Chapter 183: Ambushed
April 13, 1904, marked the 36th day since Vice Admiral Makarov took command of the Pacific Fleet.
In just over a month, Admiral Makarov had managed the fleet admirably. He launched numerous mine-laying missions that effectively disrupted the island nation's transport lines between the Korean Peninsula and the Far East, significantly relieving pressure on the Pacific Fleet stationed at Port Arthur.
To the fleet, this day seemed like any other. Under Makarov's orders, two cruisers departed from Port Arthur to harass enemy supply routes and laid mines in a specific region before returning successfully to port.
Makarov was in a particularly good mood. The minefield these cruisers had established was in the very area where he planned to engage the island nation's navy in a future decisive battle.
Laying the groundwork in advance, he believed, might allow these mines to deal the enemy a heavy blow when the time came.
Just as Makarov was preparing to receive reports from two destroyers, a subordinate rushed in with urgent news: several ships from the island nation were aggressively pursuing two of Russia's cruisers, and one had already taken damage. They were sending an emergency request for reinforcements.
As a famed naval commander of the Russian Empire, Makarov naturally had a fiery temper—after all, he had never hesitated to criticize naval authorities openly.
On his order, he personally led two battleships and four cruisers to provide support.
As he prepared to board the battleship Petropavlovsk, he suddenly reconsidered and ordered Vice Admiral Witgeft, the fleet's chief of staff, to lead the advance force instead. Makarov himself stayed back to assemble the entire main fleet at Port Arthur, in case the island nation had hidden their main force in ambush.
Since all preparations were essentially complete, Makarov had no objection to initiating a decisive naval battle now.
Over the past month, the Pacific Fleet had laid more than a dozen minefields. These zones were now perfectly primed to become the graveyards of the island nation's Combined Fleet.
It's worth noting that Vice Admiral Witgeft was Makarov's designated successor as commander of the Pacific Fleet.
However, once he officially took command after Makarov, Witgeft adopted a far more conservative approach, which ultimately led to the Pacific Fleet losing its edge against the island nation's navy.
The two Russian cruisers under threat were not far from Port Arthur. Witgeft's advance force quickly arrived at the battlefield.
The attackers were from the island nation's Second Fleet, which consisted of one battleship and three cruisers.
That explained why the two Russian cruisers were overwhelmed and had called for help. A cruiser, after all, stood little chance against a battleship—especially when backed by additional cruisers.
The Russian Empire had always viewed the island nation, now a rising rival, with hostility. The sneak attack that started the war only deepened Russian contempt for an enemy that disregarded international norms.
And so, when enemies meet, sparks fly. Upon sighting the island nation's Second Fleet, the Russian ships needed no orders—Witgeft's advance force immediately opened fire, unleashing a storm of shells at the enemy vessels.
The tide of battle turned instantly. Russia now had two battleships and six cruisers on the field, while the Second Fleet had only one battleship and three cruisers—a stark numerical disadvantage.
The Second Fleet was routed, fleeing in disarray.
Witgeft was overjoyed. He believed this would be their first true victory of the war and promptly ordered all ships to give chase in hopes of completely annihilating the enemy.
But intoxicated by the scent of victory, Witgeft failed to notice anything unusual about the Second Fleet's behavior—nor that his advance force was gradually pulling far away from Port Arthur.
After about ten minutes of pursuit, Witgeft finally sensed something amiss and ordered the fleet to slow down.
In terms of speed, many of Russia's warships had already been in service for years—some over a decade.
Meanwhile, the island nation's ships were mostly modern, less than ten years old, and generally faster.
Yet the retreating enemy fleet somehow maintained a strange balance: never drawing so close that Russia could fire, but never fleeing so far that they were out of sight and could be abandoned.
All signs now pointed to a deliberate baiting maneuver. What had seemed like a victorious pursuit now looked more like a trap.
"How long has it been since we departed from Port Arthur?" Witgeft asked, his expression grim.
"A little over an hour, General," a subordinate replied.
Witgeft's heart sank. At normal fleet speed, the main force should have already caught up—especially since the advance group had spent time engaging the enemy.
"This is a trap! Reverse course immediately and return to Port Arthur! The enemy has likely set up an ambush ahead!" Witgeft ordered without hesitation.
During the island nation's earlier surprise attack, two of Russia's battleships—the Tsarevich and the Petropavlovsk—had sustained serious damage.
If the two battleships under Witgeft's command now suffered similar damage from an ambush, the Pacific Fleet's operational battleship count would drop to four.
In such a scenario, Russia would have no naval advantage—indeed, they would fall into serious disadvantage against the island fleet.
The loss would be intolerable. Without even a slim edge at sea, Russia would be left far more vulnerable on land.
Forget firepower and combat effectiveness—just in terms of numbers, Russia's Far Eastern army of less than 100,000 men was no match for the island nation's forces.
The Russian Empire's core military strength was in Europe. Its presence in the Far East—both in troop numbers and stationing—was relatively weak.
Moreover, with the Trans-Siberian Railway still incomplete, any loss in the Far East would come at a logistical cost several times higher than what the island nation had to bear.
(End of Chapter)
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