Blue Sky, White Sun, And A Wholly Red Fort: Asia's Liberation Wars [EoD/Customized]

[zanaikin]

Prologue - December 11, 1949, Taipei​

Even in his dreams, Chiang Kai-Shek could not forget the previous day's events. The Communist troops were closing in on Chengdu, the last KMT controlled city in mainland China. Chiang and his son -- Chiang Ching-Kuo -- had no choice but to leave their final bastion on the mainland. In the morning fog, the father and son pair solemnly sang the ROC National Anthem, The Three Principles of the People, as they boarded the evacuation plane to Taiwan.

Chiang had never been a quitter. He refused to give up and would continue his struggle even in Taiwan. But deep down in his heart, he already knew the truth. Little over a year ago in 1948, he had recorded in his diary that the Kuomingtang had already failed. Not because of external enemies, not because of Japan or even Mao's Communist bandits... but because of the rot from within.

The factionalism and regionalism, the endless power struggles and the divided loyalties of the officer corps, the mounting corruption and cronyism within the bureacracy, the spiraling debts and hyperinflation that wiped out an entire Chinese middle class...

The Kuomingtang had lost the support of the people, and without them no state could not maintain its grip. Entire army groups had defected to the Communist cause. How could such a Civil War be won?

Chiang's mentor, Sun Yat-Sen, had taught him this before. The Three Principals of the People were Nationalism, Representation, and Welfare. True, China was not prepared to become a Democracy. Their first attempt resulted in nothing but disaster and two decades of wasted time. It must first rely on Military Rule, then Political Tutelage, and finally, only once China was modernized and educated, would it be ready for a representative government.

Had he not followed these steps like his mentor asked? Had he not protected China from its external foes? The Empire of Japan lay crushed. The Imperialistic influences of the United States, United Kingdoms, and France had been checked. The extraterritorial rights of the US and UK had been revoked. The French were driven out completely. China even claimed a seat on the new UN Security Council, a recognition of the Middle Kingdom's rebirth as a great power of the world.

But now, with the Communists in power, Chiang had no doubts that it would soon be reduced to nothing more than a satellite state of the Soviet Union.

Just where did it all go wrong?

Chiang turned in his bed. It was already past dawn, and the morning light was peeking in through the curtains.

His eyes blinked open under the glare of the sun's rays. But as the blurs in his gaze cleared, he was met by a most unexpected sight.

This was not his new home in Taipei.

No, this was his residence in Nanjing.

Emerging from his bed, Chiang rushed from his room into the adjacent office. His jaw dropped when he saw the stand-up calender on his desk.

It was the first date of Mingguo Year 22 (1933).

How was this possible?

Stuck in a state of shock and disbelief, Chiang began wandering around the house in just his pajamas, stopping any servant he saw to ask for the date and time.

The answer always came back the same.

It wasn't just the date either. Chiang even felt younger, more lively, energetic. He hadn't felt this way in years.

But how could this be? Time was the one irreplaceable truth in the world. There was nothing that could regain what was once lost.

Chiang's residence in Nanjing.​

Standing at the entrance to his house, Chiang looked between the trees to the clear skies above.

The skies were blue, the sun was white. There wasn't a hint of a cloud in sight. The future of the nation was clear still.

There was only one explanation, one way for it to be true...

The Lord was Almighty, and the Lord was Just.

God has given him another chance, to rebuild China into the strong, proud, and independent nation that it should have been.

...And this time, he would not fail.

Spinning around on his heels, Chiang strode back into his home with a renewed determination in his gaze.

There were things to do, campaigns to start, obstacles to overcome, foes to vanquish.

But first, he needed some proper clothes. Etiquette was a Chinese virtue, after all.

( Next Chapter - The Fourth Bandit Extermination Campaign )​

Notes:
1. Chiang Kai-Shek converted to Christanity (baptized as a Methodist) in 1931. Although he did not abandon his Confucian philosophy (even its superstitions) and believed that the bible reinforced its moral teachings.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 1 - The Fourth Bandit Extermination Campaign

"The Japanese are a disease of the skin. The Communists are a disease of the heart."
- Chiang Kai-shek​

(Hindsight note: it takes a few chapters for my graphics work to improve ^^; Some images were re-edited later, but not all as original screenshots were lost.)

Through all the years of the Chinese Civil War, Chiang would refer to the Communists by what he truly saw them as: bandits. It wasn't just because they were rebels against his official government either. No, it was because they were left-winged populist radicals. They preached total wealth redistribution with zero concern for justice. They seized properties from the upper and middle class -- properties earned through their blood and toil -- and gifted it to the poor and dispossessed.

Therefore, what else could one call them but thieves, brigands, and bandits?

On the morning of January 1st, 1933, Chiang read through his own diary to re-familiarize himself to the events of 1932. The world of 1933 was impossibly different from that of 1949.

​

China of 1933 had been nominally unified under the KMT-led Central Government. But to call it the 'Republic of China' was -- even Chiang had to admit -- giving the Nanjing Government far too much credit. The Northern Expedition (1927-28) and Central Plains War (1930) had forced the warlords to bow to Chiang's authority. But even within KMT-administered territories, minor warlords-turned-governors in Chengdu, Chongqing, Guiyang, Jinan, and Beiping still controlled over half of the government's forces. Dozens of divisional commanders pledged their loyalty not to Nanjing, but to their regional masters (65 divisions start locked and are unusable, but must still be supplied).

...And that doesn't even include the outer territories:

• In the north, the Shanxi warlord Yan Xishan controls all of Shanxi province, as well as part of Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. An opportunistic politician, Yan would always ally himself with the strongest power while carving out his own kingdom from beneath their grasp.
  
  
• In the south, the Guangxi warlord Li Zongren holds personal loyalty from the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. Never satisfied with his position below Chiang, Li and his subordinates would clash with Chiang again and again for authority in the KMT.
  
  
• In the southwest, the National Revolutionary Army General Long Yun held virtual independence of action in Yunnan, listening to Chiang's commands only when he felt like it.
  
  
• In the northwest, the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai were ruled by the three Ma families -- all Chinese Muslims. While the Ma families were loyal to Nanjing, they nevertheless held total autonomy within the region.
  
  
• Further northwest, the province of Xinjiang was divided in Civil War between the warlord Sheng Shicai (leading the nominal Xinjiang Provincial Government) and the secessionist First East Turkestan Republic.
  
  
• Of course, none of this includes the Japanese -- who have taken over Manchuria and established Manchukuo as a puppet state after the 'Mukden Incident', followed by Shanghai as well after the 1-28 'Shanghai Incident'.
  
  
• Meanwhile, (Outer) Mongolia had been stripped away from China as a puppet/buffer state of the Soviet Union. Likewise, Tibet also declared independence with the support of the British.
  
  
• Last but not least, large scale rebellions have broken out in multiple regions. This includes not just the proverbial thorn in Chiang's side -- the Communists and their four established Soviets (Jiangxi, Hubei, Anhui, Fujiang), but also the Japanese-supported Mengjiang rebels in Inner Mongolia and Soviet-supported Turkic insurgents in Xinjiang.

All of this made him wonder just why the Lord chose this moment for his second chance.

It took him a while to arrive at two answers:

First, January 1933 marked the beginning of his 4th Bandit Extermination Campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet, the Central Revolutionary Base of the Communist rebels. This was his first of two best opportunities to stamp out the Communists for good, for Mao Zedong had just lost a power struggle against the Comintern-backed Wang Ming and his "28 Bolsheviks" sent from Russia.

Left to Right: Wang Ming, Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong​

Unlike Mao, who was a genius of military strategy that even Chiang had to concede to, Wang Ming was an unoriginal leader who only knew who to fight using traditional means. He advocated direct engagements instead of Mao's devious combination of 'guerilla warfare' and 'maneuver warfare'. Given the disparity of manpower and equipment between the KMT and CPC, this could only end in disaster for the Communist Bandits. In Chiang's past, it was only because of Zhou Enlai (Wang Ming's protege at this time) adopting Mao's earlier successful strategies that allowed the Communists to prevail in the 4th Bandit Extermination Campaign.

Second, 1933 marked the intensification of the alliance between China and Germany. General Hans von Seeckt -- the architect of the Reichswehr -- would be arriving in October to begin the modernization of the Chinese troops. This time, Chiang would like to show him a KMT Central Army triumphant in its recent victories. It would set a good impression to the Germans, to let them know that it was China, not Japan, who could be counted upon the most as a bulwark against Bolshevism in the Far East.


-----


In the afternoon, Chiang received He Yingqin -- who had mobilized over three dozen divisions, over half a million troops, in preparation for the 4th Bandit Extermination Campaign.

Despite his seniority, He Yingqin was a mediocre general at best, and Chiang knew this. His losses against the Communists during the 2nd Bandit Extermination Campaign were disastrous and humiliating. Chiang once told the general during his power struggles against Wang Jingwei: 'without you, I can still take power; but without me, you will be nothing.' Nevertheless, He Yingqin did prove to be a reliable political ally during the early years -- one whose support Chiang could count upon as he consolidate his hold on the Republic of China's power structure.

Chiang Kai-Shek and He Yingqin​

"No, not just the Central Army forces!" Chiang reiterated to He as he paced about his residential office. "I want you to mobilize every division we have control over! All the regional security brigades as well! Leave only a token force around Shanghai to fool the Japs. That slippery bastard Yan Xishan can keep those Japanese eyes occupied in the north."

"But Chairman," He Yingqin stressed as he stood at attention (Chiang was only the chairman of the National Military Council at this time). "We would need much more time to expand the scope of the campaign and bring them in from the various prefectures."

"So be it. We can afford to delay the offensive. The Communist will preempt us anyway. They will strike at us first, and we should let them wear themselves out before counterattacking in force. The most important part is to hold our troops together in large, mutually-supporting groups so that the Communists cannot defeat them in detail!"

"Furthermore," Chiang continued as he drew a circle around the Jiangxi Soviet on the map. "I want the assembled forces to make good use of their waiting time. They are to start constructing a network of blockhouses -- stone, wood, and packed earth will have to do. Link them with cleared dirt roads. This will limit the guerrilla activities of those Communist Bandits, and free our best divisions to advance while less reliable troops could garrison them and keep the supply lines secure!"

This was actually an idea that General von Seeckt would teach him next year. But there was no reason why he could not use it now.


-----


Over the course of January, 1933, the KMT would mobilize a total of 59 various divisions and security brigades, nearly a million men, in Chiang's massively upscaled 4th Bandit Extermination Campaign.

In the meantime though, Chiang would continue his efforts to modernize China in the Nanjing Decade. His first change was to select Weng Wenhao as the new Minister of Industry. As a Belgium-educated Doctorate in geological surveying, Weng had better knowledge than most on how to rapidly modernize the China industry -- especially in the mining industry which was essential to not just early industrial growth, but also to the Sino-German trade and cooperation that he would rely upon.

(Although I mostly just wanted his -10% Industrial research time ^^)

​

Research will focus on Chinese Industrial techs for the foreseeable future, striving to catch up with the rest of the world as fast as possible. Construction techs are prioritized in preparation for factory building, while Production techs are slightly delayed as the Germans have promised advisors to help (they'll arrive in a few weeks). The Industry will focus on consumer goods for now to reduce the massive dissent by as much as possible before fighting the Communists.
(41% dissent on 1st day! = 30% start +10% Nanjing Decade +1% minister change)

Various trade deals with the world powers were also negotiated to bring in the resources China desperately need to accelerate its growth.

Furthermore, Chiang dispatched orders to the Muslim Ma Clique to focus all of their military efforts in destroying the secessionist First East Turkestan Republic. The northern warlord Yan Xishan can deal with the Inner Mongolian rebels himself. It would give the man something to do other than colluding with Wang Jingwei on how to undermine Chiang next.

​

Lastly, Chiang initiated the construction of three fortified military zones around Shanghai. Since the 1-28 Shanghai Incident, the 'Pearl of the East' had essentially fallen under Japanese control. Thus, it was essential for Chiang to preemptively secure the upper hand in any future 'incidents' that Japanese aggression will inevitably provoke. He knew they were unlikely to complete in time, but the efforts made in these fortifications would show the disgruntled military cadres that he was indeed taking the Japs seriously...

He was simply bidding his time.



-----



On February 2, 1933, the 4th Bandit Extermination Campaign began.

(+5% dissent each >_<)
​

In truth, the KMT forces still wasn't ready. Over a dozen divisions were still on the way south to seize control of the southern flank along the coast. But the growing Communist attacks against redeploying KMT formations forced Chiang's hand. He had to launch the offensive now to draw-in the Communists' attention and buy time for the rest of his troops.

While KMT divisions had been dispatched all around the Jiangxi Soviet's perimeter, the core of the offensive would focus on three fronts:

(Reinforcements to Fuzhou and Xiamen have yet to arrive.)
​

In the northeast, General Xue Yue lead 13 divisions of the Central Army in Shangrao (half of them supported by artillery brigades). They would assist in the elimination of the Communists in Hangzhou first before attacking south.

In the southwest, General Zhang Fakui lead a mishmash of 12 KMT divisions and local brigades that could be rushed to Chenzhou on time. They would assist the envelopment of Bandit troops in Ji'an first, before launching their own offensive against the Communist leadership at Ganzhou.

In the northwest, Chiang Kai-Shek personally wielded the biggest hammer. 24 of the KMT Central Army's best equipped divisions were gathered there into a single fist. They would form the northern pincer of the assault on Ji'an first, before smashing their way into the Jiangxi Soviet's heartland.

Simultaneous offensives would also be launched against the smaller Communist enclaves at Nanyang, Anqing, and Hangzhou.

Give the factionalism and divided loyalties within the KMT forces, it was inevitable than their troops would vastly under-perform in comparison to the CPC forces. But that is also why Chiang organized his troops into massive formations, to make sure that every engagement would feature staggering numerical superiority on the Nationalists' side. Meanwhile, government forces would also take full advantage of their fledgling air force, as every bomber and multi-role fighter was sent over the battlefields to begin harassing the Communist troops.

It did not take long before this overwhelming application of brute force began to bear fruit.

The fighting was slow and grinding. Chiang gave orders for a scorched earth offensive that would strip the land of any resources which the Communists could utilize. The massed KMT armies protected not only their supplies lines, but also their individual units from Communist raids and counterattacks. However, it also left them sluggish and immobile. It would take over a month for the three Nationalist pincers to advance into the Jiangxi Soviet.

Pitched battles between dozens of divisions lasted for weeks at a time. The KMT launched massive assaults with their numerical superiority, attaining at least 4-to-1 odds in every engagement. The Communists, despite their greater unity, began to unravel from compounding casualties and exhaustion. This culminated on March 30, 1933 at the 3rd Battle of Xingan, when eight demoralized and disorganized CPC divisions under Zhu De -- the bandits' so-called 'commander-in-chief' -- collapsed under the crushing weight of 34 KMT divisions, leading to over 42,000 rebels being taken captive.

(Author: if I remember correctly, Paradox's forum rules prevent me from discussing the treatment of POWs. But given Chiang's record, you can imagine...)​

Ever the politician, Chiang did not hesitate to take advantage of this moment. The 'Great Victory of Xingan' was soon hailed around the nation as the twilight of the Communist movement, and as a show of the KMT leadership's strength.

On April 1st (2 days after the 3rd Battle of Xingan), as KMT forces were closing in against them from all directions, the CHC abandoned the Jiangxi Soviet and escaped under the cover of darkness with what soldiers they had remaining.

The Long March had began.

...And this time, he would not see it succeed... or leave behind a myth that there was no adversity that the Communist cadres could not overcome.



Chiang personally commanded over 20 KMT divisions to begin the pursuit. Such a powerful force would have to keep to the main roads. But even if they failed to engage the Communist bandits in pitched battle, their ability to drive the CPC away from population centers -- and thus depriving them of any chance to resupply -- would slowly attrition the bandits to extinction.

​

The chase began from Jiangxi and entered Hunan province, where several battles were fought at the beginning of May, 1933 around Hengyang. With air scouting and support from the Hengyang airfield, the KMT forces were able to inflict several defeats upon the CPC, killing and capturing nearly 20,000 rebels.

Thus, the fleeing bandits were forced into the remote (and dangerous) mountains of Guizhou province. Chiang tried and failed to engage them there, as his larger army was repeatedly outmaneuvered by the smaller rebel force. But when they emerged from the mountains in June onto the flat plateaus near Chengdu, the Communists found nearly 200,000 KMT troops ready and waiting for them.

The ensuing battles in Sichuan province reduced the Communists to less than a quarter of their starting strength. They were forced to escape east, into Hubei. There, the last cadres of the CPC found themselves encircled by vastly superior Nationalist forces...

On July 4th, 1933, a KMT battalion scouring the mountains of Shiyan encountered one of the last remnants of the CPC. The bandits, despite being surrounded and outnumbered, refused all calls to surrender. A vicious firefight ensued, and by the time the smoke cleared, the commanding officer discovered that they had destroyed the security company of the CPC's highest leadership.

The bodies of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and others were found among the dead.

(-20% Dissent!)​

( Next Chapter - Unity of War! )​

Notes:
1. On the handling of annexed CPC tech teams: as I've noted in the AAR Settings (2nd post), I will only inherit teams when it makes sense. Many of the CPC tech teams are based on Communists successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War -- either because their enhanced reputation persuaded intellectuals/technicians to join, or because they seized it during conquest. Therefore it makes sense for such tech teams to be accessible to a successful Kuomintang government. However, this does NOT apply to the Communist leaders and PLA tech teams. Therefore, any tech team that belongs to an individual who took part in the Long March, as well as any that begin with 'PLA-', were summarily purged (from the save file).

2. I modded the Long March event, removed its "19th Army Defects" event prerequisite, which then allows it to be triggered during the 4th Encirclement. Makes no sense the CPC would only retreat during the 5th Encirclement, and I wanted to try out the minigame ^^

3. Tanggu Truce is coming next update. I modded the trigger to its IRL date.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 2 - Unity or War!

"The warlords have now become so arrogant and so unprincipled that like knives and swords hacking cattle and fish, they hack the people to pieces... The warlords conspire with foreign imperialists, while the so called republican governments, controlled by the warlords, abuse their authority to serve the pleasure of foreign powers."
- Declaration of the First National Congress of the KMT​

Chiang was still away on military campaign when his efforts to intensify Sino-German Cooperation began to achieve noticeable results:

​

In return for raw materials -- especially tungsten and antimony -- as well as agricultural products, Germany would provide technical assistance to China's industrialization efforts. Advisors from German industries soon began to arrive along with shipments of heavy machinery, ranging from construction and mining equipment to power generation and manufacturing. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of Chinese personnel were sent to Germany for education and training; they would form the class of highly educated technocrats responsible for running all state-run modernization projects.

Sino-German Cooperation rapidly accelerated Chiang's efforts to modernize the country over the next year. Germany needed efficient transportation to export the raw materials they acquired in China. Railroad construction skyrocketed as new railways were established between Nanchang, Zhejiang, and Guizhou. Power plants, chemical factories, steel works, and machine shops were set up in Sichuan, Hubei, and Hunan to support these construction projects, turning the Yangtze River Valley in Central China into a hub of industrial development.

In addition to technical advisors and industrial equipment, Chiang also began receiving Reichswehr military advisers and armaments to begin the modernization of the Chinese army. The Hanyang Arsenal would be upgraded to produce the Type-24 (MG08) Maxim Gun and the Chiang-Kai-Shek (Mauser M1924) Rifle. These were old designs, but they were still far superior than anything the Chinese could make now...

​

Chiang still remembered what one of his generals said during the 1st Battle of Changsha (1938) in that other timeline:

"Our old Hanyang 88s can only shoot 200 meters. The Japanese's average rifle could range 500! There's no way they can fight on even ground!"

This time, he would make sure that China's soldiers would at least have a CKS Rifle by the start of the war...


-----


On February 23, 1933, just as the 4th Bandit Extermination Campaign was fully underway, the Japanese launched an offensive into Inner Mongolia in Rehe province. In addition to two divisions and three brigades, the Japanese also deployed several companies of 'heavy armored cars' and tanks.

Chinese troops had never seen anything like this 'armored car'.​

The brave Chinese provincial forces fought back. But given the disparity in firepower, they never had a chance.

Chinese representatives to the League of Nations had appealed to the international community, but received no effective support. The Lytton Commission condemned Japanese actions but offers no solutions or plans for intervention. As a result, Japan simply withdrew from the League on March 27, 1933.

Unable to fight a two front war, the KMT had no choice but to capitulate to Japanese demands on the negotiations table. As a result, Eastern Hebei become a demilitarized buffer zone, while the Imperial Japanese Army took control of the Great Wall north of Beiping.

​

The Chinese people felt humiliated by the Tanggu Truce. A new wave of anti-government sentiments erupted, but Chiang ignored them to focus on his campaign against the Communists' Long March.

Once again, he must bear the agony of trading land for time. China must have unity, if it is to achieve anything more than a pyrrhic victory against the Japanese...


-----


With the final destruction of the 1st Red Army and the Communist leadership in early July, Chiang would turn his attention towards the various warlords and splinter groups of China once more. This time, he would not have mere unity on paper.

The warlords and regional governments must submit to his will as the central authority of China. His troops will see that they have no other choice.

Negotiations opened up with the Guangxi Clique first. Out of all the warlords, Li Zongren has the strongest power base, supported by a cadre of generals (including the famous Bai Chongxi) whom were personally loyal to him. Furthermore, his administrative skills has left him popular with the people of Guangdong and Guangxi.

In Chiang's past life, Li's political support would allow him to challenge Chiang's leadership of the KMT again and again. If someone even as powerful as him falls, then maybe the other warlords will be more... 'enlightened', to make the right choice.

Chiang redeployed 31 divisions of the Central Army (nominally assisted by 7 local divisions in Guiyang) to the border of the Guangxi and Guangdong provinces... should it become necessary.

On July 19th, just two weeks after the Communists' defeat, Li Zongren and his Chief-of-Staff, Bai Chongxi, marched into Chiang's office in the Nanjing Presidential Palace.

Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, often called 'Li Bai' due to the duo's close relationship.​

"Chairman," Li saluted.

He said nothing else. Instead, both he and Bai took off their military caps and bowed to Chiang, an offer of submission before the legitimate authority of Nanjing.

Chiang was stunned. After his falling out with Li in 1929, he never thought he could trust Li again. Sure, both of them were firm Nationalists, staunch Anti-Communists, and even admirers of European Fascism. Yet they would clash again and again, in 1929, 1931, even (briefly) overthrowing Chiang from the presidency in 1949 in that other timeline.

Their conflict in 1929 remained the most detrimental by far, as nobody could explain why Li Zongren fled to the Shanghai Foreign Concessions afterwards -- taking shelter in the very symbol of China's subjugation under Imperialism. It utterly tarnished Li's loyalty to the Chinese cause in Chiang Kai-shek's mind, leaving Chiang unable to see Li as anything more than just another self-serving political opportunist.

"I thought you would have fought," Chiang admitted cooly.

"Not when enemies besiege the very doorsteps of our country," Li declared. "If we fought, both of us would lose. Instead, it is the Japs who will gloat. And what would result? You've crushed the Communists and consolidated your power. Your have the party's support, and you've shown yourself to be the strong leader that China needs."

"Why resist the inevitable? When it would only harm China in doing so?" Li finished.

Stepping around his desk, Chiang took Li's hands into his own and shook it for the first time since the Northern Expedition.

Maybe he had misjudged Li. Maybe Li was still a patriot. The mystery of 1929 might never be solved, but what is obvious is that with Li Zongren's help, Chiang would have a clear hold of power in the Kuomintang.

...Enough power to do what must be done for China's future.

Chiang would permit Li to retain command of his forces until their reorganization as part of the military modernization effort, at which point all commands will be reassigned. However, he praised both Li and Bai's military expertise, and assured that both would be given high commands.

"I will never forget today," Chiang toasted Li during their banquet that evening, "for you have just entrusted me with the remainder of China. In return, I promise to you, to all of you, that I will not rest until I see China a modern power respected by the world!"

...

(Each peaceful capitulation = -5% dissent!)​

There was truth to Chiang's words, as Li's submission also lead to the peaceful capitulation of the Yunnan Clique on August 4th. The warlord Long Yun would continue to serve as the Governor of Yunnan, under Nanjing's full authority this time. His troops, however, have been stripped as the isolated Yunnan province was under no danger from China's foes.

After all, there wasn't even a road between Burma and Yunnan... yet.

The Ma Clique warlords announced their submission to Chiang on August 19th, although that was no surprise. Chiang was the sworn brother of Ma Fuxiang, whose son Ma Hongkui was the warlord of Gansu. The other two Ma families were also close allies.

