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

[zanaikin]

Chapter 20 - The New CC Clique and Azad Hind

"The India-China intercourse began from the era of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Both interacted with each other peacefully and conducted scholarly and ideological exchanges. Both loved and admired each other; never had there been a slight clash."
- Sun Yat-Sen​

As Chinese preparations for war accelerates, Chiang Kai-shek replaces the Guangxi General Chen Jitang -- who excelled at keeping the troops well-organized in peacetime -- with General Chen Cheng. The decision was not just a military move either. Chen Cheng was an excellent organizer and brave leader rapidly promoted since the Northern Expedition. But he was also one of Chiang's star pupils from the Whampoa Academy days, which made him reliable and loyal.

Furthermore, Chen Cheng was a close ally of Chiang Ching-kuo, and the brains behind one of their latest civil reforms. The 375 Rent Reduction Initiative capped rent paid by tenant farmers to landlords at 37.5% of the harvest (with Ching-kuo's socialist fervor laying down brutal punishments for those who ran afoul of this law). The decree stopped much of the extortion-like landlord behavior that has been causing unrest in the countryside and forcing impoverished farmers into banditry.

Chiang Kai-shek knew that if China declared war on the Entente and threw off the imperialistic yoke of extraterritoriality, it must immediately enact economic reforms (particularly in taxation). It was the only way for the KMT government to actually achieve the financial well-being to last a long and protracted global conflict. Otherwise, China would end up the same way as in his other world -- with the yuan worth less than toilet paper in ten years because the government's only method of balancing the budget was to keep printing money.

...And for that, Ching-kuo would benefit from having reliable allies within the army.

In the meantime, Ching-kuo was successfully ramping up one of his other reforms. What had been the 'Gannan New Deal' in an alternate world was turning into the 'China New Deal' in this timeline. After proving its success its the improverished Jiangxi prefecture, Ching-kuo began to push it into the rest of China's vast expanse:

(Custom event!)​

To launch his rural campaign across China and enforce its initiatives upon factory owners and landlords alike (plus the local administrators in their pockets), Chiang Ching-kuo began a massive expansion of his paramilitary Sanmin Zhuyi Youth Corps, which soon had everything including its own cadet school. They were organized on a military basis and even carried older armaments provided by the army (through Chen Cheng).

Within the Kuomintang, the partnership between Chiang Ching-kuo and Chen Cheng was already starting to be called the 'New CC Clique', especially as the old 'CC Clique' (led by Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu) has sharply declined in recent years from the anti-corruption drives.

Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but be a little proud. Like father, like son. Ching-kuo was paving the road to his own political ascent in the same way the older Chiang did.


-----

December 5th: China negotiates an expansion of trade with all of the oil exporters it has business relationships with. Preparations for war are hastening and one of the critical resources that China does not produce... is oil.

December 9th: Wehrmacht Captain Theodor von Hippel forms the Brandenburgers Battalion -- an elite special forces unit organized along linguistical abilities. All versed in foreign languages, the unit was trained to infiltrate, capture, and sabotage key positions behind enemy lines. The Chinese military attache in Berlin didn't know all the details, but even the rumors alone were... interesting.

December 17th: After 42 days of bitter fighting, the Russians -- having broke through the Finnish defense line at Kajaani a week ago -- sent their motorized columns in a straight dash for the Gulf of Bothnia. They captured Oulu on December 16th, effectively cutting Finland in half and forcing the Finns to surrender to Soviet demands. The lands Russia took seemed little -- Karelian Isthmus, north bank of Lake Ladoga, and the Salla strip -- but it included Finland's second largest city (Viipuri) and much of its industrialized territory.

On the same day, French agents operating in China managed to set fire to Fudan University in Shanghai, destroying valuable naval logistical research that the staff had been entrusted with. Before Dai Li's BIS/Juntong agents could apprehend them, they crossed over to the International Concessions and sought protection under its British and French garrison.

(Ugh, right where it hurts China the most: tech)​

December 28th: The Soviet Union and Japan signed an accord which renewed the delegation of fishing rights in adjacent territorial waters, further improving their mutual relationship. Chiang eyed these developments with wary eyes, as a budding Russian-Japanese partnership did not bode well for China in the Far East.

January 2nd, 1940: The Wehrmacht establishes yet another elite regiment: Großdeutschland (Greater Germany). If Chiang remembered right, in a few years' time this unit's name will be instilling fear into Germany's enemies.

January 2nd again: For the abrupt change in world balance caused by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, TIME Magazine names Stalin as their Man of the (1939) Year, with a deeply disturbing image to boot.


-----

End of year industrial report.

(The original result of factories built in 1939 was a whooping 41 factories (21.7% effective IC increase), despite the military modernization. I finally had enough and did a more thorough investigation. The reason seems to be that policy slider effects affect IC growth in Darkest Hour v1.04 [I remember this wasn't the case for v1.03], which combined with high Hawk Lobby and Free Market policies allows China to construct new factories in just 244 days. As such, I finally decided to retconn China's industrial rise to as if China received a -10% IC geardown after the war with Japan. The result comes down to 30 less factories built, which was removed from the Jan-1940 save file and played from there. This reduces the annual industrial growth for China to 15.5%, still unsustainably high but more reasonable.)

Spoiler: Calculations

1936) Base IC 114 -> 132, IC Efficiency 113% -> 103%
(114 + 132)/2 * 10% = 12.3 (IC lost from -10%) x 147.5% (IC construction speed) / 5 (IC cost) = 3.63

1937) Base IC 132 -> 158, IC Efficiency 114% -> 94% (agriculture research finishing middle of year)
(132 + 158)/2 * 10% = 14.5 + 3.63*114% (effective IC lost from previous year) = 18.64 x 147.5% / 5 = 5.50

1938) Base IC 158 -> 188, IC Efficiency 115% -> 95%
(158 + 188)/2 * 10% = 17.3 + (3.63+5.50)*115% = 27.80 x 147.5% / 5 = 8.20

1939) Base IC 188 -> 229, IC Efficiency 115% -> 95%
(188 + 229)/2 * 10% = 20.85 + (3.63+5.50+8.20)*115% = 40.78 x 147.5% / 5 = 12.03

3.63+5.50+8.20+12.03 = 29.36 > 30IC

Extra IC-days gained in 1935 will be countered by extra resource expenditures over years.

As the year 1940 begins, the Kuomintang establishes the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology to serve as an official military R&D program. Returning researchers fleeing the war in Europe also brought Beijing University to a higher degree of excellence.

(Same rule as before: teams normally available 5 years post-unification)​

Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-shek was still celebrating the (Christian) New Year with his family when Dai Li -- Director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong) -- called in to request both his and his son Ching-kuo's presence at the Nanjing airport.

"A most prestigious guest for China has arrived," Dai simply remarked.

The two Chiangs arrived just in time as the plane from Shigatse landed. The doors opened to reveal two BIS agents, then the KMT generals Du Yuming and Li Mi, both of whom should have been at the Tibetan-Raj border. Only at last did an Indian figure emerge to descend the steps.

His image looked a bit familiar to Chiang. Though it was clear that two of them had never met.

"Headmaster," General Du Yuming began. "Allow me to introduce to you: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, leader of the All India Forward Bloc."

"Welcome to China," Chiang grinned as he offered his hand.

"Our agents found him under British house arrest in India," Dai Li explained. "His supporters helped him escape and we smuggled him across the Tibetan border."

"Please don't talk as if I were a crate of contraband," Bose smiled as he took Chiang's hand firmly. "I appreciate your country's help, Your Excellency. And it is an honor to meet the leader who has brought independence, sovereignty, and strength to the Chinese nation."

"The honor is mine, Mr. Bose," Chiang replied with Bose's honorific -- Respected Leader in Hindustani. "Our sovereignty is yet reclaimed. The British and French continue to dominate our major trading cities, meddle in our internal affairs, and divide our border regions as their economic influence zones. Only when all of Asia is free from the grasp of Imperialism will any of us attain true sovereignty."

"Then, I have come to the right friends of India," Bose nodded in agreement.


...


"Your Excellency," Bose began as he sat in a chair next to Chiang's in the Nanjing Presidential Palace. "The border tensions between China and the British are clear for all to see. Furthermore, China has been a close ally and long-time benefactor of Germany, Britain's chief nemesis in the west. As the fires of war grow, hostilities between China and Britain may be inevitable. And in that, I can offer China a legitimate cause -- to not only weaken the enemy, but help bring peace and stability to the future of Asia."

"Help me establish a Free Indian government," He requested. "An administration to rival Britain's colonial farce. A radio department to spread our word. Plus a military force to spearhead our liberation. We will take the fight to our joint enemy. And through it, China will have the support of the Indian people."

Chiang Kai-shek simply took his teacup and smiled.

"Mr. Bose, do you know what Dr Sun Yat-Sen, the Father of the Chinese Republic, once said about the unity of Asia?"

The question was rhetorical. Bose merely shook his head as Chiang continued.

"What problem does Pan-Asianism attempt to solve? He once asked... The problem is how to terminate the sufferings of the Asiatic peoples and how to resist the aggression of the powerful European countries. In a word, Pan-Asianism represents the cause of the oppressed Asiatic peoples."

"We must help each other," Bose nodded. "For if we do not, then no one else will."

"In general terms, I sympathize and agree," Chiang explained. "However, the reality is more complicated. China is not ready to open hostilities against the British, and to openly provide military support to the Indian independence movement is virtually a declaration of war for China's long southern border."

"Openly," Bose noted the keyword.

Chiang nodded.

"We can offer you the resources of the Bureau of Investigations and Statistics to reach out to Indians across Asia. We will give you the equipment and training needed to set up radio stations, even establish a training camp in the Himalayas to arm your recruits. But everything must be done discreetly. China cannot openly support Indian independence, nor can we allow the declaration of a provisional government for India within our borders -- at least not yet."

"But you will respect the sovereignty of the Indian people when the time comes?" Bose asked, his piercing gaze gauging Chiang's every twitch.

"Mr. Bose," Chiang smiled wryly. "China is the largest and most ancient of Asiatic countries, but it is not for us boastfully to talk of her right to a position of 'leadership' among those countries.* We've learned -- in the most painful manner -- exactly what happened when Japan tried to 'lead' us. We will not make the same mistake and force the Indians to resent us."

(*Original quote from Chiang, albeit used in different context.)

Under Chiang's direct orders, Bose would be provided with all the materiels and intelligence outreach he needed. The Azad Hind Radio was soon set up in Kunming and Shanghai, broadcasting directly into India as well as across all of Asia. Recruits began to trickle into China, some illegally crossing the borders while others arriving by ship. They were then screened by Bose's supporters, and those deemed trustworthy were sent into the Himalayan foothills where they were secretly equipped with Chinese-made German weapons.

"Friends, soldiers, let your war cry be only one! 'Dilli Chalo!' (On to Delhi) I do not know how many of us would personally survive; but I know, victory is ours. So stand up and take your arms. In India the revolutionaries have already prepared a path for you and this will lead us to Delhi!"
- Subhas Chandra Bose, addressing recruits of the Indian National Army

(Custom event! The historical INA was much larger; but they also relied heavily on recruiting from Indian PoWs, which China has 0.)​

Inspired by the German Brandenburgers, the Chinese military (and its German advisors) also began training the first Indian Special Forces unit -- the "Bahadur Group".

More controversial was the fact that Bose, who completely ignored all ethnic, religious, and gender divisions in his bid for Indian independence, formed the all-women combat regiment (more like a light battalion) 'Rani of Jhansi' under Captain Lakshmi Sehgal. Even left-leaning KMT officers raised their eyebrows at that. Sure, the NRA has female auxiliary units, but a front-line infantry regiment? Crazy.

Within the month, the British would filed a protest, calling Bose a 'terrorist' who should be apprehended and repatriated at once. China replies that Bose has broken no Chinese laws and is merely exercising the 'Freedom of Speech' that the west claims to embrace.


-----


January 9th, 1939: The Bolshevik Red Army seems to have recovered from Stalin's Great Purge. Just twenty days after the Winter War, the Soviet Union begins augmenting their forces all along the Chinese border and aggressively patrolling the disputed territories. The Chinese border garrisons respond in kind. Multiple skirmishes broke out all along the front, with the heaviest fighting at Zhenbao Island in northeast Manchuria. There, the NRA demonstrated the worth of Chinese-made Pak-36s by destroying several BT-5 tanks when they crossed the frozen river and attempted to storm the island.

(Custom event! Adapted from the historic PRC vs T-62s. Returns the 10% peacetime IC geardown.)​

All along the Beijing-Nanjing and Beijing-Changchun railways, trainloads of men, artillery, and other equipment could be seen being sent north. Chiang Kai-shek had ordered the Sino-Soviet border to be brought up to 72 divisions. He could only hope that the forceful presence would convince Stalin that China was no Finland. If the USSR wants a war, it had best be prepared to pay in millions of men.

Not that Stalin cared about lives. But being bogged down in Asia would certainly run against his Europe-focused strategy.

In the meantime, he made sure that Falkenhausen would send a detailed report to Germany on the pressure China now faced in the north.


-----


January 11th: One bad news follows another, as British agents -- in collusion with Tibetan dissidents -- successfully sabotaged the expansion of the Chinese ROCAF airstrip in Shigatse.

January 24th: A German plane carrying the plans for Fall Gelb (the attack on Belgium and Netherlands) crash landed in Belgium. The Belgians and Dutch recovered enough to discern an imminent German invasion. The Germans, however, called off the attack, and the Fuhrer requested a new operation plan be created. He would find it... in the proposal of General Erich von Manstein.

January 30th: German SS Sonderkommandos arrested two British SIS agents (and one Dutch intelligence officer) attempting to make contact with Anti-Nazi resistance elements in the Third Reich. Hitler claimed that this was irrefutable proof that the Dutch were blatantly violating their neutrality.

February 9th: US President Roosevelt dispatched Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles to Europe to determine determine the possibility of negotiating a just and lasting peace. The results were... clearly not positive.

February 25th: The Austrialians, no doubt prodded by their British overlords, launch a media campaign on how China is now harboring "one of the most dangerous men to peace in Asia."

(Third intel failure in under 70 days. Chiang sends Dai Li a reprimand.)​

( Next Chapter - The Final Hour )​

Notes:
1. Chen Cheng would eventually come up with the '375 Initiative' in Taiwan, and the law was accredited with halting the spread of Communism into the island. I couldn't figure out how to turn it into a meaningful event by DH mechanics so, no event.

2. The KMT had two major paramilitary organizations during the republican period -- the earlier, fascist-leaning Blue Shirts Society that formed much of Dai Li's BIS/Juntong, and the later, socialist-leaning Sanmin Zhuyi Youth Corps whose men Ching-kuo would tap for his own secret police in Taiwan. Power seems to work the same way no matter what ideology you follow <_<

3. I've seriously asked myself the question: would China interfere in Indian affairs (puppet them)? Well, if the PRC actually made North Korea a puppet, we might not have today's problems (although this is a dangerous path to tread). It doesn't quite seem to fit modern China's modus operandi. Furthermore, Chiang Kai-shek has lots of sins, but Imperialism is not one of them; his discussions with USA on the future of postwar Asia well documents his almost-allergic reactions towards expansion outside China. Even Barbara Tuchman, a Pro-Stilwell journalist hostile towards Chiang, wrote about Chiang Kai-shek's instantaneous "Under No Circumstances!" outburst when the Americans offered him control of French Indochine.

Question to the Readers:
Given that the China Lobby played a notable role in molding US opinions in the lead-up to World War II, what do you think would have happened in the US if China -- the country FDR openly supported (and already aided) -- ended up turning against the Allies? Will this increase US Interventionism or decrease it as they become more cynical about the British cause in the war? The US was also Pro-Indian Independence and had always been against any involvement to uphold the European Empires (President Washington specifically warned against it). Of course, being predominantly European-descent, the US will still prioritize European geopolitics.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 21 - The Final Hour
"A skilled commander seeks victory from the situation and does not demand it of his subordinates. He selects suitable men and exploits the situation."
- Sun Tze​

March 20th, 1940: Edward Daladier resigns from the Prime Ministership of France and is replaced by Paul Reynaud. However, Daladier remains as the Minister of Defense, and his rivalry against Reynauld would repeatedly stop Reynauld from dismissing the incompetent Maurice Gamelin as Supreme Commander.

April 2nd: After attending the Indian National Congress assembly in Ramgarh and then fleeing India to avoid Britain's arrest warrant against him, Aung San -- the Burmese Independence leader -- arrived in China. He sought Kuomintang assistance for the liberation of Burma. Chiang would offer him similar terms as to Bose, albeit at a much lower priority. The strength that Burmese independence could pull together is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what Bose and the INA are capable of.

(Notice how similar that flag is compared to the KMT's)​

April 4th/6th: Germany declared war against Norway and Denmark. Chiang rubs his temple as he listens to the radio while his top officers discuss their displeasure. Everything up to now, including the Invasion of Poland, could be justified in the Chinese perspective by Hitler's intent to rebuild old Germany and right the wrongs of Versailles. But this... was just unwarranted. No one could claim that Denmark and Norway pose any threat to the German Reich, and excuses of "preempting the British" does not stop it from being aggression. Now, Britain's empire finds itself bolstered by Norway's merchant fleet -- one of the largest in the world.

"If your Fuhrer sincerely believe that the British will violate Norwegian neutrality, then he should have waited for Britain to act first," Chiang commented dryly to Falkenhausen. "Now they have the moral high ground."

April 10th: After barely firing a few shots, the Danish government orders its army to stand down and surrender to Germany. Meanwhile Britain, anxious to protect their shipping lanes, mounts one of the most embarrassing invasions in world history.

(The forum's code doesn't seem to support Youtube timestamps. Fast forward to 4:20)​

April 12th: Vidkun Quisling, the Fører of the Norwegian Nasjonal Samling party, attempts a coup but fails miserably. With its popular support gone, Germany would retract its support for his government, instead switching their intended policy to one of direct occupation... though they still have to seize Norway first.

April 19th: With the Norwegian port of Narvik in enemy control, German access to Swedish iron ore during the colder months is cut off.

May 2nd: Before Germany could fix the mess they started in Norway, the Wehrmacht begins its western campaign by declaring war on the Low Countries just as they did in WWI.

The offensive into the Netherlands is launched first, drawing French forces and the British Expeditionary Force hastily north into Belgium. Yet before the Entente could even reach effective defensive positions, a second, massive thrust by the Wehrmacht slams into their right flank, destroying around 10 British and French divisions.

Meanwhile, Heinz Guderian's XIX Corps crosses the Meuse River at Sedan, seeking to outflank the entire Allied defense line with his armored fist. The situation quickly degrades for the allies following that, as German panzers pour through the breach and pushes into the French heartland...


...

As the war in the west progresses, the Germans and Russians begin gobbling up the small countries in their path. Luxemburg capitulates on May 10th as German tanks occupied their capital. Then the Baltic States fall one by one to Soviet claims. The series of events reminded the KMT why they were staunchly Anti-Secessionist -- a divided China would be helpless in the geopolitical struggle of giants.

May 19th, 1940: With the war in France rapidly deteriorating, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain chooses to resign. Winston Churchill -- a white supremacist and known proponent of British Imperialism in Asia -- steps up to replace him, signaling an end to any possible negotiated settlement in Asia.

"I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place."
- Winston Churchill, speaking to the Peel Commission, 1937​

May 30th: After the fall of Rotterdam, the Dutch government capitulates and surrender to the Germans. The Belgians surrendered a day later, although their government fled to Great Britain first.

-----


June 1st, Kunming:

"There is no point to any more attempts to reach a compromise," Bose expressed to Chiang as the KMT Military Affairs Council convened in the Yunnan Provincial Government building. "Britain has already chosen its path. If the British had any indication of relinquishing their stranglehold on Asia, they would have backed down to the Indian National Congress' demands when war broke out. No, I'm afraid we must remove them by force. From China, from India, from Burma, from all of Asia."

"Don't forget the French..."

(Chiang Kai-Shek, Subhas Chandra Bose, Alexander von Falkenhausen, He Yingqin, Chen Cheng, Bai Chongxi, Ma Hongkui)​

General Bai Chongxi, Head of Military Operations, sneered in agreement as he exchanged glances with Inspector General of Cavalry Ma Hongkui. The former was known for leading Anti-Westerner attacks in Guangxi and driving missionaries out of the Guangxi Clique territories; the latter has a family history of fighting in the Boxer Rebellion and has never forgotten the Westerners' bloody rampage in its aftermath.

"W--"

One glare from the Direct-General forced General Ma to shut his mouth. He was about to say one of the most common Chinese derogatory of the period -- "western/white devils" -- which Chiang forbad in front of their German allies.

"Our coexistence with them has always been a farce," Bai added. "Churchill is an Imperialistic Ogre no better than Stalin. We Asians must band together if we are to stop either of them."

Bose look decidedly uncomfortable for a moment. Chiang hadn't forgotten that Bose was a socialist, with strong pro-soviet sympathies. Perhaps he should sit the man down with Ching-kuo so they could have a chat on what the USSR was truly like.

Meanwhile, Chiang simply nodded back. Sure, in his past life, Britain's losing war against Japan (after IJA invaded Burma) and pressure from US President Roosevelt forced Churchill into giving up most of their extraterritoriality and concessions. But even then, they still refused to relinquish Hong Kong. And this time, without Japan breathing down Britain's neck...

He turned to He Yingqin and Chen Cheng, Chief of Staff and Chief of the Army.

"Our preparations?"

"Completed," Chen declared. "All troops are within three days' march of their launching points. All equipment upgrades have been received and checked. Our supply roads to the borders have been completed, with rail links as far as Lhasa and Dali. The reorganization of the National Revolutionary Army is likewise finished. We are fully ready to commence at your command."

