Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 305
Only Noblemtl
#305. Russian SteamRoller (5)
“I, Your Majesty. That is···”
“Do you have anything else to report? What is taking you so long?”
“The 4th Army is currently unable to advance.”
It was something out of the blue, something I couldn’t understand.
Not only that, but other high-ranking officers also jumped up from their seats.
There were shouts asking what on earth they were talking about, and criticisms that the 4th Army was just dawdling because it didn’t want to engage the enemy.
“That, that’s true that the 4th Army struck the right wing of the Roske. But···.”
“Stop beating around the bush and tell me quickly! What the hell is going on?!”
The staff member’s next words were unbelievable.
So, it seemed that the 4th Army commanded by General Nose had succeeded in striking Roske’s right flank like a wedge, collapsing some of the units, and advancing deeply.
But the 4th Army’s advance quickly stalled, as too many Russian troops were retreating in disarray, with their ranks broken.
Their retreat was extremely slow because the battlefield had become muddy due to rain, and this led to a critical blunder by the Japanese army.
Looking at that sight, the 6th Division, the vanguard of the 4th Army, which was aiming to expand the front, and the 10th Division, which was following them, had pursued the retreating Roske too deeply.
If things had been normal, it would have been nothing more than a simple chase after a defeated force, but the problem was that in the process, part of the rear was exposed to the Roske.
The 4th Army had made a grave and irreversible mistake, and the experienced Kuropatkin did not miss it.
Cunningly, he immediately sent out his Cossacks to pound and crush the 6th Division, which had exposed its rear, and then, with massive artillery support and the introduction of infantry, he seemed to have also forced the 10th Division to retreat.
General Nose ordered three reserve infantry brigades to come to their rescue, but it seemed like there was no progress.
Rather, it was said that even the reserve infantry were stuck among the enemy troops and were unable to move, just trying to defend against the enemy’s attacks.
“The Roske are using the retreating allies as a sledgehammer to attack the rear of our allies from three sides! The entire 4th Army is surrounded by the enemy’s offensive! If things continue like this, not only will the 2nd Army not be saved, but even the 4th Army will be annihilated!”
“T, this can’t be happening···.”
Oyama slumped down on his seat.
Was this the true power of the great empire? And was this something that the Roskeites had calculated and used? For the first time, he felt fear in front of the majesty of the Russian Empire, which he had never considered his rival.
They thought they had the advantage tactically and strategically, but they were mistaken.
They simply chose a battlefield where they could properly utilize their strengths.
Napoleon once said that a great army has no need for military strategy.
Russia was simply pouring an enormous number of infantry and cavalry onto the front lines, taking away Oyama’s secret weapons one by one.
“Ah, ahhh… This can’t be… Our Imperial Japanese Army….”
“commander?”
And that fear began to eat away at Oyama himself, who was called the greatest strategist and even called the Japanese Moltke.
As he began to waver, the entire Manchurian military headquarters fell into chaos.
Some shouted that the remaining reserves should be sent to reinforce the 2nd and 4th Armies, while others said that the 3rd Army should be urged further to force the Roske to retreat.
Some even went so far as to shout that we should give up everything and withdraw to Lushun to plan for the future.
After a while of such chatter, Manchurian Army Chief of Staff Gentaro Gotama, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth again.
He had been doing whatever Oyama said, but it seems he stepped forward as soon as he decided that he could no longer conduct normally.
“No, you all don’t have to do that.”
“Yes? Chief of Staff, is there a new method···?”
Major General Iguchi, a member of the Manchurian Army staff, asked him on behalf of everyone’s curiosity.
And the answer that came back was.
“Nogi, Nogi, and the 3rd Army, if only the operation succeeds. If they just hit the rear of the Roske, they will be able to get us out of this crisis.”
It was the worst possible solution that anyone in the command could think of. If Marshal Oyama were in his right mind, he would never have chosen it.
Ignoring his astonished staff, Chief of Staff Gotama Gentaro placed the three armies’ chess pieces on the map with an expression bordering on madness.
I thought only Oyama was crazy, but he, who had been silent all this time, was also quite the person.
“Gather all remaining reserves to Nogi. And tell the units being pushed back in the center to carry out a delaying action.”
Now the only thing left for the Manchurian Army High Command was for Luoqi’s Third Army to successfully maneuver.
Oyama and Gotama were so terrified that they began to show a mad obsession with the only method left.
“But Chief of Staff, our forces on the battlefield are almost exhausted. We need to reorganize our units to fight a delaying battle, but we don’t have the time to-”
“If you tell me to do something, I’ll tell you to do it! If that doesn’t work, why don’t you tell some of your troops to commit suicide, and then gather the main force of the division and fight a delaying battle?”
There was no one, at least not in the Japanese Manchurian Army headquarters, who would dare to refuse an order from him.
There was only one Marshal, Oyama, but he was just staring outside, lost in thought.
Gotama Gentaro decided to put everything on the line against Nogi’s three armies, whom he now considered his last hope.
Of course, even that couldn’t guarantee what the outcome would be.
***
“What? The Manchurian Army Command sent the entire remaining reserve force to our side?”
“Yes, Commander. That was the last transmission I received by wire just now.”
Nogi’s expression darkened as he listened to Chief of Staff Lee Ji-chi’s words.