Only the Shanxi warlord Yan Xishan refused, and not for long. Under attack by Japanese-supported Mengjiang rebels, most of his troops had been drawn north. As a result, Chiang's prepositioned forces marched up to Taiyuan and forced Yan to capitulate just 14 days later. Out of respect of Yan's firm resistance to Japanese aggression, Chiang offered him to stay on as a general in the new KMT Army. Although this time, his subordinates will be chosen from those loyal to Nanjing.

​

In the meantime, Chiang ordered 9 divisions of the Central Army to take over the defense of Yan's battered troops in Inner Mongolia. The Mengjiang (mongol) rebels proved to be tough fighters, with their forces often led by Japanese officers. It would take over two months of ceaseless fighting (and nearly 60,000 mongol partisans killed) before they finally gave up.

​

With his position as the leader of China more secure than ever (Wang Jingwei was still the nominal President of the ROC), Chiang Kai-shek felt confident enough to purge the KMT Central Army of any disloyal officers and institute a formal one-year conscription in preparation for his military modernization campaign.

-----


As for the rest of the territories...

​

Under Chiang's command, the Ma Clique's entire army had been redeployed to Xinjiang to destroy the East Turkestan separatists. They scored a decisive victory at the Battle of Kashgar on April 21, 1933. However, it would take them several months to take control of this arid, mountainous region and annex the short-lived 'Republic'.

Tibet capitulated on November 28, 1933, perhaps fearing the outbreak of yet another Sino-Tibetan War. The last time they fought in 1930, the fierce Ma Clique Cavalry slaughtered their soldiers without mercy. This time, the 13th Dalai Lama -- Thubten Gyatso -- would voluntarily surrender his civil and military power in exchange for Chiang's promise to leave his religious institutions alone.

Chiang had no problem with that, seeing as his staff already had a mixture of Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, etc. Traditional China had always been excellent at maintaining religious harmony.

​

Negotiations with the Xinjiang Provincial Government, however, did not go as well. Sheng Shicai announced his determination to resist on December 12, 1933. But Chiang's reinforcements -- 10 KMT divisions, had arrived to supplement the Ma Hongkui's 7 existing divisions in the area. Together, they brushed aside the local forces with ease, having more trouble with the mountainous terrain of the region instead.

Ma Hongkui's cavalry vanguard seized control of Urumuqi on February 24th. This time, the Soviets did not intervene in the Xinjiang Wars, and Chiang ordered Sheng Shicai's immediate execution. He would not see this self-serving governor betray China a second time.

Mongolia and Manchukuo were out of reach for now, as they were under the protection of their overlords -- USSR and Japan. Hebei was also untouchable without breaking the Tanggu Peace Treaty and risking the ire of the Japanese, and Chiang wasn't ready for that yet...



-----

The Republic of China, 1934​

Chiang Kai-shek looked over the map of China in the war room of the Presidential Palace. He could hardly believe just how much of a difference one year has made.

Now, with all regions of China not under foreign control unified, he could focus on modernizing the economy and military. The National Military Council now had 198 divisions under its command, all of them in need of new armaments and organization.

"This time," he eyed the Japanese presence in China, "we will defeat you."


-----


Other civil events, fairly self-explanatory:

( Next Chapter - The 60+6 Division Plan )​

Notes:

1. I don't plan to annex Hebei, as the ability to do that without provoking a war with Japan is way too gamey and needs some kind of event fix. That being said, the East Hebei Autonomous Council isn't supposed to exist until 1935 with the He-Umezu Agreement, so while the DH developers tried, their representation of the demilitarized zone is... poor.

2. As a result of early warlords subjugation, I unlocked all warlord generals normally saved for a starting date of 1937. This includes: Bai Chongxi (Guangxi Clique), Fu Zuoyi (Shanxi Clique), Xu Yongchang (Shanxi), Huang Shaoxiong (Guangxi), Ma Hongkui (Ma Clique), Shang Zhen (Shanxi), Wang Jingguo (Shanxi), Yang Aiyuan (Shanxi), Yan Xishan (Shanxi). Several of these are China's best generals in the war and will be notable characters in the events to come.

3. Disabled the EoD event - Fujian People's Government - by giving it event 1330110015 as a prerequisite. IRL, Fujian People's Government was caused by the 19th Army defecting (a vanilla DH event) when they were sent to fight the Communists. As the CPC was defeated early, none of these events should have triggered.

4. If you think the PRC is stubborn about Taiwan, Chiang would never admit that Mongolia had broken away from China to his dying day. In fact, the official status of Mongolia in the eyes of the ROC (Taiwan) is STILL fuzzy.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 3 - The 60+6 Division Plan

"We must become powerful, and as soon as we have power, we will naturally take back everything we have lost."
- Hans von Seeckt, Memo regarding Germany in the League of Nations.​

Prior to WWI, Sun Yat-Sen would often express his admiration for the German Unification and the advancement of German academic, military, and social institutions. His attitude left a pro-German sentiment amongst most of his KMT followers, including Chiang Kai-Shek himself. Sure, China symbolically joined the Entente during WWI, and the German Kaiser Wilhelm II was a bellicose racist who actively spread 'Yellow Peril' ideology. But neither left any linger bitterness between the two cultures. As Germany lost WWI and gave up its concessions in China, the Chinese would view Germany as the sole major power who had no imperialistic ambition in China.

Sino-German Cooperation began when Dr. Chu Chia-hua (President of the Sun Yat-Sen Academy) invited Colonel Max Bauer (former Chief-of-Staff to Ludendorff) to study business opportunities in China. Chiang met Bauer in 1927, and promptly hired him as his Chief-of-Staff. The two became close friends, and Bauer tried (but failed) to attain German military support for China -- mostly due to the political atmosphere left by the Treaty of Versailles.

Bauer died in China in 1929 and was given a funeral with full military honors. However, his successor, Colonel Hermann Kriebel, quickly undid all the goodwill Bauer had built up. An arrogant, diplomatic failure, Kriebel lacked interpersonal skills to get along with his Chinese counterparts. He was soon replaced by Georg Wetzell, who proved equally as inept and had a habit of vanishing during critical moments (such as during the Shanghai Incident).

Because of this, Sino-German Military Cooperation were at an all-time low in early 1933. Chiang had even considered replacing his German advisors with the French -- whom were now the dominant continental power in Europe.

Then, in late 1933, General Hans von Seeckt arrived in China.

At his office in the Nanjing Presidential Palace, Chiang observed carefully as he conversed with the last German Empire Chief-of-the-General-Staff. Seeckt was small for a military figure, but impeccable in appearance as he wore a uniform that revealed his perfectionist nature. He had none of the overbearing arrogance of his German military colleagues. Instead, he was reserved in demeanor, thoughtful in speech, erudite in knowledge, and generous in discussion.

In other words, Seeckt represented all the virtues that a Confucian Scholar-Bureacrat prized.

Over the last few weeks, Seeckt had reviewed the KMT Central Army troops in Nanjing, the recent battle records between the KMT and CPC, and the overall military situation in China. The German General had been impressed by Chiang's decisive handling of the 'Communist problem' and agreed that in order to strengthen China, they must deal with its internal divisions first. However, as Chiang had already brought the Yunnan, Guangxi, Shanxi, and Ma Cliques under Nanjing's direct control, Seeckt expressed confidence that it would only be a matter of time before the Republic of China is united under Chiang's authority.

Which brings to the topic of China's military modernization...

"There is no doubt that China has a proud history with an abundance of resources, particularly manpower," Seeckt expressed to Chiang. "In fact, if China could fully mobilize its population, it could easily sustain a prolonged war that would bleed all of its enemies white. However, China's weakness lies in its industrial and education sectors."

"For a nation to rapidly industrialize, it must train and employ a large cadre of skilled technocrats. Given China's small middle class, there are simply not enough talent to simultaneous launch a massive expansion of the army -- at least not without greatly undermining the quality of the officer corps."

Chiang nodded. He had already experienced this in the KMT's various campaigns. China did have a few military academies, but their output was far too small to satisfy the voracious appetite of its Civil War. As a result, most army officers had very little understanding of 'leadership' and 'tactics'. It took them forever just to move troops into position, let alone attack.

"What would you suggest then, General?" He humbly asked.

"The Republic of China should built a modern and professional army. Not small, but also not too big. It should be modest enough to be easily transported by China's rail network. To always be at the focal point of any conflict -- striking decisively at just the right time. We must bear in mind that China's regional foe is Japan, an island nation. Any conflict that arise between the two power will start not as a wide-front land war, but small, localized incidents instead."

"Therefore," Seeckt concluded, "I propose a limited force of 60 divisions, all fully equipped with up-to-date German weaponry."


...


Over the next few weeks, Chiang, Seeckt, and the various KMT military leaders would further detail this plan. After the surrender of the various warlords, the Chinese army had swelled to a total of 197 divisions (plus Chiang's administrative staff unit) that varied hugely in quality. As such, the military modernization program would break this force down into three categories and three steps:

​

Priority 1 - the KMT Central Army - these 1st rate troops are expected to frontally engage the Japanese army (or any other power). They will be brought fully up-to-date and supplied with German infantry equipment (1931 Infantry model) as part of the 1st modernization wave. They include all of Seeckt's 60 division plan, plus all 6 divisions of China's cavalry (most of them Muslim, to be upgraded to 1932 Cavalry model).

• 6 Cavalry divisions (each with an attached Cavalry brigade)
  
• 18 Assault divisions (with engineering and artillery brigades)
  
• 38 Regular divisions
  
• 4 HQ divisions
  
• total: 66

Seeckt was not a fan of the cavalry -- European cavalry had performed atrociously during WWI, mostly due to the inappropriate use of sending them against machine guns. But during the campaign against the Communist Long March and the battles in Xinjiang, Chiang had already seen the value of the Muslim Cavalry corps. In the rough terrain of China, they would serve as the mobile infantry spearhead of the KMT Central Army.

(The 1st of my custom events. Bonuses based on EoD submods' special unit events.)​

Priority 2 - the Auxiliary Army - these 2nd rate troops are mostly of warlord origin. They will be reorganized, retrained, and brought to full divisional strength, as well as given slightly more modern equipment, but not the latest (1920s infantry equipment, spared from the Central Army). Their job will be to support the Central Army, protect their flanks, tie down enemy formations, and delay hostile incursions until the main army could respond. Once China's 1st stage military modernization completes, then Chiang will begin on this second group.

• 64 Regular divisions
  
• 4 HQ divisions
• total: 68

In addition to the Auxiliary Army's restructuring, the Chinese Air Force will also receive newer and more planes (but not the newest, in order to save on costs). However, these upgrades will be focused solely on the bomber force (1928 Tactical Bomber model), which can be relied upon to reach battle zones despite China's general lack of airfields.


Priority 3 - the Reserve Army - these local troops will be left mostly untouched by the 1st wave of modernizations. Their job is to guard the Chinese beaches, as well as the cities of Beijing/Tianjin, and delay any Japanese attempts to land until reinforcements could arrive. In the long term, Chiang plans to rebuild these divisions as either specialists (mountaineer, marine, etc) or garrison troops.

• 36 Regular divisions
  
• 27 Milita divisions
  
• total: 63

Last and least, the fledgling Chinese navy will not be receive any new ships or even refits for the foreseeable future. In fact, Chiang had ordered all the 19th century warships re-delegated as escorts in 1933, leaving only 6 light cruisers and 1 heavy cruisers (all of WWI vintage) in the ROC Navy. Harbored in Guangzhou, they exist only to serve as an emergency response force against amphibious assaults on southern China.



-----



On June 27, 1934, Chiang's strengthening of China takes its next step. The minor warlords of Chengdu, Chongqing, Guiyang, Jinan, and Beiping, were all forced to hand over their commands to the KMT National Military Council. This boosts the number of Chinese divisions that actually followed Chiang's orders by another 65. The consolidation of China's forces is finally complete. To prepare for the next stage -- the restructuring, upgrading, and reinforcing of these units that begins in July -- Chiang further tightens the conscription process in order to maximize the training and experience new recruits receive.
(2 year conscription = 30% manpower experience. I actually enacted this in February to take advantage of several events' dissent reduction, but forgot to take a screenshot.)

The KMT Military Affairs Commission was also restructured. No longer struggling with internal conflicts, the various Military Districts of China have also been consolidated to better prepare China for the upcoming (and inevitable) war against Japan.

• He Yingqin will remain as the current Chief-of-Staff, in charge of leading the overall military modernization efforts.
  
• Bai Chongxi -- the Republic of China's foremost strategist -- is named the new Head of Military Operations, in charge of formulating the KMT's strategic war plans (with the help of General Seeckt).
  
  
  
• Military Zone 1 comprise of all China north of the Yellow River, particularly the Beiping-Tianjin region. Its command is given to Yan Xishan, the former warlord of Shanxi, in recognition of his experience defending against the Japanese in early incidents. Realistically though, the position is more ceremonial than not, as the massive buildup of troops in the regions means than Chiang would personally take over command when war does break out.
  (forces: 41 Central divisions, including all 6 cavalry; 44 Auxiliary divisions, 24 Reserve divisions -- 109 total)
  
  
• Military Zone 2 includes all of Central China, focusing on the Yangtze River Valley and ending in the pivotal Shanghai region. Its command is assigned to Li Zongren, the former warlord of Guangxi.
  (forces: 25 Central divisions, including all 18 assault; 24 Auxiliary divisions, 24 Reserve divisions -- 73 total)
  
  
• Military Zone 3 includes the southern provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, and is commanded directly by Chen Shaokuan, the current ROC Chief of Navy. With only 15 coastal militia divisions and 7 old ships under his authority, his job is to defend the southern coast against amphibious landings.
  
  
  

  
  (Ma Hongkui, Chen Shaokuan)​
• Ma Hongkui -- the Ma Clique warlord of Ningxia -- is given the newly created position: Inspector General of Cavalry, in charge of training, structuring, and equipping all high mobility forces in the Chinese Army. His authority will begin with only 6 cavalry divisions, but Chiang hopes to augment these with armored cars and perhaps even tanks in the not-too-distant future.

(More on this in the future...)


Finally, on the advice of Seeckt, Chiang ordered the KMT officer corps to receive German training in the Mobility Doctrine, at least for now...

-----

New industries built over the course of 1934 (72 -> 80IC)

​

By January 1935, enough new Chinese industries have come been built that Chiang was able to organize a 6th military-industrial research project group. With the aid of German technical advisors, Chinese industrial and agricultural technologies have also caught up with the rest of the world. However, it would still take considerable time before these new developments are propagated throughout China, especially the rural regions.

(Notice ROC's terrible research teams)

In the meantime, the KMT will continue to upgrade both China's infrastructure and its education system.

To fund all the industrial and military development, the KMT also took control of all private banking in China. Government borrowing during the last few years have skyrocketed, and it became imperative for the government to control its debts and the value of its bonds.

(another custom event)​

This time though, Chiang must ensure that the KMT's money printing would not go out of control. By selling supplies and goods to the western governments (particularly the United States), Chiang has already built up a substantial foreign reserve for the Republic of China. Now, as long as he could keep the Japanese out of China's interior, he would gain the required time to reform the Republic of China's taxation systems and crack down on its corruption. Only this way could China correct its budget and expenditures for a balanced future.

Uncomfortable with the KMT's progress on consolidating and modernizing China, the Japanese would step up their subversive activities on the continent. However, Dai Li -- Chief of the Investigation and Statistics Bureau (aka secret police) -- has done a remarkable job of stopping them despite how little funding he receives.

​

In addition to stopping the infiltration of Japanese spies, Dai has also kept tabs on Japanese activities in Manchuria. By 1935, the Kwantung Army was in the midst of organizing another sweep against the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army (NAJUA), whose fierce resistance against the Japanese has kept their puppet Manchukuo state from securing its rural areas. However, the NAJUA -- with their fragmented organization and poor equipment -- stood little chance against the Japanese. As a result, they have been driven further and further into the mountains, leaving Manchuria open to Japanese 'colonization' and expansion into a strategic industrial base.

The thought of Chinese, Anti-Japanese forces being exterminated left a bitter taste in Chiang's mouth. But Dai consoled him:

"The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army is mostly under the control of the Communists anyway. Let our two enemies fight and kill each other. It'll save us the time."

"Yes. But the fighting is almost finished," Chiang noted ominously. "And when it is, the Japanese devils will be able to turn their full attention towards China."

"We must be ready for war..."

( Next Chapter - The Tianjin-Shanghai Incident )​

Notes:

1. Sticking with Hans von Seeckt's IRL '60 division' plan.

2. For those interested about Chiang's economic mess in real life: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article1068.html

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 4 - The Tianjing-Shanghai Incident (Redacted*)
(*Some changes to Japan's AI. Hooked up the Battle of Shanghai events).

"We must use every drop of our blood to take back every inch of our land, be it ten thousand soldiers or ten thousand youths." - Chiang Kai-Shek​

On May 1935, General Takashi Sakai, Chief of Staff of the Japanese garrison in China, raised a formal protest to KMT Chief-of-Staff He Yingqin. Claiming that two pro-Japanese heads of a local news service had been assassinated in Tianjing, Sakai demanded that:

1. Hebei Provincial Chairman General Yu Xuezhong be dismissed from his posts.
2. The KMT cease all political activities in Hebei, including the cities of Tianjin and Beiping.
3. Tianjin Mayor Zhang Tingpo, Chief of Police Li Chun-hsiang, and Commander of the 3rd Military Police Regiment Chiang Hsiao-hsien, and Director of the Political Training Department Tseng Kuang-ching be relieved.
4. All KMT military forces withdraw from Hebei.
5. All anti-Japanese organizations, especially the Blue Shirts Society, be disbanded throughout China.
6. Assassins of the heads of the pro-Japanese news services be apprehended and dealt with, and compensation be paid to the families of the victims.

Chiang hammered his fist into the table as he heard the Japanese demands at Nanjing's Presidential Palace. He knew this was coming. It was the same as last time, in that other world. But none of that could stop his infamous temper from boiling over at the sheer insolence of the Japanese.

"They think that China is still a pile of loose sand! That we are too busy fighting among ourselves to pay any attention to their misdeeds! Does the fact that I am done chasing Communists and wrangling warlords mean nothing to them!?"

He Yingqin looked a little uncomfortable. Two of those warlords -- Yan Xishan and Li Zongren -- were currently sitting in this very room. Alongside them sat General Bai Chongxi: Head of Military Operations, Admiral Chen Shaokuan: Chief of the ROC Navy, and last but not least, General Alexander von Falkenhausen: leader of German Military Advisors.

Unfortunately, the elderly General Hans von Seeckt had left China just two months ago due to illness. He was succeeded by his second-in-command, General von Falkenhausen.

Having arrived in China just a year ago, Falkenhausen took great pains to familiarize himself with Chinese culture, geography, and politics. He integrated himself into the courtlike politics surrounding Chiang more than any other German advisors, and thoroughly impressed Chiang with his integrity and professionalism during this time.

"If the Japanese generals could start a war with Russia in 1904, when Russia was still one of the great powers of Europe," Falkenhausen reminded. "Then it would be unrealistic to expect that they would hold back against China today."

"They certainly do not perceive us as a threat," Li Zongren added. "Not when our unified China is so new we have yet to even patch the bullet holes."

"But these demands--" Chiang shook the paper as though he was handling foul garbage "--they do not even hold the courtesy of coming from the official Japanese ambassador representing their Emperor! No, a mere local army officer dares to spit on China's face, demanding that we remove troops, disband organizations, and sack officials as they see fit!"

"And that is why China must respond firmly," Falkenhausen advised. "Only by pushing back will Japan take China seriously."

"But... maybe we don't want to," Bai Chongxi countered, instantly drawing Chiang's ire as a result.

"Are you saying that we should keep humiliating China and kowtow to those Jap devils!?"

"Not at all," Bai smiled. "Please, Chairman, let me show you what I mean."

General Bai Chongxi first earned his fame during the Northern Expedition, when he repeatedly outmaneuvered his enemies and earned the nickname 'Little Zhuge' (after the famous Three Kingdoms-era Strategist Zhuge Liang). A Muslim of the Hui-ethnicity, Bai would personally lead a 2,000 strong Muslim regiment all the way from Canton to Beijing. In 1927, Bai also took a leading role in Chiang's purge of the CPC by partaking in the April 12 Shanghai Purge, where he earned his other nickname: the 'Hewer of Communist Heads'.

(Bai is also the only KMT leader with a base skill of 4 and max skill of 8).​

Leading the group out to the war room, Bai showned them the charts and maps he had prepared. With German help, the Chinese army had made leaps and bounds in modernizing their equipment over the course of last year. Of the KMT's 156 infantry divisions:

56 Central Army divisions ('31), 64 Auxiliary Army divisions (models '26, '21, & '18), 36 Reserve Army regular divisions ('16)​

In addition to this, while the Chinese army has not increased its division count over the course of last year, its personnel has been increased by 32% as all Central and Auxiliary Army divisions were brought up to full strength. Army horses have increased by 55%, while total artillery count (Art/H.Art/AA/AT) and support vehicle count has almost doubled.

The fledgling Chinese Air Force has been upgraded from just 145 wood-and-canvas biplane bombers to 700 fairly new (1928 model) tactical bombers, courtesy of the Germans selling China 'cargo planes' in large numbers. Lastly, China has built up sizable stockpiles of German coal, Siberian ore, and American oil, capable of sustaining the Chinese economy for at least a few years.

(China's transport capacity is still terrible for its army's size)​

"The situation is no longer that of two years ago," Bai concluded. "The Communist pest has been exterminated. China is one again. And Chinese military forces have been reorganized, centralized, and adequately modernized. We are ready for war if the situation demands it. But if the Japanese don't realize that yet, then maybe we shouldn't correct them. Invite them to make the first blunder...

"After all... the Japs are not yet prepared for an all-out war."

Chiang nodded in agreement. He knew by experience. But everyone else remained confused.

"How do you know that," Li Zongren asked. "When we have so little reliable intel about Japan's military dispositions?"

"The fact that some local commander made these demands," Chiang waved the paper again, "means it's not Tokyo who orchestrated this folly. The Japs' armies hold far too much autonomy. I bet that they did this on their own -- with Tokyo neither knowing nor having any immediate plans for a full-blown, continental war in China."

"Precisely," Bai agreed. "If we pretend to cave in, we can buy a few days to get the commanders to their troops. Then we can escalate the incident, swiftly and massively. The Japs will be caught unprepared. Their 'China Army' near Beping-Tianjin, their Kwantung Army, their Shanghai Garrison -- they will all be acting independently without GHQ coordination."

"And that means they will be sending their troops in piecemeal," Chiang snarled like a hungry predator. "Straight into the jaws of a new Chinese army that they still believe is 20 years obsolete."



-----



With Chiang's blessing, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs began negotiations with the Japanese. They initially made compromises, just like they did in '31 (Mukden Incident), '32 (Shanghai Incident), and '33 (Tanggu Truce). But on the night of May 10th, 1935, they unilaterally broke off all negotiations.

On the next morning, Chiang Kai-Shek publicly declared that China was no longer willing to bear with Japanese encroachment and Imperialism. He asks for all Chinese to put aside their past differences and form a single, united front against the Japanese aggressors, to do everything in their power to support the KMT Army in driving the Jap devils out from Chinese soil.

The Imperial Japanese Army responded by launching a 'show of force' operation in Hebei, annexing the demilitarized zone in Tangshan before running straight into the full force of the Chinese 1st Military Zone.

48 Auxiliary (2nd rate) and Reserve (3rd rate) divisions from Beijing and Zhangyuan crossed the Great Wall and smashed into a mere 6 JAP divisions coming from Chengde. 300 Tactical Bombers and 28 Fighters of the ROC Air Force joined in to support the ground troops, pummeling the Japanese from the air.

(Our skyscraper of men shall block out the sun!)​

The little devils never stood a chance. Even against the Chinese Reserve troops and their infamously shoddy equipment -- armed with nothing but a rifle of 19th century vintage and a dadao saber each -- China's sheer numbers were able to bury the invaders under a tidal wave of men.

(The NRA 29th Army marching song, adopted as the battle song of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War)
(Background is rather inappropriate, but only one I could find with English translation embedded and wasn't full of CPC propaganda images.)​

They were routed in just 23 hours of combat, after having suffered over 15,000 casualties, including an entire division shattered.

Meanwhile, to their south, the roads between Beijing and Tangshan was flooded by men and horses. 61 KMT divisions, including all 6 of China's cavalry divisions and Chiang Kai-Shek's personal HQ division, marched into the Tanggu demilitarized zone.

