"The balance of power in the Germanic Region is likely to be broken." Joseph said to Talleyrand, "Therefore, we must prevent Prussia from surrendering quickly, at least not according to Austria's terms."
Talleyrand asked cautiously, "Do you mean we should provide aid to Prussia?"
"We don't have excess funds to waste on Prussia." Joseph glanced at him and shook his head, "On the contrary, we must fully support Austria."
"Ah?" The Minister of Foreign Affairs thought he misheard, "Did you say Austria?"
"Exactly." Joseph replied, "When you buy things, you haggle with the merchants, right?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"If something is worth 10 francs and you bargain for 9 francs, the merchant will likely consider it seriously. But if you insist on buying it for 1 franc, they will definitely chase you away or even get angry."
Talleyrand instinctively touched his nose; he often directly bargained down to one-tenth.
