Chapter 933 The only one we can rely on is Charles
The February Revolution was more than turmoil, far from it.
At first it seemed to be just a large-scale strike (90,000 people), and Tsar Nicholas II did not take it seriously. After all, there had been too many demonstrations like this during the war, and there had been more than 100,000 people there before.
But the next day, the number of people striking and marching quickly expanded to 200,000, with many soldiers joining in. Nicholas II panicked and quickly mobilized the army to suppress it, but to no avail.
On March 10, Nicholas II ordered the shooting of the demonstrators.
On March 11, soldiers from a company of the reserve battalion of the Pavlovsk Regiment of the Guards, who were carrying out suppression missions, revolted and refused to shoot at the demonstrators.
From this day on, the strike was no longer a strike, it was quietly turning into an uprising.
On March 13, thousands of workers and rebel soldiers rushed into the military camp. They killed the managers who stood in their way, captured warehouses, and seized more than 40,000 rifles, more than 30,000 pistols, and a large amount of bullets.
At the same time, the number of rebel troops had increased to 66,700.
On March 15, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to sign an abdication decree and was subsequently placed under house arrest.
At this point, the Romanov dynasty was declared over, and Russia was taken over by a provisional government jointly formed by the bourgeoisie and the Soviets.
…
Everything happened too quickly. From March 8th to the demise of Russia, there were only seven days. Russia, a huge empire that had the largest number of troops and could be said to have supported a single line of defense, collapsed.
…
In the White House in Washington, Wilson read telegrams one after another. They were all bad news about Russia, and his heart was in his throat.
Finally, when he saw that the Tsar had announced his abdication and was under house arrest, he let out a long sigh.
"So." He understood something: "Charles has been waiting for this moment."
"What?" Krill didn't understand. "What does this have to do with Charles?"
"Don't you understand?" Wilson shook his head:
"The 'truce' that Charles told the public is inconsistent with the conditions we negotiated."
"I'm still wondering how he's going to fix this."
"But now, he doesn't seem to need to solve it, the Germans will give up the 'truce' first!"
Creel suddenly realized.
Such a great turmoil in Russia will undoubtedly reduce the pressure on Germany's Eastern Front.
As a result, Germany was able to transfer troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front, which once again gave the Germans hope of victory.
The Germans' reaction would of course arouse the vigilance of French citizens and countries around the world, and it would be natural for Charles to join the war again.
"But..." Krill said, "You mean, Charles knew this would happen? How did he know?"
"Reconnaissance, intelligence, and influence," Wilson said slowly. "It is clear that Charles' intelligence organization has infiltrated Russia."
Wilson was secretly shocked.
If Charles knew everything about Russia, did that mean the same was true for America?
…
War House, London, England.
The Quartermaster threw the coffee cup to the ground fiercely: "Damn it, this liar, he fooled us!"
General Winter was confused: "You mean Charles?"
"Of course, who else?" the Quartermaster General asked angrily.
General Winter was bewildered. Why did Charles play tricks on Britain? Was he talking about attacking Germany?
Seeing that General Winter hadn't reacted yet, the Quartermaster laughed helplessly:
"Don't you know what the problem is?"
"Charles was going to attack Germany, Major General."
"Even if we didn't agree to Charles's conditions, even if we didn't give him the aircraft carrier data, even if we didn't agree to Malta's independence, even if we didn't do anything!"
General Winter finally reacted.
After the Germans withdrew from the Eastern Front, Germany, unwilling to accept defeat, would inevitably hope to regain Lorraine and Alsace, two important resource-rich areas, which were also Germany's "lost territories."
So, Charles and the French army will fight to defend their homeland again!
"But he couldn't have predicted this," said General Winter. "The fall of the Russian Tsar was a sudden event. No one expected it to happen so quickly..."
The Minister of Munitions interrupted General Winter:
"You think so? That's Charles, Major General!"
"If it's true as you said, why does he do contradictory things but still feel confident?"
“Why is he in such a hurry for us to declare Malta’s independence before the 8th?”
General Winter was speechless.
He had also thought it was abnormal at the time, but now putting them together, it seemed just as the Minister of Munitions said, that Charles had long anticipated that Russia would collapse and took advantage of it.
General Winter was furious: "I'll go talk to him right away..."
"What are you talking about?" The Minister of Munitions called General Winter:
"Let the Shire return the profits we have made? Let us recolonize Malta?"
"You don't understand the situation, Major General!"
"Russia has collapsed, and the morale of our army and the American army is unstable. The only ones we can rely on are the French army and Charles!"
General Winter stood there in a daze.
Yes, after Germany freed up its hands, the first to bear the brunt of the attack were the British and American troops stationed in Lorraine and Alsace.
Charles only needed to keep his troops in place and watch the German army defeat the British and American troops.
Should I go to Charles to settle accounts and turn against him at this time?
That would be asking for trouble.
The Minister of Munitions gnashed his teeth and said the most gentle words with the most ferocious expression:
"For now, we can only pretend that we know nothing and continue to 'cooperate' with Ciel."
"Because only he can help us stop the Germans, otherwise everything will be over."
"It's not a question of whether we can get compensation, but the possibility that our main force will be destroyed by the Germans. Do you understand?"
…
In Berlin's Forgotten Palace, William II sat under a candlestick, staring blankly at the telegram in the light and shadow.
It read: "Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, the Russian regime collapsed, and is now under the control of the Provisional Government."
William II felt mixed emotions.
In theory, the German army's defeat of Russia on the Eastern Front was a good thing and a great victory, but in the eyes of William II, it was not so.
He hoped to negotiate with Charles to end the war as soon as possible. As the war progressed, Germany was facing the same crisis as Russia.
Perhaps one day, it will be like what happened in Russia, where there is a seemingly ordinary parade, which then unknowingly turns into a mutiny, and finally he, the emperor, becomes a prisoner amid the curses of the military and civilians.
William II did not want this outcome, so he wanted to end the war.
Now, right now!
Negotiating with Charles is the best outcome:
This meant that Germany did not lose, she retained her dignity and honor, and her citizens did not have to bear reparations.
William II could continue to be emperor with dignity, develop the economy and people's livelihood, and continue his regime.
However, this doesn't seem to be something he can decide!
(End of this chapter)
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