China's War of Resisting... no, Expelling Japan had began.


-----


In the south, the massive KMT buildup arrayed around Shanghai began the day of May 11th with a torrential barrage. Over 8,000 pieces of artillery spewed fire onto the city and its Japanese garrison, supported by 400 bombers of the ROC Air Force.

Neither the Japanese air forces nor their naval artillery was anywhere to be seen. Meanwhile, 61 divisions of the KMT Army crossed into the 'demilitarized region' surrounding Shanghai -- a penalty imposed by the Japanese after the January 28 Shanghai Incident in 1931.

The Chinese goals were:

(1) To drive the Japanese dwarves back into the sea before significant reinforcements could arrive.
(2) To politicize the Sino-Japanese conflict and achieve recognition plus sympathy/aid from nations across the world

The Battle of Shanghai had began.

The Japanese, in direct violation of the treaties that created the Shanghai International Settlement, had built up a significant force of 10 divisions within the city. IJA command further rushed another 7 divisions there on the first day*. Furthermore, the Japanese had a number of factories and storage depots within the city that were reinforced to military standards**. Many of these Japanese strongholds had such thick concrete that they were impervious to the KMT's heaviest artillery: 150mm German-built howitzers.

(*7 divisions given to AI by the Battle of Shanghai event)
(**Those factories turned bunkers are the real reason Shanghai is considered 'fortified' in DH1.04)

​

Such heavy fortifications rendered the Chinese attacks almost ineffective. Almost.

In the southwest, China's best equipped soldiers -- 18 divisions of German-trained assault troops (Infantry with Artillery and Engineer brigades) began their attack from Hangzhou. Supported by a carefully-coordinated creeping barrage, the Chinese infantry began pushing into the city of Shanghai with discipline and tactical finesse. Vicious house-to-house, street-to-street fighting soon ensued. To boost morale, General von Falkenhausen and his German advisers donned KMT officer uniforms and personally directed the assault on the front lines.

In the north and northwest, 43 Auxiliary and Reserve divisions of Chinese infantry from Nanjing and Nantong launched massive human wave assaults. They flooded the Japanese from all sectors, using sheer brute force to overwhelm the invaders under a tide of men.

KMT Auxiliary (left) and Reserve (right) troops in combat.​

Unlike Chengde, Shanghai was a world famous city filled with foreigners. News of the battle quickly spread by radio waves through the entire world. Civilians flooded into the foreign concessions in search of shelter as the city became a meat grinder of flesh and steel, chewing through men and spitting corpses back out.

It was a challenge that Chiang was only too eager to face. After all, the Chinese held an absolute superiority in numbers.

On the second day, May 12th, Japanese naval reinforcements arrived to begin bombarding the city. Taking off from their carriers in the East China Sea, Japanese Naval Aviation bombed KMT troops in the battle zone. However, when a large crowd of refugee women was spotted from the air, they were mistaken for Chinese troops assembling for an attack...

The photo of an unknown Chinese baby -- burned and crying in the aftermath of the bombing -- became the icon of Japanese aggression throughout the world. Known as 'Bloody Saturday', it drew condemnations of Japanese Imperialism through much of the western world.

Chiang Kai-Shek wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry at the sheer hypocrisy of Britain, France, and America. But at least for the moment, that hypocrisy was working in his favor.

On May 13th, as the KMT army continued to struggle against fortified Japanese positions, front line commanders began taking the initiative to form 'Dare-to-Die' assault teams.

(Custom event!)
​

Volunteer units of brave troops would fill their arms with satchel charges before running up to Japanese bunkers. Most of them did not survive the charge, and fewer still survived the detonation. However, their courage and determination became beacons of inspiration, rousing their comrades to carry on against even the most daunting obstacles.

On May 14th, Imperial Japanese GHQ finally recovered from the shock brought by the sudden Chinese escalation. Recognizing that Chiang was determined to bring about an all-out war, Japanese Prime Minnister Keisuke Okada ordered all forces to begin offensive operations against China.

The Japanese boasted that they would defeat the Chinese at Shanghai in three days, and all of China in three months. "All responsibility will be placed on China," Okada declared.

More and more Japanese warships joined the battle as they began pounding the Chinese positions. KMT bombers were strictly forbidden from venturing out to sea due to the possibility of being intercepted by carrier air groups. But even the firepower of Japan's large naval guns could not stop the 800,000+ troops that ceaselessly pushed the Japanese army back.

On May 15th, Chiang receives more dividends from his political gamble of initiating the Battle of Shanghai. The 'China Lobby' in the United States Capital has managed to rally political opinion to China's side (although mostly because the US sees the Pacific as its backyard, which the Japanese were encroaching on). Amerca would offer China war supplies, oil, and air force advisers (although contrary to popular belief, Claire E. Chennault was an ex-Captain of the USAF and was essentially hired as an mercenary by Chiang).

On May 17th, General Li Hanhun, after moving his divisional command post to the front lines to inspire his troops, died when his building was struck by a Japanese cruiser shell. The Generalissimo Chiang publicly mourned his loss, but declared that -- just like all the other martyrs of Shanghai -- his spirit will live on. They will witness the bravery of Chinese soldiers as they slowly but steadily advanced through the streets of Shanghai, giving their all to drive the Japanese Imperialists back into the sea.

His name became the battlecry as KMT forces launched their final assault.

On May 18th, just a week after the battle began, the Chinese juggernaut had pushed the Japanese defenders all the way back to the city's shores. Neither the IJA light tanks nor their naval support could push back the Chinese troops. Faced with imminent defeat, the cornered Japanese troops began mounting suicidal 'Banzai' charges against the German-equipped KMT assault troops.

Tens of thousands of Japanese troops died in their desperate final stand.

In the end, the Battle of Shanghai would consume 17 divisions and nearly 300,000 of Japan's finest troops.

Furthermore, it showed the world just what China was capable of.

After a century of humiliation, the Middle Kingdom would tolerate Imperialism no more!

( Next Chapter - Washing the Young Marshal's Shame )​

Notes:

1. Phew, almost went over image limit. I need to break these chapters up more in future.

2. The Battle of Shanghai is normally only triggered by the Marco Polo Bridge incident. But as the focal point of Chiang's political war front, it would certainly be a major battle in any early Chinese war. I did not attach the "Chinese Army Shatters" event however, as it doesn't fit the narrative and is excessively heavy-handed. Japan should win the battle and take one of the surrounding regions (IRL, Japan landed north of Shanghai and took Nantong) before triggering such an event.

3. Redacted the "Changing Geopolitical Situation" that Japan received in 1933 so that Shanghai's 5 IC doesn't magically vanish down to just 1. After all, one of the reasons Chiang fought over Shanghai historically was because it was his most industrially-developed city.

4. Falkenhausen did indeed don the Chinese uniform during the Battle of Shanghai.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 5 - Washing the Young Marshal's Shame

"I would rather have no offspring than sacrifice our nation's interests!"
- Chiang Kai-Shek, Diary Entry​

With the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese industry rapidly shifts to total war footing to support the escalating combat on the front lines. As a result, the Handelsgesellschaft für industrielle Produkte (Haspro) -- representing all German industrial interests and aid in China -- had no choice but to shift their efforts away from modernizing the Chinese industry and focus on military production.

Despite China's lack of transportation capacity, thousands of tons of ammunition, food/feed, and other supplies were rushed to the northern front to support the offensive into Manchuria. Priority (Offensive Supply) was given to the 6 Muslim cavalry divisions leading the thrust. On May 15th, they easily brushed aside the Manchukuo garrison in Jingzhou before plunging towards the heart of Manchuria, while 37 KMT infantry divisions followed in their wake.

To support the offensive and protect its left flank, 6 Auxiliary and 12 Reserve divisions were detached to attack Fuxin. On May 20ths, they succeeded in pushing back the 3 Japanese divisions. However, fighting would continue around the small but strategically-located IJA airstrip in Fuxin over the next week, as retreating Japanese troops from Chengde tried but failed to hold the line.

On May 27th, with the help of 4 tactical bomber wings, the KMT cavalry vanguard broke through the 4 divisions of assembling Japanese troops (+2 Manchukuo divisions) in Panjin. The defenders fell back across the river towards the Manchukuo capital of Changchun. Meanwhile, Chinese forces prepared for the assault crossing against the nexus of Japanese railways in Manchuria: the city of Shenyang.

The defense of Manchuria was falling apart. It was unexpected, but not really surprising. Chiang had struck them with a massive sledgehammer, while the Kwantung Army and Manchukuo troops were dispersed across a land twice the size of France, mopping up resistance from the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Front.

This is what happens when one local army officer decides to start a whole continental war.


-----


In the south, the war should have ended with the decisive Chinese victory at the Battle of Shanghai. But only four days after on May 22nd, the ROC navy based in Haikuo fell under attack by IJN carrier aircraft.

Their first attack badly damaged the only heavy cruiser (of 1902 vintage) in the Chinese navy. Chiang ordered its scrapping and conversion into convoy escorts. This left only a handful of light cruisers, albeit with better anti-air defenses and evasion vs torpedoes. They would stay in the Haikuo naval base as a Fleet-in-Being, and would endure Japanese raids again, and again, and again...


-----


After the their diplomatic defeat in the Battle of Shanghai, Japan launched an international media offensive against China. They accused China as the true aggressor of the war, while portraying themselves as desiring nothing more than peace...

Chiang scoffed at their reports. "Peace," he mocked, "plus more Chinese concessions!"

Not that the average European cared. To most British, Dutch, and French, China was just an exotic name on a map... although even that was better than 'land of the (British) opium addicts.'

Then, on June 1st, Chiang received an unexpected surprise.

His son, Chiang Ching-kuo, had been held as a hostage in the Soviet Union since he began purging the CPC eight years ago. Now, with China and Japan tearing at each others' throats, Stalin was feeling pragmatic towards China once more.

Japan had been an enemy of Russia for decades, humiliating them in the Russo-Japanese War and even attempting to seize the Trans-Siberian Railroad during the Russian Civil War. With the rise of Japanese militarism and the powerful Kwantung Army who served as Japan's strategic military reserve, the USSR was concerned that it might be dragged into an Asiatic war that they held no interest in.

In Chiang's other life, Stalin would initiate Operation Zet -- a secret enterprise to support China as their proxy in the war against Japan. Yet in this world, the USSR held no such interest. Sure, they had supported the Chinese National Revolutionary Army during the Northern Expedition and First United Front, but Chiang's brutal purge of Chinese Communists put a bloody end to that honeymoon.

Since then, Chiang had successfully unified China and prepared it for war. However, Stalin wasn't interested in an easy victory for China. The USSR would rather see both Asian powers cripple themselves in a long, destructive war than help either of them.

Nevertheless, the enemy of an enemy was... at least an acquaintance. Therefore Stalin chose a cheap way to show his 'good will'.

(Custom event with a modified Minister trait. It mirrors the 'Media Magnate')​

Chiang Kai-Shek scratched his head as he finished reading his son's letter. Even before leaving for Moscow, Chiang Ching-kuo leaned strongly towards socialism. At merely age 14, Ching-kuo had proposed to his father to start a grassroots program for universal, free education in China. Yet... as different as the two might be in their political views, Ching-kuo was still his son.

The relationship between father and son was sacred in Confucian cultural philosophy, after all.

Perhaps he shouldn't worry about it at the moment. After all, Chiang's HQ division was still on their way towards Panjin in Manchuria. It would be many months before he could return to Nanjing and see Ching-kuo.

It would certainly give him plenty of time to prepare... especially when it comes to meeting his new Belarussian daughter-in-law who didn't speak any Chinese.


...


On the same day (June 1st), the KMT cavalry vanguard -- after sending one division south to capture the strategic port of Dalian (Port Arthur) -- reached the outskirts of Shenyang. The Manchukuo garrison fled after only a brief battle. Upon capturing the city, the 5 cavalry divisions swung north and began their attack on Changchun, the capital of Manchukuo.

Demoralized by the chain of recent defeats, the Kwantung Army and its puppet troops defending the city collapsed on June 7th. They would continue rushing reinforcements to the city over the coming week, but none of these units would hold for more than a few hours before they were forced to retreat.

At the same time, KMT Auxiliary forces -- envious of the Central Army's accomplishments -- attacked and defeated Manchukuo troops in Ulayanqada to earn some glory for themselves.

The only bad news came from Anshan. The single division of KMT Cavalry found 2 fresh Japanese divisions arriving by sea at Dalian (Port Arthur). The operation to swiftly seize this strategic harbor was called off, and the cavalry redirected south towards Dandong. They would wait for Chiang Kai-Shek's main force of infantry to arrive before assaulting the Japanese.


...


Before the war began, Chiang Kai-Shek's spymaster Dai Li had estimated that Japan (plus Manchukuo) fielded over 80 divisions before the start of the war. These troops were likely spread all over Japan's home isles and pacific empire. It would take time to transport them to China.

Now, as fresh divisions began to emerge from the sea, Chiang came to the realization that Japan's strength must not be underestimated. It would be folly to relax after just a brief set of victories, especially when his achievements thus far relied on strategic surprise.

On June 9th, Chiang issued a new order, to begin moving industries from the Chinese coast into China's depth. Guangzhou came first, as its coastal plains were especially susceptible to naval invasions. It would kill two birds with one stone: to not only galvanize public support for the war (even as it pushed away from the Chinese heartlands), but also prepare for the possibility of a Japanese ambitious invasion.

On June 12th, Chiang's main body of infantry arrived at Anshan and began their assault on Dalian (Port Arthur). KMT bombers were ordered to stay back due to Japanese anti-air batteries in the harbor. But even with a brigade of light tanks plus cruiser support from the Yellow Sea, the 2 Japanese divisions could only hold for 40 hours before collapsing under the weight of 20 Chinese divisions.

Then, just a day after, an event greater victory resounded across China.


...


Four years have passed since the Mukden Incident (1931), when Zhang Xueliang, the 'Young Marshal' and son of the northeastern warlord Zhang Zuolin, was forced abandon his homeland to the Japanese. He had left without (serious) resistance, obeying Chiang Kai-shek's orders as the Generalissimo was still fighting a civil war with the Communists at the time.

It was a decision that plagued him, for all of China cursed his name as a result. They branded him a coward, a traitor, never understanding the impossible choices that he had to choose between.

In Chiang's other world, that guilt and shame would eventually drive Zhang Xueliang to the Xi'an Incident, when he arrested Chiang Kai-shek and forced him into the Second United Front. Chiang would record the event as 'the most humiliating experience in my life', and despite Zhang Xueliang's attempt to atone -- he voluntarily surrendered himself to Chiang -- it would forever strain the trust between Chiang Kai-shek and his generals.

But none of that would happen now. Not this time.

On June 15th, 1935, leading KMT cavalry under the command of Zhang Xueliang entered the streets of Changchun, capital of Manchukuo.

Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the last Qing Emperor and puppet of the Japanese, was captured while attempting to flee at the airport. He was forced to sign an unconditional surrender for Manchukuo, and to publicly announce by radio that all Manchukuo forces were to cease fighting and surrender to Chinese forces.

(Vanished units are Manchukuo troops 'on expedition' to Japan)​

Suddenly, the Kwantung Army divisions still in Manchuria found themselves trapped behind enemy lines. The roads, rails, and border crossings were mostly manned by Manchukuo personnel. Now, none of them would obey Japanese orders to supply their troops.

And while the Chinese cavalry vanguard crossed into Korea unopposed, all Japanese forces still stuck in Manchuria would be either captured or liquidated by Chinese troops over the coming week.

However, while the majority of Chinese officers were eager to exact revenge against Japan... it wasn't quite what Chiang Kai-shek sought.

He had studied in Japan, trained in the Tokyo Shinbu Gakko, and lived in exile in Japan after Yuan Shikai's betrayal. He had been magnanimous towards the Japanese once, when they were defeated by the Americans and Russians in that other world, despite countless atrocities committed against the Chinese people from eight years of total war.

...And just like that time, Chiang still had some use for the Japanese. Or at least, some Japanese.

It was time to contact Yan Xishan and work out a plan.

( Next Chapter - Grinding through Narrow Korea )​

Notes:
1. Chiang's two sons, Ching-kuo and Wei-kuo, will play a big part in this AAR, because (a) they're amazing and (b) so much irony.

2. I editted Jiang Jingguo's politics from 'left-winged radical' to 'paternal autocrat' so he'd be usable later. Sure, he IS a left-winged radical, but it's his paternal autocrat relations (son of leader paramount) which got him the job.

3. Chiang Kai-shek was... unusually lenient towards the Japanese considering how vindictive he was towards everyone else. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek#Relationship_with_Japan for the shorthand version.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 6 - Grinding through Narrow Korea​

Chiang wasn't sure what the Japanese GHQ was thinking. Perhaps their intelligence network was severed when Manchukuo capitulated. But despite the masses of Chinese troops passing through the Liaodong Peninsula, Japan thought it was a 'good idea' to keep reinforcing Dalian (Port Arthur) at its tip by sea.

Worse yet, they were doing it piecemeal.

The 2nd battle over this strategic harbor began on June 22nd, when two IJA infantry divisions landed and tried to push Chinese forces back. However, when a dozen Chinese infantry divisions on its way to Korea launched a massive counterattack, the Japanese routed in less than 40 hours.

On July 1st, the story repeated itself, except with three divisions (including 1 militia) crushed on July 3rd this time.


...


On July 4th, as the first main wave of over 200,000 Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into Korea, the long chain of Japanese defeats finally forced IJA GHQ to acknowledge just how unprepared they were for this war.

The Emperor's ambassador formally sued for peace, offering to return Shanghai's Japanese Concessions and all Japanese lands in northern China (minus Port Arthur). However, Chiang Kai-shek tore it up without hesitation.

"They think I'll be satisfied by just returning to the 1900 status quo?" He fumed. "What about everything they took from China in the First Sino-Japanese War?"

Still, without a powerful navy, Chiang had no hopes of truly 'defeating' an island nation like Japan. The Dagu Shipyard in Tianjin was working full time to improve China's naval technology. But further research in fleet doctrine was also a necessity. The seizure of Japanese industries in Manchuria also gave China a further boost to military-industrial research capacity (7th and final tech slot).

Due to China's complete lack of naval experience, Chiang asked General von Falkenhausen and his advisers -- all infantry commanders -- to lead the development of China's navy as well. Falkenhausen protested, but Chiang pointed out that Li Zongren, another army general, was currently in charge of the ROC Air Force doctrine.

China simply had to make do with what precious talents it had. Maybe... with any luck, Falkenhausen might be able to acquire a Kriegsmarine adviser as well.


...


Over the coming week, Chinese troops marched across northern Korea without encountering any resistance. On July 13th, the Japanese landed again in Dalian (Port Arthur), this time with four divisions.

Chiang had left behind an entire Auxiliary Army to deal with just such an event.

While the 4th Battle of Dalian was raging, KMT vanguard cavalry arrived at Chuncheon and found themselves under attack by six IJA divisions. With the infantry weeks behind them, they immediately ordered a retreat.

ROC Air Force bombers -- having redeployed to the airstrip in Ganggye -- were sent into southern Korea for reconnaissance. Their reports confirmed what Chiang had suspected: the Japanese navy had redeployed its armies from the home isles.

Now, an estimated 25 to 30 IJA divisions were marching north from Busan.


...


On July 17th, after four days of fighting, KMT troops left in the Liaodong Peninsula defeated Japan once again in the 4th Battle of Dalian (Port Arthur).

It proved just in time too, as just 12 hours later, a fifth wave of Japanese troops (4 divisions) arrived.

With his troops already tired, General Gu Zhutong -- one of the KMT's 'old Xinhai revolutionaries' -- pressed for air support. Chiang was reluctant, given the harbor's fixed anti-air installations, but he nevertheless agreed as he badly needed to capture the harbor and secure his rear.

(Port Arthur also had better infrastructure than its neighboring, recently captured regions. Thus any lapse in combat would only benefit the Japanese)

After all, Japanese troops had reached the 37th Parallel near the Seoul-Chuncheon lines, and a series of major battles had began.

Initial engagements were overwhelmingly in China's favor. Japanese desperation could be seen as their troops once again arrived piecemeal onto the front lines, 3-4 divisions at a time. Meanwhile, the Chinese Army Groups stayed as large, cohesive formations, launching powerful assaults with overwhelming support from massed artillery and bombers.

On July 23rd, after five days of combat, the 5th Battle of Dalian (Port Arthur) ended in another Chinese victory. The Japanese refusal to relinquish this important harbor had already cost them 15 divisions.

On July 25th, the Japanese air forces had finally relocated to Busan and began providing their troops with effective air cover. The KMT's first air battle proved disastrous: 41 bombers lost for only 3 fighters in return.

The seizure of air superiority granted the IJA a break at last. Japanese reinforcements poured into Seoul, beginning a vicious, two week long battle that finally halted the advance of the Chinese armies.

(Auxiliary HMG squad providing suppression fire near Seoul. The forest has been razed by repeated artillery exchanges.)​

However, in their haste to stop the Chinese right wing, the Japanese left their own right flank dangerously exposed.

On August 2nd, Chiang Kai-shek's HQ division somehow arrived in Chuncheon ahead of his main army. He immediately joined the attack on Seoul while waiting for the rest of his troops to arrive. By this time, many Chinese divisions have been so disorganized by the prolonged fighting that Chiang ordered them back and replaced them with fresh troops arriving from the north. They included 4 divisions of veteran Central Army troops, recently redeployed from Shanghai.

The Japanese troops, of course, had no such reprieve.

On August 6th, as 21 more divisions arrived in Chuncheon, Chiang turned his attack south towards Daejeon in an attempt to encircle the 19 IJA divisions in Seoul.

Recognizing the danger, the IJA immediately order a retreat from Seoul, granting the Chinese a victory that cost over 50,000 lives to achieve.

The 19 Japanese divisions would successfully withdraw to Daejeon before the Chinese could cut them off. Chiang and his German advisers were forced to admit that the Korean peninsula was simply too narrow to fight a war of maneuver, too narrow to even fit all the Chinese troops on its front line. They had no choice but to push south through a pure infantry grind-fest.

The good news was that the Battle of Seoul had left the Japanese formations far more depleted than their Chinese counterparts. They held as long as they could in Daejeon, but as each corp fell disorganized under relentless Chinese attacks, they had no choice but to retreat south.

Meanwhile, Chinese troops easily pushed through the weak defenders of Daegu.

Only the air war remained in Japan's favor. On August 15th, Japanese fighters from Busan once again intercepted ROC bomber wings. In the ensuing battle, they destroyed 22 precious KMT bombers without losing a single plane.

Chiang ordered an immediate suspension of all Chinese air operations. The remainder of the war was left to the ground troops.

On the night of August 22nd, 5 Chinese divisions entered Daejeon and quickly came under heavy Japanese artillery fire. These veterans of Shanghai had to hold on for over 30 hours before the main Chinese force arrived on August 24th.

Granting no reprieve to the Japanese, the KMT assault corps immediately began a ferocious attack on Gwanju. The Japanese -- exhausted by the running battles and already reduced to 50% strength -- held on for only 5 days before withdrawing to Busan.

On September 7th, Chinese forces finished the encirclement of Busan and launched the final attack. With nowhere left to run except into the ocean, the Japanese was forced to make their last stand.

(The Chinese arrive in tides.)​

The Japanese army, having had no chance to recover since the Battle of Seoul, was now badly depleted. Most of their units were below 50% strength, and some less than 20%. Even with naval fire support, they held on for barely 2 days before capitulating, although many officers chose to lead suicide charges or killing themselves rather than surrender.

Dai Li's intelligence officers immediately began work on interrogating the Japanese prisoners. They were surprised to discover that the Japanese forces destroyed in Korea represented almost the entirety of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Only 6 or so infantry divisions remained on the Japanese home isles.

From May 11th to September 9th, in just 121 days of war, the Chinese had killed or captured over 1.13 million Japanese ground troops, while suffering less than 150,000 ground combat casualties of its own (2/3 suffered in Korea). This doesn't even include the millions of technical personnel and 'colonists' that Japan left behind in Manchuria.

With only 6 light cruisers, the ROC Navy could not hope to contest the Imperial Japanese Navy for an invasion of the Japanese home isles. But there was no doubt that China had decisively won this war.

It was now time for a different kind of battle: the negotiations table.

( Next Chapter - Five 'Must's and Three Offers )​

Comments:

1. Will need some time to look through the Fading Sun events... and think about what to do with Korea.

2. With the immediate threat (Japan) dealt with, Chiang can start taking the time to discuss other issues of China's modernization, like education, infrastructure, the opium problem, etc., as well as more discussion/involvement in international affairs.

