African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1484: Chapter 31: Situation in Shambles (Part 2)

They knew that the armory in the city had been attacked, so Director Malele urgently dispatched them into the city to suppress the insurgents.

Moreover, their scouts had already brought back some intelligence from the city. Now, a large number of members of the Labor Party were wandering on the streets of Xiqueslav. Based on their equipment and the now-silent gunfire in Xiqueslav, it could be inferred that the armory had likely been seized by the Labor Party.

Thus, they were very clear that the situation in Xiqueslav was extremely precarious, but the division command was now ordering them to withdraw their troops, which surely indicated a significant problem.

Cherkassk said, ”It must be that there’s a problem at the division command. What should we do now?”

With a grim expression, Viazov said, ”I don’t know either. We can say we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. The Labor Party in the city is not easy to deal with, as urban combat might occur once we enter the city, hindering our operations.”

”Moreover, entering the city would conflict with the division command’s order, and on a larger scale, that would be disobeying military orders.”

”However, since you and I have inferred that there might be serious issues at the division command, possibly even infiltration by the Labor Party, returning might also prove dangerous.”

Just as the two were hesitating, a soldier suddenly reported some ”good news.”

”Captain, Maureen Kuzov’s regiment has arrived!”

Upon hearing Maureen Kuzov’s arrival, Cherkassk was elated and said, ”We don’t need to hesitate anymore. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up for us. We’ll report the situation to Regiment Commander Maureen Kuzov and then follow his lead.”

Viazov felt the same way: ”Regiment Commander Maureen Kuzov should be like us, previously dispatched by the division command to quell the disturbances. He should be on our side.”

The two eagerly hurried towards the direction of Regiment Commander Maureen Kuzov, and before long, they met him.

”Regiment Commander Maureen Kuzov, you were probably dispatched by the division command to suppress the insurrection too, right? The situation in Xiqueslav is critical now, but the division command suddenly ordered us to return, which indicates a serious issue,” Cherkassk urgently said upon meeting Maureen Kuzov.

Maureen Kuzov, seeing them, was similarly ”pleased” and said with a smile, ”You two guessed correctly; the division command indeed encountered some minor issues.”

Seeing Maureen Kuzov’s strange smile, Viazov sensed something was amiss, but it was already too late.

Moving quickly, before the two could continue speaking or take any action, Maureen Kuzov’s guards suddenly stepped forward and subdued Cherkassk and Viazov, along with some of their soldiers.

At this moment, Cherkassk hadn’t yet reacted. He struggled and loudly questioned, ”Regiment Commander Maureen Kuzov, what do you mean by this?”

Maureen Kuzov laughed heartily and said, ”Don’t you understand yet? You have been detained.”

With a grim face, Viazov said to Maureen Kuzov, ”Are you allied with the Labor Party in the city?”

Maureen Kuzov said, ”Exactly, I’ve indeed joined the Labor Party. The division command and the city are already under our control, so you’d better avoid unnecessary resistance and honestly follow our arrangements; that way, your lives can be spared.”

Hearing Maureen Kuzov’s words, Viazov and Cherkassk exchanged helpless glances. Viazov said self-deprecatingly, ”We’ve walked right into the trap! We didn’t expect you, Maureen Kuzov, with your honest appearance, to be a Labor Party member. It really surprised us, but being caught by you, we’ll just have to accept our bad luck.”

If Viazov had known Maureen Kuzov was with the Labor Party, he would have certainly chosen to flee at the first opportunity. As a result, both of them were now caught here.

...

In this way, the officials of the Thirty-Seventh Division either had already defected to the Labor Party or were detained, with only a few choosing to resist after sensing something amiss.

However, their forces were insignificant compared to the prevailing Labor Party in Yekaterinoslav.

The next day, at 6 p.m., by this time, the Russian Red Army along the Donbass defense line had already begun its attack on the Ukrainian Army stationed in Donbass.

And the Ukrainian Army in Donbass was still unaware that Xiqueslav, a crucial rear city, had already been conquered by the Labor Party.

