The Romanov War (1726-)

[TLS]

The Romanov War (1726-)

Combatants (as of Winter, 1729)

Anti-Russian Alliance
-Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
-Romanov Grand Duchy of Moscow

Khaganate of Russia

Winter, 1726

With the declaration of war by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Khaganate comes an opportunity for another Russian foe, Sweden, to avenge some of its losses. Buoyed by Polish promises of new land and African holdings, despite their antipathy towards Poland, the Kingdom of Sweden follows the Poles in declaring war on the Khaganate in January of 1726. The winter hampers the ability of any of the states to begin moving towards war, but this does not mean the season passes without bloodshed.

Within Rus, particularly towards the western parts of the realm, there are some boyars with buyer’s remorse at the changes enacted by their increasingly despotic Khagan. News of the reappearance of a Romanov woman, buoyed by Polish arms, gives hope to some that this dark time can be put away quickly. However, when Romanov partisans try to stir up revolt against the Khagan in the frontier armies—particularly in Novgorod and Kharkov—they are apprehended and brutally, and publicly, murdered in the most gruesome ways. They’re flayed alive, or dropped into vats of boiling tar, or impaled, or any manner of brutal punishment. The Khagan’s lieutenants and commanders, in particular, are fiercely loyal to their sovereign.

The rebellious faction is not without any successes, and the smaller border fortress at Pskov is wrested from the hands of the Khagan and raises the Romanov standard. The garrison sends urgent messages over the border to the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth asking for reinforcements with the coming of Spring, lest they be overwhelmed by the Khagan’s armies. The Russians begin impressing serfs into military service, amassing bodies to throw into the cogs of the Polish war machine. All the while, the Khagan broods in the Kazan Kremlin, savoring the prospect of spilling his enemies’ blood.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Winter

Russians

Fixed Installations
-5 Fortresses (Moscow, Kharkov, Tver, Kazan, Novgorod)
-9 Garrisons (Moscow, Kharkov, Tver, Kazan, Novgorod, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Muscovy Army (Moscow)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Novgorod Army (Novgorod)
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Ukraine Army (Kharkov)
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanov Rebels

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)

Royal Army (Stockholm)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Army of Ingria (Vyborg)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigade

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-11 Garrison Brigades (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Army of Livonia (Riga)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Militia Infantry Brigades

Royal Army of Poland (Smolensk)
-9 Infantry Brigades
-5 Cavalry Brigades
-6 Militia Infantry Brigades

Army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Kiev)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

[TLS]

Spring, 1726

The Swedes and Poles start the campaigning season with a number of concerted forays into the Russian heartland. The twin poles of Old Rus, Novgorod and Moscow, are their goals for conquest—Poland has already emerged triumphant in previous sieges of Moscow, two decades prior, and is eager to demonstrate its capacity to do so again. Simultaneously, the Swedes see an opportunity to claim a larger share of the Russian pie than is necessarily their due by forcing the Russians out of Novgorod.

The Swedes, then, make a quick march to lay Novgorod under siege. Intent on dictating the reality on the ground before the arrival of their Polish allies, they elect to move their army before it is reinforced by sea. Double-timing past the ruins of what would have become St. Petersburg, a monument to the hubris of the man who dared to thieve Ingria from Sweden and plunge Russia into this mess, the Swedes arrive outside the gates of the Russian citadel at the beginning of May—nearly a month before their own reinforcements can arrive and two weeks before the earliest allied soldiers will arrive from Livonia. The commander of the Russian garrison, seeing that the Northmen dare to claim to besiege his city with a smaller force, elects to march out and drive the Swedes away.

Battle of Novgorod, May 3

Sweden
-4 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigade

Rus
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 Fortress

Though the Swedes are outnumbered, they take solace in the strength of their arms and the skill of their officers (because a TL2.5 unit is attacking a TL3 unit, the Swedes get a FF turn. The Russian Fortress does not count as a unit in the FF turn, because it isn’t “attacking”, it’s firing from the battlements). The Russian horde thunders out of the gore-specked walls of the Slavic fortress, intent on sweeping the invader aside, when it is met by concentrated volley after concentrated volley of precise Swedish marksmanship (FF turn: Swedes shatter 2 LI inf brigs, 1 cav brig, 1 garrison brig). The Russians push on, undeterred by their heavy losses and propelled forward by raving priests waving totemic icons and chanting guttural incantations.

The Russian mass slams into the Swedish line, inconsistent volleys being followed by mad rushes of warriors with scythes and pikes. The Swedes hold firm as they can, consistently unloading on the attackers, and give more than they get from their enemies (MF turn: Sweden rolls 3 hits, shatters 2 Light Inf Brigs and a Cav Brig, while Russians roll 2 hits, shattering 1 Inf Brig and 1 Cav Brig). The Russian line finally begins to falter under the fire and the loss of cavalry, and the remaining Russians begin to fall back towards the Novgorod Kremlin.

The Swedish commander decides to exploit the opportunity and follow the Russians into the city and to take it, rather than have the glory of his hard-fought victory be stolen by the arrival of Polish reinforcements. The tables have thus been flipped (the Russians are now on the defensive, giving them the FF turn, but the chaos of the defense means that they don’t get a defensive bonus) but the payoff is high enough that the Swedes risk it.

The Scandinavians, like the ancestors of the Rus themselves, tear through the Russian defenses with ease (MF turn the Russians roll 0x) and plunge right into the thick of the fighting. Their backs against the wall, and worked into a killing frenzy, the Russians fight furiously to push back their attackers, cutting their numbers significantly. However, even against this redoubled effort the Swedish are able to keep their professional military minds about them, and finally overpower the defenders (MF turn: Russia rolls 2x, shattering 2 Swedish inf brigs, while the Swedes roll 2x, shattering the LI brig and Fortress and capturing the city).

Casualties of the Battle of Novgorod

Sweden
-3 Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 infantry brigade, 1 light infantry regiment
-1 Cavalry Brigade shattered, reduced to 1 cavalry regiment

Rus
-5 Light Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 Light Infantry Brigade
-2 Cavalry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 Cavalry Regiment
-1 Garrison Brigade, shattered, destroyed
-1 Fortress, shattered, destroyed

Because many of the Russian forces were defeated outside the city walls, and the Swedes chose to pursue into the city, a small fraction of the Russian host escapes from the fall of the city and make it to the closest (but still quite far) friendly fortress at Tver by the end of the season. The Swedes are sitting pretty in their conquest, with blue and gold banners fluttering in the breeze, when the Livonian Army, commanded by the King’s bastard Maurice, arrives a few weeks later. The Swedish commander pleads poverty and cramped quarters and asks that his ally camp his army outside the city, though the Swedes are more than happy to supply the Poles now and on their march towards the heart of Muscovy. The Polish commander begrudgingly accepts, seeing the city is clearly still affected by the recent fighting, but is none too pleased when the Swedish reinforcements arrive a few weeks later and are let into the city proper with seemingly no issue.

Further south the Grand Crown Hetman, Stanisław Chomętowski, marches the great army of the Commonwealth on the road from Smolensk to Moscow. The ponderous force makes it to the gates of the old capital of Muscovy in mid-April, but the commander at Moscow, unlike in Novgorod, decides that his best chance is to remain behind the walls of his citadel. The Polish army is undoubtedly larger, but has a huge component of Militia—some of which is bound to melt away, as it is serving so far from home. Meanwhile, the Khagan has begun the march of his great army East, from Kazan. His army arrives at the village of Zuyevo, a week’s march away, in late June, as the city continues in it siege.

