Ch.199Age of Turbulence (6)

At least Britain has its navy. But even that navy would be useless against nuclear weapons.

“Your Majesty.”

While I’m deep in thought, our Duma chairman Prime Minister seems to have more to say.

“What is it?”

“If China has joined hands with communism, wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

Yes. Extremely dangerous.

Let’s say China successfully recovers with Germany’s help and drives out Japan. What would be next?

Russia wouldn’t lose to the likes of China, but some troops would have to be diverted to the Far East.

This means we’d have to manage a two-front war. Realistically, we should be beating China alongside Japan.

We need to focus on Europe, don’t we? In this situation, it’s better to watch Japan and China pulling each other’s hair.

“Indeed. If they’ve joined hands with communism, considering China’s potential, there are concerning aspects.”

Even South China alone has an enormous population.

The reason Japan isn’t advancing directly into South China now seems to be that they want to stabilize North China first before moving south.

There seem to be internal issues as well. Meanwhile, our Chiang Kai-shek has joined hands with the red devil.

This means I’ll have no choice but to deal with China later.

It might be good for us to reorganize China after Japan ruins it, capturing Chiang Kai-shek and using Mao Zedong.

No matter how much of a bastard Mao is, we have to give credit where it’s due.

Even in the original history, due to communism’s characteristic closed nature, Korea, being next to China, barely managed to get a golden time to build national power. When China was destroying its own five-thousand-year history through the Cultural Revolution, Korea was able to increase its soft power.

On the other hand, it would have been dangerous if Chiang Kai-shek had unified China. The same applies to this history.

Chiang Kai-shek, who wants a unified China, is hostile to Russia. He would likely think about reclaiming Mongolia and Manchuria from Russia.

Chiang Kai-shek, who helped the Korean Provisional Government in the original history, will have to disappear in this history.

It would be ideal if he died and China was divided among warlords who lack the capacity to unify.

I never thought the day would come when I would save Mao Zedong.

Sorry to Chiang Kai-shek, but if you’re going to be hostile to Russia, there’s no choice. Incidentally, if there’s no Cultural Revolution, we need to make the war drag on as much as possible to accumulate damage.

“So we plan to have the Okhrana find Mao Zedong. If his whereabouts are unknown, he might be alive somewhere.”

Mao Zedong, who inherited Chen Jiongming’s warlord territory and became the Guangdong warlord.

The fact that this Mao can’t return to Guangdong now suggests he might be dead, but conversely, it could also mean he’s within Japanese territory and can’t move freely.

Or he might be in prison, hiding his identity.

“Yes, understood.”

“By the way, is Renya Mutaguchi behaving well?”

That man needs to finish his words well.

He’s the key, you know? Even if we can’t overthrow the Japanese government later, we need to stab Japan in the back.

“For now, he seems to be diligently receiving supplies from the Governor-General’s Office as Your Majesty said.”

“Well, he already has the merit of annihilating 2 million, so he must be quite satisfied.”

Honestly, if I had achieved such merit, I probably wouldn’t want to fight anymore either.

If he relies solely on that merit and acts up more, given the characteristics of the Imperial Headquarters, what would happen? Especially since it’s the Emperor’s personal army. It’s better to stay quiet in the background when you know when to be satisfied.

Hirohito, who came in person, wouldn’t like it if only Renya Mutaguchi acted up.

There’s nothing more fearsome than a meritorious subject. Hirohito, knowing that China is currently in crisis, would want to take advantage of the opportunity to handle China personally.

“Will Japan move south as soon as Qing is stabilized?”

“Yes. Since Chiang Kai-shek won’t surrender, that’s what will happen.”

Wow. A fight between Hirohito and Chiang Kai-shek. A fight that makes one’s heart petty and mean.

In this modern era, Hirohito personally commanding. Oh, this is quite remarkable.

“In the end, we need an ideal picture where China somehow holds out and Japan is blocked to some extent.”

The ideal picture we want needs to be completed at an appropriate level. But this might be asking too much.

It’s almost a miracle that all my predictions have come true so far.

