Skoropadskyi stopped his horse on the crest of the hill.
Below, between two long ridges, Russian infantry was retreating. Soldiers moved in scattered groups, sometimes stopping to fire and then falling back again.
Some carried wounded comrades. Others dragged ammunition crates, trying not to abandon them on the road.
The road itself was already filling with chaos — supply wagons, infantry columns, and stretcher teams moving in every direction.
Japanese troops were already appearing behind them.
Dark figures advanced steadily through the valley.
Artillery thundered somewhere farther away, but here the battle was closer and far more chaotic. Sometimes a shell screamed overhead, and a moment later the ground shook with the explosion.
An officer rode up to Skoropadskyi.
— "The Second Division is retreating."
Skoropadskyi nodded.
He studied the valley silently.
If the Japanese advanced just a little farther, the road would be cut.
The retreating units would be trapped.
Supply wagons already crowded the road — ammunition carts, medical wagons, wounded soldiers walking slowly beside them.
If the Japanese reached that road, the retreat would collapse into chaos.
He turned to the officer.
— "The machine guns."
— "Yes, Colonel."
— "Move them onto the hill."
The wagons carrying the machine guns began climbing the slope. Soldiers pushed the wheels through the soft earth while the horses strained against their harness.
The wheels creaked and slipped in the mud.
Several soldiers leaned their shoulders against one wagon.
— "Push!"
The machine gun moved another few meters upward.
Skoropadskyi looked back toward the battlefield.
Japanese infantry was advancing quickly.
They moved in short rushes.
One group ran forward.
Another dropped to the ground and fired.
Then they changed places.
Disciplined.
Methodical.
He turned toward the officers.
— "Squadrons with me."
The cavalry began descending the hill.
First at a walk.
Then a trot.
Then a gallop.
The line of riders stretched across the slope.
Skoropadskyi raised his saber.
— "Forward!"
The cavalry charged.
The ground trembled under the pounding hooves.
Riders leaned forward in their saddles.
Some had already begun firing their carbines.
The first bullets passed over the Japanese soldiers.
The infantry noticed them too late.
At first the soldiers only turned their heads.
Then an officer shouted:
— "Cavalry!"
Japanese soldiers began raising their rifles.
But the distance was already too small.
The horses thundered down the slope like an avalanche.
Skoropadskyi could clearly see the soldiers' faces ahead.
One Japanese soldier fired almost at point-blank range.
The bullet whistled past.
A second later Skoropadskyi's horse leapt over the position.
His saber struck.
Steel slammed against a rifle.
The soldier fell backward.
At that moment the entire cavalry line crashed into the Japanese infantry.
Shouting.
Gunfire.
Falling horses.
Sabers flashed in the cold air.
Some Japanese soldiers tried to form a firing line.
But the attack was too fast.
Horses leapt over bodies.
Cavalrymen struck left and right.
Japanese infantry began to break.
Several platoons stepped back.
Others tried to hide behind folds of terrain.
For several minutes the Japanese advance stopped.
Then another line of riders appeared on a distant hill.
Japanese cavalry.
At their head rode an officer with a raised saber.
Colonel Akiyama.
He halted his horse and studied the battlefield.
Russian cavalry had broken through his infantry.
If that attack continued, the entire advance might slow.
Akiyama did not hesitate.
— "Three squadrons forward."
Japanese cavalry immediately began descending the hill.
Their formation spread across the slope.
Skoropadskyi saw them as well.
He turned sharply.
— "Cavalry!"
He raised his saber.
— "Reform the line!"
Russian riders began turning their formation.
Now the two cavalry forces rode directly toward each other.
The distance closed rapidly.
Hooves thundered across the ground.
Several riders fired carbines.
Bullets hissed between the two lines.
But it was already too late for shooting.
Moments later the lines collided.
Horses slammed into each other.
Sabers struck with a ringing crash.
The battle instantly dissolved into dozens of separate duels.
Riders wheeled their horses, striking and firing at close range.
One Japanese officer cut down a Russian cavalryman.
The rider fell from the saddle.
Another Russian struck the officer across the shoulder.
The Japanese horse reared violently.
