Sochi, a small city on the shores of the Black Sea, is widely known to have originated from a less successful Winter Olympics. This small city, located near the border between Russia and Georgia, was nothing in Russia's pre-Russian history, but it suddenly made headlines on July 15, 1919, just as the smoke of war in Poland had just cleared.

On this day, Wrangel officially replaced Denikin as the new commander-in-chief of the "Russian Volunteer Army". And Denikin, who had been firmly in control of the situation, had to resign from his position and go to Turkey to "recuperate".

This change was so sudden that the Red Army was not mentally prepared for it, after all, Denikin's appearance in the previous period was not bad, and under the encirclement of the Southwestern Front and the Eastern Front, the main forces were still taken out of the encirclement. Truth be told, it's not easy.

Moreover, just three days before Denikin was forced to resign and "recuperate," the Entente bloc was still praising him, believing that he had laid a solid military foundation for the preservation of the White Army and the future anti-communist salvation of the country.

So why did Denikin step down so "unexpectedly"? The simplest reason, because that's what politics is. Politics only talks about interests, not feelings.

Denikin did a good job in the previous paragraph, but it was just good. After the fall of Kolchak, the Entente had high hopes for him, hoping that he would be able to hold the area from the city of Ural to Tsaritsyn, to thwart the Red Army's offensive in this area, and to maintain the situation that continued to threaten the direction of Moscow.

It should be said that Denikin also hopes that he can do this, but unfortunately, there is a big gap between the ideal and the reality. With the fall of Kolchak. The pressure of both fronts acted on Denikin's troops at the same time. He's not a military wizard. Being able to turn decay into magic is naturally unbearable.

Of course, most people in the world have also seen that he can't stand it, and it can't stand it. If his troops continue to persist and continue to fight hard according to the requirements of the Entente, there is only one way to end up - that is, to be annihilated!

From this point of view, it seems that Denikin did nothing wrong? He was very clever to move early and jump out of the encirclement dangerously, no matter how you look at it, it's a good thing, right?

Perhaps this was indeed a good thing for Denikin's White Army. But for the Entente group. Denikin's approach is less than acceptable.

Why? This has to be analyzed from the international form. When Denikin moved in with his troops, it was the most anxious time on the battlefield in Poland, when the Entente received bad news, either the Poles were surrounded and annihilated, or the Germans refused to give in completely at the negotiating table.

For the Entente bloc, it would take time to bring the Germans to their knees as soon as possible and save Poland from its predicament. They need someone to make sacrifices, in the hope that someone will continue to drag the Million Red Army in the Volga and Caspian areas. In this way, the Bolsheviks did not have the extra capacity to export the revolution. This would help the Entente bloc to stabilize the situation in Poland and buy them valuable time for a full-scale intervention in the Russian Revolution.

And how did Denikin do it? He did not fight the Red Army to the death, as the Entente demanded. Instead, he ran away decisively. Although he brought out the main forces of the White Army, he saved his strength for future counteroffensives. But. This means little to the Entente, which today needs only time, and they hope that someone will cause problems for the Bolsheviks and make them unable to look westward. So that their negotiations with the Germans should not be interfered with by too many external forces, and when they had settled the German question, the previous millions of troops could march eastward, and the Bolsheviks could be defeated without the need for a rabble-like white army.

Obviously, Denikin didn't think so, maybe according to the Entente's plan, it was indeed possible to get rid of the Bolsheviks, but what good would that do for Russia? After the dismemberment of Germany and Austria-Hungary, would the armies of the Entente bloc be restored to the territory of the Russian Tsarist era like the king's division? Will it actively defend the territorial and sovereign integrity of Russia?

Denikin didn't think that the Entente was a living thunderbolt, and they would be happy to cut Russia into eight pieces and chop the polar bears into meat sauce once and for all. As a "real" Russian, a traditional patriot, Denikin did not allow such a situation to arise.

He believed that if Russia's sovereignty and integrity were to be safeguarded, the first thing to do was to retain a Russian armed force. Only with the barrel of a gun in hand can Russia bargain with the Entente and avoid being preyed.

This is to decide that Denikin will never sacrifice his troops to buy time for the Entente, he is not so stupid!

In a sense, Denikin was also an idealist, who insisted on the last principle and made a final struggle to preserve the sovereignty of Russia. Inevitably, he must also pay a heavy political price for this decision.

Especially when the Polish shape deteriorated dramatically and the Germans were stagnant, he would inevitably become a punching bag. The Entente would not allow a single guy who opposed them to continue to hold power in the White Army.

And Wrangel seized this opportunity, and he who was constantly making trouble for Denikin and constantly digging into the wall to prepare for the throne, finally got what he wanted.

I have to say that Denikin is very tragic. He went to great lengths to preserve Russia's sovereignty and to preserve a vital force for Russia. If it weren't for him, the White Army would never have broken out of the encirclement and fled to Sochi.

And now, these officers of the White Army have forgotten this, forgetting that it was Denikin who led them to escape from Ascension, and they saw only the aid of the Entente, only money and food. So not only did they fail to continue to support the "life-saving benefactor" Denikin, but they turned against each other and dealt a fatal blow to Denikin.

With the support of the Entente and the betrayal of the army, Denikin quickly became a loner, and it stands to reason that at that moment he had every reason to be angry and to complain, but he did not.

Late at night on July 14, he had a final secret conversation with Wrangel in his office, the last face-to-face conversation between the two men, and the last meeting in their lives. A few days later, Denikin was taken to Turkey and then to the United States. Wrangel, on the other hand, was defeated by Tbilisi a few months later. Committed suicide by swallowing a gun in the midst of a heavy siege.

That night. What exactly did Denikin and Wrangel talk about. It became a topic of conversation among historians, because Denikin did not mention that night in his memoirs. He was secretive about the night he was forced to leave politics.

So some people said that Denikin scolded Wrangel, and others said that Denikin didn't say anything to Wrangel, and the two sides just looked at each other wordlessly for ten minutes, and then parted ways.

So did these two men speak? Actually, this is not some historical mystery, there is a man who has always known the answer, but in his lifetime. Because of the need for political and secrecy, he could not say. It wasn't until after his death that the secret was revealed.

Ace spy Alexander Lovech wrote in his secret memoirs: "On July 14, the weather was unusually dreary, there was not a single cloud or a trace of wind, and it was so oppressive that it almost fainted. At 8 p.m., I accompanied Wrangel to Denikin, and under pressure from the officers, the commander-in-chief had to announce his departure. Along the way, Wrangel's interest was high. Seemingly completely unaffected by the damn weather, he kept talking about how bright the future would be. Tell me how he will turn the tide......"

When he arrived at the General Headquarters, Wrangel hid his joy and excitement, he deliberately kept a straight face, pretending to be very calm and calm, but he almost twisted his foot when he got out of the car...... Compared to Wrangel's excitement, the atmosphere in the headquarters was dead silent. Several of Denikin's staff officers wordlessly packed up and prepared to pack and leave, and Denikin's orderlies ran in and out, constantly loading the former commander-in-chief's personal belongings into the car. I could see that the people in the headquarters were looking at Wrangel with a kind of unspoken affection, maybe they were thinking about how to please the new master? ”

"Denikin met us in his office on the second floor, and I will never forget the scene of the office, the floor of the office was littered with scraps of paper, and the papers on the desk were scattered all over the floor. On the coffee table on the other side is a bottle of vodka and an empty wine glass. I know that Denikin doesn't drink much, but I can feel the amount of alcohol left in the bottle and the smell of alcohol on him, and this time, Denikin probably also knows that his political life is over......"

Wrangel was a little nervous, he seemed a little at a loss, as if he didn't know how to face Denikin. To be honest, it was very interesting to me, I thought he wasn't afraid of Denikin at all...... Wrangel and Denikin looked at each other for at least five minutes, the smell of gunpowder in the air was so strong that I doubted that the next second the two men would draw their guns and shoot at each other......"

"Denikin first calmed down, he took a deep breath and spoke: 'Wrangel, you better remember clearly, you are first and foremost a Russian, and you must first defend the interests of Russia!' After saying this, Denikin strode out from behind his desk, and then left without looking back......"

So did Wrangel remember Denikin's advice? I'm afraid that only part of it is remembered, because Wrangel will soon find that the position of commander-in-chief is not so easy to do, his will is always difficult to carry out at the grassroots level, and the officers always have opinions and always like to speak against them. What is even more terrifying is that the Entente has never taken him as commander-in-chief, and in the eyes of the big hooligans, he is just a dog they raise......

"Given that the White Bandit Army has already suffered a heavy blow, it can no longer threaten the regions of the lower Don and Volga. The focus of our military work in the later stage will inevitably shift in the direction of Belarus and Ukraine, and it is best to resume production as soon as possible! ”

Trotsky's real intention was probably not to resume production in Belarus and Ukraine, but to march towards Central and Eastern Europe, where the Red Army would burn the old order with the flames of revolution, and the resumption of production would be merely a pretext.

Lenin had no objection to the transfer of the main forces of the Red Army into Belarus and Ukraine, but he was more cautious about how many troops should be transferred: "The transfer of troops is inevitable, but it must be seen that the main forces of the White Bandit Army still exist, and that in the Caucasus they can easily obtain imperialist support, and the possibility of their recovery cannot be ruled out." Therefore, for the sake of prudence, I think that the troops should not be too much, and strong military pressure should be maintained, and it is best to fight another war of annihilation in the Caucasus, and then transfer to other battlefields after severely damaging the main forces of the White Army! ”

Trotsky was somewhat angry at this. He asked excitedly: "Before, the central government said that if we won the battle of Tsaritsyn, we would shift the strategic focus. And now we've won. Why hesitate? The White Army is at the end of its rope, and we should pay more attention to international problems, because only when they are solved can the future of the revolution be guaranteed! ”

Lenin had to patiently explain: "The previous resolution of the Central Committee was to strive for the destruction or crushing of the main forces of the White Army. And now we have not achieved this, the Whites have escaped from the encirclement, their main forces are still there, and they may re-emerge at any time. How can it be ignored? ”

Trotsky, however, did not listen, and emphasized: "Isn't it a brilliant victory that intelligence shows that in this meeting the forces of Tukhachevsky and the Eastern Front annihilated at least 100,000 white bandits, which is almost half the strength of Denikin's bandits?" Oh, by the way, I forgot about it, because of this fiasco, Denikin has been forced out of the wilderness. The gang with him at its core has been completely disbanded! ”

Why did Trotsky have to emphasize the heavy blow to the Denikin group? This was not only for his promotion of the world revolution, but also for Tukhachevsky's endorsement. Before, because he let go of Denikin's main force. Tukhachevsky received a certain amount of reproach (led by Stalin), and it was only with great difficulty that he determined the outcome of the battle and gave Tukhachevsky a positive evaluation. And now Lenin's words are undoubtedly implying that Tukhachevsky's exploits are all water, which Trotsky could not allow, so he must insist on this.

However, what Trotsky insisted on, Stalin was bound to oppose, and he immediately said: "As the political commissar of the Southwestern Front, I understand the actual situation of the battle, and although we have won, we have annihilated small bandit armies that have not had time to escape, and among the 100,000 men, there are very few combatants, and the vast majority of them are the families and slaves of the bandits......

"I strongly disagree with this!" Trotsky quickly interrupted Stalin and said categorically: "There is no doubt that we have annihilated all the well-documented counter-revolutionaries!" ”

In fact, Trotsky's words sounded weak, because he had changed the concept that Stalin was emphasizing non-combatants, while he was referring to counter-revolutionaries in general terms. If only the counter-revolutionary nature is emphasized, then the Cheka probably eliminated much more "white bandits" than the regular army of the Red Army during this year.

Lenin, however, did not want to take Trotsky seriously on this issue, because that would mean that it would likely provoke a new storm of internal struggle, which would have been easily cooled down, and he did not want it to stop for only a month.

So he said: "Victory is naturally beyond reproach, but it is also worth thinking about consolidating the gains of victory." There is no doubt that our enemy still retains considerable combat effectiveness, so we cannot afford to be careless! ”

As he spoke, he glanced at Trotsky meaningfully, and then said: "My opinion is that the Southwestern Front continues to encircle and suppress the remnants of the White Army, a part of the Eastern Front turns to the far East Siberian direction to continue to pursue and annihilate the remnants of Kolchak, and the main forces turn to Ukraine and Belarus to cooperate with Comrade Frunze to quell the local rebellion!" ”

Trotsky knew very well what Lenin meant by the glance he saw, but he was genuinely dissatisfied with Lenin's arrangement. According to his opinion, the main forces of the Eastern Front went directly to Belarus and Ukraine, and the rest of the Southwestern Front, in addition to the main forces continuing to suppress bandits in the Caucasus, would be transferred to the Far East and Siberia. In Trotsky's view, this is the way to get priorities and priorities!

After thinking for a while, he continued to insist: "Is it too wasteful for the Southwestern Front to stay in the Caucasus with all of it?" ”

Lenin naturally knew what Lao Tuo was planning, but he did not intend to give in: "The Southwestern Front has to face not only the remnants of the Denikin gang, we must be mentally prepared for direct military intervention by the Entente!" ”

Trotsky knew that Lenin would not make concessions on the question of the Southwestern Front, so he could only make a fuss about the Eastern Front: "The First Division of the Eastern Front is already chasing down Kolchak, and judging from the current situation, Comrades Brusinov and Bryukhl have done a very good job, and they can be completely convinced. I don't think it's necessary to strengthen the forces of the Far East and Siberian side anymore. The Eastern Front, which is fighting in the Caucasus, should be transferred to Ukraine and Belarus as soon as possible! ”

Lenin could only agree with Trotsky, he knew very well that this comrade was too devoted to the world revolution, and that he had been waiting for this moment for quite a long time, and if he did not agree, there would be nothing to be done later, and the Trotskyists and Leninists would continue to talk about it!

"Then do it according to Comrade Trotsky's advice!" Lenin said with a sigh.

Trotsky was waiting for this sentence, and he immediately added: "In that case, I propose to organize the Eastern Front in the Caucasus into a completely new front, well, let them take charge of the war situation in Belarus!" ”

Trotsky's meaning was clear: he was fighting for command of the troops, he did not want to hand over his Eastern Front to Frunze, he wanted Tukhachevsky to take charge of the newly formed Belorussian Front.

Lenin glanced at him and nodded: "Yes, Tukhachevsky is up to the task, then the commander-in-chief of the Southwestern Front will be Comrade Stalin for the time being!" (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you to the millions, the wasters and the Juventus comrades!