There was a reason why Lenin rejected Stalin's proposal, although Li Xiaofeng successfully solved the problem of the opposition in Moscow, but it was a little difficult to put on the table, and one use was enough for that. A few more times it is entirely possible to completely anger Bukharin.

Lenin did not intend to provoke Bukharin, because even if Bukharin's position on the German question was completely inconsistent with his and he had been in opposition to him, it was only a disagreement within the party after all, and even if it was very unpleasant, Bukharin had no intention of splitting the party, and even rejected the resolution of the left wing of the Social Revolutionaries to unite and overthrow Lenin to form a new coalition government. In essence, Bukharin's actions can be regarded as restraint and as much as possible to take into account the overall situation.

And if, according to Stalin's intentions, he learns from the methods of a certain immortal and sends all the opposition members in the party to study on a full-time basis, this will definitely exacerbate the contradictions and make Bukharin make the worst choice.

Lenin did not intend to force Bukharin's dog to jump over the wall, and although the treaty had been negotiated by and large, this did not mean that peace would immediately fall on Russian soil. He clearly understood that the Entente could not easily extricate Russia from the quagmire of the world's war. The day the Entente officially entered into force was most likely the day the Russian Civil War broke out.

Lenin's judgment was based on facts, and at the time of the victory of the October Revolution, both the Entente and the Central Powers were ready to intervene in the Russian Revolution.

In November 1917, representatives of the Allied forces met in Iasi with the army representatives of the Russian Southwestern Front and the Romanian Front Command, and developed a plan for fighting in the south using the Romanian army in Bessarabia, the Czechoslovak army, and the Ukrainian Central Rada.

Meeting of the heads of government of Britain, France and Italy on November 27. The decision was made to support the nationalists in the South Caucasus. December 22nd. The meeting of representatives of the Entente in Paris decided to maintain contact with the counter-revolutionary governments of Ukraine, the Cossack oblasts, Siberia, the Caucasus and Finland. On 23 December, Britain and France signed an agreement on the areas in which their armies would henceforth fight on Russian territory. When the Entente planned armed intervention, they not only intended to suppress the Russian Revolution, but also to dismember Russia and turn it into a colony.

This was still the Entente, and in fact the Allied bloc led by Germany was not a good bird, and the Germans were engaged in peace negotiations with the Soviet power on the one hand, and actively engaged in intervention activities on the other hand, in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, which were close to the front. Their fierce attack directly destroyed the Soviet power that had been born after the October Revolution in the Three Kingdoms and installed a new bourgeois puppet regime. And in Belarus and Ukraine, the Germans even used the hand of the Central Rada to incite the independence of Belarus and Ukraine.

All in all, the Soviets and the Bolsheviks were faced with a devastated mess, and if they were not careful, the original Tsarist empire would collapse completely, and Russia would be dismembered by the great powers into dozens of small states hostile to each other.

Under these circumstances, the only thing Lenin could do was to unite as much as possible all the forces within the party, if the Bolsheviks themselves were divided. So what else is there to talk about defending the fruits of the October Revolution?

However, Stalin still had a different opinion on this: "Comrade Lenin, it is important to maintain the unity and unity of the party. But the opposition, headed by Comrade Bukharin, has always been opposing the established policy of the Central Committee and has been creating problems for us. There was no sign of their transformation at all for a short time...... In this case, even if they remain in the party, they will not be able to form a joint force with us, but will always be dragging their feet......"

After a pause, Stalin said very seriously: "In this case, there is no point in uniting and accommodating them, I think ......"

Lenin interrupted him and said: "I know what you want to say, and I know that the opposition has caused great trouble to our work. But you have to realize that this situation is only temporary, and as the international situation changes, they will wake up sooner or later, and we should be more patient! ”

Was this really what Lenin really thought? It should be said that not exactly, the real reason for his reluctance to make a complete break with the Bukharin clique was Trotsky. Although the old Tuo's timely change of attitude avoided a major crisis. However, it was forced after all, and in essence, Lao Tuo still preferred not to fight or to make peace.

So once Lenin took drastic measures against the Bukharin clique, it was difficult to guarantee that Trotsky would not change his attitude again. You have to see that a large part of the power of the Bukharin clique is very close to Trotsky, and if Lenin were to purge them from the party without regard for them, Trotsky would never accept it, because it would greatly weaken his power.

Lenin had to take care of Trotsky's moods, and although he could compromise with the Germans, he would never accept himself as a second-rate force in the party. When the time comes, he suddenly turns his face, and then the Bolsheviks are truly divided.

Therefore, proceeding from the overall situation, Lenin could only choose patience, and he had already taken advantage of Moscow earlier, disrupting Bukharin's rhythm, and to put it mildly, the chain reaction that Bukharin's hopes for was simply not possible. In such a situation, Lenin, of course, had to take it as soon as he saw it, and there was no point in continuing to pressurize.

