An important gathering took place in October 1647 near Chyhyryn, where Khmelnytsky reminded the public about the situation in the region, the intentions of the King of Poland to start a war against the Ottomans and how the Polish magnates counteracted those plans. He showed the king's letter that had been given to him, and at the end announced that it was a good time for an uprising while there were disagreements between Poles. However, his audience was not too eager to follow those proclamations, pointing to their shortage of arms, the size of the Polish armed forces and other questions. Regarding their arguments Khmelnytsky said that it would be a good idea to ally with an outside force such as Russians or Tatars. However, Hrushevsky doubts Khmelnytsky had the king's letter, viewing this account as "popular legend".