685 Gate (12)

July 16, 10 a.m. (Full text reading, all in. (.i. Want. Wen. Learning Network)

Brest Fortress.

In the fortified central citadel, the nearly 20-meter-long negotiating table was filled with people on both sides of the Central Powers delegation headed by Feng Qi and German Foreign Minister Strau, and on the other side was the Russian delegation led by Trotsky.

The table was full of all kinds of documents, and everyone on both sides looked at each other coldly, and the atmosphere was solemn and depressing.

Stalemate, stalemate!

Although both China and Germany made concessions, they did not satisfy Trotsky, and in fact no matter how much concessions were made by the two countries, they were unacceptable to him, and he preferred to continue the war rather than sign this humiliating contract.

Because according to this contract, Russia was to cede to Germany, including all of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and a third of Belarus, including Brest!

Although the territory of Estonia and the whole of Belarus has been much smaller than that of Germany, Russia still has to cede 1 million square kilometers of land, and hand over 28 million people and nearly 40% of the country's resources, railways and heavy industry.

In addition to Germany, Russia would need to cede 370,000 square kilometers of land to Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire would also receive half of Azerbaijan, including the oil towns of Baku and Batumi.

Of course, there are still Chinese with a big appetite here, and even if the conditions after making concessions need to start from the Yamal Peninsula, go south along the Ob River, and then bend to the East Kazakh region that merges into Lake Balkhash after Tyumen, connecting the current national border of Shanghua, although not an inch of land in Central Asia, nearly three-quarters of Western Siberia is gone, and the entire 2.2 million square kilometers of land will be handed over to the Chinese!

If it were not for the fact that Russia would never agree to the entry of the Chinese into the Ural Mountains, and Germany would not agree to the demarcation of the Ural Mountains, perhaps the whole of Western Siberia and Central Asia would have been annexed or indirectly annexed.

Although the area of Western Siberia has no resources, the weather is cold and the population is sparse, and it is different from the essence of Germany's demand for cession, but it is Russian territory after all!

In addition to the land, Russia will pay a total of 4.5 billion rubles in war reparations over the next 15 years, of which 1.5 billion will be paid to Germany, 1.5 billion to China, and 500 million to Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Ottomans.

As a diplomatic statesman, Trotsky knew very well that if this contract was signed, it would mean that Russia would be cut off from the rest of the world, and unless the Entente could win, Russia would in the future become a leading country in Europe and a second-rate country in Europe.

Although Lenin and many members of the Central Committee believed that Russia's withdrawal would inevitably lead to revolutions in the countries of the world, and that many countries would come together with Russia in the future, and that they painted a better world, he was worried.

"Your Majesty Trotsky, I don't know if you have thought about it today, but if not, we might as well have a coffee or some fun, instead of continuing to sit here." Seeing Trotsky's uncertain face, Feng Qi picked up the tea, blew and said lightly.

"Yes, in fact, I am willing to let the army speak, rather than bother with you here." German Foreign Minister Strau was also arrogant, but he knew that the German army on the Western Front was exhausted, and if the troops on the Eastern Front could not be transferred over, I was afraid that Paris would be in danger.

After the two giants spoke, the representatives of Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria expressed that they did not want to be entangled any longer, and even the Ottoman representatives also made a strong statement, simply saying that the Ottomans were willing to send a large army to continue to go deeper along the Caucasus until they reached the Don River.

Trotsky sneered, without the help of the Chinese, it is difficult to say whether the Ottoman soldiers can keep their own country, and they still want to fight to the Don River?!

But when he turned his head and saw the smile on the corner of Feng Qi's mouth, he didn't dare to be careless, it is said that the Strait of Hormuz will be open to navigation in the next few days, relying on the port of Salalah, Muscat, Socotra and the Maldives Islands that were captured last month, the Chinese Navy has actually encircled the British, American and Indian fleets, and they have been compressed into a small range of activities. 【 I want: super fast update 】

Taking advantage of this, China can take the long-distance route of the Indian Ocean and continuously project troops to Mesopotamia, which has as many as 200,000 so far, and it is said that it will eventually reach 300,000 or more, and this force already has the ability to penetrate deep into the Caucasus, and if the Northwest Army of China, which has already arrived in Tyumen, also turns south, then Russia will lose all of Central Asia.

It was a deadly blade, and together with the German troops on the Eastern Front, they formed three sharp swords that pierced the heart of Russia.

"I can't agree to these conditions, maybe I should go and meet with the representatives of the Entente." Trotsky continued not to let go, and with a cold face pushed the thick contract paper away a little from his face.

His words immediately made the representatives of the allied countries clench their fists, because this was the seventh time that he had used the Entente as an excuse to blackmail, and several European allies, including Germany, had a bad face, but Feng Qi and the Ottoman ambassador did not change their faces, the latter did not say that he was not worried about Britain and the United States, but because as more and more Chinese troops entered Greater Kuwait, the Ottomans had actually become one of the leisurely countries in the war.

This subtle change also means that the alliance has actually been divided into two factions, although the Arabian Peninsula has been abandoned, but the Ottoman rule here is basically non-existent, so after getting Baku from China, the Ottomans began to lean towards China.

