Chapter Twenty-Five: Difficult Decisions

The fall of Arthur and the annihilation of the main forces of the Russian Pacific Fleet gave Japan complete sea supremacy (at least until the arrival of the Russian European fleet). Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 The Japanese side tried its best to take advantage of this favorable situation to encircle and annihilate the Russian army in the northeast in the Mukden area and end the war victoriously. Therefore, the Japanese high command quickly transferred the 3rd Army to Mukden, and at the same time the newly formed 5th Army (Yalu River Army) also advanced to Mukden.

By mid-February 1905, the Japanese army in the Mukden area had gathered 5 armies, 270,000 men, 1,182 guns, and 400 machine guns on a front of more than 100 kilometers. Marshal Oyama's plan was to use the newly arrived 3rd Army and 5th Army to detour the Russian flanks respectively, and the 1st, 2nd, and 4th armies to pin down the Russian army in the Shahe area with a frontal attack, and to ensure the roundabout movement of the 3rd and 5th armies.

The main attack was directed to the right flank of the Russian army, which was held by the 3rd Army. At this time, the Russian troops assembled along the line of the Sand River formed three independent field groups: the right flank was the 2nd Army (commanded by Kaulbas), 25 kilometers from the front; In the center was the 3rd Army (commanded by Bilderlinger), 20 km from the front; On the left flank was the 1st Army (commanded by Linevich), 45 km from the front. The exposed flanks were covered by separate units.

The total strength of the Russian army reached 330,000 people, 1,266 artillery pieces and 56 machine guns. At the urging of the tsarist government, fearing a revolution, Kuropatkin decided to launch a long-brewing offensive. Before Nogi's 3rd Army moved north, it attempted to defeat the main Japanese army on the Shahe line, and the Battle of Heigoutai broke out.

On the eve of the outbreak of the Heigoutai War, the Russian army, which was surrounded by Li Dingyuan, had stopped resisting under the bombardment of 155mm howitzers. In addition, blasting canisters and large-caliber mortars played a huge role in the assault on various half-buried buildings. The Russian troops, about 12,000 people, surrendered their rifles, machine guns, cannons, sabers and other weapons and surrendered to the Chinese side.

After destroying this Russian army, Li Dingyuan built a large number of buildings in the same place, deep ditches and high fortifications, and put on a posture of not advancing. This made the Russians breathe a sigh of relief, and it was very cool to grab more than 6,000 tons of military supplies, but the loss of nearly 30,000 troops, was it a loss, or a loss?

After receiving the results of the Liaoxi Campaign, the Japanese were greatly excited, believing that the Russians had lost their momentum and were vulnerable. Only Ito Hirobumi said after reading the report: "An elephant has stepped on the scales, and I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing for the Japanese Empire." ”

But now Japan is already ready to shoot and has to send it. The Russians were constantly transporting troops from Europe to the Far East at a rate of 20,000 per month. If the Russians cannot be crushed before they form an absolute superiority, the Japanese will have a more and more difficult time in the future.

The Russians, on the other hand, were pressed by the Japanese and had to fight. They also wanted to spend a little more to accumulate strength, but the Japanese did not give them such a chance. Moreover, even in a passive state, in fact, the Russians still have an advantage in firepower and troops.

Kuropatkin planned to use the 2nd Army (5 corps, 126 infantry battalions, 162 cavalry companies, 439 guns) with a total of 100,000 men as a surprise attack, and the task was first to occupy Shendanbao (Sandiepu), a village about 40 kilometers southwest of Mukden. Kuropatkin considered the village to be the key to the entire position of the Japanese army.

However, the strength of the Japanese army in this direction was extremely weak, and only 8,000 people of the Akiyama Yoshikobu of the 1st Cavalry Brigade were on alert and wide. The Russian troops that attacked on the 25th were: 2 divisions (composed of 32 infantry battalions) on the Heigoutai side, 1 division (composed of 16 infantry battalions) on the Shendanbao side, and Mishuchenko's cavalry corps (72 cavalry companies) inserted to the left of the Japanese army. The encircled Japanese army Akiyama Yoshikobe drew on the experience of previous conflicts between China and Japan, China and Russia, and used machine guns on a large scale on the battlefield, beating the corpses of the charging Cossack cavalry all over the field.

Dashanyan attached great importance to the development and change of the battle situation, and while urgently mobilizing the 8th Division in the rear, immediately rushed to Heigoutai, he also drew troops from various fronts and formed a temporary reserve to counterattack. From January 26 to 28, the units of the western flank of the Japanese army fought bloody battles.

At dawn on January 29, the 5th Division, with a temporary reserve, attacked the enemy's positions in the northwest direction from Wicker Pass to Long Beach, in order to break through the enemy south of Heigoutai.

Once again, due to the lack of decisiveness of the commander-in-chief of Kuropatkin, a once-in-a-lifetime good fighter plane was lost. Because he feared that the Russian 2nd Army might be divided and surrounded. As a result, there was no active expansion of the results of the Heigoutai front. In particular, due to the diversionary activities of the Japanese troops deployed in the central position (mainly the 2nd Army), the sense of crisis in the front of the operation was further increased, so much so that the commander of the 2nd Army of the Russian army refused to request reinforcements several times.

As a result, not only was the attack on the Japanese troops on the Heigoutai side stopped, but the order to retreat was issued. The Japanese army survived one of its greatest crises.

The Battle of Heigoutai defeated the arrogance of the Japanese, although Dashan Iwa and the generals on the front line said that they could fight again, as long as the base camp gave enough support, they would definitely be able to annihilate the Russians in large numbers. But Ito Hirobumi had already seen the hidden dangers of Japan from this battle.

If it is really a decisive victory like a brilliant battle, if it continues to be a war of attrition, even if the Russians can finally force the armistice to sign, then how to deal with the Chinese, whose forces have begun to swell and are faintly hostile to Japan?

Even now there are many cooperation projects between the two sides, even if the Chinese are still constantly providing arms to the Japanese, and even some in the form of credit. But a strong China, even if it does nothing, is enough to make Japan tremble.

Worried, Ito Hirobumi secretly extended an olive branch to the Russians, wanting to get at the negotiating table what he had not yet received on the battlefield. The Russians refused with great arrogance......

I have to say that although the current tsar is a little indecisive and has two ends of the first mouse, under the psychological bonus of white supremacy, he still has a kind of self-confidence in the face of yellow people. Not only did he reject the Japanese proposal to divide the Northeast equally, but he also took the matter to the newspapers and ridiculed the Japanese as "a bunch of despicable rats."

This incident has caused a great deal of passivity to Ito Hirobumi and the current Japanese cabinet, and the generals on the front line have vaguely stated that there are already many people in the military who want to perform the "heavenly punishment" with Japanese characteristics.

Ito Hirobumi scoffed at the so-called heavenly punishment, but he could not but take the reply of the Russians seriously. After receiving a reply from the Russians, he pondered in his room for several days and finally made a difficult decision.