Bloody Sunrise

by Christopher Nicole

  That being so, he was forced to devise his plans for the defeat of Russia around what he did have: a maximum of six battleships. This still left the Russians with a preponderance, even if Nicholas was sure that at least the four new Japanese ships would be better than anything possessed by St Petersburg, and also, he felt, better manned.

  He had made sure that the Japanese Navy was equipped with all the latest improvements in technology; their guns could now be fired by pressing an electrically-powered button, as opposed to pulling a lanyard, which meant a great improvement in speed of delivery. More importantly, they were now armed with the new armour-piercing shells. Had they possessed these at the Yalu, the Chinese battleships would have been destroyed in the first hour.

  But he still had to face the fact that they were going to be outnumbered. ‘The only way we are going to achieve any kind of parity, in ships, Togo san,’ he told the Commander-in-Chief, ‘is to whittle down the Russian fleet before there is a full scale battle. For this we need, firstly, to develop our torpedo-boat arm, to attack the Russians as we did the Chinese at Wei-hai-wei . . .’

  ‘Not with total success,’ Togo pointed out.

  ‘That is why I say we must develop both our torpedo-boat squadrons, and our plans for their use. The second method that must be used is mines. If we can lay a curtain of mines around Port Arthur, we stand a good chance of at least crippling some of the Russian ships before they can ever come to battle.’

  ‘Hm.’ Togo considered the chart. ‘This could only be done following the outbreak of hostilities, as it will be discovered the moment a ship, of any size, hits one of the mines.’

  ‘That is true, honourable Admiral. But if we act promptly enough, it can be done. The third recommendation I would make is that we prepare several blockships, that is, old vessels filled with concrete, which could be towed into position and then scuttled in the mouth of the harbour at Port Arthur. If we could do this successfully, it would imprison the ships inside the harbour, and leave those outside with nowhere to go.

  ‘The fourth is that we repaint our ships. White stands out too prominently at a distance, even at night. I would recommend that we adopt the new British policy, and paint our ships grey. That will make them more difficult to see and to identify.’

  Togo nodded. ‘Those all sound very good suggestions. Make your plans accordingly, Barrett san. And remember, complete secrecy.’

  ‘Of course. But I am told the Emperor wishes to be kept informed.’

  ‘That is correct. But you may leave the Emperor to me.’

  *

  In the main, the last few years of the century were happy ones for Nicholas. He was doing what he liked best, bringing new ships into service. In addition to the battleships, eight armoured cruisers were ordered. These were ships which only a few years earlier would have been classed as battleships; displacing around ten thousand tons they were far bigger and faster than the Ting Yuan and the Chin Yuen, and if they were only armed with eight-inch guns, they mounted four each and were still very powerful vessels.

  Then there were eight protected cruisers. Nicholas retained doubts as to their value in modern warfare as ships grew ever bigger and more powerful, as they were armed with only a couple of eight-inch guns, although they were undoubtedly fast, capable of over twenty knots. Then there were several ‘unprotected’ cruisers, and far more important, a score of new torpedo-boats, as well as some fourteen torpedo-boat-destroyers, to deal with any enemy attempts at using the torpedo in return.

  Japan was on the way to possessing a sizeable fleet. It remained to be seen if the western powers would be impressed.

  *

  The whole concept of naval warfare was changing, not only in terms of size and speed and hitting power, but, perhaps more important than any of these, the ability to command at ever greater distances. The introduction of trans-ocean cables had brought communication between the continents down to a matter of hours, but of course this did not assist in maintaining contact between ships at sea. During the Sino-Japanese conflict this had been a matter of visual signals, whether by lights or flags; thus an admiral could only conduct a battle so far as he could see, or be seen by, his captains. In this respect, for all the immense strides made over the centuries, Ito had been no further ahead than Nelson at Trafalgar or indeed, Mark Anthony at Actium two thousand years previously. In fact, he had been worse off, as controlling ships moving at fifteen knots and more by means of visual signals is considerably more difficult than when they are moving at ten knots or less.