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria were still European partners in the Entente, but Feng Qi knew that Germany was actually alone, because Austria-Hungary was already on the verge of civil strife, and even if it won the division, it was only a matter of time.

But now is not the time to think about these, Feng Qi looked at Trotsky and sneered in his heart, this guy is a good political player who plays tricks, but unfortunately he has too few cards, Britain and the United States do still have enough strength at present, and even France is still too early to defeat, if Russia does not withdraw and decides to continue fighting, it will really bring some trouble, but the more he keeps mentioning the Entente, the more it shows that he is weak to the extreme.

Just as everyone was thinking about how to counter Trotsky's repeated threats against him, a member of the Chinese diplomatic entourage suddenly walked into the conference room and whispered a few words to Feng Qi.

Then everyone saw an amazing scene.

Feng Qi slowly took out the briefcase and began to pack his bags, and even the entourage around him began to pack documents, and the secretary who was responsible for drafting and translating the contract threw the crucial draft contract aside.

What's going on?!

"Your Majesty Feng Qi, you are." German Foreign Minister Strau hurriedly asked, Hua Ke is an important pillar of negotiations, without them, Germany really may not be able to bite this piece of fat.

Feng Qi smiled and stuffed the latter document into his briefcase, turned around and handed it to the secretary, held the table with both hands, and after scanning the audience, he stared at Trotsky suddenly.

Trotsky's heart was slightly moved, and he was cold: "I don't know what to say?" ”

More than 20 years ago, I once said this to the then British Ambassador, Sir O'Gner, in Beijing, asking him to "remember my dark eyes and yellow skin." "I say the same again today, please remember my dark eyes and yellow skin!"

This sentence, which has already spread all over the world's diplomatic circles, made Trotsky's heart chuckle, after Feng Qi said this last time, Li Mo used Hawaii as a base, brazenly crossed thousands of miles to intervene in the Qing Dynasty, and launched an attack on the Russian Far East Fleet and Army.

But are they really going to do that? You must know that for China, Western Siberia is already very far away, if it weren't for the long supply and lack of stamina, I believe that with Li Mo's greed, he would not be willing to sit down and negotiate, so how easy is it to cross the Ural Mountains, plus India, Australia, and Panama contain so many troops, they still dare to cross thousands of kilometers of supply lines and launch an unprecedented offensive?!

Although Trotsky couldn't believe it, when he saw that Feng Qi was really leaving, he suddenly panicked for some reason, and immediately got up and called: "Wait, Feng Qi, I want to know the reason." ”

The corners of Feng Qi's mouth, who made a gesture of preparing to leave, quickly slid a smile, but when he turned around, his face was already cold, and he looked at Trotsky and said, "Reason? Very simple. ”

"Your Majesty Trotsky, I know that you have repeatedly mentioned that you want to negotiate with the Entente, but you have seen that Britain and the United States are attacking our allies, and that we will dare to blackmail us because the supply lines are too long to continue." Feng Qi said: "Am I right? ”

Trotsky's face was gloomy, and before he could answer, Feng Qi had already continued: "Actually, you are quite right, if you had succeeded this time five minutes ago, but now, you have failed!" ”

"Failed?!" German Foreign Minister Strau is also a guy with a keen political sense, and his heart was shocked when he heard these three words, and he suddenly got up and asked: "Feng Qi, is something happening?" ”

"Yes." Feng Qi smiled at Strau, glanced at the audience and said confidently and loudly: "I can solemnly tell you that I just got the news that yesterday afternoon in the southwest Pacific Ocean, off Sealand, our Royal Navy successfully annihilated all the main forces of the Entente Australian Grand Fleet!"

Australia has become an island! ”

"God!"

"It's so bān!"

"Victory belongs to the Alliance!"

This astonishing news suddenly caused all the League officials present to shout excitedly, while the Russian delegation was completely panicked, and even Trotsky turned pale, as if he had been drained of blood in an instant, and fell to his chair.

The people who can enter this room are not stupid, and they don't need to explain that everyone understands that after the Australian Grand Fleet was encircled and wiped out, it has become an isolated island, and it is impossible for Australia, which has almost no industrial base, to hold on for a long time, and maybe it will announce its surrender in the next second.

This means that China does not even need to send any more land forces to Australia, and the current army alone can slowly consume the other side, so that there will be more than a million more troops in vain, and if all these troops are thrown into Greater Kuwait and Western Siberia, then not to mention the curse of the Ural Mountains, the whole of Central Asia will be lost!

And it is impossible to rely on the only opponent to join the Entente, because after losing Australia, Britain and the United States have already shown their defeat!

"Your Majesty Trotsky, do you think I should continue to sit here, or send a telegram to Mr. Lenin for a different negotiator, or simply let the army continue to speak?!" Feng Qi seized the opportunity and dealt a severe blow to Trotsky, who was completely out of order.

Looking at those cold eyes, Trotsky's brain was already blank, and his fingers subconsciously reached into his pocket, which contained a letter of resignation that had been written for a month when he left St. Petersburg, because he knew very well that as long as he signed this contract, his name would be nailed to the pillar of shame in Russia for the rest of his life, and he would become an undoubted abandonment, even Lenin could not save it, which was one of the main reasons why he did not want to sign the contract!

