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Chapter 686: Those Crazy Poles!

After the cavalry messenger explained the situation on Smirnov’s front, Morkov’s face instantly darkened considerably.

"That useless fellow!"

He cursed under his breath, then looked up towards the town of Mozyr.

According to the cavalry report, the Polish army that attacked Smirnov had at least 15,000 men, while Mozyr's garrison numbered just over 50,000. Subtracting casualties, there were now fewer than 30,000 Polish soldiers left in Mozyr.

He still commanded nearly 60,000 troops. If he launched a full assault on Mozyr, he should be able to breach its defenses quickly.

However, he hesitated.

If that Polish army attacked Kyiv, Chaperov would likely not be able to hold out.

Kyiv was the primary staging point for his army's logistical supplies. Although he could still receive provisions from Smolensk even if he lost it, allowing the Poles to occupy the Empire's richest western city, even for a single day, would be a grave humiliation for the Empire!

The Tsar might dismiss him because of it, or even send him to prison.

"Issue the order: the Zaporozhsky Legion will remain here. The rest will rest for half a day, then depart for Kyiv tomorrow morning. Follow me, and we'll hunt down those rats!"

The next day.

Morkov personally led 30,000 troops toward Kyiv, and dispatched orders for Chaperov to coordinate from the south.

However, by the time he reached Kyiv four days later, the Poles were nowhere to be found.

After numerous patrols scouted the Kyiv area, they finally learned from local farmers that the Polish army had "fled" northeast four days prior.

Morkov immediately gave chase and later found traces of the Polish army at the Loev ferry crossing, but they had already moved on.

The Polish army had easily secured the crossing, which was guarded by only a few hundred men, and then crossed the Dnieper River with their entire force, heading deep into Russian territory.

Morkov's veins throbbed in his temples as he slammed his riding crop to the ground and roared:

"Those damn crazy Poles!"

Yes, the Poles must have lost their minds.

With the Dnieper River blocking their path, they couldn't possibly receive any supplies.

This meant that in half a month, at most, these Polish soldiers would starve to death.

Even if they managed to loot food along the way, they wouldn't get enough ammunition.

The local Russian garrisons would only need to constantly harass them, depleting their ammunition. After a little over a month, they could easily capture this army, which would have no weapons left to use.

Yet, the Poles still chose to penetrate deep into Russia.

Morkov could envision them first attacking the nearest city, Chernihiv—which only had a small number of reserve troops meant to replenish Mozyr's losses and couldn't possibly withstand an attack by over ten thousand Polish soldiers.

After plundering, the Polish army would bypass the northern Sula River, stick to the south side of Smolensk, and continue east, pressing directly toward Kaluga.

Kaluga was the second richest province in the Empire's central-west, second only to Moscow.

Yes, this cursed place was right next to Moscow!

The most cunning aspect of the Poles was that their chosen attack route cleverly avoided the Smolensk Fortress to the north and the Kursk Fortress to the south—the Empire's defensive layout had never anticipated an attack on its central heartland.

Typically, enemies would use Minsk as a base to attack Russia, in which case they would face a series of strong fortresses from Smolensk to Vyazma.

An advance from Mozyr, however, would be cut off by the great river, making it impossible to supply an army.

But the Poles had chosen precisely this suicidal path.

Morkov knew well that 15,000 Polish troops certainly couldn't capture Moscow—as the Empire's former capital and central economic hub, it was garrisoned by the Moscow Legion, comprising over ten thousand soldiers.

However, simply the appearance of Polish troops on the outskirts of Moscow, even if they didn't fire a single shot, would cause millions of rubles in losses due to public panic.

This Polish army was determined to take a hefty bite out of the Empire before their inevitable demise.

At that point, even prison wouldn't be an option for him; the death penalty would be his only outcome.

Morkov hesitated repeatedly, then dispatched two teams of messengers: one to warn Kaluga and Moscow, prompting them to prepare their defenses, and another to Petersburg, to report the grim news.

Afterward, he detached all 3,500 cavalrymen he had brought, sending them across the Dnieper River to track the Poles.

During the little less than half a month he had spent besieging Kościuszko's forces, the Polish army in Mozyr had a much-needed reprieve.

Prince Poniatowski had transferred several thousand new recruits from the rear, and with the help of the populace, had re-fortified Mozyr's defenses.

A fierce battle awaited him. But it was not without hope...

Paris.

Versailles Palace.

On a morning like any other, a soft voice gently roused Joseph from his slumber beside his bed:

"Your Highness, it's already 7 o'clock. You are scheduled to preside over the inauguration ceremony of the Paris Agricultural Futures Exchange today."

Joseph rolled over, but having stayed up too late poring over documents from the Caribbean Sea the previous night, fatigue clung to his eyelids like lead.

Perna called him a few more times—Camelia was still suffering from occasional fevers and quite weak after her recent fall, so Perna had temporarily taken over her duties of attending to the Crown Prince—seeing that His Highness didn't respond, she shot a quick glance at the two maids holding shirts behind her, and seeing they weren't looking their way, she immediately bent down and quickly kissed his cheek.

"You really must get up."

The tender touch helped Joseph shake off his weariness. He opened his eyes and saw Perna's beautiful emerald gaze.

"Ah... you're an early riser," he yawned, smiling.

Perna's cheeks flushed crimson, and she quickly glanced at the maids behind her again. Thankfully, they still weren't paying attention to them.

Indeed, having a keen eye for discretion was an essential quality for the Crown Prince's maids.

Joseph finished washing up, allowed Perna to perform a series of checks on his eyes, throat, and pulse, then took her hand and sat down at the dining table together.

While waiting for breakfast to be served, he habitually reached for the documents nearby and saw that the top one read: "Casualties on the Polish Minsk front exceed 4,000; forces have retreated to the outskirts of Minsk."

Colonel Kosinski, meanwhile, was leading 2 infantry regiments and 5 cavalry squadrons northward.

The document didn't specify Kosinski's objective, but Joseph knew perfectly well that he would make a direct strike on Riga.

The next document detailed the situation in Mozyr.

The situation there was much better than in Minsk—after all, with Kościuszko and Poniatowski, two legendary Polish commanders, presiding over the defense, the 70,000-strong Russian army hadn't even reached the city of Mozyr.

And Kościuszko, that sharp blade, had already plunged into Russia's vulnerable underbelly.