Russia ended its empire in just over a dozen days. This result stunned everyone, including Germany and Austria-Hungary. To be honest, no one can be prepared to reasonably deal with the situation in such a short time, not even the Chinese, who have long laid out Russia. When the Russian emperor, no, it should be said that it is the former emperor now, the special train sailed into Vinnytsia, and the supreme former enemy commander in charge of the implementation of the Russian strategy, General Wang Mingyuan, was still in Lublin, and received a telegram from the Joint Logistics Command, Wang Mingyuan strictly ordered to block the news and effectively protect the safety of Mr. Nicholas, who had lost the throne in an inexplicable coup d'état.

Wang Mingyuan sent secret telegrams to Shi Dashou and Xiong Xun, the two commanders of the group army who had returned to the front, asking them to be more vigilant and closely monitor the German troops in front of them. Major General Cheng Jianguo was also instructed to intensify aerial reconnaissance. Wang Mingyuan's worries were justified, as the Petersburg incident occurred, the already low morale of the Russian army would deteriorate even more, and it was entirely possible for the Germans to use this opportunity to attack.

But Wang Mingyuan is not a Russian after all. He couldn't guess why so many high-ranking generals of the Russian army had betrayed the Tsar in unison. In fact, in addition to the old topic that Nicholas II lost the hearts of the army and the people, the fundamental one is that the soldiers are tired of war and do not want to continue the war for a long time. But the senior generals wanted the war to continue until victory, because their fame and fortune were at stake. Therefore, coercing the tsar to abdicate can play a role in stabilizing the morale of the army, and letting the resentment of the soldiers be sent to the tsar, but it can play a role in stabilizing the morale of the army. This was exactly the case, when the tsar abdicated, and the Romanov dynasty collapsed. The front-line troops were jubilant, and their morale was raised.

Wang Mingyuan's worries about the German army were actually unnecessary. Planning and executing a major offensive campaign is never easy, and there are always many clues exposed. The fall of the Romanov dynasty was so fast that the Germans were caught off guard. According to normal procedure, the German top brass had to make an assessment of the incident before it could formulate a targeted military and political strategy. It will take at least a month or two to move to the front line for specific operations.

True, Germany studied it immediately after learning about the Petersburg incident. The immediate action was not of a military nature, but of a name called Vladimir. Ilyich. Ulyanov's men "released" back to Russia. This man was the leader of the opposition expelled by the Tsar and the spiritual godfather of the Bolshevik (majority) wing of the Socialist Labour Party after the schism. Back last year. Ludendorff realized the value of this man. He believed that since it was difficult to defeat Russia, which was a vast country, it was the only option to defeat it from within. Since 1905, hundreds of political parties have emerged in Russia, quarreling all day long. This is an inevitable stage from autocracy to constitutionalism. Ludendorff is still a talent. Mr. Ulyanov, who decided that he was very good at theory, could make a storm if he returned to Russia. Ulyanov, who lived in Switzerland and specialized in writing, but who still directed his partisan actions, was contacted and offered to support his return to his country in the struggle against the Tsar, provided that he succeeded. A peace treaty should be signed with Germany to end the war. However, Ulyanov did not agree, probably considering that once the news of the aid from the enemy country came out, it would be a huge blow to his own cause. Moreover, the situation at that time was not successful. The leaders of the Bolsheviks were either studying abroad or fishing and logging in Siberia, and the party was basically an underground party, and the situation at that time was like an ant thinking about how to be an elephant. And Ludendorff didn't care much about it, it was just a casual move. But this time it was different, and when the Germans contacted Ulyanov again and arranged for him to return home via Sweden and Finland through Germany, the gentleman immediately agreed. These things were carried out in secret, and it was not until Mr. Ulyanov returned to Petersburg in April and began to work that news began to circulate that he had been helped by the Germans on his return home.

It is worth mentioning that when the news of Mr. Ulyanov's help from Germany began to circulate around the world, and the Germans pursued the leaks very harshly, they always thought that something was wrong on their side, because logically speaking, Mr. Ulyanov himself would never say it. But in the end, the Germans did not find the source of their own leaks.

Ulyanov's secret return to the country was not a big deal for Petersburg. At least it was far worse than the news of the Tsar's disappearance. However, with the exception of some royalists, the news that the tsar did not go to Mogilev but to Ukraine did not arouse the alarm of Petersburg. The politicians of Petersburg were happily carving up the fruits of victory. In their opinion, the tsar was already insignificant. They are now facing a series of problems, the army is one thing, and the formation of the government is a more pressing issue.

