Bloody Sunrise

by Christopher Nicole

  ‘I think it is a nothing, honourable Admiral. In any event, I am told it also cannot be completed until 1894.’

  Ito nodded. ‘His Majesty understands this. But he is much taken with the idea of speed. What do you think of this design?’ He spread the plans on the table. ‘They are by Sir Philip Watts. You have heard of the Argentinian warship named Veinticinco de Mayo?’

  ‘Indeed I have. She is a three thousand tonner armed principally with two eight-point-two-inch guns, and is reputed to be very fast. Some reports claim she can make more than twenty knots.’

  ‘They are correct,’ Ito said. ‘This is an improvement. She is going to be more than four thousand tons, and yet be capable of twenty-three knots.’

  ‘A four thousand ton cruiser capable of twenty-three knots? I am not sure I can believe that, honourable Admiral.’

  ‘Watts has guaranteed it. Now, she will be able to run rings round the Chinese battleships, eh?’

  ‘Indeed she will. You mean this ship has been ordered?’ Nicholas didn’t know whether he should be offended or not, that he had not been consulted.

  ‘She has already been laid down at Armstrong’s Yard at Elswick in England, and her delivery is guaranteed before the end of next year. We are going to call her Yoshino.’

  ‘And she is going to be armed with eight-point-two-inch guns?’ Nicholas felt his enthusiasm growing. This was really starting to sound like a ship.

  ‘No, no, we cannot obtain those,’ Ito said. ‘She will have four six-inch quick-firers, supported by eight four-point-seven inch, also quick-firing.’

  ‘Six-inch!’ Nicholas almost shouted in despair. ‘Honourable Admiral, this ship may be so fast she will be able to steam right up to the battleships and away again without them being able to hit her. But she can do no damage to their armour with those pop-guns.’

  ‘Quick-firers are the gun of the future,’ Ito insisted. ‘You say we shall have no hitting power? Do you realise that when all her guns are firing together Yoshino will be able to deliver four thousand pounds weight of shell every minute? Anyway, it is the best we can do in the time available.’

  Nicholas frowned at him. ‘Is there now a time-table, honourable Admiral?’

  Ito coughed. ‘His Majesty is working to a plan, yes. We must be ready for war with China at any time after the end of 1893. Certainly the moment the three new ships come into service in the middle of 1894. You understand this is completely confidential?’

  ‘Of course, honourable Admiral. But may I ask, is this to be a naval war only? Or will the army be involved?’

  ‘The war, if it comes, will involve all the armed forces of the Empire, Barrett.’

  *

  War, Nicholas thought. Presumably it was a logical step. Musuhito had, in effect, reconquered Japan for his house. He had created a powerful modern state, but in doing so had stretched its resources to the limit. Expansion through a foreign adventure was the only alternative to a sudden slowing down of the modernisation process, which, with a large proportion of the samurai continuing to simmer with discontent, might prove catastrophic. A war would call into play all the immense latent national pride of the Japanese, and if successful might well provide the means to continue the onward march.

  But if unsuccessful? Presumably Mutsuhito had considered that alternative, which could mean the end of his house.

  *

  Elizabeth of course understood that Nicholas had a great deal on his mind. As he would not discuss it with her, she knew that it was a professional rather than a private matter. This was reassuring for her, and she was busy enough in any event, as in the autumn of 1893 Alexander was ready to attend Eta-Jima. While she was sorry to see her son take his first steps into manhood, she was determined that he would be as well-equipped and prepared as any other cadet.

  Nicholas was at once pleased that his younger son was being launched on his career – and little Nicholas was also determined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and join the Navy as soon as he was old enough – even as he was relieved that, if indeed Mutsuhito intended to force the issue with China in the coming year, both boys would still be too young to be involved in any fighting.

  His concern remained with the Navy, for everything he had ever been taught as a fledgling British officer was that sea battles are won by the ships carrying the heaviest metal, and the pre-occupation of Ito with speed at the expense of guns seemed to be leading down a dangerously wrong path. He pressed his own point of view as hard as possible, and at last achieved a measure of success; as there could be no hope of laying down and completing any more ships before the vital date, funds were made available for him to seek a more heavily armed ship from another country. He was still not permitted to leave Japan himself, making it necessary to deal through embassies and naval attachés. It was also necessary to compromise. He was seeking hitting power, and at last settled for the biggest guns he could find on a ship someone was willing to sell.

