Devil's Garden

Chapter 23

The sound of the distant horn call seemed to have an urgent edge to it. Heihachiro Togo stopped, listening closely as he tied off the brace of pheasant he had been hunting, binding their legs with a small twine. He looked to see a rider approaching, hastening up the hill as though pursued by demons. This man is coming to find me, he knew. Something must have happened. But what?

Togo was a man of quiet resolve, and one who rose to a position of great authority after years of routine and diligent work in the Japanese Navy. A strange feeling of alarm rose in him as he watch the rider come, but he stilled his mind, imposing calm and order on his thinking.

His given name meant “Peaceful son,” and his surname “Togo” referred to the nation of the east. Thus this “peaceful man of the east” was the Yin force at the heart of Japan’s energetic Yang when it came to war. He was once heard to remark that “peace has its victories too, and more renowned than those of war.” In fact, the Admiral’s own biography, to be written in 1909, would be entitled “Benevolence and Peace.” Yet when it did come time to engage in battle, he did so with a single minded belief in the attainment of victory.

A simple man, he took pleasure in the simple things of life, loving his family, nature, hunting with his dogs, or work in his beloved garden. In spite of his notoriety and fame, he shunned pomp and ceremony, sought no medals or fanfare, and carried out his work with assiduous attention, seeing to everything in his charge yet not interfering in the work of others. To some it seemed he accomplished all his work with a seemingly effortless efficiency, yet no man in the navy worked harder.

He was also a temperate man, with a level-headed disposition, and never one to indulge in strong drink to the point of intoxication. Only a clear mind could attend to all the many details his post required, and his was a mind as placid and cool as a mountain pond of melted spring snow. He was frugal, never wasting anything, yet generous to a fault. Modesty, honesty, and honor were all watchwords to live by, and he embodied them all in the conduct of his own life. In reporting to his superiors, of who there were few in the Naval Department or Imperial Palace, he always made sure to verify the information he related personally. As such, speculation never entered his mind, though he asked and answered a thousand questions each day in the course of his many duties.

A courteous man, he was keenly aware of the concept of “face” and might often turn his head at a breach of conduct, relating his displeasure quietly, behind the scenes, in an effort to allow the offender the means of recovering face and doing what was correct. At other times all it ever took was a turn of his head to take notice of an offense, and the men responsible would soon be earnestly working to remedy their behavior.

When war came with Russia in 1904 Togo rose to the challenge with the same quiet dignity and sense of purpose. He was keenly aware of the fact that the responsibility for Japan’s entire navy rested upon his shoulders, one that was built by long years of energetic work, with many ships acquired from foreign manufacturers or taken as prizes of war when Japan fought China. It was, to him, like an irreplaceable sword, beautiful and deadly, yet one that might be broken if mishandled in combat, for he knew all too well the destructive power of modern weapons and war in general.

When he trained his men and ships, he endeavored to infuse the exercise with as much realism as possible, preferring live shot to dummy rounds in any test of cannon. Time in battle was a brief, violent affair, but time to prepare for battle was endless. When battle came, one had to be bold and aggressive, but to move with predetermined calculation, and so he was given to write long multi page battle orders assigning position, speed and formation for each division of his fleet.

When war was declared it was his intention to become swift master of the seas between Japan and the great European adversary that many thought would prove an insurmountable foe. He would not let this enemy come from the sea. It would be found at sea and opposed there, and once Japan had defeated the Russian Pacific Fleet, then they could lie in wait should any reinforcements be sent from the Baltic, which is exactly what happened.

Togo saw the capture of the first Russian ship in that war as a fateful omen, and often mused on the hand divine providence might have played in those events. The ship was, in fact, named Russia, and his crew gleefully related that they had “taken Russia by storm” when they secured the prize.

In his first action against the Russian fleet near Port Arthur, Togo kept the range well open, at 8,000 yards, which was considered good range for naval action at that time. The superior gunnery of his ships paid off well, and he sustained very little damage from the enemy while inflicting far more serious losses. His precious fleet had been protected, even as it was used to good effect to win the battle.

Later, when he met the Russian reserve fleets in the Strait of Tsushima, his command to the fleet was weighted with the importance of that imminent battle: “The rise or fall of the Empire depends upon the result of this engagement. Do your utmost, every one of you.”

