The following months did not change much in my everyday life ... each day looked the same. From the morning, there was always two hours of fitness training, saber fighting, archery or musket training. I spent the afternoon meeting with various people, merchants, administrators of my land, representatives of guilds, or reading reports on production and finance. Although I inherited a lot, I spent a lot ... ordering a galleon, building schools and roads, producing cannons, gunpowder and Greek fire, muskets and pistols, bricks, buying raw materials ... all this cost a total of 200,000 ducats. Of course, the construction of a galleon or schools is a one-time expense, then I will only bear the maintenance costs, and in the case of the galleon, I can rent it to someone and the cost will be returned to me.
I spent most of my evenings on learning languages, writing books and in the company of Sveta ... our relationship improved, I was still not happy about having a bastard, but I tried to be logical and less emotional. I also knew that Sveta still had some doubts, but she did not talk about it, and I did not ask ... dealing with a woman's emotions may be beyond my strength.
Teofila was still in Jazłowiec and she even settled there, but I wasn't going to make her life any easier. I instructed the servants to perform only the basic duties, such as preparing food, taking care of the cleanliness or washing ... and if Teofila wanted any additional things, they were to refuse, saying that without my consent they could not do anything. Which sometimes led to comical situations. Of course, Teofila understood what I meant and to get something more, she started flirting with me and teasing me... After all this time I found out that she only wants money, but only pretends to be hard to get ... or she doesn't want to sell cheap. It was not a problem for me, love, fear or greed, everyone is motivated by something else.
It was the end of May 1624 and it was less than two weeks before the Tatars attack, grenades and Greek fire wineskins had long been ready, Cyril and Saddat had recruited an additional hundred horsemen ... now I had 300 troops, against 10,000 tartars ... three companies. It didn't look promising, even at the Battle of Thermopylae, there were over 6,000 Greeks.
I was standing in a clearing near Jazłowiec, where my people had a temporary camp, and I was talking to Cyryl and Saddat.
"Lord, are we going to attack when the Tatars retreat?" (Cyryl)
"I've thought about it and even talked to you about it, but it's not a good idea. If there were 2000 of us then yes, but there are only three hundred of us. We will attack their camp, but from the inside." (MC)
"I don't understand, Lord knows where their camp will be?" (Cyryl)
"Yes. They will set up camp near Przemyśl. We will wait when they do it and on the evening of second day Saddat will bring us as jasyr to the camp. We will have hidden knives, grenades and wineskins with Greek fire. We will wait an hour or two, free ourselves and other captives, and then we scare the horses off with a few grenades or fire." (MC)
"It will not be easy to get into the camp, if Saddat brings only the men it will be suspicious. And then, when there is panic in the camp?" (Cyryl)
I had thought about what Cyryl had said before, the solution I had would work, but it wasn't what I wanted to do ... but the war requires sacrifice.
"Once there is panic then we have to capture Khan Temir. You have a council, if there are only men it may be suspicious ... Saddat will raid some villages and capture women and children ... then we will free them anyway so no problem." (MC)
"When are we leaving?" (Saddat)
"Tomorrow, it's about 250 kilometers to Przemyśl, we'll get there earlier and prepare everything. You are a tatar, you know their habits, if you have any ideas that will make it easier for us to win, you don't have to be shy." (MC)
Unfortunately, Saddat didn't say anything that I didn't know before, the Tatars are a lethal light ride, but without horses it's poor infantry, they could fight fiercely, but they lacked training.
"Inform the soldiers of my orders." (MC)
On the way to Jazłowiec I remembered once again all the details of the battle and what I could use to my advantage.
I knew from history that I would not be alone in this battle. Field Hetman of the Crown Stanisław Koniecpolski will have 1,500 soldiers, and after a few days he will receive reinforcements, another 3,500. Thanks to this and good tactics, he will be victorious. Therefore, I had to act quickly so that the merits for the victory did not go to him.
As we had a few days of advantage, we did not rush to Przemyśl during the trip, there was no point in overworking the horses or people. Spring was coming to an end, the weather was pleasant, after nine days, on June 7, we were twenty kilometers from the city, we camped and waited for the enemy to come. From what I remembered the Tatars will reach the area on June 10 and start withdrawing on the 13th ... and I was planning our attack on the 11th.
I also ordered Saddat to go on scouts to nearby villages and see where it would be easiest for us to catch women and children ... I was still not happy with this idea, but to make an omelette you have to break a few eggs. You kill one person to save ten, you kill ten to save a hundred, you kill a hundred to save a thousand ... and then it's just a statistic.
Next day.
"Lord, I checked out a few nearby villages, we didn't come too close to not be spotted, but they will be good places to take jasyr." (Saddat)
"Well, we'll do it the day before the attack, when the Tatars are setting up camp." (MC)