3. There will no Second Nanjing Decade event. China does NOT need the IC Construction bonus. The game mechanics already allow China to industrialize faster than it could historically.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 7 - Five 'Must's and Three Offers

"Japan today has become acquainted with Western civilization's Rule of Might, but retains the characteristics of the Oriental civilization's Rule of Right. Now the question remains whether Japan will be the hawk of Western civilization's rule of Might, or the tower of the Orient's strength."
- Sun Yat-Sen​

Chiang Kai-shek contemplated the present and past as his car bounced across the rough, Korean roads. Busan was too close to the Japanese home isles; too dangerous to fly out of. This made him to leave for the airstrip in Ganggye, in northern Korea. There, he would board the transport plane that would take him back to Harbin, then Beijing, and finally Nanjing. The flight's detour north was a necessity as the Japanese navy still controlled the Bohai Bay. China could ill afford to lose its leader now, when he had brought the nation so far.

Part of him still couldn't believe it. Had he really defeated the Japanese? Chased them off the continent? All in just four months? In his past life, he had fought them for eight bloody years, and China was still nowhere close to pushing the Japanese out. Only the surrender of Japan to Russian and American action brought an end to the war.

How did it turn out so differently?

It took him many hours of deep reflection, lasting through most of the trip. Then, he arrived at an answer of just one word:

Unity

Sure, he had more modernized troops this time. Sixty divisions of German-equipped infantry instead of just eight during that other Battle of Shanghai (1937). Sure, he had more artillery, more bombers, more radios, more trucks... less tanks though. But none of that were really the important part.

The key difference was: China united under the voice of one leader -- him.

(29th NRA Army retreating from Beijing in 1937, after a month of fighting with neither support nor relief.)​

...This time, he didn't begin the war with his Central Army scattered across the nation, keep tabs on the treacherous warlords and communist bandits.

...This time, he didn't wait three months before the Guangxi Army reinforced Shanghai, only to fail the counteroffensive because Li Zongren didn't coordinate with his Central Army generals.

...This time, he didn't watch helplessly as Taiyuan's defenses collapsed, when the leaders Yan Xishan (Shanxi Clique), Huang Shaohong (Guangxi Clique), Zhu De (Communists), and Wei Lihuang (Central Army) each had their own chain-of-commands and refused to work together.

...This time, he didn't have to issue orders to the Sichuang and Guizhou armies in their governors' name, just so he could get them to move east and defend Wuhan.

This time, he saw the Chinese Army fight as a single cohesive force. When Japanese reinforcements threatened the advance of a Central Army division, Guangxi Auxiliary troops threw themselves into battle to protect the flank. When Shanxi casualties mounted after hours of bitter combat against superior Japanese firepower, Yunnan Reserves stepped up to fill the gap, offering their comrades a reprieve to rest and reorganize.

China executed the war with one voice, one vision, and it has made all the difference.


-----

On September 14th, Japanese Army GHQ admitted to the world that their offensive in China has resulted in total failure. Intelligence has it that many Japanese generals have committed ritual suicide to atone for their mistakes. Prime Minister Keisuke Okada was also being forced to resign over this colossal blunder.


-----


On September 15th, Chiang Kai-Shek arrived back in Nanjing. He immediately collected his chief officials in a major conference. The attendees were:

• He Yingqin, Chief of the General Staff
  
• Bai Chongxi, Head of Military Operations
  
• Alexander von Falkenhausen, Lead German Military Adviser
  
• Yan Xishan, Commander of Military Zone 1
  
• Li Zongren, Commander of Military Zone 2
  
• Dai Li, Chief of BIS/Juntong (Bureau of Investigation and Statistics)

"Chairman," Dai Li began. "We've received a discrete communique from the Japanese through our agents in Hong Kong. It seems they are willing to begin negotiations -- at least in secret."

Chiang frown a little. Secret negotiations meant that Japanese mainstream politics wasn't willing to back down yet. But... it at least showed hope.

"Is this their naval faction, or the liberals?" He asked.

"We're not actually sure yet," Dai admitted. "The Japanese Army is certainly finished as a political power after their colossal blunder."

Politics in Japan could roughly be summed up into three competing factions:

• The North Expansionists, represented by the Army. They were proponents of the Hokushin-ron doctrine, to expand from Manchukuo into the Russian Far East and Siberia to attain the vast resources Japan needs to be self-reliant.
  
• The South Expansionists, represented by the Navy. They supported the Nanshin-ron doctrine, to avoid major continental entanglements while pushing south in the name of Pan-Asianism and 'liberating' Asia from European oppressors. While they did not advocate a major land war in China, they did believe that the Chinese coastal cities could easily be annexed.
  
• The 'Liberal' Industrialists, represented by the Rikken Minseitō (Constitutional Democratic Party) and Rikken Seiyūkai (Constitutional Association of Political Friendship). They focused on expanding Japanese soft power through their Zaibatsu commercial empires. The Minseitō wished to remain friendly with China and the western powers through international cooperation, while the Seiyūkai supported opportunistic militarism for votes.

It was the Japanese liberals who held onto power during the early Showa era (1926 - 1932). Then the Mukden Incident (1931) changed everything. The Japanese army officers who disagreed with official foreign policy took it into their own hands. Their success emboldened the Japanese militarists, who saw it as their divine right to become the dominant Imperial power of Asia. Meanwhile, the civilian government was aghast at the anti-Japanese sentiments it sparked throughout China. These differences, alongside navy discontent towards the Washington Naval Treaty, would grow until Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated by navy ultra-nationalists in the May 15 Incident, thereby ending civilian control of the Japanese government.

(Inukai Tsuyoshi, Japanese Prime Minister 1931-1932)​

Chiang closed his eyes and sighed. Inukai was once a friend of China. He supported the Xinhai Revolution and helped Sun Yat-Sen into exile when Yuan Shikai had betrayed them all. Back then, Inukai openly discussed with Sun on how Sino-Japanese cooperation was the cornerstone of Asian solidarity, and his house became the unofficial meeting place of future KMT revolutionaries. Yet, after 1923 when Inukai joined the ruling cabinet, his views on Pan-Asianism transformed into Japanese Imperialism in the guise of Pan-Asian solidarity.

He was not the only one either. Sun Yat-Sen once said that "We must wait for the official history of the Chinese Revolution to record in greater detail the invaluable work of our Japanese friends." However, the Father of the Nation would not live long enough to see just how many of their Japanese friends betrayed China in the end.

"The navy cannot escape responsibility either," Chiang's thoughts return to the current discussion. "Prime Minister Keisuke Okada is a naval admiral, and he must bear ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the war."

"Not to mention the five battles at Dalian where the navy landed fifteen army divisions in separate, uncoordinated waves, only to be destroyed piecemeal by our troops," Bai Chongxi added.

Chiang nodded. There was no doubt that militarist factions across the board just lost a great deal of political influence in Japan -- both with the Imperial Diet and with the Emperor himself.

"Your have my consent to begin negotiations in secret," Chiang told Dai. "With our absolute victory on the continent, I would normally demand open negotiations to show just who exactly has a high ground. But Japan was once an inspiration to us all. It is the misfortune of fate that they have fallen into the pitfalls of Western Imperialism since."

"Japan is still the leader in Asia for all things modern," Yan Xishan interjected. "One look at the industries in Manchuria makes this evident. Despite their foreign rule, the region is now one of the most industrialized in China. The Japanese companies there are years ahead of us in mining, steelmaking, chemistry, medicine -- all essential industries to modernization. China would stand to benefit from their expertise once more. But the Japanese, like us, are an honorable people. Therefore, if we are to end on peaceful terms rather than just a ten-years ceasefire, we must appeal to their sense of honor."

Chiang agreed. Considerations like this was the reason why he put Yan Xishan in charge of persuading captured Japanese talents -- both industrial and military -- to work for China. The man had a talent with words (and bribes) that could even make former enemies grateful to him.

"But will the Chinese people stand for that?" Li Zongren asked. "Our enmity with Japan runs back for centuries. They were also the greatest contributors to the Eight Nations Alliance that destroyed the Yihetuan patriots (Boxer Rebellion)."

Chiang pursed his lips. His sworn brother, Ma Fuxiang, lost several relatives in the Battle of Beijing to Japanese troops. It was the reason why he left Ma Hongkui -- his Inspector General of Cavalry -- back in Korea to oversee the troops. The younger Ma would much rather butcher his way across Japan than see peace.

"What China wants, is to reclaim our own national honor. To retake our lost territories." Chiang declared. "But does that really mean we must strip Japan of their pride in exchange?"

"We don't have the ability anyway," Bai Chongxi added. "What are we going to attack their islands with? Six light cruisers plus ten thousand fishing boats? Their navy will scatter us in the wind just like their 'Divine Wind' did to the mongols."

"Give it five years and we'll have our own modern destroyers," Li countered. "Give it fifteen and we'll have battleships to match theirs! Then we'll see who is the ruler of the East China Sea."

Chiang looked at the quiet General Falkenhausen, who had the virtue or not speaking unless it was appropriate. Nevertheless, he could already see how the conversation of established a Chinese carrier doctrine would go...

(IJN Carrier Akagi in Chiang's thoughts)​

"And how much time would that waste from our nation's efforts to modernize while they blockade and bombard our ports?" Chiang stood up. "Remember, everyone, that our real enemy are the Imperialists! Britain, France -- those nations who still hold extraterritoriality and concessions in China! They continue to extort the Chinese people, claiming so-called 'free trade' as they dump their industrial excesses down our throats by force. Meanwhile they fly their flags on Chinese soil, an ever-present stain upon our dignity and sovereignty!"

He left the United States out. Despite the nation's economic difficulties and isolationist views, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was kind enough to send him aid against Japan's aggression. This was the same man who loosened the Monroe Doctrine (the cornerstone of American Imperialism), reduced US meddling in Latin America, and allowed local elections in the Philippines as a transitional step to their Independence. It gave Chiang hope that the two could negotiate a peaceful end to American Imperialism in China.

Pacing back and forth across the room, Chiang thought deeply about what his options are.

The treaty must be a victory in the eyes of the Chinese people. It must show the KMT's strength after the Century of Humiliation. Only through that will he attain the necessary legitimacy and popular support to push through all of China's coming reforms.

But... it should also offer a back door for the Japanese. A proverbial 'step down' to avoid 'losing face'...

Such a tightrope act was no easy feat.


-----


It took many hours of deliberation that day, before Chiang Kai-shek established his bottom line for the negotiations. The points could be wrapped up as the Four 'Must's:

1. Japan must return all lands they have seized from China since the First Sino-Japanese War. This includes Manchuria, Eastern Hebei, and Taiwan.

2. Japan must surrender all special concessions zones on Chinese soil (i.e. Beiping, Shanghai).

3. Japan must abandon all rights to station troops on Chinese soil (i.e. along the Beiping-Tianjin railway).

4. Japan must relinquish all rights of extraterritoriality in China. From this day forth, Japanese nationals in China will be held accountable to Chinese law.

Chiang thought about prosecuting the Japanese army officers responsible for the various 'incidents' of aggression in China. But decided that given the colossal blunder that their army had already caused, the Emperor will surely see that they are dishonored and punished. There was no need to encroach upon Japanese sovereignty and dictate what they may or may not do within their own nation.


-----


On September 18th, the secret peace talks in Hong Kong began.

Over the next two weeks, Dai Li reported to Chiang that based on his intelligence sources and hints left by the Japanese diplomats, the Japanese peace delegation is not back by the navy. In fact, the navy had already written off the millions of Japanese in Manchuria and Korea, and was preparing to wage a protracted war from the sea and the skies.

However, while the navy was ready to toss aside millions of subjects, the Emperor was not. The Japanese disaster in China has highlighted that unless the military branches were reined in, it may only be a matter of time before they provoke yet another incident against a foreign power... with dire consequences.

To restore Japan's international standing and reestablish goodwill with other nations, Emperor Hirohito was secretly backing Kijūrō Shidehara as the next Prime Minister. Shidehara was the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1924-27) and Acting Prime Minister (1930-31). Known for his liberal views, his era coined the phrase "Shidehara Diplomacy" which sought cooperation in the League of Nations. He even helped China during the Nanjing Incident (1927), when he refused to sign an ultimatum prepared by the foreign powers against Chiang Kai-shek (for NRA's attacks on foreign consulates and settlements).

("Japan's Man of Peace and War" - TIME, October 1931)​

But to regain civilian control of the Japanese government, Shidehara must be able to negotiate a compromise with the Chinese that didn't seem like a complete and total defeat. Otherwise, the Japanese nationalists would see that he was assassinated before the year's end.

To this end, Chiang Kai-shek was willing to cooperate on. It was to China's long-term benefit to see Shidehara and Japan's liberal foreign policy restored. Therefore, Chiang made three offers to the Japanese -- that China will:

1. To return Korea to Japanese administrative oversight.

2. To recognize that Japanese land ownership and settlements in Korea grants them exclusive economic privileges over Korea.

3. To freely repatriate any Japanese colonists, laborers, industrial personnel, and prisoners of war who wish to return to Japan.

However, these come at the condition of a fifth 'Must':

5. Japan must demilitarize Korea and recognize it as an independent nation-state, to assure that no 'incidents' arise between China and Japan in the future.

For all purposes, these proposals gives Korea back to Japan as a demilitarized Japanese colony, in exchange for Taiwan. Though without a military presence (and only police), the Japanese would have to rely on less heavy-handed policies to keep Korea in order. Some Koreans would no doubt call this a betrayal of the Sino-Korea friendship since Ming dynasty. But in the end, the livelihoods of Koreans were not Chiang's responsibility.

( Next Chapter - The Red Sun Fades, The White Sun Rises )​

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 8 - The Red Sun Fades, The White Sun Rises​

Peace negotiations with Japan were progressing slowly by steadily. On October 15th, 1935, Japan finally revealed to the world that a peace settlement was currently being discussed between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Japanese Navy continues to extract some honor from the Chinese fleet base in Haikou, a few dozen men at a time...

Chiang ordered the Chinese newspapers to hush up about it. He didn't want another public demonstration to sabotage negotiations. He also told the navy to... treat it as valuable experience.

China's admirals could certainly use the training.


-----


With the war all but over, Chiang Kai-shek began turning his attention towards China's internal affairs once more. Over the past two years, he had focused on unifying China and modernizing its military-industrial capacity, while leaving most other sectors of the civilian government to Wang Jingwei's lackeys. The arrangement freed up his hand to focus on what truly mattered for China's immediate future.

But with Japan's (imminent) defeat, it was time to change all that.

Chiang began his efforts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of the Interior.

(Policies slider effects, going clockwise: Democratic[3]-vs-Authoritarian[7], Free Market[8]-vs-Central Planning[2], Two Year Draft [unmobilized], Hawk Lobby[10]-vs-Dove Lobby[0], Interventionism[6]-vs-Isolationism[4])​

(*EoD mod has drastically different economic sliders which actually makes it better to reach some form of balance between free market and central planning, much like in real life; full central planning and full free market are both poor performers in this mod. I chose this slider position as it gave me the most upgrade/production benefits without penalizing research which is ROC's critical weakness.)

In foreign affairs, Chiang choose his wife's brother-in-law, Kong Xiangxi (H.H.Kung) as the new foreign minister. An economics graduate of Yale, Kung is one of the old Xinhai Revolutionaries and a close ally of Yan Xishan. Since 1933, Kung has also served as China's finance minister, trying his best to balance the KMT's budget.

But Kung had one problem: he was corrupt as hell.

By removing Kung from the finance ministry and putting him in foreign relations, Chiang could take advantage of Kung's business contacts while slowly peeling away his ability to siphon money from the government. It was a good way to keep this old family ally happy while reducing the damage his kleptocratic habits caused.

In the interior ministry, Chiang would elevated his son, Chiang Ching-kuo, to the special position of ROC High Commissioner. Ching-kuo's time spent as a hostage of Stalin in Russia had shown him the ugly side of Communism. But the young man (now 25) was still an energetic socialist at heart. Chiang needed to find an outlet for Ching-kuo's passion other than father-son arguments.

As High Commissioner, it would fall upon Ching-kuo to deal with China's biggest social problems: the opium addiction widespread among civilians and the excess of prostitution as a result of China's civil wars. In Chiang's other world, Ching-kuo performed admirably in both tasks when he was appointed the Commissioner of Gannan Prefecture during the war. He instituted a carrot-and-stick policy in the 'Gannan New Deal', cracking down on vices while offering rehabilitation through honest factory work.

(Opium addiction was a major epidemic plaguing China during the early 20th century. So much that it became a racial stereotype used to describe Chinese people.)​

This time, Chiang would see if his son could achieve the same success with all of China.

Dai Li would continue serving as the Director of the BIS/Juntong, the intelligence and counterintelligence apparatus of the Kuomintang (stats image in Chapter 3). While Weng Wenhao would continue working with the German Handelsgesellschaft für industrielle Produkte (Haspro) in coordinating China's industrial modernization (stats image in Chapter 1).

Similarly, He Yingqin would continue serving as Chiang's Chief-of-Staff in the National Military Council (his stats posted above for the 1st time). However, the branches would see major changes. Chiang promoted:
1. Chen Jitang, the Guangxi Clique modernizer, as Chief of the Army, as he could keep China's armies supplied with the least drain on national resources.
2. Bai Chongxi and his Board of Military Operations were also placed in charge of naval modernization, as his views on establishing ROC naval doctrine was closest to that of their German Kriegsmarine allies.
3. Zhou Zhirou as the new Chief of the Air Force, to better establish inter-branch cooperation between the ROCAF and the army.

All that remains is to seize the near-figurehead Premiership from Wang Jingwei's grasp, and Chiang will become the true Leader Paramount of China!


-----


On November 9th, after two months of negotiations, the Chinese and Japanese delegations signed the peace deal to end the Second Sino-Japanese War.

As agreed upon in negotiations, Japan recognized the de-jure independence of Korea as well as the unique culture and heritage of the Korean people. Korea will remain under Japanese administrative oversight and economic domination, though as a demilitarized zone between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan.

(Preview of several custom events to come.)​

During the negotiations, Japan expressed interest for Un Yi -- the last Crown Prince of Korea -- to ascend a new Korean throne. However, China declared this was unacceptable. Un Yi was not only a Colonel of the Imperial Japanese Army, but also married to a Princess of the Japanese Royalty. China would not stand to see Japan proclaim some sort of 'Personal Union' with Korea in fifty years' time.

(Yi Un, Crown Prince Euimin, and his wife, Princess Masako Nashimoto)​

A compromise was reached when the two sides settled on Syngman Rhee. As a prominent proponent of the Korean independence in the League of Nations, Rhee held the necessary legitimacy in the eyes of Koreans and the world to lead a new Korean government. However, his time in Shanghai had also shown that he was (1) easily corruptible, (2) pro-capitalism and thus open to the influence of Japanese Zaibatsu empires, and (3) fervently anti-Communist, to keep Russian influences out.

Meanwhile in Japan, the Kijūrō Shidehara has formed a new administration with the liberal Foreign Minister Shigemitsu Mamoru. With the Emperor's support, they began curtailing the powers of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. Though with the ultranationalists' and militarists' influence still powerful, it remains to be seen how successful they will be.

(Japan is now slightly more democratic than China, while Korea's politics show their demilitarized state.)
(A trade agreement of 40 supplies and 0.5 money per day for nothing, from Korea to Japan, has also been set up to represent Japanese interests in Korea.)​

Repatriation of Japanese personnel in China will begin immediately. However, Yan Xishan also reports his success in recruiting thousands of Japanese military and industrial experts in Manchuria. His tactics included a combination of flattery, appeals to idealism, honor, and mutual interest, as well as 'bribery and women'. Though in the end, Chiang didn't care so long as he received what truly mattered: Kwantung/Manchukuo's technical expertise:

-----


Later that night, as spontaneous celebrations broke out all across China, Chiang Kai-shek sat relaxed in his Nanjing resident with Lin Sen, Chairman (figurehead) of the National Government of China.

"Our war with Japan is finally over," Lin leaned back and closed his eyes, as though a final wish of his life had been fulfilled.

"How long... has it been?"

Four months since Shanghai? Chiang thought before realizing a more appropriate answer: "four years, starting from Mukden."

China hadn't truly been at peace with Japan since then.

"No," Lin answered. "Four decades."

Chiang puzzled.

Then he realized:

Lin had fought in the First Sino-Japanese War, even stayed behind on Taiwan for years to lead guerrilla actions against Japan.

The Chinese, as a conservative, history-minded people, never could truly let go of the past that they've experienced.

(China and Korea in November, 1937)​

( Next Chapter - Leader Paramount )​

Notes:
1. This is a very customized Fading Sun event chain, but I consider it much more realistic than the vanilla version. For reasons why, see the discussion between chapter 6 and chapter 7.

2. Real reason Yi Un was rejected for Korean head-of-state: DH has no minister to present him.

3. Yan Xishan did indeed recruit tens of thousands of Japanese, both military and civilian (technical and managerial experts), to work for him after 1945 using those tactics, 'bribes and women' included. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Xishan#Relationship_with_the_Japanese_after_1945

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 9 - Leader Paramount

"If when I die, I am still a dictator, I will certainly go down into the oblivion of all dictators. If, on the other hand, I succeed in establishing a truly stable foundation for a democratic government, I will live forever in every home in China."
- Chiang Kai-shek​

(China's coming megaprojects)​

Weng Wenhao, ROC Minister of Industry, didn't even wait for the victory celebrations to finish before organizing the next step of China's modernization. Now that China was unified, he was ready to begin the grand project of comprehensively surveying the Republic's vast landscape. The National Resource Commission organized multiple expeditions, supported by German advisers and technical experts from Haspro (Handelsgesellschaft für industrielle Produkte). Both sides were anxious to discover just what more resources China's rough terrain and complex geology had to offer.

(Custom event! Aside from expedition supplies and money to pay foreign expertise, it also costs 10 Industrial Capacity for 3 years to develop new resources, enough to build more than 6 factories.)​

Meanwhile, BIS/Juntong Director Dai Li readjusts China's intelligence efforts. China's victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War has alerted the world powers that the Middle Kingdom has risen once more, and with that comes enemies -- enemies that wish to see China stay fragmented and weak. To prepare against possible future hostilities, Dai issues four new directives:

1. Expand the network of Chinese agents in Hong Kong and Singapore to keep an eye on all British activities in the Far East.
2. Start recruiting Indians into the Chinese network to gather information on the British Raj, as well as make contact with Indian independence elements: the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Muslim League.
3. Keep tabs on the Soviet Union. Now that their archenemy -- Japan -- has been defeated, the USSR will no longer have any interests in cooperating with China. Even now, they fan the flames of Uyghur independence in the northwest.
4. Keep an eye on the situation in Japan and Korea. Korea may even offer an unique opportunity for industrial espionage, as Japanese security forces have limited presence there.

Then, just three days later, his spies in Hong Kong reported with good news:

One more stream of water has joined the great river that will one day wash away the British Empire.

Another week passes before he receives a similar report from Korea.

It seems Japan's recognition of Korea as a state has triggered a full blown independence movement. This was, however, mixed news. While Dai wouldn't mind seeing Japan further weakened, instability in Korea might jeopardize the recent peace that the two nations just brokered. Furthermore, China would rather not be drawn into another conflict on its borders... yet.


-----


(...And now finally, the reason why Wang Jingwei's face is on ROC's cabinet but Chiang Kai-shek isn't...)

In the Republic of China's government, there are four top positions:

(Lin Sen, Wang Jinwei)​

1. Chairman of the National Government of China (Head of State). The Chairman was meant to be the highest governing position within the KMT. However, since Chiang's resignation in 1931 after attempting to arrest Hu Hanming (Premier of the KMT), the position held very few powers and became effectively a figurehead. It was currently held by Lin Sen, a highly-respected Xinhai Revolutionary who lacked any political ambition, corruption, or nepotism -- and as a result was held in high regard by the public and seen as 'above politics'.

2. Premier of the Republic of China (Head of Civilian Government), also known as 'Head of the Executive Yuan Council'. The Premier was supposed to lead the ROC's executive branch. However, since 1932 when Chiang Kai-shek solidified his power during the Shanghai Incident, Wang Jingwei's premiership held only limited control of the civilian government.

3. Premier (later Director-General) of the Kuomintang (Head of the KMT Party). Position currently vacant.

4. Chairman of the National Military Council (Head of the Military Government). Chiang created this position after his ousting from the chair of the National Government in 1931. But when the Mukden Incident (1931) and Shanghai Incident (1932) highlighted the looming threat of the Japanese, various KMT elements were forced to concede that Chiang's hold on power was necessary. As a result, this unusual position is currently the most powerful title in China. (This position is not represented in DH Cabinet as it ranks far above the Chief-of-Staff.)

