The early mobilization Russia did not attempt

Even reaching Vladivostok would have left the Russians short of the smaller vessels needed to counter Japan's destroyers and torpedo boats. In this limited counterfactual, Russia might still have lost. If the Baltic force had mobilized as soon as war began while the First Pacific Squadron preserved itself at Port Arthur, Japan might eventually have faced connected Russian forces on opposite sides of Korea. Instead, Russia spent the local squadron before panic produced the distant relief expedition, then burdened that expedition with still more unsuitable ships. Timing and force concentration were logistical decisions as much as tactical ones.