Chen then launched into details regarding the totality of Chinese preparations for war:

(Yes, I manually renamed every division...)

(The NRA now has over 3 million personnel! ...And hardly any armored vehicles.)​

• 28 Infantry Divisions have been upgraded to the most modern equipment, with motorized support for heavy equipment. However, these will be kept near the Chinese coast, as their fuel needs would only further strain the logistics situation in Tibet/Yunnan.
• The coastal divisions will be augmented by the KMT's 8 local (garrison) divisions, with more being trained. The eventual goal is to hand off all coastal defense duties to local troops and free up the Central Army's expensive field divisions.
• 123 Infantry Divisions have been distributed all across China's borders -- Machuria, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Yunnan. They will form the bulk of the offensive/defensive force.
• 24 Cavalry (semi-motorized) divisions and 18 specialist mountain divisions will spearhead any offensives in Asia.

To organize both effective offense and defense, the NRA has been entirely reorganized into 3 War Zones, 4 Route Armies, and 1 Air Army.

ORDER OF BATTLE

1st (Northeast) War Zone:
1 x HQ (stationed in Harbin)
43 x Infantry divisions
9 x Artillery brigades
3 x Engineer brigades
Total: 44 divisions + 12 brigades
Objective: defense of the Manchurian beaches, the Sino-Korean border, and the NE Sino-Soviet border.

2nd (Coastal) War Zone:
1 x HQ (stationed in Guangzhou)
8 x Garrison divisions
26 Infantry divisions
5 Military Police brigades
30 Destroyers (6 squadrons)
2 Light Cruisers
Total: 35 divisions + 5 brigades
Objective: protect the Chinese coast and islands.

3rd (Northwest) War Zone:
1 x HQ (temporarily stationed in Kashgar)
29 x Infantry divisions
10 x Artillery brigades
Total: 30 divisions + 10 brigades
Objective: defense of the NW Sino-Soviet border, supporting offensives into Raj Afghania.

Spoiler: Houserule: Sino-Soviet Border

During the southern campaign, 30 divisions must remain in Xinjiang and 42 divisions must remain in Manchuria to keep up the Sino-Soviet staring contest

1st Route Army
Commander: General Xue Yue
1 x HQ
9 x Mountain divisions
9 x Cavalry (semi-motorized) divisions
14 x Infantry divisions
8 x Cavalry (semi-motorized) brigades
1 x Light Tank brigade
9 x Artillery brigades
12 x Engineering brigades
India National Army (1 Infantry division)
Total: 34 divisions + 30 brigades
Objective: conquest of western India -- seize Delhi, then Karachi.

2nd Route Army
Commander: Chiang Kai-shek himself, with Bai Chongxi and Falkenhausen advising
1 x HQ
9 x Mountain divisions
12 x Cavalry (semi-motorized) divisions
1 x Motorized division
12 x Infantry divisions
13 x Armored Car brigades
9 x Artillery brigades
9 x Engineer brigades
Total: 35 divisions + 31 brigades
Objective: conquest of Central India -- seize Calcutta, Hyderabad, and Bombay.

1st Air Army
Commander: Air General Qian Dajun
1 x HQ
1 x Fighter wing ('26 model)
7 x Tactical bomber wings ('32 model)
Objective: support the 2nd Route Army and offensives in Central India.

"Due to our priorities in developing a modern Chinese navy, our air force has fallen behind considerably," He Yingqin interjected. "The ROCAF hasn't any received any new aircraft since the end of the war against Japan. Although we expect this to change soon as Germany has promised us production blueprints for more advanced bomber designs."

3rd Route Army:
Commander: General Zhang Fakui
1 x HQ
3 x Cavalry (semi-motorized) divisions
16 x Infantry divisions
3 x Cavalry (semi-motorized) brigades
6 x Artillery brigades
6 x Engineer brigades
Total: 20 divisions + 15 brigades
Objective: conquest of Burma -- seize Lashio, then Rangoon.

4th Route Army:
Commander: General Zhang Zhizhong
1 x HQ
11 x Infantry
Total: 12 divisions
Objective: seize Hong Kong, then serve as a strategic reserve.

"The India-Burma front is filled with both challenges and potentials," Bai Chongxi seizes the spotlight as Chen Cheng finishes. "Our greatest advantage will be the poor quality of the British Indian Army and their unpreparedness. Our greatest adversary will be the high mountains and deep jungles of the area, frustrating our supply lines and reducing any advance to a crawl. As such, we do not expect our supply trains to keep up once our forces descend from the highlands and into the Indo-Gangetic Plains."

"Thankfully, with help from Netaji, we have attached Indian interpreter squads to every division. Forward units are encouraged to strike swiftly and seize British supply depots wherever possible, working with the local Indian population to acquire fresh food and water. The engineering brigades will work as quickly as they can to pave a road behind the advancing army. But any self-sufficiency our army achieves will reduce the strain on our supply lines."

"However," General Chen Cheng interjected. "I'm going to borrow one of the Three Rules of Discipline that the Communists bandits used to effect: Do not take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses! Any looting and confiscation of Indian civilian property will not be tolerated; violators will be punished under the utmost severity! Seminars have been organized for all participating divisions to make sure every soldier understands this."

Everyone around the table took a glance at the approving Bose. Nobody had any doubt whom this declaration was meant for.

"Once the war begins," Bai Chongxi resumed. "We believe the British will no doubt attempt to pull forces from other theaters of war -- wherever they may spared -- to reinforce the Raj. The colony is simply too valuable to the UK to let go. Therefore, it is imperative that we seize India's administrative centers, ports, and airfields as quickly as possible, before they could be seriously reinforced by the British army or air force. As such, I cannot stress this enough: the war in India will not be an infantry grind as every war we've fought before. There will be no slow and steady advance."

"Our advance into India is a race against time."

"As most of you know, we have been working with our German friends," Bai nodded to Falkenhausen, "to create an operational doctrine that takes advantage of German Schwerpunkt and Sturmtruppen tactics, yet maximizes China's quantitative advantage. Our campaign in India will serve as the test bed for the new operational policy: the 'Chaos Tide doctrine'."

"Remember what you have learned in our exercises. Do not worry about keeping a steady line of advance. Do not worry about keeping firm lines of communications. Strike fast, strike deep, and strike hard, in that order of priority. Push aside and penetrate the British defenses. Drive straight for our operational objectives. Our goal is to maximize strategic shock, to make the British believe they are under an avalanche that cannot be stopped! Crush their morale and communications and make them incapable of reforming a defensive line!"


-----

Three days later, as all troops finished assembling at their launching points, Chiang Kai-shek announced by radio to the world:

"...We have waited with patience and courtesy, yet the British despots who enslave Asia in their grasp has shown little willingness to extend us the same principals they claim to uphold... Therefore, we -- the government of the Republic of China, the provisional government of Azad Hind (Free India), and the provisional government of independent Burma, hereby declare war against the largest criminal syndicate of racketeering, extortion, and drug trafficking in human history: the British Empire."

( Next Chapter - Chiang Kai-shek's Generals and the ROC )
( Situational Report: next post )​

Notes:
1. Aung San (father of the more famous Aung San Suu Kyi) did actually seek ROC help in our history, although as soon as he arrived in China, the Japanese intercepted and convinced him to take up with Japan instead.
2. Calling Winston Churchill a 'white supremacist' may actually be too kind, as his list of racist quotes is long and shows gross contempt for everyone ranging from the Irish to the Polish to the Jews, same color notwithstanding. His attitude was so extreme it even shocked his contemporaries, including the British colonial administrators in India (who are known for their own racism).
3. "Imperialistic Ogre" originates from Bai Chongxi's own words to describe Stalin. He did not like Churchill any better so I thought it fit.
4. "Chao Tide Doctrine" is essentially a reinterpretation of Soviet Deep Battle -- and my guess on what would happen had German Schwerpunkt mixed with Chinese quantitative emphasis and the traditionalist Chinese military focus on strategic shock rather than tactical destruction.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 22 - Vanguards of the Revolution
"Give me BLOOD, and I will give you FREEDOM!"
- Subhas Chandra Bose​

Chiang Kai-shek had sent Guo Taiqi -- through Russia's trans-siberian railroad -- to officially sign the Sino-German Alliance. Guo, a conservative republican and old KMT cadre, found the job of meeting Hitler rather distasteful. Nonetheless, he agreed that Germany's war against the British Empire made them natural allies to China, and thus donned his tough negotiator hat as duty demanded.

("Paternal Autocrat" and "Facist" are apparently the 'same government type': I was receiving the cheaper deals bonus.)​

Under the terms of the alliance, Germany was to provide China with all the technologies the Republic could utilize to oppose the British Empire in the far east. German prototypes, blueprints, and technical documents soon began making their way to China through various channels. The train to Vladivostok was good for most instances. Though when that wasn't an option, the Abwehr could always make excellent use of Germany's friendship with Iran and Afghanistan.

Hitler even helped to negotiate an end to the Italian concessions in Tianjin and Shanghai.

As the sun rose on June 4th, Chinese troops began seizing British and French enclaves all across China. Chiang Kai-shek had declared a unilateral termination to all Unequal Treaties, and Chinese troops began their march on the leased territories of Guangzhouwan (Zhanjiang), Shamian Island (Guangzhou), Liugong Island (Weihai), Hong Kong, as well as the various foreign concession areas in Beiping, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hankuo, and Kunming.

(Custom event! Wartime IC now up to 100%)​

In Shanghai, the most troublesome part was dealt with as the British, French, and American policing detachments acquiesced without a shot fired (as historically). The British Sikh soldiers were disarmed and sent to Bose's recruiters. The Americans were left alone. The Nanjing Government recognized American business interests in Shanghai and respected their 'special priviledges', but declare that the "Shanghai International Settlement" has henceforth ceased to exist. Its gates and walls were torn down as Chinese police officers assumed control of the entire city. Patrols into the former international zone were however not allowed to carry guns -- if an incident were to happen, the Americans would have to shoot first.

Chiang had plenty of experience in this method, having used it to drive the British out of Hankuo, Jiujiang, and Xiamen in 1927-30. Without the backing of the other western powers, there was little the Americans could do to hold back the Chinese short of machine gunning people.

Although there was no open violence in Shanghai, the incident would mark a noticeable deterioration of Sino-American relations. Faced with a fait accompli and congressional pressure to stay out of "Asia's War of Independence", President Roosevelt authorized the recall of American presence weeks later.


-----


Most remaining concessions would see their tiny British and French garrisons capitulate swiftly. Only the port of Hong Kong -- with its garrison of three full British divisions -- held on stubornly. Churchill ordered that "every part of island must be fought over and the enemy resisted with the utmost stubbornness", leading to extensive loss of Chinese civilian life as they had nowhere to evacuate to. The NRA 4th Route Army had no choice but to assault the city. The ROCN's 30 destroyers and 2 light cruisers sallied from their fleet base at Haikou to provide fire support, but their low caliber guns proved largely ineffective at shore bombardment.

(Azad Hind Propaganda is a custom event that gives 10% dissent and -5% land morale.)​

Meanwhile, all across the 6,000 kilometer Sino-Raj border, over 80 Chinese divisions began their attack. Spearheading the assault in key sectors were detachments from Bose's Bahadur Group, infiltrating the British Indian Army lines and convincing units of Indians to defect.

The garrison at Gangtok (Nathu La Pass) was the first to fall after 8 hours. The elite NRA 200th division raced past using the few dirt roads available to them, followed by an seemingly endless stream of horses and men as 12 cavalry divisions marched through back-to-back-to-back. General Du Yuming would lead the dash to the Ganges River, with General Ma Hongkui's Muslim Cavalry Corps trailing behind in force.

In the west, two Indian divisions at Simla bravely withstood the assault of 17 NRA/INA divisions for 28 hours before capitulating. General Xue Yue's cavalry swept past towards due west while the southwestern roads were left open to Bose's INA 1st division. They would be supported by 3 NRA mountain divisions and 6 infantry divisions. However Chiang had left another directive -- the Indian National Army must have the honors of entering Delhi first and seizing the Red Fort, the symbol of British Imperialism in India.

"India is calling to blood! We shall carve our way through the enemy's ranks, or if God wills, we shall die a martyr's death! And in our last sleep we shall kiss the road that will bring our Army to Delhi! The road to Delhi is the road to Freedom! Dilli Chalo (On to Delhi)!"
- Subhas Chandra Bose

(The marching song of the INA, which today is the marching song of the Indian Army.)​

All along the road the Chinese could hear the singing of their Indian brothers -- whether it be their core infantry battalions or various detachments. Their vanguard carried not only the Azad Hind banner but even photos of Bose himself. Their leader would watch them in spirit as free Indians returned to the land of Gandhi and knelt down in prayer to their motherland.

Reports of Chinese victories soon radioed in all across the 6,000 kilometer front line. Chinese troops pushed forward with overwhelming numerical and equipment superiority. Yet despite all odds, many British Indian troops remained loyal to their oath and fought back valiantly -- especially at Mipi, where two under-equipped BIA divisions used the mountainous jungles to spring a bloody ambush.

Hong Kong fell in 5 days. Governor Mark Aitchison Young dutifully held on for as long as he could. 26,000 British troops were taken into captivity. Like most UK garrisons in East Asia, the majority were Sikhs whom the NRA handed over to Bose. The actually-British POWs were sent to Nanjing and paraded through the streets -- a display of how the government had washed away China's shame from the Treaty of Nanking.

In Srinagar, 23,000 troops of the Jammu and Kashmir Princely State surrendered. Many of the semi-autonomous states under the Raj had no intention of fighting for the Empire's glory. They put up only token resistance to uphold their honor, before abandoning the British cause. (Princely States forces have locked units which can't retreat.)

As the flag of the Azad Hind rose in each newly taken Indian town, Bose would immediately begin speaking to the newest citizens of his provisional government. His sheer charisma entranced Indians by the thousands. His words and deed saw no difference in ethnicity, religion, or caste. In his clear and honest gaze, all Indians stood as equals in the quest for not just India's independence, but India's rebirth and salvation.

(The Swaraj Flag, first adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1921)​

By the end of the first week, General Xue Yue reported that Bose's Indian National Army was inflating day by day, as they marched through Himachal Pradesh and towards Delhi. NRA officers sent to investigate discovered that civilians -- farmers, traders, shopkeepers, people of all backgrounds with zero military training -- were swelling its ranks. Many of them marched into battle with but a sidearm spared from another soldier or a captured Lee–Enfield rifle.

(Soldier from the Rani of Jhansi female regiment, fighting on the front with but a pistol.)​

"...I do not doubt the INA's bravery," Xue wrote. "But their few months of training is noticeably incomplete. Too often they charged straight into prepared enemy positions while screaming 'Jal Hind'. Their lack of coordination undermines our own Sturmtruppen assault companies. Bose has a soldierly spirit but he has no military experience. Yet he insists upon sending the INA to where the fighting rage fiercest..."

Chiang frowned. It has only been a few years since the NRA fought that way, yet the proud Xue Yue -- the 'War God' of the KMT officer corps who never liked inferior tacticians getting in his way -- seems to have forgotten.

Besides, green and enthusiastic were better than unreliable. The British 'GHQ India' was certainly a professional force, yet during the Burma Campaign (1942) in his other life, they withdrew from the Chinese right flank without even a word of warning. It forced the Chinese 'X Force' into a hasty retreat to avoid Japanese envelopment, losing their entire rear guard in the process.

Compared to such treachery, Chiang would gladly have an ally like Bose any day.

"Let Bose spearhead the advance as he wishes and give him support," Chiang messaged back. "The man is a true patriot. You would desire no different if you were fighting for China's independence."


...


Unknown to either of them at the time, Subhas Chandra Bose had just found more experienced military commanders from among the captured Indian POWs to lead the INA. Unlike the British Indian Army which segregated its units by ethnicity, religion, and region, the INA mixed everyone (except women) together to fight side-by-side. Bose would entrust the army's field leadership to a Muslim (Shah Nawaz Khan), an Atheist (Prem Sahgal), and a Sikh (Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon). Their culture and religion didn't matter; they were Indians, and that was good enough.

"It would not be wrong to say that I was hypnotized by his personality and his speeches.
He placed the true picture of India before us and for the first time in my life I saw India, through the eyes of an Indian."
- General Shah Nawaz Khan, new CO of INA 1st division​

-----


With the Chinese entry into what is now a true World War, Chiang Kai-shek and the ROC Legislative Yuan had a make an important decision. Over the past four years, Chinese economic growth had only been made possible by heavy German investment and the export of raw materials to Germany. However, since the beginning of the war in Europe and the British blockade, Chinese economic growth was forced to slow down as this supply of funds dried up. Now, with the 3 million strong National Revolutionary Army on the move and consuming ammunition/food at a staggering pace, the Nanjing Government had to find... new means of funding such massive expenditures.

Thankfully, China had built up a sizable foreign currency reserve during the interwar years of 1936-1939. There was enough to last the Chinese government for at least a decade of fighting. However, the Legislative Yuan had other ideas.

Why simply delay a disease when it could be cured?

The Nanjing Government's budgetary imbalance needed a true fix: one that was only possible through economic reform.

Chiang Kai-shek was wary at first. But as Li Zongren and even Chiang Ching-kuo pushed for the proposal, he hesistantly approved the plan.

(Custom event! This is the most detrimental event and is often pointed by historians as a core cause of KMT's downfall. The event triggers once per year while China is at war with any major power [or a post-WW2 CPC]. It forces China to either buy a year's time with money, or watch their industrial efficiency bleed away year after year, until they reform the economy which requires the end of Extraterritoriality. This event was designed too late for the Sino-Japanese War; as such, $1000 was removed from China to retconn its effects, leaving China with $3195.)​

With the Chinese concessions to foreign powers recovered and full Chinese control reasserted over the economy, Chiang Kai-shek signed the proposal for the Finance Ministry to begin rolling out new monetary and taxation reforms. The KMT government announced a new edict, demanding all citizens to turn in their old Fabi yuan currency in exchange for the new, more stringently-controlled Gold yuan. Hording of currency and supplies became prohibited, as the government required all major properties to be declared. The Shanghai 'Special Control Zone' -- including the capital of Nanjing and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui -- was chosen for the 'test' of economic reforms.

Chiang Kai-shek placed his son Chiang Ching-kuo in charge, with the goal of killing two birds with one stone. Ching-kuo, who did not trust any local administrators due to potential corruption, called in his personal army for the task.

The residents of Shanghai watched in anxious curiosity as the 6th Suppression and Control Brigade of paramilitary Sanmin Zhuyi Youth Corps (reorganized as the NRA 'Shanghai Defense A' force) marched into the city. The very atmosphere sparked with tension as another war, a different kind of war, was about to begin.

( Next Chapter - The Old Alliances Fracture )​

Notes:
1. There are historical footage of Bose's men carrying his photo-altar into battle. Asians' obsession with their leaders' photographs are routinely mistaken for cults of personality. But it's more often an effect of how Dharmic/Eastern religions view human spirituality.
2. British India GHQ blamed 'communication breakdown' for their sudden retreat in the Burma Campaign (1942). However Chiang never bought it, and KMT officers would bitterly remember that "the British used us as their sacrificial lambs."
3. Bose's patriotism and charisma impressed even the Japanese high command during our timeline, who called him a "true Samurai" and gave him a degree of autonomy that no other Axis 'puppet' government had.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 23 - The Old Alliances Fracture
"We write our own destiny; we become what we do."
- Soong Mei-ling, Madame Chiang Kai-shek​

(After 3 inexplicable days of waiting, the Wehrmacht launched its final assault on Calais on June 12th)​

On June 14th, 1940, the Wehrmacht reports having scored a phenomenal victory on the European front. After a successful dash to the channel by General Guderian's XIX Corps, Germany drove the British Expeditionary Force and the French 1st Army all the way back to the port of Calais. There, hounded by Luftwaffe bombers and squeezed by the Wehrmacht, the British and French morale collapsed as their pocket was slowly crushed.

The Germans took over 180,000 British and 250,000 French prisoners of war.

On that same day, the French -- after seeing northern France overran and their Maginot Line flanked -- approached the Germans for an armistice. The French leadership already realized that there was no longer any point to continuing to the war.

Political debates raged across the British Parliament as opposition leaders accused Prime Minister Churchill of not doing enough to save the British Expeditionary Force. "Where was the Royal Navy!?" Labor Party leader Clement Attlee demanded in a furious speech, "our brave troops stood there, waiting on the piers of Calais for days while bombs and shells rained upon them! Yet only a handful of destroyers and flotillas of small boats arrived to take the few to safety! Were our ships off chasing yet another adventure as senseless as Gallipoli!?"

The Royal Navy, as it turned out, had been distracted by two other endeavors:

In the south, German intelligence reports that large qualities of British shipping had been devoted to ferrying reinforcements to both Egypt and to India. These troop convoys -- passing through the Meditereanean Sea where Italy could join the war on Germany's side at any moment -- had to be heavily escorted.

In the north, the Royal Navy Home Fleet had dispatched many of its ships to Norway under strict radio silence. On June 16th, the aircraft carrier battlegroups of HMS Courageous and HMS Furious sprang their ambush from the Norwegian fjords, scoring a perfect victory where they sank the new German battleship Tirpitz and carrier Graf Zeppelin without losing a single sailor. For this complete and total disaster, Hitler fired Grand Admiral Raeder from the position of commander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine. His replacement was the commander of U-boats Karl Donitz.

However, the sinking of two German capital ships was poor consolation for the hundred thousand British POWs and their families.