Finally, on the Ukrainian frontier, the Poles and Russians remain in a standoff through the season. Both nations have committed the greatest bulk of their armies to the northern theaters, and thus are primarily in the defensive. The short distance between Kiev and Kharkov is criss-crossed by raiding parties and scouts, but neither side feels sufficiently secure to move en masse against their enemy.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Spring

Russians

Fixed Installations
-4 Fortresses (Moscow, Kharkov, Tver, Kazan)
-8 Garrisons (Moscow, Kharkov, Tver, Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Zuyevo)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Tver Army (Tver)
-1 Light Infantry Brigade
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Muscovy Army (Moscow)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Ukraine Army (Kharkov)
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanov Rebels

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)

Army of Ingria (Novgorod)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-11 Garrison Brigades (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Army of Livonia (Novgorod)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Militia Infantry Brigades

Royal Army of Poland (Besieging Moscow)
-9 Infantry Brigades
-5 Cavalry Brigades
-6 Militia Infantry Brigades

Army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Kiev)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

[TLS]

Summer, 1726

The July sun, surprisingly hot for such a northern clime, hangs overhead as the Poles continue to attempt to wait out the defenders of Moscow. Though the Polish army is large, some of its number is inflated—the Militia units which constitute a third of the army are operating far outside their base area and they have spent the preceding few weeks melting away (per the rules, the 6 Militia Brigades are operating more than 100 miles from their base and over a border, and so they each make a roll on a d2 to see if they desert. 3 of them roll to stay, 3 roll to desert.) Additionally, the siege conditions provide fertile ground for camp disease to spread, further reducing the Polish army (besiegers roll a 1; 1 cavalry brigade is shattered, reduced to regiment).

Even with these losses the Polish host under the Grand Hetman is substantially larger than the Russian force within the walls of the city. The defenders, liable to be overwhelmed by the attackers if they attempt to sally, are left waiting for a relief action by the Khagan’s army. Together, his host and that of the defenders roughly match the Poles, but all is riding on his relief.

Battle of Moscow, July 10

Poland (Commander: Grand Hetman Stanisław Chomętowski)
-9 Infantry Brigades
-4 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment
-3 Militia Infantry Brigades

Rus (Commander: Khagan Avakum Chadaaev)

Khagan’s Army (Outside Walls)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Muscovy Army (Sallying)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Moscow Defenses (Inside)
-2 Militia Infantry Brigades
-1 Garrison
-1 Fortress

The Poles are being hammered from two sides by the attacking Russians, but they hold at least one advantage: their siege works facing the city provide them with a defensive edge against the sallying Russians, allowing them to more aggressively array their forces against the Khagan’s army outside (Polish forces facing the Muscovy Army get an FF roll). The Muscovites retain their city reserve (the fortress and the city’s militia brigades) within the walls in case the sally fails and they’re forced to fight the Poles in the streets. The Hetman chooses to array his cavalry and 2/3ds of his infantry against the Khagan, with the remaining 3 Infantry and 3 Militia brigades facing the Muscovites.

The Hetmans army, on the north bank of the Moskva River, is essentially fighting with the river to its back. With the right flank embanked against the Muscovy Army, the left flank (facing north) meets the brunt of the Khagan’s attack. The city-ward defenders make minimal use of their positions at first (FF turn: Poland rolls only 1x, shattering 1 inf brigade) but manage to get the better of the sallying defenders when the two forces finally meet in earnest (Poland rolls 3x and Russia 4x, but the Poles hit 3 of the Russian infantry brigades while the Russian hits take out only 1 Infantry Brigade and the 3 fairly otherwise useless Militia Brigades). In the open field the Russians and Poles have only clear terrain between them, and the Russians fare surprisingly well considering their deficit in heavy arms (both sides roll 5x, Poland shatters 2 Infantry, 2 Light Infantry and 1 Cav, while the Russians shatter 3 infantry and 2 cavalry).

Neither army is willing, or able, to disengage at this point, and so the fighting continues. The beleaguered defenders of Moscow make another push to try to dislodge the Poles from their siege positions, and the Poles now make better use of their arms (FF turn, 1x, 1 Russian cavalry brigade shattered). The Muscovites make another desperate attempt to overcome the Polish line, and almost manage to do so, but ultimate the Poles are able to repulse the Russians by the skin of their teeth (MF turn: Poland rolls 2x, shattering the Russian infantry and cavalry brigades, while the Russians roll 1x, shattering 1 Polish infantry brigade). The Russian relief thus hinges entirely on the outcome of the Khagan’s next engagement with the Hetman.

The Polish line is wavering under the chaos of the Khagan’s assault, but the Hetman does his best to rally them to a firm position. He knows that their heavier armaments are what could save the day, and that with the repulsion of the Muscovite sally he needs only not be swept away now to reinforce his line. As the armies once again grapple it becomes quickly evident that his hunch is accurate, with the Polish heavier infantry able to inflict far more damage on the attackers than it has received (MF turn: Poland rolls 5x, shattering all but 1 Russian cavalry brigade, while the Russians only roll 2x, shattering 2 Polish infantry brigades).

Casualties of the Battle of Moscow

Poland
-7 Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 3 Infantry Brigades, 1 Light Infantry Regiment
-2 Cavalry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 Cavalry Brigade
-3 Militia Infantry Brigades destroyed

Russia
-3 Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 Brigade, 1 Light Infantry Regiment (combined with reg to form 1 more LI Brig)
-5 Light Infantry Brigades, reduced to 2 Brigades, 1 Light Infantry Regiment (combined with reg to form brig)
-2 Cavalry Brigades, reduced to 1 Brigade
-5 Infantry Brigades shattered, captured
-2 Cavalry Brigades shattered, captured

With the Khagan’s army repulsed, the Hetman decides that discretion is the better part of valor and decides to disengage and maintain the siege of Moscow. His army is heavily battered, though victorious, and with the Khagan pushed off and a relief force coming from Novgorod there is no reason to waste valuable lives taking the fortress. His intuition proves correct when, a few weeks later, the demoralized defenders of the city surrender to the Hetman at the beginning of August.

It is around this time that the Army of Livonia, under Maurice de Saxe and bolstered by a Swedish contingent, arrives at the gates of Tver. The Russians are given a chance to surrender, but choose instead to flay the Polish envoy and fling his corpse over the battlements.

Battle of Tver, August 6

Russia
-1 Fortress
-2 Militia Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Brigade
-1 Cavalry Regiment
-1 Garrison

Poland (Under the command of Maurice de Saxe, GC)
-4 Polish Infantry Brigades
-1 Polish Cavalry Brigade
-1 Polish Militia Infantry Brigade
-2 Swedish Infantry Brigades
-1 Swedish Cavalry Brigade

The Russians are firmly entrenched and have been preparing for this onslaught, but the Poles are led by their most competent general in decades (Russia gets FF roll, but their defensive bonus is negated by Maurice’s GC status). The Russians fight hard but are clearly outclassed and outnumbered, and fall to the Poles at fairly light casualties for the attackers (FF: 2x, 1 Polish Infantry Brigade and 1 Polish Cavalry Brigade shattered. MF: Russia rolls 1x, shattering 1 Polish Infantry Brigade, Poland rolls 6x, shattering everyone).

