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Show I -CMSIS IN GEEAf BATTLE Ci?'MOSSI' RUSSIANS FALL INTO BAP LAID BY . JAPS; RETREAT ALMOST INEVITABLE; . KUROPATKIN MAY TRY THE OFFENSIVE ger Bays, "The southern position to unchanged un-changed so far a 8hakhe." After acknowledging that the Central army had fallen back from Blnchlnpu. In order to contract the length of the una of battle connecting the Inner positions, the Army Messenger adds: "The spirits of the men are excellent. Marvelous composure Is being displayed, considering the approaching crisis." The paper admits the Russian loaaes are heavy, but says the battle la going on , successfully. All the roads leading from Machlapu and the western plain, which has suddenly been invaded by the battle, are-crowded with Chinese refugee. Opposite Poutlloff hill the Russians ars reported to have- captured two machine guns. , ; : Japanese Enveloping Line Extends Ex-tends Sixty Miles; Violate Chinese Neutrality Freely in Big Turning Movement. BULLETIN. GEN". OKXT'S HEADQUARTERS IN THE PIELD, March 4, 2 p. m., via Tuaxa (Delayed in Trasmiasicn). Si nee. last (Friday) night the Japanese left, which is now extending: north and south, has advanced several miles. ' " The Russians are retreating in great disorder. The Japanese extreme left is now fifteen miles northwest of Mukden, '. and is advancing rapidly. The escape of the main Russian force seems impossible. It is already Btimated that the Russians have lost over 10,000 men. The Russians -are throwing away their arms and clothing in order to facilitate their escape. ' ' . .. BULLETIN. 8T. PETERSBURG, March 6, 2:30 p. m. The Associated Press has just learned that Gen. Xuropatkin has launched a blow at Field Marshal Oyama's left center, just east of the railroad. The fighting is desperate along almost- the entire line. Kuropatkln's losses in killed and wounded up to last night are placed at 23,500. Oyama is thought to have lost almost 30,000. The Japanese, according to the prisoners, are greatly exhausted. They repeat the statement that some of Gen. Nogi's men have not had any food -for two days. - -w- - - . ... BULLETIN. ' MUKDEN, March 6, 4:45 a. m. The Russians, In their attack on March 5, eastward of Poutiloff hill, captured about 100 Japanese prison- ' en. Eastward the Japanese have continued their attacks on the Xando-Usan Xando-Usan positions, but the forces previously attacking Gaotu pass have with- ' . drawn southward. I The Japanese attacks March 5 were everywhere repulsed. The fiercest fighting was on the right wing, extending from Machlapu to Nuesintun. The artillery duel continued all day throughout the zone, stretching from Salingpu to Luguontain. JAPS TORN RIGHT ' OF RUSSIAN ARMY; WONDERFUL STRATEGY MUKDEN. Saturday, March 4. The Eastern Russian army-Is reported to be contending aggressively for the ground Ust at Ta mountain. There are renewed rumors ' that Japanese Japa-nese infantry has been sighted north of Fushuu and moving west. The turning of the Russian right to a complete right angle hinging on Blnchlnpu Blnchln-pu has furnished the most remarkable strategic situation of the whole war. il day the Japanese batteries have been breaking shrapnel over-the swamp land I running southwest from the imperial I tombs in full view of the populace crowding crowd-ing the railroad station, the roofs of the adjoining houses and. every elevation. The Japanese have been encouraged to renewed endeavors by the sight of puffing essines and a long line of trains snd carta going northward. . Js'lne miles north of Slnchinpu the Japanese Japa-nese .reaches hs oM railway embankment facing Machlapu, their tins thence running run-ning north to Tatacheklo, on the Sinmln-tin Sinmln-tin road.' - ... Although the greatest battle of the war is being fought around Mukden, the Chinese Chi-nese are strangely indifferent. Gen. Kuropatkln has reassured the army that he relics on the men being able to hold their present positions. The heaviest fighting today was on the t north bank of the Hun river, but it was indecisive. The battle will be renewed at 7:80 o'clock tomorrow morning. JAPANESE SHOWED GREAT BRAVERY IN CROSSING THE SHAKHE ' GEN. KUROKI'S HEADQUARTERS IN THE FIELD, via Fusan (delayed in transmission), March 5. The Russians are today using sixteen guns placed In position posi-tion opposite Wltosan and are shelling the Japanese artillery positions, the villages on the plain occupied by troops and the roads whereon the supply trains are passing pass-ing to the front, but with no results Among the telling work of the Japanese army, done by Its Infantry in fights, no episode of the war surpasses the achievement achieve-ment of the force which on the night of March 2. gained a footing across the ShalLhe river and is now holding two miles of the front, after crawling up bare stony hills like leeches. The Russian trenches are now plainly visible, the soldiers moving about freely. Both sides suspend hostilities for three or four hours at midday and from midnight to morning. A terrific uproar Is caused by the sounds of the cannonading and rifle fire. The Japanese are proving as good winter win-ter campaigners in every respect as the Russians, a question upon which there was formerly considerable doubt. clent reinforcements west to stem the tide when, the Japanese were within sign of Mudkden. Japanese Exhausted. But the latest advices are to the effect ef-fect that the Japanese, exhausted by their tremendous efforts, have everywhere every-where stopped and now If ever Kuro-patkln's Kuro-patkln's hour has come. The Japanese lines are extended over sixty miles, while Kuropatkln's are constantly contracting. Besides he has the advantage for the offensive of operating ope-rating in the interior of his lines. May Overreach Themselves. Military critics declare Oyama has not got enough superiority to take risks. According to the War office. Oyama has not over 70,000 men In excess ex-cess of Kuropatkln, whose forces total about 340,000. Should Oyama succeed the critics declare that he will prove himself to be a master of military science sci-ence and establish a reputation for military mil-itary genius of the first magnitude. But Unless ne can completely crush Kuropatkln's Kuro-patkln's right they say Oyama is in Imminent danger of having his own left cut off and destroyed. Kuropatkln's chance, the war office says, is an opportune offensive, as passive pas-sive resistance would be fatal. , ; ST. PETERSBURG. March 6.