Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Even Ōyama Iwao, Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, watching the war situation while modifying war plans from afar, wasn't just spectating.

The last active duty division remaining in the mainland, 7th Division, joined.

3rd Army commander replaced with Kodama Gentarō, who was chief of staff.

Complete grasp of fortress structure through continued engagement.

Most artificial structures in front of fortress destroyed.

The 4th general offensive was a plan executed under the conclusion that it was somewhat possible to capture, not just a desperate struggle.

Although the two battleships that were supposed to conduct a refreshing fire battle from the sea side sank like idiots, Yamagata still thought this offensive was worth trying.

"Port Arthur fortress is vulnerable on the northwest! Turn the 7th Division that way!"

"We just need to break through one spot!"

"If we can't break through this time, we'll have no shells or bullets left! Break through no matter what!"

If they can't break through this time, the army will have to pull back the front line and maybe fight a defensive battle at the Yalu River this time.

Probably even before properly fighting a defensive battle, the homeland will abandon Korea just because of war expenses.

So, it has to be done here.

Perhaps Yamagata's wholehearted command worked. The northwest side where not even proper bricks remained could finally be breached after melting away 4,000 men per day for 10 days.

"Now that damn fortress is gone!"

"The enemy is a rat in a trap!"

"Everyone charge! Tennō Heika Banzai!"

The Russian army that would occasionally counterattack to retake territory when the enemy reached their lines wouldn't be able to counterattack this time.

Thinking this, Yamagata's command baton directed all forces toward the northwest of the fortress.

Like water bursting through a hole in a dam unable to withstand the pressure. Japanese forces pour into Port Arthur fortress.

As expected, there were no medieval inner castle-like structures inside. Now the enemy must face numerical inferiority without fortifications.

The Japanese army commanders, thinking this, finally rushed forward with bloodshot eyes, enchanted by the sweetness of victory.

However, when they actually entered the fortress, they saw something different in front of them, though no fortifications were visible.

"...What is that."

"A, a mountain?"

Too small to be called a mountain, but clearly sandbags were piled up and the enemy stood on top.

The Japanese forces that had hopefully entered the fortress had to stop momentarily seeing the earthen hill before them.

To repeat, there is no fortress. No barbed wire either. But somehow there is an enemy defense line.

On top of a hill at that.

203 Meter Hill.

203 meters above sea level. 666 feet. The steepest terrain in Port Arthur.

"Come on up, you vermin!"

"Idiots, got excited?"

"Second round starts now!"

That's right. The fortress hasn't been breached yet. It just shrunk from a 39km fortress to a 29km fortress. Explore more adventures at empiren/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As the defensive positions gradually lost their function, Roman simply abandoned part of the fortress.

"Ah..."

"We... we have to break through there?"

Gun emplacements were already perfectly lined up, and though not visible, surely machine guns were installed between them as they had been until now.

203 Meter Hill had no walls. No iron fence. No moat.

But just running up that hill with a gun was insanely difficult to begin with.

Roman, watching from the hilltop as the enemy that had eagerly poured in from the north momentarily hesitated, muttered quietly.

"If fortress warfare is over, now let's start hill warfare."

The Port Arthur fortress he built hadn't fallen yet.

==

Could there be a more honest military force than the navy?

"Five rounds, loading complete!"

"First round, fire!"

BOOM-

"Fire! No issues!"

"Second round, fire!"

"Fire!"

Main gun caliber. Ship displacement. Ship speed and turning radius. Number of ships. Number of secondary guns. Gun range and so on.

Everything becomes quantified as combat power from the moment a ship goes on the dock, and these numbers come together to form a fleet.

Therefore, barring major anomalies or new weapons being added, creating variables in battle between two fleets is nearly impossible.

Especially on a clear day with calm seas.

"Enemy small boats approaching!"

"Machine gunners ready!"

"Fire as ready!"

"Fire!"

An era when no country had yet introduced submarines. The decisive battle between the Far Eastern Fleet and Combined Fleet was predetermined the moment they faced each other in the East Sea.

Far Eastern Fleet: 15 battleships, 15 cruisers, 9 destroyers.

Combined Fleet: 2 battleships, 23 cruisers, 15 destroyers.

There were also 17 gunboats and 10 torpedo boats for the Far Eastern Fleet, or numerous small escort ships for the Combined Fleet, but they couldn't join the battle of big ships.

"Only two enemy battleships? You're saying they only had four in total!"

"Their cruisers and destroyers are also slightly fewer than we anticipated. It seems they must have others elsewhere for minimal escort or defense."

"Then we can consider this the enemy navy's maximum strength."

Though the Dreadnought era hadn't arrived yet and most battleships didn't exceed 7,000 tons, Admiral Romen was confident of victory seeing the enemy that had only filled numbers.

Though it was an era without U-boats attacking one-sidedly from underwater, fast boats drawing attention with hit-and-run tactics, or 16-inch main guns and shells exceeding 1 ton.

Romen could instinctively tell.

The difference in battleships that could never be overcome by simple numbers.

The outdated level of the enemy fleet just entering the battleship era.

The deck that seemed about to overflow like food piled too high on a plate as they tried to somehow mount large caliber guns on those 3,000 ton displacement ships told him.

"Enemy destroyers can't penetrate battleships! They're slow too, so we maneuver first!"

If they can't penetrate battleship armor despite mounting huge guns without knowing their place.

'They need to be crossed!'

The so-called T-crossing.

When meeting the enemy in a T formation first, the enemy can only use their forward main guns while the ships that moved first to position can fire all guns from their broadside.

The ships led by Admiral Romen maneuvered to face the enemy in a T formation, even ignoring attacks from enemy destroyers to approach.

Many ships sank in the process, but most battleships didn't fall so easily.

And if you take hits deliberately to get into position.

"All fleet pour it on!"

Now it's time for those who were happily hitting to move.

Though we approached, engagement distance still exceeds 5km. Meaning even firing shells with forward main guns, hit rate can't be very high.

The Combined Fleet belatedly tried to maneuver again to form a reverse T against the Far Eastern Fleet.

The problem was that unlike the Far Eastern Fleet, they lacked armor to withstand battleship main guns.

Even the great British Empire didn't yet know in detail about the power difference between battleships and non-battleships in naval battles.

But Admiral Romen realized as he continued today's engagement.

Battleships.

An era is coming when on the sea, everything whether destroyer or cruiser becomes trash, and only battleships are recognized as combat power.

Today's naval battle would prove this.

June 5, 1904.

The Combined Fleet would now inherit the original fate of the Baltic Fleet.