Seeing several people in the room 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: "There is a large source of troops in the military settlements of Lubny and Poltava, and the people there are filled with hatred for Alexander.
We should take advantage of Kutuzov being unable to attend to us, and quickly occupy these places. As long as we promise the serfs in the settlements land, and at most a few rubles, they will not resist at all; they may even join us.
"Then we can continue heading south, where there are many Cossack camps, and even head towards the Danube River to ally with the Cossack Sech of Katerynivka."
The so-called "Sech" refers to a type of fortification that Cossacks built on the plains, which later became a synonym for a large Cossack autonomous region. [Note 1]
