Kerensky's fears were not unfounded, for the influence of the masses and the army of the Soviets had declined considerably over the past month, and there had been a trend that the masses and the army were increasingly being taken away by the Bolsheviks. Under these circumstances, it was not impossible for the Bolsheviks to suddenly jump out and stir up the situation.

So Kerensky had to figure out, did Kornilov really have some incredible evidence, worried that the situation that had finally begun to become "stable" was reversed, and then he attacked strongly?

But he immediately threw this idea into the garbage basket, and it can be seen from the most apocalyptic ultimatum that Kornilov was ambitious to seize the supreme power in Russia, and that Kornilov had already behaved very strongly at the State Council not long ago, which shows that he had premeditated.

Now the Bolshevik mutiny is just a ridiculous excuse, and perhaps the so-called mutiny was directed by this guy. Having figured this out, Kerensky once again picked up the phone and issued important instructions: Kornilov had betrayed the revolution and had become an enemy of it. The Government formally removed him from all his posts and all orders he issued were null and void. The Government urged the troops deceived by it to return to their garrisons immediately and not to act rashly, otherwise they would be considered mutiny.

Immediately afterwards, Kerensky called the Soviets again for help: "Kornilov has rebelled...... Yes, I know the truth...... I actively implore the Soviets to immediately mobilize the revolutionary army in Petrograd...... Let them stand up and stop Kornilov and defend the revolution...... Yes, right away...... What the? Want to convene a discussion with the Central Executive Committee? Are you stupid? This is already burning eyebrows, and by the time you are done discussing it, Kornilov will have already entered Petrograd! ”

Kerensky was quite dissatisfied with the Soviet procrastination, and he was still discussing what to do at this time, and sent troops directly. By the time you're done discussing it, the daylilies are cold.

"Now, what to do? The Soviets want to discuss! Kerensky shouted helplessly to Axherryrod.

Aksherro said categorically: "Go to Tavlicher Palace immediately!" ”

"What?!"

Kerensky was quite unhappy with this suggestion. In his opinion, he is the head of the government. It's already a shame to call the Soviets for help, and now Axherry Rod's letting him go in person seems a bit excessive, right?

"Not too much at all!" Aksherro pulled Kerensky up and said with a scowling face: "Now it has reached the most critical time, only if you go to the Tavricher Palace in person, can you let the Central Executive Committee understand the seriousness of the matter, otherwise." The grinding guys will discuss all day, and then it's too late! ”

At the end, Akherry Rod kindly reminded: "Your Excellency, do you think the current Winter Palace is safe?" ”

Kerensky suddenly made a clever move, the Winter Palace, as the seat of the Provisional Government, was definitely the first target of Kornilov's attack. Staying here is simply a turtle in an urn. Moreover, the people in charge of the defense of the Winter Palace are basically pro-Kornilov, and he stays here to wait for death.

Thinking about these two points clearly, Kerensky immediately completely discarded that little bit of face, called his henchmen, and jumped into a car in a panic and sped away in the direction of Tavrichher Palace. And not long after he left, the soldiers of the Guards Artillery Battalion, on the instructions of Kornilov, forced their way into the Winter Palace. Prepare for the arrest of the Prime Minister and other government dignitaries.

"What? Kerensky ran away? ”

Kornilov, who learned the news, was somewhat surprised. But he didn't get angry, and it seemed to him that Kerensky wouldn't even be able to run away if he did. That's a complete big fool. And if he runs, he will run, and it will have no impact on the overall situation, he just needs to make the whole of Russia understand that he Kornilov has already occupied the Winter Palace and has become the new master of Russia.

Besides, where can Kerensky go, even if he can escape from Petrograd, what is the use, his listed prime minister has not a single soldier in his hands, what can he turn the tables? To put it mildly, Kerensky doesn't have to worry even if he escapes abroad, Britain, France, the United States, and Italy all support him Kornilov, how can he take Kerensky in, when the time comes, as long as he has an official document, Kerensky will be a prisoner under the order.

Thinking of this, Kornilov waved his hand indifferently and sent the herald away, he is now more concerned about how to control the transportation hub in Petrograd, since his counterinsurgency operation was launched, in addition to scaring Kerensky away, the movement of the troops is quite slow and chaotic, and some troops even openly refuse to carry out his orders.

"Hasn't the Barbarian Division moved on yet?" He asked.

The adjutant honestly replied: "No, from the very beginning of the operation, a considerable number of troops did not cooperate......

Kornilov was furious and said: "If you don't cooperate, shoot them!" ”

The adjutant whispered: "The problem is that the officers simply cannot carry out this order, they have long been hollowed out by the soldiers' council, and no order can be carried out without the consent of the soldiers' council." ”

Kornilov became even more angry and said angrily: "Didn't I already announce the dissolution of the soldiers' council? Why don't shoot them! ”

It can only be said that Kornilov took it for granted, and after the outbreak of the February Revolution, the power of the army at the grassroots level had been completely taken over by the soldiers' councils, and without the consent of the soldiers' councils, no orders could be carried out.

