-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Li Jishen paced back and forth in front of his ministers, who were in something akin to minor shock. All of them were eschewing the normal circle in favor of a chaos. Worry was creased all over Li Jishen’s face, and most others also reflected its effects somewhat. Indeed, the only who did not seem too worried was Li Zongren.
Li Jishen spoke. “We must make amends! Perhaps the Nationalists are too busy dealing with the Communists to force a real punishment on us.”
Wang JingWei was beginning to shake with worry. “Yes, we must do that! To think, it must be so obvious to the Nationalists that we were planning for war.”
Li Zongren, however, barked a harsh laugh at them. “Cease living in a fantasy world. The die was cast when you, Wang JingWei, began talks with Yunnan—with Zhou Zhirou—about alliance against the Nationalists. If anything, we must strike now! Even if they have vast armies marshalling just beyond our frontiers, our only chance is to attack! We must invade and keep them off balance, enough with the political dancing, of incidents and ‘incidents’. This is about survival now, not mere territorial gain.”
Li Jishen interrupted. “What of Yunnan? Where does it stand in this matter?”
Wang JingWei shrugged. “I do not know.”
Bai Chongxi snorted. “What you do not know doesn’t matter any more. I have control over their army, their generals know that any orders they receive will be from me, not from Long Yun. We will be able to count on them, at least until Long Yun manages to get through the bureaucracy I threw into place to prevent him from recovering control. I predict at least two months before he can regain control of his armies, at the earliest. We have time to use them. Even if he does somehow manage to take control of them now, he’d still require months to redeploy his forces to face us.”
Li Zongren nodded. “Good. Li Jishen, it shall be war. It is the only choice.”
“Am I simply to be a puppet, then?”
“Only if you do not agree that there is no turning back now. You simply panicked, that is all.”
Li Jishen sighed. “I suppose I must agree with that. Very well, it is to be war. Next any of you see me, it shall be in my headquarters.”
Li Zongren nodded. “Very good. We shall attack as soon as everyone is at their units. Li Jishen?”
Li Jishen smiled. “I will expect reports of progress frequently. You are dismissed.”
Li Jishen spoke. “We must make amends! Perhaps the Nationalists are too busy dealing with the Communists to force a real punishment on us.”
Wang JingWei was beginning to shake with worry. “Yes, we must do that! To think, it must be so obvious to the Nationalists that we were planning for war.”
Li Zongren, however, barked a harsh laugh at them. “Cease living in a fantasy world. The die was cast when you, Wang JingWei, began talks with Yunnan—with Zhou Zhirou—about alliance against the Nationalists. If anything, we must strike now! Even if they have vast armies marshalling just beyond our frontiers, our only chance is to attack! We must invade and keep them off balance, enough with the political dancing, of incidents and ‘incidents’. This is about survival now, not mere territorial gain.”
Li Jishen interrupted. “What of Yunnan? Where does it stand in this matter?”
Wang JingWei shrugged. “I do not know.”
Bai Chongxi snorted. “What you do not know doesn’t matter any more. I have control over their army, their generals know that any orders they receive will be from me, not from Long Yun. We will be able to count on them, at least until Long Yun manages to get through the bureaucracy I threw into place to prevent him from recovering control. I predict at least two months before he can regain control of his armies, at the earliest. We have time to use them. Even if he does somehow manage to take control of them now, he’d still require months to redeploy his forces to face us.”
Li Zongren nodded. “Good. Li Jishen, it shall be war. It is the only choice.”
“Am I simply to be a puppet, then?”
“Only if you do not agree that there is no turning back now. You simply panicked, that is all.”
Li Jishen sighed. “I suppose I must agree with that. Very well, it is to be war. Next any of you see me, it shall be in my headquarters.”
Li Zongren nodded. “Very good. We shall attack as soon as everyone is at their units. Li Jishen?”
Li Jishen smiled. “I will expect reports of progress frequently. You are dismissed.”
Will the war be started by an incident that will make you look like the defends and rally your people around you.
