Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 361 003 Prussians still have a way to deal with the Poles
Although Joseph Rokossovsky was a minor Polish noble, the land and serfs he received were not much.

Yes, Poland also had feudal serfdom, which seemed to be more relaxed than those in surrounding countries. As a result, a large number of Russian serfs fled to the eastern part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, it was the free veto power of these small Polish nobles that caused the country's development to stagnate and even the government decrees could not be unified.

"Why is this so?"

"I'm not some great lord, I just know that 160 years ago, the application of the free veto was expanded."

"Who was the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at that time?"

"Wladyslaw IV. He also has claims to the thrones of Moscow and Stockholm."

After hearing what the "driver" said, Solovyov recalled that this was indeed what happened when Poland invaded Moscow.

However, the more famous one is the guy called False Dimitri I. Without False Dimitri and the Great Interregnum, there would be no Romanov family being pushed forward to establish a new dynasty.

Poland is indeed a bit strange. This veto power did not completely decline after the subsequent Cossack uprising and the Great Flood.

Until the Seven Years' War, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was in a state of neutrality.

"Speaking of which, fifty years ago, Poland remained neutral."

"That's the problem, Prussia, Austria and Russia, Colonel, do you mind my saying so?"

As they said this, they were all looking at Prince Dolgorukov, who had a higher status here, but he didn't care too much.

"It seems that there is nothing wrong, Joseph, you can continue."

"In order to make up for their losses, the King of Prussia began to expand eastward."

Speaking of which, the division of Poland among Russia, Prussia and Austria has now taken shape, and the country that has benefited the most is Prussia.

Frederick the Great was indeed an excellent robber. He took advantage of the division of Gdansk, which was controlled by Poland, or Danzig in the war, which involved the grain trade along the Baltic coast.

It should be taken into account that the development of western Poland is obviously better than that of the eastern region, and the land here is fertile. It is an important grain-producing area and an important source of fiscal revenue for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The approach adopted by Frederick was gradual. Since the Poles remained neutral during the Seven Years' War and stood on the side of France, Austria and Russia, the revenge action began after the war.

First, counterfeit currency entered Poland, disrupting Poland's social and economic order and causing price fluctuations in the country.

This was just the first step. At the same time in Lithuania in the east, Empress Catherine also joined in, using the same method she later used against the Ottoman Empire.

Poland's constitutional reform in 1764 was soon declared a failure, and then the Polish and Lithuanian nobles formed an alliance to fight against the Russian army, which naturally ended in failure.

The coalition forces composed of Polish petty nobles were obviously vulnerable and failure was inevitable.

However, from Joseph Rokossovsky's point of view, the Russians meant nothing to him, but the exploitation of the Prussians was more obvious.

"As for Prussia, their king is really not as good as some kings in Polish history. The queen is a character, but no matter which side Prussia stands on, they will definitely have problems."

"What will happen?"

"How about we make a bet, just one silver coin."

"Colonel, although I am willing to make this bet with you, you are just a passer-by after all."

"It doesn't matter. I will have the opportunity to return to Poland in the future. I just don't know with what status."

"I don't want this bet, I just want to know your analysis."

Seeing this expression from his master, Solovyov did not hide anything.

"If Prussia had listened to the French, they would have faced Russia on the battlefield in the future. Their army, which could only use cleaning rods to poke gun barrels, would not be able to defeat the Russian army, but would instead be cannon fodder in front of the French. If they chose to fight France, they might suffer a tragic defeat because of underestimation of the enemy and arrogance."

After hearing this, he finally understood.

"You have been to Prussia, so you should be familiar with it."

But for a more ordinary landlord, Solovyov would not say that he could even meet someone of the Duke of Brunswick's level, and would only talk about more practical things.

Of course, this was not very friendly to Louisa's sister Mary. After all, she was the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Brunswick, and her belly was also very good, which finally solved the heir problem that the Brunswick family had always been worried about.

But what will happen to the son she gave birth to in the future?

Let’s not talk about the young wife for now. Solovyov was just telling his friends about the current situation Poland is facing.

"At this time, I think the most important thing for the Poles is that you bet on the right thing. It can't be like in the past."

Solovyov only knew that the man's surname was Rokossovsky, but he didn't know that he had a great-grandson who could beat the Germans so badly that his grandmother didn't even recognize him, because all he knew was that driver Rokossovsky's father worked on the railway.

But at least the other party is a young landlord and has some knowledge.

"Just like those stupid sirs in Warsaw, huh?"

"That's about it. The oppression of the neighboring countries and the obedient registered Cossacks and peasants in the country will lead to today's outcome. Even if Vienna was saved, it sounds like Europe was saved, but the Austrians have never had credibility."

"You seem to have a lot of experience."

"Yes, we fought against the Austrian army twice, but they were defeated in the end because they were so vulnerable, and their logistics were not well-equipped."

At this point, although Solovyov did not mention the Tsar at all, Alexander's performance was still quite poor, but the Poles could not know it.

"These Krauts."

"Let's not talk about that. When I was in Petersburg, Prince Czartoryski had a plan, hoping to have an independent Poland in the future."

But this plan is indeed quite funny. Alexander had some interest in it before, but he suffered such a defeat recently.

Ah, he might be more interested in Polish girls than in restoring Poland. And another thing Soloviev did not mention is the French interest in Poland. This cannot be discussed either. It can only be associated, not spread.

Having said this, the young man seemed quite calm and not eager to try anything like those Poles did.

"Your mood is very stable."