At the present time, Lenin felt that there was more important work to be done, and although the negotiations with Germany had come to an end, it was necessary to actively begin to prepare for the possible outbreak of civil war and the intervention of the imperialist bloc.

"Our focus must be shifted to preparing for war," Lenin said with great seriousness, "and there is information that our enemy, the bourgeois counter-revolutionaries, has colluded with the Entente bloc and is actively preparing to strangle the revolution!" ”

Speaking of this, Lenin waved his arm heavily: "Therefore, we must make good military preparations, and the top priority is to form an army that truly obeys the command of the party!" ”

Lenin's proposal was consistently endorsed by the Politburo, and even Dzerzhinsky, who did not fully agree to the compromise with Germany, and Trotsky, who was far away in Brest dealing with the most difficult details of the negotiations, highly praised Lenin's foresight.

February 1 (historically February 22). The Council of People's Commissars issued an emergency decree "The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger". In order to defend the socialist Motherland. The Provisional Executive Committee of the Council of People's Commissars headed by Lenin was formed. In addition, a Revolutionary Defense Committee headed by Sverdlov was set up to mobilize forces to defend the revolution.

February 3 was the day when the working people enthusiastically joined the Red Army. Tens of thousands of workers in Petrograd took part in the construction of the fortifications, and the working people of Moscow and other cities followed the example of the Petrograders. To commemorate these historic events, February 3 is celebrated annually as Army Day (historically February 23).

The founding of the Red Army was, of course, a major event of historical significance, and certainly a good thing for the nascent Soviet Russia. But there were two sides to everything, and the formation of the Red Army immediately attracted the attention of the Entente. For them, they would never have watched the Bolsheviks consolidate their power, let alone sit idly by and watch the Red Army grow, and they would have acted quickly.

In mid-February, just as Russia and Germany were about to reach an agreement in Brest and prepare to sign a peace treaty, a joint meeting of the chancellors and foreign ministers of the Entente group was held in London, and British Foreign Secretary Balfour suggested: "We cannot sit idly by and watch Russia withdraw from the war, let alone sit idly by and watch the wanton spread of communism in this country." The Allies should take unified measures to help Russia get back on the right track politically, economically, and militarily...... I think. It's time for a military operation in Russia! ”

In fact, Balfour's advocacy of military action was agreed at a special meeting on intervening in the Russian Revolution held in Washington, D.C., a little earlier, and these actions should be three-pronged:

First of all, the Entente bloc united and directly sent troops to carry out military operations in the northwestern and eastern regions of Russia, cut off the window of Russia's foreign trade, and economically trapped the Soviet power;

Secondly, to vigorously finance the anti-Bolshevik forces within Russia, to incite them to start an armed rebellion, preferably to establish a puppet regime at the behest of the allies, and if necessary, to divide and dismember Russia.

At the end of the day, the Czechoslovak Legion was used to incite it to act as a pawn against the Soviet Union.

The operation began quickly, first of all, Britain and the United States, under the pretext of protecting the munitions depot from being occupied by the Germans, directly sent troops to occupy Murmansk in northern Russia. Friends who are familiar with the geography and history of Russia know that Murmansk was an important ice-free port in the Arctic Ocean and an important naval base of the Red Navy.

With the Baltic Sea blocked by the German Navy, the port was one of the few important exits for Russia that could communicate directly with the outside world. In 1917, most of the Allied military supplies to Russia were imported from this port. The capture of Murmansk was tantamount to cutting off Russia's window to the Atlantic. And at that time, the port also stockpiled a large amount of supplies.

However, the excuses of Britain and the United States are really ridiculous, Murmansk is close to the Arctic Circle, how can there be a shadow of the Germans around? If all this place had been occupied by Germany, I am afraid that Petrograd and Moscow would have fallen long ago.

When the news of the occupation of Murmansk by the British and Americans reached Petrograd, the Bolsheviks were greatly shaken, and although the Politburo had seen the Entente intervene in the Russian revolution, they did not expect that they would move so quickly!

"Murmansk has been occupied, and our country's access to the outside world has been largely blocked," Lenin said very heavily, "and now we have to discuss and decide, whether to retake Murmansk or not?" ”

This question silenced everyone, it was easy to recapture Murmansk, although Britain and the United States started quickly, but their military strength to occupy Murmansk was not strong, if you have the intention to recapture Murmansk, you can do it.

But what makes the bigwigs of the Politburo hesitate is, does it make sense to recapture Murmansk? Yes, Murmansk is an important ice-free port in the Arctic Ocean with access to the Atlantic Ocean. However, it must also be noted that Tsarist Russia built Murmansk for only a dozen years, and it was only after the blockade of the Baltic Sea in 1915 that it really made sense.

Two years was not enough to turn Murmansk upside down, and at that time it was still a barren land at high latitudes unsuitable for human life. And with the seaborne throughput of Murmansk at that time. It is also not strategic.

The same is true historically. After the American soldier occupied Murmansk, he did not use it as a base to develop into the hinterland of Russia, but just squatted there for more than a year with nothing to do.