But now, is there a choice?

"Feng Qi, we." Trotsky, covered in a cold sweat and with a dull gaze, asked, "Can you continue according to the previous agreement?" ”

Feng Qi glanced at Strau and sneered: "But the amount of war compensation needs to be increased!" ”

In 1916, when the news of the annihilation of the Australian Grand Fleet by the Second Task Force had not even fully spread, the Brest Treaty was officially signed, which was also considered by all circles in Russia to be a humiliating treaty that had never been seen since the birth of Russia.

At that time, Lenin tried his best to say that the contract signed during the Tsarist era to cede the whole of East, Central and Siberia was dozens of times larger than the area of this cession, but the Russian circles did not approve of it, because the land was too desolate to be comparable to the prosperous land that was cut off this time.

Although Trotsky struggled to keep the bottom line of the land in the face of mutual restraint between China and Germany, he was forced to increase the reparations because of the reality that China had freed up his hands from Australia.

Originally, he didn't want to agree, and sent a telegram to Lenin to explain, but Lenin, who was already in danger of the outside world and the domestic situation, could no longer take care of it, and when China and Germany promised that the period could be extended to 20 years and the interest could be reduced, the Soviet government, which was eager to withdraw, promised to increase the indemnity from 4.5 billion rubles to 7 billion rubles, of which China and Germany each accounted for 2.5 billion, and the remaining 2 billion would be shared equally by the other three countries.

At exactly 17 o'clock in the afternoon, when Trotsky's name was signed on behalf of Russia, it also meant that the turning point of the great war had finally arrived.

On 18 July, the governments and parliaments involved in the negotiations approved the contract with lightning speed, which meant that the Brest Agreement officially entered into force.

On the same day, representatives of Britain, France, the United States, and other Allied countries held another closed-door meeting, which, in addition to calming the minds of the floating people, also reiterated the statement that the war would continue and that they would never surrender to the "dictatorship."

On July 19, the news of the official entry into force of the Brest Pact came out, the whole country of Russia was sad, all walks of life condemned Lenin and the Bolsheviks led by him, and even discord began to spread within the Soviets.

On the 20th, Du Hening, supported by Britain and France, took the lead in saying that he did not recognize the contract and led 250,000 White Russian troops to launch a full-scale attack on the Soviet government led by Lenin.

On the same day, the British army in the Kronstadt fortress launched an offensive against St. Petersburg, and Denik and Kolchak joined tens of thousands of British troops from Central Asia, and led a total of 1.5 million White Russian troops to declare war on the Soviet government, which had betrayed its national interests.

On the 21st, Lenin delivered a speech at the National Congress of Soviets, demanding that the Soviets and the Red Army unite to protect the regime, defeat the rotten White Russian army, and build a beautiful country.

On the 25th, according to the secret agreement between Hua and Lenin, 250,000 Russian prisoners willing to join the Soviet Red Army were released in Tomsk and returned home from Central Asia, while the third batch of 200,000 rifles and matching ammunition was handed over to Lenin's representatives, and on the same day, Germany also handed over 300,000 captured and captured rifles and ammunition to Lenin.

On August 1, 1916, the first anniversary of China's entry into the war, Lenin, who had received secret support, began to lead the Red Army back against the White Russian army, and the Russian Civil War broke out!

For Li Mo and Hua, after the two gates of the north and south were closed almost simultaneously, the battle was already on the agenda.

On August 2, through the repaired Trans-Siberian Railway, the first two army infantry divisions of the Northwest Army began to retreat, according to the plan of the General Staff, by the end of the year, the size of the Northwest Army will be reduced from the current 115 divisions to 50 divisions of 1 million people, whether the remaining troops continue to be stationed, depends on the situation in Russia, they will be temporarily stationed in Salekhard, Khanty, Tyumen, Omsk and Tomsk in the lower reaches of the Ob River.

At the same time that the main force began to retreat, 12 National Guard divisions began to enter Western Siberia with 5,000 snowmobiles and other special equipment used in winter, and a steady stream of wintering materials began to accelerate the transportation to the west, and at the same time, the General Staff and the Prime Minister's Office approved a three-year plan for 5 million border resettlements, and began to use prisoners of war to build a railway from Omsk to the port of Novi east of the Yamal Peninsula, according to this plan, China will build this railway within five years.

According to His Majesty's opinion, Hua will build three double-track railway arteries along the three major rivers of Siberia, the Lena River, the Yenisei River and the Ob River, and establish three forward bases in and out of the Arctic Ocean at the end of the railway, and require these harbor bases to be able to supply at least 50,000 troops and more than 20 icebreakers and cruisers.

Not only the government, but also the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ship Design Department have also received special funds for research on heating and other problems in the construction of the three major bases, and will also begin to study large ocean-going icebreakers and types of ships and aircraft suitable for use in the hydrological conditions of the Arctic Ocean in advance.

On August 3, Nicholas II's family, unaware of such a dramatic change in Russia and the outside world, secretly arrived at the port of Tianjin.