Chapter VIII
THE VALLEY OF THE YALU.
Between China and Korea nature has thrown a barrier of mountain and river that looks impregnable. Behind this defence the Russians decided to make their first stand. The Yalu is the longest river in Korea, and has its source on the Southern slopes of Chang-poi-Chang. Its upper reaches traverse an almost inaccessible region of forest and mountain, but from its junction with the Eastern Hun river the valley is cultivated. From the Manchurian side the Yalu receives several tributaries that descend from the Ever White Mountains, making it in spring and autumn a turbulent flood. After a sinuous course of three hundred and twenty miles like the writhing of a dragon, the Yalu, swollen by the waters of the Ai-ho, empties itself into the Yellow Sea.
Wiju is situated about two miles South of the main stream of the Yalu, in the hollow of the hills over which runs a wall of light stone. A steep ridge separates the city from its port on the river, which is navigable as far as Tchang-cheng, a noted trading place sixty miles from the sea. The population of Wiju--“the stronghold of the West”--in ordinary times is twelve thousand, exclusive of one thousand Korean soldiers, whose chief business was to scrutinise all persons entering or leaving the Hermit Kingdom by the Mandarin road which passes through the city.
Screened by cavalry whose lines stretched from Yongampo, near the mouth of the Yalu, through Wiju to a point some miles East of Suikochin on the upper stream, the Japanese infantry pressed forward toward the scene of their first battle. The Guards marched along the main road and were the first to enter Wiju. The Second Division came up on the West, while the Twelfth Division, armed with mountain guns, and composed of expert hill-fighters, continued to traverse the mountainous country on the East. On April 21st the concentration was completed.
Almost every foot of the way was made under difficulties. So bad were the roads that the passage of one field gun rendered it necessary for the artillery to halt and repair the path for the next gun. Infantry as well as pioneers were employed in constructing roads from the Peninsula of Tyolsan. In some places the ground was very rocky, and involved much labour. Elsewhere morass and paddy field had to be spanned with timber. There are few districts in Korea that have not been denuded of forest, and wood is scarce. Fortunately, to the South of Wiju is an Imperial preserve known as White Horse Hill, the slopes of which gave a plentiful supply of timber.
[Illustration: General View of the Russian Positions on the North Bank of the Yalu.
(From a Japanese water colour sketch.)]
When General Kuroki and his Staff arrived at Wiju and surveyed the valley of the Yalu from the temple on the North of the city they were filled with foreboding. To cross that network of rivers and attack an enemy of unknown strength entrenched in the hills beyond was a hazardous enterprise. At first glance it seemed hopeless. Even on a clear day field glasses were required to see the white walls of Chiu-lien-cheng. From the Temple to Conical Hill, North of the village, where the Russians had their artillery position, was a distance of six thousand mètres, and between these points were five or six deep and swift streams that must be bridged.
A study of the river is essential to an understanding of the battle. Opposite Wiju the Yalu and the Ai-ho flow through a broad delta bounded on the North by a steep and rugged mountain range that descends West of Antung into small hills and cultivated flats. The rivers separate into several streams and form many islands over which are scattered tiny hamlets. Close to Wiju, between the Yalu and a branch of that river, lies the island of Kontonto, seamed with deep dongas in which Russian riflemen were concealed. North of Kontonto, beyond the main stream, is the island of Wozakto, West of which, between branches of the Yalu and the Ai-ho, rises Tiger Hill, a bold promontory three thousand mètres from Wiju. Enclosed by the same branch of the Ai-ho and the main stream of that river stretches another delta known as Chonchagtai, whereon the most conspicuous building is a temple surrounded by a red wall. West of this island flows the main stream of the Ai-ho, which passes within one thousand mètres from Conical Hill before it approaches Chiu-lien-cheng. Near to the Korean shore the Yalu and another of its branches form the island of Nanzato. The South-west of the delta is opposite Antung, where the river is five hundred mètres wide and is deep enough to allow small coasting vessels to steam within three or four miles from the town. At the Northern extremity of the delta lies the island of Kulito. In considering the tactical possibilities of the river it is most important to keep in mind the fact that at Kulito the main stream of the Yalu runs along the Russian side, while near Wiju it flows along the Japanese side, making a sharp turn almost North and South and bending again toward the South-west.
