Chudnovsky looked at the non-commissioned officer and cadet deputies who came out to negotiate with a white flag, he had already received Lenin's order not to let the enemy delay time, and to make every effort to capture the Winter Palace as soon as possible. But, in any case, the Winter Palace is the last fortress of the Provisional Government, and if they resist to the death, they will definitely cause more bloodshed and sacrifice.

Chudnovsky, as a military commander, naturally understood the principle of not being in charge of the army, but if he could alleviate the sacrifice of his comrades, even if it was very unlikely, he was willing to try.

"What to do, Comrade Podvoysky?" Chudnovsky asked hesitantly.

Badvoysky actually had a similar idea to him, and he was not willing to use force if it could be resolved peacefully, "Since they have come, listen to what they have to say!" Lest this group of miscellaneous people later say that we Bolsheviks do not know the etiquette of war. ”

"Two gentlemen," the non-commissioned officer saluted, but his arrogance was still so strong, "I was ordered to come and communicate with you!" ”

Yes, he avoided using the word negotiate, which would have made it appear that those of them who were besieged in the Winter Palace were despondent, as if they had to ask the Bolsheviks for alms.

"What do you want to say?" Chudnovsky's brows moved, he didn't like the tone of this guy's speech very much, he became a turtle in an urn, what are you arrogant?

"My commander orders me to convey the following message to you, in order to avoid needless bloodshed and sacrifice, we are willing to lay down our arms with conditions and dignity!"

"On what terms?" Chudnovsky asked.

"I'm sorry sir, I was just ordered to deliver this news to you! I'm not specifically responsible for negotiations! ”

Chudnovsky and Podvoysky glanced at each other, and they both saw the doubts in each other's hearts - is the enemy really ready to surrender?

"Then let those of you who have the right to make decisions come. If the conditions are right. We would like to give you a chance! ”

Chudnovsky felt like he could give it a try. How much this is also an opportunity, as for the other party's conditions, in this case, what conditions can they propose?

However, Chudnovsky turned out to be too simple, and the cadet immediately replied: "No! Mr. It was you who sent people to the Winter Palace, my commander did not trust you, and we thought that the negotiations would take place in a place where they would be safe. It's more appropriate! ”

Hearing this, Chudnovsky laughed angrily and asked: "We don't trust you either, how can you guarantee the safety of our negotiators?" ”

"This?" The non-commissioned officer hesitated for a moment, and then said categorically: "We will guarantee the honor and personality of the soldiers, and will strictly abide by the Geneva Conventions and guarantee the safety of your representatives!" ”

The cadets turned and went back, but Chudnovsky and Podvoysky fell silent, and the so-called reputation and personality guarantee of the Provisional Government was nothing short of a fart. At this time, go to the Winter Palace to negotiate. If you don't get it right, it's a meat bun and a dog that has no return.

"Let me go!"

Chudnovsky and Podvoysky spoke at the same time, still saying the same thing. Immediately, the two of them smiled knowingly, but immediately, this smile quickly disappeared.

"Comrade Podvoysky, let me go!" Chudnovsky said solemnly and solemnly, "You are the commander-in-chief, and you are inseparable from here!" I'd better do it! ”

Podvoysky hesitated, "But...... The enemy is quite ferocious...... In case ......"

"Don't worry!" Chudnovsky said confidently, "They are already turtles in the urn, even if they kill me at this time, it will make no sense, but it will arouse our anger, where to go, I think they should have a number!" Moreover, if the enemy could lay down his arms and surrender, he would have been able to avoid casualties among his comrades. It is better for me to take risks alone than to sacrifice hundreds or thousands of comrades! ”

Chudnovsky resolutely went to the Winter Palace alone to negotiate, he did not expect at all that this was simply a pit, a trick used by Kishkin to delay time, and he did not expect that the enemy would be much more ferocious than he imagined!

Calm was temporarily restored on the Hermitage Square, and the two sides were ready to fight. And in the Smolny Palace, to the east of the Winter Palace, another battle without gunpowder is also unfolding.

At 2 p.m., at the same time as the Petrograd Military District Command fell, a special meeting of the Petrograd Soviets of Workers' Deputies was held, at which, after hearing the report of the Revolutionary Military Council on the progress of the victory of the revolution, Lenin gave important instructions: "The old state apparatus will be completely smashed, and at the same time the new state apparatus must be established at once!" Comrades, today, at this moment of imminent victory in the uprising, I believe that the Second National Congress of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies must be convened immediately! ”

As mentioned earlier, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government by force and waged armed struggle, wearing a vest. The armed uprising was recognized by the Petrograd Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, but the problem is that the Petrograd Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was only a local body, and he could not represent the will of the All-Russian Soviets of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies!

In a sense, the armed uprising was not so procedurally legitimate, and Lenin was now going to solve this problem by convening the All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies as soon as possible, so that the congress would recognize the legitimacy of the Petrograd uprising. This is of great significance for the establishment of political power in the future!