Casualties of the Battle of Tver

Poland
-2 Polish Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 Brigade
-1 Polish Cavalry Brigade shattered, reduced to 1 Regiment

Russia
-1 Fortress destroyed
-2 Militia Brigades destroyed
-1 Garrison destroyed
-1 Light Infantry Brigade shattered, captured
-1 Cavalry Regiment destroyed

The summer thus ends with the anti-Russian alliance in control of much of the heartland of the old Russian state. The Swedes have sent small forces north, to fly the nominal flag over swathes of Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, while the Khagan has retreated to the city of Vladimir to lick his wounds and plot his next move. The Poles continue to cast about for supporters of the Romanov claim to rise up and flock to their banner, but find that the Russian populace still remains distinctly and ferociously anti-Polish and anti-Swedish. A few groveling Boyars can be found to provide the legal fiction of support, of course, but though the Poles have once more captured Moscow they are yet to become true masters of Rus.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Summer

Russians

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Kharkov, Kazan)
-6 Garrisons (Kharkov, Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Vladimir)
-1 Infantry Brigade
-3 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Ukraine Army (Kharkov)
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanov Rebels

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-2 Light Infantry Brigades (Vyborg, Helsinki)

Army of Ingria (Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Army of Livonia (Tver)
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Karelian Army (Petrozadovsk)
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-11 Garrison Brigades (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Army of Livonia (Tver)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Royal Army of Poland (Moscow)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment
-1 Light Infantry Regiment

Army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Kiev)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

[Galveston Bay]

French diplomats deliver personal letters of congratulations to the Swedish and Polish crowns for their victories. In Paris, banquets and balls are held for Swedish and Polish diplomats and bells are rung in honor of the news of European civilization advancing in the East.

[Lefty]

Word reaches Warsaw of the victories in Tver and Moscow. Church bells ring, praising the liberation of the Russian people from the pagan yoke. Though the vile Khagan remains at large, and word of pagan atrocities reach the Commonwealth on a daily basis, spirits remain high that the blessed armies of the Rzeczpospolita will continue their successes.

Grand Duchess Anna Ivanova, meanwhile, declares her intention to visit her homeland and rally her subjects to the Romanov (and that of their Polish allies) banner. She plans to meet with priests and boyars alike and plan the reversal of the barbaric horrors imposed by the Khagan.

She brings with her a proposal from the Commonwealth Sejm for the lands of Russia to be incorporated into the Commonwealth as a triple union. Under the Commonwealth's rule, the Boyars would prosper, and the rights of the nobility would be protected from tyrants like the Khagan. Poland, Lithuania, and Muscovy would work in unison for a common defense instead of fighting amongst one another. The Triple Union would be one of the most powerful states in Europe, and the Russian nobility would live with liberty and privilege never seen before.

A zemskiy sobor is called for winter of 1726 to discuss her proposal.

[TLS]

Fall, 1726

After the series of crushing victories over the Russians in the previous season, the Poles and their Swedish allies are content to spend the Fall season arranging themselves for the next year. The infamous Russian winter will soon be upon them, after all, and they must prepare for Russia’s most able general. The Poles are most interested in solidifying their political hold on the heart of Muscovy, and so send a cavalry regiment to retrieve the Grand Duchess from Smolensk and bring here in triumph to the Moscow. The Polish army dutifully stands at attention, giving her a grand entrance into the capital of her forefathers, but the crowds welcoming her are decidedly unenthusiastic, though not (yet, perhaps) openly hostile. A handful of the most craven Boyars are summoned to Moscow, including a delegation from the fortress at Pskov, but even this group balks at the prospect of full integration into the Polish Rzeczpospolita quite yet—though they do agree to recognize the Grand Duchess as their monarch, and recognize the de facto union of the Polish and Russian crowns through her marriage.

The Khagan spends this time preparing for a war of a much different nature. Though he retains the core of his army, he knows that another defeat in open battle might well be his end—the Boyars are, by this point, only still clinging to his banner due to an ancestral fear of both the Poles and the Romanovs. Envoys are sent deeper into Siberia and Central Asia in pursuit of alliances and reinforcements, but the vast expanse of Eurasia will take time to respond. A new war will need to be fought, a people’s war, and the Khagan knows that this conflict will be bloody indeed. The armies at the peripheries of his empire are withdrawn back to him, at Vladimir, to continue to block the potential advance of the Poles towards his capital.  

Ground Forces in Europe, End of 1726

Russians

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Kharkov, Kazan)
-6 Garrisons (Kharkov, Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Vladimir)
-1 Infantry Brigade
-8 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanov Rebels

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-2 Light Infantry Brigades (Vyborg, Helsinki)

Army of Ingria (Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Army of Livonia (Tver)
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Karelian Army (Petrozadovsk)
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-11 Garrison Brigades (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Army of Livonia (Tver)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Royal Army of Poland (Moscow)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment
-1 Light Infantry Regiment

Army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Kiev)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

[Lefty]

From their base in Moscow, the Grand Duchess orders her own emissaries to be sent out to counter the lies of the Khagan. Those who join the Commonwealth's cause will be rewarded with treasure and glory, and payments are promised for those who join the Romanovs. Those who follow the Khagan will only see defeat and disgrace.

Plans are also put into place to create a Romanov Army, backed by their steadfast allies, the Poles.

[Haven]

The faraway war in the Russian expanse draws little interest to most Dutch other than Dutch bankers who, seeing a great opportunity to profit, happily offer their services to any party looking for funds.

[Lefty]

The faraway war in the Russian expanse draws little interest to most Dutch other than Dutch bankers who, seeing a great opportunity to profit, happily offer their services to any party looking for funds.

The Romanov crown, speaking through Commonwealth agents, requests a loan of 10 points in 1727. This request is fully backed by the Commonwealth who recognize that, due to the unstable state of Russia, they may have to assume the debts. The Polish agents thank the Dutch bankers for their understanding in the matter and look forward to continued cooperation.

[Haven]

The faraway war in the Russian expanse draws little interest to most Dutch other than Dutch bankers who, seeing a great opportunity to profit, happily offer their services to any party looking for funds.

The Romanov crown, speaking through Commonwealth agents, requests a loan of 10 points in 1727. This request is fully backed by the Commonwealth who recognize that, due to the unstable state of Russia, they may have to assume the debts. The Polish agents thank the Dutch bankers for their understanding in the matter and look forward to continued cooperation.

A 10 point loan is happily extended to the Romanov's with the Polish guarantee.

[TLS]

Winter, 1727

General Winter descends upon the Russian countryside, but unlike with the war two decades prior proves to be far less damaging to the invading forces. A quiet fall gave the Poles and Swedes plenty of time to establish themselves within the bounds of the warm cities they captured, and while the season is hardly pleasant it does not result in the massive losses of life from previous incursions. While in many ways the winter proves to be a disappointment to the Khagan, who was hoping for a little (super)natural aid in his war, it also has positive effects for him in his own re-building campaign. The Polish and Swedish supply lines are long, and while they are raising new forces it will take some time for them to make it to the front. The Khagan, however, is able to quickly upgrade much of his army—with a scarcity of resources, rather than raise more light infantry units he decides to more effectively arm the infantry he has, and to procure horses to expand his cavalry capabilities.