Li Jishen was tired. It hadn’t even been a half month of campaigning yet, only twelve days, but he was old and the shock of the Zhou Zirou crisis and the ensuing political debacle as the Nationalists began advancing into eastern Guangxi without declaring war and thus forcing his hand, though his people didn’t see it that way, hadn’t helped either. His once war-like fire was dying out, but he knew that this war was necessary for the survival of Guangxi. He stared out in the direction of Hengyang, the city the soldiers under his direct command were slowly marching toward. Li Jishen jumped as another messenger stumbled into his tent out of the rain and mud. Panting heavily, the man dropped to his knees and handed Lo Jishen a message. Li Jishen took it without looking.
“One hundred meters to the south there is a tent set up for messenger accommodation. You may go there.”
Relief flashed across the messenger’s face as he stood and raced out of the tent. Li Jishen smiled before looking at the array of messages before him. Sighing, he picked up that of the Yunnanese forces, routed through Bai Chongxi, and unrolled it. He wasn’t expecting much from them.
“47. Jun moved south toward Anshun without any opposition, as expected. All other Yunnanese forces attacked Nationalist garrison unit around Chonqging and destroyed it. No advanced made deeper into Nationalist territory other than to complete the destruction of the garrison, as agreed.
--Bai Chongxi”
Opening Yunnanese Operations.
Li Jishen grunted and made the necessary adjustments on his map of China, removing a Nationalist counter and marking Anshun as having fallen to Yunnanese soldiers.
Li Jishen next picked up the missive from General Chen Jitang and his subordinate Lt. General von Appel. He was expecting much from them as there was no Nationalist presence anywhere in front of them and they had and would continue to have the opportunity of coordinating with Yunnanese forces if need be.
“Bad news first, sir. Von Appel has yet to secure even just Guiyang, the terrain is too rough. However, he expects Guiyang to fall soon and Zunyi not long after. There has also not been any resistance yet, so he should be able to stick to this. As for myself, Kaili has fallen and I am advancing on Huaihua at the moment.
--Chen Jitang.”
The opening moves by Chen Jitang’s two-part army.
Chen Jitang’s divisions continuing their advance deeper into Nationalist territory.
Li Jishen made the necessary adjustments on the map, coloring Kaili that really nice shade of blue-green he had chosen to represent Guangxi territory. Completing this task, he set out to write a missive of his army operations, for the records.
“We attacked Nationalist forces, consisting of approximately one division, around Hengyang from three sides, being supported by eastern Guangxi army general Shermentcheff, and easily crushed them. Have yet to take the city, however, but have released my units for other deployments elsewhere along the front.”
The attack of the central Guangxi army on Nationalist forces.
Having done this, he turned to Li Zongren’s message of progress after gaining operational freedom from Li Jishen.
“Began advancing on Shaoyung, no resistance. However, a Nationalist division marched in and was forced to do battle, victory. Expect to arrive in two, three days.
--Li Zongren”
Li Jishen smiled, Li Zongren was always a miser with written words. Nonetheless, his progress was all right, from Shaoyung he would be able to maneuver onto Chen Jitang’s right flank.
Li Zongren taking advantage of his operational freedom.
Li Jishen then turned his attention to the message from Lt. General Bai Chongxi’s eastern Guangxi army. His task was at that point the most difficult, as he faced the greatest amount of Nationalist resistance.
“We have crushed all enemy resistance thus far. Lindemann and Golukjin have pushed the enemy out of Xiamen, with the city captured. Golukjin Shermentcheff then supported my push from Guangzhou to Ganzhou. Shermentcheff followed my own corps in the advance toward Ganzhou, Golukjin attacked Longyan, supported by Lindemann in Xiamen. Xiamen has thus far been only territorial gain.
--Bai Chongxi”
Lindemann’s goal was to advance along the coast, supported by Golukjin and supporting him in turn.
The main attack by the eastern Guangxi army, to push the Nationalists away from Guangzhou.
Lindemann’s and Golukjin’s plan in action, Lindemann had advanced and is now supporting Golukjin’s own attack.
Li Jishen smiled. The progress had been slow, only two provinces taken, but the Nationalists were in full retreat wherever they had been present. Having made all relevant changes to his map, Li Jishen sat back and admired at the coordination the Guangxi and Yunnanese armies have thus far managed to accomplish.
The last of the opening moves being accomplished, according to Li Jishen’s map.
“One hundred meters to the south there is a tent set up for messenger accommodation. You may go there.”
