“This is going to be a war on a large scale after all,” observed Gilbert, as he watched some new regiments coming in. “We must have forty or fifty thousand men here already.”
“The Japanese realize that they have no small nation to deal with,” answered another officer, who stood near. “They know that Russia can put as large an army in the field as any country in the world.”
“There is going to be a hard fight when it comes to crossing the Yalu,” put in Ben. “I’ll wager the Russians will contest every inch of the way,” and in that surmise he was correct.
After the enemy had been driven to the northern bank of the stream, General Kuroki planted his left flank near the mouth of the Yalu, and spread out his right to a distance of almost twenty-five miles up the stream. Heavy artillery was brought up and located where it was thought it could do the most good (or rather, the most damage), and many advantageous positions were strongly fortified. In addition materials for pontoon bridges were also carried forward, so that at the proper moment there would be no delay in getting across the Yalu—all providing the Russians would permit such a move.
While such work was going forward on the Japanese side the enemy was equally busy, hurrying soldiers to the scene, and bringing up guns just as heavy as their opponents. It is estimated that the Russians had about thirty thousand men in the vicinity of the Yalu. A large force was stationed at Antung and another at Yung-tien, and troops were also located as far to the northeast as Kuantien. The Korean road and gate were particularly well guarded, and spies were sent out constantly to inform the Russian commanders when an attack might be expected. But the Japanese, well known for their secrecy, kept their plans to themselves, so that, finally, the opening of the great battle of the Yalu came to the Russians largely in the nature of a surprise.
CHAPTER XX
THE SINKING OF THE “PETROPAVLOVSKI”
While the Japanese troops in Korea were preparing to attack the Russians at the Yalu River news came to the front of the destruction of a large warship stationed in Port Arthur harbor.
This was the Russian battleship Petropavlovski, the flagship of Admiral Makaroff. She was one of the largest ships in the Russian navy and carried between seven hundred and eight hundred men.
The destruction of this magnificent vessel came about in rather a peculiar manner. For a long while the Russian fleet had remained in the harbor at Port Arthur, refusing to come out and fight the Japanese fleet on the high seas, away from the protection of the land batteries.
As a ruse the Japanese admiral sent forward, one misty morning, a small squadron of fighting ships of the second class, which began a vigorous but rather useless bombardment. In the meantime the big Japanese battleships kept entirely out of sight.