While the collectivist movement was still growing and countless Russians were united under the red-black flags, the first signs of a massive economic crisis in the whole sector “Eastern Europe” could be recognized. This social collapse was planned by the Lodge Brothers and should accelerate Uljanin`s revolution.
Collectivism had meanwhile reached Poland, Bohemia, Slovakia and the Balkans. New associations and organizations, that fought for Mardochow`s principles, were founded everywhere.
The Polish collectivist leader Gregor Wainizki made a rally with over 80000 people in Warsaw and railed not only against the capitalist exploiters and oligarchs, but even more against the “fascists and nationalists” in neighboring Belarus. He warned of the danger of a “new Russian imperialism” and called Artur Tschistokjow a “monster” and a “malicious tyrant”.
In the major supermarket chains, such as “Globe Food”, which were meanwhile dominating large parts of eastern Europe, the food prices exploded, while the media told the public that crop failures and transport problems were the cause of it.
Furthermore, the administrative sector “Eastern Europe” got no more credits from the Global Trust Fund, what led to its insolvency in the long run. While the chaos was rising, the media reported about proposed closures of large industry complexes that increased the fear of the population of unemployment immeasurably. Within one month, the whole sector “Eastern Europe” was shaken by a wave of indignation and anger.
However, all this played into the hands of Uljanin as the hidden powers in the background had planned it. During this time, the CASJ unfolded a feverish activity and the red-black revolution came over Russia like a dark shadow.
Nevertheless, even the Rus benefited from the general discontent and the crumbling public order, although they had not the pecuniary resources of their rivals.
The summer of the year 2037 came, and with it an even bigger crisis. The food prices had already doubled and the number of unemployed and homeless people was growing at breakneck speed.
In many places, the people sank into a state of hopelessness and despair. Finally they hoped for Uljanin, who drove masses of neglected Russians like sheep into his organization.
CLJ squads took over the power in the streets of the Russian cities and the police had to behave passive by order from above. Where the Rus appeared, the collectivists immediately attacked them and were victorious in most cases, because of their greater number. On 15th of May, Vitali Uljanin spoke to a huge crowd in Moscow.
”We will soon be strong enough! It will not last long anymore, then Russia will be overrun by the collectivist revolution and capitalism will be destroyed”, he preached, while countless people praised him like a Redeemer.
“One day, our maxims will reach even the last corner of this world! Then there will be only equality, freedom and justice - the kingdom of heaven on earth! No more poverty! No more hunger! Only peace and happiness!”, exclaimed Uljanin, and the desperate were screaming in ecstasy.
The people raised their fists and waved their flags. Many of them seemed now to be ready to follow the collectivist leader even to the end of hell.
“We will make all equal! There can only be injustice because there are still differences. There are still different classes, cultures, races and religions. But in a world of collectivism, there will be just equality! Equality and eternal happiness!
We will not tolerate any social differences and will not allow any private property! Everything will belong to you! To the people!
The nations of this earth, we will melt together to one happy mankind. We will remove all the various religions, all the different cultures, to create a single world culture!
You, the poor and oppressed, will win not only all the power, no, you will also destroy the remnants of the ancient world in Russia, with root and branch.
And then everything will be new and good! Then we will build up the new order of eternal equality and justice!”
“Equality and justice!”, chorused the people and the asphalt was trembling under the thunder of countless voices. It was shaking with rage and brutal resoluteness.
“Look at this! Uljanin again, again huge masses of people”, said Frank, pointing at the TV screen.
Wilden walked through his apartment in the center of Minsk and muttered: “The revolution in Russia will come…”
“Yes, but not our revolution!”, added Kohlhaas.
“So it is! Collectivism is the final weapon of the Lodge Brothers to smash old Russia to pieces and to erase the Russian nation from history. If collectivism can`t be stopped, then the last nation of Europe, that still has some kind of inner substance, will be annihilated by the red-black revolution in the long term”, said the foreign minister.
The former businessman sat down in his chair and stared into space. Frank was silent and watched the television report about the CASJ in horror, then he turned off the TV.
“There are two ways, Frank…”, remarked Wilden.
“Oh, yeah? And which?”
“The first possibility is, that Uljanin is brought to power and nothing will really change - I mean the life situation of the ordinary Russians. People will continue to starve and even more chaos will rise. Finally, collectivism will turn out to be the big soap bubble that it is.
