Japan's alliance with Britain limited how far France could support the Russian fleet on its voyage. The counterfactual considers a stronger Franco-Russian partnership without that British restraint. Russian ships could have entered French Indochina, recoaled, repaired, and rested before leaving slow auxiliaries behind. French ships and an additional admiral might then have joined the movement north. Japanese tactics could still prevail, but the rested and reinforced force would make a victory on the historical scale much less likely.
Notable Point · 1:18:28-1:20:12
Alliances shaped the fleet that reached Tsushima
British alliance pressure denied Russia the French Indochina support and reinforcements that could have produced a stronger, rested fleet before Tsushima.