Tiger Hill and the heights to the North between the main streams of the Yalu and the Ai-ho, stand next in tactical importance. Would these mountains admit of any big movement of troops? The experience of 1894 was of little value, seeing that in the Chinese War only one regiment crossed these mountains. At that time the Japanese were of opinion that the heights were useless for offensive purposes, since they were steep and rugged and had no paths running East and West. Natives declared that only men and pack ponies could traverse them, and that at one or two places alone could roads be made with extreme labour owing to the hardness of the rock. These difficulties, so far from deterring General Kuroki, were a strong incentive. If these mountains were inaccessible then they were the very quarter from which to surprise the enemy and turn his flank.
How and at what points should the river be crossed? The solution of these problems depended on several factors that could be ascertained only by careful and extensive reconnaisances. In the Autumn of 1894, when the Japanese invaded Manchuria, the water was low and there was a ford near Suikochin. Now that the ice was melting in the mountains the river was deep. There was no ford and the Russians had taken away all the native boats. Seventy boats had been brought from Japan in the hope that they might be of service, but it was impossible to bring them up the river under the guns and rifles of the enemy. Many soldiers volunteered to swim the rivers, to cross on rafts and on inflated bladders. But General Kuroki would listen to none of these wild schemes, deeming them too hazardous before an enemy whose strength and purpose were unknown.
Before the rivers could be bridged it was necessary to make sure that the water was not rising, for there was always the danger that while the ice on the lower stream melted, the upper stream would remain frozen and that ice floes would descend and sweep away the bridges. Cavalry were accordingly employed to place hydrometers in various places and to note the rise or fall of the river. As the waters of the Yalu rose or fell so rose or fell the hopes of General Kuroki and his staff.
To reconnoitre the valley for battle was very difficult. All the rivers were wider, deeper and swifter than was expected. The main stream was four hundred and fifty mètres wide, and the smaller not less than one hundred mètres in width.
Koreans reported vaguely that near the enemy’s main position the Ai-ho was fordable in two or three places where the water rose no higher than a man’s chest. A shower of rain or the melting of ice on the upper stream would drown these fords. Moreover, the lives of men and the issues of war could not be committed to native rumours. Careful investigation must be made. But the Ai-ho flowed only one thousand mètres in front of the Russian position and two thousand mètres behind their outposts. Reconnaissance was therefore impracticable as long as the enemy remained in possession of the islands, of Tiger Hill and of the hills to the North. Cossacks also patrolled the country from Tiger Hill to Antung and Westward beyond the mouth of the Yalu as far as Takushan.
General Kuroki was of opinion that no fewer than twelve bridges were needed. Before their construction could be attempted every stream must be carefully examined for places where the water was shallowest, the river bed suitable for driving piles, and the distance between the banks shortest. It was essential that the Russians should be kept as long as possible in ignorance of the points at which the Japanese purposed bridging, for every yard of the valley was visible from their position and they had marked the ranges. To make many reconnaissances in any quarter would be to betray the probable position of a bridge and to offer it for a target to the enemy’s artillery.
[Illustration: Japanese Infantry fording the Yalu.]
To transport men was difficult enough, but to pass heavy guns across the river in face of the enemy seemed impossible. Yet it must be done. The hills North and East of Chiu-lien-cheng were beyond the range of Japanese guns South of the main stream. Unless both field and heavy artillery could be carried across the Yalu they could not be used with effect. It was hazardous to carry guns over a deep river four hundred and fifty mètres wide under fire from the enemy. Even in the night the attempt might be frustrated, since the range at every point was known to the Russians.