324 outbreak

After Lenin's decision to settle the Provisional Government, the crowds in the streets of Petrograd erupted in cheers, starting from Garden Street, where crowds began to rush to the Winter Palace, and Kerensky, who learned the news, immediately began to ask the Soviets and Rodenko for help.

"Your Excellency Speaker, you can't hesitate any longer!" Guchkov roared angrily, "If the mob had been allowed to settle the cabinet, it would have been too late by then!" ”

Luo Jiangko was still hesitant, and if the throne of commander-in-chief of the army was handed over to Kornilov, in a sense, it would mean that his political career would end early. This is something he can't accept in any way.

For Luo Jiangke, who does not enter the oil and salt, Guchekov is completely out of line, his eyebrows have already been burned, this dead fat man still does not let go, what else can he do?

Sighing, Guchkov shook his head and prepared to go, if he didn't want the Bolsheviks to take advantage, the only thing he could do was to make Kornilov give in. He had just opened the office door, and he glanced at Luo Jiangke, who was sitting behind his desk, with a one-in-ten thousand hope, he hoped that this dead fat man would give in at the last moment.

But what Guchkov saw was a cold and merciless face, and a dead fat man with a kind of unhesitating determination on his face, such a person would never compromise.

Guchkov sighed, closed the door very helplessly, and at the moment when the door was about to be closed, after a burst of gunshots, the window of the office shattered, and Luo Jiangke, who was originally sitting behind the desk, shrank under the desk, and a sharp shout came out of the fat man's throat:

"Someone's coming! Help me! ”

This shout gave Guchkov new inspiration, and he rushed in and shouted to the shivering fat man hiding under his desk: "Your Excellency, the mob has surrounded your mansion, and I am afraid it will be against you!" ”

The frightened General Ko looked at Guchkov suspiciously, to be honest, he didn't believe in the news too much, how could he, a person who had already stepped down, be worthy of the mob's concern, and there were a large number of people in front of Kerensky and Lvov to help pull hatred, even if it wasn't his turn!

Luo Jiangke's suspicious appearance fell into Guchkov's eyes, and he deliberately pretended to be very frightened, pointing out the window and shouting: "I don't believe you came to see!" Your mansion is surrounded by mobs! ”

As if to cooperate with Guchekov's speech, another window in the office was shattered after another gunshot, and the flying glass shards fell in front of Rodenko's eyes. If one shot is just accidental, then the second shot is inevitable, even the suspicious Luo Jiangke has to wonder if he has been targeted.

"Your Excellency, there was a large mob outside the door, and they didn't hurt you......"

The guards who rushed in out of breath dispelled Luo Jiangke's most doubts, as his personal guard, it was impossible for the guards to lie, and before the guards finished speaking, Luo Jiangke screamed and shouted: "We must not let them rush in!" Stop them! Immediately! Fast! ”

What else did the guards want to say, how could Guchkov make him speak, and preemptively ordered: "What are you still doing in a daze, immediately stop these mobs, and shoot if necessary!" ”

"That's right! Shoot! Shoot now! Luo Jiangke, who was hiding under the desk, also hissed and echoed.

The master gave the order, of course the dog leg will do it, the guard saluted and turned around to carry it out, and soon rows of gunshots rained down from outside the door.

Guchkov secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that his inspiration had been successful, yes, there were indeed groups of mobs outside the window, but just like Luo Jiangke thought, they really didn't come to trouble the fat man, they were purely passing by, the real goal was the Winter Palace, as for the two shots, they were purely accidental injuries, probably one or a few more emotional soldiers venting their anger in their hearts.

In fact, it was not only the Rodchenko family who were injured by mistake, the aristocratic mansions on both sides of Garden Street were cordially greeted by the soldiers in the rage, and Guchkov just used the topic to play.

With the screams of innocent people outside the window, the corners of Guchekov's mouth showed a smug smile, as long as Luo Fatzi's guards dared to shoot, everything would be easy. If his prediction was not bad, the crowd enraged by the guard's atrocities, even if they didn't come to Chaoluo Fat Man in the first place, would not let go of this damn fat man now.

Guchkov exclaimed passionately: "Your Excellency, you have seen that the mob has already targeted us, and if we do not take drastic measures against them, the consequences will be unimaginable!" ”

Luo Jiangke was still very hesitant, and said with the most fortunate mentality: "My guards are all warriors in the guards, and with them, this group of mobs can't be filled!" ”

"Yes, your mansion is protected by the Guards! But not all of our colleagues, friends, and relatives are as reliable as you. Have you ever thought that the mob is already concocting them in the same way? ”

Guchkov waved his shuangquan and roared viciously: "Have you ever thought that if you die without help, they will support you when they find out what you have done?" Without their support, what else can you do in politics? ”

Guchkov's last roar was like a sledgehammer that shattered Rodenko's psychological defenses, and if he lost these supports, he would not even want to turn over in the future. At that time, he was spurned by 10,000 people, and he really finished playing.

Luo Jiangke was stunned for a full minute, and then let out a long sigh: "Contact Kornilov, the position of commander-in-chief of the army is his......"

