The problem is also about doctrines and about that a lot of divisions are event-locked
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Kind of you to say so sir!It sucks to be held back by such things, I hope you can sort them out and return to this fantastic AAR. I've really been enjoying the story so far.
Did some experimentation with the events last night. Might be able to pick up again by the weekend. May have to redact a few things in last post though =\
Sadly, DH AI doesn't have very good debate skills...
Short chapters? and I was wondering if they're too much text for an AAR. What else kind of detail are you looking for? xD
I'll do my best to keep adding interesting historical details ^^
NatChi begins with 59(or so?) actually-usable divisions, which is enough to fight a land war if brought up to full strength and sufficiently upgraded. It gets Mobility Doctrine blueprint from Germany, so during the early game it's mostly on par with the Japanese. The main issues for China are...
1. IC - you start with <30. Fast unification by crushing the communists is essential to boost this IC up so China can actually upgrade its things (otherwise even supplying the massive army is an issue).
2. Research - gah the teams are so bad!
3. Leadership - almost the entire roster starts with 0/1/2 skill and caps at 3/4/5
And that's with DH not simulating many of China's real problems at the time:
-- a terrible 15-20% literacy rate
-- convoluted, highly factionalized politics
-- meddling foreign powers
-- lack of railroad coverage (strategic redeployment to Xinjiang? you wish!)
Well, they are short because they are quick to read, so to speak, don't mind amount of text ( i would say that's average for an AAR) it's a style of writing that matters, and yours is quick, at least to me (and i like it, don't get me wrong).
As for historical details, I take everything you have about China and Asia in general xD
As for historical details, I take everything you have about China and Asia in general xD
There is one awesome Chinese novel about Han peasant during Xinhai Revolution: as illiterate man, not even knowing words 'president' or 'Republic', he thought Ming Dynasty returned
Really great insight into mind of common Chinese man of that era.Also funny fact, the real Mings (Zhu family) quite prosper to these days, one of them even was PRC's Prime Minister, others also being in high circles. So that peasant was right after all xD
Last edited:
I've pulled Chapter 4 (Tianjin-Nanjing Incident) from the thread. It will be reposted later today, or at least this weekend, with the Battle of Shanghai events this time, plus a few custom ones that fired off in time. Also did some tweaking with the savefile/AI so Japan would put up a better fight (apparently the default AI makes Japan spread 1/2 its troops all over the pacific islands, instead of keeping most on its mainland/korea to fight a land war). The pre-war discussion will remain exactly the same though.
Apparently it's NOT the Darkest Hour event that screwed up this time. It's the EoD mod one... threw me on a curve.
Also added something minor on 1st chapter (still learning ^^), just to show how little NatChi starts with:
Probably one of the reasons why Sun Yat-Sen gave up on Democracy and made it a 'ultimate goal' rather than an immediate one.
Zhu is the 14th most common chinese surname (which in China means it's used by something like 2% of all Chinese = 28 million people). So I'm not sure a few examples really mean much =P
Apparently it's NOT the Darkest Hour event that screwed up this time. It's the EoD mod one... threw me on a curve.
Also added something minor on 1st chapter (still learning ^^), just to show how little NatChi starts with:
There is one awesome Chinese novel about Han peasant during Xinhai Revolution: as illiterate man, not even knowing words 'president' or 'Republic', he thought Ming Dynasty returned
Also funny fact, the real Mings (Zhu family) quite prosper to these days, one of them even was PRC's Prime Minister, others also being in high circles. So that peasant was right after all xD
Probably one of the reasons why Sun Yat-Sen gave up on Democracy and made it a 'ultimate goal' rather than an immediate one.
Zhu is the 14th most common chinese surname (which in China means it's used by something like 2% of all Chinese = 28 million people). So I'm not sure a few examples really mean much =P
Zhu Rongji and others were born into wealthy aristocratic families claiming they are descendants of first or some other Ming Emperor.
It was usual all around the world, that peasants/slaves/subjects took names of their lords
By the way, do you already plan to liberate Mongolia, Tuva and Outer Manchuria, including rightfully Chinese port Haishenwai?
And barbarians in Central Asia should pay their tributes again as well.
See settings post: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...933-axis-china-aar-eod.1033570/#post-23036722
China gets a LOT of dissent at the start of game.
Maybe? =P The title is Axis China.By the way, do you already plan to liberate Mongolia, Tuva and Outer Manchuria, including rightfully Chinese port Haishenwai?
And barbarians in Central Asia should pay their tributes again as well.
But I'm not suicidal. Edge of Darkness includes WiF2 as a submod. The USSR is... a monster.
I've already said that Chiang has never expressed any interest in Central Asia. He does want Monglia back though (his maps never stopped showing them as Chinese land).
Chapter 4 - The Tianjing-Shanghai Incident
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
(*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.
(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)
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!)
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.
Last edited:
- 1
That is an astonishing victory over japanese army ! Rolling over manchuria and liberating Korea will be just a matter of time ! i'm sad japanese generals didn't even tried to evacuate their troups (like a japanese operation dynamo).
Also I really like your AAR style full of details ! I'm totally in !
Also I really like your AAR style full of details ! I'm totally in !
When you take Korea will you add any new event to them, or they will be just left like in vanilla?
Same about Japan, after the Fading Sun event will you add somthing new to them, or will they be just left blank?
I'am asking because in vanilla, after China victory, neither of those countries get any flavor, no "Emperor, we have communist/military/mangaka rebelion" event, or "Japan got out, China got in" for Koreans, and I wonder if you thought about it.
