August 1691.
"Long live His Majesty King Jan III Sobieski!"
As Jan III arrived in Lwów, the lined-up soldiers cheered. The King exchanged greetings with the commanders one by one. Finally, he shared a smile filled with laughter with Jabłonowski and hugged him lightly.
"My friend, have you been well?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The two rode side by side and inspected the soldiers ready for deployment.
"It seems the preparations are somewhat done."
Jabłonowski didn't bother adding other words. Honestly, if Jan III had inspected the troops personally like last time, he would have instantly discovered that the current Polish army was full of holes. Or maybe the King also said that because he didn't want to needlessly dampen the mood before the expedition.
Instead, Jabłonowski changed the topic.
"Is your health alright?"
"I am fine."
Jan III looked fine on the outside. He deliberately showed himself riding a horse alone without being supported. But it was clear that he was holding on with all his might. Everyone knew well that the King's health was not good. Just like attempting an expedition now while he could barely move himself.
"Your Majesty, perhaps returning to Warsaw and recuperating a little more..."
"Hetman."
Jan III put on a serious face. Jabłonowski shut his mouth.
"If it goes on like this, Poland has no future. You know it well too."
Jan III patted his friend's shoulder with effort.
"Now, and I didn't come alone. My sons came with me too."
That is the problem. That son.
Swallowing words he would absolutely never say, Jabłonowski bowed his head to the Princes behind Jan III.
"Your Highness Jakub, Your Highness Aleksander."
"Oh, Grand Hetman. Long time no see."
Jakub Ludwik Sobieski. Jan III's eldest son who had now turned twenty-four.
"You have worked hard in the meantime."
"Not at all, Your Highness."
Personally, Jabłonowski didn't hate this Prince. He was a man with a bright and generous personality, and his appearance was attractive too. He was also an excellent dancer. When he was in the ballroom, he had elegance and dignity that received the attention of all kinds of women. His knowledge was extensive, and he was skilled in arts and music too.
But Poland didn't need an Artist King right now.
Your Majesty, do you really intend to pass the succession to this greenhorn?
Jabłonowski was loyal to Jan III. If Jakub had possessed even half of Jan III's military qualities, maybe he would support Jakub in the royal election after Jan III passed away.
But Jakub had absolutely no talent, to the point where it could be said he was hopeless in military matters.
Jan III knew that too. That's why he passed some of his military achievements to his eldest son at the Battle of Vienna and packaged it plausibly, but most nobles knew it all. That Jakub was monarch material completely unsuitable for the current Poland facing a crisis.
However, he couldn't support Prince Aleksander behind Jakub either. That kid was only fourteen years old. He was sickly, and more introverted than Jakub. But Jan III was desperate. That desperation made him make unreasonable moves.
"Jakub, you shall act as the Field Hetman, which is currently vacant."
The King gave the order. The commanders buzzed.
A Hetman in Poland meant a commander. There could be a total of four Hetmans in the Commonwealth. The Grand Crown Hetman and the Field Hetman assisting him. Since Poland-Lithuania was a Commonwealth of two nations, two existed in Poland and two in Lithuania.
The rank of the Grand Crown Hetman was higher. Actually, in peacetime, they were in charge of administration. But in wartime, the Field Hetman was in charge of strategy and tactics. It might be part of the power check between Hetmans.
Jabłonowski closed his eyes tight at the dizziness. He wondered if he would really do it, but to think he really did.
"I understand, Your Majesty."
As if the father and son had already agreed in advance, Jakub bravely accepted the proposal for the acting Field Hetman position. The commanders applauded weakly.
—Cough, Keu-heum.
Jan III held back his cough with his best effort. He also noticed the gazes looking at him and his son with anxious faces. But what can be done? This is the only answer.
I have to do my best for him.
Jan III looked at Jakub with an anxious face. His body wasn't sound, and his mind was breaking these days, but if he leads this expedition to success, it will be fine. He didn't want to repeat the failure of the Moldavian expedition 5 years ago. In both military and diplomatic aspects, this operation was nominally commanded mostly by Jakub's hands. Still, Jan was determined to exert the maximum effort he could give. If he failed this time, there was no next time.
"March!"
At Jakub's command, 30,000 Polish troops departed from Lwów where they were stationed.
❋ ❋ ❋
Poland returned to the Great Turkish War front again in August 1691.
Right now, Eastern Europe was at war with the Ottomans. The power of the Ottoman Empire was truly tremendous, so not just one or two countries, but numerous surrounding countries had to unite to oppose it.
