Chapter 488: Lushun Offensive and Defensive Battle
One week after Russia and Italy signed the ship purchase contract, a large number of Russian naval officers and soldiers rushed to Italy on ships. They will receive fifteen days of training here and then set off on their own warships.
After some contact with them, the Italian naval officers and soldiers who trained them discovered that the quality of these Russian naval officers and soldiers was worrying. Many of them could not even understand the equipment, and many of them were directly recruited from merchant ships.
Speaking of which, the Russian navy has a large number of officers and soldiers, but the most elite naval officers and soldiers are basically serving in the Far East. I don’t know what the Russian government thinks, but the quality of the officers and soldiers sent to receive the warships is so poor.
In addition to sending officers and soldiers to receive Italian warships, Russia is also preparing for an expedition.
The two launched Borodino-class ships No. 1 and 2, Borodino and Alexander III, must definitely be brought along.
However, considering that the number of battleships was only five, it felt a bit uninteresting, so I also brought along a group of honest battleships, including the three armored ships Oslibia, Navarin, and Sisoy. These three were all ten thousand
The ton-class battleship is a battleship built by Russia in the 1990s, but its speed is worrisome and can only reach a speed of 15-16 knots. I don’t know why the Russians brought it out.
In addition to these three battleships, the Russian Navy also checked its own assets and found some other battleships, such as the armored cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, the first-class cruiser Oleg, and the first-class cruiser Alfred
(the one that bombarded the Winter Palace)
, the first-class cruiser Donskoy, the first-class cruiser Monomakh and other 28 warships. In addition, the total tonnage reached 185,000 tons. Together with the warships purchased from Italy, this is more than 40 warships.
Fifty warships, with a total tonnage of up to 300,000 tons.
Moreover, the commander of this team has already been selected. Lieutenant General Rozhestvinsky, a favorite of the Tsar, will be in charge and will lead the team to the Far East in a month.
Yes, it's that simple and rude, because His Majesty the Great Tsar requires that the reinforcement fleet must set off in one month, so there is not much time left for these naval officers and soldiers.
After all, Russia paid such a high price to purchase these warships, so they must play their due role, so it is understandable that the Tsar was anxious.
When the Russians obtained Italian warships and began to form a reinforcement fleet, a new offensive battle was about to begin in front of the Port Arthur Fortress.
Under the leadership of their officers, the Japanese soldiers wearing the scarves that killed Cheng Ren launched a charge towards Hill 203.
Highland 203 is located on the west side of Lushun, very close to the city and the port. If the Japanese army captures this highland, it can directly attack the Russian warships in the port. This is a stronghold that cannot be lost in the Russian Lushun Fortress, so the Japanese army regards it as
The key to victory in conquering the Port Arthur Fortress.
When the Japanese army launched a tidal offensive, the Russian army stationed on the high ground was also ready. The Maxim machine gun, which was regarded as a defensive weapon, was already in place, waiting for the Japanese army to enter the range and open fire. Soon, the mountains and plains were filled with
The Japanese officers and soldiers came into sight of the defenders. As the Russian officer gave the order to fire, gunshots were fired loudly on the position, and the charging Japanese troops were continuously knocked down.
In particular, the 17 Maxim machine guns placed on the position created a hail of bullets, causing the Japanese troops who rushed over to fall in batches, turning the front of the position into a Shura field.
As the commander of the Third Army, Nogi Nogi watched the entire process of his men being shot and killed by the Russians. Unlike other officers who had expressive expressions on their faces, he continued to issue orders without changing his expression. "Let the First Division
Prepare to continue the attack. At the same time, give an order to the artillery position. The bombardment must not stop until our soldiers board the position."
Nogi Nogi's words made other officers in the Third Army headquarters look shocked, because this was too dangerous for the attacking soldiers, and the soldiers might be defeated by their own artillery fire.
"Your Excellency, Commander, please consider this carefully."
As the Chief of Staff of the Third Army, Lieutenant General Yukisuke Ichichi rarely gave advice to his chief officer.
The chief of staff, who had studied in Germany, felt that such an attack would dampen the morale of his own side. At present, the Third Army's two consecutive general attacks on Lushun have failed. This has made the officers and soldiers of the Third Army a little afraid of the Lushun Fortress. Some people privately
Calling Lushun the gate of hell, attacking Lushun is like breaking through the gate of hell. At this time, regardless of the safety of the soldiers, forcing the soldiers to die may lead to a backlash.
