The decisive battle for Moscow

Moscow was only the Tsarist Russian Empire's current secondary capital, not its capital.

But it still wielded enormous influence in the Tsarist Russian Empire.

The Kremlin in particular was where tsars were crowned.

Mikhail was leading a great army toward Moscow, and one important objective was to be crowned in the Kremlin after taking the city. That was also why Grand Duke Nicholas and the others were doing everything they could to stop him.

Grand Duke Mikhail was already first in line to the throne.

Once Mikhail was crowned in the Kremlin and ascended the throne, he would probably be the legitimate tsar in the eyes of the vast majority of the Tsarist Russian Empire's people.

That was undoubtedly something Grand Duke Nicholas and the others did not want to see.

"The Mosk Military District under Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich's command has only a few tens of thousands of men left. Once the rebel main force attacks, they simply won't be able to hold them off."

General Nikolai Obruchev, chief of the Russian army's general staff, reminded him.

The Mosk Military District had originally possessed more than a hundred thousand troops. But in the earlier fighting, it had already committed two infantry divisions to Ryazan.

For the tens of thousands who remained, holding a city as vast as Moscow would undoubtedly be extremely difficult.

The Battle of Kazan in particular had fully demonstrated that the troops under Grand Duke Mikhail's command were no trash. On the contrary, they were first-rate elites.

This undoubtedly left Grand Duke Nicholas and his allies deeply worried.

"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, will we win this battle?" Grand Duke Nicholas could not help asking.

The way the war had unfolded—or rather, the fighting strength of the Caucasus Military District's troops-had far exceeded their expectations, so much so that even Grand Duke Nicholas's confidence had begun to waver.

If he had been supremely confident of victory before the civil war broke out, he was no longer so sure now.

"Your Excellency, although the rebels are far stronger than we expected, our main force is still intact, and we still have the strength to fight.

"As long as we can defeat the rebels at Moscow,

"we can still win this war."

General Nikolai Obruchev answered.

Grand Duke Nicholas nodded.

Things had come to this, and they had no other way out.

Or rather, from the moment they had resolved to steal Grand Duke Mikhail's throne and prevent him from becoming tsar, they had no longer had any other choice.

If they lost this battle, Grand Duke Mikhail would certainly not spare them.

So, even though the situation was now very unfavorable to them, they could only fight to the death.

"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, just as you said, we still have a chance in this battle.

"Since Mikhail is already coming toward Moscow, then let us fight a decisive battle with him there. Let the outcome of this battle decide the outcome of the war.

"This war cannot be allowed to drag on too long. The longer it lasts, the worse it will be for the entire empire!"

Grand Duke Nicholas said.

Hostile countries around the Tsarist Russian Empire were stirring, and the Ottoman Empire in particular had already launched an invasion of the southern Caucasus.

In the Far East, the Japanese were also sending more troops to the Korean Peninsula.

All of this showed that the enemies were rubbing their fists and preparing to strike at the Tsarist Russian Empire.

If this civil war continued, it would ultimately be the Tsarist Russian Empire that suffered.

Although Grand Duke Nicholas wanted to defeat Mikhail and prevent him from becoming the new tsar, he was equally unwilling to see the Tsarist Russian Empire head toward collapse one step at a time.

Letting the outcome of the Battle of Moscow decide who ultimately took the throne would undoubtedly keep the losses this civil war inflicted on the Tsarist Russian Empire as low as possible.

General Nikolai Obruchev nodded repeatedly, agreeing with him.

"Order the Guards Army and the Petersburg Military District's troops to disengage immediately and return to Moscow. In addition, have General Paul Shuvalov and General Alexander Dobrorozhsky lead their troops to hold back the rebels gathered at Ryazan and buy us time to crush the rebel main force!"

Grand Duke Nicholas gave the order.

To lead the army back to reinforce Moscow, they clearly could not simply walk away. They had to make proper arrangements first.

Otherwise, if General Brusilov also led a great army toward Moscow,

wouldn't they be caught between two forces in the coming battle?

If they could hold General Brusilov at Ryazan,

they could bring together more of their main forces to deal with Grand Duke Mikhail.

Perhaps they could still win this battle.

General Nikolai Obruchev frowned.

It was clear that he doubted whether the troops of the Huasha Military District and Vilna Military District could withstand General Brusilov's attack.

Even though two infantry divisions from the Mosk Military District were still in Ryazan,

those two divisions had already suffered considerable losses in the previous fighting.

Together with the troops of the Huasha Military District and Vilna Military District, they numbered only a little over a hundred thousand in all.

Once the Petersburg Military District's troops and the Guards Army withdrew, they would no longer have any advantage in numbers.

But apart from this, they had no other way.

"Very well, Your Excellency, but we must move quickly. Otherwise, the troops left at Ryazan probably won't be able to hold out for long," General Nikolai Obruchev reminded him.

Grand Duke Nicholas nodded repeatedly. He understood that as well.

On the afternoon of May 13, at the Ryazan front, the Petersburg Military District's troops and the Guards Army stopped their attacks one after another, disengaged from the battlefield, and moved toward Moscow along the railway.

The troops of the Huasha Military District and Vilna Military District also stopped their attacks. Under the command of General Paul Shuvalov and General Alexander Dobrorozhsky, they shifted to defensive operations.

These hundred-odd thousand troops prepared to turn from offense to defense, relying on Ryazan and the surrounding towns to tie down the army led by General Brusilov and create better conditions for Grand Duke Nicholas to turn the situation around in the decisive battle at Moscow, and even turn defeat into victory.

General Brusilov soon learned of the changes at the front.

A smile appeared on his face.

"Order all units to get a good night's rest. Early tomorrow morning, every unit is to take the initiative and attack. Within three days, we must crush the enemy forces facing us and then march on Moscow.

"His Highness has already taken Kazan and is marching on Moscow.

"Once we arrive, there will be no question about the outcome of this battle!"

General Brusilov ordered.

In General Brusilov's view, they had already gained a decisive advantage in this battle.

As long as nothing unexpected happened, they were certain to win.

"Yes, General!" The adjutant immediately passed General Brusilov's orders down the line.

More than a hundred thousand troops of the Caucasus Military District began preparing for the coming offensive.