-----


Guo Taiqi, ROC ambassador to Germany, symbolically attended the French surrender and armistice signing at Compiègne on July 17th. There, he spent most of his time sneering at the French delegation led by General Charles Huntziger. As a member of the Chinese delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1918, Guo still remembered those days when the Entente completely ignored the Chinese as if they were insects, while happily presenting cities in China as a gift to the Japanese.

Karma had ensured a perfect revenge... especially in Germany's case, as Hitler even prepared the exact same rail wagon on which the Germans once surrendered to the French in 1918. Then, before General Keitel could even read the preamble, Hitler walked out in disdain as if the French were not even worth his time.

It was the Treaty of Versailles that allowed China and Germany to become friends. Now, this new Sino-German alliance was on its way to destroying the British and French Empire. Though to Guo's surprise, Hitler wasn't terribly excited by this. The Führer seemed to actually prefer British domination overseas, and it took great effort for Guo to persuade Hitler that China's dismantling of British India would only help convince the belligerent Churchill to see reason and sue for peace.

Then, just as General Huntziger was about to sign the final document, the wagon's doors swung open and a young officer dashed in:

"Italy has declared war on France and Great Britain!"

Every occupant in the wagon stared back in awe. None of them even noticed as Huntziger finished his signature.

The Italians were forced to acknowledge that their declaration against France had been nullified on the same hour. The Duce had finished his war preparations all too late, and -- on Hitler's advice -- would have to settle for British Egypt as a consolation price.

Surely, the British would sue for peace soon?

Every German and French general seemed to believe it. The French didn't even object that their prisoners of war would remain in POW camps until the cession of all hostilities.

...However long that took.


-----


June 18th, 1940: The elite 200th NRA division (motorized) successfully descended from the Himalayan foothills and crossed the Ganges River. To secure his flank, General Du Yuming launched a lightning assault on Jamshedpur to disperse the Indian division assembling there. His troops also attempted a probing attack against the port of Calcutta (Bose's hometown), and discovered that three Australian divisions had just disembarked from ships there.

Following his orders, Du's troops resumed the drive to Bombay. Calcutta would be left for General Ma Hongkui's cavalry corps to deal with.

June 19th: NRA cavalry in western India breaks through the British defenses at Ludhiana, capturing another 8,000 prisoners as the Princely State of Patiala surrendered.

On the same day, NRA 2nd Route Army troops captured the Tashichho Dzong, the buddhist monastery and seat of power in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. Bhutan's Druk Desi (the "Dharma Raja"), Jigme, refused to switch sides with the situation in India in flux. However, he agreed to order a general surrender for all Bhutan forces as the tiny country came under Chinese occupation.

With the defeat of the Entente in the west, the 1939 UK/French guarantee of Romanian independence has lost its meaning. Stalin decides to flex his diplomatic muscles and force the Romanians to give up Bessarabia and northern Bukovina. Seeing no choice in the matter, the Romanians capitulated.

Churchill, deciding that British guarantees were still worth something after Poland and Romania, offered support to Greece against the Italians' claims. He also recognizes the Polish government-in-exile, highlighting his determination to fight on regardless of the war's costs. The fact that the British Empire was now stretched thin by wars across three continents did not seem to matter to him.


...


June 22nd, 1940: Two Chinese transports were torpedoed between the mainland and Taiwan by British submarines. 2nd War Zone commander Li Zongren ordered the convoys' escorts significantly boosted, and for Admiral Chen Ce to begin sweeping the area with his destroyers.

In North Africa, the Italians finally push the British army back from the Egyptian border after five days of bitter fighting. The Battle of As Sollum saw Italy outnumber its foe by more than four-to-one, yet the Italians somehow ended up losing more equipment than the British...

ROC generals are puzzled by just now incompetent this European 'major power' could be.

-----


Meanwhile in Shanghai, Chiang Ching-kuo had taken his gloves off, revealing the deep, Trotskyite influence that he had suppressed for years.

To control the inevitable market instability brought by the new fiscal reforms, Ching-kuo strictly enforced the temporary government sanctions to ban all hording of currency, silver, gold, and daily commodities such as food. His paramilitary Youth Corps raided the warehouses of Shanghai's capitalists, arresting all violators from public officials to foreign merchants to the notorious Green Gang leaders (his father and Dai Li's old revolutionary allies). At first Ching-kuo targetted the entire market district, but the seizure of goods from small shops caused a public outcry that made him focus on the 'big fish' instead. Local commanders and administrators discovered of accepting bribes were given swift and merciless trials. Foreigners who refused to comply with government demands were exiled and their possessions confiscated.

The rich and powerful figures of Shanghai complained to the government, and China's wealthiest man -- Chiang's stepbrother H.H.Kung -- angrily phoned Chiang Kai-shek with blackmail in hand. Ching-kuo had raided his Shanghai warehouses and arrested his son, David Kung. Now, the elderly Kung demanded release or he'll expose all of Chiang's dirty secrets.

The Generalissimo's gaze narrowed. His headquarters was already on Indian soil, and he had a war to run. He could hardly fly back to Nanjing now. But just as he was about to make a decision, he received another phone call, this time from his wife.

(Chiang Kai-shek and the three Soong sisters: Ai-ling [Kung's wife] in middle, Ching-ling [Sun's widow] right, Mei-ling [Chiang's wife] left. The Soongs rose to the spotlight of Chinese politics due to the friendship between Charlie Soong and Sun Yat-sen.)​

Soong Mei-ling persuaded, pleaded, begged for him to intervene. Chiang's expression softened over time, his mind clouded with indecision.

In the end, he could only promise "let me think about it," as he hung up the phone.

Opening his diary, Chiang Kai-shek thought back to his past life, to his changes in the recent years. Everything had gone so much better this time. Would he risk it all now?

He read the passage he once wrote, when Stalin offered to trade Chiang Ching-kuo for a Communist general:

"I would rather have no offspring than sacrifice our nation's interests!"​

Did he lose his fervor and daring again, in the coming of old age? Would he make the same mistake as before, compromising his nation's interests for the sake of 'family' and old 'comrades'? Kung's blackmail was also dangerous. But this time, with the Communists crushed and most of his political opponents brought under control, Chiang could be sure that any damage would be limited.

Fifteen minutes later, Chiang telephoned Li Zongren, commanding officer of the 2nd (Coastal) War Zone, which included the garrison at Nanjing:

"Raid the foreign ministry," he ordered. "Arrest Kung and his followers. Let Ching-kuo's men clean up the aftermath."

His son would now have a free hand in what must be done.

(Custom event! Historically, Chiang made the other choice: see footnotes)​

Ching-kuo -- having learned from Stalin the meaning of political control -- did not hesitate to pass the death sentence on his cousin David Kung. The Chinese had a saying: 'kill one to warn a hundred'. If even the Generalissimo's nephew could face the firing squad, then whom would dare stand against the law now?

H.H.Kung did not escape the purge either. He was not only the Republic's wealthiest man. He was also the Republic's most corrupt man. Worse yet, he was now too dangerous, knew too much to be left alive. Perhaps Chiang Kai-shek might have kept him alive, as the Director-General did see Kung as family until now. But Ching-kuo? The son had always termed his uncles "Big Bourgeoisie" in a most disparaging manner and held no such sympathies.

The destruction of the Kungs would permanent render the Soong-Chiang-Kung extended family asunder:

• Chiang's wife, Soong Mei-ling, always had a rocky relationship with her step-son Chiang Ching-kuo. She sided with Soong Ai-ling and Kung, yet her words fell on her husband's deaf ears. The death of the Kungs led to a permanent rupture in their marriage. Before anyone could attain the authorization to stop her, the 'First Lady of the Republic' would set aboard the next ship to the United States with her sister, never to return.

• T.V.Soong, Chiang's other stepbrother and the only son of Charlie Soong, was heading the ROC embassy to the United States at the time of the incident. He defected to the Americans, giving them invaluable insider information on the structure of ROC politics. Worse yet, Soong had access to Kung's personal intelligence network, which both Dai Li and Ching-kuo now had their hands full in dismantling. An unusual alliance developed between the fascist BIS/Juntong and the socialist Youth Corps, as the two launched a series of White Terrors to cleanse the ROC government of Kung's faction.

(Custom event! T.V.Soong's defection gives the USA +0.5% IntelOp success chance.)​

• Only Soong Ching-ling, the widow of Sun Yat-sen and a leader in the Kuomintang's left wing, sided rather awkwardly with the Chiangs. Having always held sympathy for the Communists, Ching-ling's relationship with Chiang Kai-shek had been rocky for years. She even left China for Moscow between 1927 and 1931. Ching-kuo's handling of the Kungs did not improve their relationship any, and its aftermath made Ching-ling swear off politics for life. She focused herself on her welfare activities within China instead, and many began to call her the true 'Lady of the Republic'.

(Final dissent from events: 9%)​

To keep the political turmoil from spinning out of control, Chiang ordered a tightening of laws across the Republic of China. As a result, what little Democratic progress had been achieved since the 6th National Congress of the Kuomintang (1939) had been undone. The Chinese media were strictly forbidden from discussing any leaked secrets about Chiang's past shady dealings. Instead, they were to portray the purging of the Kung-Soong faction as a major government anti-corruption drive (which was not untrue), allowing it to gain a degree of public acceptance unseen in any of Chiang's White Terrors before.

To appease the Legislative Yuan, Chiang Kai-shek promised that the new restrictions would only be temporary -- a necessity to maintain national solidarity as China faced off against the British Empire in this global war.

(The economic slider changes hurt the most.)​

Chiang's Internal Housekeeping Record:
- 1933: unreliable NRA officers purged.
- 1935: Wang Jingwei's faction purged/exiled.
- 1936-1939: Ching-kuo's steady cleaning of internal corruption.
- 1940: Kung-Soong faction purged.

( Next Chapter - The Partition of Indochina )​

1. Due to the alt-history nature of this AAR, I start the habit -- after German AI launched a '1938 Invasion of France' -- of running ahead by 2-3 months on max simulator speed to see if any anomalies appear in the German AI. During the run where ROC did not join the war, the British AI extracted their troops from France with ease.
2. I force-relocated multiple Australian divisions to Rangoon prior to war's start. Australia is safe with its bigger navy right now, and it made sense UK would want to beef up Raj's defense, but it seemed the AI would rather be in Calcutta.
3. Chiang's decision on the Shanghai Economic War was undoubtly one of his worst mistakes. Not only did he doom the ROC economy and ruin all of Ching-kuo's hard work at internal reform, but he flew down to Shanghai during the middle of a military conference to interfere, which demoralized his top commanders as it showed that "family was more important than nation" to their leader. This utter failure sealed the CPC victory in the Chinese Civil War.
4. For more on the Shanghai Economic War, see "The Generalissimo's Son: Chiang Ching-kuo and the Revolutions in China and Taiwan (2000)".

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 24 - The Partition of Indochina

"As you all know I was an orphan boy in a poor family. Deprived of any protection after the death of her husband, my mother was exposed to the most ruthless exploitation by neighbouring ruffians and the local gentry. The efforts she made in fighting against the intrigues of these family intruders certainly endowed her with child, brought up in such environment, with an indomitable spirit to fight for justice. I felt throughout my childhood that mother and I were fighting a helpless lone war. We were alone in a desert, no available or possible assistance could we look forward to. But our determination was never shaken, nor hope abandoned."
- Chiang Kai-shek, in his speech to promote Kuomintang internal reform (1945)​

The generals of the ROC National Revolutionary Army would like nothing more than to see their Director-General stop meddling in front-line affairs. Yet such a pipe dream was asking for the impossible. Not only was Chiang a military man at heart, he was also the 1st Headmaster of Whampoa Academy (and never truly grew out of it). The only good news was that his trusted adviser, Alexander von Falkenhausen, came from the German school of thought and therefore believed in decentralized command and local independence of action. Furthermore, General Bai Chongxi, the Head of Military Operations, always remained close to headquarters and would help Chiang 'understand' the actions necessary for effective operational maneuvering.

It also helped that the growing list of Chinese victories was giving Chiang faith in his officer corps -- something that he consistently lacked in his other reality.

However, this left another issue:

Who was running the Republic of China's Executive Yuan while its paramount leader was on the wrong side of the Himalayan mountains?

The issue was highlighted all the more clearly as Tibetan separatists, under the coordination of British intelligence, sabotaged the phone line to Lhasa... again.

With communications to China increasingly unreliable, Chiang Kai-shek named Vice President of the Republic Li Zongren in charge of the country's day to day affairs. The Legislative Yuan welcomed this as Li -- despite being an ardent militarist of poor educational background -- worked better with civil administrators than Chiang did.

However, before Chiang could let go (even temporarily), he summoned Li Zongren to the Tibetan-Indian front for a conference to decide the fate of Indochina:

"...The Germans have already offered their support," Li Zongren was still explaining. "There's no reason for us not to take control of French Indochine..."

"Under no circumstances!" Chiang suddenly cut him off in anger. "I will not be remembered as the next Imperialist by future generations! To free Asia from the European powers only to replace them!"

(Left to right: Li Zongren, Yan Xishan, Chen Jitang, Weng Wenhao)​

Li Zongren scowled and exchanged glances with his compatriots: Shanxi modernizer and ex-warlord Yan Xishan, Guangdong modernizer and governor-general Chen Jitang, plus Minister of Industry Weng Wenhao. Yan looked ambivalent. Chen appeared contemplative. Only Weng was ready to back the Vice President up.

"Director-General," Weng began. "Since our declaration of war against the British Empire, we have been forced to relinquish many trade deals with oversea partners. Our resources have dropped to a severe deficit that will, given current trajectories, consume our stockpiles in two years' time. Our industry needs more raw materials, and our own mining industry isn't developing fast enough. Only the former British and French colonies can make up this difference."

Weng even highlighted the Indians' iron ore production -- with numbers far beyond what the Indian industry was capable of spending in the next decade. Why should China not make use of such resources?

On the other side, General Cheng Jitang's palm went to his temple as he shook his head with a reluctant sigh: "Is expansion the inevitable path of modernization and industrialization? What would Sun say if he saw us now?"

"Do you even have to ask? What we are doing now is nothing more than spitting upon his grave!" Chiang retorted, one fist slamming into his table as he stood up and began to pace irritably.

Despite his heated breaths, Chiang soon stood below the image of Sun Yat-sen that hung in every one of his work rooms/tents and and stared up in reverence. To many, Sun was the 'Father of the Nation'. But to Chiang -- who had lost his own father when he was just eight years old and had searched for replacements -- Sun was like another father figure to him.

(I believe the quote below translates as:
"loyalty, filial piety, and love of one's subjects is the way of peace")​

Sure, Sun Yat-sen wasn't Chiang's first mentor. That was Chen Qimei, who brought Chiang into the Tongmenghui revolutionary brotherhood in 1908. But Chiang's contact with Chen was intermittent, spent between serving in the Imperial Japanese Army, cultivating ties with the Shanghai underworld, and going on exile in Japan. Chen was assassinated by Yuan Shikai in 1916, and Chiang would find himself the leader of the Chinese Revolutionary Party in Shanghai.

When Sun Yat-sen returned to China from exile in 1917, Chiang left his power base behind and joined Sun in Guangzhou when the latter had neither money nor influence. Whereas Chen Qimei was little more than an militant idealist, Sun Yat-sen was a philosopher who envisioned the future of China. Together, the two of them (re)built the Kuomintang from scratch. And during that process, Chiang would earn Sun's everlasting trust when he twice used his life to shield Sun from the coups of unreliable warlords.

"For most of his life, Sun's dream had been to see China and Japan band together -- like brothers -- to see the independence of Asia from western domination," Chiang declared. "We lived and learned in Japan for over a decade, discussing the future of Pan-Asian movements with our Japanese friends in Inukai Tsuyoshi's very home! Without Japan as our sanctuary, the Kuomintang might never even have began!"

Chiang's fist tightened as his nostalgic gaze left Sun's portrait. His eyes returned to his compatriots with a bitter, clouded anguish that words failed to grasp.

"Yes, our Japanese compatriots had abandoned us. They had looked upon China as just another prize, and like that, we fought against once another when we should have been working together! Who benefited from our wars, if not the British and the French!? Those Imperialistic Europeans would happily watch us tear ourselves asunder -- colonies ripe for the taking just like the collapsing Mughal Empire! And now, you want us to forsake Bose the same way?" Chiang swung one finger towards the southwest and he shouted at the others: "to stab the Indians in the back just like how we ourselves had been betrayed!?"

"Please do not misunderstand, Director-General," the ever-diplomatic Yan spoke at last, his hand beckoning for Chiang to please sit down. "The Vice President is simply suggesting that since Germany has agreed, we might as well seize Indochina from France. After that, it's our choice what to do with it. And why must we play the imperialistic tyrant like the westerners? We could also liberate our neighbors -- trade with them, cooperate and develop them. They need infrastructure and technical support, we need resources. An equal exchange would be beneficial to both sides."

Exhaling his anger, Chiang returned to his chair and slowly deflated. China had associated the westerners' 'Free Trade' with extortionism for so long that he had forgotten: it was also possible to trade without special privileges such as extraterritoriality.

(Begin custom event chain!)​

"Liberation -- we can discuss. But I want you know right now: I will not have us replace Western imperialism in Asia with some kind of Oriental imperialism!"


...


Despite Chiang's wishes, the precise method of liberating Indochina had become tricky. Unlike Bose's Hindustan, Indochina had never shared a singular, collective identity in history. Caught in the cultural crossroads between China, India, and Malaysia, it had always been divided into a plethora of small, competing states: Thailand, Vietnam, Khmer, Champa, Lan Na, Lan Xang, et cetera...

"Ayutthaya was the largest of the historic Indochinese states," Chen Jitang proposed. "Much of the region's cultures are closely intertwined with the Thai. Why not ask them to unite under Thailand?"

He looked at Li Zongren, whose own cultural origins (Zhuang) made him a member of Tai cultural family.

"But what about Phibun? Do you think he'll support us?" Li asked. "The Field Marshal has been encouraging anti-chinese policies -- banning Chinese immigration, closing Chinese schools, even comparing us as the 'Jews of the East'."

(Left: Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, commonly known as 'Phibun', Prime Minister of Thailand.
Right: Ananda Mahidol, King Rama VIII.)​

"According to BIS information, the man has a paternal Chinese grandfather," Chiang's head shook with disbelief. "That makes him a direct Chinese descendant. How could a man be racist towards himself?"

"I don't think he is," Yan thoughtfully articulated. "Phibun is a political pragmatist. He will use public policy as a means to shape diplomacy, aligning himself with whomever he sees as beneficial to Thailand. He has used the British suspicion of us to great benefit, attaining English funding to boost the struggling Thai economy. He also promotes enconomic nationalism, and he believes Chinese traders control too much of the Thai market. If he'd truly been racist, he'd be driving the Chinese out instead of trying to integrate the local Chinese diaspora. No, I believe he is purely a nationalist -- and that means we can do business with him."

In other words, the man wasn't that different from Yan Xishan himself. Some politicians would call them fluid, flexible, even dynamic. Chiang thought of them as greasy and slippery.

"Furthermore," Chen added. "His closest friend and advisor, Sang Phathanothai, left a back channel open with us for negotiations. That's not the behavior of a rabid racist. It shows careful calculation on his part."

"Then you believe race is just an excuse then?" Chiang asked. "But how can we trust such a man?"

"There are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests," Yan smiled. "Tie our interests together with that of Thailand, and Phibun will become 'trustworthy'."

(Custom event!)​

"And Vietnam?"

"Support the VNDQQ nationalists, build up a functioning government so they can take care of their own matters; but otherwise let them be," Chen Jitang suggested. "We hardly have a friendly history the Vietnamese."

Chiang nodded. The largest border checkpoint between China and Vietnam was named the 'Southern Suppression Pass', because ever since the Han dynasty, China had to launch punitive expedition every century or two to punish the militant Dai Viet for their intransigence and raids. Because of this, historic China often referred to the Vietnamese as 'Southern Barbarians' -- and they were the only Indochinese state to 'earn' such a distinction.

(Zhennan Pass' extensive fortifications during the Sino-French War of 1884.)​

A strong Vietnam may not be best for long-term Chinese interests.


-----


By the time Li Zongren returned to Nanjing, he already had a finished proposal to the government of Thailand/Siam (they repeated changed their name during this period). China would offer all the territories Thailand lost to the British and French since 1865, in exchange for Thai participation in the war. Cochinchina/Saigon would be the only exception -- while it had been Thai territory, the region had been undeniably Vietnamese in culture since the 17th century.

ROC diplomats report that Phibun was 'ecstatic'. The Field Marshal had been whipping up a nationalistic fervor for the impending Franco-Thai War. But with Chinese support, Thailand had recovered most of its lost territories without even a single shot fired. Now, Phibun could focus his forces south and west, to retake what the British Empire owed the Thais.

In Vietnam, the nationalist Die Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng (VNDQQ) took power with the support of the Kuomintang. But the political atmosphere was far from stable. The Communist Vietminh movement claimed that Chinese imperialists had merely replaced the French, and that the VNDQQ was only a fascist puppet, another collaborationist government. The redeployment of three Chinese divisions from the 2nd War Zone into Vietnam (to guard its beaches) only seemed to confirm this. However China didn't have a choice; it would take time for the new Vietnamese government to train its own troops.

Meanwhile, ROC Vice President Li Zongren ordered General Zhang Zhizhong's 4th Route Army (1 HQ + 11 infantry divisions), to redeploy from Hong Kong into Indochina. His troops would assist the Thai Army in launching the invasion of Malaysia. One of the divisions in particular would be dispatched alongside the ROCN 1st Fleet (2 light cruisers, 15 destroyers) to attempt China's first ever amphibious invasion.

