The Carnage of 203 Hill
The shells screamed overhead as we marched toward 203 Hill. The air tasted of iron and smoke.
“Goddamn it. I knew we never should’ve trusted those Japanese bastards. So what the hell does the Gando administrator expect us to do now?”
“We must avenge the military, but not yet. Since a decisive battle won’t happen immediately, Commander, please open a path for us to slip through unnoticed.”
The Russian forces, already routed at the Yalu River, had fallen back to their pre-planned defensive lines. The Japanese army was effectively pinned down. They would probably still hammer 203 Hill just like in the original timeline.
“What exactly are you planning?”
“There’s no shortage of options. We need to finish those sons of bitches quickly.”
Right now, we still didn’t know that Japan had assassinated Emperor Gojong. This was the perfect moment to pretend ignorance, fight alongside them, and then stab them in the back. We would shatter Japan’s fantasy of delivering a knockout blow to Russia in Manchuria and forcing a separate peace.
“How exactly do you intend to finish them?”
“How is the war situation?”
“The Japanese seem to hold the advantage. The Russians are holding their defenses, but several forts have fallen. After the Battle of Nanshan, Nogi’s army has surged toward the heights of Port Arthur.”
So the Battle of Nanshan had played out exactly as in the original history. There might have been strategic reasons, but it all pointed to one inevitable climax at 203 Hill. Their naval surprise attack hadn’t gone nearly as well as they’d hoped, so they were probably desperate to seize the harbor at least. Which meant they’d throw everything at 203 Hill in one massive showdown.
“Are there no Korean troops heading there?”
“They’re scheduled to move out soon. Why?”
Of course. Typical Japanese thinking. The sector with the heaviest fighting was exactly where they’d shove the Koreans to bleed them dry. Sacrifice Korean lives at 203 Hill instead of their own.
“That cannot happen. If they go there, they’ll all die.”
203 Hill was almost certainly better fortified than in the original timeline. What did that mean? The already inferior Korean Imperial Army would be walking straight into a meat grinder. A literal Korean barbecue party on that slope.
“Do you have some kind of plan? If you share your operational outline with us, we’ll cooperate.”
Cooperation wasn’t necessary. We were going to fight this our own way anyway. The only proper response to a surprise attack was another surprise attack.
“If you simply open the route, the Sapodae will strike their rear. This is the perfect opportunity while they still believe we know nothing.”
We would hit the Japanese from behind with cavalry at 203 Hill. Even in the original history, the Japanese had suffered catastrophic losses there despite winning. This time, I would make sure they didn’t even get a victory. I had no intention of letting them climb over a mountain of corpses to triumph.
“How many troops do you have?”
“Thirty thousand. We’ll take care of the Japanese on the heights first, so please look for an opening, Your Excellency.”
I didn’t know how strong Bak Seung-hwan’s forces were, but they had decent numbers. It would be perfect if we could pretend to send our eighty thousand troops toward 203 Hill while actually pulling back. The only question was who would stab the other in the back first—Japan or Korea. One of us was going to do it.
“Can you win?”
“We have to.”
Asking if we could win was a stupid question. This was something we simply had to accomplish. Only by doing so could we keep the Japanese from daring to set foot in Korea for a long time.
The initial Japanese naval surprise attack had failed, but that didn’t mean Russia held a clear advantage. The gap in Britain’s latest rangefinders was enormous. Having failed only the first ambush, Japan would undoubtedly try to end things before the Russian Baltic Fleet arrived. To do that, they had to destroy Port Arthur. And to do that, they had to take 203 Hill.
In truth, the Russian homeland had trusted Ok Jin-seo’s words. The local commanders, however, were a different story. Almost no one in the Far East Army knew anything about her, so they saw no reason to believe the words of some random woman.
“How can we possibly trust what that Korean woman says?”
“His Majesty the Tsar does not understand the local situation. Therefore, we must fight those monkey bastards in our own way according to our on-site discretion.”
