I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1412 Two-pronged attack
Seeing that everyone in the room was looking over, Chadov recalled the strategy "that gentleman" had told him, took a deep breath, and said:
"For us, the most important thing right now is to expand our own strength."

He pointed southwest: "The military settlements of Rubnet and Poltava have a large number of soldiers, and the people there are full of hatred for Alexander."

We should seize these areas quickly while Kutuzov is preoccupied. As long as we promise the serfs in the settlements land, plus a few rubles at most, they won't resist at all and may even join us.

"Then, we can continue south. There are many Cossack camps there, and even go to the Danube to form an alliance with the Cossack Sechi of Cartelles."

The term "sech" originally referred to a type of fortification built by Cossacks in the field, and later came to be used as a general term for large Cossack autonomous regions. [Note 1]

A large Sechi is governed by its own Rada, a parliament-like institution, with its own army and church. Members cooperate with each other, essentially making it an independent small country.

More than 20 years ago, Zaporizhzhia, the largest city in the Ukrainian region, was conquered by Ye Er. Cossacks who refused to submit to the Tsar fled to the Danube River and established a new city on the Russian-Turkish border.

It can be said that these Cossacks had a deep-seated hatred for Russia. In the later Russo-Turkish War, they even served the Ottomans until the mid-19th century, when the Ottomans were defeated by Russia and unable to support themselves, and these Cossacks finally lost their settlement.

Joseph knew very well that historically, Russian liberal officer uprisings had all relied solely on their own small number of soldiers, and were invariably quickly suppressed by the Tsar's army.

If Kishchenko and others are allowed to run rampant, the hundreds of thousands of francs he has invested in Russia will be virtually wasted.

Only by getting them to mobilize as many Russian serfs and Cossacks as possible can the Tsar truly feel the pain.

Chadov clenched his fist and said in a deep voice, "Please don't forget, our goal is to eliminate the guilty Alexander! So even if we succeed in attacking Kutuzov, we can't possibly reach St. Petersburg with just over a thousand soldiers. What we need is tens of thousands of troops; that's the guarantee of successful revenge!"

Kishchenko and the two liberal officers exchanged glances, but their thoughts were quite different.

They didn't want any "revenge by eliminating the Tsar"—if Alexander were willing to accept a constitutional monarchy, they would immediately switch their support to the Tsar.

However, the most effective way to get the Tsar to compromise was to besiege St. Petersburg with his army, so he acquiesced to Chadov's proposal.

More radical figures, such as Begozerov and other high-ranking members of the "Happiness Association," wholeheartedly support the elimination of the Tsar and currently endorse the plan to expand their influence to the southwest.

However, Chadov and the other "revenge faction" were only targeting Alexander I. If they could actually kill him, they would most likely install a new Tsar on the throne.

And so, the three people who were "sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams" were temporarily united under the mediation of "that gentleman".

……

The South Caucasus.

The city of Tsarka is located 35 kilometers southwest of Tbilisi.

The Ottoman former commander Ahmed Pasha saluted the commander-in-chief Mustafa with his hand on his chest: "General, a message has arrived from Persia."

The latter took the letter, pulled him to sit down beside the large iron pot on the campfire, and smiled, "Is Mirza urging us to attack again?"

Ahmed nodded, looking somewhat anxious: "Yes, sir. This time he used very harsh words, saying that if we don't take action, he will withdraw his troops."

The Persian and Ottoman armies, positioned east and south of Tbilisi, have been locked in a stalemate with the Russian army for six months without making any progress. The Persian army is now facing immense logistical strain, and doubts about Prince Mirza's abilities are emerging in Tehran.

Mustafa snorted coldly: "If they dare to retreat, the tribes of Shiraz will soon riot."

He gestured to his servant to take a bowl of cooked meat from the pot and hand it to Ahmed: "Go and tell the Persians that in ten days I will send at least 20,000 soldiers to launch a fierce attack on Tbilisi, and they should give me their full cooperation."

The latter took the bowl, somewhat surprised, and said, "Twenty thousand soldiers? Are we going to have a decisive battle?"

The Ottomans sent an army of over 100,000 to the South Caucasus, but only about 70,000 to 80,000 actually reached the battlefield.

Corruption was rampant in the Janissary Guard, resulting in many soldiers being unable to even guarantee their weapons and equipment, and frequent shortages of logistical supplies. As a result, fewer than 4 soldiers were actually available for combat.

In fact, the main force was always the new Topiš army of less than two thousand men.

Therefore, launching an attack with 20,000 troops at once is almost equivalent to "going all in".

Mustafa served himself a bowl and said smugly, "Last week, the fleet just delivered more than 20 cannons, made in France. This time, I'm going to teach the Russians a lesson."

What he didn't mention was that over 6 Charleville flintlock muskets were also transported on the same ship. However, the Janicheri Guard was rather averse to these weapons, so only a few hundred were distributed, with the rest going to the new army.

Ahmed's eyes widened immediately: "France has given us so much aid?"

Mustafa laughed: "Don't tell anyone, it's said that the Grand Vizier sent over some of the weapons that France was giving to Mysore."

Yes, the current Grand Vizier Yusufzia of the Ottoman Empire just took office this year and is eager to make a breakthrough in the South Caucasus as soon as possible to consolidate his position. He happened to learn that a large batch of supplies was to be transported to India via the Ottoman Empire.

Ten days later, Tbilisi was subjected to an unprecedentedly fierce bombardment, followed by an attack by tens of thousands of Persian and Ottoman troops.

……

Paris, France.

The Tuileries Palace was surrounded by colorful ribbons and flowers, while music and applause emanated from inside the palace.

The inaugural European Theatre Festival officially opened today, with two plays currently being performed simultaneously in the East and South Halls.

Although even tickets for the last row corner seats cost as much as 5 francs each, the theater was still packed.

[Note 1] Many people may misunderstand and think that Cossacks are associated with Tsarist Russia, but in fact, Cossacks are just an organizational and cultural form. Members can be Russians, Poles, Mongols, or even Ottomans. As long as you are Orthodox Christian and agree with ideas such as collectivism, martial spirit, and equality, you are a Cossack.

Later, under Russia's constant suppression and bribery, a large number of Cossacks joined the Russian army and eventually became one of the iconic symbols of the Russian army.

(End of this chapter)