Chapter 1109: 1015: Lord Grenville's Reforms

Chapter 1109: Chapter 1015: Lord Grenville’s Reforms

William Pitt Junior pondered, “We must try our best to exert influence on Vienna to end the Prussian-Austrian war as soon as possible. You know, the longer they fight, the greater the loss, and the lower their ability to constrain France.”

Lord Grenville looked at the Foreign Minister, “Mr. Fox, do you have any advice on this?”

“Well… if Prussia can give up some interests in Silesia, I can go to Vienna and give it a try.”

Before he finished speaking, he heard a knock on the door. It was his assistant.

The assistant tiptoed in, handed him a report, and whispered a few words.

Fox was overjoyed and said to Grenville, “Your Excellency, Prime Minister, good news, uh, it is indeed good news.

“Wallachia has been attacked by the Albanians, or maybe it’s the Ottomans, it’s not certain yet. However, the entire western Wallachia is in complete chaos, even Bucharest has been attacked, and the returning Austrian forces were ambushed, with losses of nearly 3,000 men.

“The news from half a month ago was that Bucharest was besieged by tens of thousands of bandits. Vienna has transferred 25,000 troops from the northern battlefront, led by General Argentao, to suppress the unrest in Wallachia.”

Grenville’s eyes lit up immediately.

The Austrian Army in Silesia has a total of less than 80,000 troops, which means only a little more than 50,000 remain.

Excluding the troops used to besiege Legnica, the force that can be deployed to attack Glogau should be no more than 30,000.

This basically means Glogau is not in danger of falling.

Under such circumstances, Vienna is likely to accept mediation.

He hurriedly instructed Fox, “You go to Vienna immediately and strive to bring about a ceasefire between Prussia and Austria.”

“Yes, Your Excellency, Prime Minister.”

At this moment, the Prime Minister’s attendant quickly walked over to remind him, “Sir, there are 20 minutes left until the parliamentary speech, you must get going.”

Grenville nodded, put on his coat, took his hat, and walked towards Westminster Palace with William Pitt Junior.

In the Parliamentary Hall, over 300 members of parliament were densely seated, ready to vote on very important British reform agendas.

Grenville’s figure appeared in the hall, immediately prompting the members to stand up and greet him.

He started with a simple opening speech, then looked around at the members and said loudly:

“I believe everyone knows that the Empire is facing a very difficult situation. It’s time for us to make changes to prevent the country from sliding deeper into the abyss.

“…Industry is becoming the focus of competition between nations. We still hold advantages in fields like steel and textiles, but the French people are catching up very quickly.

“Their secret to promoting industrial development is the ‘Industrial Development Fund.’

“This allows them to pool money from the nobles stored in boxes to build a large number of factories.

“In the Walloon Region, they built coal and iron factories equivalent to one-third of Birmingham in less than two years, with 20% of the investment coming from this development fund.

“In London, we need to spend half a year raising funds just to expand two dockyards.

“We must also have our own ‘Development Fund.’

“To this end, the government will allocate 1 million British Pounds, the Bank of England will invest 1.2 million Pounds, and will publicly offer shares worth 2 million Pounds…”

The Prime Minister paused, then continued, “Regarding the selection of officials, His Majesty the King has agreed to reduce ‘gift positions’ by half.

“At the same time, to improve the capability of officials, we must conduct strict assessments of knowledge based on party nominations.

“My special adviser, also my friend Mr. Pitt, suggests that passing assessments in subjects such as ancient literature, philosophy, and law at Oxford or Cambridge University is required for official appointment.

“Oh, of course, requirements can be relaxed for lower-level local officials, but they must also go to these two universities for necessary learning…

“All police will be recruited and trained by the Police Headquarters, with salaries entirely funded by government allocations…

“We will establish a ‘National Anti-Corruption Bureau,’ which will report directly to Congress and have the authority to investigate any official, including the Prime Minister. Upon obtaining evidence, it can proceed with direct arrest and prosecution in the High Court…”

Grenville spoke eloquently for more than 40 minutes, painting a bright future for the members of parliament.

He had great confidence in the reform vote.

Although his Whig Party had only a slight advantage in Congress, he had consistently pursued a strategy of uniting both parties since coming to power, so it was easy to gain support in Congress.

These multiple reform measures should face no obstacles.

At 2 p.m., the voting officially began.

Soon, the Speaker started announcing the results one by one: “‘Government Investment Fund’ bill – 280 votes in favor, 31 votes against… Passed!

“‘Official Assessment System’ bill – 161 votes in favor, 148 votes against, 25 abstentions. Passed!

“‘Police Reform’ bill – 240 votes in favor… Passed!

“‘Establishment of National Anti-Corruption Bureau’ bill – 24 votes in favor, 301 votes against, 9 abstentions. Not passed…”

…

Vienna.

Talleyrand had just gotten out of the car and saw Marshal Reo coming to greet him, immediately showing a bright smile, “Old friend, I’m so glad you’re here to pick me up.”

Marshal Reo seemed not too happy, and after a simple greeting, he pulled Talleyrand towards the inn:

“Jesus, we are on the verge of victory. Your judgment is all correct, the Prussians are no match at all…

“But those damned Ottomans suddenly went to Wallachia to cause trouble. Yes, it must be them! I heard the commander of the attack on Bucharest is an Ottoman officer!”

Talleyrand put on a regretful expression, “They always like to take advantage, but at this point, perhaps facing reality is the best choice.”

Yes, his trip was to persuade Franz II to abandon the continued attack on Prussia.

In fact, Prussia recently, in a miraculous manner, quickly conscripted 30,000 new troops, not only strengthening the defense of Glogau but also taking the opportunity of the Austrian army’s dispatch to Wallachia to send thousands of men with supplies into the Breslau Fortress.

Currently, it’s very difficult for Austria to expand its gains in a short period.

Meanwhile, the Bank of France Reserve had found an excuse to suspend loans to Vienna—only actually paying 3 million francs. This means that the Austrian army’s funding will soon be short.

Therefore, Talleyrand was confident to make Austria stop. Prussia thus preserved its ability to continue contending for dominance in Germany.

Reo was still complaining, “And those damned British!

“They actually came to ask His Majesty to ceasefire, what does Silesia have to do with them?”

Talleyrand was slightly taken aback and hurriedly asked, “You mean, the British have come to mediate?”

“Yes, their Foreign Minister arrived in Vienna two days ago.”

Talleyrand immediately squinted. Since the British themselves have jumped in, the plan needs to be adjusted a bit.