330 scorched

Kozhemiyaka glanced at the Tavlicher Palace behind him, the latest directive from the central government had been conveyed, the main forces of the 1st Machine Gun Regiment were to move in the direction of the Winter Palace, ready to join the siege of the Provisional Government.

"We can finally do it!" The comrades-in-arms cheered with great interest, they had long been impatient to be the doormen of the Tavricher Palace, and they couldn't wait to join the battle.

Of course, there was also a small number of people who were dissatisfied with this decision, and this part of the people, who were party members or representatives of the Soviets with a relatively high ideological consciousness, who believed that even if they were to be thrown into the fight, then the Soviets must first be resolved.

They were so dissatisfied with the attitude of the Soviets in this struggle that they had almost equated them with the bourgeois Provisional Government. In their opinion, the Soviets must not be let go so easily, and all the Mensheviks and Socialist swindlers should be brought out and paraded in the streets.

However, an order is an order, even if they don't like it, they must accept it, not to mention that the Central Committee also specially sent Comrade Sverdlov to do the explanation work, although many people are the first time to see this "old **" who is famous for his good organizational work, but under his unique personality charm, even people with opinions have been temporarily convinced.

When the soldiers of the 1st Machine Gun Regiment disappeared from the square in front of the Tavrichher Palace, the members of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union, who were hiding in the Palace, exclaimed all kinds of exclamations, some were surprised, some were puzzled, and some were cynical.

"The Bolsheviks fled, and it should have been the counterinsurgency army marching into Petrograd!" "Haluha, Lenin and Trotsky, the two clowns, have suffered a shameful defeat, and now is the time for us to take advantage of the victory!" ”

The President gave an impromptu speech to boost morale, but few responded, and many more scanned the previously overcrowded square with suspicious eyes, discussing the real reasons for the withdrawal of the Bolsheviks.

Yes, not a single one believed the nonsense of Celete, and if the Bolsheviks had really been defeated, the 1st machine-gun regiment would not have moved so calmly. In their opinion, the 1st Machine Gun Regiment was more like preparing to go to the battlefield.

Aksherrod said to Plekhanov: "We should send someone out to find out the news, we have been locked up for a whole day, we are completely outdated!" ”

"I agree!" Sukhanov chimed in, "It is quite dangerous to jump to conclusions without figuring out what is really going on. As he spoke, he glanced at the still gushing and morale-boosting Tseretie.

"Ignore him!"

Plekhanov snorted disdainfully, and before the withdrawal of the 1st Machine Gun Regiment, Tseleteri was making the same impassioned speech, but the theme of the speech was how perverse and evil the Bolsheviks were, and he tirelessly instilled in all the Central Executive Committee the notion that the Bolsheviks were evil, that we are dead today, and that it was all because of your indulgence of the Bolsheviks.

Well, all this bar-la-la is nonsense, not useful at all, except for making Tavrichher Palace more tense and depressed. What's even more infuriating is that Ceretieli still didn't listen to persuasion, and he didn't think of any measures to save himself, just blindly hysterical nonsense.

To be honest, Plekhanov was very dissatisfied with Tseretieli's performance, which is what a mature politician should do, just like a panicked mother. The old man turned his head hatefully, deliberately did not look at Tsereteri, who was already in a state of excitement, and explained to Aksherlot and Sukhanov:

"In my opinion, it is irresponsible to say that the Bolsheviks have failed, and in my opinion, there is only one possibility why they transferred the 1st Machine Gun Regiment - the incident has reached a very critical moment, maybe the Bolsheviks are making the last resistance, or they are going to give the cabinet the last blow, but either way, we must be prepared in advance!"

"What are you going to do?" Sukhanov and Aksherro asked in unison.

"Sukhanov, you have a good relationship with Kamenev, immediately go and probe him and see what Lenin is going to do!"

Sukhanov spread his hands: "Kamenev has been marginalized, I'm afraid it won't be useful to look for him!" ”

Plekhanov shook his head and said: "You don't understand, it's useful precisely because he was marginalized!" ”

Sukhanov was stunned for a moment and then reacted, isn't this the reason, if Kamenev was still a member of the Central Committee of the Bolsheviks at this time, then he really would not cooperate with the Mensheviks. And now that he is marginalized, he will inevitably have resentment, and he will inevitably want to make a comeback, and at this time the two sides will have a basis for cooperation.

Sukhanov left in a hurry, and Plekhanov continued to explain to Aksherryrod: "You have to find a way to get in touch with Speaker Rokyanko, if they are in a critical situation, you must let them hold on, and don't give up easily." If the situation is in their favor or in a stalemate, you tell him that the Soviets will firmly support him, and we will do everything possible to restore order in Petrograd.