  But now, in the closing years of the century, Guglielmo Marconi began to prove his theory that radio waves could be used to transmit intelligible messages. All the navies in the world sat up and took notice, and none more so than the British and the Japanese.

  ‘Do you think it will work, Barrett san?’ Togo asked. ‘This fellow claims he can throw a message two thousand miles, or even more.’

  ‘I’d take that with a pinch of salt,’ Nicholas said. ‘But even if it is only a matter of twenty miles, honourable Admiral, think of the possibilities.’

  ‘We must have this system,’ Togo said. ‘I put it in your care, Admiral Barrett.’

  *

  Domestically, Nicholas’s great joy was watching the progress of his son and grandson. Alexander was commissioned in the Navy immediately following the war with China; two years later Young Nicholas went to Eta-Jima, and by 1900 both were at sea, Young Nicholas a midshipman on a destroyer, where he was actually fourth in command, and Alexander a sub-lieutenant on the protected cruiser Yoshino, still the fastest ship in the Japanese Navy and indeed in the world, for her size. Both young men understood that all their training was directed to the defeat of Russia, and this slightly bothered Nicholas, in the case of Alexander, but the boy was as dedicated in his patriotism as he was devoted to his parents.

  In 1900, Elizabeth was approaching fifty, and yet had lost little of her beauty, even if there was the odd streak of gray in her hair. Nor had she lost any of her devotion to her sixty-one year old husband, even if she too understood that all of his professional efforts were being directed to the defeat of her mother country.

  She had, it seemed, determined entirely to forget her eldest son, after that disastrous encounter in London.

  But then, Nicholas reflected, had he not entirely turned his back upon his eldest son? Takamori was doing very well, and by the spring of 1900 was colonel in command of his regiment. Yet Nicholas could feel no affection for him, only that if a man like Takamori was in command, what could be expected of the regiment itself? He found this a disturbing consideration, in view of what was being planned so meticulously, and that Takamori, as part of the force which had taken Port Arthur in 1894, would certainly be required to take part in the assault against the Russians, whenever that took place, could hardly be doubted. Port Arthur was not only being developed as a naval base. The Russians were moving in on a vast scale, the various businessmen and civil servants, no less than the army and navy officers, being accompanied by their wives and children. The thought of those being massacred on the scale the Chinese had suffered in 1894 was quite impossible.

  He was the more distressed because Kisuda, now a very old man, but as faithful as ever, reported to him that Aki was seeing her brother on a regular basis. Aki was herself nearly forty now, and continued to be on the best of terms with both her father and her stepmother. Nor could she be criticised for wishing to remain on good terms with her brother as well. What bothered Nicholas was the effect she might be having, knowing as he did that she sympathised with Takamori’s bushido principles, on Young Nicholas. But the boy revealed no indication that he revered the old regime, and in fact both Togo and Nicholas himself had ruthlessly stamped out of the navy any connection with samurai behaviour. Togo, with his seven years of service with the Royal Navy, was even more determined than Nicholas in this respect.

  *

  It was not long after Nicholas had returned from Shikishima’s shakedown cruise, whi
ch he had undertaken both as an observer and to test the new wireless telegraphy, as Marconi’s invention was being termed – and with which he was enormously impressed – that he was summoned to Togo’s office.

  ‘There is trouble with China,’ the Commander-in-Chief said, without preamble.

  Nicholas could not believe his ears. The one assumption the Japanese military had made with regard to China was that there would not be another confrontation in the foreseeable future.

  Togo grinned. ‘They seem to have gone mad. This time they have not declared war on us. Indeed, they have not declared war on anyone. But they are taking on the whole world.’

  ‘You will have to explain, Togo san.’

  ‘Have you heard of a religious sect calling itself the Righteous Harmony Fists?’