And small question, what's General Li Hanhun story IRL, is it interesting, or just some random chinese general?
Same about Japan, after the Fading Sun event will you add somthing new to them, or will they be just left blank?
I'am asking because in vanilla, after China victory, neither of those countries get any flavor, no "Emperor, we have communist/military/mangaka rebelion" event, or "Japan got out, China got in" for Koreans, and I wonder if you thought about it.
And small question, what's General Li Hanhun story IRL, is it interesting, or just some random chinese general?
Glad you're liking it ^^
I've never seen an AI evacuation-by-sea...
Korea: no. Korea didn't really play much of a part in WW2 (even local resistance was negligible), so not much info to create events. That being said, Fading Sun event liberates Korea rather than just transfer to Chinese occupation. I'm not sure what to do about puppet status(?) *yet*
Japan: we'll see. I haven't planned that far yet =P
Li Hanhun's death was random in-game. I just weaved it into the story~ If it's a IRL occurrence, I'd script an event to depict/model it.
Chapter 5 - Washing the Young Marshal's Shame
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
"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.
Last edited:
Well, that was kinda lame from the Japanese. I mean, I get the element of suprise and all, but still get they ass kicked by barely modernized army, please tell me they transport pacific forces to Korea and hold for at least a while or something xD
Recall how the American army performed against China in the Korean War.
True, but keep in mind that Japan is closer to Korea and chinese troops and military command is less experienced than in Korean War.
Next chapter: "Korean Meat Grinder".
I'm discovering the same issue the PLA PVA did during the Korean War... this peninsula is too narrow to maneuver in.
Now with German advisers!
The thing is, a unified China has more divisions, even if they are outdated, than Japan has in 1937. If you start the war two years earlier, and pre-deploy adequately, there is no way you wont steamroll Japan, even if you have to grind a million or two million of your men into dust (which is actually beneficial to you, as the reinforcement system now includes upgrades, and you can afford endless seas of MP, while Japans can't).
Not that this takes away anything from the AAR, but expecting a human unified China versus AI Japan in 1937, let alone 1935, not to be a foregone conclusion is silly.
(been going back to bring some chapter 1 graphics work up-to-par):
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?attachments/8_4th-initialbattles-jpg.287193/
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?attachments/9_4th-initialvictories-jpg.287194/
In recent decades, as the CPC no longer has a vested interest in hiding the truce about the 2nd Sino-Japanese War and increasingly publish documents (that they captured during the Civil War) about what the KMT did, it becomes clear that Chiang Kai-Shek's far biggest issue during the war was unity. Sure, he lacked tactical finesse. He was after all, a strategist who thought of the problems as "70% politics, 30% military". But one has to keep in mind that when the war broke out, his few dozen outdated but loyal troops had to be spread all over the country to keep tabs on his rivals/foes. This left only a handful of modernized, reliable divisions whom actually listened to him available for immediate use...
Then 3 months of bitter fighting in Shanghai - the Stalingrad of the Yangtze chewed them all up.
Prior to the Battle of Nanjing (and later Wuhan), Chiang was recorded to be calling troops for all across China towards the front lines. Yet most of them (especially those of the Yunnan Clique) refused to move without orders from their direct superiors -- warlords and ex-warlord-turned-provincial-governors, etc. There are stories were Chiang, the de facto Leader Paramount of China (we'll get to this discussion in a later AAR), had to pretend to be some local governor and dispatch orders in their name just so the divisional commanders would actually obey.
This is one of the key reasons why Chinese front lines, despite having so much more troops than the Japanese, collapsed again and again. When one's troops are of inferior quality, aggressive use is a necessity as they can't match up in a 1v1 narrow front fight and must rely on wide-front offensives (like the Russians). But when those formations won't even budge and cover each others' flanks...
You can imagine.
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?attachments/8_4th-initialbattles-jpg.287193/
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?attachments/9_4th-initialvictories-jpg.287194/
In recent decades, as the CPC no longer has a vested interest in hiding the truce about the 2nd Sino-Japanese War and increasingly publish documents (that they captured during the Civil War) about what the KMT did, it becomes clear that Chiang Kai-Shek's far biggest issue during the war was unity. Sure, he lacked tactical finesse. He was after all, a strategist who thought of the problems as "70% politics, 30% military". But one has to keep in mind that when the war broke out, his few dozen outdated but loyal troops had to be spread all over the country to keep tabs on his rivals/foes. This left only a handful of modernized, reliable divisions whom actually listened to him available for immediate use...
Then 3 months of bitter fighting in Shanghai - the Stalingrad of the Yangtze chewed them all up.
Prior to the Battle of Nanjing (and later Wuhan), Chiang was recorded to be calling troops for all across China towards the front lines. Yet most of them (especially those of the Yunnan Clique) refused to move without orders from their direct superiors -- warlords and ex-warlord-turned-provincial-governors, etc. There are stories were Chiang, the de facto Leader Paramount of China (we'll get to this discussion in a later AAR), had to pretend to be some local governor and dispatch orders in their name just so the divisional commanders would actually obey.
This is one of the key reasons why Chinese front lines, despite having so much more troops than the Japanese, collapsed again and again. When one's troops are of inferior quality, aggressive use is a necessity as they can't match up in a 1v1 narrow front fight and must rely on wide-front offensives (like the Russians). But when those formations won't even budge and cover each others' flanks...
You can imagine.
Last edited: