Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 687 - 596: The Song of Poland II
Chapter 687: Chapter 596: The Song of Poland II
Poland, despite its vast Eastern European plain and rich mineral resources, along with convenient inland water transportation, was brought to the brink of collapse by its incredibly foolish political system.
At present, Poland hardly had any semblance of industry, with its financial mainstay being grain exports. However, due to serfdom, grain production wasn’t particularly high either.
Thus, Poland was quite poor, and military funding was severely limited.
Under the previous surge of nationalism, many Poles were eager to join the military, but the nation simply couldn’t afford to maintain them.
France’s finances were also tight, so naturally, it wouldn’t dispense funds for aid as Britain did.
The solution Joseph had for Poland was to fully exploit the Tarnovsk Mountain Silver Mine.
In his memory, this was the world’s largest silver mine in the 21st century, with an annual output of thousands of tons.
However, he had learned from Brian that the current output of this silver mine was less than 30,000 pounds, or about 14 tons, which if minted, would be worth roughly 2 million francs.
Therefore, Joseph deduced that the vast majority of this silver mine was still unexplored. If they could increase the mining output by six or seven times, it would easily solve Poland’s military spending issues.
This time, he even had Sais bring several French geologists to Poland. Once the new mine began excavation, France could also invest and earn some additional profit.
Prince Poniatowski heard this and shook his head helplessly, “I’m afraid you might not be fully aware of the situation in Krakow. We’ve already exploited what we could there.
“Indeed, there are many places around where mineral layers have been found, but the location of these veins is deep, requiring the digging of underground tunnels for mining. However, Krakow has a lot of groundwater. Most tunnels would be inundated by groundwater after just three or four days…”
This was beyond Sais’s expertise, so he could only say helplessly, “I will consult Mr. Peche about this matter.”
Peche was the geologist who had come with him to Poland.
The dinner ended quickly, and the next day King Stanisław August Poniatowski, along with his nephew, took Sais to inspect Poland’s most elite infantry division.
In the camp, thousands of soldiers fully equipped in Prussian gear formed neat squares to be inspected.
A high-nosed officer with a rugged face swung his saber and shouted, “Begin the inspection!”
The surrounding military music immediately started playing, and the soldiers began demonstrating the transition from square formations to attack columns. The entire process was quite swift and orderly, reaching the standards of the old French army.
Pointing to that officer, Prince Poniatowski introduced him to Sais, “Crown Prince once recommended General Tadeusz Kosciuszko to me, oh, at that time he was still a Lieutenant Colonel. So, I tried entrusting a military unit to him.
“Clearly, the Crown Prince was right. General Kosciuszko quickly showed his talent in command. He has now been promoted to Vice Admiral, serving as the Commander of the third King’s Domain Infantry Division guarding Warren.”
Warren was a strategic location in south-central Poland, with sixty percent of the Polish army stationed there. In other words, Kosciuszko was now almost the second most important figure in the Polish army.
This Polish national hero, who had never been defeated in “Secondary Matches,” was, due to Joseph’s intervention, being advanced in his career two years early.
With these two additional years of integration with the army, he was bound to play a stronger role in the battle against invasion.
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Prince Poniatowski continued, “Of course, aside from the two King’s Domain Divisions, the combat effectiveness of the other troops is still far from that of the Russian Army, not to mention the newly recruited soldiers.
“If only I had a few more years, I am confident I could make the military’s combat power surpass that of the Russians.”
Sais said, “But you don’t have that much time. This time I also brought gunsmiths, who will help you increase the production and quality of the weapons.”
“Oh, right, the Crown Prince also suggests you reinstate the Winged Cavalry.”
“Winged Cavalry?” The Prince laughed and shook his head, “Their glory has been left in the legends, now, in the current battles, those wings are of little use beyond intimidation.”
“No, they are useful.” Sais retorted, “They are the pride of Poland, a symbol of spirit. You don’t need to equip the Winged Cavalry with heavy armor like before, but just wearing those wings will inspire high morale among all soldiers!”
“This,” the Prince hesitated, but out of respect for his French friends, he nodded, “all right, I’ll start by forming a Cavalry Camp to try it out.”
Sais repeated to the Prince Joseph’s suggestions on military organization, then added, “The Crown Prince has another suggestion that could buy Poland time, only…”
He looked towards Stanisław II: “This requires a certain sacrifice from His Majesty the King.”
“I am willing to give up everything for Poland.” The latter said without hesitation.
He was not just mouthing platitudes; in history, he was even willing to abdicate the throne to promote the unity of Poland. However, his ability to govern was quite average, and he ultimately could only watch helplessly as his nation fell apart.
Sais bowed to him and then said, “His Highness suggests you could spend more time in Saint Petersburg. The Tsar will still be fond of you; you need to show as much submission to her on behalf of Poland as possible.”
“How can that be?!” Prince Poniatowski immediately objected, “His Majesty represents Poland, he needs to preside over the situation in Warsaw!”
“This is just a suggestion.” Sais said firmly but politely, “Forgive my frankness, but those nobles have been smearing His Majesty as an agent of Russia, so… His Majesty’s domestic support is not very high.”
Stanisław II took a deep breath and nodded, “You are right, and I can also go to Russia. However, if the Polish people know that their King went to appease the Tsar, it would be disheartening…”
“If it’s a matter of groundwater…”
Joseph suddenly had an idea and asked Eman to find an expert in geology from the University of Paris.
Shaft drainage is an engineering measure consisting of arranging well clusters to pump out groundwater, controlling the water table. Shaft drainage can create a regional, widespread decline in the water table.
