Myth, do you plan on inhereting anything from the Japanese? Seeing as you did not sink their navy, it would be a funky addition to your growing might. Surely there are enough able sailors to man them in China.
I figure technological blueprints are fair, so once Japan is conquered I'll give myself blueprints of what they had at the time. otherwise, nope.
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Li Jishen sat and faced Tokyo, trying to formulate a plan. There were an impressive amount of soldiers in the city, but most were fortress divisions and many appeared to be entraining for different portions of the front. That would make it easier, but Tokyo would still be a difficult battle. That what had occurred the past month, however, was much easier than the prospective battle that lay ahead.
One of the more important developments, holistically, was Li Zongren’s development of a doctrine of delay actions. He continued his work by beginning to work on a doctrine of elastic defense.
Li Zongren isn’t giving up.
Plans changed quickly. Li Jishen was soon marching toward Fukushima instead of Niigata, as it would take him a shorter time. Bai Chongxi was to march through Fukishima and toward Niigata instead, thus accomplishing more in less time. In addition to providing the Chinese with a new direction to attack Tokyo from, Niigata would extend the distance the Japanese had to cover to keep a coherent front.
Chinese forces pushing south.
In Tsushima Strait, early on the month, the Japanese had apparently tired of being stood off by a number of puny destroyers and, effectively, charged them, though not doing much damage because the Chinese withdrew back into Busan. Less than a week later, however, the Chinese were out again to escort a troop convoy bringing Kravelkin’s corps from Busan to Fukuoka to defend it from a Japanese infantry division attempting to cross from Hiroshima, to free up Li Zongren for operations on Honshu. There was, however, slight trouble as a minor Japanese fleet appeared in the strait as well. Kravelkin made it to Fukuoka safely, but the Chinese fleet had to withdraw. It, however, did some damage.
A defeat, supposedly.
With Kravelkin defending Fukuoka, Li Zongren loaded his corps onto transports and sailed northward toward Fukishima, which had recently fallen to Bai Chongxi. Though escorted by destroyers, the Chinese were attacked in the Inland Sea by a minor Japanese fleet and forced to withdraw, though they conspired to withdraw northward toward their goal. Li Zongren and his force reached Fukushima safely.
The Japanese still held naval supremacy, especially as the Chinese in Tsushima Strait had earlier failed to hold the Japanese carrier fleet at bay.
Li Zongren reached Fukushima soon after Bai Chongxi had occupied Niigata. However, the Japanese had counterattacked at Niigata and thrown Bai Chongxi back toward Akita. Li Zongren therefore immediately began marching toward Niigata himself.
Reinforcing Niigata, which became vulnerable to recapture.
However, Li Jishen had a better idea than that and managed to essentially smuggle Fu Zuoyi’s corps to Niigata first. After holding off the Japanese advance, which quickly faltered, Fu Zuoyi turned and advanced toward Kanazawa, smashing the one Japanese fortress division defending the city. Li Zongren, however, continued marching, simply to keep a coherent front.
Fu Zuoyi, who would much rather be commanding armored divisions, attacking Kanazawa with his infantry corps.
Tsushima Strait, however, finally witnesses a comprehensive Chinese defeat. Golukjin’s corps was sent through to Niigata, but the escorting destroyers, which stayed in the Strait, were ambushed by a carrier task force and severely mauled. In four hours, the Japanese shattered four destroyer divisions, sinking twenty ships, and heavily decimated the remaining two, which fled back to Busan. The month thus ended, on a slightly somber note after the earlier successes.
A heavy naval defeat for China.
