After occupying Mstislav, Kościuszko's vanguard stood less than a hundred kilometers from Smolensk Fortress. Meanwhile, the Polish Army's campaign at Vitebsk on the north side was also proceeding very smoothly. A few days earlier, they had just captured Sosnovka, which controlled the vital routes south of the city.
Judging by the fighting spirit the Russian Army had displayed recently, occupying Vitebsk should not take much time.
By then, the Polish Army would have gained a firm foothold on the East Bank of Dnieper.
Last month, the Polish Great Sejm had also approved the General Staff Headquarters' recruitment plan, calling up a total of thirty-eight thousand new recruits from Kuyavia, Poznan, Kraków, and eastern Lithuania.
These places had previously been occupied by Russia, Prussia, Austria, and other countries, so they had not participated in the previous recruitment drives and still retained a certain number of young and able-bodied men. Lithuania in particular would provide twenty-five thousand troops this time.
Kościuszko turned to look at the map on the wall, his gaze as sharp as a cavalry lance, and said to the staff officer beside him:
"Leave all the heavy cannon near the riverbank. Assign more men to guard them and beware of Russian sabotage. We will not need them until next spring."
"Yes, Marshal!"
Deep winter was now approaching. Heavy snow fell almost every day, making it utterly impossible to organize a large-scale offensive.
Once April of next year arrived and Poland's recruits reached the front, he would be able to smash through Smolensk in one thunderous stroke.
He had absolute confidence in victory.
At present, he had twenty-five Twelve-Pound Cannon supplied by France, and had even spared no manpower in hauling over three Twenty-Four-Pound Heavy Cannon.
He had seen Smolensk's ancient fortress. With these cannon concentrated in bombardment, they could