right?" Bolt approached Charles anxiously after the representatives had left.

"Damn it! They infuriate me. These greedy, selfish lot! They were crying and begging to form an alliance with us when they saw France vulnerable. Now, at the first sign of trouble, they all want to back out," Charles vented his frustration.