The Malaysian campaign had began. Its ultimate objective was the city Churchill once dubbed the "Gibraltar of the East" -- the strategic naval fortress-port of Singapore and its control over the Straits of Malacca.


-----

June 25th, 1940: With the world plunging into war, the United States grew increasingly fearful of subversive activities by both foreign agents and internal dissidents. As a result, Congress passed the Alien Registration (Smith) Act, requiring all foreigners to be fingerprinted to be "safeguarded from bigoted prosecution". The act also declares it illegal to advocate the replacing of the US government with a different political framework, and would soon become a tool to prosecute fascists, socialists, communists, and any political grouping the US sees as 'disloyal'.

Later that same day, the Princely State of Bikaner surrender to the NRA 1st Route Army after their local troops were destroyed in battle.

On June 26th, BIS intelligence received information that a sizable British air group had arrived at the Calcutta air base. General Bai Chongxi originally planned for the 2nd Route Army's main force to cross the Ganges River before launching the assault on the heavily defended city. However, he was also aware that the obsolete aircraft of the ROCAF 1st Air Army would stand no chance against the Royal Air Force. The British air groups must not be allowed to reorganize and finish their combat preparations.

Six NRA cavalry divisions that finished the river crossing and two assault infantry divisions still north of the Ganges were ordered to begin the assault on Bose's hometown. The defenders consisted of 4 poorly-equipped Indian divisions, 1 Indian cavalry division, 1 Australian cavalry division, and 8 Australian infantry divisions. The NRA was badly outnumbered. However, they were better experienced and equipped, while most Australians formations were fresh off their ships and still seasick from their long journey.

The attack was launched at first light, spearheaded by 750 armored cars of the KMT Cavalry Corps. The first decisive battle in the Indian theater had began.

( Next Chapter - The Axis Alliance )​

Notes:
1. "Under no circumstances!" was Chiang's retort when Stilwell, representing FDR, offered China control of French Indochine after the war. 'I will not have us replace Western imperialism in Asia with some kind of Oriental imperialism!' is a minor rephrasing for Chiang's reply towards the Americans asking for China to take a greater role in post-WW2 Asia.
2. Phibun is known for using his well-timed Anti-Chinese Campaigns for political gain. His first campaign started on 1938, perfectly timed to coddle up to Japan. His second campaign started in 1950s which buttered up the Americans just in time for the Korean War. During the Cold War Thailand maintained its anti-China, anti-Vietnam stance and received huge aid figures from the USA in return, meanwhile Phibun sent his best friend's children to be raised by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to be used as a 'back door'.
3. The US Alien Registration Act led to many convictions against dissident party leaders that the Supreme Court would later repeal or outright deem Unconstitutional. Of course, by that time, its job had been accomplished and the socialist, fascist, and communist parties in the US had been crushed. How very democratic.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 25 - The Axis Alliance

"China is the largest and most ancient of Asiatic countries, but it is not for us boastfully to talk of her right to a position of 'leadership' among those countries."
- Chiang Kai-shek, at the Kuomintang's 3rd People's Political Council​

June 27th, 1940 was a bright and sunny day in the small, coastal town of Hendaye in German-occupied France. Here, German Führer Adolf Hitler and his foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop met their Spanish counterparts: the Caudillo of Spain, General Francisco Franco, and foreign minister Ramón Serrano Suñer at the Hendaye Rail Station.

The Führer was still angry that Churchill rebuffed all attempts at peace negotiations despite overwhelming Germany successes on the continent. He wanted the Spanish on his side -- to open the road to Gibraltar if nothing else. Meanwhile, General Franco was thankful for the German and Italian support to the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, and was still bitter at the French seizure of Tangiers during the Moroccan revolt of 1938 (see chapter 16).

This proved a perfect opportunity for the Axis alliance.

Hitler offered Franco the return of all Moroccan colonies at the expense of France, as well as recognition of Spain's rightful claims on Gibraltar. The return of lost territories has worked well in building his alliances with both Hungary and China thus far. Why not try it again? In addition, Germany also promised Spain shipments of arms and resources (persistent trade agreement of 20 supplies and 5 oil) to help them rebuild after the destructive civil war.

Franco accepted.

(I did not expect this; completely missed the German Diplomatic Offensive event which signaled Hendaye is coming up.)​

Chiang was surprised when he heard the news. He did not remember Spain joining the Axis in his previous timeline. Perhaps Franco saw better odds in Germany's favor this time, as Hitler's oriental ally was already dissembling the British Empire in the Asia. China was mostly indifferent to Spain as by the time the Century of Humiliation began, the Spanish were already in full decline. They also never partook in any aggression against China like the other members of the Eight Nations Alliance. As a result, Chinese attitudes proved far more accepting of their new Spanish ally than towards the Italians. ROC ambassador (and new foreign minister) Guo Taiqi would send someone from the Berlin ambassy to Madrid as soon as they could manage.

The Vichy French government, however, was not pleased by this turn of events. Pétain accused Germany of betraying what they had agreed upon at Compiègne after a mere ten days. But with Wehrmacht boots still trodding all over France, he also had no choice but to capitulate to German demands.

Spanish forces, already battle-hardened by their destructive Civil War, soon began relocating towards the south, to prepare their attack on the strategic British base at Gibraltar. It was time to close the western mediterranean.

Meanwhile, British propagandists shifted the media away from such depressing news and focused on their latest victories:

In the north, the British Home Fleet foiled Germany's second attempt to invade Norway. They dodged Donitz's primary U-Boat force and and drove back the Kriegsmarine surface vessels escorting the transports, sinking ten troopships in the process. Over ten thousand Wehrmacht troops either drowned in the North Sea waters or became Norwegian prisoners of war as they surrendered on the beaches. Raeder's Operation Weserübung had now resulted in two disasters and left Germany with a thorn that they couldn't seem to remove.

In the south, the British invasion of Italian East Africa began with a successful push at Kismayo. Despite waging a war across three continents and four battlefronts (English Channel, Norway, Egypt, Hindustan) already, Churchill still believed in allocating forces to a fifth.

-----


From a shallow hill just north of the Ganges River, Chiang Kai-shek gazed through his binoculars as he personally arrived on the frontlines to oversee the battle outside Calcutta.

The NRA attack was not going well. Chiang watched as another squadron of light armored cars were destroyed by Australian direct-fire artillery support. One of them exploded violently as its anti-tank shells combusted and spat out its turret and gunner in pieces. The charging cavalry behind them were then mowed down by the enemies' Vickers heavy machine guns, while those who survived quickly dismounted to lay low against the ground.

China's only light tank brigade had been given to Xue Yue's 1st Route Army in the west, while the ROCAF's obsolete bombers lacked the range to reach the Calcutta battle lines. Chiang could offer nothing to support this bloody frontal assault. The KMT Cavalry Corps had been trained to maneuver on rough terrain, but they could find no ravines or forests to shelter their approach in the flat, woodless plains around Calcutta. The fanatical muslim troops were still pushing forward, a few dozen meters at a time as their battlecry "kill!" reverberated across the air. However, they were also taking heavy casualties from the Australian and Indian defenders, and Chiang punched his other palm in frustration as he watched another company disintegrate under the defenders' fire.

"Order the 21th assault infantry division!" he growled between gritted teeth. "Stop the river crossing! Bring their guns to bear on the city and pound those devils into oblivion!"

Bitter fighting would continue to rage through the day, and by nightfall Chiang would be informed of an even worse problem. The NRA was consuming its ammunition at an astounding rate, while supplies simply could not keep up across the overburdened Nathu La Pass in the Himalayas. General Bai Chongxi informed him that the NRA would only be able to keep up its assault for one more day, two at most. Then they'd have to fall back and wait for reinforcements (and their supplies) to arrive.

However, as the fighting went on into June 28th, the unbelievable happened.

Demoralized by the relentless Chinese assaults, the British India GHQ ordered the Australian and Indian troops to retreat. They abandoned Calcutta and fell back... east, into the swampy, indefensible terrain of the Bengal Delta -- a move that left the KMT generals baffled.

NRA troops advancing into Calcutta were also aghast to discover that the British evacuated only the white civilian population from the city, while leaving the Indians locals left behind to be shelled and shot in the crossfire. Chiang wasn't surprised though; they did the same with Malaysians and Chinese Singaporeans in his other world.

Meanwhile in the west, NRA troops had reached the gates of Delhi, somehow ahead of their INA Indian compatriots. Instead of sitting around and waiting, they launched an attack south to drive back any potential reinforcements from coming to Viceroy Linlithgow's aid. In the south, General Du Yuming's 200th division (motorized) was navigating its way to Hyderabad, the largest and most esteemed of the Princely States.


-----

June 29th, 1940: Italo Balbo, a leading Italian fascist organizer and the 'heir apparent' of Benito Mussolini, was killed by friendly fire when his transport attempted to land at the Tobruk airfield (which had just been raided by the British). Rumors began to speculate that Mussolini had secretly ordered his death, as the pro-British Balbo had been strongly against the alliance with Germany.

June 30th: With the British Expeditionary Force -- the bulk of UK's standing, mobile army -- lost in France, the British established the Home Guard (initially the "Local Defense Volunteers") in preparation to defend against a German amphibious invasion. The chances of such a cross-channel attack was slim though, as the Kriegsmarine still couldn't even establish a beachhead in Norway.

Also on June 30th: With the assistance of Thai air forces, troops of the Chinese 3rd Route Army successfully push the British back from both Indaw and Taunggyi. They captured another 8,000 Indian prisoners at Taunggyi when yet another division of the British India Army lay shattered. These victories secured the flanks of the drive to Rangoon along the Burma Road.

Meanwhile in southern India, the elite 200th division began their attack on the Princely State of Hyderabad. Netaji Bose and Director-General Chiang had agreed on the plan -- they would make an example out of this most prestigious British protectorate, to show the outdated puppet princes that their British masters were no longer capable of guaranteeing their gaudy lifestyles while their people lived in abject destitution.

General Du Yuming was ordered to seize the Nizam of Hyderabad with all haste. Their real objective -- Bombay -- still lay waiting to the west.


-----


Throughout the month of June, the German foreign minister has been sending feelers towards Chinese ambassador Guo Taiqi, trying to gauge the Chinese interest in signing a "Tripartite Pact". The agreement is roughly outlined as follows:

Article 1. China recognizes and respects the leadership of Germany and Italy in the establishment of a new order in Europe.
Article 2. Germany and Italy recognize and respect the leadership of China in the establishment of a new order in Asia.
Article 3. China, Germany, and Italy agree to cooperate in their efforts on aforesaid lines. They further undertake to assist one another with all political, economic and military means if one of the Contracting Powers is attacked by a Power at present not involved in the war against the British Empire and its allies.
Article 4. With a view to implementing the present pact, joint technical commissions, to be appointed by the respective Governments of China, Germany and Italy, will meet without delay.
Article 5. China, Germany and Italy affirm that the above agreement affects in no way the political status existing at present between each of the three Contracting Powers and Soviet Russia.
Article 6. The present pact shall become valid immediately upon signature and shall remain in force ten years from the date on which it becomes effective. In due time, before the expiration of said term, the High Contracting Parties shall, at the request of any one of them, enter into negotiations for its renewal.

By the end of June, Guo Taiqi would send this information to China, with the attached note:

"As the pact explicitly exempted the Soviet Union, only one major power fits all of the above mentions. This agreement is clearly aimed at antagonizing the United States, whom may be hostile to Germany and Italy but is not an enemy of modern China. US President Roosevelt may be starting to call us a 'predatory power'; but this is also the man who boldly declare his anti-colonialism, not merely in words but also in action. His attitude is, in fact, closer to our own interests than that of the Führer, who ignorantly view the pernicious British as some sort of 'civilizing influence'. Fortunately for us, Churchill refuses to surrender, and thus Germany remains a steadfast ally in our desire to overthrow the colonial order in Asia. Yet unfortunately for Sino-American relations, it is Eurocentrism that continues to dominate US politics. Henceforth:

"In the choice between a free Asia and a free Europe, Roosevelt will always choose the white men
-- and that, is the insurmountable obstacle between China and the United States."​

In response, the Legislative Yuan struck down the German proposal with overwhelming majority. It is in the Republic's interest to maintain cordial relations with the United States for as long as possible.

Meanwhile Chiang Kai-shek answered with just one line:

"China does not serve to fight Germany's wars."

The Republic of China did offer one concession though: Guo Taiqi was authorized to sign Article I, in acknowledgement that China has absolutely no interest in interfering in European affairs. In return, Germany and Italy will maintain Article II, although China itself refuses to declare any formal 'leadership' role in Asia.


-----


July 1st, 1940: The first Spanish action of the war turns out to be tragic. A transport flotilla bound for Africa was sunk by British warships, leading to thousands of army personnel drowning in the sea. What the flotilla was doing that far north in the Atlantic Ocean was something nobody could understand.

July 2nd: Advancing Chinese troops were still advancing into Calcutta when the ROC Air Force met the British Royal Air Force in first air battle over Asia in the Second World War. There, in the Brahmaputra Valley near Dhubri, 700 outdated ROCAF medium bombers met 400 bombers and 400 fighters of the RAF.

The vicious air battle lasted through much of the day. Air General Qian Dajun ordered a withdraw during a brief respite in the fighting at 1PM, but only half the Chinese bombers were able to pull out. By the time night finally fell, 159 bombers had been shot down by the British with nearly a thousand air crew killed in action.

General Bai Chongxi ordered 1st Air Army to temporarily halt all operations as they recovered from their losses. The NRA cavalry advancing into Calcutta were ordered to capture those air fields with all haste.

In the east, one division of Chinese infantry landed on the undefended beaches of Kuantan in the Malay Peninsula. Vice Admiral Chen Ce of the ROCN 1st Fleet was then ordered to make a dash through the Malacca Strait towards Rangoon to support the 3rd Route Army's capture of this strategic port.

Meanwhile, all eyes turned to the western India front as Netaji Bose's Indian National Army finally descended from the mountains and reached the gates of Delhi.

Delhi was not just the capital of the British Raj colonial administration. It was also the old capital of the Mughal Empire and the symbol of India's subjugation and lost pride. Now, with Chinese material and military support -- including the assistance of five NRA divisions -- the INA 1st division had assembled outside the city, ready to reclaim the rightful honor of all Hindustani.

"Comrades!" Netaji Bose himself addressed the troops on the front. "You have voluntarily accepted a mission that is the noblest that the human mind can conceive of. For the fulfillment of such a mission no sacrifice is too great, not even the sacrifice of one's life. You are today the custodians of India's national honour and the embodiment of India's hopes and aspirations. So conduct yourself that your countrymen may bless you and posterity may be proud of you."

He saluted the leading assault troops as they began to move out:

"Remember--

"FREEDOM IS NOT GIVEN! IT IS TAKEN!"

"JAL HIND!"​

( Next Chapter - The Red Fort )​

Notes:
1. I know that historically, the biggest reason for the failure at Hendaye was because Admiral Canaris worked against Hitler and persuaded Franco ahead of time, leading Franco to make demands that he knew Hitler would not fulfill. Canaris is known for ascribing to many of Hitler's views -- nationalism, anti-communist, anti-semitism (though most of Europe met those three criteria at the time so, doesn't say much). Canaris only started opposing Hitler in 1938 because of the Fuhrer's ambitious war aims which the admiral believed would bring Germany disaster. So the latest events beg the question: would Canaris support Hitler in this scenario? I find the spymaster too mysterious to grasp his exact character.
2. That photo of Chiang was taken when he personally visited the Shanghai frontlines (1937). I don't think any other national leader of WW2 ever came that close.
3. ROC attitudes towards Asia is documented by US Ambassador Gauss here: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1942China/d646 (some context: this letter was written when the US wanted China to take a greater post-war role, and as such Gauss notes Chinese interest in the Chinese diaspora.)

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 26 - The Red Fort

"One individual may die for an idea. But that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives."
- Subhas Chandra Bose​

On July 5th, 1940, NRA cavalry finally took control of Calcutta and cleared it of Australian and British stragglers. An Australian fighter wing and one British air group failed to pull out in time, and both their planes and their ground crew were captured by Chinese forces. Unfortunately, the Royal Air Force bomber group (and its escort fighters) that had thrashed the ROCAF at Dhubri had escaped in time.

The capture of Calcutta also cut the roads from India to Burma. The British would now have to ferry supplies across by sea. Thus, the ROCN 1st Fleet is now steaming towards the Bengal Bay to raid the Raj's lifelines.

On the same day, German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop and Portuguese Prime Minister Oliveira Salazar signed a trade agreement between the two nations, where Germany would buy much needed rare materials from Portugal and its empire. With Spain already a member of the alliance, it was time for German diplomacy to start aligning Portugal into the Axis powers.

July 6th: General Du Yuming reports having defeated the security forces of the 23-gun-salute (the senior-most) Princely State of Hyderabad. In a display of the 'Blitzkrieg' that Germany orchestrated in the west, Chinese troops stormed the Falaknuma Palace and captured the Nizam of Hyderabad - Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi. He was forced to sign a treaty announcing the unconditional surrender of the Hyderabad State.

Bose and Chiang hoped that this would give a clear signal to the other princes just whom was winning.

In the meantime, the elite 200th division was ordered north towards Bombay. They would soon receive the support of five NRA cavalry divisions currently being redeployed to Nizamabad.

More reports arrived from western India and Burma on the same day. In the west, the 1st Route Army was successfully pushing Raj forces back all along the line. A historic victory had been won in Delhi where the 'Poona Brigade' garrison had surrendered to Bose's INA, while other Raj troops (and the Australian cavalry) was now in full retreat.

News from the east were less celebratory. Chinese troops advancing towards Imphal discovered that the British Indian defenders had been greatly reinforced. With rough terrain and superior enemy numbers, 3rd Route Army commander Zhang Fakui ordered the NRA troops to return to a defensive posture.

The event reminded Chiang of his other world, when the IJA's failed siege of Imphal (1944) signaled the turn of the tide in the China-Burma-India theater. It seems the town would prove a tough nut to crack in this reality as well.


-----


On July 7th, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt makes his famous 'fireside chat' speech on the America as the Arsenal of Democracy:

In his headquarters outside Calcutta, Chiang Kai-shek tunes off his radio.

"Eurocentric propaganda," he scoffed. "Germany has no interest in the rest of the world. They are the only European nation who befriended people from across Asia -- not through the threat of a gun barrel but through mutual respect and economic assistance. Meanwhile it is the other European Imperialists who seek nothing more than the enslavement of all non-Europeans."

With Falkenhausen and his Germans temporarily away to reorganize the troops in Calcutta, General Bai Chongxi smirked without holding back:

"Irony, to see the white devils receive a dose of their own medicine. Nonetheless, this news only impresses a greater haste on our schedule. We must see the British driven out of Asia as soon as possible, before the Americans put an endless supply of steel machines in their hands."


-----

July 9th, 1940: Spain was not having a good entry into World War II, as they lose an entire transport fleet to a British naval ambush off the coast of Mauritania. Thankfully, the ships had just finished dropping off their troops.

July 10th: Chinese forces advancing on Rangoon push aside another division of the British Empire, only to discover -- the English had shipped in New Zealanders to die for their imperial glory as well. Sadly for these brave soldiers, they were badly outnumbered and driven back after a mere ten hours. Meanwhile, the crumbling moral of the British Indian Army led to another division of Indians surrendering to advancing NRA troops at Taunggyi.

To their south, Vice Admiral Chen Ce's 1st Fleet of 2 light cruisers and 15 destroyers had reached the Bay of Bengal.

Back in China, Vice President Li Zongren receive word from the Vietnam president Ngo Dinh Diem that the new Vietnamese government was having difficulties suppressing rebellious elements from Ho Chi Minh's Communist Vietminh. Ngo requested the use of NRA troops in Vietnam to suppress Vietminh activities. Li was tempted to agree, except his troops were already spread too thin guarding Vietnam's beaches.

(Left: Ngo Dinh Diem, 1st President of Vietnam [just South Vietnam in our history],
right: Ho Chi Minh, Communist revolutionary leader of the Viet Minh)​

...

June 11th, 1940: After seizing Calcutta and its surrounding territories, the main body of the NRA 1st Route Army encircled and destroyed the lone Australian division that had been trapped east of Calcutta. The news of over 9,000 Australians being captured seemed to have shocked the other Australian corps into withdrawing from the Bengal Delta. The ROCN 1st Fleet was sent to ascertain if they had retreated by sea or if they simply redeployed deeper into the forests of Burma.

At the same time, the NRA 15th Cavalry division was ordered to advance northeast towards Delhi, with three infantry divisions protecting their flanks. They would form the southern pincer for the encirclement of the Ganges River alley.

In the Mediterranean, the Italian navy finally scored a notable victory apart from the occasional destroyer or cruiser. They intercepted a British transport fleet off Malta and sunk it, leading to at least one division drowning at sea.

June 12th: Germany's third invasion of Norway fails with catastrophic losses, despite the best attempt of Admiral Karl Dönitz. He had attempted to lay a trap for the British by creating a web of over 200 submarines off the coast of Norway, yet the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous managed to slip past undetected. The daring raids sunk the German battleships Bismarck and Gneisenau, as well as two more transport flotillas which left over 12,000 German troops stranded on the coast with neither support nor backup. They surrendered to the Norwegian Army as the remnants of the German fleet withdrew.

By now, Operation Weserübung had reached a new level of infamy amongst the Kriegsmarine. Chinese submariners studying in German noted that their fellow cadets referring to it as "Raeder's Disaster" or "Raeder's Nightmare", while Wehrmacht soldiers dreaded the aspect of boarding transports and compared it to "a fast ticket to hell".

One thing was for certain. Germany would not be landing on the British Isles anytime soon.

...

