Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2443: Record of the Western Expedition (X) The Quarrel in Warsaw

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of 1605 was known as the "Commonwealth between the Seas". It was a huge union between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, governed by an elected king and a parliament of nobles (the Sejm). Poland was at the end of its "golden age". It stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, and its unique political system was unique among European countries.

In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the king was elected by the nobles, who held great power in the parliament and could even block the passage of any bill through the "liberal veto". This system gave the nobles unparalleled influence and enabled them to play a pivotal role in the governance of the country.

Of course, in the long run, this system also seriously undermined the central authority of the kingdom, causing the power of kings to decline with each generation, and ultimately they were unable to accomplish anything, causing the federation to gradually decline while the surrounding countries were prospering.

Fortunately, the current King Sigismund III still has a certain amount of power and can exercise it relatively smoothly - although the Sejm occasionally opposes him on funding issues, it generally recognizes the king's majesty.

Economically, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was in a period of prosperity. Agriculture formed the solid foundation of its economy. On the vast and fertile land, cereals were widely planted and produced in large quantities, which not only met domestic demand but also exported in large quantities to all parts of Europe, becoming an important supplier to the European grain market.

In addition, the fur trade, timber trade and textile industry also flourished, bringing huge wealth to the country. Coastal cities such as Gdansk, with their advantageous geographical location, developed into important trading ports, with merchant ships shuttling back and forth, bringing together merchants and goods from all over the world, making the Federation occupy a pivotal position in the European trade network.

Militarily, Poland was centered around the fearsome Winged Hussars, who wore feathers and chain mail and had frightened the Russian army in the siege of Pskov in 1576. However, after the great defeat against the Ming army at the Battle of the Oka River, the Commonwealth had only about 4 regular troops. If the temporarily recruited noble private soldiers and hired southern Cossacks were included, the total strength could still reach 8, which was already a huge armed force in Europe.

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth also played an important role in the diplomatic arena. There had long been fierce conflict and competition between it and the Ottoman Empire, and a protracted struggle in the Balkan Peninsula and the Black Sea region, with constant border wars. At the same time, the Commonwealth also maintained complex and delicate diplomatic relations with other neighboring countries, and continued to expand its sphere of influence and influence through marriages and alliances, trying to occupy a favorable position in the complex international relations pattern in Europe.

It was in this context that the then King Sigismund III ruled this vast land. Born into the Vasa family of Sweden after the Jagiellonian dynasty died out, this king had ambitious ambitions and was committed to strengthening the power and influence of the federation and achieving rule over more territories.

His series of policies and measures were all aimed at enhancing the status of the Federation and consolidating its hegemony in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe. Most of his important officials, such as Jan Zamoyski, were also experienced military strategists and politicians who provided important support and assistance to the governance and development of the country.

At this moment, in the meeting hall of the Royal Palace in Warsaw, the long oak table was covered with sheepskin maps. King Sigismund III Vasa's fingers were slowly sliding along the dotted line from Pskov to Smolensk. That was the "traditional border" of Poland's eastward expansion, and in his eyes it was also a shackle to contain Russia.

"Your Majesty, the defeat at the Oka River is not a shame, but an opportunity to reshape the East." Yan Zamoysky's tone was solemn and stubborn.

This veteran who participated in the Battle of Poitiers was pointing his staff at Nizhny Novgorod on the map, the fief of Duke Shuisky, like an iron spike wedged into the middle reaches of the Volga River. "After the direct line of the Rurik dynasty died out, Dmitry I was just a puppet supported by Poland, but now he has turned to the Ming Dynasty. This is a betrayal of the kingdom."

Sigismund III's eyes moved away from the map and fell on the weather-beaten face of the old general: "The Sejm Council only cares about the trade income of Danzig Port and the harvest in the fields. Who will bleed for the frozen land in the East? Especially after the defeat on the Oka River."

"They have to care, Your Majesty. The Mongols have never been far away. This time they are pointing their sabers at Europe again, bringing powerful firearms. No one knows where they will stop. Do the nobles of the Sejm want to hand over their territories to become horse farms for the Mongols?"

Sigismund III was silent for a while, suppressing his inner thoughts, and shook his head. "Based on these possible threats alone, it will be difficult for me to convince the Sejm to allocate funds and provide troops. Jan, you need to give me more reasons before I can try to convince the Sejm."