The second possibility is, that the collectivists succeed and establish their reign, because of the financial support of the World Government. Then they will bring the red-black rush into all neighboring countries. In return, our revolution and our movement will fall to dust, because we are not able to resist the power of collectivism and the World Government.”
Frank perked his eyebrows up. “What`s about Japan?”
“Japan? Foreign minister Mori has told me clearly, that Matsumoto will not interfere in the internal affairs of Russia. This would lead to another war with the World Union”, replied the old man.
“And if there would be a civil war in Russia? We against the collectivists and the GCF?”
“I don`t know it, Frank”, answered Wilden. “Perhaps the Japanese would help us in a sitation like this, but I`m not sure. Nevertheless, we are too weak to survive a civil war…”
“And if the GCF attacks Belarus?”, asked Kohlhaas.
“I do not know! Japan can`t help us with its army. We are on our own here”, returned the foreign minister.
Frank stared thoughtfully at the wall. He was not able to find a solution and Wilden was helpless too.
Meanwhile, things took their course in Russia, while Artur Tschistokjow concentrated his actions on rebuilding his country. He brought a national youth organization into being, which he called the Children of the Rus.
The young Belarusians were excited and joined the freedom movement in great numbers. The national television reported about the foundation meeting full of enthusiasm, and showed the president at a mass rally in Minsk.
A few days later, Tschistokjow went to Tallinn and supported his colleagues at the rehabilitation of the ailing agriculture and forestry of Estonia. The leader of the Rus was always working and allowed himself not even a single free day. He slept only four to five hours a night, and continued then to accomplish his countless tasks as a president of a renegate state. Piece by piece, the stress was devouring his body and even more his mind. Tschistokjow was often irritated and overwhelmed, and it still became worse.
In the early morning hours of the 4th of June, 2037, CLJ troopers took over the power in Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan. The main administrative building and the police stations were occupied by the collectivists, while the officers were disarmed. The few GCF soldiers in these cities had already withdrawn to give Uljanin`s men free rein.
The chairman of the CASJ finally came to Nizhny Nowgorod and delivered a speech in front of a huge crowd of people. Now, his attack on Russia had reached the next level.
Shortly afterwards, the cities of Kazan and Samara were taken by the collectivists. Here and there, some Russian policemen still tried to keep back
the aggressive hordes of CLJ troopers, but they had no chance against their numerical superiority. In Samara, over 40 policemen were killed, while the forces of collectivism finally conquered one city after another.
Then, the leading functionaries of the CASJ brought the red-black revolution to Yekaterinburg and Ufa, where the local administrative government was overthrown.
It did not take long, until the red-black flags were waving on the roofs of the city halls and all resistance had been eliminated. A few days later, Uljanin came to Yekaterinburg, declaring the victory of collectivism and the beginning of a new era of social justice and eternal equality.
And the red-black troopers marched on. Soon they had taken Celjabinsk and shortly afterwards Perm. Subsequently, they conquered the small towns in eastern Russia. On the 12th of June, Uljanin went to Astana in Kazakhstan and proclaimed the “Victory of the People”.
In the last weeks, his CLJ units had overrun the country like a swarm of wasps, smashing all resistance with brutal violence. Finally, the revolution reached even Uzbekistan, where the non-Russian population followed the collectivists with great enthusiasm. Many Uzbegs joined Uljanin`s CLJ squads, after all, the goateed man had promised them numerous privileges and preferred settlement areas in Russia.
The media reported about the revolution in the east of the administrative sector “Eastern Europe” in an objective and unemotional way. Although Uljanin had repeatedly threatened the powerful in Russia, his revolutionary measures and the many acts of violence of his followers were hardly condemned. When a reporter seemed to be “anxious”, his alleged fear of the approaching revolutionaries was nothing but a part of a big theatre.
Until the end of June, the Siberian cities of Omsk, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk were in the hands of the collectivists. In the course of this, it came to heavy clashes between Russians and Asians, which were quelled by CLJ units.
In August, all bigger cities in Eastern Russia were under collectivist control. Then Uljanin tried to conquer the rest of the country.
In Yaroslavl and Tver, in the north of Moscow, the red-black masses marched through the streets, occupated the cities and crushed all resistance. Their political opponents were arrested or just massacred in a night of the long knives. Several hundred people were executed by Uljanin`s CLJ troopers as “enemies of the revolution” or “traitors of the workers”.
