NOVPUB12th November 1671
Nobody in Europe could have foreseen the fall of Chișinău Fortress so quickly. In the opinion of most prominent nobles, military leaders, and intellectuals, the Ottoman Empire is still one of the strongest and mightiest in the world. Being the empire with the largest land mass, largest population, and the largest army, especially now with the Ottoman Empire gaining a million square kilometres of land in the Middle East, no one would think that ramming horns with this behemoth would have a good ending. But as if it was a joke made by God, the gray animal army of Russia that are not afraid of death somehow not only rushed into the enemy territory of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans but also were successful in besieging the fortress of Chișinău, one of the most important fortresses for the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan region. It caught everyone off guard, and the Tsarist Russian Empire successfully expanded its already enormous land mass by another 40,000 square kilometres.
With the sudden rebellion of Italian city-states and the formation of the Federation Italia, the attention of Europe was attracted to the Iberian Peninsula, as matters of the Iberian Peninsula are much more central to the Europeans as opposed to the Russians, who were all the way to the east. Therefore, the spread of news in the European continent about the Russo-Ottoman war was slow, especially for news so unexpected that it sounds like a fairy tale. But when it did reach the ears of the masses, the whole of Europe was in an uproar.
Almost all major newspapers of the continent scrambled to write about the unbelievable feat of the Russians, who were able to capture one of the largest fortresses of the Ottoman Empire right under their noses.
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Paris, France
"God!! Is this real?" a noble gentleman exclaimed in shock as he got up straight, making the glamorous woman in dishevelled clothes who lay next to him look at him in surprise.
The woman leaned forward and curiously took over the newspaper. The title immediately caught her attention: *La Gazette de Versailles*. This was one of the major newspapers of the French kingdom, but the next moment, as her eyes lowered onto the headlines and understood them, her eyes immediately widened, and she was in disbelief. 'How is this possible?' she muttered to herself in her heart.
"Russia Triumphant! The Ottoman Fortress of Chișinău Falls Before Moscow's Cannons"
"Could it be that the Russians challenging the Ottomans is not as foolish as we thought?" Only a few months ago, when the war started, everyone was joking about how the Russians were in over their heads challenging the Ottoman Empire, now of all times, when the ottomans have suddenly gained over a million kilometres of land and several tens of millions of population that can be used as they see fit, on the comparisons alone, the Russian Empire wouldn't stand a chance against the Ottomans. But only a few months later, she was made to eat her own words. She then took a clean look at the delicate middle-aged man, "Darling, I can't accompany you anymore, I have to ask about this matter with my husband."
The middle-aged man nodded, but there was reluctance in his eyes as he eyed the curves of the woman, which couldn't be hidden despite the lush clothes. "Can't you stay longer, Countess?"
Just when she was about to leave, the woman felt a little itchy in her heart. She turned back and passionately kissed the middle-aged man, their tongues intertwined, causing both of them to breathe heavily.
"Pant!" "Pant!"
"Don't worry, my love. With such a major development in the Russo-Ottoman War, my husband will get entangled in the court affairs." She licked her lips as if she had just tasted honey. "Then we will have a lot of time to spend together."
The face of the middle-aged man was a little red, but after the woman left with an exaggerated swing, he meticulously arranged his attire and got on a luxurious carriage.
"Le Procope," he stated his destination.
"Right away, Lord Marquis."
Such shenanigans are pretty common for the French, but the reactions to the news about the fall of the Chișinău fortress in other kingdoms were just as exaggerated.
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England
"Well, ain't that a right turn of events? Those Ottomans finally getting a slap — hope it don't mess up my tea prices!" — A London market vendor said with a nervous chuckle, glancing anxiously at the bustling street.
Holy Roman Empire / Austria
"Russia's creeping in like a nosy neighbour. Don't know if we should invite 'em for schnitzel or lock the door!" — A Vienna brewer said with a worried frown, wiping sweat from his brow.
Spain
"About time those Turks got a proper kicking! Maybe now I won't have to dodge cannonballs near the plaza," — A Madrid tavern regular said, slamming his mug on the table, relief mixing with lingering tension in his voice.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
"Those Russians are sniffin' around like hungry wolves. Hope the big wigs stop fiddling and start acting!" — A Kraków blacksmith said, his fists clenched and eyes narrowing with frustration.
Dutch Republic
"Muscovy's victory is surely a sign of divine providence. May God guide us through these changing times and grant peace to the faithful." — An Amsterdam bishop said crossing his chest with a pious look.
Sweden
"Russia's taking the Black Sea? Well, guess we better sharpen our axes and think bigger." — A Stockholm lumberjack said, gripping his axe tightly, eyes filled with determination.
