Chapter 1562: Chapter 1468: Textbook of Retreat Operations

Count Mawahovski, the Polish Royal Minister, was well aware that Kosciuszko’s surprise attack on Crimea was actually the battle plan devised by the Crown Prince of France.

So, as one of the staunchest advocates of caution, he immediately opposed, "Your Majesty, according to intelligence provided by France, due to conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and Persia, nearly 13,000 Russian troops will be redirected from Transcaucasia toward the Dnieper River line.

"Along with new recruits from Moscow and other areas, Marshal Kosciuszko will soon find himself at a significant disadvantage in terms of manpower.

"I believe that Regent King’s suggestion must be given full attention."

The King’s secretary, Pyatoli, suddenly said coldly, "Count, you may have forgotten that France and Russia have already formed an alliance. Perhaps the esteemed Regent decided to act only under the persuasion of his wife, merely to preserve Russia."

Count Mawahovski loudly rebuked, "What nonsense are you talking! Everyone knows that it was just a compromise His Highness had to make to prevent Russians from joining the Anti-French Alliance!

"Until now, France and Russia are still at war. How dare you malign His Highness’s irreplaceable assistance to our country!"

The other four Cabinet Ministers also looked askance at Pyatoli.

Currently, the Crown Prince of France maintains a very high reputation in Poland, and although views like Pyatoli’s are not mainstream, they do have a certain market.

Trumbetcki followed, "I believe the Regent King is genuinely worried about us being tricked by Russians.

"But he is in Paris, completely unaware of the specific conditions on the Dnieper front. He must have made a wrong judgment on this matter."

Koonte shook his head, "But what if he is right..."

"Wars always involve risks; we cannot miss this once-in-a-century opportunity to defeat Russians!"

Stanisław II raised his hand to signal everyone to stop arguing and looked at Count Mawahovski, "What is the Great Sejm’s attitude towards the war?"

The latter sighed inwardly and replied helplessly, "Your Majesty, most Members of Parliament agree to continue the offensive."

Pyatoli, standing by, wore a face full of pride, "In fact, MPs believe we should fight until the occupation of Saint Petersburg!"

Koonte glanced at him and said to the King, "Your Majesty, among Lithuanian MPs, quite a few want to ceasefire. You know, Lithuania’s economic situation is already incredibly bad..."

Stanisław II nodded thoughtfully.

Lithuania is located on the east side of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as the frontline battling Russians, inherently suffering the most devastation from the war. The Polish nobility who own large swaths of Lithuanian land have heavily exploited local serfs, leading to a substantial number of landless farmers after serf reform due to their inability to redeem land.

Countless landless farmers had no choice but to flock to places like Warsaw to make a living, further aggravating Lithuania’s poverty.

Plus, after the war with Russia began, the enormous war taxes collected by the Polish Government pushed the livelihood of Lithuania’s lower classes to the brink of collapse. It was not at all surprising that MPs from places like Vilnius wanted a ceasefire.

"Those are all cowardly Eastern Orthodox; they never really want to resist Russians!" Trumbetcki shouted, "That’s why I always say we should completely abolish the Eastern Orthodox!"

Pototsky, who hails from New Glodok in Lithuania, immediately interrupted him, "Do you want to cause national division?!"

Stanisław II signaled for everyone to calm down again and asked, "So, can we persist in defeating Russians?"

"Of course we can, Your Majesty!"

"It’s hard to say..."

"Great Poland will surely win!"

"But the finances may run dry at any time."

Minister of Education Stacisz, who had been quiet for a while, stepped forward and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, our country has already invested too much in this war, whether it be young lives or extremely high tax rates...

"If we fail to achieve a decisive victory, how then can we persuade people to accept all this?"

The air suddenly became silent, with only the sound of the wind and snow howling.

After a while, Stanisław II sighed heavily, "Let the Great Sejm conduct a vote."

Count Mawahovski and other cautious factions remained silent.

Given the current momentum of Polish Parliament, the result of the vote is undoubtedly to continue the offensive against Russians.

Three days later, the Great Sejm of Poland passed a resolution to recruit an additional 20,000 new soldiers to reinforce the frontline and impose a "victory tax" nationwide to support Marshal Kosciuszko’s offensives against Moscow.

...

The Palace of Versailles.

Joseph handed a long letter to Bertier, "This is from His Majesty Stanisław II.

"Poland has been caught up in a frenzy and utterly unbelieving that they might face defeat."

The Chief of Staff quickly skimmed through the letter.

The content mainly thanked France for its invaluable assistance to Poland and praised the eternal friendship between Poland and France. The latter part, however, expressed that he could not alter the resolution made by the Great Sejm, hence could only fight Russians all-out.

He looked at the Regent, hesitating, "Your Highness, should we dispatch troops to Poland?"

If the Polish Army really collapses, the situation in Eastern Europe will become unpredictable.

Joseph waved his hand, "We should not get involved in the Eastern European war. It’s too far from us, and the war’s consumption will be considerable."

Currently, France’s industry and trade are thriving, in a period of rapid growth; if it rushes to fight a war of attrition against Russians on the Dnieper River now, it will certainly take up a lot of funds initially intended for developing industry.

Moreover, Russia is the nation most adept at dragging opponents into messy homeland wars.

If France does send troops, the British will surely wake up laughing from their dreams and subsequently offer all sorts of aid to Russia, maybe even rallying Austria for another Anti-French Alliance.

Bertier said hurriedly, "Your Highness, but if we do nothing..."

Joseph raised his hand to interrupt him, "If I were to send a commander to assist the Poles in retreat, whom do you think is more suitable?"

"Just a person, no troops?"

"Correct."

Bertier thought for a moment and replied, "I recommend Colonel Dawu or Colonel Saint-Cyr, Your Highness."

Joseph nodded slightly.

The Chief of Staff indeed is an insider; historically, Dawu and Saint-Cyr were the generals responsible for commanding the rearguard to provide cover during Napoleon’s retreat from Russia.

He thought for a moment and instructed, "Let Colonel Saint-Cyr go, then."

Historically, at Polotsk, during an encirclement by Russian forces twice the size of his own, Saint-Cyr relied on calm demeanor and excellent command to lead the main troops successfully to Vilnius against frostbite and absence of provisions.

This battle was later dubbed by Napoleon as a textbook example of retreat under adverse conditions.

Bertier couldn’t help but feel moved, "Your Highness, have you already devised a battle plan?"

Joseph exhaled and shook his head, "Not yet. But I can tell you a story."