The last remaining reserve force of the Manchurian Army, even if it was only one or two brigades of reserve infantry, was being sent here, which meant that the Third Army was betting everything on the heavy burden.
“It seems like the command has high expectations of us.”
“There must be other reasons.”
Another reason Nogi thought was that the original operational plan had been scrapped or had become difficult to carry out for some reason.
Perhaps the 2nd Army, which was supposed to support the rear of the 3rd Army and expand the breakthrough, was unable to move because it was firmly tied down in the battle with the Roske.
Therefore, it was very possible that the Manchurian Army Command had stripped away its reserves and sent them to take over the role of the Second Army.
And if you think about it again, this was like putting an even bigger burden on the 3rd Army, which was already burdened with a difficult mission.
It was obvious to even a three-year-old that asking a 2nd Army of about 50,000 men to carry out an operation with only a third of its size would be too much.
Nogi had already sensed that the battle in Fengtian would not go easily, and he began to think that they might be defeated.
“What’s going on with Cheongha Seong?”
“The 7th Division failed to break through. Their defenses are stronger than we thought.”
“······.”
Now I couldn’t even hide my anxious feelings.
If they were to waste even one more day without being able to break through Cheongha Castle, the possibility that the Roske would realize their intentions and respond would increase.
“Commander, shouldn’t the entire Third Army retreat right now?”
“retreat?”
As the Chief of Staff cautiously opened his mouth, Nogi asked him back with an expression that showed neither affirmation nor denial.
“Isn’t the movement of the Roske strange? The garrison at Cheongha Castle, and the enemy cavalry division that suddenly appeared… They’re all coming out as if they’ve been waiting. As if… they’re waiting for reinforcements.”
Nogi expressed some agreement with the Chief of Staff’s words.
It was not that it was not true, but everything from the sudden introduction of the Roske cavalry divisions in the battle last night to the Cheongha Castle garrison continuing to fight as if they had some kind of firm belief in something was not right for Nogi.
However, in order for a hypothesis to become an established theory, evidence to prove it, that is, clear data or information, was needed.
But there was no evidence to prove it to either Nogi or the Chief of Staff of the Third Army.
In the end, they had to rely heavily on human intelligence from reconnaissance cavalry and scouts, but this was right after the 2nd Cavalry Brigade was destroyed, and the scouts had also been badly attacked by night raids, making it difficult to obtain proper intelligence.
Only fragmentary information sent by the Manchurian Army Command and limited intelligence from the remaining scouts were the basis for their judgment on their actions.
“It’s like a blind man talking to an elephant…”
“I agree, Commander. We have no idea what the Roske are thinking. The state of the main front is unclear, and we also cannot figure out the enemy’s intentions, so I think it would be right to join up with the main Manchurian army, reassess the situation, and prepare for another battle.”
Even Chief of Staff Lee Ji-chi, who was known for being experienced and cunning, was at the point of saying something like that.
“···How many troops are left?”
“Except for the 9th Division, the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, and the 15th Reserve Infantry Brigade that went into battle, there are only the 1st and 7th Divisions.”
“So you’re saying that I can only use about half of the total power?”
“The problem is not the number of troops. The remaining ammunition in the entire 3rd Army is insufficient. If things continue as they are, both the infantry and the artillery will have difficulty fighting properly. Furthermore, even if we destroy Cheongha Castle, it is questionable whether our troops alone will be able to disrupt the enemy’s rear.
Nogi hesitated for a moment at Ijichi’s words.
Both troops and ammunition were already at their limits.
The military, which frequently encounters its limits, is in this state, so it is impossible to even guess what is happening back home.
“···Get the 1st and 7th divisions ready. In the end, our 3rd Army has no choice but to make a decision here.”
But Nogi thought that in times like that, he needed to throw one last punch.
That’s why I decided to put all my remaining cards on the line for this battle.
Still, the Roske’s were sluggish and slow, so they thought that if they tried to make a proper breakthrough now, something would come out of it.
And Nogi also thought of a new plan of his own.
The idea came from the idea that if the superiors ordered an unrealistic operation, ‘why don’t the commanders on the ground make it realistic?’
And it had its own validity.
“And then we will continue to advance northward, combining with the Manchurian Army reserves. However, contrary to the demands of the Grand General Headquarters and the Manchurian Army, we will enter directly into Fengtian, not Cheolyeong.”
“···I understand what you mean. However, if we fail this time, the entire Manchurian army will collapse.”
“You have to be prepared. Since Kuropatkin showed that much determination, shouldn’t we show the same level of determination?”
At a time when Chiefs of Staff Nogi and Ijichi were making their own resolutions.
Suddenly someone ran towards the command barracks.
It was Chief of Staff Shiroi Jiro, and he had the same expression on his face.
“A group of troops is approaching our rear! They are probably the reinforcements promised by the Manchurian Army Command.”
“Ah, these are the reinforcements that Marshal Oyama promised.”
Nogi breathed a sigh of relief.
Still, since those troops had rushed in quickly, I thought that I could advance the offensive of the 1st and 7th Divisions a little bit, so I prepared a new order.
Just then, the rain stopped and the morning fog thickened, and just as he was about to send a vanguard to make sure they wouldn’t get lost, something unpleasant crossed Nogi’s mind.