The battle had already been raging for several hours.
Thick smoke hung over the plain. Sometimes the wind pushed it aside, revealing for a moment the grey shapes of Russian trenches and the dark figures of Japanese soldiers slowly advancing across the field.
Artillery guns fired almost without pause.
Shells tore the ground apart in front of the positions. Sandbags burst open under shrapnel. Broken boards from trench supports stuck out of the mud.
Russian soldiers fired almost continuously.
—"Ammo!"
A helper quickly passed a clip.
The infantryman loaded his rifle and rose again to the parapet.
Through the smoke the Japanese soldiers were visible.
They moved forward in short rushes.
They dropped to the ground.
Fired.
Then rose again and ran forward.
A Russian artillery battery on the left fired again.
Several heavy shells passed over the trenches and exploded among the advancing troops.
Columns of dirt rose into the air.
But the Japanese infantry kept moving.
Slyvynskyi lowered his binoculars.
He looked to the right.
Something was going wrong there.
At first only a few Russian soldiers climbed out of their trenches.
Then small groups.
Then entire clusters of men began running down the slope toward the rear positions.
Slyvynskyi raised the binoculars again.
Now it was clear.
Between two sections of the defense a gap had appeared.
Japanese soldiers were already moving toward it.
Slyvynskyi muttered quietly:
—"Damn…"
The sergeant beside him asked:
—"What is it?"
Slyvynskyi pointed with his saber.
—"They're breaking through."
Bullets struck the sandbags.
Dirt slid down into the trench.
One of the soldiers ducked sharply.
—"They're getting closer!"
Slyvynskyi replied calmly:
—"Move the machine gun to the right flank."
—"Yes, sir."
The machine-gun crew dragged the heavy weapon through the mud along the trench.
The metal legs scraped against the frozen earth.
Bullets continued striking the parapet.
Slyvynskyi raised the binoculars again.
There were more Japanese soldiers now.
Behind the first line another line appeared.
And behind it another.
—"That's already a division."
The sergeant gave a grim smile.
—"Then today will be interesting."
Slyvynskyi did not answer.
He could see Russian infantry farther to the right retreating faster now.
If the Japanese advanced a little farther they would reach the rear of the Russian position.
He turned back to the men.
—"Hold the defense!"
Russian rifles fired again.
Smoke from the gunpowder began filling the trench.
Several soldiers coughed.
A young infantryman stood up to fire again.
A bullet struck him instantly.
He fell backward into the trench.
A medic crawled toward him.
—"Is he alive?"
The soldier only gasped.
The machine gun opened fire again.
—"Barrel's overheating!" the gunner shouted.
—"Change it!"
The assistant quickly pulled the hot barrel out with a cloth and replaced it with another.
The weapon began firing again.
But the Japanese soldiers continued advancing.
Farther along the right sector the Russian positions were already beginning to collapse.
At first only a few soldiers left their trenches.
Then dozens.
Japanese artillery shells began landing closer to the defensive line.
One shell exploded beside a trench.
Earth and wooden boards flew into the air.
Several soldiers turned and looked behind them.
—"Fall back!"
—"Back!"
A few men climbed out of the trench and began running down the slope.
A Russian infantry captain jumped from cover and drew his revolver.
—"Stop!"
He climbed onto the parapet.
—"Back into the trenches!"
Several soldiers hesitated.
One shouted:
—"They're already on the right!"
The captain looked.
Through the smoke Japanese soldiers were already climbing the nearby hill.
They were firing down toward the Russian positions.
The captain raised the revolver again.
—"Back into the trench! Hold the defense!"
At that moment a shell exploded nearby.
The shockwave knocked him to the ground.
Dirt collapsed into the trench.
The captain tried to stand.
Blood was already running down his sleeve.
The soldiers around him froze for a moment.
Then a sergeant shouted:
—"Help him up!"
Two soldiers grabbed the captain and dragged him down the trench.
But at that same moment Japanese soldiers appeared on the crest of the hill.
Their rifles fired downward into the Russian position.
Several soldiers immediately ran.
One dropped his rifle and fled down the slope.
Another followed.
Within seconds panic began spreading.
