Beiyang 1917

"There is an essential difference between being arrested by the Tsarist army as a revolutionist and surrendering to the enemy as a Soviet Red Army soldier on the battlefield!

Grigory Yevseyevich, you are confusing the public and changing the concept!May I ask the leaders of the Bolshevik Party and members of the Central Committee, who has not been arrested, imprisoned and exiled by the Tsar's military police many times? How can this be confused with the issue of prisoners of war? ! Bukharin shouted angrily.

"Nikolai Ivanovich is right. I myself have been arrested and imprisoned by the Tsarist military police more than a dozen times. I have been in prison and exiled for more than ten years, but I have never betrayed us. The cause of struggle, the victory we have achieved today is not the result of our indomitable struggle with the tsarist government for so many years?! How can the arrest of revolutionaries be confused with the issue of prisoners of war!"

Sverdlov finally couldn't bear it and stood up and got angry at Zinoviev. The teacup on the table was almost smashed by him with a snap.

"It's reasonable to speak loudly, Yakov Mikhainovich, are the tsar and his government our enemies? No one will deny this? Since we can think that the arrest and exile of revolutionaries by the tsarist government is The glory of the revolutionaries, then, the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army who were surrounded by the enemy on the right bank of the Volga River put down their weapons and were captured, in essence, what is the difference from our arrest in the past?"

"Are you talking about it? What's the difference? The same is that the enemy is strong and we are weak, the same is unable to resist, and the same is that the green hills are left without worrying about no firewood. What's the difference? Why are Soviet Red Army soldiers captured on the battlefield? Traitors and traitors, and we became heroes when we were arrested, imprisoned and exiled by the tsarist army? This logic makes no sense at all!"

Although Zinoviev did not slap the table, his words were sharp and firm, and his eyes revealed the Bolshevik's uncompromising persistence for faith and truth.

Ulyanov frowned thoughtfully, Dzerzhinsky continued to have a bitter face and didn't know what to think, Kamenev looked at his old friend and buddy with admiration in his eyes, Trotsky did the same His brows were stretched. Obviously, Zinoviev's debate hit the point, and no one could refute this question.

"The revolutionaries engaged in underground work are not the same as the Soviet Russian Red Army soldiers on the battlefield. When every Red Army soldier joins the Soviet Russian Red Army, he should be mentally prepared to die for the defense of the Soviet Union. Soldiers put down their weapons on the battlefield to the enemy. Surrender is a traitor, it is a betrayal of our sacred cause, it is a traitor, and the family members of the traitor should be judged and liquidated!"

Bukharin panted heavily and waved his arms, yelling, as if he wanted to grab the invisible straw in the air. Even he himself felt that such an excuse was quite pale and powerless.

Sure enough, Kamenev took up the conversation from the sidelines, shook his head at Bukharin and said,

"Nikolai Ivanovich, I cannot agree with you. Revolutionaries working underground are also fighters. Their speeches, leaflets, articles, mimeographed newspapers, pens and microphones are all weapons. , and the underground front is a hidden battlefield, the revolutionaries were arrested by the tsarist army while engaged in underground work, and the soldiers were captured on the battlefield, which is essentially the same problem!"

Bukharin was obviously a little frustrated, waving his hands and shouting in a shrill voice,

"Lev Borisovich, I know you are close to Grigory Yevseyevich, but you cannot impose your ideas on others. Almost all the leaders of the Bolshevik Party suffer Having been arrested by the tsar’s military police and sat in the tsar’s prison, most of them have been exiled, many of them have been in the trenches many times, are we all traitors and traitors?!”

As soon as Bukharin said this, not only Ulyanov frowned even tighter, but even Sverdlov and Dzerzhinsky frowned, obviously feeling that Bukharin had completely fallen into The trap set by Zinoviev, today's debate on the issue of prisoners of war, has been irreversibly led by Zinoviev to their point of view.

"The problem has been explained very clearly, Nikolai Ivanovich, you can't turn the corner by yourself. Countless party leaders and Bolshevik leaders have been arrested by the Tsarist army. Renegades and traitors of course cannot Say no, but the vast majority are unyielding revolutionaries, there is no doubt about it!"

Zinoviev stubbed out the cigarette butt with a triumphant smile on his face.

"It is true, Comrade Bukharin, no matter how many times you have been in the tsar's prison and how many times you have been exiled, no one has ever doubted your loyalty to the revolution and the Bolshevik Party. Yakov Mikhainovich is He was arrested fourteen times by the tsar and locked up for another 12 years, no one can doubt his loyalty to the party and our cause!" Kamenev said with a smile on the sidelines.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the conference room finally relaxed a bit, and even Sverdlov's old face blushed again, and he couldn't help but start to mutter in his heart. It is clear why he was declared a traitor and a traitor, but no matter how unwilling he was, he would really be unable to win a debate with Zinoviev.

