Chapter 1448: Crossing the Dnieper
Lucas quickly clamped his hand over the girl’s mouth. He acted as if nothing were wrong, taking a casual stroll around the nearby streets to ensure no secret police were tailing them before finally slipping back inside the house.
He bolted the door shut and took Gloria by the hands, asking with a grave expression, "Are you certain this information is reliable?"
The girl nodded emphatically. "It came directly from a high-ranking official. There were many senior bureaucrats in the hall at the time.
"He said the army lost over one thousand four hundred men at Aarau and was nearly driven out of Zurich by the Basel rebels.
"Our Emperor seems intent on continuing to mobilize troops, sending them into Switzerland to turn the tide of this defeat."
Lucas let out an angry, muffled hiss. "That crowned liar! He keeps hiking the tax rates, squeezing every last cent out of the people, only to toss those gold coins away into the valleys of Switzerland!"
Gloria added, "That is not all. I heard the Empire’s finances are in shambles. The Emperor needs to raise a massive military budget, and those men last night seemed to be using things like national debt to threaten him into getting what they want."
Lucas snorted coldly. "These greedy, cold-blooded nobles are nothing more than venomous snakes..."
He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering that his girlfriend’s family belonged to that very same high nobility. He lowered his head, swallowing the rest of his insult.
The look Lucas gave her softened. "Only you are different from them..."
He immediately pulled her toward the door. "We must do something. First, we have to tell everyone the truth!"
The two arrived at the Stieler Society’s secret printing press and pushed open the door, which was already draped in cobwebs. Lucas began inspecting the printing press, which had not been used in far too long, while Gloria sat at a desk to draft the manuscript based on the discussion they had on the way over.
The following day.
A shopkeeper was sluggishly opening his store’s front door when he suddenly felt someone thrust something into his arms.
He looked down and found a pamphlet.
A wave of anxiety washed over him, and he moved to throw it away immediately, but he noticed the deserted street was almost empty—which meant no secret police were in sight.
Nervously, he flipped the pamphlet open and saw the words printed inside: Millions of florins in military spending have bought nothing but a humiliating defeat. The Emperor, following his habitual tyranny, decided to strip the Swiss people of their right to pursue freedom, only to be met with a merciless counterattack by the Basel insurgents...
The shopkeeper gasped, quickly stuffing the pamphlet into his pocket and ducking into his shop with his head down.
By the time noon arrived, news of the "Swiss Collapse" was already being discussed in every corner of Vienna.
A few days later, some Viennese newspapers began reporting that regions like Styria were suffering from drought and that this year’s grain harvest might be severely reduced. In response, the price of a two-kilogram loaf of bread rose by one heller.
In the past, price fluctuations would never have happened so quickly, but this was the result of certain individuals mobilizing large amounts of capital and preparing in advance.
While the increase was small—the heller was the smallest copper coin, worth only one-four-hundred-eightieth of a florin—it was a forced hike that defied the Bread Price Decree.
In Schönbrunn Palace, Franz II looked at the court minister, Count Colloredo, and waved his cane as he spoke loudly. "You are correct. The Empire must wash away this shame, and those Basel rebels must pay for their crimes!"
He had already been infuriated by the defeat in Switzerland. As more and more ministers voiced their support for sending reinforcements over the past two days, his determination to reclaim his prestige hardened.
Of course, this was also the stance of the Metternich faction.
Recently, domestic reforms in Austria had not been progressing smoothly, putting significant pressure on Metternich. He, too, wanted to use a foreign war to divert the public’s attention.
Franz II turned to a nearby attendant. "Instruct Count Cobenzl to convene a State Council meeting immediately. Summon the members of the Military Commission as well."
At the meeting the following day, Franz II personally made the decision to send twenty thousand additional troops to Switzerland. Under the command of General Mikhalevich, they were to reach Zurich before the onset of the harsh winter.
On the other side of the city, the Stieler Society organized its first activity after several months of silence.
Beside a parish church, Lucas stood with his arms waving excitedly. "Everything is a lie! The Emperor is deceiving us with the false promise of reform!
"The officials are as corrupt as ever, the taxes we must pay keep rising, and bread grows more expensive by the day! Yet the Empire continues to pour our tax money and the lives of our soldiers into countries that have nothing to do with us, leaving us to struggle and die in hunger and misery!
"Listen to me, compatriots! Do not stay silent any longer; we must resist!
"Only through resistance can we force the King to accept a parliament and a constitution! Only then can we win our freedom and our rights as human beings!"
The dozens of people gathered around him immediately erupted in muffled shouts.
"We must resist! No more silence!"
"We must decide the tax rates ourselves!"
"Parliament, freedom, and rights!"
"To hell with the Emperor!"
...
In the small town of Jozer on the east bank of the Dnieper River.
Inside the Polish temporary headquarters, Kościuszko, supported by his guards, knelt piously on the ground and traced the sign of the cross over his chest.
"Eternal God, our Father in heaven, Your humble servant prostrates himself before Your greatness.
"It was You who granted us courage, who guided our path through the chaos, and who ultimately bestowed upon us this victory of vengeance!
"Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen!"
He had always been a commander who firmly believed that victory on the battlefield depended on excellent command, high morale, and elite weaponry.
However, this time, he truly could not attribute the victory to those factors alone.
First, a rare cold snap had hit the Minsk area, freezing the Dnieper River so solid that five-kilogram heavy cannons could pass over the ice.
Then, the heavy snow that had lasted for ages unexpectedly stopped a few days ago, granting him the perfect opportunity to strike.
Following that, the Russian army made a major blunder. A unit of Cossack cavalry on reconnaissance accidentally blundered into the Polish camp and was captured in its entirety.
This caused Kutuzov’s awareness of the Polish offensive to be delayed by over ten hours.
When the Polish vanguard launched their surprise attack, the Russian artillery mistakenly fired upon their own skirmisher positions, causing the right-wing defensive line to collapse instantly.
Just half an hour ago, the messenger from the Polish vanguard reported that they had successfully captured the strategic town of Mstislavl with fewer than four thousand soldiers.
All of this forced Kościuszko to believe that God was indeed watching over the Polish war of vengeance.
Once his solemn and pious prayer concluded, Kościuszko returned to his wheelchair and instructed his staff officer, "Order General Madaliński to proceed to Smolensk as quickly as possible and attempt to intercept the retreating enemy. If he cannot make it in time, he is to immediately besiege Smolensk.
"Furthermore, send out the cavalry to requisition supplies from the nearby villages."
The Polish territories on the west bank of the Dnieper River were nearly destitute; logistics had to be transported from the distant cities of Vilnius or Pinsk.
But now that he controlled a vast expanse of Russian towns on the east bank, his logistical problems were instantly alleviated.
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