After March, two centers appeared in Petersburg, the Provisional Committee of the Duma and the Soviets, which consisted mainly of the Duma. The former represented the interests of the "qualified" strata and the whole country, and was carefully embraced by the army, while the latter represented the interests of the workers, peasants, and lower classes. But it was mainly the Mensheviks who formed the Soviets, and the Social Democratic Labour Party split into two increasingly sharply opposed factions, and the Mensheviks, after the revolution of 1905, largely established their theory that since the task of the revolution was to open the way for the development of capitalism in Russia, the bourgeoisie should lead and hold power. The socialist party will pursue a policy of exerting pressure on the bourgeois government in order to strive for the realization of the economic and political demands of the working class and peasants, gradually creating conditions for the transition to socialism. So, in the "February" revolution, the Mensheviks put their theory into practice. Therefore, there was no serious confrontation on the question of the formation of a provisional government. On 3 March, negotiations between the Soviets and the Provisional Council of the Duma negotiated the list of members of the Provisional Government proposed by the Provisional Council and agreed on eight points of a compromise programme: immediate pardon of political criminals, the introduction of freedom of speech, of the press, of association, assembly and strike, the abolition of class, hierarchy and ethnic restrictions, the immediate preparation for the election and convening of a constituent assembly on the basis of the principles of universality, equality, directness and secrecy, the replacement of the old police with civilian police subordinate to the local self-government organs, and the election of the local self-government bodies. The troops participating in the revolution were not disarmed or transferred out of the capital, and the soldiers enjoyed a single civil right. This program was so supposed to lead Russia to constitutional government that the Bolshevik leader Vladimir, who returned a month later, admitted that Russia had systematically caught up with the advanced countries in a very short time.

Amazingly, the February Revolution broke out in Petersburg, and the vast cities and regions of Russia did not affect it, but calmly accepted the outcome of the events in Petersburg.

The structure of power had to wait for the national elections to be determined, and the current Provisional Government headed by the various factions in Petersburg after a compromise was none other than the young Kerensky, who was the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government. On the issue of war, which was of great concern to China, Britain, and France, Kerensky replied that the Provisional Government would unswervingly carry on the war. Until victory. But Kerensky demanded more economic and military assistance from the allies. This is the meaning of the question. The Entente reacted quickly. Assigned their respective tasks, Britain and France were to underwrite up to $100 million in Russian war bonds as a token of support for the Russian Provisional Government. China was required to continue to expand the size of the expeditionary force to fifty divisions in order to stabilize the Russian front and export to Russia a possible shortage of supplies. Due to the ravages of German submarines, the route of the Entente's aid to Russia would be mainly through China.

On March 19, Ambassador Lu Zhengxiang handed over a personal letter from President Long Qian to Prime Minister Kerensky. In the letter, Long Qian pledged his full support for Kerensky's new government. It is hoped that China and Russia will strengthen cooperation in opposing a common enemy. Forged new friendships. On the other hand, Long Qian secretly ordered the expeditionary force to protect the safety of Nicholas II, and instructed Wang Mingyuan to try to facilitate Nicholas II's "political refuge" in China. Nicholas II, persuaded by General Artemyev, finally agreed to go to the Far East. However, due to concerns, the relatives in Petersburg did not leave.

All the world's major powers are closely following the evolution of the situation in Russia, including the United States, which has remained on the sidelines to this day. The great changes in Russia involved not only the political and military strategists, but also the capitalists. In New York, the Morgan consortium experienced a great change of joy and sorrow, when the news of the formation of the Russian Provisional Government and the announcement that it would continue to fulfill the obligations of the Entente came to the headquarters of Huamei Machinery Company to meet with the chairman of the board of directors, David. Diwen and President Liu Xiaoqi expressed their "sincere" gratitude to them and signed a contract worth $68 million in one go with Huamei Machinery. This contract, which has been on hold for a long time, involves six or seven individual contracts for railway machinery and steel rolling, all of which are equipment and technology that China desperately needs. The Morgan consortium has always rejected cooperation with China and the United States. But at this moment, the attitude has taken a 180-degree turn.

And held a press conference the next day, announcing that the Morgan consortium would inject $40 million into Huamei Machinery in exchange for a 16.5% stake in Huamei Machinery. As soon as the news broke, Huamei's stock rose 12% in a matter of days. Morgan is a first-class consortium on a par with Rockefeller and the hegemon of Wall Street. Why I love a company with a Chinese background has become a big news in New York and even the whole American economic circles. There must be a big secret worth digging behind this news, and finally, under the exhaustive pursuit of all-pervasive reporters, one after another extremely valuable news was revealed, mainly because the Morgan consortium did not follow the trend and sold Russian government bonds, but absorbed a large number of Russian war bonds in the bond market at low prices -- when the Petersburg incident came, Russian national bonds immediately became a piece of waste paper, especially under the pressure of the Rockefeller consortium selling huge Russian war bonds, those companies and individuals who bought Russian bonds rushed to sell, The Morgan consortium has bucked the tide. Within days, the Provisional Government's official announcement of faithful fulfillment of the Entente's obligations led to a rapid rebound in Russian bonds, and the Morgan consortium made a fortune. And it was Huamei Machinery that prompted Morgan to make this decision.