Zamoysky nodded, took out a secret letter and opened it. The emblem on the wax seal shone coldly in the candlelight. "You know, Your Majesty, Duke Shuisky is a branch of the Rurik family. He has the same blood as Ivan the Terrible, stubborn and crazy.

He hated the false emperor for surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, and regarded the Stroganov Trading Company as a disgrace - those caravans consisting of spring carriages were not only corroding the foundation of Russian Orthodoxy, but also ignoring the orthodox status of the Rurik Dynasty in the Russian Tsarist Empire. "

The king's fingers suddenly tightened and moved across Smolensk on the map: "What does he want?"

"Not only the crown, but also orthodoxy." Zamoyski's voice was as low as a gently beaten war drum. "After the direct line of the Rurik Dynasty died out, Dmitry I, whom we supported, was not recognized by most Russians. His Polish ancestry was despised by all Orthodox nobles. This was our problem before, but now it is Ming's problem.

What Shuisky wants is to drive out the heretics of the Ming Dynasty and rebuild the Rurik Dynasty - and we only need to lend him this empty title to provide strong support." His cane fell heavily on the Pskov mark, "We need to adjust the previous plan and reduce the area of ​​direct cession of Russian land - as long as the land west of Pskov-Smolensk-Kharkov is provided as a condition for supporting him.

Of course, in addition to this, he also needs to allow us to station 3,000 troops in Moscow to "assist in suppressing the rebellion". In short, as long as we can convince him, he and some nobles who support him will become our blades to cut the Ming Dynasty and the false emperor. "

The door of the meeting hall was suddenly thrown open, and a messenger knelt down to present an urgent document. Sigismund III glanced at the contents, and a cold light flashed in his eyes: "The nobles of the Sejm Council have arrived. Whether I can convince them to allocate funds to send troops depends on my next speech." Zamoyski nodded, and his eyes under the feather hat fell on the Oka River on the map: "Your Majesty will be able to convince the Sejm Council, I have no doubt about it."

After a pause, he continued, "I have roughly calculated that if Shuisky's alliance is operated properly, it should be able to gather about 12,000 to 20,000 noble private armies. If they are willing to cooperate, they will be able to block the grain route in Nizhny Novgorod when the Polish army enters Russia, so that the Ming army heading west to fight us will lose its supplies - at least part of the supplies."

"If everything goes as you expected, it will be a major blow to the Ming army. After all, an army with powerful firearms has a huge demand for supplies. As long as Shuisky can cut off the Ming army's gunpowder transportation, his contribution will be enough for us to support him to become the new Tsar." Sigismund III raised his chin slightly after speaking. "I will leave the negotiation with Shuisky to you. I will go to the Sejm to persuade those short-sighted and stingy people."

In the early winter of 1605, the Vistula River had frozen over, but the Sejm in Warsaw was packed with richly dressed nobles. The feathered hats and sable cloaks of the deputies brushed against the oak beams, and their whispers were like a flock of foraging crows circling under the white eagle flag.

King Sigismund III Vasa walked quickly into the meeting hall and stood on the parliament podium amid cheers that were either real or fake. The forty rubies on the crown danced in the candlelight like drops of burning blood.

"My Lords, take a look at this map!" He smashed his staff on the huge sheepskin map, with the silver eagle on the top of the staff pointing eastward. "Ming's merchant caravans are buying grain along the left bank (eastern bank) of the Dnieper River. Last month, they only bought 700 carts, but this month they have bought 5,000 carts! Their spring carriages are moving at full speed, storing such a huge amount of grain in Moscow. Do you know what this means?!"

There were murmurs of dissatisfaction from the audience. A representative of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania looked lazy, but his voice was unusually loud: "Your Majesty, the Sejm is concerned about the customs duties of the Port of Danzig and his own wheat fields, not the Russians or the Ming people who want to be squirrels!"

Sigismund III's eyes swept across the speaker and fell on the amber necklace on his chest: "Count Kletsk, it is not surprising that the Ming caravan buys food from Russia, or even from us, but if they buy far more food than they normally need and actively stockpile it in Moscow, then we have to pay attention. Look at the defeat report on the Oka River--"

He unfurled the blood-stained battle flag, on which the silver wings of the Winged Hussars were pierced by muskets. "The Stroganov family was originally just a merchant, but because of their betrayal this time, they were canonized as Grand Dukes by the pseudo-Tsar. This is an insult to any noble of noble blood! This insult is not only to the Russian nobility, but also to our Polish and Lithuanian nobility!"

