276 Turning the Tiger Away from the Mountain
Two breakwaters defend the bay of Sevastopol like outstretched arms, and on the stepped slopes along the shores of the bay, a great city stands there: Sevastopol.
As the most important base of the Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol's military significance goes without saying, the coast is full of fortresses and trenches, and even the entire city itself is a huge labyrinth.
Li Xiaofeng's first impression when he arrived in Sevastopol was that the city was full of twists and turns, as if it had artificially made the municipal construction twists and turns. In fact, he was not wrong in his impression, Sevastopol was deliberately designed like this, it can be said that the city itself was a huge military fortress, and any enemy who wanted to capture it would have to pay a heavy price.
This was also confirmed by the Battle of Sevastopol in World War II, where the Soviet Red Army and local soldiers and civilians fought fiercely against the Nazis for 250 days, diverted the Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk, pinned down a large number of German troops for the land theater, and relieved the pressure on the Caucasus and Stalingrad directions.
Historically, Sevastopol was a tragedy in 1918, when it was occupied by the Germans, the Anglo-French-Greek forces, and the White Army, and did not return to the Red Army until 1920.
Of course, because of Li Xiaofeng's appearance, I am afraid that such a tragedy will not need to be staged, but this is by no means to say that a certain immortal is very easy now.
In fact, Li Xiaofeng's mood was not good, and after inexplicably saving Svoboda's life, he found that the problem of the Black Sea Fleet was more serious than he imagined, and the enemy's conspiracy was probably carried out to the most critical moment. If you can't stop them, the consequences may be unimaginable!
Then. He hurried and drove straight to Sevastopol. Prepare to get ahead of the enemy. Stop their plots. But after entering Sevastopol, he was shocked to find that the situation was completely different.
After a city-wide search, no signs of Nikolai and Konstantin's activities were found, and even if their photos were posted all over the city, it would be meaningless. As if, these two people did not come to Sevastopol at all.
This made Li Xiaofeng a little baffled, according to Svoboda's explanation, the destination of the two was Sevastopol. And judging from their murderous actions, it seems that they want to cover up the traces of their activities, and it is very likely that they are doing the finishing work for the sake of the plan later.
No matter how you look at it, they should be in Sevastopol, but what can't they find?
Li Xiaofeng also thought that the local Cheka in Sevastopol was too incompetent, but it was too strange to ask Boris to mobilize his old subordinates to help find someone, and this situation seemed too weird!
"Are you sure their destination is Sevastopol?" Li Xiaofeng asked Svoboda again.
"I can guarantee with my head that this is their destination!" Svoboda swore by it.
Li Xiaofeng said with some annoyance: "But I can't find any trace of them at all!" β
Svoboda stopped talking, because he didn't know what to say, and it didn't sound good. He's just a bodyguard, and all he knows is that those two bastards are going to Sevastopol. Nothing is known as to what they are going to do or what they want to do when they go.
"You didn't find any clues along the way?" Li Xiaofeng asked unrelentingly.
Svoboda sighed and said, "I followed along the way, and I told you that I was forced to flee because I offended Konstantin." Think about it, in this case, those two bastards will not guard against me! I hate it, I shouldn't have run away at that time, I should have fought with them, even if I died, it wouldn't affect the other brothers......"
Li Xiaofeng is a little impatient, he hates big men being little daughters the most, things have happened, crying to have a fart? If you have the kung fu to shed tears, it's better to think more about how to take revenge, cry and cry!
At that time, his tone was not so good: "What are you crying about?" From the very beginning, you were looking for death, obviously you didn't have any skills, and you still liked to be heroes. Do you think that if you Czechs help the White Army rebel, you will be able to rise above others? It's a joke, from beginning to end, you little soldiers are poor creatures who are being used, and you are poor creatures who have no brains at all! β
Svoboda was by no means a good-tempered person, and if he had a good temper and could swallow his anger, he would not have made a big mistake with Konstantin at that time. What's more, he originally looked at the Bolsheviks unpleasantly, and suddenly exploded: "Poor? Even if we are pitiful, it is you Bolsheviks who caused it. Would all this have happened if it hadn't been for you surrendering to the Germans, if it hadn't been for your withdrawal from the war? β
Li Xiaofeng just sneered when he heard this: "You are really ridiculously naΓ―ve." What do you know? Do you think that if we Bolsheviks do not withdraw from the war, you Czechs will be able to live independently and freely, happily and happily? Fool, please think about it with your brain, after the defeat of the German-Austrian bloc, the forces of power in Eastern and Central Europe will inevitably be reshuffled, and in order to punish Germany and Austria-Hungary, they will inevitably be dismembered! At this time, it is the turn of the victorious country to share the cake. β
He paused a little and continued: "If Russia does not withdraw from the war, it will inevitably share this cake, and in order to compensate Russia for the war losses, it will inevitably give us some benefits in the cake of Central Europe, and how much do you think you Czechs can get at that time?" And you who have just become independent will first have to face the pressure of the behemoth of Tsarist Russia, I am afraid that at that time, you will be the front door to reject the tiger and the back door to welcome the wolf. Even if the British and the French give you a small profit, you will be caught in the middle of a new confrontation between interest groups, how much freedom can you have? β
Svoboda was not convinced, and said angrily: "Masaryk has told us that the Entente will satisfy our ......"
