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Show Czar's Men Assume the Offensive. Kuropatkin Means (o Give Battle South of Muk-den. Muk-den. Has Prepared Tio Pass as Placo to PwOtroat in Event of Defeat. LONDON, Oct. 11. Tho Morning Post's Shanghai correspondent says that it 1b stated that Lieut-Gen. StooH-sol StooH-sol has reported that unless he bo relieved re-lieved boforo December ho must surrender. sur-render. Following Kuropatkln's sudden blow, which resulted in the capture of tho Japanese fortified position of Bontsla-putze Bontsla-putze and tho consequent flanking of the Japanose right, the campaign in Manchuria Booms to havo entered upon an cntlroly now phase. Russians on Offensive. With the Russians now on tho offensive, offens-ive, as tho move seems to Indicate, tho surmises to which the past ten days of almost absolute news silence gavo rise aro shattered, and It seems practically prac-tically certain that Kuropatkin means to give battle south of Mukden and that tho position he has prepared at Tie pass is for the contingency of a defeat and also to strengthen his general gen-eral plan. Week Beforo Battle. In St. Petersburg it is believed that at least a weok will elapse before tho two armies meet, and In the moantimo the vital question Is whether Oyama will contest the present Russian advance ad-vance or fall back to his strong positions po-sitions to tho north of Liao Yawr. Kuropatkin Moves Slowly. Kuropatkln's advanco is being mado with extremo slowness and deliberation, delibera-tion, and it is now known that tho movement against Bentslaputze has been under way since October 4. Tho now situation causes St. Potersburg to believe that a winter campaign will he undertaken. Russians Buildings Earthworks. A dispatch from tho field headquarters headquar-ters of tho Japanese second army says that the Russians are building heavy earthworks south of Mukden. Kuropatkln's Kuro-patkln's army Is moving In two Btrong columns, on6 on each side of the railway, rail-way, and they are entrenching as they advance. Vessels Sunk at Port Arthur. Toklo reports that the Japanese recently re-cently encountered a heavy rifle firo from the fleet and land batteries on tho Russian vessels In Port Arthur, sinking three of them. |