Denmark-Norway
"Seeing Russia grow makes me wanna batten down the hatches. Can't have 'em bossing our waters!" — A Danish fisherman said, eyes scanning the horizon, voice low with worry.
Federazione Italia
"Praise be, our boys stood strong with the Russians — a true blessing! May the Ottomans feel the weight of divine justice now." — An Italian parishioner said, hands raised in prayer, eyes shining with hope and pride.
Most of the reactions from the European public were positive, as unlike the upper class and leaders who are embroiled in intrigue with each other, in the minds of the people, defeating the old enemy of the Ottoman Empire—the empire built up of infidels and sinners—and freeing the Christian land from its grasp was a praiseworthy thing, even if the empire that freed it was the Russian Empire, an empire which all the kings and emperors of Europe are worried about.
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Tsarist Russian Empire
The happiness and celebration of people in Russia cannot be emphasised enough.
People took to the streets, momentarily forgetting all their sorrows and difficulties while showing their happiness and celebrating the massive victory of the empire. People sang folk songs, and enthusiastic Russian girls got arm in arm and danced on the streets. Even the stuck-up nobles and elites of the Russian Empire allowed for a day off for their serfs, who were being driven like cattle. Even Emperor Alexis threw a huge banquet for the nobles in the court, spreading the joy throughout the upper class. It was as if the victory had completely eliminated all the differences and difficulties the Russian Empire was facing.
"Glory to God! Chișinău Has Fallen – The Pasha Flees, the Tsar's Eagles Prevail"
Headlines like this could be seen plastered all over several prominent newspapers like the *Moscow Vedomosti* and others.
More surprisingly, the victory of Chișinău for Peter was like the window paper that opened the view to a new world. He now felt how the managers of the three military conglomerates of the Bharatiya Empire felt. He knew that the arms sale was profitable, as he had been doing it for a few years since the musket factory had been in production, but only now did he witness the horrifying money-generating ability of the arms trade when the war was at full force. The orders kept flowing into the factory, the price offered by the military had increased, and they were even willing to provide some conveniences for him when it came to purchasing slaves and serfs, which could be used in his factories at a very cheap cost. Peter could imagine in his mind a couple of Bharatiya managers laughing from ear to ear with all the money the war in Russia was generating.
Peter felt a little jealous, but he quickly put it aside, as he was fairly satisfied with his own achievements. Although the major weapons of the Russian military were from the Bharatiya Empire and many were made on their own, over 30% of all the muskets in the Russian army were actually being manufactured by their own factory in Vladivostok, earning them unimaginable profits. Just seeing the reports that came to his desk every week, Peter Alexandrovitch Romanov couldn't once again believe how profitable selling military weaponry was. Despite being a prince of one of the superpowers of the world, this sort of money was seen only in a duke's treasury. Although he was a duke in name, he was the Duke of Siberia, a barren place without any value, so in normal terms, the money he earned over the past few months should have taken him five to eight years to accumulate. He hadn't seen a single individual who was currently making as much money as he was.
"No wonder the nobles are so resistant to purchasing weapons from outside, despite their technology being backwards and risking putting the army at a disadvantage."
"If my interests are threatened, maybe I will do the same," Peter muttered, his mouth drying up. "Have I become the same as those shrewd Jews who go to any lengths for wealth?" He was in a daze for only a little while before he immediately came back to his senses and summoned four of his subordinates:
"Set up 5 musket factories as soon as possible. Import the manufacturing equipment from the Bharatiya Empire. But this time, since we have already researched how to set up the production line, let our engineers do it themselves. If any problems occur, employ someone from the Bharatiya Empire to help us out."
"Send more prospectors to search for mines." 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"Increase the funding of rifle research similar to the one used by the Bharatiya Empire, but develop one more suited to the Arctic."
"Finally, I will set off to Moscow immediately. Prepare the carriage for me, and in the meantime, take care of everything. I want all the factories to be constructed, employees to be employed, training to be given, and ready to function by the time I come back."
He issued back-to-back orders, making quick but decisive decisions. He understood that at the rate the war was progressing, his father was bound to recruit more troops, and if he wanted to fulfil the military contracts that were bound to expand, he had to be swift and have the manufacturing capacity ready by the time the troops were trained.
He was going back to Moscow not only to congratulate his father on the victory but also to inform him of the good news that the Bharatiya Empire had agreed to sell them their mortars, Hastha Dwani (hand cannons), and Scorpion grenade launchers. With these three weapons of destruction, it should make the Russian army more versatile and more suitable to continue playing their current style of war, which is nothing but simply roadrolling everything in its path, filling it up with human lives, which are found abundantly in the countryside.
P.S. Sorry, it's been a hectic week. I wasn't home most of the time, so it's just single chapters for the last few days. Also, they're a little thin in content.
P.S. Also, W Atreides, the chapter is his idea