Over the years, as Chiang steadily undermined the powers of the Premiership, Wang Jingwei attempted to resign several times but it was rescinded each time. Wang represented the leftist wing of the KMT party, and Chiang used this presence to curtail the influence of Communist elements in China. But now, with China unified and Chiang's legitimacy stronger than ever, he no longer had any use remaining for Wang.

On December 1st, Wang Jingwei resigned from the Premiership of the ROC for the final time. His position was quickly seized by Chiang, who would soon reinstate the position of the Direct-General of the Kuomintang and take it for himself. As a result, Chiang Kai-shek was now the head of the ROC civilian government, military government, and party -- a true, undisputed Leader Paramount of China.

(Actually not a custom minister personality. The Retired War Patriot is in the DH minister personalities list but isn't mapped to anyone. I can only presume this is another piece of uncompleted work for China, of which there are many...)​

Except this time, he won't need the support of those corrupt officials to stay in power.

It was time to remove all of the incompetent leeches in the KMT hierarchy, and Wang Jingwei was just the first among them.


-----


Chiang also wastes no time before kicking China's modernization efforts onto its next step. His first priority was (...to take advantage of his minister bonuses and...) start buying up as much silver and gold as possible from around the world. This will shore up the Chinese currency, rein in the inflation that went out of control in his other life, all while allowing the government to sell what bonds it needed to finance rapid economic growth.

It had the added benefit of improving relationships with other countries.

Some of this money would no doubt enter German coffers to pay for their aid, which in turn would be used to finance Germany's remilitarization. But Chiang saw no problems with that. Why shouldn't the Germans rebuild a strong military? The Entente had thoroughly humiliated them at the end of the Great War... just like how the west had humiliated China for the past hundred years.

The liberals even had the hypocrisy to award Carl von Ossietzky with the Nobel Peace Prize for leaking information about Germany's re-arming program. Had it been British or French military secrets instead, the Entente's media would have accused them of espionage and be calling for their hanging.

Meanwhile, the League of Nations showed itself to be useless once more as it stands by twiddling thumbs while Italy annexed Abyssinia.

-----


End of year development summary: despite finishing military modernization (July 1934 - March 1935) and the brief war, Minister Weng Wenhao was able to squeeze out enough industrial capacity to develop 12 new factory complexes in 1935, mostly in northern China.

(Industrial capacity summary as of December 31, 1935 posted. China still has a -10% peacetime/wartime IC modifier.)​

With the support of the German Handelsgesellschaft für industrielle Produkte (Hapro), the ROC Nation Resource Commission drafts its first Three Year Plan. From 1936 to 1938, China plans to focus on expanding its heavy industries and the infrastructure/resources to support them. Capital will be tapped from the pool of 100 million Reichsmarks that Germany promised China for its military modernization, paid in kind by Chinese resource exports. With the (historical) price of Tungsten more than doubling since 1932, the National Resource Commission sees little trouble in paying it off in due time. Furthermore, as the investers, German businesses gains a degree of accountability oversight in the Chinese programs, which would help curb the corruption still being rooted from the KMT.

( Next Chapter - Anti-Comintern Proposal )​

Notes: If the split of powers between Civilian, Party, and Military sounds familiar, it is because the current People's Republic of China uses it still: the President of the PRC, the Secretary-General of the Communist Party, and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Chiang was the first individual who combined these three positions as one to become China's "Leader Paramount".

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 10 - The Anti-Comintern Proposal

"In the early days of the Russian Revolution in 1917, I was completely in sympathy with it. I felt that it established a new era in the history of the modern world. I was so overwhelmed by it that, if people made any unfriendly comment, I would vigorously defend it."
- Chiang Kai-Shek​

Since the 19th century, the slow collapse of the Qing dynasty and decades of warlordism following the Xinhai Revolution left China in a perpetual state of turmoil. As a result, millions of Chinese fled abroad to escape drafts, wars, or simply the chaos. However, due to cultural differences and the prevalence of racism among western societies, many Chinese communities never managed to fit in. Even in the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) which made it impossible for Chinese immigrants to become residents, was still in effect. Thus, when peace returned to China upon its reunification, a surge of repatriation began as countless overseas Chinese -- known as huaqiao -- moved back to their homeland. Many of them had studied in foreign universities and worked in modern industries, bringing back valuable skills critical to the development of China.

(Tech teams that normally unlocked/upgraded upon either the end of Sino-Japanese War [1945/46] or reunification [1949/50] have been made available. They may not look like much, but they're the best China has.)​

Unfortunately, most of these new talents are either academic theorists and industrial technicians. Product design (i.e. vehicle engineering, aeronautics) remains a severe lacking for China...


-----


The New Year celebrations had hardly passed when Dai Li's agents brought bad news: despite Japan's humiliating loss on the continent, the new government is still having trouble keeping the militarists down. The cadet-dominated Imperial Way faction (Kōdōha) accuses new Shidehara Administration of being greedy, corrupt Zaibatsu capitalists, polluting the Japanese spirit from the 'purity' of military rule under the Emperor...

Meanwhile, Chiang and his foreign minister (/brother-in-law) Kung works on negotiating more trades: coal and steel from China's two friends to rebuild expenditures during the war with Japan, as well as more rare materials so China could keep up its export obligations to Germany (we're such supportive allies!).

(Forgot the 10 rare-materials from Chile...)​

Germany, in turn, proposes... something Chiang isn't really sure about.

Yes. The whole world now knows that Chiang is a Communist-hater. The White Terror he initiated all over China to purge Communist influences made sure of that. But the truth is -- like always -- more complicated. Everyone seems to have forgotten that just ten years ago, he was known in the west as the 'Red General' of China.

It wasn't because he once sympathized with the Communists. That had passed long ago...

It was because... the Soviet Union had once saved China.

Chiang still remember the words of Sun Yat-Sen (1921):

"The Republic is my child. It is in danger of drowning. I am trying to keep it afloat and we are being swept down the river. I call for help to England and America. They stand on the bank and jeer at me. Then comes a Russian straw. Drowning, I clutch at it. On the bank, England and America shout at me: on no account should I clutch the Russian straw. But do they help me? No. They jeer and at the same time tell me not to clutch that Russian straw. I know it is a straw, but it is better that than nothing."

(Once upon a time...)​

It was the Soviet Union who first recognized Sun's Canton Government. It was Soviet Union who funded the National Revolutionary Army. It was the Soviet Union that made the Northern Expedition possible...

Without the Soviet Union, there might not even be a Republic of China.

Sure, they lent China a mere straw out of cold, calculating realpolitik. Sure, they tried to control Chinese politics through the CPC. They even tore Mongolia away and attempted to do so with Xinjiang. But at the same time, the USSR hasn't turned against China either... at least not yet.

He would rather keep it that way for as long as possible. Whatever else, the Soviets cannot, must not be underestimated.

"Tell the Germans," Chiang decided. "China has just finished two decades of continuous war. We're exhausted. We would rather not provoke the Soviets at present."

Still, he didn't want to just shut the door in Germany's face either.

"Maybe... we can revisit this at a later date. Surely, the Führer desires nothing but peace in Europe right now."

Chiang almost laughed at the thought.

(To reflect the subtle changes in attitude since Chinese victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the following AI changes were made:)

Spoiler: AI Changes

Russia AI:
garrison = { country_priorities = { CHI = 20 } } #replaces Japan
spyprefs = { spyprefsdata = { country_priorities = 6 steal_blueprint = 0 minister_assassination = 1 smear_campaign = 3 sabotage_industry = 5 found_partisans = 2 massmedia = 1 disrupt_techteam = 5 country = CHI } } #replaces Jap, minus steal bp
trade = { favored = { CHI = 40 } } #yes, Japan had this high with Russia
resistance = { CHI = 2 } #as Japan

German AI:
befriend = { CHI = 30 } #tripled that of Japan, as German foreign policy is no longer caught in a vice
trade = { favored = { CHI = 100 } } #doubled
tech_sharing = { favored = { CHI = 150 } } #replaces Japan

British AI:
spyprefs = { spyprefsdata = { country_priorities = 7 steal_blueprint = 0 minister_assassination = 1 smear_campaign = 4 sabotage_industry = 7 found_partisans = 4 massmedia = 3 disrupt_techteam = 5 country = CHI } } #replaces Jap, minus steal bp
No longer protect, befriend, prefer trade, or tech share with China

French AI:
spyprefs = { spyprefsdata = { country_priorities = 3 steal_blueprint = 0 minister_assassination = 1 smear_campaign = 3 sabotage_industry = 5 found_partisans = 2 massmedia = 2 disrupt_techteam = 5 country = CHI } } #replaces Jap, minus steal bp
No longer protect, befriend, prefer trade, or tech share with China

-----


On January 8th, 1936, Germany reoccupied the demilitarized Rhineland. The Soviets denounced the action. The British and French flip-flopped. The US President FDR went on a 'convenient' fishing vacation.

Chiang Kai-shek sent Hitler a congratulatory letter*. He couldn't help but compare the Rhineland's situation to how Japan tried to take a bite out of China by demilitarizing East Hebei. "Germany has a right to its own land", China's message to the League of Nations went. To deny such is to approve of 'French aggression' -- weren't they the ones that invaded Saarland not so long ago?
(*totally ahistorical.)

In the end, the Council of the League of Nations declared that the remilitarization constituted a breach of the Treaties of Versailles and Locarno, but did nothing about it. The Germans repaid in kind with lip service of their own. The whole farce showed that, once again, just how useless the League was.

Then, just ten days later, a series of destabilizing events followed for the Allies. The leaked details of the Hoare–Laval Pact where the French and British planned to partition Abyssinia with Italy proved especially devastating in provoking public dissent.

"Karma," Chiang simply remarked.

(EoD mod gives Germany so many events. Kind of jealous...)​

( Next Chapter - The Sturmtruppen and the Yangtze Project )​

Note: I know people here have probably read the lead to WW2 a dozen times over already. But I'm going to play out what China's reactions might have been, had they not been too busy scuffling with Japan.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 11 - The Sturmtruppen and the Yangtze Project​

As the repatriation of the Japanese steadily progressed, KMT efforts spearheaded by Yan Xishan continued to recruit large numbers of Japanese civil and military experts. Two-thirds of China's army and nine-tenth of China's society still needed modernizing, and Chiang needed all the help he could get.

(Custom event!)​

However, the influx of Japanese officers into China's training brigades also posed a problem: Japan's tactical doctrine weren't quite compatible with that of the Wehrmacht. As a result, Chiang summoned his top military leaders for a conference.

(Chiang and his Military Council: Alexander von Falkenhausen, He Yingqin, Bai Chongxi, Li Zongren, Yan Xishan, Ma Hongkui)​

"...Yes, it is true that concept of Schwerpunkt (focal point) has served China well in this war. But that is because we fought a war with a half-modernized army," Falkenhausen warned when both Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren spoke admiringly of the German-trained divisions' performance. "Will the National Revolutionary Army always remain in such a manner?"

"Of course not," He Yingqin was swift to reply. With the defeat of Japan, the military modernization program that he oversaw had been dropped to a much lower priority. But it wasn't going to stay ignored forever.

"Germany's situation is fundamentally different from that of China," Falkenhausen explained. "Germany is an industrialized nation, while China remains a primarily agricultural society. Germany sits at the center of the European plains -- admist its vast road and rail network -- whereas China is dominated by highlands, canyons, and raw, inaccessible frontiers. The average German has years of schooling, while the average Chinese cannot yet read...

"Despite the Ministry of Industry's best attempts, these facts are unlikely to change soon. China simply does not have the personnel quality or industrial edge that Germany has."

Chiang had to nod along with most of the room. It wasn't pleasant to hear, but it was true.

The Wehrmacht's land doctrine is a decentralized one that emphasize the importance of low-level, tactical decision making. It requires squad, platoon, and company level commanders to take initiative and determine the best means to attack and defend. But this is only valid with a highly educated officer corps. In the Republic of China, where most sergeants can't even read a tactical manual, asking such low ranking officers to decide the flow of battle would be a fatal miscalculation.

"However, what China does have is a limitless pool of motivated recruits, ready to restore the pride of the Middle Kingdom. It has borders that run for thousands of kilometers, difficult to defend but also difficult to cross. To wage war under such conditions, China not only requires, but benefits from a large army -- an infantry-focused army."

(German-designed KMT infantrymen equipment: to be standardized throughout the entire army.)​

The chief reasons that followed in the discussion could be summed up as:

• Cheap to supply, manageable even without proper roads.
  
• Cheap to equip and replenish, maintainable by China's limited industries in large numbers.
  
• All Terrain Maneuverability™ on two legs.

Together, this would allow the Chinese army to... "break through enemy lines at not just one location, but at many contact points at once, all through the exploitation of complex, rough terrain."

"--Which is precisely what our cavalry already does," Ma Hongkui, the Inspect General of Cavalry, interjected at the end.

Growing up in the complex geography of the northwest, the KMT Muslim Cavalry were considered elites not because they had better equipment. But because they were disciplined, motivated, and knew from childhood how to use every dune, ridge, and valley to their advantage.

(When your home looks like this, you don't need a tactical manual to tell you how to use terrain.)​

"They'll be models for the rest of the NRA," Falkenhausen reassured. "Once an infantry breakthrough occurs, the cavalry will surge through and exploit the breach using their mobility -- which unlike truck tires are unaffected by a lack of roads."

"But how would this go over with our German military trainers?"

"It's not the Wehrmacht's premier doctrine, but the German Infantry does have plenty of experience in this form of warfare," Falkenhausen noted. "When all of the Western Front had been turned into a hellscape of craters, quagmires, and mazes of trenches. It wasn't the war that Germany prefers to fight. But it was the war that Germany had fought. And it certainly offers China insight and experience into how infantry attacks should best be mounted."

Bai Chongxi blinked. Having read plenty into Germany's WWI experiences, he was the first to make a connection:

"You speak of the Storm Troops."

Falkenhausen nodded.

"You take a pickaxe and chisel away at one point. You do this all along the line -- every unit, every mile. Weaken their front before launching an assault, and the flood that follows will burst through the dike like a tidal wave."

"It didn't work for Germany though?" Chiang voiced.

"It did, for a short time. But Germany was exhausted at that point. We had limited manpower remaining who still qualified for Sturmtruppen training, and our lack of mobility meant we could not capitalize enough from victories before running out of steam. Horses were incompatible with trenches and barbed wire; nor was there much cavalry left at that stage in the Great War."

"But how does the Japanese play into all this?" Yan Xishan asked.

"The Japanese have plenty of experience training disciplined, diehard assault squads from uneducated, backwater peasants," Bai added, having seen its results firsthand on the front lines. "And while they do have powerful, mechanized formations, most of their infantry prefers to travel light -- which is perfect for cutting through enemy lines."

It took some time to persuade everyone. But before within two weeks time, the Huangpu (Whampoa)/Central Military Academy was tasked to begin (re)training China's officer corps, again.


...


Army equipment took longer to discuss. The basics were obvious: standard German infantry equipment, artillery, and engineers... especially engineers to facilitate movement over rough terrain for specialist troops. But there was also a debate over the choice of combat vehicles to provide fire support to the cavalry corps.

In the end, the German SdKfz 221/222 model was chosen for its simple construction and better performance over rough terrain. The lightweight chassis was ideal for Chinese use with its ease of operation and reliability, and its limited armament of machine gun and autocannon was enough for China's purposes. The KMT plans to both order and produce them under license in large numbers.

(Existing cavalry brigades will be used wherever possible as they slightly outperform armored car brigades. But new cavalry brigades are actually more costly than armored cars at 540 IC days.)

The air force and navy doctrines were much easier to decide. China didn't have much experience in either, so they went with the simple solution:

(Priority in Red. Secondary Priority in Blue.)​

In the air, the ROCAF will prioritize denying enemy air power and providing ground-support with level bombing. Their secondary role will be to augment the navy in defending China's coastal zones. Both of China's existing (and obsolete) multi-role fighter squadrons will refit as interceptor squadrons.

In the sea, the ROCN will follow the example set by German -- use submarines to attrition the enemy on the high seas, while building a lightweight fleet to operate close to the shores.


-----


Meanwhile...

March 22nd: China's ally Germany needs to work on its diplomacy. Italy, Hungry, and Austria banded together to sign the 'Three Power Pact' against growing German influence. Combined with the French-Polish alliance, it meant Germany was now fully surrounded by enemies.

(Custom event!)​

March 25th: Japan's Shidehara administration signed the London Naval Treaty. No quantitative limitations were set this time as the Italians had abandoned negotiations. But Japanese diplomacy to the US, UK, and France noticeably improved (+15), while unrest within the IJN was fermenting at home (+1% dissent).

March 29th: Trouble brewed in the Holy Lands as Arabs demonstrations and riots against Jewish claims in Palestine had reached the critical threshold. The Palestinians established the Arab High Commission to organize their resistance and called for a general strike.

In China, General Bai Chongxi -- Chairman of the Chinese Islamic National Salvation Federation -- and several prominent KMT generals such as Ma Hongkui and Ma Bufang sends their vocal support, denouncing Jewish encroachment on Palestinian lands as merely the 'newest form of British Imperialism'.


-----


On April 1st, after six months of informal discussions with the Minister of Industry Weng Wenhao, Chiang decides to bring an idea back onto the official discussion table -- an ambitious project which also ranked among Sun Yat-Sen's greatest dreams.

Every (educated) Chinese knew that Yellow and Yangtze Rivers were the cradles of Chinese civilization. However, the two rivers were also tempermental dragons prone to catastrophic floods. Chinese attempts to control the waters dates back almost as long as the existence of China itself. Its effect on the Chinese culture is indisputable, as of all the possible ideal monarchs, the Confucian tradition chose to venerate one example above all as the role model for all Chinese rulers:

The (mythical) Yu the Great, also known as Yu the Engineer​

He did not conquer vast lands. He did advance high culture.
His accomplishment? He tamed the waters.

Ever since, it has become the highest aspiration of any Chinese ruler -- to leave behind a legacy forever sung, about how they successfully pacified calamities, managed the empire, and brought prosperity to the people.

Sun and Chiang were no different.

Of course, it wasn't just vanity either. The great flood of 1931 was fresh in recent memory, when both the Yellow River and the Yangtze roared in the same year. The result was 28.5 million Chinese left homeless. Western scholars estimated the death toll to be between 3.7 and 4 million.

(The Daily News [Perth, Australia] from August 21, 1931.)​

Now that China faced neither the threat of the Japanese nor the burdens of civil wars, Chiang determined that it was time to revive the Yangtze River Project. After all, the central Yangtze valley around Wuhan was the focus of his industrialization efforts. He would not tolerate the next great flood to just... wash it all away.

But first, he needed to find invite John L. Savage -- designer of the Hoover Dam, Parker Dam, Shasta Dam, Grand Coulee Dam -- to China (once more). Meanwhile, Chinese engineers would be sent into the United States for two years of training, to learn modern hydraulic engineering from the most industralized nation on earth.

(Custom event! I hope this one dropped a few jaws.)​

( Next Chapter - The Seeds of Conflict )​

Notes:
1. There are claims that General Yasuji Okamura historically offered Chiang control of all 1.5 million Japanese military and civilian support staff then present in China during the 1945 surrender. Though this is hard to validate.

2. From the 'Three Great Hydraulic Engineering Projects of Qin' (Zhengguo Canal, Lingqu Canal, Dujiangyan Irrigation System) to the Jing-Jin-Ji and other modern Chinese superprojects, China's obsession with mega-infrastructure-projects has never really changed since ancient times. I do what I can to reflect it in this AAR.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 12 - The Seeds of Conflict

"After the Manchu government (Qing dynasty) had carried on wars with foreign nations and had been defeated, China was forced to sign many unequal treaties. Foreign nations are still using these treaties to bind China, and as a result, China fails at whatever she attempts."
- Sun Yat-Sen​

April 9th: Dai Li's BIS/Juntong discovered that British intelligence agents managed to infiltrate the ROCN and steal documents regarding China's naval development plans. His attempts to capture them ended in vain when they fled to the British Concession in Guangzhou and sought the protection of British security forces there.

It wasn't the first time such an event had happened.

The event prompted Chiang Kai-shek to ask his foreign minister, H.H.Kung, to begin renegotiating the 'unequal treaties' forced upon China by the British and French after the First/Second Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion. After being defeated by the largest drug cartel of human history (the British Empire), China was forced to sign away many of her rights as a nation, the most important ones being:

• The British seizure of Hong Kong and Liugong Island (Shandong), as well as foreign concession zones to France and the UK in Beiping, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hankou -- aka all the major trading cities.
  
• The rights to station military forces on Chinese soil/water, such as along the Beiping-Tianjin railway and free navigation through the Yangtze River by warships.
  
• The Extraterritoriality priviledges that British and French citizens were not subject to Chinese laws while operating in certain zones on Chinese soil.
  
• The exemption of British and French companies from Chinese export duties and other market controls.

The last two points was becoming especially detrimental to China's modernization, as the Nanjing government could not even properly regulate the ROC's economy. The British could flood the Chinese market with their mass-produced, industrial products, or textiles from India, or vices like tobacco and opium... all while China couldn't even impose tariffs upon them much less stop undesirable elements from entering. The western powers claimed it was in the name of 'free trade', though in truce the arrangement was closer to extortion.

The outflow of silver also troubled the Republic's treasury, as it slowly eroded trust in the Republic's fiat currency and government bonds. The ROC had banned silver smuggling on the pain of death, but it had little effect as Chinese traders could simply sell it to foreigners within China, whom can then depart the ROC without any concern for Chinese law.

(Retconn'd in the Extraterritoriality event which should be triggered on game start. 3 years and 4 months have passed since EoD start date on Jan 1st, 1933. In Darkest Hour where each year is 360 days, that's $1200 transferred to Britain and France, each! Japan's extraterritoriality share could be represented by their occupation of Shanghai.)​

...This doesn't even include territories in Tibet and Yunnan that the UK stripped away when they negotiated with the unlawful Tibetan government (in the eyes of ROC) or unilaterally demarcated the borders in their favor. Chiang was willing to settle that in some much future date.

But China needed to regain its sovereignty now. However, the answer that Kung received from the British was anything but understanding:

The Entente were not interested in any negotiations with China over their special, Imperialistic priviledges in China.

Chiang crushed the note. He would bid his time for now. But he was not Grand Empress Cixi. The days when China had to appease the foreign powers is over.

(The Portuguese will be left alone for now, as Macau is fairly insignificant as a territory and they have little else within China.)


-----

June 5th: France elected Léon Blum of the Popular Front -- a Socialist and Syndicalist party who also held the support of the Communists -- into office. It was alarming to see the Comintern hold such influence in yet another major power, especially when they began suppressing their political enemies.

-----


June 11th: the Republic of China's third attempt this year to establish a new trade deal with the Russians have failed. Tensions were building up on the much-disputed Sino-Soviet borders as both sides beefed up their patrols and garrisons. Xinjiang was especially volatile with its Russian-supported local Uyghur separatist movements, and its huge expanse meant China couldn't keep an eye everywhere.

To prepare for all eventualities, Chiang Kai-shek ordered General Ma Hongkui to relocate the Muslim Cavalry Corps to the provincial capital of Urumuqi to serve as a rapid-reaction force should something occur.

(Many rebels from the First East Turkestan Republic had dispersed into the mountains or fled into the USSR after their defeat in 1934)​

The KMT administration officially exercised a policy of autonomy in the frontier territories. However, conflicts between the Uyghurs of Xinjiang and the various ethnicities loyal to the KMT (Han Chinese from the interior; Salar, Hui, and Dongxiang Chinese Muslims from Qinghai and Gansu) continued to rise. Some of it was due to cultural differences, such as the Turkic Muslims' ban on interracial relationships (nominally against marrying non-Muslims, except they were also against marrying the other Muslim Chinese). Others, unfortunately, were due to the ignorance and repressive behaviors of local Chinese officers.

To counter rising Soviet influence in Xinjiang and Manchuria, as well as British influence in Tibet and Yunnan, General Bai Chongxi came up with a new plan:

(Custom event! Images: the Frontier Corps often had to learn farming in environments alien to them and spend years living in rudimentary dwellings.)​

The idea was to kill three birds with one stone. The Frontier Corps would expand China's limited quantity of arable land, link up the frontier regions for better lines of communication, and boost border security without increasing strain on the KMT's standing armies.