Relief flashed across the messenger’s face as he stood and raced out of the tent. Li Jishen smiled before looking at the array of messages before him. Sighing, he picked up that of the Yunnanese forces, routed through Bai Chongxi, and unrolled it. He wasn’t expecting much from them.
“47. Jun moved south toward Anshun without any opposition, as expected. All other Yunnanese forces attacked Nationalist garrison unit around Chonqging and destroyed it. No advanced made deeper into Nationalist territory other than to complete the destruction of the garrison, as agreed.
--Bai Chongxi”
Opening Yunnanese Operations.
Li Jishen grunted and made the necessary adjustments on his map of China, removing a Nationalist counter and marking Anshun as having fallen to Yunnanese soldiers.
Li Jishen next picked up the missive from General Chen Jitang and his subordinate Lt. General von Appel. He was expecting much from them as there was no Nationalist presence anywhere in front of them and they had and would continue to have the opportunity of coordinating with Yunnanese forces if need be.
“Bad news first, sir. Von Appel has yet to secure even just Guiyang, the terrain is too rough. However, he expects Guiyang to fall soon and Zunyi not long after. There has also not been any resistance yet, so he should be able to stick to this. As for myself, Kaili has fallen and I am advancing on Huaihua at the moment.
--Chen Jitang.”
The opening moves by Chen Jitang’s two-part army.
Chen Jitang’s divisions continuing their advance deeper into Nationalist territory.
Li Jishen made the necessary adjustments on the map, coloring Kaili that really nice shade of blue-green he had chosen to represent Guangxi territory. Completing this task, he set out to write a missive of his army operations, for the records.
“We attacked Nationalist forces, consisting of approximately one division, around Hengyang from three sides, being supported by eastern Guangxi army general Shermentcheff, and easily crushed them. Have yet to take the city, however, but have released my units for other deployments elsewhere along the front.”
The attack of the central Guangxi army on Nationalist forces.
Having done this, he turned to Li Zongren’s message of progress after gaining operational freedom from Li Jishen.
“Began advancing on Shaoyung, no resistance. However, a Nationalist division marched in and was forced to do battle, victory. Expect to arrive in two, three days.
--Li Zongren”
Li Jishen smiled, Li Zongren was always a miser with written words. Nonetheless, his progress was all right, from Shaoyung he would be able to maneuver onto Chen Jitang’s right flank.
Li Zongren taking advantage of his operational freedom.
Li Jishen then turned his attention to the message from Lt. General Bai Chongxi’s eastern Guangxi army. His task was at that point the most difficult, as he faced the greatest amount of Nationalist resistance.
“We have crushed all enemy resistance thus far. Lindemann and Golukjin have pushed the enemy out of Xiamen, with the city captured. Golukjin Shermentcheff then supported my push from Guangzhou to Ganzhou. Shermentcheff followed my own corps in the advance toward Ganzhou, Golukjin attacked Longyan, supported by Lindemann in Xiamen. Xiamen has thus far been only territorial gain.
--Bai Chongxi”
Lindemann’s goal was to advance along the coast, supported by Golukjin and supporting him in turn.
The main attack by the eastern Guangxi army, to push the Nationalists away from Guangzhou.
Lindemann’s and Golukjin’s plan in action, Lindemann had advanced and is now supporting Golukjin’s own attack.
Li Jishen smiled. The progress had been slow, only two provinces taken, but the Nationalists were in full retreat wherever they had been present. Having made all relevant changes to his map, Li Jishen sat back and admired at the coordination the Guangxi and Yunnanese armies have thus far managed to accomplish.
The last of the opening moves being accomplished, according to Li Jishen’s map.
China with these big stack will go ''ALL-IN'' hehehe.
And maybe Zhou Zhirou's identical twin brother is a Nationalist chinese?
And maybe Zhou Zhirou's identical twin brother is a Nationalist chinese?
If you can reach the Yellow river, you will probably be able to stabilize the lines.
Li Jishen rubbed his eyes, he was quite tired. The constant campaigning was really getting to him, but he could not give up. The war was, after all, going much better than he could have hoped. Guangxi forces were advancing along the entire front, mostly due to the lack of heavy resistance. At the moment Bai Chongxi was with him, as he feared that the Chinese would return to Jiujiang before his own forces reached the city and wished for Li Jishen to continue to retain his divisions in a position from which they could support Bai Chongxi’s own corps. Li Jishen had already made up his mind, however, to do so regardless of what Bai Chongxi said at him, as he would arrive there in only three days, and allowed his mind to wander over the events of the past month.
