A round white sun hung in the sky, but it did not bring the slightest warmth to the town below. Officers and men dressed in earthy gray costumes walked slowly along the snow-covered streets, and almost no one could see a trace of joy on their faces. On the spire of the central nave, an imperial Russian flag embroidered with a double-headed eagle emblem hung limply, as if there was nothing else that could restore it to the glory of the former majestic world.

In a large Baroque building, the bearded Tsar Nicholas II stands in front of a large crystal floor-to-ceiling window, stunned; His eyes and eyebrows were full of haggard and lost looks that could not be concealed. His face was yellow and emaciated, and his eyes were dull; No matter from which point of view, they are already like the British monarch who admired Europe back then.

Ever since the devastation and failure of the Russian offensive in Romania, Nikolai has been in a state of depression and loneliness, and has always found it difficult to accept that the first battle he led turned into a tragedy several times greater than that of Tannenberg; The ensuing German Winter Offensive undermined the self-confidence he had maintained for many years. All fronts were being breached, and hardly a single unit could not retreat back in a hurry under the attack of the opposing side: you know, this is the bitter winter season when the snow is howling! Even Napoleon, who swept across the European continent that year, was defeated and lost under the power of the Russian winter!

Driven by the guilt of being disheartened and shameless to see his generals again, Nikolai made his only correct decision in this battle: that is, to delegate all the authority of the operational command, and he was only a nominal commander-in-chief who played a calling role, and only devoted himself to the health of his young son Alexei every day. However, now the command of the Russian army. But it's already a hot potato that no one wants to take over. Alekseev, who had previously been in charge of assisting the Tsar, took on the task of commanding the war as if he were in mourning. And all he could do was keep the army back. Avoid another catastrophic situation of being encircled and annihilated on a large scale.

"Willy...... Are you going to win this war? Nikolai muttered to himself, his words full of unwillingness and bitterness. At present, the German-led Allied forces have advanced to Riga, Minsk, Kiev, and Kavbas, and Crimea is about to become an island deep into the Black Sea, and the German army attacking from the Baltic Sea is only about 550 kilometers away from St. Petersburg. It was the first time since the founding of the Russian Empire that the capital had been so threatened in a war. During this period, the offensive launched by the British and French troops on the Western Front did not make any substantial breakthroughs: the Germans exchanged less than 25 kilometers of trench scorched earth for more than 450,000 casualties of the British and French troops. Their own losses are less than a fraction of the other party's. Not only did the coalition suffer heavy casualties, but they also consumed a lot of valuable ammunition during the assault; And at the moment when the German Navy has been able to attack the Atlantic, it has also become extremely difficult for the Allied forces to replenish these supplies!

In front of the luxurious and magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows, Nikolai's thoughts were surging, and the dilemma strategy was stalemate in his heart for a long time, and it was difficult to make a final choice for a long time. No matter how much he evades denying it, the current total defeat that the Russian army has fallen into on the land battlefield is a bloody fact; The powerful offensive launched by the German army in the winter has crushed the last hope of victory for the Russian army. All the generals were most pessimistic about the future of the war, and many even believed that the Germans would be able to encircle St. Petersburg before the summer of 1914. However, if peace is negotiated with Germany and Austria, Russia will not only lose a large amount of territory in the West. Its fleet will be forever closed in the Baltic and Black Seas, and this loss is almost equivalent to cutting off an entire elbow of the Russian giant! This is a decision to lose the old book completely. How can it be lightly decided?

As he was caught in a vicious circle of almost inexplicable death, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded in the distant corridor; Nikolai frowned, but saw Alekseev, who commanded the army in his place, walking quickly. He took a deep breath and said, "General, didn't I give you all the decision-making power?" Is there some catastrophic news from the front that I have to let know? ”

Alekseev's face was solemn, and he said: "Your Majesty, it is not the casualties of the front-line army that retreated, but the great changes that have taken place in the rear!" The workers' strike in the capital the day before yesterday has now turned into a rebellion by the Bolshevik Party to seize power; The 7th Guards Battalion, which guards the Winter Palace, has been bombarded by thousands of rebels, and is currently protecting the queen and princess to break through to Kronstadt! Now the whole of St. Petersburg is in a state of decay, almost all the citizens have joined the side of the revolutionaries, even the military and police have defected; The Empress sent an urgent telegram to the headquarters, asking Her Majesty to immediately send loyal and reliable warriors to the capital to meet the enemy......"

