Chapter 729: Changing Fate
Zubov narrowed his eyes at Małachowski and growled:
"I warn you—your actions will bring terrible disaster upon your country!"
Małachowski calmly pushed the ceasefire agreement back toward him. "We are already accustomed to disaster," he replied. "And since Russia is responsible for creating these disasters, it must return every inch of Polish land before we can even consider signing this treaty. This is the unanimous decision of our Parliament."
"The Polish Parliament's decision? Ha!" Zubov burst into mocking laughter. "You are facing three of the most powerful nations in Europe. You don't get to make demands here."
He turned toward the Prussian and Austrian negotiators, expecting their support.
However, Friedrichs, the Prussian foreign minister, merely nodded slightly.
As for Count Rheinfels of Austria, he simply stared at the ceiling and muttered, "The treaty must be signed as soon as possible."
Both men had immediately noticed that Małachowski had only demanded Russia return territory—he had said nothing about Prussia or Austria.
Poland's hostility was clearly directed at Russia, which made sense, since Russia had started the war, and the eastern front had seen the heaviest fighting.
So why should Prussia and Austria fight Russia's battles for them?
Meanwhile, Lord Grenville, the British "mediator," remained silent—after all, Britain's true goal was to weaken Russia, not to protect it.
As expected, the first round of negotiations ended in a deadlock.
At 4 PM, after making yet another empty threat, Zubov stormed out of the hall, cursing under his breath.
Małachowski, though outwardly firm, felt a deep sense of anxiety—his hands, hidden under the table, trembled slightly.
After all, he was facing three great powers, any one of which could crush Poland alone.
And he knew that Poland's national strength was at its absolute limit.
If the ceasefire was not signed, Poland would face total collapse.
Yet, he had followed Sieyès' advice in these negotiations—this Frenchman had guided Poland's policies brilliantly so far.
He could only hope that this time would be no different.
The Secret Meeting
After the royal banquet hosted by the King of Saxony, the delegations returned to their quarters.
However, an assistant of Count Rheinfels disguised himself as a servant and quietly slipped into Małachowski's residence.
After a candid discussion, the Austrian official, barely able to hide his excitement, asked:
"So, the Polish government has no objections to our terms?"
"That's right," Małachowski nodded. "Austria, like Poland, is a Catholic nation. Many Austrian volunteers even joined our Holy War against Russia. We are willing to make concessions to your country."
"But you must understand—the Polish public is filled with anti-Russian sentiment. If the Parliament does not stand firm against Russia, there will be an uproar throughout the nation!"
"Yes, yes, I completely understand."
One hour later, representatives from Prussia, Austria, and Britain gathered in Lord Grenville's room.
"Aside from war reparations and military restrictions, Poland has accepted all our conditions."
"Oh, they insist on full control of Danzig, but they will guarantee Prussian access to the port and grant Prussian merchants special privileges."
Since Danzig's economy was heavily reliant on East European trade, and Prussian merchants were a key source of revenue, Poland had no reason to block Prussian commercial access.
"So, the only thing preventing the treaty from being signed… is Russia's stance."
Friedrichs nodded. "Perhaps we should pressure Russia a bit. Frankly, if Russia had performed better in the war, we wouldn't even need to be negotiating with the Poles right now."
Grenville immediately added, "Indeed. There is no reason to continue fighting just for Russia's sake."
Britain was the most eager to end the war—only once Prussia and Austria left the Polish front could Britain pull them into the war against France.
The Turning Point
The next day, Zubov once again repeated Russia's demands in the negotiations, insisting that all of its territorial claims be met.
But this time, he was caught off guard.
"I believe we should all show sincerity in ending this war," Count Rheinfels interrupted, "especially Russia."
"What?!"
Friedrichs nodded. "Our government is already considering giving up some of our Danzig claims, even though our forces still surround the city. Meanwhile, Russia is already withdrawing from Minsk and Mozyr—demanding control over those areas now seems… unrealistic."
Zubov glared at them. "What are you saying?! Russia won this war! And now you expect us to give up our rewards?!"
Then, Grenville suddenly spoke in a quiet, measured tone:
"Count Zubov, our British investments in Donbas have already been harmed by the damage to Crimea's ports."
"..."
Zubov's eyes widened—he suddenly realized that everyone in the room was turning against him.
The Treaty of Dresden
After a week of grueling negotiations, Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Poland finally reached an agreement on the ceasefire terms.
Of course, Russia had been forced into submission by its "allies."
On March 21, 1793, the Treaty of Dresden was officially signed.
Key Terms of the Treaty:
Austria was granted the western and central parts of Sandomierz, in line with its actual occupied territory.Prussia was granted the provinces of Posen, Kalisz, and Gniezno, as well as joint administration over Danzig with Poland.Russia was only given small portions of Minsk and Mozyr—specifically, the areas east of the Dnieper River.
This represented less than 15% of the total land area of Minsk and Mozyr.
However, this was not a real loss for Russia.
The entire eastern bank of the Dnieper River was populated by Eastern Orthodox Christians, meaning that if war ever broke out again, Russia could seize the territory almost instantly.
Poland's Parliament ultimately agreed to surrender these two small regions, knowing that the Dnieper River would serve as a natural defensive barrier in any future conflict with Russia.
But no one noticed one crucial detail—
Throughout the negotiations, Małachowski insisted on using the phrase "actual occupied territories" in the treaty.
This seemingly minor wording change had been suggested by Prince Joseph, who had studied modern international disputes.
This was not a treaty where Poland "ceded territory"—it was a treaty where Poland's land had been occupied by foreign forces.
This single phrase would later become a powerful legal tool in future Polish claims to reclaim lost lands.
Of course, Russia, Prussia, and Austria didn't care—as long as they got the land, they considered the wording irrelevant.
A New Future for Poland
That afternoon, Małachowski solemnly carried the signed treaty back to Warsaw.
To him, this treaty was a humiliating defeat for Poland.
However—
Compared to the Second Partition of Poland in real history, where Poland lost 60% of its territory, this was nothing.
Through its War of Independence, Poland had forged a newfound national unity.
Its constitutional reforms had been preserved.
And most importantly—
Poland had escaped the fate of total partition and destruction.
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