Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Pitched Battle:

When armies from both sides fight concentrated in a specific area without distinction between offense and defense.

As a representative example of a pitched battle, there’s Napoleon’s Battle of Waterloo.

Reserves. Cavalry. Regular corps. The Battle of Waterloo was truly an excellent pitched battle where all branches within became chess pieces.

In this battle, which is like a naval fleet battle occurring on land, there is one rule that must never be forgotten.

You must never, ever retreat.

From the classical era’s Battle of Cannae to the Battle of Isandlwana just 35 years ago.

Regardless of era, in this battle pattern where both sides push their power-versus-power structure to the extreme to face the outcome, you must never show your back.

If I can kill the enemy, it’s a distance where the enemy can kill me too.

It’s an extreme battle method where both sides accept casualties to kill the other.

On the other hand, whether medium cavalry, artillery, or machine guns, if you show your back you can never kill the enemy.

So, you must absolutely never retreat.

Of course, you can flee right before battle or immediately after it begins.

Naturally since pitched battles occur on open ground, it’s difficult to shake off enemy pursuit and massive casualties will occur in the process, but.

Oh, but what if our forces’ accumulated casualties pushed back the front line?

The front line isn’t just pushed back but broken, and the enemy pushes in through the collapsed formation?

Despite no ambushes or encirclement attacks in a pitched battle, we fell for the enemy’s deception, feints, and strengths? Stay tuned for updates on empire

What happens if you retreat in a pitched battle that started like this?

"S-save me! I don’t want to die!"

"Die!"

"Just kill them! We can’t let fleeing enemies live!"

First, surrender won’t be accepted in the middle of the battlefield.

If they’re nice, they might accept surrender from those lucky enough to survive until the end of battle.

"Light machine gun reloading complete!"

"Dare to show your back? Let them have it!"

Ratatatatata

Naturally it’s difficult to flee even if you run for your life.

Because the enemy is also running while shouting for their feet to kill you.

Finally.

"...Not sure whether to call it a splendid sight since we’re winning or hell from a human perspective."

"General Fock, if there’s another place where human life is this worthless, it would be here."

"I agree."

A pitched battle once begun. Must absolutely produce a result.

There is no ambiguity in pitched battles. Win or lose. Or both die completely leaving nothing behind.

Yamagata’s 1st and 2nd Armies had no will to advance north, no endlessly replenished reserves, no supplies to properly engage the enemy, nothing remained.

Though they tried to maintain the front line or slowly withdraw with some hope for ongoing negotiations in the homeland, Dukhovskoy answered with a fair pitched battle.

Preventing even one bastard from crossing the Yalu River alive.

If that was the goal of this pitched battle, then Dukhovskoy essentially fulfilled his duty as Commander-in-Chief.

The Manchurian Pitched Battle.

Russian Army: Regrouped Siberian 1st and 2nd Corps annihilated. 4th and 5th Corps in good condition. Many casualties among 5 Far Eastern Army divisions.

Japanese Army: 1st Army annihilated, 2nd Army annihilated.

A battlefield with 1:2.6 casualty ratio.

Considering the Battle of Waterloo’s casualty ratio was roughly 1:1.6 excluding surrenders, this was clearly a great victory.

Nevertheless, Russian Army casualties were enormous.

"Aaaaargh!"

"Save me! Save me!"

"Cut off the leg! It’ll rot if we don’t cut it!"

"Hot iron! Heat the iron and cauterize it!"

Sizzle

"K-kill... me..."

But Japanese Army casualties reached a level where they couldn’t even scream. Because the dead cannot open their mouths.

General Yamagata retreated the front line again like fleeing after the Manchurian pitched battle ended.

War funds running out in the homeland making conducting war impossible?

Here now there was no strength left to face the enemy with no troops, ammunition, supplies, or will remaining.

Another army waiting for him.

"Enemy’s here! The enemy’s here!"

"They’re here? We’ve been waiting."

"Alright, Yalu River Battle Season 2 begins!"

"Well if you’d died at the Yalu River last time you wouldn’t be in danger of dying today!"

It was Roman’s army that had departed Port Arthur first with naval help and occupied the Yalu River downstream Sinuiju area waiting for him.

In front, General Roman enthusiastically welcomes him asking if he walked here to die.

Behind, Commander-in-Chief Dukhovskoy’s main force chases to kill while pushing down the front line unstoppably.

"Ah..."

Yamagata somewhat understood why former 1st Army Commander Tamemoto caused a seppuku commotion while trying to capture Port Arthur fortress.

He caused that fuss saying he would commit seppuku because there was no choice but death.

That’s exactly how Yamagata felt now.

He wanted to commit seppuku.

"Huh? Aren’t those machine gun positions?"

"G-general! Sandbags visible at the Yalu River!"

"Seems the enemy hastily constructed defensive positions!"

Truly.

==

Great victory in Manchuria.

And another victory achieved at the Yalu River through another quick landing operation.

For Britain and America still racking their brains over how to make Russia accept Japan’s armistice negotiations, it was news making them completely wash their hands of it, and for Imperial Headquarters, it was successive defeat news arriving without breathing room.

"Lost again!"

"Y-your Majesty!"

"Prime Minister Itō! I entrusted this war only believing in my ministers! Because you all asked just to believe, I placed the nation’s fate in your hands!"

"I am ashamed..."

"Tch, tell me truthfully. Can we win like this?"

No matter how much the world changed with the Meiji Restoration, ideologically the Japanese Empire is ruled by the Emperor.

At Emperor Mutsuhito’s thundering, Itō had to bow his head and answer.

"...There is no way to win anymore."

At Itō’s barely uttered answer, the Emperor continued berating him without rest while the old minister could only keep bowing repeatedly.

Perhaps a general who loses a war can be used again, but a prime minister who starts a war cannot be reused?

[Imperial Headquarters’ False Announcements!]

[Did Sons of the Empire Cross a River of No Return?]

[Great Defeat in Manchuria. Continued Retreat.]