Before the words fell, Nikolai's withered yellow face had turned pale; He staggered back a few steps, finally steadied himself with the help of a pillar. After a while, the darkness before Nikolai's eyes began to fade, but the shock, anger, fear, and fear in his heart swelled dramatically during this time, and completely occupied his whole heart.

"Armed forces of thousands, with artillery, these Bolshevik demons used a great means to put my Romanov to death! I should have sent them all to the gallows! Nikolai gritted his teeth, and the hatred in his eyes was so intense that Alekseev couldn't help but shrink. In order to cope with the battle situation at the front, the main forces of the Guards originally stationed in the capital have long been exhausted; And it was when he was at his weakest that the revolutionaries gave him a dagger from behind! Nikolai gasped for breath and said hatefully: "What about our 89th Infantry Brigade and 64th Cavalry Regiment? Let them go back to the capital first, and do not have any mercy when they encounter the thugs; The sinful blood of these Bolsheviks will be the best gift for the purification of the gods of hell! ”

Alekseev's face was bitter, and he said: "Your Majesty, the empress has already ordered these two troops near the capital to enter Beijing to quell the rebellion this morning!" However, upon hearing the news of the St. Petersburg uprising, half of the 64th Cavalry Regiment deserted during the march, and by the time the remaining troops arrived in the capital, they had completely lost the ability to fight the rebels. The 89th Infantry Brigade stopped halfway through, and Colonel Ramov reported to the General Headquarters that he had lost control of his troops; The rank-and-file soldiers, who generally had a favorable opinion of the revolutionaries, refused to carry out orders from their superiors to suppress the rebellion in the capital. ”

Nikolai's face was glazed and he did not come back to his senses for a long time, as if even he needed a long time to understand the meaning of these words. His lips twitched, and he said in a hoarse voice to the person in front of him, "General, do you have any way to deal with it?" ”

"The only feasible strategy at present is to quickly mobilize the guards loyal to His Majesty to the rear to quell the rebellion, otherwise if this Bolshevik plague spreads, I am afraid that the situation will be even worse than the one in 1905!" Alekseev's words were like a barrage, and he could no longer care about the submissiveness he had deliberately expressed in front of the emperor, "In addition, the industrial cities of Moscow, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Voronezh, Volgograd and other cities also need a large number of troops loyal to His Majesty to suppress the situation, because these cities where the workers gather are high-risk areas where the Bolshevik plague can easily spread, especially now that the rebellion has been launched in St. Petersburg!" ”

Nikolai stared, and strode to his desk; A huge map of Eastern Europe hangs on the wall, showing the mountains, towns, railways, and rivers of Russia. Alekseev's memory flew away, and he pointed to Nikolai on the map: "At present, the 86th Division, which is closest to St. Petersburg, is stationed near Pskov, and it can be returned in one day by train, which is our preferred army for quelling the rebellion in St. Petersburg." The loyalty of the other armies, though closer to the capital, is not guaranteed, and we can no longer afford to do anything at the moment. In addition, the 17th and 29th Cossack Cavalry Brigades, and the 31st and 174th Divisions, which were stationed in these positions on the Latvian front, were also descendants of His Majesty Xià could trust. Speaking of this, he seemed to think of something, and his tone gradually became solemn: "However, these troops are also the core strength of our army on the northern front, and if we draw all of them to the rear, the ability of the front line to resist the German attack will become even weaker. ”

"The situation at the front is put aside for the time being, and the first priority at the moment is to extinguish the fire that the Bolshevik Party has kindled in our rear houses! You go and give the order that the 86th Division immediately assemble the whole army and return to St. Petersburg by train; The rest of the troops were also ready to retreat and followed them in the direction of the capital. This time, all the Bolsheviks will be thoroughly judged! Nikolai spoke categorically, and his words seemed to revert to the absolute dictatorship of the past.

"General, don't you understand? The Germans only want our wealth and land, but these Bolsheviks want our lives! Seeing the unconcealable consternation on Alekseev's face, Nikolai almost roared. He took a deep breath and said, "I'll solve the concerns of the Germans for you." All you have to do now is to exterminate these Red Bolshevik traitors with all your might! (To be continued......)

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