155 End of 1635

"Stop crying... Piotr will be writing a letter, you can also read and write, so you can also write letters to him, Rome is not at the other end of the world... He will be fine, he went to ther to study and not to war, besides he knows the language and for the first year he will be accompanied by Wroński, each year he will also receive up to a thousand ducats for his needs." (MC)

Since Piotr left Jazłowiec, I had a little drama with Sveta at home, I understood that she is his mother, and mothers supposedly feel everything differently, but each child has to spread their wings one day... although in the case of Icarus it was not a good idea. I tried to calm her down, but I did not always succeed and I did not always have the patience for it... luckily Galina's presence saved me from lonely nights.

For the gold obtained from the sale of the Ottoman spoils, I employed several hundred workers to clear the forest, build barracks, a shooting range and training facilities. Maintaining a regular army was expensive, of course I did not intend to give up the Cossacks, Tatars and hussars who were in my service, but to increase my military potential I was going to enlist men aged 17-20... but only for the five-month winter period when there was less work in the fields. I knew that a few months of training would not make them good soldiers, but it would allow them to familiarize themselves with weapons, gain experience, and I would also gain the opportunity to indoctrinate them further... however, the creation of this training complex will take at least a few months, and not earlier than next October, I will be able to implement my plans.

With the onset of winter, life slowed down. People had less work, more time and no idea how to use this time, so I decided to organize, at least for the inhabitants of Jazłowiec and the surrounding area, free and voluntary vocational courses. Everyone who wanted could learn the basics of blacksmithing, brick making or other professions during the winter.

"Lord, a messenger arrived with a letter from the Moldavian hospodar, and the prisoners sent by him also arrived." (Secretary Kowalski)

"That's good news, make sure they are not sick, feed them, and lock them in their cells." (MC)

It was one of my risky projects, I asked the Moldavian hospodar to send all criminals and beggars to Jazłowiec, and I intended to send them further east, to Prince Wiśniowiecki who was in Moscow... in several letters he mentioned and even suggested the possibility of expansion eastwards, but he did not want to use the local population for this purpose... so criminals from other regions or countries, such as Vorpommern, Livonia or Moldova, were to be sent deep into Siberia, they were perfect cannon fodder... as for criminals and beggars from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth they were forcibly settled in the vicinity of Moscow, they got a piece of land and got married with local women, so they could start a new and better life.

Unfortunately, such methods of operation sometimes met with resistance from the local community, often incited by orthodox priests, and despite my cooperation with the Patriarch of Kiev, his influence and prestige did not reach the former Moscow territory... In the face of several peasant rebellions, Prince Wiśniowiecki did what he was known for in history... extinguished the rebellions with blood.

(King Władysław / Masovian Voivode Stanisław Warszczycki POV)

"Your Majesty, did you call me?" (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"Yes... have you read the latest edition of Mercury?" (King Władysław)

"I don't read Jazłowiecki's newspaper." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"So you are wrong, if you read you would get to know your enemy better... in the last issue, there is an article that challenges the legitimacy of liberum veto." (King Władysław)

"He can write various things, but the truth is that Jazłowiecki does not do anything that does not serve him. Perhaps he got bored with his stay in Podolia and he wants to gain the favor of Your Majesty." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"Perhaps you are right, but listen...

'The introduction of the liberum veto was intended to serve as a form of opposition to the tyrannical power of the king, but over time many good intentions are distorted by unworthy people. For fear of one tyrant, we created thousands of them. Our past shows that a whore sells her body for silver, just like for silver, a nobleman sells his vote, not caring about the future of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but only about Judas silver coins in its purse.'

do you understand the meaning of it?" (King Władysław)

"I have to admit he wrote it bravely, but I still think his motives aren't pure and I still don't think he should be trusted." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

"I'm not talking about that... sometimes your lack of understanding of the situation is surprising. Liberum Veto is one of the obstacles to strengthening the King's power. My conflict with Jazłowiecki is well-known, if my opponent speaks about strengthening the royal power, it has more meaning and strength, than the support of someone who favors me." (King Władysław)

"Your Majesty wants to use Jazłowiecki? It is a double-edged weapon..." (Stanisław Warszczycki)

(End POV)

The end of 1635 was approaching... I was sitting in the gazebo in the garden at the back of the castle, drinking mulled wine and watching the snow fight between Sveta and Katarzyna... Coughing, out of breath and red in the face, Sveta ran to me, took a sip of wine.

"You lost." (MC)

"Katarzyna is too fast for me, and I'm not young anymore. What do you think Piotr is doing now?" (Sveta)

"I don't know, maybe he studies, maybe he prays. At least I hope he does... at his age I was studying all the time." (MC)

"Rather, you were looking for new ways to spy on the maids." (Sveta)

"It's also a form of learning, somehow I had to know the differences between men and women." (MC)

It was true, I lived in an age where people with a bigger dick than Ron Jeremy wanted to be called, ma'am and men may have had periods... where did we go wrong?