OBS Chapter 923: February as the prologue, February as the beginning.
Chapter 923: February as the prologue, February as the beginning.
Chapter 923: February as the prelude, October as the beginning.
The rule of Tsarist Russia actually had a medieval feel to it, and monarchs like Richard the Lionheart are considered one of the greatest kings in England.
To judge whether a Tsar is wise or not, one should not look at whether he is good at governing the country or whether he is of noble character, but only at whether he can lead the country to victory.
As for the number of deaths and injuries, the cost, whether it was a Pyrrhic victory, and how much the people sacrificed for it, those things will only be buried in the river of time.
Ivan the Terrible was a notorious tyrant who massacred the civilians of Novgorod, killed the nobles who opposed him, and even killed his own son. Yet, because he conquered vast territories, he was still regarded as a wise and powerful Tsar.
Therefore, when news of the Russian frontline troops being surrounded in Poland reached Mogilev's headquarters, Tsar Nicholas II realized the danger. In order to stabilize the situation, the Tsar personally took on the role of supreme commander and responded immediately.
On the one hand, he mobilized the Northwest and Southwest Fronts to try to rescue the Eastern Front (i.e., the Central Front) which was surrounded in Poland by the "pincer offensive" carried out by Prussia and Germany. On the other hand, he also began to issue orders to various places to strengthen news control, raise vigilance, guard against all acts of rebellion, and try to nip any possible rebellion in the bud.
But how could that be possible?
Disillusionment with the Tsar was not limited to ordinary people; feudal nobles and large factory owners also harbored thoughts of deposing Nicholas II and installing a new Tsar.
In addition, corruption within Tsarist Russia meant that his decrees were not taken seriously at the local level.
Outside St. Petersburg, the Don Cossack camp.
Having just returned to the barracks from the city, Tennis shook the water droplets off his collar, wiped the mud off his boots on the dry grass, and then pushed open the door to his company headquarters.
"This weather is so cold, I wonder how many more people will die in the city."
He stamped his feet, took off his military boots by the bed, and stretched his frozen toes to warm them by the fire.
The quartermaster quickly moved the coffee cups off the fire to prevent them from being tainted by Tennis's stinky feet: "It doesn't matter how many people die, the military won't dare to withhold our pay anyway. His Majesty the Tsar is very useful in supporting us."
The platoon leader couldn't help but ask, "Great use? Instead of letting us go to the front lines to kill Germans, they're scattering us and throwing us into every secluded corner. What kind of great use is that?"
"Are you pretending to be confused or are you really confused? News of the defeat has come back again. The soldiers on the front lines are short of food and clothing, and many of them can't even get a gun. More and more deserters are emerging."
The short quartermaster spoke with exaggerated gestures, describing, "We are like stones tied to a stick, ready to smash into the skulls of traitors at the crucial moment."
Tenniski coughed and said, "That's enough. It wouldn't be good if outsiders heard us saying such things."
"Look on the bright side, maybe the Germans will be the first to collapse? The war will end in a glorious victory, and we Cossacks will ride our tall horses into Tsarslader, Vienna, and Prague, and then return home with a hefty bounty to buy a large ranch."
The quartermaster scoffed: "There's no sign of that trend yet."
"By the way, the military summoned you. Didn't you go to Beijing? How was it there? Was it lively?"
Tenniski shook his head and said, “The situation is not good. Bread is in short supply, and there is hunger, sadness, and anger everywhere in the workers’ quarters. The whole capital is like a steamer on a fire, so I think we will soon be on the battlefield, fighting our own people with sabers.”
The quartermaster sipped his hot coffee dismissively: "Those people aren't really our people. We're Don people, free Cossacks. If we kill those people from the capital, the military will pay the reward without withholding it—preferably not those cheap banknotes that are too hard to even wipe your butt with. I think that's fine."
The Cossacks were not an ethnic group, but a militarized community with a complex ethnic composition, mainly Rus' and Ruthenia people, but also including some Zoroastrian Tatars.
Nationalism also influenced the Cossacks, but clearly not as deeply.
"report!"
A soldier's anxious shouts rang out from outside the door.
Ignoring any response from inside, he quickly pushed open the door and handed out a piece of paper: "Company Commander, we found many of these little notes in the barracks—something seems amiss, and I'm worried something might go wrong."
Tenniski took the note, his face quickly turning ashen.
It contained a truly treasonous statement:
To all my fellow soldiers.
The war has been going on for three years. We have suffered for three years in order to protect the interests of others. In these three years, millions of workers and farmers in various countries have shed their blood, and millions of women and children have become widows and orphans.
This is the outcome of this war.
Why are you fighting? Whose interests are you fighting for?
The Tsar drives you to seize new lands, the factory owners to divide up new markets and raw material sources, and you, a bunch of fools, fight and die for your own interests, slaughtering proletarians like yourselves.
Brothers, you have shed enough blood. Your enemies are not the German and Prussian soldiers who have been deceived just like you, but your Tsar, factory owners, and landowners. Turn your guns against them, overthrow despotism, overthrow imperialism, and unite the proletariat of the world!
Tennis felt breathless. It was happening; his premonition had come true. What would the future hold? Would he still be able to lead his men back to their homeland?
If a civil war breaks out as a result, what will happen to the fighting on the front lines?
His elder brother's 7th Cavalry Regiment was still on the Livonia front.
"Take over to the military immediately!"
He reported the news by phone.
A moment later, after nodding repeatedly, Tenniski hung up the phone, his voice frantic: "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! Officers are no exception. We can't have those cancerous cells in our ranks; they'll kill us all."
Fortunately, the investigation yielded no results.
Most illiterate Cossacks used this small piece of paper as cigarette paper.
Tenniski breathed a slight sigh of relief upon learning about these "kindred spirits," but was awakened in the middle of the night by urgent ringing of a bell.
Tenniski hastily donned his military uniform, draped a cotton coat over his shoulders, and rushed out the door: "Cossacks, listen to my command!"
"A large-scale civil uprising has broken out in St. Petersburg. Everyone, grab your equipment, mount your horses, we are heading into the city to quell the rebellion!"
"Finally, I have work to do."
"If I keep doing nothing all day, my body will start to mold."
The Cossacks received almost no pay; they were elite troops conscripted cheaply by the Tsar, with their own warhorses and some weapons and equipment. The advantage was that they could take all the spoils of war and distribute them as they pleased.
"The capital is wealthy; we're sure to make a fortune this time."
"Don't get your hopes up. The military is just sending us to deal with a bunch of poor bastards."
Company Commander Tennisky had a stern face. In the eyes of many Cossacks, even a dog living in St. Petersburg was quite wealthy, but in reality, the living conditions of these people living in big cities were probably not as good as those of the frontier Cossacks.
Soon, more than 130 Cossack cavalrymen were assembled, along with more than 30 Cossack artillerymen equipped with small-caliber cavalry cannons and mortars, and even some precious white crystal grenades.
Tennisky led his cavalry company out of the camp and quickly joined up with friendly forces. The cavalry regiment, consisting of more than 800 cavalrymen, swiftly headed towards St. Petersburg.
At this moment, thick smoke billowed from St. Petersburg, and gunfire could be heard from a great distance.
Tennis heard someone shout: "For Ms. Natasha, for our peasant and worker brothers who have sacrificed on the front, for all proletarians to be free from oppression, fight!"
(End of this chapter)