Previously, under the triple pressure of the Soviets, the Provisional Government and he, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the soldiers' council had to carry out a number of orders. Today, his coup d'état was neither supported by the Soviets nor bought by Kerensky's cabinet, so the execution of his orders was greatly reduced.

Except for a small number of hardcore descendants, the other troops under Kornilov were chaotic to varying degrees. In general, most of the troops involved in the coup d'état were waiting and seeing, or rather, waiting for orders from the Soviets and the Cabinet.

At the time of Kornilov's thunderous performance against his troops, Kerensky finally rushed to the Tavrichher Palace, where at the Central Executive Committee he hoarsely accused Kornilov of his crimes and demanded the greatest support from the Soviets.

It should be said that Kerensky's performance still touched many members of the Central Executive Committee, and they responded positively to the request of the Prime Minister: "Immediately inform the whole country of Kornilov's betrayal, and inform the whole army...... Call on the army of Petrograd to immediately suppress his rebellion! ”

Tseretiri even comforted the traumatized Prime Minister affectionately: "Your Excellency, please rest assured that the Soviets will be your strong backing, and Kornilov will pay a heavy price for his crimes...... Soon. You'll be able to see it. The hundreds of thousands of troops in Petrograd will mercilessly crush the rebels of Kornilov! Soon you will be able to return to the Hermitage and continue to lead our country forward! ”

The rhetoric of Tserettili gave Kerensky a certain confidence, and the chancellor finally began to regain his composure, but this calmness came and fell faster. Because bad news keeps coming.

After the Soviet manifesto, the scene that was expected did not take place, and the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of troops in Petrograd remained on the sidelines, except for a small number of pro-Mensheviks and the Socialist-Revolutionaries. There was no intention of pulling them along.

Even after receiving the Soviets' declaration of King Qin, many troops were even more cynical - didn't you Soviets still praise Kornilov some time ago, and still criticize us for disobeying orders? Why, I can't play anymore because I can't keep raising tigers, so I think of us? Wipe your own ass, what you have made!

For such a result. Tsertieri was completely unprepared, so that when he heard the news, his whole person was Spartac. It took him a long time before he cursed: "Bastard! These damn ruffians! I'm going to shoot them all!" ”

"What's the use of talking about that now!" However, Aksherro was calmer, "Just kill them all, and in the end, you can only cheapen the traitor Kornilov!" We should talk to them about the conditions, and let them go to the rebellion as soon as possible is the best policy! ”

Neither Tseretelli nor Kerensky liked this proposal, and they did not want to negotiate with the army at all, because many of their conditions were unacceptable - such as peace issues.

Kerensky suggested: "Is it possible for the Central Executive Committee of the Soviets to give orders directly to the grassroots Soviets?" Let them do the work of the army? ”

Celeteli is also a sight to behold. It seemed like a solution, but Aksherrod ruthlessly pierced their dreams: "The grassroots Soviets were mostly controlled by the Bolsheviks. Without paying a certain price, the Bolsheviks will help us? ”

Tseretili and Kerensky shuddered at the thought of the Bolsheviks' difficulty, and the last time Lenin had opened his mouth and forced them to agree to a great deal of fatal conditions, and to some extent the passivity of the present government was largely caused by them. And now, not to mention agreeing to the new conditions, it is very fatal to let them carry out the old conditions.

"So what do you say?" Tselietieri was in a hurry.

Aksherrod sighed, "I'll ask Plekhanov!" Hopefully he can have a good solution! ”

After a long silence, Plekhanov said on the other end of the phone: "The most important thing now is to quell Kornilov's rebellion, and the contradictions between us and the Bolsheviks can be put aside for a while, contact Lenin, and see what conditions they have, if they are not too outrageous, then agree to come down first......

Aksherry, Rod, Celetieri, and Kerensky, three people, you look at me, I look at you, no one dares to easily agree to this proposal. Yes, they all know very well what it means to agree first, nothing more than to deny it after the limelight has passed.

But is it that simple to repent? In the past, they had a backhand, backed by Kornilov's army, but now what did they do to repent, after the elimination of Kornilov, if nothing else, the Bolsheviks were going to resurrect again, what to limit them at that time?

They had to think about this serious consequence, and even they feared that if the Bolsheviks used the pretext of counterinsurgency to exterminate them with Kornilov, this possibility was not out of the question!

Whether it was for the Provisional Government or the Soviets, the situation at this time was that the front door was closed to the tiger and the back door was to welcome the wolf, and neither of them could afford to provoke them.

"Otherwise, let's let the Bolsheviks and Kornilov fight to the death, no matter who wins or loses, they will be greatly weakened, at that time, they may not be able to deal with us, right?" Tsereironi whispered.

Is this a possibility? It may be a little, but Aksherrod and Kerensky feel that no matter who wins or loses, it is more likely that the winner will turn their guns against them at the first opportunity.

