I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 722 Defending the Motherland with Life

Catherine II took a deep breath, looked at the officers standing around her, and said calmly, "So, which legion is closest to Crimea right now?"

Zubov said without hesitation: "Morkov's army in Mozyr..."

Everyone instantly cast dagger-like glances at him.

Marshal Repnin interrupted him and said, "Your Majesty, the Saratov Corps turned south a week ago and may reach Crimea in a month and a half."

The Tsar glanced at him and his voice turned cold: "One and a half months. Very good, then tell me, can Bakhchisarai last for a month and a half?"

Repnin bowed his head and remained silent.

He knew that the Polish army in Crimea could even take down the Kursk fortress, and even if they were currently lacking supplies, Bakhchisarai would not be able to hold them off for so long.

Catherine II slapped the table with her fat hand and looked around at everyone again: "Who can tell me who should be sent now to deal with those Poles?"

Marshal Rumyantsev stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps Count Zubov is right. The safest way at the moment is to transfer the Morkov Corps south. If we march quickly, it will only take 20 days to reach Bakhchisaray."

Catherine II suddenly seemed to be unable to suppress her anger any longer. She stood up suddenly, put her hands on the table, and shouted: "Shame! It's a shame for the empire!

"The Polish army of just over 1 people can come and go freely in our country! Now they are almost destroying Crimea!"

“You, two months ago, were here, telling me to ignore these Poles and that they would starve to death.

"What now?

"Not only did they not starve to death, they also penetrated hundreds of miles and besieged Bakhchisarai!"

She looked at Zubov and gritted her teeth, "Arrest Korezhnikoff immediately. This useless guy!"

She turned to Rumyantsev again: "Is there no other way?"

There was silence in the room.

Catherine II sat back in her chair, waved her hand, and said dejectedly: "Just as you said, transfer the Morkov Corps to Crimea.

"Send more men and let Kakhovsky take command. Don't let me hear any more bad news."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Kakhovsky and Rumyantsev stood at attention at the same time and looked at each other helplessly.

They knew that in order to ensure safety, they had to transfer at least 3 soldiers from the Morkov Corps to the south.

As a result, there were less than 4 Russian troops left in the Mozyr direction.

The Polish army opposite them had nearly 5 troops.

Not to mention allowing the Russian army to continue advancing, the Poles might even organize a counterattack after gaining a numerical advantage.

Poland's original strategy of a quick victory was clearly no longer feasible.

However, given the empire's current financial situation, it is likely that it will not be able to support a protracted national war.

The final outcome of the Russo-Polish War has become unpredictable.

……

After 25 days.

Crimea.

Polish Expeditionary Force Command Post.

Kosciuszko flipped through the organizational report in his hand and said to the staff officer, "Let's give these 300 people to Shvyhecic. Many of them have participated in the Russo-Turkish War and should be able to play a role."

Yes, during the time when he was besieging Bakhchisarai, local Ottomans came one after another and asked to join his army.

The total number exceeded 600. This was the result of Kosciuszko's careful selection, otherwise the Ottoman legion could have numbered over a thousand.

At this moment, Dabrovsky pushed open the door, looked at the commander-in-chief with a serious expression, and said only one word: "Here we are." Kosciuszko nodded: "A few days later than I expected. How many people are there?"

"Close to 3." Dabrovsky said, "The commander is Kakhovsky."

"Well, it seems that the Russians dare not underestimate us."

"Still proceeding according to the original plan?"

"Yes." Kosciuszko stepped forward and patted the cavalry commander's arm, smiling, "We have attracted the Russian troops in Mozyr, which is considered a success.

"As for the rest, just go ahead and do it. No matter how much we can achieve, it is God's gift to us."

Donbrovsky also laughed: "But, with so many enemies, I wonder if we can hold out for two days?"

According to their initial estimates, the Russian army would send a maximum of 2 troops, but now there are so many more.

In fact, Kakhovsky transferred 3 troops from Mozyr to the south, but due to the rapid march, soldiers kept falling behind, and when they arrived in Crimea, there were only less than 5 people left.

The Polish army immediately took action after receiving Kosciuszko's order.

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Colonel Švihecic, commanding 2 Polish soldiers and 6 Ottoman legions, continued to attack the city of Bakhchisarai - this time it would be a real fight, not just a show.

Kosciuszko led 1 main forces to Simferopol in the central and western part of Crimea to intercept Kakhovsky's Russian army.

Yes, Kościuszko knew very well that it was impossible for his troops to return to Poland. What he had to do was to inflict as much damage as possible on Russia before being defeated by the enemy.

He gave Shvihecic two days to capture the city of Bakhchisarai and carry out destruction.

In other words, Kosciuszko needed to hold off an enemy force three times his size for two full days.

The central part of Crimea is all plains and there is no strategic location to defend.

We can only rely on face-to-face fighting to stop the enemy.

At noon that day, Kościuszko had commanded his troops to deploy several infantry lines on the higher and gentler slopes on the south side of Simferopol.

In the future, Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, was just a small town for transiting supplies without any usable fortifications.

In less than an hour, the Russian vanguard appeared in their sight.

Kosciuszko rode past the soldiers without making any impassioned speeches. He just raised his sword and shouted: "Defend the motherland with our lives!"

All the Polish soldiers immediately straightened their chests and shouted loudly: "Defend the motherland with our lives!"

"Defend the motherland with your life!"

From the moment they left Poland, none of them had any intention of returning alive.

This sentence has actually been engraved in everyone's heart for a long time.

For now, it’s just a matter of practicing it.

Everything happens so naturally, yet it burns like a flame in my heart!

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Kahovsky took the lead in launching the attack.

Because the Russian army had marched all the way, they did not have more artillery than the Poles.

So after a brief exchange of fire, the Russians launched a frontal assault.

At the same time, relying on his huge military advantage, Kakhovsky also divided out 7 infantry regiments to encircle the Polish army from both wings.

However, what Kakhovsky did not expect was that Kościuszko was not prepared to defend to the death. The moment the Russian army began to move, Wang led the Third Division to attack head-on.

With a desperate mentality and accompanied by the sound of military drums, the Poles rushed forward like cold machines, firmly until they were less than 60 steps away from the center of the Russian army.

(End of this chapter)