-----

July 17th: Rising tensions and political partisanship between the Communist-leaning Second Spanish Republic and the Conservative coalition of Nationalists, Falangists (Fascists), Carlists (Monarchists), and Aristocrats have escalated to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

The war starts off poorly for the Nationalists, as two of their divisions were destroyed in the opening days by Republican forces.

(Foreign intervention: historical outcome)​

The British and France choose to twiddle their fingers (again). The Soviets sent large quantities of wildly-inconsistent aid shipments to Republicans, ranging from obsolete WWI rifles to the 300 of the newest T-26 and BT-5 tanks. The Italians sent an entire motorized corp plus armaments and naval support. The Germans sent their Condor Legion to debut their new tanks and 'Stuka' bombers.

China has no real stakes in the matter. Though for Germany's sake, Chiang hopes that the Spanish Nationalists win. And to see the Comintern lose influence was always be a good thing.

-----

August 1st: Dai Li's agents somehow managed to attain detailed build specifications for Japan's Type 95 Ha-Go light tank. It'll surely be of great use to China, once Chinese engineers catch up on their understanding of tank design.

August 4th: The Mexicans arrive late to the Spanish Civil War, bringing 20,000 rifles and 2 million cartridges as supplies.

August 24th: The Spanish Nationalists win their first decisive engagement. Their recent offensive destroyed an entire Republican corp and cut the eastern Republican-controlled territories in two.

October 4th: The German Kriegsmarine launches the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Photos of their sleek, powerful forms were sent back from the Chinese embassy in Berlin, leaving Chiang and the ROCN commanders wondering when China might finally acquire its own modern capital ship.

( Next Chapter - Xinjiang Uprising, Taiwan Bloodstained )​

Notes:
1. There's a reason why modern China (PRC) is so allergic to foreign meddling in its affairs.
2. So many of the modern world's problems could be traced back to Britain... the border tensions between India and the PRC is just one among many.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 13 - Xinjiang Uprising, Taiwan Bloodstained

"Trust is earned by many deeds, and lost by only one."
- Sun Yat-Sen​

It was a clear and sunny day in Nanjing on the 10th of October, 1936, when Chiang and his ministers sat in the Presidential Palace for what was otherwise a routine, weekly meeting. Then, a panicked officer burst in through the doors:

"Report from Governor-General Ma Bufang: Xinjiang has revolted!"

(Custom event! I was too lazy to create the Second East Turkestan Republic. Besides, partisans fight harder ingame.)​

It was not the first time that Stalin set his gaze on this remote province. Xinjiang lacked everything and was mostly just uninhabited stretches of desert and mountains, but it held a vital geostrategic position which threatened the Soviet industries in Central Asia and the bulk of the USSR's natural resources. In Chiang's other life, the Soviets would invade Xinjiang in 1934, at the request of the treasonous Xinjiang provincial governor Sheng Shicai (although he later kicked the Soviets out in 1942 when the tide of WWII turned against Russia). In this timeline, Chiang at least avoided that by forcibly removing and summarily executing Sheng before the Soviets could intervene (see Chapter 2).

But just like that other time, the Xinjiang Wars could not be ended so easily. The Soviets were determined to turn Xinjiang into another buffer state like Mongolia. They supported the Uyghur independence movement for that purpose, even going as far as sending in Red Army planes and ground troops as support.

(Soviet ground presence strengthened in place of their air support. The Ili rebels were also aided by White Russians who settled in the area after the Russian Civil War.)​

General Ma Hongkui swiftly engaged the rebels with his 6 elite cavalry divisions and the 3 border infantry divisions. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the 1st Assault Army (9 assault divisions + 1 HQ division) to redeploy north from Lanzhou, while General Falkenhausen and his German trainers were flown in to oversee the battle.

It was time to test the new Sturmtruppen.

The Soviet-equipped Uyghurs had better weapons (1936 unit models), but the KMT cavalry had more experience with mountain warfare. They successfully ambushed the rebels twice and encircled a large continent of them in the conflict's opening days, inflicting heavy losses upon the rebels' so-called 'Ili National Army'.

On October 26th, the Xinjiang Wars further expanded as Mongolian cavalry -- no doubt under the prodding of Stalin -- began clashing with Chinese border patrols.

(Custom event!)​

-----


November 3rd, 1936: The Irish drafted the Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act, abolishing the office of the (UK) Governor-General and removing almost all references to the British Monarchy. All executive functions have been passed to the Irish government. They are now the first state to break the yoke of the British Empire!

November 4th: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt is relected for his 2nd term in office. Chiang Kai-shek sends his congratulations.

November 9th: As if one revolt wasn't enough, Taiwan also erupted in open rebellion:

(Custom event! Pardon the fact it's not February 28. I can't help the fact China likes to name incidents after dates.)​

Chiang Kai-shek should have remembered Chen Yi's incompetence and fired him early. The Governor-General's poor administrative skills and general prejudice against the Taiwanese locals made him severely mishandle the situation. His foul attitude which provoked the populace again and again could best be summed up by his own words:

"Mainland Chinese were advanced enough to enjoy the privileges of constitutional government, but because of long years of despotic Japanese rule, the Formosans were politically retarded and were not capable of carrying on self-government in an intelligent manner." - Chen Yi

This time, the KMT couldn't even blame it on the Communists. Chen's brutal crackdown did manage to 'restore order', but it also tarnished the image of the Chinese Republic in western media. The liberal press now had plenty of ammunition to portray Chiang's government as a fascist, repressive regime.

To alleviate the worst of the fallout, Chiang ordered Chen Yi to be publicly tried and executed for his crimes. He betrayed the KMT once (tried to turn Communist) after his fall from power. Who can say that he wouldn't do it again?

Meanwhile, to divert the mainlanders' attention from the Taiwan debacle, he asked his son -- High Commissioner Chiang Ching-kuo -- to announce the next major undertaking by the KMT Central government:

(Custom event!)​

A display of China's economic growth always worked well to distract the people from government failings.


-----


Bitter fighting raged through the mountains of Xinjiang into November. The 1st Assault Army of 10 divisions arrived in Urumuqi and mostly reorganized by November 12th. They were thrown into combat on the next day, and their numbers accelerated the progress of the anti-insurgency campaign. Yet, despite being severely depleted by weeks of ongoing action, the Ili rebels continued to hold onto their remote hideouts.

(Of all the combat event traits, I get the least useful one.)​

It took another six days before rebel morale finally collapsed on November 19th and they surrendered, including more than a few Red Army soldiers. The Ili Rebellion lasted only 39 days, but it cost the lives of over 25,000 Chinese troops.

The KMT Muslim Cavalry had a reputation for not taking prisoners. But on Chiang's orders, the Soviet soldiers were repatriated after just a few photographs, as a gesture of "we'd rather not escalate this further".


-----


November 18th, 1936: Germany recognizes General Franco's Nationalist Spain government as the legitimate Spain. The Republic of China decided to follow suit for easy diplomacy points.

November 25th: After a series of battles around Taracon, Nationalist Spain forces seize the Republican capital, capturing large quantities of military supplies. The last two months have not been kind to Republican Spain, as they lost a carrier off Morocco and their territory in northwestern Iberia is folding. It seems only a matter of time before the Nationalists win.

December 4th: Dai Li has done it again. This time, he showed up with detailed Imperial Japanese Navy war plans on how to blockade and interdict its enemies' trade. They'll be of great use to the ROCN, once the admirals learn the basics about submarines.

(I highly doubt I'll get that far before Germany start giving me blueprints for free.)​

December 10th: It took the Portuguese five months to decide that they would help the Spanish Nationalists after all, now that the the Nationalists have a clear upper hand.

December 11th: British monarch Edward VIII abdicates the throne to live his married life with an American socialite, ending his reign of less than eleven months (six of it spent over this mess).

Chiang Kai-shek shut down his radio and sighed. The British could only afford such a frivolous and pointless royal family because they sucked dry the wealth from half the world.


-----


The events of Xinjiang and Taiwan did not take long before sending waves across China. It left many Chinese -- Chiang Kai-shek especially -- without any doubt that the threat of foreign aggression had not ended with the Japanese. The Republic was now sandwiched between hostile Bolsheviks to the north and Imperialist-occupied colonies to the south. The need for national unity was now greater than ever if China is to navigate through these troubled times.

On December 15th, 1936, Director-General Chiang Kai-shek announced the Draft Constitution of the Republic of China, based on the Three Principals of the People laid down by Sun Yat-Sen. It signaled that the Republic of China was ready to advance from its second developmental stage -- the period of Political Tutelage -- and begin the transition into a Representative Republic. Though in reality this was little more than a public relations ploy, as Chiang would continue to act with paramount authority as the 'trustee of the people'. In his opinion, the Chinese people were still far from ready to rule themselves...

(Draft Constitution is an EoD mod event that I wasn't expecting yet it managed to play into the story fairly well, though the grammar is atrocious. China signing the Anti-Comintern Pact is of course a custom event!)​

Twelve days later, China also announced the signing of Germany's Anti-Comintern Pact, bonding the two in a loose 'alliance' against the Soviet Union. "We had no choice," the Chinese embassador in Washington would later explain to the Americans. "China shares over 4,000 kilometers of borders with the Soviet Union, and the growing influence of the Comintern threatens its entirety."

At the same time, the Republic of China begins negotiations with Germany to intensify the Sino-German military cooperation.

-----


End of year development summary: Minister Weng Wenhao has developed another 17 factory complexes across China, a significant increase from the 12 built in 1935 and 8 built in 1934. Chiang Kai-shek believes that this signals the nation's readiness to start shifting industrial resources to other tasks in the coming year.

Spoiler: House Rules on IC Building

Expanding IC in a province requires Infrastructure:
40% Infrastructure - maximum of 2 Industries
50% Infrastructure - maximum of 3 Industries
60% Infrastructure - maximum of 4 Industries
70% Infrastructure - maximum of 5 Industries
80% Infrastructure - no limitations

(Industrial capacity summary as of December 30, 1936 posted.)​

Meanwhile... Dai Li's BIS/Juntong scored a new record for the number of subversive activities it stopped this year.

( Next Chapter - National Rural Reconstruction Movement )​

Notes:
1. In our timeline, the second phase of the Xinjiang Wars began in late 1944, before WW2 even ended and while the Russians were still nominally allied with the ROC. It significantly aided the CPC's victory in the Chinese Civil War as it drew large numbers of the KMT's elite muslim cavalry west, which could have been used to crush the CPC Shaanxi base zones (seat of Mao's political leadership).

2. In the west, it's "quick, distract people with war!". In China, it's "quick, distract people with impressive GDP numbers!" Chinese culture has had an obsession with economy-boosting mega-infrastructure-projects ever since the Qin dynasty.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 14 - The German Affinity

"German-Chinese friendship stemmed in good part from the hard struggle of both for independence."
- Hjalmar Schacht, Reich Minister of Economics to H. H. Kung, ROC Minister of Finance​

Chiang Kai-shek's Draft Constitution may be merely for public relations, but his promises weren't entirely hollow. As the Republic of China peacefully enters the year of 1937, Chiang removed many of the limitations he enforced on peasants during the Communist banditry years.

Spoiler: On Chiang's views towards government

When I was reading about last Friday, I found a particularly interesting quote:

"If when I die, I am still a dictator, I will certainly go down into the oblivion of all dictators. If, on the other hand, I succeed in establishing a truly stable foundation for a democratic government, I will live forever in every home in China." - Chiang Kai-shek​

It's kind of shocking how much one line can say about a person.
Unfortunately, history will always remember Chiang as a dictator. But it's little hints like this which shows that Chiang did indeed believe in Sun Yat-Sen's legacy, and he merely saw his methods as a temporary necessity. (quote added to Chapter 9 - Leader Paramount)

January 2nd, 1937: The British and Italians announced a treaty that divided their control of the Mediterranean, the pivot of British supply lines to the east. The Chinese views this as ill news; they need Britain to have more distractions and less attention for Asia, not the other way around.

January 3rd: Someone forgot to halt construction on the Wufu Line, built to defend Nanjing from a Japanese invasion... or more likely, the local officials just kept on siphoning funds off the construction budget while nobody noticed. The fortifications finished over a year too late. Though maybe the troops being trained to man it will still be useful. Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-shek unleashes Ching-kuo to investigate the matter and arrest those guilty of corruption.

January 4th: After the six month general strike in Palestine, the British commission headed by Lord Peel decided that the best way to solve the problem was by forcibly partitioning the land between the Jews and Muslims (and showed no bias at all when he assigned the best lands to the Zionists). This satisfied absolutely no one, least of all the Muslims whose farmlands were being expropriated by outsiders.

January 6th: The US bans all arms shipments to the Spanish Civil War, which suited the Nationalists just fine as they've already received far more aid from Germany and Italy than the Republicans have.

January 16th: Bitter over the Entente's interference in its conquest of Abyssinia, Italy ended its Stresa Front with France and Britain. Mussolini signed Germany's Anti-Comintern Pact instead, drastically shifting Italian foreign policy from Anti-German to Pro-German. 11 days later, Italy also left the League of Nations, signaling a complete abandonment of the post-Versailles order.

Chiang Kai-shek was not happy to sit on the same side as the Italian 'Duce'. Unlike Germany, whose interests lie solely in Europe, the Italians wanted to build a global empire of their own -- to become the next British Empire which the Chinese hated. Plus, given how long it took them to beat a backwards African state like Abyssinia, they were incompetent at it to boot.

January 29th: After destroying another division from the Spanish Republic and winning several battles around Toledo, the Spanish Nationalists seized the city of Jaén and cut the Republic's capital off from the rest of its territories. The situation was looking increasingly dire for the Republicans.

February 2nd: Mandated by the Government of India Act (1935), the Indians finally get to hold provincial elections! The Indian National Congress (INC) won 707 out of 1,585 seats, with the All-India Muslim League (AIML) coming in as the second-ranking party. This is good news for the Indians, though whether the elected has any real power in decision-making has yet to be seen...

February 20th: Under pressure from Germany, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg resigned. President Wilhelm Miklas appointed Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Austrian Minister of the Interior, as the new Chancellor. Seyss-Inquart promptly telegraphed an invitation for German troops to cross the border into Austria. But (this time) the Germans did not move immediately. Instead, they waited for the Austrian Nazis to solidify their legitimacy with the following week's hastily-prepared Anschluss referendum.

March 1st: The Spanish Republicans -- having relocated their capital to Teruel -- launched an offensive in the south. They retook Seville and Cordoba in an attempt to relieve the shrinking Toledo pocket. Meanwhile, the Nationalists destroyed the last remaining Republican forces in northwestern Spain.


-----


On March 5th, 1937, the Anschluss referendum carries through, with a greater majority of Austrians agreeing. The German Wehrmacht crossed the border to an overwhelmingly positive Austrian reception that surprised even Hitler. Austrian Chancellor Seyss-Inquart drafted the legislative act to have Austria absorbed into the German Reich as a province. It was signed into law in the following week.

When asked for his opinion by the press, Chiang Kai-shek stated: "The concept of Greater Germany was originally an Austrian idea, and only 70 years had passed since Koniggratz when the Austrians tried to achieve it. The Austrians and Germans have functioned under a single political and cultural union for over a thousand years, until that Frenchman Napoleon tore them asunder. Now, they reunite under an Austrian-born German Chancellor. Why should anyone be bothered?"

Of course, what the world did not know, was that his very own son took part in it.

(Custom event!)​

Chiang Kai-shek smiled as he remembered Wei-kuo's last telegram, full of admiration towards the beauty of the Alps and the elegance of Vienna. Back in 1925, the old-fashioned Chiang had decided that Ching-kuo would be "the son to be taught" while his adopted son, Wei-kuo, was "the son to be loved". Yet despite this, his determination to be China's leader meant that his entire family had to help carry the burden. Ching-kuo had suffered as Stalin's hostage for nearly a decade, and Chiang could only pray that Wei-kuo would stay safe as he served in the Wehrmacht to reinforce Sino-German ties.

The younger son had already done China a great deed, as he confirmed for Chiang that the Nazis had truly meant it when Hitler declared East Asians to be 'Honorary Aryans'. After all, it was easy for diplomats to hide their racism behind a veneer of courtesy. But for thousands of military officers and cadets and soldiers to do the same while they interacted with Wei-kuo on a daily basis? Impossible.

"I have never regarded the Chinese or the Japanese as being inferior to ourselves. They belong to ancient civilizations, and I admit freely that their past history is superior to our own. They have the right to be proud of their past, just as we have the right to be proud of the civilization to which we belong. Indeed, I believe the more steadfast the Chinese and the Japanese remain in their pride of race, the easier I shall find it to get on with them." - Adolf Hitler​

The so-called 'Free' European States might look down upon the Nazis' vulgar Anti-Semitism. Yet they refused to see their own abhorrent racism towards Asians, whom only the Germans could treat as equals.


-----


March 19th: The Indian National Congress met in Delhi, where the moderate faction led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru defeated the extremists. However, when they demanded assurances from the British provincial governors that they would not use their emergency powers to frustrate the congress' programs, the British government refused to compromise. It goes to show that in the end, the British merely paid lip service to Democracy, while they remain nothing more than a tyrannical empire.

April 2nd: The Germans have decided that the best way to defeat the French Maginot Line is to have a staring contest with it, as they build their own fortified line across the river.

April 11th: Wehrmacht General Heinz Guderian writes a revolutionary book regarding the use of tanks and motorized troops in combat. After receiving a report from Chiang Wei-kuo on its details, General Bai Chongxi immediately orders it to be translated into Chinese and provided to all generals as required reading. Even if China has no immediate plans to develop motorized troops, Guderian's lessons on using mobility to exploit breaches and how not to use cavalry is sage advice.

April 26th: After months of political deadlock where the Indians refused to form an administration that has no power, the British government finally gave assurances that their provincial governors would not use emergency powers to interfere with policies set by the Indian Congress.

May 11th: With the Spanish Republicans in northwestern Iberia defeated, the Nationalists launched an offensive in the south. They retook Cordoba and crushed the Toledo pocket, destroying the remnants of two devastated corps who had been cut from supplies for over two months.

( Next Chapter - Roots of A Global War)​

Notes:
1. Real quotes are bold and italicized. Fake quotes are not. I made up Chiang's response to Anschluss.

2. Most western historians don't like to admit that the Nazis actually treated Asians better than the British/French did. They prefer to see the Sino-German Cooperation as merely an alliance of convience, but it really wasn't. Instead, the Chinese and Germans shared a sympathetic affinity as they saw their own struggles in the other (which I try to portray in this AAR). There are so many examples to verify this. My favorite is John Rabe -- the man who China would celebrate as the savior of 200,000 lives in Nanjing -- well, he was a staunch local Nazi party leader devoted to their ideology (which probably saved him from the Gestapo when they detained him for sabotaging German-Japanese relations).

3. If you're wondering why I'm going into so many Middle Eastern events, it's because I plan to give the region much more importance in WWII than it did historically. The KMT administration, while secular, favored the Islamic perspective due to the many prominent Muslim leaders among its ranks.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 15 - Roots of A Global War

"You should keep in mind that there are times when the rifle is more important than the pen."
- General Bai Chongxi​

On June 10th, 1937, Finance Minister H. H. Kung's embassy to Europe arrived in Germany, after attending King George VI's coronation. As German Foreign Minister Konstantin von Neurath was away, Kung began his negotiations with Hans Georg von Mackensen. Two sides immediately began dialogue on:
1. The accelerated industrialization of China with Hapro assistance.
2. Increased training for Chinese technical expertise. Reichminister Hjalmar Schacht promised China 100,000 reichsmarks of grants for Chinese students studying in Germany (*Historical*).
3. Increased military assistance from the Germans for the fledging ROC Air Force and Navy.
4. Further solidarity in the Sino-German Friendship.

(Historically, much of the visit was spent over Germany persuading China that the Soviets were untrustworthy, while China persuaded the Germans that the Japanese were unreliable. Both proved correct in the end. But as China already signed the Anti-Comintern Pact in this timeline, they can focus on real issues.)

(Custom event! First +15 is historical. Second +10 is with the Anti-Comintern Pact signed.)​

The reasons for Minister Neurath being away immediately became apparent. Fierce negotiations took place in Munich where Hitler -- with Polish and Hungarian support (as both eyed Czech lands for their own ambitions) -- bartered with the Entente over the partitioning of Czechslovakia. Kung watched from the sidelines as British Prime Minister Chamberlain steadily capitulated to German demands, betraying British promises yet again as the Entente not only abandoned their Czech allies, but even helped Germany pressure the Czechs for their own political gain.

The Chinese delegation was happy for Germany, but couldn't help look on in disgust as Chamberlain spoke victoriously through the radio: "I have returned from Germany with peace for our time." In the end, he sold the Czechs for mere election points...

On the same day, the Germans agreed to send Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine advisors to China, although the entire German military mission will operate under the direction of chief advisor Alexander von Falkenhausen. They didn't do it for free though, as the price tag was increased material exports from China (for the German rearmament program). China's industrialization wave was also the perfect cover for buying up resources from the rest of the world... before shipping it off to Germany.

(Custom event! Luftwaffe Beraterschaft is another unfinished implementation I found hiding in the savefile. I reduced its skill from 6 to 4, which is more in-line with adviser teams. Kriegsmarine Beraterschaft is custom.)​

• Luftwaffe Beraterschaft: Training, Centralized Execution, Fighter Tactics, Bomber Tactics, Piloting
• Kriegsmarine Beraterschaft: Centralized Execution, Naval Training, Submarine Tactics, Small Taskforce Tactics, Seamanship

Hitler professed to the Chinese delegation that Germany had no interest in war. But any industrial expert could surmise the truth behind the trade deals. Chiang Kai-shek did not mind though. Another Great War to occupy the Entente would serve China's interests well.


-----


June 19th: The Egyptians told the British to go fight their own wars for once, instead of paying others to do it for them as during the Napoleonic and Great War.

July 9th: The governments of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a non-aggression pact in Teheran, establishing an Islamic Entente to deter to the imperialistic designs of the European powers in the Middle East. The KMT sends their enthusiastic support, although doubts remain among the Chinese Muslim leaders if such coalition of weak nations could effectively resist the major western powers (Iraq is already under British thumbs). Even Turkey -- the leader of this alliance -- would fall like a stack of cards if the Russians came calling again.

July 23rd: The French socialist administration and media runs an investigative special on Chiang Kai-shek's "White Terror" campaigns, to manipulate public opinions against the ROC.

-----


September 10th: Over 400 non-official delegates from all of the Arab states met at the Pan-Arab Congress at Bludan in Syria to address the crisis in Palestine. The conference was chaired by Naji al-Suwaidi, the former prime minister of Iraq. The representatives voted overwhelming to reject the British Peel Commission's proposed partition of Palestine.

The Arabs responded to the Peel report with a list of demands:
1. Termination of the British mandate and the establishment of an independent state in alliance with Britain.
2. Abandonment of a Jewish national home and end to Jewish immigration.
3. Guaranteed minority status for Jews within the Arab state (as it had historically under the Ottoman's Millet system which guaranteed autonomy for religious minorities).
The congress also called for the boycott of Jewish goods and businesses and planned to extend the boycott to British goods.

September 26th: Arab dissent in Palestine reached its boiling point when four masked militants assassinated Lewis Yelland Andrews, the British commissioner of Galilee who had been pressing for the partitioning of Palestine.

October 1st: In exchange for supporting Germany in the partitioning of Czechslovakia, Hungary received German support to begin their own rearmament in the Győr Programme. Their goal was to regain the vast territories lost after WWI, when the victorious Entente imposed the Trianon Peace Treaty upon them .

October 2nd: The British used the assassination of their commissioner as a pretext for cracking down on the Pan-Arab movement and arresting the Arab leadership.

October 9th: German Kriegsmarine sets up the U-Boat School. The ROCN sends Admiral Chen Ce and a delegation officers to learn. China doesn't have its own submarines yet but... all in due time!

​

October 13th: Hitler makes public promises to respect Belgium Neutrality. Chiang Kai-shek hears it over the radio and snorts.

October 16th: Haj Amin el Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the most influential leader in the Arab Revolt, escaped capture and fled to Syria, where he set up headquarters to maintain the insurgency. As a result of British arrests, the more radical members (terrorists) gained control over the movement and expanded the fighting.

November 1st: Spanish Nationalists capture Teruel after months of fighting, forcing the Republican's leadership to relocate to a new capital once more. This marked the third time Spanish Nationalists have seized the Republican supply stockpile. Meanwhile in the south, the Nationalists drive the last remaining Republicans into the Huelva pocket. With the Portuguese supporting the Nationalist cause, the Republicans in the south are doomed.

