In the middle of October we managed to return to Jazłowiec ... in a month we covered almost 3,000 kilometers, in the 17th century it was quite an achievement.
With the recruitment of several Lisowczyków companies, I decided to wait until the new year ... it was an effective military formation, but unfortunately also double-edged sword. As they did not receive any wages for their service in the army, they made a living by robbing the enemy, anyone could serve in this formation, sometimes there were nobles, Cossacks, Armenians or even Jews in one company, but Jews were rare. However, when the war ended and they returned to the country, they sometimes attacked towns and villages.
"Lord, several letters arrived in your absence, and several weapons were sent from Tarnów." (Secretary Kowalski)
One of the letters was from Aleksander Gosiewski, he thanked me for additional cannons, food and asked about the state of my preparations... I wrote back to him immediately about my actions, I advised him and in a letter he called a mass mobilization, in practice any voivode could do it, but if some landowner did not appear on the summons, he received at most a small financial penalty. It was different in the Smolensk Province, the law was stricter. For failing to appear at the voivode's call, land and noble status were lost... This applied not only to the nobility, but to every landowner in Smolensk Province. In this simple way, Gosiewski will be able to call into arms several hundred additional people.
Compared to the 30,000 or 40,000 Muscovite troops it does not seem like much, but a siege is not a battle in the open field, many times in history there have been cases where small groups of defenders stopped the march of large armies.
The next day I was able to focus on testing the gun ... but the effects were not good, the gun was more accurate, the bullet penetration was greater ... but the maximum distance while keeping accuracy was only 50 meters. The magazine was also reduced, now it only held five bullets. The weight of the weapon itself has also increased, mainly due to a longer barrel and a tripod to ensure better stability. After a few tests, you could fire up to 50 rounds per minute, but only if you had a stock of charged magazines.
It was not a successful project, but it was not a complete failure either. At close range, it was perfect for clearing the field of enemy soldiers... I sent a message to Tarnów, ordering the production of 100 copies according to this design and 500 spare magazines ... I also put comments in the letter regarding the construction itself, weight, inability to detach the tripod, but all these defects were to be dealt with by the gunsmiths later.
"Did you hire teachers for Piotr and Katarzyna?" (MC)
"Yes, Lord. Two in Lviv, the rest in Warsaw." (Secretary Kowalski)
"Very good. I'm sorry to say this because you've been serving in my family for years ... but while you still can, choose and train your successor to the position of secretary. I wish you to live many years, but none of us knows what awaits us in the future." (MC)
Although my relationship with Kowalski has varied from time to time, he was a good servant and he usually followed all my orders, whether he liked it or not. Maybe I didn't always like him expressing his opinions out loud, but well ... opinion is like an ass, everyone has theirs.
"I understand, please do not worry, I will find a suitable candidate who will replace me ... If the old Lord could see it ... Jazłowiecki became Hetman." (Secretary Kowalski)
"Enough of these sentiments ... and knowing my father, he would probably scold me. If I am a Hetman, why not attack the Turks?... My father..." (MC)
For the next weeks I supervised the production of Greek fire, grenades and everything I needed to besiege Moscow. I was also a frequent guest in Kamieniec Podolski, as a Hetman I was responsible for the security of the south-eastern border, but at the moment the border was secured, the Tatars were my silent ally, the Cossacks also kept quiet, and the Ottomans played with a bucket and a shovel in the sand.
Even though I was not afraid of the attack, I made sure that the garrison stationed in Kamieniec Podolski was well equipped, I gave them a few cannons, two hundred muskets and I paid each soldier one hundred ducats from my own pocket, which increased their morale, and allowed me to buy their loyalty rather cheaply. Unfortunately, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth did not always treat its soldiers well, it often happened that they did not receive their pay on time.
Apart from the duties of the Hetman, I also had the duties of the Voivode, but it was more a pleasure than a duty, I managed to get some land again, I was also very happy to help a woman in need, mainly in court or inheritance cases, but not every woman, but only those pretty and those who understood that in order to get something they must first give something.
(Johan Müller / Tsar Michał I Romanow POV)
"Your Majesty, Gustav Adolf, informing me in a letter that the cost of maintaining the foreign army has decreased from 100,000 rubles to 80,000. The King of Sweden also promises to send 2,000 of his own soldiers to help besiege Smolensk." (Johan Müller)
"Ambassador, why such a sudden change in the behavior of your King. If he wants to attack the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth so much, why not attack it with me?" (Tsar Michał)
"We have a truce and we cannot break it. Who is the ruler who does not honor the peace he has made." (Johan Müller)
"And sending 2,000 Swedish soldiers is not breaking the peace?" (Tsar Michał)
"They're free people and they can do whatever they want." (Johan Müller)
"A very clever solution, but Ambassador, do you really think Poles will believe it?" (Tsar Michał)
(End POV)