Chapter 187: A Completely Different War
The time had come to May 1904.
The issuance of the new currency was very successful. Although it had only been a little over a week, more than two million pounds worth of the new currency, the Australian dollar, had already circulated.
This currency release was conducted with nationwide distribution, and people could freely choose their preferred method of receiving wages. Both the British pound and the Australian dollar were recognized payment methods by the Federation.
Within Australia, many people had already chosen to receive their salaries in Australian dollars.
They had great trust in the current government and Arthur, and naturally, they accepted the new currency issued by the Royal Family.
In fact, many collectors had emerged in Australian society, believing that the limited-edition commemorative coins might appreciate in value in the future, something that the current British pound didn't offer.
According to reports from royal banks across the Federation, about one million Australian dollars, thirteen million shillings, and forty million pennies had been exchanged. Half of these had already entered circulation.
This was good news for the Australia and New Zealand Federation and Arthur.
The Federation had now taken its first steps to free itself from the economic control of the British Empire and had its own currency.
For Arthur and the Royal Family, the fact that these coins were issued by the Royal Bank represented that the country's financial power was now in the hands of the monarchy. It was a significant method for consolidating royal authority.
With control over finance, military power, and public support, as long as Arthur remained in power, there would be no force or individual in the Federation capable of challenging the monarchy.
In contrast to the political stability of Australia, the war in the Far East was far more brutal than it had been historically.
Thanks to Arthur's indirect intervention, the weapons and equipment of both sides in the war had advanced considerably, with both the Russian Empire and the island nation equipped with more artillery and heavy machine guns capable of causing widespread destruction.
Since the Battle of Port Arthur, there had been a brief period of calm for the island nation's navy.
Admiral Makarov had kept to his plans, and occasionally, ships could be seen leaving Port Arthur for covert missions.
The calm at sea was a reflection of the brutality on land.
Since the island nation's First Army landed in the Korean town of Incheon on March 21, 1904, there had been little movement from their ground forces.
The main reason for this was that the island nation's army was waiting for the navy to gain the upper hand. Only with the navy's powerful guns could they pose a real threat to the forts around Port Arthur.
However, events unfolded differently than expected. The naval battle had not resulted in victory; in fact, the island nation was defeated at sea.
But the land battle could not be stopped. Maintaining such a large army was a massive drain on both sides.
In mid-April, the island nation's First Army arrived in northern Korea.
Opposing them were the Russian Empire's Eastern Manchuria Detachment, commanded by General Zasulich.
The island nation's First Army numbered around 30,000, while the Eastern Manchuria Detachment had nearly 20,000 men.
In terms of attack and defense, the Russian Empire seemed to have the advantage. However, after Zasulich took command of the defensive positions, he did nothing for a month and a half. He did not fortify the defenses, and his troops were scattered across the front lines, with no countermeasures in place.
The only defense was a long trench, with no camouflage at all.
To make matters worse, about half of his reserves were stationed 10 kilometers away, and the artillery positions were fully exposed to the enemy.
It's hard to imagine how such an incompetent person could rise to the rank of commander of the Eastern Manchuria Detachment and a Russian Empire general, but to the island nation's forces, this was practically a gift.
After preparing for more than ten days, the island nation launched an attack, attempting to flank the enemy's left wing and encircle their 20,000-strong army.
The next day, fierce fighting broke out, and the Russian Empire sluggishly attempted to use artillery and counterattacks to resist the island nation's assault.
However, with the island nation's superior numbers and the Russian defenses being so rudimentary, and their artillery positions already exposed, the island nation's firepower quickly overwhelmed the Russian artillery. The island nation's forces successfully captured the position that same day.
General Zasulich, fearing encirclement, ordered a retreat.
However, the 11th Siberian Infantry Regiment found itself trapped by the island nation's forces during the retreat. Despite several breakout attempts, they failed, and the entire regiment was annihilated.
The Siberian regiment did not go down without a fight. While they had no artillery from Australia, they were lucky enough to be armed with two heavy machine guns.
