The King furrowed his brow. The response from the frontier was not what he expected. The time had come for difficult decisions, and he had to make them quickly, lest the Russians have opportunity to attack in the Spring. The paranoia began to encroach on his mind, with none around him to be trusted. But he had a list of the conspirators! 113 officers on the Eastern Front who the King had allowed to stay there on their own recognizance. No more. The time for patience was finished. He had good men around him, men that had proven themselves in the battle against the Danes.

Without sleep, the king wrote 113 individual letters, and signed every one with his seal. His advisors in Kronborg Castle thought he was going mad, yet he assured them he was perfectly sane. The letters all read similarly.

[Officer Name]

Your response disappoints me. You are hereby relieved of your position. If you return to your home in due course, you will be spared any punishment for your transgressions.

Under God, King Gustav III

He stretched his arms in the morning. His hand was cramped beyond comprehension. Yet the writing was not yet finished. He wrote additional orders, one to his brothers in Stockholm, Karl XIII and Frederik Adolf. These two, who had supported Gustav in his coup against the riksdag, would be appointed as Generals in the East.

The King looked upon his Guard. His 6,000 loyal soldiers. If the East could hold out until he could get there…

Gustav III sat on a chamberpot in Kronborg Castle, contemplating the purge he was about to enact. He needed replacements for the officers, and his brothers would not be enough. Then he thought of Horatio Nelson. The King demanded that a paper and pen be brought to him on the chamberpot and it was there that he wrote a letter to his ally, the King of Prussia.

Good Frederick Wilhelm,

I write to you in a time of great strife. On the Eastern Front, against our common enemy the Russians, there has been a disastrous conspiracy that has run amock, with the conspirators reneging on their oath to me. I am forced to purge these seditious elements lest the Russians compromise them. It is thus that I ask you, king King Frederick Wilhelm, if there are any Generals or Officers in your army that would be willing to volunteer to serve in the Swedish army and kill some Russians. The men that may volunteer will be paid handsomely for their service and will, of course, be eligible for Swedish honors. We once again extend the greatest compliments to you King Frederick Wilhelm.A Swedish victory against Russia is a must for both the Swedish People and the Prussian People. We ask that beyond sending volunteers, you consider that fact when weighing your foreign diplomatic options….

Yours under God,

King Gustav III

The King summoned his best men and his best riders and gave the order. 100 of his personal guard that had crossed the Öresund with him were promoted to officers on the spot. These 100 will ride posthaste to Finland, heartily supplied, carrying the King’s seal so that they might gain bed and food anywhere on the route.

These men, upon their arrival will dole out the letters from the King. The conspirators, who have already gone against their oath made in 1788, will humbly leave, if they know what is good for them. If they do not wish to go peacefully, well King Gustav III in his paranoia has throught of this.

He has had pamphlets made, informing the common soldier of their officers’ treachery. It outlines the fact that the Anjala Conspirators have communications with the tsarina herself, and it cannot be doubted that they are surely giving information on the army’s battleplans to the tsarina. This is putting all of the lives of the soldiers at risk. The 113 treacherous officers were named in these pamphlets, and emphasized to be actively working to cause the deaths of Swedish soldiers.

These pamphlets are to be carried by a second group of riders who will observe the situation in the East. If the conspirators stand down, then the pamphlets will be burned. If the 113 criminals refuse to stand down, then the pamphlets will be distributed.

The King sat alone looking over the frozen Öresund. Was trapped here for a month more at least. He just needed Finland to hold out until his troops arrived there…