Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 299
Only Noblemtl
#299. In the name of the Tsar (3)
“And are you telling our Yalu River Army to go into the mouths of the Roske bastards who have prepared their positions like hedgehogs? This operation is dangerous. We must wait for more reinforcements from the mainland to arrive, or for the enemy to come down first.”
“If that happens, the Roske’s power will increase and they will come down···”
“No, the war will end at sea anyway, not on land. How about we defend Lushun and its surrounding areas so that the enemy fleet cannot use them, and let the navy fight the decisive battle?”
“Lieutenant General Kawamura! Watch your words!”
Only after General Oyama glared at him with both eyes wide open was he able to silence him.
“The battle here at Fengtian is unavoidable. Whoever wins this turn will be the master of the rest of the war. Have you all forgotten that this is Sekigahara, the Heavenly King’s Peak of this war?!”
The situation in Japan was extremely dire.
The war on the Korean Peninsula, which was viewed as a secondary front, was becoming increasingly unfavorable with each passing day, and large-scale Russian reinforcements were arriving at any moment.
The Ministry of Finance at home was already screaming that the budget set up until 1915 was being used for war expenses.
No matter what happened, we had to trap the Roske in the sack and surround and destroy them.
“If we back down this time, this war will inevitably end in defeat for our Empire of Japan! Everyone, come to your senses. The three armies’ maneuvers tomorrow will proceed as planned without a hitch, so each commander should check the ammunition, supplies, and men of their subordinate units!”
“I will do so.”
Unexpectedly, Nogi obediently followed Oyama’s words and stood up first.
The commander of the Yalu River Army, who was still dissatisfied, and the commanders of the 2nd and 4th Armies, who seemed uneasy, followed suit.
Tomorrow, the battle that would decide the fate of Bongcheon and the armies of the two countries would begin.
“···It’s raining.”
Nogi said as he walked towards his camp, feeling a drop of water fall on his shoulder.
Even though the weather station had said it was going to rain, he felt uneasy as he saw the rain start to fall harder than expected.
With a sense of anxiety that something even greater than the tragedy at Lushun was about to happen, he, like the other soldiers, struggled to fall into a difficult sleep.
The cries of the tens of thousands of young people who had died in Lushun seemed to come from somewhere across the Manchurian plains.
***
“The unexpected heavy rain turned the entire route into mud.”
“Is God helping us or is he ignoring us….”
It had been raining so hard for several days that it was scary to say it was just the usual autumn rain.
It felt like a hole had been ripped open in the sky.
Even if it weren’t for the rain pouring down like a hole in the sky, their current offensive would have been a spectacle that would be difficult to witness in one’s lifetime.
This was because the mobilization of over 100,000 troops, almost simultaneously, was the largest troop movement since the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War.
However, the passage through the damp ground and the mud that soaked up not only the soldiers’ boots but even their trousers was extremely painful.
In fact, the supply of military boots was not adequate, so they were gathering reserve military boots from the Primorsky Krai and deploying them.
“The pace of our advance is slow. If things continue as planned, it will take at least five days for our main force to reach Cheongha Castle, not three.”
“Hmm···.”
Captain Gripenberg predicted that once the rain stopped, a real cold front would come, and some of the soldiers were so frightened that they thought God was warning them because he was angry at their continued defeats.
Of course, the command center dismissed such rumors, but it was true that the rain was pouring down to the point where such concerns were raised among the soldiers on the front lines.
Naturally, due to the unfavorable weather conditions, the Manchurian Army High Command decided to delay the offensive or even cancel it and just observe the situation until the rain stopped.
And this was also the same idea as that of the General Staff of the 2nd Manchurian Army.
They cautiously spoke to their aggressive commander, suggesting that they pause for a moment.
“It is dangerous to continue the offensive like this. Isn’t it impossible to advance right now because of the mud? Even the most vicious Japonskis will have a hard time advancing under these conditions.”
“Currently, reconnaissance is impossible. As things stand, the roads are all muddy, so it will take even longer to get to Cheongha Castle. If we were to move for an offensive in this situation and encounter the enemy, it would be a disaster.”
“Huh, it seems that even in this distant Far East, the Rasputitsa of the West has arrived.”
At the words of his staff, Gripenberg looked at the field before him.
Even the advance of Batu, which was considered a punishment from God, and the Rasputitsa in western Russia, which had held back Napoleon, who prided himself on being the god of war in Europe, were similar to the mud that was creeping up before them.
The entire vast plain west of Mukden, which had been designated as a battlefield, had turned into a mud pit, making it difficult for even infantry, let alone artillery, to move.
“Commander, this may be difficult to maneuver. Even the cavalry is much slower than usual due to the mud.”
“Transporting over 300 different types of firearms is also a job.”
The road conditions were so dire that it was barely possible to advance 10 km, which was less than the average daily marching speed of the Russian Imperial Army of 20 km.
The infantry helped the artillery move by hastily cutting down trees and laying makeshift planks on the mud, but even that had its limits.
The road was long and the mud was plentiful.
Gripenberg was undaunted by the weather and acted decisively, insisting that now was the perfect time.
“Rather, this is more of an opportunity, gentlemen. First, the enemy lacks cavalry, so they are severely lacking the power to overcome the mud and break through. In such cases, it can be proven through battle that our army, with its many cavalry, can move tactically flexibly.”
