"Shameless, what do the Prussians and Austrians want to do? How dare they threaten me? Why do they ask for benefits in Poland? Do they think the great Russian Empire can't do anything to them!"
Kateshkov's dispatch was quickly sent back to St. Petersburg. There is no doubt that this dispatch caused great irritation to Catherine II. The queen was so angry that she even changed her usual image and was executed on the same day.
He had a few attendants who were not serving him well.
Of course, the Queen's anger spread throughout St. Petersburg immediately. People don't know the reason for the Queen's anger, but everyone knows that they must not let the Queen dislike them now, otherwise they may become the Queen's punching bag.
There was a reason for the Queen's anger. This dispatch from Kateshkov not only stated to the Queen the undercurrents in Vienna, but also told the Queen that Prussia and Austria had reached a consensus and wanted to have an arm-wrestle with the Russian Empire on the Polish issue.
Kaunitz hinted to the Russian ambassador that if necessary, the Prussian-Austrian Congress would work together to recommend to Russia the partition of Poland as it did in 1772. If Russia did not agree, then Austria and Prussia would use their own methods to safeguard the entire Eastern European region.
stability and prosperity.
This is what makes Catherine II the most angry. In her opinion, Poland is already the back garden of Russia and cannot tolerate the interference of other countries. But now Poland and Austria actually demand equal benefits as in 1772.
, this makes the Queen feel so embarrassed.
If only one of the Prussian and Austrian countries had made such a request to Russia, the Queen would have refused without even raising her eyelids. But now that Prussia and Austria are actually tied together to threaten the Russians, this makes the Queen feel a little palpitated even though she is angry.
The power of the Prussian-Austrian alliance is undoubtedly huge. This power is enough to change the situation on the entire European continent. Although Catherine II believed that the two countries would not sincerely unite, facts have proved that, at least in Poland,
On this issue, Pu and Austria stand together.
The latest news from Poland has not yet reached St. Petersburg, but it has already forced Potemkin to ask for reinforcements from St. Petersburg. This shows how bad the situation in Poland has become.
The Queen wanted to refuse, but now that Potemkin was trapped in Poland, if Prussia and Austria took the opportunity to shoot Russia, it would not be fatal, but it would be enough to cause the Russians to suffer a big loss.
What made the Queen even more angry was the attitude of Prussia. They had just reached a peace agreement not long ago, but now that they saw an advantage, they immediately pounced on it again. It was simply shameless to the extreme.
After thinking for three days, the Queen made a decision. Russia could allow Prussia and Austria to extend their hands into Poland, but since Prussia and Austria wanted to gain benefits in Poland, it was necessary for Prussia and Austria to stabilize the situation in Poland. If Prussia and Austria did not send troops
If Poland is stabilized, then Russia will not allow the country it has conquered to be handed over to others.
St. Petersburg's decision quickly spread to Vienna and Potsdam. William had no objection to Catherine II's proposal, but it was just that Catherine II agreed to share the benefits so easily. This made William
I felt a little surprised.
But no matter what, this is not harmful to Prussia. It is in Prussia's interest to completely carve up Poland. However, it is foreseeable that if the three countries really carve up Poland completely, then the contradictions between the three countries may become prominent soon after.
This made William feel a little worried while being happy.
.............................
Potemkin entered Warsaw on horseback. On both sides of the street were a group of nobles from Warsaw who had been waiting for a long time.
"Childos, you have done well. I will truthfully report your achievements to St. Petersburg. I believe that Her Majesty the Queen will not be stingy with your rewards."
"How dare I take the credit? If it weren't for the prestige of the Marshal, how could I eliminate tyrants like August with my meager strength?"
Childos on the side naturally looked flattering to Potemkin. Of course, Childos's flattering words also made Potemkin have a good impression of him. After all, Childos conquered Warsaw.
of.
In the crowd behind Potemkin, Hahn Popov looked at Childos with a look of jealousy. Originally, he was the only Pole under Potemkin, but now it is obvious that by virtue of his contribution to Warsaw, Childos
It was also placed in Potemkin's heart, which made Hahn Popov, who aspired to become Potemkin's number one Polish lackey, not jealous.
When the group arrived at the Polish Palace in Warsaw, Potemkin stopped.
The color of blood still remained on the steps of the palace. Although they had been cleaned carefully, the strong smell of blood could not be covered up.
Potemkin sighed. Although the pacification of Poland this time was not too smooth, fortunately Warsaw was now under control, and some local resistance forces were not noticed by Potemkin.