  ‘The Boxers,’ Nicholas said. ‘Yes, I have read of them in the newspapers. They spend their time denouncing foreign intervention, and, where they can get away with it, attacking Christians. There have always been xenophobic sects like that in China.’

  ‘That is so. Now these Boxers, and there seems to be a large number of them, have invaded Peking itself, and laid siege to the Legation Quarter. That is to say, the accredited representatives of Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Italy, the United States . . . and Japan.’

  ‘What is the Chinese Government doing about it?’

  ‘It seems, nothing. In fact, there is a rumour that the Empress Dowager is secretly supporting them. Well, everyone knows that she is mad. The point is, Barrett san, that here we have the legations of all the great powers being besieged by a mob. For all we know, they may already have fallen, and all their inhabitants murdered. This would include a large number of women and children.’

  ‘Then, what are we going to do about it?’

  ‘That is why I have called you in. The British admiral on the China Station, Seymour, has assumed command of all the international forces in Tientsin, and intends to march on Peking, relieve the legations, if they are still holding out, and avenge them if they are not. The other powers appear to be agreeable to this, and we must do likewise. However, the Emperor is of the opinion that this is our opportunity not only to make our mark internationally, but also to eradicate the unfortunate memory of what happened at Port Arthur, and, incidentally, to make the rest of the world, and especially the British, realise how valuable an ally we can be. You see, Barrett, the international force is composed of whatever can be scraped together from people who happen to be on the spot; consular guards, contingents from Weihai-wei and Tsing-Tao, Russians from Port Arthur, and mainly, marines from such warships as are in the area or can get there quickly enough. But these contingents are necessarily small. In fact we have only a consular guard, less than a hundred men, in Tientsin. But unlike the other powers, we have the ability to put ashore in Tientsin a very large force, very quickly.’ He gave another quick smile. ‘It is not our intention to do this. We wish to be, how shall I put it, one of the chaps, not to dominate, at this stage. But we can still make the biggest contribution, and hopefully the most effective one.

  ‘In this regard,’ Togo went on, ‘His Majesty wishes to be sure that only our very best men are employed, so as to make the westerners completely reappraise their opinions of our quality. So the obvious men to make up the bulk of our force will be sailors and marines, whose fighting record is impeccable. Yoshino is in Shimonoseki now, ready for sea. She will embark a regiment of the Imperial Guard to support her marines, and steam for the Gulf of Chih-li, immediately. In all the circumstances, and especially in view of your proven ability to fight on both sea and land, His Majesty would like you to take command.’ He gazed at Nicholas.

  For the second time that morning Nicholas could hardly believe his ears.

  ‘Does this displease you?’ Togo asked. ‘I realise that it is asking a great deal of a man of your age . . .’

  ‘Bugger that,’ Nicholas said. ‘I shall be delighted to go.’ And with Yoshino; he would be campaigning with Alexander.

  ‘You do understand that you will be serving under Seymour,’ Togo said. ‘I am sorry, as I know you must be senior to him in length of service, but as I have said, His Majesty is anxious not to be seen to be making any attempt to dominate these events, but merely to be willing to support world opinion in this matter.’

  Nicholas nodded. ‘I understand. As a matter of fact, Teddy Seymour and I were at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, together, and we served together in the Crimea. I’m a year older, but I don’t think I am really any senior. It will be a pleasure to serve under him.’

  ‘That is excellent,’ Togo said. ‘You will leave immediately. And Barrett, you will remember that the business of both proving our worth and that we are civilised people is far more important, to us, than dispersing a few religious fanatics.’

  *

  Elizabeth was appalled. ‘A campaign, on land? At your age? How can they possibly ask it of you?’

  ‘My darling Lizzie, I am as fit as a fiddle. Anyway, aren’t you glad I shall be keeping an eye on Alex?’

  ‘So that you can both get killed. And by the Chinese! Aren’t they absolutely barbarous?’

  ‘I suspect they are going to find out just how barbarous the so-called civilised nations can be,’ Nicholas said. ‘If they have really massacred the legation staffs and their women.’

  *

  ‘It is a great privilege to serve under you, honourable Admiral,’ said Captain Yamashita. ‘My ship and my crew are honoured.’

  ‘You understand this is a military rather than a naval exercise,’ Nicholas reminded him.

  ‘Sadly, yes, honourable Admiral.’ Yamashita gave a quick smile. ‘The Boxers have no fleet. But my men will march wherever you wish.’

  Nicholas stood on the bridge wing to look down at the soldiers filing on board. They looked so very smart in their blue and white uniforms, each man armed with rifle and bayonet. He remembered watching these men, or their fathers, filing past the fortress of Kumamoto to face the might of the Satsuma. More than twenty years ago! But there was one vital difference: this time he would be fighting against an enemy with whom he need feel no sympathy at all, and this time he would have his son at his side. One of his sons; he had been informed by Togo, privately, that Barrett Takamori had volunteered to accompany the expedition, without a command, if necessary. But this whole business was a navy matter, and Togo had declined the offer on the grounds that every space was taken.

  ‘Then let us make haste, Captain,’ he said. ‘And put to sea the moment those men are embarked.’

  *

  He could afford to show no favouritism, yet it would have been unnatural for him not to have spoken with his son. He sent for Alexander to join him in his day cabin as soon as the ship was at sea and the boy had come off watch.

  ‘Honourable Father!’ Alexander stood to attention. ‘I am the proudest man in the Imperial Navy, to be serving under you.’

  Unlike either Takamori or Nicholas junior, Alexander could match Nicholas for height. His pink and white complexion and his auburn hair looked out of place in the very dark blue uniform of a Japanese naval officer, with not a trace of the gold braid common in other navies to be seen. But his service record, however brief, was the equal of any man’s. And he was almost exactly the same age as Nicholas himself had been when he had been shipwrecked on the coast of Kyushu.

  ‘I am proud to have you along, Lieutenant Barrett,’ he said. ‘However, I must warn you that none of us can expect to earn any glory from this campaign. We are here to disperse and punish a mob of knife-wielding fanatics, nothing more.’

  ‘There is a rumour, honourable Father, that the Boxers may be supported by government troops, Bannermen, if we march inland.’

  Nicholas smiled. ‘That would be a different matter, certainly. We must wait and see. You understand, Alexander, that I cannot invite you to dine with me, or indeed, entertain you in any way until the campaign is over.’

  Alexander
stood to attention. ‘I understand, honourable Admiral.’

  ‘Just remember that I expect the best of you. Now I will say goodnight. We will be off Tientsin tomorrow afternoon, and I will disembark the troops, and the ship’s contingent, immediately.’

  ‘Permission to volunteer, honourable Admiral.’

  Nicholas smiled. ‘I had assumed you would, Lieutenant. Dismissed.’

  But when they reached the mouth of the Pei-ho, it was to the news that Admiral Seymour’s relief expedition had already left.

  *

  Nicholas telegraphed Tokyo for instructions. Seymour had actually left on 10 June, with a multi-national force – British, Austrian, French, German, Italian, Russian, American and Japanese – of just under two thousand men. The Japanese contingent had been one of the smallest, fifty-two men under the command of Captain Mori. The situation was compounded because, with the removal of the main part of the various consular guards, the Boxers had taken over the old Chinese city of Tientsin itself. It was now 17 June, and Nicholas was itching for instructions to attack the town, but orders came back from Togo to ignore Tientsin and follow Seymour with every man he could muster, so as to give the maximum support. However, before he had disembarked his men, a message was received at the river mouth from Seymour to the effect that he was retreating, both because the forces against him were too large, and because the railway line, on which he was depending for the movement of his supplies, had been torn up between the station at Lo-feng and the capital.