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PROLOUGE
Lenin died in 1918, shot by Fanny Kaplan, member of SR who opposed authoritarian regime of the Bolsheviks. This has lead to Bolsheviks to reinstitute the death penalty after its abolition on October 28th, 1917.
Death of Vladimir Lenin was big game changer for Bolshevik party that in 1918 was in hard position.
However who will be head of the revolution was main question and situation called for quick decidion, but it was not a easy decidion to make.
Nikolai Gorbunov, personal secretary of Vladimir Lenin, was put as de jure successor to Lenin but only as compromise between various factions inside Bolshevik party. Gorbunov was quick to fall under influence of Trotsky who held much of the power over Red Army, force that at the time was calling the shots. Political rivals of Trotsky, members of politburo, Kamanev, Sokilnikov, Bubnov and Stalin opposed this but they had to wait their chance once the civil war was over.
In 1919 Baron Roman Von Ungern-Sternberg was put in command of Dauria, small border town in far east, rulling in the name of Ataman Grigory Semyonov. From there he took active role of organizing native Buryats and Mongols into combat units that would harass Red Army positions.
Red Army under iron command of Leon Trotsky turned into strong power, enough to counter army of White Guard and forces of Entante. Trotsky didnt wasted time in Moscow, using his military successs in his advantage to impose himself as new leader with Gorbunov being little more then puppet. With great migh he broke poorly coordinated forces of Kolchak and Denkin, and any opposition to Bolsheviks was swiftly destroyed by Checka. By April of 1920, Trotsky defeated soldiers of Kolchak in Siberia and soon Wrangel will fall to Red Army. In Far East, Vladimir Kappel has lead winter retreat in January, with over 30,000 soldiers and civilians going to join forces of Baron Ungern.
After Admiral Kolchak's White Russian Army retreated from Tomsk and Omsk and fled eastward along the Trans-Siberian Railway, they came to a halt on the shore of Lake Baikal near Irkutsk. With the Red Army in hot pursuit, the White Army had to escape southward to Mongolia across the frozen Lake Baikal in sub-zero temperatures. About 30,000 White Army soldiers, their families and all their possessions as well as the Tsar's gold, made their way across the lake to Transbaikalia. Reason for this was that Kappel, who nearly died from pneumonia, was informed that Ungern made great progress in his Mongolian gambit. Kappel being strong supporter of monarchy like Ungern, sent several letters to Ungern informing him, that his forces will join him in his plans. Ungern who was close to liberate Mongolian capital Urga, informed representatives of Kappel that they where more then welcomed, saying that in Mongolia all civilians will find shelter and protection.
Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg was leading Asiatic Horse Division, loose army of various Mongol tribes, Russians, Tatars, Chinse and Tibetians. When Red Army pressed Kolchak and Semyonov troops, he entered Mongolia to attack Reds from behind but then he was informed Semyonov esacped to Manchuria. There, in borderlands between Russia and Mongolia, Ungern decided on spot to liberate Urga, capital of Mongolia, so he could use it as base for creating great Asiatic state under protection of Manchu Khanate, name he used to refer fallen Qing dynasty. Baron Ungern had fascination with Orient and Asian religions like Buddhism since childhood. He saw horse nomads, as uncorrupted and free people who protect their martial traditions and in general Asia as place where imperial traditions still live on. This restored Qing dynasty that would be based on steppe nomands would be hub from where Ungern would lead this Asiatic crusade to liberate Europe from materialism, liberalism, revolutionarism and rationalism. To achieve these goals that rival goals of Genghis Khan, Ungern had to first free Bodg Khan, spiritual leader of the Mongols. When forces of Vladimir Kappel arrived, Ungern was getting prepared to launch third attack on Urga. With new soldiers, Ungern had no problem to overrun the Chinese and in swift move free Bodg Khan from house arrest. Mongolia was now in the hands of Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.