Seeing off Aksherrod, Plekhanov hurriedly stepped onto the rostrum and snatched the right to speak from Tsereteri, "Gentlemen, it's time for us to play our part!" ”

He had barely made a start, and Tseretiri interrupted him: "Comrade Plekhanov, we can't do anything now, the damned Bolsheviks have ruined everything, and the entire Soviet Union is completely paralyzed!" ”

Plekhanov really wants to kick this grandson off the rostrum, where are you? At this time, don't spread pessimism, you just pretend to be miserable and miserable, and Lenin will not pity you.

So the old man simply pretended not to hear it, and said to himself: "My friends, we should act immediately and support the cabinet with our practical actions!" ”

"I don't see what we can do!" Tsereteri interjected again.

"We can do a lot!" Plekhanov had to stress once again that "we must reveal the truth to the people of Petrograd about the illegal marches and rallies of the Bolsheviks and the farce that was directed in the last place!" It is our duty and duty to bring the masses back to their senses so that they are no longer used by the Bolsheviks! We must take up the weapon of propaganda and fight back politically against the provocations of the Bolsheviks until they are completely defeated!! ”

Before Plekhanov's words fell, the audience burst into warm applause, and those who liked the old man in the past and hated the old man paid high tribute to the old man who was able to grasp the key point at the critical moment. Compared to the old man's panic, the panicked Tsereteli was like a clown.

When the 1st Machine Gun Regiment entered the battle, as most members of the Central Committee of the Bolsheviks feared, the reactionary party in the Soviets, under the initiation and leadership of Plekhanov, united into a united coalition and began to launch a political propaganda campaign to try to discredit and crush the Bolsheviks politically.

In this regard, a considerable number of Bolshevik top brass expressed deep concern, and the first of them was Kamenev, who directly expressed his strong dissatisfaction with Lenin: "Comrade Lenin, please stop going your own way, we must immediately stop the armed struggle and lay down our arms...... We must immediately try to win the understanding of the Soviets, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable! ”

Lenin really did not want to see Kamenev, and he had warned this fool* countless times to stop babbling in his ears, and he was really tired of the pessimistic capitulationist rhetoric.

Especially now, at the most critical moment of the armed struggle, he would rather think more about how to achieve victory, and wasting brain cells on these things that do not need to be discussed is simply meaningless.

So Lenin mercilessly issued an expulsion order: "Levpolishevich, please shut up!" Comrades don't want to hear all that nonsense you say, if you don't have any other suggestions, please leave my office, I have more important things to do! ”

Unexpectedly, Kamenev became angry, and he roared: "Why are you so stubborn and self-serving, why can't you listen to any correct opinions?" Do you have to destroy our party completely? Don't you hear the complaints of your comrades? ”。

Lenin tried hard to suppress his anger, he was very worried that after the anger in his heart exploded, he would kill Kamenev directly, and he retorted in a low and powerful tone: "You are the one who is stubborn, and you are the one who does not listen to the correct opinion, and as for the complaints of the comrades, there is no mistake, the vast majority of comrades are complaining, they complain that we did not arrest the group of people who sit in the Tavrichher Palace and deceive themselves as socialists!" Now, I'm going to warn you once and last, get out of my office right away! ”

Kamenev still had to argue, but Sverdlov on the other side was completely impatient, he couldn't figure out why the mentor wanted to meet this bastard, and he couldn't figure out what benefits this bastard had received from the Mensheviks, otherwise how could he say such a reversal of black and white. The only thing he could figure out was that this bastard had to be made disappear as soon as possible!

"Guards, guards!" Sverdlov shouted, "Kick this capitulationist out of the city, the Kshessinskaya Palace doesn't need such people!" ”

The guards faithfully carried out Sverdlov's order, and they swarmed him, despite Kamenev's screaming protests and struggles, grabbed him by the hands and feet, carried him out of the Ksheshinskaya Palace, and threw him out of the gate like garbage.

None of those who witnessed or heard about this expressed sympathy for Kamenev's misery, and after a bloody battle, even the Bolsheviks, who had leaned to the right before, began to agree with Lenin that the Provisional Government had always been reactionary, and that if they were allowed to take complete control of the supreme power in Russia, it would be a complete disaster for both the Russian people and for them!

The capitulationists Kamenev was thrown out of the Khsheshinskaya Palace like garbage, and another group of capitulators - the Mensheviks and the Socialist ** Party also suffered a setback. In order to launch a propaganda offensive, to expose the so-called Bolshevik insurgent plots, the evening newspaper special editions that they had concocted in a matter of hours were also thrown away like garbage by the masses in Petrograd.