Otherwise, the season is generally quiet. Polish stooges set about raising militiamen to take over garrison duties in the cities occupied by the Commonwealth, and Polish builders get to work re-fortifying Moscow. Envoys to the steppes meet with warm receptions and gracious acceptance of Polish bribes, but absolutely no commitments to actually aid the Poles in their endeavor—whereas the Khagan has more luck, it seems, in obtaining vague offers of support for campaigns later in the season. The cost of underwriting the Romanovs reduces the Polish ability to expand their army substantially, but they do pour money into upgrading some units and raising the necessary garrisons for their expected long-term occupation of Old Muscovy.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Winter

Russians

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Kharkov, Kazan)
-6 Garrisons (Kharkov, Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Vladimir)
-6 Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanov Rebels

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)
-6 Militia Infantry Brigades (2 Pskov, 2 Tver, 2 Moscow)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-2 Light Infantry Brigades (Vyborg, Helsinki)
-1 Light Infantry Regiment (Vyborg)

Army of Ingria (Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Army of Livonia (Tver)
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Karelian Army (Petrozadovsk)
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-11 Garrison Brigades (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-5 Garrison Brigades (ready Summer)

Army of Livonia (Tver)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Royal Army of Poland (Moscow)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-4 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment

Army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Kiev)
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Vilnius Army (Vilnius)
-2 Cavalry Brigades (ready summer)

[TLS]

Spring, 1727

The thaw brings movement among the invading allies, with each seeking to carve out larger slices of the Russian pie before what seems like their inevitable victory. The tyranny of distance becomes the greatest asset for the defending Russians at this point; the Swedes and Poles, in the previous year of campaigning, have seized much of the lowest-hanging fruit, and now face the daunting prospects of attacking deeper and deeper into the heart of the Russian darkness. In the furthest north, the Swedes decide to make a move on Russia’s last remaining outlet to the Western world, the “port” (if it can be so called) at Arkhangelsk, while further south the Poles aim to attack the Khagan and put an end to his rule.

Both efforts are stymied by the simple, immense distances involved. Arkhangelsk is nearly a thousand miles from the main Swedish forces at Tver and Novgorod, while the Poles seek to amass their forces at Moscow before they make their attacks—involving a grueling march from Kiev to Moscow which takes most of the turn. Furthermore, the Polish King decides to leverage his personal army from Saxony, which begins the seemingly perpetual trek as soon as it is able, but only going so far as Baranowicze by the end of June. The Swedes are able to make the most progress, in some ways, because they can leverage their naval assets to transport soldiers. However, sailing from Helsinki and Vyborg all the way around Scandinavia is a dreadful task.

The Norsemen make a two-pronged advance on the Russian port, sailing their Light Infantry from Finland and marching their armies from Novgorod and Tver. The naval forces arrive at the mouth of the Onega river, about a hundred miles from Arkhangelsk, to establish the Swedish base of operations for the coming season, while the armies from Novgorod and Tver make it to Petrozadovsk (which itself is just within range of the base at Vyborg), where the existing token Swedish force is already busily constructing a base. The Russians have nothing at Arkhangelsk with which to oppose these moves, relying on the low-scale fortifications there (the port’s walls and the militia) to secure the strategic locale.

The Khagan decides to withdraw from the gates of Moscow and falls back to the town at Nizhny Novgorod, along the banks of the Volga and closer to his fortress at Kazan. His cavalry continues to shadow the Poles at Muscovy, who themselves have been moving garrison troops from the Polish heartland to keep an eye on the stoic Russians. His envoys continue to press the tribes of Central Asia and the garrisons from further east to shore up his army, lest the Poles be able to plunge deeper into the heart of the Steppe. Hastily raised Militia units, owing fealty to the Romanov Grand Duchess, are paraded about in the squares before occupied Kremlins, but the haughty Polish armies overseeing their operations are still, clearly, calling the shots, much to the chagrin of the few mewling boyars who have taken Polish gold.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Spring

Russians

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Kharkov, Kazan)
-6 Garrisons (Kharkov, Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Nizhny Novgorod)
-6 Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)
-6 Militia Infantry Brigades (1 Pskov, 1 Tver, 4 Moscow)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)

Army of the White Sea (Onega)
-2 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Army of Ingria (Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Army of Livonia (Petrozadovsk)
-2 Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-16 Garrison Brigades (3 Moscow, 2 Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Royal Army of Poland (Moscow)
-12 Infantry Brigades
-6 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment

Vilnius Army (Vilnius)
-2 Cavalry Brigades

Saxon Army (Baranowicze)
-5 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade

[TLS]

Summer, 1727

The Poles grow tired of the cat and mouse game with the Khagan, and seek to put an end to his regime before the coming of the winter. As he is holed up at his city on the Volga, the Poles decide, it is time to seek him out. Maurice de Saxe is given overall command of the Polish army and told to advance on the Russians, given explicit orders to attack the city. The Khagan can either choose to continue running, and wear out the invaders, or he can stand and give battle. Either way, the Poles have cavalry superiority, and so feel confident of their chances.

What the Polish forward scouts detect as their massive army, some 50,000 men strong, marches out from Moscow is that their enemy is not idle. The Khagan’s calls to the Steppe have been answered in meaningful form, and thousands of Sibir, Tatar, Kazakh, and Nogai warriors have flocked to the Khagante’s (2 Militia Cavalry Brigades) banner. However, he refuses to budge from his position at Nizhny Novgorod. His tribal reinforcements are sizeable, but they’re hardly fighting in their native element in an urban battle. The Khagan is apparently banking on the strengths of tactical geography in his fight against the invader.

The Polish army arrives at Nizhny Novgorod in early August, and the headstrong Polish-Saxon general—like his father—decides that discretion is for weaker men. The battle must be joined, and the Khagan’s army wiped from the Earth. Capture is preferable, so that he can be paraded in triumph, but death will be good enough. Either way, the war must be brought to its inevitable conclusion: Polish domination from the Vistula to the Volga, and from the White Sea to the Caucasus.

Battle of Nizhny Novgorod, August 10

Rus (Under the command of the Khagan)
-6 Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades
-2 Militia Cavalry Brigades
-1 Militia Infantry Brigade

Poland (under the command of Maurice de Saxe, GC)
-12 Infantry Brigades
-6 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-2 Romanov Militia brigades

The Poles outnumber the defenders by a hefty margin, but are still attacking an entrenched army in a fortified position. The city is at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers, leaving the Poles with a narrow avenue of attack from the west, but Maurice is prepared for the battle ahead. The Khagan’s force is much too large to fit entirely within the walls of the city, and so most of the units are arrayed in the fields between the rivers and the walls (Rus gets FF roll, +1 Defensive bonus, and +1 Militia brigade, but Poles GC cancels out the +1 Defensive Bonus. Nizhny Novgorod has no resource, but is an RL city with pop more than 100,000, and so it can only hold 10,000 men. Those outside the wall are at a dice disadvantage, but still get an FF turn because they are entrenched).

Maurice’s army begins its advance into the funnel of lead constructed by the Khagan’s maneuvering. With rivers to the left and right of them, there are no flanking opportunities for the Poles—only marching straight into battle. The Russians skillfully utilize their embankments and battlements to unload into the invader, whittling down the manpower advantage of the Poles and their allies. (Turn 1 FF: Russians roll 6 hits, shattering 2 infantry brigades and 4 cavalry brigades). Once the Poles are able to return fire, however, Maurice’s skillful planning, manpower advantage, and firepower surplus is made manifest. The Russians outside the city walls are obliterated and swept away, while the Polish line is battered but holds fast (MF: Russians roll 5x, shattering 5 Infantry Brigades. Poles roll 10 x, shattering 2 Inf Brigades, 2 Light Inf Brigades, 3 Cavalry Brigades, 2 Mil Cav Brigades, 1 Mil Infantry Brigade).

