Chapter 9

May 1903.

The Russian army crossed the border and began constructing military bases within the territory of the Korean Empire, causing the situation to rapidly escalate. Amidst this tension, a military exercise that would go down in the annals of military history was conducted at a certain location in the country.

The scenario for this day was: "Construct a three-line defense within the territory of a certain country using trenches and numerous machine guns, and attempt to eliminate the hostile forces that have entrenched themselves there."

It was clear that this was aimed at Russia, and the soldiers assigned to the defense were not in high spirits. However, their moods improved when they saw the large number of machine guns (Hotchkiss machine guns modified to use 6.5mm ammunition) that had been gathered from all over the country for this exercise.

On the other hand, the soldiers assigned to the attack had been intensively training for the new tactics to be tested, and were eager to show the defenders a thing or two.

The exercise began with a fierce artillery barrage from the attacking side. However, from the start, things were already unusual.

The number of artillery shots heard was clearly more than the number of 1903 field guns visible in the distance. Moreover, despite the first-line soldiers being properly hidden in the trenches, they were continuously given casualty or injury determinations. The defenders gradually fell into confusion as the situation became increasingly unreasonable.

"The smoke is getting in the way; we can't hit anything!"

"Damn it! Request reinforcements from headquarters!"

Without being told, headquarters tried to send reserve forces to the first line, but the timing was off, and the second line was hit by artillery fire, preventing them from advancing as planned. By the time this was happening, several points on the first line had already been breached, and the attackers were pouring through these gaps into the second line. The second line, which had just been hit by artillery, was slow to respond to the assault.

"My aim is top-notch! You guys are nothing to be afraid of!"

"I'll show you the spirit of Yamato!"

The morale-high attackers surged into the second-line trenches. The defensive headquarters, of course, tried to send reserve forces to the second line, but the third line was now under artillery fire, and they could only mount limited counterattacks, just as they had on the first line.

"Hey, why are we being attacked on the second line? Someone explain this!"

"It seems the attackers didn't properly secure the first line and instead pushed through the breaches to the second line!"

"What! Are they not afraid of their own lives!?"

Logically, this meant they were advancing deeper into enemy territory without securing their retreat. For the defensive headquarters led by Major General Ichiichi Kousuke, this was completely insane.

"Wow, Oota is ruthless, isn't he?"

"Since this is the time to put our theories into practice, he must be enthusiastic."

Watching the exercise were Major General Oota Masahiro and Lieutenant Colonel Takasu Kiyotsugu. As classmates from the Military Academy, they, along with Major General Oota Kikuzou, who was currently commanding the attacking side, had dedicated themselves to the study of "infiltration tactics" and the development of necessary weapons, finally reaching this day.

"Should we commit the reserves to suppress the isolated first line and advance the experimental indirect fire infantry guns to the enemy's first line? The battle is already decided."

"Yes, with this, the third line will be overwhelmed by mortar fire, and the attackers will break through to the defensive headquarters. Once that happens, there will be no stopping them."

A key element of infiltration tactics, the "short, intense artillery barrage," was made possible by the "experimental indirect fire infantry gun."

"Experimental Indirect Fire Infantry Gun"

Caliber: 75mm

Barrel Length: 750mm (10 calibers)

Weight: 65kg

Maximum Range: 1.5km

Rate of Fire: 15 rounds/min

Elevation: +40 to +75 degrees

This mortar had similar performance to the historical 1912 indirect fire infantry gun. Without a recoil mechanism, the 1903 field guns, which required re-aiming after each shot, had a firing rate of 2-3 rounds per minute, making this gun's firepower almost like a cheat in this era. Although it had only one-third the range of a mountain gun, its high angle of descent made it difficult to defend against even with trenches. The unique name "indirect fire infantry gun" came from the decision that it was better suited for infantry use due to its short range.

Sure enough, as the two had predicted, the third line was overwhelmed by the intense firepower, and the attacking infantry, taking advantage of the confusion, broke through from the second line and captured the defensive headquarters. At this point, the exercise was deemed over, and the attacking side was declared the strategic victor.

"Hey, Oota! What was that reckless attack!? One wrong step and it could have been suicide!"

At the post-exercise debriefing, Ichiichi shouted in anger. To him, it looked like a reckless act of a general in the Sengoku period, risking everything to turn the tide and go for the enemy's head. Moreover, being defeated by such recklessness made him even more furious.

"Well, I admit there were some forced moves, but overall, it went according to plan, so I can't really accept the term 'suicide.' "

Oota responded with a smug look.

"What! Do you think the lives of soldiers borrowed from His Majesty are nothing!?"

"Calm down, Ichiichi. Oota won, so don't get too worked up."

Oota Masahiro tried to calm the situation and steer the conversation back on track.

"I have a lot to explain to Ichiichi... but for starters, the attacking infantry were allowed to decide on their own when to advance, defend, or retreat. So, the reason they bypassed the defensive lines and rushed to the defensive headquarters was that our squad leaders judged, 'Now's the time!' I didn't give them any specific orders."

"Isn't it too much to let just squad leaders make such decisions?"

Ichiichi continued to press the issue against Oota's casual response.

"Yes, 'just' squad leaders. They have received special training for non-commissioned officers."

"What!? ...No wonder their movements were so flexible."

"These specially trained 'assault infantry,' the intense artillery barrage that disrupts the front lines, the 'broad-front attack' that breaks through multiple points simultaneously to saturate the enemy's command, and the 'flanking breakthrough' that ignores strong points and advances from weak points. These four elements are the pillars of the 'infiltration assault' tactics we used this time."

Oota, Oota Masahiro, and Takasu Kiyotsugu then took turns explaining the infiltration tactics. Ichiichi changed his mind and realized that this tactic was designed to reduce casualties and that his defeat was not by chance but by necessity.

"I see... When did you come up with this?"

"Takasu suggested it. He first came to me for consultation, and as we discussed, we realized we needed an artillery expert, so I brought in Oota Masahiro, who was from the artillery. Without his insight, this tactic wouldn't have been born."

"That's too much praise... When I was just a lieutenant colonel, Oota and Oota Masahiro listened to me seriously and helped complete the tactic by filling in the gaps. I am still grateful."

Takasu humbly responded to Oota's praise. The basic idea was proposed by his daughter, Yae, and Oota and Takasu fleshed it out together, with Oota Masahiro finalizing it by adding ideas like the mortar. Without any of them, the infiltration assault would not have been completed, and the Japanese army would have suffered heavy losses in the war with Russia.

"Still, now that I'm calm, I see that this tactic has its weaknesses. Would you mind hearing the defensive side's perspective?"

"Of course. There's no better reference than the opinion of someone who was caught off guard."

The debriefing continued late into the night, and they ended up staying overnight to discuss. Ichiichi later recounted that this valuable experience greatly helped him when he faced the Port Arthur fortress as the chief of staff of the Third Army.

Please don't point out that Ichiichi, a general from the artillery, was commanding the infantry school exercise.

Takasu, Oota, Oota Masahiro, and Ichiichi were all classmates from the Military Academy. The thin ranks of the Japanese military at the time are evident and touching.

After this, Takasu and the others had to make major revisions to the infantry manual, probably working through the night to complete it before the war began.