Chapter 656 What is coming will always come
For Nikolay himself, this was a difficult decision, and Ruzinsky played an important role in this process.
Nicholas arrived in Pskov on the 13th, and then had a long talk with Ruzsky.
Under Ruzyski's persuasion, Nicholas stopped dispatching troops to the capital and recalled the troops that had been sent. George also received special instructions to "stand still".
Think back a few months ago, Ruzsky came to George's headquarters, hoping that George would cooperate with the Russian army on the northern front to attack the Austrian army.
Now Ruzsky brought his guards with him to force Nicholas to sign the abdication edict.
It’s so sad.
Ruzyski is not a rebel. His purpose is not to trigger a civil war and achieve a peaceful transition of power.
But the development of the situation was completely out of control at this time, and Ruzinsky did not expect that Nicholas' abdication was not the end of chaos, but the beginning of chaos.
In 1918, Ruzinsky was arrested by the Committee. Committee soldiers asked Ruzinsky to be loyal to the Committee and fight against the troops loyal to the tsarist system.
Ruzsky said: I will not participate in the war between Russians and Russians.
Ruzyski was subsequently executed.
The committee was wrong, they should have told Ruzsky that they were fighting not the troops loyal to the tsarist system, but the interventionist forces.
In that case, Ruziski will definitely not refuse.
After agreeing to abdicate, the Tsar stayed up all night.
In the early hours of the morning, Nikolay summoned Professor Fedorov and asked Alexei whether his condition could be recovered.
Professor Fedorov replied: Your Majesty, science tells us that the crown prince's disease is incurable; but there are exceptions. The crown prince's condition has been controlled before and he may gradually recover - but in any case, the crown prince will Have to accept the dictates of chance.
Nicholas lowered his head sadly and said in frustration: This is the same as what Sani said. If so - if Alexei cannot serve the motherland, then I have the right to kill Alexei Stay with me.
After daybreak, representatives of the provisional government Guchkov and Shuergen came to Pskov, and they brought an edict of abdication.
Guchkov demanded that Nicholas abdicate immediately.
Nicholas was very calm. He told Guchkov: Before three o'clock this morning, I had thought about passing the throne to my son Alexei - now I have changed my mind and I want to pass the throne to my son Alexei. Brother Mikhail, I hope you can understand the feelings of a father.
Subsequently, Nicholas signed the abdication edict.
During the whole process, Nicholas was so calm that everyone could hardly believe it.
After signing, he took a deep breath and finally relieved the heavy burden.
Now, Nikolai is looking forward to being reunited with his family.
Before signing the edict of abdication, Nicholas did a few last things.
The first thing is to appoint Kornilov, designated by the Duma, as commander of the St. Petersburg Military District.
The second thing is to appoint Grand Duke Yuriev as the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian army, and continue to lead the Russian army to fight against the German-Austrian alliance.
The third document was given to all armies. In the name of the Tsar, Nicholas ordered them for the last time to obey the command of Grand Duke Yuriev, persist in fighting, and strive for the final victory.
Guchkov did not resist the first order.
As for the second and third copies, Guchkov did not send them immediately.
“What, Your Excellency, former Chairman of the State Duma, am I no longer the Tsar?”
Nicholas’s attitude is very clear. If these three orders are not issued, Nikolai will He will not sign the abdication edict.
Guchkov agreed, and from this moment on, George officially became the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army.
When the news reached Constantinople, George felt extremely heavy.
Along with the news of Nicholas's abdication, there was another news about Mikhail that arrived in Constantinople.
In the past few months before Nicholas abdicated, the person in St. Petersburg who wanted Nicholas to abdicate most was undoubtedly Mikhail.
Mikhail is ready to become regent.
But he was not ready to become a tsar.
Mikhail was frightened by the rapid changes in the situation.
In Mikhail's plan, Nicholas's abdication should be led by the royal family, rather than an interim government and interim executive committee that appeared out of nowhere.
These are two completely different organizations. The Provisional Government was formed by the State Duma, and the Provisional Executive Committee was elected jointly by workers and soldiers.
From the 9th to the 13th, the situation in St. Petersburg deteriorated rapidly, catching everyone off guard.
When Kerensky, the representative of the Provisional Government, met Mikhail, Mikhail asked Kerensky: If I become Tsar, can you guarantee my safety?
Kensky could not give a definite answer.
Mikhail then put forward a condition: Mikhail could only accept supreme power after the representatives of the Constituent Assembly voted to determine the governance method and the new fundamental law.
The vote for the Constitutional Convention is in 6 months. So much happened in just five days from the 9th to the 13th. What will the empire be like in 6 months?
Whether there will still be an empire by then will have to be debated.
At this time in St. Petersburg, people are spontaneously celebrating the abdication of the Tsar. From now on, Nicholas is no longer the Tsar, but Nikolai Romanov.
