 On land, Alexeyev had serious and continual disagreements with General Kuropatkin, the former minister of war over the strategy employed against the Japanese and forced Kuropatkin to take a more aggressive position despite Kuropatkin's insistence on assuming a defensive war of attrition until the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, which would bring reinforcements and supplies.Following a direct order from the Tsar, Alexeyev left Port Arthur on May 5, 1904 for Mukden, and following the defeat at the Battle of Shaho, was relieved of his command and ordered back to St. Petersburg on October 12, 1904.In June 1905, the post of viceroy was abolished, and Alexeyev became a member of the State Council of Imperial Russia.