Maybe you will say that the tutor is too child's play, and I can't hold back my anxiety before I think of finding a toilet, what did I do earlier? Wouldn't it be better to convene this Shilaozi conference earlier?

Not really!

Because this Second National Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was strongly resisted by the Mensheviks and the right wing of the Socialist-Revolutionary. The congress, which was supposed to be held in mid-September, was postponed again and again by the first Central Executive Committee, which they controlled, under various pretexts.

It was postponed from mid-September to late September, then to October 20, and when the time came, they repented again and postponed it again to October 25.

However, these people did not expect that on October 24 there would be a shocking turn of events, and Lenin would burst into trouble before the congress could be held.

Of course. It was an accident. This life was caused by the butterfly effect of a certain immortal. And in the previous life. It was because Kerensky knew that he could no longer wait, and that if the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was held on October 25, it would mean that all preparations for the Bolsheviks to seize power would be completed, so he rushed to attack.

However, the result of the first attack was still a tragedy, and he, the prime minister, escaped from Petrograd alone, and finally fled to the United States in a sullen state, where he could only tirelessly attack the October Revolution in words at a university. Attack on Lenin.

In fact, in order to sabotage the congress, the Mensheviks and the right wing of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party not only stalled for time, but also played a lot of childish tricks, such as deliberately making things difficult for the Bolshevik delegates throughout the country, getting stuck in traffic, and preparing to block them out of Petrograd.

After this failed attempt, representatives of the 318 local soviets representing the country arrived in Petrograd on October 23. In order to prevent the deputies from communicating with each other, they went so far as to disperse the 670 delegates and place them in dozens of different hotels in Petrograd.

I really don't know what these fools have in their heads. Such a naïve idea would have come to mind. How can this group of fools not want to think about it, among these six hundred and seventy representatives. How naïve it is that the Bolsheviks have 390 seats, and the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, who do not want to see the Provisional Government, have 160 places, and they expect to use such unpopular means to bring chaos into confusion between the Bolsheviks and the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, who occupy the absolute majority!

After the sudden outbreak of the October Revolution, the Mensheviks and the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries, believing that they had found a way to prevent the congress from taking place, prepared to postpone it again on the grounds that Petrograd was in chaos and that they would ensure the safety of the delegates.

But this means is meaningless at all, Petrograd is already basically in the hands of the Bolsheviks, and if you want to postpone it, you have to see whether Lenin agrees or not. Not to mention the fact that the 241 Soviets, representing 318 local Soviets throughout the country, were completely under the control of the Bolsheviks and the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries.

The delegates were fully in favour of "all power to the Soviets" and even came to the meeting with "a mass mandate in favour of the Bolsheviks." If they allow the Mensheviks and the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries to postpone the session, they will not be able to account for it when they return!

So, at 10:45 p.m. on October 25, the fiercest moment of the battle in the Winter Palace, the congress was finally solemnly opened at the Smolny Palace! Of course, this also means that the fierce verbal war begins.

After the opening of the congress, the first to speak was the Bolshevik delegate Avanesov, who was quite sharp in his offensive, and the first shot was aimed at the presidium (that is, the Central Executive Committee) elected at the last congress: "Gentlemen and comrades, at the opening of this congress, I think that the first thing that needs to be solved is the election of a new presidium. The previous Presidium had already proven by history that they were extremely unqualified and not enough to continue to lead the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Therefore, I solemnly request that the congress immediately elect a new presidium in proportion to the number of parties present at the congress! ”

"I'm against this proposal!" The Menshevik delegate Kucheng jumped out and danced from the rostrum threatening the Bolshevik delegates at the conference, "Bolshevik traitors, the armed rebellion you have set off will surely suffer a shameful defeat...... I warn you, twenty armies on the front line have already left for the capital, and the armies defending the Motherland will crush you to powder! ”

Poor Kucheng's hysterical performance was met with unanimous ridicule from the Bolshevik and Left Socialist-Revolutionary Party deputies, and the loud laughter and boos almost overturned him along with the podium, and a minute later, with a blushing face, he fled from the podium and hid among the few Menshevik delegates.

In order to redeem the negative impact of Kucheng, the Menshevik boss Donn had to go to the podium with a hard head, and in the midst of a boo, he spoke with difficulty: "Gentlemen, I have no objection to the election of a new presidium, which is the legal right granted to the deputies by the Soviets, and no one can take away it...... But before that, I have a few other things to say. While we were meeting, in the Winter Palace, the legitimate government, which was well embraced by the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, was being attacked by rebels. They braved artillery fire. Risk one's neck. He is doing his duty as a cabinet member...... Gentlemen, how can you watch such a tragedy happen, and I call once again to put an end to this rebellion and to put the country back on track at once......"