  The ship was the Esmeralda, a protected cruiser built in England, at Armstrong’s Elswick Yard for the Chilean navy, some ten years before. She displaced less than three thousand tons, but would yet make eighteen knots. Most importantly, she was armed with two ten-inch guns, one forward and one aft, supported by six six-inch. The size of the two big guns more nearly approximated what Nicholas wanted, even if he considered them still far inferior to the ideal. Buying blind, as it were, he realised very rapidly from the information he received that here again there was a top-heavy platform. As she did not carry sails, the Idzumi, as she was re-named, ran little chance of capsizing in a sudden squall, but accurate shooting in any kind of a rough sea was going to be very difficult.

  In the new year, however, he received a very pleasant surprise. He was called to a meeting with Mutsuhito and Ito, and looked at the plans lying on the table before the Emperor with some apprehension. He was expecting yet another crop of fast but underarmed ships.

  ‘Do you know the name Macrow, Barrett?’ Mutsuhito asked.

  ‘I do, Your Majesty.’ Nicholas felt a sudden quickening of his pulse. ‘He is a British designer who recently designed eight new first-class battleships for the Royal Navy. These ships are now all in full commission.’

  ‘They are called the Royal Sovereign Class,’ Mutsuhito said with some satisfaction. ‘Reading of these vessels, we invited Mr Macrow to do some designs for us, based on the same principles, but with some modifications suggested by Prince Ito.’

  Nicholas glanced at Ito, who was smiling triumphantly. ‘Something more to your liking, eh, Barrett san?’

  Nicholas could scarcely believe his ears. ‘Your Majesty, those British ships are fifteen thousand tons, deep-loaded.’

  Mutsuhito nodded. ‘And that is too expensive for us. But Macrow assures us that he can actually design a ship, within a twelve and a half thousand ton range, which will be better than the Royal Sovereigns, quite apart from being cheaper. We have ordered two of them.’ He bent over the plans, and Nicholas did likewise. ‘You will see that our ships will actually be ten feet longer, at three hundred and ninety as opposed to three hundred and eighty, and use the improved vertical triple expansion engine. This will give us fourteen thousand induced horsepower, as against nine thousand in the Royal Sovereigns, together with the saving of three thousand tons in displacement. That means we should achieve eighteen knots, which will be two knots faster than the British ships, even operating with forced draughts. I need hardly remind you, Barrett, that this speed is three knots faster than the Chinese battleships, and indeed will be the equivalent of our best cruisers, apart from Yoshino. These battleships will also be nearly double the size of the Chinese ships.’

  ‘And the guns, Your Majesty?’

  ‘Oh, indeed, the guns.’

  ‘The Royal Sovereigns are to have the latest thirteen-point-five-inch,’ Nicholas said eagerly.

  ‘We cannot afford those, and there is the question of weight. We shall have four twelve-inch, in two double turrets, supporte
d by ten six-inch, singly mounted. Four of these will be in casemates, the other six will be placed in shields on the upper deck. This arrangement will also mean a considerable weight-saving of course, which is what we are after. We are maintaining the belt armour at fourteen to eighteen inches however, which is thicker than anything possessed by the Chinese. I hope this design pleases you, Barrett?’

  ‘I am delighted, Your Majesty. May I ask when the ships can be delivered?’

  ‘Delivery is promised in three years time. The ships will be known as the Fuji Class, as we intend to name one of them Fuji and the other Yashima.’

  ‘Three years delivery, Your Majesty?’ Nicholas looked at Ito, whose face remained expressionless.

  ‘I appreciate your concern, Admiral Barrett,’ Mutsuhito said. ‘The crisis may well be upon us before then. You will have to make do with what we possess, until we are at full strength.’ His eyes twinkled. ‘In the meantime, I am going to allow a “leak” of information, that these ships have been ordered. That should make the Empress Dowager and her advisers do some thinking. Thank you, honourable gentlemen.’

  Nicholas followed Ito into the antechamber. ‘I would say it is likely to make the Chinese eager for war now, rather than three years time,’ Nicholas remarked.

  Ito smiled. ‘That is indeed likely, Barrett san.’

  *

  Nicholas realised that he had again been duped. Mutsuhito was indeed bent on war within the next twelve months. It was a case of preparing for it as best as his limited resources would allow.

  ‘Don’t these new battleships sound splendid?’ Elizabeth asked him. ‘Aren’t they what you have always dreamed of, for the Navy?’

  ‘Indeed they are. It is just a matter of getting to them,’ he told her.

  She raised her eyebrows, but made no further comment.

  *

  It was the following spring that news was received of a rebellion in southern Korea.

  ‘It is the work of the so-called Tonghak Society,’ Mutsuhito told his admirals at a hastily summoned conference. ‘These people preach eternal peace and yet like so many of these quasi-religious groups are dedicated to strife. Now they are seeking the removal of all foreign influences in Korea, which means, in reality, the withdrawal of all Chinese and Japanese forces. This is intolerable to us, of course. Our plans have been long prepared. As King Kojong and his ministers seem incapable of coping with the position, it is our intention to take the King into protective custody, and to suppress this rebellion by force of arms. General Oshima, commanding our forces in Korea, has been instructed to carry out these orders. Once General Oshima has taken control of the Korean Government, should there be any positive reaction on the part of the Chinese, General Nodzu’s army, which is already mobilised, will cross the Sea of Japan, land in Korea, and make the country secure.’ He glanced around the grim faces before him. ‘Obviously General Nodzu’s army cannot make its move unless our actions are contested by the Chinese, as this would brand us as the aggressors. Thus we must be quite certain that General Oshima is not forced to encounter superior forces, pending the arrival of reinforcements. Our information is that there are some twenty thousand Chinese troops in Korea, of which fourteen thousand are concentrated around the fortress of Pyong-Yang. General Oshima commands a similar force of Japanese troops, and with the reinforcements provided by General Nodzu, will outnumber the Chinese. Equally, we have no doubt that our soldiers are, man for man, vastly superior to the Chinese. However, China can mobilise an army many times our strength. Your business is to prevent them sending such reinforcements to Korea. There are only two ways Chinese troops can get to Seoul. One is to march through Manchuria. This will take many months, and the business will have been settled long before such reinforcements can affect the outcome. The other way is by sea: it is hardly further from the Gulf of Pei-ho to Korea than it is from Shimonoseki. Preventing such ship-borne reinforcements from reaching Korea is your task, gentlemen.’

  ‘Is it Your Majesty’s intention to declare war upon China?’ Ito inquired.

  ‘No. There will be no declaration of war. We are acting to protect our own interests in Korea. We are not going to war with China.’

  How specious can you get? Nicholas wondered.

  ‘But the Chinese may well declare war on us, Your Majesty,’ Ito pointed out.

  ‘That is up to them. Then they will be branded the aggressors.’

  ‘Our orders, Your Majesty?’

  ‘Are as outlined, Prince Ito. You will take your ships to sea and patrol the Yellow Sea and the Gulf of Korea, with particular reference to the narrows between Port Arthur and Wei-hai-wei. As necessary you will penetrate the Gulf of Chih-li. You will stop and inspect any suspicious vessel. You will not permit the passage of any vessel containing Chinese troops or military material, either to Port Arthur or to the port of Chemulpo.’

  ‘With respect, Your Majesty, the Yellow Sea is international waters,’ Ito said. ‘And the Chinese regard the Gulf of Chih-li as within their national waters.’

  ‘I have given you your orders, Prince Ito. Now is a time for the utmost resolution.’

  Ito bowed.

  Mutsuhito looked over the other faces. ‘Are there any further questions?’

  ‘May I ask, Your Majesty, what action we are to take if we are fired upon by the Chinese?’ Nicholas asked.

  ‘You will fire back, Admiral Barrett.’

  ‘And may I further ask, Your Majesty, what action we are to take should we summon a Chinese vessel to stop and be searched, and she ignores our commands?’ As they are very likely to do, he thought.