"The Stroganov family's crimes are not limited to this. They are now cooperating with the Mongols of the Ming Dynasty to collect so much food. Do you think they just like to hoard like squirrels? Of course not, they are hoarding military rations for the continuation of the Western Expedition - Western Expedition? We are the only ones on their way to the Western Expedition! Can't you see that?"

The meeting room fell silent, with only the crackling of the fire. The king struck while the iron was hot and pulled out the secret letter from Duke Shuisky: "But we still have allies - although the main branch of the Rurik family has died out, there are still many branches, and the orthodox descendant among them is Duke Shuisky of Nizhny Novgorod!
Duke Shuisky controls the food route in the middle reaches of the Volga River. He has now contacted Duke Novgorod, Marquis Tver, Count Yaroslav, Count Tula and Count Luki. The private armies of these conservative nobles add up to more than 20,000. They hate everything about the Ming Dynasty because those Mongols will only bring shackles to Russia. They regard the Stroganov Trading Company as a shame for the Orthodox Church..."

"What do they want?" A member of parliament from Krakow, the old capital of Poland, narrowed his eyes and interrupted His Majesty the King's long speech without any courtesy.

"It's just to restore the orthodoxy of the Rurik Dynasty." Sigismund III softened his voice. "We only need to slightly reduce our original territorial demands on them and cede the land west of Pskov-Smolensk-Kharkov to us after the war, and allow 3,000 Polish troops to be stationed in Moscow to help suppress the rebellion. The private armies of Shuisky and others will become our blades. First, we will cut off the Ming Dynasty's food supply, and then we will overthrow the puppet regime of the false emperor Dmitry I!"

He suddenly pointed out the window: "Otherwise, perhaps after the new year, the flag of the Ming Dynasty will be planted on the top of the city wall of Kiev! The year after next, their army will enter Warsaw! And our nobles can only kneel down and worship these Eastern pagans!"

The noise in the Sejm Hall rose again, but this time it was calculated. After a long while, a Polish representative stood up first: "We agree to send troops, but the military expenditure shall not exceed 200,000 zlotys, and 40% of the spoils shall go to the Polish nobles."

The Count of Kletzk of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania immediately shouted: "Lithuania can also agree to the military expenditure according to Poland's opinion, and we also want 40% of the spoils, but... the territory ceded by Russia borders us and must be fully distributed to the Lithuanian nobles."

As soon as he said this, some Polish nobles expressed their dissatisfaction. A representative from Lviv shouted: "The territorial gains in the north can be obtained by the Lithuanian nobles, but the Ukrainian region in the south has long been transferred to the Polish crown. If the adjacent territory is obtained from Russia, it should naturally be obtained by the Polish nobles!"

Count Kletzke narrowed his eyes slightly, sneered and retorted: "At the beginning, the Lithuanian nobles, out of loyalty to the Jagiellonian dynasty and congratulations on the union of Poland and Lithuania, gave the Ukrainian region to Poland and made it a Polish crown territory. Everyone in the world knows this.

However, what did Lithuania get in return for such a friendly gesture? Did it only bring the greed of the Poles? Do you Poles want to take away the benefits of future eastward expansion from Lithuania? If so, then you Poles should fight this battle by yourselves, and we Lithuanian nobles will go to the church to pray for you. "

The Polish nobles were furious when they heard this. The Polish noble who spoke angrily said, "Count Kletzke, isn't the territory of your Radziwiłł family big enough..."

Before he could finish his words, Sigismund III suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "How can you quarrel like this before we even send troops? I have made up my mind. The northern territories ceded from Russia will belong to Lithuania, and the southern territories will belong to Poland. I will distribute the border areas based on military merit. As for the spoils of war, 30% will go to the Polish nobles and 60% to the Lithuanian nobles!"

He did not mention the remaining 10%, and the nobles did not ask either - of course it belonged to the king, otherwise, His Majesty the King was busy all the time, could he really be working for the public? -
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