Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 303
Only Noblemtl
#303. Russian SteamRoller (3)
Lieutenant General Alexeyev, commander of the Russian garrison in the Cheongha Fortress area, who was watching their battle from afar, received reports from his staff while leaving the reserve infantry battalion behind.
“The Japonski’s shells are less powerful than expected. If we continue like this, we should be able to hold our positions until reinforcements arrive.”
“That’s fortunate. They probably won’t expect us to counterattack, so let’s continue our offensive at night.”
Lieutenant General Alekseev said with a smile that shone brightly even in the darkness.
When the Japanese army first invaded, he seriously considered setting fire to Cheongha Castle and retreating.
This was because there was a strong sense of anxiety that if the size of the Japanese army was significant, they might bypass the main defensive line of Cheongha Castle, which was being defended by eight battalions, and cut off the only route of retreat.
However, the arrival of the messengers that followed dispelled Lieutenant General Alexeyev’s worries at once.
The Transbaikal Cavalry Division was expected to arrive this morning at the earliest, or by noon at the latest.
And then, sequentially, the main force of the 2nd Manchurian Army, that is, a field army of over 100,000 men, would gradually appear here.
Perhaps the enemies would have to face a counterattack without even thinking about it.
“The vanguard of the cavalry corps sent by Commander Kuropatkin will soon arrive here. So everyone, take heart and drive out the enemy. We cannot give them even a single arshin of land. Make it clear to them that there is a line that must never be crossed.”
“Of course, Commander.”
Bayonets clashed with each other between the defensive lines, and the afterimages of people disappeared amid the artillery fire.
The uncoordinated but unexpected night raid by the Russian infantry battalions caused more confusion among the Japanese than expected, and cheers erupted everywhere.
“Night raids aren’t just your style, Japonski. We’ve learned something from you, too.”
As he was mumbling to himself while looking at the enemies, a messenger came running in front of him, his entire uniform soaked to the point where it was hard to tell if it was sweat or rainwater, and shouted.
“Commander! They’ve sent reinforcements. The enemy reinforcements are clashing with our assault force!”
“what?”
Lieutenant General Alekseev quickly looked at what the messenger had brought.
Although I couldn’t read all the letters properly because they were soaked in rain, sweat, and blood, I could clearly see that at least one battalion of enemy reinforcements were approaching from the southern side of Cheongha Castle.
“Commander, I need you to give new instructions.”
“Order the units going on the offensive to set up a makeshift defensive position! The enemy reinforcements must not approach the south of Cheongha Castle until our reinforcements arrive. Do you understand?”
“All right!”
‘If this happens, it will be a disaster.’
Lieutenant General Alekseev looked at the map again.
The enemy’s main offensive was taking place in the western part of Cheongha Castle, and this was the first time the enemy had appeared in the south.
With six of the eight battalions deployed for defense or night raids, if the enemy appeared from an unexpected direction, the remaining two battalions would have to handle the situation.
“Did you attack too hastily?”
Lieutenant General Alekseev looked at the battlefield filled with the sounds of fighting, unable to hide his anxiety.
And soon, his fears were becoming reality.
“It’s the Yaponskys’ cavalry! The cavalry has appeared from the north!”
“Do you have any Maxim left?”
“I have all gone to the front lines. The only ones left inside Cheongha Castle are the riflemen.”
“···There’s nothing I can do.”
Unexpectedly, enemy cavalry appeared on the front lines.
Alekseev, with the thought that what was to come had come, ordered the two remaining battalions to be deployed to the inner defensive line of Cheongha Fortress.
‘I wish there was a Maxim.’
With this thought in mind, he personally encouraged his soldiers and sent them out to the defensive line.
No matter what happened, we had to wait for the vanguard of the cavalry group to arrive.
And then.
Phew-!
With the sound of a trumpet, figures with swords and spears slung obliquely over their shoulders began to appear from the distant plains.
They may seem hastily put together, but they could certainly change the current situation.
And seeing them, the Cheongha Castle garrison began to cheer.
A black death named Cossack has come upon the enemies.
***
“advance!”
Under the firm orders of Major General Tamura Kui, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, the Japanese cavalry began to charge across the muddy plains into the center of the battlefield.
He was on the battlefield with the Akiyama clan in the Battle of Telisu, where he defeated the Cossacks, who had brought even Napoleon to his knees.
Thanks to this, the 2nd Cavalry Brigade was confident of victory in the battle, even though the overall situation was unfavorable for them.
Even the fearsome Cossacks, the Japanese cavalrymen, were already on their knees, and they were proud of dominating the battlefield.
“Let’s drive the Roske out of Bongcheon!”
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
The 15th and 16th Cavalry Regiments were each divided into two wings north of Cheongha Castle.
The 15th Cavalry Regiment began riding their horses to strike at the rear of the Russian units attacking the 9th Division in the western part of Cheongha Castle, and the 16th Cavalry Regiment began riding their horses to directly subdue the Russian command and reserve units that were holding out in Cheongha Castle.