Constantinople was not affected by St. Petersburg, and the machines in the factories were still roaring day and night.
Soldiers patrolled the streets in an orderly manner. There were no crowds gathering or panic buying. There was sufficient supply in the stores and food prices remained at a very low level.
Brent Bauer, the liaison officer of the French army in Constantinople, commented that Constantinople and St. Petersburg are two completely different extremes and incompatible with each other.
The telegraph room of the Balkan Theater Command has been busy since the 10th, with 120 transceivers working in three shifts to ensure smooth communication.
All received telegrams are first handed over to the Information Department for comprehensive analysis, and the valuable ones are reported to George's office, where they are selected for a second time by the office's staff and secretaries, and then handed over to Christie for delivery to George. deal with.
George never expected that Russia's coup would be so frivolous that it could not be described as child's play.
The coup in George's impression was all about swords and swords, and the coup would not end unless one party was completely dead.
It is rare in the world for people to betray and separate themselves to such an extent as Nicholas. Even his own brother, uncle, and even the Empress Dowager want him to abdicate. The only person who supports Nicholas is Alex. .
From this perspective, Nicholas is indeed right, only the queen will not betray him.
Before Nicholas abdicated, he appointed George as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, hoping that George could turn the tide and save the empire from disaster as he did in the Russo-Japanese War.
George didn't know where to start.
The army sent troops to St. Petersburg?
No reason.
Whether it was forced or voluntary, Nicholas had signed the abdication edict. The last order given to George was to let George lead the Russian army to continue fighting against the German-Austrian alliance.
Nicholas did not designate the commander-in-chief of the Russian-European theater. George now wants to issue combat orders to the Russian-European theater, but he doesn’t know who he should send it to.
George only has command authority and has no power to appoint the commander-in-chief of the Russian and European theaters.
Fortunately, there was Ruziski. George sent a telegram to Ruziski, asking Ruziski to stabilize the morale of the army, stand on the defensive, and wait for subsequent orders.
Ruzyski sent a three-page telegram to George, explaining to George one by one what he did during those few days.
George called Ruziski back and asked Ruziski to continue to perform his duties as commander-in-chief of the Northern Front.
Alexeyev sent a message to George to ask whether the 1917 military conference could still be held.
George could only sigh that Alexeyev had such a big heart.
The future of the empire is uncertain. Whether George and Alexeev, the commander-in-chief and chief of the general staff appointed by the former tsar, will be recognized by the Provisional Government and the Provisional Executive Committee remains to be seen. Is the military conference meaningful?
It cannot be said that it is meaningless. George sent telegrams to Alexeyev and Ruzsky respectively, asking them to come to Constantinople and hold a meeting in Constantinople.
Ruzyski set out immediately after receiving the telegram.
Alexeyev was hospitalized for treatment due to heart disease.
This is not an intentional pushback. Alexeyev really has a heart disease. This is the second time this year that he has been hospitalized for a heart disease.
When Ruzsky came to Constantinople, the situation in St. Petersburg continued to deteriorate.
Some people may ask, the Tsar has already abdicated, how can it worsen?
Don’t forget that there are now two highest authorities in St. Petersburg, one is the Provisional Government and the other is the Provisional Executive Committee.
These two institutions are incompatible with each other. The only person who served in both institutions at the same time was the long-sleeved Kerensky.
Kerensky, who was a lawyer by training, took the two sides to the extreme. He served as Inspector General in the Provisional Government and as a member of the Provisional Executive Committee. Kerensky was solely responsible for comforting Alex.
For the most critical five days, Alex was in the Winter Palace and had no time to attend to anything else.
Due to the illness of Alexei and the princesses, Nikolai did not attend Olga's wedding and escaped.
Alexei's condition has not yet recovered and he was infected with measles. The princesses also fell ill at the same time, leaving only Maria and Alex in good health.
On the 14th, Archduke Paul showed Alex the newly published "Izvestia", and Alex learned that Nicholas had abdicated.
Alex roared wildly: "I don't believe it! It's all nonsense! I believe in God and the army, they will not abandon us yet."
Whether Alex believes it or not, at this time in the Winter Palace , gunshots can already be heard.
Alex walked to the window of the Winter Palace, looked out the window in silence, and looked pale.
The square in front of the Winter Palace was crowded with people celebrating. Soldiers fired guns into the sky to celebrate the czar's abdication. People shook hands and hugged each other in celebration, as if the czar abdicated and all the problems of the empire would be solved. Same.
On the 15th, the Provisional Executive Committee issued an order to arrest Nicholas and other members of the Romanov family.
George, whose surname is Yuriev, was not included in the arrest.
On the 20th, the Provisional Executive Committee appointed Alexeyev as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army.
Alekseev, who was still receiving treatment in the hospital, complained helplessly to his adjutant: Who should go to Constantinople and announce this order to Grand Duke Yuriev in person?
(End of this chapter)