This sentence exhausted Luo Jiangke's whole strength, and after he finished speaking, he sat on the ground like a puddle of mud, and his eyebrows were full of loneliness. Compared with him, Guchkov was simply ecstatic, and he couldn't wait to call Kornilov, and strongly demanded that the commander-in-chief of the army immediately send troops to quell the rebellion.

Kornilov actually couldn't hold back for a long time, in essence, he didn't have the same political ambitions as Shulijin and Luo Jiangko, he just wanted to restore the old order in Russia, as for personal gains and losses, he was not too careful, if it wasn't for Shulikin's repeated warnings to wait, he would have started his action earlier.

Of course, after receiving a call from Guchkov and being officially told that he was already the commander-in-chief of the army, the great ecstasy almost knocked him out. Kornilov never imagined that he would be able to sit in that position. This joy came too suddenly, and it directly made him confused.

"Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief!" Shu Lijin was actually secretly relieved, if Guchkov's call came later, he might not be able to sit still, "Now is not the time to be happy!" The future of Russia is in your hands, and you should now go and sweep away the rebels and the mob! ”

Kornilov glanced at Shulijin gratefully, after this incident, he had begun to trust this ally who could always bring him unexpected surprises, and he asked a little impatiently: "Only deal with rebels and mobs?" Wouldn't it be better to get rid of the Soviets and Luo Jiangke together? ”

Shu Lijin shook his head: "My general, your idea is too optimistic, although Luo Fatzi has appointed you as the commander-in-chief of the army, but with all due respect, you, the commander-in-chief, do not have any prestige at all, and if you launch it in a hurry at this time, I am afraid that not many people will respond to your call." You'll have to build prestige in this position and woo more like-minded military men before you can move on to the next step! ”

Kornilov secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he was really worried about Shu Lijin just now and let him take action immediately, although he was very dissatisfied with the indecisive Luo Jiangke, but this does not mean that he does not miss the old feelings, no matter what, Luo Jiangke is kind to him, and he can't do it if he takes revenge immediately. And now it is only to deal with the rebels and the mob, for which Kornilov does not have the slightest burden, he has long wanted to do so.

With this buffer time, Kornilov was optimistic that when Kornilov realized that he could not control the fate of Russia with his ability, his appearance as a substitute for His Excellency the former Speaker would not be considered revenge.

Kornilov happily set off with his troops who had been prepared for a long time, and at the same time Shulygin issued an order to his minions: "Immediately launch an attack on the Bolsheviks, which has made these clowns happy for two days, it's time to make them cry!" ”

Remember this time, at 2 p.m. on July 4, 7, the reactionary team of Kornilov and Shulykin suddenly intervened and brewed a shocking bloodbath. In the evening, the pro-cabinet newspaper Exchange News carried the following headline on its front page: "At about 2 p.m., armed demonstrators passed through the intersection of the Garden and Nevsky Prospects, where many people gathered to watch them quietly. At this moment, a deafening gunshot was heard from the right side of Garden Street, followed by a rain of bullets pouring down on the crowd......"

This was the news published by the pro-cabinet newspapers, and the actual situation was much more tragic than described above, with the entire crossroads stained red with the blood of the masses, and more than 400 people were killed and wounded. At the same time, the Soviets, who were supposed to be on the side of the people, responded positively to the repressive actions of the Provisional Government.

The Central Executive Committee of the Mensheviks, Skobelev (mentioned earlier, was a student of Trotsky) and the Central Executive Committee of the Socialist Party, Avkesentseyev, Muzulenko and Goats, personally created a mixed brigade and went to the streets to carry out armed repression. Together with the artillery battalion of the Guards Army, which was under the command of Kornilov, they marched into the Hermitage Square, unscrewed the bridges, and bloodily fired at all the residents who "did not listen to advice".

When Lenin learned of this news a little later, he was stunned, and he could not have imagined how the Soviets and the Cabinet could have dared to do what even the Tsar did not dare to do.

Soon, he realized that the enemy had formed a reactionary alliance and had reached the most dangerous moment!

"Where are our troops?" Lenin asked in a deep voice.

Peter Wovsky immediately replied: "The 1st Machine Gun Regiment is in Tavrichher Palace, Peter Paplov's Regiment is still on the outskirts of the city, and the Red Eagle Regiment is still in Finland......"

Lenin interrupted impatiently: "What about the city center? Are there any of our troops near the Hermitage Square? ”

Peter Wovsky thought for a moment and replied: "The garrison of Peter and Paul's prison is under our command, and Trotsky and his district coalition are ...... there."

Lenin immediately ordered: "Contact Comrade Trotsky at once, inform them to prepare for battle, to plunge into battle at once, to draw the enemy's fire away from the masses!" After a pause, he urgently ordered: "Except for the 1st Machine Gun Regiment guarding the Tavrichher Palace, let all the troops march towards the city center at once, and be sure to return fire with the fiercest fire on the enemy!" ”

Sverdlov quietly watched Lenin issue the order, it should be said that the current situation is very unfavorable to the mentor, the troops who obeyed his orders did not enter the city, except for the 1st Machine Gun Regiment, which was extremely active from the beginning, surrounded the Tavrichher Palace, which was considered good, the rest of the troops were far away and could not save the close fire.