As expected, the Roske’s main force was deployed for a night attack, so they were unable to allocate many troops to the defense of Cheongha Castle.
After easily breaking through the weak defense line of the Roske, Major General Tamura Kui immediately began to increase speed in order to destroy their command center.
“Kill all enemies that block your way!”
As expected, the enemies had established a strong defensive line near the command center.
Amid the loud noise of Mosin rifle fire, several cavalrymen fell from their horses and fell to the ground, and the 16th Cavalry Regiment hurriedly dismounted and began a fierce gunfight.
The two sides fought fiercely for a long time, each pulling their triggers between the mud houses.
Bullets that had pierced the wall pierced the chests of Japanese soldiers, spraying crimson blood onto the floor, while well-aimed bullets struck the heads of Russian soldiers, sending pieces of brain matter flying into the air.
“Keep pushing them! The enemy doesn’t know how many we have!”
Calmly, the cavalry commanders roughly identified the Russian army’s main defensive positions and deployed their troops in the right places to deceive them.
The enemy had overestimated the number of Japanese troops, and after a few dozen minutes of fighting, some of them could be seen with the naked eye giving up holding the line and falling back to the rear.
“Alright! Advance, advance! If we can just paralyze their command center, the rest of the Roske will be nothing!”
The Russian military’s command structure was extremely rigid.
Of course, the Japanese military’s command structure was quite rigid, but it was not as extreme as the Russian military’s.
Almost all authority was concentrated in the ranks of colonels, and naturally, the front-line units also depended on them for their command system.
In other words, if only these could be dealt with properly, or forced to retreat, the entire Russian front could be easily destroyed.
In any case, officers below the rank of colonel within the Russian Imperial Army were not particularly trusted by the soldiers, and the generals were generally viewed as too numerous and old.
Perhaps it was also because of the command-oriented strikes that were carried out when repelling the 1st Siberian Army Corps that the hider was able to win the game of hide-and-seek.
Meanwhile, the Japanese cavalry regiment was reaching the last defensive line of Cheongha Castle built by the Russian army.
But, but something was strange. The further you went into Cheongha Castle, the more the Roske were not actively buying time, but rather were fleeing to the last line of defense, which was odd.
Normally, I would have thought that the enemies would run away when their morale was low, but this time it was a little different.
“Those guys… are they going to take their weapons and ammunition and withdraw?”
The sight of them retreating in an orderly manner, taking all their weapons and ammunition with them, as someone said, was a far cry from the Roske of the past. They were often busy running away, abandoning their weapons and ammunition.
But the current appearance was closer to moving as if it were a planned operation.
Moreover, I could see a smiling expression on the face of the enemy commander who was revealing himself as if he was the last line of defense.
Major General Tamura judged that if they continued to pursue them, the cavalry regiment might get caught in a trap set by the enemy, so he ordered them to immediately stop the advance.
There was no need to follow the enemy’s trap as they were absorbed in the operational objective of capturing Cheongha Castle.
“Wait a minute, give the regiment the order to halt its advance.”
“Yes? But the enemy command center is right in front of us…”
“Stop it now!”
The Chief of Staff, surprised by Major General Tamura’s urging, quickly halted the advance of the 16th Cavalry Regiment.
The regimental commander and company commanders were all surprised, but soon they understood why he had given such an order.
The sound of horse hooves coming from far away began to shake the ground as it got closer.
“It’s the Roske cavalry! The Roske cavalry has appeared from the rear!”
“······!”
‘As expected, this is what they were waiting for.’
Major General Tamura hastily ordered the cavalry regiment to be sent out to the plains outside Cheongha Castle, and he sharpened his teeth.
The Roske’s, who they had thought were stupid, now knew how to deceive themselves.
“Reorganize your ranks! We must stop their cavalry!”
And before them appeared the most feared of the Russian armies, the Cossack cavalry, carrying banners bearing the holy saints.
And Director Tamura could tell who they were at a glance.
“The Trans-Baikal Division, those guys. You’re saying they came out to attack me again even after I beat them up like that?”
That damn Trans-Baikal Cavalry Division was showing up.
Even though I defeated him with a powerful punch in the battle outside of Bongcheon, and in the process left an unforgettable scar on the arm of Commander Roske, who was leading the front line, he is challenging me again.
“These are the guys who were badly hurt by us a few weeks ago! Don’t be afraid and kill them all! For the sake of the Empire of Japan, let’s dye this land with the blood of the Roske!”
“Viva!”
Hearing the cheers of the cavalry regiment, he drew his sword and called out to the 16th Cavalry Regiment as well as the 15th Cavalry Regiment that had come to support the 9th Division.
Now the position of the air force has completely changed.
If the Roske cavalry could not be stopped, the entire 9th Division and the 15th Reserve Infantry Brigade might be caught up in an enemy counterattack.
He was determined to block the advance of Roske’s cavalry even if it meant annihilating the 2nd Cavalry Brigade.