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* * *

At least Britain has a navy. But even that navy becomes useless in the face of nuclear weapons.

“Your Majesty.”

As I was deep in thought, the head of our Duma, Prime Minister, seemed to have more to say.

“What is it?”

“If China has allied itself with communism, isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

Yeah, that’s incredibly dangerous.

If China were to successfully recover with Germany’s help and push Japan out, where would that leave us?

While Russia wouldn’t lose to a mere China, it would still have to deploy troops to the Far East.

That means dealing with a two-front war. Realistically, while we should be focusing on China just like Japan, we have to concentrate on Europe, right? It would be better for us if Japan and China fought it out.

“That’s right. If they’ve allied with communism, considering China’s potential, it certainly raises concerns.”

Just the population of Southern China alone is massive.

Japan’s reluctance to invade Southern China right now seems to stem from a desire to stabilize Northern China first.

They probably have internal issues to handle as well. Meanwhile, our Chiang Kai-shek has teamed up with the Red Devil.

If that’s the case, I’ll have no choice but to deal with China later.

It might not be a bad idea for us to reconstruct the mess Japan left behind and capture Chiang Kai-shek while using Mao Zedong as a pawn.

Even if we call Mao a damn bastard, we have to acknowledge his value.

Even in the original history, due to communism’s inherently closed nature, Korea managed to seize a golden opportunity to build its national strength while China was busy ruining itself during the Cultural Revolution.

Meanwhile, if Chiang Kai-shek unifies China, it could be dangerous. History here follows a similar pattern.

Chiang Kai-shek, who hopes for a unified China, sees Russia as an enemy. He likely has thoughts of reclaiming Mongolia and Manchuria.

In the original history, Chiang Kai-shek helped the Korean Provisional Government, but here, it would be better if he just disappeared.

It would be ideal if he died and left China to warlords incapable of unification.

Who knew I would find myself saving Mao Zedong one day?

I’m sorry for Chiang Kai-shek, but if he’s going to be hostile to Russia, there’s nothing to be done. If the Cultural Revolution doesn’t happen, I must drag the war out to accumulate damages as much as possible.

“So I plan to use the Okhrana to track down Mao Zedong. If we can’t find him, he could still be alive somewhere.”

Mao Zedong, having inherited the warlord territories of Chen Zhongming, has become the Guangdong warlord.

The fact that he hasn’t returned to Guangdong suggests he might be dead, but on the flip side, he might also be stuck in Japanese territories and unable to move.

Or he could be hiding his identity and locked up somewhere.

“Yes. Understood.”

“But does Mutaguchi Renya listen well?”

That guy better not mess things up.

He’s crucial to this. Even if we can’t overhaul the Japanese government in the future, we need to strike at Japan’s back.

“For now, it seems like he’s busy just receiving supplies from the Governor-General’s Office as you ordered, Your Majesty.”

“Well, he has already annihilated two million soldiers, so he’ll be satisfied with that.”

Honestly, if I had accomplished something like that, I wouldn’t want to fight anymore either.

Relying solely on that achievement to do more would be risky, considering it’s the Imperial General Headquarters. Given it’s even the Emperor’s direct army, it’s better to stay quiet when you’re content.

Even Hirohito wouldn’t want just Mutaguchi Renya rampaging around while he’s present.

There’s no entity more fearful than a high-ranking minister that commands such merits. Hirohito understands that China is currently in crisis and would want to seize the opportunity to deal with China himself.

“Once China stabilizes, Japan will surely move down south!”

“Yes. Chiang Kai-shek will not surrender, so that must be the case.”

The battle between Hirohito and Chiang Kai-shek… what a petty and tedious fight.

Hirohito personally taking charge in this modern age… Oh. That’s something impressive.

“Ultimately, we need an ideal scenario where China somehow holds its ground while Japan is also restrained to some extent.”

We need a perfect picture that aligns with our desires within reasonable parameters. But that might be asking too much.

So far, I’ve been lucky that all my predictions came true.

Honestly, there have been cases where my predictions failed, specifically regarding Churchill and the Commonwealth’s conflicts.

I hoped for Trotsky’s disturbances, but I never imagined they would blow up like this.

