93 Overture

A few hours after receiving the nomination for the Crown Field Hetman... Tomasz Zamoyski, Lew Sapieha, Aleksander Gosiewski, Stanisław Potocki, Bishop Jakub Zadzik, Graf Ferber and I were all sitting at a table in one of the chambers of the Jazłowiecki Palace in Warsaw. The atmosphere, however, was not cheerful, just before leaving Jazłowiec I received a letter from Aram, thinking it was another ordinary report, I only read it in Warsaw.

"You are probably wondering why I am not celebrating ... there will be time for everything. But now there are more important matters. Stanisław and I both became Hetmans, unfortunately it was a bit too late." (MC)

"What do you mean?" (Hetman Sapieha)

"You're talking in riddles again." (Bishop Zadzik)

"Go straight, there are no strangers here." (Aleksander Gosiewski)

"As you know, I have a few spies in Moscow, Crimea, High Port and other places ... a group of Armenian merchants who have been working for me for years sent me a report on what was happening in Moscow just before I left Jazłowiec." (MC)

Everyone was intrigued and perhaps a bit concerned about my serious tone. I was a bit concerned myself, my presence changed history, and not always in a favorable way ... or so I concluded from the letter from Aram.

"War is coming, Moscow is preparing to attack the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They are financially supported by France, Sweden and England. At the moment, they have an army of 70000 and are still recruiting. They also have mercenaries mainly Scots and Protestants from the Holy Roman Empire ..." (MC)

"How certain is this information?" (Tomasz Zamoyski)

"Like the sun in the sky ... Gustav Adolf, sent his representative to Moscow, a man named Johan Müller, I don't know much about him. France also sent his man, Luis Deshayes. Tsar Michael I Romanov also wrote letters to the Danes and Turks about help." (MC)

There was deathly silence in the room, you could hear a pin falling ... except that no one dropped it.

"So we are fighting the whole of Europe? France, England, Denmark, Ottomans, Moscow, Sweden ..." (Bishop Jakub Zadzik)

"No. This is the good news... The Sultan refused to participate, and Sweden does not want to break the officially concluded peace. Denmark, France, England, Sweden only give money and mercenaries ... Our opponent will only be Moscow." (MC)

"How much time do we have to prepare? Do you know anything about their plans?" (Tomasz Zamoyski)

"Year may be less ... the main targets are Czernihowska Province and Smolensk Province, the main forces will probably attack Smolensk itself." (MC)

Everyone in the audience will start wondering what to do next and how to prepare ... I had a plan already, but I will need help from everyone.

"Aleksander, how many cannons do you have in Smolensk? And how many soldiers?" (Hetman Sapieha)

"170 cannons and 1500 soldiers ..." (Aleksander Gosiewski)

"I have a plan, but everyone has to help ... We will let the Tsar's army besiege Smolensk. Alexander, I will send you an additional 30 cannons and as much food as I can. Before the Moscow troops arrive, you have to evacuate people, burn fields and villages. Destroy crossings and bridges. Graf Ferber, please tell my fleet to discreetly sink every Swedish ship going east. I also need permission to recruit Cossacks, the more I have, the better. "(MC)

"What are you going to do?" (Hetman Sapieha)

"Since they are attacking Smolensk, I will lead the army to Moscow." (MC)

This was my plan to allow the Moscow army to besiege Smolensk, and I was going to besiege Moscow myself. Most of their armies will be occupied in the west, which means that there will be no more than a few thousand soldiers and 150 thousand civilians in Moscow ... apart from the Cossacks, I also intended to recruit the Lisowczyków and "rent" Crimean Tatars, after conquering the city, I'm going to give them half of the population.

The council went on all night and I explained my plan down to the smallest detail, I just omitted the fact that I was going to give the captives to the Tatars... a few hours after the end of the meeting, a messenger arrived at the Palace with a letter authorizing me to recruit Cossacks and Lisowczyków.

Historically, Moscow only attacked after the king's death, and the siege of Smolensk itself involved 30,000 Moscow soldiers and 160 cannons. The rest of the army besieged other strongholds, and some of them remained in Moscow and other important cities. Although the Tsar carried out a military reform and hired Western officers to do so, but it was not possible to reform the entire army in such a short time.

After receiving the letter, I ordered an immediate return to Jazłowiec ... A lot of work awaited me there.

In my office sat Ivan, Ilya, Saddat who had already returned from Crimea, and secretary Kowalski.

"We don't have much time, so more details later ... Ilya, Ivan and Saddat choose the best people but not more than 100. Prepare supplies, horses, spare horses ... we're going to Sich and then to Crimea. Saddat I know that you just got back from Khan, but the situation has changed and we have to go there again." (MC)

All three nodded their heads, they had been soldiers almost all their lives and knew what a duty was.

"Kowalski, after our departure, you will send 15 forty-eight-pounder cannons and 15 twenty-two-pound cannons to Smolensk and as much food as you can." (MC)

"Anything else, Lord?" (Secretary Kowalski)

"Yes, although the war will not reach Podolia, or at least it should not, after we leave, you will send Sveta, Piotr and Katarzyna to Warsaw. They will stay in my palace until the war is over ... and if I don't come back, then a will is in the desk." (MC)

A few minutes later they all dispersed to their duties ... I had to do one more thing, although I gave my gunsmiths two years to improve the weapons, unfortunately I can't wait any longer. So little time, so much to do.