"Yes, Colonel. I have thought about it, but there is no need to fight. I just love life here. If there is a new Poland, I will join the army."

Ah, he is a man of the day.

This is a very good point. After all, the Polish people's gene for seeking death is not just a little bit of death, it is a very serious death-seeking gene.

Then, Solovyov was also curious. After all, he had really seen a Rokossovsky beside the Queen's former lover, the last king of Poland, so he asked at this time.

"I once met a Cyprian Rokossovsky at the Marble Palace in Petersburg. What is your relationship to him?"

"We should be considered relatives. We are both from Rokosovo Village near Poznan. We were there 400 years ago. When Jakub Rokossovsky was the Minister of Finance, our family owned vast tracts of land in Rokosovo Village. But after that, the land there was gradually divided up, and our family moved to many places. Cyprian was a servant of the former King, but he received money from Prussia and your Queen."

"This is not surprising. After all, his boss is the Queen. It's just that it's hard to say."

Prince Vasily was listening nearby, pretending not to hear anything, but he was somewhat interested in Polish history and kept listening as well.

"That's quite interesting, young man. It looks like your family is quite large."

"It is true, but our home is close to Warsaw, and these lands."

As for the later Polish nobles, they divided up the lands owned by the previous great nobles, and that was also very clear.

The Poles themselves always like to find someone to take the blame, and there are always a lot of scapegoats.

"That means there is an independent Poland, which can only continue to exist by relying on a powerful foreign country."

If Alexander were still alive and had agreed to an independent or semi-independent Poland, perhaps thanks to his personal connections, the country would still be able to exist.

But if Poland jumps out to commit suicide again in the future, and if the Tsar is replaced by a tsar after Nicholas, then this pretentious Poland will no longer exist.

As for the Polish talent for seeking death, it is probably that they never find the right time to launch an uprising, especially during the first and third partitions of Poland, when they were the ones who jumped out and ended up getting beaten.

The Poles mainly resent Russia, even though the land Russia occupies is rotten, its territory is very large.

But over there, it's either swamps or wastelands. Only the Polish territory near Kiev has been developed, but under the exploitative rule of the Polish nobles, it's not that great.

After all, from what I knew from Bao Hong and from the stories I heard in Poland, the protagonist in "Fire and Sword" was a famous bastard.

To be honest, Prussia used a more brutal stick than Russia to exploit the Polish landlords and common people, but no one hated them and only dared to fire at the Russians.

To be honest, if Poles serve as officers in Russia, because Russia has always been a major cavalry country and has a higher cultural level than the Russians, they are admitted as officers based on their merits, and their status is even slightly higher than that of officers in Russia.

On the Austrian side, the Poles' position is also stronger than that of Prussia.

Solovyov chatted with Joseph Rokossovsky for a while and heard from him that Prussia's taxes on Poland were also not light. This sustainable method of draining the pond to catch fish could also bring a lot of financial revenue to Prussia.

If Poland were separated from Prussia, it would be a heavy blow, just like separating northern Italy from Austria, removing the colony of St. Domingo from France, and leaving Britain without India.

But Prussia was able to do this, and when Frederick the Great was alive, it used the army that was assembled from conscripted men to create a "glorious reputation", which could be used to hold on for a while. For Poland, this could be said to be a dimensionality reduction attack.

Not to mention that ten years ago, in order to deal with the Poles resisting in Warsaw, the Prussians called Suvorov over. The Poles were also very clear about their current situation.

But the Poles still hope to be independent, and if necessary, they can use any means, including beautiful Polish girls.

No matter whether it is Alexander now or Napoleon in the future, they are all very interested in strong, fit and attractive Polish girls, and these young wives are all expected by the Polish nobles.

But one thing is certain, that is, it is somewhat ridiculous for the Polish nobles to expect to use mistresses to influence a monarch.

While they were staying at the small Rokossovsky estate, the weather was bad because of the snow, which delayed their visit for several days.

After all, the women came in horse-drawn carriages, and sleds are rarely available in Poland.

Solovyov then remembered that when he was in Sweden, he was escorting Louisa's parents back to Karlsruhe and they had a car accident in Sweden.

Therefore, he also suggested to Prince Vasily that he stay with Joseph Rokossovsky for a few more days, and of course pay more rent.

However, this young nobleman was very simple and honest. He believed that as a host, it was his duty to warmly entertain guests. If there had not been a cavalry squadron following them, he would not have taken a penny.

"Joseph, if you marry and have children in the future, the offspring you educate will surely be outstanding."

"I hope so, but I don't know where my future daughter-in-law is."

"me too."

However, when they were discussing the issue of wives, little Katya passed by them with her sister Sonya.

Solovyov regarded them both as his sisters and imagined what kind of husband Katya would have in the future. As for Sonya, she was too young and not even old enough to attend a noble girls' school, so she was not within his imagination.

"But at your age, I have to say that you are already a colonel at the age of 24. You should have a good future. In Poland, a colonel is already a leader among military officers. In the past, the highest rank of the registered Cossacks was usually a colonel, and there was only one Hetman."

"But now all these Cossacks are in Russia. Bao Hong's ancestors were registered Cossacks, weren't they, Ivan?"

"Ah, that's right, Colonel. My ancestor is Ivan Bauchon, one of the four great colonels under Khlimenitsky, who has always caused trouble for Poland. My father and I were named after him."

Although this may not be very friendly to Poland, it is all in the past. On the contrary, it was the Prussians who had more trouble facing the Poles.

(End of this chapter)