Chapter 603 The Light of Hope
Chapter 604 The light of hope
Stanislaw II said with great humility:
"Your Majesty, Poland will always be under your protection. All countries know that any improvement in Poland is inseparable from your gift."
"Is that so?" Catherine II shook her head slightly, "I heard that you are constantly instilling in the people the idea that they are Polish, whether they speak Polish, Russian or German. "
Cold sweat broke out on the Polish king's back. He knew that if he said one wrong word at this time, Poland would fall into hell.
But the smile on his face became even brighter:
"Your Majesty, this is all a trick to coax those Prussians and Romanians who are unwilling to pay taxes. You have to make them feel that they are Poles before they will pay taxes to the King of Poland, right?"
The proportion of the main ethnic groups in Poland, namely Poles and Lithuanians, is not high. There are a large number of Prussians, Russians, Austrians and Romanians in the territory. This is also one of the important reasons why it is difficult for them to form a joint force to defend themselves against an invasion by a foreign enemy.
Stanislaw II continued:
“Those stupid officials in Warsaw somehow managed to spread this ‘deception’ to Ukraine. There is no need for this at all.
"Oh, if this makes you uncomfortable, I'm ordering them to stop promoting it like this now."
After more than two years of dissemination, Poland's nationalist ideas have already been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there is no need for the government to promote them.
Later, he would ask the parliament to issue a ban on promoting the idea of "Greater Poland Nation". However, ideological trends cannot be prohibited by government decrees at all. They may even trigger people's rebellious psychology and set off another wave of upsurge.
However, Russia has no excuse to embarrass the Polish government - you see, I have tried very hard, but these untouchables are disobedient, and there is nothing I can do.
Catherine II narrowed her eyes, as if accepting Stasi's explanation, and then asked:
"So is Warsaw's massive military expansion in recent months also to scare untouchables who are unwilling to pay taxes?"
Stanislaw II only felt that his scalp was tight. To be honest, if his nephew and Mr. Sieyès had not made sufficient plans for him before departure, he would definitely be so nervous that he could not speak.
Fortunately, the Tsar's problems were not unexpected.
"Your Majesty, this is just to make some money." He said pitifully, "You know, Poland's debt problem is already extremely serious."
"I think more troops will only consume more finances to maintain," the Tsar's voice was a little cold, "Tell me who you want to deal with so many troops?"
Stanislaw II tried to keep himself calm and pretended to be aggrieved:
“Your Majesty, these armies are really just a business.
“In order to make some money for the state treasury, Mavakhovsky thought of what the Bulgarians did, which was to organize useless untouchables into mercenaries.
“It happened that Austria said they needed to deal with the rebellion in Slavonia, so I asked him to recruit some people to earn commissions.
"Don't worry, I will disband these troops as soon as I finish the Austrian business. Ah, actually I don't have the money to feed so many soldiers."
Of course, this is just to delay time. As long as Russia does not object for the time being, when these recruits mature, there will be no fear of Russia having any objections again.
"Okay," Catherine II finally smiled again, "Stasi, I must remind you that only Russia sincerely protects Poland and hopes that Poland will become stronger. Leaving Russia will make Poland is in danger."
Stanislaw II hurriedly bowed and said:
"Yes, Your Majesty, please believe this is what I think too."
At noon the next day, Catherine II received Potemkin's letter.
The letter advised her not to trust Stanislaw II. After the adoption of the new constitution, Poland is gradually moving away from Russia and getting closer to a sovereign state. Russia should continue to prepare for war against Poland and not relax.
Although Potemkin was in Iasi, he received a tip from Zubov, his love rival, and learned that the Polish king was trying to influence the Tsar. So, he wrote this letter immediately.
Catherine II hesitated for a moment and threw the letter into the drawer.
In fact, there was no need for Potemkin to remind her. As one of the most capable monarchs in Europe, she had naturally seen that Stanislaw II had ulterior motives in flattering her.
But she rarely hesitated. Although all signs in Poland showed that they were preparing something, Stasi also assured her that these would be corrected.
She didn't know why, but she suddenly remembered his melancholy and vicissitudes of life, and instantly felt that she should believe him once. Poland would still be the docile and obedient protectorate it was before...
…
Southern Netherlands.
City of Ostend.
Edmund Henry Demville looked at the dozen or so sailing ships in the sunset, and felt a sense of unreality in his heart.
In the past twenty years, he never thought that he would one day become a sailor, just as he never thought that one day he would be able to pay off that terrible debt.
Old Demville tortured him for 16 years, and the only inheritance left to him was a debt of 5,300 livres.
The old drunkard's life consisted only of bad alcohol and drunkenness. Six years ago, when he was drunk, he accidentally killed a nobleman. The court sentenced him to 20 years in prison and compensated the other man's family 3,000 livres.
He was lucky enough to die before going to prison. In order to pay off the debt, Demville's mother sold off her property and borrowed from all relatives and friends who could borrow, and finally paid off the 3,000 livres.
Then, she was exhausted.
After so many years, the interest of 3,000 yuan has become more than 5,000 yuan after the interest is doubled.
When the debt-ridden Demville was desperate, Maderno, a distant relative and one of his biggest creditors, introduced him to a very lucrative job.
You can earn 1,200 francs a year. He can pay off his debt in less than 5 years!
That is to follow the "Puers Gang" to run maritime business.
At that time, Demville was still very disappointed because he had never been on a ship in his life, let alone a sailor.
However, Maderno told him that the Walloon Business Council had recently opened a new "marine business school" where one could learn how to become a seafarer. The tuition is only 30 francs, and you can study first and pay the tuition later.
Therefore, after receiving four months of surprise training, Demville successfully passed the "trainee handyman" assessment and then got a job on the "Leisure".
The boatswain of the "Leisure" promised him an annual salary of 1,350 francs, as long as he promised to go to sea with the ship 6 times a year.