This political news in the financial world was quickly diluted by the US declaration of war on Germany. Of course, the U.S. government's decision to declare war contributed even more to the rise in the war bonds issued by the Allied powers in the United States. The Americans were convinced that the Germans were finished. From the beginning of 1916, there was constant news that the government would join the Allies in the war, but the anti-war forces in Parliament were very strong, and isolationism was still the mainstream, so that the Wilson government, which was determined to side with the Allies and reap the dividends of the war, could not pass the Congress. Moreover, Wilson was in a presidential election that he did not know whether to win or lose, and openly pulling the United States into a bloody war did not fit the mentality of most Americans. Therefore, Wilson, who had long been on the side of the Entente, did not hesitate to induce China to declare war on Germany and send troops to directly aid Russia by conveying heavy economic interests.

October 1916. Just when Germany had just won a quick victory over Romania and the Chinese had not yet launched their stunning counterattack, German Prime Minister Batemann. Holwig immediately issued a proposal to the United States and neutral countries in Europe that were not involved in the war to negotiate peace to end the war. Germany calmly analyzed the situation of the war and believed that the hope of victory after the defeat at Verdun was extremely slim, and that it was better to find a way to end the war. In any case, Germany occupied about 16,000 square miles of territory in Western Europe alone, and brought most of France's mineral resources under its control.

But the Germans' proposal was rejected by these neutral powers, and was ridiculed by the Entente powers, and Nicholas II, who was still confident at the time, even said that it was evidence of Germany's despair. In 1917, President Wilson was re-elected, and his campaign slogan was "He is the man who can keep us away from war." As a matter of fact. Wilson aspires to be the mediator of the world. After his re-election, he sent a note to foreign teachers to convene an international peace conference. In order to form the basis for the discussion, he asked the belligerents to explain the reasons for the war - to explain why they were fighting. This cannot be done, first of all, China and Japan cannot explain the problem.

Germany reacted. They were willing to negotiate an end to the war and to establish a new international system to prevent it. Germany, however, raised the issue of war reparations. The blame for starting the war was placed on Britain, France and Russia. The Entente clamoured that the reorganization of Europe was the root cause of the war, and they wanted not only Germany to return Alsace and Lorraine, but also to dismember Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. This will not be tolerated.

The Entente pointed out that Germany and its accomplices were the main culprits in the outbreak of the war. Peace was premised on the withdrawal of Germany from Belgium and France and the restoration of Serbia and Montenegro to the status quo antegro.

The positions of the two sides are far apart. As a result, Wilson's construction became a dead letter.

As a result, both sides turned their attention to the war. The supreme decision-making power of German military power was now in the hands of Ludendorff, who was dissatisfied with the situation on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, Romania was lost due to the participation of the Chinese, and the Polish campaign did not achieve the desired results. On the Western Front, Ludendorff sharply criticized Falkingham, who had long since stepped down, for losing too many precious German lives in order to hold on to some unimportant positions. He instructed the General Staff to look for new methods of warfare, the core of which was two, the first was to find a less costly means of defense, and the second was to try to push the battlefield into enemy-occupied territory. As a result, submarine warfare, which had long plagued Germany, resurfaced.

The war on a worldwide scale has been going on for more than two years. The situation is different in each belligerent. Although France has lost a large part of its territory in the north, the standard of living of its citizens has remained largely unchanged, prices have risen very limitedly, and cheese and butter are in full supply. The main reason for this was that the French sea routes had always been unimpeded, and merchant ships from all over the world had free access to French ports in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, bringing the French what they needed. And, in order to avoid popular protests, the French government has always given top priority to food imports.

The situation in Britain is not as good as in France. As a result of the blow of German submarines, in 1916, there was already a food crisis in Britain. Lloyd's new government tried to introduce food rationing but failed. As a result of the conscription of a large number of doctors into the army to France, the tuberculosis mortality rate has risen by 25 per cent, as has the infant mortality rate.

The situation in Russia is even worse. There has been a lot of introduction to this aspect, so I won't go into details. Russia was not short of food, and its abundance of resources was even more enviable. But their poor transportation system has made food supplies in large cities extremely strained, as are the supply and distribution of other supplies. This was one of the main reasons for the outbreak of the Petersburg Incident.

