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Over the next two years, Stefan Batory took the cities of Sokol, Velikiye Luki, Toropets, and in August 1581 laid siege to Pskov. The king planned to start the siege earlier, but the continuous raids of small Russian detachments deep into the Lithuanian lands delayed him. He was not too worried about this: Pskov was not considered a well-fortified city, so Batory expected to take it before the cold weather.

However, he was mistaken: in recent months, the Russians have surrounded Pskov with an embankment, a moat and four stone walls with dozens of towers and secret underground passages.

The Polish king began by ordering arrows to be fired at the besieged, to which notes were attached. In them, he invited the defenders to surrender, promising to show them respect and shower them with favors. Soon a return arrow flew into the camp of the Poles. Impatiently unfolding the letter, Batory read: "For all the riches of the world, we will not change our kiss on the cross. We will die, but we wi