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What's your plan on China?

I'm glad you asked. ;)


or do you go for a partitioned Chinese mainland?

Well, the Empire of the Sun needs SOME compensation in China.
But most of the spoils are going to my loyal Qing puppet.

Maybe Red India or Indonesia, which owned by the Netherlands?

One of them, Siberia or the Philippines.
 
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The spark which ignited the Second Qing-Japanese War occurred in the early morning hours of in the province of Chengde: The Imperial Japanese Army garrison came under fire from Qing troops on exercise nearby, imperial troops of course returning fire. The whole of High Command seeing the opportunity to finally bring all of northern China under Japanese control, His Majesty gave the green light for further offensive operations against the Qing.
Although some in the imperial government (especially the Foreign Office) became worried once Peking lobbied for a German intervention on their behalf and rightfully so: At that time, the German Empire was the only state which could legitimately be considered a superpower and a grave threat to the empire.


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Fortunately, some skillful diplomatic wrangling by the Foreign Office had convinced Berlin to see the Japanese side of things. Although the recent Qing rebellion against their German patrons doubtlessly played a role in the Germans looking the other way. It was not recognized at the time, but this one event marked the beginning of a (albeit long) rapprochement between Tokyo and Berlin.


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The first IJA troops, under the command of Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, made landfall at Nantong province, quickly securing a beachhead with minimal Qing resistance.


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In a press conference, Pu-Yi had arrogantly declared that the Qing would defeat the Japanese without any allies whatsoever. This stroke of luck caused Daihon'ei to breath another collective sigh of relief: The poor infrastructure of inner China and the seemingly infinite manpower of any potential alliance of Chinese states made planning a push deep into China(while holding the lines) would have been a strategic nightmare which gave even the most zealous Kōdōha members cause for concern.


However, despite the successes with China, the news out of the Foreign Office was not all good:

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No longer content with destabilizing only Europe, red France had begun promoting a new "Asian Socialist Bloc" between the Philippines and the Bhartiya Commune. This act of meddling in Asia had convinced even the most dovish(relatively speaking) in High Command of one thing: That for the sake of peace in the Orient, syndicalism would have to be destroyed. After all, once the French were done with the Germans, who could know what their next target would be?


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By late May of that year, the breakout at Nantong had successfully widened the front a great deal, destroying many of the poorly-equipped Qing units quite handily. However, His Majesty warned his generals not to become over confident, as the Qing could surely raise a large number of units (albeit of questionable quality) in a very short amount of time. To this end, the Emperor ordered that the focus not be on destroying Qing units, but a drive towards Beijing in hopes of securing a favorable peace settlement.
 
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On the morning of May 15th, 1938, the Foreign Office delivered a disturbing report out of Southeast Asia:

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Syndicalists all throughout Indochina had flocked under the banner of the red leader Ho Chi Minh and had begun a series of offensives against the small German garrison in the area.
Declaring the People's Republic of Vietnam, the reds declared war upon the German Empire. His Majesty, having some strange inkling that Europeans of any kind would be severely unwilling to fight a long guerrilla war in Indochina, ordered High Command to draw up contingency plans to bring the Vietnamese into the fold should the Germans fail.


As of midday on July 3rd of that year, the Japanese bloc, formally known as the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, consisted only of the Empire of Japan and the Fengtien Republic. However, that evening, a new member (and Asia's resident international pariah) was due to enter the fray:

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After months of cajoling and promises of granted concessions from the Qing, Genghis Khan II officially accepted His Majesty's invitation to join the Co-Prosperity Sphere, his finest cavalry in the area given the order to engage the Qing border garrisons.


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By the middle of the summer of 1938, the situation had grown increasingly desperate for the Qing: Their forces in the south scattered at best, destroyed at worst, left the IJA a clear path towards the imperial capital. Pu-Yi however, continued his bluster, stating that this was "a mere setback on the long road to revenge." In the northwest, Mongolian forces had captured most of the former lands of the Shangqing, facing only sporadic resistance.