The force opposing the Ottomans at this point was called the Holy League. The Papal States, the Holy Roman Empire, the Tsardom of Rus, Venice, and the Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth belonged to it.
The main front of the Holy League was the Hungarian theater. Right now, Margrave Ludwig of Baden-Baden would be looking for an opportunity to attack the Ottomans by rallying the Holy Roman Empire's troops and Serbian militia. Jan III decided to move at this time when the Ottomans' attention was focused on the Holy Roman Empire.
The target wasn't actually the Ottomans. Unless there was full support from the Sejm (Parliament), Poland wasn't prepared to wage an all-out war with the Ottomans right now.
So, precisely speaking, the target of this war was the Principality of Moldavia, a vassal state of the Ottomans.
Actually, it was a difference in nuance. If Poland attacks Moldavia, the Ottomans will intervene.
But Jan III was convinced that the Ottomans wouldn't bother coming out of the comfortable Kamieniec Podolski fortress.
The Ottomans after the Siege of Vienna were also finding the Great Turkish War difficult. Furthermore, the Ottomans had suffered tremendous humiliation from Jan III at Khotyn right below the Kamieniec fortress. The Ottomans must still be afraid of Jan III.
The deployed Polish army passed Stanisławów (Ivano-Frankivsk) and marched into the territory of the Principality of Moldavia.
And the Polish army discovered the Moldavian-Tatar (Budjak Nogai Tatar) forces for the first time at a small river near Śniatyn.
Those who discovered them were Jeong-hun's Winged Hussars.
Cavalry traditionally took charge of scouting.
Heavy cavalry was no exception. Until right before the all-out battle, the Winged Hussars lightly armed themselves and took on the mission of close-range scouting to supplement the blind spots of light cavalry running long distances. They also took on the mission of a tactical strike team to block the enemy's pursuit or surprise attack just in case.
"Lieutenant! Enemies approaching!"
"Really?"
The commander took out a telescope. He looked in the direction Jeong-hun pointed for a while and asked back instead.
"What? Over there?"
"..."
Jeong-hun was frustrated but informed him kindly. Only then did the commander discover whitish dots whose shapes were unrecognizable beyond the horizon.
"Five lightly armed Budjak Tatar cavalrymen."
He sees this?
The commander acknowledged. The Tatar who was a headache for his unit was now their treasure. With him, promotion was no problem.
"Right, is it possible?"
Jeong-hun thought deeply. They haven't discovered us yet. It's a distance where they can't discover even using a telescope, the cutting-edge modern civilization of Europe, so how can they see?
So we can seize the opportunity for a surprise attack first.
Jeong-hun calculated the movement of the enemy scouts.
Since there is a river, movement is restricted. If they avoid the small marshes next to the river, eventually they will ride up that low ridge, but they will choose the boundary between the forest and the field where they can escape anytime without their vision being obstructed.
Then there is only one way to come.
Jeong-hun nodded. The Lieutenant checked once again.
"There are no more, right?"
"There are none behind them."
"Right, everyone take off your armor! Execute!"
The Winged Hussars took off their armor. It was shiny, and primarily heavy. The Winged Hussars, who quickly turned into lightly armed cavalry, sprinted avoiding their eyes.
The enemy scouts approached via the path Jeong-hun expected. They, who laid their horses down between trees and held their breath, attacked immediately as the Budjak Tatar scouts came close.
[Bang-bang-bang!]
[Neigh!]
The horses were startled by the sound of pistols. Two scouts died instantly and fell. The remaining two ran away immediately but were hit by arrows and guns and died.
The remaining one avoided the immediate bullets and arrows. He retreated at full speed in the opposite direction from where they came. No, he tried to.
"Keuh-heuk."
The Budjak Tatar scout who was running away while looking back paid the price for not looking forward. He felt a tremendous impact on his chest instantly. A sense of exhaustion followed, and soon he felt his body soaring into the sky. Jeong-hun, who had blocked the retreat path long ago, pierced the Budjak Tatar with his Koncerz, took his horse, and returned to the unit. No emotion was felt about the first murder.
"We have a Joseon Tatar too."
Bojan giggled with the surrounding colleagues. At least now, thanks to the training so far and Jeong-hun's own education, they call him Joseon Tatar. Should he be grateful for that? Jeong-hun ignored their reaction and asked the commander.