"That's better than finishing now!" "We must now buy time!" If you can't even get past the current hurdle, there will be no future! ”

Aksherry Rhodes also sighed and said, "Contact the Bolsheviks!" ”

Kerensky smiled bitterly: "Then you should contact the Bolsheviks." Agree to their terms first. Later ...... Let's talk about it later! ”

Of course, Akherry Rod knew what kind of calculations Dokrensky was making, and he was not stupid, so he immediately said: "In order to show our sincerity, the Soviets alone are not enough, the cabinet must also express its position!" ”

Celietieli also immediately chimed in: "That's right, let's advance and retreat together!" ”

Seeing that the other party was not easy to fool, Kerensky had no choice but to put away his little abacus. Together with Tseretelli, he sent telegrams to Lenin in the name of the Cabinet and the Soviets, demanding that the Bolsheviks immediately take action and plunge into the "great revolutionary cause" against Kornilov.

The telegram Lenin received it immediately, and in fact the tutor had been following the situation in Petrograd for a long time, and as soon as Kornilov began to carry out a coup d'état, he convened an enlarged meeting of the Central Committee.

At first, the meeting was a bit air-to-air. But as soon as the telegrams from Kerensky and Tseretiri arrived, the situation changed completely. Those who supported and helped the government and the Soviets to put down the rebellion were on equal footing, and the quarrel became a pot of porridge.

The argument in favor of counterinsurgency was simple: since the Cabinet of Ministers and the Soviets had already issued an initiative, and it was conducive to the revolution, there was no need to oppose it. Moreover, by taking the opportunity of counterinsurgency, the Bolsheviks could be restored to their legitimacy, which could be regarded as killing two birds with one stone.

And the opposing opinion is that it argues. Whether it's Kornilov or not. Or Kerensky and Tseretieli, that's all a raccoon dog. All are objects of revolution. Now they're having infighting and they're starting to eat dogs, which is a great thing. The Party does not need to join this counter-revolutionary infighting, and it is more reasonable for the Party to come forward and sweep them away after they have fought to the death.

"I think Comrade Stalin's perception is quite one-sided!" As an important supporter of the counterinsurgency, Kamenev was again on the same page, "Regardless of whether the government and the Soviets are counter-revolutionary or not, one thing is certain - de jure Kornilov's actions are treachery, the enemy of the revolution." If we ignore the cries for help from the government and the Soviets, then what will the masses think of us? ”

"The crowd will welcome the decision we make!" Stalin impassionedly stated, "We can see from the reaction of the army and the masses that they are united in their attitude towards the Kornilov gang and the Kerensky cabinet and the Soviets, that is, to resist their orders." What does this mean, it shows that the masses have gone to patience with them! At this time, if we stand with any of them, we will only make the masses think that we are complicit in them. This will greatly hinder the future work of the Party, so I firmly oppose this proposal! ”

Kamenev said indignantly: "Narrow-minded! The eyes of the masses are clear-eyed, and as long as the persuasion work is done properly, they will naturally understand...... If Kornilov had seized power, then a new White Terror would have come, and that would be the greatest harm to the revolution! ”

Stalin sneered: "I don't think you're worried about the White Terror, you're worried about the downfall of the reactionary government and reactionary Soviets you espress." When they fall, you're like a mourner, right? ”

Kamenev was also angry, pointed at Stalin's nose and shouted: "You are a bloody squirter!" ”

Stalin took a puff of smoke and retorted nonchalantly: "I'm just telling the truth, and no amount of explanation you can hide the fear in your heart!" ”

Seeing that the two sides were about to quarrel again, Lenin had to knock on the table, "Be quiet, just talk about the matter, don't engage in personal attacks, and don't go on the line." Are there any other comrades who would like to give their opinions? ”

As he spoke, Lenin looked at Sverdlov, as if to hear the opinion of this confidant. To be honest, he was more curious about Sverdlov's attitude, and from the beginning he didn't say a word, as if his mind was not at the meeting at all.

Based on Lenin's understanding of Sverdlov, he should not have had this attitude, and even Lenin believed that he should take Stalin's place at the meeting and play against Kamenev as the boss of the opposition. But he didn't say a word, and this attitude is very debatable.

There was silence in the room, and the bigwigs at the meeting looked at Sverdlov in line with Lenin's eyes, yes, not only Lenin noticed that Comrade Xiao Si's attitude was wrong, but the big guys wanted to know which side Comrade Xiao Si had been pretending to be deep all along.

Sverdlov, who was in the middle of everyone's attention, stood still, as if he was not the one who was told to do so. He didn't even notice the frequent staring of the mentor, and he just didn't speak anyway.

Finally, Lenin could not hold back any longer and asked aloud: "Comrade Yakov, what do you think about this?" ”

Sverdlov finally woke up from the old monk's state of composure, and replied lightly to the teacher's inquiry: "I don't have any opinion. ”

Lenin's brow furrowed, he didn't like this answer at all, how could you, as his most important confidant, Sverdlov, not hold an opinion? He had to ask again, "Then whose opinion do you think is more correct?" ”

Sverdlov took a soft breath and uttered a shocking sentence: "I don't think their opinions are correct!" (To be continued.) )