Palace of Versailles.

The atmosphere in the Senate meeting room was unusually tense.

The Duke of Broglie clenched his fist: "We must respond, the Russians have already crossed the West Dvina River, and are less than two hundred kilometers from Vilnius!"

His voice rose even higher: "Once Poland collapses, our country will have to deploy more troops on the Eastern front!"

Bertier, sitting in the second row, whispered: "The General Staff can mobilize thirty to fifty thousand troops at any time. Weapons and supplies are ready."

"Moreover," the Duke of Broglie nodded, "if we transport the troops by railway to Karlsruhe, our soldiers could be in Vilnius in two months."

Baron Breti glanced at Talleyrand and Bailly, and seeing them both nodding slightly, he turned to the Finance Minister on the left: "Mr. Godan, what about the finances? If we send thirty thousand troops for a month and a half of operations—"

"A month and a half?" Godan flipped through the documents before him, hesitated, and said, "Baron, if we delay the railway to Orleans, we could raise the funds immediately.

"But I must remind everyone, the Regent has always said that we should avoid getting involved in the Eastern European war."

"That was before the Russian Army occupied Polotsk," the Duke of Broglie immediately retorted, "Kilinsky and Bilak’s corps have not yet been defeated!"

Just a week ago, Kutuzov took advantage of a Lithuanian peasant uprising, first launching a feigned cavalry attack along the Dnieper River, and then suddenly crossing the West Dvina River, swiftly capturing Polotsk, which guarded the river mouth.

After this defeat, the main force of the Polish Army was reduced to just about fifty thousand men, and the domestic economic situation had severely deteriorated, making it difficult to resist the subsequent fierce attacks by the Russian Army.

The head of the intelligence department in the third row glanced at Bertier, still stood up and said: "General, in fact, the financial situation of the Russians is also very bad."

As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper from the documents: "This year, they have hardly collected any taxes from the Viazma to Belgorod area, and Moscow has to constantly send supplies to these places.

"At the same time, Gorzev’s Rebel Army has been constantly harassing the southwest of Russia, forcing the Tsar to station a nearly ten-thousand-man army there."

He paused, summarizing: "According to our judgment, Russian finances can only sustain themselves for five more months at most."

Godan immediately followed up: "So we only need to provide aid to the Poles to drag it out until the beginning of next year, and the war will end on its own."

"Aid?" The Duke of Broglie sneered, "Poland has already started a civil strife!"

"Gentlemen, please calm down!" Baron Breti quickly raised his hand to interrupt the argument, "The issue of deploying troops should be decided by the Regent."

As he spoke, he glanced towards the door.

The Regent had not yet arrived.

Lately, the Crown Princess was nearing childbirth, and His Highness often stayed over in the Grand Trianon Palace. It was said that just a few days ago, His Highness personally oversaw the assessment of the midwives’ skills.

No wonder Joseph was so nervous, as the maternal mortality rate of women in this era was extremely high. Even in the Palace of Versailles, one out of every twenty births resulted in a maternal death.

In fact, due to the Crown Princess’s pregnancy, France has made significant progress in the field of obstetrics over the past six months. A maternity hospital was even built in the southern part of Paris.

Just as the Duke of Broglie and the other elders were preparing to begin the next topic, the side door of the conference hall quietly opened, and an official from the Security Bureau quickly walked over to Talleyrand, handed him a document, and whispered a few words to him.

Talleyrand’s eyes immediately narrowed.

He raised the document in his hand, dragging out his words: "Gentlemen, just two days ago, the two houses of Hungary unanimously passed a resolution to secede from Austrian rule and form a responsible government after the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire vetoed their ’August Decree’."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone understood that with the large-scale rebellion in Vienna, Hungary’s independence would completely destroy the empire that the Habsburg family had ruled for centuries.

Trade Minister Bailly, not very familiar with military matters, asked somewhat uncertainly: "The Habsburg family should still have a military sufficient to handle the situation, right?"

Bertier shook his head: "Austrian forces in Switzerland have not yet completely withdrawn, and Archduke Karl has gathered less than forty thousand soldiers. Whether Vienna or Buda is attacked by him, the other side will immediately attack him from behind."

Talleyrand added: "Furthermore, the Bohemian Congress has also submitted demands for increased autonomy to their emperor. If Franz II does not accept them, they might follow Hungary’s example."

The Duke of Broglie suddenly stood up: "In that case, we must send troops to Poland! Once Austria falls into disarray, the Russians will be able to easily occupy a large amount of Eastern European territory. Then, we may have to face the Russian Army in Italy!"

Talleyrand nodded: "I believe it might even be necessary to directly intervene in Austria’s situation."

He placed his cane horizontally: "Austria is not only the frontline to curb Russian expansion, but also an important deterrent against Prussia in Germany. If Austria collapses, we will have to increase our military investments to guard against Northern Germany. Additionally..."

He turned his head, his expression serious and icy: "The rioters in Vienna seek to establish a republic. Such an act of commoners directly overthrowing a monarch by force must not be set as a precedent in Europe!"

Just as he finished speaking, the golden doors of the meeting hall were pulled open, and Joseph strode in between two rows of guards.

He was still wearing a loose black coat—obviously having come straight from the Grand Trianon Palace, without even having time to change his clothes.

The elders immediately rose and bowed: "Your Highness, the Regent."

Joseph nodded, signaling everyone to sit down, as he took his seat at the head: "I heard the sound of your debate, what has happened?"

Baron Breti first briefly reported on the Polish-Russian War and Hungarian independence, concluding: "Now the Duke of Broglie and Archbishop Talleyrand suggest sending troops to Eastern Europe, while Mr. Godan and others advocate caution."

Joseph tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.

Poland must be protected, as they are a barrier against Russian infiltration into Central and Western Europe. But an expedition to Eastern Europe will inevitably impact France’s economic development—going to war against Russia is a pure expenditure with no gain, sinking tens of millions of francs isn’t unusual.

Baron Breti coughed lightly and continued: "Your Highness, in addition, Hungary has also recently declared their independence from Austrian rule. Perhaps we will have to deploy troops on two fronts simultaneously."

The mention made Joseph’s eyes light up: "You mean, Hungary has achieved independence?"