Honestly, there are things that have deviated from my predictions. For example, the conflict between Churchill and the Commonwealth.

Or how Trotsky’s disruption, which I had hoped for, exploded so dramatically.

Unexpectedly, we might now be in a situation where we need to send reinforcements to the United States.

In such a situation, China might suddenly be pushed back by Hirohito, or Hirohito might capture Chiang Kai-shek as is.

Such situations could arise.

It could be all or nothing. Either Japanese South China is established, or Chiang Kai-shek might reach Mongolia with his unmatched strength.

“Still, if Germany starts supporting China, we don’t know what the repercussions will be.”

“We’ll have to hope they ruin each other on their own.”

“Yes. Still, if we gather troops again over time, we can try by overwhelming them with numbers. The Duma will pay attention to this.”

I believe the Prime Minister will do well.

Then, Japan should be about to request something from us, as the war with China continues.

“Your Majesty, Japan has requested the sale of weapons and oil.”

Sure enough, not long after, Japan requested weapons and oil.

Looking at the list, it seems they were quite impressed by the aircraft carrier. They’ve inquired about the possibility of purchasing the Beloye series from the Beliye Project.

Oil. Hmm, are they starting to run short?

“Hmm. What about the United States?”

“The United States is in that state, so they say oil imports are difficult.”

While there’s no oil embargo, it seems Japan is having trouble importing oil properly.

Well, with the United States in civil war, they would have many uses for it domestically. Can’t be helped.

“Does Japan not have tanks?”

“They do, but their tank standards are too outdated.”

That’s right. They were terrible in the original history too, weren’t they? Their tank standards are just very antiquated.

If we provide tanks, they would push China more effectively. It’s a bit difficult to accept that proposal.

With tanks, they would push China faster.

“Let’s support them with older model tanks within possible limits for weapon sales. For the rest, tell them it’s difficult as the European war is approaching. For oil, tell them we can sell until then.”

Unfortunately, weapon support is limited.

We can’t give weapons to those guys. Above all, we’re facing a war ourselves, aren’t we?

Sigh, there’s a lot to worry about, but it’s also interesting.

“Your Majesty, the Japanese army has begun moving south!”

Not long after, news of the Japanese army’s southward movement arrived.

I wonder how Chiang Kai-shek will hold out. Even though he brought in German military advisors to train elites, he’ll have to fight with a ragtag army for a while.

Please, I just wish they would both self-destruct.

***

Henan Province, National Government of the Republic of China

The Japanese army, which had focused on stabilizing Qing, underestimated the Chinese army and assigned part of their forces to occupy Henan Province.

This was because they needed to subjugate Chiang Kai-shek’s National Government to fully occupy China.

However, the Imperial Headquarters in the Forbidden City was complacent due to the fact that an army of 2 million had collapsed instantly. This complacency caused the Japanese army to struggle.

The Chinese army, united under Chiang Kai-shek, fought like mad because they were convinced that if they lost this war, China would become Japan’s slave.

Chiang Kai-shek propagated that China was facing extinction and sought unity among the warlords. While not all joined, he managed to gather an army somehow.

“If we retreat here, China will become Japan’s slave! Don’t give up even an inch of land!”

“Long live Generalissimo! Long live the National Government of the Republic of China!”

“Sons of the Empire of Japan! Occupy South China and show them who the masters of Asia are!”

“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire of Japan!”

A battle between those who defend and those who attack. However, this Henan campaign was proceeding strangely.

It was more like child’s play than war, with human wave tactics.

The Chinese army was using such strategies to block the Japanese army.

Ironically, the human wave tactics taught by the White Army to increase Chinese casualties were now effectively working against the Japanese army.

Even the famous Japanese Yamato spirit was matched by an equally strong spirit.

Simply put, it was just an action to defend their country from invaders, but it was enough to make the Japanese army shudder.

“What’s wrong with these crazy bastards?”

“I can’t believe these Chinese are so stubborn!”

No matter how many they shot and killed, new soldiers would come running over the corpses.

Some even charged with bare hands, as if they didn’t need guns.