Von Appel and Chen Jitang advanced without any fighting to the Zunyi-Huaihua line, von Appel’s corps finally making contact with Yunnese forces totaling seven divisions in Zhaotung. They had halted in front of Fuling only because it was strongly held by the Nationalists—at least three divisions, in rather mountainous terrain. Though they wished to continue, Li Jishen had ruled in favor of halting and resting for a short while—even the seven Yunnanese divisions on their flank may not have been enough to throw the Nationalist defenders across the river behind Fuling. The Yunnanese forces themselves had even been slightly valuable the past month as well, attacking any Nationalist forces that marched through Chongqing, keeping them off balance in the area though Li Jishen privately suspected this also had the deleterious effect of also sending some fleeing divisons to Fuling. To Chen Jitang’s right, Li Zongren did not advance beyond Shaoyung, as another Nationalist corps barred his way to Changde and Li Jishen had again ruled cautiously, only Chen Jitang’s forces were available to support him.
The western front.
More occurred to the east, both in terms of violence and territorial gain. This was partially because the terrain was kinder to advancing armies, but also because the defenders were still sown less thickly than they had become just slightly to the west. Major General Kravelkin’s Guangdong Baoantui advanced from Wuzhou to Changsha, through Hengyang and Zhuzhou, without encountering any resistance and secured the distance between Li Zongren’s right and Li Jishen’s left flanks, if somewhat weakly. Li Jishen himself attacked Pingxiang after occupying Hengyang, supported by Shermentcheff’s corps, as Bai Chongxi’s own divisions were still marching Ganzhou from their original positions in front of Guangzhou at the time.
The attack on Pingxiang, which tore at the already hard-hit Nationalist defenses in the region.
As soon as Bai Chongxi had reached Ganzhou he wheeled his corps past the defeated remnants of the Nationalist division at Pingxiang to march, unopposed, on the airfield at Nanchang, a rather exposed position that held great strategic value.
Bai Chongxi’s drive on Nanchang, where the airfields were in use until mere hours before his arrival.
In short succession, Bai Chongxi took part in two separate operations. First, there was Shermentcheff’s advance from Ganzhou to Shangrao, which began victoriously but had Shermentcheff bogged and then withdrawn to his starting point at Ganzhou just yesterday.
The ultimately failed drive on Shangrao.
Once he had helped secure Shermentcheff’s original victory, he turned north and pushed toward Jiujiang, supported by Li Jishen’s own corps, which had recently arrived in Pingxiang. This was the operation Li Jishen was still currently supporting.
The current operation, though at the moment the Nationalists had no presence closer than the river.
On the coastal front, Lindemann and Golukjin had been pushing forward as well. Golukjin had placed himself well, and only participated in a supporting role all month. Firstly, Lindemann and Golukjin decided, quite logically, that Quanzhou had to fall first. It was in the process of being reinforced and, though encirclement was tempting, the terrain was still mountainous and thus hostile to advancing without superiority. Thus, Lindemann attacked frontally, with Golukjin hitting the Nationalist flanks, and the enemy broke and fled.
The attack on Quanzhou.
From Quanzhou, Lindemann quickly pushed onward to Fuzhou, with Golukjin supporting. Li Jishen knew that, once Lindemann has established himself there, the roles would be reversed as Golukjin would attack to capture Nanping and Lindemann would support him.
The second part of June’s drive along the coast.
Li Jishen grunted, it was a good system of coordination and the terrain suited it; the rest of the Guangxi army was attempting to emulate it but the front was slowly widening beyond what could be handled. Li Jishen looked back at the map once more, before he noticed that Bai Chongxi was looking expectantly at him. Blinking, Li Jishen grinned, almost sheepishly, and nodded.
“I will support you until you’ve gained Jiujiang.”
Bai Chongxi nodded. “Thank you, sir. Now, if you will excuse me, I will return to my own headquarters.”
Li Jishen grunted and nodded. After watching Bai Chongxi leave, he looked back at the map. The Nationalists were not proving as difficult as expected yet, but that would surely change. Not only that, but the Communists had begun expanding. They will need to be watched…
The situation in China, July 1 1936.