During the riots in Yaroslavl and Tver, the World Government and the international media just looked away. And the collectivist revolution became more and more bloody and brutal. Soon the armed units of the CASJ were raging around Moscow, hunting down every Russian, who could become a future enemy of collectivism.
Meanwhile, Frank and Alf were back in Minsk. Kohlhaas had moved into an apartment in the western part of the Belarusian capital. Nevertheless, he still regarded Ivas as his real home.
The two rebels were sitting in front of their TV with a mixture of horror and amazement, watching the events in Russia.
“Uljanin overruns the whole country and they will just let him take over the power!”, gasped Frank and took a sip from his beer bottle.
“This is nothing but a hypocritical game!”, growled Alf.
“There has even been a collectivist demonstration in Paris yesterday. The cops haven`t done anything to stop the so called revolutionaries. Can you still remember, when they have slaughtered the rebellious citizens after our bomb attempt on Wechsler?”
”Yes, of course!”, said Bäumer angrily.
“What shall we do now? Waiting until Russia and the rest of Europe will be flooded by the collectivist wave?”, wailed Kohlhaas.
Bäumer had no answer. However, Artur Tschistokjow had one and sent for his general on the next day.
Frank went through the front door of the pompous, old hotel “Himmelblick” in the heart of Minsk. A porter in a blue uniform nodded at him with a smile and escorted Kohlhaas to the upper floor. Shortly afterwards, the young man reached a large conference hall and already heard Artur Tschistokjow ranting in Russian.
“Ah, General Kohlhaas...”, remarked the leader of the freedom movement when Frank entered the room. That was all he said to his delay.
The other members of Tschistokjow`s staff were already there. It were the entire cabinets of Belarus and the three Baltic countries. Moreover, the complete leadership of the Freedom Movement of the Rus.
Artur spoke only Russian today. This time, there was no special treatment for his two German friends. But Frank`s language skills were already good enough so that he hardly had any communication problems.
“Russia has descended into chaos. The capitalist and collectivist conspiracy works hand in hand, while Uljanin`s so called revolution moves from east to west, rolling faster and faster across the country. Soon the red-black flood will have swept away all opposition. Nobody can stop them - except from us!”, he shouted.
Dr. Gugin answered: “Mr. Tschistokjow, shouldn`t we wait how everything develops?”
A burly man with an angular face interjected: “How should the situation develop? Uljanin will overrun Russia and the Ukraine if it goes on like that.”
The Belarusian president brandished his index finger like a spear. “Now it is time to start our own offensive! Russia is drowning in chaos, the police does not know what to do. The GCF soldiers have left the big cities to give the collectivists free rein. This is also a chance for us!”
“But the Global Control Force will immediately come back if we show up!”, said a chapter leader.
“Yes, perhaps! Anyway, the collectivists will cause a state of anarchy all over Russia in the next weeks. They will attack the remnants of the Russian police and furthermore start a crusade against their political opponents. We should at least try to take control in the cities of western Russia to build up a frontlinie against Uljanin`s flood”, lectured the president.
Wilden agreed with Tschistokjow and nodded. Frank listened to everything and didn`t say a word.
“I am sceptic, Mr. President. In my eyes, we will wear our people against a too powerful enemy”, warned Gregori Lossow, the defense minister.
Meanwhile, Artur Tschistokjow had become more and more hectic, trying to make his position understandable: “If Uljanin`s revolution is once established everywhere and the collectivists have access to the entire power structure in Russia, then it will be much more difficult for us to stop them.
Millions of Russians yearn for renewal and not everyone likes Uljanin, especially in western Russia. We must act now, because now there is chaos everywhere!”
Lossow tried to say something, but Tschistokjow interrupted him. “We will concentrate all our forces on the political conquest of the bigger cities in western Russia. Perhaps we can even manage it to take St. Petersburg.”
Some of the other men could not believe their ears and shook their heads..
“St. Petersburg? This is crazy, Mr. Tschistokjow!”, they exclaimed in disbelief.
“It is worth a try! Anyway, this is an order! Tomorrow we will start our counterattack!”, shouted Tschistokjow and finally ended the conference.
The most of his followers were confused and went outside, while the Belarusian president waved Frank nearer.
“You will be the general of the Varangian Guard, Frank!”, said Tschistokjow in German.
Kohlhaas was puzzled. “What is the Varangian Guard?”
The Varangian Guard