November 5th: Chinese shipyards finally finished their design of a modern destroyer! An order of 60 DDs, in batches of 15 (3 squadrons), are immediately placed. Meanwhile, the ROCN's 6 obsolete light cruisers will be rotated between shifts to train crews.

November 9th: Peasants rejoice as the Grand Canal is repaired! It is a sign that the Chinese government has truly pulled itself out of the disorder and paralysis that has seized the administration since the late Qing dynasty.

(The Canal will greatly reduce the strain on China's 'Transport Capacity'.)​

December 30th: Since October, the Nationalists have vanquished last Republican resistance in the south and began the final push into the region of Catalonia. Heavy fighting rage around Tarragona as both sides throw everything they have into the battle. The Nationalists, however, consistently come out on top as it seems only a matter of time before they achieve total victory.

Meanwhile, the chaos of the Spanish Civil War had caused incited the Moroccans to break out in revolt. The rebels have steadily seized Spanish and French colonial possessions in North Africa over the past few months and the rebellion is continuing to spread.

-----


End of year industrial report: 27 new industrial complexes have been built in 1937, compared to 17 in 1936 and 12 in 1935. Chinese industrial activity is beginning to oversaturate its infrastructure's capacity. General Bai Chongxi considers this good news, as it will support his coming proposal of a major undertaking for Chinese construction companies.

(The map is starting to just be 'factories everywhere!' so, simplified version from now on.)​

( Next Chapter - Clash of Propaganda )​

Notes:
1. What happens when you suppress the moderates: the extremists take over instead. Decades later and we still learn nothing, as the USA, USSR, and PRC are all guilty of this. No wonder why Islamic extremism is out of control.

2. I respect Chamberlain a great deal. Above is just roleplaying.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 16 - Clash of Propaganda

"Lies written in ink cannot disguise facts written in blood."
- Lu Xun, Chinese Revolutionary Period Writer​

As the year of 1938 begins, General Bai Chongxi and Minister of Industry Weng Wenhao announces a new project -- a nationwide, joint undertaking that cuts across all civilian, paramilitary, and military lines:

The rapid industrialization of China had outstripped its meager transportation system's capacity to support it. Newly paved roads are degrading rapidly under the excess load, while every existing rail line is filled to capacity. The Ministry of Industry is already building local roads and rails as needed. But Bai, ROC's Head of Military Operations, had an even bigger plan in mind.

The frontier provinces of Xinjiang, Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Yunnan all suffer from a dire lack of transportation infrastructure. Only poor quality dirt roads -- if anything at all -- existing between many frontier towns, and most border areas have no road access at all. The almost nonexistent supply capacity of such frontier sectors has been dumping wrenches into every potential war plan that the Board of Military Operations tried to conceive, as a supply train on foot could hardly keep up with more than a few divisions.

Meanwhile, the Russians' Trans-Siberian railroad, not far from the Chinese borders, could supply the offensive of entire army corps. Down south, the British also have roads like the Rangoon-Lashio road which pushes far closer to the borders than anything on the Chinese side. Put together, these factors meant that the Republic of China faced a severe disadvantage in any major border conflict, let alone an all-out war.

Thus, what China's national defense needed were roads, rails -- especially rail connections to Lhasa (Tibet) and Urumuqi (Xinjiang). The new infrastructure development plan, drafted by a combined effort between the ROC National Resource Commission, the German Handelsgesellschaft für industrielle Produkte (Hapro), the Board of Military Operations, and the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong), is as follows:

• The main rail arteries (red) will see a massive expansion to the number of parallel rail lines and supporting roads (at least 70% infrastructure). These will run from Liaoning province in Manchuria all the way to Canton in Guangdong. They will link most of the ROC's major industrial centers and serve as the main transit route for troops and supplies.
  
• Additional localized transport networks (red) will be built in Fujian, Taiwan, and Hainan -- to defend the regions most vulnerable to a naval invasion and to supply the ROCN's main naval base at Haikou. The focus here however will be more on sheltered roads and rails that run as close as possible to the potential landing zones.
  
• Secondary rail lines (yellow: at least 50% infrastructure) will link the main network to Qiqihaer in Manchuria (where the geological surveys have recently discovered oil at Daqing), Datong in the Shanxi province industrial zone, Chonqing, and the frontier provincial capitals of Urumuqi (Xinjiang), Lhasa (Tibet), and Kunming (Yunnan)
  
• From there, local roads (brown: at least 30% infrastructure) will be built to reach the border regions in Manchuria, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Yunnan, linking the various border towns with their provincial capital.

Investment into this project is aimed at between 20 to 25 Industrial Capacity at any time. The Frontier Corps is expected to contribute much of the labor necessary. Estimated completion time will be around 4-5 years from now, in 1942.


-----


By 1938, the continued return of overseas Chinese has brought more resources to China's research divisions. Though just like before, they're mostly academia, general industry, and management folks. China still suffers from dire lack of design expertise.

(Teams normally available 3 years post-war/unification in 1952.)​

January 3rd, 1937: The troops that were trained to defend the Wufu Line are finally available. However, instead of settling into cozy fortifications and barracks, they were immediately redesignated and shipped off to the freezing Tibetan plateau to keep an eye on the Sino-Indian border.

(Last of this event chain.)​

-----


On January 9th, the German government decided there was no longer any need for the post-Munich Czechoslovakia state to exist. It claims the former Bohemian lands for itself while Slovakia -- after hosting another hasty plebiscite -- rejoins Hungary, bringing a loyal and reliable ally into German influence.

(The ahistorical choice in End-of-Czechoslovakia)​

Hitler betrayed his promises to Prime Minister Chamberlain that the Treaty of Munich was the end of his ambitions. Though, to be frank, betraying a verbal, "gentlemen's agreement" to the British Empire is like taking karma into one's own hands -- considering how British themselves have broken countless promises over the years.

Besides, any map of historic Germany would show that the Kingdom of Bohemia and its capital of Prague had been an integral part of the German political union known as the Holy Roman Empire for over a millenia. Not to mention poor Hungary, who lost 72% of their historic territory, half of their cities, all of their important metal mines, and their invaluable sea access, when the victorious Entente carved them up like a roasted pig during the Treaty of Trianon.

It reminded China of their own recent history with how the major powers of Europe worked.

These were no acts of expansionism. This was Hitler recovering what had rightfully belonged to the Central Powers.

Of course, the Entente had claimed some victors' bullshit about the self-determinism of cultures. But if that were actually the case, then why is the British Empire still keeping India enslaved while having Wales chained to their backside? Why did France not release Brittany and Provence, historically independent nations who came from different culture groups than the rest of France?

At any rate, Hungary was now formally allied with Germany and became a signatory to the Anti-Comintern Pact. Chiang Kai-shek was happy to send Chinese ambassadors to Hungary and recognize them as a future partner. Unlike the Italians, the Hungarians simply wanted back what was rightfully theirs.


-----


January 9th, 1937: The Soviet Union announces their 3rd Five-Year Plan, continuing its growth spurt.

January 15th: Hitler began the Blomberg–Fritsch Affair, sacking loyal, dedicated men over trifles and trumped-up charges so he could wield the military with an iron fist. Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but disapprove. Though since it was a German internal affair, he officially held 'no opinions' about it.

Sure, Chiang himself had a steely hold on the KMT military, but that's because Chiang came from the military. Most of his Central Army generals still affectionately called him "headmaster", hailing back to the Whampoa Academy days when Chiang personally oversaw their training as future NRA officers. But Hitler? That Bavarian corporal has no respect for the prestige and traditions of the better-educated and more-refined Prussian Officer Corps.

Chiang Kai-shek would end up expressing these thoughts with only one German -- Alexander von Falkenhausen, whom he saw more as a close friend than a chief advisor by now. Furthermore, it had became clear over their many exchanges that Falkenhausen had become disillusioned with the Nazis since long ago. Even then, it took lengthy personal conversations before the prudent Falkenhausen finally admitted:

"...My brother Hans-Joachim was once a Nazi party member," he sincerely told Chiang. "He was a leader in the paramilitary Sturmabteilung that helped Hitler come into power. I don't agree with many of the brutish acts they committed, but Hitler should still remember that it was thanks to their support which propelled him to Chancellorship. Yet the Nazi leadership had no problem purging their own comrades in the Night of Long Knives, and my brother..."

Falkenhausen sighed. "And that's when I accepted taking a commission in China, so I could get away from all that ugliness."

Before the night was over, Chiang Kai-shek would arrange for Falkenhausen to bring his family over to China, under the excuse that his busy work left him with no time to see them, and the inconvenience was only growing as the threat of war loomed. In his past life, Falkenhausen did not voluntarily leave China, doing so only after the Nazis threatened his family. This time, Chiang would make sure that no such business happens, even if relations between himself and Hitler does sour once more.

The Republic of China was forever grateful towards Germany, not the Nazis. And unlike many Europeans of the time, Chiang would never forget the difference.


...


January 17th: Hitler lays claim to Klaipeda, which the Lithuanians surrender without a fight.

January 18th: Germany renounces the Anglo-German Naval Treaty of 1935, which had restricted the German navy to one-third the size of the Royal Navy.

January 24th: The British guarantee Polish independence, casting aside the policy of appeasement. Continued German 'expansionism' after Munich had made things clear -- the Nazis had no interests in playing by the rules of their world order.

January 28th: After months of vicious fighting, Spanish Nationalist forces finally seize Tarragona. The final collapse of the Republicans in their Catalonian strongholds has began.

February 2nd: The German Kriegsmarine begins Plan Z to rebuild the High Seas Fleet they lost after WWI, choosing a balanced approach between surface capital ships and submarines.

February 13th: The Moroccan revolt declares independence, stripping away both French and Spanish colonies. The Entente promises a 'swift end' to the rebellion. So much for 'Democratic Self-Determinism'.

March 1st: Nationalist Spain victories in Barcelona and Lerida has pushed the remaining Republicans to the border province of Gerona. The Spanish Civil War was all but won.

March 9th: Chiang Kai-shek finally discovers the reason why the Sino-Russian borders have been so quiet since the Ili Rebellion. Stalin had began his Great Purge, and the entire Soviet military was now in disarray. It would be years before the Red Army was battle-worthy again, which meant China could relax for the moment. General Bai Chongxi wasted no time before shifting road construction priorities to the southern Sino-Indian border -- this was now the more immediately worrying front.

March 10th: Germany has decided that it wants overseas colonies once more! However, nobody minds this time as German imperialism imposes itself upon some penguins. Maybe the Chinese can import a few and figure out if Penguin-meat shoud join the other unusual Chinese delicacies.

March 18th: The Polish sends an ultimatum to their historic allies, the Lithuanians, forcing them to officially relinquish claim of the Vilnius region -- the Lithuanian capital which Poles have militarily occupied in 1920. The fact that British and French media beat drums over Germany yet does nothing about their own ally's transgression once more shows the utter hypocrisy of the Entente.

March 20th: After landing troops at Rabat and Casablanca without significant opposition, France annexed Morocco, seizing Spanish territories on the North African coast while Spain was still too busy finishing its civil war. General Franco is not happy about this act of aggression.

( Next Chapter - The Future Dream )​

Notes:
1. I know this isn't Hearts of Iron 3 and I don't need to build an elaborate infrastructure network for my supplies, but unlike Europe, it's something China badly needs and it makes sense that the ROC would need to spend industry on it instead of just building more factories.

2. The 2nd Defend Nanjing event was modified from simply adding +2 fortification levels to giving troops on the 4th year, with the same divisions as option 'Invest in troops instead' from back in Chapter 1. This also makes more historical sense as the fortifications were done but its garrison wasn't finished in time.

3. Chiang would never forget Falkenhausen in real life, declaring him forever a 'Friend of China' that the Chinese would owe a great debt to. He would send support to Falkenhausen in the difficult post-war environment Germany, including a personal note and a 12,000USD check for Falkenhausen's 72nd birthday in 1950. None of his US advisors -- not even Chennault -- would receive such an honor.

4. Ugh, reading about the Polish-Lithuanian Crisis just leaves a bad taste in the mouth. These two are supposed to be historic best-friends! It's like watching someone beat up their own little brother for lunch money <_<

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 17 - The Future Dream

"Only powerful people have liberty."
- Sun Yat-Sen​

On April 1st, 1938, Industry Minister Weng Wenhao reports to Chiang Kai-shek that preliminary work on the Three Gorges Dam was finished and construction was ready to begin. 54 of China's best hydraulic civil engineers have finished their training in the US, returned, and familiarized themselves with every aspect of John L. Savage's new dam design.

(John L. Savage's original design for the Three Gorges Dam: [1] main superstructure and spillway. [2] generator water ducts. [3] generators. [4] shiplift.)​

Chiang signs off on project, ordering construction work to begin immediately. That being said, phase one involves yet more preparatory work:
1. Rocks and earth will be poured into the river to create a cofferdam that will block off the left 1/3 of the river.
2. The riverbed behind this cofferdam will be dug deeper, so the river can flow normally when the other 2/3 is blocked off during stage two.
3. A concrete cofferdam will be built in the center of the river.
Estimated time to completion: 5 years.

(Next phase of this long custom event.)​

Since most of the work was filling and excavation, stage 1 is fairly light on the industrial needs of China. However, as China has never undertook anything of this magnitude, large quantities of heavy construction equipment must be purchased from abroad, raising the initial price tag quite high. The United States no doubt welcomes the business though, as their economy was still recovering from the Great Depression. These imports would be paid using foreign currency acquired from selling Chinese goods abroad, and from the wealth confiscated by purging corrupt officials.


-----


April 2nd, 1938: Enough German Sd.Kfz 222 scout cars have arrived in China to form the first KMT armored car brigade. Twelve more brigades are still on order, although many of them will be built locally in China on license. One quarter of the KMT armored cars will be equipped with the 28mm sPzB41 anti-tank gun instead of the 20mm autocannon, allowing them to better engage enemy vehicles. In addition, Chinese modifications also feature raised suspension and wider wheels for better all-terrain performance in China's arid but mountaineous terrain.

The new vehicles are then sent to Lanzhou to begin combat training under Inspector General of Cavalry Ma Hongkui's supervision. Due to the Sd.Kfz 222's weak armor and its short-ranged weapons, speed and maneuverability are emphasized as the primary means of defense. Thus, armored car crews are chosen from the cavalry wing of the KMT army and trained to engage aggressively.

April 10th: Edouard Daladier of the Radical Party formed a new French cabinet, with the support of the previous PM Leon Blum and his Socialists.

May 11th: After crushing the last Republican pocket in Gerona and capturing over 200,000 Republican troops, General Franco formally declares victory in the Spanish Civil War. The Germans and Italians returned home to great fanfare, bringing back not only prestige but valuable experiences. The Soviets -- having evacuated their volunteers in late April during the collapse of Catalonia -- return home to lick their wounds in defeat.

May 3rd: Hitler visited Rome, and was given a grand reception by 'the Duce'. It was a show of unity from the Rome-Berlin Axis. Hopefully, the Italians will be less traitorous than they were in WWI.

May 30th: Italian forces push into Tirana with ease and annexes Albania. The war serves as experience for the Italian army, and they reorganized into the Binary Division structure (two regiments each) just two weeks later. Chiang hoped this meant the Italians would perform better in the future and not drag Germany's heel. General Bai Chongxi of military operations disagreed and called the move "two steps backwards".

June 21st: Germany announces that they would continue the economic cooperation between I.G. Farben and U.S. Standard Oil. China hopes that its two benefactors would stay on... at least lukewarm terms for as long as possible.

July 3rd: Palestinian terrorists began a series of attacks, including major bombings in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Jaffa. An undeclared state of war now existed between the Arabs and the Jewish settlers -- even though their real aim should be against the British authorities.

July 12th: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Britain conduct an official state visit to Paris, to highlight Anglo-French solidarity as a counter-demonstration to Hitler's visit to Rome.

August 1st: Japanese intelligence finally admit that the 'inferior' Chinese are better at warfare in complex terrain than they are, as they steal Baoding Military Academy's training materials regarding mountain warfare. Chiang doesn't know if he should be annoyed or proud.

August 2nd: Hungarian regent Admiral Nicolas Horthy begins his state visit of Germany. The two allies -- in WWI and once again now -- discuss their plans for how they shall recover Germany and Hungary's lost lands.

September 8th: Under the Franco-Turkish agreement, a Turkish victory in the Hatay local elections (in the French Mandate for Syria) would establish a new autonomous state. Turkish representatives won 22/40 seats and immediately proclaimed the Republic, with the Turkey in real control behind the screens.

September 11th: Germany once again shows that they are the only major European power capable of dealing with Asians on a basis of mutual respect, as the German-Afghan friendship reach new levels of cooperation in economic development and trade.

October 2nd: The Duce of Italy enacts the Leggi Razziali -- Italian race laws that enforced discrimination against Italian Jews -- in an symbolic licking of Hitler's boots. The Italians have a history of cultural intermingling and knew the concept of racial purity to be utter stupidity, a sentiment Mussolini himself declared in 1932. Chiang Kai-shek wouldn't help but shake his head towards Hitler's choice of friends. How could anyone rely upon an ally whom couldn't even be trusted to stay loyal to their own personal beliefs?

"Race? It is a feeling, not a reality. Ninety-five per cent, at least. Nothing will ever make me believe that biologically pure races can be shown to exist today... National pride has no need of the delirium of race."
- Benito Mussolini​

The KMT will continue its policy: race, culture, religion -- those things were inconsequential. All that matter was that the citizens of China identified themselves as Chinese first and foremost. And as long as an individual could respect Chinese customs and contribute to the growth of the Republic, the KMT would welcome their arrival.

...

October 30th, 1938: KMT generals couldn't help but snicker at the radio news today. The Americans -- so blessed by their isolationism between two oceans -- apparently can't tell the difference between a fictional war and a real one.

November 2nd: With world tension rising, the British and Italians conclude an agreement that UK will recognize Italian control of Ethiopia and convince other countries to do the same, while the Italians will desist in promoting anti-British propaganda in the Arab world.

November 4th: The British Woodhead Commission, upon analyzing multiple partition plans for Palestine, finally conclude what everyone else could tell at a glance: none of them were practical. Thus, the British move towards convening a conference between Arabs and Jews for the future of Palestine... after their reputation among Arabs had already hit rock bottom.


-----


On November 10th, Minister of Industry Weng Wenhao proudly announces that the Republic of China has completed its geological surveys... at least for now. New resource industries focused on coal and steel production have also been developed as the first step to reducing China's reliance on imports. Current developments centered primarily on the mountaneous yet accessible regions of Shanxi and Manchuria. New companies including the Fushun Mining Group, Taiyuan Coal Group, Shenyang Coal Group, Datong Coal Group, Baotou Iron and Steel, Taiyuan Iron and Steel, and Wuhan Iron and Steel have arisen over the past year, almost doubling China's production to meet rising domestic demands.

It wasn't quite enough yet, as even with rising coal and steel production, China still needed foreign imports to stay in the positive (supply still short of demand by around 50 energy and 45 metal). But resource development will continue, not only in coal but petroleum as well.

...

On November 11th, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk -- the 'Father of the Turks' -- has passed away. The entire Muslim world mourned his loss, as he had defied the victorious Entente and forged a new, independent, and nationalistic Muslim nation during a time of encroachment by Western Imperialism.

Atatürk had used military force to solidfy Turkey's precarious position after WWI, defeating the Greeks, British, and French in kind before establishing an one-party state. He then successfully modernized Turkey and transitioned it into a constitutional republic -- all mirroring the very same path that Sun Yat-Sen laid down for the future Republic of China. He even took advantage of Germany's Reoccupation of the Rhineland to seize control of the Dardanelle Straits, ending the British and French extraterritorial right to unlimited free military access of Turkey's strategic waters.

In other words, the Great Turk had accomplished everything China had dreamed of. The only difference was that Kemalism had severed Turkey from its Ottoman past. But for China -- a culture obsessed with history as its source of wisdom -- such a deed was outright impossible.

Still, Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but respect such a man. As such, he sent Ma Bufang -- ex-warlord and Muslim governor of Qinghai/Xinjiang -- to represent the ROC at Atatürk's state funeral. Meanwhile, General Bai Chongxi would compile a pamphet of the Great Turk's deeds and distribute it among the KMT officer corps, reminding them that just like the Turks, the Chinese must be willing to sacrifice themselves to regain their honor and self-respect in this world.

"Men, I am not ordering you to fight! I am ordering you to die! In the time that it takes us to die, other forces and commanders can come and take our place!"
- Atatürk, on the beaches of Gallipoli​

Perhaps it came as no surprise that the other major nation who held Atatürk in great esteem... was Germany.

-----


November 12th, 1938: French operatives from the Deuxième Bureau de l'État-major Général (Second Bureau of the General Staff) tried to assassinate the Italian Minister of Armaments. Unsurprisingly, the so-called 'Free Press' in the west barely mentioned this disgraceful act in their papers.

November 16th: The Anglo-Italian Pact is activated as the UK recognizes Italian East Africa while Italy cease their anti-British support in the Middle East.

November 30th: The French government tries to improve their industrial productivity at the expense of labor rights. The workers organize a general strike in response, but fail as many labor leaders were arrested. It seemed that the high tide of Communist/Syndicalist influence in France had passed.

Also on November 30th, the first batch of 15 sparkling new destroyers was completed for the Republic of China Navy. Chiang Kai-shek visits the Huangpu Shipyards in Shanghai to personally break the champagne bottle in the ceremonial ship launching. With the new ships available for training and coastal patrols, the ROCN converted its four WWI-era light cruisers to convoy duties between Fujian and Taiwan.

(Current ROCN fleet: 2 post-WWI light cruisers, 3 up-to-date destroyer squadrons.)​

December 2nd: The French renege upon their post-WWI promise of handing over certain colonial territories to Italy, in payment for the Italians joining the Entente during WWI. Duce Mussolini grows livid and issues a series of demands, which were all rejected by the French. Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but smile as he sees karma at work once more -- the traitorous Italians are themselves betrayed.

December 17th: The Italians invalidate the Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, on grounds that the two states had not exchanged ratifications. The two powers had truly turned their backs on one another.

December 24th: The Organization of American States adopt the Declaration of Lima, reaffirming Pan-American solidarity and agreeing that all 21 signatories would oppose any foreign intervention or action threatening their sovereignty. It seems that US President Roosevelt's "Good Neighbor Policy" had truly paid off, as the variously Latin American nations voluntarily huddled beneath the US protective umbrella.

Chiang Kai-shek would record the event in his diary and learn from it. This -- not Japan's so-called "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" in his past life -- was the true way forward if Sun Yat-Sen's vision of Pan-Asian cooperation was to become a reality.


-----


End of year industrial report: despite diversions toward infrastructure, 31 new industrial complexes have been built in 1938.

Post Second Sino-Japanese War industrial growth in the Republic of China:
- 1936: +17 Industrial Complexes. Total Industrial Capacity up from 130 (1935) to 150: 15.38% Growth
- 1937: +27 Industrial Complexes. Total Industrial Capacity up from 150 to 183: 22.0% Growth
- 1938: +31 Industrial Complexes. Total Industrial Capacity up from 183 to 217: 18.58% Growth
Average: 18.65% Annual Growth

For the astonishing success of the ROC's first Three Year Plan, Chiang Kai-shek would personally award Minister of Industry Weng Wenhao with the highest civilian decoration in the Republic of China: the Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon.

(Honorable mentions to China's many Logistics Wizard generals and Chief-of-Army Chen Jitang [Guns and Butter doctrine]. Together, they reduce army upkeep costs by -40%!)

( Next Chapter - A Rising Thunder )​

Notes:
1. Unfortunately, FDR's successors were not kind enough to continue his 'Good Neighbor Policy', as Truman reinitiated the Monroe Doctrine under the policies of 'defending' the western hemisphere and 'Soviet Containment'. CIA interventions and invasions during the Cold War has made much of Latin America despise America.

2. According to wiki, the People's Republic of China's first Five Year Plan (1952-1957) saw industrial production increased at an average annual rate of 19%. So these numbers are actually not that absurd. It certainly helps that this China hadn't been devastated by a combined 13 years of Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and Chinese Civil War (1946-1950). Nor did the Soviets get the opportunity to strip Manchuria of its industries and ship it to Russia.

3. If you find the line "we don't care about race, religion, or culture, as long as it's Chinese" dissonant. That's because it's intentional. China has a history of Sinicizing its neighboring cultures. What exactly is 'Chinese' today is more a generalization than anything else. Kind of like... "what is American?"

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 18 - A Rising Thunder

"The goal of the revolution is to achieve the people's rights, but during the course of the revolution, we must stress military power - and the two are mutually contradictory."
- Sun Yat-Sen​

As the year of 1939 begins, the Kuomintang party begins its 6th National Congress.