And, too, it must be seen that even if Murmansk can be recaptured. The Bolsheviks could not have used this outlet to make a big deal, the entire Atlantic was blockaded by the British Royal Navy, and with the entry of the United States into the war, the world's first and third strongest navies had firmly controlled the Atlantic. Even the German High Seas Fleet could only cower in the port of Kiel and wait for death, with the strength of the Russian Navy at that time, it was not out of the country to deliver food.

Not to mention the fact that the main forces of the Russian Navy are still in the Baltic and Black Sea directions, and in the Arctic Ocean is a blank. So even if Murmansk is recaptured, it will not be able to be used, it will still be meaningless.

"Then we can't sit idly by and ignore the actions of Britain and the United States, right?" Dzerzhinsky asked angrily.

Lenin, Stalin, and Sverdlov looked at each other in disarray, and they were equally angry. But the hard power of the country is there, and even Britain can't handle it. Not to mention the fact that Britain and the United States have joined forces, and it seems that they can do nothing but protest.

Do protests work? The former British Consul General Harson is a lesson from the past, and Britain and the United States will not care about this kind of rhetoric at all, and may even sneer at it. What's the point?

"I think," said Lenin very heavily, "that we need to be careful not only with a Murmansk, nor with a mere Murmansk for their purpose. This is just a signal that they are beginning to interfere in the internal affairs of our country on all fronts, and I suspect very much that at this moment they are hatching a new conspiracy. It's time to be vigilant! ”

There was another silence in the conference room, and Dzerzhinsky and others all showed solemn expressions, and how to defend the revolution and the Soviets had now become a top priority.

"We should speed up the formation of the Red Army," Stalin said first, "and the masses should be mobilized faster, only ......"

Before he could finish his sentence, Krupskaya hurriedly broke in and interrupted him, only to see her hand a telegram to Lenin, "An urgent telegram from Comrade Andrei, the information contained in it is very important!" ”

Lenin took the telegram suspiciously, glanced at it hurriedly, and then his face changed dramatically, and while handing the telegram to Sverdlov beside him, he said anxiously: "Comrades, two bad news! The Entente bloc has drawn up a plan for military operations to intervene in our country on all fronts, and is preparing to send troops to occupy Vladivostok in April! ”

With a bang, the conference room exploded, and Dzerzhinsky and the others could no longer wait, and rushed to Sverdlov, all of them wanting to see what was written on the telegram.

Lenin, on the other hand, said to himself: "This is only one thing, according to Comrade Andrei's investigation, representatives of Britain, France and the United States are actively contacting the Czechoslovak Legion, Masaryk has crossed Siberia under a pseudonym, secretly met with the French consul in Vladivostok, and then traveled to Japan and the United States ......"

The so-called Czechoslovak Legion (referred to as the Czech Legion) has a rather complex cause, and in a sense it is a muddled account. The Czech Republic and Slovakia belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but these two peoples had always sought independence from Austria-Hungary (the Austro-Hungarian Empire itself had many problems similar to this, and the national question of the country was quite complex, not much stronger than that of Russia).

With the outbreak of World War I, some Czechs and Slovaks living abroad (such as Russia) joined the Allied Powers. The Czechoslovaks, who served Austria-Hungary on the battlefield, also surrendered to Russia in an organized manner, turning their guns to fight Germany and Austria.

In order to make good use of this rare vitality, Tsarist Russia organized the Czechoslovak diaspora and prisoners to form the Czech Legion. For the sake of national independence, the combat effectiveness of this regiment is still relatively strong, at least stronger than the Russian army, which has no ideals and is still war-weary.

But with the victory of the October Revolution, and with the Bolsheviks determined to withdraw from the World War, the Czech Legion became a big problem that was difficult to solve. As mentioned earlier, they fought for national independence, and naturally they did not want to withdraw from the war. But Russia's withdrawal from the war is the trend of the times, what should this corps do?

At first, the Bolsheviks made an agreement with the Czech Legion that they would be allowed to return home. Historically, the Czechoslovak National Council, Soviet Russia, and the Entente reached an agreement that the Czech Legion would return to Europe via the Panama Canal via Vladivostok via Siberia.

However, the leader of the Czech Legion, headed by Masaryk, was not very satisfied with this plan, he was unwilling to return to China in such a gloomy manner, and he was very dissatisfied with Russia's untrustworthy withdrawal from the war. Later, on the way to Vladivostok via Siberia under the pull of the Entente bloc, the regiment suddenly turned back and acted as a pawn of the Entente bloc to interfere in the Russian Revolution.

Li Xiaofeng, who was familiar with this period of history, had his eyes on the movements of the Czech Legion early on, and as soon as he noticed that Masaryk was beginning to move, he immediately informed Lenin. Historically, these men had done the Entente bloc a great favor, giving them an excuse to intervene directly in the Russian Revolution and stirring up chaos in Russia, and now Li Xiaofeng did not want the Bolsheviks to repeat the mistakes of the past. (To be continued......)