After failing to break through, the 11th Siberian Infantry Regiment made the decisive choice to hold their ground. Ultimately, they paid the price with their lives, inflicting over 6,000 casualties on the island nation's forces.
This was the first ground battle between the Russian Empire and the island nation, and it resulted in a crushing defeat for the Russian Empire and a hard-fought victory for the island nation.
Of the 20,000 men in Zasulich's Eastern Manchuria Detachment, only about 12,000 managed to successfully retreat.
Meanwhile, the island nation's First Army, with 30,000 men, lost over 5,000 in the attack, and another 6,000 were killed while encircling the 11th Siberian Infantry Regiment. Their fighting force was now reduced to just 18,000.
Strategically, however, the island nation emerged as the ultimate beneficiary of this battle. Zasulich's retreat had effectively opened up the eastern gateway to the Far East for the island nation.
After a brief rest, the island nation's First Army immediately advanced into the Far East interior.
At the same time, in early May, the island nation's Second Army, comprising about 40,000 troops, launched an attack on the Liaodong Peninsula, landing at Piziwo with the intention of capturing Port Arthur from the north to the south.
The island nation attached great importance to Port Arthur because its location was vital.
As long as the Russian Empire continued to control Port Arthur, the Pacific Fleet could always threaten the island nation's sea transport lines and even cut off the logistical support between the island nation's homeland and its landing forces if they took a risk.
Without logistics, an army could do nothing but either mutiny or face starvation and capture.
The defending forces to the north of Port Arthur were the Russian Empire's 4th Infantry Division, commanded by General Fok.
The 4th Infantry Division had a total of 18,000 men, more than 150 pieces of artillery, and 20 heavy machine guns.
Because Admiral Makarov recognized the importance of Port Arthur, at his suggestion, the Governor of the Far East, Alexeyev, provided the 4th Infantry Division with some of the equipment purchased from Australia.
This gave the 4th Infantry Division impressive firepower, with every soldier equipped with the German-made Gew98 rifle, as well as over 20 CA-1 automatic cannons, 15 105mm howitzers, and other artillery.
By mid-May, the island nation's Second Army met the Russian 4th Infantry Division, and fighting quickly ensued.
In terms of both artillery and numbers, the island nation's Second Army had the upper hand.
General Obokov, the commander of the Second Army, believed he had an opportunity to capture Port Arthur and ordered all four divisions to advance, hoping to quickly resolve the northern defenses of Port Arthur.
At the onset of the battle, the island nation's artillery easily suppressed the Russian Empire's guns.
The island nation's forces advanced toward the 4th Infantry Division, and the soldiers were now close enough to see each other's faces and the smoke and dust in their hair.
"Full fire!"
At General Fok's command, the artillery from Australia fired, and under the leadership of the CA-1 automatic cannons, the Russian artillery regained the upper hand. Exploding shells devastated the island nation's forces, causing severe casualties.
"Damn! Where did these Russians get so many guns? This concentration of fire must be from at least a thousand cannons," General Obokov said in shock, watching the explosions.
But no one could answer him. The island nation's troops had never experienced such intense artillery fire and didn't even think to quickly retreat.
In reality, automatic artillery was only used by France and Australia, with Germany also possessing some.
But since France was an ally of the Russian Empire and Germany supported Russia's expansion in the Far East, Australia, under Arthur's orders, would not export their own weapons.
At that moment, the island nation's forces were trapped by the CA-1's devastating bombardment, and the battle ended with the roar of the Pacific Fleet's guns.
Unlike the original history, the Pacific Fleet maintained the balance of power, providing artillery support to the Russian forces, not the island nation's.
The powerful battleships' guns, which were typically over 200mm, especially those of the battleships relying on firepower, could reach terrifying 300mm calibers, overwhelming infantry in their path.
With such powerful artillery, the Pacific Fleet had decisively tilted the battle in favor of the Russian Empire, despite the island nation's superior numbers.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997