-2:50 p. m. The result of the greatest battle of modern times is expected to be determined de-termined today or tomorrow. ' Two of the largest armies of recent times, both in men and guns, are now locked In a death struggle, and although al-though Gen. Kuropatkln has evidently made every preparation to cover his re-eat re-eat by removing his accumulated stores, and munitions northward, it is now the opinion of military men here OaXt one side or the other cannot es- cape overwhelming disaster. Russians in Bad Straits. With both wings bent backward Kuropatkln's Ku-ropatkln's position appears to be desperate, des-perate, but the issue is still in 4he balance. bal-ance. News of a victory for him is only r"ded as possible by his breaking tmough the enveloping lines, and news of a concentrated offensive is hourly awaited. Unless Kuropatkln can strike and striks hard it is realized that he must lose. -. . Strategy Now Clear. - Field Marshal Oyama's strategy in " this battle is now clear. He startled and amazed the War office by the marvelous mar-velous daring of Gen. Kurokt's advance . against the extreme Russian left and 1 the series of blows delivered at the center cen-ter where no less than thirteen separate attacks have been launched by the imperial im-perial guards ten miles east of Poutiloff hllL But it is now realised that the heavy blows at the .left were intended to mask the real turning movement, which came like a bolt from a clear . sky out of the west. Kuropotkia a Victim. j Kuropatkln fell Into the trap. The ' situation seemed an exact duplicate of j that at Liao Tang and the Russian Commander-in-Chief hastened to mass forces to meet Kurokl. . Friday the .whole situation was suddenly reversed I when with lightninr rapidity the Japa nese turning operation began on the plain between the Hun and Liao rivers. In order to succeed Oyama threw the neutrality of China to the winds. Port Arthur Veterans. . Gen. Nogl with his Port Arthur veterans vet-erans moved up the right bank of the Hun and fell l!ke an avalanche upon the weakened Russian right, doubling it back in confusion, the Japanese advance ad-vance being co-ordinated with the advance ad-vance straight from the west of a Japanese Japa-nese column, 40,000 men, which circulated circu-lated around or through Chinese neutral neu-tral territory. ' " ' Although rumors of the presence of the latter column westward of Mukden were circulated as long sgt as Tuesday Kuropatkln evidently was taken by mrprlse, positively refusing to believe tht the Japanese would thus openly Chinese neutrality to the winds. frrknY rate, it was not until Saturday niVf " that h was able to shift suffl- JAPANESE REPORT SEVERAL SUCCESSES IN SUNDAY'S BATTLE TOKIO, March dtp. m. The headquarters headquar-ters of the Japanese armies in the field, reporting yesterday, said: "In the Singing (or Ysnden) direction, the enemy continues a stubborn resistance resist-ance at several lines of defense. "In the Bhakhe river direction our detachment de-tachment which attacked the northern eminence of Plnnlpuao Saturday has occupied oc-cupied Pinnlpuao, four miles west of the Waltao mountain. "Our forces In- the neighborhood of Housupsoatcu occupied a redoubt on a height northeast of the village at dawn Sunday. "East of the railroad at 8 o'clock Sunday Sun-day morning our force occupied Lluchen-tun, Lluchen-tun, three miles southwest of Wanpao mountain, and pressed part of the enemy into the center of the village, where it Is now surrounding them. "West of the railroad on Sunday our force captured Hanchangpao and Slaosu-chtapao Slaosu-chtapao and now continues to advance. Suchlatun railroad station Is burning." Suchlatun Is the starting point of the railroad the Russians constructed westward west-ward to Bubupao. ALL DAY SUNDAY BATTLE RAGED IN VICINITY OF MUKDEN MUKDE.V. March S (Sunday), I p. m. All day long the battle raged ceaselessly. ceaseless-ly. The Japanese have concentrated their energies on Machlapu, for the possession of which they have been struggling for two days, but with all their gallantry, the Japanese were unable to dislodge the Russians, who are clinging to' their works with bulldog tenacity. Japanese shrapnel has been bursting within a mile and a half of the Hun river railway bridge, which evidently is the Japanese objective. A tierce and continuous artillery Are Is taking place about four miles north of Machlapu. From the Hun bridge along the line of batie Is stretched in both directions direc-tions as far ss the eye can see. Northwest to Tatcheklao and eastward along the Shakhe river it Is marked by a line of bursting shells. The Russian losses are not excessive, considering the severity of the five days' fighting. The Japanese, as the attackers, have suffered heavier than the Russians. A decision in the battle should be reached tomorrow or Tuesday. At 4:30 this afternoon guns began to roar to. the north and northwest of the Mukden Muk-den station, where Gen. Kuropatkln Is launching an attack against the Japanese extreme left. During last night the Japanese Jap-anese repeatedly assaulted Pienchlapud-gu, Pienchlapud-gu, Katou pass and Kantayen, farther east, but all their efforts were unavailing-. The bombardment of Erdsgou, Novgorod Novgo-rod and ' Poutiloff hills continues unsuccessfully. unsuc-cessfully. An official report in the Army Messe |