Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-03-13

retreat into a aemoralized flight.
The explanation given in these dis
patches yesterday of the strategy oil
Field Marshal Oyama and his pur
pose to block the entrance to Tie
Pass 50 as TO prevent Kuropatkir
from terrifying there and making an
other stand has been quickly verified
by the reported junction Of the out.
posts of the japanese left and right
columns that were projected from
the wings and then swung to the east
| and west north of Mukden. II the
two columns are in touch the move
ment was made with even greater
celebrity than was anticipated, and
is another proof OF the wonderful mo-
bility of the Japanese infantry
| These hardy soldiers must have
marched day and night since the big
envelopine movement on the tanks
began, and they doubtless had more
or less fighting TO do. Oyama.s au-
| dacity and almost reckless strategy
| Is marvel TO every military expert
in Washington. BY combining the
| press dispatches with the advices re
ceived at the Japanese legation
| Oyama's mastery campaign has been
carefully traced out
This Napoleon OF Japan opened the
ball by smashing the Russian CEN
ter with his artillery and at the
same time hurling his legions of
brown infantrymen against the Rus
sian positions. That was quite the
expected thing and did not particular
ly worry the Russians. But what
KEPT kuropatkin awake nights was to
know whether Oyams really intended
10 try and break through his center
and drive a wedge squarely between
his army or resort to the more con
ventlonal. which is also the favorite
Japanese strategy, and attempt
fianling movement, and, If so. wheth.
er 1t would he the right or left fiank
that Oyama would try to turn.
Oyama thought 1t was good for
Kuropatkin to be kept guessing, and,
while the Russian commander was
guessing, the Japanese field marshal
was working. While the Japanese
artillery was smashing great gaps In
me Russian center Kuroki on the
right and Nog1 on the left had got
their armies in such position that the
opposing Russian tanks were threat
ened Kuropatkin no longer had to
guess. He knew his adversary's
game. but not all OF It WHAT he
did not know was how far the flank
ing movements would go and wheth-
er they merely were feints 10 dis
tract his attention from his center or
whether they We're assaults in force
with the deliberate purpose to drive
back the wings on the main army
There were. then, three separate
great engagements in progress al
multaneously with a radius OF action
of hundred miles With an army
twice as large as his foe. 1t would
have been comparatively easy mat
ter for Oyama 10 have enveloped Kur
opatldn But with force only 50.-
900 to $4,000 men greater than that
Of mis- adversary, the success was a
studendous one. and it could only be
accomplished by taking desperate
risks
While he kept the main Russian
army busy in the center, he weak
ened his own force TO re-enforce his
wings. Kuropatkin evidently learned
Of this when It was too late and made
m attempt to break through Oyama's
center and crush him back on the
Russian center, but II was too late.
Meanwhile Oyams was executing
another Napoleonic stroke. Taking
care that the enemy constantly should
have his hands full in the center and
on tine left and the right. oyama
sent columns in force to make a wide
detour outside toe wings to get be
mind the Russian main army 80 that
when 1t began its retreat It would
htN lOICc
tween the three armies coming up
from the front and this force behind.
Kuropatkin would be caught in a
trap where ne could be hammered 10
pieces
Ofhcial advlces received, while fail
| ing to give much information as to
detailed military movements, are en-
| phatc in stating that everything is
progressing favorably for the Japan
| ese. II is now known that Oyama
is working to destroy the railway
running from Mukden north to Har-
bin, which is the only line OF retreat
open to Kuropatkin.
II the railway remains intact and
Kuropatkin can hold his foe long
enough at bay, be may be able to put
n considerable part Of his men, guns
his ammunition and his stores on the
cars and make good his escape, with
pernaps. the majority Of his force
II will take several days to move