The battlefield became chaos.
Horses rushed between the struggling riders.
Then the machine guns opened fire from the hill.
The sound was constant and heavy.
Long bursts swept down the slope between the two cavalry forces.
Bullets tore through the ground.
Several Japanese horses collapsed immediately.
Riders fell beside them.
The Japanese charge faltered.
Akiyama turned sharply toward the hill.
He immediately understood the source of the fire.
— "Destroy the machine guns!"
Part of the Japanese cavalry turned and charged up the slope.
The machine gun crews continued firing.
Spent cartridges poured onto the ground.
The barrels were already beginning to smoke.
Japanese riders climbed the slope under heavy fire.
Horses fell one after another.
But the riders continued upward.
One of the machine gunners shouted:
— "New belt!"
A soldier pushed another ammunition belt into the weapon.
The gun roared again.
Bullets tore across the hillside.
A Japanese rider suddenly burst onto the position.
He fired at point-blank range.
One gunner fell instantly.
The rider raised his saber.
But another soldier fired a revolver.
The Japanese officer collapsed from the saddle.
More riders reached the crest.
One struck a machine gun with his saber.
The gun and wagon overturned.
The crew of another gun was killed almost immediately.
But the remaining guns kept firing.
The slope below them was filled with fallen horses.
Finally even Japanese officers began shouting withdrawal orders.
Akiyama studied the field again.
The losses were too heavy.
Slowly he lowered his saber.
— "Fall back."
Japanese cavalry withdrew down the slope.
Four machine guns remained on the hill.
Skoropadskyi looked toward the position.
Several machine gun crews lay motionless beside their weapons.
He turned to the officers.
— "Now we withdraw."
The cavalry began leaving the battlefield.
Infantry continued retreating along the road.
Long columns moved northward.
Wounded soldiers.
Supply wagons.
Exhausted men marching silently.
The road toward the rear was crowded with troops.
Some soldiers supported wounded comrades.
Medical wagons were already overloaded.
At one turn a wagon overturned.
Boxes of ammunition scattered across the road.
Several soldiers stopped to gather them.
An officer shouted angrily:
— "Move! Move!"
But the men were already exhausted.
Far behind them the sound of fighting continued.
The Japanese army was still advancing.
After some time a scout rode up to Skoropadskyi.
His horse was covered in sweat.
— "Colonel."
— "Report."
— "Russian cavalry ahead."
Skoropadskyi frowned.
— "How many?"
— "A regiment."
He thought briefly.
— "Let's go."
A few minutes later riders appeared beyond the hill.
Russian uniforms.
The cavalry moved cautiously.
When the distance closed, one officer rode forward.
Skoropadskyi approached him.
They stopped a few steps apart.
The officer removed his glove.
— "Colonel Krasnov."
Skoropadskyi nodded.
— "Colonel Skoropadskyi."
Krasnov looked toward the smoke rising from the battlefield.
— "We saw your attack."
Skoropadskyi answered calmly.
— "The Japanese have already broken through."
Soon several infantry officers approached them.
Their uniforms were covered with mud and their faces looked exhausted.
One of them said:
— "The divisions are retreating."
Another added:
— "There are many wounded. The supply wagons are barely moving."
Krasnov studied the road.
Long infantry columns still moved northward.
— "Entire divisions are on that road," he said quietly.
He turned back to the battlefield.
— "If we don't stop them for at least an hour, the whole flank will collapse."
Skoropadskyi remained silent for several seconds.
He looked toward the hills where Japanese troops were advancing.
Distant gunfire echoed across the valley.
Then he said calmly:
— "Then we stop them."
He turned toward the officers.
— "We stay as the rearguard."
The officers exchanged glances.
Skoropadskyi continued.
— "The cavalry and remaining infantry will take positions. The divisions must have time to withdraw."
Krasnov nodded slowly.
— "Then we begin preparing."
He turned to his officers.
— "You heard him."
Orders spread quickly.
Riders galloped away.
Horses snorted in the cold air.
Far ahead the sound of gunfire grew louder again.
The Japanese army continued advancing.
And on the hills a new defensive line was already forming.