The Khagan is now trapped firmly within the city, but refuses to surrender to the now substantially larger Polish force outside his walls. In his darkest hour, he calls upon the supernatural to aid in his quest. His Rodnovery priests, Sufi mystics, Shaman miracle-workers, and Vajrayana monks begin chanting their various incantations and spells. As the Poles start their advance, the deadly magic (aided by gunpowder) propels the Russian bullets forward, and the Khagan’s bullets fly true. The Poles wither under the fire, but are able to almost dislodge the Khagan—but not quite (Turn 2: FF 3x, shattering 2 inf 1 mil, MF: Rus rolls 4x, shattering 2 inf, 2 cav. Poles roll 3x, shattering 3 inf).

The battle reaches its last, desperate, dramatic exchange. The Russians have only a few thousand men clinging to the battlements, while the Poles are whittled down to the core of their army. The fate of Rus hinges on these beleaguered remnants, and the primal struggle which ensues. The Russians, perched in the crumbling walls, reduce the Polish infantry line to a shell of itself, and when the last Polish infantry try to punch through the defenses they, too are pushed off. The Romanov militiamen give only the most basic push before they cut and run—an inglorious performance for the Poles’ allies. (Turn 3: FF 1x, shatters 1 Infantry brigade. MF: Rus rolls 1, destroying Polish LI regiment. Poland rolls 0x).

Casualties of the Battle of Nizhny Novgorod

Rus
-5 Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 2 brigades, 1 light infantry regiment
-2 Light Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1
-3 Cavalry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 brigade, 1 regiment
-2 Militia Cavalry Brigades destroyed
-1 Militia Infantry Brigade destroyed

Poland
-12 Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 6
-6 Cavalry Brigades shattered, reduced to 3
-1 Light Infantry Regiment, destroyed
-1 Romanov Militia brigade destroyed

The Poles are forced to withdraw from the field and retreat back to their base at Moscow by mid-September. The Muscovites do not cheer the news of the defeat at Nizhny Novgorod, so much, but they do not weep at the death of so many Poles, either. The Romanov puppet court, however, is not consoled by this turn of events. Though the Khagan’s army is undoubtedly whittled down even in this defeat, and remains at a severe disadvantage when compared to the invaders, this turn of events all but ensures that the war will continue into the next year—giving the Romanov’s enemies greater time to adjust.

Not all is well for the Khagan’s defensive efforts, however. Up in the far north, the Arkhangelsk Campaign gets underway in earnest when the Swedes lay siege to the port in late July. The meager defenses, merely some militia, do not hold out for long, and by the end of September have had enough. The port falls into Swedish hands relatively bloodlessly, and the Northerners have now obtained all that they need from the war. (Sweden rolls a 4 in August and a 6 in September, winning the siege).

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Summer

Russians

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Kharkov, Kazan)
-6 Garrisons (Kharkov, Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Nizhny Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)
-5 Militia Infantry Brigades (1 Pskov, 1 Tver, 3 Moscow)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)

Army of the White Sea (Arkhangelsk)
-2 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Army of Ingria (Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Army of Livonia (Petrozadovsk)
-2 Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-16 Garrison Brigades (3 Moscow, 2 Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Royal Army of Poland (Moscow)
-6 Infantry Brigades
-5 Cavalry Brigades

Saxon Army (Kiev)
-5 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade

[TLS]

Fall, 1727

Apoplectic at his impotence and inability to defeat the Khagan—but one brigade stood between him and ultimate glory!—Maurice, like his father, goes on a tear and destroys furniture up and down the halls of his requisitioned palace in Moscow. The de facto Regent of Muscovy, once he finishes destroying priceless tables and chairs, then takes a look at the grand maps he has arrayed in his chambers. The Khagan is out of reach in Nizhny Novgorod until the Spring, at the earliest, but this setback is not the end of the line. The Polish army in Moscow, though dejected, is still larger than the Khagan’s army was before the start of the last battle. What’s more, reinforcements will certainly come by next Summer, while a Saxon army is encamped at Kiev.

The Saxons were originally to wait out the winter and move on Kharkov in the spring for a leisurely siege, but that was when a crushing victory over the Russians was assured. Now, Maurice recognizes that he needs to further tighten the screws on the embattled demon-worshippers and cut off their income. Kharkov is the last major economic center outside Polish control, after Kazan, and thus must be seized. A siege will not do, only the triumphant scaling the ramparts that was denied him at Nizhny Novgorod. Visions of glorious banner-lifting, as after Tver, fills the Great Captain’s eyes—to Kharkov!

The Saxons thus begin their march across the cooling steppe as Maurice commandeers two cavalry brigades and goes at great haste down to join the Saxon force. The armies join up and arrive at Kharkov in early November, as the depleted garrison within the city’s walls refuses to surrender. Their Khagan summoned the great powers to propel him to victory against a far greater host, they reason. Victory is all but assured in their Holy quest to defend Rus from the invader.

Battle of Kharkov, November 8

Rus
-1 Fortress
-1 Garrison
-2 Militia Brigades

Poland (GC Maurice de Saxe)
-5 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-2 Polish Cavalry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade

Maurice is not taking anything for granted in this battle, but the odds here are even more lop-sided than at Nizhny Novgorod. His army is substantially larger than that within the walls, and while the Fortress will cause his forces trouble, the rest of the defenders are hardly worth mentioning (Defenders get FF turn, +1 defensive roll, and +2 militia because it’s an Old World Resource, but the defensive roll is negated by Maurice’s GC stat).

The defenders pull out all the stops in their quest to summon the powers to defend themselves against the Poles. Mad incantations rumble out from the depths of the fortress, whoops and yelps from the defenders fill the air, and skulls are mounted on the walls to inspire fear in the hearts of the attackers. However, the Russians fail to actually utilize their firearms effectively in the opening of the battle, allowing Maurice’s forces reach the walls of the fortress unscathed (FF turn: Russians roll 0x). The concentrated Saxon artillery is able to blast holes through the Russian fortifications, and the Saxons and dismounted Polish cavalry pour into the streets of the city. Russian militia and garrison forces surge through the narrow alleys, falling upon the Saxons, but Maurice’s men push through to the Kremlin. A desperate melee ensues, and Maurice himself takes to the fore to purge the shame of his failure at Nizhny Novgorod. His imposing figure dominates the scrum, as he uses his bare hands to throttle a bone-covered Russian shaman, and he takes pride of place to raise Poland’s standard over the heart of the Russian fortress. (MF turn: Russians roll 2x, shattering 2 Saxon infantry. Poles roll 6, shattering all defenders).