The Mensheviks and the representatives of the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries tried to applaud Donn, but their applause was so thin and cowardly in the face of the boos of the overwhelming majority of the Bolsheviks and the representatives of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries. So much so that the second Menshevik bigwig, Martov, had to rush to the podium. Cheer on his old friend.

"I'm all for that...... In the opinion of Comrade Donn, this so-called uprising was completely a premeditated rebellion, and I can even say bluntly that some of the delegates in the room were behind this rebellion...... Gentlemen, stop being obsessed, immediately lay down your arms, quickly wake up in time, and stop committing crimes against the Motherland and the revolution......"

The strong and prolonged boos forced Martov to leave the podium as well, leaving the stage as well. He tried to warn and threaten Lenin, but the Master ignored him. Because at this time, the impatient Menshevik internationalist unification faction rushed to the podium again, shouting loudly: "The first thing we should discuss is not the question of the Presidium, but the question of how to avoid civil war!" ", and stated: "We refuse to participate in the Presidium until certain serious political issues are clarified!" ”

If you refuse, you will refuse, for Lenin, I wish these eighty Menshevik flies would get out of here, and your minority still treats itself as an uncle? Lao Tzu doesn't wait! Ignoring the Mensheviks' harassment, the congress quickly adopted Avanesov's proposal and immediately began to elect a new presidium.

The poor Mensheviks and the Socialist-Revolutionaries wanted to continue their whirling, but their farce could not stop the progress of the meeting. Soon, the new Presidium of the All-Russian Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was born, of which fourteen were deputies of the Bolsheviks, seven deputies of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, and three representatives of the Ukrainian socialist Kulinichko and other parties.

In order to express their indignation, protest and unyielding sentiment, the Mensheviks and the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries refused to participate in the Presidium, as if they had been greatly wronged and were unyielding fighters for democracy.

But think about it, more than two months ago, when they were still in the majority of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviets, how they dealt with the Bolsheviks, this so-called grievance seems so joyful, it is really a fast retribution of the present world, thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi!

The conference is going on in an intense and orderly manner, and with the birth of a new presidium, more important topics for the meeting are about to begin.

The new chairman of the Presidium, Sverdlov (historically Kamenev, but soon lost this post because of his resignation from the Bolshevik Central Committee, and was replaced by Sverdlov): "Our slogan is the return of all power to the Soviets, and only the Soviets can correctly exercise this great power on behalf of the people of all Russia...... Our aim is to overthrow the Provisional Government and send these counter-revolutionaries where they belong...... We will not compromise with them, we will not agree to negotiate with them, and we will not share with them this great power that the people have given to the Soviets! ”

The representatives of the Mensheviks and the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries were so angry that they tried every possible way to make noise to interfere with Sverdlov's speech, but whenever they just made a noise, they were surrounded by the overwhelmingly dominant Bolsheviks and representatives of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries. At the end of the day, even they themselves had to give up this futile and ridiculous means of interference.

Of course, this does not mean that they have given up resistance, on the contrary, they are ready to threaten the Presidium of the Congress with the most brutal means: "If the Congress cannot treat the government justly, if it cannot treat the revolution correctly, and if it goes further and further down the road of counter-revolution, then the only thing we Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries can do is to withdraw from this reactionary Congress and make a clean break with it!" ”

As the chairman of the congress and the presiding officer of the congress, Sverdlov was the first to refute the fallacies of the Mensheviks and the right-wing Socialist-Revolutionaries: "You people are only accomplices of the Provisional Government and chargé d'affaires of the General Staff, you have no right to speak on behalf of the workers, peasants and revolutionary soldiers, and what you are doing is to wave the flag and shout for the counter-revolutionaries, and you are a counter-revolution through and through!" ”

As Sverdlov uttered the last word, the delegates in the room rebuked and cursed the Mensheviks and the delegates of the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries who tried to threaten to withdraw from the congress:

"Get out! The lackeys of the Provisional Government! ”

"Get out! Deserters, traitors! ”

"Get out! Kornilov's partisans! ”

Immediately, on the proposal of the Bolshevik deputies, the congress adopted a resolution condemning the Mensheviks and the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries - the withdrawal of the compromisers from the Soviets did not weaken the Soviets, but strengthened them, because it purged the counter-revolutionary dregs of the workers' and peasants' revolution!

The Mensheviks and the right-wing Socialist-Revolutionaries die-hards, seventy of them, who were a very small minority among the delegates present, fled from the Smolny Palace with their tails between their legs, continued to defend the imminent collapse of the Provisional Government amid invective, and organized a so-called "Committee for the Salvation of the Country and the Revolution."

"Let them go!" This was Lenin's reaction after knowing the news, and he said very seriously: "I don't care at all about the Mensheviks, nor about the bullshit of the Revolutionary Committee for National Salvation. Now, the only thing I want to know is when the Winter Palace will be conquered! (To be continued.) )