"Alright, alright!" Li Xiaofeng waved his hand contemptuously, "If I don't give you a little blank check, will you die for them?" I don't know how much I've heard this kind of, Britain also made promises to the Arabs and Indians in order to win this war, let's ride a donkey and read the record book and see, you see if they will make promises! β
At this point, Li Xiaofeng really didn't tell a lie. The British in order to win this world war. It's really out of the way. The poor worms of the colonies were promised many benefits, and they were tempted to work for the good of the British Empire. The Arabs were the worst fooled, and the camels helped the British to pull Turkey's back legs, but as soon as the Paris Peace Conference began, they still stood aside. For example, the famous Lawrence of Arabia, after the war, he couldn't even look down on the motherland, saying one thing and doing the other with two sides.
And let's be honest, this circle of small countries in Central Europe, in a sense. It was concocted by the two hooligans of Britain and France in order to balance the post-war international order. On the one hand, they dismembered the defeated countries, and on the other hand, they were actually building walls, and the countries in Central and Eastern Europe became their buffer zone with the Soviet Union, to put it bluntly, they created a group of cannon fodder that could be sacrificed.
It can also be seen from the course of World War II that both Chamberlain and Daladier did not hesitate to abandon those allies in World War I and sell them casually, and that one was neat. What does this mean, it shows that these people are naturally sacrificeable.
Anyway, the experience of the Czechs should be particularly profound, and the country will be destroyed before a shot is fired. Being sold and helping to count the money is probably the common outcome of all democratic elites. After there is no use value, it will be ruthlessly discarded.
Of course, this is a bit of a stretch, but in short, the collapse of the Tsarist Empire gave the oppressed peoples of Central and Eastern Europe the opportunity to win their independence. In other words, if Russia had not withdrawn from World War I, and if the Russians had stood at the Paris Peace Conference, the interests of the small countries of Central and Eastern Europe would have suffered. After all, the Russians are not living Lei Feng, and the spoils will never be in vain.
It's a pity that Svoboda in this era doesn't have much political vision, and in fact, this prince will not have any political vision in the next few decades, just like Li Xiaofeng said, he is a poor worm who is used from beginning to end.
In World War I, he was used by Masaryk and his well-known elite as cannon fodder to interfere in Russia's internal affairs. After the victory in World War II, it was used by the Soviets to achieve the goal of overthrowing the Czech regime, and after it was used up, it was ruthlessly discarded by the Soviet Union. From a historical point of view, this guy is really a wretched worm.
"No matter what you say, I won't believe it!" Svoboda yelled stubbornly.
Li Xiaofeng shrugged his shoulders and said indifferently: "It's up to you, it doesn't make much sense if you don't believe it anyway, and I'm not interested in spending that effort." Now, I just ask you to hasten to recall all the noteworthy details, and for the settlement of Nikolai and Konstantin, I think we should still be in agreement, right? β
Svoboda stopped talking, and although he didn't like someone's style and way of speaking, he had to admit that they were indeed on the same page on this point. But he couldn't think of any noteworthy clues......
"That's it!" Boris interjected, "Don't force this kid, there are some things that can't be rushed." How can you say that he is also a wounded, give him some time, let him recuperate, rest and rest, maybe he will remember in a flash of inspiration? β
In this regard, Li Xiaofeng did not have any hope, he felt that Swoboda had already said everything about Zhilu Dao, and in more realistic terms, there was no value in using it. He didn't have any good feelings about the Czech Legion that took the lead in the rebellion, and he just threw it into the concentration camp and reformed it through labor.
But Boris has to sell a little bit of face, after all, he still has to rely on this old man, it can be seen that the old man is a person who values feelings, if you don't want to fall out with him, let's do what he wants.
However, according to Boris's meaning, it does not mean that Li Xiaofeng is really stupid and waiting, so he will not put his hope on Svoboda's unreliable memories. His style is to take the initiative, and if no trace of Nikolai and Konstantin is found in Sevastopol, then there may be three scenarios.
The first one, as mentioned earlier, is that Svoboda lied or misremembered. However, in Li Xiaofeng's opinion, this possibility is very small, Svoboda's hatred for those two people can be smelled with his nose, and he has no reason to help the enemy. As for remembering wrongly, Li Xiaofeng doesn't think that Svoboda is the kind of character in Madaha, and he shouldn't be mistaken about such a crucial clue.
Excluding that Svoboda had a problem here, then there is a second possibility, that is, Nikolai and Konstantin actively lied in order to hide their real goals. However, Li Xiaofeng felt that this possibility was not very likely, if these two people really planned to make trouble in the Black Sea Fleet. Then there are only two locations that are most likely.