The situation in Germany and Austria-Hungary was also bad. Due to the British naval blockade, the contradiction of material shortages, especially the shortage of daily necessities, became more and more severe, and a large number of livestock were killed, which brought about the consequences of severe measures. As a result of the conscription of large numbers of peasants, grain production in Germany and Austria fell by half between 1914 and 1917, and civilians had to be sacrificed in order to keep the army supplied. Food prices in Berlin are 130% higher than before the war and are likely to continue to rise. But even for workers in munitions factories, a key sector guaranteed by the government, wages have risen by only 78 percent since the war began. Speculation and hoarding of materials of all kinds proliferated and led to a further increase in the people's resentment against the government. Although the situation was far more normal than in Russia, there was no danger of a revolution breaking out. But the signs of that are already emerging.

Japan was the first country to join the war. They had nothing to gain but to snatch some important islands in the Pacific Ocean from the Germans with their powerful navy. They suffered a defeat at Yan Zòng in Shandong, the position of the army was further reduced, and they had no intention of throwing troops into Europe. After China's entry into the European War, the Entente no longer needed Japan, because China could completely replace Japan's role.

If there is a country that has made war money, it is China other than the United States. Needless to say, from the beginning of the war, orders from Britain and France flew like snowflakes. The wealth accumulated by Britain, the world's oldest number one, over the centuries is flowing rapidly to the United States, making Americans feel that life is so good. Although China's situation is not as good as that of the United States, it shows a thriving scene. After the outbreak of the Great War. Exports are surging. It has brought prosperity to several southern provinces. With the signing of the Boston Accords, there was a massive influx of foreign capital into China, with new factories being built everywhere and roads being built everywhere. A new wave of industrialization is emerging in China. Peasants poured into the cities en masse. Entered a variety of factories. As a result of the government's vigorous implementation of the new land tax and land circulation policies, the peasants' enthusiasm for production has increased a lot, and the traffic problem has improved significantly. China has finally basically solved its grain problem and can export. Taking Beijing as an example, urban construction with the outbreak of the European war is changing day by day, the unemployed population has been completely eliminated, the urban population has increased by at least 400,000, prices are stable, the supply is increasingly prosperous, electrical appliances are popular, in the urban area, basically bid farewell to the history of oil lamp lighting, and the number of residential telephones has exceeded 3,000. The bus routes were basically networked, so that Hu Shih, a young scholar who returned to China in early 1917 to become a professor at Peking University, wrote that Beijing was rapidly moving towards becoming a world-class city, and that if you were careful, you could see the changes in this ancient capital almost every day.

Back to the point. With no hope of peace, Germany was left with only a military solution. On January 9, 1917, just after the end of the Polish campaign, a top-secret conference on submarine warfare was held in Berlin, which Kaiser Wilhelm also attended. The Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Admiral Holzendorf, came up with a plan to bring Britain to its knees for a maximum of six months, as long as the restrictions on submarines were lifted (that is, unlimited submarine warfare was practiced)!

Unrestricted submarine warfare would be strongly opposed by neutral countries, especially the United States. Germany's military and political leaders were well aware of this. Ludendorff, however, supported the Navy's opinion, believing that this was the only way to win the war, and that "the British would be absolutely inferior to the Germans in their endurance to starve."

Thus, unrestricted submarine warfare began. In January, the report card of German submarines was 300,000 tons. None of them were American ships, although the Americans unscrupulously transported grain, steel, oil, etc. to the British. In February, that number doubled, and the submarine force sank more than 500,000 tons of supplies. Two of the American freighters were sunk. By March, that figure had risen to 690,000 tonnes. Germany's military leaders were obsessed with the results of unrestricted submarine warfare, calculating Britain's ability to bear it, but they underestimated the existence of a behemoth on the other side of the ocean: the United States. To think that Hindenburg, Ludendorff and others completely ignored the United States would be an insult to Germany's first-class military strategists. The Germans, of course, estimated the reaction of the United States, and they understood that the United States was already the world's largest industrial power. But there was still a huge gap between industrial and military power, and Ludendorff estimated that even if the United States joined the Entente because of Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare, it would take at least six months from the date of the declaration of war to the dispatch of its first troops to Europe. Ludendorff believed that under the premise that civil strife had broken out in Russia and the situation on the Eastern Front had been greatly eased, six months was enough time for Britain and France to submit after Germany stubbornly choked Britain's sea lines of communication and strengthened its forces on the Western Front.

If one counts the mistakes made by Germany in the First World War, there is nothing more severe than the rash implementation of unrestricted submarine warfare. Of course, even without unrestricted submarine warfare, the United States would have found other excuses, but it was much more difficult for President Wilson to bring the United States into the war, and the time must have been pushed back. Moreover, it is unforgivable that the Germans did not seize the opportunity presented by the great changes in Russia. Later generations always find it difficult to understand the difficulties of the parties involved in evaluating history, and this is the reason why it is difficult to do.

Unrestricted submarine warfare convinced anti-war lawmakers in the United States. The unrestrained blockade of the Atlantic by the Germans has seriously encroached on the interests of the big capitalists in the United States. Finally, the Americans declared war on Germany in early April. (To be continued......)