"Okay, everyone, now Warsaw has peacefully handed over, and the whole of Poland can be said to have been generally pacified. Although there may still be some local resistance forces, they can no longer stop the iron heel of our Russian army, so I would like to congratulate you all."
"Congratulations to Marshal Potemkin"
Standing on the steps of the Polish Palace, watching everyone surrender under the steps, Potemkin's pride reached its peak at this moment.
Time rushed into February. In this month, Potemkin received two uncomfortable news. One was that the Empress of St. Petersburg ordered him to pay attention to maintaining normal friendly relations with Prussia and Austria. The other was that the Russian army
When we fully recovered Poland, we discovered that some areas had already been conquered by Prussia and Austria.
This made Potemkin angry and at the same time he felt something was wrong. It would not be such a coincidence that Poland and Austria both came to Poland at the same time to take advantage of it, so there must be a conspiracy. Coupled with the order given by the Queen to Potemkin, Potemkin
Jin had a hint of realization.
In March, envoys from the three countries of Prussia, Austria, and Russia reached a preliminary agreement after going back and forth. The northern and northwest areas of Poland were divided into Prussia. The western areas of Poland were handed over to Austria, and the remaining Polish areas would be under the jurisdiction of Russia.
.
A military buffer zone was set up near Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The forces of the three countries were not allowed to enter Warsaw. Warsaw was established as a free city and was managed by the Warsaw nobles.
This condition is already the biggest concession made by Catherine II. Of course, judging from the territories divided by the three countries, Russia undoubtedly gets the biggest piece of cake, but don’t forget that Russia has lost four countries in Poland.
With 50,000 troops, Russia still needs to be compensated.
William frowned as he held the division plan in his hand. In the original history, Warsaw was placed under Prussia during the third partition of Poland in 1795, but William also knew that the current situation was completely different from that in history.
, Catherine II can be said to be very sincere in reaching this point, and Prussia and Austria have not really made up their minds to turn against Russia on the Polish issue. After all, their own relations are at a
A level of hostility.
William was willing to accept this condition, and Austria was naturally even more so. When Joseph II saw this division plan, his hands began to shake a little. Originally, Joseph II just wanted to return Austria occupied by the Russians.
It belongs to the Polish region, but now this division plan not only includes the Austrian Polish region, but also pushes the border to a place only a hundred miles away from Warsaw. This makes Joseph II not happy.
Some people are happy but some feel dissatisfied. For example, Kaunitz is a little dissatisfied. In his opinion, this division plan is really unfair to Austria. The territory obtained by Austria is not only inferior to that of the Russians, but even Prussia.
A lot more than what Austria got.
But Kaunitz had no choice. After all, the failure of the Austro-Prussian War and Russia's losses at the hands of Prussia made Russia pay more attention to Prussia, so it was normal to give more to Prussia. Russia needed to appease this country with a strong military.
As for Austria, although Austria seems to be vast, the various territories of the Habsburg family are not so harmonious, just like Hungary and Austria.
Since the monarchs of the three countries had no objections, this agreement was naturally accepted by everyone. Soon the Free City of Warsaw appeared, and the three countries of Prussia, Austria and Russia also sent troops to take over the territories they obtained.
Obtaining new territory meant sending troops to garrison it, so William transferred all the West Prussian garrison to northern Poland, while the northwestern part of Poland was naturally taken care of by the Silesian garrison.
The news that Poland was partitioned for the third time shocked the whole world. The entire European continent is paying attention to the development of this matter. As one of the most powerful countries in Europe, although it is now lonely, Poland still has an army of 60,000 to 70,000 people. Its comprehensive
Although its strength is not first-rate now, it can still be ranked second-rate. Poland's fate makes many countries feel regretful and even fearful.
The Queen Mother of Denmark behaved very abnormally after learning the news that Poland was partitioned. She did not expect that after a war that Prussia and Russia had just experienced, they would point the butcher knife at other countries so quickly. Sure enough, powerful countries are equal to robbers. Maybe
Sometimes robbers will fight each other because of uneven distribution of the spoils, but once a weak guy wants to make his voice heard among the robbers, the only outcome will be that the robbers unite and kill him.
If Prussia was willing to give up part of its interests in exchange for Russia no longer supporting Denmark, the Queen Mother would no longer dare to think about it.
Not only Denmark, but also many small princes in the Holy Roman Empire are like this. Prussia and Austria are so unanimous on the Polish issue this time, which makes them feel a lot of pressure. This kind of power politics is very scary to them.