On that occasion the Russians marched against the Japanese positions by three different roads. On 9 October General Stackelberg, at the head of two army corps, attacked the Jap anese right wing. This was the beginning of the great battle which continued to be fiercely fought in all directions until the 15th, there being some minor engagements till the 17th. Everywhere the Japanese were victorious and the Russians fell back in the direction of Muk den by taking three roads to the east of the railway.
After the battle of the Shaho the Japanese Manchurian armies remained inactive for some time, taking no step other than checking the advance of the enemy in the direction of the Shaho. Their intention was to wait for the fall of Port Arthur and join General Nogi's army to themselves, so that they might advance north ward en masse and inflict a crushing defeat on the enemy.
The Fall of Port Since the first general attack made on 19 August the invest ing army of Port Arthur made altogether four general attacks on the fortress before 26 No vember. But every time the Russians offered a stubborn resistance, causing great losses to the Japanese. There is a hill known as the 203-metre hill at the northwestern extremity of the line of fortifications behind Port Arthur. It is the highest hill at the back of the fortress and from its summit the whole view of the harbor and town can be obtained. For this reason the hill is the key to the fate of the fortress. On the occasion of the second general attack the First Division attacked it with all its might for four consecutive days and nights, but failed to take possession of it after having lost heavily in its fighting strength. From 27 November the investing army again made an other attempt to capture it, concentrating all the fires of its artillery and hurling column after column against it. A most fierce and bloody hand-to-hand fighting resulted, and at last dur ing the night of the 30th a detachment of Jap anese succeeded in carrying the hill. On the following day, however, the Russians returned to a counter-attack in great force and innumer able were the casualties on both sides. So heavy indeed were the losses that the sides of the hill were literally covered with the killed and wounded, and in order to recover them the parlementaires from the opposing forces met and arranged for a partial armistice.
After the killed and wounded were removed fighting was resumed with redoubled fury. It was only on 5 December that the Japanese suc ceeded in repulsing all the counter-attacks of the Russians and completing the occupation of the 203-metre hill.
When the 203-metre hill fell into the hands of the Japanese the fate of Port Arthur was sealed. Establishing a watchtower and mounting heavy cannon on its summit, the Japanese army bombarded the enemy's warships in the harbor ter day which, without hav ing any shelter to protect them, were easily hit and sunk one after another. The Sevastopol and some other vessels, which had escaped be yond the range of cannon, were attacked with torpedoes and completely. disabled, and by 11 December the Russian Pacific squadron was annihilated. Then the Tungk ikwanshan Fort was taken by the Japanese on the 16th, the Erhlungshan Fort on the 28th and the Sung shushan Fort on the 31st.
By this time the Russian garrison found itself in the last extremity of distress. Its store of food and ammunition was almost exhausted, it had no place to take in the wounded and sick, and its combatants were nearly worn out, due to unceasing fighting, with scarcely enough strength left to take up arms. In these cir cumstances General Stoessel saw no other way but to surrender. On 1 Jan. 1905, he sent a parlementaire to the Japanese army in order to negotiate terms of surrender. General Nogi, commander of the investing army, accepted the request and commissioned Major-General Ijichi, chief of his staff, to meet and discuss the terms of surrender with the Russian commis sioner on the following day at Sinshiying. At this meeting the terms of surrender were agreed upon and signed by both commissioners. After all the fortifications and other military equip ments had been duly delivered by the Russians into the hands of the Japanese, on 5 January General Stoessel came out of the fortress and met General Nogi. Previous to this, the em peror of Japan, on hearing of the capitulation of the Port Arthur garrison, magnanimously desired that, in appreciation of General Stoes sel's arduous services for the sake of his country, he should be accorded all the honors of war. In consequence, General Stoessel and 536 officers were allowed to wear arms and return to Russia under obligation not to take part again in the present war. General Vock and a number of officers, however, refused to be re leased on parole, and were consequently sent to Japan as prisoners of war. Altogether 40,243 officers and rank and file were made prisoners of war.