Faced with the advice of the Chief of Staff, Nogi Nogi shook his head and said, "There is no need to think about it. I have made my decision and ordered the artillery fire not to stop unless our army attacks the position. Otherwise, if the artillery fire stops, it will be dealt with according to military law."
Faced with Nogi Nogi's tough attitude, what other officers in the headquarters could say was all they could do was implement it.
So under his order, the next batch of attacking Japanese troops rushed forward. These Japanese troops faced the enemy's firepower and their own shelling and rushed towards the enemy's position with grief and anger on their faces.
More people fell to the ground along the way, and the losses were even greater.
"Very good, continue the attack, the artillery is not allowed to stop."
Nogi Nogi, who was observing the battle situation with a telescope, finally had an moved expression when he saw the situation on the battlefield. He was looking at the garrison positions. Under this desperate attack, the casualties of the Russian positions were increasing. After all, these Russians
Officers and soldiers need to resist the day in position
Therefore, we must stay exposed to the attack of the Japanese army. At this time, the casualties will definitely be greater than before. But no matter what, the greater casualties from the artillery attack must be the Japanese army, because they are the attackers and have no cover.
One shot resulted in at least several casualties.
However, although the Russian army suffered many casualties, the Japanese army suffered greater losses.
When night falls, both parties are licking their wounds. Of course, they still have the necessary vigilance, because they also know whether the other party wants to take advantage of the night to give them a hard blow.
After returning to the headquarters, Nogi Nogi left the staff officers to make plans for tomorrow, and pulled Yukisuke Ichichi to another room.
"Chief of Staff, this time I will refute your opinion in person. Don't take it to heart. I must maintain the authority of the chief officer."
Nogi Nogi entered the room and apologized to Ijichi Yusuke.
"I'm not ashamed of myself. I also understand the commander's mood at that time. It's me, Meng Lang."
After exposing the previous minor problem, Nogi Nogi sighed and said, "Port Arthur Fortress is too difficult to defeat. I hope that the Qing army we face can win without a fight."
Of course Ichichi Kosuke knows what his chief officer means. He and Nogi Nogi are under great pressure since this tough battle. The government has urged it several times, and the United Fleet, Togo has also come to visit. Even Manchuria
At the military headquarters, Commander Marshal Dashanyan personally asked him if he needed help.
These words conveyed only one meaning, which was to capture the strategic point of Port Arthur as soon as possible. Especially after learning that Russia had purchased Italian warships, he became more concerned.
How can this not put the Third Army under tremendous pressure? You must know that the Third Army wants people and things. Even with such heavy casualties, the base camp did not say a word. What they want is the Third Army.
Capture Port Arthur as soon as possible. One can imagine how much pressure the two of them are under.
"I plan to submit my resignation to His Majesty if this general offensive fails again. I have failed to live up to His Majesty's expectations."
Nogi Nogi suddenly said this. In fact, he has been under tremendous pressure since the battle of Lushun. On the one hand, Lushun has not been conquered for a long time, and secondly, because of the huge casualties caused by the battle. These two mountains have been weighing him down.
I was out of breath, and when I saw the casualty report today, I had the idea of resigning. Calculating that the Third Army has paid 46,000 casualties so far, but Lushun is still firmly in the hands of the Russians.
It's so damaging to people's confidence.
His words shocked Ichichi Yusuke, and the chief of staff said quickly, "Commander, this is very inappropriate. It is extremely irresponsible to resign at this time. It is a breach of His Majesty's trust, and it will also
I hope Your Majesty will think twice about giving you the reputation of being ignorant of people."
Seeing that his Chief of Staff never left the Emperor and was loyal to him, Nogi Nogi hesitated again. It didn't matter that he died to apologize, but it was not okay to injure His Majesty the Emperor.
"Then let's continue fighting first and let's not talk about resignation."
After seeing that the idea of resigning as chief officer was dismissed, Ijichi Yusuke also breathed a sigh of relief. If Nogi Nogi resigned, he could also be said to be incompetent as the chief of staff, which is unacceptable.
Thinking of this, he looked at the Lushun Fortress in the darkness. What method should he use to break through the enemy's position?