Despite Chinese diplomats' best attempts to turn Nepal (and its army of seven divisions), King Tribhuwan Bir Bikram Shah refused to betray his loyalties to the British so long as the Raj remained. However, with Chinese guns in Kathmandu (and inside his Narayanhiti Palace), the King agreed -- for the sake of Nepalese lives -- to stand down his army and accept a Chinese military occupation.

The good news was: this precarious state of affairs wasn't likely to linger for long.

On July 13th, advancing Indian National Army troops captured the Red Fort at Delhi. There, on the Palace of the Mughal Emperors who once united the subcontinent, free Indian soldiers once more lifted the flag of a new, proud Hindustan that would be free of colonial oppression.

"Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India's destiny,
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, and Maratha,
of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal,
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
Mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges,
And is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise,
The saving of all people waits in thy hands,
Thou dispenser of India's destiny,
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee."

"Day and night, thy voice goes out from land to land,
Calling the Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains round thy throne
And the Parsees, Mussalmans and Christians.
Offerings are brought to thy shrine by the East and the West
To be woven in a garland of love.
Thou bringest the hearts of all peoples into the harmony of one life,
Thou Dispenser of India's destiny,
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee."​

Tens of thousands of Indians poured out in celebratory support as Bose began his speech from atop the battlements of the Red Fort while the new Indian national anthem -- Subh Sukh Chain -- faded in the background. There, Netaji declared that the era of British oppression, prosecution, plunder, and starvation is at an end. However, he also warned that the struggle for independence is far from over, and that Indians of every ethnicity and religion must band together to see that a new, prosperous, and free India, is forged.

"...In this struggle, in which for India means to be or not to be, there can only be one outcome: our mutual victory. Long live the Axis powers and their allies. Long live Free India!"
(the original)​

...


As Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose stepped down from the podium, he salute the man whom he would always maintain as the true "Father of the (Indian) Nation". Gandhi had once criticized him for attending an Indian National Congress session in a military regalia imitating the Fascists. But today, Bose stands before his political mentor, unapologetic. His belief in liberation by force had brought freedom to India, with considerable haste and far less suffering for the Indian people. Millions of Indian lives would now be saved from the vile policies of the British Empire, and for that, Bose was proud to walk what Gandhi considered the 'immoral' path.

"Ghandi-ji (Father Ghandi). I have returned to see India freed."

Gandhi saluted in return. The two of them may never see eye-to-eye when it comes to their methodology, but they would always remain the same in principle, harboring the same visions for India's future, the same dreams.

"You have achieved a complete unity among the Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Christians, Anglo-Indians and Sikhs in your ranks. That is no mean achievement."
- Mahatma Gandhi​

( Next Chapter - Drive to the Sea )​

Notes:
1. Whatever I may be writing here, I greatly admire FDR's Arsenal of Democracy speech as one of the greatest in history.
2. For the sake of modding simplicity, all events for the reorganization of the Indian subcontinent (new countries and such) will be delayed until later.
3. 'Suhb Sukh Chain' is the Hindustani translation of the Nobel Literature laureate Rabindranath Tagore's poem/song 'Jana Gana Mana'. The Hindi version of this is the Indian National Anthem of today. I wanted to spotlight the lyrics as really speak for just how diverse India is and how it defies all western notions of a nation-state. The Azad Hind version also celebrates the various religions of India which does not exist in the modern Indian national anthem (2nd stanza was cut). It really shows the difference between Bose and Nehru's vision of India.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 27 - Drive to the Sea​

July 16th, 1940: Having reached the coast off Rangoon, Chen Ce's 1st Fleet of 2 light cruisers and 15 destroyers begins the ROCN's first naval action by raiding some Raj transport ships.

July 17th: BIS Agents under Dai Li's command managed to gather two pieces of information from their contacts in British territory. First, the Spanish have began launching probing attacks against Gibraltar; they were not successful, but the British were alarmed to discover the presence of German military communications during the assault. Perhaps this is a sign that a Wehrmacht army command had been sent ahead to prepare for a coming operation.

In Northern Africa, any land Italy gained at the start of the war had already been reclaimed by British troops. Instead, it was the British who now launched attacks into Italian lands, despite being outnumbered 5 to 1 in the theater. ROC generals couldn't help but collectively shake their heads at this news.

In the east, the British were growing desperate. NRA commanders report that they were now engaging South African infantry at the flatlands of Nawabshah in western India. BIS intelligence believes they had been rushed up from their native country in an attempt to stop the Chinese offensive on Karachi. Nevertheless, their numbers simply weren't enough and it'll only be a matter of time before Chinese forces push through.

Meanwhile in Delhi, Chinese light infantry were arriving in the city in the tens of thousands. They were welcomed by masses of cheering Indian throngs. However, the troops were not allowed anything more than a passing celebration: Chiang Kai-shek ordered them to immediately attack recovering British columns to the south. Only Bose's INA division will be retained within the city to hold this sacred Indian capital.


...


July 18th: Encouraged by Reichsführer Himmler and his odd fascination towards India (as an origin of the Aryan race), Hitler dispatched two Luftwaffe air wings through Syria/Iran to Delhi as a symbolic sign of support for their allies. Bose and his officers received them with full courtesy, despite his misgivings due to Hitler's track record for racism towards Indians.

On the same day, Chinese rear-echelon troops at Putao reported being pressured by a coordinated Raj counterattack. 3rd Route Army commander Zhang Fakui immediately ordered their withdraw to more defensible positions in Luxi (Chinese border). His scouts reported that the missing Australian divisions had been found: 5 of them had marched into Indaw and were preparing for an offensive towards the east. This would pose a threat to not just the 3rd Route Army's supply line, but also the Kunming-Lhasa railroad that was responsible for supplying the bulk of Chinese troops in India.

The few divisions in the rear were ordered to form a new defense line in the Jungle and hold it, while Zhang's HQ and accompanying divisions smashed into the Australian divisions before they had time to properly reorganize.

...

July 19th: After easily pushing aside the underequipped and exhausted Indian and New Zealander troops in Rangoon, NRA forces seized the city. Unexpectedly, the British puppet forces did not warn the Royal Air Force squadrons stationed in the city to pull out in time. 800 aircraft (the very same that thrashed the ROCAF at Dhubri) were captured on the ground before they could escape. Although many of them had been sabotaged at the last minute, the equipment, documents, and crews will nevertheless prove valuable to Chinese aviation and engineers.

July 20th: As the global situation rapidly worsen for the British since the Fall of France, American President Roosevelt exerts all of his political resources to push through an agreement that completely violated US neutrality in the rules of war: the United States Navy will supply 50 of its destroyers (plus another 10 coast guard cutters later) in exchange for 99-years rent-free land leases on a number of British bases. Yet despite the obvious strategic advantages American patrols could give Britain, Churchill was reportedly to have disliked the deal at first, while his aide, John Colville, comparing it to the USSR's bullying of Finland.

Then just two days later, the US Congress signed the Lend-Lease "An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States" as well, formally authorizing America to sell any and all war supplies to Britain in exchange for future repayments.

At the 2nd Route Army HQ near Calcutta, Chiang Kai-shek burned his copy of the news.

"The Americans have picked their side," his voice was somber and wistful. "It will not be long before they turn on us now."

"Surely not militarily," his chief strategist Bai Chongxi noted. "Roosevelt would never dare drag America into war during an election year."

"Perhaps not," Chiang remarked. "But... Woodrow Wilson ran on the slogan 'he kept us out of the war'. Then a year later the interests of US businesses pull him into the Great War regardless. That kind of behavior tells us only one fact: that the elections are just a front and not where the true keys to power lie."

Bai sneered.

"Democracy," he scoffed. "the same old western hypocrisy through some other name."

Chiang glared back. "Every political philosophy has its uses. Our National Father was not naive."

He thought back to his past, to his other life when he underestimated, if not outright ignored, the Communists' capacity to mobilize the Chinese peasant society until it was too late.

"It is those who see only ideology but ignore the tool who are true fools."


...


July 22nd: After days of bitter fighting on mountaineous terrain, KMT forces have pushed back the Raj troops in northwestern India (modern Pakistan) towards the badlands of Peshawar. Combined with the victory 3 days ago against the British/South-African corps in Nawabshan, western India was all but secure and seizing Karachi had become simply a matter of time.

Later that night, Chiang Kai-shek's HQ received the most encouraging news: General Du Yuming's mechanized 200th division had seized Bombay without a fight! This city, once the headquarters of the British East India Company, was not only largest port in India but also a symbol of British Imperialism. Now, it once again rightfully belongs to its cheering Indian crowds.

(In the 48 days between June 4th and July 22nd, the 200th Division crossed 3 mountain ranges and 2,863km of land.)​

Both the 2nd and 3rd Route Armies' objectives have been secured. All that remained was to wait for Xue Yue's 1st Route Army to take Karachi.

( Next Chapter - The Domino Effect )​

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 28 - The Domino Effect​

If there was one critical flaw in the British Army and Royal Navy, it was their pride.

Having built a globe-spanning empire, the British forces have been on the winning side of every major European war for centuries. They have crushed countless numerically superior forces under their boot heels, destroyed entire nations that dwarfed Britain's own size. The reason for this was that when push came to shove, the British forces would always stand their ground in defense. From Waterloo to Rorke's Drift, the remarkable resilience of British troops showed time and again as they held the line during the decisive moment.

Thus, for many of the Empire's commanders, it seemed unfeasible that the brave troops of the home isles could be uprooted from strong fortifications by anything less than a first rate power. Those ill disciplined colonial troops, perhaps. The Australians might fail at Calcutta and New Zealanders at Rangoon. But for those of true English blood? The fortress at Gibraltar have beaten back tremendous odds before and they shall do it again, especially against those ragtag fascists calling themselves the 'Spanish government'. That left ample time to reinforce 'The Rock' before German reinforcements could arrive.

At least, that was what the British Army and Royal Navy expected, until four days of relentless assaults by Spanish veterans from their brutal civil war overran the defenses on the 23rd of July. To the Nationalists, Britain's repayment of Spanish territory was long overdue.

Franco's troops secured control of The Rock in the coming day. Their breakthrough came so sudden that a Royal Navy squadron being resupplied at harbor failed to pull out in time. Two carriers, one light cruiser, and nine destroyers were destroyed by direct-fire artillery support as they tried to escape*. It was the biggest disaster for the Royal Navy to date in this war. And it earned Hitler's hearty congratulations: the Spanish forces have proven their bravery and worth by dealing the British a strategic defeat within just one month of joining the war.

This would have decisive consequences, as the British communication and supply routes to the east - through the Mediterranean - were now cut off. North Africa would have to be supplied from around the Cape of Good Hope, adding thousands of miles to the tenuous supply line.

The British blamed it on the arrival of German troops. But in reality, only a Wehrmacht advisory group (HQ division) had taken part in the battle, and not a single German soldier had been killed.

On the same two days, the Australians' plan to launch a counterattack from Burma into Yunnan had been foiled by the NRA 3rd Route Army. Meanwhile the last three divisions of British Indian Army forces in eastern Burma surrendered at Taunggyi.

(A division of China's best infantry also quietly boarded transports at Calcutta and slipped away into sea.)​

...


July 26th, 1940: The first shipments of Lend-Lease from the United States have arrived in the United Kingdoms. ROC diplomats could only sigh as they watch the inevitable begin.

On the same day, General Charles de Gaulle made his appeal by radio from London. He rallied the French people in choosing resistance instead of surrender. Thus, the exiled general officially formed 'Free France' and the 'Free French Forces' -- a name Chiang Kai-shek found almost laughable, considering its provisional capital was in Brazzaville, on the land of Africans still denied their freedom from colonial oppression.

Later that night, General Xue Yue's 1st Route Army finally reported the good news: after two days of assault by four Muslim cavalry divisions and China's only light tank brigade, the Indian garrison at Karachi surrendered. Xue's forces were moving in to secure the port city -- the last of China's military objectives in Operation Clear Sky.

Unbeknown to him, Chiang's chief strategist Bai Chongxi had added one more objective to the list. However, with the necessity of surprise paramount to the mission's success, only a handful of people on the continent actually knew about the top secret operation.

(Somewhere in the Bay of Bengal, hidden by summer monsoons...)​

...


July 28th: Hitler seems unable to let Norway go, as after losing multiple capital ships and tens of thousands of men, he still insisted on renewed amphibious landings at Alesund. Germany's 4th attempt feeds another 2,700 able-bodied men to the already bloodied beaches. At least this time they didn't lose any naval assets, possibly because the Kriegsmarine didn't have any more big ships to lose.

On the same day, Chinese forces secured Karachi, the last major port on the Indian subcontinent still in British hands. With its seizure, the colonial administration of the British Raj met its final collapse. The Republic of China formally annex the now-defunct colonies of British India, British Burma, and the Princely States. Bose was still busy in Delhi negotiating with the various Hindustani leaders on the creation of a new Indian state(s). Chiang planned to join him soon, but until then, he and his generals busied themselves with mopping up the ~20 foreign divisions (Australian, New Zealand, South African, British) still trapped on the continent.

Bai Chongxi's gamble with China's limited fleet assets also paid off, as the ROCN 1st Flotilla (2 light cruisers and 15 destroyers) landed forces near the largely-undefended British naval base at Colombo.

A week ago, Bai had reasoned that if the British couldn't intercept the Chinese flotilla after it dashed past the Straits of Malacca, then there was a strong possibility that the British simply didn't have enough naval forces in the Far East to hunt down a small, mobile concentration from China. Furthermore, the intense pressure to stop the Chinese push in Hindustan meant that the British India GHQ likely stripped their defenses across the region for manpower. Many of the island bases in the area were probably held down by no more than a skeleton garrison.

Britain was the pre-eminent naval power in the world, while China was a fledgling whose naval traditions had to be rebuilt from scratch after its completely destruction in the First Sino-Japanese War. It was unlikely that anyone could have seen such an audacious play coming from the ROCN, certainly not the prideful British admirals who saw themselves as the rightful rulers of the sea.

But most of all, China could also afford to lose a mountain division; and the seizure of Ceylon would threaten the lines of communication between Singapore and British forces in Suez. Therefore in this case, the reward was worth the risk.

Considering these points, Chiang had agreed and given the go ahead. The result was yet another monumental moment in China's rebirth:

The landing site chosen for the 4th Mountain Division was the beaches of Galle. It was the very same town that Zheng He, the Muslim admiral and explorer from Ming dynasty, set foot in and raised the Galle Trilingual Inscription (between 1409-1411). The Chinese had come in peace long before the arrival of the Imperialistic Europeans. They showed their respect to the locals and left lavish gifts and offerings to Buddha and Allah at the temple on Sri Paadaya, choosing to awe through wealth and generosity rather than through brutality and force.

Chiang wanted a display that the new China would treat India in the same way.

(The tablet was inscribed in Nanjing. The original was rediscovered in 1911 and is now in the Colombo National Museum of Sri Lanka)​

...


July 29th: With the seizure of Gibraltar, the British supply lines were cut off just long enough for the Italians to (finally) achieve a major land victory. The British failed to retreat in good order after the 3rd Battle of As Sollum. Several Italian motorized divisions broke through and overran the bulk of the British Army in North Africa. The final tally of losses, killed or captured, numbered over 100,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers, not to mention several more divisions cut off in the Saharan Desert. Axis leaders find it doubtful that the British could recover from this, especially considering the weight of Italian numbers still barreling towards them.

July 30th: Reports from America note that US public opinion -- prodded by a biased, Anglophile media -- once again sided with the UK. The American people reacted strongly against the return of Gibraltar to its rightful owners.

August 3rd: The NRA 4th Route Army was still marching down the Malay Peninsula when it encountered resistance from a division of South Africans. The Chinese troops threw them back with overwhelming force, but now the garrison at Singapore knew what was coming their way.

In the west, the British Royal Navy, fearing that the Germans would seize the mostly untouched French Fleet, declared an ultimatum to French Admiral Gensoul at Mers-el-Kébir to either scuttle his ships or join the British Mediterranean squadrons in fighting the Axis. Admiral Gensoul rejected, citing that it would be a gross violation of the armistice and thus would put his occupied home country in a precarious position. In response, British forces under Admiral Somerville launched a merciless attack against those had been their allies, whom British ministers had "given their whole hearts to [...] and offered common brother nationhood" (Churchill) just weeks before. This treacherous act of unprovoked aggression would kill nearly 1,300 French sailors, sink the battleship Bretagne plus damage two others, and trigger a surge of Anglophobia across the once sympathetic and friendly French populace.

"[It was] the biggest political blunder of modern times and will rouse the whole world against us... We all feel thoroughly ashamed."
- Admiral Somerville​

After hearing about the news, Chiang was once again reminded of how he lost his elite 200th Division in that other world. With a bitter tone he commented to his staff: "The British are the most selfish and unreliable people in the world. What did the French expect?"

August 6th: True to President Roosevelt's words, the United States was establishing itself as the Arsenal of Democracy. US lend-lease shipments were now arriving to equip the 'Free' French.

August 10th: ROCN 1st Flotilla lands a second mountain division on the Maldives, seizing the barely-defended British naval port at Malé.

August 12th: General Zhang Zhizong of NRA 4th Route Army report that his forces have seized the city of Johore Bahru. They now overlooked the island of Singapore, located just across the Johore Strait. Intelligence provided by Dai Li's BIS network report that the British and their Australian/South African vassals have already managed to bring five divisions to the port known as the 'Gibraltar of the East'. Zhang Zhizong tried to secure some brief rest for his exhausted men after their hike through Indochine and Malay, but General Bai Chongxi - ROC Head of Operations - had none of it:

"We must seize our Gibraltar before the British could bring ashore any more men. You have 24 hours to launch the assault."

What Bai did not mention, was that a backup plan was already in effect. A dozen divisions of dedicated assault troops were on deployment to Johore Bahru even as they spoke. Britain's display of arrogance -- in holding onto such an isolated position attached to the Asian mainland -- was an insult to all Asians, and Bai intended to see them pay.

There was no room for clever maneuver, no friendly air bases within range, nor would China risk providing naval support. The battle would have to be a frontal assault.

But China could afford any butcher's bill. The foreigners could not.

( Next Chapter - The Final Push )​

Notes:
1. Just about every source I've read documented that the British sorely underestimated the Japanese in the Malay campaign... due to complacency born out of racism towards "little yellow men". Interestingly enough, it wasn't limited to non-whites either, as even the Australians and New Zealanders wrote about how British officers often rejected their kind from social establishments (bars/restaurants/etc), forcing them to go mingle with the Indian Sepoys instead.
2. For some reason ships sunk by land forces don't leave a record on the 'Sunk Ships' game log? I did not leave a good save point in figuring out what carriers the Royal Navy lost at Gibraltar.
3. I'm still pretty busy in the coming months, but I'll try to squeeze out 1-2 updates every month (except maybe the Partition of India, that topic requires research and thus lots of time).

 

[zanaikin]

Happy Spring Festival update~!​

Chapter 29 - The Final Push​

August 14th, 1940: General Zhang Zhizhong managed to buy one extra night of rest for his men by launching a preliminary probing attack to satisfy his superiors' mandate. Then, at first light on the morning of the 14th, his NRA 4th Route Army begins an all-out assault against Singapore's defenses. 11 Chinese and 2 Thai divisions crossed the Johore Strait using whatever boats and rafts they could find/build. Only 3 engineering brigades were available to support the troops as their attack stretched across the entire front, seeking to overwhelming the British defense through sheer weight and breadth.

The defenders included 3 Canadian divisions (including 1 motorized), 1 South African division, and 1 British fortress division. They also had over 250 British cruiser tanks, which marked the first time Chinese forces engaged western armor in close combat. The Pak36 guns proved sufficient, although due to NRA's low priority on anti-tank weaponry there was never enough for them to go around.

August 16th: Capitalizing on their success after the 3rd Battle of As Sollum, the Italians press forward all across the front. An important victory was achieved at Bir Fuad, threatening to cut off British supply lines to the troops still deep in the Saharan Desert (the province of Moghara, where the German bomber is over, isn't actually connected with territories north/east of it, due to a ridge in local geography). They also overran another retreating British division in the week that followed.

August 18th: Canadian Prime Minister William L.M. King and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Ogdensburg Agreement and establish the Canadian-American (Permanent) Board of Defense, to join the mutual interests of defense against oversea foes by the two neighbors.

August 20th: General Władysław Sikorski -- Polish Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister of the government-in-exile -- establishes the Polish 1st Corps in UK using troops that they successfully evacuated from France. Chiang almost felt sorry for them, knowing from his other life that the British would just betray the Poles again at the war's end, even if the Entente won.

August 25th: After eleven days of ferocious combat, General Zhang Zhizhong surprised his superiors by seizing Singapore before any of reinforcing assault divisions could arrive and finish reorganizing. At the cost of nearly 11,000 Chinese and Thai casualties, he crushed the defense force and took nearly 50,000 British and vassal troops captive (including 210 tanks).

In addition to seizing Britain's "Gibraltar of the East" and dealing them a heavy blow, the battle also cemented bonds between the Chinese and Thai forces. The Thais -- who had barely any anti-tank weapons and noticeably inferior equipment/training (lead to 4 casualties for every 1 inflicted) -- displayed their bravery by destroying almost the same number of British tanks as the Chinese troops.

For veteran NRA commanders of the Civil War and Second Sino-Japanese War, there was nothing more proving of a man's worth than the ability to carry a grenade vest or satchel charge forward into the jaws of death.


...


After the Fall of France, the 1939 Anglo-French Guarantee of Romania Independence had become worthless. The USSR became the first to take a bite out of Romania, but they would not be the last. On September 5th, 1940, Hungary also demanded the return of territories lost from the Treaty of Trianon, during which the victorious Entente paid Romanian support in WWI with large gifts of land. This time, it was Germany's turn to press the issue in favor of their loyal Hungarian allies -- who was the 1st to join the Axis powers.

