The Crescent of the Sultan

It was already midnight, and the moonlight shone softly on the city of Warsaw, soothing the trauma the other party had suffered during the day.

The atmosphere in the city is contrary to the moonlight. In the area where the nobles live, many families are already packing up and preparing to leave. They can go to Vienna, Berlin, Munich, and London.

It may be an exaggeration to say that European aristocrats are one family, but it is true that every aristocratic family has a wide range of relatives.

These families who are cleaning up do not want to participate in this war. The last partition of Poland has caused heavy losses to their property. The Austrians, Prussians and the most greedy Russians plundered almost every piece of land they visited.

The lost territories belonging to the nobles could not recover any losses. Although they lived in Warsaw and most of their real estate was here, they were not victims.

But those nobles who were favored by the Russian generals and had their land taken away forcibly reminded them that this kind of passivity at the mercy of others was difficult for the nobles to accept.

It wasn’t Warsaw last time, but what about next time? What about next time?

Who can guarantee that the other party will not be more interested in Polish land? No one wants to leave their homeland, the homeland where they have lived for hundreds of years.

But there is nothing they can do. There is no hero in Poland. Can they count on the king?

He is just the face of the Russian Empress!

His throne was obtained unfairly, his reforms failed repeatedly, his people were invaded, and his land was occupied, but what did he do about it?

He could do nothing, just like a rubber stamp, incompetently signing treaties that were unfavorable to Poland.

If they still had Jan Sobieski, if the Polish hussars were still there, if they were still as strong as before, they would not choose to leave.

They will stand on the borders of the country and crush the invading enemies into powder.

But they had lost everything a long time ago. The Wawel Cathedral where the "Lion of Lichtenstein" (the title given to Jan Sobieski by the Ottoman Empire, see notes for details) was buried was now at the border of Austria and Poland. At this point, not taking away Krakow was the last face left to Poland by the other party.

But even so, the majesty of the late king has been tarnished and the glory of the late king has been desecrated. But what can the Poles do?

They could do nothing, they just looked around timidly, hoping that the other party would not notice them.

Poland, which could compete with the Ottoman Empire a century ago, is a thing of the past.

The flying white eagle did not die in the confrontation with the crescent moon, but its wings were broken by the child of God. The Peace Knight Cross withstood the Ottoman scimitar, but was shattered by the attack of the same cross.

While many small families are thinking about their future.

August Kazimierzky has arrived at the Summer Palace, Stanislaw II's favorite palace, classic Baroque style, and the venue for tonight's meeting.

The reason why he came to this meeting was because Kosciuszko's ability gave him hope again.

But this was not enough. Poland's army was too small to support a campaign. He came here precisely to discuss military expansion.

Entering the VIP room, August Kazimierzky was a little lost. It was not his first time here, but he still couldn't help but be in awe.

The high ceilings are covered with gorgeous murals and reliefs, exuding a sense of luxury and solemnity.

The murals depict a long history and heroic deeds, and August Kazimierzky knows who it is. Compared with him, the current king is nothing more than a softie.

But the Poles themselves drove him away. The new king, with the support of the Sejm (Parliament), personally exiled the Sobieski family, less than a year before his death.

August Kazimierzki looked around.

The walls of the VIP room are inlaid with marble with ornately carved friezes, and the delicate patterns and gold embellishments shine brightly.

Murals, sculptures and decorations have been carefully selected to showcase the highest level of art and craftsmanship.

In the center is a series of gorgeous ceramic tile inlays, cleverly forming gorgeous geometric patterns, full of the artistic essence of the Baroque period.

Moonlight poured in through the wide windows, illuminating everything inside, and the attractive decorations shimmered in the light.

Above the central gallery hang some of the most precious paintings, which depict scenes from history and legend with exquisite skill and rich color.

The furniture and decorations in the VIP room are full of elegance and uniqueness, from the meticulous carvings of the palace chairs to the porcelain encrusted with precious stones.

August Kazimierzki smiled disdainfully. A real king does not need gorgeous attire. He just sits without being angry.

August Kazimierzki sat softly on the chair, waiting for Kosciuszko's arrival.

About half an hour later, Kamil Czapotoreski, Ensen Machovsky, Kosciuszko and King Stanislaw II all arrived.

This meeting, which can almost be called the highest level of Polish military and political circles, was officially held.

Kosciuszko was the first to speak.

“Everyone, you all know what the current situation in our motherland is.

The last partition not only took away one-third of our territory and population, but also left us with no place to serve as a buffer zone when facing the enemy.

In this case, what we have to do is to use domestic support and rely on time difference to force the enemy back.

For the Russian army, I plan to set up two lines of defense to delay their march.

The Gargo and Nistor rivers are the first line of defense, and the Vistula, Niemen and Lake Masurian will be the second line of defense.

Catherine's army is too large to be defeated quickly, so it's impossible to choose her as our first target.

The Prussian army has declined too much compared to Frederick's era, but they do not pose many threats except Austria. The French are far away from them, which means that Frederick William II can invest more troops to fight against them. We fight.

In my opinion, the only one who can fight first is Austria. Their army is not too strong and their strategic position is too bad. There are Russians to the east, Ottomans to the south and Prussians to the north.

The most important point is that their Netherlands is next to France. You have also seen the fate of Louis XVI. You have also seen Roland's provocation and Robespierre's boldness with your own eyes.

I know you all here don't like me because I support the French revolution, but it doesn't matter, at least at this moment, we have the same goal - to save the motherland.

And the most critical link lies with the French you hate. If France needs to choose a monarchy to start a war, who will be attacked first?

I'm sure they'll be interested in the Lowlands.

In this case, once we defeated the Austrian army, Leopold II could not send any more troops to us. He would need to defend the Netherlands.

God can guarantee what I say, this is our last chance. "

Sobieski was the last heroic leader of Poland. Sobieski became famous overseas through a series of military activities, the most famous of which was the Battle of Vienna. It is recommended to eat this note with the song "Winged Hussars".

In 1683, the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire besieged Vienna with an army of 150,000 men. At the critical moment, Sobieski responded to Pope Innocent XI’s call and immediately led 27,000 reinforcements and marched in 15 days. 220 miles, they arrived near Vienna with reinforcements from Germany and Eastern Europe, and quietly climbed to the Kalenberg Heights west of Vienna, forming a coalition of more than 70,000 people, with Sobieski as the commander-in-chief.

In the early morning of September 12, Sobieski deployed the coalition forces into an arc-shaped front and launched an attack on the Turkish army. He personally led the Polish army to form the right wing. The fierce battle between the coalition forces and the Turkish army continued until 4 p.m., and they gradually gained the upper hand.

At 6 o'clock, Sobieski assembled nearly 20,000 cavalry (including 3,000 Polish hussars) and launched a decisive attack, breaking up the Turkish army's formation. At this time, the Vienna defenders broke out and got involved in the melee.

The battle ended with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. The coalition suffered 4,500 casualties, while the Ottomans suffered 15,000 casualties and 5,000 prisoners. This battle ended the Ottoman Empire's invasion of Western Europe.

During his reign, he tried to establish a hereditary monarchy and transform Poland into a centralized state. He was also the last Polish king to strive for this.