129 New Year's Old Plans

(Mazovia Voivode Stanisław Warszczycki / King Władysław Vasa POV)

"Your Majesty, you heard what Jazłowiecki said. He has his own foreign policy..." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"I've heard and I'm not happy with it, but also not much I can do about it. Radziwiłł and other magnates do the same, the only difference is that Jazłowiecki brings benefits to the country." (King Władysław)

"Your Majesty, Jazłowiecki is only one magnate, who also has many enemies, if you want to punish him, you will surely gain support... Nobleman... (ptui) there are more Tatars and Cossacks in his house than decent Christians." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"Will I gain support? Have you seen the faces of the ministers? Potocki and Jazłowiecki are friends. Zamoyski and Jazłowiecki are family. In Lithuania, there is Gosiewski, another friend. His next ally, Wiśniowiecki, is in Moscow. Perhaps they will even be relatives. I heard that Zamoyski is considering marrying his daughter Gryzelda to him..." (King Władysław)

"What about Wolski, Opaliński, Daniłowicz, Zadzik?" (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"It's more complicated, although they are not friends with Jazłowiecki, but also not enemies... Do you remember the conflict between Opaliński and Stadnicki? Which ended with Stadnicki's death, some time later Jazłowiecki killed two Stadnicki's sons... Wolski spent some time in Jazłowiec, helping to build metal smelting manufactories. Zadzik and Jazłowiecki, the only thing they have in common is their aversion to the Duchy of Prussia." (King Władysław)

"But can something be done?... Maybe spread some rumors about him... maybe rumors he's a sodomite. He has no wife and no children." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"You don't like him and I understand it, but I can't punish someone so meritorious for something that others do to without punishment... I also need him to regain the Swedish throne. If you go hunting, you don't get rid of the best dog... but if you find evidence that Jazłowiecki is a criminal or a traitor, I will punish him... for now we must focus on gaining the support of the nobility for the war with Sweden." (King Władysław)

"I understand, Your Majesty... I just wonder where he gets all this information, first the Swedes, then Moscow, and now the Ottomans. If he has such good spies in such distant places, I wonder who he can spy in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth..." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"Are you suggesting he's spying on me?" (King Władysław)

(End POV)

I woke up the next morning with a little hangover... fortunately in my bed, next to Sveta and Galina. I could say hand on heart that I had never slept with an ugly woman, but sometimes I would wake up next to such a woman.

I got up from the bed with the grace of an elephant, waking my women in the process... alcohol, this insidious poison, this time did not attack my head, but my legs, if anyone saw me now... the famous Hetman crawling on the floor in search of water... disgrace. A few hours later I was sitting in my office writing an article about the Ottoman attack on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the newspaper will appear in a few days, but at these times the information that has a few days is fresh.

Days, weeks and months passed, fall turned into winter... and the calendar showed the new year 1634. Despite minor and insignificant events, such as introducing a fashion section to the newspaper or teaching Galina to read, my life has not changed... I haven't found help to run the newspaper, Saddat hasn't come back from Crimea, and Ivan from Zaporizhia.

The trial of Galileo took place in Rome, the sentence was unchanged... house arrest for life. There was even a memo in my newspaper about the whole process as well as a gentle defense of science and Galileo. Europe still resembled a gunpowder barrel, but apart from the ongoing conflicts, a spark was enough for new wars to break out.

It was not until the beginning of February that Ivan returned from Zaporizhia, and two weeks later Saddat from Crimea, accompanied by Shahin Giray, Khan's brother.

I was standing by a lit fireplace, my guest was sitting on an armchair nearby...

"Prince, is this certain information?" (Shahin Giray)

"If I wasn't lied... after losing to us, the Sultan and High Porta turned their eyes to Persia." (MC)

"This is an ideal opportunity for us if some of the Ottoman troops moved to the southeast. The north will be less well defended." (Shahin Giray)

"It won't be that easy, my friend. Counting all kapıkulu, seymen, sekban, martolos and other troops, the Ottoman Empire has an army of 120-140 thousand... However, our chances are good, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is recruiting soldiers, our vassals Prussia and Moscow must lend us their troops. Moldova will support us, including the Cossacks... our forces will be around 100,000 soldiers. Perhaps the Papal States, Austria and Spain will also help us." (MC)

"Khan of Khans, my brother instructed me to tell the Prince and assure you that he takes this war very seriously and that he intends to gather all the Hordes under his rule... 200,000 warriors." (Shahin Giray)

It was very good news, although the Tatars did not have infantry or cannons, and the cavalry was not suitable for conquering castles, fortresses or fortified cities... 200,000 people was a force to be reckoned with.

"Good, very good. According to my plan, the Polish Lithuanian army, Moscow, Prussia and Moldova will go straight south, towards Constantinople. I personally, together with the Tatars and Cossacks, will pass through the Crimea and attack the Ottoman Empire from the east, perhaps we will even help the Persians... our goal is to weaken the Ottomans, liberate Crimea, Moldavia, Wallachia and perhaps some Balkan lands." (MC)

"It wouldn't be better to destroy them..." (Shahin Giray)

"No, the world doesn't like void. If the Ottoman Empire is gone, someone else will take their place... I'm more afraid that some countries like Spain, France, England will want to take advantage of it... Better one weak empire than 100 small principalities." (MC)