Petrograd in October was completely immersed in an inexplicable atmosphere, and the Provisional Government headed by Kerensky was crumbling and threatened to fall from politics at any moment under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks.

Surprisingly, Korencki himself was not aware of this, although bad news kept coming. But the interim prime minister always thinks that everything is under his control.

"Pavel, how are the preparations for the Pre-Congress?" He addressed the Minister of Justice Pavel. Malyantovich asked.

Born in the Mensheviks, Malyantovich did not like the self-righteous Kerensky, and the lawyer-turned-prime minister was always fond of expressing opinions on judicial matters and always cherry-picking about his work, which made him tired of it.

"There is no problem!" Malyantovich replied angrily.

Korensky was not at all satisfied with this answer, and as a professional, he attached great importance to the legal correctness of the Reichstag, and only by finding a single loophole could he forcefully fight back against the Bolsheviks. However, it is clear that Malyantovich is nothing more than a layman in his eyes, and the fact that a layman is ashamed to say "there is no problem" in front of an insider is not in itself a responsible attitude.

"I think the work of the Ministry of Justice should be more detailed, and we must not leave any leverage on the Bolsheviks!" Kerensky was at pains to emphasize.

For Kerensky's mother-in-law's mouth, Malyantovich couldn't stand it anymore, and suddenly threw a soft nail in the past: "If the prime minister citizen feels that the work of the Ministry of Justice is not in place, then you can do it yourself!" ”

Kerensky didn't think that the other party would throw such a sentence, and he was also a little annoyed at the time, and reprimanded: "Pavel. Malyantovich, what is your attitude, is it wrong that I, the prime minister, care about the work of the Ministry of Justice? ”

"If you are so worried about the work of the Ministry of Justice, why don't you take on the post of Attorney General yourself?" Malyantovich sneered and said in reverse: "If you like to be the Minister of Justice so much, then it's better to be the Minister of Justice yourself!" ”

That's pretty polite, but it's normal. Although the Mensheviks sided with the right wing of the Socialist-Revolutionaries. But these two factions are definitely not of the same mind. There were not a few Mensheviks who were not accustomed to Kerensky, and most of them thought that this soft lawyer and fake socialist was in fact a complete villain.

Look at the first Provisional Government formed after the February Revolution, and how many of them still served in the Provisional Government? I am afraid that Kerensky is the only one, the former lawyer, the former justice minister of the interim government, who has prospered in the past six months, from an obscure little person to a great prime minister in one fell swoop. Doesn't that tell the story?

Why did everyone else fall, and only he shamelessly remained in the cabinet? And in retrospect. Since July, when Kerensky became prime minister, what kind of curve has the situation in Russia been?

It was a sharp turn, even more terrifying than a stock market dive. What does this mean? At least it shows that this person's abilities are quite limited, right?

In this impetuous October, although all the unstable factors in Russia have surfaced, a wave of opposition to Kerensky among the bourgeoisie is slowly gathering and growing. High-ranking officers and aristocrats believed that it was Kerensky who stood in Kornilov's way that made the situation so bad. The big bureaucratic bourgeoisie, on the other hand, thought that Kerensky's hands were too weak and too indulgent to the workers and soldiers.

In short, the big guys have reason to be dissatisfied with Mr. Kerensky, and the main reason why his regime has not fallen immediately is that there are no ambitious enough careerists to take over his power for the time being.

"Pavel, say less!" The Menshevik Minister of Internal Affairs and Telecommunications, Nikitin, advised Malyantovich that "now we should be in the same boat, and not tear each other down!" ”

Malyantovich glared at Kerensky fiercely. And the Prime Minister was glaring at him fiercely. Across the table, the two exchanged glances. The outcome is undecided. The reason was that Foreign Minister Tereshchenko interjected: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, we have received the strongest protest from the British Foreign Office, and the British Government is quite indignant at our country's failure to comply with the Vienna Convention and protect the lives of our diplomats, and they strongly demand that we must arrest the murderers and eliminate the ...... of the impact."

Kerensky had a headache when he mentioned this, he had already reached a gentleman's agreement with the British, but who would have thought that the British embassy would be suddenly attacked, and the bandits slapped the British in the face. Now his life is sad, the British originally said that the support of Hao Lu has all been lost, and even the British have vague plans to buckle the basin on his head. This Nima is really terrible.

Kerensky rubbed his temples and asked Nikitin, who had just relieved him, in a muffled voice: "Minister of Internal Affairs, citizens, haven't you caught the bandits yet?" ”

I rub!

Nikitin's heart seems to be galloping with another 10,000 grass and mud horses, Kerensky, I just helped you say good things, so you have to give me some face. You just kicked the ball over, how can I catch it? I knew that I didn't want to speak for you just now!

Nikitin glanced at Kerensky and Tereshchenko fiercely, and took a deep breath, "How can the Ministry of Internal Affairs organize elite forces to solve this case, now that we have preliminary clues, we should be able to lock down the suspect!" ”

Kerensky suddenly had a little spirit and asked, "Who is the suspect?" ”

Nikitin couldn't laugh or cry, he knew that he was a ghost suspect, just now he just talked about it, so he could get through this level, and to put it bluntly, it was a procrastination. If Kerensky is interesting enough, or smart enough, you should not ask who the suspect is, but throw the answer to the British.

