Chapter 729: Selim III's New Army
A month later.
Stanisław II returned to Warsaw from Saint Petersburg, as stipulated by the armistice agreement.
Only Prince Poniatowski and a dozen officials greeted him; the roadsides were conspicuously deserted.
The King did not return to the Royal Castle but instead went to his small villa in the southern suburbs of Warsaw.
The next day, Stanisław II officially announced his marriage to his mistress, Elżbieta Szydłowska.
In truth, they had lived together for years and had two children.
But previously, to avoid angering the King's nominal mistress, Catherine II, they had never dared to make their relationship public.
Now, he no longer had to worry about the Russian Tsar being displeased.
Or rather, she was already extremely displeased, and a little more wouldn't make much difference.
After the King's engagement banquet, a rumor began to circulate among Polish nobles and high-ranking officials that the King had merely been 'pretending to be polite and compliant' with the Tsar, securing valuable time for Poland to prepare for war. Many visited the King's small villa to offer sincere thanks or apologies.
However, the common folk did not quite believe this, preferring the absurd anecdotes about the King and the Tsar.
Two more months passed, and 3,900 surviving soldiers who had bravely ventured deep into Russian territory with Kościuszko were repatriated through prisoner exchanges and an 800,000 ruble ransom paid by the Polish government.
This included 2,800 men captured in the final battle for Crimea, and 1,100 soldiers led by Swiezynski, who continued fighting in the central and northern parts of Crimea.
Indeed, the reason the Tsar finally agreed to relinquish most of Minsk, which had already been 'swallowed,' was precisely because Swiezynski was still stirring up trouble in Crimea.
That day, Warsaw saw 'empty alleys with ten thousand people' as all residents thronged the streets to welcome their heroes home.
Everyone remembered that when they left Mozyr, there had been 17,000 of them, but now fewer than 4,000 returned alive, hundreds of whom were permanently disabled.
It was they who, at the cost of their own lives, struck a heavy blow against the invaders and won a glimmer of hope for Poland.
When the residents of Warsaw did not see their generals, Kościuszko and Dombrowski, sorrowful cries enveloped the entire city.
The next day, thousands gathered in front of the Royal Castle square, voluntarily participating in the construction of the "Polish Victory Monument."
This was a stone monument, funded by a dozen Polish nobles and wealthy merchants, intended to engrave the great deeds of the Polish warriors who raided Crimea. It would reach an astonishing height of 50 meters.
...
Northeastern Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula.
North of Tours, Ottoman commander Mustafa Pasha's expression turned grim as he saw the vast clouds of dust through his telescope.
It was a sign of a large-scale cavalry movement.
He was well aware of the power of the Mamluk Cavalry.
These cavalrymen, who had ruled Egypt for centuries, maintained excellent training, were well-equipped, and possessed extremely high morale, all supported by generous compensation.
Honestly, despite winning several minor engagements previously, he still believed the Sultan's decision to invade Egypt was overly reckless.
Indeed, after the outbreak of the Polish-Russian war, Selim III immediately seized the opportune moment when Russia was preoccupied elsewhere. Citing the restrictions placed on the governor he had sent to Egypt by the Mamluks, he decisively dispatched troops to Egypt.
The primary reason he dared to move against this warlord faction, which had controlled Egypt for centuries, was the 2,000 Topiris New Army soldiers under his command, fully equipped with French gear.
If this battle proved victorious, he would gain the rich Egyptian region, significantly improving the empire's finances.
His new policies and plans for training the new army could then be implemented with greater ease.
An officer hurried to Mustafa's side, saluting as he declared, "General, the enemy cavalry has launched an attack."
The latter nodded slightly and instructed a messenger, "Order General Omar Agha to engage."
Omar Agha was the commander of the Topiris New Army.
Over 3,000 Mamluk Cavalrymen roared from the west and north, charging directly towards the Ottoman formation.
Although the Ottoman army was numerous, numbering over 36,000, their overall combat quality was indeed far inferior to that of the Mamluks.
As expected, 6,000 Ottoman infantry on the north flank, assisted by 1,000 cavalry, were fiercely bogged down by over 1,000 Mamluk Cavalry, showing signs of being broken through several times.
On the west flank, the main force of 2,000 Mamluk Cavalry charged directly at the Ottoman left wing.
In previous skirmishes, several gaps had already appeared here under multiple assaults from Mamluk infantry.
If cavalry broke through at this point, Mustafa's command post would immediately be exposed to their view.
However, as the Mamluk Cavalry could vaguely discern the outline of the Ottoman formation through the dust, a clear, rhythmic drumbeat suddenly erupted from ahead.
Immediately after, a white wall of men emerged from the sandy haze, uniformly raising their bayonets.
The Mamluk Cavalry commander roughly estimated the enemy's numbers to be no more than 2,000. He decisively ordered his subordinates to form five wedge formations and forcefully assault the infantry line.
Based on his previous combat experience with Ottoman forces, at least 5,000 Ottoman infantry were needed to barely hold back his 2,000 cavalrymen.
But events unfolded far beyond his expectations.
From behind the Ottoman ranks came the sound of cannons—three of them.
The artillery fire was highly concentrated; in just four volleys, the innermost cavalry formation was shattered.
In truth, the Topçus' artillery skills were not outstanding, but a 12-pound heavy cannon could cause astonishing damage if just four or five shells ripped through a cavalry formation.
And the Mamluk Cavalry's willpower wasn't nearly as formidable in the face of cannon fire.
Nevertheless, the remaining cavalry successfully surged near the infantry, only to be met by three layers of gleaming, cold bayonets pointing directly at them.
And those infantrymen stood firm, completely unmoving.
The warhorses instinctively halted. The riders frantically tugged their reins, intending to sweep past the infantry line, but the Ottoman guns fired.
These were proper Charleville Model 1763 Flintlock Muskets; their power and accuracy were significantly superior to those manufactured by Ottoman craftsmen.
After several volleys, the Mamluk Cavalry jammed against the infantry line were thrown into disarray, horses and riders falling. Those attempting to retreat and those just charging forward became entangled, plunging into instant chaos.
Seeing this, Mustafa finally breathed a sigh of relief.
What he feared most was the elite Mamluk Cavalry.
Now that these cavalrymen had been routed by the Topçus infantry, the rest would be much easier.
He immediately ordered the main force of Janissaries in the center to launch a general assault.
Without cavalry cover, the Mamluk central force was quickly overwhelmed by tens of thousands of Ottoman Janissaries.
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