Casualties of the Battle of Kharkov

Rus
-1 Fortress destroyed
-1 Garrison destroyed
-2 Militia Brigades destroyed

Poland
-2 Saxon Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1

Maurice, exhausted and satisfied by his conquest, thus sends his forces into winter quarters. The Khagan still survives, but his forces are decidedly cut off from the world. Arkhangelsk has fallen to the Swedes, all of Rus’ main economic centers are in Polish or Swedish hands, and his tribal levees from the Steppe have been bloodied and purged. Poland’s conquest may be going slower than planned, but it proceeds apace nonetheless. The puppet Grand Duchess seems more and more secure—from the Khagan, at least. The Russian people, as always, remain an inscrutable mass, none too pleased with the Polish occupation but also hesitant to facilitate the return of the man they increasingly realize was a despotic Oriental tyrant.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Summer

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-5 Garrisons (Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk, Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Nizhny Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-1 Garrison (Pskov)
-5 Militia Infantry Brigades (1 Pskov, 1 Tver, 3 Moscow)

Swedes

Fixed Positions
-5 Fortresses (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)
-5 Garrisons (Malmo, Vyborg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg)

Army of the White Sea (Arkhangelsk)
-2 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Army of Ingria (Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Army of Livonia (Petrozadovsk)
-2 Infantry Brigades
-3 Cavalry Brigades

Scanian Army (Malmo)
-3 Infantry Brigades

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-16 Garrison Brigades (3 Moscow, 2 Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Royal Army of Poland (Moscow)
-6 Polish Infantry Brigades
-3 Polish Cavalry Brigades

Saxon Army (Kharkov)
-4 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade
-2 Polish Cavalry Brigades

[TLS]

Winter, 1728

The Khagan may have won a victory over the Poles and saved his capital in 1727, but the fundamentals of the war remain against him even through the Winter. He has been decisively cut off from most of his economic heartland, his armies are underpowered and undermanned, and the Poles remain in Moscow. He may be a secret demon-worshipper, but he is not a fool, and recognizes that a two-front war remains out of his resources. In early January, a delegation of Swedish negotiators trudge down the icy Volga—like the explorers of Rus themselves!—and arrive to offer terms to the Khagan: cede the sea coast to them, and they will step away. The Khagan accepts, ceding Karelia, Ingria, Novgorod, and Arkhangelsk to the Swedes, and sends them on their way in return for promises of supplies being allowed to sail down the Volga.

Otherwise, the Winter is used to upgrade forces. The Poles begin the process of raising units back in their heartland, and also hand over weapons to their Muscovite allies to bring up the quality of their forces just a tad. Maurice remains in Kharkov through the Winter, complaining bitterly about the cold and the dreary surroundings, and plotting his eventual return to destroy the Khagan. His nemesis begins the process of withdrawing forces from the Asian frontier back to his capital, arming them with more offensive weaponry, and bribing the neighbors to try and aid him. These moves help to shore up his position, but the fundamental balance remains thoroughly not in his favor.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Winter

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-1 Garrisons (Tyumen)
-4 Light Infantry Brigades (Kazan, Omsk, Morozova, Tomsk)

Khagan’s Army (Nizhny Novgorod)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-6 Garrisons (3 Moscow, 2 Pskov, Tver)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-16 Garrison Brigades (3 Moscow, 2 Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)

Royal Army of Poland (Moscow)
-6 Polish Infantry Brigades
-3 Polish Cavalry Brigades

Saxon Army (Kharkov)
-4 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade
-2 Polish Cavalry Brigades

[TLS]

Spring, 1728

Maurice is adamant that 1728 see the end of his campaign against the heretics and victory for the Commonwealth in Rus. He orders the combined armies of the Poles, Saxons, and Romanovs within Russia to prepare for a joint campaign season against their enemies. The Romanovs, augmented by Polish garrisons, fan out across their claimed domains to firmly establish control. The Poles and Saxons, meanwhile, move to amalgamate in Vladimir in preparation for a push down the Volga towards the Khagan and his forces.

Not content to let the Poles again try to box him in at Nizhny Novgorod, the Khagan withdraws from his winter quarters back towards his capital. From as far away as Omsk the forces are drawn back into the last redoubt of independent Russian power, and the Khagan is intent on trying to entice the Poles deeper and deeper into Eurasia. In so doing he has left much of the Siberian heartland undefended from potential Central Asian raiders, but he relies on the strength of his ties (and the value of his gold) to dissuade them from attacking; his gambit seems to work through the Spring, but it remains to be seen whether it will hold after any potential defeat.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Spring

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-1 Garrisons (Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-6 Garrisons (Moscow, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Belozersk, Yaroslavl)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-16 Garrison Brigades (2 Moscow, Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan, Vladimir, Kharkov)

Royal Army of Poland (Vladimir )
-6 Polish Infantry Brigades
-5 Polish Cavalry Brigades
-4 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade

[Lefty]

Throughout 1728, the Romanov administration issued decrees declaring the Khagan to be an outlaw and a heretic, and declaring their intention to bring him to justice for his bloodthirsty crimes against the Russian people. To that end, the Romanovs issue a general order to those currently under the tyranny of the Khagan: any who defect, join the Romanov cause, reject the vile heresies of the blood pagans, and take up arms with the Romanovs to restore Russia will be spared from destruction and rewarded. As for the Khagan, anyone who brings the Khagan, preferably in chains, to the Romanov or Commonwealth authorities will be handsomely rewarded with gold and title. Calls are again made out to those outside of Kazan, seeking allegiance, noting there is not much gold in Kazan.

Poland takes out a loan of 1 point to help pay for these promises.

[TLS]

Summer, 1728

Political machinations back in Europe might be occupying Maurice’s (legitimate) half-brother, but the Polish commander has his eyes firmly focused on the prize: the Khagan seated in Kazan.  With his army finally assembled in Vladimir he begins the march into the foothills of the Urals.  His first goal is to finally seize the citadel at Nizhny Novgorod, and in mid-August he finally enters through the gates of that city.  The main roads into the city, however, are lined with the corpses of Polish prisoners impaled on stakes.  Their bloated bodies rot in the sun, the stench carries for miles, and carrion fill the sky in all directions.  In the center of the city Maurice comes upon an actual pyramid of skulls, the decapitated heads of Polish officers, suspected collaborators from within the city’s walls, and any and all enemies of the Khagan.  Maurice would rather put this dismal sight behind him, but the Polish military is operated at the edges of its capacity.  He sends back frantic demands for supplies to be sent to the city to facilitate his move down the Volga to attack the Khagan’s last remaining fortress. (Game Effect: Polish army cannot move until a base is built at Nizhny Novgorod.)

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Summer

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-1 Garrisons (Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-6 Garrisons (Moscow, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Belozersk, Yaroslavl)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-16 Garrison Brigades (2 Moscow, Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan, Vladimir, Kharkov)

Royal Army of Poland (Nizhny Novgorod)
-6 Polish Infantry Brigades
-5 Polish Cavalry Brigades
-4 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade

[TLS]

Fall, 1728

With the arrival of supplies in Nizhny Novgorod, Maurice is finally able to sally forth to crush the Khagan. His army crosses the Volga at Bor, where the water is narrower, and begins the march to the east. The Poles are firmly beyond the bounds of civilization, and the weather begins to turn decisively for the worst as the march gets underway. Hugging the river, the army moves through the dense, primeval forests during ever-shorter days. The freezing rain and snow which accost his force are of a different kind than experienced even in the none-too-balmy Ruthenian plains, and the army is bogged down in the soft earth. All the while, the Khagan lies in wait in his fortress, awaiting the Polish assault.

The Poles arrive outside the gates of the city in early November. The weather is decisively colder now, and the Poles are faced with solely the option to attack. There can be no siege, there can be no retreat, the only way they are staying warm through the winter is to take the Khagan’s capital. The fight ahead will be brutal and desperate, for neither side can afford defeat.

