Catherine II was sitting in the palace in St. Petersburg with dull eyes. The reason was that she had just read a report from the Russian intelligence agency and officials from the Russian Polish region. The report had the words "Public" written in bold font.
King William personally led 30,000 Prussian troops to fight against 40,000 troops led by Kutuzov in East Prussia.
In addition, a great uprising broke out in northern Poland. The leader of this great uprising was a former Polish nobleman named Jewski. Now the uprising team has cut off the communication channel between Warsaw and Kutuzov's army, and
In response to the provocation of the Polish mob, General Kulichkov, who stayed in Warsaw, led 6,000 troops to suppress the Polish mob.
Although she was only holding a piece of light paper in her hand, Catherine II felt that what she was holding was definitely a heavy weight. She didn't know how to express the mixed feelings in her heart.
Starting a war with Prussia, although it was included in Catherine II's plan, now is not the best time to start a war with Prussia, and that idiot Kutuzov actually led the army without her permission.
As the Russian army came out in full force, now it's better. As soon as the main force of the Russian army left, Poland began to be in turmoil.
After thinking about it, Her Majesty the Queen always feels like there is a shadow blocking something in front of her. The Polish uprising is definitely related to Prussia, but why did it expand so quickly in just a few days, even if there was
Prussia's support probably won't be enough. There must be support behind these rebels from people they can't see.
Moreover, the battle between Kutuzov and the Prussian army gave Catherine II a very headache. Although it seemed that the Russian army had an upper hand with more than 40,000 troops compared to the 30,000 Prussian army, the report stated
It is very clear that only 20,000 of the more than 40,000 troops are Russian troops, and the rest are Polish troops whose combat effectiveness is worrying. In this way, the comparison of forces between the two sides does not have much advantage. At most, the Russian army has a numerical advantage, but others
Forget that the Prussians were fighting on their own soil.
If something unexpected happens, the Prussian army can mobilize another group of troops in the shortest time. On the other hand, because the Russian army is far away from the homeland and its logistics lines are cut off, the soldiers will die one by one and there will be no replacement at all.
In this way, if Kutuzov cannot win the battle quickly, the Russian army will definitely suffer in the end. The strong woman Catherine II has no doubt about this.
But these troops are all her Russian troops, and they are all relatively elite troops. It is no exaggeration to say that there are less than 80,000 people in the entire Russia who can match the quality of the Russian troops stationed in Poland. Russia's standing watch
It seems like a lot, but because Russia's territory is too vast, and the vast territory forces Russia to station a large number of troops in some areas, but these troops are basically only responsible for basic tasks such as guarding cities and law enforcement, and can really take advantage of them.
There were fewer who went out to fight in the field, and there were also very few elite troops like those under Kutuzov who had experienced battles with the Ottomans, Tatars, Sweden and Eastern European countries.
It is not easy to cultivate such a great army. The reason why Kutuzov was originally given command was that Her Majesty the Queen took a fancy to Kutuzov's calmness and perseverance in times of trouble. However,
Who knew that Kutuzov, who had always been calm, would be so rash this time.
But how could Her Majesty the Queen stand by and watch what happened to Kutuzov? How could she bear to let her elite troops fight alone?
The Queen sat there all night, and when she met with the courtiers the next day, many ministers noticed the bloodshot eyes of Her Majesty the Queen, which frightened the Russian ministers who had basically learned the news about Poland.
"Let's talk about it. Kutuzov took 20,000 Russian troops to East Prussia and started a war with the Prussian king. Now the fighting is in full swing, and there is also a rebellion in northern Poland because most of the troops have been transferred.
If you have any countermeasures or ideas, please share them for discussion."
Catherine II sat at the top and looked at the Russian ministers in the palace and said in a deep voice.
Although Her Majesty the Queen's tone is not that serious, ministers who are familiar with the Queen's character all know that the anger in the Queen's heart should be beyond the limit.
"Your Majesty, I believe that although Kutuzov made a big mistake, he is still a senior general of our country. Now that General Kutuzov has been at war with the Prussians, we should provide him with information no matter what.
Aid, of course Kutuzov made such a big mistake and deserved his death, but the 20,000 soldiers under his command are our children after all. If his troops are allowed to be annihilated by the Prussian army, it will inevitably have a bad impact on the international community. This
"
Seeing that the ministers around him were looking like turtles with their heads lowered, Potemkin, who was standing in front, had to bite the bullet and said.
"Marshal Potemkin, what you said is a big mistake"
Potemkin turned around and saw Ovorov standing up with his head held high and said:
"Her Majesty the Queen, ministers, Kutuzov sent troops to East Prussia without authorization and triggered a war with the Kingdom of Prussia. This behavior is obviously a provocation to the majesty of Her Majesty the Great Queen, and because he led a large army to go out, the defense of northern Poland was empty.
This created an opportunity for the rebels to rebel. Therefore, I believe that we should immediately negotiate with Prussia, rescue our soldiers and punish Kutuzov severely."
Ovorov came up with these words after thinking about it all night last night. It's so pity to see him. Ever since Ovorov returned to St. Petersburg, he has no longer hoped to regain the favor of Her Majesty the Queen, but Potemkin...
