The () was a major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, on the outskirts of the city of Liaoyang in present-day Liaoning Province, China. The city was of great strategic importance as the major Russian military center for southern Manchuria, and a major population center on the main line on the Russian South Manchurian Railway connecting Port Arthur with Mukden. The city was fortified by the Imperial Russian Army with three lines of fortifications.
Background
When the Imperial Japanese Army landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, Japanese General Ōyama Iwao divided his forces. The IJA 3rd Army under Lieutenant General Nogi Maresuke was assigned to attack the Russian naval base at Port Arthur to the south, while the IJA 1st Army, IJA 2nd Army and IJA 4th Army would converge on the city of Liaoyang. Russian General Aleksey Kuropatkin planned to counter the Japanese advance with a series of planned withdrawals, intended to trade territory for the time necessary for enough reserves to arrive from Russia to give him a decisive numerical advantage over the Japanese. However, this strategy was not in favor with the Russian Viceroy Yevgeni Ivanovich Alekseyev, who was pushing for a more aggressive stance and quick victory over Japan.
Both sides viewed Liaoyang as a site suitable for a decisive battle which would decide the outcome of the war.
Preparations
At Liaoyang, Kuropatkin had a total of 14 divisions with 158,000 men, supported by 609 artillery pieces. He divided his forces into three groups. The Eastern Group was commanded by General Alexandr von Bilderling and consisted of the 3rd Siberian Army Corps and the 10th European Army Corps. The Southern Group was commanded by General Nikolai Zarubaev and consisted of the 1st Siberian Army Corps, 2nd Siberian Army Corps and 4th Siberian Army Corps, together with a total of 11 cavalry squadrons under Lieutenant General Pavel Mishchenko. Kuropatkin kept a reserve of 30 battalions, mostly from the 17th Siberian Army Corps. His outermost defensive line extended approximately to the south of the ancient walled city. With the start of the rainy season in July, the muddy terrain favored the defenders.
Ōyama also divided his forces into three groups: IJA 1st Army under General Kuroki Tamemoto, IJA 2nd Army under General Oku Yasukata, IJA 4th Army under General Nozu Michitsura. Ōyama had a total of eight divisions with 120,000 men and 170 artillery pieces. The overall Japanese strategy, which had been developed by General Kodama Gentarō, was to have the 2nd Army advance along the railway line, while the 1st Army converged upon the city via Motien Pass from the north. The 4th Army would be a reserve to be committed to the right of the 2nd Army towards the end of the battle.
Due to a disparity in military intelligence, Kuropatkin was convinced that he was outnumbered, whereas Ōyama, with the assistance of the local Chinese population, had precise knowledge of the Russian strength and deployment. However, Ōyama was concerned with his numerical inferiority, and waited to attack in hopes that a quick victory at Port Arthur would enable him to add the strength of IJA 3rd Army to his forces before yet more Russian reinforcements arrived to the north. However, after three weeks without progress at Port Arthur, Ōyama decided that he could wait no longer.
Battle
The battle began on 25 August with a Japanese artillery barrage, followed by the advance of the Japanese Imperial Guards Division under Lieutenant General Hasegawa Yoshimichi against the right flank of the 3rd Siberian Army Corps. The attack was defeated by the Russians under General Bilderling largely due to the superior weight of the Russian artillery and the Japanese took over a thousand casualties.
On the night of 25 August, the IJA 2nd Division and IJA 12th Division under Major General Matsunaga Masatoshi engaged the 10th Siberian Army Corps to the east of Liaoyang. Fierce night fighting occurred around the slopes of a mountain called "Peikou", which fell to the Japanese by the evening of 26 August. Kuropatin ordered a retreat under the cover of heavy rain and fog, to the outermost defensive line surrounding Liaoyang, which he had reinforced with his reserves. Also on 26 August, the advance of the IJA 2nd Army and IJA 4th Army was stalled by General Zarubaev's Southern Group before the outmost defensive line to the south.