I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 705: The Tsar’s Glory Illuminates the Eastern European Plains

Marshal Rumyantsev, the most senior officer in the war council, scanned the room filled with silent generals before clearing his throat and speaking:

"Your Majesty, we don't have many troops available to mobilize along the Oka River. If these Poles continue moving eastward, Kaluga, Mozhaisk, and Kolomna will all be within their reach. The only thing that might stop them is the walls of Moscow itself."

Catherine the Great's voice turned icy:

"I don't need you to remind me of that, Marshal. What I need is a plan—how do we counter the Poles?"

North of the Oka River lay numerous wealthy cities. Any of them falling to enemy forces would be a severe blow to Russia. Even if Russia successfully occupied eastern Poland, the losses from such an invasion would halve the overall gains, if not worse.

Rumyantsev quickly proposed:

"Your Majesty, the safest course of action is to recall Morikov's corps from Poland and completely annihilate the Polish force."

"Absolutely not!" Catherine glared at him.

"The Poles risked crossing the Dnieper to force us to retreat. I will not allow them to lead us by the nose."

Her favorite, Platon Zubov, immediately chimed in:

"The Poles are not to be feared. They number only 17,000, and our domestic garrisons alone are sufficient to deal with them."

Marshal Vasilyevich Repnin shook his head:

"The Moscow garrison has only around 10,000 men. If they fail to eliminate the Poles, the situation will become dire. The forces in Saint Petersburg and Saratov are sufficient, but they are too far away."

The terrain north of the Oka River consisted of open Eastern European plains. If Moscow's garrison lost a battle in the field, central Russia would be entirely exposed to the Poles.

Rumyantsev's suggestion, while conservative, was the safest. But recalling the Polish expeditionary force would disrupt the invasion's momentum, allowing Poland to recover. Moreover, moving such a large force back and forth would be a significant financial burden.

Despite its apparent strength, Russia's coffers were nearly empty after successive wars against the Ottomans, Swedes, and now the Poles. Catherine had no intention of spending vast sums to deal with a mere 17,000 Polish troops.

The room fell silent once more.

A Strategy Forms

Catherine stared at the map in front of her. Slowly, a smile crept across her face.

"Logistics. The Poles' most fatal weakness is their logistics."

Rumyantsev blinked, then nodded:

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Poles cannot supply this isolated force across the Dnieper River."

Zubov immediately exclaimed:

"Then let us starve them out!"

Catherine fixed her gaze on him:

"Then tell me, what's the plan to achieve that?"

"Er…"

Rumyantsev intervened to spare Zubov further embarrassment:

"Your Majesty, we could have the Moscow garrison move out to tie down the Poles.

"Morikov's corps, with its 3,000 cavalry, is already en route and should soon catch the enemy from the west.

"Meanwhile, we could mobilize troops from Rzhev, Zubtsov, and Kashin in the north—around 6,000 in total. This would allow us to assemble nearly 20,000 men in central Russia.

"With these forces, we can shadow the Poles and avoid a decisive battle while removing all supplies from Bryansk and western Kaluga.

"In two months at most, the Poles will starve!"

Zubov protested:

"If we can muster 20,000 troops, why not just annihilate the Poles directly?"

Catherine shot him a glare.

The 20,000 soldiers were cobbled together from various garrisons and militia units, making unified command and coordination impossible. There was no guarantee they could decisively defeat the 17,000 Poles.

Repnin voiced another concern:

"But if we weaken Moscow's defenses, and the Poles bypass our forces to attack the city…"

"Bypass us?" Rumyantsev chuckled.

"General Vasnetsov will seize the opportunity to attack their flank. Even if he hesitates, he'll pursue them quickly enough. Moscow is not so easily breached. Should the Poles try, they'll be caught in a two-pronged attack."

Catherine nodded, satisfied.

"Work out the details of the operation."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Just as Catherine was about to leave, a court official hurried in and handed her a sealed dispatch.

"Your Majesty, a message from General Morikov."

Returning to her seat, Catherine opened the letter. Written in plain text, it took her only a glance to brighten with excitement.

"Gentlemen," she announced, addressing the room,

"The King of Poland has decided to compromise."

The officers stood and offered immediate praise:

"Your Majesty's wisdom and courage always lead us to victory!"

"Your Majesty's glory shines over the Eastern European plains!"

"Your name will endure alongside Peter the Great in the annals of history!"

A Humiliating Submission

One week later, King Stanisław II humbly knelt before Catherine the Great, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of Russian Imperial Guards.

He began by extolling the Russian army's unmatched prowess and recounting how Polish forces that dared oppose the Tsar suffered devastating losses.

Then, in a tearful plea, he declared that the scandal surrounding him and a maidservant had been a misunderstanding. He begged the Tsar to grant him another chance.

Catherine smiled and reassured him that she didn't care about such trivial matters, urging him to finalize the ceasefire terms with Zubov.

The next morning, Zubov, relishing the moment, handed the Polish King a treaty draft with a smug grin:

"Sign this, Your Majesty."

Stanisław II feigned politeness, quickly scanning the document before shaking his head.

"Honorable Count, I'm afraid some of these terms are unacceptable."

Zubov scowled:

"Then prepare for our armies to flatten Poland!"

"No, no, you misunderstand," the King stammered, pointing to the first clause.

"See here? This only grants Tsarist control over the territory east of Volhynia and Kovno. That's not nearly enough!

"Kurland and Raseiniai also have sizable Orthodox populations. These regions, too, deserve to bask in the Tsar's glory."

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