Now you ask, what does this mean? Ready to let me not get off the stage in public? Thinking of this, Nikitin was also a little annoyed, he understood that Malyantovic was going to say goodbye to Kerensky just now, this thing was too unrighteous, he only cared about his own well-being, and he didn't care about the life or death of his teammates at all.

You're ready to die, don't you die! Prepare to use Lao Tzu's official hat to appease the anger of the British, right? Nikitin is not easy to provoke when he is angry, you don't pay attention to righteousness, Lao Tzu is not more righteous than you!

"After careful reconnaissance by our Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was preliminarily determined that the German spy was the most suspected."

This sentence almost didn't make Kerensky angry, and what he was most worried about now was that he couldn't explain to the British. If the case was done by German spies. John Bull will certainly not accept it, this is too much of a slap in the face. Who knows if the British will give up on him directly when they are angry, so he is 120,000 dissatisfied with the answer given by Nikitin.

Tapping down the table, Kerensky sternly asked, "Is it really a German spy who did it?" ”

Nikitin sneered in his heart, why, you don't know how to bear it? Tell you. If you want Lao Tzu to help you carry the black cauldron, you can dream about it!

"Now all the clues point to the German spies, only they are the most suspicious!" Nikitin replied slickly.

Kerensky's grievance, Nikitin is too slippery, he locked up the suspicion of a German spy, but he didn't say anything to death. So that even if he wanted to have a seizure, he couldn't start it. As a last resort, he could only put this head down for the time being, and instructed Tereshchenko: "Tell Ambassador Byuknian that we are working hard to solve this case, and ask him to be a little more patient......

Hearing this, Nikitin sneered, how good it is for you to reply to the British like this, but you want to find someone to help you carry the black pot, you are not kind first. No wonder we don't pay attention to righteousness.

Of all the people present. It was not only Nikitin who had such an awareness, except for a few of Kerensky's henchmen. He said that Deputy Prime Minister Konomarov and Foreign Minister Tereshchenko, and the others were more or less detached from Kerensky.

The reason, naturally, is because Kerensky does not pay attention to righteousness, every time something goes wrong, he, the prime minister, does not want to take responsibility, and always wants to let the people below bear the blame, from September to now, in more than a month, the cabinet has been reshuffled N times, and every time Kerensky encounters a major problem and can't be fooled, the way he thinks of is to dissolve the cabinet and reshuffle the cards. After a few times like this, the big guy saw clearly the person of this thing, and the ghost was in the same boat with him.

With the end of the struggle between Nikitin and Kerensky, the cabinet meeting fell silent for a while, and in the face of this mess full of holes in Russia, the so-called elites present have no good way to do it, especially when the elites know that what their leaders are best at is abandoning their pawns and protecting cars, so it is understandable that everyone is low-spirited.

In the face of the lifeless cabinet members, Kerensky raised a flame burning in his chest, and if it weren't for the fact that these people he had just selected a few days earlier, he would have driven out all the bastards, just as he had driven out the incompetent fools of the past.

But now, he can't do that, especially after the terrorist attack on the British Embassy, he can't dissolve the cabinet and then reorganize the cabinet as before, which can fool the Russians, but not the British. Now, the only thing that will keep him safe in the prime minister's seat is to stabilize the situation in Russia and let the British grandfathers see his methods.

"Calling everyone to a meeting today," Kerensky said in as conciliatory a tone as he could, "the main issue is how to face the challenge of the Bolsheviks. According to the credible information I have received, Lenin has secretly returned to Petrograd and is actively planning an armed rebellion! ”

Kerensky thought that his speech would be inspiring, and in the face of Lenin's challenge, you grandsons can't continue to lie on their stomachs and stay still, right? We should always share the same hatred and hatred for the enemy, right?

It is a pity that Kerensky was disappointed by the facts, and his speech could not make any waves, and all the ministers present were all calm and stable, and not one of them expressed excitement, let alone indignation, and they all looked at him blankly like fools, and they were simply insensitive.

At this moment, Kerensky had a feeling of anger, and he felt that when he opened his mouth again, he would even breathe flames.

After a long time, he asked by name: "Minister of Internal Affairs, citizens, what are your plans for the arrest of Lenin?" ”

Nikitin glanced at Malyantovich on the other side, and the two exchanged glances. Malyantovich probably said again: "Man, do you see, our prime minister is such a thing, not only is he not responsible, but he is also very careful, and he will repay ...... Be careful! ”

Be careful? Nikitin snorted in his heart, Kerensky of the dog day, you want to put small shoes on Lao Tzu, you want to yin Lao Tzu...... Hum! No way! Lao Tzu is not dough, he will let you handle it. Isn't it the arrest of Lenin? Okay!