He smiled and laughed through the pouring rain.
The papaha hat on his head was soaking wet from the rain, but he continued talking as if he didn’t care.
“And secondly, the enemy will never expect our troops to move in this weather. Moreover, eight infantry battalions of our army are stationed on the defensive line at Cheongha Castle, which the Yaponskis must pass by, so we can calmly prepare for any unexpected offensive actions by the enemy. So let us not be afraid, and let us advance forward, thinking only of our Motherland, Russia, and the Tsar.”
Having thus put an end to his staff’s worries, he immediately ordered the advance of the cavalry group under Rennenkampf, which Kuropatkin had assigned to support him, towards Cheongha Castle.
To be exact, it was closer to him being brought in semi-forcibly, saying that the use of cavalry was important in offensive operations, rather than Kuropatkin giving it to him.
“Deploy the Transbaikal Cavalry Division and the Siberian Cavalry Division of the Cavalry Corps first. Let them go and join up with the eight friendly battalions in the Cheongha Province area, and if the opportunity arises, you can intercept the enemy before the main force arrives.”
“But the Transbaikal Division suffered heavy losses in the last battle at the convalescent camp. And Commander Kuropatkin told us to prioritize cutting off the enemy’s rear….”
“It is difficult for the infantry to catch up with the cavalry in time. No matter what happens, go to Cheongha Castle first and join up with our forces. And if the enemy attacks, be sure to repel them. If that is not possible, defend Cheongha Castle. The main force will arrive within a day or two at the latest.”
Gripenberg gave direct orders to his trusted generals and field officers.
The size of the command was originally as large and expansive as the Russian Empire.
If things had gone as planned, a large reserve force would have arrived and been deployed to every corner, but the result was that the troops could not arrive properly and things fell apart.
In the end, people without command authority or ability were placed deep in the headquarters and front lines, which significantly hindered the combat capability of the Russian Far East Army.
Kuropatkin was aware of this, but he was helpless. However, Gripenberg was a little different.
He controlled each of the field armies under his control one by one, and by deploying colonel-level officers and generals whom he personally recognized, he firmly took control of the front line forces.
“Understood, Commander.”
Rennenkampf was one of those officers who received such recognition.
He nodded and selected the best troops from his cavalry corps and immediately began to advance forward through the mud.
I don’t know what awaits me ahead, but I rode my horse to overcome the unknown, as I have done in the past and will do in the future.
***
Boom! Kukookung!
A terrible gunshot could be heard in the distance, and soon the sound grew louder until it filled my ears.
Kuropatkin saw a telegram flying in from Korea showing hundreds of field guns under his command firing simultaneously at the Japanese front lines.
The telegram from Korea was quite exquisite.
Although they did not cooperate in advance, the South Korean military also said it planned to transform the local counterattack into a general counterattack to recapture Wonsan.
And ultimately, all Japanese troops will be expelled from the Korean Peninsula.
So, the content was that the Russian Manchurian Army Command asked to prevent Japan’s Manchurian Army from being redeployed to the Korean Peninsula.
“The enemies won’t be able to get there already.”
He muttered to himself as if answering a young commander-in-chief of the Korean army whose face he had never even seen.
All this time, they have been surviving by relying on Korea’s brilliant struggles, and thanks to them, they have been able to overcome many crises.
Of course, I don’t know if the Korean military knows all of that.
But this time was different. This time, they might be able to do something to help them fight.
Perhaps Kuropatkin’s reluctant cooperation with General Gripenberg’s strong offensive claims was partly to repay the debt he had owed them.
If they were just the army of a vassal state, I wouldn’t have cared whether they were divided or not, but it is true that thanks to them, the Manchurian Army Headquarters was able to seize important opportunities.
“By the way, the large-scale artillery fire… is spectacular.”
Amid the busy artillery officers and messengers running around to maintain communications, the Manchurian Army High Command began its offensive against the Japanese lines.
To be precise, this was closer to a deception than an offensive.
Of course, from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers who were going to be hit, they would never have thought of it as a deception.
The purpose of this offensive was to prevent the 2nd Manchurian Army from detecting their movements.
Accordingly, Kuropatkin had the 1st Manchurian Army on the left wing and the 3rd Manchurian Army in the center attack through the heavy rain in order to coordinate with Gripenberg.
Of course, he sent a messenger to attack again after the rain stopped, but as expected, it was rejected.
I didn’t even expect it anyway.
Eventually, the attack began as planned, and by the first week of September, the Russians were able to launch their first offensive against the Japanese at Mukden.
And in order to win this battle, Kuropatkin had to give up one of his blood-learned principles.
“···It is not befitting of a commander to send troops into a well-organized enemy front line.”
“The Ottomans’ fortress must have been strong to begin with. Thinking about the defeat of our comrades at the Pleven Fortress still makes my heart ache. Well, it doesn’t seem any different from the Japonskis who were defeated at Lushun.”
This time, we decided to abandon the most important principle: never to send troops head-on into a fortified enemy line.
Their sole purpose was to keep the enemy’s attention focused on the front, at least until the 2nd Manchurian Army could maneuver successfully to find and destroy the enemy’s soft spots.