The Siege of Brusilov

Ryazan, southeast of Moscow.

The Caucasus Military District's 1st Cavalry Brigade and 2nd Cavalry Brigade had arrived.

A railway connected Ryazan to Moscow. Taking it would open the road to Moscow.

But when the Caucasus Military District's cavalry launched their attack, they discovered that Ryazan had become a hard bone to gnaw.

Grand Duke Nicholas had transferred two infantry divisions from the Mosk Military District to Ryazan to strengthen its defenses.

The Russian army's combat effectiveness was generally low.

But it was not without elite troops.

By comparison, the Petersburg Military District and the Mosk Military District were somewhat stronger than the other military districts, with superior fighting spirit and equipment.

The two infantry divisions were also fighting on the defensive. They had not only built defensive positions outside Ryazan in advance, but had also used the buildings in the city to establish comprehensive fortifications.

More importantly, although the Caucasus Military District's two cavalry brigades had plenty of men, they were lacking in heavy firepower.

The two brigades each had only one field artillery battalion, equipped with 24 76.2 mm field guns.

That was fairly respectable firepower, but it still fell somewhat short against the Russian army's elite infantry divisions.

The artillery of the Russian army's elite infantry divisions was also equipped with a considerable number of 76.2 mm field guns and even 122 mm howitzers.

It was just that the Russian infantry divisions could not compare with Grand Duke Mikhail's forces in the number of artillery pieces they had.

Nor could they compare with Grand Duke Mikhail's forces in other areas, such as support artillery and heavy machine guns.

Forcing an attack on Ryazan with the two cavalry brigades would be too risky.

After learning of the situation, General Brusilov ordered the two cavalry brigades to remain on alert and wait for the following troops to arrive before launching an attack.

It was at this point that General Brusilov was very surprised to receive an envoy from Grand Duke Nicholas.

"Your Excellency, the Grand Duke has a great deal of admiration for you.

"Grand Duke Mikhail launched a rebellion. Not only has it undermined the empire's stability and caused it tremendous losses, but it has also made countless people bleed and even lose their lives. More importantly, this rebellion has placed the entire empire in a grave crisis.

"His Excellency hopes that you will consider the greater picture, and the welfare of the entire empire and its people.

"If Your Excellency leads your troops to support the government, His Excellency guarantees that he can not only waive all responsibility for your actions, but also appoint you commander of the Caucasus Military District!"

The envoy acted as though Grand Duke Mikhail had already done tremendous harm to the entire empire and could be considered a criminal against the empire and its people.

He also offered terms in an attempt to buy General Brusilov's loyalty.

General Brusilov rejected the offer without a second thought.

In his view, Grand Duke Mikhail was unquestionably better suited than Grand Duke Nicholas to be tsar and rule the entire empire.

In other words, only under Grand Duke Mikhail's rule would the Tsarist Russian Empire have any hope.

Under Grand Duke Nicholas, the entire Tsarist Russian Empire would likely continue to weaken, moving step by step toward collapse.

The meeting thus ended on an unhappy note.

After learning of General Brusilov's attitude, Grand Duke Nicholas also knew that winning him over was impossible. Getting General Brusilov to betray Grand Duke Mikhail was even more impossible.

"Gentlemen, Brusilov is determined to follow Mikhail into rebellion. He has refused to come over to our side.

"Therefore, our only choice now is to defeat the rebel forces under Brusilov first, then concentrate our strength and lay siege to Mikhail!"

Grand Duke Nicholas said to the others.

The other senior Russian officers all voiced their agreement.

Since the two sides had already come to blows, none of them had a way back.

Unless they won the coming war, none of them would meet a good end.

"The forces of the Huasha Military District, the Vilna Military District and the Petersburg Military District, together with the Guards Army and two infantry divisions from the Mosk Military District.

"This time, we will deploy more than 300,000 men to surround and attack the rebel forces under Brusilov.

"We have a numerical advantage of more than two to one.

"I hope we can win this battle in the shortest possible time!"

Grand Duke Nicholas said.

Kazan was under fierce attack by the large army led by Mikhail.

The forces of the Kazan Military District and the Orenburg Military District had suffered heavy losses and were under enormous pressure.

Grand Duke Nicholas had to annihilate the forces led by General Brusilov before Kazan fell.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

The senior Russian officers all answered.

On the afternoon of May 9, the army led by General Brusilov began its attack on Ryazan.

Its main force consisted of the Caucasus Military District's 4th Infantry Division and 5th Infantry Division, joined by the 1st Cavalry Brigade and 2nd Cavalry Brigade, for a total of more than 50,000 men.

The Russian forces defending Ryazan had only two divisions, with more than 30,000 men.

Grand Duke Mikhail's side undoubtedly held a great advantage in both numbers and combat effectiveness.

Moreover, a steady stream of troops was making its way to the front.

But Grand Duke Nicholas's side had also made preparations long in advance.

The next day, May 10, large numbers of Russian troops converged on Ryazan from every direction.

The forces led by General Brusilov came under attack from Russian troops on multiple fronts.

Seeing the situation, General Brusilov understood clearly that the troops under his command had become the main target of the Russian army's attack.

"Order all units to stop attacking and switch to defensive operations. The troops following behind are to join us as quickly as possible. If they encounter enemy forces, they are to go on the defensive immediately!" General Brusilov promptly changed his battle plan.

Originally, he had intended to take Ryazan and then advance on Moscow along the railway.

That would undoubtedly draw a great deal of the enemy's attention and give Grand Duke Mikhail the most favorable opportunity to take Kazan.

But now it seemed their plan had coincided with the enemy's.

Grand Duke Nicholas had likewise set his sights on him.

That meant General Brusilov had already achieved his objective.

From here on, as long as he led his troops in holding off the enemy's attacks, the entire plan would succeed.

Once Grand Duke Mikhail took Kazan and his army arrived at Moscow's gates,

there would be no more uncertainty in this battle.

In an instant, the strategic situation for both sides in and around Ryazan underwent a fundamental change.

The forces under Grand Duke Mikhail stopped attacking and switched to a defensive posture.

Large numbers of soldiers made the most of their time to build fortifications against the enemy's coming attack.

Meanwhile, the units under Grand Duke Nicholas appeared on the battlefield one after another and joined the fierce offensive.

A great battle soon erupted across the region.