Nikitin cleared his throat quietly and said slowly: "The main focus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs now is all about catching the murderers who attacked the British Embassy...... We are really powerless to arrest Lenin...... If the Prime Minister wants us to arrest Lenin, then I can only drop the British Embassy first......"

Before Nikitin finished speaking, Kerensky had already shouted to stop, although it was important to arrest Lenin. But if he can't catch it for a while, it won't affect his premiership. But if the British knew that he had not put the arrest of the perpetrators of the embassy attack in the first place, then it is safe to say that he was finished.

Kerensky glared at the triumphant Nikitin, that bastard was sure that he didn't dare to offend the British, this is simply too much deception!

Kerensky gritted his teeth and swallowed this bad breath, and could only change the subject again: "We have to be wary of the Bolsheviks, they are definitely not a joke that they are going to rebel. Right now. I want to know how well our army is integrated......"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Minister of War Verkhovsky burst in angrily, brandished a piece of paper, and roared: "This is nonsense, Your Excellency. I am anxious to know whether the Russian army is under the orders of the government, or to the Soviets! ”

Kerensky inexplicably asked rhetorically, "What's wrong?" What's so strange about all the Russian armed forces, of course, being under the command of the government? ”

Verkhovsky snorted dissatisfiedly, slapped the piece of paper in his hand in front of Kerensky, "Strangely, this morning, the Petrograd Military District Command and the garrisons stationed around Petrograd. Suddenly received this instruction from the Petrograd Soviet......"

Kerensky hurriedly picked up the piece of paper. Put on the monocle and look closely, the paper is quite clear. In order to defend the great capital of Petrograd and to ensure that all the troops bravely fought against the German devils, the Petrograd Soviet sent political commissars to the Petrograd Military District and the command departments above the battalion level. The political commissar will have the right to interfere in the military command of the troops, and no one will be allowed to mobilize a single soldier without the consent of the commissar!

For Kerensky, it was a bolt from the blue, and the Petrograd Soviet now has the surname Bolsheviks. If they send a political commissar who controls the command of the army, they will directly override all the authority of the prime minister and commander-in-chief. If such a terrible thing really happened, then it meant that the rebellion of the Bolsheviks was imminent!

Just as Kerensky was nervously thinking about countermeasures, the Minister of the Navy, Verdelevsky, also burst in angrily, also waving a small piece of paper in his hand, needless to say, the Bolsheviks did not spare the navy.

Of course, the Baltic Fleet stationed in Kronstadt had long since lost the Provisional Government or the Admiralty, and the Bolsheviks sent political commissars to the Navy or not.

At this time, Kerensky's mind was a mess, and during this period of time, with the cooperation of the Mensheviks and the right wing of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, he came up with a lot of tricks, such as the state policy meeting, the democratic conference, and the preparatory congress. He thought he should have left the Bolsheviks struggling to cope.

This is also confirmed by the feedback from within the Bolsheviks, who seem to have split within themselves, and it seems that some people have been fooled into becoming less interested in armed struggle.

Kerensky was very proud of this good sign, and in his opinion it was because he had initially divided and disintegrated his opponent and bought himself precious time. But who would have thought that suddenly, the Bolsheviks, who had been showing signs of infighting a moment ago, would suddenly show their fangs, shouting and killing with their teeth and claws, and now, he is really not ready!

Kerensky's plan is very clear, whether it is the Democratic Conference or the Preparatory Congress, it is only a delaying tactic, as long as he is ready, he will definitely follow Kornilov's example to eliminate the opposition by force and use force to maintain his rule. Even if the Bolsheviks accepted the so-called Preparatory Congress, when the time came, he would secretly direct a good show of the Bolshevik "rebellion", and then justifiably eliminate this nasty little powerhouse.

Well, Kerensky's plan is perfect, but he only made one mistake, Lenin did not plan to play the best supporting role according to his script, and the mentor directly grabbed the position of leading actor and director, and told Kerensky what it meant to be a drama bully by the most direct and simple means.

Kerensky was flustered, nervous, hysterical, and immediately gave strong instructions to the troops around Petrograd: "First, the troops should obey the orders of the administrative commissioner and state organs in their respective districts; secondly, the gendarmes and Cossacks will actively assist the command of the guard command in the arrest of all criminals and deserters; Thirdly, the perpetrators and instigators who go to the barracks to call for an armed rebellion should be arrested immediately; Fourth, prohibit all demonstrations and mass meetings; Fifth, armed rebellions and riots should be stopped by all force! ”

At the same time as these five orders were issued, Kerensky immediately began to strengthen the defenses around the Hermitage Square, placing armored vehicles with machine guns on the square, and concentrating cadets loyal to the government in the buildings around the square.

"This naïve fool!"

Lenin was very unimpressed by Kerensky's self-help measures, and in his opinion the Provisional Government, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops loyal to the Soviets, was simply dreaming of relying on such child'ish defenses.

Of course, the mentor did not plan to start immediately, and before that, he still had a lot of work to carry out step by step, such as cleaning up the handful of troublemakers in the party first...... (To be continued.) )