Squeezed between two major powers and seeing no choice before them, the Romanians capitulated. They returned all of Northern Transylvania to Hungarian control.

(This boosts Hungarian industrial capacity to 53/40, enough for an extra research team!)​

This humiliation caused the fascist Romanian Iron Guard, otherwise known as the Legion of the Archangel Michael, to seize control in a rebellious coup. Following the example set by Germany, Conducător Ion Antonescu simultaneously launched the Bucharest Pogrom to quench opposition and establish legitimacy/control.

Meanwhile in Germany, the Luftwaffe establish night fighter groups to better counter the Royal Air Force's nighttime bombing raids. The ROCAF did not send any observers this time; they have yet to nailed down even their daytime air combat skills.


...


Over the past month, Chinese forces in India have slowly cleaned up the various British and vassal troops left in western and eastern India. However, the ANZAC troops left in Burma have been... far more problematic.

Six Australian divisions and one New Zealander division had dug their heels into the rainforests around Haka, refusing to surrender despite being completely cut off. A 2nd New Zealander division retreating from Rangoon (through Akyab in the Rakhine state) sought to join them, but their formation has virtually disintegrated after weeks of relentless bombing raids from the ROCAF. The Burmese monsoon season made land offensives virtually impossible (offensive effectiveness down to as low as 3%), but nevertheless the light Chinese forces continued to squeeze the noose, with the help of local Burmese support thanks to General Ann Sung.

On September 9th, the ANZAC troops had enough. Weeks without food, ammunition, and medical resupply had destroyed any fighting spirit they had remaining. Malnutrition and malaria ran rampant, and more troops were dying to starvation and disease than to Chinese attacks. Over 60,000 troops laid down their arms and entered captivity so they could finally be fed. The NRA troops didn't have much food either -- the monsoon took its toll on Chinese supply lines as well -- but even a handful of rice was better than nothing.

In the final tally, the mopping up operations captured or killed over 150,000 British, South African, Australian, and New Zealander troops, and removed another 15-16 divisions from the Empire's order of battle.

The Indian subcontinent was at last secure. Operation Clear Sky had lasted 3 months and 5 days.


...


September 12th: The success of 3rd As Sollum had made the Italian dictator overconfident. Mussolini had ordered an amphibious assault of Alexandria in hopes of destroying the British forces in Egypt, but these ambitions proved to be far too premature. The operation proved to be a catastrophic failure, and the Italians lost 7 transport flotillas and a full land division during the retreat.

September 13th: After four failed invasions of Norway and multiple catastrophic naval engagements that sank all of the Kriegsmarine's worthy capital ships, the Chinese had already become accustomed to news of German failure in northern Europe. Thus, it came as a surprise when they found out that Hitler's stubborn Fifth invasion of Norway somehow... succeeded.

The Wehrmacht finally solidified a beachhead at the Norwegian port at Alesund and drove the defenders back inland. However, there was one major difference in the operation this time, and the shockwaves it created had already began to reverberate through the Third Reich.

The assault had been led by the 2nd S.S. Division Verfügungs (later Das Reich).

What the Heer and the Kriegsmarine failed to achieve in four attempts, the Schutzstaffel managed on its first try. Hitler and his ultraconservatives would tote this victory as undeniable proof that Aryan purity and Nazi fanaticism represented the pinnacle of human achievement and therefore, the keys to future success.

Unfortunately, the rise of the Schutzstaffel also signaled an undermining of Germany's great inheritance: their traditional Prussian Officer Corps. The German generals could only look on in dismay as newly created Waffen S.S. divisions began to receive the newest and best weapons produced by their war industry. Their complaints could be heard all the way in China, where all of Chiang's respected advisors were German traditionalists. Even Chiang Wei-kuo's letters home had began to reflect the disdain shown by the army towards the new Nazi troops:

"...Our veterans could only watch, helpless in their obsolete tanks, while these green recruits, driven more by idealism than by training, received the newest Panzer III models, then proceeded to botch up every basic exercise in the book."

For the Republic of China -- whose German-trained commanders held the deepest respect for the aristocratic officer corps, who valued the tradition of integration over racial zealotry, and who believed that political thought was flexible so long as nationalism was upheld -- this proved yet another moment when the difference between the 'Nazis' and the 'Germany' they admired was brought into painful view.

( Next Chapter - The New Order in Asia )​

Author Notes:

1. Chinese use of Dare-to-Die troops persisted well into the Cold War era. KMT troops, even the elite, US equipped divisions, continued to use it in the late Civil War, while PLA use lasted well into the Korean War. Westerners often cast their disdain toward 'Kamikaze troops', but the Asian militaries wore it as a badge of pride. This was a key difference in Eastern vs Western military culture (Chinese WW2 records routinely noted that the IJA showed great respect towards those who fought to the last man, while those who surrendered received... 'ill treatment'.)

2. Heer complaints against the Schutzstaffel is based on late war Wehrmacht complaints, made against Hitler's preference in creating new SS and Volksgrenadier divisions rather than reinforcing the battle-hardened veteran formations.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 30 - The New Order in Asia

"An individual should not have too much freedom. A nation should have absolute freedom."
- Sun Yat-Sen
​

September 16, 1940:

Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek -- Premier of the Republic of China, Director-General of the Kuomintang, and Chairman of the ROC National Military Council -- led the cadre of top Chinese generals as they ascended the stairs to the gatehouse of the Red Fort of Delhi. On top stood the leaders of the Hindustani independence movements: 'Netaji' Subhas Chandra Bose, 'Mahatma' Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Indian National Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru, and All-India Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

(left to right: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Muhammad Ali Jinnah)​

In a sign of symbolic recognition, Subhas requested that Gandhi-ji (Father Gandhi), whom he would always uphold as Father of the (Indian) Nation, to stand at the forefront of the Indian leadership. He would be the one to receive Chiang Kai-shek's honorary salute, and be the first head-of-state of Free India to shake hands with the Chinese leader.

"The last of the British Imperialists on the continent have surrendered," Chiang declared. "As I have promised Bose, Chinese forces on the Indian continent have began an immediate withdraw back to our own borders. Only twenty divisions will stay behind, to guard the Indian coastline until new formations of Indian troops could be trained to take over such duties."

"Though we regret that violence had to be used, we are thankful that India is free once more," Gandhi nodded in return. "It now falls upon us, to see that our two great nations may coexist once more in benevolence and harmony, just as we have for thousands years of history."

Chiang did not miss the subtle warnings in Gandhi's tone: that Indians would never accept the trading of one master for another. China and India would either stand together as partners, or not at all.


...

Hours later, Chiang sat down with the Indian leaders in the Secretariat Building of New Delhi. To better project the image of equals, he had swapped out his military uniform for his everyday, plainclothes attire.

"To be perfectly honest," Chiang explained, "China is not in a position to help India much. We are still embroiled in our own modernization. Between industrialization, socioeconomic reforms, and waging war against the imperial powers, our resources are already stretched to the limits. Even as I speak, my son Ching-kuo is busy enacting large-scale monetary and budgetary reforms that China desperately need. We do not have the capacity to interfere with the future of India even if we wanted to.

"The two things I have promised Bose is that China will provide troops for India's coastal defense in the first few years, as well as specialist trainers and technological transfers to help India jumpstart its own industry and military. But other than that, China can only offer political and morale support for Bose and India. The challenges facing India are unique and many, and China has neither the intentions nor the resources to step in."

It was Chiang's awkward way of declaring that China has no plans to become the overlord of India, either benevolently or tyrannically. However, one fact was apparent to everyone at the table: despite all the polite posturing for appearances' sake, it was Bose, not Gandhi or the Indian National Congress, whom China recognizes and supports as the legitimate leadership of India.

This fait accompli had to be recognized. Bose -- through his partnership with the Chinese nationalists -- had risen to become the liberator of India while completely bypassing the internal politics of the INC. The INC had only two choices: (re)elect Bose as their new leader, or be delegated to secondary status as political influence is redirected into the hands of the INC left-wing: the All-India Forward Bloc set up by Bose in 1939.

Gandhi had already called for a special legislative assembly of the Indian National Congress. Delegates are gathering now in New Delhi even as they speak. Both Gandhi and Nehru fully expects Bose to be named its new leader in the coming days, and the honorific 'Netaji' (Respected Leader) to be recognized by all Indians.

But in the meantime, they also had one other important matter to decide:

In what form will Free India take shape?

In his negotiations with Chiang, Bose has agreed to hand back the territories the British claimed from the Chinese during their century of turmoil -- both Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh.

• Aksai Chin was claimed by the Johnson Line, drawn by the opportunistic British in 1865 during the Dzungar Rebellion when the Qing dynasty had temporarily lost control of Xinjiang.
  
  
• Arunachal Pradesh was sliced off by the McMahon Line (1914), negotiated between the British and the government of Tibet (declared in the chaos of the Xinhai Revolution) which the Republic of China has never recognized.

For China, reclaiming territorial integrity had become the cornerstone of government legitimacy, and Chiang Kai-shek would not budge one centimeter when it comes to Chinese sovereign rights. Bose, recognizing that this contentious piece of mostly uninhabited land may spell doom for Sino-Indian relations in the future, decided to settle the matter once and for all. As Chinese forces bore the cost of overthrowing the British, it was justified that China retake their lands.

(Note: unfortunately I don't have any good maps of Chinese claims from before the PRC victory. This'll have to do.)​

Burma, as agreed with General Aung San, would also be granted independence. The Republic of China will reassert their historic claim over northern Kachin and Sagaing, where various small ethic tribes (minority to both China and Burma) live. Meanwhile, Thailand will retake control of the territories they lost to the British over the previous century -- the Shan states (Taunggyi, Kengtung) lost in 1893, as well as the Tavoy coastline which British forces seized in 1869.

That leaves on issue: PAKSTAN

The Pakistan Declaration, made on Jan 28, 1933, declared that the five northern states of the Hindustan region that dominated by Muslims should become a independent, sovereign state separate from that of proposed Indian Federation. These five states are: Punjab, Northwestern (Afghan), Kashmir, Sindh and Baluchistan, collectively known as PAKSTAN.

However, neither Bose, nor Gandhi, nor Nehru wanted to see India partitioned between Hindu and Muslim states. In fact, all three individuals expressed strong opposition towards the proposal.

As a Hindu who grew up in Bengal, a Muslim-majority state, Subhas Chandra Bose understood the differing views of both the Hindus and the Muslims. He has always stressed the importance of an Indian national identity over the differing religions, a view which he embraced in the creation of the Indian National Army. As a political leader, Bose had the trust of both the Hindus of the Indian National Congress and the Muslims of the All-India Muslim League. With all this considered, a partition of India along religious lines was the very last thing he wanted to see.

Bose also had Gandhi's full support in this matter. The spiritual father of the Indian Independence Movement has always envisioned that a unified, strong India would climb out from the tyranny of British dominion. Nehru, as Gandhi's protege and 'successor', also upheld this vision of the future.

Meanwhile, Jinnah -- currently the leader of the All-India Muslim League -- used to be a member of the Indian National Congress. He resigned from the INC in 1920 over his staunch opposition to Satyagraha, believing that Gandhi's campaign of non-violent civil disobedience would cause India to descend into political anarchy. He did not embrace the Pakistan Movement until 1940, when he publicly advocated the two-state solution to Indian Independence during the Muslim League conference in Lahore.

(Lahore Resolution Working Committee: Jinnah stands in the center.)​

But the All-India Muslim League's political control of the Pakistan region was by no means settled in 1940. The INC still held majority support in the North-West (Afghan) Province, and challenged AIML influence in Punjab and Kashmir. This left the idea of a separate Pakstan more hope than reality. Furthermore, the INC still upheld the mantle of a secular movement - its body representative of all faiths in India.

(Note: it was the British support for the AIML during WW2 that truly propelled them into political power in India. Bengal/East Pakistan and NW/Afgan would not switch to AIML majority until 1943, after the British crackdown against INC had entered full force.)

Nevertheless, Bose knew that Jinnah's popularity and influence among the Muslims cannot be underestimated. Any one-state solution must have the support of Jinnah and his followers. Otherwise the newly freed India would risk being ripped apart by religious turmoil from the inside. Considering the magnitude of reforms that Bose already had in mind for post-independence India, the last thing he wanted was 'religious strife' thrown on top of everything else.

"I should remind you," Bose told Jinnah, "that when the All-India Muslim League began, their goal had been to increase the representation of Muslims in India. They wanted to see more Muslim presence in leadership, in the INC legislature, where they may protect the rights of Muslims in minority provinces. You can still achieve this if you work with us! But if you declare independence now, all that would result is a weakened India, a weakend Pakistan, and even less protection for the rest of the Muslim minority in India. You would be playing straight into the hands of those Hindu Nationalists!"

"Is that truly what you want?"

Jinnah sighed. He knew the All-India Muslim League had its limitations. To date, they still could not secure a clear majority in several Muslim-dominated provinces. If they were to leave India, it would leave those Muslims in a precarious state, their voices drowned out by an overwhelming Hindu majority who would seek to equate India with Hinduism.

At the same time, Jinnah held no doubts that Bose was serious when it comes to working with the Muslims. Bose left his home in Calcutta pretending to be a Muslim. He learned to pray five times a day like a Muslim. His closest traveling companion (Abid Hasan) was a Muslim. His top military commander (Shah Nawaz Khan) was a Muslim. He even chose Subh Sukh Chain -- a Hindi-Urdu translation of Jana Gana Mana -- to become the National Anthem of Free India.

"But we need room to be ourselves," Jinnah sighed. "The Hindus will never accept the use of Islamic Sharia in civil law."

"And you will have room."

Thus, Bose presented Jinnah with a compromise:

Pakstan autonomy, not sovereignty.

The states comprising Pakstan would reorganize themselves in this post-colonial political vacuum. They would be given a period to set up their own local government structures, with no interference from Delhi. They will then join as member states of the Indian Federation, and will hold a greater degree of autonomy than all the other states. They will retain a wide berth of control over their local civil laws and administrative structures. However, they will follow the comprehensive fiscal, economic, foreign, and defense policies laid down by Delhi.

There would still be countless details to hash out. But in a show of solidarity and progress, Jinnah agreed to the proposal.

(The state of South Asia after the decolonization of the British Raj. Burma has shrunken considerably, having transferred three provinces to Thailand and one to China. India released two regions to China but retains control of both Bengal/Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. As normal for Paradox games, I'm listing Pakistan as a 'puppet' under India to represent its high state of autonomy.)​

( Next Chapter - The 59th Indian National Congress )​

Notes:

1. While the China-Burma claim dispute is very low profile compared to the China-India one, it is an issue that plague Burma/Myanmar to this day. The KIA (Kachin Independence Army) continues to hold out near the fringes. The People's Republic of China officially recognizes KIA territory as Burmese, but the Republic of China still disputes it and, for over a decade after the Chinese Civil War, did fight over it (the Kuomintang 8th Army retreated into northern Burma and, with CIA support, continued the Chinese Civil War from Burma, severely damaging Burmese civil order & national unity in the process).

2. I've never encountered any scholarly mentions on Bose's attitude towards the China-India territorial dispute, but I have encountered many Indian quora answers that believe Bose would not be as naive as Nehru when it comes to China's attitude towards territorial sovereignty; that had Bose been in charge, India could have maintained its friendship with China.

3. In our history, it was Sardar Patel who agreed to the Partition of India, during a time when Nehru and Gandhi were still both in jail. Historians record that both Nehru and Gandhi tried to negotiate with Jinnah on preventing the Partition of India; however both of them eventually saw it as a political inevitability and thus did not try too hard to resist it.

4. Many leading Pakistani scholars notes that Jinnah never wanted Pakistani Independence. Instead, he used it as a bargaining chip when negotiating with the INC, only to see the idea take off with a life of its own. The Partition left the Muslims, in Jinnah's own words, with a "mutilated moth-eaten" Pakistan.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 31 - The 59th Indian National Congress

"So long as there is a third party, i.e. the British, these dissensions will not end. These will go on growing. They will disappear only when an iron dictator rules over India for 20 years. For a few years at least, after the end of British rule in India, there must be a dictatorship... No other constitution can flourish in this country and it is so to India's good that she shall be ruled by a dictator, to begin with."
- Subhas Chandra Bose
​

September 16, 1940.

The Independence of India immediately sent shockwaves across the globe. As though a catalyst of fate, it triggered several decisive events on the world stage:

In the west, British propaganda, aided by the traitor T.V. Soong, has caused US public opinion to shift firmly against China. For allying with Nazi Germany and attacking the British Empire -- the "Bulwark of Freedom" in Europe -- the United States officially censures China by declaring a trade embargo against the fledgling Asian Republic. Oil imports from the Americas were cut. Without imports, the petroleum situation in China quickly plummets into the red.

(Custom event.)​

Reporting on this, ROC Quartermaster General Chen Jitang sent the following memo to Chiang:

"In an age when the British and Soviets are increasingly motorizing their forces, we now stand in danger of being forced to de-motorized our meager modern formations due to a lack of fuel. If China does not find new sources of oil, our army, air, and naval forces will inevitably become paralyzed by 1942..."

In response, ROC Vice President Li Zongren and Minister of Economy Wen Wenghao issues a directive that China's attempts to product domestic oil -- the 'Daqing Oil Battle' -- must be raised to the highest priority. Last year, the Chinese geological surveys (launched in 1935, see Chapter 9) has discovered a large oil field in Nenjiang Province (Manchuria), between the Songhua and Nen Rivers. The founder of Chinese geology, Li Siguang (an ethnic Mongol), estimated that the Daqing Oil Field contained an estimated 16 billion barrels of oil.

The trouble was extracting it, as China has no experience with oil drilling whatsoever.

(The 'Daqing Oil Battle' , waged in desolate lands in an extreme climate, is another renowned chapter of China's drive to self-improvement through bitter hardship.)​

In the East, Japanese society was shaken to its foundations as officers of the Imperial Navy assassinated Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara as well as his foreign minister, Shigemitsu Mamoru. The coup consisted mostly of young officers from the Kōdōha (Imperial Way faction). They accused Shidehara and Mamoru of being cowards and traitors, who refused to take any aggressive actions beneficial to the Japanese Empire even as European spheres of influence in Asia crumble under the Chinese offensive, therefore squandering Japan's greatest opportunity to expand the glory of their divine Emperor.

(Custom event.)​

A counter-coup by Imperial Japanese Naval High Command immediately put down the unrest, and most of the junior officers were court martialled and shot. However, the damage has already been done. The social-conservative government that Shidehara carefully built up after the Second Sino-Japanese War (1935) was destroyed virtually overnight. Meanwhile, the new Prime Minister of Japanese -- Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai -- would reverse many of Shidehara's policies in the coming days, beginning with the renunciation of the Second London Naval Treaty signed in March 1936. Many observers believe that it was the Japanese admirals who encouraged the coup to happen in the first place, then pretended to 'restore order' to reap all the benefits.

Over the past five years, the Japanese have rebuilt their shattered army, now fully controlled under naval leadership as the Imperial Japanese Army ceased to exist as a political entity after their virtual annihilation during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Japan had rebounded to its militaristic nature, and nobody knew where it was headed next.

-----


In Delhi, delegates of the Indian National Congress gathered for their 59th assembly -- which also marked first INC congress of Free India.

(Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi attending the Indian National Congress. A disgruntled Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel -- who never got along with Bose -- could be seen to the right.)​

Abul Kalam Azad, senior Muslim leader of the INC who was elected to Congress President in March, 1940 to counter Jinnah's call for a Two-State Solution, voluntarily stepped down. Replacing him was Subhas Chandra Bose, the liberator of India who returned to his position as president with almost unanimous approval.

In an fiery opening speech, Bose addressed the delegates to uphold and continue the movement that he had began:

"Yes, India has been freed from the tyranny of British Imperialism, but we must remember that this is not the end of our journey, only the beginning!

"In the last two hundred years, the British have reduced our sacred land from the most wealthy and productive in the world, to its poorest. Two centuries of plunder and mismanagement have filled the India of today with problems both social and economic. Our traditional values lay smashed by white prejudice. Our world-famous textiles lay dismantled beneath the boot of British brutality. Our once efficient agriculure sways on the precarious edge of famine due to English cruelty. Our traders which once covered the Indian Ocean lay bankrupted by European greed. Our communal trust -- after centuries of neighborly coexistence between Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis -- lay shattered by Anglo provocation and disinformation."

"But blaming the past gets us nowhere. We must work now to secure India's future with out own hands, and there is no doubt that we have a long and arduous road ahead of us, my brothers! The revolution is yet unfinished. We cannot be merely satisfied by a free and independent India. No, we must rebuild India from the ashes, to become the proud and strong civilization we were before! And this time, we shall ensure that no white usurper shall ever take it from us again!"

His speech was soon met by a standing ovation and echoing cries of "Jal Hind!" (Hail India!).

Bose did not waste his moment of greatest popularity. Taking advantage of the nationalistic fervor, he proceeded to denounce the top disciples of Gandhi's nonviolent resistance movement -- particularly Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel -- as "patriotic, well-intentioned, but misguided and unrealistic." He went on to completely dissemble the ideology of Satyagraha (nonviolent civil resistance), declaring it to be a "praiseworthy and virtuous fantasy unrealistic in the face of realpolitik."

"We must be strong not only in our minds and spirit," Bose declared in reference to Gandhi's teachings, "but also in deeds and action! We must show them that we will not be beaten! We will not be oppressed! We shall never tolerate imperialism again! And those who attempt it will be met by our steel, our lives, and our very blood!"