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In spite of the low expectations of many in Daihon'ei about the resolve of the Germans (and Europeans as a whole) to see through any conflict in Indochina, the Germans managed to decisively crush the revolt in a matter of weeks. Many in High Command were secretly relieved, as they did not relish trying an amphibious landing in Vietnam and the inevitable battles in the jungle.


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After five months of fighting and the Foreign Office, on direct orders from the Emperor, approached Pu-Yi with a deal: That he would be allowed to keep his place on the Dragon Throne in exchange for swearing fealty to the Tennō and his empire. Despite his earlier, grandiose proclamations, Pu-Yi, facing a military impossible situation, wanted desperately to keep his power as well as minimize his loss of face among his people, agreed to the deal, the Qing Empire formally becoming the fourth member of the Japanese bloc. But despite this great victory, all was not well in China:


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In the realms of the Allgemeine Ostasiatische Gesellschaft, the German puppet to the south, Chinese republicans had risen up. Declaring the Republic of China, the rebels began to attack the AOG troops in earnest.


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To the surprise of many and to the dismay of the Germans, the ROC victory over the AOG came fairly swiftly. With the absorption of the lands of the Yunnan warlords coming soon after, His Majesty and planners in Daihon'ei became somewhat anxious: This rapidly growing state posed a very real threat to their new allies in Peking and Ulaanbaatar. Loathe to let an aggressive, expansionist, republican regime alone, the Emperor ordered his generals to plan for war with the republic.
 
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I'm quite surprised! I did not expect you to allow the Qing to live on, albeit in vassal form. Certainly the Qing by definition claim all of China, especially and most importantly Manchuria. To me it seems contradictory for both Manchuria and the Qing to be in the same block, though this state of affairs was certainly thrust upon them, rather than being of their design.
 
Ohh Rep China! Nice!
 
The German triumph in Vietnam must be bittersweet with the fall of the Allgemeine Ostasiatische Gesellschaft. Berlin truly must feel outnumbered in the Far East. Which is good, I suppose for the loyal subjects of the Japanese emperor. Do you plan to incorporate the six southern Chinese provinces currently ruled by the republicans into the Qing Empire, or do you go for a partitioned Chinese mainland?
 
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In the night of November 1st, 1939, the Imperial Japanese Navy began a massive bombardment of the National Republican Army garrisons in the capital province of Guangzhou, in preparation for an amphibious landing.


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Three days later, General Ishihara's 5th Army overwhelmed the defenders of Guangzhou, establishing a beachhead shortly afterwards.


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In the course of the next month, the beachhead and front expanded considerably. Although, the campaign did not come without its problems: The mountainous terrain of southern China, combined with the NRA's familiarity with the terrain, led to the front becoming frayed at several points. While the lines were shortly reestablished, this became an annoyance for the planners of Daihon'ei, forced to resupply the isolated units via air.


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By the new year, the situation was increasingly desperate, if not hopeless for the ROC: The NRA brass knew it, the government knew it, but most importantly, the Emperor and his generals knew it.
Yet for some reason or another, the NRA continued fighting for a little more than another month.


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With the final defeat of the Republic of China, a vast swath of Chinese territory came under imperial control. While the vast majority of the land would be (over time) transferred to Qing control, the southern coast was to be integrated into the empire as compensation.


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With the whole of China integrated into the Co-Prosperity Sphere, it came time to chose a new strategic direction. A small, but vocal minority (mainly in the Kōdōha) advocated finishing off the German colonial empire in Asia as a whole, however His Majesty ordered German territories in Asia to remain unmolested, directing High Command to begin focus on the weaker powers in Asia.
 
I am liking this so far. I wonder, is a showdown with Germany somewhere in the future? I personally am very much looking forward to that if and when it happens.
 