Besides, she wasn’t even Russian—she was from an enemy nation. They couldn’t possibly risk the war over Manchuria on her word alone. And so, two years after it began, the Russo-Japanese War unfolded almost exactly as in the original history.
At least the fleet they had babied was safely preserved, but they still suffered several defeats. Although their overall strength had been reinforced compared to the original timeline, they lost at the Yalu River and the Battle of Nanshan. Part of it was because Japan had allied with the Korean Empire, but the decisive factor was the Tsar’s order to prioritize defense. Once they began to be pushed back, they conducted an orderly withdrawal.
Yet there were also completely ruined battles. In particular, during the Battle of Nanshan, Alexander Fok failed to support Nikolai Tretyakov and pulled back, allowing Tretyakov to fight desperately just as in the original history before ultimately being defeated.
Still, as previously mentioned, Russia’s basic strategy remained defensive. Several defeats led to them blocking Japanese attacks and withdrawing safely, just like the original timeline. As a result, the Japanese were practically walking into positions without shedding blood.
And so, just as in the original history, the Battle of 203 Hill erupted.
The 203 Hill that was far better prepared for defense than in the original timeline was now under assault by the army led by Nogi Maresuke and Kodama Gentaro. The Russian side was defended by Lieutenant General Anatoly Stessel and Major General Roman Kondratenko.
Lieutenant General Nogi Maresuke hurled fifty-one thousand men at 203 Hill.
“Fuck, is this really the plan?”
“What are you all doing?! Show those white Russian bastards the spirit of the Imperial Army!”
“Uwaaaaagh! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
At their officers’ commands, the Japanese soldiers focused solely on climbing the heights. On top of the hill, machine guns waited for them.
The Russian troops watched the Japanese swarm upward like madmen and could only shake their heads. These people were clearly not sane.
“The Nippon bastards really aren’t normal.”
“Just kill every last one that comes! Remind them that Nippon trash can never defeat us!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Every time the Japanese tried to ascend, the machine guns spat fire, turning them from soldiers into nothing but lumps of meat. It was a one-sided massacre. The hill became drenched in Japanese blood, and Nogi Maresuke grew increasingly frantic.
The navy still hadn’t produced proper results. If they couldn’t take this hill, they would never capture Port Arthur. Above all, with the Korean Emperor now dead, the peninsula was supposedly boiling with righteous armies. They had to end the Manchurian campaign as quickly as possible.
‘Was this even possible from the start?’
The plan had shattered the moment the Korean Emperor died. He didn’t know if the Imperial General Headquarters understood the situation here, but from what he’d heard, Kuroki’s army was tied down in Korea and couldn’t move an inch. They had secured the Crown Prince, but unless they dealt with the righteous armies rising up to avenge the Emperor, this war was over.
They could simply withdraw to Korea as things stood. But at the very least, they needed one victory worthy of the name against Russia to save face.
Unfortunately, no matter how the Imperial Army attacked, those Russian bastards would only defend moderately before withdrawing. They had repelled the Russians at the Yalu River engagement and Nanshan, yet none of the victories felt truly decisive. Would Britain really sit idly by after their ally’s emperor had been killed?
The Imperial General Headquarters had urged them to secure a decisive victory before Britain intervened. But that was easier said than done. The Russian army was already stronger than the Imperial Army. And now those Russians were simply losing a couple of times before switching entirely to defense. It was driving them insane.
“Still haven’t taken it?”
“That is correct.”
“Damn it. If we stay tied down here, it’ll be trouble.”
They could overlook Korea for now since their main forces were all in Manchuria. But if they suffered this many casualties just trying to take one hill, what was the point? The death toll had already climbed into the thousands. At this rate, the war would end before they even crested the heights.
At the Japanese Prime Minister’s official residence in Tokyo, British Ambassador to Japan MacDonald could no longer hold back. Because these insane monkeys had killed their ally’s emperor, the prestige of the British Empire that had formed an alliance with them had sunk beneath the waves.