Battle of Kazan, November 12

Russia
-1 Fortress
-3 Infantry Brigades
-5 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Light Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment
-3 Militia Infantry Brigades

Poland (GC Maurice commanding)
-6 Polish Infantry Brigades
-5 Polish Cavalry Brigades
-4 Saxon Infantry Brigades
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade

While Maurice was facing an entrenched position at Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan dwarfs the previous Russian defenses. The thoroughly Eurasian capital of the Khaganate is surrounded by mighty walls, criss-crossed with intricate and gruesome works to intimidate the attackers, and manned by an army almost as large as the one without. The Khagan himself, from the Kazan Kremlin, surveys the battlefield to come. The north bank of the Volga—which has already begun to freeze—is ready. (Kazan is an Old World Capital—it gets +2 to defensive dice rolls, +3 militia, and can hold 50,000 men inside. As Maurice is a GC, he negates one of the rolls, but is still fighting loaded dice.)

The Russians utilize their carefully-built defenses to reduce the attackers well before they even approach the walls. The fields, field with strategic placed containers of gunpowder and naphtha, are set alight, blowing apart or consuming the attackers. (FF Roll: Russia rolls 4x, shattering 1 Polish Inf brigade, 2 Saxon Inf Brigades, and reducing 1 Saxon inf brigade to a regiment.) Maurice exhorts his men onward, bellowing into the wind for the attack signal to be waved, and his soldiers do not disappoint. While the Poles continue to suffer extensive casualties, the Russians clearly come off far worse from the morning exchange (MF: Russia rolls 6x, shattering 3 Polish Infantry, 2 Polish Cavalry, and 1 Saxon Cavalry. Poland rolls 8x, shattering 5 Light infantry Brigades, 1 Infantry Brigade, and destroying both the cavalry regiment and the light infantry regiment).

Visibility continues to drop as the day progresses, and flurries of snow begin to blanket the banks of the river. Maurice is consumed by the need to finally capture the Khagan and put an end to this war, once and for all—besides, retreat now would only raise the chance of an ignominious death freezing to death in the taiga. The guns of the fortress roar as the Poles make another drive towards the Citadel and the Polish cavalry melts away (FF: Russia rolls 3x, shattering 3 Polish cavalry brigades). All that is left is the Polish-Saxon infantry, who finally manage to blast enough holes in the walls to start pouring into the city streets. The desperate melee which ensues is ultimately what decides the battle, as the Poles and their Saxon allies are simply unable to dislodge the defenders and are forced to withdraw (MF: Russia rolls 3x, shattering 2 Polish Infantry brigades and 1 Saxon infantry brigade. Poland rolls 3x, shattering 2 Russian Infantry Brigades and 1 Militia Infantry Brigade).

Casualties of the Battle of Kazan [includes casualties from the retreat]

Russia
-3 Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 brigade, 1 LI reg
-5 Light Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 2 brigades, 1 reg
-1 Light Infantry Regiment destroyed
-1 Cavalry Regiment destroyed
-1 Militia Infantry Brigade destroyed

Poland
-6 Polish Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 2 brigades
-5 Polish Cavalry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 brigades, 1 regiment
-4 Saxon Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 Brigade
-1 Saxon Cavalry Brigade shattered, reduced to regiment

Maurice has once more failed to capture the Khagan, and leaves another army crippled by his inability to succeed. What’s worse is that he has led his army on an attack at the start of winter. His retreat from Kazan is harassed by the Khagan’s cavalry, but most of the casualties inflicted are by Russia’s greatest general, Winter itself. His bloodied and battered troops collapse into snowbanks, are set upon by packs of wolves, drown at river crossings, or simply freeze while they sleep. By the time Maurice finally trudges back into his base at Nizhny Novgorod his army has been whittled down to a shell of itself. News of the Khagan’s second straight massive victory floods throughout Polish-occupied Russia, and by the end of December has become the talk of the szlachta back in Poland itself.


Ground Forces in Europe, End of 1728

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-1 Garrisons (Tyumen)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-1 Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Brigades
-2 Light Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-6 Garrisons (Moscow, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Belozersk, Yaroslavl)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-16 Garrison Brigades (2 Moscow, Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan, Vladimir, Kharkov)

Royal Army of Poland (Nizhny Novgorod)
-2 Polish Infantry Brigades
-1 Polish Cavalry Brigade
-1 Polish Cavalry Regiment
-1 Saxon Infantry Brigade
-1 Saxon Cavalry Regiment

[Galveston Bay]

The French Ambassador to the Wettins delivers a letter of condolences for the brave officers and men lost in the East

[Lefty]

The official narrative is that General Maurice launched the 1728 expedition to drive back a planned invasion of Muscovy by the barbarous pagan horde which was headed for Warsaw itself, after sacking Moscow. The bloody battle of Kazan crippled his planned operation, killed several of the Khagan's lieutenants, and saved the Russian people from a terrible fate, equal to that of Nizhny Novgorod's. Every life lost in combat was 100 lives saved from devastation, torture, and death.

The reality is more grim. Maurice's impatience at the logistical challenges of the campaign season drove him to recklessness... and a dire result. The Polish Army was practically decimated and will require time to restore. However, Muscovy and the Ukraine seem pacified, and while there are administrative challenges, those successes should be lauded.

Maurice announces he will travel to Warsaw to meet with the Sejm to discuss the future of the Romanov war.

[TLS]

Winter, 1729

With the Poles licking their wounds and withdrawing far from Kazan, the Khagan appears impregnable in his fortress along the Volga. His two victories over the Poles have secured his position in the Trans-Volga for some time, at least from a western attack. To the east and south, however, he faces the prospect of restless Siberian and Turkic tribes. He also presides over a far-diminished realm—the Poles have spread far and wide across the Cis-Volga, while Swedish control over Novgorod has solidified to a greater degree. While Poland appears unable to take the Khagan’s last stronghold, he similarly appears unable to dislodge the invader.

The deciding factor will be the body politic of Russia. The Boyars, who originally expelled the Romanovs for their tyranny and then invited in the Khagan to experience the same 10-fold, are hesitant to restore strong monarchical power to Russia. However, the prospect of becoming dominated by the Poles sits uneasily with them as well. The Church, the traditional bulwark of resistance to the Catholic Poles, is similarly on the fence. The Heterodox Poles are one thing, but the effectively Pagan Khagan is another. Squeezed between the Poles and the Khagan, the ruling classes of Russia are staring down an unpalatable decision. The Romanov heiress, however, clearly commands no respect from anyone—the Poles, the Boyars, nor the Church, and the fiction of Romanov restoration is increasingly wearing thin.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Winter

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-2 Garrisons (Tyumen, Omsk)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-1 Infantry Brigades
-3 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-14 Garrisons (2 Moscow, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Belozersk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kharkov, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Saransk)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-21 Garrison Brigades (2 Moscow, Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan, Vladimir, Kharkov, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Pskov)

Royal Army of Poland (Nizhny Novgorod)
-2 Polish Infantry Brigades
-1 Polish Cavalry Brigade
-1 Polish Cavalry Regiment
-1 Saxon Infantry Brigade
-1 Saxon Cavalry Regiment

[TLS]