"It's all a lie!" An enraged youth tore Iskra to shreds, "What Bolsheviks fired the first shot of the rebellion on Garden Street, it's just nonsense!" ”

He was so excited that his voice changed: "At two o'clock in the afternoon, I was on Garden Street, when the procession had just passed by Rodencke's mansion, and it was the evil fat man who instructed his doglegs to shoot the people with their bare hands first, and my good friend Ivan was killed on the spot!" ”

He was not the only one who witnessed the tragedy on Garden Street, and immediately countless voices began to respond: "That's right, it was Luo Jiangke who shot first!" It was they who really had a plan, and not long after the shooting, the Guards artillery battalion rushed out of the barracks, and they, together with the Cossacks and gendarmes, frantically suppressed the parade, and the entire garden street was stained red with blood! ”

"That's right, it's all shit in this newspaper! I really saw it at the time, the Mensheviks and the Socialist ** Party were involved in the bloody massacre, and if it wasn't for the Bolsheviks who stopped them in time, I would have died a long time ago! They are trying to confuse the public, and the thief shouts to catch the thief! ”

Little by little, the truth was revealed by the masses who participated in the demonstrations, and the whole of Petrograd was shocked by the atrocities of the Provisional Government and Rodencko, and at the same time there was a 120,000 dissatisfaction with the Mensheviks and the Socialist Party that aided the abuse. Only a handful of the original die-hard Protectorists cheered at Plekhanov's revelations, but they could only hide in the corners and shout when no one was around, and this scattered sound did not make a splash at all.

In the end, the Mensheviks and the Socialist Party published newspapers exposing the "truth" had the exact opposite effect, and their statements aroused great indignation, and although the masses could not do anything with them for the time being, this hatred was deeply recorded, and in due time it would take root and eventually overthrow them completely.

However, all this did not play a role in the battle for the time being, and the fierce fighting near the Hermitage Square continued, and the two sides fought repeatedly in this small area, but neither could help the other, and the fierce fighting continued until ten o'clock in the morning, until both sides were exhausted.

"Haven't you been able to storm the Hermitage Square yet?" Lenin asked worriedly.

"Nope! Comrade Trotsky and the Workers' Red Guards were engaged in a fierce confrontation with the enemy, "Sverdlov's mood was not high," but the enemy had the advantage in strength and terrain, and the comrades fought hard! ”

"What about the Red Eagle Regiment and the Pyotr Paplov Regiment?"

"They were intercepted by the enemy on the outskirts of the city, and they were engaged in a fierce battle, and half an hour ago Comrade Andrei sent a telegram saying that they were gradually repulsing the enemy and striving to enter the city before eleven o'clock...... As for the Petropav's regiment, they did not make much progress, and they suffered heavy casualties! ”

Lenin fell silent for a long time before asking: "What about the other reinforcements?" When will they arrive in Petrograd at the earliest? ”

"Comrade Frunze sent a telegram to the Central Committee earlier, and he was advancing towards Petrograd with thousands of men, but now the traffic situation is very bad, it is difficult for them to arrive in a short time, and the workers' Red Guards in Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow are also being assembled......"

Lenin frowned slightly, and asked, "That is to say, now, or in the last day or two, we can only fight the enemy with the strength we have, right?" ”。

Sverdlov smiled bitterly: "That's basically the case, but we can step up our propaganda efforts against the garrisons around Petrograd, and maybe we can get new ......."

This time it was Lenin's turn to smile bitterly: "Comrades have gone to the front, where do we have manpower now." ”

Sverdlov was silent, and for a moment the atmosphere was almost stagnant, and finally Lenin broke the deadlock: "Since we can't count on reinforcements for the time being, what about the enemy? And what about the enemy's reinforcements? ”

"It is said that Kornilov has mobilized his old troops to Petrograd, and the Mensheviks and the Socialist Party are also trying to incite a part of the weak-willed forces against our ......"

As he spoke, the door to Lenin's office was pushed open, and Dzerzhinsky rushed in in a huff and handed Lenin a document.

"What is this?" Lenin asked.

"Tseletiri sent us the ultimatum on behalf of the Soviets!"

Lenin laughed and said, "Didn't they already issue a most obscure ultimatum in the afternoon?" When did the ultimatum become so worthless! ”

After saying that, Lenin didn't bother to look at it, and asked directly: "What did you say above?" ”

Dzerzhinsky took a deep breath and said: "It is nothing more than a warning and a threat, Tseretiri asks us to immediately lay down our arms, immediately evacuate the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Ksheshinskaya Palace, and let us stop all 'rebellion' ......"

Lenin smiled and asked: "What is there to be angry about, isn't that what they have always been in tune?" ”。

Dzerzhinsky spat out a turbid breath and said indignantly: "I naturally don't take these words of the enemy seriously, what really makes me angry is the remarks of some leading comrades in the party, those words are simply unbearable!" ”

Lenin sneered: "Why, Kamenev is not dead yet, didn't I let people drive him away?" ”。

Dzerzhinsky shook his head: "It's not him, it's Zinoviev and Nogan!" ”

Zinoviev's dissemination of capitulation is not surprising at all, that goods and Kamenev are the same thing, but Nogan also joined in, as an old ** and staunch leftist, his political tendencies have always been more radical, and he should not speak on the opposite side of the working class. If even he starts to soften and retreat, that's not a good sign!

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