The sergeant cursed loudly.
—"Back to the second position!"
Now the retreat spread rapidly.
Russian infantry moved down the slope under fire.
Some tried to stop and fire back.
Others simply ran.
Medics carried wounded soldiers on blankets.
An ammunition wagon overturned on the road.
The horses broke free from their harnesses and ran wildly across the field.
Behind them the artillery continued firing.
The right flank was collapsing.
Several kilometers behind the front line stood Skoropadsky's cavalry regiment.
The cavalry waited in a low valley behind a line of hills.
From there only smoke and distant flashes of explosions were visible.
The horses shifted nervously.
The soldiers were silent.
Everyone listened to the thunder of the battle ahead.
An officer rode up to Skoropadsky.
—"The right flank is holding poorly."
Skoropadsky looked toward the smoke above the hills.
—"Which units?"
—"Infantry from the Second Division."
He nodded.
At that moment several Russian infantrymen appeared on the road coming from the front.
They moved quickly.
Some almost ran.
Their uniforms were covered with dirt and smoke.
One of them stopped near the cavalry.
—"The Japanese broke through!"
He pointed back toward the hills.
—"They're coming through the gap!"
Skoropadsky watched the road silently.
More soldiers passed them now.
Some carried wounded men between them.
Others walked with empty rifles.
The battle was moving closer.
A messenger arrived a moment later.
The horse was covered in foam.
—"Message from corps headquarters."
Skoropadsky took the paper and read it quickly.
Then folded it.
—"The Japanese are increasing their pressure."
The officer asked:
—"Are we being sent in?"
Skoropadsky shook his head.
—"Not yet."
He kept watching the hills.
The artillery fire there was growing heavier.
Then he suddenly asked:
—"Are there machine guns in the rear camp?"
The officer looked surprised.
—"Yes, Colonel."
—"How many?"
—"Six."
Skoropadsky nodded.
—"Take them."
The officer frowned.
—"Where?"
—"Mount them on wagons."
A short pause.
—"Machine guns?"
—"Yes."
Skoropadsky added calmly:
—"If the flank collapses, we'll need firepower."
The officer nodded.
—"Understood."
He turned his horse and rode toward the camp.
The thunder of battle grew louder.
Now it was not only artillery.
Long bursts of machine-gun fire could sometimes be heard.
Another messenger galloped up.
The soldier almost jumped from the saddle.
—"Colonel!"
—"Report."
—"The right sector has been broken."
The officers exchanged glances.
Skoropadsky asked calmly:
—"Where?"
The messenger pointed toward the hills.
—"Between the Second and Third Divisions."
Skoropadsky watched that direction for a moment.
Then he said:
—"Saddle the horses."
Cavalrymen tightened straps and checked carbines and ammunition.
The horses snorted nervously.
A few minutes later the officer returned.
—"The machine guns are being prepared."
Skoropadsky nodded.
—"Good."
The messenger added:
—"Our infantry is retreating."
Skoropadsky answered quietly:
—"I know."
He turned to the officers.
—"Is the regiment ready?"
—"Ready."
Skoropadsky looked at the hills once more.
Then said shortly:
—"Move."
The cavalry began climbing the slope.
The battle continued ahead.
And now Skoropadsky's regiment was riding directly toward it.
On the other side of the battlefield the Japanese command post stood on a low hill.
General Nogi Maresuke stood over a large field map.
Around him were staff officers and several divisional commanders.
One of the generals reported:
—"The Russian right flank has begun to withdraw."
Another added:
—"Our troops are advancing between their divisions."
Nogi looked at the map.
—"How long?"
An officer answered:
—"If the pressure continues, they will be surrounded within thirty minutes."
Nogi nodded slowly.
He pointed to the sector on the map.
—"Continue the advance."
Then he turned to a staff officer.
—"Send orders to Colonel Akiyama."
The officer straightened.
—"The cavalry?"
—"Yes."
Nogi said calmly:
—"When the Russians begin their withdrawal, strike and develop the breakthrough."
The officer saluted and left the command post.
Nogi looked again at the map.
Then he said quietly:
—"Today we will close this flank."