It’s also possible that the situation may arise where American reinforcements need to be dispatched.

In such a scenario, China could suddenly be overwhelmed by Hirohito, or Hirohito might capture Chiang Kai-shek outright.

Those scenarios aren’t out of the question.

It could be all or nothing. Japan could take over Southern China, or Chiang Kai-shek could break through to Mongolia.

“Still, if Germany begins to support China, we can’t predict the repercussions.”

“We should hope they mutually destroy each other over there.”

“Yes. However, if we allow time to gather our troops again, we might manage to engage them with numerical advantages. I’ll keep an eye on things from the Duma.”

I believe the Prime Minister will handle things well.

Then Japan might soon have something to request from us, especially since the war with China is ongoing.

“Your Majesty. Japan has requested arms and oil sales.”

As expected, not long after, Japan requested weapons and oil.

Looking at the list, it seems they were particularly interested in aerial carriers. They inquired if they could procure the Veloe series from the Veloe Project.

Oil… Hmm, are they starting to run low?

“Hmmm. What about America?”

“America, as it stands, finds it challenging to import oil.”

While an oil embargo hasn’t been enacted, it seems Japan is struggling with oil imports right now.

Considering the civil war in America, they likely have many internal uses for what they have. There’s nothing we can do about that.

“Does Japan not have tanks?”

“They have some, but their tank technology is severely outdated.”

That makes sense. It was pathetic in the original history too, wasn’t it? The tank models were incredibly old-fashioned.

If we provide them with tanks, they’ll be able to push China more effectively. That’s a tough offer to accept.

If they had tanks, they could overcome China faster.

“Let’s offer support with older tank models for arms sales within reasonable limits. As for the rest, just let them know that the European war is nearing its conclusion, making it hard to allocate resources. We can say that oil can be sold until then.”

Regrettably, weapon support is limited.

It wouldn’t do to directly provide them with weapons. More importantly, we are on the verge of war ourselves, aren’t we?

Sigh, the burden is increasing, but that’s also part of the fun.

* * *

National Government of the Republic of China, Henan Province

The Japanese army, which had focused on stabilizing Qing China, looked down on the Chinese army and drafted some of its troops for the occupation of Henan Province.

This was because they had to eradicate Chiang Kai-shek’s National Government for the full-scale occupation of China.

However, the Imperial General Headquarters in the Forbidden City was complacent upon hearing that two million soldiers had collapsed in an instant. This complacency prevented the Japanese army from achieving victory.

The Chinese soldiers, united under Chiang Kai-shek, were convinced that losing this war would turn China into Japan’s slave, and thus they fought like madmen.

Chiang Kai-shek proclaimed that this was a crisis for China’s downfall and sought to unite the warlords; while not everyone would adhere, at least he managed to gather some forces.

“If we lose here, China will become Japan’s slave! Never give up a single inch of land!”

“Long live the Führer! Long live the National Government of the Republic of China!”

“Children of the Greater Japan Empire! Occupy Southern China and make them recognize who the true rulers of Asia are!”

“Long live His Imperial Majesty! Long live the Greater Japan Empire!”

It was a fight between those who defend and those who breach. However, strangely, the battle in this Henan Province was behaving oddly.

It resembled more of a child’s game than a real war.

The Chinese army was utilizing such strategies while holding back the Japanese forces.

Ironically, the ineffective techniques taught by the White Army to increase damages on the Chinese side were now working effectively against the Japanese army.

Even the Japanese army felt the pressure from the powerful spirit of Yasukuni spirit that did not falter.

Of course, in simpler terms, it was merely an act to protect their country from invaders. But it was enough to send chills down the spines of the Japanese soldiers.

“What the hell are these lunatics?”

“These bastards are tougher than we thought!”

No matter how many they shot, new soldiers came rushing over their bodies.

Some even charged with nothing but their bare hands.

As if having guns was unnecessary.

The Chinese soldiers, charging with nothing but their bodies, would seize the guns of their fallen comrades and spring forth towards the Japanese army.

It was absurd that those who were supposed to be defending were the ones actually charging in.

The casualties for the Japanese army weren’t particularly high.

However, the psychological damage was quite unbearable.

