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Suppose after the 1812 declaration of war, Napoleon had waged a defensive campaign against Russia in Poland, possibly in conjunction with a Swedish and Turkish alliance. Assuming military forces were roughly equivalent to OTL, would fighting Russia in Poland have a made a big difference? I think it could have been similar to the 1813 campaign, except with Austria and Prussia more cowed, and with the French army in a much stronger position. Napoleon could also play on traditional prejudices of the Russians being Mongol hordes threatening Europe. The Poles in particular were enthusiastically anti-Russian and fighting would have been on their turf.
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