And now for something completely different

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The smell of tobacco smoke hung heavily in the air of a certain Tokyo parlor. This particular parlor was well known in the Japanese officer corps as a meeting place for Kōdōha members and tonight saw a man whom had assumed an informal leadership of the Kōdōha frustrated, to say the least:

"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!" raged Prince Chichibu Yasuhito "I had expected this China campaign to become a complete boondoggle! But brother's even more popular than ever with the people! Stupid peasants...No idea what's good for them..."

"Sir, please calm down!" pleaded General Nisho "Remember your heart condition!"


Ever since his brother had been designated as heir apparent of the Chrysanthemum Throne, Prince Chichibu had harbored a growing resentment of his elder brother, the Emperor. Always somewhat of a hothead, the prince had recently become increasingly enraged with his brother: What a coward! He thought angrily. Rapprochement with the Germans, their hated enemy from the Weltkrieg rather than war to drive the Europeans from Asia once and for all? He may as well be spitting on the graves of father and his predecessors, thought the prince. Surely, the empire, Japanese people, and the prince's own ego, could be better served by a new Tennō...

"After all that trouble I went to!" ranted the prince "If it's not appropriating funds to the red trade unions, it's leaking intelligence to the Entente, if not that, then tripping up those Foreign Office bastards every chance I get... After all that trouble I went to to get a pardon for that red moron Fukui and he goes and botches the job! I even paid for his rare British weapon he insisted on using!"

"Truly an unfortunate turn of events, sir," said General Yanagawa gingerly, as if not to offend the notoriously volatile prince "But tomorrow is another day and new opportunities will surely present themselves."


Slamming the table, Prince Chichibu took a slow, deep breath:

"I can deal with my brat of a nephew later, but make no mistake," the prince resumed "That little monster and brother are the only two things standing between me and my rightful claim to the throne."

"But how do we go about this, my lord?" inquired Admiral Tanaka

"It's simple, you dolt: We simply produce 'evidence' that dear brother is losing his mind and is in no condition to rule. A threat to himself, the empire, and others. And this is where I come in to save the country from complete ruin and chaos. What happens to my brother beyond that, I don't really care, but I'd prefer you shut him up in the most permanent way possible."

"Most excellent plan, my liege," said General Kawagishi, the others murmuring in agreement

However, there was one figure present, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, whom remained unusually quiet throughout the meeting, wearing a vaguely anxious facial expression:

"You look like you have something to say, Yamashita," said the prince menacingly, hovering over to the general

"No, nothing in particular sir," replied Yamashita


Producing a Nambu Type 94 from his breast pocket, the prince placed the weapon's barrel at Yamashita's forehead

"Don't lie to me!" roared the prince "Are you with my brother?!"

"Of course not!" lied Yamashita "I am your loyal retainer as always!"

"Then what did you look so anxious about?!"

"My liege, it is very late and my wife worries-"


His rage apparently appeased, Prince Chichibu lowered the weapon and returned it to his breast pocket and went back to his table with his subordinates. Now visibly perspiring, Yamashita took the very next opportunity to extricate himself from the situation and the building: Never again, am I going back to that parlor, thought General Yamashita as he hailed a nearby cab.
 
He must've been teased immensely with a name like that. Teehee, Chichi. No wonder he turned to a life of rage and villainous plottings of treason.
 
Feeling his dabbling in courtly intrigue reminiscent of another game about a land far away in a bygone era, after his incident in the parlor, General Yamashita went directly to His Majesty the next morning with the urgent news that, with the help of several high-ranking Kōdōha members, Prince Chichibu was plotting to dethrone him and assassinate his son in order to take the throne for himself. In an emergency session with his ministers, the Emperor's suspicions fell immediately upon his Kōdōha-affiliated Chief of Staff, General Sadao Araki. Araki genuinely had no knowledge of the plot and was shocked and appalled to find out about the subject of the emergency meeting. For whatever disagreements there were currently in the cabinet, one thing had become clear: That it was finally time for the more radical Kōdōha members to be reigned in:

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The military hierarchy was completely redesigned in the aftermath of the plot's discovery, with many influential Kōdōha members forced into retirement or other positions of irrelevance. On the conditions of expulsion from the army and never contacting his co-conspirators again, Yanagawa was allowed to keep his position (and head). For his skill and loyalty to His Majesty, General Yamashita was appointed as the head of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service.
As far as the matter of the rebellious prince was concerned, the cabinet was divided: While all knew that the prince's actions constituted insubordination and treason, the ministers were unsure about how exactly to proceed from this point. While furious about the plot, the prince was still His Majesty's younger brother and decided to show him mercy while not allowing him to be a threat to national stability: The following day, Prince Chichibu was officially granted the title of Count of Guam and reassigned there immediately, with all of his outgoing conversations to be closely monitored.


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Out of the Foreign Offfice, new Foreign Minister Fumimaro Konoe delivered some excellent news: That the beating heart of the world syndicalist movement, red France, had been ripped out and crushed by the Germans, Berlin dividing the country into the Kingdom of France and Grand Duchies in Normandy, Brittany and Normandy, all under the auspices of a Hohenzollern ruler. His Majesty, feeling quite vindicated with his relatively non-confrontational approach towards Germany, ordered Konoe to extend congratulations to Berlin and the new regimes. With the Internationale one member down, Daihon'ei was further freed to plot against Australasia, provided the British-German war continued apace.
 
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The years of 1940-1943, although unusually quiet years for the Empire of the Sun, saw several important developments arise:

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The third major power of the Syndicalist Internationale, Soviet Russia, had finally fallen to the prolonged German onslaught, Berlin restoring the Tsarist throne placing its own Prince Louis Ferdinand on the throne in order to eliminate the threat from the east.


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The war between the Bharitya Commune and the Princely Federation had concluded in favor of the former. With it being known as the informal leader of the "Asian Internationale", this put to mind any doubt in the planners in Daihon'ei that red India would have to be dealt with and fairly soon.

In the Americas, red Mexico, after its defeat of the Pacific States of America, had finally begun to sink its tentacles into the former American state of Alaska. Naturally, His Majesty was not pleased at the idea of another syndicalist state being so near to the empire (One in the Philippines was more than enough), the Emperor ordered an Imperial Japanese Navy task force to Alaska and the western coasts of Mexico. With the guns of the Combined Fleet ready for action at a second's notice, Mexico City promptly surrendered to imperial demands:

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While being welcomed by native tribal leaders (anticipating massive Japanese investments in the area), some, chiefly American expatriates remaining in Alaska, did not take too kindly to their new masters:

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While the initial uprisings were crushed, partisan activity in Alaska would remain a headache for years for military planners and industrial engineers alike.


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Meanwhile, there was good news from the homefront: The Tokkō reported that the last remaining Korean rebels had either been destroyed or captured or had heeded the Korean king's call to lay down their arms and surrender.

However, in the foreign sphere, there was another setback which could have very well derailed further plans for expansion:

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With the Union of Britain's so-called "Peace with Honor" with the German Empire, the British Army and what remained of the Republican Navy would be free to defend Australasia. Naturally, this worried High Command a great deal, some even calling to postpone the attack until the British were again occupied. His Majesty however, came to agree with Grand Admiral Yamamoto's faction: That the strike against Australasia would have to come soon, while the Republican Navy was still recovering from the war with Germany. However, there was one last bit of diplomatic dancing to be done:

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The Burmese, once so antagonistic to the point of almost joining Mittleuropa, had accepted the offer to enter the Co-Prosperity Sphere, seeking protection from red India.
With this (seemingly) insignificant memo from the Foreign Office a brief interruption, the Emperor and his staff began to plan in earnest for the liberation of Australasia from the red yoke...
 
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Germany's going to be an epic beast to fight late in the game. You'll have to slug through the Urals, fighting battle-hardened German troops along with their puppet armies from the Kingdom of France and Russia.

Best of luck in Australasia!
 