Von Appel and Chen Jitang advanced without any fighting to the Zunyi-Huaihua line, von Appel’s corps finally making contact with Yunnese forces totaling seven divisions in Zhaotung. They had halted in front of Fuling only because it was strongly held by the Nationalists—at least three divisions, in rather mountainous terrain. Though they wished to continue, Li Jishen had ruled in favor of halting and resting for a short while—even the seven Yunnanese divisions on their flank may not have been enough to throw the Nationalist defenders across the river behind Fuling. The Yunnanese forces themselves had even been slightly valuable the past month as well, attacking any Nationalist forces that marched through Chongqing, keeping them off balance in the area though Li Jishen privately suspected this also had the deleterious effect of also sending some fleeing divisons to Fuling. To Chen Jitang’s right, Li Zongren did not advance beyond Shaoyung, as another Nationalist corps barred his way to Changde and Li Jishen had again ruled cautiously, only Chen Jitang’s forces were available to support him.
The western front.
More occurred to the east, both in terms of violence and territorial gain. This was partially because the terrain was kinder to advancing armies, but also because the defenders were still sown less thickly than they had become just slightly to the west. Major General Kravelkin’s Guangdong Baoantui advanced from Wuzhou to Changsha, through Hengyang and Zhuzhou, without encountering any resistance and secured the distance between Li Zongren’s right and Li Jishen’s left flanks, if somewhat weakly. Li Jishen himself attacked Pingxiang after occupying Hengyang, supported by Shermentcheff’s corps, as Bai Chongxi’s own divisions were still marching Ganzhou from their original positions in front of Guangzhou at the time.
The attack on Pingxiang, which tore at the already hard-hit Nationalist defenses in the region.
As soon as Bai Chongxi had reached Ganzhou he wheeled his corps past the defeated remnants of the Nationalist division at Pingxiang to march, unopposed, on the airfield at Nanchang, a rather exposed position that held great strategic value.
Bai Chongxi’s drive on Nanchang, where the airfields were in use until mere hours before his arrival.
In short succession, Bai Chongxi took part in two separate operations. First, there was Shermentcheff’s advance from Ganzhou to Shangrao, which began victoriously but had Shermentcheff bogged and then withdrawn to his starting point at Ganzhou just yesterday.
The ultimately failed drive on Shangrao.
Once he had helped secure Shermentcheff’s original victory, he turned north and pushed toward Jiujiang, supported by Li Jishen’s own corps, which had recently arrived in Pingxiang. This was the operation Li Jishen was still currently supporting.
The current operation, though at the moment the Nationalists had no presence closer than the river.
On the coastal front, Lindemann and Golukjin had been pushing forward as well. Golukjin had placed himself well, and only participated in a supporting role all month. Firstly, Lindemann and Golukjin decided, quite logically, that Quanzhou had to fall first. It was in the process of being reinforced and, though encirclement was tempting, the terrain was still mountainous and thus hostile to advancing without superiority. Thus, Lindemann attacked frontally, with Golukjin hitting the Nationalist flanks, and the enemy broke and fled.
The attack on Quanzhou.
From Quanzhou, Lindemann quickly pushed onward to Fuzhou, with Golukjin supporting. Li Jishen knew that, once Lindemann has established himself there, the roles would be reversed as Golukjin would attack to capture Nanping and Lindemann would support him.
The second part of June’s drive along the coast.
Li Jishen grunted, it was a good system of coordination and the terrain suited it; the rest of the Guangxi army was attempting to emulate it but the front was slowly widening beyond what could be handled. Li Jishen looked back at the map once more, before he noticed that Bai Chongxi was looking expectantly at him. Blinking, Li Jishen grinned, almost sheepishly, and nodded.
“I will support you until you’ve gained Jiujiang.”
Bai Chongxi nodded. “Thank you, sir. Now, if you will excuse me, I will return to my own headquarters.”
Li Jishen grunted and nodded. After watching Bai Chongxi leave, he looked back at the map. The Nationalists were not proving as difficult as expected yet, but that would surely change. Not only that, but the Communists had begun expanding. They will need to be watched…
The situation in China, July 1 1936.
You're doing very well so far. But what happens as your forces get spread thinner and the Nationalists begin to build up?
Still looks to be a massive hole in the centre to exploit. Are you going to try and pocket those divisions along the coast?