"Remember, now and forever, that Our freedom was not given! It was taken!*"

(Bose's famous quote in past tense)

('Netaji' is a custom minister personality. DH did a poor job on Indian leaders' political leanings, and I didn't feel like putting in the effort to fix it all.)​

In the ensuing congressional debates, Bose carefully navigated his way through the complex political landscape and negotiated with the various groups to build his cabinet -- the first Indian ruling government for more than a century. The Indian National Congress has always been federalist (pro-provincial autonomy), republican, and socialist. However Bose's vision for India was further left and centrist (centralized power) than the INC mainstream. He could not rely solely on the support of his small political (sub)party, the All India Forward Bloc. Therefore, to successfully concentrate power around himself and carry out his plans for the future of India, he must build an effective government in which every social group could see themselves represented, a strong government that must focus itself on eliminating divisions and promoting unity:

• Foreign Minister - Sarat Chandra Bose : Sarat was Subhas Chandra Bose's elder brother. A prominent member of the Indian Independence movement, Sarat has alway lent unwavering political support for Bose from within the INC, and dedicated much of his political life to maintaining unity between the Hindu and Muslim majority factions. As the leader of the Forward Bloc in his younger brother's absence, Subhas could absolutely trust Sarat to uphold his intentions in navigating the complex international landscape in this era.
  
  
• Minister of Economics (Armaments) - Lal Bahadur Shastri : Although a loyal follower of Gandhi and key ally of Nehru, Shastri is a firm believer in revitalizing the economy via grassroots movements, and is keenly in touch with the needs of farmers and ranchers. His speech 'Jai Jawan Jai Kishan' (Hail the Farmer, Hail the Soldier) before the congress also left Bose sorely impressed and was quickly adopted into a national slogan.
  
  
• Minister of Law (Security) - Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar : Ambedkar is a Hindu social reformer (who later converted to Buddhism). Despite being one of the first trained economists of the Indian Independence movement, he spent most of his time on legal and social reform. He is best known for his campaigns against social discrimination towards the Dalit (untouchable) castes.
  
  
• Head of Intelligence - Rafi Ahmed Kidwai : An "Islamic Socialist" and Chief Whip of the Swaraj Party (founded in 1923 over distrust of Gandhi's political judgment). Kidwai has a history of working to maintain unity within the party and making sure everyone follows the established political lines. Respected and promoted to become Minister of Communications, Kidwai is the perfect choice to ensure that the right political message is distributed to the people.
  
  
• Minister of Defense (Chief of Staff) - Sardar Baldev Singh : The most prominent Sikh leader of the Indian Independence movement. As the Sikhs overwhelmingly dominate the British-Indian Army that Bose was now converting into the Indian National Army, it did not surprise anyone that Baldev would be chosen to lead them in national defense.
  
  
• Shah Nawaz Khan, whom Bose had recruited to lead the Indian National Army during the liberation campaign, will continue on as the Chief of the Army.

Although Gandhi would remain as the spiritual father of the nation and recognized has its official head of state, Bose stripped most of the Gandhi-Nehru clique followers of their political influence. This would ensure that they would never again oppose him for political leadership over the future of India. It left only one potential obstacle remaining, only one body who still had the power and influence to challenge Bose's rising authority:

"With the independence of India, this body has proudly accomplished all of its objectives. It is now time to reorganize the political future of India, as we focus not on liberation, but reform, industrialization, and education. Thus, as is the expressed desire by our father, Mahatama Gandhi...

"I hereby dissolve the Indian National Congress!"

(Custom event.)​

Now, Subhas Chandra Bose was truly the 'Netaji' (respected leader) of India.

And to make sure that order will be enforced during this turbulent time in Indian history, the Indian National Army is rapidly expanded by enlarging each of its four brigades into full divisions.

(Custom event: 1st phase of INA expansion)​

( Next Chapter - United Front in Southern Asia )​

1. The opening quote was given by Bose during an interview with the Singaporean Daily in 1944 (our timeline). I've seen arguments from Bose's supporters that his admiration of fascism mellowed out after visiting Europe during WW2, especially with Hitler and Mussolini's racist policies which ran contrary to Bose's belief in socialist equality. But clearly: not enough.

2. In our timeline, Daqing Oil Field was discovered by Li Siguang in 1959, and began production in 1960. With early chinese unification and German technical support, this could have managed much earlier.

3. Shastri's 'Jai Jawan Jai Kishan' slogan came about in our timeline during the 1965 India-Pakistani War, during his term as the 2nd Prime Minister of India. Since India is enrolling in a major war far earlier, I figure his idea would come sooner.

4. Ambedkar was India's 1st Minister of Law in our historical timeline; Kidwai was India's 1st Minister of Communications; and Baldev was our India's 1st Minister of Defense. One could say Nehru did a fairly good job giving representation to the minorities; too bad he never earned the trust of the AIML.

5. Gandhi did indeed wish to dissolve the INC after Independence. However, by that time the INC had gained invincible political status in the eyes of Indians, and thus his followers choose to keep it to dominate the politics of India rather than disband. It's yet another example that Gandhi was... a little too idealistic for politics. I love the man for his unwavering ethics, but he lacks a certain 'practical ruthlessness' that's required for effective leadership.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 32 - United Front in Southern Asia

"My ambition is much higher than independence. Through the deliverance of India, I seek to deliver the so-called weaker races of the Earth from the crushing heels of Western exploitation in which England is the greatest partner."
- 'Mahatma' Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
​

While Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was hard at work establishing the new India government in New Delhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Aung San are equally occupied establishing their new administrations in Pakistan and Burma. The territories and populations of both Pakistan and Burma were considerably smaller and more manageable than that of India; however both men also faced the daunting challenge of building a government mostly from scratch.

Neither Pakistan nor Burma were really history entities. The Burmese, with exception of the decentralized Pagan Kingdom (13th century) and the mighty Taungoo Empire (16th century), have mostly been a collection of tiny independent states including Ava/Myinsaing, Pegu/Ramanya, Arakan, La Na, and various Shan States. Meanwhile the concept of Pakistan did not even exist before 1933, for it straddled the historic boundaries between Persia and Hindustan, influenced by both sides while lacking an identity of its own. Problems were exacerbated as both Jinnah's All-India Muslim League and Aung San's Communist Party of Burma were fairly new parties. Neither political bodies have anything like the complex hierarchy and organizational maturity of the Indian National Congress which had been founded in 1885 -- and Bose continued to tap for personnel resources despite its official disbandment.

To honor the 'Tiered-State Compromise' agreement between Bose and Jinnah, the All-India Muslim League was given three years of time to set up their independent administrative and judicial bodies, with zero interference from the Indian government at New Delhi. It was agreed upon that in three years time post-Independence, the states of PAKSTAN will rejoin the Indian Federation. This slow transition would not only allow the Pakistani to develop laws and identities that would better suit a Muslim-majority populace, but also (hopefully) reduce ethnic-religious tensions and discourage mass migrations. Pakistan will still be Indian in the future, with sufficient time given for both sides to reach a compromise in all things. Thus, Bose has provided a clear signal that although he was a Hindu leader, the Muslims could place their trust in him.

However, the same offer was not extended to the Princely States. The largest Princely States -- Hyderabad as well as Jammu & Kashmir -- had already been crushed by Chinese and Indian forces during the liberation campaign. The most prestigious of these princes, Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan of Hyderabad, still lies in Indian military custody after he was captured by the Chinese NRA 200th Division during its lightning blitz to Bombay. The Punjab States, Baluchistan States, Sikkim, Bahawalpur, Nagar Haveli, Manipur, and others have also been overran during the southern offensive. Since then, Bose has expressed no interest in restoring the sovereignty of these feudal states. They were instead placed under direct military administration by the newly expanded Indian National Army, and would remain so until new civilian governments may be built to replace the obsolete, feudal institutions.

For all remaining Princely States, Bose issued only one choice: either surrender, join India, and be given a position of influence in the new administration, or face the might of the Indian National Army (plus its Chinese allies) and be captured as a traitor to Indian nationhood.

With British support nowhere in sight, the remaining Princely States acquiesced one by one.

As the consolidation of power in the south continued, many conservatives in the Chinese government grew wary of the fact they have just established two socialist states south of the Chinese border. Subhas Chandra Bose had strong Marxist ideals and pro-Soviet sympathies that grew only more apparent now that he was in power. Meanwhile Aung San made no secret of it as he was, after all, the founder of the Communist Party of Burma.

(The real flag of Aung San's Union of Burma. Notice it's similarity to the ROC/Kuomintang flag.
I'm not skilled enough at graphics editing to replace all the ingame banners with this)​

However, when these conservatives and right-wingers in the Republic of China government approached Chiang Kai-shek with their concerns, Chiang responded with only one line:

"We do not tell our neighbors how to run their administration, just as we do not welcome any western states telling us how to run ours!"

If communism was Aung San's or Subhas Chandra Bose's choice, then so be it. He could hardly even accuse them of being idealistically left-winged when he own son Chiang Ching-kuo still wore Trotskyist-Red gloves in Shanghai.


...


With the continental lands of South Asia secured from the borders of Iran to the Strait of Malacca, Chiang Kai-shek and his German advisers under Alexander von Falkenhausen establishes the 'South Asia Defense Command'. Unlike China, which had gone through nearly three decades of nonstop warfare, the nations of South Asia are largely inexperienced with modern combat. Therefore, it was essential for them to work together, to defend the southern flank and protect their newfound independence.

...Especially as China turns its eyes north to face down the red colossus.

The 'South Asia Defense Command' will be a partnership between three major powers: China, India, and Thailand, supplemented by the smaller states of Vietnam, Burma, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. Collective defense of the region will be further subdivided between the Southeastern and Southwestern Commands:

• The southeast included all of Indochina, running from the Chinese-Vietnamese borders down to Singapore and then to Rangoon. This region will be defended by the combined efforts of Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese troops (once available from training), with the Thai Army serving as both overall command and the main reserve. Since the entire region is dominated by rainforests, Chinese NRA forces will be trusting the Thai's superior experience with jungle terrain and warfare. Authority will be placed in the hands of Marshal Plaek Phiunsongkhram of Thailand, who was also the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and de-facto ruler of the nation.
  
  
• The southwest included all of the Indian subcontinent, running from the Iranian and Afghan borders, down to southern tip of India including the islands of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, then east along the Bay of Bengal shores until Rangoon. This massive region will be placed under the responsibility of the Indian National Army, to be supported by Pakistani, Burmese, Nepalese, and Bhutanese elements as the Indians see fit. Authority will be delegated by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to Sardar Bardev Singh, India's 1st Minister of Defense and leader of the Panthic Party who represented Sikh interests (whom in turn dominated the rank and file of the British Indian Army).

(Leaders of the South Asia Defense Command,
from left to right: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Baldev Singh, Ma Bufang, Plaek Phiunsongkhram)​

To support and advise the South Asian nations, as well as serve as the commander of Chinese forces remaining in South Asia, Chiang Kai-shek pulled the ex-warlord general Ma Bufang, Governor of Qinghai-Xinjiang and commander of the 3rd (Northwest) War Zone. As the ruler of Qinghai, Ma Bufang had by far the most experience of any Chinese commander in dealing with ethnic and religious diversity. He had fought the Sino-Tibetan War of 1930, the East Turkestan Independence War, the Ili Rebellion, and other Sino-Soviet border conflicts. However he was better known as a socialist governor than a general, as he had turned Qinghai into one of the more progressive provinces in China through social and economic reforms. A Hui Muslim, Ma Bufang was known for his tolerance towards other religions, including personally attending local pagan ceremonies and allowing Christian missionaries to establish schools. He was a strong supporter for the blending of Nationalism and Islam, lending longtime support to Chinese Imams such as Hu Songshan (Sa'd al-Din). However, he was also an adherent of the modernist Yihewani/Ikhwan Muslim Brotherhood in China, and therefore had little patience for the Salafist Sunni-revivalist Movement which he saw as backwards and outdated.

In some ways this would serve as yet another trial: to see how well Chinese Muslims could work alongside those closer to the Middle Eastern states.

In terms of military forces, the South Asia Defense Command had the following:

• China: 22 infantry divisions (20 in the India, 2 in Singapore/Malay), plus the entire 1st Fleet (2 light cruisers, 15 destroyers, 5 transports).
  
• Thailand: 4 infantry divisions, 1 mountain division, 1 interceptor ('24) wing, 1 tactical bomber ('24) wing.
  
• Burma: 1 garrison division.
  
• India: 4 infantry divisions, +12 infantry/garrison divisions being reformed (ready in 4 months).
  
• Vietnam, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan: none, local military formations being rebuilt.

ROC chief strategist Bai Chongxi believed that the British, after being dealt a series of blows across their Empire, would not be ready to spare forces for recovery of the India subcontinent for at least a year. Otherwise, a mere 32 divisions spread thin across the entirety of South Asia would stand no chance of defending against a concerted offensive. Nevertheless, political sensitivity -- in addition to supply issues -- simply do not permit large quantities of Chinese troops to remain in India. One could only hope that more Indian troops would be trained soon to cover the defense of the south.


...


September 19th, 1940: The Italian Army, after driving a significant number of British troops into the inescapable Qattara Depression, fails in their 'final offensive' against staunch British resistance. The British would begin their counterattack less than 20 hours later, showing that despite temporary Italian gains after the seizure of Gibraltar, British resistance in Egypt is far from over.

September 20th: In the aftermath of Indian independence, ethnic and religious tensions begin to rise. The British Imperialists have spent over two centuries fanning conflicts between the two dominant religious groups -- Hindus and Muslims -- as well as between the hundreds of ethnic groups that populate India, in order to exploit local differences for their 'Divide-and-Rule' policy. Unfortunately, these differences would not simply vanish overnight just because the British were removed. Now, it is up to Bose and the new Indian authorities to keep the turmoil suppressed until a new administration can bring back the rule of law.

The first outbreak of violence began in Calcutta, as Muslims and Hindus clash over their differences in Bose's hometown. Thankfully, Calcutta was also one of the first Indian cities liberated by the Chinese advance, and Bose has already had time to set up local administrative and enforcement structures. The religious riots were quickly suppressed, with a minimum of casualties on both sides.

(This is a custom event that is random, repeating, and has three possible outcome. This is the easiest outcome with only a minor +1% dissent)

September 21st: Pakistan and Burma weren't having an easy time either. Political struggles were underway in both newly established states as their political parties try to build a new government administration from scratch.

September 21st: Bulgaria joins the Soviet Union and Hungary in demanding Romanian lands. In the Treaty of Craiova, Bulgarian demanded the return of Dobrich which had been seized by the Romanians after the 2nd Balkan War in 1913. Unusually, the Treaty was approved by all the major European powers, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union -- despite the fact that Britain and France had guaranteed Romanian territorial integrity.

( Next Chapter - Churchill's Gambits )​

Notes:
1. I didn't spend much time picking the ministers of Burma/Pakistan and mostly let the game decide. Burma because the info was too hard to find; Pakistan because the entity is temporary anyway.

2. In our history, Ma Bufang became the Kuomintang Supreme Commander of the Northwest until he was defeated by the Communists, then served as Republic of China's ambassador to Egypt and later Saudi Arabia until his death.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 33 - Churchill's Gambits

"And now go and set Europe ablaze."
- Winston Churchill, upon founding the Special Operations Executive (SOE)

September 23rd, 1940: The Italians intercept a British transport fleet in the Atlantic Ocean, who had been tasked with bringing reinforcements to the British landing at Rabat, Morocco. A naval skirmish saw the British destroyer squadron destroyed, though the heroic Royal Navy sailors bought enough time for the troop ships to escape.

September 25th: With their side losing the war and support for negotiations with Germany growing, Churchill's government banned the political party 'British Union of Fascists' and interned its leadership, including Oswald Mosley and 740 others. Chiang Kai-shek privately welcomed this news -- the longer Britain stayed in war and weakened itself against German and Italian teeth, the better it would be for Asia.

September 27th: A British counteroffensive in Egypt drives the Italians back again, overrunning an entire Italian division in the process. Meanwhile in the Atlantic Ocean, the Royal Navy takes revenge for their previous loss by destroying an Italian destroyer squadron off the coast of Portugal's islands. This was followed by a second Italian destroyer squadron sunk on September 29th.

October 1st: Despite the stalemate in Egypt, Duce Mussolini believes the Italian armed forces still had the spare resources to open a second front. Thus he declares war on Greece, seeking to forge an Italian Spazio Vitale by rebuilding the Greco-Roman Empire of old and absorbing their neighbors once more. However, even a rudimentary examination of Italian military preparations in Albania reveal that they are not ready for a second invasion.

Churchill proved all too eager to seize this new ally. Against the objections of Field Marshal Archibald Wavell and his already overstretched Middle Eastern Command, Churchill ordered precious equipment and troops to be pulled from the front lines in Egypt and redirected to Greece. Wavell had no choice but to stop the counteroffensive in Sidi Baranni to relinquish sufficient forces for these political goals.

Meanwhile in Nanjing, Chiang Kai-shek --who had recently returned from India-- rubbed his temple as he read over this news. "Why are these people our allies?" He spoke of the Italians with disgruntlement. "Can't they at least summon the intelligence to seize Suez and cut British access to the Mediterranean before opening more fronts?"

"I do not believe Italy was the Führer's first choice either," Falkenhausen answered plainly.


October 2nd: Dai Li, leader of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (BIS/Juntong), reported that they have completed the purge of the Kung-Soong intelligence network in China (see the Chiang-Kung-Soong family split in chapter 23). The Chinese intelligence apparatus is now operating at peak efficiency, with a network boasting over 200,000 agents, saboteurs, and spies working across mainland Asia.

Chiang Kai-shek orders them to further expand their operations. The Soviet Union will be a tough nut to crack, as Stalin's own counterintelligence apparatus --the Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del (NKVD)-- is formidable and ruthless. Meanwhile in Southeast Asia, the BIS is ordered to begin digging their nails into the rest of British Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies. China might not have the naval power to export the national revolution to these states yet, but that won't remain the case forever.

The Philippines were absent from the list. China did not wish to provoke the United States, and if President Roosevelt kept his word the Philippines should become independent within a few years anyway.


October 4th: The Führer and The Duce schedules an impromptu meeting at Brenner Pass, in the Alps between Austria and Italy. According to public announcements, the two parties discussed how to maintain peace in the future of Europe. In reality they probably discussed war aims, particularly for the ongoing conflict in Greece.

On the same day in India, fresh religious violence breaks out in the province of Punjab. This time, Bose's limited security forces were not positioned to stop its escalation. By the time government enforcement reacted, thousands already lay dead on the streets as a result.
(This is the 2nd level of the ethnic-religious tension random event, inflicting a +5% dissent hit)

October 7th: After recovering from the shock of the British landing, Spanish forces in Morocco regrouped and counterattacked the British beachhead at Rabat. Combined with the Italian interception of the British 2nd wave transports, the result was a British division overrun before they can retreat back to their ships. In an international broadcast, General Franco, the Caudillo of Spain, mocked Churchill's decision to punish Spain for their alliance with the Axis by calling out: "Bring more men next time! Our brave troops could use more equipment!"

October 9th: The Vichy France colonies of New Caledonia (south pacific) and the Antilles (Caribbeans) join the 'Free French Forces'. Chinese leaders expressed doubt that any actual locals took part in this decision.

Later that day, Ion Antonescu, Romania Prime Minister and Iron Guard Conducător, signs the Tripartite Pact and Anti-Comintern Pact, thereby signaling their nation's entry into the Axis Alliance.


October 10th: After a series of battles in southern Norway, the German invasion force --lead by Himmler's S.S. divisions Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Verfügungs, and Polizei-- overran the Norwegian/British defenses at Trondheim and Oslo. Two weeks of decisive action had all but shattered the Norwegian Army, their collapse coming so fast that over 250 RAF bombers and 600 fighters have been captured in local airfields before they could withdraw.

October 13th: With Wavell's Egyptian front weakened by Churchill's orders, the Italians repel the British attack on Bir Fuad and push them back from Sidi Barrani once again. The tug-of-war continues.

October 14th: While China made an exception for the Philippines, Japan would not. Japanese agents began stirring up trouble on the island nation, fomenting independence in favor of a 'benevolent Japanese overlord'.

October 15th: The Italians revealed just how unprepared they were for the invasion of Greece when their first major engagement turn into a disaster. The Battle of Ioannina-Korce saw the Greek army drive the Italians back into Albania while inflicting over 12,000 casualties at a 3:1 ratio.

On the same day, Italian ambitions to capture Cyprus failed when the division that landed days ago was counterattacked by British forces sent to retake the island. Over 7,000 Italian soldiers entered captivity.

October 16th: The United States pass the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke-Wadsworth Act, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 36 to register with local draft boards. It represented the first step towards the mass mobilization of this mighty nation.

Meanwhile, Hitler orders the construction of anti-air defenses around the Romanian Ploeisti oil fields, the only source of crude oil in Europe. Due to the British blockade, Germany and its occupied territories already faced a severe oil shortage as all available petrol was prioritized for the German army. The threat of a lasting economic recession loomed over mainland Europe unless the Fuhrer could somehow secure more oil than Romanian/synthetic production plus what Stalin was willing to deliver.

October 19th: The British Royal Navy intercepted a large transport flotilla of Italian troops in the Atlantic, sinking 15 troop ships and drowning an entire division of men. The other Axis nations could only wonder what the Duce was even trying to do with transports this far out in the Atlantic?

On that same day, German forces corner the bulk of the Norwegian Army west of Oslo, taking over 17,000 prisoners. 10,000 Norwegians had already crossed the Norway-Sweden border last week to be voluntarily interned by the neutral Swedish, while another 16,000 would be captured by Germany on the 20th. In just ten days after the Battle of Oslo, the Norwegian Army had effectively ceased to exist. Only one division remained to hold Narvik, but it would only be a matter of time before the Germans march up and seized the port.

