51 Diplomacy

Of course I thanked the king for the rewards, even if it wasn't what I expected, it was still a profit for me. After all, I got two small towns in Podolia, Jałtuszewo and Skała Podolska, along with the surrounding lands. The king also gave me a few villages in the Smolensk province ... but there was also a hint of bitterness in it. Most of my land was in the south and east of the country, an area often touched by wars, revolts and unrest. If Turkey, Moscow, and the Tatars attacked simultaneously, I would lose most of what I have.

After the audience, I managed to exchange a few words with the Grand Marshal of the Crown, Mikołaj Wolski. I asked him for help in opening a few manufactories related to smelting metal and forging larger elements. The Marshal agreed to provide me with some of his men who were familiar with the subject, I only had to provide them with a salary, and although it was not stated explicitly, I owed the Marshal a favor... I could agree to this because I knew he would die in less than six years.

As I had no more reason to be in the capital, I was going to leave Warsaw two days later, but before I left, I decided to say goodbye to local whores. They cried when I told me that I was leaving town ... and I understood their reasons. Young, not ugly and paying with gold, the perfect customer... The return journey took us over two weeks.

The following months were very busy for me, I was preparing for the war with the Swedes, I also sent two envoys, the first to Zaporozhye, to recruit Cossacks. The second to the Crimean Khanate.

The first letter was addressed to the Cossack Hetman, Michał Doroszenko. He was friendly to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and tried to ease the disputes between the Crown and the Cossacks. Apart from a thousand Cossacks, I also asked him for officers, Iwan Barabasz, Ilya Karaimowicz, Maksym Krzywonos. The first two were Cossack colonels, loyal to the Crown, and for that loyalty they were killed. The third of them, Maksym Krzywonos, was one of the leaders of the Cossack uprising next to Chmielnicki, and he was a man who had to die.

The second letter was addressed to Khan Mehmed III Giray. He hated the Ottoman Empire and the interference of the Turks in the affairs of the Crimea and their use of Tatar troops in the distant wars of the Ottomans, he also wanted to maintain friendly relations with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and even proposed an alliance of Poland, Lithuania, Cossacks and Crimea to jointly attack the Turks. Unfortunately, the Poles were not interested in this. I also remembered from history that in 1624 there was an attempt to overthrow Mehmed as Khan, fortunately without success.

Apart from the normal emissary, Saddat also went to the Crimea. Some things are better left unwritten, and the safest thing to do is to say them orally.

"You will travel as my emissary to the Crimea, you will only talk to Khan and only in the company of his trusted people, it is good that Khan's brother, Shahin Giray, is present during these talks." (MC)

"Lord, what should I tell him?" (Saddat)

"That he would not antagonize the Turks, but be vigilant because our spies in the High Port tell us that the Sultan may be planning something. Also tell him about the fact that I killed Khan Temir and the freed Tatars." (MC)

"Anything else, Lord?" (Saddat)

"Yes, if the Sultan orders him to attack the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, he must do so. He cannot ally with the Cossacks either ... and one more thing. He must consolidate his power in Crimea and other hordes." (MC)

"It's risky Lord, aren't you afraid he'll betray you?" (Saddat)

"No, Poland does not threaten the Crimea. We have no business there ... I will help him stay in power ... One more thing, if he sends merchants to Jazłowiec, he will receive a gift of 50,000 ducats, muskets, gunpowder." (MC)

Poland was not really interested in Crimea, but my interests were completely different, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth must have its presence in the Black Sea ... I also intended to use the Tatars against the Turks and Moscow, and when they bleed out in the wars it would be easier to control them.

It was risky, by sending such a message I was committing treason, and by allowing attacks and providing weapons and funds to the enemy, I could be sentenced to death. As a castellan, I had no right to pursue my own foreign policy.

Local affairs were rather successful, trade was developing, as was production, the harvest was huge. Which allowed me to get 450,000 ducats of profit, but my costs were also greater, the maintenance of seven companies alone cost 60,000 ducats, and when the Cossacks join my army, the costs will increase by an additional 130,000 ducats. I also opened another school in the Smolensk province. Aram and Jankiel, apart from delivering the ordered goods, also provided me with letters and seals of people with whom they did business.

The construction of my galleon was also completed, which cost me 50,000 ducats in total, it had 400 tons of displacement, 34 lengths and 7.5 widths, and also had 32 cannons on each side, although the largest did not exceed the caliber of 22 pounds. The other cannons were much smaller, only 12 and 9 pounds. At my request, the shipbuilders put fire posts on the upper deck, to which I planned to mount puckle guns in the future ... The galleon was named "Jurata Queen of the Sea" ... I knew she existed, so better win her favor... Even in the bow of the ship I ordered and had it installed a wooden galloon with the image of Jurata in the form of a mermaid emerging from the sea.