”Comrade Malinkov, we’ve succeeded! The Thirty-Seventh Division is completely under control, and we’ve seized important agencies and departments in the city. We’ve thoroughly established our foothold in Yekaterinoslav. I propose to immediately establish a temporary Labor Party government in Yekaterinoslav to collaborate with the frontline Red Army and together overthrow the puppet Ukrainian government,” Toma Jefuka suggested excitedly to Malinkov.

Malinkov said, ”Not only that, but we also need to reform the Thirty-Seventh Division, using the troops of Petrov and Maureen Kuzov as the foundation, along with workers, to form two new units: one as the Yekaterinoslav City Defense Army to consolidate the victory, and another as the New First Army of Ukraine to expand our achievements and be ready to support other battlefields.”

In reality, Malinkov did not fully trust Petrov and Maureen Kuzov, who had just joined the Labor Party, but at this moment, he had no one else to use, so he boldly employed them.

Malinkov said, ”Comrade Toma Jefuka, I hope you will serve as the political commissar of the Defense Army next, and besides preserving the fruits of victory, you’ll also cut off the main routes of Yekaterinoslav, disabling railway, road, and water routes, thus severing the life lines of the Ukrainian Army.”

”As for me, I’ll lead the New First Army to fulfill my previous vow, advancing along the Dnieper River northward to support Labor Party movements in other cities and simultaneously marching toward the puppet government’s headquarters in Kyiv to threaten the puppet government to deploy troops and disrupt their plans.”

This move by Malinkov can be considered extremely risky; advancing alone could lead to total defeat. Naturally, those staying behind in Yekaterinoslav, like Toma Jefuka and others, were not in safe positions either.

Yekaterinoslav held significant strategic importance, and once the puppet government received news of its occupation by the Labor Party, it would inevitably dispatch heavy troops for an encirclement and suppression.

Of course, compared to Malinkov’s choice to lead troops northward, staying in the local area was safer, given there was no pressure on logistical support.

And Toma Jefuka knew this well. He clasped Malinkov’s hands tightly and said, ”Don’t worry, Comrade Malinkov, I swear to defend Yekaterinoslav to the death.”

...

August 1921.

For the Ukrainian government, it was truly a period of endless troubles.

On one hand, the Russian Red Army formally launched large-scale military operations against Ukraine, and on the other hand, in response to active Labor Party organizing within Ukraine, insurgent actions broke out nationwide, causing chaos especially in the eastern part of Ukraine.

By September, numerous towns had changed hands due to the Labor Party’s revolt. The Labor Party successfully developed dozens of troops of varying sizes across Ukraine, especially the New First Army led by Petrov and Malinkov, which stood out. They advanced north along the Dnieper River, capturing Klementyevka City by mid-September and continuing north, seemingly threatening Kyiv.

Meanwhile, the Labor Party’s forces behind enemy lines began cooperating with the frontline Russian Red Army, sabotaging the Ukrainian Army’s transportation and supply lines.

This led the Ukrainian Army on the Donbass frontline into an extremely passive situation, especially the Ukrainian Army in Donetsk, where supply of materials became extremely difficult due to the occupation of the traffic hub Yekaterinoslav.

Ammunition, food supplies, medicines, and other strategic materials began to dwindle, and simultaneously, the Russian Labor Party’s forces behind enemy lines repeatedly expanded, further cutting off supply channels.

The Russian Red Army seized the opportunity, concentrating troops and artillery to launch an attack on the Ukrainian Army in the Donetsk direction.

By the time October was approaching, the Ukrainian army on the Donetsk front, exhausted of supplies and trapped in a dire situation, was broken through by the Russian Red Army, creating an opening that rendered the entire Donbass defensive line ineffective.

The Russian Red Army started a massive entry into Ukraine, rapidly expanding westward with the cooperation of the Labor Party forces behind enemy lines. The situation in Ukraine quickly deteriorated, with an unstoppable collapse, and in cities like Kyiv, numerous high-ranking Ukrainian government officials fled abroad.