The Shadow of Great Britain

377: Chapter 225 Friends of Poland (4K8)_2 377: Chapter 225 Friends of Poland (4K8)_2 After receiving a strong assurance from Marshal Paskevich, Tsar Nicholas I swiftly revoked Marshal Zabalkansky’s position and appointed Paskevich as the commander to suppress the rebellion.

As soon as Paskevich took over, he changed Zabalkansky’s direct and brutal methods.

He cunningly ordered the Russian army to cross the Vistula River near the Prussian border, bypassing the Polish frontline defenses and advancing directly from the west towards Warsaw.

At this time, the Polish rebels were still blaming each other for a previous defeat.

Polish generals who had been defeated in the battle of Raszyn were all arrested and imprisoned on charges of treason.

After the court acquitted these generals, the agitated citizens of Warsaw stormed the prison, carried out vigilante justice, and hanged them one by one.

The rebel leader Krukowiecki, who was at the frontline, had to rush back to Warsaw overnight to calm the citizens and ordered the arrest of the leaders of the riot.

While the Poles were preoccupied with these events, the Russian army, under the leadership of Paskevich, had silently arrived at the gates of Warsaw City.

After two days of fierce fighting, Paskevich was finally able to send a satisfying message to St.

Petersburg—Your Majesty, I am honored to inform you that Warsaw is now beneath your feet.

Upon hearing the introduction from Thomas Campbell, the Frenchman Great Dumas half-opened his mouth and held his tea, then shook his head after a long pause and said, “The fighting outside is intense, but the infighting is even fiercer.

With four changes of government in just a few months, how can a good revolution be conducted?”

Hearing this, Arthur glanced at him and said, “Should the French be the ones to talk?

Monarchists, Girondists, Jacobins, the Thermidorian Faction government, not to mention the factions of Ebel, Fayeans, Chouans, the Plain, the Mountain, and then the Sans-culottes and the Royalists.

French artists’ palettes are not as rich in political factions as the Great Revolution.

Wasn’t Paris more lively than Warsaw during that time?”

If it had been a year earlier, Great Dumas would have already been arguing with Arthur, but by now the portly man’s attitude had mellowed significantly.

Great Dumas, holding his teacup, took a sip and said, “Still better than London, with only the Tory and Whig Parties, just those two dishes of turnips that the Britons have been eating for hundreds of years.

Haven’t they grown tired of them yet?”

Arthur turned his head towards Campbell and said, “So, Mr.

Campbell, the members of the Friends of Poland Literary Association you mentioned, are they political figures who fled to London after the failure of the Polish uprising?”

Campbell smiled and shook his head, “Not all, but more or less all are connected to the uprising.

Poland’s neighboring countries on land are quite hostile to the rebels, so after the uprising failed, they had no choice but to flee by sea.

You should know, after the uprising, Prussia provided the Russians with engineering and supply assistance and simultaneously sealed the borders to prevent aid personnel and weapons from entering Poland.

Austria, although initially ambiguous, also sealed its border with Poland at Russia’s request after noticing the Russian army’s difficulties.”

Great Dumas, always keen on politics, couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this.

“Metternich of Austria probably initially wanted to use Poland to bleed Russia.

But he likely didn’t anticipate Russia could fight in this manner.

If Poland had really established a republic, then he would have been in real trouble.

However, coming back to it, if the Poles had taken advantage of the favorable situation early on and decisively defeated the Russian army, it wouldn’t have been impossible for them to escape Russian control.

It’s just a pity that they wanted to negotiate while fighting, and by the time they realized they had no way out, everything was already too late.”

Arthur put down his teacup and said, “So, who are the people that need to submit to ‘The Britons’ in the Friends of Poland Literary Association you founded?”

Campbell began, “This literary association is not just my endeavor.

Another founder is Prince Chartoryski, who served as president of the Polish provisional government and a former Russian Empire Foreign Secretary.

He has a nearly completed ‘Diplomatic Essays’ that he wants to publish.

Brougham tactfully refused to publish the literary association’s articles in the ‘Edinburgh Review,’ mostly because of this manuscript.”

“After all, the Whig Party is currently the ruling party in Britain, and so the views in the ‘Edinburgh Review,’ which is essentially an organ of the Whig Party, generally represent the official diplomatic stance of the British government.

Our relationship with Russia is at least ostensibly cordial, and the Whig Party probably doesn’t want to offend the powerful Russian Tsar over a former Polish president in exile,” he continued.

Arthur tentatively asked, “Could you briefly introduce what ‘Diplomatic Essays’ is about?”

Campbell didn’t conceal from Arthur.

He replied honestly, “Prince Chartoryski is a very visionary politician.

He wants to find a place for Poland in Europe.

He wishes to draw Western Europe’s attention to the plight of this vanished nation, which, though no longer existing, is still an essential part of the European order.”

“Moreover, he believes that the efforts made by Poland for independence are closely linked to the independence movements of other disappeared nations extending east to the Caucasus.

Russia’s territory is continuously expanding westward and southward, relying on the inexhaustible natural resources from the east and north, becoming a permanent threat to Europe.”