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Finally, on the morning of June 20th, 1943, the Emperor gave the order for offensive operations against the Australasian Confederation (and by extension, what remained of the Syndicalist Internationale) to begin. While Daihon'ei was collectively confident about the prospective performance of the well-trained, modern, battle-hardened Imperial Japanese Army, the British Republican Navy remained a perpetual concern. To this end, the famed Grand Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was placed in command of the Rengō Kantai (Combined fleet) and, alongside several supporting fleets and naval bomber wings, deployed to the Coral Sea in hopes of ambushing the RN, as well as to prepare for an amphibious assault on Papua New Guinea.


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Surprisingly to all, the island was relatively poorly defended, with only one brigade assigned to defend Port Moresby. While this was a pleasant surprise to High Command, His Majesty ordered vigilance: The Internationale would surely attempt to retake their portion of the island at some point and preparations were required.


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After six months of sporadic naval battles, the first imperial troops finally made land at the port of Darwin. Overcoming the Australasian army in a fearsome amphibious battle, once the battle had ended and the red forces were forced out of the city, the Imperial Japanese Army were greeted by the civilian population with raucous cheers and celebrations. But this was no time to get complacent: Nearly the entire transport fleet was placed on the duty of transporting hundreds of thousands of men to the beachhead.


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While the IJA fought bravely and competently against the Australasian Red Army, the poor infrastructure and attrition from the desert made the advance slow. However, by the beginning of May 1944, the lines had finally solidified somewhat, with the northwestern portion of Australia under imperial control.


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During the summer months, the situation became increasingly dire for the reds: Daihon'ei pressing forward with a new offensive into the interior, the British reds poured tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Republican Army troops into their remaining ports, in a vain hope of halting the imperial advance. But by November, it became clear to the planners in London that the situation was not salvageable:

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While the vast majority (some albeit grudgingly), welcomed the empire as liberators from the red yoke, there were a few troublemakers, no doubt activated as a sort of stay-behind unit by the Australasian government:

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While the partisans were dealt with in fairly short order, this raised a new concern for the planners in High Command: If the Internationale had more of these stay-behind units, the vast distances of Australia could make putting down a large-scale revolt a real threat to the campaign. In order to prevent this, the Emperor ordered Australasia finished off as quickly as possible, the Combined Fleet and supporting units redeployed to New Zealand to prepare for yet another amphibious assault.


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Finally, on January 2nd, 1945, the last of the Australasian Red Army troops threw down their arms and surrendered to imperial forces. The last remaining British forces on New Zealand, isolated, poorly supplied, and completely surrounded were destroyed shortly afterwards.


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Likewise, the British, having lost hundreds of thousands of men and having some of the RN's finest vessels at the bottom of the Pacific, grudgingly agreed to come to the peace table: In liberated Sydney, Foreign Minister Konoe delivered the list of demands to the British ambassador: The Internationale was to have no further involvement in Asia and the British were ordered to dismantle the remainder of their fleets in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, lest they be sent to Davy Jones' Locker by the IJN.

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With no other way of continuing an Asian campaign and no hope for a re-installation of the red government, the British saw no other option than to bite the bullet and accept the humiliating peace terms.
At this news, countless celebrations broke out throughout the Home Islands and imperial bases abroad.


Finally, the time came to decide what to do with Australasia: A plan was floated semi-seriously among some of the hardliners, mainly Kōdōha members, of integrating the continent directly into the empire: Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, having already been a convert to Catholicism and married to an Australian woman, was to be appointed as the governor-general under this plan. However, His Majesty, realizing the inevitable problems with the civilian population, axed the plan, instead calling John Curtin out of his exile in Delhi to rule under Japanese supervision. New Zealand was to be separated, if for no other reason than to have another member of the Co-Prosperity Sphere and leave a rouge Australia with nowhere to run:

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As for the fate of Syndicalist leader Lance Sharkey and his red cadre, His Majesty simply ordered them turned over to an angry mob in Canberra, stating that the local police were to look the other way.
 
Congrats to complete the southern sea campaign! Banzai!
His Majesty, Which country is your next targets?
Maybe Red India or Indonesia, which owned by the Netherlands?
 
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