The Outcome Was Decided

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

On May 21, the Caucasus Military District assembled two infantry divisions, a heavy artillery brigade, and four cavalry brigades to besiege the Guards Army.

As reinforcements arrived one after another, infantry divisions began bypassing Noginsk and continuing toward Moscow.

This put the Petersburg Military District and Mosk Military District troops left to defend Moscow on high alert, as though facing a formidable enemy.

At this point, they did not dare send troops to reinforce the Guards Army.

If they did, not only would they fail to save the Guards Army, but they would also drag themselves down with it.

Under these circumstances, the Guards Army was completely trapped in a desperate situation. Its total annihilation was only a matter of time.

"Your Imperial Highness, the Guards Army is still putting up stubborn resistance. However, as their losses mount, their resistance is growing weaker. Guards Army soldiers have already begun surrendering to us."

Major General Viktor Sakharov, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, delivered his report.

Mikhail nodded. "Good. It seems the fighting here will be over before long. After that, it will be time for the final battle for Moscow."

"Yes, Your Imperial Highness. We expect to take Noginsk in another three days or so."

Major General Viktor Sakharov was also full of confidence about the battles ahead.

Inside Noginsk, by contrast, General Alexei, commander of the Guards Army, looked as dejected as a rooster that had lost a fight.

He had originally believed he could lead the elite Guards Army to defeat the rebels and avenge Tsar Nicholas II.

But now, it seemed he had overestimated his own strength.

Or rather, Grand Duke Mikhail's army was far stronger than he had anticipated.

"Commander, we are completely surrounded. Every unit has suffered extremely heavy losses. In particular, the two cavalry divisions have been virtually wiped out. The three infantry divisions have also suffered devastating blows.

"The rebels' fierce assault is continuing. They have brought in large numbers of heavy artillery pieces to bombard us, and our casualties keep mounting. The soldiers' morale has already hit rock bottom."

Major General Pavel looked thoroughly dejected.

"Any news from Moscow?" General Alexei asked.

"Grand Duke Nicholas has ordered us to hold Noginsk, tie down the main rebel force, and inflict as many casualties on them as possible," Major General Pavel replied.

A flash of despair appeared in General Alexei's eyes.

If the army left to defend Moscow came out in force to reinforce Noginsk, or helped them break out, it might allow them to escape the encirclement and retreat to Moscow.

But there was no denying that this would also cause extremely heavy casualties among the Guards Army and the troops left to defend Moscow.

Grand Duke Nicholas's current choice was undoubtedly to abandon the Guards Army completely. Not only was he leaving them to fend for themselves, but he was also ordering them to fight to the end and inflict as many casualties on the rebels as possible. He was making use of them as waste!

This inevitably chilled General Alexei and the other Guards Army officers and soldiers to the bone.

"Order all units to continue fighting. We are His Majesty the Tsar's soldiers. It is only right that we die on the battlefield for His Majesty the Tsar!" General Alexei gave the order.

Although he knew this order would cause many Guards Army soldiers to die on the battlefield,

he still chose to issue it.

"Yes, Commander!" the Guards Army generals answered one after another.

However, after the order was issued, not all the soldiers followed it strictly.

Instead, when many Guards Army officers and soldiers realized they were trapped in a hopeless situation with no reinforcements coming, they no longer had the courage to keep fighting.

Even though they were His Majesty the Tsar's most loyal soldiers,

many still did not want to die like this. They wanted to live.

As a result, more and more Guards Army officers and soldiers began surrendering to Grand Duke Mikhail's troops.

There were indeed Guards Army units that put up a desperate last-ditch resistance and fought to the death.

But quite a few Guards Army units also chose to surrender.

This allowed the Caucasus Military District's troops to make very smooth progress in the battle for Noginsk.

By the evening of May 23, the entire city of Noginsk had been occupied by the Caucasus Military District's troops.

The Guards Army was annihilated in this battle.

Even General Alexei was struck by a stray bullet during the fighting and lost his life.

After General Alexis died, even more Guards Army officers and soldiers chose to surrender.

In the end, a full twenty thousand Guards Army troops surrendered to Grand Duke Mikhail's forces.

At the same time, the troops led by General Brusilov defeated the Huasha Military District and the Vilna Military District, as well as two infantry divisions from the Mosk Military District.

General Pavel Shuvalov, commander of the Huasha Military District, and General Alexander Dobrorozhsky, commander of the Vilna Military District, chose to surrender.

After his victory, General Brusilov led his army rapidly toward Moscow along the railway.

The Caucasus Military District's troops had begun closing in on Moscow from two directions.

By this time, although Moscow had assembled more than a hundred thousand troops from the Petersburg Military District and the Mosk Military District,

they had almost no chance of victory against the powerful forces of the Caucasus Military District.

The outcome of this civil war would soon be decided.

Moscow, the Kremlin.

Grand Duke Nicholas, Chief of the General Staff General Nikolai Obruchev, and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, commander of the Mosk Military District, all wore worried expressions.

Everyone knew that the current situation was growing increasingly unfavorable for them.

They were extremely likely to suffer a crushing defeat in this civil war.

"Chief of Staff, Your Imperial Highness, what should we do next? Should we bring the remaining troops from the Huasha Military District and Vilna Military District to Moscow as well?

"Also, we should step up our efforts to persuade the Kiev Military District, the Odessa Military District, and the Irkutsk Military District to send troops to help us.

"Only then might we be able to crush the rebels and win this war."

Grand Duke Nicholas's eyes were red, and he looked like a gambler who refused to admit defeat.

"Your Imperial Highness, the Huasha Military District and Vilna Military District have only a few tens of thousands of men left. Moreover, the situation in Poland and along the Baltic Sea coast is growing increasingly turbulent.

"If we withdraw more troops, I fear the situation in those two places will spiral further out of control.

"The Germans might even take this opportunity to intervene in the war.

"As for the Kiev Military District, the Odessa Military District, and the Irkutsk Military District, I'm afraid there is no point even considering them.

"The Kiev Military District and the Irkutsk Military District in particular remained neutral before. Now that the war is going against us, they certainly will not take our side.

"And although the Odessa Military District leaned toward us before, I'm afraid its attitude has now changed as well."

General Nikolai Obruchev wore a bitter expression.

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich regretted it so deeply that even his guts had turned green.

Although the war was not yet over,

in his view, the outcome of this civil war had already been decided.

There was no longer any chance of Grand Duke Nicholas turning the tables.