"What do you intend to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"You saw the direction the enemy came from. Not south, but slightly from the northeast. If we go a little further, we can obtain definite information."
"...Hmm."
The commander blinked his eyes. Jeong-hun was very frustrated. This guy is a Noble and an officer, so he must have received some military education.
But the commander also had something to say. He couldn't understand the thoughts of the Joseon Tatar who omitted everything front and back and threw only the core out of nowhere.
"Moisture remained on the horses and their leather gear."
"Uh... So?"
"But looking at the direction, they wouldn't have crossed the Prut River. Then they must have crossed the Dniester River, which is the river directly north."
"Then the enemy campsite..."
"Yes. Probability is high that they are stationed at the Dniester River. Since they can't stay that far from the river anyway to resolve drinking water."
Do I have to explain this? While Jeong-hun sighed inwardly, the commander swept down the goosebumps that rose on his forearm. This kind of inference was possible only for a very few people. Really seeing the view widely. This view didn't mean the visual acuity of the eyes. Let alone this guy has good vision too.
"Let's go."
❋ ❋ ❋
—The Budjak Tatar army is stationed at the village of Handrykowce.
The scout's report came in. Jan III jumped up.
"You discovered them first? And you annihilated all the enemy scouts?"
"That is correct."
All wars are information warfare. Information superiority was more important in the middle ages than in the modern times Jeong-hun lived in. Jan III noticed what this situation meant. The enemy doesn't know our location, and we know the enemy's location. Furthermore, the distance is within the 'distance of cavalry'.
Undoubtedly the best opportunity. To think he could obtain such an opportunity as soon as the war started.
"Summon all Winged Hussars! Jakub, you prepare too!"
At Jan's immediate command, Jakub jumped up from his seat without knowing the reason. Seeing that, Jan III sighed and came out of the tent.
Outside, the Winged Hussars who established merit in scouting had dismounted. Jan III, who praised the Winged Hussar commander who made the report, opened his eyes wide seeing a young man standing behind the commander.
"...You?"
The Winged Hussar commander realized that his subordinate was standing at the tip of the King's finger.
The commander didn't know about the relationship between Jeong-hun and Jan. Therefore, he exerted minimal effort to protect his fairly useful subordinate from the King who might distrust the current intelligence just because he is a Tatar. It will be fine if he explains. Since Jan III is the party concerned who issued the order forbidding conflict over race and origin within the army.
"Your Majesty, this person established merit. His sense of seeing the view and the front line is excellent."
"..."
"Furthermore, this person is not a Budjak Tatar but a Joseon Tatar..."
"We know too."
"Pardon?"
The commander inadvertently asked back to the King. But Jan III couldn't even pay attention. Isn't it because of this guy that his lovely daughter ran away to a convent at night?
While doing so, he felt a strange feeling again. He enlisted him in the Winged Hussars, but why of all times does that guy appear in front of him at this moment? And why did they discover them thanks to this guy?
"Your Majesty, time is..."
As Jabłonowski spoke, Jan came to his senses. He beckoned Jeong-hun.
"You become the guide."
❋ ❋ ❋
Behind, the King and the Prince, and numerous Winged Hussar units were maneuvering quietly.
To hide even the sound, they all packed leather armor instead of steel armor. They removed secondary weapons as much as possible too.
They arrived soon. Too quickly, they adopted a perfect route.
"...It's true."
Jan III put the telescope back into his bosom. Even Jan III, who went to so many wars, couldn't believe this situation. Is this Joseon Tatar really not pushing us into a trap?
But why did he bother to come to his court and hug his daughter?
Jan III erased that hideous and blasphemous sight from his head. Now he had to focus on the sight in front of his eyes. It is not an act. The enemy forces were camping between subtle tension and relaxation. It was a perfect opportunity.
Even this perfect opportunity didn't have many hours left. If they delay time more, it was clear that they would move to another place in the worst situation where scouts didn't come. There was no way the Budjak Tatars, who were inferior in troops, armaments, and commanders, would choose an all-out war with the Polish army.
It was clear that they would hold their breath in this vicinity and focus on cutting off the supply line when Poland finally crossed the Prut River and advanced south. It is a big trouble if left alone.
The enemy troops are about four thousand, so not that many. But Poland, which ran leaving all the slow-maneuvering infantry and artillery behind, had fewer troops than that right now. However, no one around dared to doubt victory.
The King nodded to Jakub. Jakub swallowed his saliva and drew his sword.
"Charge!"
(End of Chapter)
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