Spring, 1729

The uneasy peace along the Volga holds through the Spring, and machinations in Moscow, Warsaw, and Kazan seem to be pointing in the direction of a settlement between the various parties involved. Into this vacuum, however, steps another regional power eager for expansion. Throughout the winter the Ottomans have been sending orders through their empire for troops to prepare to march. With the spring thaw, the Anatolian highlands see a flurry of activity. Nader Pasha, the newly-minted Ottoman beylerbey and military adviser, embarks from Van to Baku with an eye to join forces with a detachment of vassal Georgian forces. The going across the steep and snowy mountains is slow, and thus the combined armies do not reach Baku until the very end of June. Seeking to win the peace through bribery as much as conquest, however, the Ottomans send emissaries laden with gifts ahead of them, promising security in return for fealty. It remains to be seen whether the Ottoman diplomatic campaign will bear dividends when Nader and his army cross the Caucasus.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Spring

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-2 Garrisons (Tyumen, Omsk)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-1 Infantry Brigades
-3 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-14 Garrisons (2 Moscow, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Belozersk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kharkov, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Saransk)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-21 Garrison Brigades (2 Moscow, Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan, Vladimir, Kharkov, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Pskov)

Royal Army of Poland (Nizhny Novgorod)
-2 Polish Infantry Brigades
-1 Polish Cavalry Brigade
-1 Polish Cavalry Regiment
-1 Saxon Infantry Brigade
-1 Saxon Cavalry Regiment

Ottomans

Nader Pasha’s Army (Baku)
-3 Ottoman Infantry Brigades
-1 Ottoman Cavalry Brigade
-4 Ottoman Cavalry Regiments
-2 Georgian Light Infantry Regiments

[TLS]

Summer, 1729

No breakthroughs arise in the negotiations about the Russian heartland, but the Caucasus are about to be plunged into disarray. The arrival of Nader Pasha’s army is not received with the same outright hostility that a Russian army would be, but Nader’s demands that the Caucasus submit themselves to Ottoman suzerainty is received haltingly. The largest “state” in the area, the Derbent Khanate in the Dagestan region, quickly submits to Nader. There is no shortage of local potentates or self-styled Emirs and Khans who might vie for the Empire’s aid, but there are far too many for the massive Empire to effectively manage. Brigands in the mountains survey as the Turkish army fans out over the foothills, establishing a band of tenuous control from the Black Sea to the Caspian. The region is pastoral and without any cities, and so the Ottomans give strong names to tiny camps from which they base their operations: Kafkasya Cetveli (RL Vladikavkaz), Korkunç (Grozny), and re-establishing the abandoned Ottoman outpost at Soğucak (RL Novorossiysk). The nominally-Muslim Caucasians are still fiercely independent mountaineers, and thus harassment and ambushes occur, but Nader’s forces continue to hold fast—for now.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Summer

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-2 Garrisons (Tyumen, Omsk)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-1 Infantry Brigades
-3 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-14 Garrisons (2 Moscow, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Belozersk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kharkov, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Saransk)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-21 Garrison Brigades (2 Moscow, Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan, Vladimir, Kharkov, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Pskov)

Royal Army of Poland (Nizhny Novgorod)
-2 Polish Infantry Brigades
-1 Polish Cavalry Brigade
-1 Polish Cavalry Regiment
-1 Saxon Infantry Brigade
-1 Saxon Cavalry Regiment

Ottomans

Nader Pasha’s Army (Derbent)
-1 Ottoman Infantry Brigades
-1 Ottoman Cavalry Brigade

Chechen Army (Grozny)
-1 Ottoman Infantry Brigade
-1 Ottoman Cavalry Regiment

Alanian Army (Vladikavkaz)
-1 Ottoman Infantry Brigade
-1 Ottoman Cavalry Regiments

[i]Circassisan Army (Novorossiysk)
-2 Ottoman Cavalry Regiments
-2 Georgian Light Infantry Regiments

[TLS]

Fall, 1729

The situation in the North Caucasus is becoming increasingly tense for the Ottoman occupiers, with more and more incidents of violence between the disjointed garrisons and the warlike nomads of the foothills. To defuse tensions, Nader begins to freely distribute bribes among the hill-folk aimed at getting a foot in the door for an even bigger promise: loot and booty. For centuries, the Russians have encroached on Circassian, Chechen, and other lands, but now the opportunity for revenge has arrived. With the Sultan’s blessing, Nader Pasha begins arming and directing the mountain people to raid the lowlands and seize the only thing of value: the people themselves.

From the Caucasus to the Don and Volga the Ottomans and their vassals, new and old, descend. The Cossacks and Crimeans are invited as well, and begin to run roughshod over the undefended villages and towns of the lower reaches of Rus. The local Don Cossacks, kinsmen of the Zaporizhian Cossacks, provide the nexus of resistance to the invaders. Fierce fighting erupts in the Don Valley, especially, as the Cossacks are unwilling to bend the knee to the Turk. Eventually they are forced to retreat north of the river, into nominally-Polish lands, to bide their time, while the Zaporizhian Cossacks begin to occupy their abandoned settlements and forts. (Casualties: Ottomans lose 2 Crimean, 1 Cossack Militia Cavalry Brigades. Cossacks retreat into Muscovy and swear fealty to Poland.) With the defeat of the Cossacks, the slavers are able to extract their precious cargo, though thousand stream north into Muscovy, as well. (Game Effect: After the cut for the Crimeans and Cossacks, the Ottomans gain 1 point in 1730.)

The Ottoman vassals begin to push north against the lower reaches of the Volga, but are constrained by supplies (and their own greed) before they’re able to reach any Russian defenses. This is enough, however, for the Khagan to finally be pushed into action. He cannot afford a war on two fronts, versus both Poland and the Ottomans, and needs to bring an end to the fiction of his continued war (which has largely died down) with Warsaw. Envoys are finally sent to begin negotiating a truce, if not a formal peace, with the Polish invaders and their Muscovite lackeys.

Ground Forces in Europe, End of Fall

Russians

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Kazan)
-2 Garrisons (Tyumen, Omsk)

Khagan’s Army (Kazan)
-1 Infantry Brigades
-3 Light Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigades

Anti-Russians

Romanovs

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortress (Pskov)
-14 Garrisons (2 Moscow, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Belozersk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kharkov, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Saransk)

Poland

Fixed Installations
-11 Fortresses (Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan)
-21 Garrison Brigades (2 Moscow, Tver, Warsaw, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow, Lviv, Smolensk, Riga, Tallinn, Kiev, Konigsberg, Poznan, Vladimir, Kharkov, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kaluga, Rzhev, Saratov, Pskov)

Royal Army of Poland (Nizhny Novgorod)
-2 Polish Infantry Brigades
-1 Polish Cavalry Brigade
-1 Polish Cavalry Regiment
-1 Saxon Infantry Brigade
-1 Saxon Cavalry Regiment

Ottomans

Fixed Positions
-3 Garrisons (Grozny, Vladikavkaz, Novorossiysk)

Nader Pasha’s Army (Derbent)
-1 Ottoman Infantry Brigades
-1 Ottoman Cavalry Brigade

Chechen Army (Grozny)
-1 Ottoman Infantry Brigade
-1 Ottoman Cavalry Regiment

Alanian Army (Vladikavkaz)
-1 Ottoman Infantry Brigade
-1 Ottoman Cavalry Regiments

Circassisan Army (Novorossiysk)
-2 Ottoman Cavalry Regiments
-2 Georgian Light Infantry Regiments

[i]Crimean Army (Azov)
-2 Crimean Militia Cavalry Brigades

Zaporizhian Sich (Temryuk)
-2 Cossack Militia Cavalry Brigage

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