Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

Blazing Sun

This is a chapter that really needs to be written, but it is not complete due to a lot of groundwork, so I am updating it for the second time today.

- Toshitsugu Utei

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While Japan was steadily preparing for the "next war," the Western powers were not merely sitting idle. First and foremost, in Russia, which had been at the mercy of Japan throughout the Russo-Japanese War, the top brass of the army engaged in continuous discussions day and night to decipher Japan's new tactic, the "infiltration assault." In some cases, they even conducted exercises to replicate the situation at the time.

"Never did I think the Japanese would devise such a clever tactic and be able to execute it..."

When the Russian Army's top brass understood the outline of the infiltration tactic, General Aleksei Brusilov, who had first implemented the infiltration tactic in history, is said to have uttered these words.

However, understanding it and implementing it were two different matters. Unlike Japan, where a minimum level of education had been provided to the population since the Edo period and the literacy rate was high, Russia, where citizens' rights were restricted, and the majority could not receive proper education, lagged in training "squad leaders capable of making advanced judgments." Additionally, the sheer size of the army itself, compared to Japan, was a disadvantage in this situation. The fact that the OTL Battle of Tsushima never happened and the Baltic Fleet returned without fighting prevented the naval power from diminishing as much as in reality, and the Army and Navy were competing for budget allocation, which was painful.

The domestic situation in Russia was worse than in OTL, with Finland and Poland experiencing deteriorating security conditions and almost on the brink of independence. Although there was nothing left to do, the experience of "a defeat by a second-rate Asian country" played a significant role even in a conservative and corrupt Russia and led to significant reforms in the education system, from soldiers to non-commissioned officers.

While conducting research to be able to implement the infiltration tactic themselves, they were also considering countermeasures against it. The first idea that came to mind was the one taken by Gripenberg during the Siege of Port Arthur: "Minimize the combat front as much as possible to increase firepower density and eliminate the opportunity for infiltration breakthrough." However, considering the vast expanse of Russia's territory, it was inevitable that the front lines would become excessively long.

"This will lead to a second and third battle of Shaho!"

General Linevich shouted in frustration at not being able to come up with effective countermeasures. He himself had led the army under Kuropatkin during the Russo-Japanese War and had suffered numerous setbacks at the hands of the Japanese. However, he believed that Kuropatkin, who had conducted passive command, was to blame, and he thought he had done his best.

At that moment, a brilliant idea occurred to Brusilov.

"Let's think about it the other way around... Let's consider it okay even if they break through."

"What are you talking about, Brusilov?" Kuropatkin asked.

He had also experienced the Japanese offensive, but he was more skilled in paperwork than in battlefield command, and he was more useful in terms of organizational management at the research meeting. He hoped that if the research meeting concluded that the Japanese had used innovative tactics and the Russian army of the time had no countermeasures, it might help clear his tarnished reputation.

"Because we try to receive the enemy's attack head-on, our front lines get isolated and we end up surrendering when they infiltrate. In that case, why not just give up on taking the initial blow and keep retreating to the rear?"