"Your Majesty, trouble is brewing. Those wretched peasants have instigated an armed uprising. All of Saint Petersburg is on the brink of falling into their hands," Stolyapin reported to Nicholas II, his face etched with terror.
"What? How could this happen? Did I not instruct you to quell those rabble-rousers? How has it come to this?" Nicholas II exclaimed in astonishment. The potential fall of Saint Petersburg would undoubtedly spell grave consequences.
"Your Majesty, I had indeed commenced the suppression of those peasants. Following our usual method, the execution of a few key figures should have sufficed to bring them to heel. However, this time it appears everything has changed. They are not intimidated; instead, they have escalated their rebellion," Stolyapin lamented, his expression forlorn.
"Fool!" Nicholas II berated him.
"Your Majesty, we must devise a solution immediately. If this unrest spreads to other cities, the consequences will be unimaginable," Prime Minister Vyacheslav Plehve interjected.
"Prime Minister, do you have a suggestion?" Nicholas II asked.
"Given the critical situation, we might consider negotiating with the insurgents, making certain concessions to secure a cessation of hostilities. We can address them more decisively at a later time," Plehve proposed.
"What? You want me to capitulate to those despicable rebels? Absolutely not! I will not bow to such miscreants!" Nicholas II declared emphatically.
"Your Majesty, this is merely a temporary compromise. If we can weather this storm, we shall find our opportunity to deal with them later!" Plehve urged desperately.
"Hmph! Those contemptible traitors are nothing but foolish clowns. There is no need for such measures. Sukhomlinov, order the troops from the Saint Petersburg Military District to advance into the city and crush these insurgents! Execute all who participate in the rebellion without mercy!" Nicholas II commanded coldly, seemingly oblivious to the lives his orders would extinguish.
"Your Majesty, this approach will only exacerbate the existing tensions!" Plehve argued, recognizing that Nicholas II's orders would do little to resolve the crisis. However, the Tsar, consumed by fury, was unwilling to heed any counsel.
"Your Majesty, the troops in the Saint Petersburg Military District are mostly recruits. Many have only recently learned to fire a weapon. Furthermore, their loyalty is not guaranteed," Army Minister Sukhomlinov expressed his concerns.
"There is nothing to worry about! I have faith in my army. Even if they have just learned to shoot, they are far superior to those rebels," Nicholas II asserted confidently, though ultimately, this overconfidence would prove misplaced.
"Very well, Your Majesty!" Sukhomlinov replied, ceasing further objections, and issued orders for the troops to enter the city and suppress the insurrection.
One hundred thousand recruits left their camps and marched into the city to quell the rebellion. However, many among these new soldiers had already been infiltrated by the Bolsheviks. With German support, the Bolsheviks had long been cultivating their influence within the Russian army. Previously, they had refrained from revealing their strength due to the Tsar's overwhelming power. Now, however, with the Tsar's loyal forces decimated on the front lines, they had nothing left to fear.
Upon entering Saint Petersburg, the Bolshevik-influenced recruits immediately turned against their commanders. They joined forces with the striking workers to assault the loyalist troops. Chaos erupted throughout Saint Petersburg.
One must acknowledge that the Bolshevik movement in this timeline was far stronger than in the alternate reality. Their armed forces were also considerably more formidable. In the other timeline, they had to unite with the bourgeoisie to overthrow Tsar Nicholas II, but in this instance, they were fully capable of achieving their goals independently. Thus, in this timeline, the Bolsheviks needed no alliance with the bourgeoisie; their own strength was sufficient.
After a night of intense combat, the loyalist forces were defeated. Saint Petersburg was now firmly under Bolshevik control.
"Leader! We have triumphed! The Tsar's army has been vanquished. We now control all of Saint Petersburg," Joseph announced, his face alight with excitement.
"Ha! Splendid, truly splendid!" Ulyanov could hardly contain his joy. Perhaps even he had not anticipated such a swift turn of events.
"Where is Nicholas II now? We must capture him to maintain control over the situation." After the initial euphoria subsided, Ulyanov began to analyze the current state of affairs.
Undoubtedly, their uprising had succeeded in Saint Petersburg. However, the Russian Empire was vast, and many remained loyal to the Tsar. If left unchecked, Nicholas II could swiftly amass a formidable force to retaliate. It was uncertain whether the insurgents could withstand such a counterattack.
"Nicholas II has returned to the Winter Palace," Joseph replied.
"Joseph, immediately organize our available forces to assault the Winter Palace and apprehend Nicholas II and his family. None must escape!" Ulyanov commanded.
"Understood, Leader. I will ensure it is done," Joseph nodded, aware of the urgency of the task.
On the night of November 8, the insurgents launched their attack on the Winter Palace. Despite the valiant resistance of Nicholas II's loyal guards, they were ultimately overwhelmed by sheer numbers. After suffering heavy losses, the insurgents finally seized the Winter Palace.
The Tsar's family was discovered hiding in a small room in the basement.
Upon learning of their capture, Joseph promptly arranged for them to be secretly transported to the outskirts of Saint Petersburg for safe custody. The decision on their fate would ultimately rest with Ulyanov.
The uprising against Tsar Nicholas II's regime had erupted in the capital of Saint Petersburg and achieved resounding success. This news reverberated across the globe, eliciting strong reactions from the warring Allied and Central Powers, all eager to monitor the situation and maneuver it to their advantage.