  ‘I say to you what I have said to Prince Ito, Admiral Barrett. This is a time of crisis for Japan. No Chinese reinforcements are to be put ashore in either the Darien Peninsular or Korea, no matter how they have to be stopped. Have I made myself clear?’

  *

  ‘He wishes us to provoke an incident,’ Nicholas remarked to Ito when they regained the Admiralty.

  Ito smiled. ‘The incident has already been provoked.’

  ‘You mean the Tonghak rising was incited by our agents?’

  ‘Indeed. There are several factors which made it imperative to strike now. Principally there are signs that the Chinese are putting their house in order, and may soon be very formidable opponents.’

  ‘What happens if they do not respond? Then we are to create an incident at sea, is that it?’

  ‘I would say that is His Majesty’s strategy, yes. It is our business to obey orders, Barrett san. Summon our captains.’

  The officers were assembled, and Ito addressed them in much the same words as used by the Emperor. Nicholas, standing at the prince’s shoulder, looked over the several faces, all resolute, all grim, and all elated at the thought of at last seeing action. No face was more expressive of the combined euphoria and determination than Togo Heihachiro. And it was Togo who asked the vital question: ‘Are we to stop enemy warships as well, honourable Admiral?’

  ‘Each captain must use his own discretion, Captain Togo.’

  ‘Permission to speak, honourable Admiral,’ Nicholas said.

  ‘Of course, Admiral Barrett.’

  Nicholas looked at the faces before him. ‘In the case of enemy warships, it will be left to them to open fire. And I would remind you, gentlemen, that we are in the business of winning a war, not of indulging in heroics. It is not the duty of any Japanese cruiser captain to engage either of the Chinese battleships, unless conditions make it possible to foresee a victory. The destruction of those vessels should be envisaged in terms of a fleet action.’

  ‘Will there be a fleet action, honourable Admiral?’ someone asked.

  ‘In the event of China declaring war,’ Ito said, ‘it will be our purpose to bring about such an action as soon as possible. As soon as war is declared, all vessels will abandon their patrolling duties and rendezvous with the flagship at Chemulpo Harbour on the west coast of Korea. Now take your ships to sea.’

  The captains sa
luted and filed out.

  ‘Do you seriously wish to bring about a fleet action, Ito san?’ Nicholas asked when they were alone. ‘We will be outgunned.’

  ‘It is our duty to seek battle,’ Ito replied. ‘Are you with me, Barrett?’

  ‘To the death,’ Nicholas told him. He hoped he wasn’t indulging in prophecy.

  ‘Then we sail tomorrow.’

  *

  ‘Tomorrow?’ Elizabeth and Aki were taken by surprise.

  ‘Are we at war, honourable Father?’ Aki asked.

  ‘There is considerable tension with China over the trouble in Korea. This mobilisation is merely a precautionary measure,’ Nicholas told them. ‘But having mobilised, the fleet will put to sea. I do not expect to be away very long.’

  They seemed reassured, but then were disturbed again by the arrival of Takamori. This was a Takamori they had not seen before, strutting with pride and anticipation. ‘My regiment has been given orders to proceed to Shimonoseki for embarkation!’ he cried. ‘Is that not splendid news, honourable Father? I am to serve under General Nodzu.’

  ‘There is no better general in the army,’ Nicholas agreed.

  ‘You are going to Korea?’ Aki asked.

  ‘To Korea, sister. We are going to whip the Chinese.’

  ‘But . . .’ Elizabeth looked at Nicholas.

  ‘I am sure you will, Takamori,’ Nicholas said quietly. ‘If it comes to war.’

  ‘We are going to fight the Chinese,’ Takamori declared. ‘Whether they declare war or not. Everyone knows this. You know this, honourable Father.’

  ‘I will wish you good fortune, Takamori,’ Nicholas said.

  *

  ‘So there is to be a war,’ Elizabeth said in their bedroom. ‘You have been deceiving me.’

  ‘I have been obeying orders, my love,’ Nicholas told her. ‘There is no certainty that there will be a war. What is certain is that we intend to expel the Chinese from Korea. It is possible that they will just pack up and leave when sufficient pressure is brought to bear. If not, well, then there may well be a war.’

  ‘But why? Why Korea?’