Prince Poniatowski hurriedly asked, "You mean?"
"I know the Russians' tricks all too well." Kościuszko waved forcefully, setting the medals on his chest swinging. "They are most likely gathering troops within their borders right now.
"Once they are ready, they will use the chaos in our Eastern Provinces as a pretext to launch an invasion, no different from their methods a few years ago." Ignacy Potocki immediately took over, his face flushed with anger. "What do you think we should do?"
Kościuszko looked at his old comrade-in-arms. "Your Highness the Regent, I suggest that we immediately reinforce the Mozyr-Minsk line. At the very least, the East Line must have 70,000 troops for defense.
"At the same time, conduct a thorough investigation into those in the Great Sejm who still harbor illusions about Russia. Their presence will only sap the citizens' will to fight!" Several days later, the Polish Great Sejm overwhelmingly voted down the proposal to restore diplomatic relations with Russia.
Meanwhile, the Polish Guards 3rd Infantry Division left Warsaw and rushed to the Dnieper River defensive line in the east.
A little over half a month later, Prince Poniatowski received word from intelligence agents in Saint Petersburg that Russia was indeed carrying out large-scale mobilization. Dozens of cartloads of supplies were being hauled out of warehouses every day in Moscow, Kasimov, and other places.
Well, Paul I was actually preparing for an advance into India, but in Prince Poniatowski's eyes, this perfectly confirmed Kościuszko's earlier judgment—the Russians were assembling their army to invade Poland.
Gorsakovsky and another representative from the Eastern Provinces were giving a speech outside the Royal Castle calling for the "restoration of trade with Russia" when several investigators from Poland's Committee of Freedom and Security stepped forward and stuffed them into a carriage.
Within three days,