When the fighting began, he remained on the open air bridge, refusing to shelter in the conning tower much to the distress of junior officers at first. Yet, through shot and shell when the enemy concentrated fire on his flagship Mikasa, he was never scratched or wounded in any way, which endowed him with an aura of invincibility. Such notions were far from his own mind, humble man that he was, but to his subordinates the light of a demigod soon seemed to surround him, and they came to revere him as the great hero he became.

It was not simply the fate of Japan that was at stake in that war, but of Imperial Russia itself as well. Beyond that, the battle opened the door to Japanese expansion in the Pacific that would not end until men like Chester Nimitz, Bull Halsey, Ziggy Sprague, and a host of other brave and determined officers and sailors, defeated Japan completely in WWII. But those event were far off and unseen by anyone alive that day in the Straits of Tsushima. It was a grand battle, and an even grander victory for Japan and the quiet Admiral that led the fleet to glory that day.

Historians have selected three great Admirals of the world naming Horatio Nelson of Great Britain, Togo as the ‘Nelson of the East,’ and Chester Nimitz, who revered Togo himself, and assiduously studied his planning and tactics.

This was the “little man” Karpov was sailing south to find and confront, as different from his own character as day is to night. When Togo stood in the aura of invincibility on the bridge of the Mikasa at Tsushima he did so with bravery, inner resolve, and with a feeling he was fated to succeeded there, that he was, indeed, a fortunate man and favored by the Gods.

Yet now another man who also thought himself invincible was bearing down on the coast of Japan like a threatening storm-Vladimir Karpov. Togo’s virtue of quiet humility, and sense of honor seemed entirely lacking in Karpov. In their place was hubris, arrogance and a willful aggressive nature that had little regard for the lives or fate of any who might dare oppose him.

He commanded a single ship, yet one that had challenged entire fleets composed of fast, well armored warships supported by aircraft carriers and thousands of planes. He had confronted every enemy who opposed him with unrelenting power, and in many ways he was successful in defeating his opponents at every turn.

He had held off the Royal Navy in the Atlantic and roundly smashed the hapless American fleet that had sailed into his path, unaware of the danger he posed. In the Mediterranean Sea he had frustrated the Italians, beating a pair of their finest battleships, and then took on Rodney and Nelson to prevail in battle yet again. In the Pacific he had bested Admiral Hara’s carrier division, left Sanji Iwabuchi stranded on a coral reef in the battleship Kirishima, and dueled with the mightiest ship Japan would ever build, and one of her most famous Admirals, Isokoru Yamamoto. Then after returning to his own era, he used his cunning and aggressive tactics to surprise and nearly sink Captain Tanner’s CVN Washington, fending off the American 5th Fleet in the process.

His own crew had also come to see their Captain as invincible, even in the face of overwhelming odds when the ship returned to 1945 and was faced by sixty ships and a thousand American aircraft. They saw Karpov as a fighting Captain who would do whatever was necessary to protect the ship and prevail against the enemy. Whether Kirov would have survived subsequent engagements with the American fleet, either in 2021 or 1945 was not something they considered. What they did know is that the ship did survive, no matter what the odds, and each time it was Vladimir Karpov in command of the battle. Now both men would face one another, Togo and Karpov, and the winner would decide the course of history from that day forward.

It was not long before word of the incident in the north reached Admiral Togo. It was coming to him now, even as the rider climbed higher, his horn still calling out alarm.

Togo had been supervising Japan’s newest port on the coast north of Osaka at Maizuru. It had been built to provide them a base to keep a wary eye on Vladivostok and quickly get ships into the Sea of Japan without first having to sail around the big southern islands or through the narrow Straits of Shimonoseki. Before the war Maizuru had been an isolated coastal town, with only slow road connections to the big cities to the south. Now, however, the rail line was completed, and supplies flowed easily to the port.

He had been hunting that day, dressed in his old clothes and wandering about the hills with a rifle and a pair of faithful hunting dogs. Returning in the evening he heard the call of a distant horn, growing louder as he descended the hills to the port below. It was not long before he saw a horseman with a uniformed messenger, his dogs barking fitfully as the rider came up.

Togo called his hounds to his side, his calm hand on their necks as he waited. Soon the dogs were sitting quietly and the rider dismounted, saluting, and then bowing politely. “Your pardon, Admiral, but we have received an urgent message from Tokyo.”