With the peaceful industrialization of China soaring, even Chiang Kai-shek could no longer claim that China still needed a military autocracy to guarantee its stability. Senior Kuomintang party elders, led by Dai Jitao (President of Examination Yuan*), Ju Zheng (President of the Judicial Yuan), Sun Fo (Sun Yat-Sen's son and President of the Legislative Yuan), and Yu Youren (President of the Control Yuan*) began to pressure Chiang to hand over civil administrative autonomy to the four Yuans. They hinted that with the nation virtually unified, to deny a steady transition towards constitutional rule by the Kuomintang would be a betrayal of Sun Yat-Sen's legacy.

(*The Examination Yuan is the ROC's office of civil personnel, modeled after the old Imperial Examination System. The Control Yuan is the government accountability office. The Legislative and Judicial Yuans are obvious. The last of the five ROC Yuans is of course, the Executive Yuan. This Five-Branch Government is rather unique to China, combining its traditional demand for meritocratic administration with republican ideology.)

Even his own son -- Ching-kuo -- privately persuaded Chiang to accept. The legacy of Sun Yat-Sen represents the legitimacy of the Chinese government. The old Mandate of Heaven had only been replaced a new 'Mandate' of political ideology rather than dynastic succession. To sever from Sun Yat-Sen's ideology would do irreparable harm to the Kuomintang and China as a whole. It could even undermine all the progress they worked so hard to achieve.

In the end, Chiang agreed. He wasn't quite in-line with everyone else. In his eyes, the world was still a hostile and dangerous place for China. But... even he had to admit that it was no longer reasonable to keep China in a de-facto state of military rule while he himself served as the 'trustee of the people'.

(Still a 'dictatorship', but only barely. The politically aware will note that ROC is becoming some sort of Stratocratic-Timocratic Oligarchy now.)​

Thus, Chiang Kai-shek would officially hand over day-to-day administrative powers to the Legislative, Judicial, and Examination Yuans. He would retain the trifecta of executive power -- Direct-General of the Kuomintang, Premier of the Republic, and Head of the Military Affairs Council. However, he was sworn to relinquish judgment to the four yuans when the task falls under their jurisdiction... and to cease his endlessly meddling at lower levels.

In addition, the Legislative Yuan was placed in charge of drafting another update to the Republic of China's working constitution.

At last, the Republic of China was factually in the latter second stage of Sun Yat-Sen's political ideology -- the period of Political Tutelege. They can now begin moving towards constitutionalism, albeit under unitary, single-party rule. True popular elections were still a distant dream. Four-fifth of China could hardly read a candidate's name, let alone understand the platform they're voting for.


----


The British Embassy begins the year by filing a complaint against China, claiming that the Republic of China's construction of roads near the Chinese-Raj borders (and leading straight up to Nathu La Pass) are threatening British territorial security, especially when some of the roads are being built into Bhutan territory. Chiang, in return, tells Britain it can do what it likes on its side of the borders, and that China does not recognize treaties signed between Britain and illegal rebels (Tibet).

"How would you like it if I should sign a treaty demarking the borders with the local Indian tribal leaders?" He smiled thinly in response.

In the United States, TIME magazine declares Hitler to be their 1938 'Man of the Year'. The actual article, however, was anything but flattering (image cover inappropriate for this site. See here).

January 3rd: British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain officially visit Rome, hoping to maintain the status quo in the Mediterrean and offset Hitler's growing influence on Mussolini. However, few tangible results came from the trip.

January 21st: Italian Foreign Minister Ciano officially visits Belgrade to establish closer ties with Yugoslavia, and to reconcile any disputes between the Yugoslav and Hungarian governments. However, Yugoslavia's unwillingness to return any of Hungary's lost lands made the latter... difficult.

February 4th: First came the cooperation between I.G. Farben and Standard Oil. Now, General Motors and Opel announces their joint commercial ventures. Capitalism truly was the best means of maintaining relations with the United States. China hopes this trend continues between Germany and the US.

February 17th: The German Luftwaffe reorganizes itself into three independent Air Fleets, able to better coordinate its fighters and bombers while retaining close cooperation to army elements when attached to an Army Group. The Chinese ROCAF follows the same pattern after being advised by the Luftwaffe Militärmission. Tactically, the ROCAF also organizes its fighter groups based on the German Finger Four squadron formation.

March 4th: Under orders from Chiang Kai-shek, Uyghur Muslim leader Isa Yusuf Alptekin (an Islamic fundamentalist) and KMT diplomat Ma Fuliang began their trip to the Islamic nations of the Middle East, where they would improve Chinese relationship with the Islamic nations. On the way back, they would also contact Muhammad Amin Bughra -- an East Turkestan secessionist leader who had been in exiled since his Japanese-supported rebellion was put down in 1933 -- and requested for him to return to China. It was always better to work with the dissenters and gradually absorb them, then have them working against China from abroad.

(EoD event. Period-appropriate photos of the two individuals involved are nigh-impossible to find.)​

March 17th: Over the course of the past month, Arab and Jewish representatives met in London to discuss British plans for the future of Palestine. Despite efforts of non-Palestinian Arabs to reach a compromise, both Jewish and Palestinian Arabs reject the British plans.
(EoD mod has placeholders but left the final events of the British-Palestine chain unfinished. I'll be using historic dates to finish this side of the story.)

April 2nd: A dispute over fishing rights left the relationship between Soviet and Japanese governments tense. Though unfortunately for China, the two governments managed to reach a fishing agreement where contested fishing zones were auctioned. How very un-Communist of the Soviets to do so...

April 20th: Adolf Hitler celebrates his 50th birthday! Knowing his artistic interests, the Chinese embassy sends him a collection of valuable classic Chinese artworks as a present. Chinese Ink Wash paintings may not be to his tastes though, given its subtle approach is the complete opposite to the Fuhrer's preferred style of extravagance.

April 24th: After the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, R.G. Menzies forms a new Australian government, dedicated wholeheartedly to Australian rearmament. Even the pacific is starting to heat up.

May 17th: British King George VI and Queen Elizabeth began their official state visit to the Canadian dominion, to reinforce Anglo-Canadian ties. This marked the first time a British monarch visited Canada.

On the same day, the British announce their new plan for Palestinian State. They promised an independent Palestinian state within ten years, which included a treaty relationship with Britain. Both Jews and Arabs would participate in a new government, which represented the interests of both peoples. During the transitional period, both Arabs and Jews will partake in the Palestinian government with the support of British advisors. The representative body will draft a constitution after five years, and Jewish immigration will stop unless the Arabs agreed to its continuation. Under this plan, the British would permit no more than 75,000 Jews to immigrate into Palestine, resulting in one-third of the population being Jewish by 1944.

The British parliament would approve of the plan 6 days later. Jews around the world denounced the plan, claiming it made Palestine a "territorial ghetto." Palestinian Arabs also rejected the scheme, and clashes soon broke out across the mandate.

June 2nd: Prince Paul, the Regent of Yugoslavia, paid a state visit to Berlin, where Hitler guarantees the present borders of Yugoslavia. This was rather doubtful though, as Germany's ally Hungary was eyeing their historic lands in northern Croatia.

June 8th: British Queen Elizabeth sets another precedent as she becomes the first British monarch to visit the once-rebellious-colony now named the United States. Chiang Kai-shek scoffs at the radio reports; he had no doubt that the Queen must be wishing that she still held the American continent under her little imperialistic thumbs to serve British interests.

June 30th: France officially gives up all claims to the Republic of Hatay, allowing Turkey to absorb it into their nation. In return, the Turks signed the Franco-Turkish Mutual Aid Agreement, promising to aid France in the event of a continental war. This fundamentally shifts Turkish foreign policy to pro-Anglo-French, much to the annoyance of the Germans.

July 25th: Despite strong opposition from the US naval authorities and maritime businesses, President Roosevelt manages to push the Panama Treaty of 1936 through congress, displaying once again that his Anti-Imperialism isn't just lip service. The treaty grants the Panamanian government the commercial rights of a sovereign state in the Canal Zone, which had existed as effective US territory since 1903. This would be a major step towards the full handover of the canal back to Panama.

-----


Director-General Chiang Kai-shek sat in a rocking chair, next to his son Chiang-kuo in the Huangshan house they vacationed in every summer. The two had just concluded another heated discussion over the future of China, when Ching-kuo insisted upon introducing socialist education and health services for the Chinese people. Chiang wasn't convinced, claiming that providing such important services for free would not only strain the KMT's limited resources, but also spoil the people, escalating into an endless cycle of the rabble demanding more. But as usual, Ching-kuo's 'revolutionary fervor' -- as Chiang liked to call it -- refused to back down.

(Huangshan, a perfect place to relax from the stress of ruling.)​

After several hours of back and forth, Chiang told Ching-kuo that since he was already the High Commissioner of the Republic, he may raise the topic with the Legislative Yuan. Chiang himself promises to remain neutral, to see if his son could gain their political support.

As Chiang Kai-shek relaxed in the quiet aftermath, he pondered on the geopolitical situation in the world. Hitler has been remarkably quiet over the past year, although Chinese industrial and military experts in Germany reports that the German rearmament continues unabated. New military formations and vehicles could be seen everywhere. It was clear that the current peace in Europe was not to last...

"Sir!" Chiang's thoughts were broken by the Captain in charge of communications, who marched in with a salute. "I think you'll want to see this -- fresh news from Europe."

Chiang received the paper and barely took a glance before his infamous temper exploded.

"Get Falkenhausen over here. I demand an explanation from him, NOW!"

Luckily for everybody present, it took some time before Falkenhausen could arrive, and during that time Chiang would remember that this very event had happened before. Nonetheless, Chiang needed to display an appropriate amount of 'outrage' at the Germans, to extract as much diplomacy points from this event as China could use in the coming war.


...


"How could your Führer do this to us? To his allies, partner signatories of the Anti-Comintern Pact!?" Chiang Kai-shek bellowed at Falkenhausen. "This is nothing less than a betrayal of our prior agreements! He is encouraging Stalin to array all Bolshevik forces against China in a single-front war...!"

Ever the military professional, Falkenhausen stood straight and stiff as he absorbed Chiang's fury. He show no emotion and expressed no retorts, knowing fully well that German's Non-Aggression Pact with the Soviets violated -- in spirit if not in letter -- prior agreements with their ally in the Far East.

In the end, he could only promise one thing to Chiang:

"We will not abandon China, even if the Soviets do attack."

Eyeing the grim Falkenhausen, Chiang sighed with a nostalgic gaze. He remembered his past life, that night before Falkenhausen's regretful departure from China, when the general swore to never reveal one iota of his knowledge regarding Chinese war preparations.

In the end, Falkenhausen's actions showed that he was more than just a man of honor and integrity. It proved that he was not just a German outsider, but worthy of the Chinese uniform he had donned at Shanghai as well.

"Unfortunately, my friend, that may not be up to you," Chiang noted. "One word from Hitler could have the advisory teams recalled within the week."

"Perhaps," Falkenhausen had to admit. "I've neither seen nor heard any inclination to by my superiors. However, neither did I see this coming. The Nazis have always professed the Communists as their mortal enemy. I can only hope that this is merely the Führer's ploy to avoid a two-front war."


...


"We do have to prepare for an end to all materiel assistance from Germany," Falkenhausen raised as he sat in the comfortable meeting room that they have since moved to. Drawing attention to the secondary news that Chiang had almost missed: "the Nazi coup and demands for Danzig could only mean one thing -- the Führer is provoking Poland into war. And this time, I do not see Chamberlain backing down."

"Not after Hitler tore apart his promises in Munich," Chiang agreed. "Once war begins, the German industries will be busy with their own needs. And even if they weren't, the Royal Navy will make sure that nothing gets through."

China's military production had made leaps and bounds since Sino-German Cooperation began. They now had factories to locally produce most of the licensed weapons that the comparatively simple KMT Central Army needed. This includes:

• 105mm leFH18 light howitzer - the heaviest artillery China was willing to drag around.
• 75mm le.GebIG18 mountain gun - carryable piecemeal; muscle power is cheap.
• 37mm Pak36 anti-tank gun - light, small, kills Russian tanks.
• 20mm Gebirgsflak38 anti-air gun - even a donkey can manage it.
• Sd.Kfz 222 armored cars
  
• Opel Blitz trucks
  
• MG34 general-purpose machinegun has been licensed by China. Though the KMT still prefers the much cheaper Czech-built ZB26/30 light machine gun.

(Clockwise from top right: 75mm le.GebIG18 mountain gun, 105mm leFH18 light howitzer, 20mm Gebirgsflak38 anti-air gun, 37mm Pak36 anti-tank gun)​

The far bigger issue was that war between Germany and the Entente would further increase tensions on China's southern borders. After all, it was no secret that China is Germany's far eastern ally. The KMT would have to increase its presence in the south, all while beefing up security along its lengthy borders with the USSR.

(Dozens of divisions already deployed along China's borders with the British Raj)​

Chiang Kai-shek would send word within the week to bring military modernization to top priority once more. Chinese factories would slow down industrial growth and begin focusing on military expansion. Several military projects had been waiting on his approval for well over a year. It was now time to sign off on them:

• The KMT cavalry corps would expand four-fold to a total strength of 24 divisions, augmented by 11 cavalry brigades and 13 armored car brigades. To shorten their training time, all new cavalry divisions would be formed using infantry that Inspector-General Ma Hongkui had already been training.
• 18 KMT infantry divisions from Tibet, Sichuang, Yunnan, and Guizhou would receive specialized mountain warfare training and equipment.
• Lastly, per request by General Du Yuming -- a star pupil of Chiang's first Huangpu graduating class -- a new, experimental 'mechanized' division will be formed around the various tanks that China had imported for tactical trials. This included over a hundred Italian CV-33 tankettes and German Panzer Is, plus a handful of German Panzer IIs. Supporting infantry and artillery will be motorized by use of several hundred Ford and Opel trucks.

(Custom event! Originally created with mostly Soviet T-26 tanks and a handful of BT-5s, in this timeline it'll be built with Panzer I and II.)​

...


Then, just one week later, Falkenhausen met Chiang with yet another unpleasant piece of information. German intelligence had intercepted British radio traffic and... only managed to partially decode it. However, the operation name that they uncovered was ominous enough:

Chiang ordered all Chinese border and coastal troops to be put on alert.

( Next Chapter - Blitzkrieg on Speed )​

Notes:
1. I missed the 5th KMT National Congress (1935), though Chiang gaining the position of premier could be seen as its end result.
2. Yes, that map of the British dispute with China is editted based on very recent road-building-border-standoff between the PRC and India.
3. Given how Anti-Succesionist the KMT was, I actually find it hard to believe that they worked WITH a Turkestan independence leader. But hey, 'reality is stranger than fiction'.
4. Peking Plan is actually about the relocation of 3 Polish destroyers to the UK. But with that name... had to use it =)

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 19 - Blitzkrieg on Speed​

September 2nd, 1939: As Hitler's ultimatum to Poland was about to run out of time, the so-called 'Irish Republican Army' (IRA) steals the media spotlight by launching a sabotage campaign targeting British civil infrastructure. Five bombs exploded outside various London power stations on the very first day. It seems Hitler has an unwitting ally. Western media claims that the operation was supported by German intelligence to distract UK from Poland. Though the Abwehr was too busy expression frustration that the 'IRA rabble' wasted time on civilian targets rather than military objectives which might actually harm UK's war capabilities.

September 5th: Emboldened by British and French guarantees, the Polish stands firm against Hitler's Danzig claims. Nazi Germany officially declares war on Poland, and the Wehrmacht -- long prepared for the invasion -- crosses the border into Polish territory. In response, the Entente, lead by Britain and France, honors their agreement with Poland and declares war on Germany. The war in Europe has officially began.

(Custom event! Ends all military production bonuses given to China by the Sino-German Cooperation events. The effects text is wrong; actual removed bonus is -20% build costs for infantry, artillery, and armored car.)​

September 6th: With the start of war and the corresponding British blockade, Chinese resource exports to Germany and German military/industrial supplies to China come to a halt. German business interests and military advisors, however, are allowed to stay in China. Of course, there was no aid without its attached strings, as the German foreign ministry passes word that 'now would be a good opportunity for China to retake its foreign concessions through any means necessary'.

In other words, it was the Führer's wish that China use force against the Entente's colonial possessions in the East, to force them into a two-front war.

Chiang Kai-shek replied: "We've had almost no warning from the German government in regards to the outbreak of war. China has stayed on a heavy industrialization focus on the past three years, and our military is not yet ready for open hostilities -- certainly not across a massive front stretching from Afghanistan to the Vietnamese coast. Furthermore, the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact leaves Germany's ally in the Anti-Comintern Pact alone and exposed across its northern borders. Modernization of the Chinese military has began. But it will take us 8-12 months to reach war readiness."

Chiang did not make any more promises. He implied Chinese support, while buying space by indirectly accusing Germany of disloyalty. 8-12 months was more than enough to see if Germany could achieve the same victories as they did in his other world. If they could, then this would indeed be an excellent opportunity to retake full control of China's sovereignty... and possibly even exact revenge.

In the meantime however, China would officially declare its neutrality to the world.

...Or at least, 'neutrality', since the KMT was actively working with German military officers as... 'liaisons'.

Chiang wondered if anyone actually believed that.

But then, China isn't alone. Hitler's closer ally -- the Duce of Italy -- also declares neutrality. The Belgians and the Spanish follow swiftly.

The United States did as well, although that wasn't exactly news. Between 1935 and 1939, the US Congress has passed a total of four Neutrality Acts. Not to mention the American population was still bitter after the Nye Committee revealed that the US involvement in World War I was mostly due to financial and banking interests in collusion with weapon manufacturers and arms dealers.

-----


September 10th, 1939: Just five days after the Germans began their invasion, the Soviet Union shocks the world by declaring war against Poland as well. The monumental event left many Chinese generals in shock. Germany signing a Non-Aggression Pact with the USSR was bad enough. But an alliance between Germany and the Soviet Union? It would truly leave China isolated against the Bolshevik colossus.

Chiang, however, brushed the idea off. "Just another example of Stalin's imperialistic opportunism," he declared.

Curiously though, Poland's British and French allies did absolutely nothing against Stalin's aggression, despite having publicly claimed to 'guarantee Polish independence'. China could only see this as yet another British betrayal.

September 12th: France retaliates symbolically by banning the Communist Party of France, which only two years ago had been part of Léon Blum's winning coalition. It's shocking how quickly the wind changes.

September 13th: After a mere eight days, German motorized columns have broken through Polish defenses at Wloclawek and stormed the Polish Capital at Warsaw. The entire world was astounded by how quickly Germany was winning this war. Then, just two days later, German forces met up with the Soviet vanguard at Bialystok and Lomza, while Radom was captured in the south. Most than three-quarters of Poland's armies had been encircled in the pockets of Lodz, Ostroleka, and Suwalki.

At this point, there was already no longer any purpose for Poland to continue its resistance.

Meanwhile in the east, the worthwhile 'allies' that Poland placed its trust in did... virtually nothing. The French made a symbolic sally from their Maginot Line defenses, pushed into Germany by a few steps, then retreated back to their bunkers.

Sitzkrieg, the Germans called it. It shows just how ill-prepared and lacking in offensive-mindedness the Entente leaders truly were.

...

September 14th, 1939: British Governor-General of the Raj, Lord Linlithgow, declared war on Germany without consultation of the Indian congress. As a result, the majority party INC refused to associate India with the war. In response, the British declared that they were waging a war to 'strengthen the peace of the world', and thus required Indian compliance, to which Mahatma Gandhi stated "the Congress has asked for bread and it has got stone". INC ministers were directed to resign immediately in protest. However, the British -- in accordance to their traditional 'Divide-and-Rule' stratagem -- cooperated with the All-India Muslim League instead to fill the vacuum.

In this pivotal moment when promises truly mattered, the British reneged upon all their vows to respect the wishes of Indian representatives.

September 16th: The German Kriegsmarine executed a daring plan and sneaked U-47 into the British naval base at Scapa Flow, sinking the WWI battleship Royal Oak. It was a phenomenal morale victory, even if it did little to change the balance of naval power in Europe.

September 20th: Just four days later, less inviting news came when the SS Athenia, a Canadian transatlantic passenger liner, was struck by a torpedo and sank. Fearing a replay of the Lusitania whose sinking drew US ire in WWI, Kriegsmarine Grand Admiral Raeder declared to the US chargé d'affaires in good faith that he had personally made inquiries, and that no U-Boat was within 75 miles of the Athenia's last location. Meanwhile, Reichminister Goebbels accused Winston Churchill, UK First Lord of the Admiralty, of sinking the ship to turn neutral opinion against Germany. In the US, former president Herbert Hoover expressed "it is such poor tactics that I cannot believe that even the clumsy Germans would do such a thing".

September 22nd: The United State might have stayed neutral, but that didn't stop US pilots and trainees from just walking across to Canada and enlisting for air combat training in the UK.

On the same day, the German Wehrmacht took the last major city in Poland and officially annexed all of its territories. In concordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Germans swiftly withdrew all forces east of the Bug River, handing the region over to Soviet control. Although this didn't stop Wehrmacht General Heinz Guderian from hosting a joint victory parade with the (Jewish) Soviet General Semyon Krivoshein at Brest-Litovsk.

In the end, the complete fall of Poland took just 17 days, and it only cost Germany 40,000 casualties and 66 tanks. The Poles, meanwhile, lost over 625,000 men.

November 2nd: Johann Elser, some average German carpenter, tried to assassinate Hitler at the Bürgerbräukeller Munich Beer Hall Putsch anniversary. However, Hitler left beforehand and was untouched, his position even strengthened as he claimed to have providence on his side.

November 5th: The Soviet Union invades Finland, a breakaway province of the old Russian empire. The Swedish rush to help their former countrymen from two centuries back. China breathes a sign of relief for now -- not even the Bolsheviks would be crazy enough to pick a two-front war thousands of miles apart.


-----


Chiang Kai-shek leaned back in his favorite rocking chair as he unfolded the letter from his son Chiang Wei-kuo. It had been delivered to China across Russia's Trans-Siberia rail network. Had someone told him a year ago that the Russians would be ferrying cargo for the Germans, he would have accused them of lunacy. Perhaps the world really has gone insane since then. But that only made it all the more important to enjoy these precious moments:

Esteemed Father,

Your son is proud to inform that I have upheld the pride of the Chinese soldier in the eyes of our German allies. Our campaign in Poland has proven to be an overwhelming success, and for my own deeds in battle I was awarded with the Iron Cross Second Class. I've been promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) and transferred to the 7th Panzer Division in General Heinz Guderian's XIX Corps. It will be an honor to fight under the Father-of-Armored-Warfare himself in the coming offensive in the west...

Chiang smiled. Even though he wasn't as strict in Wei-kuo's upbringing as he was with Ching-kuo, his younger son had grown to become a fine man. KMT General Qiu Qingquan once studied in Germany under Guderian, and said that the panzer general was a very 'hands on' front-line leader. With that in mind, Chiang could relax knowing his son was in an excellent leader's hands.

Much of the letter was simply a summary of Wei-kuo's experiences. Though, as Chiang neared the end, one particular mention worried him:

The pressure to keep pushing forward without rest was intense. Many fellow tankers have been taking Pervitin during the campaign. We call them Panzerschokolade (Panzer Chocolate), giving even the most fatigued soldiers a confident awareness of their surroundings. The only downside is that they often become irrational and violent afterwards. I have seen actions that no soldier could proudly speak of being inflicted by these men...

Chiang couldn't wait any longer. Seizing the pen on his nearby desk, he wrote:

Son, under no circumstances are you allowed to take this 'Pervitin' during the performance of your duty. I don't care how tired you are. Your ancestors did not fight and die for their right to destroy opium, to see a soldier representing China abroad fall addict and disgrace his uniform!

( Next Chapter - The New CC Clique and Azad Hind )​

Notes:
1. 'Speed' is a slang for Methamphetamine, the active ingredient of Pervitin.
2. Dönitz found out later that U-30 had accidentally sank the Athenia in the belief it was a troopship or Q-ship. As it represented a major embarrassment for the Kriegsmarine in addition to being a diplomatic thorn, the secret would remain until the war's end.
3. I find it odd that the Pervitin event gives Germany only (mild) benefits but ignores about its MASSIVE drawbacks. http://www.spiegel.de/international/the-nazi-death-machine-hitler-s-drugged-soldiers-a-354606.html
4. Chiang had once authorized the sale of opium to when the KMT almost went bankrupt... though certainly not something he'd want to admit to his son.