Like a mountain standing in front of him, Her Majesty the Queen only had Potemkin in her heart, which made Oworov hate him to the core.
"Count Owolov, I don't agree with what you are saying. The King of Prussia is leading his army to fight General Kutuzov. Who knows what outrageous price the Prussians will offer during negotiations at this moment. And no matter what the battle situation is on the front line,
Is the blood of our casualties and soldiers on the front line shed in vain?"
With that said, Potemkin said to Catherine II:
"Her Majesty the Queen knows clearly that no matter what Kutuzov's behavior is, he is still our general of the Russian Empire. Right now, our 20,000-strong army is trapped in Prussia. I think our top priority should be to send troops to assist Kutuzov. Otherwise,
, the entire 20,000-strong army is all the hard work of Her Majesty the Queen."
"Your Majesty, Marshal Potemkin is completely nonsense. We are not ready for a full-scale war with Prussia at the moment. Kutuzov's behavior has dragged himself into death. If our country continues to send more reinforcements, it will undoubtedly be
The Prussians are at full-scale war with our country. Moreover, the Turks in the south, the Tatars in the east, and the Swedes in the north. Once an all-out war breaks out with the Prussians, these enemies will rush towards us like hungry wolves that have smelled blood. Our country is now
The hard-won good situation will be lost in one day! Your Majesty."
Ovorov said affectionately to Catherine II, and his words resonated with most of the ministers in the palace. In the past, Russia was immersed in the enthusiasm of opening up new territories, but now looking back
It seems that the vast territory has brought them countless enemies. If these enemies attack together, the Russian Empire will undoubtedly be in a very dangerous position, and this time the main opponent is Prussia.
For Prussia, the top Russian officials have never looked down upon Prussia. Many ministers in the palace personally participated in the Seven Years' War and fought against Prussia. The Prussians survived such a difficult environment during the Seven Years' War, and in the early days of the war, Prussia,
During the war between Russia and Russia, the brave and capable Prussian army also left a deep impression on the Russian ministers.
Moreover, Prussia is a big country. If fully mobilized, it can pick up hundreds of thousands of troops. These troops are not people without little combat experience and combat skills. Because Prussia’s territory is relatively long and narrow, and its location is relatively special, this has resulted in almost every
A major war will break out every ten years, and every mature man in Prussia will receive strict military training every year. Over time, even ordinary people in Prussia will become soldiers who can win the battle.
Going to war with such a big country is, at least at this stage, very irrational. This is the consensus of many Russian senior officials. Even many ministers on Potemkin's side agree with this statement.
Oworov's words won the applause of the whole house, and the ministers in the palace were talking about it. The main trend was that war with Prussia could not be started.
When Potemkin saw that the direction of the wind had changed due to Ovorov's words, his face suddenly dropped. Especially when he saw that many people in his own camp agreed with Oworov's opinion, this made Potemkin feel a little uncomfortable.
No.
But Queen Catherine II was indifferent to everything in front of her. She just sat quietly on the throne and watched everything happening under the steps indifferently.
"Okay, needless to say, the troops still need to be mobilized. Of course, these troops are not going to East Prussia to reinforce Kutuzov. What Count Oworov said just now is right. It is indeed not a good opportunity to start a full-scale war with Prussia right now.
, and we are not ready yet, but I cannot tolerate the chaos in Poland. Marshal Potemkin, I authorize you to command the garrison in Ukraine and Courland. In addition, I will allocate 20,000 Guards troops to you.
, you have only one mission, and that is to calm down the chaos in Poland. Those who dare to resist will only die. Do you understand?"
After a while, the queen sitting at the top spoke, and her words made Potemkin happy. It was obvious that he had not fallen out of favor because of this. The combined garrison of Ukraine and Courland numbered nearly 40,000.
There were many people, plus the 20,000 Guards, that's about 60,000 people. With 60,000 Russian troops to quell the chaos in Poland, Potemkin was still very confident. He was overjoyed and immediately made a loud promise to the Queen.
On the side, Ovorov's face completely turned into the color of pig liver after listening to the Queen's order. The Queen did not abandon Potemkin because of this. This was the biggest bad news, but then Ovorov quietly thought in his heart.
Comforting himself, as long as Potemkin left St. Petersburg, he could more easily win back the favor of Her Majesty the Queen. Ovorov made up his mind to win back the favor of the Queen before Potemkin came back.
"By the way, Oworov, go and make contact with the Prussians and see if you can get those Prussians to cease fighting with us. Remember, we have to be polite and courteous."
After speaking, Catherine II ignored everyone and stepped down from the throne with the support of her maid, and then left the hall.
After receiving the task assigned by the Queen, Ovorov's face turned from the original pig liver color to rosy. He saluted the Queen and loudly agreed, while Potemkin quietly clenched his fists.
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PS: Thank you everyone for your support. Originally, I was supposed to do the third update today, but my head hurts from reading the book below, so I really can’t type. Please forgive me, the ** on the construction site have no choice but to stand out.
I have read the book and verified it, so please forgive me.