Bukharin turned around pitifully and looked at the chairman of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union. Ulyanov was still frowning and thinking about the problem, as if he hadn't seen this guy, but Sverdlov seemed to have been arrested. The arguments of Zinoviev and Gamiyev were persuaded, and Dzerzhinsky still sat in the corner of the conference room with arms folded and legs apart, without saying a word.

Trotsky stood up at this time and said to Ulyanov, "Vladimir Ilyich, I think Zinoviev's and Kamenev's views are tenable and reasonable. It makes sense, we should at least treat the Soviet Red Army soldiers captured on the battlefield differently, if they took the initiative to defect to the enemy with weapons before the battle, they are of course traitors and traitors.”

"However, if the commanders and fighters have fought bloody battles and finally fell into a situation where they ran out of ammunition and food and were surrounded by the enemy, and they couldn't hold on without reinforcements. If they were captured under such circumstances, I don't think they can simply be declared traitors and prisoners of war. The capture of these fighters and commanders is actually the same as when we were arrested by the Tsarist Russian army back then!"

"It can't be said that it's exactly the same. After all, the responsibility of Soviet Red Army soldiers is to take up arms to defend the Soviet Union and our party. Putting down weapons on the battlefield and surrendering to the enemy can't be a hero?" Ulyanov spread his hands, his face Obviously distressed, obviously this issue cannot be debated by Zinoviev, but this 180-degree turn, the little leader still can't turn around!

"Comrade Chairman, if our revolutionaries were traitors and traitors back then, they would not have stayed in the tsar's prisons and exiles, but had comfortably been the guests of nobles and capitalists. In fact, we did not, so Even if revolutionaries are arrested and imprisoned, no one can doubt their loyalty!"

"The same is true for the captured soldiers of the Soviet Russian Red Army. If they were traitors and traitors, they should have joined the White Guards instead of starving and doing hard labor in the Allied prisoner-of-war camps. Since they are still in the enemy's prisoner-of-war camps Here, it shows that they are also staunch and unyielding Bolsheviks, just like we were in the Tsarist Prison!"

The chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Military Council looked at Ulyanov, the supreme leader of the party, with sincerity. Obviously, on this issue, it is necessary to take advantage of the great opportunity when the Ufa coalition army telegram put forward the conditions to properly adjust the central government of Soviet Russia. And the concept and policy of the Soviet Russian Red Army towards its own captured personnel missed this opportunity, and the mistakes of the self-righteous leftist leaders of the Soviet Russian central yang on this issue will become bigger and bigger.

"Vladimir Ilyich, if we declare today that nearly 20 Red Army soldiers captured on the right bank of the Volga are traitors and traitors, and arrest, interrogate, even shoot and exile their relatives and friends, In this way, apart from pushing the 20 captured Red Army soldiers into the arms of the Ufa coalition army and the White Guards, there will be no second result!" Kamenev said without losing the opportunity.

"From ancient times to the present, as long as there is war, there will be prisoners of war. This has nothing to do with beliefs, and it has nothing to do with whether the will is strong or not. Otherwise, when the Bolshevik leaders were hunted down by the Tsar's army, they would not surrender. Apart from being shot to death, they would be killed. Is there a second result? If everyone is like that, how will we have the opportunity to develop the revolutionary power to carry out the February Revolution and the October Revolution?" Zinoviev continued from the side.

"Comrades, although what you say is not unreasonable, if we open our mouths about the prisoners of war today, we are afraid that if the situation becomes difficult in the future, the troops below will lay down their weapons and surrender to the enemy. How can we fight this battle in the future? Who else does the Soviet expect to protect? How can the revolution go to the end?" Ulyanov waved his hands unwillingly.

"Vladimir Ilyich is right. Today we adopt an appeasement policy on the issue of prisoners of war. Tomorrow, the combat effectiveness of the team may completely collapse. By then, we can put down our weapons and surrender at any time after a war. Anyway, there will be no Punishment!" Now Bukharin came alive again.

"Zhong yang members! Senior leaders of the Bolsheviks! You must believe that the vast majority of Red Army soldiers and Bolsheviks are strong fighters. As long as we do our political and ideological work well, the combat effectiveness and fighting will of the troops will not collapse! Trust the masses! Trust the political commissars at all levels!" Trotsky's voice couldn't help but grow louder!