Kornilov's troops, on the other hand, were mostly concentrated in the heart of the city center, where it was easy for them to carry out their operations, and they also had the cooperation of the Black Hundred, and the ruffians were not very effective in combat, but they were still very competent against the unarmed masses.

And that's not the worst, as long as Kornilov can control the core area of the city center, and wait for the troops outside the city, especially on the Riga front, who are under the orders of the cabinet, to be brought back to quell the rebellion, then the Bolsheviks will be finished!

This was clear not only to Sverdlov, but also to Lenin himself, that Kornilov's army must be dealt with immediately, as long as Petrograd can be controlled, then there is hope! But the problem is that the strength he has on hand is really stretched.

Sverdlov immediately proposed: "It is a waste of more than 1,000 men of the 1st Machine Gun Regiment to guard the Soviets, and they should be put into battle at once!" ”

Lenin didn't want to put the 1st Machine Gun Regiment into battle, but when they left, who would care about the Soviets? Loosening the guards on them and freeing them will only make the situation worse!

When Sverdlov heard this, he became anxious, and said bluntly: "The Soviets are now completely oriented towards the reactionary government, and they should immediately take the Tavrichher Palace, put them all under house arrest, and then put the most precious strength of the 1st Machine Gun Regiment into the battle against Kornilov!" ”

Sverdlov's opinion actually poured out the hearts of many people present, since the current situation has completely torn their faces, what should they care, first solve the Soviets, after taking them, they can launch a general mobilization in the name of the Soviets, I believe that with the tiger skin of the Soviets, more troops will respond to the call.

"It's not going to work!" Lenin categorically rejected this proposal, "the impact is too bad!" Hundreds of thousands of people on the streets are watching, and as long as the 1st Machine Gun Regiment forcibly storms the Tavrichher Palace, whether this uprising succeeds or not, the responsibility is entirely on our side. For the Soviets, our principle is non-compromise, non-confrontation, and resolutely not to shoot the first shot! ”

It was not only Sverdlov who sighed, but the vast majority of those present sighed, and only one or two people who firmly supported Lenin's ideas, Kamenev and Zinoviev.

It's not that these two goods have rejoined Lenin, but that their idea of surrender is playing tricks again.

"Comrade Lenin is quite right when he says that there must be no confrontation with the Soviets, let alone the house arrest of the ** comrades in the Soviets, as some people say...... At the moment, we can't believe that force can solve all problems, I think we should lay down our arms and stop the uprising, only in this way can we protect the innocent people on the streets! ”

Everyone at the meeting gave these two stupid glances in unison, even if you stop the uprising, you can also come up with such a bad idea as laying down your arms? When there were guns, those reactionaries were not afraid of us, and when they had no weapons, they were still in their hands?

"This advice is completely undesirable! Taking the initiative to surrender is only a dead end, not only can we not surrender, but we must take the initiative to carry out the struggle! "At the critical moment, Dzerzhinsky stood up and stood up with a clear banner to support the fight to the end.

"That's right!" Stalin also chimed in, "Our strength is indeed stretched, but how much better can the enemy be than us?" As long as we arm the hundreds of thousands of masses in Petrograd, we can easily sweep them away! I think we should immediately attack the arsenals of the munitions factories in order to get more weapons to arm the masses! ”

Stalin's proposal was very constructive, and it was a solution now, but it was a cruel one, and the Bolsheviks had limited strength, so if they were to seize the arsenals and the munitions factories, who would fight against the reactionary army of Kornilov, who was committing violence in the streets?

If Kornilov's army had not been restricted, then there would be no doubt that hundreds of thousands of ordinary people would have been exposed to their guns, and at that time it would not be as simple as four or five hundred dead and wounded, but five thousand or even forty or fifty thousand casualties!

There was a deathly silence in the conference room, and no one dared to say whether it was good or bad for this almost cruel method. After a long time, Lenin made up his mind and ordered in no uncertain terms: "The basis of our Bolsheviks, and the object of service for them, is the millions of ordinary people, without whose support we are nothing." At the stake, we must not leave the hope of success to ourselves and throw the most difficult baggage to them...... Inform the troops to strike at the enemy according to the original plan and let the masses leave the battlefield! ”

Lenin's eloquent speech dispelled all unrealistic ideas, and perhaps many years later, when recalling every thrilling moment of the July events, many people will have a negative opinion of Lenin's decision.

Yes, the Mentor did make a lot of mistakes during this period, especially in the question of how to deal with the Soviets, and he paid too much attention to the correctness of the form, and forgot the importance of the result. But on the most basic matter of principle, the decisions he made were beyond reproach. And it was this irreproachable decision he made that left a spark for October, otherwise the sacrifices made by the ordinary people in the July incident would have been even more tragic!

!