The soldiers of the Empire, armed with Yasukuni spirit, were being pushed back by soldiers from an inferior nation like China.

“How the hell did this happen?”

Only through this wave-based strategy. A determination to never yield even an inch of land to the invaders.

Unified by that will, the Chinese army continued charging at the invaders, forcing the Japanese to fight a staggering number of Chinese soldiers.

The battle in Henan Province had come to a standstill.

Japan itself hadn’t deployed its full might to begin with, and in taking a single region, there hadn’t been a need to exert all its effort.

There was much discussion about the Henan front even in the Imperial General Headquarters.

“We’re not falling back as much as anticipated.”

“It’s absurd that we can’t overcome something like China. The commander of the South China dispatch army (Hata Shunroku) should reflect on this.”

Originally, Hata Shunroku rose to Colonel and Military General, and was appointed Chief of Army Education, and in March 1941, he became the overall commander of the China Expeditionary Army. However, in this altered history, he was merely the commander of the 1st Army of the South China Expeditionary Army responsible for the Henan attack.

“They’re saying they’re buying Russian and German weapons, but even with that, they lack sufficient supplies compared to us. How could this be?”

“The Chinese are using bizarre tactics. The ones who should be holding back are coming at us.”

It was truly a crazy strategy. There’s no other way to describe it.

Even the Japanese, armed with Yasukuni spirit, were flabbergasted by this strategy.

It was a strategy that involved pulling people from the fields. Due to that strategy, the Imperial army was being overwhelmed not by fighting strength, but sheer numbers.

The casualties accumulating from those Chinese soldiers who charged over the bodies of their comrades was just icing on the cake.

“That can’t be an excuse right now. It’s actually quite bizarre, isn’t it? Aren’t we the ones being pushed back against these rabble?”

“When the soldier with the firearm dies from the Imperial Army’s shooting, there’s always another bare-handed soldier following him, picking up the fallen comrade’s weapon and charging forward. The sheer number of them is simply unmanageable.”

Of course, had they launched a full-scale assault, they could have pressured the Henan Province and overwhelmed it.

“Crazy.”

“What’s the status on oil imports from Russia? If progress continues to stall, hitting them from the rear with an amphibious assault might be an option. We need oil to mobilize the fleet, don’t we?”

Long warfare requires utilizing the navy, and to mobilize the navy, oil is essential.

Even in this world, there are conflicts between navy and army, but at least since they serve under the Emperor, their fights don’t happen ‘outwardly’ compared to the original history.

“Russia still can provide oil, but it seems they’re having issues with weapons. They are wary of the Americans and it seems Communist Germany is about to initiate a war.”

“Damn reds. According to our intel, isn’t Communist Germany assisting China now?”

“Hmmm. Let’s just keep pushing. They’re only employing simplistic strategies based on numbers anyway. They’ll undoubtedly succumb to the overwhelming firepower of the Imperial Army. Eventually, they’ll reach their limit.”

Exactly. No matter how many they are, that’s all they are. If they charge, we’ll wipe them out en masse.

If they come at us with sheer numbers, we just need sufficient firepower to crush those numbers.

And China will eat away at its own strength like that. Of course, it would be dangerous if they don’t fight back.

“Regardless, the ones suffering greater losses are the Chinese, aren’t they? While it seems like our forces are stagnant, we’re not ceding any ground due to counterattacks.”

“That is true.”

“Of course, considering China’s massive population, it’s true that we might ultimately lose if our casualty accrues even slightly, but…”

“Ishiwa Kanji, that’s too much.”

Of course, Ishiwa Kanji’s statement isn’t entirely wrong.

For every ten Chinese soldiers that die, if one Imperial soldier dies, it’s a significant loss. Accumulating like that can indeed lead to our army losing eventually.

It’s evident that the population of China is dwindling. But that doesn’t guarantee a perfect victory for the Imperial army.

“Ultimately, this is a battle of wills.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Tojo Hideki, who usually disliked Ishiwa Kanji leading the Imperial Way Faction, shot him a displeased glance. Yet, Ishiwa Kanji nonchalantly waved it off and boldly spoke up.

“Why not suggest to His Imperial Majesty that he personally leads the battle in Henan Province?”

 

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