Togo raised an eyebrow, saying nothing as he waited. The man reached into a leather pouch at his side and produced a scroll, which he handed to the Admiral, bowing again. As Togo unrolled it slowly, he had the distinct feeling that something ominous and portentous was being unfurled with the opening of that scroll. He read the characters there with a stern eye: “A Russian warship has sunk the streamer Tatsu Maru in the Tsugaru Straits and is now moving south. Please make any arrangement necessary to settle this matter.”

The message was vague as to any details of the incident, and completely open as to the wishes of the Navy Department concerning its resolution. It was immediately clear to him that Tokyo was leaving the matter to him, and he immediately wondered what this ship could be? The war left Russia virtually helpless in the Pacific, with no fleet to speak of. There were still a few armored cruisers in Vladivostok, but the notion that they would dare sortie and engage commercial shipping in Japanese home waters was preposterous. If this turned out to be the case, he would deliver a swift reprisal.

Now we see the virtue of Maizuru, he thought. Ships at Kure and Sasebo were 400 sea miles away to the south, but he had wisely decided to position Admiral Kamimura’s flying squadron of armored cruisers here, along with two battleships that had been taken as prizes of war from the Russians. The ex-Russian Poltava, was now renamed Tango, and the ex-Russian Admiral Senyavin was now the Mishima. Supported by Kamimura’s six cruisers, the force was more than adequate to confront and defeat anything the Russians could have sent from Vladivostok.

Could they have slipped in reserve units from their Black Sea Fleet, he wondered? If that were so his intelligence experts should have heard something of it. A fleet cannot pass through the Suez Canal without some notoriety. Right now the Americans were stealing most of the headlines with their Great White Fleet circumnavigating the globe. The navy has been itching for a fight again, and it was even suggested that they should plan to ambush and destroy the American fleet as it approached Japan for a scheduled visit to Yokohama. Togo believed that would be most unwise, and squelched the plan with his considerable influence and prestige. Yet what were the Russians up to now? He would send Kamimura to have a look and report.

“Sir,” the messenger said politely. “Please take my horse to hasten your return to the harbor.”

“That will not be necessary, Lieutenant,” said Togo. “But you may ride on ahead if you please, and tell Admiral Kamimura that he is to prepare his flying squadron for immediate operations. The two battleships will be made ready for sea operations as well. I will be there directly to meet with the Admiral. Please have a car ready for me. Something tells me I will be leaving for Kure before nightfall.”

“At once, sir!” The rider was quick to mount his horse and was soon riding swiftly down the slope. Togo watched him go, bothered again by the strange thought that the man was carrying the first order of another great war, one that would decide everything. Why he felt that he could not see. The Russians could bring the whole of their remaining Black Sea Fleet and it would do them little good here. He would defeat it as handily as he had beaten their Pacific and Baltic fleets. Yet he had learned to heed and respect the inner warnings that emerged like shadows in his mind. This shadow was particularly dark and foreboding.

He whistled to his dogs, and started walking briskly down the slope as they ran to follow. Whatever it was in the darkness of his mind, it was beginning now, and each step he took carried him ever closer to it. The life he had led, celebrated by his peers and basking in the light of the great victory his navy had won three years ago, was now fading. A new test was before him now. He could feel and sense another enemy coming from the sea.

Well, he thought, when an enemy comes from the sea, we must find it at sea and defeat it there. And that is exactly what we will do. I have every trust that Kamimura will handle the matter with little difficulty. Then will come the outcries of protest, the negotiations, the lament and call for reparations. It was said by many that Japan should have taken much more than it received in the treaty of Portsmouth that ended the war with Russia. Many thought that the whole of Sakhalin Island should have been seized, not the half that they were ceded. Japan also took Port Arthur, Manchukuo, and the Russian built rail lines leading north, but others said that all of Korea should have come under Japanese control, just as they said that all of Formosa should have been taken when China was beaten years earlier.

Now they will want me to occupy Vladivostok, he thought darkly. We shall see what comes of this. It may be nothing at all. After the war there was an uprising in that port city. The unrest in Russia and particularly Siberia may have renewed. This may be no more than an upstart cruiser captain thinking to gain redress for the humiliation we inflicted upon Russia in that war. So be it. One Captain or many, we are ready.

Then what is this shadow hovering over my mind and darkening my soul? The day is fine and I have a brace of pheasants to take home for the evening meal. Why this feeling of dread?