He had done his best to pretend information traveled slowly and bought as much time as possible. He spent every day lodging protests with Japan to stall. Yet during that time, the Japanese military’s performance had been utterly pathetic.
The Baltic Fleet was leisurely making its way to the Far East with French support. The Japanese navy had failed to secure clear superiority. And on land? At first glance they seemed unstoppable, but they hadn’t achieved a single truly decisive victory. If anything, Japan had suffered greater losses.
Considering the difference in population and national power between Russia and Japan, even trading equal casualties would have been insufficient. Instead, Japan’s losses were heavier. The signs of Japanese defeat were already clear.
Britain needed to make a decision soon. Today once again, MacDonald visited the Prime Minister’s residence and unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse at Katsura Taro.
“Let me be clear in advance. We can overlook this war and observe at most a hundred times, but the British Empire can provide no further support in this conflict.”
“Please, isn’t there any way?”
Any way? He should choose his words more carefully. The mere fact that the British Empire had waited this long already constituted every possible mercy.
“Then bring us some kind of victory! How long do you plan to dawdle? And what exactly are you going to do about the Korean army in Manchuria? At this rate, we will have no choice but to reconsider our position.”
“Reconsider? What do you mean by that?”
“We will administer Korea directly. Perhaps Japan should simply remain on your islands?”
Britain was saying they would administer Joseon themselves. The meaning was obvious. Since you monkeys are busy assassinating your ally’s emperor during wartime, your ability to conduct this war is questionable. Therefore, Britain will intervene directly in the peninsula and mediate peace with Russia.
Yes, that was possible. They would return to the pre-war situation, only now the Korean peninsula would pass from Russia to Britain. But if that happened, the entire cabinet would have to commit seppuku—or be forced to by an enraged public.
“We will definitely deliver results. Please give our Empire one more chance.”
Prime Minister Katsura Taro bowed deeply to a mere ambassador. After MacDonald left, Katsura, who had been thoroughly berated, hurled a report about the Korean situation at Army Minister Terauchi and roared.
“What the hell has the Army Minister been doing?! If righteous armies rise up in Joseon now it will be disastrous, and yet you’ve done something so insane as to send eighty thousand Korean troops to Manchuria?!”
“I am sorry, Your Excellency. However, as long as the Korean Crown Prince remains a hostage, the righteous armies in Joseon will not be able to act aggressively. Please trust us and wait.”
“The Emperor is dead. Do you not understand why Britain is pressing us so hard? While we waste time like this, they want us to at least land one solid blow on Russia!”
They were saying they could no longer side with Japan. This meant the end of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. America had already suspended bond purchases. What choice did they have?
“We plan to mobilize the Korean troops for the Siege of Port Arthur, inflict maximum damage, occupy it, and then engage the Russian bastards in a decisive battle.”
“What about the Korean army in Manchuria? Those Sapodae bastards?”
“They are merely an army commanded by a bitch. They’re so afraid of actual combat that they’ve holed up in Fengtian. There will be no problem.”
Judging by how they had stayed cooped up in Fengtian all this time, they were clearly terrified. Even if that woman dragged her army out, it wouldn’t amount to much. A heroine of the age? She was probably just a rumor that had been blown out of proportion.
“Then hurry up and produce results by any means necessary! We must at least create an outcome that returns us to the pre-war situation so that Britain will at least mediate!”
They had already lost all prestige by killing the Korean Emperor. Every foreign legation knew it, leaving them unable to act. If they ended up facing a joint Korean-Russian offensive, it would truly be the end.
“I will keep it in mind.”
“Listen well. In this war, if we cannot at least secure favorable peace terms, we will all have to commit seppuku. So we must protect our lives at all costs!”
There wasn’t much time left. They could still try once more. The Imperial Army had not yet lost to the Russians, who only defended. If they could land one decisive blow, it might be worth one final attempt.