October 20th: The US Congress passes the Two-Ocean Navy Act, also known as the Vinson-Walsh Act. This massive naval expansion program planned to increase the size of the United States Navy by 70%, adding 257 ships amounting to 1,325,000 tons. It's reasoning was to defend American interests from the Axis powers in both Europe and Asia, except the Chinese leadership found this deeply suspicious as the bulk of the Asiatic states barely have any navies worth mentioning.

October 21st: After Wavell painstakingly pulled two divisions of troops from the front lines and sent them to support the Greeks, the Italian navy intercepted the transport fleet and sank one group with over 14,000 lives lost. The other transports were forced to turn back, and Churchill's "support Greece" plan was turning into just as much a disaster as his other schemes.

( Next Chapter - Honor of the Navy )​

Notes:
1. The Brenner Pass Conference historically took place on March 18, 1940. One of the event mods clearly messed up the date.

2. German oil troubles began in late 1940. For more details, see this analysis video by TIK. This topic will play a major role as this AAR proceeds towards Operation Barbarossa. The image for Axis oil shortfall is from his video.

3. Historically, the United States granted Philippine independence as soon as cleanup of Japanese forces was over, on July 4, 1946. Contrast this with the other western powers...

4. No, I did not tweak the British AI to send troops to Greece. The sequence of events simply made sense to explain using a real WW2 narrative: when Churchill stripped Wavell of two essential divisions just as the Field Marshal was making his crucial push into Italian Libya. Then, when Wavell failed to drive the Italians out in time and was pushed back into Egypt by Rommel, Churchill blamed the Field Marshal and relieved him.

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 34 - Honor of the Navy

"Swift as the wind, quiet as the forest, fierce as fire, steady as a mountain."
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War​

If there's one thing China has always excelled at since ancient times, it's systematic improvements and innovation in economies-of-scale. While the western mindset is prone to engaging an individual challenges as isolated issues, the Chinese approach is holistic, systematic, and always in massive scale. The reason behind this is that culture defines thinking -- China has been a large nation with an enormous population for thousands of years. Furthermore, it has an administrative/education system grounded in Confucianism, which defines human morality by five key relationships: ruler-to-subject, father-to-son, husband-to-wife, elder-to-young, and friend-to-friend. This forces Chinese mentality to focus on the interdependency of any ecosystem rather than independent thinking, and the result is a great appreciation to place infrastructure and logistics at the forefront of every industrial and military enterprise.

Thus, the one field where a resurgent China rushed ahead of Germany (and the rest of the Axis alliance) on, was in the field of mass production.

Grateful for all the technology transfers the Germans have provided, Chinese engineers did not hesitate to share their new production methods with the rest of the Axis powers (even Italy). However, administrative technologies were different from scientific discoveries: it was one thing to understand the new methods, it was a whole different matter to adopt it. And Chinese engineers studying in Germany have never quite understood German work culture, which prefers decentralized, independent workshops not conducive to large-scale production.

Meanwhile in Southern China, the Yunnan Frontier Corps were tasked to begin a new major project. To solidify the alliance between China and the newly independent South Asia states and boost Pan-Asian cooperation, ROC Minister of Economics Weng Wenhao has proposed the Yunnan-Burma-India Friendship Road to link the transit systems of these three states together. The proposal was accepted by Chiang and passed by the ROC Legislative Yuan, as well as received the backing of both Bose's and Aung San's governments.

The new roads seek to take advantage of existing infrastructure wherever possible. The Indians already have a road link between Calcutta and Imphal, while the Burmese have a less reliable road between Rangoon and Lashio. The Chinese infrastructure buildup since 1938 (see Chapter 16) has also completed a railroad from Kunming to Dali (before turning north towards Lhasa, Tibet), plus a road from Dali to Baoshan which served as the offensive launch point for the NRA 3rd Route Army. Thus, new construction will be focused on linking these three networks together with additional roads in Luxi and Putao, expanding the roads in Lashio, and improving the Burmese port facilities at Rangoon -- which will serve as the main base of Chinese naval forces in the Indian Ocean.

As the India and Burma were still focused on re-establishing their government, China will bear the brunt of costs involved in this undertaking.


...


October 30th, 1940: The Soviet Union sends an expedition to the Greeks, their historic allies since medieval times. The Russians have not forgotten that it was the Greeks who created the Cyrillic alphabet for them and introduced them to Eastern Orthodoxy. And just as they had stood by Greek resistance against Ottoman rule, Russian volunteers will now stand against Fascist aggression. Besides, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact said nothing about respecting Italian claims to hegemony.
(I actually can't find any information on the Soviet Greece expedition. Does anyone know any details?)

November 1st: British submarines sink two Indian merchant ships carrying resources back from Ceylon. Vice Admiral Chen Ce's 1st Fleet was immediately ordered to leave the Colombo naval base and begin sweeping the area. It seems the Royal Navy hasn't given up on Asia yet.

November 3rd: After two offensives and over 20,000 casualties, the Italians finally push the British back from Matruh on the Egyptian coast, thus taking another step towards the hopeful capture of Suez.

On the same day: the British launch Operation Menace, hoping to seize the strategic port of Dakar in Senegal on the West African coast for De Gaulle's "Free French" forces. However, Vichy France defenders prove themselves honorable to the treaties their government signed, and Admiral Pierre Boisson mobilized his task force --including the Battleship Richelieu-- to drive back the British attackers with heavy losses.

November 4th: ROC strategists are baffled by why Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem of Vietnam decided to build an air force before they even finished training a single land division. "Is he planning to use pilots to hold ground?" General Bai Chongxi jested sarcastically.

November 6th: United States incumbent president Franklin D Roosevelt defeats Republican contender Wendell Willkie in the 1940 elections, with a decisive 54.7% vs 44.8% result. This left many Chinese leaders with mixed opinions. On one hand, they respected FDR for his anti-Imperialist policies and remembered his aid to China during the 1935 Sino-Japanese War. On the other hand, FDR was also more likely to involve the mighty United States in the current war -- which is precisely why British services intervened massively in the elections to support him.

Later that day: Chinese forces left behind in Singapore reports that the British were attempting to land on the island-fortress with three divisions. NRA soldiers immediately turned the captured British coastal fortifications and guns against their makers. Chief of Operations General Bai Chongxi also sent word to reallocate two more divisions from southern China to the Malay Peninsula. He had stripped Southeastern Asia bare in the assumption that the British would be too busy elsewhere, and Director-General Chiang was now furious with him.

It didn't help matters when NRA logicians told Chiang that these reinforcements would take a month to arrive. In a furious response, Chiang returned to his old meddling ways and ordered Vice Admiral Chen Ce to lead the 1st fleet from Ceylon and head for the Strait of Malacca.

Bai Chongxi protested: "we have no knowledge of British naval strength in the area! And Chen Ce's few ships represent the bulk of our meager navy!"

However Chiang would not be persuaded: "you said yourself that the British should only have limited forces in the region, especially with Gibraltar cut and the bulk of their navy guarding their overstretched supply route in the Atlantic! If we cannot pull our courage together to challenge even a 'limited presence', then how many decades will it take before our navy dares to confront the Western powers!?"


...


November 7th, 1940: The Italian army suffer another defeat on the Albanian side of the borders, as their Invasion of Greece was turning into the 'Greek liberation of Albania' instead. Their navy salvages some pride by sinking a British vessel guarding supply ships off the Greek coast.

November 8th: ROC strategists wasn't sure if they should be amazed or appalled. Somehow, the Italians managed to march 13 divisions across the Saharan Desert and launch an offensive into British colonial lands in Central Africa! Either they have a genius logistician who could supply such a massive army across the dune seas, or their men were dying of thirst and starvation due to inadequate supplies. Though with their victory against the British in Nayala in mind, it seemed the former was far more likely.

On that same day: disaster struck the German Kriegsmarine once again as their remaining battleships, the Scharnhorst and Schleswig-Holstein, were sunk by a Royal Navy Home Fleet task force while attempting to dash across the English Channel. Reichsmarshal Hermann Goring receives a furious tirade from the Führer as his Luftwaffe completely failed to provide air support -- a mistake that cost Germany its last major surface combatants.

​

November 9th: General Franco jeers Churchill over international radio again as hardy Spanish soldiers repel another British landing attempt at Rabat, killing and capturing nearly 6,000 British soldiers this time.

November 10th: The 'Daqing Oil Battle' ends in a Chinese success as Li Siquang's oil field begins to produce its first barrels. Nevertheless, the Chinese petroleum industry was still in its infancy, and even with German assistance it would take time before Chinese petroleum output rise to any level worth mentioning.

Meanwhile, Economic Minister Weng Wenhao's coal and steel industry expansion bears more fruits. Production (10 Industrial Capacity) allocated to resource expansion was then withdraw as the Chinese economy enters full war footing. China still has a severe shortage of energy resources, but with domestic coal mines already expanded to full capacity, China would have to look to other means to fulfill these resource needs -- one of those options was, of course, the Three Gorges Dam currently under construction in Sichuan.

November 11th: As Vice Admiral Chen Ce's 1st ROCN Fleet steams towards the British invasion force off Singapore, his ships ran straight into a British transport fleet heading west from the Strait of Malacca. The British heavy cruiser sighted the Chinese first and opened fire, sinking 2 empty troop ships. Chen then retaliated by sending his 3 destroyer squadrons (15 DDs) forward in a swarm of torpedo attacks, ending the battle in just three hours with the sinking of HMS Hawkins and three British transports.

The ROCN's first naval battle proved to be an unexpectedly easy victory.

November 13th: Vice Admiral Chen Ce's 1st Fleet arrive west of Singapore. After confirming with the Chinese garrison HQ that the British task force was situated east of the island-fortress, Chen Ce decided to split his small fleet in two to execute a classic bait-and-tackle maneuver. His slower ships, including 3 transport vessels plus the old light cruisers Pinghai and Ninghai, would sail in the open under the pretense of bringing reinforcements to the Singapore garrison, while his smaller but faster destroyers slipped into the Strait of Johor under the cover of the night.

Upon seeing the small Chinese task force at dawn, British Admiral Charles Forbes brought his escort fleet of 3 heavy cruisers and 5 destroyers (1 squadron) close to engage the Chinese vessels. He prioritized the troopships before they could disembark any NRA reinforcements for the island. But just as he did this, Chen Ce unrevealed his flanking force as 3 Chinese destroyer squadrons charged out of the Strait of Johor and closed in for torpedo attacks. The ensuing naval battle lasted 5 hours and saw the British heavy cruiser HMS Suffolk, 2 destroyers, and 5 transports sunk for the loss of only 3 empty Chinese troopships, 1 destroyer, and the crippled light cruiser Pinghai.

For this exceptional victory against the odds, Director-General Chiang Kai-shek publicly declared by international radio that Vice Admiral Chen Ce would be given China's highest military award --the Order of National Glory-- for recovering the honor and pride that the Chinese Navy had lost since the 1st Opium War.

( Next Chapter - The Singapore Question )​

 

[zanaikin]

Chapter 35 - The Singapore Question

"With few exceptions, Democracy has not brought good government to new developing countries... What Asians value may not necessarily be what Americans or Europeans value. Westerners value the freedoms and liberties of the individual. As an Asian of Chinese cultural background, my values are for a government which is honest, effective and efficient."
- Lee Kuan Yew, 1st Prime Minister and Founding Father of Singapore (in our world)​

November 14th, 1940: Religious tensions erupt in the former Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir, where a Hindu elite has ruled over a predominant Muslim majority (77% of the population) for well over a century. Bose immediately dispatch two of his top commanders, Shah Nawaz Khan (muslim) and Lakshmi Sehgal (hindu) to take control of the issue and arrange humanitarian aid.

November 15th: The British Admiralty seem dissatisfied that they were bested by a fledgling Chinese navy. As soon as Admiral Chen Ce's ships headed back to Haikuo fleet base to make repairs, the British fleet turned back around and restarted their attack on Singapore. Chiang orders Chen Ce to detach his damaged ships, link up with the destroyer squadrons patrolling the Taiwan Strait, and return to Singapore to give the Royal Navy another beating as soon as possible.

November 18th: Since Economic Minister Weng Wenhao proposed the Chinese infrastructure grid in 1938 (Chapter 16), the Republic has launched the second largest road and rail construction projects in the history of mankind (bested by only the US highway system which began construction in the 1930s). The project has since involved millions of workers and Frontier Corps settlers, and combined with Chinese industrialization program it has brought key insights to the advancement of construction engineering. Now China offers to share this knowledge with its allies; whether they can make use of this is up to them.

On that same day: BIS/Juntong leader Dai Li confirm that the Australian agents have managed to steal ROCN fleet operation plans. A few days later he also confirm that the British made off with blueprints of a research computing machine from China. The first did not surprise anyone as the Chinese victory in the 2nd Battle of Singapore must been a rude wake-up call for the British and their vassal colonies. The second, however, left Chiang Kai-shek baffled: "How on Earth could the British be behind us in that technology?"

Dai Li shrugged. "We did have German help on our computing and encryption equipment. Maybe that's what they're interested in."

"Should we assume a security breach then?" Chiang asked next.

"The army's ciphers are scheduled to be changed by the end of year and then again before the next operation, so no worries there." Dai Li then thought about it. "I'll fly someone from the Confidential Section to Singapore and bring new naval ciphers to the 1st Fleet. Jiang Yiying's group only trusts vocal communications."

Chiang raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Have you ever heard the Jiangshan dialect that her section uses?" Dai Li noted. "It's impenetrable. Good luck trying to imitate it if you're not a local."


...

November 20th: US Secretary of War Henry Stimson reaffirms the Stimson Doctrine he established as Secretary of State in the 1930s, which categorically refused to acknowledge any and all states created through 'acts of aggression'. This had once benefited Sino-US relations, as it alienated the Japanese by refusing to acknowledge Manchukuo. But now it worked for British-American diplomacy, as the United States also denied the existence of the newly independent Asia states of India and Burma.

Later that day: Vice Admiral Chen Ce arrives at the Singapore Strait once more, this time with the light cruiser Ninghai and 25 ROCN destroyers (in 5 squadrons). British Admiral Forbes was prepared and withdrew after only a minor skirmish that sunk 2 ROCN destroyers. But Chen Ce, unsatisfied by the outcome, chased the British ships out into sea and forced an engagement with his faster ships. The 3rd Battle of Singapore would sink another 2 transport flotillas and the heavy cruiser HMS Berwick, at the cost of only 4 ROCN destroyers in total.

Just six days later, the British ships rebound as Admiral Forbes launch the 4th Battle of Singapore. Chinese strategist aren't sure if the British Admiralty was just that muleheaded, severely offended, or if Churchill gave them a totally unreasonable order. The 4th Battle of Singapore saw the British lose their remnants of their Destroyer Division 29 and another 2 transport flotillas. A total of 24 transport ships have been sank in the past week, with over 12,000 British troops lost at sea (a few thousand captured by Chinese troops as they made their way ashore).

December 1st: Since the beginning of WW2, Prime Minister Milan Stojadinović of Yugoslavia has tried to keep his nation out of the war by taking neutral status. But with the German victory on the continent this was no longer realistic. Recognizing that there was no other way to save his nation, Regent Paul Karađorđević aligns himself with the Axis powers and makes pro-German accommodations, including signing the Tripartite Pact. This would preserve Yugoslavian independence by taking advantage of the fact that Hitler had no interest in German involvement in the Balkans.

December 2nd: The British Admiralty just can't seem to accept the fact they've lost Singapore. Admiral Forbes returns again, and Chen Ce bloodies his nose again by sinking the remainder of 3 transport flotillas and another 12,000 troops they carried. With his forces decimated, Forbes at last leaves the area.

The endless British attacks on the port-city only served to convince Chinese military leadership of just how crucial the fortress of Singapore was. Under the excuse of counterespionage, the NRA military administration of Singapore forcibly displaced all non-American westerners from the island itself. With the bulk of the Indians also returning to help with the reconstruction of India, the NRA garrison found themselves face-to-face with an unusual fact: despite being almost 2,000kms from the southern tip of China, Singapore felt... almost like home.

The reason for this? Singapore's local population was predominantly of Chinese diaspora, particularly Cantonese, Hakka, and Peranakan (Strait-born Chinese). At the turn of the century in 1901, a British census had discovered that the Chinese population in Singapore had already reached 70% and it has only grown since. Even the local education system was heavily influenced by Chinese traditions, and many of these Chinese spoke a mainland dialect as their first language and English second.

Seizing upon this unusual opportunity, the NRA leadership made a proposal to the Republic of China government: annex and integrate the port-city of Singapore as a part of China.

Chiang Kai-shek was furious when the plan arrived at his desk: "I will not have China become the next Imperial power in Asia! We began this war to take back our historic lands and liberate our brethren, not to establish oversea colonies of our own!"

"But just look at the demographics: Singapore might as well be Chinese already!" Vice President Li Zongren tried to persuade him.

"It is a matter of principle!" Chiang stubbornly countered. "I will not authorize this. I don't care what your excuse is!"

...


December 2nd: After a brief battle in Bodo, German forces in Norway forced the surrender of retreating troops from Trondheim. The British had tried to withdraw the troops but it proved impossible: Admiral Donitz had the entire Norwegian coast blockaded with U-boats.

December 3rd: Spurred by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), Yugoslavian Air Force officers launched a coup that overthrew the Regency led by Prince Paul and installed King Peter II. Now, with a hostile nation directly south of German lands, Hitler sees little choice but to order the Wehrmacht --which had been amassing on the German-Soviet borders-- for an Invasion of Yugoslavia.

"Yugoslavia is finished," Chiang Kai-shek could only comment as he heard the news. "Hitler will ignore his southern flank as long as it's pro-German, but no major power will tolerate a satellite state of their enemy on their border. Those selfish Anglo-Saxons have effectively signed the death warrant of another nation, just for a slight benefit for themselves."

December 6th: Field Marshal Wavell of the British Middle Eastern Command launched another counterattack in the North Africa front, pushing the Italians back from Matruh once more and even driving the Italians back in Bir Fuad. Meanwhile in Greece, the Italians halt the Greek Army's advance despite continued losses at a 2:1 ratio. The Greeks, as the defenders in this war, are understandably not prepared for an offensive.

December 8th: British radio announces that the Royal Navy sinks a large Italian transport fleet laden with troops off the West African coast. Other Axis leaders found themselves baffled by why Mussolini sent them there in the first place.

December 10th: After a failed coup by the Romanian Iron Guard which had left Romania in chaos with their Bucharest pogrom, Prime Minister Antonescu forces his former followers out of the government and abolishes the 'National Legionary State'. A 'National and Socialist State' was established in its place, but with his political support at home undermined, Antonescu found himself effectively a puppet of the Nazi government.

December 12th: German and Soviet foreign ministries reaffirm the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, as well as the German-Soviet Commerce Agreement (1940) where Germany would trade machine tools and precision equipment in exchange for vital raw materials from the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile in China, the National Revolutionary Army --upon request by the German Wehrmacht-- was already moving its divisions into the Xinjiang and Manchurian frontier regions for "winter exercises".

December 18th: Ethnic violence breaks out in the city of Jubbulpore (Jabalpur), Madhya Pradesh, India. Despite being a city famous for its historic, syncretic culture after centuries of intermittent Mughal and Maratha rule, the populace of Jubbulpore had been divided by the British canton system and now each demanded separate states cut along cultural lines. The riots escalated in defiance of government mandate, and Defense Minister Sardar Baldev Singh was forced to send in the Nehru Division to restore order. 10 days would pass before the rule of law was returned to the city, and over 1,473 rioters would be shot by the soldiers.
(This is the 3rd and worst outcome of the repeating ethnic-religious tensions events. In addition to an insurgency it adds another +5% dissent.)

December 20th: The British Admiralty seem intent on harassing the new Asian powers. The Chinese 25th division stationed at Colombo reports that is was under attack --a poorly led attack at that-- from British forces. Admiral Chen Ce was immediately dispatched to lead the 1st Fleet from Singapore to interdict.

December 27th: Chen Ce arrives in just one week, and his rapid response took British completely off-guard. Without a single loss, he sank another British transport flotilla and the heavy cruiser HMS Shropshire. His radioed report also brought a grin to Chiang Kai-shek's countenance, as the defeated was none other than Admiral Mountbatten, the man responsible for the disastrous Partition of India in his other life.

December 30th: At the end of 1940, the reason for Italy's poor performance against Wavell's recent counterattack became clear. Over twenty Italian divisions had been pulled away from North Africa to launch an invasion of 'Free French' colonies in Equatorial Africa. However, as Wavell's southern front secure a victory at Faya, the entire invasion was now in danger of being cut off.

( Next Chapter - The Rocket Genius and the Indonesian Revival )​

Notes:
1. BIS/Juntong's Confidential Section (Jiyaoshi), is an elite encryption/decryption unit ran by Jiang Yiying, the highest-ranking female intelligence officer in the KMT. It speaks volumes about ROC attitudes towards women as Dai Li and BIS/Juntong were known as Ultraconservatives. The entire section was also known to communicate only in the extremely unusual (and rural) Jiangshan dialect. Basically, they're China's version of Navajo Code Talkers.

2. Lee Kuan Yew is a 4th-generation Chinese-Singaporean of Hakka descent. As the 1st Prime Minister of Singapore, he is renowned for transitioning Singapore from the third-world to first-world in a single generation. He is unlikely to take part in this AAR as he was just 17 years old in 1940, but I wanted an opening quote to pay him respect and highlight the cultural reality of Singapore.