One is Odessa. The other is Sevastopol. Because the main forces of the Black Sea Fleet are basically anchored in these two ports. In addition, Nikolaev and Novorossiysk are not as significant as these two ports and cannot make much of a storm.
And Odessa, Li Xiaofeng has already been there, and the person in charge there is still more reliable, and because of the small number of warships moored, the problem is not as big as in Sevastopol. Anyway, if he was allowed to choose, he would not have caused sabotage in Odessa.
There is only one Sevastopol left. But I can't find any clues. This made Li Xiaofeng puzzled, and even deduced a third possibility - didn't the two goods arrive in Sevastopol yet?
This possibility is not impossible, and having learned about the situation from Svoboda, he hurried to Sevastopol without even stopping at Simferopol. As the capital of Crimea, Simferopol is also of considerable political significance, and it is very likely that those two people were active in Simferopol first, and they have not yet gone south!
Thinking of this, Li Xiaofeng immediately called the herald and ordered that the portraits of Nikolai and Konstantin be sent to Simferopol immediately. Instruct the Cheka there to start a city-wide search to see if they can capture the two goods.
So what's the situation? Where exactly are Nikolai and Constantine? It should be said. The two guys were very vigilant, and as soon as Svoboda fled, they realized that something was wrong, and that if Svoboda fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks, it meant that they might be exposed.
In order to prevent future troubles, in order to reduce the risk of exposure, so that they could continue their mission, they immediately put all of Svoboda's friends to death, and they did not intend to let them leave Crimea alive anyway. After disposing of these "baggage", they immediately rushed to Simferopol, where they needed to make the final preparations.
However, the situation was much worse than they expected, Li Xiaofeng moved too quickly, arrived in Sevastopol first, immediately controlled the situation, and searched for them throughout the city. The relevant information was clearly known to them through the spies lurking in the Red Army, which meant that the two of them could not go to Sevastopol, otherwise they would have fallen into the net.
"What now? Abandonment of action? Konstantin said hatefully.
Nikolai didn't speak, he sat on the edge of the bed and frowned thinking about something, his attitude immediately aroused Konstantin's great dissatisfaction, and the thing kept complaining: "I told you a long time ago, that Ludvik is a trouble, if it had been solved earlier, where would there be so many troubles now!" β
Nikolai is much more annoying than Konstantin, he thinks that it is not only Svoboda that is bad, Konstantin does not play a good role in it, if it weren't for this stinky mouth and Svoboda, where would there be so much trouble!
"Shut up!" Nikolai angrily rebuked Konstantin, "If you can control the stinky mouth, we will definitely not come to this field!" β
Konstantin was furious, jumped up and shouted: "Yo, it's still my fault!" β
"Of course it's your fault!" Nikolai was also angry, grabbed Konstantin's placket, and said with a lesson: "If you complain less and cause less trouble, Svoboda will run away?" Will mutiny? I warn you once and last that you are not allowed to speak without my permission! Otherwise, huh! β
Konstantin had never seen such a terrible Nikolai that he was so frightened that he did not say anything for a long time. Nikolai only glared at him viciously, and then went to the edge of the bed and sat down.
This silence was not broken until ten minutes later, when Nikolai said, "We must divide our forces in two ways!" β
"For what?" Konstantin asked in a whisper.
"It's simple," Nikolai said heavily, "and our actions have been overtaken by Andrei. Petrovich noticed that he was already waiting for the rabbit in Sevastopol. So, according to the original plan, there is no point in going to Sevastopol! β
Konstantin asked in confusion: "What does this have to do with the division of soldiers?" Now that the mission has failed, we should hurry out of the Crimea......"
Nikolai glared at him and said, "That's not going to work! Now the state of the coalition forces is very bad, and if they can't plot against the Black Sea Fleet, the coalition forces will inevitably have a dead end. We must continue the mission! β
Konstantin interjected: "However, you just said that you can't go to Sevastopol......"
Nikolai said angrily: "Listen to me, Sevastopol is going hard, but this does not mean that we cannot complete the task." In addition to Sevastopol, the flotilla has anchorages in Odessa and Novorossiysk, and we can only settle for the next best. You go to Odessa, I'll go to Novorossiysk......"
A few hours later, Konstantin hurriedly left the hiding place and hurried in the direction of Odessa. Little did he know that Nikolai did not go to Novorossiysk as they had agreed. Instead, it stopped at the port of Alusta, not far from Simferopol.
"Your Excellency, aren't we going to Novorossiysk?" The White Army agent who answered him asked.
I saw Nikolai sneer: "What are you doing in Novorossiysk?" What's the point? β
The spy was a little dumbfounded, and asked again: "Then you asked Konstantin to go to Odessa again?" β
Nikolai snorted contemptuously: "I'm afraid we won't be able to do anything without that fool being separated." Let your people go to Kherson, Nikolaev and Odessa to spread the news, and say that they have found traces of me and Konstantin......" (to be continued......
PS: Thanks to the three comrades Juventus, Instant Kill Potato and hzwangdd! You guys are amazing!