When a Chinese soldier running with bare hands saw a comrade fall, he would pick up that comrade’s gun, step over the corpse, and charge at the Japanese army.

It was absurd that the defenders were actually charging.

The Japanese casualties weren’t particularly high.

But the psychological damage was unbearable.

The soldiers of the Empire, armed with the Yamato spirit, were being pushed back in terms of morale by soldiers from an inferior country like China.

“How is this possible?”

With just human wave tactics and a determination to not give even a bit of land to the invaders.

United by this will, the Chinese army continued to charge at the invaders, and Japan had to fight an overwhelming number of Chinese soldiers.

The battle for Henan Province thus stagnated.

Japan hadn’t used its full strength, but there was no need to exert all effort just to occupy one region.

The Henan campaign was much discussed at the Imperial Headquarters in the Forbidden City.

“We’re not being pushed back as much as expected.”

“To struggle against mere Chinese. The commander of the South China Expeditionary Army (Shunroku Hata) should reflect on this.”

In the original history, Shunroku Hata became a Field Marshal, Army General, and Inspector General of Military Education before becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army in March 1941. In this altered history, he was the commander of the 1st Army of the South China Expeditionary Force tasked with attacking Henan Province.

“They say they’re purchasing Russian and German weapons, but their resources must be far inferior to ours. How is this happening?”

“The Chinese are using an outlandish tactic. The ones who should be defending are actually charging.”

A truly insane tactic. There’s no other way to define it.

Even the Japanese, armed with the Yamato spirit, were surprised by such a strategy.

A strategy of pulling people from the fields. The Imperial Army was being overwhelmed by numbers rather than combat power.

The accumulating casualties from Chinese soldiers who would step over their comrades’ corpses and charge was an added burden.

“That can’t be an excuse now. It’s rather strange. Aren’t you being pushed back by these disorganized troops charging at you?”

“When a soldier charging with a gun is killed by Imperial Army fire, another soldier following behind with bare hands immediately picks up the weapon from the corpse and continues the charge. There are so many that we can’t handle it.”

Of course, with a full offensive, they could have pushed through Henan Province somehow.

“They’re insane.”

“How is the oil import from Russia going? If the offensive is delayed, striking from behind with a landing might be an option. We need oil to move the fleet, don’t we?”

If this becomes a prolonged war, the navy will need to be used, and oil is crucial for operating the navy.

Even in this world, there were conflicts between the navy and the army, but at least they didn’t fight ‘outwardly’ as much as in the original history because they were under the Emperor.

“Russia seems to say they can continue supporting with oil, but weapons will be difficult. They also have America to deal with, and communist Germany seems likely to start a war.”

“Damn those reds. According to Russian intelligence, communist Germany is helping China now, right?”

“Hmm. Let’s just keep pushing. They’re just using simple strategies, pushing with numbers. They’ll inevitably collapse under the overwhelming firepower of the Imperial Army. They’ll reach their limit eventually.”

That was true. No matter how many they are, that’s all they have. If they charge, just kill them all.

If they come with numbers, crush those numbers with definite firepower.

And China will thus erode its own strength. Of course, it would be dangerous if they didn’t fight that way.

“Isn’t it China that’s suffering increasing casualties? Our Imperial Army might be stagnant, but we’re not being counterattacked and losing ground.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Of course, given China’s large population, honestly speaking, we might eventually be pushed back if our casualties accumulate even slightly.”

“Kanji Ishiwara, that’s going too far.”

Of course, Kanji Ishiwara’s words aren’t wrong.

If 10 Chinese die but 1 Imperial soldier dies, that’s a huge loss. And if that accumulates, eventually the Imperial Army might be pushed back.

It’s also a clear fact that China’s population will melt away, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to a perfect victory for the Imperial Army.

“In the end, this is a battle of spirit.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Hideki Tojo, who had been displeased with Kanji Ishiwara’s leadership of the Imperial Way Faction, snapped with an unpleasant expression. However, Kanji Ishiwara, seemingly unfazed, simply waved his hand and spoke boldly.

“How about petitioning His Majesty the Emperor to personally command the battle in Henan Province?”